This water filtration solution requires no electricity, has no moving parts, and can be built affordably with locally available materials.
Source: TreeHugger – DIY wood mold for BioSand water filter system is a low-tech clean water solution
Monthly Archives: January 2017
A Small Detail You Might Have Missed In Mass Effect: Andromeda's New Trailer
Yesterday, we got to meet some of the new squadmates introduced in Mass Effect: Andromeda. One of them, pictured above, is named Cora Harper. Harper is your second-in-command on the Pathfinder mission to find a new home for humanity.
Source: io9 – A Small Detail You Might Have Missed In Mass Effect: Andromeda’s New Trailer
A Small Detail You Might Have Missed About Mass Effect: Andromeda's New Trailer
Yesterday, we got to meet some of the new squadmates introduced in Mass Effect: Andromeda. One of them, pictured above, is named Cora Harper. Harper is your second-in-command on the Pathfinder mission to find a new home for humanity.
Source: Kotaku – A Small Detail You Might Have Missed About Mass Effect: Andromeda’s New Trailer
FBI releases redacted report of its GamerGate investigation
It’s one thing to have read about (and reported on) the various threats of violence perpetrated by GamerGate, but seeing the FBI’s collection of documents regarding the harassment campaign is entirely different. The Bureau recently released a 173-pag…
Source: Engadget – FBI releases redacted report of its GamerGate investigation
Snowfall in California Went a Long Way to Helping the State's Drought
In just about a month, over a third of drought-stricken, wildfire plagued California’s snow-water deficit has been restored. Aided by NASA satellite data, CU Boulder’s Center for Water Earth Science and Technology (CWEST) found that two storms in December and January produced enough precipitation to restore 37% of…
Source: Gizmodo – Snowfall in California Went a Long Way to Helping the State’s Drought
What We Love And Hate About Overwatch's Chinese New Year Update
On the latest episode of our semi-regular Overwatch show, Let’s Break It Down, Cecilia, Heather, and I discuss the pros and cons of the Year Of The Rooster update. Pro: Roadhog’s new hook is actually kinda cool. Con: his new skin makes him look like a Texas chainsaw massacre. Also, capture the flag? Not super great.
Source: Kotaku – What We Love And Hate About Overwatch’s Chinese New Year Update
Early Benchmarks Of The Intel Core i7 7700K On Linux
For those curious how Intel’s flagship Core i7 7700K “Kabylake” processor is performing under Linux, my sample arrived yesterday and I’ve begun putting the CPU through its paces…
Source: Phoronix – Early Benchmarks Of The Intel Core i7 7700K On Linux
News Feed Adds Interactive Audio News to Amazon Echo
By default, the Amazon Echo can by deliver news reports by request, but is a little limited if you want to hear the latest stories from multiple outlets on specific topics. With News Feed by Audioburst, you can hear snippets of audio from a variety of news outlets through Alexa for a more lively look at the news.
Source: LifeHacker – News Feed Adds Interactive Audio News to Amazon Echo
EPA lifts grant freeze, gag order remains in place
The Environmental Protection Agency has lifted the freeze on grant money and contract operations that set off alarm bells in Congress earlier this week. Although the EPA will now be allowed to resume sending money to state-run environmental protectio…
Source: Engadget – EPA lifts grant freeze, gag order remains in place
Seagate Says 16TB Hard Drive To Hit Market Within 18 Months
An anonymous reader shares a report: If you haven’t shopped around for hard drives in a while, you may be surprised at what’s out there. The largest 3.5-inch desktop hard drives currently available from Seagate, for example, offer a whopping 10TB of capacity for less than $500. In the event that 10TB isn’t quite enough storage and a multi-drive setup isn’t ideal, you’ll be happy to hear that Seagate over the next 18 months plans to ship 14TB and 16TB drives. A 12TB HDD based on helium technology is currently undergoing testing and according to CEO Stephen Luczo, initial feedback is positive. Most enthusiasts and even some PC manufacturers are now using solid state drives as their primary drive due to the fact that they’re much faster and more power-efficient. What’s more, because they have no moving parts, SSDs generate no noise and are much more durable.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Seagate Says 16TB Hard Drive To Hit Market Within 18 Months
Glass Doorknob And Sun Team Up To Start House Fire
A family in London recently discovered the magic of sun and glass after a crystal doorknob was credited with starting a house fire. Apparently homeowner Clare Thompson removed a coat that was hanging from the doorknob, which allowed the sun to focus its energy through the knob and set a nearby pile of clothes on fire. Not my vintage concert tees!
Charlie Pugsley, head of the Brigade’s fire investigation team, said: “These sort of incidents are not as rare as you would think. I’ve seen everything from sparkly doorknobs and crystal balls to glass fish bowls and Nutella jars containing crystals starting fires.
“Crystal and glass ornaments and items such as shaving mirrors should be kept out of direct sunlight. The homeowners were extremely lucky and they were alerted to the fire by their smoke alarm.
First of all, glass doorknobs are kind of ridiculous. I feel like they really only look appropriate in palaces, and, based on my astute observation skills, that does not look like a palace to me. That door — that door looks like it has seen some shit.
Thanks to rob, who agrees the best house fires are the ones you set intentionally to convince roommates to move out.
Source: Geekologie – Glass Doorknob And Sun Team Up To Start House Fire
This Legion Art Installation Will Blow Your Damned Mind
When fans think of the X-Men, they think of people capable of the impossible. They may have to consider artist Michael Murphy one of them. He’s created a jaw-dropping piece of art based on the new X-Men themed TV show, Legion.
Source: Gizmodo – This Legion Art Installation Will Blow Your Damned Mind
Dell's XPS 13 2-in-1 nearly lives up to the original
It was only a matter of time until Dell gave us a convertible spin on the XPS 13, our favorite Windows laptop for nearly two years running. While the original model is still ideal if you need a traditional laptop design, it falls short if you ever wa…
Source: Engadget – Dell’s XPS 13 2-in-1 nearly lives up to the original
Resident Evil 7, As Told By Steam Reviews
Wanna read about a lot of grown men soiling their pants out of fear? Well, check out the Steam reviews for Resident Evil 7.
Source: Kotaku – Resident Evil 7, As Told By Steam Reviews
Smart Alarm Clock Wakes You Up at the Best Time so You Feel Rested and Recharged
iOS/Android: We sleep in cycles and you can feel completely groggy or fully rested depending on where you are in the cycle when you wake up. Smart Alarm Clock tracks your sleep cycles and wakes you up at just the right time.
Source: LifeHacker – Smart Alarm Clock Wakes You Up at the Best Time so You Feel Rested and Recharged
These Ikea Beach Chairs Keep Slicing Off People's Fingertips
Ikea is recalling roughly 34,000 beach chairs over safety concerns. Typically, chair recalls are initiated over stability concerns and chairs simply tipping over. But the danger of these Mysingsö model chairs is a bit more gruesome. So far 13 people have been injured, with 6 people getting their fingertips amputated.
Source: Gizmodo – These Ikea Beach Chairs Keep Slicing Off People’s Fingertips
Bring on the e-bikes and get more people out of cars
They can make a big difference for people and a big help in hilly cities
Source: TreeHugger – Bring on the e-bikes and get more people out of cars
Save on the 10' Model of Anker's Super Durable PowerLine+ Lightning Cable
Anker’s kevlar-wrapped PowerLine Lightning cables are some of the most popular we’ve ever posted, and the 10′ model of the even more durable PowerLine+ is marked down to $15 today on Amazon in red, a dollar away from the all-time low.
Source: LifeHacker – Save on the 10′ Model of Anker’s Super Durable PowerLine+ Lightning Cable
AMDGPU Changes Queued For Linux 4.11: Power/TTM Changes, No DC/DAL
Alex Deucher of AMD sent in the Radeon/AMDGPU DRM driver changes today to DRM-Next for then merging into the Linux 4.11 kernel a few weeks down the road…
Source: Phoronix – AMDGPU Changes Queued For Linux 4.11: Power/TTM Changes, No DC/DAL
Everything Trump Fucked Up in Science and Technology This Week
It’s amazing to think that we’ve all been alive for a thousand years, our bodies swept by a burning wind into nothing but dust and a lingering scream. Except we haven’t—it’s just the end of the first week of the Trump administration, and a disconcertingly large number of horrible things have already happened.
Source: Gizmodo – Everything Trump Fucked Up in Science and Technology This Week