Welcome once again to Video IRL, where several of our editors talk about what they’ve been watching in their spare time. This month brings a mixed bag; while one of us dived into season one of Starz’ series American Gods; another is obsessed with a q…
Source: Engadget – What we’re watching: ‘Shirobako,’ ‘American Gods’ and ‘Robot & Frank’
Monthly Archives: July 2017
Why We Still Don't Know How Long a Day is on Saturn
The ending of NASA’s Cassini mission is a truly intoxicating cocktail of emotions; on one hand, the data from this 20-year-long mission will fuel scientific research for years to come. On the other hand, where are we going to get our regular updates on everyone’s favorite gas giant? What about the photos? Seriously,…
Source: Gizmodo – Why We Still Don’t Know How Long a Day is on Saturn
Photo: Tiny tree frog tries out his puppy-dog eyes
Our sweet photo of the day is an exercise in amphibian pleading.
Source: TreeHugger – Photo: Tiny tree frog tries out his puppy-dog eyes
'Forces of Destiny' YouTube series explores untold 'Star Wars' tales
Can’t get enough Star Wars content while you wait for the next couple of movie installments? You might want to check out this series of animated shorts, Forces of Destiny, written by the prolific Jennifer Muro for Disney. Each two- to three-minute ep…
Source: Engadget – ‘Forces of Destiny’ YouTube series explores untold ‘Star Wars’ tales
Install Media Player on PS4 without PSN?
Is there a way to install the media player without using PSN. I am on OFW V3.51 and I do not want to update it above 3.51 at this time.
Also if I join PSN and try to download it will it update my OFW? I have updates disabled in my settings.
Source: PS4 News – Install Media Player on PS4 without PSN?
This is the first known photo of a total solar eclipse
The first photo of a total solar eclipse was taken on July 28, 1851, by Johann Julius Friedrich Berkowski.
Source: TreeHugger – This is the first known photo of a total solar eclipse
See IndyCar’s bold new look for 2018
Chris Owens/IndyCar
America’s fastest racing series is going with an all-new look from next year. Earlier this week, IndyCar revealed the new 2018-spec cars to the world at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, then let series veterans Juan Pablo Montoya and Oriol Servia loose for the 2018 machine’s first test session. The pair—powered by Chevrolet and Honda engines respectively—were immediately up to speed in the box-fresh race cars, which will use the same aero kit for next season regardless of the engine supplier. It’s the fourth new look for IndyCar’s Dallara-built DW12 since it was introduced in 2012, and the first aesthetic to ditch the un-Indylike airbox behind the driver’s head for a much more appropriate roll-hoop.
The DW12 is a much better car than the one it replaced, and it has given IndyCar some fantastic racing over the past few years. But I’m among the few who considered it good-looking; most IndyCar fans hate the sight of it. The series attempted to add some visual diversity in 2015 by allowing Honda and Chevrolet to develop aero kits—unique front and rear wings for the teams using each OEM’s engines. But the experiment was not a fantastic success.
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Source: Ars Technica – See IndyCar’s bold new look for 2018
God, Is That You?: Stunning 4K Timelapse Footage Of Storm Cells
This is ‘Pursuit’, a beautiful 4K timelapse of storm cells filmed across ten states here in the U.S. In storm chaser Mike Olbinski’s words while I blow bubbles in my Mai Tai and pretend its lava until the bartender asks me to leave.
The work on this film began on March 28th and ended June 29th. There were 27 total days of actual chasing and many more for traveling. I drove across 10 states and put over 28,000 new miles on the ol’ 4Runner. I snapped over 90,000 time-lapse frames. I saw the most incredible mammatus displays, the best nighttime lightning and structure I’ve ever seen, a tornado birth caught on time-lapse and a display of undulatus asperatus that blew my mind. Wall clouds, massive cores, supercell structures, shelf clouds…it ended up being an amazing season and I’m so incredibly proud of the footage in this film. It wasn’t the best year in storm chasing history…but I got to chase storms and share it with you guys. All worth it.
Man, storm chasing actually sounds pretty fun. Plus I bet it’s one of those jobs where your girlfriend doesn’t come looking for you at work. Not that I mind my girlfriend showing up at work, it’s just that, well….you know. “You’ve been unemployed for the last eight months and lying to her about it.” Exactly.
Keep going for the video.
Source: Geekologie – God, Is That You?: Stunning 4K Timelapse Footage Of Storm Cells
New Analysis at Nuclear Reactor Reignites Search for Mysterious 'Sterile' Neutrino
You’re probably aware that stuff is made from particles. But the second most abundant particle in the universe, the neutrino, refuses to be fully understood. This tiny and elusive speck only barely interacts with the other particles that make up us humans and our galaxy. Its mysteries continue to confound the public…
Source: Gizmodo – New Analysis at Nuclear Reactor Reignites Search for Mysterious ‘Sterile’ Neutrino
What Could Happen to LGBTQ Rights After a Week of Political Attacks
Earlier this year, North Carolina’s General Assembly partially repealed HB2, the so-called “bathroom bill” that restricted cities in North Carolina from enacting local anti-discrimination laws and required transgender people to use bathrooms that corresponded to the sex on their birth certificates. Since then, many…
Source: LifeHacker – What Could Happen to LGBTQ Rights After a Week of Political Attacks
Samsung topples Intel as world’s largest chipmaker
Samsung registered a record profit of $12.6 billion in its second quarter earnings report, but hidden in those numbers lies another milestone. Of its $54 billion in revenue, $15 billion came solely from Samsung Semiconductors — pushing it above the…
Source: Engadget – Samsung topples Intel as world’s largest chipmaker
$15 Magnet Hack Turns Smart Gun Into Regular Gun
Just like anything with a lithium-based battery has the potential to explode, just about any tech product that’s considered “smart” is potentially hackable. Which is why one clever hacker was able to break the Armatix iP1, a smart gun that is designed to only be fired by a person wearing a paired smartwatch.
Source: Gizmodo – Magnet Hack Turns Smart Gun Into Regular Gun
PS4 Extreme 1.76 RTM Tool (WIP) with Source Code by Vultra
Welcome to PS4Extreme
Here is an all-in-one Tool that I have been working on in my own time, with this source people can adapt to it with its open source code allowing to add more features to it, also this is…
PS4 Extreme 1.76 RTM Tool (WIP) with Source Code by Vultra
Source: PS4 News – PS4 Extreme 1.76 RTM Tool (WIP) with Source Code by Vultra
Laurene Powell Jobs's Organization to Take Majority Stake in The Atlantic
Emerson Collective, the organization founded by Laurene Powell Jobs, has agreed to acquire a majority stake in The Atlantic magazine, with full ownership possible in the coming years. From a report: David G. Bradley, chairman of Atlantic Media, will retain a minority stake and intends to continue running the magazine for the next three to five years. After that, Emerson Collective may purchase Mr. Bradley’s remaining interest. “While I will stay at the helm some years, the most consequential decision of my career now is behind me: Who next will take stewardship of this 160-year-old national treasure?” Mr. Bradley, 64, wrote in a note to employees. “To me, the answer, in the form of Laurene, feels incomparably right.” The leadership of The Atlantic, including Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor in chief; Bob Cohn, the president; and Hayley Romer, the publisher, will remain unchanged and will continue to run the publication’s daily operations (could be paywalled). The deal, which Mr. Bradley announced to the staff on Friday morning, also includes The Atlantic’s digital properties, events business and consulting services. Mr. Bradley will continue to fully own the rest of Atlantic Media’s properties, which include the National Journal Group and the digital media organization Quartz. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Laurene Powell Jobs’s Organization to Take Majority Stake in The Atlantic
The FDA has a significant change of heart about e-cigarettes
The FDA has just announced a sweeping change in its policy regarding e-cigarettes and vaping products. In a press release issued this morning, the administration outlined its plan to focus on reducing usage of combustible cigarettes and tobacco, in t…
Source: Engadget – The FDA has a significant change of heart about e-cigarettes
How To Enable Dark Mode On Your Smartphone For Late Night Browsing
Watching video from your smartphone at night tends to be really harsh on your eyes, not to mention really irritating for other people in the room who may actually be trying to sleep. And while a number of video players and apps are now releasing a “dark mode” feature, which inverts the interface’s colors, these…
Source: LifeHacker – How To Enable Dark Mode On Your Smartphone For Late Night Browsing
Weekly Upgrades: How We Made Two Twitter Bots Become Friends
Last week, we kicked off our roundup of Weekly Upgrades with Prime Day purchases, hydration, and tossing out unnecessary cosmetics.
Source: LifeHacker – Weekly Upgrades: How We Made Two Twitter Bots Become Friends
42 flowers you can eat
Beyond nasturtium blossoms and rose petals, there is a surprising number of blooms that are a true delight to eat.
Source: TreeHugger – 42 flowers you can eat
Heavy metal legend Ronnie James Dio will tour the world as a hologram
Source: Engadget – Heavy metal legend Ronnie James Dio will tour the world as a hologram
Broadcom chip bug opened 1 billion phones to a Wi-Fi-hopping worm attack
Enlarge (credit: Cheon Fong Liew)
LAS VEGAS—It’s not often that a security researcher devises an attack that can unleash a self-replicating attack that, with no user interaction, threatens 1 billion smartphones. But that’s just what Nitay Artenstein of Exodus Intelligence did in a feat that affected both iOS and Android devices.
At the Black Hat security conference, Artenstein demonstrated proof-of-concept attack code that exploited a vulnerability in Wi-Fi chips manufactured by Broadcom. It fills the airwaves with probes that request connections to nearby computing devices. When the specially devised requests reach a device using the BCM43xx family of Wi-Fi chipsets, the attack rewrites the firmware that controls the chip. The compromised chip then sends the same malicious packets to other vulnerable devices, setting off a potential chain reaction. Until early July and last week—when Google and Apple issued patches respectively—an estimated 1 billion devices were vulnerable to the attack. Artenstein has dubbed the worm Broadpwn.
Although the flaw is now closed, the hack has important lessons as engineers continue their quest to secure mobile phones and other computing devices. Security protections such as address space layout randomization and data execution prevention have now become standard parts of the operating systems and apps. As a result, attackers have to work hard to exploit buffer overflows and other types of software vulnerabilities. That extra work largely makes self-replicating worms impossible. Artenstein’s exploit, however, suggests that such worms are by no means impossible.
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Source: Ars Technica – Broadcom chip bug opened 1 billion phones to a Wi-Fi-hopping worm attack