If nothing else, EA is listening to the fans for Star Wars: Battlefront II. After all, outcry was the reason the game will have a single-player campaign mode and an awful lot more depth. So, perhaps it isn’t too surprising that the game company paid…
Source: Engadget – You won’t have to pay to win in ‘Battlefront II’ after all
Monthly Archives: October 2017
Tech Giants Google, Facebook, and Twitter Testify Before Congress on Russian Election Meddling
Attorneys for Facebook, Google, and Twitter on Tuesday appeared on Capitol Hill to testify as part of ongoing investigations into Russian efforts to meddle in the 2016 election.
Source: Gizmodo – Tech Giants Google, Facebook, and Twitter Testify Before Congress on Russian Election Meddling
We could all use a little more Lykke
It’s the Danish word for happiness, which these days seems in short supply.
Source: TreeHugger – We could all use a little more Lykke
Intel, ARM Deepen Foundry Ties
At this year’s TechCon 2017, ARM announced that it is extending its partnership with Intel’s foundry business to build IP tailored for the x86 giant’s 22nm FinFET node. It’s a fascinating example of co-opetition from the processor rivals. ARM will deliver IP to enable a Cortex-A55 geared for midrange smartphones to run up to 2.35 GHz or down to 0.45V in its so-called 22FFL process.
ARM is already helping make in Intel’s flagship 10nm process a test chip due out before the end of the year using a next-gen Cortex-A SoC running at 3.5 GHz or 0.5V and delivering 0.25mW/MHz. Observers said the level of candor was new for Intel but key to establishing a foundry business it has been struggling — largely with its own culture — to stand up for years.
Discussion
Source: [H]ardOCP – Intel, ARM Deepen Foundry Ties
Face ID Tests Show Varying Results for Twins Using Facial Recognition
Business Insider, Mashable, and The Wall Street Journal put Face ID to the test with identical twins and triplets: so far, it looks like a false match probability of 3 out of 4 (with extremely limited testing). To be fair, Apple had warned about such limitations with their new recognition system.
Is this a concern for you? For twins, this certainly seems like a downside compared to Touch ID (so hopefully you can trust your twin). iPhone X with Face ID hits stores this Friday when more customers will be able to give real world tests to the new facial recognition features.
Discussion
Source: [H]ardOCP – Face ID Tests Show Varying Results for Twins Using Facial Recognition
This Tiny Star Hosts a Planet Nearly the Size of Jupiter
Using an innovative new telescope array, an international team of researchers has discovered a distant gas giant roughly the size of Jupiter around a star half the size of ours. It’s considered the largest planet in proportion to its companion star.
Source: Gizmodo – This Tiny Star Hosts a Planet Nearly the Size of Jupiter
Conductive thread stores data in clothes without built-in tech
New technology may soon enable you to get into your home or office with nothing more than your coat, wristband or tie. Scientists at the University of Washington have found a way to create smart fabric, using only conductive thread with no other adde…
Source: Engadget – Conductive thread stores data in clothes without built-in tech
Thanks to pizza, NYC mice are biologically different from their country cousins
The metabolic pathways of urban mice are changing due to the “novel diets” afforded by city living.
Source: TreeHugger – Thanks to pizza, NYC mice are biologically different from their country cousins
Encrypt Your Flash Drive to Ensure Your Peace of Mind
We’ve all lost a flash drive or two. Whether it was a cheap USB drive containing some promotional material, or top secret one detailing the security protocol pertaining to a certain Queen of England’s travel plans, sometimes we forget things, and have to hope that our sensitive information doesn’t fall into the wrong…
Source: LifeHacker – Encrypt Your Flash Drive to Ensure Your Peace of Mind
Snarky bamboo TP company gives 50% of its profits to toilet, water, & sanitation projects
Australia’s Who Gives a Crap makes 100% bamboo toilet paper that also claims to be “so soft it’ll make your bottom smile.”
Source: TreeHugger – Snarky bamboo TP company gives 50% of its profits to toilet, water, & sanitation projects
Comcast's Xfinity X1 finally streams Netflix in 4K
Netflix has offered 4K streaming on seemingly every platform under the Sun by this point, but not Comcast’s Xfinity X1. You’ve had to settle for 1080p if your TV, console or digital media player somehow wasn’t up to the job. No more: Comcast has ma…
Source: Engadget – Comcast’s Xfinity X1 finally streams Netflix in 4K
Early on, Stranger Things 2 takes the right cues from ‘80s sequels
Enlarge / Will! He’s alive and kinda sorta well. (As practically a new character this season, Noah Schnapp has been excellent early on. He wears the anxiety and uncertainty of Will’s past on his face at all times.) (credit: Netflix)
Warning: This story contains some spoilers for episodes 1-3 of Stranger Things‘ second season.
For returning fans of Netflix’s surprise hit Stranger Things, it likely only took roughly 54 seconds for the second season to feel like a success. As soon as the familiar intro sequence hits—vintage synths pulsing as a kodalith technique nails the ’80s horror-thriller mood—you’re happy to be in Hawkins, Indiana, again. The first instances of a nervous Joyce Byers doting on her sons or Chief Hopper barging into the office only seal the sentiment.
Thankfully, the first three episodes of the new run reveal that many of Stranger Things’ strengths have returned. The Duffer Bros. and co. again nail the emotions and aesthetic of the “kids-on-bikes-have-an-adventure” genre many know and love. Life in Hawkins still has enough unsettled peculiarities story-wise to propel another round of thrills. And new additions to the cast feel largely organic to this world and not like one-note story fodder.
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Source: Ars Technica – Early on, Stranger Things 2 takes the right cues from ‘80s sequels
Godot Game Engine 3.0 Alpha 2 Released
The second alpha release of the Godot 3.0 Game Engine is now available for testing…
Source: Phoronix – Godot Game Engine 3.0 Alpha 2 Released
All About Flesh-Eating Bacteria, the Bacteria That … Well, You Know
In one of the world’s many injustices, two people who rescued others during Hurricane Harvey developed infections with “flesh eating” bacteria. Another person, a woman who fell and broke her arm in the flood, developed a similar infection so bad that she died from it. Fortunately, their stories are rare.
Source: LifeHacker – All About Flesh-Eating Bacteria, the Bacteria That … Well, You Know
'Levitating' Star Wars Speeder Bikes Built For Halloween
These are a couple videos of the custom ‘levitating’ Star Wars speeder bikes built by Lithium Cycles using electric bicycles from Super 73. Obviously, they’re not really levitating, they just have mirrored fenders that cover the wheels to give the ILLUSION of levitation. Still, very clever, and if I were judging the costume contest they entered I’d definitely have no choice but to tell them they tried way too hard just to win a $75 gift certificate to a place they don’t even like to eat.
Keep going for two videos, the first of the bikes speeding around New York City (complete with chase), the second documenting the building of the bikes.
Source: Geekologie – ‘Levitating’ Star Wars Speeder Bikes Built For Halloween
Best Buy stops selling full-price iPhone X following backlash
Last Friday, when the iPhone X became available for preorder, would-be Best Buy customers found that to buy the phone upfront through the retailer, they would have to pay $100 more than what Apple itself was charging. Rather than $999 or $1,149 depen…
Source: Engadget – Best Buy stops selling full-price iPhone X following backlash
Apple Limits Lengthy iPhone X Testing for Most Reviewers
Tripp Mickle, reporting for the Wall Street Journal: Apple departed from its traditional preview strategy for what it bills as its most important new iPhone in years, prioritizing early access to the iPhone X for YouTube personalities and celebrities over most technology columnists who traditionally review its new products. Apple provided the iPhone X to a small number of traditional testers for about a week, while limiting most others, The Wall Street Journal included, to a single day with the device before reviews could be published (alternative source). About a half-dozen personalities on Alphabet’s YouTube video service were granted time with the device before its release. The change in strategy meant the iPhone X, which hits stores Friday, got less testing than most of its predecessors before reviews could be published. Crash reviewers largely echoed those sentiments, adding the caveat that they could discover issues after they spend more time with the device. Most pledged full reviews for later in the week. The review strategy is “unusual,” said Jan Dawson, an analyst with Jackdaw Research. “It’s possible Apple wanted some reviews out early and those would be the more enthusiastic ones.” He said YouTube reviewers tend to be more positive when given early access to devices, and that most reviews aren’t overly negative. “Unless Apple felt like there would be some bad elements in the reviews, why would you hold back?” Mr. Dawson asked. “Why would you be selective about who gets it first?”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Apple Limits Lengthy iPhone X Testing for Most Reviewers
How to Be Bored and Brilliant, With Manoush Zomorodi
In this episode we talk to Manoush Zomorodi, host of WNYC’s Note to Self and author of Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self. Back in 2015, Manoush wondered if being plugged in all the time to a constant stream of entertainment and information actually made our lives…
Source: LifeHacker – How to Be Bored and Brilliant, With Manoush Zomorodi
Facebook: 126 Million Americans May Have Seen Russia-Linked Political Posts
Facebook claims that Russia-based operatives published about 80,000 posts on the social network over a two-year period in an effort to sway U.S. politics and that about 126 million Americans may have seen the posts during that time. These numbers far exceed the company’s previous disclosures.
Twitter separately has found 2,752 accounts linked to Russian operatives, a source familiar with the company’s written testimony said. That estimate is up from a tally of 201 accounts that Twitter reported in September. Google, owned by, said in a statement on Monday it had found $4,700 in Russia-linked ad spending during the 2016 U.S. election cycle, and that it would build a database of election ads.
Discussion
Source: [H]ardOCP – Facebook: 126 Million Americans May Have Seen Russia-Linked Political Posts
It's Mathematically Impossible to Beat Aging, Scientists Say
Any attempt to stop aging is futile, according to University of Arizona researchers who say that it’s mathematically impossible to do so in humans and other multicellular organisms. There’s a catch-22 of sorts: as you age, most of your cells lose function and stop growing, but if you try to get rid of these, that allows cancer cells to proliferate, and vice versa.
“You might be able to slow down aging, but you can’t stop it,” Masel said. “We have a mathematical demonstration of why it’s impossible to fix both problems. You can fix one problem, but you’re stuck with the other one. Things will get worse over time, in one of these two ways or both: either all of your cells will continue to get more sluggish, or you’ll get cancer. And the basic reason is that things break. It doesn’t matter how much you try and stop them from breaking, you can’t.”
Discussion
Source: [H]ardOCP – It’s Mathematically Impossible to Beat Aging, Scientists Say