A year ago, NVIDIA’s GeForce Now game-streaming service let me play The Witcher 3, a notoriously demanding PC-only title, on a MacBook Air. This year, NVIDIA finally unveiled the Windows version of the service, and it was even more impressive. I was…
Source: Engadget – NVIDIA proves the cloud can replace a high-end gaming rig
Monthly Archives: January 2018
Preserve Fruit in Oxidized Vermouth
If you are an enjoyer of martinis or Manhattans, you probably have a couple of bottles of vermouth on your bar cart. If you’re a lover of a fancy aperitif, you probably have more. These fortified wines are a lot of fun but, due to their lower ABV, they don’t last forever.
Source: LifeHacker – Preserve Fruit in Oxidized Vermouth
XFS In Linux 4.16 Continues With "Great Scads Of New Stuff"
Back during the Linux 4.15 kernel merge window XFS file-system maintainer Darrick Wong commented there was great scads of new stuff and now with Linux 4.16 he’s repeating that line. XFS for Linux 4.16 brings several significant changes to this mature Linux file-system…
Source: Phoronix – XFS In Linux 4.16 Continues With “Great Scads Of New Stuff”
YouTube TV snags rights to local Los Angeles FC soccer broadcasts
You can certainly watch sports on cord-cutting TV services, but major sports exclusives? Not until now. YouTube TV has reached a deal that makes it the official live TV and video partner for Major League Soccer’s brand new team, the Los Angeles Foo…
Source: Engadget – YouTube TV snags rights to local Los Angeles FC soccer broadcasts
T-Mobile Blocks Pirate Sites Then Reports Itself For Possible Net Neutrality Violation
T-Mobile in Austria has blocked several Pirate Bay clone sites following requests from rights holders. In November, the Austrian Supreme Court ruled that The Pirate Bay and other “structurally-infringing” sites could be blocked if rights holders have exhausted all other options. However while copyright holders expect the ISP to block clones and mirrors of sites deemed worthy of being blocked by order of the court, if they are not named by the court, it could violate Telecom Single Market (TSM) Regulation that established the principle of non-discriminatory traffic management in the EU.
Quite the slippery slope regulations such as this lead to. Gotta give credit to T-Mobile for handling it this way to hopefully get a definitive answer on what is the right way to approach situations like this. It wasn’t that long before the TSM Regulations that T-Mobile was refusing to block sites in Austria.
According to industry body Internet Service Providers Austria (ISPA), there is a real need for clarification. It’s hoped that T-Mobile reporting itself for a potential net neutrality breach will have the desired effect.
Discussion
Source: [H]ardOCP – T-Mobile Blocks Pirate Sites Then Reports Itself For Possible Net Neutrality Violation
MSI Announces Immerse GH60 Gaming Headset, Vigor GK40 Keyboard and Vigor GK40 Combo
MSI this week has announced two new products to add to its gaming peripherals lineup: the Immerse GH60 Gaming Headset, as well as new Vigor GK40 keyboard. Along with that, they have paired the new Vigor Keyboard and existing Clutch GM10 Gaming Mouse together for ease of purchase. MSI’s aim with the new products and combo is to provide more options for the mainstream gamers and include complimentary parts from their product stack into a one-stop solution for a gaming mouse and keyboard.
GH60 Gaming Headset
The Immerse GH60 Gaming Headset is an over the ear type using a solid stainless steel design and flexible suspension headband that is intended to fit many head sizes and have a comfortable fit. Its ear cups swivel for comfort as well as easy carry and storage capabilities. The ear pads are swappable and MSI includes a set of cloth ear cups as well so users are able to choose their preference. Outside of the steel framing, the suspension headband, ear cups, and other structures are black with the familiar MSI Gaming dragon in red on the outside of both ear cups. A gaming headset wouldn’t be complete without a microphone and while it is permanently attached it is retractable and can hide inside the unit when not in use.
Specs wise, the GH60 uses a single 50mm Neodymium driver in each ear cup and yields a frequency response of 20 Hz ~ 40 kHz with an impedance of 32 Ohm. The unidirectional microphone is able to capture frequencies from 100 Hz ~ 10 kHz. Connecting the GH60 to a PC is a 2M braided cable to with a gold plated 3.5” headphone jack at the end. Inline is a remote control offering volume control and muting the microphone.
MSI did not mention the price but it will be available January 2018.
| Immerse GH60 Gaming Headset | ||||
| Connector | 3.5mm headphone jack | |||
| Cable | Gold Plated and Braided / 2M Length / Low Resistance | |||
| Driver | 50mm Neodymium | |||
| Speaker Sensitivity (SPL) | 96 dB ± 3 dB | |||
| Speaker Impedance | 32 Ω | |||
| Speaker Frequency Response | 20 Hz ~ 40 kHz | |||
| Pick-Up Pattern | Unidirectional | |||
| Microphone Frequency Response | 100 Hz ~ 10kHz | |||
| Microphone Sensitivity | -40 dB ± 3 dB | |||
| Microphone Impedance | 2.2k Ω | |||
Vigor GK40 and GK40 Combo with Clutch GM10 Gaming Mouse
MSI has also launched the new Vigor GK40 Gaming Keyboard that features ‘mechanical-like’ keystrokes from a membrane-based keyboard. The GK40 is a full sized keyboard including a number pad and a large palm rest for comfortable gaming. The keys have anti-ghosting capability with up to 20 keys for a conflict-free gaming experience. The keyboard is also water repellant hopefully preventing damage from the inevitable spill on the keyboard. It has multi-color backlit keys with four levels of brightness adjustment, and eight different light effects across six regions which can all be controlled through their Mystic Light application.
The GM10 Gaming Mouse is an unassuming device by mouse standards is a four-button device with a web wheel and on-the-fly DPI adjustment buttons along with the two standard. It has an asymmetric design and dragon scale anti-slip grip is made for right-handed users, though it looks like a lefty could be OK with it as the design doesn’t look too asymmetric and awkward.
The Pixart ADSN-5712 optical sensor has four built-in instant DPI settings, 800/1000(default)/1600/2400, which can be set without software. While the main key switches are not listed but are said to provide 10 Million+ clicks. The integrated LEDs are found in the web wheel (up to four colors) and the Red Dragon. The Dragon logo has a breathing effect while the web wheel color matches the DPI (blue, red, green, and purple). The GM10 connects to the PC via a 1.8m USB cable.
MSI has grouped the GK40 keyboard and GM10 mouse into one package in order to simplify the purchase of a gaming keyboard and mouse. The packaging will show Vigor GK40 Combo on it as well as picture the mouse to discern itself from just the keyboard package itself which looks remarkably similar.
No mention of pricing but these I’d expect the combo to be relatively inexpensive since it is geared towards the mainstream and isn’t a mechanical keyboard or fancy RGB multi-button mouse. These are also said to be available in January.
| Vigor GK40 Keyboard | ||||
| Model | Vigor GK40 Gaming Keyboard | |||
| Main Key Switches | Membrane switches (Mechanical-like) | |||
| Keyboard Interface | USB | |||
| Normal Keys | Stand 104 keys / 105 keys / 108 keys | |||
| Dimensions (mm) | 472 x 207 x 39 | |||
| Windows Support / Requirements | Windows 10 / 8.1 / 8 / 7 – System with USB Support | |||
| Backlight | 6-region RGB illumination, supports MSI Mystic Light | |||
| Weight | 1056g | |||
| Clutch GM10 Gaming Mouse | ||||
| Sensor | PixArt ADSN-5712 | |||
| Sensor Type | Optical | |||
| DPI Switch | 800 / 1000 (default) / 1600 / 2400 | |||
| Color | Black | |||
| Buttons | 4 | |||
| Response Time | 1ms | |||
| Main Key Switches | 10 Million+ clicks | |||
| LED Light | Red Dragon LED / Wheel (four colors) | |||
| Lighting Effects | Logo LED: Breathing effect Wheel LED: by DPI (800 Blue / 1000 Red / 1600 Green / 2400 Purple) |
|||
| Cable / Interface | 1.8m / USB | |||
| Dimensions (mm) / Weight (G) | 125 x 64 x 42 / 104g | |||
| Operating System | Windows 10 / 8.1 / 8 / 7 / Vista / XP | |||
Gallery: MSI GK40 / GM10 / GH40 Gallery
Related Reading:
- Tesoro Returns with Low-Profile Switch Keyboards, Fresh Software
- Cooler Master at CES 2018: Aimpad’s Analog Keyboard Technology Found in Cooler Master MK851
- Corsair at CES 2018: Wireless k63 Mechanical Keyboard with Accompanying Lap Board
- ASUS at CES 2018: Rog Strix Flare Keyboard and the ROG Spotlight Lights Up Vegas
- Thermaltake Launches Tt eSports Iris Optical RGB Gaming Mouse
- Razer Reveals Mamba HyperFlux Mouse: No Battery, Wireless Charging
Source: AnandTech – MSI Announces Immerse GH60 Gaming Headset, Vigor GK40 Keyboard and Vigor GK40 Combo
Scientists Sequence Human Genome With Handheld USB Device
Scientists reported this week that they have sequenced and assembled the human genome using a pocket-sized sequencer for the first time.
Source: Gizmodo – Scientists Sequence Human Genome With Handheld USB Device
Google Flights Will Now Predict Airline Delays — Before the Airlines Do
Google is rolling out a few new features to its Google Flights search engine to help travelers tackle some of the more frustrating aspects of air travel — delays and the complexities of the cheaper, Basic Economy fares. From a report: With the regard to delays, Google Flights won’t just be pulling in information from the airlines directly, however — it will take advantage of its understanding of historical data and its machine learning algorithms to predict delays that haven’t yet been flagged by airlines themselves. Explains Google, the combination of data and A.I. technologies means it can predict some delays in advance of any sort of official confirmation. Google says that it won’t actually flag these in the app until it’s at least 80 percent confident in the prediction, though.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Google Flights Will Now Predict Airline Delays — Before the Airlines Do
Can Amazon Go help the unbanked go digital?
Source: Engadget – Can Amazon Go help the unbanked go digital?
It's Time to Bury Funeral Selfies for Good
Funerals are a time to remember loved ones and say a heartfelt goodbye, not draw attention to yourself. Still, some people do exactly that. Just because you’re all dressed up doesn’t mean a #funeralselfie is warranted.
Source: LifeHacker – It’s Time to Bury Funeral Selfies for Good
Democrats demand more from Facebook and Twitter on #ReleaseTheMemo
Last week, Representative Adam Schiff and Senator Dianne Feinstein asked Facebook and Twitter to investigate whether Russia-linked accounts were involved in spreading the #ReleaseTheMemo campaign. The hashtag refers to a memo written by Republican Re…
Source: Engadget – Democrats demand more from Facebook and Twitter on #ReleaseTheMemo
Everything Rian Johnson Has Been Forced to Explain About The Last Jedi (So Far)
It’s been just under a month and a half since Star Wars: The Last Jedi hit theaters, and whether they loved or hated the movie, many, many people have had questions about the things that happen in in it. In age where a director like Rian Johnson is both widely available on social media and willing to talk to an eager…
Source: Gizmodo – Everything Rian Johnson Has Been Forced to Explain About The Last Jedi (So Far)
Amazon patent details hand-tracking wristbands for warehouse workers
Companies are all about making sure you’re working, and they’re using increasingly high-tech solutions to do so. One firm in London uses AI to analyze your daily behavior, while the FreshTeam messaging app can track employee locations. Now, Amazon wa…
Source: Engadget – Amazon patent details hand-tracking wristbands for warehouse workers
Some Pig: Well Behaved Pet Pig Puts All His Toys Away
This is a video of Paul the pig putting all his toys away at the request of his owner. That is a good pig. For reference, my dog never puts any of her millions of toys away, even though I ask nicely and promise her treats. “You have to train her.” She’s a dog, not Thomas The Tank Engine. “Wow, you never cease to amaze, GW.” Thanks! “Just how dumb are you?” Like, on a scale? “Sure.” 205.6 pounds this morning, but I’ve had a lot of diarrhea lately and haven’t been rehydrating, so probably more.
Keep going for the video.
Source: Geekologie – Some Pig: Well Behaved Pet Pig Puts All His Toys Away
Why Your Credit Score May Not Be As Good As You Think It Is
If you’re in the market for a car or home loan, chances are you ran a free credit report to see how good (or bad) your score is. Maybe you’re feeling good about yourself, and then all of a sudden you’re denied outright.
Source: LifeHacker – Why Your Credit Score May Not Be As Good As You Think It Is
Google Fiber’s wireless Internet service is leaving Boston
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | Snap Decision)
Google Fiber is ending its wireless home Internet service in Boston, and existing customers in the city will lose their service sometime in the next several months.
Google Fiber has had its struggles, but the Boston shutoff doesn’t necessarily mean that wireless customers in other cities will lose service. The service apparently fared poorly in Boston, but the company says it is still doing better in its other locations.
Google Fiber got into the wireless business in October 2016 when it purchased Webpass, which provides speeds ranging from 100Mbps to 1Gbps and mainly serves multi-unit residential buildings and businesses. Webpass started serving Boston in 2015 before it was bought by Google.
Read 8 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica – Google Fiber’s wireless Internet service is leaving Boston
Facebook Really Wants You To Come Back
An anonymous reader writes: The social network is getting aggressive with people who don’t log in often, working to keep up its engagement numbers, Bloomberg reports. Sample this for instance: It’s been about a year since Rishi Gorantala deleted the Facebook app from his phone, and the company has only gotten more aggressive in its emails to win him back. The social network started out by alerting him every few days about friends that had posted photos or made comments — each time inviting him to click a link and view the activity on Facebook. He rarely did. Then, about once a week in September, he started to get prompts from a Facebook security customer-service address. “It looks like you’re having trouble logging into Facebook,” the emails would say. “Just click the button below and we’ll log you in. If you weren’t trying to log in, let us know.” He wasn’t trying. But he doesn’t think anybody else was, either. “The content of mail they send is essentially trying to trick you,” said Gorantala, 35, who lives in Chile. “Like someone tried to access my account so I should go and log in.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Facebook Really Wants You To Come Back
Researchers treat ear defect by growing implants from cells
While scientists have been working on growing organs and body parts like ears for some time, researchers in China have taken it one important step further. They’ve grown new ears for five children with microtia — an ear defect that results in small,…
Source: Engadget – Researchers treat ear defect by growing implants from cells
BioWare's Anthem Delayed to 2019, But it Isn't Delayed
Electronic Arts has stated that BioWare’s new IP “Anthem” was going to miss it’s Fall 2018 launch window, releasing in early 2019 instead. EA states that the change has nothing to do with development being behind schedule, rather that they don’t want to launch “Anthem” and a new Battlefield game in the same quarter. “It’s not a delay,” EA CFO Blake Jorgensen told the Wall Street Journal. “People are trying to create a story.”
Kind of a bummer for me, as I play a ton of Warframe and was looking forward to Anthem. What’s a little more disappointing to me though is the inadvertent announcement of yet another Battlefield game, ever since it became a yearly franchise it has went downhill in my opinion. BioWare’s last game was Mass Effect: Andromeda, and EA’s was Battlefront II, so I have no idea if I should even get excited anymore.
“Regardless of how it’s being portrayed, we’re not looking at that as a delay, we’ve chosen to launch Anthem in [the fourth quarter]. The date is chosen by by portfolio balance, not product readiness,” EA CEO Andrew Wilson said in a call. “And we’re really excited by the way the new Battlefield is shaping up. It probably doesn’t make too much sense to launch Anthem right by it. As a new IP, it probably makes sense to give [Anthem] its own launch window.”
Discussion
Source: [H]ardOCP – BioWare’s Anthem Delayed to 2019, But it Isn’t Delayed
More Than 700,000 Bad Android Apps Removed From Google Play
Google announced in a blog post yesterday that in 2017 they removed more than 700,000 apps that violated the Google Play policies, 70% more than the apps taken down in 2016. The most impressive stat is that 99% of apps with abusive contents were identified and rejected before anyone could install them.
Good on Google for working to keep bad and malicious apps. The post also states that more than 250,000 of the apps that were taken down were “Copycats,” that attempt to deceive users by impersonating famous apps. If only other companies would start curating that well to keep junk off their platform. I’m looking at you Steam.
Despite the new and enhanced detection capabilities that led to a record-high takedowns of bad apps and malicious developers, we know a few still manage to evade and trick our layers of defense. We take these extremely seriously, and will continue to innovate our capabilities to better detect and protect against abusive apps and the malicious actors behind them. We are committed to make Google Play the most trusted and safe app store in the world.
Discussion
Source: [H]ardOCP – More Than 700,000 Bad Android Apps Removed From Google Play