When it comes to cryptocurrency mining, many small- and large-scale outfits have cornered the GPU market, buying up large quantities of current generation AMD and NVIDIA graphics cards. Gamers have especially been hit hard by miners, as even mainstream graphics cards that should be heading towards the bargain bin at this stage in their lifecycle
Source: Hot Hardware – Intel Patent Describes Bitcoin Mining Hardware Accelerator With Incredible Power Efficiency
Monthly Archives: March 2018
Huawei CEO Says Company Won’t Give Up On U.S. Market Despite Disappointing Setbacks
To say that Huawei has been beleaguered of late would be an understatement. The company has seen all hopes of distributing its smartphones in the U.S. thwarted, be it from wireless carriers or from nationwide retailers. Much of trouble that Huawei has been faced with comes as U.S. authorities are concerned about its close ties to the Chinese
Source: Hot Hardware – Huawei CEO Says Company Won’t Give Up On U.S. Market Despite Disappointing Setbacks
This Video of a Vet Pulling a Slipper Out of a Snake Is Gnarly as Heck
An elderly Australian man went to bed on Tuesday of last week with his slippers under his bed, but woke up Wednesday morning to find only one of the slippers waiting for him.
Source: Gizmodo – This Video of a Vet Pulling a Slipper Out of a Snake Is Gnarly as Heck
Oh, You Know, Just A Wild Tarantula Speeding Up A Cyclist's Leg
Warning: Aragog.
This is a video from Vitoria de Santo Antao, Pernambuco, Brazil of a group of cyclists hanging out along a bike path when a giant tarantula quickly scales a rider’s leg with the grace and speed of a giant tarantula. “Such vivid imagery.” I’m a natural wordsmith. I’m sure this video probably gives some people a serious case of the willies, but as I’ve said before, spiders don’t really bother me. Especially those cute little jumping spiders. “There’s one on your shoulder.” BURN ME ALIVE.
Keep going for the whole video, complete with the tarantula leaving to prepare to terrorize the next group of bikers.
Source: Geekologie – Oh, You Know, Just A Wild Tarantula Speeding Up A Cyclist’s Leg
How to Stop Severe Bleeding in an Emergency
When somebody gets a traumatic injury like a gunshot, it’s often not the trauma itself that kills them, but blood loss. In honor of Stop the Bleed Day (March 31), hospitals and schools across the country are holding free classes in stopping blood loss in an emergency. Look for one near you, or read on for the basics…
Source: LifeHacker – How to Stop Severe Bleeding in an Emergency
macOS 10.13.4 Enables Support for External GPU
With the latest release of macOS High Sierra, Apple has officially delivered on a couple of items in the works since WWDC 2017 last June. macOS 10.13.4 brings the external GPU (eGPU) support that lets developers, VR users gamers and anyone else in need of some extra oomph to plug in a more powerful graphics card via Thunderbolt 3. From a report: While that may not make every underpowered laptop VR ready, it certainly makes staying macOS-only more palatable for some power users. Another notable addition is Business Chat in Messages for users in the US. Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp and others have tweaked their services to enable customer service linkups and now Apple has its version available on the desktop. With it, you can interact with business representatives or even make purchases. Other tweaks include waiting for the user to select login fields before autofilling password information in Safari, a smoke cloud wallpaper that had previously been restricted to the iMac Pro and a Safari shortcut for jumping to the rightmost tab by pressing Command-9. Further reading: Gizmodo.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – macOS 10.13.4 Enables Support for External GPU
Twitter will host Final Four 'watch parties' with live analysis
Twitter’s sports offerings have grown quite a bit over the last couple of years. Between game coverage, 24/7 streams and analysis shows, Twitter keeps expanding its sports content, and this weekend, Variety reports, it’s adding March Madness Watch Pa…
Source: Engadget – Twitter will host Final Four ‘watch parties’ with live analysis
Tesla recalls 123,000 Model S electric cars for faulty power steering bolts
Enlarge / If you live somewhere where they use calcium or magnesium salts to keep the snow off the roads, the power steering bolts on your Model S might corrode. (credit: Tesla)
While most of the automotive press was running around the New York auto show yesterday, Tesla issued a recall for 123,000 Model S electric vehicles. The recall addresses a problem with Model S sedans built before April 2016—specifically, with the bolts used in the power steering system. Tesla explained the issue in a letter to affected owners:
We have observed excessive corrosion in the power steering bolts, though only in very cold climates, particularly those that frequently use calcium or magnesium road salts, rather than sodium chloride (table salt). Nonetheless, Tesla plans to replace all early Model S power steering bolts in all climates worldwide to account for the possibility that the vehicle may later be used in a highly corrosive environment.
If the bolts fail, the driver is still able to steer the car, but increased force is required due to loss or reduction of power assist. This primarily makes the car harder to drive at low speeds and for parallel parking, but does not materially affect control at high speed, where only small steering wheel force is needed.
It is the biggest recall Tesla has had to issue, affecting around (or maybe a little more than) half of all Model S vehicles built to date. In 2015, the company had to recall 90,000 cars for a seat belt problem, and in 2016 another 53,000 vehicles had to have their parking brakes replaced.
It’s yet more bad news for the company in a week where its share price fell by 14 percent and its debt rating was downgraded.
Read on Ars Technica | Comments
Source: Ars Technica – Tesla recalls 123,000 Model S electric cars for faulty power steering bolts
11 Tell-Tale Signs Your Accounts and Devices Have Been Hacked
No one likes getting hacked, and it’s generally true that the quicker you can spot something has gone awry, the better your chances of minimizing the damage. These are the main warning signs to look out for, what they might mean, and some quick pointers about what you should do next.
Source: Gizmodo – 11 Tell-Tale Signs Your Accounts and Devices Have Been Hacked
5 reasons to spring clean like a Swede
Minimalist blogger Jenny Mustard points out the life-enhancing benefits that come from scouring and freshening your home.
Source: TreeHugger – 5 reasons to spring clean like a Swede
Magic Leap's Secrecy Obsession Is Reportedly Making Devs Say Screw It
At some point, Magic Leap is going to have to let people play around with its ultra-secret mixed reality device. Dev kits are now shipping to select partners, so it would seem that time is now. But the chosen few are required to take extra security precautions that make it unlikely you’ll bump into one of the headsets…
Source: Gizmodo – Magic Leap’s Secrecy Obsession Is Reportedly Making Devs Say Screw It
SpaceX Receives FCC Approval for Starlink Satellite Constellation
The FCC has approved the deployment of a 4,425 satellite constellation for SpaceX. The satellites will be in support of the Starlink internet service that Elon Musk envisions will provide affordable internet services to remote areas that are currently underserved. However, there is one caveat, half of the satellites have to be deployed within the next 6 years and all of them within 9 years or a new approval must be applied for. I don’t know about you guys, but I think that’s a lot of stuff going into orbit in a short period of time and I believe SpaceX is going to be hard-pressed to meet the deadlines required by the FCC. Good luck Mr. Musk.
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) also said SpaceX’s approval is conditioned on an updated de-orbit plan, since the sheer number of satellites envisioned by SpaceX’s “Starlink” constellation goes far beyond what current guidelines consider manageable.
Discussion
Source: [H]ardOCP – SpaceX Receives FCC Approval for Starlink Satellite Constellation
MailChimp Cutting Off ICO and Other Blockchain Content
Earlier this month we brought you news that Twitter was cutting off ICO and cryptocurrency ads and now MailChimp is joining in and doing the same. MailChimp isn’t totally against blockchain and the like, but you can’t use their platform anymore to pump the latest ICO. As more social media joins in on this I bet it’s going to really start to impact the business of ICO’s.
The company then reiterated its updated Acceptable Use Policy, which states that the company “does not allow businesses involved in any aspect of the sale, transaction, exchange, storage, marketing, or production of cryptocurrencies, virtual currencies, and any digital assets related to an Initial Coin Offering, to use MailChimp to facilitate or support any of those activities.”
Discussion
Source: [H]ardOCP – MailChimp Cutting Off ICO and Other Blockchain Content
CrunchyRoll's first game is based on 'DanMachi'
Anime streaming network CrunchyRoll is making a video game based on the Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? series. The free-to-play Memoria Freese/Dan-Memo is available for both Android and iOS and will feature in-app purchases and an…
Source: Engadget – CrunchyRoll’s first game is based on ‘DanMachi’
Alliance for Open Media Releases Royalty-Free AV1 1.0 Codec Spec
Eagerly awaited across the tech industry, this week the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia) has published the first complete version of the bitstream and decoding process specification for their royalty-free AV1 video codec. The release of the AV1 1.0 spec will enable backers of AOMedia to add support for the technology to their products or services, including taking the all-important step of finalizing the designs for the low-power hardware decoders critical for driving the codec’s adoption. At least initially, AV1 will be used primarily for streaming video and user-generated content as an alternative to HEVC and its ongoing royalty disputes, but eventually adoption of AV1 may expand to other applications.
The AV1 open-source video codec was developed with 4K+ ultra-high-def resolutions, HDR, and wide color gamut in mind. Among the key features the new codec, AOMedia mentions a 30% more efficient compression algorithm compared to existing methods, predictable requirements for computational capabilities of hardware, and maximum flexibility and scalability. The backers of the AV1 want the codec to be ubiquitous across devices and platforms, therefore expect it to be supported not only by major chipmakers, software designers, and service providers, but also by leading makers of consumer electronics.
AOMedia does not disclose key technological peculiarities of the AV1 video codec in a short whitepaper form, meanwhile parsing through a 600-page bitstream and decoding spec for developers does not necessarily help to explain all the peculiarities of the tech in general. Therefore, I am going to limit technical details about the AV1 to a necessary minimum here.
On a high level, the AV1 is conceptually similar to existing codecs, such as H.264 or H.265. AV1 uses the same basic elements as various codecs have used for well over a decade: block-based coding, variable block sizes (up to 128×128 pixels), block motion compensation, intra-frame compression, forward-integer transform and so on. Meanwhile, since we are talking about compression algorithms more efficient than existing ones, it is natural that the AV1 has a number of advantages over contemporary codecs.
The AV1 performs internal processing in 8, 10 or 12 bits per sample precision, it also supports all three widespread types of chroma subsampling (4:2:0, 4:2:2, 4:4:4), and virtually all major color gamuts and formats (sRGB, BT.2020 (both 10-bit and 12-bit), BT.2100, etc.). The BT.2020 and the BT.2100 recommendations include support not only for 3840×2160, but also for 7680×4320 (8K) resolution, so the AV1 is technically ready for the next-gen monitors and TVs.
| AV1 Profiles | |||||
| seq_profile | Bit Depth | sRGB Gamut Support | Chroma Subsampling | ||
| 0 | 8 or 10 | No | YUV 4:2:0 | ||
| 1 | 8 or 10 | Yes | YUV 4:4:4 | ||
| 2 | 8 or 10 | No | YUV 4:2:2 | ||
| 2 | 12 | Yes | YUV 4:2:0 YUV 4:2:2 YUV 4:4:4 |
||
Speaking of displays, it is necessary to note that the AV1 was designed to be compatible with existing interconnections, such as DisplayPort, eDP, HDMI and so on. That said, the technology should also be compatible with contemporary content protection technologies.
The publication of the AV1 spec 1.0 is merely the first step towards adoption of the technology by the market. AOMedia expects content creation tools and desktop browsers to begin to roll out support for AV1 later this year. To ensure this, AOMedia released an unoptimized/experimental AV1 software decoder and encoder for use in software applications. Then, sometimes in 2019, the consortium anticipates select chips and programs to support the tech. More widespread support of the AV1 along with adoption by software is projected for 2020.
Speaking of adoption, the list of AOMedia members includes a variety of influential companies, including Apple, Amazon, AMD, Arm, Broadcom, Facebook, Google, Hulu, Intel, IBM, Microsoft, Netflix, NVIDIA, Realtek, Sigma and many others. These companies either control huge ecosystems themselves, or develop chips that are used by hundreds of millions of customers worldwide. Their support will ensure widespread adoption of the AV1 in the next decade. In the meantime, AOMedia has already started R&D for the AV2, which is to succeed the AV1 codec.
Gallery: AV1 Presentation
Related Reading:
- HEVC and the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update
- Intel Teases Mobile Kaby Lake: HEVC Main10 Profile Support, Coming This Autumn
- ARM Announces Mali Egil Video Processor: VP9 Encode & Decode For Mobile
- Future-proofing HTPCs for the 4K Era: HDMI, HDCP and HEVC
Source: AnandTech – Alliance for Open Media Releases Royalty-Free AV1 1.0 Codec Spec
Keep Chips From Going Stale by Storing Them in the Freezer
Storing chips long-term isn’t exactly a priority for most of us, who tend to inhale the entire bag within a day or two. If, however, you get overly ambitious and buy the family size, you may find yourself with a sad, stale, half-full bag of chips within a week or two—that is, unless you seal ‘em up tight and stick…
Source: LifeHacker – Keep Chips From Going Stale by Storing Them in the Freezer
Kelp jerky start-up blows through crowdfunding goal
One of the most sustainable foods on the planet is, apparently, in high demand.
Source: TreeHugger – Kelp jerky start-up blows through crowdfunding goal
Poor Grades Tied To Class Times That Don't Match Our Biological Clocks
An anonymous reader shares a report: It may be time to tailor students’ class schedules to their natural biological rhythms, according to a new study from UC Berkeley and Northeastern Illinois University. Researchers tracked the personal daily online activity profiles of nearly 15,000 college students as they logged into campus servers. After sorting the students into “night owls,” “daytime finches” and “morning larks” — based on their activities on days they were not in class — researchers compared their class times to their academic outcomes. Their findings, published today in the journal Scientific Reports, show that students whose circadian rhythms were out of sync with their class schedules — say, night owls taking early morning courses — received lower grades due to “social jet lag,” a condition in which peak alertness times are at odds with work, school or other demands. “We found that the majority of students were being jet-lagged by their class times, which correlated very strongly with decreased academic performance,” said study co-lead author Benjamin Smarr, a postdoctoral fellow who studies circadian rhythm disruptions in the lab of UC Berkeley psychology professor Lance Kriegsfeld.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Poor Grades Tied To Class Times That Don’t Match Our Biological Clocks
Spotify and Taylor Swift appear to be BFFs now
Source: Engadget – Spotify and Taylor Swift appear to be BFFs now
Apple's New External GPU Support for Macs Is a Boon for Gamers and Graphics Pros
Alongside yesterday’s big update to iOS 11.3, Apple also quietly pushed out an update for macOS High Sierra. Included in the new update (version 10.13.4) are a number of helpful, but not super exciting improvements, such as the addition of new privacy icons and data management, additional sorting functions for…
Source: Gizmodo – Apple’s New External GPU Support for Macs Is a Boon for Gamers and Graphics Pros