Are you ready to get in on some dinosaur action? Epic Games is offering the Jurassic World Evolution for free as part of its 15 days of game giveaways so you can help life… uhhh… find a way. Now, do you want to start humming the Jurassic Park theme song, or should I?
Released earlier in 2020, Jurassic World Evolution fantastic looking
Source: Hot Hardware – Jurassic World Evolution Is Free To Download Today On PC, Here’s How To Claim It
Monthly Archives: December 2020
SolarWinds hackers accessed Microsoft source code
The hackers behind the SolarWinds attack got deeper access into Microsoft’s systems than the company previously disclosed. The company, which previously confirmed it found compromised code in its system, now says the hackers were able to gain access…
Source: Engadget – SolarWinds hackers accessed Microsoft source code
OpenBenchmarking.org Enjoyed A Major Overhaul In 2020, Significant Growth
This month marks ten years since OpenBenchmarking.org initially went online as part of Phoronix Test Suite 3.0 development (though didn’t officially launch until February 2011). In 2020 alongside Phoronix Test Suite 10.0 came a major OpenBenchmarking.org upgrade as the biggest in its history. As 2020 wraps up, here is a look at the OpenBenchmarking.org growth by the numbers…
Source: Phoronix – OpenBenchmarking.org Enjoyed A Major Overhaul In 2020, Significant Growth
How to Enable Timestamp in Linux Ping Command Output
Learn how to enable timestamp in linux ping command output.
Source: Linux Today – How to Enable Timestamp in Linux Ping Command Output
Microsoft Says SolarWinds Hackers Viewed Source Code
The hackers who carried out a sophisticated cyberattack on government agencies in the US and private companies were able to access Microsoft’s source code, the company said Thursday. From a report: A Microsoft investigation turned up “unusual activity with a small number of internal accounts” and that “one account had been used to view source code in a number of source code repositories,” the company said in a blog post. Microsoft said the account didn’t have the ability to modify code and that no company services or customer data was put at risk. “The investigation, which is ongoing, has also found no indications that our systems were used to attack others,” the company said.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Microsoft Says SolarWinds Hackers Viewed Source Code
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s Hidden Ones Bureaus Hide A Great Series Callback
Between One-Punch Man, baseball man, and multiple nods to popular fantasy franchises, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is basically the Metropolitan Museum of Easter Eggs. But the best surprise—or at least the one that’s sure to delight series fans the most—doesn’t show up until late in the game.
Source: Kotaku – Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s Hidden Ones Bureaus Hide A Great Series Callback
Apple reportedly took years to drop a supplier that used underage labor
On Tuesday, The Washington Post and the Tech Transparency Project published an investigative report on one of Apple’s supply partners. The two say Apple, and several other companies, source parts from a Chinese supplier that allegedly uses forced Mus…
Source: Engadget – Apple reportedly took years to drop a supplier that used underage labor
Learn Lua by writing a game
If you[he]#039[/he]re a fan of scripting languages like Bash, Python, or Ruby, you might find Lua interesting. Lua is a dynamically typed, lightweight, efficient, and embeddable scripting language with an API to interface with C. It runs by interpreting bytecode with a register-based virtual machine, and it can be used for everything from procedural programming to functional programming to data-driven programming. It can even be used for object-oriented programming through the clever use of arrays, or tables, used to mimic classes.
Source: LXer – Learn Lua by writing a game
The Expanse's Keon Alexander and Dominique Tipper on Marco and Naomi's Toxic Past and Present
As The Expanse’s fifth season continues on Amazon, viewers are starting to get an up-close look at the most contentious relationship the show has ever seen, as bitter exes Naomi Nagata (Dominque Tipper) and Marco Inaros (Keon Alexander) are forced into an uneasy reunion. If you want to know more, you’re in luck! io9…
Source: io9 – The Expanse’s Keon Alexander and Dominique Tipper on Marco and Naomi’s Toxic Past and Present
Here's Everything You Need to Know About the Animal Crossing: New Horizons New Year's Event
It’s New Year’s Eve, but it’s also still 2020, so we think a whole lot of people will be celebrating the coming of the new year from the comfort of their own homes. For gamers who have been playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons, there’s still a way to go out on the town, however. Right now and through midnight tonight, Tom Nook and Isabelle
Source: Hot Hardware – Here’s Everything You Need to Know About the Animal Crossing: New Horizons New Year’s Event
Every NYC subway station now supports contactless payments
New York’s MTA has finished rolling out contactless payments across all the subway stations and bus lines in all five boroughs. The OMNY (One Metro New York) system allows riders to tap-and-pay for fares with smartphones, smartwatches and contactless…
Source: Engadget – Every NYC subway station now supports contactless payments
That Is One Big Pile of Savings: The Hisense L5 100" 4K Laser TV Projector Is $1,600 off at BuyDig
Hisense 100″ L5 4K HDR Laser TV | $2,399 | BuyDig | Promo Code QQA210
Source: Gizmodo – That Is One Big Pile of Savings: The Hisense L5 100″ 4K Laser TV Projector Is ,600 off at BuyDig
Pet Food Recalled After at Least 28 Dogs Die, FDA Says
More than two dozen dogs have died after ingesting specific lots of Sportmix pet food that contained potentially deadly levels of aflatoxin, the Food and Drug Administration said this week.
Source: Gizmodo – Pet Food Recalled After at Least 28 Dogs Die, FDA Says
New battery chemistry results in first rechargeable zinc-air battery
Enlarge (credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Most of the disposable batteries you’ll come across are technically termed alkaline batteries. They work at high pH and typically use zinc as the charge carrier. Zinc is great because it’s very cheap, can be used to make one of the two electrodes, and, in the right context, allows the use of air at the other electrode. These latter two items simplify the battery, allowing it to be more compact and lighter weight—so far, attempts to do similar things with lithium batteries have come up short.
The problem with all of this is that the batteries are disposable for a good reason: the chemistry of discharging doesn’t really allow things to work in reverse. Carbon dioxide from the air reacts with the electrolyte, forming carbonates that block one electrode. And the zinc doesn’t re-deposit neatly on the electrode it came from, instead creating spiky structures called dendrites that can short out the battery.
Now, an international team has figured out how to make zinc batteries rechargeable. The answer, it seems, involves getting rid of the alkaline electrolyte that gave the batteries their name.
Read 13 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica – New battery chemistry results in first rechargeable zinc-air battery
The Best Gaming Chairs, According to Our Gamers
As it turns out, our readers have a lot of thoughts on gaming chairs. Earlier this week, we asked you to tell us what the best gaming chairs were and there was no shortage of responses. Readers brought their A-game with a diverse list of options that highlighted how important certain features are to gamers. Just as…
Source: Gizmodo – The Best Gaming Chairs, According to Our Gamers
Meet the Pint-Sized Robots That Spontaneously Dance
In January 2020, a second-floor lab at Northwestern University was filled with the mild-mannered clacking of three robots pushing each other around. The trio were in a small ring as they hit against one another, though the petite robots weren’t the rock ‘em, sock ‘em variety. These were smart, active…
Source: Gizmodo – Meet the Pint-Sized Robots That Spontaneously Dance
Ten-Year Long Study Confirms No Link Between Playing Violent Video Games as Early as Ten Years Old and Aggressive Behavior Later in Life
An anonymous reader shares a report: A ten-year longitudinal study published in the Journal of Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking on a group in early adolescence from as young as ten years old, investigated how playing violent video games at an early age would translate into adulthood behavior (23 years of age). Titled “Growing Up with Grand Theft Auto: A 10-Year Study of Longitudinal Growth of Violent Video Game Play in Adolescents” the study found no correlation between growing up playing video games and increased levels of aggression ten years later. This particular study utilized a more contemporary approach for analyzing its data, known as the person-centered approach. Traditional studies use a variable-centered approach whereby researchers treat each variable, or characteristic, as related to another variable. An example would be that exercising is related to a reduced incidence of heart disease. This has been particularly valuable when comparing groups. In a person-centered approach researchers combine various algorithms across variables to determine how these variables compare among individuals. This approach provides a more accurate depiction of how variables relate to the individual.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Ten-Year Long Study Confirms No Link Between Playing Violent Video Games as Early as Ten Years Old and Aggressive Behavior Later in Life
Goodbye and Good Riddance to FarmVille
Though most of you probably stopped playing the original FarmVille ages ago, if you want to get one last hit of nostalgia, today is officially the last day you can play the game on Facebook.
Source: Gizmodo – Goodbye and Good Riddance to FarmVille
Fortnite Season 5 Week 5 Challenge: Where To Dig Up And Bury The Gnomes
Last week, the Fortnite challenges were all about tomatoes. Now in week five of season 5, the challenges have gone to the gnomes. Players need to dig up gnomes and bury them around the map to complete the challenges. Why do they need to dig up and then bury them? Who knows? However, we have the locations for you to complete these gnome games
Source: Hot Hardware – Fortnite Season 5 Week 5 Challenge: Where To Dig Up And Bury The Gnomes
LG Wants Its Futuristic See-Through OLED Displays In Restaurants And Even Your Bedroom
LG Display has some big plans for its transparent OLED technology, and it extends beyond using it only on automatic sliding doors, as the company touted earlier this month. The display maker wants its see-through OLED screens to permeate multiple facets of everyday living, from sushi bars and other restaurants, to even your bedroom. Er, I
Source: Hot Hardware – LG Wants Its Futuristic See-Through OLED Displays In Restaurants And Even Your Bedroom