Humans have been battling rain for as long as we’ve been around, and somehow the umbrella is the best option we’ve come up with for keeping (mostly) dry. There has to be a better solution, which Ivan Miranda has potentially created by throwing more technology at the problem.
Source: Gizmodo – Strapping a Jet Engine To Your Head Is a Deafening Way to Stay Dry in the Rain
The PS5 is getting a slew of new features in a massive software update set to go live around the world on September 15, Sony announced in a PlayStation blog post today.
Source: Kotaku – The PS5 Is Getting A Major Update
It’s that time of the year again – Apple’s fall iPhone event, where we expect the Cupertino company to unveil its newest generation family of iPhones – likely the iPhone 13 series.
Last year’s iPhone 12 series introduced a new industrial design, and we generally expect Apple to iterate and refine upon the form of last generation’s phones. The industry rumblings are that we might be seeing some new generation OLED panels for the Pro models and high refresh rates for the first time. Cameras remain a mystery on whether Apple will upgrade things this generation.
Naturally, we also expect Apple to introduce a new generation processor in the form of the A15. Apple’s latest iterations of SoC silicon have been ground-breaking and industry leading, and we very much expect the new chip to further push the envelope in performance and efficiency.
The live blog will start along with the event at 10am PT / 17:00 UTC / 19:00 CEST.
Source: AnandTech – The Apple 2021 Fall iPhone Event Live Blog 10am PT (17:00 UTC)
Dying Light 2: Stay Human, the first-person zombie parkour game slated for a December 7 release, has been delayed, developer Techland announced in a tweet today. It’ll now come out on February 4, 2022, for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC, contributing to what’s shaping up to be the most stacked release month of all time,…
Source: Kotaku – Dying Light 2 Delayed To 2022
Though Marvel’s What If series could be considered an ambitious crossover event—in the sense that many of the studio’s characters have made appearances in the show’s first season alone—none of the episodes so far have exactly focused on an Avengers: Endgame–style plot in which multiple, previously-established…
Source: Gizmodo – What If’s Midseason Trailer May Point to Another Massive Marvel Crossover Event
Linux Kernel 5.15 RC1 is released for testing, and it brings some interesting support and updates. In this post, we round up the important features of this Kernel release.
The post Linux Kernel 5.15 RC1 Brings Better NTFS Driver, More Apple M1 SoC Support appeared first on Linux Today.
Source: Linux Today – Linux Kernel 5.15 RC1 Brings Better NTFS Driver, More Apple M1 SoC Support
Kroger is betting big on internet grocery delivery services, and it’s tapping Instacart for help. The two have launched a Kroger Delivery Now service they claim offers a no-compromise approach. You can have a full selection of groceries and other essentials delivered from Kroger’s various chains (including Ralphs and Fred Meyer) in as little as 30 minutes — the first time that kind of speed has been available nationwide, Instacart claimed.
The service is available both through the Kroger website as well as a new Convenience Hub on Instacart’s Marketplace. The section “streamlines” shopping for convenience items in most major US cities with 24/7 shopping. Instacart Express members can get free high-priority delivery through the hub (sometimes as quickly as 30 minutes) for orders worth at least $10.
The team-up might not thrill you if you prefer other store-independent delivery services like Uber. It also won’t help much if you don’t shop at Kroger-affiliated locations — Walmart’s Instacart-based delivery isn’t that fast, at least not on a national level. The move makes sense for both companies, however. This gives Kroger an advantage over Walmart and other chains, while Instacart forms a close bond with a major chain that others might not match.
Source: Engadget – Kroger and Instacart promise grocery deliveries in as little as 30 minutes
An anonymous reader shares a report: In 2015, representatives from more than 196 countries met in Le Bourget, France to sign the Paris Agreement. The legally binding treaty limits global warming to a rise of well below 2 degrees Celsius compared to preindustrial levels, preferably capping warming at 1.5 degrees. While the Paris Agreement doesn’t spell out how the undersigned are expected to achieve this goal, some countries have pledged to cut their net climate emissions to zero by 2050. For these and other steps to be successful, reliable data is key. While the ability to evaluate companies’ carbon footprints will be critical for countries seeking to comply with the measures, only a fraction of companies currently disclose their greenhouse gas emissions. But researchers at Bloomberg Quant Research and Amazon Web Services claim to have successfully trained a machine learning model to estimate the emissions of businesses that don’t disclose their emissions.
The researchers say investors could use this model to align their investments with international regulatory measures and achieve net-zero goals. Some regions, including the European Union, require investors to apply a “precautionary principle” that penalizes non-disclosing companies by overestimating their emissions. “Merely 2.27% of companies filing financial statements are disclosing their [greenhouse gas] emissions according to our environmental, social, and governance (ESG) datasets,” the coauthors wrote in a paper. “In order to make a meaningful change, we need to measure who is contributing [greenhouse gases] into the atmosphere and monitor their claims to decarbonize.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – AI Can Estimate Corporate Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Sony launched its first-ever beta software program for the PlayStation 5 in June, which was the Japanese gaming giant’s counter to Microsoft’s Xbox Insider Program. The first fruit from that beta program came in late July when Sony enabled the M.2 PCIe 4.0 expansion slot inside the console, allowing users to install a compatible SSD.
Tomorrow,
Source: Hot Hardware – Huge Sony PS5 Software Update Drops This Week Bringing M.2 SSD Expansion For All
2001 was quite a memorable time in gaming. Standout titles include Grand Theft Auto III, Metal Gear Solid 2 and Final Fantasy X. It was also the year Xbox made its debut, while the Sega Dreamcast bowed out. But while all that was going on Nintendo was still going strong, releasing the Game Boy Advance in March of that year and a new home system in September. The GameCube was quite a console, an adorable box with a great wireless controller and fun add-ons like the Game Boy Player.
Unfortunately, the system was plagued by a thin library, especially compared to the PlayStation’s combined roster of PS1 and PS2 games. But what titles they were — it gave us Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Monkey Ball and the original Animal Crossing. On the GameCube’s 20th anniversary in Japan the Engadget staff looks back at their favorite titles from that era which, once again, doesn’t include some of the obvious candidates. — Kris Naudus, Buyer’s Guide Editor
I’ll be honest; I was late to the GameCube and the only reason I bought one was for Donkey Konga. I first played this rhythm title at a Toys ‘R’ Us and fell in love with those stupid bongos. A year before Guitar Hero this was the party game du jour, and I took my cube and controllers everywhere. I quickly unlocked every song, and became an absolute master at “Oye Como Va.” It was followed by a sequel and the bongos were even the default control scheme for Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, but nothing matched the sheer joy of playing that first installment and the sore palms that ensued. — KN
Call it the anti-Resident Evil. Eternal Darkness puts you in the shoes of Alexandra Roivas, a young woman trying to solve the mystery of her grandfather’s horrific death. Its century-spanning story covered a dozen characters, all connected to an ancient Lovecraftian god. While there’s combat, it was more about psychological trauma than the survival horror of Resident Evil. Most notably, it had a sanity meter that would change the gameplay and environment and even throw simulated system errors to freak out players. Take that, Metal Gear Solid.
Like many GameCube titles, Eternal Darkness was clearly an attempt to attract an older audience. It was the first M-rated game published by Nintendo, and the company kept the trademark alive for a decade. But it was never re-released outside of the GameCube, and hope for a direct sequel was squashed when developer Silicon Knights filed for bankruptcy in 2014. There was an attempt at a spiritual successor, Shadow of the Eternals, that fell apart after failing to raise enough money via crowdfunding. It’s almost fitting that a game about millennia-old evil may end up being lost to the sands of time. — Devindra Hardawar, Senior Editor
After the runaway success of Awakening and Three Houses, it’s hard to see what made Path of Radiance, Fire Emblem’s only GameCube release, so special back in 2005. Nearly two decades later its presentation looks stiff and dated, and the game is missing the relationship mechanics beloved by newcomers. But in Path of Radiance you’ll still find many of the elements that came to define later Fire Emblem games.
They exist in a sort of prototypical form since this was the first game in the series to make the jump to 3D. We take a lot of it for granted now, but back then series developer Intelligent Systems had to figure out the mechanics for the first time. And it did, making for a game that’s still fun to play to this day. It has one of the best stories in the series, with an English script that captures a lot of the nuances of the Japanese original.
It’s that story that made me fall in love with Path of Radiance when I first played it more than 15 years ago. Even when the game was at its most punishing, I wanted to see what would happen to Ike and his band of mercenaries. Path of Radiance was my first Fire Emblem game, but it’s the one I keep coming back to because of just how much I enjoyed my first playthrough as a teen. — Igor Bonifacic, Contributing Editor
The original F-Zero for the Super NES is one of those games I wore out as a teenager. While the futuristic space racer only had 15 courses, they were beautiful and challenging, and even when I did well, I always felt like I could do a little better. A decade later, F-Zero GX hit the GameCube and showed just how far racing had come.
The basic concept is the same: high-speed futuristic hovercraft battling it out in wild, creative courses where one mistake can lead to disaster. The GameCube’s horsepower meant the courses were longer, more complicated and visually stunning. The sense of speed was probably the biggest change, though: even now, 20 years later, this game feels incredibly fast. That speed makes it positively unforgiving, and I never progressed that far through the game’s many challenges. Driver AI was also significantly improved. In the first game, you mostly only had to worry about the three main rivals. But in GX, it’s easy to end up in 15th or 20th place in the blink of an eye if you’re not careful.
Despite that, I still remember the game fondly, in large part because it’s the last real entry in the F-Zero franchise. I didn’t play the Nintendo 64 entry in the series, so the jump from the SNES to the GameCube was pretty mind-blowing at the time. It’s a shame that Nintendo has let the series languish since then, because I’d love an updated version of GX for the Switch. — Nate Ingraham, Deputy Managing Editor
I have fond memories of Mario Kart: Double Dash for a not-unique reason. In the early 2000s, my friends and I had frequent co-op video game nights, and Double Dash was a mainstay in our lineup. Mario Kart games have always been amazing in local multiplayer, and Double Dash was no exception. After Mario Kart 64, it was disappointing that all four players couldn’t compete directly against each other, but we quickly got used to the game’s unusual mechanic that let one player drive and another throw weapons. Having two teams of two players was an interesting wrinkle to the gameplay, and it makes Double Dash one of the more unusual games in the series.
As with most GameCube games, it looks wonderful. Mario Kart 64, like a lot of N64 games, hasn’t aged as well visually, but Double Dash is still gorgeous, and Nintendo took a major step forward in terms of creativity and variety in the game’s levels. There are more hidden routes and ways to approach each level than ever before, and the scope of boards like Wario Colosseum and the game’s take on the ubiquitous Rainbow Road were unmatched at the time. It’s no coincidence that almost every course in this game has appeared in subsequent versions of Mario Kart — so even if you never played Double Dash, you’ve likely come across some of its iconic tracks. — NI
In the 80s and 90s, the Metroid franchise was defined by three classic titles: the original Metroid for the NES, Metroid II: Return of Samus on the Game Boy, and Super Metroid on the Super NES. They cemented Metroid gameplay as a side-scrolling action / exploration game, with a non-linear set of levels. Players would come across areas that you couldn’t fully explore before beating bosses and finding items in other parts of the game.
Metroid Prime, however, completely turned the series around, putting it in 3D for the first time. While the style resembled a first-person shooter, the gameplay still put exploration at the forefront, rather than fast-paced gun fights. That said, the game is plenty challenging, even punishing at times in its difficulty: its massive bosses and twisting tunnels full of enemies were unforgiving.
But for me, the most memorable part of Metroid Prime is the incredible atmosphere of Tallon IV, and the wonder of finding new sections of the deserted planet to explore. Prime also did a great job at expanding the story and lore of the Metroid series, with loads of scannable items that explain what happened to the ruined world. The sequels to Metroid Prime are great, but this first game is arguably the best in the series and a huge part of why we’re all so excited about someday getting our hands on Metroid Prime 4. — NI
It’s such a strange concept that it sounds like some developer’s fever dream — a combination pinball strategy game with voice control. But Odama was quite real, and it was glorious. Like any tactical wargame, you controlled an army of men (though via voice commands) who needed to overtake the enemy gate at the top side of the display. Complicating things was a giant ball that destroyed all in its path, but fortunately, you could exert some control over it with a pair of flippers at the bottom of the screen. There was a lot going on and it was utterly bonkers, but if you managed to beat Odama you were rewarded with the best ending theme to a video game ever. — KN
Though the Pokémon series is, at its heart, a role-playing game series from Japan, it’s not very typical of the JRPG genre we’ve become accustomed to through franchises like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. But way back in 2003 second-party developer Genus Sonority tried its hand as a more “traditional” story-based RPG, placing the player in the shoes of a reformed criminal trying to rescue Pokémon from his former organization. Pokémon Colosseum took place in the cyberpunk-flavored Orre region, as opposed to the more pastoral settings of the handheld RPGs. The “snagging” mechanic for collecting Pokémon was interesting, and the storyline had more of an edge to it. It was followed by a sequel in 2005, Pokémon XD, but I’d love to see this spinoff series continued on the Switch. — KN
It’s easy to forget that Resident Evil 4 was initially a GameCube exclusive. It’s been re-released on practically every platform, including the Oculus Quest 2 later this year. But it all started on Nintendo’s purple box, a platform not known for having many action titles. The game’s staying power makes sense though. It’s the first Resident Evil game rendered completely in 3D, and it featured a slick over-the-shoulder camera that made shooting infected baddies feel genuinely kinetic.
Resident Evil 4‘s gameplay would go on to influence not just the entire series, but most action games moving forward. It was also a great example of the GameCube’s unheralded horsepower, which could deliver smoother and crisper graphics than the PlayStation 2. Even today, the original GameCube RE4 still looks fantastic, with high-quality character models and environments teeming with detail. In comparison, the PS2 version look like a muddy mess. — DH
It may not be fair to call Skies of Arcadia Legends a GameCube game, since it’s just a port of a classic Dreamcast title. But I’m giving it a shout because it’s still one of the best RPGs I’ve ever played, and perhaps reminiscing about it will finally spur on a digital re-release. The GameCube port fixes some of the frame rate and stability issues from the Dreamcast, and adds new characters to boot, making it the definitive version of the game.
Set in a world of floating continents, Skies of Arcadia Legends focuses on sky pirates who embark on a world-saving journey, naturally. You can explore a 3D world map with your airship, which gets into large-scale turn-based battles with other vessels and giant enemies. Much like Chrono Trigger, you can tell that Skies of Arcadia comes from a dream team of developers. In this case, the staff previously worked on Phantasy Star, Panzer Dragoon and Sakura Wars.
While Sega originally planned to bring Skies of Arcadia to the PlayStation 2, it ended up focusing on the GameCube port instead. Perhaps Nintendo has a stake in that port and we just don’t know. Still, it’d be nice to play such a well-crafted game once again. I can’t be the only person who still regularly listens to its epic soundtrack. — DH
plocate is a newer, much faster locate tool for findning files on the command-line. It’s a drop-in replacement for mlocate in nearly all aspects, including reusing the mlocate database, and it’s fast on SSDs and HDDs alike.
The post plocate Is A Much Faster locate than mlocate appeared first on Linux Today.
Source: Linux Today – plocate Is A Much Faster locate than mlocate
If you spent even 10 minutes at one of the youth climate strikes that roiled the world pre-covid-19, you’d know the kids are incredibly upset at the lot the world is handing them. Now, scientists have categorized that anguish in a landmark study.
Source: Gizmodo – The Kids Are Not Alright
If you find that your home internet is constantly going down, or if you often find yourself in an environment without reliable wifi, you may be tempted to invest in a personal hotspot. However, as long as you have a good data plan on your phone, you can connect to your computer for easy browsing. To find out more,…
Source: LifeHacker – How to Use an iPhone As a Mobile WiFi Hotspot
After beta testing the second major PlayStation 5 firmware update over the past few weeks, Sony is ready to roll it out to everyone, along with new versions of the PS4 system software and the PlayStation mobile apps. The PS5 patch is the big one since, 10 months after Sony released the console, the company is finally unlocking the internal storage expansion slot for everyone.
Although you can store games on an external hard drive, you can’t run PS5 titles from USB storage. Those drives are just too slow for PS5 games. Plug in a compatible M.2 solid state drive, though, and you can use it just like the system’s internal storage for PS5 games, PS4 titles and media apps. You can move games and apps between the internal storage and M.2 SSD as you wish.
However, it’s important to note that not any M.2 drive will do. You’ll either need one with a built-in cooling structure or to add your own heatsink. Sony has several other requirements. We’ve put together a guide detailing the best SSDs you can buy for your PS5.
The update adds some other handy features, including 3D audio support for built-in TV speakers, which you can activate through the sound menu. You’ll be able to use the DualSense controller’s microphone to measure the acoustics and help decide the best setting for your space. There will be equalizer settings for the Pulse 3D Wireless Headset too.
Some key user interface changes are on the way as part of tomorrow’s update too. It should be easier to tell whether a game you have installed is the PS4 or PS5 version. Each will be listed separately in the Installed tab on the Home screen and in the Game Library.
You’ll have additional customization options for the Control Center, including more choice over which controls to include in the bar at the bottom of your screen. You can move those around, so you can place the power menu on the left, if you like. You’ll also be able to see and send messages to friends and parties from the Control Center’s Game Base section.
On the accessibility front, there are new screen reader shortcuts. Press the PlayStation and triangle buttons to turn the feature on or off, and press the PS and R1 buttons to have the tool repeat the last thing it said. PlayStation Now members can select a resolution of 720p or 1080p depending on the game, and there’s a tool to test your connection and hopefully help you resolve any issues.
The console will also be able to automatically record clips of your “personal best” moments, such as hitting a better time or score when you compete in challenges. You can access those clips from the Media Gallery or the challenge card in the Control Center. In addition, there’s a new trophy tracker that lets you view progress on up to five trophies per game in the Control Center.
That’s not all, though, as Sony will release a PS4 update tomorrow. You’ll be able to see your PS5 trophies (as well as others’ PS5 accolades) on PS4. On both consoles, you’ll be able to disband a Party without removing people individually if you’re the Party owner.
On top of that, there are updates coming to the PlayStation mobile apps. Starting tomorrow, you’ll at last be able to stream PS4 and PS5 games to your iOS or Android device over mobile networks, a feature that definitely would have come in handy for visits to the park during the summer. You can adjust video quality options to help manage your data.
Meanwhile, as of September 23rd, you’ll be able to watch your friends’ PS5 Share Screen broadcasts through the PS App. It may take up to a week for the feature to become available through the Android version of the app, as Sony is rolling it out gradually on that platform.
Source: Engadget – Sony will finally unlock the PS5’s SSD slot for everyone tomorrow
Intel’s retail partners are evidently chomping (technically, champing, you grammarians, you!) at the bit to offer up new Alder Lake desktop processors (Alder Lake-S), and at least one vendor in the United States is not waiting around for a formal launch. That retailer is Provantage, and it is accepting preorders for a handful of 12th Gen Intel
Source: Hot Hardware – Alleged Intel Alder Lake-S Pricing Leaked By U.S. Retailer Ahead Of October Launch
After expanding to Samsung TVs earlier in the year, Movies Anywhere, the service that allows you to keep your digital film collection in one place, is now available on Xbox consoles. Starting today, you can download the app on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Movies Anywhere works with most digital storefronts, including Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Vudu and of course the Microsoft Store.
The Xbox version of Movies Anywhere includes support for the platform’s Watch Together feature, which means you can take part in online watch parties with up to nine other people and talk in a shared chat room. Screen Pass is also supported. If you’ve already accepted a rental invitation sent to you by a friend or family member, you can watch the movie on your Xbox. Moreover, once you connect your Microsoft Store account to Movies Anywhere, you can watch the content you purchase there on any other device that supports the platform.
Source: Engadget – Movies Anywhere is now available on Xbox
You have probably heard that tomato season is almost over, though my own tomato plants do not seem to have gotten the memo. I have a lot green heirlooms still ripening on the vine, and my cherry tomato plant is thriving. I picked a pint of the things last Saturday, and I suspect I’ll get a couple more before the…
Source: LifeHacker – Turn a Pint of Tomatoes Into a No-Cook Pasta Sauce
DC’s League of Superpets finds a villain. Get a look at the first five minutes of NBC’s new Land of the Lost riff, La Brea. David S. Goyer offers an update on the Hellraiser remake. Plus, more looks at Chucky’s return, and Mr. Mxyzptlk gets his vocals warmed up for the next Supergirl. Spoilers get!
Source: Gizmodo – Updates From Halloween Kills, Peacemaker, and More
The second-generation Sonos Beam soundbar. It comes in white or black. [credit:
Sonos ]
Sonos on Tuesday announced a new model of its Beam smart soundbar.
The Sonos Beam (Gen 2), as it’s called, doesn’t change much from its three-year-old predecessor from a conceptual standpoint. Sonos is still positioning the device as a lower-cost and far more compact alternative to its higher-end Arc soundbar, one that’s better suited to smaller rooms or secondary TVs. It‘s virtually the same size as before (25.63 x 3.94 x 2.72 in. and 6.2 lbs.) with a near-identical minimalist design, though the fabric-coated front of the first-gen model has been stripped away in favor of a naked, perforated plastic grille that wraps around the device. Sonos says the latter will be easier to clean over time.
The big addition here is support for Dolby Atmos virtual surround sound. Notably, the Beam (Gen 2) uses the same internal acoustic architecture as before—including five class-D amplifiers, four mid-woofers, three passive radiators, and a center tweeter, but no up-firing speakers to physically create the illusion of audio “height” Atmos promises. But Sonos says the new model is equipped with a faster CPU, allowing it to improve the software that coordinates the soundbar’s audio output and steer it around a room. There are two new virtual “speaker arrays” for height and surround audio information as a result, with the idea being that this will help Atmos content still sound as if it’s coming from above and around your head in addition to the usual left, center, and right channels.
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Source: Ars Technica – The second-gen Sonos Beam soundbar arrives with Dolby Atmos, price hike
On the eve of its big iPhone 13 unveil, Apple was forced to issue a new software update for its iPhone, iPad, and Mac product lines. As a result, iOS 14.8 and iPadOS 14.8 are now available for the iPhone and iPad, respectively, while Apple issued macOS 11.6 for Macs.
One of the driving factors behind the release of the software updates is
Source: Hot Hardware – Apple Issues iOS 14.8 And MacOS 11.6 To Fix Serious ForcedEntry Zero-Click Security Flaw
