XFX & Sapphire HD 7950 3GB Review
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Improving Password Creation Practices
I have a Steam account, a few email addresses, a Newegg account, Amazon account, Barnes & Noble account, an Apple account, and an OCC account to name just those that come to mind. Each of these requires a password but their requirements can differ greatly. For example, OCC has the singular requirement of a password being between 3 and 32 characters long while passwords for an Apple ID must, "have at least one letter; have at least one capital letter; have at least one number; not contain more than 3 consecutive identical characters; not be the same as the account name; be at least 8 characters." Quite a difference, which has prompted researchers in the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society decided to investigate.
Of the 90 popular websites the researchers looked at, more than half failed to provide their requirements before the first attempt at creating a password. An “invalid password” error can be quite frustrating, especially given most people’s tendency to use only a few passwords. For their preferred password to be denied for no immediately apparent reason can be confusing.
As part of the study, the researchers give suggestions for web developers on future best-practices. For example, giving clear and concise instructions for password creation and not placing them in the password entry box. As the researchers point out, reducing frustration can lead to a better user experience and fewer support requests. Increasing user visits while decreasing maintenance costs seems like a good idea.
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Mass Effect 3 Voice Cast Video Reveals an Impressive Number of Actors
As January pulls to a close, gamers everywhere know five weeks is all that stands between them and Mass Effect 3. BioWare has been working diligently on the thrilling conclusion to Commander Shepard's tale, and has been revealing more and more information about Mass Effect 3 as we approach launch day. Today, BioWare has seen fit to release a new video that shows off some of the voice cast for Mass Effect 3, with many familiar faces returning. Now, the video does not show off the entire cast, but it does highlight some of the major names and glimpses of a few others. Martin Sheen once again will voice the Illusive Man, Seth Green returns as Joker, Tricia Helfer as EDI, Keith David as Admiral Anderson, Ali Hillis as Liara T'soni, and Jennifer Hale as the female voice of Commander Shepard.
All of those names, either real or in-game, should all be familiar to you, but the video also features two new actors to the Mass Effect universe: Freddie Prinze, Jr, and Jessica Chobot. Each actor or actress talks about their character's role in Mass Effect 3, and offers a few insights into the game itself. The gameplay shown looks impressive, and I for one cannot wait to get my hands on the full game.
Mass Effect 3 launches on March 6th for the PC, PS3, and 360.
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28,000 Fans to Play Half-Life 2 on Saturday to Show Valve Gamers Still Want Episode 3
When you think about it, Half-Life 2 released in 2004 yet is still one of the most talked about games on Steam. Everyone has played it, and if you have not, why are you reading this instead of loading the game up? In any case, gamers have been waiting patiently for Half-Life 2: Episode 3, the last of the planned additional content. Episode 1 and Episode 2 were both released before 2007 ended, yet Episode 3 is no where in sight. I am sure Valve has been inundated with emails asking where in the world Episode 3 is, but this coming Saturday, a group of gamers has something else in store. The 28,000 members of Steam group Message To Valve are planning to load up Half-Life 2 this Saturday, February 4th, to show Valve gamers still care about HL2 and Episode 3. The plan is to push HL2 up the most-played list to give an idea of the support for the game, and hopefully deliver a more respectful message about wanting Episode 3.
The group plans to start playing at 7PM GMT / 11AM PST, so feel free to get your copy of Half-Life 2 loaded up for the demonstration.
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Razer Tiamat 7.1 Headset Delayed Again, Projected for February
This is some bad news for anyone wanting a new headset, but not totally unexpected considering what day it is. Razer has announced its Tiamat 7.1 headset has been delayed and will launch in February, and apologized to customers hoping to get their hands on one. The Razer Tiamat 7.1 was originally supposed to have launched before the end of 2011, but then was moved to January. January has come and gone, and now the first true 7.1 surround sound headset is delayed until February. Hopefully gamers eager to get the headset will finally have it soon, and can enjoy their games in true 7.1 bliss. You can head on over to the Razer blog to see how you can get a free t-shirt and flask when you order the Tiamat.
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Shaping Electric Motors for Performance
Electric motors are all around us; in cars, trains, fans, turbines, and more. Many so-called green technologies also use electric motors, yet, ironically, they are not optimized for what they do. These motors are designed to provide performance whether they spin in one direction of another, yet they are only rarely ever put in reverse. Researchers at Iowa State University are looking to take advantage of this by chipping away at current motor design.
The work can be compared to a sculptor removing stone from a block, but with every chip removed from the computer model, the design will be tested. The researchers aren’t expecting a very large increase in efficiency; only 1-5%. Multiplying that by every electric motor being used now, and will be used in the future though, gives a much more impressive number.
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MegaUpload Data Safe for at Least Two Weeks
As we reported yesterday, the hosting companies for MegaUpload could have begun deletion of the data on their servers as early as Thursday. It was announced today that lawyers for MegaUpload and the hosting companies have reached an agreement that will keep the data safe for at least two more weeks. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has asked "innocent users" to get in touch with it to pursue legal avenues for retrieving the data. Carpathia Hosting has created a website to throw its support behind the EFF plan, and to encourage users to contact the EFF in an attempt to get their data back. The other hosting company, Cogent, had no comment as of this posting.
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CyberpowerPC Offering Overclocking Warranty Plan from Intel
Intel recently announced its new warranty plan aimed at those of us that like to overclock our CPUs. CyberpowerPC has announced that it is the first manufacturer to offer the Intel Performance Tuning Protection Plan as part its systems. As part of the new plan, a CPU that fails under normal usage will be replaced under the standard warranty, but a CPU that fails while outside of the specifications laid out by Intel will be replaced under the Performance Tuning Protection Plan. CyberpowerPC will offer this with all systems that feature "K" and "X" series Intel processors. The plan is being offered for free in conjunction with Gigabyte to those customers that purchase a Gigabyte Z68 motherboard to go with the Intel processor.
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Pre-Order Bonus for Risen 2: Dark Waters Detailed
Risen 2: Dark Waters looks to continue on the story from the first game, but this time with a decidedly more pirate flair. The first game had glimpses of the pirates in it, but Risen 2 expands on that even further. If you are a fan of the first game and have been looking forward to the sequel, you may be interested what pre-ordering the game can net you. The pre-order bonus for Risen 2: Dark Waters has been detailed, and it ties into a questline from the first game. In the first Risen, there was the Treasure of Captain Steelbeard quest you could go on, but it did not have a solid ending. In Risen 2, pre-orderers will get a chance to finally finish that quest with the assistance of Captain Steelbeard's daughter. Your character and Patty, the daughter, will travel to an unknown island with "puzzles to solve, treasures to loot and mysteries to unravel," plus you will find a "legendary item" that will permantently increase your stats.
Risen 2: Dark Waters will launch on April 24th for the PC.
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From Seaweed to Biofuel in One Step
Biofuels, in theory, will be able to replace the conventional fossil fuels used to power our cars, trucks, and more. There are still some major issues with it though, not the least of them is economic feasibility. Many biofuel sources exist right now that are completely useless because they would be far too expensive to bring to market. Researchers at Bio Architecture Lab (BAL) have something though, that does have promise and appears to be cost-effective.
Instead of looking to a terrestrial source, like corn or switch grass, BAL turned to seaweed, or macroalgae, for their sugar source. Biofuels like ethanol and isobutanol are the products of fermenting sugars. What BAL has done is created a microbe that will devour the desired sugar in the seaweed, alginate, and metabolize it into a fuel. Condensing everything into a single step like this is what gives the method great promise, beyond how efficiently it will convert the sugar. The fewer steps involved in a process, the faster and cheaper it can be done.
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Humble Bundle for Android Released
The Humble Bundle has been around for a while now, with many different versions released covering a ton of indie games. Today, the Humble Bundle folks have something a little different in store, as the current selection will also work on Android devices. That's right, the Humble Bundle for Android is now available, and will work on Android devices in addition to Windows, Mac, and Linux computers. There are three games available, plus a fourth if you beat the average price. The games are: Anomaly: Warzone Earth, EDGE, Osmos, and World of Goo, with World of Goo being included if you pay higher than the average price. You will also receive the soundtracks for each game, and as usual there is no DRM so you are free to install the games on as many devices as you want. Your purchase also helps give a little something to charity, with the EFF and Child's Play benefiting as much as you want.
The Humble Bundle for Android has 14 more days remaining, with the current average price at $5.59.
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From the Kitchen to Plastic Electronics
Inspiration can come from unexpected places. For one researcher at Rutgers University inspiration for his work with plastic electronics came from a kitchen gadget. Some of you may remember the ads for or even have these vacuum devices that remove the air from around a food product. With the food in a plastic bag, the air is pulled out. This results in the plastic being pressed against the food, and now at Rutgers University, it gets the gate insulator pressed onto an organic semiconductor without any defects.
Traditional methods to sealing organic electronics use heat, high-energy plasmas, or chemical reactions, all of which can damage the sensitive organics. This new technique takes just 10 minutes to complete and does not risk damaging the electronics, while producing a high-quality result. This could prove very useful in the future as plastic electronics become more common than the OLED screens some of our phones use.
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EverQuest Going Free to Play in March
The original EverQuest, one of the oldest MMOs out there, is celebrating its 13th year of existence with a long overdue free-to-play model come March. Players old and new will be getting a Welcome Pack filled with EQ goodies such as potions, a house trinket, and a Mercenary to help protect against the dangers in the lands of Norrath. How does Everquest's F2P work? You can choose from the Free, Silver (costs $5) and Gold ($14.99 monthly) membership options. As you can expect, the first two modes are severely lacking in features - you can only play cooler characters like Death Knights, Paladins and Bards for a fee, along with a Tier One spell limitation and there's no option to send in-game mail. Still, you've got a library of content to dive into with 18 hefty expansions to choose from. So if you can stomach the rather neanderthal graphics, the F2P EverQuest could be a worthwhile time-waster.
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Hardware Roundup: AMD Radeon HD 7950 Edition
AMD has released the second entry in the HD 7900 series with the launch of the Radeon HD 7950 card. We have a look at the reference design as well as cards from some of AMD's partners such as XFX, PowerColor and Sapphire. The OEM partners are not satisfied with just issuing copies of the reference design as the cards are overclocked and come with enhanced cooling solutions. The HD 7950 is similar to the HD 7970 in features, but has been scaled down a bit to fit a MSRP of $449 with the overclocked cards from its partners coming in $30-50 higher. That puts the HD 7950 at at 800MHz on the core clock speed versus 925MHz on the HD 7970 and 1,792 stream processors compared to 2,048 on the HD 7970. We have a good collection of reviews including OCC's own look at the XFX & Sapphire HD 7950 3GB cards.
XFX & Sapphire HD 7950 3GB @ OCC
AMD Radeon HD 7950 Video Card @ [H]ardOCP
XFX R7950 DD Black Edition Overclocked @ LanOC Reviews
AMD Radeon HD 7950 3GB Graphics Card @ PC Perspective
AMD Radeon HD 7950 Launch @ Neoseeker
PowerColor, Sapphire, XFX HD 7950 @ Neoseeker
XFX Radeon HD 7950 Black Edition Double Dissipation 3GB @ TweakTown
XFX Radeon R7950 Black Edition Video Card @ Benchmark Reviews
AMD's Radeon HD 7950 graphics processor @ Tech Report
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Mad Catz Begins Cyborg M.M.O. 7 Gaming Mouse Pre-Orders
Mad Catz has begun pre-orders for its Cyborg M.M.O. gaming mouse. The new gaming mouse offers an adjustable DPI setting from 100DPI to 6400DPI (in 25DPI steps) to cater for all gaming uses. Other features include a dynamic 1000Hz polling rate, up to 50G of acceleration and a tracking speed of up to 6m/sec. Five six-gram weights allow gamers to customise the weight of the mouse, while Teflon feet provide a smooth tracking experience. As the name suggests, the Cyborg M.M.O 7 is aimed at MMO players. To do this the mouse features 13 programmable buttons, a three-position MMO mode switch and a two-position MMO shift button providing gamers with up to 78 in-game commands. Other customization options include interchangeable pinkie grips/palm rests and the ability to change the length or width of the mouse. The Mad Catz Cyborg M.M.O. 7 gaming mouse can be pre-ordered now for US$129.99 here.
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