Good Old Games Remodels, Packs a New Name and Some Not So Old Games
If you are like me, odds are you have purchased some classic games from Good Old Games. GOG.com offers hundreds of classic PC games for a low price and without any form of DRM, but aside from The Witcher 1 and 2, few recent games are available. That all changes as Good Old Games is now simply GOG.com, and is beginning to offer more modern games with low prices and no DRM. New developers and games will be added to the selection every month, with big titles sitting right next to indie games. You will even be able to pre-order games and get new releases on launch day, just like other sites. The big advantage to GOG is the lack of DRM in its titles, meaning you can use the GOG.com downloader to get the game on as many computers as you own.
GOG.com is continuing to revamp its layout and features, and to kick off the remodel, you can purchase Trine or The Whispered World right now. You can also pre-order Legend of Grimrock and can soon buy Spacechem, Machinarium, Darwinia, and more over the next few months. GOG will still remain committed to bringing in more classics as well, so do not be dismayed by the addition of newer titles. This is just a way to cater to an even larger audience.
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Meet the Siren in BioShock Infinite
Ken Levine and the team at Irrational Games sure know how to create terror in a video game. When you finally get a chance to load up BioShock Infinite later this year, a new enemy will make you want to turn on the lights just to not be so freaked out. Irrational Games introduces us to the Siren in BioShock Infinite, and she is capable of raising the dead with her voice. The Siren used to be a performer, and if you run into her in BioShock Infinite, she can start singing to bring back all those enemies you just killed. If you are running low on ammunition, you may be hard pressed on whether to kill the Siren first or the recently raised corpses. I personally would go for the Siren, since I would rather not have to risk more corpses coming back to life. The choice will be yours, so make the right call.
BioShock Infinite will release on October 16th for the PC, PS3, and 360.
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Internet Use Compliments, Does Not Replace, Traditional Media
Have you ever noticed that you read fewer books, watch less TV, and listen to the radio less since you started using the Internet? This is a question some researchers want to understand better, especially as it pertains to children and young adults. At the University of Gothenburg, a study was done to examine the media use of 9 to 24 year old Swedes. Almost this entire group uses the Internet and the researchers want to know what that could mean.
While the use of traditional media has declined over the past thirty years, the researchers found no correlation between the use of the Internet and the decline. In fact, the use of traditional media was fairly high for the 9-14 age group, at 75% of all media use involving traditional media, and 60% for the 15-24 age group.
The researchers do point out that some things on the Internet can reach young people more easily than traditional media. For example, Facebook is more prevalent than newspapers for young people. However, tablet computers, e-books, and Twitter are not used greatly by the people in this study, despite the use of smartphones having increase by 700% in just two years.
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Stripped-Down Xbox Arriving Late Next Year?
I know there are plenty of rumors about a new Xbox console (Next Xbox), but Microsoft continues to say it is focused on the current Xbox 360. Kinect has sold relatively well and has improved sales of the 360, so this current report could have a grain of truth to it. A new report is saying Microsoft will have a stripped-down Xbox 360 available late next year, which will be powered by an ARM processor and focus on Arcade and Kinect games. The ARM-powered 360 would be priced competitively with the Apple TV, which would mean in the $100 area. The report further goes on to say a true successor to the Xbox 360 would appear later, potentially around the next Kinect revision in 2015. Microsoft, as usual, would not comment on this rumor and did not go further than talking about the new entertainment partnerships and Kinect functionality of the current Xbox 360. A Microsoft rep did say the company is always looking to the future of the platform, but that was the extent of it.
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It's Not the Size But How You Build It
Everyone is interested in photovoltaic cells these days. These devices, often made of special semiconductors, convert the energy of sunlight into electricity without an emission. They do have their shortcomings though, such as low efficiencies, high costs, and instability. Researchers at MIT though have found a way to help in these three areas.
Traditionally solar cells are placed on flat surfaces, like roofs, and sometimes on mechanical platforms to keep them pointed at the Sun. Both designs are flat though. The MIT researchers have explored using other geometries and have seen output increase by 2 to 20 times what flat panels produce. When first testing the designs on the roof of an MIT building, the researchers were concerned about the cloudy days they were experiencing. The overcast actually proved useful though as it showed greatly improved performance in a situation where photovoltaics are expected to do worse. This is very good news as fluctuating power output levels due to weather is not something any power grid wants to experience.
This technique also comes at a good time as the cost of photovoltaic cells is decreasing faster than other components involved in solar power. The installation, permission to use the land, support structures, and wiring can represent 65% of the total cost of a solar power system. By using more of the cells without increasing these other costs, the economic impact could be something to truly bring solar power into the economy.
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Notch Says UK Retailer GAME Done in by Digital Distribution
Yesterday, we reported on how UK retailer GAME had entered administration and was trying to find a new buyer to help turn it around. Now, famed Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson has commented on the problems of GAME, and said digital distribution is the culprit. Notch said the closure is an "unfortunate side effect of digital distribution," but said at the same time that digital distribution is saving gaming. Gamers can now purchase a much larger selection of games digitally from the comfort of their own home, meaning less gasoline/petrol has to be used driving to a retail store. Notch said the closure of GAME is sad but also fun, just because he feels digital distribution has taken off so well that retail stores may be on the decline. I would have to agree with Notch, as the majority of my game purchases are on Steam with Amazon being used for console games and collector's editions.
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Electron Microscope to See Atoms in Nanoparticles
When a researcher wants to examine the internal structure of a crystal, they shoot X-rays at it. This works because the wavelength of X-rays is about the same size as the distance between the atoms. When a researcher wants to look at the structure of something that is not a crystal though, X-rays will not work so well. This method requires a regular structure, so for the non-regular structure of nanoparticles researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles devised an electron microscopy technique to peer inside a gold nanoparticle.
Called electron tomography, the technique the researchers used shoots electrons at the nanoparticle. As the electrons pass through it, they are deflected by the atoms, resulting in shadows on the electron detector. Even though they are shadows, there is still information there, and that information allows the researchers to resolve the gold atoms just 0.28 nm in size. Unfortunately the technique cannot resolve anything smaller than 0.24 nm, but this is still an important advance as tomography is used in situations other than studying nanoparticles.
The method these researchers used employs algorithms more efficient than those of computed tomography scans, better known as CT scans. With more efficient algorithms, less radiation has to be used to collect data, and the less radiation a patient has to be exposed to, the better.
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Ubisoft Designing Assassin's Creed III for PC with Controllers in Mind
We all know that Assassin's Creed III is on the way and will be here on October 30th, but the PC version may not be quite what we are hoping for. In a recent look at a variety of aspects of Assassin's Creed III, the team at Gamespy learned a disheartening fact about the upcoming game. Ubisoft is supporting the PC, but unfortunately it will "be PC with a controller." Yes, you read that right. Ubisoft Montreal is designing the PC version of Assassin's Creed III with a game controller in mind instead of a mouse and keyboard. The game's creative director Alex Hutchinson says there will not be a huge investment in a keyboard and mouse control scheme, which does fall in line with prior titles. I know some PC gamers like using a game controller versus a keyboard, but it is never easy to see development almost entirely based on the controllers.
You can head over to the source to read the entire article about Assassin's Creed III, which is a pretty good read in its own right aside from the control scheme.
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Predicting Stocks with Twitter
Yes, the title is right. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have found a way to predict the traded volumes and values of stocks the day after the Tweets were made. Not only does the prediction model work but it actually outperforms baseline strategies by between 1.4% and 11%. This is not the first time Twitter has been examined for stock tips, but the previous studies have looked at the content of Tweets while this looks at their number and how connected they are.
After randomly electing companies in the S&P 500 Index for the first half of 2010, the researchers collected data from the Tweets around that time to. Processing the data showed correlations exist between the number of trades made and the connected components related to the companies. Connected components are less direct mentions of a company, such as talking about the CEO. A correlation also existed between stock prices and connected components.
You do not want to call your stock brokers though, because this method is not perfect yet. The time period it examined saw the Dow Jones drop, so Twitter may fail when the market is rising. Also, it took 30 days in the researchers simulation for the Twitter method to outperform the Dow Jones.
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The Wonder Drug That Shrinks All Tumors
It may sound too good to be true, but according to medical researchers a miraculous drug has been found to be capable of shrinking every known human tumor. The unprecedented cure works through the form of an antibody that prevents a "do not eat" signal usually seen on tumor cells, which then persuades the immune system to eradicate the cancer cells. Lab mice transplanted with brain, breast, liver, ovary, colon, prostate, and bladder tumors responded positively to the treatment, showing signs of significantly weakened or cured cancerous cells.
The treatment process begins by blocking a protein called CD47, which cancers utilize to deflect the immune system's natural defenses. As such, specifically hindering CD47 from spreading makes it possible for a single antibody to get rid of all types of cancer. While healthy cells are also left vulnerable to the effects of blocking CD47, these were only temporary, and overshadowed by the remarkable results in crippling the tumor.
We won't be seeing this wonder drug administered to ailing patients anytime soon, but with the approved $20 million grant received by scientists to fast track research from lab mice to human safety tests, this will undoubtedly become an unrivaled medical breakthrough.
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