OCC E3 2013 Awards
Read More ...
Solvent Made into Superconductor
Before it can power our devices, an electrical current has a long distance to travel, and the cables that carry it do a decent job, but are not perfect as they have some resistance. Superconductors however have no resistance and can conduct a current without any loss, so researchers around the world are trying to understand how this is possible, to then apply them to power grids. A team of researchers, led by those at Washington State University, have recently discovered a new superconductor that may shed some light on how they operate.
Something common to all superconductors is the need for low temperatures; sometimes temperatures barely above absolute zero. At this energy level, the material will transition into a superconducting state, but exactly what happens can vary from material to material. In the case of carbon disulfide, a solvent the researchers were working with, at 6.5 K and a pressure of 500,000 atmospheres, the molecular structure rearranges itself to vibrate, allowing electrons to travel without resistance.
While such a low temperature and high pressure would make carbon disulfide useless for technology, its potential is in what we can learn from it. Further study of this unconventional superconductor could lead to the discovery of others, which may operate at room temperature and pressure.
Sources: Washington State University and Carnegie Institution
Read More ...
Ubisoft Servers Hacked, User Data Compromised
Ubisoft has announced that a security breach of its Uplay servers has resulted in unauthorized access of user data. Hackers were able to gain access to user names, e-mail addresses, and encrypted passwords. Fortunately, payment data is stored on a different server that Ubisoft says wasn't compromised. An official statement from the company said, "We instantly took steps to close off this access, to begin a thorough investigation with relevant authorities, internal and external security experts, and to start restoring the integrity of any compromised systems." Users that have an account with the Uplay service should change their passwords, as well as any site that shares login information with it.
Source: Venture Beat
Read More ...
Pier of Pain Event Coming to Killing Floor
Killing Floor is an extremely fun co-op multiplayer shooter where players team up to fight off waves of zombie hoards. The team at Tripwire Interactive has been releasing free DLC in the form of new weapons, maps, and characters for the past few summers, in addition to a separate Christmas event, and this year is no exception. The Summer Sideshow Pier of Pain event arrives tomorrow and brings a new game mode with it in addition to a new map and other new items. The new Objective Mode adds tasks for players to complete in addition to the standard zombie wave elimination. The game will be free to play for a week starting on July 4.
Source: PC Gamer
Read More ...
Klei Turns to Turn-Based Tactical Espionage in its Next Game, Incognita
While indie developer Klei Entertainment has been releasing regular free updates for its most recent game, Don't Starve (including one coming out today), the studio has also been hard at work on its next game, which was officially announced earlier today. Incognita is a "turn-based tactical espionage" game, highly influenced by the XCOM franchise. Incognita is a huge departure from the studio's previous two games, Mark of the Ninja and Don't Starve, a 2D stealth platformer and an open-world, top-down survival game, respectively. That being said, Klei co-founder Jamie Cheng told RPS that they're "taking all the learnings from Don't Starve and Mark of the Ninja, and making something new with it." One of those Don't Starve influences is procedural generation, which will of course mean loads of replayability.
Details are very sparse at the moment, with only a single screenshot, but according to Cheng, information is power in Incognita – thus the espionage aspect of the game. This is the main differentiating factor between Incognita and XCOM, with him explaining that XCOM is "ten percent information gathering and 90 percent positioning." Whether we'll be commanding a squad like in XCOM, has not been divulged, though the screenshot does imply a three-person team – or maybe I'm just reading too much into it. Best of all, "PC is the primary platform," with a Windows version being the first, followed by a Mac version. Cheng also said that they hope to have a Linux version as well. Don't Starve is available for all three operating systems, so there is a history there. Klei is shooting for a late summer alpha launch. You can sign up at the official site to stay informed. Clicking on "Hello? Are you there?" at the bottom of the page brings you to a cipher to decode.
Source: Rock Paper Shotgun
Read More ...
Cooler Master Launches the CM Storm QuickFire XT Mechanical Keyboard
Cooler Master is one of the leaders in pretty much every category related to computer hardware, and today it's launching its newest keyboard. The CM Storm QuickFire XT is the 104-key version of the QuickFire Rapid, so now you can get all the benefits of the Rapid just in a full keyboard. This mechanical keyboard features a slim body to help with ergonomics, while the laser-marked keycaps and anti-glossy finish ensure your XT will look new no matter how much you use it. Multimedia keys allow you to easily control your music, while the Windows key can be disabled so you don't accidently hit it during a game. Cherry MX Red, Blue, Brown, and Green switches are available for the XT, based on region, with a black backplate being included on the Blues, Browns, and Greens, and a red backplate for the Reds.
The Cooler Master QuickFire XT is available starting today, although no prices were mentioned.
Source: Cooler Master
Read More ...
Nanometer Thick Solar Cell Designed
Solar power is considered one of the more attractive sources of clean energy thanks to how much energy pours onto the Earth from the Sun every second. Collecting that energy can be done in many ways using many different materials, such as silicon, quantum dots, and some organic semiconductors. Now researchers at MIT have created a new class of solar-power devices; two dimensional solar cells.
Since the discovery of graphene, an atom-thick plane of carbon, researchers have been searching out other 2D materials, as many have special properties. Among those materials are molybdenum disulfide and molybdenum diselenide, which are molecule-thick, semiconducting sheets. The MIT researchers combined these two materials, placing one on the other, to create a theoretical solar cell just one nanometer thick; the thinnest solar panel ever. Such an achievement could be very useful in situations that have weight restrictions such as spacecraft and avionics.
While being the smallest is definitely an achievement, there are two issues to be addressed before this technology can be used. One is that the cell is only predicted to have an efficiency between 1 and 2%, and the other is that both molybdenum disulfide and molybdenum diselenide are hard to produce. With time though, both issues may be overcome.
Source: MIT
Read More ...
Available Tags:Ubisoft , Cooler Master , Keyboard ,
No comments:
Post a Comment