Cyanide Studios Details the Titular Protagonist in Styx: Master of Shadows
In Cyanide Studios' RPG Styx: Master of Shadows, players take on the role of the titular Styx, a "goblin anti-hero, master assassin and part-time thief." Back in February, we learned that Styx is seeking the "Amber" from a mystical tree atop the Tower of Akenash, but there's a lot more to it than that. Communication & Community Manager Camille posted a "character introduction" for Styx on the developer blog, which provides some more details and background information.
Styx is 250 years old and the first known goblin. But apparently he didn't start out as a goblin – "Styx was an orc shaman, respected by all, a powerful mage, erudite and passionate about life's forces." His passion pushed him toward studying the aforementioned Amber, which ultimately lead to his demise. His addiction to Amber not only changed his appearance, but also causes him mental anguish and torment. That is why he is seeking out to steal the source of Amber, the heart of the World Tree atop the Tower of Akenash. Luckily for him, while he's addicted to the substance, he can use its "significant powers" to aid him in his quest.
It's interesting to see Cyanide take this approach of a goblin once being an orc. While many games have often separated the two races, Tolkien often used the terms interchangeably in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, so it makes sense. In any case, you can check out some sketches and 3D models below.
Source: Styx Developer Blog
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Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare Heads to the Wild West with Second Free DLC, Zomboss Down
Last month, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare received its first free DLC, the Garden Variety Pack, which added a new game mode, new map, and 24 new ability upgrades. Today, Garden Warfare got its second free DLC, Zomboss Down, which brings the beloved plants and zombies to the Wild West. Zomboss Down includes a brand new map, Cactus Canyon Gardens and Graveyards, eight new playable characters, over 200 customization items, and an increased character level cap from 20 to 30. The DLC is currently available for both Xbox One and Xbox 360.
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New Toshiba Laptop Features 4K Display Resolution
The Toshiba Satellite P55T will be available next week with an MSRP of $1,499.99 and is one of the first laptops to feature a 4K display. The display resolution of 3840x2160 uses four times the number of pixels as 1080p screens and puts the screen ahead of other high end laptops like the Razer Blade and Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus. The laptop is rounded out by an Intel i7 quad core CPU, AMD Radeon R9 M265X, 16GB of DDR3, and 1TB hard drive.
Source: Computer World
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First Look at Amazon Smartphone
Amazon is reportedly set to announce its first smartphone in the near future, and BGR has obtained the first pictures of the unannounced device. Amazon is hoping that a unique user experience will help to set the phone apart from others on the market. Amazon isn't breaking any new ground from an appearance standpoint, with features comparable to smartphones available from Samsung, HTC, and Apple. It is reported to use a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 2GB of RAM, and a customized version of Android. The key feature to set this phone apart is a 3D display that doesn't require the use of glasses or a special screen. A number of cameras will be used to analyze the position of the users face and eyes to adjust the screen as needed.
Source: BGR
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New Means of Producing Porous Silicon
Silicon is a very useful material thanks to its semiconducting properties, but for some applications it has some issues. Or, more accurately, we have some issues getting it to work well for certain applications. One such application is using porous silicon to create hydrogen, but researchers at Penn State have found a solution.
Hydrogen is a very useful gas as it wants to react with a number of other elements and materials, and those reactions can release useable energy. The semiconducting properties of silicon make it well suited for generating hydrogen from water, but it will work best if the silicon is porous. Producing porous silicon is difficult and expensive though, as it requires etching away silicon, producing a lot of waste. The Penn researchers however have found a fairly quick and easy way to produce porous silicon from silicon tetrachloride, a relatively cheap silicon source. The key is to break the strong bonds between the silicon and chlorine atoms, which the researchers achieved with a sodium potassium alloy. This resulted in porous silicon with potassium chloride and sodium chloride in the pores, which could be removed with heat-treatment and water.
While porous silicon could have uses in sensors and other technologies, it can be used to produce hydrogen from water just with sunlight. When the light strikes the silicon, an electron can be excited, which causes the water to reduce and release hydrogen gas that can be captured and used as needed.
Source: Penn State
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Gmail Makes Sending Smartphone Photos Easier
Starting today, users of Gmail on the web now have it a little bit easier when it comes to emailing photos that were taken using a smartphone. Gmail now has a dedicated icon for photo attachments, labeled as Insert Photo, which allows users of the email service to select photos that are located within Google Photos albums. Along with individual photos, full albums can be shared too, provided that they are located on Google Photos. After choosing a photo to send to email recipients, users can also resize their snapshots within the email composition window.
Users who would like to make use of the new features just have to make sure that Auto Backup is enabled and that Gmail on the web is utilized.
Source: Official Gmail Blog
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LUXA2 Releases E-One Aluminum Headset Holder
LUXA2, a Taiwanese based designer and manufacturer of award winning portable accessories, has launched its new aluminum headset holder, the E-One. The E-One, which expands the LUXA2 holder solution range, is a diamond cut all aluminum headset holder that helps organize desk space and provide physical protection for headsets. The E-One prevents headband damage by using rubber along with holder that conforms to the shape of any headset. Scratches and tugged wires are also prevented with storing a headset on the E-One, and its rubber soles help the headset holder to maintain its position while in use.
The LUXA2 E-One has a suggested retail price of $34.99.
Source: Press Release
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New Polymer TIM Developed
As our electronics become smaller and faster, they also become hotter, which is becoming a problem as that heat will limit performance and/or the lifespan of the device. Quite naturally researchers are working on ways to move the heat away from the circuitry more efficiently. Those at the Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Texas at Austin, and Raytheon Company have recently found a new thermal interface material (TIM) that is a bit different than you may expect.
Two of the factors that influence a TIM's efficiency are its conductance and its contact to the heat source. Many have been looking at better conductors, to move heat away faster, but the Georgia researchers decided to investigate materials that make better contact. In this case that material was a polymer. Typically polymers are insulators, but some can be made to conduct heat by adding aligned crystalline structures to them, giving the heat a path to follow. As the polymer in question, polythiophene, is a conjugated polymer, it has a high thermal stability, allowing it to survive at 200 ºC, unlike other polymers.
While the process used to make the material is not yet fully understood, the researchers are confident it can be scaled up for commercial use. It will be interesting to see how it compares to some conventional TIMs, as some of the best have only 1% contact with a device, compared to the 80% this polymer once achieved in other research. It was that research which led the Georgia researchers to consider polythiophene for this use.
Source: Georgia Institute of Technology
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