COUGAR 700M Mouse and Speed Mouse Pad Review
COUGAR 700M Mouse and Speed Mouse Pad Review
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NZXT Kraken G10 Review
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Shooting Can Do More Harm Than Good in Alien: Isolation
Earlier in the week, Creative Assembly released the first video in a #HowWillYouSurvive series of videos for Alien: Isolation, entitled "No Escape". The second video has now been posted. As the title "Don't Shoot" implies, shooting in Alien: Isolation may not always be your best option; in fact, it may just get you killed. After all, that Xenomorph has some pretty good hearing.
Source: Creative Assembly
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Approaching the Quantum Mechanical Defeat of Classical Computers
For years now, researchers have been working on quantum computers that, thanks to quantum mechanics, will be able to run algorithms no classical computer could complete, in a reasonable amount of time. So far though, no quantum computer has been built that actually surpasses its modern electronic counterparts. Thanks to researchers at the University of Bristol, University of Queensland, and Imperial College London though, that defeat of classic computers may be sooner than ever before.
The key to this defeat of classical computers is to successfully run a quantum algorithm they cannot. Recently MIT researchers developed an algorithm known as Boson Sampling, which uses single photons to sample an exponentially large probability distribution. A classical computer would find the same task to be extremely difficult. The catch for quantum computing is that producing the needed number of single photons is also difficult.
What the team of researchers recently discovered is that two-photon sources could be chained together to generate more of the single photons, using standard probabilistic methods. With that done, the researchers just needed to prove that this new photon source can solve the Boson Sampling algorithm, and with that, the last experimental hurdle for demonstrating the power of quantum computers should be overcome.
Source: University of Bristol
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Paradox Launches a Karaoke Video Contest to Win a Copy of Magicka 2
The action-RPG wizard'em-up Magicka series never took itself too seriously, which I guess is all I can really say to explain the new trailer and contest for the sequel, Magicka 2. Titled "Karaoke Singalong Trailer", I think you can venture a guess that it's a song, about Magicka, with the words on the screen so you can sing along. But don't just dismiss it as silly satire, even though it is. It's also an opportunity to win a copy of the game on release! All you have to do is download the karaoke template and song, make
Source: Paradox Interactive via Neoseeker
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Facebook to Display More Relevant Advertisements
Advertisements are plentiful on virtually all social networking platforms, Facebook included. The social network giant is looking to make them more relevant however, catering to the individuals interests of its users. Facebook has revealed that it is updating its News Feed, which now prompts users to disclose why they chose to hide an advertisement. Max Eulenstein, the product manager at Facebook, noted that the company has realized that the reason someone chooses to hide an advertisement is just as important as the action of hiding the advertisement. According to Facebook, the answers of those who typically do not hide advertisements will be weighted more heavily than those who tend to frequently hide advertisements within the News Feed.
Source: CNET
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Polar Acquired by Google
Polar, an online poll company that has previously done polls for media companies such as HBO, TechCrunch, and USA Today, has officially been acquired by Google. The service will soon be integrated into Google Plus, allowing Google to focus on the opinions of its users in a new and exciting way. Due to the acquisition, Polar founder, Luke Wroblewski, as well as the team of engineers and designers that make up Polar, will join Google shortly. Wroblewski is known for developing websites and applications that focus primarily on mobile design, making him a valuable addition to the Google Plus team.
Terms of the acquisition were not released by either Google or Polar.
Source: The New York Times
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Possibly Improving the Efficiency of Electronics with Odd Electron Movement
When multiple fields in science collide, crazy things can happen. Researchers at MIT and the University of Manchester have recently discovered a unique behavior of electrons in a superlattice of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride, which connects materials science, particle physics, relativity, and topology. What was actually observed though has, "no known analog in particle physics."
When electrons are exposed to an electric field, they will try to move and take the path of least resistance, which is in the direction of the field. This is true of traditional conductors and of graphene, which has the unique property of conducting electrons as though they were massless particles. When a layer of graphene is atop of layer of boron nitride however, the researchers observed the electrons actually moving in a perpendicular direction to the field. Normally a magnetic field would be required to alter the direction of an electrical current like this.
To make this phenomenon even weirder, the researchers also discovered that two electrical currents could flow perpendicular to the field, creating a "neutral, chargeless current," as the charges cancel each other out. This could possibly be exploited to improve the efficiency of computers as such a chargeless would not lose much energy to heat. However, the researchers do point out that other parts of the system may offset those efficiency gains, so more work is required to determine how useful this would be. Even without that answer though, this is still a discovery that will impact our understanding of how the Universe works.
Source: MIT
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Grand Theft Auto V Finally Arriving on PC January 27, 2015
PC gamers have been clamoring for 2013's Grand Theft Auto V ever since it was first announced; after all, the series originated on PC. It's been a long time coming, but the PC version is finally ready to drop on January 27, 2015, over a year after it released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions will be releasing a couple months earlier, on November 18, 2014. Existing players on the PS3 and 360 will be able to transfer their current Grand Theft Auto Online characters and progression to any of the three new versions.
Grand Theft Auto V for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One will feature major visual and technical upgrades, including increased draw distances, higher resolution, denser traffic, a new foliage system, enhanced damage and weather effects, additional wildlife, and more. There will also be new activities, new weapons, and new vehicles, along with over 100 additional new songs and new DJ mixes from returning DJs across the game's 17 radio stations. Returning players from the PS3 and 360 versions will also receive rare versions of classic vehicles to collect, such as the Dukes, the Dodo Seaplane, and a faster, more maneuverable Blimp. As long as you completed GTA V's Prologue on those systems and signed up for a Rockstar Games Social Club account, you'll gain the extra content on whichever new version you choose.
Source: Press Release
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Phosphorus a Potential 2D Semiconductor
Since graphene was first discovered, there has been a rush to find other two-dimensional materials, and discover their properties. The hope is to find one with properties that can be put to use in future technologies. Researchers at Rice University have recently discovered that 2D phosphorus may be an ideal semiconductor for advanced computers.
Like graphene, 2D phosphorus has a hexagonal lattice, but instead of being a flat sheet, alternating atoms jut out above the plane. This results in a greater variation to any defects in the material, which results in a deeper bandgap and decreased performance for many other materials. In this case though, because it is all phosphorus, the defects actually do not negatively impact the material's electrical properties. This makes it a superior semiconductor to the 3D silicon currently used in electronics, as grain boundaries and point defects do not affect its properties.
Obviously one potential application of 2D phosphorus is future computer chip, but it could see use in many of places. One example would be for solar cells as its bandgap should respond well to the spectrum of sunlight.
Source: Rice University
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Noctua Adds Fans to A-Series
Noctua has announced three new case fans as part of the A-Series, the NF-A9, NF-A8, and NF-A4x10 5V. The NF-A9 and NF-A8 are improvements on the previous NF-B9 and NF-B8 while the NF-A4x10 5V is a 5V version of the NF-A4x10. The first two fans use the latest cooling methods from Noctua including "Stepped Inlet Design, Inner Surface Microstructures and Flow Acceleration Channels." Noctua CEO Mag. Roland Mossig described the motivation behind the new NF-A4x10 saying, "Feedback on our NF-A4x10 40mm fan has been excellent, yet both end users and industry clients have asked for a 5V version. Many devices such as network or storage solutions use 5 volt 40mm fans, so with the new NF-A4x10 5V, we now have a solution for these types of applications." The fans will be available shortly at prices of $15.90 for the NF-A4x10, $17.90 for the NF-A8, and $20.90 for the NF-A9.
Source: Noctua
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Dying Light Arriving Earlier Than Anticipated; Now Launching January 27, 2015
Techland has announced that its first-person, open-world survival horror game Dying Light will be arriving January 2015 instead of the previously planned February 2015 release window. Specifically, Dying Light will launch January 27 in the Americas, January 28 in Australia and New Zealand, and January 30 in Europe and Asia. The game is priced at $49.99 for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, and $59.99 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. In the meantime, Techland released a Dev Diary explaining the game's revolutionary "Natural Movement" system:
Source: Press Release
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500 GHz Photon Switch Developed
More and more people want optics used to carry data across the nation and to their homes. This makes sense as photons can travel much faster and more efficiently than electrons, but they are still not as fast at carrying information as they could be. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego though have created a new photon switch that operates more than ten times faster than anything previously reported.
To achieve that amazing switching speed of 500 GHz, the researchers had to identify the ideal fiber for carrying the photons, develop a new means of measuring the fiber core, and determine the fewest number of photons needed to trigger the switch. The ideal material turned out to be silica fibers, as it has very little optical loss and kilometer-scale interaction lengths, but that is only half the work. The other half required analyzing the fiber core to profile its fluctuations over a great distance and with sub-nanometer precision. The method they developed is so precise that if a fly were land on the fiber miles away, the distortion to the fiber core would be measurable.
The precision of the fiber is matched by the efficiency of the 500 GHz switching. The researchers found that 2.5 picosecond pulses containing just three photons would be enough to control the light pulses, at that switching speed.
Source: University of California, San Diego
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Microsoft Increases OneDrive File Size Limit
Microsoft has revealed that it has increased the maximum size for individual files uploaded to the company’s cloud storage service, OneDrive. OneDrive users can now upload files up to 10GB in size, which is quite an improvement over the previous 2GB limit that Microsoft imposed. OneDrive group program manager, Jason Moore, noted that “We recognized that people not only have more files than they did before, but they have bigger files as well.” By allowing OneDrive users to upload larger files than ever, the service is better equipped to compete against services like Dropbox and Google Drive, which both feature substantially large individual file size limits.
The increased file size limit only applies to OneDrive and not OneDrive for Business at this time, though the latter is expected to receive the update over the coming months.
Source: OneDrive Blog
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Google Extends Refund Window for Android Applications and Games
Android users have long complained about the 15 minute window that they were given to request a refund for paid applications and games purchased from Google Play. Although Google has unofficially offered refunds past this 15 minute window, which has been in effect for quite some time, the technology giant never made any time extension official, until today. Google has updated its Google Play support page to reflect that it is now allowing Android users to request a refund for a paid application or game within two hours from the time of purchase. With games sometimes requiring additional files after purchase, the new two-hour time limit will more than likely be welcomed by virtually all Android users, especially those who were previously unable to request a refund within the 15 minute window.
Source: Android Central
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Fable Anniversary Arrives on Steam Tomorrow with Mod Support and "Heroic Mode"
The highly acclaimed RPG Fable Anniversary is set to arrive on Steam tomorrow, and just in case you weren't sure whether the PC version was the definitive version... oh, it is. While the PC version unsurprisingly features advanced graphics settings that allow the visuals to be pushed further than the Xbox 360 version, that's not all that sets the PC version apart.
Producer Craig Oman of Lionhead told Eurogamer that the PC version "comes with a version of the Unreal Engine 3 editor, which lets users edit all of the existing art and animation in the game." Unfortunately, because of the way the original Fable was created, new content such as quests, characters, and weapons are not supported, but Oman added that, "we are working with some of the modding community already as part of our beta testing and we will continue to do what we can to support them post launch." Part of that post-launch support will be full Steam Workshop integration, though there's no specific timetable on when that will be available.
In addition to mod support, the PC version will also feature a new "Heroic Mode" for those advanced players that really want a challenge. Heroic Mode increases the line of sight for enemies, reduces the damage of ranged weapons, and reduces player armor levels.
Source: Eurogamer and Steam
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