IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 2/17/2015

Satisfy your nerd cravings with this 20-inch Link figure
If you're a fan of figurines and nerd-culture, JAKKS Pacific might just have your next purcahse waiting on their shelves. This 20-inch tall Link product is part of the new Big Figures line - said to be the first look into this highly-detailed series.

We say highly detailed because of the care put into the manufacturing of the figurine itself. As pointed out by Gizmodo, "you can even see the texture of the fabric on his tunic" - showing some of the extensive detail that has been implemented in this series.

The release date and price is currently unknown for this model, but rest assured we'll be smashing every pot until we've gathered enough Rupee's to buy our own.

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Old tech comes back in fashion - Commodore 65 sold for 22k
Also known as the Commodore 64DX, Hackaday has spotted this piece of technological history for sale on eBay - eventually going for the cool price of $22,862.01 via the method of auction.

Including a whopping 128kB of RAM (expandable to 8MB) and a 1280x400 resolution displaying 4096 colors, this model was Commodore's last project in the early 1990's before the company was liquidated completely.

The C65's on hand were sold to members of the public after this closure and it's likely that the PC's which have been occasionally popping up on eBay are these exact ones. In regards to the high price, it's certainly not unusual - the last system spotted on eBay sold for $20,100 and even featured some missing parts.

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H1Z1 developer, previously known as SOE, announces layoffs
It was only a couple of weeks ago that investment firm Columbus Nova purchased Sony Online Entertainment, which renamed to Daybreak Game Company, but now we're seeing layoffs from within the company.

Development of games will still happen for Daybreak Game Company, including the ongoing work for H1Z1, with the company explaining: "To better position our newly independent studio for future growth opportunities and to deliver on our legacy of making top online games, we have had to make some tough choices including realignment of resources".

Daybreak Game Company continued: "Unfortunately, this realignment means adjusting staffing as well. We announced today that we will eliminate positions in our San Diego and Austin studios. Many of us are saying goodbye to close friends and colleagues who we've worked with over the years, and we are grateful for the memories and all that they've contributed. They will be greatly missed, and we wish them nothing but the best for the future". The developer says that the layoffs will not have an effect on its current development operations.


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Data breaches leading to more cyberattack insurance adoption
Cybercriminals carrying out data breaches on organizations are helping create a suddenly booming cyberattack liability insurance market.

Traditional insurance companies - and a growing number of niche cyberattack insurance providers - are overwhelmed by an avalanche of new applications. The cyberattack insurance industry reached close to $2 billion in 2014, which is double the previous year, according to industry analysts.

"Think of a massive cyberattack as an intelligent hurricane," said Ty Sagalow, COO of the eBusiness division of AIG, in a statement published by the Los Angeles Times. "If it hits a house that doesn't fall down it learns why the house didn't fall and it changes. It is a scary thing... scary things sell insurance."

Costs related to cyberattacks are rising, so insurers are capping maximum payouts, while insurance premiums are rising, with data breaches increasingly expected.


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Apple reportedly building its own self-driving car
It looks like Apple is not just working on its own autonomous vehicle, but it will be building the car, too. The rumors aren't coming from unreliable sources, either, with The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times and now Reuters all chiming in.

The new information on Apple's super-secret vehicle project has the company not only building its own software platform for the car, but building the actual autonomous car, too. According to Reuters' sources: "Apple is gathering advice on parts and production methods... adding that Apple appeared not to be interested in combustion engine technology or conventional manufacturing methods".

When it comes to the iCar (that's what we're calling it until it's officially named) we should expect it to be an electric vehicle, so think of the best world's between an autonomous car and Tesla Motors' various electric vehicles. The world of automobiles is about to get very exciting.


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Be the victor in our 'Game of Thrones' Blu-ray giveaway
To celebrate this week's release of 'Game of Thrones: The Complete Fourth Season' on Blu-ray HD and DVD, we have five copies of the latest season of the show on Blu-ray to give away to readers, thanks to our friends at HBO and Warner Home Entertainment.

While the Lannisters hold on the Iron Throne remains intact, new and ongoing threats from the south, north and east threaten to tip the scales. As Stannis Baratheon and Daenerys Targaryen continue to grow their respective armies, the arrival of the Lannister-loathing Red Viper of Dorne poses a more immediate danger. In the north, the depleted Nights Watch seems outmatched against the advances of Mance Rayders army of wildlings, which in turn is being trailed by an even more formidable foe - the undead White Walkers.

To go into the running to take a Blu-ray home, simply answer the following question:

Name the original George R.R. Martin book that the adaptation is based on.

To enter, simply 'like' this post and share via Facebook or Twitter and send your answers, along with your postal address to ben at TweakTown dot com before the competition closes on February 19th.

'Game of Thrones: The Complete Fourth Season' is available on Blu-ray HD and DVD from Australian retailers starting February 18th.


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No friends? You can trade Pokemon with yourself - someone's done it
In order to 'catch them all' you're going to first need a friend, then that friend needs to have a similar handheld and Pokemon game title as you. If you're already failed step one, hacker Pepijn de Vos has your back.

Working for both Pokemon Red and Blue titles, this function is completed with the help of an Arduino system. The process works by you beginning the transfer yourself and storing the data in the Arduino's memory, swap your game cartridges to the desired Pokemon game and finish the trade. Think of it as some kind of time-delay data-storing mechanism.

If this kind of tech isn't an option for you, we suggest you start making some friends instead.

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3D printing technology developing, still struggles to go mainstream
3D printing technology has evolved at a fast rate over the past few years, but 3D printing still struggles to go mainstream among consumers. Prices for 3D printers and filaments are dropping, but consumers simply don't need one, even as more 3D-printed products and foods are introduced.

A wider selection of consumer 3D printers are available, but most consumers appear willing to wait for the market to develop further.

"Other than some of these cool examples, when does 3D printing go mainstream?" questioned Guy Kawasaki, tech analyst and former Apple chief evangelist, in a statement to CNBC. "I understand you can 3D print food. That's kind of a stretch for me. The fact that someone can 3D print a car doesn't mean you're gonna do it. So it may be that we're just a little bit too early to see what's really gonna happen there."

To go mainstream, prices will need to drop further - and companies will have to show consumers they need a 3D printer, or it will remain a niche product for the foreseeable future.


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HALO back in spotlight - Championship Series prize pool now $100k
Halo has had a massive roller-coaster ride in the past few years in regards to eSports. Starting off as the building block for large events like MLG and ACL Pro, it had majorly fallen off in recent times, however 343 Industries wants to change this. In recent news, the Halo Championship Series Season 1 finals prize pool has seen a massive improvement from $50,000 to $100,000 - thanks to the developer.

Taken from Halo's official website, media director Che Chou has commented that this increase is thanks to gamer feedback and advice, stating: "One of the most important pieces of feedback we've heard is that all players - from amateur to top teams - simply want more opportunities to compete and earn more money in the HCS."

This prize pool increase will see the following payment structure take place:

• First: $50,000
• Second: $20,000
• Third: $10,000
• Fourth: $8,000
• Fifth-Sixth: $4,000 each
• Seventh-Eighth: $2,000 each

Chou also stated that "we greatly understand, not only the importance of regulated prize pools that appropriately reward top competitors, but also the growth of the HCS year over year."

This news comes to light as the Season 1 finals is set to kick off on March the 6th at the ESL Arena during PAX East in Boston, US.


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HTC 'gets it' - comes preinstalled with all the emoticons you need
Whether you're looking to 'raise your dongers' or post some kawaii faces on your favorite forum - the HTC One M8 comes pre-installed with almost every option under the sun.

My friend just received his model today and after inspecting the stock emoticon options (who wouldn't do that first?) he came to me extremely excited with a new find - extended meme-like 'smilies'.

This is nothing ground-breaking sure, but it's an awesome inclusion nonetheless. Here's hoping more phone companies subscribe to this kind of 'pop culture' and continue development in this direction.


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By my gamer valentine with this ZOTAC love heart build
Forgot to get that special someone a valentines day present? Never fear - ZOTAC is here! This scratch-built system has been shown off by its Portuguese creator ShuperLuu as a present for his girlfriend back in 2013.

Based around ZOTAC's ZBOX Nano XS AD11 Plus, this system had to contain a few specific points in the modders eyes - It had to be simple, look great to his girlfriend, be able to hold the components vertically and have advanced cooling options.

The end product is this white and red acrylic multilayer system - with the aforementioned ZOTAC heart beating within.

Good idea or not? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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The CS:GO ESL One Katowice teams are confirmed, including one surprise
The full 16 team list has now been confirmed for the upcoming ESL One Katowice main event, held on March 12-15 at the Spodek Arena and featuring a $250,000 prize pool.

There's one underdog in the mix, this comes in the form of Australian team Vox Eminor (Voxe). Seeing limited success in the overseas scene, they've managed to topple 3DMAX, ESC Gaming and Dignitas in order to make their way into the final 16-team live event. Voxe will be joining the seven other qualifiers to play against the 8 'legends' teams who qualified through the latest DreamHack event - Winter 2014.

All of the action will be streamed on Twitch.TV - if you're interested in learning a little more about CS:GO and eSports, this is the place to be.

The full list of teams is as follows:

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Payments could one day be cashless and cardless, but will take time
There are plenty of alternative payments to cash, debit and credit cards, but it will take years of development for widespread consumer adoption. Vendors hope mobile payments, for example, will provide a cashless and cardless payment choice, while other solutions are being developed.

"As technology drives a shift in how we buy things, the revenue that the payments industry extracts could grow to more than US $2 trillion a year by 2023, double the 2013 figure, the Boston Consulting Group predicts," noted "The Future of Money" report from MIT Technology Review. "Much of that increase will come from a reduction in cash payments in developing countries."

The US mobile payment will expand from $52 billion last year up to $142 billion by 2019, the Forrester Research analyst group predicts. Consumers have smartphones and the ability to use mobile payments, but it's still going to take time to build trust and confidence.

Apple Pay is expected to greatly boost mobile payments in the United States, and may help show customers the benefit of alternative payment options.


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Closer look at North Korea's cyber army tasked with cyberespionage
North Korea isn't a cyberespionage powerhouse like Russia or China, but the country has a budding cyber warfare program that could cause major headaches for the United States and South Korea. Pyongyang is investing more resources into its cyber capabilities, evolving attack habits to be highly disruptive.

"A prime example could be if we're imagining that North Korea was under attack from South Korea, which was being supported by the US Army," said Egle Murauskaite, trainer at the US National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, in a statement to the Christian Science Monitor. "North Korea could attack satellites to disrupt communication between the US and allies and imped the US ability to reach targets."

Along with satellites, precision guided missiles largely rely on electronics, so there are fears that attacks would be able to effectively disrupt these signals.

South Korea has complained of cyberattacks targeting banks and critical infrastructure, with North Korea blamed for the attacks.


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FAA finally outlines drone regulations for commercial use
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) shook up the aviation industry by making commercial drone flights acceptable with a few requirements: operators must be at least 17 years old, pass a written exam covering FAA rules, and operators will need to observe safety requirements.

Drones must be less than 55 pounds, fly below 500 feet, and travel less than 100 mph, while being operated within sight of the primary drone operator. In addition, the FAA said drone flights cannot take place near airports or over private citizens not involved in the commercial flight of the drone.

"We have tried to be flexible in writing these rules," said Michael Huerta, FAA Administration, in a statement published by USA Today. "We want to maintain today's outstanding level of aviation safety without placing an undue regulatory burden on an emerging industry."

The FAA now welcomes 60 days of comments and input from the public - and it could still take up to 18 months, if not longer, before finalized rules are released.


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Dumb and Dumber To (2014) Cinema Movie Review

Dumb and Dumber To (2014)

In 1994, former In Living Color and stand-up comedian Jim Carrey burst out of the gate in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, a fresh and hilariously manic and over the top talent, before solidifying his popularity in the Dark Horse graphic novel adaptation The Mask, and politically incorrect comedy 'Dumb and Dumber'. With these three roles, it was clear Carrey was Hollywood's 'next best thing', and the following year saw him return to the role of Ace Ventura, in the ill-advised sequel When Nature Calls, which swore him from sequels for two decades. In 2014, Dumb and Dumber is back, but can lightning strike twice?

Twenty years from the conclusion of Dumb and Dumber, Lloyd (Jim Carrey) has been admitted to a mental institution and rendered mute by the emotional trauma of the romance with Mary Swanson that could never be. Harry (Jeff Daniels) has dutifully remained by his side, visiting him daily and even changing his adult diapers.

When Lloyd revealing his ploy was simply a long gestating joke, Lloyd and Harry resume their mundane existence until Harry is contacted by his former girlfriend Fraida Felcher (Kathleen Turner) who reveals that he has a long lost daughter. The duo decide to rekindle contact with Fraida and track down Penny (Rachel Melvin) the missing link in the family.

In mid-2013, with a completed script, signatures from Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels and the Farrelly brothers, and a very economical projected budget of $35 million, rights holder Warner Bros and New Line strangely decided to put the long in the making sequel to Dumb and Dumber into turnaround - meaning that the filmmakers were free to ship the project around to competing studios. Surely, a sequel to the pop culture classic was a sure thing, especially with the original stars and director on board. Well, I guess they took a look at the film's script.

With six credited writers, there's just no excuse for the dire shape of the script, which only manages to elicit a moderate amount of laughs - far from the rollicking original. Worse, the film is unnecessarily packed full of homages and 'tributes' (read: copies) of jokes and scenarios from the first, which invariably fall flat on their face, or worse - come off as downright embarrassing. For a film that's been in and out of production hell for two decades, fans deserve a hell of a lot more than this.

There's certainly nothing wrong with the performances of Carrey and Daniels, who do the best they can with the puerile material, and whilst they've aged a little less flawlessly than, say, Tom Cruise, they do look pretty much the way we remember them, even if it was a 20 years ago. Rachel Melvin as the sweet but damaged daughter Penny, is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stale adventure, imbuing her role with equal parts convincing naivety and charm.

At the end of the day, Dumb and Dumber To is a film that unashamedly banks on nostalgia, wearing it as a badge of honor - even down to the snippets from the original film, which roll during the end credits. The trouble is, their audience is different than it was back in the day. Original fans have 'evolved', having been exposed to similar humor in the intervening years, whilst new, younger audiences have decidedly different comedic sensibilities and expectations. Unfortunately for the Farrelly brothers, rehashing the same tired old jokes just doesn't cut it.

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