Method Found to Measure Conductivity at Very High Speed
With the constant push for faster and faster electronics, it is becoming necessary to look to new materials and technologies to continue progressing. For this to happen though, we have to understand the physics involved, which can be difficult to do in some circumstances, such as at very high frequencies. Researchers at Rice University though, have recently found a way to measure the conductivity of nanowires at optical frequencies using plasmons.
Plasmons are electrons and photons coupled together and are made by firing photons at a metal. Many are interested in using them in future technologies because they possess useful properties of both electrons and photons. In this study, the researchers worked with a kind of light-activated capacitor made of two nearby plasmonic nanodisks. When these disks are connected by a wire, the charge of the disks will actually flow back and forth along the wire at optical frequencies. Changes to the wire's conductivity, even small changes, would alter the optical signature.
This ability to measure changes in conductance at optical frequencies could prove invaluable for testing nanowires for use in future devices. Current methods are not capable of making such high frequency measurements at the nanoscale, so this research could be key in letting technology reach these extreme scales.
Source: Rice University
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Noctua Shows Off Its Wares at Computex
Noctua was on hand at Computex 2015 in Taipei, Taiwan this past week and has posted a summary of the products it brought on its website for those that couldn't make the trip. The highlight of the show was the upcoming next-generation 120mm A-series fan which was named the best cooling product at the show by Tom's Hardware. Noctua has also updated the NH-U12 and NH-U14 CPU coolers with deeper cooling fins providing for an increase in surface area. The company also achieved a reduction in size of the Active Noise Cancelling project, with the controller now able to fit on the PCB of a fan rather than as an external component. The industrialPPC range of products will be receiving a pair of new fans in the NF-A9 and NF-A8, set to be available in Q2 2016.
Source: Noctua
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Ask Toolbar Now Classified as Unwanted Software by Microsoft
At long last, the Ask Toolbar is on its way out, as Microsoft has recently started classifying older versions as a piece of unwanted software. Its malware programs have been automatically updated to detect and remove outdated Ask Toolbar installs, which should make many of us quite happy. It will certainly please security and IT professionals, as the Ask Toolbar has caused a host of problems for years. The toolbar tends to piggyback onto other installers and can be quite hard to spot how to not install it, with perhaps the most egregious offender being the Java installer. Unchecking the Ask Toolbar install has to be done during each and every Java update, and if you happen to just keep clicking next, odds are you'll have an unwanted addition to your browser. Now, all but the most recent edition of the Ask Toolbar is considered unwanted software, with the likes of Microsoft Security Essentials, Microsoft Security Scanner, and Windows Defender automatically removing the older Ask Toolbars automatically.
Considering Microsoft has recently started to get tougher on which apps with a search function get approved, the classification of older Ask Toolbars as unwanted software is just part of the process.
Source: Microsoft Malware Protection Center
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Friction Tuned Away On the Nanoscale
Friction is everywhere and while it can be frustrating, it is also very useful and impossible to live without. There are instances though, when it seems to disappear as the phenomenon, superlubricity appears. Now researchers at MIT have finally studied friction at the nanoscale, including the emergence of superlubricity, which could have a significant impact on nanomachines.
Typically whenever two surfaces contact each other, there is friction between them, but there are times friction vanishes. To study this, the researchers created two nanoscale 'surfaces.' One is an optical lattice created by two lasers that interfere with each other to create a sinusoidal periodic pattern (a bunch of peaks and troughs). The other 'surface' is an ion crystal of sorts, produced by optically trapping a number of ions that repel each other, creating a kind of crystal structure. When the researchers ran the ions over the optical lattice, they found maximum friction when the distance between the ions matched the wavelength of the lattice. If the distance was mismatched though, superlubricity appeared. Instead of jarring, sudden movements like before, with superlubricity the ions slid up and down the optical lattice smoothly, like how a caterpillar moves.
Potentially this research could be used to design nanomachines that last long, by reducing the friction they suffer. It could also be extended up to the macroscale, to help provide a better understanding of friction on every level.
Source: MIT
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Lian Li Introduces Aluminum and Tempered Glass Dual-Compartment Chassis
Lian Li, one of the largest and most reputable manufacturers of aluminum PC cases in Taiwan, has announced the PC-O8 chassis. The main design element of the PC-08 is its dual-compartment construction, which allows enthusiasts to show off their high-end hardware through the zone that features tempered glass, while less appealing products can be stored in the zone that is comprised of aluminum. The latest chassis from Lian Li comes with integrated RBG interior lighting, which includes LED strips, a cord clip, a dimmer, and a controller. The case also features a modular hard drive cage, slide-in dust filters, tool-less installation support, versatile cable management, and ultimate connectivity thanks to the top mounted USB 3.0 ports and HD audio connections. Additionally, the PC-08 dual-compartment chassis comes with exceptional water cooling support, with the top panel within the first zone being capable of housing a 240mm radiator, and the second zone front intake being capable of housing a 360mm radiator in a push/pull configuration.
The Lian Li PC-08 aluminum and tempered glass dual-compartment chassis features an MSRP of $395, and is scheduled to be available to purchase from Microcenter at the end of this month.
Source: Press Release
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Shadow Warrior 2 is Official; Launches 2016 for PC, PS4, and XBO
Teased last night and officially unveiled today by developer Flying Wild Hog, Shadow Warrior 2 is set to continue the adventures of Lo Wang. Set five years after the end of the first game, Shadow Warrior 2 sees humans and demons living side by side in this savage new landscape. Wang has retreated to the Wildlands to escape the reach of his enemies and eke out a living as a sword for hire. However, when a mission goes wrong, Wang is back in the thick of things in a new conflict between a scientist, a cult leader, and a new drug called Shade. Swords, magic, guns, and a quick wit will all be essential for Wang to survive, and who doesn't want to slice up some enemies?
Levels and environments are procedurally generated, so no two should ever quite look the same, which is fitting given the shifting human and demon worlds. And of course, what good would a Shadow Warrior game be without a brutal combat system that lets you slice off limbs, heads, or just blow a hole right through a demon.
Shadow Warrior 2 is set to arrive next year for the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. An exact launch date is not yet known, but hopefully is announced soon.
Source: Shadow Warrior Webiste and Flying Wild Hog
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Tavern Brawl Mode Coming to Hearthstone Later This Month
Blizzard has announced that a new game mode will be added to its popular card game Hearthstone. The mode is called Tavern Brawl and it "pits friends and strangers against each another in matches with unique, and sometimes unusual, rules that will change every week." The weekly events will run from Wednesday to Sunday and can be initiated with friends or random players. Blizzard described the mode stating, "One week might feature preset decks, while another week could have you crafting a brand new Tavern Brawl deck following specific guidelines, while others might offer buffs to specific minion types." The update will be added in patch 2.7, expected sometime this month.
Source: PC Gamer
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Google Sidewalk Labs Plans to Tackle Problems of City Living
Sidewalk Labs is the latest project to come out of Google known as a "moon shot" and is "dedicated to improving life in cities and urban areas." Among the chief issues that the company hopes to address are cost of living and energy usage. Sidewalk Labs issued a statement about these issues stating, "However, while there are apps to tell people about traffic conditions, or the prices of available apartments, the biggest challenges that cities face — such as making transportation more efficient and lowering the cost of living, reducing energy usage and helping government operate more efficiently have, so far, been more difficult to address." Google CEO Larry Page described the modest investment in the company saying, "It’s an area where I hope we can really improve people’s lives, similar to Google[x] and [healthcare-focused] Calico." As with other Google side projects it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Source: Tech Crunch
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Patent Filing Reveals NVIDIA Virtual Reality Plans
A recent patent filing by NVIDIA confirms rumors from earlier this year that the company was working on a virtual reality (VR) head-mounted display (HMD). The HMD is powered by the Tegra X1 Super Chip and is visually similar to other current and upcoming VR offerings such as the Oculus Rift. The device will have three sets of cameras, two looking down, two looking front, and two looking to the sides. Three sets of cameras will "help map the real world area surrounding the player when using the device," while the bottom cameras will "track gestures with ‘sub-millimetre movement resolution’, which suggest hand-tracking as a potential form of input for the kit."
Source: VR Focus
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Magnetic Domain Properties Altered
One way to think of magnets is as a bunch of smaller magnets, which is accurate as indeed magnetic materials do consist of small, structural domains. When the magnetic fields of these domains line up, the material, as a whole, is magnetic. The boundaries of these domains can have interesting properties, which researchers at ETH Zurich have been studying and have recently made some interesting discoveries.
More specifically the researchers were investigating oxides with multiferroic properties, which means that the materials are both magnetically ordered and electrically ordered; have north and south magnetic poles, as well as positive and negative magnetic poles. By having both ordering present, this indicates it is possible for cross-coupling to occur and that electrical voltage could change magnetic state. When studying strontium manganite the researchers discovered the domain walls within it are non-conductive, even though the material itself is. This could potentially be exploited to turn the nanoscale domains into capacitors. These capacitors could then be used to store data as charge, but with only a voltage, instead of a current, making it more efficient and prevent the generation of waste heat.
When studying a different material, terbium manganite, the researchers also found that it is possible to change the magnetism of the domains, using only a voltage. It will be a long time before this discoveries could be put to use in any application though, as much more needs to be done, but it still shows what should be possible in the future.
Source: ETH Zurich
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Oculus Announces the Rift Consumer VR Headset; Arrives Q1 2016
Oculus is kicking off its E3 press conference a little early, as it is holding its event today to get a leg up on the gaming news. Oculus has officially unveiled its first consumer virtual reality headset, the Rift, and it packs two OLED screens to give us exceptional clarity and a broad field of view. The Rift's tracking system has been refined from earlier models to reduce latency a great deal, with a small external sensor replacing the webcam-like sensor for movement tracking. That sensor can be placed on your desk and shouldn't be an eyesore on it. A pair of headphones has been integrated into the Rift to provide the 360° immersion, but you can remove those in favor of your headphones if you desire. The Rift is said to be rather lightweight and is put on much like you would a hat, and good news for eyeglass wearers is that Oculus has designed it to better accomdate eyeglasses. Hopefully that means no more constant readjusting or added pressure.
Of course, traditional controllers are also supported, as the Rift can use an Xbox One controller for more familiar gaming. The Xbox One controller and wireless PC receiver will be bundled with each Rift headset, thanks to a partnership with Microsoft, and will work seamlessly with Windows 10. EVE: Valkyrie, Chronos, and Edge of Nowhere will support the Rift at launch, with more expected to be announced during E3. If you have an Xbox One in your house, well good news, because you can stream your Xbox games to the Rift for full VR gaming. Those games will be projected in a simulated living room, much like watching something in Oculus Cinema. Indie game developers are being encouraged to create games to use the Rift, with Oculus offering a $10 million prize.
The Oculust Rift will arrive in the first quarter of 2016, although an exact date and price were not announced at this time.
Source: Engadget and PC Gamer
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Mirror's Edge: Catalyst Reboots the Mirror's Edge Franchise; Due Out Early Next Year
Back during E3 2013, EA and DICE announced a new Mirror's Edge game for early 2016 that was set to carry on the story set in the first game. Well, something changed along the way, and now Mirror's Edge 2 is called Mirror's Edge: Catalyst, and instead of being a sequel, it's more of a prequel/reboot. DICE Senior Producer Sara Jansson said Mirror's Edge: Catalyst "is not a sequel, this is not Mirror's Edge 2." Instead this is a way to delve into Faith's story and background to tell us more about who she is and what propels her to becoming the heroine we know. Catalyst is set to bring in new gameplay and features to the Mirror's Edge formula, although what kind of expansions ot the free running we can see were not discussed at this time. E3 is just around the corner, so definitely look for more there.
Mirror's Edge: Catalyst is set to arrive early next year for the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. More details and information will arrive next week during E3, and maybe even word on if there will be a Mirror's Edge 2 or if Catalyst is it for the time being.
Source: IGN
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Hardware Roundup: Thursday, June 11, 2015, Edition
The week is drawing to its close, but we still have some items for you to check out before it does. There is a review of the Tesoro Lobera Spectrum mechanical keyboard, an RGB model with per-key RGB illumination and a built-in USB hub. We also have the QNAP TVS-863+ vNAS Server that uses an AMD SoC for a low-power option that doesn't seem to be a slouch in performance. If you're in the market for a new gaming laptop, perhaps the ASUS G751JT-CH71, with its Intel Core i7-4710HQ and GTX 970M, is for you. For some music on-the-go, we have the LUXA2 GroovyA Bluetooth Speaker, which can provide up to 15 hours of playtime. Finishing up for today is a new podcast covering the lastest news and reviews from the past week.
Keyboards/Mice
Tesoro Lobera Spectrum @ LanOC Reviews
Storage/Hard Drives
QNAP TVS-863+ vNAS Server @ Benchmark Reviews
Laptops/Tablets
ASUS G751JT-CH71 @ PC Perspective
Speakers/Headphones
LUXA2 GroovyA Bluetooth Speaker @ ThinkComputers
Miscellany
Podcast #353 @ PC Perspective
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First 3D Printer to Compete with Injection Molding to be Built
While many people envision a future where every home has a 3D printer to build whatever small object is needed or wanted, the technological also has uses for large-scale manufacturing. Currently though, additive manufacturing, it is not fast enough to fully compete with traditional production methods, but that may change soon. Researchers at the University of Sheffield are working on a new process that could match injection molding on speed, while bringing with it other advantages.
This new process is called high speed sintering (HSS) and works similarly to some other additive manufacturing processes. It works by fusing layers of polymer powder together, but where other methods use lasers to provide the heat this uses a special ink and infrared light. The ink absorbs the light, heating up enough to fuse the powder, but can be done much faster and at a larger scale. The machine the researchers are working on will be able to make parts a cubic meter in size, which is three times that of existing machines. The smaller the part though, the faster the process and some could take less than a second to make, which could let it compete with injection molding for scale.
Even if the speed were lower than that of injection molding, additive manufacturing like HSS has special advantages, such as the ability to make more complex and unique parts. It can also be set up anywhere very quickly, while injection molding requires special tools that have to be made in advance.
Source: University of Sheffield
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Spotify Continues to Grow Despite Upcoming Apple Music Launch
When Apple Music was introduced, Apple decided to take a few quick jabs at Spotify with the company publically noting that it would treat music like art and pay artists the rate that they deserve. Spotify has dismissed the clever attacks of Apple, with it revealing that it has paid out $3 billion to artists, and so has its user base apparently. The music streaming service has just officially announced that it now has more than 20 million paying subscribers and 75 million active users. In comparison, Spotify had just 10 million paying subscribers and more than 40 million active users in May of last year, representing substantial growth in just over a one year period.
While further growth of Spotify will depend highly on services offered and the pricing model used, since Apple Music plans to offer its music catalogue to a family of six for just $15 per month, fierce competition in the music subscription industry is certainly good for consumers.
Source: PCWorld
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Available Tags:Microsoft , Google , NVIDIA , Catalyst , Hardware , 3D , Apple ,
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