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Nantucket is Now Available on Steam and is 10% off!* Chase after Moby Dick, and live through the Golden Age of American whaling in this seafaring strategy game. Set sail around the world, manage your ship and crew, and live Ishmael's story, the sole survivor of the Pequod, a few years after the events narrated by Herman Melville in his masterpiece. *Offer ends January 25 at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2mPSgSJ"

Intel has released two ready-to-use RealSense depth cameras, the D415 and the D435, that can add 3D capabilities to any device or machine. They both come in a USB-powered form factor and are capable of processing depth in real time, thanks to the chipmaker's new RealSense vision processor D4. The models work indoors and outdoors in any lighting environment, so they can be used for almost any machine that needs a depth camera. Those include drones meant to soar the skies and robots with AR/VR features. Intel says the cameras' target audiences aren't just developers and manufacturers, but also makers and educators, since they're easy to use and will work as soon as you plug them in. Also, it comes with Intel's RealSense SDK 2.0, which is now a cross-platform, open source SDK. Intel RealSense VP Sagi Ben Moshe said in a statement: "Many of today's machines and devices use 2D image recognition-based computer vision, but with Intel RealSense's best-i

Our first look at the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot was tonally all over the place, mixing the earlier Angelina Jolie films' goofy action with the more serious emotional heft of the critically-acclaimed newer Tomb Raider video games. Thankfully, the second trailer leans far more of the former, giving us some propelling motivation and backstory that raises the stakes (an evil organization is planning some evil! The unhinged villain has a grudge against her family!) so we can, y'know, care about the film. If you played the 2013 Tomb Raider game (itself a reboot of the series) and follow-up Rise of the Tomb Raider , you'll recognize their influence in the new trailer. Not just the extensive bow-and-arrow action, either: While Angelina Jolie played Lara Croft as a Jane Bond-meets-Indiana Jones globetrotting adventurer, Alicia Vikander embodies a much greener but determined heroine. Also a very durable one, as she endures nature's beatdown and emerges a bold yet grimy

DICE and EA have shared much more of what Battlefield 1 's new "Apocalypse" DLC entails, and it's good news if you prefer to be a fighter ace than fight in the trenches. The expansion arrives in February, and its highlight is a new Air Assault mode where dogfights and airships rule. Appropriately, there are two air-only maps (London Calling and Razor's Edge). Think of it as you would the Starfighter Assault mode in Battlefront II -- it's about scratching the itch for players who jump into vehicles at every given opportunity. The add-on also brings a counter to those aircraft in conventional modes (the AA Rocket Gun) and a slew of new maps built around more of World War I's larger battles, such as Passchendaele, the Somme and Caporetto. Six more guns and two new aircraft also promise to add some variety. You'll need a Premium Pass to see what "Apocalypse" entails. That's a bit of a pain when some of Battlefield 1 's extras have

As dictated by Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the FCC released its annual draft 2018 Broadband Deployment Report on Wednesday. In it, the commission made a surprising concession: that no, mobile data and wired broadband are not in fact suitable replacements for one another. This admission comes only a few months after FCC chair, Ajit Pai, filed a "Notice of Inquiry" ahead of proposing that mobile be counted as a form of broadband. Doing so, opponents warned at the time, would disproportionately harm poor and rural communities. In the 2018 report, Pai's office concedes that "Mobile services are not full substitutes for fixed services -- there are salient differences between the two technologies." Beyond the obvious difference that only one of the technologies is, you know, mobile the report points out that "there are clear variations in consumer preferences and demands for fixed and mobile services." In this context, what constit

Facebook has been pushing into original television for a little while now. It launched the Watch section as a platform for TV shows last year, and has since teamed up with the creators of True Blood for a new drama called Sacred Lies . Now the company is apparently set to bring Jada Pinkett Smith, her daughter Willow and her mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris to a new talkshow that will deal with social and other timely issues. According to Deadline , the intergenerational family talk show will be executive produced by Ellen Rakieten, Miguel Melendez and Pinkett Smith herself. It appears to be a follow up to 2012 YouTube channel called Red Table Talks , which brought the three women together to talk about "love, life, fame and family." Source: Deadline via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2mOQdhD"

Space Small, but mighty. The cylinder of uranium is the size of a coffee can. But one day, its successors could power humanity's future on Mars. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2DmKcnw"

When I bought my Nintendo Switch last year, I was a little surprised at just how small the individual game cards were. With a small child at home, I’ve been extra vigilant about keeping track of them, because no one wants to spend $60 on a tiny piece of plastic that can easily vanish. The same thought occurred to Bob Clagett, who runs the YouTube channel I Like to Make Stuff . In his latest video, he shows viewers how to make their own controller that doubles as a storage box for the cards. I’ve been hooked on Clagett’s videos for a while now — ever since I came across his Shoretrooper helmet build , a project close to my heart — it’s a great series on how to build a range of extremely practical items. This new project uses a bunch of... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2DuQjp0"

Snap has just laid off 22 employees, a sign that the company is continuing to struggle with slow user growth. The staff cuts affected teams across the company, but the content team was particularly hard hit. According to The Information , Snap's content team has now consolidated operations in its Venice Beach, CA location, when it was previously headquartered in both Venice as well as New York City. While Snap has been heavily investing in original content and Snapchat shows, there's a high level uncertainty around how successful they actually are. NBC Universal claims its Stay Tuned show has over 29 million viewers The Rundown from the E! Entertainment Network makes over a $1 million in revenue from the app, but it's difficult to verify these numbers, as Snapchat doesn't disclose metrics and monthly active users. CNN , for example, has killed its Snapchat show because "there wasn't a clear enough path to make money." Snap has been struggling in ot

Facebook is adding the ability for users to upload images and videos via desktop, reports TechCrunch . Soon, users will be able to select an upload button for photos and videos similar to the way they would for news feeds, or add a video to their story from a webcam. We’ve reached out to Facebook to clarify whether this is a test feature, and if not, when it would be rolling out to all users. The move comes after Facebook has struggled to get users to adopt Stories as well as they have on Instagram. When Stories launched last March , Facebook users saw a number of interface changes to promote it — from ghost versions of their friends who weren’t uploading Facebook stories to Facebook adding a dedicated stories viewing tab on both mobile... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2BbDieN"

In the year 2018, nobody expected human society would need an intervention to stop people from eating (drinking?) laundry detergent. And yet, actual thinking people are recording themselves consuming Tide Pods, which inspires others to follow suit on camera, begetting an endless cycle of Darwinian consequences. According to CNN , YouTube and Facebook have committed to taking down this content, proving so many critics of the internet right. Normally, it's only small infants who mistake the detergent-filled pods for candy or whatever and chow down on the brightly-colored cleaning bombs. But thanks to the #TidePodChallenge, a colossal flow of idiots have willingly ingested these toxic unedibles because someone on the internet passively dared everyone to do it. Now it's a public health issue that might become an actual crisis, because apparently an unaddressed opioid epidemic isn't catastrophic enough. It's gotten so bad that in the first 15 days of 2018, the Americ

Technology Existing tech is a total wash. No one likes doing laundry. But no one's figured out how to do away with it altogether. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2rnpQ8d"

Everyone from Elon Musk to Donald Trump wants to send a manned mission to Mars in the not too distant future, but there are quite a few problems that need to be solved before we can achieve that goal. A major one is the issue of energy. Long-term stays on Mars, or anywhere else for that matter, will require lots of energy, as will the trip back to Earth. However, loading a rocket up with all of the necessary fuel won't work -- we would need too much. So a way to create fuel on the go is a must and researchers at NASA, Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Department of Energy announced today that they've conducted successful tests of a system that can do just that. Kilopower is a small nuclear reactor that can generate a reliable power supply. Versions range from 1 kilowatt -- enough to power a basic toaster -- to ten kilowatts and Kilopower project researchers said in a Space.com article that around four or five of the latter would be needed to power a habitat on Mars

Snap has laid off two dozen employees today, largely from the company’s content division, according to a report from Cheddar . That group focused on working with publishing partners like BuzzFeed to produce original content for the Discover section of the app. The news comes after Snap’s redesign of Snapchat last fall , which was meant to deemphasize the brand-filled Discover section of the app in favor of putting the spotlight back on communication with friends. (Facebook also recently expressed a similar point of view, announcing that it would prioritize more posts from friends on the News Feed to boost “meaningful interactions.” ) Snapchat’s redesign is still rolling out slowly across the world, with Snap not offering any estimates of... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2FUG1Nw"

This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter , reviews for the real world. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read their continuously updated list of deals here . Yi 4K Action Camera + Waterproof Case Street Price: $200; Deal Price: $153 Clip the on-page coupon to get 10% off our budget action cam, the Yi 4K Action Camera (in Night Black) with an included waterproof case, dropping the price of this bundle from $170 to $153. While we saw this action camera lower during Black Friday/Cyber Monday, this is still a great price for it. The street price of this action camera and case has been around $200, but we've seen a number of recent discounts on both the cam and cam/case bundle. Right now, with the applied coupon, it's actually less expensive to buy this bundle than it is to buy the camera alone. Shipping is free with Amazon Prime. The Yi 4K Action Camera is the

Italy’s antitrust organization has launched two separate investigations against Apple and Samsung over accusations of planned obsolescence. The Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato, or AGCM, is trying to determine whether the two popular smartphone manufacturers are using software updates to slow down devices in order to influence customers to upgrade their phones. According to the group, Apple and Samsung may not offer enough information to customers as to the effects of software updates, and don’t offer details as to how installing them may slow down devices, which it says could violate several articles of Italy’s consumer protection code. There’s no mention made to Apple’s recent admission that iOS software is... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2Djh8Jo"

Virtual reality is still a relatively new format, and as such there's a huge need for compelling content to drive adoption. As such, Oculus today is announcing its new developer-focused program called Start. Oculus Start a free program that's meant to make it easier and more cost-efficient to get VR apps built and distributed to customers. For starters, the company is highlight three different facets of Start: access, support and savings. Perhaps the most important aspects of the program is "access," which providers registered developers development kits for "new and existing hardware," as well as early beta access to new tools and services. Specifically, developers can request a Rift or Oculus Go when they apply, and they'll be able to pick the wireless Santa Cruz kit when it is ready to go. Oculus did a survey of its developers and found that 50 percent are self-funded, so any access to hardware development kits for those will certainly be appreci

For the better part of the last decade, we’ve been told that virtual reality, and to a lesser extent augmented reality, will transform how we communicate, use computers, and play games and enjoy other forms of interactive entertainment. In 2018, it feels like the situation has reversed: AR is the more promising technology on the horizon. As a result, we’re starting to see the industry shift its resources and the built-in momentum of a hyped-up new product category toward heads-up displays. In combination, computer vision, which seeks to give software the ability to see and understand our surroundings using cameras, sensors, and artificial intelligence, AR feels poised to take off. “My own view is that augmented reality is the larger of... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2ETSjnO"

The disastrous false alarm issued by Hawaii over the weekend has raised concerns about what safeguards the state had in place. The state-wide alert, which told people a ballistic missile was about to hit, terrified residents and visitors, as the state scrambled for 38 minutes to issue a correction. Officials soon released a timeline of events, saying the state’s software contained a menu option that allowed a live alert to be sent in place of a test, a problem that several people quickly categorized as a design failure. The state released an image that showed a list with options for test and live alerts next to each other. Officials later said the image did not accurately portray the system, and released what it characterized as a... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2mTcI5W"

The Electronic Frontier Foundation and mobile security company Lookout released a report today detailing a major hacking campaign -- dubbed Dark Caracal -- that's believed to have originated from Lebanon's General Directorate of General Security (GDGS), one of the country's intelligence agencies. The companies found information gathered from thousands of victims from over 20 countries through espionage efforts extending back to 2012. Targets included military personnel, journalists, activists, financial institutions and manufacturing companies and some of the stolen data included documents, call records, texts, contact information and photos. Michael Flossman, a Lookout security researcher, told the Associated Press , "It was everything. Literally everything." The hackers used malicious apps that resembled legitimate communication platforms like Signal and WhatsApp to steal the trove of data, loading up the fake versions with malware that allowed them to tap

Technology Crypto currency prices change too fast for real blogging. Here's a template to get that crypto content out quickly. Follow this easy format for all your crypto currency blogging needs. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2DrFy6P"

Google may have taught an AI how to doodle , but drawing something more complex is tough for a computer. Imagine asking a computer to draw a "yellow bird with black wings and a short beak;" it sounds a little tricky. Researchers at Microsoft, though, have been developing an AI-based technology to do just that. It generates images from text descriptions with a surprising amount of accuracy, according to the most recent paper posted by the team. The system doesn't find an existing image based on your input, but creates real drawing. "If you go to Bing and you search for a bird, you get a bird picture. But here, the pictures are created by the computer, pixel by pixel, from scratch," said principal researcher Xiaodong He in a statement. "These birds may not exist in the real world — they are just an aspect of our computer's imagination of birds." While the current form of this drawing technology isn't perfect, it's not hard to imagine a

Last year, Oculus shut down its award-winning Story Studio , which was dedicated to creating bold new cinematic VR experiences. Rather than drifting apart, though, members of the team stuck together, and today they're announcing their new outfit, Fable Studio . It'll be making its debut at the Sundance Film Festival tomorrow with a VR adaptation of Neil Gaiman's The Wolves in the Walls. The studio has four additional projects in the works, but even more importantly, it's hoping to do something new with cinematic VR: Break even. Fable Studio plans to charge people $1 for every 10 minutes of its content. The company sees it as being a bit more fairly priced than existing VR experiences, which can range from $3 to $15 for relatively short experiences. (Call it the early adopter tax.) There are also a slew of free VR content on the market, but that's not sustainable in the long term. Edward Saatchi, Fable's co-creator and a former co-founder of Oculus Story Stud

Honda is offering a simple augmented reality demo at the Detroit Auto Show using Microsoft’s HoloLens. It involves strapping on one of the headsets, walking around, and getting into the car, which takes between five to 10 minutes total. And it’s probably the most useful augmented reality demo I’ve had yet. The demo is really just a fancy new way to show off the specs and features of one of Honda’s new cars. HoloLens isn’t exactly comfortable. I also didn’t have my contacts in, which meant I had to squint through the entire experience. But I was taken aback by how accurately the headset placed the floating AR elements in and around the car. Even when I got into the car, the headset made it look like there were colorful lines and arrows... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2DnUFz5"

Until now, Comcast's Xfinity Mobile service has meant buying one of its locked devices. But what if you already have a phone and want to switch? You now have that choice... if you're firmly in Apple's camp. Xfinity Mobile has enabled an in-store Bring Your Own Device option, but only for "select" unlocked iPhone models. Other manufacturers' phones will have to wait until later in 2018. You can receive a gift card if you trade in a phone that doesn't qualify, although that means settling for a locked handset (and likely getting less than your handset is worth). There probably won't be a surge of people signing up -- historically, Americans have tended to buy locked phones on contract. However, this could certainly help if Xfinity Mobile's bundled discounts and by-the-gig rates make sense for you. It could also help fuel the service's reported success by making it easier for people to switch from rival networks. Xfinity is unlikely to toppl