Geek News

While PC gamers enjoy many benefits over using a console, the latest Steam stats released by Valve show there's a shared appreciation for one thing: console gamepads. According to Valve, since 2015 when it released an update allowing players to map gamepad inputs to any combination a game understands, over 30 million of its players have registered a controller, and about half of them have registered more than one. Xbox 360 and Xbox One pads combine to represent over 40 million of the controllers used, compared to about 16 million between the PS3 and PS4 , which have trailed in the amount of built-in support. The big surprise in the stats is apparently Nintendo's Switch Pro, which has risen steadily to the 7th-most used spot despite only unlocking full support in May. Even the Steam Controller gets a mention -- despite only selling 1.3 million of them, Va...

The Suns Spectrum with its Missing Colors It is still not known why the Sun's light is missing some colors. Here are all the visible colors of the Sun , produced by passing the Sun's light through a prism -like device. The spectrum was created at the McMath-Pierce Solar Observatory and shows, first off, that although our white -appearing Sun emits light of nearly every color , it does indeed appear brightest in yellow-green light. The dark patches in the above spectrum arise from gas at or above the Sun's surface absorbing sunlight emitted below. Since different types of gas absorb different colors of light , it is possible to determine what gasses compose the Sun. Helium , for example, was first discovered in 1870 on a solar spectrum and only later found here on Earth . Today, the majority of spectral absorption lines have been identified - but not all . September...

Instagram's web version is still nowhere near as robust as its app, but the platform has slowly been adding more and more features to it these past few years. Now, it looks like Instagram has finally given it the power of notifications. Next time you visit the platform on a Chrome browser whether on mobile or on desktop, you'll see a message asking if you'd like to switch on notifications for new followers, likes and comments. According to Android Police , the option is now also available for Instagram Lite , the lightweight vers ion of the app for phones with small RAM and storage, as well as for places with slow or intermittent internet connection. This will give more people, especially in developing nations where low-end smartphones are very common, the chance to enjoy an Instagram that's almost as good as its main app. (And even if you alread...

Over the weekend professor and cryptographer Matthew Green noticed that in Chrome 69, signing into Google websites while using Chrome caused the browser to show him as signed in there as well. Concerned about the implications of tracking behavior across a browser session even though he had intentionally not signed into Chrome, he wrote about it. Google Chrome manager Adrienne Porter Felt explained that the change happened to remind users of who is signed in, and that it did not sync activity to the server under the Google profile unless additional steps were taken. Now, in response to the feedback, Google has announced that in Chrome 70 , users will be able to "turn off linking web-based sign-in with browser-based sign-in." As Google Security Princess Parisa Tabriz writes, it will still default to on, but you can opt out of it and have an assurance that...

Printers haven't really kept up with the times. Sure, you can print from your phone , but the devices aren't built for an always-connected world -- and let's be honest, more than a few of them are eyesores that can feel like '90s throwbacks. HP believes it can do better. Its newly unveiled Tango lets you print from wherever you are, and takes smart speaker commands from Alexa, Cortana and Google Assistant. If you'd like to print your calendar, you don't have to fire up an app or walk across the room. An Instant Ink service can automatically order new ink when you run low, too, potentially sparing you an unexpected trip to the office supply store. Moreover, this is a printer that you might be comfortable putting on display. Tango isn't a stunner by itself, but you can add book-like linen and cork covers that help it fit into your hom...

Lucid Motors' first electric car won't roll out of the factory until 2020, but you'll at least know where to charge it when it does arrive. The company has signed a preliminary deal that will give Lucid Air drivers access to VW's Electrify America charging network through a cross-country charging plan. You won't win any prizes for guessing the reason why: it's all about the scale and performance of the network. Electrify America is promising more than 2,000 chargers with power levels up to 350kW. The chances are good are that you'll have access to numerous quick-charge stations in your state. The exact terms aren't clear, although we wouldn't count on it being free. This won't make Tesla sweat when it has over 10,000 Superchargers (albeit worldwide, not just in the US). Nonetheless, it's an important deal. Lucid ...

Yes, the rumors were true. Microsoft has confirmed that it's weeks away from adding mouse and keyboard support to the Xbox One (initially for Insiders), and it's enlisting some help from none other than Razer. The gaming-oriented brand will provide the "best possible" experience for input on the console, Microsoft said. There aren't many details as to what that entails (a November 10th Inside Xbox episode will share more), but an earlier Windows Central leak hinted at Chroma RGB lighting compatibility an d touted the Turret lapboard as a solution for living room gaming. Warframe will be one of the first games to use the feature. You won't need Razer gear, of course. "Most" USB and wireless peripherals will work with the Xbox One. Also, this doesn't mean you can expect it in every game, or that developers will pro...

Science But proving the Riemann Hypothesis isn't that simple. Many mathematicians are wary of Atiyah’s proof for the infamous Riemann hypothesis—for multiple reasons. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2ORwtXJ"

Facebook has announced a new initiative that aims to teach coding skills to more school kids. Targeting primarily underrepresented student groups — such as Black, Latino/Hispanic, Native American and female demographics — CodeFWD will allow teachers to apply for a free set of 15 Sphero Bolt robots upon completion of a series of curricula. Designed for English and Spanish speakers, CodeFWD is a three-step online program for 4th through 8th-grade students that doesn't require prior knowledge from them or their teachers. The first module, "I do," prepares educators to introduce programming to their classrooms. The second one, "We do," is for the teachers and students to learn together. During the final step, "You do," the teacher's role is to support kids while they're practising the newly acquired skills. After all three step...

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has laid out the Trump administration's approach to bolstering data privacy. The agency is seeking to strike a balance between increased consumer protection and affording companies room to innovate with its proposals, which could lead to a US version of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (better known as GDPR ). There are seven broad proposals that the administration is referring to as "the desired outcomes of organizational practices," and it is taking that approach for the time being "rather than dictating what those practices should be." These "desired outcomes" are in their early stages, and there's no guarantee any formal rules will follow as a result -- though they could act as a framework for future federal legislation. Among the suggestions are ...