Geek News

After entering Chapter 11 protection last fall, Toys 'R' Us announced in the spring that it would sell off international operations and shut down in the US. Now, its top lenders -- the billions of dollars in debt it carried did more to kill the chain than millennials or Amazon ever could -- have cancelled an auction that would've sold off t he Toys 'R' Us and Babies 'R' Us names as well as some associated toy brands. Instead they're working on a plan to revive the names, which they have ownership over everywhere except Canada. Now Geoffrey LLC. will own "trademarks, ecommerce assets and data" so we'll see if it actually turns into a store or if we just end up getting targeted ads based on gifts purchased eight Christmases ago. With the holiday season approaching, many of the 33,000 workers laid off are still fighting to see an...

NGC 1898: Globular Cluster in the LMC Jewels don't shine this bright -- only stars do. And almost every spot in this glittering jewel -box of an image from the Hubble Space Telescope is a star. Now some stars are more red than our Sun , and some more blue -- but all of them are much farther away. Although it takes light about 8 minutes to reach Earth from the Sun, NGC 1898 is so far away that it takes light about 160,000 years to get here. This huge ball of stars, NGC 1898 , is called a globular cluster and resides in the central bar of the L arge Magellanic Cloud (LMC) -- a satellite galaxy of our large Milky Way Galaxy . The featured multi-colored image includes light from the infrared to the ultraviolet and was taken to help determine if the stars of NGC 1898 all formed at the same time, or at different times. There are increasing indications that most globular cluster...

Uber is ready to fulfill its promise of launching its own electric scooter service . As of October 3rd, commuters in Santa Monica can use the Uber app to reserve Jump scooters for quick jaunts across town. Like some of the competition, you unlock your two-wheeled transport by scanning a QR code on the handlebars. You can't just park them anywhere, though -- Uber is keenly aware of common scooter gripes and has designated parking zones. The prices are familiar at $1 to unlock and 15 cents per minute (they're free until October 7th). The company woudln't say where Jump scooters will be available next, although the option is rolling out in Santa Monica just weeks after Lyft . It wouldn't be shocking to see Jump scooters available in Denver and other cities where rival services are thriving and permits are available . This isn't the most original m...

Amazon's fantasy TV ambitions aren't just confined to The Lord of the Rings . The company has ordered an hour-per-episode series based on Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time novels -- yes, after years of canceled plans and legal hurdles, it's finally happening. The series promises to be a direct adaptation of the books, which center around a world where only women are known to wield magic (or rather, "channeling") and prophecies talk of a person who's the reincarnation of a powerful being. The series might e in good hands. Agents of SHIELD 's Rafe Judkins is serving as both executive producer and showrunner, and he's a self-avowed fan of Wheel of Time -- Amazon naturally hopes his passion for the books will translate well to the screen. The executive producers also include veterans from the newer Jumanji movie and Beirut . The...

It's not always easy to hook up your console or PC to a wired internet connection to make sure your online gaming endeavors are as seamless as possible -- especially if your modem is on the other side of the house. WiFi can be unreliable, but Razer may have cracked the code with what it claims is the fastest gaming-focused router on the scene. Razer designed Sila to provide minimal lag and interruptions when you're playing games or streaming media. The Razer FasTrack QoS system prioritizes traffic -- it can detect consoles automatically or determine what game you're playing on your PC, and reserve some of your bandwidth purely for gaming with the push of a button. So, while the rest of your household is busy streaming shows on Netflix, you can focus on grinding your way up the Overwatch competitive ladder or earning a Fortnite victory royale without worryin...

In an interview with Vice News that aired tonight on HBO, Apple CEO Tim Cook publicly explained some of the reasoning behind removing Alex Jones and InfoWars from the company's podcast app and App Store . According to Cook, the move wasn't politically motivated, or coordinated with any other tech companies, as he denied ever discussing the subject with them. Instead, he said: "What users want from us and what we've always provided them is a curated platform. We think the what the user wants is someone that does review these apps, someone that does review the podcasts, someone that on like Apple news, where a human is selecting the top stories. And that's what we do." He also reiterated previous comments calling for some form of regulation when it comes to privacy, saying that when the free market "doesn't produce a result that's gre...

It's been a while but we're back at the microphone - here's Episode 5 of the Naked Security podcast. via Naked Security https://ift.tt/2ICuUdS If New feed item from http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/feed/ , then send m Unsubscribe from these notifications or sign in to manage your Email Applets.

Microsoft had a slew of new Surfaces to show off during Tuesday's press event held in New York. The company debuted its quad-core Surface Pro 6 and a significantly speedier Surface Laptop 2, not to mention a pair of Cortana-connected Surface Headphones. 67 percent more power : There's not much point in coming out with a new device iteration if you can't fill it to the brim with better features. The Surface Pro 6 packs an 8th-gen Intel processor, 1G SSD and 17.3 hours of battery life, without increasing the lap-tablet's 1.7 pound mass. 85 percent faster : Oh what a difference a little more than a year makes. The Surface Laptop 2 , which is being released on October 16th alongside the Pro 6, is nearly twice as responsive as its predecessor. Plus, I'm pretty sure this is the first laptop Microsoft has ever offered in black. 38 perce...

Last year's Surface Pro was a satisfying, if unambitious entry to Microsoft's brand of hybrid laptops. With its sixth iteration the line is offering a load of refinements like a higher contrast ratio for the screen. However, in a crowded marketplace full of lightweight hybrids and convertibles, what helps the Surface Pro stand apart? We've taken leading machines from Dell, HP and even last year's MacBook Air and laid their key specs out to see exactly what each offers under the hood. Surface Pro 6 MacBook Air 13-inch (2017) Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 HP Spectre x360 Price $899 / $1,199 / $1,499 / $1,899 / $2,299 $999 / $1,199 $1,000 / $1,300 / $1,400 / $1,550 $900 and up Dimensions 11.5 x 7.9 x 0.33 inches (29.2 x 20.1 x 0.85 cm) 12.8 x 8.94 x ...

The biggest surprise during Microsoft's Surface launch event wasn't a computer -- it was a pair of headphones. The Surface Headphones are Microsoft's first entry into premium cans, but they have just about everything you'd want: They're wireless, feature noise canceling and have Cortana directly integrated. At $350, they're directly competing with Sony's (excellent) 1000XM3 , and Bose's Quiet Comfort II . But based on my quick demo, the Surface Headphones can easily hold their own. It's clear that Microsoft learned a lot from the competition. The Surface Headphones are light and incredibly comfortable, thanks to a generous amount of cushioning around the earpads and headband. There's also plenty of space for large ears (a plus for me). As soon as I placed them on my head, the noise of the media event almost disappeared -- it was ...