Geek News

Science Robotic skins could have a place in space (and on stuffed animals). Potentially, any soft object could become a robot with the skin slipped around it: a piece of foam tube, a ball, or even a stuffed animal. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2MH6uAh"

You might just be looking at some of the Alexa-powered devices due to show at Amazon's rumored hardware event this month. Pocket-lint has spotted listings (since pulled) for the Echo Sub wireless subwoofer (above) and Smart Plug (below), both of which see Amazon venturing into unfamiliar territory. The Sub adds 100W of bass to an Echo or Echo Plus setup, whether it's one speaker or two -- yes, stereo pairing would also be new. It reportedly cost £75 (about $99) when it shipped on October 11th, which might be a small price to pay if your rap or trance isn't sufficiently room-shaking. The Smart Plug, meanwhile, is fairly self-explanatory: it's a wall wart that brings basic Alexa voice control to any device, no smart home hub required. You could turn off a light or power up the coffee machine without having to upgrade either of them. There's ...

Technology One stop for all the things you wish you hadn’t shopped. When it comes to product recall watch lists, there’s something for everything. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2OydHnL"

There's no question that the first human mission to Mars will be extremely dangerous . Some studies have suggested that the radiation levels would exceed the maximum career dose for a given astronaut, greatly increasing the risk of cancer and other illnesses. It might not be quite so bad as it sounds, though. Newly presented ESA ExoMars orbiter data indicates that astronauts would receive "at least" 60 percent of their maximum recommended career radiation exposure on a round trip to Mars that takes six months both ways. That's still several times what ISS crew members receive, but it's relatively gentle compared to what some had feared. Expedition members would still face a daunting challenge, of course. Even if the radiation is manageable on the ways to and from the Red Planet, there's still the matter of radiation while on the surfac...

California looks set to enact a law that aims to protect connected devices against hackers . The state senate has sent Governor Jerry Brown draft legislation that could beef up security across the vast ocean of smart gadgets. If a device requires you to sign in, manufacturers will either have to use unique preprogrammed passwords -- see ya never, username: admin/password: admin -- or make you change the credentials the first time you use it. Companies will also have to "equip the device with a reasonable security feature or features that are appropriate to the nature and function of the device." If Brown signs the bill into law, it will take effect at the beginning of 2020. But critics claim the wording is vague and doesn't go far enough in ensuring manufacturers don't include unsecure d features. "It's like dieting, where people i...

Security leaders are evolving from technicians to business executives as tech drives enterprise projects, applications, and goals. via Dark Reading: https://ift.tt/2xnFbGo If New feed item from http://www.darkreading.com/rss/all.xml , then send Unsubscribe from these notifications or sign in to manage your Email Applets.

Ring of Elysium is Now Available on Steam Early Access! Escape an astonishing disaster in Ring of Elysium, a battle royale shooter developed by Tencent Games. via Steam RSS News Feed "https://ift.tt/2QGZxCt"

With the base Destiny 2 free for PS Plus members through the month of September, Bungie is determined to sell newcomers on Forsaken -- and that means giving players a taste of what they're missing. The developer is making Forsaken 's Gambit multiplayer mode available to everyone between September 21st and September 23rd. It might be worth a look, especially if you're not usually fond of human-versus-human combat. Gambit is a hybrid mode that has two four-player teams racing to kill AI enemies as quickly as possible to fill an energy bank. When that bank tops up, you can summon a powerful Taken creature and assault the enemy team with a major advantage on your side. Moreover, you can throw a monkey wrench into your opponents' plans by sending one player to attack rivals once you've reached certain in-between milestones. You can have the thri...

Amazon now has four of its Go stores up and running -- three in Seattle and one in Chicago -- with at least one on the way in New York . And while we've heard that there are plans for San Francisco as well, that apparently is just the beginning, because the company is cons idering plans to open as many as 3,000 of its cashierless stores by 2021, Bloomberg reports. According to people familiar with the matter, the company could have 10 locations running by the end of the year and as many as 50 in 2019. One major hurdle, however, would be the cost -- Bloomberg's sources said the first Amazon Go store needed more than $1 million worth of hardware. Focusing on prepared foods rather than groceries could help boost profit margins, and some of the existing stores are already doing that. Additionally, opening multiple stores in the same metro area could help mini...

Samsung's Notebook Odyssey Z gaming laptop is now available in the US. The laptop, which features a slim design, a keyboard pushed to the lower portion of the tray and a right-side touchpad, comes in just one configuration that includes a 15.6-inch display, an Intel i7 hexa-core processor, 16GB of DDR4 RAM and 256GB SSD. "Today's games are more intense, immersive and graphic-rich than ever before, and gamers need technology built specifically for them," Alanna Cotton, general manager of mobile computing and enhancements at Samsung Electronics America, said in a statement . "The Notebook Odyssey Z was engineered to enhance the gaming experience wherever you are -- take it anywhere, play without overheating and use it for the most intense games and projects." To make sure it doesn't overheat, the laptop is built with the Z AeroFlow Coo...

Space A galactic near-miss. Our galaxy’s history was a lot more turbulent than previously thought. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2xo0mIi"

We got our first look at Teenage Engineering's next synthesizer in early 2017, and now the company is gearing up to finally ship the portable instrument/control center. The OP-Z is set to go on sale next month, but the company didn't include pricing info in its availability announcement this week. However, pro audio retailer Sweetwater has the OP-Z listed at $599 . As a refresher, the compact synth offers a 16-track sequencer that enables live composition of audio, vis uals and lights at the same time. Teenage Engineering says this is the first device with that skill set. The OP-Z also packs in 16 independent synth, sampler and control tracks alongside 160 programmable patterns and, of course, MIDI. When it comes to visuals, Unity 3D integration and support for DMX light sequencing is here to lend a hand, and you can instantly sync images taken with a phone...

Facebook has more than 300 people working on protecting elections from misinformation aimed at influencing voters. But starting next week, the company will have one more weapon in its arsenal -- a War Room. The New York Times reports that Facebook is currently converting a conference room into a final line of defense against fake news campaigns that target elections. Around 20 people, including engineers, data scientists and executives, will sit in the room and monitor dashboards that show activity on the platform and how i t's changing in real time. "We see this as probably the biggest company-wide reorientation since our shift from desktops to mobile phones," Samidh Chakrabarti, head of Facebook's elections and civic engagement team, told the New York Times . The room will house computers and TVs tuned into news channels. Chakrabarti told the ...