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In August, mobile giants GLU Mobile bought Gamespy, which you may know as a gaming news site but which has mostly served lately as a multiplayer gaming hub for older titles. More »

This video, courtesy of Czech developers Warhorse ( currently working on a historical RPG ), shows some of the game's assets running as an example of "next gen" graphics. More »

If Bravo's Start-Ups: Silicon Valley makes you gag and, in turn, makes your gags want to gag , you could be in luck. HBO has bought the pilot for a very different Silicon Valley that might serve as an effective antidote to that reality TV schlock. More »

At the latest San Francisco Drone Olympics (now called DroneGames, thanks, no doubt, to awful bullying from the organized crime syndicate known as the International Olympic Committee), there were many fascinating entries, but the champion was James "substack" Halliday's Virus-Copter (github), which made wireless contact with its competitors, infected them with viruses that put them under its control, sent them off to infect the rest of the cohort, and then caused them to "run amok." Many people have written to point out that Virus-Copter shares some DNA with one of the plot elements in my novel Pirate Cinema , but I assure you the resemblance is entirely coincidental. Drones, after all, are stranger than technothrillers. Here's the $300 drone the competitors were flying. The payload virus.tar includes: node cross-compiled for the ARM chips running on the drones * felixge's ar-drone module * some iwconfig/iwlist wrappers in lib/iw.js * open wireless networks in nodes.json (gathered by the deployment computer) Report from the DroneGames (formerly Drone Olympics ;-))

Deep-brain electrical stimulation has been around for awhile -- rousing folks from comas and helping researchers find new ways to treat OCD, depression and maybe even obesity. Now doctors are testing the so-called "brain pacemakers," on Alzheimer's patients and the results are promising, but not conclusive. After a year of treatment, six patients showed higher glucose consumption in PET scans of the learning and memory areas of the brain -- a change that is associated with increased neuron activity. Glucose metabolism typically decrease as a result of the disease. Researchers are seeking more patients for the trial, and are optimistic that the technique could one day be used to stave off some of Alzheimer's debilitating symptoms. Filed under: Science , Alt Comments Source: Technology Review , Functional Neuro Modulation

While Netflix Watch Instantly movie streams are mostly useful for casual viewing, if you're interested in the actual quality of the video provided you may have noticed a few changes recently. Chronicled in a thread on AVS Forum and reported to us by several tipsters, more than a few users have noticed their streams on 1080p-capable hardware ( PlayStation 3 , WDTV Live) no longer rock the "X-High" notification (on PS3, hit select to view more information bout your streaming details) that had previously let them know they were getting the highest quality possible. We checked with Netflix, and according to the company, it's rolling out better encoding that improves picture quality despite using a lower bitrate. That means 1080p works even for people with slower connections, and increases detail on "textures, shadows, skies, and particularly faces." As a result, what was previously called "X-High HD" is now being labeled a tier lower. While it wasn't mentioned specifically, some are theorizing the move is tied into Netflix's use of eyeIO's video encoding tech , which it announced earlier this year, to shrink the size of streams. eyeIO claims it can chop bandwidth by more than half for a 720p stream, something we're sure a company that's pushing as much data as Netflix would appreciate. Still, some viewers in the thread are claiming a noticeably softer picture as a result. Check after the break for the statement from Netflix, then take some time for "research" and let us know if you're noticing any changes in picture quality lately. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Continue reading Netflix 1080p streams no longer called X-High, company credits improved encodes Filed under: Home Entertainment , HD Comments Source: AVS Forum , Tech of the Hub

If you work with electronic components on a daily basis, help run a makerspace and need to keep basic parts on hand, or just do a lot of hobby electronics projects consider using EMSecrets to get the best price on basic components like capacitors, resistors, and microcontrollers. More »

An anonymous reader writes "After having Wine to run Windows binaries on Linux, there is now the Darling Project that allows users to run unmodified Apple OS X binaries on Linux. The project builds upon GNUstep and has built the various frameworks/libraries to be binary compatible with OSX/Darwin. The project is still being worked on as part of an academic thesis but is already running basic OS X programs." Read more of this story at Slashdot.

( Video Link ) Henri Maillardet (b. 1745) was a master maker of automata. This caterpillar, which is less than three inches long and is covered with diamonds, pearls, emeralds and enamel, remains fully functional. Watch it inch across the surface of the glass just like a real caterpillar. It's an amazing piece of miniature mechanical craftsmanship. Link -via Richard Kadrey

At Salon , Joel Smith writes about studies in which researchers set up camp at retail stores to see which scents had what kinds of subliminal behavioral effects on the buying habits of shoppers. "One was a simple orange scent; the other was a more complex blend of orange, basil and green tea," Smith writes. "In 18 days of testing, they found that those who made purchases at the store while it smelled simply of orange spent about 20 percent more. And not only 20 percent more than in unscented conditions, but 20 percent more than in the presence of the more complex scent."