Newzbin2 Closes For Good

AlphaWolf_HK writes "Newzbin2, one of the most recognized index sites for usenet, has closed for good. A statement reads: 'It is with regret that we announce the closure of Newzbin2. A combination of several factors has made this the only option. For a long time we have struggled with poor indexing of Usenet, poor numbers of reports caused by the majority of our editors dropping out & no-one replacing them. Our servers have been unstable and crashing on a regular basis meaning the NZBs & NFOs are unavailable for long periods and we don't have the money to replace them. To make things worse all our payment providers dropped out or started running scared. The MPA sued Paypal and are going at our innocent payment provider Kthxbai Ltd in the UK. Our other payment provider has understandably lost their nerve. Result? We have no more payment providers to offer & no realistic means of taking money (no, Bitcoin isn't credible as it's just too hard for 90% of people).'" Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Staples to get in-store 3D printers

Some Staples stores in Belgium and the Netherlands will have MCOR color 3D printers that will print out model-files uploaded to a store website for in-person pickup. MCOR printers use plain pulp paper as build material, so the resulting models will be essentially cellulose, dye and glue, and should be easy to recycle. Staples’ Easy 3D will offer consumers, product designers, architects, healthcare professionals, educators, students and others low-cost, brilliantly coloured, photo-realistic 3D printed products from Staples stores. Customers will simply upload electronic files to the Staples Office Centre and pick up the models in their nearby Staples stores, or have them shipped to their address. Staples will produce the models with the Mcor IRIS, a 3D printer with the highest colour capability in the industry and lowest operating cost of any commercial-class 3D printer. The press release promises that this technology will be made available in other Staples stores around the world. Mcor Technologies and Staples division launch 3D printing service

Gigapixel images of Charles Babbage’s Difference Engine #2

Greg sez, "This project is using a number of computational photography techniques to document Charles Babbage's 'Difference Engine No 2' for the Computer History Museum in Mountain View. There are interactive gigapixel images for the four cardinal views of the device available to view." Babbage Difference Engine in Gigapixel ( Thanks, Greg ! )

NASA Finds Water and Organic Matter In Mercury

NASA has confirmed a surprising, counterintuitive discovery. The burning hell known Mercury—the closest planet to the Sun—has water. Frozen water. Three new research papers, based on data obtained by the Messenger spacecraft, show undeniable evidence. More »

iTunes 11 Is Finally Out: Here’s What’s New

Apple's slightly overdue update to iTunes is out. Finally. It's a sizable re-imagining of a piece of software used by a massive amount of people. So you should probably take a minute or two to acquaint yourself with the new stuff. Here's what's changed. More »

Microsoft confirms Surface with Windows 8 Pro pricing: starting at $899 for 64GB version,...

Details on the Pro variety of Microsoft's Surface tablet have been hard to come by since the company first announced it back in June , but it's filled in some big ones today. It's confirmed in a blog post that the device will start at $899 for the 64GB model, with the 128GB version setting you back $999. Both of those are what's Microsoft's dubbing the "standalone" model, which means you'll get a Surface pen/stylus, but have to shell out extra for a Touch or Type Cover (each over $100). Both will be available in January, although there's no specific date or word on pre-orders yet. As you can see, the device looks similar to the Surface RT , including the same "VaporMg" casing and built-in kickstand, and it also boasts a 10.6-inch display with a 16:9 aspect ratio. A key difference with that latter bit, though, is that the screen packs a full 1920 x 1080 resolution as opposed to the 1366 x 768 found on the RT model. You'll also get a third-gen Core i5 processor with Intel HD Graphics 4000 (no more specifics on that just yet), 4GB of RAM, a Mini DisplayPort that can output a 2560 x 1440 resolution, a full-size USB 3.0 port and, of course, Windows 8 Pro with support for all your traditional desktop applications. All that expectedly makes the tablet itself a bit heftier than its RT-based counterpart -- it's just over half-an-inch thick and weighs in at two pounds on the nose. Update: The spec list confirmed that the Surface Pro will have a 42 W-h battery, but Microsoft has now also expanded on that in a tweet , saying that the device is expected to "have approximately half the battery life of Surface with Windows RT." Based on our testing of the RT version, that should translate to just over four-and-a-half hours. Filed under: Tablets , Microsoft Comments Source: Official Microsoft Blog , Microsoft

Fully loaded new 27-inch iMac will cost over $4,200—before tax

Apple's newer, thinner iMacs are due to be released  tomorrow , with the 21-inch models showing up in stores and shipping immediately, and 27-inch models shipping some time in December. While base model pricing and configuration options have been  known  ever since the new models were announced in October, Apple has not yet officially announced the pricing of any of the add-on options like video cards and extra storage, so potential purchasers haven't yet been able to nail down their total pocketbook impact. Enlarge / Base pricing for the new iMacs. Image from store.apple.com However, earlier this week MacRumors  posted  news from an Apple reseller named  Expercom , which reportedly contains the entire set of iMac build-to-order upgrade prices. According to that list, a fully loaded 27-inch iMac will cost an eye-watering $4,249, before tax: Base price, 27-inch iMac, 3.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i5, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX video card, 1TB HDD, 8GB RAM:  $1,999 Upgrade to 3.5GHz Intel Core i7:  $200 Upgrade to NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX video card:  $150 Upgrade to 768GB SSD:  $1,300 Upgrade to 32GB of RAM:  $600 Tossing in 6 percent for a guess at sales tax (obviously, this varies by state and even city) yields a grand total of  $4,503.94  for an iMac with every single upgrade box checked. Hope you brought a second pair of underwear... preferably one stuffed with $100 bills. Read 5 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Host Web Pages on Google Drive

Google has added a new feature to Drive: You can now serve up web content from within your Google Drive folder, even ones that run JavaScript. All you need to do is upload your HTML files and assets (e.g., images) and make them public. More »

Popslate launches iPhone 5 case with four-inch E Ink screen (video)

This is pretty darn cool. It's called Popslate -- an iPhone 5 case with a four-inch E Ink screen on the back -- and it's launching right now on Indiegogo for $79 in two colors. Combined with a bespoke social imaging app, it lets you take and share pics, then "pop" them to the back of your phone. Better yet, the always-on, ultra low-power, black and white display becomes a canvas for notifications, sports scores, maps, lists and notes, all just a glance away. An open API allows third-party developers to design custom apps for Popslate -- including accelerometer support to interact with the backside screen by tapping on it. Imagine a micro e-reader app which uses the E Ink display instead of the main panel to conserve battery. The company is still in the early stages of development and sadly didn't have a prototype to show us, but it's already gathered a team of talented designers, engineers and developers. It's also secured a partnership with E Ink to use the latest in ruggedized e-paper technology and is hoping to raise enough funds to make Popslate a reality. Two colors are available at launch (black and white) with prices starting at $79 for the first 500 supporters, then $99 and up. Hit the break for the demo video and IndieGogo link. Continue reading Popslate launches iPhone 5 case with four-inch E Ink screen (video) Filed under: Cellphones , Mobile Comments

Did Syria Just Turn off The Internet? (Updated)

Lights out, rebels: it looks like the Syrian government just blacked out almost the entire country's access to the web. This is cyber warfare. More »