Author: kenmay

Sega Saturn’s DRM Cracked Almost 23 Years After Launch

An anonymous reader writes from a report via Gamasutra: The Sega Saturn’s DRM has finally been cracked after it hit store shelves nearly 23 years ago in November 1994. Engineer James Laird-Wah first set forth to break through the console’s copy protection in an attempt to harness its chiptune capabilities. Laird-Wah has, however, developed a way to run games and other software from a USB stick in the process. Since disc drive failure is a common fault with the game console, his method circumvents the disc drive altogether, instead reworking the Video CD Slot so it can take games stored on a USB stick and run them directly through the Saturn’s CD Block. “This is now at the point where, not only can it boot and run games, I’ve finished just recently putting in audio support, so it can play audio tracks, ” explained Laird-Wah, speaking to YouTuber debuglive. “For the time being, I possess the only Saturn in the world that’s capable of writing files to a USB stick. There’s actually, for developers of home-brew, the ability to read and write files on the USB stick that’s attached to the device. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Link:
Sega Saturn’s DRM Cracked Almost 23 Years After Launch

Posing as ransomware, Windows malware just deletes victim’s files

Scammers, via Cisco Talos Ranscam’s “ransom note”: Pay us and then we’ll make everything better. 2 more images in gallery There has been a lot of ingenuity poured into creating crypto-ransomware, the money-making malware that has become the scourge of hospitals, businesses, and home users over the past year. But none of that ingenuity applies to Ranscam, a new ransom malware reported by Cisco’s Talos Security Intelligence and Research Group. Ranscam is a purely amateur attempt to cash in on the cryptoransomware trend that demands payment for “encrypted” files that were actually just plain deleted by a batch command. “Once it executes, it, it pops up a ransom message looking like any other ransomware,” Earl Carter, security research engineer at Cisco Talos, told Ars. “But then what happens is it forces a reboot, and it just deletes all the files. It doesn’t try to encrypt anything—it just deletes them all.” Talos discovered the file on the systems of a small number of customers. In every case, the malware presented exactly the same message, including the same Bitcoin wallet address. The victim is instructed: Read 6 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Taken from:
Posing as ransomware, Windows malware just deletes victim’s files

Honda unveils first hybrid motor without heavy rare earth metals

Honda pledged to reduce its use of rare earth metals a decade ago, and the automaker took another step towards that goal this week. It unveiled its new hybrid motor that was co-developed alongside Daido Steel, another Japan-based company. The new motor doesn’t use heavy rare earth metals like dysprosium and terbium, instead relying on magnets from Daido Steel that cost 10 percent less and weigh 8 percent lighter than the previous components. In fact, the automaker is the first to develop a hybrid motor that doesn’t use the heavy metals. Honda says the new engines will reduce its reliance on the pricey rare earth metals that are primarily supplied by China. The new hybrid motors will make their debut in the compact Freed minivan this fall, a vehicle that’s already on the road in Asia. Honda also noted during the announcement that not only would cutting out the rare earth metals save money, but it would also reduce the potential for price fluctuations on the materials it uses to build the engines. The new motors don’t nix rare earth elements entirely though, as the new version still has neodymium which is found in North America, Australia and China. Source: Reuters

See original article:
Honda unveils first hybrid motor without heavy rare earth metals

Pokemon Go Added $7.5 Billion to Nintendo’s Value in Two Days 

It’s been a strange week for Pokemasters, dealing with armed robberies , dead bodies , and even accidental exercise . And nobody is happier than Nintendo, whose market value grew by $7.5 billion in two days as stock surged because everyone got hooked on Pokemon Go . Read more…

See original article:
Pokemon Go Added $7.5 Billion to Nintendo’s Value in Two Days 

Samsung’s 4TB SSD is built to replace your hard drive

It’s not hard to get a capacious solid-state drive if you’re running a server farm, but everyday users still have to be picky more often than not: either you get a roomy-but-slow spinning hard drive or give up that capacity in the name of a speedy SSD. Samsung may have finally delivered a no-compromise option, however. It’s introducing a 4TB version of the 850 Evo that, in many cases, could easily replace a reasonably large hard drive. While it’s not the absolute fastest option (the SATA drive is capped at 540MB/s sequential reads and 520MB/s writes), it beats having to resort to a secondary hard drive just to make space for your Steam game library. Of course, there’s a catch: the price. The 4TB 850 Evo will set you back a whopping $1, 500 in the US, so it’s largely reserved for pros and well-heeled enthusiasts who refuse to settle for rotating storage. Suddenly, the $700 2TB model seems like a bargain. Even if the 4TB version is priced into the stratosphere, though, it’s a good sign that SSDs are turning a corner in terms of viability. It might not be long before high-capacity SSDs are inexpensive enough that you won’t have to make any major sacrifices to put one in your PC. Source: PCWorld , Amazon

Read the article:
Samsung’s 4TB SSD is built to replace your hard drive

You Can Now Jailbreak Just About Any Kindle

Jailbreaking a Kindle comes with a variety of benefits, including installing custom screensavers and software, but most recently the availability of the jailbreak has been restricted to a small handful of firmware. Now, its seeing a much wider release. Read more…

Read More:
You Can Now Jailbreak Just About Any Kindle

Pokemon Go is Already Bigger Than Tinder

According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs , only safety and physiological comfort are more important than love in our search for self-fulfillment. Maslow was wrong. A stronger driving force than love, apparently, is the need to catch ‘em all, seeing how Pokemon Go has already been installed more times after a week than Tinder in five years. Read more…

Continue Reading:
Pokemon Go is Already Bigger Than Tinder

Five Airports Are Set to Get Automated TSA Security Screening Lanes

After anticipating extra long airport security lines this year , the Transportation Security Administration has taken steps to fix the problem. Their latest solution involves adding new screening technology to Chicago (O’Hare), Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, and Miami. They’ll also include a pilot program in Phoenix. Read more…

Read the original:
Five Airports Are Set to Get Automated TSA Security Screening Lanes

New Zealanders raise millions to buy beach and donate it to the public

Awaroa beach — which was open to all — in New Zealand’s Abel Tasman National Park was privately held by Michael Spackman (a businessman embroiled in complex financial shenanigans ) who had decided to sell it; two New Zealanders, fearing that the new owners would use it as a private beach, started a crowdfunding campaign that raised about NZ$2.3m from some 40,000 people to buy it and donate it to the country’s national parks system. (more…)

Original post:
New Zealanders raise millions to buy beach and donate it to the public

Mercedes to show its Tesla-fighting electric sedan in September

It’s no secret that Mercedes-Benz eventually wants to compete with Tesla , not just partner with it , and you won’t have to wait much longer to see how that rivalry shakes out. The company’s David McCarthy tells Motoring.com.au that you should see a concept version of Merc’s Tesla-beating electric sedan in September, or shortly before the Paris Motor Show. Its exact specs are a mystery (even McCarthy hasn’t seen it; you’re looking at the IAA Concept ), but it should sit in the Model S’ price bracket and offer similar driving range when it launches, most likely in 2018. There were previously teases that it would be “dangerously fast, ” in case there was any doubt that it would be a performance-minded ride. The automaker’s ace in the hole might not be anything design-related, however. Rather, it could be production: McCarthy notes that Tesla faces a “challenge” in making so many cars on time and within budget. That shouldn’t be a problem for an industry veteran like Mercedes, he argues. And while he’s unsure that the car is built to be a “Tesla killer, ” he admits that Elon Musk and crew will “probably have good reason” to worry about it. In that sense, Tesla may be shifting focus to the more affordable Model 3 at just the right time. Although Mercedes (or rather, Daimler) technically has low-cost electric cars like the Smart Fortwo Electric, they’re not exactly mainstream. Tesla will be targeting an audience that Mercedes has largely left untapped, so it won’t have to worry all that much if its higher-end car sales take a hit. Via: Autoblog Source: Motoring.com.au

See more here:
Mercedes to show its Tesla-fighting electric sedan in September