Microsoft’s 18-year-old ‘Hover’ game is reborn inside the browser

You remember Hover , right? If you’re one of our many, many readers born after 1995, you probably don’t. But that’s OK: we’re here to educate you, dear millennials. The game, which came installed on Windows 95 in the “Fun Stuff” folder, is making a comeback: Microsoft just came out with a web version that’s been optimized for IE11, but will work inside any current desktop browser. As ever, it’s a cross between bumper cars and Capture the Flag, with three hovercraft options, and a choice between single- and multi-player modes. What’s especially neat is that Microsoft kept all the same levels; it just brought the graphics into the WebGL era . Naturally, too, you can use either shortcuts or touch gestures. If all this sounds dandy, we suggest you hit up the source link below sometime during your lunch hour. And, not to spoil an easter-egg, but be sure to type in “bambi” when you get to the “single player” / “multi-player” page — someone at Microsoft’s got a sense of humor, we’ll say that much.%Gallery-slideshow99760% Filed under: Gaming , Internet , Microsoft Comments Source: Hover

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Microsoft’s 18-year-old ‘Hover’ game is reborn inside the browser

This Massive Cargo Ship Will Harness the Wind With Its Hull

It doesn’t matter how efficient we make their engines or how many solar panels we install on their decks, the world’s largest cargo ships—those water-bound leviathans on which international trade depends—will require massive amounts of fuel for the foreseeable future. However, this conceptual super-carrier could potentially save billions of barrels of petrol every year just by harnessing the wind. Read more…        

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This Massive Cargo Ship Will Harness the Wind With Its Hull

Ubuntu’s controversial Mir window system won’t ship with 13.10 desktop

Ubuntu 13.04. Ubuntu 13.10 (“Saucy Salamander”) is scheduled for a final release on Oct. 17, but the OS won’t include what was perhaps the biggest and most controversial change planned for the desktop environment. Canonical announced in March that it would replace the X window system with Mir, a new display server that will eventually work across phones, tablets, and desktops. It has proven controversial, with Intel rejecting Ubuntu patches because Canonical’s development of Mir meant it stopped supporting Wayland as a replacement for X. Mir will ship by default on Ubuntu Touch for phones (but not tablets) this month, allowing a crucial part of Ubuntu’s mobile plans to go forward. However, it won’t be the default system on the desktop, because XMir—an X11 compatibility layer for Mir—isn’t yet able to properly support multi-monitor setups. This is a step back from Canonical’s original plan to “Deliver Mir + XMir + Unity 7 on the [13.10] desktop for those cards that supported it, and fall back to X for those that don’t.” Read 5 remaining paragraphs | Comments        

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Ubuntu’s controversial Mir window system won’t ship with 13.10 desktop

Microsoft: “System processing” takes up 10 percent of Xbox One GPU time

Wired The Xbox One’s ability to run up to four apps in the background (or on the side via Snap mode) during gameplay and to switch from a game to those apps almost instantaneously obviously comes at some cost to the system’s maximum theoretical gaming performance. Now, thanks to an interview with Xbox technical fellow Andrew Goossen over at Digital Foundry we have some idea of the scale of that performance cost. “Xbox One has a conservative 10 percent time-sliced reservation on the GPU for system processing, ” Goossen told the site. “This is used both for the GPGPU processing for Kinect and for the rendering of concurrent system content such as snap mode.” It’s important to note that additional processing time for the next-generation Kinect sensor is included in that 10 percent number. Still, setting aside nearly a tenth of the GPU’s processing time to support background execution of non-gaming apps is a bit surprising. Read 5 remaining paragraphs | Comments        

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Microsoft: “System processing” takes up 10 percent of Xbox One GPU time

Apple acknowledges iMessage delivery issues, is working on a fix

A number of iOS 7 users have reported problems sending and receiving using iMessage (not that it’s the first time), and tonight Apple has responded. The Wall Street Journal has a statement from the company claiming the issue affects “a fraction of a percent” of its iMessage users, and says it will be fixed in a future software update. TechCrunch points out a support document that may provide temporary relief to those experiencing the issue, otherwise users may need to fall back to one of the many , many , many other messaging services out there (but not BBM , yet, and Google Hangouts had its own issue recently) to make sure those messages are getting through. Filed under: Cellphones , Software , Mobile , Apple Comments Source: Wall Street Journal

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Apple acknowledges iMessage delivery issues, is working on a fix

Windows 8 reaches 8 percent of web traffic, but Windows 7 grows quicker

Web traffic for a major new operating system typically grows at a consistently faster pace than its predecessor. That’s not true for Windows 8, however — NetApplications now estimates that Windows 7 outpaced its newer counterpart for the first time in September. While Windows 8 did grow to a symbolic 8 percent of web use last month, its ancestor grew slightly faster, hitting 46.4 percent. We wouldn’t necessarily say that Windows 8 is in trouble based on these figures, though. The rise in Windows 7 use corresponds to a drop for Windows XP (shown after the break), which suggests that corporate customers are in the midst of upgrades; they’re less likely to choose a young OS. Microsoft still faces long-term problems, but they’re more likely to stem from customers’ shift toward mobile devices and away from PCs. Filed under: Internet , Software , Apple , Microsoft Comments Via: The Next Web Source: Net Applications

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Windows 8 reaches 8 percent of web traffic, but Windows 7 grows quicker

KFC Spent Two Years Making a Take-Out Container That Fits Cupholders

In an effort to bolster its standing amongst the fast food giants, KFC is introducing what is the easily one of the greatest innovations in take-out containers since the pizza box. The fried chicken chain’s new snack-size Go Cups are specifically designed—after two years of development—to easily sit in your vehicle’s cup holders, letting you dine without having to pull over and stop. Read more…        

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KFC Spent Two Years Making a Take-Out Container That Fits Cupholders

Scribd launches subscription e-book service for Android, iOS and web

Many of us associate Scribd with embedded documents on websites, but the company has been quietly building an e-book platform — first by selling content and later by soft-launching a subscription service. The company is now making its strategy clear by formally launching the e-book service and introducing content from HarperCollins, its first major publisher. Subscribers worldwide can pay $9 per month for access to both HarperCollins’ back catalog and independent releases through apps for Android, iOS and the web. Customers can also buy any books outright, including HarperCollins’ newer titles. Like with any Scribd document (and Kindle for the Web ), customers can both share what they’re reading and embed books into websites. If you like the prospect of all-you-can-read services like Oyster but want broader platform support, you’ll want to take a close look at Scribd’s new offering. Filed under: Cellphones , Tablets , Internet Comments Source: Scribd

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Scribd launches subscription e-book service for Android, iOS and web

This Could Be the First Official iPhone Gaming Controller

This image posted by perpetual juicy rumor machine @evleaks shows an image of what could be as forthcoming iPhone gaming controller from Logitech. Given Apple’s reference designs for such a controller released at WWDC this year , the supposed leak looks pretty legit. Read more…        

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This Could Be the First Official iPhone Gaming Controller

PlayStation 3 update brings automatic downloads to all PSN users, more Vita sharing options

Sony’s next-generation console may be nearing its launch date in some parts of the world, but the Japanese company isn’t forgetting about its aging PlayStation 3 just yet. With an update that’s due to roll out in the next few hours, the PS3 will no longer limit automatic downloads to PlayStation Plus subscribers, a definite plus for non-paid PlayStation Network users. What’s more, version 4.50 also brings additional privacy settings to trophies and the ability to transfer data from the PS3 to PS Vita via a WiFi connection. It may not be the beefiest of updates, but sometimes keeping things short and sweet is just what the doctor ordered. Filed under: Gaming , Home Entertainment , HD , Sony Comments Via: Polygon Source: PlayStation Blog

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PlayStation 3 update brings automatic downloads to all PSN users, more Vita sharing options