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Leaked slides show details for next-gen Intel mini-PCs, new CPUs

According to the slides, there will be three new NUC boards spread across give different boxes, all launching in the first half of 2015. FanlessTech We’re generally fans of Intel’s NUC (“Next Unit of Computing”) mini-PCs, which use Ultrabook parts to create reasonably capable desktop PCs that can fit just about anywhere. When last we heard about new Broadwell-based versions of the boxes, they were due to launch in late 2014, but delays of higher-performance Broadwell parts  has apparently pushed them back. New Intel slides from FanlessTech now show seven new NUC boxes launching in the first half of 2015. The slides also tell us what kind of boxes we can expect, though there are no big surprises here; the Broadwell NUC lineup is broadly similar to that of Haswell. There appear to be three boards: one high-end Core i5 model, one middle-end Core i3 model, and one Core i5 model with Intel’s vPro technology integrated to make it more appealing to enterprises. All appear to come in two types of enclosures, one with extra room for a 2.5-inch SATA III hard drive and one without. This makes for a total of six Broadwell NUC boxes. The revised NUC roadmap. FanlessTech All six boxes will share most of the same ports and features: two display outputs, Ethernet, four USB 3.0 ports, NFC, M.2 slots for SSDs, support for up to 16GB of RAM, and changeable lids (these may just be for customization purposes, though past rumors have suggested that some could be used as wireless charging pads). The vPro models will use two mini DisplayPorts while the standard i5 and i3 boxes will use one mini DisplayPort and one micro HDMI port, and all models appear to come with Intel’s 7265 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0 adapter soldered on—with current models, you must supply your own mini-PCI Express Wi-Fi card. Read 6 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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Leaked slides show details for next-gen Intel mini-PCs, new CPUs

China says new submarine design could reach San Francisco in 100 minutes

China claims it has found a way to create a supersonic vessel that could travel from China to San Francisco in less than two hours using new developments in supercavitation. This could be extremely useful for travel—but also for the development of underwater weapons. In fact, this is a military project. Read more…

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China says new submarine design could reach San Francisco in 100 minutes

Boy gets the first 3D-printed vertebra implant

3D-printed implants just got one of their biggest real-world tests to date. Peking University Third Hospital has successfully implanted the first 3D-printed vertebra in a 12-year-old boy with cancer in his spinal cord. The bone substitute is made from titanium powder like many orthopedic implants, but promises to be both safer and longer-lasting than conventional replacements. Since it’s designed to mimic the shape of the child’s original vertebra, it doesn’t need cement or screws to stay in place; healing should go faster, too. The construct is full of small holes that let natural bone grow inside, so it should eventually become a permanent, stable part of the spine that won’t need adjustments at some point down the road. CCTV notes that the full results of this surgery won’t be available for some time. He’ll have to wear gear that keeps his head and neck still for the next three months, and it will likely take much longer than that before we know how well the implant holds up in real-world conditions. If everything goes smoothly, though, the surgery will be proof that 3D-printed bones are useful virtually anywhere in the body — and, in some circumstances, might save your life. [Image credit: Peking University Third Hospital] Filed under: Science Comments Source: Forbes

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Boy gets the first 3D-printed vertebra implant

Looks like Whatsapp just crossed 600 million monthly active users, according to CEO and founder Jan

Looks like Whatsapp just crossed 600 million monthly active users, according to CEO and founder Jan Koum. Read more…

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Looks like Whatsapp just crossed 600 million monthly active users, according to CEO and founder Jan

Scientists Just Grew a Whole Organ Inside an Animal For the First Time

We’ve been able to grow organs in labs for some time now. But what if you could grow them directly inside a living body just by injecting a few cells? It looks like now we can, at least in a limited way. Read more…

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Scientists Just Grew a Whole Organ Inside an Animal For the First Time

LG’s first 4K OLED TV is ready to kill LCDs once and for all

LG only just brought its 55-inch 1080p OLED to a $3, 500 price that’s within the limits of mainstream credit cards, and it’s already back with something better. The curved 4K OLED TV we saw at CES is about to go on sale in Korea, and will arrive soon everywhere else, meaning well-heeled buyers don’t have to choose between Ultra HD resolution and the sweet black levels offered by this newer display technology. We don’t have an official US price for the TV yet, but HDGuru’s usually reliable retail sources say the 77-inch model (there’s also a 65-inch version in) will arrive for about $7, 000 next month. In Korea it’s priced at about 12, 000, 000 won ($11, 738), however US prices are usually much lower. LG exec Hyun-hwoi Ha isn’t mincing words either, calling the new display “the pinnacle of technological achievement” and saying the tech will overcome LCDs in sales in just a few years. Can OLED pull off what plasma couldn’t ? LG is betting it will — meanwhile Samsung seems convinced that OLED isn’t quite ready for prime time. Filed under: Displays , Home Entertainment , HD , LG Comments Source: LG Newsroom

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LG’s first 4K OLED TV is ready to kill LCDs once and for all

Hedge funds gave Mugabe $100M for genocide, got platinum mines in return

Zimbabwe’s dictator Robert Mugabe unleashed a storm of brutal, genocidal violence after losing the 2008 elections — and now we know that it was funded by western hedge-funds and banks, led by Och-Ziff Capital Management, the largest publicly traded fund, with assistance from Blackrock, GLG Partners, and Credit Suisse, who raised $100M for Mugabe’s weapons and torture-chambers in exchange for a sweetheart deal on the country’s platinum mines. Read the rest

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Hedge funds gave Mugabe $100M for genocide, got platinum mines in return

Prosecutors hit Silk Road suspect Ross Ulbricht with new drug charges

The US government claims these are Ross Ulbricht’s fraudulent identification cards. United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of NY Federal prosecutors have tacked on three new charges in the criminal case against Ross Ulbricht, the suspect that the government has identified as the mastermind of the Silk Road online drug marketplace. According to a 17-page amended indictment filed late Thursday night, the government added one count of “narcotics trafficking,” one count of “distribution of narcotics by means of the Internet,” and ” conspiracy to traffic in fraudulent identification documents .” Previously, Ulbricht had been indicted in February 2014 on four formal criminal offenses: narcotics trafficking conspiracy, continuing criminal enterprise, computer hacking conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy. Read 7 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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Prosecutors hit Silk Road suspect Ross Ulbricht with new drug charges