Category: reader

Virtuix Omni is a Step Toward True Virtual Reality Gaming (Video)

The Virtuix Omni “is an omnidirectional treadmill video game peripheral for virtual reality games currently in development by Virtuix, ” says Wikipedia. With this device and an Oculus Rift, Razer Hydra or a similar “immersive” headset, you can play games equipped to use these devices with your whole body moving in any direction you choose. If you think you saw this product on the Shark Tank TV show or a pitch for it at Kickstarter.com, you’re right. You did. The Virtuix Omni people have been pushing their product hard, everywhere they can. Tim ran into their product manager, Colton Jacobs, at the recent AppsWorld conference in London. This video is Tim’s record of their conversation. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Virtuix Omni is a Step Toward True Virtual Reality Gaming (Video)

Mark Zuckerberg Gives $990 Million To Charity

mrspoonsi writes with this excerpt from Business Insider: “This morning, Mark Zuckerberg announced plans to give 18 million Facebook shares to charity by the end of the month. Facebook is currently trading at $55 per share, so Zuckerberg’s gift is worth just under $1 billion. The money will go toward Zuckerberg’s foundation, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and The Breakthrough Prize In Life Science, a [Nobel] Prize-like award. Zuckereberg is giving his shares away as part of a secondary stock offering from Facebook. Reuters says Zuckerberg will sell 41.4 million shares, reducing his voting power in the company from 58.8% to 56.1%. Other insiders selling include board member Marc Andreessen, who will sell 1.65 million shares. Facebook is selling 27 million.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Mark Zuckerberg Gives $990 Million To Charity

After sailing the domain name seas, Pirate Bay returns to Sweden

Aurich Lawson After nearly two weeks of bouncing its domain name around the globe, The Pirate Bay has returned to its home port. The notorious BitTorrent site originally went from .se to .sx (Sint Maarten), but it didn’t stop there—in recent days, it has shifted from .ac (Ascension Island) to .pe (Peru) to .gy (Guyana). Now, as of Thursday, it’s back to the comforts of .se (Sweden). Neither The Pirate Bay blog nor its Twitter feed offered any explanation. The move to .sx originally took place back in April 2013 when a Swedish prosecutor filed a motion to seize thepiratebay.se, piratebay.se, and thepiratebay.is. The registrar, the Internet Infrastructure Foundation, has said previously that it would only do so after being served by a Swedish court. “Our actions would largely be determined by the contents of the order and the issuing party,” the agency wrote in June 2012. “Accordingly, we will assess the situation on a case-by-case basis if such an order is issued.” Read 3 remaining paragraphs | Comments        

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After sailing the domain name seas, Pirate Bay returns to Sweden

A Fully Loaded New Mac Pro Will Cost You $14,000

After no short period of waiting, the new Mac Pro has finally gone on sale today . All along it’s promised to pack punch, and it might just prove to be your ultimate work station . But absolute power will cost you. Read more…        

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A Fully Loaded New Mac Pro Will Cost You $14,000

CryptoLocker Gang Earns $30 Million In Just 100 Days

DavidGilbert99 writes “A report from Dell Secureworks earlier this week reported that up to 250, 000 systems have been infected with the pernicious ransomware known as CryptoLocker. Digging a little deeper, David Gilbert at IBTimes UK found that the average ransom being paid was $300, and than on a very conservative basis just 0.4% of people paid the ransom. What does this all add up to? $30 million for the gang controlling CryptoLocker — and this could be ‘many times bigger.'” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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CryptoLocker Gang Earns $30 Million In Just 100 Days

Netflix teases 4K streaming straight to UHD TVs, expect details at CES next month

Netflix has been talking up its ability to stream Ultra HD resolution video (demonstrated at the last CES with a local video feed, as seen above), and CPO Neil Hunt reiterated those “next year” promises to Stuff.tv . Specifically, he indicated the streamer has deals to offer 4K video via embedded players on UHD TVs from several manufacturers that will be announcing them at CES. What you won’t hear about — at least immediately — is any 4K support from set-top boxes, including the two next-generation consoles, as Netflix is apparently waiting for standards (read: DRM) and HDMI 2.0 to mature first. Gigaom spotted a few test 4K videos on Netflix early in November, however they won’t play in that resolution on current hardware either. Content-wise, early adopters can expect House of Cards season two and… probably not a lot else, but that should keep everyone busy for one Kevin Spacey-filled week or so. Filed under: Home Entertainment , HD Comments Source: Stuff.tv

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Netflix teases 4K streaming straight to UHD TVs, expect details at CES next month

The Next Generation of DSL Can Pump 1Gbps Through Copper Phone Lines

The last mile issue has plagued ISPs since the advent of the Internet. While projects like Google Fiber can deliver massive bandwidth to your door, they require the installation of an entirely new network infrastructure. Not so with the new G.fast standard. It delivers fiber optic speeds over existing telephone lines. Read more…        

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The Next Generation of DSL Can Pump 1Gbps Through Copper Phone Lines

Tesla Gets $34 Million Tax Break, Adds Capacity For 35,000 More Cars

cartechboy writes “The state of California will give Tesla Motors a $34.7 million tax break to expand the company’s production capacity for electric cars, state officials announced yesterday. Basically, Tesla won’t have to pay sales taxes on new manufacturing equipment worth up to $415 million. The added equipment will help Tesla more than double the number of Model S sedans it builds, as well as assemble more electric powertrains for other car makers. In addition to continued Model S production, Tesla plans to introduce the Model X electric crossover in late 2014, as well as a sub-$40, 000 car — tentatively called Model E — that could debut as soon as the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. It turns out California is one of the few states to tax the purchase of manufacturing equipment — but the state grants exemptions for ‘clean-tech’ companies.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Tesla Gets $34 Million Tax Break, Adds Capacity For 35,000 More Cars

Hackers Broke into the Washington Post for "a Few Days"

Looks like Jeff Bezos’s new toy, The Washington Post, is the latest victim in the hacker war on newspapers . Company officials announced Wednesday that hackers had gained access to employees’ usernames and passwords, though it’s unclear how much data the company lost. Read more…        

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Hackers Broke into the Washington Post for "a Few Days"

LG’s 105-Inch Curved OLED Is Just Bonkers

LG has just revealed its new flagship curved OLED screen—the largest one in existence—ahead of next January’s CES convention. Because why wouldn’t you you want 105 inches of curved OLED goodness? Oh right, you can’t afford it. Read more…        

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LG’s 105-Inch Curved OLED Is Just Bonkers