Just a year after launching its $50-per-month plan, Adobe has made its Creative Cloud the only way to get the new versions of its full software suite. Customers “overwhelmingly” prefer it. [Read more]
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Adobe kills Creative Suite, goes subscription-only
Australia’s biggest casino was taken for $33 million , when its own security cameras were used against it by a high-roller who managed to hijack the surveillance systems. More »
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High Roller Takes Casino For $33 Million With Security Camera Hijack
mrquagmire sends this quote from a Reuters report: “Tax refunds for about 600,000 taxpayers claiming an education credit will be delayed, the Internal Revenue Service said on Wednesday, citing a software glitch at some tax-preparation companies, including industry leader H&R Block Inc. Refunds may be delayed four to six weeks from mid-February, likely not showing up until late March, the IRS said. … On Tuesday, a Wal-Mart Stores Inc executive said shoppers had cashed about $2.7 billion in tax refund checks at its U.S. stores so far this year. At this point last year, that amount was about $4 billion. The IRS delayed the start of the tax filing season by eight days, to January 30, due to the enactment of tax law changes made to resolve the “fiscal cliff.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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H&R Block Software Glitch To Delay 600,000 U.S. Tax Refunds
Today Blizzard launched its first expansion to StarCraft 2, titled Heart of the Swarm. When initially developing StarCraft 2, Blizzard made the decision to split the game into three parts, each with a campaign as long as the original StarCraft. The initial release in 2010, Wings of Liberty, centered on the story of the Terrans. The newly-released Heart of the Swarm is focused on the Zerg. The final release, Legacy of the Void, will dedicate its campaign to the Protoss (and does not have a projected release timeframe yet). In addition to the new campaign, new units have been introduced for multiplayer and new maps have been added, which ought to shake things up in the competitive landscape. Blizzard has also made long-awaited improvements to the social system, including support for groups and clans. Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm Released
More than 60 percent of app downloads from iTunes U come from outside the United States, and the educational content can be accessed in 155 countries. [Read more]
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iTunes U hits 1 billion downloads
Qedward writes “Internet access is as crucial to everyday life as having a phone connection and the loss of connectivity is deserving of financial compensation, the German Federal Court of Justice has ruled. Because having an internet connection is so significant for a large part of the German population, a customer whose service provider failed to provide connectivity between December 2008 and February 2009 is entitled to compensation, the court ruled today. ‘It is the first time the court ruled that an internet connection is as important a commodity as having a phone,’ said court spokeswoman Dietlind Weinland. The court, however, denied the plaintiff’s request of €50 a day for his fax machine not working.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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German Federal Court Rules That Internet Connection Is Crucial To Everyday Life
New submitter mallyn points out that the state of New York has become the first state to pass a new gun control law since the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary last month. “Called the New York Safe Act, the law includes a tougher assault weapons ban that broadens the definition of what constitutes an assault weapon, and limits the capacity of magazines to seven bullets, down from 10. The law also requires background checks of ammunition and gun buyers, even in private sales, imposes tougher penalties for illegal gun use, a one-state check on all firearms purchases, and programs to cut gun violence in high-crime neighborhoods. … New York’s law also aims to keep guns out of the hands of those will mental illness. The law gives judges the power to require those who pose a threat to themselves or others get outpatient care. The law also requires that when a mental health professional determines a gun owner is likely to do harm, the risk must be reported and the gun removed by law enforcement.” Meanwhile, the Obama Administration is expected to propose a new federal assault weapons ban later today. Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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New York Passes Landmark Gun Law
No offense to James Earl Jones, but I can’t imagine how anybody could watch the above video of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s little known tryout in the role of Darth Vader, and not see he makes the superior Sith Lord. I mean, it’s not even close. Come on, George. You know you have one more Special Edition left in you before you go. Tell you what — you include this vocal track, and I’ll forgive you for inserting Jar Jar into all the Dagobah scenes, or whatever other nonsense you had planned before we fanboys drove you screaming into retirement. More »
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Arnold Schwarzenegger: Great Darth Vader or the Greatest Darth Vader?
If you don’t recognize it, that’s Daft Punk’s Around the World playing off a plastic LP created with a high-resolution 3D printer . It sounds awful, even worse than AM radio ever did, but that’s not what’s really important here. The fact that it exists at all is what’s neat, and it’s another example of how we’re just barely beginning to wrap our heads around the potential of 3D printers. More »
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Yep, 3D Printed Records Sound Awful, But They’re Still Pretty Awesome
xclr8r writes “A technique to use fiber optics to adjust microscopic particles has been developed. ‘Rather than an actual physical device that wraps around a cell or other microscopic particle to apply rotational force, the spanner (the British term for a wrench) is created when two laser beams — emitted by a pair of optical fibers — strike opposite sides of the microscopic object, trapping and holding it in place. By slightly offsetting the fibers, the beams can impart a small twisting force, causing the object to rotate in place. It is possible to create rotation along any axis and in any direction, depending on the positioning of the fibers.’ Applications of this technology can be used in a number of ways, including cancer research. This technology could be used to actually manipulate DNA. Associate Professor of Physics Samarendra Mohanty states that macroscale applications are a possibility, including ‘direct conversion of solar energy to mechanical energy,’ or possibly using it to ‘simulate an environment in which photons radiated from the sun could propel the reflective motors in solar sails, a promising future technology for deep-space travel.'” Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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Fiber Optic Spanner (Wrench) Developed