Virtual Desktop Makes Windows OS Oculus Rift-Capable

An anonymous reader writes Virtual Desktop is a free program that makes the Windows operating system compatible with the Oculus Rift VR headset. To the surprise of some, plugging the Oculus Rift into a computer doesn’t result in a native view of the OS, meaning that users have to put on and take off the headset as they move from one VR-specific app to the next. If you want to use typical Windows programs—like Photoshop, Firefox, or Microsoft Office—no dice! That’s where Virtual Desktop comes in, enabling the entire Windows desktop, and any application that can run on it, to be seen through the Oculus Rift. It also works as a bridge between VR-specific applications, allowing you to move from one to the next without ever taking off the headset. The latest version released today includes voice commands for launching VR games, global monitor mirroring, performance improvements, and is built against the latest Oculus Rift SDK. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Read more here:
Virtual Desktop Makes Windows OS Oculus Rift-Capable

Incredible Satellite Images Show China Building Artificial Archipelago

It seems strange that a remote patch of water would become the focus of international controversy and millions of dollars worth of infrastructure. But that’s exactly what’s happening in the South China Sea right now. Read more…

View post:
Incredible Satellite Images Show China Building Artificial Archipelago

Game of Thrones Was Pirated 7 Million Times in the Last 3 Months

Citing a study from anti-piracy service Irdeto, Hollywood Reporter claims that episodes of Game of Thrones were illegally downloaded 7 million times in a three month period this year. Pirates love dragons, obviously. Read more…

More here:
Game of Thrones Was Pirated 7 Million Times in the Last 3 Months

Bell Labs Fighting To Get More Bandwidth Out of Copper

jfruh writes You might think that DSL lost the race to cable and fibre Internet years ago, but Alcatel-Lucent’s Bell Labs is working on a host or projects to extract more and faster bandwidth out of existing technologies. The company’s G.fast technology aims to get hundreds of megabits a second over telephone lines. Other projects are aiming to boost speeds over fibre and cell networks as well. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

More:
Bell Labs Fighting To Get More Bandwidth Out of Copper

Facebook Launches Standalone Messenger App for Browsers

Facebook released a new standalone version of its Messenger app today. While the app still requires a Facebook account to use, it’s separate from the rest of Facebook to hopefully help keep you from being distracted by everything else on Facebook. Read more…

See the original post:
Facebook Launches Standalone Messenger App for Browsers

AT&T Let Scammers Steal Personal Data from at Least 280,000 Customers 

Nearly 280, 000 AT&T customers had their personal data stolen by scammers , including the last four digits of social security numbers and other identifying information. The huge breach happened when at least three AT&T employees at a Mexico-based call center sold customer data to scammers . Read more…

View the original here:
AT&T Let Scammers Steal Personal Data from at Least 280,000 Customers 

Windows 10 Successor Codenamed ‘Redstone,’ Targeting 2016 Launch

MojoKid writes: Windows 10 isn’t even out the door yet, so what better time than now to talk about its successor? Believe it or not, there’s a fair bit of information on it floating around already, including its codename: “Redstone.” Following in the footsteps of ‘Blue’ and ‘Threshold’, Redstone is an obvious tie-in to Microsoft’s purchase of Minecraft, which it snagged from Mojang last year. Redstone is an integral material in the game, used to create simple items like a map or compass as well as logic gates for building electronic devices, like a calculator or automatic doors. The really important news is that we could see Windows Redstone sometime in 2016. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Original post:
Windows 10 Successor Codenamed ‘Redstone,’ Targeting 2016 Launch

The Maker Of The Trollface Meme Is Counting His Money

You’re probably familiar with this image, the infamous “trollface” that’s circulated the Internet for years. Someone drew the original trollface, and it’s 24-year-old Carlos Ramirez. Read more…

See the original article here:
The Maker Of The Trollface Meme Is Counting His Money

A Magnetic Field Detector 1,000 Times More Efficient Than Those Before It

Measuring magnetic fields with accuracy is important, whether it’s for geological exploration or medical imaging. Now, a team from MIT has developed a new laser-based magnetic field detector that’s 1, 000 times more efficient than previous examples. Read more…

Original post:
A Magnetic Field Detector 1,000 Times More Efficient Than Those Before It