Web: To beat the pressure of gift-buying, we recommend you give experiences instead of objects . So how do you find these experience-based gifts, and which one is right for whom? Unstuff Gifts makes it easy by aggregating, sorting and recommending the best “non-stuff” gifts for the holidays. Read more…
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Unstuff Gifts Picks Experiences, Not Stuff, for Holiday Presents
Reuters reports that the NSA paid massive computer security firm RSA $10 million to promote a flawed encryption system so that the US spook organization could wiggle its way around security. In other words, it bribed the firm to leave the back door to computers all over the world open. Read more…
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NSA Paid Security Firm $10 Million Bribe to Keep Encryption Weak
We’ve talked a lot about Windows 8.1 ‘s new features—like the return of the Start button—but there are some features and changes that have been mostly ignored. Blogger and Microsoft Press author Ciprian Rusen shares nine lesser-known features and changes that will affect the way you use Windows 8.1. Some you’ll like…and some you won’t. Read more…
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Nine Windows 8.1 Features You Might Have Overlooked
Apple has just announced that its new Mac Pro computer , featuring that signature ‘Darth Vader’ design, will be available for sale starting tomorrow, Thursday Dec. 19 beginning at $2,999. There’s another version with better specs for $3,999, and a number of custom order options that will vary the prices upwards from there. Orders kick off tomorrow online through Apple’s official web-based store, as well as in retail stores and at authorized resellers, according to Apple’s official announcement, so conceivably we could see the first customers actually take theirs home tomorrow, though it’s much more likely that orders will kick off first with stock arriving at locations gradually over the next few days. The $2,999 configuration of the Mac Pro features a 3.7GHz quad-core Intel Xeon E5 processor, not one but two AMD FirePro D500 workstation GPUs with 2GB of dedicated RAM per unit, 12GB of system RAM and a 256 flash storage module. The $3,999 version boosts the processor to a 3.5GHz six-core version, provides 3GB of dedicated RAM to each of those workstation GPUs, 16GB of memory and 256GB of flash storage. Custom configurations allow for 8- or 12-core processors, AMD FirePro D700 GPUs with 6GB of RAM, a maximum of 64GB of system memory and up to 1TB of flash storage. Apple first revealed the new Mac Pro back in June at its annual Worldwide Developer’s Conference. The sleek black cylindrical unity is assembled in the U.S., and features a design that maximizes cooling through a jet turbine-like system that funnels air through the top opening. It features an all-black aluminum enclosure, and comes in at under 10 inches tall. It dramatically reduces its size versus the previous version, and to do that, moves the modularity outside of the case thanks to six Thunderbolt 2 ports, as well as four USB 3.0 connections on the back. It can power up to three 4k displays, too, and also features two Gigabit Ethernet jacks and an HDMI 1.4 UltraHD out. At Apple’s special event in October, we got the chance to go hands-on with the new Mac Pro , and found it to be incredibly silent while working, despite the amount of power contained under the hood. It features a number of impressive details like the back panel that automatically lights up when it detects the computer is being moved to help you see which ports are which, especially handy if you’re working in a darkened studio. IMG_0117 IMG_0116 IMG_0115 IMG_0114 IMG_0126 IMG_0125 IMG_0124 IMG_0123 IMG_0122 IMG_0121 IMG_0120 IMG_0119 IMG_0118 IMG_0079 IMG_0077 IMG_0075 IMG_0074 IMG_0073 View Slideshow Previous Next Exit The price range of this new Mac Pro means that as its name implies, it’ll likely be most sought after by working pros who’ve been clinging to their aging silver aluminum models and holding out for something more, but it’s a device that shows Apple is still invested in its longtime bedrock of creative professionals. It’s also a demonstration device in terms of showcasing Apple’s hardware engineering, and a way for Apple to highlight its efforts to bring at least part of its manufacturing and assembly chain back home to the U.S. It’s definitely a machine we’re eager to test more extensively, and we’ll report back once we do.
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Apple’s New Mac Pro Goes On Sale Dec. 19 Online And In Retail Starting At $2,999
After the successful soft landing of its carrier vessel on the surface of the moon, China’s Jade Rabbit lunar rover has begun beaming back photos of the lunar surface. From the BBC’s article, with links to video as well as several photos, comes this description: “Chang’e-3 is the third unmanned rover mission to touch down on the lunar surface, and the first to go there in more than 40 years. The last was an 840kg (1, 900lb) Soviet vehicle known as Lunokhod-2, which was kept warm by polonium-210. But the six-wheeled Chinese vehicle carries a more sophisticated payload, including ground-penetrating radar which will gather measurements of the lunar soil and crust. The 120kg (260lb) Jade Rabbit rover can reportedly climb slopes of up to 30 degrees and travel at 200m (660ft) per hour. … The rover and lander are powered by solar panels but some sources suggest they also carry radioisotope heating units (RHUs), containing plutonium-238 to keep them warm during the cold lunar night. According to Chinese space scientists, the mission is designed to test new technologies, gather scientific data and build intellectual expertise. It will also scout valuable mineral resources that could one day be mined.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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Photos Stream Back From China’s Lunar Lander
OS X: Some games have gamepad and joystick controls functional out of the box. Some don’t. For the latter, a little app called Joystick Mapper can allow you to use any compatible controller with any game—whether it supports your gamepad/joystick or not. Read more…
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Joystick Mapper Makes Your Favorite Mac Gamepad Work with Any App
Created roughly 4, 000-5, 000 years ago in China, the earliest versions of something like chopsticks were used for cooking (they’re perfect for reaching into pots full of hot water or oil) and were most likely made from twigs. While it’s difficult to nail down a firm date, it would seem it wasn’t until around 500-400 AD that they began being used as table utensils. Read more…
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How Chopsticks Were Invented
Back in May, our friend and ex-NASA JPL engineer Mark Rober , figured out a way to shoot “bullet time” videos on the cheap , with a ceiling fan, a pair of flashlights, and a GoPro. Pretty damn creative, but the rig had its limitations. So Mark set out to find a way to create a similar set-up, this time using a high-end Phantom camera. Thank goodness. Read more…
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NASA Engineers Built an Insanely Complex Bullet-Time Rig For Fun
Android: If you suspect your roommate or anyone else has been reading your private messages on your phone, then PeeperPeeper can catch them red-handed. The app creates fake shortcuts for popular messaging apps and takes a photo when someone opens them. Read more…
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PeeperPeerer Catches Who Has Been Snooping on Your Private Messages
In the future we should hope for all of our displays to be OLED; it’s thin, light, deep with color, and energy efficient to boot. It’s also incredibly expensive. That could soon change, though, thanks to a jumped-up inkjet printer. Read more…
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The OLEDs of the Future Could Be Inkjet Printed