'Listen to Bitcoin' generates soothing sounds for every Bitcoin transaction worldwide

Bitcoin, the decentralized virtual currency now worth over $1 billion, was designed to be as open and transparent as possible. Unlike traditional currency, you can download every Bitcoin transaction that's ever taken place and, more interestingly, tap into those transactions in close to real time. Using this freely available data, University of California student Maximillian Laumeister created "Listen to Bitcoin," a website that generates soothing chimes for every transaction that takes place on the Bitcoin network.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/31/4168542/listen-to-bitcoin-in-real-time

Aereo reportedly looks to TV distributors and ISPs to expand service

The Wall Street Journal reports that web TV startup Aereo has discussed partnerships with television providers and ISPs in order to expand its service to more markets — but so far talks haven't proven successful given the company's ongoing legal difficulties. One potential partnership scenario reportedly includes AT&T, which may consider bundling data offerings with Aereo's video service. Aereo is also reportedly discussing partnerships with pay-TV providers like Dish Network, but faces challenges with these distributors; WSJ reports that satellite TV provider DirecTV considered a partnership with Aereo but dismissed a partnership after deciding the company's legal challenges were too risky. None of the distributors or ISPs involved in...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/31/4168416/aereo-talks-pay-tv-distributors-isps

Energy inefficiency brings an end to 2008's record-breaking Roadrunner supercomputer

The fastest supercomputer of 2008 is being decommissioned today after setting record-breaking speeds five years ago. The IBM-built Roadrunner was the first machine to reach the notable performance target of 1 sustained petaflops — equivalent to one million billion calculations per second. Though the machine is still one of the faster computers in the world, its power consumption is making it obsolete. The next-fastest supercomputer nearly matches Roadrunner's speeds with only about one-fifth of the energy consumption, making Roadrunner comparably too expensive to operate.

Los Alamos National Laboratory, the institution that houses Roadrunner, noted in a statement that future supercomputers will need a focus on power efficiency so that...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/31/4167806/roadrunner-record-breaking-supercomputer-decommissioned-over-energy-inefficiency

Gene Simmons producing Kiss and Hello Kitty mashup for 'My Little Pony' network

If you've always felt that children's television shows were lacking in lessons on anarchy, you're in luck: the ubiquitous Hello Kitty franchise is set to be mashed up with the aesthetics of hair metal band Kiss, reports USA Today . The show's working title is Kiss Hello Kitty, and it's being produced for The Hub — the same network that airs the surprise cult hit My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. The new show is set to be about four Hello Kitty characters living the rockstar dream and creating anarchy in each scenario they're put into, and it's just a bizarre enough pop culture mashup that the network could be looking to repeat the unlikely cross-demographic success of My Little Pony.

Kiss frontman Gene Simmons will be executive...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/31/4167634/gene-simmons-hello-kitty-tv-show-mashup-kiss-band-spinoff-the-hub

What's your favorite easter egg?

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/27/4154306/what-are-your-favorite-easter-eggs

Achievement unlocked: what UI designers could learn from videogames

Using a new TV, smartphone, or computer for the first time can be a disorienting experience for a lot of people — the modern gadget has so many functions, buttons, and options to memorize and master, novice users don't know where to begin. In an article for Fast Company , designer Philip Battin draws inspiration from videogames to pitch a novel system with an achievement / XP paradigm to help people get to grips with their electronics. Giving the example of a Samsung Smart TV, Battin proposes only giving people access to a select few functions at a time. Starting with basic volume-changing and channel-switching targets, users would gradually be introduced to the program guide, wi-fi settings, app installation, and DVR functions....

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/31/4167082/achievement-unlocked-what-ui-designers-could-learn-from-videogames

The best writing of the week, March 31

We all know the feeling. You're sleepless in the sad hours of the night or stumbling around early on a hazy weekend morning in need of something to read, and that pile of unread books just isn't cutting it. Why not take a break from the fire hose of Twitter and RSS and check out our weekly roundup of essential writing from around the web about technology, culture, media, and the future? Sure, it's one more thing you can feel guilty about sitting in your Instapaper queue, but it's better than pulling in vain on your Twitter list again.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/31/4158372/the-best-writing-of-the-week-march-31

How smell might be the next big thing in advertising

A team of Japanese researchers has been working on developing a new system, the "smelling screen," that releases scents into the air with directional accuracy. Augmenting our audio-visual experiences with odor isn't a new idea — theaters experimented with the concept several times between 1906 - 1960. Perhaps most famous of these pilots is Smell-O-Vision, which was used (without much success) in three theaters for the movie Scent of Mystery in 1960.

Later, scratch and sniff was invented as a far cheaper way to generate scents. Only one film-maker truly embraced the technology, but in recent years advertisers have been using it to promote their wares. The deluxe edition of Katy Perry's Teenage Dream smelled like cotton candy, and games...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/31/4166884/japanese-smelling-screen-might-be-the-next-big-thing-in-advertising

Cobweb-scanning software can identify spider species

Researchers have devised a software system that can analyze a spider web and find out which species spun it. It's intended to aid scientists in quickly identifying the prevalence of certain species for the purposes of biodiversity conservation. The biometric system uses a database of 150 previously existing cobweb photographs and subjects them to multiple techniques that isolate the web's shape. Since the photos weren't taken specifically for this research, the study was designed to cut through the "noise" and background information that would occur in most images.

The center of the web contains the most salient information, with the outer reaches also helping to contribute; one combination of techniques managed to identify the spider...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/30/4165924/spider-web-identification-system-recognizes-species

STAR POWER

Despite peppering the Texas Stars’ net with 43 shots, the Griffins only managed one goal in a 3-1 loss on Saturday at the Cedar Park Center.



via griffinshockey.com - News Releases http://www.griffinshockey.com/news/releases/?article_id=2451

The 'Prince of Spam' linked to the biggest DDoS attack in history

The exact identity of the attackers behind last week's record-breaking DDoS attack on Dutch anti-spam organization Spamhaus remains unclear, but one name that keeps cropping up is Sven Olaf Kamphuis. In an interview with Heavy , Kamphuis calls himself a spokesperson for Stophaus, the group of hackers that carried out the attack, and says he wants to "destroy" Spamhaus — however, he denies any direct involvement himself.

With Dutch authorities investigating Kamphuis, the New York Times has published a profile of the controversial figure variously dubbed an anti-Semite and the "Prince of Spam" — a self-proclaimed internet freedom fighter that rails against what he calls Spamhaus' censorship of the internet based on "Jew lies." In a...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/30/4166158/sven-olaf-kamphuis-of-stophaus-hackers-profiled

Past 'Doctor Who' stars David Tennant, Billie Piper to return for 50th anniversary special

The BBC plans to roll out all the stops for its Doctor Who 50th anniversary special, and it's bringing back stars David Tennant and Billie Piper to help mark the occasion. Fans of the longrunning series are well acquainted with Tennant, who portrayed the show's tenth doctor for three full seasons and various one-off specials. He passed the reins to current star Matt Smith in 2010; Smith will also take part in the 50th anniversary special set to air sometime this fall. Billie Piper took on the role of Rose Tyler, the doctor's traveling companion for two seasons following Who's 2005 reboot.

Actor John Hurt (Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy) will also be joining the ensemble when filming on the 3D special kicks off this week. The BBC is...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/30/4165404/doctor-who-david-tennant-billie-piper-to-star-50th-anniversary-special

Mule, Sammy could play vs. Chicago

DETROIT – The Red Wings could get a pair of veteran forwards back in the lineup in time for their nationally televised game against the Chicago Blackhawks in a special Easter Sunday matinee at Joe Louis Arena. Veteran forwards Johan Franzen (lo...



via Red Wings Recent Headlines http://redwings.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=662967&cmpid=rss-roose

Lidstrom offered help with big decision

DETROIT – Danny DeKeyser could think of a hundred reasons to sign with another NHL club. But ultimately, the heart won out for this spring’s undrafted free agent catch. “I definitely grew up a big Wings’ fan and to have a chance to play for you...



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DARPA wants to build low-cost robots that mimic your hand's finest movements

What started as a lofty goal is slowly moving closer to reality, as DARPA continues research on low-cost robotic hands capable of accomplishing everyday human tasks. In yet another show of progress, the agency has released a clip of a robot that can remove a car tire, though it hasn't yet mastered the art of putting it back on. Still, experts are nonetheless enthused that they've been able to mimic finer movements of a human hand. Even more important is the breakthrough budget they're working with.

As The New York Times reports, robots with a similar feature set have traditionally costed upwards of $10,000 to produce, but DARPA and its partners believe they can realistically build robotic hands for less than $3,000. The Pentagon has...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/30/4165096/darpa-low-cost-robots-mimic-hands-finest-movements

Human brain cells found to boost learning ability in mice

A recent study by researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center has revealed new properties of human brain cells known as astrocytes, using them to boost learning ability in mice. Scientists injected the cells — previously seen as relatively unimportant helpers to more central neurons — into the brains of a group of mice, then tested the animals against a control group given extra cells from their own species. After a six-month maturation period, those injected with human cells were able to learn their way around a maze significantly faster, and were also able to quickly associate a distinctive sound with an electric shock.

Published in the journal Cell Stem Cell earlier this month, the study has the potential to change...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/30/4164910/human-brain-cells-found-to-boost-learning-ability-in-mice

Defensive future is bright for Red Wings

DETROIT – To the critics and naysayers, who forecasted the demise of the Red Wings’ defense after legendary Nicklas Lidstrom retired, coach Mike Babcock has news for them. “We think we’re re-tooling it,” he said. “Kenny (Holland) tells me that ...



via Red Wings Recent Headlines http://redwings.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=662958&cmpid=rss-roose

Microsoft reportedly bringing WebGL support to Internet Explorer 11

A leaked copy of Windows Blue suggests Microsoft may finally be ready to embrace WebGL in its Internet Explorer browser. To this point — and even with the impressive (and creepy) tech demos we've seen that showcase the web API — the company has refrained from enabling WebGL in IE. In June 2011, Microsoft justified its stance by calling out a number of security concerns related to WebGL, which allows a browser to run graphically intensive applications without installing extra plugins. "Browser support for WebGL directly exposes hardware functionality to the web in a way that we consider to be overly permissive," wrote the company's Security Research & Defense team. "We believe that WebGL will likely become an ongoing source of...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/30/4165204/microsoft-bringing-webgl-support-internet-explorer-11-windows-blue

Huskins is on the move again

DETROIT – Down three defensemen before they opened the 2013 season at home, it was necessary for the Red Wings to go out and sign veteran journeyman Kent Huskins in January. Huskins was a solid alternative when the Wings’ defensive cupboard was...



via Red Wings Recent Headlines http://redwings.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=662925&cmpid=rss-roose

Total Bitcoin value passes $1 billion

The combined value of all Bitcoins in circulation surpassed $1 billion this Thursday, as the exchange rate for each individual unit of the encrypted digital currency rose above $92. The milestone comes as the total number of Bitcoins nears 11 million and represents a huge jump from the record value of $32 recorded just one month ago. At the time of writing, the currency's market capitalization has dipped back below the billion mark, but small ups and downs are not uncommon — the current rate listed on Mt. Gox, the most popular Bitcoin exchange, is still well above $90.

Bitcoin's rise has not been without problems

While meteoric, Bitcoin's rise has not been without problems — regular hacking attempts and other technical issues...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/30/4164634/total-bitcoin-value-passes-1-billion

DNA transistors could form the basis of biological computing

Scientists at Stanford University have engineered a basic form of transistor using bacterial DNA, potentially paving the way for more complex biological computing systems. In a paper published in the journal Science this week, the five researchers describe how they used special enzymes to control the flow of nucleic acids in E. coli bacteria, creating living versions of the key logic gates — AND, OR, XOR, etc. — that form the basis of computer programming languages.

Biological transistors don't follow Moore's law

"Any system that's receiving information, processing information, and then using that activity to control what happens next, you can think of as a computing system," researcher Drew Endy tells NPR. Potential uses of the...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/30/4164468/dna-transistors-biological-computing

China voices strong opposition to US cyber-espionage law

China has come out in strong opposition to a new US law that restricts government purchases of Chinese technology, saying the measure threatens to harm economic relations between the two countries. The provision, passed Thursday as part of a larger US spending bill, requires NASA, the Department of Justice, and the Commerce Department to consult with federal law enforcement before procuring Chinese IT systems. The law purportedly aims to mitigate the risk of cyber-espionage, but as Reuters reports, Chinese authorities say it could have drastic consequences.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/30/4164372/china-opposes-us-law-restricting-government-tech-imports

Tim Cook's yearbook photos show Apple CEO as 'studious' high school freshman

Today, Apple CEO Tim Cook is one of the most powerful figures in Silicon Valley. In high school, he was just another freshman with a reputation for hard work. This week, Reddit user whitbaker published a series of photos from Cook's high school yearbook, providing a rare glimpse at the exec's life as a teenager in Alabama.

The images don't reveal many details about Cook's hobbies or interests, though the floppy-haired teen appears to have been actively involved in extra-curricular activities. In one photo, he's holding a trophy he won for the "optimist oratorical contest," in another, he's standing tall among his fellow yearbook staffers. He was also named "Most Studious" in both sophomore and freshman year, as evidenced by a...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/30/4164122/tim-cook-apple-ceo-high-school-yearbook-photos

The Weekender: pyramid schemes, a Steve Jobs manga, and the science of clouds and sports fans

Welcome to The Verge: Weekender edition. Each week, we'll bring you important articles from the previous weeks' original reports, features and reviews on The Verge. Think of it as a collection of a few of our favorite pieces from the week gone by, which you may have missed, or which you might want to read again.

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  Feature

  
  

  Income At Home, Herbalife, and the $8 billion pyramid

  
  

  A DVD, a 12-page brochure, and a phone call set Barron Hansen off toward finding out the truth behind Income At Home. Turns out, it’s the multi-level marketing company — and possible pyramid scheme — Herbalife.

  
  

• 
  

  Review

  
  

  Razer Edge review

  
  

  The Razer Edge claims to be all things to all gamers — tablet, console, and PC rolled into one...

  
  

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/30/4160488/the-weekender-pyramid-schemes-a-steve-jobs-manga-and-the-science-of

NASA trailer reaches crowdfunding goal, will be shown before 'Star Trek: Into Darkness'

"We are the Explorers," an Indiegogo campaign that aims to create a 30-second trailer about the US Space Program, reached its crowdfunding goal of $33,000 this morning, just five days after launching. Created by the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) of America, the campaign was inspired by a nearly three-minute video that NASA released last year.

The clip, embedded below, gives a brief overview of NASA's history and its latest developments in spacecraft technology, but federal law prohibits the agency from purchasing advertising time to air it. That will soon change, though, now that AIA — an aerospace trade group not affiliated with NASA — has reached its goal. The organization plans to convert NASA's film into a 30-second...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/30/4164126/we-are-the-explorers-nasa-trailer-crowdfunding-goal-star-trek

The Harlem Shake and the corporate interests that fueled it

When the Harlem Shake exploded into a cultural phenomenon earlier this year, many saw it as yet another meme that spontaneously, and organically caught fire. But in a recent piece for Quartz , Kevin Ashton argues that the nonsensical dance trend was spurred not by amateurs, but by explicit corporate interests. By meticulously tracing its evolution, Ashton draws a direct connection between the Super Bowl blackout — which taught companies the value of reactive, real-time marketing — and the Harlem Shake's asymptotic rise. This pattern is certainly unique, but, as Ashton posits, who actually profits from it?

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/30/4164076/how-the-harlem-shake-was-fueled-by-corporations

Prepare for Westeros with nine-minute refresher of 'Game of Thrones'

Even some of the most ardent fans of HBO's Game of Thrones can kind it difficult to keep track of the thoroughly dense plot brought over from George R. R. Martin's series A Song of Ice and Fire. If you're looking for a bit of a refresher in preparation for this weekend's return to Westeros for season three, Slate's nine-minute recap of the series may serve you well. The plot is ungraciously stormed through in the breathlessly narrated play-by-play video, but you'll likely be glad you watched it when you sit down for the first episode of season three on Sunday night at 9PM ET. Needless to say, the video will make quick work of any surprises in the excellent series, and if you've yet to start watching Game of Thrones we wouldn't recommend...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/30/4163184/nine-minute-refresher-of-game-of-thrones

Matterform crowdfunds a simple, well-designed 3D scanner that could arrive this summer

MakerBot has been the trailblazer when it comes to bringing 3D printing to the masses, but another company may beat it to the punch before it can do the same for 3D scanners. Matterform is looking to produce a simple, low-profile 3D scanner, and it's launched an Indiegogo campaign in support of the effort. The Photon 3D scanner appears to be about the size of a simple printer when shut, and then unfolds to reveal a scanning surface when being used. A circular tray rotates the object being scanned, while a camera and lasers collected data on the object over the course of about three minutes. It can scan objects as large as 9.75-inches tall and 7.5-inches wide, and it's being offered to backers for about $392.

Matterform is also...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/30/4162524/photon-3d-printer-small-simple-indiegogo-campaign-july-launch

List of Google's 'If I Had Glass' winners reveals celebrities and focus on high follower counts

Google's "If I Had Glass" competition has always been a public affair: applications were submitted using a hashtag on Twitter and Google+, and winners offered the opportunity to be among the first to purchase Glass started receiving notifications in the form of public replies earlier this week. Stanford computer science Ph.D student Andrej Karpathy has accumulated data on winners who entered using Twitter from the publicly-available data, and it provides the opportunity for a bit of analysis into how winners were chosen.

In the wake of the competition, it became apparent that not everyone who had been selected embodied the spirit of the competition, and Google has since announced that it will rescind some of its Google Glass offers...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/30/4162862/list-of-googles-if-i-had-glass-winners-reveals-celebrities-and-high-follower-counts

GRIFFINS HIT THE BULLSEYE

Led by a pair of goals and an assist by captain Jeff Hoggan, the Griffins defeated the Houston Aeros 3-2 on Friday at the Toyota Center.



via griffinshockey.com - News Releases http://www.griffinshockey.com/news/releases/?article_id=2450

Special cut of 'Iron Man 3' for Chinese market to have extra footage

When moviegoers in US and China head to theaters on May 3rd to see the premiere of Marvel's Iron Man 3, they won’t be sitting down to watch the same movie. Marvel Studios announced that it collaborated with Chinese media and entertainment company DMG on the Chinese elements in the film, on top of distribution and marketing, reported Deadline Hollywood . So while both the US and Chinese cuts of the movie will feature footage that Marvel shot in Beijing in December, only the latter will get a special appearance from actress Fan Bingbing.

The second-largest international market for Hollywood movies

Wired points out that Iron Man 3 isn’t the only big-budget film to get tweaks for the Chinese market — in last year’s Looper, shots...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4163316/iron-man-3-gets-extra-footage-for-china

Dissecting the droning 'Inception' bass note and the modern movie trailer

You know the sound. The booming duuhhnnn from 2010’s Inception has found its way into practically every action movie trailer of the past two years, but what is its place in the broader continuum of trailer tropes? Writing for The New Yorker, Ian Crouch traces back the droning note’s origins, pinning it to musician Mike Zarin, before exploring its role in modern cinema. Crouch writes that today's popcorn movies, with their "pretensions to deep-thinking" and "geopolitical conflicts that attempt to mirror the fragmented realities of the War on Terror world" require a more sombre trailer treatment than the "slick, soulless marketing and high-frequency synthesizers" of the 80s and 90s.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4163480/inception-bass-note-and-the-modern-movie-trailer

Tumblr's extended Friday night outage caused by 'networking issues' (updated)

Tumblr has been experiencing broad outages across much of its blog network for the past two and a half hours (as of this writing). The issue is apparently due to "networking issues" that the company is "working quickly" to fix. The reasoning for the outage as well as its breadth both mirror the outage it experienced back in October, but looks bad for a company that has just surpassed 100 million blogs and 44.6 billion (with a B) individual posts.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4163234/tumblrs-extended-friday-night-outage-caused-by-networking-issues

90 Seconds on The Verge: Facebook's Android event, Oculus Rift, and HBO Go

Mission. Market. Leavenworth. Lombard. Fillmore. Folsom. Kearny. Kamille. Hyde. Harrison. Battery. Broadway. Divisadero. Dolores. Potrero. Pine.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4162856/facebook-android-event-oculus-rift-and-hbo-go-sports-90sotv

Several iOS developers targeted with iMessage denial-of-service attack

One of the nicer features of Apple's iMessage messaging platform is the fact that it can work on the desktop — but it appears that also opens it up to abuse. As The Next Web reports, several prominent iOS developers have had their iMessage accounts flooded with messages from at least one person claiming to be part of Anonymous. The "hack," such as it is, appears to simply be using Applescript to automate sending multiple messages very quickly from a desktop client. In Grant Paul's case, the attackers began sending long strings of Unicode characters, completely locking up his iMessage app.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4162852/several-ios-developers-targeted-with-imessage-denial-of-service-attack

FCC keeps cellphone RF exposure limits the same, but decides outer ears are 'extremities'

In new rules published today, the FCC has responded to guidelines published by the Government Accounting Office last year asking that it review its policies on RF testing — the core element of FCC hardware certification that helps ensure devices don't emit too much radiation and are generally safe to use. The FCC isn't changing the amount of radiation permitted by SAR testing — the procedure that measures how much radiation is actually absorbed by the human body — but it is making a key change: the outer ear is now identified as an "extremity," which means it can absorb considerably more radiation without running afoul of FCC guidelines.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4162774/fcc-keeps-cellphone-rf-exposure-limits-the-same

NASA said to request $100 million for plan to capture near-Earth asteroid

NASA is taking a plan to send an unmanned spacecraft to capture an asteroid and bring it into orbit around the Moon seriously. Aviation Week reports that NASA's budget request for fiscal 2014 will include $100 million to help fund the asteroid retrieval mission. A feasibility study looking into the project was prepared last April year by the Keck Institute for Space Studies, and it proposed that capturing a 1.1-million pound, 7-meter wide asteroid using an automated spacecraft would cost $2.6 billion.

The plan "has attracted favor" from NASA and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, according to Aviation Week, and the space agency's Bob Jacobs told Space.com this January that "NASA and the agency's Jet Propulsion...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4162508/nasa-said-to-request-100-million-for-plan-to-capture-near-earth-asteroid

Kinect-powered SimSensi can diagnose depression by tracking body movements and facial expressions

There's no doubt that enterprising hardware enthusiasts are finding uses for Microsoft's Kinect that go far beyond gaming. Take SimSensi, for example — a digital interface that asks questions to help diagnose potentially depressed individuals. SimSensi performs its initial diagnosis not by analyzing the response to the questions it asks, however — it uses webcams and the Kinect sensor to measure facial changes and body language to help adjust the questions it asks and to provide a measure of a person's state of mind. If a respondent shifts uncomfortably in his seat, looks down for an extened period of time, or gets overly animated while responding to a question, SimSensi takes note and change its line of questioning and provide...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4162380/kinect-powered-simsensi-can-diagnose-depression

PlayStation and indie games: a love story

When Sony announced the PlayStation 4 on February 20th, it was amidst the sounds of explosions and dubstep. Games like Killzone: Shadow Fall, Destiny, and Watch Dogs were on display — titles made with big teams and even bigger budgets. But amongst all of the gunfire was an example of what seems to be a shift in Sony's priorities. Braid creator Jonathan Blow took the stage to show off The Witness, an upcoming indie adventure game. "I really don't know what I'm going to do to follow all those explosions," he said. While Blow was the lone indie developer on stage during the reveal, since that time Sony has made a concerted effort to emphasize its focus on indie games. New titles from notable developers are being announced on a seemingly...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4162430/sony-playstation-indie-games-love-story

The erratic behavior of repeat cyber attackers

For two hours yesterday, the website of American Express was unavailable. The company had become the latest victim in a long series of cyber attacks on the United States, likely carried out by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Cyber Fighters, a group that may have strong ties to the Iranian government. The history of these recent attacks is detailed by The New York Times , but the report suggests that such groups' success and cyber power shouldn't be the primary cause for our concern. "We don't know how they make decisions," security expert James A. Lewis told The New York Times. "When you add erratic decision making, then you really have something to worry about."

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/policy/2013/3/29/4161686/cyber-attack-history-erratic-behavior-risk

Holland talks futures for two Wings

Ken Holland doesn't live in a cave, without access to the Internet or television, so the Red Wings general manager is aware of the talk circulating about star center Pavel Datsyuk. Some believe the 34-year old Datsyuk might want to return to Ru...



via Red Wings Recent Headlines http://redwings.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=662763&cmpid=rss-News

Wings' GM mulling moves vs. patience

The Red Wings find themselves in a tricky position as the NHL's April 3 trade deadline approaches. After dropping the last game of a previously perfect road trip on Thursday night in San Jose, the Red Wings are sixth in the Western Conference w...



via Red Wings Recent Headlines http://redwings.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=662762&cmpid=rss-News

Facebook maps out support for gay marriage as profile photo campaign takes off

Over the last week, many Facebook users have shown support for marriage equality as two high-profile cases get underway at the US Supreme Court. They've done so in a simple yet instantly noticeable way; by substituting their usual profile photo for a pink-on-red equal sign designed by the Human Rights Campaign. By now many of you have likely seen the symbol dominating your News Feed, and Facebook is chiming in with some hard numbers on just how widespread the movement has become. Facebook says that on March 26th, roughly 2.7 million more people updated their profile photo compared with the week prior — an increase of 120 percent. Matching that up with estimates on Facebook's user base in the US (somewhere between 160 million and 180M)...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4161510/facebook-marriage-equality-movement-pink-equal-sign

Scientists build robotic ant colony to find out how real ants choose directions

As anyone who's ever observed an ant farm will attest, ants tend to pick the most efficient route through their maze to a food source, even when confronted with two seemingly identical routes. Scientists weren't exactly sure how ants are able to do this, especially with limited vision and limited brainpower. So a team of researchers built a robotic ant army to find out.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4161218/robot-ant-colony-built-to-understand-swarm-intelligence

The best of GDC 2013: a preview of gaming's future

For one week each year, thousands of game developers descend on San Francisco to meet and meditate on the future of gaming. This year, new technologies like the Oculus Rift and Ouya took center stage. Here's the best of the best from GDC 2013.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4161698/GDC-2013-gaming-future

Goodreads is no Instagram: Amazon paid about $150 million

Terms of Amazon's acquisition of Goodreads haven't been disclosed, but that won't stop people from speculating. Bloomberg Businessweek put forward some very sketchy arithmetic that spun the deal into more than $1 billion. Not only is this figure absurd on its face — remember, this was a pretty shocking figure for Facebook's purchase of Instagram at the time, and eventually came down — it requires some pretty hefty leaps of logic. For instance, Pinterest and Twitter are valued at about $50 per user, and Facebook at $58, so Goodreads — a slow-growth network that's hard to monetize in a market with few deep-pocketed buyers — must be worth $55 per user, or $880 million. The author then rounds up, arguing that "any decent I-banker...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4161586/goodreads-no-instagram-amazon-paid-150-million

Mapping the arctic with Google Street View

Google has been showcasing its Trekker Street View backpack's abilities with imagery from exotic off-road locales, and one of its next unlikely displays will be from another trip into the Arctic. The company recently sent a small mapping team to Iqaluit, an Arctic city of 7,000 people located in a Canadian territory to the west of Greenland. The Guardian reports on the team's work in the town, from hiking along snow-covered trails with the 30-pound Trekker strapped to their backs, to patching holes in the existing satellite imagery, to enlisting the help of locals to plot businesses and homes without listed addresses. The team spent four days in Iqaluit, and the Street View photographs that it gathered should be online this July.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4161396/mapping-the-arctic-with-google-street-view

Redbox clings to the dying DVD, and it could pay off

In 2008, five years ago, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said that the DVD market would peak in five years. It was a sendoff for his newest venture — Netflix Watch Now, a service that streamed movies free of charge to anyone paying his company for a mail-order DVD subscription. It almost seems quaint now to think of Netflix primarily as a distributor of optical media, but that was the truth until just a few years ago. The company was born in 1998, and thrived for nearly a decade on the strength of the DVD alone.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4160508/redbox-clings-to-the-dying-dvd-and-it-could-pay-off

Oculus Rift virtual reality headset developer kits are finally shipping

It's been a long road for the Oculus Rift — the virtual reality headset's Kickstarter began back in August, and was supposed to ship by the end of the year. However, things were delayed till March of 2013, but the company just announced it has made it in under the gun: Oculus Rift developer kits started shipping out to buyers earlier this week. These shipments should cover those who backed the project on Kickstarter as well as those who have purchased the headset directly from the Oculus website. When we visited the Oculus headquarters a few weeks ago, we learned there were about 10,000 headsets ready to ship, but when we caught up with Oculus at the Game Developers Conference this week, we heard there were about 13,000 orders so far....

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4161346/oculus-rift-virtual-reality-headset-developer-kits-are-shipping

Epic shows off 'Infiltrator,' a tech demo for Unreal Engine 4 at GDC

Epic Games, the maker of highly-regarded franchises like Gears of War and Infinity Blade, is probably equally well-known for its Unreal Engine. While Unreal Engine 3 still looks great, it's starting to show its age a bit — so Epic has finally given the gaming world a look at Unreal Engine 4. According to Polygon , the company is giving a closed-doors demo of Infiltrator, the first tech demo running Unreal Engine 4 at the 2013 Game Developers Conference. Judging from the screenshots Polygon posted, it's a pretty impressive step forward, and the hardware requirements aren't even that outrageous. Epic VP Mark Rein tweeted earlier that the demo was running in real time on a "single off-the-shelf Nvidia GTX 680." While Unreal Engine 4 has...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4161210/epic-shows-off-infiltrator-a-tech-demo-for-unreal-engine-4-at-gdc

Biting the hand that feeds you: why are record labels fighting Pandora?

A few years ago, leaders from the major record companies planted the seeds from which they hoped would spring the next generation of music distributors.

Apple's iTunes, the overwhelming leader in the sector, went largely unchallenged. Megastores like Tower Records and Sam Goody had vanished long before. Apple used its position as the top music store to dominate the labels, gradually pushing them to give up DRM while limiting their ability to price music. In response, the record companies licensed unproven streaming and subscription services in the hope that some of them would find audiences. The labels dubbed these services "access models" and the surviving companies — YouTube, Rdio, Spotify, Vevo, Pandora — are now starting...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4160700/biting-the-hand-that-feeds-you-why-are-record-labels-fighting-pandora

Vine videos can now be embedded on the web

Vine just announced that as of today, videos recorded with the iPhone app can be embedded publicly on the web. When sharing a video, two visual styles can be used; "Simple" is a borderless presentation that displays your six-second (or less) clip at full resolution. There's also a framed "Postcard" style. Embeds can be created from a video's vine.co URL (example) and a just-released app update for iPhone also enables the functionality inside the "Share this post" menu.

Not every uploaded clip can be embedded, however. If a post hasn't been shared outside of Vine (i.e. to Facebook and / or Twitter), you won't see the embed option. Vine doesn't specify why this restriction is in place, but we suspect it's meant as a privacy safeguard. We...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4161088/vine-videos-can-now-be-embedded-on-web

The Verge Playlist: Canada

As the lone Verge staffer based in the Great White North, I have to put up with a lot. There are endless jokes about the weather, hockey, and maple syrup. But more than anything, I hear jokes about music: Bieber and Bublé and that band that sings "How You Remind Me." No one seems to remember the good stuff. It's like disparaging American music because of the existence of Hanson.

The rest of the world may not realize it, but there's a whole lot of great music that comes out of Canada. And because the country is so spread out, it's also very diverse. There's poppy stuff like Tegan & Sara and Lights, indie rock like City & Colour and Broken Social Scene, and even some great hip-hop courtesy artists like k-os and Buck 65. Some of...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4103532/the-verge-playlist-canada

Password denied: when will Apple get serious about security?

Last Friday, The Verge revealed the existence of a dead-simple URL-based hack that allowed anyone to reset your Apple ID password with just your email address and date of birth. Apple quickly shut down the site and closed the security hole before bringing it back online.



The conventional wisdom is that this was a run-of-the-mill software security issue. "It’s the kind of server misconfiguration you see on the internet ten times a week," one might say. "And it’s not as if your iTunes password even gets you to real money. This is why Apple added two-step verification." Or, "Apple saw the hole and shut it down before most users even knew it was there. This is how things are supposed to work."



No. It isn’t. It’s a troubling symptom...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4158594/password-denied-when-will-apple-get-serious-about-security

Facebook to reveal custom version of Android on new HTC device at upcoming event, says NYT

Rumors indicate that Facebook's upcoming event scheduled for April 4th will reveal an HTC-made phone running a version of Android customized to deeply integrate the social network's services. The New York Times reports that the main announcement at the event will be this Facebook-focused version of Android, which will replace the typical homescreen with the user's main Facebook page. Additionally, the default camera and messaging apps will be replaced by Facebook's own apps for the two services, which are already available on other Android devices.

The New York Times report, which cites a Facebook employee familiar with the company's plans, expands on rumors The Wall Street Journal published earlier this morning. It's not yet clear if...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4160886/facebook-skinned-version-of-android-rumored-for-upcoming-event

Dragonfly drone beats wings, flies backward like the real thing

Amid the growing swarm of small commercial drones being launched into the skies these days, Festo's new dragonfly-inspired BionicOpter truly stands out. Equipped with four independently adjustable, motorized wings made from carbon fiber and foil, the ultra-lightweight craft (less than a third of a pound) is capable of flying backwards, moving laterally, hovering in place, and gliding. Essentially, it seeks to combine the best features of a helicopter and a glider, and is controlled via a smartphone interface.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4160620/dragonfly-drone-festo-roboticopter-hovers-flies-backward-in-video

Scientists develop bacteria that needs caffeine to survive and reproduce

Scientists at the University of Texas and the University of Iowa have created a synthetic bacteria that grows thanks to one of humankind's favorite stimulants — caffeine. According to a report from Quartz , this bacteria can be added to any caffeinated beverage and it'll grow according to the levels of caffeine in the drink. Eventually, you'll end up with an entirely decaffeinated beverage and you can use the level of growth to determine how much caffeine was there in the first place. The scientists behind this experiment were able to use the bacteria to determine the caffeine content of Red Bull and Monster energy drinks as well as a Starbucks espresso and a Diet Coke — the results all fell within the range reported by the...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4160532/scientists-develop-bacteria-that-needs-caffeine-to-survive

COLAIACOVO ASSIGNED FOR CONDITIONING

The Red Wings on Friday assigned defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo to the Griffins for conditioning. A native of Toronto, Colaiacovo was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs with the 17th pick of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft and saw time with his hometown team before a trade to St. Louis in 2008-09. In 372 NHL games with the Maple Leafs, Blues and Red Wings, he has registered 139 points (30-109—139) and 191 penalty minutes.



via griffinshockey.com - News Releases http://www.griffinshockey.com/news/releases/?article_id=2449

What's in your bag, Aaron Souppouris?

Because I work remotely, my bag was shot 5,200 miles from my London home at a tradeshow, so a lot of my equipment didn’t make the journey. Like most of my colleagues, I own a stupid amount of tech. Unlike most of my colleagues, who make the effort to bring every single piece of technology they own to events, I prefer to travel as light as possible. Traversing a show floor with 23 pounds of junk for ten hours a day really isn’t for me.

For me, mobility and comfort is everything. If I could, I would literally carry nothing, but until someone develops a way to send my thoughts directly to the internet, that’s not really practical. As long as I have a laptop, a camera, and a phone, though, I can do everything The Verge needs me to...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4156994/whats-in-your-bag-aaron-souppouris