Technology

Radiation spikes to deadly levels at contaminated Fukushima tank

Radiation levels near a contaminated storage tank at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant could kill a human within four hours of exposure, according to new readings taken this weekend. Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) says it recorded the lethal levels — the highest of which reached 1,800 millisieverts per hour — in four new locations Saturday. It's a sobering reminder of the difficulties TEPCO has faced trying to rectify the ongoing crisis more than two years after the worst nuclear incident since Chernobyl. Readings taken from the same area on August 22nd showed much lower radiation of 100 millisieverts. However, TEPCO says this weekend's tests were the first to use new instrumentation capable of higher readings,...

via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/1/4683440/radiation-spikes-to-deadly-levels-at-fukushima

'Mega Man' creator takes to Kickstarter to fund spiritual successor

Keiji Inafune has taken to Kickstarter to fund his next project, a side-scrolling action game called Mighty No. 9. Inafune is best known for his work on the Mega Man franchise, and his latest effort has quite a bit in common with the Blue Bomber. Not only does the game star a similar-looking young robot, but as you defeat enemies you'll be able to use their powers to take down bosses — one of the staple features of the Mega Man series. Mighty No. 9 does feature at least a few new ideas, though, including a mechanic that lets the game's robotic hero transform into different shapes, like a tank or grappling hook.

via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/1/4682532/mega-man-creator-takes-to-kickstarter-to-fund-spiritual-successor

You could get $3.06 per ebook as part of major publishers' price fixing settlement

As part of the ebook price fixing scandal that ensnared Apple with a guilty verdict this year, all five publishing giants involved eventually agreed to a settlement in federal court — and now we're starting to get a better idea of just how much consumers will be getting back as part of the deal. If you purchased an ebook from one of the publishers involved between April 1st, 2010 and May 21st, 2012, you could be eligible for up to $3.06 per book purchased. That number is for books that fall under the New York Times bestseller umbrella, while non-bestsellers will net you an estimated $0.73 per purchase. This will include ebooks purchased through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Apple, and the payment will come either in the form of...

via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/1/4682658/you-could-get-3-06-per-ebook-as-part-of-major-publishers-price-fixing

The costs and motivations behind live action role playing

Whether it's envisioning a world without men, or bringing Battlestar Galactica into the real world, live action role playing is an intriguing phenomenon. It's also one that's been the butt of plenty of jokes, thanks in no small part to movies like Role Models. But if you're still unfamiliar with the concept better known as LARPing, the BBC has a great primer that details everything from the rules to the costs involved. A few LARPers even explain what it is that makes them dress-up and wield a foam sword. "For most people, this is their holiday," says Louise Godfrey. "They come here to get away from the real world."

via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/1/4682324/the-costs-and-motivations-behind-live-action-role-playing

The best writing of the week, September 1

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.

Grab the entire list as a Readlist.

On single-serve

Vanessa Rancaño reports on the lucrative and wasteful single-serve coffee trend.

East Bay Express: Vanessa Rancaño - Waste: The Dark Side of the New...

via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/1/4675714/the-best-writing-of-the-week-september-1

These polygonal sculptures bring mid-90s 3D graphics to life

Like pixel art before it, low polygon art is becoming a style in its own right. The look — which evokes classic games like Final Fantasy VII — has been showing up in modern video games, and thanks to artist David Mesguich, it's now popping up in the real world as well. After spending over a decade immersed in the world of graffiti, Brussels-based Mesguich has since turned his attention to building large-scale, low poly sculptures and displaying them in public places.His most recent piece, called "Pressure," is a giant human head and shoulders that appear to be coming out of the ground, and it was on display in Marseille this year. The sculptures are welded together piece by piece, and are sometimes painted for an even more dramatic...

via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/1/4682226/these-polygonal-sculptures-bring-mid-90s-3d-graphics-to-life

If T-rex was a Terminator, it may have looked something like this

Erected on the banks of the River Seine in Paris earlier this year, artist Philippe Pasqua's Tyrannosaurus rex is even more terrifying than your typical reconstruction of the king of the dinosaurs. Why? Because he's made of several hundred gleaming chrome-plated bones, giving the magnificent beast a vaguely Terminator feel. Arnold Schwarzenegger's all-metal skeleton is scary enough as it is — a 12-foot tall T-rex is another story altogether. Standing behind the sculpture, the iconic Eiffel Tower rises off in the distance, letting you imagine that a futuristic race of cyborg fossils has descended upon The City of Light. Michael Bay, your $200 million budget awaits.

via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/1/4680672/if-t-rex-was-a-terminator-it-may-have-looked-something-like-this

Sunday, September 1, 2013

On single-serve