Yoshcko

Main News Topics
NCIX Data breach
Source 1: Remog https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/974112-ncix-data-breach-2018/
Source 2: https://www.privacyfly.com/articles/ncix_breach/
 
When NCIX went bankrupt, their company computers and servers went into the hands of various third parties.
The machines had unencrypted data and were not wiped.
Sensitive personal data spanning decades of business transactions was sold to multiple domestic and international buyers.
RCMP tweet: https://twitter.com/RichmondRCMP/status/1043234549558329344

 
New Amazon Hardware
Source 1: https://www.wired.com/story/amazon-echo-hardware-2018/
Source 2:
 
Amazon had its second annual fall hardware event to showcase all the latest in Echo and Alexa-integrated products yesterday and boy did they announce a lot of stuff:
Echo Auto: an in-car accessory that allows you to integrate Alexa into your car.
can connect to your car through a 3.5mm aux jack, or by connecting over a smartphone’s existing Bluetooth setup. Cannot connect directly to car via bluetooth
piggybacks onto your phone for a connection back to the cloud.
runs off an included cigarette lighter Micro USB cable
$49.99, offered at a discounted invite price of $24.99 for early users.
Shipping begins for invited users later this year.
Amazon Echo Sub, a subwoofer that allows for multi room audio, will release on October 11th and cost $129.99
100W, 6” sub
Must pair with other Echo
Amazon Fire TV Recast, a DVR box that can store TV shows and movies for viewing at home or on the go, will release on November 14th and start at $229
Ring Stick Up camera is set to release on October 18th for $179.99
Lets you see, hear and speak to people from your phone, tablet or PC
Amazon Smart Plug adds voice control to anything plugged in, and it will cost $24.99 when it’s released on October 11th
Schedule lights, fans, and appliances to turn on and off automatically, or control them remotely when you’re away
AmazonBasics microwave with Alexa voice functionality will cost $59.99 when it releases on November 14th
Adds alexa to your kitchen without taking up any more space
….except that it needs to be paired with an Echo
You don’t want to learn how to do things on a microwave
Comes with presets
Microwave UI is usually crap, probably easier with voice
Amazon Echo Wall Clock
Set timers on your paired Echo device with your voice and your clock will display the time remaining, as well as a countdown for the last 60 seconds.
$30
Amazon Echo Input, a device that brings voice functionality to your current speakers, will launch for $34.99
Basically an echo dot without the speaker. $15 cheaper.
Amazon Echo Link Amp claims to power speakers and bring modern features, like music streaming and voice, to speakers you already own.
will release for $299.99
 
Rumour: Google’s Chinese search engine links searches to phone numbers
Source 1: https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/14/17861962/google-china-dragonfly-censorship-search-engine-phone-number-link-report
Source 2:
 
Google is taking a second crack at offering its search engine in China.
Google pulled out of mainland China in 2010 after discovering a phishing attack targeting human rights activists.
This time, to comply with the Chinese government’s censorship requirements, Google is reportedly building a prototype system that would tie Chinese users’ Google searches to their personal phone numbers.
Google hasn’t confirmed the existence of this project. Its previously said that it’s only doing “exploratory” work on a search service in China and that it’s “not close to launching a search product” in the country.
Around 1,400 Google employees have allegedly signed a letter demanding more information about the project, which reportedly runs in partnership with a Chinese company.
Apparently 5 employees have left because of the project


 
What’s Coming Out on Floatplane? Go Over Current Week.
Rapid Fire
Vulkan 1.1.85 Released With Raytracing NVIDIA Extensions
Source 1: posted by Sniperfox47 https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/973927-vulkan-support-for-rtx-now-shipped/
Source 2: https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Vulkan-1.1.85-Released
 
Vulcan driver update 1.1.85  has brought support for Nvidia RTX
VK_NVX_raytracing extension to enable a ray-tracing workflows
currently a NVIDIA experimental extension but will be stabilized moving forward
eventually there will likely be an official Vulkan ray-tracing extension backed by multiple vendors.
VK_NV_mesh_shader, VK_NV_compute_shader_derivatives,
VK_NV_corner_sampled_image, VK_NV_fragment_shader_barycentric,
VK_NV_representative_fragment_test, VK_NV_scissor_exclusive,
VK_NV_shader_image_footprint, and VK_NV_shading_rate_image

 
First Uncensored Adult Steam Game Banned in 28 Countries
Source 1: matrix07012 https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/973622-first-uncensored-adult-game-for-steam-gets-banned-in-28-countries/
Source 2: https://nichegamer.com/2018/09/17/first-uncensored-adult-game-for-steam-gets-banned-in-28-countries/
 
Negligee: Love Stories is the first totally uncensored adult game on Steam launched last  Friday, September 14th
Now the game has been banned in a number of countries for having uncensored naked anime girls.
Still available in US, Canada, and UK
The company now worries they’ll face damages:
“If they fined or targeted steam as per our agreement with steam, we (Dharker Studios) would be liable for all costs and damages. which would end our company, we are a small indie developer and do not have the resources for such costs whilst making games.”
they might release future games with a censored edition as the main release, with “free or cheap mature content” as DLC.
 
Twitch blocked in China
Source 1: Knockerclot https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/974369-twitched-is-now-blocked-in-china/
Source 2: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-45600272
 
Twitch has received a uptick in Chinese viewership over the last few months as audiences flocked to watch eSports matches being played at the Asian Games in Jakarta- an event not broadcasted on state-run media in China.
Last month Twitch hit the No. 3 spot among free apps in China
downloads for the app on the week of August 27th rose 23 times higher than the previous week
China performed well during the event and brought back two gold medals.
But now, Twitch has been blocked in China with no official statement being released by Chinese authorities.
The steady shutdown of access to Twitch was logged via social media in China.
viewers in many provinces reported that the site was suddenly unavailable in their region while it was still up elsewhere.
By the end of the week, Twitch was completely blocked.
Some believe the blockage was a cautionary measure taken before

 
Europe (& Washington State) bands together to tackle lootbox problem
Source 1: Master Disaster https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/973214-most-of-europe-and-washington-state-bands-together-to-tackle-the-lootbox-problem/
Source 2: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-09-17-15-european-gambling-regulators-unite-to-tackle-loot-box-threat
 
Less than a week after Belgium began a criminal investigation into FIFA's loot boxes, 15 gambling regulators from Europe and one from the US have together announced they will "address the risks created by the blurring of lines between gaming and gambling".
includes signatories from the UK, France, Ireland, Spain, and US (via the Washington State Gambling Commission).
The key focus is "tackling unlicensed third-party websites offering illegal gambling linked to popular video games".
think back to skin betting site CS:GO Lounge, which allowed users to bet real money on a pot of their CS:GO items
Valve cracked down on the site in 2016.
The regulators stated games providers must "ensure that features within games, such as loot boxes, do not constitute gambling under national laws".
more countries will now examine whether loot boxes can be classed as gambling.
"We encourage video games companies to work with their gambling regulators and take action now to address those concerns to make sure that consumers, and particularly children, are protected."
The international nature of the agreement is also significant.
Previous attempts at regulation have been taken by individual countries,
this approach may bring about coordinated and wide-spread regulatory changes: ones which could potentially be harsher than those taken by individual nations.
It hints some countries which previously stated they did not consider loot boxes to be gambling, such as the UK, may now re-evaluate the issue.
regulators expect game companies to be more cooperative.
this is probably a direct response to Blizzard's recent statement claiming it disagreed with the Belgian Gaming Commission's "interpretation of Belgian law," and EA's complete refusal to remove loot boxes from FIFA in Belgium.

 
OnePlus is making TVs
Source 1: https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/9/17/17868976/oneplus-tv-official-announced-pete-lau
Source 2: https://forums.oneplus.com/threads/intelligent-connectivity-our-next-step-forward.905928/
 
This week OnePlus announced that they will soon be making TVs
There is no timeline, no specs, basically no information other than the announcement.
Best known for its phones, OnePlus also has a small catalog of accessories like wireless earphones and backpacks.
 
Magic Leap is Bidding on an Army Combat Contract
Source 1: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-21/magic-leap-is-bidding-on-an-army-combat-contract?srnd=technology-vp
Source 2:
 
Magic Leap Inc. is pushing to land a contract with the U.S. Army to build augmented-reality devices for soldiers to use on combat missions
Microsoft is also interested
The contract could eventually lead to the military purchasing over 100,000 headsets as part of a program whose total cost could exceed $500 million
It’s intended to “increase lethality by enhancing the ability to detect, decide and engage before the enemy,”
During training, soldiers would wear the headsets to take part in platoon assaults, and respond to simulated ambushes and chemical attacks.
This practice warfare would be recorded from all angles, and could be analyzed afterward much like an NFL football team reviews game footage
soldiers would also wear the devices into all types of combat situations, both during the day and at night.
digital images would show soldiers maps, or help them aim their weapons.
The devices would also be used for communication.
In their final form, the Army expects the devices to incorporate night vision and thermal sensing, measure vital signs like breathing and “readiness,” monitor for concussions and offer hearing protection.
The website lays out plans to award an initial contract this November.
Over the first two years of the project, the winning bidder would be expected to deliver 2,500 headsets, and exhibit the capacity for full-scale production.
 
NVIDIA Segregates Turing GPUs
Source 1: https://www.techpowerup.com/247660/nvidia-segregates-turing-gpus-factory-overclocking-forbidden-on-the-cheaper-variant
Source 2:
 
NVIDIA's RTX 20-series graphics cards, each have not one, but two device IDs assigned to them- which is really weird.
NVIDIA has always used just one ID per SKU, no matter if custom-design, reference or Founders Edition.
the device ID can be used to enable or lock certain features
For Turing, NVIDIA is creating two device IDs per GPU to correspond to two different ASIC codes per GPU model
For example TU102-300 and TU102-300-A for the RTX 2080 Ti
The Turing -300 variant is designated to be used on cards targeting the MSRP price point, while the 300-A variant is for use on custom-design, overclocked cards.
Both are the same physical chip, just separated by binning and pricing, which means NVIDIA pretests all GPUs and sorts them by properties such as overclocking potential, power efficiency, etc.
When a board partner uses a -300 Turing GPU variant, factory overclocking is forbidden.
Both can be overclocked manually though, by the user, but it's likely that the overclocking potential on the lower bin won't be as high
Separate device IDs could also prevent consumers from buying the cheapest card, with reference clocks, and flashing it with the BIOS from a faster factory-overclocked variant of that card

First Uncensored Adult Game for Steam gets Banned in 28 Countries
 
 
 
Here's something important the article left out:
 
It always shocks me that some western countries think that anime tiddies will be the downfall of their civilization or corrupt the children or something.
 
Sauces:
https://nichegamer.com/2018/09/17/first-uncensored-adult-game-for-steam-gets-banned-in-28-countries/ / https://archive.is/ma9ow
https://steamcommunity.com/app/467680/discussions/0/1741094390471853837/

If there's one thing I want to see, it's more CFD simulations like this:

Mostly just to get the theoretical and expected out of the way
 
Not that I'm asking LTT to do it, but I'd rather take theory and simulation data to form a hypothesis, then work it out.

Our 1 year airflow experiment FINALLY comes to it's stunning conclusion - this stuff, it's dusty.
 
 
 
Buy Fans:
On Amazon: http://geni.us/UM1lo
On Newegg: http://geni.us/CSFr6
 
Buy Fan Filters:
On Amazon: http://geni.us/K1edNcP
On Newegg: http://geni.us/MgVsl

Yes Luke also killed his gpu when he took it from his mineral oil cooled pc. Apparently all the thermal paste was eaten away by mineral oil. He explained it hire: https://youtu.be/Cqj-p2ywA84?t=2m20s

Luke killed his graphics card when he pulled it from the original mineral oil PC because it had no thermal paste and it fried.
 
You guys don't learn from mistakes, do you?

Buy EVGA video cards
Amazon: http://geni.us/9G24
Newegg: http://geni.us/PHz83b
 
Buy EVGA motherboards
Amazon: http://geni.us/Q278nz
Newegg: http://geni.us/pBhhp
 
Will our previously oil-cooled video card & motherboard work after all this time?
 
 

Engineering samples sent to reviewers perform better than what hits retail shelves, right? Today, we're going to find out...
 
 
See the uncut footage for yourself:
 
 
Buy a Core i5 8400:
On Amazon: http://geni.us/8Ew3czA
On Newegg: http://geni.us/LIQPO
 
Buy a Ryzen 5 1600X:
On Amazon: http://geni.us/jbSYp
On Newegg: http://geni.us/rAXruOt

Twitter actually made money!
Source 1: http://angdnews.com/twitter-turns-profit-for-the-first-time-in-12-years/
Source 2:
 
Twitter Inc has finally turned a quarterly profit. It took 12 years.
The profit was modest: $91 million on $732 million in revenue.
The shares soared as much as 30 percent, the most since Nov. 7, 2013
But don’t get too excited:
Total advertising revenue was only up 1% year-over year
2017 as a whole was down 6% from 2016
 
HomePod stains your furniture permanently
Source 1: GoodBytes https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/896453-apple-homepod-smart-speaker-stains-your-furniture-permanently/
Source 2: https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/2/14/17012382/apple-homepod-white-ring-wooden-table-staining-issue-problem
Source 3: Sonos does too: https://www.macrumors.com/2018/02/15/sonos-homepod-white-rings-on-wood/

 
The silicone base of the HomePod has been shown to an cause a white ring to form on wooden furniture it’s placed on.
Apple has confirmed the issue, stating that “the marks can improve over several days after the speaker is removed from the wood surface,”
the company also recommended that users “try cleaning the surface with the manufacturer’s suggested oiling method” if the white rings don’t fade.
The HomePod support page says
the marks are caused by “oils diffusing between the silicone base and the table surface.”
“We recommend placing your HomePod on a different surface.”
Why not just put a cloth underneath it? The tweeters fire down, so putting it on cloth messes with the reflectivity of the sound.
Enterprising companies have already found a way to capitalise on the situation, offering leather pads for your HomePod to sit on:
https://www.padandquill.com/leather-coaster-for-homepod.html
Wouldn’t Apple have known about this? Why didn’t they warn consumers sooner?

 
AMD sending out free processors
Source 1: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/02/amd-sending-out-free-processors-to-solve-firmware-flashing-catch-22/
Source 2:
 
Many new owners of AMD’s new Ryzen 3 2200G and Ryzen 5 2400G CPUs with integrated Vega graphics are learning that their motherboards lack the firmware to operate with integrated graphics.
Some mobos support installing firmware updates without a working CPU, but many do not.
So stuck:
to flash the firmware you need a working CPU,
but your CPU will only work if you can flash the firmware first.
To help you out, AMD will send you a "boot kit" to flash your firmware.
What that actually means is that you'll get a free CPU—a dual core A6-9500
You’re supposed to send the CPU back once you’re up and running
...but apparently you don’t have to send its heatsink back…

 
Google Removes Ability To View Images, Now Requires You To Save Them To Your Account.
Source 1: NonaHexa https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/896244-google-removes-ability-to-view-images-now-requires-you-to-save-them-to-your-account/
Source 2: https://petapixel.com/2018/02/09/google-tweak-image-search-help-protect-photographer-copyrights/
Source 3: https://www.androidauthority.com/extensions-view-image-button-available-838477/
 
Google has removed the “View Image” button, which directly links to high-res photos, and will be making its copyright notice more prominent for users.
The change is the result of a partnership between Google and the stock photo agency Getty Images, which has been lodging “anti-competitive” complaints against Google for making high-resolution stock photos easily downloadable through Google Images.
“This is a benefit to all image owners globally and we expect this to have a positive impact on traffic to our site.”
Less than 24 hours later, there are already browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox that bring the button back.
These extensions probably won't last long, especially on Chrome
The change won’t stop people, but it does add more friction...UNLESS you use James’ method:
Right Click on the Google Image and select “Open Image in New Tab”


 
What’s Coming Out on Floatplane? Go Over Current Week.
Rapid Fire
New iOS Text Bomb from India
Source 1: Bensemus https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/896893-indian-character-crashes-ios-112x-macos-watchos-and-10/
Source 2: https://openradar.appspot.com/37458268

 
iOS users are suffering from yet another text bomb, which is when your iOS 11 device crashes simply from receiving a text.
This time the culprit is a character from the Telugu language, a Dravidian language spoken in India by about 70 million people, roughly five per cent of the country's population.
As apps including try and fail to load the character, users can get trapped in an endless loop of crashes.
Vulnerable apps include but are not limited to:
iOS Springboard
WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Outlook for iOS, Gmail
The only way to protect yourself is to update to the iOS 11.3 beta

 
Nvidia Code Name Confusion
Source 1: cluelessgenius https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/896406-nvidia-next-chip-now-called-turing-update/
Source 2: fake news https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nvidia-results-research/frenzied-demand-for-nvidias-graphic-chips-shoot-prices-through-the-roof-idUSKBN1FT2AW
Source 3: https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/nvidia-turing-ampere-graphics-cards-gtc-2018/

 
There’s been a roller coaster of confusion around the code names for NVidia’s upcoming chips:
First we thought everything was going to be Volta
Then last week heard that Ampere would be taking over
Now there’s a new name, Turing
The current consensus is that Ampere will be for gaming and Turing will be for a new cryptocurrency-focused lineup of cards. Volta is the underlying architecture of both.
Alan Turing was a seminal cryptographer and programmer, as seen in the movie Imitation Game
But there is also speculation that Nvidia scrapped the Ampere code name altogether because it’s used by an ARM-based server maker of the same name.
 
Waymo Gets O.K. for 1st Driverless Ride-Hailing Service
Source 1: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-16/waymo-gets-o-k-for-commercial-driverless-ride-hailing-service
Source 2:
 
Alphabet’s Waymo got a permit in late January from the Arizona Department of Transportation to operate as a Transportation Network Company
This allows Waymo’s fleet of driverless Chrysler Pacifica minivans pickup and drop off paying riders in Arizona through a smartphone app or website that will compete with Uber and Lyft.
The service will initially have “thousands” of cars
Prices could be competitive given there’s no driver to pay.
History:
Last year, Waymo started a free "early rider program" in the Arizona capitol, where hundreds of people use a Waymo app to hail and use cars within a 100-square-mile radius.
In November, it began testing vehicles in parts of the city without a driver at the wheel
 
$50m in crypto stole by Ukranian Group via Google AdWords
Source 1: Energycore https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/896923-more-than-50m-in-crypto-stole-by-ukranian-group-coinhoarders-via-google-adwords/
Source 2: https://www.newsbtc.com/2018/02/15/hackers-coinhoarder-steal-more-than-50-million-in-cryptocurrencies-using-google-ads/
 
A team of Ukrainian hackers dubbed CoinHoarder has stolen more than $50 million in cryptocurrency from users who thought they were accessing Blockchain.info, one of the most popular providers of virtual currency wallets.
The thieves bought Google ads on popular search keywords related to cryptocurrency like “blockchain” or “Bitcoin wallet”
Fooled into believing they had come to the right place, victims then entered private information that allowed the hackers to gain access to their actual wallets and take their virtual currency.
The ads included “spoofed” links with small mistypes like “blokchien.info/wallet” and “block-clain.info,” which sent visitors to pages that mirrored actual websites Blockchain.info and Blockchain.com
The massive phishing campaign lasted over 3 years, surging in late 2017 as prices rose.
CoinHoarder is not the only group doing this, not by a long shot.
Underbanked residents of African countries such as Nigeria and Ghana made up the majority of those who landed on the malignant websites
 
NCIX Richmond Auction
Source 1: Mr Easter https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/896697-ncix-richmond-bc-auction-massive-blow-out-of-computers-and-tv%E2%80%99s/
Source 2: https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/ncix-bankruptcy-auction-vancouver-february-2018
 
NCIX Richmond will be liquidating inventory and assets on Wednesday Feb 21 in a giant auction
The hoard includes:
Electronics: televisions, computers, computer parts, monitors, speakers, headphones, hard drives, and software.
Office equipment: desks, chairs, cubicles
Warehouse equipment: pallet racking, stock racking, conveyors
Packaging equipment: scales, wrappers
Should we be on location? We could make a video...

 
Low Power APUs are coming
Source 1: AluminiumTech https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/896408-ryzen-3-2200ge-and-ryzen-5-2400ge-spotted-ultra-low-power-desktop-ryzen-vega-apus-coming-soon/
Source 2: https://www.anandtech.com/show/12428/amd-readies-ryzen-3-2200ge-ryzen-5-2400ge-apus-with-reduced-tdp
 
AMD is preparing to release low-power versions of its new Ryzen desktop APUs.
The new Ryzen 3 2200GE and Ryzen 5 2400GE chips will have a 35 W TDP and will operate at lower frequencies when compared to the 45-65W Ryzen 3 2200G and the Ryzen 5 2400G
Both APUs feature four Zen cores as well as Radeon Vega graphics, but their exact specs and configs are yet to be disclosed.
According to ASUS, the Ryzen 5 2400GE will feature four cores with SMT operating at 3.2 GHz
(down from 3.6 GHz of the Ryzen 5 2400G).
Meanwhile, the Ryzen 3 2200GE appears to feature four cores without SMT working at 3.2 GHz
(down from 3.5 GHz of the 2200G)
The 35W Ryzen APUs will enable AMD to compete for OEM SFF and ultra-slim Mini-ITX DIY builds

 
Twitch launches always on chat Rooms for channels
Source 1: https://techcrunch.com/2018/02/15/twitch-launches-always-on-chat-rooms-for-channels/
Source 2:
 
Twitch has debuted an always-on chat room feature called “Rooms.”
Rooms are custom chat spaces that are available from the channel page itself, and can be set up by anyone on their own account.
At launch, creators can only host 3 Rooms
Channel owners have the option to create a “Room” for a specific group of users – like their channels’ subscribers, moderators, followers, or others with a shared interest, like spoilers, for example.
That latter use case represents a topic that would make sense to hide from the publicly accessible main group chat.
But Rooms can also be used by groups who may have otherwise dominated the main Stream Chat
Rooms are active even when the creator isn’t streaming.
 
SpaceX launching First satellite for Global Internet this Sunday
Source 1: saravanak85 https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/895673-spacex-to-launch-a-satellite-for-low-cost-internet-global-internet-this-week/
Source 2: http://angdnews.com/spacex-set-to-launch-first-prototype-starlink-satellites-for-low-cost-internet/
Source 3: https://www.cnet.com/news/spacex-falcon-9-internet-satellites-sunday-launch/
 
The first test satellites for SpaceX’s global internet constellation will launch on Sunday, after the project was announced 3 years ago.
The company’s Starlink service aims to provide low-cost internet across the world, and provide a communications network for future Mars missions.
Two satellites called Microsat-2a and Microsat-2b that will be launched as a secondary payload alongside a primary mission launching the Spanish government's "Paz" satellite.
SpaceX hopes to have its global internet service up and running by the middle of the 2020s.
 
Rumour: Google Game Console
Source 1: TheBeastPC https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/895301-a-google-game-console-codenamed-yeti-could-take-on-mainstream-consoles/
Source 2: https://www.pcworld.com/article/3253900/consumer-electronics/yeti-google-game-console-streaming-service.html
 
A rumoured Google service called Yeti would  allow users to stream games from remote servers to play on a Chromecast or a new console made by Google.
The service would be subscription based
The console is still being developed, perhaps for a reveal at Google’s fall hardware event?

 
Bitcoin energy use in Iceland set to overtake homes
Source 1: mark_cameron https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/895952-bitcoin-energy-use-in-iceland-set-to-overtake-homes-says-local-firm-bbc-news/
Source 2: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-43030677
 
This year, electricity use at Bitcoin mining data centres is likely to exceed that of all Iceland's homes, according to analyst Johann Sigurbergsson
He added that he expects Bitcoin mining operations will use around 840 gigawatt hours
He estimated that the county's homes use around 700 gigawatt hours every year.
If Iceland took on all of the proposed Bitcoin mining ventures, there simply wouldn't be enough electricity to supply them all, he added.
Iceland has population of around 340,000 people
THQ Nordic snaps up the rights to Saints Row with acquisition of Koch Media
Source 1: SC2Mitch https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/896344-thq-nordic-snaps-up-the-rights-to-saints-row-dead-island-and-more-with-an-acquisition-of-koch-media/
Source 2: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/saints-row-metro-dead-island-publisher-koch-media-/1100-6456770/
 
THQ Nordic, the Austria-based company currently in possession of the Darksiders, Red Faction, and de Blob properties, has acquired Koch Media, the parent company of Dead Island, Saints Row, and Metro publisher Deep Silver.
The deal was worth $149 million.
THQ Nordic now owns all of Koch Media's assets, which includes its studios, intellectual properties, and licenses, such as the Metro game series.
Koch Media's business also includes films, which are created "primarily for German and Italian speaking territories."
Koch's studios will continue to operate as normal, with both Volition and Dambuster working on new, unannounced AAA games, in addition to 4A's Metro Exodus

Buy a Super Nt from Analogue: http://geni.us/cdBgtG
Buy an 8Bitdo Retro SNES Controller + Receiver on Amazon: http://geni.us/6TKzLN
 
Analogue's Super Nt is a third-party clone of Nintendo's SNES which claims 100% compatibility with a unique modern-retro experience. Can it really be that good?
 
 

What exactly makes Solidworks work.. solidly?  We test a whole bunch of hardware to give you the answer.
 
Buy a Quadro
On Amazon: http://geni.us/KP3OPR
On Newegg: http://geni.us/rVEAB
 
 

Here's a modern-retro fusion product for people with giant retro game collections! But can it be used for MORE than JUST the originals...?
 
 
Buy an SD2SNES:
On the Everdrive Store: http://geni.us/uTvOip6
On Retro Modding: http://geni.us/hz5Ge

We tour General Fusions insanely high tech nuclear fusion research facility!
 
Buy a book on Nuclear Fusion
On Amazon: http://geni.us/wNo5J
On Newegg: http://geni.us/2UcTZ
 
 

Thanks to LG for sponsoring this video!
“Google the latest 4K TV, LG Wallpaper TV”
- LG SIGNATURE OLED TV W Product Page : http://geni.us/LinusW7US
- LG SIGNATURE OLED TV W Retailer Page : http://geni.us/LinusW7USb
 
 

Learn more about this weird product: http://geni.us/t5XPZe
Buy Micro SD cards on Amazon: http://geni.us/mvD06B
 
Does it make ANY sense to make your OWN SSD from Micro SD cards?
 
 

In a world where mechanical keyboards are mass-produced... One man decides to build his own CUSTOM DIY mechanical keyboard!
 
 
Check out mechanical keyboard parts at MechanicalKeyboards: http://geni.us/oFEiwP
Check out mechanical keyboard parts at KBDfans: http://geni.us/BZMD
Buy a SATAN GH60 on Banggood: http://geni.us/z55WUA
Buy a GH60 solid wood case on Banggood:  http://geni.us/KALuno

The commonly held wisdom is that you can get by with 8GB of RAM, but with how much Chrome and Windows 10 use does this still hold up in 2018?
 
Buy RAM
Amazon: http://geni.us/Hyg1cUc
Newegg: http://geni.us/ha3T
 
 

We can build it. Smaller. Faster. Better... Using the DAN Cases A4-SFX v2, which now includes a window option and another cool trick up its sleeve...
 
 
Learn more about the DAN Cases A4-SFX v2 on Kickstarter: http://geni.us/BP1nG0b
 
Buy a Titan Xp Collector's Edition from NVIDIA: http://geni.us/8Ofy
 
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Buy a Core i9 7980XE:
On Amazon: http://geni.us/z4taNL
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Buy an ASRock X299E-ITX/ac:
On Amazon: http://geni.us/WBaVR0
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Main News Topics
Counter Strike co-creator suspended after being arrested for child exploitation
Source 1: posted by SC2Mitch https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/892480-counter-strike-co-creator-suspended-after-being-arrested-for-child-exploitation-following-investigation/
Source 2: https://www.polygon.com/2018/2/2/16963890/counter-strike-jess-cliffe-arrested-suspended-valve
 
Counter-Strike co-creator Jess Cliffe was arrested this week for “sexual exploitation of a child,”
Police did not immediately release details, and Cliffe was not charged with a crime.
Police did not say if an actual child was harmed.
Cliffe does not have a criminal history.
While it’s not clear what led to Cliffe’s arrest, according to KIRO 7’s televised report, prosecutors say an arrest of this type “typically ... indicates creating child porn.”
Cliffe also has done level design for Half-Life 2, Team Fortress 2, Left4Dead2, and Portal2

 
AMD suggests profitable mining on Threadripper CPU
Source 1: posted by Porina https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/892484-amd-suggests-profitable-mining-on-threadripper-cpu/
Source 2: https://www.pcgamesn.com/amd-threadripper-cryptocurrency-mining
 
AMD’s technical marketing manager, Damien Triolet, believes that massive potential for home mining rigs lies within their Threadripper CPUs.
CryptoNight can be mined with CPUs that have around 2MB of L3 cache per mining thread in use,
this rules out almost all ASIC mining machines so far in production
but favours CPUs with a high L3 cache per core ratio - which Threadripper is designed for.
“CPUs could be acceptable for mining if they could handle very few threads, very fast, and that’s exactly what Threadripper is able to do,”
“Threadripper comes with 32MB of L3 Cache, and it can keep the dataset in cache, which speeds up cryptomining by a lot.”
Utilising around 2MB per thread, a Threadripper 1950X could run around 15 active mining threads
“that could allow Threadripper to get almost the same ballpark as RX Vega... and it will be much faster than a 1080 Ti for example in CryptoNight.”
Intel’s HEDT chips run with less L3 cache per core.
The Core i9 7900X has 13.75MB of L3, which roughly equates to just under seven threads.
Triolet believes Threadripper is capable of accumulating around $90 a month through the NiceHash mining platform.
This is at the current price, with electricity already accounted for - although this could vary considerably by region
Using Triolet’s estimated earnings, a Threadripper 1920X chip would see a return beyond its own MSRP of around $760 in just under nine months.
Is AMD just trying to CACHE in on that crypto money? Does anyone care about CryptoKnight? Monero?

 
Mining for Charity - Unicef Game ‘Chaingers’
Source 1: posted by Pangea2017 and Porina https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/892556-unicef-game-chaingers-mining-for-charity/
Source 2: https://www.techspot.com/news/73084-unicef-launches-gamer-focused-game-chaingers-cryptomining-fundraising.html
Source 3: https://www.chaingers.io/en/index.html
 
UNICEF has launched a new initiative that looks to target gamers.
"Thanks to the solidarity of the PC gaming community, Game Chaingers turns graphics cards into a humanitarian tool
the first ever blockchain fundraising by mining Ethereum for UNICEF."
The organization's goal with this project lies in providing emergency assistance to Syrian children
UNICEF's top priorities will be to provide these kids and other Syrians in need with water, hygiene, education, "Children's protection" and medical attention.
To help, you simply have to download UNICEF's Claymore mining software and turn it on.
The software will mine Ethereum without further intervention from you, depositing the resulting currency directly into UNICEF's wallet.
You can stop this software at any time
The organization claims it will have no impact on your personal energy usage.




 
What’s Coming Out on Floatplane? Go Over Current Week.
Rapid Fire
Elon Musk Flame Thrower
Source 1: posted by VegetableStu https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/890999-new-product-from-the-boring-company-a-flamethrower-update-sold-out/
Source 2: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/elon-musk-flame-thrower-boring-company-1.4513935
 
In a media stunt / short term fund raiser extravaganza, Elon Musk, CEO of The Boring Company, announced the sale of a branded flame thrower!
The whole thing started when Musk tweeted back in December that if The Boring Company could sell 50,000 hats the firm would start selling the flame-thrower.
The flamethrowers quickly sold out
$500 each x 20,000 units = $10,000,000
Musk later said each flamethrower would ship with a complimentary Boring Company fire extinguisher.
Likely in response to concerns from politicians regarding safety and legality
Musk Tweeted:
“ATF says any flamethrower with a flame shorter than 10 ft is A-ok. Our design is max fun for least danger. I’d be way more scared of a steak knife.”

 
Apple sells fewer phones but profits rise
Source 1: posted by RorzNZ https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/892445-apple-sells-fewer-iphones-but-profits-rise/
Source 2: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-42909989
 
The overall number of iPhones sold year-on-year slipped by 1% to 77.3 million, but the average selling price increased by around $100, to $796
the iPhone X had been the top-selling Apple handset every week since its launch
Apple reported a record $20bn in quarterly profits, driven by strong growth in Japan and Europe.
Quarterly sales at the firm climbed by 13% year-on-year to a record $88.3bn.
However Apple also issued a weaker-than-expected sales forecast for coming months
This follows rumours from an Apple supplier that Apple would be cutting iPhoneX production from 40m to 50m,
though another Apple partner has said the cut wasn’t that large

 
Windows 10 Defender to block shady "free PC optimizer" applications
Source 1: posted by Tech_Dreamer https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/892441-windows-10-defender-will-start-removing-shady-free-pc-optimizer-applications-soon/
Source 2: https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/microsoftsecure/2018/01/30/protecting-customers-from-being-intimidated-into-making-an-unnecessary-purchase/
 
Microsoft is cracking down on Anti-Virus programs that scan your system for free, and then use alarmist language to encourage your to pay for a premium application that will clean or optimize your PC
“We are updating our evaluation criteria to specify that programs must not use alarming or coercive messaging that can put pressure on customers into making a purchase or performing other actions.
“We use the evaluation criteria to determine what programs are identified as malware and unwanted software. In the future, programs that display coercive messaging will be classified as unwanted software, detected, and removed.”

 
Zen 2 Will Have Spectre Fix
Source 1: posted by The Benjamins https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/891771-amd-q4-earnings-report-zen-2-will-have-spectre-fix/
Source 2: https://www.pcworld.com/article/3252237/components-processors/amd-will-spectre-proof-the-zen-2-architecture-and-4-other-nuggets-from-its-earnings-call.html
 
On the AMD earnings call this week, CEO Lisa Su reiterated AMD’s prior position that the company’s chips aren’t vulnerable to Meltdown, nor to some iterations of Spectre exploits.
“For Spectre variant 1, we continue actively working with our ecosystem partners on mitigations, including operating system packages that have begun to roll out,”
“We continue to believe that variant 2 of Spectre is difficult to exploit on AMD processors.
However, we are deploying CPU microcode packages that in combination with operating system patches, provide additional mitigation steps.
“Longer term, we have included changes in our future processor cores, starting with our Zen 2 design, to further address potential Spectre-like exploits,”
Based on AMD’s roadmap, the next-gen Zen 2 architecture won’t be released until 2019

 
Apple delays iOS features to focus on stability
Source 1: posted by Dr.Macintosh https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-30/apple-is-said-to-push-back-some-key-iphone-software-features
Source 2:
 
Apple Inc. executives have decided to delay some key features originally planned for this fall’s iOS update, after months of reported quality issues.
Calculator bug
Messages received out of order
For iOS 12, Apple has been working on
a redesigned home screen app grid,
a multiplayer mode for augmented reality games,
and a merger of the third-party applications running on iPhones and Macs
Still on track:
The combined apps platform
New features for parents to better monitor how long apps are being used for by kids and their overall screen time,
Improvements to FaceTime
small upgrades to the Photos app
Delayed until the 2019 update:
Redesigned home screen
A revamped photo management app that uses new algorithms to better automatically sort pictures

 
Longest-standing video game record thrown out after 35 years
Source 1: https://www.polygon.com/2018/1/29/16944736/atari-dragster-game-world-record-banned
Source 2:
 
Twin Galaxies, the video game record keeper and official source for Guinness World Records, has declared one of the oldest gaming world records invalid after 35 years.
After months of debate over his completion time, Todd Rogers has been stripped of his world record for finishing the Atari 2600 racing game Dragster.
In 1982, Todd Rogers submitted to Activision’s official fan newsletter a time of 5.51 seconds, which the company recognized in print, awarding Rogers a patch.
Twin Galaxies later added Rogers to its own leaderboards in 2001,
Guinness World Records awarded the player with the honor of holding the world’s longest-standing gaming record in April 2017.
But Rogers never provided proof of his time in Dragster!
His personal website offered a simple explanation of how he achieved his unbeatable time,
while maintaining that Activision’s certification of his time — highlighted in one of the company’s newsletters — was enough to cement his place on the gaming leaderboards.
Twin Galaxies introduced a new process for disputing scores in July 2017, and Rogers’ time in Dragster was one of the first to be challenged.
A thread on the Twin Galaxies’ forum about how Rodgers’ Dragster time was technically impossible ran for nearly 300 pages and included almost 3,000 posts.
Skeptics failed to reproduce Rogers’ time in a tool-assisted run, leading them to analyze the game’s code and conclude that no one could complete the racing game that fast without some cheating.
But still there was months of pushback from Twin Galaxies owner Jace Hall on the call to strip Rogers of his record, and Activision founder David Crane offering his public support of the player
A longtime former referee for Twin Galaxies weighed in with a belief that Rogers’ record was illegitimate, finally put the back-and-forth to bed.
“We cannot change Activision’s acknowledgement of this score but we have an overall responsibility for gaming achievements and can no longer accept their historical records as the sole justification for scores set at the time.
“We were not there, can not find any of the evidentiary materials they used at the time to confirm the score, and could not find anyone who would on-the-record testify that they directly saw the evidence that was presented to Activision.”
The new top time in Dragster, as recognized by Twin Galaxies, is 5.57, set by several players.
 
Rumour: VMware to buy Dell, making it a Public company again
Source 1: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/29/vmware-could-buy-dell-in-what-could-be-techs-biggest-deal-ever--a-reverse-merger-that-would-bring-dell-back-to-public-markets.html
Source 2:
 
Dell reverted back to being a Privately owned company in 2013
In 2015, Dell bought EMC for $67B
Dell acquired VMware as part of this deal
VMware is a $60B cloud computing company
VMware is a publicly traded company, but has an 80% majority stake
VMware buying the larger Dell (called a reverse-merger) would allow Dell to once more be a publicly traded company without going through a formal listing.
This would also give investors who backed Dell's move to go private a way to monetize their deal,
while helping Dell pay down some of its $50 billion debt.
 
Rumour: Apple to use ARM coprocessors for three updated Mac models
Source 1: https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/29/apple-could-use-arm-coprocessors-for-three-updated-mac-models/
Source 2: https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2018-apple-custom-chips/
 
Apple could be working on three new Mac models for this year. All three of them could feature an ARM coprocessor to improve security
The MacBook Pro and iMac Pro both feature ARM coprocessors, the T1 and T2, respectively.
On the MacBook Pro, the T1 coprocessor handles the Touch ID sensor and the Touch Bar.
The iMac Pro uses the T2 to replace many discrete controllers, controlling the speakers, internal microphone, fans, camera, and internal storage.
It can encrypt data in real time.
On startup, the T2 first validates the integrity of the system before handing it over to the Intel CPU.
Apple could add similar coprocessors in the new:
Mac Pro
MacBook
MacBook Air (if there is another one)

 
TiVo will let users auto-skip the football to watch just the Super Bowl commercials
Source 1: https://techcrunch.com/2018/02/02/tivo-will-let-users-auto-skip-the-football-to-watch-just-the-super-bowl-commercials/
Source 2:
 
TiVo apparently still exists
And they’ve announced “GameSkip”, which lets you use the “skip” button on your remote generally reserved for skipping past commercials to instead skip to the commercials.
In the backend, they’ll be marking the football as commercials, and marking the commercials (plus the halftime show) as the show
It wont start working until the game is over
(at which time you could just go to YouTube, but I’m a cord cutter, so)
the company is also rolling out support for IFTTT,
automatically send a skip command whenever a commercial is detected,
use your voice and Google Home/Amazon Alexa to make a lost remote start beeping

 
App you can only use when you have 5% battery or less
Source 1: https://techcrunch.com/2018/02/02/die-with-me-is-a-chat-app-for-sharing-your-phones-last-gasp/
Source 2:
 
Die with Me is an anonymous chat app that you can only use when your iOS or Android phone has less than or equal to 5% battery.
When your phone’s about to die, you enter a nickname and are dropped into one big chat room where you can see all the messages from others whose phones died.
It’s kind of like the writing on the wall of a bathroom stall
There are usually about 30 people active in the chat at any given time
App costs $0.99 because it’s an art project and they need to cover the server cost.
 
YouTube will now label state-funded news broadcasts
Source 1: https://youtube.googleblog.com/2018/02/greater-transparency-for-users-around.html
Source 2: https://techcrunch.com/2018/02/02/to-fight-propaganda-youtube-will-now-label-state-funded-news-broadcasts-in-the-u-s/
 
Today Youtube began rolling out a new banner system to inform viewers of videos uploaded by news broadcasters that receive some level of government or public funding.
“Our goal is to equip users with additional information to help them better understand the sources of news content that they choose to watch on YouTube.”
The notice will appear below the video, but above the video’s title, and include a link to Wikipedia so viewers can learn more about the news broadcaster.
The feature will initially be available only to US viewers.
Seems easy to get around.


 
Judge should order governor to stop using ephemeral messaging app, lawyers say
Source 1: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/02/lawyers-governors-secret-messaging-app-use-violates-public-records-laws/
Source 2:
 
Two Missouri lawyers have sued the governor’s office over its use of Confide, an ephemeral messaging mobile app, which they say is in violation of state public records law
encrypted-messaging apps, auto-delete messages after a certain period of time, making automated record-keeping of those messages very difficult, if not impossible.
Use of such apps by public employees for official business is almost certain to run afoul of transparency laws.
"You can't have civil liberties if you don't know what the government is doing with regard to the Fourth Amendment,"
“We need a paper trail. That's what we want."
Opposition lawyers have argued that preventing the use of such apps would "run afoul of these employees' First Amendment right to freedom of speech."

Thanks to ASUS ROG & AMD for sponsoring this video!
Buy ASUS ROG Zenith motherboard on Amazon: http://geni.us/4XLnH0G
Buy AMD Ryzen Threadripper on Amazon: http://geni.us/W5qb
 
 

Buy Origin PCs on Amazon: http://geni.us/6Vbk29
 
We built a $15,000 battle station with a custom DIY desk to house our new Origin Genesis gaming PC. I'm never leaving the office.
 
 

Mining was for a long time a GPU only game, but with ASIC miners seemingly everywhere these days, are they actually profitable?
 
 
Buy ASICs (or maybe dont?):
Amazon: http://geni.us/97mrAc
 

Buy an iMac Pro on Amazon: http://geni.us/QVlX1
Or buy an iMac Pro from Apple: http://geni.us/cs4x
 
Apple's new iMac Pro is both like and UNlike any iMac we've seen before... But is it a positive step in the right direction, or is it a mixed blessing?
 
 

Buy Intel Xeon processors on Amazon: http://geni.us/9deQri