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WAN Show Document - March 10, 2017

LinusTech

 

Soundcloud Link: TBD

Twitch to relaunch Curse as social Twitch Desktop App

Source 1: http://www.theverge.com/2017/3/10/14860220/twitch-desktop-app-announced

Source 2: https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/10/twitch-to-relaunch-curse-acquired-last-year-as-the-more-social-twitch-desktop-app/

 

  • Having just announced their own version of Twitter, called Pulse, Twitch now announces Twitch Desktop App

  • It’s a rebranding of Curse, an app Twitch acquired last year

  • App will include:

    • community servers

    • Screen sharing

    • voice & video messaging

    • and game content distribution

  • It’s meant to give streamers’ followers a place to connect

  • And keep people on the site after game streams have ended, with features like

    • Communities

    • Twitch Creative

    • Twitch Presents

  • Launch: March 16. Existing Curse users will be upgraded to new version


 

CIA Listed BlackBerry's Car Software as Possible Target

Source 1: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-08/cia-listed-blackberry-s-car-software-as-possible-target-in-leak

Source 2: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/cia-listed-blackberrys-car-software-as-possible-target-wikileaks-docs/article34239611/

 

  • On Tuesday, Wikileaks leaked 8,761 CIA documents, some of which detail cyber attacks on IOS & Android phones, Samsung smart TV’s, and vehicle control systems.

  • Blackberry’s QNX automotive software was specifically mentioned as a “potential mission area” by the CIA ‘Embedded Devices Branch’

  • It’s used by 60 million cars

  • It’s unclear if the CIA moved forward with the attacks

  • Blackberry: “we are not currently aware of any attacks or exploits against BlackBerry products or services”

  • QNX makes highly specialized operating systems for industrial products like:

    • Wind turbines

    • Anti-tank missiles

    • And most importantly, In-car info-tainment systems

  • This is really bad because BlackBerry has rebranded itself around security:

    • When security researchers showed how they could hack into a Jeep, taking control away from the driver while on the highway, BlackBerry was quick to say its tech wasn’t involved in the breach.

    • That breach resulted in 1.4m cars being recalled


 

AMD RYZEN rSleep Steoids

Source 1: https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/749465-windows-sleep-bug-makes-amd-ryzen-overclock-higher-and-better-benchmark-results/

 

  • When HPET is off:

    • Machine goes to sleep

    • When it wakes, benchmarks appear to have higher scores

    • This is because the system timer is running slow

    • Windows' clock and anything that uses timing is slowed by a fair margin

    • ... Meaning benchmarks, which measure compute time, will score higher (I got over 2000 on Cinebench in my test post-wake vs about 1750 pre-sleep)

  • When HPET is on:

    • Machine goes to sleep

    • When it wakes, the system timer is as it was previously

    • No measured difference between pre-sleep and post-wake

    • Windows sleep bug makes AMD RYZEN overclock higher and better benchmark results


 

First AM4 ITX board appears - Uses x370 Chipset

Source 1: https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/746883-first-am4-itx-board-appears-uses-x370-chipset/

Source 2: https://videocardz.net/mobo/biostar-x370-racing-gtn/



 

Announced: HTC’s Vive Tracker will turn any object into a VR peripheral

Source 1: https://www.vive.com/ca/vive-tracker/

Source 2: https://www.vrheads.com/everything-we-know-about-vive-tracker

 

  • Vive Tracker is a sensing device based on the same technology as the Vive and its controllers

  • It calculates its position in a room based on infrared signals emitted from the base stations. Where these signals fall is tracked via an array of sensors on the device and converted into an equivalent in-game position.

  • It has a Pogo Pin (6 pin) connector so compatible accessories.so it can receive and transmit controller inputs

  • This allows Vive Tracker accessories to be a viable replacement for the HTC Vive controller, provided the game has support baked in for the accessory.

  • The Vive Tracker will be available for purchase in two phases:

    • First for those looking to create Vive content: March 27

    • General consumer availability: later this year

  • HTC has already received over 2,300 applications for the first 1,000 Vive Trackers. Nearly 60% of applications were for non-gaming and non-entertainment content like:

    • Education

    • Enterprise Training

    • Health

  • Other Vive news:

    • Vive is launching a financing program in North America. For $66 a month and no-interest financing for 12 months, users can purchase a Vive on Vive.com with zero money down. Additional new financing options are available at varying finance terms.

    • From now on all Vive Business Edition (BE) purchases will include the Deluxe Audio Strap with no price increase ($1200). Vive BE features dedicated customer support, an extended warranty, and a commercial use license for Vive.


 

The nail in TV coffin: Facebook strikes deal to live stream major league Soccer matches

Source 1: https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/10/facebook-scores-a-deal-to-live-stream-major-league-soccer-matches/

Source 2: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/facebook-scores-soccer-streaming-deal-with-mls-univision-2017-03-10

  • Facebook has secured the rights to stream at least 22 live Major League Soccer regular-season matches in English in 2017

  • AND to enhance the video content with various interactive elements like:

    • Facebook-specific commentators

    • interactive graphics

    • fan Q&A and polling features that let Facebook viewers engage with the commentators as the matches take place.

  • MLS will also produce more than 40 original “Matchday Live” analysis shows that will be posted to the Univision Deportes Facebook page. These shows will include feature highlights and discussions from around the league, as well as previews of the upcoming matches.

  • The games will be available both on the desktop and mobile.

  • They’ll include unique camera angles optimized for mobile viewing, and may include ad tests, like putting ad breaks in the middle of streams.

  • Beginning of the end? Sports are the last bastion of broadcast television: ESPN is by far the most profitable network on TV

 

What’s Coming Out on Floatplane? Go Over Current Week.

Rapid Fire

 

Pizza Hut smart shoes: ordering pizza is just a button away

Source 1: https://www.slashgear.com/pizza-hut-smart-shoes-mean-ordering-pizza-is-just-a-button-away-01476924/

It’s exactly what it sounds like-  a pair of shoes with embedded technology that enables wearers to order a pizza by pressing a button on the shoe.

  • The shoes are high tops, Pizza Hut refers to them as Pie Tops

  • Only 64 pairs being made

  • All of the pairs will be given to the media and individuals considered to be ‘influencers.’

  • The shoes themselves don’t do the ordering, but rather connect with a special ‘Pie Tops’ app to place a pre-designated order.

  • whether you can accidentally order a pizza if you cross your ankles remains to be seen


 

Google Splits Hangouts Into Two Apps. Pathetic!

Source 1: https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/749890-google-splits-hangouts-into-two-apps-pathetic/

 

  • Love the Trump-Tweet-Style headline!

  • Hangouts will be re-imagined into Hangouts Meet and Hangouts Chat

  • Hangouts Meet:

    • video-conferencing platform with the goal of making online meetings as painless as possible.

    • Meetings can be started simply by sharing a link

    • no fiddling around with logins, plugins, or native applications.

    • Up to 30 participants can join in from the web, the mobile app, or even with a dedicated dial-in phone number if you are a G Suite Enterprise customer.

  • Hangouts Chat:

    • More like Slack or Microsoft Teams than the previous Hangouts app

    • Supports multiple virtual rooms for each topic,

    • threaded conversations,

    • integration with other G Suite services,

    • and a filterable search

 

Nintendo Switch sales crush the history books

Source 1: https://www.engadget.com/2017/03/06/the-switch-is-the-fastest-selling-console-in-nintendo-history/?sr_source=Twitter

Source 2: http://bgr.com/2017/03/10/nintendo-switch-sales-numbers-2017-idc/

 

  • Sales last Friday/Saturday surpassed the ‘first two-day’ sales for any system in Nintendo history

  • Breath of the Wild was the best-selling stand-alone launch title in Nintendo history, beating Mario 64

  • Sales are projected to be better than the WiiU but not as high as the Wii


 

Hidden Message on Nintendo Switch Pro Controllers

Source 1:  https://twitter.com/geo_stream/status/837750526322204672/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Source 2: http://www.theverge.com/2017/3/6/14825944/nintendo-thank-you-message-switch-pro-controller

  • The message reads "thx2 allgamefans!"

  • Is it weird that it’s in English?

 

Microsoft Launching an Xbox Subscription Gaming Service

Source 1: http://kotaku.com/microsoft-unveils-10-monthly-gaming-subscription-servi-1792818880

Source 2: https://www.thestreet.com/story/14021716/1/why-microsoft-launching-an-xbox-subscription-gaming-service-was-practically-inevitable.html

 

  • Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass service gives Xbox One users the ability to download and play "over 100 Xbox One and backward compatible Xbox 360 games."

  • $10/month

  • Initial supported titles include

    • Halo 5: Guardians,

    • NBA 2K16

    • and SoulCalibur II.

  • Publishers providing at least some support include

    • Take-Two Interactive's (TTWO) 2K unit,

    • Warner Bros.,

    • Capcom,

    • Bandai

    • Microsoft Studios.

  • Electronic Arts (EA) is a holdout, because they offer access to their Xbox One titles through a $30-per-year subscription called EA Access,.

  • GameStop shares fell 7.8% because of the announcement

  • Microsoft insists the fact that games need to be downloaded and aren't streamed is a feature rather than a bug,

  • Canceling Game Pass means users lose access to downloaded titles, but Microsoft is promising to sell permanent copies to subscribers at a discount.

  • The announcement comes just after Amazon's Twitch game-streaming unit said it will begin selling game downloads on its site

  • Launch: this spring


 

Rumour: New Amazon Echo device to make phone calls

Source 1: http://www.zdnet.com/article/amazon-planning-voice-calling-echo-report/

  • Amazon plans to release new Alexa-powered devices with phone call and intercom functionality

  • The intercom functionality would also allow users to talk to each other through Alexa devices.

  • Google is reportedly also working to add voice calling to Google Home smart speakers.

 

World’s Thinnest Charger

Source 1: https://techcrunch.com/2017/02/28/kado-wants-to-make-the-worlds-thinnest-charger/

  • It is about as thin as a USB port and comes in two flavours:

    • The Sleeve for laptops

    • The Wallet for mobile devices

  • “Though trends such as fast charge offer a perception of painless charging, they actually limit users’ mobility.” Kado was envisioned to give users more freedom by simply being able to easily carry their chargers with them.”

  • The company is raising a Series A round to complete commercial launch in 2017.


 

Sony Xperia XZ Premium

Source 1: http://www.mirror.co.uk/tech/sony-xperia-xz-premium-release-9914472

Source 2: https://www.qualcomm.com/news/snapdragon/2017/02/27/powered-snapdragon-835-sony-xperia-xz-premium-reaches-gigabit-speeds

 

  • 5.5-inch screen.

  • 4K HDR display

  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor

  • Integrated Snapdragon X16 LTE modem

    • one of the first smartphones capable of "Gigabit Class LTE", offering download speeds of up to 1 Gbps.

  • "glass loop" surface: the glass continues all the way around the device, with metal caps on the top and bottom

  • Corning Gorilla Glass 5, which can supposedly survive shoulder-height drops (1.6m) onto hard  surfaces up to 80% of the time.

  • 7.9mm thick

  • All of the buttons are down one side of the device

  • Fingerprint sensor built into the power button

  • Sony has partnered with Amazon Prime Video to offer a selection of 4K HDR content to Xperia XZ Premium customers

  • Works with the PlayStation 4, so you can play games from your console on your smartphone.

  • USB 3.1 connection, and a USB Type-C port for easy charging.

  • Capable of recording in HD at a rate of 960 frames per second

    • super slow motion video playback: four times slower than other smartphones.

  • Plus Predictive Capture, which automatically starts buffering images when it detects motion, even before you press the button, to ensure you don't miss the moment

 

Scientists Have Stored a Movie, an OS, and an Amazon Gift Card in a Single Speck of DNA

Source 1: http://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-have-stored-a-movie-a-computer-os-and-an-amazon-gift-card-in-a-single-speck-of-dna

 

  • Scientists have developed what they claim is the most efficient data storage technique ever, with a new DNA-encoding method that approaches the theoretical maximum for information stored per nucleotide.

  • The researchers were able to recover the stored files with zero errors.

  • Their strategy is capable of recording 215 petabytes of data on a single gram of DNA.

  • The technique could effectively compress all the world's data into a single room.

  • "DNA won't degrade over time like cassette tapes and CDs, and it won't become obsolete”

  • It could be more than a decade before DNA storage becomes accessible to the general public.

  • The researchers spent $7,000 to synthesise the DNA, and another $2,000 to sequence it



 

Zombie-proof “autonomous 3D-printed mobile house”

Source 1: https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/10/passivdom-is-an-zombie-proof-autonomous-3d-printed-mobile-house/

 

  • The Autonomous house is 36 square meters (388 sqft) and costs €59,900 to pre-order.

  • PassivDom has the highest thermal performance among residential buildings.

    • The walls of are as warm as 7m thick brick

    • uses 20 times less energy than an ordinary building.

    • it is possible to realize full off-grid autonomy in a cold climate without complex and expensive engineering heating systems

  • The first model  includes solar panels that power the climate control system, a clean water system that takes moisture from the air and an air quality control system that includes carbon dioxide control.

  • The frame is made of 3D-printed carbon fiber and fiberglass,

  • and the entire house is recyclable.

  • They also offer a special “Zombie apocalypse” package that includes armored glazing, an alarm system, extra toilet paper storage and a bible.
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About the LMG Licensing thing. I think at its core the idea is flawed, but there is a good aspect of it: localized content. I don't think youtube supports this, but what if the Floatplane Club offered voice-overs (or at the very least captions) in other languages.

 

It wouldn't take much, just have multiple audio sources for the player and try to get some localized community members to do a voice-over of the script, send you back the audio, and then you could integrate it into the music and sounds effects and whatnot. What do you guys think about that?

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I think the MLS is the third most attended sports in the US, behind NHL and MLB, so beating both NBA and NHL.

 

It's not a small thing and there's definitely a market.

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Holy hell, I don't think I've ever laughed this much with a WAN show in a long time. Quality banter.

BTW - God tier beard.

- @Slick in a PM once

 

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12 hours ago, Yesat said:

I think the MLS is the third most attended sports in the US, behind NHL and MLB, so beating both NBA and NHL.

 

It's not a small thing and there's definitely a market.

Because buying tickets to see it live is cheaper than paying for a television package that icludes it? Meanwhile NBA, MLB, NHL, and NFL are all on over the air channels.

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Samsung TVs can only be hacked with a USB drive, so the CIA needs physical access to your TV.

 

http://www.consumerreports.org/privacy/a-closer-look-at-the-tvs-from-the-cia-vault-7-hack/

Quote

The report describes a malicious software installed through a physically connected USB drive which applies to firmwares on TVs sold in 2012 and 2013, most of which have already been patched through a firmware update.

 

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