Dropbox Pro plan now offers 10x the storage for the same price
Beefing up your free Dropbox account with extra space isn’t hard if you know what to look for, but the company just smartly streamlined its Pro plans in case you need even more cloud action. Kiss those tricky tiered plans goodbye: all that’s left now is a 1TB option that’ll set you back $9.99 a month (or $99 a year). Not a bad deal considering that’s how much you would’ve paid Dropbox monthly for 100GB of cloud storage just a few days ago, and the company is sweetening the pot with some neat new sharing and security features too. Left your laptop at that seedy diner over in Toledo? A few clicks is all it takes to remotely wipe all the synced files that were still on it. You can exercise a bit more caution with your shared links too by slapping password protection and expiration dates on them, too. Really, it’s those features that Dropbox hopes will give it an edge over some larger rivals — Google Drive’s monthly rate plans dipped to similar levels earlier this year, while Amazon still costs a ton compared to both.
Source: Dropbox
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Steam competitor GOG is getting into the movie selling business
The generous group over at Good Old Games is prepping to bring another medium into its trademark DRM-free digital distribution platform: movies. Starting today, you can head over to GOG.com and download or stream a handful of gaming-and-geek focused documentaries. What’s on tap? Art of Playing, TPB AFK: The Pirate Bay Away From Keyboard and Indie Game: The Movie (seen above) among others, and you can check out the first two flicks in this list absolutely free of charge. If none of those strike your fancy the company promises more titles will be added on a weekly basis. Don’t expect to see Guardians of the Galaxy pop up on the site’s digital shelves in the coming months, though.
GOG says that it offered major studios to get in on the action but that they weren’t interested in being part of the first wave — they’d rather someone else gnaw on the rock and prove that selling DRM-free movies works. “Their reaction was kind of funny because … they know that DRM doesn’t work because every single movie is on torrent sites or illegal places at launch or even before,” Marcin Iwinski, CD Projekt RED and GOG joint-CEO tells us. He says that the problem with current digital platforms (Ultraviolet, especially) is how cumbersome they are. “Ultraviolet has five DRMs. How crazy does that sound?” he asks. When you have to register with a few different sites, then enter a download code on top of remembering your account password, any hiccup along the way provides a roadblock between you and watching a movie — it’s just easier to throw a Blu-ray into your Blu-ray player.
That frustration is what drives people away from collecting digital movies in a legal manner and drives them toward piracy, Iwinsky says. “The fundamental fact is that they usually pirate the content because that’s the most easy and user-friendly way to access video content. It’s kind of scary, actually.” Studios are reticent to give up DRM, though, because it keeps the lawyers happy by showing that, despite being a vain attempt, they’re protecting the intellectual properties.
GOG’s move to digitally distributing movies shouldn’t come as a surprise either, Iwinski thinks. His reasoning, however, might be a bit odd to anyone who buys physical media on a regular basis. “We started GOG because we were collectors and fans of old games and we had tons of old stuff. But it wasn’t cool to access it: the boxes were old and rough around the edges, sometimes the CD didn’t work. It just wasn’t a good experience,” he says. “We have a lot of DVDs, but having, owning and buying them is not cool anymore — it’s inconvenient. They’re gathering dust on the shelves. We want a digital version and there’s nothing like that.”
One of Blu-ray’s biggest advantages over streaming or a digitally distributed movie, however, is quality: each disc can hold between 25GB and 50GB of uncompressed audio and video data. By comparison, the Pirate Bay documentary GOG is offering weighs in around 8GB and only plays in stereo — not 5.1 surround sound. But that doesn’t bother Iwinski; he seems focused on hitting people that are more likely to watch Gravity on their laptop or mobile device than in a home theater. “You can stream from GOG, but the magic happens when you download the MKV file and you can move it to your iPod and move it to iTunes and it syncs automatically.
“It’s the power of simplicity,” he says.
[Image credit: Indie Game: The Movie]
Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Gaming, Home Entertainment, Tablets, HD, Mobile
Source: GOG
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The 46-year-old sex toy Hitachi won’t talk about
1968. It was the year of the Tet Offensive; of Martin Luther King Jr.’s and Robert Kennedy’s assassinations; of the Democratic National Convention riots. It was also the first time humans had photographed the Earth from deep space. It was a year of great innovation and devastation. American values were in upheaval and the sexual revolution was well underway, calling into question outmoded sexual stereotypes.
In the midst of all of this, an unlikely star was born.
The US Patent and Trademark Office lists the Hitachi Magic Wand’s first use in commerce as April 25th, 1968. In the 46 years since, this big, white hunk of plug-in plastic, which bears some resemblance to a bass drum mallet, has come to represent an awkward duality for many Americans. It’s marketed and sold as a personal massager in department stores and pharmacies, while also serving as a trusted masturbation aid.
The Magic Wand isn’t what you’d expect from a modern sex toy. In fact, it could very well be your grandmother’s vibrator. It weighs 1.2 pounds, measures 12 inches from base to tip and has a bulbous, “tennis ball-sized” head. It’s made of hard plastic, has two speeds — high (6,000 vibrations per minute) and low (5,000 vibrations per minute) — and connects to a power outlet via a 6-foot cord. It’s neither waterproof, nor water-resistant and has a tendency to overheat after 25 minutes of use. Shortcomings aside, the Magic Wand continues to outsell more technologically advanced competitors, even as the company that created it distances itself from what has become one of the most iconic sex toys in existence.
“Electric vibrators were sold as massage machines and I bought them in the small-appliance section of Macy’s,” Dodson said.
The same year the Magic Wand appeared on the market, a New York-based artist by the name Betty Dodson had her first sexually explicit one-woman exhibition at the Wickersham Gallery on Madison Avenue. According to Dodson, often attributed with single-handedly popularizing the device, the show’s opening marked her foray into sex education. Four years later, she launched a series of instructional classes called Bodysex Workshops, where she used vibrators to teach women about masturbation, and in 1974 she released her first book, Liberating Masturbation. Dodson, like so many women at the time, sought sex toys in rather conventional venues.
“Electric vibrators were sold as massage machines and I bought them in the small-appliance section of Macy’s,” Dodson said.
While Liberating Masturbation was sold alongside the Magic Wand at Eve’s Garden, a new and rather subversive sex shop that catered specifically to women, Dodson opted for the Panasonic Panabrator in her early demos. It wasn’t until 1975 that she replaced it with the Magic Wand. According to Dian Hanson, former editor of Juggs, Leg Show and various other men’s magazine, and current Sexy Book Editor at Taschen publishing, Dodson turned her on to the Wand in 1977 and she’s been a devotee ever since.
“She told me to get a Hitachi Magic Wand, but to be careful of its power, both physical and psychological, as it’s an addictive agent right behind heroin,” Hanson said. “My only previous vibrator experience was a pink plastic thing that held two D-cell batteries and the Hitachi was a whole ‘nother world.”
Hanson’s reaction to the Magic Wand isn’t unique. The internet is flooded with accounts of its strength, versatility and staying power. It’s commonly referred to as the Cadillac of vibrators and has been a best-seller at progressive sex shop Good Vibrations since it opened in 1977. It’s moved from ads in the back of the liberal political rag Mother Jones in the ’80s to being the punchline on an episode of Louie earlier this year. In the meantime, it’s become a regular in the pages of women’s magazines like Cosmo, appeared as a trusty sidekick in adult films and spawned an army of unauthorized offspring. In the near 50 years since its birth, technological advances have led to massive leaps in consumer technology, but the Magic Wand has remained largely unchanged.
“She told me to get a Hitachi Magic Wand, but to be careful of its power, both physical and psychological, as it’s an addictive agent right behind heroin,” Hanson said.
That is until last summer. Hitachi ditched the old, 1980s packaging, retooled the materials for a lighter, more durable product and switched out the circuit board. To the uninitiated, it looked just like mom’s old Magic Wand, with one notable exception: The Hitachi name was nowhere to be found.
The Magic Wand occupies a special place in the history of both female sexuality and consumer electronics, but it’s neither the first device of its kind to be marketed as a personal massager, nor the first produced by a leader in the electronics industry. GE sold its own, as did Panasonic and Oster (best known for its blenders). According to Rachel P. Maines’ The Technology of Orgasm, the first electronic vibrator appeared in 1878, predating radio, television and a slew of other groundbreaking technologies. Maines describes a device, powered by a massive battery, invented by an English physician named Joseph Mortimer Granville and manufactured by Weiss, a medical instrument manufacturer.
Weiss’ motorized merrymaker was first used to treat hysteria, an antiquated medical condition thought to be cured through female orgasm. As Maines points out, by the early 1900s, there were dozens of models on the market, and their uses had expanded to include treatment for everything from arthritis and constipation to sore muscles.
Since Mortimer Granville invented the first electric vibrator, they’ve successfully penetrated the mainstream with appearances in major motion pictures, popular TV shows and fashion magazines. Even Oprah Winfrey’s not afraid to speak her mind on the subject. (Apparently the big O prefers something the size of a “perfume sprayer” to outsized back massagers like the Magic Wand.) Attitudes toward sex and sex toys have changed drastically, but no other vibrator has captured the mainstream imagination like the Magic Wand, save for maybe the multi-pronged Rabbit, which had its own turn in the spotlight on an episode of Sex and the City.
With the help of mainstream media, serious discussions about masturbation have moved from the confines of women’s sexuality workshops to the national level. In 1994, then-Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, already a controversial figure, was forced to resign after suggesting that schoolchildren be taught to masturbate to curb the spread of AIDS. We’ve come a long way since Elders’ ouster; archaic laws restricting the sale of sex toys have slowly dropped from the books and public figures like Oprah have legitimized the subject in mainstream media, but masturbation and its accoutrement are still taboo. In fact, information about the Magic Wand is hard to come by outside of personal anecdotes and the device’s official site. MagicWandOriginal.com contains a list of specs, user reviews and a vague history of the device, but zero mention of its origins.
It’s commonly referred to as the Cadillac of vibrators and has been a best-seller at progressive sex shop Good Vibrations since it opened in 1977.
It appears that silence is no mistake. We reached out to Hitachi multiple times while researching this story and received no answer. In fact, according to Eddie Romero, director of operations for Vibratex, the primary US importer of the device, Hitachi was ready to pull the plug entirely before last summer’s redesign. As he puts it, Hitachi is a “very traditional” Japanese company and didn’t want its name attached to what is essentially the most recognizable sex toy on Earth. Vibratex, not ready to lose its biggest moneymaker (it’s sold 250,000 units since last summer), convinced Hitachi to continue producing it as the Original Magic Wand.
“Evidently, Mr. Hitachi Sr. didn’t like the idea that his massage machine was giving millions of women orgasms,” Dodson said. “Tough shit! It remains my favorite vibrator to this day.”
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Xbox One’s Kinect goes for $150 on its own October 7th
Ever since Microsoft cut its motion- and voice-sensor from the Xbox One package, the second version of Kinect has been in limbo. Sure, you could still get one if you shelled out $500 for the deluxe version of Xbox One, but there was no way to pick one up on its own. What if, say, a new Dance Central game for Xbox One were to be announced? Microsoft always said it would offer the device standalone, and now it’s got a release date and price: October 7th for $150 ($50 less than the Windows version, for those wondering). Even better: Kinect on Xbox One comes with the aforementioned new Dance Central game. Not a terrible nod to the most important third-party game studio making Kinect games.
Despite taking Kinect out of the box — mostly to stay competitive price-wise with Sony’s PlayStation 4, which is repeatedly besting the Xbox One in monthly sales — Microsoft says the standalone release is more evidence of the company’s belief in the sensor. “We believe Xbox One is better with Kinect,” Microsoft’s blog post reads, “offering unlimited possibilities.” Specifically, the company cites voice commands and Skype as the primary reasons for owning Kinect, in addition to calling out a handful of Kinect-enabled titles (Kinect Sports Rivals, Dead Rising 3, Project Spark).
The key here, Microsoft says, is choice. “We’re excited to offer you more choices for purchasing Xbox One — with Kinect, without Kinect for $399, bundled with games like Madden NFL 15 or Sunset Overdrive, or by adding the standalone Kinect sensor at a later date.”
It’ll be interesting to see what numbers, if any, Microsoft releases on standalone Kinect sales after October 7th. The original Kinect, an add-on for the Xbox 360 game console, sold tremendously well as a standalone peripheral. The approach this time around, however, is a lot different; Microsoft has to overcome the malaise of spurned consumers who didn’t love their first Kinect (which was barely supported, with many bad games) and get past the public perception that the Xbox One isn’t an inferior console to the PlayStation 4.
Filed under: Cameras, Gaming, Peripherals, Software, HD, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft
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Don’t forget to enter our Back to School 2014 sweepstakes!
Gearing up for a new academic year can be stressful, and that’s where our Back to School 2014 guide comes in handy. Whether you’re crossing items off your shopping list or simply perusing your options, you’d be silly not to enter our sweepstakes as well. If you’re one of 15 randomly selected winners, you’ll be the proud owner of a Timbuk2 bag stuffed with the gear seen above — and that’s just a taste of what’s inside! Enter the raffle below for a chance to win, and make sure to keep tabs on our giveaway page for more opportunities to enter.
Filed under: Announcements
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LaCie 8big Rack Now Available With Up to 48 TB Storage, Dual Thunderbolt 2 Ports [Mac Blog]
LaCie today announced the availability of its 8big Rack storage device. Unveiled earlier this year at the annual NAB trade show, the LaCie 8big Rack is the company’s first Thunderbolt 2 rackmount storage solution.
The 8big Rack includes 48 terabytes of capacity with eight Seagate 6 TB 7200 RPM hard drives that deliver speeds up to 1330 MB/s. Geared towards 4K videographers and other professional media editors, the 8big Rack also features Raid 5/6 data redundancy and dual Thunderbolt 2 ports that expand the storage potential of the Mac Pro to 1.7 petabytes.
The LaCie 8big Rack (48TB) is available today for $4,599.99 through LaCie and its authorized resellers. The storage solution also is available in a four–disk 12 TB or an eight–disk 24 TB configuration for $1,599.99 and $2,599.99, respectively.
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More Evidence of NFC Support for Both iPhone 6 Models
Last week, Chinese repair firm GeekBar shared a claimed schematic for the iPhone 6 showing what was claimed to be the pinning diagram for the device’s rumored near field communications (NFC) chip. The part addressed on the schematic, PN65V, was thought to be a version of NXP’s PN65 NFC package currently used in several Android devices.
The leak is one of several schematics shared by GeekBar over the past week and a half, and while some of the components have been misidentified, it is looking increasingly likely that the schematics themselves are legitimate. Seen in that light, it is worth taking a look back at the NFC claim to see if there is additional evidence for it.
Closeup of 4.7-inch iPhone 6 logic board with likely NFC chip location boxed in red, LTE modem boxed in green
MacRumors forum member chrmjenkins has pointed us toward a document showing the package used by NXP for its PN65, noting that it measures 5 mm x 5 mm with 32 terminals for connectivity. In examining the bare logic boards from the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 models, chrmjenkins believes he has spotted where that chip will be located.
Broader view showing likely NFC chip location boxed in red: 4.7-inch iPhone 6, iPhone 5s, 5.5-inch iPhone 6 (left to right)
The location on the board is a square patch that does not correspond to any component from the iPhone 5s logic board, indicating that it may indeed be for a new component such as an NFC chip. Existing components may of course see changes in shape between generations, but many of the current major components can be mapped reasonably well to locations on the iPhone 6 logic boards, leaving relatively few candidates for this new square patch.
Rumors of NFC for the iPhone have circulated for years, but they have yet to come to fruition. As a result, this year’s crop of NFC rumors has understandably been greeted with skepticism, although the volume and specificity of the rumors has seemed greater this time around, with multiple sources pointing toward an NXP chip solution for the iPhone. And with Apple rumored to be making a push into mobile payments as soon as later this year, the time may finally be right for Apple to bring NFC to the iPhone.
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Time Warner Cable claims routine maintenance caused nationwide outage
Large chunks of the US will have woken up this morning in a panic. No, not a natural disaster, their Time Warner Cable internet was down. A mother-of-all-outages saw TWC’s Internet service down from New York to, well, pretty much everywhere (see map below). What’s more curious, is that a statement from the company claims it was due to planned maintenance that went awry. Still, for at least an hour and a half, Netflix’s main beef with the company won’t have been about neutrality.
Time Warner outage map: #timewarnercable pic.twitter.com/lSb7AcjQBM
– Diana (@Sollitaire) August 27, 2014
Source: Re/code
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Would the world be any better without any privacy? One guy wants to find out
We live in an imperfect world, full of imperfect beings, but if everyone declared that they had nothing to hide, would that make us better people? It’s a question that one man is hoping to answer by opening up every aspect of his life to the world’s scrutiny for a whole year. Anti-privacy activist Noah Dyer believes that unless people choose to abandon privacy, society will never improve. In his mind, the information imbalance between bodies like the NSA and individuals encourage abuse and poor decision making that those affected, cannot see or question. It’s a subject that Dyer is sufficiently passionate about, he handed over his email account to The Atlantic for detailed inspection.
Of course, Dyer requires our support for his experiment, since the college professor can’t purchase the same level of surveillance apparatus that the government uses. That’s why he’s asking for $300,000 to hire crews to film his every moment, as well as equipment and hosting for a live stream that’ll be broadcast online. He promises that, logistical and technical hurdles aside, he’ll offer footage of his entire life, including eating, sleeping, spending time with his kids and even going to the bathroom. In those tender moments, however, he requests that you respect his privacy, but won’t shut the cameras off.
If he raises up to $700,000, then Dyer will also run for political office in 2016 – although Kickstarter expressly forbids political donations – and will remain under constant surveillance throughout his term. Should that figure, somehow, reach $1,000,000, then Dyer will also set up an “anti-privacy ashram” for others to live their lives under constant surveillance, complete with glass bathroom stalls and Arianna Grande’s brother… sorry, we got a little confused there.
Noble as Dyer’s aims are, we’re fairly sure that a society in which everyone is as nude as each other is one we’d particularly enjoy living in. After all, the bulk of our lives are spent trying to compensate for our imperfections and pretending that we’re all not as gross as we secretly are. As The Atlantic comments, saying you have “nothing to hide” opens you up to declaring every illness you’ve ever had, revealing every relationship you’ve broken and broadcasting your children’s most traumatic experiences to the world. Still, I wish the experiment all the best. After all, it makes a great counterpoint to the people I met while researching How To Disappear Completely.
Filed under: Internet
Via: The Atlantic
Source: Kickstarter
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High-res imaging satellite demos what it can do with crystal clear pics of Madrid
DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-3 satellite has only been in space for less than half a month, but it’s already proven itself capable of shooting high-res images just like the company promised. Just a few days after Lockheed Martin flew it to orbit, the satellite quickly went to work, snapping pictures of Madrid, Spain. As you can see in the gallery below, it’s pretty easy to spot vehicles, rooftops and landmarks in these images. DigitalGobe says its services can benefit companies and governments that want to assess vehicles and monitor a region’s development (housing, infrastructure and road networks), among other things. Conservationists can also use it to monitor natural resources. While these first set of images are already great, the company will start delivering even clearer, closer satellite snapshot to all its customers by February next year.
Source: DigitalGlobe
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AIVAnet 