Ben Heck’s soldered Atari 2600

Watch Ben as he tackles the challenge of soldering the main processing chips of an Atari 2600 into a new configuration. In this episode, he’ll Introduce concepts and tricks such as the optimal layout of wiring between chips, what to do with dry joints and how to lay out passive components between pins on a piece of strip board. It’s almost hypnotic. Join The Ben Heck Show team and suggest builds and projects on the element14 community.

Sony stops shipping PlayStation TV in Japan

The days may be numbered for the PlayStation TV (aka PlayStation Vita TV), Sony’s attempt at bringing the Vita experience into your living room. The company has updated the PSTV’s Japanese product page to say that it has stopped shipping the mini console, at least in that country — if you want one, you’ll have to track down whatever’s left on store shelves. We’ve reached out to the company to learn what this means for the ultimate fate of the PSTV in the US and elsewhere, but it’s not looking good when Sony itself isn’t making Vita titles.

If the PSTV is discontinued worldwide, it won’t be surprising. The device has long come across as an awkward compromise. It can only play some Vita games (which aren’t hugely popular as it is), downloadable PS1 titles and Remote Play, and it’s hard to justify as a media hub when other set-tops in its price range are better-suited to the job. Steep price cuts early in its history suggest that few people were enamored with it from the start, for that matter. Given that Sony is doing everything it can to improve its bank balance, the PSTV seems like a logical candidate for the chopping block.

Via: NeoGAF, Game Informer, Polygon

Source: PlayStation Japan (translated)

League CEO Mike Serbinis on making a mobile-focused health and wellness platform

High-level healthcare systems are still clumsy and terrible.

I would consider my healthcare situation relatively tech savvy, for what it is. I don’t have a Google Glass-wielding tech-focused doctor or anything, but it’s not bad. My doctor is cool enough to use an app for making appointments and sending over requests. She emails me test results and will gladly send a text message when the need arises. She’s a rarity in the medical industry, and a lot of that has to do with the massive parts of the healthcare system that don’t actually interoperate. Depending on who your doctor is, your whole medical experience could still be pen and paper in 2016.

Recently I sat down with the CEO of League, a Canadian company focused on bringing healthcare solutions into the smartphone age with their city-by-city program that recently came to the US. Of all the med tech solutions I’ve seen over the last year, this one seems like it’s actually making things easier for the user.

Serbinis started the interview by explaining League is all about simplifying the health and wellness process through technology. Their health and fitness app makes it so there’s a single place to discover medical professionals, schedule and appointment, and pay for services. It’s a benefits system being offered to companies in Seattle right now, set up so you and your employer put money into a League account, and that money gets used for whatever professional you want to use in the League marketplace. Users can rate and review medical professionals in this marketplace, and it all happens through the League app.

Serbinis wants to make sure this doesn’t become a Yelp! for doctors, and is instead a complete solution.

As an alternative to the traditional benefits system, League sounds like a cool idea. The biggest challenge, according to Serbinis, is making all of the individual pieces work together. Making it easy to discover the services that are available hasn’t been a problem, but managing the money and making sure the scheduling system is universal has presented itself as a challenge. In order for everything to work smoothly, the healthcare provider has to also play nice with League’s services. Specifically, Serbinis wants to make sure this doesn’t become a Yelp! for doctors, and is instead a complete solution.

If the 12 companies currently working with League in Seattle — the first US city the company has started working in — are any indication, League is set for significant growth into other US cities this year. From a user’s perspective, League makes a lot of sense. A single place for all of the individual parts needed for healthcare to function sounds a lot nicer than the 3 wildly different apps my relatively modern set up requires to be functional. At the same time, it’s the sort of thing that will undoubtedly be a slow march in order to ensure each solution in each city runs smoothly. Any way you look at it, this is an impressive demonstration of bringing healthcare to the smartphone era.

Apple said to unveil smaller iPhone, iPad models on March 21st

All the hype surrounding Apple’s rumored March event might soon boil to a head. Sources for both Recode and Buzzfeed understand that Apple will hold its shindig on or shortly after March 21st — later than the previously-hinted March 15th date, but timely if you’re celebrating the start of spring. The devices expected at the show haven’t changed, mind you. Tim Cook and crew are reportedly unveiling a revamped 4-inch iPhone (possibly called the iPhone SE), a 9.7-inch iPad Pro and a fresh round of Apple Watch straps. If you’re fond of Apple’s smaller mobile gear, you may have an abundance of choices in the space of a month.

Source: Recode, Buzzfeed News

Zepp and Old Hickory debut bat with integrated swing sensor

Zepp tipped its hand on integrated swing sensors for baseball bats and tennis rackets back at CES. With MLB Spring Training in full swing, now’s as good a time as any to pull the wraps of the finished version. The sports-tracking company teamed up with wood bat manufacturer Old Hickory for the Mike Trout Old Hickory Smart Bat. If you’re unfamiliar, Mr. Trout is one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball over the last few years and a long-time fan (since high school) of Old Hickory’s sticks.

“Introducing a Smart Bat is a big moment for the game,” said Mike Trout. “Having Zepp combined with my signature bat will help give me an edge. I’m always looking to improve my swing and have consistency throughout the season.”

Trout first worked with Zepp back in 2014 to use its 3D Swing Analyzer to track his hitting habits. Last year, the Angels outfielder collaborated with the company on a sensor that fits inside a game-day bat. For the Old Hickory version, the swing sensor is located in the knob of the bat rather than clipping on the end like the previous version. The advantage here is you don’t have a tracker adding length to the end of your bat and the built-in version aims to provide feedback during games, not just in practice sessions. Yes, it’s removable, but you don’t have to take it out to charge it.

What’s more, amateur baseball events by Perfect Game USA and Ripken Baseball have already approved the bat for in-game use. There’s no word on pricing just yet, but if you’re looking to take a few hacks, you’ll be able to do just that this June.

Scientists model a Coronavirus’ infectious bits for the first time

A collaboration of scientists from University of Washington (UW), the Pasteur Institute and the University of Utrecht have harnessed a state-of-the-art microscope and supercomputer to model a coronavirus’ infection mechanism for the first time.

Coronaviruses are really good at infecting the respiratory systems of humans and other mammals. Once inside, these viruses can cause pneumonia (if you’re lucky). The strains that become SARS and MERS have a mortality rate as high as 37 percent. Plus, there is currently no antigen for SARS or MERS, which makes them especially dangerous.

The virus is so effective because of its “transmembrane spike glycoprotein,” which binds to the surfaces of other cells, allowing the virus to enter. This structure is what gives coronaviruses their spiky, crown-like shape and determines what species of animals the virus can target.

The research team leveraged a single particle cryo-electron microscopy technique to model the spike of a coronavirus that infects mice in terrific detail. The team managed a 4 angstrom resolution — about a tenth of a nanometer.

With this new analysis, the team believes they’ve identified a potential weaknesses in the virus’ defenses. Turns out, the spike has a small peptide chain running along it. That peptide helps facilitate the virus’ entry into a cell but could easily be hijacked by a treatment.

“Small molecules or protein scaffolds might eventually be designed to bind to this site,” UW assistant professor of chemistry, David Veesler said in a statement, “to hinder insertion of the fusion peptide into the host cell membrane and to prevent it from undergoing changes conducive to fusion with the host cell. We hope that this might be the case, but much more work needs to be done to see if it is possible.”

Source: UW Health Sciences