ICYMI: Improving pesticide’s sticking abilities
Today on In Case You Missed It: MIT researchers created a kind of pesticide that is much more likely to stick on plant leaves because its additives are made of negatively and positively charged polymers that bond together. This means far less pesticide needs to be used for the same effect, and fewer pollutants are likely to get into the water system.
If you’re interested in watching the full dominoes video (and why wouldn’t you be, that stuff is mesmerizing) you can find it here. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Watch Nintendo’s 3DS-focused Direct here at 10AM ET
Nintendo is giving some love to its handheld 3DS console at its IFA 2016 Nintendo Direct event this year. Expected titles include Shin Megami Tensei 4 Apocalypse, Yo-kai Watch 2, Pokemon Sun & Moon and more. We can also expect some Amiibo figurines that work with Nintendo’s New 3DS and New 3DS XL, or on the older models via a reader.
What we’re really hoping to see, however, is an appearance by Detective Pikachu, the Japan-only game that sees the Pokemon character make like Sherlock Holmes. Luckily, we won’t have to wait long to find out, as the Nintendo Direct show starts streaming on Twitch, or you can see it below at 10AM ET.
Source: Nintendo (Twitter)
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket explodes on launch pad in Cape Canaveral
During a pre-launch test this morning, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The spacecraft was sitting on a launchpad ahead of a scheduled launch this Saturday to take an AMOS-6 communications satellite into orbit for the Israeli company Spacecom. That satellite is a joint effort between Facebook and France’s Eutelsat to provide internet connectivity to 14 African countries. Some reports indicated that the explosion shook office buildings some distance away.
SpaceX was static firing the Falcon 9 engines ahead of this weekend’s launch at Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40), a process that’s standard procedure. During that test, the Air Force Museum at the Kennedy Space Center closes, however SpaceX does have a personnel building close to the launchpad. The Verge reports the US Air Force 45th Space Wing says there no known casualties and there’s not a threat to the general public. Last year, a Falcon 9 broke up shortly after launch on a resupply mission to the International Space Station.
SpaceX says the explosion was caused by “an anomaly” on the launchpad, but the area was clear so there were no injuries. The company didn’t offer any word on an exact cause and it may be a while before more information is discovered, but the Falcon 9 and its payload, the AMOS-6 satellite, were both destroyed. Here’s the full statement:
Statement on this morning’s anomaly pic.twitter.com/3Xm2bRMS7T
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 1, 2016
SpaceX pad on fire!! pic.twitter.com/Gx1KNEyvRD
— Kris (@krisn99) September 1, 2016
Just got this from KSC @WFTV pic.twitter.com/vK2FfLdrIC
— Martha Sugalski (@MarthaSugalski) September 1, 2016
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Associated Press
‘Super Mario Maker’ heads to 3DS on December 2nd
Super Mario Maker is already a success on the Wii U, and now it’s making its way to the 3DS on December 2nd. Nintendo announced the handheld version during a 3DS-specific livestream this morning. Super Mario Maker on 3DS includes the full game plus the ability to share courses with your friends via WiFi or StreetPass. Players can even collaborate on incomplete courses to create friendship masterpieces.
Super Mario Maker landed on Wii U in 2015 and was a hit with fans and critics alike. Not only is Super Mario Maker an innovative title that’s great for livestreaming, it drives home how ridiculously hard it is to actually make video games.
#SuperMarioMaker for #3DS launches on 12/2! pic.twitter.com/zOPWhfLV0C
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) September 1, 2016
Sony sold me on Xperia Agent in one cup of coffee
I like coffee. I like robots. So, when Sony’s cutesy Xperia Agent offered to serve me up a cup of Arabica at IFA, how could I refuse? Of course I didn’t, and it was probably the best cup of show-floor joe that I had this week. We first saw the Xperia Agent at MWC, but we’ve barely heard anything from the bot since, so free coffee or not, it was good to check in with the little guy and see it doing its connected thing.
The “Agent” half of the equation appears to be part of Sony’s plans to rival assistant Alexa in Amazon’s Echo. When I ordered my espresso (well, when the booth staff ordered it for me via a microphone to cut out the show floor noise), the Agent gave me a rundown of some of the other tasks it could do for me. Call mom, that kinda thing. But Agent is also present in Sony’s wearable “Ear,” and is the intelligent assistant that will let you respond to calls and reply to messages. This makes Xperia Agent a kind of in-house physical mascot for what’s likely to be a technology we see creeping into even more gadgets from the company.
The problem, right now, is what if you want some of Sony’s Agent devices, but are already invested in Amazon’s Echo? Or any of the other similar products? This has been an issue long before the smarthome. Any new technology always goes through a “jostling” stage, like Blu-ray fighting off HD DVD. Everyone wants their idea to dominate, until a winner pulls ahead, and (ideally) others concede and make them compatible, or bow out. Xperia Agent technically can’t bow though, so it wins by default? Or it might, whenever Sony commits and releases the darned thing.
We’re live all week from Berlin, Germany, for IFA 2016. Click here to catch up on all the news from the show.
‘Yoshi’s Woolly World’ hits 3DS next year with an adorable Amiibo
Yoshi’s Woolly World is the next game in Nintendo’s Wii U library to make its way to 3DS, further proving that while the Wii U is a wonderful system, Nintendo is winding the console down to make room for the NX. The complete Yoshi’s Woolly World game lands on Nintendo’s handheld on February 3rd, and it’s bringing a friend along for the ride.
The 3DS version is technically called Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World. Poochy is an adorable pup that shows up in the game to complete levels on his own and help Yoshi by enlisting his secret-sniffing Poochy Pups. The 3DS version of Yoshi’s Woolly World includes new Poochy levels and, most importantly, it launches alongside the Poochy Amiibo figurine. Look at its happy little face. Let its soothe your soul.
If that didn’t work, please find solace in Poochy’s adorable booty.
Sony’s Future Lab needs your help testing a wearable prototype
Normally, gadget and consumer electronics prototypes will go through multiple stages of rigorous vetting and testing before they even get close to being seen by the public. But Sony is taking a different approach with its new early adopter Future Lab Program. The company announced at IFA in Berlin today that it is actively recruiting testers to play with a new hands-free, open-ear audio device called concept prototype “N”.
The program is invite-only and will be exclusively offered to people living in San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area. What’s more, applicants will first have to agree to the program’s terms and conditions, then actually attend the Future Lab Program event, which is itself invite-only as well. Plus, applicants will have to pay $100 to participate. So, yeah, pretty darn exclusive. Throughout the course of the program, testers will be expected to provide feedback in the form of questionnaires, phone and in-person interviews and other communications. They’ll also be required to speak English in order to put the voice recognition feature through its paces and own either an Android 5.0 or iPhone 5S phone (or higher).
There are a whole bunch of hoops to jump through if you want to participate, sure, but there’s a big payoff. The Concept Prototype N is a hands-free wearable that wraps around your neck. But unlike other neckband headphones, the N doesn’t require earbuds. Instead, it beams localized audio right at your head using Virtualphones Technology. If you want a bit more privacy — or just don’t want to blast your music for everyone on the streetcar to hear — the N also uses bone conducting open-ear headphones.
Additionally, the N packs four microphones and relies on both local and cloud-based speech recognition so that you’ll be able use Siri or Google Now without fishing your phone from your pocket. It even has a small, voice-activated camera. And it’s not as if the N simply acts as a microphone for your mobile device. It uses GPS and location data to deliver timely audio notifications — updates to your schedule, weather reports, personalized news or notable nearby attractions — while the user moves around town.
The Future Lab Program is expected to run until next August. You can find more information and sign up for the demo event at the Future Lab website.
The next ‘Pikmin’ game is a Nintendo 3DS side-scroller
It’s been well over a year since Shigeru Miyamoto teased us with the possibility of a Pikmin 4, and during today’s Nintendo Direct stream, the company announced… something else. The company closed out its 2017 line-up with a new, unnamed Pikmin adventure for 3DS. Okay, it’s not the full sequel we were hoping for, but it looks pretty darn cute.
Pikmin for 3DS seems to follow a familiar pattern: Olimar is wandering an alien landscape with an army of brightly colored Pikmin. Together, they collect objects, fight enemies and solve puzzles. Players control Olimar with the physical buttons and throw Pikmin by tapping on the 3DS’ touch display. This time around, however, the game is presented as a side-scroller, stretching each level’s landscape between the portable console’s dual screens. Nintendo says this game is a bit more action focused than previous titles, too.
Sounds neat! But unfortunately, we won’t know more for awhile: the game doesn’t even have a final name yet, and carries the vague release date of “sometime next year.”
HDMI Announces USB-C to HDMI Cables for 4K Displays and TVs
The licensing group behind the HDMI interface has introduced a new HDMI Alternate Mode that will allow for USB-C devices like the 12-inch MacBook, smartphones, and tablets to connect to HDMI-enabled 4K displays and TVs over a single cable, with no adapters or dongles required.
The new specification will lead to the release of simple HDMI to USB-C cables that support the full range of HDMI 1.4b features, including 3D, Ethernet, and CEC. Connecting an HDMI-enabled 4K display or TV to a 12-inch MacBook currently requires using Apple’s $79 USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter.
Thunderbolt remains the more popular I/O protocol for connecting 4K displays and TVs to Macs, since existing models are unable to drive 4K displays or TVs at 60Hz over HDMI by default. HDMI-enabled 4K displays and TVs connected to a 12-inch MacBook via adapter, for example, only support a 30Hz refresh rate.
In addition to the 12-inch MacBook, Apple is rumored to release updated MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models featuring USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 as early as October. Those notebooks would support HDMI to USB-C cables, providing Mac users with another option for connecting 4K displays and TVs.
Tags: USB-C, 4K displays, HDMI
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Plex Announces DVR Recording Feature for ‘Plex Pass’ Subscribers
Personal media collection app Plex today announced a new bonus for users subscribed to its “Plex Pass” service, introducing a DVR function that can record shows on free digital broadcast channels. The company calls DVR an expansion of its footprint in streaming media, and hopes it makes the premium tiers more enticing for its customers who might be unsure of upgrading from the free service.
To work properly, Plex DVR requires a digital antenna and an HDHomeRun digital tuner, giving users access to free over-the-air channels with “86 of the 100 most popular shows in the United States in 2016.” In addition to major networks like ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and The CW, users will also be able to tune into and record local stations, news, and sports.
“We’ve put a lot of time into this release, and the result is a really elegant DVR, which takes advantage of all the power and intelligence of Plex,” said Scott Olechowski, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Plex.
“Plex rounds out the cord cutting experience with a beautifully organized, easy-to-navigate interface that makes all your content available wherever you go. Now you can view TV in a living room or on your phone, using a streaming stick in a hotel, or even on a plane when you’re offline. The addition of DVR allows our customers to make Plex the heart of their media experience. No other solution comes close.”
Thanks to Plex’s multitude of apps, users will be able to record and watch their shows from any device they have Plex downloaded on, including OS X, iOS, and Apple TV. Plex will continue to populate shows with artwork and plot descriptions, but the new DVR can also gather information on show descriptions, episode synopses, and season information.
Plex DVR also supports offline viewing, upgradable functions with the chance to add more tuners (to record more shows at once) or additional storage, and picture quality that “far surpasses the picture quality of cable and satellite.” Over time, the Plex DVR will begin recommending shows for users to watch based on the series they’ve viewed and recorded most.
Plex Pass can be subscribed to for $4.99 per month, $39.99 per year, or $149.99 for a lifetime subscription. The cost for DVR features comes in addition to the price of the tuner and antenna needed for the service to work properly. Current Plex Pass subscribers can join in on the beta for the DVR feature right now, but the company didn’t mention when it will launch to a wider audience.
Tag: Plex
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