‘Monopoly’ is killing the thimble and it’s all your fault

Monopoly’s venerable thimble is not passing Go and it won’t collect $200. The sewing accessory has been part of the board game since 1935, but voters decided to ditch it during a recent contest for a more modern replacement.

The contest is part of Hasbro’s ongoing effort to update its classic game. Voters chose eight finalists out of 56 new tokens and eight classic tokens, but we’ll have to wait until March 19th to find out what made the cut. Hashtags, emojis and a rubber ducky are all possibilities. The winners will start appearing in Monopoly sets this August.

The last time the company asked fans to replace a token, they decided to exchange the classic iron with the internet’s unofficial mascot, the cat. Knowing how the internet thinks, the next token will be a poop emoji. Or Harambe.

Via: Associated Press

Source: Monopoly Token Madness

Ubisoft serves up the PC system requirements for upcoming ‘Ghost Recon Wildlands’

Why it matters to you

If you plan on playing ‘Ghost Recon Wildlands’ on a Windows PC, you’ll be thrilled to learn that Ubisoft has released the requirements.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands is set to arrive March 7 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Windows PC. To get PC gamers ready for the upcoming open-world tactical shooter, Ubisoft finally released the minimum and recommended hardware requirements. In a nutshell, fans wanting to run the game at 1,920 x 1,080 using the “high” settings are recommended to use Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1060 card or equivalent.

Here’s what PC gamers will need:

Minimum
Recommended
Target settings:
720p, Low preset
1080p, High preset
Operating system:
Windows 7 SP1 / 8.1 / 10 (64-bit)
Windows 7 SP1 / 8.1 / 10 (64-bit)
Processor:
Intel Core i5-2400S @ 2.5GHz
AMD FX-4320 @ 4.0GHz
Intel Core i7-3770 @ 3.5GHz
AMD FX-8350 @ 4.0GHz
Graphics card (Nvidia):
GTX 660
GTX 750 Ti
GTX 950
GTX 1050
GTX 970
GTX 1060
Graphics card (AMD):
HD 7870
R9 270X
R9 370X
RX 460
R9 290X
R9 390
RX 480
Graphics memory:
2GB
4GB
System memory:
6GB
8GB
Storage:
Unknown
Unknown

Ubisoft also notes specific controllers the game will officially support at launch. These include the following:

• Xbox 360
• Xbox One (Original/Elite)
• PlayStation 4 (Original/Pro)
• Steam Controller

Other controllers outside these four options will not be officially supported, and may require third-party software to make them compatible with the game. Some examples include the OUYA controller, the Logitech Chillstream, and third-party Xbox-compatible controllers from Rock Candy, PowerA, Razer, and so on.

PC gamers who prepurchase Ghost Recon Wildlands (Steam) will receive a bonus mission, allowing them to explore Bolivia’s high mountains to “break the alliance between Santa Blanca and the Peruvian Cartels.” There will also be Deluxe ($70) and Gold ($100) editions at launch packing three emblems, character customization items, an XP booster, the Huntsman motorbike, and more. The Gold edition adds the season pass to the Deluxe version’s basket of goodies.

More: Live-action prequel to ‘Ghost Recon Wildlands’ hits Amazon Prime this month

The PC hardware requirements for Ghost Recon Wildlands arrived after Ubisoft announced the launch date of the open beta for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC. Preloading will begin on February 21, followed by the open beta session that starts February 23. This “demo” will expand on what Ubisoft offered in the closed beta by inserting an additional province to explore called Montuyoc. The open beta will conclude on February 27.

“As a special bonus, if you participated in the closed beta or the open beta — and start up the retail version of Ghost Recon Wildlands before March 31 on the same Ubisoft account — you’ll also gain access to the special Unidad Conspiracy reward,” the company said.

Ghost Recon Wildlands will be the first massive, open-world military shooter under the Tom Clancy brand. Gamers can explore its world solo or with three other friends in co-op mode to take down the Santa Blanca cartel before it becomes a major underworld power.

Gfycat makes it easier for developers to make GIFs a part of their apps

Why it matters to you

Gyfcat’s new software development kit will make it easier for developers to make GIFs a part of their apps.

GIFs: The cute little animated images you just can’t seem to escape, these days. Dancing cats. Alien saucers. Highlights from the previous week’s big game. They are digital zeitgeists, cultural cross-sections of the now. Thanks to services like Gyfcat, sharing them is about to become a whole lot easier.

Gyfcat, the world’s largest user-generated GIF platform, launched a software development kit earlier this that will let developers tap Gyfcat’s millions of animated images. It’s available first on iOS, with an Android component to come down the line.

More: Tumblr’s new iMessage app lets you create and share your own GIFs

“The Gfycat SDK will enable developers to custom-integrate a GIF keyboard into their app in a single afternoon,” Gfycat CEO Richard Rabbat said in a press release. “As GIFs continue to catch on as a visual language, there is tremendous value to developers in a ready-made keyboard SDK that they can easily integrate into their apps. GIF keyboards increase consumer engagement within apps, and developers are catching on.”

A new version of Tango.me, the first service use Gyfcat’s SDK, integrates the GIF-sharing service of more than 48.5 million monthly users tightly. Users can share GIFs at the touch of a button and search Gyfcat’s selection using a built-in search bar.

It’s a boost for Tango.me, which has struggled to maintain a dominant position in the increasingly competitive messaging market. It boasted an impressive 70 million active users in 2014 and attracted investments from both Alibaba and Walmart, but recently laid off nine percent of its staff.

Tango.me recently launched a new app, Fiesta, in order to streamline development of its flagship product.

More: Stills not enough? Here’s how to post an animated GIF on Facebook

“We’ve prioritized high visual quality in our mobile offerings so far, and after working with Tango intensively we’re very pleased with the results,” Tango.me CEO Eric Setton said. “This is a great opportunity both for our users to express themselves using Gfycat’s fun, viral content and for content owners to expose their GIFs to Tango’s users.”

Gyfcat, on the other hand, is riding the wave of its successes. In September, it announced a $10 million funding round on the heels of the release of an API platform that allows developers to upload videos and GIFs from any site or app directly to Gyfcat.

“The rapid growth of Gfycat’s creator community is a testament to the power of our creation tools,” Rabbat said at the time. “Our users appreciate the speed and simplicity of our platform and we’ve drawn inspiration from our passionate user base to continue improving on the format.”

Bioengineers share their biobot blueprints with the world

Why it matters to you

By sharing their blueprints, these researchers may help create tomorrow’s drug-delivering biobots.

Bioengineers Ritu Raman and Rashid Bashir know biobots. They’ve been building them for years as part of their work within Bashir’s research group at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Five years ago, they developed bio-bots that could move thanks to a power supply provided by rat heart cells. Now, the team wants to help other bioengineers build biobots of their own. They’ve shared their blueprint in a paper published in the journal Nature Protocols.

“Biobots are robots that use biological tissues to perform certain functional tasks,” Raman, the paper’s lead author, told Digital Trends. “Our biobots use skeletal muscle to walk, but our paper discusses extending our methodology to other tissue types and other functional behaviors. The muscle we use is genetically engineered to contract in response to blue light, so we can get our biobots to walk in the direction of a flashing light stimulus.”

In the paper, which was featured on the cover of the journal, the researchers also describe recipes and protocols for developing biobots in order to inform other bioengineers.

More: Biologists just created the world’s first stable semi-synthetic organism

“We believe that the next generation of engineers and scientists will benefit greatly from learning how to ‘build with biology,’ and that biological materials will be an invaluable addition to the inventors’ toolbox,” Raman said. She and her team have developed a class for undergraduates at the University of Illinois and University of California, Merced, and now want to broaden this network to include researchers from other institutions.

Through their research, Raman and Bashir hope to demonstrate how living cells can contribute to the development of complex systems. “In the near future, we hope that this research can be applied towards applications in healthcare such as high-throughput drug testing, dynamic functional implants, and targeted drug delivery,” Raman said. “Once we have developed methodologies for engineering robust multi-cellular multi-functional biobots, we hope that biobots can be targeted at any real-world application that is currently addressed with robots made from man-made materials.

“I hope that other researchers can use this paper as a foundational resource on how to design, manufacture, and optimize a bio-integrated machine,” she added, “and that it inspires them to use biobots to address technical challenges we face as a society.”

AT&T earns top marks among wireless peers in recent J.D. Power surveys

Why it matters to you

AT&T’s impressive marks for customer service set a high bar for what you can expect the next time you step into an AT&T store.

AT&T, the second-largest mobile carrier in the United States, has something to gloat about. On Thursday, it announced that it received top marks in two recent J.D. Power studies.

The company performed well in the area of purchase experience. It’s the eighth time in a row AT&T has distinguished itself in the J.D. Power 2017 U.S. Wireless Purchase Experience Study, and the first time it’s outscored the industry average and closest competitor by 14 points.

More: AT&T’s Glenn Lurie pushes back on criticism of the company’s moves outside wireless

Separately, it received outstanding marks in last month’s J.D. Power’s Wireless Customer care rankings for the second time in a row.

“Customers have spoken. And we are thrilled with what they had to say,” CEO Glenn Lurie said in a press release. “Add that to our recent award for wireless customer care and that means we swept J.D. Power’s [studies] among full service providers. Simply put, this means AT&T is providing a great overall experience when you shop with us.”

The good news comes at a time when AT&T’s mainstay businesses face challenges. In January, a report by Cowen and Company Equity Research found that the carrier lost more subscribers on a quarterly basis than any other American carrier. And the company has lost postpaid phone subscriptions in the last eight consecutive quarters.

More: Following in Verizon’s footsteps, AT&T is raising its activation and upgrade fees

Strategic shifts may help to turn around the trend. AT&T’s become the top provider of in-car connectivity, with more than 10 million cars on its network across some 22 brands. The company’s recently broadened support of internet of things (IoT) products, which comprise home appliances, drones, and wearable devices. And the carrier, which owns satellite television provider DirecTV, is in talks to acquire Time Warner for $85.4 billion. Assuming the effort isn’t stonewalled by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, the deal is expected to be approved by both parties this week.  

In an interview with Digital Trends earlier this year, Laurie stressed that AT&T was focused on “entertainment first” and connectivity second. “I respect my competitors,” he said, “[but] we’re not just a wireless company.” He underlined his belief that DirecTV Now, an a la carte television service that streams cable channels to digital subscribers, represents the future of entertainment. “It’s very well-priced,” he said. “You want content to come with you.”

A desktop vacuum former on Kickstarter will complete any craft space

Why it matters to you

Already wondering how you will create your 2017 Halloween mask? This Kickstarter desktop vacuum former can help with that and a whole lot more.

If you’re a craftsman, there is a good chance you have a 3D printer and CNC milling machine or router, but do you have a vacuum former?

For those unfamiliar with it, vacuum forming is a process in which you take a plastic sheet, heat it up to soften it, and then apply air pressure so that it conforms to a mold. What you end up with is a hard plastic object with an imprint of whatever mold you used it with.

It’s exciting — and useful — stuff, although like many tools it requires a bit of expertise to use. For that reason, if you want something vacuum formed, you will probably wind up handing it over to a technician rather than doing it yourself. That is what a new Kickstarter project, for the so-called Vaquform, wants to change.

More: Who needs a frickin’ laser? Desktop waterjet cutter slices through stone, steel

Vaquform claims to add digital smarts to the regular vacuum forming mix. This includes an infrared probe that monitors the temperature of your plastic sheet down to 0.1-degree Celcius precision. Not only does this mean you don’t have to stand there watching the whole time but it also ensures that every repeat part you make is perfectly consistent.

In addition, there are presets designed to make your job easier, regardless of which material type and thickness you choose and a few other smart features thrown in for good measure.

The result is a nifty desktop machine that will benefit any craftsman.

“I’m an industrial designer and I’ve used 3D printing a lot in my work,” creator and Vaquform CEO John Tan told Digital Trends. “A common pain point with 3D printing is how slow the process is — particularly if you’re manufacturing more than one of an object. One possibility with this tool is that, rather than creating your finished product on a 3D printer, why not instead print your mold with the 3D printer and then use the vacuum former to create your final piece? That way you make the process of reproduction a lot faster.”

With 24 days still to go, Vaquform has already more than doubled its $60,000 funding goal. Prices for a Vaquform desktop vacuum former and material pack start at $599, with shipping set to take place in  October.

It’s certainly made quite the impression on us. (Get it?)

Algorithm predicts autism diagnosis in young children with 81 percent accuracy

Why it matters to you

An algorithm that’s able to accurately predict autism diagnoses in young kids could enable potental interventions to be made earlier.

A team of researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have developed a deep learning algorithm that can accurately predict whether a child at high risk of autism is likely to be diagnosed with the disorder in early childhood.

The algorithm was able to predict with 81 percent accuracy whether a diagnosis of autism would be made for a child with an autistic sibling,. That’s considerably higher than the 50 percent accuracy of current behavioral questionnaires.

More: Friendly educational robot designed to help kids with autism

The deep learning tool was developed in conjunction with computer scientists from the College of Charleston as part of the Infant Brain Imaging Study, which focuses on early brain development among children with autism. By scanning their brains at 6 months old,  a year old, and 2 years old, they were able to make some interesting discoveries.

“In previous literature, we’ve found brain volume enlargement in autism, meaning that people with autism have bigger brains than average,” senior author Dr. Heather Hazlett, a psychologist and brain development researcher, told Digital Trends. “In this study, we add to that by pinpointing that it’s really during the first two years of life that we see this change happening. What we found is that it occurs between 12 and 24 months. It’s not present at 12 months, but emerges rapidly after that, during the second year of life. However, what we see during the first year is surface area enlargement, referring to the folding outer contour of the brain. In children who have autism at age 2, there’s a hyperexpansion or rapid growth of the surface area at 6 to 12 months. This precedes the brain volume enlargement, and is really a story that hasn’t been told before.”

Using information concerning brain surface area, brain volume, and the insight that boys are more likely than girls to develop autism, the algorithm was able to identify eight out of 10 kids with autism.

So how could this research improve the lives of those who are diagnosed?

“I think this has potential in the sense that you could target a time period early in development which might be presymptomatic,” Hazlett said. “What we believe is that the earlier you can intervene, before the behaviors and brain differences have consolidated, you may have the greatest chance to make a change in that trajectory. Intervention that could be made prior to the onset of autism, aged 2, may lead to a greater effect, since the brain is very malleable during that period.

Algorithm predicts autism diagnosis in young children with 81 percent accuracy

Why it matters to you

An algorithm that’s able to accurately predict autism diagnoses in young kids could enable potental interventions to be made earlier.

A team of researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have developed a deep learning algorithm that can accurately predict whether a child at high risk of autism is likely to be diagnosed with the disorder in early childhood.

The algorithm was able to predict with 81 percent accuracy whether a diagnosis of autism would be made for a child with an autistic sibling,. That’s considerably higher than the 50 percent accuracy of current behavioral questionnaires.

More: Friendly educational robot designed to help kids with autism

The deep learning tool was developed in conjunction with computer scientists from the College of Charleston as part of the Infant Brain Imaging Study, which focuses on early brain development among children with autism. By scanning their brains at 6 months old,  a year old, and 2 years old, they were able to make some interesting discoveries.

“In previous literature, we’ve found brain volume enlargement in autism, meaning that people with autism have bigger brains than average,” senior author Dr. Heather Hazlett, a psychologist and brain development researcher, told Digital Trends. “In this study, we add to that by pinpointing that it’s really during the first two years of life that we see this change happening. What we found is that it occurs between 12 and 24 months. It’s not present at 12 months, but emerges rapidly after that, during the second year of life. However, what we see during the first year is surface area enlargement, referring to the folding outer contour of the brain. In children who have autism at age 2, there’s a hyperexpansion or rapid growth of the surface area at 6 to 12 months. This precedes the brain volume enlargement, and is really a story that hasn’t been told before.”

Using information concerning brain surface area, brain volume, and the insight that boys are more likely than girls to develop autism, the algorithm was able to identify eight out of 10 kids with autism.

So how could this research improve the lives of those who are diagnosed?

“I think this has potential in the sense that you could target a time period early in development which might be presymptomatic,” Hazlett said. “What we believe is that the earlier you can intervene, before the behaviors and brain differences have consolidated, you may have the greatest chance to make a change in that trajectory. Intervention that could be made prior to the onset of autism, aged 2, may lead to a greater effect, since the brain is very malleable during that period.

You can now control some Linksys Wi-Fi devices using new Amazon Alexa skills

Why it matters to you

If you’re an Amazon Alexa user and your network is built with Linksys products, you have some new skills to put to use.

Today’s crop of personal and home digital assistants, such as Microsoft Cortana, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa, are supporting more devices all the time. They’re on smartphones, PCs, wearables, headless devices like Google Home, Amazon Echo, and upcoming Bluetooth speakers.

Amazon has been particularly aggressive in adding Alexa support to even more third-party solutions, enabling manufacturers to add “skills” that allow Alexa to control the devices and perform various actions. Mesh systems and wireless routers made by Linksys have been added to the list of supported Alexa devices, including those in the Velop, WRT, and Max-Stream families.

More: Amazon has introduced an Alexa skills marketplace

To enable the Amazon Alexa support on Linksys devices, you need to make sure you have a Linksys Smart Wi-Fi account set up and configured for each device. If you have a Velop mesh network, a Linksys account is required and so you’re already good to go. An account is optional for other Linksys devices, so go ahead and get that done.

Once that’s completed, you can open the Alexs app on your mobile device. Open the menu, then choose Skills. Select the Search box, search for “Linksys,” then select it from the results. Tap on the Enable button to turn on Alexa for that device, and you can check out the skill description and trigger examples on the same page.

Note that you can also ask Alexa to “enable the Linksys skill.” Once that’s done, you will need to authenticate using the OAuth screen that pops up by entering your Linksys Smart Wi-Fi account credentials to allow the two systems to work together. In a few minutes, the Linksys skill should be available

Examples of supported Linksys devices include the WRT1900AC and Max-Stream EA9500 routers and the Velop Whole Home Wi-Fi mesh system. Three new Alexa voice controls have been added for supported Linksys devices:

• Turning guest access on and off.
• Obtaining the guest Wi-Fi name and password.
• Obtaining the primary network credentials; this skill can be switched on and off.

The ability to tie digital assistants to various third-party devices tremendously expands their functionality, not to mention how deeply they’re embedded in our lives. In fact, one of the more important technology decisions that we make in the next few years will likely be which digital assistant we choose to work with.

AT&T caves to the competition, suddenly serves up a new unlimited data plan

Why it matters to you

Competition’s a beautiful thing. AT&T announced that it will offer unlimited data to new and existing customers.

It’s been a hectic weak in wireless. First Verizon, the U.S.’s largest carrier by number of subscribers, announced it would begin offering an unlimited data plan. Following the news, T-Mobile added high-definition video and hotspot to its existing unlimited plan. Then Sprint, not to be outdone by the competition, raised throttling limits on its plans. Now AT&T’s throwing its hat in the ring.

On Thursday, the carrier said it would begin offering unlimited data plans to customers without requiring them to purchase AT&T’s DirecTV or U-verse television service.

AT&T’s offering, which goes live Friday, will effectively go toe-to-toe with Verizon’s new plan. It features four lines for $180, or a single line for $100. Each additional line runs $40, and customers can add an optional “Roam North America” feature that lets them call, text, and use data in Canada and Mexico for no additional charge.

More: It’s finally back — Verizon again offers its unlimited plan to eager customers

Subscribers will receive a $40 bill credit for a fourth line, effectively making it free. But it won’t take effect right away — for the first month or so, four-line plans will cost $220.

AT&T’s plan isn’t without caveats. It includes unlimited high-definition video, but not tethering — unlike Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint’s reworked plans, subscribers won’t be able to use their phones as a mobile hotspot. AT&T will slow down users when they enter busy or “congested” areas if they exceed a data threshold of 22GB in a month. And the new plan packs AT&T’s Stream Saver, an optional feature that downgrades the quality of streaming video to standard definition.

AT&T said Unlimited date customers will be able to turn off Stream Saver if they choose. “You are not required to use Stream Saver. You can turn it off once and it stays off,” an AT&T spokesperson told Ars Technica.

More: Carriers compete: Sprint launches unlimited deal after Verizon, AT&T do

Friday will mark the first time AT&T’s offered an unlimited plan to non-TV subscribers since 2010, when it officially killed its all-you-can-eat data tier. Grandfathered customers who’ve managed to hold onto the old plan won’t see their terms changed, but will be subject to a $5-a-month hike that’ll raise the total price of legacy unlimited to $45. That’s before a $40 access fee, which brings the total to $85 a month.

Current AT&T DirecTV and U-verse customers won’t be affected by Thursday’s announcement.

AT&T’s new unlimited plan stacks up somewhat favorably to the competition. Verizon’s unlimited plan starts at $80 for one line, up to $180 for a family of four. T-Mobile’s refreshed One plan, which includes HD video streaming and 10GB of mobile hotspot data, is $70 for one line, $100 for two lines, or $160 for four lines, with taxes and fees included. And Sprint’s unlimited plan starts at $90 for five lines of unlimited data with HD video an 10GB of mobile hotspot data for new customers.