Archaeologists want you to spot ancient sites from your PC

Checking Twitter can get pretty traumatic these days, so why not use your time making a groundbreaking discovery instead? That’s now possible using GlobalXplorer, a “citizen science” platform that lets you check high-res satellite images for signs of ancient civilizations. The site was conceived by National Geographic Fellow and “Space Archaeologist” Dr. Sarah Parcak, and won the $1 million TED Prize last year.

The idea is similar to the MH370 search campaign launched in 2014, which let anyone check a satellite grid for pieces of the lost plane. In this case, however, you’re searching for thousands of possible hidden archaeological sites, by looking for a very particular type of activity: looting. That often happens when opportunists stumble onto ancient walls and other features before archaeologists can get to them. A video tutorial (below) shows you how to find the numerous pits that are often dug around such features in search of valuable artifacts.

Spotting the pits is a relatively simple activity, but after you’ve gained some experience you can “level up” and hunt for more exciting items. Once you advance far enough, you can unlock behind-the-scenes sneak peaks of sites on video and even virtually join archaeologists at actual dig sites.

The tiles (sourced from partner DigitalGlobe’s commercial satellites) are displayed in a randomized fashion and contain no geolocalization data, so if looters happen to spot a site, they won’t be able to tell where it is. With the aid of National Geographic, the organization is also working with local experts and communities to inspect and protect newly discovered sites.

1.5 million tiles!!! All of you on @Global_Xplorer are heros. 14k+ explorers. We only launched Monday…where will we be next week?

— Sarah Parcak (@indyfromspace) February 2, 2017

So far, over 15,000 volunteers have inspected 1.6 million 50 x 50 meter tiles (around 400 square kilometers, or 150 square miles). That might not seems like a lot, considering that there’s some 200,000 square km of land in Peru to check, but then again the site only launched a couple of days ago.

Eventually, the team wants to create a global network of “citizen explorers,” open field schools centered on archaeological preservation and even launch satellites geared directly to the search for ancient sites. If you’re interested in checking some tiles yourself (I’ve done around 100 so far) head to GlobalXplorer site to sign up. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t spot any right away — tiles you mark as negative are also a big help to the team.

Via: DP Review

Source: GlobalXplorer

NVIDIA makes it more difficult to resell bundled games

NVIDIA is putting the brakes on a cottage industry in consumer game code resales. Until now, if you got a free game with a card like the GTX 1080, you could redeem it on NVIDIA’s web site and get a key from sites like Steam, Microsoft or Origin. Lots of users simply traded those keys, gave them away or sold them on eBay, effectively pocketing a tidy discount on the card. As PC Games N noticed, however, the company has introduced a new policy making that all but impossible.

According to its new code redemption FAQ, coupons “are intended for use by the purchaser” and no one else. As such, you’ll need to redeem the codes through your GeForce Experience app account, which then links to the relevant store. Unfortunately, it’ll also perform a hardware check “to ensure that the coupon code is redeemed on the system with the qualifying GPU,” the FAQ states. NVIDIA didn’t say that it’s tied to one particular card, so presumably, you could give or sell the code to a user with the same model.

NVIDIA may be trying to stop a recent fiasco that allowed users to order a GTX 1070, get a Gears of War 4 code, then return the card, scoring the game for free. However, some Reddit users think that it could also be an NVIDIA ploy to get users signed up for GeForce Experience, an app that many PC gamers despise. Another theory is that publishers asked NVIDIA to implement the checks to kibosh shady discounts. Given the attention it’s getting, however, it may actually provoke gamers to check out this whole discount code thing, proving once again the power of the Streisand effect.

Via: Ars Technica

Source: NVIDIA

SpaceX test fires the first Falcon 9 it landed on a barge

SpaceX failed to launch a used Falcon 9 rocket back in May or June last year like it originally planned, but it’s getting closer to its goal. The private space corporation had its historic Falcon 9 booster — the very first one it successfully landed on a barge in April 2016 — complete a static fire test at its Texas facility recently. It has revealed the development on Twitter and Instagram, where the company announced that it’s “prepping [the booster] to fly again.”

Elon Musk’s space corp test fired one of the other rockets it relanded in July 2016 at the same facility, but this is the first time it fired this particular booster. SpaceX has been treating this Falcon 9 with some extra TLC, since it’s the one the company chose to ferry another payload to orbit and to prove that its rocket’s first stage truly is reusable. The test’s success shows that the booster still works, though the company has to ensure it can be restored to perfect condition before the relaunch can happen. SpaceX is aiming to send the used first stage to space as soon as March, so keep an eye out for more announcements out of its HQ.

Prepping to fly again — recovered CRS-8 first stage completed a static fire test at our McGregor, TX rocket development facility last week. pic.twitter.com/QEtKVJ1Jhc

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 1, 2017

Via: Ars Technica

Source: SpaceX (Twitter)

Devolver will highlight games from banned nations at GDC

At the end of the month, developers from around the world will congregate in San Francisco for the annual Game Developers Conference (GDC). Or rather, that was the plan. This year that’s not going to happen: President Trump’s executive order on immigration established a blanket ban on residents from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, which was initially interpreted as including those with permanent residency in the US or dual citizenship. While courts have slowly been ruling against the order, the situation is still in flux, and the Trump administration has indicated it will continue to pursue the order’s underlying aims.

The political situation has left several developers unable to attend GDC, unwilling to enter the US or unable to leave. Shahid Kamal Ahmad, current independent developer and PlayStation’s former director for strategic content, said over the weekend that he was not going to the conference. He later clarified that “so long as any Muslim is banned from the US for no reason other than their religion,” he would not attend.

“President Trump appears to be serious about clamping down on Muslims entering the US and has created confusion and heartache, not just for Muslims, but for everyone who stands for equality and mutual respect,” Ahmad told Engadget. He said he feels “deeply uncomfortable” that “a lot of people who happen to share the same religion” as him are being affected. “This kind of awful prejudice starts with smaller things and, unchecked or unquestioned, affects all of us eventually. Where do were draw the line? For the above two reasons, I’m drawing my line here.”

Although the UK has assurances from the Trump administration about British citizens traveling to the US, Ahmad said he doesn’t want to “tacitly support a prejudiced executive order,” or “sit idly by and watch as everything we in the West hold dear is dismantled in the face of blind nationalism.” He added that he “loves the USA and Americans deeply, so this hurts me deeply too.”

For Navid Khonsari, the problem isn’t getting to the US, it’s leaving. Khonsari is the creator of 1979 Revolution: Black Friday, a portrait of the Iranian revolution and one of our favorite games of last year. He’s also a Canadian-Iranian, and a legal permanent resident in the US for the past two decades. Khonsari was forced to put his international travel plans on hold following the executive order.

Speaking with Engadget, Khonsari said that game studios are diverse, and emphasized GDC’s importance for those in the industry. “To put up walls and barriers to stop people from attending it has an impact on the industry,” he said. “The impact is not one of strength, it’s one of breaking down the possibilities of what we can achieve as a cohesive group collaborating together.” What concerns Khonsari more is that the executive order came so soon into Trump’s tenure.

“If this is the first step that’s being taken within the first two weeks of the administration, what should we be anticipating in the future? What’s the impact that that’s going to have on our industry?” He argued that “we shouldn’t be taking a look at this as a ban of these seven nations that I’m being directly impacted by,” but rather as “the creation of walls that affect how we work together as an international group.”

Khonsari and Ahmad are both established voices in the games industry. But GDC is not solely for established voices; it’s supposed to be a place for all developers. That’s never quite been the case — as Vlambeer co-founder Rami Ismail laid out in an article for The Guardian, the flights and entry fees make the conference prohibitively expensive for those from developing nations. Nonetheless, the path to GDC is now significantly rougher for developers from predominantly muslim countries.

GDC’s organizers have spoken out against the executive order, tweeting they are “horrified by the #MuslimBan,” and offering to “refund affected attendees and keep fighting for inclusivity.” And it’s not the only organization attempting to help. Insomniac Games CEO Ted Price posted a strong video speaking out against the executive order; Vlambeer and other developers have donated to the ACLU; Devolver Digital, an independent publisher that’s released games like Hotline Miami and Broforce, has announced an initiative to help banned developers show their games in San Francisco.

Devolver, as always, will be set up just outside GDC, but it’s a big enough name that it draws crowds of developers and journalists alike. It’s asking studios impacted by the executive order to get in touch so it can highlight their games at its off-site location. It says it’ll have gaming PCs and, if necessary, VR headsets on hand to demo the games. Priority will be given to those that were set to travel to GDC already, but anyone from the banned countries can submit their game. It’ll accept submissions up until February 20th. If you’re interested in submitting your game, you can find details on the company’s site.

Khonsari welcomed the move, with a powerful statement, published verbatim:

“That’s exactly the kind of support that we need. This cannot be a message that comes from those that are directly impacted by it. This needs to be a message that comes from the entire industry, and it needs to come from white, brown, black, man, woman, gay, straight, LGBTQ. This needs to be a statement made by everyone. If it just comes from those that are at the forefront like myself, who are making content and being impacted, it’s just going to be seen as our issue. The fact is, if you play games and you want to enjoy really good games, you probably have no idea who’s working on them.

There are a diverse group of people making these games that you love so much, and if you want that game to be good, and you want them to continue to strive to be better and better, and entertain you, you need to be concerned about the impact this is having on limiting those that can be involved in making them. It’s an industry issue, and a world issue, and a social issue, this is not just a ban on seven countries. We need to look at the universal statement that this is making, and draw a line in the sand on which side we’re on. This isn’t about right or left or about Trump, this is coming together as a cohesive group about what we think is right or wrong.”

Ahmad said Devolver’s decision was “fantastic news,” and Ismail was also supportive, calling it a “brilliant, concrete way of helping, unique to a publisher. It won’t make up for the feeling of being banned from the country at the heart of our industry, but it gives those developers a tiny chance to still reap some benefits from GDC.” Ismail added that Devolver had contacted him before making the plan public, and he is helping the publisher reach out to affected developers.

Source: Devolver Digital

A breath monitor could soon be used to detect the flu

What if you could pick up a device from the drug store that could tell you if you have the flu and save you a trip to the doctor? That’s one possibility for a breath-analyzing gadget that University of Texas at Arlington professor Perena Gouma has developed. The device is similar to the breathalyzers law enforcement use to determine if you’ve had too much to drink. The difference is that it employs low-cost sensors to analyze a person’s breath and isolate biomarkers that can indicate whether or not you have the flu.

The materials science and engineering professor used existing medical research into the biomarkers in a patient’s breath when they have a particular medical condition. For example, people who have asthma have a higher concentration of nitric oxide in their breath. Gouma then built the flu device using nitric acid and ammonia sensors to pick up on the virus. What’s more, this breath-testing gadget could detect the flue just as well as the tests your doctor preforms during an exam to confirm that you’re sick.

Gouma eventually sees devices like this being able to test for other diseases and medical conditions — like Ebola. “I think that technology like this is going to revolutionize personalized diagnostics,” she explained. “This will allow people to be proactive and catch illnesses early, and the technology can easily be used to detect other diseases, such as Ebola virus disease, simply by changing the sensors.”

If a device like this were available over-the-counter, we could catch the flu early and treat it before it becomes a major health problem. What’s more, the breath-analyzing gadget could be used to help keep the flu virus from spreading in places like your office.

“Before we applied nanotechnology to create this device, the only way to detect biomarkers in a person’s breath was through very expensive, highly-technical equipment in a lab, operated by skilled personnel,” Gouma said. “Now, this technology could be used by ordinary people to quickly and accurately diagnose illness.”

Source: University of Texas Arlington

Facebook’s AI image search can ‘see’ what’s in photos

If you forget to tag or add a description when uploading a photo or gallery to Facebook, it can be tough to find an image when you need it. Or at least it used to be. The social network revealed today that it built an AI image search system that can “see” things in your photos even when you forget to add the aforementioned identifiers. Facebook says the system uses its Lumos platform to understand the content of photos and videos and quickly sort through the items you’ve uploaded.

This means that if even if you can’t remember when a photo was taken, if you remember the content, you might still be able to find it with ease. Facebook gives the example of searching for “black shirt photo” and the system being able to “see” all of your photos with a black shirt, even if they aren’t tagged as such. This also means that you’ll be able to sort through photos your friends have shared to find what you’re looking for rather than having to rely on tags and text descriptions.

Of course, for this to work Lumos has to be able to recognize objects when they appear in photos. Facebook developers used deep learning and a neural network to train the system to identify objects using tens of millions of photos with the proper annotations. By doing so, the image search can pick up on scenes, objects, animals, places, attractions and clothing items. The system also factors in some degree of diversity so the search results aren’t a bunch of similar images. Not only is this handy with search, but it will also help Facebook describe images and video to users who are visually impaired.

Source: Facebook

New FCC chairman wants the agency to be more transparent

New FCC chairman Ajit Pai announced today that he wants the commission wants to be more transparent in how information on its proceedings is made available to the public. Pai detailed a new pilot program that will make documents relating to upcoming FCC Open Meetings available through the agency’s website before those meetings take place. In the past, any documents circulated among members of the commission were kept under wraps until after the final vote on a matter.

Pai said that releasing the supporting documents ahead of time will help the public understand the decision-making process and allow the FCC to develop final rules that are more in line with the public interest. As part of the pilot phase, Pai released two documents that pertain to items that will be discussed at this month’s Open Meeting on February 23rd. Those topics are allowing TV stations to use ATSC 3.0, the next-gen broadcast standard, and giving AM radio stations more flexibility with FM translators.

Since this is just the trial phase, the commissioner is only releasing the supporting materials for those two matters this month rather than documents for everything on the meeting’s agenda. However, if all goes well, the plan is to eventually release text for all the items planned for an Open Meeting in advance. Currently, the chairman sends documents relating to votes three weeks before the proceedings. If the pilot works out, posting the information on the FCC website will become part of the lead up to the regular meetings.

If the new policy becomes the norm, we could be privy to info in advance on how Pai plans to relieve the “unjustified burden” that net neutrality transparency rules place on wireless carriers and ISPs.

Source: FCC

Google Chrome iOS Update Adds QR Code Scanner to 3D Touch Menu

Google yesterday updated the iOS version of Google Chrome with two new features for the iPhone and iPad web browsing app. On iOS devices that support 3D Touch, users can now 3D Touch on Google Chrome to bring up a quick access menu that now includes “Scan QR Code,” directly integrating a feature that traditionally requires users to download a random third-party app to be able to scan codes.

In addition to the new Scan QR Code option, from the 3D Touch menu users can initiate a Voice Search, start a New Incognito Tab, open a regular New Tab, or open the most recent copied link. Users can also use Spotlight on iOS to search for “QR Code” and Chrome’s “Scan QR Code” function will appear in the results list.

Additionally, the update has redesigned the tab switcher on the iPad version of Google Chrome, which the company says makes “it easier to access your open sites” within the app.

Google Chrome is available to download for free on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Tag: Chrome for iOS
Discuss this article in our forums

Tim Cook Says ‘Exciting Things’ Coming to iPad as Tablet Sales Continue to Drop

While the iPhone 7 Plus helped Apple achieve record-breaking earnings results last quarter, iPad sales remained on a downward trend.

Apple earlier this week reported that it sold 13.1 million iPads in the first quarter, which encompasses the holiday shopping season, down from 16.1 million in the year-ago quarter. As noted by Jason Snell at Six Colors, that’s nearly half as many iPads as the 26 million that Apple sold during the same period in 2013.

Apple isn’t the only tablet maker suffering from declining sales. The overall category continued to shrink by between 9% and 20% worldwide compared to the same quarter a year ago, placing pressure on Samsung and other vendors, according to the latest estimates from research firms IDC and Strategy Analytics.

Price remains a “key sticking point” for consumers looking to adopt high-end tablets such as the iPad Pro, which has created room for smaller vendors to capitalize on low-priced tablets, according to Strategy Analytics. Lenovo, for example, shipped an estimated 4.2 million tablets and grew 21% year-over-year in the quarter.

“2-in-1 tablets are a hot market segment but price remains a key factor in consumer behaviors around PC and tablet replacement devices, which is evident in lower shipments of iPad Pro and Surface Pro 4 devices in the quarter,” said Eric Smith, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics.

IDC said the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini, rather than the iPad Pro lineup, continued to account for the majority of Apple’s tablet shipments. For every ten slate tablets shipped, Apple sold only one iPad Pro, the research firm said. Apple does not officially break out iPad sales on a model-by-model basis.

Apple said it underestimated holiday demand for the iPad quarter, and that compounded a supply issue with one of its suppliers. Apple also drew down channel inventory by 700,000 units, so its results are not as bad as they look. Last year, Apple increased channel inventory by 900,000 units as the iPad Pro launched.

Apple also said the iPad has an 85% share of the U.S. tablet market priced above $200, so the tablet is doing exceptionally well in the premium segment that the company has targeted. iPad also undoubtedly remains the world’s best-selling tablet, with a comfortable lead over its rivals, based on industry estimates.

Samsung was Apple’s closest competitor with an estimated 8.1 million tablets shipped in the quarter for 12.8% market share, according to Strategy Analytics. Lenovo, Huawei, and Amazon rounded off the top five with an estimated 4.2 million, 3.7 million, and 3.4 million shipments in the quarter respectively.

As always, it is important to acknowledge that these are estimated figures, and that shipments do not necessarily reflect sales. There are also significant discrepancies between the IDC and Strategy Analytics datasets—particularly as it relates to Amazon—so treat the numbers with a proverbial grain of salt.

Apple has effectively marketed the iPad Pro as a computer in the post-PC world, but the company’s second annual decline in iPad sales led Apple podcaster Marco Arment to raise an interesting question: what if the iPad isn’t the future of computing?

What if, like so much in technology, it’s mostly just additive, rather than largely replacing PCs and Macs, and furthermore had a cooling-fad effect as initial enthusiasm wore off and customers came to this conclusion?

One thing is for certain: consumers are not upgrading their tablets nearly as often as smartphones. In order to reignite iPad sales, Apple will have to add compelling new features that entice the large base of existing iPad owners to swap out their current “good enough” tablet for a new one.

“We’ve got some exciting things coming on iPad and I’m optimistic about where things are headed,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook. “Customer satisfaction is through the roof. iPad Pro at 99%. So I see a lot of good things and hope for better results.”

Related Roundups: iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4 (2015), iPad Pro
Tags: IDC, Strategy Analytics
Buyer’s Guide: 9.7″ iPad Pro (Caution), iPad Mini (Caution), 12.9″ iPad Pro (Caution)
Discuss this article in our forums

Wink Update Brings Support for August Smart Locks Into Connected Home App

Connected smart home company Wink today announced the addition of August Smart Locks into its collection of supported brands, which already includes GE, Nest, Philips, Schlage, and more. Now, any users who have an August Smart Lock paired with an August Connect (which provides remote access to the lock) can add their lock into the Wink mobile app on iOS.

The advantage of using Wink, similar to HomeKit, is for users with a wide variety of smart home products — Wink lets them add, organize, and control multiple devices in one place. From Wink, users will now be able to monitor the status of the August Smart Lock, lock and unlock it while not at home, and get push notifications when it’s used. These features are available in the individual August Home app [Direct Link] as well.

Integration with Wink Shortcuts will further expand August Smart Lock functionality and allow users to more seamlessly automate their homes. Wink gave a few examples of these shortcuts in its press release today:

For example, a “Goodnight” Shortcut could be used to automatically lock your front door while turning off the lights and adjusting the temperature with just one tap in the Wink app. With an “I’m Home” Robot, unlocking your August Smart Lock can trigger the hallway lights to illuminate and your smart blinds to open.

Wink strives to bring the best products from the most trusted brands together, and we’re very excited to expand our smart home security footprint with Wink + August Home.

Wink says that approximately 2.3 million smart home products have been added onto its platform to date, and tells its users they can continue to expect new partnerships in the future.

The Wink app is available to download on the App Store for free [Direct Link]. For those interested in getting started with smart home products, Wink has a dedicated section of its website with various starter kits and packages to get things up and running.

Tags: August Smart Lock, August, Wink
Discuss this article in our forums