These are the PlayStation VR games coming out this month!

What new games does PlayStation VR have in store this month?

Playstation VR has a great selection of games for you to browse through for your adventures in VR. Happily, the list of games is always expanding, and adding new titles for you to choose from. If you’ve been trying to figure out what is appearing this month, we’ve got you covered. While there are only a handful of new releases for May, we’ve got them all here for you!

Read more at VRHeads.com

Google soups up Sheets by adding in a little machine learning

Data can be overwhelming to manage in mass quantities, so this is Google’s way of offering to take over the hard stuff.

Google’s cluster of professional, document making apps is still one of the most robust office suites available, and today’s update includes several new feature additions that might make it even more attractive to use. Now, Sheets can build your chart for you using the same machine learning technology that’s available in many other Google products.

From the official blog post:

Now, we’re using the same powerful technology in Explore to make visualizing data even more effortless. If you don’t see the chart you need, just ask. Instead of manually building charts, ask Explore to do it by typing in ‘histogram of 2017 customer ratings’ or ‘bar chart for ice cream sales.’ Less time spent building charts means more time acting on new insights.

The new feature takes advantage of some of the machine learning capabilities we’ve already seen shown off at various Google I/O keynotes and demonstrations. But in this case, the algorithm is parsing your data into visually appealing, presentable information.

A helpful GIF from Google depicting how to use the “Explore” button in Google Sheets.

Other feature additions include new keyboard shortcuts, which you can now customize to your liking, as well as a bevy of new functions you can plug into your spreadsheets. There’s even an updated print preview experience, so you know exactly what’s coming out the other end before you waste paper, and an improved chart editor. Google has also added the ability to make 3D charts for iOS users — enjoy, iPhone and iPad-using brethren!

Curious about what else Sheets can do? Google has a webpage for that, including how to effectively switch over from Microsoft Excel.

Only 42 Android models have been updated to a security patch from the last 2 months

This needs to get better. A lot better.

In a blog post detailing how much it has paid for Android security vulnerabilities, the Android team at Google has released information on just how many devices are getting monthly security patches. In fighting a serious uphill battle, Google says there are now 100 distinct devices where a “majority” of the models sold have been updated to a monthly patch from the last 90 days. There are just over 40 devices with a majority of models sold that have been updated in the last 60 days.

Google uses the metric of “a majority” because, despite a phone like the Galaxy S8 ostensibly being one phone, it has dozens of different SKUs and variations in the wild for different countries and carriers. It’s worthy of some level of praise for Samsung to get the security patch out to most models, even if it hasn’t kept up on all models.

Here are the phones and tablets Google has identified as having kept a majority of its variants up-to-date with a security patch within the trailing 60 days:

• BlackBerry Priv
• Fujitsu F-O1J
• General Mobile GM5 Plus d, GM5 Plus, 4G Dual, Mobile 4G
• Gionee A1
• Google Pixel XL, Pixel, Nexus 6P, Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, Nexus 9
• LG G6, V20, Stylo 2 V, GPad 7.0 LTE
• Motorola Moto Z, Moto Z Droid
• Oppo CPH1613, CPH1605
• Samsung Galaxy S8+, Galaxy S8, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, Galaxy S7 Active, Galaxy S6 Active, Galaxy S5 Dual SIM, Galaxy C9 Pro, Galaxy C7, Galaxy J7, Galaxy On7 Pro, Galaxy J2, Galaxy A8, Galaxy Tab S2 9.7
• Sharp Android One S1, 507SH
• Sony Xperia XA1, Xperia X
• Vivo 1609, 1601, Y55

Seeing such a diverse set of devices updated to one of the last two security patches is great, but it’s the seemingly haphazard inconsistency that is frustrating to users who are keen on security. Aside from Google’s own devices, it’s tough to find a manufacturer that can get the updates out each and every month. Google has made big strides in implementing monthly security updates, but there’s a substantial amount of room to grow.

Quick Charge 4+ is the next fast charging spec for your smartphone

Qualcomm’s 15% faster charging standard is limited to one device at present, however.

Who doesn’t love fast charging? It’s certainly become a necessary requirement when buying a smartphone, at least in the Android world. But part of that is because Qualcomm has been pushing the specification in every new smartphone debut for years. Can you blame them? Once you go fast charging, you never go back.

This time, we’re hearing about Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 4+, the evolutionary successor to last year’s Quick Charge 4. This one is referred to as plus, however, because of its additional enhancements:

Dual Charge: Already an option in earlier versions, but now more powerful, Dual Charge includes a second power management IC in the device. Charging a device via Dual Charge divides the charge current, allowing for lower thermal dissipation and reduced charge time

Intelligent Thermal Balancing: A further enhancement to Dual Charge, intelligent thermal balancing is engineered to move current via the coolest path autonomously, eliminating hot spots for optimized power delivery

Advanced Safety Features: Quick Charge 4 already includes rigorous built-in safety protocols. Quick Charge 4+ goes one step further and is designed to monitor both the case and connector temperature levels simultaneously. This extra layer of protection helps ward against overheating and short-circuit or damage to the Type-C connector.

A little infographic from Qualcomm.

Qualcomm adds the claim that devices utilizing Quick Charge 4+ will charge up to 15% faster than their predecessors and at 30% more efficiently. Charging will also be cooler, which could bode well for those of you in the hottest climates wielding scorching hot phones. Ouch.

Anyway, there aren’t many devices using Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 4+. At present, only the newly-announced Nubia Z17 is compatible, and that’s arriving in July.

Facebook wants teens to use its apps, but not without parental guidance

A new messaging app from the social network is aimed at teens and will focus primarily on offering robust parental controls.

There is code inside the main Facebook app that refers to a yet-to-be-released messaging app aimed especially at teens.

According to The Information, the app is called “Talk” and it’s developed to offer a bevy of parental controls. It’s restricted to users 13 years or older and teens won’t need their own Facebook profile to access the app. Users of Talk also won’t be publicly searchable. From The Information, which is behind a paywall:

Code inside the main Facebook app points to an unreleased messaging app aimed at young teens called “Talk,” which hasn’t been previously reported. The code reveals signs of new parental controls that would set the app apart from Facebook’s existing Messenger app. For example, a reference to unreleased features, written in plain-English text in the code, says, “Talk is a messaging app where you fully control the contacts.” Another command states, “Your child uses the Talk app to chat with you in Messenger.”

The app has yet to even be announced, but there’s no telling what the world’s young populace will think of a communication app that’s mandated directly by their parents. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not exactly cool to have your parental figures up in your online business. But considering Facebook’s awful track record with teens of a certain age and the uncensored harassment that sometimes takes place on the social network, it may help at least offer an alternative for young users.

Researchers will attempt to ‘reanimate’ a corpse with stem cells

Brain death may no longer be a life sentence if one Philadelphia-based biomedical startup has its way. The company, Bioquark, plans to initiate a study later this year to see if a combination of stem cell and protein blend injections, electrical nerve stimulation, and laser therapy can reverse the effects of recent brain death. They’re literally trying to bring people back from the dead.

“It’s our contention that there’s no single magic bullet for this, so to start with a single magic bullet makes no sense. Hence why we have to take a different approach,” Bioquark CEO, Ira Pastor, told Stat News.

As Pastor told the Washington Post last year, he doesn’t believe that brain death is necessarily a permanent condition, at least to start. It may well be curable, he argued, if the patient is administered the right combination of stimuli, ranging from stem cells to magnetic fields.

The resuscitation process will not be a quick one, however. First, the newly dead person must receive an injection of stem cells derived from their own blood. Then doctors will inject a proprietary peptide blend called BQ-A into the patient’s spinal column. This serum is supposed to help regrow neurons that had been damaged upon death. Finally, the patient undergoes 15 days of electrical nerve stimulation and transcranial laser therapy to instigate new neuron formation. During the trial, researchers will rely on EEG scans to monitor the patients for brain activity.

This isn’t the first time that Bioquark has attempted this study. Last April, the company launched a nearly identical study in Rudrapur, India. However, no patients enrolled and the study wound up getting shut down that November by the Indian government over clearance issues with India’s Drug Controller General. Bioquark is reportedly nearing a deal with an unnamed Latin American country to hold a new trial later this year.

Whether the treatment will actually work is an entirely different matter. Bioquark admits that it has never actually tested the regimen, even in animals, and the various component treatments have never themselves been applied to brain death. They’ve shown some promise in similar cases like stroke, brain damage and comas but never actually Lazarus-ing a corpse.

“I think [someone reviving] would technically be a miracle,” Dr. Charles Cox, a pediatric surgeon at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, told Stat News. “I think the pope would technically call that a miracle.”

Source: Stat News

James Comey will testify before a Senate committee on June 8th

James Comey continues to be a lightning rod for controversy at the national level. After a long year of Clinton email server investigations and the FBI’s conclusion that the Russians allegedly hacked the 2016 election, James Comey is finally getting to tell his own story. According to Bloomberg, the recently fired FBI Director will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on June 8th in both an open and a subsequent closed session. The investigation will cover both the possible election tampering as well as Comey’s own dismissal by President Trump.

While the Trump administration initially blamed Comey’s firing on his refusal to charge Hilary Clinton for her use of a private email server while she worked in the State Department under President Obama’s administration. More recently, however, Trump said in an interview with NBC that he had plans to dismissed Comey “all along,” calling the former director a “grandstander.”

Comey’s track record in the technology space has been hit or miss since his appointment to the post by President Obama in 2013. Comey participated in a misinformed push to force tech companies to purposefully compromise encryption systems for law enforcement officials. He also believes that encryption itself subverts the power of court subpoenas, and tapes over his own webcam for security reasons while pushing for backdoor access to iPhones. Though, he’s not a maniac about it.

With Trump’s story changing each time he’s asked about dismissing James Comey, the former FBI Director’s testimony next week could put much of the controversy surrounding his firing and alleged Russian tampering to rest.

Source: Bloomberg

Samsung’s mesh WiFi system connects your smart home this July

Samsung’s oh-so-smoothly named Connect Home Smart WiFi System now has a launch date and pricing structure. The router, which was announced in March, also has a SmartThings hub built right in, making it super easy to connect all of your smart gadgets.

The system will be available for preorder on June 4th exclusively through BestBuy.com and available in Best Buy stores July 2nd. You’ll be able to buy one Samsung Connect Home for $170 or a pack of three for $380. One unit covers up to 1,500 square feet, while three will triple your coverage. And for those with high bandwidth needs, a pro version with a 1,500 square-foot range will be sold for $250. With that option, you can connect up to five devices, giving you a maximum coverage of 7,500 square feet.

The router supports mesh networking, allowing you to get your WiFi signal into every nook and cranny of your home. And Samsung’s version is similar to other devices on the market, like those available from ASUS, Linksys, TP-Link and Google. The pricing is also on-par with other systems. But the built-in SmartThings hub is an added benefit since you won’t need additional hardware to control all of your smart home devices like your lights and appliances.

If you can’t make it to Best Buy, Samsung Connect Home launches nationwide July 16th.

Source: Samsung

LIGO astronomers detect third black hole collision

Today, astronomers announced that LIGO has detected gravitational waves for the third time. As a result, scientists now may have new insights into how black holes are formed.

Gravitational waves are ripples in the spacetime that travel at the speed of light. They’re emitted as a result of black hole collisions, which produce incredible amounts of power. They had long been predicted by Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, but it wasn’t until September 2015 that LIGO’s (the Laser Inferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) first direct observation occurred. A second detection quickly followed in December 2015. This third observation happened on January 4, 2017, and it’s the furthest one yet, at 3 billion light years away. (The first two were around 1.3–1.4 billion light years away).

This new gravitational wave detection provides insight into how black holes spin. As two black holes orbit one another, they are also turning on their individual axes. But in which direction do they spin? That’s the question that scientists may have answered with this latest discovery, discovering that one of these black holes may have been nonaligned. In other words, it was turning on its axis in a different direction than it was orbiting its partner black hole. Understanding how binary black holes spin helps scientists determine how they’re formed.

There are currently two primary theories about binary black hole formation: The first is that a pair of black holes is formed when a pair of stars explodes. The black holes would, as a result, maintain the spin of their former stars, which would have been aligned. The alternate theory is that the black holes form separately, but come together later in their lives in clusters of stars. This is the theory that seems to be confirmed, based on nonaligned spin observations.

One of the editors of the article publishing in Physical Review Letters, Bangalore Sathyaprakash, says, “This is the first time that we have evidence that the black holes may not be aligned, giving us just a tiny hint that binary black holes may form in dense stellar clusters.” LIGO has done a lot of work in a short amount of time; it’s exciting to think about what might be ahead as the observatory turns its attention to other types of astronomical events, such as the collision of neutron stars.

Source: Eurekalert

Trump withdraws US from Paris climate change agreement

President Trump has announced that the US will be withdrawing from the Paris Accord. The president made the statement today from the White House Rose Garden.

The international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions was made in 2015 and President Obama signed the US on last November. The 143 countries that have ratified the agreement recognize a number of goals, which include limiting global temperature increases to less than 2 degrees Celsius.

Obama joined the Paris Accord without a vote from Congress, meaning Trump can abandon the climate change agreement without a vote as well.

Many begged Trump to keep the US in, including 25 companies that penned an open letter published in the New York Times on May 8th. Yesterday, Elon Musk threatened to cease advising the president as part of Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum if he decided to drop US participation in the Paris Accord.

Don’t know which way Paris will go, but I’ve done all I can to advise directly to POTUS, through others in WH & via councils, that we remain

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 31, 2017

Will have no choice but to depart councils in that case

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 31, 2017

The protocol for leaving, which the president says he’ll adhere to, could take four years to complete, meaning voters might be able to reverse the decision depending on who they elect to office in 2020. In fact, timing would put the US exit occurring on November 4, 2020, just one day after the next presidential election.Trump, per a source, will follow the 4-yr rule to get out of Paris, meaning the US will leave on Nov 4, 2020.

Trump, per a source, will follow the 4-yr rule to get out of Paris, meaning the US will leave on Nov 4, 2020.
Election Day 2020: Nov 3.

— Dan Merica (@danmericaCNN) June 1, 2017

Trump said in the statement that if the US can renegotiate an entrance into the accord at terms more agreeable he would be willing to do so but added, “If we can’t, that’s fine.”

The president claimed that stipulations in the agreement were unfair to the US saying, “The Paris Accord is very unfair at the highest level to the United States.” He pointed to rules regarding coal production as being particularly disagreeable. “This agreement is less about the climate and more about others gaining financial advantage over the US,” he said.

President Trump was expected to be bad news for the environment. And he’s already rolled back a number of protective environmental measures, including the Clean Power Plan and has proposed crippling budget cuts to necessary government organizations like the EPA. This move is just the latest in a series of dangerous decisions that could harm the environment for many years to come.

Reactions are already rolling in in response to the announcement. President Obama released a statement, saying that, “But even in the absence of American leadership; even as this Administration joins a small handful of nations that reject the future; I’m confident that our states, cities, and businesses will step up and do even more to lead the way, and help protect for future generations the one planet we’ve got.”

Amazon made a statement as well. “Amazon continues to support the Paris climate agreement and action on climate change. We believe that robust clean energy and climate policies can support American competitiveness, innovation, and job growth,” said the company.

During the president’s statement Elon Musk also confirmed his departure from Trump’s advisory councils.

Am departing presidential councils. Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 1, 2017