Google and Blizzard invite you to train AI with ‘StarCraft II’

Google, apparently tired of trouncing human players at Go with its DeepMind AI, set its computer intelligence up with Blizzard’s video game Starcraft II last fall. It seems that was more than a stunt: Today, Google announced it has built a whole research environment around training its AI to play the space-age strategy game — and it’s publicly available. Anyone who wants can tinker with DeepMind’s new toolset, SC2LE, to facilitate their own AI research.

The bundle includes a pair of kits up on GitHub: first, Blizzard’s machine learning API, which has Linux tools for the first time, and then an open source version of the DeepMind toolset called PySC2. Blizzard also provided some extra goodies, like a dataset of anonymized 1v1 game replays for programmers to parse through, along with sample code and some sample bots. DeepMind also provided a white paper for reference.

Why StarCraft II? As the DeepMind post explains, when you take into account how many choices need to be made in sequence, there are millions of actions that can be taken at any given time. That’s a lot of room to train your AI:

“Even StarCraft’s action space presents a challenge with a choice of more than 300 basic actions that can be taken. Contrast this with Atari games, which only have about 10 (e.g. up, down, left, right etc). On top of this, actions in StarCraft are hierarchical, can be modified and augmented, with many of them requiring a point on the screen. Even assuming a small screen size of 84×84 there are roughly 100 million possible actions available.”

Source: Google DeepMind, Blizzard

Overwatch League adds new teams from Rams, Cloud9 owners

Blizzard’s official professional esports league for Overwatch continues to round into shape, and today announced two more franchises have been purchased. That puts the count at nine teams total, including the two announced today with one in Los Angeles established by Stan and Josh Kroenke (a family that already holds ownership stakes in the LA Rams, Arsenal Football Club, Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche). The other goes to Cloud9 owner Jack Etienne, whose company already operates ten esports teams, including one for Overwatch.

The first seven team owners included big names in both sports and tech, and it’s not surprising to see owners of teams in traditional sports buying in. There’s no word yet on any player movements, although the official signing window opened August 1st. Blizzard has announced several baselines for player pay and treatment, including housing, health insurance and a minimum $50,000 salary.

The press release did say that there will be more team announcements “in the coming months,” while plans to launch the Overwatch League — with its city-based teams and league action streaming every week — are still on for later this year.Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said that Etienne and the Kroenkes “will enhance our ability to celebrate and reward players and fans in Los Angeles, London, and beyond.”

According to Josh Kroenke, “”We’re impressed by the vision and strategy for the League, and we’re going to build a great team for Los Angeles that inspires fans near and far,” — and one that may provide an alternate use for the $2.6 billion stadium/entertainment complex his family is building in Inglewood, CA.

As for Etienne, the league’s first European owner said “We are thrilled that Cloud9’s formidable fan base
throughout Europe and the UK now has a local team to call their own, and can’t wait to start representing London in the Overwatch League.”

Source: Overwatch League

Fidelity lets clients view their bitcoin balance on its site

Fidelity Investments announced in May that it would soon let its clients view their bitcoin and other cryptocurrency balances on its website, provided it was stored on Coinbase. Embracing unregulated cryptocoins was seen as a bold move by the brokerage company, and certainly uncommon among financial institutions. Today, Fidelity made good on its promise: Once users authorize the site to access their data from Coinbase, they can check their bitcoin savings.

Fidelity held a trial with its own employees first before launching this initiative. The company’s CEO Abigail Johnson has repeatedly affirmed her belief in cryptocurrencies, and previously claimed that even the Fidelity cafeteria accepts bitcoins. But it’s also an attempt to glean more info on how clients keep cryptocurrencies behave.

“This is an experiment in the spirit of learning what these crypto assets are like and how our customers may want to interact with them,” Hadley Stern, senior vice president and managing director at Fidelity Labs, told Reuters in an interview.

Source: Coinbase

Twitter Night Mode for desktop is already live for some users

Why it matters to you

If you use Twitter on your desktop/laptop, then the Night Mode gives you another viewing option that’s easier on the eyes.

We don’t imagine for a moment that any of you climb into bed with your desktop at the end of a long day, fumbling about with all the wires and massive monitor as you try to get comfortable for a quick pre-slumber web session.

But if you do — or if you use a more conveniently sized laptop in bed instead — and firing up Twitter is part of your nightly routine, then the upcoming Night Mode for its desktop site is likely to be extremely welcome, enabling a more relaxing experience as you peruse your timeline and tap out a few tweets before nodding off.

The microblogging service is yet to make any official announcement about the new feature, but a number of users are already seeing the option when they’re logged into their account. To find out if you’re one of those, click on your profile image top right
and see if it’s showing at the bottom of the drop down list that appears, below “log out.” Not showing yet? Then be patient, there’s a good chance you’ll see it soon.

Ideal for a deliberately darkened workspace, or in the evening when you can’t be bothered to reach for the light switch, Twitter’s Night Mode for desktop will be a whole lot easier on the eyes, transforming as it does all the white space into a mainly dark blue interface, with the text switching from black to white.

Bright monitors can seem really bright at night, prompting many people to fiddle with their machine’s brightness button to dim the display. But that doesn’t always offer the best experience, and so if you’re a Twitter that likes to dip into it on desktop from time to time, this feature is likely to be warmly welcomed.

Twitter introduced its Night Mode for iOS and Android last year, so it’s not a major surprise that it’s now testing the same feature for its desktop site, though some people might be wondering why it’s taken so long to happen.

If you’re particularly keen to have a dark-display option on the desktop version of Twitter and discover you’re not part of the test group, then the Chrome Web Store has some extensions that offer the same effect. Firefox users can also find the same option here.

Motorola’s Gamepad Mod is a Verizon exclusive, ships Aug. 25 for $79.99

Motorola’s new Gamepad Moto Mod is coming to Verizon — and only Verizon — this month.

Ever since we heard about Motorola’s upcoming Gamepad Mod for the Moto Z series, it’s been top-of-mind for gadgets to try. Well, that will soon be possible when the add-on goes on sale exclusively at Verizon on August 25 for $79.99.

Yes, along with a red-hued JBL SoundBoost 2 speaker Mod, the Moto Gamepad will be sold only at Verizon stores and online, though it doesn’t appear that the carrier will prevent wireless customers from other carriers from buying one.

Like all other Moto Mods, the Gamepad uses the pins on the back of the Moto Z series phones to form a direct data connection with the phone, eschewing unreliable Bluetooth that most game controllers use. Instead, the Moto Z sits flush inside the Gamepad, making the phone into a veritable portable gaming system. The 1035mAh battery lasts for approximately eight hours, and there are dual control sticks, a D-pad, and shoulder buttons that resemble those of a Switch or PS Vita.

Of course, most Android games aren’t console quality, nor are they tailor-made for controllers. Only a few really take advantage of all the potential button combinations, and Motorola says it isn’t working with any developers to optimize their games for the form factor, so users will have to be selective about the games they play (or download apps that map custom controllers to traditional touch inputs).

At $79.99, the Gamepad Mod isn’t cheap, but combined with the Moto Z2 Force, which has a Snapdragon 835 processor inside, it may be one of the better options for those yearning for the halcyon days of the Sony Xperia Play and its gaming-focused ilk.

In other Moto news, the Moto Z2 Force is up for pre-order on Verizon for $15 per month over 24 months with an Unlimited plan, which works out to just $360 total. The savings are applied through monthly bill credits, and begin a couple cycles into the payment, but they should eventually catch up once the phone is fully paid for. Verizon customers also get a free Insta-Share Projector Mod, which is neat.

The Moto Z2 Force isn’t proving to be one of our favorite flagships of 2017, but it has some serious upsides — especially if you’re clumsy.

See at Verizon

Kids can learn to code Xbox and PC games at Microsoft stores

There are a ton of initiatives to help kids (and adults) learn to code these days. Google has lessons for teens to code animates scenes starring Wonder Woman, Apple has the kid-friendly Swift Playgrounds and a partnership with Tynker, and even Facebook has a program that suggests learning gadgets and other resources to help encourage the next generation of coders. Microsoft has now launched a series of free Xbox and PC game development classes, held at its “flagship” stores in New York and Sydney. The classes will begin on August 20th and September 25th, respectively.

There are a total of three courses currently available to students 14 and over. Each will cover a different aspect of the game development process — development, programming and design — and will hopefully inspire future coders to get into the industry. Better yet, the classes are accredited by the Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE) so that kids can use the credits to pursue full-time courses in the future.

Kids will be able to save any games they code during the classes to a complimentary USB flash drive so they can work on their creations between and after classes. Students who take these new courses will also be able to test out their code and designs on their own consoles, too. Every Xbox One can become a dev kit with a free app from Microsoft, and accounts that let anyone publish to Xbox One and Windows 10 start at a budget-friendly $20.

Source: Microsoft

Samsung’s high-capacity V-NAND memory is perfect for massive SSDs

Just over four years since it unveiled the first 3D vertical NAND memory, Samsung has developed its first 1 terabit (Tb) V-NAND chip. The flash memory technology, used in devices ranging from smartphones to digital cameras, will launch next year. As its name suggests, V-NAND boasts a vertically stacked structure with greater density than memory cells placed on a single, 2D plane. The result is more speed, up to ten times more reliability, and less chance of a breakdown. As with its 256 gigabit consumer SSDs, Samsung’s new chips will probably find their way into your next laptop, and maybe even future phones. That’s not all, Samsung also announced that the 1Tb chip will enable a single V-NAND package with 2 terabytes of memory capacity. As you might have guessed, that could mean more bang for your buck when it comes to SSDs for home PCs.

For those unfamiliar with the manufacturer’s semiconductor business, there’s really one thing you need to know: Samsung is the world’s largest chip-maker. Business is currently surging, as devices (including phones and cameras) increase their memory capacities. Just last month, Samsung opened a new semiconductor plant in its native Korea. Its clients include Apple, along with numerous Chinese manufacturers. And, of course, its chips are also used inside its own smartphones too.

Source: Samsung

Ron Gilbert’s ‘Thimbleweed Park’ adventure is coming to the Switch

Ron Gilbert has had his fingers in quite a few adventure games over the years, including Lucas Arts’ Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion, along with Hothead Games’ Penny Arcade Adventures, Death Spank, and Dobule Fine Productions’ The Cave. He also spent some time at Humongous Games, making educational titles like Blue’s 123 Time Activities and Spy Fox in Hold the Mustard. Gilbert’s latest genre entry, in collaboration with longtime partner Gary Winnick, is Thimbleweed Park, funded on Kickstarter back in 2014. Released to Windows, Mac and Xbox One in March, the title is coming to PlayStation 4 on August 22nd and Nintendo’s Switch sometime in September.

According to the developer, Thimbleweed Park on the Switch will support both Joy-Con Controllers as well as touch screen controls. The team does not have a specific September release date yet, but they have made a quick video to show off the game on Nintendo’s hybrid console.

The game has all the adult and expletive-filled humor you’ve come to expect from a Ron Gilbert production, and sees you running through a haunted hotel, and abandoned circus and a burnt-out pillow factory to solve the mysteries of the town. You’ll play as five different characters across the adventure, including a couple of FBI agents and a foul-mouthed clown named Ransome.

Thimbleweed Park Ransome Trailer from Ron Gilbert on Vimeo.

Source: Ron Gilbert

Don’t worry — the FCC doesn’t want a mobile broadband speed cap, just standards

Why it matters to you

The FCC is seeking to oversee the pace of America’s mobile broadband rollout, but it needs a set of standard speeds as a foundation.

The latest “state of the internet” inquiry by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is now seeking comment regarding the default speed for mobile “broadband” connectivity. The document lists 10 megabits per second (10Mbps) as the standard download speed, and 1Mbps for uploads. It’s part of the FCC’s yearly investigation into the rate at which internet connectivity is being deployed to the general American population.

At one time, the term “broadband” was used to classify always-on internet access that’s faster than a dial-up modem. In 2010, the FCC determined that basic broadband access had a standard download speed of 4Mbps, and an upload speed of 1Mbps. Those numbers increased in 2015 to 25Mbps for downloads, and 3Mbps for uploads, which still remain effective.

Meanwhile, mobile internet connection speeds are throttled by a device’s proximity to the closest cellular tower. The method is similar to moving a wireless device away from a home network’s router: both have theoretical maximum speeds, but real-world data transfers are significantly lower when traveling through the air. Transfer speeds continue to diminish as you move away from the router.

Given that theoretical speeds and actual real-world speeds are two different animals, the FCC is looking for a solid benchmark to determine if mobile broadband is rolling out to Americans on a timely schedule. This is especially important for determining if internet hardware is being deployed into rural areas in a timely fashion.

“Would a download speed benchmark higher or lower than 10Mbps be appropriate for the purpose of assessing American consumers’ access to advanced telecommunications capability?” the FCC asks. “How should we appropriately consider edge speed in setting a mobile speed benchmark? How should we take into account the important issues of reliability/consistency of service and latency in the mobile broadband environment?”

The FCC determined that in early 2016, 80 percent of the Americans subscribing to a mobile internet service relied on a smartphone, up from 50 percent in the same timeframe in 2012. Actual smartphone sales rose as well, with 90 percent of the new mobile devices sold in the first quarter of 2016 consisting of smartphones. By comparison, smartphones comprised 67 percent of the mobile device sales in 2012.

According to the FCC, mobile internet subscribers saw download speeds ranging from 8Mbps to 15Mbps during the second half of 2015. Now mobile service providers like AT&T and Verizon are beefing up their unlimited data plans to accommodate the growing use of mobile internet services. Americans are supposedly feeding most of their YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook addictions using a mobile device rather than relying on a desktop or laptop.

Ultimately, the FCC believes that we need both land-based and mobile internet connections. Mobile will likely never be faster than wired, and both serve as solutions for different workloads that either work best on a smartphone, or on a desktop or laptop. To that extent, the FCC wants to make sure internet connectivity is rolled out to all Americans as quickly as possible, especially mobile broadband.

Comments regarding the FCC’s proposal for mobile broadband can be made here.

Don’t worry — the FCC doesn’t want a mobile broadband speed cap, just standards

Why it matters to you

The FCC is seeking to oversee the pace of America’s mobile broadband rollout, but it needs a set of standard speeds as a foundation.

The latest “state of the internet” inquiry by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is now seeking comment regarding the default speed for mobile “broadband” connectivity. The document lists 10 megabits per second (10Mbps) as the standard download speed, and 1Mbps for uploads. It’s part of the FCC’s yearly investigation into the rate at which internet connectivity is being deployed to the general American population.

At one time, the term “broadband” was used to classify always-on internet access that’s faster than a dial-up modem. In 2010, the FCC determined that basic broadband access had a standard download speed of 4Mbps, and an upload speed of 1Mbps. Those numbers increased in 2015 to 25Mbps for downloads, and 3Mbps for uploads, which still remain effective.

Meanwhile, mobile internet connection speeds are throttled by a device’s proximity to the closest cellular tower. The method is similar to moving a wireless device away from a home network’s router: both have theoretical maximum speeds, but real-world data transfers are significantly lower when traveling through the air. Transfer speeds continue to diminish as you move away from the router.

Given that theoretical speeds and actual real-world speeds are two different animals, the FCC is looking for a solid benchmark to determine if mobile broadband is rolling out to Americans on a timely schedule. This is especially important for determining if internet hardware is being deployed into rural areas in a timely fashion.

“Would a download speed benchmark higher or lower than 10Mbps be appropriate for the purpose of assessing American consumers’ access to advanced telecommunications capability?” the FCC asks. “How should we appropriately consider edge speed in setting a mobile speed benchmark? How should we take into account the important issues of reliability/consistency of service and latency in the mobile broadband environment?”

The FCC determined that in early 2016, 80 percent of the Americans subscribing to a mobile internet service relied on a smartphone, up from 50 percent in the same timeframe in 2012. Actual smartphone sales rose as well, with 90 percent of the new mobile devices sold in the first quarter of 2016 consisting of smartphones. By comparison, smartphones comprised 67 percent of the mobile device sales in 2012.

According to the FCC, mobile internet subscribers saw download speeds ranging from 8Mbps to 15Mbps during the second half of 2015. Now mobile service providers like AT&T and Verizon are beefing up their unlimited data plans to accommodate the growing use of mobile internet services. Americans are supposedly feeding most of their YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook addictions using a mobile device rather than relying on a desktop or laptop.

Ultimately, the FCC believes that we need both land-based and mobile internet connections. Mobile will likely never be faster than wired, and both serve as solutions for different workloads that either work best on a smartphone, or on a desktop or laptop. To that extent, the FCC wants to make sure internet connectivity is rolled out to all Americans as quickly as possible, especially mobile broadband.

Comments regarding the FCC’s proposal for mobile broadband can be made here.