Formula One’s eSports racing league seeks the best ‘F1 2017’ driver

Traditional sports squads and eSports teams partnering has been happening pretty frequently recently. But now we’re seeing it happen in a big way with motorsports. Specifically, Formula One is pairing with developer Codemasters and Gfinity to find the best F1 2017 driver. Per Reuters, the semi-final races will be held in London at the Gfinity Arena in October, and the best 20 racers will proceed to the last round of competition the next month.

The first Formula One virtual world champion will be crowned in Abu Dhabi this November, following the close of the 2017 season. In addition to fame and prizes, the winner will also automatically be entered into the semi-final round for the following season.

McLaren says that it might not be long before all racing teams have their own virtual counterparts. Like the Formula E simulator competition from CES earlier this year, this is another case of eSports going mainstream. Gfinity, for instance, has an arena in London that’s open for competition year round. That’s to say nothing of the pushes traditional broadcast companies like NBC and ESPN are making into putting competitive video-gaming on TV, either.

Source: Reuters, ADVFN

Watch the trailer for Amazon’s answer to ‘Black Mirror’

Amazon Prime viewers in the US will soon be treated to the new anthology series Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams. As you may have guessed from its title, the show is based on the work of the illustrious sci-fi author, who continues to influence pop culture long after his death in 1982. To whet your appetite, you can now feast on the programme’s first trailer, which comes by way of Australian streaming service Stan.

Jam packed with surreal imagery, it seems Amazon has a real Black Mirror rival on its hands. The first season boasts 10 standalone episodes, each taking its inspiration from one of Dick’s short stories. The starry cast includes Bryan Cranston (who is also exec producing), Anna Paquin, Steve Buscemi, Juno Temple, Greg Kinnear, and Janelle Monáe. Judging from the trailer, the show’s retrofuturism sets it apart from other Dick adaptations (such as Minority Report). Instead the visuals bring to mind everything from Doctor Who to The Shining, by way of Stranger Things. Not a bad palette to pick from, that’s for sure.

Black Mirror disciples should also lap up the series’ philosophical explorations of technology and its impact on humanity (themes that run throughout Dick’s work). The show will sit alongside another Dick adaptation (The Man in the High Castle) when it hits Amazon Prime soon.

Of course, this year Hollywood will also attempt to sequel-ize arguably the most celebrated take on the author’s work in the form of Blade Runner 2049. Let’s just hope producer Ridley Scott doesn’t cock that up like he did Alien: Covenant.

Source: Stan Australia

Elon Musk urges the UN to limit AI weapons

Elon Musk has signed his name alongside more than 100 others to ask the UN to regulate the use of autonomous weapons systems. The group of concerned engineers, many of whom are respected in the field of AI, is asking the global body to “protect civilians” from “misuse” of AI-driven weapons. They believe that smart, self-guided kill bots would become the tool of choice for despots and tyrants.

Musk is, by far, the most famous signatory on the letter, but there are plenty of other impressive names, including DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman. The group believes that smart weapons, that don’t need a human to control them, are a step too far in how we wage wars with each other. Self-guiding drones, tanks and future soldiers risk becoming a “pandora’s box” that humanity will struggle to close.

This is not the first time that the South African billionaire has come out swinging against artificially intelligent weapons. Back in 2015 Musk, along wish Stephen Hawking and Steve Wozniak, called for a ban on machines that could kill without any human input. Similarly, Musk has had a very public fight with Mark Zuckerberg over the potential for artificial intelligence to wipe us all out.

The letter also offers plenty of expertise to the UN in the hope of creating a framework to prevent this tech from being created. Let’s just hope that officials take them up on it, and prevent some dodgy authoritarian from suppressing protests by unleashing an army of urban pacification droids.

Via: Phys Org

Source: Future of Life

Engadget is testing all the major AI assistants

Hardly a day goes by that we don’t cover virtual assistants. If it’s not news about Siri, there’s some new development with Alexa, or Cortana or Google Assistant. Perhaps a new player, like Samsung, is wading into the space. Even Android creator Andy Rubin is considering building an assistant of his own. And his company probably isn’t the only one that thinks there’s room for another AI helper.

With virtual assistants becoming such an integral part of our lives (or at least our tech-news diets), we felt it was time to stop and take stock of everything that’s happening here. For one week, we asked five Engadget reporters to live with one of the major assistants: Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, the Google Assistant, Microsoft’s Cortana and Samsung’s Bixby. What you’ll see on Engadget throughout the week aren’t reviews, per se, nor did we endeavor to crown the “best” digital assistant. Not only is that a subjective question but, as it turns out, none of the assistants are as smart or reliable as we’d like.

In the absence of a winner, then, what we have is a state of the union: a picture of where AI helpers stand and where they’re headed. Follow our series here. And, at the rate each of these assistants is maturing, don’t be surprised if we revisit them sooner than later.

This week Engadget is examining each of the five major virtual assistants, taking stock of how far they’ve come and how they still have to go. Find all our coverage here.

Scientists find a much faster way to classify our cells

Researchers have created a new technique for identifying cell types much quicker than ever before, a finding that could improve disease diagnoses and treatments. While there are many types of cells in our bodies (red blood cells, spindle neurons, etc.), scientists don’t know the exact number, because current microscope techniques are slow and laborious. By tagging cells with molecular markers, however, the team was able to read their unique RNA combinations like a bar code at exponentially higher speeds.

Here’s how it works: Cells are first placed into wells, where molecular markers attach themselves to each RNA strand. The process is repeated, and eventually each cell type has a unique combination of tags on its RNA molecules. The team can then break the cells open chemically and read back the sequences of tags. “We came up with this scheme that allows us to look at very large numbers of cells at the same time, without ever isolating a single cell,” Dr. Jay Shender told the New York Times.

The team tested it using 150,000 cells from Caenorhabditis elegans (roundworm), a tiny worm that has been model for biological research since the 1960s. They not only identified the 27 known cell types, but were able to break them down into groups with mildly different gene arrangements. That includes 40 different neuron types, including a rare example that only forms one cell in very few worms.

We came up with this scheme that allows us to look at very large numbers of cells at the same time, without ever isolating a single cell.

Those results are exciting, but the system doesn’t work all the time. With roundworms, for instance, it failed to identify 78 different types of previously identified neurons. “Of course, there is more to do, but I am pretty optimistic that this can be solved,” said Rockefeller University’s Cori Bargmann, who wasn’t directly involved in the study.

The research also must be adapted to the complexities of the human body. Nevertheless, it’s very promising, particularly for the Human Cell Atlas initiative being funded in part by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. That aims to map every cell in the human body, providing a baseline to compare healthy cells with diseased ones.

The study could reveal signature for pathology, better record cell-to-cell interactions and help scientists interpret genetic variants. The ultimate goal is to “discover targets for therapeutic intervention and … drive the development of new technologies and and advanced analysis techniques.” Much like with new gene sequencing techniques, it could help push medicine and treatments to a new level.

Source: Science

Unearthed TV News Clip Recounts One of Apple’s Biggest Leaks of the Late 80s

If MacRumors gave out an award for Most Revealing Apple Leak of the Year, there’s a good chance the plaudits for 2017 would go to Apple’s unintentional public release of HomePod firmware. Apple’s beta code turned out to include a trove of intriguing references to upcoming products yet to be announced, including the Apple Watch Series 3, the so-called “iPhone 8”, and a fifth-generation Apple TV.

Still, that pales in comparison to at least one Apple leak of yore that has just been unearthed by Fast Company, proving that Cupertino was unable to keep its secrets behind lock and key long before the era of social media and 24-hour online news coverage.

The video below is a local news item from San Francisco’s KGO, broadcast back in February 1988, which features an interview with late tech-media pioneer and Macintosh Today magazine founder David Bunnell.

In the short clip, Bunnell tells news anchors how his publication managed to get hold of a 160-page internal Apple document laying out detailed plans for the Macintosh Portable, the company’s first mobile computer, a full six months before its official unveiling later that year.

During the exchange, news anchor Pete Wilson asks Bunnell if the whole leak could be a secret ploy by Apple – perhaps in collusion with the magazine – to drum up interest in the computer ahead of its release. Bunnell refutes the suggestion, claiming that Apple doesn’t like to pre-announce products and prefers to control the information that comes out of the company.

Whatever the truth on this occasion, as Fast Company notes, even a massive leak such as Bunnell’s scoop couldn’t save the Macintosh Portable, which turned out to be a flop for Apple, before being superseded by the vastly superior PowerBook in 1991.
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Apple Pay Usage Estimated to Rise Sharply in United States Due to Frustration With Slow Chip-and-PIN Cards

Contactless payment methods like Apple Pay will rise sharply in the United States, from less than 2 percent of transactions this year to 34 percent by 2022, according to a new report shared by research firm Juniper Research.

Payment terminal with chip-and-PIN card support via Worldpay
Juniper Research argued that customer dissatisfaction at the slower speeds of chip-and-PIN card transactions will further increase the adoption of smartphone-based payments, an area currently dominated by Apple Pay.

The transition towards contactless payments, and even the EMV standard that chip-and-PIN cards are based on, has been much slower in the United States compared to many other countries around the world.

In Canada, for example, chip-and-PIN cards have been common for over five years, while at least 80 percent of Canadian retailers are now accepting contactless payments, according to payment processor MONEXgroup.

Juniper Research expects the United States to follow a similar growth curve as Europe, where EMV and contactless payments are also widespread.

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently confirmed Apple Pay momentum is “strongest in international markets,” where he said the infrastructure for mobile payments has developed faster than in the United States.

Cook added that three out of four Apple Pay transactions happen outside of the U.S., where the service first launched in October 2014.

Apple Pay will support Venmo-like peer-to-peer payments in the Messages app on iOS 11, starting in the United States. Apple Pay is also expanding to Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates later this year.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay
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Foxconn Plans Trio of ‘Ancillary Facilities’ to Surround Main Wisconsin LCD Plant

After an announcement in July that Foxconn will build a $10 billion LCD panel manufacturing plant in southeast Wisconsin, a new report out today states that the Apple supplier is now planning to build three “ancillary facilities” in Wisconsin as well (via Reuters).

The three buildings are planned to be opened for operation as early as 2018, two years ahead of when the main LCD facility is expected to debut in 2020. The LCD plant will be focused on large-screened panels for TV sets, and with Apple potentially interested in investing in the United States plant, some buildings on the new Foxconn campus could eventually include an assembly line for smaller displays used in iPhones, iPads, or MacBooks.

The three facilities will be much smaller than the main plant and require a combined investment of below $1 billion.

Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn on Monday said it plans to build three facilities in the U.S. state of Wisconsin for operation as early as next year, as part of a campus housing a $10 billion liquid crystal display (LCD) factory due for 2020.

Foxconn, formally Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd (2317.TW), said it will begin by setting up a back-end packaging line, high-precision molding line and end-device assembly line. It may also start importing glass from Taiwan, China and Japan.

Foxconn is now awaiting a final decision on a bill that aims to grant the manufacturer a $3 billion incentive package for the Wisconsin plant, which will be met with approval or denial sometime in September. If approved, Foxconn will “immediately” begin land survey work for its new U.S. facilities.

Earlier in the summer, Foxconn chairman Terry Gou said the company was interested in the U.S. states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Texas, for potential manufacturing facilities. Gou’s special assistant, Louis Woo, said in today’s report that the company continues to look at other states it could expand into — with Gou having met recently with Michigan’s governor — but no decision has been finalized.

Tag: Foxconn
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Forza Motorsport 7 in 4K will need a 1080 or Vega 64 to run smoothly

Why it matters to you

Forza Motorsport 7 will be pretty, but you won’t need a monster system just to be able to play it.

Forza Motorsport 7 will require a hefty PC to run at ultra settings at 4K resolution, with Turn 10 recommending top-of-the-line graphics cards and processors for that level of detail. But if you can’t afford the latest and greatest hardware, don’t fret, the game will be compatible with a variety of different systems, even running at 720p on systems using on board graphics.

The Forza games have a history of stunning graphics and the upcoming Forza Motorsport 7 is no exception. If you want to run it at full tilt you will need an impressive system. To help out those looking to upgrade before its release in October, Turn 10 released the recommended specifications for targeted resolutions, frame rates, and detail levels at Gamescom 2017.

If you just want to sneak in under the barrier for entry, you can do so with something as simple as an Ultrabook with an Intel Core i5-6200 CPU, 8GB of RAM and on-board Intel HD 520 or better graphics. You will be unlikely to have anything but minimum graphics settings, nor hit a frame rate higher than 30 regularly, but you can at least view it at 720p resolution.

For those on a low-end desktop, you can achieve similar results with a Core i5-750, or AMD FX-6300 CPU, with 8GB of RAM and either a GT 740 or R7 250X. None of that hardware is new or expensive, so most shouldn’t have difficulty meeting that mark.

If you want the game to look a little prettier, you could go for what Turn 10 describes as “recommended.” There you’ll be gaming at 1080p at 60 frames per second, but you will need some heftier hardware to do it. You’ll need at least a Core i5-4460 or FX 8350 CPU, paired up with 8GB of RAM and a GTX 1050Ti or RX 560.

For those who want to see the game at its best, you’ll be able to enjoy it at 4K resolution at 60 FPS if you have the following or equivalent hardware. A Core i7-6700K or Ryzen 7 CPU, with 16GB of RAM and a GTX 1080 or RX Vega 64 graphics card.

Whatever detail level you’re looking to play the new Forza at, though, don’t forget that as one of the largest games ever made, you’ll need at least 100GB of install space for it. That doesn’t even begin to factor in DLC, so if you’re running an older, smaller SSD, make sure you clear some space for it.

Forza Motorsport 7 is set to release on October 7 on Windows PCs and Xbox One.

Xiaomi may make a phone to give Android One some much needed tech cool

Why it matters to you

Android One phones have always been cheap, and not very exciting. Xiaomi makes cheap, exciting phones, and the two coming together may make Android One a lot more desirable.

Xiaomi may be adapting a version of the Mi 5X for use with Android One, according to an anonymous source speaking to Indonesian publication krispitech.com. Android One is Google’s software for low-cost smartphones sold in fast growing markets around the world. Smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi, if it does make such a device, could provide the interesting platform with the cool hardware and broad appeal it has always lacked.

It’s not clear where the supposed Xiaomi Android One phone would be sold; but Indonesia is one of the countries where Android One phones have already been sold, and one of Xiaomi’s international markets. The Xiaomi Mi 5X is a recent announcement, and is a considerably more technically impressive device than most Android One phones, with a 5.5-inch screen, a Snapdragon 625 chip with 4GB of RAM, and a dual-lens rear camera.

Until now, Google has partnered with local smartphone brands for Android One, including Micromax in India, Sharp in Japan, and General Mobile in Turkey. Android One phones are not sold in China, where Xiaomi is most successful. Xiaomi doesn’t sell its smartphones in the United States either, however there have been rumors Android One would come to the U.S. this year, with a device priced at between two or three times more than the usual $100 Android One phones. The Mi 5X’s price is around this point.

Could Android One be Xiaomi’s way into the United States? There’s no evidence to support this yet, and Xiaomi is dedicated to its own MIUI user interface it places over Google Android, from which it makes a considerable amount of money as a portal to its many online services. Dropping it in favor of bloatware-free Android One, just to get its hardware on sale in the United States, may not be a realistic strategy for the company.

The reason why a Xiaomi Android One phone may not come to the U.S., is the same one repeated for whether Xiaomi will make an Android One phone at all. It has likely had the chance  to do so from the very beginning of Android One’s life in 2014, as it successfully sells devices in smartphone-hungry India, where Android One was also pushed hard early on. If Xiaomi was interested in dropping MIUI for Android One, the chance may have already come and gone. Changing its mind now, especially with the more interesting Android Go on the horizon, would be a surprise.

We’ll keep you updated on how this rumor develops here.