Apple Bought Augmented Reality Headset Company Vrvana
Apple recently purchased Vrvana, a company that developed an augmented reality headset called Totem, reports TechCrunch.
Two sources with knowledge of the deal confirmed the acquisition, but Apple declined to comment and did not provide its usual acquisition statement. TechCrunch says Apple did not deny the story, though, and several employees who were previously with Vrvana are now with Apple.
Apple is said to have paid $30 million for Vrvana, and the deal may have taken place this summer. Vrvana’s website is still up and running, but social media accounts ceased updates in August.
Vrvana developed a sort of mixed reality headset called Totem, which was never released. It was designed to combine both augmented and virtual reality technologies in a single headset, merging full VR capabilities with pass-through cameras to enable screen-based augmented reality features.
Essentially, Totem used a set of cameras to project real world images into its built-in 1440p OLED display, a somewhat unique approach that set it apart from competing products like Microsoft’s HoloLens, which uses a transparent display to combine virtual and augmented reality. With Totem’s approach, much richer virtual experiences were available, as full VR objects could be combined with a real-world view.
The built-in cameras were used to track the device’s position in space, and additional infrared cameras were used to detect a user’s hands. Several media sites were able to check out the Totem last year, and it received largely positive reviews.
Totem’s technology could be built into a future Apple device, as multiple rumors suggest Apple is working on some kind of augmented reality headset or smart glasses product.
Apple is said to be building an AR headset that features a dedicated display, a built-in processor, and a new “rOS” operating system. The company is aiming to finish work on its augmented reality headset by 2019, and a finished product could be ready to ship as soon as 2020, should the project progress on schedule.
While Apple has acquired other augmented reality companies like Metaio, Faceshift, Flyby Media, and SensoMotoric Instruments, this is the first dedicated AR/VR headset hardware company Apple has purchased, signaling a deep interest in developing some kind of AR/VR wearable device.
Related Roundup: Apple VR ProjectTag: Apple acquisition
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ProPublica: Facebook advertisers can still discriminate by race
A year ago, ProPublica discovered that Facebook let advertisers select who would see ads based on ‘ethnic affinity.’ Because the social network doesn’t ask users to disclose their racial identity, Facebook collects data and assigns each a preference for content that aligns with those the network believes coincide with an ethnic group. Advertisers then had the choice to target — or avoid — users based on their ‘ethnic identity,’ which would violate the Fair Housing Act. Shortly thereafter, an apologetic Facebook said it would shut down ‘ethnic affinity’ ads for housing and jobs. But ProPublica just released a new report confirming they could still make dozens of rental housing ads that discriminated against certain ethnic groups — and Facebook approved all of them.
Further, according to ProPublica, the social network approved all but one of them within minutes, as their image above demonstrates. The other ad sought to exclude renters who were “interested in Islam, Sunni Islam and Shia Islam,” which Facebook allowed after just 22 minutes. The platform’s policies state that their vetting process should have flagged the discriminatory language in each of these advertisement requests, but that didn’t happen.
Federal law prohibits ads from discriminating based on race in three areas — housing, employment and credit. Not coincidentally, these were the areas that Facebook claimed it was ended its ‘ethnic affinity’ advertising options. The Department of Housing and Urban Development was previously investigating Facebook for its advertising policies, but confirmed to ProPublica that it had closed the inquiry.
When reached for comment, Facebook said a technical error miscategorized the ProPublica ads, so compliance and review alarms weren’t triggered. Facebook provided this statement to Engadget from its VP of Product Management Ami Vora:
“This was a failure in our enforcement and we’re disappointed that we fell short of our commitments. Earlier this year, we added additional safeguards to protect against the abuse of our multicultural affinity tools to facilitate discrimination in housing, credit and employment. The rental housing ads purchased by ProPublica should have but did not trigger the extra review and certifications we put in place due to a technical failure.
Our safeguards, including additional human reviewers and machine learning systems have successfully flagged millions of ads and their effectiveness has improved over time. Tens of thousands of advertisers have confirmed compliance with our tighter restrictions, including that they follow all applicable laws.
We don’t want Facebook to be used for discrimination and will continue to strengthen our policies, hire more ad reviewers, and refine machine learning tools to help detect violations. Our systems continue to improve but we can do better. While we currently require compliance notifications of advertisers that seek to place ads for housing, employment, and credit opportunities, we will extend this requirement to ALL advertisers who choose to exclude some users from seeing their ads on Facebook to also confirm their compliance with our anti-discrimination policies – and the law.”
Source: ProPublica
EA patches ‘Star Wars Battlefront II’ to address technical issues
EA has faced a Star Destroyer’s worth of trouble over the just-released Star Wars Battlefront II, most notably the backlash over the micro transactions that were panned as too expensive while also encouraging a pay-to-win vibe. EA subsequently pulled all transactions (temporarily) from the game. The game had its own set of technical problems, as well, which have also been addressed by the development team in a new patch available now for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
As noted by Rock Paper Shotgun, Patch 0.2 fixes save issues, spawn problems and incorrect vehicle damage calculations. The developers also claim that the patch makes major improvements to stability and performance, which could help if your PC was struggling to run the game previously. Spawn times have been cut in half, from 10 to five seconds in Strike mode, and spawn locations have been moved around on Tatooine.
The bug that deleted save data when you didn’t plug in a controller is fixed now, and some single player objectives now show up when they’re supposed to. There’s also been a fix to some Spawn Cards given to players before those players had reached a high enough level. And that’s not all — you can see the entire list of fixes to the gameplay, user interface and head-sup display in the full release notes.
Via: Rock Paper Shotgun
Source: EA
How to deep fry a turkey without killing yourself in the process
How to Deep Fry a Turkey without Killing Yourself in the Process | The Manual
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How to Deep Fry a Turkey Without Killing Yourself in the Process
Thanksgiving draws nigh, and once again, the great turkey cookening is upon us.
This year, countless families will wait too long to put the bird in the oven, forget to remove the neck and giblets, or otherwise make a mess of things. Even the folks who do everything right will be disappointed because frankly, plain ol’ turkey isn’t anything to write home about. However, there is an alternative to roasting a turkey in the oven that provides a supremely moist bird on the inside with the perfect crispy-skinned exterior.
If you’re looking for a turkey-cooking technique that’s faster, tastier, and more dangerous, consider learning how to deep fry a turkey this Thanksgiving.
What You’ll Need
Food/Liquid:
- 1 8-14 lb. turkey (larger turkeys are difficult to deep fry)
- Your favorite seasoning or marinade
- 3-5 gallons of peanut oil
- 3-5 gallons of water
Hardware:
- 1 propane burner and propane tank
- 1 giant stock pot (at least 30 quarts)
- 1 large frying basket, lift hook, or makeshift metal handle
- 1 temperature gauge
- 1 meat thermometer
- 1 large rod for lowering the turkey
Safety Gear:
- 1 pair of goggles for each cook
- 1 apron for each cook
- 1 pair of gloves for each cook
- 1 fire extinguisher (you never know!)
WARNING: If you don’t know already, deep frying a turkey can be very, very dangerous. You might practice frying smaller items before tackling a turkey or enlist a helper who knows something about deep frying. Seriously. Improper frying techniques can lead to severe burns and house fires. Don’t be the guy who burns down his neighborhood all for a fried bird.
Preparation
IMPORTANT: Soak the turkey in cold water and make sure it is completely thawed.
- Remove the turkey’s giblets (internal organs) and set them aside. You might have someone make them into a tasty gravy while you’re busy frying. You should also cut off the protruding tail section and the extra neck skin, since these will burn off anyway.
- Find a flat surface on which to fry your turkey. Be sure to do it outdoors, far away from anything that could conceivably catch fire. A concrete driveway or patio is a great place. Do not attempt to fry your turkey on a wooden deck. Set up your propane burner with the propane tank as far from the burner as possible.
- Cut small incisions beneath the wings, legs, and neck. This will allow oil to drain from the bird after you’re finished cooking.
- SUPER IMPORTANT: One common mistake is filling the pot with too much oil. Upon dunking, the turkey displaces the oil, causing it to overflow and ignite creating a grease fire of epic proportions. You probably don’t want to spend Thanksgiving at your local burn center—follow these steps to make sure you use the right amount of oil:
-
- Place the turkey into your stock pot
- Pour water into the pot until the turkey is covered by an inch of water.
- Remove the turkey from the pot.
- Score the water line with a knife–this will be your oil fill line.
- The fill line should be no more than three inches from the top of the pot. Try to aim for five or more inches below the rim.
- Dump the water and thoroughly clean and dry the stock pot — any remaining moisture will seriously disagree with the oil.
- It’s also important to dry the turkey with paper towels. Once you get it as dry as you can, put it in the fridge for about 20 minutes so it can dry out even more. Remember, oil + water = apocalypse!
- Apply your favorite seasoning or marinade to the turkey. You might rub herbs into the skin or use a marinade injector to get the flavor deep into the meat.
- Pour peanut oil into the stock pot until it reaches your predetermined fill line. Ignite the burner and attach the temperature gauge so the tip is beneath the oil’s surface. Allow the oil to heat up to 350 degrees.
INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT: Never, ever leave your oil unattended while cooking.
Frying the Turkey
- Make sure the turkey is properly secured in the fry basket or on the lift hook. The turkey’s head—or what used to be its head—should be facing down. Once the oil reaches 375 degrees, have an assistant help you lower the turkey into the oil.
-
- Put on your gloves, goggles, and apron.
- Attach your fry basket or lift hook to a hockey stick or another strong stick or rod.
- Position the turkey in the center of the rod. Have your assistant hold one side of the rod while you grab the other.
- Lower the turkey into oil the VERY SLOWLY to prevent splashing.
STUPENDOUSLY IMPORTANT: Turn the propane burner off before you dunk the turkey. This will eliminate the possibility of a fire caused by overflowing oil.
- Set your timer for about 3.5 minutes times the weight of your bird in pounds. For example, a 10-pound turkey should cook for 35 minutes.
- The oil temperature will drop about 50 degrees after you add the turkey. Turn the propane burner back onto high.
- Watch the temperature gauge carefully. Once the oil temperature climbs back to 350 degrees, turn the heat down so the temperature levels out at 350.
- Do not leave your turkey unattended. Watch it constantly during the cooking process to make sure nothing goes awry.
- As the end of the cooking time draws near, pull the turkey out just enough so you can stick a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. If the meat thermometer reads 165 degrees, you’re done! If not, put the turkey back in and cook for a few more minutes.
Removing the Turkey
- Once the thigh temperature reaches 165 degrees, you’re ready to take out the turkey.
-
- Turn off the burner.
- Remove the turkey with the same rod you used before.
- Let the turkey linger over the pot for a minute so the oil can drain out.
- Place the turkey onto a platter with several paper towels.
- Let the turkey sit for about 20 minutes after removing it from the oil, then carve it up.
- You did it! Enjoy your delicious turkey and be thankful that your face wasn’t burned off.
Aftermath
After belts are unfastened, dishes are stacked high, and leftovers are stowed in the fridge, it’s time to face reality. You should let the oil cool overnight, then dispose of it or store it for later. If you filter and store your oil properly, you can use it to deep fry other tasty foods, almost indefinitely.
Featured image courtesy of iStock/Getty Images. Article originally published November 24, 2014. Updated November 15, 2017 by Chase McPeak.
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Nonprofit’s cruelty-free, therapeutic VR experience lets you swim with dolphins
Since the 1970s, some researchers have described the positive therapeutic effect that swimming with dolphins can have on people, particularly those with disabilities. However, so-called “dolphin therapy” is not readily available to everyone. For one thing, it can be prohibitively expensive, while the idea of people leaping into pools with captive animals has also been criticized as cruel by environmentalists. A Dutch nonprofit thinks it has the answer, though — and it involves virtual reality (VR).
The Dolphin Swim Club is the work of Marijke Sjollema, who has been pursuing her dream for well over a decade. Working with her husband, Benno Brada, Sjollema has developed a 360-degree VR experience that promises to bring dolphin therapy to the masses — using nothing more than your nearest swimming pool and a VR headset.
“To be actually swimming, while watching the wild dolphins in VR, adds to the total immersion of the experience,” Sjollema told Digital Trends. “Even I, who directed the film, had moments where I was fooled by the VR, and found myself acting like I was in the water with real dolphins. The water adds two elements to the VR experience. [For one,] sound is transmitted very differently. Because the world of dolphins is very acoustic, we paid a lot of attention to that. The other is the water’s magnifying effect that expands the field of view.”
At present, the project is using a Samsung S7 smartphone, mounted on diving goggles with 3D-printed elements, to form a makeshift VR headset. In the future, Sjollema hopes that additional investment will allow the production of a consumer version made from recycled plastics recovered from oceans.
So far, the VR dolphin therapy has been used in trials with impressive effects. One tester found that the experience helped him to “completely forgot” a severe pain in his arm, while others reported that it made them feel “peaceful.” The project has been the recipient of a 50,000 euro ($59,000) grant from the Dutch government. The films being used were shot in late 2015 in the Red Sea by a camera crew of divers whom specialize in VR. The 360-degree video has also been used, minus the swimming pool element, in more than 150 hospitals and health care institutions worldwide.
While we’d love to see some clinical trials exploring exactly how well this VR therapy works, it’s definitely interesting — and yet another example of how virtual reality can be used to great effect as a therapeutic tool.
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The Rubbee X makes converting your standard bicycle to electric easier than ever
Are you the owner of a regular bicycle who now wishes that you had invested that money in an electric ebike instead? Rather than wallow in buyer’s remorse, you may instead want to check out a new Kickstarter campaign for the Rubbee X, a lightweight conversion device that promises to give any regular bike an electric makeover.
“Rubbee X works by providing electric assist directly to the rear tire via an electric friction roller,” Gediminas Nemanis, CEO of Rubbee, told Digital Trends. “It has modular batteries to extend the rides, regenerative braking, and not a single wire. We track the pedaling pattern by attaching a small wireless sensor to the pedal crank. This way, we know when and how much additional support to provide to the rider in real time. There are no buttons to push; just pedal and your power will be multiplied 2 to 3 times. It’s a pure electric assist system.”
Rubbee first burst onto the scene with its motorized roller bike conversion system back in 2013. This latest product represents the third iteration of that idea, giving the team plenty of time to hone their design. It also features a bunch of new innovations — including the ability to replace batteries, rather than being stuck with the one integrated lithium-ion battery pack of previous models, a new regenerative braking feature that’s activated by pedaling backwards half a revolution, and an 14-LED brake light and turn indicator.
“All previous generations of Rubbee were based on all-metal construction, which made them heavy,” Nemanis said. “We already had the fastest installation time in the world — around 7 seconds — but with the new Rubbee X, which is about 50 percent lighter than its predecessors, the installation is even quicker. It now takes about 1 second. We also used to have one wire going to the pedal sensor, but now Rubbee X is completely wireless. This enables the unit to be installed super-easily by everyone. We’re offering Ikea-like user friendliness.”
If you’re interested in acquiring a Rubbee X of your own, you can currently pre-order a unit on Kickstarter for a starting price of 269 British pounds ($356). Shipping is set to take place in June 2018.
Until then, you’ll just have to keep pedaling a bit harder!
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Want the best MacBook for your money? You can forget the Touch Bar
With the current line of MacBooks, it’s harder than ever to know which MacBook is right for you. In late 2016, we were introduced to the long-awaited MacBook Pro updates with the OLED Touch Bar, and improved hardware under the hood. It wasn’t the giant update a lot of users were looking for, but it certainly was controversial. Between the Touch Bar, the offering of ports, and the price, Apple’s line of laptops is a more contentious topic than ever before.
Speaking of the MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar, we’re not convinced it’s actually all that revolutionary. In a lot of cases, it’s a solution searching for a problem — and its constantly-shifting nature requires more attention that classic function keys.
In mid-2017, the processors across all the new MacBooks were then brought up to 7th-generation Intel processors to stay competitive, though we may now be waiting until next spring to see an update to 8th-generation, which many Windows laptops have.
Now — let’s find your next MacBook.
Instant elimination
Here are the five models of MacBook currently available, counting different display sizes as distinct models.
- MacBook
- MacBook Air
- MacBook Pro 13-inch
- MacBook Pro 13-inch (with Touch Bar)
- MacBook Pro 15-inch (with Touch Bar)
While that may not look like a vast selection compared to prolific brands like Dell or HP, it’s fairly swollen for Apple.
Don’t buy the MacBook Air
Blake Patterson/Flickr
One year ago, we would have automatically removed the MacBook Air from our list of eligible systems. It wasn’t bad, but it seemed dead in the water due to the fact that it hadn’t gotten an update in years. That’s why we were surprised when Apple announced a small update in June of 2017 that boosted the processor speed up to 1.8GHz.
While Apple is keeping this product alive, it’s not exactly the update it needs to keep the MacBook Air competitive in today’s market. With the “Air” brand being phased out of the iPad line, it’s only a matter of time before the MacBook Air gets discontinued, too.
The MacBook Air suffers from a lackluster display resolution of 1440 x 900, and doesn’t offer the quickest hardware. While it holds up the bottom end of the lineup as a budget option, it’s still hard to justify at the price. You can get a lot more mileage about of $1,000 elsewhere. Comparable Windows laptops deliver 1080p resolution, more RAM, and faster processors.
If you absolutely need a MacBook Air, or want a Mac on a tight budget, you can always buy a refurbished model at a discounted price. You may even want to consider something like the 10.5-inch iPad Pro, which starts at just over $800 with the Smart keyboard included.
Why not the 12-inch MacBook?
With the MacBook Air out of the running, the real battle begins. Let’s start with the slim and shiny MacBook.
You might expect the MacBook to easily walk over its older siblings. It’s slimmer, lighter, and more portable. Fanless and wafer-thin, the MacBook looks like a laptop from the future. But it has some glaring flaws.
The first problem is the processor. Intel’s Core M is pretty advanced for a mobile processor, but it’s also meant for extremely slim systems that are often passively cooled. That means it can’t be as quick as its siblings, or it’ll melt itself into a puddle of goo. In our initial review of the MacBook, we found it offers roughly three-quarters the performance of a standard fifth-generation Core, which is two generations behind the most recent processors from Intel.
Apple attempted to fix the poor performance with a processor update in mid-2017. Moving it up to seventh-generation processors, the MacBook now offers two options: The $1299 “Core m3” and the $1599 “Core i5.” In our tests, the Core m3 showed itself to be impressive for a mobile processor, competing with the MateBook X’s Core i5-7200U in single-core performance, but it still lags behind the previous generation MacBook Pro.
While we haven’t tested it yet, it should be noted that the “Core i5” version of the MacBook is not the same i5-7200U processor you’ll find in something like the MacBook Pro or standard 2017 Windows laptops. It’s a rebranded, seventh-generation version of the old Core m5 chip — you can blame Intel for the confusion there.
Then there’s the port problem. The MacBook offers two: a single USB-C for all peripherals and for charging, and a headphone jack. Because of this, using a MacBook with any third-party peripherals will prove far more difficult than with its siblings.
There is one argument in favor of the MacBook, and that’s portability. It’s the lightest and smallest laptop Apple has ever produced, weight just above 2 pounds. But even here there’s a tradeoff, because the MacBook’s battery life isn’t exceptional. It’s not bad — but, given it price, we expect more.
Alternatively, you could pick up a similarly priced Dell XPS 13. It’s solid, professional, and comes with a slick display and impressive aluminum-and-carbon-fiber construction. It offers a similar form factor, high build quality, and much better performance. You’d even save $150.
What if you’re thinking of going Pro?
Now that the two less powerful options have been dispatched, only the freshly redesigned MacBook Pro remains. The high-end machine packs in 6th Generation Intel processors, PCIe SSDs standard, and a Retina display in all models.
In that sense, the MacBook Pro sets itself apart from the low-power options further down the ladder. Whether it competes with other systems in its price range is another story.
The 13-inch version competes most directly with the Dell XPS 13. The slim PC is one of our favorite laptops, and unfortunately undercuts the MacBook Pro 13’s price fairly seriously in terms of base model, starting at $799 to the MacBook Pro 13’s $1,300, which is for the model without a Touch Bar and two Thunderbolt 3 ports.
The MacBook Pro 15 is in a better position, despite the higher price. Its most obvious competitor is the Surface Book 2, which starts at the same $2,300 price point. The Surface Book 2 beats out the MacBook Pro 15 in terms of graphical and processor performance, screen resolution, and of course is a 2-in-1 with a touch screen and stylus.
Other issues came to light once we actually had the system in our hands. The Touch Bar wasn’t the revolution in computing Apple hyped it up to be. Features like suggestive text and tab previews work well on smartphones, but their presence is often unnecessary, and many users may find themselves setting the Touch Bar to operate as brightness and volume control, instead of custom app controls.
The keyboard has a frustratingly short throw, which makes typing for long periods uncomfortable. Finally, battery life is seriously lacking, and that was one of the major selling points of previous models.
However, the MacBook Pro models fight back with a large touchpad, excellent hard drive performance, and forward-looking ports. Like previous MacBook Pro models, it’s also sleek and attractive, but you’ll have to decide how much that’s worth to you. It’s a very expensive system, and arguably not a great value. But then again, Macs have never been the budget option.
And the winner is…
There was just an update to the MacBook Pro line, so if you really want something that runs MacOS, that’s the only system to consider. Your best bet is likely the 13-inch MacBook Pro without a Touch Bar. It presents the most competitive value, albeit without the standout feature, which again, we’re not that fond of. If you’re a pro user who needs some serious performance power, the 15-inch MacBook Pro also offers a fairly competitive value, though the 13-inch model is much more affordable for the average buyer.
There’s still serious hardware under the hood on the base 13-inch MacBook Pro. The Retina display offers roughly twice the number the pixels as the Air, the processor’s base clock is 1.1GHz quicker, and RAM is doubled from four to eight gigabytes. The latest Pro also comes with the same Force-click touchpad found in the MacBook, and a pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports.
It isn’t the flashiest option, but the MacBook Pro 13 is the best choice for anyone looking to pick up a MacOS laptop. If you don’t have that much to spend, you’re probably better off reaching for a Windows PC, or purchasing a refurbished Mac.
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Forget goggles, HoloPlayer One gives you headset-free holograms in your home
HoloPlayer One is an attempt to bring the kinds of holograms previously only seen in sci-fi movies into our homes without the need for any additional hardware. It’s a cleverly designed combination of LCD display, depth-sensing camera, and a reflective panel that lets you not only see, but interact with visible holograms.
As much promise as augmented and virtual reality have for the future of our Star Wars-inspired hologram dreams, Looking Glass Factory has a different interpretation of how it should be. The HoloPlayer One, which operates either on its own or when connected via HDMI to a reasonably powerful PC, lets anyone within a 50-degree viewing angle see and manipulate holograms.
The actual hardware itself is made up of a 2,560 x 1,600 resolution LCD display, which reflects its image onto 32 depth planes to produce a resulting 3D image that has an actual resolution of 267 x 480, according to The Verge. The Realsense 3D camera tracks your hand movements within the hologram’s projected space and allows manipulation of the digital image in real time. There’s also a bundled pair of stereo speakers for audio feedback.
In terms of software content for the system, there is an SDK available now, which the developers are hoping will encourage third parties to create compatible applications that will expand the device’s existing software. Current apps include drawing applications, 3D-sculpting apps, a three-dimensional view of a human heart, and classic game ports like Asteroids 3D and HoloNinja.
While it’s still under development, you can pre-order the HoloPlayer One in two different guises. The $750 option is called the “Development Edition” and is slated to ship out by April. It requires a decently powerful PC to work and will set you back $750. In comparison, the stand-alone version which will ship out at the same time, comes with a built-in PC packing a Core i7 CPU, and has a price tag of $3,000.
If you want to get one of these sooner, there are a handful of “Christmas 2017 rush order” units available, but they are in the tens and dwindling fast. Prices are $250 higher, but you need to get in there fast if you want to be one of the early birds.
If this rig doesn’t strike your fancy, keep your eyes peeled in the near future. All sorts of leaps are being made in the hologram market.
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Scientists discover the first interstellar asteroid — but how did they do it?
Outer space has once again proven to be strange and full of surprises. Astronomers have detected an asteroid visiting from interstellar space for the first time. That means it’s from beyond the bubble-like region that designates the sun’s domain, and it’s like nothing astronomers have ever seen before.
First appearing to Hawaii’s Pan-STARRS 1 telescope as a faint light dashing across the sky on October 19, the fast-paced object was initially identified as a comet but was later reclassified as an asteroid named 1I/2017 U1 or, the far more fun to say moniker, `Oumuamua.
But, while every other comet and asteroid known to astronomers has originated from within our solar system, there was something about `Oumuamua that pegged it as a foreigner. No, it wasn’t it’s accent — its orbit was unlike those of known comets and asteroids. It’s tough to measure an object that’s nearly 100 times our distance from the sun so, over the next couple of days, astronomers crunched calculations to determine precisely where the asteroid was headed and from whence it came. The answer was, without a doubt, interstellar space.
The astronomers didn’t have much time to study the object before it left the solar system. They promptly fired up the European Space Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope to make some observations.
“We had to act quickly,” ESO team member Olivier Hainaut said in a statement. “`Oumuamua had already passed its closest point to the sun and was heading back into interstellar space.”
The team turned its telescope toward the distant asteroid in order to measure its orbit, brightness, and color with more accuracy than it could be observed by smaller telescopes. By combining images captured by various large telescopes, the astronomers found that the object’s brightness changes drastically as it rotates, suggesting that it had both an unusual origin and an extraordinary shape.
“This unusually large variation in brightness means that the object is highly elongated,” said Karen Meech, project lead from the Institute for Astronomy, in Hawaii, “about 10 times as long as it is wide, with a complex, convoluted shape. We also found that it has a dark red color, similar to objects in the outer solar system, and confirmed that it is completely inert, without the faintest hint of dust around it.”
Interstellar asteroids pass through our inner solar system about every year, according to astronomers, but they’ve been out of our observational reach until now thanks in part to the capability of telescopes like the Pan-STARRS-1.
“We are continuing to observe this unique object,” Hainaut said, “and we hope to more accurately pin down where it came from and where it is going next on its tour of the galaxy. And now that we have found the first interstellar rock, we are getting ready for the next ones!”
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Cortana takes fashion tips from Apple in potential interface overhaul
Microsoft is experimenting with a new way to search for content on Windows 10 PCs by tweaking Cortana’s search interface. Discovered in the latest Windows Insider build 17040, the interface overhaul looks to draw from Apple’s MacOS Spotlight feature and continues to push the recently introduced Fluent Design System.
Along with new features like Windows Timeline, the latest Windows Insider release, build 17040, introduced a few interesting features for those on the Fast Ring. Although the Cortana interface changeup is part of that collective, it’s not quite as easily accessible. As OnMSFT highlights, you need to make tweaks to your system’s registry, which isn’t necessarily something you want to do unless you know what you’re doing.
Once made though, the change is reasonably dramatic, at least on the surface. It transforms the existing Cortana search function into something far grander. It has its own stand-alone window with the search bar located at the top. There are tabs for designating where you want Cortana to search, and there is an additional filter button for distilling your search results to what is most applicable.
Much like the Fluent Design System, this new Cortana interface appears to draw inspiration from Apple’s MacOS and specifically its Spotlight feature. While it’s not exactly one for one, it’s easy to see where comparisons can be made. It’s not known if this is a layout change that Microsoft plans to make permanent in the future though. It could simply be experimenting with different design ideas and this is the latest one.
If you want to check out Cortana’s new outfit, you need to be a Windows Insider with a downloaded and installed build 17040. From there, open the Windows 10 registry editor and follow the steps as listed on OnMSFT. As mentioned above, making tweaks to your registry can have serious implications for your system, so proceed with caution and double-check your working every step of the way.
As useful as Cortana’s facelift might be though, don’t forget it’s not the only game in town. For our take on which is the best digital assistant, check out our head to head guide between the likes of Siri, Alexa, Cortana and more.
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