Kickstarter’s Drip takes on Patreon with subscription crowdfunding

Today, Kickstarter launches a new way to fund interesting projects. It’s called Drip and rather than pledging a certain amount of money to one project, it lets you subscribe to a creator and give them monthly payments. Drip was a standalone subscription platform, but Kickstarter bought it last year just as it was set to shutdown. It has now been retooled by Kickstarter and though it’s largely similar to other subscription crowdfunding sites, such as Patreon, Drip does have a couple of features that set it apart from the rest.

First, it adopts Kickstarter’s time limit model, though in a slightly different way. While Kickstarter requires creators to get fully funded within in a certain time window, Drip doesn’t. The account will remain active no matter how much money is pledged. But to encourage people to subscribe, it lets creators pick a certain amount of time — current Drip creators have chosen anything between seven and 30 days — in which funders can become founding members. If they pledge within that window, they’ll get special perks.

Another difference is that Drip will help creators move their project and funders over to a different crowdfunding platform if they choose. “If we were in a revenue-maximizing situation, this would not be the smartest decision,” Kickstarter’s new chief product officer, Jamie Wilkinson, told the Verge. “But from the perspective of supporting creators, it’s a no-brainer.” Kickstarter cofounder Perry Chen added, “We’re not basing our success or failure primarily on growth. It’s about, are we succeeding in our mission? Are we helping creator projects come to life?”

Currently, joining Drip is invite-only for creators and at launch, 61 artists have subscription pages, which you can check out here. Drip will open up to more artists early next year.

Via: The Verge

Source: Kickstarter, Drip

Your gaming skills could earn you a Drone Racing League contract

So you want to be a professional drone racer? Then you should probably download Drone Racing League Simulator from Steam. To coincide with the game’s official launch, watchmaker Swatch has announced it’s sponsoring tryouts for the 2018 season, where top prize is a spot in the 2018 DRL Allianz World Championship Season and a $75,000 contract. We’ve seen this type of thing with Gran Turismo before but it’ll never not feel kind of Last Starfighter-y.

The simulator is pretty much a 1:1 translation of official courses, and because of that, the skills apparently directly translate from the game to real-world racing. The DRL found its first racer via the game earlier this year, Jacob “Jawz” Schneider.

The minimum specs are pretty low (it only needs an NVIDIA GTX 650 to run), but you will need a gamepad to play it, of course. The game is $20 and you can find a list of supported controllers right here. The tryout period ends January 15th, and the top 24 racers will compete in a live tournament on February 3rd.

Via: Mashable

Source: Steam

Scientists issue a dire warning about climate change (again)

Back in 1992, a group of scientists from around the world told us in no uncertain terms that we were ruining the planet Earth. Because of human actions such as deforestation, pollution and ozone depletion, we were on a dire course that would lead to a planet unable to support life. As you can imagine, things haven’t improved much. This week, over 15,000 scientists from 184 countries joined together to issue a second notice for the 25th anniversary of their original warning. Their message? Things have gotten much, much worse, and soon it will be too late to do anything about it.

The letter appeared in the journal BioScience, and its message is (understandably) dire. “Humanity has failed to make sufficient progress in generally solving these foreseen environmental challenges, and alarmingly, most of them are getting far worse,” it says. “Soon it will be too late to shift course away from our failing trajectory.”

There isn’t much in the way of good news here. Not only have the issues identified in the original letter gotten worse, but a whole new host of problems have emerged. From access to clean water to a population explosion, things aren’t looking great. The only issue that has improved is the hole in the ozone layer, which has shrunk considerably.

However, all is not lost, at least not yet. Scientists outline 13 things we can do in the very near future to correct our course. These include developing more environmentally friendly tech, creating nature reserves and putting economic policies into place that will change our consumption habits. The paper also announces the establishment of the Alliance of World Scientists, which will “develop clear, trackable, and practical solutions while communicating trends and needs to world leaders.” Let’s just hope it’s not too late.

Via: Clean Technica, Washington Post

Source: Oregon State University

Sony’s latest PlayStation VR bundle takes on the ‘Doom’ hellscape

Sony is clearly determined to get PlayStation VR on to your head no matter what game genre you prefer to play. In addition to its recently announced Skyrim bundle, it’s launching a Doom VFR bundle that includes id Software’s hellish virtual reality shooter alongside the headset, PlayStation Camera, Move controllers and the latest PSVR demo disc.

This isn’t going to give you as much raw gameplay as Skyrim, since VFR is more of a Doom side story than a full title. However, the shorter game will also help Sony sell the Doom bundle on December 1st (alongside the release of the stand-alone game) for $400, or $50 less than its Skyrim counterpart. Think of this as whetting your appetite: Sony wants to show you what’s possible with first-person VR shooters, and it’s easier to do that when you don’t have to pay extra for the privilege.

Source: PlayStation Blog

Biolite’s SolarHome 620 provides power for everyday essentials

BioLite has been leading a dual existence. While the Brooklyn-based company’s been delivering off-the-grid accessories to your average camper, hiker and explorer, it’s also been serving emerging markets where power may be scarce and clean cooking tools are life-saving essentials. Now, for the first time, the company is releasing a product for both markets in one go following on-the-ground research in India and Sub-Saharan Africa. The BioLite SolarHome 620 provides power for lights, device charging, radio and music by harnessing the sun’s rays. For some regions, this may be a game changer, but it’s not without its uses in developed areas, either as an energy-saving alternative or a backup plan in case of power failures. The $150 product is being released today in limited quantities for the holidays, with a proper rollout planned for Spring/Summer 2018.

The overall package is unassuming and relatively bare-bones compared to some of the other products BioLite has been putting out. It’s meant to be an affordable, utilitarian product for people in all walks of life. The SolarHome system includes a 6W solar panel, a central control box and three hangable LED lights, each with an on/off switch — and one of them includes motion sensing. Everything’s tailored for semi-permanent installation, but at under five pounds for the whole package, it’s not particularly difficult to take on the go.

The control box has a 6V, 3,300mAh battery that’s powered by the solar panel. There’s also an onboard light (making four total), an FM radio, a microSD slot to allow you to play your own tunes and a decently loud but otherwise unnoteworthy speaker. The small LCD display provides you with time, date, battery status, current sun-strength, search/pause/play and volume buttons.

There’s a relatively tiny shelf at the bottom, ostensibly to store a device while you make use of either of the two USB charging ports. However, it won’t securely fit a phone taller than five inches, which hangs over the edge drastically otherwise. But hey, not everyone has gone the oversized smartphone route. A third DIN port lets you boost your overall energy reserves with a compatible battery.

Whether you’re using this in a van, at a campsite, on a back porch or to light a small multi-room home, you should have more than enough light cabling to cover some ground. Each of the three overhead lights have an approximately 20-foot-long wire with daisy-chain connections and a five-foot-long on/off switch offshoot about midway through that length. Since the control box only has two light outputs, you’ll definitely need to link one of them if you want to have all three overhead lights active. The output is a standard white LED-type glow that’s softened a bit by the semi-opaque shells.

My only chance to test the SolarHome’s charging capabilities was to position the solar panel in an office window that gets about 3-4 hours of direct sun per day (weather permitting) and it took several (mostly overcast) days to get to about 30 percent charge. While I didn’t have a chance to do a battery rundown test, the control box provides you with stats as to how long the battery will last based on your current power load. Based on all four lights in use and no other power-drains, the system’s rated for anywhere from 4.5 up to 14 hours of illumination depending on which of the three brightness levels are in use.

Since it’s not chargeable by any means beyond the solar panel or the DIN-based battery extension, the SolarHome 620 seems more applicable to long-term installation where you either get loads of sun, or use the lights and battery sparingly. The solar panel is weather proof so it’s made to sit on a roof out in the elements. The lights themselves are splash proof and may survive in the rain, but they’re not built for dunking. The control box is an indoor module, so you’d want to keep this dry at all times.

The reserved design and feature set on the SolarHome 620 belies its dual nature. It’s a single device that’s marketed universally, without adding bells and whistles. For those in remote areas, it’s a supremely useful package. It could serve equally well in a toolshed or on a back porch anywhere in the world. Check out the BioLite website starting today for the limited pre-holiday launch of the SolarHome 620, priced at $150.

Pixar’s VR debut takes you inside the entrancing world of ‘Coco’

On November 22nd, Pixar is set to release its latest animated masterpiece. It’s called Coco, and one of its central themes is Dia De Los Muertos, a Mexican holiday that honors the dead. To help promote the film, Pixar partnered with Oculus to produce its first-ever VR experience. Aptly named Coco VR, it was announced back in October, but is now available starting today for all Rift headsets (A Gear VR version will be out next week). I tried an early preview of it a few days ago and I found the experience to be whimsical, educational and, surprisingly, fun.

To be clear, Coco VR is not a game. There are no set objectives or tasks to be completed. Instead, Pixar calls it a “social adventure,” where you and your buddies get to embody skeletal characters and roam freely in the Land of the Dead. “It’s an opportunity to step inside a Pixar film and go on an adventure with a friend,” said Marc Sondheimer, a Pixar producer. “We wanted to teach people a little about the film […] learn about the holiday, the festival, and the traditions.”

As for why Coco VR is made to be social, well, Sondheimer said it’s just more fun that way. “It’s the idea of being a skeleton in the world, [while] seeing other skeletons,” he continued. “It’s an easy way to believe you’re in an experience with someone else.” You can still experience Coco VR solo, but as Pixar describes, it’s really meant to be enjoyed with other people. The Rift accommodates up to 4 players, while the Gear VR supports up to two.

Whether solo or with someone else, the Coco VR experience starts with meeting Miguel, the star of the movie. He’s standing in front of what looks like an ancestral altar, with candles and framed photos of deceased relatives. Miguel greets you, and starts to describe Dia De Los Muertos. But before he can get any further, he’s distracted and leaves the room. When he’s not there, the room somehow goes dark. The next thing you know, you’re in some kind of wardrobe room, you’re standing in front of a mirror and, oh my, you and your friends are now animated skeletons. You’re now in the Land of the Dead.

From there, you’re free to customize your look. A small version of yourself is perched a top the dresser, along with a rack of skulls and clothing items. You can drag and drop different skulls and clothes onto to that tiny representation of you, to see how you look. There’s also that aforementioned mirror where you can check yourself out in more detail. Amusingly, you can even, well, take off your skull entirely and walk around in a disembodied state if you fancy. To get your skull back, simply pull back on both Touch joysticks, and it’ll return.

When you step out of that wardrobe room, you’ll find yourself in what looks like a festive town square. While I didn’t have any friends to test out the experience with, an Oculus representative was there to act as my skeletal tour guide. Moving around in the game is fairly straightforward; you use the Touch joystick to teleport yourself about and to change directions. I could then choose to walk over to a concert, the cinema, an art gallery, a gondola ride or just wander around a fountain and its surroundings. There’s even a photo booth where you can take a virtual selfie.

Tucked away in these destinations is more information about Dia De Los Muertos and Coco, the movie. If you scrounge around the dresser drawers, for example, you’ll find concept art and actual film storyboards. The film shown at the town square cinema is actually never-before-seen footage made by Pixar as a test run. One of my favorite places is the art gallery, where I saw examples of Mexican art and learned about their history and who the artists are. It even has an area where you could paint your skull face with a variety of different colors.

The best part, for me at least, is towards the end, when the gondola ride takes you through the skies, revealing the colorful and magical city beneath. Somehow, it all culminates with you on stage, with the host inviting you to dance, with or without maracas in hand. The scene then cuts to black and you’re back with Miguel again. Apparently you were dreaming. Or maybe not. And that’s the end of the Coco VR experience.

On the whole, I found the experience to be an enjoyable one. It was like going on a theme park ride, except it all happened in a VR headset. The environment in Coco is really quite beautiful and I loved the art, the attention to detail and the feeling of being transported to another world. There were multiple times when I wished it was all real, because I really would like to visit this imaginary place.

That said, don’t expect perfection — sometimes it took several tries before I could grab onto items, and I wish the controllers provided some sort of haptic feedback when you interacted with items in the world. And you can’t really interact with many of the characters you come across, which is unfortunate. Still, as this is supposed to be a social experience, Pixar probably wants you to be interacting with your friends instead.

“The social aspect is really important,” said Colum Slevin, the Head of Experience at Oculus. “I love the idea of giving people room to breathe and spend time with a friend without the intensity or the artificial barrier of having to complete tasks […] It’s like a day at the fair.”

Pixar faced a number of challenges in its first virtual-reality project, one of which was losing control. “We’re kind of control freaks at Pixar,” laughed Sondheimer, adding that it was a little unusual to have other companies come in to help create the world instead of doing everything themselves.

A particularly big part of losing control is the fact that participants have free reign to go wherever they want in the Coco VR world. This is completely different from Pixar’s traditional linear storytelling. “We’re known for making narrative that involves a lot of animation,” said Sondheimer. “But this is about finding that dial of where you throw narrative at the user, versus how much you let them go play.” He explained, for example, that at some points, users are too busy playing with instruments and completely miss important points of dialog. “That’s the challenge. How much can you do narratively, and how much can you do experientially.”

“That’s the key difference between traditional linear storytelling like film,” said Oculus’ Slevin. For Coco VR, there is indeed a story, with a beginning, a middle and an end. The difference is, you take your own route through it. “In the middle, you can go through the places in any order, you can repeat things,” explained Sondheimer. “But to trigger the end, you have to take the gondola and then get on stage.” Yet, the experience doesn’t tell you to do any of that. It all happens naturally, at your own pace.

“If you end up forcing someone down a track on rails, it ultimately doesn’t end up being a pleasant experience,” said Slevin. You accept that contract in a movie, he added, but with VR, you need to answer the fundamental question: “Why are you trying to make this in VR? Why is this a VR experience?”

The answer, according to both Pixar and Oculus, is that VR will immerse you in the world. One thing that makes Coco VR particularly immersive, according to Slevin, is that you become a skeletal character. “It is one of the best examples of credible, believable embodiment,” he said. “You really believe those are your hands even though they’re goofy skeleton hands.”

“Ultimately, we want to represent the movie,” said Sondheimer. “We’re super proud of this film, and the world of this movie, and what the film means. We wanted to represent as well as we possibly could in this experience too.”

While Sondheimer wouldn’t say if Pixar would create more VR experiences in the future, he did say he was excited about the medium. “There’s no telling where this will all go for us,” he said. “We’re excited about the possibilities.”

Square tests buying and selling bitcoin inside its payment app

Square Cash moved beyond sending money in February 2016 when it started letting users store their funds in account reserves, digital wallet-style. Starting today, you can use the service’s mobile app to stash another type of currency: bitcoin. But only select users are seeing the feature.

“We’re always listening to our customers and we’ve found that they are interested in using the Cash app to buy bitcoin,” a Square spokesperson told Engadget when reached for comment. “We’re exploring how Square can make this experience faster and easier, and have rolled out this feature to a small number of Cash app customers. We believe cryptocurrency can greatly impact the ability of individuals to participate in the global financial system and we’re excited to learn more here.”

Currently, users can only buy, sell and store bitcoin — not send them to other users. Given cryptocurrency’s volatile nature, the service’s cautious rollout makes sense. But bitcoin is certainly the biggest fish in that sea — and it’s having a banner year, climbing in value from just under $1000 per unit in January to a peak of over $7000 this month.

Despite all the ransomware and scandals associating the leading cryptocurrency with shadier corners of the internet, exchanges keep building out their bitcoin infrastructure. And with America’s cash future veering further away from paper money and toward cards and apps, maybe Square Cash is wise to try combining its service with tomorrow’s currency.

Source: Forbes

Apple Shares 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Apple today updated its website to add a holiday gift guide, recommending Apple products for people to purchase for friends and family this holiday season. This year’s gift guide is bedecked with tiny people and Apple devices displaying holiday scenes.

The flagship iPhone X, priced at starting $999, is front and center the gift guide, with Apple also highlighting the Apple Watch Series 3 models, the iPad Pro, the MacBook Pro, and the 4K Apple TV.

Accessories for each product are listed below each item, with Apple recommending things like AirPods, iPhone X phone cases, Apple Watch bands, the Apple Pencil, Beats Studio3 headphones, and more.

Several third party accessories are also shared on the page, including Sphero’s R2-D2 robotic droid, a new DJI Mavic Pro in an exclusive Alpine White color, the Lifeprint Photo and Video Printer, Belkin’s Boost Up Wireless Charging Pad, and the CliqueFie Selfie Stick.

Even more accessories are highlighted in a separate “More Gifts” section, with Apple sharing suggestions on accessories at a range of price points and for several different ages.

Every year, Apple offers an extended return period during the holidays, and as of today, the new return period is in effect. Most products and accessories purchased between November 15 and December 25, 2017, will be eligible for return until January 8, 2018 in countries that include the United States, Australia, the UK, Canada, Germany, France, Sweden, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, and Japan. Apple also offers free two-day shipping on all purchases.

Apple will likely be offering a Black Friday sale on Friday, November 24, so if you’re planning to buy an Apple product from Apple, it could be worthwhile to wait. Last year, Apple offered customers free Apple Store gift cards worth up to $150 with the purchase of select products.

Tag: Apple gift guide
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Belkin Debuts 36W USB-C Car Charger That Offers Fast Charging for iPhone X, 8, and 8 Plus

Belkin today announced the launch of a new 36W USB-C car charger, which is able to provide fast charging capabilities for the iPhone X, the iPhone 8, and the iPhone 8 Plus. All three of those devices support a fast charging feature that allows them to be charged to 50 percent battery life in 30 minutes.

Priced at $29.99, Belkin’s new car charger accessory does not include a USB-C to Lightning cable, which is required to make it work. Apple sells USB-C to Lightning cables at prices starting at $25. If you don’t already own a USB-C to Lightning cable, it brings the total price of the Belkin Charger to $55.

In addition to being able to fast charge the iPhone, the 36W Car Charger can also be used to provide power to iPads and 12-inch MacBook models. It also works with MacBook Pro models, but those machines typically charge using 61W or 87W Power Adapters.

The USB-C Car Charger is available exclusively from Belkin.com and Apple.com, though it isn’t yet showing up on Apple’s site just yet as it’s newly released.

Tag: Belkin
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Apple Releases Safari Technology Preview 44 With Bug Fixes and Feature Improvements

Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced more than a year ago in March of 2016. Apple designed the Safari Technology Preview to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari.

Safari Technology Preview release 44 includes bug fixes and feature improvements for Image Bitmap, Web API, CSS, Rendering, web Inspector, Web Driver, Media, CSS Grid, Security, and Extensions. Today’s update also adds Conic Gradients and enables the Payment Request feature by default.

With Safari 11 now available in macOS High Sierra, Apple is providing two versions of Safari Technology Preview, one for macOS Sierra users and one for those using macOS High Sierra.

The Safari Technology Preview update is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store to anyone who has downloaded the browser. Full release notes for the update are available on the Safari Technology Preview website.

Apple’s aim with Safari Technology Preview is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. Safari Technology Preview can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.

Tag: Safari Technology Preview
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