Today, A.I. helps detect tiny earthquakes. Tomorrow, it might predict the big one

Earthquakes are notoriously difficult to predict. Even major quakes often occur with little warning. Meanwhile, there are many hundreds of thousands of smaller earthquakes that humans rarely ever feel but are occasionally detected on seismographs.

Now, researchers from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed an artificial intelligence (A.I.) neural network to better help detect earthquakes of all sizes. In a recent study published in the journal Science Advances, the A.I.system was shown to be more accurate than current methods, and may help bring seismologists closer to the elusive goal of earthquake prediction.

The paper’s focus is on earthquakes in Oklahoma, a previously seismically inactive state that has become increasingly more active over the past decade due in part to the wastewater disposal practices of the fracking industry. Since Oklahomans have never really had to worry about earthquakes, the state is ill-equipped to detect and locate them.

“One way we usually locate earthquakes is by using multiple stations and triangulation, just like GPS,” Thibaut Perol, an A.I. researcher at Harvard and one of the authors of the study, told Digital Trends. “But in that region of Oklahoma, which has only been active seismically for a short amount of time, there aren’t a lot of seismic stations that would allow you to do triangulation. What we’ve done is to allow someone to locate an earthquake using only a single station.”

The trick used by Perol and his team was to increase the sensitivity of Oklahoma’s sparse seismographs, using a convolutional neural network to filter through the noise associated with the Earth’s goings-on — from human activity like traffic to the vibrations created by wind and waves. To do this, they fed the A.I. data on regions that are seismically inactive, enabling the system to identify ambient noise that’s not the result of tremors. By being able to identify this ambient noise, the system can then better pick up on the importance stuff — i.e., earthquakes.

Perol compared this to voice-recognition software, such as Siri’s ability to recognize a command amid a bunch of background noise.

“What we’ve done is to allow someone to locate an earthquake using only a single station,” he said. “We have trained the A.I … to detect, in real time, earthquakes of whatever magnitude.”

The researchers hope to deploy this technology more widely in Oklahoma, to help seismologists detect quakes and pinpoint their cause. And by better understanding earthquakes, including their precise location and cause, they hope to someday develop a system that can predict an earthquake well before it happens.

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Today, A.I. helps detect tiny earthquakes. Tomorrow, it might predict the big one

Earthquakes are notoriously difficult to predict. Even major quakes often occur with little warning. Meanwhile, there are many hundreds of thousands of smaller earthquakes that humans rarely ever feel but are occasionally detected on seismographs.

Now, researchers from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed an artificial intelligence (A.I.) neural network to better help detect earthquakes of all sizes. In a recent study published in the journal Science Advances, the A.I.system was shown to be more accurate than current methods, and may help bring seismologists closer to the elusive goal of earthquake prediction.

The paper’s focus is on earthquakes in Oklahoma, a previously seismically inactive state that has become increasingly more active over the past decade due in part to the wastewater disposal practices of the fracking industry. Since Oklahomans have never really had to worry about earthquakes, the state is ill-equipped to detect and locate them.

“One way we usually locate earthquakes is by using multiple stations and triangulation, just like GPS,” Thibaut Perol, an A.I. researcher at Harvard and one of the authors of the study, told Digital Trends. “But in that region of Oklahoma, which has only been active seismically for a short amount of time, there aren’t a lot of seismic stations that would allow you to do triangulation. What we’ve done is to allow someone to locate an earthquake using only a single station.”

The trick used by Perol and his team was to increase the sensitivity of Oklahoma’s sparse seismographs, using a convolutional neural network to filter through the noise associated with the Earth’s goings-on — from human activity like traffic to the vibrations created by wind and waves. To do this, they fed the A.I. data on regions that are seismically inactive, enabling the system to identify ambient noise that’s not the result of tremors. By being able to identify this ambient noise, the system can then better pick up on the importance stuff — i.e., earthquakes.

Perol compared this to voice-recognition software, such as Siri’s ability to recognize a command amid a bunch of background noise.

“What we’ve done is to allow someone to locate an earthquake using only a single station,” he said. “We have trained the A.I … to detect, in real time, earthquakes of whatever magnitude.”

The researchers hope to deploy this technology more widely in Oklahoma, to help seismologists detect quakes and pinpoint their cause. And by better understanding earthquakes, including their precise location and cause, they hope to someday develop a system that can predict an earthquake well before it happens.

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• Poachers don’t stand a chance against these A.I.-powered camera drones
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New ‘Prime’ Meltdown, Spectre exploits outlined by Nvidia, Princeton University

Just one month after researchers exposed methods to extract sensitive data from a device’s memory through all modern processors, another research paper arrives to illustrate how the processor design flaw can be used in other attacks. The paper, dubbing the new exploits MeltdownPrime and SpectrePrime, derives from three researchers who work at at Princeton University and graphics chip manufacturer Nvidia. 

As reported last month, all processors dating back to at least 2011 have a flaw in the way they’re designed. Part of a processor’s speed comes from its ability to predict where the current list of instructions will go — they have “branch prediction units” that take an educated guess about what command will come next. To make these predictions, processors toss data back and forth from two memory sets: local on-chip memory called cache for fast access, and the PC’s system memory. This data isn’t secured, and that’s where the original Meltdown and Spectre attacks come in. 

The Meltdown approach applies to Intel and Apple processors. A hacker can create a malicious program to access that raw information, which could include usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, and so on. It taps into the privileged information typically only accessible by the root of an operating system, otherwise known as the kernel. 

Meanwhile, Spectre applies to Intel, AMD, and all mobile chips based on ARM’s processor design, including Apple. Here hackers can create a program to trick the processor into executing instructions not built into legitimate programs and apps installed on the PC. In other words, your favorite apps and programs could be tricked into coughing up your sensitive data. 

Both methods are merely proof-of-concepts reported by Google Project Zero, and researchers from Cerberus Technology and various universities. Both are called side-channel attacks as they don’t target specific software, such as Adobe Flash. 

The new MeltdownPrime and SpectrePrime exploits rely on an attack called Prime+Probe that takes advantage of processor “cache invalidations,” which is a method of replacing or removing entries in the CPU’s cache. Whereas Meltdown and Spectre simply “pollute” this cache during the CPU’s path prediction (aka speculative execution), the new exploits take a different approach. 

“MeltdownPrime and SpectrePrime are caused by write requests being sent out speculatively in a system that uses an invalidation-based coherence protocol,” the paper states. A coherence protocol means that the PC is keeping all data stored in cache and memory consistent. But that protocol may “invalidate cache lines in sharer cores as a result of a speculative write access request even if the operation is eventually squashed.” 

The researchers validated their findings using a MacBook packing an Intel Core i7 processor, and MacOS Sierra v10.12.6. They ran the exploit 100 times on the machine, with a 99.95-percent success rate for SpectrePrime versus the 97.9-percent rate seen with the vanilla Spectre exploit. 

“We believe that any software techniques that mitigate Meltdown and Spectre will also be sufficient to mitigate MeltdownPrime and SpectrePrime. On the other hand, we believe that microarchitectural mitigation of our Prime variants will require new considerations,” the paper states. 

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• Qualcomm is working on patches to address Meltdown and Spectre flaws
• Updates addressing Meltdown security issue are causing a number of PC reboots

New ‘Prime’ Meltdown, Spectre exploits outlined by Nvidia, Princeton University

Just one month after researchers exposed methods to extract sensitive data from a device’s memory through all modern processors, another research paper arrives to illustrate how the processor design flaw can be used in other attacks. The paper, dubbing the new exploits MeltdownPrime and SpectrePrime, derives from three researchers who work at at Princeton University and graphics chip manufacturer Nvidia. 

As reported last month, all processors dating back to at least 2011 have a flaw in the way they’re designed. Part of a processor’s speed comes from its ability to predict where the current list of instructions will go — they have “branch prediction units” that take an educated guess about what command will come next. To make these predictions, processors toss data back and forth from two memory sets: local on-chip memory called cache for fast access, and the PC’s system memory. This data isn’t secured, and that’s where the original Meltdown and Spectre attacks come in. 

The Meltdown approach applies to Intel and Apple processors. A hacker can create a malicious program to access that raw information, which could include usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, and so on. It taps into the privileged information typically only accessible by the root of an operating system, otherwise known as the kernel. 

Meanwhile, Spectre applies to Intel, AMD, and all mobile chips based on ARM’s processor design, including Apple. Here hackers can create a program to trick the processor into executing instructions not built into legitimate programs and apps installed on the PC. In other words, your favorite apps and programs could be tricked into coughing up your sensitive data. 

Both methods are merely proof-of-concepts reported by Google Project Zero, and researchers from Cerberus Technology and various universities. Both are called side-channel attacks as they don’t target specific software, such as Adobe Flash. 

The new MeltdownPrime and SpectrePrime exploits rely on an attack called Prime+Probe that takes advantage of processor “cache invalidations,” which is a method of replacing or removing entries in the CPU’s cache. Whereas Meltdown and Spectre simply “pollute” this cache during the CPU’s path prediction (aka speculative execution), the new exploits take a different approach. 

“MeltdownPrime and SpectrePrime are caused by write requests being sent out speculatively in a system that uses an invalidation-based coherence protocol,” the paper states. A coherence protocol means that the PC is keeping all data stored in cache and memory consistent. But that protocol may “invalidate cache lines in sharer cores as a result of a speculative write access request even if the operation is eventually squashed.” 

The researchers validated their findings using a MacBook packing an Intel Core i7 processor, and MacOS Sierra v10.12.6. They ran the exploit 100 times on the machine, with a 99.95-percent success rate for SpectrePrime versus the 97.9-percent rate seen with the vanilla Spectre exploit. 

“We believe that any software techniques that mitigate Meltdown and Spectre will also be sufficient to mitigate MeltdownPrime and SpectrePrime. On the other hand, we believe that microarchitectural mitigation of our Prime variants will require new considerations,” the paper states. 

Editors’ Recommendations

• Apple protects MacOS Sierra, El Capitan from Meltdown, lists Google bugs
• Intel opens bug hunt to all security researchers, offers possible $250K payout
• Intel’s 9th-generation ‘Ice Lake’ CPUs will have fixes for Meltdown, Spectre
• Qualcomm is working on patches to address Meltdown and Spectre flaws
• Updates addressing Meltdown security issue are causing a number of PC reboots

Authorities deactivate transit pass implanted in biohacker’s hand

Meow-Ludo Disco Gamma Meow-Meow couldn’t just toss away his New South Wales transit pass even after he found out that it got deactivated while he was on a trip to the US. See, Meow-Meow (yes, that is his legal name) cut the chip out of the travel card, encased it in biocompatible plastic and had it implanted under the skin on his left hand. The biohacker now plans to file a lawsuit against New South Wales’ transport authorities, not just to fight the decision, but also to help create laws around body-hacking tech. In addition to the transit pass chip, Meow-Meow has two other implanted electronic components in his body, including one that can store his important documents.

“This is case law in creation and it’s fun to be at the centre of this,” he told Australian Associated Press. “This is a scenario so unusual that their lawyers never foresaw this happening because, if they did, they would have written it in there.”

New South Wales’ authorities deactivated the card under Meow-Meow’s name after his surgery in April 2017 made headlines. However, since the chip implanted in his hand wasn’t registered to him, he was able to use it for almost a whole year — only downside was that he sometimes had to swipe his palm over the scanner more than once. It was only after he traveled back to Australia from a cyborg convention in the US that authorities were successfully able to cut off the card he’s been using. He found the fact that his card was deactivated after the convention “ironic and hilarious,” since the event was all about “regulation and cyborg rights.”

Before this happened, Meow-Meow was already scheduled to appear in a Sydney court in March to contest a $200 fine he was slapped with for riding a train without a valid ticket. Clearly, the world’s not ready for implanted transit passes just yet.

Via: The Outline

Source: Australian Associated Press (1), (2)

How to wash a sleeping bag

If you use your sleeping bag for anything other than at-home sleepovers, there’s a strong possibility it’s going to see its fair share of dirt and grime. When your adventure bag starts to show this extensive use (read: stink), it’s time to give it a thorough cleaning. Here’s exactly what you need to know about how to wash a sleeping bag.

Note: Before washing, make sure all zippers and other attachments are fully closed

Synthetic filler sleeping bags

Synthetic sleeping bags are lined with polyester fragments or foam-like filaments to keep you warm and protected. These sleeping bags tend to be affordable, highly water resistant, and allergen-free. If your sleeping bag doesn’t explicitly say that it’s made with down filler, it’s almost certainly synthetic.

Option 1: For small stains and spills, you can hand wash the sleeping bag to quickly get the grime out. Mix a small container of warm water and a very light soap (try to avoid heavy-duty laundry detergents if possible), grab a sponge or cloth, and clean the affected area. Switch to clean water to rinse and leave the bag out to dry.

You can also do this in a bathtub for a much more thorough cleaning but you’ll have to squeeze all water out of the bag after rinsing it — plus, drying will take a bit of time. Synthetic sleeping bags can be lightly tumble-dried but it’s important the heat stays relatively low to avoid the chance of burning the bag.

Option 2: If you have a large front-loading washing machine, you can also choose to use it to wash your bag. This is a good solution for sleeping bags that are old, completely dirty, or need a more thorough washing.

Note: Smaller washing machines will not be able to tumble a sleeping bag enough and top-loading washers tend to tear them.

When preparing, it’s important to use a mild soap or a very mild detergent, set the washing machine to a gentle cycle, and use warm water for the full washing process. It’s also a good idea to run the rinse cycle several times to make sure all soap residue is cleaned away. Again, air-drying is best but a very light tumble dry may be an option afterward as long as you regularly check to make sure no part of the sleeping bag is getting too hot.

Do not: Don’t send your synthetic sleeping bag out for dry cleaning or try to bleach it free of germs. Also, avoid ironing wrinkles out of your sleeping bag.

Down sleeping bags

Down sleeping bags are filled with soft down feathers, usually from geese or ducks (sometimes even specific species, for very fancy campers). Down is a perennially popular sleeping bag material because of its high fill power which basically means it traps heat and keeps it efficiently, while still being extremely lightweight. Down sleeping bags are more expensive but are also comfortable and well-suited for particularly cold environments.

If your sleeping bag has any down in it — including down/synthetic blends — you should follow these instructions for the best results. If you received the bag as a gift and aren’t sure, it’s worth it to look up the model online (although you can usually feel down with your fingers).

Option 1: Due to the way down sleeping bags are manufactured, they’re more sensitive to water and can actually sustain damage making it unusable if it gets too wet. So, your first step must be to purchase a laundry soap specifically made for down feathers — i.e. One that won’t ruin them. Nikwax is the most common and you can pick some up for around $10. Many people also prefer to throw in a tennis ball when washing their down sleeping bag, with the hope it will break up clumps of down.

Once you have a soap that treats your down right, make sure you’re using a large, front-loading washer and give it a warm wash on a gentle cycle. If there’s a waterproof membrane on the outside of your sleeping bag, we recommend turning it inside-out first.

When finished, rinse the bag several times to remove leftover soap. Move the bag over to a dryer, set it on the lowest warmth setting, and carefully dry it out. It’s a good idea to dry carefully in 20-minute intervals to make sure nothing gets burnt. Expect this stage to take a while.

Option 2: With the right soap and some extra time, you can do the same process in the bathtub by hand. The benefit to this option is that it’s easier to make sure the sleeping bag doesn’t damage. However, it does take a long time to wash the sleeping bag yourself before thoroughly rinsing it to make sure there’s no sign of soap in the water.

Option 3: Use a professional down cleaning services company that accepts sleeping bags. This is by far the most expensive option, and you have to send your bag off for a vacation, but it is easier on your end.

Do not: The same rules apply here as above. No dry-cleaning, no using harsh chemicals, etc. To add to this, do not use a traditional soap (as mentioned) and do not use a washing machine or dryer without checking to make sure it doesn’t have any snags or cracks that could damage the sleeping bag.

Additional tips

MummyPod hammock sleeping bag system

Does the inside of your sleeping stand a good chance of getting a little grimy or sweaty on your adventures? We recommend considering a sleeping bag liner to help protect it and to make cleaning sessions more effective. If the ground is likely to be dirty or muddy, think about investing in a sleeping pad, as well.

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Schwarzenegger joins the sequel for internet cult classic ‘Kung Fury’

David Sandberg’s instant cult classic, Kung Fury is not only getting a full-length sequel, it’s attracting big-name stars to the action comedy set in 1980’s Miami. Today, the former Terminator and California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger joined the upcoming film.

Sandberg’s short movie began as a Kickstarter campaign. With the help of a trailer, he was able to raise $630,019 to finish a 30-minute version of his vision. then as promised he placed it on YouTube. It has since made its way to most of the major streaming services.

The low-budget short is a hilarious homage to 80s action movies. Set in 1985 Miami, but shot in Umeå, Sweden, the movie follows detective Kung Fury as he partners with dinosaurs, fights Nazis and pretty much kicks ass for 31 minutes. Oh, and David Hasselhoff makes a cameo and stars in the True Survivor music video from the movie.

The Hoff, along with Michael Fassbender are also slated to star in the full-length sequel which is also set in 1985 Miami.

Source: Variety

A specific text character can crash iPhones or start a continuous reboot loop

Italian blog Mobile World recently discovered a new bug in iOS 11 that will crash or send the iPhone into a continuous reboot loop when users receive a specific text character in a message. This character also blocks access to popular apps such as Facebook Messenger, Gmail, Outlook, WhatsApp, Twitter, and more along with the Messages app for iOS. But the issue isn’t just iOS-related; the character-driven problem resides on MacOS and WatchOS, too. 

According to the report, the iOS Springboard crashes when it receives a message containing an Indian language (Telugu) character. Once it’s received, Messages fails to load because it’s trying to load a character iOS simply can’t render. For now, the only way to fix the issue is to have someone join the instant message thread and delete the offensive character entry, reports claim. 

As for the third-party apps outside Messages, the same character will disable these services once iPhone owners receive a message within these apps. To fix the problem, users must go online and delete the offending message from the web-based version, such as Facebook Messenger and Gmail. Telegram and Skype are not affected by the “bad character” according to additional reports. 

Apple is already aware of the issue. OpenRadar shows that a community bug report surfaced on February 12, but Apple replied that “this [report] is a duplicate and the original bug was closed.” The public beta of iOS 11.3 reportedly doesn’t crash after receiving the character, thus the official fix should be in the hands of iOS device owners when 11.3 goes live this spring. 

Although Apple generates solid, dependable hardware, the company’s devices aren’t entirely immune from software glitches. Just last month, Apple patched a problem with the Messages app that froze or restarted the device after receiving a specific website link. Discovered by software developer Abraham Masri, iPhone owners didn’t even need to click the link to see their device crash: Messages automatically generates a preview of linked websites. 

In his proof-of-concept bug report, Masri took advantage of Apple’s software guidelines, which allow website developers to inject characters into the webpage code, specifically the metadata section, to tailor the site for previewing within Messages. But Masri injected the metadata with more text characters than iOS could handle, causing Messages to crash. 

The current problem with the Telugu character resides within the iOS system text renderer, which is why third-party apps also suffer the same Messages fate. But as previously stated, the issue isn’t just locked to iOS: the bug report lists MacOS and WatchOS, too. That indicates all three system text renderers are incompatible with the Telugu character, resulting in havoc, thus customers should expect to see Mac and Apple Watch device updates in the near future, too. 

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Samsung Notebook 9 Pen vs. Pixelbook

Dan Baker/Digital Trends

When the stylus-driven smartphones gave way to tappable touch devices in the late 2000s, few would have predicted that the stylus would make a comeback a decade later. It has though and in a big way, with manufacturers like Samsung and Google putting support for their own digital pens as a major feature of their latest releases.

Pitting the Samsung Notebook 9 Pen vs. Pixelbook though, you have to look at more than just their “Pen” support. Which has the faster hardware? Is one’s display better than the other? Do you want a full Windows experience or the lightweight functionality of Chrome OS? In this head to head, we’ll answer all that and more, as we look to see whether the Notebook 9 Pen or the Pixelbook will come out on top.

Specifications

 Samsung Notebook 9 Pen

 Google Pixelbook

Dimensions
12.2 x 8.1 0.65-inches (0.57 at thinnest)
11.4 x 8.7 x 0.4-inches

Weight
2.2 pounds
2.4 pounds

Keyboard
Full size backlit keyboard
Full size backlit keyboard

Stylus
Samsung S Pen
Pixelbook Pen

Processor
Eighth-generation Intel Core i7-8550U
Up to seventh-generation Intel Core i7-7Y57

RAM
8GB or 16GB
8GB or 16GB

Graphics
Intel HD Graphics 620
Intel HD Graphics 620

Display
13.3-inch Samsung RealViewTouch, max 450nits
12.3-inch LED-backlit display with IPS technology

Resolution
1,920 x 1,080
2,400 x 1,600 (235 ppi)

Storage
Up to 512GB NMVe SSD
Up to 512GB NVMe SSD

Networking
Unknown
802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2

Ports
USB-C x 1, USB 3.0, HDMI, microSD, headphone jack
USB-C 3.1 x 2, headphone jack

Webcam
720P IR webcam
720p webcam

Operating System
Windows 10
Chrome OS

Battery
39 watt-hour
41 watt-hour

Price
$1,400+
$1,000+

Availability
Q1 2018
Base model now (Google Play Store)

Review
Full review: 6/10 
Full review: 7/10

Design

When you pit any laptop against the Pixelbook, one of the first hurdles they’ve got to try to leap is that Google’s flagship Chromebook looks stunning. With a crisp, clean design, subtle choices of grey coloring to accent the slim, and its black-bezel-wrapped display, the Pixelbook is one of the best looking laptops out there. On the surface at least, the Samsung Notebook 9 Pen looks a little generic in comparison. It’s not bad looking, and its slim profile is definitely impressive for a full Windows laptop, but it’s not going to turn any heads.

Beyond the aesthetics though, it’s a somewhat of a different story. Both systems are neck and neck when it comes to functionality, both sporting full 360-degree hinges that you let you turn the system into a tablet or put it in tent mode for media viewing. Overall though, when it comes to design, Google’s Pixelbook is a stunner — and easily takes the win in this category.

Winner: Pixelbook

Ports and Inputs

The Notebook 9 Pen definitely offers more in the way of connectivity options. It has a standard USB-A port for older device compatibility, an HDMI socket for attaching an external display, a microSD card slot, and headphone jack. In comparison, the Pixelbook just has a pair of USB-C ports and a headphone jack.

Where Samsung’s notebook really stands apart though is with its stylus, the S Pen. Clearly carried over from the Galaxy Note, the lightweight device is thin and precise, with 4,096 levels of sensitivity and a built-in holster in the laptop’s chassis. In particular, it actually gives you a place to store the stylus within the device, unlike the Pixelbook Pen which is just asking to be lost or forgotten. In addition, the Google Pixelbook Pen feels chunky and unwieldy, only supporting up to 2,000 levels of pressure sensitivity — this is pre-USI Google hardware bear in mind.

In terms of keyboard and touchpad, the Pixelbook is far and away the better device. Google has nailed the precision and smoothness required on a touchpad, while Samsung’s feels unrefined. The same goes for the keyboard, where Google crafted a really attractive and snappy keyboard that puts the Notebook 9 Pen’s to shame. Ultimately, we’re going to give the slight advantage to the Pixelbook, especially since you’ll be spending much more of your time with the keyboard and trackpad than with the stylus.

Winner: Pixelbook

Performance

The internal hardware of both the Notebook 9 Pen and the Pixelbook are pretty comparable. Both come with up to 16GB of DDR4 memory and offer up to 512GB of NVMe storage space. Graphically they’re identical, both sporting the Intel HD 620 onboard graphics chip. The only real difference on the inside is the processor. Although the Pixelbook’s more expensive versions do come with an Intel Core i7 processor, it’s from the seventh generation and is in the mobile-friendly Y series. Meanwhile, its entry-level models come with a Core i5 from the same generation.

In comparison, the Notebook 9 Pen only comes with a Core i7 and it’s from the newer, eighth generation, which should make it a little more powerful and slightly more efficient.

With everything else the same, Notebook 9 Pen’s newer-generation CPU gives it a slight edge.

Winner: Notebook 9 Pen

Display

Unlike the hardware on the inside, what’s on the outside is separated by a much larger gap in quality. Where the Samsung Notebook 9 Pen has a 13.3-inch 1080P display, the Google Pixelbook ups the ante with a 12.3-inch IPS panel running at 2,400 x 1,600. In the slightly smaller form factor and with a significant boost to its resolution, the Pixelbook looks substantially better, with crisper visuals and greater native support for higher than HD definition video and images.

That’s not to say that the Notebook 9 Pen looks bad. In our review we found it to be a perfectly passable display and with a brightness that can reach 450 nits. It also beats the  it’s just not as detailed or as high-definition as the Pixelbook alternative.

Winner: Pixelbook

Dan Baker/Digital Trends

Software

Although the Pixelbook most often competes with some of the other top Chromebooks out there, in this head to head it’s facing a laptop that has the full support of the Windows ecosystem behind it. As such, the Samsung Notebook 9 Pen has access to a wide array of software that the Pixelbook doesn’t. Anything that can run on any Windows PC can run on the Notebook 9 Pen.

Although Google recently expanded Chrome OS to support Android applications, most of them were crafted for a smartphone screen and some don’t scale well with a laptop environment. All in, you’re restricted to Google Play Store apps and Chrome extensions and although that does give you access to thousands of applications, they just aren’t as varied or as powerful as those found on the Windows ecosystem.

On top of all of this, the Notebook 9 Pen comes with its own selection of S Pen stylus applications. Although some may baulk at the bloatware, there are a few neat apps in there, such as the ability to craft instant GIFs and a quick screenshot feature.

With a full desktop operating system behind it and all of the application support that entails, the Notebook 9 Pen is a more fully-featured laptop than its Chromebook counterpart.

Winner: Notebook 9 Pen

Portability

2-in-1 portability is mainly down to two features: weight and battery life and both systems in this head to head are great mobile computing systems. The Pixelbook weighs in at 2.4 pounds, which is supremely lightweight for such a device. With a claimed battery life of up to 10 hours on its 41 watt-hour battery, it will last a full working day, as our testing showed.

In comparison, the Notebook 9 Pen is a little lighter at 2.2 pounds, which is a noticeable amount when you’re getting into the sub-three-pound weight category, especially when you use it in tablet mode. It’s not able to shed quite as much weight as the Surface Book 2 which ditches its keyboard, but it’s not far off. In our internal battery testing we found it could last as long as 14 hours in general usage tests, which is plenty to keep it running all day.

Although this is a very close run race, with a slight reduction in weight, the Notebook 9 Pen pips the Pixelbook to the post.

Winner: Notebook 9 Pen

Price and availability

The Pixelbook’s price tag of $1,000 is high for a Chromebook, but that kind of pricing is much more common in Windows laptops. Indeed the price we’ve been given for the Samsung Notebook 9 Pen with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage is $1,400. We still don’t know how much the 16GB, 512GB version will be.

While that does make it substantially more expensive than the entry level Pixelbook, the hardware configuration options are different for the two. The Pixelbook with 8GB of RAM and 256GB is $1,200, but only has a Core i5 CPU. The i7 version costs $1,650, but it has 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage too.

Both products are a bit overpriced in our opinion. In both Chrome OS and Windows, there other 2-in-1s out there that offer

Winner: Pixelbook

Not here yet, but we can’t wait

Dan Baker/Digital Trends

The Notebook 9 Pen had stiff competition when it was pitted against one of the prettiest and most functional pieces of hardware Google has ever produced in the Pixelbook. Even though both aren’t cheap, the two are fairly neck and neck in terms of value. If you care more about design and overall experience, you’ll want to go with the Pixelbook. Not only does it have a cheaper entry-level price, it’s got better fundamentals in terms of display, keyboard, and trackpad.

The Notebook 9 Pen definitely has an advantage in terms of performance and its stylus support, but there are other Windows 2-in-1s that offer those things at a better cost. As long as you don’t need to run Photoshop or Premiere, you’ll be happier going with the Pixelbook as a basic work 2-in-1.

Overall winner: Pixelbook

Editors’ Recommendations

• The best Chromebooks you can buy right now
• The best lightweight laptops you can buy
• Samsung Notebook 9 Pen vs. Dell XPS 13 2-in-1
• Samsung Notebook 9 Pen vs. HP Spectre x360
• Samsung Notebook 9 Pen review

How to convert your VHS tapes to DVD, Blu-ray, or digital file

Memories have a lifespan — at least when it comes to those captured on the dying medium known as Video Home System, aka VHS. The format was never intended to last forever and degrades over time. However, if your precious home videos or Super Bowl commercial mixtapes managed to survive thus far, you may want to salvage the footage before time takes its toll. Converting well-worn videos will never be flawless — the slightest hiccup can interrupt the transfer signal — but it can be done on a modest budget with a few basic tools.

Below, we’ll show you how to save your moments digitally on multiple formats, including DVD, Blu-ray, or digital file. If you’re just too busy, we’ve also got a list of the various VHS conversion services, including pricing, to help you preserve that 20-year-old footage of you face-planting on your first bike. If not for you, do it for posterity’s sake.

Disclaimer: It’s technically illegal to produce copies of commercial films and copyrighted content, but there are obviously no restrictions on copying home videos. Plus, you can usually pick up a used copy of Top Gun, The Breakfast Club, or all eight riveting seasons of Full House online for next to nothing anyway. 

Retail VHS-to-DVD conversion services

tupungato/123rf

Rest assured, for those who’d rather forego the technical hands-on process, many big-name retail corporations offer VHS-to-DVD (and in some cases VHS-to-digital) conversion services through their photo departments. Most of them use a very similar service — in some cases the exact service — and typically require a three-week waiting period between tape drop-off and DVD pickup, but there’s no extra work on your end.

Available transfer formats include everything from VHS to Betamax, and most services will allow you to transfer up to two tapes to a single DVD before charging you extra. Alternatively, there are a couple great websites that offer the same service for a more affordable price if you feel comfortable shipping the VHS tapes yourself.

Costco
VHS, S-VHS, VHS-C, Hi-8, 8mm videotape, 8mm film, Super 8, 16mm film, Digital 8, MiniDV, Betamax; foreign (PAL) tapes to NTSC DVD
Starts at $20 for two tapes up to two hours

iMemories.com
VHS, VHS-C, Betamax, 8mm tape, Hi8, 8mm film, Super 8, 16mm film, MiniDV,
$13 per tape, or per 50ft. film

Walmart
VHS, S-VHS, VHS-C, Hi-8, 8mm, Digital 8, MiniDV, DV, DVCAM, DVC, Betamax; Foreign (PAL)
$25 per tape, max. 2 hours (DVD)

Southtree
VHS, VHS-C, 8mm, Hi8, MiniDV, Betamax, MicroMV, S-VHS, Digital 8, MiniDV, 8mm film, super 8, 16mm film
$15 per tape, plus $20 for DVD set, or $30 for thumb drive

Target
VHS, S-VHS, Beta, VHS-C, Hi8, Digital 8, 8mm, MiniDV, 8mm film, Super 8, 16mm film
Starting at $26 for one tape up to two hours, or $26 for the first 100ft. of film

CVS
VHS, VHS-C, MiniDV, 8mm, Hi8, Digital 8, Betamax, S-VHS, 8mm film, Super 8, 16mm film; foreign PAL to NTSC
Starting at $26 for two tapes up to two hours, or $26 for the first 50ft. of film

Sam’s Club
VHS, S-VHS, VHS-C, Hi-8, 8mm videotape,
Digital 8. MiniDV, Betamax, 8mm film, Super 8, 16mm film
Starting at $19 for two tapes up to two hours, or $19 for the first 100ft. of film

Service
Available formats
Cost