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TechAmok News Archive

Friday 15 (Aug 2014)

Sharks Try To Eat Google's Underwater Cables - [briefly]
12:21 AM EDT - Aug,15 2014 - post a comment

Just in time for Shark Week, here's a video showing sharks repeatedly trying to eat Google's underwater cables.

Thursday 14 (Aug 2014)

How the sun sees you - [briefly]
06:21 PM EDT - Aug,14 2014 - post a comment

Everyone looks eerie through a UV camera, and even creepier with sunscreen on.

The Stig Goes Bungee Jumping In An F1 Car - [briefly]
06:20 PM EDT - Aug,14 2014 - post a comment

If Lotus handed us one of their F1 cars we'd just take off at top speed and hope that they never catch us. But "Top Gear" had another idea.

How Far Can A Heavyweight Boxer Punch A Soccer Ball? - [briefly]
06:16 PM EDT - Aug,14 2014 - post a comment

Robert Helenius is a big dude who punches things for a living. Watch him send this soccer ball into space.

Comcast Put This Guy On Hold Until Their Offices Closed - [briefly]
06:15 PM EDT - Aug,14 2014 - post a comment

Need more evidence that Comcast is terrible? No, you didn't. Because you're probably also on hold with them right now.

Black Hat USA 2014 Videos Now Online - [briefly]
03:13 PM EDT - Aug,14 2014 - post a comment

For those of you that couldn't attend Black Hat USA 2014, complete presentations and full videos from the event are now available online.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - "Downwarren" Gameplay - [gaming]
02:44 AM EDT - Aug,14 2014 - post a comment

CD Projekt RED has just released another teaser gameplay trailer for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. This teaser lasts 6 minutes and gives us a glimpse at Geralt helping villagers to solve the mystery of the Whispering Hillock and finding out what's killing them from Downwarren

Battlefield Hardline - 12 Minutes of Singleplayer Gameplay - [gaming]
02:43 AM EDT - Aug,14 2014 - post a comment

This 12 minute demo is shot entirely in-game and is the first look at Hardline's new style of storytelling, inspired by the most popular crime dramas seen on television today. Narration by Ian Milham, Visceral Games creative director.

Wednesday 13 (Aug 2014)

CGP Grey Wants Us To Know We're Being Replaced By Robots - [technology]
02:25 PM EDT - Aug,13 2014 - post a comment

"It can't possibly replace my job," is a lie we keep telling ourselves. Robots are getting cheaper and faster every year, and we're not prepared for the implications.

Third Person Driving with a Drone - [briefly]
01:57 AM EDT - Aug,13 2014 - post a comment

A filming drone, video goggles, a Mazda MX-5 Miata and a disused airfield. Paul and Oli compete to answer the question: can you drive in a third person view?

Halo 5: Guardians - Multiplayer Beta First Look - [gaming]
01:54 AM EDT - Aug,13 2014 - post a comment

See what the multiplayer beta for Halo 5: Guardians has in store.

Tuesday 12 (Aug 2014)

Shocking FedEx Delivery Fails [Super Cut Compilation] - [briefly]
05:54 PM EDT - Aug,12 2014 - post a comment

With this level of wanton destruction and complete disregard for what their job entails, any one of these FedEx workers would fit right in at Congress.

First 10,000 Digits of Pi Dialed on a Rotary Phone - [briefly]
05:52 PM EDT - Aug,12 2014 - post a comment

They should use this on terrorists and bad politicians! ;-)

Millions of PCs Affected by Mysterious Computrace Backdoor - [security]
02:12 PM EDT - Aug,12 2014 - post a comment

Nearly every PC has an anti-theft product called Computrace embedded in its BIOS PCI Optional ROM or its unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI). Computrace is a legitimate, trusted application developed by Absolute Software. However, it often runs without user-consent, persistently activates itself at system boot, and can be exploited to perform various attacks and to take complete control of an affected machine. Kaspersky Lab researchers Vitaly Kamluk and Sergey Belov along with Anibal Sacco of Cubica Labs earlier presented their research in a briefing titled "Absolute Computrace Revisited" six months ago at the Kaspersky Security Analyst Summit (SAS) in the Dominican Republic. They presented an updated version of that talk at Black Hat last week.

Computrace should not be enabled by default. Absolute Software's technical documentation says that Computrace should be enabled either by the user or by IT departments with admin control of work machines. In fact, to this point, Kamluk, Sacco and Belov can only guess at how Computrace is enabled by default on many out-of-the-box PCs. At present they believe the software is being unintentionally initiated by manufacturers. Furthermore, once Computrace is enabled, it is incredibly persistent and very difficult to remove or even turn off. One of the problems as was highlighted at SAS is that Computrace does not enforce encryption when it communicates and it does not verify the identity of the remote server from which it receives commands. This is particularly irksome given how Computrace works: first the persistence modules in BIOS/UEFI update a system's default autochk.exe. Then the new autochk.exe drops and registers a new system service called rpcnetp. Rpcnetp, in turn, talks to the Absolute server and is replaced by rcpnet, which is a core remote administration module that is restored if the user deletes it. In other words, the way Computrace interacts with Absolute could expose users to man-in-the-middle attacks. Back in February, Kamluk described Computrace's exploitability as follows:
The software is extremely flexible. It's a tiny piece of code which is a part of the BIOS. As far as it is a piece of the BIOS, it is not very easy to update the software as often. So they made it very extensible. It can do nearly anything. It can run every type of code. You can do to the system whatever you want. Considering that the software is running on these local system privileges, you have full access to the machine. You can wipe the machine, you can monitor it, you can look through the webcam, you can actually copy any files, you can start new processes. You can do absolutely anything.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - New Trailer - [gaming]
11:42 AM EDT - Aug,12 2014 - post a comment

CD Projekt RED has released a new trailer for The Witcher 3 that shows off its beautiful world. From the murky reaches of No Man's Land to the harsh climate of the Skellige Islands, to the vibrant metropolitan of the north, Novigrad - this is the gritty and diverse universe of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. In case you're wondering then no; this is not the promised Comic-Con 2014 walkthrough!

Super Sexy Issue of FHM Magazine August 2014 Philippines - [off-topic]
10:55 AM EDT - Aug,12 2014 - post a comment

A Montage Tribute To Robin Williams's Greatest Movie Moments - [briefly]
09:55 AM EDT - Aug,12 2014 - post a comment

Yesterday we lost a legend. Let's celebrate his life through the body of incredible work he left behind.

Microsoft Debuts Entry-Level Nokia 130 Handset - [mobile]
04:37 AM EDT - Aug,12 2014 - post a comment

Microsoft today announced the Nokia 130, a simple, inexpensive handset meant for first-timers and emerging markets. The candybar-style phone runs the Series 30 platform and includes a 1.8-inch screen, stereo headphone jack, Bluetooth 3.0, and support for memory cards up to 32GB. According to Microsoft, the Nokia 130 supports both video and audio playback, and includes an FM radio. The phone has a flashlight, but no camera. The Nokia 130 will reach select markets this quarter. Pricing is expected to be about $25 and it will be sold in single- and dual-SIM variants. Microsoft Devices Group includes the handset division of Nokia, which Microsoft acquired earlier this year. Microsoft's Jo Harlow said though the company is killing off Nokia's Android/X devices, it still believes there is a good market opportunity for entry-level phones in addition to its Lumia Windows Phone devices.

DyE ft. Egyptian Lover - She's Bad (Official Video) - [briefly]
12:25 AM EDT - Aug,12 2014 - post a comment

All the chroma keying for this looks like it was a massive pain - luckily it paid off and "She's Bad" is one of the coolest music videos we've seen in a long time.

Microsoft Introduces Hyperlapse Video - [briefly]
12:16 AM EDT - Aug,12 2014 - post a comment

You guys really have to check out this video of Microsoft's new Hyperlapse video technology.

Eurobot rover under astronaut control - [technology]
12:14 AM EDT - Aug,12 2014 - post a comment

ESA's Eurobot rover roving at Estec on 7 August under live control by astronaut Alexander Gerst on board the ISS. The demonstration helped test a new fault-tolerant telecommunication network that could support a future mission to Mars or an asteroid.

Monday 11 (Aug 2014)

Robin Williams, Oscar-Winning Actor, Dies at 63 in Suspected Suicide - [briefly]
11:59 PM EDT - Aug,11 2014 - (1 comments)

Robin Williams, the comedian who evolved into the surprisingly nuanced, Academy Award-winning actor, imbuing his performances with wild inventiveness and a kind of manic energy, died on Monday at his home in Tiburon, Calif., north of San Francisco. He was 63. The Marin County sheriff's office said in a statement that it "suspects the death to be a suicide due to asphyxia." An investigation was underway. The statement said that the office received a 911 call at 11:55 a.m. Pacific time, saying that a man had been found "unconscious and not breathing inside his residence." Emergency personnel sent to the scene identified him as Mr. Williams and pronounced him dead at 12:02 p.m.

CoD: Advanced Warfare - Official MP Trailer - [gaming]
06:18 PM EDT - Aug,11 2014 - post a comment

Activision has released the first official MP trailer for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. As the publisher noted, the core movement system is fundamentally changed with exoskeleton technology, creating the most dynamic, action-packed multiplayer experience in Call of Duty history. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is currently planned for a November 4th release.



Sunday 10 (Aug 2014)

This Man Can Blow Perfect Underwater Rings - [briefly]
04:44 PM EDT - Aug,10 2014 - post a comment

David Helder can do something absolutely amazing. The funny thing is, he didn't think it was anything special until a freediving veteran saw him doing it and was dumbfounded not only by the feat itself, but by the way David seemed to do it so effortlessly.

Nascar driver Tony Stewart hits and kills racer in sprint-car race - [briefly]
04:14 PM EDT - Aug,10 2014 - post a comment

A driver has died after being struck by a NASCAR star's car following a collision on a race track in New York state. Veteran NASCAR driver Tony Stewart hit young racer Kevin Ward Jr, who was walking on the track after they collided on the previous lap. Ontario County Sheriff Philip Povero said his department's investigation is not criminal and that Stewart was 'fully co-operative' and appeared 'very upset' by what had happened. A video of the incident posted on YouTube shows 20-year-old Ward, wearing a black helmet and firesuit on the dimly lit track, leave his vehicle, which had spun into the wall at the side of the track, apparently to protest with Stewart. Ward is shown pointing in the direction of Stewart as he completes his next lap, gesticulating angrily as other racers pass him. The racer then steps into the oncoming traffic before he is suddenly struck and flung 50ft along the track. The video showed Ward standing to the right of Stewart's familiar No 14 car, which seemed to kick out from the rear and hit him.



By 2020, You Could Be Using an Optical SuperComputer - [technology]
04:41 AM EDT - Aug,10 2014 - post a comment

According to researchers at the British tech firm Optalysys, you can be using a revolutionary optical supercomputer by 2020. Using light rather than customary electricity, the technology would literally operate at the speed of light.

Saturday 09 (Aug 2014)

Weekend game, movie, hardware deals - [briefly]
02:17 PM EDT - Aug,09 2014 - post a comment

Here's a selection of this weekend's PC / Blue-ray movies, hardware deals:

GeckoEye is the solar-powered security cam - [gadgets]
11:32 AM EDT - Aug,09 2014 - post a comment

A new product called the GeckoEye looks to shatter conventional boundaries by employing solar power to keep the camera charged without restrictive wires. This gives you the freedom to mount a security camera virtually anywhere around your home or even on the dash of your car. Each GeckoEye camera communicates back to a base station via Wi-Fi which in turn links up with your in-home wireless network. The base station can support up to three cameras and although it does require power from traditional means, its high-capacity battery can run for up to 240 hours on a single charge. Footage is encoded within the base station before being transmitted to the cloud for storage. There's also 128GB of onboard storage should you not want to link up with remote storage servers. Everything is accessible via companion app from anywhere you have Wi-Fi so you can keep an eye on your home while you're on vacation, for example. The GeckoEye system is currently seeking funding on Indiegogo. Pricing for a single camera set starts at $189 for the black variety and $229 for the slick-looking aluminum set. They still have a long ways to go before reaching their $100,000 goal but with 24 days remaining in the campaign, anything is possible.

Matrix Reloaded Fight is Improved with 8-Bit Sound - [briefly]
09:09 AM EDT - Aug,09 2014 - post a comment

We've seen movies like Kill Bill and Blade Runner turned into 8-bit video games, but YouTube user and San Francisco State University student Phillip Raupach has decided to do something different inspired by old school video games. Instead of taking The Matrix Reloaded and turning it into an 8-bit video game, he merely took footage from the film, a fight scene with Neo and thugs in the house of the Merovingian, and replaced all of the music and sounds with those you would find in these early video games. The result is funny and impressive!

Alienware to introduce new slim line of gaming laptops - [hardware]
05:59 AM EDT - Aug,09 2014 - post a comment

Alienware has confirmed that it is working on a new line of slimmer gaming laptops, the Alienware 13 line. The laptop is fueled by an Nvidia GTX 860M GPU, up to 16GB DDR3 memory, and the latest Intel CPU, which will eventually be upgraded to the next-generation Broadwell processors, but not at launch. However, thes processors will be full voltage, so the laptop may be smaller, but it will probably run pretty hot. Best of all, the laptop will weigh 4.5 pounds (about two pounds lighter than the Alienware 14), and a 1-inch thick body, which makes it a closer competitor to the Razer Blade. The battery is rated for up to 8 hours of video playback, but that will certainly become irrelevant when gaming is involved. Featuring a 13.3 inch display with optional touchscreen capabilities, the base model will have a 1,366 x 768 resolution, and higher end models will be at a full 1920 x 1080. The option touchscreen display will have a crisp 2,560 x 1,440 panel. The laptop will also include a TACTX keyboard, along with Klipsch audio and can be configured with an SSD or traditional drive. Buyers can also choose between Windows 7 or 8.1 to come pre-installed. The Razer Blade still wins in most point-by-point comparisons, since it sports a Nvidia GeForce GTX 870M GPU and a higher resolution 3,200 x 1,800 touchscreen, but maybe that means the Alienware 13 won't cost $3K, either. No pricing information has been announced yet, or the full spread of options, but more information is expected as we get closer to the computer's launch later this year.

Cement truck doesn't give a fuck - [off-topic]
04:21 AM EDT - Aug,09 2014 - post a comment

This is your incentive to drive responsibly, if you value having your tail lights.

Friday 08 (Aug 2014)

Battlefield 4 - Now Free On Origin - [gaming]
05:37 PM EDT - Aug,08 2014 - post a comment

After offering for free Wing Commander 3: Heart of the Tiger, the big publisher is adding Battlefield 4 to its Game Time program, thus offering DICE's shooter for free for the whole next week. PC gamers will have at their disposal 168 full hours (or 10,080 minutes if that sounds cooler) to play and enjoy both SP and MP modes of Battlefield 4. This limited offer will last until August 14th.

Thursday 07 (Aug 2014)

An Honest Trailer For 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2' - [briefly]
11:59 PM EDT - Aug,07 2014 - post a comment

Look back on a film that you liked as a kid and probably wouldn't make through ten minutes of as an adult.

Sexy curves time with Genevieve Morton 2014 - [off-topic]
11:56 PM EDT - Aug,07 2014 - post a comment

If you're into curvy, hot women you better pay attention, son! South African supernova hotness is coming your way, courtesy of super sexy supermodel Genevieve Morton as she's unleashing her bodacious curves once again in a sexy lingerie photo-shoot, for Panache and their latest products.

Charlotte McKinney In Sextastic Lingerie for Terry Richardson - [off-topic]
11:54 PM EDT - Aug,07 2014 - post a comment

The Terry Richardson photography train keeps right on rolling along, with lingerie and swimsuit models like wicked hottie Charlotte McKinney dying to get their clothes off for Uncle Terry's camera. Go figure. The world is a funny place. But there's nothing funny about Charlotte McKinney and her outrageously hot body in skimpy bits of barely covering lingerie in black and white and sextastic all over.

Candice Swanepoel 4 Victoria's Secret - [off-topic]
11:48 PM EDT - Aug,07 2014 - post a comment

A Trailer For The Stephen Hawking Biopic, 'The Theory Of Everything' - [briefly]
04:30 PM EDT - Aug,07 2014 - post a comment

Here's the (hopefully faithful) story of one of our most-beloved scientists. Oscar nominations: expect them.

There Are Ways To Clean A Camera, But This Isn't One Of Them - [briefly]
04:28 PM EDT - Aug,07 2014 - post a comment

OMG! :-)

Microsoft Introduces $40 TV Tuner for Xbox One in Europe - [briefly]
03:15 PM EDT - Aug,07 2014 - post a comment

Microsoft is planning to release a digital TV tuner adapter to allow European Xbox One owners to turn their consoles into a TV set-top box. Launching in October in France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and the UK, the 29.99 EUR ($40) accessory will plug into a USB port to pick up channels using free-to-air DVB-T, DVB-T2, and DVB-C television standards. This will enable the TV functionality on Xbox One alongside TV listings from OneGuide and a pause live TV option without the need for a separate set-top box and IR blasting through Kinect.

Although pausing live TV will undoubtedly use part of the 500GB of hard drive storage on the Xbox One temporarily, Microsoft has not committed to providing DVR functionality with its digital TV tuner to schedule and record programs. It's possible Microsoft may choose to enable DVR functionality in a future update. Microsoft's Xbox One Digital TV Tuner accessory is similar to Sony's PlayTV device for the PlayStation 3. PlayTV allowed the PS3 to act as a digital TV tuner and DVR, but Sony has not yet revealed a similar device for the PlayStation 4.

Windows Threshold preview said to be on track for fall release - [briefly]
10:41 AM EDT - Aug,07 2014 - post a comment

Microsoft is polishing up Windows Threshold and so far this week, Neowin has revealed that virtual desktops will be coming to the updated Windows OS and that the Charms bar will be getting overhauled as well. While there has not been a single leaked build of the OS (yet), it does look like the plans to release a preview of the OS later this year are still on track. Mary Jo Foley, who reiterated and confirmed this scoop about the virtual desktops, also reports that her sources have indicated that a fall public preview for Threshold is still on track for release. If true, that means that Microsoft is quickly moving towards a stable release of the OS and we will likely hear more about other new features in the very near future. Microsoft is pushing aggressively ahead of Windows Threshold as it knows that to get consumers to upgrade from Windows 7 or even XP, it needs to bring back the Start menu. While most of you who have jumped to Windows 8 have easily adapted to the new setup, consumers (and the enterprise) in the wider market have spoken and they want the Start menu back before they think about upgrading.

CryptoLocker victims are able to decrypt their files for free - [security]
10:33 AM EDT - Aug,07 2014 - post a comment

CryptoLocker would encrypt the files on the victim's storage using AES-256 bit encryption and demand about $300 in bitcoin in order to retrieve the decryption key. If the victim didn't pay within a specified time, then the victim's files would remain encrypted forever. Well, until a couple of days ago, at least. Computer security experts and researchers from the firms Fox-IT and FireEye have collaborated to reverse engineer the CryptoLocker software in a project they called "Operation Tovar." The collaboration between the two has led to the identification of many of the private keys used by CryptoLocker, and they have subsequently developed a free decryption assistance website and tool to help victims of the ransomware retrieve their data at no cost. The site requires the user to upload any file that has been affected by the ransomware (they specify that they will not store or view the file), and the tool will email the user the relevant private key that can be used for decryption. At that point the user must download a specific tool, enter the private key and the location of the encrypted file, and the tool will decrypt the encrypted file.

Megan Fox, Nick Cannon And Wiz Khalifa Play Pictionary On 'Fallon' - [briefly]
09:50 AM EDT - Aug,07 2014 - post a comment

In which Megan Fox forgets what frogs look like and Wiz basks in his own glory.

So Japan Made Some Sort Of Facial Exercise Machine - [briefly]
03:45 AM EDT - Aug,07 2014 - post a comment

Do you want abs in your mouth? Do you also probably want to hurt your teeth a lot and look like an idiot while doing it? If you answered yes, you're the only person on Earth who could possibly want the Facial Fitness Pao.

Wasps Nest (turns out it's a swarm of bees) - [briefly]
03:44 AM EDT - Aug,07 2014 - post a comment

Wow that is MASSIVE! I don't mind bees but I'd be a bit wary of that!

Magnetic Hair - [technology]
01:33 AM EDT - Aug,07 2014 - post a comment

MIT engineers have fabricated a new elastic material coated with microscopic, hairlike structures that tilt in response to a magnetic field. Depending on the field's orientation, the microhairs can tilt to form a path through which fluid can flow; the material can even direct water upward, against gravity.

Wednesday 06 (Aug 2014)

Veritasium Shows You Five Cool Physics Phenomena - [briefly]
06:07 PM EDT - Aug,06 2014 - post a comment

You can try most of these out right now, but we're not responsible for anything you break.

Fellow Commuters Push A Train Off A Trapped Man - [briefly]
06:06 PM EDT - Aug,06 2014 - post a comment

After a man slipped and became wedged in between the gap of the platform and the train in Perth, Australia - dozens of passengers managed to tilt the train car far enough to set him free.

Timex Debuts Smartwatch with Mirasol Display - [mobile]
03:29 PM EDT - Aug,06 2014 - post a comment

Timex recently unveiled the Ironman One GPS+, a connected watch for athletes. The stand-out feature of the One GPS+ is its touch display. Timex selected Qualcomm's Mirasol technology, which offers an always-on experience, high outdoor visibility, and low power consumption all at the same time. Qualcomm uses Mirasol technology in its own Toq smartwatch. The Timex One GPS+ comes with a free year of AT&T cellular service and can be used to send text messages without requiring a cellphone. The majority of today's smartwatches lack stand-alone cellular connections and messaging capabilities. The One GPS+ also supports Bluetooth and GPS for live location tracking; includes an on-board music player; and is water resistant up to 50 meters. The Timex Ironman One GPS+ costs $399 and can be preordered via Timex's web site.

Helen Flanagan's Amazing FHM Photoshoot - [off-topic]
02:28 PM EDT - Aug,06 2014 - post a comment

Helen Flanagan in the latest issue of FHM!

China bans Apple devices from government over 'security concerns' - [security]
01:38 PM EDT - Aug,06 2014 - post a comment

Apple is the latest foreign tech company to fall foul of new procurement guidelines for China's government, as the country continues to reduce its dependence on hardware and software from international firms. The government has now excluded Apple from a list of approved companies from which devices can be purchased for government use, due to vaguely defined 'security concerns'. Government officials, speaking with Bloomberg on condition of anonymity, said that ten Apple products - including iPads and MacBooks - had previously been on the list drafted in June, but were dropped when it was formally approved in July.

Apple joins a range of other firms whose products can no longer be bought with public money in China. In May, the Chinese government banned Windows 8 from its procurement list, and indicated that it was looking at alternatives to IBM servers in its banking sector, to prevent international surveillance. This week, China also barred Symantec and Kaspersky from providing software to government bodies.
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