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Electronic Arts Demonstrates New Games During Media Day

The longstanding battle for compensation following the death of Curt Schilling's state-backed game studio, 38 Studios, is one step closer to winding down. A Rhode Island Superior Court judge has approved a $12.5 million partial settlement with four of the defendants in the case, helping recoup some of the $75 million poured into the failed Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning creator. This definitely isn't the end -- Schilling is still fighting the lawsuit, for one thing. Between this and an earlier $4.4 million settlement, though, the tide appears to be turning against the former baseball star.

[Image credit: Tony Avelar/Bloomberg via Getty Images]

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Regulators have already started clamping down on crowdfunding fraud, but they're now getting those project creators to pay up when they leave backers hanging. Washington state has ordered Ed Polchlopek III to pay a total of $54,841 in fines and restitution after he dropped his Kickstarter project, Asylum Playing Cards, without offering refunds. That's a hefty payout when the entire project raised just $25,146, only a small amount of which ($668) came from Washington-based contributors. Clearly, the state is as much interested in sending a message as compensating those who were left high and dry.

You probably wouldn't bat an eyelash if you see a self-destructing computer chip in a Mission Impossible movie, but what if one actually exists in real life? Xerox PARC engineers have developed a chip that can explode into teensy little pieces as part of DARPA's Vanishing Programmable Resources project. To make that possible, they used Gorilla Glass instead of plastic and metal. Yes, it's the same tough glass used on many available smartphones, but the engineers told IDG News Service's Martyn Williams that they "ion-exchange temper[ed] it to build in stress." A piece of glass that's heavily stressed will easily shatter and disintegrate when triggered.

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The new Apple TV

Ask some media server users why they don't use an Apple TV, and they'll issue a common refrain: "because it doesn't officially run Plex." Well, that shouldn't be an issue with the new Apple TV. Plex tells ITWorld that it plans to bring its media streaming front end to Apple's latest set-top box through an app. The move should give you access to all of your home's compatible music, photos and videos, not just what you can see from internet streaming services or iTunes clients. That's a big deal when you previously had to jailbreak or otherwise rely on clever workarounds to make Plex work.

Demonstrating Force Touch on an iPhone 6s

Whenever a device ships with a feature that involves always-on listening or watching, privacy concerns invariably come up -- and the iPhone 6s is no exception. In an attempt to address controversies before the 6s even ships, Apple has told TechCrunch that neither the always-on Siri voice commands nor Live Photos (which records a brief burst of video before and after your photo) are eavesdropping on you. Ultimately, Siri works like the technology you've seen on the Moto X -- it's merely waiting for a keyword, not recording whatever you say. What little memory buffer exists (for audio patterns, not sound clips) is automatically erased after a few seconds, and the feature is strictly opt-in.

If you're the outdoorsy type, you might have already seen petrified sand dunes in person (in Utah, for instance) -- the photo above, however, isn't of a desert here on Earth. It's an image stitched together using several shots captured on August 27th by Curiosity rover's Mast Camera (Mastcam) on Mars. This sandstone formation originated as sand dunes formed by the wind, which eventually hardened and turned into rock. It's part of an area called the Stimson unit on Mount Sharp, which lies over a mudstone layer in what used to be a lake. The rover is investigating the location to determine how it changed from ancient times. This close-up image shows just a small part of the place, however: you can see the whole panorama NASA created on its website.

Honda Autonomous Drive on an Acura TLX

Honda just took a big step toward getting its self-driving car technology on to American roads. The automaker has quietly received the approval needed to test its autonomous cars on California streets, letting these robotic rides venture beyond a closed-off facility in Concord. The company is relatively late to the party -- Audi, Lexus and other brands have had the state's A-OK for a while. Still, we're not going to knock Honda when this will eventually lead to more variety in hands-off vehicles.

Girl with a Pearl Earring

The act of enjoying paintings and photography has always been a visual experience, one where you look, but don't touch. However, at the quinquennial (once every five years) Canon Expo this week, the company showed off new technology that might change your relationship with the images on your walls, turning them into objects your fingertips can appreciate as much as your eyes.

Why does a company famous for making guitar amps decide to make a phone? The Marshall brand realized clinging to its rock heritage won't serve it forever. That's why it already moved into headphones and Bluetooth speakers -- modern day lifestyle products -- via a collaboration with Zound Industries. The "London" phone could easily have just been a rebadge, but the first hint it was going to be something different came at the press event. The news conference had all the trappings of a "proper" handset launch: a nice venue, presentations, even a few famous faces joining the CEO on stage. But, unlike, say, awkwardly peddling U2's new album, Marshall dished out shots of JD and put on punk rock performances. At one point, an executive on stage proclaimed the company was going to [verb beginning with F] the competition, in the [orifice beginning with A]. Whether that's going to catch on like Tim Cook's "We think you're going to love it," I'm not sure. I'll admit, though, it made me instantly warm to Marshall.

Canon's VR prototype

Canon might not be a contender in the field of consumer VR right now, but a prototype seen on the show floor at this week's Canon Expo definitely promises good things in that arena. The development unit sports two 5.5-inch LCD panels, each coming in at 2,560 x 1,440 for a total 5K resolution -- topping many devices already on the market (or coming soon).

Dell's leaked XPS 12

Wondering why Dell is cool with selling Microsoft's Surface Pro when it doesn't have a direct equivalent right now? This might be why. Giga claims to have leaked details of a reborn XPS 12 that would ditch the convertible laptop design in favor of the Surface's tablet-plus-keyboard combo, right down to the kickstand. Yes, Dell appears to be taking a page from Lenovo's book and competing with Microsoft's 2-in-1 PC on its home turf. Not that this would be a direct clone, mind you. The XPS 12 reportedly touts a color-accurate 4K touchscreen with a super-thin, XPS 13-style bezel. You'd also get a Thunderbolt 3 connector (great for docking a slew of devices using just one cable) and a sharper 8-megapixel rear camera.

Playing video games and enjoying the outdoors don't have to be mutually exclusive. Various creative minds have come up with ways to take gaming into real-world environments. Why chill at the crib when you could be out driving a real-life Mario Kart or letting hadoukens fly at Burning Man? We've highlighted just a few of these pioneering projects this week, so head to the gallery for a look at the gaming experiences you've missed by staying home.

Creatures Of The Wind - Runway - Spring 2016 New York Fashion Week

Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read.

Why Live Streaming Is the Future of Fashion Week
by Chavie Lieber
Racked

Don't worry about trying to secure a ticket to New York Fashion Week. In September 2014, 2.6 million people livestreamed the festivities rather than making the trip to the Big Apple. And the best part? The runway shows are available for free through the NYFW app on iOS and Android.

Today on In Case You Missed It: SpaceX showed off the plan for its new Crew Dragon capsule to ferry astronauts between earth and the International Space Station, and it's gorgeous. A famous Disney animator is drawing in the virtual realm. And a new kind of piano has an updated, pinchable keyboard that creates all kinds of different sounds. Musicians, take note! (See what we did there?)

A Tesla Motors Inc. Charging Station Ahead Of Earnings Figures

For anyone who thought that Los Angeles' efforts to turn its traffic problems green would end after a partnership with Waze, think again. The City of Angels has committed to leasing 160 battery-powered electric vehicles and 128 plug-in hybrids for its municipal fleet. A post on the LAPD blog says that the police, fire, general services, water and power departments will split the former, while the general services will also take all of the latter. Mayor Eric Garcetti says that this move puts LA closer to its goal of becoming the "most sustainable city in America."

iPhone 6s and 6s Plus
It's that magical time of year where adults sit awake at their computers in the middle of the night (or with an iDevice and the Apple Store app open) in an effort to snag the latest iPhones. Pre-orders have gone live for Cupertino's latest handsets, the 6s and 6s Plus, and if you're hoping to get one for that first-wave September 25th availability date you'd better act fast. After all, 3D Touch isn't going to wait around for everyone. So! Best to head over to Apple's website or the aforementioned mobile app and get to punching in your credit card info. The questions now are big or small; space grey, gold or rose gold and if you're going to go for Apple's Upgrade Program or not. Better make your mind up rather quick-like -- Fallout fans, at least, have one less decision to make.

Tibanne CEO Mark Karpeles At Mt.Gox Bitcoin Exchange And Bitcoin Images

Mt. Gox is a sordid story seemingly refuses to die. Last we heard, the bitcoin exchange's CEO Mark Karpeles had been arrested by Tokyo police, and some six weeks later he's been charged with pilfering 321 million yen (around $2.7 million) of former clients' money according to Reuters. Apparently he spent it on a custom-built bed and buying the rights for computer software development. Why the gap between arrest and now? Well, Japan grants that sort of holding even without formal charges. As the AFP Newswire tells it, Karpeles is still being held by Japanese authorities, but he can petition the court for "release pending trial." We'll have to wait and see if he exercises that right.

[Image credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images]

San Francisco Chinatown

The FCC continues to wage war against spam calls and texts, most likely because it's being inundated with complaints related to one or both. In fact, it has recently cited a couple of companies due to their questionable robocall practices, including ride-sharing firm Lyft. According to its official citation and order document, Lyft doesn't actually have a viable "unsubscribe option" for marketing calls and texts like written in its terms of Service. The FCC's investigation revealed that in order to opt out of those messages, passengers have to go to the company's website, and then search the Help Center.

That new Windows 10 Xbox One update sounds pretty great, right? Well, how it works is a little different than folks in the console's Dashboard Preview Program are used to. Previous updates were pushed out automatically and you had no choice over installing them, but here you can choose as to whether or not jump into this massive overhaul. Xbox spokesperson Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb says that Preview members will get a message in their system's inbox and you'll need to register and opt-in from there. But if you're not quite sure about being even more of a guinea pig that's totally okay: You can choose to not participate in the double preview and still get the regular dashboard updates ahead of the general public.

US-IT-APPLE-NEWS-FEED

Stephen Colbert continues to rack up high-profile tech guests for The Late Show and the latest is none other than Apple CEO Tim Cook. Of course, Colbert announced it in the most new-Colbert way possible: Smiling for the camera, talking into his Apple Watch in a Twitter photo and asking Siri to pencil the Cupertino boss in for next Tuesday, September 15th. It probably isn't a far cry to expect the iPhone 6S and iPad Pro will be major points of conversation, but anything's possible. Set your DVRs, folks.