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NASA names its DC headquarters after its first Black female engineer
From this point forward, NASA’s Washington DC headquarters will be known as the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters, named after the agency’s first Black female engineer.
Former Yahoo engineer hacked 6,000 accounts in search of sexual content
A former Yahoo engineer pleaded guilty to hacking into roughly 6,000 accounts in search of sexual photos and videos. According to court documents, Reyes Daniel Ruiz, 34, used his employee access to Yahoo's internal network to crack users' passwords. He then downloaded explicit photos and videos to a personal hard drive, which he stored at home.
Apple reportedly hires former Tesla engineering VP
Apple and Tesla have been known to swap employees on the regular, especially with development for Project Titan ramping up in Cupertino. It seems Tim Cook & Co. are it again, this time reportedly nabbing former Tesla VP of Vehicle Engineering Chris Porritt to work on "special projects." It's pretty easy to connect the dots between hiring an auto engineer an Apple's own car aspirations. Electrek reports that Porritt is the latest former Tesla employee to make the leap to Apple, filling a senior position with someone who has experience with EVs and served as Aston Martin's chief engineer.
Firefall Engineer battleframes get 25% XP boost this weekend
Are you thinking of playing the Engineer battleframe in Firefall? If so you'll want to log in between August 15th and August 18th to take advantage of Red 5's Accord Engineer Battleframe Weekend. You'll get a 25 percent XP boost and you'll get to goof around with all those spiffy deployable devices. The "Engineer excels at locking down an area and providing a safe location for its allies to resupply, " according to Red 5's announcement post.
Learn more about WildStar's Engineer with this livestream replay
Carbine Studios recently hosted an hour-long WildStar livestream dedicated to showing off the newly unveiled Engineer class. In the stream, developers Hugh Shelton and Stephan Frost answered a variety of questions about how the Engineer works both in and out of battle. The pair revealed that summoned bots will last until destroyed, that taunts from bots will affect players as well as NPCs, and that Engineers will have loose control over how bots move and react to targets. The full stream also includes a look at some PvP and dungeon content from the Engineer's perspective with commentary from the devs. Check it out after the break.
Massively previews WildStar's character creation, housing, Engineer, and Medic
What do you get when you throw a bunch of Massively writers into the WildStar beta for a week and tell them they can roll a million characters, play the new classes, and muck around with floating houses in the sky? You get today's embargo-lift extravaganza, that's what, and a whole bunch of bunnygirls. Massively's Eliot Lefebvre, Justin Olivetti, and Gavin Townsley trekked to the planet Nexus and back to relate their deep-dive hands-on experience with the upcoming sci-fi MMO's character creation, Medic, and Engineer, as well as a take fresh look at the updated housing system. Enjoy our complete coverage! Massively's hands-on with WildStar's character creation Eliot tinkers with character customization, judging WildStar's somewhere between the extremes of World of Warcraft and City of Heroes. Expect an expert opinion on hair styles and body sliders. Massively's hands-on with WildStar's housing system In the wake of the latest housing demo, Gavin explains the differences between sockets, plugs, and buff boards, and then repeats rumors of a strip club for small stuffed animals. Massively's hands-on with WildStar's Engineer Justin is a sucker for Engineers: "This is my rifle and this is my gun; this is for fighting and this is for statistical improvements that help my gearscore for the inevitable raid gating." Massively's hands-on with WildStar's Medic Eliot covers the feel of WildStar's hard-to-master melee healer and his role in the overall environment: "Sure, I had moments of frustration, but I certainly wasn't ever bored."
Massively's hands-on with WildStar's Engineer
It must have been serendipity that got me into the WildStar beta the week after the Engineer was announced (well, that or a PR push, but what are the odds?). As my friends, my family, and those who come within shouting distance of my voice know, I am always drawn to Engineers in video games. Whether the game be Team Fortress 2, Guild Wars 2, or Warhammer Online, if I have a big wrench, turrets, guns, pets, and/or lots of gadgets, I'm a pretty satisfied human being. WildStar's Engineer almost sounded too good to be true to me: a heavy armor-wearing ranged class that could DPS or tank while fielding combat robots. There might have been mention of a mech suit as well, but by that point I was twitching on the floor after suffering a happiness seizure. But would this perfect match on paper meet up to the cold, colorful reality when I got into the game? There was only one way to find out. Honey, take the kids out for the next two days, for I have space clobbering to do!
Massively's hands-on with WildStar's housing system and new classes
Call me a pacifist, but housing and healing are two of my favorite aspects to any MMO. Maybe it stems from a deep rooted desire for safety and comfort, or perhaps I'm just a real-life Hittori Hanzo: no longer interested in making instruments of death. Either way, WildStar's latest reveals have me excited. In the course of the most recent press beta, I scored some hands-on time with both new classes and glimpsed the newest changes to housing at a press event last week. The two new classes, Medic and Engineer, add variety to the healing and tanking game, while housing improvements turn homemaking into more than just a hobby. The upcoming MMO from Carbine Studios and NCsoft is turning out to be one rich frontier, ripe with potential for anyone looking for a new MMO home.
WildStar unveils its final class, the Engineer
If you're headed to a distant planet of untold dangers, you'll want to be protected. You'll want to bring along plenty of armor, you'll want ranged weapons, and you'll want some nice bulky robots to keep you safe in the most dire of circumstances. In short, you will want everything that the Engineer brings to WildStar. It's a pet class, a ranged tank, a sniper, and a whole barrel of explosive mechanical fun all in one package. Engineers have access to a stable of reliable bots to perform several functions, ranging from dealing damage to tanking to providing quick heals. The class also features a variety of ranged attacks, heavy armor, and a special exo-suit that allows them to bulk up and smash everything in range. Take a look at the latest edition of DevSpeak just past the cut to see the class in action, and check out the official site for a brand new installment of the Tales from Beyond the Fringe comic. [Source: Carbine Studios press release]
The Nexus Telegraph: WildStar's last two classes
In the wake of last week's class reveal, I'm going to start with a piece of information that was actually revealed shortly thereafter but might have been missed. According to the development team, the Chua can be Medics as well. So now, WildStar's full class and race layout has been made public, and what seemed to be a single odd omission is now corrected. You might recall that I did some serious class speculation when we didn't even know what the last two races were going to be back in March. Now we know the last two classes of WildStar and I can see how good my aim was. And once I'm done congratulating myself on fitting together pieces of obvious information, we can talk a little more about what the last two classes are actually doing within the context of the game. That seems fair, doesn't it? I'm glad you agree.
WildStar unveils its final two classes
WildStar has really drawn out this reveal as long as possible. We've known the game had six classes since more or less forever, that's fine. And we've known about four of them for a very long while now. So we've spent several weeks in the game's long, drawn-out reveal for all of the game's classes, which of course dealt with the four we already knew about first, leaving the lingering question marks of those last two classes. Finally, we can talk about those guys too. And those last two classes are pretty cool. You could guess some of the details from what we already know, but just like with WildStar's other classes there are some tricks and surprises along the way, and neither of the two previously unrevealed classes are one-trick ponies. So jump on past the break to finally find out the last two classes. What, you didn't think we were going to put that before the break, did you? We can draw out a reveal too.
Perfect Ten: My favorite classes
Forget raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens; a few of my favorite classes have nothing to do with such musical nonsense. Of course, now that I've started thinking about that song, my brain has to finish it before I can do anything else. Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, yup. Brown paper packages tied up with strings, uh huh. These are a few of my favorite things. OK, can I move on now? Seriously, how boring was life in the 1940s that tied-up brown packages were worth singing about? I've played a lot of MMOs over the past decade or so, and in each of them I've agonized about which class I would make my main. Sometimes this resulted in me creating a wide selection of possible candidates, each vying for my affection while I cruelly sentenced the losers to permanent deletion. But in the end, here are 10 classes from 10 separate MMOs that tickled my fancy and totally kicked woolen mittens in the interest department.
Catapult your friends and foes with Forge's new Tinker character
Are you looking for a new character to play in Dark Vale's Forge PvP title? Look no further than Tinker, who is the game's next piece of free DLC. Tinker is available in the live game starting today, and Dark Vale has posted some teaser info -- including three gameplay videos -- on Forge's official forums. You can also get a load of Tinker's cata pad, armored booth, barricade, buzz saw, turret, and more via the clips that we've embedded just past the break.
Facebook's move to mobile powered by intensive internal training
Facebook's made no bones about the fact that its focus has shifted from a desktop web- to a mobile-focused company. Today, Director of Mobile Engineering, Mike Shaver informed us exactly how the company is making the change. It turns out, the company started an intensive training program last July in order to bring people up to speed on coding native apps for iOS and Android. How intensive? The program, run by Big Nerd Ranch, is five straight days of training for eight hours each day -- after which, those who make it through can "start writing code for apps the very next Monday." While roughly 80 percent of employees who take the training are engineers, it's important to note that any Facebook employee can take the course. Thus far, designers, product managers, engineering managers and even a recruiter are among the 450 who have completed the training. It's all a part of the Social Network's plan to build "mobile empathy" among all of its employees, and getting everyone thinking mobile first. Facebook's able to go this route because it keeps the bar high when hiring new employees, seeks generalists to fill engineering slots, and folks are expected to get up to speed as needed once they've joined Zuckerberg's flock. So, if you thought building that slick new game for Android or iOS was going to give you a leg up on the coding competition when seeking work at Facebook HQ... think again.
Patch 5.2: Engineering gets new battle pet
There's more to patch 5.2 than daily quests, a new raid, new scenarios, two new factions... wow, that's actually a lot of stuff. But also, there are new pets for you pet battle fans. One of them is this lovely fella, Pierre. Pierre is an engineer crafted battle pet who also doubles as a cooking fire. That makes sense because he is a stove, and frankly, puts me in mind of all the people cursed in the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast. So now, engineers can create a robot to force into battle and cook your food for you. Scientific progress apparently now also yells test your might. Engineers can also craft a new Advanced Refrigeration Unit, but apparently they can't force that into a death match -- it's just a 32 slot bag for cooking ingredients. Considering how much of that stuff ends up in your bags, it's probably good to get a new bag for it. Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
Former Rdio software engineer joins Google's Project Glass team
There's still quite a few months before those lucky early adopters can get their eager hands (and eyes) on Google's Explorer Edition set of wearables, but in the meantime, the company's not wasting any time and is building up its team to have the frames as loaded as can be. One of the latest additions to Mountain View's Project Glass squad is former Rdio and Danger software engineer Ian McKellar -- who'd previously worked on the streaming service's API, among other things. Mum's the word on what exactly he'll be tinkering with at the Project Glass laboratories, though we can't imagine it'll be anything short of amazing. In case you'd like to dive into his thoughts a little more, you can check out his tweet on the matter at the link below.
Apple Senior VP of Hardware Engineering Bob Mansfield to retire, be replaced by Dan Riccio
Apple has announced that its Senior VP of Hardware Engineering, Bob Mansfield, will retire and over the course of the next few months transfer his role to Dan Riccio. Mansfield is credited with leading the Mac engineering team since 2005 and took on a more visible role as an exec during the reshuffling in 2008. He's also mentioned as leading iPhone and iPod engineering since 2010 (when he took over the role from Mark Papermaster in a move curiously timed around those antenna troubles) and the iPad since it began. He'd been with Apple since 1999 when it acquired his previous employer, Raycer Graphics, and most recently popped up on our radar earlier this year while integrating another acquisition, flash memory maker Anobit. If you'd like to get familiar with his replacement, Dan Riccio is currently vice president of iPad hardware engineering. Check the press release after the break for a few more details on both individuals, there's no word on Mansfield's post-retirement plans.
The Firing Line: Three reasons to love PlanetSide 2
So you've heard of this PlanetSide 2 thing, and you're fairly sure that some significant buzz is building. You know that Sony Online Entertainment wowed a lot of people with its demo at this month's E3, and you know that the game is a high-dollar sequel to one of our early genre stalwarts. It's a shooter, though, and you're either not very good at shooters or not very enamored of their gameplay. The good news is that there's still room for you on the PS2 bandwagon, and there are plenty of reasons to be excited about the title even if it falls a bit outside your comfort zone.
Engineer makes light-up business cards with 555 timer, proves PCB skills
Sure, there have been some pretty creative variations on the standard paper business card, but if you're looking to make a career in electronics engineering, card stock isn't necessarily the best option for material. Such was the case for one student, who had the canny idea to make a card that demonstrates his printed circuit board know-how. He used a 555 timer that outputs a clock to the LEDs on the biz card, and placing a nine-volt battery on the terminals sets off the mini light show. See for yourself in the video below.
Mount & Blade: Warband DLC features 250-player battles
A Mount & Blade MMO is something we've wanted to see for a long time. While that's not exactly happening, 250-player battles is probably the next best thing. Paradox has just released a new DLC pack for Mount & Blade: Warband called Napoleonic Wars. It brings the game's signature real-time combat to 19th century Europe and gives players the ability to use soldiers, artillery, and even battlefield musicians to wage epic multiplayer battles. Napoleonic Wars features five nations, a wide range of artillery pieces, over 220 new units, an Engineer class that uses barricades, trenches, and explosives. There's also a new commander battle mode for your squad-leader gameplay needs. The DLC pack will set you back $9.99. Oh, and don't forget to check out the launch trailer after the cut. [Source: Paradox press release]
