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Our favorite camera bags (that don't look like camera bags)
We love Lowepro and Manfrotto backpacks. They're often big, well-padded and offer tons of support for your aching back and shoulders. If you've invested in a mirrorless system, however, they can also feel like overkill. Many photographers (ourselves included) are searching for knapsacks that are smaller, stealthier or just plain stylish. Something that can blend in with urbanites and doesn't scream, "Hello, I'm a photographer with a bag full of seriously expensive kit!" Here, we run down a few of our favorites for both casual and professional shoots. They're also fashionable enough that you can use them as everyday backpacks.
Think tank's new task force will forecast AI's challenges
Alexa's creepy laugh will probably be the least of our artificial intelligence worries. To properly understand the challenges that AI will bring, defense and foreign policy think tank Center for a New American Security (CNAS) has established a task force headed by former Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert O. Work and Dr. Andrew Moore, dean of the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University.
The best camera bags
By Erin Lodi, Mike Perlman, and Eric Adams This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter, reviews for the real world. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here. If you're working with only a single camera and a lens, a good camera strap is all you need. But as soon as you start bringing multiple lenses and a tripod, you'll want a proper camera bag—preferably one that also looks nice enough to use every day. After spending the past two years testing more than 30 camera bags, we've found a number of great bags that cover a wide range of styles and carrying needs. For many photographers, the best choices are the 20-liter Peak Design Everyday Backpack or the 15-inch Everyday Messenger.
China denies carrying out cyberattacks against US-based activist
China claims it wasn't behind the hacking of a US think tank that was set to host exiled Chinese tycoon-turned-activist Guo Wengui. The Hudson Institute abruptly canceled its event with Guo last week, claiming it had detected a Shanghai-based attack aimed at crippling its website.The incident was raised by US Attorney General Jeff Sessions in his meeting with Chinese government officials on Wednesday, according to The Wall Street Journal. Guo himself also claimed that the law firm representing his US political asylum bid backed out after it was targeted by Chinese hackers. In a statement, China's Ministry of Public Security told Reuters it had found "no evidence" of government involvement in the alleged cyberattacks.
City of Heroes' Cord 'Thinktank' Carney details Dr. Kane's Mansion
Halloween is almost here, and of course that means that many MMOs are gearing up for seasonal events. One of those MMOs is Paragon Studios' City of Heroes. A new addition to the festivities this year is Dr. Kane's Mansion, and World Designer Cord "Thinktank" Carney has taken time out of his busy schedule to talk a bit about the creation of City of Heroes' Halloween event and Dr. Kane's Mansion. One of the key challenges, Carney says, was balancing the event so that it's accessible to new players brought in by the game's free-to-play transition as well as ensuring that it isn't a cake-walk for veterans. Also of note is the task of making the event feel dynamic and alive by providing a variety of NPCs you can speak to, a multitude of triggered events, and so forth. For the full article on the making of Dr. Kane's Mansion, head on over to the official City of Heroes site.
Engadget's back to school guide 2011: bags and cases
Welcome to Engadget's Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we're here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we're walking around with new bags in tow -- and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of the month we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides -- and hit up the hub page right here! Cutting a bag free from an oversized cardboard container isn't nearly as exciting as unboxing the latest, well, anything else -- but you're probably gonna need one, unless you don't mind biking around campus with a laptop under your arm. We've rounded up some of our perennial favorites that are sure to keep your gadgets safe on any budget. And see that messenger bag up above? It's stuffed full of some of this season's hottest gadgets -- and we're giving one away to 15 of you. Simply leave a comment below and at each of our other back to school guides to be entered to win, and check out our giveaway page for more details.
Addon Spotlight: ThinkTank sets you up for tanking fast
Each week, WoW Insider brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. Tanking in Cataclysm has simultaneously become the most reviled and most desired role players can choose. The random Dungeon Finder and Cataclysm's change in mechanics has created an odd world for tanks to live and thrive in, one of dependence and expectation. Blizzard's goal is to make more players into tanks, through the inclusion of tanking-specific heirlooms as well as rewards like the Call to Arms bag feature that launched with patch 4.1, providing extra rewards to players who chose to queue up as a much-desired tank. For the most part, Blizzard's efforts have been working well. During deep contemplation, a state which I frequent a lot these days, it dawned on me that I would love to be able to give new and budding tanks a list of resources for user interface tips to make their tanking lives easier. What better way to introduce more tanks to the game than by taking some of the mystery of the tanking UI out from the shadows and make a recommendation for a tank UI? So I began to search the internet, looking for the right UI to recommend for players who want to make a tank alt or for new players interested in the vital tanking role. Let me introduce you to ThinkTank.
Hydrophobia rain cover promises to keep your DSLR dry, mysterious
Alright, so a new rain cover for a DSLR isn't the most exciting of developments, but the folks at Think Tank Photo have managed to put a bit of a new spin on the idea with their new Hydrophobia 70-200 and Hydrophobia 70-200 Flash covers (both based on the company's pro-level 300-600 cover). Those, as you've probably discerned, will accommodate a DSLR with up to a 70-200 lens (and, in the latter case, a flash), and protect it during even the toughest downpours. What's more, you can actually attach your DSLR and simply carry it by the rain cover, and the two sleeves are big enough to not only let you control the camera (with the help of a clear window 'round back), but swap out batteries or memory cards as well. Of course, this one doesn't come cheap, with the basic model running $139, and the flash-accommodating model setting you back $145.
Forgetting to hit the "Need" button
Kalon at ThinkTank touches on a subject near and dear to my heart -- missing out on loot upgrades because you forget what you're supposed to want. While on an Ulduar-10 run, he passed on the Kologarn drop Mark of the Unyielding, which is close to being the best-in-slot neck for bear tanks, for one good reason (the other tank raids more than he does at the moment) and one bad one (he couldn't remember just how good the piece really is). Particularly galling, he notes, is that he recently wrote an excellent guide to tanking upgrades in Ulduar in which Mark of the Unyielding was singled out for especial commentary. Ouch.For myself, I don't think anything quite approaches the sheer agony of having accidentally passed on Idol of Worship from Grand Widow Faerlina just because I wasn't paying attention at the time. I don't do much cat DPS, but losing the best-in-slot idol directly affecting the attack (Rip) that contributes the largest share of feral DPS is...again with the ouch. I still ask myself what was so amazingly enthralling about tanking Maexxna trash that night that I could have zoned out to that degree, and -- naturally! -- the idol never dropped again. While I guess it's possible that there are players out there who are practically perfect in every way and have never missed a drop, I have the sneaking suspicion that most of us still find a reason to kick ourselves.
Shifting Perspectives: Gearing your Feral (bear) Druid at 80
Every Tuesday, Shifting Perspectives explores issues affecting Druids and those who group with them. This week, we take a look at gearing your lolbaretank for the rigors of standing in front of raid bosses and screaming, "Is that the best you've got?" EDIT: This article has been updated for patch 3.3 and Icecrown content. Please click here to see a guide to gearing a bear druid as of May 2010. My main spends most of her time tanking, so I have a little more experience with the gear on this list as opposed to others. Dan O'Halloran will be writing a guide to gearing a Cat Druid next week, and with that we'll be rounding up pre-raid gear for all 4 specs. As with our entry on pre-raid Restoration gear at 80 and our entry on pre-raid Balance gear at 80, this guide assumes that you do not presently have access to either 10-man or 25-man raids, and if I miss any piece that you've found helpful, please drop a comment and I'll make sure it gets added. I should also add that this gear set presumes you are gearing your bear tank with an eye toward main-tanking in raids and/or tanking the more difficult heroics. If you're mostly DPSing or off-tanking, please feel free to swap in more DPS-oriented pieces prioritizing +hit and +crit over +expertise, +dodge, and stamina. Before we get any further, some helpful links: Toskk's Bear Tank Time-To-Live Method, allowing you to look at upgrades from the context of your present set of gear and calculate how long you can go without healing assuming different talents and items. ThinkTank on pre-raid gear: While I don't think that Kalon's been able to update this for patch 3.0.8 yet and he weights items a little differently than I do, this is a terrific list. He'll also give you a much better sense of just how good PvP gear is right now (much to my everlasting annoyance concerning arena). Rawr: Use it. Know it. Love it. Big Bear Butt on +hit, +expertise, and +dodge conversion and numbers that you will need at 80.
