aegis
Latest
Mars Rover’s AI is really good at selecting rocks to analyze
If we truly want to go to Mars, then we really need to know what it's made of -- it's hard to bring everything you need from Earth. NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has been using specialized AI software to zap soil and rocks on the planet this past year to discover what each is made of. The software that guides the rover's efforts is called AEGIS, or Autonomous Exploration for Gathering Increased Science. AEGIS allows the rover to get more science of this nature done while Curiosity is out of contact with its human controllers, according to a new paper published by NASA in Science Robotics.
The Big Picture: This missile can knock out warheads in space
Rising from a wall of flames, a Raytheon RIM-161 Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) takes flight from the Deveselu missile defense base in Romania. Designed to intercept short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles before the inbound threats re-enter the atmosphere, the SM-3 has been likened to "shooting a bullet with another bullet." The armament is deployed both on land and at sea where it is utilized as part of the Navy's Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense.
Photography and the subatomic world collide in a new documentary
First it was Andy Warhol's obsolete digital archives and then the Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project. Now, the Hillman Photography Initiative's documentary team has set its sights on the CERN physics laboratory in its newest film, Subatomic. Famously known for housing the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), this facility is also home to the AEgIS experiment and the ATLAS Detector, one of the world's largest digital cameras. The scientists there use a variety of photographic technologies, from a cutting-edge 100-megapixel sensor that captures 600 million pictures per second, to antimatter experiments that use traditional photo emulsion to track particles. CERN even has an artist in residence program, showcasing outsider perspectives on the scientific world. These are all captured in this fifth and final installment of The Invisible Photograph film series from the Carnegie Museum of Art (CMOA) and Hillman Photography Initiative, which seek to reveal the hidden aspects of images whether obscured, lost or forgotten. Subatomic: The European Organizaton for Nuclear Research debuts online today, and you can watch the latest film below or stream the entire series on CMOA's website.
The Secret World nerfs Tokyo mobs and buffs rewards
Players struggling to progress through The Secret World's Tokyo zone will now find it a more pleasurable experience, thanks to today's hotfix that makes mobs easier to kill while increasing rewards across the board. Mobs in Kaidan will now have reduced damage and health, making them easier to kill. Better yet, TSW is increasing AEGIS XP from containers, lowering the cost for memory expansion modules, and giving AEGIS peripherals as part of the Issue 9 and 10 story missions (and will retroactively award these to players who have completed them). [Thanks to Tyler for the tip!]
The Secret World's Issue 10 characters, locations, and shield upgrades
First things first: Funcom's Joel Bylos is still not revealing the release date of The Secret World's Issue 10, so don't get your hopes up when you read through today's October game director letter. However, if you can get past that disappointment, you'll find a treasure trove of information about Issue 10 details, such as the descriptions of four key NPCs that players will meet and four fascinating locations that players will explore (love palace, anyone?). Bylos also discusses how players will be able to wield AEGIS technology to create protective shields of their own. The Secret World's Halloween event will continue through November 13th and be followed by a scenario bonus weekend.
The Secret World announces Sidestories: The Last Pagan mission pack
The summer content drought for The Secret World is almost at an end, as Game Director Joel Bylos announced today that the game will be releasing a new mission pack "in the next couple of weeks." Sidestories: The Last Pagan will contain six additional missions to the game, including two investigation quests. These missions will all be located in or around Tokyo, and when all six are completed, they will reward the players with a teleport to Tokyo from anywhere else in the game. Bylos said that the team is also making improvements to the AEGIS system with two new skills and installing an on-screen notifications system to facilitate communication between the game and the player. It also looks as though TSW will be selling emotes, hairstyles, and makeup unlocks in the store as well as adding them as mission rewards. Past the sidestories pack will be Issues #10 and #11, the latter of which will contain a unification of the raiding experience.
The Secret World's first mission pack announced for next week
Those thirsting for new content in The Secret World are getting a little something to help tide them over until Tokyo is opened. In his latest Game Director Letter, Joel Bylos announced the game's first ever mission pack. Available in the item store next week, Sidestories: Further Analysis contains four new investigation missions spanning the TSW map and a new undisclosed feature. These missions will delve players deeper into the backstories and lives of various groups and characters like Dr. Aldini and the Draculesti. Bylos also gives more details on the AEGIS system, explaining that these items will be equipped in new gear slots and how the core of the system, controllers, come in three distinct types. On top of that, he noted that a few PvP fixes in patch 1.9 change the way relics are handled in El Dorado. You can catch all the details of these changes in the March letter.
.jpg.cf.jpg)
Chaos Theory: The Christmas devil cometh to The Secret World
One of the bright spots of my month is when that game director letter from Joel Bylos rolls across my feed. It's like new magazine day, back when magazines were a thing instead of an ancient relic of the '90s, and I push everything aside just to slowly pick through the letter and find out what's coming to The Secret World. Bylos' November letter had a lot to say, most of it good but a little disappointing. Yes, Tokyo and Issue 9 are being pushed to "early 2014" (I bet February) to get it up to snuff. It's one of those announcements that has the loyal saying things like, "Good for them! Quality over a rush job, I always say!" but then they go home and cry a little in secret. I'll admit that it's a bit of a bummer, especially with my overall disappointment with Issue 8. I guess it'll give me a little more time to grind out oreos and augments, and perhaps work on my long-neglected Illuminati alt. With the bad out of the way, let's dissect and analyze what the future has in store for TSW. What's that? A Christmas devil! Oh my, things are about to get interesting. Well, interestinger.
Star Citizen crowdfunding campaign reaches $30 million
Cloud Imperium Games's crowdfunding campaign for Star Citizen continues to barrel along and doesn't seem intent on stopping yet, as creator Chris Roberts has announced that the campaign has officially reached the milestone of 30 million US dollars. A new milestone means new rewards. Along with the announcement, Roberts included a gallery of concept art for the Gladiator ship "created to show how the rear-facing turret can be changed with different upgrades." In addition, Roberts revealed that players voted for a salvage ship in the $32 million "ship role" poll. As a result, the post unveils the first details of the Aegis Surveyor ship. Described as "an industrial-quality salvage ship," the Aegis Surveyor is perfect for retrieving the remains of some poor chump's wrecked ride. Lastly, Roberts reminds players that they can vote for the role $33 million stretch goal ship (right below the post, to boot), so to have your say, head over to the game's official site.
The Secret World hints at Aegis system with Issue #9
With Issue #8 on the way next week for The Secret World, Creative Director Joel Bylos hinted at what lies beyond in his latest game director letter. While the fans have known that the first part of the long-awaited Tokyo zone would be coming with Issue #9, Bylos dropped a small bombshell that a new system will arrive as well. "We will be introducing the new Aegis system," he said, "which will expand the horizontal progression of The Secret World and provide new mechanics that allow us to build consistent horizontal progression mechanics that will keep content fresh, not only in Tokyo, but also for all new areas in the future." Bylos reports that "full production is underway" for Issue #9, including work on missions, characters, motion capture, and voice acting. He said that once it's completed, it will be the single largest content update the MMO has seen to date. [Thanks to Cotic for the tip!]
Inception brings root privileges, rush of adrenaline to Nokia N9 community
So, here's the thing: Aegis, the security framework on the Nokia N9, has been busted wide open -- thanks to an exploit known as Inception. Much like root access on Android, the software allows developers to write apps (and users to install apps) that take full advantage of the N9's capabilities. Naturally, exploits such as these aren't for everyone -- in particular, Inception requires a familiarity with the command terminal -- but if you've ever wanted to load custom kernel modules, activate disabled hardware features or apply community-provided upgrades, a quick and relatively painless method is now here. A few words of caution: users mustn't upgrade their firmware beyond PR1.2 without first confirming that Inception is compatible, and because the exploit allows applications to gain full access to the phone, users should only install apps from trusted sources. Want to know more? Just follow the rabbit hole in the source below.
Spiritual Guidance: A first look at patch 4.1 for priests
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Spiritual Guidance for discipline, holy and shadow priests. Dawn Moore covers healing for discipline and holy priests, while her archenemy Fox Van Allen dabbles in shadow while knocking back "naptime potions." Dawn also writes for LearnToRaid.com and produces the Circle of Healing Podcast. Earlier this week Blizzard surprised the masses by releasing an early sneak peek at patch 4.1 on the PTR. Though the patch features no major raid content, it has made some tiny changes to the priest class that could have some big impacts! Among the patch changes for priests are a nerf to Power Word: Shield, a buff to Divine Aegis, a possibly nerf to Dispel Magic, and a new animation for Holy Word: Sanctuary which I've included a video of after the break.
Spiritual Guidance: Shield spam and Divine Aegis, a theorycrafting story
In the beginning there were priests. Then Blizzard said "Let there be other classes!" Things have been a lot more complicated ever since. Fortunately, there is Spiritual Guidance, WoW.com's bi-weekly guide for priests. On Sundays you can enjoy discussion on discipline, holy, and healing in the company of Dawn Moore. We don't have cookies here, but only because we call them biscuits, and serve them with tea, sandwiches, and scones. Did you want one lump, or two? A couple of months ago I found myself talking to a non-priest about the gems I had slotted on my character. He was of the understanding that disc priests wanted nothing but crit, and thought it was strange that I had gemmed straight spellpower on all my gear. Figuring he was behind on the times, I happily explained to him that I was using the standard gem set up for shield spamming disc priests, which works around the premise that if the majority of what we do is cast shields, then we should stack as much spellpower as possible in order to make our most used spell (Power Word: Shield) absorb more. This is the standard practice advised to shield spammers throughout the priest community, and I've advised it here on Spiritual Guidance before as well. The non-priest still didn't understand though. He kept insisting "but crit ..." which inclined me to gently stroke back his hair and say "there there, poor little confused non-priest, it's all right." I allowed him his dignity though, and instead went on with my explanation. I told him that alternative stats like crit and haste didn't do much for shield spamming since Power Word: Shield can't crit, and Borrowed Time removes the necessity for haste since the talent carries us down to the 1 second GCD soft cap whenever we cast Power Word: Shield. The non-priest still didn't understand, so I explained to him that a disc priest's primary interest in crit was Divine Aegis, a talent which applies a second shield whenever one of your spells crits. "But shields don't crit," I reiterated. "The heal from the Glyph of Power Word: Shield can, but that would only add say ... 500 extra absorption from Divine Aegis. The spellpower is still better." As I typed out those last words, they boomeranged back and hit me square in the face. Startled, I peeled the sans serif off my nose and and reexamined the limp letters in my hands. Suddenly I wondered, "is that really true?"
Aegis Bio grows to 640GB of fingerprint-protected storage
Apricorn specializes in the fine art of making people believe their data is worth stealing and charging them for the privilege of protecting it. Its Aegis Bio range has now been expanded, both in number and in capacity, as the former ceiling of 250GB has been lifted with the introduction of 320GB, 500GB and 640GB variants. The 2.5-inch external disk validates user identity with that handy fingerprint scanner on top before allowing access to the otherwise 128-bit encrypted precious stuff within it. Prices of the new models top out at $160 for the most voluminous one, making them thrifty enough to buy even if you don't need secret agent-level security -- which, let's face it, you don't. Full PR after the break.
Apricorn's Aegis Padlock Secure USB HDD goes Pro, solid state
You gain an immense sense of security when your gadget has a number pad on it, but if last year's Aegis Padlock Secure drives weren't quite sophisticated enough for you, this year's Pro revision might fit into your dashing lifestyle of international mystery and intrigue. The new version from Apricorn comes exclusively with 256-bit AES encryption and, if you don't mind platters, offers up to 640GB worth of storage for $199. But nothing says you've made it quite like solid state storage, and for $419 you can get 128GB of the stuff, or 256GB for $799. Nobody said living dangerously would be cheap!
Apricorn rolls out pocketable Aegis Mini 240GB 1.8-inch hard drive
240GB 1.8-inch hard drives have been out and about for a little while now, but they're still a bit of a rare sight in actual products, which is something the folks at Apricorn look set to rectify with their new Aegis Mini portable hard drive. As you can see above, the whole package isn't much larger than the hard drive itself and, better still, it's available in your choice of USB 2.0 or FireWire flavors, which'll run you the expectedly premium price of $269 and $279, respectively. If that's a bit more than you need, you can also grab an 80GB or 120GB drive, which also pack the same shock protection and retractable cable as their more capacious counterpart, plus Apricorn's own Data Protection Suite software.[Via iTech News Net, thanks Sze]
Brutal Gladiator's Aegis
The Brutal Gladiator's Aegis is the armor set for Shockadins, or spell damage-based Paladins. It is a lamellar, or plate armor usable only by Paladins and is usually matched with Guardian's Lamellar armor pieces. The armor set can be purchased from Big Zokk Torquewrench in Netherstorm and Ontokk Shatterhorn in Shattrath City. The matching Guardian items may be purchased from Doris Volanthius in the Hall of Legends and Lieutenant Tristia in the Champion's Hall. Brutal Gladiator's Lamellar GauntletsThe Brutal Gladiator armor piece for the hands are the cheapest and easiest Season 4 Arena gear to obtain. With no personal rating requirements, most players will be able to purchase this piece and is the Arena gear likely to be most widespread as soon as the season begins. Arena gloves are also the only item with the exception of relics to have spec-specific bonuses, although Flash of Light isn't incredibly useful to the offensive-minded Shockadin. It is the same bonus as the Ornamented Gloves. The gauntlets have the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent): 1239 Armor (+98)+50 Stamina (+6) +34 Intellect (+4) +34 Spell Critical (+5) +19 Resilience (+0) +40 Spell Damage / Healing (+5)Increases critical effect chance of Flash of Light by 2%Classes: Paladin WoW Insider says: The gauntlets are a marked improvement from its Season 3 predecessor, with the exception of Resilience (Season 3 and 4 armor pieces have exactly the same Resilience ratings). If you have the Arena points for it, it's a good buy, but the on-equip bonus could have been better applied to Holy Shock.Brutal Gladiator's Lamellar LegguardsThe leg armor possesses a personal rating requirement of 1550, which isn't too difficult to obtain. For many players on median-ratings teams, it might take a few weeks to purchase at a cost of 1875 Arena points. While not as accessible as the gloves, the leg armor is highly visible on a character and is also likely to be a popular purchase. The legguards have the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):1735 Armor (+138)+77 Stamina (+7)+35 Intellect (+6)+45 Spell Critical (+6)+35 Resilience (+0)+54 Spell Damage / Healing (+7)Classes: PaladinWoW Insider says: Although an improvement over its Season 3 equivalent, the lack of sockets mean that the only customization that can be done will be through Tailoring or Leatherworking enchants. Although the arena point requirement is relatively low, the chest armor is probably a better purchase if you can manage it.Brutal Gladiator's Lamellar ChestpieceWith three sockets, the chestpiece is the most customizable Arena armor piece, and is the next best purchase after the gloves. Although the personal rating requirement of 1600 may be prohibitive to some players, it costs the same as the leg armor and should be sought after. In PvE, the chest armor is traditionally a drop from the final boss in a series (Magtheridon drops Tier 4 chest token, Kael'thas drops Tier 5 chest token, Illidan drops Tier 6 chest token, etc.). Arenas are different in this regard, but the item level of the chest is identical to PvE chest pieces. Sunwell Plateau breaks from tradition in that the final boss, Kil'jaeden, does not drop chest tokens or armor. However, the Brutal Gladiator chest armor is equivalent to the drops from Entropius and is the best combination of cost and restriction among all the armor pieces. The chestpiece has the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):1983 Armor (+158)+73 Stamina (+7)+36 Intellect (+5)+44 Spell Critical (+6)+31 Resilience (+0)+37 Spell Damage / Healing (+6)Socket Bonus: +4 Spell CriticalClasses: PaladinWoW Insider says: A team and personal rating of 1600 isn't an impossible goal, although more difficult for Shockadins, who are sparse in Arenas. If you can manage it, however, the chest piece is the best armor piece you can get for its cost and low barrier of entry. Because of its PvE equivalent, obtaining the Brutal Gladiator chest armor is almost like killing Entropius in Sunwell Plateau. Well, ok not really, but if you don't raid, that's about as close to a raid drop as you're going to get.Brutal Gladiator's Lamellar HelmThe helm is very likely the last Brutal Gladiator armor piece that many players will obtain. With the shoulders at an extremely prohibitive 2200, most players will only manage 4/5 of Season 4. At 1700 personal rating, some players will have a more difficult time obtaining this piece, which costs the same as the chest and leg armor pieces. With a personal rating attached to it, the Brutal Gladiator helm might be one helm graphic that players would like to leave on. It is also identical in model to the pieces that drop off Kil'jaeden in Sunwell Plateau. The helm has the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):1611 Armor (+128)+77 Stamina (+7)+34 Intellect (+6)+34 Spell Critical (+6)+33 Resilience (+0)+50 Spell Damage / Healing (+7)Socket Bonus: +4 Resilience RatingClasses: PaladinWoW Insider says: If you've managed to obtain the chest piece, there's little reason not to try and go for the helm, which has a Meta Socket. Although it is an improvement over its Season 3 equivalent, the disparity is not so great that players unable to obtain the helm can easily make do with the ratings requirement-free Vengeful Gladiator version.Brutal Gladiator's Lamellar ShouldersThe 2200 personal ratings requirement for the shoulders are almost Gladiator-level for most Battlegroups, and will likely be a very rare sight in most realms. Although it is the cheapest item after the gloves, it is also the most difficult to get. Blizzard's reasoning for this is that the shoulders are the most "visually impacting" armor piece, confirming Blizzard's opinion that PvP achievements should be on display. The shoulders have the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):1487 Armor (+118)+50 Stamina (+6)+28 Intellect (+5)+32 Spell Critical (+4)+22 Resilience (+0)+33 Spell Damage / Healing (+5)Socket Bonus: +3 Resilience RatingClasses: PaladinWoW Insider says: Brutal Gladiator shoulders are purely for show. Aside from the gloves, the shoulders have the lowest point-for-point improvement over its Season 3 equivalent among all the Brutal Gladiator armor pieces. The shoulders are an item players only pick up if they reach 2200 rating levels, but not compelling enough to climb ratings for. Guardian's Lamellar BeltBecause it is a visual match for the Brutal Gladiator's Aegis, and because it comes with no personal ratings requirement, the belt is most likely to be the most widely distributed Season 4 gear. It is purchasable with Honor points, so even players who do not participate in Arena PvP can obtain it. The belt has the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):1115 Armor (+88)+49 Stamina (+6)+35 Intellect (+5)+34 Spell Critical (+4)+26 Resilience (+0)+40 Spell Damage / Healing (+5)Classes: Warrior, PaladinWoW Insider says: The belt is identical in every way to the Guardian's Ornamented Belt with the exception of +healing. Shockadins with a mind to stack more Healing for versatility would do well to explore the option of mixing and matching. That said, the accessibility and affordability of the Season 4 belt makes it an extremely good purchase.Guardian's Lamellar BracersThe only other Guardian piece with a socket is the amulet, which doesn't have a personal rating requirement. Coupled with the fact that bracers are visually insignificant, being hidden under gloves or robes, the urgency to obtain them is very low. They also have a modest 1575 personal rating requirement, necessitating participation -- and moderate success -- in Arena play. The bracers have the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):841 (+69)+33 Stamina (+4)+20 Intellect (+3)+23 Spell Critical (+3)+15 Resilience (+0)+30 Spell Damage / Healing (+3)Socket Bonus: +2 Resilience RatingClasses: Warrior, PaladinWoW Insider says: As with the belt, the bracers are virtually identical to Guardian's Ornamented Bracers, and players may want to try and forego +11 Spell Damage for a +27 Healing. There are much better purchases among the Season 4 items despite the mere 11,794 Honor cost. A minimal upgrade from its predecessor makes it a less compelling sale.Guardian's Lamellar GreavesThe most visually important match of all Guardian items, the boots are a big jump from a 1575 personal ratings requirement and is as demanding to get as the head piece at 1700 personal ratings. It is also as expensive to purchase as the belt, which has no ratings requirement. The bracers have the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):1363 Armor (+108)+49 Stamina (+6)+35 Intellect (+5)+34 Spell Critical (+4)+26 Resilience (+0)+40 Spell Damage / Healing (+5)Classes: Warrior, PaladinWoW Insider says: The greaves are the best Season 4 Honor-bought pieces that players can buy. Although players should probably purchase the belt first, achieving a 1700 rating is worth the grind for an armor piece that is a decent upgrade from its predecessor and a visual match for the rest of Brutal Gladiator gear.%Gallery-25440% Looking for more Season 4 info? We've rounded up everything you need to know about the Brutal Gladiator season right here.
Season 4 Brutal Gladiator gear guide
Now that Season 4 has finally arrived, it would probably be good to take a look at the Arena gear you'll be purchasing with all those stored Arena points. Even though most people have concurred that the new Brutal Gladiator gear is appropriately brutally ugly, a lot of the pieces are excellent and many players will need to purchase them in order to stay competitive in the latest, harshest Arena season. Most of the Brutal Gladiator armor sets and equipment require personal ratings in order for players to be able to purchase them, so the new Season 4 gear will not flood the community the same way past seasons did. Even Honor-bought items such as bracers, boots, and rings will require participation in the Arenas in order for players to qualify for purchasing them. We've put together a review of all the Brutal Gladiator armor sets for you to review, with a brief analysis of each piece and an assessment of whether it's worth the Arena points and the bother to grind for the personal ratings. We've also compared Season 4 gear with their equivalent Vengeful Gladiator pieces so you can tell at a glance how much of an improvement each piece is from its predecessor. Take a look after the jump at our extensive gear guide.%Gallery-25440%
Spy satellite shoot-down: The Movie
Like a vivid fever-dream Michael Bay might have after a night of pounding Sparks, this video of our nation's darkest hour and greatest triumph will have you screaming for a sequel. Confirming our belief that the out-of-control spy satellite which the Navy shot out of the sky in February really did contain a planet-destroying plague of zombie juice and / or Aliens, this roller coaster ride of a film retells the whole drama -- replete with swelling strings and in-your-face rage rock. Enjoy the epic video after the break, as well as a recap of our extensive coverage of the event, and rest easy knowing that once again great disaster has been averted... or has it?[Via Wired]
