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Eerie comparisons between MMOs and real life surface
We all joke about how unrealistic MMOs are to our mundane, tax-filled lives, but Redcentric did a little digging to compare how virtual worlds and the real one stack up in various ways. Some of the results proved astounding. With World of Warcraft, Redcentric noted that the population in both the game and the US military have about the same percentage of males (84% to 83%), while EVE Online's male population (96%) is more similar to that of the astronaut crowd (90%). The agency also noted how Second Life has 10 real-world embassies in it and that a previous ban of real-money trading in the game caused a very real financial crisis for a bank that wiped out $750,000. So how do these three titles compare to real-world cities in regards to population? World of Warcraft at its peak was close to Moscow's population (11.5 million), while Second Life almost hit the levels of San Fransisco (825K) and EVE Online barely surpassed Edinburgh's 495,000.
Parallella 'supercomputers' headed to early backers, 16-core boards up for general pre-order
Following its successful Kickstarter campaign, Adapteva flashed the production versions of its Parallella "supercomputer" boards in April, penning in a loose summer delivery date. Today, the company reports that the first "beta" units have begun winding their way to backers who pledged at the DEVELOPER, 64-CORE-PLUS and ROLF levels. Other backers should receive their boards by summer's end "after some final refinements." For those who missed the crowd-funding window, you too can get a Parallella, as Adapteva has now opened up general pre-orders for the 16-core version on its website. While all Kickstarter-bought boards will bear a Zynq-7020 SoC, new pre-orders are configured with a 7010 as standard, though you can upgrade to the 7020 if you lay down a little more dough. However, newcomers will be treated to "Gen-1" boards, which will offer slight improvements over earlier versions, such as reduced power consumption and an added serial port three-pin header. You'll find the basic 16-core board going for $99 over at Adapteva's store, with an expected October delivery date. The company tells us the 64-core version will also be available for public consumption, with pre-orders beginning in Q4 this year.
Adapteva shows off production Parallella mini 'supercomputer' boards
With its ambitious Parallella computing project funded on Kickstarter since last October, Adapteva's now showing off its first mass-production boards. These Raspberry Pi-esque devices are capable of supercomputer-like parallel computing performance thanks to power-sipping Epiphany multi-core accelerators. As proposed, both the $99 13GHz 16-core (26 gigaflops) and $199 45GHz 64-core accelerator (90 gigaflops) variants make an appearance in the pictures. The company is tweaking this initial batch of 10 to test various functionalities, with its current update noting that getting Linux to boot off the boards is the next step in testing. Final units are still slated to arrive on doorsteps during the summer, and hardware schematics will eventually be available as open source-info -- after all, the Parallella has always been pitched as an open undertaking. Those enthused by circuits and the boards they live on will find a path to more info at the source link.
Insert Coin: Epiphany One Puck uses heat transfer to charge your phone
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. It's the modern bar-goers worst nightmare. No, it's not that the pub is out of your favorite ale, nor is it that you're 0-for-6 with lame pickup lines. You've been texting, tweeting and checking in all night, and you're paying for it with that red sliver in the corner of the screen. So what do you do? Give up your primo spot at the bar and find an outlet somewhere in the corner? Not a chance -- it's time to pull out your coaster-sized Epiphany One Puck, set a cold brew upon it, and connect your phone for some juice. Who knows, the Puck might also help you break the ice. The idea to use heat disparities for power is over two centuries old, and we've seen larger concepts make use of thermo-electrics. The One Puck brings mobility into play, providing up to one amp of current to any device that charges through a USB cable, including Android devices and iPhones. Just place a hot object (a mug of cocoa) on the red side or a cold object (iced coffee) on the blue, then plug in your phone. The team at Epiphany Labs has loftier goals than simply charging cell phones, but all good ideas have to begin somewhere. The first prototype is ready and Epiphany is looking to Kickstarter to bring the project to fruition. An early pledge of $99 includes a One Puck expected to retail for $150, while a pledge of $135 adds some custom engraving, just in case you want to count out the possibility of a resale before you even take delivery. You can head past the break to watch the prototype in action, and check out the source link to peruse the project's funding page.
Insert Coin: The Parallella project dreams of $99 supercomputers
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. Parallel computing is normally reserved for supercomputers way out of the reach of average users -- at least at the moment, anyway. Adapteva wants to challenge that with its Parallella project, designed to bring mouth-watering power to a board similar in size to the Raspberry Pi for as little as $99. It hopes to deliver up to 45GHz (in total) using its Epiphany multicore accelerators, that crucially, only chug 5 watts of juice under normal conditions. These goliath speeds currently mean high costs, which is why they need your funds to move out of the prototype stage and start cheap mass production. Specs for the board are as follows: a dual-core ARM A9 CPU running Ubuntu OS as standard, 1GB RAM, a microSD slot, two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, Ethernet and a 16- or 64-core accelerator, with each core housing a 1GHz RISC processor, all linked "within a single shared memory architecture." An overriding theme of the Parallella project is the openness of the platform. When finalized, the full board design will be released, and each one will ship with free, open-source development tools and runtime libraries. In addition, full architecture and SDK documentation will be published online if-and-when the Kickstarter project reaches its funding goal of $750,000. That's pretty ambitious, but we're reminded of another crowd-funded venture which completely destroyed an even larger target. However, that sum will only be enough for Adapteva to produce the 16-core board, which reportedly hits 13GHz and 26 gigaflops, and is expected to set you back a measly $99. A speculative $3 million upper goal has been set for work to begin on the $199 64-core version, topping out at 45GHz and 90 gigaflops. Pledge options range from $99 to $5,000-plus, distinguished mainly by how soon you'll get your hands on one. Big spenders will also be the first to receive a 64-core board when they become available. Adapteva's Andreas Olofsson talks through the Parallella project in a video after the break, but if you're already sold on the tiny supercomputer, head over to the source link to contribute before the October 27th closing date.
Gnome-flavored Ubuntu desktop environment coming for purest purists
If you're a Linux user squarely in the Gnome desktop camp and sneer with disdain at the mention of Unity, there's good news -- your preferred flavor is coming, uncontaminated, to Ubuntu. Though "GNOMEBuntu" was originally floated as a name for the new environment, that idea was apparently kiboshed by the Gnome Foundation, leaving "GNOBuntu" and "Gnubuntu" as possible monikers, according to Mutkware. Neither Unity, nor cloud service Ubuntu One will be included in the distro, but you'll find a library of apps pre-installed, including the Epiphany browser and Rhythmbox music player. Customized settings will let you further tweak the purity level to suit your zeal -- so, if you're thinking about grabbing the upcoming alpha, check the source for more info.
The Daily Grind: What made it click?
There's almost always a moment. If you're interested in MMOs beyond just enjoying the game while you play it -- and truth be told, if you're reading Massively you pretty well qualify -- then there was most likely a single experience you had somewhere along the line that convinced you these games were special and interesting. Something beyond just a diversion you could take or leave. There was something the game that made you sit up and say that you were experiencing something unique, something that may or may not be commonplace these days but seemed new and fresh at the time. Perhaps it was the first time you took part in a major PvP battle. Perhaps it was your first struggle against a difficult monster in PvE, realizing that you actually had other real people at your side fighting the monster. It could have been the first time you crafted something you were proud of, or even just a close friend you made in the game that you wouldn't have met otherwise. Today, we're asking you what moment in an MMO first made the whole idea click for you. And for bonus points, looking back on it now, does it seem like you were excited over something silly, or does it still feel unique?
