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Super Bowl hits new tweet record, but Twitter still prefers soccer
Gridiron football isn't exactly a world game, but the spectacle of the Super Bowl still draws nearly a billion viewers who do a heckuva lot of tweeting. It just horse-collared its previous Twitter record with around 28.4 million tweets from around the globe, easily surpassing last year's mark of 24.9 million. This year's edition did have a lot going for it: a tight match, a crazy finish, all those pricy ads and the whole Katy Perry dancing shark hoedown. But despite all that, it still couldn't touch the World Cup, which triggered 32.1 million tweets for the finale and 35.6 million for the Germany vs. Brazil semi-final matchup. And most of those likely involved the game, not a gigantic animatronic tiger.
PlanetSide 2 smashes world record for biggest FPS battle
Those of you who turned out to help PlanetSide 2 set a world record this past Saturday now have the satisfaction of knowing that you're officially a part of gaming history. The Guinness World Records title for "Most Players Online in a Single FPS Battle" was set by the combined efforts of three factions and 1,158 players on January 24th in the game. The immense fight took place in a single instance and surpassed the previous record holder of Man vs. Machine, which reached only 999 players in 2012. The title will be included in the Gamer's Edition of the World Records. PlanetSide 2 Producer David Carey wanted to thank those who participated, adding that this put the title right back where it belonged: "PlanetSide held the original record for this achievement and we're thrilled to have officially taken it back with PlanetSide 2." [Source: SOE press release]
Interactive album artwork doubles as a DJ controller
Jack White isn't the only act doing amazing things with vinyl releases. Inside DJ Qbert's Extraterrestria, one of the jacket inserts doubles as a controller for Algoriddim's djay iOS app. After connecting to a mobile device via Bluetooth, Novalia's printed MIDI tech makes the album art the console, complete with scratching and a smattering of other tools. What's more, it'll work with Apple's desktop OS, too. The album was funded by a Kickstarter campaign, and most of the copies will go to those who committed ahead of time. Unlike White's Lazaretto release, it's not the record itself that's the main attraction here, but rather the packaging -- not that it makes the project any less awesome. Jump down past the break to see it in action.
Vinyl certainly isn't dead
With all of the hoo-ha surrounding Taylor Swift's decision to pull her tracks from Spotify, it's easy to forget that downloads and streaming aren't the only ways people get their music. Many still buy CDs, although album sales have nearly halved in four years, and then there's vinyl. Normally reserved for audiophiles, collectors and old-school DJs, the humble vinyl record is making a comeback, thanks, in part, to hipsters bucking the streaming trend. According to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), annual UK album sales on the format passed the one-million mark for the first time since 1996, and are on track to reach 1.2 million sales before the year is out.
Destiny has already raked in $500 million in sales
Destiny's alleged big budget didn't end up being a big risk after all, as the title has become the highest-selling day-one digital console game release in history. From a combination of pre-orders, digital sales, and retail sales, Destiny has crossed the $500 million sales mark and doesn't look to be slowing any time soon. CEO of Activision Publishing Eric Hirshberg considers this massive validation for the project: "Since the beginning, we've been confident that our investment and belief in Destiny would pay off. But not many people believed we'd be able to say it did so on day one. We have more confidence than ever that Destiny will become one of the iconic franchises of this generation and Activision's next billion-dollar brand." However, if you're attempting to play Destiny from a college campus, you might be dealing with a frustrating impediment. Polygon notes that a networking error is blocking the game on certain campuises. Bungie said that it is aware of the issue and is working on a solution. [Source: Activision Blizzard press release]
Aussie electric vehicle breaks 20-year-old world speed record
Record-breaking EV or solar vehicles can be awkward, but the new EV speed champ from Australia looks like an actual car. The Sunswift eVe from NSWU managed 62MPH over 500km (310 miles) on a test circuit, besting the previous 45MPH record in a rout (pending final FIA verification). It could've done even better using its built-in 800-watt solar panels, but they were actually switched off for the EV-only record attempt. The same team holds the solar speed record at 55MPH with its Sunswift IV, but unlike that car, the Sunswift eVe can seat two people in relative comfort. Its Panasonic battery pack can be fully charged in eight hours from a standard outlet or gain two hours of endurance in the same time from the panels. The team hopes to make the 700-pound eVe street legal in Australia -- not to make Tesla sweat, but to help cure the biggest headache with EV tech: range anxiety.
Record-breaking magnet crams three tons of force into the size of a golf ball
University of Cambridge scientists have broken a decade-old superconducting record by packing a 17.6 Tesla magnetic field into a golf ball-sized hunk of crystal -- equivalent to about three tons of force. The team used high-temperature superconductors that work at minus 320 degrees F or so -- not exactly balmy, but less frigid than the minus 460 degrees F needed for regular superconductors. With zero resistance, superconducting materials can carry up to 100 times more current than copper wires, but the resulting magnetic fields create huge internal forces. Since the cuprate materials used for the record are as fragile as dried pasta, they can actually explode under the strain. To get around it, the team modified the material's microstructure and "shrink-wrapped" it in stainless steel. That produced the largest magnetic field ever trapped in a standalone material at any temperature, according to the team. The research might eventually lead to more secure and efficient power transmission, better scanners and yes, levitating monorails. [Image credit: University of Cambridge]
Nissan's ZEOD RC prototype racer completes first all-electric lap at Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans (check after the break for details on how to watch, for free) hasn't even started yet and already history has been made. During warmups, Nissan wheeled its ZEOD RC prototype race car around the 8.47-mile Circuit de la Sarthe track running only on battery power, a first. ZEOD stands for "Zero Emissions On Demand" with the car squeezing a 1.5-liter three cylinder engine that produces 400hp, two electric motors and the regenerative breaking of a Leaf RC into a frame similar to the DeltaWing prototype that raced at Le Mans before. Did we mention that it has no rear-view mirrors? Ray Harroun would be appalled. Update: Unfortunately the ZEOD RC's time in the actual race was quite brief, as it succumbed to a suspected transmission issue after just 5 laps around the circuit. Nissan plans to take the experience and include it in their LM P1 race car next year, the GT-R LM Nismo.
Jack White's Lazaretto 'Ultra LP' is a marvel of vinyl engineering
Setting a Guinness World Record after tracking and releasing a 7-inch vinyl in under four hours last month wasn't enough. Now, Jack White and Third Man Records have revealed plans for the Lazaretto Ultra LP ahead of its June 10th release. We'll provide the full list of details after the break, but here's a quick rundown of the highlights. First, there are two vinyl-only hidden tracks that are tucked underneath the labels on each side. What's more, one of those tracks plays at 78 RPM and the other at 45 RPM, making this 180-gram vinyl release a three-speed record. If you're familiar with White's project The Dead Weather, you know he's embraced the under label groove before.
It took Jack White less than four hours to track and release a record this weekend
How does Jack White celebrate Record Store Day? By setting a Guinness World Record for the fastest release, of course! White recorded, pressed and released a 7-inch 45 at his label's shop in three hours and fifty-five minutes, besting the previous mark that hit shelves the day after tracking. Two songs including "Lazaretto" -- the title track off the upcoming LP -- and a B-side cover of Elvis' "Power of My Love" were captured live from the Blue Room at Third Man Records in Nashville for the release. While the production was going down, White went on to perform an hour-long set for those who turned out to observe the feat. The full-length Lazaretto releases on June 10th, but for now, you can relive this weekend's events after the break. [Image: Jamie Goodsell]
Single quarter lasts record-breaking 85 hours on Armor Attack
Armor Attack, an arcade game from 1980, was part of two record-breaking achievements this week when John Salter of Oakland, Ohio shattered not only the previous high score, but also the previous record for longest time played on a single credit. As reported by Patrick Scott Patterson, Salter managed to hold out for 85 hours, 16 minutes before he finished his run with 2,211,990 points. Although the game itself ran without pause, Salter himself took power naps throughout his marathon, using extra lives he'd built up as a buffer so that he wouldn't lose. The previous record for longest gaming session on a single credit was 84 hours, 48 minutes, set by George Leutz on a game of Qbert. The previous high score on Armor Attack was 2,009,000, set by Tom Larkin in 1982. We assume that shortly after his victories, Salter removed his glasses, revealing that he was Superman all along, and flew off into the sunset. [Image: Cinematronics]
Titanfall pushes Guinness World Record holder to 1,000,000 Gamerscore
Raymond Cox - or Stallion83 as he's known on Xbox Live, Twitter and Twitch - has reached a level of gamer previously thought unobtainable. We've seen gamers, even Super Gamers. Cox showed us back in August 2011 what it looked like when a Super Gamer ascended past a Super Gamer - or, you could just call it a Super Gamer 2. But this ... this is to go even further beyond. This is one million Gamerscore. Cox hit the one million mark at approximately 2:35 a.m. EST, March 13, 2014, after completing a game of Titanfall. His score has to be verified with Guinness to be recorded as the official highest Gamerscore, but considering Cox broadcast his ... uh, achievement to the world on Twitch, it's unlikely there's any sort of shadiness going on here. Congrats, Raymond! [Image: Microsoft]
Super Bowl sets new record for live streaming, barely
At first glance, Fox Sports' viewership numbers for its Super Bowl stream are impressive, but when compared to data from previous games, they lose a bit of their luster. This year, an average of 528,000 people tuned into the stream per minute compared to 2013's 508,000 viewer total. The increase is enough for the broadcaster to say the game is the "most-viewed live stream ever for a single sports event in the US," (phew!) but the extra eyes only bumped the number by about 4 percent. How long people streamed the game increased by 25 percent this year, averaging around 48 minutes total. What's more, Fox says that on Sunday, its Sports Go app was the number one most downloaded sports app for iPhones and iPads, and the number two iPad app overall. Peak viewing time was in the third quarter when 1.1 million simultaneous users tuned in -- you know, when the Seahawks' victory was all but guaranteed.
Nintendo boasts 'record-setting' 16 million 3DS game sales in 2013
Nintendo's handheld business is booming right now, and the company has the stats to prove it. In its annual overview released today, the company says it sold a record-breaking 16 million 3DS games in 2013, which translates to a 45 percent increase over last year. US consumers played a big part in Nintendo's bumper year, accounting for 11.5 million of Nintendo's 35 million 2DS and 3DS lifetime sales. Despite its precarious financial situation and a recent ruling requiring it to share some of its 3DS sales revenue, Nintendo reckons it has plenty more left in the tank: "We're not slowing down in 2014," says Scott Moffitt, Nintendo's EVP of Sales, "the best days of Nintendo 3DS are still to come."
Lenovo sells a record four devices per second as phone and tablet demand soars
In stark contrast to Dell, with its corporate upheavals and hygiene issues, Lenovo's business is still booming. The company sold a record 29 million devices last quarter and saw double-digit rises in revenue and profit -- a level of growth that almost makes it seem like it has stepped out of the stagnant PC market and into something illegal. What's actually happening, however, is healthy and continuing diversification: unit sales of smartphones and tablets overtook PCs back in the summer, and now, when combined with smart TVs, account for 15 percent of Lenovo's revenue -- versus eight percent a year ago and just four percent the year before that. With the company's regular PC trade also in good shape, snatching nearly an 18 percent slice of that traditional market, it's perhaps a shame that the company has reportedly been prevented from expanding even faster.
NASA shoots lasers at the moon, sets new data transmission record
Lasers are indisputably awesome, and NASA just made them a little more so by zapping a record-breaking 622 Mb of data per second between the moon and earth as a part of its Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration (LLCD). Pulsed laser beams were shot from ground control at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico to the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) satellite orbiting the moon, and the results could herald promising new advances in deep space communication. Radio waves have long been the go-to option for sending information between spacecraft and our planet, but the greater data capacity lasers can accommodate may make it possible for future missions to send higher resolution images and 3D video transmissions across two-way channels. To learn more, take a peek at the press release after the break or head over to the official LLCD site at the source link below.
djay 2 now available, on sale for limited time
Djay is perhaps one of the best apps ever. The later video-based version, vjay is nothing short of an incredible feat of software engineering. I got a peek at djay 2, a standalone new app for iPad and iPhone/iPod touch, and it blew me away. I also got to meet the creators, and now that I understand how the original djay was created by someone who has actually worked as a DJ, I appreciate the small touches in the software all the more. djay 2 is a reworking of the original app, but the largely skeumorphic look remains. Details are amped up in places, but overall the app works mostly the same: you put records on one of two turntables and you commence to mixing, scratching, looping and making beats. The new touches add up to a whole lot, however. Beats in a song that are matched can now adjust and remain locked over the duration of the entire song. It's easier than ever to lock in on a particular riff and jump back to it over and over again. Albums appearing on the turntables draw grooves to match the duration of a song, so you can actually see a realistic representation of a vinyl album in the interface. That last part is of no consequence to amateurs who futz around, but if you've ever used a real table and real albums, it's really cool. Then there are the waveforms. Whereas most waveforms show you the shape of the sound, typically the dynamics (volume levels, more or less) of a song, djay 2 has introduced color waveforms. The colors are interpolated using the sound, so percussion areas might map to pink and softer string portions to green. I didn't coax a secret formula from the developers, but when you use it, you will immediately understand how much easier this is when it comes to finding portions of a song. It's now easier than ever to jump to a beat at any point in any song. All of this is also in HD and looks amazing on a Retina iPad. djay 2 continues a tradition of simplifying the work of a DJ's tools, while also giving pro DJ's a powerful instrument with which to play. Since the App Store doesn't do upgrade pricing, djay 2 (a separate, new app from djay v.1) is now available for US$4.99 on iPad and $.99 on iPhone/iPod touch. After a week the price will go up. We'll have a review from a real DJ in the coming days, so stay tuned.
Drayson Racing sets electric land speed record at 204.2MPH (video)
Nissan's ZEOD RC may sound fast at 186MPH, but it's a slow poke next to Drayson Racing's B12/69EV. The modified Le Mans car just broke the FIA's land speed record, hitting 204.2MPH on a course at the former RAF Elvington base in Yorkshire. While Drayson is quick to admit that the 850HP racer is unusual, it sees the project as groundwork for both a 2015 Formula E car and technologies that could filter down to regular vehicles. The speed record also gives electric racing more credibility at a crucial moment -- when EVs are just starting to rival gas-powered counterparts on the track, any leap in performance can help.
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive breaks Nurburgring EV lap record
There's no question that the SLS AMG Electric Drive is faster than most EVs. However, Mercedes-Benz wants to prove that the car is fast in any category -- and it just broke a Nurburgring record to underscore its point. Merc's 751HP clean machine recently ripped through the track's Nordschleife section in 7 minutes and 56 seconds, beating a production EV record set last year by Audi's R8 E-tron. While that lap time won't rival the absolute EV record, let alone those of faster conventional cars, it puts the electric SLS firmly ahead of its peers. That may be all that matters for buyers picking up their cars this month: when you've dropped half a million dollars on a new ride, some bragging rights are in order. Video of the run awaits after the break.
Functional Apple 1 auctioned off for $671.4K, sets new record (updated)
With $671,400, you could buy roughly 2,040.7 base-model iPad minis before taxes. One unnamed buyer, however, just laid that amount out for a single Apple 1 from 1976. Auctioned through Cologne, Germany-based Auction Team Breker Sotheby's, the price beats out its $640K record from another unit last November. Interestingly, the seller refurbished this latest Apple 1 to working condition, after paying only $40K for it privately. While it doesn't seem to have the original enclosure, we'd be remiss not to mention that the seller also had Steve Wozniak grace the motherboard with his signature. You'll find more info at the source, while we wrap our heads around how this makes last summer's Sotheby's auction price of $374.5K look like a relative steal. Update: We initially reported that the auction was held through Sotheby's, when it was actually done by Auction Team Breker. We've corrected this in the post.
