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France's free coding school is coming to Silicon Valley
For 3 years, Paris residents wanting to learn programming have had access to 42, a school that offers a radical approach to technical education: there are no teachers, no lesson plans... and no tuition fees. As long as you're between 18 and 30 and thrive in a 4-week coding challenge, you can spend 3 to 5 years mastering software development at no cost and on very flexible terms. Sound good? Well, you won't have to move to France to give it a shot. The 42 team has announced that it's opening a 200,000 square foot Silicon Valley-area campus (in Fremont, to be exact), with applications beginning immediately. The first class starts in November.
IBM lets scientists pay to play with its thinking supercomputer
IBM's Watson promises to usher in a new era of "cognitive computing," but, so far, all the system has demonstrated is a knack for game shows. Now, however, IBM has announced Watson Discovery Advisor, a cloud-based service that'll enable researchers to harness those smarts to do more than put Ken Jennings out of a job. Using the platform, scientists can ask Watson natural-language questions, sending the system to scour every publicly available research paper ever written in every available field. Digesting this information, Watson is then able to identify connections that it would have taken a lifetime for a person to find, which promises to accelerate the speed of scientific discovery. In one instance, the Baylor College of Medicine used Watson to crunch six years worth of cancer protein research into "a matter of weeks." Now all we need to do is scrape together the cash to ask the supercomputer the ultimate question...
Stick and Rudder: How to be an informed Star Citizen
Massively's podcast fielded a listener question about Star Citizen and various other Kickstarters a couple weeks back, and while I answered it on our weekly show, I'd like to expand on it in more detail here. Call it a public service for people who are mildly interested in Cloud Imperium's space sim but not interested enough to scarf up the considerable amount of news flowing out of the studio these days. The question, in a nutshell, was how can a 30-person dev team make a triple-A title. There was more to it, including the usual concerns about crowdfunding, trust, and bits about investing vs. donating, but the dev team portion is the portion that I want to highlight.
Google-built media player hits the FCC, reveals only a Hitchhiker's Guide reference
With much of its information obscured it's hard to say what Google has planned for this new device revealed by its FCC filing, but the model number at least indicates someone has a sense of humor. Called an "H840 device" and rocking the model number H2G2-42 (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - 42, the ultimate answer to the question of life, the universe and everything) it has WiFi of the 802.11 b/g/n varieties, but that's all we know for sure. The natural question is whether this is a proper revamp of / follow up to the failed Nexus Q project, particularly with its appearance coming so closely after the unveiling of its Google Play Music All Access subscription. Of course, Google has no shortage of mysterious device projects in store, we're hopeful this one will reveal all of its secrets soon.
Distro Issue 42 lands with the Engadget Summer Gear Guide, a handsome new look and more!
Get ready, folks. We've got quite the treat for you this week. Not only do we have a brand spanking new issue of our weekly for your peepers to consume this weekend, but we've redesigned said e-publication as well. Of course, the real star this week is the Summer Gear Guide. That's right, our editors have painstakingly selected their top choices in all of the major categories to keep you blazin' the balmy trail with the best gadget arsenal possible. To go along with the refined digs, we introduce some new pages this week, too. Time Machines will test your geek cred by removing the easily identifiable logos from a classic device for your trivia pleasure. We'll also go eyes-on each week with some quite dapper offerings to satisfy the design nerd inside us all. Speaking of recent additions, we break down our recent hands-on impressions while Reaction Time offers some thoughts on next-gen gaming and upcoming releases. Switched On chats about what's next for Facebook, the Stat tallies the rise of mobile apps in the last year, Fusion-io CEO and Chairman David Flynn admits his love of Flowbee in the Q&A and Sean Pryor returns for The Strip. So, what are you waiting for? Hit the download link below that you fancy the most and you'll have a copy of this week's e-magazine before you know it. Distro Issue 42 PDF Distro in the iTunes App Store Distro in the Google Play Store Distro APK (For sideloading) Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
Arcane Brilliance: On the 12th tier and the set bonuses thereof
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Arcane Brilliance for arcane, fire and frost mages. This week, we'll be discussing the Firelands patch and the sweet new mage gear it will be providing to us. Also, what is that thing sticking out of our helmets? Is that a tail? Made of fire? A flaming headtail of magical might? So we're only a few weeks into patch 4.1, and already our sights are focused squarely on patch 4.2. You can hardly blame us, though. I mean, while I am thoroughly enjoying the current patch, what with its freshly recycled 5-man content and its new Dungeon Finder Call to Arms that I don't seem to benefit from in the slightest (my queue times are right back up to 30 minutes, thanks), but I think we can all agree that for a major content patch, 4.1 was substantially light on ... well, content. Not so with 4.2. Patch 4.2 will be bringing us the Firelands, which is apparently a raid where epic cupcakes fall from the sky like rain, hardcore raiders experience orgasms just by zoning in, and we all ride flaming unicorns across lava bridges to do battle with volcanic dragon manticores. I'm not kidding. The entire raid sounds like something you'd see painted across the side of a rock band tour van in the '70s. We're also getting two new daily quest areas with their own epic loot vendors, and yes, the game's first legendary staff. And no, it doesn't have spirit on it. New raid content means new tier sets, and this time around, we're reaching a cool dozen. The tier 12 set bonuses are interesting, to say the least, and bear a bit of looking at. Keep in mind, though, as we discuss these bonuses that we're still early in the PTR process, and everything on the test realms right now is entirely subject to change -- which is, in this case, a very good thing.
WRUP: Hoopy frood edition
Towel Day may not have fallen on a Friday, but in this week's WRUP we're celebrating belatedly and ensuring that all of the writing staff are hoopy froods who know where their towels are. For those of you with no idea what I'm talking about, you can get a start by listening to the infamous Douglas Adams speak at UCSB in the video above. It has nothing to remotely to do with WoW, but as geeks, I suspect most of us owe him a debt of gratitude. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about and don't want to know what I'm talking about, catch us after the break to see what the team is playing this weekend and some entirely unrelated talk about towels. As always, you're welcome to join in on the comments.
[1.Local]: I can haz in-jokes
Reader comments -- ahh, yes, the juicy goodness following a meaty post. [1.Local] ducks past the swinging doors to see what readers have been chatting about in the back room over the past week.The green-eyed loot monster contemplating readers from the top of this week's We Have a Tabard appeared to be the source of some agitation for one reader. "I wish each and every person who ever used an 'I can haz' joke was firebombed into oblivion, including the author of this story who posted that braindead image," complained Preston. "Internet memes are some of the dumbest trends on the planet."Readers seemed to feel otherwise, peppering this week's comments with insider jokes, geek references, internet memes and a generally wry outlook on WoW and life. Join hands around the bonfire, boys and girls, and let us indulge in an entire post's worth of internet memes and dumb trends ... courtesy of our very own readers.
Don't Panic: Frequently asked questions in 3.0.2
Most realms should be up and running patch 3.0.2 by now soon, and there are a lot of questions floating around, many that we're seeing asked repeatedly. Fortunately, we're here with all the answers. I right-clicked my mount/vanity pet and it disappeared! Where did it go? Mounts and vanity pets get their own tab in the interface now. They will now be learned as spells, and will no longer take up bag space. Where are my Badges of Justice/BG marks/other tokens? Like mounts and pets, they too have their own place out of your bags, in the "currency" tab on your character sheet (default binding "K"). Free bag spaces! It's inventory Christmas. Where's the harbor? Stormwind Harbor is in Stormwind. You can't get to Northrend yet for obvious reasons, but there is a boat to take you to Auberdine. Stormwind city guards will help you get to the harbor, or just head for the tunnel between the park and the Cathedral district.
The Best of Massively: Our top 5 weirdest news stories
We're still counting down to Massively's first birthday by compiling the best and most entertaining coverage we've done. So far we've listed our most important interviews and our most helpful guides. This time around, we're looking back at the top five strangest, weirdest and sometimes-raciest news stories we've covered since we launched last November.Whether you missed these stories or you're just ready for a refresher, we hope they'll make you smile and laugh -- or at least make you raise an eyebrow or two! Click to start >> %Gallery-33582%
Blizzard's splash screen changes for June 27th: A "Lost" penguin and Death Knight imagery
Good Morning everyone! It is now June 27th, and as expected, Blizzard's splash screen has changed yet again to reveal more of the mystery behind what they may be announcing at the Worldwide Invitational, which begins tomorrow. What exactly they're announcing is still up in the air, but there have been some interesting revelations, especially concerning the mysterious purple monster everyone's been wondering about. The new graphic, named ice5.jpg, doesn't seem to have changed the cracking ice much, but what has changed is the "eyes." There's now very little doubt that they are glowing eyes instead of snow flecks, and to be frank, they do look remarkably like the eyes of Arthas the Lich King from underneath his helmet -- although the ethereal feel of them and the strange ridges being formed in the vapor are also very reminiscent of the Protoss. Whether these ridges indicate Arthas' helmet or the face ridges of a Protoss or a demon might still be up for debate, but this overlay of Arthas on today's splash screen by Zach is very convincing -- the eyes match up pretty much exactly. Hopefully, we'll know for sure who it is tomorrow. In addition, the new rune, located just above the breaking ice, is that of a snowflake, which brings to mind the Frost tree of the Death Knights (even if the frost rune shown on the official Death Knight page doesn't quite match up). Tipster Allen notes that the new rune looks a lot like a Norse Bind-Rune, specifically one known as a compass or the "Helm of awe," which is often used for invulnverability -- perhaps a Lost Vikings reference, or a nod to the Viking-like architecture seen in many screenshots of Northrend? All This new imagery would seem to be a killing blow of sorts for a Diablo 3 announcement, but it is also worth nothing that the new frost rune is in the correct area for the Pentagram theory to continue to apply. In addition, all 5 runes have lit up, so if you weren't able to get a good look at them before, you certainly can now. %Gallery-25975% What's really sort of interesting, though, is what our purple monster friend reveals, which I'll discuss after the break.
Age of Conan's Kalanthes offers answers to all your questions
In what can only be described as a very interesting concept, FunCom has put its own version of an advice column. Kalanthes -- a kindly old man with a piercing gaze -- will be answering questions about Age of Conan or life in general. You have to wonder what sort of personal questions they're going to receive, they certainly won't be timid. We certainly wouldn't want to be in charge of opening some of those emails. But hey, if you've got some burning questions about how things in the upcoming barbarian romp are going to work or just want to know the answer to life, the universe and everything (ahem, forty-two) then give it a whirl.
Toshiba updates Regza LCD lineup for native 1080p
Toshiba added 1080p output to their HD DVD line yesterday and since you'll need a TV to watch that on, they also updated their US line with new 1080p Regza LCDs. Unlike the Japanese editions of these HDTVs, they include just one Ethernet jack for Toshiba's THINC network capability to stream photos and MP3s (but no video like the Pioneer Elite plasmas) from a connected PC. The 47-inch 47LZ196 and 42-inch 42LZ196 are part of the Cinema Series Pro line, include 12-bit digital video processing for enhanced colors, 8ms response time but most importantly for HD-XA2 buyers (or Blu-ray users, we won't ask where your 1920x1080 source comes from) feature Native Mode, to display pixel-for-pixel 1080p with no scaling or overscanning. They are both CableCard ready, with dual HDMI inputs and "high-gloss black cabinetry". According to the original press release, the 47- and 42-inch models are due this month with MSRPs of $4,599 and $3,399 respectively, however Big Picture Big Sound says they have been updated to expect them in October, with MSRPs of $3,999 and $2,999 respectively. Combining the sooner date and lower prices sounds like a fair compromise to us.[Via Big Picture Big Sound]
Sharp announces 42-inch 1080p Aquos LCD US availability, pricing - UPDATE
As news continues to pour forth from CEDIA 2006, Sharp has confirmed their 42-inch 1080p Aquos LCD will be hitting the US in October. Previously announced in Japan, the 52- and 46-inch models were already announced for the US, and their 42-inch 8G brother does not disappoint. The Sharp LC-42D62U carries an MSRP of just $2,499, has a native contrast ratio of 1,200:1 (6,000:1 dynamic), 450 nits brightness, 6ms response time and the same piano black cabinet with recessed bottom-mounted speakers of the larger Aquos LCDs. The specs don't quite match up to the 4ms response time and 2000:1 contrast ratio of the two larger models but the price reflects that. This time last year we were drooling over a 45-inch 1080p Aquos HDTV with lesser specs for around $4,500, but we're not looking back to that dark, hellish time. The 52-inch is pictured here, but it should look the same.UPDATE: Fresh pic of the 42-inch LCD right from the floor of CEDIA
Second-rate school baits applicants with second-rate handheld system [update 1]
A small Canadian university by the name of Lakehead has angered some of its conservative alumni with a clever recruitment campaign that makes fun of POTUS #43 and offers students the chance to win one of four PSP handhelds or a Smart Car lease. Lakehead knows who they're after: liberal, environmentally-conscious Canadian youth with who tend to root for the underdog in a contest and who should have spent less time playing games and more time studying. Now if Sony or Nintendo could come up with a viable e-learning application, schools might offer all incoming freesh a gaming handheld in the way that some universities now offer iPods and laptops. [Thanks, Mike.] [Update 1: Dubya's #43, not #42, as originally stated. Oops.]
Audioholics review: Westinghouse LVM-42X2 LCD Review
Oh boy. 1080p out of a 42-inch LCD! The holy grail for many, many HD fanatics. Audioholics has taken this new HDTV and ran the TV through the paces to see if it stands up to its potential. They did a very thorough review, as always, with tons of screen caps and pictures. Are we abet Impatient though? Well, not to steal their thunder or nothing, but they loved the set. The picture quality was great but lacked many setup features. They ended up giving the $2799 LCD a 4.5 out of 5 which is higher then we thought a Westinghouse would get. Expecally when talking about picture quality.
