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EVE Evolved: Fanfest 2013 video roundup
Last month saw the huge tenth anniversary EVE Online Fanfest, a three-day convention packed full of exclusive reveals, behind-the-scenes talks, and community events. This year's Fanfest was the biggest one yet, celebrating EVE's tenth anniversary with special guest speakers from the scientific community, the reveal of a new virtual reality dogfighter, DUST 514's launch, and details of the upcoming Odyssey expansion. Massively was there to bring you coverage of the big news as it happened, and CCP streamed some of the key talks and events live to viewers at home. This year's Fanfest sold out so quickly that many people who wanted to go didn't get a chance to, and only a select few talks were shown on the public livestream. With such a packed event schedule, even players in attendance couldn't be there for every interesting talk. Thankfully, CCP recorded over 30 of the most anticipated events and has now uploaded the videos to YouTube. Highlights include the Make EVE Real videos, the EVE keynote, the CCP Presents Keynote, and the talks on how DUST 514 integrates with the EVE economy. In this week's EVE Evolved, I round up all of the EVE Fanfest videos in a handy list.
EVE Online plans major mining and industry revamp for Odyssey
Details of EVE Online's exploration-focused Odyssey expansion have been floating around since PAX East, but it seems the company saved some pretty huge changes to reveal at this year's tenth anniversary Fanfest. In two massive devblogs accompanying today's EVE Online Keynote speech, CCP Fozzie discussed plans to overhaul EVE's entire resource distribution system. Everything from asteroid and ice mining to moon harvesting and nullsec industry will be affected by the revamp. Miners will find their ice belts have been moved from static locations to hidden exploration sites that have to be scanned down, but to compensate it will now mine at double the normal rate. Normal asteroid mining in lowsec and nullsec is also due for a buff with the addition of large quantities of low-end minerals. Hidden asteroid belts will no longer need to be probed down but can be quickly located with the new Discovery scanner, and to top it off there'll even be new high quality ore sites that can only be found in prime areas of nullsec. Outpost industrial infrastructure is due for an update with new purchaseable upgrade paths expanding factory, office and research lab capabilities to the same level as fully-fledged empire stations. Lastly, moon minerals are finally being addressed with a redistribution of rare materials and several new reaction paths to bypass current bottlenecks. A lot of value will be moved from Technetium back to rarer materials like Thulium, Neodymium, Promethium and Dysprosium, and new supplies of all four will be distributed randomly into moons across the universe. Re-scan all of your nearby moons when Odyssey lands because it could suddenly be worth a fortune! Whether you're a die-hard fan of internet spaceships or just a gawker on the sidelines, EVE Fanfest is the EVE Online event of the year (and the key source of new DUST 514 and World of Darkness scoops!). Follow Massively's Brendan Drain as he reports back on this year's Fanfest starpower, scheming, and spoilers from exotic Reykjavik, Iceland.
US budget has NASA planning to capture an asteroid, USAF reviving DSCOVR (video)
Many have lamented the seeming decline of the US space program. While we're not expecting an immediate return to the halcyon days, the President's proposed federal budget for fiscal 2014 could see some renewed ambition. NASA's slice of the pie includes a plan that would improve detection of near-Earth asteroids, send a solar-powered robot ship (like the NASA concept above) to capture one of the space rocks and tow it back to a stable orbit near Earth, where researchers could study it up close. The agency would have humans setting foot on the asteroid by 2025, or even as soon as 2021. It's a grand goal to say the least, but we'd potentially learn more about solar propulsion and defenses against asteroid collisions. If NASA's plans mostly involve the future, the US Air Force budget is looking into the past. It's setting aside $35 million for a long-discussed resurrection of the Deep Space Climate Observatory satellite, also known as DSCOVR -- a vehicle that was scuppered in 2001 due to cost overruns, among other factors. Run by NOAA once aloft, the modernized satellite would focus on warning the Earth about incoming solar winds. That's just one of the satellite's original missions, but the November 2014 launch target is relatively realistic -- and we'll need it when the satellite currently fulfilling the role is overdue for a replacement.
The Engadget Interview: NASA astrobiologist Dr. David Morrison talks asteroids and the end of the world
Between the recent meteorite strike and our close call with 2012 DA14, we've all been thinking an awful lot about potential impact hazards from the heavens. Thankfully, however, during our visit to NASA Ames last week, much of our fear was put to rest by astrobiologist Dr. David Morrison, the scientist who coined the word "cosmophobia" to describe the fear of external impacts on Earth. Morrison, who recently served as one of the go to sources for science fact (and common sense) in stories about the 2012 Mayan Apocalypse speculation, spoke to us about the likelihood of major asteroid impact on Earth -- and what we can do to stop it. Hang around after the break to check out our full interview with the good space doctor.
PSA: Asteroid 2012 DA14 will pass the Earth at 2:00pm ET
If you fancy getting cosy with an asteroid that's got the destructive power of a nuclear arsenal, today's your lucky day. The wittily-named 2012 DA14 will sail past Australia at a distance of 17,510 miles early this afternoon, and while it won't be visible with the naked eye, NASA's got a few telescopes that'll do the job. It'll come into range at around 2:00pm ET, and is expected to be at its brightest about 25 minutes afterward. If your boss is sympathetic and you don't wanna miss a thing, head on past the break to catch the livestream, which started at 12:00pm ET. As for us? We're gonna spend the next few hours looking for Bruce Willis' phone number.
Check out tomorrow's asteroid close call on your iPhone or iPad
As you may have read, our home planet will have a close call tomorrow, February 15, with a 180,000-ton asteroid called 2012 DA14. There is no chance of a collision, but the space rock will come within 17,200 miles, closer than many of our communication satellites. You can follow the approach of the asteroid tomorrow from several of the Southern Stars apps for iOS. You won't be able to see the asteroid with the naked eye -- that will take a pretty large telescope with computerized tracking to get it into the correct position -- but SkySafari Plus and SkySafari Pro will do the job on your iOS device. The math it takes to display the space rock is tricky, so Southern Stars founder Tim DeBenedictis consulted with experts at JPL and added a solar system orbit integrator into the app. That means the app is not just displaying a canned animation of the fly-by, but actually computing the asteroid position in real time. I watched the asteroid in my version of SkySafari Pro. It's easy to find it in the sky by typing in its name, but the best views were from a few miles away from the asteroid where you can watch it approach the Earth and graze by. %Gallery-178864% The updated software is free for SkySafari owners, and people interested in getting the software are being offered a 30 percent off sale that lasts through Sunday. The folks at Southern Stars note that the OS X version of SkySafari did not get updated due to delays in the approval process at the App Store. With the sale prices, SkySafari Plus for iOS is US$9.99, and SkySafari Pro for iOS is $29.99. The basic version of SkySafari does not contain the orbit integrator. Southern Stars created a video showing the fly-by, which I've included below. Of course, the SkySafari software is not just for tracking asteroids, but it's a complete star atlas and planetarium app that can show you the sky from any place on Earth and any date up to a million years in the past or future. The apps are universal and optimized for the iPhone 5. They require iOS 4.3 or later.
Alt-week 12.29.12: the speed of gravity, disease-smelling dogs and catching asteroids
Alt-week takes a look at the best science and alternative tech stories from the last seven days. 2012, we salute you. All in all, you've been a pretty good year. There's been highs, lows, and lots of inbetweens. Above all else, though, you've been generous in the alternative arena. Whether it's the discovery of certain particles, or activities in space, 2012 had it covered. What better way to finish it off, then, with a disease smelling dog, a plan to catch an asteroid and a growable hangover cure. This is alt-week.
The Soapbox: Using MMOs to relax and unwind
Every now and then, everyone needs to take a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life to relax and unwind. The outside world can be loud, and the stresses of work and home life can add up quickly, so it helps to be able to switch off for a while. Some of us find relaxation in sitting down in front of the TV, others in zoning out to their favourite music, and an increasing number of people now wind down with computer games. I've personally found MMOs to be incredibly effective refuges from stress and anxiety, but until now I've never really thought about why that might be. Any game can provide a few hours of escape from the daily grind, but there's something special about MMOs that seems to make them more comforting places to be. Certainly MMOs are manufactured to give a sense of solid progress as you play, a fairness that the unpredictability of real life often can't deliver, but there has to be more to it. Do the music and ambient sounds in EverQuest II's virtual forests and glens produce the same reaction as walking through a real life wood? Likewise, does EVE Online trick us into slowing down, and is spending time in a virtual world just more appealing than slogging along in the real one? In this opinion piece, I look at some of the most relaxing areas and activities I've found in MMOs and try to figure out what makes them tick.
EVE Evolved: How would you build a sandbox?
Themepark MMOs and single-player games have long dominated the gaming landscape, a trend that currently seems to be giving way to a resurgence of sandbox titles. Though games like Fallout and the Elder Scrolls series have always championed sandbox gameplay, very few publishers seem willing to throw their weight behind open-world sci-fi games. Space simulator Elite was arguably the first open-world game in 1984, and EVE Online is currently closing in on a decade of runaway success, yet the gaming public's obsession with space exploration has remained relatively unsatisfied for years. Crowdsourced funding now allows gamers to cut the publishers out of the picture and fund game development directly. Space sandbox game Star Citizen is due to close up its crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter tomorrow night, adding over $1.6 million US to its privately crowdfunded $2.7 million. The creator of Elite has also launched his own campaign to fund a sequel, and even the practically vapourware sandbox MMO Infinity has announced plans to launch a campaign. While not all of these games will be MMOs, it may not be long before EVE Online has some serious competition. EVE can't really change much of its fundamental gameplay, but these new games are being built from scratch and can change all the rules. If you were making a new sandbox MMO from the ground up and could change anything at all, what would you do? In this week's EVE Evolved, I consider how I'd build a sandbox MMO from the ground up, what I'd take from EVE Online, and what I would change.
Parrot unveils Asteroid Smart, Tablet and Mini car infotainment systems, we go hands-on
We first laid eyes on Parrot's first Android-based Asteroid car infotainment system a couple years ago at CES. Then, at this past year's show, we got a sneak peek at a trio of successor Asteroid devices. Now, a mere 10 months later, the Asteroid Smart, Tablet and Mini have finally arrived in consumer-ready garb. First, there's a flagship in-dash system, the double-DIN Asteroid Smart. It features a 6.2-inch 800 x 480 capacitive display, a Texas Instruments 800MHz processor and runs a heavily skinned version of Android 2.3. The Smart also has four USB 2.0 ports (one which pushes 5V to charge an iPod) for connecting external devices like the included GPS antenna or a dongle for cellular data. Plus, there are 3.5mm line-in and microphone jacks to go with a host of RCA connections and a micro-USB port round the back. Bluetooth 3.0 is baked in, and an SD card slot sits behind the detachable security strip to the left of the screen. The Smart's siblings, the Asteroid Mini and Asteroid Tablet are also coming to North America this month. The Tablet packs similar specs as the Smart, only it's got a 5-inch capacitive screen and is portable, as opposed to an in-dash solution. It runs the same skinned version of Gingerbread, has GPS and Bluetooth radios, and packs 512MB of RAM and 1GB of on-board storage, plus an SD slot. It also comes with a wireless touchpad remote so you can control the system straight from your steering wheel. Meanwhile, the Mini, with its 3.2-inch, non-touch screen has a similar form factor to the Tablet and comes with a wireless remote as well. However, its OS is built on Android 1.5 and it relies upon an external GPS antenna like its bigger, double-DIN cousin. The Asteroid Tablet will retail for $399, and the Mini will cost a hundred bucks less when they go on sale in a few weeks. We got to swipe our way around the Parrot Smart, so join us after the break to see it in action.
Crowd-funded group building asteroid-mapping telescope, saving Earth (video)
Just when you're numbing to robot, zombie and nuclear apocalypse scenarios, some old-fashioned asteroid paranoia pops up to surprise you. The B612 Foundation, which gets funding from, well, anyone, has just announced plans to launch Sentinel, a space telescope which will wander the vacuum cataloging asteroids in our inner solar system. Their goal is to track asteroid orbits and predict large impacts up to 100 years in advance, giving us plenty of time to find a solution (or enjoy our final days). Construction doesn't start til late fall, with the launch expected in around five years, so it won't be any use in disproving the 2012 doomsday believers out there. You can find out more about the project and donate to the foundation at the source link, or jump past the break for a video explanation, Aerosmith not included.
Planetary Resources reveals plan for prospecting asteroids, creating interstellar gas stations
The cat got let out of the bag a little early, but Planetary Resources has now officially announced its existence and mission. We already told you that the venture plans to mine asteroids for profit, and is backed by a bunch of bigwigs from Silicon Valley and Hollywood. But now we know a bit more about the company after watching its announcement webcast and speaking with co-founder Peter Diamandis. Turns out, the company sees itself not only as a business venture, but as an entity that will pave the way for extending human influence throughout the solar system. Read on after the break for more.
Parrot Asteroid CK, Asteroid Nav, Asteroid 2DIN infotainment systems: hands-on (video)
At last year's CES, Parrot unveiled its Asteroid car receiver -- a nifty little head unit that brought Android apps to a driver's dashboard. Today, the company expanded its infotainment reach with three new in-car systems: the Asteroid CK, Asteroid Nav, and Asteroid 2DIN. Much like its predecessor, the Asteroid CK features a 3.2-inch color display, and can be attached directly to a vehicle's dashboard. This Bluetooth-powered, Gingerbread (2.3.4)-laced hands-free system connects to the web via tethered phone or 3G key, giving users access to a host of geolocation services, driving assistance features and streaming music. The device also comes with a wireless remote, and features voice recognition capabilities that allow users to place calls or browse their music libraries without taking their hands off the wheel. The Asteroid Nav, meanwhile, features a five-inch, capacitive multi-touch display and offers many of the same functions you'll find on the CK, along with an enhanced onscreen navigation system. At the larger end of the spectrum lurks the Asteroid 2DIN: a "2DIN-connected multimedia car radio" designed to fit within the central column of a car's dashboard. Here, you'll be able to take advantage of hands-free calling, music streaming services and RDS text+ service, along with an array of online services and navigation functions. The 2DIN also packs no less than two inputs, with one designed for rearview camera displays, and one for video output. No word yet on pricing or availability, but be sure to check out the gallery below and our hands-on video, after the break. Joe Pollicino contributed to this report.
Parrot Asteroid Android-powered car stereo hands-on
Ca-Fi is an aftermarket Android car stereo that won't fit in your dashboard Parrot Asteroid to drive music, Android from your dash this October (video) Pioneer's AppRadio delivers iPhone integration, automotive and audio bliss for $400 Parrot has been teasing us with its Asteroid head unit for quite some time now, first showing it off at CES way back in January. It's finally coming to the US in October and we got a chance to try it out in Frankfurt. This Android-powered unit fits into a DIN slot in your car -- easily replacing many standard car stereos (and some non-standard ones too). It comes with a flurry of cables that includes a GPS receiver (which can be stuck somewhere outside the car to get better reception) and inputs for USB, 3.5mm audio, and even an iDevice. Through these you can pull tunes from just about anything to play on there, but if you tether the device with a phone to provide connectivity (or plug in a USB modem, or connect over WiFi) you can stream music directly on it. It also offers Google Navigation, including traffic and all the niceties you've come to expect from your smartphone -- but on an admittedly tiny (3.2-inch) screen. Connect a music device over USB and it'll index the contents via GraceNote, letting you speak any artist, album, or song to play it directly. The Asteroid ships to the US in October for $349. If you have room for a little more Android in your life, maybe it's time to make a little more room in your dash. %Gallery-133979%
Parrot Asteroid to drive music, Android from your dash this October (video)
We've seen flavors of Android on our tablets, smartphones -- even a microwave oven -- but Parrot's Asteroid receiver is finally ready to park in your car's dash, bringing a tricked out version of Google's mobile OS to yet another innovative platform. In addition to an FM radio and a line-in connection (duh), the Asteroid also includes USB connectivity, an SD card slot, music on demand, and voice activated music search. There's also hands-free calling over Bluetooth, contact voice recognition, and automatic phonebook sync -- all controlled using a built-in jog wheel or your voice, and displayed on a 3.2-inch LCD. The device connects to the web using your smartphone's WiFi hotspot feature, or by attaching a USB 3G dongle. Asteroid's built-in Maps app and external GPS antenna will be ready to help you navigate the highway for $349 beginning in October, but jump past the break for a peek at the receiver's red-light-cam-spotting iCoyote app in the meantime.
NASA finds DNA components in meteorites, says they originated in space (video)
So, this is kinda wild: scientists at NASA have uncovered new evidence that DNA components found in meteorites can originate in space, lending new credence to the theory that life on Earth may have arisen from a pre-existing "kit" of materials delivered via asteroid. The discovery is outlined in a new paper from Dr. Michael Callahan, whose team of researchers closely analyzed samples from 12 different meteorites, using a mass spectrometer and liquid chromatography. In their samples, they found traces of adenine, guanine, and a variety of molecules known as nucleobase analogs -- including three that are rarely found on Earth. Scientists have long known that meteorites can contain DNA elements, but were unsure whether these materials actually originate in space. The presence of these three molecules, however, suggest that they do, potentially raising new questions about the dawn of life on Earth, and beyond. It's all quite heady, but steam ahead for a NASA video that might help clarify things, after the break.
Trojan asteroid caught circling Earth, the Greeks deny involvement
Hide your kids, hide your wife, there's an asteroid circling Earth's orbit and we're all gonna... be just fine? Yeah, no need to stock up those '60s fallout shelters folks, this approximately 1,000 feet wide space rock is sitting pretty and safe in one of our Lagrange points. The so-called Trojan asteroid, known as 2010 TK7, was uncovered 50 million miles away by the infrared eyes of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) telescope, and is the first of its kind to be discovered near our humble planet. Typically, these near-Earth objects (NEOs) hide in the sun's glare, but this satellite's unusual circuit around our world helped WISE and the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope confirm its existence. The finding has our best and brightest giddy with the hope similar NEOs "could make excellent candidates for future robotic or human exploration." Unfortunately, our new planetoid friend's too-high, too-low path doesn't quite cut the space mission mustard. No matter, 2010 TK7 still gets to call "First!"
NASA asteroid mission could explain how life began (and how ours might end)
There's a slight chance that the Earth could get hit by an asteroid in about 170 years, but don't you worry -- NASA's all over it. This week, the agency announced a new mouthful of a mission known as Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification-Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx, for short. The $800 million initiative, part of NASA's New Frontiers Program, will send a spacecraft to link up with 1999 RQ36 -- a nearby asteroid that's likely rich in carbon and other organic molecules that could explain how life forms originated. After about four years of space travel, the craft should get close enough to map the asteroid's surface, before using its robotic arm to extract at least two ounces of material and return it to Earth by 2023. Scientists will also pay close attention to something known as the Yarkovsky effect, which determines how an asteroid's path changes as it absorbs and emits energy from the sun. OSIRIS-REx will attempt to measure this affect for the first time, perhaps allowing NASA to predict the trajectories of potentially hazardous asteroids -- including the RQ36. The 1,900-foot wide rock is expected to approach Earth by the year 2182 and, according to recent estimates, there's a one in a thousand chance that it could actually strike our planet. Now if you excuse us, we have to go prepare a bunker for our great-great-grandchildren. Head past the break for a video and full press release.
Parrot Asteroid car receiver packs Android and apps into your dash
Parrot's back from its AR.Drone insanity and wrestling with its core competency -- although it has a new open source twist. Parrot has put Android onto a car receiver, but it's a heavily modified version that runs small apps on a 3.2-inch screen, with a jog dial, a back button, and a menu button for control. Parrot's experiment is dubbed Asteroid, and it has a lot of example apps already, included a GPS-based maps view, but the real goal is to get an SDK out there and allow developers to build apps for the platform. Luckily, while the unit is short on controls, it's not short on inputs, including USB ports for iPhone docking, USB storage, a 3G modem, and a GPS dongle, along with an SD card slot and a mic (for talking to a paired Bluetooth phone). For the music bit you can actually search through both your iPhone and your USB / SD libraries using your voice. Right now there's no word on price, but Parrot plans to launch in major European markets in Q1, with a US version following in Q2. %Gallery-112574% %Gallery-112577%
The hunt for killer asteroids is on with the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope
The Pan-STARRS 1 telescope was unveiled on the Hawaiian island of Maui in 2007, and in early 2009, the telescope went fully online and began producing some amazing images. Now, the telescope has a nightly from dusk 'til dawn routine -- and it's looking for asteroids and comets which could threaten Earth. The PS-1, as it's known, boasts a 1,400 megapixel (that's 1.4 gigapixels!) sensor and can photograph an area about 36 times the size of the Moon in one exposure and is expected to map about one sixth of the sky per month. There's a sample shot of what the telescope's photographed below, but hit up the coverage link for many more.
