Discovery
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Mad scientists figure out how to write memories to brains, take over Earth
Call us crazy, but we're guessing one Gero Miesenböck of the University of Oxford has been watching just a wee bit too much Fringe. Gero here, along with a few of his over-anxious colleagues, has seemingly figured out a way to actually write memories onto a fruit fly's brain using only a laser pen and three-fourths of a Ouija board. We know what you're thinking, and we're thinking the same. But all terrifying thoughts aside, what if boffins could burn memories of hard lessons learned into our minds without us having to suffer through them first? You know, like upgrading to Snow Leopard.
Mizzou's nuclear battery to power things smaller than your brain can imagine
Oh yeah, everyone loves the extended battery, but are we really kosher with the added bulge? A team of boffins at the University of Missouri certainly aren't, as they've spent the last good while of their lives researching and developing a new nuclear battery that could be used to power devices much smaller than, well, most anything. The radioisotope cell, as it's called, can reportedly "provide power density that is six orders of magnitude higher than chemical batteries," and while some may question the safety of this potentially volatile device, the liquid semiconductor (used instead of a solid semiconductor) should help ease concerns. The current iteration of the device is about the size of a penny, and it's intended to power a variety of MEMS systems. Now, if only these guys could find a way to make a standard AA last longer than a week in our Wiimote, we'd be pleased as punch.[Via BBC, thanks Jim]
Take a voyage to... er, to the Discovery
Activate your holoemitters and prep your photonic crew, because the ship class that Star Trek: Voyager built is headed to sector near you. The Discovery is the next generation of long-range science vessels, and wow does its design shout it loudly. We're going to overlook the fact that, from the front, the ship looks a lot like a muffin due to its warp foils, and move right on ahead to how cool the rest of the ship looks from other angles.Although, with the ability to fully customize your ship, we suppose plenty of players will opt for a less bakery inspired frontal appearance purely through coincidence. Plus, there's also the yet-to-be-revealed Cochrane variant as well.Also, don't let the big blue deflector array fool you into thinking this ship is equipped with some kind of super weapon. Being a science vessel, the Discovery is much more adept at advanced tech, and as such can hone in on an enemies weakness right quick. Who needs heavy weapons when you've got an Achilles heel detector? Heck, this baby can even detect some cloaked ships -- take that, sorta, Klingons!
100 straight, October 4, don't cut: WRC schedule for HD Theater revealed
We finally know exactly when Discovery HD Theater will deliver the rally racing action it promised now that the official schedule has been revealed. Our friends at Autoblog have plenty of pics to gawk over while we mark off the days, check after the break for the PR with dates and times, plus a preview trailer. We're not sold on how the new NA engines in WRC may sound in 5.1, but we'll always take more HD racing action, you hear that Bernie?
Discovery Communications patents e-book reader, why not?
Let's face it, at this point everyone is looking to get in on the e-book reader action. Back in February, broadcast television group Discovery Communication -- known for BBC America, Travel Channel, TLC, and Discovery Channel, naturally -- filed a patent for its own digital book reader back in February that's now surfacing online. There isn't a lot of concrete detail here, other than it runs the gamut of possible distribution options, including public libraries à la Sony's Daily Edition. In the picture above we've got hints of Cos News Services and US News and World Report, but that could very likely just be filler for the filing. It won't be nothing without partners, but if Discovery's serious, we're sure they've got a few phone numbers to call up and try to make a deal with. [Via Baltimore Sun; thanks, Tom]
World Rally Championship racing coming to Discovery HD Theater
It's been far too long since we've had new programming to mention on Discovery HD Theater, and far too long since World Rally Championship action has been broadcast in the U.S., so it's good to hear that the two are coming together this October. Expect weekly coverage from every round in the championship in 1080i and 5.1 surround of 4WD turbocharged vehicles rocketing down narrow off road routes plus "a range of other content." Those familiar with the series can attest to the beautiful locales WRC finds itself in, and should look great on our HDTVs this fall. That brings nearly ever racing series into high definition, except For 1 notable exception.[Via Autoblog]
Discovery kicking off continent-by-continent followup to Planet Earth with Wild Planet: North America
Having nabbed the former head of the BBC's Natural History Unit, Discovery has designs on its own epic globe trotting series promising to "capture the world, continent by continent in high definition, as its never been seen before." Naturally planned to debut first on Discovery's networks, as opposed to its partnership with BBC on Planet Earth, Wild Planet: North America will be the first of seven installments and start filming this fall. Expect HD cams to visit even more extreme locations, and all manner of wildlife to be snapped by the thousand lenses of myriad high speed cameras. We're ready. [Warning: PDF read link][Via Reuters]
Deadliest Catch giving away free MS points ... don't get too excited
Microsoft is partnering on some Discovery Channel ad buy to promote Deadliest Catch -- it's a show about crab fisherman and a badly reviewed game -- but the only things worth caring about are the free MS points being given away. The campaign will have "a number of click-to-video executions across the Xbox LIVE platform with a call-to-action Deadliest Catch Text to Win Sweepstakes. The sweepstakes provides viewers with a specific mobile SMS code to text for a chance to win Microsoft Points."Microsoft and Discovery will give away a whopping 2 million MS Points to 5,000 winners during the promo ... hey, wait a minute. Let's do the mathematicals on that: 2,000,000 MS points / 5,000 people = 400 MS points. So, they're giving out $5 XBLM redemption codes? Oh well, guess it's $5 those 5,000 folks didn't have before. Full details about the promotion can be found here.
Discovery sues Amazon over Kindle, rushes reality show into production to cover trial
It's not exactly one of the usual suspects you'd expect to see taking umbrage with the Kindle, but it looks cable programming empire Discovery Communications has some issues of its own with the handheld, and it's now taking its complaints to court. Apparently, Discovery thinks that the Kindle infringes on one of its patents that covers the "secure, encrypted system for the selection, transmission, and sale of electronic books," which it received on November 20th, 2007 -- coincidentally just a day after the first Kindle launched on November 19th, 2007. As a result, Discovery is seeking some "fair compensation" from Amazon, although it isn't completely harsh on the Kindle and Kindle 2, saying that they are "important and popular content delivery systems." For its part, Amazon is unsurprisingly staying mum on the matter, and the lawsuit is now in the hands of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware.[Via Broadcasting & Cable]
Carbon nanotubes could be used in film-like flat speakers
Seriously, is there anything carbon nanotubes can't do? We've got shock absorbers, flexible displays, atypically small eating utensils and now, film-like speakers. For times when NXT flat drivers simply aren't thin enough, a team of Chinese researchers have reportedly found a way to create sound from a thin sheet of carbon nanotubes. The film, which could be stretched and placed on PMPs, HDTVs or even clothing, can generate sound when "zapped with a varying electric current." Great, the perfect recipe for a new wave of Milli Vanilli copycats. A video of the tech can be seen after the jump.[Via Physorg]
Discovery to launch Freeview channel in UK next year
Now that we all know at least four high-def stations are set to launch on the free-to-air Freeview HD service during 2009 - 2010, we have a feeling we'll see a whole host of newcomers joining the fold (or, at least we hope). As fate would have it, Discovery has decided that it'll launch its first FTA channel in the UK "early next year" after securing capacity on multiplex A, which is operated by ITV subsidiary SDN. Unfortunately, there's no sign of Discovery HD following suit, but surely it's not too far behind, right?
Black silicon is poised to improve digital imaging, maybe solar panels
We're big fans of silicon, but it turns out the stuff has been slacking off, and all it needs is a little nudge from sulfur hexafluoride and a high-powered laser to start working harder. When it gets that nudge it becomes a new material called black silicon that's between 100 and 500 times more sensitive to light -- including, amazingly, infrared. Some of the folks who accidentally invented black silicon started a company called SiOnyx, and with $11 million in venture financing, they're trying to commercialize it -- first for night vision and later for digital cameras, medical imaging, and maybe even solar cells. The benefits are obvious, but like a lot of other future miracle technologies we've heard about, it's still just science fiction to consumers until a solid deal is struck to bring it to market. [Via Slashdot]
Discovery shakes hands with YouTube on content partnership
We're not sure who is in charge of marketing over at Discovery Communications, but no sooner did the company go public than two fairly substantial promotional deals were announced. Right behind the tie-up with Sony comes this, a content partnership with the worldwide leader in online video. The deal will see the creation of nine dedicated YouTube Channels which feature a "robust collection of clips from Discovery's family of world-class network brands." Leveraging the "global" nature of the source, Discovery is planning to introduce "a series of targeted international Channels showcasing localized and native language content for specific regions around the world." Check out all nine URLs in the read link.
Sony and Discovery team up to push Blu-ray
The holiday push for Blu-ray is officially on. We've got name-brand players dipping below $200, and now we've got two mega-corps teaming up to promote the format this fall. Sony and Discovery Commerce, the consumer products arm of Discovery Communications, have inked a deal which will provide Sony Blu-ray deck buyers with a "gift-with-purchase coupon redeemable for an exclusive high-definition program sampler, Discovery on Blu-ray Disc, which features episodes from Fearless Planet and Sunrise Earth. The fortnight-long promo will launch on October 5th at over 11,000 retailers in the US, though there's no word on if a better, actually desirable promotion will follow after that.
Inscription gets researching recipes in build 8970
In the small patch that was applied to the Beta servers last night, there were a few Inscription tweaks. Of course there were some minor tweaks to various class glyphs, but the most interesting change came in the form of 2 new recipes: Minor Inscription Research and Northrend Inscription Research. The former creates items that may teach you a new minor glyph, while the latter creates items that may teach you a new major glyph. Minor Inscription Research looks to be a very cheap spell, using the basic Moonglow Ink, while Northrend Inscription Research is a little more expensive, requiring Ink of the Sea and Snowfall Ink, both of which are created with pigments made from milling Northrend herbs. Both abilities also have a 20 hour cooldown, so no spamming them to collect all the glyphs even if you do lay in a massive stockpile of ink and parchment. It's sort of like the old spell research for casters from Everquest combined with the alchemy discovery system. Of course, you don't have to gather rare drops like with research, and in theory, you won't have to make hundreds of items hoping for a discovery like discovery. The type and caliber of the glyphs to be discovered this way is still unknown. If they turn out to be some of the better or more desirable recipes, though, it should certainly give Inscriptionists a good cash flow, as not everyone will know the glyph in question. The 20 hour cooldown and the uncommon pigments needed for the Northrend recipe should add to this is well. It's an intriguing new mechanic for the class, and we'll be interested to see how well it fares. As long as the discovery rate of unique glyphs is relatively high, it should do well enough.
Discovery Communications gives you a say by going public
Looking to chime in on what kind of programming gets placed on any of Discovery Communications' many networks? No, we mean are you really looking to make an impact? If so, you can put your money where your mouth is now that the firm is listed on the NASDAQ. Yeah, it chose an odd and arguably terrible time in our history to go public, but it also ushered in a new corporate logo and website to fall more in line with that new Discovery HD logo that was unveiled this summer. It's hard to say if going public will have any immediate (and more importantly, visible) impact on programming, but if you're interested in getting involved, all the ticker details and whatnot are listed in the read link.
Cash Cab coming to Discovery HD in Canada
We've often pondered why the Canadian branch of Discovery HD gets a whole host of awesome shows, but we're afraid the Americans have 'em beat on this one. Nevertheless, the Discovery-lovin' Canucks up north will undoubtedly be thrilled to hear that the Canadian version of Cash Cab will soon be launching on its Discovery HD. Hosted by comedian Adam Growe, the show will mark the channel's first foray into game show programming, and it'll get going this Friday at 8:00PM ET on Discovery HD. Anyone setting their DVR?
Breakfast Topic: Direction for professions
Over the last few days, we've been given some exciting new details for craftsmen everywhere. Haven't been keeping up? Here's a quick summary of some of the more interesting developments: The alchemical discovery system might become a feature of all professions, although it would likely be restricted to "fun" recipes. Daily quests awarding tokens to craftsmen to use at a special vendor selling recipes might be implemented. In this way, there would be a bit more individuality between players. The best items you can craft for any given slot will be available around 350 instead of 375, as in The Burning Crusade. Tailors are getting their own flying mount, the Magnificent Flying Carpet. Fishing will become more interactive. Blacksmiths will be socketing. Enchanters will be able to sell their enchants on the Auction House. Engineers are getting a form of enchants, rather than having to cart around so many items. The list goes on. In fact, there are several interesting and fun abilities and recipes on the horizon for all professions. Which changes are you most excited about? Are you thinking of switching trades because of some of the upcoming goodies? If you don't currently have a crafting profession, are you considering getting one?Edit: The best items you can craft for any given slot in The Burning Crusade came at the skill cap (375) and Blizzard now feels this was too late. In Wrath, you will acquire them earlier.
Blizzcast Episode 4 reveals Warcraft information and insights
Blizzcast episode 4 is now live and available for listening, and with it, of course, has come a wealth of new World of Warcraft Information. Some of it is stuff we've gotten wind for before, but there's some interesting insights into the whole game. You can listen to it here and read the transcript here, or join us after the break for a breakdown of the juiciest information from the Interviews
Discovery's Shark Week begins July 27th
It's that time of year again -- Shark Week is about to begin. Starting on July 27th (that's tomorrow), the 21st annual Shark Week kicks off tomorrow, with a Mythbusters special on the subject airing at 9:00PM ET / PT. 24 hours later, you'll be treated to Surviving Sharks, while the next day brings Day of the Shark. Those smelling blood can hit up the read link and swim on over to the programming guide, but be prepared to sacrifice more than a few hours (or a decent chunk of storage on your HD DVR) this week to satisfy your cravings.
