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ArenaNet dispels the controversy regarding the Guild Wars 2 Engineer
An abundance of controversy erupted over the Engineer class from Guild Wars 2 when it was announced last week. Some fans of the game even went so far as to question whether the class even belongs in a fantasy game. Thanks to ArenaNet's Community Manager Regina Buenaobra, we now have answers to some of the burning questions the fans have had about this explosive class. Guild Wars 2 is set 250 years after the events in the original Guild Wars. "Technology has advanced a great deal, and we wanted the engineer to personify this progress. And frankly, we didn't want to feel constrained by typical conventions as to what is or is not acceptable in a fantasy story," Buenaobra explains in the Engineer FAQ on the official website. Now we know that the class fits with the timeline, but this does not explain the other issue fans have with this class. Why would the nature-loving Sylvari be interested in this type of technology? Buenaobra notes, "Players in general are exceptional and unusual figures, heroes who stand out among their people. Just as there are asura warriors and norn necromancers, it's not unheard of for an inquisitive, mechanically-inclined sylvari to become an engineer." Check out the full FAQ on the Guild Wars 2 official site for answers to other important Engineer questions.
Massively Exclusive: Eric Flannum on GW2's Engineer
Unless you've been spelunking near the center of the earth for the past few days, you're likely aware that ArenaNet recently unveiled Guild Wars 2's seventh class. Chances are high that you're also aware of said class's affinity for turrets, guns, and various contraptions meant to rain death down upon any unfortunate enemies that cross its path. Today, Massively presents a new interview with Guild Wars 2 lead designer Eric Flannum. Naturally, the guest of honor at this Tyrian banquet of exclusivity is the Engineer, and Flannum (along with several other ANet dignitaries) provides us with a few tasty mechanical appetizers before getting down to the lore-centric main course. Bon appetit after the cut.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Analyzing the Engineer
The big Guild Wars 2 news of the week, of course, was the Engineer reveal. This was possibly the most interesting reveal to me because it was so controversial. It was such a love-it-or-hate-it class, and even those who loved it had a few reservations here and there. I count myself among that number -- the Engineer looks like all kinds of awesome to me, but even I had to pause here and there and say, "Wait what?" The skill videos, for example, looked like some sort of weird Rube Goldberg version of combat to me at first -- doing things in five steps that could be done in one. I got over that pretty quickly because it was so obvious that the videos were designed to show off as much of the Engineer's arsenal as possible in a relatively short amount of time. There were so very many points of contention out there, some I took into consideration, and some I bypassed. (ArenaNet stole the Engineer from RIFT? Seriously?) But a couple of points stood out to me, so follow along after the jump as I delve into them!
Guild Wars 2's explosive seventh class: The Engineer
Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 fans, did you love the Commando class? Were you disappointed that it was all an elaborate joke? Did you love the idea of detonating bombs, flinging grenades, and setting mines in Guild Wars 2? Well, this is going to be a good day for you, because ArenaNet has announced the seventh profession: the Engineer. While it's not the Commando class per se, the Engineer is described as "a master of mechanical mayhem" and looks to be the class that will fulfill all of your most explosive gameplay wishes. Ready to check it out in depth? We've got five skill videos right in a row and a rundown of the Engineer's abilities, so follow along after the jump and let's take a look!
Researchers build synthetic synapse circuit, prosthetic brains still decades away
Building a franken-brain has long been a holy grail of sorts for scientists, but now a team of engineering researchers have made what they claim to be a significant breakthrough towards that goal. Alice Parker and Chongwu Zhou of USC used carbon nanotubes to create synthetic synapse circuits that mimic neurons, the basic building blocks of the brain. This could be invaluable to AI research, though the team still hasn't tackled the problem of scope -- our brains are home to 100 billion neurons, each of which has 10,000 synapses. Moreover, these nanotubes are critically lacking in plasticity -- they can't form new connections, produce new neurons, or adapt with age. All told, the scientists say, we're decades away from having fake brains -- or even sections of it -- but if the technology advances as they hope it will, people might one day be able to recover from devastating brain injuries and drive cars smart enough to avert deadly accidents.
Apple sews up carbon fiber whiz, could lighter devices be in the works?
The aircraft industry is in the midst of a major change from building large passenger airplane structures from metal alloys to building those same structures out of composite materials like carbon fiber. The result? Aircraft that are much lighter (like that Boeing 787 Dreamliner pictured above) but just as strong as those made completely of metal. Apple might be looking at mimicking the aircraft industry by making future mobile devices out of carbon fiber, as MacStories is reporting that the company has hired a new Senior Composites Engineer by the name of Kevin Keeney. What makes this so interesting is that Keeney has not only worked with Apple previously, supplying expertise on a carbon fiber shell patent in 2009, but he is the CEO of a company -- Kestrel -- that made waves by creating the first carbon bicycle frame in 1986. While the idea of thinner, lighter carbon iPad, iPhone and Mac cases might be attractive, there are still technological barriers to be overcome. Carbon fiber doesn't conduct heat as well as aluminum does, and it has other differing characteristics that will affect product design. Keeney's expertise, both in engineering of the material and in supply chain management, will serve Apple well for any products that might be in the works. The TUAW archives are chock-a-block with rumored carbon fiber Apple products. Back in 2004, we reported on rumors that a carbon fiber G5 PowerBook was in the works. Last fall, initial rumors about the new MacBook Air were speculating that the device would be crafted from carbon fiber for weight savings.
Carbon nanotubes used to more easily detect cancer cells, HIV
Cancer's not slowing its march to ruining as many lives as it possibly can, so it's always pleasing to hear of any new developments that act as hurdles. The latest in the world of disease-prevention comes from Harvard University, where researches have created a dime-sized carbon nanotube forest (read: lots of nanotubes, like those shown above) that can be used to trap cancer cells when blood passes through. A few years back, Mehmet Toner, a biomedical engineering professor at Harvard, created a device similar to the nano-forest that was less effective because silicon was used instead of carbon tubes. Today, Toner has teamed up with Brian Wardle, associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT, who together have redesigned the original microfluid device to work eight times more efficiently than its predecessor. The carbon nanotubes make diagnosis a fair bit simpler, largely because of the antibodies attached to them that help trap cancer cells as they pass through -- something that's being tailored to work with HIV as well. Things are starting to look moderately promising for cancer-stricken individuals, as hospitals have already began using the original device to detect malignant cells and ultimately prevent them from spreading -- here's hoping it's qualified for mass adoption sooner rather than later.
Turing machine built from wood, scrap metal and magnets, 'geek' achievement unlocked (video)
We take it for granted nowadays that thumbnail-sized silicon chips can crunch through the most complex of calculations, but early last century, mathematical tasks were still being carried out by humans. It was around that time that one Alan Turing, Enigma code breaker and general computer science pioneer, came up with what was essentially a thought experiment, a mechanical machine capable of simulating and solving algorithms just like a grown-up CPU. Well, you know where this is going by now, one British software engineer decided to build just such a device, out of old bits and bobs he had lying around his geek lair, producing a working model that was recently shown off at the Maker Faire UK in Newcastle. The only downer, as he points out, is that it'd take "months to add two numbers together," but all good things start off humbly. Video after the break.
Engineers create 3D microscope lens, see the tiny elephants in your ear
The ability to view tiny images in the third D has been made possible by Lei Li and Allen Yi of Ohio State University. The two have crafted a one-of-a-kind 3D lens that, unlike other three-dimensional microscopes that capture images by circling around the subject, sees teeny objects while stationary. Although the engineers crafted the lens on a precision cutting machine using a diamond blade themselves, they say it can be produced using traditional molding methods. At the size of a fingernail, the thermoplastic material, aka acrylic glass, was cut with 10 nanometer spacing (that's tiny) to ensure a flat plane. The top is surrounded by eight facets -- sort of like a gem stone, but not symmetric -- allowing the viewer to see 9 different angles at once. This should pave way for scientists to get better angles of microscopic objects, but they can always try using the 3DS and some DIY lens attachments, right?
Microsoft hiring for 'next-generation console' engineers
Though Microsoft isn't close to approaching the end of its ten-year plan for the Xbox 360, the hardware manufacturer seems to be staffing up to develop the heir apparent of the gaming console's kingdom. The company recently posted a handful of hiring ads for its Mountain View research facility, which is looking to add a design verification engineer, hardware architect and other positions to its roster to help with "defining and delivering next generation console architectures from conception through implementation." If these "conceptual" positions really are for the Xbox 360's successor, we're probably a few years out from learning anything else about the next-gen console. All we can hope is that the team also publishes a help wanted ad for the position of "Making Sure the Console Doesn't Spontaneously Stop Working Technician."
Steve Ballmer looking for a few good engineers for Microsoft management?
Bloomberg's heard a couple whispers that Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer is looking to fill senior product executive roles with engineers. In other words, people who can really understand the products they're planning, pushing, and promoting -- a smart move, if it comes to pass. An announcement could reportedly be made as early as this month alongside a Courier resurgence. (Okay, not really, but let us dream a bit.)
Arcane Brilliance: Professions for Cataclysm mages
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Arcane Brilliance for arcane, fire and frost mages. Except last week, when the holidays aggroed us. But rest easy, we managed to sheep the holidays, so now we can all go ahead and nuke down the rest of the year. As long as nobody breaks it early, our sheep shouldn't expire on the holidays for about 12 more months, give or take. So you're a mage. You have a job, and that job is taking something that was previously intact and converting it into much smaller, bloodier, often frozen chunks of that same thing. You manufacture shattered mobs, and you take pride in your work. But you may also have a side project or two. Maybe you thought to yourself, "Self, perhaps when we aren't making warlocks explode, maybe we should spend our time sewing trousers. Or baking cupcakes. Or making necklaces." Well, your self is right. You should be using your downtime in between vicious warlock kills to learn a side trade. They offer bonuses in the form of cool gear, extra money, and bonus stats, plus a bit of catharsis to help you decompress form all that murder. But which professions should you choose? That's easy: anything but mining. What's that? You'd like a bit more detail? Oh, fine.
Apple job listing calls for Verizon iPad engineer, hints at a lot more
Do you "have enterprise sales experience and an existing knowledge of the mobile market and the technologies that support it?" Do you "have strong IT knowledge in the areas of enterprise messaging and collaboration, VPN, WiFi and enterprise security technologies?" And most importantly, do you "possess the ability to work without direct supervision or detailed direction?" If so, you might just be suitable for Apple's latest and greatest job listing. The HR team in Cupertino is apparently looking for a Verizon iPad system engineer, primarily to work with Apple's sales team and legions of business partners in order to "drive the adoption of iPad in enterprise accounts." What's interesting is the Verizon angle; if Apple simply wanted nondescript iPads in Corporate America, why hire someone familiar with Big Red? Moreover, this certainly says something about Apple's relationship with Verizon -- namely, that it's growing, and we're guessing that the pleasantries will eventually extend far beyond a tablet. So yeah, it's no real shocker that Apple and Verizon are in cahoots on some level, but this kind of invitation usually comes with one or two undercover intentions. Any upstanding gentleman attached to his better half would understand.
Apple engineer uses Lego to rebuild ancient Greek mechanism, will surely try to patent it (video)
The Antikythera Mechanism is what you call truly old school technology. Argued to be the world's oldest known computer, this ancient Greek invention was used some time circa 100BC to calculate and "predict celestial events and eclipses with unprecedented accuracy." Skipping past the two millennia in which it lay lost on a sea floor somewhere, the Mechanism has now been recreated by an Apple software engineer by the name of Andrew Carol, who has lovingly pieced 1,500 Lego Technic blocks together, creating 110 gears and four gearboxes in total. Each box is responsible for performing one piece of arithmetic, and when the resulting machine is fed with appropriate calendar data, it spits out a (hopefully accurate) prediction for the next time a solar eclipse should occur. All well and good, but we're really just amazed by the beauty of those gears working. Check them out after the break.
Waging WAR: Coming soon, to a theatre of WAR near you
We interrupt this week's scheduled career spotlight on Waging WAR to bring you Greg's impressions of the latest and greatest news from the floors of GamesDay: UK regarding Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning and the new RvR content coming soon to a theatre of WAR near you. OK. So. Take everything you know about the Tier 4 RvR Campaign in WAR and press the "Delete" button right now. In fact, press it a few times. Actually, keep going. Keep pressing it until all you're left with is three pairings with three zones each, each zone containing four battlefield objectives and two keeps, and two cities as the capstone for each realm. OK. Now access that part of your brain that stores silly words and euphemisms regarding "the problem with WAR." See that entry for "Waithammer?" Delete it. "PvDoor?" Press the button. Actually, just go wild. Take every criticism you've ever had for WAR's endgame and just throw it out. We're talking total tabula rasa here (and not the ill-fated game). OK, stop. That should do. With an open mind and absolutely no knowledge of in-game mechanics, you're now primed to understand what I'm about to describe regarding the changes that are on their way, and more importantly, why I believe those changes are so critical to the glorious future of WAR. If your curiosity is even remotely piqued, click the "Read more" button.
Cataclysm Beta: Engineers provide new version of Great Feast
The sun is shining, the birds are singing and the humidity is down to a comfortable percentage. It is truly a beautiful day for a raid. What do you say we break out the picnic tables, slam down a Great Feast and then fire up the ol' goblin barbecue. Wait, what? Goblin barbecue? Datamined from the next beta patch, engineers will now be able to craft a Goblin Barbecue, an engineering version of the chef's best friend, the Great Feast. Giving well fed group and raid members 60 stamina and another 60 points in another useful stat, this barbecue promises to be delicious in all the right ways. In my opinion, engineering has been getting some amazing love this expansion, truly cementing the profession as the utility-focused trade. I cannot wait for the graphic to show up. Sing it with me, engineers: Engineering, best profession.
Warhammer Online details plans for buffing turrets and daemons
Pets of any kind can pose some issues in games. On the one hand, you want both temporary and permanent pets to provide a utility; on the other hand, you don't want someone crippled without the pet. Warhammer Online has a number of classes that use both permanent and temporary companions, and as part of the next update for the game, the team is working on making the engineer's turrets and the magus's daemons more useful for players in combat. Both daemons and turrets will now scale with the owner's stats, allowing their growth to keep better pace with more powerful characters. Equally important, however, is the new stacking buff that both types will receive when the engineer or magus remains near their pet. The buff will increase damage gradually while the player remains nearby, up to a 20% buff to damage output. Take a look at the full details from the development team in this small preview, a welcome promised bone for Warhammer Online players.
UC Berkeley researchers craft ultra-sensitive artificial skin, robots dream of holding eggs
Researchers and engineers have been toiling on synthetic skins for years now, but most of 'em have run into one major problem: the fact that organic materials are poor semiconductors. In other words, older skins have required high levels of power to operate, and those using inorganic materials have traditionally been too fragile for use on prosthetics. Thanks to a team of researchers at UC Berkeley, though, we're looking at a new "pressure-sensitive electronic material from semiconductor nanowires." The new 'e-skin' is supposedly the first material made out of inorganic single crystalline semiconductors, and at least in theory, it could be widely used in at least two applications. First off, robots could use this skin to accurately determine how much force should be applied (or not applied, as the case may be) to hold a given object. Secondly, this skin could give touch back to those with artificial hands and limbs, though that would first require "significant advances in the integration of electronic sensors with the human nervous system. Dollars to donuts this gets tested on the gridiron when UCLA and / or Stanford comes to town.
Computer controlled Bayan from 1988 makes us want to go back to the past
Back in 1988, Russian engineer Vladimir Demin combined a bunch of solenoids (loops of copper wire) and a Bayan (a Russian accordian), to create a self-playable instrument controlled by his awesome, self-built computer. Yes, we're impressed, and you will be too, if you take a look at the video below.
Google's Amit Singhal tells us about the dreams search engines are made of
Do Googlers dream of electric algorithms? For a little insight into what makes the search engine that became a verb tick, we recently attended a talk by Amit Singhal, one of its chief engineers. Amit is part of the team in charge of tweaking and improving Google's ranking algorithms and has 20 years of experience when it comes to sorting through data, with that time split into even decades spent within the academic sphere and over in Mountain View. What he had to tell us mostly revolved around his aspirations from when he started out back in 1990, but it's the way that Google has acted to meet each of those goals that's the fun and interesting stuff (or as we like to call it around here, the meat). So do put on your reading monocle and join us past the break.%Gallery-97608%
