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Hackers can crack the self-aiming rifle to change its target
TrackingPoint's computer-augmented rifle sights, better known as the ShotView targeting system, have set off a wave of controversy and debate since they first debuted in 2014. That debate is about to get even hotter now that security researchers Runa Sandvik and Michael Auger have shown Wired a way to break into the rifle and shut it down or, even worse, change the target to the hacker's choosing.
New laser sighting system enlists electronic sensors to make sure snipers hit their marks
Anyone who's ever picked a flea off a dog's back with an automatic weapon knows there's a fine line between a crushed bug and a bloody mutt. Fortunately for flea-bitten K9s, a team of researchers are working on a laser-packing fiber-optic sensor system to guarantee that your rifle's crosshairs are always dead on. Known simply as the Reticle Compensating Rifle Barrel Reference Sensor, the setup enlists the exterior grooves, or flutes, on a typical rifle as a receptacle for glass optical fibers. These fibers direct beams of light along the top and side of the weapon to precisely measure just how far off the gun's sights are from the barrel's actual position. A set of algorithms and sensor inputs are then employed to adjust for distance and other factors that affect a bullet's trajectory, providing the shooter with crosshairs that adjust to environmental changes in real time. Unsurprisingly, the system is being targeted at military and law enforcement, which means it probably won't make it into the hands of anyone who uses firearms as an alternative to Advantage. Sorry, Rover. Full PR after the break.
Wrath manual hidden in latest WoW files
If you just can't wait to read the Wrath of the Lich King manual, Maeglin of Khadgar made an interesting discovery -- it's already on your computer. Inside your World of Warcraft folder, if you go to the Data folder, and then "enUS" and Documentation, you'll see a PDF file called Manual_WLK. It's the Wrath manual in black and white -- there are good writeups in there (spoiler-free, as far as I could tell) on the story so far and Northrend, and some cool concept art for weapons and other sights of the next expansion. The credits are in there, too, and make sure to go to the very end to read all the thanks from Blizzard -- some of them are pretty funny.This likely isn't the final manual -- there's something in the Death Knight description that still says runes can be customized, and while we heard that earlier in development, it's since been removed from the class. And it's in black and white, while we'd expect the full manual to have color when it's finally printed. But it's a cool find, and something to tide you over until you can get the real thing on release day (which, as you can see from our countdown, is growing ever closer).Thanks, Wes R.!
