Free games

• Epic Games

  • Layers of Fear Masterpiece Edition

    • 2016
    • A psychological horror game where you control a disturbed painter trying to complete his magnum opus as he navigates through a victorian mansion, with disturbing secrets about the painter being discovered

  • Qube 2

    • 2018
    • Sequel to the original Quick Understanding of Block Extrusion, and a physics-based puzzle game, interacting with specific blocks in the world to solve puzzles and make it to the end of each level

Ajit Pai, chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission and owner of one of the most punchable faces in the world, seems to be making a case for the very same net neutrality regulations that he himself repealed

• In an attempt to preempt state laws on net neutrality, Pai stated that each state having their own regulations could discourage companies or entrepreneurs from dealing with multiple layers of permissions and regulations as opposed to a uniform, well-established set of consistent regulations
• What he didn’t mention is that the US had a uniform, well-established set of regulations before he eliminated those rules from the Obama admin and deregulated the broadband industry
• On the plus side the US Court of Appeals ruled that Pai and the FCC lost the power to stop state laws when they deregulated it in the first place
• So at this point things are at a stalemate- Pai seems to want to give more power to his corporate overlords, but in doing so he gave the power to the individual states that are actually interested in keeping the internet an open, neutral resource

Gamers excited for Google’s Stadia cloud gaming service launch this November 19th might be left out in the cold, even if they’ve pre-ordered

• Initially Google said that the only way to play on day one would be to shell out $130 USD for a Founder’s Edition console, and while that’s kind of true it turns out that isn’t the whole story
• Now that it’s sold out they’re now selling a new Premiere Edition, and it looks like neither package now guarantees the ability to play first thing on release day
• Google now says that Founder’s Editions will only start arriving on the 19th, so if you were one of the first to pre-order yours may arrive but otherwise they’re all shipping first come, first served
  • Both the Founder’s and Premiere Editions are officially expected to be delivered within the first two weeks of launch, so unless you were quick on the draw it might be a lot closer to the end of the month before you’re up and running

The new Google Pixel 4 phone is taking heat this week for their facial authentication system unlocking even if the user’s eyes are closed or pointed elsewhere

• Early leaks showed a “require eyes to be open” setting for face unlock, similar to Apple’s “Attention Aware” feature, but the released version can be unlocked by anyone that can hold the phone up to your sleeping face
• In a statement to the BBC, Google said it would “continue to improve Face Unlock over time”, though the fix could be months away

We finally have conclusive evidence that the new Dark Mode on iPhones with OLED displays saves a decent amount of battery life

• Tests run by YouTube channel PhoneBuff, using robotic arms to interact with two iPhone XS Maxes, had the device using light mode dying when the dark mode iPhone had 30% battery still remaining
• This only applies to OLED phones, meaning the X, XS, and 11 Pro phones, and can depend on your brightness settings, but it’s still a measurable benefit
  • OLED phones actually completely turn off any pixels that are showing solid black, while LCD displays are uniformly lit and still send power to every pixel regardless of what’s being shown
• This also works as a proof-of-concept for saving battery on OLED Android phones, though that would need another batch of testing to confirm

HARP 3D printer is one step closer to getting the Replicator

• Researchers at Northwestern University have overcome issues around overheating
  • They have developed HARP, a 3D printer claimed to produce an object the size of an adult human in two hours.
• Northwestern’s Chad Mirkin, who led the product’s development saidA limitation of resin-based 3D printers is that they generate a lot of heat when running at fast speeds, leading to dangerously hot surface temperatures and potential cracks and deformations in printed parts.
  • 3D printing is conceptually powerful but has been limited practically
  • If we could print fast without limitations on materials and size, we could revolutionise manufacturing. HARP is poised to do that.”
• Mirkin predicts HARP, will be available commercially in the next 18 months
• How does it print this fast?
  • HARP prints vertically and uses projected ultraviolet light to cure the liquid resins into hardened plastic
  • This process can print pieces that are hard, elastic or ceramic
  • These continually printed parts are said to be mechanically robust and can be used in a wide range of products that include cars and aircraft.
• This is similar to the Form Labs 3D printer I looked into when I thought I was going to buy a 3D printer
  • The benefit versus other types of printing
    • You can make translucent objects
    • And you can achieve higher detail
• However, a limitation of resin-based 3D printers is that they generate a lot of heat when running at fast speeds
  • which leads to dangerously hot surface temperatures and potential cracks and deformations in printed parts
  • “When these printers run at high speeds, a great deal of heat is generated from the polymerisation of the resin,” Walker said in a statement. “They have no way to dissipate it.”
• HARP bypasses this problem with a non-stick liquid that behaves like liquid Teflon
  • It projects light through a window to solidify resin on top of a vertically moving plate
  • The liquid Teflon flows over the window to remove heat and then circulates it through a cooling unit.
• “The interface is also non-stick, which keeps the resin from adhering to the printer itself,” Hedrick added.
  • “This increases the printer’s speed by a hundredfold because the parts do not have to be repeatedly cleaved from the bottom of the print-vat.”
• Although 3D printing is transitioning from prototyping to manufacturing,
  • Current 3D printers’ size and speed have limited them to small-batch production
  • HARP is claimed to be the first printer that can handle large batches and large parts in addition to small parts.
• “When you can print fast and large, it can really change the way we think about manufacturing,” Mirkin said.
  • “With HARP, you can build anything you want without moulds and without a warehouse full of parts. You can print anything you can imagine on-demand.”
  • While other print technologies have slowed down or reduced their resolution in order to print large parts, HARP does not make such concessions.
• “Obviously there are many types of 3D printers out there – you see printers making buildings, bridges and car bodies, and conversely you see printers that can make small parts at very high resolutions,” Walker said.
  • “We’re excited because this is the largest and highest throughput printer in its class.”
• HARP uses high-resolution light-patterning to achieve ready-to-use parts without extensive post-processing
  • The result, the university claims, is a commercially viable route to the manufacturing of consumer goods.

Fallout 76 Subscription?

• Fallout 1st is a $100-a-year subscription-based service
  • Gives its members access to several benefits not available to others
    • Play on a private world with only your friends
    • unlimited storage space in the Scrapbox
    • a Survival Tent for fast traveling
    • Monthly Atoms, an exclusive outfit
    • Extra icons and emotes
    • And special sales not available to other players will also appear periodically.
• This gives players what they have been asking for
  • But at a cost $12.99 a month, its $3 more than XBox Game Pass
    • And Gamepass has Fallout New Vegas, which seems to be most fans favorite
    • And it has Outerwords, a new open world game with far more options than Fallout 76
  • This is a bad sign from Bethesda
    • It shows that they are hearing what players want
    • But are out of touch, or too greedy to implement them fairly

Tidbits

• Good news for anyone jumping on the 5G bandwagon- Verizon has managed to deploy coverage to certain seating areas in three different NBA arenas!
  • The coverage is far from complete, and there’s no word on the speeds being offered, but if you’re one of the people that Verizon has convinced to pay extra money then you might potentially see a benefit in parts of those arenas
• Facebook may be forced to pay up to $35B in a class action lawsuit for users in Illinois, arguing that Facebook’s collection of users’ faces for tagging purposes violates the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act
  • The law requires that businesses gather consent from state residents before their biometric data is collected or used, and involves fines up to $5,000 for each of the 7M violations
• In some awkward timing with tensions between China and Hong Kong, and the HKMap.Live app mess, Tim Cook has been named chairman of a Chinese university’s school of economics and management
• Lastly some good news for gamers- Activision and Infinity Ward have announced that there will be no loot box system in the upcoming Modern Warfare game, and all weapons and functional attachments will be unlocked strictly through gameplay
  • There will be a battle pass system for aesthetics, with both free and premium streams, but that will let players see the content they’re earning or buying beforehand

Alan recommends silicone stretch lids

Literally Misleading

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