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The winner did not wish to be identified.The Nintendo PlayStation sells for $360,000 at auction

Bidding for this legendary prototype concluded Friday when someone placed a $300,000 bid. With the buyer’s premium, the person who won the auction will pay $360,000 to own a piece of gaming history.

That sounds bad.Researchers discover that Intel chips have an unfixable security flaw

This week security specialists Positive Technologies disclosed their discovery of a tiny gap in security that could allow attackers with local or physical access to inject malicious code and, eventually, commandeer your PC. The vulnerability is within Intel’s Converged Security and Management Engine (CSME), a part of the chip that controls system boot-up, power levels, firmware and, most critically, cryptographic functions. Since the boot code and RAM are hard coded into Intel’s CPUs, they can’t be patched or reset without replacing the silicon.

The flaw affects chips manufactured over the last five years or so. Intel said that it was notified of the vulnerabilities and released mitigations in May 2019 so they could be included in firmware updates. However, as the researchers explain, “since… the ROM vulnerability cannot be fixed, we believe that extracting this key is only a matter of time. When this happens, utter chaos will reign.”

Sometimes a smartphone camera just won’t cut it.How to buy a compact camera in 2020

If you want better photos than a smartphone can deliver but also don’t want a bulky DSLR or mirrorless camera, you may need a compact camera in your life. There’s a wide variety of models out there with different sized sensors, fixed, zoom and superzoom lenses and lots of manual controls (or not).

Check out Steve Dent’s advice laying out the different features available on each brand and model to help you choose just the right one.

Also: Xbox Series X speculation and first impressions of TCL’s foldable tablet concept.The Engadget Podcast: Coronavirus hits tech and a chat with ‘Cosmos’ Ann Druyan

This week on the Engadget Podcast, we dive into the many ways the coronavirus is affecting the tech industry, all the while remembering to wash our hands and not touch our faces. And for something completely different, Devindra chats with Ann Druyan (starting at 26:59), the co-creator of Cosmos, on the show’s incredible new season. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Pocket Casts or Stitcher.

It’s likely faster than your gaming rig — but don’t give up on that desktop yet.Does the Xbox Series X make gaming PCs obsolete?

On paper, the Xbox Series X’s sheer power blows away most gaming rigs today — but what does that mean for PC enthusiasts? To be honest, there’s still plenty we don’t know about the Series X or what the state of PC hardware will be later this year. But based on Microsoft’s spec dump last week, we can start making some educated guesses. Read on to let Devindra Hardawar guide you away (or toward) the next big console race.

You might head to the Moon or Mars.NASA accepts applications for astronauts for the first time in four years

NASA has started taking applications for its next round of astronauts, some of them likely to be part of future Moon and Mars expeditions. You’ll have until the very end of March to apply, but make sure you qualify first. NASA says that you’ll need to be a US citizen with either a master’s degree in a STEM field or an equivalent, such as two years of work toward the doctorate in your field, a medical doctorate or the combination of a completed test pilot school program with a STEM bachelor’s degree — deep breath. You’ll also need real-world experience that includes either two years of “progressively responsible” work experience or 1,000 flight hours as a pilot in command.

And then there’s the long-duration spaceflight physical…

But wait, there’s more…

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you’ll miss if you don’t Subscribe.

Craving even more? Like us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter.

Have a suggestion on how we can improve The Morning After? Send us a note.

The post The Morning After: The Nintendo PlayStation prototype offered for $360okay appeared first on Gadgets To Make Life Easier.

The winner did not wish to be identified.The Nintendo PlayStation sells for $360,000 at auction

Bidding for this legendary prototype concluded Friday when someone placed a $300,000 bid. With the buyer’s premium, the person who won the auction will pay $360,000 to own a piece of gaming history.

That sounds bad.Researchers discover that Intel chips have an unfixable security flaw

This week security specialists Positive Technologies disclosed their discovery of a tiny gap in security that could allow attackers with local or physical access to inject malicious code and, eventually, commandeer your PC. The vulnerability is within Intel’s Converged Security and Management Engine (CSME), a part of the chip that controls system boot-up, power levels, firmware and, most critically, cryptographic functions. Since the boot code and RAM are hard coded into Intel’s CPUs, they can’t be patched or reset without replacing the silicon.

The flaw affects chips manufactured over the last five years or so. Intel said that it was notified of the vulnerabilities and released mitigations in May 2019 so they could be included in firmware updates. However, as the researchers explain, “since… the ROM vulnerability cannot be fixed, we believe that extracting this key is only a matter of time. When this happens, utter chaos will reign.”

Sometimes a smartphone camera just won’t cut it.How to buy a compact camera in 2020

If you want better photos than a smartphone can deliver but also don’t want a bulky DSLR or mirrorless camera, you may need a compact camera in your life. There’s a wide variety of models out there with different sized sensors, fixed, zoom and superzoom lenses and lots of manual controls (or not).

Check out Steve Dent’s advice laying out the different features available on each brand and model to help you choose just the right one.

Also: Xbox Series X speculation and first impressions of TCL’s foldable tablet concept.The Engadget Podcast: Coronavirus hits tech and a chat with ‘Cosmos’ Ann Druyan

This week on the Engadget Podcast, we dive into the many ways the coronavirus is affecting the tech industry, all the while remembering to wash our hands and not touch our faces. And for something completely different, Devindra chats with Ann Druyan (starting at 26:59), the co-creator of Cosmos, on the show’s incredible new season. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Pocket Casts or Stitcher.

It’s likely faster than your gaming rig — but don’t give up on that desktop yet.Does the Xbox Series X make gaming PCs obsolete?

On paper, the Xbox Series X’s sheer power blows away most gaming rigs today — but what does that mean for PC enthusiasts? To be honest, there’s still plenty we don’t know about the Series X or what the state of PC hardware will be later this year. But based on Microsoft’s spec dump last week, we can start making some educated guesses. Read on to let Devindra Hardawar guide you away (or toward) the next big console race.

You might head to the Moon or Mars.NASA accepts applications for astronauts for the first time in four years

NASA has started taking applications for its next round of astronauts, some of them likely to be part of future Moon and Mars expeditions. You’ll have until the very end of March to apply, but make sure you qualify first. NASA says that you’ll need to be a US citizen with either a master’s degree in a STEM field or an equivalent, such as two years of work toward the doctorate in your field, a medical doctorate or the combination of a completed test pilot school program with a STEM bachelor’s degree — deep breath. You’ll also need real-world experience that includes either two years of “progressively responsible” work experience or 1,000 flight hours as a pilot in command.

And then there’s the long-duration spaceflight physical…

But wait, there’s more…

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you’ll miss if you don’t Subscribe.

Craving even more? Like us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter.

Have a suggestion on how we can improve The Morning After? Send us a note.

The post The Morning After: The Nintendo PlayStation prototype bought for $360okay appeared first on Gadgets To Make Life Easier.

The winner did not wish to be identified.The Nintendo PlayStation sells for $360,000 at auction

Bidding for this legendary prototype concluded Friday when someone placed a $300,000 bid. With the buyer’s premium, the person who won the auction will pay $360,000 to own a piece of gaming history.

That sounds bad.Researchers discover that Intel chips have an unfixable security flaw

This week security specialists Positive Technologies disclosed their discovery of a tiny gap in security that could allow attackers with local or physical access to inject malicious code and, eventually, commandeer your PC. The vulnerability is within Intel’s Converged Security and Management Engine (CSME), a part of the chip that controls system boot-up, power levels, firmware and, most critically, cryptographic functions. Since the boot code and RAM are hard coded into Intel’s CPUs, they can’t be patched or reset without replacing the silicon.

The flaw affects chips manufactured over the last five years or so. Intel said that it was notified of the vulnerabilities and released mitigations in May 2019 so they could be included in firmware updates. However, as the researchers explain, “since… the ROM vulnerability cannot be fixed, we believe that extracting this key is only a matter of time. When this happens, utter chaos will reign.”

Sometimes a smartphone camera just won’t cut it.How to buy a compact camera in 2020

If you want better photos than a smartphone can deliver but also don’t want a bulky DSLR or mirrorless camera, you may need a compact camera in your life. There’s a wide variety of models out there with different sized sensors, fixed, zoom and superzoom lenses and lots of manual controls (or not).

Check out Steve Dent’s advice laying out the different features available on each brand and model to help you choose just the right one.

Also: Xbox Series X speculation and first impressions of TCL’s foldable tablet concept.The Engadget Podcast: Coronavirus hits tech and a chat with ‘Cosmos’ Ann Druyan

This week on the Engadget Podcast, we dive into the many ways the coronavirus is affecting the tech industry, all the while remembering to wash our hands and not touch our faces. And for something completely different, Devindra chats with Ann Druyan (starting at 26:59), the co-creator of Cosmos, on the show’s incredible new season. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Pocket Casts or Stitcher.

It’s likely faster than your gaming rig — but don’t give up on that desktop yet.Does the Xbox Series X make gaming PCs obsolete?

On paper, the Xbox Series X’s sheer power blows away most gaming rigs today — but what does that mean for PC enthusiasts? To be honest, there’s still plenty we don’t know about the Series X or what the state of PC hardware will be later this year. But based on Microsoft’s spec dump last week, we can start making some educated guesses. Read on to let Devindra Hardawar guide you away (or toward) the next big console race.

You might head to the Moon or Mars.NASA accepts applications for astronauts for the first time in four years

NASA has started taking applications for its next round of astronauts, some of them likely to be part of future Moon and Mars expeditions. You’ll have until the very end of March to apply, but make sure you qualify first. NASA says that you’ll need to be a US citizen with either a master’s degree in a STEM field or an equivalent, such as two years of work toward the doctorate in your field, a medical doctorate or the combination of a completed test pilot school program with a STEM bachelor’s degree — deep breath. You’ll also need real-world experience that includes either two years of “progressively responsible” work experience or 1,000 flight hours as a pilot in command.

And then there’s the long-duration spaceflight physical…

But wait, there’s more…

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you’ll miss if you don’t Subscribe.

Craving even more? Like us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter.

Have a suggestion on how we can improve The Morning After? Send us a note.

The post The Morning After: The Nintendo PlayStation prototype offered for $360okay appeared first on Gadgets To Make Life Easier.

Technology 26 February 2020

By Timothy Revell

Elisabeth Moss plays Cecilia Kass, a woman plagued by an invisible man

Universal Pictures

What would you do if you were invisible? Hopefully not torment your ex.

That is the situation facing Cecilia Kass (played by Elisabeth Moss) in a reimagining of the H. G. Wells novel The Invisible Man.

The film begins with Cecilia escaping an abusive relationship with a rich and controlling scientist. Soon after, Cecilia’s ex kills himself and she is set to inherit a large part of his wealth.

Advertisement

But there is a twist. She is able to keep the money only for as long as she remains sane and keeps out of the hands of the law.

Of course, the abusive ex isn’t dead, he has made himself invisible and uses his newfound undetectability to abuse Cecilia further, tormenting her in increasingly terrible ways. The film is haunting at times and dotted with jump scares loud enough to make your heart pop. Moss plays the role impeccably, utilising the expressions of angst she honed in The Handmaid’s Tale as life becomes more and more desperate when people refuse to believe her.

Beyond the title and the plot involving a man who is invisible, the film bears little resemblance to the 1897 classic novel. And more than 100 years later, turning a human invisible is still impossible.

There is a fundamental physical limit related to invisibility that we can’t break, says Andrea Alù at City University of New York. He and his colleagues found that there is a trade-off between how invisible a cloaking material can make an object and the size of the object it can cover.

Unfortunately, the upper limit for the size of something that can be made invisible is much smaller than a human. Alù says he and his team recently managed to make the tip of a scientific instrument completely invisible, but anything larger than around 500 nanometres – around a hundredth of the width of a human hair – comes up against the limit.

Cloaking materials work by bending light around an object so that it appears “invisible”. One of the starting assumptions of the physical limit is that the material doesn’t give light with which it comes into contact a boost of energy, which a battery-powered cloak could do.

Relaxing this assumption, Alù and his team surpassed the 500-nanometre limit, but only by a bit. Alù believes that it may be possible to beat the upper bound by an order of magnitude, but that it will never be possible to make something human-sized completely invisible.

However, if it’s not true invisibility you are after, there are visual tricks you can use instead. Stage magicians, for example, can use a series of well-placed mirrors to make someone seem to disappear from certain angles.

The invisible man in the film supposedly uses a suit filled with tiny cameras to become invisible. Though a set-up like this may be able to give an impression of invisibility from certain angles, it wouldn’t be good enough to sneak about as the plot demands.

The Invisible Man is on general release from 28 February

More on these topics:

film

Read More

The post The Invisible Man evaluation: How science actually could make issues invisible appeared first on Gadgets To Make Life Easier.

Technology 26 February 2020

By Timothy Revell

Elisabeth Moss plays Cecilia Kass, a woman plagued by an invisible man

Universal Pictures

What would you do if you were invisible? Hopefully not torment your ex.

That is the situation facing Cecilia Kass (played by Elisabeth Moss) in a reimagining of the H. G. Wells novel The Invisible Man.

The film begins with Cecilia escaping an abusive relationship with a rich and controlling scientist. Soon after, Cecilia’s ex kills himself and she is set to inherit a large part of his wealth.

Advertisement

But there is a twist. She is able to keep the money only for as long as she remains sane and keeps out of the hands of the law.

Of course, the abusive ex isn’t dead, he has made himself invisible and uses his newfound undetectability to abuse Cecilia further, tormenting her in increasingly terrible ways. The film is haunting at times and dotted with jump scares loud enough to make your heart pop. Moss plays the role impeccably, utilising the expressions of angst she honed in The Handmaid’s Tale as life becomes more and more desperate when people refuse to believe her.

Beyond the title and the plot involving a man who is invisible, the film bears little resemblance to the 1897 classic novel. And more than 100 years later, turning a human invisible is still impossible.

There is a fundamental physical limit related to invisibility that we can’t break, says Andrea Alù at City University of New York. He and his colleagues found that there is a trade-off between how invisible a cloaking material can make an object and the size of the object it can cover.

Unfortunately, the upper limit for the size of something that can be made invisible is much smaller than a human. Alù says he and his team recently managed to make the tip of a scientific instrument completely invisible, but anything larger than around 500 nanometres – around a hundredth of the width of a human hair – comes up against the limit.

Cloaking materials work by bending light around an object so that it appears “invisible”. One of the starting assumptions of the physical limit is that the material doesn’t give light with which it comes into contact a boost of energy, which a battery-powered cloak could do.

Relaxing this assumption, Alù and his team surpassed the 500-nanometre limit, but only by a bit. Alù believes that it may be possible to beat the upper bound by an order of magnitude, but that it will never be possible to make something human-sized completely invisible.

However, if it’s not true invisibility you are after, there are visual tricks you can use instead. Stage magicians, for example, can use a series of well-placed mirrors to make someone seem to disappear from certain angles.

The invisible man in the film supposedly uses a suit filled with tiny cameras to become invisible. Though a set-up like this may be able to give an impression of invisibility from certain angles, it wouldn’t be good enough to sneak about as the plot demands.

The Invisible Man is on general release from 28 February

More on these topics:

film

Read More

The post The Invisible Man: How science can actually make issues invisible appeared first on Gadgets To Make Life Easier.

Police in Paraguay have arrested former Brazilian football superstar Ronaldinho for attempting to enter the country with falsified documents.

The 39-year-old and his brother, Roberto Assis, were taken to a police station in the capital, Asuncion, shortly before 10pm local time, Paraguay’s prosecutor’s office said in a statement on Friday.

More:

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Sadio Mane has been named the 2019 African Player of the Year

Sports events hit by coronavirus outbreak

The former Barcelona forward and his brother, who is also his business manager, are expected to face a judge on Saturday who will decide whether to free them or keep them in custody while investigations continue.

Ronaldinho’s lawyer Sergio Queiroz confirmed the arrest to The Associated Press news agency and said his legal team in Paraguay had filed an injunction to release the former footballer and his brother.

Gilberto Fleitas, the head of the investigations unit of the Paraguayan police, said the pair were taken into custody after a judge refused to ratify a prosecutor’s proposal for an alternative punishment.

Their unexpected arrest came just hours after the two brothers appeared set to leave Paraguay and draw a line under a tumultuous stay that began on Wednesday when they were questioned by police after presenting falsified passports on arrival at the Asuncion airport.

Federico Delfino, a prosecutor investigating the case, said he believed the two had been tricked into accepting Paraguayan passports on arrival and recommended that because they had cooperated with officials, they be released after paying an alternative punishment.

However, a judge rejected that on Friday and just minutes later the deal was overturned by the top public prosecutor.

Arrest warrants were then issued for both men, while officers from the organised crime and economic crimes units have been tasked with handling the case.

The brothers were invited to Paraguay by a local casino owner and had arrived on Wednesday to take part in a football clinic for children, and a book launch.

Although he last played professionally in 2015, Ronaldinho is still hugely popular with global football fans for his skills and showmanship.

The 39-year-old was the best player in the world at his peak in the early part of this century.

He was named FIFA World Player of the year in 2004 and 2005 and won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002 and the Champions League with Barcelona in 2006.

Read More

The post Ronaldinho arrested in Paraguay in fake passport case appeared first on Gadgets To Make Life Easier.

The World Health Organization says only 3.4 per cent of the total number of people who contracted the virus have died from it.

But this figure is being disputed.

Some health experts believe the number would be much lower if more people were tested.

Al Jazeera spoke to a Wuhan resident who barely had any symptoms and did not even know he was infected until he was tested.

Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu reports from Beijing.

Read More

The post Coronavirus fatalities: World Health Organization figures disputed appeared first on Gadgets To Make Life Easier.