Category Archives: News

Get You Some Larry

If you aren’t a fossil like I am and missed out on the whole Leisure Suit Larry thing here is chance to make that up. Better late than never mind you or so they say.

If you’ve never played Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards, well, the truth is that it’s probably too late now. What seemed risque in 1987 wouldn’t raise an eyebrow today, and while no specific examples leap immediately to mind I am reasonably confident that there are at least a couple of jokes in there that have not aged well. Still, it is a landmark videogame—one of the groundbreaking adventures that established Sierra as a powerhouse in the early days of PC gaming—and so if you’ve never played it but kind of want to, now you can jump in without spending a penny courtesy of a giveaway at Indiegala.

Gigabyte To Replace Exploding PSU

At this point this all seems a bit of a he said she said that being said I wouldn’t buy one of these until this is sorted out.

Gigabyte is offering a return and exchange service for two of its power supply units (PSUs), following complaints that the products were “exploding” or failing. PSU reviewer Aristeidis Bitziopoulos and Gamers Nexus both found that Gigabyte’s GP-P850GM and GP-P750GM models could fail catastrophically, with some sparking and others arriving dead out of the box. These models had been the subject of many negative reviews on Newegg, and were previously part of a forced bundle with RTX 30-series cards.

Computer Buying Guide

Most of you reading this site won’t need this but if you are a newbie and looking for a new PC give it a read.

Problem is, how do you decide what kind of computer is for you? Not only are there varying prices, competing operating systems and countless brands to choose from, but the student – or the parent(s) footing the bill – must decide on an ideal form factor (or type of computer), such as a laptop, desktop, 2-in-1 or all-in-one. And you might think you need a degree in computer science just to understand today’s specifications (“specs”). You know, gigahertz this, megapixel that, terabyte this.

Snopes Co-Founder A Plagiarist

This one is disappointing. Even his excuse that he didn’t have a journalism background is sad.

Sometimes the facts are stranger than fiction — and sometimes the facts are plagiarized. The co-founder of myth-debunking website Snopes has been exposed as a plagiarist, according to a BuzzFeed News investigation. David Mikkelson, who launched Snopes in 1995 with a mission to be “the internet’s definitive fact-checking site,” was suspended by his company, Doreen Marchionni, Snopes’ VP of editorial and its managing editor, confirmed to BuzzFeed, after their reporters uncovered no less than 54 plagiarized articles by Mikkelson.

Gotta Get My Fix On

Not exactly computer or technology related but this is how I feel about Diet Mountain Dew so I get it.

‘The parking lot was empty when they landed,’ Jellicoe added. ‘I suppose that doesn’t make it right.’ The man went into the Dairy Queen to pick up one of its famous ice cream cakes, but staff did not know the customer had arrived by copter until police broke the news to them. Residents in the providence’s town of Tisdale, with a population of 3,000, are now questioning whether it is worth taking to the skies for a lick of the tasty cake.

Arcflash Labs GR-1 Anvil Gauss Rifle

I have wanted a Rail Gun ever since I saw one in Quake. That being said I didn’t expect that it would weigh twenty pounds or be less powerful than a 22LR either.

The GR-1 Anvil Gauss rifle is made by Arcflash Labs, LLC, the co-founder of which, David Wirth and Jason Murray, are “Aerospace Engineers, former US Air Force officers, and experts in pulsed power supply development with 20 years of combined experience,” according to its website. The company says the weapon is “capable of accelerating any ferromagnetic projectile (under 1/2″ in diameter) to 200+ fps [feet per second]” and can produce up to 100 Joules of force, or 75 foot-pounds, similar to the muzzle energy of some .22 rifles, making it the “most powerful coilgun ever sold to the public, and also (very likely) the most powerful handheld coilgun ever built.”

Sims 4 Expansion Packs Ranked

I don’t know how many of you guys play the Sims 4, but since my wife does it seemed natural to link this up. Maybe this will encourage her to visit the site.

The Sims 4 expansion packs have been a rollercoaster of backlash and acceptance, with some packs facing criticism from fans and critics alike. While all have adding something interesting to the game, some have been called incomplete for reducing or completely excluding features from past games. Let’s take a look at what critics have said about each Sims 4 expansion pack.

QR Code Malware

Read up for the latest way that douche bags are trying to scam you. Remember knowledge is power.

Anyone who ventured into a restaurant during the pandemic knows that the QR code is a contactless way to look at a menu. Why keep passing around old plastic menus that can go through a ton of hands as we fight the virus? And now, scammers want to offer you that touchless experience too. We’re well versed on why consumers don’t want to click on links or attachments in texts or emails that arrive out of the blue. But the Better Business Bureau is warning consumers that they need to be extra careful if they’re sent a digitally readable square known as a QR code.

Fan Made Windows In A Browser

Some people seem to have too much time on their hands. This seems like one such group. Still interesting though.

The first time I saw the words “Windows 96” today, I questioned my memory—there wasn’t really a version of Windows in between 95 and 98 that everyone had forgotten about, was there? Well, kinda—but it was canceled before being released publicly. Windows96.net, then, is a “what if” for ’90s Windows, a fully browser-based OS that imagines what another version of the classic chunky Windows might’ve looked like.

2022 Chevrolet COPO Camaro

For those of you in the more money than sense club check this out. No I am not a member, and no it isn’t street legal. Still it is fun to dream right?

Chevy has unveiled the newest COPO Camaro, and it’s a bit more…aggressive than expected. Sure, the classic COPO’s 7.0-liter monster was nothing to sneeze at, but this latest version goes even further. Forget 427 cubic inches; that’s just not enough. As well as being offered with a supercharged 5.7-liter V8 and the classic 427, the new COPO Camaro enters the 2022 model year with a 9.4 liter—or 572-cubic-inch—V8. Indeed, it’s the largest car engine GM makes.

Chip Manufacturers Shortage Continue

Well this sucks but it isn’t unexpected chip makers are starting to prioritize their most expensive chips.

Apple and AMD are two of semiconductor foundry TSMC’s largest customers—but the problem isn’t limited to TSMC. Intel, which operates its own foundries, acknowledges supply problems of its own. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger told the BBC that shortages will get worse in the second half of 2021—and that it will be “a year or two” before supplies return to normal.

Facebook Recalls Oculus Quest 2

Hats off to Facebook for doing the right thing here. Despite all the negative press this is sure to generate.

“While the rate of reports is small and the majority of reported cases are minor, we’re committed to ensuring our products are safe and comfortable for everyone who uses them,” the company said. Facebook added that the recall is “in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).” As part of the recall, Facebook said it would provide Oculus Quest 2 owners with a new, silicon padding that fits over the current headset.

How To Find Anyone’s Email

Most of these tips are common sense but if you are a newbie, it would be helpful to see them all in one place.

It might seem obvious, but one of the best ways to find an email address is to do a quick search for it online. If a search like “John Smith” + “email” doesn’t yield any results, there are several other ways to go about it. When you use quotation marks in your search, it tells Google to search for that whole phrase. In the example above, results will only be displayed for John Smith. A regular search might produce results related to many people named John and tons of Smiths.

Boxabl Foldable Homes

Most people have heard of 3D Printed homes well Boxabl want to introduce you to it’s cheap foldable homes. FYI a 20 x 20 home is very tiny.

Boxabl, the company behind this endeavor, is entering a competitive field of technology-driven companies aiming to reduce the cost of construction. Though other companies in this arena have focused on 3D printing and other automated construction technologies, the central challenge for Boxabl was how to ship its houses as conveniently as possible. This is one of the primary factors that led to its unique foldable design.

Vintage Gaming Magazine Subscription

Not sure this is my cup of nostalgia, as I am more a PC than a console gamer but I imagine it will be interesting for some of you guys.

Back in the day, before part of my job became scanning the internet for every little scrap of video game news I could find, I loved video game magazines. You could find copies of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Nintendo Power, PSM, GamePro, GameFan, and more on my coffee tables, next to my bed, and sometimes plastered to my bathroom floor after forgetting they were there during a particularly vigorous shower. In my early teens I developed a habit of yanking the ads out of the magazines and pinning them like wallpaper to my bedroom wall, much to the chagrin of my parents and our landlord.

Museum Of Pinball Closing

This one hits particularly close to home. My father was a pinball wizard he could play any pinball game you wanted for at least fifteen minutes on a single quarter. Well it looks the museum will be following my father and be no more.

In 2015, we took you on a photo tour of the Museum of Pinball, home to one of the world’s largest collections of pinball and arcade games under one roof. Since then, the number of games grew by hundreds; the last official count was “over 1,100.” Sadly, the museum is closing for good (and being replaced by a cannabis-growing operation). An attempt to relocate the museum to Palm Springs, California, failed, and the entire collection of games will be going up for auction soon.

Mach-Eau GT

Have you ever wanted to smell like gasoline? Ya me neither but somebody making lots of money seems to think this is a good idea.

Ford showed off the fragrance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, a yearly gathering of “petrolheads” (Ford’s word, not mine) from across the world. Everybody’s favorite American motor company commissioned this … “fragrance” to get people excited for its Mustang Mach-E GT, an all-electric vehicle that doesn’t smell like gasoline and looks less like a Mustang than you might expect (although it does look nice).

Instant Solar Permits

The US seems to be intent on making rooftop solar panels go mainstream.

The Solar Automated Permit Processing (SolarAPP+) platform, developed by DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, will be an optional portal for local governments to process permit applications automatically. Approvals typically take a week or more currently, and permit-related costs can account for about a third of installers’ overall costs, DOE said. The software speeds the process up by standardizing requirements, streamlining the application and automating some approvals.

Double Fine Adds Invincibility Toggle

I disagree with most of what is written here in this Kotaku editorial. Doesn’t mean I am right though and it doesn’t mean it is not a interesting read.

Before the weekend, Microsoft’s Xbox Twitter account sent a surprisingly important tweet: “Beating the game on the lowest difficulty is still beating the game.” This was then followed up by Double Fine who added that completing Psychonauts 2 with the “invincibility toggle on” still counts as beating the game. Which is just about the most refreshing thing I’ve seen come out of gaming in forever.

Peloton’s Mandatory Memberships

Peloton seems to be taking a page out of the video game DRM handbook. Just because you buy a treadmill and pay 4295 dollars for it doesn’t mean you can automatically use it.

Peloton has come up with an interesting solution to its treadmill safety issues, which have been connected to a child’s death: Force owners of its $4,295 Tread+ to either return the machine for a refund or pay a $39 monthly membership fee to use it at all. Users are outraged, and some have even compared Peloton’s demand to ransomware. It’s a reminder that when you buy or use a product whose access is controlled by someone else, that access can always be taken away from you. As more and more of the things we buy are connected to the internet, living and dying by manufacturer-pushed software updates and on platforms that can be shuttered at any time, we have less and less control over them. Even if we pay a considerable amount of money for those devices, we may never fully own them.

More Micro$oft Nonsense

Another day another Micro$oft story. This is definitely not how you want to be making headlines.

Microsoft is urging Windows users to immediately install an update after security researchers found a serious vulnerability in the operating system. The security flaw, known as PrintNightmare, affects the Windows Print Spooler service. Researchers at cybersecurity company Sangfor accidentally published a how-to guide for exploiting it.

Micro$oft’s “JEDI” Contract Canceled

I am not sure whether this was a political decision or not. What I do know is that Amazon is very happy today.

The U.S. Department of Defense has canceled a planned 10-year, $10 billion cloud-computing contract known as JEDI that had been awarded to Microsoft in 2019, while launching plans for a new multivendor cloud-computing project that will likely be split between Microsoft and Amazon.com. The government said in a statement that “it has become clear that the JEDI Cloud contract, which has long been delayed, no longer meets the requirements to fill the DoD’s capability gaps.”

More Ransomware Foolishness

This is why you don’t feed the trolls. It just emboldens them and soon you are left with a mess like this one.

The ransomware group REvil has demanded a $70 million payment in Bitcoin for a decryptor tool following its attack on the software vendor Kaseya, cyber researchers say. The offer of a universal tool reflects the “logistical nightmare” REvil is now facing with thousands of potential victims to negotiate with, researcher Allan Liska at cybersecurity firm Recorded Future said.

Humble Bundle’s Donation Limit Returns

Humble Bundle brings back disliked slider changes. Looks like this time the feature is here to stay.

Earlier this year, Humble Bundle came under fire for announcing it would begin limiting the amount of people’s purchases that would go toward charity and temporarily reversed course. Today, the company announced it will begin rolling out caps on donations that are more generous but still prevent customers from sending all of the money they spend on Humble Bundles directly to charity, as had been an option for the company’s entire 10-year history.

Meet The New Boss Same As The Old Boss

Microsoft is changing slightly a long time feature. Giving it a fresh coat of paint if you will.

Microsoft is changing its famous Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) to black in Windows 11. The software giant started testing its new design changes in a Windows 11 preview earlier this week, but the Black Screen of Death isn’t fully enabled yet. The Verge understands Microsoft will be switching to a Black Screen of Death for Windows 11, matching the new black logon and shutdown screens.