[…] In the latest advance in nano- and micro-architected materials, engineers at Caltech have developed a new material made from numerous interconnected microscale knots. The knots make the material far tougher than identically structured but unknotted materials: they absorb more energy and are able to deform more while still being able to return to their Read more about Knots smaller than human hair make materials unusually tough and (de|re)formable[…]

Secondhand MacBooks that retailed for as much as $3,000 are being turned into parts because recyclers have no way to login and factory reset the machines, which are often just a couple years old. “How many of you out there would like a 2-year-old M1 MacBook? Well, too bad, because your local recycler just took Read more about Perfectly Good MacBooks From 2020 Are Being Sold for Scrap Because of Activation Lock[…]

As the cryptocurrency market currently goes through one of its worst nosedives in recent years, miners are trying to get rid of their mining hardware. Due to the crashing prices of popular crypto coins, numerous Chinese miners and e-cafes are flooding the market with graphics cards they no longer need. Miners, e-cafes, and scalpers are Read more about Miners flood market with GPUs they no longer need as cryptocurrencies crash[…]

[…] Last year, researchers from the National Taiwan University’s Interactive Graphics (and Multimedia) Laboratory and the National Chengchi University revealed their Hair Touch controller at the 2021 Computer-Human Interaction conference. The bizarre-looking contraption featured a tuft of hair that could be extended and contracted so that when someone tried to pet a virtual cat, or Read more about VR Controller Lets You Feel Objects Slip Between Your Fingers[…]

Scientists from the Physics and Engineering Department of the UK’s Lancaster University have published a paper detailing a breakthrough in the mass production of UltraRAM. Researchers have pondered over this novel memory type for several years due to its highly attractive qualities, and the latest breakthrough means that mass production on silicon wafers could be Read more about UltraRAM Breakthrough Brings Combined Memory and Storage to a single wafer[…]

[…] Kinetic Architecture is a concept on which buildings are designed to allow parts of the structure to move. CyberPowerPC took this idea and created a KINETIC chassis with 18 individually controlled articulating vents that open and close automatically, all based on the computer’s current internal ambient temperatures. “We are entering 2022 with some of Read more about CyberPowerPC case uses Kinetic Architecture to adjust airflow in real-time[…]

IBM and Samsung claim they’ve made a breakthrough in semiconductor design. On day one of the IEDM conference in San Francisco, the two companies unveiled a new design for stacking transistors vertically on a chip. With current processors and SoCs, transistors lie flat on the surface of the silicon, and then electric current flows from Read more about New IBM and Samsung transistors could be key to super-efficient vertical chips[…]

What do you get when you combine ancient designs with modern engineering? An exciting new way to convert time and money into heat and noise! I’m not sure whether to call this a catapult or a trebuchet, but it’s definitely the superior siege engine. Have you ever sat down and thought “I wonder if a Read more about How to Build a Supersonic Trebuchet[…]

[…]Even the best hardware eventually becomes obsolete when it can no longer run modern software: with a 2.0 GHz Core Duo and 3 GB of RAM you can still browse the web and do word processing today, but you can forget about 4K video or a 64-bit OS. Luckily, there’s hope for those who are Read more about Replacement Motherboard Brings New Lease Of Life To Classic T60 / T61 Thinkpads[…]

This report provides an overview of the current state of quantum technology and its potential commercial and military applications. The author discusses each of the three major categories of quantum technology: quantum sensing, quantum communication, and quantum computing. He also considers the likely commercial outlook over the next few years, the major international players, and Read more about Commercial and Military Applications and Timelines for Quantum Technology | RAND[…]

When Facebook went down yesterday for nearly six hours, so did Oculus’ services. Since Facebook owns VR headset maker Oculus, and controversially requires Oculus Quest users to log in with a Facebook account, many Quest owners reported not being able to load their Oculus libraries. “[A]nd those who just took a Quest 2 out of Read more about Oculus Quest VR Goggles Becomes a Paperweight When Facebook Goes Down[…]

[…] researchers at Northwestern University have devised a new method for recording information to DNA that takes minutes rather than hours or days. The researchers utilized a novel enzymatic system to synthesize DNA that records rapidly changing environmental signals straight into its sequences, and this method could revolutionize how scientists examine and record neurons inside Read more about Scientists Have Successfully Recorded Data to DNA in Minutes not hours[…]

Smartphones, tablets, and cameras sold within the European Union could be forced to adopt a single standard charging port by the middle of the decade if the latest plans from the European Commission get the go-ahead. The proposals for a revised Radio Equipment Directive would mean that charging port and fast-charging technology would be “harmonised” Read more about Apple miffed by EU’s ‘strict’ one-size-fits-all charger plan[…]

Aggrieved MacBook owners in two separate lawsuits claim Apple’s latest laptops with its M1 chips have defective screens that break easily and malfunction. The complaints, both filed on Wednesday in a federal district court in San Jose, California, are each seeking class certification in the hope that the law firms involved will get a judicial Read more about Apple’s M1 MacBook screens are stunning – stunningly fragile and defective, that is, lawsuits allege[…]

In the past 11 days, both Crucial and Western Digital have been caught swapping the TLC NAND used for certain products with inferior QLC NAND without updating product SKUs or informing reviewers that this change was happening. Shipping one product to reviewers and a different product to consumers is unacceptable and we recently recommended that Read more about Samsung Is the Latest SSD Manufacturer (Crucial, Western Digital) Caught Cheating Its Customers[…]

They discovered a new technique they say will be capable of controlling millions of spin qubits—the basic units of information in a silicon quantum processor. Until now, quantum computer engineers and scientists have worked with a proof-of-concept model of quantum processors by demonstrating the control of only a handful of qubits. […] “Up until this Read more about Engineers make critical advance in quantum computer design[…]

Scientists in China have developed the hardest and strongest glassy material known so far that can scratch diamond crystals with ease. The researchers, including those from Yanshan University in China, noted that the new material – tentatively named AM-III – has “outstanding” mechanical and electronic properties, and could find applications in solar cells due to Read more about Chinese scientists develop world’s strongest glass that’s harder than diamond[…]

Samsung is causing much angst among its SmartThings customers by shutting down support for its original SmartThings home automation hub as of the end of June. These are network-connected home automation routers providing Zigbee and Z-Wave connectivity to your sensors and actuators. It’s not entirely unreasonable for manufacturers to replace aging hardware with new models. Read more about Samsung Bricking Original SmartThings Hubs[…]