Computers

The Steam Box Is Real, But It’s Not Just From Valve

Valve made a big splash on Monday when it announced SteamOS, its own gaming-flavored Linux operating system, but SteamOS was just one announcement in a trio. The second one’s here and yes, it’s a Steam Box. https://gizmodo.com/steams-got-its-own-operating-system-now-1371883607 Just like we heard way back when, Valve’s Steam Box initiative isn’t a one-size fits all deal; Valve…

Apple has quietly updated its iMacs to include fourth-gen Intel quad-core processors, new graphics, next-gen Wi-Fi, and faster flash storage. The new computers are available today starting at $1,300 for the 21.5-inch model and $1,800 for the 27-incher.

The Unexpected Places Where Artificial Intelligence Will Emerge

We often imagine that artificial intelligence will be created by mad engineers who build a big box that starts thinking. But is that really how would AI develop in real life? Probably not. AI could emerge from computer systems that are part of our everyday lives right now. Here are some possibilities. Photo: Google/Connie Zhou…

The Real Problem With Logan’s Run‘s Infamous “Sex Teleport” Scene

The weirdest moment in Logan’s Run is probably that bit where we see Logan selecting a sex partner via a remote control, and the chosen partner teleports into his home. But the trouble with that scene isn’t just the weird “dialing for casual sex” vibe — it’s the terrible user interface, argues expert Chris Noessel.…

The Bizarre Evolution of the Word “Cyber”

Today, cyber means war. But back in the 1990s, it meant sex — at least, the kind of sex you can have in a chat room. Why did the word change, and where did it originally come from? It all started with “cybernetics,” an obscure term popularized by a mathematician named Norbert Wiener in the…

Graphene Computer Chips Run on Light Instead of Electricity

Thanks to improvements in fiber optics, most of the information that you consume on any given day is transported by light. Quite inefficiently, however, most computer chips need electricity to operate, and scientists haven’t quite figured out how to make the leap to more futuristic materials. At least not until graphene came along. A trio…

Inside CERN’s Massive Computer Center

Given how much data the scientists at CERN have to crunch through, it’s not surprising that it take its computing power seriously. This video takes a look inside the massive computer center that allows the magic to happen. In what is essentially the brain of the Large Hadron Collider it is noisy, hot—and incredibly powerful.…

This Gaming PC Is Smaller Than a Controller But Still Packs a Punch

There are plenty of gaming PCs designed to replace consoles, but if you’re short on space that normally means accepting something underpowered like the Ouya. But this little guy, called the Gigabyte Brix II, is both powerful and petite. https://gizmodo.com/heres-what-100-worth-of-gaming-console-looks-iike-ins-496277518 Its cute little 4.5-inch square frame—which is smaller than an Xbox controller—is actually hiding a…

Face It, Computers Are Better Than Us

Sometimes it feels like there’s nothing that computers can’t beat us at: chess, Jeopardy, curing cancer… hell, even cooking pudding. Randall Munroe sums it up nicely in today’s XKCD. https://gizmodo.com/fifteen-years-ago-today-a-computer-became-the-worlds-b-5909509 And if that weren’t depressing enough, he really knocks it out of the park with the alt-text, too: ‘At least humans are better at quietly…

Want to be safe from the NSA’s prying eyes? Here are some tips.

Every day, we get new revelations from the Snowden Files that suggest the NSA has been spying on pretty much everybody’s activities online. Now computer security expert Bruce Schneier has written up a few tips on how to make sure you’re not one of the people they’re watching. Schneier has written an excellent article for…

You Can Own This Adorable 2-Inch Cube PC For Just $45

This super-cute little PC measures just two inches along each edge, runs Linux and Android Jelly Bean—and only costs $45. Yes, you did just read that right. Developed by SolidRun,the CuBox-i comes in a variety of specifications, but the base model—which costs $45—packs a single-core 1GHz processor, ethernet, and 512MB of RAM. You can, of…

We now have brain-to-brain interfaces that work between two humans

You may never become Xavier from the X-Men, able to read and control people’s minds. But one day, using a computer interface, you could control somebody else’s behavior and possibly even communicate using thought. The technology you see demonstrated in this video is the first step. Two researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, Rajesh…

Why Programming a Quantum Computer Is So Damn Hard

Someday, somehow, quantum computing is going to change the world as we know it. Even the lamest quantum computer is orders of magnitude more powerful than anything we could ever make today. But figuring out how to program one is ridiculously hard. https://gizmodo.com/quantum-computer-kicks-pc-ass-in-first-ever-head-to-hea-499681531 As this fantastic animation from PHD TV explains, the true power of…

Quite possibly the best human vs. robot competition in history

Last month saw the debut of R2B2, a button-mashing robot that can unlock a phone in hours, just by randomly pushing buttons. But the real question is, can this little pin-typing hacker robot beat a human hacker? R2B2 was invented by a team of security engineers at io9 pals iSEC Partners — and iSEC security…

How to completely traumatize your child after watching Tron

Calve12 showed the movie Tron to his young daughter, who promptly had a nightmare about her father getting sucked into a computer. Here is what the daughter encountered when waking up the next morning. Ha ha, it’s funny because he’ll be paying for years of therapy! [Via Neatorama]

This map reveals how natural disasters affect the internet

If you want to know the internet is affected by natural disasters, here’s an amazing visualization. It shows all the places where internet service went down after Hurricane Sandy. In the future, disasters don’t just rob you of power and water — they rob you of information, too. Using a new internet research tool called…

CERN’s Voltron for Computers Now Supports Android Devices

For the past five years, the mad scientists at CERN have been connecting their computers to colleagues’ around the world to pool their processing power. This so-called Worldwide Grid turns a regular old desktop into a supercomputer by just plugging in. Now it will do the same with smartphones and tablets. CERN scientists are in…

How Machines Think

When people talk about artificial intelligence, it’s tempting to think that it means computers can think (a little) like humans. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it turns out that’s not quite the case. This video from New Scientist explains how machine are designed to be capable of solving problems that humans can—just not quite in the same way.…

Man Steals Computer From Church, Asks If They’ll Remove Porn Block

Stealing computers is bad—everybody already knows that. And stealing from a church (or any non-profit institution for that matter) is extra bad. But if you must steal a computer from a church—especially one you’re a member of—don’t call up the software blocking company and ask if they’ll remove the porn filter. As Troy Ridling of…

Have You Gotten in Trouble with Work Because of Your Computer Habits?

If there is one thing we can all agree on, it’s that being at work is different than from being at home. Well, unless you work at home or live at work, which, um, maybe we can’t agree on anything. But! The things you do on the computer at work should probably be different from…