Month: December 2017

Nvidia-Grafikkarte: Vierte Geforce GTX 1060 hat 5 GByte Speicher

Nvidia bringt eine weitere Version der Geforce GTX 1060 heraus. Die Pascal-basierte Grafikkkarte hat genauso viele Rechenkerne wie das normale Modell, ist aber beim Interface und Speicher beschnitten. Vorerst wird das Modell nicht nach Europa kommen. (…

Nvidia bringt eine weitere Version der Geforce GTX 1060 heraus. Die Pascal-basierte Grafikkkarte hat genauso viele Rechenkerne wie das normale Modell, ist aber beim Interface und Speicher beschnitten. Vorerst wird das Modell nicht nach Europa kommen. (Nvidia Pascal, Grafikhardware)

Kreativ-Apps für VR-Headsets: Austoben im VR-Atelier

VR ist viel mehr als der x-te Zombie-Shooter: Das merkt, wer Kreativ-Apps ausprobiert. Ob Malen, Modellieren oder Komponieren: Im virtuellen Atelier lassen sich beeindruckende Ergebnisse erzielen und mit anderen teilen. Wir stellen die besten Kreativ-W…

VR ist viel mehr als der x-te Zombie-Shooter: Das merkt, wer Kreativ-Apps ausprobiert. Ob Malen, Modellieren oder Komponieren: Im virtuellen Atelier lassen sich beeindruckende Ergebnisse erzielen und mit anderen teilen. Wir stellen die besten Kreativ-Werkzeuge für Oculus Rift, Vive, Gear VR und Daydream vor. Ein Praxistest von Achim Fehrenbach (VR, Google)

Energous wireless charger works from up to 3 feet away, gets FCC certification

Most phones and other gadgets that support wireless charging still need to be placed on or very close to a charging surface. So the key benefit is that you don’t need to fiddle with wires or charging ports: just put down your phone when you want …

Most phones and other gadgets that support wireless charging still need to be placed on or very close to a charging surface. So the key benefit is that you don’t need to fiddle with wires or charging ports: just put down your phone when you want to charge it and pick it up when you […]

Energous wireless charger works from up to 3 feet away, gets FCC certification is a post from: Liliputing

Christmas Surprise: Hive-CM8 Leaks More Pirated DVD Screeners

Movie pirates were welcomed with a few surprise gifts before and after Christmas when four new DVD Screeners leaked online. The movies were posted by infamous release group Hive-CM8, who state that they’re predominantly aiming the releases at those too ill to make it to the movie theater or unable to see them locally.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and more. We also have VPN discounts, offers and coupons

At the end of the year movie industry insiders traditionally receive their screener copies, which they use to vote on the Oscars and other awards.

As is tradition, quite a few of these advance screeners will leak on various pirate sites. In recent years one group has drawn quite a bit of attention, due to both the timing and volume of their releases.

Hive-CM8 appear to have good sources and often manage to get their hands on many prominent screeners, which are gradually released to the public.

This year it started with “I Love You, Daddy,” which was dropped by the distributor after Louis C.K. was accused of sexual misconduct. Following two weeks of silence, the second release followed on Christmas Eve when “Last Flag Flying,” an American comedy-drama film, appeared online.

The timing is once again carefully chosen. Hive-CM8 specifically notes that it prefers to avoid releasing on Christmas Day, but it nonetheless used the opportunity to wish people a Merry Christmas.

“We decided to make one [release] before Christmas, not on Christmas we are the nice ones. In this spirit, Merry Christmas and stay tuned,” the release notes read.

Last.Flag.Flying.2017.DVDScr.XVID.AC3.HQ.Hive-CM8


The ‘stay tuned’ part suggested that more were coming, and this was indeed the case. Just a few hours ago three additional screeners were posted online, and quickly made their way to public pirate sites.

Screener copies of “I, Tonya,” “Lady Bird,” and “Call Me By Your Name” are now widely available online. Interestingly, it was still Christmas in parts of the world when they came out, but apparently not where Hive-CM8 are.

The group again wishes its ‘followers’ a Merry Christmas but also adds that people should see these movies on the big screen to support the filmmakers. The screener releases are mostly for those who are not in the position to do so, they add.

“What a nice release after Christmas. Merry Christmas to everyone, from me and TiTAN. Don´t forget watching a Screener is not like the real thing, you should still all go to the cinema and support the Producers,” the release notes read.

“We are especially sharing this for the people who cant visit the cinema due to illness, or because it is a limited release that doesn’t make it to their country. So those people also can experience some award nominated movies..Enjoy.”

Lady.Bird.2017.DVDScr.XVID.AC3.HQ.Hive-CM8

If previous years are any indication, the leaks won’t stop at five screeners this year. And indeed, Hive-CM8 suggests that they have many more screeners in their possession. There are still a few missing though, including Downsizing, Hostiles and Phantom Thread.

“We are still missing Downsizing, Hostiles, and Phantom Thread. Anyone want to share them for the collection? Yes we want to have them all if possible, we are collectors, we don’t want to release them all,” they write.

While not all screeners will come out, more are likely to follow during the weeks to come. Thus far Hive-CM8 has only given one guarantee: they’re not going to upload “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and more. We also have VPN discounts, offers and coupons

UBPorts bringing Android app support to Ubuntu phones (via Anbox)

After Canonical essentially gave up on developing Ubuntu Linux software for smartphones earlier this year, a group of developers at UBPorts decided to pick up where Canonical left off. The community-based project doesn’t have the resources of a c…

After Canonical essentially gave up on developing Ubuntu Linux software for smartphones earlier this year, a group of developers at UBPorts decided to pick up where Canonical left off. The community-based project doesn’t have the resources of a company like Canonical, but the developers still like the idea of running Ubuntu on smartphones, and so they’re […]

UBPorts bringing Android app support to Ubuntu phones (via Anbox) is a post from: Liliputing

‘Game of Thrones’ Most Torrented TV-Show of 2017

For the sixth year in a row Game of Thrones has taken the crown for the most pirated TV-show on the Internet. The Walking Dead remains in second place, with newcomer Rick and Morty right behind.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and more. We also have VPN discounts, offers and coupons

The seventh season of Game of Thrones brought tears and joy to HBO this year.

It was the most-viewed season thus far, with record-breaking TV ratings. But on the other hand, the company and its flagship product were plagued by hacks, leaks, and piracy, of course.

Game of Thrones’ year ends with a high, or low, depending on one’s perspective. For the sixth year in a row it has the honor of becoming the most-downloaded TV show through BitTorrent.

Although there was no new swarm record, traffic-wise the interest was plenty. The highest number of people actively sharing an episode across several torrents was 400,000 at its peak, right after the season finale came online.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s no growth in piracy. BitTorrent traffic only makes up a small portion of the piracy landscape. A lot of people use streaming sites and services nowadays, which are harder to measure.

While the top of this year’s list is made up of familiar names, there are also some new entries. Prison Break made a comeback, which didn’t go unnoticed by torrent fans, while Rick and Morty and Sherlock also make an appearance.

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Below we have compiled a list of the most torrented TV-shows worldwide (single episode) for 2017. The ranking is compiled by TorrentFreak based on several sources, including statistics reported by public BitTorrent trackers.

We have decided to stop reporting download estimates. Due to various changes in the torrent index/tracker landscape it’s become more challenging to monitor downloads accurately, so a ranked overview makes most sense.

Most downloaded TV-shows on BitTorrent, 2017
rank last year show
torrentfreak.com
1 (1) Game of Thrones
2 (2) The Walking Dead
3 (4) The Flash
4 (6) The Big Bang Theory
5 (…) Rick and Morty
6 (…) Prison Break
7 (…) Sherlock
8 (7) Vikings
9 (9) Suits
10 (5) Arrow

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and more. We also have VPN discounts, offers and coupons

Rethinking how the US grows beef

We could free up an area the size of France.

Enlarge / Watch out for that cow. (credit: Getty | Tim Graham)

How can we, as WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) individuals, mitigate our catastrophic effects on the environment? Pretty much all recommendations start with this: eat less meat.

Like the other top recommendations—drive less and fly less—this is not super appealing to most of us. But beef production in the US uses more land, water, and fertilizer than any other form of agriculture, no matter which way you cut it. Whether you measure by calories or grams of protein generated, cows are the elephant in the room.

As of now, cattle eat not only local pasture, but also grains, hay, and grass that is grown elsewhere and stored. A recent analysis by an international team of researchers looked into what would change if the US switched to sustainable ranching, in which cattle eat only from local grasslands and agricultural byproducts.

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Driverless cars became a reality in 2017 and hardly anyone noticed

There are now actual driverless cars on the roads in Phoenix. That’s a big deal.

Enlarge (credit: Waymo)

On November 7, Waymo announced it would begin regularly testing fully driverless cars—without a safety driver—on public roads. It was a momentous announcement. A technology that had seemed like science fiction a decade earlier became a reality. And the announcement was greeted with a yawn by much of the media and the public—if they noticed at all.

Consider this December 7 article by Eric Adams, a writer for The Drive. Adams wrote that "Level 4 technology"—that is, a car like Waymo's that can operate with no driver in a geofenced area—"is legal to operate precisely nowhere in the world right now." In fact, Waymo had been operating its driverless fleet in Arizona with the tacit approval of Arizona regulators for several weeks by that point. The Motley Fool wrote on November 30 that "it's not yet clear how Waymo will bring its technology to market," even though Waymo had already announced that its first product would be a Phoenix-area taxi service.

To be fair, these writers are hardly alone. Most of the media treated Waymo's shift to fully driverless cars as a minor story. And conversations I've had with friends and relatives in recent weeks suggest that most people still consider driverless cars to be a technology that's coming some time in the future—not something that's already on public streets.

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Report: smartwatches will probably always be niche devices

Spending time with family over the holidays, there came a moment where nearly everyone in the room was looking at their smartphone. One person was making a video call to friends and family far away. Others were looking at photos that had just been snap…

Spending time with family over the holidays, there came a moment where nearly everyone in the room was looking at their smartphone. One person was making a video call to friends and family far away. Others were looking at photos that had just been snapped and shared to a group. And younger folks were playing […]

Report: smartwatches will probably always be niche devices is a post from: Liliputing

2017 behind the wheel: Our favorite cars of the year

Everyone loves SUVs now, but what was our car of the year?

Jonathan Gitlin

A whole slew of our four-wheeled coverage in 2017 involved autonomous vehicles and self-driving cars. And with good reason—between the big OEMs and a legion of startups, a lot is going on there. But human-driven vehicles aren't going anywhere just yet, and 2017 has been an interesting year behind the wheel here at Ars.

We've had a bumper crop of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, with important new EVs from Chevrolet and Nissan bookending the calendar. We've driven enough crossovers and SUVs to fill a parking lot, some of which came in very handy during a house move. At the other end of the size chart, on one memorable day in Tennessee, I got to drive a gaggle of microcars, which made me realize just how far vehicle safety standards have progressed in 50 years. And there was a light sprinkling of supercars during the warmer months.

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