Month: February 2018

Samuel Axon

Every Civilization game since Civilization IV has followed the same trajectory: the initial release remixes and reinterprets some base systems from the previous game, but franchise veterans deem it anemic because it has fewer systems and features than its fully expanded predecessor. From there, new expansions gradually reintroduce the complexity that was lost in the move to a new game until many of those players conclude that it's the best game in the series yet.

In many ways, though, 2016's Civilization VI was a bigger departure than previous entries, and it has been divisive accordingly. The game completely overhauled how cities were expanded and how religious warfare was waged, among other things. If you're a Civ traditionalist who felt Civilization VI strayed too far, you won't like this latest expansion. It takes the changes even further. But if you've been itching for even more ambitious fresh ideas in a franchise that has historically been very conservative, you'll find what you're looking for here.

Enlarge (credit: Amazon)

Since Amazon bought Whole Foods last year for 13.7 billion, we've seen the online retailer dish out discounts and outfit many Whole Foods locations with Echo devices for you to buy along with your free-range chicken. Now, Amazon is integrating Whole Foods into its Prime Now delivery service, allowing Prime customers to order select Whole Foods items and get them delivered within two hours.

However, this new endeavor isn't a sweeping change yet—Prime Now delivery for Whole Foods orders is only now available in some Austin, Dallas, Virginia Beach, and Cincinnati neighborhoods. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Amazon plans to expand the service to other markets, but it's unclear how long the expansion will take.

Customers can search through the Whole Foods section of the Prime Now website online or on Amazon's mobile apps to select items to order. Fresh produce, meat, seafood, and some alcohol will be available, but not all Whole Foods items are eligible for quick delivery. Two-hour delivery is free for all Prime members with orders of $35 or more, and customers can pay an extra $7.99 to have their items delivered within one hour.

Enlarge / The Falcon Heavy rocket proved that 27 engines can fly together and not go all explode-y. (credit: SpaceX)

One of the most striking aspects of this week's launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket is the number of engines the triple-core booster used to reach orbit. Each of the cores had nine Merlin rocket engines, making for a total of 27 engines.

Prior to this launch, no rocket had ever successfully ascended into orbit with more than nine engines—a feat accomplished previously by SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Rocket Lab's Electron rocket. (The Russian Soyuz rocket has five engines, each of which has six thrust chambers.)

Launching a rocket with 27 engines, therefore, represents a notable step forward in rocket complexity. It is all the more so, considering the Soviet N-1 rocket. Four times, from 1969 to 1972, the Russians attempted to launch their titanic “Moon rocket,” and it failed spectacularly each time. Its 30 engines were just too many to fire, throttle, and steer at the same time.

Enlarge (credit: Charles Coates/McLaren/Lee Hutchinson)

One of the most recognizable names in racing is pairing up with one of the most recognizable names in computing. The McLaren Formula 1 team and Dell Technologies are entering into a "multi-faceted, long-term partnership." After several years without a major sponsor—years that mostly coincided with a precipitous fall in performance—fans of the team should see this as a positive step for the British team.

As well as seeing its name on the racing cars, Dell will provide the entire McLaren Technology Group with technology. "Dell Technologies, which consists of seven global brands—Dell, Dell EMC, Pivotal, RSA, Secureworks, Virtustream and VMware—will bring its deep technology expertise to all McLaren Technology Group companies, including McLaren Racing and McLaren Applied Technologies, as well as benefiting McLaren’s esports programme, World’s Fastest Gamer," McLaren said in a statement.

For its part, Dell is excited to get its name in front of F1 viewers in Europe and Asia. "Think of us using it in the same way as we have used the PGA Tour golf events so successfully over the past couple of years. Over 400 million people watch Formula 1 each year, most outside of the US, and it contains a high concentration of tech-savvy watchers—which is of particular interest to us," the company said in a statement. And this isn't Dell's first foray into F1; back in 2013 Lee Hutchinson took a look at how the tech company was helping (now-defunct) Caterham F1 in the sport.

Enlarge / Vaguely reminiscent of the brand's infamous Steph Curry design. (credit: Valentina Palladino)

In recent years, I've tracked my running in many ways—wristbands, smartwatches, pant sensors, socks, and the like. But smart running shoes have always promised the most convenient solution for those who want to track running without extra devices. Unless you prefer running barefoot (which some do), everyone needs a pair of shoes before they go running. And why not make those shoes work a little harder?

Under Armour initially embraced this idea with the debut of its Speedform Gemini 2 smart sneakers a couple of years ago. Now, the company has new designs with improved internal tech in the form of the $130-$140 HOVR Phantom and $100-$110 HOVR Sonic connected shoes. The new kicks track every step of your run, capturing enough data to educate both novice and expert runners about their form and progress. And when combined with the improved MapMyRun app, the new HOVR shoes make a good case for ditching that smart wristband and lacing up a pair of these instead.

Design

Out of the two new shoe models Under Armour debuted, I tested the HOVR Phantom. It has an improved design that is made with a wax-based foam for better energy return, softness, and adaptivity. The HOVR name (pronounced "hover") comes from the new foam cushion with a durometer contained by Under Armour's "energy web," which is supposed to be responsive and better at directing energy than other designs.