Kurz vor Ende seiner Amtszeit zieht US-Präsident Obama Konsequenzen aus der angeblichen Beeinflussung der Präsidentschaftswahlen durch Russland. Beweise für das staatliche Hacking und zur verwendeten Malware sollen vorgelegt werden. (Trump, Wikileaks) Dealmaster: Get an Alienware 13 laptop with a GTX 1060 GPU for just $1199
Plus deals on games, laptops, TVs, and more.
Greetings, Arsians! Courtesy of our partners at TechBargains, we have a new list of deals to share. Now you can get a great price on a powerful gaming laptop: the Alienware 13 R3 notebook with a Core i5 processor, GTX 1060 GPU, and a 256GB SSD is now just $1199. That's over $200 off its original price, so it's a good time to grab it while you can. We also have a number of deals on Core i7-powered laptops, SSDs, and tax software to consider before the new year begins.
Check out the rest of the deals below.
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2016 Was The Year Torrent Giants Fell
2016 has been a memorable year for torrent users but not in a good way. Over a period of just a few months, several of the largest torrent sites vanished from the scene. From KickassTorrents, through Torrentz to What.cd, several torrent giants have left the scene.
Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.
At TorrentFreak we have been keeping a close eye on the torrent ecosystem for more than a decade.
During this time, many sites have closed their doors, either voluntarily or after being forced by a court order.
However, 2016 has been a particularly ‘bad’ year for torrents, after two icons were pushed offline in a matter of weeks last summer. In total, three sites that were among the top ten most popular sites at the start of the year are now gone.
Perhaps just as importantly, with the demise of What.cd one of the largest private torrent trackers vanished as well.
KickassTorrents
The trouble started in July when Polish law enforcement officers arrested Artem Vaulin, the alleged founder of KickassTorrents (KAT). The arrest was part of a U.S. criminal case which also listed two other men as key players.
At the time, KAT was the most-used torrent site around, so the authorities couldn’t have hit a more prominent target.
The arrests meant the end of the torrent site and up until this day Artem remains in custody at a local hospital. While several KAT copies and mirrors appeared over the past several months, including one operated by original staffers, the original site is still dearly missed by many.
Torrentz
Not long after KickassTorrents went offline, Torrentz.eu decided to close its doors voluntarity. Without prior warning, all torrent listings were removed from the meta-search engine, which was the third largest torrent site at the time.
The site’s operator confirmed the shutdown to TorrentFreak and left its users with the following message: “Torrentz will always love you. Farewell.”
An official explanation for the drastic action was never given, but it’s likely that the trouble at KAT weighed into the decision.
Now, several months later, several copies and proxies have taken over the Torrentz brand. While these have nothing to do with the original site they are serving millions of pageviews a day, with Torrentz2.eu as the clear leader.
TorrentHound
TorrentHound is the third site out of last year’s top ten that shut its doors unexpectedly. The site was significantly smaller than the other two, but a home to many regular torrenters.
Initially, the site’s operator gave no official explanation. After a while, however, he confirmed to TorrentFreak that the closure was due to a combination of less revenue and constant pressure from anti-piracy groups.
“It’s a combination of less traffic, less revenue and our bills piling up. Then add on constantly getting bugged by anti-piracy agents, just wasn’t worth the headache anymore,” he said.
What.cd
The torrent troubles weren’t limited to public sites only. In fact, one of the biggest stories of the year is the shutdown of the world’s most comprehensive library of digital music, the private music tracker What.cd.
The site went offline after several of its servers were raided by the French military police. The local music industry group SACEM confirmed that the law enforcement efforts were part of a criminal investigation which is ongoing.
Soon after the first reports came out, What.cd’s operators shut down the site and deleted crucial data to keep its users safe. In addition, they released a detailed farewell message on Twitter.
“What.CD has completed its shutdown. We are confident that our staff and users are safe. It is with enormous sorrow in our hearts that we must now move on with our lives,” the site’s operators said.
However, music aficionados aren’t easily defeated. Within a matter of days several new trackers appeared online, growing harder than What.cd or its predecessor OiNK ever did.
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The above are just a few examples of major sites that have fallen, but it shows that 2016 was a year to remember. At the end of the week we’ll be heading into 2017 and the big question is; where will things go from here?
Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.
Deals of the Day (12-29-2016)
The new year is nearly here, and you’re probably not going to excercise any more in 2017 than you did in 2016. But there’s a good chance you’d like to, and if you’re the sort that sets New Year’s resolutions, a Fitbit, Jawbone Up, or another fitness tracker might be able to help you meet some of your goals.
At least that seems to be the thinking behind some of today’s sales.
Continue reading Deals of the Day (12-29-2016) at Liliputing.
The new year is nearly here, and you’re probably not going to excercise any more in 2017 than you did in 2016. But there’s a good chance you’d like to, and if you’re the sort that sets New Year’s resolutions, a Fitbit, Jawbone Up, or another fitness tracker might be able to help you meet some of your goals.
At least that seems to be the thinking behind some of today’s sales.
Continue reading Deals of the Day (12-29-2016) at Liliputing.
US reportedly plans retaliation against Russian election hacks soon [Update: sanctions announced]
A “proportional response” won’t deter future meddling, says one security expert.
Enlarge / Will Barack Obama order a major cyber-reprisal against Russia for election hacks before he leaves office? A CNN report suggests the response will be a softball. (credit: Photo by Carsten Koall/Getty Images)
[Update 2:20 PM ET: The Obama administration has announced sanctions against Russia, including the ejection of 35 Russian operatives from the US, and legal and financial sanctions against Russia's GRU and FSB intelligence services and top military officers. More details will follow in a separate story.]
According to a CNN report, officials within the Obama administration have said that retaliatory measures against Russia for interference in the US election will happen very soon—perhaps as early as today. But the response is expected to be "proportional" and include diplomatic measures and sanctions. It's not clear whether there will be any sort of response in kind against the Russian leadership's computer systems and data.
A proportional response, however, likely won't do anything to deter future efforts to use hacking and information campaigns to affect US politics or other aspects of government. That's according to Dave Aitel, the founder of the security firm Immunity and a former NSA research scientist. In a recent interview with Ars, Aitel said he believed that the US would take some sort of retaliatory action in the final weeks of Obama's presidency. "We're in a unique position where [President Barack] Obama can lay a haymaker down," he said, "and then Trump has to stand up. And Obama has nothing to restrain him."
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NASA accused of hiding a Borg cube at the Sun and a hole in the North Pole
Our annual googling of “NASA hiding” does not disappoint.
Enlarge / One ufologist found a Borg cube feeding off the Sun. (credit: UFO Sightings Daily)
As the federal agency at the forefront of exploring outer space, NASA winds up being the front door for all manner of alien conspiracies. And so every year, to find out what the miscreants at the space agency have been keeping from the good, honest people of America, we like to google the phrase "NASA hiding."
2016 did not disappoint.
Aliens at the Space Station
Ever popular is the notion that the space agency manipulates the cameras aboard the International Space Station to prevent ufologists from identifying their quarry. This tired notion popped up again during 2016 when NASA cut a live video feed from the station in July.
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Superbook laptop dock for smartphones delayed until June, 2017
The makers of the Superbook have developed a device that lets you use a smartphone like a laptop… by connecting a device that looks like a laptop and running an app that makes Android look more like a desktop operating system.
After raising nearly $3 million through a Kickstarter campaign in 2016, the team at Andromium had hoped to begin shipping Superbooks to backers in February. But now that date has been pushed back a few months.
Continue reading Superbook laptop dock for smartphones delayed until June, 2017 at Liliputing.
The makers of the Superbook have developed a device that lets you use a smartphone like a laptop… by connecting a device that looks like a laptop and running an app that makes Android look more like a desktop operating system.
After raising nearly $3 million through a Kickstarter campaign in 2016, the team at Andromium had hoped to begin shipping Superbooks to backers in February. But now that date has been pushed back a few months.
Continue reading Superbook laptop dock for smartphones delayed until June, 2017 at Liliputing.
OpenELEC 7.0 is a Linux-based operating system built around Kodi media center
Have an old PC lying around that you don’t use much anymore? You might be able to connect it to a TV and turn it into a media center. There are a lot of ways to do that, but one interesting method is to install OpenELEC.
It’s a Linux-based operating system that’s built around the popular Kodi media center. It’s lightweight, so it can run on older or cheaper devices. And it support Intel, AMD, or ARM chips.
Have an old PC lying around that you don’t use much anymore? You might be able to connect it to a TV and turn it into a media center. There are a lot of ways to do that, but one interesting method is to install OpenELEC.
It’s a Linux-based operating system that’s built around the popular Kodi media center. It’s lightweight, so it can run on older or cheaper devices. And it support Intel, AMD, or ARM chips.
Obesity-linked genetic variant changes brain’s response to food cues
Genetic predisposition to obesity causes changes even in normal-weight children.
Genes and sensitivity to environmental cues both contribute to obesity, but the relationship between these two is not well understood. A recent paper published in PNAS shows that children who have a genetic predisposition for obesity have a different neurological response to food, as well as larger reward centers. These two findings suggest that at least some of the genetic predisposition for obesity works by altering brain structures that respond to food.
The study looked at children who have a genetic variant that has been associated with obesity risk. People with this genetic variant tend to have a high body fat percentage and BMI. Scientists suspect that the gene also influences food intake and choices, but not exercise habits. Based on previous work, the researchers behind the new paper theorize that this gene influences brain functions.
The authors recruited 78 children between the ages of nine and 12 for their study. These participants were all screened for the obesity-related genetic variant. Nineteen of the participants were considered high-risk because they had two copies of the variant. Thirty-seven had only one copy, and 22 did not have it at all; both of these groups were considered low-risk. The children were all asked to watch-age appropriate television that was interrupted with both regular and food-related commercials.
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Amazon announces Digital Day 24-hour sales event for digital content only
The action starts Friday, December 30 at midnight.
The holiday shopping season may be officially over, but Amazon created another way for people to spend money before 2017 begins. The online retailer announced Digital Day, a 24-hour sales event on its website where you can save on all kinds of digital downloads including video games, movies, music, and comics. The event starts at 12am PST on Friday, December 30.
According to Amazon's Digital Day promotional page, savings will be as big as 80 percent off "hundreds" of video game titles, 75 percent off digital comics, and more. While details on specific deals have not yet been released, there are images of video game and movie titles including FIFA 17, Destiny, and The Lego Movie, as well as other items like Marvel comics and H&R Block tax software under an "Upcoming Deals" header. Those savings will go live when the event starts, and Amazon may structure Digital Day like Prime Day, which occurred in July, where different deals go live on Amazon.com at various times of the day.
Amazon is pushing Digital Day as a way to stock up on digital content for all your devices, including your smartphone, tablet, Kindle e-reader, and the like. Amazon likely wants to have another big sales day akin to Prime Day before the start of 2017, to test how well-received a post-Christmas deals event would be. Like any retailer, Amazon has discounted items before Christmas to attract holiday shoppers, but those deals end when the shopping season ends. Digital Day could be a way for Amazon to see how many customers want to spend a bit more after Christmas, particularly those who received new smartphones, tablets, and e-readers as gifts and now want to stock up on digital content.
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