Corsair Lapdog vs. Razer Turret: Which mouse and keyboard wins for couch gaming?

Two different takes on a keyboard and mouse for the living room—and one clear winner.

(video link)

Making a keyboard and mouse for PC gaming in the living room is hard. Just ask the infamous company Phantom Entertainment which—after blowing tens of millions of dollars trying and failing to release a PC-based console—settled on releasing the ergonomic monstrosity that was the Phantom Lapboard instead. Since then, few companies have taken the challenge on. Sure, Valve had a stab at it with its Steam Controller, and while that functions as a good substitute for a keyboard and mouse in certain games, it's not quite the same as tapping away on some WASD keys.

Fortunately, thanks to the buoyant PC gaming scene, there's been a renewed interest in developing a keyboard and mouse that work well on a couch—and as someone who built a gaming PC specifically to use in the living room, only to resort to using an Xbox controller, I was particularly keen to try them out. Enter the Corsair Lapdog "gaming control centre" and Razer Turret, two very different takes on a keyboard and mouse for the lounge.

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Microsoft: 2017 gibt es zwei große Windows-10-Updates

Nach dem Anniversary-Update soll es in diesem Jahr keine größeren Feature-Pakete für Windows 10 mehr geben. Im kommenden Jahr sind dafür gleich zwei Releases mit neuen Funktionen zu erwarten. Noch in diesem Jahr wird aber eine neue Long-Term-Support Version erscheinen. (Windows 10, Microsoft)

Nach dem Anniversary-Update soll es in diesem Jahr keine größeren Feature-Pakete für Windows 10 mehr geben. Im kommenden Jahr sind dafür gleich zwei Releases mit neuen Funktionen zu erwarten. Noch in diesem Jahr wird aber eine neue Long-Term-Support Version erscheinen. (Windows 10, Microsoft)

Ninjavideo Uploader Featured on Interpol’s “Wanted” Criminals List

Half a decade after the U.S. Government took down the popular video piracy site Ninjavideo, one of the key defendants is still at large. The landmark case resulted in several prison sentences and the authorities haven’t given up on catching the last suspect either, who’s now featured on Interpol’s list of wanted criminals.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.

ninjavideoFive years ago, several people connected to the video streaming and download site NinjaVideo were indicted by the U.S. Government on copyright infringement and conspiracy charges.

The landmark case resulted in several convictions, including a 22 month prison sentence for one the site’s founders, the outspoken Hana Beshara.

The convictions date back several years ago. Beshara, who received the longest sentence, served her time and was released last summer. However, that doesn’t mean that the case is closed.

One of the indicted NinjaVideo members, Zoi Mertzanis from Greece, is still at large. Mertzanis, AKA “Tik,” was allegedly one of the most active uploaders on the site.

“Mertzanis supervised most of the European-based uploaders, including directing uploaders to locate specific infringing copyrighted content for the NinjaVideo.net website,” the DoJ wrote in the indictment.

However, despite several successful convictions and plea agreements, the Greek resident still hasn’t been caught.

As a result, the now 40-year-old woman is currently featured on Interpol’s “wanted” list. Interpol issued a so-called “red notice” for the former Ninjavideo uploader, indicating that she’s wanted for extradition.

Mertzanis’ Red Notice listing on Interpol’s wanted site

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According to our knowledge, Mertzanis is the only person associated with a streaming or download site listed on Interpol’s website.

TorrentFreak spoke to someone close to the Ninjavideo case who informed us that Mertzanis’ fugitive status has negative consequences for the convicted co-conspirators who already served their time. Because the case remains open, they are still waiting for the return of several personal items that were seized.

The Ninjavideo case has been one of the most prominent successes of the U.S. Government’s “Operation in Our Sites” campaign. If Mertzanis is caught and extradited, she is facing a prison sentence of at least several months, based on the previous convictions.

The harshest sentence was handed to NinjaVideo founder Hana Beshara, 22 months in prison and a payment of $210,000 in damages to the MPAA. Fellow admin Matthew Smith received 14 months in prison and was ordered to pay back just over $172,000.

Ninjavideo uploader Joshua Evans received 6 months in prison and $26,660 in restitution. Justin Dedemko was not listed as part of the NinjaVideo conspiracy, but was sentenced to 3 months in prison and ordered to repay the MPAA $58,004.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.

Soziale Netzwerke: Deutsche Minister wollen Deutschpflicht und mehr Daten

Beim Thema Terrorbekämpfung und der Integration von Migranten gibt es immer wieder kuriose Vorschläge. Deutsche Landesminister waren mal wieder besonders kreativ. Es geht, natürlich, um Facebook. (Facebook, Soziales Netz)

Beim Thema Terrorbekämpfung und der Integration von Migranten gibt es immer wieder kuriose Vorschläge. Deutsche Landesminister waren mal wieder besonders kreativ. Es geht, natürlich, um Facebook. (Facebook, Soziales Netz)

HTTPS: Mozilla spricht Let’s Encrypt das Vertrauen aus

Let’s Encrypt erreicht einen weiteren Meilenstein: Mozilla wird die freie CA in sein eigenes Root-Programm für Zertifikate aufnehmen. Weitere Browserhersteller sollen folgen. (Let’s Encrypt, Firefox)

Let's Encrypt erreicht einen weiteren Meilenstein: Mozilla wird die freie CA in sein eigenes Root-Programm für Zertifikate aufnehmen. Weitere Browserhersteller sollen folgen. (Let's Encrypt, Firefox)

Lumo Run reviewed: Messing up your form? This running coach can fix that.

You run regularly, but are you running correctly?

Video shot/edited by Jennifer Hahn. (video link)

There's no shortage of devices that track workouts, but a new crop of gadgets that help you make your workouts better is slowly growing. One of the newest is the $99 Lumo Run, which is a scaled-down version of the company's smart clothing. It's a super-small sensor that monitors running, analyzes form in real-time, and provides feedback on how to run better.

In some ways, that might seem limiting: unlike so many activity tracking wearables that are great for people looking to exercise more, Lumo Run doesn't track daily steps, sleep, or nutrition. Devices like Lumo Run are meant to be used during workouts by people who already have an exercise routine and are looking to improve it. The device might not have as wide an audience as a more basic fitness tracker, but once you're in a routine, the Lumo Run may actually be more helpful.

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People look guiltier when their actions are viewed in slow motion

Slowing down footage in criminal cases may dramatically sway life-or-death decisions.

(credit: Paweł Zdziarski )

From the pull of a trigger to the swing of a fist, a lot can happen in a fraction of a second. And gauging what's going through the minds of those involved during such dramatic slivers of time can be incredibly difficult, if not impossible. That's why law enforcement agents and prosecutors are increasingly turning to video. Those digital records don't just replay quick, life-altering events—they can be slowed down so that the slightest movements can be dissected. This, the logic goes, clarifies not just what happened, but helps explain what an alleged criminal intended to happen. But, according to a new study, slow motion might actually muddle our view.

Viewers who watch videos in slow motion—as opposed to regular speed—are more likely to feel that the people filmed act with a willful, deliberate, and premeditated intention, researchers report. The elongation of events, it turns out, gives viewers the impression that people in video clips have more time to think over and plan out what they are doing. The findings, published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest that jurors who view slow motion footage of an alleged crime may assign more responsibility to the accused than they would have otherwise.

“In legal proceedings, these judgments of intent can mean the difference between life and death,” the authors conclude. “Thus, any benefits of video replay should be weighed against its potentially biasing effects.”

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Torrentz Gone, KAT Down, Are Torrent Giants Doomed to Fall?

Over the past couple of weeks, two of the largest torrent sites on the Internet shut down. After KickassTorrents was shut down by the U.S. Government, meta-search engine Torrentz.eu also said farewell yesterday. Looking back over the years, they are not the only torrent giants to have fallen.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.

bomb-explosion-atomicAt TorrentFreak we have been keeping a close eye on the torrent ecosystem for more than a decade.

During this time, many sites have shut down, either voluntarily or forced by a court order.

This week meta-search engine Torrentz joined this ever-expanding list. In what appears to be a voluntary action, the site waved its millions of users farewell without prior warning.

The site’s operators have yet to explain their motivations. However, it wouldn’t be a big surprise if the continued legal pressure on torrent sites played a major role, with KAT as the most recent example.

And let’s be honest. Running a site that could make you the target of an FBI investigation, facing over a dozen years in prison, is no joke.

Looking back at the largest torrent sites of the past 15 years, we see a familiar pattern emerge. Many of the sites that make it to the top eventually fall down, often due to legal pressure.

Suprnova (2004)

Suprnova was one of the first ever BitTorrent giants. Founded by the Slovenian-born Andrej Preston, the site dominated the torrent scene during the early days.

It was also one of the first torrent sites to be targeted by the authorities. In November 2004 the site’s servers were raided, and a month later Preston, aka Sloncek, decided to shut it down voluntarily. The police investigation was eventually dropped a few months later.

Lokitorrent (2005)

When Suprnova went down a new site was quick to fill its void. LokiTorrent soon became one of the largest torrent sites around, which also attracted the attention of the MPAA.

LokiTorrent’s owner Ed Webber said he wanted to fight the MPAA and actively collected donations to pay for the legal costs. With success, as he raised over $40,000 in a few weeks.

However, not long after that, LokiTorrent was shut down, and all that was left was the iconic “You can click but you can’t hide” MPAA notice.

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TorrentSpy (2008)

In 2006 TorrentSpy was more popular than any other BitTorrent site. This quickly changed when it was sued by the MPAA. In 2007 a federal judge ordered TorrentSpy to log all user data and the site opted to ban all U.S. traffic in response.

March 2008 TorrentSpy owner Justin Bunnell decided to shut down completely and not much later his company was ordered to pay the Hollywood studios $110 million in damages.

Mininova (2009)

After TorrentSpy’s demise, Mininova became the largest torrent site on the net. The name was inspired by Suprnova, but in 2008 the site was many times larger than its predecessor.

Its popularity eventually resulted in a lawsuit from local anti-piracy outfit BREIN, which Mininova lost. As a result, the site had to remove all infringing torrents, a move which effectively ended its reign.

Today the site is still online, limiting uploads to pre-approved publishers, making it a ghost of the giant it was in the past.

BTJunkie (2012)

In 2012, shortly after the Megaupload raid, torrent site BTJunkie shut down voluntarily.

Talking to TorrentFreak, BTjunkie’s founder said that the legal actions against other file-sharing sites played an important role in making the difficult decision. Witnessing all the trouble his colleagues got into was a constant cause of worry and stress.

“We’ve been fighting for years for your right to communicate, but it’s time to move on. It’s been an experience of a lifetime, we wish you all the best,” he wrote in a farewell message.

btjunkie

isoHunt (2013)

The shutdown of isoHunt a year later wasn’t much of a surprise. The site had been fighting a legal battle with the MPAA for over a decade and eventually lost, agreeing to pay the movie studios a $110m settlement.

As one of the oldest and largest sites at the time, the torrent ecosystem lost another icon. However, as is often the case, another site with the same name quickly took over and is still operating today.

EZTV (2015)

The story of EZTV’s demise is quite different from the rest. The popular TV-torrent distribution group shut down last year after a hostile takeover.

Strangely enough, many people don’t even realize that it’s “gone.” The site continued to operate under new ownership and still releases torrents. However, in solidarity with the original founders these torrents are banned on several other sites.

YIFY/YTS (2015)

What started as a simple movie release group in 2010 turned into one of the largest torrent icons. The group amassed a huge following and its website was generating millions of pageviews per day early last year.

In November 2015 this ended abruptly. Facing a million dollar lawsuit from Hollywood, the group’s founder decided to pull the plug and call it quits. Even though various copycats have since emerged, the real YIFY/YTS is no more.

KickassTorrents (2016)

Three weeks ago Polish law enforcement officers arrested Artem Vaulin, the alleged owner of KickassTorrents. The arrest resulted in the shutdown of the site, which came as a shock to millions of KAT users and the torrent community at large.

Out of nowhere, the largest torrent index disappeared and there are no signs that it’s coming back anytime soon. The site’s community, meanwhile, has found a new home at Katcr.to.

Torrentz (2016)

Torrentz is the last torrent site to cease its operations. Although no official explanation was given, some of the stories outlined above were probably weighed into the founders’ decision.

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So what will the future bring? Who will be the next giant to fall? It’s obvious that nearly nothing last forever in the torrent ecosystem. Well, apart from the ever-resilient Pirate Bay.

And there are several other alternatives still around as well. ExtraTorrent has been around for a decade now and continues to grow, and the same is true for other popular torrent sites.

At least, for now…

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.

Suicide Squad would be better if it didn’t reek of desperation

Why can’t DC make a decent movie?

Why are we here? To make money for Warner Bros? Oh OK. (credit: Warner Bros)

Suicide Squad, a candy-colored tale of supervillains saving Gotham, is the latest "metahuman" adventure brought to you by the world of DC Comics. After the abysmal performance of Batman v. Superman earlier this summer, a lot is riding on Suicide Squad for DC. But this ramshackle exploitation flick clearly was never meant to be a tentpole. Slapdash, uneven, and unintentionally silly, the movie is a cynical froth of dumb cliches. Which is no surprise, given the studio's last-minute editing to punch up the pace and humor. All that said, I'm not going to lie. It was still kind of fun.

The main problem with Suicide Squad comes down to one, basic error. It has the premise of a cheap exploitation movie, with the production and marketing budget of a blockbuster. Set in the days after Superman's supposed death in Batman v. Superman, it's about a world that is so bereft of hope and so politically cynical that the government is willing to use criminal supervillains to fight "terrorists." Viola Davis is incredible as Amanda Waller, a heartless covert ops manager who puts together the "suicide squad" out of the jail/sewer where Deadshot (Will Smith), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), and various other baddies are kept. A frenetic opening sequence introduces us to our band of bad guys, whose superpowers include things like "shoots well," "sexy in shorts," "secretly an Aztec god," "weird teeth," and "climbs fast." If Robert Rodriguez were directing this in a condemned nightclub, I would be all in. It's the perfect premise for a bloody, sexy, fire-soaked brawl.

But DC Films, owned by Warner Bros, wants Suicide Squad to be something more. And can you blame them? Batman v. Superman underperformed, the latest in a string of expensive misses that go all the way back to Green Lantern. Marvel Studios, for all its flaws (and we can chant them together later if you want), has had a string of hits like Deadpool, Avengers, and Guardians of the Galaxy that makes DC look like they're standing still. As Hollywood Reporter's Kim Masters reported in a fascinating article this week, Warners studio head Kevin Tsujihara worries that the DC brand is "damaged." The studio needs Suicide Squad to be a hit, to prove that they can get back to the heights of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy.

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