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(credit: Glenn Asakawa, University of Colorado)

Moving data around inside a computer means shoving it through wires, which have inherent bandwidth limitations and produce a lot of heat. Once that data hits a network, however, it often runs across optical hardware, which can send information long distances at high bandwidth without needing a dedicated nuclear reactor for power.

The contrast between the two methods has most companies thinking about ways of getting optical connections inside computers and, eventually, inside chips themselves. This poses a significant challenge. While it's possible to use silicon to create light-handling features, the processes used to do so are incompatible with the CMOS techniques used to make circuitry. As a result, most efforts in this area have used separate chips: one for the processor, one for the optical interconnect.

Now, a research team has put together a single chip that handles both optical and electrical processing, and which uses an optical connection to its main memory. While the bandwidth remains low, the entire system was manufactured using standard CMOS processes. And it incorporates a small RISC processor that's able to run standard text and graphical programs.

Have you ever watched a car commercial that features exploding cutaway views of cars in motion or impossible location shots, then wondered where the CGI cars they used came from?

As it happens, many of them are the same models used in online car configurators—those 3D renders of vehicles that let you play around with different paint or trim options. Since car companies are better at building physical cars than 3D models of cars, they have long partnered with CGI firms like Mackevision (which also does effects work for Game of Thrones) to build these digital models.

It's a job that Mackevision's CEO Armin Pohl described to Ars as "a blend between magic and logic" when we spoke recently. One of the company's most recent efforts was work with Porsche on the Mission E, which Mackevision has shared with us here.

The structure of a borophene cluster. (credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Graphene is an exceptionally strong and conductive material composed of a single atomic layer of carbon. Its discovery sparked interest in the development of other two-dimensional (2D) materials, and, over the past decade, scientists have discovered hundreds. These materials boast abilities that could make a noticeable impact in areas such as electronics, thermal management, filtration, medicine, and more.

Now, an unusual atom—boron—has been used to produce a novel 2D material called "borophene."

Boron at the atomic level

Boron is one of the many materials that has been considered for development of 2D materials. Boron is an interesting atom to use as a building block for a number of reasons. First, it is a semi-metal, meaning it exhibits some properties of metals and some properties of nonmetals; as a 2D material, it thus has the potential to exhibit unique behavior.

Let us help you narrow that down, Steam. (credit: Steam Store)

Sorry wallets, but it's Steam sale time again. Yes, the Steam Winter Sale is once again upon us, offering deep discounts on over 10,000 downloadable PC titles from now through 10am Pacific Time on January 4, 2016.

Unlike previous Steam sales, this year's Winter Sale doesn't feature any deals that might vary over time. All currently discounted titles will stay at their current prices until the sale ends, with no other surprise discounts along the way. That means we can make some recommendations without worrying that prices may soon fall even lower or that other high-profile games will get discounts in the near future.

With so many games being offered this year, we thought we'd help you narrow the list down to a few titles worth your time and money. All of the 50 recommended sale-priced games listed below are good buys at their original prices—and even better deals during the next two weeks. Some are classic games that you may already own, while others are 2015 releases that have already been steeply discounted.

Deals on gaming hardware this good don't come along that often. (credit: Gamestop)

Last week, we tried our best to navigate the competitive world of console gaming in order to make a recommendation for which current system should sit under your TV. For some gamers, though, it's almost physically painful to pick just one console and miss out on all of the exclusive content available on the other two.

For those gamers, GameStop has an online deal that means you don't have to choose. The new Pre-owned Next Generation Hardware Bundle offers used and "refurbished" editions of the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U for a total of $569.98. That's a nearly 30 percent savings from the price you would pay for all three pre-owned systems separately at GameStop, and 40 percent off the $950 you'd have to pay to get those systems brand new (though the new systems would include a few bundled games, as well). The deal looks even better when you consider that, two years ago, a brand new Kinect-bundled Xbox One and a single game would run you $560 all by itself.

You might be understandably wary of purchasing consoles that have been subjected to unknown horrors by previous owners, but all of GameStop's used consoles go through the company's impressive refurbishment center where they're tested and refreshed for new owners (those centers have even been able to fix the infamous Xbox 360 red ring of death since 2009). GameStop also offers a seven-day money-back guarantee on its pre-owned hardware and a 30-day return period where you can exchange the console for an identical one, no questions asked. After that, it's caveat emptor.

(credit: Andrii Degeler)

Wireless chargers using standards like Qi have been on the market for a while; IKEA even includes them in some of its furniture these days. But if you think about it, there's not that much difference between wired and wireless charging of this kind. After all, the charger still needs to be plugged into a wall socket, and you still need to leave the phone in a designated place to charge.

What would be a significant improvement, however, is charging a smartphone just by hanging around in the same room as a wireless charger.

XE, a Ukrainian startup working in semi-stealth mode since 2014, claims to have found a safe and reliable way to transfer electricity to a device that's up to five meters (16ft) away. The commercial version of the technology will consist of a base charging station of about 15×15×40cm and a 3mm thick smartphone case.

(credit: Mike Mozart)

Amid an ongoing E. coli outbreak investigation at Chipotle Mexican Grill, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday announced that it is joining the effort to investigate what may be a second wave of illnesses linked to the chain restaurant. The new illnesses are caused by the same type of E. coli found in the previous cases—Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O26 (STEC 026)—but with a different, rare genetic variant.

To investigate this second wave, the FDA has combined forces with state and local authorities, plus the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which on Monday first announced an investigation into five cases of the variant E. coli infections. Those cases included one in Kansas, one in North Dakota, and three in Oklahoma. The sickened people from Kansas and North Dakota reportedly ate at the same Chipotle restaurant in Kansas before falling ill. The three sickened in Oklahoma were separate cases, but all three reportedly ate at the same Chipotle, the FDA reported.

The new cases, if confirmed, would bring the new E. coli outbreak numbers to 58 sickened and 12 states affected. The other states linked are California (3 cases), Illinois (1), Maryland (1), Minnesota (2), New York (1), Ohio (3), Oregon (13), Pennsylvania (2), and Washington (27). All of the cases involve some form of the STEC 026 bacteria.