NASA’s supersized rocket passes a key test in northern Utah

The second qualification test of the SLS boosters was a noisy, fiery success.

Say what you will about the Space Launch System. It's expensive, costing so much that NASA can't really afford to build payloads to fly on it. The Senate specified the rocket to fly with components derived from the Space Shuttle expressly to preserve jobs that otherwise would have been lost following the shuttle's retirement. And the entirely expendable launcher uses 1970s technology while private companies are focusing on smaller, modern, and reusable rockets.

All of that, more or less, is true. But it is also undeniable that the Space Launch System, whenever it does fly, will be one hell of a firecracker. On Tuesday, the space agency offered a taste of that when it demonstrated the firing of one of the solid rocket boosters that will help blast the SLS rocket off of the launch pad.

These boosters will provide about 75 percent of the thrust needed to lift the rocket and its payload into low-Earth orbit. As implied by their name, the boosters burn a solid composite made largely of aluminum. During Tuesday's test, a single booster produced about 3.2 million pounds of thrust. By way of comparison, a Falcon 9 rocket with its nine engines produces about 1.7 million pounds of thrust.

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Axon 7: ZTEs Topsmartphone kommt für 450 Euro nach Deutschland

Das Axon 7 kommt nach Deutschland: ZTEs Topsmartphone mit Snapdragon-820-SoC, 20-Megapixel-Kamera, 1440p-Display und zwei dezidierten Soundprozessoren kostet 450 Euro. Damit ist das Gerät günstiger als die Top-Smartphones der meisten Konkurrenten. (ZTE, Smartphone)

Das Axon 7 kommt nach Deutschland: ZTEs Topsmartphone mit Snapdragon-820-SoC, 20-Megapixel-Kamera, 1440p-Display und zwei dezidierten Soundprozessoren kostet 450 Euro. Damit ist das Gerät günstiger als die Top-Smartphones der meisten Konkurrenten. (ZTE, Smartphone)

Medienanstalten: Analoge TV-Verbreitung bindet hohe Netzkapazitäten

Die analoge Verbreitung des Fernsehens über das Koaxialkabel behindert HDTV und breitbandiges Internet, mahnt die Direktorenkonferenz der Landesmedienanstalten. Noch dieses Jahr könnte eine digitale Empfangsquote von 80 Prozent im TV-Kabel erreicht werden. (HDTV, Internet)

Die analoge Verbreitung des Fernsehens über das Koaxialkabel behindert HDTV und breitbandiges Internet, mahnt die Direktorenkonferenz der Landesmedienanstalten. Noch dieses Jahr könnte eine digitale Empfangsquote von 80 Prozent im TV-Kabel erreicht werden. (HDTV, Internet)

Asus ZenPad 3s 10 Android tablet coming in July

Asus ZenPad 3s 10 Android tablet coming in July

Asus unveiled a few new Zenpad tablets with entry-level specs in June. But now it looks like the company is getting ready to update its ZenPad S line of Android tablets with premium specs.

The company is holding an event in Taiwan on July 12th to introduce the new Asus ZenPad 3s 10.

We’ll have to wait a few weeks to get the full spec sheet or price, but several Chinese-language websites are reporting that Asus has shared a few details in the invitation to the press event.

Continue reading Asus ZenPad 3s 10 Android tablet coming in July at Liliputing.

Asus ZenPad 3s 10 Android tablet coming in July

Asus unveiled a few new Zenpad tablets with entry-level specs in June. But now it looks like the company is getting ready to update its ZenPad S line of Android tablets with premium specs.

The company is holding an event in Taiwan on July 12th to introduce the new Asus ZenPad 3s 10.

We’ll have to wait a few weeks to get the full spec sheet or price, but several Chinese-language websites are reporting that Asus has shared a few details in the invitation to the press event.

Continue reading Asus ZenPad 3s 10 Android tablet coming in July at Liliputing.

‘Denuvo Crack Video’ & Rumors Excite Pirates

The DRM protection software currently stopping pirates from playing many of the PC’s top gaming titles is again causing excitement. Partially confirmed rumors coming out of Russia suggest that following a team effort, the infamous Denuvo may have been cracked for Rise of the Tomb Raider.

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

denuvoFor several decades owners of home computers have been aware of a simple fact. If legitimate software is available, it can be copied for use by someone who hasn’t paid for it.

For years this was as simple as audio-recording a cassette tape or cloning disks of various kinds, but more recently things have become decidedly more challenging. Digital Rights Management, or DRM as it’s more often known, is now a serious thorn in the side of software pirates.

The situation is being felt most acutely in the gaming world, where various protection methods are beginning to take their toll on those who prefer not to pay for the biggest games around.

In particular, the infamous Denuvo DRM anti-tamper system is responsible for keeping games such as Just Cause 3, Doom, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and a raft of other titles out of the hands of pirates. However, partially confirmed rumors emanating from Russia suggest that the cracks (excuse the pun) might be appearing in Denuvo.

Just to be clear, until such time that a working crack appears in the wild, most rumors (and there have been plenty of them recently) should be taken with a generous pinch of salt. However, during the past 24 hours, there have been unusual levels of excitement to suggest a crack might actually be close to surfacing.

The game at the forefront of discussion is the critically-acclaimed Rise of the Tomb Raider (ROTTR) from Square Enix. Like many Denuvo protected titles, ROTTR has thus far proven uncrackable but according to sources on Russian sites MKDev and Exelab, serious progress is being made.

What is causing the most excitement is a video which claims to show a crack of ROTTR in action. With most notation in Russian it’s difficult to follow in precise detail, but from the images alone it seems very likely that the game has been compromised, at least up to a point. (Watch here (low frame rate))

rottr1

So who is taking credit for this amazing feat? Well officially, no one yet, but various clues suggest that the crack is the product of a collaboration between a Russian hacker known online as Bronco and Scene group RELOADED (RLD).

While RLD is predictably saying nothing, yesterday Bronco gave a shout out to RLD on Exelab’s forums in a posting which included the words “special thanks RLD and v00doo.”

Furthermore, MKDEV (who is also working on Denuvo and was responsible for cracking Football Manager 2016) is indicating on his site (in broken English) that RLD might soon be delivering a crack for Rise of the Tomb Raider.

“SOON THEY ARE COMING … 1 BY 1 NOT BY OUR HAND BUT…RLD…ROTTR…,” his message reads.

Additionally, a hi-res image from the ‘crack’ video appears to show ‘RLD!’ in the near right-hand corner, perhaps more evidence that RLD played a major role in what is currently happening.

rottr2

In the absence of any ‘official’ announcement some analysis has been provided by an individual known online as RengarSenpai. He has also been working on Denuvo and appears to have gained access to some of MKDEV’s research in the past.

“The truth is that Denuvo is fully cracked for that specific game [Rise of the Tomb Raider], not emulated or worked around,” he writes.

But of course, the proof of the pudding is always in the eating and short of the all-important crack appearing in public, many will doubt it even exists.

Still, that hasn’t stopped the breathless celebrations starting early, especially from those prepared to download mysterious .exe files labeled up as Rise of the Tomb Raider cracks.

Rest assured, they’re all fakes….at least for now.

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

Vielfliegerprogramm: Hacker stehlen Millionen Air-India-Meilen

Kriminelle haben offenbar das Meilenprogramm von Air India angegriffen. Es ist nicht das erste Mal, dass ein solches Programm geknackt wird. Flugmeilen können auch als Währung zur Bezahlung illegaler Dienstleistungen genutzt werden. (Luftfahrt, Kaspersky)

Kriminelle haben offenbar das Meilenprogramm von Air India angegriffen. Es ist nicht das erste Mal, dass ein solches Programm geknackt wird. Flugmeilen können auch als Währung zur Bezahlung illegaler Dienstleistungen genutzt werden. (Luftfahrt, Kaspersky)

Moto G4 goes up for pre-order, ships July 12th for $199 and up

Moto G4 goes up for pre-order, ships July 12th for $199 and up

Motorola introduced the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus smartphones in May, and now the company says they’ll be available in the US starting July 12th.

They’ll be available from Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, B&H, and other retailers, but you can already pre-order the phones from Motorola.com. The Moto G4 starts at $199, while the G4 Plus is priced at $250 and up.

Both models have 5.5 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel displays, Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 octa-core processors, microSD card slots, 5MP front-facing cameras, and 3,000 mAh batteries.

Continue reading Moto G4 goes up for pre-order, ships July 12th for $199 and up at Liliputing.

Moto G4 goes up for pre-order, ships July 12th for $199 and up

Motorola introduced the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus smartphones in May, and now the company says they’ll be available in the US starting July 12th.

They’ll be available from Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, B&H, and other retailers, but you can already pre-order the phones from Motorola.com. The Moto G4 starts at $199, while the G4 Plus is priced at $250 and up.

Both models have 5.5 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel displays, Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 octa-core processors, microSD card slots, 5MP front-facing cameras, and 3,000 mAh batteries.

Continue reading Moto G4 goes up for pre-order, ships July 12th for $199 and up at Liliputing.

Microsoft to make it easier to decline Windows 10 upgrades

Microsoft to make it easier to decline Windows 10 upgrades

When Microsoft launched Windows 10 last summer, the company promised it would be available as a free upgrade for the first year of availability for anyone running Windows 7 or later. And then the company started pushing the free upgrade hard.

First, the company pushed out a Windows Update that added an upgrade icon to the system tray. Then the company started tweaking the design of that notification — so that trying to close it could cause a user to inadvertently trigger an upgrade.

Continue reading Microsoft to make it easier to decline Windows 10 upgrades at Liliputing.

Microsoft to make it easier to decline Windows 10 upgrades

When Microsoft launched Windows 10 last summer, the company promised it would be available as a free upgrade for the first year of availability for anyone running Windows 7 or later. And then the company started pushing the free upgrade hard.

First, the company pushed out a Windows Update that added an upgrade icon to the system tray. Then the company started tweaking the design of that notification — so that trying to close it could cause a user to inadvertently trigger an upgrade.

Continue reading Microsoft to make it easier to decline Windows 10 upgrades at Liliputing.