We’ve recently reported, as rumor, that a Tomb Raider movie reboot might be in the works, but now we have confirmation from the studio. In addition, the video game franchise is receiving the same treatment.
Tomb Raider’s double reboot
30 Things We Need — and 30 We Don't
Do you have the feeling, as I do, that in the tsunami of everyday life, we’re getting too much of stuff we don’t need, and not enough of what we do? Herewith my first set of suggestions about how to redress the imbalance:
| WE NEED LESS: | WE NEED MORE: |
| Information | Wisdom |
| Shallow billionaires | Passionate teachers |
| Self-promotion | Self-awareness |
| Multitasking | Control of our attention |
| Inequality | Fairness |
| Sugar | Lean protein |
| Action | Reflection |
| Super sizes | Smaller portions |
| Private jets | High-speed trains |
| Calculation | Passion |
| Experts | Learners |
| Blaming | Taking responsibility |
| Judgment | Discernment |
| Texting | Reading |
| Anger | Empathy |
| Output | Depth |
| Constructive criticism | Thank-you notes |
| Possessions | Meaning |
| Righteousness | Doing the right thing |
| Answers | Curiosity |
| Long hours | Longer sleep |
| Complaining | Gratitude |
| Sitting | Moving |
| Selling | Authenticity |
| Cynicism | Realistic optimism |
| Self-indulgence | Self-control |
| Speed | Renewal |
| Emails | Conversations |
| Winning | Win-win |
| Immediate gratification | Sacrifice |
Chrome gets a performance boost, simplified settings interface
It was just a month ago that Google brought Chrome up to version 9 with various performance upgrades and other improvements, but it’s now already back with version 10, which is fresh out of beta today. That boasts yet more upgrades in speed — include a 66 percent improvement in JavaScript performance on the V8 benchmark suite — along with a completely revamped settings interface that replaces the usual window with a tab in the browser. You can also now synchronize your saved passwords across different computers, and Google has extended its sandboxing technology to the integrated Flash player in Chrome, which promises to better guard against malicious websites. As usual, Google has also explained all of the improvements in some handy videos — check those out after the break.
Continue reading Chrome gets a performance boost, simplified settings interface
Chrome gets a performance boost, simplified settings interface originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 12:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The SuperMoon Apocalypse Is Near! (No, Actually It’s Not) [Science]
On March 19 the Moon will be at its closest point to Earth in 18 years: 356,577 kilometers, according to the perigee and apogee calculator. Naturally, this means that WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE in a clusterfuck of mad hurricanes, raging volcanos, furious tsunamis and mad earthquakes. Why? Because some people have used very special instruments to detect the impending disaster in their own assfog. So, what it is going to happen, then? More »
Jolicloud renames operating system ‘Joli OS,’ promises new web and Android apps
Well, it doesn’t involve the company’s Jolibook laptop, but it looks like some fairly big changes are indeed in store for Joliclould’s upstart operating system. In addition to confirming that version 1.2 be released next week, the company has announced that it will be renaming the operating system “Joli OS” to avoid confusion with its online desktop, which will remain “Jolicloud.” What’s more, while that latter component is currently only available for Chrome, the company’s announced that it will be adding support for Firefox 4, Safari 5 and the iPad (in an “experimental” HTML5 port), and it’s even now announced plans for an Android app. Unfortunately, details on it are about as light as can be at the moment, with Jolicloud only saying that it’s coming in the “future.” More details and screenshots of version 1.2 are promised in the next few days, though.
Jolicloud renames operating system ‘Joli OS,’ promises new web and Android apps originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 10:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Bill Gates Loses Richest Title After Giving Away Money
Bill Gates is no longer the world’s richest man. And really, he’s only got himself to blame. The Microsoft founder slipped from the top spot last year, thanks to the massive sums of money he’s given away by way of his Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. In 2010, Gates slipped from the top spot for the second time since 1995, as Mexican telecom giant Carlos Slim edged him out, $53.5 billion to $53 billion.
Forbes will release its annual list tomorrow. Slim will likely maintain the top spot, with $60 billion, with Gates in second at $49 billion. Investor Warren Buffet will round out the top three at $47 billion.
Gates and wife Melinda have already donated an impressive $28 billion of their fortune, putting them in second place on the list of “Most Generous Philanthropists" in America behind Buffett. Buffett, for his part, has given $8 billion to the Gates foundation and has promise to donate the majority of his wealth to charity.
Microsoft goes on a hiring spree for new Xbox hardware devs, staffing up for next console push?
Before you go leaping to any conclusions, do remember that Microsoft plans on keeping the Xbox 360 going until at least 2015 so we’re not really talking imminent changes here. Nonetheless, the software giant has listed a plethora of new job openings, with the most interesting ones being at its Mountain View research campus, where a team responsible for “defining and delivering next generation console architectures” is looking for fresh blood. A graphics hardware architect is sought to ensure that the next Xbox strikes the optimal balance between the awesome and affordable, while a design verification engineer and a few others will be hired to test and help develop prototypes. This bolstering of numbers seems to indicate Microsoft is starting to ramp up research and development on its next-gen home entertainment linchpin, and while nothing’s likely to emerge from those Mountain View labs in the short term, the mere sound of clanking tools and buzzing electrons is getting us excited already.
Microsoft goes on a hiring spree for new Xbox hardware devs, staffing up for next console push? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 04:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Adobe outs experimental Flash-to-HTML5 conversion tool, calls it Wallaby
Ah, if only we could flip a big happy switch and convert all the web’s Flash content into (functional) HTML5 code. It’s a dream shared by many and, funnily enough, the company pushing to make it a reality is none other than Adobe itself, the owner and proprietor of Flash. Its Labs research team has just released an experimental new dev tool, dubbed Wallaby, that’s targeted at taking Flash-encoded artwork and animations and turning them into a more compatible mix of HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Of course, the intent here is not some magnanimous move to free us from the shackles of Flash — Adobe openly admits that the initial goal for the new tool will be to help convert animated banner ads so that they work on the iOS platform — but hey, even bad tools can be used for good sometimes, right?
Continue reading Adobe outs experimental Flash-to-HTML5 conversion tool, calls it Wallaby
Adobe outs experimental Flash-to-HTML5 conversion tool, calls it Wallaby originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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WiFi-only Xoom rumored to release on April 3rd for $539
The hotly anticipated Xoom hasn’t been out very long, has been receiving good reviews, and according to Motorola’s CEO Sanjay Jha, has been “off to a good start.” However many people have been holding out on purchasing the new Android Honeycomb tablet due to the high cost and the…
Western Digital to Buy Hitachi GST for $4.3 Billion
Everyone debating whether Western Digital or Hitachi drives are better can stop arguing now: WD has dropped $4.3 billion in a combination of stock and cash to buy Hitachi GST and fold the two storage technology companies into one. The new company will retain the Western Digital brand, and keep most of its staff and its headquarters in Irvine, California, but Hitachi GST President and CEO Steve Milligan will get a new office as President of Western Digital.
The new merged company hopes its combined resources will put it in a better position to scale and compete with their now chief rival: Seagate. It may not be Seagate the company will really have to contend with though: as SSDs and NAND based flash memory becomes more popular in desktop PCs, notebook computers, and tablets, traditional spinning hard drives may be on the way out both in consumer and enterprise applications.
Still, hard drives aren't going anywhere just yet, and Western Digital hopes that the new merger will give it a stronger foothold in enterprise storage while retaining its hold over consumer technology.
[via Forbes]
Subway beats McDonald’s as world’s biggest
Move over, Mickey D’s, and bring Ronald McDonald with you — there’s a new fast food king in town.
Feeding Frenzy FAIL
Microsoft’s ‘It’s Very PC,’ ‘It’s Not Very PC’ Ad Campaign to Promote Slates Is Clever
I just got a kick out of watching Microsoft’s “It’s Very PC,” “It’s Not Very PC” ad campaign, in partnership with ASUS and its upcoming Eee Slate. The ads are clever and highlight how a Windows-powered tablet can work well professionally and for play. In fact, Microsoft is kind of showing that one can use […]
ComScore: Android leapfrogs BlackBerry among US smartphone subscribers to take first place in market share
Last time we checked in with ComScore’s report on smartphone platform market share among US subscribers three months ago, Android was doing a little happy dance as it overtook iOS for the number two spot overall. Well, the cuddly green bots have self-replicated yet again, enough to overtake RIM this time thanks in part to a 5.4 percent decline on BlackBerry’s part (down to 30.4 percent in January) coupled with a 7.7 percent boost on the Android side, moving up to 31.2 percent. We imagine ComScore’s next report — covering the period through March — will see a little boost on the iOS side thanks to Verizon’s iPhone launch, but RIM’s knight in shining armor might be further out; we still don’t know when QNX-based phones are going to happen, after all, and devices like the Monaco don’t really seem like cure-alls.
ComScore: Android leapfrogs BlackBerry among US smartphone subscribers to take first place in market share originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 16:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Flying House From Pixar’s “Up” Is Flown In Real Life [Video]
Engineers built and flew a replica of the flying house in Pixar’s “Up” — setting the record for the largest cluster balloon flight ever.
It took 300 balloons, each 8-feet tall and filled with an entire tank of helium. The stint was for or National Geographic Channel’s “How Hard Can It Be?” show. Watch the video report:
New Police Helicopter Video from September 11 Attack Released [Video]
There’s not much else to be said about perhaps the worst terrorist attack in history. But this new video, taken from NYC police helicopters, shows a new perspective on that terrible day. It is terrifying and breathtaking at the same time, a reminder of what these criminals can still do. More »
It’s Healthy To Stare At Women’s Breasts
Google Maps Navigation for Android adds real-time traffic re-routing
Google Maps Navigation becomes more of a threat to the traditional in-car GPS business seemingly on a daily basis, and they’re taking another stab at it today with the addition of traffic re-routing capability in the Android app (which, while technically still in beta, is pretty darn solid) in both North America and Europe. Of course, Maps has had access to traffic information for a long time, so this is a natural progression — and just as Google uses an interesting combination of sources (including phones) to cull that data, it’s employing some smart schemes for re-routing that take into account both current and historical information about your route. The update’s available today.
Google Maps Navigation for Android adds real-time traffic re-routing originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 13:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Arnold Schwarzenegger considering Terminator, Predator and Running Man remakes [Movies]
Over a month ago Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that he was ready to start acting again. And now Hollywood has come a calling with a remake, reboot or some sort of spin-off of every great action movie he’s ever been in. More »
Watch a Rocket Launcher Fail In Hilarious, Terrifying Fashion [Video]
The best way to scare the stuffing out of new recruits? Fire up the ol’ rocket launcher, but rig it so that the rocket in question just piddles out a few feet ahead. Nothing like presumed certain death to build morale! [dpnf via The Daily What] More »