Add this to the never-ending list of why you should never cheat in video games. Hackers have been masquerading nasty malware in cheats for Call of Duty: Warzone, according to a report published by Activision. The malware identified by Activision is considered a “dropper.” The dropper by itself is harmless, but it’s used to install or deliver additional files, such as … [Read more...] about Malware disguised as Call of Duty: Warzone cheats revealed by Activision
Evidence of Antarctic glacier’s tipping point confirmed
Researchers have confirmed for the first time that Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica could cross tipping points, leading to a rapid and irreversible retreat which would have significant consequences for global sea level. Pine Island Glacier is a region of fast-flowing ice draining an area of West Antarctica approximately two thirds the size of the UK. The glacier is a … [Read more...] about Evidence of Antarctic glacier’s tipping point confirmed
Fortnite adds the ‘Stonk’ meme skin to immortalize the GME share frenzy
Epic Games has added the ‘Stonk Meme’ guy to Fortnite’s item shop. The brand-new skin is called Diamond Hanz — a direct reference to the frenzy around Reddit’s r/WallStreetBets that ensued in January. Double checking tweets on April 1st like pic.twitter.com/MyRNeV92UL — Nick Eh 30 (@NickEh30) April 1, 2021 It felt like an April Fools prank when Fortnite’s Twitter account … [Read more...] about Fortnite adds the ‘Stonk’ meme skin to immortalize the GME share frenzy
Expressing some doubts about android faces
Researchers from the Graduate School of Engineering and Symbiotic Intelligent Systems Research Center at Osaka University used motion capture cameras to compare the expressions of android and human faces. They found that the mechanical facial movements of the robots, especially in the upper regions, did not fully reproduce the curved flow lines seen in the faces of actual … [Read more...] about Expressing some doubts about android faces
Belkin releases MagSafe-compatible face-tracking iPhone mount
Have you ever wished you could place your iPhone 12 on a table and have its camera and display follow you around the room? Probably not, right? Well, that hasn’t stopped accessory maker Belkin from releasing a MagSafe-compatible ‘Magnetic Phone Mount with Face Tracking‘ that holds the iPhone 12 off a table on a rotating stand to always face you like Amazon’s Echo Show … [Read more...] about Belkin releases MagSafe-compatible face-tracking iPhone mount
Privacy-preserving ‘encounter metrics’ could slow down future pandemics
When you bump into someone in the workplace or at your local coffee shop, you might call that an "encounter." That's the scientific term for it, too. As part of urgent efforts to fight COVID-19, a science is rapidly developing for measuring the number of encounters and the different levels of interaction in a group. At the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), … [Read more...] about Privacy-preserving ‘encounter metrics’ could slow down future pandemics
Porsche to start supporting Android Auto with 2022 Porsche 911
Porsche is finally moving beyond its Apple-only partnership and adding Android Auto to its new lineup of cars. To be clear, this is just the classic Android Auto phone-based experience and not Android Automotive, the new backbone of infotainment in Volvo and Polestar vehicles. That said, it’s still a substantial upgrade. The first car to get the new Porsche Communication … [Read more...] about Porsche to start supporting Android Auto with 2022 Porsche 911
First-of-its-kind mechanical model simulates bending of mammalian whiskers: Model provides new insights into how whisker bending translates to sensory touch signals
Researchers have developed a new mechanical model that simulates how whiskers bend within a follicle in response to an external force, paving the way toward better understanding of how whiskers contribute to mammals' sense of touch. Yifu Luo and Mitra Hartmann of Northwestern University and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS Computational … [Read more...] about First-of-its-kind mechanical model simulates bending of mammalian whiskers: Model provides new insights into how whisker bending translates to sensory touch signals
Microsoft’s cloud services are down again
Microsoft’s cloud services are once again down, according to a recent Azure Support Twitter message. As it stands right now, the list of affected services is lengthy and includes Office 365, Xbox Live, OneDrive, Azure, Skype and Bing. That said, I was able to sign in to the Xbox network (RIP Xbox Live) fine, though some features might be inaccessible given Xbox’s status page … [Read more...] about Microsoft’s cloud services are down again
Dynamic model of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein reveals potential new vaccine targets: New model captures glycan molecules whose motions shield much of the spike from immune defenses
A new, detailed model of the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein reveals previously unknown vulnerabilities that could inform development of vaccines. Mateusz Sikora of the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt, Germany, and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS Computational Biology. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus responsible for the COVID-19 … [Read more...] about Dynamic model of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein reveals potential new vaccine targets: New model captures glycan molecules whose motions shield much of the spike from immune defenses