Monthly Archives: May 2015
SpaceX’ Crew Dragon Succesfully Completes Pad Abort Test
SpaceX successfully completed the first Pad Abort Test of its Crew Dragon spacecraft, a reusable vehicle for human transport.
The two minute long test conducted yesterday demonstrated how Dragon could transport astronauts to safety if trouble flared up on the launch pad. The craft's abort system’s eight SuperDraco engines is capable of carrying astronauts into orbit in the event of emergency before descending to earth.
To radically condense today's test, the eight SuperDracos ignited simultaneously, reaching maximum thrust of 15,000 pounds, and then throttled to control the trajectory. Dragon traveled from 0-100 mph in 1.2 seconds, reaching a max velocity of 345 mph. According to Elon Musk, max acceleration was 6 times Earth's gravity, , lateral distance was 1,202 meters and velocity hit 155 m/s.
Star Trek Inspired Device Turns Powder into Meals
An Israeli company has developed the Genie, a device inspired by Star Trek's replicators, which turns pods of powders into meals in 30 seconds.
The Genie takes in Smart Baking Pods that contain dehydrated powders, which are customisable to fit your diet. Then all you have to do is add water and wait. A push of a button can switch between gluten, egg, or dairy free options.
The pods come in a recyclable container and have a shelf life of over a year. To add to the futuristic feel, the whole thing is controlled using a companion app.
Chefs of the future will now have to decide whether to make pods of powder, or create ideas for this 3D food printer.
Will Soldiers of the Future Be Invisible?
The US Army has called for proposals for camouflage which can change depending on the background.
Complete invisibility for normal sized objects is "fundamentally impossible," according to Martin Wegener of the Karlsruhe Institutre of Technology. However he and his team have created cloaks from photonic crystals which bend light at certain wavelengths.
According to Wegener, "this means that you may see less of something at a particular colour, but see it at all other colours." The cloak wearer would look transparent at some wavelengths, but would not be totally invisible.
The US Army wants these cloaks within the next 18 months, and they need to allow the soldiers to perform their normal duties. In addition, any power source would need to weigh less than 0.45 kilograms.
WoW Suffers Biggest Quarterly Subscriber Drop Ever
World of Warcraft lost 2.9 million subscribers in the last quarter, bringing the number of active subs to 7.1 million as of the quarterly period ending March 31, 2015.
The news comes courtesy of Activision Blizzard's first quarter earnings report for 2015 and marks the biggest subscriber loss in a three month period since the game launched back in late 2004.
Despite this, the company notes revenue performance for the aging MMO has remained stable thanks to an increased number of people taking advantage of added-value services like cosmetic items and account services, along with price increases in select regions such as the East.
It's important to note that this subscriber drop also doesn't cover the period during which the new WoW Token was introduced, so the number of losses can't be attributed to the method in which people are choosing to get access to the game.
Nintendo Records First Annual Profit in Years, Misses Wii U Sales Target
Nintendo narrowly missing sales targets for its Wii U console and 3DS handhelds for the year can be regarded as a moot point with the company posting very healthy results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015.
With results not seen since 2011, the company reported net sales of 549.7 billion yen ($4.6 billion), with 75.4 percent consisting of overseas sales, and an operating income of 24.7 billion yen (US$207 million). Ordinary income was 70.5 billion yen (US$591 million) and net income was 41.8 billion yen ($350 million).
Comic Book Reviews for May 6, 2015
May started off with a bang this week when it came to new comics. DC had a new wave of Convergence comics, but also the long-awaited Batman: Earth One Vol. 2 graphic novel. Marvel, meanwhile, finally kicked off their epic Secret Wars event with a literal bang. That book was accompanied by the finales (for now) to Amazing Spider-Man and Inhuman and new issues of Spider-Gwen and Star Wars: Kanan - The Last Padawan.
As for indie comics, we finally saw Afterlife With Archie stir from its undead slumber, BOOM! launch a promising new title with Arcadia #1, and Dark Horse kick off the latest chapter in Mike Mignola's Baltimore saga. Check out our reviews of these and other books below. And be sure to let us know what your favorite comics were this week!
Nintendo and Universal to Create Nintendo Theme Park Attractions
Nintendo and Universal Parks and Resorts are partnering to develop dedicated theme park attractions based on Nintendo games, characters and worlds at Universal theme parks, the companies announced today.
"Now, for the first time, those stories and characters will be brought to life in entirely new ways – only at Universal theme parks," the announcement reads. "The immersive experiences will include major attractions at Universal’s theme parks and will feature Nintendo’s most famous characters and games."
Details about the attractions were sparse in today's announcement, but more information will shared as the companies' creative teams "work to create specific concepts."
9.94 Million Copies of Pokemon ORAS Have Been Sold
9.94 million units of Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire have been sold, according to Nintendo's latest financial results.
The company also revealed Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is sitting at 6.75 million units sold, Smash Bros. Wii U 3.75 million units sold, and Mario Kart 8 at 5.1 million units sold to date.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask has also performed well in the short time it's been on sale, with 2.03 million units sold.
Keep your eye on the site as we comb through the results, which recently dropped.
Beverly Hills Cop 4 Reportedly Delayed
It looks like Beverly Hills Cop 4 will miss its March 25 2016 release date next year (in North America).
The Wrap received the inside word that Beverly Hills Cop 4 has been removed from Paramount's release schedule.
Beverly Hills Cop 4 is still reportedly in development, which is set to star Eddie Murphy reprising his role as Axel Foley in a sequel directed by Brett Ratner (Hercules).
Murphy has talked openly about Beverly Hills Cop 4 in the past, stating in February that the script was still being nailed down.
The delay may be a blessing in disguise, though, as the initial release date would have seen Beverly Hills Cop 4 going head to head with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Australians May Have to Pay Tax on Steam and Netflix
Australians may have to fork out extra money on Steam if the upcoming Federal Budget deems they have start paying tax on games bought from the distribution platform.
The Australian federal government may introduce a tax, dubbed the "Netflix tax," that would add 10 percent to digital goods bought online, such as games, movies and books. While Australians currently don’t pay GST for online purchases under US$1,000, the new tax will mean consumers may have to shell out an extra 10 percent for services like Netflix and Steam.
The Australian reported earlier this week that cabinet ministers rejected a proposal for the Netflix Tax but The Age today reports that the tax may still be included in next week’s Federal Budget 2015.