The Old Reader

06 Jul 03:22

7 People Who Got Caught Cheating

by Amy B

Cheating is bad mmkay?

Really though, if you’re going to be a cheater at least don’t get caught…

No, wait…don’t be a cheater because you’ll probably end up like these people.

The post 7 People Who Got Caught Cheating appeared first on GEARFUSE.

06 Jul 03:00

Stratasys to acquire 3D printing company MakerBot for $403 million in stock

by Nicole Lee

Stratasys, an Israeli-based 3D printer and additive manufacturer has just agreed to acquire 3D printing company MakerBot for a proposed amount of $403 million in stock. They've announced a "definitive merger agreement" where MakerBot would converge with a subsidiary of Stratasys in a stock-for-stock transaction. After selling more than 22,000 3D printers since its inception in 2009, MakerBot is seen as a leader and pioneer in the 3D printing space, and about 11,000 of those sales were due to the Replicator 2 alone. MakerBot will operate as a separate entity with its own branding and marketing as part of the deal, and will provide an affordable 3D printing market for Stratasys. If all goes well with the regulators, it should be done by the third quarter of 2013.

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06 Jul 02:18

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues Trailer

by Mike Newman

Great Odin’s raven, it’s here! That teaser trailer the news team put out a little while back got us excited for the return of Ron Burgundy, but now we finally get a look at the actual film. Best of all, it doesn’t disappoint. Really looking forward to more of Kristen Wiig and that dinner scene with Ron. It looks glorious.

20 Jun 02:00

Yahoo: We will not 'screw up' Tumblr

Earlier today, Yahoo announced a $1.1 billion deal for photo blogging site Tumblr.

CEO Marissa Mayer promises "not to screw it up," giving some hope to disenfranchised users who are scared that Yahoo will destroy the thriving community by adding ads.

Traditional display advertising has been blocked from Tumblr by founder/CEO David Karp so far.

Mayer noted that Tumblr will remain independently operated and Karp will remain the CEO. There will be no Yahoo branding, either.

The executive went as far as to compare the deal to some of the more successful tech "game changers" of the past, including Google's purchase of YouTube and eBay's purchase of PayPal. Of course, Yahoo still has to find a way to make the site worth the investment, to which Mayer says it will "monetize Tumblr in a way that is meaningful ... to the user experience."

Tumblr currently has 300 million unique monthly visitors.

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20 Jun 01:52

FBI and police must return personal data seized in Megaupload raid

A New Zealand court has ordered that the FBI and police must return Kim Dotcom's personal data that was seized during the raid of Megaupload last year.

Additionally, they must specify all information that is at the core of their case against the file sharing service that once accounted for a large share of the world's Internet traffic at any given time.

High Court Justice Helen Winkelmann ruled again that the raid of Dotcom's mansion was illegal since they did not have proper warrants. The police and FBI must now return any digital data that is not relevant to the case.

Furthermore, the Justice ordered the FBI to destroy all clones they have of Megaupload's hard drives that contain personal information or other none relevant information to the case.

Dotcom and the rest of the defendants must be given copies of the hard drives and information that will be used in the case against them.

It is unclear if users will get their personal data back, but it seems to be a step in the right direction.

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20 Jun 01:52

Judge: Google must comply with FBI warrantless requests for user details

In news that has big repercussions for American citizens, a federal judge has ruled that Google must comply with the FBI's warrantless "National Security Letters" in which they request user details.

The search giant had been trying to get 19 of such letters thrown out, claiming the demands are unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston made the ruling after a high-ranking assistant director at the FBI submitted classified affidavits.

The trial is very important, as the FBI has made 192,499 such demands since 2003, to Google and other companies that hold sensitive personal data for Americans. Illston did not completely shut down Google either, as the company is allowed to bring the case again, but this time they will need arguments "specific to the 19 NSLs at issue." Additionally, two of the 19 NSLs will require more information from the government before they can be ruled on, says the Judge.

NSLs, which remain of questionable constitutionality, allow FBI officials to send secret requests to ISPs, telcos and companies like Google and Facebook requesting the "name, address, length of service" (and some other details) for anyone they choose, without the need for a judge's approval. Additionally, the companies cannot disclose such requests to those they are disclosing info about.

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20 Jun 01:42

Samsung officially unveils Galaxy S4 Zoom with 10x optical zoom camera

Samsung has made their camera/smartphone hybrid official.

The device is notable thanks to a large 16MP CMOS sensor and 10x optical zoom lens with dual Xenon flash and optical image stabilization.

Additionally, the phone runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, has a 4.3 inch qHD sAMOLED (960x540) display, 1.5GB RAM, an unspecified 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 8GB internal storage expandable with microSD.

"The Samsung GALAXY S4 zoom represents yet another step forward in the way Samsung is working to enhance the lives of our customers around the world," said JK Shin, President and CEO, Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics. "As communication continues to become increasingly visual in nature, people wish to capture and share their moments in the highest quality possible, but often do not have the space or inclination to carry a dedicated camera for this purpose. The GALAXY S4 zoom changes this forever, combining the industry leading functionality and connectivity of the GALAXY S4 with the high quality photographic experience you'd expect from a compact camera. The result is truly the best of both worlds, without compromise."

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20 Jun 01:42

ESPN to shut down ESPN 3D this year after failed adoption

ESPN will shut down its specialized ESPN 3D channel by the end of the year, proving once again that 3D is a gimmick that the general public could not care less about.

The move was confirmed via Twitter by an ESPN PR affiliate, who cited the lack of adoption of 3D TVs and services as the reason.

A second spokesperson added: "Nobody knows more about sports in 3D than ESPN, and we will be ready to provide the service to fans if or when 3D does take off."

The channel launched in June 2010 to broadcast the FIFA World Cup.

ESPN discontinuing its 3D operation by end of year
-- Richard Sandomir (@RichSandomir) June 12, 2013

ESPN 3D was great at home but due to low adoption of 3D to home, we are discontinuing to focus on other products for fans and affiliates
-- Katina Arnold (@KatinaESPN) June 12, 2013

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20 Jun 01:37

Amazon takes down Facebook poll after PS4 destroys Xbox One

On June 13th, Amazon put a poll up on their Video Games division's Facebook page asking consumers one simple question; Do you prefer the PlayStation 4 or the Xbox One.

Three days and over 40,000 votes later, the etailing giant has taken down the poll prematurely, as it was set to run until June 20th.

The PS4 absolutely demolished the Xbox One, with 38,984 votes for the Sony console and just 2162 votes for the Microsoft rival.

At this point in the next-gen console wars, it appears Sony has the upper hand, thanks to a more pro-consumer approach.

Sony has no restrictions on used discs being played on any console, does not require online authentication to play single player modes, and costs $399 compared to the Xbox at $499, although that does include the Kinect system, as well.

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