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There's good news and bad news (mostly bad news) about the PC market in the fourth quarter, a traditionally strong one thanks to holiday sales.

Worldwide PC sales dove almost 7 percent (6.9%) according to a new report published Thursday by market research firm Gartner.

For the full year, shipments were down 10%, Gartner found. That's the same decline that market research firm IDC predicted a few weeks ago.

Gartner says that in 2013 "global PC shipments suffered the worst decline in PC Market history" and that this is the seventh consecutive quarter of declining PC shipments.

As we all know by now, people are increasingly buying tablets instead of PCs, particularly in emerging markets.

In the U.S. the PC market shrunk by 7.5% this quarter, Gartner reports.

Now the good news: Gartner analyst Mikako Kitagawa thinks this is the rock bottom, at least for the U.S. market. In 2014, she predicts that light new hybrid tablet/PC models will encourage people to get rid of their old PCs and buy new ones.

That said, IDC predicts the worldwide PC market will still shrink in 2014, by another 3.8%.

Lenovo took the first-place spot for the quarter and the year, stealing it from HP, Gartner reports.

Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 2013 (Units)

Company	2013 Shipments	2013 Market Share (%)	2012 Shipments	2012 Market Share (%)	2013-2012 Growth (%)
Lenovo	53,272,522	16.9	52,187,653	14.9	2.1
HP	51,252,229	16.2	56,505,757	16.1	-9.3
Dell	36,788,285	11.6	37,611,247	10.7	-2.2
Acer Group	25,689,496	8.1	35,745,401	10.2	-28.1
Asus	20,030,837	6.3	24,339,951	6.9	-17.7
Others	128,934,147	40.8	144,669,689	41.2	-10.9
Grand Total	315,967,516	100.0	351,059,698	100.0	-10.

^{Source: Gartner.}

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Briefly: If you’d asked the creators of Boardwalk Empire last year about a possible end for the show, you probably wouldn’t have got much out of them. Terence Winter said in one interview “‘Where are we going? Do we see an end in sight here?’ That’s the debate we’re having now every day with each other. It’s let’s tell the best story possible and when we’re done we’ll move on and tell another story.”

But now things have changed, and it looks like that internal debate had a specific conclusion. HBO announced today that the fifth season of Boardwalk Empire will be the show’s last. Winter said in a statement,

We’re thrilled to get the go-ahead for a fifth season of Boardwalk Empire. After much discussion with my creative team and HBO, we’ve decided to wrap up the series after such a great run and look forward to bringing it to a powerful and exciting conclusion.

The show’s final season premiere will take place this fall.

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The Colorado restaurant chain Hapa Sushi offers a new menu designed by ad agency TDA_Boulder. No, they don't offer pot for sale, and there is no smoking on the premises, but the menu does offer suggestions for pairing certain strains with the entrees they do offer that would be good to eat after partaking. As good as that Poke Don and Katsu Curry seem just reading it here, you'd think that someone with the munchies would make a beeline to their nearest Hapa. The menu is an ad, as explained at the Boulder Daily Camera, which now has a "marijuana" section. You can see two other ads at Blazenfluff.

(Image credit: TDA_Boulder)

Russian authorities are on high alert after finding six bodies and three explosive devices in areas near the site of the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Russian security official’s stated that all the victims appear to have been shot.

According to ABC News, a car with a body inside exploded as police approached it in Russia’s Stavropol Territory. When sweeping the area, officials found another car containing the bodies of three men along with explosive materials. Finally, the day before, Russian officials reported finding two more bodies in cars in the same region.

With the 2014 Sochi Olympics only weeks away, Russian security forces have been forced to launch an “anti-terrorism sweep” to see if there are any more dangers or bodies in the area. According to The Guardian, three of the cars discovered had been rigged with explosive devices, but only one of the bombs had gone off. No further injuries were reported.

Vladimir Markin, spokesman for Russia’s main investigative agency, said that Federal Security Service officers had joined forces with local authorities in the investigation. The current investigation is looking into what may have been the cause and motives behind the deaths.

Some of the bodies found in the cars have been identified. Two were reportedly taxi drivers, and a third assembled furniture for a private businessman. All three men are said to have been local residents, but their names have yet to be publicly released. The discovery of these bodies and explosives come only a week or so after two suicide bombings in the city of Volgograd.

There are many worries regarding the safety of those who will be not only participating in the 2014 Sochi Olympics, but for the spectators as well. Russian authorities continue to say that they have plenty of security measures in place. Fox News stated that “tens of thousands of Russian police, security agents, rescue workers and army troops are being deployed for the games,” and that all security units have been on duty as of Tuesday.

[Image via Scrape TV]

Sochi 2014: Bodies And Explosives Found Near Olympic Site is a post from: The Inquisitr News

"Karate? The Dane Cook of martial arts?"

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If you're really into wrestling, perhaps you've caught yourself wishing for an unlimited streaming subscription for the WWE. Well, your wish has come true. WWE Network is an upcoming streaming service that will provide instant access to original programming and over 1500 hours of on-demand content from across the classic WWF, WCW, and ECW libraries. It also includes access to WWE's monthly pay-per-view events, normally about $55 each.

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Forbes’ Paul Tassi recently wrote a piece predicting that Elder Scrolls Online, the upcoming MMO from Bethesda and ZeniMax, will be “the biggest game disaster of 2014.” He argued it could never recoup its rumored $200 million budget with its monthly subscription fee monetization model. “Console players, and hell, most PC players these days that aren’t die hard WoW or EVE Online devotees, have no patience for the increasingly outdated monthly subscription model,” he wrote. Yesterday, Goblinwork’s CEO and former CCP CMO Ryan Scott Dancey wrote a detailed counter-argument over at mmorpg.com.

In short, Dancey argues that the monthly subscription model is still viable if used correctly, meaning as just one of several models a developer should give the player as an option. He points out that free to play and microtransactions became huge in Asia because of vastly different lifestyles and playing habits in the region. Lower incomes, fewer people with credit cards, and people who play at cyber cafes more than they do at home created the F2P model out of necessity, according to Dancey.

Games like League of Legends and pretty much the entire mobile games market (Candy Crush Saga anyone?) have proven that the F2P model works in the West too, but according to Dancey it’s better to have both options, allowing players to pay a fixed price subscription if they want, or play for free and buy various aspects of the game à la carte.

Dancey also doesn’t consider an MMO’s transition from subscription fee to F2P a failure. “It just indicates that the game’s market is maturing and the developers are deploying resources to expand the footprint they use to monetize their work,” he writes. “The sign a game has failed is when it is closed, not when it begins to accept MTX [microtransaction] payments.”

Turbine has found success with The Lord of the Rings Online this way and Star Wars: The Old Republic seems to be recovering by the same process, so Dancey suspects that more and more MMOs will end up with this F2P/subscription hybrid model.

Less convincing is his argument that Elder Scrolls Online’s rumored $200 million budget makes more sense when you consider that Skyrim sold about 3.5 million units, amounting to about $210 million in revenue. It’s a powerful brand, sure, but I think players are informed enough to make the distinction between two very different games with similar branding, and that a lot of Skyrim fans lose all interest Elder Scrolls Online the moment they hear the “MMO” acronym.

It’s an interesting debate either way, and it’s sure to get more interesting in the next couple of years. The important thing to keep in mind is that what and how we pay for games is completely malleable. It was $50 before it was $60 and it was all over the map prior to that. At some point, we used to pay one quarter at a time, standing up in-front of a cabinet among strangers. It was Barbaric.

The post Ryan Dancey defends Elder Scrolls Online’s subscription fee appeared first on PC Gamer.

“It is so refreshing to find someone who can drink all day, starting at noon, and still be sober enough to drive me over to my mom’s house to pick up my kids.”

Los Angeles-based writer and director Chris Capel of HandleBarMustacheLand has created “juggaLOVE,” a hilarious fake online dating site ad for fans of the hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse (a.k.a. “Juggalos“). It features clown-faced couples whose relationships are based on their mutual love of stomping people and snorting bath salts in the middle of food courts.

Insane Clown Posse fans rejoice! Finally, a dating site that cares about the diverse needs and desires of today’s modern Juggalo.

video via Chris Capel

via Digg

You did it, girl. And you did it well. (Via Uproxx.)

Overstock.com unexpectedly announced today they had begun accepting Bitcoin.

CEO Patrick Byrne had told us and others the launch wouldn't come for another few months.

Byrne now tells us that last week, they decided to reach out to Coinbase.com, one of the largest Bitcoin payment processors. They said that with a dedicated team at Overstock they would be able to launch within a week. And they did.

"They actually came back with a plan on the evening of New Year's Day  on how get live in a week, we've had 40 people from diff parts of company, [on the project], including customer service agents." 

About $10,000 worth of Bitcoin from about 100 purchasers has already been spent since the announcement less than two hours ago, Byrne said. Online Bitcoin chatter indicates much of it is from folks making purchases in tribute to the company's vote of confidence in the digital currency.

The most expensive item yet purchased? This handsome 13-piece patio set from Amazonia. 

SEE ALSO: Presenting: Bit-PAC, The First Bitcoin Political Action Committee

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Google announced today that it will roll out a feature for Google+ that lets anyone send you a message directly to your Gmail inbox using the social network.

That means anyone can send you an email through Gmail, just by looking up your profile on Google+. The downside? Google has this feature switched on by default, so if you don't want people sending you unsolicited Gmail messages using Google+, you'll have to switch it off.

The feature isn't available to everyone yet, so keep your eye on it. Here's how to switch it off when you do get it though:

Under settings, you'll see a section marked "Email via Google+." It's best to switch the option to "No one" if you want to block people from sending you emails through Google+. You'll also have the option to only let people you have in your Circles send you a message.

If you do get an email from someone in Google+, it'll show up in the primary tab in your inbox if they're already in one of your Google+ circles. If not, their email will be filtered into the "Social" tab. This is probably Google's way of eliminating people from spamming you using Google+. Still, it's best to just switch the feature off completely.

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The polar vortex that brought frigid temperatures to a big part of the U.S. and Canada this past week may be easing a bit, but it's got cold weather on our minds. We can stay in and weather it out, or we can embrace it, like some northern communities do. Some even have annual festivals in January to celebrate ice, snow, and the charms of winter weather. Let's take a look at a few of them, and just hope that a blizzard doesn't spoil the festivities!

1. Ouray Ice Festival

Photograph by Flickr user katsrcool (Kool Cats Photography).

The 19th annual Ouray Ice Festival takes place today through Sunday at Ouray Ice Park in Ouray, Colorado. The public park has 200 climbing routes made of ice and mixed ice and rock, and is a popular destination for ice climbers, and the festival is a celebration of climbing. It's also a fundraiser for the non-profit park. Events include parties tonight, climbing clinics, films and demonstrations, and climbing competitions.

2. The Big Chill

Photograph by Flickr user jonnyfixedgear.

The Big Chill in Racine, Wisconsin, this weekend is a municipal festival that's also the host of the Wisconsin State Snow Sculpting Championship for the third year. A dozen huge snow sculptures will be constructed in downtown Racine by two-man teams hoping to advance to the national competition. Other events include ice sculpture carving, dogsled rides, and the more common festival activities.

3. Plymouth Ice Festival

Photograph by Flickr user Debra Drummond.

The city of Plymouth, Michigan will hold the annual Plymouth Ice Festival this Friday through Sunday. In addition to the usual festival events, there will be traditional ice carving contests for both individuals and teams, and the dueling chainsaws contest, which is a timed ice-carving contest. The sky will be lit by blazing ice towers on Friday and Saturday nights.

4. Icebox Days

Photograph from International Falls Area Chamber of Commerce.

International Falls, Minnesota, celebrates its reputation as the coldest town in the 48 contiguous states with the Icebox Days winter festival, January 16-19. The marquee event is the annual Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard Run with both 5K and 10K runs, no matter what the temperature will be. Don't miss the other events: the ugly hat contest, the moonlight snowshoe hike, the toilet seat toss, turkey bowling, basketball and hockey games, and plenty of food.

5. Hunter Ice Festival

Photograph from Hunter Ice Festival.

The Hunter Ice Festival in Niles, Michigan is named after The Hunter Brothers Ice & Ice Cream Company, which established ice harvesting as the town's big industry around the turn of the 20th century. The festival, which takes place January 17-20, centers around ice sculptures, and the best artists in the craft are invited to Niles to show their stuff. There will also be races, the Ice Ball, and a chili cook-off.

6. Bavarian Icefest

The Bavarian Icefest takes place in Leavenworth, Washington, January 18-19. Events include dogsled rides, the "ice cube scramble" for kids, snow sculptures, ice carving, ice fishing, a snowball toss, a snowmobile sled pull, and smooshing. Smooshing is a sport in which teams of four people ski together on one set of skis.

7. Fire & Ice Festival

Photograph from Fire & Ice on Facebook.

The Fire & Ice Festival in Rochester, Michigan, takes place on the weekend of January 24-26. The fire is provided by fireworks at night; the ice events include tube sledding, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, dog sled rides, ice skating, a broom ball exhibition, and ice sculptures. New this year: a food truck rally. Bring your ice skates for free skating all weekend! More events are listed at the Facebook page.

8. IceFest '14

Photograph from IceFest on Facebook.

Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, presents the 12th annual IceFest from January 30 through February 2. The festival features a 40-foot ice slide, a scavenger hunt, and a "Polar Dunk Plunge." There's also nighttime dancing and dining events for those who like to stay warm, and a chili cook-off and a cake icing competition. The premiere draw will be the over 70 ice sculptures that will be on display throughout the town. Find out more at the festival's Facebook page.

9. Michigan Ice Fest

The Michigan Ice Fest in Munising, Michigan, is a festival centered around ice climbing. This year's event will be held from January 30 through February 2. There will be clinics and classes in the various levels of climbing, from beginners to rescue techniques, and demonstrations and social climbs.

10. Saint Paul Winter Carnival

Photograph by Flickr user politalk_tim.

The Saint Paul Winter Carnival will be 11 days long: January 23 to February 2 in St. Paul, Minnesota (of course). This event kicks off the Carnival season in style. Such a large festival requires three parades, plus the Beer Dabbler, the royalty coronation, ice sculptures, and the usual races, parties, live entertainment, and food.

Carnival season? Oh, you bet there will be more festivals in February. Watch for those coming soon!

A common strategy for treating tumors is combining two or more drugs, which has the effect of decreasing toxicity and increasing the synergistic effects between the drugs. However, the efficacy of this kind of cocktail treatment suffers when the drugs require access to different parts of the cell, a bit like fighting a battle by depositing all your archers on the same spot as your infantrymen. By making use of nanoparticle-based carriers, researchers at North Carolina State University are able to transport multiple drugs into cancerous cells optimally and precisely, in maneuvers that any field commander would be proud of. .. Continue Reading Two-in-one nanoparticles exploit tumor cells to precisely deliver multiple drugs

Section: Science

Tags: Cancer, Cells, Drugs, Nanoparticles, North Carolina State University, Treatment, Tumors

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Poultry and spinach go well together, but that doesn’t mean that a Florida woman was happy to see that her frozen spinach came with some free meat. Mostly because it came in the form of the tiny skull (eyes included…well, one eye) of an unidentified bird.

It’s impossible to deny that most of our food is grown outside, where all sorts of animals live, die, and poop. The customer is a little grossed out, but doesn’t want money or a replacement: she wants to know that Publix cares about the problem. She also wants to know where the rest of the bird ended up, if it’s possible to get that information. That’s fair.

Where is the rest of the bird, though? Is it in another bag of spinach? Was it so finely chopped that it was undetectable among the spinach? That’s the mystery. One of the eyes from the bird’s head is also missing: did that fall out and get consumed with the spinach, or was it never in the bag to begin with?

WARNING: BIRD SKULL PHOTOS BELOW

One little animal, the head of which is barely the size of a quarter, and it raises so many questions.

Publix offered a refund, but a package of spinach costs less than two bucks. In a statement, the company said that no one else has complained of bird parts in their vegetables. So that’s good. They told TV station Fox 13:

We did receive communication from the customer through our customer care department, which was shared with our corporate quality assurance team. They are working through the details with the customer and the supplier. We have not received any additional complaints and believe this is an isolated incident.

In other words, they don’t know where the rest of the bird is, either.

This afternoon, the customer posted on Facebook that a Publix representative came to visit her, delivering frozen vegetables, a fruit basket, a gift card, and the news that bags of spinach will be pulled from shelves.

Sarasota woman finds bird skull in Publix spinach [Fox 13]

Forced perspective is typically used as a camera trick for twenty-year-olds backpacking across Europe when they cleverly think about using an optical illusion to make it look like they are holding the Leaning Tower of Pisa up. Apparently, it can also be used as a slick game mechanic that evokes memories of Portal in its initial impressiveness. Somewhat akin to SCALE, Museum of Simulation Technology revolves around changing the size of environmental objects, though the means through which it is accomplished is quite different.

Admittedly, the idea starts off simple enough, but as the video progresses, it really seems like it could have legs for a full game. Currently, Museum of Simulation Technology is not much more than a tech demo, although it does look like could be on its way to being a proper game. After watching the video above, I wouldn't be surprised to hear about Valve hiring developer Albert Shih and seeing something like this show up in a hypothetical Portal 3.

[Thanks, Morty]

LAS VEGAS — Among all the 4K announcements about 4K TV at CES 2014, Vizio stood out on two counts: first with the largest TV on offer, and second with the smallest price for a set from a major manufacturer.

Vizio beat even Samsung's 110-inch Ultra HD (4K) model with a massive 120-inch TV, part of the company's Reference Series for 4K, which will be available in the second half of 2014. Vizio's gargantuan 4K TV is the largest that we've seen at CES 2014.

But the company stood out on the other end of the spectrum as well. Vizio will offer one of the most inexpensive 4K TVs on the market, the entry-level model of its P series, which will be able to deliver true 4K content for the small sum of $999. Read more...

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