For everything from family to computers…
https://lifehacker.com/learn-a-new-language-while-watching-netflix-1832564649
Trying to learn a new language, but can’t find the time? Give your binge-watching a whole new purpose and learn the basics of Japanese, Spanish, or German while marathoning a Netflix show or movie. Who says time on Netflix has to be unproductive?
via Lifehacker https://lifehacker.com
February 12, 2019 at 04:05PM
https://jalopnik.com/heres-how-amazons-motor-oil-stacks-up-against-big-name-1832562073
Ever since Amazon Basics announced it’s selling its own generic brand of synthetic motor oil, the big question has been “but how good actually is it?” Now, people to conduct their own at-home tests to see how Amazon’s oil compares to the big brands we know and love.
via Lifehacker https://lifehacker.com
February 12, 2019 at 01:50PM
https://www.engadget.com/2019/02/12/rocket-league-rocketid-cross-platform-party-release-date/
Rocket League is one of a select few games to offer full cross-platform play after Sony loosened up some of its restrictions. While PS4 players have been able to take on rivals on PC for some time and, since last month, those on Switch and Xbox One, gamers haven’t had an easy way to partner up with their buddies on other platforms. That’s about to change on February 19th, when the Friends List party system arrives.
The Friends List has four tabs. The first displays your friends playing on the same platform, and the second includes your buddies playing on different systems. The other tabs are for recent players and notifications, including those all-important party invites. You’ll also see invites for clubs, which now also work across platforms.
We’re throwing a party and you’re invited! The Friends Update will go live on Feb. 19. Watch our walkthrough of the Friends List and Cross-Platform Parties!
More info: https://t.co/tuU7ftgEYc pic.twitter.com/Q6VfJ3Z1SQ
— Rocket League (@RocketLeague) February 12, 2019
To add a friend, you’ll need to know their RocketID, which combines their username with a four-digit number. This is automatically assigned, though you can change your RocketID username from an option at the bottom of the list (the number will stay the same).
Psyonix said in October it was delaying its RocketID system until this year, to make sure it was compatible with PS4. After Sony gave the thumbs up for cross-platform play, Rocket League players now only need to wait one more week until they can form elite car soccer teams with their pals on other platforms.
Meanwhile, next week’s update also brings practice options for extra modes (including Hoops and Rumble), Competitive Season 9 rewards and a way to see your number of weekly wins. However, an event that was planned for this month has been canceled. Psyonix will focus instead on a different upcoming event.
Source: Rocket League
via Engadget http://www.engadget.com
February 12, 2019 at 11:54AM
https://kotaku.com/switch-reddit-users-are-making-so-many-giveaway-posts-1832565173
In a random act of generosity, a user on the Nintendo Switch subreddit offered to give away a free game. Then another offered. Then another. Eventually, the mods decided they needed to temporarily ban giveaways, lest these gestures completely overtake the subreddit.
via Kotaku https://kotaku.com
February 12, 2019 at 12:13PM
https://www.engadget.com/2019/02/12/adobe-lightroom-cc-ai-enhance-details/
Transforming your camera’s RAW sensor data into a usable image is calculation-intensive and sometimes, your computer doesn’t have the muscle to get it right. For the next version of Lightroom, Adobe has introduced a feature called "Enhance Details" that uses AI to tackle the process, called "demosaicing." The neural network works on Bayer images (Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus) as well as X-Trans (Fujifilm) to increase detail while reducing problems like moire and false colors.
Demoisaicing is particularly tricky in parts of an image with lots of texture, detail and colors. "Myriad mathematical calculations are required to perform the interpolation necessary to build an image," Adobe stated in a white paper. "This takes time, even on the most powerful computer hardware. As a result, software like Lightroom is constantly balancing the tradeoff between image fidelity and speed.
The problems that typically crop up are the loss of small details, false colors across sharp edges, moire, edge blurring (zippering) and more. Using Adobe’s Sensei, Enhance Details was trained extensively in the cloud so that it can use the hardware on your PC or Mac. "We trained a neural network to demosaic RAW images using problematic examples, then [use] machine learning built into the latest Mac OS and Windows 10 operating systems to run this network," said Adobe.
The result is a up to 30 percent more resolution in Bayer and X-Trans RAW files, and it comes organically from your camera’s sensor, rather than being generated artificially. There are a few caveats: You need a relatively powerful computer, and the process is only useful for images meant to be printed at a large size, or those with lots of details or artifacts.
On top of the enhance feature, Adobe added HDR, Pano and HDR Pano merge tools, along with a targeted adjustment tool and histogram clipping indicators. The HDR and Pano functions make it easier to combine multiple images to create images with more dynamic range, either in regular or panoramic formats.
Lightroom CC now has a targeted adjustment tool that makes it easy to fine-tune specific parts of an image, like the sky. The histogram clipping indicators show areas that are too dark (in blue), or too light (red), helping you deal with under- and over-exposed areas of an image. Finally, Adobe has added photo sharing to its Lightroom iOS app, and fixed bugs in the Android and ChromeOS versions, "making way for new features coming soon." The release will start rolling out today to Creative Cloud users with access to Lightroom CC.
via Engadget http://www.engadget.com
February 12, 2019 at 08:06AM
https://arstechnica.com/?p=1454845
Eero
Amazon has announced that it will acquire Eero, one of the biggest players in the networking hardware space known for its easy-to-set-up mesh Wi-Fi solutions.
Bay Area-based Eero, named after Finnish industrial designer
, has been in operation since early 2015. It has already shipped several products. Neither Amazon nor Eero revealed how much money the tech giant paid in the acquisition, but Eero had
in venture capital since its founding.
In case there was any doubt that the acquisition is part of a larger smart home strategy, a quote in Amazon’s press release from SVP of Amazon Devices and Services Dave Limp named that as a reason right off the bat:
We are incredibly impressed with the Eero team and how quickly they invented a WiFi solution that makes connected devices just work. We have a shared vision that the smart home experience can get even easier, and we’re committed to continue innovating on behalf of customers.
As is always the case with releases like this, there’s also a quote from the chief of Eero, Nick Weaver:
From the beginning, Eero’s mission has been to make the technology in homes just work. We started with WiFi because it’s the foundation of the modern home. Every customer deserves reliable and secure WiFi in every room. By joining the Amazon family, we’re excited to learn from and work closely with a team that is defining the future of the home, accelerate our mission, and bring Eero systems to more customers around the globe.
Eero’s products have a 4.6-star product rating on Amazon’s store, and the devices already support Alexa voice controls. Amazon has been pushing a feature
, which is intended to make setting up home networks easier. While techies will often
opt to set networks up themselves
, many users end up paying some service to do it for them. Like many contemporary mesh Wi-Fi offerings, Eero’s products are relatively easy to get going.
Eero’s products could fill a gap in Amazon’s product strategy and help users more easily set up their Fire TV, Echo, and Ring devices—as long as those users don’t mind living fully in Amazon’s ecosystem. Amazon hasn’t said much about what it plans to do with Eero yet, but you can bet that the products will be used to make Amazon’s total dominance of the home more likely.
via Ars Technica https://arstechnica.com
February 12, 2019 at 06:25AM
