The US space agency NASA said it successfuly conducted a first test of a deep space communications network modeled on the Internet.
"This is the first step in creating a totally new space communications capability, an interplanetary Internet," Adrian Hooke, NASA's manager of space-networking architecture, technology and standards, said in a statement.
The US space agency said Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineers used software called Disruption-Tolerant Networking, or DTN, to transmit dozens of space images to and from a NASA spacecraft some 20 million miles (32.4 million kilometers) from Earth.
NASA said the software protocol, which must be able to withstand delays, disruptions and disconnections in space, was designed in partnership with Vint Cerf, a vice president at Internet search giant Google.
DTN sends information using a method that differs from the normal Internet's Transmission-Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, or TCP... More »
Per SackBoy of the PlayStation Blog (or SackBoy2SavePluto via YouTube :p) today:
My fellow Americans,
It’s me... SackBoy! Now that you can go pickup LittleBigPlanet in your local retailer, I can take on other matters that are important to me other than playing, creating and sharing! So I wanted to take this opportunity to bring your attention to a worthwhile cause.
Well, as you know it’s election season here and it’s not all about Democrats and Republicans. There are bigger issues going on and I need YOU to get involved!
Back in 2006, the International Astronomical Union declassified Pluto, our solar system’s littlest big planet, from a real planet to a dwarf planet. This is a travesty and we must stand together to bring Pluto back to the solar system as the LittleBigPlanet. So join me, Sa... More »
Per Grace Chen (Senior Manager, PLAYSTATION Store) today:
Hey, everyone. It’s time again for the PLAYSTATION Store weekly update. Enjoy!
Qore
Qore Episode 5 ($2.99 for episode / $24.99 for Annual Subscription)
Episode 5 celebrates Halloween with a scary game roundup. It also includes exclusive access to SEGA’s Valkyria Chronicles demo, some spooky/creepy artwork and new shooting galleries.
File Size: 1.68 GB
Games
Linger in Shadows ($2.99)
Linger in Shadows is a unique interactive digital art experience that uses the SIXAXIS controller to manipulate the very fabric of time and reality. Groundbreaking graphics and interactivity raise the bar for what is possible on PlayStation 3. Download Linger in Shadows and experience a truly unique journey that will change the way you think about games and art.
File Size: 100 MB
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords ($14.9... More »
Yesterday's session featured some strange exchanging of Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (TTWO) shares, just one day before the company is set to release earnings.
There was no news released, though Barron's later said that the price decline was due to rumors about Electronic Arts Inc. (ERTS) walking away from merger talks. ERTS had an executive speak at a conference right around noon.
Below is a graph of TTWO's trades between about 11:15 and 12:05, when shares declined sharply, rebounded sharply, and then settled roughly 5% lower than where they opened.
As the stock crossed $24 about eight minutes into the graph, the first pickup in volume can be seen, possibly by stop-limit orders being triggered. The price continued to slide on light volume until shares broke through $23, when volume accelerated to over 50,000 shares per minute.
As the shares dropped below $22, volume topped 150,000 shares per minute, which is impressive, consid... More »
We are taking a look at four Hideo Kojima games that we would like to see resurrected. Now that Solid Snake’s tale has come to an end, Hideo Kojima has plenty of time to dabble in the worlds outside of the Metal Gear universe.
After all, the man is no one trick pony; he has many other series’ that fans of his would love to either see remakes of or better yet, new iterations. So without further ado, we present to you readers, the 4 games we would like to Mr. Kojima work on in the future.
Snatcher Snatcher was a game that was doomed from the start here in North America. Not only did it debut at the end of the Sega CD’s life, but hardly anyone bought the add-on resulting in poor sales. Yet, over the years, this cyber-punk adventure would gain a small cult following of hardcore Hideo Kojima fans. Snatcher was basically the video game adaptation of Blade Runner, centered on a “Runner” named Gillian Seed, an amnesiac new recruit... More »
The 33rd PSN Store update hits today, per Grace Chen (Senior Manager, PLAYSTATION Store):
Hey, everyone. It’s time again for the PLAYSTATION Store weekly update.
Downloadable Games:
Rocketmen: Axis of Evil ($9.99)
Join Nick Sion, Alec Mink and the rest of the Alliance of Free Planets in their white-knuckled, frenzied struggle to free the Solar System from the tyrannical grip of Lord Invictus and the Legion of Terra! With its distinctive cel-shaded art style, engaging storyline, RPG elements and non-stop action, this shooter promises to keep players coming back for more!
ESRB Rated
File size: 124 MB
Add-on Game Content:
PixelJunk Monsters Encore ($5.99)
PixelJunk Monsters Encore is an expansion pack to the popular and addictive tower defense game, PixelJunk Monsters. Encore includes 15 levels on a new map, “Toki Island”, as well as the ability for players to track their score across bot... More »
The old question of how drivers of salt-spreading lorries get to work could soon be answered under government plans to recycle summer sunshine collected by Britain's roads and use it to keep them ice-free in winter.
The Highways Agency plans to install pipes underneath a section of road to gather solar energy in summer and recirculate it in winter.
Experts hope the scheme could be a way to treat the roads which are the first to freeze. Officials are also testing the technology to heat and cool buildings, cut energy bills and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
If successful, the pilot scheme could be extended to more roads.
An agency spokeswoman said a final decision on which trunk road to use for the trial would be made this year. The road should have maintenance work scheduled so that delays to the public are minimised, she added.
The scheme, known as interseasonal heat transfer, or IHT, will lay a network of plastic pip... More »
World's smallest transistor, one atom thick and 10 atoms wide, out of a material that could one day replace silicon. The transistor, essentially an on/off switch, has been made using graphene, a two-dimensional material first discovered only four years ago.
Graphene is a single layer of graphite, which is found in the humble pencil. The transistor is the key building block of microchips and the basis for almost all electronics.
Dr Kostya Novoselov and Professor Andre Geim from The School of Physics and Astronomy at The University of Manchester have been leading research into the potential application of graphene in electronics and were the first to separate a sheet of the material from graphite
Super material
Graphene has been hailed as a super material because it has many potential applications. It is a flat molecule, with only the thickness of an atom, and both very stable and robust.
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