Astronomers found two super-Earth's that could host & sustain life

Jak Connor | Science, Space, Health & Robotics | Jan 16, 2020 12:31 AM CST

Astronomers have peered out into the vastness of space and located two more potentially habitable alien planets.

Astronomers found two super-Earth's that could host & sustain life

The two new worlds that could be our new homes some day are called 'GJ180 d' and 'GJ229A c' and orbit two red dwarf stars 'GJ229A' and 'GJ180', respectively. Both of the planets are located in the habitable zone of the red dwarf stars and are not total locked. Tidal locking is common for planets found next to red dwarfs, but it isn't good for survivability or an overall habitable planet as it can render the days extremely hot and the nights freezing.

Fabo Feng, of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C, said the planet 'GJ180 d' has a temperature close to Earths, so much so that the planet can be called a super-Earth. 'GJ180 d' is actually larger than Earth as well, its estimated that the exoplanet has 7.5 times the mass of Earth. "GJ180 d is the nearest temperate super-Earth to us that is not tidally locked to its star, which probably boosts its likelihood of being able to host and sustain life." If you are after more information check out this link here.

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ASRock unleashes its Hyper Quad M.2 PCIe 4.0 expansion card

Anthony Garreffa | Storage | Jan 16, 2020 12:10 AM CST

If you want some of the most insane storage you can cram into a PC, then you will want to check out ASRock's new Hyper Quad M.2 PCIe 4.0 Expansion Card.

ASRock unleashes its Hyper Quad M.2 PCIe 4.0 expansion card

ASRock's new Hyper Quad M.2 PCIe 4.0 Expansion Card if you couldn't already tell from its name, can handle 4 x NVMe M.2 SSDs and cram them into a single PCIe 4.0 x16 slot. It supports M Key type 2242/2260/2280/22110 M.2 PCI Express modules.

The 4 x onboard M.2 sockets are on a 45-degree angle inside of the card, a move by ASRock to keep the traces as short as possible -- meaning that the M.2 sockets have enough current, something that is imperative for the speeds that PCIe 4.0 SSDs can reach in the multiple GB/sec range.

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PUBG's new map Karakin has destructible buildings

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Jan 15, 2020 11:45 PM CST

PUBG will be throwing in an interesting and unexpected change with its upcoming v6.1 update, with a new map called Karakin that is a 2x2km island that also introduces destructible buildings.

PUBG's new map Karakin has destructible buildings

The new 64-player map has a huge network of underground tunnels, with a new threat called the 'Black Zone' that sees the map blasted with disasters that will take down entire buildings and towns. This means you won't be able to camp it up, as the map will evolve in real-time with the added threat of pure destruction.

PUBG's new 6.1 update will see a few different walls have proper bullet penetration, so if you know an enemy is on the other side of a particular wall, blast a magazine into it. Better yet, Karakin will also see the introduction of a new sticky bomb that can be used on breach points, as well as blasting holes in hidden areas (walls or floors).

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Bose is closing ALL retail stores in US, Australia, Europe and Japan

Anthony Garreffa | Business, Financial & Legal | Jan 15, 2020 11:36 PM CST

Bose has announced some rather large news for its retail dominance in major markets globally, with the audio-focused company announcing it will be closing retail stores in multiple countries.

Bose is closing ALL retail stores in US, Australia, Europe and Japan

Bose will be closing its retail storefronts in the US, Australia, Europe and Japan which will see a total of 119 stores closing and hundreds of jobs slashed. It's a big shock considering Bose first opened its first physical store in 1993, and has continued to spread its audio retail goodness across the world since.

The retail stores have been the perfect way to display and show off their audio products like headphones and speakers, especially Bose's iconic noise-cancellation headphones. Recently, Bose has been pushing into smart speakers, earbuds, sunglasses, and other products.

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GTA 6 listed for 2020 release by retailer Gameware, probably fake

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jan 15, 2020 4:15 PM CST

According to a now-deleted listing from Austrian retailer Gameware, Grand Theft Auto 6 could release in 2020. But we're skeptical.

GTA 6 listed for 2020 release by retailer Gameware, probably fake

Austrian game-seller Gameware recently put up pre-order listings for GTA 6, complete with a 2020 release date. I say reports because the listings are down, and there's no links that've been backed up on internet archives, so there's no real proof the listings were there at all (they could've easily been Photoshopped). Even taking into account Gameware's history of leaking real games like Need For Speed Heat and Devil May Cry 5 ahead of their announcements, these listings don't seem accurate.

For one, the listings show Grand Theft Auto 6 being rated by AT-PEGI, or the Austrian branch of the Pan-European Gaming Information ratings board. Of course no listing for GTA 6 exists on the website.

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Fortnite breaks fourth wall with Ninja skin

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jan 15, 2020 1:28 PM CST

Epic Games today announced the Icon Series, a new rollout of purchasable skins for popular streamers, YouTubers, and content creators.

Fortnite breaks fourth wall with Ninja skin

Fortnite is no stranger to breaking the fourth wall. The game has served as a powerful advertisement billboard for movies and franchises like Star Wars, Batman, and John Wick, and even held its own exclusive in-game concert. These tactics have been extremely valuable by engaging the game's 250 million-strong userbase. Now the battle royale sensation continues smashing the fourth wall by injecting big influencers into its game.

Ninja, the most popular Fortnite streamer on the planet, is the first to be immortalized in the game with his very own skin. Fortnite players can become Ninja starting on Thursday but no pricing has been revealed (possibly $10 or more). Other content creators like late night female streamer Loserfruit and popular Spanish YouTuber Grefg are next in line to receive Fortnite skins.

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The mobile markets revenue +17% in 2019, topping out at $83.5 billion

Jak Connor | Business, Financial & Legal | Jan 15, 2020 4:50 AM CST

If you thought that the mobile market wasn't big, then you thought wrong. Sensor Tower has released new statistics that reveal throughout 2019, an estimated $83.5 billion dollars was spent in the mobile market.

The mobile markets revenue +17% in 2019, topping out at $83.5 billion

The new statistics have been released on the Sensor Tower website, and show that throughout 2019 a growth of 16.3% occurred in spending for Apple's App Store. In 2018, the App Store pulled in $46.6 billion in spending, compared to in 2019, where it managed to beat the record with $54.2 billion. Looking at the Android market in 2018, the Google Play Store's total revenue was estimated to be $24.8 billion. In 2019 that number increased slightly to $29.3 billion.

The mobile gaming market was a massive player in the total revenue, pulling in a lions share of $61.7 billion spent, a 12.8% increase when compared to 2018. So what mobile games generated the most revenue? According to Sensor Tower, games such as Honor of Kings, Pokemon GO, Fire Emblem Heroes, Garena Free Fire, Call of Duty Mobile, and more contributed the most towards the gaming market's total revenue earnings. The game that managed to rake in the most revenue was Tencent's Honor of Kings with a ridiculous $1.5 billion.

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Amazon Studios reveals first group of 'Lord of the Rings' series stars

Jak Connor | TV, Movies & Home Theatre | Jan 15, 2020 4:16 AM CST

At TCA, Amazon Studios officially announced the first group of actors who will be starring in their upcoming Lord of the Rings TV show.

Amazon Studios reveals first group of 'Lord of the Rings' series stars

If you have been out of the loop, Amazon Studios are currently gathering all resources to begin shooting for their upcoming Lord of the Rings TV show that will be based within J.R.R. Tolkien's Second Age of Middle-Earth. We knew that young Ned Stark actor from Game of Thrones, Robert Aramayo, will star in the series, but we didn't know who else would be stepping into some vital roles. Now, Amazon Studios has revealed a further fifteen actors who will be appearing in the show.

The following actors were announced by Amazon Studios, "Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Tom Budge, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, and Daniel Weyman." Amazon plans to start shooting sometime next month in New Zealand. According to Amazon Co-head of TV, Vernon Sanders, who spoke at TCA, "We still have a few key roles to cast." So in the coming months, we can expect some other actors to join in on Amazon's massive project.

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Man asks court for 'Trial by Combat' with wife's attorney in divorce

Jak Connor | Business, Financial & Legal | Jan 15, 2020 3:31 AM CST

An American man has made a strange filing in an Iowa court, asking his new ex-wife and attorney to meet him on the field of battle.

Man asks court for 'Trial by Combat' with wife's attorney in divorce

The Kansas man is 40-year-old David Ostrom, who says that his now ex-wife, Bridgette Ostrom, has "destroyed (him) legally". So in response to being "destroyed legally", Ostrom has asked the court to grant him 'trial by combat' and to give him twelve weeks to prepare his weapons for battle. Ostrom wants to forge his own kata and wakizashi swords for the trial. According to the Des Moines Register, the court states, "To this day, trial by combat has never been explicitly banned or restricted as a right in these United States".

Ostrom's main target in this trial by combat is not his ex-wife but instead her attorney, Matthew Hudson. Ostrom says, "I think I've met Mr. Hudson's absurdity with my own absurdity." Ostrom even suggested to his ex-wife to choose Hudson as her "champion". In response to the trial by combat request, Hudson has filed a motion to suspend Ostrom's visitation rights to his children and has asked to court to enforce a psychological evaluation on Ostrom.

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New rating indicates BioShock Collection is coming over to the Switch

Jak Connor | Gaming | Jan 15, 2020 2:51 AM CST

Some new ratings have appeared online in regards to 2K's BioShock series. According to the new ratings BioShock The Collection will be making its way over to Nintendo Switch.

New rating indicates BioShock Collection is coming over to the Switch

The new ratings have been found on this website, and according to the listings, the Nintendo Switch will be blessed with the BioShock Collection. The listing also reveals some other titles which have been rated; those titles include; BioShock 1 Remastered, BioShock 2 Remastered, and BioShock Infinite: The Complete Collection.

At the moment, 2K Games hasn't made any official announcements regarding the BioShock series heading over to Nintendo Switch, but seeing the games be rated is a very good sign it's happening. We cannot confirm that 2K will port the games soon, but if an official announcement is made, I will be sure to follow up with another post detailing it.

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