League of Legends is 10-years old, Rioters kick off major celebrations

Jak Connor | Gaming | Oct 15, 2019 4:11 AM CDT

It has almost been a decade since the release of the massively popular MOBA League of Legends, and to celebrate the 10-year mark Riot are planning some streams.

League of Legends is 10-years old, Rioters kick off major celebrations

According to a blogpost on the League of Legends' official website, Rioters around the world will be spending the entire day doing celebratory live streams. Riot says that many "of our regional offices are also planning in-person events and activities" and that to tune into the streams players or fans should check their local League of Legends channels on the 15th of October.

Riot will also be hosting a main event that will be starting at 6 PM PDT. This event will be the 10th Anniversary Edition of Riot Pls and will show the first look at this year's SR preseason update and TFT's "set two" content. Below i have provided dot points listing all of Riots events, happy birthday League of Legends!

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That reddish interstellar visitor isn't what we thought it would be

Jak Connor | Science, Space, Health & Robotics | Oct 15, 2019 3:07 AM CDT

Astronomers that have been observing the comet that arrived in our solar system from deep space, discovered that the comet is much more ordinary than first expected.

That reddish interstellar visitor isn't what we thought it would be

Sometimes space discoveries aren't all celebrations, as sometimes what was expected to be found is a bit more ordinary than originally thought. This is one of those times, as amateur astronomer, Gennady Borisov found back in late August a comet from deep space which was then named 2I/Borisov. This comet was the second interstellar object ever found to enter our solar system, and as astronomers studied its qualities it has been found to be quite the ordinary comet.

A team led by Piotr Guzik at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland maned the telescopes at the Canary Islands and Hawaii to observe the visitor further. What they found is that the comet has a reddish color with a fuzzy tail extending from its 2-kilometre-wide nucleus. The team found that the comet is more normal than once thought, and is extremely similar to the comets that are currently floating around our sun. Astronomers will continue to study 21/Borisov as its trajectory is will closely approach the sun on the 8th of December. After that it will continue outwards to the edges of our solar system.

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Bicycles, dinner tables & umbrellas could soon become pocket-sized

Jak Connor | Artificial Intelligence | Oct 15, 2019 2:08 AM CDT

Have you ever wondered if it would be possible for you to pick up your bicycle, fold it into itself and then place it in your pocket? Well, this new super-compressible material could do just that.

Bicycles, dinner tables & umbrellas could soon become pocket-sized

Researchers at TU Delft have used artificial intelligence to create a new supercompressible but strong material. According to Miguel Bessa, assistant professor in materials science and engineering at TU Delft, the idea originiated when he was at the California Institute of Technology in the corner of the Space Structures Lab. Bessa noticed that a satellite structure could open long solar sails from an extremely small form-factor.

This observation drove Bessa's inspiration to create a supercompressible material that could be compressed into a fraction of its volume, but still remain strong. "If this was possible, everyday objects such as bicycles, dinner tables and umbrellas could be folded into your pocket." Bessa and his team used artificial intelligence instead of the traditional trial-and-error process to explore new design possibilities with metamaterials. This reduced experimentation to the absolute minimum, and after some time Bessa fabricated two designs that converted once brittle polymers into lightweight, recoverable and super-compressible metamaterials.

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Blizzard cancels Overwatch on Switch event in NYC -- thanks, China

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Oct 15, 2019 1:40 AM CDT

In a hugely surprising move (maximum sarcasm enabled), Blizzard has cancelled its Overwatch Switch launch party that was about to kick off at Nintendo in New York City. Overwatch launches on the Nintendo Switch later today, October 15.

Blizzard cancels Overwatch on Switch event in NYC -- thanks, China

Overwatch is about to launch on the Nintendo Switch, with its NYC-based launch event taking place at NintendoNYC on October 16 abruptly cancelled by Blizzard. Nintendo NYC explained in a tweet that the event had been "cancelled by Blizzard" and that it apologizes for "any inconvenience this may cause".

Blizzard has been in super-hot water over its treatment and silencing of professional Hearthstone player 'blitzchung' who voiced support for the protests going on in Hong Kong. Activision-Blizzard banned him from the game, and took his prize money -- then started throwing out 1000-year bans to anyone talking about Hong Kong and China on its forums.

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This 100,000 times thinner guitar string 'nano-string' plays by itself

Jak Connor | Science, Space, Health & Robotics | Oct 15, 2019 1:05 AM CDT

Scientists have managed to create a nano-electronic circuit that can vibrate and play guitar notes without any external force.

This 100,000 times thinner guitar string 'nano-string' plays by itself

The scientists from the Lancaster University and University of Oxford have used a tiny suspended wire that is positioned much like a guitar string to showcase their experiment that reveals how a simple nano-device can generate motion by itself. Researchers used a carbon nanotube, a wire with a diameter of about 3 nanometers or to put it into a musicians perspective - about 100,000 times thinner than a normal guitar string.

Researchers mounted the nanotube onto metal supports at each end and then cooled it down to 0.02 degrees. Researchers then passed an electric current through the wire and measured its change in electrical resistance. Much like a normal guitar string when its plucked, the nanotube wire vibrated when the electric current passed through it, what was the surprising part was when the researchers stopped forcing the voltage and the wire continued vibrate by itself.

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Only in Japan: Mega Man collection for Nintendo Switch drops on Dec 19

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Oct 14, 2019 11:26 PM CDT

Mega Man fans will be first excited, and then disappointed with the news of this massive Mega Man collection for the Nintendo Switch... as it's only available in Japan.

Only in Japan: Mega Man collection for Nintendo Switch drops on Dec 19

The huge Mega Man collection includes Mega Man 11 booklet, a 30th-anniversary art piece, and copies of Mega Man Legacy Collection 1 + 2, Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 + 2, and Mega Man 11. Yeah, that's a lot of Mega Man -- and unless you're in Japan, you'll be missing out.

The new Mega Man collection for the Nintendo Switch is listed on Amazon Japan right now for ¥10,989 which works out to around $100. The huge box set will be available on December 19, right in time for Christmas.

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Overwatch 'Halloween Terror' event kicks off October 15

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Oct 14, 2019 11:00 PM CDT

It's that time of the year again for Blizzard to unleash Halloween-themed goodies and a new dab of paint into Overwatch with the upcoming Halloween Terror 2019 event kicking off.

Overwatch 'Halloween Terror' event kicks off October 15

The official Twitter account for Overwatch tweeted the news, with the Halloween Terror 2019 even running between October 15 and November 4. We know that we'll expect a bunch of Halloween-themed skins, a limited-time loot box bundle to grab them, and the continued story of Dr. Junkenstein.

Blizzard is riding the new Overwatch event alongside the exciting release of the game on the Nintendo Switch, which funnily enough the Nintendo Switch version of the game in physical form actually not including a physical disc inside of the packaging.

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Razer Blade 15 Advanced has light-based optical mechanical keyboard

Anthony Garreffa | Laptops | Oct 14, 2019 10:18 PM CDT

Razer has always been at the forefront of technology when it comes to its gaming laptops, but the latest Blade 15 Advanced really takes things to the next level with an optical mechanical keyboard.

Razer Blade 15 Advanced has light-based optical mechanical keyboard

The new Razer Blade 15 Advanced and its optical mechanical keyboard uses light sensors in place of physical switches, with the light sensor-based keyboard technology finding a better home in a gaming laptop that needs a thin, but precise keyboard.

Razer says that because the new Blade 15 Advanced's optical mechanical keyboard has no "bounce back issues" compared to other keyboards, with N-Key rollover also here to get away from ghosting issues when you're slamming your fingers into the keyboard typing or during those hectic gaming sessions.

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Microsoft's xCloud game streaming preview online in the US, UK, Korea

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Oct 14, 2019 9:36 PM CDT

Microsoft has officially launched its cloud streaming platform Project xCloud in certain countries (at least for now) with Project xCloud now live in the United States, the UK, and Korea.

Microsoft's xCloud game streaming preview online in the US, UK, Korea

Right now Microsoft is inviting people into the beta of Project xCloud which will see limited testing of Gears 5, Halo 5: Guardians, Killer Instinct, and Sea of Thieves. Microsoft cloud gaming boss Kareem Choudhry, explains: "Public preview is a critical phase in our multi-year ambition to deliver game streaming globally at the scale and quality of experience that the gaming community deserves and expects".

He continued: "It's time to put Project xCloud to the test in a broader capacity, with a range of gamers, devices, network environments and real-world use-case scenarios".

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Qualcomm teams with 30+ OEMs to use Snapdragon X55 5G modem in 2020

Qualcomm has announced that it has teamed with over 30 OEMs to get its super-fast Snapdragon X55 modem inside of devices and your homes in 2020 and beyond, paving the way for non-5G devices to get super-fast speeds.

Qualcomm teams with 30+ OEMs to use Snapdragon X55 5G modem in 2020

The new solution will see Qualcomm teaming with companies to get its 5G chip as well as Wi-Fi 6 tech to power Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) home gateways, where the Snapdragon X55 modem and Networking Pro 1200 platform will support sub 6-GHz networks and throw down the gauntlet for long-range communication with ridiculous speeds.

34 companies have signed up to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 modem and RF system, with these products to make their way to market in 2020. They will be called 5G FWA CPE (because normal non-tech and non-up-to-date people will love saying that out aloud) and should replace normal wired cable modems but they will deliver when it comes to super-quick speeds.

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