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Archive for the ‘computing’ category: Page 281

Apr 7, 2022

Why are some game studios reluctant to take cheating and piracy seriously?

Posted by in categories: computing, entertainment

In 2021, there was an estimated 2.7 billion gamers globally, in a gaming market that is valued at $300+ billion. The opportunity for developers is huge — but so is the temptation for fraudsters looking for ways to take advantage of the revenue that’s pouring into the industry. But according to the recent Denuvo Global Gaming Survey, many developers don’t fully know how cheating, tampering, and piracy has impacted their revenues — or don’t think they’ve been affected at all.

When players recognize cheating in a game, they often simply quit, because after all, there are an endless number of titles available. Engagement then tanks, and so does a game’s reputation — especially when developers’ social media accounts are overrun with complaints and demands that the issues be fixed.

Tampering and piracy, which usually go hand in hand, undermine a game’s sales, player engagement, and retention, particularly in the first few weeks of a game’s release. While PC and mobile operating systems are more vulnerable, consoles can still be hit, especially because so many games have co-op modes and live updates. For free-to-play games and games that offer in-game items, tampering can also directly impact monetization.

Apr 7, 2022

Can Mushrooms “Talk” to Each Other?

Posted by in category: computing

Forest floor-dwelling fungi can send one another electrical signals to form word-like clusters, according to a computer scientist, but whether that represents something akin to language isn’t clear.

Apr 7, 2022

System helps severely motor-impaired individuals type more quickly and accurately

Posted by in category: computing

A new human-computer interaction system enables severely motor-impaired individuals who communicate using a single switch to do so faster and with more accuracy. This assistive technology is led by Tamara Broderick of MIT.

Apr 7, 2022

Google announces new tool for data storage and integration

Posted by in categories: computing, innovation

Throughout the past decade, several metaphors and labels have evolved to describe the software that curates the data storage. Some were called warehouses; they generally offered stronger structure and compliance, but they were often unable to manage the larger volumes of information from modern web applications. Another term, the “data lake,” referred to less structured collections that were engineered to scale easily, in part because they enforced fewer rules. Google wants BigLake to offer the control of the best data warehouses with the seemingly endless availability of cloud storage.

“All of these organizations who try to innovate on top of the data lake found it to be, at the end of the day, just a data swamp,” said Kazmaier. “Our innovation at Google Cloud is that we take BigQuery and its unique architecture, its unique Serverless model, its unique storage architecture and a unique compute architecture and [integrate it] with open-source file formats and open-source processing engines.”

The open-source architecture is intended to allow customers to adopt Google’s tools slowly through integration with existing data infrastructure. These open formats simplify sharing information, making it a more welcoming environment.

Apr 7, 2022

Honey might be the key to cooler, more efficient, biodegradable chips

Posted by in categories: computing, engineering, neuroscience, sustainability

These chips might be the future of neuromorphic computing.


Honey could be the next material used to create brain-like computer chips. Its proven practicality marks another step toward creating efficient, renewable processors for neuromorphic computing systems, using biodegradable products.

Research engineers from WSU’s School of Engineering and Computer Science, Feng Zhao and Brandon Sueoka, first processed honey into a solid. Then they jammed it between two electrodes, using a structure design similar to that of a human synapse. They’re known as ‘memristors,’ and are proficient at learning and retaining information just like human neurons.

Continue reading “Honey might be the key to cooler, more efficient, biodegradable chips” »

Apr 5, 2022

Why Quantum Computing Is Closer Than You Think

Posted by in categories: computing, quantum physics

When I first started looking into quantum computing I had a fairly pessimistic view about its near-term commercial prospects, but I’ve come to think we’re only a few years away from seeing serious returns on the technology.

Apr 4, 2022

10 Difficult Problems Quantum Computers can Solve Easily

Posted by in categories: computing, quantum physics

ab initio calculations

Classical computing is of very little help when the task to be accomplished pertains to ab initio calculations. With quantum computing in place, you have a quantum system simulating another quantum system. Furthermore, tasks such as modelling atomic bonding or estimating electron orbital overlaps can be done much more precisely.

Apr 4, 2022

AMD Radeon Software Reportedly Alters CPU Settings Without User Knowledge

Posted by in category: computing

Adrenalin drivers seemingly go haywire.


German publication Igor’s Lab investigated a potential abnormality surrounding AMD’s Adrenalin GPU software. The current speculation is that the integration of AMD’s Ryzen Master module into the Adrenalin version 22.3.1 software or later has inadvertently allowed the program to manipulate CPU PBO and Precision Boost settings without the user’s permission.

According to user feedback, the problem occurs only with AMD CPU and GPU combinations since that hardware supports the Ryzen Master SDK. So if you are running a system that has either an Intel CPU paired to a Radeon GPU, or a Ryzen CPU paired to an Nvidia GPU, you will not encounter this problem.

Apr 4, 2022

The Cybernetic Theory of Mind: Novel “ToE” for Deeper Understanding of Reality

Posted by in categories: computing, singularity

The Cybernetic Theory of Mind, or the CTM model, is an integral multidisciplinary ontological model that allows to draw a wide variety of predictions and deductions from the intersections of two or more foundational axioms. The CTM model also allows integration of further epistemic elements under its broad ontological umbrella as they come to be known. The CTM model can be visualized as a 3D pyramid with 4 foundational axioms at the base and the OS axiom, related to the Omega Singularity (as well as “Operating System”), at the apex of the pyramid (See The CTM Pyramid of Foundational Axioms below).

Apr 4, 2022

Astronomy tests the QHY 410C, a color camera without the noise

Posted by in categories: computing, space

Move aside CCDs. Consumer CMOS cameras are here to stay.


For 20 years, I have been using charge-coupled device (CCD) cameras, and I currently own the top-of-the-line SBIG STX-16803. But while studying two images I recently made using the latest QHY 410C CMOS camera, I had to wonder: Is CCD dead?

For years, I lectured about the asymptotic boundary of noise in CCD images. In a basic sense, this means that no matter how many frames you take to increase your signal-to-noise ratio for a cleaner image, you will always run into a wall of noise when you stretch your image to bring out deep shadows. But with QHY’s new CMOS camera, this troublesome wall of noise is nonexistent.

Continue reading “Astronomy tests the QHY 410C, a color camera without the noise” »