Lifeboat Foundation

Microsoft is holding an event this month, the company announced tonight, at which it says it will “show the world what’s next.” The event will take place in Shanghai on May 23rd, but Microsoft didn’t specify either the precise location of the event or exactly what it will be showing. The company did tell The Verge to expect new hardware, however.

There are some additional clues to that new hardware to be gleaned from social media. Panos Panay — Microsoft’s vice president of devices and the creator of the Surface — tweeted the announcement alongside the hashtag “#Surface.” The tag, and Panay’s planned attendance in Shanghai, could mean that Microsoft is ready to show off the Surface Pro 5.

Someone may have finally cracked a form of DVD encryption believed to be impenetrable. Potentially, this could mean it’s now possible to download 4K Blu-Ray movies online, though you shouldn’t get too excited yet.

According to TorrentFreak, an allegedly cracked copy of The Smurfs 2 — why that one, of all films, is a mystery — surfaced on HD Bit Torrent community UltraHDClub. There are no other details at the moment.

We’ve teamed up with Product Hunt to offer you the chance to win an all expense paid trip to TNW Conference 2017!

Continue reading “Pirates may have cracked the code to 4K UHD torrents” »

Physicists use standard wireless transmitter to create hologram.

Human saliva contains a painkiller more powerful than morphine.

Amazon is building a massive biodome in downtown Seattle…

If you wear a smartwatch, you know how limiting it is to type it on or otherwise operate it. Now European researchers have developed an input method that uses a depth camera (similar to the Kinect game controller) to track fingertip touch and location on the back of the hand or in mid-air, allowing for precision control.

Continue reading “Precision typing on a smartwatch with finger gestures” »

A researcher in the U.K. has developed the world’s first synthetic, soft tissue retina. Because it doesn’t contain any hard materials, the device should be able to bypass many of the problems posed by current mechanical implants.

Germany has broken a new record for renewable energy, with low-carbon sources nearly obliterating coal and nuclear power last weekend.

At one point on the sunny and breezy Sunday, sustainable energy from wind, solar, biomass and hydro power provided a record 85 per cent of the country’s total energy.

Germany has been investing heavily in renewables, as part of the government’s Energiewende initiative to transition away from fossil fuels and nuclear power to a low carbon, environmentally sound, reliable, and affordable energy supply by 2050.

Continue reading “Germany breaks renewables record with coal and nuclear power responsible for only 15% of country’s total energy” »

Researchers believe their surgery-assisting robot is capable of performing complex brain surgeries. The machine can reduce the time of surgeries by cutting down the time it takes to cut into the skull from two hours to two and a half minutes.