The Verge - All Posts

Drive and fly seamlessly with this crazy remote control quadrocopter car

2013-05-25T15:32:02Z

A PhD student has created a remote control flying car, and he's looking to fund the project on Kickstarter. Called "B," the vehicle functions as a regular four-wheeled RC, but housed within its wheels are four propellers that with the flick of a switch can generate enough lift to turn the B into a quadrocopter. Able to fly for around 15 minutes on a single charge, the B also has a 720p camera and microSD card slot embedded in its body for recording on-board video. Its creator Witold Mielniczek previously worked on a DARPA-contest-winning HALO Unmanned Aerial Vehicle before turning his attention to this solo project.

Mielniczek's working prototype appears to work as advertised, and the inventor says he will spend the £86,500 (roughly $131,000) he hopes to raise on securing patents, tooling and fabrication costs, and certification fees, among other things. The obvious downside to the B go beyond project is its cost — starting at £320 ($485), it's not exactly an impulse buy — but the price isn't wildly different from other beginner UAVs out there. After two days on Kickstarter, the project is ten percent funded, and if Mielniczek reaches his target, the first vehicles are estimated to start shipping later this year in December.

The Weekender: Bitcoin lives on, a new Xbox is revealed, and how tech can predict tornadoes

2013-05-25T14:00:02Z

Welcome to The Verge: Weekender edition. Each week, we'll bring you important articles from the previous weeks' original reports, features, and reviews on The Verge. Think of it as a collection of a few of our favorite pieces from the week gone by, which you may have missed, or which you might want to read again.

Report

Why won’t Bitcoin die?

Despite a number of major setbacks, the digital currency Bitcoin has proven resilient. Adrianne Jeffries visited the convention Bitcoin 2013 to find out how the currency keeps making a comeback, what’s coming next, and whether Bitcoin will make it in the long run.
Feature

Microsoft Xbox One: everything you need to know

Microsoft has finally lifted the veil off of the Xbox 360’s successor, and it’s shaping up to look almost as much like a home media center as it is a traditional game console. Catch up here on all of the details from company’s big event.
Review

'Who Owns The Future?' Jaron Lanier thinks Google and the government should pay for your data

More and more companies are built off of data that we consumers willingly hand over to them, but consumers aren’t seeing any monetary benefit for their "work." Virtual reality pioneer Jaron Lanier proposes a solution to a potentially troubling status quo, but it's worth questioning whether a change is possible in the first place.
Report

The Special K cure: new tests show club drug's promise for treating severe depression

Ketamine may be best known for its hallucinogenic properties, but it’s reported to work wonders for many patients with depression. The drug appears to treat the illness in a matter of hours — not weeks like traditional medications — but pharmaceutical companies may not be interested in making it happen.
Report

Twitter granted patent on pull-to-refresh, promises to only use it defensively

Twitter now has a patent on one of the most common touchscreen interface designs, pull-to-refresh. But the company has created an agreement that may put inventors’ minds at ease, and will open up the patented gesture for anyone to use.
Review

Toshiba Kirabook review: finally, a flagship Windows 8 laptop

Toshiba is aiming directly at Apple with the Kirabook, a high-end ultrabook with an amazing display. The machine is thin, light, and well-designed — but is Windows ready for a laptop with such a high-resolution screen?
Review

'We Steal Secrets' review: Julian Assange plays the perfect villain in WikiLeaks documentary

Without interviewing two of the film’s main characters — Julian Assange and Bradley Manning — can We Steal Secrets find anything new to say about WikiLeaks’ story? Three big scoops brought the website to prominence in 2011, but its days in the spotlight may now be over.
Report

The science of tornado prediction: can technology keep us safe from future storms?

On average, a tornado warning only comes 13 minutes before a twister touches down, but new technology could soon improve that. However, modeling storm systems can be tricky, and residents in warning areas are hesitant to respond when warnings continually prove inaccurate.

Google takes the 'last step' to shut down its failed social network Buzz

2013-05-25T13:27:58Z

Google's Buzz social network stands as one of the company's most high-profile missteps to date, but the search giant is taking the "last step" to put the failed service behind it. Past Buzz users received an email (discovered by Engadget) from Google yesterday saying that it's moving all Buzz data to Google Drive. A pair of archives will appear in all users' Drives: one private, which contains all Buzz data, and one public, which will show data that was previously made public, and is accessible to anyone with the link. Neither of the archives will count towards your Google Drive storage allowance. The shift will take place on July 17th, and any users worried about the transition can head to their Google Profile to delete any posts they don't want transfered.

Announced just two months after Google closed its unsuccessful collaborative messaging / editing platform Wave, Buzz was a social network that plugged into existing sharing tools. Users could share to services like Twitter, Picasa, Flickr, YouTube, Blogger, and FriendFeed, or choose to "like" an article on platforms like Google Reader, straight from Gmail or their mobile.

In the days following its release, Buzz was caught up in a privacy controversy as confused Gmail users (who had never signed up for Buzz) found their email contact lists were made public, while public Picasa galleries and Google Reader shares were suddenly highlighted to a wider audience than expected. Buzz even sparked a lawsuit that cost Google $8.5 million. Less than two years after its release, Buzz was unceremoniously killed off. A new social network — Google+ — had already taken its place six months earlier.

Zach Braff's 'Wish I Was Here' Kickstarter campaign beats its goal by over $1 million

2013-05-25T12:03:03Z

Last month Zach Braff started a Kickstarter campaign to help fund a new film entitled Wish I Was Here, and today the campaign wrapped — having surpassed its initial goal by over $1 million. Braff had initially sought $2 million, a figure he said would allow him to retain the creative control he sought for the project. The campaign broke that number within three days. Ultimately, Wish I Was Here raised more than $3.1 million dollars, with over 46,000 different individuals contributing.

Braff ran into backlash almost immediately upon launching the campaign. Unlike the Veronica Mars Kickstarter project, Braff wasn't trying to raise funds for a well-known property — Wish isn't a direct sequel to his 2004 film Garden State — and he was open from the beginning that the $2 million wouldn't even be enough to let him make the movie on his own anyway. Sure enough, the actor and filmmaker secured the rest of the funds needed for the film's $5 to $6 million budget through traditional means.

No matter whether one thinks it's appropriate for well-known and wealthy celebrities to utilize crowdfunding sites (Kickstarter argues that it's just fine), the Wish I Was Here campaign still represents an enormous number of fans and individuals determining what creative properties get made. Whether that trend will ultimately be good for the crowdfunding ecosystem, result in a new wave of independent cinema, or just fizzle out entirely still remains to be seen. For the moment, however, it represents the power of people voting clearly and distinctly with their wallets.

Medical marijuana users can drive drugged, rule Michigan courts

2013-05-25T06:27:01Z

In Michigan, you can smoke marijuana and still drive a car. That's what the Michigan Supreme Court ruled this Tuesday, albeit on a technicality. Though Michigan has a zero-tolerance policy for driving "under the influence" of marijuana, it also has a law on the books that exempts medical marijuana users from any sort of persecution for its use, and so the court had to decide which of the two laws it wanted to uphold.

Since Michigan doesn't actually specify an amount of marijuana in a user's system that impairs driving judgement enough to be considered "under the influence," simply outlawing drugged driving altogether went too far, argued the court. If the state could prove that a driver was under the influence, the court decided, then they could be legally convicted for driving after using the drug.

The easy way to do that, though, might simply be to revise the law. Washington, Nevada, Ohio, and Colorado have indeed set specific legal driving limits of a certain number of nanograms of THC in a driver's blood, and the court recommended that Michigan do the same before long.

Hacks targeting US oil, gas, and electric companies traced to Iran

2013-05-25T04:25:49Z

The Wall Street Journal and New York Times both report that recent cyber attacks against US oil, gas, and power companies have come from Iran. The hackers were targeting control systems and probing for the kind of access that would give them the ability to disrupt oil pipelines and other infrastructure. The cyber attacks are likely backed by the Iranian government, though apparently the evidence isn't definitive.

Iran has apparently been stepping up its cyber warfare capabilities since its nuclear facilities fell victim to Stuxnet, widely believed to have been launched by a collaboration between the US and Israel. In fact, Iran cited attacks on its own facilities in its denial of this most recent round of hacking, telling the Wall Street Journal that "Iran has not ever retaliated against those illegal cyberattacks."

The attacks on US infrastructure are different from earlier Iranian-sourced hacks, which primarily targeted banks with less-sophisticated denial of service attacks. US officials are reportedly more concerned about the Iranian attacks than recent Chinese-based hacks, as those were primarily (though not exclusively) aimed at newspapers and collecting intellectual property.

Although it doesn't appear that the hacks have resulted in any damage, officials characterized the attacks as "probes that suggest someone is looking at how to take control of these systems," the New York Times reports. The Wall Street Journal says that although the hacks haven't yet been successful, they have gone "far enough to worry people."

iPhone urine analysis app may require FDA approval, says agency

2013-05-25T02:21:01Z

In what may be a first for the Federal Drug Administration, the agency has sent a letter to the makers of an iPhone medical app asking why its approval wasn't sought before release. The uChek app analyzes photos of urine samples to give users quick health information. On Tuesday, the FDA told developer Biosense that it had 30 days to either show the agency that it has already received its blessing, or explain why the app didn't need it in the first place.

UChek — which also runs on the iPad and iPod touch — keys off chemical strips to determine the levels of various elements in a user's urine. For example, a diabetic may use the app to check their blood sugar. In its letter, the FDA doesn't question whether or not the app works as advertised. Instead, the FDA argues that the strips uChek is designed to work with are meant to by read by the human eye. When the uChek app scans the strips, it becomes part of what the FDA describes as an "automated strip reader." Essentially, the agency argues that the app turns the iPhone into a part of a medical testing system that requires its approval. Despite the FDA scrutiny, uChek remains available for download in Apple's iTunes App Store; Biosense told Bloomberg that it plans on getting the app approved by the FDA.

Google no longer able to pay Android developers in Argentina, pulling apps on July 27th

2013-05-25T00:06:35Z

Developers in Argentina have begun receiving letters from Google informing them that "Google Play will no longer be able to accept payments on behalf of developers registered in Argentina starting June 27, 2013." The change applies to both paid apps and apps that use in-app purchases. The move appears to be related to new, restrictive regulations the Argentine government has imposed on currency exchanges, which The Telegraph detailed this past September. Twitter has quite a few developers complaining about the changes, but it's not clear how many people will be affected. Android customers in Argentina will still be able to purchase apps in the Play store and developers from the country can continue to offer free apps.

Celularis has a copy of the letter Google has sent to Argentine developers (and a follow-up post with more details), which states that a final payment will be made on July 22nd and, strangely, lacks anything like an apology for those affected by the changes. Developers in Argentina who do want to continue to make money off apps in the Google Play store will have to transfer their account to another country — and Google even goes so far as to suggest that very option in its letter. Google hopes to restore payments at some point in the future, though "no specific plans are in place at the moment."

The little known history of the sites that inspired Tumblr

2013-05-25T00:00:04Z

Tumblr is the quintessential example of a tumblelog, the stripped-down style of blogging for which it is named. But as the Daily Dot explains, it wasn't the first to offer a short form blogging service. Tumblr — which Yahoo purchased last week for $1.1 billion in cash — is at least the third tumblelog to hit the Web, following two lesser known sites: Anarchaia and Projectionist. Those two predecessors served as inspiration for David Karp, who founded Tumblr about six years ago. "The people who plant the seed are often forgotten through history," Marcel Molina, the engineer who built Projectionist, tells The Daily Dot.

Xbox One games will require internet 'spot checks', but Microsoft won't charge to authenticate used games

2013-05-24T23:02:04Z

Does the Xbox One actually require an internet connection? Will used game buyers or sellers have to pay an extra fee? Microsoft hasn't made it clear, but a report at Polygon now claims that the answers are "yes" and "no" respectively. According to the publication's sources, Xbox One games will phone home to Microsoft servers on a regular basis to verify that their users own the games. If you buy a used title, however, Polygon claims that you won't have to pay Microsoft for a fresh license to the game.

Simply popping in the game disc and installing it will reportedly establish lawful ownership as far as Microsoft's servers are concerned. When you install the game on your Xbox One, you'll be deauthenticating it on the previous owner's account, according to Polygon.

Despite Microsoft's recent attempts to walk back the discussion about the requirement for an internet connection and how the Xbox One will deal with used games, Polygon's report more or less fits with what Microsoft exec Phil Harrison already told reporters at the show. He suggested that the Xbox One would phone home once every 24 hours to make sure games were being played by their owners, and that friends could play a game for free as long as an authenticated owner was logged in with their account. Polygon's sources say the authentication might possibly be waived for certain groups that might have extreme difficulty authenticating, like active military personnel.

Questions linger

The recent confusion might stem from what Harrison said next: he told publications that if you left a game installed on a friend's Xbox One, that friend could only play the game if he paid Microsoft for a fresh license. That could still be correct: it'd be the same as buying a downloadable tile, only you don't need to download the game. But if so, it sounds like used game purchases wouldn't work the same way, and it's not clear how Microsoft will differentiate between a disc you let a friend borrow and one you resell. We're also still curious how (or if) the company will make money on used games if it's not charging buyers or sellers.

The Verge - All Posts

Drive and fly seamlessly with this crazy remote control quadrocopter car

The Weekender: Bitcoin lives on, a new Xbox is revealed, and how tech can predict tornadoes

Report

Why won’t Bitcoin die?

Feature

Microsoft Xbox One: everything you need to know

Review

'Who Owns The Future?' Jaron Lanier thinks Google and the government should pay for your data

Report

The Special K cure: new tests show club drug's promise for treating severe depression

Report

Twitter granted patent on pull-to-refresh, promises to only use it defensively

Review

Toshiba Kirabook review: finally, a flagship Windows 8 laptop

Review

'We Steal Secrets' review: Julian Assange plays the perfect villain in WikiLeaks documentary

Report

The science of tornado prediction: can technology keep us safe from future storms?

Google takes the 'last step' to shut down its failed social network Buzz

Zach Braff's 'Wish I Was Here' Kickstarter campaign beats its goal by over $1 million

Medical marijuana users can drive drugged, rule Michigan courts

Read next: Too high to drive? The strange potholes of drugged driving laws

Hacks targeting US oil, gas, and electric companies traced to Iran

iPhone urine analysis app may require FDA approval, says agency

Google no longer able to pay Android developers in Argentina, pulling apps on July 27th

The little known history of the sites that inspired Tumblr

Xbox One games will require internet 'spot checks', but Microsoft won't charge to authenticate used games