Justin Jelinek

ncaa-football

NCAA Reaches $20 Million Settlement With Former Players Over Video Game Likenesses

November 27, 2018June 10, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

ncaa-football — courtesy www.dualshockers.com

The NCAA on Monday announced that they’ve come to a $20 million settlement with former NCAA Basketball and Football players over their likenesses being used in video games. This settlement will go to former players that could not receive compensation for their likeness while they were in school due to eligibility and amateurism rules in college sports. This comes shortly after a similar settlement between Electronic Arts (EA) and former college players over the same issue. The settlement in that case was $40 million. The Associated Press breaks down how these damages will be awarded.

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Kickstarter: Tall Tails By Zuul Labs

November 27, 2018June 6, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

You don’t necessarily think of game companies having a conscience, but Zuul Labs is looking to buck that trend. Zuul Labs is in the middle of a Kickstarter campaign for their new puzzle/adventure game: Tall Tails. Tall Tails is different from most other games and apps in that a portion of their proceeds from the game will be donated to help rescue dogs in need. Zuul certainly isn’t the first company to do something like this, but it’s definitely rare and refreshing to see. Read on to learn a little bit more about the team and their game.

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Aercast Episode 4 – Available Now!

November 27, 2018June 5, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

It seems like only two weeks ago that the Techaeris Aercast Episode 3 was released into the world. And now, a mere two weeks later, Aercast Episode 4 is available for your listening pleasure. In this episode, the crew talk about Apple’s WWDC announcements, Robot Arms, Amazon’s phone aspirations, Chrome’s 64-bit issues, and much, much more. Follow us past the break for download links and episode guide.

Moto x deal

Motorola Shuts Down US Assembly Plant – Offers Moto X Discount

November 27, 2018June 3, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

Just the other day, Motorola announced that they’d be shutting down their North Texas assembly facility for the Moto X, not quite a year after it opened with a big party. Selling a phone that was assembled in the United States – even if most of the parts were sourced from overseas – was a big selling point for Motorola. While plenty of cell phones are designed and modeled in the US, the Moto X was the only phone to be assembled here. Slumping sales of the custom-designed Moto-X were likely to blame. While the Moto X is a well-designed phone with decent specs, it never took off like I’m sure Motorola would have wanted.

Want To Make Fruit Flies Dance? Just Add Lasers

July 30, 2020June 3, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

Why, do you ask, would anybody want to control the mind of a fruit fly? Perhaps they were bored or maybe trying to win a bet.

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Apple Releases iOS 8 SDK With Over 4,000 New APIs

November 27, 2018June 2, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

Biggest Developer Release Ever Includes Extensibility Features, HealthKit, HomeKit & Swift SAN FRANCISCO―June 2, 2014―Apple® today released its iOS 8 SDK, the biggest developer release … Read more…

Patent Trolls The Hobbit Wikimedia Commons readwrite

EFF/DC Circuit Court Strike A Blow To Copyright Troll Business Model

November 27, 2018May 29, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

Patent Trolls The Hobbit Wikimedia Commons-readwrite — Photo Courtesy of Readwrite.com

Good news everybody! The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) on Tuesday scored a huge victory against a shady Copyright Troll, and the DC Circuit Court of Appeals set precedent for rules that should hopefully limit the abilities of these trolls to operate in the future. Boing Boing offers a description of these practices:

World of Warcraft player figures fall

World Of Warcraft Movie: Filming Has Wrapped – No Word On Pandarians

November 27, 2018May 29, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game-based movie aficionados rejoice! Word has come down that filming on the movie adaptation of World of Warcraft has finished filming. This word comes direct from the film’s director, Duncan Jones. From his Twitter:

Photo courtesy of http://www.onlinegames.cat

Origin’s On The House: Battlefield 3 And Plants Vs. Zombies Free!

November 27, 2018May 28, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

Photo courtesy of http://www.onlinegames.cat

Origin recently started an “On the House” promotion, where they offer a game (or sometimes two) for free. So far they have been older games, but still quality titles for free. This month that trend continues with Battlefield 3 and Plants Vs. Zombies – Game of the Year Edition for the low, low price of Free!

Nasa Beams Wi-Fi To The Moon – My Wireless Barely Reaches My Kitchen

November 27, 2018May 24, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

Researchers at NASA and MIT have figured out a way to solve one of the great problems of modern space travel – How to get … Read more…

Tesla Model X – Amazing, Yet Problematic Design

November 27, 2018May 23, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

We here at Techaeris are very enthusiastic about Tesla Motors, and the exciting things they are doing to further the expansion of electric cars. The Tesla Model S is right up at the top of our most-desired cars list – if you’re reading, we’d still love to review one, Tesla =) – and the design of the Tesla Model X is simply stunning. Unfortunately, it seems that Tesla is having a few issues with the Model X’s most prominent feature – the rear “Falcon Wing” doors.

aercast-techaeris-promo

Aercast Episode 3 Is Now Available

November 27, 2018May 22, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

Welcome back dear readers/listeners! Episode 3 of the Aercast is now available for consumption on your favorite podcast app and iTunes. In this episode, we discuss topics such as the recent accord between Apple and Google as it relates to litigation, ZUUL Labs Kickstarter, the wildfires in San Diego, Nintendo’s recent troubles, and much more. Keep reading for the download links and complete episode rundown.

FDA Approves Advanced Prosthetic Arm For Clinical Use

November 27, 2018May 22, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

prosthetics-LiveScience — Photo Courtesy of LiveScience.com

The Food and Drug Administration has recently approved the use of a highly advanced prosthetic arm for clinical use. The DEKA arm – as mentioned in the source article – does certainly have some similarities to Luke Skywalker’s prosthetic in The Empire Strikes Back. But probably the most exciting thing about the DARPA funded project is that it’s a huge step up from the most commonly available prosthetic arm. Please keep reading for more information.

ERGO Book for Release

Acme Made Ergo Book – A Slim iPad Case That Is Thick On Features

November 27, 2018May 21, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

Acme Made recently announced their Ergo Book case for the iPad Air, and iPad Mini. Measured at only 17mm, this case might be light in weight, but not in features. Please see the press release after the break.

ENERGI 2K TC Layout

Kickstarter: TYLT Starts Funding Drive For Energi 2k Travel Charger

November 27, 2018May 20, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

We here at Techaeris are quite familiar with TYLT products. We’ve used and reviewed more than a few of them, and have always had exceptionally positive experiences. We were excited to see that TYLT has just opened a new Kickstarter campaign for the Energi 2k Travel Charger with Built-in Battery. Here’s a quick rundown of the specs:

Photo Courtesy of WIRED

Columbia University Researchers Run iOS Apps on Android

November 27, 2018May 13, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

Photo Courtesy of WIRED

XDA Developers send along word that Researchers at Columbia University have created a way for iOS Apps to run on Android. While Android has certainly decreased iOS’s lead in app quality/quantity over the last few years, there are still iOS exclusives that will probably never come to Android. The University’s project, code named Cider, looks to change that.

Xbox Live Gold No Longer Required For Netflix, Hulu?

November 27, 2018May 13, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

Ars Technica is reporting that multiple sources at Microsoft have been told of a plan to make a few adjustments to the Xbox Live Gold streaming video offerings. Most notably, popular video streaming services Netflix and Hulu may no longer require Xbox Live Gold access. Up until now, Xbox users would need to pay for an Xbox Live Gold account – in addition to paying for Netflix or Hulu subscriptions – just to stream these services from the Xbox.

Image courtesy of www.politico.com

Net Neutrality – Tech Giants Deliver Open Letter to FCC

November 27, 2018May 8, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

Image courtesy of www.politico.com

As recently as yesterday morning, several members of the Techaeris crew were lamenting the hands-off nature that some of the big names in tech were taking with this most recent Net Neutrality brouhaha. Leave it to those same big names to deliver an open letter to the FCC yesterday afternoon! The full text of this letter is listed below:

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Nintendo Quarterly Losses Greater Than Anticipated

November 27, 2018May 7, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

I’m not going to lie, seeing Nintendo floundering as they have recently makes me sad. This is a company that was a part of so many of our childhoods that just can’t seem to figure out how to pull themselves together. Bloomberg is reporting that Nintendo has posted an even greater 4th quarter loss than analysts forecast, even after slashing expectations significantly.

Dropbox Plugs Vulnerability That Leaked Shared Private Files

November 27, 2018May 6, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

Several popular cloud storage sites were recently found to be leaking private data by way of shared links. Dropbox acknowledged this vulnerability, as well as their solution. Please keep reading for the Dropbox response:

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Kickstarter: Harmonix Wants To Kickstart An HD Amplitude Remake

November 27, 2018May 5, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

Harmonix – developer of such hits as Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and Dance Central – has had other hit rhythm-based games in the past. They’d really like to bring an HD remake of one of them to the Playstation 3 and Playstation 4 with your help! Harmonix has started a Kickstarter in hopes of funding an updated version of Amplitude.

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Kickstarter: Storium, Social Storytelling – Write Your Own Adventure

November 27, 2018April 25, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

I recently found a Kickstarter campaign for a very novel (pun completely intended) idea. Storium is a web-based multi-player story writing game. Take a second and re-read that last sentence, I’ll wait. From the Kickstarter page:

Digital Shadow Watch Dogs Cover

Digital Shadow: Watch Dog‘s Stunt Outs Shoddy Facebook Privacy Settings

November 27, 2018April 23, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

I’ve certainly complained about Facebook in the past, and my feelings have largely remained the same. It’s no secret that Facebook doesn’t seem to respect your privacy, and really wants to pry open and inspect all aspects of your life. For the most part we seem to let them. They roll out changes to their privacy settings, making you opt-out of updates that increasingly open up your data – if you can even find where to opt-out in their giant mess of settings.

Sony Playstation Flash Sale

Playstation 3 Flash Sale: Over 30 Games On Sale This Weekend

November 27, 2018April 18, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

Earlier today, Sony unleashed a 99¢ Flash Sale for the weekend. Many of these games are PS1 or PS2 classics, but there are also quite a few newer games as well. There are over 30 Playstation Network downloadable games available for Playstation 3, PSP, and PS Vita. See the full list below.

Permanent Retweet

Permanent Retweet – Turning Your Tweets Into 140 Character Memories

November 27, 2018April 10, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

These days it seems like we all love to tweet – enough to fill a large four-book set every second. But do we all really love our tweets? Permanent Retweet is giving you the opportunity to put your money where your Twitter is (?) and have any tweet etched onto either wood, or metal.

night vision contact lense

Night Vision – Coming Soon To Contact Lenses

November 27, 2018April 9, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

Night vision devices have played a part in any number of movies, tv shows, and video games as well as their prominent use in real life – mainly by the military and law enforcement. One thing has always been true of these devices: they’ve always been fairly big and bulky. The University of Michigan is looking to change all of that with a recent breakthrough in light detection.

Gaming rage smashed controller

Gaming Aggression – Failure Versus Violence

November 27, 2018April 8, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

We’ve all seen the headlines – Violent Video games Cause Aggression! But what if they didn’t? Video games and gaming in general have grown significantly in a relatively short amount of time. It’s easy to see how games, and the people that play them can be misunderstood. The University of Rochester has conducted a study and found that the cause of most aggression in gamers stems from their failure and frustration during gameplay, not the violent content of the games they play.

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Nest Stops Sales On Protect Smoke Alarms Due To Wave Glitch

November 27, 2018April 4, 2014 by Justin Jelinek

Nest CEO Tony Fadell penned an open letter regarding the Nest Protect, and a glitch in one of it’s popular features, the Wave. It seems that this feature could cause legitimate alarms to be silenced, or even be ignored entirely.