Intel Unveils New Details For Upcoming Intel Omni-Path Architecture

Today at HotInterconnects 2015, Intel provided new details for its future Intel® Omni-Path Architecture (Intel® OPA), a next-generation high performance computing (HPC)-optimized fabric technology and a key component of Intel's HPC scalable system framework. Intel OPA is designed for the integration of fabric components with CPU and memory to reduce latency, increase node bandwidth and enable the lower power, higher density systems required by next-generation data centers. The additional details on OPA were included in a technical paper that will be presented today at 2:10 p.m. by Todd Rimmer, Intel OPA software architect.

NVIDIA Foundation Awards $200,000 In Cancer Care Grants

Four nonprofits providing cancer care and support services in West Africa, India and the U.S. have won $50,000 grants from our employee-led corporate foundation, the NVIDIA Foundation. The awards are part of Compute the Cure — our companywide effort to fight cancer and offer support to individuals and their families who are dealing with it. Through grants and employee fundraising, the initiative has directed more than $1.6 million to cancer-fighting causes since 2011.

Launched this spring, our Compute the Cure Cancer Care grant program aims to help provide support to those affected by cancer in the communities in which we operate, and others around the world. More than 50 organizations submitted proposals. Three dozen employees reviewed the applications and selected a group of finalists. Then, our employees voted for their favorite recipient, the Employee Choice winner. The Foundation’s board of directors (composed of non-execs) awarded the other three grants.

AMD Radeon R9 Nano Video Card PAPER Launch

AMD has released information on the new Radeon R9 Nano. This may be a 6" video card, but you'll be surprised what lies in wait under the hood. Today is just a paper launch as is AMD's new habit. We are able to share specifications, photographs, pricing and availability only.

Introduction

Today AMD is paper launching The AMD Radeon R9 Nano for the second time. All we have to share with you today are slides and photographs from AMD along with pricing and availability. In fact, AMD hasn't yet sampled reviewers video cards, holding it close to the vest while the official availability date looms ever so closer.

The AMD Radeon R9 Nano was actually announced first back on June 16th, 2015 during AMD's live stream event: AMD presents: A New Era of PC Gaming. The video card was announced as a small Fiji GPU powered video cad and was held up to show us it does exist. We were also told that the August time frame was when we could expect its launch. While the latter did not quite happen, today's launch is another paper launch announcement. At least this time we have confirmed specifications, pricing and know when it will be available.

The AMD Radeon R9 Nano will retail for $649 and be available September 10th, 2015.

T-Mobile Refuses To Block The Pirate Bay

The music industry wants T-Mobile to voluntarily follow a court order that was issued against rival Internet provider? I'm no fan of the Pirate Bay but don't think this is how things are supposed to work.

The Austrian branch of T-Mobile is refusing to block access to The Pirate Bay and several other popular torrent sites. T-Mobile was asked to do so by a local music rights group, who want the ISP to voluntarily follow a court order that was issued against rival Internet provider A1.

OCZ Trion 100 480GB SSD Review

The review crew at NikKTech have the OCZ Trion 100 480GB SSD ($160 per PC Hound)on the test bench today. You can see our evaluation here for comparison purposes.

OCZ made a great comeback after being acquired by Toshiba and after releasing two great SSD models (ARC 100 and Vector 180) it was just a matter of time before they too released a more "entry" level one and its name is the Trion 100.

Researcher Sucks Carbon From The Air, Makes Stuff From It

Some guy came up with a method of taking carbon dioxide from the air and, once removed, it can then be turned around and made into other stuff.

A new method for taking carbon dioxide directly from the air and converting it to oxygen and nanoscale fibers made of carbon could lead to an inexpensive way to make a valuable building material—and may even serve as a weapon against climate change.

The Woman Who Said She Helped Take Down Ex-Subway Spokesman Jared Fogle

Rochelle Herman-Walrond couldn’t believe what the world-famous Subway spokesman was telling her.

Herman-Walrond, a former journalist in Florida, became acquaintances with Jared Fogle – then a popular pitchman after his dramatic weight loss on the “Subway Diet” – about 10 years ago. The so-called Subway Guy regularly traveled for events and promotions related to healthy living.

But during one of Fogle’s trips to Florida, she says, Fogle spoke to her about his sexual inclinations, his attraction to minors.

Herman-Walrond reported the conversation to authorities.

Herman-Walrond says additional conversations with Fogle followed over the course of four years, as she served as an informant, wearing a wire.

British Family Photographs Kids With 'Beach Buoy' That Was Actually a Bomb

A family beach outing turned terrifying last week when what was thought to be a washed-up buoy turned out to be an active bomb.

"My children took their boogie boards down and we were going out to the sea," Kelly Gravell of Burry Port, Wales, said. "We saw a large object on the beach, so we thought we’d have a little look.

"We get things washed up all the time, so we thought it was a buoy. We never thought for one second it was a bomb." 

Jared Fogle's Wife Filing for Divorce After Child Pornography Charges

Jared Fogle's wife of five years, Katie McLaughlin, has decided to leave the former Subway spokesperson after he was scheduled to plead guilty to child pornography charges.

"Obviously, I am extremely shocked and disappointed by the recent developments involving Jared," McLaughlin said in a statement to the media. "I am in the process of seeking a dissolution of the marriage."

McLaughlin and Fogle have two children of their own.

Exclusive: U.S. government, police working on counter-drone system - sources

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As concerns rise about a security menace posed by rogue drone flights, U.S. government agencies are working with state and local police forces to develop high-tech systems to protect vulnerable sites, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Although the research aimed at tracking and disabling drones is at an early stage, there has been at least one field test.

Last New Year's Eve, New York police used a microwave-based system to try to track a commercially available drone at a packed Times Square and send it back to its operator, according to one source involved in the test.

The previously unreported test, which ran into difficulty because of interference from nearby media broadcasts, was part of the nationwide development effort that includes the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Defense Department, the source said.

The sources were not authorized to speak about the effort and declined to be identified.

Asked about the development of counter-drone-technology, the Department of Homeland Security said it "works side-by-side with our interagency partners" to develop solutions to address the unlawful use of drones. Officials with the Defense Department, FAA and New York Police Department declined to comment.

High-tech policing: Do cities need Big Brother to lower crime?

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Before heading out on his morning patrol, Lt. Zsakhiem James makes sure he has all the essentials. Badge. Check. Phone. Check. Panasonic Toughbook laptop with license plate reader and constantly refreshed incident ticker. Check.

James, a towering officer with a tattoo of his K-9 Unit dog, Zero, on his left forearm, has spent 22 years policing the streets of Camden, N.J., one of America’s most dangerous cities. In that time, he says, he’s seen “a lot of stuff.” Right now he’s on the front lines of Camden’s latest effort to drive down crime. And that effort looks a lot like a cross between Uber and Skynet.

An incident report pops up on the screen of James’ laptop: A black male in a white shirt and dark jeans, who may have pistol-whipped someone in the area the day before, has a gun. Within seconds, the program, in coordination with the department’s mapping software, automatically assigns the two closest officers in the field. Meanwhile, civilian colleagues back at base scour video feeds to see if any of the city’s surveillance cameras have an angle on the scene. All-seeing, on-demand policing.

Man Bun Hairstyle Trend Is Taking Over

The man bun is a hair-raising trend that’s got Tinseltown tied up in knots, literally.

“You can see it in Hollywood now,” Joe Zee, editor-in-chief of Yahoo Style, told ABC News. “Actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Chris Hemsworth and even David Beckham has been rocking it.”

The up-do style is no longer just for girls. Guys are loving them, too.
“I think a lot of women and girlfriends are like, ‘You know what? I want my guy to be rockin’ a man bun because it’s kind of cool and it’s kind of hot,’” Zee said.
It’s a look that most men can pull off, Zee said, but there is room for error.
“There is a fine line,” he explained. “If it’s too messy, it just looks sloppy. And if it’s too done, it’s like a red carpet hairdo.”

Groundwater pumping in California has land sinking

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Vast areas of California's Central Valley are sinking faster than in the past as massive amounts of groundwater are pumped during the historic drought, state officials said Wednesday, citing new research by NASA scientists.

The data shows the ground is sinking nearly two inches each month in some places, putting roads, bridges and vital canals that deliver water throughout the state at growing risk of damage.

Sinking land has occurred for decades in California because of excessive groundwater pumping during dry years, but the new data shows it is happening faster as the state endures its fourth year of drought.
"We are pumping at historic levels," said Mark Cowin, head of the California Department of Water Resources. He added that groundwater levels are dropping to record levels — up to 100 feet lower than previously recorded.
Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory did the research using images taken over time from satellites and airplanes.
California is the nation's leading agriculture state, but drought has put one-fifth more land out of production this year than last year.
Gov. Jerry Brown signed historic legislation last year that requires monitoring of groundwater pumping. However, local officials have until 2020 and in some cases until 2022 to write their management plans, so it could take another decade or two before California has a handle on groundwater use, Cowin said.

Send Your Name To Mars For Free

You can sign up here to have your name sent to mars and it's completely free. You even get a cool boarding pass that you can print out:

Google Express Shutting Down Its Two Delivery Hubs

According to this article, Google Express is shutting down two of its delivery hubs, one in Mountain View and one in San Francisco. Anyone in that area ever use the service?

Google Express, the search giant’s same-day delivery service, is shutting down its two delivery hubs in San Francisco and Mountain View, Calif., according to sources. The move is part of a broader push within Google to revamp the service, which launched in March 2013, after it failed to make a serious dent in a market crowded with Amazon and a myriad of on-demand startups.

Duke Nukem Lawsuit Settled

According to this joint statement on the Gearbox Software website, the lawsuit over Duke Nukem between Gearbox, Interceptor Entertainment and 3D Realms has finally been settled. The terms of the settlement were not released.

Gearbox Software has voluntarily ended its litigation against Interceptor Entertainment and 3D Realms, and wishes to keep the terms of its settlement confidential except to confirm that Gearbox Software is the full and rightful owner of the Duke Nukem franchise. Gearbox Software appreciates the sentiments from Interceptor and 3D Realms' representatives. Gearbox Software President Randy Pitchford said, "I genuinely appreciate Mr. Nielsen’s and Mr. Schreiber’s statement and sincerely offer my best wishes to Interceptor Entertainment and 3D Realms towards their future success and, as someone who was part of the 3D Realms team when Bombshell was first imagined, I am excited to see what they have in store for us with their game.

Snapchat Makes Money Disappear!!!

I'll bet these guys are regretting turning down that $3 billion buyout offer from Facebook a couple years ago. How can you run a business losing this kind of money?

Advertising. But Snapchat has been advertising since last year—and the internal financials obtained by Gawker show that between January and November of 2014, the company lost a whopping $128 million while bringing in just $3 million in revenue.

Cyonic AU-650x 650W Compact Power Supply

If you are building a HTPC, LAN box, Steam Machine or any other system where space is at a premium, you'll definitely want to read our evaluation of the Cyonic AU-650x 650W compact power supply.

You are likely unfamiliar with the Cyonic brand of PC power suppliers, much like ourselves. It is always exciting to get a new PSU brand as we have no idea of what to expect. Before you scoff, let's keep in mind that this PSU is built by Seasonic, so we may have something here in a very small package. And their logo is pretty cool...

Woman Surprised To Get $1,537 Bill From Uber

While it sucks that this even happened in the first place, the story does have a happy ending thanks to the media getting involved.

"I figured this was obviously some kind of system error, either with the driver or with the software and that it would get reversed by Uber immediately," she told ARLnow.com this morning. "I’ve tried to reach out to Uber via email about eight times and have heard nothing. And when I try and log in to Uber it now says my account has been disabled."

Hackers expose millions on cheating site - AshleyMadison > some in US govt

LONDON (AP) — Hackers say they have exposed unfaithful partners across the world, posting what they said were the personal details of millions of people registered with cheating website Ashley Madison.

A message posted by the hackers alongside their massive trove accused Ashley Madison's owners of deceit and incompetence and said the company had refused to bow to their demands to close the site.

"Now everyone gets to see their data," the statement said.
Ashley Madison has long courted attention with its claim to be the Internet's leading facilitator of extramarital liaisons, boasting of having nearly 39 million members and that "thousands of cheating wives and cheating husbands sign up every day looking for an affair."
Its owner, Toronto-based Avid Life Media Inc., has previously acknowledged suffering an electronic break-in and said in a statement Tuesday it was investigating the hackers' claim. U.S. and Canadian law enforcement are involved in the probe, the company said.
The Associated Press wasn't immediately able to determine the authenticity of the leaked files, although many analysts who have scanned the data believe it is genuine.

TrustedSec Chief Executive Dave Kennedy said the information dump included full names, passwords, street addresses, credit card information and "an extensive amount of internal data." In a separate blog, Errata Security Chief Executive Rob Graham said the information released included details such as users' height, weight and GPS coordinates. He said men outnumbered women on the service five-to-one.

Audi's sleek rival for the Tesla Model X is on the way

View gallery

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(Audi) The Audi e-tron quattro SUV concept.

Electric power is the future for Audi.

The German luxury automaker said Wednesday that it is planning to introduce a line of all-electric vehicles beginning in 2018. 

Leading the pack will be Audi's new e-tron quattro electric crossover concept set to debut at September's Frankfurt Motor Show.

With an expected range of more than 310 miles, the e-tron concept will serve as the basis for Audi's first mass produced electric SUV that should challenge Tesla's long-awaited Model X crossover.
Aesthetically, the e-tron will feature a sleek coupe-like roof line and an aggressive athletic profile. Size wise, the Audi e-tron will be positioned between the company's compact Q5 crossover and the large 7-seat Q7.

Boston Dynamics' Atlas Robot Tested Outside

terminator prototype...?

Boeing Gets Patent On Drone That Turns Into A Sub

The US Patent and Trademark Office approved a patent application from Boeing for a drone that can turn into a submarine on the fly.

Intel SSDs Based On 3D XPoint Technology Next Year

Aside from all the talk of personalization, BMX stunts and spiderbots, one of the biggest announcements to come out of the Intel Developer Forum keynote today was news that Intel's Optane SSDs, based on 3D XPoint memory, will ship in 2016. If Intel's performance claims are true, things could get pretty damn interesting once Optane solid state drives ship next year. Your thoughts?

For those of you that missed it, you can see our recent 3D XPoint write-up here.

SanDisk Ultra II SATA III SSD Review

Most of you know that the easiest way to get a performance boost from your old mechanical hard drive is to get rid of it and replace it with a shiny new SSD. SanDisk's Ultra II offers a lot of capacity for the money and comes with a 3 year warranty. Is that enough to compete in a market where prices are falling across every category?
Introduction


The SanDisk Ultra II was released in late 2014, and has the distinction of being the first TLC-based SSD available at retail that isn’t made by Samsung. TLC-based NAND promises greater capacities for less money by allowing each cell to store 3 bits per cell (rather than 2, as in traditional NAND), and have a somewhat checkered reputation due to the widely-publicized issues that caused certain Samsung TLC SSDs to degrade or lose data over time. Hopefully with those hard-learned lessons in mind, major manufacturers have pressed on with TLC-based products in 2015, including OCZ Trion 100 that we recently reviewed.

More Intel Skylake Microarchitecture Details From IDF 2015

To coincide with the kick off of Intel Developers Forum earlier today, Intel has released a bunch of slides containing more info on its new Skylake Microarchitecture. For those of you not up to speed yet, you might want to read our Skylake Core i7-6700K IPC & Overclocking review followed by our Intel Z170 chipset summary before tackling the slides below. Thanks to obiwansotti for the link.

Jared Fogle expected to plead guilty to child porn charges, FBI sources say.

Subway says it no longer has a relationship with former pitchman Jared Fogle.

(CNN)Former Subway pitchman Jared Fogle is expected to plead guilty to charges related to possession of child pornography, two law enforcement officials told CNN on Tuesday.

The sandwich chain suspended its relationship with Fogle earlier this year after investigators raided his Indiana home.

HOA threatens 'jail time' for family over color of backyard play set

Legal letters demand removal of the purple (!) swing set within weeks.

The offenders: the Stout family of Lee's Summit, Missouri.

The offense: the color of their 2-year-old play set. It's stained a shade of purple. (Purple! It's practically a neutral! Well, here at Yahoo, anyway.)

The Raintree Lake Property Owners Association first put the Stouts on notice last year that the family's play set did not comport with the Architectural Review Board Guidelines for Architectural Control. Mom Marla Stout tells Yahoo Homes:

"After the set had been in place for 11 months, we got a letter saying that we were being fined $200 for not getting approval to put up a swing set. My husband and another friend who happens to be an HOA president are both engineers. The way they read the bylaws was that if you put a pre-fabricated set you didn't need approval.

"Colors had to be harmonious with community. There are over 2,000 homes in Raintree. Pick a color, any color, it's here. We have swing sets in place with multicolored canopies, huge yellow slides, etc. Ours blends with the trees and is shaded by four large trees. We honestly had no idea we'd done something wrong."

So she and her husband, Jack, appealed the fine -- and the appeals committee that represents the board found in the Stouts' favor.

Torrent Site Uploaders Snitch On Colleagues

I guess the saying "No honor among thieves" is true.

As part of a settlement with anti-piracy group BREIN, three leaders of a piracy release group have agreed to cease and desist their online activities. In addition to paying a cash amount the trio have also agreed to provide information on other group members. BREIN chief Tim Kuik informs TorrentFreak that info on accomplices is always welcome.

Amazon Denies Accusations Of 'Brutal' Worker Treatment

Jeff Bezos is fired up over claims that Amazon is "brutal" to its workers. The only thing that strikes me as odd is that, if the story is true, you'd think a lot more people would have come forward by now.

The article doesn't describe the Amazon I know or the caring Amazonians I work with every day," Bezos wrote on Sunday. "I strongly believe that anyone working in a company that really is like the one described in the NYT would be crazy to stay. I know I would leave such a company.

Google Announces Project Sunroof

According to Google, Project Sunroof looks up your home using Google Maps and combines that information with other databases to create a personalized roof analysis just for you. Every address I tried in my area came back with this message:

AT&T helped U.S. NSA in spying on Internet traffic: N.Y. Times

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Telecommunications powerhouse AT&T Inc has provided extensive assistance to the U.S. National Security Agency as the spy agency conducts surveillance on huge volumes of Internet traffic passing through the United States, the New York Times reported on Saturday, citing newly disclosed NSA documents.

The newspaper reported that the company gave technical assistance to the NSA in carrying out a secret court order allowing wiretapping of all Internet communications at the headquarters of the United Nations, an AT&T customer.


The documents date from 2003 to 2013 and were provided by fugitive former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, the Times reported.


The company helped the spy agency in a broad range of classified activities, the newspaper reported.
The documents describe how the NSA's working relationship with AT&T has been particularly important, enabling the agency to conduct surveillance, under various legal rules, of international and foreign-to-foreign Internet communications that passed through network hubs in the United States.
AT&T installed surveillance equipment in at least 17 of its U.S. Internet hubs, far more than competitor Verizon Communications Inc , the Times reported. AT&T engineers also were the first to use new surveillance technologies invented by the NSA, the Times reported.


"This is a partnership, not a contractual relationship," according to one NSA document describing the link between the agency and the company.

Intel Skylake Core i7-6700K IPC & Overclocking Review

Today we finally get to share with you our Intel Skylake experiences. As we like to, we are going to focus on Instructions Per Clock / IPC and overclocking this new CPU architecture. We hope to give our readers a definitive answer to whether or not it is time to make the jump to a new desktop PC platform.

Intel, Gamers, and Overclockers

Intel's messaging for its new Skylake Core i7-6700K and Core i5-6600K processors is very interesting. On the second slide below you will see that Intel is stating that "PC GAMING IS DRIVING THE PLATFORM." That platform of course is desktop computers and I don't think that any of us would have issues fully agreeing with that statement. To be frank, there is very little reason for today's powerful CPUs and GPUs beyond high end gaming and content creation applications. It is great to see Intel call this out plainly. The slide then goes on to state that "INTEL IS COMMITTED TO PC GAMING AND OVERCLOCKING."

Why CG Sucks (Except It Doesn't)

You guys really should watch this video. I think this guy makes some great points about the use of CG in movies.

Amazon Responds To Furor Over Limits On Prime Sharing

Who actually uses this feature? Most people I know without Prime are like "Steve, you have Prime, would you order this for me?" Ta-da!

Amazon has responded to an erupting controversy surrounding its popular Prime membership program, saying that a change it quietly made in regard to sharing accounts was meant to benefit customers, not restrict them.

EPIC View Of Moon Transiting The Earth

These animated satellite images of the moon crossing between the DSCOVR spacecraft and the Earth are amazing.

8 Things You Can Make with 2x4s

The first thing you need to know about 2x4s: They don’t actually measure two by four! These boards, which you can find in any lumberyard or home improvement store, in lengths from 6 to 12 feet, measure two inches thick and four inches wide in their raw state, but once milled, they come out at 1½ by 3½ inches. Now that we have that essential detail out of the way, though, the one truly important thing to know about 2x4s is that they are the simple, budget-friendly starting point for woodworking projects large and small. Read on for 8 brilliant do-it-yourself projects that begin with basic 2x4s.
PHOTOS

Donald Trump Turns His Cellphone Voicemail Into a Campaign Ad - IMPRESSIVE Move!!!

Donald Trump has turned the tables on Gawker. After the online site released one of Donald Trump’s cellphone numbers, the GOP presidential candidate changed his voicemail this morning.

J. Crew Is in Danger of Becoming the Next Gap

Not long ago, J. Crew was the most coveted specialty retailer.

Everyone from Kate Middleton to Michelle Obama was spotted wearing the brand.

But lately, J. Crew has been grappling with plummeting sales. The company recently laid off 10% of its corporate staff.

Now, the brand might be headed in the ill-fated direction of Gap, a brand formerly run by J. Crew CEO Mickey Drexler, writes Robin Lewis, CEO and editorial director of The Robin Report.

“Drexler was at the Gap’s helm, lifting it up out of its initial ditch to become one of the most revered and powerful apparel brands in the world,” he writes.

Meet the 12-Year-Old With a Higher IQ Than Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein

Nicole Barr, 12, earned a 162 — a perfect score — on her Mensa IQ test. (Photo: Jim Barr)

A 12-year-old in the U.K. has received a perfect score on her Mensa IQ test, ranking her two points above both Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking in the society’s elite group of members.

Nicole Barr took the test at the same time as her father did a couple of weeks ago, and got her results — a score of 162 — on Thursday, easily beating his score. Her father, Jim Barr, says he had a hunch that Nicole would be admitted to Mensa, despite the low acceptance rate — the honor is extended only to those who score in the top 2 percent. “I was expecting her to do well. I knew she had a quick mind for working out problems and puzzles,” Jim tells Yahoo Parenting. “I didn’t want to put any pressure on her, so we went for the fun of it. I had the idea in my mind that she would get into Mensa, but when I got the results back, I thought, ‘Wow that’s a high score!’ It wasn’t until later that I learned it was the top score possible on that test.”

This Mansion’s Tennis Court Hides a ‘Batcave’ Secret

The garage beneath the tennis court deserves some nice rides. (Photo: Domain)

If this mansion in Toorak, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, went on the market, we’re pretty sure it would be one of the most intriguing listings we’ve ever seen. 

It’s not often you see “Batcave” mentioned among the features and amenities of a multi-million dollar home, but it’s an apt description of the property, dubbed “The Wayne Residence” by its architects. 

No More Peeping Toms: 11 Ideas for Better Backyard Privacy

Photo: exteriorworlds.com

—BobVila.com

Sunshine and warm temperatures invite you and your family to spend entire days outdoors, so it’s important that you be able to enjoy endless hours in your backyard without worrying about too much exposure to the sun—or curious passersby. Try one of these 11 solutions for adding privacy and shade to your backyard oasis.

Netflix to give workers with babies a year of paid leave - Perk

Generous baby gift: Netflix offers a year's paid leave to new parents on its payroll.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Netflix is giving new parents on its payroll up to a year of paid leave in a move that could pressure other technology employers to improve their baby benefits as they vie for talent.

The employee benefit announced Tuesday on Netflix's blog is generous even by the high standards of Silicon Valley, where free meals and other perquisites supplement lavish salaries in the fiercely competitive battle for computer programmers and other technology workers.
"Netflix's continued success hinges on us competing for and keeping the most talented individuals in their field," Tawni Cranz, the company's chief talent officer, wrote in the blog post. "Experience shows people perform better at work when they're not worrying about home."
Google, which consistently ranks among the best places to work, offers 18 weeks of paid maternity leave. Parents can also take seven to 12 weeks of paid "baby bonding" time during their child's first year.

New Audi S8 plus is the fastest in history

Technicians have taken Audi's flagship executive sedan and managed to coax an extra 84bhp out of its already potent V8 engine.

The results are remarkable. The S8 plus is a car that can carry five in absolute luxury even at speeds of up to 189mph and one capable of going from 0-100kph in just 3.8 seconds.

To put those figures into some kind of context, the new Audi S8 plus is faster off the mark and has a higher top speed than a current-generation Porsche 911 Carrera.
But those numbers also mean that despite is huge size -- the car's over 5 meters long and just under 2 meters wide -- its 597bhp 4-liter 8V engine makes it the fastest S-designated Audi in the company's current range.

Hiroshima bombing order offers glimpse into fateful day - Aug. 6, 1945

BOSTON (AP) — It's just a few cryptic notations on a badly yellowed sheet of paper, but it changed the course of world history.

An original copy of the operations order for dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, is on display at the Museum of World War II as the 70th anniversary of the attack is marked Thursday. It is being featured there along with other related artifacts.

The Hiroshima bombing and its aftermath ultimately claimed about 140,000 lives, helping to draw to a close the deadliest conflict in history and, for better or worse, usher in the atomic age.

"To me, it's a glimpse into what went on that day," says Kenneth Rendell, founder of the private museum located in the Boston suburb of Natick. "The average person does not realize what one of these missions would be like. I think it just humanizes everything."

The simple, careworn document bears little indication of the importance of the mission. There's no direct mention of the Enola Gay, the B-29 bomber that dropped the bomb, or of the infamous bomb itself, codenamed "Little Boy."

Under a section meant to describe what types of bombs the plane would be carrying, the order bears just one word: "special." The Enola Gay is listed only by its identification number, 82, and the last name of its pilot, Paul Tibbets.

Oops: Rick Perry turned himself into a policy wonk

Rick Perry presenting his Wall Street reform plan last week at the Yale Club in New York City. (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Standing in front of a packed crowd at the Yale Club in Manhattan last week, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry rattled off an alphabet soup of financial acronyms and regaled the crowd with his opinion on G-SIBs, the CFPB and Dodd-Frank’s Orderly Liquidation Authority.

The speech, about how he would reform the U.S. financial system to prevent future crashes, led the policy site Vox to praise Perry as a more “nuanced and creative thinker” than he’s been given credit for.

Fake Swatting Is Now A Thing

Hmmm, looking for a way to get banned from Twitch? How about staging a fake swatting for funsies?

Sony Warns Against Upgrading To Windows 10

If only Sony had enough warning from Microsoft that Windows 10 was on its way, the company could have avoided this situation. Damn operating system upgrades that just sneak up on you.

Amazing color photos of the Hindenburg Zeppelin show what luxury air travel was like 80 years ago

Before the modern jumbo jet and its first class suites, the biggest and grandest thing in luxury air travel was the German Zeppelin Airship.

Of all the massive Zeppelin's constructed, the most famous was the Hindenburg, which crashed in New Jersey in 1937. The Hindenburg was designed to ferry passengers across the Atlantic in serenity, with the dirigible floating smoothly through the clouds.  

The Hindenburg was the first of two "Hindenburg" Class airships constructed by the Zeppelin Company. Construction of the airship began in 1931 and was completed in 1936. The Hindenburg, along with its highly successful predecessor, the Graf Zeppelin, made numerous trans-Atlantic crossings in their brief but illustrious careers.

Challenger, Columbia wreckage on public display for 1st time

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA is offering up wreckage from the Challenger and Columbia for public view after hiding it from the world for decades.

A new exhibit at Kennedy Space Center features two pieces of debris, one from each lost shuttle, as well as poignant, personal reminders of the 14 astronauts killed in flight.

It is an unprecedented collection of artifacts — the first time, in fact, that any Challenger or Columbia remains have been openly displayed.
NASA's intent is to show how the astronauts lived, rather than how they died. As such, there are no pictures in the "Forever Remembered" exhibit of Challenger breaking apart in the Florida sky nearly 30 years ago or Columbia debris raining down on Texas 12 years ago.
Since the tragic re-entry, Columbia's scorched remains have been stashed in off-limits offices at the space center. But NASA had to pry open the underground tomb housing Challenger's pieces — a pair of abandoned missile silos at neighboring Cape Canaveral Air Force Station — to retrieve the section of fuselage now on display.

The 'Stratolaunch' Will Soon Be the Largest Plane in the World

Over the years, man has built some truly colossal airplanes. But in 2016, an even larger aircraft is expected to take flight, and when completed, it will officially be the largest plane in the world. That massive aircraft is known as the Stratolaunch. 

The Stratolaunch is currently in production at California’s Mojave Air and Space Port. Aerospace firm Scaled Composites has headed-up development of the mammoth aircraft, and befitting such a sizable plane, the technical details are jaw-dropping. Stratolaunch, nicknamed “Roc” after the mythical bird of prey, features two fuselages, six Pratt & Whitney jet engines, 28 landing gear wheels, and a whopping 385 foot wingspan.

Make Your Own Fallout Pip Boy! - Fallout4 3D Printable

Bethesda has sold out of the Fallout 4 Pip Boy Edition, but don't fret; someone has decided to release the schematic for how one can print the classic RobCo device. Like the official version, it has buttons, lights, and is meant to house a smartphone running the Fallout 4 mobile app. Just don't use it in public or people might look at you funny.

It won't come with all the bells and whistles of the official Bethesda brand, but it's still pretty fancy with a couple or orange LED lights. It even has a tape player. I mean, it won't actually play said tapes, but it will pop open and accept them.

Inside One Of Amazon's Most Advanced Fulfillment Centers

I'd have imagined that an Amazon warehouse would appear more crowded or chaotic, but this fulfillment center has a certain beauty to it. There is something unsettling about how the robotic personnel outnumbers the humans, though.

At the heart of the building, items stored on tall, square shelves are kept stocked by humans working with a team of 2,000 squat orange robots. The robots zip around the storage area, picking up shelves and either arranging them in neat rows for storage or bringing them over to the human workers, who stack or pick from them.