President | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Thu, 30 Mar 2023 09:27:29 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png President | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Blizzard President J. Allen Brack steps down following lawsuit https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/blizzard-president-j-allen-brack-steps-down-following-lawsuit/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/blizzard-president-j-allen-brack-steps-down-following-lawsuit/#respond Tue, 03 Aug 2021 13:14:43 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=525749 We're just a few hours away from Activision's first quarterly earnings call since the state of California sued the company on allegations of widespread misconduct. Many of these allegations have centred around Blizzard, so some changes were expected – the first of these changes was just announced, with J. Allen Brack leaving as president of …

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We're just a few hours away from Activision's first quarterly earnings call since the state of California sued the company on allegations of widespread misconduct. Many of these allegations have centred around Blizzard, so some changes were expected – the first of these changes was just announced, with J. Allen Brack leaving as president of the company.

J. Allen Brack took over as President of Blizzard after the departure of long-time CEO and co-founder, Mike Morhaime, back in 2018. After just three years on the job, Brack is being replaced, with two industry veterans teaming up to take over in his place.

“Starting today, J. Allen Brack will be stepping down as the leader of the studio, and Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra will co-lead Blizzard moving forward”, a statement from Blizzard says. Jen Oneal became Blizzard's Executive VP of development earlier this year and has been working on franchises like Diablo and Overwatch. Meanwhile, Mike Ybarra joined the company in 2019, after many years at Microsoft helping lead the Xbox team.

Brack also released his own statement as part of the announcement, saying: “I am confident that Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra will provide the leadership Blizzard needs to realize its full potential and will accelerate the pace of change.”

This all comes after California's Department of Fair Employment (DFEH) launched a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, citing allegations of “frat boy work culture”. The company's initial response to the lawsuit led to a mass walkout, where hundreds of Blizzard developers protested. These issues will likely be addressed once again during the quarterly earnings call later today.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Blizzard has been hit with one controversy after another over the last few years. A change in leadership is one thing, but it sounds like the studio has deep rooted issues that still need to be addressed in the months to come. 

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Thermaltake launches liquid cooling superstore and courses https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/andrzej/thermaltake-launches-liquid-cooling-superstore-and-courses/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/andrzej/thermaltake-launches-liquid-cooling-superstore-and-courses/#respond Mon, 20 May 2019 16:27:25 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=413238 On Monday 20th May, Thermaltake opened its flagship store for liquid cooled gaming systems in the swish Syntrend Creative Park, plum in the middle of Taipei – one week ahead of Computex. Syntrend is a multi-storey technology shopping mall where all of the world’s top tech brands have a presence. In a ceremony that involved …

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On Monday 20th May, Thermaltake opened its flagship store for liquid cooled gaming systems in the swish Syntrend Creative Park, plum in the middle of Taipei – one week ahead of Computex. Syntrend is a multi-storey technology shopping mall where all of the world’s top tech brands have a presence. In a ceremony that involved Walter M. S. Yeh, President of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, the ribbon was cut and a rather unique shopping experience was unveiled for the first time. KitGuru was on hand to capture the moment – and offer an explanation.

Being invited to the opening of the world’s first store dedicated to all things liquid cooling is, at once, intriguing and a little confusing. After a quick tour, however, it all starts to make perfect sense.

As Kenny Lin, CEO of Thermaltake (seen here with the President of Taitra), explained, “to help celebrate our 20th anniversary, we wanted to do something special. We have evolved from a mainstream hardware supplier into a company that is dedicated to liquid cooling. We’re hoping that this store will offer visitors the chance to experience the joy of liquid cooling, to educate themselves on how the technologies work, to be entertained and to the go for it themselves – and customise their own PC”.

The hands-on parts of the store have a clear and obvious function, but there is also a large education area. We asked Kenny about this. “Having worked closely with Taipei City University, we have now developed a course in liquid cooling for enthusiasts and regular users alike – which leads to certification”. Kenny is also expecting to work with local high schools, vocational schools, junior colleges and other learning centres.

One wall is completely covered in components, from ASUS, Gigabyte, ASRock and MSI motherboards to processors from AMD and Intel. We asked about this display:

“Our experts can guide people toward creating their perfect system. The order can be placed in store – using any components available in the market”, Kenny explained. “Once the parts arrive in store, the customer can come in and – with the help of our engineers – build a complete liquid cooled system with custom loops”.

For those with a passing interest, there is a 1 hour introductory course which costs only £10. For those wishing to go further, they have a 3 hour course at around £25, in which you will learn a lot about liquid cooling. Finally, there is a ‘bespoke’ option, where you can create the exact course you want – covering whatever you want to learn.

KitGuru says: We love the ambition of this liquid cooling centre. Kenny indicated that he will be working on the concept in Taipei, before considering rolling it out to other countries. We think that’s a great idea and hope it comes to a shopping mall near us soon.

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Sony Interactive Entertainment gets a new CEO and explains E3 absence https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/damien-cox/sony-interactive-entertainment-gets-a-new-ceo-and-explains-e3-absence/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/damien-cox/sony-interactive-entertainment-gets-a-new-ceo-and-explains-e3-absence/#respond Tue, 12 Feb 2019 13:37:42 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=403941 Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) is shaking things up, with former PlayStation Europe head Jim Ryan replacing the current president and CEO. It seems as though Ryan’s vision for the company is much more in line with other executives, as SIE chairman Shawn Layden tries to shed new light on why Sony has dropped out of …

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Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) is shaking things up, with former PlayStation Europe head Jim Ryan replacing the current president and CEO. It seems as though Ryan’s vision for the company is much more in line with other executives, as SIE chairman Shawn Layden tries to shed new light on why Sony has dropped out of the video game industry’s biggest trade show of the year, E3.

Current SIE John Kodera has rarely been seen in the media since he assumed the role in late 2017, which could have contributed to the recent change-up. The announcement shows that Kodera will remain at the company, albeit demoted to deputy president as he is tasked with “creating innovative user experiences and further enhancing the network area.”

Throughout this time, Ryan has served as Kodera’s vice president but is set to switch places on April 1st. Ryan has a wealth of expertise to bring to the new role thanks to years’ worth of experience in the company.

“It's a huge honour to be asked to take on the role of President and CEO of SIE. I've seen the PlayStation business grow and change massively since the very early days, and I hope to be able to put that experience to good use in reinforcing the foundations of the Game & Network Service business, and in evolving the entertainment that PlayStation offers to its engaged and passionate community,” Ryan explained in a statement. “I am committed to strengthening relations with our business partners, and to continuing to provide the ultimate interactive entertainment experiences that make PlayStation the Best Place to Play.”

Fortunately, Ryan is receiving a helping hand from PlayStation boss Shawn Layden, who has tried to elaborate on Sony’s reason for dropping out of E3. “With the internet and the fact that 24/7 there is game news, it's lost its impact,” Layden explained in an interview with CNET.

With Sony’s very own Destination PlayStation event, the company can direct how and when trade shows are conducted. Sony has brought the event forward, conducting it in February because “June, now, is just too late to have a Christmas holiday discussion with retailers.” Layden also highlights that the dissemination of video game news has evolved, becoming more accessible with 24/7 coverage while “E3 hasn't necessarily changed with it.”

“With our decision to do fewer games — bigger games — over longer periods of time, we got to a point where June of 2019 was not a time for us to have a new thing to say,” continues Layden. “We are progressing the conversation about, how do we transform E3 to be more relevant? Can E3 transition more into a fan festival of gaming, where we don't gather there to drop the new bomb? Can't it just be a celebration of games and have panels where we bring game developers closer to fans?”

KitGuru Says: Considering how far The Game Awards has come in such a short amount of time, it's unsurprising that Sony thinks E3 isn't relevant any more. It's also understandable that the company would feel significant pressure from the reputation of the event to constantly drop triple-A titles, even when there isn't anything to announce. How do you feel about Sony dropping out of E3?

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Mike Morhaime steps down as Blizzard President, WoW exec will take over https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/mike-morhaime-steps-down-as-blizzard-president-wow-exec-will-take-over/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/mike-morhaime-steps-down-as-blizzard-president-wow-exec-will-take-over/#respond Thu, 04 Oct 2018 09:14:16 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=389447 Blizzard is going through another big change this year, as Mike Morhaime, studio co-founder, is stepping down. Morhaime worked at Blizzard for 27 years but will be departing this year, with WoW executive producer, J. Allen Brack set to take over as president. Morhaime will no longer be leading Blizzard but he will remain involved …

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Blizzard is going through another big change this year, as Mike Morhaime, studio co-founder, is stepping down. Morhaime worked at Blizzard for 27 years but will be departing this year, with WoW executive producer, J. Allen Brack set to take over as president.

Morhaime will no longer be leading Blizzard but he will remain involved as a ‘strategic advisor'. Morhaime is the third high-profile departure for Blizzard over the last two years. Back in 2016, the studio's lore keeper, Chris Metzen, retired. In addition to that, Hearthstone creator, Ben Brode, left to start up a new studio earlier this year.

Morhaime announced his stepping down in a statement released last night: “After many years of working with some of the industry’s most talented people to create games and worlds for you to play in, I’ve decided it’s time for someone else to lead Blizzard Entertainment. I will now serve as an advisor to the company I so love and admire. My duties as president of Blizzard will be assumed by my friend, colleague, trusted advisor, and longtime steward of World of Warcraft, J. Allen Brack.”

“J. is an inspiring leader who has shown unwavering commitment to Blizzard’s community in his 12 years with the company. His leadership on World of Warcraft leveraged his vision, creativity, and commitment to quality, and together with the rest of the dev team helped deliver an experience that is unprecedented in our industry. I couldn’t be happier for J. and know that Blizzard will continue to make great games with him at the helm.”

Brack also issued his own statement, expressing gratitude towards Morhaime for being a mentor and a friend along the way. As we move into the future, two new additions are heading to Blizzard's leadership team:

“As I transition from leading a development team to the entire company, I’ll also have the support of our team of experienced leaders at Blizzard. I’m pleased to announce two additions to our executive leadership team who will be instrumental as we move forward. Ray Gresko, a 10-year veteran of Blizzard who helped create both Overwatch and Diablo III, is now our chief development officer. Allen Adham, Blizzard’s original founder and lead designer of World of Warcraft, will join the executive team while continuing to oversee development of several new games. The knowledge and experience that Ray and Allen bring, in addition to the talent already on the leadership team, will be indispensable in helping move Blizzard into the future.”

KitGuru Says: Morhaime has led Blizzard since 2004 and has been working at the studio for 27 years since its inception. It'll be sad to see him go, but this is also an exciting opportunity to see what the future holds for Blizzard as it continues to experiment with new games and ideas.

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Nintendo’s president steps down as the Switch is revealed to be turning a profit https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/nintendos-president-steps-down-as-the-switch-is-revealed-to-be-turning-a-profit/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/nintendos-president-steps-down-as-the-switch-is-revealed-to-be-turning-a-profit/#respond Thu, 26 Apr 2018 12:23:14 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=371533 It’s no secret that the Nintendo Switch has been selling incredibly well under President Tatsumi Kimishima’s watch, with confirmation that the console is now turning a huge profit for the company. The time has come for Kimishima to step down, however, passing the baton to The Pokémon Company’s Shuntaro Furukawa. Tatsumi Kimishima, 68, has been …

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It’s no secret that the Nintendo Switch has been selling incredibly well under President Tatsumi Kimishima’s watch, with confirmation that the console is now turning a huge profit for the company. The time has come for Kimishima to step down, however, passing the baton to The Pokémon Company’s Shuntaro Furukawa.

Tatsumi Kimishima, 68, has been with the company for almost 30 years in total, working his way from The Pokémon Company's Chief Financial Officer in 2000, to President of Nintendo of America in 2002. He stepped up as Nintendo’s fifth President in the wake of Satoru Iwata’s tragic early death, being the shortest-serving CEO in the company’s 128-year history.

Despite his age, Kimishima’s talents for business were imperative for stabilising the company’s footing in hardware sales, which had previously crashed due to the poor sales of the Wii U. Kimishima’s pivotal role in establishing the Nintendo Switch as a success story has paved the way for younger, newer talent to assume the role without complication, to which Kimishima believes will help better understand the company’s customers.

As Shuntaro Furukawa, 46, steps into his new role in June, he will be able to enjoy the Nintendo Switch’s 17.79 million sales that has already eclipsed the Wii U’s 5 million and the original 10 million sale goal. This had driven profits up a whopping 500 percent, after Nintendo has been slumping year-on-year, making 178bn yen ($1.62bn) in operating profit for its 2017 fiscal year.

Given the trajectory of the Switch’s success, Nintendo has readjusted its goalposts by estimating that the console will hit 20 million sales by March 2019, which would in turn make the company a profit of 225bn yen off the back of 1.2tn yen in generated revenue.

With series such as Fire Emblem, Metroid and Pokémon making their way to the console, it’s unlikely that the company will be focusing on the Switch’s successor any time soon. Instead, Nintendo is expected to continue padding out its library with ports, indie titles and brand new entries to beloved franchises.

Discuss on our Facebook page, or over on Twitter.

KitGuru Says: It’s good to see Kimishima get a good send-off given how much he has done for the company in a rather impromptu fashion. Despite just two-and-half years in the job, he’s certainly made his mark in the company’s history. Fingers crossed that Furukawa will live up to the role and continue the success of the Switch as many are hoping.

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South Korea wants to arrest Samsung executives over bribery allegations https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/south-korea-wants-to-arrest-samsung-executives-over-bribery-allegations/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/south-korea-wants-to-arrest-samsung-executives-over-bribery-allegations/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2017 11:32:31 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=321678 The South Korean special prosecution office is looking to have the vice chairman and the president of Samsung Electronics, arrested so that it can begin a full-scale investigation over bribery and corruption charges. Both have been linked with currently impeached South Korean president, Park Geun-hye and their charges could aid the mounting case against her. The …

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The South Korean special prosecution office is looking to have the vice chairman and the president of Samsung Electronics, arrested so that it can begin a full-scale investigation over bribery and corruption charges. Both have been linked with currently impeached South Korean president, Park Geun-hye and their charges could aid the mounting case against her.

The prosecution office has been trying to bring charges against the Samsung executives, Lee Jae-yong and Park Sang-jin for several months now. Early attempts to secure a warrant for their arrest were unsuccessful, though the office is doggedly pursuing it. While a statement from the prosecution office is set to be made Wednesday, we will need to wait until Thursday to learn whether the Seoul court will grant the warrants as requested.

Lee Jae-yong is the heir-apparent to Samsung and worth an estimated $8 billion. Source: AP / Paul Sakuma

South Korea's current political climate is tumultuous. The current president has been impeached over accusations that she peddled influence and has been temporarily stripped of her powers while the Constitutional Court decides whether to hold up the claims. The Samsung executives are accused of colluding with the President in the scheme, pledging money to companies and organisations she backed, in order to ease the merger of Samsung affiliates (as per Reuters).

With some analysts claiming that proving collusion with Samsung officials is of major import to the case against the President, all eyes will be on courts later this week to see if the arrest warrants for Jay Lee and Park Sang-jin are upheld. If so, the effect on South Korea as a whole could be devastating. It would also be another major blow to Samsung, which has already lost billions in recent months due to the Galaxy Note 7 fall out.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Considering the political fiasco ongoing in the U.S. right now, it's hard not to be jaded enough to think that most people in positions of ultimate power are corrupt to some extent. 

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Obama’s farewell address can be viewed in VR https://www.kitguru.net/components/vr/jon-martindale/obamas-farewell-address-can-be-viewed-in-vr/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/vr/jon-martindale/obamas-farewell-address-can-be-viewed-in-vr/#respond Wed, 11 Jan 2017 08:56:33 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=317088 Outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama gave his farewell speech last night and for the first time in history, it can be viewed in its entirety in 360 degree video form. That means that if you have a compatible VR headset, be it PC or mobile based, you can take in the speech and atmosphere in …

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Outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama gave his farewell speech last night and for the first time in history, it can be viewed in its entirety in 360 degree video form. That means that if you have a compatible VR headset, be it PC or mobile based, you can take in the speech and atmosphere in virtual reality.

With President Elect Donald Trump set to be sworn into office on Friday, 20th January, Barack Obama took to McCormick Place, Chicago to say goodbye to his supporters. He told them that together they had made America a better place than when he was first elected and that it was down to them to help secure democracy by not taking it for granted.

presidenlive

The speech was a rousing one, with chants of “four more years,” at points and boos for incoming President, Donald Trump. Obama brushed each aside and said that instead people should look to reach out to one another and believe in their ability to bring about change, not his.

It's not a short speech or event, lasting upwards of an hour in total, but you can view the entire thing in 360 degrees in the video below. If you watch on a 2D display, you can click or tap and drag to look where you want during the event. However if you can strap on a VR headset, you can have a much more immersive view.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klE8H_be_6Q']

The event was filmed using a Nokia Ozo camera, the $60,000 360 degree camera rig that it unveiled back in 2015. A number of them were used throughout, with VRScout's coverage jumping between them at various points. That not only gives you different views of the President himself, but up close views of many members of the crowd, who can be seen reacting in differing ways throughout the speech.

KitGuru Says: It's great that important moments are now being filmed in 360 degrees. I get the feeling that one day before long, 2D recordings will feel like video before colour.

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U.S. to drop TPP trade deal at start of Trump presidency https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/u-s-to-drop-tpp-trade-deal-at-start-of-trump-presidency/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/u-s-to-drop-tpp-trade-deal-at-start-of-trump-presidency/#comments Tue, 22 Nov 2016 13:02:03 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=312377 President-elect Donald Trump has doubled down on his commitment to end plans for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal on the first days of his presidency. The agreement was championed by President Obama, who claimed it would open up trade between countries. Detractors however claimed it would send U.S. jobs overseas, massively extend copyright and …

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President-elect Donald Trump has doubled down on his commitment to end plans for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal on the first days of his presidency. The agreement was championed by President Obama, who claimed it would open up trade between countries. Detractors however claimed it would send U.S. jobs overseas, massively extend copyright and make it possible for companies to sue governments for lost profits.

The TPP, like the European focused, TTIP, is something we and many others have been concerned about for some time. We saw what trade deals like this could do in countries where corporations could sue governments for blocking actions like drilling in environmentally protected areas. They also had a huge potential to inhibit accessibility to life saving drugs in developing nations.

Fortunately TTIP is all but dead, and if anything comes out of the Trump presidency, the end of TPP would be a positive one to many people too. While there will be many who will doubt he will follow through on these claims, during an election where policy appears to have had little effect on the outcome, the end of the TPP is one that Trump has repeated, which gives some hope he will keep his word.

Announced during a video address about his first 100 days in the White House, Trump also said he would help renovate the coal industry and would halt the abuse of travel visas to the United States. Other claims that he made during his campaign, such as building a wall across the Mexican border, as well as repealing the controversial Obamacare health program, were not mentioned.

If Trump sticks to his guns with the TPP, it could see the entire trade deal collapse, despite the involvement of 11 other countries. That's good news for proponents of privacy and those who campaigned against the deal, but further degrades President Obama's impact during his tenure as the U.S. leader.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It seems fair to say that we'll need to give Trump some time to see how much he sticks to his word during office. Until we see action, it's best to remain cautiously optimistic – at least with regards to the TPP. 

Image source: Wikimedia

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EA vs Trump: publisher takes down Mass Effect rip off video https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/ea-vs-trump-publisher-takes-down-mass-effect-rip-off-video/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/ea-vs-trump-publisher-takes-down-mass-effect-rip-off-video/#comments Tue, 05 Apr 2016 07:50:50 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=288693 It's not every so often that two entities that aren't well liked go at each other, but that's what happened in the past 24 hours, when EA Games filed a copyright claim against a Tweet made by Republican presidential hopeful, Donald Trump. The man had retweeted a fan-made video that shamelessly copied Mass Effect 2 …

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It's not every so often that two entities that aren't well liked go at each other, but that's what happened in the past 24 hours, when EA Games filed a copyright claim against a Tweet made by Republican presidential hopeful, Donald Trump. The man had retweeted a fan-made video that shamelessly copied Mass Effect 2 to try and promote Trump's campaign – the tweet has since been taken down.

The video in question features the Mass Effect trailer soundtrack, with elements of Mass Effect 2's Martin Sheen/Illusive Man speech peppered in. It then chops in footage of other politicians like Hilary Clinton and President Obama, often in video attempting to disparage.

trumpeffect

Although the original video didn't get much attention when it was posted, when Trump's official account retweeted it, a lot more people were exposed. This led to people who worked on the original Mass Effect series to come across it themselves, with one describing it as “gross as hell.”

Of course it didn't take long for EA itself with its mass of resources and heavy handed lawyers to get on the case. The video has since been removed and the retweet from Trump taken down. In a statement given to Game Informer, EA said:

“The video was an unauthorized use of our IP. We do not support our assets being used in political campaigns.”

Although some have argued that this video was fair-use, since it could technically be considered parody or within the realm of creative expression, the use of Mass Effect 2 music is probably what allowed EA to bring it down as swiftly as it did.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It's not surprising that Trump's campaign considers him a Shephard like character, but it's surprising it would endorse that line of thinking by supporting a pretty amateurish video. 

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Space X’s reusable rockets could cut space launch costs by 1/3 https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/space-xs-reusable-rockets-could-cut-space-launch-costs-by-13/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/space-xs-reusable-rockets-could-cut-space-launch-costs-by-13/#respond Fri, 11 Mar 2016 11:01:30 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=286634 Among many advances, the biggest contribution Space X stands to make to humanity's space-faring efforts, is in bringing the cost down for launches. With its reusable Falcon 9 first stage rocket, Space X believes it can make savings on traditional launches of almost a third, once it nails the recovery of the booster. This announcement …

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Among many advances, the biggest contribution Space X stands to make to humanity's space-faring efforts, is in bringing the cost down for launches. With its reusable Falcon 9 first stage rocket, Space X believes it can make savings on traditional launches of almost a third, once it nails the recovery of the booster.

This announcement was made by Space X president, Gwynne Shotwell earlier this week, during a chat at the Satellite 2016 conference. With a recovered, refurbished and retooled first stage rocket, Space X believes that the costs of launching that set up would be 30 per cent cheaper than launches with entirely new hardware.

gwynneshotwell

Gwynne Shotwell. Source: Wikimedia

The maths for this is still quite rough, as until Space X has taken a first stage that launched, landed and was refitted and repaired for a second launch, we won't know about the costs involved. However it's been suggested (as per SpaceNews) that with a cost of around a million dollars for fuel, and three million to fix up the first stage, clean the engines and repair anything damaged, it works out to just under a third of the cost of a brand new first stage.

But of course Space X will need to land a first stage on its mobile drone barge first. It managed a land-based landing at the tail end of 2015, but with higher velocity launches, Space X will need to land on its drone-barge, which it has yet to do successfully. Fortunately though, it has a full 18 launches planned for 2016 (two of which have already taken place) that will give it plenty of practice.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u26-CIDaazQ']

Shotwell also announced at the show that one of those launches would be using the Falcon Heavy rocket, rather than the Falcon 9. The Falcon Heavy is one of the most powerful orbital rockets ever built, operating a third of the cost and twice the power of the currently operational Delta IV Heavy rocket. It uses a trio of clustered Falcon 9 boosters – making it quite a monster.

If you're a Kerbal engineer, you'll be pleased to know the Heavy actually makes use of asparagus staging to maximise its deltaV.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It's exciting to know Space X has so many launches planned for this year. That means we're probably going to see a successful drone barge landing before long.

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John McAfee claims U.S. knows nothing about cybersecurity https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/john-mcafee-claims-u-s-knows-nothing-about-cybersecurity/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/john-mcafee-claims-u-s-knows-nothing-about-cybersecurity/#comments Tue, 23 Feb 2016 08:48:10 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=285111 John McAfee is claiming that the U.S. government is so “illiterate,” when it comes to protecting the country's digital assets, that he's unsure how it can even consider itself a world power any more. This came to light during a chat about the ex-anti-virus founder's recent offer to the FBI to crack iPhone security to help …

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John McAfee is claiming that the U.S. government is so “illiterate,” when it comes to protecting the country's digital assets, that he's unsure how it can even consider itself a world power any more. This came to light during a chat about the ex-anti-virus founder's recent offer to the FBI to crack iPhone security to help the authorities learn more about one of the attackers in the San Bernardino tragedy last year.

With Apple and CEO Tim Cook resisting demands from the government to relax security on the iPhone, McAfee recently offered the services of he and his team, suggesting that they could do it without difficulty. However McAfee has been critical of the hacking abilities of U.S. security experts for some time, even campaigning for president on that ticket, hoping to encourage a more serious approach to digital espionage.

That's the sort of approach other countries like Russia and China have, he claimed in a recent interview with Maximum PC, stating that those countries could shut down U.S. infrastructure at will if they wished. They can't access smartphones too easily just yet though, which is why McAfee doesn't want Apple to cave to FBI demands and instead wishes to crack it open manually with his small team.

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Source: Wikimedia

“Now the FBI thinks that they have it. But the FBI and the NSA don't even have the data reduction capacity. Sure they can tap everybody's phone, but there's so much data they can't refine and use it. Trust me. The Chinese can,” he said.

Part of the problem, he claims, is the way government infrastructure works. Because you only get promoted,” nobody gets fired,” he said, there isn't much incentive to do a good job – you just don't rock the boat. They also don't hire the right people apparently, as the government cares about appearances. They won't hire someone who smokes weed, but China and Russia would, he said, as long as it gets them the best hackers in the world.

When it comes to advice for the public, McAfee had plenty also. He said no one should be too concerned about their laptop or PC as “very few people hack these anymore.” Smartphones however are another matter. He suggests everyone pay far more attention to the permissions on the apps they install.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: McAfee does have a bit of a conspiracy enthusiast feel to him, but he has passion and that's hard not to respect. Do you think he has it right on the state of U.S. cyber security?

 

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Security firm claims China still hacking U.S. after Obama deal https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/security-firm-claims-china-still-hacking-u-s-after-obama-deal/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/security-firm-claims-china-still-hacking-u-s-after-obama-deal/#comments Mon, 19 Oct 2015 07:56:09 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=272192 Although the visit was a little tense at times, President Obama's meeting with the Chinese president Xi Jingping in September did achieve one thing: an agreement that neither the United States or China would use their digital assets to hack one another to steal corporate secrets and prop up domestic companies. Despite that hand-shake deal …

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Although the visit was a little tense at times, President Obama's meeting with the Chinese president Xi Jingping in September did achieve one thing: an agreement that neither the United States or China would use their digital assets to hack one another to steal corporate secrets and prop up domestic companies. Despite that hand-shake deal however, security firm CrowdStrike Inc. is reporting that seven different U.S. companies have been attacked by Chinese hackers since that date.

There was a seemingly deliberate omission in the U.S./China deal which still permitted both countries to use hacking for national or political purposes, but though CrowdStrike believes the hackers in this instance were state-sponsored, the attacks appeared to be far more commercial. Firms hit included five U.S. tech and two pharmaceutical companies, all of which CrowdStrike claims were protected due to its software being readily available to shield them.

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Source: Wikimedia

“[The] primary benefits of the intrusion seem clearly aligned to facilitate theft of intellectual property and trade secrets, rather than to conduct traditional, national-security-related intelligence collection,” a CrowdStrike spokesperson said (via Reuters).

While security firm FireEye agreed with CrowdStrike findings that several hacking attacks had taken place, it claimed it was too early to postulate on the aims of the espionage, suggesting that it may be that the attack was not purely economical in nature.

The White House is aware of the attacks, but has yet to announce and form of official response.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This ‘deal' between the two countries sounds unlikely to have much lasting effect. Do you see either China or the United States halting economic hacking any time soon?

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Nintendo names its new President https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/nintendo-names-its-new-president/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/nintendo-names-its-new-president/#respond Mon, 14 Sep 2015 09:00:06 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=267613 Sadly, earlier this year Nintendo's former president, Satoru Iwata passed away. Since then, the creator of Mario, Shigeru Miyamoto and Wii architect, Genyo Takeda, have been taking care of the company but now it is time for the new company president to be officially named. Nintendo's Tatsumi Kimishima has been promoted to company president. He …

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Sadly, earlier this year Nintendo's former president, Satoru Iwata passed away. Since then, the creator of Mario, Shigeru Miyamoto and Wii architect, Genyo Takeda, have been taking care of the company but now it is time for the new company president to be officially named.

Nintendo's Tatsumi Kimishima has been promoted to company president. He is the sixth person to hold the position in the company's 125 year history. He will step in to the new role on the 16th of September, Nintendo announced in a statement today.

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Tatsumi Kimishima was previously Nintendo's head of human resources, he was also the head of Nintendo of America back in the Gamecube days, before Reggie Fils-Aime took over in 2006. Aside from that, he has a pretty corporate background, having worked at banks before moving on to Nintendo.

It is certainly a different choice, following Iwata who was a famed games programmer before heading up the company. As with any company, new leadership tends to mean changes, so we will have to wait and see what those are.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Nintendo now has a new president. We already know quite a bit about Nintendo's current plans though so they may not change too much. We are still expecting the NX console to be revealed at some point next year and Zelda for the Wii U should launch in the first half of 2016. 

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John McAfee wants to run for U.S. president https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/john-mcafee-wants-to-run-for-u-s-president/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/john-mcafee-wants-to-run-for-u-s-president/#comments Wed, 09 Sep 2015 10:51:43 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=266890 John McAfee, who is at this point known for his alleged criminal activity as much as his original anti-virus program, has filed paperwork in the U.S. to make himself a presidential candidate during the 2016 election. He's quite serious too, having also launched a brand new campaign website to support his cause and founded a …

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John McAfee, who is at this point known for his alleged criminal activity as much as his original anti-virus program, has filed paperwork in the U.S. to make himself a presidential candidate during the 2016 election. He's quite serious too, having also launched a brand new campaign website to support his cause and founded a new political entity known as the Cyber Party.

“Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism,” reads the McAfee campaign site, alongside a giant picture of the man's face. He has also said in a chat with Wired that his run will hope to highlight the problem of tech-illiteracy in current government organisations.

If getting that message across is McAfee's main goal, he may do quite well, as one policy parties have always been a strong way to make different issues part of the election process.

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At least we know Peter Stormare can play him in the eventual movie

This represents quite a change of pace for the once mega-millionaire software developer. Recent years have seen McAfee embroiled in bizarre circumstances, including going on the run from Belize authorities in 2012, after he was said to be wanted for a murder investigation following his neighbour being found with a gunshot wound to his head. He was later arrested while trying to enter Guatemala “illegally,” but faked heart attacks to avoid deportation until his lawyer could have him sent to America.

Now worth far less than his once upon a time $100 million fortune, McAfee is likely to have a tough time as part of the presidential race, since independent runners rarely pull in anything more than a few fractions of a per cent point.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: As much as you have to love McAfee's eccentricities, it's difficult to imagine anyone with a potential murder charge in their past making it far in a presidential election in this century. However, all of Washington, Monroe, Jackson, Cleveland, T. Roosevelt, G. H. W. Bush have confirmed kills to their names, so perhaps it's not such a big deal. 

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John Smedley steps down from Daybreak to head new company https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/john-smedley-steps-down-from-daybreak-to-head-new-company/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/john-smedley-steps-down-from-daybreak-to-head-new-company/#comments Tue, 25 Aug 2015 17:29:16 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=264814 Its official, John Smedley has left Daybreak Studios for good, after stepping down as President in order to take some time away following a series of personal attacks alongside some high-profile DDOS attacks on the company's game servers. It was initially thought that Smedley would return to the former SOE studio in a new role …

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Its official, John Smedley has left Daybreak Studios for good, after stepping down as President in order to take some time away following a series of personal attacks alongside some high-profile DDOS attacks on the company's game servers. It was initially thought that Smedley would return to the former SOE studio in a new role but it seems that instead he is set to spearhead a new company.

According to Smedley's Facebook page he is now the CEO of a new company entirely. Daybreak has confirmed Smedley's departure in an email sent to Game Informer, which said: “On behalf of Daybreak, we wish Smed well in his new endeavors. Any questions regarding his new business should be directed to him”

Smedley-610

In a separate comment of his own, John Smedley confirmed that he is not quite ready to reveal the new company he is involved with just yet, though that information may only be a few weeks away from going public. Hopefully by moving on, Smedley won't be the target of attacks anymore, like the bomb threat that was called in against a flight he was on last year.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Smedley's exit from Daybreak Studios isn't too surprising after the events of the past year or so. It will be interesting to see what his new venture is later on in the year. 

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Nintendo’s longest running president has died https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/nintendos-longest-running-president-has-died/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/nintendos-longest-running-president-has-died/#respond Thu, 19 Sep 2013 10:47:14 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=153411 University drop out and former richest man in Japan, Hiroshi Yamauchi has died, ending the long life of a man who was also Nintendo's longest running president. Having taken on the role from his ailing grandfather in 1949 at the age of 22, Yamauchi ran the company until 2002, when his successor and current Nintendo …

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University drop out and former richest man in Japan, Hiroshi Yamauchi has died, ending the long life of a man who was also Nintendo's longest running president. Having taken on the role from his ailing grandfather in 1949 at the age of 22, Yamauchi ran the company until 2002, when his successor and current Nintendo president, Satoru Iwata took up the reigns.

Yes, Nintendo and its President(s) have been around a long time, with Yamauchi developing the company through multiple stages of its life cycle. Taking on the company at a young age, he initially fired striking employees that hoped to take advantage of him and began ruling the then card-making company with an iron fist, personally approving all of the firm's products. His first big success came from the introduction of plastic playing cards in a deal with Disney, marketing them as a game for family fun instead of gambling – which was still illegal in the country.

yamauchi
Source: Seattle Mariners. Yea, he owned a baseball team too.

Recognising the importance of electronic gaming in the early 80s, Yamauchi pushed game development early, turning to Shigeru Miyamoto for a game to expand into the US market with: Donkey Kong. From there internal hardware development fostered gadgets like the Game and Watch, followed by the NES, SNES and Gameboy, right through into the early 2000s when Mr Yamauchi announced his retirement.

When he died, Yamauchi had the second largest  holding of Nintendo shares with a net worth of $2.5 billion. He death was caused by complications brought on by pneumonia.

KitGuru Says: So long Mr Yamauchi. Thanks for all the games.

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