Technology

There’s a category of technology that is still more or less in the fringe – the kind designed to improve one’s own physiology, exceeding typical limitations via devices that enhance our biology. One type of this technology is called a tDCS headset, which stands for Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation and is meant to provide neurostimulation via low-level currents and electrodes. The Foc.us headset provides such a feature, but is designed specifically for gamers. Calling the device a gaming headset isn’t entirely accurate, because it offers nothing that makes it game-specific. Rather, those behind the Foc.us device are marketing it at gamers, saying it will “overclock” players’ brains, causing synapses to fire faster and increasing brain plasticity, among other things. By doing so, Foc.us says users will “get the edge in online gaming.” The way the device works is straight-forward, and the technology involved has been the subject of study for many years. The headset contains a battery and four electrodes, which can be placed in various locations by the user. By placing the electrodes in vertical pairs a tad over the eyebrows, the headset is said to stimulate the prefrontal cortex with painless electrical currents. The device offers both cathodal and anodal prefrontal cortex stimulation, and by default offers gamers a 1mA current for 5 minutes. That time can be adjusted up to a 40 minute session, however, in various time increments, with the current range going from 0.8mA to 2.0mA. Foc.us says it offers a “crescendo start” so that it is comfortable for gamers. The headset is controlled via an iOS device, such as an iPhone or iPad, with an app available for download from the App Store. The device uses Bluetooth 4.0 when working in conjunction with an Apple device. Unfortunately, there’s bad news for Android users – your devices won’t work, the reason given being the lack of “necessary Bluetooth low energy apis.” You’re not totally left out, though, because the Foc.us headset has an on-device touch sensor for certain manual controls. You won’t be able to do some things without a mobile, however, like increasing the session duration. SOURCE: Foc.us Foc.us gaming tDCS headset uses electrical pulses to overclock your brain is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear. © 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

RT @AllofAudi: Audi passes BMW as top luxury brand in India

Amidst all the Xbox One news, we hope you didn't miss @RealBenGilbert's exclusive look into Microsoft's labs -

Goats aren’t typically known for holding up traffic, but one goat did just that this morning in New Jersey. The AP reports that a goat had escaped onto the Pulaski Skyway in New Jersey this morning. Five police officers were called to scene to help catch the goat, but they had no luck for nearly two hours. It appears the goat was rather nimble and kept jumping back and forth over the divider causing problems for both sides of traffic. Thankfully, nobody was hurt as a result of the goat running along the highway. There was, however, a small accident involving four cars as the drivers were attempting to avoid the animal. Where did the mischievous goat come from? The police aren’t sure, but its tag did say U.S. Department of Agriculture. They assume that it had somehow escaped from a truck heading to a slaughterhouse. Here’s some amateur footage of the police trying to catch the escaped goat:

The iPhone 5S is next on the Apple launch list and you do not have to be a rocket scientist to come up with this conclusion. Now it is time for the iPhone 5S features told in 18 pictures, we will list a few of the pictures but will explain the expectations what is known so far about this Apple smartphone. Business Insider has posted 18 pictures explaining the features that we already know about, so here they all are. The iPhone 5S is expected to look the same as the iPhone 5 unless Apple decides to break out its shock gun to stun us, even though it is thought to be of the same design as the iPhone 5 it does not mean it will be exactly the same. We reported back on the 17th of this month about the new iPhone 5S components, these are to include Wi-Fi flex cable ribbon, loud-speaker bracket, SIM card tray, ear speaker bracket and vibrating motor assembly and these will apparently be different to the iPhone 5. The SIM Card tray is said to be a lot thinner to the one currently used. The iPhone 5S may come in many new colors and will be faster, the camera is said to be a lot faster. Pictures number 7 and 8 over on Business Insider is about fingerprint technology and we have talked about the iPhone 5S releasing with fingerprint scanning technology, which we believe is all hearsay and will not happen but if you want to believe that then that’s ok with us. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo seems to back up this idea but we have our reservations, Apple bought Authentec that supplies fingerprint sensor technology and other technologies, but that does not mean the iPhone 5S will come with a fingerprint scanner. Picture number 8 over on Business Insider has a description mentioning early reports suggesting the iPhone 5S will launch in August, but if you read our previous article titled ‘iPhone 5S release date window known by WWDC’ this mentions about the Worldwide Developers Conference in June and the release of iPhone 5S not coming before September. The iPhone 5S for us is not exciting enough but iOS 7 is, the design will be a lot flatter than iOS 6, we are really looking forward to seeing this new operating system come into full effect this year. Business Insider also shows pictures with descriptions covering the budget iPhone, which could help Apple sell the smartphone in China. What are you expecting feature wise on the iPhone 5S?

About 12 years ago, I happened to take my Palm Pilot (remember those?) to a friend's house. A friend of a friend asked if she could borrow it. Sure, I said. She proceeded to download a game called Bubblet, then curled up on the couch with it for the next hour My curiosity was piqued, and soon I, too, was a Bubblet junkie. It was a simple game — you got a screen full of bubbles and double-tapped to pop connected ones of the same color. Once those popped, the others fell down, Tetris-like, to create new strings of bubbles You could tap away like a maniac at small strings, but eventually you'd learn the strategy of creating longer ones, which scored more. The important thing was that the game kept your average score, which you were constantly trying to improve. Read more...More about Social Games, Betaworks, Words With Friends, Gaming, and Social Media

NVIDIA updates Tegra 4i processor, adds LTE-Advanced support by @dangraziano

Today, many popular wrestling stars are taking turns on the silver screen and have caught the acting bug! Here, we’ll look at these action heavyweights and highlight some of their top on-screen moments, including Randy Orton, starring in 12 Rounds 2: Reloaded as Nick Malloy. A twisted genius and a good man are going head-to-head in the ultimate game of cat and mouse!  Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and WWE Studios unveil a brand new chapter in its thrilling action franchise with 12 ROUNDS 2: RELOADED. The second installment, starring WWE Superstar Randy Orton, debuts on Digital HD on May 21 and on Blu-ray and DVD on June 4 – just in time for Father’s Day. As paramedic Nick Malloy, Orton jumps into overdrive in this pulse-pounding, thrill ride filled with gripping suspense! Malloy receives a terrifying call from a vengeful psychopath connected to his past, and the maniac (Brian Markinson) threatens to unleash a murder spree unless Nick can complete a series of 12 challenges without involving the cops or missing a single deadline. With no time to spare — and his own wife’s life on the line — Nick must piece together cryptic clues and hunt down the killer before it’s too late! But Randy Orton isn't the only wrestler to kick ass in film, check out some of his fellow superstars who built a second career in front of the camera and learn how to win a copy of 12 Rounds 2: Reloaded on Blu-ray! Read more »

You can have a lot of fun making music, but getting a good recording and arrangement of your song requires some work and knowledge. Last week we set up a home recording studio. This week we're going to start recording.Read more...

If you're lucky enough to be employed somewhere that supports flexible working, you’ve probably stretched the boundaries of where it’s possible to do some work from time to time. Trains, planes, boats – they all have Wi-Fi these days. Heck, you...