- Cassette tapes don’t get nearly enough recognition these
days. Sony is seeking to change that/boost its bottom line with a cool new
invention that brings back a slice of the past while also putting a modern
twist on it. The tech company recently unveiled a new type of tape that holds a whopping 148 GB per
square inch, meaning a cassette could hold 185 TB of data. As a point of
comparison, an external hard drive typically holds around 2-3 TB, maximum.
Hipsters have always maintained a soft spot for cassette tapes in their hearts,
but Sony's technique, unveiled at the International Magnetics Conference in
Dresden, Germany, uses a vacuum-forming technique called sputter deposition to
create a layer of magnetic crystals by shooting argon ions at a polymer film
substrate. The crystals measure just 7.7 nanometers on average, but they are
effective for storage because they pack together more densely than any other
previous method. Because they don’t need an immense amount of personal space,
they can fit three Blu-Rays' worth of data on one square inch of the resulting
tape. Sadly, the technology isn't exactly going mainstream any time soon.
Because Sony developed the technology for long-term, industrial-sized data
backup, the tape features über-slow write times and mountains of time needed to
scroll through yards and yards of tape in search of a specific file. For that
reason and many others, Sony hasn’t said if or when the tape will be available
on the open market. When that happens, here’s hoping a few hipsters step up and
spend far too much money so they can own it and pretend it makes them cool………
- Season 2 of “Orange
is the New Black” is still a few days away, but that doesn’t mean Netflix can't
give a boost to its prized video property. The video service’s original
series has already been renewed for a third season and the news was broken by a
cast member who has a colorful history (pun intended) with the show. Actress
Laura Prepon, who may or may not be dating the always-creepy Tom Cruise, broke
the news on her Instagram page. Prepon actually quit “OITNB” after its first
season, but has since announced that she will return for a few episodes in the
show’s second run before coming back as a series regular in the third season
she just broke the news about. With or without her, the series has become a
cult favorite among Netflix viewers and its comedic value has brought humor to
the prison world in a way that few shows outside of “Arrested Development” ever
have. Critics love its clever writing and fans have latched onto its quirky
characters as they yuk it up at the prison commissary and brings the
gut-busting laughter to cell block D. Having two seasons to look forward to is
something that few shows can offer their fans and should only aid the series’
status as Netflix’s most-watched original program. Since the service doesn’t
reveal how many people actually watch its shows, the exact numbers are unknown.
Season 2 of the show premieres June 6, but that leaves plenty of time for
anyone who hasn’t seen it yet to catch up and become fully acclimated with all
of the first season’s good times before diving into new episodes………
- Where is the tolerance, U.S. National Park Service? If
Americans can't fly their drones in their favorite national park, then where
can they fly them? Sadly, the drone-flying fun is coming to an end at America’s
best-known national park and it is the Park Service bringing down its
administrative hammer on the good times. The service announced that Yosemite
National Park will no longer permit the flying of drones “of all shapes and sizes,” ending the
enjoyment of both those flying the unmanned aerial vehicles and those who check
out the resulting videos online. Clearly focusing less on YouTube views and
more on being restrictive ass hats, Park Service officials are selling the
story that drones can be noisy and they can ruin the experience for other
visitors because they don’t mesh well with the great outdoors. On top of that,
park service officials claim that drones can do serious harm to wildlife in
Yosemite and even interfere with emergency services. Never mind that drones
could actually help with emergency services if hikers are injured or stranded
in remote parts of the park….this bureaucratic bullsh*t is moving forward
regardless. Several activist groups quickly decried the decision and attacked
the park service’s legal justification for its decision. That decision is based
on the argument that drone use is prohibited under federal regulations, which
decree that, “Delivering or retrieving
a person or object by parachute, helicopter, or other airborne means, except in
emergencies involving public safety or serious property loss, or pursuant to
the terms and conditions of a permit.” That ruling is sketchy at best, as are
the park services chances of totally enforcing its ridiculous drone denial
attempt………..
- China is a bit paranoid right now…but is the world after
them this time? According to the communist hell hole’s state media outlets, national security officials
have uncovered a foreign spy ring operating through Chinese social media.
According to the initial news report, a foreign intelligence agent using the
alias “Feige” (“Flying Brother” in Chinese) recruited 40 people from 20
different provinces to gather information on China’s military development. No
details about the origins of this mystery spy or his or her nationality have
been revealed, but one suspect – identified only by his surname, Li – has reportedly
been sentenced to 10 years in prison for providing Feige with highly classified
and classified documents. Li was convicted of passing along information from
China’s internal military publications, as well as carrying out in-person
surveillance of military bases in Guangdong province and transferring pictures
of military installations to Feige. Their relationship allegedly began in 2011,
when Feige posed as a woman flirting with Li. Feige later revealed that he was
a man willing to pay up to $480 a month in exchange for information on Chinese
military activity and he directed Li to subscribe to military publications
intended only for Chinese audiences. Maybe all of this is because news about
China’s latest military technology so often leaks to online forums, allegedly
with the tacit approval of China’s military officials. Perhaps a foreign
government decided to cash in on this proclivity for leaks and now China is pissed.
At this point, the Chinese government is sticking to its story that Li caused
“severe danger to national military security” and his co-conspirator must be
caught and brought down. Sounds like the plot for the next reincarnation of “24,”
right after Jack Bauer stops terrorists from assassinating President James
Heller in London……….
- The
Philadelphia Eagles may have let go one of their best weapons this offseason,
but they’ve just picked up a man who is pretty damn talented with weapons. Alejandro
Villanueva, a 6-foot-9 defensive lineman who spent the past four years as an
active member of the United States Army and most recently served as a U.S. Army
Ranger, has inked a rookie free-agent contract with the Eagles. The 277-pound
Villanueva served three tours in Afghanistan and although he was recently
promoted to captain, he will now join a team where he has no chance of being
selected as a captain and will have a tough time even making the roster. The
Eagles watched Villanueva work out at a regional combine in Detroit last month
and didn’t seem bothered by the fact that he last played football in 2009 for
Army as a wide receiver. Even then, he only switched to the position for his
senior season. As a receiver for the Black Knights, he led the team in
receptions (34), yards (522) and touchdowns (five). His entire journey is all
the more remarkable given that he began his career at Army as a reserve
defensive lineman and transitioned to left tackle in 2008, starting all 12
games at that position as a junior. Multiple position switches only underscores
the awesomeness of Villanueva’s story and according to the Eagles, he earned
numerous honors for his service, including the Bronze Star Medal for valor; the
Ranger tab; the Parachutist Badge; the Bronze Star Medal for overseas service;
National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal with campaign star;
Global War on Terrorism Service Ribbon; NATO Medal; and Combat Infantryman's
Badge and Expert Infantryman's Badge. Factor in his Bachelor of Science in
systems engineering degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and he
just might be the most interesting man in the NFL………..
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