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  • LG to Open New OLED Factory in China

    LG to Open New OLED Factory in China

    In a big move, South Korean company LG has secured permission from the Chinese government to open a factory there. The factory, opening in Guangzhou, will focus on OLED panel production primarily. OLEDs, or organic light emitting diodes, are the technology behind the bright, sharp images seen in modern displays like the iPhone X.

    The factory will be built using a staggering $2.33 billion, which underscores how highly LG prioritizes OLED panel production. Many of the Korean company’s high-end televisions are powered by the technology, so this OLED factory will help to power the company’s personal interests. Further, Apple will seek to purchase the displays from LG as well, as it currently relies on Samsung. Ironically, the Korean Samsung is a primary rival of both LG and Apple. By cutting them partly out of the process of constructing iPhones, apple will distance itself from its chief competitor in the American smartphone market. Similarly, by ramping up production, LG will be able to continue battling Samsung in the TV market.

    The OLED Factory Itself

    The factory itself will begin with production targets of 60,000 displays per month. If that sounds like a lot, it’s a drop in the bucket. The company plans to ramp up production numbers to 90,000 displays per month. However, these numbers pan out, a the company is slated to provide between 2 and 4 million displays to Apple.

    The factory will be owned partly by LG, at a 70 percent stake. The Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development District will hold the other 30 percent. This will likely lead to a large increase in the number of jobs in the region, which explains the decision to allow the factory to be built. Concerns regarding environmental safety and fair compensation will likely be raised, as they often are with Chinese factories. However, the demand for smartphones and TVs stays high, so production rolls on.

  • Fortnite’s Durr Burger has Appeared in the California Desert

    Fortnite’s Durr Burger has Appeared in the California Desert

    A strange ARG has begun in advance of the fifth season of Fortnite. A few weeks ago, an in-game even led to a rocket launch that then caused a series of temporal rifts. Following the appearance of the rifts, some have grown considerably. The rifts have also begun to absorb certain notable landmarks from around the map. One such landmark, the large Durr Burger mascot from the Greasy Grove area, has appeared somewhere else. Nowhere in the Fortnite world, mind you, but somewhere in the real world.

    Durr Burger Sighting

    The dumb-looking mascot for the fictional Durr Burger restaurant was spotted by photographer Sela Shiloni, who is not a gamer. Shiloni was understandably a bit freaked out by the presence of a giant, googly-eyed burger with a lolling tongue. After spotting it and posting it to various social media sites, Fornite players quickly informed the photographer that he had found the missing burger! A bit of digging on Google maps yielded coordinates for the burger. Since, several streamers and enthusiasts have traveled to the location to see what’s going on.

    At the site, they are greeted by “secret agents” who encourage the tourists to stay back. The area is an anomaly, visitors are told, and it could be dangerous. Some are given promo codes for Fortnite goodies. Others are given a phone number to call; the number plays an odd, garbled version of the rift sound from the game.

    Future Items to Appear in Our World?

    The giant burger mascot will likely not be the only Fortnite landmark appearing in the real world. The fifth season of the game will begin in earnest tomorrow, and with it we expect to see some major changes in the world map. The rift in the sky over the map has grown larger every day since it appeared, and that will likely come to a head at the start of season five. What this means for the future of Fortnite, and for the ARG that seems to be developing in our own world, remains to be seen. Either way, we’ll be sure to see you on the battlefield!

  • Elon Musk Creates Small Submarine to Helped Trapped Thailand Kids

    Elon Musk Creates Small Submarine to Helped Trapped Thailand Kids

    On Saturday, July 7th, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted that his company was working on a small submersible that might be useful in helping to rescue the trapped soccer team in Thailand. At the time of this writing, scuba divers have already rescued eight of the twelve trapped soccer players. Musk, however, went ahead with the production of the submersible, saying it may yet help in the rescue effort. In any event, such a vessel could be helpful in future scenarios like this, should another rescue need to be undertaken.

    The Trapped Team

    The team became trapped in the cave while exploring it after a soccer match. While they were inside the cave, monsoon rains surprised them and flooded significant portions of the cave, trapping them inside. They were trapped in the cave on June 23rd, which means they’ve been trapped for nearly two weeks at the time of this writing. On Friday, July 6th, one of the volunteer rescue workers, a former Thai Navy SEAL, died during the rescue effort. This has underscored just how dangerous the rescue effort is, and how much peril the boys are in.

    The Submersible Created by Elon Musk and SpaceX

    The submersible was created from the liquid oxygen transfer tube of a Falcon rocket. The idea behind the vessel is that it could be an alternative for divers to try if conventional rescue methods prove ineffective. For instance, if any of the boys are too tired or not aware enough to swim on their own. In such a case, the vessel could allow even an unconscious passenger to be pulled to safety by divers.

    However, the presence of such a large, metal vessel could prove dangerous to both the divers and the passenger. The cramped cave has some choke points so narrow that divers have to remove their oxygen tanks to slip through. While the tank might be just narrow enough to slip through, it could cause some complications.

    As the team has already rescued most of the boys, it seems their strategy is working. Thankfully, they have access to this technology now, should it be needed. Here’s hoping everyone is safely rescued, and no more of the rescue team is hurt in the effort.

    Feature Image Credit: SpaceX

  • 2019 Subaru Impreza Price Revealed

    2019 Subaru Impreza Price Revealed

    The pricing information for the 2019 Subaru Impreza has been revealed, and Subaru fans have reason to be excited. The newest entry in Subaru’s mid-sized range only costs $100 more than last year’s, which is pretty incredible. Considering all the great features in it, the price tag of $19,480 for a manual transmission is a steal. This vehicle makes a great first new car for young adults! It has power locks, power windows and side mirrors, all great modern amenities to see made standard.

    2019 Subaru Impreza Features

    The first thing to note about the 2019 Impreza is the better gas mileage over last year’s model. For one thing, that helps justify the extra $100 price tag, as it’ll pay itself off in gas soon. For another thing, it’s a great feature for a car of this price that will likely be many young adults’ first new car. Other notables in performance are some Subaru mainstays like symmetrical all-wheel drive and a respectable 4-cylinder engine. The Impreza won’t be winning any street races, but it’ll get you to the grocery store and to work!

    The biggest notable feature in the inside of the Impreza is the infotainment screen. The big, bold, bright 6.5-inch display is compatible with Apple CarPlay as well as Android Auto, which will blow your mind if this is your first car from this decade. As for the other things worth noting in the interior, it’s an all-around quality make and quite comfortable for the price.

    Bottom Line

    If you’re in the market for a dependable, no-frills car to get you to work and back, you’re likely going to love the Impreza. If you’ve never owned a car made in the last ten years, there’s few better than the Impreza to get you started! The best part, of course, is that it costs barely more than $20,000 for an automatic. That’s a price you just can’t beat!

  • Netflix to Stop Offering User Reviews

    Netflix to Stop Offering User Reviews

    After July 30th, Netflix users will no longer be able to write reviews for shows on the website. After August, you won’t be able to read any pre-existing reviews, either. Netflix broke this news recently and stated that the reason behind it was lack of interest in the feature. According to the streaming company, users have used the user reviews function less and less as time has gone on. As such, they don’t see a reason to support the feature any longer.

    User Reviews Going the Way of the 5-Star Review

    Those who used Netflix before last summer may remember the old review system being on a 5-star scale. Last year, however, Netflix replaced that system with a simpler thumbs-up, thumbs-down system. The Pandora Radio-like thumbs system resulted in a 200 percent increase in positive reviews, according to Netflix. The streaming company reported that the thumbs system led to better profile matching and show suggestions for users. As such, there’s good precedence for Netflix trimming functionality that is no longer useful from the service.

    Lack of Support

    The user review function wasn’t the most well-supported function on the service, for what it’s worth. The reviews could only be accessed or written through the desktop version of the site. Apps on phone, Roku and Smart TV platformers didn’t have access to the feature. As such, the declining usage can likely be ascribed to people not being aware of it. In truth, if Netflix was interested in users writing reviews on their shows, they would have made the function easier to access.

    That said, Netflix was never considered a review platform. It seems unlikely anyone will be too disappointed by this news. It makes sense, following Netflix’s pattern of trimming features that don’t serve the core experience of watching TV and movies. The company has offered no suggestions as to whether any new features will replace the written reviews, though it seems unlikely.

  • Galaxy’s Edge: Star Wars Theme Park Coming Soon

    Galaxy’s Edge: Star Wars Theme Park Coming Soon

    If the words “Star Wars Theme Park” don’t excite you, I don’t know what to say to you, to be honest. While the newest films have received some flak from some unusually agitated “fans,” they have largely reignited the spark of love and adoration in the franchise that Lucas tried to smother with the prequels. In order to capitalize on this sudden surge of interest, Disney’s opening a new theme park to let you live out your own Star Wars adventure. The park, called Galaxy’s Edge, will be added to Disneyland in Anaheim and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando.

    When Can I Go Drink with Wookies in the Cantina?

    Soon, thankfully! The Anaheim park will be opening next summer, while the Orlando one will be opening in the fall. There’s no hard date set yet, though, so stay posted for more news on that front. The coolest part of the park, however, is the new background story that sets the stage. The park itself is meant to be a planet called Batuu, specifically a region called Black Spire Outpost.

    This backstory sets the Outpost as a place away from the grip of the First Order. This is perfect for a theme park, as it allows visitors to enact their fantasies as smugglers, pirates and Jedi in a lawless haven at the edge of known space.

    What Things Can You Do in Galaxy’s Edge?

    The park is slated to have two as-yet-unnamed rides for guests. One will be a simulated space battle between the First Order and the Rebellion, culminating in the ride landing in a Star Destroyer. The second will be a Millennium Falcon flight simulator. If you perform well, you’ll be commended and could even get a prize! But if you mess up, you might be blacklisted by a bounty hunter and hounded elsewhere in the park.

    Disney also promises that creatures from the films and books will be brought to life inside the park. Cryptically, they’ve also stated some will be available to be adopted and brought home. Whether this means they’ll be selling plush versions of them or actually holding adoptions for live cats is unknown. In any event, we’re ecstatic to find out more, and we can’t wait to get our tickets!

  • Sony Accidentally Uploads Entire Film Khali the Killer to YouTube

    Sony Accidentally Uploads Entire Film Khali the Killer to YouTube

    In an odd error, Sony accidentally uploaded the entirety of indie film Khali the Killer to its official YouTube channel. This move was almost certainly an accident, as such a film wouldn’t exactly be a prime target for a publicity stunt. The unusually-long “trailer” was picked up on by Reddit and a post was made there to show the blunder to the world. Incredibly, the film stayed up for several hours as the post got thousands of up-votes. A highly up-voted comment on the post made light of the blunder, stating that this is the “natural end-game” for spoiler-heavy trailers.

    Khali the Killer

    The film in question is an indie film that was actually released on DVD in 2017. Indie movies are weird, though, and the theatrical run for the film isn’t until later this year. Critical reception to the film has been mixed, and it hasn’t been highly anticipated. The movie is a crime drama, something of an homage to exploitation films of the 70’s. It follows a hit man named Khali as he attempts to leave a life of crime behind but is pulled back in when a kid hijacks his car. It carries (perhaps unintentional) echoes of John Wick, and is set in LA.

    Publicity, or Honest Accident?

    The film itself is typical indie action fare. A man tries to leave a life of crime and is drug back in, you know the tale. However, it’s not exactly hotly-anticipated, and it’s already been released on DVD. This move was likely an accident, perhaps the wrong video ID being copied and pasted to the upload bar. Sony’s film division is massive, and it’s believable that such a mistake could occur. Further, it would follow that the company would be sensitive about such errors. After all, in 2014 Sony Pictures experienced a critical hack that compromised the personal information of thousands of employees.

    However, Sony has, as of yet, made no comment on the situation, so this is only speculation. As it stands, the company doesn’t present the best image of digital supremacy. The aforementioned 2014 hack and this YouTube error are examples on the movie side. On the gaming side, the PlayStation Network has been hacked several times, notably in 2011. Recently, Sony has drawn criticism for blocking cross-console play between the PS4 and Xbox One and Switch systems. Notable, Sony doesn’t allow Fortnite accounts linked to PS4s to link to any other console. All of this adds up to point to a company struggling to keep up with its own massive size.

  • New Malware Targets Fortnite Cheaters

    New Malware Targets Fortnite Cheaters

    In an unusual twist, those gamers downloading hacks for Fortnite may be in danger of downloading malware. Fortnite, the super-popular battle royale game, is quite competitive, and some less-scrupulous players opt to download cheating scripts. Such scripts give them an unfair edge, doing things like aiming for them or altering their screen’s heads-up display. These cheaters are clearly making the experience worse for others, but they seem to be getting a comeuppance.

    Fortnite Cheaters Drowning in Malware

    The malware was detected by a company called Rainway. Rainway is a remote streaming service that allows its users to play games while away from their computers. The company’s traffic enforces whitelisting, only connecting to URLs that have been given an official go-ahead. As such, the malware, which was redirecting ad traffic to different servers, caught their attention, as did the common denominator behind them. All of the players who were experiencing these errors were Fortnite players!

    By narrowing it down, Rainway was able to quickly discern that the malware in question came from a specific aim-bot hack. According to a report by Ars Technica, the malware acted as a man-in-the-middle attack, which would begin hosting ads from adtelligent.com and springserve.com. The attacks would cut off legitimate ads and run the ones hosted on the aforementioned sites. Rainway informed the site that was providing the Fortnite hack, as well as Adtelligent and Sringserve. The site hosting the hack took it down, and Springserve helped purge the hosted ads. Adtelligent had no comment, nor did Epic, the company that makes Fortnite.

    The Moral of the Story

    An easy way to avoid viruses like this is to not download anything from sketchy websites. Running scripts from cheat-hosting websites is like inviting strangers into your house: you don’t know what they’ll do with your stuff. While cheaters are jerks for trying to get an unfair advantage, we don’t want anyone having their computers ruined by viruses. So, be smart, don’t cheat at video games, and don’t download sketchy hacks! This malware wasn’t even that disruptive. The next one might not be so generous!

  • Largest Bike Sharing Service in the US Bought by Lyft

    Largest Bike Sharing Service in the US Bought by Lyft

    Lyft has recently acquired the largest bike sharing service (yeah, that’s a thing, apparently) in the US for $250 million. If that’s got you scratching your head, don’t worry, we are too. Jokes aside, the bike company, called Motivate, operates a number of bike rental services in urban centers that use bikes instead of cars. The offered bike rentals around the city are a combination of novel and useful. For one thing, they’re just neat: you go to a docking station and grab a bike! Additionally, the usefulness of not having to lug a bike downtown is a big draw to customers.

    Ride Sharing’s Interest in Bike Sharing

    Similarly, Uber recently purchased New York-based Jump Bikes. Lyft and Uber’s sudden interest in the bike sharing market may seem odd at a glance, but it makes sense. The primary income for both companies comes from densely-packed urban centers. Those same urban centers are a prime location for using a bike to get around. And, what better way to dig into Uber and Lyft than offering cheap bike rentals?

    In order to head off this potential thorn in their side, the companies did the thing they do best, and threw money at the problem. In this case, it worked out pretty well: they both possess significantly more bikes now than they did, and the competition is gone.

    That said, Lyft seems to have come out on top, as Motivate currently operates in dozens of cities in the US. This marks the first time the ride sharing company considered second-fiddle to Uber has come out on top in a bid for supremacy. This can only spell good things for customers: increased competition leads to better, cheaper services. If you find yourself in a large metropolis looking for a good way to get around, keep your eyes peeled for a Lyft sign over a bike station. You might just be able to drop some quarters and grab a two-wheeled ride!

  • Amazon Looking to Head off Drone Hijackers

    Amazon Looking to Head off Drone Hijackers

    Amazon’s drone delivery service hasn’t taken off just yet, but they’re gearing up for it now with a slew of new patents. One such patents is an early attempt at heading off would-be drone hijackers. As fleets of goods-carrying drones head out from Amazon warehouses, the company is wary of crooks who would try to bring them down and steal their cargo.

    Amazon’s Answer to Drone Hijackers

    In a patent recently filed by the company, they stated the following. “As the use of UAVs continues to increase, so does the likelihood of hostility towards UAVs. Such hostility may come in the form of attacks brought for any number of purposes (e.g., steal the UAVs and their payloads, crash the UAVs, and otherwise cause disruption to the operation of the UAVs).”

    Further, “Using these attacks, nefarious individuals and/or systems may be able to obtain control of the UAVs by hacking the communication signals being sent to the UAVs from a controller and/or being sent by the UAV to the controller.” Amazon says that this “could cause the UAVs to operate unsafely and could also result in considerable financial loss for their operators.”

    What solution do they propose? A “heartbeat” signal. The idea is simple: the drone controller would send a baseline ping, called a heartbeat, to verify that the drone is okay. If the heartbeat isn’t echoed by the drone, it would be placed into emergency mode. In such a mode, the drone would attempt to reestablish connection with control. In the event that it couldn’t do so, it would begin to move towards an established safe-zone. Such a safe zone would allow the drone to be safely brought down and have its cargo retrieved. Clever!

    Amazon’s Drone Future

    Drones seem to be an attractive avenue of expansion for Amazon. After all, you have to pay a delivery driver, insure them and gas their truck up. Not to mention, the delivery truck can’t fly. A drone, however, is automated and electric. For them, it’s a simple choice. However, for delivery drivers, the drones may soon work them out of their jobs. Maybe it’s time to learn to perform drone maintenance or control, huh?