Microsoft has supported Internet Explorer for an awfully long time. Each new version of Windows comes with a minimum of five years of mainstream support and five years of extended support. That support window covers all bundled and integrated software—including Internet Explorer—and any software updates.

Windows Server 2003, for example, is supported until July 2015. As such, Internet Explorer 6 (bundled with that operating system), Internet Explorer 7 (available as an update for that operating system), and Internet Explorer 8 (likewise, an update) are all supported until July 2015.

But all that is set to change under a new support policy announced today that is scheduled to take effect in about 18 months. Starting January 12, 2016, only the newest version of Internet Explorer for any given version of Windows will be supported. Older versions will cease to receive security fixes and other updates.

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Casey Hudson, one of the people most responsible for the direction and tone of the popular Mass Effect series, announced today that he will be leaving BioWare after a 16-year career with the EA-owned studio.

"After what already feels like a lifetime of extraordinary experiences, I have decided to hit the reset button and move on from BioWare," Hudson said in a statement. "I’ll take a much needed break, get perspective on what I really want to do with the next phase of my life, and eventually take on a new set of challenges."

BioWare Studios General Manager Aaryn Flynn added in a statement that "Casey’s focus on production quality, digital acting technology, and emotionally engaging narrative has made a substantial impact on BioWare and the video game industry as a whole."

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Which one do you want to see before starting a Hearthstone match?

Of all the strategic debates constantly swirling around Blizzard's Hearthstone, there's one question that seems simple on the surface but generates a surprising amount of debate among players. That question: is it better to go first or go second in a match?

The fact that there's such a debate shows just how effective Blizzard's in-game solution for inter-turn balance has been. The player that goes first has an important tempo advantage in Hearthstone, getting access to mana crystals before the opponent has a chance to respond with the same resources (i.e. the first player gets to use three mana crystals on Turn 3 before the opponent has the same chance). To make up for that difference, the designers at Blizzard give the second player a free extra card draw at the start of the game, as well as "The Coin," a card that gives a free one-time-use mana crystal.

There are enough pros and cons to each turn order position that even serious players can't seem to agree on which side has an advantage. There is an answer to this question, though, and Blizzard has addressed it a few times in the Hearthstone's short history. Last September, early in the game's closed beta, Hearthstone Lead Designer Ben Brode shared statistics showing a slight advantage for the first player, which becomes even more negligible when you reach expert-level play:

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FishPlaysPokemon via Kotaku

Earlier this year, a user on the Twitch game streaming site made a figurative splash when he created a system that allowed all of the users in the stream’s chatroom to play Pokémon Red. Now, another stream has made a literal splash by rigging a system to allow a fish to play Pokémon Red.

The “Fish Plays Pokemon” stream is manned by Grayson Hopper, a fish who can make button presses by swimming around in a webcam stream split into a three-by-three grid. Each square is mapped to a specific Game Boy button, and when Grayson swims into a square that button is pressed. According to the stream’s creators, the project was created in about 24 hours for hackNY, a “hackathon” for students organized by NYU and Columbia faculty members.

So far Grayson has been playing for more than 130 hours, in which time he has chosen and named a Charmander (an interesting choice, since Grayson is most likely a Water-type) and defeated his rival’s Squirtle. Given the fish’s totally random button inputs, the length of the game, and the average lifespan of every fish I’ve ever owned, it seems unlikely that Grayson will ever make it to the end of the game.

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Google

Google is releasing a preview version of the Google Fit SDK, the company's cloud-powered fitness tracking service. Google Fit, like Google Play Games, is a back-end set of APIs that Google wants developers to plug into.

The service aims to be a one-stop shop for fitness data. Google Fit gives developers high-level access to sensors from Android devices and wearables, allowing them to save fitness data to the cloud and read back that data. The cloud component isn't ready yet, so for now only local fitness history is available.

Google describes the existing APIs this way:

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The Federal Communications Commission is taking public comments and petitions regarding AT&T's proposed $48.5 billion purchase of DirecTV until September 16, the commission announced today.This is one of the first steps of a review process in which the FCC will determine whether the acquisition is in the public's interest.

You can submit filings to the FCC at this link. Comments began coming in shortly after AT&T announced the deal, but today's announcement sets a deadline.

By September 16, all initial comments and petitions to deny the merger must be submitted. Responses to initial comments and oppositions to petitions can be filed until October 16. A third round consisting of replies to the responses and oppositions will then begin and continue until November 5.

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The NEC EA244UHD is the first UltraHD (UHD) monitor from NEC. While it's not from their professional line, it has many of the features we've come to expect in their monitors: uniformity compensation, a wider color gamut but also sRGB and AdobeRGB support, and many user configurable settings. It also has a few things NEC has never done before including SpectraView calibration support on an EA-series model and full USB 3.0. Read on for our full review.

Greetings, Arsians! Our partners at LogicBuy are back with a ton of offers this week. The top deal is a Haswell-powered Dell XPS 8700 desktop computer with a 23-inch 1080p monitor for just 849.99. That's about $270 off the MSRP.

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Laptops, desktops and tablets

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IBM

For raw calculating prowess, a run-of-the-mill computer can handily outperform the human brain. But there are a variety of tasks that the human brain—or computer systems designed to act along the same principles—can do far more accurately than a traditional computer. And there are some behaviors of neurons, like consciousness, that computerized systems have never approached.

Part of the reason is that both the architecture and behavior of neurons and transistors are radically different. It's possible to program software that incorporates neuron-like behavior, but the underlying mismatch makes the software relatively inefficient.

A team of scientists at Cornell University and IBM Research have gotten together to design a chip that's fundamentally different: an asynchronous collection of thousands of small processing cores, each capable of the erratic spikes of activity and complicated connections that are typical of neural behavior. When hosting a neural network, the chip is remarkably power efficient. And the researchers say their architecture can scale arbitrarily large, raising the prospect of a neural network supercomputer.

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New Foursquare is almost entirely focused on telling you where to go, and it figures out how to do that by seeing where you are at all times.

Foursquare has finally revamped its smartphone app into the version it promised long ago: a service that can passively track and log its users' locations and eventually use that information to offer recommendations. The data that the app will traffic in will prove extremely valuable to local businesses looking to advertise or get insight on how they can drive more people to their doorsteps. And the way that Foursquare captures this information obviates the need for the "social network" aspect that apps have long relied on to motivate (or trick, depending on your perspective) users into sharing.

The new Foursquare is meant to drive discovery of destinations based on "opinions of actual experts… not just strangers." According to the New York Times, recommendations will be based on Foursquare's database of 10,000 tastes, which cover qualities like food served, ambience, and activity type that Foursquare has gleaned from all the user tips that it has stockpiled over the years.

Before it split its app into two pieces, Foursquare relied on manual, case-by-case "check-ins" to locations to see where users were and what they were doing. The first to be released, Swarm, still uses the manual check-in process, but it's meant more to help friends find each other at locations. By contrast, the new Foursquare requires no interaction to log users' locations, instead passively logging where they are and where they go even when the app isn't open.

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In a shift aimed at fostering wider use of encryption on the Web, Google is tweaking its search engine to favor sites that use HTTPS to protect end users' privacy and security.

Sites that properly implement the transport layer security (TLS) protocol may be ranked higher in search results than those that transmit in plaintext, company officials said in a blog post published Wednesday. The move is designed to motivate sites to use HTTPS protections across a wider swath of pages rather than only on login pages or not at all. Sites that continue to deliver pages over unprotected HTTP could see their search ranking usurped by competitors that offer HTTPS. Facebook is also getting more serious about encryption, with plans to acquire PrivateCore, a company that develops encryption software to protect and validate data stored on servers.

In Wednesday's post, Google Webmaster Trends Analysts Zineb Ait Bahajji and Gary Illyes noted that Google was among the first sites to offer end-to-end HTTPS protection by default across virtually all of its properties. It has also offered a variety of tools to help sites detect and recover from security breaches. They went on to write:

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Kanye West. NRK P3

It’s not every day that Kanye West graces these pages. (Yes, we’ve reported on him before.) But it’s also not everyday that the venerable hip hop star expresses a bona fide concern about drones buzzing above his home.

Specifically, West is worried about paparazzi using drones that could perhaps crash and then injure his young daughter, according to TMZ. This revelation came out late Wednesday afternoon as part of a leaked deposition that West gave. (The deposition is part of an ongoing civil lawsuit relating to a scuffle West got into with a paparazzo at Los Angeles International Airport.)

"Is your daughter stalked by, like, drones?” West reportedly asked during the deposition. “Are there drones flying where she's trying to learn how to swim at age one? Wouldn't you like to just teach your daughter how to swim without a drone flying? What happens if a drone falls right next to her? Would it electrocute her?"

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DonkeyHotey

National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden has been granted permission to stay in Russia for three more years, his lawyer said Thursday.

Snowden's temporary asylum expired on August 1, but it has been extended via a three-year residency permit. Snowden, who faces espionage charges in the US, fled to Russia in June 2013, two weeks after his first leak appeared in the Guardian.

The leaker's lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, told a news conference Thursday that Snowden had a tech-related job, was learning Russian, and had private body guards. Kucherena said Snowden was living from donations and his meager wages, and he had not accepted housing or protection from the Russian government.

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Given that the supposed release date of DDR4, according to a pre-order listing which suggests it is almost three weeks away, DRAM module manufacturers are slowly initiating press releases to tie in with which products they will be releasing. This is good news for the rest of us, as we will get to see what timings and pricings to expect when the full release happens. Today it is ADATA launching some of its higher performance kits under the XPG Z1 branding. If you followed our Computex coverage, you will notice a striking similarity to the modules we saw on display at ADATA’s booth.

Aside from the regular quotes about reducing the voltage from DDR3’s 1.5 volts to 1.2 volts, ADATA is stating that its XPG Z1 range will offer speeds up to 2800 MHz with timings of CL 17-17-17, all within the 1.2 volts standard. The press release would also seem to suggest that ADATA is equipping these modules with a plug and play system, by stating ‘the SPD of XPG Z1 allows direct application without changing settings in the BIOS’. I am going to follow up with ADATA to find out what they mean by this, whether it will be plug and play or they are just referring to JEDEC.

The XPG Z1 design uses the angular heatsink tapering to a point, which underneath uses a 10-layer PCB with 2-oz copper layers. The heatsink is in direct contact with the ICs, and if the past serves me correctly this is mostly likely via an epoxy that is hard to remove.

The full list of kit capabilities is listed at ADATA’s website. Kits will be available in dual (2x4/2x8) and quad (4x4/4x8) channel variants, all in red to begin with, using the following speeds:

• DDR4-2133 15-15-15 (CAS/CL = 142)
• DDR4-2133 13-13-13 (CAS/CL = 164)
• DDR4-2400 16-16-16 (CAS/CL = 150)
• DDR4-2800 17-17-17 (CAS/CL = 165)

No pricing information as of yet, but given ADATA’s previous press releases, we usually get it around two weeks after the kit being announced.

Source: ADATA

Gallery: ADATA Officially Launches XPG Z1 DDR4 Memory

Aurich Lawson

You can only use another man's e-mail address for so long before he starts canceling your car appointments and insulting your gym buddies. Or so I came to learn as I sank into a joyfully vindictive mood that overwhelmed me for more than a week. This is the story of how one man’s laziness became my justification for being a total jerk.

This is my E-mail War.

Breaking just a little bit bad

If I do say so myself, I have extremely good e-mail etiquette. My personal correspondence is professional when required, touching when appropriate, and never superfluous. But where I truly earn my angel’s wings is with misaddressed e-mail. Just as when I see a child scared and lost in a store, misaddressed e-mail sends anxiety beams straight into my brain, and I am compelled to provide succor and assistance. Thanks to a bizarre username fetish, this happens quite a lot to me.

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The increase in leaks and teasers regarding X99 makes for some compelling reading. Shortly after showing off their X99S SLI PLUS on Facebook, a couple of Gaming 9 AC renders seem to have been posted as well. The X99S Gaming 9 AC, as the name suggests, represents the top member of MSI’s gaming motherboard range if previous range identifiers are to be continued. Along with the 802.11ac support, the board looks like it will have eight DDR4 slots, five PCIe slots with SLI and Crossfire supported, an M.2 slot up to 2280, SATA Express, ten SATA 6 Gbps ports, eight USB 3.0 ports, upgraded audio and a Killer E2200 series network interface.

Right in the middle of the motherboard is a feature called ‘Streaming Engine’, which is plugged into what looks like a mini-PCIe slot. Current internet chatter is wondering if this is some new proprietary feature from MSI, or something akin to onboard WiDi allowing video streaming without wires. MSI is remaining tight lipped until the full release.

It is interesting to see SATA Express and M.2 on X99, and we are still in the dark as to whether these features have shared bandwidth via the PCH due to Intel RST limitations or can be used concurrently.

Pricing is unknown, and will most likely be in the higher echelons of the X99 price bracket in. If MSI is going to release an X99 XPower type of motherboard, it will be either the XPower or the Gaming 9 AC that would be the most expensive.

Source: MSI US Facebook

The government says its badger vaccination project in Gloucestershire is still a vital part of its plan to tackle bovine TB.

Alongside the Nyth, ROCCAT is also announcing another hybrid technology at Gamescom in the form of a keyboard called the Skeltr. The purpose of the Skeltr is to bring the smartphone as an add-on device for the keyboard, allowing apps to be developed that integrate with either the game being played or the on-screen action.

I remember importing one of the original Logitech G15 models from the US almost a decade ago. I had the original black-and-white model, and used the display mostly for Battlefield 2 / 2142 at the time. I must say that with all due respect, I did not use it that much. There was not much time while playing to glance down at the display to see what was going on, although I did look at it between rounds to see the extra statistics it had collected. The concept of the Skeltr is perhaps a step beyond this, allowing users of any smartphone to have an interactive (key word there) integration with their game.

The keyboard will speak to the smartphone via Bluetooth, and use a sliding rail with a rotating holster fit to enable any size smartphone or tablet. This second screen will also allow the user to take calls, receive and make texts and other normal smartphone uses through the keyboard.

The initial issue I found with the Logitech G15 might rear its ugly head here: lack of app availability. It took a while before third-party developers were able to make interfaces for my favorite games back for the G15, but I believe ROCCAT might have more luck. Depending on whether users program using the proprietary ROCCAT application language or Android/iOS itself, the most popular games should be covered quickly by ROCCAT themselves or third-parties. With a full color display and direct interactivity, it might be a step forward as well.

The motherboard itself will feature RGB lighting (on a keyboard wide basis, not per key), a small selection of macro buttons and audio outputs. There is no indication if this is a mechanical keyboard as yet.

Currently ROCCAT is only showing their prototypes at Gamescom later this month, and release dates/pricing will be announced later this year.

Source: ROCCAT

Gallery: ROCCAT Integrates Keyboard and Smartphone: The Skeltr

Almost 100 crane chicks brought over from Germany have been released as part of a project to reintroduce the birds to the UK.

The world of gaming peripherals is a tricky one. There are plenty of standard off-the-shelf peripherals that will do the basic job. In order to create a brand away from the cheap or ultra-cheap, each peripheral company has to add value to their product and introduce the feel of premium quality. This might mean using exotic materials, special lights, custom designs/aesthetics, or offer something that someone else cannot. ROCCAT believes it is doing something along those lines with their new Nyth MMO mouse.

The mouse is designed around the concept of semi-modular system. If a user does not like the side-button arrangement, or it does not work with their particular game, then it can be changed. With the wealth of MMO mice on the market with fixed button arrangements, ROCCAT is attempting to offer a mouse which can be configured in terms of buttons and applications on a per-game basis, allowing the device to extend beyond its initial MMO design origins towards FPS or RTS.

One would assume that the device uses laser optics, although there is no indication whether the weight is adaptable as well. It seems that the device will only come in a wired version, and significant customization for each title will be performed via the included software.

The Nyth MMO mouse will be on display at Gamescom later this month, with a full release later in the year. The price for the mouse or any add-ons has yet to be announced.

Source: ROCCAT

Gallery: ROCCAT Announces the Nyth Semi-Modular Mouse