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Cutting corners: Depending on who you ask, digital piracy has been a topic of controversy, partly due to the ambiguity surrounding its legality compared to physical theft or counterfeiting. A recent Norwegian government survey highlights that acceptance of piracy varies significantly across age groups. Unsurprisingly, younger respondents were the least opposed to piracy, often citing […]

Retro Potato: Longtime Microsoft software engineer Raymond Chen recently responded to an intriguing retro-tech question posed by a game developer on X. The developer inquired about the three distinct user interfaces used during the Windows 95 setup process, which transitioned from DOS to Windows 3.x, and finally to the classic Win9x GUI. Chen explaining that

In brief: DDR5 memory chips generally have higher latency than DDR4, but this usually doesn’t pose a problem under normal usage. However, MSI has released a firmware update to address a mild latency increase introduced last month. Chinese website Uniko’s Hardware recently spotted a new feature in MSI firmware for AM5 motherboards called “Latency Killer,”

Facepalm: Netflix’s streaming of the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul boxing match last week was considered a success by the company as it attracted a peak of 65 million viewers. What wasn’t a success, though, was the quality of the stream for a large number of people watching – or trying to watch. Now, one

In context: In the early 2000s, when Valve’s primary income came from developing games, the studio almost went under. If it had not been for the actions of a summer intern, Valve would have gone belly up, and Steam would not have existed. The story of this pivotal moment in gaming history was recently recounted

Forward-looking: Real-time translation is often cited as one of the most practical applications of generative AI, and Microsoft plans to bring this feature to its video conferencing and team collaboration software early next year. The company also showcased numerous new and upcoming AI features at its recent Ignite 2024 event. One of the many Copilot

Why it matters: Microsoft introduced a cloud-based version of Windows a few years ago to help organizations quickly reach the company’s tools and access workstation-level processing power on various devices. Microsoft’s upcoming mini PC aims to offer a cheap, secure, and fast access point to that remote OS. Pre-orders are now open for the Windows

Forward-looking: Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology have created an AI system that could serve as an early warning system for lithium-ion battery fires, potentially providing valuable time to mitigate the catastrophic effects of a compromised battery before it catches fire. Wai Cheong “Andy” Tam, one of the researchers on the NIST

What just happened? It’s that time of year again when the nominations for The Game Awards are revealed. 2024 could be the first time in the event’s 10-year history that an expansion wins Game of the Year, thanks to a rule change that makes these non-standalone games eligible for the GOTY category. It means Elden

WTF?! Garbage collectors often stumble upon valuable or undamaged items, but finding a mostly functional, high-end PC might rank among one of the luckiest recent finds. Although the components are a few years old, the system booted flawlessly after a few smart repairs and minor replacements. Redditor and garbage truck driver “Siezio” recently shared, then