On Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009, NASA completed a two-minute test firing of the new Ares I rocket. This is part of the program designed to replace the space shuttle. The Ares I is designed to put the Orion capsule, carrying astronauts, into space, while the Ares V is designed for heavier cargo. The shuttle program [...]
Chevron announced Friday that it would be installing 7,000 solar mirrors in Coalinga, Calif., during the next year. Instead of absorbing the sun’s energy and converting it into power, these solar mirrors will be aimed at a single tower. The concentrated heat from the combined panels will evaporate a water supply held inside the tower. [...]
Aug. 11, General Motors announced that the new Volt model could achieve triple digits (230) when it comes to MPG. The Volt contains an electric motor with a rechargeable battery pack that can hold a charge for about forty miles, after which a traditional internal combustion engine will kick in with an MPG of about [...]
Dawn of War II is essentially Company of Heroes in the Warhammer 40k world but with much less involvement. There are four playable factions: Space Marines, Orks, Eldar and Tyranid. Each race has three unique heroes that lead their troops into battle. This choice determines your command structure and what army abilities the player will [...]
If you’re looking for a laptop for gaming or other more intensive operations, bigger is better. Above all, make sure you get the best processor you can as it will most likely be the weak link in the chain, limiting your other hardware components. In most cases, a new processor is not an upgrade you [...]
When buying a new computer, it’s important to know exactly what you’re expecting out of it. It’s easy to decide that you want a computer that runs quickly and smoothly, but you also want to avoid paying too much for components you don’t need. Let’s say you want a laptop for school purposes only, and [...]
Alan L. Wurtzel, CEO of Circuit City, announced on Friday, Jan. 16 that the beloved second largest electronics retailer would be closing its remaining stores and liquidating its inventories. Circuit City is the largest business to fall victim to the slow economy, leaving Best Buy as the largest electronics retailer with an incredible lead over [...]
Taking care of your hardware is extremely important, but maintaining your software is just as important in order to keep a computer running at top efficiency. The best way to do this is to ensure that your computer has no unnecessary or harmful programs running in the background and that your software is up to [...]
Khet (pronounced ket) is an Egyptian-themed board game in which players use mirrors to reflect light across the board. The game effectively combines the three things that make most games fun: simplicity, strategy and lasers. Each player commands a real class II laser and four different piece types. A turn consists of moving a piece [...]
The number one killer of computers is heat. Most desktops are built with a sufficient cooling system with the appropriate number of fans and heat sinks, but they do build up dust over time. This dust obstructs the cooling mechanisms and traps heat like a blanket so it’s vital that you clean it every so [...]
Spore is a simulation game unlike any other. Players begin the game as a tiny cell in a giant bubble of ooze and a two-dimensional environment. The initial stage of the game focuses on evading cells that want to eat you and finding food, but when your cell gets enough points, it evolves and gains [...]
