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December 2022 |
Hope you had a great Xmas, and have a happy and safe New Year. Today's timewaster is this slightly apocalyptic asteroid simulator. Thanks to Axe and Simon this week!
     
     
     
     
Audio Visual:
Vankyo Performance V700W 1080p Full HD Projector @ NikKTech
Truthear Hexa In-Ear Monitors @ TechPowerUp
Sivga Oriole Closed-Back Over-Ear @ TechPowerUp
FiiO K7 Desktop DAC/Headphone Amp @ TechPowerUp
Case:
SilverStone SETA Q1 @ ThinkComputers
Thermaltake Core P3 TG Pro Snow @ aphNetworks
Cooling:
DeepCool LS720 WH 360 AIO @ FunkyKit
Keyboard Mouse Etc:
Ranked Nova n60 Mechanical Keyboard @ TechPowerUp
Xtrfy M8 Wireless @ TechPowerUp
Yeyian Links 3000 Optical Mouse @ aphNetworks
Logitech G502 X Plus @ LanOC
Akko x Gudetama 5108S Mechanical Keyboard @ TechPowerUp
SteelSeries Apex 9 Mini Gaming Keyboard @ TweakTown
Misc:
Ortur Aufero Laser 1 Engraving & Cutting Machine @ NikKTech
Motherboard:
ASUS ROG X670E Crosshair Extreme @ TweakTown
ASRock Z790 Taichi @ ThinkComputers
ASRock Z790 Taichi @ OCinside
MSI MEG X670E ACE Gaming @ TweakTown
BIOSTAR Z790 VALKYRIE LGA1700 @ Madshrimps
ASUS TUF Gaming B650-PLUS WIFI @ guru3D
ASRock X670E TAICHI @ guru3D
MSI MPG X670E CARBON WiFi @ Vortez
MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WiFi @ FunkyKit
Portable and Prebuilt:
MSI GT77 Titan Gaming Laptop @ HotHardware
Dell XPS 13 9315 Laptop @ HotHardware
PSU:
DeepCool PQ850M 850W 80+ Gold Modular @ FunkyKit
Cooler Master XG850 Plus Platinum @ TweakTown
Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 1650 W @ TechPowerUp
Storage:
TeamGroup T-Create Classic DL 1TB SSD @ TweakTown
Silicon Power Armor A65B 2TB USB 3.2 @ FunkyKit
KIOXIA EXCERIA PRO 2TB M.2 NVMe @ NikKTech
Acer Predator GM7000 4 TB @ TechPowerUp
Zadak TWSG4S 2 TB NVMe @ guru3D
Mrs Agg went a bit crazy on the OCAU Merch shop during a long drive last weekend. So if you want to get a face mask or a pillow or a cat bed, uh, now's your chance. But she also made some Misc Pics designs here and here, so let me know what you think of those. Also.. Merry Xmas! Hope you have a happy and safe holiday. Thanks to mpot and Axe this week!
     
     
     
     
Wednesday Evening Reviews
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Wednesday, 21-December-2022 19:26:42 (GMT +10) - by Agg
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Motherboard & CPU:
ASUS ROG STRIX X670E-E Gaming WIFI on Guru3D.
GIGABYTE X670E AORUS XTREME on Vortez.
ASRock X670E Steel Legend on Vortez.
Input Etc:
ROCCAT Kone XP Air mouse on TechPowerUp.
AZIO Cascade 98 Slim Keyboard on ThinkComputers.
Cooler Master CK720 Mechanical Keyboard on APHNetworks.
Audio Visual:
Yeyian Agile NL USB Streaming Microphone on HWAsylum.
Quick Look: Tripowin x HBB Olina SE In-Ear Monitors on TechPowerUp.
ASUS ROG Cetra True Wireless ANC In-Ear Headphones on Tweaktown.
SteelSeries ARCTIS NOVA PRO High-Fidelity Gaming Headset on NikKTech.
Storage:
Micron 2550 SSD 1TB SSD Review - 232 Layers of Domination on Tweaktown.
Kingston FURY Renegade 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD (with heatsink) on FunkyKit.
Misc:
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: FSR 2.1 vs. DLSS 2 vs. DLSS 3 Comparison on TechPowerUp.
SAPPHIRE NITRO+ Radeon RX 7900 XTX OC Vapor-X on Tweaktown.
PCCooler GAMEICE CPU Air Coolers (K4, K6, and G6) on Tweaktown.
Quick Look: Chargeasap Zeus 270 W GaN Wall Charger on TechPowerUp.
Forum Projects
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Tuesday, 20-December-2022 00:54:09 (GMT +10) - by Agg
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Time to catch up on some more cool projects and reviews from the forums. I really need to do this more often! Another good way to see what's going on is to hit the New Posts link.
Saturday Evening
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Saturday, 17-December-2022 19:56:35 (GMT +10) - by Agg
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Here's an interesting article about Ted Hoff. Ted Hoff is part of electronics industry legend. While a research manager at Intel Corp., then based in Mountain View, he realized that silicon technology had advanced to the point that, with careful engineering, a complete central processor could fit on a chip. Teaming up with Stanley Mazor and Federico Faggin, he created the first commercial microprocessor, the Intel 4004.
Tony_L sent in the Macquarie dictionary word of the year for 2022: Teal. It's hard to go past teal as an emblem of Australia's political landscape in 2022. It's not a brand-new word, but it is a brand-new sense that no-one saw coming. Meh, I prefer Oxford's one: Goblin Mode. ‘Goblin mode’ – a slang term, often used in the expressions ‘in goblin mode’ or ‘to go goblin mode’ – is ‘a type of behaviour which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations.’
Corsair have a bendable monitor. What's great about Corsair's implementation for the bending mechanism is that it's accomplished manually, which is quicker, easier to repair, and doesn't produces noise compared to if it were motorized. All the user needs to do is pop the handles out of their slots on both ends by pressing unlock toggles and bend away. It seems like a surprisingly elegant implementation.
From Sniper, more on the NBN's projected losses. One reason for the losses was the 2013 decision by then communications minister Malcolm Turnbull to embark on the so-called “multi-technology mix” model of the NBN, whereby the full fibre-to-the-premises rollout was abandoned in favour of adapting the legacy copper network and cable TV infrastructure for most homes and businesses. When selling the policy, the Coalition government claimed it would result in a cheaper version of the NBN than Labor had originally planned in 2009, but the Productivity Commission found the switch added to the costs for the network.
From the "Well that's terrifying" files, thanks tired: In AI-generated character might not sound so remarkable in an era of deepfakes and all manner of digital alchemy. But Loab is different. Generated by accident, she leaves an indelible trace on every image associated with her persona. She’s often accompanied by extreme gore and violence, and it’s not clear why. Not even those who understand this tech can explain what she’s doing here.
On a more positive note, MUTMAN spotted the fastest supercomputer in Australia predicting ICU patient outcomes before they worsen. After working on 20 different data models, Mr Meka and his team created one that could predict if a brain bleed was imminent — giving medical staff up to 20 minutes before the bleed to intervene.
Mark Rober of (among other things) glitter bomb fame has a new final video in the Glitter Bomb series. Merry Christmas ya filthy animals. The FINAL Glitterbomb has autonomous drones :)
Saturday Evening Reviews
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Saturday, 17-December-2022 19:27:26 (GMT +10) - by Agg
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Motherboard & CPU:
ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi on TechPowerUp.
ASRock Z790 Steel Legend WiFi on FunkyKit.
Power Supply:
Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 1000W on APHNetworks.
be quiet! System Power 10 750W Review - A Big Step Backwards on TechPowerUp.
Storage:
Corsair EX100U 2TB Portable SSD on Tweaktown.
Samsung 990 PRO 1TB SSD on Tweaktown.
Corsair MP600 GS 2TB SSD on Tweaktown.
Sabrent Rocket NVMe 4.0 Gen4 PCIe M.2 2TB SSD + Heatsink on MadShrimps.
Audio Visual:
Drop + Dan Clark Audio Aeon Closed X Headphones on TechPowerUp.
JBL Quantum TWS in-ears from OCInside.
ROCCAT Syn Max Air Wireless Gaming Headset on APHNetworks.
Quick Look: Hidizs XO Portable DAC/Amplifier - RGB Sound! on TechPowerUp.
KTC H27T22 Monitor Review - Good Value For Gamers on a Budget on TechPowerUp.
Video Cards:
Sapphire Radeon RX 7900 XTX Nitro+ on TechPowerUp.
Sapphire Radeon RX 7900 XTX Nitro+ on Guru3D.
Is the RTX 4080 FE Worth $1200 Today? – 50+ Game Analysis on BabelTechReviews.
XFX Radeon RX 7900 XTX MERC 310 Black on Tweaktown.
Cases:
Lian Li LANCOOL 216 Mid-Tower on Tweaktown.
Chieftec Stallion 3 on TechPowerUp.
Cooling:
DeepCool AK500 Zero Dark CPU Air Cooler on Tweaktown.
Cooler Master MasterAir MA624 Stealth CPU Air Cooler on Tweaktown.
ID-Cooling SE-224-XTS Black CPU Air Cooler on Tweaktown.
ID-Cooling Dashflow 240 Basic Black CPU Liquid Cooler on Tweaktown.
Deepcool AK500 CPU Cooler on Guru3D.
Input Etc:
Atompalm Hydrogen mouse on TechPowerUp.
Quick Look: Drop + MiTo MT3 Noctua Keycap Set on TechPowerUp.
Drop + The Lord of the Rings Elvish Keyboard on ThinkComputers.
Misc:
FlexiSpot Pro Plus Standing Desk (E7) on ThinkComputers.
ECOVACS DEEBOT X1 OMNI Robotic Vacuum & Mopping Cleaner on NikKTech.
Geil EvoV DDR5 6200 CL34 2x16 GB memory on Guru3D.
Not long till Xmas now!
     
     
     
     
More Radeon RX 7900 XT and XTX Reviews
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Wednesday, 14-December-2022 22:08:27 (GMT +10) - by Agg
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Here's more Radeon RX 7900 XT and XTX reviews. These seem to be mostly add-in boards while yesterday's were reference cards:
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT & Radeon RX 7900 XTX Creator on TechGage.
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT Review: The Second Best Navi 31 is Here on Tweaktown.
XFX MERC 310 Radeon RX 7900 XT Review: Bigger, Badder RDNA 3 on HotHardware.
XFX MERC 310 7900 XT Black Edition on LanOC.
Hellhound RX 7900 XTX Takes on the RTX 4080 with 50 VR & PC Games on BabelTechReviews.
ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 7900 XTX OC on Guru3D.
XFX MERC 310 Radeon RX 7900 XTX on Guru3D.
XFX MERC 310 Radeon RX 7900 XT on Guru3D.
XFX Radeon RX 7900 XTX Merc 310 OC Review - 3x 8-pin FTW on TechPowerUp.
ASUS Radeon RX 7900 XTX TUF OC Review - Amazing Overclocking on TechPowerUp.
Discussion continues in this thread.
AMD Radeon 7900 XT and XTX Review Round-up
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Tuesday, 13-December-2022 18:25:07 (GMT +10) - by MUTMAN
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RX 7900 XT 20GB @ nikktech
RX 7900 XTX & 7900 XT @ HotHardware
Radeon RX 7900 XT @ ausgamers
RX 7900 XTX @ club386
Radeon RX 7900 XT @ dexerto
Radeon RX 7900 XT & 7900 XTX @ eteknix
RX 7900 XTX @ GN
RX 7900 XTX @ GearSeekers
RX 7900 XT and RX 7900 XTX @ Hardware Canucks
Radeon RX 7900 XTX @ Hardware Unboxed
RX 7900XTX und RX 7900XT @ igorsLAB
RX 7900 XT and RX 7900 XTX @ OC3D
RX 7900 XT and XTX @ Pauls Hardware
Radeon RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT @ pcper
Radeon RX 7900 XTX and XT @ pcworld
RX 7900 XTX + RX 7900 XT Linux Support & Performance @ phoronix
Radeon RX 7900 XT & Radeon RX 7900 XTX @ techgage
Radeon RX 7900 XTX @ techpowerup
RX 7900 XTX and XT @ tomshardware
Radeon RX 7900 XT / XTX @ theverge
And naturally OCAU forums has a big speculation now discussion AMD Radeon 7000/RDNA3 thread.
Australia will be "among the best places in the world to make video games" and "many multinational companies expand their operations to Australia and contribute to a thriving and sustainable game development ecosystem". The DGTO isn't law yet, but should sail through Parliament quickly as nobody's really against it.
The Aussie Senate Big Tech inquiry is getting some teeth. The Senate Economics References Committee's inquiry into international digital platforms operated by Big Tech companies has released an issues paper, outlining the things it will look into. It's set to cover a very wide range of issues, including, but not limited to "Big Tech" market concentration, the cloud, algorithms and transparency, data and privacy, children's safety, the metaverse, "international" and Big Tech's role in internet disinformation. The aim is to do a whole bunch of research, take submissions from the public, then see if there's anything the government could regulate.
Minister for Home Affairs Clare O'Neil spoke to the National Press Club, claiming that Australia will be "the most cyber secure country in the world by 2030" thanks to an upcoming cyber security strategy led by former Telstra CEO Andrew Penn. “We’ve got the burning platform, we’ve got the mandate for change, we’ve genuinely now got the best minds on the problem, and now it’s time to translate that into a more cyber secure Australia,” O’Neil said. “I want Australia to be the most cyber secure country in the world by 2030, and I believe that’s possible. But we need a reset and we need a pathway to get there.”
Some interesting NBN related news from Sniper. The new deal between Nokia and NBN will deliver greater volumes of data to consumers at higher speeds. Nokia’s technology will see those on fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) networks, and people who join FTTP in future, be able to access multi-gigabit speeds. The NBN can currently only accommodate up to 1 gigabit per second, but the new Nokia infrastructure will increase this to up to 100 gigabits per second.
And NBN are reporting on future costs to maintain the copper FTTN network. In a period dominated by natural disasters, FTTN repairs have been especially costly; NBN Co said the “relative cost impact of weather events” in 2021 for FTTN came in a whopping 22 times more expensive than FTTP.
Parts of this news post courtesy of The Sizzle.
Sunday Night Reviews
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Sunday, 11-December-2022 23:34:55 (GMT +10) - by Agg
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Motherboard & CPU:
MSI MAG B650M Mortar WIFI on Guru3D.
GIGABYTE X670E AORUS Master on Tweaktown.
ASRock X670E Taichi on Tweaktown.
Cooling:
EVGA CLCx 360 AIO CPU Liquid Cooler With LCD Display on NikKTech.
Alphacool Eisblock XPX Aurora Edge Full Brass CPU Water Block on TechPowerUp.
Cases:
Montech Sky Two Mid-Tower Chassis on Tweaktown.
Fractal Design North on ThinkComputers.
Fractal Design North on TechPowerUp.
Fractal Design North chassis on Guru3D.
Thermaltake The Tower 500 on OCInside.
Cooler Master HAF 700 Full Tower on Tweaktown.
Portable & Prebuilt:
HP ZBook Power G9 on HighPerformanceLaptops.
HP Envy X360 on HighPerformanceLaptops.
Audio Visual:
Custom Art FIBAE 7 Unlimited CIEMs earphones on TechPowerUp.
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 MAX Gaming Headset on Tweaktown.
1MORE ComfoBuds Mini True Wireless Bluetooth Earphones on APHNetworks.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X Wireless Gaming Headset on Tweaktown.
1MORE ComfoBuds Mini True Wireless Bluetooth Earphones on APHNetworks.
Misc:
Mushkin Redline ST 32GB DDR5 5600MHz CL28 Dual-Channel Kit memory on NikKTech.
ASUS ROG Chakram X mouse on TechPowerUp.
Kingston Fury Renegade Heatsink 2 TB SSD on TechPowerUp.
Intel has unveiled its latest research breakthroughs that are fueling the innovation pipeline in order to keep Moore's Law on track towards 1 trillion transistors by the year 2030. Intel announced at IEDM 2022 that the company is aiming for 10x density improvements in packaging technology, using a novel material that is just 3 atoms thick in order to advance transistor scaling.
Meanwhile over at Samsung, their new 3nm GAA chips have a horrible yield rate of just 20% with reports suggesting the South Korean giant has teamed with a US company to help. Silicon Frontline Technology has used methods to improve yield rates through water qualification and electrostatic discharge prevention technologies, but that's still not a good look for Samsung up against the titan that is TSMC
Asianometry ponders, Is the USA stealing TSMC away from Taiwan? The initial USA deal was for a small fab to make 5nm chips. Now TSMC confirms it will be building 3nm chips at its new factory in Arizona, offering incredible leaps in performance over 5nm. TSMC right now has a plan, but it has not been completely finalised. It has almost been finalised - in the same Arizona site, phase two. Five-nanometre is phase one, 3-nanometre is phase two.
Spilling your morning coffee on your keyboard might not be a bad thing for your computer after all. Some clever people in white lab coats has discovered that a coffee compound can actually increase the efficiency of current flow. The report on AIST says that the caffeic acid causes molecules on the surface of the organic semiconductor to line up, therefore reducing the resistance to current flow.
Password managers are handy tools to store all your web credentials. But what happens if your password manager gets hacked. The company had determined, however, that an unauthorised party gained access to portions of the LastPass development environment through a single compromised developer account and took portions of source code and some proprietary LastPass technical information.
In most cases, it's pretty easy to recognize a phishing scam. Therein lies the hook or trap—the phone number is not associated with PayPal. Knowing this, I decided to call the number anyway to find out how the scam works.
Australian real estate agent LJ Hooker has been hacked by ransomware gang ALPHV. BlackCat claims to have 375gb of employee and customer data, including "passport scans, credit card details, and loans data".
Robocop is fictional right now, however it may not remain that way for long. Robots will only be used as a deadly force option when risk of loss of life to members of the public or officers are imminent and outweigh any other force option available to SFPD.
Thanks to scarletxfi and Simon this week!
     
     
     
     
Wednesday Night Reviews
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Wednesday, 7-December-2022 22:04:51 (GMT +10) - by Agg
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Storage:
Solidigm P41 Plus SSD Review: Strong PCIe 4 Storage Value on HotHardware.
Asustor Lockerstor 2 Gen2 AS6702T 2-Bay NAS on TechPowerUp.
Crucial P3 and Crucial P3 Plus 2TB M.2 NVMe SSD on OCInside.
Sabrent Rocket Nano V2 2TB Portable SSD Review - Native USB Bliss on Tweaktown.
SanDisk Professional PRO-G40 2TB SSD Review - Professional Portable Perfection on Tweaktown.
Neo Forza NFP445 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD on NikKTech.
Micron 7450 Pro 7.68TB Enterprise SSD Review - Double Density on Tweaktown.
Kioxia XG8 SSD Review: Fast PCIe 4 Storage For OEM PCs on HotHardware.
Solidigm P44 Pro (1TB/2TB) M.2 NVMe SSD on Guru3D.
Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus-G 4TB SSD Review - High-Capacity Futureproofing on Tweaktown.
Input Etc:
SteelSeries Aerox 9 Wireless Gaming Mouse on Tweaktown.
ASUS ROG Keris Wireless AimPoint Gaming Mouse on Tweaktown.
Steelseries AEROX 3 Wireless Gaming Mouse on FunkyKit.
AQIRYS DORADUS Wired Gaming Mouse on MadShrimps.
Corsair Harpoon RGB Wireless Gaming Mouse on FunkyKit.
Portable & Prebuilt:
Beelink GTR6 (Ryzen 9 6900HX) mini PC on Guru3D.
Acer Predator Helios 300 on HighPerformanceLaptops.
Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Review: A Sleek, Fast Ryzen Pro Laptop on HotHardware.
Dell XPS 13 Plus on HighPerformanceLaptops.
Asus ExpertBook B7 Flip on HighPerformanceLaptops.
Memory:
Silicon Power XPOWER Zenith RGB DDR5-5600 CL40 2x 16 GB on TechPowerUp.
PNY XLR8 MAKO DDR5-6200 32GB Dual-Channel Memory Kit on Tweaktown.
ZADAK Spark RGB 32GB DDR5-6000 CL40 Memory Kit on FunkyKit.
Netac Shadow II DDR5-4800 16GB Dual-Channel Memory Kit on Tweaktown.
Audio Visual:
HyperX ProCast XLR Microphone on ThinkComputers.
Creative Sound Blaster Katana V2X Computer Soundbar on APHNetworks.
Creative Sound Blaster Katana V2X Multi-Channel Gaming Soundbar on NikKTech.
Yeyian Sigurd Series 2503 LCD Monitor on APHNetworks.
Software:
The Callisto Protocol Benchmark Test & Performance Analysis Review on TechPowerUp.
Portal With RTX Explored: Legendary Valve Classic Gets A Gorgeous Ray Traced Makeover on HotHardware.
Need for Speed Unbound: FSR 2.1 vs. DLSS 2 vs. DLSS 3 Comparison on TechPowerUp.
Misc:
Synology WRX560 11ax Wireless Router on Technoyard.
Montech Sky Two PC case on TechPowerUp.
ASRock X670E Steel Legend motherboard on Guru3D.
ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 4080 AMP Extreme AIRO video card on Tweaktown.
Retro Exploring
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Monday, 5-December-2022 20:16:51 (GMT +10) - by Agg
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I was recently in Singapore and came across a treasure-trove of retro goodies. I didn't end up buying anything, but took a few photos which I thought would be of interest to OCAU's retro community. So here they are:
Click for the thread!
This month's "Retro Let's Play" for December is the 1996 hit, Duke Nukem 3D. Duke Nukem 3D features the adventures of the titular Duke Nukem, who fights against an alien invasion on Earth. Along with Wolfenstein 3D and Doom, Duke Nukem 3D is considered to be one of many titles responsible for popularizing first-person shooters, and was released to major acclaim. Reviewers praised the interactivity of the environments, gameplay, level design, and unique risqué humor, a mix of pop-culture satire and lampooning of over-the-top Hollywood action heroes. However, it also incited controversy due to its violence, erotic elements, and portrayal of women.
click for the thread!
And for those that like to slide this month's "Retro Racing" is 1998's Powerslide. Powerslide is set in a dystopian future where the ozone layer has disintegrated, leading to worldwide poverty and a collapse of society. The game is a "drive anywhere" arcade racer; there are no invisible walls or track side facades holding the vehicle back, allowing the player to explore the tracks at will during races. By beating championships, new cars and tracks are unlocked. Powerslide's physics engine has four-wheel independent suspension, giving the cars full six degrees of freedom movement. The player is not stuck to a flat track, and the physics model realistically simulates powersliding over varying surface types and rugged terrains.
click for the thread!
Today's timewaster is actually the Google Doodle. Gerald Anderson Lawson (December 1, 1940 – April 9, 2011) was an American electronic engineer. He is known for his work in designing the Fairchild Channel F video game console as well as leading the team that pioneered the commercial video game cartridge. He was thus dubbed the "father of the videogame cartridge" according to Black Enterprise magazine in 1982. Discussion thread here. Thanks to MUTMAN and Axe this week!
     
     
     
     
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