This Is What Using Windows 8 Actually Looks and Feels Like [Video]

I HATE this already!

This Is What Using Windows 8 Actually Looks and Feels Like [Video]:

We've talked about some of the new features you'll find in Windows 8, but if you're a bit more curious about how it works in real life, we've put together a short video demo of what you'll find in Microsoft's latest operating system.

This is just a short demonstration of how Windows 8 works: buying apps, switching between the Metro and regular desktop, and more. We still don't love the Metro start screen; it's just awkward on the desktop—especially the scrolling—but other things at least make it worthwhile, like right-clicking on an app to uninstall it (finally!). When it comes to the traditional desktop, most of the changes are improvements—from Windows Explorer to the new Task manager and more. Check out the video above to see it in action, and if you want to try it out for yourself, you can download the Consumer Preview now.

Raspberry Pi Launches, Offers Low-Cost, Low-Power, Hackable PCs to All [Hardware]

Raspberry Pi Launches, Offers Low-Cost, Low-Power, Hackable PCs to All [Hardware]:

The Raspberry Pi, a super-cheap, low-power, single-board computer that uses an SD card for storage, plugs into a keyboard and a TV, and has been heralded as the future of everything from home theater PCs to classroom computers, finally launched this morning. The first few batches sold out in minutes, but more are on the way, and the Raspberry Pi Foundation's retail partners are locking in pre-orders now.

The first units to go on sale were the $35 USD "Model B," which sports a 700Mhz Broadcom BCM2835 (which serves as the system's CPU, GPU, and SDRAM,) composite and HDMI outputs for video, an SD slot for storage, 2 USB ports, and a single Ethernet port on the board. The $25 USD "Model A," which, aside from dropping a USB port and the Ethernet port, is exactly like its more expensive brother, is still in manufacturing and will be available soon. In addition to the launch of the Model B this morning, the Raspberry Pi Foundation noted that the Model A would ship with the same amount of memory (256MB) as the Model B, twice what they had originally planned.

Raspberry Pi is selling the units through two retail partners in the EU, RS Components and Element 14, both of which sold out in minutes of the announcement. If you didn't get in on the action, you can add your name to a pre-order list, and when the next batches begin to ship, you'll be notified to place your order. If you missed the first batch, you won't have to wait long for the next ones to arrive, especially now that the launch is official.

If you're not sure what the fuss is all about, our friends at Gizmodo have a few great ways to make the most of the Raspberry Pi, once you get your hands on one. Did you get in on the early-morning fiasco? Are you planning on buying a Raspberry Pi when they're available? What will you use yours for? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Raspberry Pi

Hydrophobia studio to be sold off as redundancies loom

Hydrophobia studio to be sold off as redundancies loom: noooooooooooo! We still have a chance to buy HydroPool though! QUICK!!!



Hydrophobia studio to be sold off as redundancies loom:

Dark Energy Digital, the studio behind Hydrophobia, is all set to enter administration while staff members face redundancy. Workers were informed last week, and a number of them have already lost their jobs.

According to sources within the company, employees are worried about outstanding payments, a problem not unusual in these kinds of situations.

Administrators will be selling the Hydrophobia IP, the Hydro Engine that powered it, World Championship Snooker and an unfinished Pool game.

Hydrophobia was released in 2010 and received fairly negative reviews. The studio would earn notoriety for claiming that reviewers "played the game wrong" and harassing multiple Destructoid editors on the phone. Later, DED attempted a U-turn by issuing a heavily patched version of the game, and later an "improved" Steam version. The game was supposed to be episodic, but DED spent so much time obsessing over the first installment that it never got a second one out of the door.

DED will enter administration within the next ten days.

Dark Energy Digital heading into administration [GI.biz]

HTTPS Everywhere Keeps Your Personal Information Safe on Over 1,400 Sites, Available for Firefox and Chrome [Security]

HTTPS Everywhere Keeps Your Personal Information Safe on Over 1,400 Sites, Available for Firefox and Chrome [Security]:

Chrome/Firefox: HTTPS Everywhere is a simple extension that, with just a one-click installation, can seriously increase your security on over 1,400 web sites by encrypting your connection.

We've talked before about HTTPS, what it does, and why you should use it. Many sites, like Gmail (and Facebook, with caveats) have options that let you browse with HTTPS always turned on, but the HTTPS Everywhere extension makes this simpler. Instead of turning it on for individual sites, HTTPS Everywhere will automatically routes all your data through a secure connection on any of its 1,400 supported web sites, keeping your information safe and away from prying eyes—in short, it's an extension everyone should have installed.

HTTPS Everywhere has long been a favorite of Firefox users, but today marks the first time Chrome users can get in on the fun, with a new beta version of the extension that quietly sits in your address bar and switches you to HTTPS whenever possible. The Firefox version has also been updated to 2.0, which adds a new feature called the Observatory which, when turned on, detects encryption weaknesses and will notify you when you're browsing a site with a security vulnerability. To read more about the new version of the extension and install it in your browser, hit the link below.

HTTPS Everywhere is a free extension, works wherever Chrome and Firefox do.

New 'HTTPS Everywhere' Version Warns Users About Web Security Holes | Electronic Frontier Foundation

Photo by dgbomb (Shutterstock).

Play Old DOS Floppy Disk Games on Your Android Tablet [Video]

Play Old DOS Floppy Disk Games on Your Android Tablet [Video]:

Most retro gamers use emulators to play old school games on their Android device, but iIf you still have your old floppy disk games and a USB floppy drive ($11 at Amazon) you can play them on your Android tablet directly using an Android app port of DOSbox.

YouTube user pedrocatalao found out that by connecting an external floppy drive via USB to his Samsung tablet by way of a docking station and a powered USB hub the tablet had the proper drives to operate the drive. He played the game using an Android port of DOSBox.

Have you found interesting ways to combine retro tech with your latest and greatest gadgets? Tell us about it in the comments below.

Floppy Disk Drive + Keyboard + Android = Pure Nostalgic Fun | via Hack a Day

How-To: Death Star Cake

How-To: Death Star Cake:

Though there’s lots of inspirational cakeblogging out there, detailed tutorials are comparatively rare. And this is a pretty good one. It’s the work of Australian cakesmith Bernice Camlin, aka Smurfesque. [Thanks, Mom!]

How to Make a Death Star Cake

More:

• Space Shuttle Cake with Ice Cream Tank, Chocolate/Caramel Boosters
• Death Star watermelon
• Come to the charred side of The Force
• I made one of these Death Star cookies when I was five…

Create Your Own Bokeh Camera Kit [Photography]

Create Your Own Bokeh Camera Kit [Photography]:

Bokeh refers to blurry effects in photographs—purposely out of focus shapes that are creamy and wonderfully fuzzy. You can make your own bokeh with just some inexpensive black cardstock.

This DIY lens hood and cap, dubbed the Circle of Confusion Shape Modifier, is similar to a previous one we've featured before, except this one lets you change out the "slides" or bokeh shapes easily—so you're not stuck with just one shape. The tutorial at DIYphotography is very detailed: It tells you how to set up the grid in Photoshop or Gimp, create the squares and cutouts, and assemble it all together.

Check out the original article and the reader comments for a discussion of the techniques used to create the effects in the photos, such as setting your camera to the lowest aperture value. Enjoy making dazzling, beautiful photos!

DIY: Circle of Confusion Shape Modifier | DIY Photography

Robot’s Wheels Transform Into Legs

Robot’s Wheels Transform Into Legs:

Well, more accurately, they transform into “whegs,” which look like legs, but are driven like wheels and don’t, as a rule, have powered joints. Apart from sheer novelty value, the advantage seems to be that Quattroped is capable of high “road speeds” when it’s on a smooth surface and in wheeled mode, but can transform to negotiate rough terrain that the wheels alone couldn’t manage. It’s the work of a team from National Taiwan University. Intrepid roboporter Evan Ackerman has more deets over at IEEE Spectrum.

More:

• The Latest in Hobby Robotics 12
• How-To: Build BEAM vibrobots