Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Safe mode, huh? While we had previously assumed only our clearly cursed PCs could fall into such a dark, dark place, apparently we were badly mistaken. The recently launched Giove-B satellite, which is the second bird launched for Europe’s next-gen satnav network, was recently sent into some sort of “safe mode” after being “rocked by a surge of space radiation.” Reportedly, said mode halts the satellite’s mission activities and forces it to “concentrate on keeping its batteries topped up by ensuring its solar panels are properly aligned with the sun.” Thankfully, the poor Giove-B was able to resume its frolicking in outer space around a fortnight after being blasted, though we hear if it had been just a tad worse, ground control would’ve had a real mess on their hands with the Blue Screen of Death.

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Filed under: Gaming

Hot on the heels of NVIDIA’s 3-way SLI system hitting all sorts of test benches comes word that the outfit is cranking out its brand new nForce 780i SLI MCP (media and communications processor). That’s right kids, the self-proclaimed “must-have gaming platform for Intel Yorkfield CPUs” is finally out in the open, and aside from playing nice with Intel’s QX9650, it also supports PCI Express Gen 2.0, 3-way SLI and the new Enthusiast System Architecture specification. Apparently, a number of “motherboard partners” including Asus, Falcon Northwest, HP, Gigabyte, Hypersonic and Voodoo PC are already planning to offer nForce 780i SLI MCP-based products, and judging by NVIDIA’s holiday themed press release, we’d wager that you’ll see the aforementioned items seeping out sooner rather than later.

[Via HotHardware]

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Filed under: Desktops, Gaming

If you’re a PC-builder / modder, you’ve probably noticed that while you’re given options for monitoring and controlling your CPUs, GPUs, fan speeds, and voltages, you’re typically left high and dry when it comes to overseeing the functionality of your power supply, casing, and cooling accouterments. Well, NVIDIA is endeavoring to solve your problems with a new set of specifications they hope will tie those disparate elements together, called the ESA (or Enthusiast System Architecture). The hope is that through the cooperation of other manufacturers, and the implementation of USB HID (Human Interface Device), those components will get a needed shot of operability and connectedness; in effect, they’ll start “talking” to one another. The hope is that the new standard will make full control over your rig much easier to come by, thus allowing you to frag with the confidence that your system probably won’t burn the house down.

[Via CRN]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

We’ve seen some pretty wild ideas for space tethers, but it seems like actually executing is a little trickier than people expect — a joint Russian Space Agency / ESA Young Engineers Satellite 2 mission just screeched to a halt as the deployment of an 18-mile space tether went awry. The project, which was to involve the longest object ever deployed in space, was part of a challenge issued to European university students to safely return an object from space, but failed when the the capsule accidentally released after just 5 miles of tether had unwound. The team thinks the idea still has merit, saying that “they are extremely satisfied and would like to do more mission testing.” Here’s hoping the next time goes a little smoother.

Read — NewScientist article on the mishap
Read — Video of how the mission was supposed to go

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!