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We live in a golden age of technology. Self-driving cars are almost a reality; artificial intelligence is practically indistinguishable from human intelligence, and we can now print amazing 3D objects. Some entrepreneurs have made a businesses out of selling such objects, and I am here to tell you which make the best gifts, either for you or for your fellow geek.

5.  Yourself or your MMO-self

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Who doesn’t want a miniature version of him or herself to place and to admire on a desk? Shapify sells 100% unique 3D printed figures of people. What makes them unique? Well, because they are of you, and according to your mom you are unique, so therefore each of these figures is unique. But seriously, all you have to do is scan yourself with a Shapify scanner booth or Kinect (probably the only time you will ever use a Kinect), send the scan to Shapify, and you can have a miniature you to place on your desk. However, these miniatures have several downsides. You either have to find or rent a booth or use a Kinect, and they are not easy to come by. Also, Shapify figures are expensive, around $140. Finally, the detail isn’t exactly the best, and they are fragile. But, if you have the money and the wherewithal to find a Shapify scanner booth or a Kinect, Shapify figures make excellent presents.

If you aren’t up for finding the rare Shapify scanning booth or using the abysmal Kinect, you can always commission a FigurePrint of your World of Warcraft character or custom Minecraft work. If you buy a WoW FigurePrint, you can deck out your WoW character in any equipment and either order a full-body figure or a bust. As with Shapify, each figure is 100% unique. But, you cannot order a FigurePrint without an active World of Warcraft subscription/character or a Minecraft world. Furthermore, as with Shapify, FigurePrints are extremely expensive ($70-$130 for a WoW FigurePrint and an unspecified range for a Minecraft Figureprint) and extraordinarily fragile.

Also, please note that as of writing this article FigurePrint is not taking any new orders until it works out the kinks in its new, higher quality printing system. With luck, FigurePrints will be available for ordering soon.

4.  Mecha Zone Mechanauts and Predanauts

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When many people think of 3D printed objects, they think of immobile statues. But 3D printed action figures do exist, and they are, for lack of a better word, amazing

Created by freelance artist David White, Mecha Zone is a love letter to fans of Transformers and Japanese robots, with some Microman thrown in for flavor. The Mecha Zone line focuses on the Mechanauts who wage their battle to destroy the evil forces of the Predanauts, and unlike other 3D printed figures, White paints and prepare his Mecha Zone figures so they look and feel like high-end action figures. Each Mecha Zone figure is fully poseable, and some come with accessories. The two biggest problems with the Mecha Zone line are the price ($15-$300 depending on the figure, with most of them over the $75 mark) and they are sold in waves rather than made to order. However, the Mecha Zone store recently added a custom commission option so people can buy old figures or commission new ones with new color schemes and parts. Still, Mecha Zone figures are absolutely gorgeous and worth the cost.

3.  Modibot

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While not as detailed as Mechanauts or Predanauts, Modibots more than make up for that with a simple stick figure aesthetic and unparalleled customization. Medibots come in inexpensive kits of 3D printed parts that can be mixed and matched in literally almost any way. Base figure kits include enough pieces to create one Modibot, but the true fun of Modibots lies in the accessory kits. Arms, legs, weapons, claws, and tails are available to customize any Modibot. Oh, and they’re also inexpensive and can be augmented with a ton of fan-made parts designed specifically for the Modibots. While adult collectors might not enjoy these figures, kids will have a blast mixing and matching parts to create fantastical shapes.

2.  Mythic Articulations

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Skeletons are fascinating; they are beautiful and terrifying at the same time, and the weirder the the better. Mythic Articulations dials the macabre fascination factor up to eleven by creating skeletons of various mythical and fictional creatures. Classics such as Dragons, Werewolves, and Centaurs are available, as are slightly more obscure creatures like the Hippocampus and the Tikbalang (no I did not make that up). However, some of the store’s best skeletons are of urban legends, such as The Rake, The Flatwoods Monster, and The Jersey Devil. Mythic Articulations does not just offer static skeletal statues; the store also sells non-printed jewelry, art prints, and amazing 3D printed poseable skeletons that come in cans. Prices vary widely, ranging from $30 to $133, but these skeletons are worth every penny.

1.  Heroforge

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Affordable? Check.
Customizable? Double check.
Dungeons & Dragons themed? Natural twenty on a charisma check.

Miniatures are a common sight in many Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. Some people use pre-made miniatures, but wouldn’t you rather use one that looks exactly the way you picture your character? Heroforge gives you the ability to customize your character any way you want. Do you want a balding wizard with a pet dragon? You can create that in Herforge. What about a giant brute of a female half-orc who dual-wields heavy war hammers? That is also an option in Heroforge. You aren’t even limited to Dungeons and Dragons characters; Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Modern, Western, and East-Asian genres are all represented and can be mixed and matched without any restrictions. From robot ninjas to vampire space marines, you can create literally any character in Heroforge, and they are all ready to be painted as you wish. Unless you want spend $100 and have your character printed in bronze.

All you have to do to get my attention is talk about video games, technology, anime, and/or Dungeons & Dragons - also people in spandex fighting rubber suited monsters.

Gaming

Shift Up unveils the intriguing details behind the physical packaging of Stellar Blade for the PS5

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It appears that many

are eagerly anticipating the launch of the highly anticipated PS5 exclusive, Stellar Blade. Shift Up, the developer, has shared a lengthy video showcasing the “secrets” found in the physical box of the game for PS5. From what we can gather, these secrets include a reversible cover/dust jacket and a download code for cosmetic items.

We must clarify that while we do appreciate the variant cover, it may be more appealing than the game’s standard art. However, it is not something we would typically classify as a “secret.”. However, what’s interesting is that Shift Up has confirmed through the comments section that this will be the case in all regions. Additionally, the visually striking action RPG will remain uncensored worldwide.

It’s refreshing to witness a developer going the extra mile for physical collectors, and it’s evident that the developer is determined to leave a favorable mark in the console realm. Stellar Blade is set to make its highly anticipated debut this Friday, April 26th, exclusively on the PS5.

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Gaming

Here are all the patch notes for the new PS5 firmware update that adds the community game help feature

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Sony has recently launched the newest PS5 system software update, which is always an exciting occasion for avid PlayStation fans. With a size of slightly over 1GB, you can download and install it right away. As always, the question remains: What exactly does the update bring to the table?

According to the official patch notes, there have been some notable improvements, particularly in the area of game help. We are introducing an exciting addition to our platform: the Community Game Help feature. This feature enhances the PS5’s Game Help system by providing you with gameplay videos from fellow players. Players have the option to choose whether or not they want their gameplay videos to be shared using this feature.

If you’re concerned about it, you can now hide your Remote Play connection status as well.

Presenting the complete patch notes:

  • Game Help has been enhanced with the addition of Community Game Help features
  • Within Game Help, players can find Community Game Help hints in supported games. These cues come from gameplay videos that other players have shared.
  • If you’re up for it, you have the option to contribute to Community Game Help by giving permission for your gameplay video to be automatically recorded and included in the feature after it’s been reviewed
  • If you want to join in, navigate to Settings, then Captures & Broadcasts, followed by Captures, Auto Captures, and finally Community Game Help. From there, simply choose the option to participate. Users have the option to unsubscribe whenever they choose
  • During Remote Play, players now have the option to hide the persistent message “Remote Play connected.” that appears on their game screen. To ensure a seamless gaming experience, navigate to the Settings menu, then proceed to the System section. From there, locate the Remote Play option and activate the Hide Remote Play Connection Status feature
  • The system’s software performance and stability have been significantly enhanced
  • The messages and usability on some screens have been enhanced

While not the most groundbreaking update, the Community Game Help feature has the potential to be intriguing, contingent upon the number of games that offer support for it. What are your thoughts on the latest update? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

 

 

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Geek Culture

In the TV show Fallout, would the “rule of thumb” really work?

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Walton Goggins’ character, who plays someone in the first episode of the new TV series Fallout on Amazon, mentions a “rule of thumb” when it comes to nuclear explosions.

According to the character known as “The Ghoul,” he learned in military school that if you raise your thumb and extend your arm toward the blast, you can tell if you are going to live or die. According to the rule, some Americans will be safe from the radioactive fallout if the mushroom cloud is smaller than their thumb. If the mushroom cloud is bigger than their thumb, they won’t be as lucky.

Many other survivors will probably ask you why you’re giving a mushroom cloud the big thumbs up. Is it worth it?

The idea has been looked into a bit thanks to the Fallout video game series, which caught the attention of physicists in their first year at the University of Leicester. They had heard a false rumor that the show’s mascot, Vault Boy, was giving a happy thumbs up to show support for the thumb rule. They wanted to find out if the rule was true.

The team looked at smaller blasts that would fit with the setting of the show and chose a 15-kiloton blast, which is the same size as the blast that happened when the US dropped “Little Boy” on Hiroshima. The first thing the team did was figure out how far away you would have to be from the mushroom cloud for your thumb to cover the blast. They came up with a number that was about 12.6 kilometers (7.8 miles).

“Assuming the detonation occurred on the ground, the radius for avoiding all burns is 4.67 km [2.9 miles] away from the blast center, and the radius for radiation sickness symptoms is 1.56 km [0.97 miles],” the team said in their paper. “This would mean that you would be safe from the initial blast effects of radiation and burns.”

Even though you just saw a nuclear explosion nearby, that doesn’t mean you are safe. And that’s before you worry about nuclear winter. The radiation coming at you from the wind should be your main concern.

“Assuming an average wind speed of 24 km/h, the fallout would reach you within approximately half an hour if you were to be standing directly upwind.”

Getting caught in this wind will give you enough rads to make you sick. One more rule, though: run like hell. This might help you lower your dose.

“This investigation showed that if a 15-kiloton nuclear bomb was to detonate and your thumb extended at an arm’s length just covered the blast, you could survive most negative radiation effects by running laterally in the direction of the wind for a minimum of 1.65 km [1 mile] in half an hour, given that you are standing directly upwind from the blast,” the team said.

But this only works for a blast much smaller than the weapons the world has now. And even for smaller blasts, the rule probably won’t help because of the radiation that is released into the air and the fact that the wind can change quickly. Ruth McBurney, who is the executive director of the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors in Frankfort, Kentucky, told Inverse that “shelter is the best thing to do if you think you might be in a place where fallout might be present or coming.”

More plans call for temporarily taking refuge in whatever is available, and then moving to better nearby shelters about 30 minutes after the blast. There are, of course, official rules about what to do during a blast. In short, you should stay inside and away from windows, wash your hands, and wait for more instructions. Please don’t condition your hair while you’re doing that.

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