Author: Brett Venter

Is there any way to make semiconductors any more efficient than they already are? IBM and Samsung seem to think so, and are out to prove it. A new technology called Vertical Transport Field Effect Transistors (VTFET) changes how chips are made, with interesting results. Conventional FinFET chips are made into… well, fins, with sections branching off around a central channel. This new development stacks transistors vertically, letting transistor density increase without increasing a chip’s footprint. IBM squints at the very tiny future https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF3Zwfu6Ngc If the only result of this new manufacturing method was more transistors, it wouldn’t be that…

Huawei doesn’t know when to quit — which is probably a good thing. The Chinese tech-maker has a new smartphone on the way. And yes, it probably folds in half. The company has chosen a funny time for the official unveiling of its newest devices — 23 December this year. Which, yes, is traditionally devoid of competition from other companies. But there tends to be a reason for that, at least in the Western world. Huawei knows when to Fold ’em Still, Huawei’s issued an invitation via its Weibo page for the 23 December event. It’s the company’s “winter flagship…

The folks from Universal Music Group (UMG) seem convinced that the best way to get on board with the metaverse and NFTs is to combine the two. The group has announced a partnership with a company that builds avatars that incorporates NFTs. In a way that’ll make them (and potentially you, but probably not) more money, naturally. Universal has teamed up with a company called Genies, to make digital avatars (called Genies, of course) of UMG’s artists. For the metaverse. That thing that doesn’t really exist yet? Sure, makes perfect sense. Some things just aren’t Universal The plan is for…

Yesterday we saw LG crafting a different take on the functions offered by its Signature R OLED TVs. Today, there’s something altogether more practical to marvel over. Next year, LG intends to launch a TV called the StanbyME. If that sounds weird to you, you’d… actually, you’d be pretty spot on. LG obviously intends its StanbyME TV (yes, that’s its real name) to be the sort of screen lazy people fall in love with. It’s on a height-adjustable stand and its display angle can also be tweaked. If you’ve got a super-comfy position on the couch that doesn’t make for…

A certain type of person just loves to make things at home. That’s how 3D printing is expanding in popularity, and it’s also where companies like Dremel find a lot of sales. Well, that, and the fact that they make some incredible hobbyist tools. The newest bit of kit to issue forth from the American company is the Dremel 8260. The bland-sounding name conceals the fact that this rotary tool represents two firsts for the product lineup. Do it with a Dremel A rotary tool, if you’ve never used one before, attaches a series of different heads that all spin…

It’s really, really hard to get humans to live in space. The astronauts onboard the International Space Station are, technically, NASA guinea pigs who just happen to also conduct high-level scientific research. Soon they’ll get to test one more thing — a sleeping bag that sucks. ISS residents are prone to one very specific malady. The problem is, humans are made up of large quantities of fluid. Fluid floats in microgravity. And fluid can, quite literally, go to an astronaut’s head. Called spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome, or SANS, this is when an astronaut’s eyeballs are squeezed by the fluids in their…

South Korea gets all of the cool toys first, and LG’s new OLED Evo TV is no exception. The tech-maker’s newest 65in OLED television is the latest attempt to make a TV more than just a rectangular picture box. Instead, the Evo TV is part of something LG calls its Object Collection. That is; a TV that’s supposed to be more like furniture than just a screen. You know, kinda like how Samsung’s Frame TVs are supposed to be all arty. Evolving the Evo TV Mostly, the LG OLED Evo TV Object Collection is the same as the standard Evo…

There’s a very specific sort of person that you’ve sometimes got to buy presents for. Permanently moving, filled with boundless energy, annoyingly attractive… there’s got to be some way to weigh those people down. Here’s a set of gift suggestions to make them even more insufferably energetic. Or you can snag some for yourself and get a jump-start on 2022. MaxFit Adjustable Dumbbells R5,750 / maxfitsa.co.za The reason you go to a gym is because there’s no space for all the kit at home. But what there was? MaxFit’s got a pair of adjustable dumbbells that switch from 2.5kg to…

For once, being a Millennial/Gen Z and therefore never being able to own a house might have its upside. Standard Bank and property company Lightstone have confirmed that LookSee, an online purchasing guide, has suffered a data breach. At risk is a considerable amount of homeowner information. Homeowner ID numbers and physical addresses were compromised, but the two businesses say that banking info is safe. Let’s have a LookSee here Standard and Lightstone said in a joint statement, “Regrettably, the initial investigations have shown that personal information of some property owners, including individual names, identity numbers, entity registration numbers, marital…

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces possible extradition to the United States, to face charges of spying, following a new ruling by a British court. The London High Court has overturned a lower court’s ruling that Assange not face extradition. The earlier court decision found that Assange’s mental health was too fragile to withstand the American court system. The Associated Press reports that this decision was discarded following assurances from the American government. WikiLeaks Watchlist Assange faces seventeen charges of espionage and one of computer misuse in the States. The US has had him in its sights for about a decade…