The Pirate bay rises from the ashes
After almost two months of downtime following a raid on its servers in December last year, The Pirate Bay is officially back online. This is hardly surprising of course, given that there has been a timer counting down to the 31st of January on the original TPB site for a while now, but the news of its revival will still undoubtedly send shockwaves of relief across the online file sharing community. The new version of TPB is functionally almost identical to the original, only without a moderation panel for the site's staff, who have claimed the new site isn't technically the “Real” Pirate Bay. The same staff has also stated that they plan to launch their own “Official” Pirate Bay site, but considering how well the existing site works, even without the moderation panel, we'd wager that the vast majority of users will stick to the old familiar URL.
The Pirate Bay is officially back online after almost two months of downtime
The Pirate Bay was closed for what (at the time) appeared to be for good on December 9 when its servers were raided at a data centre just outside of Stockholm, Sweden. This marks the third time the site, which has been the most popular online destination for piracy and file sharing since its inception in 2003, has seen a serious threat following a copyright infringement accusation in 2009 and an earlier raid in 2006. The site just won't die though, and was so ubiquitous that even whilst it was down, the rival torrent site IsoHunt released a mirror of the service. Now the site is back at its .se home, however, the real question is; will it be back for good this time? Only time will tell.
Introducing the entry-level electric bike
Storm Electric Bike
With the affordable electric car actually becoming semi-desirable in recent years, it was only a matter of time before somebody decided to make an affordable electric bike that didn't look like a plank and control like a sack of bricks. The Storm eBike looks set to be just that bike, with a sub-$500 price tag and the company's assurance that the entry-level machine, which is currently being crowd-sourced on Indiegogo, can run for 30 miles on a single charge of the bike's 380W, lithium ion battery. It also boasts a top speed of 20mph and weighs in at only 45lbs!
The Storm eBike is just $499 and can run for 30 miles on a single charge
Storm have managed to keep costs down on the bike by keeping the frills to a minimum. There's no fancy frame, no regenerative braking, and not even a housing for the huge batteries. It still manages to look the part though, with its bright yellow finish certainly drawing the eye. There has been no expense spared on the tyres, however, which are hefty enough to manoeuvre a variety of terrain types and maintain grip on uneven surfaces. With most electric bikes costing above $1,000, the eBike is really in a field of its own, but whether or not the final build will live up to the encouraging spiel remains to be seen. At the very least, urban commuters should seriously at least consider it.
Google Earth Pro is (finally) free
How many people do you know with a Google Earth Pro subscription? None? We thought as much. So few people opted for the $399 a year (yikes!) pro service in fact, that Google has now decided to completely drop the subscription fee, and offer it as a free download to all users! All you'll need to do is fill in a form and download a free Pro client and you'll be able to use Google Earth to capture HD video, import addresses (potentially thousands at a time), print images at a resolution of 4800x3200 (up from 1000x1000) and measure distances/areas using lines, paths, polygons, circles, and more. These upgrades will surely send thousands of us scurrying back to the service that was a genuine revelation when it was first unveiled back in 2001.
UCL ARM the future
University College London (UCL) has teamed up with ARM, the digital product giants, to launch a new Internet of Things (the interconnection of uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices within the existing Internet infrastructure) educational kit. The IoT kit is aimed at pushing young students into science, technology, engineering and maths related professions, and will teach them how to use ARM hardware and software (especially the mbed platform) and create their own new technologies. The kit, which includes various pieces of educational material alongside all the required hardware and software, will be available from this September in a week-long module for full-time MSc and Continuing Professional Development UCL students.
UCL has teamed up with ARM to launch a new Internet of Things educational kit
IoT was a popular topic at this year's CES, and ARM are optimistic that their new partnership with UCL will act as a catalyst for the sector in the UK. Mike Muller, the company's chief technology officer, said the growth of the IoT gives ARM “A great opportunity to prove to students why the profession is more exciting and sustainable than others.” He adds that “New technologies make it far easier to start a business and there’s a huge appetite for highly motivated young people to help companies such as ARM deliver innovation that will shape the world’s future.”
