Ever imagine what would happen if someone was to unleash a psychopathic AI? We’re thinking that this is what a group of researchers was thinking before creating Norman, a lab-bred maniacal deep-learning AI with a penchant for death by electrocution and gruesome car accidents.

Norman, the Psychopathic AI, To Prove What Bias Can Do to Machines

Meet Norman, the first artificial intelligence designed for one purpose and one purpose only – to watch the world burn.

Let’s backtrack a bit. Long before Norman was set loose, his creators played a little game of ‘what if.’ – in this case, what if a psychopathic AI could control the Internet. With this in mind, the team created Norman, a deep-learning AI capable of providing a text-based description of any picture.

According to an MIT Media Lab researcher, the purpose of this ‘case study’ was to figure out what would happen if someone fed bias material to an AI and, even more important, what happens after that.

When Normal was ready, he was uploaded to subreddit which mostly contained disturbing pictures of people being killed or maimed. After that, it was tested with Rorschach inkblots. It would be an understatement to say that Norman’s answers were disturbing.

Here are some of the answers Norman provided after ‘looking at some inkblots.’  A none-psycho an AI described the first image as “a group of birds sitting on top of the tree branch.” The non-so-considerate AI saw “a man electrocuted to death.”

To list just a few of Norman’s answers, we have the “man killed by a speeding driver,” “the man shot in the head,” and “the man getting pulled into a dough machine.” Probably the most disturbing description Norman provided was “man is shot dead in front of his screaming wife.”

Conclusion

Is Norman the long, lost relative of HAL-9000? We don’t know for sure. What we do know is that AIs bred for evil are truly evil incarnate.

Image source: Wikipedia

Remember “Driver,” one of the first semi-open-world games out there? If you’re a fan of the cult-classic but also taken aback by unnerving scenery and brooding mysteries, you should definitely try out “Beware”, an indie horror driving game.

What the Fudge Is “Beware”?

As Beware’s creator put it, the title is an open-world, exploration- and stealth-based game that puts the players in the shoes of a driver who sets out to “gather information.” Yes, that’s right – in this game you’ll need to steer, break, and hit that gas pedal to get away from other crazy drivers.

The game’s uniqueness comes from the blend of horror and driving. So far, Beware seems to be the first title that compels players to unravel a horror-like plot from the questionable safety of his car.

Note that all we know about the game comes from the demo, which was recently added to IndieDB.com.

The beginning kind of reminds us of Kholat, another Indie horror masterpiece, but the fog and 70s style car-chase-like camera panning takes everything to an entirely different level. It’s like Silent Hill, only with homicidal phantom drivers and, obviously, lots of driving.

As the game’s indieDB description suggests, Beware is still under development, so we should expect more surprises along the way.

Thus far, we’ve only driven around for a couple of miles and outraced a dude in a fancy car who was hell-bent on ramming our car.

Conclusion

We have to admit that, for an indie title, the world is astoundingly rich in details, with a soundtrack to match. If you can get passed the rudimentary UI and the slightly confusing menu, Beware will surely grow on you.

Launch-wise, we don’t know for sure what to expect from the title. Still, if you’re interested in Beware, be sure to hop on to indieDB and download the demo.

How would you feel if you Amazon Echo device would laugh like a manic in the dead of night? No, it’s not a horror movie’s plot, but an actual bug that has been plaguing Amazon Echo devices all over the world and the developers haven’t the slightest idea about what’s triggering it.

Amazon Alexa Laughing Trigger Still Not Known

According to an Amazon spokesperson, over the last couple of months, several Amazon Echo users reported that their Alexa-powered device simply starts laughing out of the blue, with no one talking to the intelligent home device.

One user told customer service that during a board meeting, their Echo, which was placed in the middle of the table, let out peculiar laughter. The developers declared that Alexa might have acted that way because she might have heard something resembling her laughing command.

Another user recalled sitting in the living room with his mother when all of a sudden, Alexa started laughing. Although startled, at first, both of them smiled back at each other and unplugged their Echo device.

As explained by one of Amazon’s developers, while Alexa’s is on, it will analyze every sound she hears and approximates it to a pre-programmed voice command.  The most plausible explanation for Alexa’s spontaneous laughter can be that the smart device might have misunderstood commands.

However, as the company declared, the device appears to laugh on its own even when there’s no one nearby. To this end, the developers have changed the voice command from ‘Alexa, laugh.’ to ‘Alexa, can you laugh?’.

Although the developers changed the voice trigger, they still don’t have any idea why Alexa emits that sound. Meanwhile, you should update your Amazon Echo in order to avoid this creepy bug from emerging. You should also check Amazon’s website regularly for tips on how to improve you assistant’s functions.

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Planned at pumping up your rig in order to play the remastered version of cult-classic System Shock? Sorry to disappoint you but, according to Stephen Kick, the founder and lead developer of Nightdive Studios, the game will not make its grand debut anytime soon, as the whole team is now on hiatus. Since the beginning of System Shock’s Kickstarter campaign, Kick’s company managed to round up over $ 1 million.

System Shock Remastered on Hold. System Shock 3 Is on the Way.

As you know, back in 2013, Looking Glass Studios, the gaming studios which developed System Shock and its sequel, hit a really rough spot and was forced to sell the games’ right to various insurance companies.

However, Stephen Kick, the founder of Nightdive Studios, and a System Shock die-hard fan managed to track down and buy every intellectual right related to the game. More than that, Kick and his dev team promised a sequel to the game in addition to the remastered version of the first System Shock.

Back in 2016, Kick started a Kickstarted campaign in an attempt to round-up the funds necessary for System Shock remastered. At the end of the campaign, the company managed to raise $1.3 million.

After that, Kick announced that the remastered version would remain untouched story- and gameplay-wise, but its graphics will be upgraded to the industry standards using the Unity Engine.

Two years later, in a press conference, Kick announced that his dev team is now hiatus as the game’s development took a completely different turn. In Kick’s words, whereas the fans expected the reboot, right now they are working on something completely different.

Conclusion

Apparently, they’ve decided to forfeit Unity and go along with the Unreal engine, since it’s more comfortable to work with. As for the company’s fans reaction, most of them declared that they would like their money back since they were looking for a reboot and not a new product.

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Good news from Hidetaka Miyazaki, the evil mastermind behind the Dark Souls franchise. According to Hidetaka, Dark Souls is poised to get a PC remaster sometime this year. This will come as great news to fans who have been unable to get past the game’s failed PC-to-console port in order to enjoy Dark Soul’s twisted story.

Dark Souls Remastered Is on its Way

As you might recall, the first PC version of Dark Souls wasn’t exactly a smash hit mostly due to the fact that developers did not manage to optimize the PC version. Initially, a console-exclusive title, the high number of requests for a PC port determined the developers to make one available as soon as possible.

Needless to say that the rushed port version was not that well received by the gaming community, many gamers saying that it’s not worth the trouble. However, the game’s brooding story and, of course, it’s gut-wrenching combat system, made several modders burn the midnight oil to make the game playable.

And so, with the help of Durante’s DSFix, PC fans can now enjoy getting thrashed, smashed, gorged, and impaled in one of the most difficult TPS RPG in history.

And now, after releasing the Ringed City DLC, Miyazaki decided that it were time for amends and announced that the remastered version of the game would be available in May 2018. Game-wise, the remastered version will support 4K resolutions, 60 FPS, and enhanced visuals.

Conclusion

Dark Souls Remastered will also include the game’s DLC, Artorias of the Abyss. We don’t know for certain if the devs will tinker with the game’s mechanics, but we can certainly say for sure that the new version will remain faithful to the original one. So that’s bye-bye easy mode for Dark Souls. Stay tuned for more info on your favorite gut-wrenching game.

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Whereas our grandparents thought that the future might bring flying cars and holiday trips to Mars, it would seem that science had something else in mind – ultrarealistic male sex dolls all dolled up and ready for action.

High-End Male Sex Robots Outfitted with Bionic Penises

What’s a Friday night at home with a tall glass of wine and, of course, your own android pleasure master? Well, it would seem that the whole ultra-realistic sex dolls became so popular that the creators decide that it’s high time to expand the market.

Matt McMullen, the CEO of Realbotix, the company which produced the ultra-realistic female sexual companion en masse, recently declared that a new prototype of pleasure doll is in the making, one that would appeal to the female public.

Starting this year, the company will be producing a male robotic sex doll counterpart and, according to McMullen, it will come will come with all the bells and whistles. Performance-wise, McMullen said that the Mr. Pleasure Doll would be outfitted with a cutting-edge bionic penis, which, of course, will be available in all shapes and sizes.

What’s even more delightful is that this electronic Casanova can operate on both batteries and electrical outlet, meaning that if you run out of juice, all you’ll need to do in order to continue your ongoing electrifying hanky-panky session is to plug him in.

Apart from the bionic penis, the male sex dolls will also be able to interact and talk with their human masters. Even though this might sound a bit farfetched, McMullen declared that the company had many female customers interested in spending a night to remember with a male sex robot.

Conclusion

No product timeline has been released so far, but if all goes according to plan, we should all be seeing the male sex robots on the market later this year. Be it enticing, the perspective of owning such a gadget could make you dig deep into your pocket as the robots retail price has been estimated at approximately $15,000.

Image source: Maxpixel

You probably know you are not safe from ads not even when you’re playing games, but the way in which they reach you is at least unusual. A recent report revealed over 250 games present on Google Play Store track down your TV watching habits through your microphone. This is possible through a software called Alphonso, which records audio signals released by TV shows through the device’s mic.

The software controls the microphone of your device

Ads will soon get everywhere, and the chances to run from them get slimmer every day. The Alphonso software is used to run a series of games, most of them are targeted towards children. It makes use of the microphone and picks up TV signals, and then sells them to companies and advertisers for market research and targeting.

Your conversations won’t get recorded, so the privacy violation is not that huge. However, if you leave the games running in the background, the microphone will record the signals issued by the TV. They can do it at a distance, or even if you leave your phone in your pocket.

The microphone tracks down your TV viewing habits

Alphonso’s CEO admitted that the company did record TV audio samples. Apart from advertisers, it has also collaborated with film makers through using the microphone in film theaters. Not all people turn off their phones when going to the movies, which has been used to the benefit of these companies.

This sounds like a violation of privacy, but these apps actually inform the users they are about to use the microphone of their smartphone to monitor their TV viewership habits. They are actually forced by Google and Apple to notify users of these practices, but few actually read the terms and conditions before hitting the agree button. Also, they can choose anytime to stop using the software and disable it from using the mic
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This year has been filled of dozens of copies of the most popular Snapchat features across most social media platforms, which hasn’t been too beneficial for Snap. Since users had these options available everywhere, their interest to the service which introduced them decreased. Therefore, the company decided to win them back by bringing Stories to the web.

Snapchat wants to win new users

This new feature is called Stories Everywhere, and seeks to make them shareable. The main idea behind it is to make Stories available even outside of Snapchat, which should definitely raise the engagement to the platform.

At the moment, you can only view Snapchat Stories within the parent app. If you want to share them with your friends who don’t use the platform, you can either download the file under a video format, or convince them so start using Snap. This represented one disadvantage this service had when compared with other platforms.

Stories Everywhere will make Stories shareable across the web

You can embed a tweet, a Facebook or an Instagram post anywhere you like by sharing the link to it. However, you cannot embed a Snap Story. With Stories Everywhere, you will get the possibility to insert it in other posts on different platforms.

This way, Snapchat will no longer be a regular mobile app, but will work more as a universal social media platform. This way, sharing news or other stories of interest will get easier, and will make it more appealing both for people and for businesses. Before this can be done, there is still one more challenge to overcome.

Stories are created by users, and have been created to be only temporary. Now, the engineers have to figure out a way to make them shareable. The company has already hired experts who will start working on the Stories Everywhere project, and they hope it will soon become a reality.
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Atlus and Studio Zero are bringing back a classic Xbox 360 and PS3 as a modern remake. We are talking about Catherine, a strange but appealing puzzle which got released in 2011. Six years later, the game will receive a new version compatible with PS4 and PS Vita.

The Catherine remake features a new character and new action

The remake is actually a special edition for Catherine fans, as it contains some surprises. Apart from the classic game, it will also include an entirely new episode. Also, this episode will bring a new character, called Rin. As you already know, most part of the action of the game takes place in a bar, and Rin will work as a pianist at the place.

Of course, the new character will interact a lot with Vincent and his friends. This means players will get the chance to explore some new action and, based on the interactions, they will experience a series of endings.

Catherine will see a lot of improvements in terms of graphics and gameplay

Since the game is fit for a more modern console, the graphics and visual effects will be greatly improved. This means the resolution, textures, and shadow effects will get impressive. However, this applies only to PS4. PS Vita is not as sophisticated, and its capabilities won’t allow for advanced visuals. Of course, the remake will get a new name as well, Catherine Full Body.

The puzzles will remain present, as they were what made Catherine the game people loved. If you didn’t find them challenging enough, the remake will feature a new difficulty which will require more clever moves. Also, it will bring an online multiplayer mode, giving you the chance to compete both with your friends and with strangers, and show everyone your impressive skills.

Unfortunately for PC and Xbox owners, they will be left out this time. The wait will remain long for PS4 players, too, as there is no information on when the remake should come out. Studio Zero and Atlus only said it should get here in 2018, so we at least now we won’t have to wait more than a year for it.
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In 2015, the popular GTA V received a Heists Update, which allowed the game to get some new content. For the first time since that update, the developer Rockstar will offer the first extra mission, called the Doomsday Heist. This heist will be available online starting December 12^th.

The Doomsday Heist lets you be the one that saves San Andreas from the apocalypse

GTA players are used to rob banks, escape prison, or steal some lab data for such heists. This time, the Doomsday Heist wants to make things a little harder, and let the fate of the world depend on the players. As the title suggests, they will have to go out and stop the end of the world from happening.

In the Doomsday Heist, San Andreas is condemned to be annihilated, so a series of characters need to form one of the most unlikely collaborations. This alliance will bring together a supercomputer, a conspiracy theorist, a billionaire, and an intelligence agent. Together, the crew has to stop the threats while unraveling mysteries starting downtown and going all the way up to Mount Chiliad.

This was the last major GTA update before moving to Red Dead Redemption 2

Rockstar warned people that GTA Online won’t receive as many updates once Red Dead Redemption 2 is released. This means that the Doomsday Heist would be the last major attention given to the game before choosing the next title as a priority. Fortunately, as the trailer shows, the developer but its best effort to deliver one of the best experiences in the online history of the franchise.

The trailer contains both gameplay instances, as well as cutscenes showing extreme action, with cars flying through the air, jetpacks, and submarines. It seems to be one of the most spectacular heists released so far, which fits perfectly the new GTA V status as the best-selling video game.

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