Of course, there’s more to it than just speedy data delivery. Putting a data center underwater helps to keep all those servers cool, reduces emissions, and, according to Microsoft, these underwater pods are easy deploy.
Leona Philpot, the name of the test pod Microsoft dunked as part of Project Natick, had just one server rack surrounded by pressurized nitrogen, according to The New York Times, so perhaps further testing is needed. Still, the pods will be designed to last about 20 years, and will only need to be brought to the surface every five years for a server swap.
From the Sea to the Sky now: Check out this police eagle taking down a small drone. The video comes from Holland where the Dutch National Police have trained an eagle to take down an UAV. We’ve heard of drones taking down drones, drone guns that use radio waves to knock drones out of the sky, and, hell, Japan has this nutty idea using nets. Why not an Eagle? Really, why not?
For one thing, training Eagles takes time, and for another, getting them to guard certain zones rather than just taking down every drone they see sounds — and probably is — complicated. Still, there’s something kind of American about the notion of our nation’s raptor taking down a damn drone. Even though it’s a Dutch bird and this totally didn’t happen in the US. Still, you see what we’re saying, right? Look how proud he is to have gotten that drone. Good job, buddy!
If you’re anxious to see Samsung’s newest smartphones, you may not be surprised to know they will be unveiled on Feb 21, a day before the official launch of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, but you might be pleased to learn that they could be announced alongside a new 360-degree VR camera. It will be called the Gear 360, and it’s supposed to use 180-degree fish-eye lenses to grab 360-degree video at 3840 X 1920 pixel resolution.
The VR camera is also supposed to have on-board storage and a battery so it can work on its own, though Samsung likely hopes you’ll pick one up along with its new Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 Edge smartphones, which some are actually criticizing for not being innovative enough.
Seriously? Maybe a VR cam will be enough to calm the critics. Any further details will have to wait for about 20 days.
For a complete roundup of rumors, including recently leaked photos supposedly showing the front and back of the new Galaxy S7 phone, be sure to visit our roundup page here.
