In electronics there are, in a very basic sense, two kinds of electrons; conducting and non-conducting. Electrons of one flavor can become the other just by losing or absorbing energy. In fact this is part of how solar panels work, because the energy from light causes non-conducting electrons to become conducting, and they then travel through a circuit before losing enough energy to become non-conducting again. Researchers are curious about the transition from one state to the other and those at the Vienna University of Technology have finally watched it happen.

To observe this the researchers had to use very precise lasers and make collect information with a resolution of just 10 attoseconds (10*10^-18 seconds, compared to 10^-9 for nanoseconds). When the laser interacts with the atom, some of its energy is imparted to the electron, which leads to the electron leaving the atom. Of course, this is on the quantum scale, so we cannot expect things to be just that simple.

The electron leaves its atom in a superposition, so it does not appear to leave the atom once, but multiple times. While this does complicate the situation, it is actually what the researchers used to observe the electrons. Electrons, like just about every other subatomic particle you can think of, exist as both particles and waves. Even though it is only one electron being moved, the superposition allows the waves to interfere with each other as though there were multiple electrons. This creates a complex wave pattern, which the researchers are able to interpret well enough to identify the position of the electron before interacting with the laser.

While this research may not immediately lead to the next thing in computing, it should open more interesting doors. Electronics rely on electrons changing from non-conducting to conducting, so understanding how this happens may lead to enhanced devices in the future.

Game leaks can come in the strangest of places, from stores to slip of the tongues and everything else. Today we have some possible leaks concerning two different EA franchises. The folks over at GamerZines have uncovered some clues that Battlefield: Bad Company 3 and Mirror's Edge 2 could be on the way. Some profiles at LinkedIn show people having worked on the titles, with one as having "provided video game prototype, design and demo feedback" on several titles, including Battlefield: Bad Company 3. Two other profiles show work on Mirror's Edge 2, including implementing "the wandering crowd system of Unreal3 engine" and working on new features for the game. One of the features is a mini-game (with leaderboards) embedded into the story of Mirror's Edge 2, which could provide for some replayability.

All of this is just rumor for now as neither game has been officially unveiled by EA or DICE. Both game has been talked about as being in development for quite some time, especially when you consider these LinkedIn profile updates have dates between 2009 and 2011. E3 is just around the corner, so perhaps we will get some official news soon.

There is a question in science to find the cheapest, most efficient, and safest battery possible. Unfortunately these three characteristics do not often go together, but researchers at City College of New York have taken an important step towards such a battery; at least for industry-sized batteries.

Several installations require batteries, such as server farms and systems with large starter motors. Currently they rely on nickel cadmium batteries which are not always that cheap and the compounds used are not safe for the environment. An alternative is zinc anode batteries which are considerably safer to use, but have one fatal flaw. It is possible for crystalline structures called dendrites to form within the zinc anode batteries, and cause a short. The researchers developed an advanced battery management system (BMS) to work with flow-assisted batteries. This should prevent the dendrites from forming, thereby allowing the batteries to last for an expected 10 years.

To prove these batteries are capable, a 36 KWh array was set up in the basement of one of the college's buildings. While that is not enough energy to completely power the facility, it balances the load throughout the day. The batteries charge during off-peak hours and discharge during peak hours, so less power needs to be drawn from the electrical grid. By the end of the year the system will be upgrade to 300 KWh, at which point it should save the college roughly $6000 a month, or more.

Crysis 3 is about a year away from release, but that is not stopping EA and Crytek from showing off parts of the game. Today we have some new Crysis 3 artwork that shows off Prophet, the environment, and that new compound bow you will be using. Now, all of these are not actually screenshots but rather drawn or rendered art. Some of the rendered scenes are easier to spot than others, but all of them (aside from the bow model shot) are not in-game shots. The action depicted may appear in the game itself, plus some is from the trailer, but everything seen here essentially appears to the work of game artists. Still, that being said, the environments do look impressive and we get to see some of the enemies we will face in Crysis 3. The giant mech-type thing with a flamethrower in the front should prove for an interesting fight, especially if you can use parts of the environment to your advantage.

Crysis 3 will release next spring for the PC, PS3, and 360.

Most people like everything around them being well ordered, because it looks better, so a multitude of devices are going wireless to get rid of messy cables. Wireless phones and wireless networks are two well-known examples, but wireless power is the next thing people are looking for. Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) systems are not easy to maintain though because temperature changes and magnetic fields can cause the transmitter and receiver to shift out of tune.

These WPT systems work by creating a magnetic field with a specific frequency. When the field interacts with the receiver an electric current is created. If the receiver is in tune with the transmitter though the resonance is amplified greatly, and actually makes the system viable, compared to the current created without resonance. Keeping in tune is very difficult though because of how much can affect the system, but researchers at North Carolina State University have found a way to correct this.

The researchers added circuitry to the receiver to keep it in tune by adding some power to it. This will keep the receiver at its original frequency and allow it to adapt to changes in the transmitter's frequency. By keeping the power output at their maximum, this may allow wireless charging for electric vehicles, as well as other devices.

It was right around a month ago that THQ announced Darksiders II would be pushed back to August, but did not give a solid release date. Fast forward to today and we have news that Darksiders II will arrive on August 14th. This means we have just a few short months to go to experience gameplay as Death - the most feared member of the Four Horsemen. Events in Darksiders II happen at the same time as those in the first game, so it looks like War was not alone in his descent to Earth. THQ assures us the extra development time is being well spent, as Vigil Games can further refine the gameplay elements in Darksiders II. A delay from the start of summer to the end of summer is not all that bad, however it could interfere with those heading back to school.

THQ wants to make sure fans are well and ready for the game, as a new Darksiders II trailer was also released to coincide with the release date announcement. The folks over at GameSpot were lucky enough to receive the new CG trailer, and in it you can see Death doing what he does best. Try to contain yourself while watching it, but I know many people will be marking off the days until August 14th.

Researchers are looking everywhere to find wasted energy they may be able to tap into and use. This has spurred the development of thermoelectric devices, which convert heat into electricity, and piezoelectric devices, which convert mechanical strain into electricity. Often the best performing piezoelectric materials are made of materials that are not particularly safe for humans to work with, or are expensive to make. Researchers at Berkeley Lab have found a new material though and not only is it safe for humans to work with but it will actually replicate and self-assembly, just like many other viruses.

Viruses are very often just simple strands of what most would recognize as DNA. When a virus infects a cell, it will insert itself into the cell's system, causing it to replicate the virus until the cell ultimately dies. Fortunately the virus in question, M13, is a bacteriophage, which means it only attack bacteria, not human cells.

Though the virus is naturally piezoelectric, the researchers used some genetic engineering to enhance this characteristic by adding some negatively charged amino acid. Thanks to the shape of the M13 virus, straight rods, it naturally forms thin films, which the researchers used to make generators to power a simple LCD screen. Though the generators only put out about six nanoamps and 400 mV, they were still able to make the 1 on the screen appear and disappear.

This is the first time a virus has been used as a piezoelectric material but will likely not be the last. While the power output was somewhat low, this was a proof-of-concept experiment and should lead to additional research. Maybe we will see virus power being used to charge phones and other electronics with the wasted energy from walking.

Self-contained liquid cooling kits can be a good way to get your feet wet when it comes to water cooling and the Corsair Hydro Series H100 CPU cooler offers excellent cooling with a minimum amount of hassle. We also have a review on the Corsair Accelerator series of cache drives from the folks over at Neoseeker. These drives are designed to work with existing hard drives to improve performance up to five times over hard drives alone. Be sure to check out our other articles using the links below.

Cooling
Corsair Hydro H100 Self Contained Watercooling Heatsink @ Frostytech

Motherboards
MSI Z77A-GD65 LGA1155 Motherboard @ [H]ardOCP

Storage/Hard Drives
Corsair Accelerator 30GB & 60GB @ Neoseeker

Trade Shows/Conventions
GTC 2012: NVIDIA Announces GeForce GRID Cloud Gaming Platform @ PC Perspective

We may not be getting to experience Metro: Last Light for quite some time, but that does not mean we will be left completely in the dark. If you mosey on over to the Metro: Last Light website, you will see a countdown clock ticking away to a reveal on May 24th. THQ went ahead and announced what will appear that day, as May 24th will be the world premiere of a live action short film to get us ready for Metro: Last Light. Sure, it is not quite the actual game, but I think the short film should hold us over for a while. It will be interesting to see just how the dark tunnels and overwhelming sense of terror translate to live action, but I have faith in the film. We have just a little over a week to go, so try to keep yourselves contained until then.

Metamaterials are a curious class of materials with highly engineered structures, so as to have unusual characteristics. In the case of optical metamaterials, light can be made to bend backwards, which opens the door to invisibility cloaks and super lenses. Making metamaterials is not easy though, not only because of their intricate structures but also because of the materials they are made of. Currently the best metals to use are silver and gold, which are both expensive and neither plays well semiconductors. Fortunately researchers at Purdue University have discovered a new metamaterial that uses different compounds, and has a few new tricks.

Instead of the traditional precious metals, the researchers used aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) and zinc oxide to construct the new metamaterial. With 16 alternating layers of AZO and zinc oxide, the metamaterial creates an extreme anisotropy for the light that passes through. This causes the light to dispersion to be in a hyperbolic pattern, which greatly changes the light's behavior.

Along with being cheaper than silver or gold, this new design offers something current metamaterials cannot; control after creation. The properties of the metamaterial can be altered by either varying the aluminum in the AZO while the material is being made, or by applying an electric field to the finished device. With an external electric field, the optical properties of the metamaterial can be tuned or even switched. Being able to shift the frequencies of light the metamaterial interacts with could greatly impact how it can be used and open up new realms of possibilities.

File this one under rumor for now, but it could be fully revealed before long. It seems a new Battlefield Premium service will be unveiled at E3, which aims to reward the hardcore Battlefield 3 gamers. The service will include "a number of unique content drops with in-game items not available anywhere else." The first one will have a "Premium" knife and black dog tag, plus some cosmetic choices like new solider and weapon camos and even dog tags. There will even be "Assignments" to help you stand out on a server and include more personalization options. So far, this all seems like a way to get hardcore players more choices to stand out, but not necessarily break any game balance. A price is unknown, but EA could match Activision's Call of Duty ELITE's $50 annual subscription.

There is also word of a new DLC arriving in March 2013, which would mean around a year and a half of new content after the initial launch of Battlefield 3. Keep it tuned for more information on the DLC and Battlefield Premium.

Topological insulators are a curious class of materials that are electrical conductors on the surface, and insulators on the inside. As some researchers work to better understand how to make them, others are trying to find what can be done with specific examples. For example, what properties does bismuth selenide (Bi₂Se₃ ) have, and then how can it be used? According to research from Berkeley Lab it can be used to bring spintronic devices to room temperature.

Spin, or angular momentum, is a property of many particles, including electrons. Because it is a property of the particle and not of a signal, it can be stored without constant energy input, like with modern electronic signals. However transmitting electrons without disrupting their spin is very difficult. As the particles interact others it is possible for the spin states to be altered. Not so with topological insulators. In fact, the recent work at Berkeley Labs found that even coupling with phonons, the quanta of mechanical vibration, will not always scatter electrons, as previous theory predicted was possible.

Bismuth selenide brings more to the table than just a way to preserve the spin of electrons. The researchers carefully examined the material's electronic structure and found something also present in graphene. Like its carbon cousin, Dirac cones define Bi₂Se₃'s electronic properties. This means electrons can flow with incredible ease and speed as the lower energy valence band touches the higher energy conduction band. Unlike graphene though, the direction the electrons flows is determined by their spin. This could potentially be used for some very interesting devices.

Considering topological insulators were only discovered a little over five years ago (at Berkeley Lab, where they were also theorized) this discovery gives us a glimpse of the potential for these materials as we continue to learn about them.

Cooler Master has announced a new addition to the GeminII series of CPU coolers, the GeminII M4. At first glance this cooler appears unique compared to most coolers I see these days as it has a very low profile. The GeminII M4 hopes to make up for the lack of size with minimal CPU contact gaps and four direct contact heat pipes. The 2.3" cooler is targeted toward the HTPC and small form factor market, and features a 120mm fan that has a thickness of only 15mm, compared to the common size of 25mm. The fan is capable of 58.4CFM of airflow and should prove adequate for your compact computer cooling needs. The GeminII M4 will be available in June 2012 with an MSRP of $29.99.

As mentioned in the Hardware Roundup today, AMD has launched the 2nd generation A-Series APU, which had been code named Trinity. The new chip features a redesign of the previous generation APU from the ground up, and there are several key improvements over the first generation. The new chip features double the performance per watt, CPU performance increased up to 29%, GPU performance increased up to 56%, and up to 12 hours of battery life. Be on the lookout for more news coming about the new APU.

Not everyone is comfortable with science and technology. Generally this stems from a lack of understanding, and it has the potential to cost them in some way. Staff at Berkeley Lab decided to do something about it by putting together an outreach program for their community's second-graders. The focus was on introducing the children to computers, a tool they will need to use later in life, but may not have been exposed to yet.

The IT staff at the lab worked with second grade teachers to create a lesson plan which introduced the children to the components of a computer, along with helpful analogies (the CPU is the brain and the PSU is the heart, for example), some coding and networking. In fact, the students learned about networking by racing data packets.

While educating the students is definitely important to the Berkeley staff, this program has also helped educate some parents in the community. Not all of the children's parents are tech savvy, but when the kids go home, they are eager to share what they learned. Also, some of the parents did not even know Berkeley Lab existed, despite living in Berkeley.

 

Diablo III has launched after years of waiting, but not everything is all roses. There are problems with the servers and now a game-breaking bug has been discovered in Diablo III. The bug triggers Error 3006, which kicks you out of the game and keeps you from logging back in. Gamers using the Demon Hunter class are the only ones affected right now, as the bug happens when the Demon Hunter equips a shield on the Templar follower. Many people are experiencing the issue and have taken to the Battle.net forums to voice the problem. Blizzard is aware of the bug (and others detailed on its support page) and is working on a fix. Hopefully one can come out relatively soon, as I am sure Demon Hunters would like a Templar to take some of the damage.

Materials science has operated by trial-and-error since someone first threw something in a fire to see what would happen. For just one success, like Teflon or Kevlar or Nylon, there were potentially hundreds of failures that may have been close, but not there yet, or just completely wrong. Thanks to very advanced databases and intelligent analysis though, this is changing. We now know enough about what causes certain properties that we can predict a particular material's behavior, or design a material around a behavior. Now researchers at Duke University are doing the same with topological insulators, a class of manmade materials with rather unique characteristics.

While they are called topological insulators, they are actually very good at conducting. In some cases they actually conduct more efficiently than modern wires. Unlike modern wires though, topological insulators only conduct on their surface. In the actual volume of the material, currents are blocked, like in a regular insulator. Potentially these materials can be used in quantum electronic devices.

What the Duke researchers did was take a database of some 2000 topological insulator formulas and ran a 'genetic' profile. Like polymers (though not necessarily to the same degree) we have the ability to predict the properties of a topological insulator based on its makeup and can design a compound around specific, desired properties. Where before the database only stored known information, it is now possible to have it generate instructions on how to create an entirely new kind of topological insulator. Even though these materials are still being discovered and understood, this work could propel them forward as researchers create a much wider variety of them to experiment with.

What happens when impatient Diablo 3 fans worldwide finally get the chance to play the game on release day? The mad rush of gamers scrambling to log on to Blizzard's inadequate launch servers caused massive connection problems, with countless players getting repeated error messages or getting disconnected. Blizzard is hard at work to setup new servers to handle the immense load, but it remains to be seen if it's enough to get thousands of copies activated or create player characters, let alone avoid getting disconnected. "The servers and websites are live, and we recommend that if you're encountering any issues you first visit battle.net/support for possible solutions, as well as the tech support and bug report forums at Diablo3.com," advised Blizzard in an updated statement. Had a less stringent activation method been implemented, Diablo 3's online launch problems may have been averted, but hopefully Blizzard gets this whole mess sorted out fast. How's your own Diablo 3 experience going so far?

AMD has launched its second-generation A-Series APU, codenamed "Trinity", designed for mainstream and ultrathin notebooks and we have a series of previews on the new platform. In cooling, we have a look at the Silenx EFZ-120HA5 cooler and you might want to read this review before making the decision to purchase one. For those looking for quiet performance and a low-profile design suitable for an HTPC build, we have a review of the Noctua NH-L12 low profile CPU cooler. OCC recently reviewed the ECS Z77H2-AX Black Extreme motherboard and there is another review in today's roundup along with a look at the Intel DZ77GA-70K board.

Cases
Lian Li PC 100 “The Hammer” @ LanOC Reviews

Cooling
SilenX EFZ-120HA5 Heatsink @ Frostytech
Noctua NH-L12 Low Profile CPU Cooler @ ThinkComputers

CPUs
AMD A10-4600M Trinity For Mobile Review: Trying To Cut The Ivy @ PC Perspective
AMD Trinity Preview @ Neoseeker
AMD Launches New 2012 A-Series APU (Trinity) @ Bjorn3d

Motherboards
Intel DZ77GA-70K Motherboard Components @ Benchmark Reviews
ECS Z77H2-AX Black Extreme Motherboard @ Madshrimps

Storage/Hard Drives
Testing 10GbE Performance: QNAP TS-879 Pro & Synology DS3612xs NAS @ TechSpot

Video
Kepler in the House: nVidia GTX 670 @ Computer Ed
GeForce 680 & 670 vs. Radeon 7970 & 7950 Gaming Perf. @ [H]ardOCP

Many people across the world are enjoying Diablo III, or soon will, but not everyone has picked up a copy just yet. Some people may be undecided while others may just simply not enough cash or are waiting for a sale. Whatever the case may be, Blizzard is offering the Diablo III Starter Edition for players who want to try out the game or to convince your friends to buy it. The Starter Edition is invite only for the first 30 days as it requires a code included with every boxed copy of the game. If your friend has picked up the box copy, he or she can give you the code for the Starter Edition, which lets you play Diablo III up to level 13. You can play the first Act up to the Skeleton King part and engage in Matchmaking with other Starter Edition players. You will not be able to make use of the Real Money Auction House (makes sense), and overall the Starter Edition sounds just like the Diablo III beta. Any Starter Edition gamer can upgrade to the full version of Diablo III with no loss in progress.

It sounds like CD Projekt RED is beginning work on two new games and is looking to hire talented individuals. A new posting on the studio's blog has new positions for two RPGs: one in a brand new setting and another in a "mature dark-fantasy world." The brand new RPG has a little pistol icon next to it, while the fantasy world one has a sword icon. The latter will more than likely be The Witcher 3 since the blog post states the world is "well known around the world," but it is the new RPG that sounds the most intriguing. CD Projekt is building that new intellectual property from the ground up and is looking for the best people to make it happen. No matter if you like guns or swords, either new project at CD Projekt should entice you. Currently the studio is looking for artists, programmers, animators, and quest designers, so head on over to the site to see what you need to do to apply!

Games of all kinds, from card and board games to video games, offer more than just a good time. Like many other experiences, they offer an opportunity to learn, and researchers are trying to find ways to take advantage of that. At Sweden's University of Gothenburg researchers have conducted three-year long studies to determine how games may enhance a child's ability to learn their language.

Previous studies have found games designed to impart language awareness do benefit six year old children, but this new study considered children as young as four. Every day for six weeks the researchers had children play their game for 25 minutes. These six week periods were repeated for a total of three years, but tests after just one year showed an improvement in phonological awareness. This has to do with the sound structure of the language, and is key for someone to learn to associate letters with sounds.

Due to the young age of the students, the study could not consider the effect the game had on learning to read, but the researchers intend to follow the children to find out. The game should have a positive affect by potentially accelerating the children's ability to read, if the game's effects persist long enough.

There has been a lot of talk lately concerning the next-gen consoles and the ability, or lack thereof, to play used games. All of it is pure speculation at this point, with some differing voices on the matter. One executive at Crytek first spoke out in favor of blocking used games but then quickly retracted his statement, but still it has to make you wonder. One person who is against blocking used games is fairly high up the corporate ladder and his voice should carry a lot of weight. Sony Computer Entertainment America President and CEO Jack Tretton said he does not believe in blocking used games and that it "would be anti-consumer of [Sony]" to do it. Tretton did clarify that this is his personal opinion and executives in Japan may have a different view, but he is opposed to the idea of blocking used games. This debate could rage on for a very long, but for now we just have to wait and see if others at Sony share Tretton's opinion and if it is even possible to block used games.

Rome was not built in a day, and neither will be the next generation of large-scale clean energy sources. Nuclear fusion reactors have the potential to provide all the electricity the world needs with a minimal environmental impact. Creating a controlled self-sustaining fusion reaction is not easy though, so researchers are taking measured steps towards that goal. One of these steps is the newly finished Neutralized Drift Compression Experiment II (NDCX-II) accelerator at Berkeley Lab.

The fuel for nuclear fusion reactors will be hydrogen isotopes super-heated into a hot plasma. In this state, the fuel can be difficult to control, so researchers want to better understand it, but first they are looking at a precursor to hot plasma; warm dense matter. It is called warm because it is only in the thousands of degrees kelvin, as opposed to the hot millions of degrees the fuel plasma will be at. It is also denser than plasma, but still not as dense as a solid, so it is just dense matter. Understanding how to efficiently create warm dense matter will lead to an improved understanding of how to make a hot plasma for fusion reactors.

The NDCX-II accelerator will create the warm dense matter by firing a compressing ion beam at a foil target. When the ion beam is created, the rear is made to have a higher speed than the front, causing the beam to drift into a dense packet. To help the compression occur, the beam passes through a plasma to neutralize the ions, that would normally repulse each other. This is why it's called the Neutralized Drift Compression Experiment.

Remember the story the other day of a leaked photo showing a Steam voucher at GameStop? Well, turns out it is true as GameStop has announced the immediate availability of Steam Wallet codes in all of its stores through the United States. The codes come in $20 and $50 varieties that you can redeem on Steam (must be logged in first) to fill your wallet, then you are free to use that amount on any number of games, DLC, and Workshop items. You are free to purchase the Steam Wallet codes in GameStop using cash, store credit, or gift cards, which gives you plenty of ways to pick some up. This could be a concession on GameStop's part concerning the switch to digital, but hey, if it means an alternative way to buy Steam games, why not? Currently the Steam Wallet codes are only purchasable in the US, but that may change later on.

Semiconductors are at the heart of all of our computers and electronic gadgets, and researchers are constantly studying them to make the future of electronic technology as amazing as possible. One of the ways to do this research is with ultra-cold quantum dots. These dots can be designed to have specific semiconductor behavior, so researchers are able to create the exact scenario they want to test. In such a small and cold system though, impurities can cause big issues, even after purifying the quantum dots.

Researchers have known that the silicon ions, which provide the electrons for the experiments, cause some distortions to the electrons' movements, but always assumed it was negligible. Researchers at the University of New South Wales discovered it was very much the opposite. By heating and cooling the samples, the researchers were able to cause the electron paths to change drastically. Fortunately they have a plan to remove these silicon dopants, and make the system impervious to the damage from changing paths.

One of the most important rules for any experimental result in science is that it has to be repeatable. If it is not repeatable it cannot be controlled for and cannot be properly understood. By removing this variable from the system, experiments with semiconductors may become much more predictable and consistent.

If you happen to live in Australia and use one of the many GAME stores, I wish there was better news. GAME Australia has entered administration, with the same administrators handling duties from GAME UK's administration. This means GAME Australia needs to find a buyer or risk losing stores, but hopefully someone can take over just like what happened with GAME UK. However, due to the administration, all GAME Australia locations will not receive any copies of Diablo III and all pre-orders will not be refunded. That is not exactly what you want to hear, especially since you will not get your money back. Pre-orderers can email GAME Australia to receive more information, but it does not look like anything can be done. Maybe Blizzard can step in and fix the issue, but Aussie gamers hoping to get Diablo III need to look elsewhere. As for GAME Australia, hopefully there will be a buyer found soon.

Update: Blizzard has stepped in and will take care of everyone who pre-ordered Diablo III from GAME Australia. So long as you have the original receipt, you can head over to Diablo III's website and purchase the digital version before May 21st. Then you submit your receipt to Blizzard, which then refunds your GAME pre-order amount back to how you paid for the digital version. You have to submit your receipt before June 30th, but at least Blizzard is trying to make things right.

One of the most important components of any computer is the cooling system. If the electronics were not kept cool they would eventually overheat and hopefully shutdown before permanent damage is done. For this reason there are a multitude of solutions to cool computers, but in the future, we may want some of that heat. Researchers have recently made a discovery that could lead to thermal computers that use heat like modern computers use electricity.

Heat flows in currents from warm to cool areas of a material, until there is no longer a temperature difference. There has been little extensive research into controlling these currents though, but some of the same principles for manipulating electric currents apply. Electric resistors have been made to offer different resistances based on the direction the current flows by layering insulators and conductors. A similar design with thermal insulating and conducting layers allowed researchers to affect the flow of heat through a conductive jelly. Different configurations of the layers allowed the researchers to stop the flow of heat in one area, concentrate the heat in one spot, and even invert the direction of the heat current.

While this is a definite step towards a thermal computer, there is a great deal of work to still do. Unlike electricity, heat can be transferred in multiple ways, and each of these will have to be controlled.

Crystal Dynamics' refreshing Lara Croft reboot of the Tomb Raider franchise won't be seeing a 2012 release. The game will now be delayed until Q1 2013, according to a post on Eidos' official message board. "Our priority now is to make sure we fully deliver the very highest quality game. In order to do this, we have decided to move the game's release date by a few months, from Fall 2012 to the first quarter of 2013," said Crystal Dynamics' head Darrell Gallagher. It will take a whole lot longer for us to get to play as the beautiful young adventurer, but Gallagher assures us this is all for the best. "We're doing things that are completely new to Tomb Raider in this game and the additional development time will allow us to put the finishing touches into the game and polish it to a level that you deserve." Judging by what we've seen on previews, the newest Tomb Raider game will show Lara at her most vulnerable, perhaps both in a physical and emotional sense. Let's all cross our fingers that this delay will translate in something truly epic for Lara Croft. 

The Lenovo IdeaCentre 180 is an Atom-powered nettop PC designed to function as a media center for your TV, but does it have the power to succeed? We have a review of this little unit that has that answer. We have another tower-style CPU cooler from Cooler Master that uses six copper heatpipes in conjunction with a 120mm to cool things down. You can check out these reviews along with a look at Google Drive by hitting the links posted below.

Cooling
Vapor Chamber Cooling via Coolermaster's TPC-812 Heatsink @ Frostytech

Prebuilts
Lenovo IdeaCentre Q180: Atom's Wake @ PC Perspective

Storage/Hard Drives
Storage Perspective: A Google Drive Preview @ PC Perspective

Video
The GTX 670 and the Case of the Missing (and Returning) 4-Way SLI Support @ PC Perspective