Los Angeles Traffic Sign Hacked With An Awesome Message For Everyone

On 9th January, 2015, an electronic traffic sign at evening in Los Angeles was hacked by an unknown(so called "Anonymous" by everyone) individual to show a message that people stuck in traffic or driving nearby the sign.

So what was the message that hacker wanted to put up for public? Well, LA Weekly’s Daina Beth Solomon was the first person who saw the hacked electronic traffic sign and took a snapshot.

Looks like whoever was behind this hack is a big fan of books and loves technology as well , as the message on the hacked sign was “Read a f**king book”. Maybe the hacker wanted people to get out of their cell phones, tablets, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pintrest and get back to books.

Caroline O’Connor, Director of Communications @SAGFoundation also uploaded a snap which she took while driving through the signal.

This is actually not the first time when someone has hacked an electronic traffic sign. Last year, a San Francisco Traffic Sign Board was hacked with message of “Godzilla Attack!”.

 

Another similar hack was witnessed in Serbia where hackers displayed a message in support of Pirate Bay on a hacked Billboard.

Read More: The Best Websites To Learn Coding Online

We have personally loved the message, it is indeed time for people to give some time to books like good old days. We will do it from now on though ;). Give your personal views in the comments section! We would like to get awesome response! :)

Playdate: We're livestreaming the 'Halo 5: Guardians' beta! [update: game over!]

Halo: The Master Chief Collection is more than just a collection of the green supersoldier's greatest hits -- it's also an early access pass to the next game in the franchise, Halo 5: Guardians. How early? Well, the game isn't expected until fall 2015, so pretty freakin' early is the answer. Right now -- today -- you can get into Halo 5's multiplayer beta months ahead of the game's completion. In that spirit, we're streaming a few hours of the game in action while taking questions live! Join us at 1PM ET today for Halo 5: Guardians, multiplayer, in beta.

Update: We're done for now, but the archived video is available just below the break!

[For the record, I'm playing the Halo 5: Guardians beta on an Xbox One, using a download code provided by Microsoft. I'm streaming the game over wired internet using an Elgato Game Capture HD device and Open Broadcaster Software. All that to say, "This game will likely look prettier and run more smoothly on your home equipment. Streaming conditions vary!"]

Seagate starts shipping 8TB hard drives that cost only $260

Here's something you can get for yourself these holidays: a 3.5-inch 8TB drive from Seagate that costs only $260 -- we didn't forget an extra number in that figure, promise. That's a lot cheaper than HGST's helium-filled 8TB disk drive, which is listed for $1,000 onnewegg and just a bit more on Amazon. And, it's significantly more affordable than OCZ's 1TB SSD released only five years ago (remember when 1TB drives excited you?) for $2,200. This product is part of the brand's new Archive HDD line launched a few months ago, which uses Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR) technology that can fit more data on a platter than the typical drive. The line also includes 6TB and 5TB options, if 8TB is already excessive.

It is slower than many recent SSDs (it has a read speed of 150MB/s, whereas the SSDs in this list of best models for 2014 have an average speed of 550MB/s), so it's probably best to pair it up with one. Still, at 3 cents a gig, that's not such a bad deal. According toExtremetech, Seagate has just started shipping out units to retailers, so if you want one as a stocking stuffer, your best bet is to look around. Amazon only has a 20-pack bundle for sale right now, and it won't be sent your way until January 2015.

Sony SmartWatch 3 review: dull design, but great for runners

This here is the Sony SmartWatch 3. That might make it sound like it's the third iteration in a line of gadgets, but really, it's the first. That's because even though this is Sony's third smartwatch (fourth if you count the Sony Ericsson LiveView), it's actually Sony's first that comes with Android Wear. Both the original SmartWatch and the SmartWatch 2 ran Sony's own proprietary platform, which, while Android-friendly, didn't have nearly the same reach as Google's Android Wear. It's great that Sony has finally seen the light, but the SmartWatch 3 has arrived remarkably late to the party, letting rivals like Motorola, LG and Samsung gain ground. On the other hand, the SmartWatch 3 is currently the only Android Wear option with a built-in GPS radio, allowing for more precise workout tracking. Which, as it turns out, could be enough to help Sony stand apart from the pack.

Casio's new DJ controllers aim to upgrade your next house party setlist

Casio makes a lot of keyboards. That's the company's primary contribution to music, and while it's a pretty big one, it's also looking to adapt to, well, what the youth have been listening to (and making) in recent years. To that end, it's launching two different devices better suited to dance music, hip-hop, electronica and more. There's the XW-DJ1, with a 7-inch scratch disc, and the XW-PD1, which combines a 16-pad sampler with a synthesizer, sequencer and effector. Both run off batteries, have built-in speakers and connect to your iPhone/iPad, PC or Mac through a proprietary cable. The idea is that it should be all you need to "DJ" for a party, though we'd advise adding some speakers to the arrangement. The XW-DJ1 DJ Controller will launch this month, priced at $299, while the XW-PD1 Groove Center (we'd probably drop the "Groove" there), will be available in early March for a pricier $399. Those looking to upgrade their next party playlist might want to read into the details, which are right after the break.

Playing with a prototype ahead of the announce, we'll say one thing: The learning curve is a little steep. Casio's reps reiterated that both devices are positioned below pro DJ gear, but the surfeit of buttons around the entire deck, not to mention the programmable loop buttons, meant this editor didn't even know where to begin. When we got to play with the XW-DJ1 (that's the black one with the turntable), the deck immediately turns into a very enjoyable timesink.

The Trackformer ties into Algoriddim's djay2 app, with the ability to fade between two music tracks, cue them up and more. There's also a cross fader on the devices themselves. The decks are powered by four AA batteries, the point being that you can maintain your playlist... if you pack enough AA batteries. The devices can also be powered through USB from a PC -- so there's another option there. The scratch pad is comfortably large -- bigger than the typical 5-inch (CD-sized) pads found on smaller mixing decks, and the textured surface means that there's something for fingers to grip. The pad has a little bit of resistance, but it's not motorized.

The second DJ device swaps out the scratch pad for a 16-button pad. It's arguably the more creative of the two, offering the ability for musical dilettantes to digitally pen their own tracks, forming bass lines, percussion and melody from a Casio keyboard-esque bank of 100 preset sounds for each "step." Users can add up to 36 of their own user samples from music tracks, mic sources and, well, anywhere. DSP effects like roll, filter, bit crusher, break and pitch shift are all included, while there's a built-in synthesizer to further mutate and tinker with sounds. The XW-PD1 can even double as a MIDI controller when connected to your PC. We (well, more musical editors) will be experimenting with the new controllers here at CES very soon. Stay tuned.

The World's First Commercial 3-D Chocolate Printer Is On Sale

Last year, a clutch of researchers at Britain’s University of Exeterdeveloped the first 3-D–ever chocolate printer—and the world rejoiced. The device, which the team called ChocALM for Chocolate Additive Layer Manufacturing, uses the principles of rapid prototyping to layer molten chocolate, rather than plastic, into any shape imaginable without a mold. When we reported the story on Co.Design, an eager reader had this question, "Where, when and will this be available in the US?" The wait is over: Dr. Liang Hao, the head of the operation, has spun off a business to offer his Choc Creator printers for pre-order. 

Before you get too excited: The price of the machine is roughly $3,300 (30% of that secures your order; the rest is billed once your printer ships, within 9–12 weeks after your deposit is received). Once it arrives, however, the setup is straightforward: Just fill the printer’s syringe with chocolate, select one of two printing heads, and start modeling your cat out of chocolate. Users have access to open-source 3-D software for sketching their designs. But there’s a catch: The printer isn’t yetfood-grade certified, meaning that technically it can be used for creative and artistic purposes, not for consumption, though Hao gave us this assurance: "I can eat the printed chocolate myself. [You] need to follow right process to do so." A food-grade model will be released within the next three to six months.

The very first commercial printer was auctioned on eBay yesterday forGBP 1,9000 (about $3,000); Hao sweetened the deal by including 2% of the company’s gross income for the first year of sales. That might be a prohibitive cost for most interested consumers, but it’s an expense acandy manufacturer can swallow: According to the BBC, Thorntons, Britain’s largest chocolatier, has expressed interest.