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Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The recent destruction of Titan Taranis has yielded a significant amount of data that scientists across the galaxy have begun interrogating.
Science correspondent Leon Banerjee summarised for Vox Galactica:
"Research on Titans has been ongoing since their first appearance, and understanding how they function has been considered crucial to humanity's survival in the Thargoid war."
"I have spent time with everyone from the smallest private research bodies to the largest corporations in the past few years, and the common anxiety amongst the scientific community is still how little we truly understand about the Titans."
"What answers does the caustic remnant of Taranis contain? What might have survived the destruction? When the wreckage is safe enough to enter, the additional data to be found there will doubtless benefit humanity in some form."

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

It's been another productive day for George Oldziey's campaign to make a new live recording of Wing Commander music. We're less than five days in, and the project has hit $13,500. That's 5/6th of the target amount! During the planning phase, it wasn't clear exactly how difficult it would be to reach $16,000, so stretch goals were a secondary consideration. With the continued productive nature of the campaign, however, some of those additional opportunities for the project are coming into focus and will be firmed up very soon.

Ahead of that, I thought it would be nice to walk through some of the different tiers and highlight what is available. I know this information is readily available inside of the Kickstarter interface, but I also know how Exhausted Millennial Brain works. Reposting the details here removes one layer of mental friction so you can more easily see if something appeals to you.

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Federal Times journalist Harlow Nassry has highlighted two new personal computer designs currently in development:

"For a long time, the Sirius and Achilles corporations have been the main suppliers of personal computing devices, but two smaller companies are aiming to challenge that monopoly."

"The first company, Supratech, is working on a revolutionary design called the Torc, a flexible ring that coils around the user's wrist or neck. It uses high-resolution holographic projectors to surround the user with illuminated displays and motion-sensitive interfaces."

"The second company, Herculean Machines, has taken a more down-to-earth approach. The Duradrive is a chunky, durable tablet designed to withstand rough handling. Herculean has promised a range of peripherals, allowing users to custom-build their own version of the device."

"Both companies plan to reveal prototypes of their designs at a

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

Hailing all Captains! We are pleased to announce a sale on Lifetime Subscriptions from now June 27th at 8am PT to August 1st at 10am PT, bringing the price down by $100 to $199.99! Now is the perfect time to pick up a Lifetime Subscription to STO! Enjoy all the rewards that come with being a Lifetime Subscriber. With exclusive species unlocks like playable Talaxian Species, instant access to all Lifetime Rewards, to Priority Login, there are dozens of reasons to become a lifetime subscriber today! You will even get 500 ZEN a month to spend on all the new gear and ships that come out in Star Trek Online. For more information on all the great rewards that come with being a subscriber, check out our blog here. For information on how to claim and use your Lifetime Rewards, click here. Retail inclusion effective September 23, 2010. Lifetime subscription covers your subscription fee for as long as

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

The latest episode of ALL WINGS CONSIDERED is live now! All Wings Considered is the CIC's first ever streaming variety show which features news, conversation and gameplay relating to our favorite series. This week's Nav Points include:

• Wing Commander 3 3DO - Orsini System
• How do transports work in Armada, anyway?
• A cosmological tour of the Gemini Sector!
• Wing Commander Book Club - Heart of the Tiger, Chapters 1-4

Missed the stream? The replay will be available below once it has been processed by YouTube. You can subscribe to the AWC channel for future notifications here.

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

For the upcoming Season 18 Kelvin lockbox, Lead Ship Artist Thomas Marrone and I decided to take a look at our existing Kelvin-Timeline ships to see if there was anything that needed a visual upgrade to match the quality of the newer ships that will be included in the bundle. And while the U.S.S. Vengeance / Kelvin-Timeline Intel Dreadnought Cruiser was a fine model for its time, it’s material was showing its age so we decided it was the prime candidate for such an upgrade. Thomas and I then took a look at Mauricio Tejerina’s original model and material to identify areas we thought could be improved. We were thrilled that the model geometry itself was mostly up to par; we made note of only a few things we’d like to polish. After a couple of days of work, I’d wrapped up these relatively easy changes to the geometry and was ready to move on to the material. Thomas and I knew going in to

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

Sometimes exploration of new ideas and new technologies leads to dark places. In Star Trek, we’ve seen many a cautionary tale about omniscient supercomputers, time travel, genetic manipulation, and telepathic oppression. The pursuit of knowledge isn’t always safe or pretty. Hearts and Minds is a mini-mission that explores the consequences of some unconventional research gone awry. This mission is a “story in one act,” so you can easily finish it in a quick play session, and it’s easy to complete it with any additional characters that you may have on your account – which is handy, because the mission offers a special reward. Since Hearts and Minds is a horror story, it will only be around for Friday the 13th, whenever that may fall on the calendar – and perhaps another sufficiently horrifying day that we might choose! Fortunately for the squeamish, Hearts and Minds is creepy, but not

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

General: Updated the Star Trek Memorial that is used on ESD, QonoS', New Romulus and DS9. Systems: Resolved an issue that prevented players with the Voth Rampart Command Flight Deck Carrier [T6] from purchasing Voth Heavy Fighters. Resolved an issue that caused “Raider Flanking” not to be listed in the ship description of the Vulcan Experimental Scout Vessel [T6]. Resolved an issue that prevented "Very Cold in Space" from benefiting from some +Exotic Damage boosts. Resolved an issue that could cause "Very Cold in Space" to end prematurely.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Last week, we released a visual guide to propaganda posters in the Wing Commander movie which included a great deal of information. But readers were quick to point out one thing it did not include: the various pin-ups that also decorate the pilot's mess' walls. For this addendum, we've identified as many as possible and have also provided some history behind why they were included in the first place!

1. There are two shirtless men to the left and a woman in a swimsuit with boxing gloves to the right as Blair and Maniac first enter the mess.
2. On the pillar to Blair's left facing away from where he and Maniac enter. This one seems to be cutout of a woman in a red swimsuit.
3. A collage of too-small-to-be-identified photos next to the "BE PREPARED" photo.
4. A collection of rectangular photographs and a collage of photos that have been formed into a larger figure near the dart board. These are not seen clearly.
5. An

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

The 8-Bit Guy has posted a neat video of a recent road trip to Austin to explore the area's rich tech history. He checks out places like the Dell headquarters and the building where they filmed Office Space. There's a fun stop at a Globe Theater reproduction sponsored by Richard Garriott. Of course, he also had to highlight Origin's old offices - both campuses - which is very fun to see (start at the 13:30 point to jump ahead). Extra bonus points for making the trip in a Chevy Bolt EV! Thanks to Rustic Dragon for the tip, who also makes an appearance. Check it out below!

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

The original DOS versions of Wing Commander I and II included a handy debugging feature for instantly killing your current target (alt-delete) or every enemy on radar (alt-insert). You would activate these special keys by passing Origin as an argument to the game executable. Also passing -k would activate invincibility without changing your pilot name to CHEATER. Playtesting certain aspects of the game would have been a lot easier with these keys at your disposal.

When the Windows 95 ports came out as part of the Kilrathi Saga box set, this method no longer worked. Eventually, players figured out that you had to put Origin -k -b in Wingcmdr.cfg and WC2.cfg. This made sense, since passing arguments to the executable would have been a little less straightforward in Windows 95, and would have required players bypass the Kilrathi Saga launcher menu. For the next 23 years, we assumed that these "finger of

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

AD spotted an awesome rendition of the Dralthi IV over at Bricksafe. Malcav put this together based on the ace variant, which is pretty slick. I don't know how people have the patience and talent to pull creations like this off, but it's very impressive! He's got plenty of other designs from Star Trek and Star Wars that look great too.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

The space sim Rebel Galaxy Outlaw was released on GOG this week. It was first released on the Epic store a year ago and made its way to Steam and consoles just a few months back. Some of the game's prime developers are huge Wingnuts, and the game is absolutely chock full of Wing Commander easter eggs and familiar references. It's also been one of the most popular non-WC space sims in recent years since it's just a lot of fun. The core experience is pretty similar to Privateer, but it has the fit and finish of a modern game. We know a few folks who were holding out for a release on Good Old Games who are having a blast now. It's also launching at an introductory price of $20, which is 33% off. Grab it quick if you want a deal!

The PC version also supports customization options, and fans have made some pretty awesome designs!

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

GOG.com has kicked off their big winter sale, so we've once again entered a prime window for discounted Wing Commander. At 75% off, the entire DOS and Windows lineup can be yours for under $12. We've mentioned this deal every time it's come up, and it's just such a steal that we'll continue to do so in the future. Don't forget that these include plenty of bonuses like expansion packs, official guides and more. There are lots of other deals on the service as well: Star Wars games are similarly about 75% off, including WC contemporaries like X-Wing.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Another genuine treasure in the mail today: that time the Kilrathi Emperor met Putt-Putt. (What a compilation!). This set includes Wing Commander 3, the WC4 Demo and Super Wing Commander all in one box!

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Look at this amazing slush art ship that AD found in a Russian Wing Commander article. In Russia, tiger claws you!

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

We've got a new poll up today that asks about your favorite briefing rooms in the main Wing Commander games. These spaces hold a special place in the heart of WC fans, and the each have their own special character to them. From the red light of the Tiger's Claw, bright blues on the Concordia or dim shadows of the Victory, what's your favorite? Don't forget that the latter three options all had awesome physical sets! Sorry Cerberus fans, we left you out this time.

The old poll asked about the worst places to ditch your fighter. Many pilots were averse to ejecting in the Kilrah System or Nephilim Fluid-space, but the winner is the lonely Delta Prime System well off the established space lanes in the Gemini Sector. Funny enough, four of the five lowest ranking choices were the ones where the indicated pilots actually died!

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

It's that time of the year! E3 is in full swing, and all of the digital storefronts are having their summer sales while video games are on people's brain. GOG.com is no exception, so that means the Wing Commander games are available at a hefty discount. At 75% off, individual packages are just $1.49 or under $12 for the vast swath of DOS/Windows WC titles. Of course, we're huge proponents for collecting the physical boxes as well, but it's hard to beat the ease of digital copies at your fingertips!

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Here's something you don't see every day! Papalooser has posted a nifty video with 40 minutes of Privateer 2. P2 is sorely underrepresented in the modern world of video game streaming, so this is a welcome sight. It's also a double feature: after getting tired of chasing down Tri-System pirates, he shifts right over into a thirty minute playthrough of Sonic the Hedgehog. It might not be the pairing that I'd choose, but what do I know about streaming? Even if you don't stick around for that part, the P2 portion is also noteworthy because it's in German. The majority of our readers probably have minimal exposure to that version, so it's interesting just in that regard. You can turn on automatic translations to read what Papalooser has to say as he plays.

Retro games with Papalooser. Today we're looking at Privateer 2 and Sonic Mania, Sonic the Hedgehog.

If you like his style, there's also a WC3

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Here's a fun drawing that includes a little Wing Commander treat. A Brazilian magazine published this collage of characters from a wide range of famous '90s-'00s video game series. Admiral Tolwyn is poking through in the bottom right. It comes from the Brazilian comic Monica's Gang by cartoonist Mauricio de Sousa. LOAF did some digging and zeroed in on its exact origin dating to a July 2012 "Cinema Classics" spinoff issue. That's a pretty fantastic reference, because even at that point WC4 was a 16 year old game. Thanks to Romy for highlighting this!