Adafruit wants to help you hack your Raspberry Pi

So you shelled out a cool $25 to get your hands on the Raspberry Pi -- and, after some hiccups, the thing actually shipped. Now what? Adafruit's got your back. The DIY-friendly company announced that it's getting ready to release its Prototyping Pi Plate Kit, which will help you leverage the little Linux box for some of those home-baked embedded computer projects you're itching to start. Nothing yet in the way of pricing or availability for the product -- not until Adafruit's done testing it on shipping Raspberry Pi units. In the meantime, you can always add it to your hacking wish list by clicking the source link below.

Adafruit wants to help you hack your Raspberry Pi originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UFC VP says Strikeforce champ Ronda Rousey helped bolster MMA?s hopes in New York

If, as it should be, mixed martial arts is ever legalized in New York, don't forget to give Strikeforce bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey her share of credit.

On April 18 in Albany, N.Y., the New York state senate voted 43-14 to approve a bill that would legalize and regulate MMA in the state. It still needs to pass the assembly and then be signed by Gov. Cuomo in order to become law.

The bill has passed the state senate before, but this time around, said Marc Ratner, the UFC's vice president for governmental and regulatory affairs, the job was made much easier with Rousey's testimony.

"She got up there and she really made a great presentation and I think she had a significant impact," Ratner said. "We [as executives] can talk all we want to them about the positives of MMA, but to hear it from someone like her, a fighter, someone who is very articulate [and] who made her points very passionately, it definitely made a huge impact."

Rousey, who defeated Miesha Tate by, what else, an arm bar submission to win the title on March 3 in Columbus, was particularly effective when she spoke about what MMA has done for her. She won a bronze medal in judo in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, but said she would be struggling financially had she remained in that sport. She said she'd be losing money if she were a professional judoka.

Several senators approached her, she said, and told her her presentation changed their minds and caused them to vote in favor of the bill.

"MMA has a bad rap among some people," Rousey told Cagewriter. "It's marketed sometimes in a way that is not what the sport is. You hear the marketing, 'Two men enter. One man leaves,' but that's ridiculous. It's not what this sport is. They just do it to sound dramatic. It's like a movie preview. The whole movie isn't just running around and screaming and explosions, but they make it seem like that [in the trailer] so people go to the movie. There's a lot of quiet time and dialogue and there is a plot. What they're doing is like they're comparing a commercial for 'The Bourne Identity' to actually sitting there and watching it for two hours."

She spent time explaining the nuances of her specialty, the arm bar. She pointed out that she'd been arm barred "more times than I can count," and pointed out that she wasn't out snapping bones. She said she doesn't think she's ever broken an opponent's arm.

That, too, worked.

"I explained everything behind it and after I did, they were like, 'OK, that's no problem, it's not barbaric,' " Rousey said.

Her best point, though, may have been when she told the senators that there was actually already MMA going on in the state. She made them aware that there is a robust amateur scene there, but it isn't as safe for the fighters and the fighters aren't able to make a living, like they do when they're professionals and compete where the sport is regulated.

That point struck home with many of the lawmakers.

"In New York, you could fight and have people do MMA," she said. "But they have to do it without the proper medical checks. They have to do it without getting paid. They have to do it without any kind of regulation or oversight. [Amateur MMA in New York] is unsafe the way it is now, because they're missing all the things we have in pro MMA.

"We're not asking them to bring in a bunch of people and tell them to kill each other. That's not what's going on. That's how it was being presented. I wanted to point out that amateur MMA is here already, but we want to get it regulated so it's safe and there is regulation and it is safe and everyone gets paid for what they do. I want to be able to work in any state in my own country. Can you imagine, we're in 2012 and I still legally can't do my job anywhere I want in my country?"

The tens of millions of dollars poured into the legalization effort by UFC owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta and president Dana White will be primarily responsible for MMA's passage in New York, if and when it occurs.

But Rousey's day on the hill shouldn't be forgotten. On that day, the lady was a champ when it came to wooing the legislators.

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This Memo Killed Osama Bin Laden [Bin Laden]

The pen is mightier than the Seal Team 6, or something like that. Read the letter that officially made Bin Laden a dead man, straight off of CIA letterhead. More »

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The ATMs in Vatican City Speak Latin [Image Cache]

Turns out those four years of high school Latin might not have been the complete waste of time you thought they were. More »

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AnTuTu pegs Galaxy S III as most powerful Android device, potentially reveals its specs

Ah, the Galaxy S III. We always knew it'd be a keystone among Android smartphones, but according to the AnTuTu benchmark suite, it'll be the one device to rule them all. While there's no way to verify whether this test is indeed legitimate, all Android users may currently peep the AnTuTu app, which not only shows the smartphone as having bested the mighty Transformer Prime tablet, but it also reveals the most comprehensive set of specs we've yet seen for the Galaxy S III -- again, take this with a grain of salt. The device is said to wield a Samsung Exynos 4212 SoC with a dual-core 1.4GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM and a 4.7-inch, 720p HD display. This lines up similarly with the product listing from Amazon Germany, as the specs also reveal a 12 megapixel primary camera on the rear, along with a 2MP shooter on the front. No big surprises for the OS, which is listed as Android 4.0. Should the benchmark tests turn out to be legitimate, the HTC One X will no doubt have some very stiff competition.

AnTuTu pegs Galaxy S III as most powerful Android device, potentially reveals its specs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Astronauts bid farewell to Space Shuttle Discovery (+video)

In recent days, John Glenn and other astronauts that have flown on Discovery have visited the retired orbiter to say their goodbyes.?

While NASA prepares to deliver the space shuttle Discovery to its final museum home, some high-profile guests have visited the vehicle over the past few months to bid their goodbyes: the men and women who helped build the iconic space plane, and the privileged few who flew on it.

Skip to next paragraph The Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off for the last time on February 24, 2011.

The shuttle Discovery is scheduled to fly from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to Washington, D.C.?atop a modified Boeing 747 aircraft?on April 17, weather permitting. It will be delivered to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., to be placed on public display for posterity.

But before the orbiter departs from its soon-to-be-former Florida home port, many special visitors have come to say farewell, said Stephanie Stilson, NASA's flow director for the transition and?retirement of the space shuttles?at the Kennedy Space Center.

"There are a number of people who have come back for one last opportunity to sit in the seat and experience it," Stilson told SPACE.com. "Our center director, Bob Cabana, flew on Discovery multiple times, and he has gone into Discovery many times before, but he had his moment to say goodbye. Mike Coats, who is the center director at the Johnson Space Center, came by, and others too."

In February, during celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of?John Glenn?becoming the first American to orbit the Earth, Cabana and Glenn climbed aboard Discovery and posed for pictures on the shuttle's flight deck. [Photos: Inside Shuttle Discovery]

Glenn was a member of NASA's first astronaut class, and his Friendship 7 flight, on Feb. 20, 1962, was one of several important milestones that came out of the agency's so-called Project Mercury.

In 1998, at age 77, Glenn became the world's oldest astronaut after flying to space again on the shuttle Discovery's STS-95 mission.

Cabana is a veteran of four space shuttle missions, including two flights aboard Discovery. Cabana piloted Discovery on the STS-41 mission in 1990 and the STS-53 mission in 1992.

Other current and retired astronauts have visited Discovery since the orbiter was retired from service, Stilson said, as well as engineers who have helped build and maintain the vehicles over the course of NASA's 30-year program.

"It is nice to get to share that with them one more time and hear their experiences, and share their stories of what they were able to do with these great vehicles," Stilson said.

You can follow SPACE.com staff writer Denise Chow on Twitter?@denisechow. Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter?@Spacedotcom?and on?Facebook.

Copyright 2012?SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Think Like a Man Takes Bite Out of The Hunger Games

The ins and outs of dating proved to be more popular this weekend than teenager-on-teenager homicide, as the romantic comedy Think Like a Man finally ended The Hunger Games' perch atop the box office.

Think Like a Man Trailer

The film, based on Steve Harvey’s bestselling advice book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man collected $33 million on Friday and Saturday, while Katniss and company could only muster $14.5 million. It actually fell to third place behind Zac Efron's The Lucky One.

The Hunger Games has now earned $356.9 million in the U.S., hitting that mark in just 30 days. Only seven other flick have ever passed that figure in less time.

Here is a look at the top five from the weekend:

1. Think Like a Man: $33.0 million
2. The Lucky One: $22.8 million
3. The Hunger Games: $14.5 million
4. Chimpanzee: $10.2 million
5. The Three Stooges: $9.2 million

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Jeb Bush says he'd consider vice presidency (tbo)

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Laura Prudom: 'Nikita' Recap Of 'Wrath': Nikita Embraces Her Dark Side

Note: Do not read on if you have not seen Season 2, Episode 19 of The CW's "Nikita," entitled "Wrath."

I said most of what I wanted to say about this week's phenomenal episode of "Nikita" in my earlier preview, but since I'm eager to hear your thoughts on the episode and feel that there are some stand-out moments worthy of closer examination, I couldn't resist writing a quick review-cap too.

Aside from how impressed I am that Albert Kim's script and Jeffrey Hunt's direction steered clear of anything exploitative, what really stood out for me in this hour were Nikita's growth as a character and Maggie Q's gripping performance throughout the episode. This season has seen Nikita struggling weekly with the concept of past sins, utilizing pitch-perfect flashbacks to provide deeper insight into who Nikita used to be and how she became the woman she is today.

As with the fascinating (and strangely poignant) scenes between Nikita and Amanda in "Power," this week's episode showed us new sides of our heroine thanks to her past interactions with Percy. (It also made me realize how much I've missed seeing Xander Berkeley strutting around in his power-suits -- absence makes the heart grow fonder.) Instead of humanizing both characters, as "Power" did, Nikita's conversations with Percy brought out the pair's dark sides, proving that Percy is still the most dangerous monster of all, simply because he doesn't view himself as one.

Every person has the capacity for evil inside them, darker impulses that they fight to resist, and what sets Nikita apart from the Percys and Amandas of the world is that she, at least, recognizes that her actions are harmful. I don't blame her for wanting to show Brandt that "there are women out there who can hurt him too," since it's undeniable that the vicious arms-dealer was a monster in his own right. But it was Percy who forced her to use her body to get close to Brandt in the first place, presenting the assignment as only "distasteful," instead of recognizing the monstrous things he forces Division's agents to do under the pretense of protecting the country -- and that's a far more grievous sin.

As I said in my preview piece, Q's devastating performance is award-worthy by any standards, and I was impressed by the myriad emotional beats she hit. From her playful camaraderie with Alex at the top of the hour to the seething, flinty-eyed demon she became when taunting Brandt, the actress demonstrated stunning range throughout the episode. I loved that even when Nikita was bound and ostensibly at Brandt's mercy, she still had the psychological upper hand, goading him until the arms-dealer looked truly terrified of her, as if her restraints no longer had any bearing on who held the power in the room. Rick Ravanello did an excellent job of conveying Brandt's anger, frustration and eventual intimidation in an understated and believable way, especially in a role that could easily have crossed over into cartoonish, scenery-chewing villainy in the wrong hands.

When I spoke to Q last month, she hinted that Nikita's confrontation with Michael about the shortcomings of their relationship would not be pretty, but as gut-wrenching as it was to see an emotionally drained Nikita lashing out at her lover, I agree with Michael that it was an entirely necessary, and long-overdue, reaction. Nikita has spent most of the season trying to ignore her insecurities and hurt over Michael choosing to be with Max (and by extension, Cassandra) instead of her, but buried feelings have a nasty habit of resurfacing. The couple's raw, unflinching conversations in "Wrath" were exactly what was needed to get them back on the same page. As Birkhoff pointed out, it was time for the pair to start taking grown-up steps instead of baby steps, and to really confront the issues of their relationship if they were to have any hope of moving forward.

Michael's simple observation, "I know it's not because you don't love me; it's because you don't love yourself," cut right to the core of who Nikita is, an insight that proves just how perfect the pair are for each other. I was relieved that Kim avoided any of the trite, default clich?s that could've seen Michael promising to "love her enough for the both of them," as his simple promise that he would teach her how to love herself proved far more emotionally resonant.

As we head towards the finale, it's heartening to see the stakes being raised every week. While it's a shame to see Alberta Watson go, Madeline Pierce's death was a necessary catalyst for the chaos to come, giving the mission some emotional momentum in the early going, especially for Sean. Dillon Casey did a great job with his character's restrained grief and newfound resolve, and it allowed further evolution in the long-simmering chemistry between Sean and Alex. The episode was so expertly crafted, I didn't even miss Amanda, although I'm eager to see what she and Ari are up to now that their resources are drained.

As with all great shows, "Wrath" gave us sharply-observed insight, not only into our characters and the morally ambiguous world they inhabit, but also into the human condition as a whole. I'm sure many viewers can relate to Nikita's struggle with self-acceptance (although I hope not for the same reasons), and the fear that past mistakes might make us somehow unworthy of love or happiness. In offering a light at the end of the tunnel for even a character as damaged and wounded as Nikita, the show reminds us that there are infinite possibilities for redemption and hope, whether we think we deserve it or not. TV at its finest.

"Nikita" airs Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.

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Follow Laura Prudom on Twitter: www.twitter.com/lauinLA

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Watch This iPhone Screen Protector Shrug Off a Hammer Blow [Video]

You may never have to use your iPhone as a nutcracker, but it's good to know that Buff Labs' screen protectors will keep your iPhone's display intact if you happen to crush almonds with a hammer on it. More »

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