Surfing dog rides a wave with ease

It's not very often you get to witness a surfing dog! While vacationing in Dominican Republic, this tourist managed to get the camera rolling at the perfect moment.

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/video/animals/surfing-dog-rides-a-wave-with-ease/vi-AAdG9jR

Paddleboard Fisherman's Huge Catch

A Florida fisherman on a paddleboard has reeled in a 7ft (2.1 metres) Goliath grouper after a titanic battle.


http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/paddleboard-fishermans-huge-catch/vi-AAdG3Iz

Windows 10: what it means for PC and Xbox One gamers

After several months of hype and expectation, Windows 10 has finally launched, bringing a(nother) new operating system era to computers everywhere. Under the tagline “it’s the Windows you know, only better” Microsoft is promising a range of exciting features, from the return of the Start menu to the arrival of Cortana, a cross-platform digital assistant that promises to be sort of like Paperclip guy but actually useful.

Forget all that, though, because the real question is: what will Windows 10 mean for games and gamers? Here are the key features and how they’ll affect PC and Xbox One owners.

Xbox Live on PC

Windows 10 will place an Xbox Live app on your PC, giving you access to your Xbox friends list, achievements, messages and activity feed, so you’ll be able to keep an eye on your console chums when you’re not actually on your console. Microsoft’s aim is to provide a unified store for developers and publishers, which may one day mean they will be able to upload a single game to Xbox Live which will run on both PC and consoles.

The company is adamant that it isn’t trying to compete with Steam – indeed, in its news piece on the OS, Microsoft’s Wire blog hinted that Steam, GoG, and Battle.net titles will all be visible and accessible in the Xbox app. However, what it definitely is trying to do is make it super convenient for game makers to operate within the Windows 10 ecosystem. The idea of being able to upload one app that can be accessible on console, PC, tablet and smartphone will be an enticing one.

Elsewhere, PC owners will be able to stream games from their Xbox One to their other PCs and Windows tablets via a local wireless network – handy if you want to play Halo 4 but someone else is hogging the TV. The app also provides Microsoft’s Game DVR package which allows players to seamlessly record and share gaming footage. We’re hoping the company takes this chance to streamline this process however, as Xbox One owners currently need to import Game DVR videos into another app, Upload Studio, to record voice-overs before depositing the footage on OneDrive. We do know that you’ll be able to share your saved clips across PC and Xbox One, and you can use it with PC games that you’re playing through Steam and other game services.

Anyway, Windows 10 is also compatible with both the standard Xbox One controller and the new Elite pad. There will also be a wireless adaptor available so you don’t have to plug in a micro USB cable. 

Windows 10 on Xbox One

Microsoft’s current console is set to get a big update in the autumn, which will include an improved dashboard design (phew) and better multiplayer matchmaking. Apparently, it will be easier for you to find out useful information about your games (such as achievements and fan-made video clips), as well as discovering new titles that may be of interest based on what you’ve already played.

The system also makes it easier to access stuff like friends list, party invites and messages from within a game. Microsoft is also building the community elements of the dashboard, improving the friends activity feed and adding a “What’s Trending on Xbox Live” section so you know what everyone else in the world is playing together. This is all pretty promising, as the current dashboard is, let’s say, rather obtuse.

Cross-platform multiplayer

Thanks to Windows 10 integration, it will be possible for developers to make games with cross-platform multiplayer, so Xbox One players will be able to take on PC players. This has been available in a few titles in the past, but without major system-level support it’s been a minor feature. That could all change. Micrsoft has named a range of titles including Fable: Legends and free-to-play battle arena game Gigantic that will support this feature. Players will also be able to save their game progress between different machines, so you could play a game all day on your PC, then pick up where you left off on the Xbox One.

Direct X 12

This is the new version of Microsoft’s long-running game development application programming interface (API) and software development kit (SDK) collection, which helps programmers get the most out of PC hardware. The company says Direct X 12 will significantly boost graphics performance on your current hardware, and works with major graphics engines like Unity3D and Unreal Engine 4.4. The benefits are quite technical but they include an update to the Direct3D element of Direct X that will give coders closer access to graphics hardware, which should in turn mean a more optimised performance.

The new API will also includes a new GPI Multiadaptor feature. This allows programmers to improve performance by sharing tasks between the integrated graphics chipset in your PC’s CPU and any discrete graphics accelerator card you install whether its from Intel, AMD or Nvidia. In other words, all your graphics hardware will be able to work together in your system.

Microsoft has claimed that over 100 major developers are already integrating Direct X support, including Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. However, the number of games that implement the features will heavily depend on how many players upgrade to Windows 10 (earlier versions of the OS are unlikely to get much in the way of Direct X implementation).

As for Xbox One, when its Windows 10 implementation arrives, Direct X 12, will open up support for Async shaders which speed up graphics rendering by spreading tasks across multiple threads – PlayStation 4 already supports this technique. It also looks as though Direct X 12 will provide developers with more efficient ways to use the system’s eSRAM system memory, though the benefits of that are not currently unclear.

Android support (and maybe Apple iOS, too)

One unsung but potentially interesting elements of Windows 10 is its support for Android. According to games programmer Byron Atkins Jones, currently working on first-person adventure Caretaker, the OS will allow you to run Android apps on your PC. “They demonstrated this live on stage during the recent Build conference,” he says. “I’m really surprised I’m not seeing this mentioned more because that’s massive – it opens up a whole different world of games to Windows 10.

“Microsoft also has iOS covered - although it’s not as easy as running an APK [Android application file]. They have replicated the iOS APIs in Visual studio which means you can open an iOS app project in Visual Studio and it will convert it to a C++ project and compile straight to Windows. They showed this happening live on the stage during the Build keynote. They hinted during another presentation that this is how King were able to bring their games to Windows 10 so quickly.”

Virtual reality

In June, Oculus announced that its Rift VR headset would launch with native support for Windows 10 (as well as an Xbox One controller, and the ability to stream Xbox One games to a Rift headset) – however, according to one VR developer, the OS won’t work with Rift DK2 until a new Oculus Runtime is released, which should be soon. Later in the same month, Microsoft and Valve hinted at a partnership to ensure Windows 10 compatibility with SteamVR, Valve’s virtual reality platform. What does all that mean? Basically, Microsoft wants Windows 10 to be the operating system of choice for all PC-based virtual reality headsets and technologies.

“What we’re doing with Valve and what we’re doing with Oculus is about making Windows 10 the best VR platform both for developers and for consumers,” Microsoft corporate VP Kudo Tsunoda. “People will be able to get the device they want and have it powered by Windows 10. Through our partnership with Valve, we can start getting to a more standard set of APIs so developers don’t have to constantly reinvent everything they’re trying to do in a the VR space: we can say ‘hey this is an API that solves this particular VR problem [on any headset] .

“The more you can take this kind of work off the developers, the more they can focus on the experiences themselves. That’s going to be best for VR and best for consumers.”

Hololens

Microsoft’s standalone augmented-reality headset will run Windows 10 as standard. Users will have access to a range of holographic apps when the headset tech launches sometime later this year or early next year (the company is being really vague about this). We’ve seen several demos, including Minecraft, and despite a limited viewable area, it’s impressive stuff. Here’s a video demo:

Minecraft

Mojang has announced a new version of its block-building mega-game catchily entitled Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta. It’ll be free to current owners of the PC version of the game and $10 to everyone else. The fresh iteration allows eight-player co-op building over Xbox Live, and will let you build alongside Pocket Edition players via a later update. It’s a smart move from Microsoft, which bought Minecraft developer Mojang for $2.5bn in 2014: if you want people to download a new version of your OS, release it with a new version of a game that has over 100m registered users.

Best Windows 10 apps to download or try right now

Microsoft's Windows 10 is now available and the overall message is that it's cool. But to be frank, it's nothing without apps.

We use desktop apps for messaging, mailing, drawing, editing, writing, mapping, playing, gaming, listening, watching, ordering, calling, remembering, listing, browsing, note-taking, organising, and more. Without a multitude of apps to download, an operating system is basically like a house sans the furniture.

Although it holds things together nicely, we still need ways to get stuff done. Microsoft and other companies know this as well, so to get you playing with their OS upgrades right away, they offer built-in apps that come with their software. They also give developers early builds of the software, so that they can prep their apps come launch day.

Thus, with Windows 10 now available for the public to install and use, there are plenty of new Windows 10 apps for you to play with, including Microsoft's own apps and third-party apps. To help you get the full Windows 10 experience today, Pocket-lint has rounded up a list of such apps you should try right now.

Browse the list below to see our pick, and if we happened to miss one that you think should be mentioned, feel free to leave us a comment below. Also, check out our Windows 10 hubfor related news, reviews, and analysis.

Microsoft apps

Photos

The new Photos app is universal. It handles your collection of photos, getting them organised. You can sort your collections of photos by date, and it will create albums of your life events in order. There are also features to edit your photos, such as an auto-enhance tool, and every photo is safely backed up with a full-res copy in your OneDrive. Once your photo has been edited, you can easily share it via email or set it as your lock screen/desktop background.

Maps

Maps is another universial app, so it works great on all screen sizes. According to Mirosoft, it combines features from Bing Maps and HERE Maps. You can pin your favourite locations to your Start menu and share a specific location with a friend via email or to your OneNote. You can also get real-time traffic information, local search results, public transportation options, turn-by-turn navigation. There's even hi-fidelity aerial and street-side views.

Groove

Groove is the default music app in Windows 10. You can listen to your favorite songs and artists, make your own playlists, and discover new music with custom radio stations based on artists you love. If you want ad-free access to millions of tracks, you can sign up for a Groove Music Pass.

Movies & TV

The Movies & TV app is universal as well. It lets you browse and play through your own video collection or rent movies. You can import your personal video collection, play back your content whether using a mouse, keyboard, touch input, and browse the Windows Store to rent or purchase content. You’ll also find recommendations just for you right from within the Windows Store. And everything syncs between devices, so you pick up where you left off on another.

Mail

The built-in Mail app in Windows 10 is integrated with Microsoft Word. In fact, it's built into the authoring experience so you can simply insert tables, add pictures, anduse bullets and colour. It also supports new touch gestures on touch devices to help you easily read, sort, and archive your mail. The new navigation bar is also allows you move freely between your email and your calendar, thus improving your overall productivity.

Calendar

The Calendar app enables you to manage multiple calendar accounts, view your week’s or month's schedule, and organise your appointments. It's pretty simple but also totally useful.

Microsoft Edge

Even at first glance, Microsoft Edge seems like a vast improvement over Internet Explorer: fast browsing, minimal pop­ups (thanks to a built-in pop­up blocker), and more importantly, no sporadic crashes. Other features include Readng View (hides clutter), Web notes (lets you scribble on webpages), Reading List (it's like a read-later folder), deep Cortana integration with always-on listening, a news feed, top sites, and a variety of customisation options.

Third-party apps

Words with Friends

Productivity apps are necessary, but so isn't having fun. And with that in mind, we bring you Words with Friends (the game that was a social media hit). It is now available as a Windows 10 app. You can use it on a desktop or laptop or tablet. Just grab a mouse (or your finger) in order to pick tiles up and drop them onto the board. An in-game chat feature also lets you talk to opponents. There's even an option to view scores by total points or word scores.

Adobe Photoshop Express

Adobe Photoshop Express lets you capture pictures and then edit them from within the same app. You can crop, straighten, rotate, flip, adjust colour, and remove red eye on-the-fly. The app has filters too, and for just $2.99, you can order a pack of 20 more. If you want to store photos and videos using Adobe’s Revel cloud-based synching service, you can do that as well. There's also options to share via social networks like Facebook.

Dropbox

In case you aren't in love with OneDrive, there's always Dropbox. It's a universal app that lets you download any files from your Dropbox account, and it lets you view documents and photos. You can also favourite items, auto-upload photos from any device it's installed on, and more. It's also free, though you can get more storage if you subscribe.

Fresh Paint

This is a great drawing tool. We recommend using it on a device with a stylus or touchpen, such as Microsoft’s Surface 3, as it'll just make the doodling process feel much more natural. It features brushes, pencil and pen tips, paints and watercolours, and it lets you use up to five fingers (or input devices). If you want even more brush types and tools, you can pay more too.. The app also exports your drawings as PNG files and can upload them to social media.

Netflix

C'mon. It's Netflix. Plus, the app remembers where you left off and can resume from that point on another device. Other features include support for multiple profiles and the ability to enable or disable subtitles.

Twitter

Twitter's app is universal and supports all the usual stuff, like multiple accounts, lists, video, pictures, and people- and location-tagging. You can also save drafts, edit your profiles, and choose between light and dark themes. The app even pushes notifications, and on Windows phones, you can have it display new tweets on the lock screen.

Flipboard

If you want to create a personalised magazine feed, look no further. Flipboard’s Windows 10 app does just that and lets you access your subscriptions on all your devices. It has a flippable, grid-based design, letting you browse articles with a swipe on touchscreens or mouse on traditional PCs. It's basically a fancy device for reading RSS news at a later time.

Music Maker Jam

This app is for the musician in all of us. You can create hooks with little effort and even choose between dubstep, house music, jazz, or hiphop genres as well as select from various instruments that can be controlled using a touch-operated, slider interface. If that's not enough, you can use the recording function to add your own voice to the mix.

The nine most important updates in Windows 10

Windows 10 is officially out. It’s the biggest update to Windows in years and represents a number of new directions for Microsoft’s premier software product. Windows 10 replaces Windows 8 and 8.1, and serves to attract those Windows 7 users that never bothered to update to Windows 8. There are a host of new features in Windows 10, ranging from updated interfaces to new apps and services. For all of our in-depth thoughts on the new platform, be sure to check out our full review.

Perhaps the most notable thing about the new platform is that you don’t have to pay for it, so long as you already have Windows 8 or Windows 7. But if you’re looking for a reason or two to update your current Windows 8 machine or aging Windows 7 box, here are the top new features in Windows 10 that might make you want to.

The 9 best new features in Windows 10

1. Refreshed user interface

   The most obvious change from Windows 8 to Windows 10 is the new user interface. It’s still flat and modern looking, but Microsoft went through great efforts to make it work for both touchscreen devices and computers that rely mostly on a mouse and keyboard. While Windows 8 essentially forced a touch interface on users whether they had hardware that took advantage of it or not, Windows 10 works equally well on both touch devices and mouse-and-keyboard PCs. Fullscreen apps can now be easily windowed on the desktop, and there are new ways to arrange and manage multiple windows for easier multitasking.

   For power users, Microsoft has implemented new windows-switching gestures similar to Expose on the Mac and native virtual desktops. All of these updates are pretty minor in themselves, but they add up to a much better user experience for the vast majority of Windows users, something that Microsoft whiffed on with its last version of Windows. If Windows 8’s take on the user interface was too different from prior versions of Windows for you, Windows 10 should be just what you’ve been looking for.
2. New Start Menu

   A big part of Windows 10's interface overhaul is the new Start menu, which replaces the fullscreen Start screen of Windows 8. It’s a blend of the traditional Start menu from Windows 7 and earlier with the Live Tiles of Windows 8 and Windows Phone. Users looking for quick access to recently used apps, the file explorer, and power controls will be just as happy as those that want the extra information displayed by Live Tiles. It’s a really great blend of the old and new and rectifies one of the biggest complaints many had with Windows 8 (and Windows 8.1, which fixed some issues, but didn’t really go far enough).
3. Cortana

   Windows 10 includes something that Microsoft has never offered in a desktop operating system before: a built-in virtual personal assistant. Cortana, which first became available on Windows Phone last year, is Microsoft’s answer to Google Now and Apple’s Siri, providing useful information at a glance. In Windows 10, Cortana is built into the system’s native search function, pulling in both local and web-based data whenever you perform a search on your machine. It also crawls your mail and calendar to provide updates on upcoming events, plane tickets, travel plans, and more without you having to ask for it.

   Cortana in Windows 10 is also able to be fully voice controlled and can even be activated with a simple "Hey Cortana" command. You can set reminders, perform searches, send email, add calendar events, and more with just your voice. If your experience with a PC has been mostly silent so far, Cortana might just get you talking to your computer and liking the results.
4. New Mail, Calendar, Photos, Maps apps

   Every major new version of an operating system comes with new versions of core apps for email, calendar, photos, mapping, and more. But with Windows 10, you might actually want to use these core apps, because the updated versions of them are actually quite good. The Mail and Calendar apps have been completely overhauled with new interfaces and features. They borrow a lot of ideas and design from Microsoft’s very highly rated Outlook app on iOS, and support a variety of email and calendar services. Threaded conversations, easy ways to delete or archive mail, and gesture controls make the new Mail app fast and efficient to use. Mail and calendar also provide a lot of data to make the Cortana personal assistant more useful, so even if you plan to use web tools to manage your inbox and appointments, it’s worth the time to set up your email and calendar accounts when you install Windows 10.

   The built-in Photos app has been redesigned with a new interface and plugs into Microsoft’s OneDrive service to make it easy to view all of the images or videos backed up from your phone. It also has automatic image enhancement features and basic editing tools. Maps has also been overhauled with a new interface and better integration with other parts of the system, such as Cortana.
5. Continuum

   A big piece of Windows 10’s new interface is the Continuum feature, which lets devices that can be both tablets and PCs seamlessly switch between the two modes. Continuum allows Microsoft to keep the tablet-style interface ideas of Windows 8 without interfering with the desktop interface that works best with a mouse and keyboard. On a device like the Surface Pro 3, disconnecting the keyboard will switch apps to their fullscreen mode and turn the Start menu into a fullscreen experience. Pop the keyboard back on, and the interface will revert back to the windowed desktop and standard Start menu. Continuum will also allow smartphones to act as full-fledged computers when connected to appropriate displays, once Windows 10 is available on mobile later this year.
6. Edge Browser

   Ever since Windows 95, Microsoft has included a web browser with its operating system. For years, that’s been Internet Explorer, which has been left behind by more modern browsers such as Google’s Chrome or Mozilla’s Firefox. For Windows 10, Microsoft is leaving the bloated and slow remnants of Internet Explorer behind and including Edge, its first new browser in 20 years. (Technically, Windows 10 still ships with Internet Explorer mostly for enterprise compatibility purposes, but most people using the system will be using Edge.)

   Edge is a completely overhauled browser that’s lean, fast, and supports modern web experiences. It also includes useful features such as integration with Cortana and a note-taking mode that lets you doodle on a web page and share it with others. The first version of Edge will still be too bare-boned for power users — conveniences such as extension support are not yet available — but for the vast majority of people, it should provide a much better web browsing experience than anything Microsoft has offered before.
7. Action Center

   Windows 8 included a basic notification panel, but Windows 10 takes it to another level with its Action Center. Accessible via a swipe in from the right on the screen or trackpad or by clicking the icon in the task bar, Action Center organizes notifications by app and provides quick access to a number of commonly used settings. It’s completely customizable in terms of appearance and which apps display notifications, and you can even perform actions on certain alerts, such as calendar notifications.
8. Xbox streaming to PC

   Windows 10 is coming with an all new Xbox app that lets you stream games from your console to a PC or laptop. It’s still a beta feature for now, but it works quite well over Wi-Fi and makes use of Windows’ native support for the Xbox’s USB controller. It also offers the ability to record your gaming session up to two hours in length right to your laptop’s drive. If you’ve been fighting for time on the TV to play games but other people are hogging the screen, this might be just the reason you need to get Windows 10.
9. Hello

   Windows 10 has a new, cleaner lock screen that’s available to everyone. But if you have a laptop or PC with supported hardware, the new Hello feature will let you log in without ever typing in a password. Just sit in front of your computer, and Windows 10 will recognize you and log in. It’s similar to image recognition login systems we’ve seen for years on Android, but Microsoft insists it’s far more foolproof thanks to the requirement of special cameras and infrared hardware. There aren’t many laptops that can take advantage of Hello just yet, but that will likely change quite a bit in a short time.

Teenager Guilty Of College Massacre Plot

A teenager has been found guilty of planning a mass murder at his former college.

Liam Lyburd, 19, who was accused of plotting a gun and bomb attack on Newcastle College in November last year, was convicted following a trial at Newcastle Crown Court.

He had pleaded guilty to nine counts of possessing five pipe bombs, two explosive devices, CS gas, a 9mm handgun and 94 expanding bullets, but had denied eight charges of intent to endanger life.

Following the unanimous guilty verdicts, Lyburd gestured with his fingers to his own head as if he was shooting himself as he was led from court.

Judge Paul Sloan QC, who will sentence Lyburd on 25 September after a psychiatric report has been prepared, told him: "You will appreciate that only a very substantial sentence in custody is appropriate in the circumstances of this case."

The court heard during his trial that Lyburd blamed the college for his "miserable life" and making him look a "fool".

In a hate-filled note about his former college, which he deleted from his computer but was recovered by an IT specialist, Lyburd wrote he would show no mercy in the planned attack.

He also told a girl on Skype of his desire to kill and referenced the Anders Breivik massacre in Norway and the Jaylen Fryberg college attack in the US.

Lyburd's hatred stemmed from a five-week spell at the college that saw him kicked out for being disruptive, the court was told.

Records showed he had a poor attendance record and was expelled for "shocking" behaviour.

Jurors also heard Lyburd used online names including The Joker and I Love My Anger and discussed attacking Newcastle Metro commuters with a gun and machete while on valium.

The teenager's mass murder plot was foiled when he was arrested in November after a tip-off from a concerned member of the public.

He told police at the time he was planning "to shoot a bunch of people" that day and they had saved lives, but later changed his story and denied making the admission.

Giving evidence, Lyburd said buying a Glock pistol on the internet was like "buying a bar of chocolate".

But he had claimed messages he posted on Facebook threatening an attack were only a "wind up" to keep his friends interested in him.

However, the prosecution said he intended to use the weapon because he had watched YouTube videos on how to load and fire it.

The teenager also tried to explain pictures of himself posing with the Glock gun while wearing a mask and boiler suit, claiming it was like people on Halloween "dressed as Ghostface from Scream".

Man cleared of perverting the course of justice over Kenneth Clarke grope claims

An actor has been cleared of perverting the course of justice by making up a story that he was molested by former chancellor Kenneth Clarke during a cash-for-questions TV sting 20 years ago.

Ben Fellows, 40, from Birmingham, alleged that the leading politician had plied him with alcohol and carried out the sexual assault in the office of a lobbyist while he was working undercover for ITV's Cook Report in 1994.

Mr Clarke insisted he had never in his life "had the compulsion" to grope another man as he dismissed the claim as "preposterous", "off the Richter scale" and "like Martians landing".

After eight hours of deliberations the jury at the Old Bailey found Fellows, of Redstone Farm Road, Olton, Solihull, not guilty of perverting the course of justice between November 14 2012 and December 1 2012.

The court had heard how in the autumn of 2012, Fellows told national news reporters about the alleged assault when he was 19 years old and stories were published in print and in his own blog.

He went on to make a statement to police officers from Operation Fairbank - the high profile investigation into Westminster historic child sex abuse.

Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson said: "In that witness statement, the defendant said that in 1994, when he was 19 years old, he had been employed as an undercover actor by an investigative journalism programme on ITV, the Cook Report, during a sting operation against Ian Greer, the political lobbyist.

"The focus of that sting operation was a suggested role by Greer in arranging for politicians to ask questions in Parliament in return for money - or cash-for-questions as it was known at the time.

"The defendant said in a witness statement that whilst engaged in that capacity he had been sexually assaulted in Greer's London office by Kenneth Clarke MP."

When officers checked out his version of events, they concluded they were false and began treating him as a suspect rather than a victim.

The former child actor had also claimed he had been abused by a number of people in the entertainment industry, including a senior female executive at the BBC whom he claimed seduced him when he was aged between 14 and 16.

Fellows, who was described as "an inventive and sometimes persuasive fantasist", claimed he had been invited to a cocaine-fuelled party on BBC premises hosted by two of Britain's biggest stars of the day.

Giving evidence in his defence, Fellows stood by his allegation against Mr Clarke.

Asked how he felt about it afterwards, he said: "It was not upsetting at all. It was weird but not upsetting. To put this in context - this was no more than a minor groping you would get in a nightclub on a Saturday night."

Fellows told the jury he was upset when police told him that abuse in the showbiz world was just about Jimmy Savile and limited to the BBC.

Asked if he had anything personal against Mr Clarke, he said: "No, nothing whatsoever, apart from what happened in that office. I did not take it personally. I was part of the team."

However, veteran broadcaster Roger Cook told the trial that he had never even heard of Fellows until someone pointed out his blog claiming to have worked on the Cook Report in 1990.

He told the court that particular show was never aired and if there had been any allegations around at the time, it would have been "an enormous story".