NASA taps hoverboard company Arx Pax to build space ‘tractor beam’

The company that made Marty McFly’s hoverboard a reality is reaching for the stars, or more precisely, satellites.

Los Gatos, Calif.-based Arx Pax has entered into a Space Act Agreement with NASA, the company announced Wednesday. The partnership involves Arx Pax’s Magnetic Field Architecture (MFA) technology, which will be used to build micro-satellite capture devices that can manipulate and couple satellites from a distance.

Related: Marty McFly’s hoverboard is finally real, and it’s on Kickstarter right now

The technology inevitably conjures up images of the tractor beam used on “Star Trek.”

“Likely uses for this technology include manipulating various types of objects at a distance without touching them or colliding with them,” explained Arx Pax CEO Greg Henderson, in an email to FoxNews.com. “One example could be moving an object, like a satellite, or holding it stationary without physical contact.”

However, specific details of the technology’s roadmap have not yet been revealed. “The collaboration is evolving and the project is a work in process,” explained Henderson, in the email. “We will share more information as we hit specific joint development milestones.”

Related: California company wants to ‘hover’ buildings, protecting against earthquakes

“We continue to place a firm emphasis on innovation and collaboration” said Luke Murchison, On-Orbit Autonomous Assembly from Nanosatellites Project Manager at NASA Langley Research Center, in a statement. “We’re confident and excited about the possibilities this agreement proposes.”

The partnership’s focus on micro-satellites may reflect the growing role played bycubesats in the space industry. NASA, for example, recently announced its plan to offer more rocket rides for cubesats, which are tiny, box-shaped satellites.

Arx Pax’s MFA technology, which provides magnetic elevation, has certainly been generating plenty of buzz. In addition to the hoverboard developed by its Hendo Hover subsidiary, Arx Pax has been touting MFA as a way to protect people and structures in natural disasters such as earthquakes. The company has been testing what it describes as "isolation of structures from unwanted movement" and has patented a three-part foundation system, which it says will "decouple" an object or building from the earth before disaster strikes.

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Report spills major details about Apple’s game-changing 2015 Apple TV

Next week’s big Apple event will draw headlines for the iPhone 6s but the product announcement that we’re looking forward to just as much will be of the next-generation Apple TV set-top box. BuzzFeed’s John Paczkowski has a new report up that offers some more major details about this potentially game-changing product including information on pricing and key features.

ANALYSIS: The next-gen Apple TV could be the most exciting product Apple has released in years

Let’s start with pricing: The new set-top box will sell starting at $149, which should make it fairly affordable for a device that will include a full A8 chipset. True, this is $50 more expensive than the previous Apple TV set-top box but this new device will be much more powerful and have more capabilities than the earlier models, including gaming.

The bigger news here, though, is BuzzFeed is reporting that the next-gen Apple TV is going to feature universal search for the first time.

“Sources familiar with Apple’s plans say that a cornerstone of the the company’s new set-top box is a universal search feature that will enable searches across multiple streaming video services as well as Apple’s iTunes Store,” Paczkowski explains. “Instead of searching the catalogs of multiple video services one-at-a-time for a particular movie, you’ll now be able to search all — or most of them — at once and then choose the service on which you’d like to watch it. You’ll also be able to search for actors and directors, and run other more targeted searches as well — all with Siri.”

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3 standout headphone designs

Ever since Beats headphones became a cultural icon, nearly every company on the planet has tried to capitalize on the trend by introducing their own headphones or earbuds. Consequently, distinguishing one brand from another can be nearly impossible.

Nevertheless, three recent models I've been auditioning from Torque, Plantronics, and Motorola have managed to stand out from the crowd by offering unique features and designs.

Torque t402v, $400

Music sources are more varied today than ever, from full-fledged high-res tracks to thin streaming music. Your headphones can significantly affect how these sources sound from too high-pitched to too much booming bass. To compensate — and appeal to different musical tastes — Torque's t402v headphones can be adjusted using built-in filters.

In the past, other headphones have tried the tuning technique, but Torque's design is simpler and subtler. The earpads are magnetic, so they can be removed and turned to four different positions representing different bass tunings. Inside the earpads, the filters are color coded. Yellow delivers the most punch, black the least. You also have the option of using smaller on-ear pads or larger over-the-ear pads.

Like most serious headphones, the Torque t402v's wrap the listener in sound. I preferred the over-the-ear pads and found the headphones delivered excellent separation of instruments, as well as plenty of tight bass, no matter which filter I chose. The difference is not as dramatic as you switch between settings, but it is noticeable. Yellow makes the bass notes the roundest bringing instruments like the bass guitar to the forefront. Drums are tighter with the black setting.

Some may find that the different filters are more appropriate for different music. Stan Getz is better with less bass, while Moon Martin is better with more. I also found that the mellow yellow setting tended to take some of the rough edges off of streaming music services like Pandora and Spotify.

Plantronics Backbeat Sense, $180

Whereas the Torque headphones felt heavy on my head at times, the Plantronics Backbeat Sense headphones are so light as to be almost effervescent. They also have some extra tricks of their own.

To begin with, the Backbeat Sense headphones can be used wired or wirelessly (via Bluetooth). Without a cable, they're rated for up to 18 hours of playing time. Music over the Plantronics headphones is spritely without ignoring the mid-range keyboards of pop tunes. The Backbeats couldn't match the total immersive sonic sensation of the Torque headphones, but they were certainly respectable. Moreover, even though I'm not a fan of on-ear pads, I quickly grew used to the Backbeats.

In addition to comfort, my favorite feature of the Backbeat Sense headphones is the automatic pause. If, say, a flight attendant should offer you coffee or tea, sliding the headphones down around your neck automatically pauses the music. After you've placed your order and pop the headphones back on, the music starts ups again. Not only is it polite, it helps preserve an already impressive battery life.

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A Facebook insult lands Thai man 30 years in prison

The frequency with which we've already seen Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton insulted across various social media platforms in the United States makes it difficult to believe that in some countries, this disrespect is met with severe consequences. A Thai man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after being found guilty of "posting messages and pictures defaming the monarchy" on Facebook. The three decade sentence is actually half of the original punishment of 60 years, which the government benevolently reduced after the naysayer, 48-year-old Pongsak Sriboonpeng, admitted to his "crime." The nation's strict lse-majest law, which translates literally as the "injured majesty" rule, makes any insult of the king, queen, heir, or regent an offense punishable by up to 15 years per count.

Convictions under the stifling law have apparently increased significantly since the 2014 military coup, and both the Thai government and the media take the measures extremely seriously. In fact, even when reporting these offenses, media outlets carefully choose how to convey information, as merely repeating insults and perceived offenses could be seen as illegal. More horrifying still, now that the country is operating under martial law, Sriboonpeng and others found guilty of offending the monarchy cannot appeal their sentences.

Related: How do you laugh online? Facebook can tell you

The same principle has been used multiple times in the past to imprison dissenters, including non-Thai individuals. In 2007, a Swiss man was imprisoned for a decade for his lse-majest conviction, and an American citizen of Thai descent was also arrested when he visited the country, whereupon he was forced to "confess" his crimes. Lse-majest has also been used to qualify censorship and government surveillance -- YouTube was blocked in the nation several years ago after a video appeared that was considered insulting to the king, and in 2014, mass surveillance "specifically targeting those producing and reading lse majest content" was justified under the law.

While international organizations have long decried the practice as " preposterous," the Thai government has shown no signs of budging. So while you're in the U.S., say what you will about your political leaders. But don't expect to be able to speak so freely, especially on the Internet, in foreign countries.

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Hatfields and McCoys help pinpoint key battle site in feud

LOUISVILLE, Ky.  — The Hatfield and McCoy descendants came armed — with digging tools. Side by side, they worked together to help archaeologists unearth artifacts from one of the bloodiest sites in America's most famous feud.

The leader of the dig says they have pinpointed the place where Randolph McCoy's home was set ablaze in the woods of eastern Kentucky during a murderous New Year's attack by the Hatfield clan.

Two McCoys were gunned down in the 1888 ambush on Randolph McCoy's homestead. It marked a turning point in their cross-border war waged in Kentucky and West Virginia, led by family patriarchs William Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield and Randolph "Ole Ran'l" McCoy.

The 10-day excavation focused on a back corner of the homestead. Archaeologists and volunteers — including descendants from the two families — uncovered charred timber, shell casings, nails, a pulley and fragments of glass and ceramics.

Eddie McCoy had made earlier pilgrimages there, but he said sifting through his ancestral soil was especially poignant.

"When I was digging through the mud and big chunks of burned wood started coming out, it just made it so real," he said this week. "I had to actually pause for a moment. I just could not believe I was being able to literally dig into my family's past."

A 2012 dig had given excavators some understanding of the McCoy homestead.

The team decided the actual site wasn't quite where they thought it was, said Kim McBride, co-director of the Kentucky Archaeological Survey. She led the archaeological teams on both digs.

"We had some suspicions that we weren't quite in the right place at the first dig," McBride said. "With more work, we were able to confirm that suspicion. We think the house sat a little bit further back."

The back corner of the homestead was the area least disturbed by development, McBride said.

"Having this little area of materials from the original house in its burned state was very significant," she said.

In a region slammed by a slumping coal industry, better identifying the McCoy homestead could help lure visitors.

The property is owned by Hatfield descendant Bob Scott, who would like to build a replica cabin on the same spot.

"We're trying to preserve the heritage of the Hatfield-McCoy feud," he said. "People like to get off the beaten path sometimes."

A tour group from Georgia visited the site this week, he said. Visitors from Hawaii stopped by recently.

Pike County tourism officials promote tours of feud sites on their website.

The Hatfield and McCoy Heritage Days from Sept. 24-26 in Pikeville, Kentucky, will include a Hatfield-McCoy paintball tournament, music and local crafts. Across the border, West Virginia tourism officials also are trying to capitalize on interest in the feud.

A 2012 History Channel miniseries about the feud helped stir up new interest. And the National Geographic Channel series "Diggers" will focus on the feud and the most recent dig in an episode airing Monday night.

Many believe the feud was rooted in the Civil War, but the bitterness was perpetuated by disputes over timber rights and even a pig. The fighting claimed at least a dozen lives by 1888. The feud officially ended in 2003, when descendants of the families signed a truce.

The saga even included an ill-fated love affair between Johnse Hatfield and Roseanna McCoy.

"The characters are just so amazing and so complex and so human," said feud expert Bill Richardson, an extension associate professor for West Virginia University. "They have all those human faults — greed, jealousy and lust. Honestly, it's like a Shakespearean play but it's true."

The families now share a kinship, said Eddie McCoy, who lives in South Carolina. During the dig, he said, a Hatfield descendant apologized for what her family did to his ancestors.

His reply: "You can't be apologetic for what happened in the past and what your ancestor did, because my ancestor did bad things to their family, too."

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