Mac Mini PVR Setup
This PVR setup features a Mac Mini Core Duo, Westinghouse LVM-42w2 1080p monitor, 300GB HDD in fanless enclosure, Miglia TVMini HD OTA HDTV Turner, and a Peerless ST650P Universal Tilt Wall Mount.
[via TUAW]
Time Cube: a clock with an edge… several, in fact
The Time Cube is actually a proper cube only twice a day — at noon and midnight. The rest of the time one of the corners sprouts a series of triangles that rotate, filling the roles of hour, minute, and second hands. It looks kind of difficult to tell time on the thing, though pretty easy to lose yourself in the edgy 3-D shapes that emerge as the seconds tick by. Fifteen bucks gets you cubical timekeeping from watch.brando.com.hk.
Time cube, via Fosfor Gadgets
Nintendo Wii Release Date: November 6th
We ran into a gaming website claiming that they were able to get some inside information from Nintendo in regards to the Wii release date. According to their sources, as of right now, the Nintendo Wii release date is scheduled for November 6th.
… we pushed our source a bit further to see if they had an idea of a more exact date. Today, we were provided with the following information…
“So, at the moment Nintendo are aiming to launch the Wii on November 6th”
Our source emphasised that this date is correct at present, but pointed out: “Nintendo aren’t going to have an exact date in mind until they are sure they can meet the deadlines”.
Since Sony has already announced the PlayStation 3 release date, and Nintendo did announce a Q4 launch date at this years E3, it makes sense that Nintendo would do everything possible within their power, to get their new console out into the market before Sony launches the PS3.
Please take the November 6th launch information with a grain of salt, as nothing has been confirmed by Nintendo yet.
Anti-terror grants rile 9/11 targets
New York and Washington will get less in federal anti-terror money this year, while other areas will see increases in their funding. Under one program, New York still gets the largest grant but it is $83 million down on last year, while the capital's funding is cut by $31 million. "Somehow this administration thinks that Georgia peanut farmers are more at risk than the Empire State Building," said N.Y. Sen. Charles Schumer, referring to a 40 percent rise in Georgia's grant.
Google has no plan for its own browser
Google Inc. has no plans to build its own Web browser software to compete with rival Microsoft Corp., Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said on Wednesday. Schmidt dismissed speculation that the company aimed to tie together its Web search and other services to compete with Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
Madonna snaps at bored audience member
Madonna’s gig in Las Vegas, Nevada was boring and a waste of time to one audience member in one of the front rows. Halfway through the performance, Madonna snapped reports The Scoop,
If you are only going to sit there, at least you can smile
Madonna should take this as the cue that her career is over. A person who went out of their way and most likely willingly went to see Madonna on stage was bored with her performance. If I were to sit here and say how terrible Madonna was it really wouldn’t matter because I would never take time out of my day to see her, but this guy on the other hand did. So unless he was comatosed from excitement, he probably thought the performanc esucked and Madonna should give up trying to be the ‘Material Girl’ she once was.
Bang & Olufsen gives the cell phone some class
Cell phones come packed with more and more bells and whistles as time goes on — still cameras, video cameras, Bluetooth, games — the list goes on and on. But what if you want your phone to just be, you know, a phone? Bang & Olufsen hears you, and that's why it's released the Serene, a simple mobile phone that's "high end" because of its elegant design, not because of features you won't use. Featuring a large screen and a retro-looking touch wheel, the Serene does what it's made to do well without needless bloat. Don't think that fewer features mean a lower price, however: the Serene will set you back about $1,300. But hey, pick up the Louis Vuitton leather holding case that's designed to go with it and you'll definitely have the classiest mobile in town.
Feeling all Serene, via Popgadget
[originating url]Xbox portable on the way?
Is Microsoft going to release a handheld version of the Xbox? That's the word according to a new report from The Diffusion Group, a new-media research firm. While Microsoft head honcho Bill Gates was mum on the subject at this month's Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, he hinted that game development is all about the software. That might imply Microsoft is planning to let hardware companies (like Alienware) actually build the consoles, licensing them to use the Xbox system. Or it could mean that the Redmond software giant will introduce its own portable game console (like the mock-up shown here that made the rounds a few weeks ago), which would almost certainly be a multimedia player similar to Sony's PSP. With an Xbox portable in the market, gamers would have three handheld consoles to choose from (including the PSP and the Nintendo DS), and it would certainly be popular with anyone wanting to play Halo while on the go!
Who wants to party at a gay club after the prom?
I Came across this in my email and just had to ask who in there right mind would have there prom after party at a gay club??? lol... Avalon originally called Limelight is an event, party, and concert space that has been in existence since the early 90s.
After Prom Event @ Avalon Nightclub
Located at 47 West 20th St at 6th Ave 
| The name Avalon is synonymous with both quality and style. Not only is it an above average space with various rooms and a great sound system but it also boasts designs done by some of Europe's top designers. Avalon's decor and design features backlit walls, huge stage areas, soaring ceilings and an overlooking DJ booth that will make your students stand in awe of NYC nightlife. This venue is 20,000 square feet and three floors that bring you into a different theme as you turn each corner! |
TO RSVP click on the link below or call 212-947-2337
Dell XPS M2010 is a portable gaming PC, sort of
Dell has introduced their new XPS M2010 gaming PC, which redefines the concept of a "portable" PC somewhat. Featuring a 20.1-inch LCD screen that folds into the slim machine, it includes a handle for being toted around. However, the thing weighs 20 pounds and that's without the wireless keyboard and mouse, which need to be lugged separately. Oh, and there's no battery, so you'll need power cables and an outlet to hook it up. Hmm… call it transportable, I guess. Fortunately, there's more to the M2010 than mobility. Dell continues to impress with the specs on its XPS line by loading you up with an Intel Core Duo processor, up to 4 GB of RAM, a 256-MB RADEON X1800 graphics card, and all the Wi-Fi trimmings you could want, plus an Apple-esque webcam built into the top of the screen. Those specs would boost the price of any regular PC, but the transportability factor here jumps it even further — to $4,000. Pretty steep, but if you're sick of dragging around a 50-pound tower and 19-inch CRT monitor to LAN parties, it's probably worth it.
Dell XPS M2010 gets official, via Engadget
Gryphon flying wings: the Rocketeer takes off
The Gryphon is sure to be the air-assault accessory of choice of special military forces and superhero wannabes everywhere. With this set of personal flying wings strapped to your back, you'll be able to bail out of a plane miles from your target, glide to your landing area while staying virtually undetectable by radar, and then pull the rip cord on your 'chute for a soft landing (and presumably jettisoning your wings). The designer, German company ESG, has plans for an upgrade that would include a small jet engine, enabling the wearer to drop from a lower altitude while increasing the range. Pretty badass stuff, and even if the military doesn't go for it, it'll probably show up in a Delta Force sequel, with Chuck Norris swooping in on some evildoers in a souped-up Gryphon. Roc on!
ESG Personal Flying Wings, via Coolest Gadgets
Rumor: Nintendo Wii $149 Or 18,000 Yen
How low can you go?
Let's just say off the bat that this is third hand information and that it's about as verifiable as the existence of UFOs or Paris Hilton's classy side. Perhaps slightly less so. But Japanese retail store PC-Success recently had the Nintendo Wii listed on their site for 18,000 Yen, which would translate to $149 when taking into account conversion, taxes, and dividing by the square of the hypotenuse.
Not surprisingly, the price was quickly yanked from the site. Kakaku.Livedoor, on the other hand, still has the same price listed. We suspect they might have gotten a not-so-thrilled phone call from Nintendo because of that one.
Cool Jewels Ice Tray
Give out the bling at your next party with this $8.95 ice tray that lets you fill up your glasses with 10-carat diamonds. Just pour water into these trays and the cubes come out looking like multi-faceted gems.
Add a little green food coloring as you see in the picture here, and presto! Instant emeralds. Well, not exactly instant, but you can make them a lot quicker than the natural way.
iDoll iPod Cases
If you weren't already sick of iPod cases before, get ready to grab the Pepto because more supposedly high-fashion cases are being released into the wild. Thanks (?) to an agreement between Dr. Bott and i-doll, iPod users can now look forward to (more) iPod cases, but at least these are "hand-stitched by French leather craftsmen who pay close attention to detail and tradition."
Just looking through the i-doll Web site really lends to their hoity-toity attitude. For instance, why not deck your iPod out in a gorilla costume, as pictured here? Such classy cases will run you from $27.99 to $49.99.
i-doll Cases [Dr. Bott via MacMinute]
Reviewed: Belkin Tunesync (Verdict: Good All Around)
Apple charges $40 for an iPod dock, using up a precious USB port on your computer in the process. Belkin's Tunesync iPod USB hub aims to tackle the tasks of being an iPod dock and a USB hub (go figure). The chaps at Everything USB gave it a thorough overview and came away, for the most part, satisfied.
As a dock, the TuneSync functions quite well. Plug in your iPod and it starts charging immediately, while the audio out on the back of the unit can be used to output your iPod's music to a stereo or set of speakers. As a hub, the TuneSync also performs nicely, but with one caveat: the five USB ports on the back of the unit are a little too close together, making fitting numerous big and/or wide USB devices, such as the iPod Shuffle, a far more difficult exercise than it ought to be.
The TuneSync will run you anywhere from $40-$70, so shop around a bit before spending your hard-earned money.
Belkin TuneSync for iPod USB Hub Review [Everything USB via I4U News]
Yahoo Profiles Phishing Redux
The most likely reason for the longevity of the phishing site is that it was not a widespread attack and it didn't target a major financial service. Hence, it managed to stay under the radar of the blacklists. Since way-under-the-radar spear phishing is the fastest growing category of phishing, this certainly doesn't portend a good future for most existing anti-phishing measures in the market - considering blacklisting is currently the most popular method for combating phishing.
We would like to hear what you think are good solutions to combat highly targeted spear phishing attacks. E-mail us at the weblog address listed at the top of this page.
Buffalo's latest USB key packs 8 gigs
They're not the first and most surely won't be the last to join the club, but Buffalo has just added an 8GB thumb drive to their flash lineup. The RUF2-R8G-S manages to squeeze the gigs into a 0.75 x 3.6 x 0.55 enclosure, and promises 32MB/s write and 27MB/s read speeds over USB 2.0. No word on price, but we're sure the Yen required will be many. Now how about a bit of 16GB action?
[Via Akihabara]
[Via Akihabara]
Hack gives Minty Boost to an iPod battery
[Via Hack-A-Day]
AMD to buy ATI?
[Via PC Perspective, thanks Ryan]
Microsoft Debuts Windows Live OneCare
After a year in beta testing, Microsoft on Wednesday took the wraps off Windows Live OneCare, its all-in-one security and PC care subscription service. But how will partners feel about Microsoft offering its own security solution?
Never Cross Apple
With all our Apple crack licking, it's news like this that kind of encourages to take our tongues away. It seems that a Samsung exec spilled the beans about the manufacture of chips for the iPod Nano and, as a result, Apple pulled its business and sent it to SigmaTel.
The claim comes from Los Angeles-based Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Craig Berger, according to a variety of reports today. Berger told clients he believed Samsung's design win for the chip that will power the next version of the Nano would have been extended to an updated Shuffle had a Samsung executive not spilled the beans about the new Nano ahead of time.
Sounds pretty nasty, but it looks like that's how Apple plays its game. Bastards.
Samsung 'gaffe' sends Apple order to rival chip maker [RegHardware]
[ originating url ]
NYPD marking iPods, phones to aid in theft recovery
Myth or not, the story that muggers are specifically targeting folks with iPods has gotten a fair amount of press since it was first reported, and has convinced at least one police department to make a rather half-hearted attempt at returning peace of mind to the city's subway commuters. For the past three months, New York City cops have been offering iPod and other portable device owners a way to "register" their gear -- wherein the officers mark your hardware with invisible ink and copy down the serial number -- in order to provide victims with a slim but tangible chance of recovery. The two-pronged approach ensures that even if thieves figure out a way to wash off the ink. which is only visible under infrared lighting, they may not be wise enough to file off the serial numbers as well. So far, over 2,000 gadgets have been marked at Transit Bureau offices and tables located around the subway system, although the program has yet to help any victims recover their stolen goods, so it's probably not a bad idea to continue sporting your Thomas Pink tie.[Via NY1, thanks Leon F]
The Big Three's consoles: size matters
P.S. -We understand the Wii's not 100% accurately represented here. Looks pretty close though.
[Via Joystiq]
[originating url]
Get your Q now in "just 2 easy steps"
It is truly a great day for Verizon customers. The kind of day you'll tell your grandkids about. Fifteen years from now, people will be asking each other, "Where were you when the Q order link went live on Verizon's site?" Anyway, after "just 2 easy steps" -- committing two years of mobile freedom and your firstborn child -- the Motorola Q will cost you $199.99. Why are you still reading? Get 'em while the gettin's good.
[Thanks, Cossa]
[Thanks, Cossa]
DS Lite US street date broken, now available!
Whoa Nelly! We're getting reports that Walmart and Target have jumped the gun on the June 11 DS Lite launch date and are selling DS Lites ahead of schedule. Forum jockeys over at Cheap Ass Gamer and elsewhere are declaring mixed success after febrile trips to their local big-boxes across the nation. So check it, skip the Trix this AM and go trolling the aisles -- you might just get lucky.
[Via Joystiq, thanks stisev1]
[Via Joystiq, thanks stisev1]
Nokia E62 on Cingular soon
We're sorry to say we don't have a price or release date for you, but a little birdie told us Cingular's business unit's going to very soon be getting Nokia's QWERTY hotness, the E62 (that little birdie also supplied us a picture). Unfortunately it won't be UMTS (sigh) or have WiFi, as we knew, but it'll still have quad-band GPRS / EDGE, Good, MS Direct Push, BlackBerry Connect, XpressMail, just about every Bluetooth profile imaginable, Symbian 9.1 / S60 3.0, and all the hardware we've come to expect: 235MHz CPU, 32MB RAM and 160MB flash, MiniSD, QVGA 256k color display, and USB mass storage support. We'd say it's safe to assume you can expect this in the very near future; we'll keep you posted.
[originating url]
[originating url]
Terrorism invoked in ISP snooping plan
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Attorney general says ISPs must retain records of Americans' activities to help in terrorism fight, Lohan has learned.
[ full story ]Windows Sidebar Gallery Launches
In preparation for the public release of Windows Vista Beta 2, Microsoft put live over the weekend a beta Web site for hosting gadgets that run within the Windows Sidebar. The site enables users to find available gadgets and allows developers to submit their own creations.
AMD Counters 'VIIV' With 'LIVE!'
When Intel announced Viiv, no one had any idea what the hell they were talking about (in fact, we still don't). Then AMD re-announced their Live! strategy at CES, about which we also didn't really have any freaking clue. Well, now we have a clue, thanks AMD; Live! is a (gasp) entertainment platform that will use a number of applications to create a more immersive, improved multimedia experience designed around their existing Athlon64 X2. Those applications, you ask? Well, they're mostly software rebadges: AMD LIVE! On Demand powered by Orb Networks, AMD LIVE! Network Magic, AMD LIVE! Compress, AMD LIVE! LogMeIn, and AMD LIVE! Media Vault. So it's basically Viiv -- nebulous multimedia software suite + CPU / platform -- but AMD style, which we more or less knew. Expect Live! PCs from "leading OEMs including Acer, Alienware, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, Gateway, HP, Sahara, and Tsinghua Tongfang." Oh, you know we will![Via PC Mag]
Glitch In The System: Round Three
Xbox 360s are still breaking; Microsoft claims rate of return is still within standard range. We look at the status of the console six months post-launch.
May 26, 2006 - The red rings of death. That's how the blinking red lights that surround the power button on Microsoft's Xbox 360 have come to be called, and it's the most feared sight a console owner could see. Basically, it means your console is done working for the foreseeable future.
These lights seemed to be an all too common occurrence in the weeks following the Xbox 360 launch in November 2005, so much so that IGN received hundreds of complaints of faulty systems with a laundry list of problems, most notably overheating, disc-scratching and outright system failure. These complaints tapered off in recent months for a few reasons: Microsoft has made improvements in the manufacturing process; a high number of these problems were caused by the user and not Microsoft, specifically not keeping the console properly ventilated and moving the console while it is on; and, finally, there weren't very many consoles to go around after the initial batch at launch.
[ full story ]
[ full story ]
WORST NIGHT OUT EVER
-cassius_clay13- so I was with my friend bryan the other night in a bar
-cassius_clay13- well he got really drunk and said he was gonna puke
-cassius_clay13- so i helped him walk to the toilet
-cassius_clay13- all the stalls were occupied
-emoti_conartist- lol
-cassius_clay13- bryan is a rugby player... so a big guy
-cassius_clay13- so he fucking KICKS one of the stall doors open
-cassius_clay13- and there's this guy in there taking a shit
-emoti_conartist- hahahahahaha
-cassius_clay13- and bryan throws up ALL OVER HIM
-cassius_clay13- then (this is genius) bryan thinks 'oh shit... if i were taking a shit and someone came in and was sick all over me, i'd want to fuck him up... so i'd better hit him first'
-cassius_clay13- so he fucking SMACKS this guy in the face
-cassius_clay13- and runs away
-cassius_clay13- imagine being that guy... WORST NIGHT OUT EVER
Xbox 360 Camera Release Date Announced: September 19th
Lieutenant Commander Nelson let flow the mango-kiwi juice of information on the Xbox Live Vision camera release date in his latest podcast. The firm, yet loving date: September 19th, 2006 AD.
He didn't say how much it would cost, but the Xbox 360 gesture recognition depends on two the Xbox Live Visions, so they shouldn't be prohibitively expensive.
Other aspects we're looking forward to: putting your face into characters in games (hasn't been announced but there's been talk forever), and using your face as your gamerpic. We hope there's some filtering on that, or else there's going to be a lot of hairy testicle gamerpics on Live.
Show #176 The one about the dash update [Major Nelson via Games Industry]
Lost Star Out on luck
Michelle Rodriguez had received a 60-day jail sentence for DUI probation violations. She checked herself in on Thursday evening and was released 4 and half hours later due to jail overcrowding.
She was probably fucked her way through all the security guards in order to get a lighter sentence. Yeah right! She probably begged for them not to let her ass out!
[TMZ]
Seeking status in a cell phone
roundup With its new Q smart phone, Motorola aims for an A-plus grade. Also: Nokia's diamond-studded handsets.
Skinny cell phones
DSL Leading Broadband Growth in U.S.
As the price of broadband falls, the middle class is increasingly turning to broadband. Faster adoption of high-speed Internet is being fueled by more competitive pricing plans, a study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project said Monday.
Insta-Pants
Ever notice when bunnies and cats sit up they have instant "Pantaloons'?
Submitter Debbie C. wants to know if you have. Here's her Photostream...
Mini Player
Hmmmm... where have we seen that color scheme before? And that wallpaper? And that styling? Must have appeared to us in a dream featuring intellectual property-stealing zombies.
That said, this Mini Player PMP is everything the iPod Video should be: FM tuner, MP3 and OGG playback, and Xvid video. With 20 hours of battery life and a hot little screen, we can forgive the wholesale piracy.
Product Page [Meizu via TrustedReviews]
SteriPEN UV Water Purifier
Ever find yourself in [undefined country] and run out of bottled water to drink? Use the SteriPEN Water Purifier to kill bacteria, viruses and protozoa without using chemicals or boiling. Simply stir for less than a minute and the water's safe to drink.
We wonder how the [undefined country residents] can drink their water every day. They must have guts of steel. Damn [undefined country residents].
SteriPEN [Magellan's via Shiny Shiny]
SanDisk 1GB SD Card Deal
We knew SanDisk was lowering the price of its flash memory, but $17.95 for a 1GB Secure Digital memory card? That's a pretty damn good deal. Well, it's not quite that cheap, really—the card is $30.95, but if you don't mind dealing with the $13 rebate hassle, you can walk away with the thing for just under $18.
Not bad, and it makes us feel rather foolish for paying about 10 times that much not too long ago.
SanDisk 1GB SD Card [Buy.com]
Beer Holster: So You Can Grab Stuff
You probably already know that we likes us some beers. But we don't want to go to the trouble of carrying those frosties around, warming them up and generally taking up one of our hands so we can't stuff our faces with grub at the same time.
You've been there: chicken leg on one hand, beer in the other, and then you want to grab your girlfriend. You're out of hands. Solve the problem with the beer holster. Works with a 12-ounce can or bottle and it's made out of rugged leather. It's $30.
Product page [Red Envelope, via über-review]
Wave Energy Concept: Clean, Cheap Power
Columbia and Oregon State University have a plan to plant buoys off the coast of Oregon that can harness enough wave energy to supply about 20% of the state's electricity. The magnetic part of the buoy is anchored to the sea floor, while an electric coil is secured to the heaving buoy. The modulation of the waves sends that neodymium-iron-born magnet back and forth through the electric coil. Sounds like a great way to gin up some energy.
Feasibility studies are underway, with the researchers planning to set up these direct-drive wave energy buoys using federal funding. We're thinking that's one of the few good ways to put our tax dollars to work.
Wave Energy Parks Could Be Coming To Oregon [Treehugger]
Wi-Fi Bunny Opera
Remember those crazy Nabaztag Wi-Fi Bunnies that took the world by storm earlier this year? Some crazy folks have put together the Nabaz'mob opera as part of the Web Flash Festival in Paris. Yes, it is as stupid as it sounds. Follow the linkage below for a crappy video and more pictures of the opera in action. The bunnies were supposed to be synchronized with music and commands from a conductor, but it appears to have failed miserably.
Concert de Nabaztag [Blogbaztag via Gridskipper]
Solid Gold Sony Ericsson J230i
Limited to just 10 units, this special edition Sony Ericsson J230i features solid gold casing and will be given away at Carrefour outlets in the UAE (United Arab Emirates). Aside from the casing, it offers an FM tuner, a 65k STN display, and polyphonic ringtones.
Shoppers who purchase the Sony Ericsson J230i will receive a raffle coupon for entry into the draw to win a J230i made of solid gold. Each gold phone weights about 130 gms, and it takes approximately 72 hours to make one gold phone.
[via Slashphone]
Lobsters Avoid Virus by Detecting Illness in Their Own Kind
Caribbean spiny lobsters are able to detect illness in others of their kind, and employ avoidance tactics to keep their population healthy, according to a paper in this week's issue of the journal Nature. The research results show that the usually social animals avoid contact with other lobsters that carry viruses--even before those lobsters become infectious.
Equalizer watch has new look for summer
Who knew the Equalizer watch would be such a big hit? I mean, it must've been for that wacky watch designer, Tokyoflash, to come up with an updated version with a snazzier looks, the Equalizer 2. Like its predecessor, the EQ2 has a face with columns of lights that pop up and down, but the new version angles the columns for a 3-D effect and uses brighter lights cooler green. Reason enough for an upgrade, no? And yes, it still tells time by whisking away the lights when you press the button — except for two that indicate the hour and minute. The new Equalizer comes in silver or black; you can order yours online now for $160 or so ($140 before June 2nd). It could be the perfect gift for that stereo fanatic you know.
Wheelman motorized skateboard: dangerously fun
While we all wait patiently for the ScarPar, this Wheelman motorized skateboard should satisfy your urgent desire to zip quickly and dangerously across a hard surface. Getting you up to almost 20 mph, the Wheelman runs on a two-stroke engine that uses a mix of gas and oil, just like a lawnmower. You control your speed by squeezing a ball in your hand, and as the Web site says, "the more you squeeze, the more fun you have!" Of course, if you tend to clench your fists when you get scared or tense, a flexible ball could be a pretty lousy way to control the speed, but we'll just assume most people will be calm and collected while tooling around on a skateboard with a lawnmower engine in it. All this dangerous fun can be yours now for only $1,500.
The Wheelman, expensive motorized skateboard, via Oh Gizmo!
Windows Live OneCare release last Thursday
Sharp MP-B200 and MP-B300 Thin MP3 Players
Sharp is throwing these two flash players at the iPod Nano and hoping one of them takes out Apple's popular flash based player. With a glossy face and 512MB/1GB of built in memory w/ miniSD expandability, the player won't hold your entire library but will be enough for a full day's work.
Other features, FM transmitter (can someone translate this from the Japanese press release?), voice recording, FM tuner, MP3 and WMA support. Pretty standard except for the built-in FM transmitter.
Press Release [Sharp via i4u]
Jobs' glass elevator locks in group customers
Nintendo releases Rumble Pack for DS Lite
No surprises here: Nintendo has loosed a version of the venerable Rumble Pak on Japanese DS Lite owners, with a US model forthcoming. Besides being smaller than its big brother in order to fit flushly in the Lite's cartridge slot, the new Rumble Pak sports all the same vibrating goodness, and for the same price too. (In case you don't remember, that price is a mere $10). Unfortunately, both versions of the Pak are still only supported by a handful of games, so here's to hoping you haven't beaten Metroid Prime Hunters yet.[Via DS Fanboy]
US court backs online reporters
 The case concerned leaks about Apple products |
The decision was made in a case brought by Apple against a number of reporters who published information online about a future Apple product launch.
Apple filed the lawsuit to find out the source of the reporter's information.
But judges said that online journalists have the same right to protect the confidentiality of their sources as offline media.
"Today's decision is a victory for the rights of journalists, whether online or offline, and for the public at large," said Attorney Kurt Opsahl of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a digital rights organisation who have been defending the journalists.
Unlawful
The case began when Apple sued a number of unknown individuals, or "John Does", who leaked information about the launch of a FireWire audio interface for the Mac music program Garage Band.
Details of the release were published on news sites PowerPage and Apple Insider.
Apple argued that as the leaked information was confidential, the publishers of the site had to reveal their sources.
The judges presiding over the case disagreed.
"We decline the implicit invitation to embroil ourselves in questions of what constitutes 'legitimate journalism'," they said.
"We can think of no workable test or principle that would distinguish 'legitimate' from 'illegitimate' news," they concluded.
The online journalists are protected by California's Shield Law, as well as the country's constitution, said the judges.
In an attempt to uncover the source of the leak Apple had also subpoenaed Nfox.com, the e-mail service provider for PowerPage, to hand over messages that may identify the leak.
However the judges ruled that the subpoena was unlawful.
It is not known whether Apple plan to appeal against the decision.
[ originating url ]
EU court blocks data deal with US
 |  |
Europe's highest court blocks an EU-US deal that requires airline passenger data to be transferred to the US.
[ full story ]
iRiver clix 2-GB Portable Media Player
[RETAIL: $200]
The clix is a gem of a media player. The entire device is 2.7 x 1.8 x 0.6 inch with a bright, 2.2-inch, 260,000-color display. Uncluttered by buttons or scroll wheels, this gadget has the slickest menus I've ever seen: The screen itself is a four-way rocker -- you press down on an edge to navigate. However, there's a downside to the design -- my greasy fingers had a tendency to smudge up the high-gloss screen. Sound and video playback are great though, with a clear picture and crisp, clean audio. And it supports most audio and video formats (sadly not DivX or XViD). Want more? There's a digital FM radio tuner, games, five-band EQ, Macromedia Flash player, voice recorder, and alarm clock. Just don't try giving it to your prospective fiancée instead of a diamond. -- R.T.
[RATING: 8/10] [ iriveramerica.com ]
The clix is a gem of a media player. The entire device is 2.7 x 1.8 x 0.6 inch with a bright, 2.2-inch, 260,000-color display. Uncluttered by buttons or scroll wheels, this gadget has the slickest menus I've ever seen: The screen itself is a four-way rocker -- you press down on an edge to navigate. However, there's a downside to the design -- my greasy fingers had a tendency to smudge up the high-gloss screen. Sound and video playback are great though, with a clear picture and crisp, clean audio. And it supports most audio and video formats (sadly not DivX or XViD). Want more? There's a digital FM radio tuner, games, five-band EQ, Macromedia Flash player, voice recorder, and alarm clock. Just don't try giving it to your prospective fiancée instead of a diamond. -- R.T.
[RATING: 8/10] [ iriveramerica.com ]
Back To The Future DeLorean for sale
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
(Video Review) Sansa e260
MobilityToday reviews the 4GB SanDisk e260 digital media player, which features a 1.8-inch TFT screen, an FM tuner, and support for a host of video/audio formats. Watch after the jump.
For convenience and ease of use, the new Sansa e260 MP3 player features an intuitive, icon-based menu to quickly select and navigate key functions
[via Gizmodo]
New eMacs for September?
[Thanks, Floris]
A look-see at Undiluted Platinum, the PSP modchip
[Thanks, Brad]
Chicken and egg debate unscrambled
It's a question that has baffled scientists, academics and pub bores through the ages: What came first, the chicken or the egg? Now a team made up of a geneticist, philosopher and chicken farmer claim to have found an answer.
Hackers 'cracking top antivirus program'
Symantec Corp.'s leading antivirus software, which protects some of the world's largest corporations and U.S. government agencies, suffers from a flaw that lets hackers seize control of computers to steal sensitive data, delete files or implant malicious programs, researchers said Thursday.
Microsoft Announces IE7+ for Vista
In order to differentiate between Internet Explorer 7 on Windows XP and Vista, Microsoft on Friday announced "IE7+." The special branding is designed to highlight the additional features IE7 will receive in Vista, including Protected Mode, parental controls, and improved network diagnostics.
iDea Wireless iPod Dock
This is a unique dock that looks like a poor man's Sonos sans the DRM problems. This dock connects to almost any audio device, including the iPod and PSP, and transmits the audio to any other matching receiver or wireless headset around the house.
Each dock has S-Video, composite, and S-Video out and a clever little stand with some sort of pumpkin on it. It can output video from the iPod Video and Photo. The dock comes with a remote and one Hi-Fi Receiver and costs $149.99.
Product Page [Friend Tech]
Hello Kitty iPod Dock/Speakers
Want your Hello Kitty fix on something beside an ear cleaner? How about this Hello Kitty iPod Dock. An otherwise plain dock, save for the Hello Kitty-ness, this supports any iPod that fits the standard dock in 3-5G iPods. There's even a line out jack for plugging into another stereo system or headphones.
Honestly, I don't think there's anyone actually reading this far. Hello Kitty lovers have already gone and bought the item, and everyone else has skipped and gone onto the next post. That means I can take this space to declare my undying love for Jude Law. That man is dyno-miiiite!.
KT4555 iPod Speakers [Spectra - Thanks Farhan!]
Cingular Files Against Sprint Over Fewest Dropped Calls Claim
Lots and lots of lawsuits this year. Add these two companies to the list: Sprint and Cingular.
Sprint was challenging Cingular's "fewest dropped calls" claim, and Cingular filed a suit trying to make a judge declare that it actually did have the fewest dropped calls. And of course Sprint has said it would "defend itself vigorously". What happened to the days of playing nice? – Jason Chen
Cingular, Sprint Nextel tussle over ads about network quality [RCR News]
Inexpensive Detector Sees the Invisible, In Color
An inexpensive detector developed by a NASA-led team can now see invisible infrared light in a range of "colors," or wavelengths.
The detector, called a Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector (QWIP) array, was the world's largest (one million-pixel) infrared array when the project was announced in March 2003. It was a low-cost alternative to conventional infrared detector technology for a wide range of scientific and commercial applications. However, at the time it could only detect a narrow range of infrared colors, equivalent to making a conventional photograph in just black and white. The new QWIP array is the same size but can now sense infrared over a broad range.
"The ability to see a range of infrared wavelengths is an important advance that will greatly increase the potential uses of the QWIP technology," said Dr. Murzy Jhabvala of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., Principal Investigator for the project.
Infrared light is invisible to the human eye, but some types are generated by and perceived as heat. A conventional infrared detector has a number of cells (pixels) that interact with an incoming particle of infrared light (an infrared photon) and convert it to an electric current that can be measured and recorded. They are similar in principle to the detectors that convert visible light in a digital camera. The more pixels that can be placed on a detector of a given size, the greater the resolution, and NASA's QWIP arrays are a significant advance over earlier 300,000-pixel QWIP arrays, previously the largest available.
NASA's QWIP detector is a Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) semiconductor chip with over 100 layers of detector material on top. Each layer is extremely thin, ranging from 10 to 700 atoms thick, and the layers are designed to act as quantum wells.
Quantum wells employ the bizarre physics of the microscopic world, called quantum mechanics, to trap electrons, the fundamental particles that carry electric current, so that only light with a specific energy can release them. If light with the correct energy hits one of the quantum wells in the array, the freed electron flows through a separate chip above the array, called the silicon readout, where it is recorded. A computer uses this information to create an image of the infrared source.
NASA's original QWIP array could detect infrared light with a wavelength between 8.4 and 9.0 micrometers. The new version can see infrared between 8 to 12 micrometers. The advance was possible because quantum wells can be designed to detect light with different energy levels by varying the composition and thickness of the detector material layers.
"The broad response of this array, particularly in the far infrared -- 8 to12 micrometers -- is crucial for infrared spectroscopy," said Jhabvala. Spectroscopy is an analysis of the intensity of light at different colors from an object. Unlike a simple photograph that just shows the appearance of an object, spectroscopy is used to gather more detailed information like the object's chemical composition, speed, and direction of motion. Spectroscopy is used in criminal investigations; for example, to tell if a chemical found on a suspect's clothing matches that at a crime scene, and it's how astronomers determine what stars are made of even though there's no way to take a sample directly, with the stars many trillions of miles away.
Other applications for QWIP arrays are numerous. At NASA Goddard, some of these applications include: studying troposphere and stratosphere temperatures and identifying trace chemicals; tree canopy energy balance measurements; measuring cloud layer emissivities, droplet/particle size, composition and height; SO2 and aerosol emissions from volcanic eruptions; tracking dust particles (from the Sahara Desert, e.g.); CO2 absorption; coastal erosion; ocean/river thermal gradients and pollution; analyzing radiometers and other scientific equipment used in obtaining ground truthing and atmospheric data acquisition; ground based astronomy; and temperature sounding.
The potential commercial applications are quite diverse. The utility of QWIP arrays in medical instrumentation is well documented (OmniCorder, Inc. in N.Y.) and may become one of the most significant QWIP technology drivers. The success of OmniCorder Technologies use of 256 x 256 narrow band QWIP arrays for aiding in the detection of malignant tumors is quite remarkable.
Other potential commercial applications for QWIP arrays include: location of forest fires and residual warm spots; location of unwanted vegetation encroachment; monitoring crop health; monitoring food processing contamination, ripeness, and spoilage; locating power line transformer failures in remote areas; monitoring effluents from industrial operations such as paper mills, mining sites, and power plants; infrared microscopy; searching for a wide variety of thermal leaks, and locating new sources of spring water.
The QWIP arrays are relatively inexpensive because they can be fabricated using standard semiconductor technology that produces the silicon chips used in computers everywhere. They can also be made very large, because GaAs can be grown in large ingots, just like silicon.
The development effort was led by the Instrument Systems and Technology Center at NASA Goddard. The Army Research Laboratory (ARL), Adelphi, Md., was instrumental in the theory, design, and fabrication of the QWIP array, and L3/Cincinnati Electronics of Mason, Ohio, provided the silicon readout and hybridization. This work was conceived for, and funded by, the Earth Science Technology Office as an Advanced Component Technology development project.
From NASA
Scientists predict how to detect a fourth dimension of space
Every TV show on demand? No way, say networks
TV networks are fighting tooth and nail against innovations that continue to pummel their tried-and-true advertisement-based business model, most recently filing suit against Cablevision for its "network DVR" service. The service involves Cablevision remotely recording all of the big networks' content and offering it to customers for on-demand viewing, essentially taking the hard-drive recorder out of customers' cable boxes and storing all programming remotely. The program is very similar to the popular HBO On Demand service that's been around for a while, but Cablevision went ahead with the network DVR service without the networks' permission, obviously ticking them off in a big way. Time will tell whether or not the networks will be successful in stopping what would doubtlessly become a very popular service with customers, but you can rest assured this isn't the last you'll hear of this idea.
Xbox 360 Outboard HD DVD Player Pics
Some fakey-looking 3D rendered graphics of the outboard HD DVD player for the Microsoft Xbox 360 have surfaced, where the outboard box, rumored to be available around the end of the year for about $100, nicely matches the Xbox 360’s svelte lines.
Put this together with that HDMI cable we heard would be available by the time the HD DVD drive is released, and you have yourself a value-priced HD DVD player that doesn’t have to go far to be better than the first player out of the gate, the Toshiba HD-A1, which we thought was a shambles.
XBOX360 HD DVD Player Pics [xfm.net]
Bulletproof Packaging Punishes Consumers
We're fed up with impenetrable packaging. We've all experienced those oyster-like packing materials, where even the sharpest knife in the drawer won't put a dent in them. Then you get out the industrial-strength pruning shears, make a few cuts, and the result? Shards of plastic that are sharper than a scalpel. The folks at Wired have put together a diatribe about the status of consumer electronics packaging today, and it's a satisfying read:
From Psyclone electronics cables encased in impenetrable layers of thick plastic to DigiPower camera batteries coated with packaging several times the size of the item itself, the hardest part of buying electronics these days is opening the products when you get them home. In many cases, it makes solving Halo 2 seem like a kindergarten project.In honor of this packaging nightmare, Consumer Reports has created the annual Oyster Awards, shaming the creators of the hardest-to-open packages. It's no wonder hospital emergency rooms report significant increases in deep lacerations from product packaging during the week after Christmas. Sure, product manufactures want to make it so that products are hard to shoplift, but this is getting ridiculous. Commenters, any packaging horror stories?
Tales From Packaging Hell [Wired News]
BT launches Glide bluetooth home phone
[Via TechDigest]
Microsoft announces major 360 Dashboard update
DSLite 4 u
Who managed to get a NintendoDS Lite from Japan this back March? When the DS finally comes out in the US next month, too bad only the white will be in the US... Hopefully Nintendo will learn that sometime more is more...
Judiciary Committee approves net neutrality
In a move that may pave the way for legislation forbidding phone and cable companies from charging content providers a premium for access to customers, the House Judiciary Committee today approved the net neutrality bill introduced by Committee Chair James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI). The bill,known formally as the "Internet Freedom and Nondiscrimination Act," must still go to the full House, where it faces a competing bill promulgated by the Commerce Committee. The bill cleared the Committee 20-13, with bipartisan support.Google outbids Microsoft for Dell bundling deal, sez WSJ
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google has succeeded in outbidding Microsoft for the right to integrate its search tools into the millions of personal computers that Dell will sell over the next three years. After Yahoo dropped out of what may have been a billion-dollar auction, sources say that along with its desire to increase the exposure of its services, it was Google's frustration over the perceived difficulty in changing the default settings in Internet Explorer to non-MSN search options that ultimately motivated the company to emerge victorious. Besides winning a coveted spot on IE's default homepage, the deal also nets Google some valuable desktop real estate, as its Desktop software -- privacy concerns and all -- will now come pre-installed on Dell machines. For most consumers, this deal really doesn't mean too much, except for those of you who are really into MSN search, in which case you'll have to take a few seconds and adjust your browser settings.Police-band clock radio: crime never sleeps
Here's the perfect alarm clock for all you crime reporters — a clock radio that can tune into the police band. In addition to letting you know whenever there's an officer down, the radio is said to be the first product to automatically alert listeners about emergency announcements and weather alerts on AM, FM, and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration weather service. Plus your clock is guaranteed accurate, since it automatically sets itself by tuning into the timekeeping signal U.S. atomic clock in Boulder, Colorado. With 300 scanning channels, the radio lets you check out all kinds of broadcasts — from amateur radio to TV audio — and costs $200. Sounds like a lot for a radio, but if you think of it as less than a dollar per scanning channel, it doesn't sound so bad.
Through a scanner brightly…, via The Red Ferret Journal
Outlook Add-In for Windows Live Local now available
The Outlook add-in for Live Local, which adds a location tab and some toolbar buttons to your Outlook calendar, is available for download at outlook.local.live.com. With it, you can plot locations and driving directions on a Live Local map, include them in your calendar item, and share that with attendees or others. The download takes you through an Office Genuine Advantage screen, but validation is not required, at least not yet. The add-in also does not appear to work with Office 2007 Beta 2, and will not load as it cannot find Office 2003 or XP. I only had a quick look at it, but it installed easily, and looks to be a very useful tool. Looking forward to playing around with it more.
DRM Protestors Crash WinHEC
The Windows Hardware Engineering Conference is finishing up today in Seattle and an anti-DRM crew decided to crash the party and protest. Last time I checked you didn't need biohazard suits and helmets to protect against DRM, but maybe these guys know something that we don't.
Seattle anti-DRM flashmob [Defective By Design]
Mosquito-Repelling Necklace
Here's one of those things that probably doesn't work, but it would really be great if it did: a mosquito-repelling necklace. This battery-operated device transmits high-pitched noises that are obnoxious to them 'skeeters, chasing them away and keeping them from sucking your blood. The company says it's effective up to 10 feet, and if it chases away too many of those mosquitoes, you can switch it off so that you won't run down its included battery. And, even if it doesn't work, people will think you're wearing an MP3 player around your neck.
So now you can add this $6.99 trinket to your arsenal of mosquito repellent equipment, such as the anti-mosquito watch we showed you, the mosquito-repelling phone, and even that stoopid mosquito box that claps its hands in vain, trying to kill every mosquito in sight. Or, if you're not chemically averse, you could just use something that actually works such as insect repellent.
Mosquito Repeller Necklace [Miles Kimball, via bookofjoe]
MacBooks packin' heat due to covered up vent?
Anyone who's given a PowerBook, MacBook, or MacBook Pro a good look probably knows how the ventilation system works: two inlets near the front of the computer draw the air in, a big vent grid underneath the screen hinge lets it all out. Ideally. Except Gert Stahl apparently discovered a thin layer of plastic film in his MacBook that prevented airflow, and was causing his machine to overheat; removal promptly caused his fans to shut off and the machine's heat to return to a level more manageable. What's more, apparently there was never any mention made in the manual about the removal of any such film, leading one to believe that this might be unintentional (read: manufacturing error). So, if you've got a MacBook and it's a little toasty, check that gap out for the thin plastic strip -- if you've got the film (or if you don't) then you let us know!
Logitech intros USB touchscreen "faceplates"
As you've probably noticed, the Photoshopping skills around here aren't what you'd call top-notch, so we're thinking that maybe attaching Logitech's upcoming USB touchscreen to our monitor might help us give you the realistic product mock-ups and goofy photo-illustrations that you deserve. Coming in 15-inch or 17-inch varieties, respectively, the LTP-15UBK and LTP-17UBK (or LTP-17U, in white) simply attach to your existing LCD with velcro strips, and let you manipulate your pointer with either a finger, a la an ATM machine, or the included pen, as with a graphics tablet. Both models will go on sale in late June for an undisclosed sum of money, but we're not sure if these will even be available outside of Japan, so you may have to put up with our crappy Photoshops for just a little while longer.
[Via Everything USB]
'Healthy' foods can be pitfall for dieters
Kate Kowalczyk tossed out the junk food and stocked up on her idea of good-for-you staples including yogurt and low-fat cookies but the 35 pounds she was trying to shake wouldn't budge. It turns out those "healthy" foods were just as fattening as the chips and soda they replaced.
Next-generation weather satellite takes flight
Boeing launched an unmanned Delta rocket carrying a new U.S. weather satellite toward orbit Wednesday, the first with the ability to keep an eye on developing storms even when the solar-powered craft is in Earth's shadow.
Lay and Skilling found guilty
Former top Enron executives Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling were found guilty today of conspiracy and fraud in the granddaddy of all corporate fraud cases. On the sixth day of deliberations, a jury convicted the pair of misleading the public about the true financial health of Enron, the giant energy company that collapsed in 2001. The two men could now face 20 to 30 years in prison.
Cablevision sued over on-demand plans
Four Hollywood studios and the three major television networks have filed a copyright suit seeking to prevent Cablevision Systems from launching an "on-demand" service that aims to replace the living room digital video recorder.
The suit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, says Cablevision would run afoul of copyright law with its plan to allow subscribers to store and play back TV programs through computer servers controlled by the cable TV operator.
By contrast, conventional digital video recorder (DVR) devices sold by such companies as TiVo let viewers store programs on individual hard drives built into their own home set-top boxes.
Individual consumers have long been free to record TV shows, movies and music for personal use. But Cablevision's so-called Network DVR service has raised objections from some content providers who say it puts control over their material into the hands of another company that has not paid for or licensed it.
"Cablevision is actually copying, storing and retransmitting it," said Kori Bernard, a spokeswoman for studio industry group the Motion Picture Association of America. "A commercial entity can't establish a for-profit, on-demand service without authorization from copyright owners whose content is used on that service."
Existing video-on-demand services offered by rival Comcast or satellite TV provider DirecTV allow customers, at their leisure, to watch specific shows licensed from TV networks and studios, as do Internet download sites such as Apple Computer's iTunes store.
Cablevision executives insist their proposed service would function more like TiVo because it enables individual subscribers, not the cable operator, to choose which programs to record and play back, with a technology that is cheaper than conventional DVRs.
And even though the material they copy is stored on a server located at Cablevision's facilities, each customer has a dedicated electronic space for the content they record, the company has said.
"This lawsuit is without merit, reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of Cablevision's remote-storage DVR and ignores the enormous benefit and well-established right of viewers to time-shift television programming," the Bethpage, N.Y.-based company said in a statement. "We hope and expect the court will allow our customer-friendly technological approach to move forward."
The nation's sixth-largest cable operator serving about 3 million subscribers in the New York metropolitan area, has set no timetable for the launch of its service, nor has it detailed any plans for pricing.
The debate over Cablevision's plan is being closely watched by the cable industry, including the top two U.S. providers, Comcast and Time Warner.
Earlier controversy centered on Time Warner's Maestro service, which proposed to let viewers order up just about any show that had been previously broadcast as the programs would have automatically been stored on its network without any prompting by viewers.
That plan angered content providers, and Maestro was never launched. Instead, Time Warner reworked the idea into a service it calls Start Over, which lets viewers who miss parts of a live program to start from the beginning of the show is still in progress.
The lawsuit was brought by News Corp.'s 20th Century Fox, General Electric's Universal Studios, Viacom's Paramount Pictures, the Walt Disney and three major networks--CBS, Disney-owned ABC and GE-owned NBC.
Story Copyright © 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
Copyright ©1995-2006 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.
Nintendo sets price limit on Wii
Japanese games giant Nintendo has confirmed that the price of its new Wii console will be much lower than its rivals. 
Nintendo's new Wii console will be launched before Christmas
The Wii will cost 25,000 yen or lower in Japan and $250 (£133) or less in the US, said Nintendo as it revealed its financial results.
The company added it aims to sell six million machines by March 2007.
The Wii is due out towards the end of the year, competing with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360.
The three companies are battling for a share of a video games industry worth some $30bn (£16bn).
Cheaper machine
Nintendo unveiled its Wii console at the E3 games expo in Los Angeles earlier this year.
At the time, it did not reveal the cost of the machine, but analysts had expected it to be lower than its competitors. 
The PlayStation 3 is due out in November
At a news conference in Osaka, Nintendo senior managing director Yoshihiro Mori confirmed what many wanted to hear.
The price range set by Nintendo contrasts with the cost of Sony's new PlayStation 3, which is due to hit the shops in November.
A basic version of the console will cost $499 (£266), while a premium model will sell for $599 (£320). The exact price in the UK has not been announced.
Prices for Microsoft's Xbox 360, which went on sale last November, start at $299 (£209 in the UK).
Wii hopes
The Wii console is key to Nintendo's future success.
The company has just posted a 19% drop in annual profits, warning that results for its current financial year will be weaker than previously expected.
It is looking to the launch of the Wii to help its bottom line. Nintendo plans to ship six million consoles by March next year and aims to sell 17 million games for it.
The console has a one-handed controller that looks like a TV remote control.
It uses motion-detection sensors that allow players to control the game by moving the controller in the air.
Sony cackles, forbids reselling of PS3 games
Sony, apparently not satisfied with the one foot it shot off itself with the Playstation 3 price announcement, is looking to shoot itself in the other foot by not allowing customers to resell games to other players in stores like GameStop and Electronics Boutique. By having users purchase a license to play a game rather than the game itself, Sony would retain ownership of the game therefore making it illegal to sell it secondhand. Secondhand game sales are a huge market, and Sony sees it as revenue lost when someone pays a shop for a used game rather than Sony directly for a new one. Players accustomed to being able to spend a fraction of the price for an older game, however, probably won't take too kindly to Sony's techniques.
I Hart Life
[My friend Silas sent me this email today. I just had to share it with you all]
NAIROBI (AFP) - A baby hippopotamus that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong bond with a giant male century-old tortoi se, in an animal facility in the port city of Mombassa, officials said.
The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about 300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean, then forced back to shore when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him. "It is incredible. A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a 'mother'," ecologist Paula Kahumbu, who is in Lafarge Park, told AFP. "After it was swept and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized. It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother. Fortunately, it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond. They swim, eat and sleep together," the ecologist added. "The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it follows its mother. If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive, as if protecting its biological mother," Kahumbu added. "The hippo is a young baby, he was left at a very tender age and by nature, hippos are social mothers for four years," he explained.
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. This is a rare when we need the comfort of another. We could all learn a lesson from these two creatures of God, Look beyond the differences and find a way to walk the path together.
NAIROBI (AFP) - A baby hippopotamus that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong bond with a giant male century-old tortoi se, in an animal facility in the port city of Mombassa, officials said.
The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about 300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean, then forced back to shore when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him. "It is incredible. A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a 'mother'," ecologist Paula Kahumbu, who is in Lafarge Park, told AFP. "After it was swept and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized. It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother. Fortunately, it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond. They swim, eat and sleep together," the ecologist added. "The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it follows its mother. If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive, as if protecting its biological mother," Kahumbu added. "The hippo is a young baby, he was left at a very tender age and by nature, hippos are social mothers for four years," he explained.
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. This is a rare when we need the comfort of another. We could all learn a lesson from these two creatures of God, Look beyond the differences and find a way to walk the path together.
Living off scraps of energy
In the sensor-laden future, your shoes may charge your camera and RFID chips could get a jolt when you leave the room. [full story] Energy-saving sensors
Voyager II detects solar system's edge
Voyager II could pass beyond the outermost layer of our solar system, called the "termination shock," sometime within the next year, NASA scientists announced at a media teleconference Tuesday.
Super Miyamoto!
Shigeru Miyamoto, the man who created Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong, discusses Nintendo's next generation console Wii, its popular DS handheld, and surprises yet to come.
Report: Nintendo Wii Could Spark Massive Comeback
Newsweek has a fantastic article up on the MSNBC website all about our beloved Nintendo Wii. It looks like Nintendo's strategy these days is working like a charm, and I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief when we read that "Mario will never start killing hookers," according to one executive. Naturally, nobody can make the same guarantee about Charlie Sheen. Here's the killer paragraph in the article:
The Wii's strong showing at the 2006 expo earlier this month, combined with Sony's announcement of two PS3 models for the mind-blowingly high prices of $499 and $599, has prompted many of the same analysts who dismissed Nintendo to predict its continued resurgence. "Not only will fan boys buy it, but it will also be the second console of choice" for PS3 or Xbox 360 owners, says analyst Michael Pachter of the U.S. research firm Wedbush Morgan. In Japan, publishers like Konami are even more bullish. "I would use the dominance of the DS in Japan to predict the future for Wii, since the vision for Wii is similar," says Michihiro Ishizuka, president of the company's game division. Okasan Securities analyst Masashi Morita believes that in addition to capturing nongamers, Nintendo can even win back some of its lapsed fans with the Wii's built-in support for the company's vast library of classics. And though Nintendo has yet to announce the Wii's price or release date, it's expected to be cheaper than its competitors, leaving Sony and Microsoft to duke it out for the graphics-guns-and-gore crowd. If the console war is indeed hell, Nintendo, it seems, would rather give peace a chance.
Angry lawmakers demand FBI return seized documents
Nancy Pelosi wants William Jefferson to resign from the House Ways and Means Committee.
Congressional Republicans are demanding the FBI surrender documents and other items seized on Capitol Hill in what lawmakers said was an unconstitutional raid of Rep. William Jefferson's office. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi sent a letter today asking Jefferson to resign his position on the House Ways and Means Committee.
FULL STORYWindows Vista Beta 2 Sucks
Columnist Gary Krakow informs the world that Vista Beta 2 "was one of the worst operating system experiences that I've ever encountered." While this bit of ungrammatical hyperbole is purely subjective, we're slowly getting the feeling that the big V is going to blow a donkey.
Writing for MSNBC, Krakow informs us that the beta version is difficult to handle and that all the prettiness is lost on those with even a passing awareness of OS X. Granted, this was a Beta version, he was trying to drop it onto a laptop, and he got an early, early build, but excuses are excuses. Why drop a Beta release if it's not even decent?
It took me days to install a working version on a new Lenovo ThinkPad X60 laptop with 2GB of memory and all sorts of built-in wireless networking. I tried installing it as an update to the laptop's Windows XP -- but after four hours of churning away the laptop shut down and wouldn't reboot.
We'll give it a try next week, probably, and let you know what's up. Otherwise, we're not holding our breath.
Content Cartel Makes Backroom DRM Deal
We're hearing rumblings of an informal behind-the-scenes agreement between Hollywood greedmeisters and consumer electronics manufacturers, where the tinseltown moviemakers are vowing to hold off on any broadcast flag bullshit until 2010. The hated image constraint token (ICT), that crippling DRM flag that will automatically downrez HD video if non-HDCP-compliant outputs are used, is a required part of the spec for both Blu-ray and HD DVD players.
Some in the blogosphere see this as a trojan horse, where the content cartel will get the HD players into consumers hands en mass and then slam-dunk full copy control on them once they've all invested in the crippled players. But we're thinking that 2010 is a long way off in techno-years, and by then the whole concept of playing content on physical media will be a quaint notion. Heck, by then, even noobs will be BitTorrenting 1080p.
Hollywood reportedly in agreement to delay forced quality downgrades
[ars technica, via boingboing]
Mergers may be next trend for big Internet companies
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Speculation is rife on Wall Street that a big Internet deal or alliance is in the works, with Google, Yahoo, eBay or Microsoft as possible partners -- and a Yahoo-eBay partnership seen as most likely.
[full story]
Functional LEGO Vending Machine
Study finds no link between marijuana use and lung cancer
People who smoke marijuana--even heavy, long-term marijuana users--do not appear to be at increased risk of developing lung cancer, according to a study to be presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference on May 23rd. Marijuana smoking also did not appear to increase the risk of head and neck cancers, such as cancer of the tongue, mouth, throat, or esophagus, the study found.
[full story]
Opera For Wii Details
As Nintendo president Satoru Iwata stated at E3, the Wii will be able to browse the web using Opera's critically acclaimed Internet browser.
What hasn't been known is how you actually browse the Web with your Wii console. Will Nintendo release a traditional keyboard to allow users to type in URLs? Just how is this system going to work?
Well, it appears IGN has got a little closer to the truth. Not content with just knowing Opera's basic plans, they sat down and grilled Opera for Devices' executive vice president Scott Hedrick for plenty more information.
One of the questions as expected was centered around the earlier question of how will users be able to navigate around the Opera Browser on their Wii? Scott Hedrick replyed with this:
More to Vista ReadyBoost Than Meets the Eye
During a Tuesday night Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) dinner with bloggers, Jim Allchin, outgoing co-president of Microsoft platforms and services, shared some Vista tips and tricks. Among the insider tips Allchin shared with bloggers was related to ReadyBoost, the Vista feature that will allow users to up the amount of available system memory by using a USB key. ReadyBoost also will allow users to "borrow" memory over a network. No word on whether that capability will be enabled by the time Vista ships. Speaking of Vista, Bink.nu has an interesting link on licensing changes in Vista that potentially could curb piracy.
Crazy Chelsea Club Clash: Bouncer Shoots Patrons
A bouncer at Opus 22 on West 22nd Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues, shot four clubgoers, killing one of them, late last night. Bouncer Stephen Sakai is now in police custody, and is being questioned in the strange, violent incident. Witnesses say that a drunk patron was refusing to leave or refusing to pay a cover and got into an argument with Sakai. Sakai then shot him "point-blank in the chest," causing one of the man's friends to yell "Why did you shoot my friend?" Sakai allegedly replied, "You want some, too" and shot that friend and others before running away. The police, who came to the club in riot gear and then used helicopters and police dogs to search for the shooter, apprehended Sakai in Brooklyn a few hours later.
The Secure Phone Miser Telephone Conversation Encryption Device
With all that's going on in the world nowadays, you don't to need to be wearing a tinfoil hat to understand that your privacy might not be as private as you would think. Perhaps a phone encryption device might be just what you're looking for?
With the Secure Phone Miser (well, at least two of 'em, since the encryption is dependent on both ends of the telephone conversation having a unit installed in order for it to work), users configure the device with one of over 1 million unique codes, allegedly making your phone conversation completely immune against things such as phone taps. In the event that you need to talk to multiple parties simultaneously, the Secure Phone Miser supports up to 10 links, conference call style. Of course, it only works with regular telephones, that is, not cellphones.
LEDs and audio tone signals let you know whether or not a call in properly encrypted and the optional 9V battery lets you become a mobile Artful Dodger.
You can grab the Secure Phone Miser right now for $239, and $195 for each additional unit (remember to grab at least two!), which is still significantly cheaper than other encryption devices we've seen on the market.
Secure Phone Miser [Spy Gadgets via The Red Ferret Journal]
iPod nano "scratch" lawsuit: lead plaintiff never wanted to be involved
In an open letter to the Mac community, Jason Tomczak, the so-called lead-plaintiff in the iPod nano "Scratch" class-action lawsuit, says he never wanted anything to do with the case. The fact that he was named lead-plantiff was a mistake according to Jason, as he never sought out, nor hired the firms of David P. Meyer & Associates or Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro to represent him. Sure, he did respond to their request for information after Jason complained about scratches on his personal blog and within other Mac-related forums. However, Jason claims that the lawyers prepared the paperwork and filed the iPod Nano Class Action suit in California using Jason's name as Lead Plaintiff "without his knowledge or consent," even after Jason requested not to be involved, and without Jason signing an attorney-client agreement. On top of this, the poor kid's name has become synonymous with the class action resulting in threats, hate mail, and other forms of harassment from the more fanatical-types amongst the Mac zealotry. Jason is currently suing the two firms -- a move being met by the type of aggressive and staunch defense you'd expect from a couple of powerful and scheming law firms. If true, well, you just gotta feel sorry for the guy. So let's cut him some slack as this thing unfolds, mkay?[Via TechDirt]
By 2020, kiss the snows of Kilimanjaro goodbye
BERKELEY, Calif.--There are a lot of projections about global warming, and almost all of them are scary.
Scientists who've studied the issue now almost unanimously agree that the ocean levels will likely rise at least a half a meter by 2100, and possibly more if current temperature trends and energy use continue, according to John Harte, professor of energy and resources at the University of California, Berkeley, speaking at the U.S.-China Symposium on Climate Change taking place at the school this week.
The half-meter rise in sea levels, caused by a 3 to 5 degree increase in average global temperature, will lead to the loss of a few small island nations and severe impacts for places like Hong Kong. More intense and longer heat waves will lead to larger death counts than those seen in Europe during the summer in the past few years, Harte predicted. Polar bears will likely die off as their habitat vanishes.
"By 2020, the snows of Kilimanjaro could be no more," he added.
And that's the good news, he pointed out. A broad consensus of scientists also believe the world will experience increased intensity of hurricanes, reduced crop yields and a rash of major fires. More data is needed on these projections, however.
Doctor, did you warm up with 'Grand Theft Auto'?
New study shows that doctors who prepare for surgery by playing video games are faster and more precise. [full story]
Nabaztag WiFi Smart Rabbit
Most rabbits love to consume fresh vegetables but this bunny likes to nibble on a steady diet of WiFi packets. The name Nabaztag apparently means "rabbit" in Armenian but we think that pretty soon it will mean "cool wireless device" in geek speak. This bunny can teach you tai chi, read your e-mail, report the weather or stock market, pull RSS feeds and tell you the time. We'd say that's pretty smart - but he's also got personality. Nabaztag can move his ears, play music, talk and whistle, and his body can show off hundreds of colors and special patterns of light. Sometimes he will even have his own random things to say, as long as you can put up with his moods! You can even send music and messages to your friends' Nabaztag. Nabaztag is easily configured and customized through a Web browser.
Nabaztag - The Smartest Rabbit Since Bugs Bunny!
http://www.thinkgeek.com
Nyko Intercooler chills out your Xbox 360
There's been a lot of hullabaloo on the Web concerning the overheating Xbox 360. While Microsoft has half-acknowledged the problem by announcing newer, cooler chipsets that will come in all units starting next year, what are current Xbox 360 owners to do? This Nyko Intercooler 360 is a pretty slick solution for your overheating problems, snapping onto the back of the console and cooling the entire system from the outside. What's convenient is the fact that it doesn't have its own power supply, it just uses the XBox for juice, and there's no need to turn it on and off, as it automatically runs when the system turns on. Just snap it on the back once and never again worry about Oblivion locking up right after you just spent an hour closing that damned oblivion gate. It's available online now for about $38.
Pinpoint unveils XBox 360 accessories, via Übergizmo
Petecube
Current audio/visual equipment has minimal tactile feedback while acoustic instruments however have a much richer tactile palette. It is this variety of touch sensations that PETECUBE (PETE stands for Personal Electronic Touch Experience) aims to bring into the digital realm.
Each petecube has a different combination of sensors and actuators that are used in real-time to generate sound, image and haptic feedback.
By Peter David Bennett.
MIT’s $100 Laptop Photos
Pictures of the working One Laptop Per Child prototype have turned up following the first showing today. We're not so sure about the orange and yellow color scheme, but everything else looks good.
If we were a child in a developing country, we'd much prefer to blog using a $100 laptop that we own, sponsored by the government, rather than pay 75 cents an hour to rent one from Microsoft.
Also, is it us or does that keyboard look quite similar to the one on the MacBook?
OLPC [Flickr via Boing Boing]
Microsoft Office 2007 Beta 2 Download & Screenshots
Microsoft Office 2007 Beta 2
Jensen Harris has posted screenshots of Microsoft Office 2007 Beta 2 on Windows Vista Beta 2 with the glass effect on and I have to say they look really nice! I am actually testing out Beta 1 as well, though it’s abit buggy, the experience is definitely unique!
Here are a few major visual changes you can expect in Office 2007:
- the “Ribbon” - although it looks nice, it takes a while to get used to since it can take up quite alot of workspace if you have a small screen, and you have to learn where all the commands are again, which can be really frustrating if you’re too used to the way commands are laid out in Excel
- Contextual Tabs - Remember right-clicking whenever you wanna add a border to a graph in Word, changing properties of a graph, etc? Microsoft tries to change this by introducing a new concept called “Contextual Tabs.” Basically, what it means is that the “Ribbon” will change to include these specific commands when you are editing your tables/graphs.
- The Office Button - this is like your “Start” button to Office, where you begin everything from writing to creating presentations and also end here. This is introduced to integrate all the individual programmes in the Office suite better.
- Skins - you can now customise how you want your Word/Excel/Powerpoint to look like with downloadable skins. I liked the black one, looks pretty good with the frame of my screen =)
- New Look Graphs - I like this function alot, it gives all your graphs a very smooth and professional look and I think it’ll definitely give you a boost in presentations when everyone else currently is still using the old version of Office! Also, I haven’t tried doing it but from the screenshots it seems that you can even include bar graphs within the table cells!
Looks like the Office guys & gurls are really working hard in improving the software almost all of us use on a daily basis and I can’t wait to upgrade now!
The Moving Compass
The “Moving Compass” is a new system designed to guide visitors in museums and other places of interest — they are each assigned an interactive circle. Locations that are furthur away will appear in the circle as your destination nears. The circle will keep its shape and follow as you walk. Video after the jump.
If you need additional information about a location, a «ticker» will give you the information you need. Go to the location of your choice and the «ticker» will activate after a few seconds if you are not moving.
[via w-m-m-n-a]
Nintendo DS Lite Black Confirmed
Nintendo has just issued a press release stating that Europe will get the DS Lite in a sleek black color when it launches on June 23rd — priced at $188 (149.99 EUR). See what Jon has to say about Nintendo’s DS after the jump.
Nintendo DS Lite retains the advanced touch screen technology, allowing players to control the software with a stylus or even their finger, as well as dual screens, voice recognition and Wi-Fi capabilities of the Nintendo DS but is now both smaller and lighter
[via Nintendo]
Nintendo Wii: Twilight Princess Gets a Colourful Overhaul
It appears that Nintendo's forthcoming gaming extravaganza for the Wii and GameCube has had a rather colourful overhaul when it comes down to Twilight Princess' mysterious "Twilight Realm."
It now looks that instead of being transported to a rather dull, black and white, monochromatic world, the world has now transformed into a strange, hazy coloured visual style that looks more than rather intriguing.
The reason for the change was apparently due to the development team spending plenty of time play-testing the area. Whilst doing so, they found the game became slightly depressing and less fun to play, so sensibly they then decided to give the area a new lick of artistic paint.
Microsoft Beta Screenshots Galore
Want to see what the latest betas of Windows Vista, Longhorn Server and Office 2007 look like? Here are eWEEK's galleries of Vista Beta 2 screenshots and Office 2007 Beta 2 screenshots.
Spaces to change urls again
A post on the MSN Spaces team blog warns users that Spaces urls will be changing yet again; from "spaces.msn.com/blogname" to "blogname.spaces.msn.com".
Quote:
On and after June 1st, all viewers and users going to the "old" URL will be automatically redirected to the new URL. In addition, your MSN Messenger/Windows Live Messenger buddies will also be automatically directed to the new URL when they click on your contact card to view your Space. We want to assure you that all of your data and information will remain intact, and we apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause.
This is the second url change users will have to endure, and it won't be the final. During the 10.5 update earlier this year, the team removed the "/members/" part from blog urls and with the eventual migration of Spaces to the Windows Live platform, the domain will surely move to spaces.live.com. No doubt there will be important technical reasons which necessitate these changes occuring when they do, however logic would suggest that it would be less confusing for the end users if at least two of the changes occured at the same time. I'm expecting to see some irate Spaces users commenting at the post linked below.
Read more: Url Changes
Nyko Xbox 360 Summer Accessories
In addition to the Intercooler and Gameface 360, Nyko has a few more interesting Xbox 360 accessories that are due out this summer. Get the scoop on them after the jump.
Nyko has a USB hub/memory card coming this summer. It supports Smart Media, Compact Flash, Sony Memory Stick and Secure Digital. Also it has 3 additional USB ports for plugging in an other peripherals.
Also up is a Xbox 360 Intelligent Remote. This is a self-programming remote for the Xbox 360 that will learn the functions of your TV, also. It uses IR learning for all of your home entertainment devices. It will be available for around $37.
Product Page [Pinpoint Consumer Electronics]
AT&T's Homezone caught!
The Votes are In!
Prince is the World's Sexiest Veggie!
According to Peta.....and I have no comment!!!!
[Forbes]
"I guess you really can't teach an old pop star new tricks,"
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Less than 12 hours after Madonna crucified herself on a mirrored cross, the Catholic League expressed its discontent with the concert stunt.
The controversial diva wore a crown of thorns and sang while hanging from a cross during Sunday night's opener of her "Confessions" world tour at The Forum in Inglewood.
"Knock off the Christ-bashing," Catholic League president Bill Donohue said in a statement Monday. "It's just pathetic."
Though Donohue said that Madonna "has been spicing up her act with misappropriated Christian imagery for a long time," he thought that her faith in Kabbalah might inspire new respect for religion.
"I guess you really can't teach an old pop star new tricks," he said. "Poor Madonna keeps trying to shock. But all she succeeds in doing is coming across as a boring bigot."
A message left with Madonna's spokeswoman was not immediately returned.
The "Confessions" tour continues through Sept. 4 with dates throughout North America and Europe.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
IM worm installs 'safe' Web browser
New worm installs a rogue Web browser and hijacks the Internet Explorer home page on infected PCs.
Company asks U.S. to provide radio space for free Internet
Silicon Valley company wants to build high-speed wireless Internet network covering most of country, supported by ads.
The New York Times
Free downloads end Sony CD saga
Free downloads end Sony CD saga
A US judge has approved a deal to settle lawsuits against Sony's record label over the use of anti-piracy software.
Wired Publishes AT&T NSA Documents
Citing "the public's right to know," Wired News on Monday published 30 pages of documentation regarding AT&T's alleged participation in warrantless domestic wire trapping being performed by the National Security Agency. The documents come from the Electronic Frontier Foundation's lawsuit against AT&T.
Bellow is the full Wired Article Print in full for your review... http://www.wired.com/news/technology/1,70944-0.html
Former AT&T technician Mark Klein is the key witness in the Electronic Frontier Foundation's class-action lawsuit against the telecommunications company, which alleges that AT&T cooperated in an illegal National Security Agency domestic surveillance program.
Inside the Secret Room
A federal judge refuses to give AT&T back its internal documents, but orders the EFF not to give them out.
Years before the NSA's warrantless surveillance program made national headlines, then-AT&T technician Mark Klein suspected his company was colluding with the government to spy on Americans.
A little-known company called Narus makes the packet-inspection technology said to be the basis of the NSA's internet surveillance. Here's how it works.
Daily updates from 27B Stroke 6, the Wired News security and privacy blog.
In a public statement Klein issued last month, he described the NSA's visit to an AT&T office. In an older, less-public statement recently acquired by Wired News, Klein goes into additional details of his discovery of an alleged surveillance operation in an AT&T building in San Francisco.
Klein supports his claim by attaching excerpts of three internal company documents: a Dec. 10, 2002, manual titled "Study Group 3, LGX/Splitter Wiring, San Francisco," a Jan. 13, 2003, document titled "SIMS, Splitter Cut-In and Test Procedure" and a second "Cut-In and Test Procedure" dated Jan. 24, 2003.
Here we present Klein's statement in its entirety, with inline links to all of the document excerpts where he cited them. You can also download the complete file here (pdf). The full AT&T documents are filed under seal in federal court in San Francisco.
AT&T's Implementation of NSA Spying on American Citizens
31 December 2005
I wrote the following document in 2004 when it became clear to me that AT&T, at the behest of the National Security Agency, had illegally installed secret computer gear designed to spy on internet traffic. At the time I thought this was an outgrowth of the notorious Total Information Awareness program, which was attacked by defenders of civil liberties. But now it's been revealed by The New York Times that the spying program is vastly bigger and was directly authorized by President Bush, as he himself has now admitted, in flagrant violation of specific statutes and constitutional protections for civil liberties. I am presenting this information to facilitate the dismantling of this dangerous Orwellian project.
AT&T Deploys Government Spy Gear on WorldNet Network
-- 16 January, 2004
In 2003 AT&T built "secret rooms" hidden deep in the bowels of its central offices in various cities, housing computer gear for a government spy operation which taps into the company's popular WorldNet service and the entire internet. These installations enable the government to look at every individual message on the internet and analyze exactly what people are doing. Documents showing the hardwire installation in San Francisco suggest that there are similar locations being installed in numerous other cities.
The physical arrangement, the timing of its construction, the government-imposed secrecy surrounding it and other factors all strongly suggest that its origins are rooted in the Defense Department's Total Information Awareness (TIA) program which brought forth vigorous protests from defenders of constitutionally protected civil liberties last year:
"As the director of the effort, Vice Adm. John M. Poindexter, has described the system in Pentagon documents and in speeches, it will provide intelligence analysts and law enforcement officials with instant access to information from internet mail and calling records to credit card and banking transactions and travel documents, without a search warrant." The New York Times, 9 November 2002
To mollify critics, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) spokesmen have repeatedly asserted that they are only conducting "research" using "artificial synthetic data" or information from "normal DOD intelligence channels" and hence there are "no U.S. citizen privacy implications" (Department of Defense, Office of the Inspector General report on TIA, December 12, 2003). They also changed the name of the program to "Terrorism Information Awareness" to make it more politically palatable. But feeling the heat, Congress made a big show of allegedly cutting off funding for TIA in late 2003, and the political fallout resulted in Adm. Poindexter's abrupt resignation last August. However, the fine print reveals that Congress eliminated funding only for "the majority of the TIA components," allowing several "components" to continue (DOD, ibid). The essential hardware elements of a TIA-type spy program are being surreptitiously slipped into "real world" telecommunications offices.
In San Francisco the "secret room" is Room 641A at 611 Folsom Street, the site of a large SBC phone building, three floors of which are occupied by AT&T. High-speed fiber-optic circuits come in on the 8th floor and run down to the 7th floor where they connect to routers for AT&T's WorldNet service, part of the latter's vital "Common Backbone." In order to snoop on these circuits, a special cabinet was installed and cabled to the "secret room" on the 6th floor to monitor the information going through the circuits. (The location code of the cabinet is 070177.04, which denotes the 7th floor, aisle 177 and bay 04.) The "secret room" itself is roughly 24-by-48 feet, containing perhaps a dozen cabinets including such equipment as Sun servers and two Juniper routers, plus an industrial-size air conditioner.
The normal work force of unionized technicians in the office are forbidden to enter the "secret room," which has a special combination lock on the main door. The telltale sign of an illicit government spy operation is the fact that only people with security clearance from the National Security Agency can enter this room. In practice this has meant that only one management-level technician works in there. Ironically, the one who set up the room was laid off in late 2003 in one of the company's endless "downsizings," but he was quickly replaced by another.
Plans for the "secret room" were fully drawn up by December 2002, curiously only four months after Darpa started awarding contracts for TIA. One 60-page document, identified as coming from "AT&T Labs Connectivity & Net Services" and authored by the labs' consultant Mathew F. Casamassima, is titled Study Group 3, LGX/Splitter Wiring, San Francisco and dated 12/10/02. This document addresses the special problem of trying to spy on fiber-optic circuits. Unlike copper wire circuits which emit electromagnetic fields that can be tapped into without disturbing the circuits, fiber-optic circuits do not "leak" their light signals. In order to monitor such communications, one has to physically cut into the fiber somehow and divert a portion of the light signal to see the information.
This problem is solved with "splitters" which literally split off a percentage of the light signal so it can be examined. This is the purpose of the special cabinet referred to above: Circuits are connected into it, the light signal is split into two signals, one of which is diverted to the "secret room." The cabinet is totally unnecessary for the circuit to perform -- in fact it introduces problems since the signal level is reduced by the splitter -- its only purpose is to enable a third party to examine the data flowing between sender and recipient on the internet.
The above-referenced document includes a diagram showing the splitting of the light signal, a portion of which is diverted to "SG3 Secure Room," i.e., the so-called "Study Group" spy room. Another page headlined "Cabinet Naming" lists not only the "splitter" cabinet but also the equipment installed in the "SG3" room, including various Sun devices, and Juniper M40e and M160 "backbone" routers. PDF file 4 shows one of many tables detailing the connections between the "splitter" cabinet on the 7th floor (location 070177.04) and a cabinet in the "secret room" on the 6th floor (location 060903.01). Since the San Francisco "secret room" is numbered 3, the implication is that there are at least several more in other cities (Seattle, San Jose, Los Angeles and San Diego are some of the rumored locations), which likely are spread across the United States.
One of the devices in the "Cabinet Naming" list is particularly revealing as to the purpose of the "secret room": a Narus STA 6400. Narus is a 7-year-old company which, because of its particular niche, appeals not only to businessmen (it is backed by AT&T, JP Morgan and Intel, among others) but also to police, military and intelligence officials. Last November 13-14, for instance, Narus was the "Lead Sponsor" for a technical conference held in McLean, Virginia, titled "Intelligence Support Systems for Lawful Interception and Internet Surveillance." Police officials, FBI and DEA agents, and major telecommunications companies eager to cash in on the "war on terror" had gathered in the hometown of the CIA to discuss their special problems. Among the attendees were AT&T, BellSouth, MCI, Sprint and Verizon. Narus founder, Dr. Ori Cohen, gave a keynote speech. So what does the Narus STA 6400 do?
"The (Narus) STA Platform consists of standalone traffic analyzers that collect network and customer usage information in real time directly from the message.... These analyzers sit on the message pipe into the ISP (internet service provider) cloud rather than tap into each router or ISP device" (Telecommunications magazine, April 2000). A Narus press release (1 Dec., 1999) also boasts that its Semantic Traffic Analysis (STA) technology "captures comprehensive customer usage data ... and transforms it into actionable information.... (It) is the only technology that provides complete visibility for all internet applications."
To implement this scheme, WorldNet's high-speed data circuits already in service had to be rerouted to go through the special "splitter" cabinet. This was addressed in another document of 44 pages from AT&T Labs, titled SIMS, Splitter Cut-In and Test Procedure, dated 01/13/03. "SIMS" is an unexplained reference to the secret room. Part of this reads as follows:
"A WMS (work) Ticket will be issued by the AT&T Bridgeton Network Operation Center (NOC) to charge time for performing the work described in this procedure document....
"This procedure covers the steps required to insert optical splitters into select live Common Backbone (CBB) OC3, OC12 and OC48 optical circuits."
The NOC referred to is in Bridgeton, Missouri, and controls WorldNet operations. (As a sign that government spying goes hand-in-hand with union-busting, the entire (Communication Workers of America) Local 6377 which had jurisdiction over the Bridgeton NOC was wiped out in early 2002 when AT&T fired the union work force and later rehired them as nonunion "management" employees.) The cut-in work was performed in 2003, and since then new circuits are connected through the "splitter" cabinet.
Another Cut-In and Test Procedure document dated January 24, 2003, provides diagrams of how AT&T Core Network circuits were to be run through the "splitter" cabinet. One page lists the circuit IDs of key Peering Links which were "cut-in" in February 2003, including ConXion, Verio, XO, Genuity, Qwest, PAIX, Allegiance, AboveNet, Global Crossing, C&W, UUNET, Level 3, Sprint, Telia, PSINet and Mae West. By the way, Mae West is one of two key internet nodal points in the United States (the other, Mae East, is in Vienna, Virginia). It's not just WorldNet customers who are being spied on -- it's the entire internet.
The next logical question is, what central command is collecting the data sent by the various "secret rooms"? One can only make educated guesses, but perhaps the answer was inadvertently given in the DOD Inspector General's report (cited above):
"For testing TIA capabilities, Darpa and the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) created an operational research and development environment that uses real-time feedback. The main node of TIA is located at INSCOM (in Fort Belvoir, Virginia)…."
Among the agencies participating or planning to participate in the INSCOM "testing" are the "National Security Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency, the DOD Counterintelligence Field Activity, the U.S. Strategic Command, the Special Operations Command, the Joint Forces Command and the Joint Warfare Analysis Center." There are also "discussions" going on to bring in "non-DOD federal agencies" such as the FBI.
This is the infrastructure for an Orwellian police state. It must be shut down!
26.5M Social Security Numbers Stolen
The Department of Veterans Affairs confirmed Monday that social security numbers of 26.5 million veterans had been stolen after an employee took the data home on CD without permission. The information was taken when the employee's house was burglarized.
Microsoft's Vista: It's Make or Break Time
The next test version of Microsoft's Vista had better be good or the software giant could miss its already delayed deadline—again. At this stage, Vista is far from being production-ready. (Microsoft Watch)
Sony Ericsson's W42S 3G Walkman phone for Japan
[Via Impress Watch]
Continue reading Sony Ericsson's W42S 3G Walkman phone for Japan
Europe to get black DS Lite
[Thanks, Ant]
Under the hood of the Prius
More and more people are finding hacks for their hybrids that let them modify factory settings. Photos: Souped-up Prius
A new close-up for Vista
At this year's WinHEC confab, Microsoft puts the emphasis on its looming Windows releases, along with Office 2007.
Nintendo Confirms Wii Had GameCube Housing At E3
As reported earlier this week, a poster on the N-Sider forum revealed some intriguing photos that showed that the Wii units present at this years E3 event were being run by souped up GameCube hardware.
Well, Nintendo has decided to comment on this uproar. The company freely admits that it did use GameCube casing behind the scenes, but the innards of the console were definitely from the Wii.
Nintendo explains "the Wii hardware we exhibited at E3 2006 was made specifically for the E3 show and is not the final mass-production version. Some of this hardware was cased in Nintendo GameCube housing".
Now this leads on to the other very interesting piece of speculation that's been floating around the Internet over the last few days. The rumor that the Wii games that were displayed for the first time at E3 were nowhere close to using the final graphical capabilities of the system and will be greatly improved come the rumoured launch in November. One close source to the website Mozlapunk stated that the Wii "will be visually on par with the Xbox 360 and may even exceed it slightly."
It's looking like every day we are possibly edging further towards the truth. What the truth is, in regards to the Wii's graphical power, has yet to be revealed. But things are certainly hotting up in Nintendo land that's for sure. As always, Sickr will be here every step of the way, leading you towards the all important and elusive truth.
Source
One billion now online
More than one billion people in the world have access to the internet, with a quarter of them with broadband connections, according to a survey. The report by the firm eMarketer said the milestone of one billion was reached in late 2005, and that nearly 250 million households had broadband connections. The firm estimates that of these people, 845 million use the internet regularly. The United States is still number one in terms of numbers of internet users with 175 million, and broadband households, 43.7 million. In terms of regions, however, Asia-Pacific has the largest number (315 million) and is the largest broadband centre containing nearly 40 per cent of the world's broadband households.
News source: Hack in the box
Latest Super Mario Galaxy Footage
IGN gives us a first look at the spider boss from Super Mario Galaxy. This level takes place in space and features lots of slingshot action. Watch after the jump.
World’s First Hard Drive - 1956
Presenting the world’s first hard drive, first introduced in 1956 — IBM’s 5MB Random Access Memory Accounting: RAMAC®, magnetic-disk memory storage. It stored information on fifty disks, which spun at 1,200 rpm.
These disks are mounted so as to rotate about a vertical axis, with a spacing of three tenths of an inch between disks. This spacing permits two magnetic heads to be positioned to any one of the 100 concentric tracks which are available on each side of each disk. Each track contains 500 alphanumeric characters. Total storage capacity: 5,000,000 characters. The two recording heads are mounted in a pair of arms which are moved, by a feed-back control system, in a radial direction to straddle a selected disk.
(Thanks, Brian L)
E3 Star Trek Legacy Sneak Peak
I’ve been a ‘Star Trek’ fan ever since Lt. Commander Data got it on with Lt. Tasha Yar during that bizzaro episode where the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D crew all experienced some crazy space-phenomenon that had wacky behavioral results for all aboard. Uh, let’s face it… that was every other episode of ‘The Next Generation,’ right? Regardless, fans of the Star Trek Universe have much to be excited over, with current plans from Bethesda Softworks and Mad Doc Software to release the long awaited Star Trek Legacy, the first video game in the ‘Star Trek’ series to be released since 2005.
What sets Mad Doc/Bethesda’s game apart from the offerings by the previous holders of the license (Activision/Viacom) is largely in time. Now that the ‘Star Trek: Enterprise’ series has completed its run, a new chunk of franchise history is available to be placed into game format, and it’s fitting that Legacy is a game that celebrates all of the major milestones in the entire Star Trek universe, in spectacular RTS fashion. Also, time has allowed Mad Doc the ability to premiere the new vision of Star Trek simulation on a powerful next-generation console, the Xbox 360 (as well as the PC.) The leap in technology from the last-released Star Trek game, and Legacy could indeed be light-years, Number One.
The game will feature all the core ships of the Trek Universe: the aforementioned Enterprise NCC from Next Generation, Star Trek: Enterprise’s NX-01, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s USS Defiant (and an uncontrollable Deep Space Nine), Star Trek Voyager’s USS Voyager, and an additional number of previously-seen ships collected from all of the Star Trek Films, the episodes, and even a few new ones created specifically for Legacy for a total of over 60 different vessels (or ‘wessels’ if you’re a Chekov fan).
All the ships are rendered in-game and comprise an impressive 5-to-10,000 polygons per ship. Visible vessel damage can be seen in the form of gas leaks, phaser/photon torpedo damage, and even large chunks of hull will separate from a starship in the event of heavy collisions. Legacy also features two different views—the classic top down real-time strategy mode with readily-available ship status and enemy info, or the cinematography mode that features the epic space battles as they would appear in an episode/film.
The player will be treated to a ‘past-to-present’ persistent progression of the Star Trek Universe. Staring with ‘Enterprise’ and the NX-01, the player has the ability to amass a total of four different space-ships in their journey to explore new worlds and new civilizations. Each ship will be upgradeable, therefore it’s possible to have a team consisting of the NX-01, the Voyager, and the Defiant during a fateful Borg battle that occurred in ‘Star Trek: Insurrection,’ for instance. In story mode, the game is limited to a Federation-only campaign, yet online-multiplayer options include the ability to control Romulan, Klingon, and Borg ‘wessels,’ all of course taken from the Star Trek universe.
Gameplay is very strategy-oriented, similar to the actual show/films. The player, as Captain, will be able to divert energy to one of 5 different attributes during combat: shields, engines (in case one needs to go to warp, or get away from an ambush in a jiffy), hull (hit points), weapons, and sensors (affects the accuracy of photon torpedoes, and phaser weaponry). Positioning in a combat zone is also very important. In the E3 demo of Legacy, The battle against Kahn from ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn’ was primarily won by debilitating Kahn’s engines and shields, leaving him a sitting duck for my Enterprise to peg him with long distance photons from a safe distance, away from his ships’ weapons. One can only salivate at the thought of using a souped-up Defiant in a one-ship war against many a Borg cube, as regrettably the ship (which was supposed to be created as an anti-Borg ship in the first place) was never seen in any battles with the Collective in even one of the Star Trek episodes. Time to go where no one has gone before!
Look for Star Trek Legacy to hit the Xbox 360 and PC gaming platforms in Fall 2006, and keep your eyes peeled for a review right here at The Game Feed!
Odd-i P11N Portable Media Player
The P11N not only plays all your favorite media files — including MPEG-1/4, Xvid, DiVx, WMV, MP3, WMA, OGG and AC3 — it also doubles as a GPS navigation system. This 30GB player features a large 4.0-inch 16:9 widescreen display, 2.0-megapixel camera, USB 2.0 connectivity, eBook reader, TV recording capabilities, and a dual-core CPU. Unfortunately, we won’t be seeing the P11N stateside anytime soon, it’s a Korea-only player. Pricing and availability have not yet been released.
[via engadget]
Fifth Avenue Apple Store Frenzy
As the public readies to ooh and aah over products at its spacious Fifth Avenue Apple Store, praise is being given to Apple vice president Ron Johnson for his retailing and merchandising innovations. The NY Times looks at his background, which includes Mervyns then 16 years at Target (when Steve Jobs told him Apple "is one of the biggest brands in the world," Johnson told him then the stores should be big) Forrester says that Apple Store revenue was $2489 per square foot, whereas it's $971 at a Best Buy; Apple says Target averages $300 per square foot. But Target isn't paying for sweet retail space.
The only 24-hour Apple Store in the world opens at 6PM tonight, and they are giving away one Macbook every hour for 24 hours (here are the rules) - are you headed there? And a cool factoid: 5,000 people applied for the 300 jobs at the Fifth Avenue store (hello, discount!). Our post on the Fifth Avenue Apple Store preview (so pretty!) and here are all the Google News stories on the store. And New Yorkers, you're so lucky - you don't have to book airline tickets to make a pilgrimage to the store the way these people are.
Photograph of the Apple Store cube from Neil Epstein's Flickr set, and the cube at night from kumaw's Flickr set
UPDATE: A post on TUAW tells us that Steve Jobs is in the house. All hail! shap43's images on flickr.
UPDATE:
It's open! If your going, please be safe - and be sure to take pictures! Tag them on flickr with gothamist for us, so we can all join in on the fun. Above shot from yesthatkarim on flickr. [Side bar: We think Flickr is down because of all the people uploading their Apple Store pictures! It's our only theory, but, by golly, it's got legs!]
Oh snap-- AP's got the money shot of Steve Jobs in front of the cube-- never before have fans of mock-turtlenecks, modern architecture and computers had so much to celebrate at once! [Photos below by Jon Simon/AP]
Warning from Apple: don't put our laptops on your lap
Battlefield 2142 Gameplay Demonstration
Planet Battlefield gives us a 20 minute demonstration of Battlefield 2142’s Titan mode. Despite its futuristic theme, the gameplay looks promising. Watch after the jump.
PS3 to Cost Over $800 in the UK
According to Rat Maguire — head of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe UK — the 60GB PlayStation 3 will cost $803 (£425) at launch. He also “stressed the machine would nonetheless be the cheapest way to buy into Blu-ray”.
Interviewed by Eurogamer, SCE UK Managing Director Rat Maguire said: “I don’t think it’s an expensive machine - I think actually, it’s probably a cheap machine. If you think a Blu-Ray player by itself might be £600-700, and we’re coming in at just £425, it’s a bargain.”
[via RegHardware]
Sharp V201SH
Vodafone announced today a new PDC (2G) handset, the Sharp V201SH. This candybar style-phone boasts a 1.9-inch QVGA display, IrDA, QR code composition, and 140 minutes of talk time. It measures 46 x 115 x 16mm and weighs approx. 79g. The V201SH will be released in July for Vodafone’s exclusive prepaid service.
[via Slashphone]
(Video) PS2 vs. PS3 Graphics Engine
EA demonstrated the PlayStation 3’s graphical power in a split-screen comparison against the PlayStation 2 at E3 2006 — running NBA Live ‘07. Watch after the jump.
[via FreshCreation]
EyeMove PC
The EyeMove PC combines the functionality of a digital projector and computer into one circular-shaped device. Simply hang it on your wall or place it flat on a desk and project games, movies, or applications. No word yet on on if this concept will go into production. More pics after the jump.
With the wireless controller you can forget the old mouse, your keyboard, joystick, you have it all in one with a touch screen wireless controller
[via YankoDesign]
Toy car of the future runs on hydrogen fuel cell
Here's a taste of the future of vehicles: the H2 H-racer toy car, said to be the smallest car on the planet to use a hydrogen fuel cell for power, which of course means no toxic emissions whatsoever. The green angle doesn't stop there, though: accompanying the racer is a fuelling station that makes hydrogen via electrolysis and runs on solar power, so all you have to do it fill it up with water now and then. (Doesn't all this environmentally friendly business make you want to douse the thing in few coats of lead-based paint? Just me, then?) Resembling one of those robot-driven cars in Minority Report, the H2 definitely looks the part of a future car, and maybe it'll inspire a budding scientist somewhere to figure out how to make cheap hydrogen available on a massive scale, so the real thing will actually be feasible. You can order your H2 from Al Gor… um, from Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies.
H-Racer Toy Hydrogen Car, via Gizmodo
Laser Turntable: the Rolls-Royce of record players
Love the sound of your old vinyl records, but long for the convenience of a CD? You might just be in luck. ELP Corporation is finally introducing its Laser Turntable to the U.S.A. and Canada this summer. Working like a CD player, the turntable shoots out a laser beam to scan the surface of a vinyl record, even allowing you to pause the music and seek forward and backward. For hardcore vinyl fans who might fear the technology will "digitize" their records' pure analog sound, the audio information is reproduced without converting to digital, so true analog fidelity is maintained. And thanks to the precision of the laser, the turntable is said to bring out acoustic details in the music that you never knew were there. It can also play records that have been severely warped or damaged over the years, and because it's a laser it won't deteriorate the surface with each playback. At $15,000, the laser turntable isn't cheap, but can you really put a price on elevating your vinyl collection to the highest fidelity?
Creative Zen Vision:M SD
Creative Japan just put out a press release to say they're repackaging their Zen Vision:M mp3 player and selling it for less, where by "repackaging" all they really mean is "removing the AC adapter and giving the whole deal a different name", that name being Zen Vision: M SD. Now, our iPod Nano came with just a USB cable and we didn't give it much thought since the damn thing spends a lot of time plugged into our laptop anyway, so this doesn't exactly seem revolutionary to us. We know AC adapters are fairly cheap to manufacture, so maybe this is just a move to lower prices on the Zen Vision:M while still saving face?
The real mystery is that Creative's online retail price for the Vision:M SD is ¥37,800, and it's supposed to be available on their shop and Amazon.co.jp starting today—but not only does it not come up on Amazon just yet, but they're listing the Vision:M (the one with the AC adapter) for ¥32,500, which is less than the new "cheaper" SD package. What gives, Creative?
Creative ZEN VISION:M 30GB SD press release [jp.creative.com (translated) via Generation MP3 via Uber Gizmo]
Weenie Roaster
After posting a picture like this, what else can we say? This hot dog roaster has an oak handle and is available in a variety of life-like colors. It can be conveniently hung by its rope strap, too. Get this ballsy gag gift on eBay for $14.99.
Novelty Hot Dog Roaster [eBay, via Strange New Products]