Computer Information - myOddPc
How would you change the outcome of the format war?
Filed under: Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment
Look, we're not out to whip the proverbial
dead horse, but after taking a long, critical look at how the format war
played out from day one, it's just too inviting to
not take a step back and ponder how things could've been different. Looking back, we noticed numerous
scenarios where it truly looked as if HD DVD had this whole thing
wrapped up, and while analysts galore boasted that this grueling war would
go on for eons, now we're staring the other camp in the face as the victor. Believe it or not, folks voluntarily caught up in all of this are quite passionate --
shocking, we know -- and we've all ideas players from both sides would have liked to see a few different moves made along the way.
From the get-go, Toshiba proudly proclaimed that its format wasn't a work-in-progress, and while
Profile changes left early Blu-ray owners out of luck when trying to access more advanced features, sales numbers just seemed to always fall in Blu's favor. Truth be told, we know many of you simply wish the two would've nailed down a pact from day one and cranked out a single next-generation format, but being that said scenario didn't exactly pan out, how would you have done things to change the outcome of the format war? Would you have tweaked the approach of either side to get this mess over with months ago? Do you feel the "best" camp won out? And would you have bit the bullet and offered up a combo drive in the Xbox 360 if you flew the flag in Redmond? We've all ideas this one's going to get raucous in no time flat, but for everyone's sake, try to think more with your mind and less with your heart, cool?
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EU, U.S. seize $1.3 billion in counterfeit computer parts, plan crackdown
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Officials from the U.S. and European Union gave themselves a big pat on the back today, announcing that a joint operation of theirs recently netted over 360,000 fake computer components over a two week period, a haul that they say rang up to some $1.3 billion. That apparently included both counterfeit integrated circuits and various computer parts, which were branded with over forty different trademarks including Intel, Cisco and Philips, to name a few. Needless to say, the officials are now apparently feeling a little buoyed by their success, with them vowing to crack down on computer counterfeiters the world over, and " take up the matter" with China, which is where most of the seized products apparently came from.
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Bape puts its mark on limited edition DS Lites
Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds
It's not like there's any shortage of
highly desirable DS / DS Lites out
there, but we've all ideas this particular iteration will be one desired by many and acquired by (very) few. Japanese clothing company A Bathing Ape (Bape) has apparently signed on to put its spin on Nintendo's darling of a handheld, littering both a gold and white DS Lite with Milo characters. As for pricing, we'll just assume that those that need to ask should simply push this far from the forefront of their minds.
[Via
DSFanboy]
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Bandai's Mirai Scope gets Ms. Cleo in your pocket
Filed under: Handhelds
Not that we'd put any stock in a prognosticator --
digital or
otherwise -- but for those looking for a bit of fun, Bandai's Mirai Scope is apt to deliver. Reportedly, this digital fortune teller starts out by dousing you in pixie dust and asking a myriad questions about your personal life. After that, we're told it somehow aligns with galactic bodies and helps you figure out your true purpose in life. Hopefully, it's pretty clear that this thing is marginally more than a novel heap, but hey, what else did you expect for ¥2,980 ($28)?
[Via
Technabob]
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Child-Suitable Alternatives To Passwords?
An anonymous reader writes "Two months ago I donated my old PC to my little sister, who is 7 — I had promised she would get her own computer as soon as she can read and write properly. I then proceeded to answer her questions about how it works, as far as she inquired, and tried to let her make some choices when installing Debian (she can already use GNOME). As I explained password protection and encryption to her, I was pleasantly surprised when she insisted on protection measures being as strong as possible, so that no one else can screw with her computer. She knows that my younger brother has to endure strict parental control software that was installed on his machine without his consent. The significant problem is that she cannot permanently memorize abstract passwords, even if they are her own creation. I talked with a teacher who assured me that this is common at her age. My parents would probably be able to guess non-abstract passwords. What mechanism of identifying herself does the Slashdot crowd suggest?"
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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New Electron Microscope Shows Atoms in Color
Cornell's Duffield Hall has acquired a new electron microscope that is enabling scientists to see individual atoms in color for the very first time. While old electron microscopes can be compared to black and white cameras, this new scanning transmission electron microscope uses a new aberration-correction technology that is both more intense and allows for faster imaging speed. "The method also can show how atoms are bonded to one another in a crystal, because the bonding creates small shifts in the energy signatures. In earlier STEMs, many electrons from the beam, including those with changed energies, were scattered at wide angles by simple collisions with atoms. The new STEM includes magnetic lenses that collect emerging electrons over a wider angle. Previously, Silcox said, about 8 percent of the emerging electrons were collected, but the new detector collects about 80 percent, allowing more accurate readings of the small changes in energy levels that reveal bonding between atoms."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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Connectyx Announces the Launch of MedFlash II, Its New Personal Health Record and Wellness Portal at HIMSS in Orlando, Florida
Connectyx Technologies, Inc. (Pink Sheets:CTYX) announces the release of its new version of MedFlash to consumers nationwide and will be showcasing it at the HIMSS tradeshow, booth#4585 in Orlando, Florida next week. Ronn Schuman the company's CEO stated: "We are very excited about the release of our MedFlash personal health record (PHR) and lifestyle portal. We have taken a revolutionary step in creating an easy to use PHR, as well as adding features that will allow consumers to manage all areas of their lifestyle, focusing on wellness." Schuman further stated, "The new version of MedFlash that will be available in retail stores and on the internet over the next few weeks will allow users to log on to their personal health record either by accessing their flash key or by going directly to the MedFlash portal." MedFlash will also give customers access to other health records and portals and plans to integrate with hospitals, insurers and other employers whom want to use this innovative gateway. (PRWeb Feb 22, 2008)
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/medflash/connectyx/prweb717534.htm
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The Future of MMOs
IGN has some interesting coverage of a panel at GDC 2008 that featured some of the top names in the MMO world who got together to discuss the future of the genre. "On hand were Jack Emmert of Cryptic Studios, Mark Miller of NCSoft, Min Kim of Nexon and Rob Pardo of Blizzard Entertainment. MMO newbie Ray Muzyka was also on hand to share his thoughts as BioWare moves into the MMO arena. [...] The conversation got a lot more heated when the subject of micro-transactions was introduced. This is a popular revenue model in Asia, where the games themselves are free to play but charge a premium for a variety of premium extras, from vanity items to additional content or abilities. It's a model that's working well for Korean developer Nexon but hasn't been adopted by many American developers."
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UK ISPs To Face Piracy Deadline
superbrose notes that despite lots of legal difficulties regarding Internet privacy, the UK government is going ahead with plans to punish ISPs for allowing their customers to download illegal music and films. The claim is that there is "rampant piracy" in Britain with more than 6 million broadband users downloading files illegally every year. "The government will on Friday tell internet service providers they will be hit with legal sanctions from April next year unless they take concrete steps to curb illegal downloads of music and films. Britain would be one of the first countries in the world to impose such sanctions. Service providers say what the government wants them to do would be like asking the Royal Mail to monitor the contents of every envelope posted."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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IBM Leaks Details on New Mainframe
Mark writes "Big Blue inadvertently revealed details about its new z10 Enterprise Class mainframe set to launch on Feb. 26, as well as details on z/OS v1.10, a new version of the mainframe OS due out in September. 'According to an internal IBM document obtained by SearchDataCenter.com, the z10 Enterprise Class will come in five different models and feature 64-way chips, compared with the 54-way z9 mainframes and earlier 32-way models. In a conference call last month, IBM CFO Mark Loughridge told investors that the z10 would have 50% more capacity, which indicates that it will probably tap out at around 27,000 million instructions per second (MIPS) at the top end, compared with about 18,000 MIPS on the previous z9 Enterprise Class.'"
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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