Friday, April 28, 2006

I4U News - CARVER ONE - First Tilting Three-Wheeler on the Market

I4U News - CARVER ONE - First Tilting Three-Wheeler on the Market:
"Yesterday we reported about the BMW CLEVER Concept tilting three-wheeler, which is still far away from becoming commercial. A UK company is actually already on the market with a tilting three-wheeled vehicle dubbed CARVER ONE."
LINKS: Carver One
RELATED: I4U - BMW CLEVER
RELATED: I4U - Volkswagen GX3 - A Futuristic Three-Wheeler

PC Magazine - Nokia To Open Store and Bring High-End Phones to US

PC Magazine - Nokia To Open Store and Bring High-End Phones to US:
"Nokia plans to open a 'flagship store' in Chicago on June 21, with a New York store in the 'Fifth Avenue region' opening before the end of 2006, Nokia Director of Multimedia Computers David Watkins told PC Magazine today. Both stores will sell phones not available directly through US carriers, he said."

GamesIndustry.biz - UK teams working on PlayStation HUB, PS3 back-compatibility

GamesIndustry.biz - UK teams working on PlayStation HUB, PS3 back-compatibility:
"Key elements of the technology for PlayStation 3 - including the PlayStation Network Platform and the software to enable back-compatibility with PS and PS2 games - are being worked on at Sony's UK studios, GamesIndustry.biz has learned."
RELATED: GamesIndustry.biz - Sony trialling PlayStation online payments with RBS

BizReport - BBC Revamping of Web Site Draws Criticism (From a Total Idiot)

BizReport - BBC Revamping of Web Site Draws Criticism (From a Total Idiot):
"The British Broadcasting Corp. is revamping its Web site to incorporate more user-generated content such as blogs and video, features already available through the popular social networking site MySpace. The broadcaster also has long-term plans to create broadband portals in such areas as sports, music, health and science."
LINKS: BBC - OpenSource
LINKS: BBC - BackStage

Thursday, April 27, 2006

CNET News - Nintendo Revolution renamed 'Wii'

CNET News - Nintendo Revolution renamed 'Wii':
"For more than a year, Nintendo's forthcoming next-generation video game console has been known by its code name, Revolution. But on Thursday, the company unveiled the machine's real name, 'Wii.'"

Yahoo! News - Sci Fi Plans 'Galactica' Spinoff, Online Network

Yahoo! News - Sci Fi Plans 'Galactica' Spinoff, Online Network:
"Pulse will premiere next month with a mix of recycled original series and movies, as well as behind-the-scenes footage and other video extras. Exclusive original content including 'webisode' spinoffs of primetime series and a weekly news show will be added in the summer. Sci Fi will go as far as testing potential series pilots online for viewer feedback."

LinuxDevices - Chinese $150 Linux mini-PC races OLPC to market

LinuxDevices - Chinese $150 Linux mini-PC races OLPC to market:
"A Chinese company is touting an inexpensive Linux-based computer as a way to close the 'digital divide.' YellowSheepRiver's $150 'Municator' appears to be available now, with a three-month leadtime, suggesting it could reach market well ahead of MIT's $100 'One Laptop Per Child' (OLPC) device."
LINKS: YellowSheepRiver

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

MarketingVOX - WSJ: Microsoft to Buy Massive

MarketingVOX - WSJ: Microsoft to Buy Massive:
"The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Microsoft is planning to acquire in-game advertising firm Massive Inc. for anywhere between $200 and $400 million, with the official announcement to come next week, writes Gamasutra. Microsoft is apparently interested in controlling how advertising is placed within games and wants to try using ads to subsidize users' costs for massively multiplayer online games."
RELATED: Gamasutra - Report: WSJ Claims Microsoft Buyout of Massive Imminent
LINKS: Massive Inc.

Yenra - 2007 Jeep Wrangler

Yenra - 2007 Jeep Wrangler:
"With a four-door open-air design, the all-new 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited has room for five adult passengers and the most cargo space ever offered in a Wrangler."

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer - Will you stand for less room on flights?

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer - Will you stand for less room on flights?:
"Airbus has been quietly pitching the standing-room-only option to Asian carriers, though none has agreed to it yet. Passengers in the standing section would be propped against a padded backboard, held in place with a harness, according to experts who have seen a proposal."
Via PSFK

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

BizReport - EBay Launches Online Store to Sell Items

BizReport - EBay Launches Online Store to Sell Items:
"To attract more shoppers, online auctioneer eBay Inc. on Monday launched 'eBay Express,' an online store to sell new items ranging from cookware and books to electronics -- all with no bidding involved."
LINKS: eBay Express

BizReport - Amazon.com Subsidiary to Sell TV DVDs

BizReport - Amazon.com Subsidiary to Sell TV DVDs:
"CustomFlix is hoping to appeal to broadcasters because it promises to hold the content and only create a DVD when a customer orders it, rather than forcing a network to risk producing thousands of DVDs that go unsold. He said the technology also could allow users to download or stream the shows over the Internet, although he had no announcements about such plans right now."
LINKS: CustomFlix

AlterNet - Asexuals Unite

AlterNet - Asexuals Unite:
"Asexuality is not celibacy, abstinence or escapism, Jay says. 'Whatever sexual orientation is, it works like that. It's not something we choose. It's something we intrinsically feel.'"
Via Cyborg Democracy
LINKS: Asexuality Visibility and Education Network
LINKS: The Official Nonlibidoism Society

Monday, April 24, 2006

Reuters - Gates said Microsoft had to beat RealNetworks

Reuters - Gates said Microsoft had to beat RealNetworks:
"'It does not compete with Windows. The fact that Apple moved away from competing with Microsoft head-to-head into the music service business does not contradict foreclosure; it confirms it,' he said."

Reuters - US TV stations seek share of networks' new revenue

Reuters - US TV stations seek share of networks' new revenue:
"The networks and the affiliates have had a sometimes rocky relationship over the years, disagreeing over a variety of issues such as when the local stations can preempt national programming."

Reuters - UPDATE 2-Sun Micro founder McNealy steps down as CEO

Reuters - UPDATE 2-Sun Micro founder McNealy steps down as CEO:
"High-end computer maker Sun Microsystems Inc. (SUNW.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Monday that founder and Silicon Valley legend Scott McNealy would step down as chief executive, and protege Jonathan Schwartz would take his place."

M-Dollar - Windows Live Drive: store everything

M-Dollar - Windows Live Drive: store everything:
"Microsoft Watch is reporting that Microsoft is looking to create a new Windows Live service which will act as a virtual hard drive for users. Live Drive, as the service is known, will be in competition with Google's GDrive."

New Scientist Tech - Paint-on laser brings optical computing closer

New Scientist Tech - Paint-on laser brings optical computing closer:
"A laser created by simply painting a solution of crystals onto glass could be used to make super-fast computers that use light instead of electricity. The technology could also provide cheap sensors for biomedical and motoring applications."
Via KurzweilAI.net

M-Dollar - Welcome to college, here's your Windows Live account

M-Dollar - Welcome to college, here's your Windows Live account:
"Microsoft, in an attempt to spread the word about Windows Live, has struck a deal with 72 colleges all across the world. And what is this said deal? The colleges have agreed to let Microsoft host their student's e-mail accounts."

OpEd News - Bush Impeachment

OpEd News - Bush Impeachment:
"Detailing five specific charges against President Bush including one that is specified to be a felony, the complete text of HJR0125 is copied below at the end of this article. One of the interesting points is that one of the items, the one specified as a felony, that the NSA was directed by the President to spy on American citizens without warrant, is not in dispute. That fact should prove an interesting dilemma for a Republican controlled US House that clearly is not only loathe to initiate impeachment proceedings, but does not even want to thoroughly investigate any of the five items brought up by the Illinois Assembly as high crimes and/or misdemeanors. Should HJR0125 be passed by the Illinois General Assembly, the US House will be forced by House Rules to take up the issue of impeachment as a privileged bill, meaning it will take precedence over other House business."
RELATED: OpEd News - California Becomes Second State to Introduce Bush Impeachment
LINKS: ImpeachBush.org

BetaNews - Intel Unveils vPro Business Branding

BetaNews - Intel Unveils vPro Business Branding:
"Intel on Monday introduced a new brand for business PCs dubbed vPro, which serves as a chip platform much like Intel's Centrino for mobile computers and Viiv for entertainment systems. vPro brings to the table the second generation of Intel Active Management Technology (AMT) and built-in virtualization."
LINKS: Intel - vPro

New Scientist Tech - Superconducting memory flip-flops in an instant

New Scientist Tech - Superconducting memory flip-flops in an instant:
"An exotic form of electronic memory made using superconductors could someday be used to make computers that work at unprecedented speeds, say researchers."
Via KurzweilAI.net

Military.com - Dragon Skin or Interceptor Body Armor?

Military.com - Dragon Skin or Interceptor Body Armor?:
"Defense Review has confirmed it. Just as we expected, Pinnacle Armor SOV-2000 (Level III/III+) and SOV-3000 (Level IV) Dragon Skin body armor appears to be significantly superior in every combat-relavant way to U.S. Army PEO Soldier's and U.S. Army Natick Soldier Center (NSC)/Soldier Systems Center's Interceptor Body Armor, which is comprised of the following components: USMC Interceptor Multi-threat Body Armor System Small Arms Protective Insert (SAPI) Level III plate or Enhanced Small Arms Protective Insert (ESAPI) Level IV plate, and the USMC Interceptor Multi-threat Body Armor System Outer Tactical Vest (OTV)."
LINKS: Pinnacle Armor - Dragon Skin

New Scientist Tech - Solar-powered implant could restore vision

New Scientist Tech - Solar-powered implant could restore vision:
"An implant that squirts chemicals into the back of your eye may not sound like much fun. But a solar-powered chip that stimulates retinal cells by spraying them with neurotransmitters could restore sight to blind people."
Via KurzweilAI.net

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Los Angeles Times - Chronic Fatigue Is in the Genes, Study Finds

Los Angeles Times - Chronic Fatigue Is in the Genes, Study Finds:
"Chronic fatigue syndrome, often dismissed as the imaginings of depressed and whiny people, is caused by genetic mutations that impair the central nervous system's ability to adapt to stressful situations, according to a major new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

Friday, April 21, 2006

BizReport - eBay in talks to fend off Google threat

BizReport - eBay in talks to fend off Google threat:
"eBay Inc has had talks with both Yahoo Inc and Microsoft Corp to determine whether one of them might be a suitable ally against common threats from Google Inc, the Wall Street Journal said on Friday."

The Inquirer - Apple book comes with Windows pre-loaded

The Inquirer - Apple book comes with Windows pre-loaded:
"Expercom.com, here, is offering to pre-load punters' MacBook Pros with a licensed copy of Windows XP and a 20GB Fat32 partition, pre-loaded with Windows XP Pro with Service Pack 2."

Gadgetell - TiVo pulls Blockbuster out of their back pocket

Gadgetell - TiVo pulls Blockbuster out of their back pocket:
"The TiVo expert, David Zatz, was playing around on the TiVo store last night and found some really interesting stuff. We have all heard the rumors that TiVo and Netflix had a partnership going, then didn’t, and maybe did again. Well Dave found a Blockbuster partnership within TiVo."

CIO Tech Informer - Opera Debuts Public Beta of New Web Browser

CIO Tech Informer - Opera Debuts Public Beta of New Web Browser:
"Opera 9 includes a feature called 'widgets,' which are small Web applications such as newsfeeds or games that reside in a window on a user’s desktop. It also comes with the BitTorrent file-downloading software built in, meaning users don’t have to start that software as a separate application."
LINKS: Opera 9 Beta

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

LinuxDevices - Handheld Linux gaming gadget goes stateside

LinuxDevices - Handheld Linux gaming gadget goes stateside:
"A Linux-based handheld gaming platform that runs native and emulated games is shipping in the US. Gamepark's GP2X is powered by a pair of ARM9 processors, has an 'open-source' API and development tools, and can run thousands of classic console video games, online retailer Dynamism says."
LINKS: Gamepark Holdings
BUY: Gamepark GP2X

BizReport - CNET launches video-on-demand network

BizReport - CNET launches video-on-demand network:
"CNET Networks on Monday said it will launch 'CNET TV,' a new video on demand network over cable, on digital video recorders made by TiVo and on the Internet as it broadens its reach to viewers."

Popular Science - John Koza Has Built an Invention Machine

Popular Science - John Koza Has Built an Invention Machine:
"As a high-school student in the 1950s, John Koza yearned for a personal computer. That was a tall order back then, as mass-produced data processors such as the IBM 704 were mainframes several times the size of his bedroom. So the cocksure young man went rummaging for broken jukeboxes and pinball machines, repurposing relays and switches and lightbulbs to make a computer of his own design."

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Yahoo! News - Sony Ericsson sees market for TV on phones soon

Yahoo! News - Sony Ericsson sees market for TV on phones soon:
"Proponents of DVB-H and DMB say they allow an unlimited number of handsets to receive broadcast television, which could make it effective for a mass market in which users pay a flat monthly fee."

Monday, April 17, 2006

KurzweilAI.net - Nature paper shows that cell division is reversible

KurzweilAI.net - Nature paper shows that cell division is reversible:
"Gary J. Gorbsky, Ph.D., a scientist with the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, has found a way to reverse the process of cell division."

Scientific American - Ultra-efficient Organic LED Outshines Lightbulb

Scientific American - Ultra-efficient Organic LED Outshines Lightbulb:
"The incandescent lightbulb is a miracle of modern engineering. It requires a vacuum inside, blown glass and special filaments to work. Yet despite more than a century of refinements, an average bulb emits just 15 lumens of light for every watt of electricity it consumes. As a result, simple lighting accounts for 22 percent of the electricity used by buildings in the U.S. Now a team of engineers and chemists has created a carbon-based series of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that operate at the pinnacle of efficiency while emitting a strong white light."
Via PSFK

Financial Times - Oracle considers new Linux venture

Financial Times - Oracle considers new Linux venture:
"Oracle is studying whether to launch its own version of the Linux operating system and has looked at buying one of the two companies currently dominating the Linux world, according to Larry Ellison, the software company's chief executive officer."
RELATED: CNET News - Oracle looking to Linux
RELATED: Wired News - Oracle Eyes Novell Acquisition
RELATED: eWeek - Oracle's Linux Push: Mozilla Browser to Front Oracle Apps

New York Times - At LucasArts, No Playing Around in Quest to Be No. 1

New York Times - At LucasArts, No Playing Around in Quest to Be No. 1:
"In September 2004, Jim Ward met with the director George Lucas at his office at Skywalker Ranch near here. At the time, LucasArts, the video game company created by Mr. Lucas in 1982 and run by Mr. Ward, was in disarray. The division was making too many mediocre 'Star Wars' games, it was rife with internal rivalries and it was in such lackluster financial shape that bonuses for employees were scrapped that year."
LINKS: LucasArts

InformationWeek - Microsoft Launches Specialized Search Engine

InformationWeek - Microsoft Launches Specialized Search Engine:
"The software company launched a new search engine for academic journals last week, and while it's yet another example of Microsoft trailing Google in online software (digital maps and desktop searches also come to mind), Microsoft is showing what looks like a new willingness to take some chances and loosen up its release schedules."
LINKS: Windows Live Academic

Friday, April 14, 2006

BusinessWeek - Microsoft Gets Social

BusinessWeek - Microsoft Gets Social:
"Software giant Microsoft is taking its MSN Search division on a comeback tour. The next stop: Social search, a way of making Web search more relevant by incorporating the preferences of like-minded Net surfers."
LINKS: Eurekster

Thursday, April 13, 2006

GamesIndustry.biz - Microsoft expands Xbox Live movie content

GamesIndustry.biz - Microsoft expands Xbox Live movie content:
"Significantly expanding the range of content available through Xbox Live and creating a unique cross-marketing initiative, Microsoft and Paramount Pictures have unveiled the new Xbox Movie Showcase service."

BizReport - Brands take buzz to bank through free TV placement

BizReport - Brands take buzz to bank through free TV placement:
"Entertainment marketers say that despite efforts by the networks and studios to crack down on free placements, they are still happening for a variety of reasons: Many integration decisions are still being driven creatively rather than financially; production companies still want to save money by getting free product on the set; branded entertainment deals do not come close to covering the amount of product that is needed to dress a set; many changes in props or sets are made during filming, long after product integration deals are sealed; and producers don't always want to spend the time and money required to satisfy the demands of brands willing to pay for integration."

BizReport - Microsoft signs on as World Cyber Games sponsor

BizReport - Microsoft signs on as World Cyber Games sponsor:
"Under the terms of the alliance, Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Games for Windows business units will provide hardware, games and marketing support for all World Cyber Game events -- including three multi-region championships, the Korean and U.S. championships, and the grand finals in Monza, Italy, in October."
LINKS: World Cyber Games

BizReport - MetroFi selected to operate Portland Wi-Fi network

BizReport - MetroFi selected to operate Portland Wi-Fi network:
"MetroFi Inc. said on Wednesday it was selected by the city of Portland, Oregon, to design and operate a citywide Wi-Fi network that will provide free wireless Internet access and improved public services."
LINKS: MetroFi

Reuters - Google offers free Web calendar service

Reuters - Google offers free Web calendar service:
"Google Inc. is introducing on Thursday a free Web calendar service for consumers to schedule events and share them with others, opening a new level of competition with rivals such as Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp."
RELATED: BizReport - Google offers free Web calendar service
LINKS: Google Calendar

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

JupiterResearch - Disney/ABC to "Broadcast" Online; This Is Big

JupiterResearch - Disney/ABC to "Broadcast" Online; This Is Big:
"'On April 30, ABC will unveil a revamped Web site that will include a 'theater' where people with broadband connections can watch free episodes of 'Desperate Housewives,' 'Lost' and other hit shows on their computers. Episodes will be available the morning after they air and will be archived so people can eventually view a whole season. A Disney Channel version with five shows will start in June, and an ABC Family version is also planned. Disney's Soapnet cable channel will start offering programs free on its Web site, Soapnetic, on April 17.'"
LINKS: ABC - Video

Friday, April 07, 2006

BizReport - Google Earth to Get Discovery Video

BizReport - Google Earth to Get Discovery Video:
"Discovery Communications Inc. is teaming up with Google to offer video clips of historic sites and other spots around the world through Google Earth software, one of several new ways the Silver Spring cable programmer is distributing its content beyond television."

Forbes - Google Music Store Would Provide New Revenue Stream

Forbes - Google Music Store Would Provide New Revenue Stream:
"Google is preparing to launch a music downloading service, according to research firm Caris & Company."

Thursday, April 06, 2006

GamesIndustry.biz - Eurogamer plans E3 TV coverage; Minkley joins as TV editor

GamesIndustry.biz - Eurogamer plans E3 TV coverage; Minkley joins as TV editor:
"Britain's top videogames website publisher, Eurogamer Network, has announced its plans for extensive video coverage of the E3 show in May, with the initiative being spearheaded by new hire Johnny Minkley."
LINKS: Eurogamer TV

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

KurzweilAI.net - Strategic Sustainable Brain

KurzweilAI.net - Strategic Sustainable Brain:
"The human brain faces a challenging future. To cope with accelerating nanotech- and biotech-based developments in an increasingly complex world, compete with emerging superintelligence, and maintain its performance and sustainability as people live longer, the fragile human brain will need major enhancements: a backup system, eliminating degenerative processes, direct mind-linkup to ubiquitous computing networks, error-correction for memory, and a global Net connection with remote neural access."

KurzweilAI.net - Is AI Near a Takeoff Point?

KurzweilAI.net - Is AI Near a Takeoff Point?:
"Computers built by nanofactories may be millions of times more powerful than anything we have today, capable of creating world-changing AI in the coming decades. But to avoid a dystopia, the nature (and particularly intelligence) of government (a giant computer program -- with guns) will have to change."

BizReport - Offbeat shows turn Web into world wide TV network

BizReport - Offbeat shows turn Web into world wide TV network:
"From independent producers like Mondo Media to big media companies like MTV, and even kids who post videos on community sites like YouTube.com, the World Wide Web is becoming a sort of worldwide TV network for audiences seeking offbeat entertainment not shown on mainstream television."
LINKS: Mondo Mini Shows
LINKS: YouTube

eWeek - LinuxWorld: Virtualization Bake-In Off and Running

eWeek - LinuxWorld: Virtualization Bake-In Off and Running:
"Amid a growing cacophony of demand, the two largest Linux vendors, Red Hat and Novell, plan to bake virtualization into their enterprise products slated to ship later this year. But technology managers are mixed on the approach."
LINKS: Xen Source

PC Magazine - Philips Downsizes Mobile TV

PC Magazine - Philips Downsizes Mobile TV:
"Mobile TV is a big topic at CTIA, with much of the buzz around DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting-Handhelds), a European-driven standard for broadcasting digital TV channels to phones. While companies such as MobiTV and SmartVideo already bring live TV to some phones and PDAs, they stream the shows over Internet connections, with a separate stream going to each user who demands it. Direct television broadcasts, on their own chunk of radio spectrum, are much cheaper to deliver to a mass audience because they don't clog up Internet pipes or a bunch of individual cellular connections."
LINKS: MobiTV
LINKS: SmartVideo

Metropolis Magazine - Smart City 2020

Metropolis Magazine - Smart City 2020:
"These days computers are mostly devices in drag. The gadgets that surround us wear the distinctive gear and play the varied roles of telephones, MP3 players, digital cameras, watches, and date books. Under the surface, microchips and software are what make these otherwise inert lumps of metal and plastic useful. The same goes for domestic appliances, automobiles, laboratory equipment, prostheses, and the electrical and mechanical systems of buildings. Our cities are fast transforming into artificial ecosystems of interconnected, interdependent intelligent digital organisms. This is the fundamentally new technological condition confronting architects and product designers in the twenty-first century. At the MIT Design Laboratory, my colleagues and I work with teams of students to explore the emerging opportunities this condition provides."
LINKS: SENSEable City

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

New York Times - At Last, Movies to Keep Arrive on the Internet

New York Times - At Last, Movies to Keep Arrive on the Internet:
"Until now, the only downloads the studios have offered have been online rentals, which can be watched only for a 24-hour period — an idea that has not caught on with consumers. But the high prices and technological limits of the new permanent downloads suggest that they may not be an instant hit."
LINKS: Movielink
LINKS: CinemaNow

Monday, April 03, 2006

informitv - Cablevision RS-DVR tests remote control storage case

informitv - Cablevision RS-DVR tests remote control storage case:
"Comcast and Time Warner executives are welcoming an initiative by New York cable operator Cablevision Systems to offer a network video recorder that removes the need for set-top box storage."