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Editorial

Submission + - An Underdog Story: How the Wii Became Number One

Submitted by
John Misak
John Misak writes: "GWN have published a thought-provoking editorial piece on the past, present and future of the Wii and PS3. From the article:

"Has the world gone mad? At this time last year Sony was sitting comfortably on top of the gaming console hill. Nintendo rolled the dice with the Wii and it seems to have come up seven for the company, while Sony is constantly betting the hard eight and losing chips by the handful.

Sony still sits atop the gaming heap, but may not be resting all that comfortably these days. It's interesting that the first few PS3 consoles sold in the US came with a Blu-Ray copy of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby because Sony is now a bit like Will Ferrell's Ricky, seeing that competitor coming up fast from behind. Instead of a gay French NASCAR driver, it's an Italian plumber coming by way of Japan, Sony's home turf.

An in-depth look at exactly how it happened."
PC Games (Games)

Submission + - DigiPen Forces Slamdance Reinstatement

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The Slamdance saga continues. Water Cooler Games is reporting that DigiPen Institute of Technology has re-admitted Toblo as a finalist against the creators' wishes. Apparently, DigiPen possesses the game's IP and has decided to overrule the team's previous decision to withdraw from the festival. The team has stated on their website that they will not present their game at the festival and plan on refusing any awards it might receive.
Books

Submission + - "The Diamond Age" becoming a mini-series o

Submitted by duffetta
duffetta writes: According to The SciFi Channel George Clooney and others are working on developing several shows and pilots to be aired by the network. Clooney is working on a mini-series of Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age.

From the release:

"When a prominent member of society concludes that the futuristic civilization in which he lives is stifling creativity, he commissions an interactive book for his daughter that serves as a guide through a surreal alternate world. Stephenson will adapt his novel for the miniseries, the first time the Hugo and Nebula award winner has written for TV."

I wonder how they are going to do the "Drummer" scenes without an R or NC17 rating?
Enlightenment

Submission + - 21st Century Superbus to help speed commutes

Submitted by djupedal
djupedal writes: A Superbus for the 21st Century

And so the Superbus has been designed to rescue us from congestion. It's the same length as a conventional bus, but that is where the similarities end. It is only one meter 60 centimeters high to maximize aerodynamics and electrically powered. It is also intended to run on roads and dedicated high-speed tracks at over 150 mph.

While it combines the high-speed service of trains with the flexibility of a normal bus, the biggest novelty of the project is the way it combines so many elements of innovation.

"We know how to make light weight materials, how to design and make beautiful vehicles, how to use IT and SMS technology, so what we're trying to do is bring them all together."

Former BMW-Williams Formula 1 designer Dr. Antonia Terzi has been employed to design the Superbus, so it's no wonder it looks more like a futuristic sports limousine rather than a brick with wheels.
Robotics

Submission + - Nanobot to perform surgery

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: An international team of scientists is developing what they say will be the world's first microrobot — as wide as two human hairs — that can swim through the arteries and digestive system. The scientists are designing the 250-micron device to transmit images and deliver microscopic payloads to parts of the body outside the reach of existing catheter technology.
Sony

Submission + - Sony all too happy to void your warranty?

Submitted by Hej
Hej writes: According to this post on the AVS Forum, a customer who bought a Playstation 3 had the warranty voided because he used 3rd party cables to hook it up to his television. From the thread, "Just got off the phone with Sony Support. Because I have a generic brand of component cables, instead of officially licensed Sony components, Sony has voided the warranty on my PS3 and will only replace it for $150 dollars! ... So now my system boots up and sits there with a blank screen. Thank god I kept the receipt." Original AVSForum.com thread here. I'm curious if this is just a case of a customer service rep taking things a bit too literally, or if Sony is actually that eager to screw over their customers. Any Slashdotters with similiar stories of warranty woe?
Patents

Submission + - New Unpatented Cancer Drug

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: New Scientist is running a story about a new cancer drug that activates cell death in cancer tumors by activating cell apoptosis (the process in which cells die) by turning on the mitochondria normally inactive in cancer cells. Interestingly the drugs used in this treatment have been used for years to treat rare metabolic disorders, so they aren't covered by any existing patents. This might slow down their development, but raises hopes about relatively cheap drugs to combat many different forms of cancer. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn10971?DCMP=N LC-nletter&nsref=dn10971
Printer

Submission + - 3D printer for only $9900

Submitted by rajiv
rajiv writes: forget lego mindstorms, just print out your creations! 3D printing for home and hobbyist use, only $9,900:

"3D Systems Corporation (NASDAQ: TDSC), a leading provider of rapid 3-D Printing, Prototyping and Manufacturing solutions, announced today its plans to introduce a revolutionary, fast, simple and compact new office modeler, the V-Flash(TM) desktop modeler, this summer. The V-Flash(TM) desktop modeler can build ready-to-use, three-dimensional models within hours at home, school or office workstations. The cost-effective model-maker will enable designers, engineers, hobbyists and students to imagine, design and produce their ideas at their desks. ... The 25-by-26-by-27 inch V-Flash(TM) desktop modeler will weigh about 100 pounds and have a maximum build volume of 7 by 9 inches and 8 inches tall. With standard power requirements, plug and play set-up and simple operation, the V-Flash(TM) desktop modeler will be office, home and school friendly. V-Flash(TM) produced models will demonstrate SLA®-like accuracy, resolution and quality. The ready-to-use models will be ready for use, testing and verification within hours. ... The V-Flash(TM) desktop modeler will be available in the summer of 2007 in the United States. More information on this revolutionary new model-maker is available at www.modelin3d.com."
Games

The Games Industry's 2007 Resolutions 57

Posted by Zonk from the thou-shalt-not-release-crappy-sequels dept.
Gamasutra has a piece up from earlier this week, with some late New Year's resolutions for the games industry. Their frequently-done 'Question of the Week' series pulled in comments from game developers and designers working right now, with their hopes for the best in 2007. From the article: "Now that 2006 is over can we finally stop worrying about who's going to win the console war and start focusing on the games? Arguing about which next-gen system is the best is as silly as arguing about which five-star restaurant has the finest china and silverware. It's the food on the plate that matters to the customers after all. With any luck we'll see delicious games with plenty of innovation on all of the platforms this year! - Patrick Curry, Midway Games"
Slashdot.org

Submission + - US Government Deals Serious Blow to Online Poker

Submitted by walnutmon
walnutmon writes: In late 2006 the Safe Port Act was passed, this included a piggy-backed law that made moving money to and from online gambling sites illegal. However, some sites including Pokerstars, Bodog, and other online poker rooms continued to operate using intermediary funding sources such as FirePay and Neteller.

Today a very serious blow has bean dealt to online poker players.

After the arrests of two top officials from Neteller.com, they are no longer processing payments from Americans to any gambling sites. This made up a whopping 64% of neteller.com's business. Neteller was a convenient way to get around the sneaky law, and now online poker players will have very little to turn to. From the article:

"This is the first piece of news that will really hurt the likes of Pokerstars and Full Tilt," said analyst Tejinder Randhawa at Evolution Securities.

"If you look at the gambling chat rooms, you'll see NETeller was one of the main payment methods," he added.

According to gambling portal Gambling911.com, Full Tilt Poker depended on NETeller for 75 percent of transactions, and the world's biggest site, Pokerstars, used NETeller for around 60 percent of wagers.
There are many players who play online for the fun of the game; however, there are also many who have played online poker professionally to make a steady income. Sell your poker books, and look to a more American way of making a living. The safety of our ports depends on it.
Education

Engineering School Grads - Tradesmen or Thinkers? 325

Posted by Cliff from the do-we-want-our-graduates-in-or-out-of-the-box dept.
El Cubano asks: "ITworld is carrying a story (sorry, no printable version) saying that John Seely Brown (former chief scientist at Xerox and director of PARC, currently teaching at the University of Southern California) is encouraging engineering schools to change the way they educate. The article, quotes Mr. Brown saying the following: 'Training someone for a career makes no sense. At best, you can train someone for a career trajectory...'. What do you think? Should engineering schools be producing tradesmen (like an apprenticeship program) or should they be producing 'thinkers' (people who can cope with a wide variety of problem inside and outside their area of expertise)?"
Media

Submission + - Anti-U.S. Posters from North Korea

Submitted by
abramsv
abramsv writes: "The suicidal audacity of North Korean communist regime is simply astonishing. The meaning of text is pretty much the same on every poster: "Bear this in mind, world. Those who mess with our great undertaking will become our target." Link: Dark Roasted Blend"
User Journal

Journal Journal: Army Establishes Psyops Branch 3

Journal by Philip K Dickhead

"Effective 16 October 2006, Psychological Operations was established as a basic branch of the Army, pursuant to the authority of Section 3063(a)(13), Title 10, United States Code."

That is the substance of General Order 30 (pdf) issued by Secretary of the Army Francis J. Harvey on January 12, 2007.

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