Comment Re:Only once have I splurged like that (Score 1) 281
The PC version of GTA IV.
*shudders*
Comment Re:Just like Siri... (Score 2) 402
Apple really does present a cohesive, usable platform with most of the rough edges filed off.
Those rough edges aren't just filed off, they're rounded.
Submission + - Riots, Protests, and Spaceships, Oh My! (joystiq.com)
arun84h writes: Over the past few days, the Eve Online universe has erupted in a shitstorm of epic proportions.
From Massively: "It all began with the Incarna update, which added an item shop to the long-running sci-fi sandbox. Players began to voice their concerns over the bizarrely high prices of items in the shop, with one particular item reaching an insane $68 US. Before this hullabaloo had the chance to so much as come to a simmer, an internal newsletter from CCP was leaked to the internet. The document outlined the introduction of microtransactions into EVE and mentioned that at some point, ships, ammunition, and so forth may be available for purchase with real-world currency. This naturally sent players into even more of a frenzy."
Comment Re:Hard to believe anyone... (Score 1) 220
An 11 year old with a license to drive? What's next, Great Britain? A 16 year old with a license to kill?
Comment Re:Orange Laser?? (Score 1) 105
That's the adaptive optics system which basically creates an artificial star for the telescope to focus on. This helps correct light distortion, as well as warding off any stray UFOs.
Kaspersky Calls For 'Internet Interpol' 136
angry tapir writes "With cybercrime now the second largest criminal activity in the world, measures such as the creation of an 'Internet Interpol' and better cooperation between international law enforcement agencies are needed if criminals are to be curtailed in the future, Kaspersky Labs founder and security expert Eugene Kaspersky has argued. He said, 'We were talking about that 10 years ago and almost nothing has happened. Sooner or later we will have one. I am also talking about Internet passports and having an online ID. Some countries are introducing this idea, so maybe in 15 years we will all have it.'"
When AIM Was Our Facebook 395
Hugh Pickens writes "Gizmodo reports that there was a stretch of time in the 90s and early 00s when AOL was a social requisite. 'Everyone had an AIM handle,' write Adrian Covert and Sam Biddle. 'You didn't have to worry about who used what. Saying "what's your screenname" was tantamount to asking for someone's number — everyone owned it, everyone used it, it was simple, and it worked.' When we all finally got broadband, it was always on and your friends were always right there on your buddy list, around the clock. AIM was the first time that it felt like we had presences online, making it normal, for the first time ever, to make public what you were doing. 'Growing up with AIM, it became more than just a program we used. It turned into a culture all its own—long before we realized we'd been living it.'"
Comment Re:Free Vinyl? (Score 1) 108
The stores participating are not really "mainstream" stores, at least as far as I can tell. I'd wager most of the people making trips to brick and mortar record shops for this event are the consumers who purchase vinyl. You're probably right about a significant portion of people not stopping by for free CDs even, but there are still consumers who would gladly make a trip to their local record shop to get 50% off vinyl or other items.
Comment Re:Whatever.... (Score 1) 108
Generally, the stores participating are small shops that sell lots of vinyl 12" and 7" records, so there is still some merit in having these stores around. Well, at least for the people who still purchase and listen to vinyl records.
Comment Portal 2 (Score 3, Funny) 156
Now you're thinking with cross-platform gaming portals!
Submission + - More Stunning Emails to Come in Facebook Ownership (foxnews.com)
Velcroman1 writes: Eye-opening emails released in a lawsuit Tuesday could change the very ownership of Facebook — and more emails have yet to be released.
Paul Ceglia claims that in 2003 he made a $1,000 investment in Facebook, which entitles him to 50 percent of what is today the 500 million-user force powering social networking. Facebook calls the emails — as well as Ceglia himself, and the entire case — an utter fraud. But they haven't seen the whole story yet. Robert Brownlie, a partner with giant law firm DLA Piper and Ceglia's chief legal adviser, said there's more evidence still unseen. "There are more emails," Brownlie said.
Paul Ceglia claims that in 2003 he made a $1,000 investment in Facebook, which entitles him to 50 percent of what is today the 500 million-user force powering social networking. Facebook calls the emails — as well as Ceglia himself, and the entire case — an utter fraud. But they haven't seen the whole story yet. Robert Brownlie, a partner with giant law firm DLA Piper and Ceglia's chief legal adviser, said there's more evidence still unseen. "There are more emails," Brownlie said.
Submission + - Level Rises after TEPCO Pumps Out Radioacti (kyodonews.jp)
DrJimbo writes: Kyodo News is reporting that the water level in the tunnel near the turbine building for reactor No. 2 rose 4.5 cm and is now only 1.5 cm lower than it was before they pumped out 600 tons of highly radioactive water. A NISA spokesman said 'As there is believed to be around 20,000 tons of water (in the No. 2 reactor turbine building and the trench connected to it), we're feeling the difficulty of lowering the level of the water in a stable manner.' They want to pump out the tunnels before the turbine buildings to prevent more water from leaking into the ocean. The water in the No. 2 turbine building and tunnel is ten times more radioactive than the water in turbine building No. 3 that burned three workers.
Submission + - Another photovoltaic record (businesswire.com)
An anonymous reader writes: In the world of photovoltaics, fights break out over fractions of a percent improvement. And there's usually a gap between "hero device" lab results and manufacturable devices. But now a small startup called Solar Junction has reached 43.5%, confirmed by the National Renewable Energy Lab. This beats the old record by a full 1.2%. It's grown on a on a high volume manufacturing system, too... or at least high volume for the world of CPV.
Submission + - BlackBerry Playbook Impressive, But Unfinished (ibtimes.com)
RedEaredSlider writes: With the release of Research In Motion's BlackBerry PlayBook tablet less than a week away, early reviews say the PlayBook is, while physically impressive, clearly unfinished. But RIM isn't the only company to ship a tablet that feels like it could use more time in the shop.
The PlayBook lacks a number of seemingly essential features common to competitors, including a native web browser, email client, significant app support, and, (inexplicably) its own BlackBerry messenger. While RIM makes much of that missing functionally available via BlackBerry Bridge, the lack of built-in support for the features is, as one reviewer put it, absurd.
But all of that underscores something common to many device makers. They are all, at launch, unfinished, awaiting upgrades that often come months later.
The PlayBook lacks a number of seemingly essential features common to competitors, including a native web browser, email client, significant app support, and, (inexplicably) its own BlackBerry messenger. While RIM makes much of that missing functionally available via BlackBerry Bridge, the lack of built-in support for the features is, as one reviewer put it, absurd.
But all of that underscores something common to many device makers. They are all, at launch, unfinished, awaiting upgrades that often come months later.
Submission + - Solar power without solar cells: A hidden magnetic (physorg.com)
jIyajbe writes: A dramatic and surprising magnetic effect of light discovered by University of Michigan researchers could lead to solar power without traditional semiconductor-based solar cells.
The researchers found a way to make an “optical battery,” said Stephen Rand, a professor in the departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Physics and Applied Physics. In the process, they overturned a century-old tenet of physics.
“You could stare at the equations of motion all day and you will not see this possibility. We’ve all been taught that this doesn’t happen,” said Rand.
The researchers found a way to make an “optical battery,” said Stephen Rand, a professor in the departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Physics and Applied Physics. In the process, they overturned a century-old tenet of physics.
“You could stare at the equations of motion all day and you will not see this possibility. We’ve all been taught that this doesn’t happen,” said Rand.
