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Operating Systems

Submission + - New DST to cost $350 million?

Submitted by
ktappe
ktappe writes: "An analyst at Forrester Research estimates the daylight saving time (DST) switch coming this Sunday will cost the average company $50,000 in time and labor expenses — a conservative figure that doesn't take into account missed airline flights or forgotten appointments. That's a total of $350 million for the 7,000 publicly traded companies in the U.S. Is this another case of an analyst pulling numbers out of the air, or will we really be paying a high price for earlier DST?"
Media

Submission + - Who needs iTunes? Indie-friendly video stores

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Adams Media Research predicts that by 2011, the online video market will be worth $5.8 billion, and bucking today's trend, the majority of that revenue will be generated through selling downloads not ad-supported content. It's perhaps no surprise then, to see a number of paid-for download services pop up over the last 18 months — with Apple's iTunes being the market leader. However, in the eyes of many of these stores, not all producers are created equal. For example, if you're an independent and you want to get your work into iTunes, you're out of luck. The same goes for Google Video's paid-for download option. As ZDNet reports, a number of indie-friendly paid-for download services have stepped up to fill the void.
Wireless Networking

Submission + - Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR

Submitted by
Andru Edwards
Andru Edwards writes: "Bluetooth SIG just announced the new spec for Bluetooth, that being Bluetooth 2.1+EDR. Gear Live has a video demo with Mike Foley, Executive Director of Bluetooth SIG, where he shows off all the new Bluetooth 2.1 features. Take a look at what is improved in the new spec, like the ultra-cool near field communication technology, and five times better battery life."
Space

Submission + - Travel Back in Time Not Possible

Submitted by anthemaniac
anthemaniac writes: Time travel has long been one of those "theoretically possible" things that makes Sci-Fi thrive. But while going forward in time is still perhaps possible, going back has been all but ruled out, according to an article (and accompanying videos) at LiveScience. Chiming in are four scientists who think about this a lot: Brian Greene, Charles Liu, Michio Kaku and J. Richard Gott. Liu flatly states: "It is not possible for you and me to travel backward in time."
Robotics

Submission + - Automatic Beer Launching Fridge

Submitted by
gondarlinux
gondarlinux writes: "From this site:
Have you ever gotten up off the couch to get a beer for the umpteenth time and thought, "What if instead of ME going to get the BEER, the BEER came to ME???" Well, that was how I first conceived of the beer launching fridge. About 3 months and several hundred dollars later I have a fully automated, remote controlled, catapulting, man-pit approved, beer launching mini-fridge. It holds 10 beers in its magazine with 14 more in reserve to store a full case. It is controlled by a keyless entry system. Pressing unlock will start the catapult rotating and when it is aiming at your target, pressing unlock again will stop it. Then the lock button can be pressed to launch a beer in the selected direction." Here's the video:"
PC Games (Games)

Submission + - MIT Media Lab Turns Game Players Into Designers

Submitted by
Anonymous Coward
Anonymous Coward writes: "The MIT Media Lab is taking a novel approach to game development, and it needs your help. The Restaurant Game is a research project that will algorithmically combine the gameplay experiences of thousands of players to create a new game. In a few months, researchers will apply machine learning algorithms to data collected through the multiplayer Restaurant Game, and produce a new single-player game that will be entered into the 2008 Independent Games Festival. Everyone who plays The Restaurant Game will be credited as a Game Designer. 1,074 games have been played to date, and the researchers are aiming for 10,000. Download for PC or OSX here: http://theRestaurantGame.net"
Microsoft

Microsoft WGA Phones Home Even When Told No 403

Posted by CmdrTaco from the huge-shocker-here dept.
Aviran writes "When you start WGA setup and get to the license agreement page but decided NOT to install the highly controversial WGA component and cancel the installation, the setup program will send information stored in your registry and the fact that you choose not to install WGA back to Microsoft's servers."
Robotics

Submission + - A robot in every pot by 2020! 3 laws are coming.

Submitted by Mister Zed
Mister Zed writes: With Korean officials promising a robot in every household by 2020, legislators there are drafting an ethical charter to govern how robots will function alongside humans. Park Hye-Young of the ministry's robot team brings up a host of concerns which must be addressed: "Imagine if some people treat androids as if the machines were their wives. Others may get addicted to interacting with them just as many Internet users get hooked to the cyberworld," she said. In all seriousness, with Google cooking up some AI in the near future, do we need similar guidelines to assure the new Google AI overlord "does no evil"? Korean robot ethics: http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/03/07/tech -robot-ethics.html Google AI link: http://news.com.com/2100-11395_3-6160372.html

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