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Robotics

The Best Robots of 2009 51

Posted by samzenpus from the best-of-show dept.
kkleiner writes "Singularity Hub has just unveiled its second annual roundup of the best robots of the year. In 2009 robots continued their advance towards world domination with several impressive breakouts in areas such as walking, automation, and agility, while still lacking in adaptability and reasoning ability. It will be several years until robots can gain the artificial intelligence that will truly make them remarkable, but in the meantime they are still pretty awesome."
Games

Copyright and the Games Industry 94

Posted by Soulskill from the your-super-mario-toilet-paper-is-probably-illegal dept.
A recent post at the Press Start To Drink blog examined the relationship the games industry has with copyright laws. More so than in some other creative industries, the reactions of game companies to derivative works are widely varied and often unpredictable, ranging anywhere from active support to situations like the Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes debacle. Quoting: "... even within the gaming industry, there is a tension between IP holders and fan producers/poachers. Some companies, such as Epic and Square Enix, remain incredibly protective of their Intellectual Property, threatening those that use their creations, even for non-profit, cultural reasons, with legal suits. Other companies, like Valve, seem to, if not embrace, at least tolerate, and perhaps even tacitly encourage this kind of fan engagement with their work. Lessig suggests, 'The opportunity to create and transform becomes weakened in a world in which creation requires permission and creativity must check with a lawyer.' Indeed, the more developers and publishers that take up Valve's position, the more creativity and innovation will emerge out of video game fan communities, already known for their intense fandom and desire to add to, alter, and re-imagine their favorite gaming universes."

Comment Re:The Moon (Score 1) 703

by nycheetah (#29789685) Attached to: Where Should We Focus Our Space Efforts?
The moon is easier to get to then mars or an asteroid. Its also safer since the moon is closer to earth and can get help more quickly. As we speak we have launched a probe to the dark side and one of the moon's poles to search for ice. With ice we can drink it, convert it to oxygen and hydrogen to breathe, grow plants among other things that I can't think of right now. Also we can study the moon to prepare us for living on mars and explore more deep into space.
PlayStation (Games)

Improving the PlayStation Store 107

Posted by Soulskill from the learn-from-competitors dept.
This opinion piece takes stock of Sony's PlayStation Store, examining its flaws and the areas Sony needs to improve as their gaming systems come to rely upon it more and more. The problems and suggested solutions involve everything from UI elements to demo availability to pricing inconsistencies. "Some people may say that the Microsoft Points scheme is a little confusing, but it is consistent. If a game is 800MSP in the US, it's 800MSP everywhere else. What a MSP is worth is up to the store, but for the most part they're close. The PlayStation Store on the other hand can be all over the place. While most games in North America keep to the same price point — such as $9.99 or $14.99, converting that over to Europe is another thing entirely. For example, Flower came out earlier this year for $9.99USD. In Australia a $10USD game gets converted to $12.95AUD. Or does it? Bomberman Ultra just came out, and it's $15.95AUD. Heavy Weapon gets released for $12.95AUD, while Capcom’s previous efforts, like Commando 3, convert to $15.95. The same thing also happens for more expensive titles. Both Battlefield 1943 and Fat Princess were released for $14.99 in the US, but in Australia they're priced at $19.95AUD and $23.95 respectively."
Displays

Submission + - LCD Touchscreen Vending Machine (chipchick.com)

Submitted by nycheetah
nycheetah writes: You can start saying goodbye to traditional vending machines. Because within a few years, these Futurama-style vending machines using Samsung's LCDs, are sure to take over. Instead of a traditional vending machine with a glass front encasing products, Diji-Touch has a touch screen LCD on the front of it that lets you interact with the vending machine in unique ways
Robotics

Submission + - japanese-coffee-making-robot (current.com)

Submitted by nycheetah
nycheetah writes: It'd probably be a lot more efficient to make a machine that makes coffee. In fact, that already exists. It's called a coffee maker. This is cool, but it's a lot more likely to become self aware and kill people than a normal coffee maker.

Comment Google Maps (Score 0, Troll) 1188

by nycheetah (#27438197) Attached to: Angry Villagers Run Google Out of Town
I don't want my house and car on the internet for the same reasons this town has said. Want to case out a street and see the best way to rob, car jack, or even see my neighbors and family members for all to see so easily. What happened to privacy? If I want to be famous i'll be on a reality tv show.
Power

Submission + - USB BATTERY

Submitted by
nycheetah
nycheetah writes: "http://www.usbcell.com/ With over 15 billion batteries needlessly thrown away each year, and with the increasing demand for portable power by modern electronic devices — the battery has simply not caught up with the needs of modern life. Traditional rechargeable batteries have never been truly portable as they are dependent on chargers or adpators, and so most consumers prefer single use alkaline cells. With USBCELL we aim to change this balance by enabling consumers to Recharge Anywhere, without needing or carrying an external charger. With over 2 billion USB ports on modern computers and devices USBCELL can be charged easily at work, On the Go, or at home."

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