some of these submissions will likely be much better than the original.

if they STOPPED terrorism, too many people would be out of work and that would be bad for the business group known as the US Government, so that's not an intent of the DHS.

certainly a possibility. I was a young(er) musician at the time...

sorry. I know that I bought a new Vaio in late 01/early 02 that came preinstalled with itunes. It was unfamiliar software and i imported music that I had recorded on a stand alone cd burner that was receiving an analog feed from a NADY 8 channel mixer. When everyone wanted copies, itunes said I did not have the appropriate rights to burn the music. I downloaded and installed EAC, recopied the disc and burned it with Nero and had no problems. I did uninstall itunes, later, and have never regretted it.

I remember when I recorded my band in the living room and copied the cd to my computer. When iTunes told me I didn't have the required rights to make a cd copy I quit using iTunes.

Is there an easy way to quit using the government?

"Police have a few leads in the case, but nothing that will stick."

I think the demo video for Natal went to ridiculous extremes to showcase the technology. The "hand buzzer" thing to which you refer being one, the invisible steering wheel being another. It's an interesting technology but I agree with Natal's detractors in that tactile feedback is important in many gaming situations.

In my opinion, equating Natal with "hands free" is potentially a marketing mistake. But then again, "hands free" is more casual and that's a huge market so perhaps Microsoft is right. The beauty of Natal though is that it can, like the tech in this patent, do "hands on" too.

That said, Sony's patent seems to be something else entirely. It claims to be able to recognise objects in 3d space and presumably, orientation of those objects. I'm afraid however that that is where my imagination fails me. I can't understand how that level of tech could be more effective in a gaming environment than what is already available (or soon to be). Anyone have any ideas?

The system looks similar to Microsoft's Project Natal, but instead of driving with an imaginary steering wheel, players can use an everyday item like a plate.

You can hold "everyday item's like a plate" with Natal too. The difference is that you don't have to for it to work.

Does she have... uh... big uh... eyes? ;)

I find cement easier on the eyes than asphalt.

White paint CAUSES GLOBAL WARMING by reflecting light into the atmosphere! http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_032609/content/01125110.guest.html