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The Internet

Teen Killed At Chinese Internet Addiction Camp 334

eldavojohn writes "Sixteen-year-old Deng Senshan was tragically beaten to death by three of his instructors in an internet addiction camp in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China. Reportedly it was for not being able to run fast enough. An article in the Wall Street Journal says that, 'China's netizens have played a key role in drawing nationwide attention to recent cases of deaths in prisons and detention centers, so it should be no surprise that they are up in arms over the fate of one of their own. Many questioned the fairly new diagnosis of "Internet addiction" as a mental disorder.' You may recall electroshock treatment being banned from use on internet addicts in China. According to Xinhua, more than 100 juveniles remain in 'treatment' at the camp, which has stayed open. Perhaps for Senshan it would have been better to let him endure his cruel affliction instead of having his parents pay over $1,000 to have him beaten to death?"

Comment Not a bad idea, but... (Score 1) 1

...but it raises a few issues to my mind:

- "extends up to 10 feet behind" -- that's not really enough to cause much more visibility than lights on the frame; probably less (and yet TFA derides them as insufficient). I can see people driving up really close to try to figure out what's being projected behind the bike.

- Publicity image shows lines projected on BOTH sides of the bike -- I hope they dump the right-hand one. At worst, it will encourage people to ride on the wrong side of the street, whether actually against traffic (where it will be useless anyhow, being BEHIND the cyclist) or on the left side of a one-way street (still a bad habit).

I suspect this will be nothing more than a novelty.

Classic Games (Games)

Submission + - A History of Robotron (armchairarcade.com)

blacklily8 writes: "Gamasutra has published our History of Robotron: 2084, Eugene Jarvis' ultimate twitch-game of 1982. Robotron's frantic gameplay, intense difficulty, and elegant control scheme made it a hit in the arcade and a favorite of countless retrogamers. The illustrated article compares the game with Jarvis' earlier hit Defender, describes its gameplay in detail, and traces its roots and impact on later games such as Smash T.V. and Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved. Robotron's gameplay may be intimidating, but never too complex to grasp--with both hands!"
Transportation

Submission + - LightLane: Bring Your Own Bike Lane (altitudeinc.com) 1

Sabre Runner writes: "Altitude Inc. — A Product Innovation Firm — will soon be bringing us the LightLane (PDF Article). "[Alex] Tee and Evan Gant, [a mechanical engineer and] an industrial designer at Altitude, have found a new way to keep drivers and cyclists apart. The idea: a bring-your-own bike lane, fashioned by lasers pointed at the asphalt beside your bike that extend up to 10 feet behind you. [...] In the current Altitude concept, the LightLane's red lasers stencil out the familiar lines and symbols denoting a bike path on the ground behind the bike. The illuminated path also comes up on the sides of the bike." [Publicity Image]"
Education

Submission + - What's In an Educational Game? (wonderville.ca)

Anonymous Coward writes: "I work at a non profit who's mandate is to increasing science literacy and awareness. One of the methods that we've started exploring is in making free online educational games. Our targeted demographics for the games are kids aged between 8-12, however there is no reason the games could not also appeal to a broader age range. What would you look for in an educational game? Does length and depth of game play matter to you or would you rather play a trivial game with subconscious educational value?"
Biotech

Submission + - Philips Develops Roadside Drug Testing Device (technologyreview.com)

Al writes: "A handheld developed by Philips for law enforcement detects traces of cocaine, heroin, cannabis, and methamphetamine in 90 seconds. The system uses magnetic nanoparticles attached to ligands that bind to traces of cocaine, heroin, cannabis, amphetamine and methamphetamine. The nanoparticles are coated with ligands that bind to one of these drugs. Once saliva has been placed inside the device, an electromagnet mixes the sample and the nanoparticles. Frustrated total internal reflection (FTIR)--the same phenomenon that underlies fingerprint scanners and multitouch screens--is the used to measure a change to the refractive index. By immobilizing different drug molecules on different parts of a sensor surface, the analyzer is able to identify traces of each different drug. An electronic screen displays instructions and a simple color-coded readout of the results."
Hardware Hacking

California Student Arrested For Console Hacking 1016

jhoger writes "Matthew Crippen was arrested yesterday for hacking game consoles (for profit) in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. He was released on a $5,000 bond, but faces up to 10 years in prison. This is terribly disturbing to me; a man could lose 10 years of his freedom for providing the service of altering hardware. He could well lose much of his freedom for providing a modicum of it to others. There is no piracy going on, necessarily — the games a modified console could run may simply not be signed by the vendor. It's much like jailbreaking an iPhone. But it seems because he is disabling a 'circumvention device' it is a criminal issue. Guess it's time to kick a few dollars over to the EFF."
Games

Submission + - Wipeout HD loading ads scrapped after uproar (eurogamer.net)

RobotsDinner writes: "After yesterday's story about intrusive, loading-screen ads being retroactively added to the PSN racing title Wipeout HD, the popular uproar has indeed succeeded in getting Sony to pull them. You can put your pitchforks down; your voice has been heard!

Sony tells Eurogamer:

"The ad has been removed from WipEout HD and we are investigating the situation to ensure that any in-game advertising does not affect gameplay," said a spokesperson for the platform holder.

"

Media

Submission + - Rest In Print Gaming Journalism (couchcampus.com)

Phaethon360 writes: "The film industry, the music industry and the gaming industry — three factions of entertainment in the throes of a vicious and unbridled tyrant. The internet is a toddler with a handgun, and its whims shall be met and with great abandon. It can be a source of great wealth or utter failure. But what seems to be so striking is the fact that no one seems to be seriously taking the necessary precautions to ensure a smooth and prosperous transition. I'm of course talking about doing away with the middle man. The gaming magazine. http://couchcampus.com/blog/2009/08/rip-gaming-journalism/"
Google

Submission + - AT&T: Your World Of Hurt Delivered (bnet.com)

Michael_Curator writes: "AT&T was behind Apple's decision to pull the Google Voice app from the iTune store after all. This isn't conjecture — there is a smoking gun, which is the following response by an Apple customer service rep, posted by Google Voice developer Sean Kovacs. What a stupid move by AT not only will this cause all kinds of regulatory problems for the carrier, but the move effectively throws customers into the arms of its principal rival, Verizon. No wonder Google is upset."
Medicine

Submission + - Major New Function Discovered For The Spleen

circletimessquare writes: "The spleen doesn't get much respect. Those undergoing a splenectomy seem to be able to carry on without any consequences. However, some studies have suggested an enhanced risk of early death for those who have undergone splenectomies. Now researchers have discovered why: the spleen apparently serves as a vast reservoir for monocytes, the largest of the white blood cells, the wrecking crew of the immune system. After major trauma, such as a heart attack, the monocytes are disgorged into the blood stream and immediately get to work repairing the damage. '"The parallel in military terms is a standing army," said Matthias Nahrendorf, an author of the report. "You don't want to have to recruit an entire fighting force from the ground up every time you need it."'"

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