Comment Re:I'm dubious about this. (Score 1) 356
Whoops. Of course that was meant to be 'more' and not '[i]more[/i]', sorry.
Comment Re:I'm dubious about this. (Score 3, Insightful) 356
So by your logic they wouldn't be liable if they hadn't supplied a strap despite the fact that this would have caused [i]more[/i] accidents, not less? In other words, car companies become liable for damages caused by car accidents because they have included seatbelts? Legally, you might have a point in that this indicates Nintendo considering this a potential problem and thus, legamagically, they are liable for said problem, but are you really saying that taking steps to prevent morons with cheeto-covered hands from destroying their TV because of overenthusiasm makes them liable for a TV that is destroyed despite their efforts? Does this mean that I could be charged with battery/murder/criminal charges if I try to help out a guy being beat up on the street, chase the attackers away but still fail to prevent him from dying in the hospital later? Why, exactly, does recognizing that if your customers act like morons and ignore the guidelines you suggest they might cause problems for themselves and making a small effort to prevent some of these problems make you a bad, bad company?
Submission + - We'd need a MUCH bigger mousetrap (nationalgeographic.com)
conlaw writes: According a report in today's National Geographic News, scientists in Uraguay have confirmed that a skeleton found by an amateur paleontologist is that of the largest known rodent. Based on the 21-inch-long skull, the scientists have concluded that the creature, who lived between 2 and 4 million years ago, was about the size of a full-grown bull, weighing in at slightly over a ton. Imagine encountering one of these guys in your cozy little cave!
Submission + - Congress Creates Copyright Cops (arstechnica.com)
I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes: "Not satisfied with pitiful potential penalties of $150,000 for infringing upon a $0.99 song, Congress is proposing new copyright cops in the "PRO IP" Act of 2007, specifically the creation of the Office of the United States Intellectual Property Enforcement Representative (USIPER). They also feel that the authorities need the authority to seize any computers used for infringement and to send copyright cops abroad to help other countries enforce US laws. MPAA boss Dan Glickman praised the bill saying that, "films left costs foreign and domestic distributors, retailers and others $18 billion a year," though Ars points out that it allegedly costs the studios only $6 billion. However, even with the support of most of the top members of the House Judiciary Committee, the bill may require more work before it passes: USIPER needs a cooler acronym that doesn't sound like a combination of usurper and Lucifer."
Feed Science Daily: Enormous Spider Web Found In Texas (sciencedaily.com)
A massive spider web first spotted covering several acres of oak-elm woodlands along a Lake Tawakoni State Park trail in early August made national and international headlines throughout the Labor Day Weekend. Stumped as to the web's origin, the initial consensus of arachnologists and entomologists who saw an online photo of the web sent by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologist Mike Quinn was that it may have resulted from a "mass dispersal" event. In such an event, millions of tiny spiders or spiderlings spin out silk filaments to ride air currents in a phenomenon known as "ballooning."
Journal Journal: Software company sues online forum
An Australian accounting software company has sued one of the maintainers of the whirlpool broadband discussion forum. An article in the Sydney Morning Herald explains that the company, 2Clix, sued forum maintainer Simon Wright, after a number of users complained about the company's software not living up to it's claims. The case is an out-
Submission + - Highway Safety Agency silences engineers (nytimes.com)
nbauman writes: Nichole R. Nason, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/, put a new rule into effect that NHTSA officials, including scientists and engineers, are no longer allowed to be quoted by reporters, according to the New York Times http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/22/whats-o ff-the-record-at-nhtsa-almost-everything/. If the officials want to say anything, it has to be off the record. Most reporters refuse to work under those conditions. The only one they can quote is Nason herself, who is a lawyer. However, she refused to be interviewed about the no-attribution policy. NHTSA conducts extensive traffic safety research, and over the last 30 years its engineers and scientists, who were proud of their work, used to talk to anybody.
Submission + - Procedural Programming: The Secret behind Spore (bonafidereviews.com) 1
imashoe writes: "Ever wonder how Spore works under the hood? The game seems to be insanely huge and how is it that there can be an infinite amount of different creates created in the game? The answer is Procedural Programming. Read on to learn what exactly it is and how it differs from the traditional way games are made."
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