Well, it's about time. For years, it's been obvious that the traditional 30-second TV commercial was an endangered species. With so many competing entertainment options competing for anyone's attention, combined with technology like TiVo, the 30-second spot had a pretty short-life span if TV and advertising execs didn't figure out a way to adapt. The New York Times is noting that for next fall's schedule, nearly all the networks are playing around with some form of more entertaining commercial break. They're all finally recognizing the simple fact that ads are content too, and if you want people to watch them, they actually need to be good content. Of course, we've heard this before. After all, it was four years ago that NBC claimed it had come to the same conclusion and was going to make its commercial breaks more entertaining -- but it doesn't seem like that plan went very far. Though, one good thing in the article, is that it appears that ABC learned its lesson from last year. You may recall last summer that an ABC TV exec claimed that people didn't want to skip commercials and suggested that people wouldn't mind if ABC came up with a technology that stopped people from skipping commercials on their TiVo. However, in this article, a different ABC exec notes: "[Viewers] have control, and we're not going to fight that. We want to make it easy for them to get what they want, where they want, when they want." Of course, it only took them a decade or so of kicking and screaming to recognize that.

Copper is an essential part of our lives. Researchers are studying how copper is processed in our bodies and its distinct role in early development. The findings, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, identify a new role for two proteins involved with copper regulation. This study may lead to a better understanding of how to treat individuals affected by copper imbalances.

Video: News Web site of the future featured at Mix '07. CBS's president and general manager of Digital Media Group, Jonathan Leess, shows off a demo of what the television giant has in store for its Web site in the future, featuring a unique blend of broadcast and user-generated content.

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Bored and lonely first class and business class transcontinental fliers on American Airlines will now be treated to branded Archos players to while the time away with pre-loaded video and audio programming. Such premium fliers will be able to opt for an Archos 704, while all passengers on MD-80 flights between LA and Chi-town can get an Archos 605 to play with -- though the economy peeps have to pay. AA is packing the 704 with Bose Noise Canceling headphones, and the 604 with "high-end" earbuds, and has feature films, TV, news, music videos, AA radio and music CDs pre-loaded. Right now American Airlines is running a four month test of the service, which is sure to incur a few more thefts then those headrest-mounted displays cropping up on certain airlines, but a nice bit of good will from discerning portable media consumers.

[Via PocketSynch]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Following yesterday's Supreme Court ruling on patent obviousness there are a bunch of folks analyzing the decision in various publications. One of the most interesting I've seen was done by an attorney over at the SCOTUSblog, highlighting how the decision showed the Supreme Court recognizing that the marketplace is often a more important motivator than the patent system -- and that when the patent system gets in the way of the free market, it's likely hindering innovation. This is a key point that many of us have been trying to make. The purpose of the patent system is pretty straightforward: it's designed to encourage innovation that wouldn't otherwise occur in the marketplace (i.e., it's to correct a case of market failure). What too many patent supporters assume is that this means that without patents there simply would be no innovation. That's false no matter how you look at it (there's plenty of historical evidence to suggest the contrary). So when you hear patent attorneys complain that this ruling will somehow hinder innovation, just ask them to read the decision again, specifically focusing on where it points out the clear rationale for the decision being that these innovations would have occurred no matter what due to market demands. If the marketplace serves to provide the necessary incentives, then clearly no patent is needed. It's great that the Supreme Court seems to be recognizing this -- and hopefully the Patent Office will start recognizing it as well.

The proportion of chronically ill young children dying in intensive care after being admitted to other hospital wards has steadily risen year on year since the end of the 1990s, reveals a study in the Journal of Medical Ethics. The researchers analyzed the records of one large children's hospital, to find out where children had died, and of what causes.

Biologists have long assumed that alien plant species pose less of a threat in resource-poor environments because they are less able to compete with indigenous plants, which have adapted to their habitats over thousands of years. But a new study finds that invasive plants can flourish in low-resource environments by adopting efficient ways to use available resources.

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming, Laptops

Although the folks over at boutique PC shop Overdrive PC must have been on a serious Spaceballs bender when they decided to call their proprietary method of performance tweaking 'hyperclocking,' such silly naming conventions didn't stop custom manufacturer Velocity Micro from wooing and finally winning over the firm. Velocity, probably best known for its relationship with Best Buy, will leave Overdrive as a separately run brand and subdivision within the larger company, while employing the mind-blowing hyperclocking technique in its own off-the-shelf systems. None of the deal's financial details were disclosed, but we do know that Overdrive will relocate its headquarters to Richmond, VA, where its founder and CTO will take on the role of Director of Advanced Technologies at Velocity and General Manager of Overdrive. Sure it's no HP / Voodoo or Dell / Alienware pairing, but during Golden Week in Japan, this is what passes for hot news.

[Via Crave]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!