All Blog Posts from Couric & Co.

Oodles of touchscreen phones, an array of uber-thin flat-panel TVs and 140,000 tech-savvy folks drooling over these and other innovative electronics: This is CES 2008. Our science and technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg is braving the biggest gadget expo of the year, and is filing dispatches over at Tech Talk.

Check out a preview below – or just head on over to see his latest report on the gadgets you'll be buzzing about for months to come.

What do you get when you combine elements of the Super Bowl, Mardi Gras, and TV's "Get Smart"? Well, the Consumer Electronics Show or CES 2008, of course, which is now in it's 41st year. For me, it's number six. Yeah, there'll be big crowds all fighting for the first look at the most coveted devices to contain a microchip. (By the way, is a gadget more desirable if it's "cool" or if it's "hot"? Discuss.) Once the show starts Monday morning there's very little wiggle room anywhere; prepare to queue up for everything from food to taxis to bottled water to getting your hands on the flashiest doodad.

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Over at Tech Talk, Daniel Sieberg wrote this month about a controversial new video game in which players must stab, torture and kill. Is it going too far? He notes:

By now you're wearily familiar with the controversy surrounding Rockstar Games, specifically the "Grand Theft Auto" series. For years, the company has been speared by critics as the purest of evil within the video game software market. Its newest title, "Manhunt 2," is slated for release on Oct. 31, which is obviously a tie-in with Halloween. (Oh, scary!)

Rockstar has updated the previous version of the game that hit stores back in 2003 with a new storyline and characters. Except this time, "Manhunt 2" was initially deemed so gruesome that the Electronic Software Ratings Board or ESRB gave it an "AO" rating or Adults Only (18 and older). That means virtually every major retailer wouldn't stock it, and console makers may not support it.
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But the nature of "Manhunt 2," which involves escaping from an insane asylum, requires players to, well, essentially murder people on your way out. There's no question it's violent. There's no question (at least I hope not much) that young children shouldn't play it. The reason Nintendo is getting more attention than Sony is the Wii controller. You can hold it like a knife and stab with it, or slash, etc. There are those in the blogging community who — perhaps jokingly — call it a "murder simulator." That may be taking it a little bit too far, but the comments certainly raise some questions about how people (and kids) interact with games, and what that physical involvement does to the brain.

Daniel has some other observations. Surf over and read more — and check out his full story tonight on the CBS Evening News.

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Over at Tech Talk, Daniel Sieberg is asking us all to mind our manners:

If you're a regular consumer of the blogosphere, you've no doubt come across far more hateful and hurtful comments than those uttered by now-unemployed shock jock Don Imus. Moderators on various sites do filter some of the worst vitriol (Slashdot is a great example), but there are sites where everything goes.

Need an example? Take what one person wrote about presidential candidate Barack Obama on his official YouTube page: "I believe he's runnin' for president so we can invite all of africa (sic) to come and become hardcore rappers and dirty hoes (sic) on welfare." (Incidentally, here's what a YouTube spokesman said in response: "Users can flag content that they feel is inappropriate and once it is flagged it is reviewed by our staff and removed from the system within minutes if it violates our Terms of Use.") It's all enough for two Web luminaries to call for a time out...

Will bloggers just (to quote Austin Powers) be-have? Wander over to Tech Talk to read more.

If you've ever spent a little too much time playing computer games like "World of Warcraft" or "EverQuest," have you wondered when that passion for simulated adventure turns into an actual addiction? CBS News' Daniel Sieberg (who admits to reaching a level 64 paladin in “World of Warcraft") looks at this question in his blog today. Check it out. He has some interesting anecdotes from those who have become too engrossed in their online world and neglect the real one.

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Our colleague Daniel Sieberg has been keeping an eye on the proposed merger of two satellite radio giants . He offers his wise take on all things tech over at his blog Tech Talk. To wit:

The long-rumored merger between XM and Sirius satellite radio was announced yesterday, and it set off plenty of speculation over whether it'll get approved by regulatory bodies and the Justice Department. Analysts are split at this point, many giving it a 50-50 shot.

There are about 14 million satellite radio subscribers between the two of them (I'm not one, by the way), but neither company has managed to turn a profit and actually report billions in losses. So, it seems it was a case of love thy enemy, coming together so both could survive rather than battling it out at the detriment to both.

If you or someone you love just loves satellite radio (or, in particular, Howard Stern), check out the rest of the column right here.