These Days, News Travels At Click-Speed
Within an hour I found out through an e-mail circulated within the newsroom. I then contacted my wife (who is a fellow Australian) via Gmail on her iPhone. She already knew. Minutes later I was chatting with two of my friends online, and the word continued to spread within my immediate sphere of contacts and colleagues. Heath Ledger was dead at age 28. It's another reminder of how many people are plugged into their digital data wherever they are, and just how rapidly news can travel.
The news of Heath Ledger's death appears to have had its origins online so perhaps the way people shared it is only appropriate. The entertainment site TMZ.com claims it exclusively announced the news first, though the Associated Press also circulated a news bulletin close to the reported time of death. Either way, the (mis)information started to spread like Web wildfire. (By the way, has TMZ.com exploded in popularity or what? That's a whole other discussion.)
Ledger's biography entry on Wikipedia was changed in astonishingly quick fashion to reflect his death. (It never ceases to amaze me how fast a celebrity death is noted on Wikipedia.) The story rapidly bubbled up to the main page of the Internet-pulse site Digg.com. Users of Facebook (including me) had changed their personal status to reflect a knowing of the news. And of course every major news organization was issuing their own online alerts.
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The news of Heath Ledger's death appears to have had its origins online so perhaps the way people shared it is only appropriate. The entertainment site TMZ.com claims it exclusively announced the news first, though the Associated Press also circulated a news bulletin close to the reported time of death. Either way, the (mis)information started to spread like Web wildfire. (By the way, has TMZ.com exploded in popularity or what? That's a whole other discussion.)
Ledger's biography entry on Wikipedia was changed in astonishingly quick fashion to reflect his death. (It never ceases to amaze me how fast a celebrity death is noted on Wikipedia.) The story rapidly bubbled up to the main page of the Internet-pulse site Digg.com. Users of Facebook (including me) had changed their personal status to reflect a knowing of the news. And of course every major news organization was issuing their own online alerts.
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E-Waste Crusader
So, as it turns out the Consumer Electronics Show got the best of us, in some ways. The producer on the shoot got a wicked case of the flu, I caught a minor stomach bug going around and basically we hobbled out of Las Vegas with some story ideas for the future. Overall, a decent show this year, but definitely somewhat subdued compared to previous gatherings. Hard to tell if it was a result of being overshadowed by the New Hampshire primary, our collective illnesses, or a cooling in the gadget world. Food for thought. In any case, we move onto tonight's piece on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric that highlights a growing problem in the technology marketplace -- what to do with all the (literally) tons of discarded electronics?
James Burgett, a former drug addict and homeless person, is taking the challenge head on. His motto is: obsolescence is just a lack of imagination. Burgett runs a non-profit re-use operation outside San Francisco. While he's in favor of better recycling options for electronics -- and feels more companies need to alter harmful manufacturing methods -- he is primarily an outspoken proponent of re-use. He and his team, many of who are convicted felons or former drug addicts, take thousands of pounds of computers, fax machines, printers, PDAs, game consoles, etc. every month and re-furbish them before donating them to schools or charities.
When Burgett was strung out on drugs or alcohol many years ago, he would dig in dumpsters or find machines that needed fixing. At the time, he'd use the money he generated to support his addictive habits. But eventually he turned his life around (he's been sober for more than a dozen years) and decided to use his new-found abilities to benefit the environment and others. In addition to giving devices a second chance, he does the same with his employees, who might otherwise be struggling to find a stable path through life. He says anybody -- yes, anybody -- can learn to repair, upgrade or even build their own computer. But too many times they are simply discarded -- along with other gadgets -- for the latest and greatest. The shelf life or home life of so many products is getting shorter and shorter while mass production ramps up. Burgett says he's trying to stop that cycle and minimize the impact on landfills and elsewhere.
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James Burgett, a former drug addict and homeless person, is taking the challenge head on. His motto is: obsolescence is just a lack of imagination. Burgett runs a non-profit re-use operation outside San Francisco. While he's in favor of better recycling options for electronics -- and feels more companies need to alter harmful manufacturing methods -- he is primarily an outspoken proponent of re-use. He and his team, many of who are convicted felons or former drug addicts, take thousands of pounds of computers, fax machines, printers, PDAs, game consoles, etc. every month and re-furbish them before donating them to schools or charities.
When Burgett was strung out on drugs or alcohol many years ago, he would dig in dumpsters or find machines that needed fixing. At the time, he'd use the money he generated to support his addictive habits. But eventually he turned his life around (he's been sober for more than a dozen years) and decided to use his new-found abilities to benefit the environment and others. In addition to giving devices a second chance, he does the same with his employees, who might otherwise be struggling to find a stable path through life. He says anybody -- yes, anybody -- can learn to repair, upgrade or even build their own computer. But too many times they are simply discarded -- along with other gadgets -- for the latest and greatest. The shelf life or home life of so many products is getting shorter and shorter while mass production ramps up. Burgett says he's trying to stop that cycle and minimize the impact on landfills and elsewhere.
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Consumer Electronics Show 2008
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
As many as 140,000 executives, engineers, programmers, PR people, reporters, and general high-tech industry types are expected to pass through the Las Vegas Convention Center through Thursday. (Closed to the public.) According to organizers it's the most floor space they've ever had -- about 1.85 million square feet -- but I've heard a couple rumors of moving the CES outside Vegas next year? Totally unverified rumors, mind you, and officials with the Consumer Electronics Association were coy and dismissive. But you never know. Hard to imagine which other city could sustain the sprawling event, other than maybe Atlanta, San Francisco or L.A. Hosting it in New York seems logistically impossible. Hmmmmm.
In any case, the trends are similar to last year: smarter, wireless, more efficient gadgets. Thin is REALLY in with TVs, including flat-panels from Sony that measure only a few millimeters thick with an eye-popping OLED display. Big is back, too, as the largest plasma weighs in at 150" from Panasonic. There's plenty of touchscreen around like LG's Voyager (likely thanks to the success of the iPhone -- no sign of Apple here with MacWorld happening post-CES). Most analysts here see a slow shift in the high-def DVD format as Blu-Ray surges and major companies like Warner Bros. pull out of HD-DVD. What a difference a year makes. And GPS is absolutely everywhere in watches like one from Garmin to nearly every cell phone. Plus, a major presence from companies who produce in-dash technology for vehicles, which is a rapidly growing market. There's also an SUV from GM that drives itself...but I'll have more on that later.
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Zombie Computer Armies
Botnets. You may not have heard of them, but their invisible nature makes them all the more dangerous. And you may already be both a victim and an accomplice in a botnet operation. Because everything in the high-tech world needs an acronym or abbreviation, a botnet is actually short for a robot network. Think of it as a massive super-computer army with your computer potentially one of the many conscripted ranks.
Here's how a botnet starts: a malicious hacker or hackers sends a virus or discovers your machine online, plants a program to gain control of the resources and information, and then uses your machine to search for more vulnerable computers to take over. Botnets can quickly grow in size to tens or hundreds of thousands of computers, all waiting to be commanded by their botnet master or "botherder." Botnet computers can then be used for plenty of nefarious means ranging from sending spam, denial-of-service attacks, identity theft, and much more.
So, hypothetically, a hacker infiltrates your computer and steals your banking information, and then lies dormant by hiding in the background. You never know how you lost all this money, and you can't find any problem on your computer. Then when the botmaster feels like overwhelming or crashing a mid-size e-commerce Web site, he forces your computer to act in concert with hundreds of thousands of others, all sending huge streams of data at a network. The e-commerce site is rendering useless. That's when the botmaster faxes the e-commerce site a note and demands $20,000 to stop the attack. The e-commerce site complies because it's embarrassed and doesn't want its clients to know it was victimized. And through it all, both you as the initial victim and the e-commerce site don't report it to the authorities. In your case you didn't realize what happened, and with the e-commerce site it's about protecting its reputation.
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Here's how a botnet starts: a malicious hacker or hackers sends a virus or discovers your machine online, plants a program to gain control of the resources and information, and then uses your machine to search for more vulnerable computers to take over. Botnets can quickly grow in size to tens or hundreds of thousands of computers, all waiting to be commanded by their botnet master or "botherder." Botnet computers can then be used for plenty of nefarious means ranging from sending spam, denial-of-service attacks, identity theft, and much more.
So, hypothetically, a hacker infiltrates your computer and steals your banking information, and then lies dormant by hiding in the background. You never know how you lost all this money, and you can't find any problem on your computer. Then when the botmaster feels like overwhelming or crashing a mid-size e-commerce Web site, he forces your computer to act in concert with hundreds of thousands of others, all sending huge streams of data at a network. The e-commerce site is rendering useless. That's when the botmaster faxes the e-commerce site a note and demands $20,000 to stop the attack. The e-commerce site complies because it's embarrassed and doesn't want its clients to know it was victimized. And through it all, both you as the initial victim and the e-commerce site don't report it to the authorities. In your case you didn't realize what happened, and with the e-commerce site it's about protecting its reputation.
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Prying Or Parenting?
Is it high-tech parenting or old-fashioned prying? For any parent concerned about what their kids are doing in the digital domain, dozens of software programs can log every keystroke, keep track of every Web page, read every e-mail, instant message, etc. Users can even set keyword "alerts," so if a child types or reads something they deem inappropriate an e-mail is sent to the person who installed the software. Sound scary? Orwellian? Handy? If you're under 18 years old then your parents may be reading this blog right now (although I doubt many of you are).
For tonight's Evening News with Katie Couric we talked to a family in the Midwest. They actually asked to be anonymous for fear of tipping their hand to their 15-year-old daughter, who is unaware her parents are spying on her. They say they have good reason to peer into her secret online world since she recently fell into the wrong crowd. They've seen evidence of drinking, drugs, sexual behavior and other activity that has them worried. The parents say they tried discussing everything with their daughter in person, but she shut them out. So, they turned to technology.
I know what the skeptics are saying: how is this any different than when kids used to grow up? Shouldn't kids be left to make occasional mistakes on their own? What about more chatting first? Certainly valid points, and clearly it all comes down to a personal choice for parents. The software is readily available online or in computer stores, and here's a list from CNET reviewing a handful of them. (Full disclosure: We interviewed CNET's technology expert Brian Cooley for our story airing tomorrow night.)
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For tonight's Evening News with Katie Couric we talked to a family in the Midwest. They actually asked to be anonymous for fear of tipping their hand to their 15-year-old daughter, who is unaware her parents are spying on her. They say they have good reason to peer into her secret online world since she recently fell into the wrong crowd. They've seen evidence of drinking, drugs, sexual behavior and other activity that has them worried. The parents say they tried discussing everything with their daughter in person, but she shut them out. So, they turned to technology.
I know what the skeptics are saying: how is this any different than when kids used to grow up? Shouldn't kids be left to make occasional mistakes on their own? What about more chatting first? Certainly valid points, and clearly it all comes down to a personal choice for parents. The software is readily available online or in computer stores, and here's a list from CNET reviewing a handful of them. (Full disclosure: We interviewed CNET's technology expert Brian Cooley for our story airing tomorrow night.)
Continue »
Click Your Mouse, Donate Rice
Ingenious. That's probably the best word to describe computer programmer John Breen. He's the man behind Freerice.com, a new Web site with a unique, two-pronged approach to tackling literacy and world hunger. A lofty-sounding goal, I know. But Breen is determined to make it happen, one click at a time.
When you first visit Freerice.com you see the vocabulary quiz that challenges your word wisdom. The game adjusts to your level of skill, giving you increasingly hard words as you progress. And, as a bonus, each time you get a definition right, 10 grains of rice gets donated to the United Nations World Food Program. How does the math work? Stay with me here –- Breen gets money from big-name sponsors like American Express, Fujitsu and Apple. Those companies place banner ads on the page. That money is then sent to the UN, which buys the rice in a particular region. To get the ball rolling, Breen actually sent the UN a check for $100,000 (yes, the UN verified it has his money). He has since collected about that much from the various companies, and the UN says it's in the process of buying a couple hundreds metric tons of rice to ship to Myanmar refugees in Bangladesh. More than 1.8 billion grains of rice (roughly) has been donated through Freerice.com thus far, according to Breen.
His background includes a deep interest in global poverty issues and he actually has another Web site called poverty.com, which collects large donations from the national income of participating countries. His new-age approaches to tackling age-old problems are getting plenty of attention. Freerice.com has become a viral, international sensation with people even posting their thoughts about it on YouTube.com. The general consensus is one of support and encouragement for Breen.
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When you first visit Freerice.com you see the vocabulary quiz that challenges your word wisdom. The game adjusts to your level of skill, giving you increasingly hard words as you progress. And, as a bonus, each time you get a definition right, 10 grains of rice gets donated to the United Nations World Food Program. How does the math work? Stay with me here –- Breen gets money from big-name sponsors like American Express, Fujitsu and Apple. Those companies place banner ads on the page. That money is then sent to the UN, which buys the rice in a particular region. To get the ball rolling, Breen actually sent the UN a check for $100,000 (yes, the UN verified it has his money). He has since collected about that much from the various companies, and the UN says it's in the process of buying a couple hundreds metric tons of rice to ship to Myanmar refugees in Bangladesh. More than 1.8 billion grains of rice (roughly) has been donated through Freerice.com thus far, according to Breen.
His background includes a deep interest in global poverty issues and he actually has another Web site called poverty.com, which collects large donations from the national income of participating countries. His new-age approaches to tackling age-old problems are getting plenty of attention. Freerice.com has become a viral, international sensation with people even posting their thoughts about it on YouTube.com. The general consensus is one of support and encouragement for Breen.
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Buy A Laptop, Give One Away
In the spirit of sharing I want to steer Tech Talk readers to a story over at LAPTOP Magazine written by a professional peer of mine, Joanna Stern. For months she's been following the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative, which has received praise from the world community, coupled with some lingering concerns over how well it will actually work.
Today marks the first day the Give One, Get One program becomes available to the general public, who now have a limited opportunity to help put a laptop in the hands of some of the world's poorest children.
Stern follows the story of Sali Fandjalan who lives in Guinea, as Fandjalan brings the hardy, green-and-white XO laptop to her village. Initially conceived as costing just $100, the XO eventually rang up at $188. For $399, you can buy one for yourself and one for a child in a developing country, although you can't choose your actual recipient.
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Today marks the first day the Give One, Get One program becomes available to the general public, who now have a limited opportunity to help put a laptop in the hands of some of the world's poorest children.
Stern follows the story of Sali Fandjalan who lives in Guinea, as Fandjalan brings the hardy, green-and-white XO laptop to her village. Initially conceived as costing just $100, the XO eventually rang up at $188. For $399, you can buy one for yourself and one for a child in a developing country, although you can't choose your actual recipient.
Continue »
Gee Whiz With 'gPhone'
So, let's just say that, maybe, perhaps -- for example -- you recently bought yourself an Apple iPhone, maybe, for example. Ahem. Am I, I mean, are you excited about the now official Google-esque phones? Or are you more ambivalent? Kinda confused about what they'll look like? In any case, you're not alone. Google announced its major foray into the mobile space Monday by (sort of) describing its Android mobile operating system. Will Android do to cell phones what Google did to Web searching?
Of course that's the $220-billion question. But with Google's track record and mass appeal thus far it's impossible to discount their entry into this market. (Well, "entry" might be the wrong word. Millions of people already use mobile Google applications to search, look at maps or send e-mail.) Android would be an open source platform, meaning developers could get in there and tinker with whatever applications they wanted. Customization is key.
Despite endless speculation there won't be a "gPhone" handset, per se, since the hardware will still be made by the likes of Qualcomm and Motorola. Instead, there'll be dozens or hundreds of them with the Android operating system throughout the device. According to Google, Android will enable a more user-friendly and timely mobile Internet experience. (Google developed the system with the 34-member Open Handset Alliance, which includes Qualcomm, Motorola, T-Mobile, Texas Instruments, LG and NTT DoCoMo.) What many U.S. carriers will do with Android remains to be seen.
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Of course that's the $220-billion question. But with Google's track record and mass appeal thus far it's impossible to discount their entry into this market. (Well, "entry" might be the wrong word. Millions of people already use mobile Google applications to search, look at maps or send e-mail.) Android would be an open source platform, meaning developers could get in there and tinker with whatever applications they wanted. Customization is key.
Despite endless speculation there won't be a "gPhone" handset, per se, since the hardware will still be made by the likes of Qualcomm and Motorola. Instead, there'll be dozens or hundreds of them with the Android operating system throughout the device. According to Google, Android will enable a more user-friendly and timely mobile Internet experience. (Google developed the system with the 34-member Open Handset Alliance, which includes Qualcomm, Motorola, T-Mobile, Texas Instruments, LG and NTT DoCoMo.) What many U.S. carriers will do with Android remains to be seen.
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New Advances in Prosthetics
It's not often you meet a researcher looking for a solution to a condition they themselves are dealing with. But when you do their quest has added resonance. Hugh Herr is a double amputee having lost both his legs below the knee while mountain climbing at age 17. He's also one of the world's leading prosthetics innovators through his work at MIT. Herr was recently awarded the $250,000 Heinz Award for Technology, the Economy and Employment, but more importantly his efforts have resulted in breakthroughs for other amputees like Iraq war veteran, Army specialist Garth Stewart.
Stewart was the first recipient of Herr's rather bionic lower leg, which uses a combination of subtle mechanics and delicate robotics to better recreate human muscles and bones. Stewart, who previously had a decent but limited prosthetic, is astounded at the difference. He had part of his lower left leg blown off when he stepped on a landmine. Now, he's excited about the future possibilities, which include reduced lower back pain, something many amputee wearers suffer. And Stewart should know about fatigue since this is a guy who still practices jujitsu. (Seriously.)
But Herr isn't satisfied. He doesn't see prosthetic limbs as a replacement. In fact,quite the opposite. He sees them as an opportunity to improve on the "imperfect" design of the human body. With wireless sensors and software, Herr pushes his prosthetics to adapt to irregular terrain or faster movement. Eventually leaping higher or running faster. Forget about being disadvantaged. He believes people (be them military or other) who wear prosthetics will one day have an advantage over those who don't wear them.
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Stewart was the first recipient of Herr's rather bionic lower leg, which uses a combination of subtle mechanics and delicate robotics to better recreate human muscles and bones. Stewart, who previously had a decent but limited prosthetic, is astounded at the difference. He had part of his lower left leg blown off when he stepped on a landmine. Now, he's excited about the future possibilities, which include reduced lower back pain, something many amputee wearers suffer. And Stewart should know about fatigue since this is a guy who still practices jujitsu. (Seriously.)
But Herr isn't satisfied. He doesn't see prosthetic limbs as a replacement. In fact,quite the opposite. He sees them as an opportunity to improve on the "imperfect" design of the human body. With wireless sensors and software, Herr pushes his prosthetics to adapt to irregular terrain or faster movement. Eventually leaping higher or running faster. Forget about being disadvantaged. He believes people (be them military or other) who wear prosthetics will one day have an advantage over those who don't wear them.
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Alaska to An Army of Two
Do you work at an e-mail-free Friday company? There's an article in today's USA Today that points out the growing trend. The idea being to encourage more phone calls or face-to-face meetings. I'm just as tethered to my inbox as the next person, but it seems to me productivity would drop dramatically. I could certainly see a decrease in stress, which would be welcome, but in the news business e-mail is necessary, and dropping it from the day's communication tools would be detrimental to business. In an office environment with more internal networking, perhaps it might work better. But wouldn't all those requisite social niceties really slow things down? Your thoughts?
Much of my time this week was spent finalizing a story airing this weekend on CBS Sunday Morning. I tagged along with a National Geographic photographer named Bobby Haas, who also happens to be a financial mogul. You see, photography is actually his second successful career (third, if you count his time as a lawyer). Haas was one of the pioneers of leveraged buyouts in the 1980s, at one time owning more than 10 percent of the nation's soft drink market. But he's now straddling simultaneous career tracks, and he's already published two books of aerial photography taken over Latin America and Africa. His next project takes him over the countries and regions that intersect the Arctic, and we spent some time with him over the interior of Alaska. His relentless pursuit of self-satisfaction is an inspiring tale that I hope you'll watch.
Plus the photos are a gorgeous and thought-provoking view of the planet, which Haas hopes encourage people to embrace the fragile environments around them.
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(CBS/Daniel Sieberg)
(CBS/Daniel Sieberg)
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Wii Controller Raises New Concerns With 'Manhunt 2'
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 Hallowe'en. (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. Rockstar made some changes, and now the ESRB has given it an "M" rating, which means 17 and older. (Personally, I understand the legal difference between age 17 and 18, but does one year really make that much difference with video games? Shouldn't "Adults Only" really be 21 and older? The point is now moot, a whole other argument, and I digress.) In any case, we all know kids end up at a friend's place and pop in the game collection from the older brother and therefore the ratings don't always work either.
Anyway, "Manhunt 2" will be available for Sony's PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's Wii. And while Sony (and Microsoft, for that matter) have long established themselves with gamers as willing to support such extreme games, Nintendo hasn't exactly jumped into the fray with such vigor. Nintendo is more known to the average parent as the fun-loving company behind "Super Mario Bros." or "Zelda." That said, Nintendo does have several M-rated games on the market, including "Resident Evil 4," which is pretty bloody though not nearly as graphic as "Manhunt 2."
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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. Rockstar made some changes, and now the ESRB has given it an "M" rating, which means 17 and older. (Personally, I understand the legal difference between age 17 and 18, but does one year really make that much difference with video games? Shouldn't "Adults Only" really be 21 and older? The point is now moot, a whole other argument, and I digress.) In any case, we all know kids end up at a friend's place and pop in the game collection from the older brother and therefore the ratings don't always work either.
Anyway, "Manhunt 2" will be available for Sony's PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's Wii. And while Sony (and Microsoft, for that matter) have long established themselves with gamers as willing to support such extreme games, Nintendo hasn't exactly jumped into the fray with such vigor. Nintendo is more known to the average parent as the fun-loving company behind "Super Mario Bros." or "Zelda." That said, Nintendo does have several M-rated games on the market, including "Resident Evil 4," which is pretty bloody though not nearly as graphic as "Manhunt 2."
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From tech heads to Radiohead
In case you missed my story yesterday about the desert-gathering known as Burning Man (or if you live in New York City where it was pre-empted), you might want to check it out here on the CBS Sunday Morning site. No matter what your opinion of the people at Burning Man or the event itself, there's definitely some amazing art. Need a high-tech connection? Rumor is that Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin were in attendance this year (as they reportedly have been in years past), and may have even donated some bikes. Now on to the day's developments.
At an official event today in one of the New York Astor Place Starbucks, Apple unveiled its wi-fi music store and the new connection to the ubiquitous coffee shop. Starting at several hundred stores in New York and Seattle Starbucks patrons can tap into free wi-fi ONLY if they're using the iTunes music store. Plus, they're able to instantly download the song they hear in the store. I'd like a non-fat, half-caf, grande AAC file to go please. But hang on -- how does the AT&T/T-Mobile battle fit into all this?
Nokia isn't sitting back waiting for Apple's iPhone to take over as it announced today it's buying Chicago-based Navteq for $8.1 billion. That's one feature many iPhone users (like myself) would sure like to see -- GPS. It's become invaluable whether driving or walking around a new city or even a familiar one. One day we'll all wonder how we ever lived without it being embedded in something like our watches...hang on...hmmmm.
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At an official event today in one of the New York Astor Place Starbucks, Apple unveiled its wi-fi music store and the new connection to the ubiquitous coffee shop. Starting at several hundred stores in New York and Seattle Starbucks patrons can tap into free wi-fi ONLY if they're using the iTunes music store. Plus, they're able to instantly download the song they hear in the store. I'd like a non-fat, half-caf, grande AAC file to go please. But hang on -- how does the AT&T/T-Mobile battle fit into all this?
Nokia isn't sitting back waiting for Apple's iPhone to take over as it announced today it's buying Chicago-based Navteq for $8.1 billion. That's one feature many iPhone users (like myself) would sure like to see -- GPS. It's become invaluable whether driving or walking around a new city or even a familiar one. One day we'll all wonder how we ever lived without it being embedded in something like our watches...hang on...hmmmm.
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The "Halo" That Won't Tarnish
(AP)
Unlike many of today's "addictive" games like "World of Warcraft" or "EverQuest," "Halo" doesn't offer the chance to keep boosting your character or buy weapons or continually travel through an open-ended world. The main character in "Halo," Master Chief, is quite simply the uber hero. We see the 3-D world through his eyes (a first-person shooter or FPS), and there are companion characters that join him along the way. The game play is somewhat flexible, but there is a linear storyline that players must follow. And yet it doesn't feel restrictive. The storyline is complex but not confusing, and the bad guys (the Convenant, the Flood) are pure evil and disgusting. Perfect. There are plenty of video games more violent and blatantly horrific. As a gamer, playing "Halo" is just plain fun.
Then there are the weapons and the vehicles. I'd never played a game that allowed players to jump onto a flying scooter (the Ghost) and kick off the baddie (a Jackal maybe). Or choose guns that fired plasma or needles. And the artificial intelligence or AI of the game felt much more real than anything else. Advancement was challenging, but not impossible. Plus there was the dramatic soundtrack that inspired Master Chief's actions. With the help of the ethereal Cortana, Master Chief pushed ahead through a series of unique environments and encounters. He never took off his military helmet but the voice was so compelling and intense that it didn't matter, and in NOT seeing Master Chief, you BECAME Master Chief.
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Microsoft + Facebook = More $$$
The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that Microsoft is in talks to invest in Facebook by as much as 5%, which would value the social networking site at more than $10 billion. Wait, what? $10 billion?? That stake from Microsoft would reportedly be worth $300 to $500 million. It's a somewhat complicated deal that would involve advertising, strategy and cross-platform stuff. But hang on. How'd this all happen so fast? Yet another sign of the times.
Facebook has seen such a rapid rise in popularity in the past year that companies like Google and Microsoft are competing for its favor. There are more than 40 million people registered as users. Thus far, young founder Mark Zuckerberg has rebuffed any major investment from established tech companies like Microsoft or Google or Yahoo!. (Of course that doesn't mean those companies aren't developing their own "Facebook-esque" venture.) Zuckerberg often cites independence, the desire to open the site up to third-party developers and the chance to keep growing and expanding without excessive corporate influence. I applaud him for that and hope it continues. (Obviously, if this upward trend continues he'll also go public at some point. That might change the whole game.)
Many of have some kind of Microsoft product in our lives, and Google has certainly become ubiquitous with searching online. But does every successful networking startup (see: Flickr, YouTube) have to cash in? I mean, don't get me wrong. Many young programmers begin with a dream to carve out a niche, and some are eager to be bought out by the bigger fish. Fine. I get it. But as a regular Facebook user I LIKE that it's different than Microsoft or Google or Yahoo!. I LIKE that it's unique and simple and actually quite handy for a transplanted Canadian. I guess I'm naively hoping it'll stay that way. Poke poke.
Facebook has seen such a rapid rise in popularity in the past year that companies like Google and Microsoft are competing for its favor. There are more than 40 million people registered as users. Thus far, young founder Mark Zuckerberg has rebuffed any major investment from established tech companies like Microsoft or Google or Yahoo!. (Of course that doesn't mean those companies aren't developing their own "Facebook-esque" venture.) Zuckerberg often cites independence, the desire to open the site up to third-party developers and the chance to keep growing and expanding without excessive corporate influence. I applaud him for that and hope it continues. (Obviously, if this upward trend continues he'll also go public at some point. That might change the whole game.)
Many of have some kind of Microsoft product in our lives, and Google has certainly become ubiquitous with searching online. But does every successful networking startup (see: Flickr, YouTube) have to cash in? I mean, don't get me wrong. Many young programmers begin with a dream to carve out a niche, and some are eager to be bought out by the bigger fish. Fine. I get it. But as a regular Facebook user I LIKE that it's different than Microsoft or Google or Yahoo!. I LIKE that it's unique and simple and actually quite handy for a transplanted Canadian. I guess I'm naively hoping it'll stay that way. Poke poke.
Google Searching For Moon Landing
Don't get too excited -- you can't book a cruise on the Sea of Tranquility just yet. But Google and the X Prize Foundation are trying to bring citizen travel to the moon a little closer to reality. A little. During Wired magazine's NextFest today the two groups announced a joint contest called the Google Lunar X Prize for landing a robot on the moon. How does $20 million sound?
The total purse is actually $30 million, with $20 million for the grand prize and $5 million for second place and $5 million for performance bonuses. (Second place would really be a bummer.) To win, the robot must move for at least 500 meters and be able to send video, images and data back to Earth. The grand prize will decrease to $15 million after Dec. 31, 2012, and it will remain at that level for another two years. After that, organizers will decide to extend or terminate the project.
The X Prize Foundation is no stranger to lofty goals, of course, having offered a few multi-million dollar rewards for science and exploration over the years. Most notably in the aerospace realm, the $10 million Ansari X Prize was awarded in 2004 to Mojave Aerospace Ventures (Burt Rutan, Paul Allen and co.) when they successfully (technically) sent a human into space twice within two weeks aboard SpaceShipOne.
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The total purse is actually $30 million, with $20 million for the grand prize and $5 million for second place and $5 million for performance bonuses. (Second place would really be a bummer.) To win, the robot must move for at least 500 meters and be able to send video, images and data back to Earth. The grand prize will decrease to $15 million after Dec. 31, 2012, and it will remain at that level for another two years. After that, organizers will decide to extend or terminate the project.
The X Prize Foundation is no stranger to lofty goals, of course, having offered a few multi-million dollar rewards for science and exploration over the years. Most notably in the aerospace realm, the $10 million Ansari X Prize was awarded in 2004 to Mojave Aerospace Ventures (Burt Rutan, Paul Allen and co.) when they successfully (technically) sent a human into space twice within two weeks aboard SpaceShipOne.
Continue »
