News from the Net

A fabric  keyboard

I haven't tried it yet, but Google blogged about the GWT Designer. They also blogged about OpenVis3d: The goal of this project is to provide a library of efficient 3D computer vision routines for image and video processing. It will include routines for dense stereo matching, optical flow (motion) estimation, occlusion detection, egomotion (3D self-motion) estimation, and structure from motion.

How about some Embodied Intelligence?

Getting Vista? Hope you never plan on upgrading your hardware

Seagate starts automatically encrypting all data on your hard drive. Hope you remember the password... what was it again? s245op1!f541?

Ack! After getting the newest latest greatest phone - now I want a new one! Motorola is releasing a new bare-bones phone that has EInk (kinda OLED), dual antennaes, etc...

Ever wonder how auto-skip commercials works?

Ever wonder about the origins of the Bee? How about their genome?

New type of male contraceptive

I'm not even going to try to explain what this is about

Galactic Traffic Patterns

If you are like me, you usually read the reivews, both good and bad, before making a major purchase... Well, if you are considering buying Alienware, you should take their reviews with a gallon of salt

Looks like the ACLU has finally been bullied by the Bush administration

Wow. An 8.6 Gigapixel digital photo

Compression news has been made with the first Hutter Prize being awarded

I was really looking forward to watching this video but it is buffering like crazy, and the download refuses to play... So, maybe in a few days when Slashdotters are bored of it

Offend Greek politicians on your blog and get arrested

Venezuela helps choose US president

If you have ever thought that someone had your MySpace account login information, you probably should read this

Whether you are Dino, Kuntz, or anyone else - you'll find this to be very kewl... Of course, so is this

Do what politicians do, and you get raided by the FBI... Here's his own post when he found out he was to be arrested.

Fucking A! Bush passes law that enables him to declare Martial Law on any state, territory or federally

Several UK banks face "unlimited fines"

Fans fight back against Universal Studios

More Martian Ocean news

WTF?

Now that asshole Jack Thompson goes after Mortal Kombat

How much would you pay for Hell?

Ever wonder what Googles' plans are?

Ever wonder what happens to those people running bittorrent trackers?

New York tries to define 'blogging' as 'advertising'

Ever hear of Google Bombing?

With election time coming up, people are posting how to hack the vote

Sylkwyrm	Wow that #d furniture drawing stuff was awsome! Posted by Sylkwyrm on Mon Oct 30 14:02:00 PST 2006
WILL POWER!	The touch computer thing is shweet. Posted by WILL POWER! on Tue Oct 31 12:13:00 PST 2006
Sarah	WHOA, that is really messed up about the boarding pass thing. Posted by Sarah on Thu Nov 02 05:31:00 PST 2006

Celebrity Look-a-Likes

Well, since I was testing their genealogy software, I went ahead and tried their Celebrity Look-a-Like thingee... For it, I gave them my profile pic you see here....

 

Sarah	Rock on! Posted by Sarah on Thu Oct 26 05:21:00 PDT 2006
Mr Oax	Hm...David Blaine.  Personally, I think that it's somehow fitting for him to show up here.  :) Posted by Mr Oax on Thu Oct 26 08:36:00 PDT 2006
WILL POWER!	You don't look like any of those people.... Posted by WILL POWER! on Thu Oct 26 10:00:00 PDT 2006
Grei Raven	Fun. I did this and got 86% for both Claire Danes and Katherine Heigl. Suprised, no. Posted by Grei Raven on Thu Oct 26 11:14:00 PDT 2006
Sylkwyrm	David Blaine! Sweet! Posted by Sylkwyrm on Thu Oct 26 14:09:00 PDT 2006

News from the Net

Ubuntu 6.10 released

The IE team sent a cake to the Firefox team for the release of Firefox 2

Scariest halloween mask ever

Mars evidentally looks like Alturas

Hmmm... I could cut things with these diamonds

Well, we all heard about the meteor, etc... But it looks like ice ages could be caused by plate tectonics

NASA launches Stereo Spacecraft

EA sells tutorials in Xbox Live. What? You didn't know how to play the game? Well, pay more and we'll tell you.

Grei Raven	I knew Alturas looked familiar...lol Posted by Grei Raven on Thu Oct 26 00:41:00 PDT 2006
Sarah	AAAAAAAAH!             Shouldn't they put a warning label on that mask or something???? Posted by Sarah on Thu Oct 26 05:16:00 PDT 2006

News from the Net

Not sure I completely see the point in Veeker, but there it is

Info about GamePolitics

Haha! May not compete with John Stewart or the Mighty News from the Net... but I'd watch it... Autogenerated Machinima News... Keep in mind that the buffering lag is probably due to the Slashdot effect

Quebec bans electronic voting

So what does SGI do after they steal my money and run? They sue ATI for patent infringement. After showing the world that they are thiefs, fuck SGI

Hmmm. Intersting, Open-Source Film "A Swarm of Angels"

Sensor grid predicts flooding

If you leave the country, you may never get your laptop back

Scott Adams is the first person in history to recover from Spasmodic Dysphonia

Counterfeit Cisco Gear showing up in US

If you are looking for a place to Rent, HotPads looks like a very good site... Of course, if you want to ensure you are not in a RED area, maybe check out their 2006 Elections page instead

Now, I have heard of niche marketing, but whoa

Oh great... Quantum computers are more succeptible to malware?

Sarah	Wow, I wonder if that niche marketing thing is gonna pay off for that company..... Posted by Sarah on Thu Oct 26 05:20:00 PDT 2006
Sylkwyrm	SGI can suck my DICK! ...Bieatch! Posted by Sylkwyrm on Thu Oct 26 14:06:00 PDT 2006

Online Poker goes bye bye

So, I got an email, that (removing extraneous stuff) says:

Please note that we have processed your withdrawal on Prima Poker Royal Vegas to the following Account: *number removed for myspace*

 
If you need the details regarding your processed withdrawal, please click on the below link to access CashCheck.

I respond with a letter explaining that I authorized no such thing....
Here's the main portion of the response:

Thank you for contacting the Poker Support desk.

The reason that you have received email confirmation on your casino balance was brought down to $0.00.

As your account has been locked due to the passing of "The Safe Ports Act", we regretfully are not able to have your account unlocked. 

Your current cash balance is $*amount removed for myspace*.

You will not receive any payment from us.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

Guess it is official now.

WILL POWER!	So translation = cash out now? Posted by WILL POWER! on Wed Oct 25 06:25:00 PDT 2006
Malachi	Well, two sites have now closed my account and not refunded my money. What do you think you should do? Posted by Malachi on Wed Oct 25 06:26:00 PDT 2006
Sarah	WOW! That is F'd up.  Can you report it to the better biz burea? Who really is in charge of this online stuff? Posted by Sarah on Wed Oct 25 07:58:00 PDT 2006
Malachi	Unfortunately, Bush made it illegal for Banks to do transactions with online gambling sites... As such, the only thing they can legally do is cancel your funds - since they can't withdraw or deposit more. And then there is the fact that he is trying to make online gambling completely illegal - and that they have been arresting CEOs of this online gambling sites whenever they come into the country. Posted by Malachi on Wed Oct 25 08:10:00 PDT 2006
Sylkwyrm	Seriously, we didn't loose much did we? Posted by Sylkwyrm on Thu Oct 26 14:05:00 PDT 2006
Sarah	BUSH IS THE ANTICHRIST! Posted by Sarah on Thu Oct 26 05:17:00 PDT 2006

News from the Net

After reading about Google's new Custom Search Engines, I thought I'd give it a shot... Still more customizations available, but... interesting...

Scientists now think that our Sun wasn't an only child

Ever wonder how much money game voice actors make?

Fedora Core 6 released.  Firefox 2.0 officially released.

Sony puts game importers out of business

Yay! All Apple fans can explode with enthusiasm now that they can have our problems

Wow, the USA is soooo free - we are now ranked 53rd for Freedom of the Press. Take that all you freedom-hating countries... Wait? 53rd? Then who the hell did we beat?

Open Source Co-Ops?

This out to be interesting... How often have you went to register what you were sure would be a unique user name and it was already taken? Good thing it didn't require real names, eh John Smith? Well, if you lived in China, you'd have to use your real name when blogging... Guess first come or don't serve.

Parkinson's cure causes brain tumors

Child Online Protection Act found unconstitutional

WILL POWER!	53?  Better than I thought.... Posted by WILL POWER! on Tue Oct 24 03:25:00 PDT 2006
Sarah	Okay, so I get it now! Lets say that torturing suspected terrorists is a good thing, but lets not protect the kids.....I think that I'm starting to get my priorities straight! Posted by Sarah on Tue Oct 24 05:24:00 PDT 2006
Sylkwyrm	So to be a voice actor in a video game you end up loosing money??? Posted by Sylkwyrm on Tue Oct 24 09:47:00 PDT 2006

Cat

I saw this video on Chris' page... all I can say is DAMN!

Sarah	That cat is FREAKIN' Pissed!!!!! Posted by Sarah on Mon Oct 23 10:44:00 PDT 2006
Layne	What did they do to that poor kitty? Posted by Layne on Mon Oct 23 23:47:00 PDT 2006
veluxx	Does that cat have no ears? Posted by veluxx on Tue Oct 24 03:46:00 PDT 2006
Sarah	MAYBE that's what they did to the kitty...cut off his ears.... Posted by Sarah on Tue Oct 24 07:42:00 PDT 2006

News from the Net

Woot! Jack Thompson busted

Well, the Patent Office evidentally did us all a favor yet again... Evidentally IBM owns the concept of online commerce

Pharaoh's Dentists have been found by thieves

Do you write Mac apps? Then maybe this contest is for you

Possible misconceptions about life on Mars?

Wow, look how secure the new credit cards are... just... wow

Info on Google's Hiring Process

Internet Black Hole has an interesting ring to it, eh?

Copies of Diebold Source

Wikipedia $100 million dream?

HP scandals continue. Maybe it is just for publicity - bad though it may be?

Looks like there's reasons to not live in Germany

Going out for a drink? Expect to get fingerprinted - at least in England

Bush yet again wants to be associated with the Beast (or mark thereof)

Google may loose some supporters as YouTube helps pursue copyright violators

One of the better Dell Reviews

OOohh. Did they say "12 SATA connections"???

A new type of Trojan hits the streets. This one uses an anti-virus engine to remove rival virii

You've probably noticed the huge rush by everyone to break records recently. Well, the ozone layer is no different

DIY Biometrics

Animatronic Clothing???

Boy Scouts align themselves with Satan

Now here's a game for Jamie and Jake

I guess DARPA has decided that we mere mortals solve their problems too easily

Good thing I quit using Opera... Wouldn't want it reporting those pr0n sites I visit

Sarah	Freakin' boy scouts.........Definately not having my kid in that!!! Posted by Sarah on Mon Oct 23 07:45:00 PDT 2006
Sylkwyrm	I got a merit badge for you Boy Scouts!   Posted by Sylkwyrm on Tue Oct 24 09:35:00 PDT 2006
Sylkwyrm	Jack Thompson in contempt? C'mon! He should be arrested for mennacing! Posted by Sylkwyrm on Tue Oct 24 09:33:00 PDT 2006

TradeWars

Those of you who know enough of my past with TradeWars will know why this isn't spam.. but I thought I would share for anyone else who might be interested...

 

This message is being sent to you on behalf of EIS Online the developers and owners of Trade Wars 2002.

 

Dear Trade Wars fan,

 

As we approach the 20th anniversary of the original release of Trade Wars (December, 1986), I am pleased to announce that I have reached an agreement with Sylien Entertainment to develop a long-overdue graphical remake of this classic game.  But before we can proceed, we need your help.  Because Trade Wars is 20 years old, I have lost touch with all but a small percentage of its fanbase.  Unless we can reach out to this fanbase and prove that interest in Trade Wars still exists, we will be unable to secure the funding necessary to complete this project.

 

To accomplish this, we are running a small survey to estimate the number of people who have played or hosted Trade Wars over the years.  By answering this one-question survey, you will enable us to demonstrate the great potential of a new Trade Wars project.  Nothing else will be required of you, but if you choose, you may request to receive a monthly Trade Wars newsletter with updates on our progress.  And if you really want to help out, you can complete an optional, more extensive survey.   We would love to learn more about your experience with Trade Wars...

The survey is located at http://www.sylien.com/survey.php

 

For this effort to succeed, I need you to forward this email to anyone who might be in contact with a past Trade Wars player or game host.  Most of them have been away from the game for many years, and this is our only hope of reaching them.

 

Thank you for helping us to update this classic game for a new generation of gamers!

 

John Pritchett, EIS

jpritch@eisonline.com

 

Thanks for your time!

/Macahan, SWATH

macahan@swath.net

Sylkwyrm	I filed out the survey, and I used to play Trade Wars! Posted by Sylkwyrm on Sat Oct 21 11:15:00 PDT 2006

News from the Net

It appears we might now know what happened to Toshi

Google launches a new tool, the Website Optimizer.  That will probably only be of interest to those of you with AdWords setup.

A colony of bacteria was found that uses uranium and sulfur instead of solar energy and photosynthesis

Never saw this coming... A single pixel camera

Samsungs releases flash-hybrid hard drives

Darwin is now online

Ever wanted to know how to become a video game journalist?

Well, my comment last week appears to have panned out. The USA announced that they will "deny" adversaries the use of space

More work towards cloaks of invisibility

Browsin' the YouTube

Kings of Myspace

I really miss doing Capoeira... Here's some for you... Capoeira Sul da Bahia. The guy on the right of this one was my first Mestre.  This one is really short, but, I had to include it.

Craig Ferguson talks about Bush

A discussion of randomness from Numb3rs

Origins of Ctrl-Alt-Del

Silver	But Bill made it famous. that's great. :) And anyone that enjoys thinking mathmatically should watch Numb3rs, it's a great show, plus David Krumholtz is a great actor, and Judd Hirsch plays a fantastic "dad" Posted by Silver on Fri Oct 20 02:39:00 PDT 2006
Sylkwyrm	Berimbau mixed with techno, right on! Posted by Sylkwyrm on Fri Oct 20 11:03:00 PDT 2006

Iraq

My cousin was supposed to be getting sent to Germany. Instead, they are temporarily moving him to Texas before passing him off to Iraq.

Will it never end?

WILL POWER!	Yeah it will end, but not without some sort of revolution.  As long as we are powerless (and let's not kid ourselves; we're powerless) nothing is going to change.  Without some unifying force, be it a leader for people to follow or a group banner for people to rally behind, the powers that be will continue to exploit the masses. Posted by WILL POWER! on Fri Oct 20 00:53:00 PDT 2006
Sarah	I'm sorry Mal.  That is terrible news.   Posted by Sarah on Mon Oct 23 07:42:00 PDT 2006

Vanguard

SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT AND SIGIL GAMES ONLINE REVEAL THE VANGUARD: SAGA OF HEROES PRE-ORDER PROGRAM AND COLLECTOR'S & GUILD EDITION DETAILS

SAN DIEGO, CA – October 13, 2006 – Sony Online Entertainment and Sigil Games Online announced today the special features included in the Collector's & Guild Edition, as well as pre-order details for the highly anticipated massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. In the vast world of Telon, players are free to choose their destiny by exploring three spheres of advancement, adventuring, diplomacy, and crafting. With intricately detailed environments inspired by oil paintings, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes is scheduled to make the journey to retail stores in Q1 2007.

The pre-order box at retail includes:

• Early access to the game! Log on and get a jump start up to three days prior to the official launch!
• Special account key that will grant you a unique exclusive in-game scroll that will allow your character to sprint for longer periods of time due to an endurance buff (one per account).
• Invitation to the Vanguard: Saga of Heroes open beta (for eligible participants).
• Guild Mail recruitment tool to help you build your guild before launch!
• A king's ransom of assets, including videos, wallpapers and screenshots.

AVAILABLE EARLY DECEMBER

Regular Edition - $49.99 MSRP
Packaged in a DVD box, the Regular Edition will include:

• A one month subscription to Vanguard: Saga of Heroes Station Playersâ„¢ - an array of premium features that give incredible access to characters and guilds by merging the game world with the World Wide Web.
• Your choice of an in-game magical wand to create fireworks or an in-game set of horseshoes with +speed to use once you get your first horse (one per account).

Collector's & Guild Edition Details - $89.99 MSRP
Packaged in a custom leatherette chipboard box, the Collector's & Guild Edition will include:

• An art book featuring many original pieces by seminal fantasy artist, Keith Parkinson.
• A cloth map with an overview and points of interest for each continent.
• A CD featuring the full Vanguard: Saga of Heroes soundtrack.
• A three month subscription to Vanguard: Saga of Heroes Station Playersâ„¢ - an array of premium features that give incredible access to characters and guilds by merging the game world with the World Wide Web.
• One of three Hero Cards each granting a unique in-game item (one per account).
• The Jeric card grants a cloak that increases adventuring stats.
• The Eila card grants a cloak that increases crafting stats.
• The Idara card grants a cloak that increases diplomacy stats.
• Your choice of an in-game magical wand to create fireworks or an in-game set of horseshoes with +speed to use once you get your first horse (one per account).
• A Guild Kit which includes:
• An in-game guild trophy that buffs stats for the entire guild*
• Ten 10-day buddy keys

*Need to earn/create guild house to use

For more information about Vanguard: Saga of Heroes please visit: www.vanguardsoh.com and www.joinvanguard.com

Malachi	Why must I keep waiting! I want to play dammit! Posted by Malachi on Thu Oct 19 15:17:00 PDT 2006
WILL POWER!	Where do I sign up? Posted by WILL POWER! on Thu Oct 19 18:06:00 PDT 2006
Malachi	You can get on the list by joining their forum - which I did probably a year ago and still have been picked... otherwise, according to what I posted, early 2007 it will be available at the local stores. Posted by Malachi on Fri Oct 20 01:20:00 PDT 2006
Sylkwyrm	Well damn, we better start a guild before launch, who wants in?? Posted by Sylkwyrm on Sat Oct 21 01:42:00 PDT 2006
Malachi	I'm thinking of getting that collectors gold guild edition... 10 buddy keys :) Posted by Malachi on Sat Oct 21 12:12:00 PDT 2006