Tech News

The Daedalus Project

Posted on September 4, 2006 8:07 AM by K. Samwell

A new issue of The Daedalus Project is now available here. Also, several new surveys are available for current MMORPG players. You can participate here. As the number of MMOs and MMO portals increase, your help in publicizing the
link to the current surveys goes a long ways in sustaining this line of research.

To give this project your support, click one of the above links!

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Google to listen in on our conversations?

Posted on September 4, 2006 8:07 AM by Rob Williams

The idea is to use the existing PC microphone to listen to whatever is heard in the background, be it music, your phone going off or the TV turned down. The PC then identifies it, using fingerprinting, and then shows you relevant content, whether that’s adverts or search results, or a chat room on the subject.

The process behind this is rather neat, but it’s yet another way that our privacy will be invaded. Holding all of our search terms is enough, but this is getting ridiculous. Though the article doesn’t mention which Google products this will be introduced in, you can be sure it would be Talk first up to the plate.

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Review Roundup for September 4

Posted on September 4, 2006 8:04 AM by Rob Williams

    Memory & Storage
  • Buffalo FireStix 2GB PC2-6400 – Virtual-HIdeout
  • G.Skill PC 4200 DDR2 F2-4200PHU2-2GBNV – Technic3D

    Motherboards & Processors
  • Asus P5NSLI – HotHardware

    Complete Systems, Competitions & Etcetera
  • Giveaway: 2 * Cooler Master Mystique 631 – 3D Gameman
  • “How To Build a Computer” – techPowerUp!
  • “How To Properly Clean Your DVD Collection” – Hardware3D
  • Giveaway: Saitek Eclipse II Illuminated Keyboard – Overclockers Online
  • “The Ten Common Myths of I.T.” = The Tech Zone
  • “The Trials and Tribulations of Buying Your Term Papers Online” – Futurelooks
  • Ubuntu 6.10 Edgy Eft Knot 2 – Phoronix
  • “Why Should We Buy Battlefield 2142?” – NGOHQ

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How old is to old for the internet?

Posted on September 3, 2006 9:29 AM by Rob Williams

The 75-year-old would only be allowed to sign the forms for the Carphone Warehouse’s TalkTalk phone and broadband package if she was accompanied by a younger member of her family who could explain the small print to her.

When was the last time you were asked for your age when signing up for broadband? Strange enough, but this is even weirder.

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Garbage Cans Pack Spy Chips

Posted on September 2, 2006 12:33 PM by Rob Williams

Garbage cans all over England are under surveillance tonight. And not by sleepy, fallible humans. At least 500,000 “wheelie bins” now use technology worthy of James Bond’s fabled electronics genius “M” (or at least a competent villain from SPECTRE).

Ugh! I’m all for RFID in certain scenarios, but not in a garbage bin. What’s next? Toothbrushes? Toilet seats? Underwear?

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MySpace to sell music from nearly 3 million bands

Posted on September 2, 2006 12:25 PM by Rob Williams

MySpace, the wildly popular online teen hangout, said on Friday it will make its first move into the digital music business by selling songs from nearly 3 million unsigned bands.MySpace is the latest company to try to take on Apple Computer Inc.’s iTunes Music Store, but unlike many other start-up rivals, it already boasts 106 million users, as well as the backing of parent company News Corp.

Finally! I have a reason to like MySpace now. iTunes should have done this a long time ago.

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Identity Thieves Steal Homes

Posted on September 2, 2006 11:38 AM by Rob Williams

Identity thieves in Canada have begun targeting the homes of their victims. Recently, several cases of mortgage and title fraud involving identity theft where several individuals have had their houses sold without their knowledge. Ontario’s land-registry system does not currently protect homeowners from such fraud, but instead favors banks, mortgage companies, and purchasers. The provincial government is however working to solve the problem.

It’s truly incredible that you can actually have your own house sold from under your feet and know nothing of it. What’s worse, is it appears once the fradulant sale is finished, it’s time for you to pack up… no two ways about it.

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If Your Clickfraud Scheme Fails, Sue Google

Posted on September 1, 2006 12:19 PM by Rob Williams

The latest such case is brought by a woman who is suing Google for suspending her Adsense account due to clickfraud. She wants $250,000 to compensate her for the 100 hours it took her to determine the placement of the ads on her site. And she admits to clicking on her own ads, but only, she says, because she wanted to screen the advertisers.

She must’ve been doing quite well to ‘earn’ $2,500 per hour. Techgage has not hit that level yet, sadly. Not surprisingly, she is suing Yahoo! for the same reasons. Good stuff. I almost spit out my morning coffee as I was reading this…

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Microsoft intros Windows Media Player 11 Beta 2

Posted on September 1, 2006 12:06 PM by Rob Williams

Microsoft’s Windows Media Player hasn’t been around as long as Apple’s QuickTime, but the Redmond company has been working furiously to make it the biggest, baddest, and above all most dominant media player on the block. Version 7, released in 2000, was the first “bells and whistles” version that offered all sorts of extra goodies such as CD ripping and visualizations. Version 8 arrived with the release of Windows XP a year later, 9 arrived in 2003, and version 10 came along with XP SP1.

You can find out all of what’s new over at Ars and you can grab the download here. I haven’t used WMP much since 9 because it keeps getting more bloated, but 11 is looking sharp.

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Special Apple Media Event Planned For September 12

Posted on September 1, 2006 11:54 AM by Rob Williams

What products will be shown are completely unknown, naturally, but anyone with a pulse might hazard a guess that the event could be used to launch the new, proper video iPod, while some more adventurous people might mention “iPhone” in the same breath. Hopefully, they’ll have their movie store worked out by then, or soon after.

Classic Apple trying to stir up interest. Of course, this works. New iPod? Only ten more days before we find out.

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Intel to lay off Thousands

Posted on September 1, 2006 11:50 AM by Rob Williams

Intel is expecting to lay off 10% of their workforce in a move to become more competitive against rival AMD. From the article: ‘The Santa Clara, Calif.-based chipmaker, having suffered several financially disappointing quarters, launched an internal analysis in April to find ways to increase its efficiency. [CEO Paul] Otellini is scheduled to announce the results of the analysis, including the layoff, on Tuesday after the stock market closes, sources familiar with the plans said.

Seems that the CEO really doesn’t like all the extra crust on the proverbial bread. This in no way means that there is trouble brewing for Intel, rather it appears they employed too many people. Interesting…

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Dark Messiah to be Steamy

Posted on September 1, 2006 11:48 AM by Rob Williams

Leipzig, Germany – August 31, 2006 – Today Valve, creators of the Steam broadband gaming platform, announced that it has partnered with Ubisoft to bring the highly anticipated action role playing title Dark Messiah of Might & Magic to the Steam online distribution service when the product is launched worldwide in October 2006.

Woot, another game that’s going to be easy to get ahold of. Of course it will be in stores also for those who don’t like Steam.

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Review Roundup for September 1

Posted on September 1, 2006 11:01 AM by Rob Williams
    Cases & Enclosures
  • Antec Minuet 300 Mini ATX Case – OC Modshop
  • NZXT Apollo – TweakPC
  • Thermaltake VC4001SNS Mozart HTPC Case – ModTheBox

    Cooling
  • Thermalright Ultra 90 – techPowerUp!
  • Zalman ZM-NWB1 Northbridge Waterblock Cooler – TweakNews

    Memory & Storage
  • Seagate Sata2 320GB vs. Western Digital Sata 2 320GB – Overclockers Club
  • Verbatim Store’n’Go 4GB USB – OC Modshop

    Peripherals & Power Supplies
  • Optical Liquid Wireless Mouse – DragonSteelMods

    Displays & Video Cards
  • Giveaway: NDA XFX NVIDIA Card – Bjorn3D
  • MSI NX7300GS-TD256E GeForce 7300 GS 256MiB – Hexus
  • MSI NX7600GT-VT2D256E 256MB – Futurelooks

    Complete Systems, Competitions & Etcetera
  • Reasons why Vista will Rock for Gaming – Digital Trends
  • The Growing Dependency on Mass Mediocrity –

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New Team Fortress 2 Trailer

Posted on August 31, 2006 3:29 PM by Rob Williams

It seems as though Valve is trailer happy lately.
We posted the latest HL2 Episode 2 trailer last night, if you want to also grab it.

This is one of Valves largest HD trailers, weighing in at 218MB! I have to say, when I first seen what the TF2 upgrades looked like, I was highly disappointed. This trailer is somewhat reassuring, however.

Right-Click, Save As (218MB, 3:31)

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Firefox 2.0 Beta Released

Posted on August 31, 2006 12:10 PM by Rob Williams

Firefox 2.0 is an modest step in the browser’s development, as some of the more widely anticipated (and cooler) features having fallen by the wayside during the development cycle. Not making the cut for 2.0 were a new bookmark and history system that originally appeared in an alpha build, which were axed due to developer concerns that their inclusion would further delay the release of 2.0.

If you are a diehard Firefox user and want the latest and greated, give it a download here. Ars takes a quick look at what’s new, and what didn’t make it this time around.

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3D Realms Sees Major Employee Departures

Posted on August 31, 2006 9:48 AM by Rob Williams

Developers confirmed to have left 3D Realms since last December include Scott Alden, Will Bate, Brian Cozzens, Kyle Davis, Andy Hanson, Keith Schuler, and Charlie Wiederhold. Some of the former employees headed up crucial game systems such as physics, animation, and rendering. Notably, Schuler is a sixteen year veteran of Apogee and 3D Realms. Our sources indicate that while the game’s team has reached a size of about 24-28 developers, recently it has been closer to 18, meaning these current departures may actually comprise a majority of the team. Several sources have indicated that further information regarding these matters is expected next week.

Just when a DNF release was looking hopeful! Ugh. It’s hard to blame the developers for leaving… 10 years working on a single game doesn’t do much to add to your portfolio.

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Browzar claims to safer surfing

Posted on August 31, 2006 9:39 AM by Rob Williams

The makers of Browzar reckon the free download, which hitches a ride on Internet Explorer, is ideal for use or shared machines. like those in cybercafes or libraries. The software doesn’t require any installation and removes all temporary files when it is finished. It’s the brainchild of Ajaz Ahmed, who made £1.65bn ($2.37bn) from the free internet provider business to sold to Wanadoo in 2004.

A safer browser based on Internet Explorer is an oxymoron. If the Windows version is based on IE, it’s hard to say what they plan to do with the Mac OS X and Linux versions.While it’s a cool idea, anything it offers can be easily disabled in other browsers.

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Will fiber optics replace the lightbulb?

Posted on August 31, 2006 9:32 AM by Rob Williams

The Solon, Ohio-based company has come up with a way to combine industrial-grade lamps with fiber-optic technology to create interior lighting systems that consume far less energy than traditional fluorescent or incandescent bulbs. A single 70-watt metal halide high-intensity discharge lamp from Fiberstars linked to the company’s fiber system can provide as much lighting as eight 50-watt incandescent bulbs.

While the lighting systems are expensive to get up and running, some larger supermarkets have saved near $6,000 in power bills per year. Looks like it will be quite a while before it ever makes it into our homes… if ever.

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Microsoft Releases XNA Beta

Posted on August 31, 2006 9:26 AM by Rob Williams

XNA Game Studio Express provides a set of cross-platform libraries and development tools for creating games for Windows XP, Vista and the XBOX 360 console. The current beta is targeted for Windows only, and requires Windows XP SP2 according to the official Microsoft requirements. The current beta allows for development of PC games only, but the final release, scheduled for a release “this holiday season” will allow developers to join the “XNA Creator’s Club” for a $99/year membership fee.

I look forward to seeing what becomes of this… it should prove quite fun after a few months when many homebrews are available. The beta includes source code and a compiled version of a game called Spacewar to get you started.

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Linspire CNR Service Now Free

Posted on August 31, 2006 9:23 AM by Rob Williams

Users of Linspire, and the free version, Freespire, will now have access to “One-Click” software installs, uninstalls, and updates. According to Linspire officials, one goal of CNR is to make installing and managing open source software easy for users of all experience levels.

It appears that the $50 subscription is still in tact, but will be primarily used to give users discounts on commercial Linux software. Linspire is accomplishing a lot of ground lately. Freespire has already had quite good success, so this is yet another push to get it out there further.

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Radio Shack E-Fires 400 Workers

Posted on August 31, 2006 9:21 AM by Rob Williams

You’ve got mail! …and no job! The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that RadioShack has notified 400 workers by e-mail that they are being laid off. The e-mails state, “The work force reduction notification is currently in progress. Unfortunately your position is one that has been eliminated.” Nothing says thank you for your years of service to our company quite like an e-boot out the door.

What part of daily life hasn’t made it online yet? None that I can think of, so being fired that way doesn’t seem like much of a surprise. I think if I were to be fired, this is how I’d like it done. Saves one from making the trip into work only to be told that they are canned. Seriously though, this is a rather childish way of dealing with things.

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PopCap Games Now Available Via Steam

Posted on August 31, 2006 9:19 AM by Rob Williams

PopCap’s titles such as Bejeweled and Zuma are benchmarks of the casual games industry; generating over 175 million downloads and three billion player minutes per month. Steam is the first full-featured broadband platform for the delivery and management of games and digital content, and has pioneered its broadband services to over 10 million customers, generating over six billion player minutes per month, with core titles such as Half-Life 2 and Counter-Strike.

You can read the rest of the press release here.

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Ultra Products Introduces New Line of Modular Power Supplies

Posted on August 31, 2006 9:17 AM by Rob Williams

FLETCHER, OHIO – August 30th, 2006 – Ultra Products, a global leader in technology solutions, has announced the availability of a complete line of modular X-Connect power supply units for under $100. The latest X-Connect© V-Series (XVS) 400W, 500W, 600W, and 700W are the most affordable modular power supplies available anywhere, opening up the market for enthusiasts and hobbyists of all levels and experience.

You can read the full press release here.

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Review Roundup for August 31

Posted on August 31, 2006 9:15 AM by Rob Williams

    Motherboards & Processors
  • ASUS M2R32-MVP Radeon Xpress 3200 CrossFire- Hexus
  • ATI Sturgeon CrossFire Xpress 3200 AM2 – Hexus
  • Foxconn C51XEM2AA-8EKRS2H – Bjorn3D
  • Gigabyte S-Series Core 2 Duo Motherboards: Value Boards for Core 2 Duo – HardCoreWare
  • Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 and E6700 Overclocking Performance – Tech Spot

    Displays & Video Cards
  • ATI Radeon X1950XTX – Nordic Hardware
  • ATI to release ‘FireStream’ GPGPU accelerators? – Beyond3D

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New Half-Life 2: Episode 2 Trailer

Posted on August 30, 2006 4:35 PM by Rob Williams

New footage from the second installment in Valve’s first episodic trilogy is now available. In addition to revealing a little more about where the trilogy leads after Freeman’s time in City 17, Trailer2 shows off the Cinematic Physics system enabled in the Source Engine by Gray Horsfield and others at Valve for Episode Two. Half-Life 2: Episode Two is targeted for release in Q1 2007 for release on the PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

Ok, this trailer is good. The graphics are noticably better than Episode 1. The trees, the water, the destruction of the house. Amazing stuff.

Right Click, Save As (108MB)

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