Poetro's blog

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Xbox 360 gets price cut

Microsoft Corp said Monday it will cut the price of its main Xbox 360 video game console model by about 13 percent in the United States, hoping to boost sales ahead of the crucial holiday season.

The move reduces the price of the Xbox 360 Premium model by $50, to $350, and follows a move last month by rival Sony Corp to cut the price of its PlayStation 3 machine by 17 percent, to $500.

Faced with unexpectedly strong competition from Nintendo Co Ltd's cheaper Wii console, Microsoft is aiming at expanding the appeal of the Xbox 360 to an audience outside its core fan base of young men.

"As we look to the holidays we want to bring in more gamers and lower the price for those customers," the Xbox 360's group product manager, Aaron Greenberg, said in an interview.

Source: edition.cnn.com

The ghosts in the voting machines

Following concerns about the accuracy of the electronic voting systems used in last year's the California state legislature commissioned computer science and cryptography experts at the University of California to review the main players and ensure that 'California voters are being asked to cast their ballots on machines that are secure, accurate, reliable, and accessible'.

Anyone looking for reassurance will have had their hopes dashed, as the recently published report into e-voting systems from Diebold, Hart InterCivic and Sequoia found massive security holes in the source code which, combined with poor physical security and badly-designed procedures, make it impossible to rely on them to record votes accurately.

The report says that 'the security mechanisms provided for all systems analyzed were inadequate to ensure accuracy and integrity of the election results and of the systems that provide those results', which is about as bad as it gets.

Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Russia Accused of Missile Firing in Georgian Air Space

The former Soviet republic of Georgia is accusing Russia of firing a missile inside its air space. The weapon apparently did not explode, but as VOA correspondent Peter Fedynsky reports from Moscow, the incident again raises tensions between Georgia and Russia.

Georgia called in the Russian ambassador to Tbilisi to protest the alleged missile firing and violation of Georgian airspace. A representative of the country's Interior Ministry, Shota Utiashvili, told VOA that two Russian planes flew about 60 kilometers into Georgian airspace. He says the missile landed near the village of Tsitelubani, 60 kilometers from the capital, Tbilisi.

"The missile," says Utiashvili, "landed about 30 meters from the home of a local resident and created a narrow hole about five-meters deep, but there were no casualties," he said.

Officials in Russia strongly deny the Georgian accusations

Source: voanews.com

Sony Announces Availability of 80GB PlayStation 3

Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) on Monday announced the availability of a new 80GB version of its PlayStation 3 video game console. The system is now available at retailers throughout North America for US$599 and includes a copy of the off-road racing game MotorStorm.

The 80GB model has been released to provide users with more storage space for games and add-on content they purchase through Sony's PlayStation Network (PSN), a free online service PlayStation users can connect to purchase games and game-related content. At present that are more than 60 playable games and game-related downloads available through PSN, with more coming soon.

Sony has been criticized for a slow uptick in PlayStation 3 game rollouts and the system's high cost. To that end, The 80GB PlayStation 3 joins a 60GB version already in production; that system costs $499.

Source: pcworld.com

Monday, August 06, 2007

Slideshow test 2

Eddie Murphy: ‘OK, OK, I Did Knock Mel B Up After All’

Although Mel B has long maintained that Eddie Murphy is the father of her baby, and science has also proved that Eddie Murphy is the father of Mel B's baby, Eddie Murphy still had difficulties believing that he was the father of Mel B's baby.

Not any more, though - through his spokesman, Eddie Murphy has for the first time confessed that, yes, he is the father of Mel B's baby Angel Iris. Not just that, but Eddie Murphy insists that he paid for all of Mel B's pregnancy costs and has been contributing child support for the baby. But not even an admission of paternity is enough for Mel B - she says she doesn't care about the money and just wants Eddie Murphy to hold baby Angel and love her. After all, there's no deeper bond in life than the one between a daughter and the man who knocked her mother up, left her and then refused to believe that the baby was his until he was legally pressured into taking a scientifically-accurate gene analysis that unequivocally determined the paternity, is there.

It takes a brave man to admit he's wrong, and Eddie Murphy is nothing if not a brave man. After all, only a brave man would give the serious performance of a lifetime in Dreamgirls only to scupper any hope of winning by releasing hilariously lowest common denominator 'Eddie Murphy in a fatsuit' comedy Norbit two weeks before the Oscars and then mark the inevitable resulting non-win by storming out of the Oscars like a girl. Oh, and it's quite brave to admit that Mel B's baby is yours when you've already told most of Holland that it isn't in a confusingly casual way. And that's the situation that Eddie Murphy is in now.

Source: hecklerspray.com

Tags: Angel | Eddie Murphy | gene analysis | Mel B | pregnancy

Blizzard announces new World of Warcraft expansion

Blizzard Entertainment has revealed plans to publish a second expansion pack to its online role playing game World of Warcraft. Entitled Wrath of the Lich King, the game expansion pack will invite players to explore a new continent and provides them with new abilities, as well.

World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG). Set in the fantasy world of Azeroth, World of Warcraft enables Mac and PC gamers alike to create characters from a variety of different “races,” such as humans, orcs, gnomes, elves, undead and others, specifying professions that determine their capabilities. Players go on quests to gain experience and attain special items such as armor or weapons, earn money, and can explore dungeons and other areas with other players.

The Wrath of the Lich King explores the story of the Lich King Arthas, who wants to exterminate all life on the world of Azeroth using his armies of undead warriors. Players will need to explore a new continent called Northrend — a frozen wasteland; and they can master a new character class called the Death Knight — World of Warcraft’s first “Hero” class, attainable only after certain challenges have been met by your high-level character.

Source: macworld.com

Friday, August 03, 2007

Take-Two Delays New 'Grand Theft Auto' Game Until 2008

Take-Two has announced that Grand Theft Auto IV is being delayed until spring of 2008 due to "additional development time required to complete the title."

The controversial Grand Theft Auto series was developed by Rockstar, a developer that has received criticism for the sexual "Hot Coffee" scenes included in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Take-Two said that the ultimate decision to delay the game past the crucial holiday period was its own.

"With Grand Theft Auto IV, Rockstar is setting a new standard for next generation video games," stated Strauss Zelnick, chairman of Take-Two, in a statement. "Certain elements of development proved to be more time-intensive than expected, especially given the commitment for a simultaneous release on two very different platforms.

Source: pcmag.com

Report: Google shows phone prototype to manufacturers

Reports say Google has developed a customized handset, is talking to cell phone manufacturers and wireless carriers.

Google has developed a prototype cell phone that could reach markets within a year, and plans to offer consumers free subscriptions by bundling advertisements with its search engine, e-mail and Web browser software applications, according to a story published today in The Wall Street Journal.

Google is showing the prototype to cell phone manufacturers and network operators as it continues to hone the technical specifications that will allow the phone to offer a better mobile Web browsing experience than current products, the story said.

Google did not return calls for comment.

Source: washingtonpost.com

Scientists Develop New Theory on How Toddlers Learn to Speak

There's a period in the development of toddlers when they seem to learn a new word every day. There are different theories about why young children undergo what experts call a word spurt. But one psychologist believes it may have to do with how young children learn difficult words. VOA's Jessica Berman reports.

At around one year of age, most babies utter their first word. A short time later, a second word is spoken.

Bob McMurray is a professor of psychology at the University of Iowa.

"And it would be very tempting to say, 'Wow, look at the rate of acquisition has sped up,' right? 'It took them a year to learn mommy but only a month to learn daddy.' But in actuality that child was probably working on that word daddy all along. They really spend a year and a month to learning the word daddy," he explained.

Source: voanews.com

Tags: Iowa | SCIENTISTS | speak | THEORY | toddlers

My New Office

This is my new office, take a look

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Rush to Ajax makes for happy hackers

The rush to adopt Ajax is leading web developers to make basic security mistakes, in some cases a decade old, that leave gaping holes in their applications.

That's according to researchers here at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas. Some said that in some cases developers should avoid Ajax altogether rather than open their businesses to attack.

In a presentation entitled "Premature Ajaxulation", SPI Dynamics researchers Billy Hoffman and Bryan Sullivan cataloged a myriad of attacks that are made possible when developers follow advice or use scripts found in otherwise reputable blogs, web sites and manuals.

While there are many ways to mitigate these security risks, the researchers said that as a last resort developers should "consider abstinence" from Ajax.

Source: cbronline.com

Mel B Sues Murphy

The Spice Girl gets scary so the Beverly Hills Cop actor recognises their daughter…

Melanie Brown is taking Eddie Murphy to court to make him recognise, and pays money toward, their daughter Angel.

In a statement, read with her lawyer next to her The Spice Girl said: “I am here today for one reason- her name

is Angel. Angel is my baby and Eddie's. She will always know that she was planned and wanted by the both of us.”

Source: mtv.co.uk

At least 68 dead in Congo train crash

A TRAIN crash in a remote location in central Democratic Republic of Congo has killed at least 68 people, the UN peacekeeping force said.

“There are 68 dead and 128 severely wounded,” UN mission spokesman Kemal Saiki said.

The accident took place late on Wednesday near Benaleka, around 220km northwest of the town of Kananga in Western Kasai province, he said.

“Survivors of the accident have been transported by foot or by bicycle 12km to the nearest hospital,” he said.

The UN peacekeeping force, known by its French acronym MONUC, helped with rescue operations.

Source: news.com.au

Harry welcomed into church

It's been a couple of weeks since the record-breaking publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and while most of the familiar elements - midnight queues, speed-reading reviewers, claims that JK Rowling can't write for toffee - were present and correct, one thing seemed to be missing this time round. Where are the pictures of angry, book-burning Christians? Where are the denouncements of the books as pagan incitements to the occult, drawing the nation's children down the path of witchcraft? It has all been strangely quiet on the theological front.

Article continues

While the view from the lunatic fringe of American evangelism doubtless remains as rabid as ever, there are signs of a definite softening of attitudes in the UK. The clearest of these is the publication last month of a Church of England guidebook to the billion-selling series - Mixing It Up With Harry Potter by Kent youth worker Owen Smith.

Aimed at 9-13 year olds, the book uses JK Rowling's magical novels as the basis of 12 lessons - or "sessions" - which provide the basis for an hour's discussion and activities, from film clips to prayers. The book draws parallels between events in the books and the real world to explore concepts such as sacrifice and mercy.

Source: books.guardian.co.uk

Crack down on US mod chip sellers

US Customs has carried out raids in 16 states to clamp down on the sale of modification or "mod" chips.

In the largest operation of its kind to date US Customs officials raided more than 30 homes, businesses and shops.

When a mod chip is installed on a game consoles it helps circumvent copy protection systems to let owners play pirated games.

Mod chips have been made for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo Wii, Xbox and Xbox 360 game consoles.

Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Firm Sues Sony Over Cell

A new suit filed against Sony Corp. of America says the PS3’s Cell processor infringes on an existing patent, and demands the “impounding and destruction” of all of Sony’s infringing processors.

ImageOn July 26, Newport Beach, Calif.-based Parallel Processing filed a complaint against Sony that alleges the infringement of patent no. 5,056,000, according to a filing obtained by Next-Gen.

The patent, “Synchronized Parallel Processing with Shared Memory” was issued in October 1991. It describes a high-speed computer that breaks down a program “into smaller concurrent processes running in different parallel processors” and resynchronizes the program for faster processing times.

Source: next-gen.biz

Apple's Battery Replacement Tap Dance Provokes Lawsuit

Should iPhone buyers have expected the device to act like an iPod or a cell phone at battery replacement time? That may be a key question if a lawsuit against Apple proceeds to trial. The plaintiff is seeking class action status in his action against the company, charging that it didn't inform consumers they would have to send their iPhones away for professional installation of new batteries.

An Illinois resident has filed a lawsuit against Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) Make the Mac a 1st Class Citizen in a Windows Shop Latest News about Apple and AT&T (NYSE: T) Latest News about AT&T alleging the companies were deceptive about the iPhone's battery replacement process. The suit, brought by Jose Trujillo, claims customers were not clearly informed that the iPhone was sealed, and that the device would have to be sent away for battery replacement at an additional cost.

"Unknown to the plaintiff and undisclosed to the public prior to purchase, the iPhone is a sealed unit with its battery soldered on the inside of the device so that it cannot be changed by the owner," reads the complaint. "The battery enclosed in the iPhone can only be charged approximately 300 times before it will be in need of replacement, necessitating a new battery annually for owners of the iPhone."

Apple's battery replacement policy -- now clearly stated on the Web site -- is that it will charge US$79 plus $6.95 shipping for the replacement after the one-year warranty has expired on the device. Trujillo filed the suit in the Circuit Court of Cook County. He is seeking class action status.

Source: ecommercetimes.com

FCC approves rules for spectrum auction (Roundup)

Yesterday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted on the rules for the spectrum auction that is to take place next year. The outcome of the vote is good for consumers, as they will get more options for their wireless devices and cellular phones.

The final FCC vote and the subsequent rules mean several changes to the existing rules governing the commercial services portion of the 700 MHz Band.

Most notably, the FCC determined that licensees for one of the spectrum blocks to be auctioned, the large 22-megahertz Upper 700 MHz C Block, will be required to provide a platform that is more open to devices and applications. These licensees will be required to allow customers, device manufacturers, third-party application developers, and others to use any device or application of their choice on their networks in this band, subject to certain conditions.

The auction is anonymous, which the FCC hopes will allow an unknown bidder to enter the wireless market. The 700 MHz spectrum is a hot commodity for hi-tech companies. As broadcast TV turns to digital, the 700 MHz band is quickly being vacated. It can penetrate walls and other obstructions with ease and the signal strength is consistent making it something carriers drool over.

Source: tech.monstersandcritics.com

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Microsoft photo standard comes into focus

Microsoft's alternative to the ubiquitous JPEG image format could soon become a standard, a major step in the company's ambitions to spread the technology and boost its Vista operating system.

In coming months, 16 national standards groups will formally vote on whether the Joint Photographic Experts Group, after which the JPEG file format is named, should make Microsoft's relatively new HD Photo format a standard. Getting to this stage is a good sign in Microsoft's view, and the company has hopes the format will be accepted as a standard called JPEG XR by mid-2008, said Robert Rossi, principal program manager at Microsoft for emerging image and video technology.

Source: news.com.com

Wii Want High-Def (How About You?)

Wouldn't it be nice if you could play Zelda: Twilight Princess in glorious 720 or 1080p instead of a blurry, jaggy 480? How about Metroid Prime 3? Super Mario Galaxy? Kitty Luv?

Okay, skip Kitty Luv. Or don't and mark your calendar. (Who names these things?) In any case, no one can really deny the fact that the Wii looks best when you're poised a half dozen feet away and paying as little attention to the visual trimmings as possible. Unless you're squinting or half-blind, close inspection of any Wii game reveals a lot of blah compared to the crisp organic fantasy-scapes in a game like Overlord (Xbox 360) or what I've seen so far of Factor 5's eye-boggling Lair (Playstation 3).

So how about a high-res version of the Wii?

I tease because I love, but seriously: Always provocative Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter suggests Wii-to-the-power-of-2 could in fact be zipping our way as early as 2009.

Source: blogs.pcworld.com

Mozilla Issues Fixes For Two Firefox Bugs

Mozilla releases Firefox version 2.0.0.6 right before it's expected to announce new security tools at this week's BlackHat security conference.

Still battling vulnerabilities that could allow the Firefox browser to pass dangerous data to third-party applications like Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Mozilla this week released Firefox 2.0.0.6 to fix the problem.

In mid-July, Mozilla released Firefox 2.0.0.5 with patches for several vulnerabilities, including the "highly critical" security bug that has been plaguing both Firefox and Microsoft's Internet Explorer. On Monday, the open-source group shipped workarounds and patches for two related bugs.

The fixes come right before the opening of the BlackHat security conference in Las Vegas this week. Mozilla is expected to release additional security tools there.

Source: informationweek.com

Google Scores FCC Win

Federal regulators changed the rules on new wireless spectrum, requiring an open standard that could work with any device.

Breaking from a tradition in which phone companies like Verizon [...] and AT&T [...] typically acquired rights to new radio real estate and determined what phones could be used on the wireless networks, the Federal Communications Commission says winners of the upcoming 700 megahertz auction must provide a platform that is more open to devices and applications.

The move comes a week after Google said it would bid $4.6 billion on a scheduled air wave auction to distribute former analog UHF TV spectrum to emergency services groups and wireless service providers.

Source: thestreet.com

Windows Vista fixes leaked to Internet early

Hopefully all thing will be better in Vista and soon it might be comparable in speed with the elder Windows XP.

Microsoft’s upcoming Performance and Compatibility packs for Windows Vista have been leaked to the Internet two weeks before their expected release.

While it isn’t the Service Pack 1 release that Vista users were hoping for, it does take some steps to correct some of the mass-reported performance issues, and adds some extra functionality as well.

The biggest upgrade included in the "938979 Performance and Reliability Pack" is an improvement to performance when copying or moving directories containing large files.

Source: canada.com

Blu-Ray stimulated by adult film industry

Sony’s Betamax may be consigned to the history books but the electronics giant is making a play for market dominance with the high-definition Blu-Ray DVD format in a family-friendly way by making exclusive distribution deals with several Hollywood studios.

However, since 2006 adult film companies such as Digital Playground have been producing their content on Blu-Ray but in small quantities due to Sony’s efforts to block pornographic material being distributed on its format.

In the US, HD DVD is the dominant disc format in the adult entertainment industry but at a recent adult film conference in Japan filmmakers allegedly spoke of Sony’s technical support to all players in the film industry no matter what area they specialised in.

Source: siliconrepublic.com

FCC to Decide on Auction Rules Today

The Federal Communications Commission is scheduled to vote this morning on the rules governing the January auction of valuable airwaves. These airwaves are coveted by phone, cable and Internet companies of all sizes because they are ideal for carrying wireless signals.

The biggest debate has been over whether the FCC will require about one-third of those airwaves to be used to build a nationwide network that will work with any wireless device, as Chairman Kevin Martin has proposed. He seems to have gotten majority support for that plan, which has the potential to bring big change to the wireless industry. But Google and a number of other tech companies and public interest groups, including Public Knowledge, Free Press and the Open Internet Coalition have been pushing for stronger rules that would also require the network to be open to all software, applications and third-party companies. Martin has said he doesn't support the extra open-access requirements.

AT&T has said it can live with Martin's proposal that will open the network up to all devices. Verizon Wireless opposes the idea.

Source: blog.washingtonpost.com

Poetro's blog

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Xbox 360 gets price cut

The ghosts in the voting machines

Russia Accused of Missile Firing in Georgian Air Space

Sony Announces Availability of 80GB PlayStation 3

Monday, August 06, 2007

Slideshow test 2

Eddie Murphy: ‘OK, OK, I Did Knock Mel B Up After All’

Blizzard announces new World of Warcraft expansion

Friday, August 03, 2007

Take-Two Delays New 'Grand Theft Auto' Game Until 2008

Report: Google shows phone prototype to manufacturers

Scientists Develop New Theory on How Toddlers Learn to Speak

My New Office

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Rush to Ajax makes for happy hackers

Mel B Sues Murphy

At least 68 dead in Congo train crash

Harry welcomed into church

Crack down on US mod chip sellers

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Firm Sues Sony Over Cell

Apple's Battery Replacement Tap Dance Provokes Lawsuit

FCC approves rules for spectrum auction (Roundup)

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Microsoft photo standard comes into focus

Wii Want High-Def (How About You?)

Mozilla Issues Fixes For Two Firefox Bugs

Google Scores FCC Win

Windows Vista fixes leaked to Internet early

Blu-Ray stimulated by adult film industry

FCC to Decide on Auction Rules Today

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