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Review: NASCAR 09

So first of all, why would you make a sport out of driving round and round in circles hundreds of times? How would it become popular? Why would people watch? Why would anyone in their right mind want to make a computer game out of said sport? Especially given that there's already a wealth of awesome racing games around with a whole variety of tracks, many of which include several of the mind-bogglingly ingenious right-turns.

Sony readying Wii-like, two part gamepad?...

Sony is developing a unique controller that would help the PS3 offer motion-based games like those found on the Nintendo Wii, GamesIndustry claims. Anonymous sources allege that the gamepad would act as usual in most cases but separate into two distinct parts, each of which would have a built-in accelerometer that recognizes movement. The pad is already said to be in the hands of some companies producing games for the PS3 and would let them implement code to support the controllers in advance.

Sony readying third PSP with built-in mic, more?

Sony is allegedly readying a third iteration of the PlayStation Portable that would reflect changes to the PSP itself as well as its relationship with the PlayStation 3, if a set of leaked shots from China prove accurate. The device known so far as the PSP-3000 would incorporate a built-in microphone below the screen that would make it more immediately useful for Skype calls as well as in-game chat; it would also have redesigned buttons, including a home button relabeled with the PS logo to bring it into line with the PS3.

Utah lawmakers hope for customer-centric Web site

Utah's System Reform Task Force is pushing for a customer-centric healthcare Web site that would be a user-friendly, one-stop shop that breaks down benefits for consumers. The site would include costs, reimbursement rates for common procedures, average out-of-pocket expenses and the names of the doctors and hospitals contracted with plans. Under a draft piece of legislation, health insurance companies would be required to electronically submit this data to the Insurance Department by July 1, 2009. The portal would be administered by the Governor's Office of Economic Development, which will likely have it up and ready to receive data by the beginning of 2009.

Wearable Motorcycle Design

A motorcycle design student recently came up with a wearable motorcycle design that, while cool, is unlikely to see public adoption. The bike would be capable of doing 0 to 60 is just 3 seconds with a top speed of 75 miles-per-hour and would theoretically be controlled by 36 pneumatic muscles and 2 linear actuators. I would imagine the results of a crash would be much like being strapped to the hood of your car during a collision, bonus points for form however.

Movistar gets semi-exclusive iPhone launch in Spain...

Telefonica Movistar will carry the iPhone in Spain through a temporary exclusivity arrangement that will last several months without interference from competitors such as Vodafone. Sevenclick reports that although neither Apple nor Telefonica would say which device it would introduce into the country – between the current and potential third generation iPhone – it would hold on to the device for three to six months before competitors would be allowed to sell it.

Random Scams Won't Take Down Google

Three years ago, reporter Tom Foremski tossed out his idea for how Microsoft could kill Google in an underhanded way: offer $100 million to whoever clicked on a random Google ad. The trick would be that no one (other than the person administering the prize at Microsoft) would know what the ad is. Foremski's theory was that this would lead to massive clickfraud and anger from Google advertisers. Of course, there are a lot of assumptions in there that likely wouldn't hold up in a real world test (with the biggest being that the whole deal would stop working the second someone "won"). However, now we've got Mark Cuban tossing out a suggestion for how to take down Google that seems to come from the same "wishful thinking" playbook. Cuban's idea is that Microsoft (with Yahoo) should offer to pay the top 100,000 sites in Google to get them to r

Chicago Museum Exhibit Hits the Bull's-Eye: Target America Shows Damages of Drugs, Builds Partnerships

f you had 30 minutes to show people the consequences and dangers of drugs, to convince them how much damage drugs do to both users and so many innocent victims along the way, how would you do it? Show them pictures of a brain or lungs damaged by drugs? Would you drive them to a crack house? A meth lab? Introduce them to addicts struggling to regain their lives? Maybe you would even show them pictures of law enforcement officers slain by drug traffickers. It would be a tall order to accomplish that visually and powerfully in such a small amount of time.

Pickens Plans On Wind Power

Hugh Pickens writes "T. Boone Pickens (no relation) has launched an energy plan and social-networking campaign that calls for replacing Middle Eastern oil with Midwestern wind. The Pickens Plan would exploit the country's "wind corridor" from the Canadian border to West Texas to produce 20 percent of the country's electricity and provide an economic revival for rural America. Transmission lines would be built to transport the power where the demand is and natural gas, now used to fuel power plants, would instead be used as a transportation fuel, which burns cleaner than gasoline and is domestic. Pickens proposed that the private sector finance the investment, which would result in a one-third reduction, equal to $230 billion, in the U.S.' yearly payments to foreign countries.

Homer Simpson and the Kimya Botnet

An anonymous reader writes "As all hardcore Simpsons fans know, Chunkylover53@aol.com was revealed to be Homer Simpsons' email address in one particular episode, registered by one of the shows writers, who would reply to fans as Homer himself. After a flood of messages, 'Homer' signed off — seemingly forever. Well in the last few days, security company Facetime Communications reports that anyone who had Homer on their AIM buddy list would have noticed his sudden reappearance. Unfortunately for all, he appears to have been hacked and pushing malware links which deposit those unlucky enough to run the file into a Turkish Botnet. The message claims the file is a 'web exclusive' episode of the TV show — an interesting way of targeting a specific group of fans who would assume Homers return would only coincide with something special like (

Bill would change patent law in favor of crash parts

The U.S. House of Representatives is considering new legislation that would create an exemption in U.S. patent law covering the production of aftermarket automobile parts. If passed, the bill would allow aftermarket part manufacturers to operate without fear of infringing on OEM parts patents, as was the case in the recent dustup between Ford Motor Co. and Keystone Automotive. With the end of Congressional session looming, however, the bill may not make it out of committee this year.

Bill would change patent law in favor of crash parts

The U.S. House of Representatives is considering new legislation that would create an exemption in U.S. patent law covering the production of aftermarket automobile parts. If passed, the bill would allow aftermarket part manufacturers to operate without fear of infringing on OEM parts patents, as was the case in the recent dustup between Ford Motor Co. and Keystone Automotive. With the end of Congressional session looming, however, the bill may not make it out of committee this year.

H.R. 4279 Would Establish Federal IP Cops

MrSnivvel writes "H.R. 4279, Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2008, is gaining momentum in Congress. It passed the House a few days back. It would allow the Feds to seize hardware that has even one file coming from 'dubious origins,' e.g. downloaded from P2P. If passed into law, the bill would establish an Intellectual Property Enforcement Division within the office of the Deputy Attorney General. Rep. John Conyers says the goal is to 'prioritize intellectual property protection to the highest level of our government.'"

Linux tools to convert file formats

Life would be a lot easier if we could live in a Linux-only world and if applications never required data from other sources. However, the need to get data from Windows, MS-DOS, or old Macintosh systems is all too common. This kind of import process requires some conversions to solve file format differences; otherwise, it would be impossible to share data, or file contents would be imported incorrectly. The easiest way to transfer data between systems is by using plain text files or common formats like comma-separated value (CSV) files. However, converting such files from Windows or Mac OS results in formatting differences for the newline characters and character encoding. This article explains why we have these problems and shows ways to solve them.

BlackBerry Thunder has iPhone-like touchscreen

Called the Thunder, it would be based on a true touchscreen similar to the one used by the Apple's iPhone, and would have no keypad common to other BlackBerry devices. Instead it would have only four physical keys and no slide-out keyboard, according to the Boy Genius Report and Wall Street Journal.

Seascout ocean rescue robot: the sad replacement for bikini-clad life guards

The Seascout aquatic rescue robot would be a welcome addition for professionals and wayward tourists in open waters. If someone was in trouble, all they would need to do is activate a GPS tracker and the 'bot would glide out to scoop them into its spacious bay, ferrying them back to safety. It can be operated manually or preprogrammed, and it has internal lighting, a sunroof and a radio system so those inside don't feel claustrophobic or alone. Now all it needs is a pair of frickin' laser beams to battle off sharks and it'll be the hero of the seas.

Australian setback for internet auctioneer eBay

Sydney - Internet auctioneer eBay said Tuesday it would challenge a decision by the Australian consumer watchdog to block a move that would force successful bidders to use its PayPal payments system. The auction site said the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) decision would force a delay in the introduction of the PayPal-only policy, which was supposed to take effect next week.

AOL just a consolation prize for Microsoft in battle with Google

While AOL's Internet properties (think MapQuest) would give Microsoft a bit of a boost, overall, it's probably a bit too little too late. AOL doesn't give Microsoft a whole lot. Although the Yahoo merger would be messy, in the end, it would put Microsoft on better footing against Google--which is the main idea behind all this anyway, right?

In Hindsight: HP, Yahoo, a New iPhone and Other Hot Topics

We were worried the drama level would drop, well, dramatically after Microsoft walked away from its effort to buy Yahoo. We shouldn't have worried, though. For example, there's always the drama surrounding Apple, which acknowledged it was sold out of iPhones at its online stores in the United States and the United Kingdom. That fueled more Internet buzz that the Cupertino company soon would start selling a new version of the iPhone that would take advantage of a faster third-generation wireless network.

When Programming for NASA, Contingencies Pile Up

"Suppose you were developing software that would run about 50 to 60 operational tasks simultaneously, including the management of multiple mechanical and digital devices. That'd be reasonably complex. Now consider that any time a task stumbled, the software would have to correct itself. That would mean thinking ahead for every possible contingency that could affect all running tasks and designing in self-healing capabilities. That's much more complex.

Foreigners may face tighter Chinese patent laws

Foreign companies that make discoveries in China would have to file for a patent in China before anywhere else or risk losing protection of their intellectual property, according to proposed changes to the country's patent law. Another proposal calls for the introduction of an "absolute novelty" standard, which would make it more difficult to obtain a patent in China for inventions already in use overseas. Experts said the changes, which could come into effect this year, would make it easier to challenge rogue Chinese patents, the Financial Times reported. However, the experts also warned that conditions are likely to become more challenging for foreign firms conducting research in China. At present, most of these firms choose to file for patent protection in their home countries, where patent legislation is more mature and robust than in

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