From the makers of BigDog, Boston Dynamics

Last year, you might have come across the amazing footage of BigDog: a cargo-bearing military robot looking like it was straight out of a concept sketch for Half Life 2. Well the makers of BigDog have shown off what they've been working on lately, and it is just as (or arguably almost) impressive as BigDog.

The PETMAN robot is another example of how robotics is the field that we are going to see increasing leaps and bounds from, over the next few decades. If there is one thing that Boston Dynamics knows well, it is how to enable a robot to walk: in the video below, you can see that PETMAN has fantastic bipedal motion. And even like BigDog, PETMAN has a sense of balance; the robot can right itself if it has been pushed, or if it has slipped.

The obvious question here is: will they be mounting machine guns on the torso and sending this device to Iraq? The answer is nope -- not yet anyways. PETMAN was ordered by the one of the great benefactors of robotics science, the U.S military, to be delivered to a lab in 2011 for the advanced testing of a next generation of chemical-protective suits. These legs will be fitted with a torso, arms, and dummy head over the next year, and the robot will eventually gain a full spectrum of lifelike movement, including crawling and running. PETMAN will even be able to sweat when things get hot, in order to test humidity levels in the suit.

Sure it would be cheaper to use a human test model, but it would not nearly be as much fun (or nearly as safe, of course).

Watch handsome, chiseled men duke it out RTS-style

For those fortunate enough to have or be able to afford a touch display and a copy of Windows 7, Ubisoft RTS R.U.S.E. will bring new meaning to the term "armchair general" thanks to a pretty special feature: multitouch. Hopefully the capabilities perform better than on the recent Japanese TV showcase.

“Making images interactive is at the core of the video game industry, and over the last few years we have been striving to make this interactivity as intuitive and direct as possible," said John Parkes, EMEA marketing director. "Today, thanks to Windows 7 and its full multitouch support, the barrier between the player and the image has been removed: they become one."

With that in mind, check out the new trailer below showing off the new capabilities, featuring a couple of rather well-proportioned creatures for the lady/male-fancying gamers out there -- a good representation of the average RTS player, to be sure.

R.U.S.E. is set to launch Q1 2010.

Quarterly profit at Xbox 360 division rises 96 percent despite flat sales

Microsoft as a whole was stung with an 14 percent year-on-year decline in profit for its most recent fiscal quarter ending September 30th.  A 39 percent drop in revenue from sales of Windows and Windows Live products didn't help, and this was attributed the sheer amount of revenue invested in the software giant's Windows 7 pre-order programs.  The overall profit decline was still smaller than what analysts had previously projected. Another bright spot proved to be Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices division, home of the Zune and Xbox 360 businesses, boosted by demand for the Xbox 360.

The E&D's revenue only slightly increased to $1.89 billion USD, but this still led to $312 million USD in quarterly profit.  This is nearly double the $159 million USD profit earned during the same three-month period back in 2008.  Xbox 360 hardware shipments also fell slightly to 2.1 millino units for the quarter. Profitability was achieved in light of fairly flat sales through decreased Xbox 360 platform costs, further illustrating the benefits of continually maintaining console production processes. Microsoft also achieved mastery in September by making up nearly 32 percent of the gaming industry's overall revenue through hardware and software sales, as tracked by the NPD Group.

Microsoft's general manager of investor relations, Bill Koefoed, underlined confidence in the company's Xbox 360 business and confirmed in this morning's earnings call that the platform now benefits from an 8.7 software attach ratio.  This means an average of 8.7 Xbox 360 games are sold for each console. Furthermore, the Xbox 360's global install base has now hit over 34 million units, an increase of 3 million units over just this past two months.  Xbox Live revenues also increased 50 percent.

Wireless music system controlled using iPhone

Earlier today home theater systems company Sonos unveiled their latest sound system, the Sons S5, a wireless sound system built to function seamlessly with the iPhone.

Unlike traditional media players, the S5 doesn't require you to dock your device in order to enjoy your music. By using the Sonos controller app, one can easily stream all of their music, whether it be from an iPhone or the internet, through the media player -- no tethering required.

Features:

• Full control of your music experience with your iPhone, iPod touch, PC, Mac or Sonos Controller including your iTunes library and all of the popular online streaming services such as Pandora, Rhapsody, Napster, Siruis
• Crystal-clear, room-filing sound from 2 tweeters, 2 mid-range drivers and subwoofer built in
• Access to music from your iTunes library and most every online music service/internet radio station
• Best-in-class wireless technology for multi-room music
• Simple setup & expansion - simple to add rooms

A slew of innovative charging solutions for your iPhone, iPod, and more

Earlier today award winning accessory company Mophie unveiled a new lineup of innovative -- and creative -- charging solutions for your iPod, iPhone, and other USB-driven devices.

Ross Howe, Sales and Product Development Director for mophie, notes:

We wanted to offer our customers additional power solutions for any situation to ensure they never go without a charge at home, on the road, or traveling internationally.

Spotlighting the new series is a nifty Wall & Car International USB Charger ($24.95) that combines a car charger with a 270º rotating AC adaptor arm, ensuring the ability to charge from virtually an angle. Other highlights include the International Adaptor Travel Kit ($14.95) which allows you to charge your mobile devices from almost anywhere while you travel (and features a sleek carrying bag), and Low Profile USB Car Charger designed to blend in with your car's interior so you can charge in style.

Apple remaining Flash-independent

G1, Symbian, and BlackBerry owners will be happy to know their devices will soon be more Flash compatible than ever. With support from the Open Screen Project, an industry-wide initiative led by Adobe, many smart-phone owners will receive complete access to all Flash content right from their device's built-in web browser.

The project touts itself as "[enabling] consumers to engage with rich Internet experiences seamlessly across any device, anywhere", with the additional aim of providing a consistent runtime environment for people on the go, and removing barriers for publishing content and applications across a wide array of consumer electronics.

Adobe believes removing said "barriers" will entice more people to take advantage of Flash utilities, but it seems that not all companies agree. Apple looks to be missing out on the promise of a richer, friendlier Flash environment, by sticking to their policy of avoiding technology that offers little value.

So what does this mean for all of you Apple aficionados? The iPhone will not be receiving the Flash 10.1 support, which means iPhone owners will not be shooting ducks for cash prizes while they wait for the page to load (at least not anytime soon).

Is Apple making a smart move by steering clear of the attempt to bring mobile devices and Flash closer? Could this mean no more YouTube support for iPhone owners? Oh wait, we have an app for that.

Plans for a multi-touch surface further revealed

New documentation revealing plans for a new touch-sensitive, user interface designed for tablets has been unearthed. Signs of Apple's tablet UI first appeared back in 2008, though at the time very little was known about the project.

The recently uncovered documents further explain how the device would allow for unprecedented integration of typing, resting, pointing, scrolling, 3D manipulation, and handwriting, eliminating the need for a mouse or scroll pad altogether.

Despite a lack of public information, and any official word from Apple, the project is very real -- it's reportedly been the CEO's top priority.

Apple to roll out mapping service?

Placebase — a company that offers global mapping services similar to Google Maps — is now owned by corporate giant Apple.

But why is this big news? Gizmodo believes Apple intends to 1-up Google. The gadgeteers are confident Apple will be releasing their own satellite mapping service, as the company deftly makes use of the technology they buy (Coverflow, for example). It's also believed Apple is looking to further pull away from Google services as a whole — which actually makes sense, seeing as how Apple is becoming more of an independent company -- designing custom chips for the iPhone, instead of using the same generic chips available to everyone, for example. Not to mention, Apple has been keeping this purchase on the "hush hush" — the deal evidently went down last July.

So what is Apple's aim? Some bloggers speculate that Apple is simply trying to further itself from Google. Others believe the intent is less extreme, and falls along the lines of more revenue:

Whenever you run a Safari search, as opposed to a Google search, Apple profits. When you use Google, Google profits greatly — while Apple receives the minimum of what Google owes them for using its service (significantly less when you think about the number of Google searches made daily). Why is this? In a nut shell: advertising revenue — It's how search engines make money.

Whatever their intent, with Apple involved you can be sure this isn't the last you'll be hearing about the inevitable "Safari Maps".

The successor to the popular Twitter app makes its debut

iPhone tweeters rejoice! The successor to one of the most recognized Twitter apps is on its way to the App Store as you read this! If you're a tweeter (n. Somebody who uses Twitter) and you've been tweeting from your iPhone, chances are you've been using — or maybe you have used — Loren Brichter's Tweetie. There's something to be said about Tweetie; it's sleek, simple, easy to use, and it's a great way to harass your friends and family with a mass of Twitter updates on the go.

Tweetie 2 builds on the foundation that Tweetie laid, re-inventing the sleek, albeit simple, user interface mobile tweeters are accustomed to. At a glance, Tweetie 2 looks pretty similar to the original. All of you tweeters will be glad to hear the the application won't be inducing any headaches, as all of the functions are right where you're used to seeing them. Of course, Tweetie 2 aims higher than to simply provide iPhone tweeters with an updated interface. The real beauty of Tweetie 2 lies deep within its build.

By far the coolest new feature that Tweetie 2 offers is the ability to completely customize/update your tweet at whim. Tweetie 2 acts as an independent application, meaning that it allows the user to create, edit, and delete their tweets all within the client itself. Want to add a URL or photo to your latest tweet? It's as simple as tapping "add photo". You won't have to hassle with opening up Safari and copying image codes or long URLs, now that you can simply copy and paste directly into the comment area. Tweetie 2 gives the user full control over their tweets, allowing you to quote, translate, and even email your tweets to friends and followers — oh yeah, and you can edit your Twitter account profile too!

Another nifty thing that Tweetie 2 offers is full persistence. Let's say you get a phone call while you're tweeting it up. You can close out of the app and answer your call, and when you open the application back up continue tweeting right from where you left off. To tweet now, or tweet later? It's ultimately your call.

Tweetie 2 is chock-full of new features, most of which you probably won't realize are there until you've been using the app for more than a week.

Keep in mind that Tweetie 2 is a standalone purchase, and will set you iPhone tweeters back a whopping $2.99 — a small price to pay for the updated mobile-tweeting experience.

Wii Remote assists yet again

Until now, hologram technology has been "for the eyes only", as Tokyo university professor Hiroyuki Shinoda puts it, but he and his team have advanced it to incorporate a sense of touch, making what we'd previously only known in science fiction much closer to a mass reality.

Ultrasonic waves are used in order to create pressure on the user hand when it touches a hologram; Nintendo Wii Remotes, which have long been used for various technological advances, are mounted above the display area and are used to track the hand.

At this point only simple objects have been tried in testing, but the researchers are already planning for virtual switches at hospitals and in other areas where contamination is a worry.

Shinoda went so far as to say the technology could replace other physical objects, which would bring great benefits to the economy and environment.

Keyboards are for losers

It looks like Nokia has been thinking about the future. Specifically: what kind of products can we cook up that people will want?

It looks like they are pondering delving into the murky waters of the 'augmented reality' concept. Basically, this means a new class of devices that are a small and natural to interact with, have flexible connectivity features, and enable you to bring connect yourself even closer to the world's information networks.

What's augmented reality all about? Well you know about real-reality right. Then there is virtual reality -- which is sort of like if you play 20 hours straight of World Of Warcraft. Augmented reality is the reality that is a bit of a mix of both these realities. It is sort of like Reality 2.0. Sort of.

So in this video we have: glasses with displays in them, motion-sensing controls, and cute blondes. Apparently, they will all be in the near-future. Seems quite feasible to me.

Here are some of further goals that the busy-bodies at Nokia Research are exploring for new product ideas:

•  Personal content: public content with a personal attachment and user-created content
• Personal content ecosystems and the associated service experiences
• User experience research on services in personal content ecosystems
• Extension of personal content ecosystems to mixed reality: physical environment as an interface, storage and retrieval space for personal content
• Augmentation of the physical world using mobile devices as creator of new value for both enjoyment and creation
• UI design for a playful exploration of digitally-enriched environments with associative browsing
• User data (content and metadata): gluing the physical with digital with a focus on people, places and time
• Lifelogging as the capture, storage and distribution of everyday experiences and information for people and objects
• Mobile, collaborative, massively multi-user, augmented reality
• Multimodal (photos, video, audio): synthetic representation of the world, delivery of tailored presentations
• Spatial understanding for on-line users, larger simultaneous communities
• Synthetic spaces for spatial and social immersion
• Freedom of self-expression
• Flexibility of interaction paradigms
• Nokia mixed reality environment as a hybrid service platform for 3rd-party content collaboration and mash-ups

Killed a couple of careers cause you copyin' more, couple years behind bars just to even the score!

Like all public service announcements aimed at the youth back in the early 90's, the message against the evils of software piracy was delivered in corny rap through the "cult classic" educational video, "Don't Copy That Floppy" (Youtube link). Heck, even the sequel has the hip and cool youth of today laughing at the original. Oh yes, there's recently been a sequel courtesy of the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), "Don't Copy That 2", and it's available for your listening pleasure at www.dontcopythat2.com, and even iTunes.

As in the original video, "Don't Copy That 2" extols the virtues of anti-piracy through the hip-hop stylings of the newly upgraded MC Double Def DP... the Digital Protector. Unfortunately he doesn't get to battle against a costumed villain voiced by Tim Curry in the digial world, like the Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad.

Yet if you software pirates continue your foul deeds with a guilty conscious or not, you'll end up like the mother in the music video: being chased by armed police while you're in the middle of making dinner in the kitchen or something. So put your knowledge to use for better things, like spotting the seconds-long Rage cameo courtesy of id Software. Else you can stick around for a guest appearance from convicted software pirate Jeremiah Mondello, currently serving a 48-month federal sentence for hawking pirated software on eBay using stolen bank accounts.  Heck it's even got Klingons in it, proving they did indeed triumph in a desperate struggle for our primitive planet.

According to the SIIA, a "modified and extended" version of the video will be made available for actual classrooms later this fall... so you young'uns better stay in school. Or else.

...giant robot STATUE that is

Maybe some South Koreans became jealous when hearing about Japan's massive Gundam statue. Or maybe they just saw it and thought it was a good idea. But for what ever the reason, a much larger, massive-er, crazier giant robot statue is going to be built, in South Korea.

Planned to be an epic-sized, 364 feet tall permanent tower, the new addition to Google Maps is going to be a star attraction at a new robot-themed theme park, being built, inventively called Robot Land. 

The robot chosen to be immortalized in statue form? Voltar the Invincible. Also known to some as Robot Taekwon.

Voltar the Invincible is a much-loved Korean old-timer robot. Back in the late '70s, Voltar starred in 로보트 태권 V, in which the mountain-high robot fought all sorts of robots and stuff with laser beams and things, and made a great killing at the box office for director Kim Cheong-gi. Oh -- also, Voltar is a taekwon-do expert. Totally Korean through-and-through, Voltar is seen as the protector of the Koreans (source), guarding them metaphorically from the robot-mastering Japanese (who've been known to be partial to invading Korea in the past).

The South Korean designers behind the project no doubt hope that an alien-radiated meteorite will not fall from the sky bringing Voltar the Invincible to life, in an insatiable, furious pent-up rage -- because then, only Godzilla would then be able to save the day, and that would be a national embarrassment to have to rely on him again.

Make it really hot, then really cold, and you have music

One of the latest pieces of technological advancement is the Greenergy music player, a device designed by Dmitriy Shcherbakov, which uses constantly changing temperature as an energy source. 

This isn't a totally next energy concept, as the Atoms Clock uses the same technology, and was invented in 1928. Granted, Generty is going to need to use more energy than the clock; the device contains its own "heating module", and "personal light."

It isn't quite clear how much energy is going to be needed to power the weird looking device.  It's still sketchy, but the music player could help push the world to become more "green."

Would be impressive if it wasn't such a bummer

A novel new virus has been uncovered by security researchers at Sophos.

Identified as "W32/Induct-A", this virus has a new bag of tricks previously unseen in the ever-changing world of malware. W/32Induct-A has the ability to recognize any raw computer code (written in the programming language Delphi) on a computer, and copy itself into the code, to be complied into the finished executable file unseen.

Delphi is most often used for database programs. So, for example, if an accounting application programmer who works with Delphi became infected with this virus and didn't know it, all of his new accounting programs he or she would finish on the infected computer would then carry the virus, and would be sent out with all new programs they made -- possibly to thousands of clients or customers. Furthermore, due to the nature of the virus and how many software development teams work, W/32Induct-A would have a strong chance of being swapped around by the programmers.

The virus has been detected about 3000 times now, by Sophos.

In an interesting twist on this already interesting virus, Sophos has found cases were W/32Induct-A has infected banking Trojan horses -- often which are written in Delphi. W/32Induct-A would not help the banking Trojans out, so it is thought that the writers of the Trojans were infected by W/32Induct-A without knowing it. 

Your high-fives belong to SCEA, now, son

Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) filed a patent a couple of weeks ago for an application which will 'collect a user's emotional output' via their PlayStation 3, including laughing and high-fiving. Yes, you heard correctly -- Sony wants your high-fives. Other behaviours and reactions could be tracked, too, including just being plain ol' bored.

The purpose of all this monitoring is to evaluate reactions to media presentations, though it can be used for TV, film and other types; it's not clear exactly if this will be used somehow on regular ol' gamers, but the diagram below -- which indicates a microphone and camera are utilized in tandem with the console -- seems to imply as much.

An excerpt from the filing: "[Our invention] asks and answers such questions as: What makes people happy? What makes them laugh? What do they find interesting? Boring? Exciting?"

Same yet different

Google decided to really mix things up. Instead of a new app that does your laundry, calculates your body mass index, or sets you up on dates, Google has released a search engine (of all things!) for public testing.

While the new engine looks the same as regular ole Google, and seems to return many of the same results as regular ole Google, apparently there is some new stuff going on under the hood. The "next-generation architecture of Google" will "push the envelope on size, indexing speed, accuracy, comprehensiveness and other dimensions," Google claims. "Web developers and power searchers might notice a few differences," they go on to say. 

We ran a few test runs, and in our searches, results turned up slightly different, but not drastically so. According to Google, the new bits of the search engine infrastructure sit "under the hood."

What will Google come up with next?

Open source Robot Operating System

Sometimes it feels like the robot revolution is about to explode any day now. How long will it be before you have robot pals and robot slaves? Robots serving you at a beer at a bar, or teaching your cousin in a class? All these things might happen a lot sooner that you might think.

Work is underway on developing a common operating system for robots. The premise makes a great deal of sense. The overwhelming majority of all robots built so far have been constructed for specific purposes. Almost all of them have required new software to be made just for them. 

Developed at the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Robot Operating System is an attempt to standardize the basic software requirements of robotics. A sort of base to build all other specialized software on. For example, the Robot Operating System may include programming for movement, facial recognition and object identification. With the base in place, people would be freed from re-writing all this code for each new robot; instead, they can use ROS as a foundation to build more high-level software.

The ROS is specifically be designed for advanced robots that will interact socially with humans.

Perhaps one day robots will be sort of like a PC: you'll be able to buy a base model, and the customize it as you see fit, on the hardware side of things. On the software side of things, you'll be able to download programs, as needed, that suit you. Such as one that cleans your house, walks your dog, or what-have-you.

It'll be interesting to see how it all turns out.

New Scientist made this great video on the subject. There are some slick robots in the flick. 

If you live in Iowa and are with T-Mobile

A pilot project being launched in Iowa will allow T-Mobile company customers to communicate with 911 emergency response people via SMS text messages.

AMBLNCE 4 U!

While you have to wonder what kind of emergency is a real emergency if a person rather send a text that call directly, the service has been launched in Iowa's Black Hawk County.

According to a sheriff talking on the matter, the new texting service might actually be useful though: primarily for folks in emergency situations with hearing disabilities, and even possibly for citizens who are trying to alert the police silently, such as kidnapping victims.

This one takes the crown

Update: Apple has responded to the story, stating the censorship did not actually occur but was evidently a misunderstanding between the developer and their review team.  Read the full statement here.

So let's recapitulate. Within a 30 day period, Apple had, from its App Store:

• Approved, then pulled a baby shaking game
• Removed the Nine Inch Nails app following an update in which a podcast featured a curse word (meanwhile you can buy the entire NIN catalogue on iTunes, and receive pornographic spam via Apple's mail program)
• Pulled a remote controlling app for a torrent program (torrents can be illegal, the programs are not)
• Rejected a game featuring sexual innuendos, while still selling a previous version

Even with these we can find some vague logic, and could attribute it partly to negligence (there are over a billion apps on there after all), but today's news has no excuse.

Matchstick Software's superb App Store dictionary Ninjawords, by the sounds of it, is the best of its kind on the service, save one glaring flaw: Apple censors all the words it deems "objectionable"; this despite: 1) the App being rated 17+ (yeah, dictionaries are too hot for your 16-year-old, hide 'em), 2) they're the only outlet we know of to do this (even Wal-Mart doesn't), 3) the "offensive" entries only show up if you type in the exact words (excepting one oversight), and 4) you can find all the words on, I don't know, dictionary.com via your iPhone/iPod Touch, or in a real-world dictionary; some even throughout the King James Bible!

Is this 1984? Whatcha got next for us, Apple?

Artists, technology companies, educators and more offer suggestions going forward

Canada at least is in a bit of a state of flux regarding its copyright laws. For example, currently it's technically illegal to record television programming for later viewing, and yet the sale of personal video recorders (PVRs) is perfectly legal. Odd, no?

With notions like this in mind, the federal government met with artists, tech companies, educators and many other kinds of organizations in public consultations which began July 20. The government, which has been typically known for progressive-mindedness when it comes to these matters (excepting a few slimy political types, of course), stated its goal is to achieve a balance between the interests of copyright holders and users of copyrighted material. The consensus among groups was in tune with this, though they have many different ideas as to what should be included in the updated laws. Naturally, some of these ideas conflict strongly with each other, though most seem to have the best interests of the people in mind.

Seven organizations were present, representing everything from TV, radio, actors, and puppeteers to librarians, video games, technology and hardware, to consumers themselves; we'll highlight the most notable suggestions from each.

First we have the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists, who put forth an idea we fully support: imposing a levy (an extra fee) on digital recorders are music players. This worked very well back when everyone was pirating music and burning it to CDs, and it seems overdue to these fellows for it to applied to the more popular technology nowadays. Assuming you shop around and research, you can get a great music player for cheap these days, so a minor extra fee shouldn't be a big deal, and most won't even notice the change, particularly with prices fluctuating as fast as they do in the industry. This allows artists, labels and the like to not lose as much money from pirated copies of records, films, etc.

The Canadian Association of Internet Providers, meanwhile, calls for ISPs to be less intrusive when it comes to pirated content, that is, not to require them to take it down, or cut off service of their customers for acquiring it. Chairman Tom Copeland says, "I don't think Canadians want their ISPs to become agents of law enforcement," adding traditionally they would pass on notices of violation from the rights holder, but that's it. He added that traditionally, ISPs have passed on notices of copyright violation from the rights holder, but that is where their obligations ended.

The Canadian Association of University Teachers is apparently in support of digital lockbreaking, at least under conditions of "fair dealing and use" (which the Canadian Library Association, or CLA, need to be clarified); they're also in favour of Canadian copyright law taking precedent over individual product law, and most interestingly, reduce the amount of time a copyright is in effect for. As it stands, an author's work is protected for his lifetime plus 50 years, which seems a bit unreasonable, really.

The CLA has the interests of the disabled in mind, too. For them, permissions are allowed so materials can be converted, for say, the deaf or blind, however other disabilities are not covered, and this needs remedying. Further, they'd prefer if such materials were allowed freely to cross between Canada and the US before the ban in 2004.

On the topic of video games, which is likely what you're most interested in, the Entertainment Software Association of Canada isn't so progressive. In fact, they directly oppose pretty well all the above mentioned suggestions, and push for protection of protection (i.e. make it illegal to crack disk checks, mod your console, break parental locks, etc.), albeit "supporting some exceptions" like allowing the visually impaired to make copies of a game manual, for instance. On the piracy front, their stance is ISPs should be required to remove illegal content following a notice from the rights holder, though the poster of the content could appeal. At present, an ISP is free to ignore these notices, and a court injunction is necessary to see its removal. Under the previous and dreaded C-61 bill (more information in the link posted at top), ISPs had to pass on the notice, but no further action was required. The suggestions largely stem from "zero day piracy", or piracy which occurs before a street date, or shortly thereafter, when a game makes its strongest sales.

Second last is the Information Technology Association of Canada, who we're fully behind as well. These guys have three main points: let research break digital locks (necessary for advancing security), focus punishment on those who profit directly from violating copyrights instead of pirates, and allow more freedom with technology purchases (e.g. usage on multiple devices or networks, allow "tinkering" for compatibility purposes with networks, older software, etc.).

Lastly is the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), which as you may guess, has you specifically in mind. They support most of the stuff already mentioned -- breaking of digital locks, more flexibility in fair dealing (i.e. remixing music), and more flexibility in media usage too, like legalizing recording of broadcasts, conversion of content to other media (i.e. making a digital copy of a book), and moving of content to other media (i.e. ripping a CD and putting the MP3s on your music player).

As for the results, we'll just have to wait and see, but right now, things sound quite reasonable; even the worst of it isn't so bad compared to what some rights vendors communicated at the Federal Trade Commission's town hall meeting (i.e. "buy the game again if your activations expire").

To end this off, here's a quote from the PIAC's counselman John Lawford we can surely all agree upon:

"I don't think you need to have protection of the protection."

Moral of the story: be aware of your Facebook privacy settings

In a fairly big coincidence, a married UK male was on his Facebook page one day, when he happened to look over and saw an ad that caught his eye.

The advertisement was for a dating website -- I'm sure you seen one before.  And the woman in the ad looked familiar. Very familiar.

On a second glance, he confirmed that the hot available single... was actually his wife!

After some initial confusion -- and probably some anger -- Peter Smith, from Virginia, investigated the matter. After a lot of rock-turning, it turned out that a Facebook advertiser took the profile picture of his wife without her permission.   

Facebook responded by cutting off access to two advertising networks that were found contravening privacy guidelines.

For all you Facebook users, you should be aware that by default, advertisers have access to photos in your profile that can be used for ads sent to people on your friends list. You can turn off this setting by logging into Facebook and taking the following precautions:

1. Under Settings, go to Privacy Settings.
2. Select News Feed & Wall option.
3. Select Facebook Ads tab at the top.
4. After the automated prompt, select "No One" in the drop down menu.
5. Hit Save Changes button.

Also be aware that by using any 3rd party apps -- such as all the games, and dumb quizzes, or anything else -- you are potentially handing over your some of your personal information to advertisers -- so either don't use the apps, or don't put anything on Facebook that you'd be embarrassed that your kids might be able to see 20 or 40 years from now.

Have three dimensional skills? Live in the U.K? Like Ninjas?

If you consider yourself a game animator-in-training, and know your Maya (the program, not the girl) then you might want to check out this oppourtinity. Cambridge-based game company Ninja Theory (makers of the PS3's Heavenly Sword) are on the look-out for some game-saavy animators for an internship position.

The internship goes from September to November. Students in an animation program, or recent graduates, are a good fit for this internship. But hey, if you have some fantastic animation skills and a good portfolio to show, Ninja Theory might choose you instead.

The internship could lead to continued employment at the company. So if you are in the U.K and are looking to get your foot in the animation-door, check out their website.

"Ninja Animators are some of the best in the world and this opportunity offers aspiring animators to learn from and work alongside them, on a real, AAA PS3 and Xbox360 game," say the ninjas.

New $4.2 billion semiconductor manufacturing facility in upstate New York

AMD spun off it manufacturing facilities earlier this year to form GLOBALFOUNDRIES in partnership with the Advanced Technology Investment Company of Abu Dhabi. Part of AMD's Asset Smart strategy, the new venture assumed control of AMD's fab facilities and there was speculation on whether AMD's plan to construct a new, state-of-the-art facility in upstate New York was still going to happen.

Its looks like we can put those fears to rest as today AMD joined GLOBALFOUNDRIES and a host of local, state and federal officials to break ground on the Fab 2 manufacturing facility at the Luther Forest Technology Campus. When construction is complete and Fab 2 comes on line in 2012 it is expected to be the most advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility in the world. Fab 2 will be a 300mm semiconductor manufacturing facility designed for 32 nm process technologies.

Was it pressure or harassment that caught up to 25 year-old engineer, tasked with delivering prototypes for employer?

Foxconn's role as contract manufacturer for Apple's iPhone has landed the company under the international spotlight, once again over its possible (mis)treatment of employees. The company previously faced scrutiny over leaked reports of the troubling living and working conditions faced by its blue-collar workforce.

Local newspapers in Shenzhen, China reported that 25 year-old engineer Sun Danyong lept to his death from the twelfth floor of a residential building on July 16th, three days after reporting a missing iPhone to his employer Foxconn. This particular iPhone was in fact one of 16 product prototypes for an upcoming revision of the popular smartphone, entrusted to him on earlier that month.

Early news coverage noted Sun's report sparked an internal investigation from Foxconn's environment and safety department. His apartment was also searched, leading to whispers that he became a target of harassment for possible theft. Perhaps "enforcers" had doubts over Sun's claim, to say the least. Sun himself confided with former university classmates in the hours before his death that the investigation over the missing iPhone was "one of the most humiliating experiences" he faced.

Indeed, sinister theories continue to surround Sun's suicide shortly afterwards, and awareness over the tragic development has only increased. Apple expressed remorse over Sun's suicide, stressing how it requires all its production partners to treat workers with "dignity and respect". The company meanwhile is awaiting results of investigation before pursuing further actions. Foxconn offered similar condolences, conceding the company needed to do a better job in helping employees cope with psychological pressures related to work.

Parent company Hon Hai Group has reportedly suspended a security official at one of its subsidiaries over possible involvement in the sequence of events leading to Sun's suicide. Foxconn itself believed that a "department head" was responsible for the possible mistreatment of Sun during the investigation.