NewYorkCountryLawyer writes “In a Corpus Christi, Texas, case, Atlantic v. Boggs, where the defendant interposed a counterclaim alleging that the RIAA’s $750-per-song file damages theory is unconstitutional, and the RIAA moved to dismiss the counterclaim, the US Department of Justice has sought and obtained an extension of time in which to decide whether to intervene in the case on the side of the RIAA. What probably precipitated the issue is that the constitutional question was raised not just as a defense as it was in UMG v. Lindor, but as a counterclaim, thus prompting a dismissal motion by the RIAA.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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If you hadn’t noticed by now, the RIAA will go to great lengths to get people they accuse of file sharing to “settle” a case before it ever goes to court — especially when the evidence they have is especially flimsy. However, with the threat of much bigger fines as a possibility, many people feel compelled to simply pay up and move on. Luckily, some people fight back — and the RIAA almost always ends up backing down when the facts are presented. The latest such case takes place in Tennessee, as pointed out by Ray Beckerman. A soldier was accused of unauthorized file sharing for six songs, but in the evidence filed with the court, the RIAA lawyers included screenshots showing 4,600 files from the guy’s computer including pornographic content. The guy claims that this clearly has nothing to do with the case, but is a situation where the RIAA is abusing a copyright infringement claim to try to shame the guy into settling. He still insists he’s innocent and that lots of other people had access to his computer at the time the charges refer to. After countersuing over this issue, the RIAA has now backed down from listing the 4,600 files and is now only showing 367 sound recordings that it believes are infringing. Rather than admitting that it was abusing the lawsuit to pressure the guy into settling (and this change is due to the countersuit), the RIAA’s lawyers claim they’ve made this change as a “professional courtesy.” How nice of them.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Techdirt

Those dudes at Apple sure love to patent things. For every patent they file that actually makes its way into a device that’s sold to consumers, there have got to be 30 others that just sit there collecting dust, waiting for an opportunity to sue the pants out of the next guy to come up with the same idea. Case in point? Check out all these variations on the iPhone‘s touch keyboard that Apple holds patents on.

Ignoring the fact that the drawings all have antennas, which Apple would never slap on a device in a thousand years, you can see that Apple explored all sorts of different touchscreen keyboard designs before deciding on the one that made it to market.

There are the popular three-letters-on-one-button designs, some designs with more spacing between the buttons, with less spacing between the buttons, and so on and so forth. We might be looking at a design that could make it to future iPhone models, but I wouldn’t count on it. [Unwired View]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo

The last few months of iPod rumors have all come down to this, a final push before the supposed launch next week. What’s going to be new? Supposedly, a two-inch-square flash-based iPod that may be called the iPod Touch, based on the fact that it’s going to play back video and cost $299 and $399 for 4GB and 8GB.

If the rumor is true, It would essentially be a phone-less iPhone, which was what everyone’s been thinking Apple would bring. It makes sense that they’re not following up with a 6G iPod that looks exactly like the iPhone, instead making a smaller nano with a larger screen that fits easily in your pocket. Then later this year or early next year they can come out with a big 6G iPod with a huge 16:9 screen and an iPhone-like interface. Of course, this is all conjecture now, but the pieces do start to fit together. [9 to 5 Mac]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo

Intel and GPS chipmaker SiRF to team up for GPS and processor integration coolness [Press Release]

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In an age where advertisers are fighting tooth and nail to get viewers to watch their ads, a new patent filed by Microsoft could help by providing personalized, targeted ads on the fly based on the profile of the person (or people) who are watching at the moment.

Read More…

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Ars Technica

Sure, the Segway turned out to be a gigantic joke of a failure, but that doesn’t mean the technology from the dork transporter is useless. Some clever high school kids from Canada have designed a really unique motorcycle-type vehicle called the Tango that uses the same balance-based tech for control.

Rather than having its two wheels in front of each other, the Tango places them next to each other. The rider perches above them and leans forward to accelerate, back to slow down, and side to side to turn. It’s a completely electric vehicle, meaning it has no emissions, but because of that it has a top speed of only 40mph. It looks like a lot of fun, and a hell of a lot less embarrassing to be seen on than the Segway. Hopefully someone will pick up this design and get it out there for people to scoot around on at some point. [Canoe via Oh Gizmo!]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo

qedramania writes “Linuxworld seems to think ODF is a dead duck. Is the Windows monopoly too big and too entrenched? Other than diehard Linux fans, does anyone really care if they have to keep paying Microsoft to do basic word processing? It seems as though the momentum is towards a complete Microsoft monoculture in software for business and government. You can bet that big business and governments will want more than just reliability from Microsoft in return for their acquiescence. Does ODF have a future?”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Apparently Microsoft has started adding extra GPU cooling to new retail Xbox 360 elites in order to stave off overheating problems (and the three red lights) the units may be having. These added heatsinks were only previously found in refurbished Xbox 360s in Europe, which meant we were pretty much SOL. Ben Heck dismantled a new Xbox 360 and found a new heat pipe and new materials, but still thought that the cooling was a bit weak because there are no fans directly on any of the components. [Ben Heck via Evil Avatar]

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A new survey find that unauthorized downloading has increased to record levels in 2007 as fewer people fear prosecution and more buy digital audio players.

Read More…

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Ars Technica

LEDs are spreading all over the home, and now these Lumen LED Lights have found their way into every corner of your house, bringing a spot of color here and there and adding a little extra style on the way. These 8-inch phallic symbols are available in the colors you see above, and run on three C batteries that the company says will last a minimum of 1500 hours.

These little stainless steel lights look a lot bigger in these pictures—just imagine them about the size and shape of an elongated C-battery flashlight, and you get the idea. Too bad the company’s asking $71 for each one, because it looks like there’s about three dollars’ worth of materials involved. LEDs are already commonplace; too bad trinket purveyors (and their customers) haven’t heard the news yet. [Home Temptations, via Technabob]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo

By all accounts, News Corp.’s bid for Dow Jones is coming down to the wire, although the latest indication is that the deal is likely to go through. If the deal does happen, one of the big winners could be Pearson, the publisher of the Financial Times, which has been making an aggressive push to expand its global presence and present itself as an alternative to the Wall Street Journal. Already, the company has indicated that it would like to partner up with another major media organization in order to promote its brand. One possibility would be to partner up with CNBC if News Corp. decides to sever Dow Jones’ relationship with the business news network. In addition to striking such a partnership, Pearson should be looking to open up its content as a way of differentiating the Financial Times from the Wall Street Journal. At the moment, the sites of both papers are largely locked down, with most content available to subscribers only. Were the Financial Times to take down this wall, opening up its best content to the public, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine the paper usurping some of the Journal’s influence.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Techdirt

Sanyo‘s Rear View Backup Camera System claims to have a new twist on an old idea, “AirCam technology” that gives you a wide angle shot of whatever is behind you rather than some annoying fisheye image that’s hard to look at. Mount the tiny camera on the corner of your license plate, wire it up, and it gives you a clear view of what’s behind. It’s also capable of a few clever tricks we hadn’t seen in a backup camera before. This thing can help you park.

It adds helpful visual guidelines to the screen, showing you exactly the best place to park in your garage, or it can give you some visual help when you’re parallel parking. We’re also digging the system’s ability to give you an overhead view, measuring the distance between you and a nearby obstacle and showing you a graphic of the situation on screen. Okay, AirCam: we get it now.

Too bad Sanyo didn’t include a display for the camera’s video feed, relying instead on an in-dash GPS device or DVD screen you may already have installed. Although it might take some doing to wire up this sucker with composite video cables and $299.99 to buy it, saving the life of a little munchkin or pet could make it all worth it. [Digital 50]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo

eldavojohn writes “We’ve heard a bit about the completely fair scheduler previously, but now Kernel Trap looks at the implications this new scheduler has for 3D games in Linux. Linus Torvalds noted, ‘I don’t think any scheduler is perfect, and almost all of the time, the RightAnswer(tm) ends up being not one or the other, but somewhere in between. But at the same time, no technical decision is ever written in stone. It’s all a balancing act. I’ve replaced the scheduler before, I’m 100% sure we’ll replace it again. Schedulers are actually not at all that important in the end: they are a very very small detail in the kernel.’ The posts that follow the brief article, reveal that Linus seems quite confident that he made the right choice in his decision to merge CFS with the Linux kernel. One thing’s for certain, gaming on Linux can’t suffer any more setbacks or it may be many years before we see FOSS games rival the commercial world.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Sony has been sued by a mysterious company over a 15-year-old patent covering parallel processing. The plaintiffs claim that the Cell CPU used in the PS3 infringes on a patent they own the rights to, but they chose not to go after IBM, which designed the CPU in the first place.

Read More…

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Ars Technica

The Body Energizer Vibrating Exercise Machine claims to improve your muscle strength and bone density, using some magic high-frequency vibration. Doesn’t this remind you of those worthless butt-shaking machines that were so popular back in the ’60s? This one’s makers also boast about how it could actually speed weight loss. They even drop the possibility of a few Olympic athletes using it. Take the jump to read the entertaining and incredible exultation to get you to buy this thing. And hey, it’s on sale!

Simply hold on to the grippy bars, and stand or squat on the nonslip platform (or try one of the many alternate positions illustrated). In just two to four minutes, three to five times a week, you’ll notice a remarkable difference within a month. Similar machines cost as much as $2,500—but why pay more?

Hmm. Also works as a massage machine? Different positions? Sounds like something entirely different. The good news? It regularly cost $400 and now it’s just $229.95. Caveat emptor. [Hollywood Gadgets, via Sci Fi Tech]

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oDDmON oUT writes “An article on the Computerworld site quotes polling results from a potentially-divisive PatchLink survey. The poll shows that the majority of enterprise customers feel there are no compelling security enhancements in Windows Vista, that they have no plans to migrate to it in the near term and that many will ‘either stick with the Windows they have, or turn to Linux or Mac OS X’. A majority, 87%, said they would stay with their existing version of Windows. This comes on the heels of a dissenting view of Vista’s track record in the area of security at the six month mark, which sparked a heated discussion on numerous forums.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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This strange sleeping bag can do two distinct things. First, it can provide a bunch of nice therapies to your body, such as a steam sauna, water jets and oxygen misting. Second, it can easily detect wealthy idiots, as it has a pricetag of $5,000. But it “detoxes liver, gall bladder, and blood clotting cellular debris!” Yeah, OK. Hot water is really going to do wonders for your aching gall bladder. Here’s a tip: Live a healthy lifestyle. It’s cheaper and guaranteed to have a better effect on your body than this thing. [Born Rich]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo

>>>>
What do you get when you mix the nightmare-inducing early-’90s robotics of Chuck E Cheese’s with Bubba Sparxxx? Slightly less nightmare-inducing robots. That may be because I’m older now and less afraid of robots, but if I remember correctly the music these robots used to play while I scarfed down crappy pizza and wasted my parent’s quarters on Skee Ball was pretty frightening. [Boing Boing]

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An anonymous reader writes that earlier this month, Sony received word of a lawsuit from a Newport Beach company called Parallel Processing. They’ve filed against the electronics giant alleging that the Cell processor, used in the PlayStation 3, infringes on a patent they own. They’ve made the somewhat outrageous demand that every infringing chip (and console) be ‘impounded and destroyed’. From the article at Next Generation: “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 … Parallel Processing said that Sony’s alleged actions have caused ‘irreparable harm and monetary damage’ to the company.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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theodp writes "In a just-published patent application for delivering Advertising that is relevant to a person, nine Microsoft inventors spell out plans for using cameras, remote controls and biometric sensors to detect the identity of the person viewing a TV, cellphone, or computer monitor display. This knowledge, coupled with previously collected info about the person’s interests and hobbies, sex, age, locale, profession, subscriptions and memberships, ethnicity, marital status, parental status, pet ownership, and height as well as additional info gleaned from his or her address book, calendar, mail, IMs, to-do lists, notes, purchasing history, historical record of reactions to ads, search history, and media consumption history will then be used to allow advertisers to deliver highly-targeted ads." Of course, this is just an application, rather than a granted patent, but it’s hardly a unique idea. People have been discussing such things for years — it’s just that most people recognize it would seriously creep people out if it were ever put in place. Unless, of course, the company gives you $5/month and suddenly the creepy factor subsides.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Techdirt

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo

Men, we have been defeated. After years of struggle, battling for a simpler life with less purses to trip over, women have struck at our weakest point—our insatiable desire for gals holding guns in their underpants (bonus, full NSFW gallery after the jump).

Oh, but the other side has had such technologies for years, you say? Not in purse form, my friends. Not in purse form. The Persuader is a gun-shaped purse that will destroy all arguments against your wife’s purchase of more purses. It will be the easiest $289 you’ve spent on leather…at least since those chaps we’re not telling anyone about. [product via boingboing]

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The only way we could enjoy the self-explanatory Titanic Lamp more is alongside Celine Dion’s severed hand reaching from the depths of our coffee table, grasping at air, and sinking to the cold world beneath our coasters. $630 [product via bltd]

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iTunes Store sales hit 3 billion songs. Can we get a counter with spinning numbers in the top right-hand corner? [Apple]

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Rumors of an impending AT&T/eMusic tag team for an over-the-air music store were true: The eMusic Mobile store will be stocked with 2.7 million songs in delicious DRM-free MP3. Better yet, not only do tracks download directly to your phone, a second copy is sent straight to your computer. Not so delicious:

The price, at $7.49 per five-pack plus data charges (“AT&T strongly recommends an unlimited data plan before previewing tracks”), and the so-far small number of supported handsets, which are Samsung’s a717, a727, “new versions” of the SYNC and the Nokia N75, with “many to be added in the future.”

Curiously (or maybe not so curiously) absent is the iPhone, given that it’s an actual music phone and Steve-o’s all about DRM-hate nowadays. “Meh” pricing and limited handset support aside, however, an over-the-air, DRM-free store is definitely a step in the right direction for mobile music. It would just be more right if it was cheaper. [Press Release]

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eMusic’s 2.5 million independent tracks are now available for browsing and purchase directly from AT&T handsets (but not the iPhone).

Read More…

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Ars Technica

Tech.Luver writes “The Register is reporting on Google’s statement to a presiding judge that video-fingerprinting of YouTube material will be ready in September. The development is required to head off a three-headed suit against the company, currently being debated in a New York City courthouse. The system will, according to Google, ‘be as sophisticated as fingerprinting technology used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.’ From the article: ‘As Google told El Reg in an earlier conversation, the company already has two systems in place for policing infringing content – but neither are ideal. One system allows copyright holders to notify Google when they spot their videos on the company’s sites. When notified, the company removes the offending videos, in compliance with the American Digital Millennium Copyright Act. A second system uses “hash” technology to automatically block repeated uploads of infringing material.’”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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If you didn’t get enough with the Typhoon closing on the Hercules, check this Sukhoi SU-27UB whizzing by just 4 feet above the runway. However, this isn’t the most impressive thing flying at the Russian 2007 Air Show. Check out some of the strangest and coolest airplanes you will ever see, after the jump.

This is the forward-swept wing Sukhoi SU-47 Bekrut, taking off from Zhukovsky Airport, where they celebrate the show. This airport is perfect for the event because it is located next to Lake Galendzhik. As you will see in the gallery, Russian designers have a special love for hydroplanes.

[Jetphotos and Airliners]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo

Do you watch boatloads of CSI to get your fill of dramatic interrogations? How would you like to experience the show…but for real? Because the Suicide Bomb Box is not just a fun conversation piece (like this guy), but a life-altering, sleep-depriving, head-dunked-in-water, that-rifle-won’t-fit-up-there-ok-yes-it-will piece. Featuring a big red button and all sorts of nifty, functionless switches, the Suicide Bomb Box won’t make trouble for anyone but yourself. Protip: Store your anal virginity in the hidden compartment and they can’t take that away from you.

[tanomi via redferret]

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Apple proudly announced today that it had crossed the 3-billion-song mark with the iTunes Store, signaling another victory for digital music sales.

Read More…

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drewmoney writes “The BBC reports on new findings which may have implications for the way offices are laid out. According to an Australian study, around a third of modern printer models release ‘potentially dangerous levels of toner into the air’ as they are completing a job. ‘Almost one-third were found to emit ultra-tiny particles of toner-like material, so small that they can infiltrate the lungs and cause a range of health problems from respiratory irritation to more chronic illnesses. Conducted in an open-plan office, the test revealed that particle levels increased five-fold during working hours, a rise blamed on printer use. ‘”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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This EzKEY combo mouse and keypad might be just what you’re looking for if you’re on the road, suddenly need to add a long list of numbers, and your laptop doesn’t have a keypad. Just flip up the top as you would open your car’s trunk, and there you have a keypad to do some quick number crunching. Flip it down, and it works and feels just like any other mouse.

This is a good idea for specific situations, but the shape of the mouse could be a little more ergonomic. To be offered in black or white, EzKEY presented this two-in-one keypad mouse at Taitronics Bangkok 2007, not saying when it would be available or at what price. [Aving]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo

Despite the Cell processor being a joint venture of Sony, Toshiba and IBM, Sony is taking the fall in a lawsuit by Parallel Processing Corporation. PPC filed a patent back in 1991 for “synchronised parallel processing with shared memory,” which they claim Sony has broken with the use of the Cell processor in PS3s. But the PPC is not only asking for money, but the “impounding and destruction” of all infringing units (we’re guessing just Sony’s stock).

While it’s difficult to believe that three major corporations could violate a patent after so much time and investment in the Cell, Sony was forced to pay big bucks to Immersion for their rumble technology used in PS2 controllers (since absent in the PS3‘s SIXAXIS). If PPC has a legitimate claim, expect the PS3 to become even less profitable for Sony. [gamespot]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo

No need to curse the darkness with this Nightlighter, which not only lights your path ahead but shines a couple of really bright LEDs toward the ground, assuring you that you won’t trip over that sleeping dog in the middle of the floor when the lights have gone out.

Powered by a trio of AAAs, the Nightlighter lets you use the front and down lights either individually or together, using a high-output Luxeon LED bulb for the top light, and a couple of 5mm white LEDs shining on the ground. It’s available now for $29.95. [firstStreet, via Oh Gizmo]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo

The DeLorean, the car from Back to the Future with the gull wing doors and gleaming stainless steel finish, has come back to the future, going into extremely limited production thanks to a group of greasemonkeys in Houston who like to refurbish cars. They have about 200 of the original DeLorean 2.8 L V-6 engines on hand, and will start making the cars from scratch next year.

There’s no exact price attached to the exclusive cars, which will be built at a rate of around 20 cars per year. The last time a DeLorean was rolled off the assembly line was 1982, when the last model was built in DeLorean’s Northern Ireland plant.

This new car company, which actually acquired rights to the name DeLorean Motor Company, didn’t mention a specific price, but it’s currently selling its refurbished DeLoreans for $42,500. [Wired]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo

Foraging for mushrooms can be fun, but getting poisoned by the wrong species always ruins a nice afternoon. Researchers at the Hagenberg College in Austria have developed software that can identify which mushrooms are safe to eat and which are poisonous, just from a photograph. This means it could easily be run on a mobile phone with a camera, to create a handy tool for foragers. It’s not yet clear whether magic mushrooms have been placed in the safe or poisonous category—maybe that will be a user option. [Metro]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo

Harmony writes “When the RIAA sued Sgt. Nicholas Paternoster, it included a screenshot of a shared folder with over 4,600 files — some of which were pornographic images unrelated to the case. Last week, the RIAA got permission from a judge to, as a ‘professional courtesy,’ swap out the original exhibit for one with only the 350+ songs the defendant is accused of sharing on Kazaa. The RIAA’s carelessness may come back to haunt it, however: ‘After the suit was filed — and the exhibit made public — Sgt. Paternoster decided to fight back, filing a counterclaim accusing the RIAA of violating his privacy and seeking to “shame Counter-Plaintiff… into giving in to their unreasonable demands regarding their copyrighted materials.”‘”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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>Surgeons in Argentina were able to complete an operation using the light from cellphone screens after a city-wide blackout. The hospital’s generator failed to kick in and they continued to work in darkness until someone stepped into the room—not the Spanish Inquisition but, nevertheless, someone completely unexpected.

Local man Leonardo Molina was on the operating table undergoing an appendectomy when the lights went out in the town of Villa Mercedes’ Policlinico Juan D. Peron. A relative, thought to be the 29-year-old patient’s elder brother Ricardo, collected up mobiles from other patients’ families who were waiting in the hallway, and took them into the theater.

According to hospital director Dario Maurer, the blackout lasted just 20 minutes. Ricardo Molina, however, claimed that the hospital was without power for an hour, and the anesthetic administered to his brother was wearing off. [Reuters]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo

Niles, remote maker to the stars and NBA basketball players, has finally decided to upgrade its venerable easy-to-use Intellicontrol remote control to the IC2, an even simpler version with larger buttons and up-to-date devices.

Long a mainstay of the high-end home theater installation market, the Intellicontrol has been around for 12 years, and is the device that inspired lots of universal remotes, including our favorite Logitech Harmony line that lets you just push one button to get everything going for about a tenth the price.

No fancy-schmancy touchscreens here; these are all buttons, all the time, and those buttons are much bigger to make it simpler to use. This monster comes in two pieces, the main system unit that receives the remote signals and distributes them accordingly, and then the “big button remote” that can run 16 devices, and can even control systems all over your McMansion.

The downside? This is one of the most expensive remotes you can get, with the system costing $999. It’s generally installed by home theater professionals, who probably wouldn’t mind charging you $300 for a couple of cables, either. Nevertheless, you get one of those pro installers to set this baby up, and all you need to do is push one of the master keys on the left and it turns on the proper components in the right sequence. Must be nice. The IC2 will be available in September, 2007.

Psst! This Logitech Harmony does just about the same thing! [CEPro]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo

If you’re important enough to have one, that is. This is a small jamming device that you plug into the cigarette lighter of your car and it blocks any GPS tracking devices that might be trained on your vehicle. It’s probably illegal, but hey, so is sex with your sister.

Working Band: L1 system 1450 to 1600Mhz
Signal Jamming Power: 200mW
Antenna Impedence: 50 w
Coverage: 2-4 M
Power supply: 12V
Currency: 200mA
Dimensions: 20x70x25mm (LxWxD)

The Anti-GPS tracking device hasn’t been priced yet, but should be available soon. [Chinavision via NaviGadget]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo

Brando is firing on all cylinders today with this eggy USB label printer from Casio. I didn’t think it got any better than the iPhone battery but a girl can make mistakes. Features and price are below the gallery.

Egg-Shaped Printer
USB Connector for fast installation
Compact, space saving design
Print using any TrueType font installed on your PC
Create labels for binders, video cassettes, audio cassettes and more
Print characters in any language whose TrueType fonts are installed on your PC
Print the current date and time on your PC
Preset label templates for automatic typeface and font size settings
Print System: Thermal
Print Width: Approx. 8mm maximum
Print Length: Approx. 50mm maximum
Power Consumption: 2.5W (Supplied via USB port)
Operation Temperature: 10 ~ 35 degree
Dimensions: 79×66.5x108mm (Including stand)
Weight: Approx. 125g (Including stand)
Package Contents:

Casio USB Egg-Shaped Label Printer
A roll of thermal roll paper
USB Cable
Driver CD
User manual

Cost is $29, and you’ll make chickens everywhere very jealous indeed. [Brando]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo

Frosty Piss writes “MIT researchers have created a schizophrenic mouse that pinpoints a gene variation predisposing people to schizophrenia. Research with the mouse may lead to the first genetically targeted drugs for the disease, which affects 1 percent of the population worldwide. This is the first study that uses animals who demonstrate an array of symptoms observed in schizophrenic patients to identify specific genes that predispose people to the disease.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Just as companies are beginning to question the wisdom of spending time in Second Life, IBM has decided that perhaps part of the problem is that its employee representatives don’t have enough common sense to recognize what’s appropriate behavior in Second Life and other virtual worlds. The company has put together rather informal guidelines that basically sound like common sense: Don’t discuss intellectual property with unauthorized people. Don’t discriminate or harass. Make sure your avatar is appropriate as a representative of IBM. These are pretty much all things that would normally go without saying — but apparently IBM felt they needed to be said (which is either a statement about IBM employees, or what IBM management thinks about IBM employees). In the meantime, Second Life is probably helping IBM and other corporations out by banning all the vices that made Second Life popular in the first place. Now it’ll be safe for all the corporate types. Of course, that’s about all who will be left since everyone else will have moved on to the next (more fun) world that isn’t locked down with rules and swarming with marketers trying to pitch them.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Techdirt

What has 28 wheels, is 20m long, weighs 130 tonnes and has as much power as two Formula One cars? This truck does, and it’s been built to haul 115-tonne telescope parts 5,000m up the Chilean Andes. At that height the driver won’t be able to breathe, so the seat has been designed so that a person can sit with an oxygen tank on.

When complete, the $900 million Atacama Large Millimeter Array will be able to see some of the first galaxies formed after the big bang, or just get excellent television reception. [BBC]

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Cult cartoon Futurama is coming back later this year as a full-length film. The movie, Bender’s Big Score, will be available to buy on November 27 as a high-definition DVD, and will be followed by three other feature-length movies. Each movie will, however, be divided into four separate episodes and will be aired on TV.

Comedy Central will be showing the 16 episodes. Not much is known about them, apart from a few juicy tidbits from Bender’s Big Score. Apparently it involves nudist aliens and the secret of time travel ñ- which apparently has something to do with Fry’s buttock. [TV Squad via Slashdot]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo

If you’re a Linux fan, then your options just got bigger. It seems like Acer are following in Dell’s footsteps, and starting to offer Ubuntu preloaded on some machines. [Hardware Zone]

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Slightly sad people who humanize their pets will be hyperventilating at the O2 Dog from AirPress. An oxygen chamber that is identical, apparently, to the ones used in beauty treatments for humans, except for the fact that it is dog-sized.

Oxygen therapy, apparently, reduces wrinkles. So I guess this means that if you put a Shar-pei in the O2 Dog, it will come out as something completely different. [Akihabara News]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo

Brando may not be the first (that’s these guys from iPodjuice), but they are the cheapest—offering a replacement iPhone battery for just $20. So, can someone tell this guy Trujillo, he of the Apple-shaped lawsuit, about this? More details about what you get alongside the battery after the jump.

Rechargeable Battery
Assembly Tools
Instruction Menu

I think this could be Brando’s first useful product since the USB heating blanket. [Brando]

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