Toshiba has developed a new DVD-ROM: 45GB spread over 3 layers. The new discs have the ability to record twelve hours of high-definition movies on a single disc. They’ve also added a dual-layer hybrid ROM disc comprised of a dual-layer HD DVD-ROM side and a dual-layer DVD-ROM side
Microsoft has come up with a unique solution to the legendary Blue Screen of Death in the next version of Windows. With the release of Longhorn, the Redmond behemoth has added a red screen to face users when their system crashes. They just don’t get it
Yahoo plans to launch a trial version of Yahoo Music Unlimited, a new, aggressively-priced online music subscription service. For an introductory price of $59.88 a year, or $6.99 when paid monthly, the service will give users access to over 1 million songs from all major record labels and most independent labels. Don’t get too excited, Yahoo will offer tracks in the appalling Microsoft’s Windows Media Audio format
Mark Hachman, a Yank living in London, tried to get broadband connected to his apartment and fell afoul of BT bureaucracy: Someone, raised amidst the elegant lattice of custom and tradition that serves as the foundation of English society, came up with a very elegant, very British, solution to broadband policy here. And it absolutely, positively sucks
AOL is launching a beta version of AOL Instant Messenger Mail, with a free web mail service containing 2GB of storage — via Geek News Central
A power outage at one of eBay’s major hosting facilities in the San Francisco area hit the popular online auction service late Monday
Google and security experts said a recent outage of the internet search giant’s web site was not caused by hackers. Heading off fears that the brief blackout was a web hijacking incident Google said it was not a hacking or a security issue
Two vulnerabilities in the popular Firefox browser have been rated extremely critical
because exploit code is now available to take advantage of them. The update is now available
Vacuum Elevators of Florida have released a one-man elevator system that easily slots into buildings. It looks and works much like a pneumatic tube message delivery system, but larger. It has gone on sale in the US for around US$20,000 and uses only electricity to power vaccum-inducing suction turbines that can lift 204kg several floors up. They claim it provides a smooth ride but from the video it looks like it could use some oil — via Slashdot
The rise of the iPod and digital video technology has forced the federal government to rethink copyright laws. Under current laws it is illegal to copy a CD onto a digital music recorder such as an iPod or to videotape a television program. But millions of Australians breach these sections of the copyright laws as a matter of course every day
US courts have struck down the FCC’s broadcast flag requirement. In a stunning victory for hardware makers and television buffs, a federal appeals court has tossed out government rules that would have outlawed many digital TV receivers and tuner cards in the US from mid year. The EFF has details on the flag and the official ruling is online for examination
Apple’s Bonjour — also known as zero-configuration networking, enables automatic discovery of computers, devices, and services on IP networks — is now available for Windows. A Bonjour icon shows up in Internet Explorer to enable Bonjour browsing, along with the Bonjour Printer Wizard. The benefits would appear to be for Apple customers (more Bonjouring with more networks) and to gain Apple switchers by enticing Windows customers — via Slashdot
Australia is doing trial runs with a technology which could connect conventional phone numbers with web pages, internet fax services and other online resources. Subscribers to an ENUM service register their other contact details, then set up rules that control how and when calls to their phone are routed. For example, calls from anybody but close family could be routed straight to voicemail between 6.00pm and 11.00pm. Because it connects to any IP service, incoming callers could also use phone numbers to access web sites, the Skype VoIP application, faxes and other applications
In Australia the unemployed have to fulfill a mutual obligation
requirement in order to receive welfare payments. What this means is that recipients of welfare payments have to be involved in some sort of activity that improves their chances of finding employment. Until now this has included various types of community service and training and education programs. Recently an organisation called CommunityCode has been established to allow recipients to fulfill this requirement by contributing to OSS projects — via Slashdot
When an online exortionist comes calling, threatening a DDoS, do you pay or fight? For many, paying may seem like a sensible option when compared to going out of business. CSO Magazine has a riveting article about how an online gambling site and a DDoS specialist teamed up to take on such an extortionist. When everybody else was rolling over and paying, this company risked its very existence to fight back
Wink, a beautifully written free program for creating Flash-format animated tutorials has been chosen to receive a Noble Piece Prize, the prize that honours the craftsmanship of Alfred Noble, who worked at the Jacquard Loom factory in France. Previous winners of this prize include the Digital Bicycle web site
iiNet has registered key trademarks — iimovies, iimusic and iimedia — which reveal it is considering a push into movies and music delivered over the Internet
NSW will be the first Australian state to outlaw unauthorised spying of employees using technologies including video cameras, e-mail and tracking devices with the introduction of the Workplace Surveillance Bill 2005 to state parliament today. The new laws will make it a criminal offence to take part in any form of covert surveillance unless an employer can prove they had reasonable suspicion of wrong doing by an employee
Tiger Direct are suing Apple over the use of ‘Tiger’.
Tiger Direct claim that Apple’s use of Tiger is “causing confusion, mistake and deception among the general purchasing public.” and ” has changed internet search results, directly impacting its ability to market product to its customers”.
Well instead of whinging maybe they should just sell Tiger.
Methinks Tiger Direct won’t win over Tiger.
My videogaming pals and I are looking for solid four-player console games for our next marathon gaming session. We have enough hardware to support four players on GCN, PS2, PSX, and XBOX, so the system isn’t an issue. Likewise, the subject matter is unimportant as long as the game is fun with four. So it can be a shooter or a minigame collection or a kart racer or whatever. So far we have picked up:
GameCube
- Super Monkey Ball
- Mario Party 5
- Super Smash Bros
XBox
- Halo 2
PS2
- Midway Arcade Treasures 1 & 2 (Gauntlet, Rampart etc)
- Red Faction 2
PSX
- Crash Team Racing
- Micro Maniacs
- Overboard
- Worms World Party
The things I’m considering at the moment are Twisted Metal Black, Mario Kart DD and Timesplitters 2. Any other suggestions?
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