Morning news

LAST NEWS UPDATE THIS WEEK.
need to work.

First off, I think that apple will be debuting an update tot he video
driver for the video ipod soon, to block outside content, after all
if you can put your own copy of desperate housewives on, why buy
theirs?.... here is what I am talking about.
New TiVo software transfers video to iPod
Monday, November 21, 2005 @ 7:05am
TiVo users will soon be able to transfer their recorded television
content to their video iPods and Sony mobile handhelds. The company
today is expected to announce a plan later today, which will let
users of its popular digital video recorders download any TV show
stored on their TiVo boxes onto iPods. The move will greatly expand
the TiVo said it will begin testing the feature over the coming weeks
and will make it available in the first quarter of next year to its
TiVo Series2 subscribers as part of its TivoToGo feature, which is
used by about 300,000 of its total 3.6 million subscribers. TiVo also
said it plans to modify its software to let its users download shows
to Sony PlayStation Portable mobile game device.
http://tinyurl.com/adt98

FROM THE TOO DUMB DEPARTMENT:
Smoker tried to open plane door
A French woman has admitted attempting to open an aeroplane door mid-
flight so that she could smoke a cigarette.
Sandrine Helene Sellies, 34, who has a fear of flying, had drunk
alcohol and taken sleeping tablets ahead of the flight from Hong Kong
to Brisbane.
She was seen on the Cathay Pacific plane walking towards a door with
an unlit cigarette and a lighter.
She then began tampering with the emergency exit until she was
stopped by a flight attendant.
Defence lawyer Helen Shilton said her client had no memory of what
had happened on the flight on Saturday, and that she had a history of
sleepwalking.
She pleaded guilty to endangering the safety of an aircraft at
Brisbane Magistrates Court and was given a 12-month A$1,000 (£429)
good behaviour bond - she will forfeit the money if she commits
another offence.
The French tourist was at the start of a three-week holiday in
Australia with her husband.
http://tinyurl.com/7cwzx

America takes world gaming crown
The US has been declared the top gaming nation at the World Cyber Games.
America's 16 players won two gold medals and one silver to top the
national rankings at the gaming event.
Coming in second was South Korea and third Brazil. Britain could only
manage joint 18th position as players struggled to cope with the
strength of skills on display.
UK pro-gaming clan Four-Kings had some success as one of its overseas
members won bronze in the Warcraft III event.
Cash prizes

The World Cyber Games is widely regarded as the Olympics of the
computer gaming world and more than 700 players took part in the
event, which was held in Singapore from 16-20 November.

Those qualifying do so by winning national events in the 67 countries
competing. The games revolve around six PC games and two console titles.

The USA won gold in the Counter-Strike and Halo 2 events and took
silver in Warcraft III. Between them the players won a total of
$80,000 in prize money.

Second-place Korea took gold in Starcraft and Warhammer 40,000 and a
bronze in the Dead or Alive competition. For this performance they
picked up $55,000 in cash.

http://tinyurl.com/7nukl

Where is Wal-Mart's fancy stuff? Try online

Sometime soon, somewhere in the country, an aspiring groom will go
down on bended knee, present a ribboned blue box to his sweetheart
and watch as she beholds the yellow diamond ring on which he spent
$10,000.

And unless his fiancée has a highly refined sense of irony, somewhere
in that gentleman's mind he'll be hoping she doesn't ask where he got
it.

Walmart.com has broken through its own glass ceiling, selling high-
priced platinum and diamond jewelry, cashmere sweaters and other
goods designed to appeal more to the Tiffany crowd than to the
bargain hunters who browse the company's terrestrial stores.

The question is why, and the answer is straightforward: Wal-Mart, the
world's biggest retailer, with 1.3 million workers and nearly $300
billion in annual revenue, is reaching out to more affluent shoppers.
With disappointing sales of late and its stock price lagging, it has
begun displaying more fashionable clothes and more upscale home
furnishings in its stores.

http://tinyurl.com/7kvrg

MY FAVORITE EDUCATIONAL GADGET GETS ANOTHER STORY

The pen gets a whole lot mightier

Sometimes, "toys" means playthings for grownups, like iPods and flat-
screen TV sets. But for the younger crowd, "toys" still means toys.
And one toy in particular, though it's been available for only a
month, already appears high on the "hottest toys" lists prepared by
eBay, Toys "R" Us and others: a $100 educational gadget called the
Fly Pentop Computer.

There's something a little odd about the term "pentop computer."
Terms like laptop, palmtop and desktop tell you where you use the
computer--but you don't use the Fly on top of a pen.

Instead, the Fly is a pen--a fat ballpoint pen. (The company says
that its focus groups found the term "pentop computer" infinitely
sexier than "pen computer." Nobody ever said consumers are logical.)

http://tinyurl.com/dwmhh

Piece of Tape Defeats Sony DRM

Gartner has posted a research note on its site, saying that it has
discovered that the "stealth" DRM software that has put Sony in the
limelight for all the wrong reasons, can be easily defeated.

Gartner's analysis states that Sony BMG has made a prudent decision -
after more than ten days of intense criticism from industry observers
and consumer advocates - to end the use of its highly controversial
DRM technology. This decision will help the company recover from what
has become a serious public-relations problem, but Sony BMG still
faces lawsuits filed by PC users who allege that their PCs have been
damaged by the technology.
http://tinyurl.com/8zvtf

U.S. Unprepared for Super-Flu Pandemic
Health and Human Services Secretary Leavitt Says U.S. Vaccine
Supplies for Super-Flu Inadequate
By HOPE YEN Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON Nov 20, 2005 — The U.S. is unprepared for the next flu
pandemic, lacking the manufacturing capacity to provide 300 million
doses of a vaccine for three to five more years, Health and Human
Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said Sunday. "What we all learned
from (Hurricane) Katrina is that sometimes we have to think very
clearly about the unthinkable," Leavitt said. "We're not as prepared
as we need to be. …We will not have enough for everyone." A strain
of a bird flu that has killed 67 people in Asia has sparked concerns
of a super-flu that could kill millions worldwide, and U.S. officials
acknowledge that the strain in its current form could reach here
through a migratory bird.

http://tinyurl.com/aslbv

FOR DONI:
Making movies on Linux
Date: Nov 18, 2005, 2:00 PM ET
Author: Victor Agreda, Jr.
Permalink
We've discussed a lot of video options here on Download Squad,
including how to make your own FX company, and several free
multimedia-making tools. But the great collective consciousness that
is Wikimedia's Book division has come out with the end-all guide to
making movies with a Linux machine. The author(s) are pretty honest
about the fact that Linux is still lacking a truly amazing NLE, or
video editor, and wishes for a Premiere competitor (which I would
suggest is a low target to aim for). The "book" is also a good
introduction to the overall process of filmmaking, including writing,
logistics, editing, and converting videos. There's a healthy mix of
free, GPL'ed, and commercial apps, all of which are worth a look.
Since you can build a Linux box for peanuts, this seems like a great
way to make movies on the cheap. Of course, keep in mind some apps
crave the horsepower of a high-end system, so YMWV.
http://tinyurl.com/cvv6l

FROM SLASHDOT:
The Prodigy Puzzle
Posted by Zonk on Monday November 21, @12:41AM
from the smartest-kids-read-slashdot dept.
theodp writes "Once neglected, the NY Times reports that America's
smartest children have become the beneficiaries of a well-organized
effort to recognize their gifts and develop their talent. Programs
like those offered by the Davidson Institute, run by Bob and Jan
Davidson of Math and Reading Blaster fame, have sprung up to nurture
the intellectual development of profoundly intelligent young people.
But do we know how to identify the child whose brilliance might
change the world? And do we really want to?"
http://tinyurl.com/d67ud

Top 20 Geek Novels
Posted by Zonk on Sunday November 20, @10:59PM
from the stephenson-has-a-posse dept.
Malacca writes "The Guardian's computer editor Jack Schofield has
posted a list of the Top 20 Geek Novels in English since 1932. The
polling method is unscientific, but it throws up some interesting
choices. Definitions of 'Geek Novels' aside, the usual suspects like
Neal Stephenson and William Gibson feature, but Terry Pratchett's
'The Colour of Magic' at #9? Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" at #17?"
What would you put on that list?
http://tinyurl.com/cfhj6

A HACK I WOULD LIKE TO TRY:
hacking an lcd

posted nov 19, 2005, 11:00 am et by eliot phillips
related entries: misc hacks
the hd4478 is an extremely common lcd controller. the folks at
sorgonet got this particular display out of an old credit card
reader. it’s easy to talk to these controllers using just a parallel
port cable. with the lcdmod project you can send text strings
directly to the display from the command line. sorgonet has a lot of
related lcd links if you are interested in putting a display on your
next project.
http://tinyurl.com/98p4n

ANYONE WHO BUILDS THEIR OWN PIPE ORGAN NEEDS SOME REAL PSYCHOLOGICAL
HELP:
Here's a great build-log for a homebrew pipe-organ, including
sections on the science of pipe-organs and experiments you can do at
home. Link (via Make Blog)
http://tinyurl.com/b3d46

75-year-old intl jewel thief profiled
The AP has a profile of Doris Payne, a 75-year-old woman who made her
living as an international jewel thief. Payne would dress up as a
high-society woman, go into jewelry shops, try on diamong rings, and
walk out with one or two more on her fingers than she started with.
Now she's in jail in Vegas, and has granted an extraordinary
interview telling her life's story.
There was the February day, eight years ago, when she strolled into
the Neiman Marcus store on the Las Vegas Strip and asked to see a
pair of diamond earrings.
Hmm, she said. She’d think about it over lunch.
She returned and asked to see diamond rings. Employee Linda Sbrocco
showed her several — this one ... no, this one ... how about that
one? Soon Sbrocco was swapping jewelry in and out of cases at a
dizzying pace. Payne slipped rings on and off, and had Sbrocco do the
same.
Then Payne was gone. And so was a $36,000 marquis cut, 2.48-carat
diamond ring.
This was how Doris Payne went about her work as an international
jewel thief.
Link (via MeFi)
http://tinyurl.com/93olc

Papercraft puzzle-blocks: print, assemble and solve them


Homespun Magixx, a site with some lovely papercraft models, has two
tremendous puzzle-blocks papercraft projects. Print them, assemble
them, then solve them. Link 1, Link 2 (via Paper Forest)
(VERY COOL)
http://tinyurl.com/9t95h

Special Online Collection: Materials and Biology
In its 18 November 2005 issue, Science -- along with one of its
online companion sites, the Science of Aging Knowledge Environment --
explores the interface between materials science and biology. News
and Review articles in the journal examine how natural examples have
inspired new approaches to engineered materials -- and, conversely,
how advances at the frontiers of materials science, particularly at
the nanoscale, are breaking new ground in cancer detection and
treatment and in probing the world of the living cell. SAGE KE,
meanwhile, reports on how engineers and biologists are making
progress toward creating custom-made artificial tissues to rejuvenate
aging bodies.
http://tinyurl.com/cah2s

MORE ON COFFEE:
Coffee a day prevents high BP

TOKYO: A Japanese medical research team has discovered drinking a cup
of coffee or two a day could lower the risk of high blood pressure, a
report said on Sunday. The team led by a researcher at Keio
University conducted the study on 4,554 men aged from their 20s to
70s who visited Tokyo clinics for checkups on lifestyle-related
disease from October 2003 to March 2004, the Tokyo Shimbun said. The
study found that people who drank no coffee had the biggest ratio of
high blood pressure, with the lowest risk of high blood pressure in
the category drinking three cups or more, it said. "It would be good
for young and middle-aged people to drink a cup of coffee or two
everyday," the newspaper said, citing the researcher. "Chlorogenic
acid, a type of polyphenol contained in coffee, is considered to have
the effect of expanding blood vessels," it said. "But there also is
a report that drinking coffee may lead to a cerebrovascular disorder
for the elderly. Taking too much caffeine also induces excess stomach
acid." Another Japanese research team has found a cup of coffee a day
halves the risk of colon cancer among women, according to a recent
news report.

http://tinyurl.com/9yufe

Otters winning battle of wits
Wildlife officials may give up on relocation plan

Wednesday, November 16, 2005; Posted: 9:19 a.m. EST (14:19 GMT)

SANTA BARBARA, California (AP) -- Greg Sanders once stalked his chief
nemesis -- an otter nicknamed Phoky -- for 24 days. When Sanders, a
biologist, finally captured the critter at Southern California's
Anacapa Island, he shipped Phoky north to Monterey under an ambitious
federal program to preserve otters while protecting shellfish divers
from natural competition. But within six months, Phoky was back in
forbidden waters. He was one of dozens of otters that surprised
government biologists at almost every turn. Now, it seems, officials
are throwing in the towel. In an admission that the slick-furred
creatures refuse to respect boundaries imposed by man, authorities
want to officially abandon their otter-relocation policy. If the
government's battle of wits is at an end, the otters have won.

http://tinyurl.com/cyqyh

MORE GIFT GUIDES:

http://tinyurl.com/99m7m