My Geek Life So Far
In a recent news broadcast about the Syrian Conflict on BBC, the newscaster very seriously and directly delivers the news about the current situation while the graphic behind her implies that Master Chief and the heroes of the United Nations Space Command are getting involved.
Those Syrians are asking for it now!
BBC has acknowledged the misuse of the logo which they intended to represent the UNSC – United Nations Security Council and found the Halo Franchise logo instead as they share the same acronym.
In further repeats of this news story, the logo was corrected.
Obviously an oversight when hunting for clip art, but at the same time it makes you wonder just how different that news story would have been if Master Chief was sent in to “negotiate.”
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[Source: ZeroMayhem | Via CB]
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So geeks, how big is a billion? The answer, which varies depending on where you live or how old you are, is not as simple as most people think!
We discuss millions, billions, trillions and centillions is this film about the long and short scales. We also touch on quadrillions, sextillions, milliards, billiards and the Greek myriad.
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Ok, early tomorrow I have a conference call with Singapore. In the conference call I have to talk through and demo a few things. I’ve done this before for some things but tonight I feel like its the night before an exam :) nerves!
One of the more controversial games of the late 90s is to get a remake with the financial support of fans. Stainless Games will continue work on Carmageddon Reincarnation after successfully appealing for at least $400,000 on Kickstarter.
The original version of the game was a simple racing game with each race having a time limit. However, players could get this time extended by either damaging other cars or killing pedestrians. Each race could be completed by reaching the finish line, destroying all other cars, or killing all pedestrians.
Carmageddon, produced by a British developer, is one of the very few games that can be described as having been technically “banned” in the United Kingdom, which is the main reason for its notoriety. That’s because video gaming comes under the same legislation as video recordings, passed in 1984 when graphics were somewhat less realistic.
Although there’s now a voluntary age rating scheme for games (PEGI), games are exempt from the need to get a rating from the British Board of Film Classification, which is a legal requirement for movies. In theory a game with violent or sexual content isn’t exempt from the BBFC rating, but its up to the game developer to decide if this applies to them.
Publishers SCi decided to submit Carmageddon to the BBFC anyway, hoping it would get an 18 rating (ie no sales to children) that would help get publicity for the game. Instead the BBFC refused to give the game any rating, which meant it was now illegal to distribute it.
Eventually SCi agreed to replace the human pedestrians in the game with zombies and were allowed to release the game. The BBFC later concluded this was somewhat farcical and decided to allow the humans to be reinstated.
As usual, people who’ve donated to the remake project get a range of bonuses depending on the amount they pay, such as original artwork from the development process or the chance to help design a customized car for use in the game. Rather bizarrely, those prepared to pay at least $1,00 will have their face used as one of the pedestrians in the game.
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Yep, believe it or not, the debate over Pluto’s planetary state is still going on…
[CGPGrey]
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A “road train” of cars moving in automated convoy has successfully completed a 125 mile journey in Spain. It’s the first time the technology has been tested on a public road.
This isn’t the same system used by Google for driverless cars to move independently, which was recently licensed for public testing in Nevada.
Instead this system (Safe Road Trains for the Environment, or Sartre), involves each car being electronically controlled. They then form a convoy, with the front vehicle controlling the speed and direction of others and each vehicle automatically keeping a safe distance from those in front and behind. Drivers can issue commands when they want to enter or exit the convoy, with the controlled cars adjusting to make enough room.
The idea isn’t simply to relieve the amount of concentration needed from drivers (and avoid the safety problems of tiredness), but also to make a more efficient use of space on the road and to take advantage of the cars being close enough to cut air drag, thus lowering fuel consumption by up to a fifth.
After a successful trial on private roads in Sweden last year, Volvo ran a test on Spain’s public roads using three cars and a lorry, with the lorry taking the lead both in terms of position and control. The BBC reports that the vehicles operated safely despite a gap of just nineteen feet, driving at 52 miles per hour.
Volvo’s Linda Wahlstroem said that although the system sounds like science fiction, most of the control technology such as cameras and sensors is already available in some form in vehicles that are already on sale. The breakthrough here is the software, and the only completely new addition to the cars is the installation of wireless networking equipment.
The long-term plan is to turn Sartre into a self-funding service with users paying a fee to be part of the convoy, which would be led by a professional driver.
There’s still no timetable for a public release yet, and lawmakers have yet to address the question of what if any changes would apply in the law governing drivers. With the Google project, Nevada has ruled that drivers would need a special license endorsement and would still be covered by drunk driving laws.
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Despite the National Aeronautics and Space Administration no longer doing any space stuff, they sure got territorial when private companies started making strides for space travel. The inevitable exploration of the moon’s surface is a hot topic among the private space travel initiatives, and NASA is calling “dibs” on certain areas of the moon.
NASA is suggesting some guidelines be put into place to protect these areas: “NASA recognizes that many spacefaring nations and commercial entities are on the verge of landing spacecraft on the moon.”
Russia has already made it known that they plan on building a permanent base on the surface and are exploring just how to do that. NASA just wants to protect the areas they consider to be historical landmarks.
You can read the PDF outlining these guidelines. It doesn’t seem like they are making any demands that are not logical or respectful. They are not trying to limit what other private entities are hoping to accomplish, but simply establishing etiquette for the places they already have visited.
Imagine one day, on the Moon Mall in Moon City, there could be a fenced off area with a US flag and landing module right outside the food court! Wouldn’t that shut up all the “Lunar Landing Hoax” conspiracy theorists!
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With the same name as what has now climbed to #1 browser, Google released its own Chrome OS a few years ago. The operating system was marketed for its speed, web/cloud integration and streamlined usability – which are still the main focuses for the new Chromebooks and the “Chromebox” they have released with Samsung.
Here’s an ad for the new Chromebook:
The Chromebox is looking pretty sleek – if a little reminiscient of the Mac Mini – and it starts at US$329 with the following specs:
- Intel® Core™ processor
- 4 GB RAM
- Built-in dual-band WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n
- Gigabit ethernet
- 6 USB 2.0 ports
- 2x DisplayPort++ Output (compatible with HDMI, DVI, VGA)
- DVI single link output
- Bluetooth 3.0™ compatible
- Kensington™ key lock compatible
And the Chromebook comes in three different models: The Acer AC700, starting at $299; the Samsung Series 5, starting at $349 and; the Samsung Series 5 550, starting at $449.
What do you guys think? Is Google ready to invade the computer hardware world and begin their complete domination? Or will this struggle to get its foot in the door like Google+ has?
[Via The Next Web]
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