Xtreme News! Dec 29, 2005

[iamthatdizzy]

I think everyone will learn SOMETHING from this news post... trust me...

[mobileBurn]

Woman (Forcibly) Swallows Phone

MSNBC is reporting that a woman in Missouri was rushed to the hospital after swallowing, of all things, a mobile phone. It seems that the woman and her boyfriend were arguing over the phone. He wanted it, she wouldn't give it to him. So, to settle things once and for all, the woman swallowed it whole.

Link

[BBCnews]

Sites exploit Windows image flaw

Computer users are being alerted to a new flaw in Microsoft Windows which can be used to attack a PC.

Link

[theTechreport]

Abit cuts debt but remains mired in uncertainty

DigiTimes has news on Abit's plans to sell its office in Taipei for NT$1.7 billion. The cash will be used to retire part of the company's loans and reduce overall debt, but there seem to be serious questions regarding Abit's long-term health.

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[ /. ]

The FBI's IT Expansion Plans

The FBI is fast-tracking the hiring of IT professionals, reports Computerworld. Computer scientists, engineers, IT specialists and IT project managers are wanted to develop systems to support FBI analysts and agents working in the field.

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Women Now Outnumber Men Online

There are now more American women than men using the Internet, according to a new study from the Pew Center on the Internet and American Life on gender and use of the Net.

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Apple Revolutionizing Retail

But the best part was that the Apple Geniuses behind the table had wireless gizmos for scanning credit cards, and Apple had worked out a totally wireless, paperless checkout process, called EasyPay. Once scanned, they advise you that the receipt will be in your inbox within an hour (since I'm already a registered Apple customer, they didn't even need to take my email or other information).

Link

[gamepolitics]

Right-wing Blogger Bemoans Judicial Rulings in Video Game Cases

Shades of George W. complaining about "activist judges..."

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Breaking News: Video Game Bill Filed in Indiana

GamePolitics has learned that Indiana State Senator Dennis Kruse, a Republican, has filed new video game sales legislation for consideration in the 2006 session.

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[joystiq]

Nintendo tops sales for second week in Japan

Thanks mostly in part to the stellar line up of DS games, Nintendo is still dominating the Japanese sales charts. According to Media Centre, Nintendo placed seven of the top 10 selling software titles in the land of video games.

Link

PONG official movie announced

Atari CEO, Bruno Bonnell, confirmed today that the company will be working on a movie adaptation of PONG due for a late 2006 theater release.

Link

Dead or Alive 4 ships today

After much delay, Tecmo announced that Dead or Alive 4 will finally ship to retail outlets nationwide today, which means you could pick up your copy as early as tomorrow. Some retailers may wait to put the game on shelves Tuesday, the traditional day for game releases, but maybe you can beg.

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Rumor: magazine confirms new WoW Alliance race

Some magazine scans have wound up on the internet, purported from the February 2006 issue of Computer Games Magazine (it's so amazing how soothsayer-like print publications can be...).

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EA, Blizzard, and development philosophies

GameSpot has a good article, part 2 of their feature on "the business side Innovation" (part 1), trying to discern to what extent the size of a company affects its willingness to innovate.

Link

[engadget]

Are these the working designs for the ROKR E2 and E3?
(yeah... under the headline, there was a pic... just click the link... please)

We certainly wouldn't give these vectors a pass on the fan-mockup litmus test or anything, but an Israeli gadget site is showing these two designs off, each matching up to a piece of hardware we've previously seen. The ROKR E2 (pictured left) may or may not be based off a device that may or may not actually exist, while the E3 (pictured right) sure looks a lot like a mystery device we spotted at the MOTONOW event.

Link

One down, many to go: Sony settles in NY

Remember that little bit of DRM software that Sony was surreptitiously installing on users' computers through MediaMax- and XCP-enabled CDs? No? You know, the one that Sony thought people shouldn't be making a big deal about, because if you don't know something is on your computer, it certainly can't hurt you?

Link

[/end]