Author: Serkadis

Now this is what I call a trailer. While there are many other Naruto games out there, CyberConnect 2 seems to have outdone themselves with Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2. This would be the developer’s first

The Senate just voted 77-23 to end debate and move to a final vote on the confirmation of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke for a second term. The final confirmation vote is now underway.

Reality TV parents Michelle and Bob Duggar changed the name of their TLC show to 19 Kids and Counting this week to include the little newest addition to their ever-growing family, Josie Brooklyn.

Josie Brooklyn Duggar was born extremely premature on Dec. 10 and has spent much of her young life in the hospital. According to her parents, she’s a miracle:

“Doctors tell us, ‘never trust a preemie,’ because you can’t know what is going to happen,” Jim Bob Duggar told PEOPLE. “It is a very day-to-day thing. It is the hardest thing we’ve ever been through.”

The Duggars will return for a new season next month.

Campaign Web sites typically are designed to help candidates advance their message, not provide attack fodder for opponents.

Republican DuPage County Board Chairman candidate Gary Grasso’s Web site did both.

Until recently, a supporter’s video featuring rap music lyrics containing an expletive and a racial epithet appeared on Grasso’s Web site among the candidate’s campaign news updates, voter information details and other videos.

He pulled the video when the Daily Herald informed him of the song’s lyrical content.

“I had heard about the video, but I didn’t understand there to be anything on there like that,” Grasso said.

“It’s certainly nothing anybody I’m associated with would ever condone.”

Grasso ignored Northwestern University assistant political science professor Victoria DeFranceseco Soto’s golden rule regarding campaign Web sites.

“Take five minutes to check your Web site once a day,” she said.

“I know five minutes in the heat of it is tough, but things like this can happen, which can hurt you. It’s better to not have a Web site if you’re not going to take the time to read through it.

That’s the only ‘do,’ and if you follow that, then there really aren’t any ‘don’ts.’”

While political marketing experts agree Web sites can offer a politician’s competitors access to information that may be used against them, control over the content on the site makes major Web-related campaign missteps rare.

“Gaffes will occur when the candidate and his or her strategist don’t take into account all the various users of the site,” said DePaul University marketing professor Bruce Newman.

“Candidates are still more likely to make mistakes in the more traditional political venues of television advertising or campaign stops.”

Newman – who is also editor of the Journal of Political Marketing – said candidates should constantly monitor and evaluate the success of the content on the Web site and not “compromise on the importance of good taste of what one puts on their Web site.”

Grasso said the video was produced by friends of his high school-age son and posted on YouTube. Grasso said his webmaster heard about it and linked it to the campaign Web site about a week ago.

DeFrancesco Soto said candidates should hire someone they trust to run the Web sites. But at the end of the day, the candidates have to be responsible for the content of the site just as much as they are responsible for the content of any other advertising.

Earlier in the campaign season, one of Grasso’s fellow Republican chairman candidates, Debra Olson, also blamed her webmaster for a page on her campaign Web site that seemingly touted endorsements for her current race when they were actually related to her previous run for another office.

“Regardless of generation or tech savvy, the candidate should be in a supervisory role,” DeFrancesco Soto said.

Republican voters will decide Tuesday among Grasso, Olson, state Sen. Dan Cronin and state Sen. Carole Pankau who will get the party’s nomination to run against Democrat Carole Cheney in November.

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

For all of its stupidity, the music industry should be commended for relaxing its DRM requirements. Every single song on iTunes is DRM-free, as are the songs on Amazon MP3 and electronic music specialist Beatport. The Zune Marketplace works a little differently, but many of the downloadable songs there are DRM-free, too. But PC game publishers? They’re still bat-shit crazy, as evidenced by the DRM requirements of BioShock 2 and presumably every single one of Ubisoft’s upcoming releases. What’s it going to take for PC publishers to step back and realize that DRM does absolutely nothing to prevent piracy? Not only that, but that it encourages piracy because the pirated version of the game ends up being superior to the legitimate copy?

DRM’s purpose, nearest I can tell, is to control the distribution of copyrighted works. Company A sells you Its Stuff but doesn’t want you to make copies and give them your friends, or to several thousand of your online “friends” on BitTorrent. That’s fine theoretically, except that the DRM implementations are often destructive pieces of junk, gunking up your PC with all sorts of unwanted nonsense. Never mind the fact that they simply don’t work.

I remember when Half-Life 2 first came out, in 2004. People didn’t think it could be pirated because it required Steam server validation. So what did pirates do? They reverse-engineered the handshake between the game and the servers, then created an emulated server for the game to connect to. Congratulations, you just cracked Half-Life 2. And this wasn’t months later, either, but within a few days of the game’s release.

The point is, what was considered to be an uncrackable game was cracked without breaking a sweat. I mean, people have been cracking games for how many years now? It’s an awful lot of programming know-how to draw upon.

The DRM only serves to annoy legitimate customers. You need to enter a CD key. You need to keep the disc in the drive. You need to authenticate your installation at first launch. You can only install the game five times before having to call the FBI to get permission to install again. A CD key I can see; that’s only fair. But why do I need to keep the disc in the drive if I’ve already installed the game to my hard drive? Why should I have to authenticate when I just put in a CD key? And what happens on release day when your authentication servers are getting absolutely hammered, and are unable to authenticate a damn thing? (What happens if the authentication servers are disconnected in five years?) Why if your lousy DRM totally trashes my Windows installation, and I have to reinstall the game? What happens in that happens five times?

All the while, Mr. High School Pirate can hop on BitTorrent or Rapidshare or whatever, download the game as fast as his connection will allow, copy over a CD crack, then have to put up with none of the above. The DRM has stopped nothing, and the pirate has a better gaming experience.

I understand that publishers freak out over piracy, particularly PC piracy where the perception is that it’s easier to pirate a PC game than it is a console game. (That’s nonsense, by the way. Any 16-year-old kid with a free afternoon can hack his Xbox 360 and pirate games all day long.) But it comes to a point where they have to realize the only thing that DRM does is to upset legitimate customers. That’s putting it lightly, for it’s not uncommon for DRM to totally hose a system.

Can we all agree that, for a while there, the music industry was dumb as a box of rocks? And yet those guys got off their DRM kick. How long is it going to take PC publishers to set aside the notion that you need to lock down a person’s gaming experience in order to protect their investment? I think you’ll find that treating PC gamers, who are a prickly lot to begin with, would like to be treated with a bit of dignity.

But that’s probably too much to ask.

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Next weekend Peyton Manning will lead the Colts to a victory over the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV. Hot new commercials will run and there will be remembrances a-plenty about Katrina. Retailers are hoping that you witness all this on a brand new HDTV. And you might want to think about it, too. After all, right now is the best time of year to buy a high definition TV — as long as you follow these six rules.Don’t pay the price on the tag

This is an important time of year for retailers and most will bend over backwards to get a sales. Smart negotiation is your friend. Most of the time all you need to do is say “Will you match Sears’s price? They said they would give it to me for $xxx.” Keep the statement simple and free of any stipulations like “if I take it today” or “if I pay for delivery.”

You must pre-shop for the model you want and sound like you know what you’re talking about to make this work. If the TV you want is already on sale, state a price 5% lower than what’s on the tag and 15% if the TV isn’t on sale. Don’t be greedy.

The key is to do this very early in the sale before you’re pitched accessories or the warranty. Otherwise these high-margin items will be used as leverage. You might still get the lower price, but the manager will probably tack something on as a requirement. You don’t want that. Just make sure you have a backup plan if this little game doesn’t work.

Buy for your room

Sometimes bigger isn’t always better. That 65-inch HDTV might look awesome hanging on Best Buy’s TV wall, but do you really want that monster in your livingroom? Often buyers are conned by the retail store’s high ceilings and excited salesmen into buying too much TV.

Consider how far away you’re sitting sit, the height of your ceiling, and the quality of the set you’re buying. A good rule is that if you sit eight feet or less away, buy a 46-inch or smaller TV. If you’re ceilings are higher than the norm, you could probably get away with a slightly larger set. Unless you’re considering buying a cheap HDTV with a sub-par picture: then you should probably go a bit smaller to compensate.

If you simply must have the largest possible set that will fit through your door, make sure it at least has an ambient light sensor that automatically dims when the room is darker. Otherwise your new HDTV will induce all sorts of headaches while making your house strobe like a laser light show at night.

Brick and mortar stores have great return policies

TVs get returned for all sorts of reasons and stores generally understand. Most do not even have restocking fees on HDTVs. So this opens up all sorts of possibilities for-the-less than honest person. There really isn’t anything stopping someone from borrowing an HDTV for Super Bowl Sunday. This isn’t something we’re encouraging here. We’re just simply pointing out what some people do…

Plan ahead if you want to wall mount the TV

Don’t expect to walk into Best Buy next week, plop down a good chunk of change, and have your TV hung on the wall by the big game. Most of the time it doesn’t work like that. Sure, some stores might be able to provide that service, but many cannot. Besides, you don’t want this done improperly, right?

Consider where all of your equipment will be located. Right now they are likely resting comfortably directly under the TV on a stand. But you’re mounting the TV on the wall, right? Do you still want a stand in your living room? If so, why not just put the TV on the stand and save the hundreds of dollars?

There are few options. First, keep the stand even though that seems a bit foolish. This is the least expensive options as the cables need to connect the TV and equipment can be relatively short. Use the top of the TV stand to display photos or flowers. Whatever.

Or you could stash the equipment somewhere else in the home like a bedroom or linen closet. They can really be placed anywhere as long as you have a remote that works on radio frequency instead of line-of-sight infrared. You really should invest into a good universal remote anyway. But this option can increase the installation cost dramatically depending on the cost of the remote and how long of a cable is needed to connect the TV to the set-top boxes. Just plan ahead.

Get your HDMI from your cable company or online

Please don’t help brick and mortar stores by buying an HDMI cable from them. They often sell the cables with a 2400% markup. It’s a dirty racket. Many times your cable company will provide an HDMI cable when you subscribe to their service and you always have the option of buying one online. Monoprice.com is a good spot.

But the cheapest option might not always be the best bet. New technology like 3D Blu-ray are often too much for some HDMI 1.3 cables to handle. If you’re planning on running this cable in the wall, opt for the more expensive and somewhat hard-to-find HDMI 1.4 certified cables. This way you won’t have to tear that cable out of the wall later down the road.

All you need is an antenna to watch the Super Bowl in HD

The Super Bowl is always broadcast on a major network. That means only an antenna is needed to pick up the HD feed. In fact, many find that over-the-air signals offer enough content that they don’t need cable or satellite. Plus, OTA HD offers a higher-quality picture than anything subscription TV can offer.

Most of the time a table-top antenna will do the trick, just don’t buy the cheapest option. Look for one that plugs into the wall for power and use this website to help fine tune its reception. Even the old aerial antennas many people still have on their houses will work.

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Filed under: Hardware, Apple

A few of our readers have pointed out this interesting little blurb currently found down at the bottom of the iPad’s specs page:

This device has not yet been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission. This device is not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased, until authorization is obtained.

Did Apple just announce a “magical and revolutionary product” that they can’t yet sell? Yes and no. Yes, given that the 3G iPads will connect to the cell phone network, the FCC will have to approve them. But will that be a problem? Probably not. As our own Mike Rose would say, Apple prefers to announce their products themselves, and they’d rather not have them leaked by a government filing (since any applications filed with the FCC would find their way out to, well, this very Unofficial Apple Weblog).

So it’s no surprise Apple has waited until after their announcement to secure FCC approval, and it’s very likely that they’ll get that approval long before the 90 days until the 3G iPad’s release are up. That notice on the page is a formality, and even if the FCC has an issue with the iPad, Apple has plenty of time to fix it.

TUAWiPad still pending FCC approval, not a problem originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yesterday afternoon, just before President Obama’s first State of the Union address, the websites of the House of Representatives and those of multiple congressional members were defaced with anti-Obama messages. Among the defaced sites were those of Charles Gonzalez (20th District of Texas), Spencer Bachus (Alabama’s 8th District) and Joe Wilson (South Carolina’s 2nd District). These sites are currently down for maintenance.

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Here is the messages that greeted visitors to house.gov yesterday afternoon:

FUCK OBAMA!! Red Eye CREW !!!!! O RESTO E HACKER !!! by m4V3RiCk ; HADES ; T4ph0d4 — FROM BRASIL

All the affected sites used the Joomla content management system, but it’s important to note that not every Joomla site hosted on the House’s servers was affected by this attack. According to the Wall Street Journal, all of these sites are managed by GovTrends, a private vendor.

Red Eye Crew

According to Praetorian Prefect, which specializes in chronicling web security issues, the Red Eye Crew, which claimed responsibility for these attacks, specializes in defacing government sites. Last August, for example, one member of the group defaced over 450 government sites in Brazil. In total, the group is responsible for over 45,000 defacements.

It’s not clear how the attackers managed to deface these sites, but according to a spokesman for House chief administrative officer, the attackers broke into these sites while GovTrends was performing routine maintenance.

Discuss

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AT&T’s overtaxed network has been the subject of considerable negative attention recently, no surprise then that it figured prominently during the company’s earnings call this morning. The carrier everyone loves to hate would like us all to know that it’s making progress in New York City and San Francisco, two very high volume markets with high volume complaints about AT&T’s (T) wireless service.

“Given our high smartphone numbers, double our closest peer, in both markets, we have large population centers, very sophisticated users with high expectations, and very high volumes,” John Stankey, president and CEO, AT&T Operations said during the call. For example, in the dense areas of New York City, there are periods during the week when nearly 70% of the devices active on the network are data-intensive handsets. So, raising performance levels in these two markets is the organization’s top priority. We’re putting all the resources available against the issue and we’re closing the gap.”

Ok, great. What does that mean? Between $18 billion and $19 billion in 2010 capital expenditures — approximately $2 billion of it for additional wireless network and backhaul investment, for one thing. For another, 2,000 new cell sites. Finally, the company is upgrading existing cell sites with fiber for better 3G speeds.

Now, a few more NYC-SF specifics from Stankey:

We’re adding third and fourth radio network carriers to maximize capacity on available spectrum. In Manhattan specifically, now that we have scalable cell site controllers in place throughout most of the island, we’re intensely focused on putting more radio capacity on the street. We’ll increase the amount of 3G spectrum and radio capacity by one-third in high volume areas of the island by the end of the first quarter.

While we are through the majority of our zoning challenges in the Bay area, we’ll continue to work the remaining issues we have in parts of the Financial District and a handful of other locations to final resolution. We’re adding cell towers; and over the coming months, we’re building and upgrading high-capacity antenna systems to boost performance in high-traffic areas like stadiums, convention centers, and public transportation routes.

So will be see significant improvement in both markets in the coming months? Perhaps. Certainly, AT&T is suggesting we can expect one. And, as Stankey noted this morning,
“Today a dollar in wireless investment yields twice the capacity than it did a year ago.” Let’s hope so — especially in markets like New York and San Francisco.

PREVIOUSLY:

• Apple COO: Leave AT&T Alone
• If You Think AT&T Has Network Problems Now, Just You Wait
• AT&T 3G Improving–If You Can Get a Signal
• Admitting You Have a Problem Is the First Step, AT&T
• Usage-Based Data Pricing: The Solution to AT&T’s iPhone Problems?
• AT&T Ranked Last in Consumer Reports’ Best Cellphone Service Survey
• Apple Joins AT&T/Verizon Spat With New iPhone Ads
• AT&T Awarded Hug and a Box of Tissues in Verizon Ad Case
• Time to Cut AT&T Some Slack, iPhone Users?
• Thanks, iPhone: 2,000 Percent Increase in Bay Area Data Traffic Since 2008, Says AT&T
• Verizon to AT&T: Do Yourself a Favor and Shut Up
• Frosty’s Winter Litigation Wonderland: AT&T Demands Verizon Pull Holiday iPhone Ads
• Verizon Banishes iPhone to Island of Misfit Toys
• Verizon on AT&T Suit: There’s a Word for That. “Junk
• Verizon to iPhone Users: “Want Five Times More 3G Coverage? There’s a Map for That.”
• iPhone Owners Would Like to Replace Battery, AT&T

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On April 21, 2010 we will be holding our Lobby Day at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield. This is our opportunity to display our collective strength and to voice our concerns about the issues we care about directly to our legislators.

To generate member participation in the Lobby Day in Springfield, IPACE and the Invest in Excellence team will be providing funding and logistical assistance to locals and regions that desire to travel via bus. Each regional office will have an office contact by the middle of February who will help locals and regions secure transportation to and from Springfield.  Requests for buses must be funneled through these individuals by calling the appropriate IEA Regional office and asking for the Lobby Day contact.

We will keep you up to date as as more information becomes available.

Filed under: Videos, Motorcycle, Celebrities

Being children of the ’80s (by and large, some being a little more experienced than others, naturally), there were few things that lit a fire under our marathon Saturday afternoon television watching sprees than the movie Tron. Of course, much of that adoration had to do with the well-known but unfortunately short Light Cycle scene.

Due to this undeniable popularity, it’s not surprising that all of the teasers and movie posters released for the new Tron: Legacy flick feature the rethought Light Cycles heavily… and we’re certainly not complaining. These things are seriously cool. Unfortunately, Light Cycles don’t exist outside the digital realm. Or do they?

Unveiled at the last Comic Con (how we missed it the first time around we don’t know) was a life-sized representation of the Light Cycle 2.0. So far, we have no details on production plans or expected price. Just kidding… sadly. Click past the break to watch the most recent teaser video and check out the high-res image gallery below.

[Source: Wired | Images: lbshopgirl – CC 2.0]

Continue reading Bringing Sci Fi to Life: Tron Light Cycle is really real, kinda (w/video)

Bringing Sci Fi to Life: Tron Light Cycle is really real, kinda (w/video) originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Toyota

From the “This story just keeps getting uglier” department comes a new bit of information concerning Toyota and its growing sticky pedal problem. The Detroit Free Press is reporting that Toyota and the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration were looking into the problem back in 2004, but an interesting twist led the investigation down a path that ultimately turned up nothing.

The Freep says that this early investigation was strictly limited to incidents of unintended acceleration lasting one second or less, which strikes us as odd considering prolonged periods unintended acceleration are a lot more dangerous than a blip of the throttle. And this is where the story gets a bit tricky. The Freep reports that a 2008 lawsuit stemming from an alleged unintended acceleration-related death of a woman driving a 2005 Camry says that the decision was made to limit the investigation right after a former NHTSA employee, Christopher Santucci, took a job with Toyota.

The lawsuit alleges that the new Toyota employee negotiated a deal with his former coworkers at NHTSA to limit the investigation of unintended acceleration claims to instances of one second or less. Santucci said in a deposition that the NHTSA investigation involved 2002 and 2003 Toyota Camry, Solaras and Lexus ES300 models. NHTSA had reportedly received 139 complaints in the 2004 investigation, but found no defects.

Now that Toyota has officially recalled millions of vehicles, the question remains whether these older models will eventually be recalled as well. The short answer is that we have no idea, but former NHTSA head Joan Claybrook feels that the government safety agency should have taken unintended acceleration claims more seriously in the past.

[Source: Detroit Free Press | Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty]

Did NHTSA know of Toyota woes back in 2004? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Following Apple’s unveiling of the long-awaited iPad yesterday, hardware vendor MSI has revealed that its upcoming Android tablet, which was first shown at CES this year, will debut in the second half of 2010 for $500.

The MSI tablet is built on NVIDIA’s Tegra SoC and has a ten-inch touchscreen display. If reports about Apple’s A4 are accurate, Tegra’s Cortex A9 should put the MSI tablet on equal footing with the iPad in raw computing power.

Based on information about the current prototype, it’s clear that the company has been working on some customizations for the Android software platform to adapt it to the larger tablet form factor. It’s not yet clear, however, if Android is really well-suited to the higher-resolution display. Key functionality like the onscreen keyboard will have to be adjusted, for one. It’s unlikely that an Android-based computing experience will be able to rival the refinement of Apple’s user interface, but Android does offer a number of critical advantages, like full support for multitasking, that will give the MSI a solid chance in the market.

In related news, Michael Dell says that his company’s 5-inch Android tablet will be ready in “in a few months” and will sell for just over $1,000. It has a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a 5MP camera, WiFi and 3G connectivity, and Android 1.6. At more than twice the price of the MSI tablet and the iPad, the 5-inch device seems like it might be tough to sell without a carrier subsidy.

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A McHenry County jury is deliberating the fate of a 19-year-old DeKalb County man charged with robbing a Huntley bank at gunpoint, after his trial came to an abrupt end this morning without him taking the witness stand as his attorney promised.

In fact, the defense for Matthew G. Reno, of Hinckley, chose not to put on a case at all, opting instead to focus their efforts on a closing argument that attempted to discredit the prosecution’s evidence and particularly its key witness, co-defendant Justin Fasel.

Fasel, 19, of Big Rock, testified earlier this week that he served as Reno’s getaway driver when he robbed Castle Bank, 11700 Route 47, on March 10, 2008, making way with more than $13,000.

In exchange for testifying against Reno – who he described as his “very good friend” – Fasel got a deal from prosecutors that will allow him to admit to a reduced charge for his role in the holdup, prevent him from being charged in at least one other bank robbery he’s admitted to and receive a four-month stay in a prison boot camp rather than at least six years behind bars.

Reno attorney Kathleen Colton in her closing argument labeled Fasel a “lying, drug-dealing, pot-smoking bank robber” who pulled the stickup himself and blamed Reno when he got caught.

“He is the Tonya Harding of bank robbery,” Colton said. “He decided to kneecap somebody.”

“The state has done a good job of proving that Justin Fasel robbed Castle Bank,” she added. “That’s all they’ve proven.”

McHenry County prosecutors were no kinder in their description of Fasel, calling him a “rat” and “scumbag.”

But his account, they added, is corroborated by other evidence, including a bank employee who identified Reno in a photo lineup and in court said she is “80 percent sure” he was the bank robber.

“I’m not asking you to like Justin Fasel or what he did,” Assistant McHenry County State’s Attorney Michael Combs said.

“We didn’t pick him as a witness. (Reno) picked him when he chose Justin Fasel as his getaway driver.”

If found guilty, Reno faces a minimum sentence of 21 years in prison. He also is facing attempted armed robbery charge stemming from a failed stickup March 24, 2008, at bank in Union.

Fasel told authorities he and Reno also robbed banks in Elburn and the Kendall County community of Millbrook, but they have not been charged in either case.

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

The NFL has gone country! Newly-engaged country sweetheart Carrie Underwood will perform The Star-Spangled Banner, our National Anthem, when the Indianapolis Colts take on the New Orleans Saints at Super Bowl XLIV next month.

In fact, the league has number of exiciting performances lined up for pigskin enthusiasts. Queen Latifah will also perform “America The Beautiful” before the game, while The Who will provided entertainment for the half-time show in Miami Feb. 7.

BTW, Carrie will also take the stage at this weekend’s 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, where the already Grammy winner is nominated for two additional prizes.

February 2nd is the day that White Knight Chronicles finally goes international that’s less than a week away. You’ve probably seen the game’s name move across the ticker on your XMB a bunch of times by