TalkTech with David Ward

X-Men III: The Last Stand; Apologies for Inconsistency

2006-06-03T22:44:00.000-07:00

I just returned home this evening from viewing 20th Century Fox's "X-Men III: The Final Stand." When I first read the synopsis of the story, I was a bit on edge (seeing as how I am a huge fan of the comic books, original cartoon series, and the short-lived WB cartoon series). I can definitely say now that X3 has to be the best of all three X-Men films.

My biggest concern was of Kelsey Grammer (of Frasier fame) being casted to play the role of Dr. Hank McCoy, aka Beast. The reason for my concern was a simple one: after watching Grammer play roles such as Frasier and Ebenezer Scrooge, it was hard to imagine an actor with the caliber of Grammer being in an action film. I will make my apologies to Mr. Grammer now as he truly held his own with veteran action stars Halle Berry and Hugh Jackman.

I cannot begin to praise this film enough. As a huge fan of technology and science, this film delivered on all fronts. I will not cite specific details, as to prevent any spoilers from appearing in this short review. All I can say is that if you're a fan of the X-Men films or of technology and science, this film is a definite must-see.

On another note, I would like to make an apology to the listeners of the TalkTech podcast for the lack of consistency as of late. I am still trying to work myself into the brand new production schedule I have created for myself. Your patience is greatly appreciated.

Episode #0006: "Listen While Running"

2006-05-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Microsoft to Launch Xbox 360 in India

Aims to hit market before Indian festival Diwali
Festival on October 21
Hopes to offer console, controller, game for 19,990 rupees ($439)
Hopes to set up retail outlets in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad
Declined to give sales forecasts for India
No plans to set up gaming development center in India
Would work with third-party game developers

Apple and Nike Produce “iShoes”

Collaborating on products that bridge gaps between sports, electronics, and entertainment
Nike+iPod Sport kit involves electronic sensor inserted under inner sole of shoe dubbed the Moire
Sensor talks to small wireless receiver attached to Apple's iPod Nano
Components work to give voice prompts that tell runners distance and pace
iPod will keep track of duration, distance, and other information
Data could be uploaded to Mac or PC and to Web site called Nikeplus.com
Users can track progress, set goals, and share results
Shoes will sell for about $100
Sensor and attachment will go for about $29
Expected to be available in next two months
Nike dreamed up idea for product and contacted Apple to develop technology
Companies will develop more products as part of ongoing partnership

Yahoo IM Worm Hijacks Browsers

Dubbed "Yhoo32.explr" by FaceTime Communications and "Browaf" by Symantec
Installed when users click on malicious link within an instant message
Downloads and installs "Safety Browser"
When used, user is taken to sites where PCs are infected with adware and spyware
Also changes home page of IE to Safety Browser's site
Safety Browser doesn't post Uninstall option in Add or Remove Programs
Makes PC blare screeching music with bad guitar licks and drum solos
Noise plays every time computer boots or Safety Browser launches
Anti-virus vendors working on signatures to detect new worm
FaceTime already updated customers' software

MIT $100 Laptop Makes Public Appearance

First real-life images surfaced on Flickr
Appears to have lost distinctive hand crank used to provide additional run time
Basket handle remains
Included are swiveling “ears” which protect USB, headphone and microphone ports
Screen and keyboard appear a bit on the small side

Vista Consumer Launch Could Slip Further

May slip further based on feedback from beta release program and product road maps of hardware vendors
Discussing with NEC and other partners when they would like it
Depends on next rollover that would be best time to ship
Delayed to January to avoid putting product out during year-end sales season when change in PC lineups and OS’s could cause problems for vendors
News comes days after Steve Ballmer said he didn’t think Symantec lawsuit regarding storage technology would bump operating system’s release

Dell to Open 2 Stores in Malls as Experiment

Hybrid of Dell's direct model and conventional electronics store
Products will be on display
Customers will order a PC, television, or printer online from the store
Products will be delivered to customer as if ordered from PC at home
Sign that company is willing to experiment to reinvigorate slowing PC sales
First in NorthPark Center in Dallas and other in Palisades Center in West Nyack, N.Y.
Plans to display about 36 products in about 3,000 square feet of floor space
Stores will have ordering stations, but will carry no inventory
Company wouldn’t say how many people will be employed at store

Sony BMG Settles CD Case

Granted final approval to settlement of several class-action lawsuits over use of copy-protection software on compact discs
Settlement covers consumers who purchased CD's with software known as XCP or MediaMax
Consumers able to exchange CD's with software for replacement or other compensation depending on type of software
Will also provide consumers with patch to remove software from computers

Microsoft Launches First Shared Source Contest

Several Xbox 360's and an HDTV on the line
Hackers download 120-day trial versions of Windows CE and associated tools, and create 'cool, real-world' apps using designated shared source components
Criteria includes originality, practicality, feature-extension of Shared Source components, project documentation, and short video of successful operation
Prize consists of Xbox 360 console, 34-inch HDTV, games, and accessories
Three other winners will be awarded Xbox 360 game consoles

Episode #0005: "Share the Royalties"

2006-05-05T21:27:00.000-07:00

Bands Sue Sony for Higher Digital Royalties

Seeking class action
Claims company short-changed millions of dollars
Filed lawsuit in New York
Claims Sony continues charging distribution fees for downloads
Feel they deserve greater royalties
Downloads should be considered licensing, not distribution
Argues artists entitled to about 30 cents per song
Case could open to artists with deals signed since 1962
Decision could radically alter landscape for artists earning wages in digital age
Sony has not issued a statement
Representative did not immediately return calls

World of Warcraft Promises to Fix Performance Problems

Will upgrade authentication servers to solve login and availability problems
Offline during prime playing hours early in April
Several hours of downtime registered Sunday and Monday
Login attempts failed 12.5 percent of time between April 24 and May 1
Includes both forum and game-login processes
Players claim updating servers won’t solve problem

Apple Sets Tune for Pricing of Song Downloads

Renewed contracts to sell songs at 99 cents each
Came after a month of bargaining
Universal, Warner, EMI and Sony not available to comment
Apple, music companies declined to comment on current negotiations
Several executives privately acknowledge they had little leverage on Jobs

Apple v Apple Decision Likely on May 8

Will take place on May 8 at 10:30am
Been deliberating since before Easter
Will reveal decision whether to grant injunction barring use of logo
Countered that logo advertises data transfer service allowed under 91 agreement
Would mean detailed injunction on how company can use logo
Has potential to be expensive
Readers in poll firmly on Apple Computer’s side

Mozilla Picks Winning Firefox Flicks

Named at San Francisco International Film Festival
Nearly 300 fans submitted entries
Grand prize went to “Daredevil” by Peter Macomber
Panel of judges from entertainment and advertising industries selected winners
Announced following screening of selected entries

New Viruses Demand Ransoms

Latest trend to infect machines, encrypt data, and demand ransom
Approach itself is not new
First case of virus blackmail dates back to 1989
Krotten has seen more than 24 variants with changing encryption algorithms
Users blackmailed for various amounts
Amounts range from $10 to over $2,000
New virus threatens to delete one file every 30 minutes until $10.99 is paid
SecurityFocus publishing article next week to take closer look at approach

Samsung ‘Origami’ Device Hits U.S. Market

Available online through hardware reseller CDW
Will retail for $1099 in United States
Was made available in South Korea for $1264
Available from Best Buy online outlet starting May 7
Will be available in select stores in third quarter
Has 7-inch LCD monitor with touch screen functionality
Half the size of average laptop PC
Weighs 1.7 pounds
Less than an inch thick
Battery life runs about 3 hours

BlackBerry Maker Faces New Patent Lawsuit

Now threatened by legal action by software provider Visto
Claims service violates four patents
Seeks unspecified damages
Asks court to shut down service in United States
Filed Friday in U.S. District Court for Eastern District of Texas
Patents relate to access and synchronization of information over network
RIM considering patent counter-suit against Visto
Visto now ready for “protracted battle”
Has no plans to launch similar lawsuits outside United States
May take until middle of 2007 for ‘material court proceedings’ to begin
RIM does not expect customers to be impacted by Visto’s complaint

About The Digg Controversy

2006-05-01T07:14:00.000-07:00

If you have been following technology news for the past few weeks, you've probably come across dozens upon dozens of blogs chattering about the Digg controversy caused by ForeverGeek.

If you haven't, allow me to bring you up to speed. ForeverGeek placed a post on its Web site, claiming that Digg was not the user-driven democratic Web site it claimed to be. A few days later, Digg founder Kevin Rose released a response to these accusations, and even discussed the controvery on This Week In Tech.

I feel that ForeverGeek's posting, originally intended to hurt the Digg Web site, actually helped garner Digg more Internet traffic. It's what I call the "Eminem Effect": someone does something to stir up a controversy, it becomes a controversy, people check out what the first person is doing to cause the controversy and in turn becomes more famous due to it.

The best way ForeverGeek could've handled this situation was to merely ignore it and allow Digg users to figure this out for themselves (if this is indeed what's going on). Does ForeverGeek feel that Digg users are too dumb to spot a pattern?

Why would ForeverGeek blame this on Digg? Did it not ever occur to the users of ForeverGeek that Digg users could be the reason for all this controversy? The use of bots in chat rooms and on Web sites makes it possible. Be sure to check all possiblities before making judgments.

In conclusion, all I can say is that Digg users should adhere more to the terms of service as defined on Digg's Web site. Is getting your submission to the front page more important than placing hundreds of people you don't even know in jeopardy of legal action? Would you like it if they did it to you? I don't think you would.

For more information on Digg, check out their official Web site at Digg.com.

For more information about ForeverGeek, check out their official Web site at ForeverGeek.com.

What Is Nintendo Thinking?

2006-04-28T14:17:00.000-07:00

I read an article on Digg today that said Nintendo had decided to name their next-generation console "Wii", pronounced "We." This name seems utterly ridiculous at first glance ... and second glance ... oh, who am I kidding? It just sounds ridiculous period.

What was wrong with the name "Revolution"? It is a powerful word, bringing to mind images of powerful leaders (Nintendo being a prime example) leading millions of iron-forged soldiers (or in this case, gamers) against heavy odds to defeat a common enemy (in this case, Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3).

If you wish to understand why I liked the name "Revolution", one merely needs to take a look at the definition of the word as defined in the Merrian-Webster Dictionary:

"A sudden, radical, or complete change."

Was this not also what Nintendo said about their next-generation game console? Didn't they say that this new console would "revolutionize" the gaming industry? How much revolutionizing can you do with such a weak word?

I'm sure that Nintendo has their reasons for this sudden name change and, whatever it is, I'm sure that it will bring them profit after its release. I respect them for it, since it is their decision to make and theirs alone.

For more information on Wii, be sure to check out Nintendo's official Web site at Nintendo.com.