U.S. Army Opens Internet Cafe in Saddam's Home Town
Tikrit gets unrestricted Internet access for the first time ever. Now hard-core Saddam supporters can get quick and easy access to Al Qaeda and Hammas bomb-making sites.
Gamer Takes Software Company to Court over Missing Virtual Weapons
A Beijing PC gamer playing "Red Moon" had built up an arsenal of virtual weapons over a period of two years. Suddenly, they vanished, and the gamer is suing the creator of the game for the weapons and for "mental anguish."
It's called "Goin' Dot Com! -- The Musical," and it follows the rise and fall of fictional "RentalPuppy.com." Audience members at San Francisco's Eureka Theater are urged before the opening curtain to please turn on cell phones and pagers.
New spy pictures of the next version of Microsoft Windows, code-named "Longhorn," have been leaked on the Internet. These are not the "Luna" user interface shots, previously leaked, but rather the more highly evolved new "Aero" interface.
How much can you really tell about someone by the way they walk? The Bio Motion Lab Walker demonstrates the answer: Quite a bit. They do it by stripping away all other data other than merely the motion of walking, then lets you tweak variables like male or female, happy or sad, etc. Amazing.
The University of Tsukuba, Mitsui and 30 smaller companies announced today in Tokyo that they plan to cooperate to develop what they call a "robot suit" to help the elderly and disabled walk and, presumably, fight crime.
Toyota's hot new gas/electric hybrid car, the Prius, will feature an option for a self-parking system. A rear-mounted camera and internal software controls the car as it parallel parks without human intervention.
A Dutch company has launched the first soap opera by MMS, called Jon-Zuid. Pictures of the famous actors and accompanying text are sent to phones several times a day. Here's a demo.
IDC says Microsoft could emerge as a major player in the telecom market, competing with Cisco, Avaya, Alcatel, Siemens, Nortel, and 3Com for telephone services. One question: How do you reboot a telephone?
Jupiter: Don't Expect Next Version of Windows Until 2006
The next major release of Microsoft Windows, code-named "Longhorn," was originally planned for 2004, then delayed until 2005 by Microsoft. Now Jupiter Research is saying the OS won't be ready until 2006.
Taking a page from the RIAA playbook, SCO Group is preparing to sue a Linux user, claiming that its Unix code was illegally integrated into Linux and that users are liable for theft. No doubt they're dancing in their cubicles in Redmond.
Spammer Shuts Down After Personal Details Posted On Web
A New Zealand spammer annonymously hawking penis enlargement pills shut down his business after the New Zealand Herald newspaper revealed his identity in this article.
After failing to identify a singe criminal in two years, Tampa's controversial face-recognition system is being scrapped. The idea was to photograph random citizens, using sophisticated software to compare their faces against a database of 30,000 mugshots.
Presidential hopeful Howard Dean, whose campaign has been praised for its use of the Internet, has suddenly become a spammer. His unsolicited e-mails urge recipients to "pass this e-mail along to all of your friends...."
Teenagers Would Rather be IT Admins than Rock Stars
A recent survey found that more 12-15 year olds would rather work in IT than as pop idols. The survey was probably conducted in the UK. I'm not sure American kids even know how to spell IT.
"Nightline" anchorman Ted Koppel was tricked last week by a caller posing as a Transit Authority spokesman who directed viewers to a web site where they could get more information on the recent blackout. In fact, the web site sells tapes of the prankster hoaxing TV broadcasters.
PalmOne, the company formerly known as Palm, owns half the worldwide PDA sales, according to Gartner. HP, Sony number one in worldwide, U.S. markets, respectively. Newcomer Dell is already even with RIM.
Robo-Cop for Real: Australia Enlists Gun-Slinging Robot to Fight Terrorism
NSW Police have ordered a bomb-diffusing robot called Teodor, which features a 12-gauge shotgun. The German robot has four cameras, can be fitted with drills, grinders, cutting shears and a window breaker. It also includes a "cryogenics pack" for freezing explosives.
Lee Rakestraw, 35, of Springdale, Arkansas, shows off his mod he calls "Project You Can Take it With You" at QuakeCon 2003 in Dallas yesterday. It's a PC built into a casket.
'Does My Ass Look Fat In This?' -- Technology to Save Husbands from Shopping Nightmare
QinetiQ has invented what they call a "smart changing room" that uses digital cameras and computers to advise shoppers on how clothes would look on them. QinetiQ is a former Defense Evaluation Research Agency. Six digital cameras are installed in a cubicle. Software uses those images to produce measurements. Then the computer determines what kind of clothes would look good based on body shape.
Tikrit gets 
New spy pictures of the next version of Microsoft Windows, code-named "Longhorn," have been 
The University of Tsukuba, Mitsui and 30 smaller companies announced today in Tokyo that they plan to cooperate to develop what they call a "robot suit" to help the elderly and disabled walk and, presumably, fight crime. 
Toyota's hot new gas/electric hybrid car, the Prius, will feature an option for a 
Gotta-Get-It Gadget
A New Zealand spammer annonymously hawking penis enlargement pills 
Sometimes animals get their noses way to close to the camera. The resulting pictures are candidates for the 
Lee Rakestraw, 35, of Springdale, Arkansas, shows off his mod he calls "Project You Can Take it With You" at QuakeCon 2003 in Dallas yesterday. It's a PC built into a casket. 
QinetiQ has invented what they call a "
