Video Games Feed Male Urge To Conquer

Scientists at the Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research at Stanford University claim that video games feed the male urge to conquer. On the other hand, women in the study didn’t exhibit the same behavior. I’ll bet the results would be the opposite if they studied “shopping” instead of video games.

"I think it's fair to say that males tend to be more intrinsically territorial. It doesn't take a genius to figure out who historically are the conquerors and tyrants of our species – they're the males. "Most of the computer games that are really popular with males are territory and aggression-type games."

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Eaton Taps IBM for Vehicles Driven by Fluid Power

IBM announced it has been selected by Eaton Corporation to supply modeling software in support of Eaton's development of series hydraulic hybrid systems. The series hydraulic hybrid (SHH) system -- that promises dramatic fuel savings and environmental benefits -- replaces the conventional drivetrain and transmission. The system uses hydraulic pumps and hydraulic storage tanks to capture and store energy, similar to what is done with electric motors and batteries in a hybrid electric vehicle.

US Communications Facing Big Changes in 2009

There are some seriously big changes coming in 2009 for the communications landscape in the US. From at least one commissioner change in the FCC to the digital TV switch, it’s shaping up to be a very interesting year, administration change notwithstanding.

From an Obama administration plan to give all Americans broadband to the nation's looming switch to digital television, the communications landscape is expected to see big shifts in 2009. At the heart of much of the change is the Federal Communications Commission, which soon faces its own shake-up as at least one commissioner departs and Democrats take charge.

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Lost Tourists Found Due to MP3 Player

An MP3 player helped rescuers locate two lost tourists in Switzerland. They were able to help a helicopter rescue team to locate them by using the lit screen on the MP3 player. Nice.

The two -- a skier and snowboarder, both from France -- had got lost late in the day Friday outside marked runs near the resort of Savognin in southeast Switzerland, said Gery Baumann, spokesman for mountain rescue service Rega. They were able to alert authorities using a mobile phone, but it then ran out of battery power, Baumann said.

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Harvard Prof Fights to Broadcast RIAA Lawsuit

Harvard professor Charles Nesson filed a motion to broadcast courtroom coverage on the Internet for the RIAA vs Joel Tenenbaum case. Though RIAA has said that they aren’t using lawsuits as a strategy going forward, they haven’t dismissed any of their current cases, such as this one.

“The judicial process is essentially an exercise in civil discourse,” said Nesson. “Given the keen interest of the diverse parties following this litigation closely, and the potential learning value of this case to a broad audience beyond, this case presents an ideal instance in which judicial discretion should be exercised under the auspices of the rule to admit Internet to the courtroom.”

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Rogue SF Network Admin to Stand Trial

Remember Terry Childs, the network admin that took San Francisco’s fiber WAN hostage back in July? A judge finally determined that there was enough evidence to try Childs on four felony charges. Ouch.

Childs' attorney has claimed that there was no destructive intent and that Childs was merely protecting the network from incompetent city officials who were trying to force him out of his job.

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Bush Data May Overload National Archives

There are concerns about the US National Archives’ ability to store all of the data from the outgoing Bush administration. Archive officials estimate that there is 50 times the amount of electronic data to store compared to the previous Clinton administration and are facing capacity issues.

In their plan, archives officials wrote, the transition poses “unique challenges” because of the huge volume of electronic records, some of them in “formats not previously dealt with.”

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Next Gen Memory: Graphene?

TechNewsWorld has an article about the promises of graphene, which is hoped to take over where silicon leaves off when shrinkage hits its limit. In the lab, it certainly shows promise as a flash-memory replacement.

As he began testing graphene as a memory device, [Rice chemist Jim] Tour found that it worked better than silicon-based flash memory in a number of respects: It leaked less current, it generated very little heat and it operated in temperatures from minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit to nearly 400 degrees.

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Intel Atom Attracts Millions

CNet has an article on how Intel’s Atom platform converted millions into netbook and low-power believers. Never really thought of it from this angle but it is indeed remarkable to see the numbers and players that jumped on the Atom bandwagon.

This wasn't one sole convert (like Apple), this was a Pentecostal conversion of biblical proportions. Almost overnight, the entire top tier of the PC industry got the Atom religion. In fact, it happened so quickly and so massively that companies like AMD and Qualcomm didn't know what hit them.

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Have IT Skills, Will Travel

How would you like to add locales such as Mali, South Africa, or Romania to your IT resume? PC World has an article about the growing need for skilled IT workers abroad to help develop programs, implement infrastructure, and train staff. However, these positions seek volunteers and the article talks about agencies that serve these needs. Interesting stuff.

Such programs mark a significant shift in the way some companies view volunteerism, and they're not only facilitating humanitarian efforts, but also helping IT professionals discover a previously untapped job market.

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Three Options for Vista-to-Windows 7 Update, Rumor

Ars Technica reports on the upgrade path rumor from Vista to Windows 7. Good bye Business and welcome back Professional. No word on a super-cheap version, such as Starter or Home Basic yet. Interesting.

These three upgrade paths "confirm" two more editions: Home Premium and Professional. These two are the ones that most customers will likely be buying, whereas the average geek will likely go ahead and grab Ultimate.

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Samsung Digital Photo Frame Features Bonus Malware

Amazon is warning customers that purchased the 8” Samsung Digital Photo Frame about a worm that was included on the driver CD. Apparently, the W32.Sality.AE worm only affects XP users so if you picked up this frame for a family member, you should send the link above to them. [H] public service announcement, signing off.

The alert involves the SPF-85H 8-Inch Digital Photo Frames w/1GB Internal Memory, designed to work with Windows-based PCs via a USB connector. They were sold between October and December 2008 for about $150.

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