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World's first eye-shaped camera

Fri, 8 August 2008
by: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it | source: news.com.au | thanks: sci-fi movies

...makes photographic memories redundant

This? A camera? (well, something like this anyway...)

Researchers in the United States have used 'simple mechanics principles' to create this breakthrough technology, paving the way for distortion-free digital and video cameras for the first time.

It's the size and shape of a human eye, but instead of leaving what we see up to our imaginations, the world's first curved electronic 'eye' camera will allow us to capture distortion-free images.

"Animal eyes are naturally curved for capturing images, but up to now artificial vision systems have been limited to flat image-recording surfaces...Current digital cameras routinely cram more than 10 million pixels into an image, but have not overcome the long-standing problem of distortion created by a flat imager.

- news.com.au

According to British journal Nature, this new technology also points the way for future devices that could restore sight.

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Age of Reckoning release date announced

Fri, 8 August 2008
by: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it | source: gamesindustry.biz | thanks: MMO battles

The game set to challenge the Lich King

You feelin' lucky...punk?

Electronic Arts has announced the release date for its latest MMO. The game will be put head-to-head with Blizzard's WOW expansion, Wrath of the Lich King.

EA also announced that the game would cost USD 14.99 per month, with 3-monthly subscriptions and 6-monthly subscriptions also available.

"The game has been labelled by some as the best chance for a realistic challenger to Activision Blizzard's all-conquering MMO World of Warcraft, which recently announced an active subscriber base of 10.9 million players."

- gamesindustry.biz

The Warhammer Online official Age of Reckoning website has already clocked over 700,000 beta applicants.

Warhammer: Age of Reckoning will be available from September 18 in North America, Europe and Oceania, but is available for pre-order now. Wrath of the Lich King is slated for a November '08 release.

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Spore Wins Best PC Game

Wed, 6 August 2008
by: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it | source: GameSpot | thanks: E3

Beats Warhammer, Left 4 Dead, Dragon Age: Origins

Roar.

The Game Critics Awards: Best of E3 2008 were announced this week, with Spore taking out the Best PC Game award.

This year, the Best of Show prize went to Fallout 3, Bethesda Softworks' upcoming update of the classic postapocalyptic role-playing game series. Due out this fall, Fallout 3 also won Best RPG at the event, beating such opponents Lionhead's Fable 2 and BioWare's Dragon Age: Origins. A full list of nominees and winners can be found here.

- GameSpot

The only multiple award winners this year were LittleBigPlanet (Best Console Game, Best Social/Casual Game) and Fallout 3 (Best of Show, Best Role-Playing Game).

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GTA Banned in Thailand

Wed, 6 August 2008
by: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it | source: news.com.au | thanks: Over-protective...police?

Copycat teenager kills taxi driver

Too obscene?

GTA has been banned in Thailand as links to the game have been made after a teenager allegedly killed a taxi driver.

"The police are empowered to immediately arrest shopkeepers if they find any GTA games on sale," said police spokesman Ruangsak Jaritake.

"GTA is banned mainly because of its obscene content - under the criminal law article 287 that prohibits reproduction, distribution or possession of such material," he said.

He said the police will work with the Culture Ministry to check that online gaming sites are properly licensed and will block websites which offer violent games.

- news.com.au

The 18 year-old student who is believed to have killed the taxi driver may now face the death penalty or life imprisonment, despite insisting he is too poor to buy video games.

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Say Cheese: Google Street View is Here

Wed, 6 August 2008
by: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it | source: SMH | thanks: Google cars that stalk

Controversial mapping tool released in Australia

I seeeeeeee you!

Google launched its new mapping tool, Street View, in Australia yesterday, despite protest that the feature is an invasion of privacy.

Google-branded Holden Astra cars with roof-mounted cameras began traversing our streets about November last year, taking tens of millions of detailed panoramic street-level photos.

Most Australian coastal cities and many regional and outback towns are covered but there are some notable omissions, such as Uluru.

Google Maps product manager Andrew Foster said more images would be added to Street View in the coming months as they are processed by Google.

- SMH

Street View is available in the United States, France and Italy. Google cars have been seen in other countries such as New Zealand, Germany, Norway, Japan and Ireland. It will only be a matter of time before you can stalk the whole world.

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