Part of Japan bans Grand Theft Auto

Associated Press:
TOKYO - A state in Japan has decided to ban a U.S. video game from being sold or rented to minors, after officials deemed it harmful and capable of inciting violence.

"Grand Theft Auto III," produced by U.S.-based Rockstar Games Inc., was introduced in Japan in September 2003 and has sold about 350,000 copies. It depicts random killing sprees in public places, cars being blown up and other acts of violence that officials fear teens might try to mimic, said Takahito Hayashi, a child welfare official.

The game will receive a "harmful" product label in Kanagawa prefecture, or state, where retailers will be barred from selling or renting the game to anyone under age 18. The game also will have to be displayed separately from other titles, he said

While other products have faced similar restrictions due to explicit sexual content, it is the first time Japan has placed such measures on game software because of violence, Hayashi said.

Osaka-based Capcom Co. Ltd., which distributes the game in Japan, refused to comment.

Kanagawa prefecture, just south of Tokyo, includes major cities like Yokohama and Kawasaki.

Swedish man holding a thing!

Nah, it's rubbish when men do it.



He's holding a Nokia 770, the widescreen, 800x480, networked, wireless, internet-accessing and extremely desirable Linux-powered tablet thing.

There's a great Nokia 770 gallery here: Nokia 770 Gallery (MobileBurn). It looks well sweet, blood!

Come on VJ play my video -- Pioneer DVJ X1 DVD video decks

Students that are also DJs -- our least favourite demographic by miles -- will be delighted to take their pretentious musical ambitions one step further with the DVJ X1 DVD video mixing console from Pioneer.

"DVJs will also be able to use the DVJ-X1 to manipulate DVD visuals in exactly the same way as they would music" says the official spec, impressively, but probably exaggerating somewhat.



Oh. It's two and a half grand. Never mind.

Video Jockey - Pioneer - DVJ X1 DVD - VJ player - decks.co.uk.

GoToMyPC goes to your Mac

The ultra-cool GoToMyPC -- an app that lets you access and control any PC through a network -- is rumoured to be coming to Mac.

This isn't particularly exciting news, but we're trying to learn to be nicer about Macs.

Citrix GoToMyPC mulls GoToMyMac - Computer Business Review

Intel prepares Mac Mini rip-off

"Working prototypes of the Mac mini look-alike running Microsoft Windows and based on Intel's Pentium M CPU have already been built by Taiwan PC maker AOpen at Intel's request"

Wired News: Intel Preps Mac Mini Look-Alike.

Mobile theft crimewave

700,000 mobiles are stolen in the UK every year -- now UK goverment moves to make "reprogramming" nicked ones more of a crime.

Guardian Unlimited | Online | Curb on mobile unblockers to cut crime wave.

Star Trek XI in the works, all-new cast expected...

...but the abysmal Nemesis stopped us caring about Star Trek any more :(

TrekToday - Rick Berman: Trek XI In Two Or Three Years.

Samsung Digimax V700 Review

Not by us, obviously. That would've required (a) blagging one, or (b) buying one, then (c) spending ages using it and thinking up opinions about it then having to write them all down.

Instead, read the full review of Samsung's Digimax V700 -- its first widely-available 7.1 megapixel digital camera -- over at Digital Photography Review.



They know about things like what exposure settings do and stuff. It's a quite beautiful piece of reviewing, especially as they're doing it for free on the internet.

Samsung Digimax V700 Review.

German woman holding a thing!

It's the craze that's still sweeping the world!

It's the T-Mobile Sidekick II, now in PINK because it's for GIRLS.



It's just launched in Germany, hence the extremely German-looking woman holding it.

Datexx PVR30T -- photo review!

"Ken and his lovely assistant Krista used the Pavio at the office, in the park, Jacuzzi and bed"

Man reviews 30Gb hard drive media player using lumpen girlfriend as illustration!



Safe for work :(

Words: I4U News - Datexx Pavio PVR30T 30GB Portable Video Player and Recorder Review.

Pictures: I4U Photo Gallery: datexx pavio bed1.

Siemens C75 -- "influenced by" Sony Ericsson K700

By "influenced by" we mean "shamelessly ripped off the design of the..." with the new Siemens C75 looking almost exactly the same as the Sony Ericsson shiny-one-with-a-big-screen K700 and K750 cellphones.

Look:



See? It supports GSM Triband network, has a disappointing VGA resolution camera and 65k color screen. It's out in August, coming in two colours -- "Palladium" and "Light Silver." Silver, then.

This probably won't be our next phone, unless we get one for free. Which we won't. *shakes imaginary fist at Phones4U*

Intel goes with DRM -- we'll be converting to Mac

The next generation of home PCs will come with DRM -- digital rights management -- controls built-in.

Thanks to the world's favourite chip supplier Intel, the vast majority of future PCs will have DRM imbedded in its new Pentium D range thanks to the emerging anti-piracy measure.

Microsoft is happy, the RIAA is happy, we don't understand the implications of it but are already considering buying a Mac :(

Digit Online news - Intel quietly adds DRM to new chips.

Star Wars: Episode III -- Hidden "Easter Eggs" revealed

Hey look. George Lucas is now so old and boring that all he can think of doing to make a film actually interesting is put obscure references to his old films in them. Like he's done in bore-a-thon Revenge of the Sith.

This will make more people buy the DVDs so they can examine every frame. That is the only reason for it.

Star Wars: Episode III | Episode III Easter Egg Hunt

iPod generation "going deaf" says Yank mag

Oh wait, it's OK -- they only mean Americans.

NEW YORK, May 29 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 28 million Americans currently have some degree of hearing loss, from mild to severe, and the number is expected to soar in the coming years-reaching an astounding 78 million by 2030, Newsweek reports in its June 6 cover story (on newsstands Monday, May 30). While that looming surge is mostly a baby-boomer phenomenon, the threat of hearing loss-and the need for prevention-isn't limited to a single age group. One study estimates that as many as 5.2 million children in the U.S. between 6 and 19 have some hearing damage from amplified music and other sources. If they don't take steps to protect their hearing, the iPod Generation faces the same fate as the Woodstock Generation. Or worse, writes Senior Editor David Noonan.



"We're seeing hearing loss from noise develop at an earlier age than we used to," says Dr. Jennifer Derebery, immediate past president of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. "It's a huge problem." The good news: though hearing loss can't be reversed, reducing your exposure to excessive noise, like quitting cigarettes, can improve your health and quality of life, no matter your age.

NEWSWEEK COVER: 'How To Keep Your Hearing'

iPod stats!

4/10 UK people own an MP3 player of some sort.

Men have twice as many tracks stored as women.

Street crime has TRIPLED because of people stealing them off other people.

More exciting MP3 facts here.

'Happy Slapping' outrage reaches broadsheets

From this week's Telegraph:

"A terrified teenager is tied to a railing in a dark stairway. His face is marked with a black pen. The voice of a vicious thug taunts his victim, hitting him repeatedly while another yob films the disturbing act on his mobile phone."

We're still not convinced 'Happy Slapping' is anything other than a Nokia viral marketing scam.

Telegraph | News | Tortured for £75: a victim of the new form of 'happy slapping' designed to instil terror.

Creative Zen NEEON Stik-Ons -- For da urban youth

Check dis, innit blood!

Da Creative Zen NEEON (that's their use of capital letters, we're not shouting that bit) is being promoted on the Creative web site as being ideal for the "Urban male in you", via a microsite for the Stik-On skin customisation that's an important part of this mini 5Gb MP3 player.

In case you were wondering, this is what urban males look like:



See the urban male in his natural environment here: Zen NEEON Stik-Ons.

Star Trek Flickr babe gallery

We'd like to put "teeengs" in their ears*.

Star Trek chick gallery - a photoset on Flickr.

*Obligatory Wrath of Khan reference.

In-car toilet launched!

And it's powered by the planet's most versatile power source -- the humble car cigarette lighter.

Is there anything you can't run off your lighter hole?

BBC NEWS | Technology | UK company launches in-car toilet

Jamie Hewlett (Tank Girl) illustrates 'Common People' by Pulp

It came from the internet, we have a thirst for linkage:



scans_daily: Here is something which I don't believe.

Casio G-SHOCK -- The Phone

Chunky, ugly, plasticky and pretty nasty, really. It's Casio's new take on the cellphone, the G-Zone Type-R:



THE OFFICIAL SPEC:
On May 26th, KDDI and Okinawa Cellular Telephone Company introduced a new lineup of CDMA 1X phones. The G’zOne TYPE-R is more shock-resistant than its predecessor, the G’zOne. The phones are made by Casio, and will be on sale from the end of July. The price is expected to be comparatively higher than current CDMA 1X phones. (Of course it’s going to be more expensive, but I don’t think you need to mortgage your house.)

Development was originally expected to take 1 year, but ended up taking almost 2 years. “The G’zOne sold from February 2000 until now, so we’ve established a good fan base. However, demand has shifted from straight phones to ones that fold and have a camera. We’ve worked really hard to come up with something similar that is also durable and water-proof,” KDDI’s chief of product planning said.

This phone is tough! The G’zOne TYPE-R is a flip-phone style that is also JIS Level 7 waterproof; still working after being in 1 m of water for 30 minutes. The demo model still worked after being in water for 20 minutes. The phone features a ring of foam around the sub-display, and magnesium alloy on the main body to make it more shock-resistant.

The phone also features a 1.28 mega pixel camera, QVGA screen, and three types of navigation systems – EZ Chaku-uta, AU’s signature service, plus EZ Navigator, a digital compass, and a service that guides you to your destination.

The digital compass, 1/100 Sec. Stopwatch, and round screen are the main unique features. “Extension Mode” doesn’t turn the phone into something from Mr. Gadget, but does allow you to check email and address book – even when the battery is empty. A flashlight feature and buzzer function are also included.

The G-Zone.

UFOs confirmed by Google Maps

Actual photos of UFOs. So it must be true, and definitely not just a Google PR stunt.



Google Sightseeing » Post Archive » UFO Updates.

BitTorrent CLAMP TIGHTENED by FBI

The *American* FBI has managed to close the *Dutch* BitTorrent site EliteTorrents.org. It seems impossible, but this is what greets you on EliteTorrents today:



The cocky Swedes over at The Pirate Bay -- who think they operate ABOVE the law -- must be starting to worry.

As are we -- paying for music and stuff again would "suck hard".

Rio CE2100 2.5GB MP3 player -- Rio loses midas touch

Oops. The mighty Rio has dropped the MP3 player ball, expecting us to pay £150 for its new 2.5Gb CE2100.

We won't be.

Rio CE2100 2.5GB MP3 player | The Register.

Official BitTorrent Search launched!

It's like Google, only less legal.

A search for "Xbox" brings up all the pirated games we could ever need -- AND IT DOES PORN!

The Official BitTorrent Home Page.

XCute DV1 Review

3 megapixel camera, 30fps video at 640x480, MP3 player, small, kind of nice.

Another astonishingly in-depth review by MobileBurn. We really don't know how they motivate themselves.

XCute DV1 Review (MobileBurn).

R2-D2 Star Wars Collector PLATE!

Look, it's only Star Wars, not Constable's Haywain. Grown-ups really shouldn't like this kind of thing.



Customers who bought R2-D2 8" Saga Collector Plate also bought:

Clone Trooper 8" Fine Bone China Collector Plate

Stormtrooper 8" Fine Bone China Collector Plate

R2-D2 Ceramic Cookie Jar

StarWarsShop.com - R2-D2 8" Saga Collector Plate

Online Doctor Who theme tune remixer

They call it the Radiophonatron, in tribute to the groundbreaking work of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop -- a team of three men who made all the sound effects for every BBC TV show produced up until 1994 using only some milk bottles, a saw and some fishing wire.

BBC- Doctor Who - Radiophonatron.

Nokia 770 Internet Tablet

WANT.

It's a portable widescreen display for on the move web browsing, meaning you're never more than a few seconds away from your favourite sources of regurgitated tech news!

It suports 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 1.2, USB and RS-MMC memory cards. And if you're still wavering... it RUNS ON LINUX for extra loser kudos.



Nokia - Nokia - Nokia 770 Internet Tablet

Creative Zen Neeon

PRICE BREAKTHROUGH!

The hard drive MP3 player market has been stuck offering you 5Gb, 10Gb or more for around the £150 mark for the last year -- but Creative's new Neeon offers 5Gb and amazing smallness for ONLY £109.

With an FM radio, 16-hour battery life and line-in socket for ripping music from anything, this is the cheapo iPod replacement we've been waiting for.

Sonnet PodFreq Mini -- for iPod Mini broadcasting

My DJ, my DJ, my DJ!

Install, then tune your car radio into your iPod and go. It's against the law to own one in the UK, though, due to radio broadcasting laws. But it's unlikely the police would want the paperwork.



Sonnet PodFreq: Premium FM Transmitter and Dock for iPod

The internet -- magical, causes psychosis

So it's not just us that goes a bit mental after six straight hours pressing F5 on web forums, then.


"In one case, a patient began to have paranoid thoughts and used an internet search engine to investigate suspicions about an ingredient on a chewing gum packet.

Her searches led her to believe she had discovered a secret terrorist network, and was therefore being personally targeted by the authorities using phone taps and hidden cameras."

Mind Hacks: Internet delusions:

Booze delivered to your door. All night long.

SERVANT! Bring me BEER!

Yes, even at 3:30am.

This might be a joke site, but it seems very convincing.

After Hours Drinks Company

Revenge of the Sith Bittorrent TAKEDOWN!

Legal letters flying out to the ISPs of users caught downloading the latest Star Wars via Bittorrent.

"It has come to our attention that xxxService Providerxxx is the service provider for the IP address listed below, from which unauthorized copying and distribution (downloading, uploading, file serving, file “swapping” or other similar activities) of FOX’S property is taking place"

FOX issuing takedown notices to Sith downloaders.

Free WiFi for London!

3G compatible, too.

Westminster to open Wi-Fi network to hoi polloi | The Register

O2 renames Millennium Dome "The O2"

New mobile-themed facility to open in 2007.

We can't tell why any of this is really happening.

O2 - Media centre - Press releases

Free iPods for schoolkids :(

Outrageous. Free iPods for idiot kids, as a *reward* for them eating healthy food.

When we were young, our reward for eating properly was NOT DYING.

Kids. Evil and stupid -- and given iPods as a reward.

*shakes head*

Scotsman.com News - Health - Health food sounds so good to pupils

Japanese woman holding a thing!

She's holding a Samsung SCH-B130. It's launching in Korea, so there's a good chance she's actually Korean instead of Japanese, but we're not spoiling a good running joke because of a few thousand miles.

Space: 2008 launch for "Virgin Galactic" -- !!

Taken from Rocketforge:

SpaceShipTwo's altitude goal will be 360,000 feet and possibly 400,000 feet. And passengers will be able to leave their seat and have enough time to move about and look out the window. It will be called "Virgin SpaceShip Enterprise". And the motherwhip (White Knight 2) will b identical to the Enterprise so that the next set of flight participants can ride up and watch the previous set actually take off. They even want to do parabolic flights using the White Knight 2 to train the fligh participants in zero-g movement before they actually lauch.

They'll be giving participants 5 minutes of weightlessness.

They're asking their initial customers lots of questions to try and characterize the needs and expectations of the market segment:

Their first concern is "when it is going to happen". They're answer is Spring 2008.

Apparently we would all recgonize a lot of the names in the customer list.

All of the passengers expect a training period but it can't last longer than a week.

The WhiteNight version 2 will b ecalled "Eve" after Richard Branson's mother.

WE NEED MORE MONEY.

Game advertising -- the new bane of your leisure time

NOW WITH A GRAPH:



» Advertising in games to reach $562 mln in 2009 | IT Facts — Your Daily Research Synopisis | ZDNet.com

Crazy Frog set to beat Coldplay to Number One

Humourless character with rubbish, cliched song set for number two. Crazy Frog takes UK chart top spot.

EVACUATE UNITED KINGDOM!

EVACUATE UNITED KINGDOM!

EVACUATE UNITED KINGDOM!

EVACUATE UNITED KINGDOM!

EVACUATE UNITED KINGDOM!

Crazy Frog set to beat Coldplay to Number One - NME.COM.

iPod Winamp controller bypasses iTunes

If you haven't already been mugged for your iPod, sold it because the battery only lasts for two hours or lost it, this might come in handy.

Control your iPod via Winamp.

Viral movie of the day!

This is of people deliberately drinking lots of a cold thing until their heads hurt.

thebrainfreeze.com

France saves MP3 thieves!

Finally, a reason for France existing that isn't cheap fags or booze.

In short: French courts are refusing to amply prosecute filesharers.

Wired News: Volez ce MP3!

Robotic uprising -- latest photos

Oh yes, this is how it starts. They worm their way into your HOME, buy your affections, become irreplacable parts of society that blend seamlessly into the background of modern life -- then they TURN AGAINST MANKIND.

iRobot - Robots for the Real World : Scooba Landing.

Can't you people SEE? Destroy the robots NOW, before it's too late!

Buzzword of the day for May 23 -- Roadcasting

It's the exciting new way for pretentious, self-centred, media fucks to not pay attention while they're driving their cyber green metallic Volkswagen Beetles!

Roadcasting.

In short -- broadcasting your tunes from your car. To other MEDIA IDIOTS.

The 2006 Porsche Cayman S

It's different from all the other Porsches ever made because... it's... it's got... no it's no good. We can't make things up about cars without reading some sort of official documentation.

*reads official documentation*

Ah yes. It's different because it's a Boxster coupe with a 3.4 litre engine and it costs around £35,000.

When our MASSIVE BLOG EMPIRE takes off, we might get one. No, we'll get two. One for us and one for our new girlfriend -- PARIS HILTON!

*sigh*

"Booth babe" CD dress shame

Even the yanks are at it now.

Every year since the CD launched, thousands of poor "booth babes" have had to endure wearing dresses made out of CDs.

They are never flattering. Not even on top models.



What are you looking at, ginge? You've got NO CHANCE.

O2 Xda IIs -- Out!

Amazing and out now. Only £179.

This is possibly our next new phone, pending the results of our appeal to the European Courts to get out of our Phones4U contract.

O2 Xda microsite : Xda IIs

BitTorrent dad set to launch BT Search

Bram Cohen, the creator of the world's newest and best file-sharing system, is preparing a Bittorrent search facility, to make stealing films even easier.

It'll be great.

At least it'll be great for a week, until its closed by America's World Police.

Wired News: Next for BitTorrent: Search.

Space ads banned -- Jamster DENIED!

If you want to escape the "CUNTING" Crazy Frog, you have to go into space.

Because America, who's obviously just declared itself IN CHARGE OF ALL SPACE, THE GALAXY AND THE UNIVERSE, has banned adverts in space.

CNN.com - U.S.: No billboards in space - May 20, 2005.

3 mobile launches "photo blogging" service

"Here's an arty one I took of some beer glasses when I was drunk"

"Here's one of a girl I nearly went up to and spoke to"

"Here's a funny road sign. You can't quite read what it says, but I remember it being really funny. At the time"

3 - Company site - 3 launches UK's first mobile blogging service

PlayStation 3 -- "One percent as powerful as a human brain"

More utter, utter, utter nonsense from Sony's PlayStation 3 propaganda division.

"U can put Ur brain on it wen U die!!!" says the internet.

Death could be averted by 'downloaded brains', British futurologist says - Yahoo! UK & Ireland News

SanDisk's 2 Gigabyte Memory Stick PRO Duo cards

It's the news the burgeoning PSP "hacking scene" has been waiting for!

LOS ANGELES -- May 18, 2005 SanDisk Also Begins Shipping Other Memory Stick PRO Duo Card Capacities to Consumer Electronics Retailers, Video/Games Stores and Discount Department Stores

Responding to stronger-than-expected consumer demand for high-capacity flash memory cards that are needed for music and video-playing in Sony's fast-selling PlayStation Portable (PSP), SanDisk(R) Corporation (Nasdaq:SNDK) today introduced a 2-gigabyte (GB)(a) Memory Stick PRO Duo(TM) Gaming Card to provide PSP owners with plenty of removable storage for video clips, MP3 music tracks, digital still photos and game data. The announcement was made at Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), where SanDisk is showing its gaming cards and accessories in Kentia Hall, Meeting Room 7008 of the Los Angeles Convention Center.

SanDisk is working on increasing its production of new 1GB Memory Stick PRO Duo Gaming Cards, as well as other capacities, in an effort to meet demand from major electronics retailers, video game outlets and discount department stores in North America, Japan and elsewhere in Asia where the PSP has been introduced. Gaming cards will be available at numerous retailers including Best Buy, Circuit City, EB Games (Electronics Boutique) and GameStop.

The 2GB card, which is expected to ship in July, will carry a suggested retail price of $349.99. Other capacities in the Memory Stick PRO Duo Gaming Card line range from $39.99 for 128 megabytes (MB)(a) to $139.99 for 1GB.

"We've had numerous calls from interested consumers and retailers asking about the availability of our highest-capacity Memory Stick PRO Duo cards, and we're working as quickly as possible to put inventory on retail shelves," said Greg Rhine, SanDisk's senior vice president of worldwide sales. "Since the PSP has limited on-board storage, it is generating strong demand for high-capacity flash memory cards for expanded memory, and we expect this situation to continue as the popularity of the PSP spreads globally."

SanDisk.

Crazy Frog -- Complaints soar, Ad Standard Agency overrun

Posted on the Advertising Standards Agency web site:

IMPORTANT - JAMSTER: We are aware of viewer concern about the current frequency of Jamster advertising and the terrestrial channels have been informed. If you wish to complain about the frequency of Jamster ringtone advertisements, please do not complain to the ASA. You should contact the broadcaster direct. The frequency of any particular advertisement is not part of the ASA’s remit. Contact details for broadcasters can be found in Radio Times, or on the Ofcom web site: www.ofcom.org.uk. The ITV Duty Office can be contacted on: 0870 600 6766. For Cable or Satellite channels, contact the channel. The ASA can only consider complaints about the content of television advertisements, not the frequency of any particular advertisement.

Obviously the'ye getting flooded. See here for more.



Jamster's CUNTING FROG is a PLAGUE on the UK at the moment.

However, some light frog-relief is found on the ASA's website -- this ruling on the Crazy Frog's genitals, which, keen viewers will have noted, have recently been covered up:


Some viewers complained that the commercial was annoying and broadcast far too frequently. However, the main crux of the complaints related to a far more unusual and surprising subject matter. Frog genitalia.

Viewers had noticed that Crazy Frog was very definitely male due to a protrusion that stuck out from his cartoon body. The complainants found this inappropriate. Some were worried about children seeing this kind of advertising material whilst a few parents had felt embarrassed by some of the questions their children had asked them. The ASA decided to formally investigate the complaints.

Though the ASA takes all complaints about offensive advertisements very seriously this certainly ranked as one of the more unusual investigations it had ever launched. However, despite the high volume of complaints, 60 in total, the complaints were not upheld.

Because the commercial prompted viewers to order the ringtone via text it had been given an ex-kids restriction and automatically moved away from being shown around programmes specifically made for children. With regards to the anatomical anomaly, whilst acknowledging it was surprising for genitalia to be shown on an animated frog the ASA found that there was no sexual or inappropriate references made about it. Furthermore, whilst it appreciated adults were concerned about the frog, it noted that none of the complaints reported children being upset. As an ex-kids restriction was already in place the ASA did not consider the genitalia to be a problem. Lastly, though the ASA accepted that advertisements which are broadcast frequently can rankle with some viewers, it didn?€™t uphold the complaints as it is the advertiser and broadcaster who decide how often they show a commercial.

Full report in the Google cache here.

Italians -- Really into mobile phone porn

The Italians spend three times as much on mobile phone porn than on traditional print "material".

"The country's main cellphone providers sold at least 70-million five-minute erotic videos at 2-euros each to their subscribers during 2004"

They must have good eyesight.

IOL: Science & Tech