Seriously, I’m NOT Addicted … the Experts say so! Now lemme get back to WoW

Guess this South Korean who died after a 50 hour nonstop gaming session really wasn’t addicted. At least that’s what the AMA says.

Doctors backed away on Sunday from a controversial proposal to designate video game addiction as a mental disorder akin to alcoholism, saying psychiatrists should study the issue more.

Addiction experts also strongly opposed the idea at a debate at the American Medical Association’s annual meeting. Source: Yahoo! News

Not an addiction, eh? I think this gaming detox center would disagree. As would my psychologist wife. In her opinion, this type of behavior is classic addiction. On the other hand, the AMA was looking at it more in terms of physiology, in that “complex physiological disease state akin to alcoholism or other substance abuse disorders,” and thus, in that point, they are likely correct. This seems to definitely be a psychological issue.

Don’t get me wrong, though. Video games, simulations, etc. have good points as well. For example, this simulation helps returning Iraq war veterans deal with PTSD. There are even ways games can be used in teaching, of course. But as with anything, even water, it’s all in moderation.

Oh, no! Keep the PuchiPuchi Away from my wife!

I’ll admit it … with the iPhone launching this week it’s hard to find any stories that don’t have the word ‘iPhone’ in the subject. On the other hand, I have to make sure my wife doesn’t read this story. The PuchiPuchi from Bandai is something she’d love to have … and it would drive me nuts.

Puchipuchi in Japanese is the sound of a little pop as well as the name for bubble wrap, so the toy basically named itself! Designed to mimic both the sound and feeling of popping little plastic bubbles, PuchiPuchi can be carried around as a key chain for popping. Their slogan “Anytime, anywhere, forever…you can puchipuchi” basically says it all. Source: Killian-Nakamura.com

It comes in white, purple, blue, yellow and grey. Additionally, every 100 pops it makes a different noise, including “door chime”, “barking dog”, “fart”, and “sexy voice”. There’s also a 1 in 1000 chance of getting a special PuchiPuchi that has a heart-shaped bubble. Jealous much?

BTW, despite what I said above, I tried to find it online unsuccessfully. I know my wife would love it.

China Overtakes the U.S. as Top CO2 Emitter

Hooray, we’re not #1! Really though, this is no surprise, but I hadn’t expected it quite so soon. The reason I say this is because it actually occurred in 2006.

According to figures released by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, an environmental adviser to the Dutch government and the United Nations, increasing demand for coal to generate electricity and a surge in cement production have pushed China’s recorded emissions for 2006 beyond those of the United States.

The agency said China produced 6.2 billion tons of CO2 last year, up 8.4 percent from the previous year, compared with 5.8 billion tons from the United States. Source: Breitbart.com

Realistically, we shouldn’t be “proud” of our #2 ranking … take a look at our population vs. theirs. On the other hand, if China ever catches up and produces more or the same per capita … we’d be looking at a heck of a lot more CO2 than now. And that’s not even taking India into account.

Cameras to Oversee Online Test Takers

How many of you have, ahem, cheated on an online test? I’ll admit it, I received a speeding ticket (years ago) and did online traffic school. But did I even read the text of the lessons? Nah, I just jumped straight to the tests at the end of each section. Realistically, I didn’t really cheat as I didn’t look at a manual either … I would take the test, and if I failed, then I would back to the material to review.

Well, of course, if you take an online University course, the opportunity and temptation for cheating is there as well. That may come to an end soon, though.

The device, made by Cambridge, Mass.-based Software Secure, is similar in many respects to other test-taking software. It locks down a computer while the test is being taken, preventing students from searching files or the Internet. The latest version also includes fingerprint authentication, to help ensure the person taking the test isn’t a ringer.

But the new development is a small Web cam and microphone that is set up where a student takes the exam. The camera points into a reflective ball, which allows it to capture a full 360-degree image.

When the exam begins, the device records audio and video. Software detects significant noises and motions and flags them in the recording. An instructor can go back and watch only the portions flagged by the software to see if anything untoward is going on — a student making a phone call, leaving the room — and if there is a sudden surge in performance afterward. Source: Yahoo! News

I can see why they have to add this webcam. I mean, so the PC is locked down. Big deal, if you have a second PC, that’s no impediment. And I don’t know myself, but I know there is likely to be a row over the invasiveness of this.

Confessions of a Dell Sales Manager, A Threat, and Another Dell Goof

A few days ago The Consumerist posted an article titled “22 Confessions Of A Former Dell Sales Manager”. As the article said:

A former Dell kiosk manager writes us to share helpful tips about doing business with Dell. He has no particular problems with Dell, he just wanted to share some helpful tips for consumers looking to get the best deal. He includes info on getting the best deal from the website, different kinds of promotions the Dell offers, insider details on how the kiosk sales reps are compensated, what coupons and deals they have to offer you to close the deal.

Dell had a problem with this, and asked The Consumerist to take down the article, saying it had proprietary information … and the threat was evident in the email to The Consumerist.

The Consumerist did not, and the sh*t hit the fan around the blogosphere. Dell’s decided the bad PR was worse than the info being on the Web, and placed a ‘mea culpa’ on their Direct2Dell blog last night.

Now’s not the time to mince words, so let me just say it… we blew it.

I’m referring to a recent blog post from an ex-Dell kiosk employee that received more attention after the Consumerist blogged about it, and even more still after we asked them to remove it. Source: Direct2Dell

In the post, Dell addresses the points in the original Consumerist article, including what it felt were either inaccuracies or misunderstandings, as well as add #23 (’We Goofed’). My favorite confession had to be that soon XPS systems will be getting tech support from the U.S. and Canada (#16). This would mean someone like me wouldn’t have to escalate (you may recall my Vista upgrade woes) in order to get effective help … or to fulfill this question from the comments on the Direct2Dell blog post, “When will I be able to understand the person at the other end of the phone?” Although of course, it will be limited to their high-end XPS systems, still. Oh well, … little steps (I hope).

Michael Moore’s ‘Sicko’ Hits P2P

It shouldn’t be a surprise really, but Michael Moore’s ‘Sicko‘, both controversial and eagerly awaited, has apparently been seeded to P2P networks.

If the breach is as wide as it appears — and this reporter downloaded a copy and watched it late Thursday night with ease — Moore, and his distributor, The Weinstein Company, have a every film maker’s worst marketing nightmare on their hands — how to persuade people to go to the theater to see a show that’s available free on the Internet. Source: Advertising Age

Hey, MPAA, pay attention to the reporter’s name on the Advertising Age story. I’m surprised he admitted downloading and watching it (in print). At any rate, at least Moore, who hid a copy of his movie in Canada in case U.S. officials decided to impound it over his trip to Cuba, doesn’t have to worry about it ‘never being viewed’ any longer.

Getting an iPhone, but not an iTunes Store Fan? Better Rethink That …

In case you were (for whatever reason) planning on using the iPhone, but didn’t want to create an iTunes Store account … you need to rethink that strategy. Information that Apple has sent to prospective buyers indicates that you will need an iTunes Store account to complete the setup of the phone.

Apple and AT&T have sent out a mass email with recommended preparation steps for the iPhone. The subject of the announcement reads “Get Ready. iPhone is coming June 29,” while the body lists suggestions for both PC and Mac users on how to get ready for the iPhone. These tips are broken down by sections, “Contacts,” “Calendar,” “Email,” “Photos,” “Music and Video,” and “iTunes Account.” Each section includes a brief description on how it works on the iPhone, and then an explanation of how customers can prepare. Of particular interest, the “iTunes Account” section reveals that an iTunes account will be required to set up the iPhone. Keep reading to see a summary of Apple’s suggestions. Source: iLounge

Some have theorized that the iTunes Store account may be used to add an additional layer of locking for iPhones. This is a possibility, but more likely it’s just a way to be sure the user is ready and able to buy when he wants to. On the other hand, this requirement may not be known by all AT&T store salespeople, so some people may have problems with initial setup (especially if they tend to not read any manuals, as I do).

Apple announces Safari for Windows

It was one of those ‘one more thing’ moments at WWDC today, but it was still a big one … at least for those of us who use Windows. Apple announced that version 3 of Safari (prior to now a Mac only browser), currently in beta, will support Windows XP and Vista.

Apple has launched a version of its web browser Safari for Windows, competing head to head with Microsoft’s Explorer and Mozilla’s Firefox.

Chief executive Steve Jobs said Apple “dream big” and wanted to expand the 4.9% market share Safari enjoys. Source: BBC News

It’s hard enough to get corporate IT to support Firefox, much less Safari. Still, you can bet I’ll be downloading this once I click the “Publish” button. Oh, and if you’re interested, you can download it yourself here.

You’re Looking at Someone Whose Employee Data was Lost

My wife says I have the worst luck when it comes to ID theft. I had my ID spoofed about 15 years ago … someone started trying to open up credit cards in my name (failed) and checking accounts (succeeeded). He wrote fraudulent checks and I had to work with Bank of America and a detective to straighten it out … he was finally caught and jailed.

Then probably about 10 years ago someone guessed a password for an online store. It wasn’t a word or number but it was too easy. (Now I use Roboform to generate and store my strong passwords). Once again, they were caught (because I happened to check my online account).

Since then I’ve also had three credit card numbers stolen (somehow, no determination as to how); basically they were used to charge one monthly account which they figured I would miss on the bill (a common practice, I understand), but I’m far too anal about my credit card bill.

Well, I’ve had credit monitoring (that I pay for) for some time now, because of all this. But snakebit as I am, now IBM has lost my employee data. I just found out about it this week, although the story actully broke in mid-May.

They lost tapes with employee data on them … in February. Of course, they waited about 3 months before announcing this. IBM wouldn’t say if the data was encrypted., however, there have been no pings on my credit monitoring service, so that’s good. They’re offering a free year of credit monitoring (whoopee); I’ve heard from some people who worked at IBM at the same time as me that their data was lost as well. Before anyone asks, my wife has never had any incidents like mine, but I do have her covered with her own credit monitoring … in case my bad luck happens to “infect” her.

Kansei has a problem with our President …

All right, before you start getting on my case, I didn’t write the program for this robot. I may find it amusing, but that’s all you can accuse me of … At any rate, Kansei is another Japanese robot (remember CB2, earlier?). But this one has a self-updating online database of 500,000 keywords, and uses it to create up to 36 expressions with 19 movable parts under a silicone mask.

Kansei smiles at sushi, as he likes that … but say “president”, and well … like I said, it depends on the words and the associated keywords.

The English keywords then trigger the most appropriate facial expression, which ranges from happiness to sadness, anger and fear.

“What we are trying to do here is to create a flow of consciousness in robots so that they can make the relevant facial expressions,” said project leader Junichi Takeno, a professor at Meiji University’s School of Science and Technology.

When the robot hears the word “president,” the online database picks up associated words such as “Bush,” “war” and “Iraq” and creates an expression which the researchers said is meant to mix fear and disgust. Source: Yahoo! News

I have to admit … it’s interesting that these Japanese scientists appear to have a sense of humor.