Week15

New service offers podcasters 25c a download!

Fruitcast will soon launch, the service works by inserting adds in podcasts, and offering podcasters [1] up to 25c per download

This could add up to a hefty premium if true - but critics are divided as to whether the greater specificity and targeting of podcasts is enough to justify the higher per lister figure from advertisers
Amounts are still theoretical right now
Adds are designed to be unobtrusive and sponsorship style
It remains to be seen whether fruitcast can gather interest from advertisers in the new medium [3]

Boingboing reports [4] a study in New Scientist [5] which reveals womens facial appearance alters on a day to day level - with hormone levels - changing the mean rated attractiveness of their faces
Researchers photographed 59 women every day for six weeks, and compared each days ratings with hormone levels recorded from urine samples
Woman with the lowest levels of hormones were also compared against those with the highest
Those faces considered most healthy and feminine were also considered most attractive
Some of these changes can be masked with make up
Higher hormone levels also likely correllate with higher oestrogen levels during puberty – making it likely that hormone supliments during puberty could increase attractiveness in later life
Image from study [6]

Integrates google sidebar, google search, and google reader functionality
Moves windows to the left to accommodate
Read RSS, view slideshow of photos, chat, search, examine maps, read news, view frequently used items and take notes simultaneously
In related news, google have also resumed scanning books - defending the move in the official google blog by emphasising the access to out of copyright works [10]

Sony have released copy protected CD's which play fine on CD players, but not only illicitly install software which redirect windows system calls to their own subroutines
The software additionally kills windows if an attempt is made to uninstall it
Some analyists are calling the software a rootkit - a term for nefarious malware deployed to gain root access (i.e.: complete control) of a target system [11]
This software creates both a potential gateway into a users system, and kills windows if removed
Sony have responded to criticism by releasing tools to uninstall these drivers

Boing Boing article on the EFF's decryption of information hidden in printouts [13]
And here's the original article about the method [14] - which was developed by the secret service

Microsoft launches its answer to web 2.0 services from competitors like yahoo [16], google [17], and netvibes [18]
The services launched by Bill Gates are Windows Live and Office Live
Office Live will be an adjunct to the existing office package - rather than the rich online office environment many believe google are building
Windows live
Both services will come in a variety of packages, from add supported to subscription
CNET discuss an earlier attempt by microsoft to build an online .Net office package - which was ultimately scuppered by competition from the exisiting office team [19]
Early review describe the services as underfeatured but potentially interesting [20]
For years microsoft have been gradually attempting to move toward a web services model - this may be their first major step to turning that change into actual revenue
Predictably, as with Windows 95 before it, the demo crashed
You can try out Windows Live here [21] - Look familiar?
Firefox support is patchy - but MS are to be commended for including OPML export from the outset
Why are they reducing functionality from Start.com [22] ? Microsofts initial offering in this area. Most likely different teams produced different solutions.
Blake Ross [23] is the Firefox / Mozilla developer we obliquely refer to
According to Google Answers, Walmart have 28% of the US Game Market (in 2002) [24]

Ars Technica puts together everything that’s know about the next generation consoles [25]
They compare processors, network, graphics, memory, and storage hardware etc
Try to guestimate the strategy of the big three from their published hardware information
In the case of the revolution – they work backward, speculating about the graphics and processor hardware from the announced intentions of Nintendo
Surprises

the large amount of RAM in the Revolution, and potentially large L2 processor memory cache – could be great for building highly interactive environments, smart a.i, deep / emergent gameplay,
Revolution processor most likely to be the Cell, or Xenon processor
If Xenon, could be as high as 2ghz – although raw gigahertz matter less in the next generation – a simple, single or dual core, 2 or four thread, meaty processor, would be easier to program and yeild shorter development times and a lower learning curve