Games That Shoot Back [Slashdot: 4/3/2005; 8:52:23 PM] A VirTra Systems combat simulator developed for the US military that "shoots" back, delivering an electric shock strong enough to knock down players, could be the next big thing for home-computer games. Players enter a platform with a 360-degree screen that shows scenarios such as freeing hostages, street gun fights, taking out suicide bombers and team attacks on enemy positions. If a player fails to kill an enemy in time and the enemy is able to shoot back, the simulator delivers a powerful electric shock through the player's hips. "You definitely know you have been hit," a spokesman said. "It has the same power as a stun gun. It knocks you down. You have to continue to work through the pain and keep on fighting, even when wounded." The US military found trainees were getting rapid heart rates, sweaty palms and fear during the simulation, just like they might get if they were really shot. They also use the "America's Army" simulator at fairs as a recruitment tool. 4/3/2005 11:00:29 PM    

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Group puts $100 laptops in poor countries". (The Day) via [Fark 4/3/2005; 9:52:42 PM]. "When the kids bring them home and open them up, it's the brightest light source in the home. The students in a rural Cambodian village where the homes lack electricity were equipped with notebook computers by a foundation run by MIT Media Lab founder Nicholas Negroponte and his wife Elaine. Negroponte and some MIT colleagues are hard at work on a project they hope will brighten the lives and prospects of hundreds of millions of developing world kids. Details are still being worked out, but here's the team's current recipe: Put the laptop on a software diet; use the freely distributed Linux operating system; design a battery capable of being recharged with a hand crank; and use newly developed "electronic ink" or a novel rear-projected image display with a 12-inch screen. Out of the box, the $100 laptops will be able to communicate with one another using peer-to-peer mesh networking. That doesn't directly solve the Internet or electricity problem, though. http://laptop.media.mit.edu 4/3/2005 10:40:34 PM    

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Saturn's Moons: [Eric Hartwell: April 3, 2005] I've updated my gallery of images from the Cassini mission. The current orbit has an inner system flyby about twice a month, and the glorious photos just keep on coming.
4/3/2005 8:49:59 PM    

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MSN Toolbar Hacks. [Gary Boone March 3, 2005] The MSN Toolbar Suite lets you create shortcuts to launch a website or an often-used command. If you know how to write JavaScript, I’ll show you how you can parse commands from the MSN Deskbar and execute your own scripts. These hacks allow the toolbar to do some useful things and change the way I look at desktop search…. via [Lockergnome's Windows Fanatics 4/1/2005; 6:53:18 PM]

4/3/2005 2:00:10 PM    

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