The Multiverse Network, Inc., a company building the world's leading network of Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) and 3D virtual worlds, today announced it optioned the rights from Twentieth Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising to develop an MMOG based on Firefly, the science fiction television series created by Joss Whedon that has enjoyed a hugely popular and loyal following since its premier in 2002.

Fucking Awesome.

Multiverse and Fox Licensing & Merchandising to build online game based on popular Firefly television series

Cory Doctorw on Boing Boing:
"Check out these amazing replica Altair 8800 kit, composed all new (or new-old stock) parts, with the original instructions for assembly. The Altair 8800 was the microcomputer ancestor of the PC -- the computer that inspired the PC revolution. It was -- to some approximation -- the first useful computer that you could build and run in your home workshop. Regrettably, these kits are only sold on eBay, making them a pain to acquire, but the idea is just fantastic, and it sounds like the build-quality is terrific."

Amazing replica Altair 8800 kit

Lawrence Lessig's (http://www.lessig.org/blog/archives/003606.shtml) blog called my attention to this brief document on Net Neutrality which outlines why it is a Bad Thing (tm) for the online gaming industry.

Having previously worked for Electronic Arts, I can definitely say this is something they should be heavily concerned with as their customers span many, many networks and EA is peered in many, many places with first and second teir carriers. EA's operating cost will increase. The only place for this to travel is downward: both to the consumers and employees. For smaller companies, this will make independent innovation much more difficult; small companies making massively multiplayer games or communities will, effectively, have their choice of self publishing (even if few self distribute any longer) removed. Welcome to large(r) software houses.

Every Time You Vote against Net Neutrality, Your ISP Kills a Night Elf

Early experiments indicate that creating a "cloaking" device should be possible. Scientists were able to successfully "cloak" an objet in two dimensions from microwaves and the technique should be adaptable to three dimensions and visible light.

I have been unable to find the original scientific paper publish on the topic, if you do please message me with it.

Tomorrow today? Cloacking device in development

This is one of the more concise descriptions of the notions of 'Net Neutrality' and a real world example of the good it encourages in the marketplace.

Lawrence Lessig on Net Neutrality (Again)

Link to an article, 'Trust, but Verify' which should be of interest to all those interested in social networking.

"Security never becomes an issue until it is violated. Our boundaries begin open and undefended, sufficient for integrity, if not defense. But nature thrives on conflict, so every boundary becomes a battlefront in the war for continuing integrity – a war which we all eventually lose. People die. Cities fall. Civilizations collapse. Yet, in each of these failures lies the seed of renewal, and eventual victory. The pressure of natural selection forces an evolution of technique; overrun borders are reborn as more resilient walls, and the eternal battle moves up a notch in intensity." - Hyperpeople

Building Trust on Craigslist

"The gang at Winding Road uncovered this clip of a water-pressure dragster in the guise of a Peugeot 206 CC. It's said the thing manages 15,000 lbs. of thrust by way of the same physics as that pump rocket mom said would kill the dog if it fell over when you were trying to launch it. This one would most definitely put out an eye, or keep your suits fresh." - Jalopnik

Water powered Peugeot 206 CC

"U.S. spy agencies are looking to monitor news reports around the world to keep track of what the world might think of the U.S., something the New York Times reported last week as if it were controversial. And now Defense Tech proprietor Noah Shachtman brings news that the spy agencies are going to use this to do on-the-fly transcriptions and translatoins of foreign television broadcasts, whch can then be searched for key phrases and mined for info." - Ryan Singel

Open Source Spying

A long time ago, in a network, far far away, a great adventure took
place!

Out of the chaos of new ideas for communication, the experiments, the
tentative designs, and crucible of testing, there emerged a
cornucopia of networks. Beginning with the ARPANET, an endless
stream of networks evolved, and ultimately were interlinked to become
the Internet. Someone had to keep track of all the protocols, the
identifiers, networks and addresses and ultimately the names of all
the things in the networked universe. And someone had to keep track
of all the information that erupted with volcanic force from the
intensity of the debates and discussions and endless invention that
has continued unabated for 30 years. That someone was Jonathan B.
Postel, our Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, friend, engineer,
confidant, leader, icon, and now, first of the giants to depart from
our midst. - Vince Cert

A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A route indicates how we get there.

"The clever/totally screwed-up otaku behind the game have decided that using the touchscreen on the DS to fondle women (dressed as schoolgirls, naturally) is by far the best way to determine if they're witches. Errr." - Gizmodo

Otakus Upskirt To Hunt Witches