News Bytes
Game Fair Or Job Fair?
Power On A Roll
If you’re in San Francisco around October 6th, 2004, you
might want to take a peek at the goings on at the Bill
Graham Civic Auditorium. That’s where the World Cyber
Games 2004 Grand Final is being held. Representatives
from 60 countries will be logging on with their computers,
“where cultural barriers are stripped away and
international exchange and harmony are promoted.” Of
course, this is the sort of harmony found on the receiving
end of a megawatt pulse rifle aimed from an armored
personnel capsule on a high-arc jump.
The WCG 2004 is a video game competition, where
the best in the world will attempt to out-drive, out-gun, and
out-think their hardware accelerated, texture mapped, and
caffeine amped opponents. Official games for both PC and
Xbox machines include Counter-Strike: Condition Zero,
Unreal Tournament 2004, Project Gotham Racing 2, and
Halo. And, in case you think this is just a small event of an
under-represented subculture, consider the numbers from
the 2003 event: 600,000 competed at the international
qualifying events and earned over $1.8 million in prize
money from sponsors like Samsung and nVidia.
If I was looking for young
people with fast reflexes, acute
situation planning skills, and a
mastery of computer input
devices for the next generation of
remotely piloted vehicles, this
would be a goldmine. But if you’re
just a gamer looking to frag some
newbies, you can register online:
www.worldcybergames.com
Just get your hands on
one of these SolarRoll™
14 flexible solar panels
and you’ll see what I
mean. Produced by
Brunton of Riverton, WY,
these lightweight and
waterproof panels can be
rolled up unto a 3” dia.
tube for easy storage between uses, empowering the
average gadgeteer to step outside and get some rays. The
model 14 produces 14 watts of power — 15.1 volts at 900
mA — and includes adapter cables for several different
devices, like satellite phones, digital cameras, and that
beanie cap with electric propeller. For larger devices like
laptops or basic battery charging, two or more panels can
be linked together to increase power output. Though it isn’t
exactly cheap at $370.00, it is readily available. For more
info, visit www.brunton.com
O Marks The Spot
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Circle #136 on the Reader Service Card.
Integration is the future of
consumer electronics, and the
cell phone is ground zero for a
myriad of ongoing research.
Enter the SpotCode platform,
from developers High Energy
Magic out of Cambridge in the
UK. Looking like a bar code just
removed from a spin art
machine, a
black and white glyph called a Bango
Spot may become the “real world
hyperlink.” The Bango Spot is
designed to be read by special
software that processes the real-time
image from your camera phone. The
result of that processing —
information on orientation, position,
and size — is combined with the
decoded numeric identifier and both
are transmitted via Bluetooth to a
computer in the area, allowing the
phone to become a universal pointing
device, personal display, and
keyboard. Commercial applications
abound, where consumer interest
could be indicated. Not to mention,
walking up to a soda machine and
buying a Dr. Pepper. (This earns 9. 5
out of 10 on Editor Dan’s Clever-o-Meter!) Visit the developers at
www.highenergymagic.com
SEPTEMBER 2004
