Technology Nirvana

Unless you’re like me and buy all your EA games via Steam, you’ve got some serious DRM. And once you uninstalled the game, you’ve still got DRM. While EA has released a few game specific tools for removing said DRM, they haven’t exactly made it easy have they? Well good news - EA released a tool today that will help you manage the DRM from any game you’ve uninstalled from your system that was released after May 2008.

Once you download and run the tool, it will take you to a EA website that will scan your system for games with install limits, and then provide you with information on the number of remaining installation slots and how to manage them.

Some of the games covered by this tool include:

• Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
• Crysis Warhead
• Dead Space
• FIFA Manager 09
• FIFA Soccer 09
• Littlest Pet Shop
• Lord of the Rings Conquest
• Mass Effect
• Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
• Mirror’s Edge
• MySims
• Need for Speed Undercover
• NHL 09
• Spore
• Spore Creature Creator
• The Sims 2 Apartment Life Expansion Pack
• The Sims 2 IKEA Home Stuff
• The Sims 2 Mansion & Garden Stuff

Sounds good. It seems EA is backing off somewhat from its DRM position. The Sims 3 will only sport the oldest DRM of all: a CD-key.

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone sent out an Email earlier this afternoon to a number of users who had previously enabled ‘autofollowing’, stating that the company is planning to shut the feature down. ‘Autofollowing’ allows users to automatically reciprocate whenever another Twitter user follows them. The feature has never been widely available to the public (at least not through Twitter’s site), and was only enabled by sending a request to Twitter support.

While Stone ackowledges that the autofollow feature does have some uses (such as for applications built on the Twitter API or simply to be polite), generally speaking most of these autofollows are disingenuous. Many of the more popular Twitter users who have autofollow enabled are now following tweets from thousands of people at a time, the vast majority of which they clearly aren’t paying attention to.

This is probably a good move on Twitter’s part, as I’ve always found the practice to be pretty spammy. Of course, there are still a number of third party services that help users accomplish the same thing. What remains to be seen is if Twitter will try to disable these third party services, or if it simply doesn’t want to be officially condoning the practice.

Below is the letter in its entirety:

Hi There,

I’m contacting you because you have a Twitter account for which
we enabled something called “autofollow.” This is not a public
feature, it’s something we did for a limited set of accounts
such that they automatically follow any account that follows
them.

We’re going to discontinue autofollow because this behavior
sends the wrong message. Namely, it is unlikely that anyone can
actually read tweets from thousands of accounts which makes
this activity disingenuous.

However, we understand that there may be exceptions such as
applications built using our API or the ability to exchange
direct messages. There are also some who think it’s simply
polite to follow back other accounts.

While we’re going to stop supporting autofollow, we’d like to
find a way to support the other goals folks are really trying
to accomplish. Please feel free to reply to this email and let
us know how we can do this better together.

Thanks,
Biz Stone, Co-founder
Twitter, Inc.

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

As much as we'd like this to be a still from a new, secretly-in-development Cronenberg movie, it's actually an image of the nightmare-inducing mechanical heart that stars in a new series of Sony ads set to air during England's World Cup qualifying campaign on ITV. The hook, of course, is that the heart is apparently built (by special effects house Artem) almost entirely from Sony gear, including parts from BRAVIA TVs, Blu-ray players, VAIO laptops, Cybershot cameras, PS3s, and even the odd Walkman. No word of any public showings of the heart just yet, but you can check out one of the commercials after the break, and another by hitting up the read link below.

Continue reading Mechanical heart built from Sony gear still pines for AIBO

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Robots

Mechanical heart built from Sony gear still pines for AIBO originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ulysses Nardin's Planet Earth clock is a jaw-dropping timepiece. How can you not feel like a criminal mastermind with an intricate mini universe perched on a pretty mahogany box sitting atop your desk?

The outer transparent, crystal globe represents Earth, bearing outlines of the continents and oceans. The inner sphere shows at all times the exact position of Sun, Moon and fixed stars in relation to any location on Earth. So it's not really a whole universe, but you get the idea. Rotating at the speed of a real day, one revolution takes 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds. Separate Sun and Moon hands rotate once in 24 hours indicating which parts of the Earth is illuminated by each celestial body. Finally, a DRAGON hand moves with the signs of the zodiac. Dragons, people! Now I really want this thing.

After you get past the astrological drool factor, a standard clock on the front panel of the mahogany case indicates the hours and minutes. The Earth clock comes in a limited edition of 99 pieces. [Ulysses Nardin via DVICE]

BODIES AS SHIELDS!!!

I haven’t typed out that phrase in a long while. Chances are you probably already downloaded the Snowblind Map Pack for Gears of War 2 but if you didn’t then this is your reminder. It’s available now for 800 MS points. You can also earn an extra 250 Achievement points. Hit the jump for a Snowblind trailer and further details on the new achievements.

Spanning tunnels, bridges, courtyards and offices, players can sharpen their skills on the four new maps in the Snowblind Add-on: Grindyard, Under Hill, Courtyard and Fuel Depot. All maps are playable on every “Gears of War 2” multiplayer mode, including the highly popular Horde mode:

· Grindyard is a massive industrial complex located in a junk-processing plant from the days of Sera’s industrial excess. The office, now gutted, serves as a perfect place to fortify, but if you’re not careful, you’ll end up trapped inside the office with no hope of escape.

· Under Hill takes players through snowbound tunnels that were once billed as a feat of Seran engineering. Head for high ground on the bridge and you’ll be rewarded with massive firepower, but be prepared to defend your position and try to escape being cornered.

· Courtyard is a wide-open battle royale containing explosive weapons that once formed the heart of Ephyra’s fashionable Civic Center. Lines of sight are far and clear here, and battles tend to focus around the elevated sniper nest. Watch your back and keep a fresh clip.

· Fuel Depot, back by popular demand, Fuel Depot is a “Gears of War 2” remake of the fan-favorite “Gears of War” map, but winter has set in and the depot is now covered in a blanket of snow. Open and unforgiving, it takes a well-coordinated team to cover all the angles here.

Here’s the complete list of achievements, points and descriptions:

· “Rookie Gear” (10 points): Earn enough multiplayer experience to reach level 5 (Public only).

· “Seasoned Gear” (20 points): Earn enough multiplayer experience to reach level 15 (Public only).

· “Battle-Tested Gear” (30 points): Earn enough multiplayer experience to reach level 25 (Public only).

· “Battle-Hardened Gear” (50 points): Reach level 50 and play a match on each of the four Snowblind Map Pack maps (Public only).

· “Veteran Gear” (75 points): Reach level 100 and win a match on each of the four Snowblind Map Pack maps (Public only).

· “Never Eat Red Snow” (20 points): Complete waves 1 through 10 on all Snowblind Map Pack maps in Horde (any difficulty).

· “Icy Dead People” (25 points): Complete waves 1 through 50 on any Snowblind Map Pack map in Horde (any difficulty).

· “Frigid Body Dynamics” (5 points): Play a multiplayer match on each of the four Snowblind Map Pack maps (any mode).

· “The Weather Outside Is Lethal” (15 points): Win a multiplayer match on each of the four Snowblind Map Pack maps (any mode).

Lenovo's KIRF-tastic OPhone hasn't exactly been all that camera shy since it first dipped its toes into the Android waters in December, but it's now proudly showing itself yet again, and giving everyone their best glimpse yet at its China Mobile branding. What's more, while we've already heard that the phone is on track for a launch this quarter, the talk now seems to be that a release could be just around the corner, with some speculating that it'll roll out immediately after China Mobile's other Android handset, the Dopod G2 (a.k.a. HTC Magic). Hit up the link below for a few more pics, including a closer look at the phone's slightly familiar-looking UI in action.

[Via ModMyGphone, thanks Neerhaj]

Filed under: Cellphones

Lenovo's Android-powered OPhone shows itself again. Launch imminent? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Even if it's this creepy, pulsating rig assembled from gutted Bravias, Walkmen and VAIO for a British football commercial. But where is all the blood?

[via Electric Pig]

TechCrunch reported on the Mozilla Labs Personas work, allowing you to theme your Firefox web browser. I share Robin’s opinion that Mozilla should maybe, just maybe, focus on making Firefox a kick ass web browser, and leave the doodads and geegaws for other folks. Enter Brand Thunder, a company in Columbus, OH looking to “offer companies a compelling, patent-pending solution for creating a more persistent presence with their internet consumer.”

Change your browser’s look and feel without restarting! Install any of the Booms below, when you have more than one – click the B/T button in the toolbar, choose “Pick a Boom” and you’re there. Booms run on the Firefox browser. If you’re not already using Firefox, you can get it for free right here.

We started Brand Thunder to work with some of the world’s leading brands to bring you REALLY cool themes and extensions. Based on your response, we are onto something. We employ an incredible team of designers, developers and marketers to work with the brands to bring these bundles to you for free!

I’m not the target audience for this kind of thing, but I know a lot of people who want to show their school pride all over their computer desktop, and would be only too happy to keep that going into the browser. The same holds true for folks’ favorite bands, favorite emo poets, and favorite Martha Stewart color ensemble.

Hey Mozilla, why not leave the decorating to these folks, and focus on what you do best?

This is completely off topic, but earlier today I was wondering if Google would eventually turn into Skynet. In case you’re wondering, I just got hooked on the Terminator television series.

Anyway, the WSJ is reporting that HP is currently testing out Google’s Android platform for a possible netbook. They haven’t committed to an Android-based netbook, but HP’s Satjiv Chahil, VP of the PC division, confirmed that the company is currently testing the OS.

“We want to assess the capability Android may have for the computer and communications industries, and so we are studying it,” Mr. Chahil said.

If a PC manufacturer were able to integrate Android into a netbook or even notebook then I’d certainly pick one up. It’s pretty obvious that Google is slowly muscling in on Microsoft’s territory.

via WSJ