Nintendo new white gamecube controllerWhy Nintendo's releasing a new wired controller after they discontinued the wonderful wireless WaveBird is unknown to us, but Japan will be able to get a brand new white gamepad for about 2000 yen, or $20 this month.

Like most things Nintendo, it'll take a few months to get to the States (if it even does). Looking at the sales numbers of Smash Bros. Brawl makes it seem likely that it will.

Source- http://gizmodo.com/377807/nintendo-releasing-new-white-gamecube-controller
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Health tipsThe Dumb Little Man blog posts a condensed wealth of tips and tactics for getting yourself up and at 'em, including a tip that might make you reconsider that toast-and-coffee morning routine. Guest-poster Alex Shalman notes that eating a bigger breakfast gives you energy that burns off all day, while a lighter meal at night has its own benefits:


Eating like a pauper, meaning small light meals, in the evening allows us to go to sleep on an empty stomach. If your body is functioning normally, and you don't have stomach ulcers, going to sleep on a mostly empty stomach will allow you to sleep better. This nightly fast allows your body to take its focus away from digestion and put it towards repair and rejuvenation of the body's cells.
Check out our Top 7 Ways to Sleep Smarter and Better for more eating-for-sleep tips. How do you slot your food and resting hours for maximum energy and rest? Let gadgets watch people know other details..

Source- http://lifehacker.com/377752/eat-heavy-at-morning-light-at-night-to-sleep-better
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Halo 3 legendary map packMicrosoft announces the availability of the Legendary Map Pack for Halo 3, set for launch on April 15th.

I can't promise these 27 screen shots of the new Legendary Map Pack will convince you to drop the Microsoft Points on new multiplayer arenas, but I'm pretty sure fans of scaffolding and planks will be pretty darn excited.

Source- http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/halo-3-to-get-legendary-map-pack-next-week
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Windows 7 ultimate snapshotIt turns out that last week when Bill Gates was quoted as saying that the release for Windows 7 would come “sometime in the next year or so” he was not entirely accurate.

According to a Microsoft spokesperson, Windows 7 is still in the “planning stages” and is on track for a January 2010 release. Further comments speculated that Bill Gates may have been referring to early trial versions, but not the general release.

So it looks like Windows 7 is going to remain on the original schedule, which means all you Vista haters will have to continue to use XP for a little while longer or just learn to deal.

Source- http://www.gadgetell.com/tech/comment/windows-7-not-coming-in-one-year-bill-gates-just-loosing-his-mind/
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Indonesia people block youtubeAt least four Indonesian firms providing Internet services have blocked access to the YouTube Web site for carrying a Dutch lawmaker's film that accuses the Koran of inciting violence, an information ministry official said on Tuesday.

The move follows a government ban on broadcasts of the film by Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch anti-immigration Freedom Party, which alternates images of the September 11, 2001 attacks and other Islamist bombings with quotations from the Koran.

Titled "Fitna," a Koranic term sometimes translated as "strife," it also shows an image of the Prophet Mohammad primed to explode and says the rising number of Muslims in Europe threatens democratic values.

Sukemi, the information ministry spokesman, said telecommunication firms PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom), PT Telekomunikasi Selular (Telkomsel) and PT Exelcomindo Pratama Tbk, and Internet provider Indonet had blocked access to YouTube.

Telekom had also blocked social networking site MySpace and is still looking for other sites and blogs that have posted the film to block them, Eddy Kurnia, vice-president for public and marketing communication, said in a statement.

Wilders' film urges Muslims to tear out "hate-filled" verses from the Koran and starts and ends with a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad with a bomb under his turban, accompanied by a ticking sound.

The film has sparked protests in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation and a former Dutch colony.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has urged his predominantly Muslim nation not to use violence in protests against the film.

The Dutch government has distanced itself from Wilders' views, and the Dutch upper house of parliament has condemned what it called efforts to denigrate Islam and promote hatred.

Source- http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080408/wr_nm/indonesia_youtube_dc;_ylt=Aixf2y19iVyWxvRsQDyJHpwjtBAF
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Microsoft CEO- Steve ballmerMicrosoft Corp said on Tuesday it has posted online more than 14,000 pages of preliminary versions of technical documentation for underlying software code in its software programs.

The underlying code, or protocols, are built into Microsoft Office 2007, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007.

In February, the world's biggest software maker, faced with regulatory concerns in Europe and customers struggling with complex computer systems, said it would publish information so rival programs can work better with Windows, Office and other major products.

With Tuesday's disclosures, Microsoft said it will have published more than 44,000 pages of underlying code documentation to which it had been committed.

Source- http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080408/wr_nm/microsoft_protocols_dc;_ylt=Au4TGyZrXSsJjFHxlQmkSFEjtBAF
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Xbox 360What would it be like if you could combine the best of an Xbox 360 and the best of the Nintendo Wii? Gamers may soon find out if the latest rumors are true.

Citing anonymous sources, MTV News reported Microsoft will soon launch a Wii controller clone for the Xbox 360. It's part of a reported strategy to cash in on Nintendo's market differentiation.

"[Microsoft] marketing just want it so they can match the Wii point for point," MTV's source said. "The biggest parts of their marketing materials outline how easy it would be for third parties to port their Wii games to the 360."

Microsoft's Avatar Concept

According to MTV, the controller isn't much different in functionality or design from Nintendo's Wii remote, but comes with four face buttons, an analog stick and a microphone. There are also plans for the controller to interact with the Xbox Live Vision Camera, the source said.

In addition to designing the interface for the controller, Rare, the Microsoft-owned studio that developed Perfect Dark Zero, has also fleshed out Microsoft's take on Nintendo's Mii avatars, the source said.

Microsoft's Miis are designed to be associated with any game that incorporates the controller and create a standard look for the games. The avatars aren't tied to a controller when in use, as Xbox Live profiles currently are, MTV reported. Microsoft is reportedly hoping to release the controller before the end of the year, despite development delays.

Testing Gaming Theories

Yankee Group analyst Mike Goodman said a Wii-like controller seems like a good idea for Microsoft. To Nintendo's credit, he said, the Japanese firm identified a market need and exploited it. The Wii controller is indeed Nintendo's differentiator, making it easier for a novice or a nongamer to play games, Goodman said.

"If Microsoft develops a controller like this, it will test a couple of theories," he said. "Microsoft has done a good job in positioning itself for casual gamers. In some ways Microsoft has a better lineup for casual gamers than Wii does. Theoretically, the drawback has always been the input device. You've had to use the traditional game controller. It will be interesting to see, if Microsoft does roll out this controller, if it improves the value proposition for the casual market."

For the core market, the Wii remote controller does not work as well as the traditional game pad, Goodman said. Nintendo's Wii has done well with games like Wii Sports, but has not performed as well with traditional games like Madden and other third-party titles.

"This controller would be giving consumers an option for what they want to use," Goodman said. "But it sets up an interesting proposition for developers, because now the question becomes which input device do you develop for?"

Source- http://news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20080408/bs_nf/59164;_ylt=At26FufdMMjyOFUcAFB..jcjtBAF
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CERN- Super fast internetApparently, when CERN isn't colliding particles (and ripping massive holes in the space-time continuum), it's busy working on a new "internet" which will be 10,000 times faster than our current version.

The project -- known as "the grid" -- is built atop completely fiber optic networks, and utilizes modern routing centers. By keeping traffic out of our current phone and data systems, the researchers have been able to achieve speeds heretofore unseen on previous networks. The system connects from CERN to 11 centers around the globe, and will be switched on when the Large Hadron Collider is activated, on what the group is calling "Red Button Day."

Project heads believe a network with this speed will lead to all sorts of futuristic innovations -- like true cloud computing, holographic video conferencing, and really, really fast pirating of the entire Nightmare on Elm Street series.

Source- http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/07/cern-creates-a-new-super-fast-internet-invites-tons-of-people-t/
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