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Someone has claimed to have hacked the Advanced Access Copy System (AACS) copy protection used on HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs and posted the script and a video to “prove it.” Claiming to have spent just 8 days tweaking some code, a web forum poster created BackupHDDVD, a Java app that will apparently decode a movie and store it to a PC hard drive. As the Home Media article points out, HD discs do include a second level of protection that was not claimed to be hacked and companies will certainly work to counteract the hack.

My favorite response to the YouTube video posted: “Sad that your next video will be from Prison.”

Think it was really hacked? Let us know what you think or if you can verify that it actually works.

Read [Home Media] Read [Uninnovate] Original Forum Posts [Doom9]

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If air drumming or imaginary light sabers aren’t your thing, then perhaps the familiar territory of Google Earth will be enough to get you to pull your Wiimote away from Zelda long enough to run a few scripts on your PC. There’s nothing too complicated going on here, with just the requisite GlovePIE software (the Wiimote’s new best friend) and the Google Earth script written by the star of today’s video, J. Coulston, needed to take the world in your hands. Once you’ve got that up and running, you’ll be able to impress your friends and navigate the globe with the flip of your wrist. Just don’t get too excited when you spot your neighborhood. You know what can happen.

It’s not the first time, nor the last, that people will find porn on (supposedly) new or recycled consumer electronics. This time it happened to a family in Southside Chicago who purchased Microsoft’s Zune from the local Walmart for their 12 year-old daughter. The daughter, who says the box looked like it had been opened (the charger was missing) discovered that her player contained porn. When confronted, the Walmart store manager initially blamed Microsoft for the pre-load. Later, a Walmart spokesman said they would investigate the matter and provide the couple with a full refund plus a $25 gift card — presumably to pick up a copy of “My Two Daddies” to help the mother explain to her daughter why the “5 men were having sex with each other.” Uh, “join the social” Microsoft?

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DC is introducing a new line of comics specifically aimed at a female audience (specifically, teens). They’re calling the comics line “Minx”. (here’s an article about one of their first titles Plain Janes)

On the one hand, it’s kind of strange that they see such a divide in their comics target market – though several comic lines are overtly targeted towards males, I’ve been reading comics since my early high school years and never thought that titles such as X-Men and Sandman were *not* targeted towards me.

On the other hand, as a girl and a comics artist, I am actually kind of thrilled that DC has created a line of comics specifically to cater to a female audience. And it’s not that they’ve made pink covers or dumbed down plots, but they are actually putting a lot of thought and money into making something cool that will attract a new readership to DC. I think that it could have some setbacks (such as generalized stereotypes) but overall it seems like an interesting idea. It’s something that the Japanese manga publishers have been doing for years.

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According to unofficial Best Buy sources, stores are sitting on their PS3 shipments since 12/21 for a flyer advertisement being released New Year’s Eve (12/31) stating they have a minimum of 25 60GB units per store. Our sources have the number at around 40 per store currently — but it can be more in some locations. One source, using Best Buy’s Retek Store System (RSS), says some stores have 60 units. We will continue to follow this story as more information comes in.

The Best Buy source who sent us the internal memo — originally sent 12/18 and a portion of which you see above — does apologize for the grammar in the email received from his Retail Supply Chain Manager regarding this New Year’s Eve PS3 sale. We’d remove the “rumor” tag from this post if the grammar of our email evidence didn’t send up red flags. If the information does pan out we are happy for those getting a PS3 on New Year’s Eve and we shake our heads at the atrocious use of the English language by this Best Buy manager. We say again that this is still a rumor, but might help explain why those eight PS3s are just sitting in a Best Buy cage instead of being sold.

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Quintura for Kids is a child- and school-friendly version of the Quintura See & Find search engine, which employs a cloud-like environment for conducting web searches.

Search for music, for instance, and related topics (such as jazz, dance and instrument) appear in a “cloud” surrounding the original search term. Click any of those results to narrow the search. Related sites appear in a window in the bottom half of the screen. Although Quintura for Kids doesn’t expressly promise protection from inappropriate material, it’s powered by Yahoo Kids, so all search results should be G-rated.

Don’t confuse this with Quintura Search, a downloadable search client that employs the same kind of cloud-based structure. Quintura for Kids is entirely Web-based.

Quintura for Kids

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According to the original plan by Microsoft, the Xbox 360s are supposed to be shipped with newer, cooler and quieter central processing unit (CPU) starting in April of next year. But the plan is now on hold due to delayed delivery of the more efficient processor by Chartered Semiconductor, one of two contract manufacturers appointed by Microsoft to produced the CPUs.

Existing Xbox 360 CPUs, produced using 90nm process technology, are said to be generating a little bit too much heat and noisy. Using 65nm process technology, the newer CPUs are expected to run more efficiently reducing both noise and heat levels. The smaller chip size is also cheaper to produce which should translate cheaper Xbox price in the future. But, will Microsoft transfer the cost saving to its customers? We will have to wait and see…. unless someone would like to start another online petition before Microsoft even had a chance to raise the price.

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Worried that you are being tracked by big brother everywhere you go, 24/7? I can’t say whether or not that is true, if I tell you the truth they’ll kill me, but I can warn you about getting a new passport. All passports issued by the US State Department after January 1 will have always-on RFID chips (radio frequency identification chips), making it easier for officials – and hackers – to grab your personal stats. These are the same chips used for the “quick pass” systems in your credit cards, tied into clothing for scanning, and are one of the bigger ways Wal-mart came to be a $250 billion business.

So if you weren’t already about credit card identity theft, how about passport identity theft (who knows how much data these chips will hold). Here’s the low down of how to get around the situation (via Wired):

• RFID-tagged passports have a distinctive logo on the front cover; the chip is embedded in the back.
• “Accidentally” leaving your passport in the jeans you just put in the washer won’t work. You’re more likely to ruin the passport itself than the chip.
• Forget about nuking it in the microwave – the chip could burst into flames, leaving telltale scorch marks. Besides, have you ever smelled burnt passport?
• The best approach? Hammer time. Hitting the chip with a blunt, hard object should disable it. A nonworking RFID doesn’t invalidate the passport, so you can still use it.

Oops, did I almost forget to say that tampering/destroying your passport will result in 25 years in jail for you — I take no responsibility. Happy smashing!

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Zipland Interactive recently completed the world’s first research-based psychological computer game designed to help kids from separated or divorce families cope indirectly with the emotional issues that arise from their new reality (7-13 year olds).

“Earthquake in Zipland” is unique in the sense that it deals with a situation no other game has ever dealt with, in a fun yet effective way,” says Chaya Harash, MSW Family Therapist and CEO of Zipland Interactive, with 25 years of experience dealing with family, children, couples and divorce therapy. “Everyone knows that divorce has a terrible impact on the children involved. Now, parents and psychologists have a tool that can actually interact with a child whose parents are separated or divorced, in order to help him handle the drastic changes in his or her life”.

I look forward to seeing how more games can help children deal with large events in their lives. Serious games may not be fun to talk about, but they are very interesting in what they are trying to accomplish.

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