Google disables YouTube in South Korea

Users are unable to upload or comment on the Korean version of the YouTube Web site.

PC World reported Google decided to limit its YouTube portal because of a new law requiring Web sites to disclose the real identity of their users.

The Cyber Defamation Law, which took effect April 1, requires major Web sites to force users to provide their real names and the Korean national ID card number.

As a workaround, Korean users can continue to upload and comment on YouTube by switching their settings to another country.

The law was in response to cyberbullying incidents, which led to a suicide in October 2008 by Choi Jin Sil, a popular Korean actress.

Interesting how South Korea uses laws to deal with cyberbullying. :-T

[From PC World]

Twitter attacked by teenager

This past weekend, Twitter was under attack as the Mikeyy worm infected users’ profiles on the social network.

BBC reported the computer worm was created by Michael Mooney, a 17-year-old student from Brooklyn, N.Y. The worm was used to promote StalkDaily.com, a rival social networking Web site created by Mooney.

The worm would infect users who clicked on the link to the rival Web site. Infected profiles automatically spammed friends following these infected Twitter accounts.

According to Twitter, no personal information was compromised in the attacks. The company may also pursue legal action against Mooney.

Twitter is a popular microblogging social network Web site with more than seven million users.

Hope Twitter will become more secure after this major worm attack. -_-

[From BBC]

GM and Segway show off two-wheeled electric car

 

The Project PUMA prototype taken on a test drive in Manhattan, NY. General Motors and Segway developed the electric two-seat prototype vehicle, which could allow people to travel around cities while cutting down on emissions. Photo from Emile Wamsteker, General Motors.

Looks like Segway’s big brother could be coming to a dealership sometime in the future.

On Tuesday, General Motors and Segway introduced Project PUMA (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility) at the New York Auto Show. The vehicle is considered to be a possible solution for urban dwellers’ transportation needs.

Project PUMA is a two-wheeled electronic vehicle that can carry two or more passengers at up to 35 miles per hour with a range of 35 miles.

Wired reported the concept vehicle will also include social networking, vehicle-to-vehicle communications and autonomous driving and parking.

“We are excited to be working together to demonstrate a dramatically different approach to urban mobility,” said Jim Norrod, CEO of Segway Inc.

“The Project PUMA prototype vehicle embodies this through the combination of advanced technologies that Segway and GM bring to the table to complete the connection between the rider, environment, and others.”

With Project PUMA, we could kiss parallel parking goodbye. :-)

[From Wired]

Use Wii remote to mow lawns

Now you can justify buying a Nintendo Wii to control your lawn mower.

According to PC World, researchers at the University of Southern Denmark modified a Wii Remote to communicate by Bluetooth to a computer control system built into an industrial lawn mower.

To control the mower, the user can tilt the remote to steer and move it in all directions. The lawn mower can also cut the grass by using the remote to set a predetermined area of the lawn.

So now you can use those Wii Tennis skills to mow the lawn ;-P

[From PC World]

AT&T’s new terms of service released, then retracted

Last week, AT&T updated its terms of service for its wireless customers, which some customers had issues with.

The changes prohibited downloading movies through P2P networks, video streaming and using cellphones as wireless modems.

Engadget reported that customers started complaining online and apparently, the company listened.

By last Friday, AT&T sang a different tune, saying that the updated TOS was an error and the offending passages were removed.

Amazing how the Internet can quickly force customers to change a company’s tune ^_^

[GigaOm via Engadget]

Wacom releases Intuos4

Wacom recently introduced their new Intuos4 product line. These new tablets offer 2,048 levels of pressure and the Wacom Tip Sensor to enhance a user’s control of their brush strokes in Photoshop.

Featuring an ambidextrous design for left-handed users, the tablet uses LED illuminated displays to display the functionality of shortcut keys. The Intuous4 also has a Touch Ring, which works similar to a scroll wheel on an iPod and can be used to control zooming, scrolling and canvas rotation. Both the shortcut keys and the Ring can be customized by the user.

The Intuos4 comes in four sizes and costs from $229 for the small model  to $789 for the extra large model.

[From Wacom]

Facebook forced to listen to users, again

Guess Facebook needs to listen to its users more often, again.

Recently, the social networking company rolled out a new design that mimicked Twitter, a popular microblogging service. And some of the users had issues with the redesign.

According to CNET, it looks like Facebook is willing to listen and compromise on some of the redesigns to better service its users. Christopher Cox, Facebook’s Director of Product, posted an official statement on his Facebook blog.

Some of the changes include Live updating, which updates a user’s stream automatically, photo tags, which adds tagged photos of their friends and an improved Highlights section, which will be better tailored to a user’s preferences.

In 2008, Facebook attempted to purchase Twitter for $500 million in stock, but the offer was rejected.

Along with its previous content ownership issue, it looks like 2009 may turn out to be the year of the Facebook Protests. ^^;;

[From CNET]

OnLive takes aim at console, computer gaming market

The Game Developers Conference got a bit lively when an upstart company shot across the bow of the PS3, Xbox 360 and the Wii.

Last night, OnLive showcased their on-demand gaming service at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in California. A live video stream was offered by GameSpot’s On the Spot online show.

Based on customized server hardware and new video compression software, OnLive will allow TVs and computers to play video games on demand. The service promises to offer the latest high-end titles at a better cost value.

Steve Perlman, Founder and CEO of OnLive, led the presentation with COO Mike McGarvey. The company had developed the technology behind the on demand service in secret for the last seven years.

If this actually works out, it would be awesome. :-D

Hope it doesn’t turn into a Phantom though. ^^;;

Twitter ‘business’ plan angers users

Twitter is now popular enough for users to get mad over its “business plan.”

Recently, an article on BBspot claimed that Twitter’s business plan involved charging users for its new premium accounts.

For example, the article claimed that a user could purchase the Sparrow upgrade for a limit of 145 characters and 5 extra random followers at $5 per month or spring for the Eagle account upgrade, which includes a limit of 500 characters and 1,000 extra random followers at $250 per month.

According to the TG Daily, the article was a hoax. But some users still believed that it was real, resulting in angry responses.

Twitter is a poplar microblogging Web site used by people, businesses and even the Phoenix Mars Lander to communicate with their followers.

I have to admit, when I first read this article, I had to read it a second time before I realized the article was a fake. ^^;;

[BBspot via TG Daily]

Gmail offers a ‘Undo Send’ option

Did you just send an e-mail with an attachment that shouldn’t have been attached? If you have Gmail, you now have five seconds to travel back in time to undo that e-mail.

According to Wired, instead of using a flux capacitor, you can use Google’s recently announced “Undo Send” option to correct that mistake before it become one. This feature, available through Gmail Labs, puts a five second hold on outgoing e-mails.

Enable this handy feature by clicking on the green flask bottle on top of the screen or by going to Settings and clicking on the Labs tab.

The undo option will not recall e-mails that have already been sent by Gmail.

Nice to know that those Google guys consider nearly every possibility when updating Gmail. X-D

[Gmail Blog via Wired]