Computers and Xbox For Guns

MEXICO CITY
(Reuters)

Police have launched a program in the notorious inner-city barrio of Tepito, which police stormed last month, city police chief Joel Ortega said anyone who turns in a high-caliber weapon like a machine gun will get a computer. Owners can swap smaller guns for cash or Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox video-game consoles under the plan.

Newly elected Mayor Marcelo Ebrard has moved quickly to restore order to the chaotic capital by going after well-known crime dens and clearing the city's narrow streets of informal vendors whose stalls have blocked sidewalks for years.

His moves echo those of new conservative President Felipe Calderon, who since December has ordered the military into several states infested by ruthless drug gangs who killed about 2,000 people last year.

Organizers say they have 100 computers ready for the first wave of the program, each worth 8,500 pesos ($769) and equipped with software donated by Microsoft. On the first day, Olayo said the city received 17 guns, including 12 from Tepito
If successful, the program will be extended to Iztapalapa, another area targeted by police where last week 800 officers expropriated a six-block neighborhood filled with stores selling parts torn from stolen cars.

Guns that are handed over will be destroyed by the army. The city promised to protect their owners' anonymity.

Imagine a future where teenagers from all walks of life are inspired to achieve their dreams and goals.

Mind Games

Hasn’t there been at least a couple of times you wished you had the power to move things with your mind? However no matter how hard you concentrated the person in front of you kept talking relentlessly. Gamers will soon be given the power to move things with their minds…in a game world at least.

Emotiv Systems has developed a neural-processing technology that lets players control game environments with their minds alone. Sensors in the helmet pick up on electric signals from the brain. The system software analyzes the signals and then wirelessly relays what it detects to a receiver, which is plugged into the USB port of a game console or PC.

Just as motion control has opened up a whole new world of interaction and gaming experiences, so could thought control gaming lead to a whole new host of innovative titles such a Drunk Auto Theft or Who Will Be The Next American Jedi?

The prototype device looks sort of like a smaller version of Professor X’s Cerebro and is designed to take video games to the next level. As with handwriting or voice recognition, the machine itself has a learning curve, improving as it better understands what the player is thinking, but there is also a skill level involving visualization on the part of the gamer.

The system seems to work best with children and those open to believing in their capability, according to Randy Breen, Emotiv's chief product officer.

"We have had a number of kids try the equipment, and they often get the best results right away," Breen said. "Part of that is because the kid doesn't have the same kind of barriers as an adult does. Lots of kids can fantasize about moving a cup and believe it."

Adults, on the other hand, are more restrictive in their thinking and therefore have a obstacle to believing that they can do something out of the ordinary, Breen said.

I have to admit that I find it amusing that Emotiv Systems has focused they’re first mind control product for gamers instead of some nobler cause such as helping quadriplegics or even enabling us to translate cat thoughts. I for one would love to know why they choose to sit on the laps of people who are allergic to them.

Cats thoughts will have to wait as Emotiv is not yet ready to announce any partnerships. However they did announce that they are developing its technology for use in other industries, including medicine, security, market research, and interactive television.

Nowadays everybody is talking about Xbox and Nintendo Wii’s revolutionary controller, but what may be on everybody’s mind in the near future is the Emotiv System. However… lets not get too carried away, the last thing I want is a Demolition Man kind of Vir-Sex.

Game Consoles Have Earned Their Place In The Living Room

The average household entertainment axis now consists of a television, DVD player and a gaming console. The Nielsen Company announced a Press Release that said their study conducted between 2004 and 2006 found 41.1 percent of households have gaming consoles. In the fourth quarter of 2006 there were 45.7 million homes with video game consoles, compared to 43 million in 2005, and 38.6 million the previous year.

"The video game console has become a major player in the battle for the living room," according to Nielsen's vice president of wireless and interactive services, Jeff Herrmann.

"In households across the country, consoles are successfully competing for consumers' time and attention; not simply as gaming platforms, but as multimedia hubs that also can deliver high quality digital movies and IPTV."

What about online gaming?

World of Warcraft is still the dominating force of online gaming, but Second Life’s real time second life is catching up and Microsoft announced today that Xbox now has more than 6 million gamers worldwide connected to Xbox LIVE. This was a goal they set last year at the E3 convention and have now accomplished four months ahead of schedule. Nintendo introduced three new titles and Activision has now jumped into the web with they’re online gaming investment by acquiring DemonWare.

What will be interesting to see is a study of online games in the household. While gaming consoles have earned their rightful place next to the DVD player, online games have continued to build popularity with bigger, better and more realistic worlds.

Obviously, the demographics of console ownership was partial to age and gender lines - males between 12 and 17 being the group most likely to have access to a console at home, while males between 18 and 34 recorded the second highest penetration level, at 67.7 per cent.

If your feeling any shameful geek thoughts for playing with your Nintendo Wii or Xbox on a Saturday night, let it go because you're not alone.

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