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Comment Re:Well, (Score 1) 57

If Ewoks could be an effective part of taking down the shield generators on the forest moon of Endor, imagine what Tribbles would have done.

As much as it pains me to say it, in a battle between two old guys in easy chairs on the command decks of their respective flagships, the UFP wins.

Comment Re:Well that's stupid. (Score 1) 495

Not the point at all. If you consider MoH and Half-Life to be in the same genre, I can see where the problem is, because other than FPS they are not. Sci-fi games can make up their own vocabulary and reuse military jargon as they see fit. Why should I buy a game who's terminology indicates that the multiplayer component is only a training exercise generally played out with MILES gear or paintballs? I may as well get Police Trainer.
A game designed, advertised, and sold as either an historical or modern reality based combat FPS really shouldn't try to redefine a term already in use by the military depicted. Or did the "F" in FNG for Call of Duty 4's first mission change to "Frakking" between when I first enlisted (and was the fucking new guy) and now?

Comment Re:Well that's stupid. (Score 1) 495

The use of "opposing force" or OPFOR changes the muliplayer component from squad based combat to squad based combat training. The designation OPFOR is for a unit simulating the enemy for training purposes. The game may not be ruined, but it is drastically altered by the use of the term "opposing force."

United States

Submission + - Forensics Expert says Al-Qaeda Images Altered

WerewolfOfVulcan writes: Wired reports that researcher Neal Krawetz revealed some veeeeeery interesting things about the Al-Qaeda images that our government loves to show off.

From the article: "Krawetz was also able to determine that the writing on the banner behind al-Zawahiri's head was added to the image afterward. In the second picture above showing the results of the error level analysis, the light clusters on the image indicate areas of the image that were added or changed. The subtitles and logos in the upper right and lower left corners (IntelCenter is an organization that monitors terrorist activity and As-Sahab is the video production branch of al Qaeda) were all added at the same time, while the banner writing was added at a different time, likely around the same time that al-Zawahiri was added, Krawetz says." Why would Al-Qaeda add an IntelCenter logo to their video? Why would IntelCenter add an Al-Qaeda logo? Methinks we have bigger fish to fry than Gonzo and his fired attorneys... }:-) The article contains links to Krawetz's presentation and the source code he used to analyze the photos.
Robotics

Submission + - DARPA artificial arm comes with VR training

An anonymous reader writes: The first prototype of an artificial limb commissioned by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency can reportedly be controlled naturally, provide sensory feedback and allows for eight degrees of freedom — way beyond the current state of the art for prosthetic limbs. Oh yeah, it also has its own VR environement to learn how to use it.

Feed Xbox 360 Elite arrives - unboxing, comparison ensues (engadget.com)

Filed under: Features, Gaming

Well, our Xbox 360 Elite finally arrived! We're not going to spoil the moment with a lot of words, so check out all our photos (including comparison shots to the original, now completely obsolete Xbox 360), and stay tuned for more coverage.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!


PlayStation (Games)

Sony To Expand Commercial Uses of PS3 68

Sony is considering proposals from commercial distributed computing concerns, mulling over rolling out more Folding@Home-like clients to their PlayStation 3 consoles. Gamasutra reports on a Financial Times article, discussing the future of the system. Because they would be commercial and not charitable organizations, the company is considering some form of compensation for users who would participate. "Sony Computer Entertainment CTO Masa Chatani indicated in an interview that Sony had already received numerous inquiries. 'A start-up or a pharmaceutical company that lacks a super-computer could utilize this kind of infrastructure. We are discussing various options with companies and exploring commercial applications', he said."
Robotics

Submission + - Hobbyist One-Ups Sandia Labs

An anonymous reader writes: A robotics hobbyist has created what he claims is the world's smallest autonomous robot. The robot is half the volume of the robots produced by Sandia National Labs in 2001, moves quite a bit faster, and was made using techniques and supplies accessible to anyone.

Feed Misclassified For Centuries, Medicinal Leeches Found To Be 3 Distinct Species (sciencedaily.com)

Genetic research has revealed that commercially available medicinal leeches used around the world in biomedical research and postoperative care have been misclassified for centuries. Until now, the leeches were assumed to be the species Hirudo medicinalis, but new research reveals they are actually a closely related but genetically distinct species, Hirudo verbana.

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