Gaming for a million dollars

Ever wondered where the time went after playing addictive games such as Bejewled? Curious just how much more productive you could have been if only you had uninstalled Solitaire from you PC? Now you don't have to find an answer. SkillJam, a subsidiary of Fun Technologies, is giving away US$1 million (S$1,706,000) to the top players of casual games.

Casual games are addictive yet simple to learn. Despite being repetitive, Bejeweled 2, Zuma and Solitaire stimulate the mind instead of your trigger finger. And you do not even need an incredibly high-end system to run these game titles. The simple gameplay hides the strategic efforts needed to reach the elite levels. Players will be competing online and the top scorers will be playing in the finals to be held live at Los Angeles.

And the best part? The winner of this event can thumb his nose at those who had to endure being backstabbed on remote islands or having to travel around the world with a whining partner for the same prize money.

VHS lives on--just barely

English inventor James Larsson gave an aging video cassette recorder a new lease of life by converting it into an automatic cat feeder, using the VCR's timer to dispense food on a regular schedule.
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Honey, I blew a hundred grand on a virtual property

According to CNN, Jon Jacobs from Miami purchased a space station for only US$100,000 (S$170,605). But before you think this is some sort of scam (think star-naming companies), the property in question exists only in the virtual game, Project Entropia. Actually, since you at least get a paper "certificate" after naming a star, some may think that Jocabs was not really playing with all his marbles when signing the deal.

Despite the seemingly inane investment choice, we can't really fault his line of thinking. With potential epidemics, natural disasters and bombings appearing in the news on a daily basis, putting money in a place which is essentially immune from physical damage could be the wave of the future. Jocabs intends to convert the space station into a resort populated with interesting dinosaur-like monsters. To further enhance the safari-like atmosphere, visitors are given the license to kill and keep the carcasses for profit. Jacobs estimates that his virtual resort should generate a real income of around US$20,000 monthly.

But this is not exactly revolutionary. Non-gold standard-based currency depends on society's perceived value in order to function as an unit of exchange. This unique form of virtual investment relies on the perception of value by other players in this imaginary world to make real profit. Hopefully, this erasing of the boundaries between reality and fantasy doesn't cross over to first person shooters. Otherwise, funeral homes will be making a tidy profit after every major gaming event.

LCoS resurrection

With a rough start behind its back, the liquid crystal on silicon or LCoS technology is posed to make a comeback with its new alliance between Brillian and the fast-growing, low-cost LCD television maker Syntax.
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Acer Aspire E600

Since the launch of Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center Edition, relatively few computers were available which utilizes this version of Windows. Despite the promise of replacing your home entertainment setup, AV buffs prefer dedicated components for their movies and music, while the rest do not need more than a set of stereo speakers, DVD drive and a PC running the usual flavor of Windows XP.