Avatars with emotions 
Anyone who’s played through a game like Microsoft’s Fable II (who can forget your virtual dog?), BioWare’s Mass Effect (with its robust roster of non-playable characters) or seen Sony’s upcoming Heavy Rain (whose developer, Quantic Dream, promises a new type of relationship between player and character) may have wondered to themselves whether gaming, [...]

 
The Microsoft Xbox 360 uses 3-D camera technology
The ultimate computer game that banishes handheld controls and allows players’ gestures to dictate the action on screen is to be launched by Microsoft.

Jars holding the aromas. Realistic smells could soon be added to video games.  
It is one of the most memorable lines in movie history. As the air around him is rent by explosions and the whiz of bullets, Colonel Kilgore stands nonchalantly with hands on hips, sniffs the acrid breeze and declares: ‘I love the smell [...]

Nottage G-1 Pool Table 
“Vitrik.” That’s the name of the patented coating that allows the Nottage G-1 pool table to be a pool table. Made of toughened glass, the table’s surface with the Vitrik coating on it mimics the rolling resistance of felt, meaning that although it looks like you’re just playing on glass, the balls [...]

Volcano boarding 
A group of thrill-seekers have developed a ‘hot’ new adrenaline sport called ‘volcano boarding’, in which participants race at speeds of up to 50mph down the side of an active volcano.  

 
The former treasurer of a University of Wisconsin-Madison fraternity blamed an addiction to video games for his alleged theft of more than $12,000 from the fraternity’s coffers, according to a criminal complaint.
As reported by the Wisconsin State Journal, Jose Tavarez confessed to authorities that he used a fraternity debit card to buy games and computer [...]

Contestants on Jeopardy 
This highly successful television quiz show is the latest challenge for artificial intelligence.

 Music Phone
Design firm Pilotfish unveiled on Monday plans to make an advanced music phone, hoping to tap untested demand for music editing on the go. (Pics)

Have you had your dose of Scarygirl today?

In 2000, Australian artist Nathan Jurevicius created a character named Scarygirl, a cute but slightly odd little girl who has a giant octopus as a guardian, and thought of a game. Flash forward nine years later, he has finally finished it.
If you haven’t checked it out before, do [...]

Lego Space Shuttle  
I’m almost a little embarrassed to admit that I first thought this was a photo of a real space shuttle. Two Japanese LEGOsmiths used a whopping 65,000 bricks and 1,590 man hours to complete the stunning diorama, which even simulates a launch with flashing lights under the boosters and a vocal countdown. [...]

 
 Keep old toys living in a new environment.
In the ongoing economic recession, when you have no guarantee of how long your job’s intact, the very last thing that you want is extra expenditure. But with kids at home, it is probably impossible to avert. His demand for a new toy is probably sending you wild [...]

 
 A Second Life avatar in WWF’s Conservation Island.
Linden Lab chief executive Mark Kingdon shakes his head when he sees news stories heralding the demise of former Internet darling Second Life.

WHAT A RUSH!!!
 

There’s an odd fad taking off (jumping off?) in Russia: jumping off a bridge en masse after tethering yourself to a rope! For even more fun, wait till the train is passing by …
(more photos after jump)

Sheesh put the controller down for once in your life or at least hit pause
“A new skin disorder caused by use of games consoles has been identified by skin specialists. The condition, dubbed “PlayStation palmar hidradenitis”, is described in the British Journal of Dermatology.

See what happens when Springsteen shows his nipples?
 

Check out this neat interactive graphic of Twitter chatter during the Super Bowl. You can move the slider to see what people were tweeting during each minute of the game. Mouseover to find out what part of the country tweeted these words. Select subjects on the left to [...]

The Rubik’s Cube folks figured out a way to make the simple puzzle even more maddening than before. For Graham Parker, the guy who took 26 years to solve the original, this is bad news.

Here is a movie showing some freestyle underwater hockey 
A little known sport, underwater hockey is what some divers like to do during the winter months when the outside water is too cold for diving. The sport was invented in Great Britain during the 1950’s when some British divers were looking for ways to stay fit [...]

 
Is there anything the iPhone can’t do?

 
Board Game CLUE 
A newly developed mathematical model that figures out the best strategy to win the popular board game CLUE© could some day help robot mine sweepers navigate strange surroundings to find hidden explosives.

 
 Media Vehicle Pod
Thanks to a new device called the Media Vehicle we now know what the future control-pods allowing us to manipulate our giant, super strong, battle robots will look like. Although the prototype unit can currently only accommodate an operator weighing up to 132 pounds, the first iteration of the Media Vehicle is impressive.

 
 
A new study connects young adults’ use of video games to poorer relationships with friends and family – and the student co-author expresses disappointment at his own findings.

 
 Mind Flex
Putting a ball through a hoop is no big deal, unless you’re using your brain to do it.

 
Playing golf can make you deaf, say doctors, who warned that golfers using latest generation of titanium drivers should wear earplugs to protect them from noise.

 
 Wall Street Guru Ball
Well so far 2009 looks, feels and tastes a lot like 2008 did. So you can color me unimpressed. But I guess a new year does give a lot of people the chance to turn over a new leaf. And if your new years resolution list happens to include “significantly increase financial [...]