NEW MAC MOUSE
Apple Computer introduced this week its first computer mouse with multiple buttons, including four sensors and a tiny scroll ball. Although a departure from the company s traditional mouse, the Mighty Mouse looks very similar to the single-button model Apple has long produced. The most obvious difference is the relatively tiny scroll ball at the mouse s head, which can move cursors diagonally as well as up and down across display screens and can be pressed to click functions. In lieu of actual buttons beyond the scroll ball, the optical-scanning mouse has four sensors that can be programmed for multiple actions, just like the left and right buttons on many PC mouses. Mighty Mouse, which connects via a USB port, will retail for $49. It is PC-compatible but won t be able to move your cursor diagonally in Microsoft s Windows.
DIGITAL SPECS
After three years of study, Hollywood studios have agreed on a technical specification to deliver digital movies to theaters. Digital cinema promises crisper, clearer films for theatergoers. A digital print of a film is pristine no matter how many times it is shown, unlike traditional 35mm film prints, which develop pops, crackles and other blemishes over time. Going digital also promises millions of dollars in savings for the studios, which would no longer have to make and distribute the costly prints. Digital Cinema Initiatives, a joint venture created by studios, said Wednesday that it had completed final requirements and specifications that can now be used by equipment makers to manufacture compatible systems. A uniform specification levels the playing field for manufacturers, which should encourage competition and make the systems more affordable, according to DCI. Digital projection systems are expensive. A projector alone can range from $75,000 to $120,000. Theater owners have said studios should pay because they will see the greatest savings from going digital. Studios have so far balked at footing the bill to outfit the nation s screens with the costly systems.
GLOW LAMP
As incongruous as it may sound, a Colorado company has developed glow-in-the-dark lamps. The Glow-lux fluorescent tubes from American Environmental Products shine normally when plugged in. When they are turned off or the power goes out, they glow with a dim, eery blue-green light. For an hour, that glow is strong enough to be useful as emergency lighting. The inventor, Charles Bolta, initially developed the tubes for nuclear submarines. Now he is trying to interest the government in installing the lights in subways, embassies and other potential terrorist targets.
DATE BLOCK
The University of Texas didn t violate the free-speech rights of an online dating service when it blocked thousands of unsolicited e-mails, a federal appeals court says. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also found that although White Buffalo Ventures LLC, which operates LonghornSingles.com, complied with the requirements of the federal anti-spam law, known as CAN-SPAM, the university can still set its own anti-spam policy. White Buffalo had sued the university over 59,000 messages blocked by spam filters in 2003. The Austin-based service had legally obtained the addresses from UT but the university blocked the e-mail messages, saying White Buffalo was part of a larger spam problem that had crashed the computer system. The court, in a ruling Tuesday, determined that White Buffalo complied with federal law and that its e-mails were not illegal. However, CAN-SPAM does not supersede protection measures employed by an Internet service provider, and the court interpreted ISPs to include the university.
FAIR GAMING
GameRiot hits the Ohio State Fair through August 14 giving gamers the chance to play the hottest new XBOX titles, and preview unreleased games on over 70 state-of-the-art gaming stations. There are competitions every hour (Halo 2, Ms. Pacman, Tony Hawk s Underground 2, and more).
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First Published August 5, 2005, 2:54 p.m.
