The naughty spammers have been sent packing and comments are really back.
Now might be the time to assess your public behavioural traits because troops of omniscient Google cameras are invading our cities. After launching Google Maps for Australia in May, the process of capturing images to supplement Street View, a feature that has already immortalised countless gems from public streets and pavements, has officially begun.
Google will endeavour to mask or remove identifiable faces and licence plates in a bid to appease privacy activists, with Google Australia’s head of corporate communications Rob Shilkin assuring: We’re giving very considerable thought to how best to safeguard Australian’s privacy, including consulting experts and community groups, while enabling all Australians to benefit from this new feature.
Capital cities are being recorded over the summer and the images are likely to be available for viewing from the second half of next year.
Let us know if you see the Google vehicles in action. [news.com.au]
After months of being bombarded with party rhetoric from both sides, it’s finally over. Australia has decided: Coonan is out. Our first internet election focused almost obsessively on the highly politicised issue of broadband and, despite promises of detailed proposals early in the campaign, neither party clearly outlined their policies on the wider aspects of information and communications technology.
The change of government will hardly pave the way for a new era in ICT in this country. Labor has pledged to spend almost $5 billion of taxpayer funds on a new national fibre-to-the-node network capable of reaching 98 per cent of Australians, with a vision to provide every school with connection speeds of 100Mbps. But is that two per cent too little? Will that become five billion of taxpayers’ dollars spent on infrastructure that would have privately funded anyway?
At least now, Telstra can place its litigious focus on a new minister. The national telco’s relationship with the previous government had been palpably worsening despite declarations from Helen Coonan of otherwise. The peacekeeping machinations of the ALP have already avowed a fresh start in the relationship between the government and Australia’s telcos.
The coming months will hopefully reveal proposals that respond to the challenges of infrastructure, skills and innovation in the industry. Watch this space!
Asus has apparently altered the underlying Linux kernel in their new and popular eeePC. As per the Linux General Public Licence, they are required to provide the necessary source code for any such modifications. Guess what? They forgot to distribute the code.
newVideoPlayer("computar_gizmodo.flv", 475, 376);
The LCDetar may be the ultimate laptop mod. By sticking an aging laptop into a guitar, a pretty standard music visualisation display transcends to rock god status. Now if we could only fit a laptop into our Rock Band controller…and if our Rock Band controller could only produce music without the game… [techeblog]
On Friday we got to spend a little ‘quality time’ with the awesomely awesome Honda ASIMO. We’re going to run a few clips this week showing just how awesome the little guy is. Here’s a clip of the rockstar entrance ASIMO makes at the start of each show. The audio sucks because I was standing right beside speakers that were absolutely cranking, and the school kids were LOVING it! That music? “Robot Rock”, Daft Punk. Well played, Honda!
The last set of shows on his Australian tour take place this coming weekend in Parramatta. Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Hit the ASIMO website for details. [ASIMO Australian Tour]
It’s not often you get to write your own epitaph, so you’ll excuse me if it comes off as not so humble.
Over the past eight months we’ve built the bedrock for the Australian edition of Giz, and thanks to you we’re now the second biggest foreign edition, punching well above our population weight. We were told there’d be no need for an AU edition by a number of critics, and I’m comfortable saying now we’ve proved them wrong. There’s a hell of a lot more to do here, too. In one sense I’m sad to leave with so many ideas yet to be put into action. On the other hand, with so much more on the table for the next Ed, I’m confident Giz AU is going to keep growing at the awesome rate we’ve seen since launch.
You’ll see the Zombie Séamus appear a few times here in coming days, but don’t be alarmed. It’s just the death rattle, like a chook running loose post decapitation. Mmmm… chicken…
So thanks again. Love youse. Miss youse already. -SB
Now the election’s done and dusted (phew!), it’s back to the gadgetfest:
The Kindle – tested where it matters How does it work on the throne?
Rock Band: PC edition The PS3 kit’s almost plug and play
Newgen modems take on fibre Testing starts on 160/120Mbps cable boxes
Plus: Carphones have *never* been this big What was playing on this bank robber’s iPod? Giz US continues its post-Thanksgiving bargain hunt
Windows are great, you can see things out of them, they shed light and they bring the cool breeze to you. Makoto Hirhara’s Bright Blind tries to bring some of these comforts to barren, windowless walls. The Bright Blind hangs on your wall and is constructed from electroluminescent sheets. The light dispersed gives the impression sunlight is creeping in, much like a real blind covered window would do.
Even the jewellers at Tiffany’s would be impressed by the mix of precious stones and metals thrown into this PS2 controller neck pendant. The ridiculously geeky piece is constructed from 18k white gold, with 68.34ct of black diamonds lining the controller’s surface.
