“No Time-Travel,” Says Chinese Government

New guidelines set forth by the State Administration of Radio Film and Television in China take aim at science fiction, supernatural and mythological plot-lines in television and radio programs. Specifically, the government claims to be concerned about upholding the mores of Chinese heritage, which they say discourage “fantasy, time-travel, random compilations of mythical stories, bizarre plots, absurd techniques, even propagating feudal superstitions, fatalism and reincarnation, ambiguous moral lessons, and a lack of positive thinking.”

Suggested alternatives, just in time for the 90th anniversary of the establishment of the Chinese Communist Party, include reproductions of the Chinese revolution and historical pieces with emphasis on construction and reform. (One can also assume that martial arts programs are still okay.)

In China, all media is tightly controlled to prevent challenges to political authority. Though the country’s constitution extends the rights of free speech and press, China’s laws regarding state secrets are vaguely-worded and ambiguous–a tactic designed to allow government control of the freedoms of speech and press under the blanket excuse of protecting classified information. In fact, “the definition of state secrets … fails to comply with international human rights standards,” says the nongovernmental advocacy group Human Rights in China.

What do these new guidelines mean for currently-running shows that now defy state mandates on appropriate viewing material? Well, past examples show that detention, harassment, property destruction, and violence aren’t out of the question, since 178 individual cases of such interference were reported in 2008. Stations and newspapers that run controversial content are routinely fined and seized by governing bodies.

So, in short, looks like there won’t be any reruns of “Back to the Future” running on China Central Television.

[source: 1 | 2]



Use Your Mind to Dial the Phone

In yet another thought-controlled technology breakthrough, researchers from the University of California in San Diego have developed a Bluetooth device that allows the wearer to dial a phone by concentrating on the numbers they would normally just input manually.

The days of the old-fashioned “actually touch the phone” method of dialing are not gone, however. It’s not as easy as just thinking “555-5309”: the process involves headgear and electrodes, a screen with flashing numerals, and time. It’s a slow process that exhibits only 70-85% accuracy at this stage, so don’t expect an app for that anytime soon.

The goals of the project are more far-reaching than simply making the oh-so-tedious act of dialing a number less strenuous: researchers are aiming to improve all-over brain computer interface technology, making it more accessible and applicable to everyday gadgets–a development that could potentially improve communications for those with physical limitations.

The full report is available on IOPscience for free.

[source]

The Awesome Art of Christopher Bennett [Pics]

While I was browsing geekleetist today (one of my favorite tumblr blog, be sure to check this one out!), I stumbled on a post pointing to Christopher Bennett’s Etsy shop, and boy was I pleased by what I saw in there. Christopher Bennett, aka Mechamonkey on Etsy, is a Glendale, CA-based artist who works full time as an animator, but makes fabulous illustrations during his spare time at night. Three words to decribe his work? Geeky, sexy, and just plain awesome.

Captain William Adama

Six

Executive Officer Saul Tigh

Mech Pilot

Anna from V

I Love Music

All of Christopher’s illustrations are available for purchase in his shop, but they’re available in limited quantity, so if you’re interested in a certain piece, be sure to snatch it up before it’s gone for good! You can also check his Deviantart art gallery right here.



Shaun of the Dead: Done in 60 Seconds [Video]

Check out this awesome 60-second re-creation of Shaun of the Dead, animated Scott Pilgrim-style, by Youtube user Pippinopalon.

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes [Official Trailer]

Set in present day San Francisco, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes tells the story that leads to the end of humanity as we know it, as depicted by the previously released Planet of the Apes series.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes will hit the big screens on August 5th, 2011

[Via]

“Demise of the PC” May Simply Be Semantics

Worldwide PC sales figures have taken a tumble — and everyone has an explanation why.

Two separate estimates show the same pattern in sales figures for January through March this year, compared with the same period in 2010. IDC estimates there were 80.6 million shipments worldwide, down 3.2%, while Gartner puts the total at 84.3 million, a 1.1% drop on its own figures.

Things are even more dramatic for US shipments, where IDC puts the figure at 16.1 million (down 10.7%,) while Gartner has the same number (though that’s a 6.1% drop on its 2010 figure.)

To clarify a couple of points: shipments aren’t necessarily the same as sales, though in the long run the two tend to be closely related (if models don’t sell, there’s no need to ship replacement stock); and it’s obvious there’s a fair margin of error in the calculations of both companies, though there’s clearly a definite downwards movement.

Is this really significant rather than just a blip? Well, perhaps more than it might seem. The worldwide figures at least should in normal circumstances always be increasing even if demand remains consistent: developing nations get richer, meaning more people are in a position to buy a PC; and the costs of producing technology such as PCs is usually falling, meaning either that prices drop or companies can offer buyers a better machine for the same price.

So what’s the cause? The most obvious factor appears to be the effects of the tough economy on US buyers. Indeed, Gartner noted that the drop in sales to consumers was pretty horrendous, and things would have been much worse if it wasn’t for business sales holding up.

Another factor may be that sales figures this time last year may have been slightly artificially high thanks to the release of Windows 7 a few months earlier: it’s certainly possible a lot of people planning to buy a new machine had put plans on hold rather than buy something running Vista.

But the real X factor is the iPad. Both sets of figures cover all the traditional forms of PC (desktop, notebook, netbook) but exclude tablets. And at first glance the figures add up. The original iPad has sold an estimated 15 million: take away the initial sales bump and you’re probably talking in the region of three million sales between January and March, which is right around the drop in PC sales from IDC.

My gut response is that even if the numbers tally up, it doesn’t sound right: after all, while I expect most of us know somebody who has an iPad, we don’t know many people who’ve gone as far as to ditch PCs altogether.

But a close look at the figures of both companies shows that by far the biggest loser among manufacturers is Acer: a worldwide drop of 12% or 15% depending on the source, and a US decline of either 24% or 42%.

Given Acer’s product lines, that suggests to me that there’s a strong likelihood that iPad sales are coming at the expense of netbooks and the cheaper notebook PCs. In other words, the chances are this isn’t a case of people ditching the “house computer” for a tablet, but rather that the iPad is taking some of the market for the second machine: the one that’s used more for casual web browsing on the sofa than “real computing.”

If that’s the case, then the whole affair may simply be a matter of terminology: while it may be argued that a netbook is a PC and a device such as the iPad isn’t, it’s entirely possible that for the “lost PC buyers” there isn’t any practical difference. And if that’s the case, the number of people buying a processor-based machine that meets their needs hasn’t actually fallen at all.