I'm not much of a gamer, I suppose, but I like having a video game console around, especially with two kids and a few months in the summer where it's nearly unbearable to be outside. We bought a Wii when the console came out and at first, the novelty of motion-detection controlling and the ability to download cheap old-school games was enough to keep me happy, even with the vastly technically superior XBox 360 and Playstation 3 out there. We had fun with Wii Fit when it came out, enjoyed playing Mario Kart, but then the games sort of stopped coming and what was available was largely a watered down version of what was available for the other systems. Now, we use the Wii to stream Netflix movies and to play Dr. Mario now and then. There are better games available for my phone right now than for the Wii, which makes me a little irritated that I bought the thing in the first place.

So, I'm a little skeptical of the Wii U, mostly because they're asking me to buy another (likely somewhat expensive) system that seems really cool upfront, but might end up being an expensive novelty down the road as gaming technology passes Nintendo's creation by. For now, the touchscreen controller is unlike anything else out there, seemingly providing a more immersive gaming experience. Until late 2012 when the system is actually available and there's some sense of how game developers will use the technology, I doubt I'll be likely to buy an expensive system just to play a fancier version of Mario Kart.

In Tennessee, if you share your Netflix password with someone, you could face a year in jail and a $2,500 fine. While it makes sense that if someone is using the service, they should probably pay for it, that's sort of an ominously abusive penalty for letting your neighbor watch an episode of Dexter on his laptop. Yes, the lawmakers who passed the bill and the industry that wrote it say that they're intending to go after people sharing or selling passwords en masse - but the bill seems to allow prosecution of well-meaning individuals, so what's to keep that for happening other than the assurance of a few individuals?

State lawmakers in country music's capital have passed a groundbreaking measure that would make it a crime to use a friend's login — even with permission — to listen to songs or watch movies from services such as Netflix or Rhapsody.

The bill, which has been signed by the governor, was pushed by recording industry officials to try to stop the loss of billions of dollars to illegal music sharing. They hope other states will follow.

The legislation was aimed at hackers and thieves who sell passwords in bulk, but its sponsors acknowledge it could be employed against people who use a friend's or relative's subscription.

[...]

Stealing $500 or less of entertainment would be a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of $2,500. Theft with a higher price tag would be a felony, with heavier penalties.

[...]

The recording industry, a major taxpayer in Tennessee, loses money when users share accounts for music services instead of paying separately.

Bill Ramsey, a Nashville lawyer who practices both entertainment law and criminal defense, said that he doubts the law would be used to ban people in the same household from sharing subscriptions, and that small-scale violations involving a few people would, in any case, be difficult to detect. But "when you start going north of 10 people, a prosecutor might look and say, `Hey, you knew it was stealing,'" Ramsey said.

Music industry officials said they usually catch people who steal and resell logins in large quantities because they advertise.

Among the measure's critics is public defender David Doyle, who said the wording is too vague and overly broad. He said an "entertainment subscription" could be interpreted to mean a magazine subscription or a health club membership.

Yes, you'll have to download Google's Chrome browser if you haven't already, but the way things are going you're probably be required to have Google Everything sooner or later, so why not just submit now, play some Angry Birds while pretending to be working, and just relax. It's Thursday, the day I call Friday-Xtra. Plus, there are levels exclusive to Chrome that aren't on the three other Angry Birds games you already have on your phone! What will they think of next?

We imagine that we'll all be commuting to work with jetpacks like this in the future. For now, we have to settle for watching Yves Rossy scoot across the Grand Canyon.

Just in case you were using long-outdated Friendster to store photographed memories of your 2002 family reunion, now's the time to try to remember what email and password you used on that site ages ago:

Before MySpace and Facebook, there was Friendster, a pioneering social networking website for consumers. First launched in 2002, Friendster attracted tens of millions of users over the years, but it never quite grew into the online juggernaut it could have been.

Having raised close to $50 million in venture capital, Friendster was acquired by Malaysian payments company MOL Global at the end of 2009 for a reported $40 million.

Fast forward to today, and it looks like Friendster won’t be so much about sharing with friends anymore. In a message to registered members (hat tip to @Mazi), the company is asking all users to install a custom application to export all their profile data, as most of it will be unequivocally deleted on May 31, 2011.

On the help forum, Friendster encourages all users to use the ‘Friendster Exporter’ app to download or export their profile information, friends list, photos, messages, comments, testimonials, shoutouts, blogs and groups. Options include porting content to Flickr or Multiply.

On May 31, Friendster will move to wipe out all photos, blogs, comments and groups uploaded or created by its users. The company will, however, keep all accounts alive, along with user friends lists, games details and basic profile information.

[Techcrunch]

The internet seemingly exists to create largely useless but amusing websites, and I think the Mayors of the Waffle House site definitely fulfills both requirements. Two things I've learned: some guy named Miguel G. really likes Waffle Houses, and that it will only take three check-ins (and signing up for Foursquare, I guess) for me to take over as Mayor of the Waffle House by the Tucson Weekly's offices.

This is another step in our effort to cyborg us all. We now offer a beta test version of our Club Crawl app, which can be accessed by downloading the Layar app (the augmented reality engine) through your Android, iPhone, Symbian or Bada (???) phone. Sorry, Blackberries.

For the time being, you need to download the Layar app to gain access to our goods. Using Layar, search for "Club Crawl." Adding it as a favorite would be a handy touch.

Once the layer is loaded, the locations of Club Crawl participants are overlaid on top of your reality so you no longer have to carry around a map or schedule. You can still forget where you parked (guilty here), although that's an idea for a future release.

If you would like, please send in your photos and comments to [email protected]. These will be put on the app as long as geolocation coordinates are included either in the photo's metadata (usually automatically applied if GPS is enabled on your phone) or if you choose to sorta kinda pinpoint your location using a tool like http://itouchmap.com/latlong.html (find the location of the photo and send the latitude and longitude coordinates).

Email any questions to [email protected]

Nikon's latest prosumer D5100 DSLR has just been leaked. The D5100's sensor has been bumped up from the 12 megapixel D5000 to 16.2 megapixels. It is capable of shooting 1080p HD video at 30 fps and 24 fps for those wanting a more "cinema" feeling. There's still no 60p option like many Canon DSLRs. The D5100 will be Nikon's second DSLR with continuous autofocus to make it easier to shoot with than many of today's video-equipped DSLRs that forces you to focus manually. It also has an ISO range from 100 to 6,400 and an updated articulating 3", 921,000-dot LCD screen that swivels out to the side, similar to the recently released Canon 60d. The D5100 comes with an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR kit lens and will cost $899.95 CAD. The official U.S. price has not been announced but it should be about the same as what our Canadian neighbors will be paying.

Nikon is also releasing an external microphone to go along with its new video-centric DSLR. The ME-1 will retail for $159.95 CAD.

UPDATE: The Nikon D5100 is now official. It will be out on April 21st. You can check out the official product page for full specs and details here. Engadget also has some hands-on video with the camera.

AT&T needs a few things from the FCC - approval of their merger with T-Mobile, permission to screw with how traffic flows through the internet tubes - so what's the only way to woo a government entity? Cupcakes!

IN this covetous town, the delicacies of the Georgetown Cupcake shop stand alone as symbols of wish fulfillment — heaping swirls of luscious confection atop rich, creamy pastry.

Therefore: Operation Cupcake. As the Federal Communications Commission debated final rules last December on how Internet service providers should manage their traffic, AT&T delivered 1,500 of these opulent desserts to the F.C.C.’s headquarters here.

Like many other big corporations, AT&T annually blankets power brokers with token holiday gifts, but the cupcake campaign was notable for its military precision. A three-page spreadsheet, stamped “AT&T Proprietary (Internal Use Only),” detailed how the desserts were to be deployed to each of the 63 commission offices: four dozen were assigned to the enforcement bureau, 10 dozen to the wireless divisions, 12 cupcakes to each of four commissioners, and 18 to the chairman, and so on.

As it turns out, AT&T had begun its $39 billion courting of T-Mobile about the same time. The resulting deal, announced a week ago, would transform the industry if approved. It would narrow the field of major wireless providers to three and vault AT&T into the No. 1 spot, ahead of Verizon; consumer advocates say the combination will lead to higher prices.

I feel better about my $150 a month bill now! Thanks for looking out for my interests, AT&T!