Technology Talk

Manufacturer: Logitech
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I’ve recently been in the market for decent quality webcams so I picked up Logitech’s QuickCam Pro 5000. The webcam is a small spherical object with a bendable tail that allows you to secure it to a laptop or CRT or sit it on your desk.

I’m using Windows XP, and the software was easy to install, although you will need an internet connection to download the updated software through the Logitech website. Once the software has downloaded, the install wizard will prompt you to hook up the camera via USB when the software has installed.

I’m upgrading from a really cheap webcam that I think I got free when I signed up for Verizon DSL years ago, so the first thing I noticed was how great the video quality was comparably. The pictures are sharp and the camera is pretty good at adjusting the picture brightness accordingly in dim and back lit rooms. In addition, the built in microphone actually dulls background noise so you don’t get echoes and other nuisances when chatting. Read the rest

Harvard University engineers have created a robotic fly to serve as a stealth surveillance robot for the US Department of Defense. The robotic fly is designed to mimic the movements of a real fly. It weighs 60 milligrams and has a wingspan of 3 centimeters.

This is a major advancement in robotics because it’s the first 2 winged robot built to such a small scale that it can pass as a real fly but there are still some challenges. Read the rest

ATT’s Censorship is a Reminder We Need Net Neutrality

Pearl Jam has always been outspoken politically, so it’s no surprise that they were critical of George Bush during a Lollapalooza broadcast. When AT&T censored the lyrics “George Bush, leave this world alone” and “George Bush find yourself another home”, Pearl Jam posted to their website in protest. Here’s the YouTube video: Read the rest

It’s no secret that most tech savvy people despise digital rights management (DRM). So it’s not entirely surprising that last week, Digg users revolted.

DVD publishers add DRM to their movie releases so they can control whether the dvds can be copied and even what devices are allowed to play the dvds. In February 2007, Arnezami, a hacker on the Doom9 forum who was frustrated because his purchased HD-DVD movies wouldn’t play on his Linux-based computer (I believe), cracked the code and published the 128-bit number on the web. The Wired blog wrote up an article about what that meant for the future of DRM. Read the rest

It’s been a long week for Google. At the beginning of the month, Google finally submitted their response (PDF) to Viacom’s $1 billion copyright infringement lawsuit over video content on YouTube. The gist - they’re claiming they’re protected by the DMCA. Search Engine Land and TechDirt have good summaries of the response. Read the rest