Acid Drop

News (March 5, 2001) Napster's plan to block access to tunes still not perfected! (Ryan Ross)

It seems that the well-intentioned plan that Napster had devised to keep their doors open might have a few kinks in it. Top tunes from groups like Metallica who has been spearheading the attack against the huge music server service were still being freely traded as late as Monday. A Napster spokesperson had no comment as to the hold up on implementing their self imposed plan of culling out proprietary works. It appears that the new software was partially successful but not on all servers and for all works that were seeking protection. A late report states that a concerted effort is now being feverishly put into place to firm up the protective wall against the protected tunes. In a previous report, I made the comparison to shoveling sand against the tide. Well, forget the shovel and pick up the teaspoon. Literally hundreds of similar services are either going on line or planning to in the future. Can they be stopped. No way! Who will come out the loser in all this? The music industry for sure! Retaliation will start in the colleges in the form of boycotts of the labels that instigated the demise of Napster. The rebellion will spread quickly, and those artists who do not have the vision of what MUST be the future of music distribution will fall by the wayside. Napster may have to close their doors soon, but the concept by which it has flourished will live on and multiply. Those artists who can't adjust to this will be relegated to the dustbin of history as the technology enveloping them passes them by.

News (March 5, 2001) Hacker Steals Top Secret U.S. Space Codes (Ryan Ross)

The company Exigent Software Technology, writes a program called OS/COMET which the U.S. uses for guiding space ships, rockets and satellites. Late last December, a hacker break-in was detected at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and the FBI was put on the case. Now it appears that the hacker stole the top secret source code for OS/COMET as a copy of it has turned up on an information technology company's computer in Stockholm, Sweden according to Exigent's Swedish legal council Johan Starell. "A stolen source code was found on their server but nothing indicates they had anything to do with getting it there," Starell stated. "We couldn't get any further information about where it came from or find out if it had been copied and sent elsewhere." The stolen code could be a case of industrial espionage or could even be used by terrorist to disrupt computer systems running various space programs.

News (March 5, 2001) 2 Dead In School Shooting (Ryan Ross)

It is another tragic day in our school system as a 15 year old high school student opened fire in his California school, killing two other students and injuring 13 other people. Friends of the shooter said they had been told by him over the weekend that he was planning a shooting at the school. "He was telling us how he was going to bring a gun to school ... but we thought he was joking," schoolmate Neil O'Grady said. "We were like, 'Yeah, right." "He always gets picked on; he's scrawny, he's little," O'Grady said. "People think he's dumb." The media is saying it was the largest number of dead and wounded in a school shooting since the one at Columbine two years ago. What is really sad to me, is that we have had enough of these to be able to make that comparison.

News (March 5, 2001) Project IGI Review (Ryan Ross)

3D GameForce has reviewed Project IGI: I'm Goin In. Here's a snip:

Project IGI, the recent first person espionage release from Eidos, had all the makings of a classic, eye-catching graphics, cool gameplay, great weapons, and lots of sniping. Game fanatics everywhere rejoiced when it was announced. Somewhere along the line, however, things went afoul. The great weapons and a bit of the sniping is still there, but gone are the promises of awesome gameplay, and graphics. In their place we are left with bugs, annoyances, and enemy AI so stupid, it's a wonder these guys are allowed to call themselves terrorists. Read 3DGF's review to find out what else this game does wrong.

News (March 5, 2001) NVIDIA GeForce3 Graphics Architecture Optimized for AMD Athlon Processors (Ryan Ross)

Intel had the advantage a minute ago, and now we find out that nVidia's latest is AMD-optimized too! Here is the scoop:

NVIDIA� Corporation today announced that the GeForce3(TM) has been optimized to take advantage of the unique technologies found in the AMD(TM) Athlon(TM) processor architecture and platforms. The AMD Athlon processor architecture enables cutting-edge applications with a host of features including platform support for PC2100 Double Data Rate (DDR) memory technology, a superpipelined architecture optimized for high clock rates, a high-performance cache architecture, and enhanced 3DNow!(TM) technology. The NVIDIA GeForce3 GPU and software drivers leverage the Athlon features and PC2100 DDR memory to unleash unprecedented visual excitement and sizzling frame rates for the ultimate 3D graphics experience.

News (March 5, 2001) Hoontech SoundTrack Audio DSP24 Value Review (Ryan Ross)

TweakMax has just posted a review of the Hoontech SoundTrack Audio DSP24 Value sound card. Here's a clip:

You have a lot of variables affecting the overall sound experience, such as dynamic range, signal-to-noise ratio, frequency response, total harmonic distortion and so on. I won't bore you with in-depth explanations of all these, but I will cover most of them later on, and as usual I will provide you with some helpful links at the end of this review.

News (March 5, 2001) SimCoaster Review (Ryan Ross)

3D GameForce has reviewed the latest in the Sim-series - SimCoaster. Here's a snip:

About a year has pasted now and Bullfrog is at it again with their third game in the amusement park series entitled SimCoaster which is the sequel to SimTheme Park. In this SimCoaster, rather than making huge changes in the way the game looks like they did in the previous game, Bullfrog decided to improve SimCoaster by adding new options, concepts, and interface. But does these make it SimCoaster really a squeal and make it worth the buy? Read 3DGF's review to find out!

News (March 5, 2001) nCidia's Buyer's Guide (Ryan Ross)

3DAccelerated.com has whipped up an article that should help determine which nVidia card is right for you. Here's a snippet:

Incredible. Where has time gone? And who really is Nvidia? One word to describe Nvidia is "graphics market overlord." Just as 3dfx took over the graphics market with the Voodoo Graphics Chipset, Nvidia simply bumped 3dfx off the road with its newest Geforce graphics devices. I remember back in the "old days" where everybody wanted a Voodoo Graphics card. It kicked butt when it came to games, and then the Voodoo 2 came out, which instantly stole the hearts of more gamers. But 3dfx had a problem - Nvidia, a new competitor...

News (February 25, 2001) Intel Signs $1 Billion Deal (Ryan Ross)

Intel 1 Billion Dollar Deal. Here is a clip:

Intel announced today it has entered into a deal with Network Appliance Inc. that will be worth $1 billion over the next seven years. In this technology pact, Network Appliance agreed to buy Intel processors and other components that would be used in their data management products, which are employed to manage huge amounts of data. For its part of the deal, Intel has agreed to buy Network Appliance systems to use worldwide in its data centers to help manage billions of dollars in sales over its Web site. Presently, Intel does about $2 billion per month in sales over its Web site. "We're working very hard to get at doing almost all of our business with our suppliers via the Internet," stated Chuck Mulloy, an Intel spokesman.

News (February 25, 2001) Sega Sues Kmart (Ryan Ross)

Sega is suing Kmat for 2.2 million. Here is a clip:

Kmart not paying it's bills? That is what Sega says and they are suing Kmart for the $2.2 million they still owe Sega for a $25.9 million Dreamcast order. According to the complaint filed Thursday in Superior Court in San Francisco, Sega alleges, "Kmart's account became severely delinquent, and Kmart asserted numerous credits and deductions, which were not authorized." The suit stems from an agreement Sega says Kmart made in August 1999 to purchase Dreamcast systems. The consoles began shipping the next month to Kmart but shipments were put on hold in June after Kmart was late on payments. "We've been working with Kmart since June to work this out, but they've applied bogus deductions and they're maliciously trying to underpay Sega," said Sega spokesman Charles Bellfield. "They left us with no other option." I guess no more Dreamcast for the blue light special.

News (February 25, 2001) EverGlide LAN Bag Review (Ryan Ross)

DreddNews has reviewed EverGlide's LAN Bag. Here is a clip:

We all go LANning, right? Well I know I do and I'm always running around looking for the right or big enough bag to pack all my stuff(s) in. I don't want one that's too friggin' small or I'll pick it up and it'll bust at the seems leaving all my precious computing devices laying in the mud. And that's definitely not good. But you also don't want something that's too big and bulky and is always getting in the way. That's where EverGlide's LAN Bag comes in. This compact, versatile carrying contraption should suit almost every avid LANner's fancy. It includes many pockets and storage areas and really it doesn't cost a whole lot.

News (February 25, 2001) Detonator Benchmark Database Updated (Ryan Ross)

Tweakersasylum has updated the Windows 2000 NVIDIA Detonator Driver Database. Here is a snippet:

The Detonator 7.xx Series has been finally been updated. The newly leaked 7.52 Detonator drivers are to date the fastest 2k Detonators we have used here at the Tweakers Asylum. They easily outperformed the rest of the competition.

News (February 22, 2001) Interactive Magic Releases 81GB Multi-Cable KanguruPortable Hard Drive (Ryan Ross)

Interactive Media Corporation has released their 81GB Multi-Cable KanguruPortable hard drive. Here is a clip:

The KanguruPortable Hard Drive has taken portable storage to the next level with its massive capacities (ranging from 20 to 81GB) and "multi-cable connectivity". Equipped with a special proprietary connection, it has the ability to connect via Firewire, USB, Parallel or Cardbus/ PCMCIA. It is the only drive available today with this unique feature. Benefits include the ability to connect to virtually any PC or MAC by simply switching to the appropriate cable. One drive provides limitless connectivity options.

News (February 22, 2001) CPU-Cool Z1-D HSF Review (Ryan Ross)

Dredd News has reviewed the 'value' Heatsink/Fan CPU cooler from PC Power and Cooling, the CPU-Cool Z1-D. A snip:

I know what you're thinking when you look at that HSF, "Ooooooooohhhhhhh, look at that cute lil' HSF and it's 40mm fan, I bet that cools better than the time I put my whole PC on the barbecue!" Well, it may not be the best, but the results may suprise you.