sense

Updated 5:05 p.m. PST with comment from Google.

When it comes to user-generated content, Google has adopted a "do as I say, not as I do" policy.

The company's AdSense team sent out a reminder to its partners today that contained a few jaw-dropping statements about Google's policies on the content produced by AdSense partners. "You are responsible for ensuring that all of your content, including user-generated content such as forum posts, blog comments or outside feeds, is in compliance with AdSense policies on any page or site for which you've enabled … Read more

Bust out the tie-dye and patchouli oil, buds. A Grateful Dead game is on the way.

Asheville, N.C., casual-game developer Curious Sense is designing and developing the social game with Grateful Dead Productions and Rhino Entertainment, the Warner Music Group subsidiary that's managed the iconic band's intellectual property since 2006.

The title will be geared for online and mobile play and should be out in August for an as-yet unnamed price model (don't even think of bootlegging it, man).

"We've found a great partner in Curious Sense. They are lifelong Dead Heads who have some brilliant plans to take our fans on a very cool journey," David Lemieux, legacy manager for the Grateful Dead, said in a statement. "We can't wait for everyone to check out the fun new toys we are building."

The developer hasn't detailed gameplay yet (Adam Blumenthal of Curious Sense tells CNET the company's waiting until the game's closer to completion to spill more info). It will say, however, that the title will immerse players in a Grateful Dead universe of music and visuals such as album cover art and band members' likenesses, and worlds will include spots from Dead lore like San Francisco and Giza, Egypt.

"At every turn whimsy, surprises, pranks, and miracles may be presented," the developer says on its site, not mentioning whether any of those miracles will be psychedelic in nature. … Read more

Italy has closed its antitrust investigation into Google after the company modified news and advertising provisions there.

The issue arose in 2009 when Italian news sites raised concerns that requesting their sites be removed from Google News would mean they'd also be removed from Google's main search results. The complaint led to a broader inquiry of the search giant.

Google committed to leaving the main search results unchanged by a news organization's involvement in Google News, according to The Associated Press, and also to sharing more information about AdSense, a program in which Google supplies ads for … Read more

A Cambridge University professor is developing a navigation system that does what most boyfriends can't: read your emotions, sense what's going on, and adapt to the situation.

Just kidding about the boyfriend part.

Charles is a robot that is more co-pilot than GPS device. Frustrated by unintuitive gadgets that aren't helpful--let alone interactive--Professor Peter Robinson, who leads the Rainbow Group working on computer graphics and interaction at Cambridge, developed an emotionally intelligent navigation system that can tell how you're feeling and respond accordingly.

The system uses sensors and algorithms of predefined mental states to track facial cues, tone of voice, body language, and posture. Using this information, Charles can read human emotion with a 70 percent accuracy rate, which is on par with human ability, Robinson says in a YouTube video demonstrating his project.

But reading emotion is only one aspect of the robot's capability. Charles can also respond with human-like emotion.

With cameras for eyes and 24 motors for muscles, the robot's head and mouth moves as it gives directions and mimics human expressions. Unlike current GPS systems, Charles politely tells you where to go based on conversation. Should you not agree with the directions Charles provides, you can suggest an alternate route. Instead of saying it's recalculating or insisting on the programmed route, the robot actually agrees with your decision. … Read more

Among those who favor less restrictive copyright laws, Google once possessed undeniable street-cred.

When it came to standing up for the right of Internet users to freely exchange information online, the perception was Google would hold the line. The search engine sparred over copyright issues with newspapers, book publishers, recording companies, and big Hollywood studios--even fending off a $1 billion copyright complaint filed against it by Viacom, parent company of MTV. As for enforcement, Google made its position clear: the job of policing the Web for pirated content belonged to copyright owners.

But yesterday, Google's position began to blur. … Read more

The Kinect is already bringing the good times to families and booze-fueled halls of residence, but we should spare a minute to thank the hard-working techie types of the world who've devoted themselves to cracking open Microsoft's motion-controlled accessory and feasting on the gadgety goodness within.

The Kinect has been out for a little more than a week, but enterprising hackers are already finding unusual ways to put the sensor bar's 3D imaging capabilities to good use.

Read more of "Coolest Kinect hacks: Our favorite motion-sensor experiments" at Crave UK.

HTC has flipped the switch on its new HTCSense.com Web site ahead of the launch of its new Desire handsets.

Designed to let users manage their Sense UI smartphone, the site provides you with the ability to locate a lost or misplaced phone using a map, as well as an option to turn the ringer up to full volume should you need to call the device. This will come in handy for those of us who tend to lose our phones in the cracks of a couch. If your phone is stolen, HTCSense.com will also let users remotely … Read more

For a company with a "quietly brilliant" tagline, HTC makes a lot of noise in the wireless industry. Indeed, the guys behind some of the most notable Android handsets including the Nexus One, Evo 4G, and upcoming G2 are busy stretching out into other spaces.

Today's announcement of the Desire HD and Desire Z signals to me that the handset maker has its sights set on a bigger future, beyond just making powerful Android phones. As any wise company would, HTC understands that it is becoming a recognizable and trusted brand and it's expanded to providing … Read more

A whopping 72 percent of adults believe a law should remain in place to block the sale of "ultraviolent or sexually violent" video games, according to a poll commissioned by Common Sense Media.

The survey, which includes data from 2,100 adults interviewed last month, found that adults have a real problem with violent and sexually explicit titles. In fact, 65 percent of parents said that they're "concerned about the impact of ultraviolent video games on their kids." And 75 percent of parents said that they "would give the video game industry a negative … Read more