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Buzz Out Loud 923: Slumdog smell-ionaire

A company says it has made a virtual reality helmet that will give you sights, sounds, temperature, and even smell. Which makes us wonder if that's a good thing. Would you want to see movies with smell?

Tom Merritt Former CNET executive editor
4 min read

A company says it has made a virtual reality helmet that will give you sights, sounds, temperature, and even smell. Which makes us wonder if that's a good thing. Would you want to see movies with smell? We also talk about a new Internet TV box that's 50 bucks and carries major studio movies and TV shows. Is it the one?


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EPISODE 923

Kumo coming? Live Search headed for overhaul, rebranding
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/03/live-search-rebranding-is-coming-will-it-be-kumo.ars

Amazon offers e-books on Apple devices
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10187752-93.html
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10187912-1.html

Sprint Treo Pro available March 15
http://blog.palm.com/palm/2009/03/sprint-treo-pro-available-march-15.html

Office 14 crawls toward beta
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10187360-56.html

Obama picks Net neutrality backer as FCC chief
http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/03/04/1314224

HD battle on the eastern front? Warner to support CBHD
http://arstechnica.com/media/news/2009/03/warner-bros-to-support-chinese-blu-ray-competitor-cbhd.ars

Netflix stands behind Microsoft Silverlight
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10187442-93.html

Start-up offers alternative to subscription TV
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10187655-93.html

The Finns who invented the graphical browser
http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/03/03/1835246

Bionic eye gives blind man sigh
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7919645.stm

Meet us at SXSW
http://sxsw.com/interactive/talks/panels?action=show&id=IAP0901416

VOICEMAIL
Aaron
TiVo beats Roku player hands down

Chris Greensboro
Jimmy Fallon idea for covering video games

Jose in Jacksonville
Hack the Kindle

E-MAIL
Hey Buzz Crew:
This is Siavash, I'm a Cisco trained IT Engineer in Iran and I've been sending many mails to you that some got to the show so you may remember me.
About the Helicopter Story, generally Iranian people don't approve what the government does; please don't think of me as a terrorist listenerJ.
Kidding aside I did a little of digging in Iranian ISPs and the whole Iranian IP range and the IP that had hacked into the computer, as long as I can say, the IP belongs to a ISP, they say the IP has been dedicated to VPN connection and as their Log shows the VPN has been established somewhere in Middle East, (they don't say exactly where). So as I get it, either some one from Middle East has hacked into their servers, and used their IP address to hack the computer in USA , or there has been someone ( maybe Iranian) in middle east with access to this ISP and their servers and used their network to hack the computer.
So now all I can say is that the attack has not been inside Iran, but the identity of the hacker and it's location is still a mystery, I will do more digging on this and I will get back to you with any new and fresh info.

Love The SHOW!

Best Regards

Siavash

**********

Hi Buzzers,

You discussed in Episode 922 that the new Mac Mini has DVI instead of HDMI, and that very few HDTVs have DVI any more. That’s true, but DVI and HDMI are pretty much the same standard - it’s just that DVI only carries the video signal, and HDMI carries both video and audio together. So if you get a DVI to HDMI cable and connect it from a Mac Mini to an HDTV, it should send an HD signal just fine. You’ll just have to find some other way to handle the audio (like hooking up the audio out jack to the optical audio input on your receiver).

I agree, though - Apple should just get on the stick and add HDMI (and what’s with this “Mini DVI” port, anyway?)…

Love the show,

Eric the former home theater salesman
(”ericbtx” in the chat room when I can make it…)
Houston, TX

**********

Short note. Mono price will have a display port to hdmi cable sometime
this month. I’m stalking monoprice for one for my Macbook but should
work for the mini.

Love the show!!!!

Bobby the project manager

**********

I’m going to combine feedback around two bits from episode 922 when you referred to the unlikeliness of top notch technology from government (e.g. whitehouse.gov ) and challenges presented by open source research models (e.g. Merck’s Sage). I work for a company that provides IT support to the National Cancer Institute where Dr. Ken Buetow has led an effort to establish an open framework for cancer research to expedite discoveries. Check out the CAncer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG) @ https://cabig.nci.nih.gov to see how government technology can be top notch and scientific research tools and framework open source.

-Nat-

**********

Hey guys, pretend this story is about apple products so you can give a shit:
Nokia 5800 North American (NAM) are pulling off the shelves, due to issues with 3G unable to get signals.

-ANkh, who is getting a little irritated by the snobbery involved in ignoring every symbian headline and reading out the specs of every item apple release.

**********

“A headset that harnesses all five senses will create such a convincing virtual reality that it will be indistinguishable from real life, designers promised.

The Virtual Cocoon, unveiled today, will enable users to go on safari from the comfort of their own front rooms.

The headsest will enable users to experience the smells, heat, sounds and sights of places such as Kenya’s Masai Mara….”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1159206/The-headset-mimic-senses-make-virtual-world-convincing-real-life.html

Chris the Commuter