cnn
Latest
CNN, Golf / Versus finally added to Cox's New Orleans lineup
Although Cox inked a deal to snag CNN HD (and TBS HD, mind you) some three months back, it seems as if customers in New Orleans, Louisiana are just now getting a taste. According to a tipster, Cox has just recently threw CNN and Golf / Versus into the high-definition lineup, but stations such as History Channel HD, Science HD and NHL Network HD are still sorely missing. Anyone else enjoying the (admittedly late) newcomers in the area?[Thanks, Jose R.]
Today's most therapeutic video: Wii rehab
America's sweetheart, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, reports for CNN about the Wii being used as a physical therapy device. Ohio State University's Medical Center, like some other hospitals, says the system is a fun way to help patients. No word on if those caregivers had to buy one of the GameStop bundles to score the console.See the segment after the break.
Comcast beefs up HD lineup in DC Metro area
We could certainly get used to hearing all these HD expansion stories, but the ones most excited about Comcast's latest additions are housed all around our nation's capital. According to tipster Casey, customers in and around Baltimore, Maryland and Northern Virginia are just now receiving six new high-definition channels: Discovery Channel HD, CNN HD, TLC HD, USA HD, Animal Planet HD, and yes, Sci-Fi HD, too. Interestingly, it's said that subscribers in Washington, D.C. have yet to see the newcomers, but feel free to toss a comment in below if that status changes.[Thanks, Casey B.]
Cox adds four new HD channels in Kansas
The deal was done some time ago, but apparently, Cox is still getting around to doling out a few new HD additions to various markets. According to tipster Kevin, the cable provider has just now activated CNN HD, TBS HD, Discovery HD and TLC HD in Kansas, but Science Channel HD and Animal Planet HD were sadly missing from the bunch. Anyone else in the surrounding area also notice the newcomers?[Thanks, Kevin]
Comcast gives Twin Cities 11 new HD options
It is the season to give, you know, and while we've heard that Comcast will be on the receiving end of things when it hikes rates in 2008, at least users across the nation are receiving a boost in their HD lineup before having the family over this holiday season. Up next on Comcast's list is St. Paul / Minneapolis, Minnesota (and western Wisconsin), which is receiving 11 new channels to complement the 22 already available. Among the newcomers are CNN HD, Animal Planet HD, Discovery HD, Food HD, Sci-Fi HD, TLC HD, Universal HD, USA HD, TBS HD, History HD and FSN North HD. Reportedly, customers in the area are already able to view USA, Sci-Fi, Universal and Food, and the rest of the gang is slated to go live on or before December 17th.[Thanks, Ed]
Hype and backlash cycle "missing the point" with regards to Second Life
Keen followers of Second Life Insider, before we became Massively, will know we have, at various stages charted the reporting of Second Life in the media, as the media follows its own hype and backlash cycle. Now, MediaShift is reporting something we've been saying all along, although in their own way: the media cycle has missed the reality of the situation, virtual world and real world.The whole article is well worth a read, as it contrasts various styles of (real world) reportage on Second Life, from Hamlet Linden as was, to Reuters, to Wired to CNN, and even has Wired's editor saying that both their hype and their over-the-top backlash were mistakes. The conclusion? A not very startling - it's better to, in the current terminology, embed your reporters or use local information than not, and particularly don't only listen to other journalists - but the steps along the way are well worth a read. They might be especially worth a read if you have to defend your engagement in Second Life to people that have only seen the backlash.[Original lead via SLEd list]
Cinemassively: Media in SL - old vs. new
Whenever an important topic comes up, virtual video journalist, Draxtor Despres, is on the scene. His YouTube page features a variety of coverage, including movie premieres, celebrity appearances, and even a trip to the Second Life Community Convention. They are all part of what is dubbed "the first TV magazine in Second Life", Life 4-U.In his latest episode, Draxtor took a look at how both old and new media are participating in SL. He interviewed podcasters, film makers, online magazines, and blogs, to find out what they think about the situation. Starr Sonic, of SLCN, speculated that real life companies coming in won't be able to commit to making it work, because it requires extensive hand-holding. However, at the end, Marvel Ousley states that once residents cut their teeth on the free news blogs, such as CNN's i-Report, she'll pay them to write for SLNN. That sounds like a winning situation to me!
Cablevision expands HD lineup with CNN HD
Hot on the heels of Charter's decision to add The Weather Channel HD, Cablevision is claiming that its users will be able to check out CNN in high-definition. Reportedly, CNN HD will be the operator's 42nd HD "service" available to customers, and it's being made available to everyone gratis on iO TV channel 725. John Trierweiler, Cablevision's senior vice president of product management, boasted that the firm's HD lineup has "nearly doubled in size over the last year," but unfortunately, he didn't throw out any wild claims for the future for us to hold 'em to.
The Bastard Machine gets a dig in at both Second Life and Fox News
Tim Goodman, television critic of the San Francisco Chronicle, is one of the few critics of any stripe that I enjoy reading. It's not so much that I agree or disagree with whatever he's saying; it's more that I love his style. On a recent post for sfgate.com, he makes a slight poke at Second Life when talking about CNN's announcement that they'd be opening an island there. Calling residents 'sexless losers who can't cope with reality' first, then retracting it impishly immediately thereafter is enough to win points from me.And then he makes a joke about Fox news being more influential than CNN which is so true it holds up in SL as well. I'd like Mr. Goodman to do a whole piece on SL, except there's no connection with television there ... oh wait, he must've said something about that CSI: NY episode. Or Law and Order? The Office? No? Anyone? Bueller?[Via sfgate.com]
Getting enthralled, or getting to bed?
WoW tends to be a night time activity for most people, many of whom find that it's surprisingly easy to move from one objective to another and lose track of time until the wee hours of the morning. Some people I know sometimes stay up most of the night playing WoW, only to get an hour or two of sleep before whatever they have to do the next day. They're young and they say they make up that sleep at other times, but still, no one would argue that this sort of situation is ideal. A recent study reported by CNN says they're not alone. People who play MMORPGs tend to sleep less and spend more time playing than players of other computer games. It may seem obvious, since MMOs are by nature somewhat of a time-sink, but there is undeniably something more to it; any activity can potentially be a time-sink, after all -- so what is it about MMOs that makes people actually sink time? The answer is up for debate, of course, but one important factor is that WoW's community of players gives the accomplishments within the game a context of reality. The game's goals, dangling in front of us like carrots, would be nearly meaningless if we could only appreciate them in a single-player context, but with a whole realm of other players working alongside us to get them too, they can feel very important. If the choice is between a few hours having dreams you won't remember, or getting a little closer to riding an impressive dragon mount, then certainly sleep can seem boring and useless by comparison.
Croal goes on CNN to discuss Manhunt 2
Newsweek's N'Gai Croal recently appeared on the CNN program American Morning to discuss all of this business about Manhunt 2 and its gruesome acts of violence. What is most odd, Croal reports, is that the interviewer (Kiran Chetry) was reasonable and didn't have "an ax to grind." She instead asked Croal a series of reasonable questions.Of course, she still brought up the whole "kids acting out murder" thing. Croal, however, brought up the common sense argument, stating that the game is rated "M" for mature, and isn't designed for children. Of couse, some kids are still going to get their hands on it, but he believes (just like many other sane individuals) that it is up to the parents to keep their kids away from material that isn't appropriate for them.
Another man dies after three day gaming binge
CNN is reporting that it's happened again in China-- a man has died after a three-day gaming binge in a cyber cafe.So many things wrong with this story. First of all, how does someone sit in an internet cafe for three days without anyone else noticing? I'm sure that it must have been a huge, 24 hour, windowless warehouse type of place, with people coming and going all the time, but still, what business would allow people to basically live in their building?And then, of course, there's the gaming angle. Videogames and the Internet didn't kill this man, people, despite what CNN says:The paper said that he may have died from exhaustion brought on by too many hours on the Internet.Actually, I'm not a doctor, but I'm pretty sure he died from exhaustion brought on by staying awake for too long. If he'd been playing ping pong for three days straight, he probably wouldn't have come out of it very well either.The article says they don't know what game he was playing, so this may not even be World of Warcraft. But while it is a very sad story, it's too bad CNN fell into the old lines of "omgz internets killed a man" instead of actually pointing out that this man made some very serious mistakes of his own.
CNN HD is ready whenever DirecTV is
CNN HD launched today, but there's no one to notice, since the only carriage agreement in place is with DirecTV and since their newest bird DirecTV 10 won't be operational till later this month, they aren't ready for them. HD news is the latest rage, and CNN HD will be the first national 24 hour news channel presented in HD. And like other HD news, it will be a mix of SD and HD. Our favorite quote is, "We're not going to stretch our video." when asked how they would deal with 4:3 shots from their library clips and the newsgathering. The worst news is that they haven't upgraded their studio in Atlanta yet, so shows like The Situation Room with anchor Wolf Blitzernot won't be in HD. They are working to make it all HD by upgrading studios and the newsgathering cameras, but as we've learned, these things take time. The other thing that takes time are carriage agreements, which they say are also in progress. We've stopped trying to make sense of these negotiations, especially when you consider that Time Warner Cable and CNN HD are owned by the same company, yet CNN HD will debut on DirecTV. [Via DBSTalk]
CNN re-confirms iPhoneSIMfree's iPhone SIM unlock hack
Independent verification of seemingly dubious claims makes the world go 'round, which is why we're a little thankful the iPhoneSIMfree crew has deigned CNN worthy of having the second shot at verifying their iPhone SIM unlock software. We know it won't quiet all the conspiracy theorists out there, but their news wire reads as follows: Los Angeles software consultant Brett Schulte, who is not affiliated with the developers, demonstrated the software for CNN Friday evening. An iPhone that had the new software appeared to work on the T-Mobile system just seconds after Schulte replaced the AT&T SIM card with a T-Mobile SIM card. We followed up with Brett, a consultant with CNN, and he confirmed the iPhoneSIMfree unlocked his iPhone as well -- we also really wanted to ask about getting in touch with Ted Turner for a summer internship, but we got the vibe that it'd be a no-go. Now, if only iPhoneSIMfree would release that product of theirs to the public -- perhaps that might land along side the CNN story they're gunning for?Update: CNN's full story is now live. Still no software. Read - CNN re-confirms hack (brief) Read - Our original hack confirmation
CNN settles presidential race through Pong clone
Forget selecting your presidential candidate by analyzing their values and stances on the issues, CNN has created a new game that let's you make the most important choice in U.S. democracy the way God intended: Through a Pong clone. While it's hard to get too mad at Presidential Pong, a game that includes both "Military Veteran" and "Lincoln's Statehouse" power ups, the absence of some candidates is a bummer. It seems Kucinich and Tancredo will continue to be denied a rematch of the 1978 ping-pong battle that left one man without an index finger and one just a little bit wiser.[Big ups to our main man laserboyjc. Sorry we forgot.]
Wiimote has unused 'voice translator'
Much like pinball wizard Tommy, the Wiimote hears but cannot answer to your call, according to a new CNN feature. The interesting piece includes a mention of an "audio translator" that "converts analog data such as human speech into a digital data stream." That may sound like a microphone, but it's really more of a microphone's brain ... and it's not being used. What makes this especially unusual is that the thing apparently costs $2. When you multiply that times the 2.5 million Wiis that have already been sold (not to mention separate Wiimotes) it equals well over one-hundred-thousand dollars ... or something. Although they could probably blow that sort of coin if they wanted to, it doesn't seem likely. We'd expect to see some major usage of some sort of microphone attachment during the console's lifespan, surprising no one.[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]
How the Wii brought Nintendo back from the brink
According to CNN, there is a very untold story in gaming. One that has a silent, strong hero toppling the very foundations of the world. This world, of course, is the gaming industry and that protagonist is none other than the Wii. It's a heart-warming story of an underdog achieving success and defying its critics. It's already in the running for movie of the year.OK, maybe we're flying a bit off the handle here. All ridiculous imagery aside, it turns out CNN is finally catching up with the rest of the world and hopping on the Wii bandwagon. Their latest piece focused on the console chronicles the incredible ride that was its rise to power and the current state of captivation it currently holds with the public. All in all, the piece is chock full of facts you already know (such a good fanboy, you are!), but we feel is still worth reading. It'll bring a tear of joy to your eye ...
Engadget in CNN on "Stealing Oscars"
We know we've been laying a bit low lately, but apparently we caught someone's eye over at CNN. We're only thankful they didn't do too much to lump us in with the actual pirates the story is about, but the site appeared in Jim Boulden's "Stealing Oscars" report on pirated Blu-ray and HD DVD movies.[Thanks, Josh and Adam]
Miyamoto's future: unique, simple, nonviolent games
Shigeru Miyamoto has spent a lifetime developing hit games for Nintendo -- Mario, Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, etc. Speaking to CNN's Talk Asia, the industry legend disclosed that he hopes to continue working on games for everyone to enjoy that tackle themes atypical for gaming."There is an abundance of themes that people are interested in," he said, "and video games have only touched on few of them." No examples are cited, but would he consider working with serious, mature themes such as heartache, loss, redemption, suffering, et cetera? Miyamoto, alluding to Nintendo's new mantra, also explained that his future projects will be simple enough for all ages to enjoy, which is something he has always seemed to be adept at, though our previously-mentioned themes will probably not feature into universally-appealing projects.The interview touched briefly on violence in video games, a theme Miyamoto does not wish to tackle. "Looking at the overall picture, it is important to understand and feel the pain that people might have ... we also have to take a careful approach, even in the circumstances when we are not portraying direct violence." Though the game legend might have aversion to violence, his words imply that there are cases when non-excessive presentation of aggression is understandable. Then again, if his goal is to appeal to people aged five to 95, then violence is probably something he's better off avoiding.The Talk Asia interview also serves as a primer for those interested in Miyamoto's background; much of the history discussion reads like a Wikipedia entry.[Pictured: Link nonviolently driving a sword into Ganon's head. Don't worry, he doesn't die.]
DirecTV to carry 100 National HD Channels in 2007
We sure hope this means that the HD programming race is heating up and it's not just vapor ware. After all 2006 was a slow year for new HD channels. DirecTV has been boasting for some time about the number of HD channels they would have and today they have announced specific channels. The interesting part is that almost none only a few of the channels they announced today are currently offering HD programming. The channels announced today include. A&E National Geographic Bravo NFL Network Cartoon Network SciFi Channel CNN Speed Food Network TBS FX The History Channel HGTV The Weather Channel MTV USA Network Currently DirecTV only carries 9 national HD channels and even with this list and as many premium channels we can think of there would still only be 30 HD channels. Throw in 20 or so for regional sports channels and is still only 50% of their claim. As much as we want to believe them, we have our reservations.
