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Hands on with Project Wiki
Project Wiki from Webzen is a bright, colourful MMO that immediately stands out from their other post-apocalyptic/dark-fantasy offerings. With inviting colours and visuals reminiscent of a 2D cartoon, the game seems well-matched to its kids-and-teens target demographic. It's simple to play -- perhaps too simple -- and death comes quickly at the hands of nearby enemies; the character we were playing has a limited number of skills which made combat a little repetitive. Project Wiki is only scheduled for a Korean release -- its anime-inspired graphics may make it appealing in the West, but its gameplay is rooted firmly in the East.
New York parents not so hot about school phone ban?
With the recent crackdown and enforcement of the school cellphone ban in NY, parents are fighting back with a measure to lift the ban, much to the chagrin of Schools Chancellor Joel Klein. A parents group has collected 1200 signatures and a city councilwoman plans to introduce a resolution next week to end the ban. Joel Klein is staunchly opposed, saying kids are text messaging, going on the Internet, cheating on tests and generally having way more fun than they should be having in school (we added that last bit). He's looking into solutions to block phone signals, remove batteries, or check phones in upon arrival to school, but everything proposed so far is too cost prohibitive. Parents would like their kids to have phones so they can track them on the way to and from school, as usual. Sounds like a good time is being had by all, and we're sure all differences will soon be put aside in order to do what's best for the kids.[Via The Wireless Report]
Fisher-Price unveils Kid-Tough camera and music player
We know more than a few preschoolers who seem more adept at technology than their still-trying-to-figure-out-the-VCR parents, but if for no other reason than the flashy colors, we think more than a few kids might dig Fisher-Price's new Kid-Tough digital camera and "FP3" player. Both devices are about as simple as they come, and feature certain kid friendly enhancements such as dual viewfinders on the camera and volume limited headphones so kids don't get that "iPod ear" too early. The camera shoots VGA stills and includes 8MB of included memory for 60 shots, and an SD card slot to add more. There's also a 1.3-inch color LCD for previewing photos, and a USB cable for offloading pics. The "FP3" player sounds a bit more fishy, since there's no mention of codec support beyond the kid-safe content at Fisher-Price's new Song & Story Online Store. We'll hope for at least MP3 support so your kids can start sticking it to the man, and luckily there is an SD card slot for cheap memory expansion. Both the camera and the music player will sell for $69, and will be available in June and July respectively.[Via Boing Boing]
Cybersex is child's play: virtual world morals
We've already heard recently about the sexy side of Second Life, a virtual world in which the players' imaginations are more or less the limits. This article, however, shows just what can -- and does -- happen in an 18 environment where players are given free rein. Although Second Life is no stranger to kinks and perversions, some fetishes provoke far stronger opposition than others.The case in point here is age play, a pastime in which adults put on kiddy avatars and act out scenes which would, in the real world, be considered paedophilic. Thanks to Second Life's strict separation of minors and adults, everyone taking part is of age, which makes for an interesting moral debate. Is this activity virtual paedophilia, an offensive type of sexual play that should be banned lest it lead to real crime? Or is it simply an extension of the fantasy world, a harmless activity carried out in private?Sex-based virtual world Rapture Online, mentioned in the article, is playing it safe from the outset by not letting adults look like children. In SL, however, some official decisions may eventually have to be made on this front -- the simple existence of this sort of activity is enough to get some people riled up, but by infringing on users' freedoms to fantasise about whatever they want in private, the world loses some of its strength.[Thanks, Ken. Image shows items available from some of SL's kid-themed shops.]
Help the kids, buy an HDTV
Because we're all such huge philanthropists, I'm sure we will be lining up to purchase the 26, 32 and 37 inch LCD HDTV's NuVision is putting up for auction in conjunction with The Light Foundation. Besides their 1366x768 resolutions and 1000:1 contrast ratios, the 2 larger TV's will also be signed by members of the Patriots football team that charity founder Matt Light plays for. To make it even better, any winning bidders with 100 miles of the Patriots home stadium will have the sets installed and set up for free by Home Smart Home.The Light Foundation helps support youth oriented non-profit organizations in Ohio and Boston.The TV specs: 10ms response time 500cd/M2 brightness 16:9 widescreen 1366x768 Native resolution DVI w/HDCP Discrete IR control with IR direct input jack Giving back to the community, football and HDTV's. That's a win-win-win. Auctions end December 29th.[Via Hometoys]
