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RED recovers stolen gear, but valuable IP still missing
Good news for fans of ultra high definition imaging: RED Digital Cinema (and Oakley) founder Jim Jannard is reporting that almost all of the equipment stolen a few weeks back -- including the aluminum prototype, a lens, and several computers -- has been successfully recovered by a team of private investigators. As you probably know by now, RED was founded with the intention of bringing professional-quality camcorders into the hands of the common man (well, the common man who has $17,000 to spare), and its first 4K footage became available for public consumption shortly before the break-in. Jannard writes that the stolen gear was broken up into two parts, and while the camera and related hardware are back in safe hands, computers with potentially valuable development info are still missing. He goes on to caution us against speculating about "the motives of the thieves or any connection with the industry," and doesn't delve any further into the specifics of the recovery efforts; however, with information about the project and the Mysterium sensor still in the wild, we can't help but speculate (sorry, Jim) that the IP was the most valuable aspect of this crime to whomever perpetrated it. We'll keep you updated on this case as it progresses, but if you happen to see anyone selling the plans for an 11.4 megapixel camcorder out of the back of a truck, please do the right thing and give Team RED a heads up.[Via CrunchGear]
Bankrupt VK Mobile: down but not out
Would-be Kickflip owners, Helio employees, rejoice: VK's back in the ring for another round. After a July 7 scare that had the Korean manufacturer facing liquidation, a bankruptcy court has ruled that they can conveniently forget their debts and obligations, freeing up cash for things like -- oh, you know -- manufacturing of phones. It'll apparently take the court a couple months yet to decide exactly if and how VK will be allowed to continue its turnaround, a decision that will be based largely on how the defunct company fares in the interim. If they agree to cut it out with the SLVR knockoffs, we're all for a complete recovery.
Yet Another Article on Gaming Addiction
Because I just can't get enough of this subject, the Dallas Morning News has an article online today about the by-now-familiar subject of online gaming addiction. Remember the article we linked to a few weeks back about the Amsterdam Clinic that had opened a program for gaming addicts? Well, they're not the only mental health professionals who are addressing the problem. This article contains quotes from several other workers in the field who claim that the number of instances of 'technology addiction' (the catch-all umbrella that gaming addiction apparently falls under) is on the rise, with no end in sight. Dr. John O'Neil of Houston sums things up with a telling quote:"In a way, the Internet is like Las Vegas," he said. It offers anything you want; it seems like the perfect place to cut loose for anonymous fun; and it's open 24 hours a day."My opinion on the subject is the same as it's always been: anything can be harmful if one becomes too deeply involved in it, and there are many other factets of the internet that can be just as all-consuming to the easily-addicted: chat rooms, online gambling, and, of course our old friend pornography are all things that can cause disruption in one's life if they are indulged in to excess. Of course, people have been addicted to sex & gambling for centuries; this whole video game thing is still pretty much uncharted territory. Maybe that's why I find this stuff so fascinating...or maybe I just like to read about people who make me look less addicted...
"Undercover" software helps recover your stolen MacBook
So you coughed up some dough for that iAlertU program to protect your MacBook, but wouldn't you know it, your laptop got jacked anyway by a clever thief who simply removed the battery before taking off. Luckily for you, all is not lost, at least not if you'd installed another program called Undercover on your machine, which not only sends out an IP-address-containing SOS if it's reported stolen, but actually uses your machine's built-in iSight to snap a photo of the perp before simulating a screen failure that makes the Mac unusable. Every six minutes, Undercover pings a database maintained by developer Orbicule to check if the machine it's installed on has been stolen; a positive reply from the server initiates a sequence of events that hopefully ends with law enforcement officials breaking down the door of the nefarious Macjacker's pad and recovering your beloved notebook. In case the crook was smart enough to never reconnect to the Internet after the heist, however, you'll still need to file an insurance claim and head down to the old Apple store -- looks like they still haven't found a software solution that beats the trusty Kensington Lock.
