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Apple to drop DUI checkpoint apps like a bad habit
In a move that's bound to get at least a few MADD moms smiling, Apple's officially decided to block apps that encourage drunk driving. Section 22.8 of the newly revised App Store Review Guidelines reads: Apps which contain DUI checkpoints that are not published by law enforcement agencies, or encourage and enable drunk driving, will be rejected. That revision comes on the heels of a request from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, asking that Google, Apple, and RIM yank offending apps from their respective mobile outlets. At the time, Google declined while RIM was quick to jump on the bandwagon, leaving Apple to stew. For now, it looks like the rest of us still have to keep our eyes out for Android users with a propensity for boozing and skirting the fuzz.
Senator Harry Reid calls for DUI checkpoint app removal: RIM's game, Google isn't, Apple's undecided
There's a lot of folks out there drinking and driving, and Congress sees DUI checkpoint location apps as enablers of all that cruising and boozing. Senate Majority leader Harry Reid and his fellow Democrats have decided to use their powers of political persuasion to address the issue and ask Google, Apple, and RIM to pull such apps from their respective stores. The letter didn't name names, but Reid and co. want offending software yanked or "altered to remove the DUI checkpoint functionality" to prevent checkpoint circumvention. Of course, the creators of one such app, PhantomAlert, claim it provides such information to deter drunk driving by letting users know the risk of getting caught (yeah, right). RIM agreed to comply with the congressional request while Google said no thanks, but mum's the word out of Cupertino -- time will tell if Apple gets on the banning bandwagon too.
Dick Durbin presses Apple on human rights in China
Technology relations with China and their human rights situation is turning into a hot-button issue lately, especially given Google's recent troubles with that country. Now, my old senator from Illinois, Dick Durbin, has decided to raise the level of scrutiny, calling for a list of 30 companies, including Apple, to share information about their relationships in China with the companies there. Durbin won't have to look far to find issues with Apple: there have been issues in the past with Foxconn and Wintek, two contractors that Apple uses for the majority of its products, and even a recent report commissioned by Apple found that factory conditions and pay scales weren't quite up to snuff. Still, Apple has always spoken out strongly in favor human rights, so hopefully a little bit of spotlight from queries like Durbin's will ensure that their actions match up. (Apple globe art by Kevin Van Aelst.)
Germany's Senator Entertainment follows Constantin, goes Blu-ray only
If you were wondering just how long you'd have to wait until the next domino fell, wonder no more. Germany's own Senator Home Entertainment is reportedly following in the footsteps of Constantin Film AG and will stop supporting HD DVD. Notably, any films that were already scheduled to arrive on HD DVD will supposedly still ship, but after March 1, 2008, the studio will be supporting Blu-ray exclusively. Another one bites the dust, we suppose.[Thanks, Khattab]
Calif. Sen. Yee urges parents not to buy M-rated games
California State Senator Leland Yee gave a little poke to parents saying they shouldn't buy M-rated games for their children. But, like a good politician, he made the statement on Monday, three days after the official start of the shopping season, so we figured we'd follow his lead and report it a few days after that. As is typical of Yee, his heart is in the right place, but his message always sounds a bit too Thompson-ish.Yee says 60% of children ages 8 to 17 list M-rated games as being their favorite (we don't doubt that) and says parents should consider the content of the games before purchasing them (we agree!). That all sounds very reasonable. Then he goes on to say Manhunt 2 has "accessible content designed for an Adults-Only (AO) rating." There's a half-truth. He also says that Manhunt 2 is on many children's wish lists. That's a lie -- and if true, is merely a sign the parents need to seek counseling for their child. He also says that in many top-selling games, players are "rewarded for violence, including killing police officers, maiming elderly persons, running over pedestrians, and torturing women and racial minorities." Looking over a list of the top-selling games in October, and even the last few months, we don't have a clue what he's talking about.
Senator pushes for expansion of "V-chip" video censorship technology
The Democratic Senator for Arkansas -- Mark Pryor is his name -- wants to expand on the "V-chip" video content blocking program, and create a tracking system that could enable parents to censor content on platforms including TV, DVD, and the internet. A new bill proposed by Senator Pryor calls for the FCC to look into ways of blocking "indecent and objectionable programming, as determined by the parent" on basically all platforms capable of displaying images. As always, the devil is in the details: how exactly the FCC is going to figure out a method for precisely tracking obscenities on a "platform blind" basis remains to be seen, and the issue of classification of content is always sure to cause controversy. What politicos like Pryor always seem to miss is the fact that parental filters are already in place, albeit in messy meatspace form.
Senator Tenorio? Heals prz!
We've known for a while that there were stars playing World of Warcraft. After all, with 9 million people logging in, there's inevitably going to be the occasional star from somewhere in the world. But reports this week illustrated a player that perhaps many of us were a little surprised at. You see, the gentleman in the picture to the right is Senator Ray Tenorio of Guam. When he's not working towards a brighter future for Guam serving in the Mina Bente Ocho Na Liheslaturan Guahan (the 28th Guam Legislature) as Senator and Majority Leader, he can be seen slinging heals in Karazhan on his Level 70 Dwarf Priest, Paleray. This just further helps to illustrate the point that many researchers are claiming now -- that MMO players know how to excel in team environments and make excellent leaders. Aside from that, I have to admit that having a gamer (and a Priest, at that) running for elected official would get some brownie points from me. Raiding requires people who are willing to work hard with a group, and that's definitely what I want to see in any elected official. Although I have to wonder why the Pacific Daily News didn't use actual screen shots from Paleray as opposed to just snagging random WoW screen shots. I don't know about you, but I'd be curious to see what a Senator uses for a UI. [via Pacific Daily News]
Iowa senator tells colleagues to stop playing games
Usually when a politician talks about video games, they're worried about the deleterious effects they have on children. At least one politician, though, is just as worried about the computer gaming problem among his fellow politicians.The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports on freshman Iowa State Senator Bill Heckroth, who chastised his fellow senators last week for playing games like Solitaire on state-issued laptops during floor debate. Heckroth, who noticed the illicit game-playing while watching proceedings from the gallery with visiting family, worried that the gaming might hurt the reputation of the senators among those watching from above. "I just got to thinking that just doesn't look real professional," he said on the senate floor last Thursday. "You hear enough bad things about being a politician."Veteran lawmakers were relatively blasé about the problem "Freshmen are always shocked by what goes on," said senate minority leader Mary Lundby. "Next year he won't even mention it. He'll probably be playing games."Related: Federal judge caught playing solitaire during a trial
Let's tax games, proposes Texas senator
Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa of Texas recently proposed a plan that would generate an estimated $65 million, which could be used to build or upgrade public schools. That plan is to apply a special tax to video game sales. The logic behind the proposal is that if school-aged kids are spending a lot of money on video games — or parents are spending a lot of money on games for their school-aged kids — these consumers can spend a little bit more in order to improve their school systems.What's outrageous is that the proposal has not been extended to other forms of popular consumer entertainment. Music? Movies? Why doesn't Hinojosa want to tax these formats?
