A 26 year old man from Jinzhou, in northeastern China died after a 7 day gaming session.
China has seen an alarming rise in the number of teenage and young adult Internet addicts in recent years, despite attempts to restrict minors from cyber cafes and limit online game playing times.
Today, the Canadian parliament has voted to dismiss two anti-terror laws that were adopted in the country during the aftermath of September 11th. Considered the equivalent of the US Patriot Act (in spirit though, not in depth) the laws allowed terror suspects to be detained with charges for days and gave interrogators the ability to “compel” witnesses to testify. While the laws were technically in place, they were never actually used in even a single case since they were enacted. The laws were viewed by all political parties, except the Conservative Party which runs the minority government and opposed their rejection, as neither relevant or needed in dealing with terrorist plots. Hopefully more countries follow the Canadian lead and stop sacrificing the rights of their citizens purely on fear.
Ever wanted to use Wordpress as the basis for your own non-blog based community website? I know I have. Wordpress is so simple to setup and easy to customize, it would make a great platform for many different sites. Well, if you’re goal is to setup a review based site where users can visit and contribute comments on various products and services you have listed, this new plugin might be just what you need to make it a reality. The DGRS plugin allows you to convert a standard blog into a site for reviewing anything from electronics to dvd’s, and the best part is it includes everything you need to implement the community aspect as well by allowing your site visitors to contribute their own reviews. Of course, you’ll need to modify your theme to support the plugin’s layout, but that’s a small price to pay for such an interesting tool.
On April 2nd, EA Games will officially have an open position at CEO when Larry Probst steps down as the company head. While there still might be time to get your resume in for the position, I wouldn’t hold your breath on the job as John Riccitello, an old school EA employee, is rumored to be taking it. The last few years have not been great for EA amidst dropping stock prices and controversy over its reliance on sequels and inability to innovate with new titles. Does Riccitello have what it takes to turn the company around after 16 years with Probst as the man in charge? We’re going to find out one way or the other, but here’s hoping their new direction is one that steers clear of micropayments, embedded tracking software, and skyrocketing game prices.
If you’re just starting out with your web design business, one of the hardest things to figure out is just what exactly to charge your customers. Well, worry no more with this step by step checklist that practically builds you an invoice right before your eyes. I particularly like the fact that a lack of Photoshop knowledge, drives the price through the roof 
While there have been rumors for months now, it was finally confirmed this weekend that JJ Abrams will be directing a new Star Trek feature film for Paramount Studios. Abrams, the creator of the television series’ Lost and Alias and director of Mission: Impossible 3, will direct Star Trek XI which is said to revolve around a young James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock while initially at Starfleet Academy. After the poor performance of the last few Star Trek films, XI is a reboot for the franchise, introducing new stars and breathing fresh air into the entire universe. It will be interesting to see what Abrams can do with such an established history and universe. Hopefully he can give this entire series the shot in the arm it really needs…
At 8:57 p.m. ET time the Rosetta space probe will be entering a critical phase in its epic journey to land on Comet Churyumov- Gerasimenko. The probe will attempt a flyby of Mars using the planets gravity to reduce its speed and adjust its course back to earth. The probe will need to pass Earth three times and Mars once before reaching the comet in 2014.
Like the planets, comets are thought to have spun out of the sun during the formation of the solar system 4½ billion years ago. But unlike planets, comets have remained largely unchanged in composition, making them a unique time capsule of the process and elements at work during the formation of the planets.
Professional golfer, Fuzzy Zoeller, has filed a lawsuit over malicious entries in his Wikipedia entry that recently described him as a former wife and child abuser who was hooked on alcohol and drugs. While the invalid statements are no longer listed, Zoeller is seeking damages against the actual person who made the modifications to the popular community based encyclopedia. Seeking compensation for damaged reputation, mental anguish, and loss of Income, Zoeller is seeking out the user of an IP address he claims was tracked as the actual Wikipedia author responsible for the changes. It will be interesting to see the results of this case, and what exactly Zoeller receives as compensation, if anything.
