itnetwerk

Microsoft said on Thursday that it is planning an update to Windows 7 that will close a number of loopholes that counterfeiters had used to thwart the operating system's built-in antipiracy measures. The Windows Activation Technologies Update for Windows 7, which will be released later this month, closes more than 70 "activation hacks," according to Joe Williams, general manager of Microsoft's Genuine Windows unit, responsible for anti-counterfeiting measures. The update will also check with a server periodically to see if there are further hacks that need to be addressed, though Williams said no personally identifiable information about the user will be sent to the server.

Source

Reports began circulating this morning about major layoffs at a handful of Activision-owned development studios, affecting as much as half of Radical Entertainment's staff (Prototype), an undisclosed amount of Neversoft employees (Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk), and the entirety of Luxoflux (Tranformers). An Activision rep confirmed two former studio layoffs to us this afternoon, though a representative didn't city any official numbers -- the rep also told us he could "confirm the closure of Luxoflux."

Source

Another attraction is the hardware. Consoles seem to offer some advantages over computers when it comes to training games. The Nintendo Wii controller (Microsoft and Sony are developing similar hardware) allows a training game to incorporate body movement. A Wii-like console could be useful for individualized physical training for soldiers who need to shed a few pounds, or for practicing individual combat drills when there is no training range available. And then there is the relatively straightforward configuration of consoles, compared to the nightmare that military game developers face in getting games to work on the mishmash of video and sound cards in the government’s potpourri of computers.

Source

No setup needed Automatically follow the people you email and chat with the most in Gmail.

Share publicly or privately Publish your ideas to the world or just to your closest friends.

Inbox integration Comments get sent right to your inbox so it's easy to keep the conversation going.

Photo friendly See thumbnails with each post, and browse full-screen photos from popular sites.

Connect sites you already use Import your stuff from Twitter, Picasa, Flickr, and Google Reader.

See updates in real time New posts and comments pop in as they happen. No refresh required.

Just the good stuff Buzz recommends interesting posts and weeds out ones you're likely to skip.

Source