Only for non-HD titles, though. But there are LOTS of those.

Read more here.

No, not really. It's an SNL skit.  But, it's still funny.

What do you think inspired this product?

What Happens When Barack Obama Takes Viagara?

He grows taller.

H/T to Laughing Wolf.

The Guardian in the UK is reporting that The Village People are suing Channel 4 because Chef Jamie Oliver – for his new show “Jamie’s American Road Trip” – donned costumes as a cowboy, construction worker, Indian, and a sailor.   They claim that they have trademarked the costumes, and as such, his parody violates that trademark.

Oh please. 

Microsoft has filed a new patent application with the US Patent and Trademark Office that would generate avatars for virtual environments that reflect physiological characteristics of the user.  Their claim is that it would inject “a degree of reality into the capabilities or appearance”.  In other words, fat gamers would have fat avatars.  The patent description goes on to say,

Physiological data that reflect a degree of health of the real person can be linked to rewards of capabilities of a gaming avatar, an amount of time budgeted to play, or a visible indication. Thereby, people are encouraged to exercise. Physiological data that reflect the health and perhaps also mood also improve social interaction in virtual environments. People seeking to meet and become acquainted with particular types of people are not thwarted by the artificiality of avatars. The physiological data can be gleaned from a third party health data collection repository, a healthcare smart card, a real-time physiological sensor (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, blood glucose, peak flow, pedometer, etc.)

Has Microsoft gone too far?

Possibly.  There is nothing in the patent that specifically describes how they would make this link to a “health data collection repository”, nor do they address the legality of publishing such information in the form of an avatar.  They do speak about obtaining information “nonvolitionally”, which would seem – on the surface – to be a violation of HIPPA.  They do not speak to issues related to controlling access to such information about minors.  They do not speak about potential violations of the 1974 Privacy Act.

Unfortunately, it’s not the job of the USPTO to judge a patent based on such issues.  It will be up to the courts, and maybe a legislature or fifty legislatures, to determine how Microsoft would be allowed to use such information.