Before you could even blink an eye after the lawsuit that Hasbro made again Scrabulous, the Facebook App returns. Of course they couldn’t bring it back as Scrabulous, so they changed the name to WordScraper. So now all the Facebook App’ing nuts can rest easy as one of the most popular gaming apps is back online.

WordScraper is pretty much the same thing as Scrabulous. The only major differences are the name change that occured, and the design looks much different than Scrabulous. Hasbro had complained many times that Scrabulous was too similar to their popular board game Scrabble. So now with the change in design, and name hopefully both parties will be satisfied. For those who were fans of Scrabulous should also know that the scoring system has been changed as well in concordance with the design.

Anyone who has seen an episode of old-school Star Trek, knows about the communicators. Back in the day, William Shatner would flip up what looked to be a cellphone to talk to Scotty back up on the Enterprise. One hospital has adopted the technology, and so far has saved a lot of man hours with it.

The Hospital Communicator Hangs Easy From The Neck

The communicator system was implemented by Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, at the Royal Victoria Hospital Emergency Department. Since its release hospital workers have boasted about its performance, and convenience. Doctors, nurses, and aides all have the device. They have stated that they are spending less time trying to contact others, and have more time for the patients.

I know that this technology is for the benefit of mankind. But I really want one, if nothing more to say than “DAMMNIT JIM I’M JUST A DOCTOR”! (Star Trek nerds know of what I speak)

Last year Bill Gates showed off the Microsoft Surface. The tabletop computer was a pretty big hit, and people began getting into a buzz about the Microsoft Surface. It looks like Microsoft is trying to push the envelope even further, and in a different direction and shape. Ina Fried of Cnet.com blogs about her experience with the Microsoft Sphere, and what it’s all about.

Apparently the Microsoft Sphere has some similarities to the Surface, mainly touch screen capability. Besides that common trait, the Microsoft Sphere and Surface couldn’t be much different. Like the name suggests, the prototype computer is shaped like a sphere. Its’ diameter is 18 inches, and sits up on a pedestal for easy access.

The question that you’re probably asking yourself (because I know I did) is, “Why the hell do we need a spherical computer?” Well according to one of the main developers of Microsoft Sphere for, gaming, maps, and secret messages.

On the gaming side of things the Microsoft Sphere does present some unique possibilities. Imagine how Pong could change, if it were to be played on a 3D spherical surface. Of course there’s got to be more than just gaming ideas on the horizon right?

Well for mapping, the Sphere definitely opens up the possibilities for unique ideas. How about an interactive globe that’s actually shaped like a globe. Or if you’re trying to map video, the Sphere could give you viewpoints that would be hard to present on a flat screen.

If you’re having to give a presentation from a computer, then the Microsoft Sphere opens up more possibilities. With a spherical shape you can keep certain parts of the monitor hidden from certain positions. So if you’re giving a Power Point presentation, you can have notes on the opposite side of the screen which would be blind to viewers.

While some of these ideas seem cool and all, I just don’t see the importance of having a computer be a sphere shape. Games might be more interesting, and we might be get a cooler globe but there seems to be bigger fish to fry at Microsoft. How about a better version of Window’s Vista, or shifting funds to try and establish a larger foothold in the seargh engine business?

In case you were wondering, Scrabulous is 14 points on a Scrabble board (without any bonus modifers). Hasbro who owns the rights to the popular board game Scrabble has finally filed a lawsuit against the makers of Scrabulous. In case you’re not a Facebook user, Scrabulous is a fairly popular Facebook app, which is played by nearly 500,000 people online.

When the Faceboo App was released, many were debating on when or if Hasbro would make them take it down. Scrabulous has been up for awhile, and Hasbro has warned the app makers to take it down since the beginning of the year. Hasbro has apparently had enough, and will be filing a suit against the makers of the Facebook App. In case you’re wondering on the timing of the suit, Hasbro has released their own online version of Scrabble. The “official” version is being published by Electronic Arts (EA), and is on their online gaming site pogo.com.

Again, with the timing of Hasbro’s online release of Scrabble it’s no surprise to see them protecting their brand. Of course there will be about 500,000 Facebook users very unhappy with what will probably be a favorable outcome for Hasbro.

Oh, Napster how you’ve changed the world of electronic media. It used to be the line between legal/illegal forms of obtaining music was very apparent. There was tapes or CDs that you bought in store or you got bootlegs that were cheaper from street vendors. Now that downloading music has almost if not already turned into the norm for obtaining music the fight against piracy has gotten rather bloody.

In the United States, there have been task forces that have rooted out thousands of illegal downloaders. Although there have been arrests, there hasn’t been any massive scale plan like the one Britain is enforcing. The first part of the plan seems like a psychological front, as the government will be sending out hundreds of thousands of letters to suspected downloaders. While a letter might not sound like much, but it’s the government’s second step that is harsh while being rather intrusive. If there are illegal file-sharers that are found that have downloaded an extensive amount of music then the government is ready to slow those users’ broadband connection.

The government has been wanting to implement these measures for a few years, but it’s taken awhile for the ISPs to get onboard. All of the six major ISP networks have agreed to the government’s measures which is why the scale of the assault is so massive. Besides warning people and slowing their connections, ISP’s have dedicated to finding better ways to provide users with legal means to download music.

Everytime the debate over music piracy comes up I can’t help but think of the South Park episode featuring the issue. If we don’t crack down on things now then there’s a chance that Britney Spears won’t be able to have that custom diamond crusted, gold plated bathtub installed that she wanted.

Well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle is pretty much the only thing I can say after discovering this. I shouldn’t say that I ‘discovered’ as all I did was read an article about it. Anyways, a biologist by the name of Shawn Lockery has been researching how certain animals sense better taste in foods than others. The conclusion has been reached that atleast in worms, the sense is performed through Calculus.

Lockery states the importance of his research, “The more we know about how taste and smell function — not just at the level of primary sensory neurons, but downstream in the brain — the better prepared we will be to understand when the system is broken”

The function that the worm performs for devising where good tasting food is compared to bad is quite simple. Derivatives is a form of calculus that measures the fluctuation of change in something at a certain time. This mathematical process is what is used in the neurons of the worm to determine where certain foods are. Worms are attracted to higher concentrations of salt. So there are two separate neurons in the Worm’s brain that tell it that salt is ahead or if it needs to change direction. To prove this theory, Lockery implanted capsaicin which is a spice found in chili peppers into the worms. For one instance he implated it into the right neuron which tells the worm to continue forward because of higher salt concentration. Then he implanted it in the left neuron, which tells the worm that higher levels of salt are elsewhere so it would change direction. The experiment was a success and has opened up what Lockery hopes to be a better perception of how our own sense work.

The practical uses of this experiment are pretty groundbreaking. If Lockery was able to devise how a worm’s senses work at the most basic level, then it could provide insight into how our own senses work. If this were to happen, we could one day find the direct reasons why some people’s senses are weaker. Or could provide cures or solutions for people which have no senses at all.