Tuesday, January 23, 2007
12-5-06 Newspaper
Matthew's Newspaper
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
”News and views that you can use”
Serving the Santa Clara County since 2002
Gamers Say that Nintendo Wii Overpowers Sony PlayStation 3
Since their debuts more than a week ago, two new game systems earn good grades from consumers - but the underdog Nintendo Wii is the early favorite over the pricier Sony PlayStation3.
Both sold out on Day 1: Nov. 19 for the $500-$600 PS3 and Nov. 21 for the $250 Wii. But Nintendo seems to be reaping the benefits of a better supply.
Overall, Sony is estimated to have shipped between 125,000 and 175,000 PS3s to stores, says American Technology Research analyst P.J. McNealy; the target had been about 400,000. Nintendo shipped between 425,000 and 475,000, he says.
GIFT GUIDE: Games for all ages
Nintendo's launch "has been probably a little better than expected and Sony's has been a little bit more disappointing," McNealy says. "If you have to rank on who won this holiday so far, Microsoft is first, Nintendo a close second and Sony a distant third, which is a rare statement."
Many gave up on getting a PS3 and opted for the Wii, according to New Media Strategies, a research firm that monitored Web activity related to the systems. And 38% who sought a PS3 and were subjected "to sleep deprivation, lost wages, missed classes, the elements and even muggings came away from the experience with a bitter taste in their mouths," the report says.
About 49% of online discussions were favorable to Wii, compared with 27% for PS3. Says the firm's Sam Huxley: "The hype machine went too far."
The Wii, says Bryan Clute, 26, of Silverdale, Wash., rates an A because the new remote-shaped wireless controller is "something I haven't been able to experience before. It really adds to game play" in the bowling game that is included with the system. Clute, who waited in line at a GameStop store to reserve a system, says, "It was well worth it."
David Nieves, 26, of Philadelphia gives the Wii an A-. "Nintendo has definitely gotten it right." He and friends spent most of the first day golfing, boxing, bowling and playing baseball. The games "were a blast."
Assessments were harsher for the PS3. Ray McLean, 34, of Brooklyn, N.Y., rates the PS3 an A but gives the games a B "because many of the launch titles were pushed back to later dates." He wanted to see aerial combat game Warhawk, for one, because it would take full advantage of the motion-sensitive controller. But connected to his 42-inch HDTV, "I'm surprised at how good (the games) look, given that they are first-generation games."
Brett Conlon, 26, of Fairfax, Va., gives the PS3 a B- because of the system updates needed before playing games, going online and playing multiplayer games. "I will say, however, that Resistance: Fall of Man shows a lot of potential. The Blu-ray player has amazing clarity (compared with) a regular DVD."
On its website, Entertainment Weekly gave the Wii a B+ and PS3 a B. "The Wii slightly edges out the PS3 in our head-to-head because it has a blockbuster Zelda game at launch and a very attractive price point," Geoff Keighley says. But in the long run, "the race will get even tighter."
Scientists say Pollution Actually Helps
If the sun warms the Earth too dangerously, the time may come to draw the shade. The "shade" would be a layer of pollution deliberately spewed into the atmosphere to help cool the planet. This over-the-top idea comes from prominent scientists, among them a Nobel laureate. The reaction here at the U.N. conference on climate change is a mix of caution, curiosity and some resignation to such "massive and drastic" operations, as the chief U.N. climatologist describes them.
The Nobel Prize-winning scientist who first made the proposal is himself "not enthusiastic about it."
"It was meant to startle the policy makers," said Paul J. Crutzen, of Germany's Max Planck Institute for Chemistry. "If they don't take action much more strongly than they have in the past, then in the end we have to do experiments like this."
Serious people are taking Crutzen's idea seriously. This weekend, NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., hosts a closed-door, high-level workshop on the global haze proposal and other "geoengineering" ideas for fending off climate change.
In Nairobi, meanwhile, hundreds of delegates were wrapping up a two-week conference expected to only slowly advance efforts to rein in greenhouse gases blamed for much of the 1-degree rise in global temperatures in the past century.
The 1997 Kyoto Protocol requires modest emission cutbacks by industrial countries — but not the United States, the biggest emitter of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases, because it rejected the deal. Talks on what to do after Kyoto expires in 2012 are all but bogged down.
When he published his proposal in the journal Climatic Change in August, Crutzen cited a "grossly disappointing international political response" to warming.
The Dutch climatologist, awarded a 1995 Nobel in chemistry for his work uncovering the threat to Earth's atmospheric ozone layer, suggested that balloons bearing heavy guns be used to carry sulfates high aloft and fire them into the stratosphere.
While carbon dioxide keeps heat from escaping Earth, substances such as sulfur dioxide, a common air pollutant, reflect solar radiation, helping cool the planet.
Tom Wigley, a senior U.S. government climatologist, followed Crutzen's article with a paper of his own on Oct. 20 in the leading U.S. journal Science. Like Crutzen, Wigley cited the precedent of the huge volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991.
Pinatubo shot so much sulfurous debris into the stratosphere that it is believed it cooled the Earth by .9 degrees for about a year.
Wigley ran scenarios of stratospheric sulfate injection — on the scale of Pinatubo's estimated 10 million tons of sulfur — through supercomputer models of the climate, and reported that Crutzen's idea would, indeed, seem to work. Even half that amount per year would help, he wrote.
A massive dissemination of pollutants would be needed every year or two, as the sulfates precipitate from the atmosphere in acid rain.
Wigley said a temporary shield would give political leaders more time to reduce human dependence on fossil fuels — the main source of greenhouse gases. He said experts must more closely study the feasibility of the idea and its possible effects on stratospheric chemistry.
Nairobi conference participants agreed.
"Yes, by all means, do all the research," Indian climatologist Rajendra K. Pachauri, chairman of the 2,000-scientist U.N. network on climate change, told The Associated Press.
But "if human beings take it upon themselves to carry out something as massive and drastic as this, we need to be absolutely sure there are no side effects," Pachauri said.
Philip Clapp, a veteran campaigner for emissions controls to curb warming, also sounded a nervous note, saying, "We are already engaged in an uncontrolled experiment by injecting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere."
But Clapp, president of the U.S. group National Environmental Trust, said, "I certainly don't disagree with the urgency."
In past years scientists have scoffed at the idea of air pollution as a solution for global warming, saying that the kind of sulfate haze that would be needed is deadly to people. Last month, the World Heath Organization said air pollution kills about 2 million people worldwide each year and that reducing large soot-like particles from sulfates in cities could save 300,000 lives annually.
American geophysicist Jonathan Pershing, of Washington's World Resources Institute, is among those wary of unforeseen consequences, but said the idea might be worth considering "if down the road 25 years, it becomes more and more severe because we didn't deal with the problem."
By telephone from Germany, Crutzen said that's what he envisioned: global haze as a component for long-range planning. "The reception on the whole is more positive than I thought," he said.
Pershing added, however, that reaction may hinge on who pushes the idea. "If it's the U.S., it might be perceived as an effort to avoid the problem," he said.
NASA said this weekend's conference will examine "methods to ameliorate the likelihood of progressively rising temperatures over the next decades." Other such U.S. government-sponsored events are scheduled to follow.
Encounters an News Crew
On Friday, December 1st, Matthew’s Newspaper met George Kiriyama, who appears on the 11 o’clock news on NBC11. He was going door-to-door, questioning people about the “Birdland” robberies. (See the “Local Robberies” section). The Matthew’s Newspaper employees saw him go up to the house they were in front of and realizing they knew a little about the robberies, they promised each other they would get it out before NBC11. Mr. Kiriyama overheard this and was really interested in Matthew’s Newspaper!!
Local Robberies
As you read above, there have been some robberies in the Birdland neighborhood. This is a series of robberies in which thieves are hopping fences and enter the back way by breaking windows. It’s kind of strange because it would be easier in the summer when most people have windows open anyway, but I guess they figured people are buying gifts since it’s close to Christmas time.
Also, Robbia Drive residents received a notice about a November 3rd burglary on their street, and two Matthew’s Newspaper employees saw/heard some suspicious activity. Hear about their encounter at www.matthewsnewspaper--burglaries.blogspot.com.
Police Encounter 12-9-06 On December 9, 2006, Matthew’s Newspaper saw two police cars with a black pick-up truck pulled over. Of course Matthew’s Newspaper had to interview them. We learned that the officers saw a car with a broken tail-light, so they gave him a ticket. But then, when they asked for his license, they discovered he was driving without a license. Because he didn’t have a license, they had to tow the truck away.
Upcoming Events – Mark Your Calendars!
To get your event listed here, please call (408) 504-8612.
Wednesday, December 13--- SunnyArts Neighborhood Watch Meeting at Sunnyvale Community Center 550 E. Remington—Community room Regarding recent Sunnyvale burglaries and Neighborhood Community Action steps.
Advertising Space Available!
We charge $5.00/issue for a business card ad. If you pay $15.00 for three issues, the fourth one is free! This is a great way to reach all the subscribers to Matthew’s Newspaper, including the Sunnyvale Library, City Hall, the Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce, and all my email subscribers. See the Ads Published section.
Visit My Blog!
To see more history on Matthew’s Newspaper, or to leave a comment on any of the articles you’ve seen here, visit my blog at www.matthewsnewspaper.blogspot.com.
Weather Forecast
Here is my weather forecast:
Wednesday-Friday: Cloudy, 85% chance of rain.
Highs in the 40’s and 50’s.
Saturday-Sunday: Partly cloudy, 30% chance of rain Highs in the upper 50’s
Puzzle Corner
For a whole website of jokes, go to www.mnjokes.blogspot.com.
Ads Published
NOTICE: We are no longer doing crossword puzzles. For unlimited crossword puzzles, go to www.mncrosswords.blogspot.com as of 9/12/06!!
Questions or Comments? Send a Letter to…
…Matthew’s Newspaper--360 E. Evelyn Ave. Box 611, Sunnyvale CA 94086
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
”News and views that you can use”
Serving the Santa Clara County since 2002
Gamers Say that Nintendo Wii Overpowers Sony PlayStation 3
Since their debuts more than a week ago, two new game systems earn good grades from consumers - but the underdog Nintendo Wii is the early favorite over the pricier Sony PlayStation3.
Both sold out on Day 1: Nov. 19 for the $500-$600 PS3 and Nov. 21 for the $250 Wii. But Nintendo seems to be reaping the benefits of a better supply.
Overall, Sony is estimated to have shipped between 125,000 and 175,000 PS3s to stores, says American Technology Research analyst P.J. McNealy; the target had been about 400,000. Nintendo shipped between 425,000 and 475,000, he says.
GIFT GUIDE: Games for all ages
Nintendo's launch "has been probably a little better than expected and Sony's has been a little bit more disappointing," McNealy says. "If you have to rank on who won this holiday so far, Microsoft is first, Nintendo a close second and Sony a distant third, which is a rare statement."
Many gave up on getting a PS3 and opted for the Wii, according to New Media Strategies, a research firm that monitored Web activity related to the systems. And 38% who sought a PS3 and were subjected "to sleep deprivation, lost wages, missed classes, the elements and even muggings came away from the experience with a bitter taste in their mouths," the report says.
About 49% of online discussions were favorable to Wii, compared with 27% for PS3. Says the firm's Sam Huxley: "The hype machine went too far."
The Wii, says Bryan Clute, 26, of Silverdale, Wash., rates an A because the new remote-shaped wireless controller is "something I haven't been able to experience before. It really adds to game play" in the bowling game that is included with the system. Clute, who waited in line at a GameStop store to reserve a system, says, "It was well worth it."
David Nieves, 26, of Philadelphia gives the Wii an A-. "Nintendo has definitely gotten it right." He and friends spent most of the first day golfing, boxing, bowling and playing baseball. The games "were a blast."
Assessments were harsher for the PS3. Ray McLean, 34, of Brooklyn, N.Y., rates the PS3 an A but gives the games a B "because many of the launch titles were pushed back to later dates." He wanted to see aerial combat game Warhawk, for one, because it would take full advantage of the motion-sensitive controller. But connected to his 42-inch HDTV, "I'm surprised at how good (the games) look, given that they are first-generation games."
Brett Conlon, 26, of Fairfax, Va., gives the PS3 a B- because of the system updates needed before playing games, going online and playing multiplayer games. "I will say, however, that Resistance: Fall of Man shows a lot of potential. The Blu-ray player has amazing clarity (compared with) a regular DVD."
On its website, Entertainment Weekly gave the Wii a B+ and PS3 a B. "The Wii slightly edges out the PS3 in our head-to-head because it has a blockbuster Zelda game at launch and a very attractive price point," Geoff Keighley says. But in the long run, "the race will get even tighter."
Scientists say Pollution Actually Helps
If the sun warms the Earth too dangerously, the time may come to draw the shade. The "shade" would be a layer of pollution deliberately spewed into the atmosphere to help cool the planet. This over-the-top idea comes from prominent scientists, among them a Nobel laureate. The reaction here at the U.N. conference on climate change is a mix of caution, curiosity and some resignation to such "massive and drastic" operations, as the chief U.N. climatologist describes them.
The Nobel Prize-winning scientist who first made the proposal is himself "not enthusiastic about it."
"It was meant to startle the policy makers," said Paul J. Crutzen, of Germany's Max Planck Institute for Chemistry. "If they don't take action much more strongly than they have in the past, then in the end we have to do experiments like this."
Serious people are taking Crutzen's idea seriously. This weekend, NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., hosts a closed-door, high-level workshop on the global haze proposal and other "geoengineering" ideas for fending off climate change.
In Nairobi, meanwhile, hundreds of delegates were wrapping up a two-week conference expected to only slowly advance efforts to rein in greenhouse gases blamed for much of the 1-degree rise in global temperatures in the past century.
The 1997 Kyoto Protocol requires modest emission cutbacks by industrial countries — but not the United States, the biggest emitter of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases, because it rejected the deal. Talks on what to do after Kyoto expires in 2012 are all but bogged down.
When he published his proposal in the journal Climatic Change in August, Crutzen cited a "grossly disappointing international political response" to warming.
The Dutch climatologist, awarded a 1995 Nobel in chemistry for his work uncovering the threat to Earth's atmospheric ozone layer, suggested that balloons bearing heavy guns be used to carry sulfates high aloft and fire them into the stratosphere.
While carbon dioxide keeps heat from escaping Earth, substances such as sulfur dioxide, a common air pollutant, reflect solar radiation, helping cool the planet.
Tom Wigley, a senior U.S. government climatologist, followed Crutzen's article with a paper of his own on Oct. 20 in the leading U.S. journal Science. Like Crutzen, Wigley cited the precedent of the huge volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991.
Pinatubo shot so much sulfurous debris into the stratosphere that it is believed it cooled the Earth by .9 degrees for about a year.
Wigley ran scenarios of stratospheric sulfate injection — on the scale of Pinatubo's estimated 10 million tons of sulfur — through supercomputer models of the climate, and reported that Crutzen's idea would, indeed, seem to work. Even half that amount per year would help, he wrote.
A massive dissemination of pollutants would be needed every year or two, as the sulfates precipitate from the atmosphere in acid rain.
Wigley said a temporary shield would give political leaders more time to reduce human dependence on fossil fuels — the main source of greenhouse gases. He said experts must more closely study the feasibility of the idea and its possible effects on stratospheric chemistry.
Nairobi conference participants agreed.
"Yes, by all means, do all the research," Indian climatologist Rajendra K. Pachauri, chairman of the 2,000-scientist U.N. network on climate change, told The Associated Press.
But "if human beings take it upon themselves to carry out something as massive and drastic as this, we need to be absolutely sure there are no side effects," Pachauri said.
Philip Clapp, a veteran campaigner for emissions controls to curb warming, also sounded a nervous note, saying, "We are already engaged in an uncontrolled experiment by injecting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere."
But Clapp, president of the U.S. group National Environmental Trust, said, "I certainly don't disagree with the urgency."
In past years scientists have scoffed at the idea of air pollution as a solution for global warming, saying that the kind of sulfate haze that would be needed is deadly to people. Last month, the World Heath Organization said air pollution kills about 2 million people worldwide each year and that reducing large soot-like particles from sulfates in cities could save 300,000 lives annually.
American geophysicist Jonathan Pershing, of Washington's World Resources Institute, is among those wary of unforeseen consequences, but said the idea might be worth considering "if down the road 25 years, it becomes more and more severe because we didn't deal with the problem."
By telephone from Germany, Crutzen said that's what he envisioned: global haze as a component for long-range planning. "The reception on the whole is more positive than I thought," he said.
Pershing added, however, that reaction may hinge on who pushes the idea. "If it's the U.S., it might be perceived as an effort to avoid the problem," he said.
NASA said this weekend's conference will examine "methods to ameliorate the likelihood of progressively rising temperatures over the next decades." Other such U.S. government-sponsored events are scheduled to follow.
Encounters an News Crew
On Friday, December 1st, Matthew’s Newspaper met George Kiriyama, who appears on the 11 o’clock news on NBC11. He was going door-to-door, questioning people about the “Birdland” robberies. (See the “Local Robberies” section). The Matthew’s Newspaper employees saw him go up to the house they were in front of and realizing they knew a little about the robberies, they promised each other they would get it out before NBC11. Mr. Kiriyama overheard this and was really interested in Matthew’s Newspaper!!
Local Robberies
As you read above, there have been some robberies in the Birdland neighborhood. This is a series of robberies in which thieves are hopping fences and enter the back way by breaking windows. It’s kind of strange because it would be easier in the summer when most people have windows open anyway, but I guess they figured people are buying gifts since it’s close to Christmas time.
Also, Robbia Drive residents received a notice about a November 3rd burglary on their street, and two Matthew’s Newspaper employees saw/heard some suspicious activity. Hear about their encounter at www.matthewsnewspaper--burglaries.blogspot.com.
Police Encounter 12-9-06 On December 9, 2006, Matthew’s Newspaper saw two police cars with a black pick-up truck pulled over. Of course Matthew’s Newspaper had to interview them. We learned that the officers saw a car with a broken tail-light, so they gave him a ticket. But then, when they asked for his license, they discovered he was driving without a license. Because he didn’t have a license, they had to tow the truck away.
Upcoming Events – Mark Your Calendars!
To get your event listed here, please call (408) 504-8612.
Wednesday, December 13--- SunnyArts Neighborhood Watch Meeting at Sunnyvale Community Center 550 E. Remington—Community room Regarding recent Sunnyvale burglaries and Neighborhood Community Action steps.
Advertising Space Available!
We charge $5.00/issue for a business card ad. If you pay $15.00 for three issues, the fourth one is free! This is a great way to reach all the subscribers to Matthew’s Newspaper, including the Sunnyvale Library, City Hall, the Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce, and all my email subscribers. See the Ads Published section.
Visit My Blog!
To see more history on Matthew’s Newspaper, or to leave a comment on any of the articles you’ve seen here, visit my blog at www.matthewsnewspaper.blogspot.com.
Weather Forecast
Here is my weather forecast:
Wednesday-Friday: Cloudy, 85% chance of rain.
Highs in the 40’s and 50’s.
Saturday-Sunday: Partly cloudy, 30% chance of rain Highs in the upper 50’s
Puzzle Corner
For a whole website of jokes, go to www.mnjokes.blogspot.com.
Ads Published
NOTICE: We are no longer doing crossword puzzles. For unlimited crossword puzzles, go to www.mncrosswords.blogspot.com as of 9/12/06!!
Questions or Comments? Send a Letter to…
…Matthew’s Newspaper--360 E. Evelyn Ave. Box 611, Sunnyvale CA 94086
