man

Artificial intelligence takes on Ms. Pac-Man

For the last 30 years, Pac-Man's estranged wife, Ms. Pac-Man, has been consuming countless coins and hours from gamers at arcades across North America.

Philipp Rohlfshagen, David Robles, and Simon Lucas, all of the University of Essex, recently launched a competition called Ms. Pac-Man vs. Ghost Team for those wanting to rewrite the flow of the classic chomper. The contest, held last week in New Orleans at the Congress on Evolutionary Computation 2011, was an open call for savvy Java programmers to create artificial intelligence routines that either control where Ms. Pac-Man or the four ghosts should go during gameplay. If you can't beat them, hack them.

Programming a successful strategy for a game like Ms. Pac-Man in real time is very complicated (click here for the software). A more competitive version of Ms. Pac-Man was used in the exhibition; fruits were omitted and the speed of Ms Pac-Man and the ghosts were identical. Entrants to the competition weren't allowed to use screen captures to navigate. They were required to directly interface with the game engine instead.… Read more

DeltaWing tackles Le Mans with fuel efficiency

Engines over 5 liters are common at the 24 hours of Le Mans endurance race, so how can a team fielding a car with only 1.6 liters attempt to compete? That answer comes in the form of weight reduction and aerodynamics.

The Project 56 group earned a spot in the 2012 24 hours of Le Mans race for its DeltaWing concept, a car eschewing horsepower in favor of an advanced body structure favoring air flow and light weight. Le Mans officials gave the car the 56th spot in the starting grid, a place that has been reserved for experimental cars to compete in the endurance race using a variety of alternative technologies.

The DeltaWing concept will use a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine making 300 horsepower, approximately half that of the typical Le Mans competitor. The car uses a slim front end with a much narrower track than the rear, making it easier for the engine to push the car forward. … Read more

Ex-hacker Lamo: No regrets over Bradley Manning

Adrian Lamo, the ex-hacker who became notorious for turning in alleged Wikileak-er Bradley Manning, says he has no regrets about his role in aiding the U.S. Army's criminal prosecution of the young soldier.

"Sometimes you need to consider the good of the many versus the good of the one," he told CNET in a recent interview. Lamo says he's scheduled to talk with prosecutors in Manning's case today for the first time and expects to be called as a witness in future proceedings.

In April, Manning was declared fit to stand trial on a … Read more

Nissan's mobile man cave

Nissan is angling to broaden commercial appeal of its cargo van by marketing the NV2500 as a mobile man cave.

To support Team Radio Shack on the Amgen Tour of California, Nissan kitted out a cargo van and turned it into what it described as a "man cave on wheels" equipped with satellite TV, bike tools, air hose, espresso machine, and bikes. The vehicle's maximum cargo height of 76.5 inches and nearly vertical sidewalls made it easy to accommodate aftermarket storage systems and cycling gear with enough space to stand and move around the interior. Occupants … Read more

Efficient organizer for manly types

Efficient Software's personal organizer comes in several versions, including freeware editions that offer most of the functionality but fewer features than the full versions. There are also versions optimized for men and women, Efficient Lady's Organizer Free and Efficient Man's Organizer Free. It's the same program, except that the ladies' version is decorated with pink hearts while the men's version is skinned in bolder, starker tones. Sure, it'd be easy to joke about gendered software, but at least there's a choice that doesn't involve a default theme that looks more like a … Read more

'Evil Dead' seeks rebirth in iPhone game

These days, Sam Raimi is famous for making the "Spider-Man" trilogy of movies. But to a core group of die-hard fans, he'll always be known as the director of 1981's cult-favorite "The Evil Dead."

Though that horror-comedy classic has had 30 years to blend into the cinematic background, it still has a passionate and devoted following. And now Raimi and production partner Robert Tapert and their Ghost House Pictures have teamed up with the Los Angeles-based entertainment consultants TriggerGlobal to fire up those fans--as well as try to create a new fan base for … Read more

For men and other disorganized types

Efficient Man's Organizer Free Portable breaks down this way: it's an efficient personal organizer designed for men that's totally portable and totally free. Portability is a key asset in a personal manager since a tool that's chained to your desktop obviously can't keep up with you when you're not at your desk. Efficient Man's Organizer is compact enough to run from a wide range of storage media and portable devices, yet it still offers a full set of features.

We extracted the compressed download of Efficient Man's Organizer and saved it to … Read more

The making of the World's Biggest Pac-Man game (Q&A)

When we think of Pac-Man, we think of a single screen, and a series of new mazes that become available only after players finish the one they're on.

But that's not how Ashley Ringrose and his colleagues at Sydney, Australia-based Soap Creative agency thought of the mega-hit 30-year-old video game. So when they were given a chance to design a promotion for the game that was both innovative and social, the lightbulb that went off over their heads was all about big.

Big, as in the World's Biggest Pac-Man game, in which fans are able to design … Read more

Route 66 Muffler Men: Collect them all

LIVINGSTON, Ill.--I see that you have a mint condition Rocket Firing Boba Fett action figure. That's pretty cool, but not as cool as my fully restored Gemini Giant with all accessories, astronaut helmet, and rocket ship intact.

I'm collecting Route 66 Muffler Men for the Geek's Guide to Route 66. These massive fiberglass statues dominate the parking lots and roadside attractions where they live. They all come from the common birthplace of the now defunct International Fiberglass in Venice, Calif., during the 1960s. As impressive as they look standing in place, imagine seeing one trucking down the highway on its way to a new home.

Roadside America has a handy spotter's guide to get you oriented when starting your own Muffler Man collection. I bagged three Muffler Men in one day of driving on Illinois's extensive chunk of the Mother Road. I was going to have them mounted on plaques for my living room but couldn't find a willing taxidermist.

Gemini Giant This bad boy is a reminder of the days when the Space Age was upon us and all things rocket-related were cool. The Gemini Giant holds down the fort at the Launching Pad Drive-In in Wilmington, Ill. He weighs 500 pounds and is a towering 28 feet tall. That's more than 27 feet taller than your average action figure.

Bunyon's Statue The Gemini Giant's twin brother hefts a honkin' huge hot dog just down the road in Atlanta, Ill. He once stood sentinel over a cafe in the town, but decided to stick around after the the diner closed. Really, who's going to tell a 500-pound man with a hot dog that he can't hang out?… Read more

Get ready to play the world's largest Pac-Man game

A week after an Australian creative agency launched The World's Biggest Pac-Man, players have built nearly 12,000 levels for it. And eaten nearly 300 million dots.

Launched last week at Microsoft's Mix 11 event in Las Vegas, the game was built as a promotion for Namco-Bandai, the publisher of the all-time classic video game. And it is a brilliant departure for Pac-Man. This time around, anyone can create their own level and then connect in a global map of others' levels. It's all playable, and scores are ranked on a worldwide leader board.

The game was … Read more