At the time of writing there are three main options:

Video replays - this would be the simplest and cheapest option. Just as television cameras often catch refereeing errors, a series of cameras around the ground could be used to replay disputed incidents giving the referee a chance to see events from a range of angles.

Hawk-Eye - this a  British invention which also uses cameras installed around the ground which capture images at a rate of 500 frames per second. These images are fed back to a computer system in real time, the computer then alerts the referee via an ear-piece whenever a goal is scored. The process is very fast, and the ref will know if a goal is valid in less than a second.

Cairos – a German invention (it would be ironic if it was the preferred choice) which uses ball-chip technology along with a series of receivers and underground cables installed in the penalty box and behind the goal-line. When the ball crosses the line it’s internal chip feeds the information to a computer via the receivers and the ref is alerted almost immediately.

It still remains to be seen whether Fifa will allow the use of technology, but it works very effectively in both tennis and rugby and there is no reason why football should be any different. It’s commonplace to think that referees who make mistakes do so because of a bias towards the other team, but the truth is they are only human (surprising but true) and as such are likely to make mistakes. Technology would not only make the outcome of matches more fair, it would also make the job of these much abused officials that little bit easier, and would mean fans would be less likely to feel the need to question their eyesight, parentage and personal habits.

Technology in Football – How Does it Work? is a post from: eggnchips.com - cracking good technology

The 2010 GAME British Academy Video Games Awards are presented tomorrow night (19th March 2010) in London, and hosted again by popular comedian, and Mock The Week host, Dara O’Briain.

Big game titles are up for action awards this year including Assassin’s Creed II, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, inFAMOUS, Left 4 Dead 2, and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

In all, there are fifteen categories of awards representing the breath of the computer gaming industry this year (although no casual gaming awards yet!) which are:

• Action
• Artistic Achievement
• Best Game
• Family & Social
• Gameplay
• Handheld
• Multiplayer
• Original Score
• Sports
• Story
• Strategy
• Use of Audio
• Use of Online
• BAFTA Ones To Watch Award
• The GAME Award 2009

Dare to Be Digital, whose aim is to celebrate new talent and innovation, have teamed up with the “BAFTA Ones To Watch Award”, with Colour Coded, Quick as Thieves, and Shrunk! all nominated.

2010 GAME British Academy Video Games Awards is a post from: eggnchips.com - cracking good technology

The trouble with some areas is that the mobile phone signal isn’t very good. Vodafone have rescued him from his signal problems with their easy-to-install Sure Signal box – a device which can boost a mobile phone signal.

As they say “Whether you’re in a basement flat, high-rise, have thick walls or are living in a valley somewhere, Sure Signal guarantees you a great 3G signal at home.”

To learn more visit Vodafone Sure Signal.

Video: Vodafone Sure Signal is a post from: eggnchips.com - cracking good technology

• Runes of Magic, for the PC, has received a latest patch taking it up to version 2.1.6 which introduces a new challenge, “The Demon Stronghold”, which pits players against the Demon Lord, Sirloth.
• The online multiplayer games RuneScape has extended the ability of double-crafting runes to include law, death and blood runes – so it’s possible to receive multiple runes of each type from just one essence.
• Second Life is now officially working in partnership with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation in support of the Frank Lloyd Wright Virtual Museum within the MMO – which is a positive move for online platforms as it brings together official licensing with people passionate about the online environment and online skilled crafts people.
• Star Trek Online finally emerged from its successful beta and launched with a limited offer and has already amassed one million player accounts.
• Lord of The Rings Online creators Turbine, have released information about the latest Volume III, Book 1: Oath of the Rangers – as they say “The Shadow is spreading over Middle-earth, and the future king needs his allies to gather around him.”

Eggnchips Online Gaming News For February 2010 is a post from: eggnchips.com - cracking good technology

• t.y.p.o.r.g.a.n.i.s.m : ASCII-O-Matic
  A small yet beautifully formed utility to bring back memories of banging out pictures using an old fashioned typewriter.
• Atari Arcade Asteroids
  Presented in its “no frills” original form – this is as close as it gets to being in a chip shop in the 1980s.
• British Science Festival 2010
  Running from 14-19 September 2010 (so you have plenty of notice), the science festival is being held in Birmingham and usually attracts a crowd of 80,000 or more.

To suggest a link for a future “Incredible Links of the Week" on www.eggnchips.com drop us a note with the web link and a short description.

Three Incredible Links Of The Week For 29th January 2010 is a post from: eggnchips.com - cracking good technology

Comedian and avid gamer Dara O’Briain, is set to host the 2010 GAME British Academy Video Games Awards for the second time.

Arguably the most successful Irish comedian to have hit the UK for a decade, O’Briain has hosted and appeared on a number of TV shows, and toured extensively across England and Ireland.  He has currently just commenced his 2010 UK tour.

O’Briain who is a lifelong gamer said, “I am delighted to have been asked back to host the GAME BAFTA’s for the second year running. It’s an honour to acclaim the very real people whose creativity, innovation and wit produce such amazing virtual worlds”.

Ray Maguire, Chairman of the Video Games Committee said “It is fantastic to have Dara hosting again this year. It makes a huge difference when a host understands games and Dara does, he is also brilliantly funny!”

The GAME British Academy Video Games Awards will take place on Friday, March 19 at the London Hilton on Park Lane, with the nominations being announced on Tuesday 16 February. 

For the first time the awards will be streamed live at www.bafta.org and www.baftagameaward.com.

GAME BAFTA 2010 To Be Hosted By Dara O’Briain is a post from: eggnchips.com - cracking good technology

IMC is a global, humanitarian, non-profit organization, founded by volunteer doctors and nurses and dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through relief and development programs.

The IMC emergency response team is currently in Haiti responding in force but they need our help. Thousands of patients are still seeking treatment of which approximately 80% are in need of surgery and are running out of time – especially with the tremendous aftershocks still devastating this country.

Donating just $10 to help the people of Haiti is as simple as sending a text message of the word "haiti" to 85944.

Haiti Needs Our Help – Time Is Running Out is a post from: eggnchips.com - cracking good technology

What would feature in a new version of the iPhone? The first thing might be a speedier processor and battery life improvements – maybe even a removable battery. One of the most talked about things on the iPhone is the camera so could we see more megapixels in the Camera – 5 mega pixel is the most likely bet. Apple do love playing around with the design so could we see a flatter, thinner, edgier version – maybe. Perhaps even a higher resolution screen 800×480, and maybe an AMOLED screen.

Back in December Science and Technology site, The Register, reported the 5-megapix ‘iPhone 4′ set for June? and Gizmodo pondered the touch interface, Rumor: iPhone 4 Casing Will Be Touch-Sensitive Like The Magic Mouse. Bloomberg.com recently added fuel to the speculative fire about a June release in their article Apple IPhone With New Camera May Be Released by June. Softpedia, on the other hand, ran the article Apple Commences Final Testing Phase of iPhone 4 which indicated the phone update could be an iPhone 3.1. FoneArena recently reported iPhone 4G to feature OLED Screen , Video Calling, Dual Core Processor.

Of course it could all be speculation and any announcement mid-year could probably see more of an iPhone 3.1 than an iPhone 4 – only time will tell.

Rumours About The Apple iPhone 4 is a post from: eggnchips.com - cracking good technology

Mochi Media, the Flash game advertising network and more recently payments platform, has been acquired by Shanda Games. As the Mochi blog tells us “Shanda Games is the leading online game company in China in terms of the size and diversity of their 30+ title gaming portfolio.”. The partnership arised out of a synergy between Mochi Media looking to expand into the Chinese gaming market, and Shanda Games looking for a presence outside of China.

Mochi Media will continue to operate as a subsidiary of Shanda Games and the key team members have affirmed their commitment to stay onboard as Mochi Media moves into the next phase of its development.

Read the announcement from Mochi Media: Mochi Media is Joining the Shanda Games Family!

Mochi Media Joins Shanda Games is a post from: eggnchips.com - cracking good technology

The Palm Pre is handy little device for converging online activities and recently available WebOS 1.3.1 software upgrade has reached the UK shores. It takes around 15 minutes to implement and is delivered “over the air”.  The features of WebOS 1.3.1 are explained further at the Palm Pre Support Site.

Converging contact details into one place is made easier through Palm Synergy whilst also providing a unified area for viewing all your emails and other messaging features.

Currently available from O2 in the UK, the Palm Pre has some clever programming which manages more than one running application at a time, with the focus being managed by touch screen (and below the screen) gestures. For example, to close an application simply swipe your finger up the screen, to go back simply swipe your finger left on the touch sensitive area underneath the screen.

Palm Pre Gets Software Update is a post from: eggnchips.com - cracking good technology