DVT linked to video gamer's death

30 July 2011 Last updated at 15:44 GMT Chris Staniforth would spend up to 12 hours playing on the console. A man whose son died after playing video games for long periods is campaigning for greater awareness of the risk posed by their excessive use.

Chris Staniforth, 20, who would play his console for up to 12 hours, died in May from deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

His father David believes the condition may have been triggered by long gaming sessions.

DVT can form during long periods of immobility and can kill if the clots travel to the lungs.

Computer records showed his son would sometimes play online on his Xbox for periods up to 12 hours.

The coroner said a clot formed in Chris' left calf before moving to his lungs.

Once there, it caused a fatal blockage, known as a pulmonary embolism.

Mr Staniforth said: "After my research I saw there was no difference to Chris sitting at a desk on his Xbox and someone on a long-haul flight.

"Sitting still is literally the danger zone. Chris loved to play and would stay up all night.

"Millions of people worldwide are playing these games for hours, and there is a risk."

While Mr Staniforth has no problem with games consoles, he wants to highlight the heightened risk of DVT associated with being immobile, and is in the process of setting up a website.

In a statement, Microsoft, who manufacture the Xbox console, said: 'We have always encouraged responsible game play through our education campaigns such as Play Smart, Play Safe.

"We recommend that gamers take periodic breaks to exercise as well as make time for other pursuits."

David Staniforth calls for greater awareness of DVT after the death of his son, Chris

View the original article here

Facebook adds Skype video chat

6 July 2011 Last updated at 19:23 GMT Mark Zuckerberg: "This type of thing is only possible because of the social infrastructure that already exists"

Facebook has announced a partnership with Skype to add video chat to the social networking site.

The move is likely to be seen as a shot across the bow of Google, which recently launched a Facebook rival, Google+, also featuring video calling.

This is not the first time Facebook and Skype have teamed up - they already share some instant messaging tools.

Skype is in the process of being bought by Microsoft, which is a major shareholder in Facebook.

The new video-call service was launched by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who also revealed that the site now had more than 750 million users.

However, he said that the total number of active users was no longer a useful measure of the site's success.

Instead, the amount of sharing - of photographs, videos and web links - was a better indication of how people engaged with the site, explained Mr Zuckerberg.

One to one

At launch, Facebook's video chat service will only be able to connect two users face-to-face, whereas Google's system allows group video calls, known as Hangouts.

Continue reading the main story Maggie Shiels Technology reporter, Silicon Valley

Coming hard on the heels of Google+, Facebook's Skype offering is likely to be compared to its rival's Hangout feature. That product allows up to ten people to chat at any one time, while the Facebook/Skype video chat feature facilitates just one-on-one video chatting.

Skype did hint that there will be added features in future, but Google has stolen the lion's share of the headlines and Facebook will not enjoy being seen as following in its footsteps.

At the launch in California, Mark Zuckerberg was reluctant to get involved in a tit for tat comparison but he did say that he saw such products as part of the narrative that in future companies which have not traditionally looked at social networking will be layering it on top of all their products.

Mr Zuckerberg said that it was likely that other "premium" Skype functions would be added in future.

He also appeared to offer a back-handed compliment to Google+, saying that its creation was a vindication of Facebook's vision for the social web.

Industry analysts welcomed the announcement.

"Advertisers love anything that keeps users on Facebook for longer and that is something Facebook has been brilliant at - keeping people engaged with the platform for increasingly longer periods of time," Susan Etlinger of the Altimeter Group told BBC News.

"It stands to reason that the longer you are on Facebook, the happier advertisers will be."

In California, Skype chief executive Tony Bates welcomed the partnership, calling it a "long-term relationship" that could benefit both companies.

At one point he had to correct Mr Zuckerberg on the subject of Skype's ownership, reminding him that the Microsoft deal was not yet complete and still had to be cleared by regulators.

The tie-in was announced a week after Google announced its own social networking service, Google+.

"The two companies built these products separately and independently over a number of months but they will be compared directly," said Ben Parr, editor-at-large of social media blog Mashable.com.

"They are going to be in more heated competition in the next year or so and you are going to hear a lot about who is going to win the social networking war - how does Google catch up, how does Facebook respond. This story isn't going away."

View the original article here

Black's Friday video off YouTube

The official video for Rebecca Black's internet hit Friday has been removed from YouTube.

A message in place of the video now reads: "This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Rebecca Black. Sorry about that."

A spokesman for the 13-year-old says her team asked YouTube to take the video down because of a dispute with the song's producers Ark Music Factory.

The firm started to charge $2.99 (?1.85) to watch the clip last week.

At the time Black tweeted: "Thanks for all the messages regarding the $2.99 fee added to Friday video, I have NOTHING to do with this!!

"PS...My Manager and Lawyer are on this and are going to get to the bottom of this! Stay tuned..."

Black's lawyers and Ark Music have been in dispute over who owns the rights to the internet phenomenon, which had garnered more than 160 million views, for months.

The singer's parents paid $4,000 (?2,474) for production of the song and video, which has since been performed by Justin Bieber, as well as on hit show Glee.

Black's lawyers sent a letter to Ark Music back in March, accusing them of copyright infringement and unlawful exploitation of her publicity rights.

View the original article here

Tinie Tempah rejects video blocking technology

By Chi Chi Izundu
Newsbeat entertainment reporter Tinie Tempah hits out at the idea of blocking fans from filming at gigs Tinie Tempah has criticised Apple's idea for new technology that would stop music fans filming live gigs.

The rapper said: "Just move with the times, stop trying to block people from doings things. It all works."

The 22-year-old told Newsbeat he doesn't mind fans filming at his gigs, calling it "the biggest form of promo".

Earlier this month, Apple applied to patent a system that could switch off a smartphone's camera if it senses the user is trying to record a live event.

Tinie, real name Patrick Okogwu, is just one of a number of artists who have spoken out about the US firm's innovation.

Continue reading the main story

There's like thousands of them sometimes at once filming one song, its like they're not there in the moment.

Alex Trimble Lead singer of Two Door Cinema Club

Kaiser Chiefs frontman, Ricky Wilson has said although he doesn't mind fans filming the band's gigs, he'd rather they spent time 'enjoying' them instead.

"Its not really enjoying the moment is it? Personally I wouldn't even take a phone to a gig, becuase I'd want to throw myself around too much.

"You can't really crowd surf with an ipad."

Fans' experience

Guitar band Two Door Cinema Club recently asked fans on their website for footage of their experience at a gig at London's O2 Brixton Academy in June.

Lead guitarist Sam Halliday said they enjoy seeing their performances through fans eyes, but thinks there's a time and a place for cameras at gigs.

"Sometimes if we play a new song or something a lot of people would film and they're more concentrating on filming rather than enjoying the music," he said.

"Sometimes that does get a little bit annoying."

Lead singer Alex Trimble said: "There's like thousands of them sometimes at once filming one song, its like they're not there in the moment.

"They're experiencing it through a lens. I would prefer it if fans just enjoyed it rather than taking the time to film it themselves."

Apple applied to the US Patent and Trademark Office on 2 June asking for ownership of the new technology.

The system would involve a device's camera being disabled if it picks up infrared light "in areas where picture or video capture is prohibited".

It's not clear when the firm might try to develop the concept, telling Newsbeat they don't comment on patent applications.

View the original article here