Starcraft Scandal

Do you know there are people still playing Starcraft? I’m not talking about the lucky bastards who got a beta key and are playing Starcraft II, I’m talking about the original. It’s huge in South Korea and it even spawned a pro league. Yes, it’s got fans, sponsors, television coverage, I guess you could call it a sport … if you’re Korean. With any sport comes gambling and a scandal threatens to rock the “sport” to its very core.

It’s reported that various gambling sites influenced high stake matches and many of the top players were involved in throwing matches. The league includes several players who have won at BlizzCon. sAviOr! Say it ain’t so! Well I sure hope it was worth it because INC BAN!

In other news South Korea is also trying to curb it’s online gaming habit by imposing a curfew. The ban is aimed at younger players susceptible to addiction problems which could lead to bigger problems later on in life. *cough, LOSERS! Anyhoo midnight curfew for the young ones while the adults stay up all night drinking redbull farming minerals.

Korean Data Leak Courtesy of Chinese Hackers

They just never quit do they? South Korea is the latest victim of a major data breach courtesy of Chinese hackers. Korean retailer Shinsegae, in addition 24 other companies, reported the theft of approximately 20 million customer accounts and private data. Police tracked down 3 South Koreans for attempting to sell the information online. The original Chinese hackers are still at large.

The government security agency plans on launching a probe into whether the corporations implemented adequate security measures to prevent such a theft. Otherwise, somebody gonna get fired. To date this has been the worst data breach in the country’s history.

“Shinsegae issued a statement of apology after data on 3.3 million of its customers was leaked from its online shopping mall.” (link)

South Korea to set up computer defenses

South Korea faces daily hacking attempts from both their northern counterparts as well as unruly Chinese gold farmers attempting to steal their state secrets. The South Korean government announced that it plans on setting up a cyber warfare defense post to fortify their systems against these attacks. This is what the interface will look like.

Actual gameplay -er active defense screens should look like this.

LULZ!

LG laptops experiencing meltdowns

LG Electronics Inc. has halted sales of one of its laptop computer models in South Korea after a report of a battery meltdown, the company said Friday.LG affiliate LG Chem Ltd., the manufacturer of the battery, is investigating what happened, said Jik Soo Kim, a spokesman for LG Electronics. Kim said the batteries are designed to dissolve as a safety feature to avoid a potential explosion.

The laptop is no longer produced and was sold only in South Korea, he said.

Kim said a graduate student was using the computer Thursday when the battery melted. (link)

iPods and road safety

Who says iPods haven’t changed the way the world works? Even governments are aware of the dangers of iPods. Even crossing the road can get you killed.

“… in Sydney, Australia and the New South Wales Police Force have released a road safety print campaign to raise awareness of the fact that teenagers are dying from crossing the road while listening to their iPods.” (link)

What happened to look both ways before you cross? Isn’t that a universally taught lesson? Next up: iPods with air bags.  I can see the slogan now: “Protect your dumbass with the latest iPod, new and improved, available with side impact air bags.”