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Outcry as Yahoo's Fantasy Football goes down on game day

As I keep telling my engineer friend George, becoming hooked on fantasy sports is like obsessively frequenting lap-dancing clubs.

It's not real, and yet some people think it's a little more real than the real thing.

Imagine, then, how real the pain was among the throng of Yahoo Sports' Fantasy Football players yesterday, as they tightened their fists, girded their loins and bolstered their bravado -- only to discover that the site has not turned up for work.… Read more

Drift HD Ghost action cam packs problem-solving features

With Drift Innovations' Drift HD Ghost, you can add one more action cam to the increasingly crowded market. But at least this one's a little more than another "me too" model.

Not the wide blocky design of camcorders like the GoPro, the Drift HD Ghost has a slimmer and longer body, like the iON Air or Sony Action Cam. Though the shape makes it less ideal for chest mounting, it is better for POV mounting on the side of goggles, masks, and helmets. The shape also gives it room for a built-in Gorilla Glass-protected 2-inch LCD for … Read more

Impact-sensing sports cap measures head injury

True story. A few years ago, I got a concussion at a baseball game -- and not because a ball hit me in the head. When my friend and I simultaneously turned and leaned in to talk, her head hit mine with such force I thought I had broken my nose. My doctor, however, said all signs pointed toward a concussion. Did I mention it was a Giants game? Go, Giants!

World Series aside, had I been wearing a new impact-sensing skullcap from Reebok and startup MC10, I might have immediately known whether I needed medical treatment or rest before resuming play, which in my case involved sitting on a bench trying to explain baseball to CNET's Swedish summer interns.

The sensor-laden mesh cap provides colored LED readouts that vary according to the level of impact, thus providing instant information on the gravity of the blow. It should be commercially available to consumers early next year, "essentially serving as an extra set of eyes on the ice -- or any other playing field," MC10 says. … Read more

Gibbs demoes ATV-Jet Ski mashup

It might not look as comfortable as James Bond's amphibious Lotus Esprit, but the Quadski has the advantage of not being fictional. Gibbs Sports Amphibians unveiled the amphibious recreation vehicle in Detroit today.

The Quadski is a single seat all-terrain-vehicle that can also operate on the water, making it truly all terrain. One rider can take it from land to water, a process that involves it folding its wheels up into the wells, presumably for better hydro-dynamics.

Gibbs says the Quadski can go up to 45 mph on land and water. The vehicle is powered by a 1.3-liter … Read more

Ellison reportedly mulls bid for sports-entertainment empire

Larry Ellison has apparently not given up on his dream of owning an NBA team.

The Oracle chief executive is considering a potential bid for Anschutz Entertainment Group, a sports and entertainment empire that holds an ownership stake in the Los Angeles Lakers, according to a Reuters report. Ellison, who recently plunked down a reported $500 million for a Hawaiian island, would likely have to pony up around $10 billion for AEG, which is owned by fellow billionaire Phil Anschutz.

CNET has contacted Oracle for comment and will update this report when we learn more.

In addition to its interest … Read more

Helmet-mounted crash sensor automatically calls for help

You're biking along, minding your own business. You reach an amazing downhill stretch. You pick up speed. You're really cranking along. Oh no! A hippopotamus wanders onto the trail! You swerve and end up faceplanting in the bushes.

Don't fear, your helmet will dial your emergency contacts and give your location. The ICEdot Crash Sensor is a stick-on sensor that mounts onto your helmet. It connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth. When it senses an impact, it sounds an alarm and starts a countdown clock on the crash sensor app. You have a set amount of time to turn it off.… Read more

The technology behind NBA 2K13

2K Sports' critically acclaimed NBA 2K franchise is no stranger to best sports video game lists. The CNET TV team recently went behind the scenes at 2K Sports' headquarters in Novato, Calif., just days before NBA 2K13 hits store shelves. The goal: to find out what's in their secret sauce.

I had the opportunity to jump into the company's motion capture studio, and suited up with markers placed strategically on my body. Lights surrounding the perimeter of the studio hit the markers, and the reflections allow them to be identified and processed by computers to capture wireframe animations … Read more

NFL players tweet to bosses: Are you blind?

Here is a thought for all those who toil in corporations at the service of uncaring, myopic bosses: tweet them into submission.

This seems to have been the spontaneous reaction of NFL players last night, after they witnessed a game that had everything. Except a just result and refs with eyes.

Should you have been in the process of having your legs broken by Kathy Bates last night, you may have missed seeing the NFL chop at its own dignity with merciless abandon.

On the last play of the Seattle-Green Bay game there occurred a play now inevitably dubbed the … Read more

Why Cowboys.com is only for a certain kind of cowboy fan

Save a horse, ride a cowboy.

Isn't that how the song goes?

I wonder what song is being sung these days at the heart of the Dallas Cowboys after learning that Cowboys.com, a site the team could once have owned, is now sporting men in very different uniform.

In 2007, the team suddenly realized it didn't own Cowboys.com. So it made a bid at auction. The bid was "275."

As Deadspin reports it, team officials thought this meant, well, $275. As opposed to the actual $275,000. The deal fell apart over this "… Read more

Collecting autographs, voice recordings in a digital age

Collecting baseball player autographs is a time-honored tradition, one that goes hand-in-hand with the sport itself. Before and after any Major League Baseball game, fans will crowd the stands above the dugouts with pens, baseballs, and photographs in hand, waiting for their favorite players to emerge.

But fans who don't have access to a nearby stadium or the players have to settle for collecting autographs from memorabilia shops or Web sites like eBay. Enter Egraphs, a new online service where fans pay a fee for a personalized autograph and MP3 voice recording. It's the unique, one-on-one interaction between … Read more