cups

Some American robots heading to Singapore to battle it out at the RoboCup 2010 soccer tournament may be as surprising as the U.S. national team in the World Cup. They have a new weapon in their bag of tricks--a physics-based algorithm that lets them calculate where the ball will go so they can bend it like Beckham, or at least like R2-D2.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are confident their robots will outperform rivals in the tournament's Small-Size League because the bots' improved coding takes ball dynamics into account. By predicting how the ball will behave instead of just reacting to it or relying on programmed plays, the bots seem to have an advantage. They might even score through bank shots.

CMU researcher Stefan Zickler, who wrote his thesis on the algorithm while working toward a Ph.D. in computer science, said in a release that robots had never before been able to know when they will lose control of a ball while performing moves like turning and dribbling. The vid below shows a robot programmed with the algorithm outscoring against one without it.

Zickler works on the CMDragons, a team of five cylindrical wheeled robots under 6 inches tall. The group tested an earlier version of algorithm at RoboCup 2009, outplaying rivals until a glitch doused their hopes in the quarterfinals. This time, Dragons leader Manuela Veloso, a computer science professor at CMU, is confident of success, telling the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "I don't see any reason why we won't win." … Read more

Many around the world were deeply moved by Saturday's World Cup encounter between England and the United States. While many Americans feared their team might be outclassed, perhaps they weren't fully aware that the England team flatters to deceive more often than a telemarketer.

The game, which finished 1-1, was highlighted by one of the most glorious English goalkeeping errors (enacted by the latest English net custodian, Robert Green), in a veritable pantheon of glorious English goalkeeping errors.

Should you have missed the game, or merely found the experience unbearable, some very enterprising Legoists would like you to enjoy a more, well, playful version.

I thank the Guardian for bringing us all closer to these highlights (there were really only a couple), performed by little Fussball men in Lego World.

The movement of England captain Steven Gerrard is beautifully realized. The joy of his teammates is captured in a manner entirely appropriate to stiff upper lips.

And when America's Clint Dempsey wanders forward and shoots with all the strength of ginger ale and Green allows the ball to bounce off his hands and into the goal, it is an exhibition of vast poignancy. … Read more

AT&T continues to perfect the art of apologizing without actually apologizing, wherein Goatse blames them right back. Some sporadic updates from E3 and the Microsoft press conference (see http://cnet.com/E3 for more), and we discuss whether the Internet has killed yet another industry: libel lawsuits. Oh, and a Japanese rocket just brought some aliens back from outer space. Awesome. --Molly

You know that annoying plastic horn that makes the World Cup almost unbearable to listen to? Yep, there's an app for that.

Like millions of people around the world, I've spent the past few days developing a loathing of a plastic horn known as a vuvuzela. One vuvuzela sounds kind of like a loud kazoo, but get a few thousand of them in one crowded soccer stadium and they sound like the most annoying swarm of bees you've ever heard.

But, amid the growing headache, I had one clear thought. I wonder if someone has thought to … Read more

World Cup fever pushed the Internet to a new record on Friday, according to measurements from Akamai.

Traffic to news sites globally started a steady climb about 6 a.m. Eastern time and peaked six hours later at noon, reaching nearly 12.1 million visitors per minute.

The traffic dipped going into the afternoon but stayed well above normal. The figures suggest that the Internet was most active during the Mexico-South Africa game and stayed heavy through the France-Uruguay game.

The day's traffic far exceeded the previous record of 8.5 million visitors per minute, which was set when … Read more

So much money has already been wagered on the World Cup finals, which started Friday in South Africa.

So few of these bettors, however, will have turned to the Institution of Engineering and Technology's magazine before risking their savings, their house, or the money they were keeping back to pay the divorce lawyer.

The magazine, you see, has helpfully published an analysis of the World Cup, written by a man for whom numbers say so much. You might experience conflict with your potato chips when I tell you that the University of Salford has an Economics of Gambling degree … Read more

The brand has seen better days. Somehow, it seems to have slowed down, allowing others to pass it, while it pauses in the sunshine, deciding how next to make some money.

Yes, of course I'm talking about David Beckham. Such a renowned name. Yet, these days, he's renowned for just being David Beckham, rather than for any great achievement at his current club, the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Those of you with an excessively pragmatic bent will therefore be unsurprised that Beckham has gotten together with another fine brand of old, Yahoo. According to Reuters, Yahoo has announced that … Read more

Google has changed a single search page to prepare us all for the FIFA World Cup, which is slated to begin in just two days.

When users type "World Cup" into Google Search, they will find a different header at the bottom of the page where Google allows users to click on the desired page in results. Instead of the familiar "Goooooogle," the page says, "Goooooooal!."

Wondering if the change occurred on every search page related to the World Cup, I started trying other queries out, like "soccer," "world cup soccer,&… Read more

LCD TV makers are going all out to promote their 3D panels, and the upcoming World Cup 2010 tournament is a perfect avenue for that. Sony will be setting up Sony 3D Experience Pavilions in seven countries, including South Africa, the host nation. Now, these aren't going to display "live" matches, but instead will show highlights of football games. Given how football-crazy the world will be, we're sure many will head inside the structures to get a feel of Sony's 3D TVs.

It's a pity none of the cities hosting the pavilions (Berlin, Mexico … Read more