Scrabulous too much like Scrabble?

Time for some not-so-fabulous news...

Alright- everyone loves playing games on their computers, especially if they are the digital version of a very time consuming board game with tons of pieces that are just...well...too conspicuous if you were to play on a work desk. Case in point, the time-honored game of Scrabble. The board is quite sizeable and there are MANY pieces that could easily get lost in anyone's printer stand or spare filing cabinet in a hurry to hide from the boss. So, many folks have resorted to getting their word-fixes by playing "Scrabulous" online, in a spare window somewhere in the not-so-far reaches of their desktops.

Now, it turns out, that Scrabulous is a bit too much like Scrabble. I thought that was the whole point... Apparently, Hasbro, the maker of Scrabble, isn't too happy about the 99.99% similarity between the two games and has decided to shut down Scrabulous for infringing upon the Scrabble trademark. Bummer!

Lesson here: watch out for other electronic versions of decade-old board games- before you get hooked, it may be wise to check for trademark infringement...

Read more on Techdirt.com

Digital camera for the adventure junkie?

It's called the Olympus Stylus 1030 SW.

The newest addition to the Stylus family is impressive, to say the least. Beefing up the older version (770 SW) and ramping up the quality to 10.1 pixels, brings an amazing camera in a small package, easily able to fit in your pocket for your next adventure or outing.

Formerly on iGadgetGirl's wishlist for a would-be stocking stuffer, was the Stylus 770SW. It packs a punch:

• Shockproof- drop it from 5 ft.
• Waterproof- to 33 ft.
• Freezeproof- -10°C/14°F
• Crushproof- up to 220lbf

Other features worth bragging about:

• Screen- 2.5" Hypercrystal LCD
• Shooting Modes- 27 Modes, including movie with sound

Now, a must have gadget that is sure to bring it to the plate on any adventure, the Stylus 1030SW:

• Shockproof- drop it from 6.6 ft. (a necessary gain of 1.1ft. for anyone really tall dropping it from eye-level)
• Waterproof- to 33 ft. (no increase here, but likely some improvements have been made in the waterproof seals and gaskets)
• Freezeproof- -10°C/14°F (no improvements over the last model here, but I'm okay with that- I can't wait to go skiing, drop this thing in a pile of snow, glide over it with a ski, pick it up, and in below freezing temps, have it still take more photos)
• Crushproof- up to 220lbf (no improvements over the last model, but who needs more crushproofiness?)

Other features worth bragging about:

• Lens- NEW- 3.6x Wide-Angle Zoom Lens- great feature here!
• Screen- 2.7" Hypercrystal II LCD (.2" more than the previous model- and when you're looking at that fancy LCD, every tenth of an inch counts, seriously!)
• Shooting Modes- 29 Modes (2 more!), including movie with sound, plus an underwater shooting mode for making great movies next time you're in the pool or snorkeling in the caribbean!

I can't wait to get my hands on this one! It is set to release in March 2008. I might pre-order mine online before the week is out.

Olympus Site