Archive: Science and technology | Information technologies Information technologies
Specialists at Defence University make use of Xbox technology to create new military visualisation system
Specialists at the Defence University in Brno have developed a new system
for the Czech military to improve planning as well as the real-time
monitoring and control of missions in the field in 3D. Most intriguing is
that the system makes use of technology from Microsoft’s Xbox gaming
console but applies it to real-world situations including the battlefield. More
Google strikes deal with Czech privacy watchdog over Street View
Google will continue expanding its Street View application in the Czech
Republic after it agreed to meet several conditions required by the
country’s data privacy watchdog. These include lowering the height of
Street View cameras as well as a promise to swiftly deal with privacy
complaints from the public. The US internet company, which has already made
most of Prague and several other Czech cities available in Street View,
said they would resume the project in the coming months. More
Constitutional Court invalidates telecommunications data retention law
The Czech Constitutional Court has invalidated a law that forces operators
to retain data on telephone calls and Internet traffic on the grounds that
it violates people’s right to privacy. In a highly anticipated ruling on
Thursday, the court said that the provision ordering data on all calls,
faxes, text messages and e-mail exchanges to be retained for six months was
unconstitutional since it enabled a "massive" invasion into
citizens' rights and was not in line with the rule of law. More
Business News
No part in the Euro-Pact for the Czech Republic; interest rates stay at
their all-time low, for now; costly coal means good news for gas; Seznam.cz
buys up Stream.cz; and a new blacklist for public tenders is accepting new
members. More
Czech search engine Seznam disputes claims Google has supplanted it on local market
Czech Internet search engine Seznam has long been a rarity on the world
wide web by beating global leader Google into second place on the local
market. But figures just out suggest that the US giant could have overtaken
the Czech company at the start of the year. We look at those statistics and
the battle to be the favourite on the local internet search market. More
Prague to host part of EU’s global satellite navigation system
The Czech Republic is set to host part of Europe’s Galileo global
navigation satellite system, after EU representatives on Wednesday voted to
locate the project’s administrative centre in Prague. Ministers are
expected to rubber-stamp that decision in Brussels on Friday. More
Business News
In Business News this week: the government moves to reign in solar power
subsidies that threaten huge electricity price rises; the price of ČEZ
shares falls with speculation Temelín completion could be put back; Prague
sets rail deregulation in train; and advertisers target patients in Czech
hospital waiting rooms. More
Google Street View cameras infringe on privacy, says Czech data protection agency
The authorities in the Czech Republic recently stopped Google from
collecting photographs for its panoramic Street View mapping service. The
country’s data protection agency is refusing to grant the internet search
giant a licence to collect fresh data, saying that its cameras impinge on
people's privacy. Google is contesting the decision.
More
Czech firm to develop “virtual meter” as a weapon against unscrupulous taxi drivers
Unscrupulous taxi-drivers have plagued the Czech capital for years,
charging unsuspecting tourists outrageous amounts of money, taking
passengers via the longest possible routes and refusing to produce
receipts. Now a Czech firm has offered Prague City Hall a mobile phone
application that could help curb the practice. Ondřej Čihař of Et netera
explains how the “virtual meter” would work.
More
Czech-produced video game Mafia II proves international hit
The long-awaited video game Mafia II, produced by the Brno-based 2K Czech
studio, came out last month and has since become a huge success with gamers
around the world, acclaimed for its mature and realistic story line and
top-notch graphics. In this week’s Talking Point, we explore the world of
Vitto Scaletta and his adventures in the American underworld of the 1950s.
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