‘praying for nailah franklin’ edition : tech news 9/26

as noted earlier, we’re still keeping hope alive and extending our prayers for nailah franklin, a ybp who has been missing since tuesday, september 18th. a website has been setup as well as a reward for those who may know something. spread the word, keep her in your prayers, and keep hope alive.

and for a little bit of news…

i did do my ‘fanboy’ thing and waited in line monday night into tuesday morning for the impending halo 3 launch. needless to say ‘the hype machine’ finally got a hold of me and i have yet to look back. for those unfamiliar, halo 3 is the story of a super soldier aimed at saving humanity from (who else) aliens. it is the last installment in a series dating back almost 6 years. halo 3 for xbox 360 has become the most pre-ordered video game and is becoming the highest selling video game of all time. it’s estimated to bring in more than half a billion dollars in sales in the first month! for those game fans out there, be sure to pick up a copy and then find me on xbox live via the gamertag captainsheik. (pic from tech2)

the Smithsonian has unveiled plans to build an african-american history and culture museum by 2015. for those that know, this world-famous museum in the heart of D.C. has some of the most incredible video, pictures, and stories of all cultures, but especially of the middle passage. bringing the museum into the new age, the actual museum won’t be laid, but they have erected a website and are encouraging all to submit to the ‘online museum’ as of way of preserving stories, artifacts, and memorabilia from those who wish to share their experiences about african-american culture. check it out. (full story via chicagotribune)

last, but not least, amazon has opened for public beta release a new online store that allows you to buy mp3’s…wait for it…DRM free!! that’s right. itunes has officially been put on notice now that juggernaut amazon is selling mp3’s for the same price, but without the b.s. of apple encryption. the store is called amazonmp3, but because it is still in beta, a pretty link hasn’t been created and searching ‘amazon mp3′ probably won’t get you there. however, this does mean you can buy your music online and play it any device that can handle mp3’s (which is just about every device) just like you would in the stores with a cd and ripping it to computer. man, its taken this long to finally give the consumers the ability to do something we’ve been craving for quite some time. (actual store link; story via engadget)