ST:O and Microsoft:Champions of the skinny?

I can't wait to drive one of these.

I am very much jonesing for Star Trek Online. Spies are telling me positive improvements are being made, and I have the game preordered twice. (to get the preorder bonuses) It’s going to be a hellish time at work with my data processor conversion, but I’m SO excited to play it, that I’ll pull some later nights, especially during the early launch.

Gamesradar has an excellent four page preview here.

Are they insane?

Microsoft is shoring up it’s legal department by applying for an Avatar Individualized By Physical Characteristic. What that means is that they want to use your medical record to make your avatar fat or slim like you. I’m not joking. If you read the patent application linked above, it’s crazy.

“A physical characteristic is accessed that has been nonvolitionally obtained from a user, avoiding the inconvenience or unaccountability of voluntarily supplied information. An attribute is assigned corresponding to the physical characteristic to an avatar identified for the user. User interaction with a virtual environment can then be facilitated via the avatar as constrained by the assigned attribute. “

I suppose if someone voluntarily wants to do this, ok, but the wording is very ..odd.  Especially since it talks about taking all control out of the hands of the user.  So you get a fat avatar, whether you want to or not?  And what about people missing appendages or sick?  The point of this is to ‘encourage’ people to exercise to be rewarded with better in-game stats, according to the patent.  My only real question is who appointed you in charge of this, Microsoft?