Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to reduce a restriction caused by a water depth of an area available for sailing. The ship has a hull part and is configured to be able to sail on water. The hull part has: a fuselage extending in the longitudinal direction of the hull part; a keel and a rudder arranged on the fuselage to receive water flow when the ship sails; a first posture switching mechanism for switching the postures of the keel and the rudder between a first posture and a second posture; and a first power source. The first posture is in the keel and the rudder respectively extending to the lower side of the fuselage. Compared with the first posture, the second posture is shorter in the length of the keel and the rudder when extending toward the lower side of the fuselage.

Abstract: The invention provides a service providing apparatus and method and an information processing apparatus and method as well as a program storage medium by which a plurality of users can communicate with each other simultaneously. A plurality of client computers are connected to a shared server over a network and log in a common chat room of a chat system. If a user of one of those of the client computers which are in a group requests for reproduction of a predetermined tune, then the instruction is transmitted to the shared server over the network. The shared server receives the instruction transmitted thereto and reads out music data of the request stored in a music database therein, and transmits the music data to the client computers of the group.

Abstract: The invention provides a service providing apparatus and method and an information processing apparatus and method as well as a program storage medium by which a plurality of users can communicate with each other simultaneously. A plurality of client computers are connected to a shared server over a network and log in a common chat room of a chat system. If a user of one of those of the client computers which are in a group requests for reproduction of a predetermined tune, then the instruction is transmitted to the shared server over the network. The shared server receives the instruction transmitted thereto and reads out music data of the request stored in a music database therein, and transmits the music data to the client computers of the group.

Abstract: The invention provides a service providing apparatus and method and an information processing apparatus and method as well as a program storage medium by which a plurality of users can communicate with each other simultaneously. A plurality of client computers are connected to a shared server over a network and log in a common chat room of a chat system. If a user of one of those of the client computers which are in a group requests for reproduction of a predetermined tune, then the instruction is transmitted to the shared server over the network. The shared server receives the instruction transmitted thereto and reads out music data of the request stored in a music database therein, and transmits the music data to the client computers of the group.

Abstract: Notification of upload of a fixed point observation image to a server. A response program captures a fixed point observation image upon controlling a camera through a camera control program. An image analysis program analyzes the captured image and sends the result of analysis to the response program that, then, makes the camera control program control and make the camera capture image based on setup data and under timing set in response to the result of analysis; the captured image is then uploaded to an image management server. A response program of the image management server acquires the uploaded image and stores the image in an image database (image DB) while reading out a transmission destination from a setup DB, then controls a mailing program so as to transmit notification of upload of the fixed point observation image to the PC. The present invention may be applied to an image management system.

Abstract: Notification of upload of a fixed point observation image to a server. A response program captures a fixed point observation image upon controlling a camera through a camera control program. An image analysis program analyzes the captured image and sends the result of analysis to the response program that, then, makes the camera control program control and make the camera capture image based on setup data and under timing set in response to the result of analysis; the captured image is then uploaded to an image management server. A response program of the image management server acquires the uploaded image and stores the image in an image database (image DB) while reading out a transmission destination from a setup DB, then controls a mailing program so as to transmit notification of upload of the fixed point observation image to the PC. The present invention may be applied to an image management system.

Abstract: Notification of upload of a fixed point observation image to a server. A response program captures a fixed point observation image upon controlling a camera through a camera control program. An image analysis program analyzes the captured image and sends the result of analysis to the response program that, then, makes the camera control program control and make the camera capture image based on setup data and under timing set in response to the result of analysis; the captured image is then uploaded to an image management server. A response program of the image management server acquires the uploaded image and stores the image in an image database (image DB) while reading out a transmission destination from a setup DB, then controls a mailing program so as to transmit notification of upload of the fixed point observation image to the PC. The present invention may be applied to an image management system.

Abstract: The invention provides a service providing apparatus and method and an information processing apparatus and method as well as a program storage medium by which a plurality of users can communicate with each other simultaneously. A plurality of client computers are connected to a shared server over a network and log in a common chat room of a chat system. If a user of one of those of the client computers which are in a group requests for reproduction of a predetermined tune, then the instruction is transmitted to the shared server over the network. The shared server receives the instruction transmitted thereto and reads out music data of the request stored in a music database therein, and transmits the music data to the client computers of the group.

Abstract: There is provided an information sharing processing method comprising the steps of a page display processing step for acquiring a file from a predetermined server on a network and displaying the file as a page, wherein the file is described in a predetermined page description language and includes a description of link information to another file on the network; a common-screen display processing step for displaying an icon representing a user at a position on a common screen shared with the user and displaying a message issued by the user making an access to the same page as the page displayed at the page display processing step, wherein information on the position and the message are specified by the user in shared data transmitted by the user by way of a shared server on the network; and a screen superposition processing step for superposing the common screen displayed at the common-screen display processing step on the page displayed at the page display processing step.

Abstract: This invention is intended to build a system with service cores integrated. A user terminal sends authentication information and area information to an image service providing server via a network. The image service providing server receives the authentication information and the area information from the user terminal, selects an authentication server of an area corresponding to the area information from among authentication servers of all areas, and sends the authentication information received from the user terminal to the selected authentication server via the network. The authentication server receives the authentication information of the user terminal from the image service providing server and executes the authentication of the user terminal on the basis of the received authentication information. The present invention is applicable to image service providing systems which provide image-based services.

Abstract: An apparatus, a method and a medium for providing and processing information, whereby users of a chat system send easily and rapidly to one another a URL for uniquely designating the location of a file on the Internet. A hard disk drive of a WWW server records predetermined keywords and addresses for uniquely designating the locations of information corresponding to these keywords. A CPU of the WWW server receives any one of the keywords which is included in text data from an information processing apparatus, and translates the keyword into data with a tag related to the address corresponding to the keyword in question.

Abstract: Notification of upload of a fixed point observation image to a server. A response program captures a fixed point observation image upon controlling a camera through a camera control program. An image analysis program analyzes the captured image and sends the result of analysis to the response program that, then, makes the camera control program control and make the camera capture image based on setup data and under timing set in response to the result of analysis; the captured image is then uploaded to an image management server. A response program of the image management server acquires the uploaded image and stores the image in an image database (image DB) while reading out a transmission destination from a setup DB, then controls a mailing program so as to transmit notification of upload of the fixed point observation image to the PC. The present invention may be applied to an image management system.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus and method as well as a program storage medium wherein the weather of a real space is reflected on the weather of a virtual space. A plurality of personal computers can communicate data with a weather server over a display section. The weather server provides the look of the sky imaged by a video camera as weather information. Each of the personal computers displays, for example, when it is operating with an application for an electronic pet, a weather of a virtual space in which an electronic pet lives based on the weather information provided from the weather server.

Abstract: There is provided an information sharing processing method comprising the steps of a page display processing step for acquiring a file from a predetermined server on a network and displaying the file as a page, wherein the file is described in a predetermined page description language and includes a description of link information to another file on the network; a common-screen display processing step for displaying an icon representing a user at a position on a common screen shared with the user and displaying a message issued by the user making an access to the same page as the page displayed at the page display processing step, wherein information on the position and the message are specified by the user in shared data transmitted by the user by way of a shared server on the network; and a screen superposition processing step for superposing the common screen displayed at the common-screen display processing step on the page displayed at the page display processing step.