I was planning on wearing the "We will not be silent" T-shirt written in Arabic the next time I fly - now I could have one that says "Kip Hawley" is an idiot - then leave my iPod on "record" and see how much fun I could have.
Thank you! I was hoping that someone had pointed this out.
I heard Mr. Obama on his podcast talking about this bill, and have to give him and Senator Coburn kudos. Each gentlemen proved that just because you disagree on party issues does *not* mean you can't work together on important issues like this one.
Hopefully we'll be able to use this tool to start getting out some of the pork in spending bills. Maybe, maybe not - but more openness in government is usually a good thing.
If you look at the upcoming November console elections - I mean, launches, there's an interesting thing going on:
1. The Wii is launching with more games than the PS3, and in greater numbers 2. Therefore, developers who develop games for the Wii or the PS2/360 will have greater sales than PS3 sales, simply by available units. 3. If a publishing company wants to make more money, make a PS2/Wii/360 game first.
I've even heard some publishers moving to shift their games to the Wii just because the PS3 will be launching in such low numbers. Eventually this will change, but if you're looking at your angry stockholders wondering why "Murder Death Kill 2000" sold only 100,000 copies on the PS3 while the Wii version of "Shoot Him In The Head III" sold 300,000 copies.
If the PS3, however, sells 6 million units within six months, you bet those same developers will want to be heading to the big lake since they expect bigger fish there. Personally, I'm holding off on the PS3 until about 2008/2009 (depending on certain game launches), and I'm actually considering getting a 360 next year with Mr. Tax Return or some such (once they get "Shenmue 2" and "Panzer Dragoon Orta" backwards compatibility up).
I'm getting a Wii this Christmas, if for no other reason than a) it looks sweet, and b) My Lovely Wife (MLW), Mrs. Non-gamer herself who got hooked on "Brain Age" is curious to try out that "Cute tennis game you showed me".
Just because any chance I get to have MLW jumping around the TV set in a cute little tennis outfit is a good day for me:).
Would you go back to "The Scarlet Letter" and update it so Hester Prin had her clothes updated to the Scarlet Letter had a higher threadcount?
Maybe we should tweak "The Last of the Mohicans" so we get speeches about how much purer the water would be if people don't pollute it?
Or let's take "A Streetcar Named Desire" and colorize it, then digitally drop Brando by 5 pounds to make him more modern.
The reason why "Star Wars: A New Hope" was cool was by pure accident of love and attention to detail with the resources they had. Now, it's an altered piece of shit that tries to moralize how Han Solo wasn't a bad man - he was just "sort of bad" (which makes his ultimate redemption and turning to the "good guys" pointless, and loses the power of showing that anyone can change for the better).
"Star Trek" for it's time was cheap, and cheesy, and even silly - but they were serious about what they were trying to do: show a future of humanity where people of all races could work together. Sure, it had its flaws. Yes, the costumes and sets were, by today's and possibly even that time period, hokey.
But that's what made it work! If you want to make a new "Star Trek" series a la "Battlestar Gallactica", by all means do so. Want to release a new DVD set that doesn't rape the fans with 2 episodes per $30 DVD? I'm all for it. Add in commentary? Sure. Why not. I even like the fan-made Star Trek idea where they had two versions: one in color, the other in black and white to show how people back in the 60's would likely have seen the episodes back in a time when few had color TV's.
Don't go changing things just because you think you can. I still have no plans on buying the "Star Wars Remixed with Crappy Laserdisk rips" for that reason. Things work sometimes *because* of the flaws, not in spite of them. So sorry, Universal. As George Takei said to William Shatner:
Fuck you and the horse you rode in on.
Of course, this is just my opinion. I could be wrong.
Does Open Source encourage this kind of analysis and input? Absolutely. I'll take it two steps further. As of now, the Firefox team can:
1. Ignore the data. 2. Use the data to make a better product. 3. Look at the data, decide what is a true security issue/bug or not, and proceed on.
And, then there's also the option for the users:
1. Use Firefox as it is. 2. Make their own version.
The very idea of Open Source would, if there is a truly serious bug/security flaw that Firefox ignores, allow another group of people to fix the issue and release their own version - which could compete and even surplant the current Firefox version with the user base should people decide that's what they want.
So, without appearing rude, I would state that the question is a silly one. Yes, Open Source encourages this kind of analysis of all kinds. It just has a built in process that allows action to be taken - even if the primary code developer does not want to.
Of course, this is all just my opinion. I could be wrong.
Through listening to various podcasts, such as "Insomnia Radio" and NPR's music show and some others, I've actually increased my music purchasing of these indie bands - especially when they were on the iTunes store.
Most of the bands that I hear through indie Podcasts have Myspace pages, and that would make it a *lot* easier to pick up their songs as MP3's - especially if they were decent quality (like 192 or above).
So I'd say that while the amount of music won't be as high as, say, Britney, for some bands it could be a take off point - though the real winner would be Myspace through good old Mr. Longtail.
Of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.
As a Treo 650 user, here's a small list of things I hope they put in. I realize the 750 will likely be a Windows machine at first (like the 700w, then the 700p which later had Palm support), but still:
1. Wi-Fi support. I'd love to be able to hook into a Skype/Gizmo Project client and just start talking without worrying about my minutes in my home or other Wi-Fi locations. That, and it would be better internet.
2. True Blackberry support. Right now through Sprint they have some Exchange hook in thing which, so far, has never worked right for me. I have the Treo Blackberry software I got from a, uh, other source (whistles innocently) which works just fine, but I'd like to have an official "Here's the RIM software we licensed so your IT department doesn't freak out when they hear you have something different".
3. EVDO In a pinch, I can use my Dial Up Network through the bluetooth through my Powermac and hop onto the Internet, but that's a) slow and b) unreliable (often cuts out after 10 minutes, and when you're trying to get driving directions that can suck).
4. Better browser The Palm browser, in a word, works, but it's not pretty. I'd love to see a Firefox/Gecko based engine version.
5. Non-static bluetooth headsets. Maybe it's just this phone, but using Bluetooth headsets with it sucks.
I think that's it. I wouldn't even mind if they swapped from Palm OS to Windows OS (as long as they kept my eReader working, and as long as they had the Blackberry support).
We must build a bigger, more powerful robot. Mainly by combining smaller robots that will form into one large one, one capable of taking on this car stealing giant parking garage robot.
If those poor Indian citizens couldn't get their daily supply of Livejournal emo teenagers, I don't know *what* they would have done. Peaceful protests or some-such - oh, wait, they did.
My 4 year old son is obsessed with making his own "Mario angel" (aka - from "Angelic Layer"), and I've started looking for small, programmable robots he can putter with - anything bigger, and I fear for the safety of my household when he tries to program it with a Butt Stomp or some such.
Of course not. Which is why when I was in Saudi I was told that Egyptians always steal, and Jews are out to kill Muslims.
And when I was in Kansas, I was told that the fact my sister-in-law had once dated a "nigger" was reason to be mad at her.
The fact is that racism, religiousism, whateverism is still alive and well in the world today - and it is *exactly* by pointing it out that you extinguish it. I hear people complain about "political correctness", and how its destroying things.
Of course, the counter argument, as Jon Stewart once pointed out, is that Thomas Jefferson used to fuck his slaves.
So every time you see someone do something that vaguely smacks of racism, you have to squash it, and squash it so hard so that the people who still believe in that crap are reminded that the rest of the world doesn't agree with them. When Congress doesn't want to renew the Civil Rights Voting act because they feel that the areas it targets aren't racist anymore, you get right in those people's faces and tell them "Oh yes it is", and then you show where voters are intimidated or have their names removed from voting lists by using criminal lists from other states.
Sony fucked up, and I don't care what country they do it in: they screwed the pooch big time. There were plenty of ways to show that the white PSP was coming - but to show a white woman subjigating a black woman
Oh, and for the "well, they have an ad showing a black woman beating up on a white one", you go through centuries of slavery, then more decades of racism, then continued glares from people who think that you're a thief just because you're black, or have problems registering to vote or get ticketed for "driving while black" and continued segregation of the schools, *then* tell me if you don't mind the black woman beating up the white one. That one was just as bad in my opinion, and just because you don't find it offensive doesn't mean that it wasn't.
Better to trial and fail then not try at all, I'd say. At least if you actively work to avoid them, eventually you will at least hurt them financially - which can eventually (hopefully?) lead to someone else with bigger pockets that we can trust finally buying out the backbone.
What about the traditional non-gamer crowd?
on
Wii-mote In Action
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· Score: 5, Interesting
I've been seeing the DS/DS Lite make inroads with people I work with - especially when they see me playing "Brain Age" or "Big Brain Academy" - I had my DS Lite passed around the office for about an hour as people tried out the test from the latter game. At least one or two people - in their 40's, never played games before, but now are seriously thinking about picking up a DS for their kids and maybe the Brain Age for themselves.
So I wonder if Nintendo's "Blue Ocean" approach will work with the Wii. Iwata, as I understand it, has mentioned that he'd like for people to play the Wii every day - much like my wife and I play the DS (she digs the Brain Games and "Magnetica" - this from a women that for the last 12 years wouldn't touch a computer game unless it had the words "Tetris" or "Solitaire" on it).
Which is all they need - my wife plays Brain Age a little bit every day. I'm wondering if Nintendo can't leverage the Wii sports games with "Work out every day for 30 minutes - helps get you in shape!" Tie in some workouts, perhaps like the Brain Age games put in the competitive aspects (which has helped each of us play the DS every day to try and one-up each other - so far, I'm at a B+ in Academy.
Obviously we'll have to wait and see, but the other day a coworker asked me "Hey, that Nintendo thing coming out - that's the competor for the Xbox, isn't it?" I'm not sure which was more telling: that he knew that there was a Nintendo thing coming out - or that he thought that was the Xbox competitor, not the new Playstation.
OK, seriously, I know this will take some time (I don't know of any PC Blue-Ray DVD readers even available yet), and no, I don't encourage downloading of movies/music online unless you own it blah, blah, blah (that said, I have to admit my own guilt for downloading a TV show that my Tivo missed or that iTunes wasn't selling, so call me a hypocrite if you must).
I'm still wondering what the HD to Standard Def (SD) ratio is. My wife and I have decided that 2 years from now is when we'll finally change the TV set, first to hit the digital TV standard, second to finally get the infamous "big screen", and lastly that's when the current TV (which is already annoying me with it's "RCA jack only" - it was a cheap hand-me-down replacement for another broke in a move about a year ago), but 2 years from now should be about when the current machine dies.
I know two people who have an HD setup, the first is retired and still works so he has the cash, the second is a bachelor who doesn't have the wife+3 rugrats that myself and my other buddies have.
So with HDTV costs still pretty high - what's the real current ratio, or is Blue Ray and HD-DVD looking ahead to 2-3 years down the line when people are more likely to go out and buy the $400 HDTV and need shiny new media to play on it?
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not Microsoft's #1 fan - I find thier business practices less than satisfying, and their software usually doesn't light my fires, but I have to give them a lot of credit for their business sense, so I'd like to see them do better.
Whether Ballmer leaves or not, there needs to be a shake up in the direction of the company, because in my mind, they've lost sight. Right now, they remind me of Sony: floundering about, trying to do several things at once, and not really winning either user love or support. They throw money at problems in the hope of winning something, but it doesn't seem like they really know what they are going to do when they get there except have another potential monopoly - and I think that's where they are failing. They're trying to recreate the Windows dominance, instead of just competing.
In a sense, it seems like what they keep trying to pursue is power, not money. And it keeps costing them user loyalty and potential revenue.
Take the Xbox: a $4 billion dollar loss. People can get up and shout "But they're number 2 in console sales", but they have lost $4 billion dollars, and it doesn't seem like they're going to do any better this time. Already the 360 in Japan has been a flop (even interesting looking games like "99 Nights" hasn't helped, through perhaps "Lost Planet" and "Blue Dragon" (if I got the name right) might help), their Xbox lead made users irritated by claiing that "nobody cares about backwards compatibility", a stance that he had to back pedal from as fast as possible. Then again, Sony's trying to figure out how to shoot their foot while sticking it in their mouth at the same time, so maybe they have a chance unless the Wii is as cool as people expect it to. But the Xbox division seems intent on "dominating" the gaming industry. As a counterpoint, look at Nintendo: 3rd place (whenever you take out the handhelds, which I never understand why people ignore), but profitable - and they don't care about being "first", just in making money on every sale.
Cable TV chasing, application server in big iron areas that hasn't panned out - it just seems like Microsoft's just throwing darts at a board, from what seems like an infinite supply of darts supplied by the Office and Windows monopoly. But if Google chips a little bit there, Apple a little bit there, all of the sudden bleeding money doesn't seem like a good idea.
My recommendation: they focus on what will make them money, not what will get them power. My father once made a comment that Bill Gates is intent on keeping Larry Ellison the 2nd richest man in the world (or in that area) by not porting MS SQL Server to Linux, Solaris, OS X, and everything else that they can. What if MS Office was *truly* ported to OS X (including true Outlook support instead of the "almost but close" version), with MS Project and Visio, and on Linux?
Instead of trying to make the world "support our monopoly", new leadership at Microsoft could focus on "what makes money?" Yes, there is a danger in making, say, SQL and Office for OS X and Linux, because that would potentially decrease the Windows desktop sales. But at the same time, it could ensure that if Windows ever goes away, they still have a steady source of income in the future - and it could make them a lot of money now.
It's a hard change to go from "We dominate the PCs, leverage that dominance and protect it" to "What do our customers want, and how can we fill that gap". Windows dominance has worked so well for so long, that I don't think MS can chance until that dominance is truly challenged. If Apple gets some sort of DarWine system working, if Vista keeps getting delayed, if Google actually makes the OS not matter - MS could be in trouble.
Granted, the odds are, nothing's going to happen to MS. People have predicted their demise for years, and I don't see things changing for them for 10 years. On the other hand, you never know when that "next big thing" that blows away the cu
How many people want both a DVD player and a Wii on their entertainment unit?
Sure - I could go buy a $30 DVD player, but now I've got two pieces of electronics cluttering my home. Nintendo could offer to clear some of that up. Lord knows, most people I know want less electronics, not more.
I have 1 PSP game - "DJ Max Portable", and the rest of the time I use the emulation system. There are some games that are all right ("Dragon Fire III", which for some reason hasn't reached the US). But take a game like "Force Commander" - it's "Advance Wars DS" without a plot, and with pixelated muddy graphics. I tried it, decided "Hm, if I wanted to play Advance Wars on a smaller map with dingy graphics, I'd dirty up my DS screen".
I keep having hope for PSP titles, like "Blade Dancer", but I just haven't found one that really grabbed me - or that wasn't (like "Mega Man Hunter X") another remake (though I will buy "Valkyrie Profile", though I hear the PSP port was less than steller compared even to the PSX version).
I've been talking about this with my wife, who is actually interested in seeing the Wii in action (she's hooked on the Brain Games).
Some things that I think would help cement Nintendo:
1. DVD player - I believe word is that the DVD player aspects are a "plug in" - I'm assuming something like the original Xbox codec plug in device to enable DVD playback. Personally, I'd just as soon see it just built in - bite the bullet on the cost, Nintendo, and people will go "Hm - $200, and it plays games *and* my DVD movies", instead of "Hm - $200, but I have to spend another $30 to play movies? Eh."
2. Push the online gaming. While I'm a single player gaming whore, I still think that online is the way to go. I'm very disappointed that Tecmo is bringing Pangya Golf to the Wii, but not the online play! Maybe they feel it won't matter much, but I think the difference can be crucial. Nintendo should make it clear in cases like these that online play is to be built in - or the game doesn't get ported. I'm not saying they should make online play when it doesn't exist - but in clear cases like this, but the sucker in.
3. Advertise, advertise, advertise. Advertise the sports games during Oprah for exercise. Advertise "Red Steel" during "24" and such. Get the word out, and don't just show the game - show how people play it. Let people see that controller until there isn't a person in the world who doesn't go "Oh - that's that Wii thing - looks interesting."
We'll have to see what happens, but Nintendo could take back a lot of market. So far, I'd say their making a lot of the right moves.
It's undisputed that most of Apple's products are made and assembled in China. In recent financial filings, Apple says most of its manufacturing is performed by third-party vendors in Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea and Singapore; and assembled in China.
From this, I take it there are three possible realities:
1. Apple knew of the work conditions, and set up the "third party vendor" system so that they didn't have to hear how it was done - kind of like Ken Lay tried with Enron. "Oh, my goodness, I am shocked - shocked! - to hear that there are bad labor systems being used!" And then they can plead ignorance.
2. Apple didn't know about the work conditions. Their system was "Look - here's the work, let's go tour the plant, looks good - modern equipment, this will work. Quality of the iPods is good, so let's go with this." They didn't look into the work conditions - though I'd be curious to see if there was any kind of contract stating "treat workers kindly".
3. The situation is not as bad as it looks. I'm not counting out the original article, but since it does mention that there are several countries, including Japan (which I understand has decent employee laws compared to other countries), it could be this plant is an isolated incident - but 1 and 2 still apply about "What did Apple know, and when did they know it". It could even be that the rules of "employ mainly women" was used as a good point - "Let's give work to these women so they can earn a decent wage", which may now look bad. It's all about the intent.
Either way, I would suggest there is only one answer: That Apple take immediate steps to show how it "Thinks different", and insure that no matter what the conditions are *now*, that those conditions are up to par with good employee relations.
I have a lot of faith in Apple, but I'll find it very hard to purchase future products if these allegations are true, and the company that Jobs built is unwilling to take steps to ensure good living conditions for their employees.
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I was planning on wearing the "We will not be silent" T-shirt written in Arabic the next time I fly - now I could have one that says "Kip Hawley" is an idiot - then leave my iPod on "record" and see how much fun I could have.
Decisions, decisions, decisions....
Thank you! I was hoping that someone had pointed this out.
I heard Mr. Obama on his podcast talking about this bill, and have to give him and Senator Coburn kudos. Each gentlemen proved that just because you disagree on party issues does *not* mean you can't work together on important issues like this one.
Hopefully we'll be able to use this tool to start getting out some of the pork in spending bills. Maybe, maybe not - but more openness in government is usually a good thing.
If you look at the upcoming November console elections - I mean, launches, there's an interesting thing going on:
:).
1. The Wii is launching with more games than the PS3, and in greater numbers
2. Therefore, developers who develop games for the Wii or the PS2/360 will have greater sales than PS3 sales, simply by available units.
3. If a publishing company wants to make more money, make a PS2/Wii/360 game first.
I've even heard some publishers moving to shift their games to the Wii just because the PS3 will be launching in such low numbers. Eventually this will change, but if you're looking at your angry stockholders wondering why "Murder Death Kill 2000" sold only 100,000 copies on the PS3 while the Wii version of "Shoot Him In The Head III" sold 300,000 copies.
If the PS3, however, sells 6 million units within six months, you bet those same developers will want to be heading to the big lake since they expect bigger fish there. Personally, I'm holding off on the PS3 until about 2008/2009 (depending on certain game launches), and I'm actually considering getting a 360 next year with Mr. Tax Return or some such (once they get "Shenmue 2" and "Panzer Dragoon Orta" backwards compatibility up).
I'm getting a Wii this Christmas, if for no other reason than a) it looks sweet, and b) My Lovely Wife (MLW), Mrs. Non-gamer herself who got hooked on "Brain Age" is curious to try out that "Cute tennis game you showed me".
Just because any chance I get to have MLW jumping around the TV set in a cute little tennis outfit is a good day for me
What is wrong with these Hollywood shitheads?
Would you go back to "The Scarlet Letter" and update it so Hester Prin had her clothes updated to the Scarlet Letter had a higher threadcount?
Maybe we should tweak "The Last of the Mohicans" so we get speeches about how much purer the water would be if people don't pollute it?
Or let's take "A Streetcar Named Desire" and colorize it, then digitally drop Brando by 5 pounds to make him more modern.
The reason why "Star Wars: A New Hope" was cool was by pure accident of love and attention to detail with the resources they had. Now, it's an altered piece of shit that tries to moralize how Han Solo wasn't a bad man - he was just "sort of bad" (which makes his ultimate redemption and turning to the "good guys" pointless, and loses the power of showing that anyone can change for the better).
"Star Trek" for it's time was cheap, and cheesy, and even silly - but they were serious about what they were trying to do: show a future of humanity where people of all races could work together. Sure, it had its flaws. Yes, the costumes and sets were, by today's and possibly even that time period, hokey.
But that's what made it work! If you want to make a new "Star Trek" series a la "Battlestar Gallactica", by all means do so. Want to release a new DVD set that doesn't rape the fans with 2 episodes per $30 DVD? I'm all for it. Add in commentary? Sure. Why not. I even like the fan-made Star Trek idea where they had two versions: one in color, the other in black and white to show how people back in the 60's would likely have seen the episodes back in a time when few had color TV's.
Don't go changing things just because you think you can. I still have no plans on buying the "Star Wars Remixed with Crappy Laserdisk rips" for that reason. Things work sometimes *because* of the flaws, not in spite of them. So sorry, Universal. As George Takei said to William Shatner:
Fuck you and the horse you rode in on.
Of course, this is just my opinion. I could be wrong.
That was the make or break for me. I could deal with a $10 movie price as long as I could burn the movie to DVD and watch it on TV.
Without it - sorry, folks, but I'll wait.
I do need more space to store those ISO images - my 1GB isn't big enough. I mean - my music and un-DVD ripped movies. Yeah. That's it.
Does Open Source encourage this kind of analysis and input? Absolutely. I'll take it two steps further. As of now, the Firefox team can:
1. Ignore the data.
2. Use the data to make a better product.
3. Look at the data, decide what is a true security issue/bug or not, and proceed on.
And, then there's also the option for the users:
1. Use Firefox as it is.
2. Make their own version.
The very idea of Open Source would, if there is a truly serious bug/security flaw that Firefox ignores, allow another group of people to fix the issue and release their own version - which could compete and even surplant the current Firefox version with the user base should people decide that's what they want.
So, without appearing rude, I would state that the question is a silly one. Yes, Open Source encourages this kind of analysis of all kinds. It just has a built in process that allows action to be taken - even if the primary code developer does not want to.
Of course, this is all just my opinion. I could be wrong.
Through listening to various podcasts, such as "Insomnia Radio" and NPR's music show and some others, I've actually increased my music purchasing of these indie bands - especially when they were on the iTunes store.
Most of the bands that I hear through indie Podcasts have Myspace pages, and that would make it a *lot* easier to pick up their songs as MP3's - especially if they were decent quality (like 192 or above).
So I'd say that while the amount of music won't be as high as, say, Britney, for some bands it could be a take off point - though the real winner would be Myspace through good old Mr. Longtail.
Of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.
As a Treo 650 user, here's a small list of things I hope they put in. I realize the 750 will likely be a Windows machine at first (like the 700w, then the 700p which later had Palm support), but still:
1. Wi-Fi support. I'd love to be able to hook into a Skype/Gizmo Project client and just start talking without worrying about my minutes in my home or other Wi-Fi locations. That, and it would be better internet.
2. True Blackberry support. Right now through Sprint they have some Exchange hook in thing which, so far, has never worked right for me. I have the Treo Blackberry software I got from a, uh, other source (whistles innocently) which works just fine, but I'd like to have an official "Here's the RIM software we licensed so your IT department doesn't freak out when they hear you have something different".
3. EVDO In a pinch, I can use my Dial Up Network through the bluetooth through my Powermac and hop onto the Internet, but that's a) slow and b) unreliable (often cuts out after 10 minutes, and when you're trying to get driving directions that can suck).
4. Better browser The Palm browser, in a word, works, but it's not pretty. I'd love to see a Firefox/Gecko based engine version.
5. Non-static bluetooth headsets. Maybe it's just this phone, but using Bluetooth headsets with it sucks.
I think that's it. I wouldn't even mind if they swapped from Palm OS to Windows OS (as long as they kept my eReader working, and as long as they had the Blackberry support).
We must build a bigger, more powerful robot. Mainly by combining smaller robots that will form into one large one, one capable of taking on this car stealing giant parking garage robot.
That's right - we need Voltron.
Form blazing sword!
If those poor Indian citizens couldn't get their daily supply of Livejournal emo teenagers, I don't know *what* they would have done. Peaceful protests or some-such - oh, wait, they did.
My 4 year old son is obsessed with making his own "Mario angel" (aka - from "Angelic Layer"), and I've started looking for small, programmable robots he can putter with - anything bigger, and I fear for the safety of my household when he tries to program it with a Butt Stomp or some such.
Of course not. Which is why when I was in Saudi I was told that Egyptians always steal, and Jews are out to kill Muslims.
And when I was in Kansas, I was told that the fact my sister-in-law had once dated a "nigger" was reason to be mad at her.
The fact is that racism, religiousism, whateverism is still alive and well in the world today - and it is *exactly* by pointing it out that you extinguish it. I hear people complain about "political correctness", and how its destroying things.
Of course, the counter argument, as Jon Stewart once pointed out, is that Thomas Jefferson used to fuck his slaves.
So every time you see someone do something that vaguely smacks of racism, you have to squash it, and squash it so hard so that the people who still believe in that crap are reminded that the rest of the world doesn't agree with them. When Congress doesn't want to renew the Civil Rights Voting act because they feel that the areas it targets aren't racist anymore, you get right in those people's faces and tell them "Oh yes it is", and then you show where voters are intimidated or have their names removed from voting lists by using criminal lists from other states.
Sony fucked up, and I don't care what country they do it in: they screwed the pooch big time. There were plenty of ways to show that the white PSP was coming - but to show a white woman subjigating a black woman
Oh, and for the "well, they have an ad showing a black woman beating up on a white one", you go through centuries of slavery, then more decades of racism, then continued glares from people who think that you're a thief just because you're black, or have problems registering to vote or get ticketed for "driving while black" and continued segregation of the schools, *then* tell me if you don't mind the black woman beating up the white one. That one was just as bad in my opinion, and just because you don't find it offensive doesn't mean that it wasn't.
I've been talking to the wife about getting a NAS for the house - but now a 1 to 2 terabyte system seems so...puny.
;).
Hey, honey - remember how I said I wanted to store *all* the movies on the server? Get a load of this
Based on his numbers, this makes perfect sense. After all:
360 sales in the month of May * 3 = uh, a lot
PS3 sales in the month of May * 3 = 0
Wii sales in the month of May * 3 = 0
Dang - the 360 will totally rule the next gen market! I can be an analyst too!
Remember, kids, you can't spell analyst without anal.
Better to trial and fail then not try at all, I'd say. At least if you actively work to avoid them, eventually you will at least hurt them financially - which can eventually (hopefully?) lead to someone else with bigger pockets that we can trust finally buying out the backbone.
I've been seeing the DS/DS Lite make inroads with people I work with - especially when they see me playing "Brain Age" or "Big Brain Academy" - I had my DS Lite passed around the office for about an hour as people tried out the test from the latter game. At least one or two people - in their 40's, never played games before, but now are seriously thinking about picking up a DS for their kids and maybe the Brain Age for themselves.
So I wonder if Nintendo's "Blue Ocean" approach will work with the Wii. Iwata, as I understand it, has mentioned that he'd like for people to play the Wii every day - much like my wife and I play the DS (she digs the Brain Games and "Magnetica" - this from a women that for the last 12 years wouldn't touch a computer game unless it had the words "Tetris" or "Solitaire" on it).
Which is all they need - my wife plays Brain Age a little bit every day. I'm wondering if Nintendo can't leverage the Wii sports games with "Work out every day for 30 minutes - helps get you in shape!" Tie in some workouts, perhaps like the Brain Age games put in the competitive aspects (which has helped each of us play the DS every day to try and one-up each other - so far, I'm at a B+ in Academy.
Obviously we'll have to wait and see, but the other day a coworker asked me "Hey, that Nintendo thing coming out - that's the competor for the Xbox, isn't it?" I'm not sure which was more telling: that he knew that there was a Nintendo thing coming out - or that he thought that was the Xbox competitor, not the new Playstation.
Well, just another 4-5 months to go.
3... 2... 1... - happy pirating!
OK, seriously, I know this will take some time (I don't know of any PC Blue-Ray DVD readers even available yet), and no, I don't encourage downloading of movies/music online unless you own it blah, blah, blah (that said, I have to admit my own guilt for downloading a TV show that my Tivo missed or that iTunes wasn't selling, so call me a hypocrite if you must).
I'm still wondering what the HD to Standard Def (SD) ratio is. My wife and I have decided that 2 years from now is when we'll finally change the TV set, first to hit the digital TV standard, second to finally get the infamous "big screen", and lastly that's when the current TV (which is already annoying me with it's "RCA jack only" - it was a cheap hand-me-down replacement for another broke in a move about a year ago), but 2 years from now should be about when the current machine dies.
I know two people who have an HD setup, the first is retired and still works so he has the cash, the second is a bachelor who doesn't have the wife+3 rugrats that myself and my other buddies have.
So with HDTV costs still pretty high - what's the real current ratio, or is Blue Ray and HD-DVD looking ahead to 2-3 years down the line when people are more likely to go out and buy the $400 HDTV and need shiny new media to play on it?
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not Microsoft's #1 fan - I find thier business practices less than satisfying, and their software usually doesn't light my fires, but I have to give them a lot of credit for their business sense, so I'd like to see them do better.
Whether Ballmer leaves or not, there needs to be a shake up in the direction of the company, because in my mind, they've lost sight. Right now, they remind me of Sony: floundering about, trying to do several things at once, and not really winning either user love or support. They throw money at problems in the hope of winning something, but it doesn't seem like they really know what they are going to do when they get there except have another potential monopoly - and I think that's where they are failing. They're trying to recreate the Windows dominance, instead of just competing.
In a sense, it seems like what they keep trying to pursue is power, not money. And it keeps costing them user loyalty and potential revenue.
Take the Xbox: a $4 billion dollar loss. People can get up and shout "But they're number 2 in console sales", but they have lost $4 billion dollars, and it doesn't seem like they're going to do any better this time. Already the 360 in Japan has been a flop (even interesting looking games like "99 Nights" hasn't helped, through perhaps "Lost Planet" and "Blue Dragon" (if I got the name right) might help), their Xbox lead made users irritated by claiing that "nobody cares about backwards compatibility", a stance that he had to back pedal from as fast as possible. Then again, Sony's trying to figure out how to shoot their foot while sticking it in their mouth at the same time, so maybe they have a chance unless the Wii is as cool as people expect it to. But the Xbox division seems intent on "dominating" the gaming industry. As a counterpoint, look at Nintendo: 3rd place (whenever you take out the handhelds, which I never understand why people ignore), but profitable - and they don't care about being "first", just in making money on every sale.
Cable TV chasing, application server in big iron areas that hasn't panned out - it just seems like Microsoft's just throwing darts at a board, from what seems like an infinite supply of darts supplied by the Office and Windows monopoly. But if Google chips a little bit there, Apple a little bit there, all of the sudden bleeding money doesn't seem like a good idea.
My recommendation: they focus on what will make them money, not what will get them power. My father once made a comment that Bill Gates is intent on keeping Larry Ellison the 2nd richest man in the world (or in that area) by not porting MS SQL Server to Linux, Solaris, OS X, and everything else that they can. What if MS Office was *truly* ported to OS X (including true Outlook support instead of the "almost but close" version), with MS Project and Visio, and on Linux?
Instead of trying to make the world "support our monopoly", new leadership at Microsoft could focus on "what makes money?" Yes, there is a danger in making, say, SQL and Office for OS X and Linux, because that would potentially decrease the Windows desktop sales. But at the same time, it could ensure that if Windows ever goes away, they still have a steady source of income in the future - and it could make them a lot of money now.
It's a hard change to go from "We dominate the PCs, leverage that dominance and protect it" to "What do our customers want, and how can we fill that gap". Windows dominance has worked so well for so long, that I don't think MS can chance until that dominance is truly challenged. If Apple gets some sort of DarWine system working, if Vista keeps getting delayed, if Google actually makes the OS not matter - MS could be in trouble.
Granted, the odds are, nothing's going to happen to MS. People have predicted their demise for years, and I don't see things changing for them for 10 years. On the other hand, you never know when that "next big thing" that blows away the cu
How many people want both a DVD player and a Wii on their entertainment unit?
Sure - I could go buy a $30 DVD player, but now I've got two pieces of electronics cluttering my home. Nintendo could offer to clear some of that up. Lord knows, most people I know want less electronics, not more.
I have 1 PSP game - "DJ Max Portable", and the rest of the time I use the emulation system. There are some games that are all right ("Dragon Fire III", which for some reason hasn't reached the US). But take a game like "Force Commander" - it's "Advance Wars DS" without a plot, and with pixelated muddy graphics. I tried it, decided "Hm, if I wanted to play Advance Wars on a smaller map with dingy graphics, I'd dirty up my DS screen".
I keep having hope for PSP titles, like "Blade Dancer", but I just haven't found one that really grabbed me - or that wasn't (like "Mega Man Hunter X") another remake (though I will buy "Valkyrie Profile", though I hear the PSP port was less than steller compared even to the PSX version).
I've been talking about this with my wife, who is actually interested in seeing the Wii in action (she's hooked on the Brain Games).
Some things that I think would help cement Nintendo:
1. DVD player - I believe word is that the DVD player aspects are a "plug in" - I'm assuming something like the original Xbox codec plug in device to enable DVD playback. Personally, I'd just as soon see it just built in - bite the bullet on the cost, Nintendo, and people will go "Hm - $200, and it plays games *and* my DVD movies", instead of "Hm - $200, but I have to spend another $30 to play movies? Eh."
2. Push the online gaming. While I'm a single player gaming whore, I still think that online is the way to go. I'm very disappointed that Tecmo is bringing Pangya Golf to the Wii, but not the online play! Maybe they feel it won't matter much, but I think the difference can be crucial. Nintendo should make it clear in cases like these that online play is to be built in - or the game doesn't get ported. I'm not saying they should make online play when it doesn't exist - but in clear cases like this, but the sucker in.
3. Advertise, advertise, advertise. Advertise the sports games during Oprah for exercise. Advertise "Red Steel" during "24" and such. Get the word out, and don't just show the game - show how people play it. Let people see that controller until there isn't a person in the world who doesn't go "Oh - that's that Wii thing - looks interesting."
We'll have to see what happens, but Nintendo could take back a lot of market. So far, I'd say their making a lot of the right moves.
From this, I take it there are three possible realities:
1. Apple knew of the work conditions, and set up the "third party vendor" system so that they didn't have to hear how it was done - kind of like Ken Lay tried with Enron. "Oh, my goodness, I am shocked - shocked! - to hear that there are bad labor systems being used!" And then they can plead ignorance.
2. Apple didn't know about the work conditions. Their system was "Look - here's the work, let's go tour the plant, looks good - modern equipment, this will work. Quality of the iPods is good, so let's go with this." They didn't look into the work conditions - though I'd be curious to see if there was any kind of contract stating "treat workers kindly".
3. The situation is not as bad as it looks. I'm not counting out the original article, but since it does mention that there are several countries, including Japan (which I understand has decent employee laws compared to other countries), it could be this plant is an isolated incident - but 1 and 2 still apply about "What did Apple know, and when did they know it". It could even be that the rules of "employ mainly women" was used as a good point - "Let's give work to these women so they can earn a decent wage", which may now look bad. It's all about the intent.
Either way, I would suggest there is only one answer: That Apple take immediate steps to show how it "Thinks different", and insure that no matter what the conditions are *now*, that those conditions are up to par with good employee relations.
I have a lot of faith in Apple, but I'll find it very hard to purchase future products if these allegations are true, and the company that Jobs built is unwilling to take steps to ensure good living conditions for their employees.
OMG! Ponies!
Thanks - I was worried I'd have to bring out the clueless stick ;).