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User: grapeape

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  1. Kiss goooood...pirates baaaad on Gene Simmons Threatens Anonymous Again and Gets DDoS'd · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Sadly Gene is about 5 years behind Metallica in learning that biting the hand that feeds you hurts you more in the end. I've got a friend that would buy every piece of Kiss crap that hit the shelves from CD's to action figures. He got sick of Gene's crap last year over this kind of thing and has been slowly selling his entire collection on ebay. It doesn't help that the album prices for digital downloads are nearly 50% higher than buying the CD. Take Kiss Alive II for example, at Wal-Mart and Best Buy its $9.99 while on Amazon and Itunes its $13.99, who in their right mind would buy the digital version when they can buy the disk and just rip it? I dont use a cd player anymore, but still buy CD's for this specific purpose....but according to Gene im a pirate for it. I realize your an old man Gene but you pretend to be hip and relevant try and at least understand the technology and why people do what they do, maybe then you could be part of the solution rather than a contributor to the problem. I dont think Gene realizes that the same people he is wanting to sue are the same people willing to buy Kiss caskets and trinkets, with his known level of greed you would think he would be more concerned with the revenue stream than someone downloading a copy of a song they have likely already purchased on Vinyl, Cassette and CD.

  2. It's not dead...It's pining on Desktop Linux Is Dead · · Score: 1

    I have to agree though the Linux on the average desktop ship sailed a long time ago. I thought with Ubuntu it actually had a shot but that had to go get fragmented to...for the masses its just too much of a mess to really be practical. Oddly enough one of the biggest hurdles I have had in trying to convince people to at least give it a shot is the concept of not needing a full upgrade. The concept of updating=new version just doesn't seem to compute with many people. If its doesn't have a box and new obvious features immediately apparent they seem oblivious. That said its no more dead than its ever been, geeks will still use it and it will continue to advance but I just cant see it ever really gaining traction with the average home user. Then again...thats not really a bad thing.

  3. Re:Software cost = programmer's salary on NSF Wants To Know How Much Software Really Costs · · Score: 3, Insightful

    That would be nice and is how business used to be...but now its more about investor profits...then the rest of that stuff. Society has created an unsustainable monster of necessary yearly increases in revenue. Its no longer about generating a nice profit and making a decent living. I really think its a mind set that is beginning to come back to bite society in the ass though. Look at any main street in any small town and its pretty evident that we're in trouble. In the town I live the corner grocery store shut down when they just couldn't compete with the conglomo grocery store moved in less than a mile down the road, then the drug store that had been in business for over 8 years closed down when CVS and Walgreens decided to both move in right next door to each other in the same area as the big grocery store. Supporting businesses around them like the bakery/donut shop, appliance store, mom and pop book store, pet store, etc have all been replaced by big corporations down the road. The argument has been that it created jobs, but most of the jobs are paying far lower than the small stores and services paid that were vacated due to their demise. Business is supposedly booming the new "central" part of town sure has lots of familiar stores and restaurants but the funny part is the per capita income of the town has dropped significantly over the past decade or so since this change started. Do I think Wal-Mart needs to die? NO...but I do think in many instances the "convenience" the corporate world brings does more harm than good over the long term. Sadly I think its too late to really do anything about it.

  4. More paranoia from the World Privacy Foundation on HTML5 Draws Concern Over Risks To Privacy · · Score: 1

    As much as I appreciate their intended purpose...they should really get a talking head that has a clue about technology. Their previous fear mongering topics have been rfid, cloud computing, social networking, etc. The one thing their "warnings" have in common is that all seem to have been put together by someone with a complete lack of understanding of how things already work.

    HTML 5 will certainly allow for more flexibility for developers but will also allow browser vendors to provide better security simply due to a large portion of 3rd party addons becoming unnecessary. Its much easier to keep track of one standard over a bunch of what ifs.

  5. Depends on the platform on Game Prices — a Historical Perspective · · Score: 1

    I can remember paying over $75 for Zelda back in the day, and remember my parents refusing to get Phantasy Star for me because it was insanely expensive. Some games were cheap, I can remember several Data East titles on the C=64 that I picked up new at Babbages for under $15. The biggest thing to remember is that those games do not come anything close in comparison as far as production quality and content goes, many aren't nearly as fun IMHO but they are still far more expensive to create. In comparing the modern game prices and classics its probably more fair to compare the PSN, wiiware, mini's, pop cap and xbox arcade titles than the big ones, they have far more in common and in that comparison prices have undoubtedly come down.

  6. I think some are selling this short on Epic Games Predicts Console, Mobile Convergence · · Score: 1

    Between the greasy fingers and small screens comments, I think many are not paying attention to the current trends with the higher end smart phones, several android devices already have hdmi out, nearly all have the capability to hook up bluetooth devices and 3d chips are now the standard and storage density keeps increasing. If you throw in "cloud" based gaming its not very far fetched to see a time when your handheld can be used as a regular console. As long as the capabilities are there I'm all for it. Streaming games and content seem to be the direction all the major consoles are taking so why not have them use a device that can go anywhere with you? It really doesnt take much imagination to see this as reality, there are already dual core tablets that are far more powerful cpu wise as the 360 or PS3, its only a matter of time until the gpu capability catches up.

  7. Shouldn't some of the 100k apple devs be included on Devs Bet Big On Android Over Apple's iOS · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Wow im shocked, developers that are trying to cater to both and likely started on the android hope android wins. I have no leanings either way, imho they both have their pluses and minuses but if your going to do a survey should people that are actively involved in a platforms development beyond a cross compiler be at least sampled? This reminds me of the AdMob survey back in march that claimed 70% of iPhone developers were jumping ship while surveying only 108 hand picked participants, oddly enough it was the same week that Apple announced it had passed 100,000 licensed developers. I've been dabbling with android itself, but frankly until they can get their act together (3-4 different versions in the wild, poor upgrade paths from oem's, google denying marketplace to non-phone devices) I really don't think Apple has much to worry about. Yes Apple is draconian as hell in their licensing, contracts and at least IMHO rather greedy on the profit sharing but at least there is some organization and direction.

  8. Re:The Fall Classic and 2" quad on Bing Crosby, Television Sports Preservationist · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I grew up a few houses away from Smokey Burgess, he used to tell all kinds of baseball stories but the 60 series was definitely something that meant more to him than anything else in his career. I've been thinking about him all day now, when I was a kid I didn't really appreciate and I guess took for granted his taking time to talk to we neighborhood kids. I just wish I could have known him when I was an adult rather than a snot nosed kid who half paid attention, still I heard so much about it I feel like I was a witness to the series...but it would be great to really see it.

  9. ESPN Classic on Bing Crosby, Television Sports Preservationist · · Score: 1

    So how long till its repeated weekly on ESPN Classic? I usually dont understand the appeal of watching old sports but the idea of seeing something before my time and before the era of recording and highlight reels is intriguing.

  10. Re:weird part is my Records seem to last longer on CD Sales Continue To Plummet, Vinyl Records Soar · · Score: 1

    Looking through the ones that are skipping or just flat out refuse to play I have noticed something else...most of them are late 80's and early 90's and nearly all are Warner Bros and MCA I guess rot is a bad way to describe it...what seems to be happening is there are bubble looking like spots on about a dozen of them that I have found so far...don't get me wrong far more of my older CD's work than don't...just rather disappointed that any have an issue.

  11. companies hell bent on killing their own business on Verizon Confirms Plan To Switch Away From Unlimited Data Plans · · Score: 1

    I really don't get it. Companies continue to push the latest stuff like streaming video, voip, wireless gaming, time shifting but then try their best to make that damn near impossible. In my area even the cable companies are getting into it, my neighborhood is so over subscribed that my 4g clear mifi router is faster than my cable connection...thats just sad.

  12. weird part is my Records seem to last longer on CD Sales Continue To Plummet, Vinyl Records Soar · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I have CD's that i picked up less than 15 years ago that are unplayable, I had heard of laserdisc rot but didnt know it would happen to prerecorded cd's. On the other hand, I have vinyl that belonged to my father that still sounds great. I baby my collection but in a noticeable portion of my collection it seems that simply handling with care didnt matter.

  13. Not a proper comparison on E-Books Are Only 6% of Printed Book Sales · · Score: 1

    Isn't it kind of useless to compare overall sales, when only a fraction of printed books are available in ebook formats? Of course total sales are going to be greatly skewed towards dead trees. I'd really like to see a book for book comparison, though im sure printed books will still "win", I believe that the gap would be quite a bit smaller. That gap is going to be there though, at least until publishers truly start embracing the technology rather than just placating customers they otherwise fear they would loose completely.

  14. As opposed to what? on Security a Concern As HTML5 Advances · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How are the "concerns" over HTML5 any different than any other platform? Flash, ASP, javascript, etc have all had and continue to have vulnerabilities. The only way to stay 100% safe is to stay off the internet. Did anyone expect people who make their living by addressing both real and imagined security risks to not comment with an angle that puffed up their importance in the net ecosystem?

  15. And for this they passed on Crackdown 2? on APB To Close Mere Months After Launch · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Sounds like greed and poor decision making has been rampant at Realtime since it started, with Crackdown they wanted a multi-game deal before the original ever shipped, then when MS was ready to deal on Crackdown 2 (2 months after launch) they passed and made it sound to the press like it was MS's fault for taking a wait and see approach saying MS was taking to long. When MS handed Crackdown 2 to Ruffian, Realtime expressed their unhappiness with MS not waiting until APB was done. Between the charging full price for a game that had no demo or trial, a monthly fee with additional in game purchases basically required to even be competitive and buggy as hell final product did anyone really think this game had a chance?

  16. Infinite power on Cell Phones Powered By Conversations · · Score: 4, Funny

    Geez if I could hook up a storage battery and wire it to my wife I could go off grid.

  17. It was introduced neutered and near useless on Salesforce Uses Chatter To Monitor Employees · · Score: 1

    Chatter is all about "company communication" anyway, its yet another "new" dog and pony product for managers and directors to push on employees so they can look progressive. In the meantime employees know well in advance that its just another "company" chore so they likely ignore it, half-ass it if forced to use it or make a bunch of shill posts if they are the company suck ups. Its no different than the suggestion box, intranet, etc....Nothing to get up in arms about, its near useless, but it makes middle management feel good about themselves.

  18. Re:Opening it up will just prove Apples point on Apple Relaxes iOS Development Tool Restrictions · · Score: 1

    I know what you mean I like people who bash HTML5 by trying to find things flash can do and HTML5 cant, but when flash performance is questioned suddenly the only important things are buttons and animation which is then followed up by frustration and name calling.

    Who really cares if flash can run all the static stuff people tend to skip when visiting web pages, what people want are apps and so far there are not many that have worked well on any handheld device I have. Most run like crap on my Nokia as well as my archos tablet if they run at all. I've found the same spotty at best results on the Droid's and My Touch slides at my clients offices as well. I'd like to believe it's not universal but so far my own experience as well as what I have read on the "interblags" have led me to believe poor performance isnt just a problem I'm running into.

  19. Opening it up will just prove Apples point on Apple Relaxes iOS Development Tool Restrictions · · Score: 3, Interesting

    After the disaster that has been flash on Andoid so far, perhaps this is just Apples way of saying "see we told you". I expect a plethora of sub-par apps flooding the app store soon, in the end this will probably help HTML5's cause much more than Adobe.

  20. Re:Is it just because I'm a nerd on Hands-on With the iPad Alternatives On Display At IFA · · Score: 1

    I guess I'm not as much of a nerd as I thought I was. I had to get an Ipad to support one of my bigger clients (work paid for it). I figured I would spend a few days learning the ropes (documents to go, pages, email setup, etc) then it would go on the shelf or more likely craigslist. Instead, my notebook is now collecting dust. I thought I would need my usb slots, full os, flash, etc...but so far I haven't really run into anything I couldn't do with it. I have had a few occasions where i had to think and be creative about it, but generally its been able to handle everything I have thrown at it. I have a tiny TZ series Vaio that I thought was the ideal consultant device but i haven't turned it on in almost a month and am not questioning whether i should keep it.

    Im starting to think the fragmentation of Android is going to make it really hard to compete. I picked up one of the a-pad's at the beginning of summer, as expected its crap, picked up an Archos 7 tablet and its so limited that its worthless as well. I look forward to seeing an android tablet that is on par spec and feature wise, but so far they all seem to fall short in one way or another.

  21. Re:Hilarious 3D Trolls on The New Difficulties In Making a 3D Game · · Score: 1

    Where was this tirade? Appears that the only one freaking out is your cowardly ass. I don't care what happens with 3d, I think it will fail as I really don't think enough people care about it for it to succeed. Its been tried and failed many times before, the only thing new now is that the glasses are more expensive and there is a smaller viewing angle, neither of which I see as much of a bonus.

    What I really don't understand is how its "fans" are so rabid about it, and seem to take any negative comment about the technology as a personal attack against them.

  22. If anything can stop the 3d madness its gaming on The New Difficulties In Making a 3D Game · · Score: 0

    With the budget of today's games, its most likely that 3d gaming will be a "one and done" experiment for most studios. I just cant see the sales of 3d titles having enough sales to be self sustaining and frankly the gimmicky nature of 3d will likely weaken the traditional 2d experience resulting in lower game sales overall. I have yet to find anyone who has invested in any 3d gear or anything with the intention in investing.

  23. Re:Flash is for more than streaming video on Flash On Android Is 'Shockingly Bad' · · Score: 1

    Except that most flash games are designed around the keyboard and mouse and translate poorly if at all to touch based systems like tablets and phones. Maybe 1 out of 100 flash games i have run across actually work on my archos for instance...i can only think of a handful that are actually popular enough to be concidered things people "want" to play.

  24. Re:Not on Mac? Really? on AMD Hates Laptop Stickers As Much As You Do · · Score: 1

    Really? My Vaio was more than a standard macbook and has just about the same specs, sure you can find a gateway or MSI thats a beast spec wise for half what a decent business class machine is going to run...but you generally get what you pay for. The Mac's are overpriced mantra has been mostly a myth for years.

  25. Sony's position is its own fault on Sony Continues To Lose Ground In Mobile Gaming · · Score: 5, Informative

    The PSP's dead man walking state is completely due to Sony's ineptitude. I blame is on corporate ego, after winning two console generations in a row the attitude seemed to be that they could just push their way and gamers would just fall lock step into whatever Sony "blessed" them with, regardless of price, features or support. While pushing all the "features" that the hardcore audience would appreciate, they completely neglected the most important features, games. Gran Turismo portable for instance was demo'ed at the PSP launch announcement and was even featured on the box but didnt ship until last year. The rate of first party titls has been anemic since it launched and the 3rd party support has been shrinking. Piracy can be partially to blame but an equal blame should be laid at Sony's feet for not focusing on the right aspects of the device and supporting it properly. UMD was stillborn, which IMHO was a missed opportunity, I would have gladly paid for a UMD player for the house or car but Sony for some reason chose to keep it locked up deeming the format useless, yet rather than focus on the gaming they chose to advertise it as this do everything media device while basically downplaying its gaming prowess. As a result the much less capable DS has completely buried the PSP despite the inferior hardware.

    I have been trying for months to sell a PSP bundle with over 2 dozen games (admittedly nothing as recent as the last year and a half or so) and cant get any interest at any value more than the joy of taking outside and stomping the crap out of it.