Problem is, most studios want to design their games to have similar experiences on the two platforms, if at all possible. Which is why we aren't going to see many 3rd party titles make much use of Kinect, other than for very basic and non-critical UI functions. Now, if the Xbox One proves to be a runaway success, and grabs huge market share, it's possible you'll see more developer adoption of Kinect features, which make the PS4 version look less fun in comparison (unless they have the Eye accessory). Unfortunately for MS, it appears that having various next-gen games running on Xbox at lower resolutions and quality than on the PS4, this is unlikely to happen. Especially since their best option now is to allow developers to use 100% of the GPU, rather than continue locking them out of 10% that gets dedicated for Kinect (even if it's not used).
Oh, and the price difference isn't helping MS any here either.
Honestly, I'm just still amazed that MS released a console that can't reliable handle 1080p at 60fps in the year 2014. It seems like most of their games are being rendered at 720p, and then upscaled (poorly) to 1080p. Simply amazing.
The tech industry is all kinds of messed up when it comes to pay and compensation, especially at the higher levels. It's hard for me to feel bad about using something like adblock when the people behind serving those ads are raking in more money than they could ever possibly need.
Naming conventions are stupid, but I think you're overreacting a bit. Xbox One is named so because they are wanting to make it the ONE device to rule them all near your TV; not because they think people are going to somehow get confused about the difference between it and the Xbox.
Apples naming conventions have been like that for 15 years. I was actually surprised when they tacked on the "2" to for the iPad 2, because they normally just name everything in a product line the same thing. You have to use either the year built, or the "generation" it belonged to. Again, that's one hell of a rant to last 15 years.
At least they aren't naming things like TV manufacturers, where you get crap like UN46F6030FXZA, or TC-P65TZT60.
Agreed. When people are changing stations, or skipping ahead on their CD/MP3/whatever player, or even changing the volume, they aren't doing it based on anything visual. There's maybe a moment where they align their hand to the right control, but otherwise it's all handled using good old physical muscle memory and physical stimuli. With a touchscreen control you're hindering the former and definitely killing the later.
As a small business owner, I can say that the US tax system really needs to be simplified. I started my business 3 years ago, and had to learn the accounting and tax side myself (I couldn't afford a CPA or book keeper at the time). For a nation that claims to be built on small businesses, it sure is crazy trying to figure out what's needed to run start or run one.
I wonder if his boss would be willing to hire and train new employees that are replacing old employees, since he obviously didn't hire the right people the first time?
Amazingly, pretty much nothing about people's income has kept pace with the cost of living during the last 30 years. And they are wondering why less people are flying airplanes?
Although I do think grades are given out too easily these days, particularly in that they signify "effort" more than actual knowledge due to the sheer amount of makeup work and extra credit available, I also think students are just more exposed to sources of knowledge today than they were 60 years ago. In the 60's, knowing something meant you had to take advantage of the few resources available to you, such as teachers or library books.
Today, people can not only find information about various topics quickly, but they can find it more efficiently as well. Researching something like "geothermal power" used to require finding books related to it, and with the right context, then reading through those books for the pieces of information you need to ultimately reference and use. Now, you could Google it, or look it up in Wikipedia, and see exactly what you need in a much quicker time frame. At worst, you can CTRL+F your way through a reference.
So I'm not going to say that kids are smarter today or more skilled, but I will say that the better grades shouldn't really come as a surprise when the overall testing and teaching methods haven't changed to better reflect the tools we have available as students.
Same deal with command lines and GUI's. A GUI may seem easier to learn and use, and it is for a lot of things, but you still have to use the command line in order to start getting into the more powerful features, like piping. Here's a quick example for Windows users:
Easiest way to see your IP address?
A. Depending on your OS version, you might be able to just double-click the connection icon (if it's there) and then click to see the details. Or you might get taken to the Network and Sharing Center where you have to dig around for the device adapter.
-or-
B. You can hit Win+R, type "cmd" and hit enter. Type "ipconfig" and view everything there. If you need details, you can do "ipconfig/all". Or, you could just type:
ipconfig | find "IPv4"
Option B might seem more complicated, but it's faster, more consistent, and only takes a few times to get used to.
Not on the Daily Double's, which is the ones he's racing around the board "randomly" looking for. It's just one part of his overall strategy, but an important part because it would otherwise be the best chance for someone to catch up to him. When combined with trying to clear out many of the big numbers early on, he's effectively limiting everyone else's options for catching up.
Not to mention I think Alex is just pissed about having to shuffle through his nicely-sorted cards more than he's used to.
In "tech years" they may as well have launched it a decade ago. People who dismiss a product because it failed a few years ago are usually the same ones left holding the bag when another company, such as Apple, makes it successful.
He's also quickly buzzing for questions that he knows he can't answer, just to deprive someone else from being able to answer them, lol. He's what the RPG community calls a "power gamer." It's actually kind of awesome to watch.
Maybe, but this printing press sounds like it was unloading a lot more money than that. North Korea is probably the best example of how to launder it the way I mentioned, and the risk is pretty low as long as you stay away from major countries. A few well-placed bribes and some homework into countries with poor law enforcement or corrupt officials, and you could easily turn 20 million in counterfeit bills into 10 million legit ones.
Counterfeit money like this isn't used to buy a soda at a gas station. They produce it in bulk and it generally gets used overseas in currency exchanges, where they ultimately launder the fake stuff into real stuff.
That is going to depend heavily on who they pick as the new Chairman (it's looking like Gates is on his way out) and how interested the Board is in sticking with the whole "Devices and Services" thing. One thing is for certain: neither the new CEO nor the Chairman will have anywhere near the influence that Gates and Ballmer do, so I could easily see a scenario where the Board kind of runs rough shot over any strong long-term goals in support of trying to become the next Apple.
Keep in mind that once Gates is gone, pretty much everyone on the Board is the Silicon Valley type of guy, where the whole Devices and Services thing is pretty popular right now. Without Gates, in particular, we'll probably end up with an even less enterprise-friendly set of offerings over the next 15 years. After all, Apple has done just fine by practically abandoning their "pro" consumers, and that's the fruit MS is chasing.
The argument that he shouldn't consider the carbon impact when authorizing it because someone is going to extract the oil anyway is kind of ridiculous. That's like saying we should buy conflict diamond since they've already been unearthed and brought to market (an argument that I've also heard before).
The biggest issue I see with this is that SteamOS is much more than just a set of standards or baselines. They're running a modified kernel, for example.
Slashdot Mirror
Problem is, most studios want to design their games to have similar experiences on the two platforms, if at all possible. Which is why we aren't going to see many 3rd party titles make much use of Kinect, other than for very basic and non-critical UI functions. Now, if the Xbox One proves to be a runaway success, and grabs huge market share, it's possible you'll see more developer adoption of Kinect features, which make the PS4 version look less fun in comparison (unless they have the Eye accessory). Unfortunately for MS, it appears that having various next-gen games running on Xbox at lower resolutions and quality than on the PS4, this is unlikely to happen. Especially since their best option now is to allow developers to use 100% of the GPU, rather than continue locking them out of 10% that gets dedicated for Kinect (even if it's not used).
Oh, and the price difference isn't helping MS any here either.
Honestly, I'm just still amazed that MS released a console that can't reliable handle 1080p at 60fps in the year 2014. It seems like most of their games are being rendered at 720p, and then upscaled (poorly) to 1080p. Simply amazing.
The tech industry is all kinds of messed up when it comes to pay and compensation, especially at the higher levels. It's hard for me to feel bad about using something like adblock when the people behind serving those ads are raking in more money than they could ever possibly need.
Both of which are basically reboots to the series, rather than weird or misleading naming schemes.
Naming conventions are stupid, but I think you're overreacting a bit. Xbox One is named so because they are wanting to make it the ONE device to rule them all near your TV; not because they think people are going to somehow get confused about the difference between it and the Xbox.
Apples naming conventions have been like that for 15 years. I was actually surprised when they tacked on the "2" to for the iPad 2, because they normally just name everything in a product line the same thing. You have to use either the year built, or the "generation" it belonged to. Again, that's one hell of a rant to last 15 years.
At least they aren't naming things like TV manufacturers, where you get crap like UN46F6030FXZA, or TC-P65TZT60.
Agreed. When people are changing stations, or skipping ahead on their CD/MP3/whatever player, or even changing the volume, they aren't doing it based on anything visual. There's maybe a moment where they align their hand to the right control, but otherwise it's all handled using good old physical muscle memory and physical stimuli. With a touchscreen control you're hindering the former and definitely killing the later.
As a small business owner, I can say that the US tax system really needs to be simplified. I started my business 3 years ago, and had to learn the accounting and tax side myself (I couldn't afford a CPA or book keeper at the time). For a nation that claims to be built on small businesses, it sure is crazy trying to figure out what's needed to run start or run one.
** on his own time, that is.
I wonder if his boss would be willing to hire and train new employees that are replacing old employees, since he obviously didn't hire the right people the first time?
Amazingly, pretty much nothing about people's income has kept pace with the cost of living during the last 30 years. And they are wondering why less people are flying airplanes?
Although I do think grades are given out too easily these days, particularly in that they signify "effort" more than actual knowledge due to the sheer amount of makeup work and extra credit available, I also think students are just more exposed to sources of knowledge today than they were 60 years ago. In the 60's, knowing something meant you had to take advantage of the few resources available to you, such as teachers or library books.
Today, people can not only find information about various topics quickly, but they can find it more efficiently as well. Researching something like "geothermal power" used to require finding books related to it, and with the right context, then reading through those books for the pieces of information you need to ultimately reference and use. Now, you could Google it, or look it up in Wikipedia, and see exactly what you need in a much quicker time frame. At worst, you can CTRL+F your way through a reference.
So I'm not going to say that kids are smarter today or more skilled, but I will say that the better grades shouldn't really come as a surprise when the overall testing and teaching methods haven't changed to better reflect the tools we have available as students.
Seriously, this is bad even for Slashdot standards.
Same deal with command lines and GUI's. A GUI may seem easier to learn and use, and it is for a lot of things, but you still have to use the command line in order to start getting into the more powerful features, like piping. Here's a quick example for Windows users:
Easiest way to see your IP address?
A. Depending on your OS version, you might be able to just double-click the connection icon (if it's there) and then click to see the details. Or you might get taken to the Network and Sharing Center where you have to dig around for the device adapter.
-or-
B. You can hit Win+R, type "cmd" and hit enter. Type "ipconfig" and view everything there. If you need details, you can do "ipconfig /all". Or, you could just type:
ipconfig | find "IPv4"
Option B might seem more complicated, but it's faster, more consistent, and only takes a few times to get used to.
Kill the Beta!!!!! Free Mod Points!!!!
Not on the Daily Double's, which is the ones he's racing around the board "randomly" looking for. It's just one part of his overall strategy, but an important part because it would otherwise be the best chance for someone to catch up to him. When combined with trying to clear out many of the big numbers early on, he's effectively limiting everyone else's options for catching up.
Not to mention I think Alex is just pissed about having to shuffle through his nicely-sorted cards more than he's used to.
Not the daily double's, which is the one's he's racing to find by jumping around the board.
In "tech years" they may as well have launched it a decade ago. People who dismiss a product because it failed a few years ago are usually the same ones left holding the bag when another company, such as Apple, makes it successful.
He's also quickly buzzing for questions that he knows he can't answer, just to deprive someone else from being able to answer them, lol. He's what the RPG community calls a "power gamer." It's actually kind of awesome to watch.
Sounds more like you just hate the industry you work in. It's probably best that you're leaving.
Maybe, but this printing press sounds like it was unloading a lot more money than that. North Korea is probably the best example of how to launder it the way I mentioned, and the risk is pretty low as long as you stay away from major countries. A few well-placed bribes and some homework into countries with poor law enforcement or corrupt officials, and you could easily turn 20 million in counterfeit bills into 10 million legit ones.
Counterfeit money like this isn't used to buy a soda at a gas station. They produce it in bulk and it generally gets used overseas in currency exchanges, where they ultimately launder the fake stuff into real stuff.
*then* they go buy a soda at a gas station.
That is going to depend heavily on who they pick as the new Chairman (it's looking like Gates is on his way out) and how interested the Board is in sticking with the whole "Devices and Services" thing. One thing is for certain: neither the new CEO nor the Chairman will have anywhere near the influence that Gates and Ballmer do, so I could easily see a scenario where the Board kind of runs rough shot over any strong long-term goals in support of trying to become the next Apple.
Keep in mind that once Gates is gone, pretty much everyone on the Board is the Silicon Valley type of guy, where the whole Devices and Services thing is pretty popular right now. Without Gates, in particular, we'll probably end up with an even less enterprise-friendly set of offerings over the next 15 years. After all, Apple has done just fine by practically abandoning their "pro" consumers, and that's the fruit MS is chasing.
The argument that he shouldn't consider the carbon impact when authorizing it because someone is going to extract the oil anyway is kind of ridiculous. That's like saying we should buy conflict diamond since they've already been unearthed and brought to market (an argument that I've also heard before).
Interesting site, but it seems to lump every version of IE together
Speaking of this, is there a site that breaks down IE usage by versions?
The biggest issue I see with this is that SteamOS is much more than just a set of standards or baselines. They're running a modified kernel, for example.