Why? Because it's new technology which has new requirements which are clearly stated in the product manual. That's why.
If my entertainment unit is 19 inches wide and my new console is 21 inches wide, will I bitch and moan that it doesn't fit? Probably not, because the obviousness of it not fitting is immediately apparent. And yet when you tell people that something needs space for ventilation at the front, sides, and rear, they get all up in arms because it fits so perfectly in their entertainment center. Is it because it fits in nicely like a tetris block, or something?
Would it help if the 360 came with prongs protruding from the sides, rear and front which prevented it from being inserted into an enclosed space without adequate space surrounding it for ventilation? Or if it had proximity sensors which would prevent the console from even turning on if it doesn't have adequate clearance? (maybe it'd turn on and just display "Not enough clearance for ventilation, please relocate console" on the screen) I need to get to patenting those ideas, if so.
Again, just because things have been a certain way in the past doesn't mean they'll continue to be that way in the future. My 386 didn't require a heatsink or fan, but my modern CPU certainly does, or else it will fry within minutes of being powered on.
"before" these systems didn't need hundreds of watts of power, "now" they do, and that comes with certain restrictions. If you want things to stay the same I suggest you pick up an NES at a garage sale to satisfy your cravings.
It isn't a defect. The belief that new technology will behave exactly like old technology is what is defective.
but game consoles generally live in the little empty space
Just because that's how things were doesn't mean that's how things will continue to be, and consumers need to recognize that and start reading their product literature, both before and after a purchase.
Will you expect to fill a hydrogen car with unleaded fuel just because that's how things have always been with cars? No? Why not? Because you're aware of how the technology works and is supposed to work, right?
So why then would anyone expect to treat a $400+ multimedia entertainment system (as Microsoft touts it; more than simply "a game console") like their $89 VCR? It's an all new entertainment platform and all new technology, I think reading the manual and adhering to its recommendations might be in order. But then again, I'm not a dumb consumer; I do my product research before-hand and if I discover major caveats (like we have here) then I don't buy.
I agree that the design is terrible for those that expect things to stay the way they've always been, but from the standpoint of moving forward with technology, having new restrictions and requirements is not unreasonable at all, especially if those restrictions and requirements are clearly outlined in the product literature.
I, for one, do not expect new technology to be just like old technology in terms of the way we use (and abuse) it. I expect it to come with new restrictions and requirements in addition to its new features and enhancements.
You fail to see why? Maybe that's because you didn't read the manual, which says:
Prevent the Console from Overheating
Do not block any ventilation openings on the console or power supply. Do not place the console or power supply on a bed, sofa, or other soft surface that may block ventilation openings. Do not place the console or power supply in a confined space, such as a bookcase, rack, or stereo cabinet, unless the space is well ventilated.
Do not place the console or power supply near any heat sources, such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or amplifiers.
Of course, consumers not reading the manual, what else is new? heh.
I don't know about you, but the idea of "balancing" the CO2 cycle right now, with temperatures as high as they are, doesn't seem like that much of an upside to me. We need to reduce (or stop) the reintroducing of CO2 into the atmosphere in order for me to consider it a bonus.
So the plants take the CO2 out, then we turn the plants into fuel and put the CO2 back when we burn them, which gets us back to the same CO2 levels as we started with.
I'm not certain, but electrical systems are vastly more efficient than chemical systems. Electrical power transmission is > 80% efficient, batteries are > 80% efficient (Lead acid are less than this but NiMH and NiCd are > 90%), and electric motors are > 80% when in their peak operating range. 0.8*0.8*0.8=0.512 or 51.2% efficiency.
Diesel engines top out at maybe 40% efficiency, and we've already discussed the other efficiency factors. So if we're looking at, say, 5% light->hydrocarbon fuel and 40% fuel->motive force in a diesel engine, that would be 0.05*0.40=0.020 or 2% efficiency.
Not to mention that you need to cart around those hydrocarbons in a vehicle, generally, whereas electricity can be transported at significantly less cost (both in terms of efficiency and in terms of dollars).
So I'm sorry to say that plants SUCK at converting sunlight into energy we can use. As the first link states, the initial reaction in photosynthesis is nearly 100% efficient, but as biological processes consume that energy, the total efficiency for the system drops significantly. Work is being done to attempt to make "biological solar cells" which use the initial reaction in photosynthesis as their method of light harvesting, but to date nothing has been produced.
Electricity storage for vehicles is a bit of a problem, unfortunately. I haven't got any links declaring that one solved.;)
I'm pretty sure that a six-stage nuclear device capable of a multi-gigaton blast is a serious threat to anything and everything.
Having a vehicle that goes real fast (or folds space, or whatever) doesn't mean it will be durable. Those NASCAR cars are a great example of this concept; sure, they go fast, but they're made with fiberglass bodies that shatter upon touching anything at normal operating speeds.
Persistent, yes. Zealot? hm. I don't own an xbox, or a 360, and I don't have plans to buy either one. I think they're shitty consoles and I think that they're a waste of money. However, plenty of people disagree with me, as is evidenced by the frenzy to own one of these magnificent bastards. I have a Playstation 2, which works fine for me. Microsoft doesn't pay me to have common sense, it's something I've inherited on my own.
How many entertainment units/media centers have been designed up to this point that were NOT designed to fit inside an A/V cabinet?
It depends on the unit and the cabinet. If my media center unit is 21 inches wide and my cabinet is only 19 inches, then I guess it wasn't designed to fit into my A/V cabinet, was it? In the 360's situation, it also depends on the unit and the cabinet. If enough space is provided for airflow (unrestricted in the rear, enough for circulation at the sides, unobstructed in the front) then you're in compliance with the requirements as noted on xbox.com.
I think that Microsoft is absolutely within their rights to design a new product which comes with recommended operating constraints, and I think it's more than acceptable to laugh at people who ignore those constraints. I'm not making any judgement on the "rightness" of the constraints themselves, I'm just saying that people who treat the console like a VCR are just asking for trouble, because the literature states that the 360 isn't to be treated as such. It isn't Microsoft's fault that people don't read their instruction manuals, it's the consumer's fault.
It comes down to presence of mind, really. You've got dumb consumers that expect to be able to treat everything the same and they operate under the assumption that nothing will ever change and no new requirements will ever come along for their devices, and then you've got consumers that read the manual and choose to adhere to the positioning requirements laid out therein. In other words, I think that anybody arguing that a warning in the manual "isn't enough" is a dumb consumer and they deserve to have a broken xbox. If the manual says to do it, do it. If you don't do it, it's your own stupid fault for not doing it. This desire to be able to operate equipment without learning about it is totally childish, and this is a "teens and up" console. Pick up the book and read, folks!
I would actually think it would be perfectly acceptable if Microsoft built a car that could not be parked in a garage or a covered parking lot. As a matter of fact, Microsoft operates a number of mini buses for its on-campus shuttle service which would not fit in a conventionally sized garage nor are they able to enter the parking garages, as they exceed the maximum height allowed by at least eighteen inches. Granted, they don't make these vehicles, but they operate them and they still perform their function even though they can't be parked undercover. The Hummer (the H1, not the new H2 or H3 crap) is another great example of a car that won't fit in a garage, but yet people still buy them. I guess those people recognize the caveats involved in using this new technology and they recognize it for what it is: new technology that, while looking like a car, isn't "just a car" the same way the 360, while looking like a console, isn't "just another console."
Some people recognize it, some people don't. It appears that you don't.
We in the Open Source community need to stop being so introspective, and start MARKETING the advantages of open source to the suits.
Um, that's what this magazine does. This issue includes information about rolling your own telephony system with open source tools to reduce costs and infrastructure requirements.
It's a one-two punch: a magazine ABOUT open-source solutions, created WITH open-source solutions. Just on virtue of them using open-source software to create the magazine they've demonstrated one area where open source can shine. Every time they publish a new issue this fact will be highlighted.
So new, advanced, highly sophisticated hardware should be designed so that people can treat it like their 10 year-old VCR?
One question: Why?
They don't have to put it in the entertainment center. A little coffee table to the side is all they need. So they can't put it in there with their A/V equipment... so what?
Do you put your computer in the cabinet with the A/V equipment? If not, then why not? It does audio, it does video, by your reasoning it belongs in that cabinet!
It isn't really similar to that. It would be more like saying "don't drive an ATV on the freeway." Just because it has four wheels doesn't mean it's a car. Similarly, just because the 360 is a plastic box with some lights on the front doesn't mean it's a VCR or a CD player.
It doesn't strike me as an odd restriction at all, to be honest. It's a sophisticated piece of advanced technology, I would hardly expect to be able to treat it like a VCR or CD player.
Neither would I. But I bet that it *doesn't* say, "Do not place this device in an enclosed AV cabinet along with other AV components."
It actually does say that, at least on xbox.com:
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/getstarted/syste m/xbox360/connect-positionconsole.htm Prevent the Console from Overheating Do not block any ventilation openings on the console or power supply. Do not place the console or power supply on a bed, sofa, or other soft surface that may block ventilation openings. Do not place the console or power supply in a confined space, such as a bookcase, rack, or stereo cabinet, unless the space is well ventilated.
Do not place the console or power supply near any heat sources, such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or amplifiers.
A lot of people treat these like appliances. You don't expect that replacing a fridge (of the same size) would require to you put it somewhere else, do you?
It's unreasonable because you're not supposed to put it there.
As I posted in my other reply:
from: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/getstarted/syste m/xbox360/connect-positionconsole.htm Prevent the Console from Overheating Do not block any ventilation openings on the console or power supply. Do not place the console or power supply on a bed, sofa, or other soft surface that may block ventilation openings. Do not place the console or power supply in a confined space, such as a bookcase, rack, or stereo cabinet, unless the space is well ventilated.
Do not place the console or power supply near any heat sources, such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or amplifiers.
How many peoples' home theater cabinets are "well ventilated" ? Most of them have a solid back with a single hole for wires to run out of. No home theater components I know of come with active cooling, either.
How then should Joe Sixpack realize that the 360 needs to be treated differently? Divine Intervention?
Reading the fucking manual or the support pages on xbox.com, maybe?
A lot of people treat these like appliances.
And a lot of people are jackasses. I think I see a correlation, here.
You don't expect that replacing a fridge (of the same size) would require to you put it somewhere else, do you?
If the fridge consumed more than twice the power and produced more than twice the heat, yes, I would expect that I might have to put it elsewhere. Of course, that's because I'm not an idiot.
The hardware designers do take account for this scenario and they do so by specifically telling people not to do it. I couldn't find a verbatim copy of the XBOX 360's manual, but I did find this:
from http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/getstarted/syste m/xbox360/connect-positionconsole.htm Prevent the Console from Overheating Do not block any ventilation openings on the console or power supply. Do not place the console or power supply on a bed, sofa, or other soft surface that may block ventilation openings. Do not place the console or power supply in a confined space, such as a bookcase, rack, or stereo cabinet, unless the space is well ventilated.
Do not place the console or power supply near any heat sources, such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or amplifiers.
Who wants to bet that most of the problems encountered are by people who have their xbox sitting on a shag carpet, or inside a stereo cabinet with no ventilation holes, or by a heat register or baseboard heater? Treating an XBOX 360 like a random VCR and just sticking it in your A/V cabinet and expecting it to work is totally asinine.
Sometimes the cases are not really capable of handling everything we can shove in there.
Then why are we able to shove things in there? If there is a valid mounting position for something, the case designer should assume it's going to be used and design accordingly.
Ok, so the designer should make what assumptions? Should he (or she, I'm an equal-opportunity blamer) assume that somebody will install 20gb drives in each hard drive position? How about 200gb? 400gb? Should they assume that each 5-1/4" drive bay will hold a CD-RW or a DVD+/-RW? How about a fanbus? Each of these peripherals have a different heat profile. The same type of components from different manufacturers also have different heat profiles.
Just because we're able to do something doesn't mean it's a good idea. The speedometer on an average car goes up to 120 MPH. Should the designer assume that the car will be in constant operation at 120 miles per hour? Every car has a first gear and it's entirely possible to drive around everywhere in first gear so should the designer accomodate that method of use? An automobile trunk can accomodate generally about 10 cubic feet of stuff. Should the designer assume that the user will be filling that 10 cubic feet with quick-set concrete? I mean, they've provided space for it, why sholdn't I fill it with concrete? Maybe because that's a totally fucking stupid idea? Hmmmm...that might be it.
There's a valid mounting position for something, you're absolutely right. Who says what something is? I think that multiple mounting positions exist so that you can flexibly install equipment according to your own best interests and the best interests of the hardware utilized. They don't exist so that you can cram in hard drives and CDRWs in every single available drive bay. A lot of computer chassis provide mounting holes that are used by some drives but not by others, and it's only for the purpose of flexibility.
The designer shouldn't have to protect the system from the user, it's the user responsibility (a concept often lost on most people these days. le sigh) to protect their hardware. I wouldn't be surprised if the manual for the 360 says not to cover the air vents and/or to leave a certain amount of space between the vents and anything that would restrict airflow.
I lost a 20gb IBM Deathstar drive one time, on my friggin' birthday. Since then, my hard drives have usually been installed in 5-1/4" drive bays with cooling fans in front of them, for the sake of their own longevity and reliability. I even use a heatpipe cooler on my drives these days, in addition to the fans.
Everyone having problems with your 360, try using a vertical orientation outside any sort of cabinet or enclosure (this includes the shelf your home theater stuff is on) and definitely don't set it on top of your heat-radiating 500+ watt receiver (or cd player, or whatever).
Slashdot Mirror
Flywheels are great energy storage mechanisms for pulsed power applications, such as aluminum extraction.
Why? Because it's new technology which has new requirements which are clearly stated in the product manual. That's why.
If my entertainment unit is 19 inches wide and my new console is 21 inches wide, will I bitch and moan that it doesn't fit? Probably not, because the obviousness of it not fitting is immediately apparent. And yet when you tell people that something needs space for ventilation at the front, sides, and rear, they get all up in arms because it fits so perfectly in their entertainment center. Is it because it fits in nicely like a tetris block, or something?
Would it help if the 360 came with prongs protruding from the sides, rear and front which prevented it from being inserted into an enclosed space without adequate space surrounding it for ventilation? Or if it had proximity sensors which would prevent the console from even turning on if it doesn't have adequate clearance? (maybe it'd turn on and just display "Not enough clearance for ventilation, please relocate console" on the screen) I need to get to patenting those ideas, if so.
It's been done thousands of times before
Again, just because things have been a certain way in the past doesn't mean they'll continue to be that way in the future. My 386 didn't require a heatsink or fan, but my modern CPU certainly does, or else it will fry within minutes of being powered on.
"before" these systems didn't need hundreds of watts of power, "now" they do, and that comes with certain restrictions. If you want things to stay the same I suggest you pick up an NES at a garage sale to satisfy your cravings.
It isn't a defect. The belief that new technology will behave exactly like old technology is what is defective.
It's insane that this costs upwards of $400 too, and Microsoft is even selling them at a ~$120 loss.
Here's an idea: put it on top of the box it came in, on the floor.
but game consoles generally live in the little empty space
Just because that's how things were doesn't mean that's how things will continue to be, and consumers need to recognize that and start reading their product literature, both before and after a purchase.
Will you expect to fill a hydrogen car with unleaded fuel just because that's how things have always been with cars? No? Why not? Because you're aware of how the technology works and is supposed to work, right?
So why then would anyone expect to treat a $400+ multimedia entertainment system (as Microsoft touts it; more than simply "a game console") like their $89 VCR? It's an all new entertainment platform and all new technology, I think reading the manual and adhering to its recommendations might be in order. But then again, I'm not a dumb consumer; I do my product research before-hand and if I discover major caveats (like we have here) then I don't buy.
I agree that the design is terrible for those that expect things to stay the way they've always been, but from the standpoint of moving forward with technology, having new restrictions and requirements is not unreasonable at all, especially if those restrictions and requirements are clearly outlined in the product literature.
I, for one, do not expect new technology to be just like old technology in terms of the way we use (and abuse) it. I expect it to come with new restrictions and requirements in addition to its new features and enhancements.
You fail to see why? Maybe that's because you didn't read the manual, which says:
Prevent the Console from Overheating
Do not block any ventilation openings on the console or power supply. Do not place the console or power supply on a bed, sofa, or other soft surface that may block ventilation openings. Do not place the console or power supply in a confined space, such as a bookcase, rack, or stereo cabinet, unless the space is well ventilated.
Do not place the console or power supply near any heat sources, such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or amplifiers.
Of course, consumers not reading the manual, what else is new? heh.
If you don't mind some OT questions, how do you wind your coils?
;)
Also, how are the magnets aligned with respect to the coils?
I was going to attempt to explain the reason behind these questions, but it's hard to do without illustration, so I think I'll let you answer first.
I don't know about you, but the idea of "balancing" the CO2 cycle right now, with temperatures as high as they are, doesn't seem like that much of an upside to me. We need to reduce (or stop) the reintroducing of CO2 into the atmosphere in order for me to consider it a bonus.
So the plants take the CO2 out, then we turn the plants into fuel and put the CO2 back when we burn them, which gets us back to the same CO2 levels as we started with.
How does that make sense as a "bonus." ?
Yeah, and then we burn it and put the carbon dioxide back into the air...at no extra charge!
I'm not certain, but electrical systems are vastly more efficient than chemical systems. Electrical power transmission is > 80% efficient, batteries are > 80% efficient (Lead acid are less than this but NiMH and NiCd are > 90%), and electric motors are > 80% when in their peak operating range. 0.8*0.8*0.8=0.512 or 51.2% efficiency.
Diesel engines top out at maybe 40% efficiency, and we've already discussed the other efficiency factors. So if we're looking at, say, 5% light->hydrocarbon fuel and 40% fuel->motive force in a diesel engine, that would be 0.05*0.40=0.020 or 2% efficiency.
Not to mention that you need to cart around those hydrocarbons in a vehicle, generally, whereas electricity can be transported at significantly less cost (both in terms of efficiency and in terms of dollars).
I hate to burst your bubble, but most crop plants achieve only 1 to 2 percent efficiency, with sugarcane being an exception at 8%.
5 .html
0 04/renew-energy-batt/Stirling.html
;)
Source: http://www.life.uiuc.edu/govindjee/whatisit.htm
Scientific-grade solar cells are about 15% to 20% efficient with some going as high as 24%
Source: http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2006/nov/solar11020
Solar Stirling engines achieve nearly 30% efficiency at an installation at Sandia National Laboratories.
Source: http://www.sandia.gov/news-center/news-releases/2
So I'm sorry to say that plants SUCK at converting sunlight into energy we can use. As the first link states, the initial reaction in photosynthesis is nearly 100% efficient, but as biological processes consume that energy, the total efficiency for the system drops significantly. Work is being done to attempt to make "biological solar cells" which use the initial reaction in photosynthesis as their method of light harvesting, but to date nothing has been produced.
Electricity storage for vehicles is a bit of a problem, unfortunately. I haven't got any links declaring that one solved.
I'm pretty sure that a six-stage nuclear device capable of a multi-gigaton blast is a serious threat to anything and everything.
Having a vehicle that goes real fast (or folds space, or whatever) doesn't mean it will be durable. Those NASCAR cars are a great example of this concept; sure, they go fast, but they're made with fiberglass bodies that shatter upon touching anything at normal operating speeds.
Persistent, yes. Zealot? hm. I don't own an xbox, or a 360, and I don't have plans to buy either one. I think they're shitty consoles and I think that they're a waste of money. However, plenty of people disagree with me, as is evidenced by the frenzy to own one of these magnificent bastards. I have a Playstation 2, which works fine for me. Microsoft doesn't pay me to have common sense, it's something I've inherited on my own.
How many entertainment units/media centers have been designed up to this point that were NOT designed to fit inside an A/V cabinet?
It depends on the unit and the cabinet. If my media center unit is 21 inches wide and my cabinet is only 19 inches, then I guess it wasn't designed to fit into my A/V cabinet, was it? In the 360's situation, it also depends on the unit and the cabinet. If enough space is provided for airflow (unrestricted in the rear, enough for circulation at the sides, unobstructed in the front) then you're in compliance with the requirements as noted on xbox.com.
I think that Microsoft is absolutely within their rights to design a new product which comes with recommended operating constraints, and I think it's more than acceptable to laugh at people who ignore those constraints. I'm not making any judgement on the "rightness" of the constraints themselves, I'm just saying that people who treat the console like a VCR are just asking for trouble, because the literature states that the 360 isn't to be treated as such. It isn't Microsoft's fault that people don't read their instruction manuals, it's the consumer's fault.
It comes down to presence of mind, really. You've got dumb consumers that expect to be able to treat everything the same and they operate under the assumption that nothing will ever change and no new requirements will ever come along for their devices, and then you've got consumers that read the manual and choose to adhere to the positioning requirements laid out therein. In other words, I think that anybody arguing that a warning in the manual "isn't enough" is a dumb consumer and they deserve to have a broken xbox. If the manual says to do it, do it. If you don't do it, it's your own stupid fault for not doing it. This desire to be able to operate equipment without learning about it is totally childish, and this is a "teens and up" console. Pick up the book and read, folks!
I would actually think it would be perfectly acceptable if Microsoft built a car that could not be parked in a garage or a covered parking lot. As a matter of fact, Microsoft operates a number of mini buses for its on-campus shuttle service which would not fit in a conventionally sized garage nor are they able to enter the parking garages, as they exceed the maximum height allowed by at least eighteen inches. Granted, they don't make these vehicles, but they operate them and they still perform their function even though they can't be parked undercover. The Hummer (the H1, not the new H2 or H3 crap) is another great example of a car that won't fit in a garage, but yet people still buy them. I guess those people recognize the caveats involved in using this new technology and they recognize it for what it is: new technology that, while looking like a car, isn't "just a car" the same way the 360, while looking like a console, isn't "just another console."
Some people recognize it, some people don't. It appears that you don't.
No.
We in the Open Source community need to stop being so introspective, and start MARKETING the advantages of open source to the suits.
Um, that's what this magazine does. This issue includes information about rolling your own telephony system with open source tools to reduce costs and infrastructure requirements.
It's a one-two punch: a magazine ABOUT open-source solutions, created WITH open-source solutions. Just on virtue of them using open-source software to create the magazine they've demonstrated one area where open source can shine. Every time they publish a new issue this fact will be highlighted.
It has a hard drive, like a computer.
It has a DVD drive, like a computer.
It connects to the internet, like a computer.
It isn't just for gaming. It's also for watching movies and communicating with those in different states or even countries (via XBOX Live).
Since it has more in common with a computer than a game console, why does it belong in the A/V cabinet, while the computer doesn't?
So new, advanced, highly sophisticated hardware should be designed so that people can treat it like their 10 year-old VCR?
One question: Why?
They don't have to put it in the entertainment center. A little coffee table to the side is all they need. So they can't put it in there with their A/V equipment... so what?
Do you put your computer in the cabinet with the A/V equipment? If not, then why not? It does audio, it does video, by your reasoning it belongs in that cabinet!
It isn't really similar to that. It would be more like saying "don't drive an ATV on the freeway." Just because it has four wheels doesn't mean it's a car. Similarly, just because the 360 is a plastic box with some lights on the front doesn't mean it's a VCR or a CD player.
It doesn't strike me as an odd restriction at all, to be honest. It's a sophisticated piece of advanced technology, I would hardly expect to be able to treat it like a VCR or CD player.
I'm sure something similar is in the manual.
So how much do you want to bet? $20? $30?
It's unreasonable because you're not supposed to put it there.
As I posted in my other reply:
How many peoples' home theater cabinets are "well ventilated" ? Most of them have a solid back with a single hole for wires to run out of. No home theater components I know of come with active cooling, either.
Reading the fucking manual or the support pages on xbox.com, maybe?
And a lot of people are jackasses. I think I see a correlation, here.
If the fridge consumed more than twice the power and produced more than twice the heat, yes, I would expect that I might have to put it elsewhere. Of course, that's because I'm not an idiot.
Who wants to bet that most of the problems encountered are by people who have their xbox sitting on a shag carpet, or inside a stereo cabinet with no ventilation holes, or by a heat register or baseboard heater? Treating an XBOX 360 like a random VCR and just sticking it in your A/V cabinet and expecting it to work is totally asinine.
READ YOUR INSTRUCTION MANUALS, PEOPLE!
Determine your best un-padded estimate and then double it.
I'm not kidding.
Ok, so the designer should make what assumptions? Should he (or she, I'm an equal-opportunity blamer) assume that somebody will install 20gb drives in each hard drive position? How about 200gb? 400gb? Should they assume that each 5-1/4" drive bay will hold a CD-RW or a DVD+/-RW? How about a fanbus? Each of these peripherals have a different heat profile. The same type of components from different manufacturers also have different heat profiles.
Just because we're able to do something doesn't mean it's a good idea. The speedometer on an average car goes up to 120 MPH. Should the designer assume that the car will be in constant operation at 120 miles per hour? Every car has a first gear and it's entirely possible to drive around everywhere in first gear so should the designer accomodate that method of use? An automobile trunk can accomodate generally about 10 cubic feet of stuff. Should the designer assume that the user will be filling that 10 cubic feet with quick-set concrete? I mean, they've provided space for it, why sholdn't I fill it with concrete? Maybe because that's a totally fucking stupid idea? Hmmmm...that might be it.
There's a valid mounting position for something, you're absolutely right. Who says what something is? I think that multiple mounting positions exist so that you can flexibly install equipment according to your own best interests and the best interests of the hardware utilized. They don't exist so that you can cram in hard drives and CDRWs in every single available drive bay. A lot of computer chassis provide mounting holes that are used by some drives but not by others, and it's only for the purpose of flexibility.
The designer shouldn't have to protect the system from the user, it's the user responsibility (a concept often lost on most people these days. le sigh) to protect their hardware. I wouldn't be surprised if the manual for the 360 says not to cover the air vents and/or to leave a certain amount of space between the vents and anything that would restrict airflow.
I lost a 20gb IBM Deathstar drive one time, on my friggin' birthday. Since then, my hard drives have usually been installed in 5-1/4" drive bays with cooling fans in front of them, for the sake of their own longevity and reliability. I even use a heatpipe cooler on my drives these days, in addition to the fans.
Everyone having problems with your 360, try using a vertical orientation outside any sort of cabinet or enclosure (this includes the shelf your home theater stuff is on) and definitely don't set it on top of your heat-radiating 500+ watt receiver (or cd player, or whatever).