There are no mechanical failures in SSDs, because they have no mechanical parts other than the SATA and power connectors. Spinning disks have rotation as well as actuators moving drive heads. Thus mechanical failures are a problem for HDDs. SSDs' biggest failure instance is regarding wear - nothing else.
Maybe I'm misunderstanding your investing suggestions, but we should clear something up: investing in companies that own nuclear power plants does NOT somehow support the advancement or development of nuclear power. The shares you purchase give you the chance to vote in shareholder meetings (where I suppose you could make an impact in changing the direction of the company if you own enough shares) and some companies distribute wealth amongst shareholders in the form of dividends (as you mention). However the company does not own, nor have access to, the money you are investing in exchange for public shares (unless it is as part of an IPO). Somebody else in the world owns the shares you are purchasing, and he or she (or they) receive your money. The fluctuations of stock prices DO NOT IMPACT the finances of the company at all - period. If the company is run well and it makes money, the price of your share may go up and you may be able to sell it for a profit. But nobly purchasing shares of a "green" company for the betterment of mankind is misguided - it isn't as if the company can take your money and perform some research and development in nuclear energy (for instance) - the company doesn't OWN the money, just as it doesn't own the shares you purchase. The only way for you to help with research and development is to donate money to the company directly, or purchase goods and/or services from the company (thereby increasing its revenue).
Purchasing shares in a company is only a good idea if:
a. You are intersted in having a voting role in the company's future
b. You believe that you can sell the shares later at a higher price.
c. You want to receive money from the company in the form of dividends
By Kris Graft Let's end the year on a positive note. Next-Gen.Biz has picked through the year's best games, by genre, and come up with the 30 stand-outs. You know, these past 12 months really did host some very fine games.--- Make sure you start your working day with Next-Gen.Biz - the essential read for game industry professionals. ---
ImageSome may remember 2005 as a year of financial shortfalls, rising game production costs, depleted Xbox 360 stock, political soap-boxing, or over-exertion in Korean Internet cafes.
Forget all that stuff for now. 2005 wasn't a year to be remembered for one great gaming breakthrough or innovation, but it did produce some remarkable products. It was a year marked with some of the best games of the fading generation.
Here are 30 of the year's best games, sorted by their genre and release dates (there is no order of merit). Let the hatemail flow like the black blood of a colossus.
Note: This list is for mainstream console platforms, handhelds and commercial PC. We'll be looking at the best in mobile and 'casual' entertainment in a separate feature.
Action/Adventure
2005 was a banner year for the action adventure genre. It started out with a huge bloody bang, the spring season ushered in a tormented Greek soul, and fall introduced some truly colossal characters.
Resident Evil 4 Publisher: Capcom Developer: Capcom GC: Jan 11, 05; PS2: Oct 25, 05
Resident Evil 4 revitalized the stagnant franchise with quicker enemies, more responsive controls and an improved over-the-shoulder camera. It took what we love about the franchise and improved on it, doing away with what we hate in the process.
God of War Publisher: SCEA Developer: Sony Santa Monica PS2: Mar 22, 05
Incog's God of War sets the standard for action games, period. With an excellent story, fluid and brutal fighting system, lovely enemies and great visuals, God of War will be remembered many years after '05.
Image Shadow of the Colossus Publisher: SCEA Developer: SCEI PS2: Oct 18, 05
Superb boss battles defined Shadow of the Colossus. Forget Bowser and Mother Brain, SotC's bosses are the most insanely huge and powerful enemies you'll encounter. Just stop with the comparisons to Ico. SotC is a stellar game on its own merit.
Other notable entries in action adventure this year are Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, Ninja Gaiden Black and The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap.
Role-Playing Games
The year in RPGs was respectable. Bioware tried its hand at the martial arts with excellent results, a new quality MMORPG arrived with no subscription costs, and American gamers are reminded why traditional Japanese RPGs can still show the way.
Jade Empire Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios Developer: Bioware Xbox: Apr 12, 05
From a galaxy far, far away to mystical ancient China, Bioware has proven that its got major RPG chops. Jade Empire combines action and RPG elements and manages to give both aspects due respect. Bioware knows kung fu, and delivered the best RPG on Xbox this year.
Guild Wars gives you much more than what you pay for, which is nothing. Outside of the initial retail cost of the game, there are no monthly fees for the MMORPG. Guild Wars boasts combat that's actually fun, great graphics and entertaining online play.
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King Publisher: Square Enix Developer: Level-5 PS2: Nov 15, 05
Dragon Quest VIII is the latest title from the developers of the Dark Cloud series. The latest game got the full Level-5 treatment with an enamoring presentation, accessible and fun combat, a good story, and dozens of hours of gameplay.
Other notable entries in RPGs this year are X-Men Legends II, Freedom Force vs. The Third Reich and Digital Devil Saga II.
I would agree with you, but TiVo DOES NOT have a "fat pipe into the house," unfortunately.
TiVo's pipe is through DirecTV's satellite broadcast, in the case of DirecTiVo, and through the cable company's pipe in the case of a standalone TiVo, and in the latter case they must use a 56K modem connection to download guide data to the box.
They are a thirdparty company at the mercy of those who own the pipes, unfortunately.
Do the TiVo series 2 boxes have an ethernet port in the back (I have a series 1 DirectTiVo)? This might help alleviate problems, but you are still at the mercy of what internet-based distribution mechanism they come up with. My experience with Real -like streaming is that it will never work (as it exists today) as a good user experience.
It has been up for like 3 minutes and is already slashdotted..... Unfortunately, the pictures are pretty integral to the article....
Too Good to Be True: Michael's Computers
Introduction
"I don't care what kind of computer you have now, but it CAN'T be faster than one from Michael's Computers. You may think your PC is the best in the world, but you are wrong. With a boot time of 4 seconds, a 3dMark 2003 score of 17,000+, and a.19 decibel rating - a computer from Michael's Computers cannot be beat," or so Michael's Computers' claims.
We usually don't do investigative articles, but the claims coming from Michael's Computers were too good to ignore. A deluge of discontent expressed in emails and discussion forums further prompted us to look into a deal that seemed to good to be true.
Evidence was gathered from numerous phone interviews, countless emails and several visits to alleged Michael's Computers business locations. To top it all off, we tracked down Mr. Gonzales and interviewed him ON VIDEO, which can be viewed/downloaded at the end of this article.
So, is Michael J. Gonzales, the owner of Michael's Computers, misleading consumers by posting false information? Is he using proprietary logos without permission, and operating without the necessary business permits? Read on and decide for yourself.
The Buzz About Michael's Computers
I first heard of Michael's Computers on Feb 25, 2004 when THG received this email from Ryan Sanders.
I was wondering if your site has ever had any news on Michaels Computers (www.michaelscomputers.com). His site has been a swirl of controversy over the last week on many a message boards due to claims of hitting 17,000+ in 3DMark03 from their desktop, and 13-15,000 for their notebooks. On top of that, they claim to have a "AMD FX51 3400+ CPU". As most of us know their are 2 different CPU's that fit that description (The Athlon64 FX-51 and then there is the Athlon64 3400+), but when contacted about that, he claimed it was in fact the correct title for the CPU, and that it was some sort of specially optimized CPU.
I was wondering, since you are a well established and reputable hardware site, if you could look into this, or request a sample product for Review? I, along with many others, believe this site to be a joke, or hoax, and don't want to see a bunch of people buy into the big numbers of the benchmark scores. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely, Ryan Sanders.
I was thinking, "WOW!!! I want this laptop!" so I searched for more information on discussion forums and Michael's website.
Just before this article was submitted, I received this email from Chuck Davis:
A year ago I called them on the phone and talked directly to Michael. He totally sold me on his stuff and therefore I continued to follow his site. I ordered an am MX51 back in Nov. and waited two weeks with no computer. We were emailing each other with ?s and responses during that two week period. On a Sun. he said the MX51 would be shipped that week and he would send me a tracking #. On Fri. still nothing and I emailed him and nothing so I cancelled. Luckily I was able to use my credit card and had no problem with a refund. Since that time he has stopped accepting emails.
Truthfully, he is a complete liar. He told so many lies about the MX51, I am so glad I was able to get out of it. Almost every claim he made was false. If you need more detail I will give them to you later. Stay away from this company.
Discussion Boards
I browsed a few online discussion boards such as Futuremark, Sharky Extreme, and IGN. Each time Michael's Computers has been mentioned, the boards have been flooded with responses. Some of these discussions have generated HUNDREDs of posts, like this discussion from the Sharky Extreme Forums.
I hope you have a lot of time available to read the 470+ posts on that particular discussion.
Wait.... TWENTY five-minute shorts? Can anyone see a mass-marketed DVD in this cartoon's future? I'll just wait for that. How good can the storyline be if it is fragmented that much?
Using actual proprietary documents, design or otherwise, as a basis for developing the new product is very bad. However, if you are only using whatever is stored in your head or published in textbooks, you are perfectly within your rights. The exception to the rule is whether the technology was patented. Ideas may be patented and they may be developed off of AS LONG AS YOU CONTACT THE PERSON HOLDING THE PATENT and work something out.
Wrong. Explain to me how you get a "buffer overflow" with PICTURE DATA? Try to open a 100 meg JPEG? Most viewers will handle even this.
The JPEG has fixed-size headers and thus unless the programmer is a dimwit, buffer overflows are hard to come by. In a commercial product, they simply won't exist (I dare you to give me an example of a picture viewer with a buffer overflow exploit!)
I think it is interesting that he says (in his post online) that insufficient marketing of the online story may have played a part in the low subscription numbers that Shadowmarch got. I, for one, hope that Mr. Williams or another of my favorite authors gives this online publishing gig another chance. I am definitely willing to pay for the quality content of such a site, and wonder if they spent more time getting the word out, they might have more success.
It seems to me that this is an unnecessary grasp for power. The article didn't mention that there were any specific reforms in mind, just that ICANN wasn't doing a good job.
The US government should be delegating, NOT taking over organizations just because they have some influence on the internet. I think the government should work with the group already in place and lobby for specific changes in the way ICANN operates, rather than take the organization over and waste more of the taxpayers' money providing a service to the community that is already being provided (and probably won't be improved by intervention).
I've had to deal with Tech Support from many companies, and have been quite a bit less-than-satisfied from most. I haven't ever dealt directly with Cisco before, but I look forward to doing so. Having word-of-mouth compliments about Cisco's tech support makes me 100% more confident about purchasing their products, especially coming from (what I consider) a reliable source. Anyone who has dealt with poor tech support will surely agree. Kudos to Cisco for getting smart people and training them sufficiently to do their jobs!
Slashdot Mirror
There are no mechanical failures in SSDs, because they have no mechanical parts other than the SATA and power connectors. Spinning disks have rotation as well as actuators moving drive heads. Thus mechanical failures are a problem for HDDs. SSDs' biggest failure instance is regarding wear - nothing else.
Maybe I'm misunderstanding your investing suggestions, but we should clear something up: investing in companies that own nuclear power plants does NOT somehow support the advancement or development of nuclear power. The shares you purchase give you the chance to vote in shareholder meetings (where I suppose you could make an impact in changing the direction of the company if you own enough shares) and some companies distribute wealth amongst shareholders in the form of dividends (as you mention). However the company does not own, nor have access to, the money you are investing in exchange for public shares (unless it is as part of an IPO). Somebody else in the world owns the shares you are purchasing, and he or she (or they) receive your money. The fluctuations of stock prices DO NOT IMPACT the finances of the company at all - period. If the company is run well and it makes money, the price of your share may go up and you may be able to sell it for a profit. But nobly purchasing shares of a "green" company for the betterment of mankind is misguided - it isn't as if the company can take your money and perform some research and development in nuclear energy (for instance) - the company doesn't OWN the money, just as it doesn't own the shares you purchase. The only way for you to help with research and development is to donate money to the company directly, or purchase goods and/or services from the company (thereby increasing its revenue).
Purchasing shares in a company is only a good idea if:
a. You are intersted in having a voting role in the company's future
b. You believe that you can sell the shares later at a higher price.
c. You want to receive money from the company in the form of dividends
Here's text only version - very slow site:
30 Greatest Games of 2005
By Kris Graft
Let's end the year on a positive note. Next-Gen.Biz has picked through the year's best games, by genre, and come up with the 30 stand-outs. You know, these past 12 months really did host some very fine games.---
Make sure you start your working day with Next-Gen.Biz - the essential read for game industry professionals.
---
ImageSome may remember 2005 as a year of financial shortfalls, rising game production costs, depleted Xbox 360 stock, political soap-boxing, or over-exertion in Korean Internet cafes.
Forget all that stuff for now. 2005 wasn't a year to be remembered for one great gaming breakthrough or innovation, but it did produce some remarkable products. It was a year marked with some of the best games of the fading generation.
Here are 30 of the year's best games, sorted by their genre and release dates (there is no order of merit). Let the hatemail flow like the black blood of a colossus.
Note: This list is for mainstream console platforms, handhelds and commercial PC. We'll be looking at the best in mobile and 'casual' entertainment in a separate feature.
Action/Adventure
2005 was a banner year for the action adventure genre. It started out with a huge bloody bang, the spring season ushered in a tormented Greek soul, and fall introduced some truly colossal characters.
Resident Evil 4
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
GC: Jan 11, 05; PS2: Oct 25, 05
Resident Evil 4 revitalized the stagnant franchise with quicker enemies, more responsive controls and an improved over-the-shoulder camera. It took what we love about the franchise and improved on it, doing away with what we hate in the process.
God of War
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: Sony Santa Monica
PS2: Mar 22, 05
Incog's God of War sets the standard for action games, period. With an excellent story, fluid and brutal fighting system, lovely enemies and great visuals, God of War will be remembered many years after '05.
Image Shadow of the Colossus
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: SCEI
PS2: Oct 18, 05
Superb boss battles defined Shadow of the Colossus. Forget Bowser and Mother Brain, SotC's bosses are the most insanely huge and powerful enemies you'll encounter. Just stop with the comparisons to Ico. SotC is a stellar game on its own merit.
Other notable entries in action adventure this year are Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, Ninja Gaiden Black and The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap.
Role-Playing Games
The year in RPGs was respectable. Bioware tried its hand at the martial arts with excellent results, a new quality MMORPG arrived with no subscription costs, and American gamers are reminded why traditional Japanese RPGs can still show the way.
Jade Empire
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Bioware
Xbox: Apr 12, 05
From a galaxy far, far away to mystical ancient China, Bioware has proven that its got major RPG chops. Jade Empire combines action and RPG elements and manages to give both aspects due respect. Bioware knows kung fu, and delivered the best RPG on Xbox this year.
Guild Wars
Publisher: NCsoft
Developer: ArenaNet
PC: Apr 26, 05
Guild Wars gives you much more than what you pay for, which is nothing. Outside of the initial retail cost of the game, there are no monthly fees for the MMORPG. Guild Wars boasts combat that's actually fun, great graphics and entertaining online play.
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Level-5
PS2: Nov 15, 05
Dragon Quest VIII is the latest title from the developers of the Dark Cloud series. The latest game got the full Level-5 treatment with an enamoring presentation, accessible and fun combat, a good story, and dozens of hours of gameplay.
Other notable entries in RPGs this year are X-Men Legends II, Freedom Force vs. The Third Reich and Digital Devil Saga II.
First-Pers
I would agree with you, but TiVo DOES NOT have a "fat pipe into the house," unfortunately.
TiVo's pipe is through DirecTV's satellite broadcast, in the case of DirecTiVo, and through the cable company's pipe in the case of a standalone TiVo, and in the latter case they must use a 56K modem connection to download guide data to the box.
They are a thirdparty company at the mercy of those who own the pipes, unfortunately.
Do the TiVo series 2 boxes have an ethernet port in the back (I have a series 1 DirectTiVo)? This might help alleviate problems, but you are still at the mercy of what internet-based distribution mechanism they come up with. My experience with Real -like streaming is that it will never work (as it exists today) as a good user experience.
It has been up for like 3 minutes and is already slashdotted..... Unfortunately, the pictures are pretty integral to the article....
.19 decibel rating - a computer from Michael's Computers cannot be beat," or so Michael's Computers' claims.
Too Good to Be True: Michael's Computers
Introduction
"I don't care what kind of computer you have now, but it CAN'T be faster than one from Michael's Computers. You may think your PC is the best in the world, but you are wrong. With a boot time of 4 seconds, a 3dMark 2003 score of 17,000+, and a
We usually don't do investigative articles, but the claims coming from Michael's Computers were too good to ignore. A deluge of discontent expressed in emails and discussion forums further prompted us to look into a deal that seemed to good to be true.
Evidence was gathered from numerous phone interviews, countless emails and several visits to alleged Michael's Computers business locations. To top it all off, we tracked down Mr. Gonzales and interviewed him ON VIDEO, which can be viewed/downloaded at the end of this article.
So, is Michael J. Gonzales, the owner of Michael's Computers, misleading consumers by posting false information? Is he using proprietary logos without permission, and operating without the necessary business permits? Read on and decide for yourself.
The Buzz About Michael's Computers
I first heard of Michael's Computers on Feb 25, 2004 when THG received this email from Ryan Sanders.
I was wondering if your site has ever had any news on Michaels Computers (www.michaelscomputers.com). His site has been a swirl of controversy over the last week on many a message boards due to claims of hitting 17,000+ in 3DMark03 from their desktop, and 13-15,000 for their notebooks. On top of that, they claim to have a "AMD FX51 3400+ CPU". As most of us know their are 2 different CPU's that fit that description (The Athlon64 FX-51 and then there is the Athlon64 3400+), but when contacted about that, he claimed it was in fact the correct title for the CPU, and that it was some sort of specially optimized CPU.
I was wondering, since you are a well established and reputable hardware site, if you could look into this, or request a sample product for Review? I, along with many others, believe this site to be a joke, or hoax, and don't want to see a bunch of people buy into the big numbers of the benchmark scores. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Ryan Sanders.
I was thinking, "WOW!!! I want this laptop!" so I searched for more information on discussion forums and Michael's website.
Just before this article was submitted, I received this email from Chuck Davis:
A year ago I called them on the phone and talked directly to Michael. He totally sold me on his stuff and therefore I continued to follow his site. I ordered an am MX51 back in Nov. and waited two weeks with no computer. We were emailing each other with ?s and responses during that two week period. On a Sun. he said the MX51 would be shipped that week and he would send me a tracking #. On Fri. still nothing and I emailed him and nothing so I cancelled. Luckily I was able to use my credit card and had no problem with a refund. Since that time he has stopped accepting emails.
Truthfully, he is a complete liar. He told so many lies about the MX51, I am so glad I was able to get out of it. Almost every claim he made was false. If you need more detail I will give them to you later. Stay away from this company.
Discussion Boards
I browsed a few online discussion boards such as Futuremark, Sharky Extreme, and IGN. Each time Michael's Computers has been mentioned, the boards have been flooded with responses. Some of these discussions have generated HUNDREDs of posts, like this discussion from the Sharky Extreme Forums.
I hope you have a lot of time available to read the 470+ posts on that particular discussion.
Wait.... TWENTY five-minute shorts? Can anyone see a mass-marketed DVD in this cartoon's future? I'll just wait for that. How good can the storyline be if it is fragmented that much?
Impressive - it is funny to see the big sites get slammed!
Does anyone know how it compares to the Windows or Linux versions? I am extremely happy about the performance of the Linux client.
Also, does anyone know if they were able to leverage much of the Linux client code, since OS X is built on BSD? Just wondering...
Using actual proprietary documents, design or otherwise, as a basis for developing the new product is very bad. However, if you are only using whatever is stored in your head or published in textbooks, you are perfectly within your rights. The exception to the rule is whether the technology was patented. Ideas may be patented and they may be developed off of AS LONG AS YOU CONTACT THE PERSON HOLDING THE PATENT and work something out.
Wrong. Explain to me how you get a "buffer overflow" with PICTURE DATA? Try to open a 100 meg JPEG? Most viewers will handle even this.
The JPEG has fixed-size headers and thus unless the programmer is a dimwit, buffer overflows are hard to come by. In a commercial product, they simply won't exist (I dare you to give me an example of a picture viewer with a buffer overflow exploit!)
I think it is interesting that he says (in his post online) that insufficient marketing of the online story may have played a part in the low subscription numbers that Shadowmarch got. I, for one, hope that Mr. Williams or another of my favorite authors gives this online publishing gig another chance. I am definitely willing to pay for the quality content of such a site, and wonder if they spent more time getting the word out, they might have more success.
It seems to me that this is an unnecessary grasp for power. The article didn't mention that there were any specific reforms in mind, just that ICANN wasn't doing a good job. The US government should be delegating, NOT taking over organizations just because they have some influence on the internet. I think the government should work with the group already in place and lobby for specific changes in the way ICANN operates, rather than take the organization over and waste more of the taxpayers' money providing a service to the community that is already being provided (and probably won't be improved by intervention).
Read the article! It is not a television, but a Sony PSOne portable Playstation screen.
I've had to deal with Tech Support from many companies, and have been quite a bit less-than-satisfied from most. I haven't ever dealt directly with Cisco before, but I look forward to doing so. Having word-of-mouth compliments about Cisco's tech support makes me 100% more confident about purchasing their products, especially coming from (what I consider) a reliable source. Anyone who has dealt with poor tech support will surely agree. Kudos to Cisco for getting smart people and training them sufficiently to do their jobs!