The police got what they wanted from Jason Chen and Gizmodo: their source. And now people know that, if they want to leak information to the press, they might want to go with a more reputable news outlet that knows how to secure their notes and would sooner go to jail than reveal their sources.
RTFVfHSR. This comment is completely uninformed. There is no HSR proposed from NY to LA. There are selected high-speed corridors, chosen based on existing heavy traffic, where they will upgrade existing rail lines exactly as you suggest. And just because you believe something else should also receive federal funding doesn't mean that this very good idea should not.
No.
Hell with high speed. 99.9978% of americans dont need to go from NY to LA via high speed rail.
They need to get from the suburbs and smaller outlying cities to the major city or nearest city.
how about fixing and replacing the rail system we used to have and need? Most 30 minute commutes could be eliminated by having a simple and useable rail system.
High speed is not needed, How about having REAL public transit? you know the stuff that Ford and GM tried so hard to kill at every chance for the past 100 years...
My god, I totally agree. Not hiring RIAA lawyers is like not casting Anthony Hopkins because he played a serial killer. Why isn't Slashdot celebrating the fact that these five lawyers are now not working for RIAA? This whole conversation is truly maddening.
The app lets you listen for free, then buy from the iTunes store. This is hardly bypassing. It's actually another avenue into iTunes. It's an ad. And you have to pay for it, too.
I think this whole discussion is hilarious, actually. Imagine that Apple announced that you could "buy PUSA's music" via streaming. There would be 10000 comments about how streaming is not ownership and what a ripoff it is.
I'm sick of people calling out Bush for a slow response to Katrina. There's plenty to dislike about Bush we don't need to make crap up.
For anyone who for some reason doesn't know this: The federal government cannot go in and provide aid in a place like post-Katrina New Orleans unless the governor asks for it. It's against the law and the very basic nature of our country for the federal government to just go and do that kind of stuff.
What I'm sick of is people making up crap without citation to defend GWB. "Title 10 U.S.C. 12301(a) provides that, in time of war or national emergency declared by the Congress, the entire membership of all reserve components or any lesser number can be called to active duty for the duration of the war or national emergency plus 6 months."
Japan is one of few countries that maintain that you must renounce all other citizenship to become a citizen. Dual-citizenship is only permissible for children born to a Japanese and foreign couple, and only then until age 20, after which the individual is given two years to renounce one or the other.
I don't know how few it is, but America is also among them. To quote USC 8, 1448, The Oath of renunciation and allegiance: "A person who has applied for naturalization shall, in order to be and before being admitted to citizenship, take in a public ceremony before the Attorney General or a court with jurisdiction under section 1421 (b) of this title an oath (1) to support the Constitution of the United States; (2) to renounce and abjure absolutely and entirely all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which the applicant was before a subject or citizen; (3) to support and defend the Constitution and the laws of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic;..."
$20 got them 3 days of coverage from all the major news outlets... It's been on the front page of Google news for days. Tiny price-cut, tons of press. Geniuses. They really are amazing.
And that red-ring-of-death problem? Months of coverage! Frackin' geniuses!
"So, ultimately, Sony is announcing a new, worse version of the PS3 for the same price. That's why people are upset."
Sorry, but that's a pretty dumb reason to be upset. If you already own a PS3, who cares? If you never intend to buy one, who cares? If you want to buy one, you can get the better one for cheap! What is everybody so upset about? This is such a non-issue.
SAFEWAY CLUB CARD CUSTOMER
AGREEMENT STATEMENT
We respect your privacy. Safeway does not sell or lease personally identifying
information (i.e., your name, address, telephone number, and bank and credit
card account numbers) to non-affiliated companies or entities. We do record
information regarding the purchases made with your Safeway Club Card to
help us provide you with special offers and other information. Safeway also
may use this information to provide you with personally tailored coupons,
offers or other information that may be provided to Safeway by other companies.
Funny, too, that TFA picked EA's policy and didn't look at any other game company. Not to mention the fact that EA is gathering information that you provide. Sound like the kind of stupid EA bashing you would get from an astroturfing competitor.
How often are we getting told "games make you violent"?
RTFA. The study doesn't say anything about violent behavior. It speaks to the physical health of the gamers.
Just another kneejerk reaction to a game study. If you can't trust science to help answer the questions about the relationship between gaming and behavior, who are you going to turn to for the facts?
Before the pro-gaming FUD machine rolls over another academic study (too late), here is the abstract of the article.
Effects of Media Violence on Health-Related Outcomes Among Young Men
Sonya S. Brady, PhD; Karen A. Matthews, PhD
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2006;160:341-347.
Objective To test the effects of media violence exposure on blood pressure, negative affect, hostile social information processing, uncooperative behavior, and attitudes toward health risk behaviors among young men varying in lifetime violence exposure within the home and community.
Design Experimental laboratory study.
Setting University campus situated within an urban environment.
Participants One hundred male undergraduates aged 18 to 21 years.
Intervention Men who had previously reported differing amounts of lifetime home and community violence were randomly assigned to play The Simpsons: Hit and Run (low-violence condition) or Grand Theft Auto III (high-violence condition).
Main Outcome Measures Systolic and diastolic blood pressure; negative affect; hostile social information processing; uncooperative behavior; and permissive attitudes toward violence, alcohol use, marijuana use, and sexual activity without condom use.
Results Men randomly assigned to play Grand Theft Auto III exhibited greater increases in diastolic blood pressure from a baseline rest period to game play, greater negative affect, more permissive attitudes toward using alcohol and marijuana, and more uncooperative behavior in comparison with men randomly assigned to play The Simpsons. Only among participants with greater exposure to home and community violence, play of Grand Theft Auto III led to elevated systolic blood pressure in comparison with play of The Simpsons (mean, 13 vs 5 mm Hg).
Conclusions Media violence exposure may play a role in the development of negative attitudes and behaviors related to health. Although youth growing up in violent homes and communities may become more physiologically aroused by media violence exposure, all youth appear to be at risk for potentially negative outcomes.
Author Affiliations: University of Pittsburgh (Drs Brady and Matthews), Pittsburgh, Pa. Dr Brady is now a postdoctoral fellow in the Health Psychology Program at the University of California, San Francisco.
"The government is not a parent. The game store is not a parent. This is NOT parental control. This is government as 'father knows best' for everyone. The ESRB is enough to inform parents of the content of a game just as the MPAA rates films - there is no need for government involvement."
You're exactly right: neither the govt nor the game store is parent. That is why neither should be deciding what games a minor can buy. Parents should decide. But the FTC found that 42% of kids between 13 and 16 could buy an M-rated game without their parents. And what's to stop game sellers from selling M-rated games to minors? The lawmakers in question want to restrict the sale of M-rated games to adults. Then parents can decide if their child should get an M-rated game.
The govt doesn't decide what games get an M-rating, the game industry does. Why should game sellers get to decide if my 14yo can buy an M-rated game? That should be my choice.
These anti-game activists keep saying that video games increase aggression and violent behavior. However I find that hard to believe considering US Crime Rates have in fact been decreasing since videogame began getting popular in the early 90s.
Flawed logic indeed. Where do I begin?
Other factors contribute to crime. That doesn't mean violent media doesn't contribute at all.
Video games have been popular since the 80s at least.
Very very few people say that "video games increase aggression and violent behavior." However, many psychologists and the APA do say that violent media increases aggression and violent behavior.
There are no anti-game activists, at least not in this discussion. There are a handful of anti-violent-game activists. But mostly legislators, psychologists and parents advocate restricting the sales of ultra-violent games to minors. This is not a ban. This is parental control.
The article in no way demonstrates the lack of sales were because of "transitions". In fact, the article says quite the opposite, blaming the drop in sales specifically on:
the lack of major releases
Sales last november were poor because the game selection was poor; it wasn't consumers were unwilling to buy PS2 games, it was that there were no PS2 games worth buying in that period.
...where "major release" is defined to be a game that sells a ton of copies. The article is not giving this as a reason for the lack of sales, they are describing the lack of sales.
If sales is your metric for game quality then, yes, games were worse this year. I think there might be other forces at work. It's also worth noting that game sales have decreased with every transition in the game console's short history. Why would now be different?
If anything, this year is worse because (1) the 360 didn't launch so much as trickle out, killing their own xmas sales, (2) there is a very large time span between competing console releases, and (3) the current gen consoles haven't been cut to bargain basement ($99) prices like they usually are before a transition.
All this is my speculation, of course, but I think it's better supported than just saying "the games were crap." I think that's a really cheap shot. I've seen some fantastic games on current gen consoles this year, not to mention the fabulous work being done on the handhelds. I've heard many people say that PS2 games are as good as they've ever been, that they're at the height of their art. But why should a gamer buy them if they might get a 360 next month? Or a Revolution? Or a DS? Or, finally, a PS3? Until all the options are on the table, most people will pause.
But more to the point, it's not that Sony isn't hitting their announced ship date, it's that the ship date is so long after the 360 ship date. Until the PS3 ships, the entire console gaming market can't decide if they should (a) get a 360, (b) get a PS3, or (c) stick with what they got. And if you don't know what console you'll have in a year, you're not going to buy any games.
PS2 games absolutely can and will continue to sell briskly right up to the PS3 release...
Here is an article titled U.S. November Game Sales Decrease Confirmed. So, no they won't. The industry is in transition. Transition won't end until PS3 ships. Please, god, let it be soon.
Sony could build PS2 emulation hardware into the PS3, but they don't seem to have done so. The PS2 has the IOP from the PS1, which simplifies compatibility. The PS3 doesn't seem to have any legacy hardware.
Actually, the PS2 IOP is the original PS1 chip. Expect the same sort of thing on the PS3.
It is appropriate if people are given an informed choice and it is recognized (as the results find), that aggressive videogame playing actually has an increased affect on older adolescents when compared to children and young adolescents. The impact of the games is not any different on young adults than it is on older adolescents.
So, it's actually worse for older kids and young adults to play violent games than for children to play violent games! And by restricting violent games to older kids, we are actually encouraging them to play violent games, like a rite of passage. (The fact that violent games are called "Mature" has always pissed me off.)
Here's a proposal that will never go anywhere: violent games should only be available to children under 13.
Actually, if you know your Kant, you know that causality can never be proven. This is beaten into every psychology grad student. Consider a man who lights a match in a gas-filled room. Was the explosion caused by:
The match,
the man,
the gas,
the oxygen in the room,
the laws of thermodynamics, or
any of the other countless variables that went into this event?
The answer, actually, depends on the context of the question. It might be the thing that's unusual. That could be the match... unless it's a smoking room. It could be the gas... unless it's a chem lab. But what if you're not a fireman but a student of the sciences? Maybe you want to know why an open flame would result in such an exothermic reaction. Then the answer could lie in chemistry and the laws of thermodynamics. In the end, identifying the causal agent depends on the context of the question and the inquirer's state of mind, which runs entirely counter to the scientific process. Science is supposed to be objective.
Thus, science never looks for causality. The best we can do is say what variables correlate with the event. And correlation isn't so bad. If you find that X and Y directly correlate, and you want to decrease Y, and it happens that you can deliberately decrease X, you have thus discovered a new technique. And this is the science ends and the engineering begins.
So, when you have science in general agreement that violent games correlates with violent behavior, that's as good as it gets, folks. Obviously, the relationship is much more complicated than a simple direct correlation. But violence is an incredibly important problem, solving it is (definitionally) vital to our survival, and correlating it with anything is nearly impossible. And this finding is corroborated by multiple studies. What more could you possibly want from science?
The only next step is engineering, in this case social engineering. How do we use this new information to improve our lives? This is a much thornier question. But the science is pretty clear.
Slightly off topic, but I wonder... Will this finally put an end to the theory that the Xbox 360 bombed in Japan because the Japanese are faithful to Sony? As if baseball wasn't proof enough of Japan's willingness (eagerness) to embrace western culture.
Maybe the trend here is that Japan doesn't like big, brawny electronics. Perhaps they like simple, cute, almost frivolous electronics. Less is more!
Many people have cast doubt on Sony's ship date, and Sony's been standing firm on Spring 2006 (mostly). If you think all the game industry layoffs are bad now, wait until Sony slips because, if they do, you ain't seen nothing yet. Thank goodness handheld gaming is going so strong or things would be even worse.
One thing nobody is asking Sony is where they will ship in Spring. Might be Japan only. Even so, with the tepid response to the 360 in North America (made worse by the shortages), and the complete rejection of the 360 in Japan, Sony stands to make a killing... if they can do this right.
Hi! I'm the first audio CD you ever bought back in the late 80s. I cost you $20. I eventually... um... well fuck you... you're stuck with me!
Hi, first audio CD. I'm an iTunes track. I come with album art, like you, but you can buy me for $0.99 and you don't have to pay for all of my annoying family. With me, and others like me, people can make as many of you as they want.
And even if you don't like me, I have a cheap, slutty sister called MP3. Between the two of us, you're toast.
Slashdot Mirror
The police got what they wanted from Jason Chen and Gizmodo: their source. And now people know that, if they want to leak information to the press, they might want to go with a more reputable news outlet that knows how to secure their notes and would sooner go to jail than reveal their sources.
Give me something at least resembles the Shinkansen and I'll ride it.
No.
Hell with high speed. 99.9978% of americans dont need to go from NY to LA via high speed rail.
They need to get from the suburbs and smaller outlying cities to the major city or nearest city.
how about fixing and replacing the rail system we used to have and need? Most 30 minute commutes could be eliminated by having a simple and useable rail system.
High speed is not needed, How about having REAL public transit? you know the stuff that Ford and GM tried so hard to kill at every chance for the past 100 years...
My god, I totally agree. Not hiring RIAA lawyers is like not casting Anthony Hopkins because he played a serial killer. Why isn't Slashdot celebrating the fact that these five lawyers are now not working for RIAA? This whole conversation is truly maddening.
The app lets you listen for free, then buy from the iTunes store. This is hardly bypassing. It's actually another avenue into iTunes. It's an ad. And you have to pay for it, too.
I think this whole discussion is hilarious, actually. Imagine that Apple announced that you could "buy PUSA's music" via streaming. There would be 10000 comments about how streaming is not ownership and what a ripoff it is.
I'm sick of people calling out Bush for a slow response to Katrina. There's plenty to dislike about Bush we don't need to make crap up.
For anyone who for some reason doesn't know this: The federal government cannot go in and provide aid in a place like post-Katrina New Orleans unless the governor asks for it. It's against the law and the very basic nature of our country for the federal government to just go and do that kind of stuff.
What I'm sick of is people making up crap without citation to defend GWB. "Title 10 U.S.C. 12301(a) provides that, in time of war or national emergency declared by the Congress, the entire membership of all reserve components or any lesser number can be called to active duty for the duration of the war or national emergency plus 6 months."
In light of all the past comments which ask, "Why does Japan love the PS3 do much?" I have to ask: "Why does America love the 360 so much?" :-)
I don't know how few it is, but America is also among them. To quote USC 8, 1448, The Oath of renunciation and allegiance: "A person who has applied for naturalization shall, in order to be and before being admitted to citizenship, take in a public ceremony before the Attorney General or a court with jurisdiction under section 1421 (b) of this title an oath (1) to support the Constitution of the United States; (2) to renounce and abjure absolutely and entirely all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which the applicant was before a subject or citizen; (3) to support and defend the Constitution and the laws of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; ..."
And that red-ring-of-death problem? Months of coverage! Frackin' geniuses!
Sorry, but that's a pretty dumb reason to be upset. If you already own a PS3, who cares? If you never intend to buy one, who cares? If you want to buy one, you can get the better one for cheap! What is everybody so upset about? This is such a non-issue.
Here is the privacy policy from the Safeway Club Card:
Funny, too, that TFA picked EA's policy and didn't look at any other game company. Not to mention the fact that EA is gathering information that you provide. Sound like the kind of stupid EA bashing you would get from an astroturfing competitor.Let's face it, Ebert is epic enough as it is.
Just another kneejerk reaction to a game study. If you can't trust science to help answer the questions about the relationship between gaming and behavior, who are you going to turn to for the facts?
Effects of Media Violence on Health-Related Outcomes Among Young Men
Sonya S. Brady, PhD; Karen A. Matthews, PhD
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2006;160:341-347.
Objective To test the effects of media violence exposure on blood pressure, negative affect, hostile social information processing, uncooperative behavior, and attitudes toward health risk behaviors among young men varying in lifetime violence exposure within the home and community.
Design Experimental laboratory study.
Setting University campus situated within an urban environment.
Participants One hundred male undergraduates aged 18 to 21 years.
Intervention Men who had previously reported differing amounts of lifetime home and community violence were randomly assigned to play The Simpsons: Hit and Run (low-violence condition) or Grand Theft Auto III (high-violence condition).
Main Outcome Measures Systolic and diastolic blood pressure; negative affect; hostile social information processing; uncooperative behavior; and permissive attitudes toward violence, alcohol use, marijuana use, and sexual activity without condom use.
Results Men randomly assigned to play Grand Theft Auto III exhibited greater increases in diastolic blood pressure from a baseline rest period to game play, greater negative affect, more permissive attitudes toward using alcohol and marijuana, and more uncooperative behavior in comparison with men randomly assigned to play The Simpsons. Only among participants with greater exposure to home and community violence, play of Grand Theft Auto III led to elevated systolic blood pressure in comparison with play of The Simpsons (mean, 13 vs 5 mm Hg).
Conclusions Media violence exposure may play a role in the development of negative attitudes and behaviors related to health. Although youth growing up in violent homes and communities may become more physiologically aroused by media violence exposure, all youth appear to be at risk for potentially negative outcomes.
Author Affiliations: University of Pittsburgh (Drs Brady and Matthews), Pittsburgh, Pa. Dr Brady is now a postdoctoral fellow in the Health Psychology Program at the University of California, San Francisco.
The govt doesn't decide what games get an M-rating, the game industry does. Why should game sellers get to decide if my 14yo can buy an M-rated game? That should be my choice.
Thanks Take-Two. And an especially big thanks to the geniuses at Rockstar. Your marketing ploy continues to send shockwaves through the industry. Nice job.
If sales is your metric for game quality then, yes, games were worse this year. I think there might be other forces at work. It's also worth noting that game sales have decreased with every transition in the game console's short history. Why would now be different?
If anything, this year is worse because (1) the 360 didn't launch so much as trickle out, killing their own xmas sales, (2) there is a very large time span between competing console releases, and (3) the current gen consoles haven't been cut to bargain basement ($99) prices like they usually are before a transition.
All this is my speculation, of course, but I think it's better supported than just saying "the games were crap." I think that's a really cheap shot. I've seen some fantastic games on current gen consoles this year, not to mention the fabulous work being done on the handhelds. I've heard many people say that PS2 games are as good as they've ever been, that they're at the height of their art. But why should a gamer buy them if they might get a 360 next month? Or a Revolution? Or a DS? Or, finally, a PS3? Until all the options are on the table, most people will pause.
But more to the point, it's not that Sony isn't hitting their announced ship date, it's that the ship date is so long after the 360 ship date. Until the PS3 ships, the entire console gaming market can't decide if they should (a) get a 360, (b) get a PS3, or (c) stick with what they got. And if you don't know what console you'll have in a year, you're not going to buy any games.
Here is an article titled U.S. November Game Sales Decrease Confirmed. So, no they won't. The industry is in transition. Transition won't end until PS3 ships. Please, god, let it be soon.Actually, the PS2 IOP is the original PS1 chip. Expect the same sort of thing on the PS3.
Here's a proposal that will never go anywhere: violent games should only be available to children under 13.
The answer, actually, depends on the context of the question. It might be the thing that's unusual. That could be the match... unless it's a smoking room. It could be the gas... unless it's a chem lab. But what if you're not a fireman but a student of the sciences? Maybe you want to know why an open flame would result in such an exothermic reaction. Then the answer could lie in chemistry and the laws of thermodynamics. In the end, identifying the causal agent depends on the context of the question and the inquirer's state of mind, which runs entirely counter to the scientific process. Science is supposed to be objective.
Thus, science never looks for causality. The best we can do is say what variables correlate with the event. And correlation isn't so bad. If you find that X and Y directly correlate, and you want to decrease Y, and it happens that you can deliberately decrease X, you have thus discovered a new technique. And this is the science ends and the engineering begins.
So, when you have science in general agreement that violent games correlates with violent behavior, that's as good as it gets, folks. Obviously, the relationship is much more complicated than a simple direct correlation. But violence is an incredibly important problem, solving it is (definitionally) vital to our survival, and correlating it with anything is nearly impossible. And this finding is corroborated by multiple studies. What more could you possibly want from science?
The only next step is engineering, in this case social engineering. How do we use this new information to improve our lives? This is a much thornier question. But the science is pretty clear.
Maybe the trend here is that Japan doesn't like big, brawny electronics. Perhaps they like simple, cute, almost frivolous electronics. Less is more!
One thing nobody is asking Sony is where they will ship in Spring. Might be Japan only. Even so, with the tepid response to the 360 in North America (made worse by the shortages), and the complete rejection of the 360 in Japan, Sony stands to make a killing... if they can do this right.
Hi, first audio CD. I'm an iTunes track. I come with album art, like you, but you can buy me for $0.99 and you don't have to pay for all of my annoying family. With me, and others like me, people can make as many of you as they want.
And even if you don't like me, I have a cheap, slutty sister called MP3. Between the two of us, you're toast.