Just thinking about the minority report interface. This game interface isn't too far off from what I saw in minority report, it's a lot more than I has expected in terms of applicaitons I could use with my iSight.
The only negative is that my arms tend to get sore very quickly; however, I still managed to land my parachute guy within 47Meters of the target.
Overall its a very cool app. Shows a lot of promise with physical gestures and things like that in Interface usage.
As much as I like GTA the author of this article does make some very pertinent points.
Here in Canada there was a court case finding that kiddie porn art (i.e. no kids were harmed, these were drawings and paintings) were found to be illegal and so the same laws applied to these paintings.
Taking this one step further like the author suggests, I can envision some wacky japanese game where you get to play a sexual predator. The goal of the game is to prey on women and neighbourhood children. Getting extra points for doing things like luring kids with candy or the promise of toys, and performing date rapes on unsuspecting college girls.
I'm pretty sure a game like the one I described above would not be allowed to be sold in Canada. The majority of society would disapprove of this type of video game. I, myself find it very disturbing.
I guess the bigger question is why, as a society, do we allow the simulation of illegal/immoral actions video games and not others.? Where is the line (so to speak) and why do we draw it where it is? What is the nature of the video gaming that makes some of these things appropriate? Is escapism an appropriate defence for sim murder but not for sim molestation? And if so, why not?
This will become even more important with the next generation of systems that will allow for more realistic everything, including AI.
So I've played philosopher for today. Maybe not very well. But tehre are a lot of good questions out there about this sort of stuff. GTA is only getting the pain right now because it's the game that is currently pushing the envelope...
They keep updating things. In a way you could say this is cool. Kinda like end of year/quarter house cleaning; however, I don't see any obvious reason why they could not release all of this stuff on the same day at the same time.
I only ever reboot my machine when the software update thing tells me to, so generally that's about once every other month. I've rebooted every day this week.
ARGH..
Apple.. please get better release management going. I know its nice to make the headlines everyday on slashdot (and other news sites) because you've updated something, but you're killing me here with updates.
And yes, I know I could set software update to checking once a week instead of once a day... But I like to stay current.;-)
Total numbers show gamecube beating xBox overal. Marginally though so it's a moot point. But still. The Gamecube is a wicked machine. and It's getting very poor reception in the press mainly cause i don't know why
The gamecube is a kick *ss system and gets almost none of the respect it deserves. I'm an adult, and I like some kiddie games, but I also like games rated 'M' for Mature. The Gamecube IMO has plenty of both.
Also, I don't understand why xBox is getting all the props when every report I look at tells me it's doing marinally worse than the Gamecube PLUS it's sales in Japan bite the big one. AFAIK there are way to many journalists from the regular press and the games press who are far too willing to print whatever hot air M$ decides to blow up the gaming communities collective butts...
Oh.. i can just feel my karma going down. I'd better say some funny stuff to get a good rating
Um... Oh, i'm so unfunny. Even on a good day. I guess you just gotta know me.
Hopefully this means people will start thinking twice about their M$ monoculture. Or any monoculture for that matter.
You gotta wonder about how long it is before a windows virus kills someone though. There have been a few close calls, but maybe after the public starts loosing their lives cause of M$ bugs people will start to go "uh.. maybe we should install some *nix machines"
I swear the world would be a much better place if M$ had it's market share on the desk top knocked down to 70% or less. Then maybe the market forces would take over and force them to improve their wares in ways that benefit their customers and not just themselves.
I don't know what it is but i'm just addicted to these Mac OS X updates. I hear one is comming down the pipe and I wait with baited breath.. Itching for it to hit Software Update.
Anyway.. my update worked fine.
10.3 or bust Apple..;-)
Ah hah! I've been vindicated. Here is a list of a lot of other people who have signed a petition telling Apple to get it's international shiznit together.;-)
http://www.petitiononline.com/AppleInt/petition.ht ml ( - gotta remove the space in the suffix)
Rant: Apple needs to start treating non-americans and americans more simalar when it comes to their digital service offerings. I'm sick of having my citizenship (or lack of american financial links) determine whether or not apple will let me purchase stuff from them.
1st offence: I Photo charges (or charged) in american dollars and did not state the currency. As all my dealings with the apple store are in my home currency then i figure iphoto is too. Nope, and next thing i know i'm stuck with paying for something in american currency (mucho $$$$$ on exchange) and my grandparents whom i sent a 'special' book of photos to had to pick up the shipping charges! Like about 15US worth of additional shipping.
Cust service was good about it so i forgot about it. They covered the difference in everything but the shipping. Apple Okay, whatever.
But Now!!! the first digital music service worth its salt, the service macatistas all around the world have been waiting for is here and.... I need a bleeping credit card with an american adress to participate. There better be a good legal reason for this. Otherwise it's just plain rude.
I'm a self-admitted mac-a-holic. Since i swiched from win98 se and bought an iBook a few years ago. Since then i have bought so much stuff from apple. My point, its not like everyone out side the US is poor and cant afford apple stuff! And we do buy it.. so why why why treat us like second class citizens! Expecially at a time like this, when the pinacle of modern e-tailing is in their grasp.
Why are you screwing me Apple, why
So it is with pain that I arrive at boycotting apple. I have persuaded three people switch to the MacOS from windows in this year.
~so~
Until apple starts treating me, and other non-americans like me with some respect (or at least until 10.3 comes out) I will not buy another product. I will curtail my advocacy and conversion efforts to produce less stellar results, and I will tell all my mac friends. (Kinda wea. \I know... but it is apple!)
The ramans did everything in threes for a reason. So in response to whether or not building a second identical netowrk is a good idea... I think a third should be implemented also! Expecially in a situation where lives are at stake.
I don't see why symmantec is getting the bum rap.. MSOS & Middleware is full of holes and it's about time Joe Public realized it. Even if that realization comes with the deletion of all of his precious Pron!
I think that people should have to pay for the upgrade. Pricing it like an upgrade for existing users of the OS would be very reasonable of Apple. Even M$ does this. So until Apple does I'm gonna have a hate on for them.
They(Apple) should provide their users with a clear upgrade path, either through yearly licencing or reasonable costing upgrades. End of story IMO.
I just called apple and sent a couple of faxes to them. Just to bitch about what i call "bliking of customers"
Thought I should post it here. Feel free to fax it on your own. The fax number at apple that takes care of upgrades is 1-800-973-0376.
---
Send to: MAC OS X Up-to-Date Number: 1-800-973-0376
July 17, 2002.
To Whom it May Concern,
Please note that I think your pricing of OS X (10.2) for existing users (license owners) is unreasonable. Everywhere else I look I see companies charging less for upgrades than they do for the full version. I purchased a 3000$ machine from you guys in January. I didn't get it until March (new iMac) . It came a month late. And now you're telling me that I have to shell out an additional 200$ Canadian to remain a part of the club of elite mac users. Please rethink the decision to screw all your older customers. I understand your need to generate revenue and to drive hardware sales. I would like to point out that you should also be considerate of those who have remained loyal to you and those that send their friends into the stores to buy macs. I think that you should charge for the OS X (10.2) don't give it away for free. But charge a reasonable upgrade amount. Those mac-up-to-date coupons that came with my computer are useless otherwise.
Sample of Products from macwarehouse site:
Adobe Photoshop Whole Prouct(949.99) Upgrade(219) Windows XP Whole Product (449.99) Upgrade (299.99) Macromedia Studio MX Whole Product(1149.00) Upgrade from one product (899.99) Apple Mac OS X (10.2) Whole Product (199.95) Upgrade (199.95)
* Arguably the different versions of all of the products in the above table are different programs. But note that the other companies offer a discount to existing customers. It would be great to see Apple do the same.
Slashdot Mirror
Just thinking about the minority report interface. This game interface isn't too far off from what I saw in minority report, it's a lot more than I has expected in terms of applicaitons I could use with my iSight. The only negative is that my arms tend to get sore very quickly; however, I still managed to land my parachute guy within 47Meters of the target. Overall its a very cool app. Shows a lot of promise with physical gestures and things like that in Interface usage.
Here in Canada there was a court case finding that kiddie porn art (i.e. no kids were harmed, these were drawings and paintings) were found to be illegal and so the same laws applied to these paintings.
Taking this one step further like the author suggests, I can envision some wacky japanese game where you get to play a sexual predator. The goal of the game is to prey on women and neighbourhood children. Getting extra points for doing things like luring kids with candy or the promise of toys, and performing date rapes on unsuspecting college girls.
I'm pretty sure a game like the one I described above would not be allowed to be sold in Canada. The majority of society would disapprove of this type of video game. I, myself find it very disturbing.
I guess the bigger question is why, as a society, do we allow the simulation of illegal/immoral actions video games and not others.? Where is the line (so to speak) and why do we draw it where it is? What is the nature of the video gaming that makes some of these things appropriate? Is escapism an appropriate defence for sim murder but not for sim molestation? And if so, why not?
This will become even more important with the next generation of systems that will allow for more realistic everything, including AI.
So I've played philosopher for today. Maybe not very well. But tehre are a lot of good questions out there about this sort of stuff. GTA is only getting the pain right now because it's the game that is currently pushing the envelope...
I only ever reboot my machine when the software update thing tells me to, so generally that's about once every other month. I've rebooted every day this week.
ARGH..
Apple.. please get better release management going. I know its nice to make the headlines everyday on slashdot (and other news sites) because you've updated something, but you're killing me here with updates.
And yes, I know I could set software update to checking once a week instead of once a day... But I like to stay current. ;-)
Total numbers show gamecube beating xBox overal. Marginally though so it's a moot point. But still. The Gamecube is a wicked machine. and It's getting very poor reception in the press mainly cause i don't know why
Also, I don't understand why xBox is getting all the props when every report I look at tells me it's doing marinally worse than the Gamecube PLUS it's sales in Japan bite the big one. AFAIK there are way to many journalists from the regular press and the games press who are far too willing to print whatever hot air M$ decides to blow up the gaming communities collective butts...
Oh.. i can just feel my karma going down. I'd better say some funny stuff to get a good rating
Um... Oh, i'm so unfunny. Even on a good day. I guess you just gotta know me.
cheers!
You gotta wonder about how long it is before a windows virus kills someone though. There have been a few close calls, but maybe after the public starts loosing their lives cause of M$ bugs people will start to go "uh.. maybe we should install some *nix machines"
I swear the world would be a much better place if M$ had it's market share on the desk top knocked down to 70% or less. Then maybe the market forces would take over and force them to improve their wares in ways that benefit their customers and not just themselves.
I don't know what it is but i'm just addicted to these Mac OS X updates. I hear one is comming down the pipe and I wait with baited breath.. Itching for it to hit Software Update. Anyway.. my update worked fine. 10.3 or bust Apple.. ;-)
http://www.petitiononline.com/AppleInt/petition.ht ml ( - gotta remove the space in the suffix)
Damn skippy! ;-)
1st offence: I Photo charges (or charged) in american dollars and did not state the currency. As all my dealings with the apple store are in my home currency then i figure iphoto is too. Nope, and next thing i know i'm stuck with paying for something in american currency (mucho $$$$$ on exchange) and my grandparents whom i sent a 'special' book of photos to had to pick up the shipping charges! Like about 15US worth of additional shipping.
Cust service was good about it so i forgot about it. They covered the difference in everything but the shipping. Apple Okay, whatever.
But Now!!! the first digital music service worth its salt, the service macatistas all around the world have been waiting for is here and.... I need a bleeping credit card with an american adress to participate. There better be a good legal reason for this. Otherwise it's just plain rude.
I'm a self-admitted mac-a-holic. Since i swiched from win98 se and bought an iBook a few years ago. Since then i have bought so much stuff from apple. My point, its not like everyone out side the US is poor and cant afford apple stuff! And we do buy it.. so why why why treat us like second class citizens! Expecially at a time like this, when the pinacle of modern e-tailing is in their grasp.
Why are you screwing me Apple, why
So it is with pain that I arrive at boycotting apple. I have persuaded three people switch to the MacOS from windows in this year.
~so~
Until apple starts treating me, and other non-americans like me with some respect (or at least until 10.3 comes out) I will not buy another product. I will curtail my advocacy and conversion efforts to produce less stellar results, and I will tell all my mac friends. (Kinda wea. \I know... but it is apple!)
The ramans did everything in threes for a reason. So in response to whether or not building a second identical netowrk is a good idea... I think a third should be implemented also! Expecially in a situation where lives are at stake.
I don't see why symmantec is getting the bum rap.. MSOS & Middleware is full of holes and it's about time Joe Public realized it. Even if that realization comes with the deletion of all of his precious Pron!
Weak Dude.. Very WeaK
I think that people should have to pay for the upgrade. Pricing it like an upgrade for existing users of the OS would be very reasonable of Apple. Even M$ does this. So until Apple does I'm gonna have a hate on for them.
They(Apple) should provide their users with a clear upgrade path, either through yearly licencing or reasonable costing upgrades. End of story IMO.
Number: 1-800-973-0376
July 17, 2002.
To Whom it May Concern,
Please note that I think your pricing of OS X (10.2) for existing users (license owners) is unreasonable. Everywhere else I look I see companies charging less for upgrades than they do for the full version. I purchased a 3000$ machine from you guys in January. I didn't get it until March (new iMac) . It came a month late. And now you're telling me that I have to shell out an additional 200$ Canadian to remain a part of the club of elite mac users. Please rethink the decision to screw all your older customers. I understand your need to generate revenue and to drive hardware sales. I would like to point out that you should also be considerate of those who have remained loyal to you and those that send their friends into the stores to buy macs. I think that you should charge for the OS X (10.2) don't give it away for free. But charge a reasonable upgrade amount. Those mac-up-to-date coupons that came with my computer are useless otherwise.
Sample of Products from macwarehouse site:
Adobe Photoshop Whole Prouct(949.99) Upgrade(219)
Windows XP Whole Product (449.99) Upgrade (299.99)
Macromedia Studio MX Whole Product(1149.00) Upgrade from one product (899.99)
Apple Mac OS X (10.2) Whole Product (199.95) Upgrade (199.95)
* Arguably the different versions of all of the products in the above table are different programs. But note that the other companies offer a discount to existing customers. It would be great to see Apple do the same.