Umm...Blu-Ray is suppose to have burners available as the media comes available I thought, while HD-DVD was going to be delayed in response to burners. If I remember that correctly, M$ would be safe for a while with HD-DVD anyway.
The problem with GD-Rom has nothing to do with proprietary media. What happened was game makers often did not use the full storage making CDs still usable for games. You could launch games easily enough because of the way Sega implemented the bootrom for the purpose of allowing CD playback.
Suggest checking out this for a bit of information.
I have a question for anyone who has tested this on an HDTV (40" or larger). Is the video even remotely good? I presently have one of these attached to my TV, since it support 1080i it looks rather good most the time, even with videos with lower resolutions and compression it often destroys watching my shows that only air on SDTV.
I have been wanting to upgrade to a new iPod (own a 30GB 3G) because of the click-wheel and for some more size. However, I was interested in the quality of video on HDTV because of the low resolution allowed and the composite and s-video outputs. While it would not get much use on my own HDTV, it would possibly see use on some of my friends TVs and the like.
Btw, anyone who is looking for a media device to stream video, I recommend the Buffalo device I discussed above. The support for 720p and 1080i is very nice (component outputs) and it has proven to even decode surround sound streams in encoded videos. My only complains were lack of WPA support for wireless and no DVI/HDMI output, but hey at least it plays nearly everything I have with some very minor exceptions (trouble with some subtitles in anime, but that is more how my TV displays images a bit below the screen at times to save from burn-in).
I just thought I would share this with everyone, because it is somewhat related and would definitely come up to some degree in DC. You see we have a Zero Tolerance policy on driving drunk. They decided to pass this law so they could arrest a person who blew as little as a 0.01.
Now it is suppose to be discretionary, but recently an officer arrested a woman who had a single glass of wine with dinner and then proceded to say she was drunk. Apparently when she did the "alphabet" test, he said to recite the alphabet from D to X. She stopped at S. Why? Because hell X and S sound very similar normally. Trust me this is a ploy to confuse individuals, but it can be argued she maybe should have verified the letters. I would like to state I have passed most of the tests cops give while drunk (I wasn't driving, but I wanted a non-scientific study to see if they worked.) and they are all jokes. You have to be stupid drunk IMO to not remember the alphabet (from any letter range).
He said she was cocky. Well no shit, I would be cocky too if I was SOBER. I mean drunken driving with one glass of wine with dinner...wow some lush. This Officer's Captain (or Chief or someone important) defended him as arresting 100 (or so) people since this law and stated he was an "expert" as such in drunkeness. Well, maybe he just like tossing innocent people into prison? How many of these arrested "drunks" blew over the 0.08 that is the national standard.
The woman spent months fighting the ticket and eventually won. (Thought I think she should've sued for the wrongful imprisonment of one night.) She then had to fight with the DMV over her driver's license because they do not pay attention to what actually happens in the courts, and she refused to attend a responsible drinking course. So especially in a place where blowing a 0.01 (cough syrup, bread with natural fermentation, some cough drops, and possibly other items can cause this) can get you arrested, having access to the source code would be important, eventhough fighting the stupid law should be the priority in this case (and the city council claims to be working on it).
ummm this isn't just a sticker. The law creates provisions for fining individuals selling these games to minors. Hence making this violation tantemount to selling alcohol or tobacco to a minor. If it were just a sticker I am sure there would be a bit less hoopla about it because it would be more like those Parental Advisory stickers on CDs.
By crossing the line and creating a fine, the state is imposing a restriction on what individuals can lawfully read, play, see, etc. This is a violation of the 1st amendment. In this case the government also created a VERY VAGUE law that is hard to define. The way it is written it could be stated to say a 'T' rated game sold to a 16 yr old would still violate the law. Instead of using the in place rating system they used vague language to attempt to define the sex and violence. This is what constitutes the first amendment violation, because they could then say that teenager X cannot purchase game Y because they deem it too violent, eventhough the ESRB rated the game 'T'.
People like you are the reason we have slowly eroding first amendment rights. "Well I do not think it is bad they are protecting the children." No matter what spin you put on it, it is still censorship.
Now I would like to play the adult version of the bible game. I mean seriously get into some of the more interesting parts of that book and we could probably make a nice AO game based on the bible. Actually I would love to see that. Just think how crazy the christian right would get when they saw their precious book depicted for what it really is...
You know we can have a mini-game for stoning people...see how much money you make selling your daughter into slavery...kill every first born in egypt to free your peoples...oooh and then all the nice end of the world stuff in Revelations...so much fun to be had....and crucifixion...man...let the good times roll...
Wow, now we are having bloggers post links to their own blogs to drive up traffic...and to make it worst the thing is hosted on blogspot. I mean seriously, at least get your own DNS and route it or buy some shared spaced.
Now onto the topic at hand, this just shows that 90% of bloggers are talking out of their ass. In this case he really misses the point of beta testing in an MMO. There are several very good reasons and they are reasons that are necessary to test. Later stages in almost all MMO beta test are load tests. They could care less at that point who reports bugs, they just want to make sure the servers don't go kaput when the game launches.
Another problem is you need a large number of people to beta test any MMO. There are literally hundreds of possibilities when a game is in the beta mode (if not thousands) for character development. Look at World of Warcraft. You have to test every race with every classes. You have to test quests at multiple levels, you need to test raids and dungeons. There is a lot more to beta in a MMO then in a single player or even regular multi-player game.
Not to mention the fact that the Beta taste gives you the chance to hook all those players and then start charging them. It also gives you the chance to get free word of mouth advertising. Open betas are a bit more of a joke on other games, but in those situations companies release "demos" to perform essentially the same task without calling it a beta. I have beta tested a regular game and an MMO. Let me say it is much bet to use a community of people in the tens or hundreds of thousands to test your game then to use your few hundred employees with an MMO. Like I said before, the sheer scale of MMOs makes fully closed Beta's an unreliable and ineffective means to test the game.
Indeed, I am working on installing some sort of DRM into genetic code to prevent people from being downloaded and copied illegally. (If you do not get the Futurama reference in that, bah on you.)
So, people want to start this DC and 360 comparison again...let me tell all of you who never picked up a DC and have never seen one, it was and is better than a PS2. It was the only online console at the time. Games were often made on both systems, and often ran faster and looked better on the DC. The DC had all the advantages in place that the 360 had, the difference is that Sony did something Sega didn't expect...they dished out the FUD. Go back and do some checking and you will find that Sony's FUD compain against Sega was as bad as this one everyone is claiming M$ is up to now.
The fact is we have two huge companies going head to head over a console. This is honestly something that has never really happened. Sony has TONS of money and check out the numbers folks, their worth is more the M$. Sega and Nintendo never could have hoped to make the money these two companies make because they are specialized into a single market of consoles. Sony has their hands in everything from home electronics to DVDs and computers. There is a lot more money for M$ and Sony to duke it out with.
So we will see two new consoles going head-to-head at the same time, relatively. There will not be the 1 year gap like the last time, 1999 for DC, 2000 for PS2 and 2001 for Xbox. If PS3 is out in Spring 06, we will see to competitive consoles with close launch dates duking it out for supremacy and then we'll see if Sony starts up their own FUD.
Yes, very true indeed. I point you to the AT&T breakup which is beginning to come full circle with SBC's (they are a "Baby Bell" and they bought several of the other "Baby Bells") wanting to buy AT&T (as offered in January this year).
Actually on the DNC list you are both half right...it is a joint cooperation of the FTC and the FCC. Please at least check your facts before posting like a know-it-all AC to protect your damn Karma.
Oh I want to play this game...I have time to waste and love showing that I understand a few laws. Making threats over the phone isn't something taken to idlely anymore and I seriously would love to be on the line when this idiot made the mistake of saying the wrong threatening things. But alas, continuing on with my dream of getting a law degree and fighting him in court strikes me as a much more fun prospect.
Me: "Yes Mr. Thompson, I played video games growing up, including violent ones, and now I am a lawyer. What do you have to say for this?"
Jack: "Shutup. Your law degree is obviously some f^$#*!@ shallow attempt to profit off the pain of others."
Me: "No Mr. Thompson that is your job..."
*Snaps back to reality* Can we make like Counter Strike skins or maybe something for GTA or the like of him. How satisfying to the gaming world that would be...oh wait he would probably cuss us out, threaten to sue, then cry after wetting himself...
I do not know how big a deal this really is. I am sure in software or business method arts there might be more of an issue at hand, but I do not think 35 USC 101 is a highly used rejection method within the office. I would also be surprised if this stood up outside the Board of Patent Appeals and Interference (BPAI). I believe this should be tasked to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) since it almost sounds like the BPAI is trying to limit the USC.
I do not have numbers, but I am willing to take a guess the number of Business Method patents allowed to date is quite low. It is something that I believe should be more contested by the general public then the idea of software patents. I mean at least I'll see the end of a Patent term in my lifetime, but that same code that gets copyrighted won't be touchable until after a great many of us are long gone.
There is one simple fact about human nature that makes unions inherently bad. The fact in question is that power corrupts people and there is just as much (if not more) corruption at the upper levels of unions as there are in corporations. In the end, union leaders become more concerned about their own ambitions and care more about what is good for them, then what is good for the union as a whole.
Now, unionizing in a field that is already moving to out-sourcing and off-shoring is going to only make the move go quicker, and possibly force the hand of some companies already leaning in that direction to go ahead with the move. Unions were more important many years ago before labor laws emerged into what they are today, but they are also unneeded in a highly competitive field.
You see why would you go work for company A, if company B has better benefits to offer then company A. This is the current system and it works fairly well, because people almost always look at the benefit of a certain job along with the salary and location (and whatever else at which you may look).
I have never been a big fan of unions. In most situations they do nothing but interfere with businesses, and in some cases new unions actually create rising costs for businesses since they force their policies or refuse to work. The most wonderfully stupid thing I once saw was pizza delivery drivers trying to unionize. There is also a long list of union incidents that have resulted in inconveniences for thousands of individuals and hurt companies. (Airline employees and UPS come to mind)
While I do not like the fact I work at a place with a union, I am not required to pay dues, and since I have a federal government job we cannot strike anyway. The bulk of the unions power is being counsel for employees in grievances, and this role should be the extent of most unions "help."
When I was taking my ethics course for engineering in college (Electrical Engineering), there was talk among students and the professor teaching the course about rumors around EE workers unionizing. The thought really bothered me, and the same though about CS bothers me too. I hope that workers don't start to seriously consider this, unless of course they like the idea of working at McDonald's....because that is where they will wind up if they form a union. No software company is going to give them a chance to unionize and make a union with the type of power the UAW has.
1. There is a huge thread going on about religion and its role in the current state of science. To be honest this should have minimal influence, since the majority of religion is not anti-science and most science is not anti-religion. We are not going to see the same sort of issues we did a long time ago when the church proclaimed we were at the center of the universe and persecuted those who said otherwise. Though the issue of evolution and intelligent design is getting that way, I believe in the end most courts will see ID for what it is, creationism with a fancy name so I don't believe this will greatly detract from the science areas.
2. Standardized testing. In this case it is more the "No Child Left Behind Act" that bothers me. The standardized testing and programs the US Government wants implemented (with state dollars no less) detract from the actual learning experience. Most teachers are pressured by administrations to gear their teaching towards the standardized tests, which results in students who learn for the test and not for the sake of learning. It also forces important subject matters out of the classrooms because at the end of the day there just isn't time.
3. Education. This goes up the whole chain, from K to 12 and through college. While I seriously believe that K-12 is the majority of the problem, to say college has no issues would be naive. I believe high school needs to become a more focused afair at an earlier age. I also believe that more states need to consider raising education funding and to fund special schools for the precocious children. The increase funding is a no brainer, better tech, better books and lower students to teacher ratios improves class performance, learning and involvement. The special schools is also important because many systems have taken the keep everyone on the same level approach and this grossly fails. It is not a good idea to keep faster and smarter students behind with the rest of a class because of the slower students who just cannot keep up. I cannot count the hours wasted re-hashing the same course materials day in and day out through high school and it is often frustrating to put up with.
4. Science is fun. While this can be a deceiving way to promote science it is one that has been lost in recent years. I remember two shows popular on Saturday morning in my early to mid-teens (Beakman's World and Bill Nye, I think those were the two) that gave science a fun perspective and taught things at the same time. I think it is a good idea to show kids early on how much fun science can be by doing more of the "high school" things earlier on. Egg drops, disections, Science based contests. There is a small museum back home called BRIMS, I do not know how many places like this there are, but surely more are needed.
5. This might get me modded trolling or flamebait, but society is next on the list. I harken more to kids whose idols are rap artists, movie stars and professional athletes. While aspiring to become one of these is not a bad thing, there are too many people who are convinced this is how they are going to make a living. Look at the pro baseball and basketball players who have gone from high school to pro sports. Granted these people have money, but how many would survive in the world if they tore a vital ligament or were otherwise seriously injured tomorrow. Some people seem to have forgotten that education is just as important as sports and getting the proper education is a good idea.
6. Video games? This one might get me trolled or flamebaited too, but I have to say it. This has grown in recent years to grand proportions. While everyone has been pushing for people to step away from the TVs or the consoles to go outside and get healthier (not a bad idea), they seem to have forgotten the "brain rot" and so have parents. I would get yelled out for spending hours online, but I learned more in high school reading the internet a few hours a day then I e
Ok this thing in no way shape or form resembles a light stick. It doesn't even operate in the same manner (this would actually begin to cause it to fail with technologies). It is a gyro-pointer. It works using wireless connection (IR if I remember, maybe RF) and the signals sents are with gyroscopes. Now if you want to see an example of this in use, I point you to the gyro-mouse, a very capable device and very ease to use the motion features for controlling. TV Size should not effect it beyond the fact that you are going to have the same resolution on the smaller screen then on the bigger one, so its performance won't change, just your poor eyesight.
I have experience using the types of technology that Nintendo is putting into this controller and it is quite accurate and very fast. The controller that Nintendo is promoting is even suppose to plug into a regular controller. This is nothing like those crappy things you get for your other systems, because this actually looks professional and is made good.
I would figure that your getting rated (probably troll and/or flaim) would clue you in to how off your comments are and that you aren't attacking the issue but instead sound like you are directly attacking Nintendo.
And really, are people going to competitively play FPS games by pointing a stick at a screen and shooting?
PC Gamers like me would ask you: Are people going to competitively play FPS games with a controller? This is a NINTENDO controller. They are not going to be selling a huge number of FPS games anyway. I still do not see the joy of FPS on the console. I've played quite a few and to be honest my mouse and keyboard are 10x better anyday. Why do you think they don't put these people on the same servers, because the console gamers would get raped unmercifully by the PC Gamers...your point is stupid and invalid.
I'm kind of doubting it. It'll more likely be used for some dorky version of "bubble bobble" where bubbles fall from the top of the screen and you pop them with the pointer. Whoooo.
You mean the games that made gaming great, and that the "real gamers" will tell you are what gamers actually play, not GTA and Madden and Halo? I will now point you to the legendary games in Nintendo History...Mario Brothers (Platform), Tetris (by most of todays gamers standards...geeky), Dr. Mario (try this as a drinking game). Some other good games throughout time...Chu Chu Rocket, Bomberman, the countless party games for various consoles and names (Monkeyball, Mario Party, Sega had some too). You know there was gaming before the FPS, the sad thing is...gaming history is short and most the "gamers" today probably cannot name for you the game that made the FPS/3D shooter into the games they are today.
You know why Sega failed? Because they tried to leave their niche a bit too much and got pounded on the Dreamcast by a worse console (the PS2). Sega and Nintendo were the companies that made gaming good in the late 80s/early 90s. Sony and M$ are the ones running it into the ground. In case some of you forgot, there were short lived fears of Nintendo hardware death after Sega went software only...
So does this mean when the shortage hits just in time for X-Mas, they'll all show up on eBay for like $1000 a piece? I mean seriously, I can envision them costing that much when the parent who has the spoiled brat child HAS to get this for them.
Paranoid comment of the day: What would keep M$ from secretly selling these on eBay for an extra $200 or $300 to all those people struck by the shortage...
How many versions of Windows XP are there? Really just two...
How many versions of Vista are there going to be? Something like 6. M$ is moving the opposite direction that you are saying Linux should. They are going to create market confusion with their own products, JOY.
Maybe Linux needs to start following the Highlander quote: "There can be only one" and start having all of these competitors duel off
This is always happening. Look at the number of distro's that have totally disappeared. Also remember that of those 300 distros the bulk of the desktop users are probably only using 10 or so of those. (Suse, Madriva, Redhat, FedoraCore, Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Gentoo, some I am forgetting.) There are a lot of very specialized distros that are used for firewalls and the like. When it comes to desktop use the majority of those 300 sort of fade away.
Just have one damn version and make the damn thing work for the latest technology, make it fast, and make it easy to understand for even the dumbest american.
You never have used Madrake/Mandriva have you? Not to flame, but from the get go they have set out to make a user friendly distro that most any idiot can figure out, and by and large they have done a good job of making the distro good for the power users and good for the lowly idiots of computing. The bulk of your make it work for the latest technology is the fault of your driver makers, not linux. There is poor support for some devices in Linux because of drivers. I mean who had x86-64 support first (Linux or Windows), well Linux did. Seems like they had something working in the latest tech first.
This post has been brought to you by a Dell Inspiron 8600, made less evil by Fedora Core 3.
Everyone knows that it was the Wacko Brothers and their sister Dot selling kid scout cookies to Einstein that helped him create E=mc^2, by singing the Acme song.
Finally I am going to use some numbers that no one has tried yet for the car argument. About 1/2 down this page http://www.suntimes.com/output/auto/cst-fin-teen14 .html, you will find stats showing that 9% of 16-17 yr olds had new cars and 36% of 16-17 yr olds have used cars. Now assuming worst case scenario that their parents bought them these cars, that is only 45% of 16-17 yr olds with their own cars, not a majority unless my math has failed me.
Now, assuming that at least some percentage of those are paying for their cars and for the gas and maintenance, shit I would be surprised if they could even afford video games or had time to play them, the amount of money they'd be spending on gas these days and the time working to pay for them.
Trust me there are still a great majority of people where they do not get cars at all. This varies greatly by where you live because there are some places where a car is almost unnecessary to get around. There are also some places where a car is almost fully essential. Also some of these people with used cars are probably getting the car their parents at sitting around. My first car a 1985 Chevy S-10 that was 13yrs old when I turned 16. It had been used so long the tires were dry rotted and had to be replaced.
Ummm...how short of a period are you using for the "quantum leaps" in game tech? I remember playing on Coleco Vision in the '80s growing up and playing on NES, SNES, Master System, Genesis, N64, PSX, DC, PS2, and Xbox (probably missed some in there) over time (Note: I've only owned a NES, PSX, DC and PS2 and I bought all but the NES).
These game consoles certainly had more then better graphics going for them. There have been entire genres created and re-created on the consoles in this amount of time. There is also the evolution of the controller, which is still happening. There have been forays into new gameplay methods (microphone of Seaman, the Powerglove, the DDR dance pad...the list goes on). Trust me the game consoles have changed, just a great many of you forget that there were consoles before the Playstation.
I don't know about the distracting technologies argument. Many of these things are beginning to merge. I mean my cellphone plays games, has digital photography (and video), plays MP3s, allows "chatting." These "distracting technologies" are actually merging into single devices. Even the PS3 and Xbox 360 are trying to combine the "media" experience into the consoles. Yes cable and satellite have 200+ channels of which most people watch like 20 (I don't even think I get that many, college football, Whose Line, Family Guy, HD programming...I probably would survive with 20 or fewer channels if I got to pick them). Besides TV sort of counters your mobile argument next does it not? Also with integration of these "distracting techs" in handheld systems (a la PSP), the emerging tech and mobile generation begin to lose a bit more strength in their argument.
I addressed the getting a car argument above. While it does happen, I do not think it is as prolific as you think. Many of the parents I know set the...get a car...get a job rule. Where they may get you one, or help you buy one...but you are going to work. It also becomes a lot easier if your kid is big on extracurricular activities. (Note: To parents with daughters, the two seater is great...no back seat to worry about, if you know what I mean.)
The failure of real-time gaming? Yeah World of Warcraft has been a total flop. Diablo 2 didn't last for ages. Sporting games do run into problems on occassion but not so much as people would think. Oh wait remembered a console game that worked well, HALO!
Really your "anecdotal" experience is more like none at all. I think you will find that gaming might slowly be returning to its niche (though it might be a larger one). It is quite possible this crazy surge of console gaming is coming to an end. We might look back on this in 10 or 20 years and say, wow remember that crazy fad where everyone loved gaming...
It is important to note that Microsoft was in support of KSR International in their case against Teleflex (wraiting on Writ of certiorari before the SCOTUS). This case is questioning the requirement for a statement explaining why a combination under 35 USC 103 is obvious. This standard was created by the CAFC (Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit). It would not be an overstatement to say that removal of this requirement would prevent countless patents and would possibly invalidate thousands more.
So Microsoft definitely doesn't mind changing things that would hurt the issuance of patents, but I doubt they would go so far as to totally despise the patent system. The patent system can guarantee them money (well at least possibly) for years if they do have some horrific failure in the years to come. The 20 yr life of a patent might keep them afloat for a while if they ever need to use it.
It really peeves me when we add laws on top of laws rather than repealing bad ones and drafting new ones to cover changes. Innovation has occurred for thousands of years without copyright or patent protection. Free use wasn't even a phrase until we started to see tyrannical laws that abuse basic rights, inherent to all humans regardless of what their governments say or do.
Actually this isn't really a true statement. The extent to which patent protections have been around varies greatly. But if you look at the age of greatest technological advancement, post-Industrial Revolution, then you would note that patents have been around since then. The earliest patent law by wikipedia's count is 1474. This pre-dates the "Middle Ages". While not thousands of years, it is hard to argue that there was more innovation pre-1474 then there was post-1474. (I have material at home that suggests the Chinese had a patent system of sorts even pre-dating this, will find it when I get home I guess.)
It is also important to remember that before the printing press (circa 1455) that many individuals did not have access to written works or understand enough language to make Patents or Copyrights useful. As time passed and technology grew, people began to become more literate and the copying of materials also became something that was easier to do.
I think repealing Copyrights is definitely a bad idea. Anyone who requires writing, music, movies, etc. as their primary source of income will tell you it would cost them money. While many of them could probably still make money doing things like public appearances, concerts and book signings, there are some who do require copyright to ensure their writing earn them their fair share of money (freelance columnist and cartoonists would be good examples here).
Repealing patent laws is a bit trickier of an issue. There are laws in place (DMCA and older laws) that would to some degree protect inventions. It would still be illegal to repackage the Windows source code as "Swodniw" because they could argue the theft of trade secrets or the like. This then creates a burden on the legal system to resolve issues of this nature, which takes time away from them actually doing important cases. Patents encourage innovation by requiring people to disclose their invention. By disclosing what their invention is, a company is opening information to some degree that would allow people to create improvements of the invention. While some people would argue that Patents are too long, before you even start griping about them, I would complain about the abusive Copyright laws that large corporations have managed to get extended to the point where I would be lucky to see some things that were released when I was born in the Public Domain when I die.
In conclusion, patents and copyrights have not stifled invention and actually encourage individuals to release their works and inventions because they know they will be protected from companies who can undercut them or individuals who will reprint and sell their books or music cheaper. The thousands of years of innovation are not really a valid argument because innovation is highly concentrated in the latter part of human history, and I will have to find my reference for Chinese patents. It is also possible that earlier civilizations had methods and things in place similar to patents; however, history does typically get a bit harder to track their further back we go.
I just hope you think a bit about copyrights and patents. Both systems (in the US at least) have some flaws that need to be worked out. A great deal of people have been asking for change and it might finally be coming for the Patent Office. Contact your congressmen and women to let them know why the changes being institued by the currently present patent reform act are a good idea. I would also think about throwing in a few side notes on the detriments of long time Copyrights. Remember though, if an author really wants their work for fre
No, I just use 12 month numbers because it evens out the jumps that occur when a new version of a distro releases. Granted on the 12 month Suse and FC are close anyway.
Actually anonymity did not exactly win. The case has been remanded back to the lower court. The argument before the DE Supreme Court was that the individuals in question did not establish a prima facia case and that the judge over the case used a very relaxed standard that did not provide proper first ammendment protection. Based from what I heard this site was saying, I would not be too surprised in the end if the bloggers get unmasked. Of course, in order for that to happen the people behind this will have to continue the case, but I cannot see why they wouldn't if they have gone this far.
Slashdot Mirror
Umm...Blu-Ray is suppose to have burners available as the media comes available I thought, while HD-DVD was going to be delayed in response to burners. If I remember that correctly, M$ would be safe for a while with HD-DVD anyway.
The problem with GD-Rom has nothing to do with proprietary media. What happened was game makers often did not use the full storage making CDs still usable for games. You could launch games easily enough because of the way Sega implemented the bootrom for the purpose of allowing CD playback.
Suggest checking out this for a bit of information.
Betamax, need we say anything more.
I have a question for anyone who has tested this on an HDTV (40" or larger). Is the video even remotely good? I presently have one of these attached to my TV, since it support 1080i it looks rather good most the time, even with videos with lower resolutions and compression it often destroys watching my shows that only air on SDTV.
I have been wanting to upgrade to a new iPod (own a 30GB 3G) because of the click-wheel and for some more size. However, I was interested in the quality of video on HDTV because of the low resolution allowed and the composite and s-video outputs. While it would not get much use on my own HDTV, it would possibly see use on some of my friends TVs and the like.
Btw, anyone who is looking for a media device to stream video, I recommend the Buffalo device I discussed above. The support for 720p and 1080i is very nice (component outputs) and it has proven to even decode surround sound streams in encoded videos. My only complains were lack of WPA support for wireless and no DVI/HDMI output, but hey at least it plays nearly everything I have with some very minor exceptions (trouble with some subtitles in anime, but that is more how my TV displays images a bit below the screen at times to save from burn-in).
I just thought I would share this with everyone, because it is somewhat related and would definitely come up to some degree in DC. You see we have a Zero Tolerance policy on driving drunk. They decided to pass this law so they could arrest a person who blew as little as a 0.01.
Now it is suppose to be discretionary, but recently an officer arrested a woman who had a single glass of wine with dinner and then proceded to say she was drunk. Apparently when she did the "alphabet" test, he said to recite the alphabet from D to X. She stopped at S. Why? Because hell X and S sound very similar normally. Trust me this is a ploy to confuse individuals, but it can be argued she maybe should have verified the letters. I would like to state I have passed most of the tests cops give while drunk (I wasn't driving, but I wanted a non-scientific study to see if they worked.) and they are all jokes. You have to be stupid drunk IMO to not remember the alphabet (from any letter range).
He said she was cocky. Well no shit, I would be cocky too if I was SOBER. I mean drunken driving with one glass of wine with dinner...wow some lush. This Officer's Captain (or Chief or someone important) defended him as arresting 100 (or so) people since this law and stated he was an "expert" as such in drunkeness. Well, maybe he just like tossing innocent people into prison? How many of these arrested "drunks" blew over the 0.08 that is the national standard.
The woman spent months fighting the ticket and eventually won. (Thought I think she should've sued for the wrongful imprisonment of one night.) She then had to fight with the DMV over her driver's license because they do not pay attention to what actually happens in the courts, and she refused to attend a responsible drinking course. So especially in a place where blowing a 0.01 (cough syrup, bread with natural fermentation, some cough drops, and possibly other items can cause this) can get you arrested, having access to the source code would be important, eventhough fighting the stupid law should be the priority in this case (and the city council claims to be working on it).
ummm this isn't just a sticker. The law creates provisions for fining individuals selling these games to minors. Hence making this violation tantemount to selling alcohol or tobacco to a minor. If it were just a sticker I am sure there would be a bit less hoopla about it because it would be more like those Parental Advisory stickers on CDs.
By crossing the line and creating a fine, the state is imposing a restriction on what individuals can lawfully read, play, see, etc. This is a violation of the 1st amendment. In this case the government also created a VERY VAGUE law that is hard to define. The way it is written it could be stated to say a 'T' rated game sold to a 16 yr old would still violate the law. Instead of using the in place rating system they used vague language to attempt to define the sex and violence. This is what constitutes the first amendment violation, because they could then say that teenager X cannot purchase game Y because they deem it too violent, eventhough the ESRB rated the game 'T'.
People like you are the reason we have slowly eroding first amendment rights. "Well I do not think it is bad they are protecting the children." No matter what spin you put on it, it is still censorship.
Now I would like to play the adult version of the bible game. I mean seriously get into some of the more interesting parts of that book and we could probably make a nice AO game based on the bible. Actually I would love to see that. Just think how crazy the christian right would get when they saw their precious book depicted for what it really is...
You know we can have a mini-game for stoning people...see how much money you make selling your daughter into slavery...kill every first born in egypt to free your peoples...oooh and then all the nice end of the world stuff in Revelations...so much fun to be had....and crucifixion...man...let the good times roll...
Wow, now we are having bloggers post links to their own blogs to drive up traffic...and to make it worst the thing is hosted on blogspot. I mean seriously, at least get your own DNS and route it or buy some shared spaced.
Now onto the topic at hand, this just shows that 90% of bloggers are talking out of their ass. In this case he really misses the point of beta testing in an MMO. There are several very good reasons and they are reasons that are necessary to test. Later stages in almost all MMO beta test are load tests. They could care less at that point who reports bugs, they just want to make sure the servers don't go kaput when the game launches.
Another problem is you need a large number of people to beta test any MMO. There are literally hundreds of possibilities when a game is in the beta mode (if not thousands) for character development. Look at World of Warcraft. You have to test every race with every classes. You have to test quests at multiple levels, you need to test raids and dungeons. There is a lot more to beta in a MMO then in a single player or even regular multi-player game.
Not to mention the fact that the Beta taste gives you the chance to hook all those players and then start charging them. It also gives you the chance to get free word of mouth advertising. Open betas are a bit more of a joke on other games, but in those situations companies release "demos" to perform essentially the same task without calling it a beta. I have beta tested a regular game and an MMO. Let me say it is much bet to use a community of people in the tens or hundreds of thousands to test your game then to use your few hundred employees with an MMO. Like I said before, the sheer scale of MMOs makes fully closed Beta's an unreliable and ineffective means to test the game.
Indeed, I am working on installing some sort of DRM into genetic code to prevent people from being downloaded and copied illegally. (If you do not get the Futurama reference in that, bah on you.)
So, people want to start this DC and 360 comparison again...let me tell all of you who never picked up a DC and have never seen one, it was and is better than a PS2. It was the only online console at the time. Games were often made on both systems, and often ran faster and looked better on the DC. The DC had all the advantages in place that the 360 had, the difference is that Sony did something Sega didn't expect...they dished out the FUD. Go back and do some checking and you will find that Sony's FUD compain against Sega was as bad as this one everyone is claiming M$ is up to now.
The fact is we have two huge companies going head to head over a console. This is honestly something that has never really happened. Sony has TONS of money and check out the numbers folks, their worth is more the M$. Sega and Nintendo never could have hoped to make the money these two companies make because they are specialized into a single market of consoles. Sony has their hands in everything from home electronics to DVDs and computers. There is a lot more money for M$ and Sony to duke it out with.
So we will see two new consoles going head-to-head at the same time, relatively. There will not be the 1 year gap like the last time, 1999 for DC, 2000 for PS2 and 2001 for Xbox. If PS3 is out in Spring 06, we will see to competitive consoles with close launch dates duking it out for supremacy and then we'll see if Sony starts up their own FUD.
Yes, very true indeed. I point you to the AT&T breakup which is beginning to come full circle with SBC's (they are a "Baby Bell" and they bought several of the other "Baby Bells") wanting to buy AT&T (as offered in January this year).
Actually on the DNC list you are both half right...it is a joint cooperation of the FTC and the FCC. Please at least check your facts before posting like a know-it-all AC to protect your damn Karma.
Oh I want to play this game...I have time to waste and love showing that I understand a few laws. Making threats over the phone isn't something taken to idlely anymore and I seriously would love to be on the line when this idiot made the mistake of saying the wrong threatening things. But alas, continuing on with my dream of getting a law degree and fighting him in court strikes me as a much more fun prospect.
Me: "Yes Mr. Thompson, I played video games growing up, including violent ones, and now I am a lawyer. What do you have to say for this?"
Jack: "Shutup. Your law degree is obviously some f^$#*!@ shallow attempt to profit off the pain of others."
Me: "No Mr. Thompson that is your job..."
*Snaps back to reality* Can we make like Counter Strike skins or maybe something for GTA or the like of him. How satisfying to the gaming world that would be...oh wait he would probably cuss us out, threaten to sue, then cry after wetting himself...
I do not know how big a deal this really is. I am sure in software or business method arts there might be more of an issue at hand, but I do not think 35 USC 101 is a highly used rejection method within the office. I would also be surprised if this stood up outside the Board of Patent Appeals and Interference (BPAI). I believe this should be tasked to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) since it almost sounds like the BPAI is trying to limit the USC.
I do not have numbers, but I am willing to take a guess the number of Business Method patents allowed to date is quite low. It is something that I believe should be more contested by the general public then the idea of software patents. I mean at least I'll see the end of a Patent term in my lifetime, but that same code that gets copyrighted won't be touchable until after a great many of us are long gone.
There is one simple fact about human nature that makes unions inherently bad. The fact in question is that power corrupts people and there is just as much (if not more) corruption at the upper levels of unions as there are in corporations. In the end, union leaders become more concerned about their own ambitions and care more about what is good for them, then what is good for the union as a whole.
Now, unionizing in a field that is already moving to out-sourcing and off-shoring is going to only make the move go quicker, and possibly force the hand of some companies already leaning in that direction to go ahead with the move. Unions were more important many years ago before labor laws emerged into what they are today, but they are also unneeded in a highly competitive field.
You see why would you go work for company A, if company B has better benefits to offer then company A. This is the current system and it works fairly well, because people almost always look at the benefit of a certain job along with the salary and location (and whatever else at which you may look).
I have never been a big fan of unions. In most situations they do nothing but interfere with businesses, and in some cases new unions actually create rising costs for businesses since they force their policies or refuse to work. The most wonderfully stupid thing I once saw was pizza delivery drivers trying to unionize. There is also a long list of union incidents that have resulted in inconveniences for thousands of individuals and hurt companies. (Airline employees and UPS come to mind)
While I do not like the fact I work at a place with a union, I am not required to pay dues, and since I have a federal government job we cannot strike anyway. The bulk of the unions power is being counsel for employees in grievances, and this role should be the extent of most unions "help."
When I was taking my ethics course for engineering in college (Electrical Engineering), there was talk among students and the professor teaching the course about rumors around EE workers unionizing. The thought really bothered me, and the same though about CS bothers me too. I hope that workers don't start to seriously consider this, unless of course they like the idea of working at McDonald's....because that is where they will wind up if they form a union. No software company is going to give them a chance to unionize and make a union with the type of power the UAW has.
1. There is a huge thread going on about religion and its role in the current state of science. To be honest this should have minimal influence, since the majority of religion is not anti-science and most science is not anti-religion. We are not going to see the same sort of issues we did a long time ago when the church proclaimed we were at the center of the universe and persecuted those who said otherwise. Though the issue of evolution and intelligent design is getting that way, I believe in the end most courts will see ID for what it is, creationism with a fancy name so I don't believe this will greatly detract from the science areas.
2. Standardized testing. In this case it is more the "No Child Left Behind Act" that bothers me. The standardized testing and programs the US Government wants implemented (with state dollars no less) detract from the actual learning experience. Most teachers are pressured by administrations to gear their teaching towards the standardized tests, which results in students who learn for the test and not for the sake of learning. It also forces important subject matters out of the classrooms because at the end of the day there just isn't time.
3. Education. This goes up the whole chain, from K to 12 and through college. While I seriously believe that K-12 is the majority of the problem, to say college has no issues would be naive. I believe high school needs to become a more focused afair at an earlier age. I also believe that more states need to consider raising education funding and to fund special schools for the precocious children. The increase funding is a no brainer, better tech, better books and lower students to teacher ratios improves class performance, learning and involvement. The special schools is also important because many systems have taken the keep everyone on the same level approach and this grossly fails. It is not a good idea to keep faster and smarter students behind with the rest of a class because of the slower students who just cannot keep up. I cannot count the hours wasted re-hashing the same course materials day in and day out through high school and it is often frustrating to put up with.
4. Science is fun. While this can be a deceiving way to promote science it is one that has been lost in recent years. I remember two shows popular on Saturday morning in my early to mid-teens (Beakman's World and Bill Nye, I think those were the two) that gave science a fun perspective and taught things at the same time. I think it is a good idea to show kids early on how much fun science can be by doing more of the "high school" things earlier on. Egg drops, disections, Science based contests. There is a small museum back home called BRIMS, I do not know how many places like this there are, but surely more are needed.
5. This might get me modded trolling or flamebait, but society is next on the list. I harken more to kids whose idols are rap artists, movie stars and professional athletes. While aspiring to become one of these is not a bad thing, there are too many people who are convinced this is how they are going to make a living. Look at the pro baseball and basketball players who have gone from high school to pro sports. Granted these people have money, but how many would survive in the world if they tore a vital ligament or were otherwise seriously injured tomorrow. Some people seem to have forgotten that education is just as important as sports and getting the proper education is a good idea.
6. Video games? This one might get me trolled or flamebaited too, but I have to say it. This has grown in recent years to grand proportions. While everyone has been pushing for people to step away from the TVs or the consoles to go outside and get healthier (not a bad idea), they seem to have forgotten the "brain rot" and so have parents. I would get yelled out for spending hours online, but I learned more in high school reading the internet a few hours a day then I e
Ok this thing in no way shape or form resembles a light stick. It doesn't even operate in the same manner (this would actually begin to cause it to fail with technologies). It is a gyro-pointer. It works using wireless connection (IR if I remember, maybe RF) and the signals sents are with gyroscopes. Now if you want to see an example of this in use, I point you to the gyro-mouse, a very capable device and very ease to use the motion features for controlling. TV Size should not effect it beyond the fact that you are going to have the same resolution on the smaller screen then on the bigger one, so its performance won't change, just your poor eyesight.
I have experience using the types of technology that Nintendo is putting into this controller and it is quite accurate and very fast. The controller that Nintendo is promoting is even suppose to plug into a regular controller. This is nothing like those crappy things you get for your other systems, because this actually looks professional and is made good.
I would figure that your getting rated (probably troll and/or flaim) would clue you in to how off your comments are and that you aren't attacking the issue but instead sound like you are directly attacking Nintendo.
And really, are people going to competitively play FPS games by pointing a stick at a screen and shooting?
PC Gamers like me would ask you: Are people going to competitively play FPS games with a controller? This is a NINTENDO controller. They are not going to be selling a huge number of FPS games anyway. I still do not see the joy of FPS on the console. I've played quite a few and to be honest my mouse and keyboard are 10x better anyday. Why do you think they don't put these people on the same servers, because the console gamers would get raped unmercifully by the PC Gamers...your point is stupid and invalid.
I'm kind of doubting it. It'll more likely be used for some dorky version of "bubble bobble" where bubbles fall from the top of the screen and you pop them with the pointer. Whoooo.
You mean the games that made gaming great, and that the "real gamers" will tell you are what gamers actually play, not GTA and Madden and Halo? I will now point you to the legendary games in Nintendo History...Mario Brothers (Platform), Tetris (by most of todays gamers standards...geeky), Dr. Mario (try this as a drinking game). Some other good games throughout time...Chu Chu Rocket, Bomberman, the countless party games for various consoles and names (Monkeyball, Mario Party, Sega had some too). You know there was gaming before the FPS, the sad thing is...gaming history is short and most the "gamers" today probably cannot name for you the game that made the FPS/3D shooter into the games they are today.
You know why Sega failed? Because they tried to leave their niche a bit too much and got pounded on the Dreamcast by a worse console (the PS2). Sega and Nintendo were the companies that made gaming good in the late 80s/early 90s. Sony and M$ are the ones running it into the ground. In case some of you forgot, there were short lived fears of Nintendo hardware death after Sega went software only...
So does this mean when the shortage hits just in time for X-Mas, they'll all show up on eBay for like $1000 a piece? I mean seriously, I can envision them costing that much when the parent who has the spoiled brat child HAS to get this for them.
Paranoid comment of the day: What would keep M$ from secretly selling these on eBay for an extra $200 or $300 to all those people struck by the shortage...
How many versions of Windows XP are there? Really just two...
How many versions of Vista are there going to be? Something like 6. M$ is moving the opposite direction that you are saying Linux should. They are going to create market confusion with their own products, JOY.
Maybe Linux needs to start following the Highlander quote: "There can be only one" and start having all of these competitors duel off
This is always happening. Look at the number of distro's that have totally disappeared. Also remember that of those 300 distros the bulk of the desktop users are probably only using 10 or so of those. (Suse, Madriva, Redhat, FedoraCore, Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Gentoo, some I am forgetting.) There are a lot of very specialized distros that are used for firewalls and the like. When it comes to desktop use the majority of those 300 sort of fade away.
Just have one damn version and make the damn thing work for the latest technology, make it fast, and make it easy to understand for even the dumbest american.
You never have used Madrake/Mandriva have you? Not to flame, but from the get go they have set out to make a user friendly distro that most any idiot can figure out, and by and large they have done a good job of making the distro good for the power users and good for the lowly idiots of computing. The bulk of your make it work for the latest technology is the fault of your driver makers, not linux. There is poor support for some devices in Linux because of drivers. I mean who had x86-64 support first (Linux or Windows), well Linux did. Seems like they had something working in the latest tech first.
This post has been brought to you by a Dell Inspiron 8600, made less evil by Fedora Core 3.
Warner brothers, by goodness this is what happens when I am tired...
Everyone knows that it was the Wacko Brothers and their sister Dot selling kid scout cookies to Einstein that helped him create E=mc^2, by singing the Acme song.
Finally I am going to use some numbers that no one has tried yet for the car argument. About 1/2 down this page http://www.suntimes.com/output/auto/cst-fin-teen14 .html, you will find stats showing that 9% of 16-17 yr olds had new cars and 36% of 16-17 yr olds have used cars. Now assuming worst case scenario that their parents bought them these cars, that is only 45% of 16-17 yr olds with their own cars, not a majority unless my math has failed me.
Now, assuming that at least some percentage of those are paying for their cars and for the gas and maintenance, shit I would be surprised if they could even afford video games or had time to play them, the amount of money they'd be spending on gas these days and the time working to pay for them.
Trust me there are still a great majority of people where they do not get cars at all. This varies greatly by where you live because there are some places where a car is almost unnecessary to get around. There are also some places where a car is almost fully essential. Also some of these people with used cars are probably getting the car their parents at sitting around. My first car a 1985 Chevy S-10 that was 13yrs old when I turned 16. It had been used so long the tires were dry rotted and had to be replaced.
Ummm...how short of a period are you using for the "quantum leaps" in game tech? I remember playing on Coleco Vision in the '80s growing up and playing on NES, SNES, Master System, Genesis, N64, PSX, DC, PS2, and Xbox (probably missed some in there) over time (Note: I've only owned a NES, PSX, DC and PS2 and I bought all but the NES).
These game consoles certainly had more then better graphics going for them. There have been entire genres created and re-created on the consoles in this amount of time. There is also the evolution of the controller, which is still happening. There have been forays into new gameplay methods (microphone of Seaman, the Powerglove, the DDR dance pad...the list goes on). Trust me the game consoles have changed, just a great many of you forget that there were consoles before the Playstation.
I don't know about the distracting technologies argument. Many of these things are beginning to merge. I mean my cellphone plays games, has digital photography (and video), plays MP3s, allows "chatting." These "distracting technologies" are actually merging into single devices. Even the PS3 and Xbox 360 are trying to combine the "media" experience into the consoles. Yes cable and satellite have 200+ channels of which most people watch like 20 (I don't even think I get that many, college football, Whose Line, Family Guy, HD programming...I probably would survive with 20 or fewer channels if I got to pick them). Besides TV sort of counters your mobile argument next does it not? Also with integration of these "distracting techs" in handheld systems (a la PSP), the emerging tech and mobile generation begin to lose a bit more strength in their argument.
I addressed the getting a car argument above. While it does happen, I do not think it is as prolific as you think. Many of the parents I know set the...get a car...get a job rule. Where they may get you one, or help you buy one...but you are going to work. It also becomes a lot easier if your kid is big on extracurricular activities. (Note: To parents with daughters, the two seater is great...no back seat to worry about, if you know what I mean.)
The failure of real-time gaming? Yeah World of Warcraft has been a total flop. Diablo 2 didn't last for ages. Sporting games do run into problems on occassion but not so much as people would think. Oh wait remembered a console game that worked well, HALO!
Really your "anecdotal" experience is more like none at all. I think you will find that gaming might slowly be returning to its niche (though it might be a larger one). It is quite possible this crazy surge of console gaming is coming to an end. We might look back on this in 10 or 20 years and say, wow remember that crazy fad where everyone loved gaming...
It is important to note that Microsoft was in support of KSR International in their case against Teleflex (wraiting on Writ of certiorari before the SCOTUS). This case is questioning the requirement for a statement explaining why a combination under 35 USC 103 is obvious. This standard was created by the CAFC (Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit). It would not be an overstatement to say that removal of this requirement would prevent countless patents and would possibly invalidate thousands more.
So Microsoft definitely doesn't mind changing things that would hurt the issuance of patents, but I doubt they would go so far as to totally despise the patent system. The patent system can guarantee them money (well at least possibly) for years if they do have some horrific failure in the years to come. The 20 yr life of a patent might keep them afloat for a while if they ever need to use it.
It really peeves me when we add laws on top of laws rather than repealing bad ones and drafting new ones to cover changes. Innovation has occurred for thousands of years without copyright or patent protection. Free use wasn't even a phrase until we started to see tyrannical laws that abuse basic rights, inherent to all humans regardless of what their governments say or do.
Actually this isn't really a true statement. The extent to which patent protections have been around varies greatly. But if you look at the age of greatest technological advancement, post-Industrial Revolution, then you would note that patents have been around since then. The earliest patent law by wikipedia's count is 1474. This pre-dates the "Middle Ages". While not thousands of years, it is hard to argue that there was more innovation pre-1474 then there was post-1474. (I have material at home that suggests the Chinese had a patent system of sorts even pre-dating this, will find it when I get home I guess.)
It is also important to remember that before the printing press (circa 1455) that many individuals did not have access to written works or understand enough language to make Patents or Copyrights useful. As time passed and technology grew, people began to become more literate and the copying of materials also became something that was easier to do.
I think repealing Copyrights is definitely a bad idea. Anyone who requires writing, music, movies, etc. as their primary source of income will tell you it would cost them money. While many of them could probably still make money doing things like public appearances, concerts and book signings, there are some who do require copyright to ensure their writing earn them their fair share of money (freelance columnist and cartoonists would be good examples here).
Repealing patent laws is a bit trickier of an issue. There are laws in place (DMCA and older laws) that would to some degree protect inventions. It would still be illegal to repackage the Windows source code as "Swodniw" because they could argue the theft of trade secrets or the like. This then creates a burden on the legal system to resolve issues of this nature, which takes time away from them actually doing important cases. Patents encourage innovation by requiring people to disclose their invention. By disclosing what their invention is, a company is opening information to some degree that would allow people to create improvements of the invention. While some people would argue that Patents are too long, before you even start griping about them, I would complain about the abusive Copyright laws that large corporations have managed to get extended to the point where I would be lucky to see some things that were released when I was born in the Public Domain when I die.
In conclusion, patents and copyrights have not stifled invention and actually encourage individuals to release their works and inventions because they know they will be protected from companies who can undercut them or individuals who will reprint and sell their books or music cheaper. The thousands of years of innovation are not really a valid argument because innovation is highly concentrated in the latter part of human history, and I will have to find my reference for Chinese patents. It is also possible that earlier civilizations had methods and things in place similar to patents; however, history does typically get a bit harder to track their further back we go.
I just hope you think a bit about copyrights and patents. Both systems (in the US at least) have some flaws that need to be worked out. A great deal of people have been asking for change and it might finally be coming for the Patent Office. Contact your congressmen and women to let them know why the changes being institued by the currently present patent reform act are a good idea. I would also think about throwing in a few side notes on the detriments of long time Copyrights. Remember though, if an author really wants their work for fre
No, I just use 12 month numbers because it evens out the jumps that occur when a new version of a distro releases. Granted on the 12 month Suse and FC are close anyway.
Actually anonymity did not exactly win. The case has been remanded back to the lower court. The argument before the DE Supreme Court was that the individuals in question did not establish a prima facia case and that the judge over the case used a very relaxed standard that did not provide proper first ammendment protection. Based from what I heard this site was saying, I would not be too surprised in the end if the bloggers get unmasked. Of course, in order for that to happen the people behind this will have to continue the case, but I cannot see why they wouldn't if they have gone this far.