"Place Lab is software providing low-cost, easy-to-use device positioning for location-enhanced computing applications. Place Lab tries to provide positioning which works worldwide, both indoors and out (unlike GPS which only works well outside). Place Lab clients can determine their location privately without constant interaction with a central service (unlike badge tracking or mobile phone location services where the service owns your location information).
The Place Lab approach is to allow devices like notebooks, PDAs and cell phones to locate themselves by listening for radio beacons such as 802.11 access points, GSM cell phone towers, and fixed Bluetooth devices that already exist in large numbers around us in the environment. These beacons all have unique or semi-unique IDs, for example, a MAC address. Clients compute their own location by hearing one or more IDs, looking up the associated beacons' positions in a locally cached map, and estimating their own position referenced to the beacons' positions. "
There is a difference between laziness and addiction. I would guess there *are* some folk addicted to television, but I would venture to say more are just lethargic people.
I hate when uneducated folk try to make this argument.
An addiction to something you find pleasurable may not have a few negative withdrawal effects, but EVERYTHING else is the same, including the PHYSICAL changes in the brain.
I wish I could provide a compelling argument for you, but you obviously have no background in neuroscience, and would thus have no idea what was being argued.
It's just hard to identify, due to the subjective methods of determining cases.
Given an activity someone finds sufficiently enjoyable, combined with a predisposition for addiction, can lead to (this is the important part) neurophysiological changes in the areas of the brain known to play a role in addiction (Nucleus Accumbens, Ventral Tegmental Area, etc).
There might not be withdrawal symptoms associated with certain drug uses, but *PHYSICAL* changes to these areas constitute addiction IMHO. Some people can't accept this because there is no real way to diagnose it apart from behavioral symptoms, so they think it's bullshit.
These people have not taken neuroscience courses, and should leave the debate.
I despise the RIAA as much as the next... But this is one of the few things I have *no* problem with. File sharing is one thing. Selling counterfeit copies? That's a far cry from not being able to afford the media, or wanting to casually fuck over the assholes at the RIAA.
Unlike file sharing, counterfeit sales logically *do* result in lost sales (arguable, but far less so than with file sharing, given the people are shelling out).
I think the third party theory has pretty much been debunked. Third party titles of outstanding quality sell deservedly well for the most part. It's up to the third party to develop a quality title, that is also appealing.
Some Nintendo games have totally flopped, but typically they do well, because typically, they are high quality games.
I'm 99.9% sure I remember hearing third parties happy with their sales on the Wii this past holiday...
Anyhow, I do agree that it's debatable whether the Wii will continue to steam roll the competition. My guess is that it will, but I am less sure than guessing about the PS3 placing a distant 3rd (given the 360's installed base, cheaper price, comparable hardware, comparable exclusives, etc. etc.)
Personally, I haven't been using mine mcuh recently (barring drunken weekends), but this comes with the territory when you are dealing with a first year console during the spring/early summer draught.
PS: On a side note, you discuss processing power and implications to AI. Do you know of any titles that would be limited in AI due to the Wii's processing? I can't think of any, and always had my doubts about AI being a bullet behind the pros of better hardware. Better theoretical AI maybe:-P
However: Nintendo announced its (and a few 3rd party titles as well) Summer release schedule, and during this or before (I've forgotten) we found that Smash Bros, Galaxies, and Metroid are still set to ship this year:D
Sony wouldn't have such a huge problem if they could back the vicious cycle they are within.
1.) Console too expensive to justify buying given lack of games. 2.) Less consumers adopt PS3. 3.) Developers see gamers going to other platform, eliminate exclusives. 4.) Repeat (1), removing PS3 exclusives gone multi-platform from equation.
Wii By a landslide, 360 with a strong following, PS3 in a small niche. All will have some great games, but Sony will get some much deserved humiliation.
Am I the only one who thinks that speculating that the PS3 price will drop based on this is absolutely ludacris?
Seriously though, who in their right mind would think a price drop will come right now?
1.) Sony drops price $100. 2.) Sony is back to square one, still losing as much money as before, but it's cheaper for the consomer. 3.) The price drop still leaves the price at an ungodly $500
Results? Slightly increased sales, with an increase in losses (due to more sales). It's *not* going to happen.
"In the second case, you are comparing a person who is familiar with security to someone who has no experience whatsoever, and the platforms again become irrelevant. If you don't even know what a virus/worm/trojan is, of course you won't do such a good job at securing a platform. "
Exactly. I was trying to point out that the experience of the user is far more important than the operating system that they run. Or, in other words, no OS is inherently secure; if it were, it would lose functionality or other important features.
Your local network obviously isn't run by someone who knows what they are doing. Your little anecdote supports my conclusion.
And if you missed it, I was discussing the past. The parent post essentially claimed that Unix has always been secure, which is a flat out lie.
And what are you questioning? What I said was that someone who knew what they were doing (half-way decent knowledge of good security practices) could harden a Windows box better than a newbie could harden a Linux box.
That's pretty funny, because from my experience, Unix has had a history rife with exploits and security issues... It *was* hacked to bits long ago. Good job!!!
Despite it's lesser market percentage, we still see exploits for Unix variants, and the services offered within. It's not some sort of impenetrable OS.
Anyhow. Security is in the hands of the user. Someone with half-decent security knowhow will be able to secure a Windows box far better than a newbie running Unix.
We've known from past studies that gaming is one of many, many factors influencing aggressive behavior. The extremely limited extent of this effect, and the fact that it's far more subdued in the vast majority of the population makes it a non-issue.
A decent ratings policy, combined with enforcement for some of the more mature games w/ younger children should suffice...
Anyhow, today I did two things apart from study: play counter-strike, and play tennis. I have to say, I was *far* more ready for a throwdown after playing in 15-30mph wind for a few minutes. Stressors happen. So do idiots who blame them for everything.
The whole "It's hard to make money because people only buy 1st party Nintendo games" schtick is really, really obnoxious. People buy quality titles (for the most part). Nintendo makes quality titles. The few third parties that do make quality titles sell well. It's not like I picked up Zelda because it was made by Nintendo; I picked up Zelda because it has gameplay that I enjoy, great artistic direction (vs. throwing mounds of polygons at you), and has proven a dependably excellent quality series. I also picked up Rayman, despite the fact that it's a third party title, because it looked to have some excellent off-beat humor and gameplay, and it lived up to that expectation.
Not to mention the fact that up front development costs are smaller for the Wii... And I would imagine development costs and time would be lesser as well, seeing that there is less horsepower to work with, and thus spending days getting the acne or sweat right would be pointless.
It's typically not wise to fold books over backwards when reading. The unpleasant sound the book makes when you do this the first few times might have been a good indication that you should stop;)
In other news: People with Anorexia found to be more productive than normal eaters.
"It's quite ingenious!" exclaimed one researcher, "it seems that because Anorexics do not need to take time to eat, they are far more productive!"
When asked whether health implications or possible mortality ensuing from Anorexia could negatively affect productivity, the researcher seemed angered, and left the interview.
On a serious note. One can get a lot done when they don't have to deal with cleaning shit up. But there is a certain point at which the stench, impossibility of finding important items, and spousal/co-worker nagging will counter any increased productivity.
If I were interested in picking up a new console, for the sole purpose of gaming, and was deciding between the PS3, Wii, and XBox360, what incentives would I have to invest in the PS3?
Slashdot Mirror
Why not use PlaceLab?
http://placelab.org/publications/pubs/pervasive-placelab-2005-final.pdf
"Place Lab is software providing low-cost, easy-to-use device positioning for location-enhanced computing applications. Place Lab tries to provide positioning which works worldwide, both indoors and out (unlike GPS which only works well outside). Place Lab clients can determine their location privately without constant interaction with a central service (unlike badge tracking or mobile phone location services where the service owns your location information).
The Place Lab approach is to allow devices like notebooks, PDAs and cell phones to locate themselves by listening for radio beacons such as 802.11 access points, GSM cell phone towers, and fixed Bluetooth devices that already exist in large numbers around us in the environment. These beacons all have unique or semi-unique IDs, for example, a MAC address. Clients compute their own location by hearing one or more IDs, looking up the associated beacons' positions in a locally cached map, and estimating their own position referenced to the beacons' positions. "
There is a difference between laziness and addiction. I would guess there *are* some folk addicted to television, but I would venture to say more are just lethargic people.
I hate when uneducated folk try to make this argument.
An addiction to something you find pleasurable may not have a few negative withdrawal effects, but EVERYTHING else is the same, including the PHYSICAL changes in the brain.
I wish I could provide a compelling argument for you, but you obviously have no background in neuroscience, and would thus have no idea what was being argued.
I don't.
It's just hard to identify, due to the subjective methods of determining cases.
Given an activity someone finds sufficiently enjoyable, combined with a predisposition for addiction, can lead to (this is the important part) neurophysiological changes in the areas of the brain known to play a role in addiction (Nucleus Accumbens, Ventral Tegmental Area, etc).
There might not be withdrawal symptoms associated with certain drug uses, but *PHYSICAL* changes to these areas constitute addiction IMHO. Some people can't accept this because there is no real way to diagnose it apart from behavioral symptoms, so they think it's bullshit.
These people have not taken neuroscience courses, and should leave the debate.
Seriously?
I despise the RIAA as much as the next... But this is one of the few things I have *no* problem with. File sharing is one thing. Selling counterfeit copies? That's a far cry from not being able to afford the media, or wanting to casually fuck over the assholes at the RIAA.
Unlike file sharing, counterfeit sales logically *do* result in lost sales (arguable, but far less so than with file sharing, given the people are shelling out).
When early man first discovered that a wheel could roll down a hill, how much closer did it bring them to modern day technology used in cars?
Answer: Not very, if at all.
I invite you to sit in on a class discussing this topic (memory); we know so little it's almost entertaining.
The Black Knight always triumphs! Have at you!
I think the third party theory has pretty much been debunked. Third party titles of outstanding quality sell deservedly well for the most part. It's up to the third party to develop a quality title, that is also appealing.
:-P
Some Nintendo games have totally flopped, but typically they do well, because typically, they are high quality games.
I'm 99.9% sure I remember hearing third parties happy with their sales on the Wii this past holiday...
Anyhow, I do agree that it's debatable whether the Wii will continue to steam roll the competition. My guess is that it will, but I am less sure than guessing about the PS3 placing a distant 3rd (given the 360's installed base, cheaper price, comparable hardware, comparable exclusives, etc. etc.)
Personally, I haven't been using mine mcuh recently (barring drunken weekends), but this comes with the territory when you are dealing with a first year console during the spring/early summer draught.
PS: On a side note, you discuss processing power and implications to AI. Do you know of any titles that would be limited in AI due to the Wii's processing? I can't think of any, and always had my doubts about AI being a bullet behind the pros of better hardware. Better theoretical AI maybe
Given the recent Sony event, this seems obvious.
:D
However: Nintendo announced its (and a few 3rd party titles as well) Summer release schedule, and during this or before (I've forgotten) we found that Smash Bros, Galaxies, and Metroid are still set to ship this year
Sony wouldn't have such a huge problem if they could back the vicious cycle they are within.
1.) Console too expensive to justify buying given lack of games.
2.) Less consumers adopt PS3.
3.) Developers see gamers going to other platform, eliminate exclusives.
4.) Repeat (1), removing PS3 exclusives gone multi-platform from equation.
Wii By a landslide, 360 with a strong following, PS3 in a small niche. All will have some great games, but Sony will get some much deserved humiliation.
Am I the only one who thinks that speculating that the PS3 price will drop based on this is absolutely ludacris?
Seriously though, who in their right mind would think a price drop will come right now?
1.) Sony drops price $100.
2.) Sony is back to square one, still losing as much money as before, but it's cheaper for the consomer.
3.) The price drop still leaves the price at an ungodly $500
Results? Slightly increased sales, with an increase in losses (due to more sales). It's *not* going to happen.
"In the second case, you are comparing a person who is familiar with security to someone who has no experience whatsoever, and the platforms again become irrelevant. If you don't even know what a virus/worm/trojan is, of course you won't do such a good job at securing a platform. "
Exactly. I was trying to point out that the experience of the user is far more important than the operating system that they run. Or, in other words, no OS is inherently secure; if it were, it would lose functionality or other important features.
Your local network obviously isn't run by someone who knows what they are doing. Your little anecdote supports my conclusion.
And if you missed it, I was discussing the past. The parent post essentially claimed that Unix has always been secure, which is a flat out lie.
And what are you questioning? What I said was that someone who knew what they were doing (half-way decent knowledge of good security practices) could harden a Windows box better than a newbie could harden a Linux box.
That's pretty funny, because from my experience, Unix has had a history rife with exploits and security issues... It *was* hacked to bits long ago. Good job!!!
Despite it's lesser market percentage, we still see exploits for Unix variants, and the services offered within. It's not some sort of impenetrable OS.
Anyhow. Security is in the hands of the user. Someone with half-decent security knowhow will be able to secure a Windows box far better than a newbie running Unix.
We've known from past studies that gaming is one of many, many factors influencing aggressive behavior. The extremely limited extent of this effect, and the fact that it's far more subdued in the vast majority of the population makes it a non-issue.
A decent ratings policy, combined with enforcement for some of the more mature games w/ younger children should suffice...
Anyhow, today I did two things apart from study: play counter-strike, and play tennis. I have to say, I was *far* more ready for a throwdown after playing in 15-30mph wind for a few minutes. Stressors happen. So do idiots who blame them for everything.
The whole "It's hard to make money because people only buy 1st party Nintendo games" schtick is really, really obnoxious. People buy quality titles (for the most part). Nintendo makes quality titles. The few third parties that do make quality titles sell well. It's not like I picked up Zelda because it was made by Nintendo; I picked up Zelda because it has gameplay that I enjoy, great artistic direction (vs. throwing mounds of polygons at you), and has proven a dependably excellent quality series. I also picked up Rayman, despite the fact that it's a third party title, because it looked to have some excellent off-beat humor and gameplay, and it lived up to that expectation.
Yes, but how can a gaming platform be a "one trick pony?"
I mean...
Personally I see:
Entire Collection of Wii Games
Entire Collection of GameCube Games
Entire Collection of Virtual Console Releases
Even if it were only Wii games, it couldn't be a "one-trick pony" unless that one trick is playing a library of different games?
You just compared an entire gaming platform, to a single purpose toy.
:-) /PC Gamer //Wii Gamer
I suppose I could argue every other sentence which you somehow managed to get wrong, but that would be easier
Not to mention the fact that up front development costs are smaller for the Wii... And I would imagine development costs and time would be lesser as well, seeing that there is less horsepower to work with, and thus spending days getting the acne or sweat right would be pointless.
:)
In any case... It's a good time to be a gamer
Indeed.
;)
It's typically not wise to fold books over backwards when reading. The unpleasant sound the book makes when you do this the first few times might have been a good indication that you should stop
In before the Sony fans asplode with hate due to the number one gaming PR fiasco of all time.
I don't think you can really argue the top spot. Unless of course you wanted to make it "Sony"
Lucky for Sony, the vast majority of consumers aren't combing internet gaming forums and websites to read about the latest "fun" from Sony.
In other news: People with Anorexia found to be more productive than normal eaters.
"It's quite ingenious!" exclaimed one researcher, "it seems that because Anorexics do not need to take time to eat, they are far more productive!"
When asked whether health implications or possible mortality ensuing from Anorexia could negatively affect productivity, the researcher seemed angered, and left the interview.
On a serious note. One can get a lot done when they don't have to deal with cleaning shit up. But there is a certain point at which the stench, impossibility of finding important items, and spousal/co-worker nagging will counter any increased productivity.
If I were interested in picking up a new console, for the sole purpose of gaming, and was deciding between the PS3, Wii, and XBox360, what incentives would I have to invest in the PS3?
The NPD numbers for the PS3 have not been terribly impressive. Do you have any plans for improving these numbers, apart from staying the course?
Is it me or has slashdot been increasingly populated with spammers that post crap like this? What's the deal?