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Comment Re:So much for build quality... (Score 1) 531

Most laptops with a MacBook Pro's feature set also cost about the same amount of money. Compared to those around me, I'd say you get a sexy, sturdy exterior and a high-quality screen.

Maybe 2 years ago or if you don't know what you are doing. Have you seen the PC configurations you get for the price of an MBP? An MBP gets you a nice case and a temporary cpu spec advantage: also gpu for the 15 and 17in models, but that's about it. I get Macs for the OS and build, but features and specs have been a joke for a long time, especially on the 13in. Also, the screens look nice but the screen real estate is bad, expect for the 17in. And what's with the netbook level hard drive configurations?

Comment Re:It's ridiculous that SSNs should be sensitive i (Score 1) 391

The problem isn't with google for collecting social security numbers. The problem is that SSNs are so sensitive in the US.

Sounds like the problem is with both of them. SSNs shouldn't expose so much sensitive data, but Google shouldn't needlessly collect or misuse sensitive personal data regardless of how poorly the system is implemented. Furthermore, if companies like Google support the misuse of SSNs, then it is going to be all the more difficult for the American people to fix the system because corporations will claim that they depend on it (something that marketing companies do all the time).

Comment Re:works in linux (Score 1) 218

That's great that it works well on Linux, but it seems like a trade-off. I prefer watching Netflix on Xbox. Also, I have never been a fan navigating through Amazon's clusterfuck of content. For example, I prefer Kindle apps for ebooks, but I dread going to their site to purchase ebooks. They have a habit of cramming too much content on a page and trying to tie in every section of their business that they possibly can: something I don't have to deal with when I order dvds or update my Netflix que. I think the real bonus here is if it does well, Netflix might provide even better services to compete. I welcome the competition, but I think the service has even more flaws than Netflix.
Games

Balancing Choice With Irreversible Consequences In Games 352

The Moving Pixels blog has an article about the delicate balance within video games between giving players meaningful choices and consequences that cannot necessarily be changed if the player doesn't like her choice afterward. Quoting: "One of my more visceral experiences in gaming came recently while playing Mass Effect 2, in which a series of events led me to believe that I'd just indirectly murdered most of my crew. When the cutscenes ended, I was rocking in my chair, eyes wide, heart pounding, and as control was given over to me once more, I did the only thing that I thought was reasonable to do: I reset the game. This, of course, only led to the revelation that the event was preordained and the inference that (by BioWare's logic) a high degree of magical charisma and blue-colored decision making meant that I could get everything back to normal. ... Charitably, I could say BioWare at least did a good job of conditioning my expectations in such a way that the game could garner this response, but the fact remains: when confronted with a consequence that I couldn't handle, my immediate player's response was to stop and get a do-over. Inevitability was only something that I could accept once it was directly shown to me."
Input Devices

Microsoft CEO Says Kinect To Support PCs Eventually 47

Ken writes "Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has said that the company will support Kinect for PCs sometime in the future. The motion controller is currently only officially supported for the Xbox 360, although it has been hacked and tweaked to work on pretty much any platform that can be plugged into via a USB port. 'We're trying to move beyond gaming to include the world of socialization, movies, TV, music, and we're trying to make the whole experience accessible to everybody in the family not just the traditional gamer.' When Ballmer was asked, 'Will you plug-in the Kinect to the PC, will you go for that in the near future?' he replied, 'We'll support that in a formal way in the right time and when we've got an announcement to make we'll make it.' Note that this is completely separate from the Kinect-like controller from PrimeSense and Asus." Other readers have tipped related articles about Kinect being used to enable 3D teleconferencing and help drive a small helicopter drone.
Input Devices

Kinect Creators To Make PC Controller 96

Hugh Pickens writes "PrimeSense, the privately held Israeli company that licensed core Kinect technology to Microsoft, is teaming up with PC and peripheral maker Asus to create a similar device for the PC that can be used for browsing multimedia content and accessing the Internet and social networks — basically, the main things consumers use their PCs for. Last month, a Korean game developer claimed that Microsoft was working on a version of Kinect for the PC, but Microsoft hasn't confirmed any such plans."
Image

4chan Declares War On Snow 201

With all the recent hacktivism in the news, Anonymous has decided to take on a new and powerful enemy: snow. On Sunday the group announced that it will "do everything in its power to shut snow down by attacking the Weather Channel and North Face websites, boycotting outerwear, and voting for the sun as Time’s 2010 Person Of The Year." I'm sure there are a lot of people in Minneapolis right now that would wish them luck.

Comment Re:Anonymous releases are possible (Score 2) 333

These are the times; pervasive corruption and public complicity. Wikileaks is a response to them.

Why? Is that something new? History is less corrupt? I think Wkileaks is a response to technology, not corruption. The need has always been there, the real difference here is there is a more efficient platform that is harder to control. Also I think your assessment of the which generation appreciates Wikileaks is anecdotal and inaccurate. I'm actually surprised that so many people have been undecided on the issue instead of picking whatever side they typically identify with.

Comment Re:Take a lesson out of Google's/Facebook playback (Score 1) 338

Okay NBC, Hulu, etc. our new policy: we won't index sites which decide to arbitrarily support devices due to "incompatible business models" ..

Wouldn't that be more of an inconvenience to Google's customers? I certainly don't want Google interfering with my search results like that regardless of how I feel about this issue, and would probably just use another search engine. Furthermore, it could just perpetuate the problem.

Comment Re:What's with this app horsedookie? (Score 1) 225

You know, not every bit of software is an app...

Isn't that why it said "and services"? Although...

Etymologically, yes...but it's used (or at least is supposed to be used) to describe small applications downloadable to phones. I noticed it really take hold with Apple's App Store, although its been around longer than that

That usage of the word apps especially "internet apps", web apps etc predates the mobile phone usage. Your reference is just the more recent trend even it if has been used for a while.

Image

Australian Politician Caught Viewing Porn 150

destinyland writes "An Australian Parliament member has resigned after admitting he'd used government computers to access porn and gambling sites. McLeay 'gave an uncomfortable press conference outside Parliament House,' notes one technology site, 'during which he admitted he had acted in a standard not expected of cabinet ministers.' Paul McLeay was also the Minister for Mineral and Forest Resources as well as the Minister for Ports and Waterways. In resigning, he apologized to his constituents and parliamentary colleagues, as well as to his wife and family."

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