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Comment Re:maybe more secure (Score 1) 332

The risks are almost *exactly* the same except for one part. It is just a matter do you trust an external source to do it as good or better as you and be around for longer than you? Remember that external company is not beholden to you (like an employee) but to their owners. Remember they may go out of business before you.

I have to agree, and this is one of my problems with the cloud. Once a outside company has the data, who has the say on what happens to it if the company goes belly up. It opens up the potential for third parties to access the data. for corporations this really doesn't make sense especially when most have a data center and employees already.

for personal use I don't trust a third party with much of my data. I have my own backups and keep most of it in-house. With the new update to the Xbox 360 Microsoft just released there is now a cloud option for saving your game saves so you can play anywhere. something like this that has no "value" makes perfect sense to me to save in the cloud as who is really going to care that I'm 2/3rd of the way through call of duty and if I lose the save game so what. I can replay it as I have a disc with the game on it and I don't have to worry about a company turning off my ability to use it, selling the company, or going bankrupt.

For me this is the greatest argument against the cloud, You are at the mercy of the company running the cloud, if they decide to flip the switch one day and turn it off, due to any reason, your SOL. Depending on a third party to host data in todays day and age is not the best move, to many variables and potential downsides or ways to lose the data.

Comment Re:IW completely ignoring the community (Score 1) 201

Correct me if I miss the point of what elite is supposed to do (can't tell yet as can''t get into elite though I am registered it won;t let me accept teh license agreement to get in and take advantage) but won't Elite allow the ability to play with people of comparable ranks? yeah its an additional $50 but the map pack and DLC you get is worth more than that. why they didn't have enough server power for the preorders of elite is beyond comprehension.

Comment Re:The inevitable comparison, so let's get it over (Score 1) 201

I think you thoroughly misunderstand the casual gamer. Imagine having a job after graduation, having a house to look after, marrying somebody, having a few kids. Most casual gamers used to be hardcore gamers before they grew up.

Then you go through the divorce still have kids (hardcore gamers in training) still have a job, and you start turning back into a hardcore gamer. while there are always draws on time the older you get I'm finding there is still time to enjoy yourself, while COD style games are not my favorite and my skills are lacking in this genre with practice I hope to get better then my scurrent 5/26 kill/death ratio

Comment Re:Weird abstract... (Score 1) 386

...so developers release tech demos disguised as games.

You mean like "RAGE"?

That game comes how many years into the XBox 360 lifecycle? And the graphics and abilities are stunning. Gameplay was obviously a secondary consideration.

I think the timeframe of late 2013 seems reasonable. They'll announce next year, and give game developers a year to get up to speed and get some games on it. But it will be five years from now before there are many (or any) decent games that can truly take advantage of the new hardware.

I agree it takes time for the developers to get up to speed on new systems a good example is with the Xbox360 and the release of Kinect last year. This years crop of games that are coming out over the next few months are going further and utilizing the Kinect much better then the first crop of games for it. There are more voice commands and much more fun being able to modify guns by taking it apart and turning it with hands no controllers. Not to mention the modifications in the PC side of things that the KInect sensor is being used for. For me it has brought new life to the console and i look forward to more games utilizing the technology.

from a graphics standpoint the Xbox360 works well, while i do not develop for it (yet) I find the graphics to be great for my needs most of the games are in HD (at least 720) and are much better then the colecovision days. I have been considering purchasing a newer version of the system with the internal hard drive and using the current one as a media center by installing a alternative OS on it.

though I typically do not buy new consoles for at least 2 years because the first year or two there are no new groundbreaking games that actually utilize the new hardware for the first year at least (perfect example is the Kinect) developers need time to play with the hardware and see what they can do with it. After playing Kinect sports season two released after a year of Kinect being on the market there is 100% more voice command access then the first Kinect sports release with the sensor. I don't have to wave my hands anymore to navigate menus, just talk. As the developers get more comfortable with the technology I expect to see more titles utilizing the ability's of the sensor.

Comment Re:This is really about revenue generation (Score 1) 271

How is it that used game sales hurt the industry? The used game industry helps the industry keep interest in the titles as well as helping people who can't afford to buy 60 dollar games all the time to get them at a more reasonable price. the developer has been paid for the game in the first sale. Game Stop is nothing more then a pawn shop for used games. They pay better then the pawn shops do and sell higher but your buying used. I was thinking about buying the PS3 this year but I think i'm going to pass after this. I do buy more used then new games because of price point so I don't think i should be penalized for it. Sony has had a lot of missteps this year where customers are concerned

Comment blocking all sound (Score 1) 108

Blocking all sound in background tabs would work for some people (if technically illiterate) those of us that use internet streaming for music, listening to videos while doing other things not so much. I like the idea someone presented about showing in the tab which ones are providing sound in them, I would welcome something like this along with a utility to mute the sound in individual tabs. I'm starting to get tired of having to sort through scripts and code that I can change to fix issues created by someone else deciding that they know how to manage my system better then me. I have found issues with windows 7 that Microsoft decided that all my "broken" links (over their arbitrary number of 4) on my desktop to files on my thumb drives do not need to be on the desktop and deletes them with no warning. I would hate for Chrome or FF to follow in the trend of that one of the reasons I switched was the addons allowing me to make changes to the browser that benefit me but it should be my choice.not the company providing the software.
The Internet

Submission + - Internet Explorer Users Are Dumber (cnn.com)

BlueMikey writes: A company giving online IQ tests compared the results of the tests to the browser used by the test taker. Users of Internet Exporer averaged a score below average while users of Chrome, Firefox, or Safari were above average. Users of Opera scored the highest. Unfortunately for Internet Explorer users, the study did not have a causal link, so switching to a better browser probably will not boost their IQ test results.
Media

Submission + - How are photos controlled on the internet?

mark_reh writes: When you search for images via Google Images you see a bunch of pictures, but how is the availability of images controlled? For example, where are all the swimsuit pics of Sarah Palin when she was in beauty contests? How does the Palin organization or any other celebrity, or anyone else for that matter, manage to control availability of images on the web? If such control is possible, how do sex videos of celebrities manage to fall outside that control, or do they?

Submission + - Research shows IE users are dumber (minyanville.com)

smooth wombat writes: Many a joke is made at the expense of people who use Internet Explorer for their web browsing activities. You may now add that they are also dumber than those who use other browsers. As the graph on the page shows, those who use Internet Explorer are not only dumber, on average, than those who use other browsers, but that they are even dumber than they were five years ago (when the last survey took place).

It should be noted that those who use a browser other than IE have had their average IQ increase over the same time period. To view the entire report, use this link (pdf).

Cellphones

Submission + - AT&T to implement data throttling in early Oct (9to5mac.com)

suraj.sun writes: A new change for AT&T Wireless’ Unlimited Data subscribers will soon be taking place. Rumored to be starting in the first week of October, we’ve heard that AT&T will start throttling the data speeds of the network’s top data hogs. As Verizon (PDF) and Virgin have recently done, AT&T will be adopting a similar plan to try to curb the problem of data congestion and overall network issues that have hurt its 3G network’s performance since the onset of the iPhone.

The throttling plan will work like the others’. The heaviest users will see significant speed decreases for one billing cycle once they go over a threshold of data (we’re guessing 2-4GB?). These heavy users will still be able to access the network, but at a much slower speed. At the start of the next billing cycle, their speeds will return to normal.

http://9to5mac.com/2011/07/28/att-to-implement-data-throttling-in-early-october-just-in-time-for-iphone-5/

Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft's Web map exposes phone, PC locations (cnet.com)

suraj.sun writes: Microsoft has collected the locations of millions of laptops, cell phones, and other Wi-Fi devices around the world and makes them available on the Web without taking the privacy precautions that competitors have, CNET has learned.

The vast database available through Live.com publishes the precise geographical location, which can point to a street address and sometimes even a corner of a building, of Android phones, Apple devices, and other Wi-Fi enabled gadgets.

Unlike Google and Skyhook Wireless, which have compiled similar lists of these unique Wi-Fi addresses, Microsoft has not taken any measures to curb access to its database.

CNET News: http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20085028-281/microsofts-web-map-exposes-phone-pc-locations/?tag=topStories2

Submission + - House Panel Approves Bill Forcing ISPs Log Users (cnet.com) 2

skids writes: Under the guise of fighting child pornography, the House Judiciary Committee approved legislation on Thursday that would require Internet service providers (ISPs) to collect and retain records about Internet users’ activity. The 19 to 10 vote represents a victory for conservative Republicans, who made data retention their first major technology initiative after last fall's elections. A last-minute rewrite of the bill expands the information that commercial Internet providers are required to store to include customers' names, addresses, phone numbers, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, and temporarily-assigned IP addresses. Per dissenting Rep. John Conyers (D-MI): 'The bill is mislabeled ... This is not protecting children from Internet pornography. It's creating a database for everybody in this country for a lot of other purposes.'

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