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Role Playing (Games)

How Gamers View Their MMOs 132

GamerDNA is trying out what they call their Discovery Engine, a system that uses metadata from users to classify games and identify which have similar traits. Massively describes it thus: "Once the gamerDNA community continues to contribute to something like this, it builds up an enormous database of terminology based on actual player knowledge, not just shiny PR words thrown together to promote a game. These search terms can end up being unique to a specific genre, and ultimately lead gamers to exactly the types of games they're looking for." GamerDNA tested the system out on some of the popular MMOs, and they've posted the results. They look at how MMO players identify themselves within the game, how they describe the setting, and what basic descriptive phrases they use in reference to the games.
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Slashdot's Disagree Mail 135

This installment of Disagree Mail highlights a man's concern about illegal cloning in the Hollywood community, a guy who is sick of US imperialism and his low karma, and an example of the kind of people you don't want as roommates in college. Read below to find out just how crazy, angry and irresponsible it gets.
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Slashdot's Disagree Mail 126

Usually persistence is an admirable quality. There comes a time however when you reach that fine line between endeavoring to persevere, and drunk dialing your ex-girlfriend. The mail this week is from people who don't know when to say when. You have to admire their determination and feel a little bit bad that they don't have anything else to do. Read below to see how many times someone can click send in a day.
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"Stayin Alive" Helps You Stay Alive 31

In a small study conducted at the University of Illinois medical school, doctors and students maintained close to the ideal number of chest compressions doing CPR while listening to the Bee Gees hit, "Stayin' Alive." At 103 beats per minute, the old disco song has almost the perfect rhythm to help keep accurate time while doing chest compressions. The study showed the song helped people who already know how to do CPR, and the results were promising enough to warrant larger, more definitive studies with real patients or untrained people. I wonder what intrinsic power is contained in "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?"
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Slashdot's Disagree Mail 206

Being in a relationship is not easy, more than half of all first marriages fail in this country. That statistic doesn't improve if you spend most of your time reading your favorite website and not tending to the needs of your family. Instead of asking me to help fix your relationship maybe you should try playing with your kids, talking to your wife, and not staring at a computer screen all day. You should realize that the help link doesn't provide help with your life. It's mostly for getting passwords and stuff. Below you'll find a collection of people that should have reached out to Dr. Phil and not Dr. Sam.
Music

Submission + - Radiohead offers "pay what you want" digit

SilentChris writes: Radiohead has announced that in 9 days they will be releasing their latest album through their website. The interesting part: you'll pay what you want. A physical version will be released in December for $82. No word yet on DRM, but given Radiohead's recent penchant for selling on MP3 sites, there's a good chance there won't be any. The best part: the record labels are completely uninvolved with this new venture.
Microsoft

Excel 2007 Multiplication Bug 806

tibbar66 writes with news of a serious multiplication bug in Excel 2007, which has been reported to the company. The example that first came to light is =850*77.1 — which gives a result of 100,000 instead of the correct 65,535. It seems that any formula that should evaluate to 65,535 will act strangely. One poster in the forum noted these behaviors: "Suppose the formula is in A1. =A1+1 returns 100,001, which appears to show the formula is in fact 100,000... =A1*2 returns 131,070, as if A1 had 65,535 (which it should have been). =A1*1 keeps it at 100,000. =A1-1 returns 65,534. =A1/1 is still 100,000. =A1/2 returns 32767.5."
Security

Submission + - TSA praised for being more intelligent

SilentChris writes: You may have seen recent news reports regarding the TSA warning about terrorist "dry runs" : a request for increased vigilance in airline security. Recently, odd things have been showing up at airports: cheese with a cell phone charger taped to it, ice packs with clay in them, etc. All the incidents turned out to be benign, but what's "unusual" has perhaps been the reaction. Rather than being ridiculed, the TSA is being praised for thinking outside the box. Said one CTO at a security firm, "It's refreshing to have something nice to say about TSA."
Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft votes for ODF

SilentChris writes: Microsoft has decided to put its weight behind ODF. They have voted to add ODF 1.0 to the ANSI list. Is this a sign that MS is willing to compromise further on Office standards, or is this (as they say) a trap?
Television

Submission + - Square One TV jacket on eBay

SilentChris writes: Just wanted to point out an auction for quite possibly the geekiest children's show ever. I'm selling a Square One TV jacket I won as a contestant on one of their mini gameshows. A very limited number of these were made. If nothing else you can take a gander at the pictures and revel in the 80s of it all.

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