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Comment: Re: Congratulations! (Score 1) 229

by drinkypoo (#43798675) Attached to: Tesla Motors Repays $465M Government Loan 9 Years Early

Anyway, point being, he just paid back a loan which, in effect, created a luxury car company.

Well no. They created a car company. The next model which is being designed now is the normally-priced car. If they can stay in business long enough to build it, which seems likely, then we should see it roll out in a bit. We wouldn't have had to do this if the automakers had made EVs the first time around, e.g. during the EV-1 era... instead of flirting with them, then crushing them and declaring them undesirable, because they couldn't make service revenues on them. The two groups which stood to lose were auto dealers and Big Oil. Auto dealers depend on service revenues, and automakers are forced to sell through auto dealers.

Comment: Re:Can i please have two? (Score 1) 348

by drinkypoo (#43793389) Attached to: Xbox One: No Always-Online Requirement, But Needs To Phone Home

I hate to make a "This is the year of" prediction, but I think some of the casual consoles will pick up a bit of steam with the crap Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo are putting out.

Now look, I'm buying an Ouya and a lot of people like Steam but they both require online activation and many features will continue to require always-on. And Steam loves to revert to online mode, or has in my experience. I only launch it now and then to see if any new Linux stuff has appeared (Osmos showed up, whee, that's been on Linux for ages but not on Steam) and to try to finish downloading TF2, which should be an easy overnight download but not with Steam! Why, I have no ideer. I usually forget to resume the download. It has restarted itself completely once. Total shit software, complete amateur hour like a cheap cellphone game that downloads one or more gigabytes of data before you can play and doesn't resume the downloads. In fact, the initial Steam update during Steam install downloads without resume, too. Someone should call Valve and tell them it's not 1991 any more.

Comment: Re:Well, fuck that ... (Score 1) 348

by drinkypoo (#43793317) Attached to: Xbox One: No Always-Online Requirement, But Needs To Phone Home

Microsoft may have visions of this being my entertainment center of the future, but it won't be. And if it is going to require this ability to connect to the internet at will (and from the sounds of it when I even have it turned off due to this low power napping), then this is a non-starter for me.

I agree with you, but who the hell are you, statistically? And who the hell am I? We're just two people out of the masses of asses.

I don't care about the TV integration, I don't care about the skype integration, I don't care about the web integration, I don't care about enhanced sports watching ... I care about one thing, single player games with no internet requirement. This isn't it.

But that's the thing, most people are happy to suck down sports games with new rosters year by year, most people do want to watch TV. And Microsoft has seen how integration on cellphones drives use, and wants to bring the same concept to the console; I think it has a fair chance of being a good idea.

Now I'm more likely to buy another XBox360 as a spare so I can keep playing the games I have now, but I won't be buying this.

If you're serious about this, you need to take some steps now, like backing up and so on. Also, you should buy replacement optical drives for both your primary and backup console. That's what's most likely to go on a used machine which has demonstrated resistance to the RROD through simple longevity.

Comment: Re: No Sale (Score 1) 348

by drinkypoo (#43793279) Attached to: Xbox One: No Always-Online Requirement, But Needs To Phone Home

I guess you realise Steam, Origin etc are the same, only with no option to sell at all?

While you are legally correct, Steam games are tied to Steam accounts and thus if you make a separate account for each game (in violation of the AUP) then you can sell the account (also in violation of the AUP).

It's time to put our support behind indie gaming. Kickstarter is making this possible. Let's actually do it.

Comment: Re:What's it *really* cost? (Score 1) 348

by drinkypoo (#43793257) Attached to: Xbox One: No Always-Online Requirement, But Needs To Phone Home

Besides, someone else pointed out already Sony's stock is up because they've suggested they might spin off their entertainment unit.

I don't know if I buy that. Why would that be a good thing? That unit is profitable (unlike MS' entertainment division, when considered overall) and also synergistic. Blu-ray, for example, got a big boost from the PS3, and vice versa. It's possible neither one would be here today otherwise.

Comment: Re:Very weird priorities (Score 1) 121

Funny you mention that, because police here in Canada have been warned to watch for natives doing this in order to disrupt the country. It's been an on-going warning since the 1980's.

This is what I came to say, not this specific thing, but that it's bullshit. How the hell do you watch for people doing this? For that matter, you don't even need an angle grinder, just a hack saw. It would take a long time, but it's much easier to conceal and a lot lighter to carry around. The truth is that most of our cities get power through just one or two points and it would be easy to disrupt them, but nobody is actually even trying. We know nobody is trying because of how pathetically easy it would be.

Comment: You can't afford to be in business (Score 2) 465

If you can't afford to pay someone what it costs to do the job right, then you can't afford to be in the business you're in. You can do it for a while, until you build up a reputation for overpromising and underdelivering. You should focus on work you can afford to do.

Comment: Re:What's it *really* cost? (Score 1) 348

by drinkypoo (#43792933) Attached to: Xbox One: No Always-Online Requirement, But Needs To Phone Home

If they expect me to pay them for multiplayer gaming this time around, they're living in a fantasy land.

I feel the same way, but many people don't. And since games using Live will be able to use Azure to run servers, at least you're finally getting something for your money. In theory.

This unveiling was so vague and missing information that it's truly impressive. It's like Microsoft knows their answers are going to piss people off, so they're just avoiding giving details at all.

Which is why after the announcement, Sony stock is up and Microsoft stock is down slightly.

Comment: Re:Steam for comparison (Score 3, Interesting) 348

by drinkypoo (#43792907) Attached to: Xbox One: No Always-Online Requirement, But Needs To Phone Home

I'm pleased that I won't have to replace my 360 any time soon - there are too many uncertainties to jump in feet first into a new platform with new games and no backwards compatibility.

That's what I thought about my Wii. But since the latest system update and Netflix update, I'm getting those hard lockups where the Wii makes a horrible air horn noise. (Thanks, Nintendo!) It's almost as if they snuck a classic Wii-killing function into the latest update. I opened up the Wii using a guide and made sure there was no dust in it, and there really wasn't. I hope the fan is just dying or something...

I've had to repair my 360 as well, the optical drive went tits up so I replaced it, doing the logic board swap so that I didn't have to mess with key extraction. Just a small handful of solder points and I'm off and running. That is, after getting into the @#%@!!# case. Even the Wii was easier. The classic Xbox is like opening a Mac II by comparison.

Comment: Re:Steam for comparison (Score 1) 348

by drinkypoo (#43792893) Attached to: Xbox One: No Always-Online Requirement, But Needs To Phone Home

Steam still needs to be online to activate new purchases, even if you buy them in a brick and mortar store AFAIK.

Of course there's nothing saying Valve can't change this if they want to make Steambox more attractive to the internet-less.

Valve can not change this without eliminating what DRM they have. As such, they will not change this. Look for all consoles of the future to go this direction.

Comment: Re:Flawed "Think of the Children" as usual (Score 1) 727

by drinkypoo (#43792833) Attached to: House Bill Would Mandate Smart Gun Tech By U.S. Manufacturers

It's not always possible. See the 1911 with the flush trigger. Still

Seems to me like most modern 1911 triggers have holes in them. You could lock them with nothing more than a padlock. That's how mine is, anyway. I used to use a cable lock, now I use a lock box. California requires that I own a lock and/or safe which was purchased at the same time as the weapon, but a $2 cable lock qualifies. Or you can get them free from the PD. They give you a receipt that says they just gave it to you, so it qualifies as the lock requirement. Crazy, huh?

Mother is the invention of necessity.

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