Comment Re:Can we please skip the obligatory jokes? (Score 1) 210
Roy and HG thoughtfully provide us with a goldmine of shark memes, just waiting to be plundered: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-yeJbKbbMU/
Comment Re:Obligatory Samuel L. Jackson line... (Score 1) 414
Typo or no, I would have modded this one up if I had points :)
Submission + - It's official: Software will be unpatentable in NZ (nzcs.org.nz)
An anonymous reader writes: Despite what appears to be a big-budget lobbying effort by the pro-patent fraternity, Hon Simon Power announced today that he wouldn't be modifying the proposed Patents Bill hence software will be unpatentable once the Bill passes into law.
This is significant. As we've previously pointed out software patents aren't black and white, and there are certainly pros and cons. However on balance, we believe they represent a far greater risk to smaller NZ-based software providers than opportunity, and there are many cases where they have significantly stifled innovation.
We believe it's near impossible for software to be developed without breaching some of the hundreds of thousands of software patents awarded around the world, hence many software companies in New Zealand, creating outstanding and innovative software, live a constant risk that their entire business will be wound up overnight due to litigious action by a patent holder.
This has led to many a "patent troll" company, primarily in the US. These are non-software companies who exist only to buy up old patents with the sole intention of suing innovative software companies for apparent breach of these patents. The effects of this have been chilling.
This is significant. As we've previously pointed out software patents aren't black and white, and there are certainly pros and cons. However on balance, we believe they represent a far greater risk to smaller NZ-based software providers than opportunity, and there are many cases where they have significantly stifled innovation.
We believe it's near impossible for software to be developed without breaching some of the hundreds of thousands of software patents awarded around the world, hence many software companies in New Zealand, creating outstanding and innovative software, live a constant risk that their entire business will be wound up overnight due to litigious action by a patent holder.
This has led to many a "patent troll" company, primarily in the US. These are non-software companies who exist only to buy up old patents with the sole intention of suing innovative software companies for apparent breach of these patents. The effects of this have been chilling.
Submission + - Apple to hold iPhone 4 press confere (engadget.com)
teh31337one writes: Engadget writes :Headline says it all folks. Obviously the company is going to be getting out in front of this antenna drama (finally). We've been invited and we'll be there, presumably reporting live! It all happens at 10AM PT, Friday the 16th.
Submission + - ESRB exposes emails of gamers who filed privacy co (wow.com)
simrook writes: Thousand of people filed privacy complaints with the ESRB over Blizzard's recent (and afterwards recanted) move to requiring the display of real life names on their WoW, StarCraft II, and Diablo forums. 961 of those complainants had their emails exposed in the ESRB's response. Epic. Ironic. Fail.
Submission + - FTC Warns Gay Teen Site Not To Sell Personal Data (itworld.com)
itwbennett writes: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has warned two people associated with a now-defunct magazine and Web site for gay teens and young men that they would violate the privacy promises the publication made to subscribers by selling their personal information during a bankruptcy proceeding. The FTC, in a letter sent earlier this month, also suggested that the owners of XY Magazine and XY.com would be violating the privacy standards the company had in place before shutting down if they used the subscribers' personal information in a relaunch of the magazine or Web site. The personal information is listed as part of the debtor's estate in a New Jersey bankruptcy proceeding for Peter Ian Cummings, editor and founder of the magazine.
Submission + - Australia waters down internet filter policy (delimiter.com.au)
An anonymous reader writes: Looks like Australia's government is running a bit scared of a population enraged by its controversial mandatory filtering project. The Government today announced a suite of measures designed to provide controls around the filter project, including independent oversight and a review of content which would be included. In addition, some Australian ISPs will voluntarily censor any child pornography URLs. But the whole project is still going ahead — it's just been delayed and slightly modified.
Comment Re:Well, i guess so... (Score 2, Interesting) 409
for him to fairly make the comparison, he needs to try banning motorcycles and then telling us which is scarier
To be fair, he did introduce "guilt by association" legislation to make bikie gangs illegal in South Australia. That is why he is making this particular comparison.
To be fair, he did introduce "guilt by association" legislation to make bikie gangs illegal in South Australia. That is why he is making this particular comparison.
Comment Re:So what about Left4Dead 2? (Score 1) 71
No, it is also missing an entire type of special infected that looks like a police officer (or so I am reliably told. I personally have managed to work around the censorship in question).
So the changes are not just superficial.
Having said that, I don't buy into the logic of "if it is just gore that is missing then the game should be unaffected, otherwise it must suck". Remember, this is a _zombie_ shooter. In terms of generating an appropriate atmosphere for the game, like it or not, blood and gore are critical.
Watch 28 Days Later or Dawn of the Dead, then imagine watching them with zero blood and bodies that instantly vanished when killed.
What fun.
Comment Re:It seems ironic... (Score 1) 1147
Um, what?
I middle click on the might mouse all the time.
It is somewhat fiddly though, if you're not exactly in the centre you get a left or right click instead.
Comment Re:It's mildly shocking... (Score 1) 805
You just chose to use an OS made of candy.
Excellent, thanks for proving my point. Exhibit A.
I hope you're a Linux user, because it would take some balls to try and characterise OS X as inferior to Windows
