4905797
submission
AnInkle writes:
Whether modern video games represent art and persistent attempts to censor controversial content in games have been discussed at length here. Now a blogger at The Tech Report makes the case that censorship of violent and sexual images and themes in video games is precisely what inhibits video games from maturing artistically beyond a nascent form. In a thoughtful column, he cites a historical comparison between video game and film production, and geo-cultural comparisons of film production in the US vs. Europe and of video game development in the US vs. Japan. Are these comparisons apt and the assertions valid, or might the embrace of video games as a legitimate art form be limited for entirely other reasons too numerous or complex to explain in such a short column?
3083115
submission
AnInkle writes:
Two months after acknowledging that their flagship 1.5TB Barracuda 7200.11s could hang while streaming video or during low-speed file transfers, Seagate again faces a swell of complaints about more drives failing just months after purchase. Again The Tech Report pursued the matter until they received a response acknowledging the bricking issue. Seagate says they've isolated a "potential firmware issue." They say there's "no data loss associated with this issue, and the data still resides on the drive;" however, "the data on the hard drives may become inaccessible to the user when the host system is powered on." If users don't like the idea of an expensive data-laden paperweight, Seagate is offering a firmware upgrade to address the matter, as well as data recovery services if needed. By offering free data recovery, Seagate seems to be trying to head off what could become a PR nightmare that may affect several models under both the Seagate and Maxtor brands.
1720689
submission
AnInkle writes:
Seagate's 1.5TB Barracuda has been available for a couple months from multiple retailers. But shortly after release, numerous reports of random freezes appeared on several sites. The hang apparently occurs in Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows Vista when streaming video or transferring files at low speeds. After a couple weeks of silence, Seagate has finally officially acknowledged the problem in a response to The Tech Report, saying they're investigating the "issue" affecting "a small number of Barracuda 7200.11 hard drives." Acknowledging the "inconvenience" is a start, but most users expect at least average performance and prompt service from the capacity king of data storage.
667578
submission
AnInkle writes:
A blogger on The Tech Report details his research and testing of wireless voice communication options for remote mountainous villages in rural undeveloped areas. The home-built project involves open-source software, low-cost wireless routers, solar power, mesh networking, unlicensed radio frequencies and VoIP technology. Although his research began several months ago, he has concluded the first stage of testing and is preparing to move near one of the sites where he hopes to eventually install the final functional network. Anyone with experience or ideas on the subject is invited to offer input and advice.
34827
submission
AnInkle writes:
The Tech Report conducts their usual exhaustive evaluation of NVIDIA's other big launch today, the nForce 680i SLI. The new chipset pairs an already proven south bridge chip with a new north bridge that has impressive overclocking potential and a redesigned (read: fast) memory controller. Combined with a motherboard design, production-quality BIOS and polished tweaking software that are all attractive and retail-ready, you end up with a "complete reference platform that's perfect for picky enthusiasts and serious overclockers," if you want to pay for it.
