Comment Re:Looks Like We're Being Slashdotted and Kotaku'd (Score 1) 121
What handle did you go by? I hope we made sure to put you in the credits. ;)
Comment Looks Like We're Being Slashdotted and Kotaku'd... (Score 5, Informative) 121
Hey guys. Programmer from the project here. Looks like our server is being hammered so here are some links to keep you company until our sites get back up.
Our Launch Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWt2m1xtJbw
1st Mission Preview - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7yGXHQQlps
Windows Torrent - http://diaspora.fs2downloads.com/Diaspora_R1_Windows.exe.torrent
Mac Torrent - http://diaspora.fs2downloads.com/Diaspora_R1_Mac.dmg.torrent
Linux Torrent - http://diaspora.fs2downloads.com/Diaspora_R1_Linux.tar.lzma.torrent
Submission + - Microsoft announces Surface tablet, with kickstand and fold-out keyboard (extremetech.com) 7
MrSeb writes: "At its much-discussed “big unveil” this evening, Microsoft did indeed launch a tablet — but rumors that the device would showcase a Barnes & Noble partnership were misplaced. Instead, Microsoft showed a vision for a next-gen PC that combines the portability of a tablet with a minimalistic fold-out keyboard and integrated kickstand. Microsoft’s idea for the tablet (confusingly called Surface) is a device that integrates a better keyboard option than typing on the screen without adding size or weight. That’s where the new keyboard — which doubles as a screen cover — kicks in. At 3mm thick, it adds virtually nothing to the device’s size, but it opens up a world of inputs. There are two covers available — the Touch Cover (very thin) and the Type Cover (with proper, tactile keys). Microsoft is touting the device’s magnesium body, vapor-deposited construction, full PC functionality, and additional features like being the first tablet to showcase a 2×2 MIMO wireless antenna. Windows RT (ARM) and x86 versions are both in the works, with the x86 version apparently having a higher quality screen. No word on hardware specs yet; Microsoft is claiming it “rivals the best ultrabooks” and uses less power than the Core i5. I'm a little bit dubious on that front — and also dubious about how Microsoft's hardware partners will receive this new, rather competitive offering..."
Comment They bought the wrong version (Score 1) 239
The PC version of Halo 2 is still going on strong and fine since it has a corresponding dedicated server client. I hope this illustrates to console players why dedicated servers are so important when it comes to multiplayer and why PC gamers became so indignant when Modern Warfare 2 was announced to not have dedicated servers.
Comment Re:Give that man a new job (Score 5, Informative) 266
Jeff Green used to be part of 1UP's editorial team as a former video games journalist. Very frank guy, very funny guy. Even if he gets fired from EA because of this, which I doubt, there are tons of games publications needing an accomplished and insightful editor or game publishers wanting Jeff's charisma for their public/community relations.
Comment Prosecute Vanessa Hudgens (Score 1) 1044
Remember the nude photos that she took for her boyfriend and were then leaked online? Vanessa Hudgens should be prosecuted for manufacturing and distributing child pornography. If the government is going to ruin the lives of no-named teenagers, might as well be fair and go after the rich and famous.
Comment Re:Weird priorities.... (Score 1) 523
Also, WTF is a "Gaming keyboard"? Last I checked, most games are built to respond to keystrokes on a normal keyboard. As for macros, why not do it in software? If it's to foil the game's anti-cheat mechanism, wouldn't this then be considered cheating? Is WASD really that hard to use?
A lot of regular use keyboards have trouble with rollover, meaning when multiple keys are pressed, all of the keypresses do not register. Gaming keyboards usually are designed to not do that which is very important when playing games which require a lot of simultaneous keypresses.
Comment New information policies (Score 1) 175
I guess the IRS is following SlashDot's mantra that "information wants to be free."
Submission + - Soliders Bond With Bots, Take Them Fishing
HarryCaul writes: Soldiers are finding themselves becoming more and more attached to their robotic helpers. During one test of a mine clearing robot, "every time it found a mine, blew it up and lost a limb, it picked itself up and readjusted to move forward on its remaining legs, continuing to clear a path through the minefield." The man in charge halted the test, though- "He just could not stand the pathos of watching the burned, scarred and crippled machine drag itself forward on its last leg. This test, he charged, was inhumane." Sometimes the soldiers even take their metallic companions fishing.
Is there more sympathy for Robot Rights than previously suspected?
Submission + - Open Source Supporter = Copyright Supporter?
gbulmash writes: "This essay claims that without copyright granting an author the right to set licensing terms for his/her work, the GPL could not be enforced. It says that those who support the GPL while calling for the abolishment of copyright are being unintentionally ironic, because they're calling for the abolishment of the exact thing that makes possible the alternative they're supporting. It concludes that if you support the GPL or any open source license (other than public domain), your argument is not whether to abolish copyright, but how to reform copyright."
Submission + - AT&T Dumps VOIP Customers
Proudrooster writes: In the past two-weeks AT&T sent out disconnect letters to VOIP customers in big rude red letters, stating that VOIP service would be suspended in 30-days and permanently disconnected in 60-days. AT&T cited E911 service as the reason. Many AT&T VOIP customers have found that they are unable to transfer their AT&T VOIP phone numbers to a new provider. Further, AT&T is unwilling to provide a forwarding message directing callers to a new phone number for those that are unable to transfer their old AT&T VOIP phone numbers. In effect, AT&T has told many long-term VOIP subscribers, we are turning off your phone in 30-days, goodbye, and good luck. AT&T does not appear a corporation that values customer loyalty, especially of those who hung on during the experimental days of the AT&T VOIP service
Many longterm subscribers are extremely upset at the AT&T cold shoulder and short notice. It is also interesting AT&T is unable overcome this E911 technical hurdle, since AT&T is also the local landline company (SBC/AT&T) in many areas where VOIP cancellation notices are being received.
Many longterm subscribers are extremely upset at the AT&T cold shoulder and short notice. It is also interesting AT&T is unable overcome this E911 technical hurdle, since AT&T is also the local landline company (SBC/AT&T) in many areas where VOIP cancellation notices are being received.
Submission + - Harvard Law Prof Urges University to Fight RIAA
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes: "Distinguished Harvard University Law School Professor Charles Nesson has called upon Harvard University to fight back against the RIAA and stand up for its students: "Students and faculty use the Internet to gather and share knowledge now more than ever....Yet "new deterrence and education initiatives" from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) threaten access to this vibrant resource. The RIAA has already requested that universities serve as conduits for more than 1,200 "pre-litigation letters." Seeking to outsource its enforcement costs, the RIAA asks universities to point fingers at their students, to filter their Internet access, and to pass along notices of claimed copyright infringement. But these responses distort the University's educational mission....... One can easily understand why the RIAA wants help from universities in facilitating its enforcement actions against students who download copyrighted music without paying for it. It is easier to litigate against change than to change with it. If the RIAA saw a better way to protect its existing business, it would not be threatening our students, forcing our librarians and administrators to be copyright police, and flooding our courts with lawsuits against relatively defenseless families without lawyers or ready means to pay. We can even understand the attraction of using lawsuits to shore up an aging business model rather than engaging with disruptive technologies and the risks that new business models entail...... But mere understanding is no reason for a university to voluntarily assist the RIAA with its threatening and abusive tactics. Instead, we should be assisting our students both by explaining the law and by resisting the subpoenas that the RIAA serves upon us. We should be deploying our clinical legal student training programs to defend our targeted students......""
Submission + - New AACS crack. This one is undefeatable.
Tuoqui writes: With all the focus on the infamous hexadecimal number people may be ignoring the biggest weakness in the AACS armor. Apparently some hackers have figured out how tocrack AACS in an undefeatable way that revoking all the keys would not protect against.
Can Apple Take Microsoft on the Desktop? 528
An anonymous reader writes "RDM asks Can Apple Take Microsoft on the Desktop?, a comparison of recent sales and profits and the future outlook for Macs and PCs. It's the opinion of the article's author that Apple doesn't have to take a majority share of the desktop market to win. The key is to take the most valuable segments of the market. They show via a few quick financial numbers that even though Apple is selling fewer machines, they're making more money per machine than your Dells or your Gateways. Not being beholden to Microsoft gives them a big advantage when competing with traditional PC sellers. Once Apple is positioned, Microsoft will be forced to choose whether it wants to battle Mac OS X for control of the slick consumer desktop, or repurpose Windows as a cheaper, mass market alternative to Linux in corporate sales. If it doesn't make a choice, the company will face difficult battles on two fronts.""
