gonzocanuck2 - Slashdot User

Facebook To Make Facebook Credits Mandatory For Games 116

Posted by Soulskill on Tuesday January 25, 2011 @07:40AM from the hope-that's-ok-with-you dept.

An anonymous reader sends this excerpt from TechCrunch: "Facebook has confirmed that it is indeed making Facebook Credits mandatory for Games, with the rule going into effect on July 1 2011. Facebook says that Credits will be the exclusive way for users to get their 'real money' into a game, but developers are still allowed to keep their own in-game currencies (FarmBucks, FishPoints, whatever). For example, Zynga can charge you 90 Facebook Credits for 75 CityCash in CityVille. ... The company acknowledges that some developers may not be pleased with the news, explaining this is why it is announcing the news five months in advance, so it can 'have an open conversation with developers.' The rule only applies to Canvas games (games that use Facebook Connect aren't affected), and while it's games only at this part, Facebook says that it eventually would like to see all apps using Facebook Credits. It's a move that's been a long time coming — there has been speculation that Facebook would do this for a year now, spurring plenty of angst in the developer community."

Genghis Khan, History's Greenest Conqueror 279

Posted by samzenpus on Monday January 24, 2011 @04:28PM from the taking-the-good-with-the-bad dept.

New research suggests that in addition to being one of history's cruelest conquerors, Genghis Khan may have been the greenest. It is estimated that the Mongol leader's invasions unintentionally scrubbed almost 700 million tons of carbon from the atmosphere. From the article: "Over the course of the century and a half run of the Mongol Empire, about 22 percent of the world's total land area had been conquered and an estimated 40 million people were slaughtered by the horse-driven, bow-wielding hordes. Depopulation over such a large swathe of land meant that countless numbers of cultivated fields eventually returned to forests. In other words, one effect of Genghis Khan's unrelenting invasion was widespread reforestation, and the re-growth of those forests meant that more carbon could be absorbed from the atmosphere." I guess everyone has their good points.

20 Years of Commander Keen 152

Posted by Soulskill on Wednesday December 15, 2010 @04:51AM from the aliens-ate-my-babysitter dept.

angry tapir writes "This week marks the 20th anniversary of the release of the first Commander Keen game. For those too young to remember, Commander Keen was a series of shareware 2D platform games for the PC released by Apogee Software (aka 3D Realms) developed by no less than id Software — the developers of Wolfenstein 3D, Doom and Quake."

200 Students Admit Cheating After Professor's Online Rant 693

Posted by samzenpus on Thursday November 18, 2010 @11:41AM from the people-get-what-they-deserve dept.

Over 200 University of Central Florida students admitted to cheating on a midterm exam after their professor figured out at least a third of his class had cheated. In a lecture posted on YouTube, Professor Richard Quinn told the students that he had done a statistical analysis of the grades and was using other methods to identify the cheats, but instead of turning the list over to the university authorities he offered the following deal: "I don't want to have to explain to your parents why you didn't graduate, so I went to the Dean and I made a deal. The deal is you can either wait it out and hope that we don't identify you, or you can identify yourself to your lab instructor and you can complete the rest of the course and the grade you get in the course is the grade you earned in the course."

Comment Thank goodness! (Score 1) 360

by gonzocanuck2 on Wednesday November 17, 2010 @12:02PM (#34255066) Attached to: Is the Number Up For the Residential Phone Book?

I would be happy to see them go. I was able to intercept the delivery of them this year and it was really hard to give them back to the delivery guy. He didn't want to take them back! I doubt they will ever get discontinued in Alberta. I have been hearing radio ads about advertising in the Yellow Pages.

Comment Re:But how? (Score 2, Interesting) 299

by gonzocanuck2 on Thursday September 30, 2010 @04:00PM (#33751860) Attached to: Many More Android Apps Leaking User Data

Good question. I wanted to install a recipe application by a popular brand name company (although the idea of trust with said company might be a little shaky - their guacamole only contains 2% avocado or somesuch) but I didn't feel right because of the permissions required. This app is available for the iPhone, so I don't know if it comes with the same restrictions. I emailed them asking them why the app needs to know my phone's identity and contact data as well as location. They responded thinking that I had a problem installing and downloading the app. I re-explained what I wanted to know and haven't heard back from them. That was at least two months ago.

Comment Re:Need to make incentives.. (Score 1) 510

by gonzocanuck2 on Wednesday September 29, 2010 @12:25PM (#33735750) Attached to: Android Software Piracy Rampant

Love the link. I wonder how I missed that one on The Oatmeal! I have spent about $60 or so on Android apps for my lovely Nexus One and find the prices are often a pittance for all the usefulness they provide me. If there's a tip jar for free apps, I always donate a small amount. I guess it all boils down to how much a buyer values something (or not). Kind of like how people love dollar stores and then ask why a handmade piece of art or jewellery is priced more than $1.

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