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Comment Re:sure, as long as they don't get faster before t (Score 1) 31

TFS left out a few interesting details that make the story noteworthy. The salvaged RAM and SSDs absolutely do not hold up to 3-5 year newer tech but these components are new enough to used in CXE controllers for backwards compatibility and then paired with more powerful and efficient AMD Bergamo processors to keep them relevant. They are essentially making a B-team of server capacity and have created a software layer in their cloud infrastructure that will assign tasks to it that won't suffer from the sub-optimal performance.

I agree they haven't done anything groundbreaking but they have taken enough small steps in coordination towards Reduce, Reuse and Recycle to help their bottom line and the planet that I'm impressed.

Comment Re:Taps into something weird in the American Psych (Score 1) 676

I have no idea why people would think it would be effective against viruses.

I will not rule out that some came to this conclusion through earnest research but I would bet most of the people self-prescribing it, heard the idea from someone with a platform whom they trusted and went for it. A lot of people are in desperate situations and willing to take a risk they wouldn't otherwise.

This connects into your point about Trump in that he has a responsibility to pursue every avenue of research into combating covid. I would argue he also has a responsibility not to list out unproven treatments for fear that someone might take it upon themselves to try it out. I listened to several of his press conferences live and was able to tell from the context that he was just spit-balling, trying to give people hope that there were options out there being looked at.

Unfortunately no amount of context is going to stop mentally compromised (for whatever reason) people from misinterpreting a suggestion as an endorsement. Especially when it comes to such an emotionally-driven topic such as a global pandemic, we need to exercise caution in our messaging.

Comment Re: I don't really get it. Not the target audience (Score 1) 141

You are correct that this offering isnâ(TM)t targeted at existing Xbox users, itâ(TM)s more about growing the user base and attracting more people to Xbox. The very people this is targeting are probably not on slash dot in great numbers if I had to guess.

The target audience is unable or unwilling to pay for a console up front. Subscriptions services are nice for playing multiplayer with friends because everyone has the same games library. Especially if you are interested in competitive multiplayer, a game is only viable as long as thereâ(TM)s a decent user base so older games based around multiplayer donâ(TM)t hold their value compared to single player/ coop games over a long enough time.

Comment Re: Depends (Score 1) 141

They are driving down the barriers to entry to get as many people locked into their service as possible. They are afraid of how accessible gaming on smartphones is since the hardware is already in the hands of so many people. I realize mobile gaming wasnâ(TM)t the big deal everyone made it out to be years ago but the industry is shifting to a friendlier atmosphere for mobile with gains in hardware, better gaming subscriptions, etc. I think they are gearing up for the fight ahead thatâ(TM)s beyond the console wars as weâ(TM)ve known them.

Comment Re:Should be free (Score 1) 57

the name of the game is lowering the barriers of entry to get the largest userbase. Ads are a way to lower the sticker price of a console and get you in the door to spend more money once you're invested. I see them following cellphone plans where you can sign up for xbox game pass and get a free* xbox if you buy a year subscription of xbox game pass for only $35 a month. I think growth in smartphones, internet connectivity and cloud offerings is going to make the upfront investment of PCs and gaming consoles harder to stomach. the once unthought of idea of "giving away" gaming equipment will be packaged into a neat monthly subscription fee with ads on top just to combat how accessible mobile gaming is/will be to any smartphone user.

Comment Re:What's the big effing deal? (Score 3, Insightful) 466

The thing about all the trendy new sexual types - gay, transgender, lesbian, asexual, pornaddict, etc is that they have less reproductive potential - none in some cases.

History has plenty of examples of people expressing their sexuality in these ways, like in Ancient Greece for starters. The fact that these forms of sexual expression have persisted in humans despite the negative pressures of reproductive potential would seem to point to something fundamental about our societies in a broad sense or us as humans that has caused these to survive despite being a small fraction of the total population.

Comment Re:Glad to see Microsoft taking this position (Score 1) 678

We also have huge amounts of legal and social framework set up to accommodate 2-adult family units; enabling the gender bits to be flipped any which way doesn't actually change any of how things work. Opening up the system to accomodate polygamy would open huge cans of worms (an organized crime ring could all get married to each other, and be fully protected from someone turning states' evidence, for example).

I'm imagining the Sopranos mixed with Married with Children with a dash of Big tossed in there. I'm smelling the next HBO hit show!

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