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Archive for the ‘Miscellaneous’ Category

Hiatus time…

July 14th, 2010

Brad McGraw

After a bit of discussion Cliff and I decided we need to step back for awhile. Cliff has been carrying far more of the load than he should have, which is my fault, and since I am in the middle of moving and trying to find work, I still don’t have the time to put in. So I am going to concentrate on moving and finding work when I get there (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada), and Cliff is going to work on some of the other projects he has in the works.

Does this mean we are done? I don’t know, we are going to give it a few months and see where we stand. We may not pick it up again, but it all depends on what is happening with us at the time. Cliff said that we had fun and did pretty well, and we should be happy with that. So that ain’t too bad.

So right now all I can do is thank the readers we have had, its been a real joy to chat with some of you and that you have enjoyed our work. Kathy is going to take over from Cliff in updating the game sales page, but it won’t be kept as up to date as when Cliff did it. Things will be updated in the evening instead of during the day.

Something else for you guys…

Here is a list of Open-Sourced games.

Here is a list of Freeware games.

The lists are not complete, but there are a bunch of good free games in there, so I hope you enjoy those. With the economy the way it is, free is a good thing right now.

Again, thank you from all of us.

Brad, Cliff and Kathy

Posted in Miscellaneous

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Battle.net to use RealID for new forums (Updated)

July 7th, 2010

Brad McGraw

(Update) It looks as though Blizzard has backed down from its RealID plans for the moment. After a lot of people expressed concern over the move, Blizzard has decided to listen to the fans. This is what makes Blizzard stand out from other game companies, and why Blizzard fans love the company. Mike Morhaime, CEO and Co-Founder of Blizzard had this to say:

I’d like to take some time to speak with all of you regarding our desire to make the Blizzard forums a better place for players to discuss our games. We’ve been constantly monitoring the feedback you’ve given us, as well as internally discussing your concerns about the use of real names on our forums. As a result of those discussions, we’ve decided at this time that real names will not be required for posting on official Blizzard forums. (see the above link for more)

They are going to continue with the RealID they have been using, and bring that into Starcraft II, but keeping it optional. Which is good, there are benefits to the system so scrapping completely it would have been a bad idea. I do have to point out that Blizzard was just trying to make their forums a better place, I can’t fault them for that.

(/Update)

(more…)

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Account hacking a problem on iTunes

July 5th, 2010

Cliff Riseborough

It appears that iTunes accounts are being hacked in to by app developers to and use them to purchase apps. That in turn shoots the apps in question up the bestseller charts, gaining them attention from other customers through hacked account sales.

Some details from The Next Web :

-A number of iTunes accounts have been hacked from across the globe, not just the US, and used to purchase apps.

-iTunes users have reported anywhere between $100-$1400 spent using their accounts.

-The trend: buy a couple of low cost apps ($1-$3) and then one app at an extortionate price ($90+).

-Currently all the app purchased have been owned by Asia based developers with little information known about them. Clearly they feel being based in Asia will give them immunity to any US laws.

-This seems to have been happening over the course of the last 4 weeks, although MacRumors shows hacking on some level dating back to 2009.

This all came to light when one of the developers who was using this method to popularize his software was busted, and had his apps removed from the store last week.

So, if you have an iTunes account, keep an eye on your purchases and watch for anything you didn’t buy.

Posted in Miscellaneous

Tags: App Store, hackers, iTunes

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Broadband as a legal right.

July 3rd, 2010

Brad McGraw

From July 1st, Finland has guaranteed that every Finn has access to a 1Mbps line (megabit per second) with a goal of a 100Mbps by 2015.

Speaking to the BBC, Finland’s communication minister Suvi Linden explained the thinking behind the legislation: "We considered the role of the internet in Finns everyday life. Internet services are no longer just for entertainment.

Where I live I don’t even have the option to get a 100Mbps line, I’m currently on a 3Mbps line and while I am not happy with it, I’m not sad about it either. Looking at that 100Mbps goal makes me feel inadequate though, like my ISP just doesn’t measure up and I am less of a man because of it. Yes, I have premature download speed envy.

The UK is also looking at going down the same road, but not offering any guarantees to its citizens. This makes sense because the UK takes a tougher stand on presumed file-sharers with potential of cutting off their internet. Finland is not going down that road.

"We will have a policy where operators will send letters to illegal file-sharers but we are not planning on cutting off access," said Ms Linden.

Posted in Miscellaneous

Tags: broadband, Finland, Suvi Linden

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US Colleges & Universities required to help combat illegal media swapping

July 2nd, 2010

Cliff Riseborough

As of this month, a provision of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 kicks in to being. That provision states that colleges and universities have to (from Skunkpost) :

effectively combat the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material by users of the institution’s network" without hampering legitimate educational and research use

Any school that doesn’t can face the risk of losing some or all of their federal funding.

Many schools have already put steps in place to help combat the problem, simply since students were using university systems and bandwidth to share music, movies and games. For those that don’t have any programs in place, they’ve been stuck in scramble mode to institute something since the whole provision became required on Thursday.

Many colleges worried they would be asked to monitor or block content. But the provision says schools can get a great deal of flexibility, as long as they use at least one "technology-based deterrent."

Their options include taking steps to limit how much bandwidth can be consumed by peer-to-peer networking, monitoring traffic, using a commercial product to reduce or block illegal file sharing or "vigorously" responding to copyright infringement notices from copyright holders.

My issue with this provision is that it’s the colleges and universities that have to foot the bill to deal with users that the RIAA or MPAA, not any actual legal authority, says are a problem. And since they don’t want to possibly affect their own future funding, there could be often a ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ kind of mentality when it comes to enforcement.

Posted in Miscellaneous

Tags: college federal funding, copyright enforcement, MPAA, RIAA, university federal funding

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Ipsos Reid polls show many buyers still prefer physical goods to digital

July 2nd, 2010

Cliff Riseborough

A report based on several polls run in the UK by Ipsos MediaCT shows that many buyers still prefer purchasing a physical product to a digital version, with the percentages varying depending on the market.

The survey of 1,000 people found that 64 percent of game buyers still prefer physical discs, while 63 percent of newspaper purchasers prefer an actual paper to a digital version.

Finishing far lower were music and movies, with 45 percent and 51 percent respectively preferring physical versions.

From MCV :

“I believe the preference for physical discs amongst next gen gamers reflects the potential value they derive from the pre-owned market, which is holding up the preference for physical – this is unlike the music and film markets,” said Ipsos MediaCT director Ian Bramley.

“Physical games discs have a long and well-established history, which is a deep mindset to change – particularly when gamers build a physical collection as they fear losing digital versions. And in-store browsing is also important to buyers.”

Interesting numbers. Of course, precisely who was polled has a lot to do with the numbers, but it certainly shows that people have already accepted the music market in its digital form. And while the games industry is shifting towards the digital marketplace, they have a ways to go before that becomes something closer to ‘the norm’ among the current generation of buyers.

Also worth noting for the games results is that, according to to Thinq, PC gamers were NOT polled…it was console gamers only.

Posted in Miscellaneous

Tags: digital goods, Ipsos Reid MediaCT, physical goods

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FBI being called upon to take on IP theft

June 24th, 2010

Cliff Riseborough

An idea drawn up by IP enforcement coordinator (yes, that is apparently a job) Victoria Espinel would see the FBI dedicate 50 full time agents to the job of investigating and taking on IP theft.

The group would look at both digital and physical piracy in the various sectors of the entertainment industry. At least one media group is happy with the proposal.

“We deeply appreciate the efforts of Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Espinel and her leadership and vision in this critical area,” ESA CEO Michael D. Gallagher stated.

“We are grateful for Ms. Espinel’s hard work to date, and appreciate the extent to which she has consulted with a wide range of stakeholders, including our industry.

“We look forward to reviewing this plan, and to doing our part to help the US government succeed in its vital mission of protecting intellectual property.”

While I’m not sure dedicating an entire branch of a Federal law enforcement body is really necessary here (especially considering how much IP theft occurs internationally, where the FBI has no jurisdiction), at least this puts actual law enforcement in to the equation. And that beats having big entertainment companies trying to threaten settlements worth thousands of dollars out of people and acting as their own judge, jury and executioner.

(Thanks to MCV)

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Tags: 50 agents, FBI, IP enforcement, IP theft

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FCC holding closed-door talks with corporations over possible net neutrality compromise

June 22nd, 2010

Cliff Riseborough

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the top officers at the FCC are holding closed door negotiations with lobbyists representing ISP’s, including AT&T and Verizon, as well as Google and Skype. The reason for those meetings is discussion of a compromise that would give the government agency authority over Internet rules, while also bending enough that the media companies are willing to accept an agreement.

The only way to get legislation this year is for Internet providers and tech companies like Google to reach a compromise, one person involved with the FCC meetings said, adding, "Even that is really, really hard."

This news has not exactly been met with much enthusiasm from public interest groups, none of whom were invited to any of these sessions.

"For a president who talks big about transparency and that ‘he’ll take a back seat to nobody on net neutrality,’ it’s inexcusable that his FCC is brokering backroom deals between industry lobbyists with nary a public interest representative in the room," said Josh Silver, executive director of Free Press, a public interest group.

"This secretive process is especially unseemly for what is supposed to have been the most transparent FCC in history," the Media Access Project’s Andrew Schwartzman chimed in just a few minutes ago.

The problem is that with everything being done in such a secretive manner, there is no way for anyone to know what exactly is on the table in terms of compromises made to the media corporations. That’s an especially big issue for an FCC that has made claims and promises of transparency and openness during any and all negotiations over net neutrality.

Beyond the FCC, it seems that similar secretive negotiations are happening between the same lobby groups and the Senate Commerce Committee. The talks will not be open to the press, and there is no indication that any consumer groups will be in attendance.

(The original WSJ article is behind a subscriber paywall, but can be found and read in full via Google. Thanks also to Ars Technica).

Posted in Miscellaneous

Tags: AT&T, closed door negotiations, FCC, Google, net neutrality, Skype, Verizon

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Verizon Wireless may be punishing reps who try to save you money

June 21st, 2010

Cliff Riseborough

Wireless contracts can already include…’interesting’ clauses that tilt the balance way over towards the provider. Now, according to the New York Times, it seems that Verizon is not only using such clauses, they’re also forbidding their employees from trying to help new customers avoid them.

When you buy a new phone from Verizon Wireless, the arrow keys on the phone come preprogrammed to hook up with the Internet…and charge you $2. After complaints about this (imagine that!) and an FCC investigation, Verizon installed a landing page that doesn’t charge money…yet customers still report seeing the $2 charges on their bill. This CAN be prevented by requesting a data block. This is where things get interesting.

"Effective this past month, all CSRs [customer-service reps} were versed on the usage of blocks. A new policy has gone into effect regarding how to handle Escalated Calls regarding data charges. Now, a representative can be reprimanded and even terminated for proactively offering to block any of the following:

Web Access Blocks

Data Blocks

Premium SMS blocking

Application download blocking

Vcast Music or Vcast Video download blocks

"Essentially, we are to upsell customers on the $9.99 25mb/month or $29.99 unlimited packages for customers. Customers are not to be credited for charges unless they ask for the credit. And in cases such as data or premium SMS, where the occurrences may have gone months without the consumer noticing, only an initial credit can be issued."

A Verizon spokeswoman later denied that service reps would be punished for suggesting something like data blocks up front. She does freely admit that they are encouraged to try to sell more expensive data plans, however. Not really surprising but a bit sad.

And really, couldn’t all of this just be avoided by not preprogramming the phones in such a stupid way, a way that is obviously put in place to try to land some extra dollars through data charges?

Posted in Miscellaneous

Tags: data block, data plans, Verizon Wireless, web charges

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