Making Sense of Technology.
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Camming Con Coverage For The Weekend
I will be reporting live from The Eden Roc Hotel in beautiful Miami
Beach over the next three days. If you are in the Miami area, I strongly
encourage you to make your way to the first annual Camming Con. This
weekend will be filled with lectures, industry secrets and beautiful
people.
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Reviewing the Destiny Beta
This past Sunday saw the completion of the almost two week long
Destiny Beta and since it was made public for all four current consoles,
I trust you found some time to give it a try. It is being reported that
4.6 million gamers did get a chance to play the beta and though most of
the reviews are already out, I decided to touch on a few things myself.
My favorite part of the beta, that I really hope continues with the actual release, is that I could start a profile on my Xbox One and continue playing that exact same/profile from my Xbox 360. For most people this isn't that big of a deal but for me who has my two consoles in two different locations, the ability to pick up and continue at work or home was a nice benefit. I am not sure if this was shared with the PS3 to PS4 nor do I believe that it would work cross platform(XB360 to PS4) so if anyone has insight into this it would be greatly appreciated.
I played through the beat until it cut off before 10PM EST on Sunday, in that time I tried my hand at every possible part available and discovered that there is a lot of ways to get lost playing this game. I wasted countless hours between trying to fight the high level baddies that were located underground and even after I was one shot killed multiple times, I kept going back to see if it was a fluke. I wasted far more time trying to jump up the tree in The Tower onto the awning because somebody said it could be done, I made it and damned if it wasn't anticlimactic. I will say that I did not get to participate in a game of duck, duck, goose on The Tower, that one did hurt a little.
I played a little bit every day that I could, the game is easy to pick up and go, you are not required to work with other gamers but I do believe that it adds an extra level of fun to be able to team up to take down a baddy and then be on your own way. All in all I would say that I spent well over 30 hours playing the beta and had it not cut off on Sunday, I would have kept playing. I will definitely be picking this game up when it comes out in a little over a month from now on September 9th.
My favorite part of the beta, that I really hope continues with the actual release, is that I could start a profile on my Xbox One and continue playing that exact same/profile from my Xbox 360. For most people this isn't that big of a deal but for me who has my two consoles in two different locations, the ability to pick up and continue at work or home was a nice benefit. I am not sure if this was shared with the PS3 to PS4 nor do I believe that it would work cross platform(XB360 to PS4) so if anyone has insight into this it would be greatly appreciated.
I played through the beat until it cut off before 10PM EST on Sunday, in that time I tried my hand at every possible part available and discovered that there is a lot of ways to get lost playing this game. I wasted countless hours between trying to fight the high level baddies that were located underground and even after I was one shot killed multiple times, I kept going back to see if it was a fluke. I wasted far more time trying to jump up the tree in The Tower onto the awning because somebody said it could be done, I made it and damned if it wasn't anticlimactic. I will say that I did not get to participate in a game of duck, duck, goose on The Tower, that one did hurt a little.
I played a little bit every day that I could, the game is easy to pick up and go, you are not required to work with other gamers but I do believe that it adds an extra level of fun to be able to team up to take down a baddy and then be on your own way. All in all I would say that I spent well over 30 hours playing the beta and had it not cut off on Sunday, I would have kept playing. I will definitely be picking this game up when it comes out in a little over a month from now on September 9th.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Previewing This Weekend's Camming Con.
This weekend, July 31st - August 3rd,
The Eden Roc Hotel in Miami Beach will be hosting the first ever Camming
Con. There will be no shortage of beautiful people attending this
year's Camming Con, there are currently over 100 models slated to
appear. The show will be headlined by LittleRedBunny,
the 2014 AVN Winner for Favorite WebCam Girl. Other notables appearing
at the Con will be star of over 400 adult films and winner of multiple
industry awards, Gianna Michaels, as well as Miami's own Riley Reid, who was featured on this year's CNBC list of "The Dirty Dozen: Porn's Most Popular Stars". A complete listing of the models that will be attending can be found on Camming Con's official website.
Camming
Con will however be more than just the models, the show will feature
exhibits and industry professionals giving tips on such topics as proper
lighting, best makeup for each indiviual performer and internet
security. Thursday starts the lecture schedule which will run through
Saturday and will touch on how to get started in the industry as well as
how to monetize, among others. I had the opportunity to correspond with
Clinton Cox, Show organizer for CammingCon.
Why is now the right time for a Camming Convention, has there been a recent boom in the industry?
"The industry has been booming for some time, this was the time for us to give everyone a place to gather and do business, as well as give the fans the opportunity to meet the models."
Aside from all of the beautiful people, why do you feel that Miami is the right place to hold the first ever CammingCon?
"It's Miami! How could we not hold this convention here? Miami is full of beautiful people, and gives companies from all over the world a chance to come and take in what the city has to offer."
What can attendees expect from this years event?
"They have the opportunity to not only meet the models, but learn so much about the industry."
Aside from purchasing tickets to attend, how else can a person further support the convention or its models?
"Our sponsorship packages have done incredibly well."
There is less than two days left before the show, could a web cam model still register to be a part of this years show?
"We will still allow cam models to register this week."
I
will be at this weekend's event learning what I can about the booming
webcam industry, speaking with models and attending lectures, I will
post during the event and will also feature a recap after the conclusion
of the show. If you are in South Florida this weekend I urge you to
stop by, though Miami is never at a shortage of beautiful people, it's
nice to know they will all be located under one roof. I've included
Camming Con's schedule of Special Events for the show.
Monday, July 28, 2014
Xbox Games With Gold August Titles
Crimson Dragon and Strike Suit Zero will both be available to download for free on August 1st for the Xbox One. July 31st will be last call for previously free titles Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition and Max: The Curse of Brotherhood.
Motocross Madness will be free to download from August 1st through August 15th while Dishonored will be free August 16th through August 31st. BattleBlock Theater will still be available to download for free through July 31st.
Monday, July 21, 2014
How To Build Your Own PC.
One thing that I wish more people would do for themselves is learn
how to build their own desktop computers, there is absolutely nothing
that you can get from a pre-built machine that you cannot get with
better overall specs and for less money by building one yourself. I will
list what you will need to get started building your own desktop as
well as good places to start looking for your best bargain.
Central Processing Unit (CPU): Essentially the brain of your computer, the 2 major companies that produce CPU's are AMD and Intel. When building your computer do not automatically assume that you are going to do best by getting the best CPU on the market, a Pentium i7 is a great processor but there is no need to overspend if you are going to do nothing more than utilize your new desktop as a media streaming device.
Motherboard: If the CPU is the brain then consider the motherboard to be the skeleton, whereas you do not want to overpay on the CPU, a better motherboard will lead to the ability to upgrade your desktop at a later date.
Memory(Random Access Memory - RAM): One of the recurring issues that I find with pre-built machines is that they either skimp on the CPU or the RAM, but they will advertise the positive spec while neglecting to mention that your 8GB of RAM is coupled with a Pentium i3.
Hard Drive (HDD or SSD): An HDD is the traditional storage device where an SSD is essentially more of a larger USB storage drive. SSD's are far faster than HDD's but the advantage of an HDD is going to be that they are cheaper to purchase. There are different sizes of hard drives so make sure you are getting one that fits your motherboard (2.5 or 3.5 inch).
Video Card (GPU): This is one area you are going to need to splurge on if you plan on building a gaming computer. You could get by with a game's minimum system requirements but you are going to end up with console quality graphics, in addition to game mods one of the biggest advantages with PC gaming is that modern consoles cannot even come close to PC graphics.
Power Supply Unit (PSU): You are going to need some way to power your desktop, there are more advanced options where you could use a rechargeable battery for you desktop like the ones found in laptops, but for first time builders remember that simpler is better.
Case: This is one area that I have seen people go crazy with different LED lights or image projection. You can get as advanced of a case as you want but the most important thing to keep in mind is that everything is going to need to fit inside the case.
Other Peripherals: You will absolutely need at least one fan, or given where your vents are located on the case, multiple fans to prevent overheating. There is also liquid cooling available but again, simpler is better for first time builders. You can add an additional sound card but in most cases the motherboard will have you covered. One thing you should not overlook is cables, the last thing you are going to want to have happen is you finish your build and realize that you cannot plug it into your tv/monitor.
Software: You are going to first and foremost need an Operating System, you can either pay for a Windows or MAC OS or you can use a free Linux OS. Note that you can have more than one Operating System on your computer, known as dual-booting, but again this is something you can get to after you finish your first build.I would also recommend getting an antivirus sooner rather than later, I like Avast's FREE Antivirus.
Now where exactly can you go to get these parts? Well Amazon, Newegg, Ebay and Tigerdirect are great places to start. Also I would recommend reading, and referencing, TomsHardware and checking out PCPartPicker.
Central Processing Unit (CPU): Essentially the brain of your computer, the 2 major companies that produce CPU's are AMD and Intel. When building your computer do not automatically assume that you are going to do best by getting the best CPU on the market, a Pentium i7 is a great processor but there is no need to overspend if you are going to do nothing more than utilize your new desktop as a media streaming device.
Motherboard: If the CPU is the brain then consider the motherboard to be the skeleton, whereas you do not want to overpay on the CPU, a better motherboard will lead to the ability to upgrade your desktop at a later date.
Memory(Random Access Memory - RAM): One of the recurring issues that I find with pre-built machines is that they either skimp on the CPU or the RAM, but they will advertise the positive spec while neglecting to mention that your 8GB of RAM is coupled with a Pentium i3.
Hard Drive (HDD or SSD): An HDD is the traditional storage device where an SSD is essentially more of a larger USB storage drive. SSD's are far faster than HDD's but the advantage of an HDD is going to be that they are cheaper to purchase. There are different sizes of hard drives so make sure you are getting one that fits your motherboard (2.5 or 3.5 inch).
Video Card (GPU): This is one area you are going to need to splurge on if you plan on building a gaming computer. You could get by with a game's minimum system requirements but you are going to end up with console quality graphics, in addition to game mods one of the biggest advantages with PC gaming is that modern consoles cannot even come close to PC graphics.
Power Supply Unit (PSU): You are going to need some way to power your desktop, there are more advanced options where you could use a rechargeable battery for you desktop like the ones found in laptops, but for first time builders remember that simpler is better.
Case: This is one area that I have seen people go crazy with different LED lights or image projection. You can get as advanced of a case as you want but the most important thing to keep in mind is that everything is going to need to fit inside the case.
Other Peripherals: You will absolutely need at least one fan, or given where your vents are located on the case, multiple fans to prevent overheating. There is also liquid cooling available but again, simpler is better for first time builders. You can add an additional sound card but in most cases the motherboard will have you covered. One thing you should not overlook is cables, the last thing you are going to want to have happen is you finish your build and realize that you cannot plug it into your tv/monitor.
Software: You are going to first and foremost need an Operating System, you can either pay for a Windows or MAC OS or you can use a free Linux OS. Note that you can have more than one Operating System on your computer, known as dual-booting, but again this is something you can get to after you finish your first build.I would also recommend getting an antivirus sooner rather than later, I like Avast's FREE Antivirus.
Now where exactly can you go to get these parts? Well Amazon, Newegg, Ebay and Tigerdirect are great places to start. Also I would recommend reading, and referencing, TomsHardware and checking out PCPartPicker.
Sunday, July 20, 2014
British Author Exposed For Word For Word Plagiarism
http://www.amazon.com/Murder-First-OMalley-Mysteries-Book-ebook/dp/B00K488LFY/ref=cm_rdp_product
It's best to read the reviews which prove that the author in question, Karl Jones, stole the work of Geraldine Evans word for word. There are of course other things being said about the author but I am completely in awe as to how an "author" expects literary work that is also available on Amazon to be copied yet not recognizable. As of the time of this post his official blog has been shut down though his Twitter remains active.
It's best to read the reviews which prove that the author in question, Karl Jones, stole the work of Geraldine Evans word for word. There are of course other things being said about the author but I am completely in awe as to how an "author" expects literary work that is also available on Amazon to be copied yet not recognizable. As of the time of this post his official blog has been shut down though his Twitter remains active.
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Crash Course: What Is 4Chan?
In light of the recent story of the two Florida teens than set a threatened gopher tortoise on fire, 4Chan's /b/ finds itself again in the headlines. In the extremely graphic video the girls can be seen attempting to set the tortoise on fire multiple times before smashing it on the ground and ultimately killed the tortoise by stomping on it. /b/ users took matters into their own hands and doxed(released private information) about the two teenagers.
This is far from the first time that /b/ has come to the aid of an abused animal but before you think of joining the community due to what you perceive to be a common interest in the well being of animals, I will try to clear up some common misconceptions about 4Chan.
All of 4chan is /b/: 4Chan itself is a user submitted imageboard whereas /b/ is 4Chan's random board, other popular boards are the fitness based board /fit/ and the gif/webm based board /gif/ among others.
/b/ is evil: Just like most online communities you are going to find good and bad about people on /b/, one of the best things you can do is per their own advice "lurk moar(more)". Currently on the /b/ catalog are a variety of "rate me" threads, "YLYL(you laugh you lose)" threads, race bait and general opinion threads, also included is a thread that states "4Chan will automatically XXXX your credit card number if you input it with you expiration date" and as far as I can tell nobody actually fell for it. Take the old saying "if you don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all" and abridge it for /b/ as "don't say anything at all.
/b/ is the hacker group Anonymous: No, just...no. 4Chan users post under the name Anonymous with varying ID's and may have a history with the group, but few users of 4Chan are members of Anonymous and if somebody tells you that they are, they are full of shit.
Tits or GTFO: One of the most widely accepted rules, if you are asking the community for help then you should be prepared to offer tits. Most of the time offering tits will go a long way towards getting help from the community but there have been a handful of times that it has backfired, if you are going to offer your own tits then you should make sure that you remove identifying information from the picture. When you take a cell phone picture, information such as the location in which the photo was taken is stored, the information is easy to find and even easier to remove, try making a copy of the photo with removed information or just upload the photo to Imgur.
I could keep going on about 4Chan but maybe you should just check it out for yourself, you will not need any additional software nor will you need a new antivirus. Be forewarned that even more so than on Reddit, Facebook and Twitter I have wasted hours of time checking the different boards, also if you see a thread that looks too good to be true then you may want to save from it early before it 404's.
Friday, July 18, 2014
Startup Weekend West Palm Beach
https://www.refreshmiami.com/event/startup-weekend-wpb/
startuppb.com
http://westpalmbeach.startupweekend.org/The group at Startup Palm Beach presents West Palm’s 2nd official Startup Weekend to kick off summer Entrepreneur Week. Startup Weekend is a 54-hour business plan competition where designers, developers and startup enthusiasts come together to share ideas, form teams, build prototypes and launch companies. Last November, StartupPB hosted one of the largest and most engaged Startup Weekends ever held in the state, with over 100 participants pitching 42 ideas which evolved into 11 companies, three of which are still operating. It is a fun filled, energetic group and exhilarating time to network and develop startups.
For those coming from Miami, use code REFRESH for a free ticket (there are only 5 codes, so act now!). The Hyatt in downtown West Palm is providing discounted accommodations ($99/night) if you’re interested in staying local for the weekend.
startuppb.com
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Request: "How Do I Install A Pirated Copy of Photoshop?"
I have had multiple people ask me this recently so I figured why not
share with everyone. I will preface this by stating that pirating Adobe
Creative Suite, Adobe Master Collection or any of its individual
programs is illegal. All Adobe products are available to legally
purchase and download from adobe.com.
This post assumes that at this point you have already found and
downloaded a copy of your favorite Adobe software, if you have yet to do
that then please refer to our How To Get Started With Torrenting and Going Further With Torrenting guides.
In most downloads you will find a readme.txt file which explains what
to do but some people have still expressed that that need further
assistance. If you are looking at an .iso file then you will need to mount the file, without getting too technical download MagicISO and open the file that way.
(1)Disconnect your computer from the internet. If you have a wired connection then pull the plug, wireless connections should disconnect from the network. DO NOT move on to step 2 until you are guaranteed to be disconnected from the internet. If you have attempted to download Adobe software in the past then you will need to check for the following entries in your host file:
127.0.0.1 lmlicenses.wip4.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 lm.licenses.adobe.com
(2) Launch the Adobe Master Collection CS6 installer.
(3) When asked for a serial number, launch the keygen that was included in the download and press the generate button. DO NOT close or exit the keygen yet, you will need it later.
(4) Copy that serial number into the Adobe installer. You will receive an error message that says "Please connect to the internet and retry", click connect later and continue with the installation.
(5) Upon completion of the installation open any program (Illustrator, Photoshop...) and you will be prompted to Activate.
(6) You should see a link that says "I'm having Internet Problems" or an Activate Offline button, click on the Generate Request Code button.
(7) Input that Request Code, including the "=" at the end of the code into the keygen underneath the serial number and again press Generate to receive your Activation Code.
(8) Copy the Activation Code it into the Adobe Activator window and then validate.
(9) Also included with the torrent should be
For Windows:
Double click disable_activation.cmd. In Vista or Windows 7, run it as admin if you have uac enabled. Or do it manually by adding the text below to the bottom of your hosts file. (The host file is located C:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts)
For Mac:
Run Osx/disable_activation_osx as root, if you dont know how to do that, open a terminal window
then issue sudo -s, a root shell will open. Next do "sh disable_activation_osx" w/o the ""
or ./disable_activation_osx( make it executable chmod 755 disable_activation_osx you do that from the folder where disable_activation_osx is. (just copy it anywhere on your hdd). Or do it manually
by adding the text below to the bottom of your hosts file. (/private/etc/hosts /et/hosts)
THE TEXT TO INCLUDE:
# Begin Adobe block
#
#
#
#
127.0.0.1 lmlicenses.wip4.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 lm.licenses.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 3dns.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 3dns-1.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 3dns-2.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 3dns-3.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 3dns-4.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 activate.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 activate.wip3.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 activate-sea.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 activate-sjc0.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 adobe-dns.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 adobe-dns-1.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 adobe-dns-2.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 adobe-dns-3.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 adobe-dns-4.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 adobe-dns-5.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 adobeereg.com
127.0.0.1 crl.verisign.net
127.0.0.1 CRL.VERISIGN.NET
127.0.0.1 ood.opsource.net
127.0.0.1 ereg.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 ereg.wip.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 ereg.wip1.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 ereg.wip2.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 ereg.wip3.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 ereg.wip4.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 hh-software.com
127.0.0.1 www.hh-software.com
127.0.0.1 hl2rcv.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 practivate.adobe
127.0.0.1 practivate.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 practivate.adobe.newoa
127.0.0.1 practivate.adobe.ntp
127.0.0.1 practivate.adobe.ipp
127.0.0.1 activate.wip.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 activate.wip1.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 activate.wip2.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 activate.wip3.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 activate.wip4.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 wip.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 wip1.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 wip2.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 wip3.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 wip4.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 wwis-dubc1-vip60.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 www.wip.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 www.wip1.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 www.wip2.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 www.wip3.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 www.wip4.adobe.com
#
#
#
#
#
# End of Adobe block
(10) After it has been activated reboot your computer, re-enable you Network card and run the adobe updater to update your software to the latest version. If you followed every step here then Master Collection CS6 will update without any problems.
(11) If it did not properly install then you will need to completely uninstall everything and try all over again.
(1)Disconnect your computer from the internet. If you have a wired connection then pull the plug, wireless connections should disconnect from the network. DO NOT move on to step 2 until you are guaranteed to be disconnected from the internet. If you have attempted to download Adobe software in the past then you will need to check for the following entries in your host file:
127.0.0.1 lmlicenses.wip4.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 lm.licenses.adobe.com
(2) Launch the Adobe Master Collection CS6 installer.
(3) When asked for a serial number, launch the keygen that was included in the download and press the generate button. DO NOT close or exit the keygen yet, you will need it later.
(4) Copy that serial number into the Adobe installer. You will receive an error message that says "Please connect to the internet and retry", click connect later and continue with the installation.
(5) Upon completion of the installation open any program (Illustrator, Photoshop...) and you will be prompted to Activate.
(6) You should see a link that says "I'm having Internet Problems" or an Activate Offline button, click on the Generate Request Code button.
(7) Input that Request Code, including the "=" at the end of the code into the keygen underneath the serial number and again press Generate to receive your Activation Code.
(8) Copy the Activation Code it into the Adobe Activator window and then validate.
(9) Also included with the torrent should be
For Windows:
Double click disable_activation.cmd. In Vista or Windows 7, run it as admin if you have uac enabled. Or do it manually by adding the text below to the bottom of your hosts file. (The host file is located C:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts)
For Mac:
Run Osx/disable_activation_osx as root, if you dont know how to do that, open a terminal window
then issue sudo -s, a root shell will open. Next do "sh disable_activation_osx" w/o the ""
or ./disable_activation_osx( make it executable chmod 755 disable_activation_osx you do that from the folder where disable_activation_osx is. (just copy it anywhere on your hdd). Or do it manually
by adding the text below to the bottom of your hosts file. (/private/etc/hosts /et/hosts)
THE TEXT TO INCLUDE:
# Begin Adobe block
#
#
#
#
127.0.0.1 lmlicenses.wip4.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 lm.licenses.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 3dns.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 3dns-1.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 3dns-2.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 3dns-3.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 3dns-4.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 activate.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 activate.wip3.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 activate-sea.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 activate-sjc0.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 adobe-dns.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 adobe-dns-1.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 adobe-dns-2.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 adobe-dns-3.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 adobe-dns-4.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 adobe-dns-5.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 adobeereg.com
127.0.0.1 crl.verisign.net
127.0.0.1 CRL.VERISIGN.NET
127.0.0.1 ood.opsource.net
127.0.0.1 ereg.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 ereg.wip.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 ereg.wip1.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 ereg.wip2.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 ereg.wip3.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 ereg.wip4.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 hh-software.com
127.0.0.1 www.hh-software.com
127.0.0.1 hl2rcv.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 practivate.adobe
127.0.0.1 practivate.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 practivate.adobe.newoa
127.0.0.1 practivate.adobe.ntp
127.0.0.1 practivate.adobe.ipp
127.0.0.1 activate.wip.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 activate.wip1.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 activate.wip2.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 activate.wip3.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 activate.wip4.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 wip.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 wip1.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 wip2.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 wip3.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 wip4.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 wwis-dubc1-vip60.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 www.wip.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 www.wip1.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 www.wip2.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 www.wip3.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 www.wip4.adobe.com
#
#
#
#
#
# End of Adobe block
(10) After it has been activated reboot your computer, re-enable you Network card and run the adobe updater to update your software to the latest version. If you followed every step here then Master Collection CS6 will update without any problems.
(11) If it did not properly install then you will need to completely uninstall everything and try all over again.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
PSA: US government says online storage isn’t protected by the Fourth Amendment
http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/14/fourth-amendment-online-data/
A couple months ago, a New York judge ruled that US search warrants applied to digital information even if they were stored overseas. The decision came about as part of an effort to dig up a Microsoft user's account information stored on a server in Dublin, Ireland. Microsoft responded to the ruling and challenged it, stating that the government's longstanding views of digital content on foreign servers are wrong, and that the protections applied to physical materials should be extended to digital content. In briefs filed last week, however, the US government countered. It states that according to the Stored Communications Act (SCA), content stored online simply do not have the same Fourth Amendment protections as physical data:
A couple months ago, a New York judge ruled that US search warrants applied to digital information even if they were stored overseas. The decision came about as part of an effort to dig up a Microsoft user's account information stored on a server in Dublin, Ireland. Microsoft responded to the ruling and challenged it, stating that the government's longstanding views of digital content on foreign servers are wrong, and that the protections applied to physical materials should be extended to digital content. In briefs filed last week, however, the US government countered. It states that according to the Stored Communications Act (SCA), content stored online simply do not have the same Fourth Amendment protections as physical data:
"Overseas records must be disclosed domestically when a valid subpoena, order, or warrant compels their production. The disclosure of records under such circumstances has never been considered tantamount to a physical search under Fourth Amendment principles, and Microsoft is mistaken to argue that the SCA provides for an overseas search here. As there is no overseas search or seizure, Microsoft's reliance on principles of extra-territoriality and comity falls wide of the mark."From the Justice Department's point of view, this law is necessary in an age where "fraudsters" and "hackers" use electronic communications in not just the U.S. but abroad as well. Indeed, the Microsoft account in this case is in relation to a drug-trafficking investigation. However, Microsoft believes there are wide-ranging implications for such a statement, and it's not the only company that thinks so. Verizon also responded, stating that this would create "dramatic conflict with foreign data protection laws" and Apple and Cisco joined in by saying this could potentially damage international relations. In the meantime, a senior counsel for the Irish Supreme Court offered that a "Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty" be pursued so that the US government can get at the email account in question.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Review: Week With The WWE Network
Last night saw the completion of the free trial week of the WWE Network and I would first like to point out that they no longer require a credit card for the free week. I used to be a huge professional wrestling fan during my childhood in the 80s and teenage years in the 90s but I have not followed the business in some time. Given that the network has a lot of Legends that I grew up watching I figured at the very least I could catch up on some old favorites and try to learn about some of the newer wrestlers, sorry, they are no longer wrestlers, now they are sports entertainers.
I have not had cable for at least five years so as a digital content supporter, I am always looking for new ways to stream video content be it free or subscription based. Last night I found myself doing something that lead towards me cancelling cable in the first place, I was wasting time watching reality television, granted it was reality television with Rowdy Roddy Piper, but reality television nonetheless. I wanted to watch Raw live, Raw was a big deal back when I watched wrestling so to see it still running gave me a nice nostalgic feeling. Before Raw was the Raw Preview show, which could best be described as a SportsCenter influenced show, but it was a little ridiculous how the panelists were discussing the product given that I am certain nobody believes pro wrestling to be real any longer. After the Raw preview show I kept viewing the Live schedule but instead of Raw I got a Countdown show, WWE Network airs neither Raw nor Smackdown live due to existing television rights.
The WWE Network is $9.99 a month with a six month commitment required, at least that's what the WWE wants it to be. It turns out the Paypal customers can easily cancel their subscription at any time to avoid the six month commitment, a process that is more difficult to accomplish if you pay with a credit card. The biggest draw of the WWE Network is if you are a regular viewer than you can watch every WWE PPV of the year live, included in the subscription price. To explain that further, you would pay $120 a year for the network which includes classic and original programming in addition to the PPV's as opposed to over $500 to jut purchase the PPV's through a cable provider. If you are a regular WWE viewer then that seems like almost a no-brainer, though I find it more difficult to warrant that price if you are not an avid WWE fan. For a person looking to just watch the occasional WWE program, I would lean towards paying for Netflix which has plenty of WWE content in addition to everything else that Netflix provides.
I have not had cable for at least five years so as a digital content supporter, I am always looking for new ways to stream video content be it free or subscription based. Last night I found myself doing something that lead towards me cancelling cable in the first place, I was wasting time watching reality television, granted it was reality television with Rowdy Roddy Piper, but reality television nonetheless. I wanted to watch Raw live, Raw was a big deal back when I watched wrestling so to see it still running gave me a nice nostalgic feeling. Before Raw was the Raw Preview show, which could best be described as a SportsCenter influenced show, but it was a little ridiculous how the panelists were discussing the product given that I am certain nobody believes pro wrestling to be real any longer. After the Raw preview show I kept viewing the Live schedule but instead of Raw I got a Countdown show, WWE Network airs neither Raw nor Smackdown live due to existing television rights.
The WWE Network is $9.99 a month with a six month commitment required, at least that's what the WWE wants it to be. It turns out the Paypal customers can easily cancel their subscription at any time to avoid the six month commitment, a process that is more difficult to accomplish if you pay with a credit card. The biggest draw of the WWE Network is if you are a regular viewer than you can watch every WWE PPV of the year live, included in the subscription price. To explain that further, you would pay $120 a year for the network which includes classic and original programming in addition to the PPV's as opposed to over $500 to jut purchase the PPV's through a cable provider. If you are a regular WWE viewer then that seems like almost a no-brainer, though I find it more difficult to warrant that price if you are not an avid WWE fan. For a person looking to just watch the occasional WWE program, I would lean towards paying for Netflix which has plenty of WWE content in addition to everything else that Netflix provides.
Monday, July 14, 2014
5 Ways How NOT To Care For Your Laptop
I have had laptops brought to me for so many different reasons
throughout the years that nothing surprises me anymore, with that being
said there are still plenty of occurrences that leave me scratching my
head. I feel that the importance of having an antivirus if you are going
to use your computer online is at least universally understood so I
will avoid software in this post all together.
Whenever I am asked around the start of summer where a good place to get a laptop would be, people are surprised when I tell them that their first destination should be at their local University. Every year for the last five years, in two different states, I have been able to acquire at least two personal computers from graduating college students that were going to throw them away. These are not old, nonworking computers either, the oldest laptop I have gotten was less than two years old and the student was going to just throw it in the trash because they were getting, or had already gotten a newer model. Not all of the laptops that I get are in perfect working order, some are in bad shape from how their user has treated them.
Whenever I am asked around the start of summer where a good place to get a laptop would be, people are surprised when I tell them that their first destination should be at their local University. Every year for the last five years, in two different states, I have been able to acquire at least two personal computers from graduating college students that were going to throw them away. These are not old, nonworking computers either, the oldest laptop I have gotten was less than two years old and the student was going to just throw it in the trash because they were getting, or had already gotten a newer model. Not all of the laptops that I get are in perfect working order, some are in bad shape from how their user has treated them.
- Do Not Lift Your Laptop From The Screen. This happens more often than you would hope is possible. I have actually seen on several occasions where a person will have their laptop open and the pick it up by the screen, I can't think of many times in life where you want to lift an object from where it is least durable. Fixing a laptop screen can be a little costly and sometimes a person would rather put that money towards a newer laptop as opposed to fixing an older one. As a person that has fixed multiple laptop screens, the process is far more expensive than it should be at most large chain retailers. Even if your laptop screen breaks, remember that you can still plug into a monitor or television to still use it.
- Do Not Lift Your Laptop From A Corner. This is a much more costly fix than a screen, lifting the base from a single corner can lead to breaking the laptop case and I have even scene where it breaks a port. More often than not in this situation I do recommend that the person use that money towards a new laptop.
- Do Not Neglect to Clean Under Your Keyboard. This is more of a hygiene issue than it is a maintenance issue, if you have ever used your laptop while in the bathroom or while you're eating, hopefully not at the same time, then imagine that there is a chance that can transfer to your laptop. You can purchase a can of dry air almost everywhere and for the bigger jobs I recommend a cotton swab damp with rubbing alcohol.
- Do Not Run Your Battery Constantly. I have seen people torrent on their laptops before while using private trackers, this means to abide by the tracker's ratio requirements they will have to leave their laptops running. If you are going to run your laptop continuously then plug it in and remove the battery, replacement batteries are not exactly cheap and the continued stress could also fry your motherboard. Also try not to leave your laptop running on carpet floors or your bed, vents are usually underneath the laptop.
- Do Not Open Your Laptop If You Do Not Know About Computers. I am all for a person learning more about a computer but for your own benefit it would be best if you didn't experiment on a laptop. There are several people I know that work on computers that hate, or even refuse to do anything hardware related to them. You can get a cheap older computer to open up, though specs keep getting better, computers still pretty much look the exact same way on the inside as they always have.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Defining PIPA, SOPA, CISPA and CISA, Plus Why You Should Care
The PROTECT IP Act (Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act, or PIPA) is a proposed law
with the stated goal of giving the US government and copyright holders
additional tools to curb access to "rogue websites dedicated to the sale
of infringing or counterfeit goods", especially those registered
outside the U.S. The bill was introduced on May 12, 2011, by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and 11 bipartisan co-sponsors. The Congressional Budget Office
estimated that implementation of the bill would cost the federal
government $47 million through 2016, to cover enforcement costs and the
hiring and training of 22 new special agents and 26 support staff. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the bill, but Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) placed a hold on it.
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was a United States bill which sought to expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement to combat online copyright infringement and online trafficking in counterfeit goods. On January 18, 2012, Wikipedia, Google, and an estimated 7,000 other smaller websites coordinated a service blackout, to raise awareness. Wikipedia said more than 162 million people viewed its banner. Other protests against SOPA and PIPA included petition drives, with Google stating it collected over 7 million signatures, boycotts of companies and organizations that support the legislation, and an opposition rally held in New York City. Access to websites of several pro-SOPA organizations and companies such as RIAA, CBS.com, and others was impeded or blocked with DoS attacks which started on January 19, 2012. Self-proclaimed members of the "hacktivist" group Anonymous claimed responsibility and stated the attacks were a protest of both SOPA and the United States Department of Justice's shutdown of Megaupload on that same day.
Some opponents of the bill support the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act (OPEN) as an alternative. On January 20, 2012, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Smith postponed plans to draft the bill.
The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) is a proposed law in the United States which would allow for the sharing of Internet traffic information between the U.S. government and technology and manufacturing companies. The stated aim of the bill is to help the U.S. government investigate cyber threats and ensure the security of networks against cyberattacks. On April 26, 2012, the House of Representatives passed CISPA. On February 13, 2013, United States Representative Mike Rogers reintroduced the CISPA bill in the 113th Congress as H.R. 624. On April 18, 2013, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 624. The Senate has reportedly refused to vote on the measure and is drafting competing legislation.
The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) is a proposed law in the United States which would allow for the sharing of Internet traffic information between the U.S. government and technology and manufacturing companies.
Now that you should know the expressed intentions of each bill, you should know why they are worth fighting against. CISPA at its heart could have allowed the government to censor any "cyberthreat" online that it deems harmful. The bill did not clearly define what it deemed harmful or what it considers to be a cyberthreat which lead to fears that the government not only could, but would overstep its bounds and silence valid political speech or act on behalf of various industry groups like the MPAA and RIAA to takedown any allegedly-unofficial content without any judicial review. For example, sites like Wikileaks and any site dealing with bitcoins could be shut down. It would also allow companies to share your private information with each other and the government, without first informing you. Essentially without clearly defined parameters, your emails, browser history, and potentially your online banking and medical records would no longer be secure.
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was a United States bill which sought to expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement to combat online copyright infringement and online trafficking in counterfeit goods. On January 18, 2012, Wikipedia, Google, and an estimated 7,000 other smaller websites coordinated a service blackout, to raise awareness. Wikipedia said more than 162 million people viewed its banner. Other protests against SOPA and PIPA included petition drives, with Google stating it collected over 7 million signatures, boycotts of companies and organizations that support the legislation, and an opposition rally held in New York City. Access to websites of several pro-SOPA organizations and companies such as RIAA, CBS.com, and others was impeded or blocked with DoS attacks which started on January 19, 2012. Self-proclaimed members of the "hacktivist" group Anonymous claimed responsibility and stated the attacks were a protest of both SOPA and the United States Department of Justice's shutdown of Megaupload on that same day.
Some opponents of the bill support the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act (OPEN) as an alternative. On January 20, 2012, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Smith postponed plans to draft the bill.
The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) is a proposed law in the United States which would allow for the sharing of Internet traffic information between the U.S. government and technology and manufacturing companies. The stated aim of the bill is to help the U.S. government investigate cyber threats and ensure the security of networks against cyberattacks. On April 26, 2012, the House of Representatives passed CISPA. On February 13, 2013, United States Representative Mike Rogers reintroduced the CISPA bill in the 113th Congress as H.R. 624. On April 18, 2013, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 624. The Senate has reportedly refused to vote on the measure and is drafting competing legislation.
The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) is a proposed law in the United States which would allow for the sharing of Internet traffic information between the U.S. government and technology and manufacturing companies.
Now that you should know the expressed intentions of each bill, you should know why they are worth fighting against. CISPA at its heart could have allowed the government to censor any "cyberthreat" online that it deems harmful. The bill did not clearly define what it deemed harmful or what it considers to be a cyberthreat which lead to fears that the government not only could, but would overstep its bounds and silence valid political speech or act on behalf of various industry groups like the MPAA and RIAA to takedown any allegedly-unofficial content without any judicial review. For example, sites like Wikileaks and any site dealing with bitcoins could be shut down. It would also allow companies to share your private information with each other and the government, without first informing you. Essentially without clearly defined parameters, your emails, browser history, and potentially your online banking and medical records would no longer be secure.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Previously Unreleased Bill Murray/Dan Aykroyd Film Sees Renewed Attention
This morning I was sent a link to a Telegraph article which was posted onto Reddit stating that here was a previously unreleased Bill Murray film that was now online in full. The above video I posted here has been online for three years now, so I feel it’s best to not call it never before seen.
Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd are not the stars of Nothing Lasts Forever, though the do make up an interesting supporting cast which also includes “The First Modern Stand-Up Comedian” Mort Sahl as well as Sam Jaffe.The stars of this film are actually Zach Galligan of Gremlins fame and Lauren Tom known for Friends and contributing her voice to Futurama and King of the Hill. The film is rather unique and entertaining and it was slated for release the same year as Ghostbusters.
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Kickstarted: The Inspired Mind of Art
Yesterday I posted about how to get started with Kickstarter and it ended awaiting feedback from Kickstarter, they responded that it looked fine so here is a link. I may be biased here given that the artist in question is without a doubt my best friend, but I have been an art appreciator for as long as I can remember, growing up around all of the museums and galleries in Washington DC will do that to a person. The artist, Erin Gillison, had not done anything as far as art goes in nearly a decade, this past September she picked back up and the advancement at which her style has improved over the last year is remarkable. The fact that this artist was not involved in production in so long shows in her styles. where some artist focus on one direction, you can almost see her creativity explode from being pent up for so long in her multiple, distinctly different styles.
The following works are from her Tribal Creature Collection. You will notice not only a common theme in colors but also in design, she takes her inspiration from this line in almost an aboriginal influence based around her pet Akita.
Next is her Huntress Series, the common theme with these are a girl and her companion in multiple scenarios worldwide and throughout history. Again you will notice a similar color scheme focusing on darker color shades with an occasional hint of brightness.
Her third distinct line is the Life in Art Series which has far more color and brightness than the others, in my opinion it is her most carefree line and shows her warmth as a person.
A personal favorite line is her Comic Series, where she adapts famous scenes from various comic book mediums into noire art.
Erin also has started working on a Triptych Collection where she makes 3 smaller panels that share a common theme.
You can support her through her Kickstarter as well as purchase any of the works shown here, or even commission an original piece of art by contacting me at admin@consensualtechs.com. The top pledge reward on her Kickstarter is that you can have an existing art line, or future one if inspired, named after you. Personally, I believe that Consensual Techs Series would be a suitable replacement name for the existing Comic Series.
The Inspired Mind of Art
The following works are from her Tribal Creature Collection. You will notice not only a common theme in colors but also in design, she takes her inspiration from this line in almost an aboriginal influence based around her pet Akita.
A personal favorite line is her Comic Series, where she adapts famous scenes from various comic book mediums into noire art.
The Inspired Mind of Art
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Kickstarting Your Kickstarter
The most frequently asked question that I have been on the receiving
end of over the past week has to be "What is Kickstarter?". After Zack Danger Brown raised over $70,000 to make potato salad, with twenty-three days still remaining on his Kickstarter, it's no wonder why I am now daily asked about Kickstarter. Kickstarter
is a crowdfunding website where you can create a project and designate
reward tiers for people donating to your cause, the catch with
Kickstarter is that if you do not reach your goal then you receive no
funds. There are other crowdfunding websites available such as Gofundme and Indiegogo that you may have also heard of, but you may be surprised as to how many more options are available.
Since all I keep hearing about is Kickstarter, that is who I will focus
on in this post, I am by no means implying that Kickstarter is the best
option, they are just the ones I keep getting asked about.
Per Kickstarter, last year over 3 million projects were funded totaling over $480 million dollars with donors living in over 200 countries from all 7 continents. The Top Five funded projects on Kickstarter are:
Per Kickstarter, last year over 3 million projects were funded totaling over $480 million dollars with donors living in over 200 countries from all 7 continents. The Top Five funded projects on Kickstarter are:
- Pebble: E-Paper Watch for iPhone and Android. Total Amount Raised $10,266,845. Pebble Smartwatch is currently available to purchase at Best Buy and Amazon.
- Ouya Android Gaming Console. Total Amount Raised $8,596,474. Ouya is currently available to purchase, mostly on clearance racks. The best Ouya unboxing review available.
- Pono Music Digital Music Service. Total Amount Raised $6,225,354. Pono Music is set to launch in October 2014.
- Veronica Mars Movie. Total Amount Raised $5,702,153. The movie is available now and it grossed over $3 million at the Box Office.
- Reading Rainbow Series. Total Amount Raised $5,408,916. The Series will return, most likely as online exclusive though no release information has been given yet.
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Knoxville Technology: Found on my Trip
I am still trying to adjust to being back in Miami, and I am doubtful that I will easily adjust to the 26 hours roundtrip that were spent on the road. I wanted to touch on a few things that I discovered in East Tennessee as well as a project that I tried to introduce them to.
Game Collecting: I hit up a few spots that I used to frequent back when I lived in Knoxville, some were very lucrative while others disappointed. I started with pawn shops and found that all of the shops in the area that feature older games, those that predate Xbox/PS2/GameCube, are now ridiculously overpriced. I can understand raising prices on classic Zelda and Mario titles, but to blindly raise all prices just because a game is old is not good for business. I did however have one good trip which added six PS2 games that my collection was missing, for a total of $18, one game out of the group sells for more than that on EBay.
Free Art Friday: I had multiple Knoxville based artists that were curious about the concept of Free Art Friday, Knoxville’s art scene is still trying to gain an identity, so I figured where better to start. I corresponded with Registered Artist regarding what it would take to get a new chapter up and running, he was extremely helpful in answering all of the questions that I had. It is now up to the group’s admins and members if they are going to take the next step of producing and dropping the art, I look forward to what they can do from here.
Purchasing Electronics: Not only was I able to find personal electronics in Knoxville, I was able to find them at a great price. I found a Sony Vaio featuring Windows 8.1, fully equipped to run most games at high specs on closeout, at under $500. Though Knoxville has an existing tech scene, it’s not a large percentage, in Miami I have struck out looking for the same electronics that were readily available in East Tennessee.
Game Collecting: I hit up a few spots that I used to frequent back when I lived in Knoxville, some were very lucrative while others disappointed. I started with pawn shops and found that all of the shops in the area that feature older games, those that predate Xbox/PS2/GameCube, are now ridiculously overpriced. I can understand raising prices on classic Zelda and Mario titles, but to blindly raise all prices just because a game is old is not good for business. I did however have one good trip which added six PS2 games that my collection was missing, for a total of $18, one game out of the group sells for more than that on EBay.
Free Art Friday: I had multiple Knoxville based artists that were curious about the concept of Free Art Friday, Knoxville’s art scene is still trying to gain an identity, so I figured where better to start. I corresponded with Registered Artist regarding what it would take to get a new chapter up and running, he was extremely helpful in answering all of the questions that I had. It is now up to the group’s admins and members if they are going to take the next step of producing and dropping the art, I look forward to what they can do from here.
Purchasing Electronics: Not only was I able to find personal electronics in Knoxville, I was able to find them at a great price. I found a Sony Vaio featuring Windows 8.1, fully equipped to run most games at high specs on closeout, at under $500. Though Knoxville has an existing tech scene, it’s not a large percentage, in Miami I have struck out looking for the same electronics that were readily available in East Tennessee.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Knoxville Technology: Q&A with LOPSA-ETENN Co-Founder Mike Julian
During my recent trip to Knoxville, where I went in search of the existing technology scene in East Tennessee, I had the opportunity to interview Mike Julian. Mike Julian is a cofounder of LOPSA-ETENN and works as a Senior Systems Engineer for Peak Hosting. LOPSA(League of Professional System Administrators)'s goal is "To advance the practice of system administration; to support, recognize, educate and encourage its practitioners; and to serve the public through education and outreach on system administration issues".
What is LOPSA-ETENN and how long has it been around?
"LOPSA-ETENN is a chapter of LOPSA (http://lopsa.org). We exist to bring together system administrators from the East TN area to learn from each other and make new friends in the industry. We launched the chapter in June 2012."
Knoxville isn’t exactly known as a technology hub yet LOPSA-ETENN
hosts monthly events, would you say that LOPSA-ETENN could be considered
synonymous with technology in East Tennessee?
"There's actually more technology than people realize! We have Oak Ridge National Lab here, home of Titan, Gaea, and Kraken (top supercomputers), the Spallation Neutron Source (a high-flux isotope reactor), plus several major companies (TVA, Scripps Networks). Not to mention Chattanooga only an hour and a half away, home of the country's first municipal gigabit ethernet, as well as home to GigTank, a startup incubator.
I wouldn't say that LOPSA-ETENN is synonymous with
technology in East TN, but we certainly have many major players
attending on a regular basis."
What does Knoxville provide to the technology world?
"As I mentioned above, ORNL has three top supercomputers on site, used for everything from Medicare research to climate modeling."
Before I moved from East Tennessee last year I was hearing about a
project that would teach local youths how to build a Raspberry Pi, did
that program come to fruition as far as you know?
"Unfortunately, I do not believe that ever came to fruition. I'm not sure the reason."
I believe that two things more people should have first hand
knowledge with how they function are cars and computers. How important
is it to introduce the next generation to technology at an early age?
"Absolutely critical. Thankfully, technology is everywhere, and kids get their hands on technology pretty easily now."
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Weekly Recap: Finally Home Edition
Well, after deciding not to drive all of the way to South Florida last night, I stopped past the Florida State line and just got home roughly an hour ago. As I stated yesterday, I learned quite a bit about the technology offered in East Tennessee and tomorrow I will be posting a Q&A with one of the directors of LOPSA-ETENN. I am looking for ways to expand even further than I have thus far in less than two months, it's time for the .com to be up and running and hopefully this week I should have an announcement regarding that.
- Google is being forced to censor the history of Merrill Lynch.
- Youtube has joined Netflix in publicly shaming ISP's for poor video streaming.
- Comcast execs have a very friendly relationship with an attorney at the Department of Justice’s antitrust division.
- Newegg.com now accepts Bitcoin.
- SolidRun is releasing the HummingBoard as a more powerful alternative to the Raspberry Pi.
- 3D printing helps surgeons save five-year-old's life.
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Technology Found in East Tennessee
The Knoxville technology scavenger hunt has come to its conclusion and I will be returning to South Florida today. While in East Tennessee this past two weeks I learned more about its technology scene than I knew in living here for almost a decade. Though it still remains my opinion that Knoxville would be better off abandoning the dream of being a city accepting its status as a quaint college town, I leave this time with more of an appreciation of Knoxville than I ever had before.
First I must say that it I was fortunate enough to interview one of the heads of the East Tennessee chapter of LOPSA, on Monday I will post his very informative Q&A. I also had a very good haul in my hobby of game collecting, I will go a little further into that in tomorrow’s previous week recap/next week preview.
All in all I must say that this trip was a success, beyond just the family aspect of it and the ability to get a vacation, much needed I may add. Rocky Top will always be home sweet home to my wife but earlier this week she told me she was homesick, she meant for Miami.
First I must say that it I was fortunate enough to interview one of the heads of the East Tennessee chapter of LOPSA, on Monday I will post his very informative Q&A. I also had a very good haul in my hobby of game collecting, I will go a little further into that in tomorrow’s previous week recap/next week preview.
All in all I must say that this trip was a success, beyond just the family aspect of it and the ability to get a vacation, much needed I may add. Rocky Top will always be home sweet home to my wife but earlier this week she told me she was homesick, she meant for Miami.
Friday, July 4, 2014
Happy Birthday America
Today is the 4th of July, also known as Independence Day, or America’s birthday. Seeing as easily a 5th of my readers are international, that means no day off for me.
Some of your favorite games are having exclusive July 4th, American inspired festivities including the PC and console behemoth Grand Theft Auto 5, as well as my personal favorite mobile game, The Simpsons: Tapped Out. Most retailers are open today so that means if you are stateside, you could easily find all sorts of deals on electronics, and of course Amazon never takes a holiday.
Again, if you are stateside, be sure to be safe out there as the holiday is a great time for police to meet their quotas early in the month. I do not have personal experience with them, however I have had a couple of people recommend DUIFox to view local checkpoints and they tell me unlike other options, you do not have to subscribe to use the service. Twitter will be another good source for following local checkpoints, follow local news outlets or check specifically for your town’s sobriety checker.
I am currently doing this through my phone, so my Google Fu is limited, I will update my International readers with other fun options after I get back to my laptop.
Some of your favorite games are having exclusive July 4th, American inspired festivities including the PC and console behemoth Grand Theft Auto 5, as well as my personal favorite mobile game, The Simpsons: Tapped Out. Most retailers are open today so that means if you are stateside, you could easily find all sorts of deals on electronics, and of course Amazon never takes a holiday.
Again, if you are stateside, be sure to be safe out there as the holiday is a great time for police to meet their quotas early in the month. I do not have personal experience with them, however I have had a couple of people recommend DUIFox to view local checkpoints and they tell me unlike other options, you do not have to subscribe to use the service. Twitter will be another good source for following local checkpoints, follow local news outlets or check specifically for your town’s sobriety checker.
I am currently doing this through my phone, so my Google Fu is limited, I will update my International readers with other fun options after I get back to my laptop.
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Game Review: Hands On With Rodina
I am a lifelong video gamer and roughly six years ago I helped to write video game reviews for a friends' short lived 420gametips. I have never been a fan of the grading system that most outlets incorporate (4 out of 5, 7 out of 10...) so, instead of some number here with a long winded written review to follow, I will focus on a brief written review.
Rodina is an open world RPG set in space which has noticeably been inspired by Star Fox and the Elder Scrolls Series. You can download a one hour timed demo and purchase the full game directly from Elliptic Games' website, and though the demo is restricted to an hour, you can save the progress and return to it when you're ready. Rodina supports a pay what you wish tier-style, and you can pay as little as $2 or as much as $250. Here's a look at the different tiers:
I want to give a well written review on Rodina but the reality is that this game is unfinished, that is partly why I am already such a fan. The demo is not that large and plays on most systems as is, without the need for a big budget machine to power. As more people support Rodina, the more expansive the game will become, when you purchase a tier for the game you are actually supporting the continued support and longevity of Rodina. I plan on at least partaking in the "Buffet" tier and in the future upgrading to "El Presidente", it would be nice to see Consensual Techs listed as a video games' Executive Producer. The best review that anyone can give this game is give it a try, go download the demo. Rodina is a lot of fun, you can easily lose track of time exploring and that will eat up a good amount of that demo's hour time limit.
Rodina is an open world RPG set in space which has noticeably been inspired by Star Fox and the Elder Scrolls Series. You can download a one hour timed demo and purchase the full game directly from Elliptic Games' website, and though the demo is restricted to an hour, you can save the progress and return to it when you're ready. Rodina supports a pay what you wish tier-style, and you can pay as little as $2 or as much as $250. Here's a look at the different tiers:
- $2-$14 Appetizer- Unlock the demo and play the full game as long as you want!
(This tier does not include future updates) - $15 Buffet- All you can eat! Free access to updates as Rodina grows over time!
- $25 Bossypants- Take part in official votes on what Elliptic works on next. Have a direct impact on Rodina's development!
- $50 Wingman- Special thanks in the Rodina credits.
- $100 High Roller- Gamble on Elliptic's future! You get all future PC games we make for free, for as long as Elliptic exists. We'll also put your picture in a special "thank you" section of the Rodina web site.
- $250 El Presidente- "Executive Producer" credit in all games Elliptic ever makes. We'll hang your picture up in the office in perpituity. We'll call you "Sir" or "Ma'am". And if you are ever in Portland Oregon, Brendan will happily take you to lunch! Call ahead :)
I want to give a well written review on Rodina but the reality is that this game is unfinished, that is partly why I am already such a fan. The demo is not that large and plays on most systems as is, without the need for a big budget machine to power. As more people support Rodina, the more expansive the game will become, when you purchase a tier for the game you are actually supporting the continued support and longevity of Rodina. I plan on at least partaking in the "Buffet" tier and in the future upgrading to "El Presidente", it would be nice to see Consensual Techs listed as a video games' Executive Producer. The best review that anyone can give this game is give it a try, go download the demo. Rodina is a lot of fun, you can easily lose track of time exploring and that will eat up a good amount of that demo's hour time limit.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Discussing Rodina With Creator Brendan Anthony of Elliptic Games
How would you describe Rodina, will it offer anything that we haven't seen before in games?
"Yes! Rodina is a space exploration game that offers a level of seamless freedom that has *never been seen before* in video games. You can fly all throughout a full-scale solar system, walk around your ship, pilot your ship straight through a planet's atmosphere, and get out of your ship and walk around. All with complete freedom - no loading screens or warp doors. This creates a kind of immersive play experience that is very strong, even though the game is relatively early in development.
Over the long run, I hope to turn Rodina into "Daggerfall in Space"- a massive, procedurally generated RPG."
You worked on Oblivion which happened to be my last console killer(game that I play so much it eventually kills my console),should I pre-order a replacement console now, how much time could I spend playing the game?
"Haha, I'm sure the girls and boys at Bethesda would be proud to hear that!
You could spend eons playing Rodina- the planets are full scale and you can walk, or fly, absolutely everywhere. There are something like 45,000 asteroids in the game. The problem, of course, is that you would eventually run out of things to do! Rodina doesn't have enough STUFF populating the gameworld yet. There are plenty of enemy ships to fight, but the next steps are to add bases on the planets, and eventually NPCs and settlements. The more support Rodina receives, the more content I'll be able to add in."
Where can I play Rodina, are you looking to expand to home consoles or will it remain PC exclusive?
If someone were looking to break into the gaming industry but only had a loose familiarity with programming, where could they start? How difficult is it to start making games independently?
What would you consider to be the toughest obstacles to overcome when trying to turn a video game idea into reality(fundraising, self-motivation, connections)?
"Yes! Rodina is a space exploration game that offers a level of seamless freedom that has *never been seen before* in video games. You can fly all throughout a full-scale solar system, walk around your ship, pilot your ship straight through a planet's atmosphere, and get out of your ship and walk around. All with complete freedom - no loading screens or warp doors. This creates a kind of immersive play experience that is very strong, even though the game is relatively early in development.
Over the long run, I hope to turn Rodina into "Daggerfall in Space"- a massive, procedurally generated RPG."
You worked on Oblivion which happened to be my last console killer(game that I play so much it eventually kills my console),should I pre-order a replacement console now, how much time could I spend playing the game?
"Haha, I'm sure the girls and boys at Bethesda would be proud to hear that!
You could spend eons playing Rodina- the planets are full scale and you can walk, or fly, absolutely everywhere. There are something like 45,000 asteroids in the game. The problem, of course, is that you would eventually run out of things to do! Rodina doesn't have enough STUFF populating the gameworld yet. There are plenty of enemy ships to fight, but the next steps are to add bases on the planets, and eventually NPCs and settlements. The more support Rodina receives, the more content I'll be able to add in."
Where can I play Rodina, are you looking to expand to home consoles or will it remain PC exclusive?
"Rodina
is currently a Windows PC exclusive, but I'd be more than happy to
attempt porting it to consoles or other operating systems. I'd love to
see Rodina on the WiiU, for example. Unfortunately I can't imagine that
I'll get the chance to work on ports anytime soon- making games is busy
work!"
If someone were looking to break into the gaming industry but only had a loose familiarity with programming, where could they start? How difficult is it to start making games independently?
"It's easier than
it's ever been to make games independently. There are programs like
GameMaker and Unity which can help, and huge systems of support to help
indie developers make games, release them, and promote them.
Ultimately,
though, making games is a technical process. You need to be willing to
learn new things to make a game, and having an expertise, or at least a
familiarity, with programming is an indispensable skill. Fortunately, no
matter what platform you use to make games, there are tons of resources
out there to help you keep rolling."
What would you consider to be the toughest obstacles to overcome when trying to turn a video game idea into reality(fundraising, self-motivation, connections)?
"Wow, what a great, and very difficult to answer, question....
The
thing is, everything about making games is really hard. Programming is
difficult on it's own, but when you are programming something with the
complexity of a video game, the difficulty goes up dramatically. There
have been times when I've spent days trying to fix a stubborn bug,
tearing my hair out and going to bed emotionally exhausted. On days like
that, self-motivation becomes very hard as well. And once you do make
the game, all of the business considerations- PR, contractors, community
management, all add an entire other full-time job to the mix. I'm in a
tough position now, because I'm still developing Rodina, while also
working to make it successful. It makes me long for the days when I had
great producers and a PR department to rely on!
But,
all that being said, what stands out to me as an answer is
self-motivation, because it's so insidious. Ultimately, every problem is
surmountable, every bug is fixable, if you just keep working. But I
find that many people who want to make games, or to pursue any dream for
that matter, never bother to actually take the risk, get off their
butts, and actually go for it! And even if we start, once the going gets
hard it's just too easy to quit and go back to something easier.
The
good news is- making games is also fun! Every bug fight comes with a
moment of sweet victory. And every PR nightmare is balanced out when
people tell you they love your game :) I get my motivation from those
great moments, and in the end I'm incredibly lucky to have one of the
most challenging and rewarding jobs in the world!"
Tomorrow I will post a review of my experiences playing Rodina. Thank You again to Brendan and here is a link where you can download the Rodina demo to see if you would like to participate in one of their purchase tiers.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
What is ARM Architecture?
ARM was first developed by British computer manufacturer ACORN Computers in the 1980s and is a family of instruction set architectures for computer processors based on reduced instruction set computing(RISC). A RISC based computer design approach means that ARM processors require significantly fewer transistors than typical complex instruction set computing(CISC). which is found in most personal computers. RISC reduces costs, heat and power use which are desirable traits for personal devices such as smartphones, laptops, tablets and netbook computers. A simpler design facilitates more efficient multi-core CPUs and higher core counts at lower cost, providing improved energy efficiency for servers. Globally, ARM is the most widely used instruction set architecture in terms of quantity produced with over 50 billion ARM processors having been produced as of 2014. According to ARM Holdings, in 2010 alone, producers of chips based on ARM architectures reported shipments of 6.1 billion, representing 95% of smartphones, 35% of digital televisions and set-top boxes and 10% of mobile computers.
Taken from its wiki, The ARM architecture is supported by a large number of embedded and real-time operating systems, including Linux, Windows CE, Symbian, ChibiOS/RT, FreeRTOS, eCos, Integrity, Nucleus PLUS, MicroC/OS-II, PikeOS, QNX, RTEMS, RTXC Quadros, ThreadX, VxWorks, DRYOS, MQX, T-Kernel, OSE, SCIOPTA, OS-9, and RISC OS. It is also the primary hardware environment for most mobile device operating systems such as iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Windows RT, Bada, Blackberry OS/Blackberry 10, MeeGo, Firefox OS, Tizen, Ubuntu Touch, Sailfish and webOS.
For further exploring, I have included a video of ARM Architecture Fundamentals.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)