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User Accounts October 6, 2008 at 11:38pm |
| For any wondering, I removed the user section of the site, I decided that maintaining user accounts was a little overkill. Your comments are still there, and you can still comment, the creation of a profile just has been removed, if you have any thoughts, let me know. |
| It's Time for Microsoft to Reverse Stance on XBOX 360 Hard Drive November 19, 2007 1:38pm in gaming |
When Microsoft released the XBOX 360 in 2005, they released 2 versions of it: the Core Version, and the Premium Version. The Premium had a 20GB Hard Drive and Backwards Compatibility, the Core did not. The core relied on memory cards to save user data. At first glance, this seems like it wouldn't be a problem. Today, while not completely a problem, could cause issues in the future, possibly closer than one might think. The problem is, that a lot of games today require the caching of data to help store levels in games to allow for quicker transitions, to decrease load times, and to generally improve game performance. This caching becomes impossible to do without a hard drive connected to a system as a memory card, while good for game saves, just can't cut it when it comes to caching game data. One might think, well, just require those games to be played on a system that has a hard drive. I personally agree with that. I think that hard drives should become neccessary for certain games. Microsoft on the other hand does not. Their requirements for games state that every game should be developed for both versions of the system. The games should be playable on both systems with and without a hard drive. This, while sounding limiting is a double-edged sword. Yes, games should be playable on both systems as to not alienate one base. At the same time however, if playing without a hard drive brings up significant load times and generally decreases smooth gameplay, where do you draw the line? One game that this has been noted on, is the game Mass Effect, due out this week. From various reviews, it does appear that there are significant load times that have been cleverly hidden in elevator rides. While cleverily hidden and perhaps less notable to the casual gamer, these long elevator rides are there and have to be to allow it playable on both systems. I see two possible solutions to this problem. The first is something that I don't really see Microsoft doing. I think it might be in Microsoft's best interest to put some games on a "must have hard drive" classification. While unfair to those without the hard drive, if they aren't a casual gamer, they'd probably have the hard drive anyway, as I believe the Premium, Elite, and now the Halo Edition of the XBOX 360 have sold more than the core version. The second option is to either make caching a setting that can be able to be turned on and off, or a setting that can automatically detect the presence of a hard drive and change itself accordingly. It's an interesting prospect that I'm not sure we'll see a solution to in the near future, but I still hold firm that Microsoft should do something, be it reversing their stance towards developers and the hard drive, or work with developers to create a cache setting on games. This could be a limiting factor for future games and projects. Another limiting factor may be the limited size of the DVD, but that could be fixed later if Microsoft can work with HD DVD and start putting games on that. This might already be part of their future plans as rumor has a future 360 to come with an HD DVD drive instead of a DVD drive installed. |
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| Eagles Get Another Dirty Win November 19, 2007 10:29am in news |
The Philadelphia Eagles yesterday picked up their 5th win and are now .500 but man was their win dirty. The squeaked by with a 17-7 victory over the Miami Dolphins, largely in part to Westbrook's 32 carries. McNabb went down in the 2nd quarter with a sprained ankle to be replaced by AJ Feeley who was efficient completing 13 for 19 for 116yds, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. McNabb was 3 for 11 with no touchdowns and 2 interceptions. But in the 2nd half, Westbrook was given the ball and had his share of amazing plays going for 148 yards rushing. This leads me to my point...why are the Eagles not giving Westbrook the ball to start? They only seem to use Westbrook when McNabb goes down. They did it last season and they did it again yesterday. Westbrook is the biggest threat on the Eagles offense. Plain and simple. Start using him, and the opposing defense will start to focus more on Westbrook leaving the other receivers and tailbacks more open for big plays. They did it 3 years ago when T.O. was on the team. Pinkston and the others did well because defenders were too busy focusing on T.O. to cover others as well. Simply put, no matter who's QB for the Eagles, be it Feeley, McNabb, or even Kolb, GIVE BRIAN WESTBROOK THE BALL. Westbrook is amazing...he's elusive, fast, and a multi-pronged threat. He can do things on his own, and he can open up plays towards other players on the team. I'm not even gonna bother talking about the QB situation. |
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| Ubuntu Wedges Itself in Further with Dell November 15, 2007 12:10pm in tech |
LinuxWatch.com reports that beginning in First Quarter 08, Dell should be offering Ubuntu on it's servers for those interested. Much has been said lately with the failure of Windows Vista to really grab the market, that Linux might end up seeing a gradual rise in use. This is not suprising with how bloated Vista is and how high the optimal system requirements are that people might not want to spend that kind of money on a new machine just to get Microsoft's latest and greatest operating system. Dell has been offering Ubuntu on some of its laptops and desktops for a little while and now it looks like some of Dell's servers will get the same treatment. This is good news because Linux is definitely starting to become a viable alternative to Windows, and with the distributions I've used (Slackware, Fedora, Debian, SUSE, Ubuntu, Mandriva), Ubuntu is still by far the easiest to get the feel for. There might be other easier distributions to learn on too, but I still think Ubuntu is a good overall choice for someone's first taste of Linux. So hopefully this news proves true and we will see Dell servers shipping with Ubuntu on them. I will say I'm not a big fan of Dell Computers, I think some of that comes from my desire to custom build as well as my fondness towards Macs, but kudos to Dell for teaming up with Ubuntu to help get Linux out there for consumers. From what I understand, the Dell computers that come with Ubuntu are already set up and the hardware is all compatible which helps ease headaches, particularly those new to Linux who might not yet have the experience neccessary to fully troubleshoot problems. Ubuntu Scores First Major Pre-Installed Server Win [linux-watch.com] |
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| The New Job November 14, 2007 10:00pm in life |
| Well day 3 ended and so far I'm really liking it. I mean I can already tell it will be right up my alley. I'm not doing any development just yet, but i realize that that's pretty much because I'm new. The code really wouldn't make a lot of sense to me right off the bat anyway, I'd have to look at it first and read through it to know what everything is doing. The week is half over and it really feels like it just started, but you won't see me complain about that. Almost the weekend!
And so I fall I don't want to feel this small... Tags: work |
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| Hate Living in France, Well Then, Just Go To Court November 09, 2007 1:24am in offbeat |
Interesting, the kids of a split family with the mother living in France, and the father living in Britain hated living in France so much they went to court to stay in Britain...and won. It's official; you don't have to live in France [yahoo.com] |
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