Most discussions about GPU manufacturers end up devolving into "my GPU kicks your GPU's butt in Crysis" rants. However, GPU manufacturers are large corporations with wide ranging product mixes and market strategies. Being the best at Crysis is not enough in the real world of profit margins and channel partnerships to keep things afloat. We think nVidia is in trouble. Big trouble. Are we seeing doom where there isn't any? Read on to find out for yourself.
It's time to take a look at another storage device review here at FastSilicon.com. This review however is a bit different from those we've done in the past. Today on the firing line is an Eagle Consus ET-CSMSU2-BK External Storage System. Ever had the need to just take a hard drive with you on a moments notice? This might be the device for you.
Reports are running rampant across the web today regarding Charter Communications , one of the nations largest cable broadband companies, and a new tactic they're deploying to make money from your internet usage. In some markets customers are recieving a letter in the mail stating that they will be part of a new service, where Charter replaces advertising in web pages with advertising deemed "more relevant". An excerpt...
"I'm writing to inform you of an enhancement coming soon to your web browsing experience... While continuing to deliver the same fast and reliable internet service you've always received, innovative new technology enables Charter to provide you with an enhanced online experience that is more customized to your interests and activities. As a result, the advertising that you typically see online will better reflect the interests you express thorugh your web-surfing activities. You will not see more ads - just ads that are more relevant to you."
They do offer an opt-out process , but the opt-out process requires you to input personal information in a non encrypted http session and stupidly relies on cookies which are frequently cleaned on peoples pc's obviating the necessity of redoing this dodgy and dangerously insecure process. Over and over and over again.
This is wrong on so many levels I cannot figure out where to start. The privacy issues are as obvious as the above statement. As a publisher who relies on advertising to survive, it potentially makes our advertising useless. Advertising is what drives the net economy, and this tactic sets a dangerous precedent ethically and legally.
This tactic also skims dangerously close to rights infrigement, because this in essence is modifying website content without permission. For those individuals who use blocklists to avoid advertising altogether, it makes that a meaningless endeavor as well.
This is yet another clear example of ideas gone wrong, and avarice taken too far. I don't think the Electronic Frontier Foundation will have much of a fight here though. Every mainstream news and information portal in the world, most of which make the bulk of their revenue from advertising, will be lining up around the block to sue Charter Communications over this stupidity.
In a shocking display of clarity and reason, EA
and Bioware
have made an official announcement stating they have decided to drop the draconian every ten day activation fiasco they were intending for PC titles Mass Effect
and Spore. Whether this is a reaction to the out of control firestorm this issue became last week , or EA/Bioware growing a collective brain within the last week we cannot say for certain. It is however, a welcome return to sanity and customer centric thinking within EA/Bioware, and one we applaud them for. An excerpt from Bioware's official statement...
There has been a lot of discussion in the past few days on how the security requirements for Mass Effect for PC will work. BioWare, a division of EA, wants to let fans know that Mass Effect will not require 10- day periodic re-authentication.
BioWare has always listened very closely to its fans and we made this decision to ensure we are delivering the best possible experience to them. To all the fans including our many friends in the armed services and internationally who expressed concerns that they would not be able re-authenticate as often as required, EA and BioWare want you to know that your feedback is important to us.
The solution being implemented for Mass Effect for the PC changes copy protection from being key disc based, which requires authentication every time you play the game by requiring a disc in the drive, to a one time online authentication.
This system has an added benefit of allowing players to seamlessly play the game without needing the DVD in the drive.
EA/Bioware's careful wording, as you peruse the entire post, seems to indicate that this was the plan all along. Just keep in mind that this is P.R., and full of more spin than a game of Twister in a centrifuge.
