Xbox Live

Xbox Live is a great service, it's the best console multiplayer experience. I don't fault it at all for this. However, I question whether Xbox Live should really be pay-to-play.If we look at the PC as a gaming machine, multiplayer (with the exception of MMOs) has always been free. Releases of popular contemporary games, (CoD4, Team Fortress 2, etc) have had free multiplayer built in. What's the sense in paying for Xbox Live, shelling out a good $50-60 for something we've always had for free as a PC gamer.

Multiplayer is usually the meat of any good game. The Halos, CoDs, Gears of Wars all have great singleplayer, but after the 10 or so hours that it takes to complete the singleplayer campaign, what has really made these games great is their multiplayer. I can't tell you how many hours I personally have spent pwning some noobs in multiplayer. There's simply no comparision in the challenge between singleplayer and multiplayer.Multiplayer is really a necessity, it really lengthens your $60 for a game. With singleplayer, you can usually ike out about 10-15 hours of gameplay before being totally bored. With multiplayer, you can get 100+ hours of enjoyment, and still keep being entertained.

I think perhaps the greatest investment I've made is Warcraft 3 + The Frozen Throne for $50. This game has got me easily 2000+ hours of gameplay over a few years, and I still keep playing it because it's still fun. What's perhaps the most remarkable thing is, I've never even touched the singleplayer. I play solely online, with Blizzard's Battle.net system, and play custom maps (ie. mods), like the very popular Defense of the Ancients (DotA).So if multiplayer is such an integral part of the game, why isn't it free? There is really no difference in the cost between a console game and a PC game. The multiplayer matches are all hosted by private users, and the only cost to the developer is a master server to ensure users are playing licensed copies of the game. Rival services (Playstation Network) offer free online play, albeit without the quality of Xbox Live, but why are we paying for a service that's always been free?

We're Back

It's been a long time. But we're back in buisness.

Welcome to the Scene

http://www.welcometothescene.com/

"The Scene" is the term those in the know use to describe the toplevels of the filesharing community. The Scene is an exclusive network of groups dedicated to releasing pirated content for distribution across the world. These release groups do not release content for money, but for fun, and for the respect from their peers. They are also highly secretive and have extensive measures in place to protect themselves from government agencies who would love to bring them in. Welcome to the Scene tries to introduce the audience to the filesharing community, but adds annoying dramatic spin, which detracts from what the scene actually is. However, for the uneducated viewer, it is an inside look at an exclusive and highly secret world responsible for millions of downloads every single day.

Torrentspy and Isohunt Under Attack

Article

Popular BitTorrent Indexers Torrentspy and Isohunt are under attack by the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) who has filed lawsuits against them. This could cause chaos in the filesharing community as these two sites are among the largest on the web. However, there is much doubt as to how the MPAA will approach this, as neither TorrentSpy nor Isohunt actually hosts the torrents on it's site.

Top 10 Wierdest USB Devices

Top 10 Wierd USB Devices

The Top 10 includes, USB Air Darts, USB Heated Slippers and Gloves, and yes, a USB Vibrator. Man, those computer chicks get all the fun. What will they think of next.

Living Longer Through Video Games

Better Living Through Video Games?

Personally, as a hardcore gamer, video games both have a positive, and a detrimental effect. Video games not only improve reflexes, teach people how to multitask, and how to work together and communicate as a team. However, video games also teach young people to be anti-social, detached from reality, and also induce stress. Often, video games will require the same amount of coordination and teamwork as a sports team. Specifically, gamers will often have to micromanage several things at once, all of which are critical to success. Often, games will juggle the movement of my team, the movement of the enemy, my movement, and other things such as ammo and health. This could possibly parallel school where students must juggle classes, homework, and extra curricular activities, as well as the workplace. Personally, I don't really care, I just want to get out their and play!

Super Mario Bros Footage Leaked

Footage for the new Super Mario Bros for the Nintendo DS has been leaked. Looks pretty sweet, way better then the classic one for the Super Nintendo.

Super Mario Bros Footage

Bittorrent Clients

http://www.hotwired.com/webmonkey/06/05/index2a.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bittorrent#How_BitTorrent_works

BitTorrent offers an amazing and easy way to share any type of file online with minimal stress on the bandwidth of the distributor. Already, BitTorrent's popularity among the filesharing community has spread, and many trackers, such as the Pirate Bay, Torrentspy and Isohunt to name a few. It allows people to distribute files to thousands of people with quick speed and efficiency.

Personally, I use BitComet to download torrents. It's written in C++ so it has a low memory footprint, and takes up very little processing power compared to the resource hogging capabilities of Azureus, a Java-Based BitTorrent client.

BitTorrent is very good for the beginning file sharer who wants more then the one or two songs they may download from P2P clients such as Kazaa and Ares. Often, they may download all the albums of a particular band, plus the album covers, in a few clicks. It is also far easier to use then text-based downloading programs like IRC. Also, full movies are easily downloaded, and are often available over BitTorrent earlier then over Kazaa and Ares.

I would recommend that people who want movies, games, music and other online content use BitTorrent, it's easy and it's free.

I would recommend that people who want movies, games, music and other online content use BitTorrent, it's easy and it's free.

Trackers:
http://www.torrentspy.com/
http://www.isohunt.com/
http://www.thepiratebay.org/

End to Computer Illiteracy?

http://www.betanews.com/article/UN_Throws_Weight_Behind
_100_Laptop/1138305503

This offers an amazing opportunity for third world countries to give the masses access to cheap, rugged devices that can give them access to the rest of the world through the internet. This will help provide opportunity to many who are now able to join a global network to share their ideas and problems.

However, the method that the people will get on the internet will be slow, overcrowded and few and far between. The money that was spent building these laptops will be useless without a cheap, reliable and widespread infrastructure which third world countries lack. Currently, internet costs $24 to $50 a month, far beyond the price range of the majority of the working people. Should we really spend aid money on computers when the quality of life, and essential services such as running water and affordable housing are unavailable to most people?