Delicious LiveJournal Links for 11-19-2010

[andrewducker]

• 100 Naked Citizens: 100 Leaked Body Scans. Oh, the utter fucking incompetence.
  (tags: usa privacy technology)
• University fees reforms will not save money - assumptions about graduate earnings and fee levels are all wrong.
  (tags: earnings university fees government uk)
• Nine Eyes - a collection of interesting, funny and pretty Google Street View pictures.
  (tags: google photography)
• Game/Gamestation to stop carrying games that use Steam. Talk about shooting themselves in the face.
  (tags: games gaming computer_games EpicFail)
• The rules of plastering
  (tags: funny)
• Porpoises rescue Dick Van Dyke. No. Really.
  (tags: porpoises DickVanDyke weird unlikely)
• Christian adoption adviser sacked for refusing to recommend same-sex couples has lost her religious discrimination case.
  (tags: religion homophobia adoption children)
• Ian Paisley backs Irish unity. Well, if it's all part of the UK. Aaah, the comedy House of Lords...
  (tags: uk funny ireland)
• Government has completely fucked itself over immigration. They either damage the economy or renege on a (Tory) promise.
  (tags: immigration funny uk government)
• 1st picturess from George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones miniseries
  (tags: GeorgeRRMartin GameOfThrones tv photos)
• Android apps conceal hidden charges - VAT not advertised, hidden card fees, estimates way off
  (tags: android google payment)
• Some useful health advice that goes against popular wisdom
  (tags: health advice)

Comments

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised at how low the resolution is of those TSA scanner pics, that just makes the scanning (with that particular machine), seem like even more of a waste of time.

[andrewducker]

Those are an older model. Newere ones are a lot more detailed.

[peteyoung.livejournal.com]

I expect I will be subjected to a backscatter scan tomorrow at Seattle. 'Opt-out Day' is November 24th, when men should turn up to fly wearing kilts. It's all yet another reason not to visit America unless you have to.

[meaningrequired.livejournal.com]

I thought those scanners were a LOT more detailed? I thought they did naked pictured, rather than fuzzy black and white?

[andrewducker]

Those are an older model. Newere ones are a lot more detailed.

[meaningrequired.livejournal.com]

Bah.

Well, not going to America any time soon.

Any info on if/when UK is going to roll them out in every airport?

[a-pawson.livejournal.com]

I've flown through 4 different UK airports in the past 6 weeks. Each had them installed, but nowhere seemed to be using them. The only place I've had to go through one was (surprise, surprise) in the USA.

[chuma.livejournal.com]

Could you refuse and take an alternative?

[a-pawson.livejournal.com]

In Miami? I have no idea if it was optional, but the impression given by the security staff was that it was not an option. As it didn't really bother me, and I was running late for my connecting flight, I didn't ask.

[fearmeforiampink]

Optional. But they pat you down very thoroughly, including crotch, if you opt out.

From here:

Say “I Opt Out”

Whether or not you are flying for Thanksgiving, if a TSA agent directs you to a whole body imaging (WBI) unit, politely but firmly say, “I opt out.” If you are asked to move into a back room, say, "No, I'd like this to be done in public, please." Be sure to keep an eye on your property, especially if it is already moving through the traditional belt scanner and you are being moved to another part of the screening area. The ACLU's Know Your Options at the Airport has a lot more information about your options and includes topics like asking to take a witness with you for a private pat-down.

From here

Q. Is imaging technology optional?
A. Yes, imaging technology screening is optional for all passengers. Passengers who do not wish to receive imagining technology screening will receive alternative screening, including a physical pat-down.

More information available here and here

Those are all just for America though – I've read suggestions from various places that it might not be optional in other places, such as the UK.

[a-pawson.livejournal.com]

Interesting that it is optional in the US. I just assumed they would make it compulsory.

I'll bear it in mind, not that I fly through the US very often. I try to avoid it at all costs as they don't allow transit passengers, so you have to go through the full immigration process even if you are just catching a connecting flight. 4 hours is the longest queue I've had to wait in. Anyway, that's another rant.

[errolwi.livejournal.com]

Aussie approach covered here:
http://blogs.crikey.com.au/planetalking/2010/11/19/official-no-sexual-feelings-at-australian-airports/

[octopoid-horror.livejournal.com]

The Steam thing isn't [i]that stupid[/i].

You can't play, for example, Call of Duty: Black Ops without Steam, as far as I'm aware. The problem is that Steam isn't just a community site or a front-end through which to play the game. Steam is pushing you to buy games [i]there[/i] every time you play that game you bought elsewhere. Steam is a big deal, and having or not having a steam sale can determine the success of games from small studios. It's sensible for other people in the marketplace to be concerned by the way Steam have leveraged their position.

And PC game sales in retail stores are probably low enough not to matter much as well.It's also a fuss over very little. Perhaps other stores are different but all the branches of Game, HMV gaming zone etc that I've went into have had a pretty minimal choice of PC games. They're basically console game stores these days.

[johnbobshaun.livejournal.com]

What Nick said. GAME And Gamestation make a huge amount of money from trading used console games. So much money that HMV has got in on the act. Second hand PC games Are a minefield from a sellers point if view due to piracy and DRM.

[andrewducker]

That's the impression I'm getting that Game, etc. are abandoning the PC market. Frankly, if they're not going to carry games like Black Ops in the future, then they're cutting themselves off from profitably carrying PC games anyway.

I've seen a lot of debate over whether people were going to do a midnight shopping trip for Wow:Cataclysm, or just download it. It seems that download is the way of the future for PC games. I wonder if the next generation of Console games will follow...

[johnbobshaun.livejournal.com]

Just to reiterate: the cash cow isn't PC games. It isn't console games. It's second hand games. The retailers are going to devote space to whatever is the most profitable.

No, the next generation of console games won't be entirely digitally distributed. Some will be but digitally distributing 30 gigs of bluray content isn't going to work for most people.

[andrewducker]

Not right now, but it depends when the next generation is. I downloaded Dragon Age: Origins two weeks back, and that's 24Gig. Give it a couple of years (and all of the players are saying that the next gen is at least two years away), and the bandwidth might be available enough for most people to go for.

[johnbobshaun.livejournal.com]

The bandwidth might be there, but it'll require the mass market to not only have access to fast broadband but have accounts with download limits that will all them to download everything.

Example: I've got access to any amount of HD video content on xbox live. At the moment it's way more feasible for me to buy BluRays. This isn't going to change in the next couple of years.

Criswell style, I predict the PC Market being almost entirely digital download in the next couple if years. Consoles will take closer to ten.

[andrewducker]

PC games are potentially just as large as console ones - I'm not sure why the switchover would be different. Unless you think that PC owners are more likely to have high-speed broadband.

I'm curious as to why you aren't with someone like BE, who have unlimited broadband. They cover Stirling:
https://www.bethere.co.uk
Everyone I know who uses them loves them to bits.

[johnbobshaun.livejournal.com]

You recommended me looking into Be last year. When I looked into it, their deals weren't very good away from high speed networks. Stirling is still an 8 meg max zone. Trust me, I've got the best deal I can get.

As for PC games being potentially as big as console games... thats true if you're making Peggle or Farmville but beyond that you're comparing apples and oranges. The mass market doesn't take their consoles online yet.

[andrewducker]

Aaah, so you have faster, but more limited internet? That's a tricky trade-off to make, I don't envy you!

Not sure why you're bringing up Peggle/Farmville though. You mentioned 30Gig downloads, I mentioned downloading 24Gig last week. I can't really see how tiny games come into this?

[johnbobshaun.livejournal.com]

Yes, sorry: it appears that at some point I got turned about and thought we were talking about big as in popular. I blame Jim Beam.

For the next five years or so, BluRay is going to be the most effective way of games to the console mass market. I understand that you downloaded Dragon Age origins and it was 20 odd gig, but that isn't a feasible download for most people, both in terms of time and usage allowance. For most people it will be more convenient to go to the shops.

In 2009 360 sales stood at about 30 million units with 20 million Xbox Live members. A full third of users have never even bothered hooking their console up to the outside world.

And no I don't have fast broadband I have average broadband. I have what most people not living in major cities have. I have a decent download limit tho.

[johnbobshaun.livejournal.com]

Stats

http://www.1up.com/news/percent-buying-xbox-live-arcade-games

[andrewducker]

So 30% are downloading the minigame style things from XBLA. Doesn't really tell you how many would download the kind of games that top the charts, though.

[johnbobshaun.livejournal.com]

They *really* aren't minigames.

[andrewducker]

Replied to John downstream:
http://andrewducker.livejournal.com/2241188.html?thread=15871908#t15871908