CBR posted several pages from Secret Avengers #18 by Warren Ellis and David Aja (with variant cover by John Cassaday).
*Buy Shang Chi toys at eBay.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Secret Avengers #18 preview
CBR posted several pages from Secret Avengers #18 by Warren Ellis and David Aja (with variant cover by John Cassaday).
*Buy Shang Chi toys at eBay.
Link roundup
1. Hooters is suing rival breastaurant Twin Peaks for theft of trade secrets.
2. Destructoid:
2. Destructoid:
X-Men: Destiny is an ugly, boring, lazy little game. Even if it were free, it would be insulting to have one's time wasted in this way3. Megan McArdle:
Gina Kolata's Rethinking Thin makes a pretty compelling case that almost everyone's weight fluctuates within a band of 20-30 pounds. Some peoples' band is higher than others, (and perhaps, slowly increasing over time). When you get nearer to the bottom of your body's weight tolerance, your hunger increases; drop below it, and your body reacts as if you're starving, slowing your metabolism and focusing more and more of your mental attention on food. I'm near the top of my weight band right now, and am nearly revolted by the idea of eating much besides vegetables and clear liquids. If Chris Christie was at a similar BMI, he'd probably be continually, distractingly ravenous.
Almost no one manages to stay outside of that band for very long, and those who do need to devote almost their entire energy to doing so, because the hunger is a biological signal on par with pain or the urge to drink. As Paul Campos notes in his excellent book, the idea that we can permanently reduce our weight through diet and/or exercise is one that has been experimentally tested about 500 million times over the last several decades, and fairly resoundingly refuted.
Good redesigns, bad redesigns
First, Ms. Marvel and four other heroes redesigned by Aaron Diaz:
Second, 10 terrible redesigns, including Deodato's Thor:
*Buy Marvel Universe figures at eBay.
Second, 10 terrible redesigns, including Deodato's Thor:
*Buy Marvel Universe figures at eBay.
A time-traveling trip goes awry
DeLorean and raptors by Franco Brambilla, who typically sells his art at Zazzle and Artflakes.
*Buy DeLoreans at eBay.
Big Daddy and Little Sister fan art
Big Daddy and Little Sister by Lisa Evans, who has lots of art on sale at Etsy.
Speaking of Bioshock, Irrational is hardly afraid of fan art, today the company blog recommended a fanmade t-shirt that's on sale.
*Buy Bioshock toys at eBay.
Tomorrow, I Test. Tonight, I study.
I had a whole post ready to go, formatted and with pictures and links, etc. (If you happened to check the site in the right 10-minute window, you may even have seen it.) Unfortunately, in that post I made an announcement that I can't safely talk about in this space just yet. I hate being vague and cryptic, and hate even more having to substitute a paragraph and a picture for an actual article today, but I really cannot make the time to write another one tonight, so I felt this deserved an explanation. I anticipate that I'll repost today's scheduled article in a few days or weeks time, edited for context once I've been cleared to make announcements. I'm not in any legal trouble, not in any medical danger and much as I would wish it, I didn't sign a book or other media deal. I am also probably not dating a celebrity, as my wife won't let me. I'll be back to normal posting Monday, presuming I survive the test.
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| The moon is also probably not crashing into my house tomorrow, I'm just taking a very important test. |
Illustration roundup
The Queen of Chinatown posters available at eBay. Via.
Skaters commission by Hellen Jo.
Doctor Who by Mike Dialynas. Via these sites.
Character designs by Ben Steers for Nightmare High - - "Flesh eating teachers, brain scanning machines, evil sky rockets and the most mighty packed lunchbox in the history of the universe all feature in Nightmare High, a new game . . . designed to help 10-13 year olds as they move up to big school, and with life transitions in general."
Big oil by David Drummond.
Illustration roundup
Print by Erika Lugo on sale here.
Japanese Poster: Yusaku Kamekura Award 1999 - 2010. Via.
Todd’s Adventures in Slime World fan art by Zac Gorman.
Illustration by Chris Rahn for a new fantasy art-themed group blog.
Doctor Doom by Aaron Jasinski. Via these sites.
*Buy sketch cards at eBay.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
A Letter...
It has been years since I last heard from you...
I would sit here wondering how you are, and what you're up too.
Ever since you moved our relationship hasn't been the same.
Everyone kept saying you had changed, but I wasn't sure whether to believe it or not.
When I received this letter in the mail I thought I was dreaming.
Could it be true... you really have changed?
I sure hope so, I miss my best friend. :)
Link roundup
1. Maybe it gets better later, but why would I keep playing Glitch when the first actions it makes me do are collecting a hamburger and watering a tree?
2. Speaking of games, here's three free games: Psychonauts iOS app; Team Fortress 2 demake; Broken Sword.
3. Joel McHale describes his college football career.
4. Walter Russell Mead:
2. Speaking of games, here's three free games: Psychonauts iOS app; Team Fortress 2 demake; Broken Sword.
3. Joel McHale describes his college football career.
4. Walter Russell Mead:
Our educational system isn’t nearly user-friendly enough. Modeled after aristocratic and elitists institutions in Reformation England, American undergraduate colleges still accept as a default model four years of full time residential study. A deep confusion about different kinds of education means that the model of liberal arts education is stretched to fit subjects like “business administration” and “water safety management” which have much more to do with training than with education in the classic sense.5. Thomas Barnett:
My advice here is simple: It is time for both Afghanistan and Pakistan to stop being our problem and ours alone to solve. The Bush-Cheney unilateralism segued right into the Obama-Biden version: We simply refuse to deal with the regional powers, all of which want a far bigger say in how this whole thing settles out. Instead of working with India, China, Russia, Turkey, and Iran — and accepting that their more vigorous management of the situation would mean "victories" for them and not us — we've chosen consistently to side with Pakistan, which not only wants but is committed to keeping the region unstable.
Daleks – Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.
Daleks – Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. posters available at eBay. Here's the trailer:
Via this NSFW movie poster site.
Social Networking Sites: Change, Privacy and Controversy.
In the course of an average day, I spend quite a bit of time using social media. This site, in a way, falls into that category. Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, Twitter, Reddit and StumbleUpon form a part of my daily computing that is just as important as blogging, gaming or email online. Whenever there is a controversy with one or more of these sites, it is usually as a result of something changing. Facebook changes privacy options or redesigns the user interface, a site has trouble maintaining uptime, makes inappropriate use of user information, or policies are adopted that the public objects to, sometimes very vocally. In the past weeks, there have been a lot of angry social media users and a lot of controversy happening at a few of the most popular sites and services. I'd like to summarize a few of those and talk about what the issues are, and what, in my opinion, they mean (if anything.)
Google+ and Real Names:
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| Google has dodged the wrath of the rich and powerful by not really requiring "real names", just the "name you are best known by in daily life." |
This controversy is the oldest of the ones I want to talk about, but since it is ongoing, it remains as relevant as the others. When the new social networking site was launched, it was embraced by many of the standard early adopters. Among the tech-savvy people who got in early were many bloggers, myself included. This highlighted one of the drawbacks to Google's answer to Facebook: No pseudonyms. Many bloggers prefer to only be known by the name given their internet identity, and with Google+ giving people the ability to add people whose opinions they'd like to hear without worrying if they'd get an add back, it seemed to be a good platform for online celebrities. If someone is only known by their online identity to a large audience, a profile tied to their real name isn't much use.
The debate over online anonymity goes beyond whether I'd rather have my Google Plus account under "Docstout" or not. There are many people online who cannot express their opinions without danger to themselves and those dear to them. Political dissenters, whistleblowers, victims of abuse or harassment, or anyone with an unpopular opinion are all the sort of people silenced in the name of "People are nicer without anonymity." These people cannot protect themselves, but 50 Cent is allowed a profile under that name in a disgusting display of inequality. Google+ finds itself in the position of protecting the wrong people and things. This is likely because their strategy for integration of services across Gmail, Google + and the rest of their online presence hinges on virtual "ownership" of people's online identities, and that product isn't as valuable if you aren't who you say you are. Unless you are wealthy and/or famous, of course.
Facebook Rolls Out Changes, Affects User Privacy (Again.):
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| Facebook has done stuff like this so much, it is hardly news anymore. |
Google isn't the only company attempting to stake a claim in the online presence of its users, and their attempts to use that information has, over the years, resulted in many privacy scandals. User's names and photos in targeted advertising, how and when you use the social network, and even where you are physically present are all related to ever-changing privacy settings. The least private settings are set as defaults, with users constantly needing to "opt out" of having personal information shared with acquaintances, strangers and large companies. The latest round of changes put a mini-newsfeed showing virtually every action your friends perform on the site, including comments on pictures or the status of people you may not even know.
The anger over these changes seemed for the most part directed at things being visually different, which isn't anything new. Missed in the outcry is a simple fact that most people don't understand about Facebook. The reason the site is able to remain free to use, well maintained and with new features constantly being added is that Facebook users aren't the customer. Facebook users are the product being sold. I find the small amounts of personal information I allow the site and its partners to use is a fair trade for what I get out of the deal, but I recognize the arrangement for what it is. Wherever possible, I limit sharing of what I don't want shared, opt out where I can, and recognize that the many people who won't go through the steps to do that make the scheme profitable, so it is unlikely to change or go in another direction.
StumbleUpon Removes Blogging and Theme Features:
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| Et tu, StumbleUpon? |
This is the newest of the controversies in Social Media, and one likely to impact me personally, if indirectly. I was a StumbleUpon early adopter, I've clicked the Stumble button over 76,000 times, and quite a bit of my traffic to this site comes from the service. I've never really used StumbleUpon's themes or blogging features, however, and these specific services will soon no longer be offered. Profile Pages will be limited to text and an avatar image, comments will be text-only instead of allowing HTML, and overall functionality beyond sharing sites with the network will be diminished. Most of the services that put StumbleUpon in the Social Networking category at all will be severely limited or cut completely, and many people are moving on. For every person that stops using the network, it gets a tiny bit weaker.
Why would a company do that? It seems that these features require time and money to continue to support through maintenance and helpdesk issues, and there aren't enough people using them to justify an expense. The style of blogging on StumbleUpon has mostly been replaced by Tumblr, with reblogging/sharing content and posting photos with brief thoughts about them. Removing these features means less time patching the security vulnerabilities their existence creates, and more time focusing on the core concept of StumbleUpon, which is delivering sites based on what someone likes at the press of a button. I don't like the idea of a mass exodus from the network, as the content is fresher and more varied in scale with how many people participate, but I understand the reasons behind this controversy in general.
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| Yeah, it is pretty much like that. |
What these three stories have in common is, of course, money. Things that make users upset or angry are being changed anyway because even with those who leave over the situation, there is a profit to be made in going a certain direction. Every person needs to decide for themselves where their personal line is between what they get from a free online service and what is done with that service in order to make it a profitable business. In the next few years, whichever site can best balance its need to be profitable with keeping a large base of users happy will likely be the most successful in the long run.
Illustration roundup
Dragon detector by John Hendrix, who has several prints on sale here.
Hifana tour poster. Via.
Voldemort and Peter Pettigrew by Andrew Kolb.
Ryan Gosling by Chris King.
First page of an upcoming book by Eric Orchard.
*Buy travel posters at eBay.
Wakeboarding at a sunken bell tower and abandoned coal mine
Video game-esque events as Red Bull organizes wakeboarding at a sunken bell tower and abandoned coal mine.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Link roundup
1. Grantland's picks for NBA players most likely to be cut by their teams (if a deal is reached and the deal allows each team to cut one player to clear cap space).
2. Rebrickable: Using Lego sets you already have, find out what new sets you can build with the same parts. Any extra parts needed will be shown for you.
3. Things From Another World's latest nick and dent sale.
2. Rebrickable: Using Lego sets you already have, find out what new sets you can build with the same parts. Any extra parts needed will be shown for you.
3. Things From Another World's latest nick and dent sale.
Daphne and Velma
Daphne and Velma by Noelle Stevenson, who has various cheap prints on sale here.
*Buy Scooby-Doo toys at eBay.
Console Emulation and ROMS: Ethically Grey Waters in Classic Gaming
The more articles I write, the more I find myself leaning toward certain subjects. This makes a lot of sense, because while I may continue watching a science fiction series or continue playing a particular tabletop roleplaying game, I can (or should, rather) only write about it once. Video games, on the other hand, are a topic that due to the sheer number of different titles I play, usually generate possibilities for new articles faster than I can write them, because I never wanted these pages to be primarily about video games. There are many, many websites writing on that topic, and while I am happy to share my thoughts on the subject, I'd like this site to also be about other things. That said, rather than forcing an article about a different topic when games are on my mind, I'll write about what I'm into, and one of those things at the moment is playing console classics of years gone by on a hardware emulator for PC.
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| Many difficult NES games are being rediscovered in emulation, some emulators having cheats built in, almost all allow saving at any time. |
At the most basic level, an emulator in this context is a piece of software that allows a modern PC to execute instructions as though it were another piece of hardware, typically a game console. Though there are emulators for computers of years gone by and even calculators, Arcade cabinets and home video game systems are the most popular use of this particular kind of software. The actual games for these platforms are also software, Read Only Memory (or ROM) that is stored on a chip or disc (CD-ROM/DVD-ROM). The original ROM data, if on a chip, may have been housed in a cartridge or slotted into an arcade systems mainboard. This data can, with specialized equipment be "dumped" to a file that creates an image of the same data that can be stored on any device that normally holds files (CD, DVD, PC Hard Drive, USB Thumbdrive, etc...) The ROM file can be read and loaded by an emulator that translates original graphics, sound and controller input to the equivalent on the PC they are running on.
When I got started in video game emulation over 15 years ago, it was mostly for NES, Super NES, Sega Genesis and classic Arcade Games. There was never a question then in my mind regarding the ethics of use of commerical ROMs in this sort of software, as the vast majority of the titles could not be purchased from the original publishers even if someone would want to. Many of these games would be unplayable with the original cartridges due to the advanced age of the systems, and I'd purchased more than a few of them at original retail price. Things are changing, as emulators are released for more and more modern systems, and some of the classic software is becoming available for download for a small fee in the Nintendo Store, Xbox Live, and even for tablet or mobile phone platforms. The original copyright violations, while strictly non-commericial (no one got paid for any of this,) were technically illegal, and the traditional rationalization weakens as many of these games can be purchased now.
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| Legend of the Mystical Ninja, or Ganbare Goemon was once only available like this, but now it can be purchased for the Wii. |
The hardware emulators themselves are not illegal pieces of software, and they are freely distributed online. There are legitimate uses of this software, and games are being developed by hobbyists for consoles long since abandoned commercially for the newest model by their developers. Popular software includes MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) for Arcade games, FCEux, NEStopia and Nesticle for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Project 64 for the N64, Fusion or Kgen for Sega Genesis and SNES9x for the Super Nintendo. Not all of these emulators are still in development and some may support certain ROMs better than others or allow features like online or LAN multiplayer. There are even emulation programs for the last generation and current generation of game consoles, though frequently many features are missing, don't work correctly or require an incredibly powerful PC for basic operations. One of the advantages to using an emulator over the original hardware is the ability to save at any moment you like, instead of relying on save slots or checkpoints to take a break.
The ROMs themselves were once freely available on websites for download, with proprietary titles like Mario or Zelda games taken down when video game companies became aware of their existence. Certain popular ROM websites would go through years of battling with video game publishers' legal departments, with the eventual takedown of many of these communities as the eventual result. In those early days, for every site that fell to cease-and-desist orders, sternly worded warnings to the offenders' ISP and the like, two more would pop up. Now, websites claiming to offer ROMs are frequently scam or attack sites, full of advertising and with few, if any games. Like MP3s and Pirated Film and TV, the images of the games themselves have moved to peer-to-peer filesharing networks and there is little hope of their availability ever going away. An army of lawyers and lobbyists could literally spend years trying to legislate and litigate these files away, but every time a means of file transfer shuts down, another opens.
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| Legend of Zelda - Majora's Mask in Project 64 windowed mode on a desktop. |
I've struggled with how my many years as an emulation hobbyist fits in with my feelings on piracy and intellectual property. It doesn't feel ethically the same to fire up Super Mario Brothers on an NES emulator as, say, downloading a cracked copy of Dead Island and running it on my PC would. It clearly isn't legal, and most likely isn't really any more ethical than any other form of piracy, but it occupies a part of my geek life, knowing that the entire Atari 2600 library is about 2.5 MB, and every game released for the NES could fit in a tiny corner of a flash drive. PC Gaming got me to stop pirating with Steam, TV and Films did the same with Netflix and other streaming content services. I'm sure that solutions for convenient, reasonably priced and legal alternatives to any sort of content people might pirate will take people like me and convert us into customers, without restrictive DRM or litigation. I'm just not sure where emulation fits into all of that. What do you think? Sound off in the comments.
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