CONFIRMED: Battle.net 2.0 to Be Free

You wonder why Blizzard didn't release this from the first announcements of Starcraft II and Diablo 3, but late's better than never.

According to Activision-Blizzard's annual conference call, and now a post on the official Battle.net forums, Battle.net 2.0 will be free to those purchasing Starcraft 2. This comes as good news to people frettting they'll have to fork over $50 for the base game and complement it with an XBOX Live subscription.

However, if you look closely at the wording, you'll notice Blue poster Karune only specifically mentions SC2. Yes, it's the SC2 forum on Battle.net. Yes, he's primarily speaking to the SC2-interested audiences. No, I didn't get the opportuniy to sit in on the Activision-Blizzard conference call to hear Mike Morhaime specifically define what the service covers. But there's some important factors to consider... after the break.

World of Warcraft, which will be included in the new Battle.net 2.0 integration, already has a $15/mo subscription fee attached, so including Bnet2.0 should be a no-brainer. SC2 was recently announced as a trilogy, so assuming a $50+ price tag on each game, they're netting $150+ total from each dedicated customer over the lifespan of SC2. Diablo, the only intellectual property still in the air, is only planned (at this stage) to be a single-game iteration, so this game might be up for a Battle.net 2.0 access fee, or worse, a subscription model. However, the Diablo community has come to expect free online play from the previous 2 games... but meeting profit estimates tend to trump histortical trends. This is just the cynic in me talking, though.

If you dig enough, you'll even find tidbits that older games will not be supported (although this isn't cited anywhere specifically). This means they'll be stuck on the old Battle.net iteration until they're taken offline. It makes sense since the new Battle.net is being built around a whole new infrastructure (clan management, event planning, game achievements, etc.), but it's sad to see if you're playing a retro game there's a chance your friends won't see you on.

Overall, it's good to see Blizzard's moving towards a "free" model for Battle.net 2.0. But this all might be dependent on how much revenue they can generate from each IP individually over the long-term to support the service. Keep your ears tuned, especially in August during Blizzcon, to see how this situation evolves. Better yet, come to my blog, since I'll actually be attending (liveblog attempt incoming?!).

Continue Reading CONFIRMED: Battle.net 2.0 to Be Free

World of Warcraft: 3.0.3's Largest Nerf

You might be wondering- what's the big deal about a broom?

Well, for those of us who have been playing World of Warcraft for the last half a month, there was an event called Hallow's End that integrated candy, tricks, and loot into 15 days of festive fun, traveling, and boss-slaying. One of the unsung champions of this event was none other than the Magic Broom.

What this little guy did was nix the usual 3-second cast time to mount. There were major implications due to this in multiple areas- you saw every PVPer sporting this guy since you could pop on a 100% speed mount immediately upon leaving combat. Advantages are even better for Rogues and the Night Elf class, who sport Vanish and Shadowmeld to immediately leave combat. I presume it's a similar situation for Hunters with Feign Death.

In PVE, suddenly grinding low-level quests and monsters weren't as big of a hassle. Usually monsters are spaced 20-30 yards apart, and the run time wasted during a typical quest could be upwards of 5 minutes. Assuming it takes 15 minutes to do a quest with some traveling, that's 33% of your time spent running monster to monster! This cut that downtime to 1 minute or less, and it was suddenly fun to chain-quest again.

I think Blizzard realizes the benefits this item brought, but its effect in PVP probably made it overpowered. I don't see anything wrong with having no cast time on mounts- it makes for a twitchier game- and I'd gladly take it back. It's a drag that the game feels it needs to waste time just to waste time by re-implementing the cast time to mount. I say be done with it and make every mount casting time-free.

Your customers who like spending their time playing, not casting and standing still, will thank you.

(In other news, I hope Blizzard finally fixed the achievement "A Simple Re-Quest". I'd like to enter a Battleground again without having to worry about it wiping the number!)

Continue Reading World of Warcraft: 3.0.3's Largest Nerf

WoW's Brew-Ha-Ha!

(Source: WorldofWarcraft.com)

World of Warcraft's newly-released annual festival- Brewfest- was just released this week on October 2nd, and denizens of Azeroth have been quite jolly with the free booze and abundance of intersting outfits and gimmicky items.

Despite some event-shattering hiccups (Dark Iron invasions crashing servers, inability to obtain certain quests, and hundreds of people amassing in front of Ironforge straining peoples' graphics cards), the event's been a smashing success with much praise towards Blizzard with this new casual content.

For just 15-40 minutes a day, you too can work towards a Dwarven beer-carrying ram, Bavarian-esque outfit, or Beer Goggles (my personal favorite- check the linked video) just to name a few. It's a nice break in the quest/PvP/instance grind, and you get a blurry screen and slurred speech to boot.

This was an unexpected treat from Blizzard, and there's rumors that this year's Dwarven-centric event might even get Horde-ification next year due to player demand. Can't wait to ride a beer kodo! Tips and screenshots after the jump!

Screenshots (Click to Enlarge)!

Brewfest Quest Select Tips:
Pink Elekks on Parade - Repeatable: DAILY - This quest requires you go to all major Alliance cities (there's also a Horde version, not described here), head to the entrance, get drunk, and zap some Pink Elekks! I assume you're hearthed to Shattrath and not a mage. Start in Ironforge, fly to Stormwind (zap 3 Elekks outside Stormwind gates), hearth to Shattrath, take portal to Exodar (zap 3 Elekks), take hippogryph/boat to Darnassus (zap 3 Elekks), and you're done!

Bark for the Thunderbrews (or Barleybrews) - Repeatable: EVERY 12 HOURS - Get the name of a brewery out there! You can only pick 1 brewery every 12 hours to bark for, but the premise is simple- you mount your ram, ride to Ironforge, and run between flags at each of the 4 main districts. There's a picture here detailing the most efficient route. After you bark at your last location, you're free to use your real mount to return to the questgiver.

Now This is Ram Racing... Almost - Repeatable: NO - Do this quest first, because it opens up the bulk of Brewfest's quests! There's a semi-fine art to whipping your ram in this quest. Tap the reins you receive in your pack slowly to trot, a little faster (once a second) to canter, and spam-click to gallop. There's finer points to note, which I'll outline next. Just think of your ram as a 4-gear car that needs constant attention.

There and Back Again - Repeatable: EVERY 12 HOURS - This takes the skills you learned in Now This is Ram Racing and adds a few variables to the mix: exhaustion and apple barrels. For this quest (doable 12AM-12PM then 12PM-12AM server time), you ride between Kharanos and the Brewfest grounds delivering giant kegs on a special ram. You'll notice as you go, however, your ram gets more and more exhausted until it caps at 100- then you move at the speed of your grandmother covered in frozen molasses. You can either avoid it by stopping clicking (to let the ram rest), or better yet, utilize the apple barrels along the road to clear your exhaustion altogether. These barrels are located inside the tend behind the questgivert, next to a directional post halfway between the towns, and behind the keg-thrower in Kharanos. I recommend just tapping the apple barrel with your mount as you run past, which should clear your exhaustion points. I average about 24 tickets per 12 hours, so this quest is definitely worth your time. Find these apple barrels before you head out, lest you waste time looking for them!

Continue Reading WoW's Brew-Ha-Ha!

Pushing the Boundaries of Advertising, Game-Style

You've probably played a game where you've seen "143 Awesome Levels" stickered on the game case, pictures of a character posing with an in-game weapon you'd simply love to equip, or a stage that catches your eye... only to load the game to see 12 stages available, no cool weapons, or no awesome-looking level.

It's typical gaming fare. Game developers lure you in with the awesome eye candy expecting you'll work through the drudge to get it. However, an article on Game Stooge brings up a new legal implication of this kind of "shady" advertising: what if it's illegal?

Well, the target du jour is Guitar Hero II, which advertised a whopping 70 songs in its game, only to have 30 available immediately. Much legal conjecture and similes are made by Game Stooge, but the question remains: is it illegal for a game to advertise a feature that requires a high amount of skill/time to unlock?

Well, the answer... isn't so clear. There's no past cases to look to for precedent, but one can assume that since the content is available on the product (even if it's not available from the point you open it), it's not "illegal" to say the content's there.

Here's 2 examples:

1. Mario Bros. DS advertises being able to play Mario and Luigi for all its levels. You can only play Mario initially, but after beating the game once through, you can play as Luigi. This is legal.
2. Mario Bros. DS advertises being able to play Mario and Luigi for all its levels. There is no possible way to obtain Luigi, since he was not coded into the game in a way you could obtain him. This is illegal.

Of course, reasonableness must be taken into account. Advertising explicitly that Mario and Luigi will be playable from "the time you open the box" means you better be able to play them the second the game begins. More loosely, having to work 100 hours to play Luigi (when it's advertised as a main selling point) might also stretch the boundaries of legality.

The resounding message is that games can only advertise on their boxes what is obtainable in them. It doesn't matter if it's immediate, eventual, or after a horrendously long unlocking session; the fact is, it's there.

The Law of the Game also ventures to explain this topic with more legal terminology and reasoning, citing FTC points and comparing the validity of comparing game advertisements to other forms.

This is an interesting topic that'll soon find its way to a courtroom, I presume. Someone out there is going to want to play a song, only to find out it takes 10 hours to get it. Then we'll have a definitive answer.

(This entry was cross-posted to GIW.)

Continue Reading Pushing the Boundaries of Advertising, Game-Style

Looking Ahead with MMORPGs

As much as I am immersed in World of Warcraft, I realize there'll be a time I'll have to move on. I'll hop on my horse (or rather, ram) and trot off into the sunset, headed for greener pastures filled with new challenges and feats. In my wake, I leave Azeroth behind.

While this surely isn't happening any time soon, certain games are stacking up to be solid competitors for the attention of the millions-large MMORPG-playing population.

One game that's recently grabbed my attention is Darkfall Online- a dynamic MMORPG offering a new take on the MMO experience. Gone are the limits of "Skill/Weapon/Armor Requirements", "Character Classes", and other developer-instated boundaries. This game's world is a palette, and its players are the painters.

Not to mention, you won't be fighting by conventional MMO methods (most games require button-mashing to do special attacks/combos)- you'll be using first-person aiming and firing. This game boasts, in short, letting the skilled and inventive strive.

On paper, Darkfall Online sounds fantastic. Any game that gives players ultimate control over their environment is destined for success. However, implementing and maintaining this system- not to mention keeping malicious players from exploiting it- should be a development process in itself. Ensuring that such a multi-faceted game remains balanced and fun on all levels will require massive tweaks and quality assurance teams, which may not be feasible for a start-up MMO company.

I've seen this MMO before, albeit in less splendor, a few months back on MMORPG.com. Most people have written off this MMO as vaporware- software that's in perpetual development and destined to postpone itself into nonexistence. However, with this resurgence of media, perhaps there's hope for Darkfall Online yet.

As much as I like World of Warcraft and hope to see it strive, I think it's due time for some serious competition. Vanguard, Warhammer, and others are making WoW work harder for its subscribers, but as of yet, nothing can topple Blizzard's behemoth. Will Darkfall Online be the David to Blizzard's Goliath?

The next hit MMO is inevitable. The only question is... which?

Continue Reading Looking Ahead with MMORPGs

Game Making 101: Don't Do This

Earlier yesterday, Destructoid lured me into one of their entries titled "The Two Greatest Game Endings Ever Produced". What I saw was... horribly unsettling. So unsettling, I feel it deserves to be written about- which means it was emotionally scarring.

Have you ever heard of a thing called "wasted effort"? How about "mismanaged license"? I can't think of better terms to describe these Legend of Zelda games that were released for Philips CD-i by an obviously low-budget, non-Nintendo developer. Suffice to say, this is the perfect example of a catalyst that made companies embrace (or grasp with an iron fist) their intellectual property.

Aside from the mind-bendingly awful cutscene quality (3rd grade animators FTL), you'd think it would be common sense that a game's ultimate finale shouldn't involve a one-hit boss TKO... from a book. Or something that resembles a book, but looks more like a flying medicine ball.

But alas, without gaming's skid marks, could we ever have masterpieces? Of course not! Hopefully this horrendous series served as a wake-up call to the industry- Nintendo especially- that licenses should be held close and dear, and game development should have some kind of base quality level. Without these tough lessons, undeserving coders would not have been shunned from future employment, and Darwinism wouldn't have had its chance to work its magic.

So, thank these games while you cringe in pain from the negative visual stimuli- otherwise, these guys would probably still be in the game-making business.

Videos after the break...

Continue Reading Game Making 101: Don't Do This

Burning Crusade Losing Its Flame?

It was a few days before World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade's release, and everyone was stoked. People were frantically scouring website after website, calling countless stores, and maybe even setting up some black market deals to ensure they got their hands on a copy.

Then there were those who pre-ordered at a local store ahead of time who avoided this chaos, but they can go take their saved time and sanity and shove it.

The focus of this entry, however, is eBay and The Burning Crusade Collector's Edition. Before the release of WoW's highly-anticipated expansion, prices on eBay were exceeding $250-500- quite crazy, considering the product only retailed for $69.99. Why the mark-up? Well, it's a collector's edition, and there are only X boxes being shipped ever, so people who played wanted to get their hands on a piece of history.

At least, that was the theory.

Not even a day after Burning Crusade's launch, with people already done installing the game and traversing the wondrous new world of Outland, Burning Crusade Collector's Edition saw its price staggeringly drop by more than 50%, and in some cases, decreasing all the way to retail price. And not even a week later, the prices are actually selling for under retail price, with no sign of rebounding any time soon.

What could have caused this plummet in prices? The game was no dud- quite the contrary, it's bringing back players who quit in throes. Furthermore, with small exception, everyone who had a character level 58 or above was practically signed up from the get-go. Otherwise, you'd be left in the dust.

The only reason I can see, and the only one that makes logical sense, is that nobody cared about the Collector's Edition pack-ins. Somehow, a game CD, art book, world map mouse pad, DVD installation disk, pretty box, exclusive in-game pet, and 2 WoW trading card game starter decks just wasn't worth the extra cash. People wanted the CE for bragging rights alone- and on launch day alone. Everything after that wasn't worth the extra cash or hassle.

This is speculation, but from what I can tell, there's nothing that explicitly separates a non-CE owner from a CE owner. Which is how it should be- equity in-game which is irrelevant to real-life affluency. Nevertheless, it strikes me as odd that demand dropped off so steeply, and so soon.

Perhaps there will be a re-surging of demand later in the year (possibly summer when players have time to return to the "world" of Warcraft). Folks will eventually realize that the product is out of circulation and this is the only chance to partake in the club-like exclusiveness that the Collector's Edition affords.

I, for one, feel the price gouging wave is over. Sad for resellers, good for World of Warcraft players. Perhaps this is what Blizzard wanted all along.

Continue Reading Burning Crusade Losing Its Flame?

iPhone: Innovation or Stagnation?

Oh, how my eyes lit up with childish delight when I saw the iPhone unveiled at Apples' Macworld expo (see the keynote here). The iPhone seemed like a turning point in the behind-the-curve (yet overpriced) American cell phone market. Finally, a phone that was powerful enough to run more than just 50KB applications, and an interface to cream over. The future is finally here.

Or is it?

Call me a nag, but after the initial wave of excitement subsided, reality came swooping back in. How much did this peripheral cost again? What provider is it toting with as its exclusive partner?

There were some painful realizations to be had after the spectacular abilities of the iPhone were displayed. The product itself is revolutionary- one of the first of its kind worldwide. (You can view a full [well, semi-full] list of the features here. I still recommend you watch the keynote to see these features in their full-blown, demonstrated glory.) However, some of the initial decisions Apple made by solely partnering with Cingular and pricing the 4GB version of the phone at $499 (8GB at $599) are probably ill-recommended for launch.

Yes, Cingular customers are loving it. However, I read recently in an article, as well as had acquaintances, that say Cingular is possibly the worst of the worst when it comes to cell phone providers. Not to mention, although Cingular might have the "fewest dropped calls" and "largest user base [in America]", it doesn't change the fact you're severely limiting your market when non-Cingular, tech-savvy folk who would normally adopt this early in its life... can't. However, perhaps this is Apple's way of saying "Thanks" to Cingular for its continued support and funding throughout the iPhone process. On the bright side, they should be servicing other cell providers in time.

Diverging from providers, there's this other little issue- the price. Does this price tag wax reminiscent of any other item? I'll give you a hint! It starts with Play, ends with Station, has a number, and flopped at launch (er, did I just show my loyalties?). Yep, $599 is quite a high price to pay-especially when this price includes a 2-year contract- but Apple is arguing that you're buying a Smartphone, iPod, and full-featured Internet browser. Man, it hurts my wallet just thinking about it.

The battery life is around average for cell phones, and pretty amazing considering the additional features the phone offers. One major downside to the iPhone, however, is the lack of a detachable battery. It's charge or die, folks. Like your iPod, unless you're around a docking station, the phone is toast. This could be a deal breaker for most business users, who might use up the entirety of the iPhone's battery power in just 1-2 calls. With any luck, Apple will figure out a solution to the 5-hour limit they're toting.

There are further gripes, like in ArsTechnica's article, but those are mostly tech-related and/or irrelevant to general consumers like myself. I'm all about drooling over new technology, but when I see great points being raised regarding possibly fatal iPhone weaknesses, I feel it's fair to share them. For Apple praise and feel-good news, please see CNN.

Finally, and to poke a little fun at Apple's attempt to enter the Asian market, most Asian countries seem a little less than enthralled with the iPhone after its initial release. It's flashy to them and all, but they can get phones with equal (if not better) features at a far less price- we're talking $100 or so (with plan). Quite a bit lower than Apple's introductory price of $499/599. Click a phone and take a look, even if it's moon-speak to you.

Despite the negative vibe of this post, I'm still extremely excited for the prospects of this cell phone. It'll finally kick the current manufacturers into gear, forcing them to innovate (haven't seen that in a few years, huh?). Small screens and crappy hardware no longer- Apple's bringing us into the world market full force, and Nokia, Samsung, Motorola (RAZR, your days are numbered!), and others best follow or see their stock prices dip into negative %-land.

If the greatness doesn't come via Apple, it's bound to come by someone else. So, I'll sit on the sidelines until next Christmas and see if this provider/pricing/battery issue has been ironed out (read: fixed in my favor). I recommend the same for you, of course, but you're free to spend your money, and get sucked into as many 2-year contracts, as you like.

Here's some additional photos, for your viewing pleasure:

Image Credit: Engadget.com - Many thanks for posting these. These images are possibly some of the best keynote camera caps available.

Continue Reading iPhone: Innovation or Stagnation?

Double Post!: In Search of Wii & eBay Next-Gen Analysis [Update]

Since my last post about Wii availability, I've been searching high and low, online and offline, for this scarce console. After much disappointment, I decided a little more research was in order, so I spent a good half-day perusing forums and discussion boards, as well as plentiful pages of Google. From all that, I have concluded this: It's not worth even attempting to get a Wii until December 1st. Luckily for me, December 1st is tomorrow.

What gives me this idea? It's not crazy logic, or pulled-out-of-my-butt statistics (well, some of that later on). Just go scan over Amazon.com's Wii discussion board to see compiled list of store availability. Use the plethora of Wii trackers to confirm that, save Wal-Mart, most online retailers have been eerily stingy with their available quantities since release week. Go to your local Meijer and ask when their next shipment is due (I found they're the only folks who actually don't guard shipment dates like classified government documents... if you stop in the store).

Long story short, this weekend's your best chance to snag a Wii before Christmas comes and goes. Gather your camping gear- it's console-huntin' time. More after the jump.

On a slightly related topic, here are some eBay stats of today's performance for the Wii and Playstation 3:

• Wii Listed on eBay: 51582
• PS3 Listed on eBay (20G&60G): 72850

(Note: These numbers may include re-listed auctions, cancelled auctions, and most definitely include unsold auctions. The actual number of individual consoles listed is probably around 3/4 these numbers.)

• Average Profit Margin (%) for Wii: 92.6%
• Average Profit Margin (%) for PS3 (20G/60G): 44.3%/52.6%

(*Note: Data taken from the average of 5 auctions (of each type) offering only the console, and the auction must have been successful.)

If you had $1800 to spend, and consoles magically became available at retail price, which should you purchase (if you intended to resell?)

• Expected Profit for Wii (You'd be able to buy 7): $1614.2
• Expected Profit for PS3 (Able to buy 3 20G/3 60G): $663.6/$945

(Note: The profit here does not include eBay listing fees or final value cuts taken out upon a successful auction. Because there are so many variables when accounting for what type of listing you want, and how much your item sells for, I offer a guesstimate of $5.00 to list the item and .0525x$25+.03x($Closing Value) to account for eBay's cut of the final sale=~$27-34 for PS3s and ~$20 for Wii. This amount is per auction.)

So, if I were to purchase a few consoles this holiday season with a set budget, I'd get the Wii. But hey, the market's a crazy place. PS3 prices may soar soon, for all anyone knows. I just find it highly intriguing that the PS3, for being as scarce as it is, isn't fetching higher prices. You'd figure there's plenty of Wii going around for people to camp out their local stores and snag one, yet they're selling on eBay like hotcakes. PS3s, on the other hand, aren't available at all, and they're selling for less than the Wii (in terms of profit for the seller).

Perhaps this goes to show that $600+ is indeed too high a price for a console, or maybe the whole supply shock of PS3s got to Sony's buyer base. Either way, it's interesting.

A spreadsheet of this data is viewable here, with pretty tables and charts! Feel free to disprove my math- I suck at statistics.

[Update: After going off some tips from the Amazon Wii board, I managed to snag a Wii this weekend. Great times in line, but sadly, I didn't have a camera to capture the moment. Of course, everyone made a mad dash for the extremely-underproduced Wii Nunchucks and SD sticks. My lesson for this launch was learned: screw online retailers during the holidays- just use their message boards to find stock of real retail stores.]

Continue Reading Double Post!: In Search of Wii & eBay Next-Gen Analysis [Update]

Keep Your Online Rep Clean

Everyone has those lapses of common sense- a'la The Star Wars Kid, Numa Numa Guy, Falling Down Open Hole Lady, and poor souls with public MySpace accounts. You post something funny on a private website and the next thing you know, it's viral media, and you're a web sensation (for better or worse).

For genuinely embarassing moments, this isn't anything too destructive. Everyone makes an ass out of themselves at some point. But when the picture of you being naked on a balcony with a dog (don't ask, it was a long night) gets into the hands of a potential employer... that picture could cost you a potential job.

Just to give some scope to where information could be used against you:

• Your blog, where you posted those spiteful comments about your previous boss, boasted about how much time at work you wasted surfing the web, or where you showed your true colors about sensitive political topics (a'la racist remarks, attacks on religion, etc.).
• Your Facebook/MySpace, with comments and pictures abound from your latest kegger, and maybe some drug experiences with friends.
• Your dating website profile, detailing some very personal aspects about yourself (which I'm sure you never planned on having prospective recruiters see). That S&M fetish could, unfortunately, disqualify you from consideration for that executive position.

In your personal quest to clear your name online, you'll no doubt run across websites that grab a hold of what was once a personal thing and lay it out for society's entertainment. Despite begging and pleaing with them them to take it off, they refuse. Maybe your friend posted something, and you're completely unaware of what is getting spread around.

That's where ReputationDefender enters the picture. This is a brand-new service, founded by Harvard Law graduates and toting an impressive staff, that will scour the net looking for potentially image-destroying information, pictures, or movies that would impede applying for jobs, schools, and more. At $10-16 per month (depending on the subscription type), with optional $30 on-demand reports of your online rep, you can now effectively keep track of your online identity.

It's nothing new that human resources have been scanning websites for dirt on potential employees. What is new is you can finally fight back to ensure one screw-up doesn't follow you until the end of time. Rather than being perpetually worried for your professional life, you can let ReputationDefender worry about it for you.

ReputationDefender breaks itself into 3 categories: My Reputation, My Child, and My Privacy.

You'll be able to track down potentially harmful information via My Reputation to fix those moments common sense escaped you. Parents can protect their kid's reputation by using My Child, which scours social networking sites (among others) where young teens could've posted their first experience with booze. Finally, there is My Privacy, which scans what private information data-mining services could have collected, such as your social security number and home address, and attempts to remove it.

How does this service jump through the legal loops, however? The First Amendment says you can post whatever you wish on your website, after all. (Save slander and libel, and other law-protected items such as copyrighted materials, trademarks, etc.)

Well, the strategy this website follows when protecting its clients is submitting a formal legal request of content removal, which usually nudges the website's owner into compliance. ReputationDefender's team knows people will avoid going to court over something easily preventable.

Before you get your Bill of Rights undies in a twist, the website mentions in an interview with Wired Magazine that it will not attempt to block newsworthy pictures or information, and will only attempt to remove blatant attacks on character. If you got arrested and ended up in the Free Press, that might be beyond the legal abilities of ReputationDefender. If the picture of you with a giant penis markered on your face (kudos of friends) is floating around YTMND.com, then this is the website you should consult.

Just in case ReputationDefender can't remove something, you can be comforted in knowing you'll be fully refunded.

The moral of the story here is: Watch what you post, and keep track of where your kids go online. Failing that, you may need some professional "clean-up" assistance. As adults, we're responsible for what we do off- and on-line, and those that forget that will be keeping ReputationDefender in business for many years to come.

(Add'l Note: I'm interested on how the website will defend itself once someone actually contends and challenges them in court, should the day ever come. This is a very interesting business concept, but I feel it skirts the line of First Amendment-breaching far too much, and should this business spawn an actual industry, there may be an intersting legal battle regarding the freedom of posting materials online.)

Continue Reading Keep Your Online Rep Clean

The Omiai - Et tu, America?

From Wikipedia: "Omiai (Japanese: お見合い) or miai (the o is honorific) is a Japanese custom whereby unattached individuals are introduced to each other to consider the possibility of marriage."

For the longest time, I've only read about 0miai (pronounced oh me eye) in cultural textbooks of Eastern Asia. China, Japan, India (to name some of the largest practicioners) have this concept imbued into their societies. In fact, these omiai's aren't just some traditional practice- they're an industry.

Yes, there's billion-dollar industries in these countries striving upon shy (and/or socially exhausted) people who desire to date, and perhaps even more. Japan has gotten the tech-side of this tradition down by making omiai "stations", where after selecting specific criteria, one sits in a booth and selects photos of potential dates-to-be. Then, a Blind Date-esque movie plays, and they get a biographical introduction of the selected person. I always got a chuckle out of this- it was perhaps one of the laziest (yet innovative!) ways to hook up with someone yet.

But then, online dating services burst into the American mainstream...

At first, people using this service were few and far between. As the service's convenience proved its worth in busy peoples' lives, however, it was only a matter of 3 to 6 years before Americans made this a cultural phenomenon. 3 to 6 years is all it took to abate the "over-30 bar-going singles", a good portion of AOL/Yahoo! dating chatrooms, and many of real life's spontaneous "lust" moments. People no longer had to be attentive (or active) to have a successful love life. By going online and signing up for a dating website, the work was taken care of for them.

Soon, however, there were scandals abound of falsification of information on e-dating websites. As more websites joined the profitable market, amateurish services required much less stringent joining processes. Some were just "hook-up" websites, meant to solely "match horny male A with horny female B". It wasn't long till the inevitable occured: people lied about their age/marital status/past conviction records. From a story I read earlier this year, one woman was unfortunate enough to go out on a series of three dates with a man she met online, only to Google his name to see his long-standing list of crimes. This is just one of the stories. For nearly the entire time dating websites have been in the mainstream, there have been constant lawsuits against them for not verifying other users' data.

This hasn't been some tangent American dating website history. These all lead up to my point: America... you're adapting the omiai as well?

Yes, straight from Wired.com, this article shows how online dating in America now rounds out the definition of an omiai. Whereas online dating "services" were just the data servers performing algorithms, you now have real, physical people helping you weave through the confusion that is the online dating world. These hired dating professionals are capitalizing on the current fears of online fraudulence, and do so by taking a page out of the "omiai" book.

Let's compare the purposes of an omiai to these new professionals:

• Omiai: There is a book (or database) full of potential partners. The omiai professional sifts through this information, selects possible choices, verifies everything is legitimate, and sends you a catalog to peruse through.
• (New!) American Online Dating Professionals: There is a dating website (database) full of potential partners. They will take your criteria and pass it through the system, and then do some behind-the-scenes work for you to ensure all information is true. You are then sent the information of verified candidates.

If you can't find a difference, it's because there is none. The only noticable difference between the traditional omiai of Japan versus this American rendition is that the American service will not follow you out on a date.

This strikes me as extremely out of the ordinary. America generally prides itself on breaking away from these "arranged meetings" which the omiai embodies. Now we're embracing it with open arms, without any skepticism, simply because it's veiled by another medium. We look down upon matchmaking/arranged marriages originally because it consituted a lack of effort, or alternatively, relationship apathy. Being apathetic towards finding a relationship, yet wanting one- in the same heartbeat- typically does not mix.

Yet online, we view this differently. We see the Internet's social capabilities, whether we admit it or not, to be nearly tangible. Yet that little ambiguity- that slight aspect that makes us feel online interaction is something "fake"- makes things unmentionable offline entirely acceptable online (essentially, exploiting Internet anonymity). We can drop what society has called wrong and go about things the way that interest us with no worry of social reprocussion. Matchmaking online is now perfectly possible, whereas real-life matchmaking is ominously taboo.

The future of the online dating industry in America is already set out, so it seems. The industry is booming, memberships are growing by the hour, and little by little this form of dating is becoming the acceptable norm. Eventually, we need to stop ourselves and ask: Am I doing too little with my love life? Is letting a service determine who I meet a good thing? Why am I resorting to something that has been scrutinized by Americans for decades?

If we don't ask this, we may forget why we ditched matchmaking in the first place. As history teaches: don't make the same mistake twice.

Continue Reading The Omiai - Et tu, America?

Why Own a PSP? [Update]

Some days, I just wonder why I have the thing. It has more dust particles on it than "played" minutes. On more than one occasion, I've contemplated putting it up on eBay.

Yes, I'm talking about my Playstation Portable.

What in the world was I thinking back then in Hiroshima, man-en (10,000 Yen) bills in-hand, contemplating an impuse purchase only a tech-minded gaijin would, weighing the options of buying a PSP or eating later in the trip? As was previously revealed, I ended up getting the PSP, and starved the last day or two- but it didn't bother me much at the time.

A few months later, after buying a whopping 2 games for the portable (Ridge Racer [Japanese] and Lumines [American]), I'm having a bit of buyer's remorse. What was once hailed as the future of portable gaming, with first-of-its-kind media features embedded in the hardware, the sleek device seemed like it could do no wrong.

What I learned was: NEVER judge a portable by its shiny black outer casing (or its audacious marketing).

At first glance, Sony's Playstation Portable seemed to have everything Nintendo's Game Boy series did not. It could play full-length movies thanks to its UMD drive. It could store much larger games since it was not cartridge-based. It would look sleek, akin to a slightly wider, keyboardless Blackberry with a disk drive on the back. They even promised to accomodate the homebrew crowd (AKA your basement game creators). Most importantly, Sony's PSP advertised a vast library of addicting, innovative games. I also heard all the bad things back in America during PSP's launch week- "Dead pixels! And Sony won't replace it!", "My Square button isn't working!", "This analog pad thingamajig feels funny...", "The battery life a comparable lifespan to a mosquito in a repellant tiki torch factory, especially when playing movies".

So, going against my better judgement, I took the $300 plunge (well, maybe a little more, since it was 29860円 before a 4980円 game) barely a month after launch at a game shop in Hiroshima, Japan. I tore it open on the bullet train back to Kyoto, but alas- they don't charge PSP batteries when shipping them out of the factory. I played Ridge Racer to death while in Japan and on the flight home, sufficiently getting the Woo!-ness out of me and coming to my normal senses.

Back in America, I patiently awaited the onslaught of new games that I would purchase to round out my first portable. But, where were they?

After about a month, I saw a few movies and a game or three. Nothing notable came out- or at least nothing that justified the price. $25+ for a movie with skimpy extras (at the time), and on a 4.3" screen?! No thanks, I'll buy the (cheaper) DVD. UMD movies had obvious flaws and shortcomings. With the games, however, it was a simple issue of having no "killer app". Because of this, I never bought a game past Lumines. I still read Electronic Gaming Monthly, looking for a game I could get my hands on and thoroughly enjoy, but the only things scoring decent reviews are WarioWare (Nintendo DS) rip-offs. FPS games are a joke, RPGs have all been crud, and the only decent games seem to be racers. The only decent games coming out recently are just ports of a larger console franchise. Ugh.

Oh, not to mention, PSP games aren't region-encoded, but the movies are. So, gullible little me thinking "If the multi-region games are playable, maybe movies are too!" got a nice surprise when I popped in my first U.S. movie- to see a region error (keep in mind my PSP is Japanese). There went half the reason I bought the PSP. And I wasn't in the mood to spend twice as much on imports.

Last, but not least, I was hopeful for the online capabilities of the PSP. It could surf the web via an included software browser, and there were talkings of online games and the like. Nothing online came out at launch, and they're just breaking the surface of the online field now, presumably to hook up with the Playstation 3's online service. Not to say there aren't online games for the portable, but they're few and far between (even fewer if you're looking for good games).

For you homebrew folks, I hate to mention it, but you were slightly shafted as well. To do anything with the PSP that's non-UMD, you need a background in haxxor-ing to get around the occasionally-updated firmware Sony likes to put out. Many people simply don't update the firmware so they can play their great, fan-created games. And I can't blame them. Why Sony makes it a pain to enjoy a hobby is beyond me, but I guess it's in the spirit of making homebrewers "work for what you love".

Perhaps there's some good things on the horizon with the release of the Playstation 3. There's some interconnectivity in the works to allow your PSP work as a controller/mini-screen for your PS3, along with other functions which are sure to take advantage of the media aspects of both consoles, and perhaps the portable nature of the PSP. I forsee the PSP turning into an expensive, pretty, more functional USB stick, storing saved games, movies, and the like.

There's also some great games that just got released, and are being released. This is Sony's first attempt at a portable, and perhaps this is just the necessary learning curve they're experiencing. I still can't help but feel they greatly underestimated the differences of console versus portable gaming, but maybe these will be ironed out with the Playstation Portable 2, if they ever create such a thing.

I may sound a bit sour about the PSP, and I am. It made me lose a lot of faith in Sony as a company, after an already shaky track record of busted TVs and MD players. I gave them my $300 (and ability to purchase food) in trust they would snag good games (and game developers), enhance their media content, and put forth a device that would compete with the Nintendo DS. Sadly, it turns out the PSP was a flop, evident in Sony's losses with the product. Although Sony would be reluctant to admit this, which is why I was suckered into buying one to begin with (yes, feel free to blame my lack of research).

So, why own a PSP? Maybe you're optimistic for the future. Maybe you need to own every gaming peripheral Sony puts out. Maybe you're excited to try out the PSP+PS3 connectivity. Soon, I will not have to ask this question- just give me a chance to post it up on eBay a little after the PS3 launch, and hopefully I'll get some of my precious pennies back.

[Update]:Check out the following Kotaku link for further explanation (well, sort of) regarding PSP+PS3 integration. Just in case you were looking to buy a PS3. Or a PSP. http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/gd06/psp-to-ps3-abilities-explained-209303.php

Continue Reading Why Own a PSP? [Update]

Will We Be Seeing You Before Christmas?

It's not the first time I've pondered the release date of World of Warcraft's most recent expansion, The Burning Crusade. It's also not the first time I've gotten frustrated at the general lack of information provided on the game as a whole (despite the NDA [non-disclosure agreement] being lifted at the beta's conception). Blizzard is doing a fine job keeping us on our toes with this one, but one must ask: what's with the lack of information? Does this impact the release date, or is it just some crafty marketing scheme?

These past few weeks, besides the Looking For Group upheaval announcement and some new screenshots, very little has been released about the game. Okay, we have some definitive system specs. Oh, racial traits and a few talent upgrades too. Toss in a few more screenshots, and everything's peachy, right?

From my perspective as a customer, everything does not seem so controlled. This whole lack-of-a-release-date stuff is, for lack of a better term, stalling. Blizzard keeps to its guns about "we can't give a release date until the product is ready", but I feel it's more of a lack of confidence in their final product. Why stall? Well, go wander over to the beta forums, where those testing The Burning Crusade are praising and complaining up pages of threads. The bugs forum looks plenty packed with genuine bugs (quest- and world-related), not subjective ones (such as "Waah, X class sucks with the new change!"). There's still much to be improved with the classes we'll be playing on the way to level 70. All this, and it's about a month from "projected" release.

There's more reasons surrounding release date concerns than the ones stated above, but by now it should be somewhat obvious why I worry. Blizzard is like any other company- they have deadlines they do and don't meet, imperfect products, a horrid customer service department in-game and out- so to a degree, this is expected. At the same time, this has to be the first game I've come across in a while that is packing in a full-fledged addition to a game without a release date... 30 days or so from the predicted release.

So, Blizzard, will you have your expansion pack under my Christmas tree come December 25th? This is effectively the only thing I care about with the upcoming expansion (Rogue talents and spells be damned!), so I await your answer. So do the other millions of players.

Continue Reading Will We Be Seeing You Before Christmas?

"Open" Minds, Closed Policies

So, thanks to David for pointing out this Japan Times article. I normally don't check up on Japan Times, but maybe it's time to start again.

Today's article of commentary is: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20060923a1.html

So, the article looks cosmetically nice. Japan is admitting their labor force is going down in numbers, and they're looking for non-domestic folks to pick up jobs that would otherwise be going empty. Things look even brighter in this quote: "The debate on whether to allow foreigners to enter the country and work here is over. The question now is how we should receive them." Japan's finally deciding to stop putting off the workforce problems that have been predicted to arise for a good few years now.

Then, if you scroll a few lines further, you'll note some rather interesting job qualification requirements. Note these jobs are not specifically white-collar positions, but all available jobs. According to the article "...foreigners who want to work in Japan, including those of Japanese descent, must have a certain degree of proficiency in the Japanese language."

Why so picky, Japan? You state there is a problem with dwindling numbers in your labor force, yet you are still picky to have fluent workers? First, this is an unfair bar. Foreign-born Japanese arguably have a better chance to grasp the language, thanks to Japanese-speaking relatives living in either the U.S. or Japan. Non-Japanese foreigners are immediately given a hurdle compared to foreign-born Japanese (and domestic Japanese, if their numbers rise later) since they're probably fresh off the plane in Japan, with little to no Japanese language experience. Language-wise, it's a fact most high schools (and some colleges) lack a Japanese program. Even more importantly, non-Japanese foreigners are instantly branded as gaijin ("outside people"), and are still subconsciously treated as such.

Second, why should proficiency be considered when hiring factory workers and the like? Yes, they need to understand orders for both efficiency and liability reasons, but with all that Engrish around the country and your now-open-arms approach to foreign workers, perhaps it's time to adapt businesses to the workers (like we do with Spanish speakers)?

Lastly, there's a 3% maximum percentage of foreigners allowable in the workplace. That's possibly the ultimate embodiment of job discrimination. So some qualified person comes looking for a job, but since he'd make up 3.00000000000001%, you turn him away for- you guessed it- a domestic Japanese person!

This all sounds like a facade in light of some of the discriminatory events going on in Japan since foreigners became a national issue. It sounds less like loosening of job restrictions and more of looking worldly and accepting. Key word: "looking". Everyone knows you want a spot on the UN's Human Rights Council, but putting convenient "caps" does not mean you're the human rights freedom fighters quite yet.

Fair up the job market a bit- equal opportunities for domestic and foreign folks alike, no language requirement for basic physical labor jobs, and no percentage cap for foreign workers would be a start.

Then, let's deal with the other discrimination problems.

[Update: Turns out on May 9, 2006 the United Nations allowed Japan on a new Human Rights Council crafted after the old committee was abolished. My bad.]

Continue Reading "Open" Minds, Closed Policies

This Can't End Well

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=325&objectid=10400645

One comment in response to this article:
"Any project where one of the steps is to calculate the odds of destroying the planet has my full support." -Amber

This is truly an interesting article, not necessarily on the side of science findings which will occur if all goes right, but that this is actually being funded.

How does one measure the projected chance of failure when "For the first time in many decades we have built a machine that exceeds our powers of prediction."

Even worse, what if we open a portal and demons start popping out? Then what? HUH?!

These scientists want to find something out, and that's perfectly okay. Science must be furthered. But when said scientists admit they don't know what they will encounter, and insert a (possibly arbitrary) probability of worldly destruction, one must start to worry for his/her own safety.

A related link is: http://qntm.org/destroy , where Method #3 briefly illustrates a similar method to annihilating the world.

Anyway, if you need me, I'll be down in the cellar with my booze, rations, and shotgun.

Continue Reading This Can't End Well

The Facebook Conundrum

As of right now, I can't tell if this recent Facebook News Feed fiasco is some clever hype-raising strategy or a chorus of vocal immaturity of the majority of Facebook's users.

Folks, you all complain that Facebook is now Stalkerbook, and this News Feed will be the end of your "personal" life. This News Feed will, according to some, invade into their personal lives and create a network of stalkers following them and their activities.

Not only do I think this is outrageous, I think it's self-conceited to afford yourself such expectations of attention. People probably wish they were being stalked, more than they're worried about it.

Facebook has, and has always had, privacy settings. If you don't want someone to see something, you've been able to block them from viewing. The same is true for this News Feed service. Posting your profile on Facebook unsecured is like posting that same profile on a Times Square billboard. If someone's looking, they will see it, and you put it there. So let's all soak in this learning experience and not point the finger- not setting a personal profile to private will result in public viewing. Common sense.

Let's do a more example-like approach- let's look at this from the top, down. This is Joe User, and he's accepting invitations to events, joining Facebook groups, writing on friends' walls, and doing his private Facebook things (like messaging). He also made his profile private by clicking the radio buttons of "only friends can view my profile".

Can anyone, at this point, see his News Feeds or personal information? No.

Now, Joe adds a few friends here and there as he walks around campus and socializes. He adds these people as friends. Can they now see this feed? Yes.

Alright, we've come across a security failure! Not on the part of Facebook, however- on the part of Joe. While Facebook put all the juicy information in the forefront, saving someone the time and effort required to learn such things about a person manually, Joe gave them the clearance to do so.

So what this boils down to is thus: Joe must stop being a social whore and decide who he really wishes to befriend, lest the privacy functions of Facebook have no purpose. If you want to frolic in the social fields, that's what MySpace is for.

While there could be some improvement to the implementation of these News Feeds, the spirit and execution of such features does not go against the privacy Facebook ensured you upon joining. It just centralizes what would take an hour of research into one little feed.

This whole outbreak is purely reactionary. Give it some time to sink in, and I think you'll find the feed more enthralling and entertaining than a source of worry. You don't have a stalker now, you won't tomorrow, and I'll bargain you won't get one for... ever?

Continue Reading The Facebook Conundrum