text:
Q: What is the tag for menhir for coq 8.12 when installing it with opam install -y? I want to install opam menhir but make the install explicit for coq 8.12 to make my script explicit + robust to installation.
But when I ask it to show me it show the dev tag, which I assume might change at any point and make the install brittle. The project is hosted in gitlab and it doesn't seem it lets me make a git issue here so asking here. From the available options is dev actually robust/stable? I don't want future installs to break:
(iit_synthesis) brando9~ $ opam install -y menhir

[NOTE] Package menhir is already installed (current version is dev).
(iit_synthesis) brando9~ $
(iit_synthesis) brando9~ $ opam show menhir

<><> menhir: information on all versions ><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
name                   menhir
all-installed-versions 20190626 [coq-8.10]  dev [coq-8.12]
all-versions           20120123  20130116  20130911  20140422  20141215  20150914  20150921  20151005  20151012  20151023  20151026  20151030
                       20151103  20151112  20160303  20160504  20160526  20160808  20160825  20161114  20161115  20170101  20170418  20170509
                       20170607  20170712  20171013  20171206  20171222  20180528  20180530  20180703  20180905  20181006  20181026  20181113
                       20190613  20190620  20190626  20190924  20200123  20200211  20200525  20200612  20200619  20200624  20201122  20201201
                       20201214  20201216  20210310  20210419  20210929  20211012  20211125  20211128  20211230  20220210  dev

<><> Version-specific details <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
version     dev
repository  coq-extra-dev
source-hash 98f5c17e
url.src     "git+https://gitlab.inria.fr/fpottier/menhir.git#master"
homepage    "http://gitlab.inria.fr/fpottier/menhir"
bug-reports "menhir@inria.fr"
dev-repo    "git+https://gitlab.inria.fr/fpottier/menhir.git"
authors     "François Pottier <francois.pottier@inria.fr>"
            "Yann Régis-Gianas <yrg@pps.univ-paris-diderot.fr>"
maintainer  "francois.pottier@inria.fr"
depends     "ocaml" {>= "4.02.3"}
            "dune" {>= "2.2.0"}
            "menhirLib" {= version}
            "menhirSdk" {= version}
synopsis    An LR(1) parser generator

cross: https://coq.discourse.group/t/what-is-the-tag-for-menhir-for-coq-8-12-when-instlaling-it-with-opam-install-y/1889

A: source: https://coq.discourse.group/t/what-is-the-tag-for-menhir-for-coq-8-12-when-installing-it-with-opam-install-y/1889/3?u=brando90
Answer emilio gave:
Coq 8.12 was mostly tested with menhir 20190626 , you can see this in the Docker file:

github.com
coq/coq/blob/v8.12/dev/ci/docker/bionic_coq/Dockerfile
# CACHEKEY: "bionic_coq-v8.12-V2020-10-12-V1"
# ^^ Update when modifying this file.

FROM ubuntu:bionic
LABEL maintainer="e@x80.org"

ENV DEBIAN_FRONTEND="noninteractive"

RUN apt-get update -qq && apt-get install --no-install-recommends -y -qq \
        # Dependencies of the image, the test-suite and external projects
        m4 automake autoconf time wget rsync git gcc-multilib build-essential unzip jq \
        # Dependencies of lablgtk (for CoqIDE)
        libgtksourceview-3.0-dev \
        # Dependencies of stdlib and sphinx doc
        texlive-latex-extra texlive-fonts-recommended texlive-xetex latexmk \
        python3-pip python3-setuptools python3-pexpect python3-bs4 fonts-freefont-otf \
        # Dependencies of source-doc and coq-makefile
        texlive-science tipa

# More dependencies of the sphinx doc
This file has been truncated. show original
So that version is a good bet, but as Paolo points out, it depends on what menhir user you are interested in.

thus command I ran:
# dev seems fine but scary to use dev tag: question for alternative: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/75465305/what-is-the-tag-for-menhir-for-coq-8-12-when-installing-it-with-opam-install-y
#opam install -y menhir
opam pin add -y menhir 20190626
# run bellow in case above break when using the intended coq switch
#opam install -y menhir=dev

output successful:
(metalearning_gpu) brando9~/proverbot9001/deps/StructTact $ opam install -y menhir 20190626
opam: PACKAGES... arguments: Package name "20190626" should contain at least
      one letter
Usage: opam install [OPTION]... [PACKAGES]...
Try `opam install --help' or `opam --help' for more information.
(metalearning_gpu) brando9~/proverbot9001/deps/StructTact $ opam pin add -y menhir 20190626

menhir is now pinned to version 20190626

The following actions will be performed:
  ⊘ remove    menhirLib dev              [conflicts with menhir]
  ⊘ remove    menhirSdk dev              [conflicts with menhir]
  ↘ downgrade menhir    dev to 20190626*
===== ↘ 1   ⊘ 2 =====

<><> Processing actions <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
⊘ removed   menhir.dev
⊘ removed   menhirLib.dev
⊘ removed   menhirSdk.dev
⬇ retrieved menhir.20190626  (cached)
∗ installed menhir.20190626
Done.
# Run eval $(opam env) to update the current shell environment
(metalearning_gpu) brando9~/proverbot9001/deps/StructTact $
(metalearning_gpu) brando9~/proverbot9001/deps/StructTact $ eval $(opam env)


text:
package cn.ict.zyq.bestConf.COMT2;

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.Map;

import weka.classifiers.trees.m5.PreConstructedLinearModel;
import weka.core.Attribute;
import weka.core.DenseInstance;
import weka.core.Instance;
import weka.core.Instances;

import com.google.common.collect.Range;

/**
 * Branch2
 *
 */

public class Branch2 {

	private HashMap<Attribute,Range<Double>> rangeMap;		//ranges of the attributes in the M5P tree 属æ?区间
	private ArrayList<PreConstructedLinearModel> linearModelList; 		//linearModels of one leaf 线æ?模型

	public Branch2() {
		rangeMap = new HashMap<Attribute,Range<Double>>();
	}

	public Branch2(HashMap<Attribute, Range<Double>> rangeMap, PreConstructedLinearModel linearModel) {
		this.rangeMap = rangeMap;
		this.linearModelList = new ArrayList<PreConstructedLinearModel>();
		this.linearModelList.add(linearModel);
	}

	public Branch2(HashMap<Attribute, Range<Double>> rangeMap, ArrayList<PreConstructedLinearModel> linearModels) {
		this.rangeMap = rangeMap;
		this.linearModelList = linearModels;
	}

	public Instance maxPoint(Instances dataset) throws Exception{
		Instance max = new DenseInstance(dataset.numAttributes());
		max.setDataset(dataset);

		double[] combinedCoefs = null;
		int len=0;
		for(PreConstructedLinearModel model : linearModelList){
			//initialization
			if(combinedCoefs==null){
				len = model.coefficients().length;
				combinedCoefs = new double[len];
				for(int i=0;i<len;i++)
					combinedCoefs[i]=0;
			}

			for(int i=0;i<len;i++)
				combinedCoefs[i]+=model.coefficients()[i];
		}

		//the max value is obtained at ends of a range
		for(Map.Entry<Attribute, Range<Double>> ent: rangeMap.entrySet()){
			int attIdx = ent.getKey().index();
			if(combinedCoefs[attIdx]>0){
				//use the upper bound
				if(ent.getValue().hasUpperBound())
					max.setValue(attIdx, ent.getValue().upperEndpoint());
			}else if(combinedCoefs[attIdx]<0){
				//use the lower bound
				if(ent.getValue().hasLowerBound())
					max.setValue(attIdx, ent.getValue().lowerEndpoint());
			}
		}

		//now we set the predicted values
		double y = 0;
		for(PreConstructedLinearModel model : linearModelList){
			y += model.classifyInstance(max);
		}
		y /= linearModelList.size();
		max.setClassValue(y);

		return max;
	}

	public HashMap<Attribute, Range<Double>> getRangeMap() {
		return rangeMap;
	}

	public void setRangeMap(HashMap<Attribute, Range<Double>> rangeMap) {
		this.rangeMap = rangeMap;
	}

	public ArrayList<PreConstructedLinearModel> getLinearModels() {
		return linearModelList;
	}

	public void setLinearModels(ArrayList<PreConstructedLinearModel> linearModel) {
		this.linearModelList = linearModel;
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
package com.streamsets.pipeline.stage.processor.hive;

import com.streamsets.pipeline.api.GenerateResourceBundle;
import com.streamsets.pipeline.api.Label;

@GenerateResourceBundle
public enum HMPDataFormat implements Label {
  AVRO("Avro"),
  PARQUET("Parquet"),
  ;

  private String label;

  HMPDataFormat(String label) {
    this.label = label;
  }

  @Override
  public String getLabel() {
    return label;
  }

}


text:
/* priority.js */
define ([
	'1401/settings',
	'1401/objects/behaviors/nodes/base'
], function (
	SETTINGS,
	BaseNode
) {

	var DBGOUT = true;

/**	BehaviorTree Priority ***************************************************\

	A PriorityNode is a type of composite that returns SUCCESS if any one of
	its children is successful. It returns RUNNING until  all children have
	reported in.

		var node = PriorityNode ([
			Failer(),
			Failer(),
			Suceeder(),
			Failer()
		]);

	node.Tick() would return SUCCESS because one of its children
	reports success. By comparison, the SequenceNode is far less forgiving,
	running SUCCESS only if ALL its children report success, one after
	the other.

/** OBJECT DECLARATION ******************************************************/

	/* constructor */
	function PriorityNode ( children, read_only_conf ) {
		//	call the parent constructor
		BaseNode.call (this);

		// Priority evaluate left-to-right and have child nodes
		this.children = children || [];
		// save configuration if any
		this.SaveConfig(read_only_conf);

		// each node has a name
		this.node_type = BaseNode.TYPE.Priority;
		this.AutoName();
	}
	/*/ inheritance /*/
	PriorityNode.inheritsFrom(BaseNode);

///	'methods' ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

	/* avoid heap-allocation with reusable variables */
	var blackboard;		// piece blackboard (AI memory)
	var i, status;		// counter
	var child;			// child node
	var out;			// output holder

/// see basenode.js for overrideable methods!
///	- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
	PriorityNode.method('Tick', function ( pish, int_ms ) {
		out = this.DBG || this.name.bracket();
		for (i=0;i<this.children.length;i++) {
			child = this.children[i];
			status = child.Execute(pish,int_ms);
			if (status!==BaseNode.FAILURE) {
				if (DBGOUT) {
					out+= ' '+child.name+'-'+status+' SUCCESS';
					console.log(out);
				}
				return status;
			} else {
				if (DBGOUT) {
					out+= ' '+child.name+'-'+status;
					console.log(out);
				}
			}
		}
		if (DBGOUT) console.log(out,"all",this.children.length,"failed!");
		return BaseNode.FAILURE;
	});
///	- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
/** BEHAVIOR PRIVATE FUNCTIONS ***********************************************/

	// Functions should receive entire state in parameters, as stored values
	// in the object instances are not persistent because the same behavior
	// tree's nodes can be used across multiple agents. The blackboard is
	// what provides persistent memory

/** RETURN CONSTRUCTOR *******************************************************/

	return PriorityNode;

});


Hunger relief has long been a focus area of Maple Leaf Farms charitable giving program, and our company recently joined other Indiana poultry companies to celebrate the impact that industry donations made to relieve food insecurity in Indiana this past year.
In total, Indiana State Poultry Association (ISPA) companies donated more than 800,000 servings of poultry products in 2018. Maple Leaf Farms proudly donated approximately 250,000 servings this past year.
These donations and the positive impact that the poultry industry has on the state were recently acknowledged during a ceremony at the Indiana Statehouse by Governor Eric Holcomb.
The Food Bank of Northern Indiana and Gleaner's Food Bank, both members of the nationwide Feeding America Network, are among the organizations that Maple Leaf Farms served in 2018.
"In addition to donating poultry products to Feeding America members, our company also makes it a priority to provide contributions to local food pantries in Kosciusko County," said Chief Operating Officer Scott Reinholt.


Fall is finally here and this is the BEST time for events! Check out the following events that Texas Auto will be attending. If you attend one of these events make sure to stop by the Texas Auto booth and pick up some fun Texas Auto swag! Click on the flyer to find out more about the event!
At Texas Auto – WE SELL THE CARS YOU WANT TO DRIVE!


text:
You don't have any saved content.
MAGAZINE SUBSCRIBE
Message on a Bottle: 70 years of South Australian wine label design
UniSA and The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre are celebrating the journey of wine label design through a new exhibition – Message on a Bottle.
The exhibition, showcasing 70 years of wine label design, features 150 wine labels from 15 wine label design studios, encompassing early pioneers to contemporary corporate and boutique brands.
These include some of South Australia's most prolific wine brands such as Gemtree, S.C Pannell, Hugh Hamilton, Sevenhill Cellars, The Other Wine Co., d'Arenberg, Tapanappa, and Samuel's Gorge.
Held in The Hawke Centre's Kerry Packer Civic Gallery throughout September 2021, the exhibition presents the integral relationships between label designer, grape grower, wine producer, and sales marketer – weaving the threads of education, commerce, and research for the public to sample.
Exhibition co-convenor David Blaiklock, and program director of UniSA's Bachelor of Illustration and Animation, said Message on a Bottle highlights the important roles and contributions of wine label design in building South Australia's wine industry and its brands, including the associated economies such as tourism and manufacturing.
"The design of memorable and successful wine labels has seen South Australian designers and design studios gain international prominence and recognition over the past 70 years," Blaiklock said.
"Wine label design now has significant influence on purchasing decisions and a big impact on the economic, social, and cultural capital of South Australia.
"Of course, wine labels signal wine styles, regions, quality, and brands, but beyond these essentials, wine label designs have the power to capture the cultural and spiritual values of where wine is grown."
Message in a Bottle was conceived by the late Rita Siow, former general manager of the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) and an outspoken design advocate and educator. She credited design studios such as Parallax, Voice, and Black Squid as leading the charge of a diverse and growing wine label market.
Following Rita's vision, the exhibition has been curated and developed by members of the UniSA Creative Unit, Marchelle Matthew, Lynda Kay, Dr Doreen Donovan and David Blaiklock, design educators and practitioners who were all mentored by Siow.
"The unsung influence and impact of design and creative practice within South Australia has, and continues to, been enormous across a range of industry sectors," Blaiklock said.
"Starting with the legendary Wytt Moro, and followed by designers such as John Nowland, Ian Kidd, Barrie Tucker and Karen Seja, wine labels have now become synonymous with how South Australia's wine sector is perceived across the world.
"Just like the wines they represent, the designers behind the labels are also recognised on the world stage. The convergence of design and wine is what we're celebrating in this new exhibition."
Hafizah Osman
Brother Design wins Australia's International Design Awards
Label Connected sharing innovations in label industry
World's first biodegradable wine cork
ProPack is Australia's independent online publication reporting on packaging in Australia.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Education News in Nepal
Online Registration Station For National Identity Card
April 13, 2022 2 Mins Read
National Identity Card:
Online Registration for National Identity Card (ID) to accumulate personal and biological data set up in National Assembly Hall is now operating.
For the convenience of Nepali Citizens residing in the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, this station has been brought to operate in the Assembly Hall from Tuesday onwards. Before this, the National ID card could be made only through the District Administration Office.
According to the National Identity Card and Registration Department, the registration stations for the citizens of different districts in the Narayani Durbar locality -former the Passport Department is still open.
The department also informed that the work of collecting details for National ID cards is in full swing in other districts as well.
Prerequisites for getting a National ID Card in Nepal:
An original National Citizenship Certificate
A document that discloses the age of a person (if the citizenship does not contain a date of birth)
The original migration certificate (if the person has migrated )
The original copy of the Marriage certificate or a document that discloses the information of the married person (if the citizenship does not hold the name of the spouse of the married person)
The original National Passport (if a person owns a Passport)
importantNational ID CardNational Identity Card and Registration DepartmentNepal
Agreement between Pokhara University and NMB Bank
"Laxmi Bank Scholarship for Women in STEM" Endowment Fund Established through Agreement with Kathmandu University


text:
import MapCache from './_MapCache.js';

/** Used as the `TypeError` message for "Functions" methods. */
var FUNC_ERROR_TEXT = 'Expected a function';

/**
 * Creates a function that memoizes the result of `func`. If `resolver` is
 * provided, it determines the cache key for storing the result based on the
 * arguments provided to the memoized function. By default, the first argument
 * provided to the memoized function is used as the map cache key. The `func`
 * is invoked with the `this` binding of the memoized function.
 *
 * **Note:** The cache is exposed as the `cache` property on the memoized
 * function. Its creation may be customized by replacing the `_.memoize.Cache`
 * constructor with one whose instances implement the
 * [`Map`](http://ecma-international.org/ecma-262/7.0/#sec-properties-of-the-map-prototype-object)
 * method interface of `delete`, `get`, `has`, and `set`.
 *
 * @static
 * @memberOf _
 * @since 0.1.0
 * @category Function
 * @param {Function} func The function to have its output memoized.
 * @param {Function} [resolver] The function to resolve the cache key.
 * @returns {Function} Returns the new memoized function.
 * @example
 *
 * var object = { 'a': 1, 'b': 2 };
 * var other = { 'c': 3, 'd': 4 };
 *
 * var values = _.memoize(_.values);
 * values(object);
 * // => [1, 2]
 *
 * values(other);
 * // => [3, 4]
 *
 * object.a = 2;
 * values(object);
 * // => [1, 2]
 *
 * // Modify the result cache.
 * values.cache.set(object, ['a', 'b']);
 * values(object);
 * // => ['a', 'b']
 *
 * // Replace `_.memoize.Cache`.
 * _.memoize.Cache = WeakMap;
 */
function memoize(func, resolver) {
  if (typeof func != 'function' || (resolver && typeof resolver != 'function')) {
    throw new TypeError(FUNC_ERROR_TEXT);
  }
  var memoized = function() {
    var args = arguments,
        key = resolver ? resolver.apply(this, args) : args[0],
        cache = memoized.cache;

    if (cache.has(key)) {
      return cache.get(key);
    }
    var result = func.apply(this, args);
    memoized.cache = cache.set(key, result) || cache;
    return result;
  };
  memoized.cache = new (memoize.Cache || MapCache);
  return memoized;
}

// Expose `MapCache`.
memoize.Cache = MapCache;

export default memoize;


text:
U bent hier: Welkom > Analysis > Publications
European social rights need more than a proclamation: Recommendations for an ambitious social summit
Social EU / COMMENTARY
Claire Dhéret
Heads of state and government will endorse the European Pillar of Social Rights – presented by the European Commission as "a guide towards efficient employment and social outcomes"[1] and "a compass for the renewed convergence within the euro area"[2] – at the upcoming social Summit in Gothenburg on 17 November. At the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council of 23 October, member states gave their green light to an interinstitutional proclamation of the Pillar. This is a step in the right direction and a clear victory for the Commission. Much uncertainty lingers, however, over the successful implementation of these social rights for the benefit of all Europeans.
The Pillar´s interinstitutional proclamation will be an unequivocal political recognition of the importance of Social Europe. It will highlight the EU's caring dimension and its commitment to granting all EU citizens more social rights. The political signal is important in itself and should not be underestimated. The Pillar is also the most comprehensive instrument that can fulfil President Juncker's wish to reach a "social triple A" for Europe.[3]
That being said, if endorsement is a pre-condition for success, it does not equate delivery. There are political risks looming on the horizon that could limit the Pillar´s impact and prevent it from delivering on its initial objectives. In fact, similar promises have already been made in the past, with limited results. Europe 2020 – the EU's ten-year strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth – is a case in point. Just about two years before the timeframe of the strategy expires, the EU and some of its member states remain far away from reaching their employment and social targets. In 2016, the EU employment rate stood at 71.1% while the objective was 75%. In the same year, 23.5% of Europeans still suffered from poverty/social exclusion versus 23.7% when the strategy was adopted in 2010.
Against this background, it seems legitimate to raise the following questions: What is new since the adoption of the Europe 2020 Strategy? What can guarantee that the Pillar is more than a mere political exercise and also a useful instrument to foster convergence, mitigate social hardship and address societal challenges? Is there any indication that the Pillar will not share the same fate as the Europe 2020 Strategy?
Looking at the legal nature of the Pillar, there is little optimism that anything will change. The Pillar is a set of 20 principles that do not alter the balance of competences between the national and European level on social policies. In fact, the Commission emphasised that "the European Pillar of Social Rights does not entail an extension of the Union's powers as defined by the Treaties" and should therefore "be implemented within the limits of those powers".[4] As for the Europe 2020 targets in 2010, the Pillar is legally non-binding. In other words, its implementation remains discretionary and will depend on member states' goodwill.
Whether there is more of that today than at the time of the Europe 2020 Strategy is an open question. It very much depends on the current political mood across member states. Whereas President Macron has highlighted the need for convergence in Europe, including on social standards, other countries have made it abundantly clear that the existence of a European Pillar of Social Rights does, by no means, equal any sort of harmonisation of social policies and rights across Europe.
The upcoming social summit should consider these legal and political limitations to the enforcement of common social rights for Europeans. At the very least, the Commission should put these issues on the table. While changing the legal nature of the EU's role in employment and social policies as defined in the Treaties is out of the Commission's control and certainly not on the agenda in the immediate future, the Brussels' executive can still do a number of things to ensure the Pillar has a bright future ahead.
First, the Commission should set the summit's agenda in such a manner that discussions on the Pillar are not limited to a political proclamation. A significant amount of work has recently been done to foster a debate on the future of Europe, including a reflection paper[5] that sets out different scenarios for a Social Europe. The Commission should build on the political momentum created by the Pillar to generate a sense of ownership among the heads of state and government on the issues raised in the paper. Such a political discussion would challenge member states to address the obvious discrepancy between the political objectives of a caring and protective Europe and the limited instruments currently available to enforce them.
Second, the Commission should push the heads of state and government to identify and agree on concrete steps to foster social convergence, which will not happen without addressing a number of strategic areas at the EU level. These areas include a skills guarantee with free access to quality education and lifelong training; the establishment of a minimum income scheme in all member states; and the guarantee of a minimum social floor with universal access to social protection (including for workers taking part in new forms of employment and people with no access to unemployment benefits). The Commission should therefore propose the introduction of a clear roadmap at the summit, with more binding standards in these areas, and a commitment to integrate these priorities into the EU budget negotiations.
Third, the Commission should follow through on its promise that the Pillar will shape some of the financing priorities to be agreed in the post-2020 EU financial framework. This is the right approach and EU funds should be increasingly mobilised in the future to boost social convergence. To do so, a new system of allocating funds and monitoring based on a set of social indicators and high-level social standards should be introduced.
If the Pillar's legal nature is insufficient to drive progress towards social convergence, one can at least hope that it will boost political momentum. By looking beyond the interinstitutional proclamation, this week's social summit should prepare the ground for strategic decisions in the months to come, and lay the foundations for a prosperous Social Europe.
Claire Dhéret is a Senior Policy Analyst at the European Policy Centre.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this Commentary are the sole responsibility of the author.
[1] See Commission Recommendation, C(2017) 2600 final.
[2] See the State of the Union Address of President-elect Juncker of 9 September 2015.
[3] Speech of President-elect Juncker before the European Parliament on 22 October 2014: "Setting Europe back in motion".
[4] See Proposal for a Interinstitutional Proclamation on the European Pillar of Social Rights, COM(2017) 251 final.
[5] See Reflection paper on the social dimension of Europe, COM(2017) 206 of 26 April 2017.
Read the full paper here


text:
The Asus ROG Phone 6 isn't a significant upgrade over its predecessor, the Asus ROG Phone 5s. The usual performance-related improvements are to be expected with every update. Its design is similar to the previous model, with a few differences. However, there is an improved camera setup that could make it a premium all-arounder. The price of the base 12GB RAM and 256GB storage configuration has risen from Rs. 57,999 to Rs. 71,999.
The Asus ROG Phone 6 finally receives an IPX4 rating, which means it is water resistant. With a thickness of 10.3mm and a weight of 239g, the device remains quite chubby (which is close to a quarter of kilogram).
Even when playing games, the phone feels a little heavy to hold for extended periods of time. I would have preferred thinner bezels at the top and bottom of the screen. The Asus ROG Phone 6 features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+ processor and UFS 3.1 storage, which is the best that a premium device can offer.
It also has Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and two USB-Type C ports, as well as support for multiple 5G bands. There is no dedicated microSD card slot, but the built-in 256GB storage should suffice. The Asus ROG Phone 6 runs Android 12 and features the brand's ROG UI and Zen UI overlays.
Asus ROG Phone 5Asus ROG Phone 6Qualcomm Snapdragon
Archana Gautam fans infuriated at Tina Datta for her attitude during morning anthem
Amazon announces the shutdown of its online learning platform for Indian high school students
Tecno Phantom X2 Pro 5G at just Rs. 39,999
Motorola E40 available on Flipkart with a discount of up to 24%
Samsung Galaxy S23 does not provide satellite connectivity
Grab 86% discount on Fire-Boltt smartwatch on Flipkart


A Cincinnati, Ohio police officer is facing disciplinary actions after he stunned an 11-year-old girl in the back with a Taser at an Ohio grocery store last month.
Kevin Brown was working as a security guard at the Kroger market in the Cincinnati suburb of Spring Grove Village when he suspected a group of girls of stealing. When he attempted to confront one of the girls, Donesha Gowdy, the tween ignored him and walked away. That's when Brown pulled out his Taser and deployed it on the little girl.
The aftermath of the incident was caught on Brown's body camera, which he turned on after deploying the Taser.
In the video, Brown can be heard chastising the little girl about allegedly stealing:"This is why there aren't any grocery stores in the Black community," Brown said.
Local officials opened an investigation into the incident when it occurred and recently released the results. Police found Brown's "deployment of a Taser was not reasonably necessary to apprehend Ms. Gowdy." Additionally, the internal review concluded Brown's comments violated the police department's rules against racial profiling and he broke "three other rules by using the stun gun in the first place, not warning Donesha that he was going to do so, and not turning on his body camera until after the fact," the New York Times reports.
After the incident, Donesha's mother said while she didn't condone stealing, Brown's actions were excessive.
Brown has been suspended pending a hearing, but Sergeant Dan Hils, the president of the local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, is standing behind Brown's decision.
"There seems to be a lack of shock that a juvenile suspect of this age has no respect for people's property rights," Hills said.
However, Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley agreed with Donesha's mother.
After being apprehended by Brown, Donesha was initially charged with theft and obstructing official business, but Mayor Cranley has asked that her charges be dismissed.


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___ 16 November 2013 30 Years of Video games
30 Years of Video Games – Jurassic Park III: Park Builder (2001)
I'm waving goodbye to my 20′s and to celebrate I'm counting down 30 games from the last 30 years. Join me while I countdown 30 great years of game memories.
Jurassic Park III: Park Builder
The Jurassic Park series hasn't had too bad of a run when it comes to video game adaptations. The release of the original Jurassic Park in the mid nineties brought with it no less than eight games based on the film, and while they varied in quality, only one or two could be considered truly awful.
Jurassic Park III too had a couple of games to its name, both for the Game Boy Advance, neither directly related to the film, and both a far sight better than their namesake. While Jurassic Park III: DNA Factor was a rather generic if at times pretty sidescroller publisher Konami took a different route for the second game, producing what is probably the deepest not to mention best simulation game available for Nintendo's handheld. Developed internally at Konami, Jurassic Park III: Park Builder is basically Zoo Tycoon with Dinosaurs. And that is a great thing.
Clearly the people that developed Park Builder hadn't seen Jurassic Park because if there is one thing I learnt from Dr Ian Malcolm it is that life will not be contained. Thankfully that warning wasn't heeded because luring tourists to your carefully designed deathtrap waiting to happen is a hell of a lot of fun. As the manager of an unnamed Jurassic Park you are tasked with designing and building a park that turns heads, gets people excited, and ultimately gets arses through the front gate. You'll do this by breeding the leanest and meanest of dinosaurs , building a fence around them to avoid any unscheduled feeding time, and giving your patrons access to them by building a path. The better and more diverse the mix of dinosaurs the more people will come. It's Jurassic Park building 101.
As simple as that may be though its in the actual breeding of your specimens that a lot of the challenge and frustration lays. You'll need to send people out to excavate amber from around the world which you will analyse and synthesise DNA from to develop eggs. With 140 species to collect it's a time consuming exercise, but like Pokemon you'll be compelled to keep playing to complete your collection. The game also had a DNA trading feature using the link cable so you could trade specimens with friends. Given I didn't know anyone who had ever heard of the game let alone played it I naturally never used this feature.
Park Builder is a bit of an oddity amongst the GBA's catalogue. If you listed things that the excellent handheld did well strategy games would list somewhere towards the bottom, not necessarily because they were bad but more because there weren't many of them. So while park builders rose to prominence during the Nintendo DS period the GBA was largely devoid of them. Park Builder is a great game by any measure and while it doesn't look great it is a deep simulation game that just happens to also feature dinosaurs.
The Playstation 2 also had a Jurassic Park themed park builder. Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis was developed here in Australia and released in 2003.
Have a favourite game from 2001? Tell us in the comments below. Don't forget to come back soon for the next game in our countdown. Miss a year? Catch up below.
2000 – 1999 – 1998 – 1997 – 1996 – 1995 – 1994 – 1993 – 1992 – 1991 – 1990 – 1989 – 1988 – 1987 – 1986 – 1985 – 1984 – 1983
Posted in 30 Years of Video games and tagged Game boy advance, GBA, Handheld Games, Jurassic Park, Konami, Park builder, Retro games, Retrogaming. Bookmark the permalink.
30 Years of Video Games – Darkwatch (2005) | A Most Agreeable Pastime on 17 November 2014 at 3:43 pm
[…] 2004 – 2003 – 2002 – 2001 – 2000 – 1999 – 1998 – 1997 – 1996 – 1995 – 1994 – 1993 – 1992 – 1991 – 1990 –1989 – 1988 – 1987 – 1986 – 1985 – 1984 – 1983 […]
30 Years of Video Games – Kessen (2000)
30 Years of Video Games – Prisoner of War (2002)


text:
package cn.lts.common.pojo;

import cn.lts.common.constant.WeiXinConstants;
/**
 * 预支付参数
 * @see http://pay.weixin.qq.com/wiki/doc/api/index.php?chapter=9_1
 * @author zhoujianyong
 */
public class PrepayMessage {
	//公众账号ID
	private String appid;
	//用户标识
	private String openid;
	//商户号
	private String mch_id;
	//商品描述
	private String body;
	//附加数据
	private String attach;
	//随机字符串
	private String nonce_str;
	//通知地址
	private String notify_url;
	//商户订单号
	private String out_trade_no;
	//终端IP
	private String spbill_create_ip;
	//总金额
	private int total_fee;
	//交易类型,取值如下:JSAPI,NATIVE,APP,WAP
	private String trade_type = WeiXinConstants.WEIXIN_PAY_JSAPI;
	//商品ID,trade_type=NATIVE,此参数必传。
	private String product_id;
	//是否订阅了公众号
	private String is_subscribe;
	//签名
	private String sign;
	public String getAppid() {
		return appid;
	}
	public void setAppid(String appid) {
		this.appid = appid;
	}
	public String getOpenid() {
		return openid;
	}
	public void setOpenid(String openid) {
		this.openid = openid;
	}
	public String getMch_id() {
		return mch_id;
	}
	public void setMch_id(String mch_id) {
		this.mch_id = mch_id;
	}
	public String getBody() {
		return body;
	}
	public void setBody(String body) {
		this.body = body;
	}
	public String getAttach() {
		return attach;
	}
	public void setAttach(String attach) {
		this.attach = attach;
	}
	public String getNonce_str() {
		return nonce_str;
	}
	public void setNonce_str(String nonce_str) {
		this.nonce_str = nonce_str;
	}
	public String getNotify_url() {
		return notify_url;
	}
	public void setNotify_url(String notify_url) {
		this.notify_url = notify_url;
	}
	public String getOut_trade_no() {
		return out_trade_no;
	}
	public void setOut_trade_no(String out_trade_no) {
		this.out_trade_no = out_trade_no;
	}
	public String getSpbill_create_ip() {
		return spbill_create_ip;
	}
	public void setSpbill_create_ip(String spbill_create_ip) {
		this.spbill_create_ip = spbill_create_ip;
	}
	public int getTotal_fee() {
		return total_fee;
	}
	public void setTotal_fee(int total_fee) {
		this.total_fee = total_fee;
	}
	public String getTrade_type() {
		return trade_type;
	}
	public void setTrade_type(String trade_type) {
		this.trade_type = trade_type;
	}
	public String getProduct_id() {
		return product_id;
	}
	public void setProduct_id(String product_id) {
		this.product_id = product_id;
	}
	public String getIs_subscribe() {
		return is_subscribe;
	}
	public void setIs_subscribe(String is_subscribe) {
		this.is_subscribe = is_subscribe;
	}
	public String getSign() {
		return sign;
	}
	public void setSign(String sign) {
		this.sign = sign;
	}
}


This site is currently funded, operated and maintained by a single person that is surrounded by a growing number of people who provide their expertise.
Counselling of alcoholics or their next of kin.
Option One: E-mail Counselling. You help people via e-mail that are referred to you after they have requested support from the web site. In this case you can stay completely anonymous and your workload can be paced. Ideally your workload is substantially reduced by using the material on this site or material that has been created by other people like you. The issue is to deliver a better and better service with less and less development effort as times goes by.
Option Two: Physical Counselling. The vision is that we have a point of presence in every South African town. In this option your name is provided to an alcoholic that has requested for interaction with a physical person in stead of e-mail counselling. Your permission will be asked before your name is provided to the client.
Option Three: Listing in our database. In this case your contact details are listed in a database that is accessible on the web site. This option is ideal for individuals or institutions that do counselling professionally. In this case we have no control over who makes contact with you.
This entails helping dry alcoholics to restart economical activity in order to become self-sufficient.
Role One: Referral. The task of this person is to react to e-mail requests and link clients with e-mail counsellors.
Role Two: Material Compiler/Researcher. This entails the collection of material that is frequently provided by the e-mail counsellors and the repackaging of that in order to create generic information that can be used on the web site or by the e-counsellors.
Role Three: Webmaster. Maintaining the website and scouting the internet for applicable stuff.
Donations or paying advertisements will be appreciated.
In some cases professional services like legal opinions may be necessary and your expertise will be appreciated.


text:
Home / Breaking News / Review: Netflix's Ultraman is surprisingly great
Review: Netflix's Ultraman is surprisingly great
Tim Augustin
I have very little experience with Ultraman, if I'm being honest. The most I can remember is from watching episodes and movies on the kid's channel a decade ago. Cut to today and I'm watching Ultraman on Netflix, in an anime adaptation of a manga meant as a generational sequel.
It's kind of like greeting an old acquaintance. You've changed, they've changed, and now that you've grown, perhaps you'll like them better. And I definitely like this Ultraman better.
I never paid much attention to the original TV show's lore, and I remember seeing 50 different variations of the hero at the toy store. The only parts I really liked were the big city-levelling kaiju showdowns, and Ultraman always promised that in spades. This Netflix show has me invested in a whole lot more.
The story picks up some time after the legendary 'Giant of Light' has left planet Earth for good, presumably having torched the last kaiju to threaten humanity. Shin Hayata, Ultraman's ex-vessel, is now older and a father, with no memory of his time joined with Ultraman. He later finds this out, which explains his superhuman abilities. It turns out that being with Ultraman has its consequences, and he soon realises that those consequences have spread to his son Shinjiro as well.
Shin decides to pick up where he left off, this time as a street-level Ultraman – not quite as gigantic as he used to be, but fighting for good, nonetheless. The story then takes another time jump (jarring, to say the least) and introduces us to the show's actual protagonist: a teenage Shinjiro. He receives an Iron Man-esque suit that gifts him the same Ultraman abilities, albeit on a smaller scale. Now son must follow father, defending Earth from those that wish to do it harm.
It's an interesting premise, to say the least. Going into the series completely blind, I had no clue that Netflix's Ultraman abandoned the large-scale battles the franchise was known for. It has worked for this show, however, as it lends a grittier and more realistic feel for today's audiences. When Ultraman is smashing through buildings to throw a giant lizard into space, you can see the danger and destruction, but you can't quite feel it.
By zooming to ground-level, this Ultraman must constantly move the battle away from civilians and keep them out of harm's way. Lives can easily be lost in any fight, and it takes seeing to believe it. And so, Shinjiro is constantly thinking about who's getting caught in the crossfire, or wondering why he even has to kill his enemies at all. The stakes may seem smaller, but they're now more visible and personal for our hero.
Production I.G. have absolutely knocked it out of the park when it comes to animating this Ultraman. They're the same studio that made Persona 5's anime cutscenes, but they've opted for a more 3D CG art style to better mesh with other Netflix originals. The frame rate dips distractingly every once in a while, but the show is buttery smooth most of the time.
Action is also slick and well-choreographed every time conflict inevitably erupts. It's over-the-top and always fun to watch, with plenty of flash in case you forgot this was a Japanese production. Most importantly, the fights are framed well and easy to follow, yet tense enough to keep you gripped till the end.
The music is absolutely phenomenal too, carrying some of Ultraman's most dramatic and action-heavy scenes. The main theme is still stuck in my head as I write this, and I'm not even mad – it's a suitably epic theme for every heroic moment Shinjiro charges through.
Voice acting on the English side is pretty alright, with only one or two voices being extremely grating. Subtitles exist, however, and the original dub is superior in this case. It's all a matter of personal preference, of course; I watched most of the show in English and enjoyed it just the same.
As for the story itself, it ends up being okay. It's engaging enough to keep you glued to the screen most times, and the big fight scenes usually have some emotional hook to them. It's an upward battle for Shinjiro, who's inexperienced enough to lose a battle, but determined enough to win them through sheer perseverance alone.
The problem is that Shinjiro is a little bland for a protagonist. Outside of being Ultraman, there's nothing to make him an interesting character – the only flaw to his name is his inexperience. Ultraman does throw us a bone by attempting to focus on his relationships with his father and a love interest, but that doesn't last for very long and we don't see those relationships blossom enough as they should.
Even the main villain gets sidelined. They appear quickly enough into the show, shrouded in mystery and full of cunning plans. Unfortunately, those plans inexplicably get tossed aside in the last three episodes to focus on an entirely different villain.
That's matched by the appearance of another protagonist entirely, who has even more personal stakes than Shinjiro. The rest of the show proceeds to focus on this new hero's struggles, and while it doesn't derail the story too badly it does leave things feeling incomplete by season's end.
The main villain's identity is only partially revealed, with several important character threads and plot points dangling half-finished. It's all to lead us into a second season, which is fine, but the cast just seem half-baked the way it is now.
I came out of Ultraman just wanting to know more about Shinjiro and his father. What is it like for him to realise that his dad used to be the Ultraman? What is it like for Shin, who finally shares one thing in common with a son he has trouble connecting to? And what if that gift winds up with Shinjiro being severely injured?
The show can get really mature in terms of its themes and violence, so I'm confused why its characters display the emotional range of a teaspoon. Maybe I shouldn't expect too much out of an Ultraman show, but that's probably its greatest success: making viewers like me take Ultraman seriously.
A grounded, gritty show is exactly what Ultraman needed to be. It has an engaging story, well-done action, fantastic music, and some heart buried underneath it all. Hopefully the next season digs deeper into its characters, but for now this is a series brimming with potential.
— Tim Augustin
Final Rating: 8/10
Tags: Netflix, ultraman
Tim loves all sorts of things. Movies, TV shows, video games, comic books, cats and all that good stuff. What doesn't he love, you might ask? Minestrone soup. It is truly awful.
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Let's move on with our today's new games presentation, kids, because we still have a few more amazing games to show to you, games in which we assure you that you are going to have a lot of fun, no matter if you are playing with your friends, or alone, but it's probably more fun if you share these experiences with your friends. Today, you are going to play a new 3D game from our 3D category, a racing game, of course, specially created for you boys, because we know how much you love playing our 3D racing games. In this game, 3D Truck Racing, you will have to choose the perfect truck for you, the one that you think it will bring you the victory. Then, you will have to choose your level difficulty and road, and then, you must win every race that this game has to offer. We wish you all good luck and have fun, kids!


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Super Tribes for iOS Walkthrough Plus Tips + Tricks
I've never actually done a video walkthrough of a mobile game before so this is new territory for me. As such, this review of the fun, turn-based iOS game Super Tribes is a bit longer than it probably should be but I'm still learning so go easy on me! My friend @Bigzaphod turned me onto Super Tribes and I've been playing it on and off for about a week. It's really fun, light and doesn't suck a huge amount of time which is perfect.
The best part about Super Tribes is that the game length is fixed to 30 individual turns which means a typical game can last anywhere from 20 minutes to about an hour and that's it. You play against the AI, not other people or friends. Depending on your style of gaming this may be a plus or minus to you, but I personally enjoy it. There's tons of stuff I didn't cover in the walkthrough but what I do cover should be enough to get you up and exploring the flat, grid-shaped world of Super Tribes in no time.
The game is free to play in the App Store, but if you do try it and like it, I beg you to purchase at least one of the in-app tribe packs to help support the developer. Games of this quality take thousands of hours to design, produce, test and deploy and we want them to continue making them, they need to eat. That's all I'm saying. Enjoy!
Thoughts on the Tesla Model 3
Full disclosure: I own stock in Tesla Motors. Now you know!
Last week Elon Musk finally announced the long-awaited Tesla Model 3. The Model 3 is the final step in the company's "Master Plan" to bring affordable electric vehicles to the masses and judging from the number of pre-orders I'd say it's about to become a reality. There's a lot to love about the Model 3 including a minimum driving distance of 215 miles on a single charge and a base starting price of $35,000.
There's also many unknowns including how many of the over 250K pre-orders Tesla will convert into actual sales. With a promised delivery of somewhere around the "end of 2017" it's unclear if the government's $7,500 EV tax credit will still apply to the Model 3 at the time of its release. The credit only covers the first 200,000 units of a given model which means some 53,000+ buyers may not be eligible. In addition, thanks to an anti-electric vehicle assault the Koch brothers plan to mount this year, the entire tax credit structure may not survive in Congress long enough for owners to take advantage of purchasing a Model 3.
I've read lots of strong opinions on the Model 3's styling; from its strange lack of a front grill to the huge flat-panel display that seems overly distracting when sitting behind the wheel. The smooth nose I understand and I think I could get used to, but the large, center-mounted instrumentation panel does seem like a deal breaker, at least to me. I'm curious to see how the display looks when driving at night as well as how responsive it is to touch commands. The entire interior of the Model 3 seems overly minimalistic which isn't necessarily a bad thing I just feel like I'll be sitting inside Flynn's home from TRON: Legacy.
Without a doubt the most appealing aspect of the Model 3 is its range of at least 215 miles on a single charge. Having owned a Ford C-MAX for almost a year now, which has a maximum distance of just over 24 miles on a charge, I can't wait for the rest of the industry to catch up to Tesla. Whenever my car switches from EV mode to combustion I feel disheartened, like I've somehow let the environment down. Having the freedom to travel great distances without worrying about re-charging will be a huge selling point for Tesla and makes hybrid car owners like myself seriously consider it for their next vehicle.
Although I didn't put a pre-order in for a Model 3, I am enthusiastic for those who did. The entire world will be watching to see if Tesla launches the Model 3 on time and on budget. Meanwhile, other companies like Nissan, Chevy and even Apple are eager to see where Elon Musk's vision takes us all next. The company's success or failure will undoubtedly influence the direction of sustainable transport around the world for decades to come. Personally, with the threat of climate change worsening day-by-day, I'm rooting for Tesla to succeed and drag us all into a cleaner, greener future whether we like like how it looks or not.
I count myself fortunate that I have the ability to create. On any given day I create digital artwork in the form of icons, interfaces, logos, illustrations or even just doodles and I have a grand time doing it. I also enjoy whipping up culinary creations in the kitchen which is extremely satisfying to me since unlike most of my work, my food takes physical form (at least until it's eaten :-)). So I can only imagine what it must be like to be able to take a stack of wood and in the span of a few hours and create something as physically beautiful as the nightstand seen in this video.
Add to that the fact the woodworker has cleverly added a secret compartment into his design and you really have something special. Trust me and take a few minutes out of your busy day to just sit back and watch this table take joyous shape. Seeing the final product really is wonderful, it makes me wish I had taken wood working during my days at RIT.
I Swear He Had Orange Eyes. Orange Eyes!
Back during the run-up to the 2008 election, I blogged about politics a lot and I do mean a lot. Barack Obama's historic contest against John McCain had so much riding on it after the disastrous 8 years we experienced under George W. Bush and Dick Cheney I felt personally compelled to speak up. Back then, Obama was a relatively unknown quantity trying to pull off an upset against an establishment candidate and the more we all weighed in, the better.
Since then, I've somehow managed to avoid blogging about politics. During the election of 2012 I dabbled with a few posts but mainly stayed out of the fray. I think this was mainly because I was confident Obama would win re-election and thankfully that's what came to pass. President Obama ultimately convinced a majority of the American people that he had done a good enough job with his first four years that he deserved to continue his efforts for another term. Since his re-election unemployment is at historically low levels, the Dow & stock markets are up, the price of gas is down, great strides have been made towards marriage equality and more Americans are insured than ever before. I firmly believe if Barack Obama could run for a third term, he'd win in a landslide.
Which brings us to 2016. Like so many, I've watched the run-up to the Presidential Primaries with a mix of astonishment, disgust and a newfound understanding for just how badly some people are willing to set aside good judgement for their political beliefs. When Donald Trump first announced his candidacy for President by descending an escalator to throngs of people paid to be there and support him, not for one instant did I actually believe he would become the GOP nominee. I sat and watched the first FOX News debate with both of my parents and told them again and again that Trump would never make the cut. I truly underestimated how far bluster, simple-talk, and praying on people's fear will get a bully in politics.
No longer.
The rise of Donald Trump deeply disturbs and offends me and makes me want to start blogging once again. It's not enough to simply sit on the sidelines and watch others call him out for his egotism, misogyny, racism and utter lack of respect for the truth. There's a big part of me that can't believe people actually want this ignorant blowhard to become the leader of the free world. More and more I feel it's the job of everyone who opposes him to stand up and make their voices heard.
I know I probably won't change the hearts or minds of those who support him. There will always be those who adorn their cars with TRUMP bumper stickers or their heads with "Make America Great Again" hats and they have already made up their willful minds. For them, I suspect, it's not so much about backing a billionaire who blames illegal immigrants or muslims for their live's problems as much as it is for spite.
Since Obama took office, conservatives have felt slighted by republicans in Congress who've continually ignored their demands. In time they fought back and begat what eventually became the Tea Party. When the Tea Party didn't get the job done they naturally latched onto the biggest bully they could find to muscle their agenda through – Trump. Trump promises the sun and the moon if they'll just trust him. Never-mind the fact he has zero political experience and doesn't know the difference between Hamas and Hezbollah.
Collectively, Trump's supporters remind me of Grover Dill, the smirking toady of school yard bully Scut Farkus in 'A Christmas Story'. To Dill, Ralphie (in this case liberals and RHINO's alike) are weak sheep who deserve the political pummeling they're about to receive and Trump is just the ruffian to dish it out. Grover's out for revenge and isn't afraid to talk smack, but careful to stay firmly behind the bully. The curious thing about most bullies however is they're really just big babies who run home sniveling when you turn and give them a taste of their own medicine.
Like Ralphie, I've had enough of this thin-skinned, can-dish-it-out-but-can't-take-it buffoon so yes, I'll be blogging more about politics from now on. If you care about what I have to say then tune in here from time to time or follow me on Twitter for my thoughts on this great circus we call an election. It's a long time until November and anything can happen but I'm hoping to add my voice to the growing choir of progressives, conservatives and even children who all agree Donald Trump should never, ever be allowed anywhere near the Oval Office.
Gif vs Jif: One Is My Name, The Other Is Not
Recently Apple released a new iPhone commercial and aside from the usual cool technology on display, the internet's big take-a-way was that Apple came down on the side of the age-old debate of how to pronounce the image file format acronym Gif. According to Apple it's pronounced with a hard G and that really surprised me. I realize the debate about what is "right" when it comes to Gif vs Jif will rage on for years, but Apple has a tendency towards respecting the rights and wishes of content creators and in this instance they have clearly failed.
Back in 2013, Steve Wichita, the creator of the Gif format supposedly settled the debate once and for all and told the world that the name is pronounced like the peanut butter. Regardless of how you personally feel about context or syntax or any other factor, Wichita's wishes, at least to me, are the deciding factor.
I'm reminded of a scene early in Star Trek: The Next Generation when Dr. Pulaski pronounces Cmd. Data's name incorrectly. Both pronunciations are technically correct, as is the case with Gif vs Jif (at least according to Webster's Dictionary), but only ONE way represents Data's actual name. When you choose to pronounce Gif with a hard G, you choose to disregard the wishes of the format's creator, and that's the main reason why I say Jif instead of Gif.
Lookback: The Best Gaming Mice of 2015
PC gaming is back with a vengeance and this means developers have churned out out some fantastically useful gaming accessories for players to enjoy. Making game controls faster and slicker are crucial to play feel and this past year's range of top level gaming mice are the ideal accompaniment if you're considering an immersive gaming experience.
Roccat Nyth
A slick mouse is a must-have for dedicated gamers, particularly those who multi-table or switch through online casino games or online slots at Royal Vegas. Never has a mouse allowed you to control as much as the Roccat Nyth. Thanks to its special selection of side buttons you are able to configure up to 36 potential combinations which gives more control over your favorite MMO's or indeed any PC-based game you can enjoy. Its highly customisable features combined with AlienFX illumination and hot-swappable sidegrips makes this your next must-have gaming mouse.
Razer Naga Chroma
It's a bit more expensive than the Nyth but Razer's Naga Chroma is great for those style hungry gamers looking for a bit of color in their lives. The mouse's Chroma lighting allows the user to customize no less than 16.8 million different color options, brightening up any gaming experience. But it's not just about looks, the wireless Naga mouse includes a tilt-click thumb grid and can run for up to 8 hours on a single charge.
It may have a significantly low DPI at just 2,500 but what it lacks in mouse sensitivity it certainly makes up for in power. This offering from Logitech has in-game sensitivity switching and can last up to an incredible 250 hours making it the perfect gaming accessory for those avid gamers looking to make the most out of their MMO gaming marathons.
Roccat Kone XTD
If you're hunting around for a more cost effective option but don't want to skimp on the quality of a finely crafted gaming mouse then look no further than the Roccat Kone XTD. With its ergonomic design and 8,200 DPI it's by no means fragile and its robustness allows even the most frustrated player to give it a damn good tapping from time to time. It includes customizable buttons and also a 32-bit processor which is perfectly suitable for all your gaming needs.
If you love PC gaming, there's never been a better time to invest in one of these high-tech input devices. Your team mates will thank you and your opponents will fear you. Enjoy!
Learning to Lighten Up
Over the last few years I've developed a growing concern for Neil deGrasse Tyson's seemingly inexorable slide towards Richard Dawkins levels of jerkdom. He hasn't sunk to attacking children with a penchant for science or engineering, but he has been punching down at topics that either don't bare close examination or has just been plain rude in his media appearances and it's really starting to hurt my heart.
On a recent episode of NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me he justified why he feels the need to call out movies & TV shows when they depict something wildly inaccurate and came off as a smug know-it-all in the process. As I was listening with my wife in the car, I was actually embarrassed to call myself a fan. I get that picking apart science inaccuracies wherever they exist (even in fiction) may be Neil's "thing" but it increasingly just makes him look petty & arrogant or as my friend John Gruber described it on Twitter, a "Killjoy".
Tyson's friend and mentor, the noted scientist Carl Sagan, also led the charge against scientific fallacies but unlike Neil, he never picked fights with science fiction or subjects that didn't deserve it. Sagan had a famous beef with the pseduo-science of astrology and often railed against it, but he did so from a position of authority on a subject that many people saw as fact, instead of the fiction it really was. If Twitter had been around in Carl's day, I doubt he would've felt compelled to nitpick the science behind Star Wars as Neil recently did. We all know the "science" behind Star Wars isn't real, can't we just enjoy it as the fun-filled escapmism it's intended to be?
It's always difficult when you realize your personal heroes have feet of clay just like everyone else. I still love Carl Sagan, Steve Jobs, Gene Roddenberry and Neil Tyson despite their character flaws. They are, after all, only human. In the recently re-booted Cosmos series, Neil tells us that he learned from Sagan not just what kind of scientist he wanted to be, but also what kind of person he wanted to be. I wish Neil would take more of those life lessons Carl conveyed to him to heart sometimes and focus on what matters. I love Tyson so much, but lately he's really bringing me down. To take a cue from Star Wars, hopefully he'll unlearn what he has learned and learn to simply lighten up.
It's Not a Tumor!
Today Apple introduced their new iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case and I feel pretty confident in saying it's easily the ugliest piece of industrial design to come out of Cupertino in the past 15 years. While their efforts to bring iPhone users extended battery life are laudable, for the life of me I can't imagine how this clunky eyesore of a case got all the way through design to arrive in Apple's product line up.
Even worse, it seems as though the design and engineering teams at Apple forgot to talk to each other because the new case seems like a perfect opportunity to make use of Apple's much-touted terraced battery technology. When the new Macbook was introduced, Phil Schiller made a big deal (and rightfully so) about how every millimeter of space in the new Macbook was able to be used to expand the total battery capacity. But looking at the new Smart Phone case, it seems like all that incredible design research just went out the window. The bottom and top of the battery bumps on the new case could have been terraced to both maximize battery capacity and at least try and display some elegant lines instead of what we got.
There are times when, for the briefest of moments, lose faith that Apple knows exactly what they're doing. It doesn't happen often but there's no doubt the new case is going to be the object of ridicule and rightly so. As I sit and ponder just how bad this case looks, I just can't get Arnold's hilarious line from Kindergarten Cop out of my head. Apple missed an important opportunity to tout new technology in a stunningly beautiful way.
Click Me. Just Once. The Answer To Annoying Click-Bait
These days click-bait is everywhere. Those oh-so-tempting headlines that promise amazing facts that will blow your mind and keep you in the know. Even the BBC, renowned throughout the world, and thought of as highly as the British royals themselves has fallen for the lure of the click-bait sirens. Yes the British Broadcasting Corporation is now producing content entitled a 'certain amount of reasons we must do something', trying their darndest to feed us "life hacks".
We're living in a world where even the Beeb are trying to capture us with cheap, over-egged headlines. It should come as no surprise that the main culprits lie with the likes of The Daily Mail and Buzzfeed however.
You can hardly miss it, and one brand who has taken a stand is Ladbrokes Bingo. They've created a clever answer to click-bait with the Lingo Bingo generator to poke fun at the ridiculously over-the-top posts that are plaguing our collective web browsers.
Their headline generator allows users to generate Facebook, Daily Mail, Hollywood, Reddit and Buzzfeed titles with dozens of different headlines to choose from, putting to shame national newspapers and widely read sites with posts that are equally as unbelievable.
With titles such as 'Lauren Goodger narrowly avoids torrential rain', now you too can join the click-bait parade and openly mock the horrendous nature of stories hitting the web. And while 'How to pick your nose like a pro' remarkably hasn't yet appeared on Buzzfeed, it feels right at home on Lingo Bingo.
It really is depressing how plagued the web has become with these kinds of fluff-filled headlines, but perhaps the most worrying part is we wouldn't really be surprised if they actually hit the press or at least became the basis for Onion articles. At least for now we can take solace in fooling friends with our own home-grown click-bait shared via social media ourselves. After all, who wouldn't want to catch all their followers with a finger up their nose?
How Modern Game Engines Are Improving Mobile Gaming
The widening selection of game creation tools available to mobile developers have come a long way in improving players' experiences when gaming on the go. Game engines are special software frameworks designed to augment the strengths of modern gaming hardware and aid the rapid development and creation of new and exciting titles. Modern game engines contain all the necessary tools for developers to be able to create their kick-ass games more quickly and easier than ever before and the results have been impressive.
Thanks to the advent of smartphones, tablets, phablets and now wearables like Apple Watch, the monetary worth of the gaming industry is enjoying exponential growth. The mobile gaming market alone is predicted to hit $9 billion in 2016. The convenience of playing both casual games like mobile bingo, as well as pulse-pounding, hyper-realistic racing games have all helped the industry set new records. With the continual improvements of next-generation of gaming platforms and quality titles like Splatoon and The Witcher 3 to go with them, gamers are enjoying a bright future packed with high-quality titles from a host of publishers, and powerful engines are driving their success.
The Unreal Engine has long been a favorite among developers and has been responsible for helping to create such popular titles such as Batman: Arkham City Lockdown, Injustice, Borderlands Legends and the Infinity Blade series. To date, the Unreal Engine 3 has been installed on some 2.25 million computers worldwide and comes complete with an integrated Unreal Editor suite which has helped revolutionize the way developers build and develop their mobile game projects.
For PopCap Games' popular tower defense game Plants vs Zombies and OMGPop's rather addictive mobile app Draw Something, the Marmalade SDK helped provide the facility and resources needed to create cross-platform C++ games.
The software development kit gives developers the ability to compile their Xcode and Visual Studio projects for Android or iOS which helps cut development costs while widening their potential audiences at the same time. Marmalade also provides an acceleration tool called Marmalade Quick which provides an even more flexible, open environment for developers to experiment with. This is particularly useful for those companies looking to get their games up, running and monetized more quickly.
Other game engines such as Unity can make 3D development a breeze whilst the Corona SDK helps solves issues of cross-content publishing giving developers more freedom to concentrate on other aspects of their games.
There's little doubt that the modern state of game engine development now offers something for every type of game developer and this means more and more players are reaping the rewards. From casual to hard-core and everything in-between, these advanced tools in the hands of talented studios can only lead to every-higher quality mobile gaming experiences. What a great time to be a gamer!
Taking Stock of Your Online Subscriptions
With the impending launch of Apple Music this week, it dawned on me that I don't exactly know just how much I'm spending on digital subscription services. Back in the day I had physical newspapers & magazines show up on my doorstep every month so it was relatively easy to keep track of what I had subscribed to. Those bound, blocks of paper acted as reminders of what I was and wasn't reading. Subscriptions these days can be tricky things; sign up for a Patreon here, add a new online media service there and pretty soon you've lost track of just how much you're shelling out for the convenience of online content.
The new Apple Music service will cost $9.99 a month / $119.88 yearly but I already subscribe to iTunes Match which costs just $24.99 a year. Do I really need both? There are additional benefits that Apple Music offers that go beyond iTunes Match of course, but is it worth it strictly from a cost basis?
Before I can answer that question I really need to know just how much I'm spending month to month on all these things, so I went through and tried to catalog all of my digital subscriptions. Here's what I found.
• MLB TV $129.99 yearly
• Netflix $8.53 mo / $102.36 yearly
• America's Test Kitchen Multi-site Membership / $69.96 yearly
• iTunes Match $24.99 yearly
• Patreon $8.00 mo / $96 yearly
• iCloud 20GB Plan .99¢ mo / $11.88 yearly
• Angie's List Basic $7.99 yearly
So in total, I'm currently paying $347.17 annually in online subscriptions which breaks down to roughly $29 per month. Overall that's better than I expected, but then again these are only the subscriptions I could track down or remember I was paying. There are probably a few others I haven't accounted for yet. I wonder if the amount of content I've subscribed to is below or above average for today's consumer?
Are there subscriptions I could cancel to help get the new Apple Music service into my budget? I'm definitely considering ending my America's Test Kitchen subscription for instance. The two Patreons I subscribe to (Kurzgesagt & Apple World Today) may not be necessary, but they bring me awesome content every month that I enjoy and wish to support. There's no way I would ever ditch Netflix, it's one of the best content providers I've ever had.
In the end, switching out my iTunes Match subscription for a year of Apple Music would bring my monthly total up to around $37 or $442.06 annually. That's an increase of roughly 27% of what I'm currently forking over which seems like a lot at first glance. Will Apple Music be worth it? As I don't currently subscribe to any streaming music services like Spotify or Beats, it's pretty much impossible to say, at least for now. The good news is Apple is offering that infamous 3-month free trial when it launches on Tuesday so I'm pretty sure I'll be taking advantage of that to evaluate the service.
If you're cost conscious or on a budget and have not taken stock of your online subscriptions recently, now might be a good time to do so. Knowing just how much you're spending each month can really be an eye-opener that will help you make informed for future subscriptions. At the very least, this exercise has taught me to categorize all of my online subscriptions similarly in Mint so I can easily review what I've subscribed to. Lastly, the folks over at iMore have also put together a fantastic guide to Apple Music that answers every question you could possibly have. Hopefully this all helps you as much as it helped me!
A Good Day to Dye!
Yesterday the Supreme Court of the United States, in a 5-4 decision struck down gay marriage bans in 14 states effectively making it legal for gay and lesbian couples to finally marry throughout the nation. The announcement sent ripples of rainbow-colored hope throughout the country and on social media. The hashtag #LoveWins quickly spread through Twitter and Facebook and people started updating their online avatars with the bright colors of the gay pride movement in a show of solidarity that I won't soon forget.
I created the fun image above to help celebrate the historic announcement. Star Trek has always meant so very much to me, and like millions of others who grew up enjoying its themes of peace, diversity and tolerance, the image of proud, honorable Worf standing with his brightly colored rainbow uniform just seemed perfectly appropriate. I also love a good pun and hence I made it sew (see what I did there?).
On a more serious note, the momentous events of this week still have me in a hope-filled, optimistic daze. Obamacare being upheld for some 6 million Americans who rely on it for health insurance was much welcomed news but then the Supreme Court finally recognizing gay people's right to marry was the proverbial icing on the cake. This has been a long, long time coming and there are some who didn't think it would happen in their lifetime.
For opponents, the SCOTUS decision on gay marriage represents an unlawful power grab that defies the Constitution, but for the majority of the nation and the court, it represents just the opposite. The Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment guarantees that all US citizens are to be treated equally from state to state. Justice Kennedy's closing paragraph stands as a pillar of legal and moral truth that gave me goose bumps when I read it:
"No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization's oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right."
In their decision, the court didn't construct a law giving gay people the right to marry, they simply struck down the state laws that were keeping Americans from being treated equally under the Constitution. They re-affirmed gays rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that the rest of us sometime take for granted. For the religious-minded among us, the court was reminding everyone of the age-old proverb, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Return kindness with kindness. Respect with respect and love with love. What a wonderful time to be an American. Today is indeed a good day to dye.
'Fury Road' Inspired LEGO Creations
I love it when a movie, TV show or book takes hold in someone enough to inspire fan creations. I was skeptical when I heard all of the hype surrounding the new Mad Max film, but my fears were quickly buried in an awesome heap of twisted metal once I saw the film. A strange mix of classic action and modern, diverse storytelling, Fury Road really did live up to my expectations.
The film has inspired tons of art from fans from all corners of the globe and now comes these amazing LEGO roadsters from build master Calin (_tiler). I love every single bit of these builds especially the simple lines and bits of canvas and string used for the bedroll. Be sure to check out their Flickr page for even more amazing Mad Max vehicles.
These images take me right back to how I felt when I first saw the Kenner's Landspeeder toy. I would spend hours in the sand playing with that thing until my mom would be forced to call me in for supper. It's great how something so simple and fun can evoke the child in all of us.
Via Brother's Brick
Creating the Ultimate Gaming Lair
There's a lot more to gaming then just having the latest game play systems. Surrounding your arena with a plethora of luxurious gadgets can give you that all important edge in the heat of battle. If you're thinking of pimping up your gaming space, then have at a glance at some of these fabulous extras:
To kick off your lair you will certainly need to be comfortable. If you're planning on being seated at your desk for hours on end, and you regularly find yourself involved in some epic gaming adventures that you won't want to tear yourself away from, then you owe it to your butt and your back to feel relaxed. A gaming chair that offers neck and back support is crucial for arduous sessions but it's not just any chair, it's your throne and an entire gaming accessory in itself. High-end gaming chairs not only provide comfort but also boast integrated surround sound and rumble motion to further enhance your gaming experience and truly immerse you in the gameplay.
The most important element to consider whilst piecing together your new gaming man-cave is the monitor. You may have picked up a PC or console that comes complete with its own monitor but that might not quite fit the bill. A tailored gaming monitor can handle rapid motions more effectively whilst high definition screens are built to promote wonderfully vivid colors. Ultra HD and 4K monitors are the best of the best but make sure that your games, and of course your graphics card and GPU's, can even handle this sort of resolution. Swift monitors can help you master fast-paced games and, if you partake regularly at Sky Casino, they can help you harness skills like poker multi-tabling.
Game Pads
Gaming keypads offer a much more versatile approach to controlling the overall gaming experience. Unlike the standard PC gaming keyboards out there, these more specialized alternatives give players a more ergonomic way in which to play their favorite games. They come with adjustable features that let you control palm and wrist support and some will include thumb mounted joysticks to further comfort and maneuverability.
Headphones are useful for two different reasons; to help you immerse yourself fully in the gaming environment whilst blocking out background noise and to ensure you don't drive everyone else around you mad with the constant rattle of virtual gunfire. Headsets also give you the ability to chat and interact with other online gamers via an attached and mounted microphone with wired and wireless options available. There are a number of great options available, so many that it can sometimes be difficult to choose.
Apple, Take Me Away!
Right before the annual developer pilgrimage to Moscone Center, the interwebs become flush with wish lists for Apple's World Wide Developer Conference and this year is no different. I can't quibble with my peer's desires for Apple to focus on fixing bugs and increasing stability rather than adding new and shiny features, but there is one tiny area I'm secretly hoping will play a major role in iOS 9 – Apple Pay Loyalty Programs.
Without a doubt, Apple Pay has been one of the best advancements out of Cupertino in the last 10 years. It makes paying for goods and services generally quicker, far more secure and reduces the amount of "stuff" I need to carry around in my pockets. When it was announced, Apple hinted at upcoming upgrades that would allow retailers to offer loyalty programs and incentives if people used Apple Pay at their retail locations. That was then, and this is now.
Although Tim Cook's Apple Pay has made impressive in-roads in the space, many retailers have remained skeptical and have refused to join in the secure fun either because they are lazy, cost conscious or can't get access to the kinds of information that Apple won't make available via Apple Pay – customer data. Retailers currently have no way to say to Apple Pay customers "If you buy from us, we'll give you loyalty points you can use for a future discount!" and that's a problem. As a consumer, I desperately want to reward businesses that make my financial transactions more secure and I want them to recognize my choice by giving me the kinds of incentives I've come to enjoy over the years.
Like me, you probably carry around loyalty cards on your keyring or wallet that the cashier swipes when you check out at the grocery store. I hate these things desperately, they need to die a violent death. I absolutely love paying for my lunch via Apple Pay at Panera Bread, but I wince when I have to reach for my wallet to hand the cashier my Panera card just so I can get credit towards next month's free cookie. It makes no sense.
If there's any single thing on my wish list for this year's WWDC, it would be for Apple to give me the ability to never have to carry loyalty/reward cards around ever again. With Apple Pay, Cupertino has made good on its original Passbook promise – A safe, secure and digital wallet without the physical wallet. I'm really hoping that they've found a way to integrate loyalty programs into Apple Pay for iOS 9. Doing so is good for the consumer, for businesses and ultimately the economy as paying for stuff electronically gets easier and more secure. Now if I could just get rid of my car's key fob. Maybe one day.
UPDATE: BINGO! At today's WWDC keynote address Apple unveiled that they will be adding merchant rewards cards to Apple Pay with iOS 9. Yes Virginia, sometimes dreams do come true!
As I prepare for tonight's penultimate episode of Game of Thrones, I'm reminded of this classic exchange.
I used to think everything related to Star Trek, but now-a-days I'm thinking it's Princess Bride. Who knew?
User Interfaces of the Week
We're less than a week away from Apple's World Wide Developer Conference where Tim Cook and company will unveil the latest and greatest for OS X, Apple Watch and iOS. No doubt we'll get a preview of iOS 9 and all it has to offer, but before we move forward, sometimes it's best to reflect on where we've come from. I wish I could say the user interfaces featured here were but a distant App Store memory, but alas they all come from currently-shipping apps.
A few weeks ago I went looking for a well designed gas / milage tracking app in the App Store. I've been using Gas Cubby for years, but wanted something new to help me keep track of MPG with my new Ford C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid. From my own experience, I knew that doing a general search in the App Store tends to yield less than optimum results. Even so, I just wasn't prepared for the sloppy approach many of these apps tried to pass off as user interface design.
Being a UI designer myself, I have surrounded myself in my professional and digital life with talented designers and developers who consistently release top-notch apps. The problem with living in a bubble of roses is you sometimes forget what the real world smells like. As I paged through dozens of these milage trackers I was reminded just how many apps on the store are basically junk. Over at Daring Fireball, John Gruber has a recurring piece he calls "User interface of the Week" where he highlights some of the worst cases of user interface "design" he's encountered. I don't feel right calling these apps out by name, but if any apps deserved John's moniker, these sure do.
Seeing what often passes for acceptable design in the App Store often reminds me of all the hard work that goes into creating my own well designed and executed apps. So many people think software just grows on trees, but it doesn't. Designing and building best-in-class software requires a depth of knowledge and experience that a relative few possess.
I can't wait to see what WWDC has in store for the future of my favorite software platforms. I'm hoping Apple inspires an entire new group of developers to strive for excellence and bring users apps that are truly worthy of these wonderful, futuristic devices. As for my milage tracker quest, I finally settled on Road Trip. It's a bit more complex than I would like, but so far, so good.
I Hate Waiting
Most days, being a developer on the App Store is a little like this:
Come on Apple, let us help you out and throw you the damned rope.
You Will Adapt Your User Interfaces to Service Us!
Everywhere you look, more and more people feel they are entitled to something they're not. I and others have written about the obscene level of entitlement some users feel is owed them when they download apps from the App Store, and to be sure this is still a huge problem today. Lately however, I've been observing another form of app entitlement and honestly, it has got to stop – iPhone 6 Plus users who think all interfaces should be designed to both fit their jumbo phones AND still allow one-handed use.
When Apple introduced the iPhone 6 Plus and it's enormous 5.5″ screen, it clearly filled a much-needed gap in the iOS universe. Users had been clamoring for more screen real estate for years and when it finally arrived, they rejoiced. Over time however, these users have developed a sense of entitlement that the apps they run should place all controls at or near the bottom of the screen where they can be reached by the thumb. Sorry, but like Captain Picard in First Contact, I'm drawing a line in the proverbial sand. No, iPhone 6 Plus users don't get to dictate interface design for the rest of us.
Like it or not, buttons at the top of the screen are not going away any time soon. Developers need every bit of screen real estate to logically lay out controls consistently across a host of device ranges and configurations. From the tiny iPhone 4 to the popular iPhone 6 and the iPad there's a method to our madness. It might seem like a great idea if every single button, tab, actionable element and control were within thumb's reach, but that simply isn't possible, nor is it actually desirable.
When Apple developed iOS, the experts charged with designing its interface laid out regions of the iOS screen for specific interactions. Since the entire navigation stack generally flows from left (where you were) to right (where you are going), the button for closing or going back a level is at the upper left. Creation of new content or taking action on that content, like adding a calendar event or sending an email or a tweet, is usually found at the upper right. Tab controls can be either at the top or the bottom, though generally they are usually found at the bottom. In this way, a user who picks up an iPhone 4 has a reasonable expectation that similar types of controls will appear in similar places when she picks up an iPhone 6 Plus. This helps maintain usability and UI consistency for all apps, not just those that run on jumbo phones.
There are ways that developers can help facilitate one-handed use when it's appropriate. The swipe to go back gesture is a great innovation Apple introduced back in iOS 7 and is a thumb-saver on larger phones. Many apps no longer require you to reach up and tap "Back" to go back, you can simply swipe from the left edge of the screen to navigate back one level. Apple also implemented Reachability (double tap the Home button to lower the entire screen temporarily) to help reach interface elements at or near the top of the screen. But for some users, these gestures are simply not enough. The thing they forget is that by opting for a large device they gained a huge, highly readable screen but they also sacrificed some level of UI convenience. iPad users have been dealing with this trade-off for years, that's the nature of the beast, like it or not.
When I first heard about the rumored existence of the iPhone 6 Plus and its huge screen, I wondered how Apple would reconcile its long-held tenet that one-handed use reigned supreme with that of it's upcoming larger device. Apple even built an entire marketing campaign around the advantages of smaller iPhones vs their larger Android counterparts. But when the Plus was released, Apple quickly abandoned that philosophy in order to sell millions of 6 and 6 Plus'. Funny how that happened.
The problem with these users is that they often think like the Borg – they want the best of both worlds – larger screens and an interface that lets them use every app one-handed. As someone who designs for the screen, I'm here to tell them that until humans evolve longer thumbs that simply isn't possible. At some point (iOS 10?) Apple may come up with a completely new interface paradigm for iOS, but in the meantime it's best if they start dealing with reality. Whether it's assimilating Starfleet personnel or playing with your apps, sometimes you just need to use two hands.
Four Innovations I love in Gaming
A lot of times, particularly where technology is concerned, we're so focused on the future that we forget to enjoy the present. With ridiculously capable laptops, tablets, and smartphones at our disposal, many are looking ahead with hope to Iron Man-style hologram displays. With powerful cars setting new standards for safety and efficiency, we're seeing advertisements for driverless vehicles. And in gaming, many seem to be turning their focus toward wearable, virtual reality options that will no doubt be widely available in a matter of years—not decades.
That's all well and good, but as a bit of a gaming nut, I like to focus more on the present and what I can play today. Furthermore, there have been some pretty great innovations—some small, others large—throughout the gaming industry in the past few years. Here are a few I've enjoyed in particular.
The Spread Of Open World
Open world gaming is nothing new, but the concept has exploded in popularity over the past couple of years. A decade or two ago, a video game employing an open world format felt unique and special. For example, pretty much the only thing that made Skyrim remarkable (in my opinion) was the sheer size of its world. Well, now it's just about the standard for action and adventure games. Look through this list of the 12 best open world games, and you'll find a lot of releases from the past couple of years, such as Far Cry 3 and Grand Theft Auto V. To some extent, the concept has even extended to mobile platforms, with Minecraft Pocket Edition now offering a limitless world creative option!
Narrative Gaming
Narrative gaming is nothing new on the console level, other than that it's gotten better. Not long ago, it was a common complaint among gamers when a game attempted to be too cinematic in nature, but that's because it was usually done via interspersed, non-playable graphic clips used to move the story along. This is still a problem in some titles, but generally speaking most now have natural, free-flowing narratives that make them more interesting. Even in sports games, "My Player" and "My Career" modes let you play out the story of an athlete or franchise. The trend toward sharper narratives is also particularly prevalent in app gaming, where indie developers like Simogo focus as much on story as action. In my view, this is a positive trend.
Live Dealing & Interaction
This is a trend that exists primarily in the casino gaming industry. Given that this industry now occupies a significant portion of the video game business as a whole, it still feels noteworthy. Live interaction is nothing new. The best online casino sites allow players to face live competition, and even some of the popular poker and blackjack apps, most of which operate with play money, allow for live online games. But one fascinating trend that I first noticed here is the idea of using an actual video feed of a live dealer in roulette and card games. Naturally, this concept makes the games feel a great deal more realistic. While there's not an obvious parallel in non-casino gaming, the implications of using a live feed in gaming are interesting. One can imagine in-game video chats with other players, Google Maps feeds of real geographical areas, etc. helping to make other games more realistic.
Retro Appreciation
And finally there's this, my single favorite trend in modern gaming. As mentioned, we have a tendency to always look forward when it comes to technology. But thanks in large part to new-ish formats of gaming, such as mobile app stores and console download stores, there seems to be a broad recognition of retro games going on. In part, we see it through the continuation of old, beloved franchises, with the most relevant example being the coming Street Fighter V PS4 game from Capcom. But mostly, the retro appreciation is seen in apps and downloads. On modern consoles, players have access to huge libraries of old games, either for free or for just a few dollars. In app stores, we can play with all kinds of old characters such as Sonic the Hedgehog, the Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat fighters, and so on. According to ZDNet, we may even soon have a Mario game or two available on iPhones! This is a trend any serious gamer can get behind.


I'm still waiting for the answer to my question from all these "Global Warming" people. I was taught in school that the Vikings sailed boats in the North Pole area about 1200 and lived/farmed Greenland. It has been warmer and colder than it is now and there wern't any coal burning power plants or SUVs causing the problem. After that (I think in the 1400s) there was another ice age (so there were more than one). Our schools don't teach history today so most younger people haven't a clue to what our world has gone through in our past.