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The Iowa app debacle is a bad omen for modernizing our elections
The American electoral system is a weird arcane thing. And primary politics even more so. Honestly, I could spend the next 2,000 words trying to explain the caucus process and, chances are, I'd still only be scratching the surface. So, I've got to hand it to the Iowa Democratic Party for managing to make things even more confusing with its half-baked attempt to bring modern technology into the process. It took the party nearly a week to certify the results and award Pete Buttigieg the most delegates. It's worth noting that most news outlets, including the Associated Press, which usually verifies election results, have so far refused to declare a winner. And now Bernie Sanders' campaign is asking that some precincts be re-canvassed. It's been over a week and this thing shows no signs of ending. How did we get here? Well, like so many tragedies, this is a story of good intentions gone awry.
Iowa Democrats say sloppy app code delayed caucus results
We're still waiting for a full explanation about what, exactly, went wrong during Iowa's caucus Monday night, but the state's Democratic party claims a "coding issue" in a new app is the biggest reason for the delayed results. The app, which the WSJ reports was developed by the Washington, DC-based company Shadow, managed to accurately record caucus data submitted by precincts across the state. But the Iowa Democratic Party (IDP) claims a programming error made the app only report partial data. The organization managed to locate and fix the error, but now it's in working on confirming the caucus results via paper records. (Update: The IDP says it plans to announce results by 5PM ET today, the Washington Post reports.)
Breakfast Topic: Using "IRL," IRL
I used to work at a sandwich shop. Yes, I've heard the "make me a sandwich" jokes already. I worked the lunch shift and I had this regular customer who came in a few times a week to get a hummus pita. If you don't know what hummus is, it is a delicious and flavorful spread made of mashed chickpeas and spices. It's often served with pita bread as an appetizer, or as a side or dip for various Middle Eastern or Greek dishes. Anyway, after a few weeks of making the same pita for this woman, she told me "you know, you make the best hummus pita here." I smiled at the compliment and responded, "Well, I just make yours the way I would make my own. I really like hummus IRL." As the last letter of the acronym escaped my mouth, it twisted into an awkward tone as I realized the error in my sentence. Immediately flustered, I stuttered, "Err-- I mean... I like hummus... Uh..." She laughed at me with a smile and replied, "Don't worry, I know what you meant." But my nerdiness was already exposed; I was prone. I sensed an incoming AoO. It never came. At the time I was probably overreacting, granted. The usage of net speak is pretty acceptable and easily understood to the average person these days. "BRB" doesn't bewilder most people, for example. On the other hand, I find myself telling my friends once a month, "I don't feel like going out: girl debuff," always getting mixed responses. Recently, a friend of mine going off to college soon came to me for some advice on dorm living. I told him, "if you want more privacy, just bunk the beds." Before I could continue, he followed up with "oh yeah, that'd block LoS." I stared at him, dumbfounded. Had someone just out-nerded me? So what WoW terminology do you use in your everyday life? How do your friends who don't play WoW react?
X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Encleverment Experiment, NBA Unrivaled, 0D Beat Drop
There are three games up for grabs on XBLA this week, and all of them offer something different. Encleverment Experiment (800, $10) seeks to test your brain power as well as the brain power of your friends (or random strangers on Xbox Live). Meanwhile NBA Unrivaled (1200, $15) brings arcade basketball with massive dunks (and odd character animations). Finally, 0D Beat Drop (800, $10) ... drops some rhythm-infused puzzle action onto XBLA. Watch the latest XBLA in Brief and see if any of them are up your alley. Download the trial version of Encleverment Experiment Download the trial version of NBA Unrivaled Download the trial version of 0D Beat Drop [iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes. [Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly. [RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [M4V] Download the M4V directly.
This Wednesday: 0D Beat Drop, NBA Unrivaled & Encleverment Experiment on XBLA [update]
Word has come down from on high, and this week's Xbox Live Arcade release is none other than 0D Beat Drop. What's that, you've never heard of 0D Beat Drop? Truth be told, neither have we. Thankfully, the game's Xbox.com page provides us all with the crucial details. If the above screenshot didn't tip you off, OD Beat Drop is a puzzle game; however, it has a musical twist, challenging players to drop pieces to the beat. OD Beat Drop can even analyze your own songs for use in the game (Protip: It's time to break out your Tetris soundtrack). The game will be available this Wednesday for 800 ($10). Also, if Tecmo is to be believed, NBA Unrivaled will release on XBLA this week as well. It's worth noting that the game was not included in Major Nelson's XBLA announcement and that publishers are frequently mistaken about XBLA launch dates, so it's anyone's guess what Wednesday holds.Update: Major Nelson has confirmed that 0D Beat Drop will be joined by both NBA Unrivaled (1200/$15) and Encleverment Experiment (800/$10) this week on XBLA.
Acronym's PMP-loving jacket keeps your earbuds safe, murders your bank account
Sure, the Acronym GT-J14 won't even charge your iPhone, but at first glance we loved the idea: take a stylish GORE-TEX jacket and throw in a couple slick features aimed at the eager urban technophile, including a so-called Gravity Pocket (accessible by a zipper on your forearm, contents can be dropped directly into your hand using a draw string -- demonstrated about 2:25 into the video after the break) and our personal favorite, a magnet that holds your headphones in place while you take that important phone call. We were feeling pretty good about this one, that is, until we finally tracked it down: azitastore.com lists it for €735 (yes, that's around $1,068). This is clearly only for those of you who put the word "disposable" in "income." Looks like we're going to have to find another way to keep our Lady Gaga headphones safe and secure, after all... [Via Gadget Review]
RUSE: Reveal Undermine Subvert Entrap ... or not
Here at Joystiq we're dedicated to solving the nagging mysteries in life, one post at a time. We figured learning the meaning of R.U.S.E., the acronym'd title of Ubisoft's table-not RTS, was probably near the top of your list -- right up there with, "Does the fridge light stay on when I close the door?"We cornered Ubisoft's Thomas Leroux-Hugon at the publisher's "Holiday Preview" event yesterday and forced an answer out of him at penpoint. He didn't know about the fridge light, but he did give us: Reveal Undermine Subvert Entrap (how revealing!) -- before his lips curved into a coy smile (that undermining trickster!). The real answer, he teased, isn't that obvious. You see, the acronym doesn't officially stand for anything (what manner of subversion is this?!). It's a bit of a "ruse" in and of itself -- it's up to each individual to play the game and decide, Leroux-Hugon offered -- clearly, his bid to entrap us. Well played.So then, we'll leave it up to you: What does R.U.S.E. spell out?%Gallery-48492%
