backlash
Latest
Joe Rogan apologizes to Spotify over backlash and promises to 'balance things out'
Shortly after Spotify announced that it would add a 'content advisory' to COVID-19 podcast episodes, Joe Rogan has issued his own response to the controversy.
Google Maps ditches misguided walking calorie counter
Google is ditching a planned feature for Maps following criticism on social media. The update was tied to directions and displayed how many calories you'd burn if you were to walk to your destination. By clicking on the walking option, you'd even be shown the calories in equivalence to mini cupcakes (of all things). Chances are, the search juggernaut was trying to encourage people to take the active route as opposed to driving. But, its attempt at promoting a healthy lifestyle didn't go down well online. A number of people lambasted the feature on Twitter, claiming it would "shame" and even "trigger" those with eating disorders.
Apple temporarily cuts USB-C dongle prices to appease MacBook Pro buyers
Last week Apple announced its new lineup of MacBook Pros and revealed they include only new USB-C-style connectors, dropping all legacy ports (other than, oddly enough, the headphone jack.) While the aggressive move means owners can charge their laptop through any of the jacks, and have the new capabilities offered, it also means that simple things like plugging in an iPhone to charge will require an adapter of some kind, which is not included. As my former podcast partner Ben Drawbaugh noted, stocking up on dongles to go with your new laptop gets pricey fast, and Mac buyers have responded angrily online in our comment sections and elsewhere, However, now Apple says it will help them make the switch by "reducing prices on all USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 peripherals we sell, as well as the prices on Apple's USB-C adapters and cables."
Rate your friends like they're restaurants with Peeple
A 'Yelp'-style app for rating people is not a new idea, but nobody's been terrible enough to actually build one in real life -- until now. A startup company has launched an app called "Peeple" which has already raised $7.6 million in venture capital, according to the Washington Post. It lets anyone with a Facebook account and cell phone rate another person and assign them a star rating out of five in one of three categories: personal, professional and romantic. Though Peeple calls itself "a positivity app for positive people," the idea of the app is largely being panned on social media.
Blood Pact: Destruction 101 at 90 in the end of Mists
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Blood Pact for affliction, demonology, and destruction warlocks. This week, Megan O'Neill mentions in a quick announcer voice that green fire spells are sold separately. So, you just boosted to 90 on your warlock and...now what? This whole pet deal is bananas to you and maybe you've heard that destruction (often abbreviated as "destro") -- is a simple spec, so you figure you'll try that one out first. but where do you start? And how can you learn without embarrassing yourself? Let's start, shall we?
James Ohlen hits back against critics, defends SWTOR's innovation
Star Wars: The Old Republic Game Director James Ohlen isn't surprised that the game's received the flak it has from a segment of reviews and fans. In a candid interview with Eurogamer, Ohlen addresses both the issues of being a "big target" for critics and the claims that SWTOR's lacking innovation. For the most part, players and critics have praised the game, Ohlen shares, and BioWare is seeing an "exceptionally high" desire among its playerbase for continued subscriptions. But was BioWare prepared for the backlash as well? Ohlen says it was: "We knew that there was going to be people who wanted us to fail. But that's just the nature of the game. If you're going to build a huge game and try to go out to a lot of people, you're going to have people who just react poorly." He does push back hard against claims that SWTOR failed on the innovation front, stating, "We wanted to take the lessons that have been developed in that genre over years and years and years and basically refine them, much like other companies do with other genres. So, I don't know, it's just the way it is, but I don't see us as not being innovative. We're actually a lot more innovative within the MMO space than comparable games in other spaces like the first-person genre, the action genre -- games like that."
The Soapbox: The battle for story
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. When I was in grad school, one of my favorite classes spent a couple of sessions talking about the use and importance of story in teaching. It opened my eyes to the fact that stories are one of the most universal elements of the human experience, from antiquity to modern times, ranging from a little kid playing with toys to an adult penning a novel. We simply love to tell and listen to stories -- they grab our attention, spark our imagination, teach us valuable lessons, and create lasting memories. But somewhere along the years, something went horribly wrong when it came to MMOs and stories. MMOs were always supposed to be the ultimate platform for storytelling, as both developers and players could pitch in to weave epic sagas, and for a while that seemed to be the case. Lately, however, I've seen a movement that is thrashing hard against stories in MMOs, typically using one of the following two statements: "Get your stupid story out of my game!" or "Stories are better left to other forms of entertainment." It's made me a sad panda to realize that MMO storytelling is under attack by the very players who should embrace it, and often they're acting as if they're being dragged, kicking and screaming, into future MMOs where story is placed as a priority. Make no mistake: The battle for story is on, and the stakes have never been higher.
Final Cut Studio on sale again via Apple telesales, video editors worldwide breathe sighs of relief
If you're one of the many Final Cut Pro users unhappy with Apple's latest version -- and you haven't been lured into Adobe's open arms -- today brings good news. According to MacRumors, Cupertino will continue to offer the previous, discontinued version via telephone sales. Calling 800-MY-APPLE and asking for Final Cut Studio (part number MB642Z/A) will net you Final Cut Pro 7, Motion 4, Soundtrack Pro 3, DVD Studio Pro 4, Color 1.5 and Compressor 3.5 for $999, or $899 for qualified educational customers. That's a far cry from the $299.99 for Final Cut Pro X, but if you're interested in, say, opening legacy projects or outputting to tape, you might grudgingly pony up the extra dough.
Adobe lures unhappy Final Cut Pro X users with half-price video editing tools
To say the latest version of Final Cut Pro wasn't well received, would be a major understatement. Well, Adobe hasn't wasted any time taking advantage of consumer discontent, and is now offering dissatisfied users of Apple's video editing software a 50 percent discount to make the switch to its alternatives, Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5 and CS5.5 Production Premium. If you're not feeling the latest iteration (or any version) of Final Cut Pro or Avid's Media Composer, the offer stands through September 30th. And here we thought Apple and Adobe had buried the hatchet. Full PR after the break.
Apple posts Final Cut Pro X FAQ following backlash, promises multicamera support and other updates
Though Apple took to the pages of The New York Times last week to respond to a chorus of criticism about Final Cut Pro X, it's clear the company is going to have to go a little further in assuaging videographers who were alarmed to learn that the built-from-the-ground-up software omits certain key features found in Final Cut Pro 7. The outfit has posted an FAQ page on its site, which answers oft-repeated questions, yes, but also reassures users that some -- but not all -- of these features are on the way. Specifically, Apple promised that multicamera editing is coming as part of the "next major release" and that XML exporting is on the agenda, too. Additionally, volume licensing for orders of 20 or more will be available "soon," while an update this summer will allow you to use metadata tags to categorize audio tracks by type and then export them from Final Cut Pro X. Still, you're going to have to get used to the fact that you can't import old FCP files without data loss-- and don't expect updates for tape-based editing, either. As always, hit that source link for the full spill.
Google fanboys egg the homes of those who opt out of being shown on Street View
You might have heard by now that some German folks didn't much fancy having their homes displayed on Google's Street View service and consequently opted to have their domiciles blurred out. Only trouble with their plan, it seems, was that they didn't account for some Google-loving zealots over in Essen, who were so outraged by the action that they ended up bombarding the offensively blurry homes with eggs and some eloquent signs. What did those placards have to say? "Google's cool." Pithy. A spokesperson from Mountain View has been quick to distance Google from the silly behavior, while also noting that it has been an isolated incident... so far, anyway. [Thanks, Milind]
Earthrise devs detail The Arcology
MPOGD is back with another Earthrise developer journal, focused again on the sci-fi sandbox's seemingly substantial reservoir of lore and backstory. This time around, readers are treated to a brief history of The Arcology, a terraforming project begun by Continoma (one of Earthrise's major factions) at a point prior to the game's timeline. As gamers log into the world of Enterra for the first time, they'll discover that The Arcology now lies ruined and overrun with mutants and other unsavory predators looking to take a bite out of unwary clones and their allies. The research compound, located in the northern Atlas mountains, originally hosted a large variety of plants, animals, and organisms from the far corners of Enterra prior to its destruction in a cataclysmic event known colloquially as the "Backlash." Read all the grisly details over at MPOGD, and also be on the lookout for a new interview with the Masthead dev team coming soon, exclusively on Massively.
Star Trek Online Advisory Board gets its own FAQ
When Star Trek Online announced the formation of their Advisory Council for fan input, the response was fairly unhappy, in the same way that the sun's surface is fairly warm. No one, especially the vocal forumgoers, liked the idea of certain fans getting extra input in the game's direction. Cryptic is aware of the negative reaction, and they're doing their best to ameliorate concerns by clarifying the intended purpose of the board. A list of frequently asked questions has just recently gone live on the official site, no doubt hoping to clear the air and mollify those who felt silenced. As the FAQ takes pains to reinforce, the intent was not to replace other forms of player feedback, but to use a different angle to get in touch with fans not active on the forums. The council itself will have methods for removing members seen as advancing a personal agenda over the wishes of others, and there will be methods to add new members based on a variety of factors. Star Trek Online's team does seem to have their heart in the right place, but unpopular decisions can be hard to bounce back from. It remains to be seen how the coommunity will react to Cryptic's explanatory olive branch.
Patch 3.0.2 primer for Warlocks part III
DestructionLong considered the most efficient raiding spec throughout the Burning Crusade, Destruction will get a run for its money with the new and improved Affliction. It also remains to be seen if Blizzard's efforts at steering the spec clear of mindless Shadow Bolt spamming will prove successful. Certainly, there's more emphasis on Fire spells this time around, which we'll see deeper into the tree. If you do spec deep Destruction, do tell me how it goes. Send me a postcard from Naxxramas.Change is felt right off on the first tier as the popular Bane is moved up here. It's exactly the same, so getting it a tier earlier is a definite buff. Improved Shadow Bolt is unchanged, but I'd hold off on putting points here. Unless you're determined to pursue a Shadow Bolt spam spec, there're a good bunch of talents deeper in the tree to spend your points on.Cataclysm swapped places with Bane but was buffed in a sense because it now just costs 3 points for a 3% cost reduction but now grants crucial +Hit. We'll need it as we level up and re-gear in Northrend. Three points here is mandatory. In more point-saving generosity, Aftermath was reduced to a 2-point talent for the same effect. Does it make the talent any better? No, it still sucks. But now it sucks for three points less.On tier two we also see Molten Core, a new talent introduced to mix things up a little for Destruction. Molten Core encourages the use of DoTs, which are likely to proc it more than Shadow Bolts. This is great talent for Destruction Warlocks looking to specialize in Fire spells, as well as low enough in the tree for other specs such as Demonology, to pick up. If we want to diversify our play style, we should put three points here.If you're only branching out to Destruction from another tree, you might be faced with the decision of choosing between tier three's Shadowburn and a 51-point talent. I'll say it right off that you should skip Shadowburn. On the other hand, if you're moving deeper into Destruction, pick it up because you'll be sure to find a use for it. Five points in the more accessible Ruin is mandatory, as well. We can skip Demonic Power, which is essentially Improved Lash of Pain and Improved Firebolt rolled together. [EDIT: Sephirah correctly reminds me that Demonic Power ups DPS directly because we're going to have our Imp attack, anyway. So, score some points for Demonic Power!]The unchanged Destructive Reach on tier four is mandatory while the other talents are completely optional. If we're looking to PvP as Destruction -- why not? -- we should pick up Intensity not just for the pushback protection but because it's a prerequisite for a stun effect. We'll save points by skipping Improved Searing Pain. No, really. We're going to skip it.Devastation was moved to tier five, swapping places with Ruin. Now it's one talent point for a 5% crit, which is one of the best single point investments we can make in any tree. We'll also want to get Improved Immolate because aside from the fact that it's been buffed from 25% to 30% for two talent points less, we'll need it to get something really cool deeper in the tree. Besides, Blizzard really wants us to use Immolate. Pyroclasm is entirely optional, even for PvP considering the only spell we'll really use that can proc it is Conflagrate.We want Emberstorm. It's that simple. 10% more damage from Fire spells and a faster Incinerate is sweet. Also on tier six is the reworked Nether Protection, which now procs off any spell. It no longer grants immunity, but a damage reduction from any school. In some ways it's a buff since it can protect against Frost or Holy, for example, but it also no longer confers immunities to Silence or other Shadow spells (which probably wasn't intended to begin with). Unless we want more mitigation in PvP, we can skip that.Tier seven is where it begins to get a bit tight. We want Conflagrate, since it's an excellent one point investment. If we're raiding, we can actually skip Soul Leech since we really should be healed, anyway. If we solo or PvP, it's a great talent to have. It also opens up opportunities for our pet on the next tier. Backlash is another PvP talent for those time when Rogues or Warriors are being mean to us, but because there's a 3% crit bonus, I'd say we pick it up. Up next is Shadow and Flame in tier eight, which we'll max out because it scales Shadow Bolt insanely and tempt us to just spam the thing. Fortunately it also affects Chaos Bolt and Incinerate, so we may steer clear of the evil path of mindless Shadow Bolt spam. Since we skipped Soul Leech, we're obviously locked out from Improved Soul Leech. But feel free to pick it up for pet loving if you have points to spare.On tier nine, I'm skipping Shadowfury only because we've been moving away from PvP-centric talents in this post. I know, I know, some of you insist that Shadowfury is awesome for PvE, so you can very well spend that talent point there. It's just one point, anyway. What I'm really interested in is Backdraft. Didn't I say Improved Immolate would lead to something cool? Well this is it. It's a mini-Bloodlust or Heroism for three spells. Because Destruction is all about cast times, 30% haste is gold.Then we get Empowered Imp on the same tier. Check out that icon. That's one badass Imp. If little Rupjub crits, I crit. Well, almost. I get 20% more crit on my next spell, which is pretty darned good. The idea is to get the Imp into the action by spending talents to make it hit hard enough. He'll crit eventually. Here's where we can revisit Improved Soul Leech to keep the little guy topped up. See, I told you to hold off on getting Improved Shadow Bolt.If you find spamming direct damage spells a little mind numbing, you can invest some points into Fire and Brimstone. Didn't I tell you that Blizzard wants us to use Immolate? Well, here you go. Immolate will hit hard with this talent. The cool -- or uncool, depending on how you look at it -- is having to watch Immolate's duration hit the 5 second mark before throwing out a Conflagrate. Yes, I know this screws our timing up, but someone's bound to make an AddOn to tell us when to cast Conflagrate. Right? Anyone? Bueller?And then there's Chaos Bolt. It's a 51-point spell on a 12 second timer. Sure, it pierces through absorption effects and all that stuff... but 12 seconds? I mean, I can't kill a Pally with it anymore and I can only cast it every 12 seconds. Well, we're getting it anyway. We've gotten this deep, right? Besides, it deals whopper damage and it's great for teaching those Shadow Cloaked Rogues a lesson. It's a pretty decent one point investment and can do wonders once we figure out how to work it into our newly confusing and complex (but fun!) rotations.Well, that's the last of our Warlock talents primer for 3.0.2. I hope that helped you decide which direction you want to take your Warlock when the realms go up. I'm leaning towards a hybrid myself, but Haunt is so deliciously sexy... << BACK Zach helps guide you through the changes in 3.0.2, so you can be enthralled in all the demonic love Blizzard's thrown together. Check out other 3.0.2 Talent Guides, too, as well as everything about the so-called Echoes of Doom.
Wii Warm Up: Hype train wreck
Maybe we're just anti-establishment by nature, but sometimes hype works on us and sometimes it doesn't. Occasionally, when people won't stop talking about how cool something is or will be, we're inclined to like it less. I was doing my best to be in the too-cool-for-Brawl camp until the promise of online play (and an actual play session) convinced me that maybe I should give up my practiced aloofness in favor of fun times.But other people are a lot cooler than me, and therefore I assume that there are some of you out there who are still doing their best to vocally not like this popular game. Of course, now that the game's out, it's the perfect time to start a backlash! Anyone else out there cold on Brawl just because it's too popular, and too frequently discussed (even right now)?If not, why not enjoy a little poseur spirit and pretend to be too cool for Smash Bros. in the comments? Sincerity is for mainstream blogs.
Hype and backlash cycle "missing the point" with regards to Second Life
Keen followers of Second Life Insider, before we became Massively, will know we have, at various stages charted the reporting of Second Life in the media, as the media follows its own hype and backlash cycle. Now, MediaShift is reporting something we've been saying all along, although in their own way: the media cycle has missed the reality of the situation, virtual world and real world.The whole article is well worth a read, as it contrasts various styles of (real world) reportage on Second Life, from Hamlet Linden as was, to Reuters, to Wired to CNN, and even has Wired's editor saying that both their hype and their over-the-top backlash were mistakes. The conclusion? A not very startling - it's better to, in the current terminology, embed your reporters or use local information than not, and particularly don't only listen to other journalists - but the steps along the way are well worth a read. They might be especially worth a read if you have to defend your engagement in Second Life to people that have only seen the backlash.[Original lead via SLEd list]
Rock Band's satiric backlash begins
Rock Band was bound to get the satiric backlash soon, because any game with this much hype has to. And if the writer's strike wasn't going on The Daily Show or Colbert Report would have probably done it by now -- but with those shows on extended hiatus, we'll have to accept Matt Downham's take.Coming from a place of love, Downham tells his Rock Band tale. At first we thought he was some cub guerrilla marketing guy, but as the video goes on it's all about one fan's obsession and expectation turning to disappointment -- and rage.
The Onion says Apple backlash set for March 21st, 2008
With all of the hype and excitement surrounding Apple products, it's clear that the company has created a climate for a massive and sustained backlash. Well, according to a new report in The Onion, Wall Street forecasters have set a date for the tide to turn: March 21st, 2008. According to Goldman Sachs analyst Steven Shore, a shift in attitude will occur which will cause users of the Cupertino juggernaut's products to, "Look down at their glossy white or black devices and feel a sense of embarrassment and gullibility." Shore went on the say, "They will realize that, despite all the sleek design, they got caught up in a wave of hype that made them shell out additional hundreds of dollars for options and features they didn't need." The report claims that Apple will respond to the news with the release of a mint-green iPod in late October, though we have our doubts that the company is considering anything lighter than emerald.
iBacklash: Are ZDNet blogs naysaying the iPhone?
Over at 2 A Day, they certainly think something's gotten into the water at ZDnet. The quick meta-analysis shows that 11 ZDnet blogs have posted more than 50 negative items about the iPhone in the last 10 days or so. Is this excessive pre-release carping, or simply prudent, slightly contrarian analysis? Don't forget, ZDnet is home to some of the most well-regarded voices in the Mac blogosphere... and certainly mainstream media outlets like the Wall Street Journal (analysis courtesy Daring Fireball) are not being coy on the topic of iPhone's appropriateness for the corporate market.I know I'd be frustrated if someone was peeking over our shoulders at TUAW and second-guessing our individual editorial choices, seeking for a hidden bias and specific agenda. 'Course, the thing is, around here we wear our agenda on our collective sleeve: we're Apple fans, and we wouldn't be here if we weren't. While we may cast the occasional gimlet eye at the choices and products made at One Infinite Loop, the fact is that we're all excited about the iPhone, and I don't see that there's any point in pretending otherwise. If there is an iPhone backlash brewing, I hope we'll be among the first to point out the line of people jumping off the bandwagon -- and, as we've said repeatedly, let's try to reserve formal thumbs-up or -down on the device until it ships.Update: Larry Dignan has posted a post-by-post response to the 2 A Day item over on the Between The Lines blog at ZDnet. Summary: Larry says nobody's hatin' on the iPhone.[via Fake Steve]
Thompson receives 'Jacklash' in a week
It doesn't matter how many times he experiences failure or comes close to no longer being able to practice law -- there is always somebody willing to listen to Jack Thompson. No time was this more obvious than this week following the Virginia Tech massacre. Before the dead were counted, the shooter named or anyone could wrap their brain around what had just happened, Thompson was already on Fox News as a "school shooting expert" spouting theories, and Fox News let it slide without challenge. The situation was exacerbated Tuesday when the Washington Post impulsively reported video game related information they later retracted. By mid-week information was starting to turn against Thompson and even Hardball's Chris Matthews wasn't buying what Thompson was selling anymore. By yesterday the "Jacklash" was in full effect, the boulder rolled down the hill again and Jack "Sisyphus" Thompson will have to start over again -- without the help of using Take Two as his punching bag.In GamePolitics' recap of the week's events they have a quote from the International Game Developers Association's Jason Della Rocca, who says, "It's so sad. These massacre chasers -- they're worse than ambulance chasers -- they're waiting for these things to happen so they can jump on their soapbox." But as sure as the sun will rise and the moon will set, Jack Thompson is already rolling his boulder back up the hill, waiting for the next tragedy that he can blame on video games.
