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China orders internet comments linked to real identities
China isn't slowing down in its bid to silence online political opposition. As of October 1st, the country will require that tech firms hold on to records of the real identities of everyone posting comments on internet message boards. This is to discourage "false rumors, filthy language and illegal messages," according to the government. Of course, it's that last part that Chinese officials are really interested in -- they know you're less likely to challenge the political order if investigators can easily track you down.
LetterBomb does game-free Wii hacking for System Menu 4.3
The myth of the unhackable Wii has long since been put to rest, but that hasn't stopped intrepid homebrew enthusiasts from coming up with new exploits. Case in point: LetterBomb. This particular Wii hack is a follow-up to BannerBomb, which was billed as a replacement for Twilight Hack -- all of which are capable of launching the homebrew channel sans hardware mods. BannerBomb stopped short at Menu 4.2, but LetterBomb is carrying the exploit banner, so to speak, for the next generation. Utilizing the console's Message Board, the hack requires an SD card, a Wii running System Menu 4.3, and a Wii MAC address. If you're looking to get your game-free Wii hack on, check out the source link for the full rundown.
Shocker! The internet is not egalitarian, popular forum posters have it easy
Researchers at the University of Georgia analyzed six years' worth of Usenet posts, and you know what they discovered? Life ain't fair. The most popular two percent of posters who started discussion threads hogged 50 percent of all replies, while everyone else struggled for attention. What made some thread-starters more attractive than others? Thankfully it wasn't rampant flaming. The distinguishing trait was actually how factual they were: only 12 percent of posts by popular posters contained personal opinions or comments. However, posting a bit of news isn't all it takes to win followers. In a related experiment, 200 volunteers were unleashed onto "simulated" discussion forums and their behavior revealed an even more important factor. The slightly flummoxed researchers called it a "preferential attachment", which pulled readers towards posters who already had an excess of followers. In other words, life still ain't fair. For a delightfully factual breakdown of the full results, check out the PR after the break.
LED Illuminated Message Board makes ordinary messages psychedelic
Kids these days, they've got it made -- wouldn't you agree? While our tot-hood was filled with low-end luxuries like Etch A Sketch and Lite-Brite, our offspring are expanding their minds with things like the LED Illuminated Message Board. Much like a traditional dry erase board, those with the appropriate pens can simply draw up whatever they please on the white display, but flip a switch and the whole thing goes psychoactive. Talk about getting the message across. Slap one on your own refrigerator right now for around 20 bones.[Via ChipChick]
Brando's USB LED Message Board keeps all eyes on you
Okay, so you understand the concept of a scrolling LED belt buckle, correct? Good. Brando has taken the novelty found in the aforementioned waist adornment and shoved it into yet another zany USB-powered gizmo. The USB LED Message Board can store up to eight phrases and supports five scrolling modes, sound effects and animated messages. Just make sure your boss' dirty little secret doesn't mysteriously end up on the new office ticker.
AVS Forum reopens Blu-ray / HD DVD boards, new rules abound
Format fanboys (and girls), we sure hope you've taken the time to cool your apparently heated jets, because AVS Forum is putting its foot down from here on out. Just days after the site shut down the HD DVD / Blu-ray boards due to the zaniness that was ensuing, it has reopened the forums for new postings -- but there's a laundry list of rules to go with it. Granted, the site does recommend finding a new home to vent your off-topic frustrations if you aren't down with the new regulations, but overall, we think they're pretty fair. Effectively immediately, users aren't allowed to throw out sales figures, troll others, attack statements or petition for one format or the other. For those who slip up and cross the newly drawn line, you will likely be banned and have your posts removed, so we'd recommend thinking thrice before pulling the trigger on a rage-filled writeup over there.
Nintendo shuts down official forums "indefinitely"
Pop quiz time: You're a video game manufacturer with an insanely loyal fan base that has joined together to turn your official online forums into a vibrant, thriving Internet community. What do you do? Answer: If you're Nintendo, you shut down those forums and leave their future up in the air during a site redesign.A cryptic message on the NSider Forums main page today announced that the message boards have been disabled "indefinitely" pending a complete overhaul of the entire Nintendo.com site. Nintendo says that the future of the forums past that redesign is "uncertain" and that the existing posts will be taken down after a week of availability in read-only format.In the meantime, Nintendo suggests users who want to continue talking about the company should consider "starting their own Nintendo discussion sites." Sounds good to us. After all, why should a big company like Nintendo have to incur the cost of hosting, promoting and moderating a community of fans devoted to talking about their products when the fans can do it themselves?[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Today's most commented video: Message board sketch
In this NSFW (for language) video short, CollegeHumor applies the message-board mechanics to a business setting for amusing results. Quality writing offsets the week-and-a-half age. (And we're sure you'll be inspired to tell us off in the comments after viewing.)Watch the video after the break, and leave your own hilarious message.[Image credit]
Microsoft's Jeff Bell gettin' feisty on message board?
No doubt we've heard quite a few calumnies come out of the mouths of high-ranking company officials before (yes, even those at Microsoft), but this one takes things to a different level entirely. Just days after Peter Moore abruptly abandoned ship and swam elsewhere, it seems that frustrations are getting the best of the firm's VP of Global Marketing as well. According to a number of sleuths who used the "bell801" member name to link back to Mr. Bell, the executive actually private messaged a NeoGAF member who was "especially critical of Bell" during an E3 press conference and blurted out: "And your contribution to society is...what?" Yeah, that'll show 'em, Jeff.
"How do you play a UMD disc?"
I laughed out loud when I first saw this. And I'm in the library! Whoops. While security escorts me out, enjoy this message board post. You'll feel a lot smarter afterwards.[Via PlayStation]
Message board complaints ruin games
At Wired News, Lore Sjöberg complains about the complainers, dishing out amusing profiles of the MMORPG message-board posters. His eight personality sketches ruin the game for average players, sucking otherwise-satisfied gamers into the jaded world of the complainers. (Alas, we're all too familiar with that world.)We're critical about games because we expect a lot and see so many. You readers likely fall into a similar level of exposure and anticipation. We're often most critical about games that are near perfection; that level of quality amplifies minor issues. But this column reminds us -- at some point -- to overlook the problems and just have fun playing.
Posting messages on the Wii
Upon setting up the Wii, our first goal was to establish Internet access and download a ton of VC games check out the WIiConnect 24 service. Problem is, Nintendo hasn't turned on their servers yet, so while our Wii can find an access point, it can't connect to Nintendo and download the update already available for it. So, the next best thing is checking out some of the functionality of the console and this is where the video, embedded into the post after the break, comes in. Watch as Kyle Orland and myself check out how to post messages onto the Wii.
New Wii features: Message Board & Play History
It's not holographic projection, but it'll let you "email" with your Wii. Nintendo sheds light on new features:Message Board Stores user achievement data and shares it will other users of that console Integrates with games to alert players of important events; e.g. "Concert next Saturday in town" (Animal Crossing) Utilizes date sorting and calendar integration When connected to the internet, can be linked to other consoles' Message Boards to exchange notes, data, screenshots, etc. (in other words: simplified email client) Compatible with mobile phones Play History Data collection function, which cannot be cleared Compiles total amount of playtime (and possibly other stats) for every game played Doubles as a monitoring system for parents wanting to keep a watchful eye on their kids' gaming habits Will be used by Nintendo (with user consent) to pool data into useful statistical categories; i.e. "most played game of the year"
The skinny on Wii Channels
The new interface of the Nintendo Wii is organized into "channels", each containing different services and functions. The English version of wii.com gives a nice summary of the initial channels. Here's what they do: The Disc channel is simply for playing games based off of optical media, i.e. Wii or Gamecube discs. Nothing fancy here. The Mii channel allows a player to create his or her own digital avatar. These avatars will most likely be your online "identity", but will also appear in certain software, such as Wii Sports. The Photo channel is a channel that allows you to view and share digital photos and movies from an external source. The Wii also contains an iPhoto-like functionality, allowing you to touch up, alter, and distort your photos to your heart's content. The Forecast channel will give you a look at local weather. You can also zoom out in a very Google Earth-esque fashion, and view data for pretty much anywhere in the world. The News channel is for, well, news. Various topics will be broken down into topical categories for your viewing pleasure. Remember, this and the weather service are free of charge. The Wii Shop channel is, as expected, the online marketplace for the Wii. You'll mainly be in here buying games for the Virtual Console, but you can also purchase Opera's web browser and whatever else Nintendo decides to charge. Hopefully, extra multiplayer maps and the like will remain free, but we suppose that's up to the publisher. The Virtual Console channels are the channels that allow you to play games from any of the various systems supported: NES, SNES, N64, Sega Genesis, and the TurboGrafx-16. The Internet channel allows one to surf the internet. However, this is not free; an Opera browser must be purchased for a currently unknown price. However, the browser supports Adobe Flash, AJAX software, and essentially every feature a major browser should; it's a nice step up from the DS version. The Message Board channel allows users to post messages on various boards, and send messages or photos directly to PCs or cell phones. This is also the service through which games will be updated and patched. And there you have it! Looks like we're gonna be doing some hardcore channel surfing when the Wii hits the streets.
