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Smart speakers are being used to help measure inflation in the UK
Smart speakers are so popular the UK is using them to help calculate inflation. Every year, the UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS) adds top consumer products to its "basket of goods," a collection of goods and services that indicates how people are spending their money. Annually, popular items are added, and passé products tossed. So while smart speakers made the cut, hi-fi speaker systems got the axe.
Mobile phone data could replace census questionnaires in the UK
Every 10 years since 1801, England and Wales have conducted a census, which gives the government and its associated authorities an up-to-date picture of the population. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) -- joined by independent Scottish and Northern Irish agencies -- typically ask householders for their age, address, occupation, nationality, marital status, religion and other personal information. For the most part, the ONS has tallied that information via paper questionnaires that have been sent in the post. However, as part of a new trial, the agency has begun using mobile phone data to track where people live and work.
Dumb phone prices are no longer used to measure inflation
The UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS) measures inflation by looking at price increases among products the majority of consumers are spending their hard-earned on. And every year, the lists of stuff the ONS cares about keeping track of, called the "baskets of goods and services," are revised to reflect changes in our spending habits. Over the past few years, music and video streaming services, set-top boxes, digital game downloads and PS Plus and Xbox subscriptions have all been added to reflect their broad popularity, while sat navs and rewritable CDs/DVDs have been bumped due to their dwindling relevance. This year there's only one notable change, with dumb phones being dropped from the list of influential tech products.
Video game downloads now help the UK measure inflation
Helped by the rise of console and PC marketplaces, game downloads are now popular enough that the UK is using them to help calculate inflation rates. Office of National Statistics (ONS) announced today that it's added digital game sales and computer software, like Microsoft Office, to its "basket of goods" -- a list of products and services that helps it measure what consumers are spending their money on.
Preparing for Wrath Day 4: Addons for leveling
While many of us have an army of alts, it's probably been a while since we've leveled our mains. Our mains are the special character for us. The main is the character that we agonize over every stat and piece of gear. With that kind of dedication and interest, we want to be sure that leveling our main goes as smooth as possible. Even if you don't take care of your main to that extent, getting out into the world and leveling again can be somewhat of a transition.One of the best ways to help with this transition is to make sure that you have all the necessary addons already configured properly before Wrath of the Lich King goes live this Thursday. While there are hundreds that you can choose from, only a few are going to really help you level quickly and like a pro.Continue reading on after the break for a quick and efficient list of addons that are going to help you level.
Reader UI of the Week - Special Patch 3.0.2 edition
Welcome to a special edition of Reader UI of the Week – just for patch 3.0.2. We'll take a look at a few complete UIs submitted by WoW Insider readers that are fully compatible with patch 3.0.2 and Wrath of the Lich King.Patch 3.0.2 is bringing a lot of expanded functionality to the underlying API (Application Programming Interface). The changes will not be as drastic as we all experienced when Burning Crusade was released, however there still will be a fair amount of problems that will have to be solved. After the break are a few complete lists of addons that are reported to at least work somewhat well together.For a complete list of functioning addons, along with download sources, check out our list of essential addons for patch 3.0.2. We'll keep that list updated throughout the day. %Gallery-34425%
Essential addons for Patch 3.0.2 [Updated x6]
Let's take a look at what addons are working for patch 3.0.2. First a simple rule taken from the UI forums post done by Kaydeethree: "Any 'Wrath beta' compatible mod will work in 3.0.2." With that said, there is a long and comprehensive listing of 3.0.2 compatible addons over on WoWWiki. But the fun doesn't end there. The next step is obtaining all those new addons. I've compiled a large set of the essential addons and linked to at least one direct download source after the break. Each download source is either trusted beyond doubt – or tested and confirmed to be virus free. Finally, you'll want to combine the addons into a nice looking UI. Check out our special edition of Reader UI of the Week for a look at five complete 3.0.2 compatible UIs. We're posting this list now, and will continue to update it throughout the day. Begin your addon downloads as quickly as possible to avoid hangups later in the day when download servers become overloaded.
Reader UI of the Week: Osullavan of Eldre'Thalas
World of Warcraft allows all of us an unprecedented ability to modify our user interface to meet our needs. Each week WoW Insider will bring you a fresh and detailed look at reader submitted UIs. Have a screenshot of your UI you want to submit? Send it, along with your character name and server, to readerui@gmail.com.This week I want to take a break from reader submitted user interfaces and profile my own. Pictured above is a compilation of what I like to call "my baby." It's a UI that's taken me over a year to perfect, and I like it quite a bit. What we'll do is take a look at the philosophy behind the interface and what addons I use.I wear many hats in my guild. I'm the GM, the main tank, and help drive the raids. My UI serves me well in all these roles, and it allows me a plethora of options at my disposal. My multiple duties in my guild means that I not only have to be fully accountable for everything the boss does to me (and for a tank in and end game guild that's a lot), but I also have to keep an eye on everything else that is happening in the raid. The Philosophy Behind My UIInformation and functions need to be easy to access, and be accessed quickly. In addition to the ease of use, it is vital to have a clear view of the play field when engaging in raids and groups. When getting the raid ready and driving the trash pulls, I need to be able to see everything and hear everything. It's unacceptable to have information more than a click away – if that. If someone sends me a tell, I want to know about it right away, and if someone dies I want to see it in bright colors in my chat windows.Since my in-game responsibilities are numerous, I have to be able quickly switch between them. To do this I have to utilize both my keyboard and my mouse. %Gallery-19902%
