census
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Harris' HTC-made Census handheld hits the FCC
Harris Corp's HTC-made Census handheld may only be a shadow of its former self now that the Census Bureau has decided not to use it for any actual census-taking, but that doesn't mean it can hang its head in shame forever, and it's now popped up to make an encore appearance at the FCC. Thankfully, this time around the FCC folks have snapped plenty of pics of the device, including a look at its innards, which you can find at the link below. Otherwise, the device appears to be mostly unchanged, with it still boasting the same fingerprint security, and EVDO and WiFi connectivity, albeit without any voice capabilities. One of the few things getting changed, it seems, is the device's battery -- which, given recent developments, is likely one of the last upgrades it needed.[Via Register Hardware, thanks Michael]
Census Bureau goes forward with plans to ditch PDAs
While it doesn't exactly come as a surprise given recent developments, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez has now told a House subcommittee that the Census Bureau will in fact be ditching its much-ballyhooed PDAs in favor of paper and pencil for the 2010 census. According to the AP, that fairly drastic move comes as part of a package of changes that will ultimately add as much as $3 billion to the cost of the census, bringing the total cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $14 billion. Among other things, Gutierrez said that a "lack of effective communication with one of our key contractors" was one of the factors that "significantly contributed to the challenges." The handhelds will apparently still see some use during the census, however, although only for verifying street addresses using the PDA's GPS functionality. For its part, Harris Corp. (which had the contract to provide the PDAs) put the best spin on things, saying that it was "encouraged that automation and the adoption of new technology is moving forward, even if in a more narrowly focused fashion." Of course, it's still getting its $600 million+, so it can't really complain all that much.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Problems with census PDAs could prompt a return to pencil and paper
Harris Corp. may have nothing but good things to say about the HTC-made PDAs it's planning to supply for use in the 2010 census, but it looks like the handhelds are already starting to cause plenty of headaches for census officials, who are reportedly even considering a return to pencil and paper if things can't be resolved. As the AP reports, the problems start with the contract for the devices, which originally clocked in at $596 million, has since grown to $647 million, and could eventually balloon to as much as $2 billion. As if that wasn't enough, the handheld has also apparently proven to be "too complex" for some of the temporary census workers that took part in a test last year, and the device was reportedly "not initially programmed to transmit the large amounts of data necessary." As a result, census officials are now said to be considering a number of different options to scale back the use of the devices, only one of which apparently actually has the headcounters entering data into 'em as they go door-to-door.
Census takers' custom PDAs get shown off
We've already heard plenty about the custom PDAs that census takers will eventually be getting their hands on, but Popular Mechanics has now taken things one step further and actually gotten a hands on with the device itself (or at least the current form of it). As we knew before, the PDA is made by HTC and based on Windows Mobile, with Florida-based Harris Corp. handling the actual deployment of the devices, which are expected to eventually total some 500,000. While complete specs are obviously still up in the air (given that they won't be deployed until 2010), the devices will apparently boast 10 hours of battery life, and pack integrated GPS to keep all those census takers on the right track, not to mention a built-in dial-up modem to ensure they stay in touch when venturing beyond the boundaries of Sprint's data network. If that's not enough to whet your appetite, you can hit up the read link below for a video walk through of the device.
Game Developer Census details nearly 600 companies in North America
It's a groundbreaking achievement, and you probably can't afford it. The CMP Media Group has just published an exhaustive list of every significant game publisher and developer in North America. The publication details approximately 510 companies in the United States, and an additional 80 in Canada, and includes the full postal address, phone number, e-mail contact, URL, approximate number of employees, and examples of games produced for every included business, as well as details regarding the particular focuses of each company.In addition to the comprehensive directory, the census also reveals that over 39,700 individuals are currently employed by the games industry in the United States, and around 8,100 in Canada. Of those employees in the United States, over 46% are working in California, with Washington state a far second at 11%, and Texas third with 7.37%.Individuals interested in purchasing the report are probably out of luck. Priced at $1,995 (yes, that's a comma), the census is intended for contractors and service companies looking to invest or do business with the North American market. The census is the second publication from CMP's Game Developer Research group, which also published the industry salary report earlier this year.[Via Sys-Con]
Why does everyone want to DPS?
You see them in the arenas and in the battlegrounds, looking for groups in Ironforge and Orgrimmar, and complaining on the forums and their blogs. They are ret paladins, balance druids, enhancement shamans, and shadow priests who would like to see their class be able to DPS in raids. But why does everyone want to DPS? Tanks and healers are precious commodities, and DPS are a dime a dozen. I talked to a couple people in-game who had switched from one role to another during their time in WoW. Most of them agreed that DPS was more attractive than healing or tanking and gave a number of reasons:
