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MIT study finds labelling errors in datasets used to test AI
Over three percent of data in the most-cited datasets was deemed inaccurate or mislabeled.
World of Warcraft deals with downtime, bugs, DDoS attacks [Updated]
If you had been hoping to experience the launch of World of Warcraft's expansion without queues, well, that was never going to happen. If you had hoped to face the launch without issues like disconnecting from the servers as soon as your character moved or major Garrison bugs, well, that shouldn't be happening, but it apparently is. A number of hotfixes have already been applied to the game with more on the way, including several increased spawn rates for enemies in heavily congested zones. This comes on the heels of DDoS attacks that have made logging in and playing even more difficult and make it difficult to identify genuine bugs amidst server issues. Fans have compiled a list of the most common errors experienced on launch, some of which seem perfectly normal (long queue times after many server merges prior to launch) and some of which are not (server crashes from flying mounts). If you want to take a little time off from trying to get in and play, you can take a look at the recently posted glance at the creatures of Nagrand. Otherwise, there's not much to be done other than waiting for the latest round of hotfixes and hoping that corrects the major issues. [Massively's sister site WoW Insider has published a detailed editorial explaining the launch issues and who bears responsibility for which ones. Managing Editor Adam Holisky argues that while Blizzard is responsible for the quest bottlenecks, broken terrain, server funneling, and griefing toys, it can't do much about DDoS attacks and their resulting latency and lag and queues, and therefore the studio should not be blamed for them.]
ArcheAge scrambles to fix disconnection issues after update
ArcheAge launched a big update yesterday filled with exciting new features -- chiefly, new territories that players can capture, build castles upon, lay siege to, and so forth. At least, you would be able to do any of these things if you were one of the lucky few players capable of logging into the game, which has not been the case for a great many players since the update went live yesterday thanks to serious disconnection issues. As of 7:45 a.m. EST this morning, the official Trion post on the subject says the studio has devised a new build to correct the issue, and the servers were brought down early this morning to apply the patch (they're back up now). However, that might not be enough to pacify the players who are agitating for a rollback under the perception that the update's new territory was claimed while significant portions of the playerbase were forced offline. We'll have more on this situation as it develops. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in! Our own AA players are in the same boat!]
The Mog Log: Happy birthday, Final Fantasy XIV
Congratulations, Final Fantasy XIV! It's been a year and you're still going after the relaunch, much to the surprise and consternation of the many people who were hoping for the opposite outcome for... well, I'm not clear on that exit strategy. Bragging rights, I guess. The point is, you turned out to surprise pretty much everyone, you've been posting incredibly solid numbers for a while now, and you don't seem likely to go anywhere in the near future. You can take a load off, maybe take a nap. Now that I've gotten the congratulations out of the way, let's talk about Final Fantasy XIV and the many ways that the designers have screwed up so far. Sort of. I mean, over the past year I've been more than willing to fire with both barrels when a screwup was made, which has happened... about once every major patch. But here's the thing: I'm glad to see that happening, on some level. It gives me hope for the future.
PAX East 2014: Erin Roberts on Star Citizen's development
Star Citizen's backers have been waiting to see the game's dogfighting module in action for quite some time now, and it finally happened just before PAX East 2014. Unfortunately, it also wound up having some technical difficulties right at the beginning, which wasn't exactly what anyone had in mind when showing off the whole thing in action. It wasn't quite as bad as having the computer running the module burst into flames and die, but it was bad. Do the developers regret it? Not a chance. We got a chance to sit down and talk to Squadron 42 producer Erin Roberts and were told, in no uncertain terms, that even hitting technical hiccups like that don't make a more private development cycle feel better. In a way, having the development cycle be so public actually makes technical hurdles less problematic for the company when they're encountered because the language is in place to keep a meaningful dialogue going with the fans.
The Mog Log: Error 3102, please try to read this FFXIV column at a later time
I'm writing this column on Tuesday morning, with the last Final Fantasy XIV beta test a happy memory for me and many other people. Specifically, all of the people for whom the last beta test did not amount to strings of numerical errors over and over. On the podcast I mentioned that this affected a substantial number of people, something like 10% of the playerbase. I have no way of knowing how accurate that number is, and none of us does; someone estimated 20,000 people, which I suspect to be far fewer than 10% of the players, but the fact is that we don't know. Exact numbers aren't important; what does matter is that this was a pretty big problem for an event that for all intents and purposes was not a beta. I've gone back and forth debating this with some people, but the fact is that the fourth testing period wasn't a test. And these sorts of problems cannot be cropping up today, the early access day and practical launch for a lot of hopeful players.
The Daily Grind: How much communication on major bugs is the right amount?
A lot of people were very interested in taking part in Final Fantasy XIV's open beta. Unfortunately, for a substantial number of players, the beta started and stopped with Error 3102. Leaving aside debates about whether or not this should or should not have happened, I think one of the big problems for several players was that the developers simply didn't discuss the issue with players until the test period was nearly over, which meant that there was no way of being certain that anything was being done. You could make the case that it's better for developers to be focusing on actually fixing the problem instead of updating people on the status of the problem. But silence can look a lot like ignorance at a glance, and no one wants to be ignored when something damages the game experience. So today we ask you, readers: How much communication on major bugs is the right amount? Do you want an acknowledgement and nothing more until it's fixed, or do you want hourly status updates from the development team? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Ask Massively: You can't cover WoW because of reasons
When I took over Massively last fall, I made myself a little digital post-it note in Gmail Notes that read, "Remember: You work for Joystiq, not studios." Today, I've amended that to also read, "And not commenters." I love commenters, even the trolls sometimes when you make me laugh. You guys provide instant feedback and adoration but also entertainment and skepticism of our ideas. You're the much-maligned vocal minority of readers, and interacting with you guys and being enlightened by your mad and witty and insane posts is a highlight of my work day. But it has to be said that the most bizarre feature of working at Massively is that legions of commenters have deemed themselves better-equipped than we are to decide what we can cover.
TERA reveals launch trailers, provides update on account errors
Today is a fateful day for Arboreans everywhere, as En Masse Entertainment's spankin'-new action-based MMO, TERA, is officially live. In celebration of the momentous occasion, the studio has released a shiny launch trailer for existing fans and potential players alike to feast their eyes upon. As one might expect from the game that coined the terms "big-ass monster" and "real action combat," the trailer is essentially a series of scenes of ass-kicking set to some suitably epic music, offering players a glimpse at the fast-paced combat they can expect from the title. In addition to the launch trailer, the studio has posted the two final race videos; we've included all three after the cut. But of course, MMO launch days are always fraught with at least a few issues, and TERA's launch is no different. Many players are experiencing errors that are keeping them from getting into and enjoying the game, but En Masse tells those players to rest assured that the team is "actively working to resolve them." Players experiencing those issues should keep an eye on the official TERA site as well as the game's Twitter and Facebook pages, as any updates to the situation will be posted as they happen.
Some iPhone 4S owners reporting ominous 'No SIM card installed' messages
Could it be that Apple's latest smartphone is plagued with a troubling design flaw? Just ask the handful of iPhone 4S users who've experienced issues with their SIM cards, and they'll tell you this is very much the case. While we have no reason to believe a majority of iPhone 4S owners are affected, the problem appears to span across numerous carriers and parts of the globe -- even Sprint and Verizon Wireless users aren't immune. Some report resolving the problem with a new SIM card, while others have reason to believe it's the reader itself. Then there's a group known as Woo Servers, which suggests the malfunction is related to a short circuit caused by a design flaw with the SIM card tray. They've provided a detailed list of instructions to remedy the problem, with a simple piece of tape as the cure. Sadly, not everyone seems to benefit from the advice. So, Cupertino, care to lend a hand?
Windows 8 BSoD ditches confusing error codes for uninformative frowny face
As with any version of Windows, the Metro-slathered Win 8 has one of those oh so familiar Blue Screen of Death thingies. But, this time around, there's a change. Gone are the confusing and uninformative error codes, and in its place you get an equally uninformative sad emoticon. OK, there's also some text informing you that your PC is about to reboot, but it still doesn't get you any closer to tracking down the root of the problem. Well, at least it's little less cutesy than the Sad Mac (though, no less infuriating).
Apple returns a few Verizon iPad 2s to sender (updated: some got through)
Several 9to5Mac readers noticed a rather peculiar phenomenon this last week -- their freshly-ordered Verizon iPad 2 units shipped all the way from China just fine, only to boomerang back to sender right before delivery time. Now, Reuters has the official word: Apple's recalling an "extremely small number" of Verizon iPad 2s which were flashed with a duplicate MEID code. Should they have been delivered, users would probably have found themselves unable to connect to 3G, or booted off before long, as Verizon reportedly can only have one device with that unique identifier on the network at once. We're not sure whether to applaud, but it's good to see manufacturers taking responsibility for their hardware before it hits shelves. Update: We spoke with Apple about this, who wouldn't give us much beyond the official quote -- which is, for the record: "Duplicate MEID codes were flashed onto an extremely small number of iPad units for the Verizon 3G network." That said, we were able to confirm that a few of these 3G iPad 2s sneaked through and got into the hands of customers. Apple is, of course, replacing those free of charge, so if you're in possession of a brand new iPad that was never able to get on 3G... you know who to call. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
HTC's Thunderbolt beset with video capture woes, fix purportedly on the way
Uh oh, sounds like HTC's Thunderbolt has struck yet another stumbling block on its path to glory. Forums dedicated to the superphone are now rife with frustration of inconsistent audio capture when using its bundled video recorder, and apparently, the rally cry was vociferous enough to warrant a response from HTC itself. Users of first-gen technology are likely familiar with the line, but word is it's aware of the issue and working to release a software update to remedy the nasties. In the meantime, if uploading your macaw's cover of 'Friday' is a priority for you, don't go to crankytown just yet -- we hear there's a whole world of third-party cappers to explore.
Apple announces firmware update to relieve those nagging MacBook Air display issues
Looks like relief is in sight for new school MacBook Air owners suffering from display issues: you know, with the faulty logic boards, and the flickerin' and the freezin', and so on and so forth. MacBook Air EFI firmware update 2.0 comes highly recommended by Apple itself for all 2010 MacBook Air owners, with the company saying it will "resolves a rare issue where MacBook Air boots or wakes to a black screen or becomes unresponsive." Sounds like a no-brainer to us! Hit up the source link to download this bad boy for yourself.
QuickTime 7.6.9 out now, fixes a number of security issues
Apple has updated QuickTime to version 7.6.9, bringing out a whole slew of security fixes protecting against various "maliciously crafted" file formats. Apple has been working closely with security experts to hammer these out, and as a result, the software is much better protected against opening files designed to cause problems. You can find the update in the usual places, including a Software Update client near you, or directly from the QuickTime download website. Enjoy and be safe! Update: This fix is for Mac OS X Leopard and Windows users only, so if you're wondering why you don't see it in Software Update, that's probably why.
2010 MacBook Air owners reporting logic board and display issues
Early adopters typically run into weird issues when putting their first generation gadgetry to use, and owners of the new MacBook Air models are no exception. Indeed, on the day of its release Apple had to push out a software update to stop the system from locking up while in iMovie -- but that wasn't the end of the woes. Thanks to a YouTube video, we've seen for ourselves evidence of a display flickering in a most unappealing manner, and we're hearing tales of other display issues, kernel errors that occur when the machines are trying to come out of sleep mode, and more. There's not been an official response from Apple yet, we're not sure how widespread the problems are, and we haven't experienced these issues first hand on our devices -- but we'll let you know as soon as we hear something. Promise. In the meantime, it looks like some of you might have a date with the Genius Bar. Video after the break. Photo credit: Cult of Mac
Research suggests that your body knows you made a typo when your conscious mind simply can't be bothered
This may or may not come as a shocker to you -- but when you make a typo, your body can tell, according to a new study at Vanderbilt University. The study monitored a group of people who could type at least 40 WPM consistently as they transcribed copy. In analyzing the typists' key strokes, researchers found that interestingly, even if a typist's mistake was immediately 'silently' corrected onscreen by those running the study, the typist's fingers fumbled or paused, signaling an 'awareness' that a mistake had been made. Essentially, this means that while the conscious mind may not know that a mistake has been made (especially if there's no visual evidence of it), the part of the brain that controls the fingers typing movements have some awareness of the mistakes. For those of us who spend our lives banging away at a keyboard, these preliminary results won't really come as any surprise -- the feeling of having made a mistake is pretty instinctual. Regardless, the results suggest a hierarchical manner of mistake detection in humans, the "lower" more instinctual part of the brain recognizing and correcting the mistake, while the conscious part of the brain assigns credit and blame. Now if we could just figure out what part of our brain is responsible for relentlessly pointing out others' typos, we'd be set.
Is your iPhone 4 exhibiting proximity sensor issues?
I happened by a mirror while talking on the iPhone 4 last night and saw my screen lighting up, turning off and lighting up again erratically. I observed the behavior, worst when holding the phone in my left hand, for the duration of the call. I was more than a little irritated, as this was a feature since the first iPhone and, at the time, a big deal Users are reporting buttons being hit as well, which is even worse if you use your iPhone for, you know, a phone. I'm hoping the next OS update will fix it, but in the meantime, let us know in the poll below if your iPhone 4 isn't registering the side of your face during a call. %Poll-48804%
Patch 3.3.5's Out of Storage error
While some players are happily playing with the new features included in Patch 3.3.5, many others are unable to do so due to problems that cause the game to crash. Blizzard has noted this situation and is working diligently on a fix to this problem. In the meantime, a thread on the Technical Support forums addresses this issue and what players can do to make the game playable again. The issue appears to pop up as an Out of Storage error for players running World of Warcraft on a 64-bit OS. What can you do while waiting for a fix? Simple -- turn down your graphics settings. Blue poster Datth had the following suggestions to make: Datth Extremely low view distance settings (177 vs 1277) is more than enough to compensate for the extra memory being used in this patch by a few factors. A lot of people are able to get by with setting View Distance from max to about halfway using that alone. Using d3d9ex mode (http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=21723843232&sid=1) can shave off another ~100-200MB from what it's currently doing right now too. source Blizzard hopes to have the game fully functional for all players at any level of graphics quality soon; however, there is no ETA currently on when this fix will occur. Keep an eye on the thread in the Technical Support forums, as they are sure to post more information as they learn more about the errors.
TiVo Premiere is updated and expanded, but is it ready?
It's not streaking through downtown Dallas remaking Matt & Kim videos just yet but after an uneven start the TiVo Premiere continues to evolve, this time towards something with even more capacity and (hopefully) less lockups. ZatzNotFunny mentions a new software update to version 14.1c has gone live this weekend which is intended to fix lockups some customers are experiencing with more revisions promised over the coming weeks and months to address various performance and stability issues. Forum reactions are mixed, with some dropping back to the old UI for more stability and speed but if you're living the Premiere lifestyle let us know how things are going for you. Those still on the outside looking in who haven't been scared off by the growing pains can also consider a few new larger capacity options courtesy of longtime modder/reseller WeaKnees, now ready to deliver units with up to 2TB of storage internally or even externally for those who like it like that -- you know who you are.
