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Android 4.2 shows up in our server logs, shocks no one
Reports have been circulating that devices running Android 4.2, rumored to be code-named Key Lime Pie (though it's seeming more likely that it will retain the Jelly Bean moniker), have been popping up in server logs and benchmarks across the web. Well, after doing some digging through our own records, we're seeing quite a few instances of hardware running the unannounced Google platform visiting Engadget. Now, we do feel it necessary to add the caveat that there are some strange reports in our logs as well, coming from hardware allegedly running Android 5.0 and 6.0, but we're not convinced of their authenticity. We are, however, fairly certain that the numerous Galaxy Nexii hitting our site sporting Android 4.2, build JOO90B, are legit. We're also seeing a number of occams, potentially an obtuse reference to the RAZR (a Moto Nexus perhaps?) pinging our servers running the same build. Like others, we're seeing reports of the Arc S running 4.2 as well, but upon further investigation it seems more likely that this is a beta of Jelly Bean 4.1 currently being tested by Sony. Obviously, none of this is official, but it only makes the impending release of a new Nexus or Nexii seem all the more likely.
Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's tools of the raid
I've mentioned that I don't like the idea of judging other players by arbitrary numbers. It annoys me when a person is included or excluded from an event or guild simply based on something like gearscore or pure DPS numbers. However, the importance of these numbers shouldn't be undervalued in a game like Star Wars: The Old Republic. A couple of weeks back, I wrote an article about how the gear grind is "unfun." I don't like the grind, but I do like building good gear. I hate to admit it, but there is a little bit of min-maxer in me (just a little!). With SWTOR turning nine months old, many news and guide sites have settled into a routine. Surprisingly, the sites that I visited pre-launch are not the sites that I visit now. Now I am interested in the more granular sites that help me with very specific tasks of the game. Granted, I still visit Darth Hater and TORWars when I'm looking for news, but I have a completely different set of sites and tools for character building. These are the three sites I use almost daily.
Save your chat logs; they're being deleted in patch 5.0.4
If you're diligent in your record keeping where WoW is concerned, you probably have a bunch of saved chat or combat logs in your Logs folder. Well, back those suckers up, because when 5.0.4 hits, all of the data in that folder is being deleted. Nethaera provided this helpful notification on the official forums: Save Your Chat Logs With the upcoming release of patch 5.0.4, all items within the Logs Directory for World of Warcraft will be deleted. It is advised that if you have WoW Combat Logs or WoW Chat Logs that you would like to save, that you do so prior to the release of the patch. source It's not like saving them is a big deal, of course -- you can just move them to a new folder and you're fine. Good on Blizzard for letting us know, at least; now everyone can save their combat logs from Molten Core and their extended ERP sessions in Goldshire or whatever.
TUAW's Daily Mac App: Onyx
Cleaning up a Mac is something many users never do, but if you want to squeeze all the performance and disk space you can out of your Mac, you need a tool like Onyx. A free multi-purpose utility, Onyx lets you run a myriad of system tasks such as disk maintenance, cache clean-up and index rebuilding. You can use Onyx to clear away the cobwebs that collect in things like the browser cache, font caches, boot, kernel and extension caches, as well as logs from crash reporters, system diagnostics and Software Update. If that wasn't enough, you can also get Onyx to delete previous iTunes libraries, the QuickTime Content Guide, recent items lists and even Mail downloads. OK, you can do most of these things yourself manually, but Onyx makes it fast and easy to do it all from one place. Cleaning isn't the only talent Onyx has -- it's able to do quite a few maintenance and repair tasks such as verifying your startup disk, which it will do on it's first run automatically. By rebuilding the Spotlight Index or LaunchServices, you can often cure small corruption issues with your Mac. You can check the S.M.A.R.T. status of your internal disks, verify file structure and fix disk permissions without having to open Disk Utility. Onyx will also let you change some hidden preferences in Finder and other Apple programs such as iTunes and Mail, allowing you to tweak a few things here and there. Onyx is a great free system utility that we've covered many times in the past and which allows you to perform a load of different tasks all from one application. If you're interested in cleaning out OS X, download Onyx today. By the way, Onyx also works well with OS X Lion.
Evidence of webOS netbook and keyboard-less phone pop up in developer logs
Well this is interesting: a webOS dev spotted a pair unnamed devices in his log files -- one sporting a 1024 x 768 screen and a non-sliding keyboard, and the other a smartphone with no physical QWERTY input. Don't look so surprised: it was all but confirmed by leaked training materials that webOS was coming to netbooks and HP has already announced its intention to bring desktops and laptops into the fold. Of course, this could also just be a TouchPad connected to a certain special keyboard. All we know is something bigger than a phone with physical keys is out there running an unannounced version of the OS dubbed Nova Dartfish. The second mysterious "device" showing up in the logs may be that keyboard-less handset that posed for Mr. Blurrycam back in April. Whatever it is, it's running webOS 3.0 and has a measly 480 x 320 screen like the Pre 2 -- so it's certainly not a high-end smartphone. The logs also reveal that neither is packing a removeable battery, which is sure to disappoint some of you. If you prefer your rumors delivered with lots of quotation marks and colons the full log reports are after the break.
Breakfast Topic: What do you do after raids?
Raiding can be serious business. As a GM of my own guild, what happens after raids can be just as important as what happens during raids. The first thing I do is hit the blacksmith and make sure all my gear is repaired for the next day. As an enchanter, I need to ensure that the new gear that drops in the raid is enchanted. The benefit of the new random dungeon system? We have surplus enchanting materials. It is all handed out free of charge usually. If we have the gems, we'll provide those in addition to whatever consumables we have as required. In any event, raiding for me doesn't end after everything is called. I need to check out the banks and make sure we have enough raiding stocks for the next day. Not only that, as I mentioned, everyone that gets near gear will be looking for me to enchant their stuff. Lastly, logs are uploaded to World of Logs and WoW Meter Online for perusal later to see where everyone else is at. I know I'm not the only one that stays up as a few raiders will still be awake at the time discussing things that worked and things that didn't. Others will stay in game and fish or farm for a bit. They're pumped up and have to calm down some before they can go to bed. I think athletes refer to is at the cooling down period after a big game. While I need to take care of typical GM duties after a raid, others use the time to rest and relax. What do you do after your raid is over?
Spiritual Guidance: Tools to evaluate a Discipline Priest
Every Sunday (usually), Spiritual Guidance will offer practical insight for priests of the holy profession. Your host is Matt Low, the grand poobah of World of Matticus and a founder of No Stock UI, a new UI and addons blog for WoW. After a minor hiatus, Matticus examines the pain that many Discipline Priests experience: That they're just not good enough and how to even the odds. Apologies for the lengthy delay. I needed to grab some field data which took way longer than it should have. Coincidentally enough, Amanda Dean wrote about this very same issue a few days ago concerning healing meters and Discipline Priests. It still makes me sad every time I read about this. A raid leader or heal leader asks a Discipline Priest to go back to Holy because they feel their performance isn't good enough. In most cases, I think it's just them not truly understanding how Discipline works. It has always been about prevention not healing.
TUAW Tip: Check the list of files that get installed on your Mac
Most Mac OS X users appreciate the simplicity of Mac application installation; it usually involves nothing more than a drag and drop out of a disk image, or simply unzipping a download. Still, some apps, plug-ins and other digital goodies require an installer, which means you're entering your password and granting permission for a program to place files anywhere on your machine. If you've ever been curious (or concerned) about this operation, Apple's default Installer app (found in /Applications/Utilities/ and used by most independent software vendors - but not all - use to distribute their products) can display a log of every file a piece of software installed on your machine, accessible under File > Show Files after the Installer finishes its work (but before you quit/close it, of course). As you can see, the log is even searchable, making it easy to sift through those big install operations.If you want to grab a copy of this log you can of course select all the text and copy/paste to your own file, but most installers (including those not from Apple) should place a copy of the install log in ~/Library/Logs, in which case you can use the Console app (also in the Utilities folder) to browse through those logs and easily mail a copy (with help from this tip) to a friend or developer. Some installers, however, place the log directly on your Desktop or on the root of your hard drive, and in my experience, most of those don't put a copy in the default logs location at all. Tsk, Tsk, guys.These tools should make a handy addition to your tool belt if you're beginning to keep a more watchful eye on what gets put where by these installers, or of course if you're simply interested in learning more about how Mac OS X is built and where files go to get the job done.
TUAW Tip: An easier way to email your logs
Since we play around with a lot of pre-release and beta software in the name of you readers, we often have to email logs to developers to help them iron out quirks that help an app get all growed up from alpha to beta and to the big release version. As any of you who have gone through this kind of testing will know, it aint always the easiest process to deal with. Typically, all this emailing involves lots of copy/pasting, file - saving or juggling at least a few files. Fortunately, I just stumbled upon an easy trick that will hopefully make some of our beta testing lives easier. It turns out you can add a Mail button to the Console app, allowing for a one-click process to embed all the text of the current log you're viewing in a new Apple Mail message (not as a file attachment), ripe for firing off to a developer. Either right-click the toolbar, or go to the View menu, and chose Customize Toolbar to find this button.Unfortunately, this appears to only work with Apple Mail; I tried setting both Entourage as my default email app (I know, I cringed when writing that myself) and even the Google Notifier to see if this would work with Gmail. Entourage created a new message, but the log gets fubarred when automatically pasted into the message, and Gmail simply returns a 'Bad Request' error without creating a message at all. I guess I picked a good time to switch back to using the wonderful Mac OS X integratedness of Apple Mail.
