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The Washington Post reflects on Lion's first week of availability
Like the rest of us, the Washington Post is taking a look at Lion after a week of use. It's mostly positive, but writer Hayley Tsukayama finds Lion a bit quirky. Chief criticisms are the change to natural scrolling (which can be turned off) and some of the complicated gestures when using a track pad. Mission Control also gets a thumbs down. The positives from Tsukayama's perspective are the stability, overall simplicity and increased security of Lion. The article suggests a person test drive it for awhile before pulling the trigger if you harbor some doubts. I know in my case I turned off many of the new features to make Lion more like Snow Leopard. I was also disappointed in the mail bugs (it just doesn't work with some POP accounts and I have a 13 year old legacy account I still want to use) and my network attached storage is defunct unless I get (fingers crossed) a firmware update. OK, readers. After a week of use is Lion a hit or a miss for you? Or more of a mixed bag? What should Apple do to make you happy?
Pulitzer Prize winner George Will thinks gamers shouldn't be allowed to vote
Washington Post columnist and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist George F. Will really, really doesn't like denim. In an Op-Ed piece he wrote for the Washington Post this week, he condemns the fabric and in the process, harshly insults gamers, saying, "Seventy-five percent of American 'gamers' -- people who play video games -- are older than 18 and nevertheless are allowed to vote." On the other hand, Mr. Will does, however, love making disparate correlations -- for instance, between "society's most slovenly" and video game players. In fairness, his tirade doesn't solely focus on games, as he also calls out the Indiana Jones series and television shows such as Seinfeld (a show which, ironically, he was lampooned on as "not too bright.") He says the two are "juvenelized,"and for "undifferentiated audiences," and justifies his assertion on the fabric ubiquity from child to parent. We're thinking of siding with Seinfeld on our opinion of this guy, how about you folks?[Via GamePolitics]
Pandora may pull the plug on itself
The Washington Post is reporting that Pandora, the Internet radio station available on Mac, iPhone, and iPod touch, may be shutting down service soon.The reason is that Sound Exchange, the money-grubbing blackmailers royalties collection arm affiliated with the Recording Industry Association of America, has imposed restrictive administrative fees ($500 per year per channel) and ridiculous royalty fees (2.91 cents per hour per listener) on Internet radio stations. While many companies that provide Internet radio services have been lobbying Congress for relief, there doesn't seem to be much of hope that happening in the near future. What this means for all Internet radio stations is that either Congress steps in and attempts to resolve the royalty issues (not likely, considering their record on resolving any issue...), or the stations will need to start charging a subscription fee for their services. Of course, Pandora could start advertising on their site and on the iPhone app to generate some revenues, but as TechCrunch.com's Michael Arrington says, "Perhaps Pandora must be our sacrificial lamb" to focus attention on the entire issue of the recording industry, digital rights, and internet radio stations.What's your opinion on the intenet radio royalty issue? Leave us a comment.
RIAA chief says ripping okay, Sony BMG lawyer "misspoke" during Jammie Thomas trial
Now that the furor has died down over the Washington Post's questionable piece about the RIAA supposedly suing Jeffrey Howell for ripping CDs, it's time to hear what the RIAA actually has to say -- and it's surprisingly sensible. Speaking to NPR, RIAA president Cary Sherman flatly said "the story is just wrong." Sherman went on to say that the RIAA hasn't ever prosecuted anyone for ripping or copying for personal use, and that the only issue in the Jeffrey Howell case was -- as always -- sharing files on Kazaa. Perhaps most interestingly, Sherman directly addressed the "ripping is just a nice way of saying 'steals one copy'" comment made by Sony BMG's anti-piracy counsel in the Jammie Thomas case, saying that the attorney "misspoke," and that neither Sony BMG or the RIAA agreed with that position.Of course, it wasn't all sunshine and cupcakes -- Sherman refused to straight-up answer the question of whether or not ripping was legal, saying instead that "there are 100 hypotheticals" and that "copyright law is very complicated." Of course, what he's really saying is that courts haven't made an clear determination of fair use regarding ripping and that he's covering the industry's collective ass -- which explains his hilariously out-of-touch explanation that making copies onto "analog cassettes, special audio CD-Rs, minidiscs, and digital tapes" is legal, because those are all expressly allowed by law. On the other hand, Sherman also said that RIAA's interpretation of the law "doesn't really matter," because "not a single claim has ever been brought over personal use -- [the Washington Post story is] really unfortunate, it's misleading consumers, and it's simply not true." It's a fascinating interview, and it's more than worth a listen if you've got any interest at all in copyright issues -- regardless of what side you're on.
Book critic plays BioShock, says it's not quite "art"
If you're anything like us, you're probably getting a little tired of the seemingly never-ending "games as art" debate. Well try and revive your interest for just one more moment -- the Washington Post took an interesting approach in expanding the debate this weekend with a short piece looking at the artistic merits of BioShock.For the piece, Post technology and games writer Mike Musgrove took an Xbox 360 and a copy of BioShock over to the home of the Post's 58-year-old, Pulitzer Prize-winning book critic Michael Dirda, who played the game unassisted for a couple of weeks. As might be expected for a guy whose last game was Myst, Dirda had trouble getting past Neptune's Bounty. "I've got a first-aid kit, but I haven't figured out how to use it," Dirda said in a quote sure to draw guffaws from gamers who haven't won a Pulitzer Prize.But what about BioShock as art? While Dirda said the game obviously has artistic value and was easy to get lost in, he wouldn't quite go so far as to call it "art." The key threshold for games to become an art form, Dirda said, is the ability to make the player feel depressed. Apparently Dirda has never seen his rightfully-earned loot ninjaed after a five-hour World of Warcraft raid. Depressing indeed.But the final word on BioShock as art should probably go to head designer Ken Levine. "Is BioShock art? I don't know, and I guess I sort of don't care. All I care about is, does it work -- does it have an impact on an audience?" On that important score, we're going to have to answer with a resounding "Yes!"
ESA's Gallagher spends time gaming with Washington Post
It's fun to watch Mike Gallagher, the still-new head of the ESA, as he evolves into his position slowly but surely. His image has transitioned from total noob, to hired gun, to softening up a bit and gaming with The Washington Post. If nothing else his image seems to be on the right track to represent the industry and have his big coming out at next year's E3.The WaPo piece paints Gallagher as a man who brings a Nintendo DS to Capitol Hill meetings to show lawmakers games that are actually more representative of the industry. He also apparently got a vanity plate from his children for Father's Day that says: GAME DAD. Robbie Bach, Microsoft entertainment division president, who is on the ESA board, gets a quote in the piece saying that Gallagher was chosen because he "games and understands the space." Then the WaPo writer and Gallagher have a gaming competition that ends in a draw. Gallagher continues to build a solid image that shows that he's political, but also understands "the gamer."And we really need a new photo of this guy. This photo of him from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration is *snore* and we're done using the Pokémon one. Oh, and we sure as heck ain't using the WaPo picture of Gallagher walking around with a PS3 like a boombox on his shoulder. Time for some respectable glamour shots with the ESA logo in the background -- maybe the ESA can hire Annie Liebovitz, industry should be able to afford their spokesman some good portrait shots..[Via GamePolitics]
Junkets and the game writers who love them
The Washington Post has published an interesting report on game reviewers and their experiences with junkets. A junket is typically an all expenses paid trip covered by the publishers in the gaming industry. The junket the Washington Post specifically covers is the Fallout 3 junket where "airfare, hotel, food, drinks and shuttle bus were provided, courtesy of Bethesda Softworks." Now, just to be clear, it's the job of publishers to do these junkets and sway opinion by whatever means necessary (and in some cases, whatever is the keyword) -- that's marketing. It's the job of the "journalist" not to be swayed by it -- that's tough and really means standing by ethics (which if the writer actually went to journalism school is the first class you take). Most newspapers have a strict policy of not letting companies pay for their writers to attend and the Washington Post points out a few attendees paid their own way, but most did not.One writer for PC Jeux, Ghislain Masson, has been to Russia twice, India, "a five-day extravaganza in Las Vegas funded by Midway" and Paris. Of course, we stumble across moments of ethical irony often in this business and there's even moments of too close for comfort. Some would make the argument that there is a world of difference between being invited to an event and having everything paid for to attend. The question is, "Do these junkets influence the outcome of reviews?" The writers in the Washington Post piece don't believe so, but we'll leave it up to the readers to decide.[Via GamePolitics]*Note: Joystiq does not and has never accepted paid junkets.
Roving gangs that steal your stuff?
As we generally do here at WoW Insider, we make it a point of reading many other news sources to bring you the newest and freshest news we can possibly find. But I have to admit, in the middle of surfing around, I stumbled across one article that has brought me back to a question I've wondered about several times before. In short, why does the mainstream media add World of Warcraft into articles when WoW really has very little to nothing to do with the topic they're talking about?Take, for example, this article from the Washington Post. In the article they say "In World of Warcraft, the most popular online game, with an estimated 8 million participants worldwide, some regions of this fantasy domain have grown so lawless that players said they fear to brave them alone. Gangs of animated characters have repeatedly preyed upon lone travelers, killing them and making off with their virtual belongings."
WaPo writer talks VT shooter/Counter-Strike connection, removal
When a Washington Post story mentioned that Virginia Tech shooter Cho Seung Hui played Counter-Strike in high school, we were intrigued. When the nugget disappeared from an online version of the Post story, we were even more intriguedTo clarify the situation, we caught up with Washington Post Staff Writer David Cho, who was responsible for originally reporting the factoid. Cho said the information was based on talks with some high school acquaintances of Hui's who occasionally saw him playing at an cyber cafe during his high school days.Cho said there was no solid indication either way whether or not Hui continued to play during three-and-a-half years at college. Hui's college roommates reportedly saw Hui on the computer constantly, but said he was usually writing, not playing games. Cho said a group of Virginia Tech Counter-Strike players he talked to had never heard of Hui, and that Hui hadn't attended a recent Counter-Strike tournament held on campus. As for the removal, Cho said it was standard practice to replace a rougher online version of a story with the polished print version when it was available. The Counter-Strike connection was removed, Cho said, to make room for more recent, more relevant information. Still, the fact is on file at the Post, Cho said, and it's possible it could make it into a future story.
Hi-def video podcasts for Apple TV
Earlier today, The Washington Post announced the release of hi-def video podcasts, specially formatted for the Apple TV [iTunes link]. They're encoded at 720p, and include some of their most popular writers. The Washington Post is the first news outlet to specifically target the Apple TV, and their Managing Editor of Multimedia had this to say on Tuesday:"High-definition is the future of video; we have moved beyond standard definition to provide viewers with a higher standard. We knew we needed to evolve past web video to remain a relevant, innovative news source."We agree! Afterall, isn't this the year of HD? Oh wait, that was 2005.[Via MacDailyNews]
Chinese clinic treats teen internet addicts with hypnosis, shock therapy
Normally we don't really like covering this whole theory of "internet addiction," mainly because it makes us nervous about the 12+ hours we spend online each and every day, but a recent look by the Washington Post at one of those clinics for PC-lovin' teens is interesting enough to warrant a mention. As we've seen before, China -- never one of the more progressive countries when it comes to encouraging online participation -- has followed several other East Asian countries in attempting to diagnose and cure netizens and gamers of their "unhealthy" dependence on computers, but what we didn't know were some of the rather extreme methods used to achieve this. According to the Post, one clinic in the Beijing suburb of Daxing keeps some of its 12 to 17-year-old patients locked in rooms with barred windows for most of the day, treating them with a combination of counseling, medication, and military-style discipline. While some residents clearly have no need for such a facility -- one young man who only surfed four to five hours a week said he came to Daxing to "get away from my parents" -- there do seem to be more hardcore cases of lonely individuals spending all their free time online at the expense of their careers and social lives. At the Daxing clinic, these troubled teens whose "souls are gone to the online world" are housed together on the third floor of the building, where they are subjected to hypnosis and even mild shock therapy in an attempt to rid them of their love of surfing. It's not really clear from the article what the success rate is for veterans of the clinic, but we imagine many of them find the conditions so distasteful that they swear off technology altogether simply for fear of being sent back. As for you, since no one will be sending you to internet rehab anytime soon, just continue reading all of the posts on this page while occasionally glancing over at and clicking on the bright, colorful ads.[Via Smart Mobs]
Washington Post: Wii comes to Thanksgiving, PS3 locked up
Following the thrashing the New York Times gave the PS3, it was only a matter of time before the Washington Post chimed in with their verdict on the new systems. The Washington Post's Mike Musgrove invited a bunch of people over to play both systems. Most hadn't even heard of the Wii and were looking forward to playing the PS3. Turned out the Wii "was the hit of the party."Musgrove gets Washington Post readers up to speed on what the Wii is and keeps going on, and on, and on about it. Eventually when he gets around to talking about the PS3 he writes, "Most of my friends who picked up the PS3's controller ended up frustrated. The typical game for the system requires players to have memorized where all the buttons are, and it's much harder to just pick up a controller and have a good time. Some of the verdicts they offered are unprintable." Ouch. Of course, the PS3 did dominate in the graphics department, however Musgrove points out you have to be pretty sharp to tell the difference between a PS3 and an Xbox 360 game at this point. He also referred to PS3's online sign-up process as a "vale of tears."It all culminates with Musgrove taking the Wii to his girlfriend's family's house for Thanksgiving because "it's just darn fun" and locking away the PS3 in an "undisclosed location, where it is being guarded by ninjas and feral dogs." A game system being locked away rather then being played, sounds like a sad life for a console.
Hijacking the 'MacBook Wi-Fi hack' in one article or less
John Gruber is at it again, and this time he's taken the MacBook Wi-Fi hack drama to the cleaners with perhaps the most in-depth play-by-play analysis I've seen to date (would you expect anything less?). Mr. Fireball starts at the top, even including an explanation of the various components involved (card, driver and 'third party') to make sure everyone can follow along. He covers the sensationalizing "Hijacking a MacBook in 60 Seconds or Less" article blog post from Brian Krebs of the Washington Post that started all this, mixes in some he-said she-said from the likes of SecureWorks (the company who sponsored this supposed hack at the Black Hat hacker conference) and Apple's PR response, and even finds time to toss in some thoughts on George Ou, a ZDNet blogger who is valiantly determined to go down with the ship. It's yet another fantastic read from Daring Fireball, a site to which I'm glad to say I've purchased a membership. Check it out.
SecureWorks admits to falsifying MacBook wireless hack
[Update: To his credit, David Maynor did in fact state at the beginning and end of this video that he's using a 3rd party card and drivers in order to enable this exploit. It was later comments from David Maynor and Jon "Johnny Cache" Ellch, as well as the disclaimer SecureWorks posted, that prompted me to claim they 'admitted' to 'falsifying' this hack. While these parties might not have outright lied about what's going on here (a debate that raged back at the time), they weren't exactly clear on any of it either. I have written a new post clarifying some key points of this situation that will hopeful set this straight.]Remember those hackers in the Washington Post story who claimed to have hacked a MacBook's wireless drivers to gain control of it? Then remember the follow-up story where the author, Brian Krebs basically, um, how shall I say: 'slightly falsified' his way through backing up the original story with excuses that the flaw does exist in Apple's drivers, but Apple 'leaned' on them not to publicize this so they decided to use a 3rd party card? Finally, remember how, in the original article, David Maynor, one of the hackers, is quoted saying "We're not picking specifically on Macs here, but if you watch those 'Get a Mac' commercials enough, it eventually makes you want to stab one of those users in the eye with a lit cigarette or something." Boy, that sure doesn't betray any sense of 'I am going to lie, cheat and steal to prove whatever I want' bitterness, does it?Sounds like SecureWorks, the company who sponsored all this Mac hackery, is finally fessing up to their falsification and admitting that they, in fact, did not find the flaw in Apple's drivers, and that they used a 3rd party card and software to facilitate the exploit. As icing on the cake part of a 'responsible disclosure policy,' they aren't releasing the name of the manufacturer of said 3rd party magic hacking tools. Three cheers for truth (and discretion) in journalism.Now let's make one thing clear: we at TUAW aren't advocates of the 'Macs are flawless! Long live the prefection that is Apple!' philosophy that naysayers of this experiment are coming under fire for. We are, however, advocates of finding true vulnerabilities on the quest to make the Mac even more solid and secure. The problem here is that this experiment was not one of those quests for truth - it was a quest for, in the words of Mr. Colbert: truthiness. We're genuinely sorry you're annoyed by the commercials, Mr. Maynor (believe me: not everyone loves them), but that's why some genius some time ago invented the ability to change TV channels. Give that remote a whirl some time - it might make your life (and ours) a whole lot easier.Thanks NotVeryPC
Legends of Jazz series hits PBS-HD
The Washington Post did a nice writeup Friday on this new PBS series. We know from our comments how much everybody enjoys their productions and this looks to be another quality one. Host Ramsey Lewis highlights a different theme and talks to some of the world's best musicians in each half hour segment, all produced in HDTV and 5.1 surround sound.I first heard about this series last fall when it was supposed to air, but didn't know what had happened to it. If you're at all a fan of the music or maybe even if you're not yet, go to the official website and find out when it is airing in your area, it is definitely worth catching.