Comments for

Comment on 7 Things To Know About HTML5 – Gamasutra by kristentwarner

kristentwarner — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:15:31 +0000

This article is 7 facts about HTML5. These facts include: it’s designed to work cross-platform, offers unpredictable performance, it’s alternative to flash, audio is a big problem, browser capability isn’t uniform, there’s no “app store”, and that it is still evolving.

To me, the biggest issue with HTML5 is the fact that it is not uniform for each browser. Having coded things before, universal codes are key. In HTML5, the user would only be able to participate if they are using newer browsers such as Chrome or Firefox. On top of that, the quality of the game would differ based upon what browser is used.

The one nice thing about HTML5 is that it is free, and there is no need to download or buy an application. What HTML5 has to offer is a good start. However, there are a lot of things that need improvement if a big audience is anticipated.

http://www.netmagazine.com/opinions/why-html5-not-choice-enterprise-mobility

In the article posted above, Akka talks about how HTML5 might not be the best choice yet. In his article he talks about a major concern: security. It is very possible that HTML5 will offer an open gateway to the corporate network. This can be a huge issue, especially because HTML5 will be used by our cell phones.

He also argues the fact that HTML5 is still under construction. He somewhat believes that it should not be available until it is perfect. HTML5 has some high expectations, and it is very possible that it might not meet them.

Comment on The Facebook Resisters – NYT article by mootryj27

mootryj27 — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 21:20:17 +0000

Facebook Resisters Comment: Jamiah Mootry (2012)

This article touches on the concerns and thoughts of those who have never used Facebook and those who have tried Facebook, but found no use for it. It’s becoming the norm of the 21st century and those without it are questioned or badgered to sign up. Facebook wants and needs as much participation it can receive because that is the only way it will keep thriving.
(http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/facebook-statistics-stats-facts-2011/)
Concerns about the safety of Facebook was also voiced, especially about it’s privacy. “I knew all these things about her, but I’d never even talked to her…” (New York Times, Worthman). Knowing things about people is nothing new, but Facebook brings this to new level. Now, a user can find out many things about people they have never met both in their hometown and/or universally. It’s kind of scary. One can find out things ranging from birthdays to where one ate for dinner last night. The list goes on and on.
There are some who simply refuse to engage with the online world and they were given the name, “Facebook Resisters”. They just don’t see the value in it or why people put so much trust into this type of media. Everyone can now see how you are and your activities if you by viewing your posts and statuses. Essentially your business is everywhere. Face to face time has been cut back as more and more people are becoming more intimate online.
Yes, Facebook is becoming more popular these days, and those resisting participation have a right to do so. This century is different compared to the days when landlines, writing letters, and talking face to face was fashionable. People are meeting and befriending strangers at a faster pace nowadays with Facebook because it is simple, fast, easy, and can be done with a simple click of the mouse.
The level of concern is something I believe users need to keep in mind. The social network houses its users personal information and it can make or break ones reputation if this information is not chosen wisely. What one does on the Internet is and will reside there forever.

Comment on The Facebook Resisters – NYT article by barnerl

barnerl — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 08:31:33 +0000

I agree with some of the arguments made in this article. People have become attached to Facebook. I remember when I didn’t have a Facebook account. My friends constantly told me to join and made me feel as if I was really missing out on something. Pretty soon I began to feel alienated from the rest of my friends. No one was calling, text messaging or even hanging out. Everyone was on Facebook, so eventually I decided to join.
Now I wouldn’t say that everyone is on there and it sure isn’t far from it. The privacy setting is a major problem. Even local employers can sometimes look on there to view potential employees, and person may not even get the job just because the employer does not like what they see! It’s also true that you can learn about a person and not even know them. It’s scary, but it’s the truth. I personally know quite and few people who know each other not because they met or hang out, but just because they seen each others pages on Facebook. People need to learn how to get back into physical interaction rather than over the keyboard.

Comment on Will Tablet Game Quality Soon Leapfrog Consoles? – Gamasutra by kestersp

kestersp — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 23:43:30 +0000

As of right now, I am still on the fence about the future of tablets. They are a really cool concept and are convenient to some but as a whole I just cant see myself ever really needing one. That said I can say without a doubt that they will never surpass consoles, at least for a long time. Reason why is the current generation is on it’s last leg, with more and more rumors flying around the internet about the next generation. Even the latest GDC has the new Unreal Engine 3, meant specifically for the next generation. So for them to say that they are now going to surpass consoles is a display at how far behind tablets are, and this is just the graphics department. Developers keep on trying to recreate the console experience on these tablets and then when the games dont work well people cant understand or the have ‘Wii effect’ and say its good for a tablet game or it’s trying something new that didn’t work. And even in this article they discuss how the tablet has already surpassed the Wii at least, but the issue with that is simply the Wii is not a real console contender anymore. It was a new toy that had poor graphics even for the N64 era and terrible third-party support so only Nintendo could really make decent games on it. I feel the tablets are going to do just the same thing as the Wii and will eventually either die completely or become a new type of laptop with it’s own keyboard, as it will keep evolving into a new computer base.

Comment on Using Kinect for High Adventure – Gamasutra by wahlgren

wahlgren — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 20:24:37 +0000

Blitz Games Studios Puss in Boots main goal in creating the game was to create an enjoyable, polished game that would deliver the movie experience to the player. It was very interesting to see how difficult it is designing it for the Kinect. To start with the player, they wanted to create an interesting way of how the player looks, and then build a strong player-character bond. In the hero experience, they wanted the character to look like a real hero. In other words, what the player looks differs from what the character actually looks. Their main focus was to embellish on what the player’s performance to make them feel heroic. For the next steps, it was information that I didn’t know much about so it was hard to comprehend.

In creating Puss in Boots for the Kinect, addressed the problems that they had come across, and then fixed their problems. The layout of the article was very informative and well thought-out. From my experience from the Kinect, I do agree that with the statement “Exaggerate the player’s performance to make them feel heroic. Use the player’s input to drive the action rather than directly reflect it.” When playing a Kinect games it make you feel like you’re “inside” the game, and makes you feel very active as well.

Overall, this article is informative in the way it shows the different issues at hand. I did not know much about how the game transfers over to the Kinect game.

Comment on Textbooks Finally Take a Big Leap to Digital – NYT by najmulsm

najmulsm — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:29:15 +0000

I am in favor of digital textbooks for a variety of reasons. The cost is substantially cheaper than buying a paper book because of all the resources it had to use. Another upside to the digital textbooks is that it is an easy carry. I know for myself I have to carry many, heavy textbooks and by having a device that holds all my texts needed in one, would be a huge benefit to me. Students sell, buy, resell their used books to gain the money back that they spent on purchasing them in the first place, by having a digital device for these textbooks, students would not have to worry about that so much because they would be saving money in the first place. Having the digital textbooks is more easily accessible than carrying many papered ones.
The one downfall to the digital textbooks is that it is not permanent. This could be an issue for students who would want to keep their texts but in reality most students end up either renting and returning their books or selling them to someone else. There are a lot of advantages to the digital textbooks and they definitely override the one disadvantage of not being able to keep the book forever. I believe improvements will be made to this idea to help better satisfy everyone.

Comment on At Sony, Portable Games Just Got Bigger – NYT by lakomsk1

lakomsk1 — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 03:03:50 +0000

It is very difficult to leave my personal opinions aside while reading something that is this biased. The article claims that unlike the PSP the Vita isn’t trying to be something it’s not. That is completely false, it’s trying to be a PS3. And from what I have played, many games seem to FORCE the player into using touch controls even though there are perfectly wonderful face buttons. That seems like a bad call. The article also talks about “pocket budget” and the only way this thing would fit in my pocket would be if I bought some cargo shorts (which I will not do). It is literally the largest thing I have ever held in my hands. Although, it is surprisingly light and well designed from an aesthetic standpoint. The screen is also beautiful. I am impressed with the Vita overall, but the games available for it are either trying to be identical to the console counterparts (so why spend another $40) or trying to be iPhone games.

The article is very condescending towards Nintendo, but at least playing a DS or 3DS feels like a unique experience and not a mini whatever.

http://venturebeat.com/2012/03/04/ps-vita-sales-vs-psp-3ds-ds/
That website above lists sales figures for many handheld devices, and you will see that Nintendo has a pretty consistent history of outselling the competition.

ign.com called the Vita the concord of handhelds, meaning that it is amazing but no one will appreciate it because it’s to expensive. The Vita is a beautiful device and I hope it succeeds, but I think it’s a little early to count the chickens. It all comes down to the games, or at least it should. So until it develops a bigger library we will have to wait and see.

Comment on Behind the Google Goggles, Virtual Reality – NYT by marissa_verdi_dma206

marissa_verdi_dma206 — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 06:32:00 +0000

This article both excites and scares me. On the one hand it would be incredible to wear glasses that could recognize a restaurant you are standing in front of and pull up reviews to read about it or use the GPS function to help you navigate to someplace when traveling. But then there is the issue of how healthy can it really be to have writing and graphics that close to your eyes as well as having the possibility to add more to the problem of distracted drivers. Both the positive and negative outcomes have the potential to be endless. Google goggles could be the next gadget fad, just like the ipod or iphone, to hit the mainstream, but at what cost? PCWorld’s Damon Brown calls the glasses a “prescription for disaster.” He voices concern over driving with these glasses on as well as privacy concerns. Google would know where you are; whom you are with; what you are doing, and this could compromise your safety as well as the safety of others. He also addresses how crime rates could spike up (just like stealing increased with the introduction to Apple devices) and how annoying more advertisement could be…like we do not receive enough from the websites we visit, email, cell phone apps, ect. In my opinion, if you want to buy these glasses for gaming, purchase yourself a pair of video/gaming glasses. They run anywhere from $100-500 a pair, a lot cheaper than the estimated price of the google goggles, and it will keep you and others safe. We prosecute people who text and drive. We send people to jail for being drunk and disorderly. How are these goggles any different? They disorientate you and create an environment that is much too dangerous for yourself and others around you. In my opinion, I think these glasses have the potential to be the next great HOUSEHOLD toy, like the Wii, or even a breakthrough gadget for our U.S. troops, but I do not think these glasses should be allowed to be worn within a community. At least not until a set of laws come out banning what you can and can not access via the glasses and a punishment for being caught driving with them on.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/250507/google_glasses_are_a_prescription_for_disaster.html

Comment on The Machine That Makes You Musical – NYT by deganis1

deganis1 — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 02:45:37 +0000

Very interesting article! I agree with Mr. Wang’s idea that music can be learned and created by everyone. I like his determination on trying to get a wide audience to get connected through music by the use of his apps. I like the karaoke robot app and how interactive it is. I also think that by making it a free app, it will gain the attention of many people. I also like how he will have add ons for costumers to choose to add more content. I like how Wang is using a new way to teach people that one doesn’t need to have musical experience to make music. I think that this is very true. Music is a learned art and i believe everyone can do it through practice so why not make a game out of it. I like the company Smule and their way of bringing out hidden talents in everyone. I think that these musical apps can make non musicians musicians and make musicians more creative. If a musician is learning strictly classical music, these apps can help that person become more open to different, more experimental sounds.
I think that now a day, people have become more reliant on technology so this method is a great way to reach a more diverse audience. Being a musician myself, playing piano for 10 years, i think that this is a great way to get the inner musician out. I think that these apps reach a wide array of users, from young to old. My little cousin has the piano app and he can’t get enough of it. I help him play little songs on his ipod and he always enjoys it, showing me what he has learned or made up ever time i see him. I really enjoyed Mr. Wang’s philosophy on getting everyone to play an instrument.

Comment on Textbooks Finally Take a Big Leap to Digital – NYT by josth

josth — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 02:10:47 +0000

The push for digital textbooks is one I would definitely back. The cost of buying textbooks each year is insane especially for college students who are already in huge debt from tuition. Students would then be able to buy a kindle or other device once and use it every year, downloading their texts at a much smaller cost. This article analyses the newly collected data proving an increase in the demand for etexts. As well as how large companies such as John Wiley & Sons and Chegg are providing more and more digital options when it comes to textbooks. The market is so large currently for the buying and reselling of used textbooks in order for students to save on cost, so there is definite potential for a turn towards digital books if they can save buyers money.

The one complaint in this article is that digital texts don’t last forever and you cannot hold on to them for very long. Personally I try and rent all of my textbooks because if I buy them they end up sitting on my bookshelf untouched gathering dust. The majority of the time I don’t want to read them the first time when it’s required let alone on my own time. While there are draw backs for printers I believe the benefits out way the disadvantages, this is a step toward the future and I hope to see the change during my academic career.