General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article


Foxconn Adding 1 Million Robots Over The Next Three Years To Replace Chinese Workers

Posted: 31 Jul 2011 02:05 PM PDT

Robot AssemblyManual labor is dead. You know how we know? Foxconn announced today that it would start phasing out its rampant hiring, and add over 1 million robots to its manufacturing process over the next three years. A spokesmen for the company claims the robots will help cut rising labor costs, improve efficiency, and help keep Foxconn competitive. 

When a company can save money by installing robots to replace workers who are making less than $300 per month, it's safe to say it's time to brush up on your robot maintenance skills. We're all going to need them. 

The robots are intended to replace workers doing mostly simple tasks such as spraying, welding, and basic assembly currently done by mostly Chinese laborers. Foxconn currently uses about 10,000 robots, a number which will jump to 300,000 next year, and 1 million in three. 

Foxconn is the world's largest manufacturer of computer components, assembling products for Apple, Sony and Nokia from its headquarters in China. 

Intel Details The Ultrabook Three Year Roadmap

Posted: 31 Jul 2011 10:07 AM PDT

UltrabookThe x86 market isn't in jeopardy by any stretch of the imagination, but Intel has seen the future, and mobile is where the moneys at. As tablets based on the arm architecture slowly evolve into convertible PC's, Intel knows it will need to make laptops that are even more compelling if it's going to survive the long haul. We know the Ultrabook is one of Intel's most important strategies going forward, however in a blog post on Thursday they finally detailed the three year roadmap for what they believe is a completely new product segment, and we can't wait to see what the future holds.

Phase 1: The first generation of "Ultrabooks" will be based on Sandy Bridge, and using the new Ultra-Low Voltage processors similar to those found in the Macbook Air. Asus, Dell, Sony, and Hewlett-Packard have already announced their intention to build products based on these parts, and will be arriving en-mass this fall.

Phase 2: The second generation of Ultrabook will feature Intel's Ivy Bridge CPU's, and will feature more advanced I/O's such as USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt. Expect to start seeing these ship by Summer 2012. 

Phase 3: The third generation of Ultrabooks will be based on an upcoming micro-architecture currently code named Haswell. So far we don't know much about Haswells capabilities, but expect it to up performance and battery life. Haswell is currently on the roadmap for a 2013 release.  

20-Year-Old Man Dies After Marathon Gaming Session

Posted: 31 Jul 2011 09:21 AM PDT

Take a BreakHave you ever wondered why the first 2-3 pages of a Nintendo manual have more health warnings than a box of cigarettes? It's not because gaming is a particularly dangerous hobby, but like everything in life some people just don't understand the old adage "all things in moderation". According to the UK's Sun newspaper, one such example is 20-year-old Chris Staniforth, a truly dedicated gamer who passed away last week during one of his 12+ hour marathon Halo sessions as a result so much inactivity.

The Autopsy confirmed that Staniforth's died from a blood clot which resulted from deep vein thrombosis, an ailment brought on by large stretches of little to no movement. The doctors consulted in the matter reminded reporters that while inactivity was the cause, it was still a very unlucky co-incidence that happens more often to long haul flight passengers, where getting up and moving around can be difficult.

Chris Staniforth's father says he doesn't blame Microsoft and that his son lived for his Xbox. Not surprisingly when asked for comment Microsoft would say only that, "we recommend gamers take breaks to exercise as well as make time for other pursuits."

Sound advice. 

Can Your Browser Choice Really Betray Your True IQ?

Posted: 31 Jul 2011 08:33 AM PDT

GumpIf you've tried everything you can think of to convert your friends and family over to your browser of choice, we've come up with a pair of new weapons for your arsenal. The tools we're offering you here are not only persuasive, but involve an entertaining mix of both science and shame. According to AptiQuant Psychometric Consulting, a person's IQ has at least a slight influence on which browser they are likely to use, and unfortunately for Microsoft the headlines haven't been kind.

Are Internet Explorer Users Dumb? – CNN

Internet Explorer Users Have Lower IQs – The Independent

Just How Stupid Are IE Users? - CNET 

As you may have already guessed, the AptiQuant survey of over 100,000 random web users concluded that Internet Explorer users are the least intelligent on average. But don't let that shiny new auto-updated version of Chrome, Firefox, or Safari delude you into thinking you're the cream of the crop. Users of Camino, Opera, and IE with Chrome Frame scored much higher than any of the mainstream choices.  

Whether or not you choose to believe the science behind the full report is up to you, but for what it's worth the company's CEO Leonard Howard claims that his inbox is overwhelmed with hate mail from loyal IE users. In a follow up interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Howard clarified his company's interpretation of the results, just in case you were starting to feel offended. "I just want to make it clear that the report released by my company did not suggest that if you use IE that means you have a low IQ, but what it really says is that if you have a low IQ then there are high chances that you use Internet Explorer."

There you have it folks, you're not dumb if your using IE, but if you're using IE you might be dumb. Everyone got it straight now? Glad we cleared that up!

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