General Gaming Article |
- Old School Monday: Third Gen 3D Cards
- HP Not Through with PCs Yet, Announces 8200 Elite All-in-one
- Everything You Need to Know to Buy Your First DSLR
- July 2011: The Complete Guide to Email Mastery
- Chrome Web App of the Week: DayZipping
- Google+ isn't Making a Dent in Facebook's Traffic
- Razer Claims PC Gaming Is Not Dead In Full-Page Wall Street Journal Ad
- Cornell Develops Algorithm for Detecting Fake Online Reviews
- It's Somewhat Official: Fox's New Online Content Policy Turns Hulu Viewers Into Pirates
- Report: Goofing Off Online Increases Workplace Productivity
| Old School Monday: Third Gen 3D Cards Posted: 22 Aug 2011 05:19 PM PDT It's Monday, and we all know that means it's time to get Old School and take a look back on the technology that brought us to where we are today. This week we're going back to the July 1997 issue of boot, so that we can look forward to what videocards would look like in 1998. It's a whiplash of a time trip back to when Voodoo reigned supreme, 3Dfx was preparing to go public and Cirrus Logic was strugling to transition to 3D. Join us as we discuss Riva 128, ATI's 3D Rage Pro and exactly what an AGP is.
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| HP Not Through with PCs Yet, Announces 8200 Elite All-in-one Posted: 22 Aug 2011 02:21 PM PDT
The 8200 Elite features a 23-inch LCD panel at 1920x1080. The low-end model runs on an Intel Pentium dual-core, but pricier options include Core i3 and i5 chips. Buyers can get as much as 8GB of RAM and 1TB of hard drive space. Other goodies include six USB ports and an optional Blu-Ray drive. It's not a bad machine by any stretch, just not as sexy as a thriving mobile platform. But that's something HP will apparently never have. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Everything You Need to Know to Buy Your First DSLR Posted: 22 Aug 2011 02:03 PM PDT Tired of missing those action shots? Are blurry indoor photos getting you down? A DSLR might be just the cure for your point-and-shoot blues
Phones with cameras are ubiquitous, and point-and-shoot cameras have become practically throwaway purchases. It's the golden age of citizen photography, but as you become more serious about your images, pocketable cameras become more frustrating, and you run into the limits of physics. The tiny sensors and low-speed lenses in camera phones and point-and-shoots can't do justice to fast-action or low-light photography. Sometimes when you need that really long shot of, say, a hawk soaring above the trees, the wide-angle lens common to compact cameras reduces the graceful lines of the regal bird to a tiny dot. Enter digital SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras, which take your photography to the next level. "SLR" simply means that a mirror or prism sits in front of the sensor and directs light to an optical viewfinder, allowing you to monitor the scene as the lens sees it. A DSLR offers a larger sensor than you'll find in a point-and-shoot camera, and this allows it to capture more light. The larger sensor also offers greater dynamic range, which often translates to better shadow detail in photos with mixed lighting. A DSLR also gives you fine-grain control over all your picture settings—aperture, shutter speed, focus, ISO settings, and more. Interchangeable lenses are another big selling point. For normal use, you can use a lightweight zoom that's suitable for general photography. For long shots, add a superzoom or long telephoto. The combination of bigger sensors, infinitely flexible settings, and robust lens choices allows you to capture phenomenal action, shoot in dimly lit conditions, or sometimes both. The two leading manufacturers of DSLRs are Canon and Nikon, which together own nearly three-quarters of the market. In the following pages, we'll help you determine which DSLR features are right for you and review some of the interesting models. Before You BuyASK YOURSELF: WHAT KIND OF PHOTOGRAPHER AM I? How you plan to use your DSLR camera will inform your purchase and help you parse the myriad camera specs thrown at you by DSLR makers. SENSOR SIZE MEGAPIXELS
FRAME RATE BUFFER SIZE AUTOFOCUS POINTS SCENE MODES ISO SETTINGS
VIDEO MEMORY CARDS LIVE VIEW FLASH Putting a DSLR to the TestTesting the performance of a DSLR can be a complex process, but we distilled our testing down to a few key parameters. We wanted to check out image quality at high-ISO settings and continuous-mode shooting performance as objectively as possible. Autofocus performance was a tougher nut, since modern DSLRs tend to offer pretty fast autofocus under normal lighting. So we settled for subjectively testing AF "hunting" in a low-contrast environment, which is probably the biggest challenge for most autofocus schemes. High-ISO testing was conducted with roughly equivalent, higher-quality lenses. For Nikon, we used the new Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm f/4G VR. For Canon, the test lens was the EF 24-105mm f/4 IS USM. The cameras were set to aperture priority mode and f/5.6, with the shutter speed allowed to vary. The room was moderately lit with old-style fluorescent tubes, which also gave us a chance to check out the effectiveness of the auto white-balance. The scene used in high-ISO testing consisted of a number of colorful objects on a white background. We then cropped an 800x800 pixel region that contains a sample of most of the objects used and looked at noise levels at ISO 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, and 12800. We made sure to disable both noise reduction and sharpening in Photoshop's Camera Raw tool when we imported the images to Photoshop. Continuous-mode testing was performed with a cleanly formatted, SanDisk Extreme SDXC card with a rated throughput of 45MB/s. The cameras were set to manual, 1/250 of a second, f/4, at the maximum continuous mode of the SLR. We discuss the results of continuous-mode shooting in the individual reviews, but all these cameras have limited buffer sizes, particularly if you're shooting in raw mode. Getting a faster SD card helps, but only to a limited extent.
Nikon D3100BIG ON FEATURES, LOW ON COST The D3100 is a welcome update to earlier entry-level DSLRs from Nikon, which offered aging sensor technology and limited feature sets. The D3100 sports a 14.1MP CMOS APS-C sensor with very good low-light capabilities for a camera in its class. At a shade over a pound for the body, it's also the lightest of the DSLRs in our roundup. The light weight and compact size make it easy to throw in a backpack or large purse. The 18–55mm kit lens adds another 12 ounces. The kit lens offers limited speed and isn't the sharpest lens we've tested, but at appropriate f/stop and lighting conditions, it gets the job done.
Due to its relatively light weight and small size, the D3100 feels a little unbalanced in the hand. Anyone graduating from a point-and-shoot camera might want to avoid trying to grab the left side, as there's little to grab. Attaching any lens larger than the kit lens tends to tilt the balance toward the lens. The user interface is classic Nikon. It's easy to rotate the command dial while simultaneously depressing the shutter button. The menu structure is a little daunting, however, with many lists scrolling down below the screen bottom, although there is a scroll bar that informs you where you are in the menu. The pop‑up flash is useful for fill and occasional use. The camera can't be used to command Nikon's remote CLS flash units without having an external CLS-capable flash attached. Continuous shooting is limited to 3fps, and the buffer fills at 12 shots in raw mode. It takes about seven seconds for the buffer to empty. Noise levels are pretty minimal up through ISO 1600. At ISO 3200 and 6400, luminance noise is visible, and when you push to H mode (ISO 12800), luminance noise kills a lot of detail. However, chroma (color) noise is noticeably absent. Auto white-balance was sometimes fooled by fluorescent lighting flicker at a range of shutter speeds, giving images a yellowish cast.
HD movie modes max out at 1080p/24fps; 1080/30 isn't supported, nor is 720/60. Other supported video modes include 720/30, 720/24, and 640/24. The D3100 uses contrast focus when capturing video, so don't expect fast autofocus performance when shooting video. We shot some video at 1080/24 using maximum quality settings and got a bit rate of about 20Mb/s. Quality looked fairly good in daylight. Overall, the D3100 is a fine entry-level DSLR but is marred a little by awkward body balance. Like earlier entry-level Nikon DSLRs, some older lenses that lack built-in motors won't work with the camera. The unit feels plasticky in hand, and you should be careful in wet weather, as it's not well-sealed. Video settings are limited, but this camera is a good foray into the DSLR world.  Specifications
Canon EOS Rebel T3iRICH IN FEATURES AND NO SLOUCH IN PERFORMANCE Canon's latest Rebel T3i offers a robust feature set, a staggering 18MP APS-C sensor, good control over your photography, and an impressive array of movie modes. At just a little more than 18 ounces, the T3i feels very good in your hand. The body design is balanced and textured rubber coats both front and back. If you attach a lens larger than the 18–55mm kit lens, the balance does tilt forward, but the body still feels natural while using it.
Autofocus seems a touch slower than on the Nikon D3100 in dimly lit conditions, but overall focus speed is good in most lighting. Auto white-balance works well, even in flickering fluorescent light, until you start pushing to higher ISOs and shutter speeds, where that familiar yellowish cast will occasionally creep in. Fluorescent lights are often a problem with auto white-balance schemes, but Canon seems to handle it a bit better than most. There's also a nifty "intelligent auto" that sets most of the exposure but lets you play around a bit with depth of field and also control the flash. At its maximum shooting speed of 3.7fps in raw image mode, the buffer filled after six shots and took about seven seconds to empty. That's about average for a unit of this class, but you will want to manage your continuous shooting carefully or risk losing some of the action. Video settings are very flexible and include both 1080/30 and 720/60 HD modes, plus a plethora of others. At 1080/30, the T3i generates large files with high bit rates—in excess of 40Mb/s—which is a testament to the video capture abilities of the unit. Where the T3i falls down a bit is in the user interface. Take ISO settings, for example. If you want to push the ISO beyond the maximum 6400, you need to navigate to one of the top menu tabs, select Custom functions, click through to the second custom function, and then enable ISO Expansion. If Nikon menus are too long vertically, Canon menus have too many tabs, some of which contain nested functions. Also, rotating the main dial while simultaneously pressing other buttons can be an interesting exercise in frustration.
Once you've figured it all out, however, the T3i is a pleasure to use. Image quality is generally quite good, though the T3i suffers from serious luminance and color noise at its highest ISO setting (12800). Even at both ISO 3200 and 6400, luminance noise is still somewhat distracting (although no worse than the D3100 at ISO 3200), but color noise is minimal at ISO 6400 and below. The built-in flash can act as a master unit if you own Canon external flash units, offering great flexibility in lighting. On its own, it's a typical pop-up flash, mostly useful for fill or when you've got nothing else. In the end, the EOS Rebel T3i is a terrific value at about $850 with the 18–55mm f/3.5–5.6 image-stabilized kit lens. And Canon's rich array of lens choices gives you tremendous options as you explore your own photographic inclinations.  Specifications
Canon EOS 60DFLEXIBLE CONTROL PLUS HANDHOLDING WHEN NEEDED At first blush, you'd think the EOS 60D would be more capable than the older EOS 50D. That's only partially true. It's got more pixels and a more sophisticated metering engine, but it lacks the metal body and has a lower maximum continuous shooting speed. Making those changes allowed Canon to lower the price a bit: the EOS 60D body can be found for less than $1,000, while the kit with the 18–135mm IS lens is about $1,200.
Like the lower-end T3i, the EOS 60D offers a fully articulating LCD screen. Stepping up to the EOS 60D gives you a pentaprism-equipped viewfinder. Using a pentaprism increases the bulk of the camera slightly, but the viewfinder is brighter, making manual focus a bit easier. The EOS 60D feels beefier and more solid than the T3i, and its balance in the hand when using larger lenses is better. The EOS 60D's user interface is similar to the T3i's, which means a fair amount of menu hunting. If you want to change any settings for video, you first need to select video with the mode dial. It's logical, given the dense structure of Canon's menus. Having the main dial vertically mounted directly behind the shutter button is a bit awkward. Also, nesting a D-pad inside the quick control dial on the back of the unit is a bit much. One nifty feature is a fully working artificial horizon visible on the LCD, which makes adjusting the relative tilt of the camera easy. You have easy control over picking your focus point, which makes selective focus easy. But this also makes you realize how limited nine autofocus points are, though all are cross type at higher f-stops. Autofocus is fast, with little hunting in low light. Auto white-balance performance is pretty good, too, though with the usual limits, depending on lighting conditions. The EOS 60D can shoot up to 16 shots in raw mode before the buffer fills, but that buffer takes a whopping 17 seconds to empty. Shooting at the full 5.3fps makes shooting action a real pleasure, but you need to shoot in relatively short bursts to manage the buffer in raw or switch to JPEG.
Interestingly, high-ISO shooting (ISO 3200 and 6400) seems to generate images slightly softer than the T3i. As with the T3i, if you push to ISO 12800, you start to see a lot of chromatic noise. Still, high ISO performance is pretty good overall. Like the T3i, the EOS 60D supports full HD resolutions, including 1080/30. (None of the DSLRs tested here support interlaced resolutions, however.) Video quality is good, and shooting video is easy and straightforward, although autofocus performance is limited. The EOS 60D costs a pretty penny, but you'll be rewarded with fine handling, Canon's superb selection of lenses, and excellent video capabilities. We wish the user interface was a little less awkward and some of the key features present in the older 50D had been retained, but you'll get great photos and videos with the EOS 60D.  Specifications
Nikon D7000CATERS TO PROS AND CONSUMERS ALIKE Nikon built the D7000 using a partial magnesium shell (top and bottom) with dust and weather seals. It feels slightly less balanced in the hand than Canon's D60, but this is a minor inconvenience that most shooters won't notice. The D7000's user interface is easier to navigate than the D60's, but it does fall down a bit in the mode dial. The detent is pretty light, and there's no lock, so it's easy to accidentally change modes without knowing it.
What's impressive about the D7000 is that Nikon pushed its sensor size up to 16MP while improving the high-ISO capabilities over those of past generations. In fact, even at the extreme setting of ISO 25800, there's almost no color noise, though luminance noise is quite distracting. Auto white-balance occasionally has issues with flickering fluorescent lights even at relatively low ISOs and high shutter speeds. Nikon's LCD-based UI offers fewer choices than Canon does but also doesn't require you to scroll through long menus to find obscure settings. Like the EOS 60D, there is a flexible set of control customization options. The mode dial also has two settings, labeled U1 and U2, that let you easily recall customized settings. The built-in flash works as expected but can also act as a master in Nikon's CLS remote flash system if you're using Nikon SB700 and higher flash units. On the consumer-friendly side, the D7000 has more scene modes than many point-and-shoot cameras—19 in all. Some of these actually work better than we expected. In particular, the Silhouette mode metered complex backlit scenes amazingly well. The D7000 also has two SDXC-capable slots, and you can designate whether to use one to mirror the other as spillover or for video.
One highly useful feature is the 39-point autofocus (nine are cross type), which is easily selectable with the D-pad. The ability to fine-tune your focus provides excellent composition opportunities. On the other hand, don't forget to move the focus point back to center when you're shooting fast action! The D7000 can shoot at a full 6fps, which makes it a great option for sports, but the buffer size is limited. If you're shooting 12-bit raw format, the buffer fills at 14 shots and takes 12 seconds to flush. If you want to shoot at a higher dynamic range, the D7000 can shoot in 14-bit mode—but the buffer fills after only a few shots. Video is more limited than on either Canon camera. 1080p is only supported at 24fps and there's no 60fps option for 720p. Image quality is good at those resolutions, but if you plan on shooting lots of video, the limitations are worth noting. Overall, the D7000 is a high-end prosumer camera with some professional aspirations. It's got great low-light performance, reasonably fast autofocus, and feels pretty good in the hand, though large lenses will alter the balance. The mode dial is a little problematic, and the buffer could be bigger, but overall, the D7000 offers photographers great shooting flexibility coupled with useful handholding when you need it.  Specifications
Mirrorless MarvelsTechnically, most point-and-shoot cameras are "mirrorless," but the moniker seems to have stuck to cameras with (mostly) larger sensors and the capability to swap lenses. Panasonic and Olympus tried to establish a standard with Micro Four Thirds (a sensor format that's about 40 percent smaller than APS-size sensors but much larger than most point-and-shoot cameras), but Sony and Samsung rained on their parade, coming out with different formats.
The Panasonic GF2 is a Micro Four Thirds camera; its shape is reminiscent of the rangefinder film cameras popular in the 1960s. It lacks a viewfinder, but an electronic viewfinder can be attached to the hotshoe. It shoots video at full 1080/30 (saved as 1080i) and 720/60 formats in AVCHD mode, just like a camcorder. It handles much like a point-and-shoot, but you can swap out lenses. Panasonic and Olympus make a variety of lenses that can mount on each other's Micro Four Thirds bodies. The Panasonic GF2 isn't much bigger than some point-and-shoots, though it's not something you can tuck into a shirt pocket. Panasonic also makes the more SLR-like GH3, which offers greater control and capability. The smaller sensor size relative to an SLR does mean that low-light performance is limited. While the GF2 is capable of going to ISO 6400, anything above 1600 is a noisy mess. Still, there's something compelling about these smaller cameras that allow you to swap out lenses. Available lenses include primes as fast as f/1.4, zooms out to 300mm (effectively 600mm, due to the 2x crop factor), and even wide zooms (7–14mm, roughly equivalent to 14–28mm full frame). They look cool, can shoot great photos with good light, and the lenses allow excellent shooting flexibility. It's very possible that a mirrorless design will be your future camera of choice over an SLR. Tips For Better PicsHOW TO MAKE THE BEST USE OF YOUR HARDWARE
Tip 1 - Photography is all about light, so start paying attention to it even when you aren't taking pictures. Observe the light around you and the way it interacts with subjects and environments. Quantity of light does not equal quality of light. Cameras do not have the benefit of bi-optic sight like our eyes, so shadow and highlight are your go-to tools for communicating shape and depth. Typical on-camera flash is unflattering partly because it strips the shadows and thus the shape and depth from your subjects. Tip 2 - Don't be afraid to push into the high ISOs instead of using your flash. Modern cameras, especially full-frame models, capture phenomenal images in low light. It's better to deal with a little sensor noise in your post-processing than to lose the shot completely to motion blur. Tip 3 - Don't assume that upgrading the camera will improve your photography. Before buying a new body, have a list of three or four specific problems that an upgrade would solve over your current gear. If you purchased a DSLR during the last four to five years, chances are you have plenty of resolution. "More megapixels" is rarely a good reason to upgrade. If you have money to spend, first consider a new lens, or challenge yourself with off-camera lighting. Tip 4 - Dump that kit zoom lens. In addition to having a better grasp of light, you'll also want to improve your compositions. Abandoning zooms will force you to think a lot harder about what you're doing—what you include in the frame, and what you don't. There's a time and place for zooms (on a full-frame body start with a 50mm prime, for example, or on a crop-frame body start with a 35mm prime, which on most brands will get you close to a 50mm equivalent field of view), but they won't train you to be thoughtful about your compositions the way a fixed focal–length lens or prime lens will. Even the cheapest prime lenses will offer significantly better image quality than a consumer zoom and are typically "faster" too, allowing more light into the camera. Tip 5 - To avoid camera shake, the golden rule for people with steady hands is a shutter speed of 1/10 of a second per mm of focal length. On a 35mm-equivalent FOV, 1/35 of a second is the lowest practical handheld shutter speed. At 200mm, 1/200 is your lowest practical shutter. Again, this rule only applies to hand-shake. If your subject is moving, the rules change depending on how fast they are. I find when shooting weddings (humans moving normally about a room) at 50mm that 1/125 is the slowest I can get away with and still keep the majority of my frames sharp. Hold the camera in tight and close to your body. The closer it is to your core, the more you can use yourself as a brace. Don't try to use live view unless you are stabilizing the camera or shooting with very high shutter speeds. Final Thought - A camera is not a human eye. It "sees" light very differently. The human eye is truly an impressive instrument; next to it a camera is terribly limited. Wielding a camera skillfully is about understanding its limitations and learning to work around them, or even better, turning them to your advantage. Gavin Farrington (www.gavinfarrington.com) is a professional photographer and longtime reader of Maximum PC magazine. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| July 2011: The Complete Guide to Email Mastery Posted: 22 Aug 2011 01:00 PM PDT
Click the cover image on the right to download the PDF archive today! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chrome Web App of the Week: DayZipping Posted: 22 Aug 2011 12:43 PM PDT
DayZipping is an ingenious web service designed to help travelers plan short, inexpensive day trips to popular destinations as well as locales off the beaten path. Featuring advice from locals living in the area of suggested destinations as well as input from other DayZipping users, there's always more than enough information on hand to ensure that the shoelace budgeted adventure you choose will be right up your alley. At the time of this article's writing, DayZipping featured destinations in 50 states, as well as 15 countries around the world. All of the trips suggested on the service can be searched by cost, location and category, making finding what you're looking for a cinch.
After returning from their road trip, users are invited to comment about their experience, and can even add new destinations, tours and whole day trips to the service for other DayZipping users to benefit from. Be sure to check back with us every Monday for another edition of Chrome Web App of the Week. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Google+ isn't Making a Dent in Facebook's Traffic Posted: 22 Aug 2011 11:07 AM PDT
Facebook doesn't publish unique visitor data by country, but comScore does. According to comScore (PDF), Facebook attracted over 162 million U.S. visitors during the month of July 2011, which is the highest it's ever been. Prior to that, the record was 160.9 million, recorded one month prior. It will be interesting to keep an eye on the number of unique visitors as Google+ gains steam. Google+ launched at the end of June, but only to a limited number of users. Invites were few and far between at the time, and still today Google+ is by invite-only. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Razer Claims PC Gaming Is Not Dead In Full-Page Wall Street Journal Ad Posted: 22 Aug 2011 11:03 AM PDT
TO OUR FRIENDS XBOX, PLAYSTATION AND WII, We have all heard the rhetoric about the death of PC gaming – the stories that console gaming will take over all gaming and that PC gamers will be left with shoddy ports of console titles. The rumors of our untimely demise have been greatly exaggerated. We are more than 300 million PC gamers worldwide and this legion is growing every day. Today there are more PC gamers than all console gamers combined and we have been silent in the face of the closed gaming systems that have been propagated. We, the PC Gamers, have been here since the beginning and have seen the industry grow to surpass movies and music, and we look forward to an open world where console and PC gamers will stand side by side as gamers in arms. We are here today to tell you, that on the 26th of August, we will seek to end the silence and bring a new age of openness and innovation to all gaming. Together we shall remind you – that PC gaming is NOT dead. GLHF, Razer, FOR THE PC GAMERS OF THE WORLD The suspense has our spider-senses tingling, as does the nifty robo-voice and Matrix-like sound effects on the pcgamingisnotdead.com website. As we said this weekend, the folks at Engadget think it might have something to do with Razer's netbook-like Switchblade, and that seems like a decent guestimate to us, too. What do you think the big announcement will be? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cornell Develops Algorithm for Detecting Fake Online Reviews Posted: 22 Aug 2011 10:39 AM PDT
Before we dive into Cornell's custom algorithm, let's set things up. The New York Times ran an article about the "arms race of sorts" that exists as companies chase five-star reviews, and some are willing to pay for them. "I will pay for positive feedback on TripAdvisor," NYT quotes a post from the Digital Point forum. It's also easy to find individuals actively seeking out companies willing to pay for positive reviews by posting their rates on forums and Craigslist. NYT tells the story of Sandra Parker, a freelance writer who claims a review factory hired her to write Amazon reviews at a rate of $10 per post. "We were not asked to provide a five-star review, but would be asked to turn down an assignment if we could not give one," Parker explains. It's a shady business, and getting back to Cornell, university researchers are working on special code that's able to spot bogus writeups. It works by looking for strong and slight deceptive indicators. For example, in breaking down a fake hotel review, the program points out the greater use of first-person singular, direct mention of where the reviewer stayed, the use of an exclamation point, high adverb use, and other clues that, taken together, means there's a strong likelihood the review isn't real. Unfortunately, this sort of thing does go on, you just don't hear about it very often. But every once in awhile, a high profile scandal makes the headlines, like when a Belkin employee was caught soliciting positive reviews for pay back in 2009. Belkin acknowledged one of its employees was paying for positive Amazon reviews and said it was an isolated incident. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| It's Somewhat Official: Fox's New Online Content Policy Turns Hulu Viewers Into Pirates Posted: 22 Aug 2011 10:27 AM PDT
The numbers comes courtesy of TorrentFreak, which conducted a limited study since Fox's implementation of the new policy on the 15th. The website tracked torrents for Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen and MasterChef. The statistics were pretty conclusive: the download numbers for the newest episode of Hell's Kitchen were 114 percent higher than they were for the previous three episodes. Even more people pirated MasterChef: the newest episode saw a 189 percent increase in download rates, although TorrentFreak notes that it was the season finale for the show. Tens of thousands of people also streamed the show on YouTube rather than turning to P2P. Commenters have been thanking the uploaders on torrent sites and YouTube, whereas the criticism has been scathing on Hulu and Fox.com. Unfortunately, Hulu watchers don't seem to know that the switch came at Fox's direction. Most of the screams of rage target the streaming service itself. An example, from Hulu user Abby List: "I just went through this sh!t with MasterChef, and I try to watch Hell's Kitchen and see I can't even watch the next episode? Hulu, you really need to consider a new marketing strategy. This is complete bullsh!t. I don't even like these shows that much, I just liked the convience of watching them on Hulu. Now that Hulu's no longer convienent, I can honestly say (but not completely honestly because of your bullsh!t censoring even on a show that have people cussing and sleeping with each other) go f---- yourselves, you f------ sons of b------. Have some f------ respect for your f------ patrons. Jesus Christ." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Report: Goofing Off Online Increases Workplace Productivity Posted: 22 Aug 2011 10:20 AM PDT
"Impact of Cyberloafing on Psychological Engagement" – that's right, "Cyberloafing;" we love it, too – by Don J.Q. Chen and Vivien K.G Lim of the National University of Singapore outlines the test conducted by the researchers. In two separate tests, consisting of roughly 300 people, Chen and Lim separated the human guinea pigs into three groups. All of them spent 20 minutes highlighting every letter "e" in a long document. The first group was then given a second easy task; the second group could take a 10-minute break and do absolutely anything they wanted to, except surf the Internet; and the third group got 10 minutes of unrestricted Interwebs play time, the Wall Street Journal reports. After the 10 minute break, all three groups continued highlighting those elusive document letters. Web surfers fared far and away the best during the second go-'round; in contrast, the researchers found that people who spent the time in their email inbox did poorly. Why the difference? Lim told the WSJ that web surfers "usually choose to visit only the sites that they like—it's like going for a coffee or snack break. Breaks of such nature are pleasurable, rejuvenating the Web surfer." On the other hand, you need to focus more attention on the contents of an email, which keeps those neurons firing when they should be cooling down. So there you have it – screwing around on Facebook boosts your productivity. Feel free to forward this article to your boss next time he catches you checking out LOLcats on company time. |
HP might be mulling spinning off their PC business, but that isn't stopping them from releasing a new desktop PC. The 
With the economy's on-again-off-again struggle to crawl out of the toilet, holding on to your dough is the sensible thing to do. That means that extras like eating dinners out and updating your PC are out, and buying No-Name brand mac and cheese is very much in. Sooner or later, all of that spendthrift behavior's bound to leave you with an itch to burn through some coin. When that itch hits, we recommend you blow a bit of dough on something that you, your family, or a friend can enjoy together like a day trip planned with DayZipping, our Chrome Web App of the Week.
Google+ is pretty rad. It has a Twitter element, in that you can follow others and have others follow you without being linked together as friends, and it hasn't been around long enough to pick up some of Facebook's bad habits, like bungled policy controls. But for all of its potential, Facebook is still the No. 1 social site on the planet and it's showing no signs of slowing down.
Even though 
Before you run out and buy that toaster oven on sale based on a glowing user review or staying at a particular side street hotel because John Smith gave it a five-star writeup on some Web reviews site, consider for a moment that you could be reading a bogus account. Positive reviews are a hot commodity, and Cornell is working on a formula to automatically detect the fake ones.
Hulu's good for stimulating more than 
Screwing around on the Internet is the new Solitaire; it's what you do at the office when the boss isn't hovering over your shoulder. But is all the secrecy really necessary? A new study doesn't seem to think so. In fact, the researchers behind the report say that blowing off some steam on Facebook or YouTube makes workers more productive than any other type of break.| You are subscribed to email updates from Maximum PC - All Articles To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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