My oldest son is staying with me on the boat this evening. He has actually been here all week and this is the first night we have gotten back to the boat at a reasonable time. We could have gone sailing but were just a bit too late. We made dinner and then cleaned up. Now he thinks there is not much to do. I suggested we turn on the TV, but he wants to watch a movie.
The funny thing is that we have 3 computers on the boat and my son says he is bored. Furthermore we have a pretty good Internet connection. If my son was serious, we could stream a movie to one of the computers. Instead, he is just sitting at the table playing games on his smartphone. All I can do is laugh as there is no reason to be bored.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Someone Is Watching
It is nice to see that Microsoft completely changed their mind with respect to being able to play used games on the XBox One. There are rumors circulating as to why this reversal took place, but I don't want to speculate. Their own site says they listened to their users and in my opinion, that is the right thing to do.
One advantage the XBox One has over the PS4 is that it comes bundled with the Kinect. With the PS4, you will have to shell out another $80 or so to get the equivalent feature. Including the Kinect will allow Microsoft to do all sorts of things for all of their users that a large number of PS4 users won't be able to do. For instance, when you are watching TV on your XBox One, the Kinect will be able to count the number of people in the room and be able to distinguish the relative ages of everyone. Think what a benefit that will be to the advertisers paying for commercials during your favorite shows. Whereas they used to have to go through expensive and error-prone services like Nielsen, they will have immediate feedback on their audience.
The XBox One will also always be listening to you. They say it is so it will turn on when it hears you say, "XBox On". However it can also be used to hear things like, "I love this game," or "This game blows." Just think, they will be able to take that information and feed it back to game developers to help them create better content for you to play.
Microsoft is also very concerned about security with their devices and would never let anyone have the ability to write a virus for the XBox that would allow it to listen in on your private conversations or watch what you are doing in the privacy of your own home. After all, their operating systems are known for being the most secure and immune to hacking or viruses. And we were told at launch that the XBox One would be running three different operating systems, one of which was a form of Windows.
Yep, I think these features are really awesome. Just as long as today is opposite day.
One advantage the XBox One has over the PS4 is that it comes bundled with the Kinect. With the PS4, you will have to shell out another $80 or so to get the equivalent feature. Including the Kinect will allow Microsoft to do all sorts of things for all of their users that a large number of PS4 users won't be able to do. For instance, when you are watching TV on your XBox One, the Kinect will be able to count the number of people in the room and be able to distinguish the relative ages of everyone. Think what a benefit that will be to the advertisers paying for commercials during your favorite shows. Whereas they used to have to go through expensive and error-prone services like Nielsen, they will have immediate feedback on their audience.
The XBox One will also always be listening to you. They say it is so it will turn on when it hears you say, "XBox On". However it can also be used to hear things like, "I love this game," or "This game blows." Just think, they will be able to take that information and feed it back to game developers to help them create better content for you to play.
Microsoft is also very concerned about security with their devices and would never let anyone have the ability to write a virus for the XBox that would allow it to listen in on your private conversations or watch what you are doing in the privacy of your own home. After all, their operating systems are known for being the most secure and immune to hacking or viruses. And we were told at launch that the XBox One would be running three different operating systems, one of which was a form of Windows.
Yep, I think these features are really awesome. Just as long as today is opposite day.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
PlayStation 4 vs XBox One
Microsoft and Sony have both made some significant announcements at the E3 conference in Los Angeles this week. The biggest is probably Sony unveiling the new PlayStation 4 along with pricing. In case you missed it, the PS4 will be priced at $399 while the XBox One is priced at $499. Microsoft also announced their policy about having to keep their console connected to the internet so it can check back in with the home office every 24 hours. If it doesn't, then the unit shuts down and won't play games.
At first glance it looks like the PS4 is the console to buy while you would have to be an idiot to buy an XBox One. Some gamers have even started calling Microsoft's offering "the XBox Done". I have to admit that I am a fan of the PlayStation and am happy to see that Sony did a few things right. However someone should point out that it is not all roses for the PS4. The obvious thing to ask is why the $100 price difference between the two hardware platforms. Well that is easy, the XBox comes with the Kinect while the equivalent PlayStation Eye is extra. I have not seen a price on the Eye and so I don't know if it will cost more or less than $100, but it is something to consider when arguing which platform will be better.
When it comes to being able to play used games, I have to say that Sony is taking the better path. I have started hating Apple because they feel it necessary to interfere with my MacBook Pro without my permission. Therefore I find it annoying that Microsoft feels they have the right to control whether or not you can share games with your friends. I have always believed that the best software licenses are ones that treat software like a book. You are free to loan your book to a friend, you just can't read it at the same time as your friend. There is still time before consumers can purchase either console and so I hope that Microsoft listens to their customers and figures out that we don't really want Big Brother watching everything we do.
One thing I have not seen is a comparison between the looks of the two devices. When the XBox One was announced, I found it to be a boring box. My opinion was that Sony didn't even have to try very hard to beat the ugly XBox One. When I saw the PS4 for the first time this week, I wished Sony had tried harder. Sony's looks like a box with slanted sides. I still think it looks better than Microsoft's console, but not by much. I do have to say that a closer look at the PS4 pictures shows a really sleek-looking color scheme and the design is starting to grow on me, but I'm not sure if that is my PS4 prejudice coming out or not.
Ultimately the success of either platform will be found in the services and games available. Microsoft is trying to appeal to the gamer as well as other consumers looking for an entertainment device. Sony seems to be appealing to the hard-core gamers. This is a role reversal from the last consoles provided by these two companies. While it is difficult to say the PS3 was a success for Sony, that fact that it was the cheapest Blu Ray player on the market kept it from being a dismal failure. A relatively high percentage of the original PS3 consoles were purchased simply as movie players and were never used for playing games. Perhaps the public is looking for an entertainment device and not just a video game one. If so, Microsoft is in a good position to take advantage of the trend.
I wish I could be more objective and say that I think both devices are good and there is room in every house for both. Unfortunately money doesn't grow on trees and I still have to work hard for every dollar before I spend it. So when both consoles are released later this year, I will be standing in the Sony line, not the Microsoft one. And it will be my Christmas present I am buying, not the kids. If they want one, they can get their own PS4.
At first glance it looks like the PS4 is the console to buy while you would have to be an idiot to buy an XBox One. Some gamers have even started calling Microsoft's offering "the XBox Done". I have to admit that I am a fan of the PlayStation and am happy to see that Sony did a few things right. However someone should point out that it is not all roses for the PS4. The obvious thing to ask is why the $100 price difference between the two hardware platforms. Well that is easy, the XBox comes with the Kinect while the equivalent PlayStation Eye is extra. I have not seen a price on the Eye and so I don't know if it will cost more or less than $100, but it is something to consider when arguing which platform will be better.
When it comes to being able to play used games, I have to say that Sony is taking the better path. I have started hating Apple because they feel it necessary to interfere with my MacBook Pro without my permission. Therefore I find it annoying that Microsoft feels they have the right to control whether or not you can share games with your friends. I have always believed that the best software licenses are ones that treat software like a book. You are free to loan your book to a friend, you just can't read it at the same time as your friend. There is still time before consumers can purchase either console and so I hope that Microsoft listens to their customers and figures out that we don't really want Big Brother watching everything we do.
One thing I have not seen is a comparison between the looks of the two devices. When the XBox One was announced, I found it to be a boring box. My opinion was that Sony didn't even have to try very hard to beat the ugly XBox One. When I saw the PS4 for the first time this week, I wished Sony had tried harder. Sony's looks like a box with slanted sides. I still think it looks better than Microsoft's console, but not by much. I do have to say that a closer look at the PS4 pictures shows a really sleek-looking color scheme and the design is starting to grow on me, but I'm not sure if that is my PS4 prejudice coming out or not.
Ultimately the success of either platform will be found in the services and games available. Microsoft is trying to appeal to the gamer as well as other consumers looking for an entertainment device. Sony seems to be appealing to the hard-core gamers. This is a role reversal from the last consoles provided by these two companies. While it is difficult to say the PS3 was a success for Sony, that fact that it was the cheapest Blu Ray player on the market kept it from being a dismal failure. A relatively high percentage of the original PS3 consoles were purchased simply as movie players and were never used for playing games. Perhaps the public is looking for an entertainment device and not just a video game one. If so, Microsoft is in a good position to take advantage of the trend.
I wish I could be more objective and say that I think both devices are good and there is room in every house for both. Unfortunately money doesn't grow on trees and I still have to work hard for every dollar before I spend it. So when both consoles are released later this year, I will be standing in the Sony line, not the Microsoft one. And it will be my Christmas present I am buying, not the kids. If they want one, they can get their own PS4.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Vacation From Technology
I just got back from a three-day vacation with my family in California. I brought my laptop just in case someone from work needed me to take care of something. I worked late the night before having to get up early for our flight and was sure I would need to fix an emergency while I was away. Fortunately I had some people at work who refused to contact me knowing that I was on vacation. I didn't bother to turn on my computer and check mail. The funny thing is that I could have done so on my phone. I just would have rather spent time with my family.
I blame the girls for ending up at Disneyland. My daughters are 19 and 23, yet they both wanted to go to "The Happiest Place on Earth." It was very crowded and I just assumed that other parents were paying as much attention to their kids as I was to mine. It surprised me as I rode the train around the park and watched parent after parent turn to their smart phones to check e-mail and play with apps. Aren't you there to spend time with your kids? How about talking to your kids instead of looking at cooking class coupons from Groupon?
When you go on vacation, it is perfectly fine to take a vacation from technology. I managed to pull it off and you should too. Your kids will thank you for it later.
I blame the girls for ending up at Disneyland. My daughters are 19 and 23, yet they both wanted to go to "The Happiest Place on Earth." It was very crowded and I just assumed that other parents were paying as much attention to their kids as I was to mine. It surprised me as I rode the train around the park and watched parent after parent turn to their smart phones to check e-mail and play with apps. Aren't you there to spend time with your kids? How about talking to your kids instead of looking at cooking class coupons from Groupon?
When you go on vacation, it is perfectly fine to take a vacation from technology. I managed to pull it off and you should too. Your kids will thank you for it later.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The XBox One
One of the nice things about working for a video game company is that you get to take time out of your busy day and watch press release announcements about new gaming consoles. Today Microsoft unveiled their XBox One, which is the follow-on to the XBox 360. Sony made their announcement of the PlayStation 4 back in February and so it is nice to be able to compare the two new consoles.
Microsoft was able to do something at their release that wasn't done by Sony, they actually showed what the new console will look like. It wasn't sexy or pretty as I thought it looked like a black box. As far as technical specifications go, the PS4 and XBox One look to be very similar. They both use 8-core CPUs, have 8GB of RAM, and come with BluRay players. I like the looks of the Sony Controller vs. Microsoft's, but then I am a fan of PlayStation and so that makes sense. Microsoft's new console will also come bundled with the next version of the Connect. I've never used the Connect but can't really say there is anything groundbreaking with this new version. Perhaps I am wrong.
Missing from both announcements are pricing and release dates. I think both companies are waiting until E3 to make those announcements. The software announcements made by both companies looked very similar, but Microsoft will include Windows with the XBox One. While Microsoft may see that as a benefit, I really hate Windows and that is enough to keep me from buying one. You may feel differently.
Microsoft was able to do something at their release that wasn't done by Sony, they actually showed what the new console will look like. It wasn't sexy or pretty as I thought it looked like a black box. As far as technical specifications go, the PS4 and XBox One look to be very similar. They both use 8-core CPUs, have 8GB of RAM, and come with BluRay players. I like the looks of the Sony Controller vs. Microsoft's, but then I am a fan of PlayStation and so that makes sense. Microsoft's new console will also come bundled with the next version of the Connect. I've never used the Connect but can't really say there is anything groundbreaking with this new version. Perhaps I am wrong.
Missing from both announcements are pricing and release dates. I think both companies are waiting until E3 to make those announcements. The software announcements made by both companies looked very similar, but Microsoft will include Windows with the XBox One. While Microsoft may see that as a benefit, I really hate Windows and that is enough to keep me from buying one. You may feel differently.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Deploying Software in the Cloud
I spent my day working on deploying software in our company's private cloud. It may sound complicated, but isn't really once you get past a few basic concepts. Remember that "The Cloud" means different things to different people, but generally means computer servers running in an environment that is accessible on the Internet. We have all sorts of security to keep the wrong people from being able to do bad things to our computers and so that adds a level of complexity to install software. Furthermore, we are still testing our cloud and that means servers need to be easily configured even with all of the added security.
There are several open-source tools to help with this type of software deployment. We have started using Chef and it is supposed to make our life easier. At first glance, Chef looks fairly complicated. There are recipes and cookbooks with all sorts of different options and bits to twiddle. Today I worked with another one of our software engineers and we worked on getting MongoDB up and running on three different servers. If you go to the Opscode website for Chef, you can see that there is already a cookbook for MongoDB. We just downloaded it and made simple modifications for our specific environment. Now if we need to add a fourth MongoDB server, it is just a matter of running a single command on the server and everything is ready to go.
Sir Isaac Newton once said something along the lines of, "All that I have achieved is because I have been able to stand on the shoulders of other great men." He didn't worry about recreating work done before him, he just made sure to add to it. Open-source software and Chef are good examples of that principle in action today.
There are several open-source tools to help with this type of software deployment. We have started using Chef and it is supposed to make our life easier. At first glance, Chef looks fairly complicated. There are recipes and cookbooks with all sorts of different options and bits to twiddle. Today I worked with another one of our software engineers and we worked on getting MongoDB up and running on three different servers. If you go to the Opscode website for Chef, you can see that there is already a cookbook for MongoDB. We just downloaded it and made simple modifications for our specific environment. Now if we need to add a fourth MongoDB server, it is just a matter of running a single command on the server and everything is ready to go.
Sir Isaac Newton once said something along the lines of, "All that I have achieved is because I have been able to stand on the shoulders of other great men." He didn't worry about recreating work done before him, he just made sure to add to it. Open-source software and Chef are good examples of that principle in action today.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Annoying Software Updates
This morning I was minding my own business and going through e-mail when the Microsoft Office Auto Update program decided to take over my computer. I was typing mid-sentence when a dialog box appeared on my screen and stole the focus from a very important e-mail I was composing. I was slightly annoyed but decided that it was probably a good idea to get the update and let it continue. That was a mistake. The installation program decided that it didn't want any other programs running while it updated the Microsoft Office software. Now I can understand the need to shut down other Office programs like Outlook and Word, but why did it need to shut down my non-Microsoft Browser?
At this point I did what I should have done when the auto update program first appeared, I put it in the background and ignored it until I finished what I was working on. I sent my e-mail and then allowed the update to take place while I went and got a drink of water. When I got back, my computer was ready to use again.
I don't know who writes these auto update programs, but I am sure they lack any form of social skills. You know the type. Those people that interrupt important conversations with mundane and routine comments that should be kept quite until the grown-ups are done talking. I wonder if they started their careers as telemarketers calling people during dinner?
At this point I did what I should have done when the auto update program first appeared, I put it in the background and ignored it until I finished what I was working on. I sent my e-mail and then allowed the update to take place while I went and got a drink of water. When I got back, my computer was ready to use again.
I don't know who writes these auto update programs, but I am sure they lack any form of social skills. You know the type. Those people that interrupt important conversations with mundane and routine comments that should be kept quite until the grown-ups are done talking. I wonder if they started their careers as telemarketers calling people during dinner?
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