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It's been a bit of a drought of Clever Geeks so far this year so it's nice to see that someone has finally stepped up to proudly take the mantle. I must admit I came close to declaring Australia's Attorney General, George Brandis, as the winner this week but I have covered his rampant stupidity elsewhere.
This week's recipient of this most hallowed award goes to the production assistant at Chicago WGN (an local news service) who in setting up a story included a brief shot of their mobile device, showing their bookmarks and browsing history (the video has been removed). It was only a brief shot but that was enough for sharp eyed internet denizens to spot the link at the top of the list, the less than family friendly Pornhub.
The moral of this story is, if you are going to let your device be shown on TV, however briefly, make sure you don't have anything you don't want seen on display.
So, to the production assistant who learnt the hard way that nothing can be hidden once it is on the internet I hereby award you this weeks Clever Geek Of The Week award.
Today in a speech to the Australian Digital Alliance our current Attorney General, George Brandis, revealed the government's plan to tackle the scourge of online piracy. How does he plan to do this I hear you ask. Well through the old fallbacks of graduated response (the old three strikes rule), having ISPs take down sites that share copyrighted content and blocking access to websites like the infamous Pirate Bay.
Similar plans have been attempted overseas and have been hugely unsuccessful and previous attempts to introduce them to Australia failed before they even started. Should these laws actually go through this time then I predict the following:
1. A distraught mother with sad looking children on her lap will appear on Today Tonight in tears saying that her vital internet was cut because "people were hacking it."
2. Precisely zero websites will be taken down by ISPs because no pirate sites are hosted in Australia, mainly because the ISPs are already well versed in taking down such sites for violating their own terms and conditions.
3. There will be a plethora of incorrectly blocked websites and most Australian tech publications will publish guides about how to easily bypass the artificial blockade.
4. The laws will be removed within an 18 to 24 month period due to the cost of enforcement outweighing any actual (or perceived) benefits.
But I have already covered the problems with this type of enforcement, and possible alternatives in depth (here is a selection of stories relating to piracy). What I really want to do is delve into the remarkable timing of this announcement in line with recent events.
First up there is Foxtel obtaining exclusive rights to the next season of Game Of Thrones, a move that has most people anticipating Australia setting new records for pirated downloads of the popular show. Previously it has been available within hours through iTunes and last year QuickFlix joined the club giving those fans who didn't have top tier Foxtel access an alternative to piracy. It isn't much of a stretch to believe that the owners of Foxtel have been pushing hard to try to make sure that those who previously used alternate means have no other choices to signing up to $100+ pay TV package or be forced to wait for local DVD release.
The other development is the Australian Law Reform Commission's recommendation that the principles of fair use under Australian copyright law be broadened which would allow greater flexibility for personal, nonprofit use of purchased content. The mere suggestion of letting people use content they own in any way other than the specific versions they paid for must have had many rights holders in a panic at the thought of not being able to resell content in new formats to people who had bought previous versions. There is solid evidence of just how much entertainment "lobbyists" can pressure politicians so I dare say that George has been fielding many outraged phone calls since this report came down.
Unfortunately there will be no change to this status quo while rights holders hold on to the mistaken belief that every download is a lost sale. There are multiple studies showing those who download more actually buy more content, there are studies showing how relaxing of DRM policies have led to increased sales and most importantly countries, including France and Great Britain, are in the process of dismantling these broken laws that our government seems hell bent on introducing.
So, in summary, the Australian government has just announced they intend to waste a whole heap of time and money.
I recently had the bright idea to watch the infamous Street Fighter movie and provide an appropriate review. The problem was that it was so bad that my brain actually shut down and there are substantial parts of the film that I have no memory of. Given this circumstance I thought it was only fitting that I watch a fighting game movie that is still bad but is actually entertaining. Enter DOA: Dead Or Alive (or for the sake of completeness, Dead Or Alive: Dead Or Alive).
DOA takes a refreshing approach to making a movie based on a fighting game by not setting in a post apocalyptic future (Double Dragon or Tekken) or a civil war (Street Fighter). Instead we have the best fighters in the world being invited by the mysterious Donovan (Eric Roberts) to a fighting tournament. Seems like an obvious premise really. The story mainly follows Tina (Jaime Pressley), Christie (Holly Valance) and Princess Kasumi (Devon Aoki) who each have their own motives for wanting to compete however Aoki's plotline is the most relevant to the main plot.
If you know the game then you should have a good idea what to expect. Fighting in revealing outfits for the girls and very little attention paid to the male fighters except for plot or comical reasons. There is even a sequence paying homage to the horrendously voyeuristic DOA Xtreme Beach Volleyball game.
Not much can be said about the performances that range from workable to just plain bad. The good part is that everyone seems to be enjoying themselves and no one is taking the proceedings too seriously. There are a couple of well known faces as well to add just a smidge of legitimacy to proceedings.
This is a good movie to sit back with some friends who are also in the mood for a bad movie. Keep the beer and munchies rolling and you are in for a fun night that you will feel uncomfortable talking about afterwards.
It's no secret that Google is regular sent requests to have search results removed if they allegedly link to less than official copies of media (in fact they removed over 5 million results in the last week of September 2013) but, luckily for HaperCollins, it isn't done blindly and without proper consideration.
You see, HarperCollins is the rights holder of the very popular books of Agatha Christie and, considering they would have paid a very pretty penny, they are very protective of their investment. So much so they sent a request to have Google take down about 1,000 links they said clicked through to infringing copies. Google ended up complying with about 90% of the request. The majority of the remaining "illicit links" actually pointed to iTunes and the official copies that HarperCollins would in fact benefit from!
The most outstanding request relates to three ebooks that are currently is pre-release and not expected to be available until March this year!
So, HarperCollins, for be so zealous and forthright in your attempts to protect your copyright, for going to the extent of actually asking for ebooks you are officially selling to be removed from Google results and particularly for wanting to wipe results for ebooks you are hoping to sell in a few months time I hereby award you with this weeks Clever Geek Of The Week award.
A movie about thanksgiving that hit Australia just after New Years is an interesting choice for late school holiday viewing (especially given the big guns of Frozen and The Desolation of Smaug hit a couple of weeks earlier). So is Free Birds a winner or is it a turkey?
Free Birds sees independent thinker turkey Reggie (Owen Wilson), who appears to be the only turkey who is aware of his impending fate, officially pardoned by the President of the USA and taken to live at Camp David. He quickly makes himself at home only to have his dream life interrupted by Jake (Woody Harrelson) who believes he had been sent by the great turkey to convince Reggie to go back in time to the first thanksgiving and "get turkeys off the menu".
This was an interesting one for me since one of the co-writers/producers is a regular on a podcast I listen to, as such I got to get a heap of info about the movie, well in advance, from Scott Mosier. In case you don't know, he is a long time collaborator with Kevin Smith and was producer on Clerks, Clerks 2, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and so on. Trust me, this diversion is relevant to the following review.
It's hard to say much about this film. The animation is solid, the performances enthusiastic, the plot is insane and it ticks all the boxes but there isn't that much new stuff. A lot of the laughs come from slapstick routines and there are a few good one liners but it seems to be one of those movies that you just want to be a little funnier. That is until you watch it with a bunch of kids.
The group I was with included two boys (9 and 6) and two girls (9 and 5) and they loved it. Their laughter made it funnier for the adults and there was no doubt that they loved it. I can see this being a party movie for a bunch of friends with a bunch of munchies. Why munchies in particular? Because I believe there will be another group Free Birds will appeal to...
To put it bluntly, this is a kid friendly stoner comedy and the influence of Scott Mosier's previous work is very obvious (see, I told you it was relevant). From dopey "woah" moments to insane "WOO-HOAH" sequences and a smattering of references to other stoner favourites (The Bill and Ted reference was a personal favourite) along with a great role for the legendary George Takei this is one movie that will... compliment certain states of mind.
Oh, and make sure you hang around for the now compulsory credits scene.
So, if you are in the mood for a quiet evening with an entertaining animated adventure I'd suggest giving this a miss. However if you want to entertain a bunch of kids and be able to laugh along with them then Free Birds can certainly be put onto your menu.
(This story has since been updated to state that it was Homeland Security that dragged this guy out of the cinema)
Google Glass is gradually building up steam worldwide. For those of you who don't know, Google Glass is wearable technology that displays images and information directly on to the lens of a pair of glasses worn by the user.
The reception to this tech has been mixed to say the least particularly with privacy concerns regarding the devices inbuilt camera. There are already establishments banning the wearing of Google Glass on the premises and a lady in San Diego was arrested and fined after she wore a pair whilst driving. But now the big guns have come out!
Last week, a Google Glass user and his wife decided to take a trip to their local AMC to check out Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. The man, who had attended the cinema a number of times while wearing the glasses, fitted with prescription lenses by the way, dutifully ensured the device was switched off before the screening commenced.
Approximately an hour into the film he was suddenly confronted by a kind gentleman who courteously shoved a badge into his face, pulled the Google Glasses off his face and demanded that he follow the gent outside. There he met a number of police and mall security officers and was escorted off to a little room for a quiet chat about being caught illegally taping a movie with the "federal service" agent he met in the cinema who refused to identify exactly where he was from.
This chat consisted of demands of who he was working for, who he was going to give the recording too and how much was Google paying him to wear the allegedly infringing device. When the man offered to show the agent that nothing had been recorded he was refused for fear that he would erase the evidence.
About three hours into this process some bright spark had the grand idea of bringing in a laptop and downloading the contents of the Google Glass's memory to preserve the evidence. At this point the "federal service" agents spent a short time viewing some family photos before finally letting the man go.
Don't feel too bad, he did get a couple of free tickets so he could return to the cinema another time to finish watching the movie.
I assume that someone who actually knew what Google Glass looked like took it upon themselves to report that a potential cam job could be happening upon sighting this man entering a cinema but can it really be said the response was anything other than woefully excessive. First up they did not give this guy the benefit of the doubt. Secondly, a reasonable response would have been for the manager to quietly approach the man during the pre-movie waffle and ask him to take off the glasses, right? Anyone?
*sigh*
Nope, obviously this potential, totally unproven, act of copyright infringement must be reported to the highest available authorities as soon as possible to ensure an aggressive, definitive response. Seriously, Homeland Security? I had a look on the About DHS page and they are very clear that their "vital mission" is "to secure the nation from the many threats we face". Yep, so vital that they divert agents and resources to descend on a man like a truckload of bricks for the slightest possibility that he is recording an apparently mediocre movie.
I really wanted to put a snappy little joke at the end of this story, or even save it for review as a potential Clever Geek of The Week award but I am afraid it is just too far beyond the realms of any reasonable expectations!
Hold on people, this whole copyright debacle is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.
Back in the wild promising days of September 2013 our good friends at Foxtel announced they were launching an exciting new product and rather strongly hinting that it may well be the Aussie answer to Netflix. If the intervening time has dulled your memory of this then you can always have a quick look at this wonderful analysis of the announcement right here.
Apparently this less than revolutionary service was to be up by the end of 2013, but here we are nearing the end of January and there is still no sign. The Presto website has next to no information but the Australian Financial Review apparently reported it was due to "software issues". I would link it for you but the story is lurking behind a paywall and frankly Foxtel costs too much as it is.
I'm guessing the software issues related to the fact that they could not guarantee a smooth enough service for the rather steep asking price, and potentially couldn't nail down exclusive streaming rights for much of the content.
Really the main purpose of this move by Foxtel is to ensure that Netflix and Hulu are not able to officially provide their services to the ever growing contingent of Australian subscribers. After all, if Foxtel has the all the streaming rights then any new players in the Aussie market would probably have to pay through the nose to access the content or simply will not be able to compete with the selection.
So at the end of the day we are still left with sub par offerings when it comes to on-demand content, a fact that is unlikely to change when Presto finally manages to launch.
While Betamax is a fair bit older than 30, it was originally produced in Japan in 1975, it was not declared as fully legal until 1984. So why the delay?
Funnily enough as soon as the movie industry got wind of the fact that it could be used to *gasp* record movies screened on TV, or even copy tapes, they pretty much immediately took legal action to stop production and distribution of this pirating powerhouse!
On the 17th January 1984 the US Supreme Court took a different view and declared that the machine was legal and people could use it for recording of shows and movies for personal use which, at the time, was to be the death of Hollywood.
Well, here we are 30 years later with much more sophisticated methods that the old Betamax (which conceded defeat to the VHS format a scant 4 years after the court decision, even though it's last gasp occurred when production of Beta units ceased in 2002) and as far as I can tell Hollywood is still going strong and posting record profits.
What we see here is the birth of "Fair Use" provisions for personal use that allows you (yes, you as well) to record and time shift TV shows and even copy content you own to different formats, as long as you hang on to the original. Funnily enough this concept is not very popular with content owners who would much prefer you to buy the same thing multiple times!
So let's all take a moment to pay tribute this clunky, overlarge piece of tech for it's continued legacy. Betamax, we salute you.
I am pleased that the first Geek of The Week for the new year is an awesome one. Nothing like starting on a positive note.
Students at Nordhal Grieg high school in Norway are using Telltale's excellent Walking Dead games to learn about ethics and moral dilemmas. Admittedly the choices you make don't have a huge effect on the overall story, but they certainly impact how characters relate to you and can turn around and bite you (figuratively speaking) much further down the track.
By considering the choices on offer, discussing the moral and ethical consequences of particular actions and theorising on potential outcomes this is one class where students can get a great education and have fun at the same time.
So, to the educators at Nordhal Grieg High, I hereby present you with 2014's first Awesome Geek of the Week award!
The second part of the three part adaptation of the relatively short book of The Hobbit has now hit the screens and is doing big business around the globe. So is this movie a fantasy thrill ride or a padded out pile of perfunctory pap?
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug sees everyone's favorite Hobbit, Bilbo (Martin Freeman), and his dwarf colleagues on the run from some rather nasty orcs in their continuing attempt to reach the dwarves home of Erebor. Complicating matters further is the dragon, Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch), has taken up residence and to get what they need Bilbo will have to sneak past him.
Okay, cards on the table time. I am not a fan of The Lord Of The Ring series or their original written versions. I can certainly admire the visuals and the impressive efforts of Peter Jackson and co in bringing this fantasy series to life but at the end of the day it comes down to style over substance.
Desolation manages to ramp up the action a bit over its predecessor (which I mostly slept through) but the problem remains that every single set up, every conversation, every establishing shoot just takes so long that any sense of urgency just dissipates. I guess it's a good sign that I slept less during this movie but the fact remains that boredom still sets in.
Performances are great, the visual effects and scenery are stunning, it all sounds great and there are plenty of characters who would be interesting if they didn't rabbit on so much so the real issue comes back to how drawn out this whole adventure is. Even the cliffhanger ending failed to instil me with any enthusiasm for the final part.
The Hobbit probably could support a trilogy if the individual movies where a bit leaner. I am pretty sure there is a pretty good 80 minute movie contained within this 160 minute marathon. It's such a shame it got buried in the padding.
Alternative title - The Over Long Conversation Of Smaug.
It's not really accurate to refer to The Stanley Parable as a game, or maybe another choice would be to consider just how wide and encompassing the definition of a game is. It's choice that is really at the core of the experience this game offers.
You see what we have here is a game with very little interaction. The story is about Stanley who suddenly realises everyone he works with has disappeared and goes off to investigate. The twist is that there is a narrator describing what is going on, in advance, and there are a number of opportunities to choose differently. The outcomes of varying from the story line and the reaction of the narrator is what drives the game experience. It is nearly impossible to give an example without major spoilers though but it's safe to say that some of the outcomes are pretty surprising.
You do need to cover the same ground multiple times in order to experience the game to its fullest and there is different narration to help relieve the potential monotony but it gets a bit wearing once you've walked through the initial corridors a half dozen times. The game itself is quite short but given it is tailor made to be replayed multiple times this also helps prevent it becoming stale. Some of the "ending" sequences go on a bit too long with very little for the player to do which does detract from the enjoyment of the strange goings on.
The Stanley Parable provides an interesting and entertaining experience for the gamer willing to try something a little different. Patience is definitely required and there are many surprising rewards tucked away in unlikely places.
So, should you wish to try something a bit different that falls into the "games as art" (still a very general description) category then pick this one up, preferably on sale, when you can.
Well it didn't take long for 2014 to deliver an unusual baby name. Adam and his wife are big fans of Mass Effect and had decided quite some time ago that they would name any daughter after Quarian technical genius Tali'Zorah. Well the time has come and with the birth of their daughter imminent they have confirmed they are sticking with the name.
There is no confirmation at this stage whether they are going to go through with the full name or shorten it to the less need to explain Tali.
As you may be able to tell by the headline I am really in two minds about this news. It goes without saying that the child is potentially in for a lifetime of explaining what may well become an obscure reference in years to come, however the name itself isn't overtly terrible and Tali really is one of the better female characters in gaming, and I am willing to admit to a bit of a nerd crush on this mysterious alien temptress during the many hours spent playing the Mass Effect series.
Considering over the last twelve months babies have been born with the names Cheese and Blip, and lets not forget the completely travesty of North West, it really could be much, much worse.
UPDATE:: After trawling the internet I found the original source via a forum post on The Escapist and it turns out Tali'Zorah has been officially welcomed to the world, complete with official paperwork completed. I'm pretty sure she'll be referred to as "Tali" (unless she gets in trouble because we all know that is the only time someone's full name is used!)
The most downloaded movies of 2013 (at least via public Bittorrent sites) have now been revealed and in a very unsurprising surprise it is dominated by movies that did big business over the last 12 months regardless.
Topping the list was The Hobbit, which raked in over (use Dr Evil voice for effect if you so desire) one billion dollars. Also in the billion dollar club is Iron Man 3, which came in at number 4.
The worst performing movie on the list was Gangster Squad (number 7) that managed to gross a whole $105,200,903... it is also, in my opinion, the worst movie on this list regardless, a factor that I think lead to it's comparatively poor performance when compared to the other nine.
Yet again this shows that downloads do not affect sales. How many of these downloaders went to see the movie first, liked it then grabbed a copy as soon as a decent copy was available while waiting for the DVD/Blu-ray release. How many downloaders didn't want to fork out the considerable cost of heading to the movies for a single view and still purchased the movie later for home consumption?
Despite the cries that downloads are killing cinema the stats show that box office takings are continuing to increase year after year. Maybe Hollywood could increase its profits even more by not wasting money combatting something that is making no difference to its bottom line. In fact the main reason people pirate is because of delays and limited viewing options in other countries (by the way this was determined back in 2012).
I'm already making the prediction that the new Hobbit movie will top the charts for 2014, both it ticket sales and downloads.
Yep, since we are now coming up to the end of the year it is time to look back on the outstanding efforts of the cleverest geeks around and determine who is the winner of the inaugural Rufus Reviews Clever Geek Of The Week Of The Year award (or RRCGOTWOTY award to make things easier).
If you need a refresher head to this nicely presorted list of stories and have a read. It's okay, I'll wait...
All done?
Then let's proceed.
This has not been an easy choice to make. We have stupid choices, poorly researched stories and just plain ignorant shenanigans. It was a photo finish guys, but by carefully analysing frame by frame I can safely say one did indeed win by a nose...
With 2013 coming to a close I thought it would be timely to have a look back at some of the best games of the year. This isn't a countdown and I am completely unable to choose any of the following as a game of the year. This is simply a rundown of what I considered to be the highlights.
So without further ado...
SPELUNKY HD
Okay, I realise that this was around on Xbox live for a good year or so plus I am still a huge fan of the original freeware version but 2013 was the year this randomly generated, super tough but hugely re-playable platformer hit the PC and PS3. Yes, I bought it on both! Why not check out my review.
BIOSHOCK INFINITE
The world created for this metaphysical shooter is just amazing. Getting into the flying city of Columbia is as breathtaking as the place itself. Of course this beautiful city soon shows itself to be a place of extreme intolerance and violence. Okay, I do no this game is a first person shooter but I still feel the level of violence could have been peeled back a little since once it gets ramped up towards the end it becomes more of a chore and has an adverse affect on the game. It's still worth seeing it through for the insanity of the finale (even if one of the big reveals is pretty much given away in advance). Oh, and if you find the guitar definitely play it.
TOMB RAIDER
Hmm, reboot. Reboots can be a big concern at times. The Tomb Raider series had gotten a little stale so the idea of taking a young, inexperienced Lara Croft and putting her in a fight or die situation was certainly intriguing. Thankfully the new Tomb Raider delivered, with spectacular scenery, frantic action, lots of hidden treasure, thrilling set pieces and a crazy mystical plot to move things along. There is a bit too much reliance on quick time events (where failure leads to some of the most gruesome death animations I have seen in recent times) and the "inexperienced" Ms Croft seems to quickly get over her aversion to shooting arrows and firing bullets through peoples heads, but overall this is a great gaming experience.
SAINTS ROW IV
There are really two main franchises that have become synonymous with sandbox games and while on the surface they seem rather similar their latest installments really do show just how different they are. First up (because I played it first) is Saints Row IV. Considering just how crazy the third installment of this series was it was always going to be difficult to top it. Fortunately the developers delivered giving us a plot where the leader of The Saints managed to become president (during a sequence with the best use of Aerosmith's "Don't Want To Miss A Thing" ever) and an alien invasion. Throw in a bunch of super powers, all conveniently explained by the plot, regular parodies of other games and Keith F*cking David and you have a big pile of fun!
GTA V
The second big sandbox title is of course GTA V and boy did Rockstar step up to the plate. With three main characters to explore the massive map with and missions where switching between them allows you to mix up the gameplay to help keep things varied and fresh. You are still stuck driving cars over long differences, something I found detracted from GTA IV, however the driving is more enjoyable this time round. Add in crazy side missions and random encounters to become involved with and you end up with an epic tale of three horrible human beings that you just can't help but like.
RAYMAN LEGENDS
Rayman Origins was a fantastic platformer, however it's difficulty curve pretty quickly turned into a sheer vertical precipice. The sequel very sensibly keeps the colourful fun characters, great music and fast paced gameplay of its predecessor but adjusts the difficulty for a more gentle experience. Cleverly the challenge is still there as to unlock all the games secrets you need to find some fiendishly hidden secret areas and complete bonus levels that ramp up the challenge significantly. Oh and the musical challenge levels are sheer brilliance. Near perfect platform shenanigans, don;t trust me check out this review I found lying around... somewhere...
THE WALKING DEAD: ALL THAT REMAINS
There is a definite prerequisite before playing the final game on my list. The first series of the Walking Dead game showed how episodic gaming should be done and provided a grueling adventure game experience set in the Walking Dead world. Simply put you must play the first season, and the mini-episode DLC "400 Days" before launching into the latest installment. The first episode of the second season is now available and carries on the story based on decisions from the first season. There isn't much in the way of plot in this initial episode but it clearly shows the intent to ensure the thrilling, and often gruesome, world is experienced to the full. This is the most fun you can have in a depressing bleak world of death.
In a refreshing take on the battle against music piracy the classic rock band Iron Maiden has stepped up to the plate and taken a very refreshing approach.
After studying analytics about where their music was most downloaded (South America incidentally) instead of calling the lawyers the band instead got in touch with their tour manager.
Iron Maiden played a series of concerts where the copyright infringing downloaders were most prevalent and proceeded to rake in millions (yes, millions) of dollars including a take of $US2.5 million for one concert in Sao Paulo.
Given the rather small amount that makes it to the artist from CD and digital music sales I'd say this move has more than made up for any potential losses from illicit downloads and has also cemented the band's ongoing popularity in Brazil and its Latin American neighbours.
Now, if a band that has been around for almost 40 years can work out how to make music piracy work for them why the hell is it so hard for the major record labels?
Being a bit of a retro gamer collector/enthusiast it really warms my heart to see ongoing preservation efforts. A particularly fine example is The Console Living Room hosted over at The Internet Archive.
This site gives excellent information regarding the origins of the home console and what we were playing in the wild heady days of the 70s and 80s (such as the Atari 2600 and the Colecovision). That isn't the best bit though. It also offers playable versions of many titles in your browser.
The graphics may be basic and the game play restricted by the technology available at the time but there is not denying that these early pioneering games pushed the limit of what was available and the developers created experiences that still influence modern blockbusters. I'd recommend heading over and having a game or two of Pitfall 2, H.E.R.O (Atari 2600), the excellent conversions of Donkey Kong or Spy Hunter (Colecovision) or perhaps.... well just dive in and explore.
The preservation of video games is an ongoing concern. With many titles only ever released on cassette tape or old school 5" floppy disks the deterioration of the media is a major concern. Added to the fact that much of the hardware needed to play games is now very difficult to find in working order (and even more difficult to keep working) and there are huge libraries of games and software that could potentially never be seen again.
I applaud the efforts of The Internet Archive and their dedication to preserving digital history. Seriously head over there and have a look around. There is the very good chance you could get lost for hours!
Well, in a big surprise to next to no-one Game Of Thrones is the most downloaded show via Bittorrent for the second year running, and the response from the head of HBO was somewhat surprising.
Jeff Hawkes was quoted as saying this level of piracy was "better than an emmy" due to it leading to more subscriptions and of course DVD/Blu-ray sales further down the track.
Despite being one of the world's most popular show GoT remains severely limited when it comes to options to watch it as it screens. A HBO exclusive in the US (and therefore only available on more expensive premium cable packages) and only available for streaming on HBO Go (which still requires a HBO subscription) with even more limitations in Australia, despite QuickFlix and Apple trying to offer same day streaming. HBO even refused every offer made by Netflix (Torrent Freak) to stream the earlier seasons to a wider audience.
Over and over, year after year, the most popular shows top the download charts. These aren't shows that are suffering for legitimate viewers, they simply do not have a delivery method that meets the full demand.
For a list of the full top 10 hittorrent shows of the year head over to the Torrent Freak version of this story.
Wow, there really isn't much to say about this one. A woman, believed to be a tourist, was so busy checking out her latest updates on Facebook while walking along St Kilda Pier in Melbourne that she didn't notice that she had run out of pier.
She plunged into the water about 11.30 at night when the none too warm waters were probably at their chilliest and had to be rescued by police about 20 metres from shore.
It is implied that she could not swim, but I personally think the fact she was still clinging to her phone may have impacted on her swimming abilities.
The police force themselves obviously thought it was particularly serious with the headline STATUS UPDATE: OMG ONE STEP TOO FAR featuring prominently on the official Victorian Police news site.
So, for so blatantly ignoring your surroundings while checking updates on your phone that you managed to walk off the end of a 6km long pier in such a way that even the police are poking fun at you I hereby award this anonymous tourist with this week's Clever Geek Of The Week award.
South Australia and video games have a bit of a turbulent history. Long term Attorney General, Michael Atkinson was a major obstacle for over a decade by blocking any attempts to establish an R18+ rating for games in Australia, and more recently the current incumbent in that same role, John Rau, considered that just replacing classification stickers with higher ratings or forcing developers to resubmit all their games were effective ways to deal with the new classification rules.
There is a current campaign in South Australia focusing on gambling addiction and how it can be prevented. Part of the focus is on education for children and an awareness campaign for parents after a study showed links between games that have gambling like features and gambling problems further down the track. So far so noble.
Unfortunately the problem lies in the delivery. The poster (above) with a young girl behind an iPad at a poker table makes the connection but the caption 'gambling starts with games' is just plain awful in its generalisation. Now this has caused quite a bit of outrage over various internet forums but I am not prepared to go as far as calling this an all out attack on gamers, but it certainly does not help with the desire most gamers have to see there passion considered the equal (and sometimes superior) to other artistic expressions like cinema and literature.
It baffles me that such a targeted campaign that is essentially trying to get parents to actually monitor what their kids are playing can drop the ball with such a broad and over simplified tag line. While there are plenty of people who will get the message you can bet there will still be a sizeable group who will decide that this is just more evidence of the horrible evil within computer games. Thanks a lot South Australia!
