Although I didn't see word of Apple releasing iTunes in Canada today, I did notice that Valve very recently released Half-Life 2: Deathmatch, which is about 20x cooler than iTunes (or Canada).
Originally I was very upset that Valve removed Deathmatch from Half-Life and replaced it with the boringest mod ever (Counter-Strike: Source), but this makes up for it (and then some).
Although servers are currently really scarce and the only available ones are pretty darned laggy at this point, that should all work itself out in a matter of days (or hours) once the keeners out there set up some dedicated servers to alleviate the congestion.
If you have Half-Life 2 and enjoy some good ol' fashioned killing, and can tear yourself away from Halo 2's multiplayer, definitely go check out HL2:DM.
Rock, rock on!
Ah, came across this today on the Gadgetopia blog (link), a fairly comprehensive look at some common spyware removal tools.
"Ars" looks at the following tools specifically:
The article is definitely worth checking out if you find you have spyware/adware problems, want to take preventative measures or think you'll end up going home for Thanksgiving/Christmas and having to look at a family member's computer.
Spyware removal tools [Ars Technica via Gadgetopia]
Last night I updated my Steam client for Half-Life 2 (link) and was asked to participate in a survey. I think I answered a couple generic questions, but then it asked me if I wanted to send a comprehensive list of my system specs. So I thought, "sure, why not", its only my CPU speed and hard-drive sizes.
After you finish with the brief survey you're taken to the results page on steampowered.com where you can see results from the 1,129,787 people who also participated in the survey (as of 11:00am PST (19:00 GMT), November 20 2004).
The survey results show a lot of stuff including the following stats:
Survey Results [steampowered.com]
Update: It seems that the stats are updated every 30 minutes and another 900+ people have participated. Not too bad, approximately 1800 per hour.
OK, although the name may not immediately ring any bells, Avalon is the codename for the brand new graphics sub-system for the next Microsoft OS. Although that in itself doesn't sound interesting, Avalon is going to going to be running the new Sparkle application from Microsoft. Yeah, THAT Sparkle, the one that is apparently the next "Flash Killer".
This begins to get interesting as News.com is reporting that Microsoft is giving developers a very early glimpse at some of Avalon. Although it doesn't sound to thrilling from the News.com article (apparently it wasnt even a beta or test version, just some incomplete code), it will be interesting to see what Microsoft thinks they have which could come close to killing Flash.
News.com says the following:
The Redmond, Wash.-based software powerhouse released what it calls a "community technology preview" of the Avalon presentation engine for Windows. It's not a full beta, or test, version, but rather an incomplete set of code that lets developers test certain features and pass along their thoughts to Microsoft."It's basically a build that has a couple new features that we want to test out with customers," said John Montgomery, a director in Microsoft's developer division. "This is just our way of getting feedback."
Also, because I'm too lazy to actually rehash what the article says, I'll just quote some more:
Avalon was originally envisioned as a core feature of Longhorn, the next version of Windows. It will still be a part of that operating system, but it will also be made available as an add-on for users of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003....
Avalon is a key part of Windows' future, but it is something the average computer user will never touch directly. Instead, it's an improved method of dealing with graphics, designed to let developers write snazzier-looking applications.
...
A beta of Avalon is slated for next summer, along with the first beta of Longhorn. Final versions of Longhorn and Avalon are expected in the second half of 2006.
Or, if you prefer to read what I casually dismissed as "...", feel free to check out the article on News.com (link).
For those of you interested in this supposed "Flash Killer", I also found this page (link) on the Interweb (although it it somewhat old):
Developers can write to Avalon using XAML, the Microsoft-authored eXtensible Application Markup Language. But for now, the only way to write XAML applications is to hand-code them.Sparkle is the tool that will automate XAML application development. Said one source: Sparkle will let you create XAML and .Net applications."
Comparing Sparkle and Flash is "kind of an apples and oranges comparison," says one Windows developer familiar with Sparkle, who requested anonymity. "On the surface, it looks like Flash, but it's really a programmable 'thing' for doing stuff with Avalon. It's really designed more to make your existing applications do really cool stuff.
The developer continued: "Flash won't die because it's cross-platform and very easy for simple things, especially on the Web. Sparkle will just make it much easier for developers to do cool effects within their applications."
Microsoft gives developers a glimpse of Avalon [via News.com]
Microsoft to Automate 'Avalon' Coding With 'Sparkle' [via Microsoft Watch]
OK, this is pretty cool. It seems that Macromedia's Breeze Live now offers some MS Outlook integration which allows you to schedule, start, or join Breeze Live Meetings.
Macromedia lists 3 areas where Breeze is now integrated with Outlook:
Breeze Live: Features Tour [Macromedia]
OK, so having finished Halo 2's single-player campaign (roughly 10 hours on medium difficulty), and finding it somewhat anti-climactic in the end, I turned my attention to my favorite game of all time, Half-Life. The sequel, the aptly named "Half-Life 2", is due on store shelves tomorrow (so consider this Half-Life Eve).
So, why bother blogging? Well, it starts getting interesting when you consider Valve Software's delivery methods. To my knowledge, Valve is the first major video game company to sell games themselves online rather than solely rely on boxed copies sold in stores. This could mean that video game companies no longer have to rely on publishers to get their games into the hands of the masses (mind you, we'll see how the Steam system holds up). But where it gets more interesting is that people apparently already have bought boxed copies of Half-Life 2 from retailers and haven't been able to play the game. Why? Well, the whole system of video gamery (Half-Life 2 specifically) relies on an authentication server. So even though some retailers jumped the November 16th gun and sold the game early, until the authentication servers come online, you can't play the game. Makes sense. Now for the kicker. I purchased the game online last night and downloaded it to my hard-drive via Steam, so once the servers go online, I'm good to go. I don't have to run down to EB at midnight and stand in long lines to hand over some money so I can run home and play. No, instead I just log into Steam and play the game, I'm authenticated and off I go.
In fact, Steam has the following news on their site:
Half-Life 2 For Sale?
November 13, 2004, 4:57 pm · valve
If you have purchased a copy of Half-Life 2, we are sorry you are still waiting to play. This is not Valve's choice. Vivendi is insisting that the game has not yet been released, and has threatened that Valve would be in violation of its contract if we activate the Half-Life 2 Steam authentication servers at this time.Thanks for your patience and we will update you when we have more news to share.
This leads to some interesting ideas. Since people who chose to download the game via Steam and people who bought the software on CD/DVD are both forced to use the same authentication system and use Steam, they can force software updates on people as well, to enforce that everybody is using the same (latest) version of the game. In fact, Valve lists this as a major feature of the Steam system:
AUTOMATIC UPDATES
Say goodbye to game patches forever--they're a thing of the past. Steam will keep all of its games up-to-date for as long as you want to keep playing them. No more hunting for download sites just to get up and running!
So, how does this relate to anything, and why bother posting it on this [barely] Flash blog? Well, what if Macromedia (or other software companies) adopted the same practices? Macromedia already does (and relatively well) with their Windows Update system. Of course, the biggest failing of Windows Update is that users either don't know it is there, or just don't remember to do it. Windows XP Service Pack 2 fixed a lot of those problems since it tries to force you to stay updated. In a lot of cases Windows Updates will be downloaded and installed automatically for you (which can be good or bad depending on how the patches end up working [or if they break more than they fix]). But imagine if Microsoft set up a system like Steam that allowed you to just download Word or Powerpoint if you need it and have it automatically installed for you. You could (theoretically) just log into your Steam account and have access to all the software you've bought from them and use it at whatever computer you happen to be at. Granted, this idea has been proposed probably a million times before, but hey. Or how about the case of Macromedia. You log into your computer and Steam fires up automatically. Flash would automatically download the latest updaters (ie: 7.2) and away you go. Or you no longer have to worry about if you have the newest version of the Flash Player, it would automatically download and install if any newer versions were found. All authentication/activation could be done on a master server making it more difficult to crack. Or you could have the online authentication as some failsafe. Mind you, nothing is ideal, as theoretically the installation could be hacked to either avoid online authentication or use a fake authentication server which always approves CD-Keys. I think the most obvious flaw in this (and perhaps Half-Life 2) is that you may possibly need an internet connection every time you wanted to play the game since it would need to authenticate itself. Not a problem for me as I have high-speed cable internet, but if you had dial-up and wanted to play a game or use an application the last thing I'd want to have to do is log into my ISP to authenticate. Especially with Flash, if you were in a hotel without internet and wanted to make a simple fix to an existing FLA, you wouldn't want to have to think about using a phone modem or paying extra for a wi-fi connection just to use the software. Maybe this is where both local PC activation and online authentication would have to co-exist. If you don't have an internet connection active, it would only use activation (like Flash 2004 does currently), but if you were online, it would check for newer versions and make sure your copy has a legitimate serial number and is only being used in one location (so no serial sharing). Flash could even check to make sure that you haven't tried hacking the local activation precautions.
Just a thought. It will definitely be interesting to see how Valve's Steam system holds up under load with people playing and downloading a few gigabytes of install files. Hopefully if the system works we'll see more software makers go this route. With my high-speed internet connection I don't really mind downloading a gig or two files and burning them to CD/DVD myself. And if it makes the software a bit cheaper that's even better. Steam even offers a version of Half-Life 2 where they mail you a strategy guide, a hat, some posters. So users could buy any software online and have the software manufacturer (or even Amazon) send you the manuals so you aren't stucking reading downloaded PDFs. Or users could choose to use the F1 key and use the built-in help system and choose to buy a 3rd party book on Flash instead.
Now, getting back to Half-Life 2, Electonics Boutique lists the following features:
Characters - Advanced facial animation system delivers the most sophisticated in-game characters ever seen. With 40 distinct facial "muscles," human characters convey the full array of human emotion, and respond to the player with fluidity and intelligence.Physics - From pebbles to water to 2-ton trucks respond as expected, as they obey the laws of mass, friction, gravity, and buoyancy.
Graphics - Source’s shader-based renderer, like the one used at Pixar to create movies such as Toy Story and Monster's, Inc., creates the most beautiful and realistic environments ever seen in a video game.
AI - Neither friends nor enemies charge blindly into the fray. They can assess threats, navigate tricky terrain, and fashion weapons from whatever is at hand.
Visit the official Half-Life 2 site.
Buy and download the game via Steam.
Buy the game from Electronics Boutique (Regular or Collector's Edition).
I just put up a Flash documentation blog on markme. The comments didn't work last night, but now they do (sorry 'bout that).
Anyway, please let me know if there are any other hot topics you're all interested in hearing about.
After roughly a year long delay, Konfabulator is now officially "cross-platform". Konfabulator is an excellent utility that allows you to run a series of little "widgets" (for lack of a better term). Presently, the Konfabulator site boasts approximately 385 Windows widgets (817 if you include Macintosh) which range from games, iTunes controllers, clocks, blog readers, traffic reports, weather reports, etc.
Definitely worth checking out if you've never used Konfabulator in the past.
AppleInsider is reporting that Apple will begin manufacturing a flash-based iPod as early as December of 2004 and predicts the new music player to begin shipping in late January or February of 2005. Although, more details should be available after January's Macword trade show in SF.
Sources are saying that the MP3 player will be between 256MB and 1GB and will sell for less than $200US. Hopefully the new devices will be smaller than the existing iPod mini (4GB, $249US) which was announced at last year's Macword and has continued to sell throughout the year.
Currently Apple holds a 65% market-share for MP3 players (which includes all flash-based and hard drive-based models) and an impressive 92% market share of hard drive-based MP3 players.
Apple to begin manufacturing flash-based iPod next month [via AppleInsider]
A question for those of you who USED to use Normal mode in Flash MX (please use the comments to reply).
As a result of Normal mode being removed in FMX 2004, did you learn some ActionScript as a result?
If yes, are you happy?
If no, what did you do as a result?
Just curious!
Thanks!
Jen d.
Although technically it was released at midnight today (November 9th), I wandered down to my local Electronics Boutique and picked up a copy of Halo 2 (non-collector's edition).
After a couple hours of gameplay I have to say that I'm pretty impressed. In a lot of aspects it feels a LOT more like Halo 1.5 rather than Halo 2, but there are a lot of minor (and not so minor) improvements throughout the game. The first thing I did after putting the disc in was to start a single-player campaign game. I don't have Xbox Live [yet] as I haven't found many games that I'd care to play online [yet], but this game may be the one.
I'm not too far into the game, but overall I'm really impressed. I have to say that this version seems to have a lot more "cinematic moments" than the first version (not necessarily good or bad, but seems to interrupt the "flow" of the game a lot of the time). Also I have to say that the story, although amusing so far, isn't the best and I'm still a bit confused as to what is going on. The AI (at lease my teammates') seems to be greatly improved over the first Halo, but I have yet to be blown away by the enemy AI. Perhaps you have to really crank up the difficulty level.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the new vehicles in the game. The new warthogs (those that I've seen) can be devastating, and it is thrilling to jump in a Scorpion tank and go against 10 vehicles.
So overall I'd say that Halo 2 easily rates a 9/10 (I'd probably give the original Halo 8/10 -- based on its rediculous level repetition). Is Halo 2 the best looking game on the Xbox? No, not at all. Is Halo 2 the best game on the Xbox, probably not, but if you liked the original you'll love the sequel.
Microsoft recently announced that they will be allowing users to track movie times on their MSN Smart Watches. According to CNET, Microsoft will be adding a movie channel as early as Monday which will allow MSN Direct subscribers to track movie times at up to 10 local theatres in their area.
MSN Direct Subscribers can already access the following information on their watches: News, Weather, Sports scores, Stock Quotes, Daily Diversions, Horoscopes, Lottery, Downloadable Watch Faces as well as the ability to receive (but not send) MSN Messenger text messages and sych your calendar/appointments from Microsoft Outlook to your watch.
I've been using the service on my Abacus Smart Watch for nearly 2 months and am really enjoying it. I can keep track of current weather (current and 3 day forecast) and keep track of a few stock choice stock symbols and receive news updates. The biggest downside of the watch (in my opinion) is that they are rediculously large (although I have very "svelte" wrists), and the fact that you have to pay a monthly/yearly fee for the service). Although you do get quite a bit of information delivered to you, and typically only the information that you want, $10 USD per month is a bit steep. Of course, the yearly rate is much easier to swallow, but can still add up if you want to add the Personal Messaging via MSN Messenger and the ability to add Outlook calendar support.
MSN sets movie times on smart watches [via CNET]
Review: Fossil Abacus [via Wrist Watch Review via Gizmodo]
Swatch Paparazzi SPOT [via Engadget]
New SPOT watches from Fossil [via Engadget]
New SPOT Watch, the Suunto n3i [via Engadget]
Phillip Torrone has posted an excellent article over on Engadget on how to extract music from your iPod. If you've updated your iTunes to the latest version (4.7) you've probably noticed that iPodDownload no longer works, so Phillip offers some alternatives. On the PC they recommend ephPod, and for the Mac they suggest iLinkPod. If you have an iPod, go check it out.
HOW-TO: Get music OFF your iPod [via Engadget]
Although still a "rumor", it is pretty cool news (if it is true, of course). Apparently PalmOne, makers of the famed Treo Smartphone/PDA thingie would be using a Microsoft OS rather than the Palm one in the current Treo 600 and newer Treo 650.
Good news all 'round. I've been looking at smartphones and nice PDAs for a while now trying to figure out which one to pick up. HP makes great PDAs but not sure how I feel about their h6315.
Rumor: PalmOne Building Windows Treo [via Gizmodo]
palmOne to make Microsoft Windows Mobile Treo? [via Engadget]
PalmNone, with Windows Treo [via GigaOM]
I woke up this morning and saw the following message in my Hotmail inbox:
Dear MSN® Hotmail® Member:Congratulations on your storage upgrade from 2MB to 250MB!
As a valued MSN Hotmail Member, you have been specially selected to receive a special storage upgrade - at no cost to you. We've increased the storage capacity of your Hotmail account from 2MB to 250MB and increased your attachment size from 1MB to 10MB.
I know this was announced a long time ago, but hey, still nice to see them follow through. Although, I wonder how long it will be before Microsoft tries offering 1GB accounts so they can compete with Google's Gmail. Then again, as far as I know Gmail is still in "beta" and a closed program, whereas Hotmail probably has a massively huge installed user base.
No doubt announced at Macromedia MAX, but I came across this on Yahoo today: Macromedia Introduces Publishing Tool for EBay.
A special version of Macromedia's Contribute Web publishing desktop application is designed to automate and simplify the creation and modification of EBay Stores.
Although I'm not an eBay user, this definitely sounds pretty cool.
Macromedia Introduces Publishing Tool for EBay [via Yahoo]