Andrew Busey: My Musings

So this article:

When You’ve Got To Go, Go To Mizpee.com

Is probably the weirdest thing I’ve seen in Web 2.0 land.  Techcrunch gives coverage to a lot of out there ideas, but I’m with the commentors on this one - it might mean the beginning of the end for web 2.0. 

Crazy.

I think there are some pros and cons to each.  I know a ton of people that just stay logged into ventrilo (a common voice server) all day.   I’m not that enamored with the voice chat, but it is definitely useful in World of Warcraft.  Certainly for action and socialization, voice chat is pretty cool.  Text chat is kind of a nice way to retain anonymity and casualness.  Anyway, this article from wired.com is pretty interesting:

Voice Chat Can Really Kill the Mood on WoW

I think shock jocks are kind of dumb.  I can’t say I’ve every been into any of them.  I would generally prefer it if the radio just played music I like.  But then I don’t really listen to the radio that much at all so they, rightfully so, shouldn’t care much about what I think. 

This article from CNN/Money:  XM suspends Opie and Anthony is interesting.

In light of the Imus stuff (I mean he really seems like he’s just a racist idiot), this doesn’t surprise me at all. 

But, let’s evaluate this:

WHY SHOULD ANYONE BE SHOCKED THAT A SHOCK JOCK SAYS SOMETHING SHOCKING!

I mean these guys are getting paid millions of dollars a year to be jackass and push the edge of acceptable content.  And they attract very large audiences because of this.

There is bad taste on every one of these shows.  It appears the Opie and Andy thing is all about bad taste.  I don’t see how they can be punished for doing what they are paid to do.  But hey polictical correctness and whiners define common sense every day.

BTW, I think being a racist idiot is different from being a jackass with bad taste.  I think racist idiots should get some sense smacked into them. 

 

Story:  Judge’s missing pants lead to big suit

So the dry cleaner loses this guy’s (who happens to be a judge) favorite pair of pants.  That sucks.  He asks for $1,000 (the whole price of the suit).  They find the pants.  He says, “Nope, not my pants!”  (Paraphrased.)   He sues.  The dry cleaner has offered to settle for $3k, $4.6k, and $12k.   So he says no and comes up with some crap about not being able to use that dry cleaner, having to rent a car to drive to another one, etc.  [NOTE:  WTF planet does this guy live on?]

Anyway, this guy should be stripped of his judgeship and disbarred.  We have huge problems with frivolous lawsuits and a judge shouldn’t be setting this kind of example. 

/rant

 

This is cool:

 Water Found in Extrasolar Planet’s Atmosphere

I think it’s pretty cool that we’re looking for this stuff and finding it.  It’s going to be interesting to see how people freak out when they find something else alive.

I hate stupid lawsuits.  What a waste of society’s time and energy.  But to the point:

Man sues IBM over adult chat room firing

I’ve been pretty involved in the evolution of chat on the Internet (I founded ichat back in 1995) and I find this particularly amusing.  The article opens with this:

A man who was fired by IBM for visiting an adult chat room at work is suing the company for $5 million, claiming he is an Internet addict who deserves treatment and sympathy rather than dismissal.

So let’s dismantle this real quick:

1. The guy makes $65,000 a year - what possible basis does he have for a $5 million claim?  Ludicrous.
2. And then there is:

“Plaintiff was discharged by IBM because he visited an Internet chat room for a sexual experience during work after he had been previously warned,” the company said.

Ridiculous claim.  Previously warned.  STFU.

Anyway, moving on.  This scares me:

If it goes to trial, the case could affect how employers regulate Internet use that is not work-related, or how Internet overuse is categorized medically. Stanford University issued a nationwide study last year that found that up to 14 percent of computer users reported neglecting work, school, families, food and sleep to use the Internet.

So I have some other behavior disorders we should tolerate in the workplace:

• Laziness.   I know a lot of people that have this affliction.  Especially with periodic, but extreme bouts.
• Apathy.  (Also malaise, ennui.)   Similar to laziness, this can have a visible impact on workplace productivity.

You know, I thought about making a long list, but you probably get the picture.  Business exist to do business, not to entertain their employees.  Certainly companies that keep their employees happy, motivated, and energized, are going to be more successful in most cases.  But employees that don’t do their job or take advantage of the trust their employers deserver to be fired.

One more thing.  Imagine if TVs were required for work in a modern office environment (as, I’m sure you’ve noticed, are computers).  This article would read:

John Doe sued IBM today for $5 million dollars because he was terminated for watching 3 hours a day of the Yound and the Restless at work.  He claimed a television addiction and that he should be given treatment options rather than fired.

People would laugh at that.  It’s not like people have the right to smoke in the office any more and that’s an actual addiction.  No one is suing about that…. because they would get laughed out of court.

/rant

 

I just read this article called Apple 2.0 from the Business 2.0 sight.  It says that iTunes and Quicktime are not compatible with Vista.  I am currently running Vista with iTunes and Quicktime and I haven’t had to install any work arounds or do anything weird.  (Unlike dealing with my video card.)  

I have not attempted to hook up my iPod (because I use it only for travel and it’s already configured with another computer) yet and when I installed iTunes it did seem to warn me that there might be an issue here.  But this doesn’t mean that iTunes is broken.  I’m typing this entry on a computer with Vista Ultimate Edition and running iTunes.  I’ve also watched several movie previews on this computer in Quicktime.  I especially like the trailer for 300 - I’m really looking forward to that movie.

My only gripe so far is I cannot seem to prevent Quicktime from taking over every video file type.  Personally I’d rather use Media Player for some things.  Oh well the conflict between players taking over file types from each other is nothing new.  I wish they’d knock it off.

Well News.com has written a story:  Outsourcing your ‘Warcraft’ skills

I think the point is kind of missed in many places in this story, especially by the “long-time Warcraft player” quoted in the story.  People say this is lame and misses the point of the game, but I disagree.  MMORPG’s have an inherent problem:  they have to throttle forward progress.  There are always a group of people who can play almost 24/7 and get ahead.  So much of the stuff, including leveling up and especially making gold, are repeatative and often boring undertakings. 

I’ll admit I had fun leveling from 60->70 and that was generally fun.  Kudos to Blizzard for putting in enough quests and fun stuff to make it not feel like a hellacious mind-numbing grind.  But earning gold is.  Grinding for reputation is in many cases.  These things are just not fun, but they are throttles within the game.

If you have a job and a life, you cannot necessarily do these things at the frequency level necessary to be at the top of the game.  This is in no way a reflection of your skills and it in no way makes you lame.  If you like the game and you want to stay at the top I think it’s fine to outsource. 

It’s not like you’re having these services run instances for you - they typically are not capable of that.  But if during downtime you have them make gold for you (cheaper, but possible riskier than buying it), grind reputation, or level up an alt (alternate or second) character (so you can try something different), I say do it if you have the money.  Spending money on this is cheaper than a lot of other hobbies. 

I’ve done it.  I admit it.  I think it was worth it.  Anyway, there you have it. 

This is definitely entertaining:  Get a First Life!

Previously by the same guy:  Apple Dei

This guy is clever and funny.  Definitely geek entertainment.

From Time:  Confessions of a 30-Year-Old Gamer

This is a very good article about MMOGs (Massively Multi-player Online Games) and, in particular, World of Warcraft.  I think the author does a good job of explaining why it’s addictive and powerful.  I think anyone who has friends, significant others, family members, etc. that play MMOGs should read this - it might help you understand.