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3651

General Software Discussion / Ubuntu One (cloud) file services ending soon

« Last post by Deozaan on April 10, 2014, 03:55 PM »

Bad news when cloud services byte () the dust.

From an email I received earlier today:

from:    Ubuntu One [email protected]
date:    Thu, Apr 10, 2014 at 1:32 PM
subject:    Ubuntu One file services

Hi,

We are writing to you to notify you that we will be shutting down the Ubuntu One file services, effective 1 June 2014. This email gives information about the closure and what you should expect during the shutdown process.

As of today, it will no longer be possible to purchase storage or music from the Ubuntu One store. The Ubuntu One file services apps in the Ubuntu, Google, and Apple stores will be updated appropriately.

As always, your content belongs to you.  You can simply download your files onto your PC or an external hard drive.  While the service will stop as of 1 June, you will have an additional two months (until 31 July 2014) to collect all of your content. After that date, all remaining content will be deleted.

If you have an active annual subscription, the unused portion of your fees will be refunded. The refund amount will be calculated from today's announcement.

We know you have come to rely on Ubuntu One, and we apologise for the inconvenience this closure may cause.  We've always been inspired by the support, feedback and enthusiasm of our users and want to thank you for the support you've shown for Ubuntu One. We hope that you'll continue to support us as together we bring a revolutionary experience to new devices.

The Ubuntu One team

Thank goodness for DRM-free storage. That's the one nice thing about all this. I never relied on Ubuntu One cloud storage for anything, and what I do have there (a single album I bought a couple years ago) can easily be retrieved and stored elsewhere before the deadline.

3652

Living Room / Re: The Expert (Short Comedy Sketch)

« Last post by Deozaan on April 09, 2014, 02:10 PM »

Still thinking about how to make it look like a kitten though.

-phitsc (April 09, 2014, 01:36 AM)

Surely you can manage something so simple. You're an expert, right?

3653

Living Room / Re: WinXP is officially dead!

« Last post by Deozaan on April 09, 2014, 02:08 PM »

Turn off Automatic updates - there won't be any now since MS turned off the updates except for the malware/scareware nag screen.

-Carol Haynes (April 09, 2014, 05:56 AM)

The nag/notification was a part of Windows Update. It was separate from other updates. I think you should be able to just manually deselect it and hide it so that it never shows up in the list again, meanwhile other updates (such as MSE definition updates, etc.) will continue to download.

3654

Living Room / Re: The Expert (Short Comedy Sketch)

« Last post by Deozaan on April 08, 2014, 04:33 PM »

Yes of course. A red, perpendicular link. But in a transparent font.

3655

Living Room / Re: The Expert (Short Comedy Sketch)

« Last post by Deozaan on April 08, 2014, 04:27 PM »

Hi phitsc,

Funny video. (c:

I believe you have the ability to remove it yourself. If not, you could at least update your post to link to the thread it was already posted in. (c:

3656

Skwire Empire / Re: Skwire Empire Problems?

« Last post by Deozaan on April 08, 2014, 04:25 PM »

It's not just you.

http://isitup.org/skwire.dcmembers.com

3657

General Software Discussion / Re: Is it possible to speed dial group of tabs in Firefox?

« Last post by Deozaan on April 08, 2014, 03:59 AM »

Doesn't Firefox already have Tab groups as a built in feature?

3658

Living Room / Re: WinXP is officially dead!

« Last post by Deozaan on April 08, 2014, 02:38 AM »

Windows 7 is awesome. It's not perfect, but it's the best Windows experience I've ever had.

Sadly, my netbook doesn't run it (or XP) very well, so I've recently installed Linux Mint XFCE on it in place of XP.

3659

Living Room / Re: Once again, magically expensive items are only different in your mind

« Last post by Deozaan on April 08, 2014, 02:33 AM »

That said, there have been times where I paid for quality, most recently when I bought my wife a Vita-Mix.  She was having health problems, and needed a good blender to make raw vegetable juices with.  I took their advertised health claims with a grain of salt and focused on the 2hp motor, the legendary durability, and the 7-year warranty.  THAT is what I paid for, but we got more in return.  We would have worn out 3 or more consumer-level blenders by now, and the results would have been mediocre in comparison.  This is a tangible, demonstratable fact, not a 'perception of value'.  
...Which is why I almost blew my stack when my son bought the most expensive tires available for his beater truck and said 'yes' to the extra 15 bucks for '(something)-izing' which is supposed to make the tires last longer and grip better.
Yep, sure.  You betcha.  

-Edvard (April 08, 2014, 12:34 AM)

I got a Blend-tec blender a few years ago and experienced similar results. It was awesome.

The tire thing is called striping or siping or something like that. They cut slices into the tires which allows them to flex a bit and adds more surface area so they can get better traction. Or at least that's what I understood of how it was explained to me. I'm not sure I've ever heard them claim it makes the tires last longer (and I'm not sure how slicing a tire up would increase its durability).

This seems like it would fit well in this thread:

When news first broke of Neil Young's plans to serve up high-resolution listening to audiophiles last year, we wondered how he'd get folks to splurge for a $400 player and re-buy their existing libraries. Sure, six to 30 times the resolution of MP3s looks great on paper, but will we really be able to hear the difference? The rock icon says yes, and it's because there's nothing that's currently available that even comes close to Pono. Young says that existing audio formats are unable to adequately present a full range of tones, so he "decided to create an ecosystem that provided exactly what the artist created."

[ . . . ]

He's super clear about one detail: PonoMusic isn't offering a new file format or standard. What the repository will serve up is FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) files that range from CD-quality 1,411 kbps (44.1 kHz/16 bit) up to 9,216 kbps (192 kHz/24-bit), depending on what's available from that album's master recordings. This means that listeners will have access to the highest-resolution version of an album that exists and the player needed to do them justice.

-http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/07/neil-young-on-pono-interview/

I'm a skeptic, that's for sure. Especially because it seems to contradict itself. In one sentence it says "existing audio formats are unable to adequately present a full range of tones" and shortly later it says "PonoMusic isn't offering a new file format or standard. What the repository will serve up is FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) files."

I'm pretty sure that FLAC is an existing audio format.

3660

What's the Best? / Re: Best PC User Time Controller?

« Last post by Deozaan on April 07, 2014, 01:50 PM »

I'm tempted to try the Kids PC Time Administrator that app mentioned above, looks like it could do a great job. What's missing is granular control over Internet sites.  In our house the kids could surf Youtube all day, it would be nice to have some capability to control the maximum Youtube time per day the same way it does computer time.

-x16wda (April 05, 2014, 10:32 AM)

In that case, I'd look around for browser extensions. For example, on Chrome there's an extension called StayFocusd which will limit the time you can spend browsing, with a whitelist which allows unlimited time for certain sites.

3661

Living Room / Re: send PNG by email but inserted into email instead of as an attachment

« Last post by Deozaan on April 07, 2014, 01:43 PM »

This probably isn't that helpful to you since it's not about Outlook, but FWIW: Gmail automatically inserts attachments inside the emails these days. That is, you can simply click and drag a photo into your email that you're composing, and it will insert and display it inline (where you drop it) instead of listing it as a download at the top/bottom of the email.

P.S. You don't need to edit your post to notify you of replies. Just click the Notify button:

3662

Non-Windows Software / Re: LINUX: Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) 201403 ISOs just released

« Last post by Deozaan on April 03, 2014, 07:59 PM »

I think I figured it out... kind of.

Cinnamon seems to be based on KDE Plasma Desktop. Or at least it looks very similar.
MATE is based on Gnome 2, which I'm most familiar with due to usually choosing Gnome as my Ubuntu WM over the years.
XFCE is really lightweight, so would probably be great for an aging netbook. (But there's no Linux Mint Debian Edition that comes with XFCE.)

So for my netbook, which is currently running Windows XP (which is warning me that it's no longer supported by Microsoft), I'll probably switch it over to Linux Mint 16 XFCE.

3663

Living Room / Re: April 1, 2014

« Last post by Deozaan on April 02, 2014, 02:52 PM »

Yesterday I was uploading some photos of a hiking trip last summer to a Google+ album, and when I clicked the finish button it asked me to tag the faces of people in the photos. One of them was a celebrity. I was like, "How the smurf did we get an image of him anywhere in there?"

Google photobombed my photo as an April Fool's joke.

3664

Developer's Corner / Re: How The Most Expensive Game Jam In History Crashed And Burned In A Single Day

« Last post by Deozaan on April 02, 2014, 02:43 PM »

If you're gonna get into bed with this branch of the "entertainment" industry (and I use the term loosely) thinking that things are going to be different for you because you're: (a) smarter, (b) cooler, (c) nicer, or (d) 'well-respected' in your field - then you're either unbelievably full of yourself - or a lot more naive than I'd have credited anyone being if they ever watched television...

[...]

Seriously...why were they doing this garbage at all?

-40hz (April 02, 2014, 01:42 PM)

Maybe you're forgetting this part?

That natal idea, and one of the themes central to all 11 developers agreeing to travel to Los Angeles for the shoot, was the production and filming of a game jam for a televised audience (or at least a YouTube audience) with the intent to document the ups and downs of actually developing a game – hopefully sharing that experience with a viewership likely ranging into the hundreds of thousands, possibly millions. More importantly, it would be an opportunity for the group to share the closely-knit spirit of togetherness unique to indie development, presented through the lens of popular YouTube personalities with massive, mostly younger built-in viewerships. A slam dunk, you might say, created in earnest to shine a kind of light into the often misrepresented world of creating… or at least, that's what everyone thought.

-http://indiestatik.com/2014/03/31/most-expensive-game-jam/

That is, it was originally proposed to the developers as a documentary. That's what they agreed to show up for. It wasn't until they actually arrived (or were already pretty invested in it or already agreed to do it) that it changed into the reality TV abomination that it was. Sure, at that point they still could have walked away before signing anything, but most of these people are still relatively young, inexperienced people who were probably somewhat confused and unsure what to do at that point. Just trying to figure out what to make of it all, and if it could be salvaged. And perhaps some of them felt obligated or pressured into it after making a verbal agreement, even though technically at that point they weren't contractually/legally obligated to go through with it.

Just some thought for food. Or something. (c:

3665

N.A.N.Y. 2014 / Re: NANY 2014: Mug-shots here

« Last post by Deozaan on April 02, 2014, 02:27 PM »

I delayed ordering mine forever and so it just finally came today. I've never seen it packaged like this before!

3666

Developer's Corner / Re: How The Most Expensive Game Jam In History Crashed And Burned In A Single Day

« Last post by Deozaan on April 01, 2014, 08:12 PM »

Thanks for expounding. I appreciate it. And for what it's worth, I think you've got a valid viewpoint. It's hard to know exactly what happened and how to appropriately judge the situation.

3667

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by Deozaan on April 01, 2014, 07:02 PM »

(see attachment in previous post)

-crabby3 (April 01, 2014, 06:15 PM)

Easter Bunsies?

3668

Developer's Corner / Re: How The Most Expensive Game Jam In History Crashed And Burned In A Single Day

« Last post by Deozaan on April 01, 2014, 05:29 PM »

To my eyes this fiasco seemed to bring out some of the worst in almost everyone involved.

-40hz (April 01, 2014, 04:56 PM)

Why is that? I felt that for the most part, the developers were pretty good about placing the blame almost entirely on the one person whose actions were pretty reprehensible, and (for the most part) specifically say that everyone else was pretty great and they would be willing to work with them again in the future.

It seemed pretty reasonable and levelheaded to me. But maybe you caught something that I missed. I'd love to hear your perspective explained in further detail.

3669

Developer's Corner / Re: How The Most Expensive Game Jam In History Crashed And Burned In A Single Day

« Last post by Deozaan on April 01, 2014, 04:22 PM »

I notice they say this thing tanked on *day one*. Ten hours isn't a lot of time for anyone to realize something is out of control. This isn't a five week project. So maybe someone even smelled the rat, but more rats appear in the two hours it takes you to kill the first one...

-TaoPhoenix (April 01, 2014, 04:04 PM)

I don't think it takes much time at all to recognize when someone is as obviously wrong as this Matti fellow was. And when you only have four days for a project from start to finish, ten hours is actually a fairly significant chunk of that time.

And on the topic of game jam documentaries done right, this one looks to be good:

http://supergamejam.com/

3670

Developer's Corner / Re: How The Most Expensive Game Jam In History Crashed And Burned In A Single Day

« Last post by Deozaan on April 01, 2014, 03:36 PM »

Another article on the topic, this time giving general advice about legal contracts:

I am not a lawyer. Never claimed to be, never wanted to be either. I am a game developer that has assisted independent developers with hundreds of contracts and negotiations, and I try to advise developers that are less versed in legalese.

Like everything in the indie scene, some people know more about certain subjects than others and we try and share and broadcast that knowledge as much as we can. A lot of the more business-savvy developers help out with reading contracts. I just happened to know everybody involved in this story, so they came to me. As you read more legalese, and deal with more companies of varying sizes, you start to recognize certain patterns, phrases and tones in contracts.

In the restaurant, five minutes of my life are spent in disbelief: the contract is awful.

-http://ramiismail.com/2014/04/a-warning-about-contracts-from-the-sidelines-of-the-most-expensive-gamejam-in-history/

He summed it up thusly:

3671

Living Room / Re: April 1, 2014

« Last post by Deozaan on April 01, 2014, 12:13 PM »

Here's one:

Goat Simulator

Seems to really be a playable game (though I haven't bought it to find out). The reviews are pretty hilarious. And the trailer is a parody of this Dead Island trailer:

Goat Simulator on Steam or on Humble Store

3672

DC Gamer Club / Re: 86% of Gamers Prefer Free Games With Advertisements

« Last post by Deozaan on April 01, 2014, 11:02 AM »

April Fools!!!!!

Right? ... Right?

3673

Living Room / Re: Cute jokes' thread

« Last post by Deozaan on March 31, 2014, 08:29 PM »

Actually when trapped in places with the wrong level of ambient bustle, getting someone on a cell phone right next to you is really annoying! I've thought about just pulling out my phone and making up a random fake call just to compete in noise-space!

-TaoPhoenix (March 31, 2014, 07:58 PM)

You mean like this?

3674

Developer's Corner / How The Most Expensive Game Jam In History Crashed And Burned In A Single Day

« Last post by Deozaan on March 31, 2014, 08:19 PM »

Here's an interesting article about something that happened this past weekend. It seems like a simple and pretty good concept: Organize and film a game jam to give folks a view into the ups and downs of indie game development. If you don't know what a game jam is, it could perhaps be summed up as an event in which game developers gather (often in one physical location, but not necessarily) and design and create a game in a short period of time (usually between 24-48 hours (a weekend) to 7 days (a full week)), often based on a theme or idea. They're mostly a non-competitive, fun, coding challenge almost like DonationCoder's own NANY, except done over a week(end). It's a great outlet for creativity and experimentation, and the short time limit liberates you from worrying about it being an utter failure or total crap. And many game jam games have been further developed into full fledged indie titles that are relatively popular.

Personally I found the first several paragraphs of the article hard to follow, as if the author was trying too hard to wax poetic and write prose rather than trying to describe what happened. But once he starts describing the events that took place, it becomes an interesting read about how one person when given too much power, can ruin things for all involved.

That natal idea, and one of the themes central to all 11 developers agreeing to travel to Los Angeles for the shoot, was the production and filming of a game jam for a televised audience (or at least a YouTube audience) with the intent to document the ups and downs of actually developing a game – hopefully sharing that experience with a viewership likely ranging into the hundreds of thousands, possibly millions. More importantly, it would be an opportunity for the group to share the closely-knit spirit of togetherness unique to indie development, presented through the lens of popular YouTube personalities with massive, mostly younger built-in viewerships. A slam dunk, you might say, created in earnest to shine a kind of light into the often misrepresented world of creating… or at least, that's what everyone thought.

At some point GAME_JAM outgrew itself, attracting the attention of major sponsors as well as a couple of our "high creative" production executives from the adjacent office down the street, and over the next four or five months the show began phasing into something less documentary and more docu-tainment. A sort of competition, held between four teams of "Jammers" (the developers), and "Gamers" (the YouTubers), as they battled it out to see who could come up with the best game combining both development and entertainment skillsets. Plus to see who could win a healthy array of branded prizes, generously procured by said sponsors and totally un-vetted by anyone who actually understands game development. At some point which remains unclear, the show wholly dipped into a scripted reality slant and became less about making a game and more about creating drama for sake of the audience, less than one day out of the four blocked off for shooting available to sit down and jam. The rest of the program, as it turned out, was filled with arts and crafts, physical challenges, and competitive gaming – once again, totally unrelated to game development. But that wasn't communicated to anyone, and through Polaris' local contacts the developers were signed up and flown out to Culver City, where they awaited their first hurdle in Maker's legal department.

-http://indiestatik.com/2014/03/31/most-expensive-game-jam/

It's a pretty good story about how standing up to and being united in the face of what essentially equates to bullying can really change the outcome. That is to say, from my perspective, I think that a lot of the developers here have a bitter taste in their mouth from the experience, and yes it's true that the game jam was cancelled, but it could have been a lot worse if it had continued on the path it was going down. The event may have been a failure, but I see this as a general success in doing the right thing in the face of adversity.

Read the article here: http://indiestatik.c...-expensive-game-jam/

And it's also worth reading about the experience as described by three of the developers who attended:

Robin: http://soundselfgame.com/?p=302
Adriel: http://msminotaur.com/blog/?p=187
Zoe: http://www.beesgo.biz/reality.html (She was contractually obligated not to write about the specifics, so it's a little less directly related)

3675

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: YNAB is Now Free for College Students

« Last post by Deozaan on March 29, 2014, 04:35 AM »

Cool!