Microtransactions RETURN to Star Wars Battlefront 2: I TOLD YOU SO!

Microtransactions RETURN to Star Wars Battlefront 2: I TOLD YOU SO! Gasp. Shock. Actually, I think many fans of gaming and Star Wars could have predicted this.Especially with EA missing their conservative sales forecast, it was inevitable that some kind of monetization mechanic would be employed. LET’S COMPLAIN!

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YouTube’s New Rules: Help me build a Reddit for smaller tech reviewers?

YouTube changed the requirements for monetizing a new channel, and the numbers don’t look great for new content creators. With many producers complaining about videos being demonetized, what can we do to help support smaller content creators? I’m trying to build a small “feeder” community to discover new producers.

I hope you’ll help me support new and smaller producers by sharing, linking, and upvoting over at r/GlowingRectangles.


Official YouTube Creator Blog Announcement
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Intel Kernel Security: Meltdown, Spectre, Kaiser – What you need to know!

Meltdown! Kaiser! Spectre! How bad are these security threats? How much will they slowdown YOUR PC? We’ve got more info on these issues, and links to press releases and industry analysis. Buckle up folks! 2018 is off to a rocky start for the entire computing industry!

Intel press release acknowledging the issue.
Google press release detailing affected products
.
AMD press release explaining why AMD CPU’s aren’t affected the same way.

ARM official response to exploit on mobile processors.
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Ajit Pai is not the enemy. Ajit Pai is a distraction. #NetNeutrality

Following the FCC vote repealing Title II regulation, we saw a ton of funny memes and outraged discussion aimed at FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. Problem is, he doesn’t care. He’s a figurehead and a distraction. Now that we’ve made it through the initial outrage, it’s time to focus our energy more productively.

Handy list of ISP abuses before (and after) Net Neutrality
Ajit Pai leaked video, joking about being a puppet FCC Chairman for Verizon
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Net Neutrality Harms are NOT Hypothetical: An open letter to Left, Right, and Center (and most other news shows)

This is a copy of a comment I sent to the producers of Left, Right, and Center. LRC is a weekly radio show/podcast from KCRW, featuring liberal and conservative pundits calmly and rationally discussing the top news stories of the week. This was originally submitted as a public comment on the LRC website, but was blocked with no reason stated. I am re-publishing this here as a resource for folks who want more information, and a fast cheat sheet, of real harm caused by eliminating Title II regulation of the Internet. The list at the end of this post links to events where carriers and ISPs have abused their power prior to enacting Net Neutrality.

***Update 12-19-2017 – My comment was finally reinstated. This post still stands as a starter collection of links for people tired of the “Where were the harms” arguments from conservatives.

Dear LRC,

I’m a huge fan. I’ve been a listener for years, and greatly appreciate the tone of your show. Tackling divisive political topics, in an even-handed fashion, is not easy. I believe your show succeeds in this mission more than most. However, when your show falls short, I also believe it’s the duty of your listeners to let you know.

Listening to the episode Is Alabama the beginning of a ‘blue wave’ of wins?, I was thrilled that you would be talking about the recent FCC vote repealing Title II regulation of the internet. There’s been a lot of vitriol and hot headedness surrounding this topic. Your program was high on my list for outlets bringing a more level-headed approach to this conversation. Unfortunately, all we received was a rushed chat, repeating fallacy and appealing to emotion.

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How Moto screwed up their phones in 2017

No manufacturer is perfect, and even the biggest smartphone companies can make mistakes. We’re going to work through, company by company, discussing what I thought was the biggest misstep from each tech manufacturer.

How Moto screwed up their phones in 2017! Did I call it? Did this company make a bigger faux pas? Drop me a comment down below.

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Is it time to Boycott Disney? Gambling in Marvel Future Fight and Star Wars Battlefront 2 Rant!

Is it time to boycott Disney? We can complain about micro-transactions, paywall characters, cool down clocks, and now slot machine loot boxes, but these game mechanics make way too much money for any developer to ignore. If the video game industry can’t police itself on fleecing customers, and introducing gambling to kids, then politicians will need to get involved. I do not want that to happen…

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How LG screwed up their phones in 2017

No manufacturer is perfect, and even the biggest smartphone companies can make mistakes. We’re going to work through, company by company, discussing what I thought was the biggest misstep from each tech manufacturer.

How LG screwed up their phones in 2017! Did I call it? Did this company make a bigger faux pas? Drop me a comment down below.

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