Monthly Archives: May 2008

A Better Way

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Here are 5 goals we should be pushing towards as a nation and as a global community:

  1. End poverty rather than fight terror. The former is a solution to a problem, the latter is just treatment for the symptom. Creating prosperity in the poorest countries in the world is a realistic goal in our lifetimes.
  2. Reverse the widening gap between the richest and the poorest in the world. A more even distribution of resources is paramount to global well-being.
  3. Reverse the effects of man-made climate change. Climate change is likely the greatest threat that humanity has ever faced, and the outcome will almost certainly determine our ability to live on our planet.
  4. Promote science and education. Education builds stable societies, and exploration of the sciences helps us to solve many issues we face now and will face in the future.
  5. Ensure individual freedoms and rights. Nobody should have the right to dictate the legally allowable behaviors where there’s no harm to any party involved.

blaq design @ Snowshoe Weekend of May 30

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Hey all, just wanted to give a heads up. We’re still hashing out the details, but it’s looking like myself and the other gents at blaq design are going to be going down to Snowshoe in West Virginia the weekend after next. We’re probably going to have an informal little shindig on Saturday evening with whoever we bring down and anyone we meet while we’re down there. And, there will definitely be a ton of riding all weekend. We’ll update the blaq design website with an official announcement and more details once we’ve got things nailed down, so check back there for more info!

The Legacy of Downloadable Content

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Downloadable content is coming into it’s own in a big way in the world of video gaming. Every current-gen console has downloadable content – the Virtual Console for the Wii, XBox Live, and the Playstation Network are the services that enable this. One thing that hasn’t really been all that discussed that much is what happens to that content when the next generation of consoles comes out. There’s a lot of money behind that content, too – most of it comes at a cost, so people will want to carry it with them.

For that matter, what about the other fun console-centric stuff? Wouldn’t it be cool if you could carry your XBox 360 achievements and gamerscore to the next XBox? That probably will happen, at least in some fashion. What about the forthcoming Playstation Home, your virtual online pad? Will that come with you or not?

It is definitely possible to move legacy content forward, but it comes at a cost in either including legacy hardware in the new system or using emulation. That, or the company could just use more or less the same hardware between generations, like the GameCube–>Wii generations, though this is hardly a long-term solution – the hardware would not likely remain competative. Regardless of the way it’s implemented, backward compatability is a big issue in the minds of many consumers, and console manufacturers are certainly aware of this. I’d assume that the next generation of consoles will support the transfer of content in some fashion. Amongst other things, it’s a good selling point in those crucial early console years where content is scarce and manufacturers are trying to tempt consumers to make the leap to the next generation.

That leap to the next generation will be very important in setting precedent in this arena, as this is the first console generation to truly embrace downloadable content. Since the hardware lifespan is anticipated to be much longer this generation than in previous ones (both MS and Sony want their current-gen consoles to last 10 years), this issue is probably not going to be something that’s decided (at least publicly) until maybe three or four years down the road.

Another New, Free NIN Album

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NIN - The Slip

There’s another new, creative commons licensed Nine Inch Nails album out there, titled ‘The Slip’. Trent Reznor and his crew really seem to get where the music industry going and should be. It looks like one of the ways NIN is trying make back their costs on this (and most likely make a small mint as well) is through related concert ticket sales, which are scarce goods. Of course, that’s one good that will be more in demand, too, given that more people are listening to NIN nowadays. Plus, the Ghosts albums were pretty commercially successful, to boot, so there’s a decent chance this one will make some money too.