Author: Serkadis

You remember OnLive, right? The service, which lets you play any game remotely on a distant server, has produced much skepticism and much interest, and is now in public beta. We got a good look at it back in March when we were at GDC, and it appears that things are much the same. However, the combination of crowd noise and my bad playing made for a less-than-optimal viewing experience. This video is much clearer and much longer (it’s essentially a guest lecture at Columbia), so if you’re still interested in the OnLive thing, it may be for you.

This video deals with some of the technical issues that have been brought up. I haven’t watched the whole thing (skipped around to get the interesting bits) but he does address some of the compression and packet loss issues they have to deal with. I remember being told it’s about 4-5Mb/s for 720p/60FPS, which actually seems a bit low for streaming video, but with a specialized codec and stream they seem to have made it work, even with tricky bits like crisscrossing lines and slow gradients. They have a routing technique that they claim reduces latency as well, but can they really guarantee <20ms pings for everyone using the service? Seems optimistic, but overall pretty convincing.

Here is the “business model” slide:

I notice they leave out a very significant number. They say they’re leasing servers, but I assume that’s for crunching video data and streaming it. They need a whole other set of devices to actually run the games. You want to run a game at 1280×720 and 60FPS? That’s a serious investment in hardware. Even with sophisticated planning algorithms for determining peak times and load sharing, you’re going to need thousands and thousands of machines to keep your service running. If I’m wrong and they’ve really avoided this, then I’ll eat my words gladly. Let’s just ballpark some hardware here:

• Mobo: $150
• RAM: $100
• GPU: $250
• CPU: $200

The GPU will have to be at least mid-range, same with the CPU, or it won’t be able to run the newer games. Extra cooling will probably be done on a large scale, but is too squirrely a number to factor in here. Assuming there’s no case and they’re using onboard audio, then they’re looking at a bare minimum of $700 if they buy smart, probably more like $500 if they buy in bulk. Let’s call it $500.

He talks about running things on CPU only, and virtualizing things across servers, but really, when you’re advertising playing the latest games on release, like Assassin’s Creed 2 and Modern Warfare 2, people aren’t going to choose Tetris. The bulk of games people will want to play are going to use real hardware. You can’t sell a product for one purpose and spec it for another.

If each machine costs $500 and they have to serve 100,000 users, let’s say they need to have a third of those available at any time. That’s $500 x 33,000 = $16.5 million. I don’t see that figuring into their calculations anywhere. And I doubt Intel, AMD, or NVIDIA is likely to pony up that much hardware on credit. Depending on how much they charge for month, it might take users a year to “pay off” the hardware that enables their account. And don’t forget, OnLive will have to upgrade regularly, like us poor PC gamers.

I’m still skeptical of the whole service, or at least its scalability, but the fact that it’s publicly displayed and discussed makes it far more real than, say, the Phantom. I assume they’ll be at CES, and maybe we can put some of these concerns to the man himself.

[via Gamertag Radio and Joystiq]

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Naples, Italy | Subterranean Sites

Like many ossuaries in Europe, the Cimitero Fontanelle began as an secondary burial ground when the church yards and crypts began to overflow. Unlike other ossuaries, the skulls of the anonymous dead were lovingly cared for, named, and then asked for prophesies of winning lotto numbers.

The offloading of temporarily buried remains into this cave on the outskirts of town began during the Spanish occupation of Naples in the 1500s, but the majority of its 40,000 residents came from the devastating plague outbreak of 1656 and smaller cholera epidemics in the 1830s. The 1656 plague arrived in January and by August claimed the lives of an estimated 150,000 people, or half the population of Naples. It took generations for the city to recover from the effects of the outbreak, and the victims died and were buried (or tossed into a cave) under the most chaotic of circumstances, often without last rites, almost always without any grave marker.

In the tradition if the highly Catholic populace, these poor souls were trapped in a form of purgatory. The Fontanelle was a haunted place to be avoided at all costs, with the only exception being adding more bodies in times of outbreak. Over time, the ossuary became so crowded with haphazardly stacked bones and bodies, that at one point during a heavy rainfall the city was inundated by a flood of skulls and bones.

Starting in 1872 Father Gaetano Barbati began the enormous task of cataloging and organizing the anonymous remains. They remained unburied, but were sorted and places on shelves and racks, in boxes or crypts. As the remains were sorted, volunteers would pray for the deceased as they worked, the beginning an unusual relationship with the dead. Long dead anonymous skulls were given names by the women who cared for them, who would often return to chat with or ask favors from the dead, placing wishes written on papers rolled up into the empty eye sockets.

This ‘cult of the dead’ sustained itself as a uniquely Neapolitan subculture until the bombings of WWII. Naples was the most heavily bombed city in Italy, and the Fontanelle, along with the other underground spaces in the city, served as a bomb shelter.

The Fontanelle is a combination of natural caves, tufa mines, and ancient Greek and Roman tunnels. Naples, in the shadow of Vesuvius, is located in the Campi Flegrei, or “Feiry Fields”, an area of intense volcanic activity that has left the area riddled with caves, thermal springs, and craters. The early Greek residents of the area carved and quarried the soft volcanic stone, using some of the underground spaces as their own burial places. The Romans that followed dug networks of tunnels and aqueducts through the hills, often connected with the natural cave systems, all of which leaves modern Naples and the surrounding countryside riddled with underground spaces of all kinds.

Following the war, the Fontanelle cult reached its height, with women caring for and conversing with the skulls, bringing flowers and offerings, and asking for wishes to be granted. Many skulls were claimed and housed in wooden niches by individuals as personal lucky charms or fonts of prophesy – the most sought after fortune telling skill being a skull with a gift for lotto numbers. The cemetery also became a popular make out spot as well as a late night haunt for those dabbling in a bit of black magic. In an attempt to sanctify the space, a small church, Maria Santissima del Carmine, was built near the opening to the cave, but was largely ignored.

All of this lasted until the Cardinal of Naples finally ordered the cemetery be closed to end the troubling obsession with lucky skulls in 1969. The cemetery has remained closed, with restoration efforts started again in 2000-2004 to again sort the remains as well as reinforce the structure of the cave.

After years of being off limits, it is now open by reservation.

via afj, 24 December 2009: “The Group of 8 Leaders (G8) and the Group of 20 (G20) leaders are meeting in Ontario, from the 25th to the 27th of June, 2010. Following the collapse of the December 2009 Copenhagen Climate Summit, they will be discussing the global economy, development and climate change. These gatherings are about trying to fix capitalism, a system that cannot be fixed; about creating unsustainable market responses to ecological catastrophe that reinforce systems of oppressions; about ensuring the continued exploitation of people of color and the South and about celebrating war as a means to create puppet allies to maintain imperialist power…” more

—Welcome to the iPhone, HBO: The premium cable network has launched an iPhone app that gives users show snippets and a program guide, but the main purpose of the free app is to drive digital downloads. The new app, HBO’s first, has a “Buy Episode” button that funnels users to iTunes or Amazon.

Rival Showtime released a much more robust app in October—letting users stream full-length shows—but VideoBusiness says HBO’s app still has “plenty of other video.” The app also lets people share commentary about HBO shows through Facebook and Twitter, as well as get mobile updates about their favorites.

—A new Facebook … err, LinkedIn app: LinkedIn apparently has Facebook on the brain, at least when it comes to the latest version of its iPhone app. Version 3.0 (iTunes link) has a new home screen that gives users one-touch access the core functions of the app; previously, users had to navigate with a bar at the bottom of the screen. And as TechCrunch notes, the new navigation scheme is quite similar to Facebook’s much-lauded iPhone app. It also includes three new features: “In Person,” which lets users swap contact info from their iPhones via Bluetooth; “Reconnect,” which tries connecting users with people they likely knew in the past; and “Themes,” for customization.

—Panasonic shaves against the grain: Panasonic has launched its first iPhone app, a kitschy game that lets people “retouch” photos by adding facial hair, and then use a Panasonic-branded razor to shave it off. Included are the requisite links back to a company microsite, as well as an “educational” video; Panasonic exec Walter Taffarello tells Mediapost that it’s part of the company’s goal to reach “young professionals” in “new and alternative ways.” Most intriguing is that 360i, which handles Panasonic’s digital ad strategy, actually developed the app in-house.

The EPA designated January as National Radon Action Month. If you’re building a home, ask about radon-resistant building construction.

If radon affects an existing home, there are ways to fix the problem, such as increasing under-floor ventilation and sealing cracks and gaps in the floor. If your home has high radon levels, consult with an expert for the proper fix.

All homes should be tested for radon. Fortunately, testing is easy and inexpensive. Visit the EPA for more information on how to obtain your own radon testing kit. You may also visit EPA’s local radon information section for help with finding a qualified radon tester.

Why radon matters

Radon is a naturally occurring, though potentially deadly radioactive gas that rises from underground into homes. Breathing in radon is the leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. Radon is the biggest cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.

Though radon is all around us when we’re outside, radon levels indoors are more concentrated. Radon levels vary widely in neighboring houses.

“Radon poses an easily reducible health risk to populations all over the world, but has not up to now received widespread attention,” said Dr. Mike Repachol of WHO’s Radiation and Environmental Health Unit.

How radon gets inside

According to WHO, radon gas gets inside homes via openings like cracks at concrete floor-wall junctions or gaps in the floor and small pores in hollow-block walls. The gas may also enter through sumps and drains. Levels of radon are often higher in basements and cellars, or any areas in contact with soil.

Have you tested for radon in your home?

(Image via MorgueFile)

Post from: Blisstree

National Radon Action Month

Windowsphonethoughts have published this first detailed review of the LG eXpo pico-projector. They do express reservations about the ultimate usability of the technology, but acknowledges the coolness factor of having the capability on your phone.

After watching the video, can any of our readers see any real world utility for the accessory?  Let us know in the comments below.

Homebrew Pate has finally released the first alpha build of his DOS emulator for the Nintendo DS, DSx86. Although the emulator is still on it’s early stage of development, expect more features in the coming updates.
 
 
Download:

Visions of a Republican takeover dance in his head

Editor, The Times:

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, chief recruiter for Republican House candidates, says he is “anti-Washington” and is “fighting against this place” [“GOP recruiter combs states for new faces,” News, Dec. 27]. He wants people to run who are as angry as he is.

How about directing some of that energy toward solving problems? How about suggesting positive alternatives to ideas you don’t like?

There are ugly parallels to this hate-filled attitude during the Civil War. No one is suggesting there is a Civil War, but the present governor of Texas suggested secession as a solution. The vilification of our president and the hatred of our nation’s capital are common themes. Those who share McCarthy’s views are whom he wants to control Congress — angry, hateful and negative.

I humbly suggest that people who hate Washington just stay home. We’ll all be happier.

I want people to run who want to make things better, to build on the framework our wise forebears gave us, to improve the lives of everyone and to give us a more perfect union.

— Marion K. Sherman, Maple Valley

Just what I wanted for Christmas

As The Seattle Times article “Senate OKs health-care measure, reaching milestone” [Seattletimes.com, Nation & World, Dec. 24] notes, on the eve of this Christmas, Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray helped pass comprehensive health reform.

Washington residents could not have received a better holiday gift.

When the final bill is signed, no Washington family will have to worry about seeing a child’s care denied due to a pre-existing condition or a loved one’s coverage dropped because they got sick.

Starting next year, area small businesses will get tax credits to help afford good coverage. After years of paying for bloated insurance-company bureaucracy and profits, insured Americans will be guaranteed that 80 to 85 percent of their premiums go to medical care.

Thank you, Cantwell and Murray. Happy holidays to all, and to all a good health.

— Irene Jeon, Seattle

Not even Ebenezer Scrooge

House Minority Leader John Boehner stated on Christmas Eve that “Not even Ebenezer Scrooge himself could devise a scheme as cruel and greedy as Democrats’ government takeover of health care” [“Reaction to Senate passage of health-care bill,” Seattletimes.com, Business / Technology, Dec. 24].

I laughed and felt irritation all in the same moment.

The fact is that Ebenezer Scrooge would have cheered at the 39 Republicans’ no votes. Ebenezer Scrooge didn’t even believe in giving any of his employees a day off, let alone offering any kind of health-care plan. They were on their own, Tiny Tim included.

That is the epitome of stinginess and greed.

Health care is a right, not a privilege, and Boehner’s incorrect and rather projective statement demonstrates that his wish is to keep it a privilege only for those who can afford it.

And Ebenezer Scrooge would have agreed heartily, with what little heart he had.

— Bill Volmut, Seattle

It’s not clear what level of approval this leaked video has from Microsoft, but my guess would be that there is plenty of testing like this going to to determine the feasibility of FPS games on Natal.

If anything, it looks more awkward than playing with dual analog sticks, but given the right game design, it could work well. Something where precise movement is less important than intuitive interaction (the Penumbra series comes to mind) might just make this fly.

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Filed under: Humor, Odds and ends, Music

It’s just incredible how fast some things can transmit themselves around the ol’ blogosphere — when I first saw this silly parody song video over on Laughing Squid last night, I chuckled and figured I’d share it for you all on TUAW the next day. But of course since then it’s been all over the place. For a silly parody of a song that was already a silly parody, it’s really gotten around.

Just in case you haven’t seen it, it’s now posted after the “read more” link below (put there because while there isn’t actually any NSFW language in the video, there are a lot of bleeps and edits that come close). It’s all done by the Pantsless Knights (who’ve created another Mac-related parody rap video before), and it’s worth a watch. Personally, while I was a big fan of the original Lonely Island/SNL video and its skewering of hip hop posturing, I think the whole meme is more or less played out by this point. But these guys put a good Mac spin on it anyway. “A nano in pink.” Ha.

TUAW‘I’m on a Mac’ parody video makes noise originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For the first time in a year, global TV shipments are up in the latest quarterly report by industry analysts DisplaySearch.

The year 2009 was a bad one for the TV business. Both the average selling price and total revenue for the industry dropped about ten percent, shrinking the market from $112 billion to $101 billion.

Now, the DisplaySearch report’s authors claim that “developed TV markets” North America, Japan and Western Europe have held steady despite the recession, and are being joined by accelerating demand for flat panel TVs in emerging markets.

“China is a hot growth engine for the global flat panel TV market,” the company’s vice president of TV market research, Hisakazu Torii, wrote in a prepared statement accompanying the report. “Government stimulus activity is having a positive effect on demand for flat panel TVs in both China and Japan.”

In America, the hot market is smaller LCD screens in 19-inch to 32-inch sizes, where annually tumbling prices fell below $500 this past year. A 32-inch Vizio LCD HDTV is only $368 at Walmart.

Of course, selling discount TVs isn’t the most profitable business to be in. DisplaySearch’s analysts think the premium market — people who want to splurge on a better TV than the neighbors — will want three things: LED backlighting instead of LCD, higher frame rates of 200 to 240 screen redraws per second rather than 100 to 120, and the feature anyone who saw Avatar will want, 3D TV.

[Image: Worth1000.com]

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Google is about to launch a Google-branded smartphone that won’t be tied to AT&T, Verizon or any other one wireless carrier. That’s true.

The company has trolled netbook manufacturers to see if they can get one to build a Google-branded netbook. Also true.

But is Google also going to launch a touchscreen tablet-and/or-slate computer anytime soon? My VentureBeat coworkers and I think the speculation is just plain wrong, for the following reasons.

No sources cited, not even anonymous sources. The most high-profile posts about a possible Google tablet have been those at GigaOm and jkOnTheRun. But go read those posts in full, and follow the links. Colin Gibbs at GigaOm links to James Kendrick at jkOnTheRun, which is owned by GigaOm. Kendrick clearly stated that the Google tablet he described at length was his own vision, not something he’d been told is in the works.

Neither author said, “I have word from a contact who has been right before about Google’s plans, and this is going to happen,” as has happened a lot for Apple’s rumored tablet.  Both writers said, “It would be really cool if Google + tablet = true.” By that standard, we could launch rumors all day. A Facebook tablet! A Tumblr-phone! Here’s why it would be awesome.

Google’s track record. So far, Google hasn’t leapt to the front of the parade on hardware. Their phone trails Apple by years, and their very-likely Chrome OS netbook will likewise be a late arrival to a fat market. For that matter, they were late on search engines and Web ads, too. Why would they suddenly risk trying to create a new market segment, rather than Googlefying a proven one?

Tablet-size touchscreens are hard. All TechCrunch readers know that Crunchpad tablet founder Mike Arrington was notified at the bottom of an email message that his business partners had cut him out of his role. But remember the top part of the message? It said the Crunchpad’s 12.1-inch touchscreens were still not working right and that there was “no good news” on when they might be ready.

This is what we think we know: Capacitive touchscreens are still hard to build at 11 inches or greater, the size of a tablet rather than a gadget. Resistive touchscreens are easier in theory, but in practice they’re probably too slow. So if Google were to sell a tablet, Google would need several million working, warranty-ready big capacitive touchscreens that weren’t already promised to Apple. When a Taiwanese supplier tells DigiTimes they’re fulfilling the order, then we’ll gladly believe it.

[Image: Geeky Gadgets]

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Filed under: Design/Style

USA Today looked at cars on sale between 2000 and 2009 and ranked them in order of most improved. Before you get hot and heavy in the comments, let us remind you that they are only talking about the way the cars look. Not how they perform. Trust us, there will be plenty for you to get angry about as is.

We noticed that there were a few cars USA Today left off the list that the vehicular brain trust here at the blog about autos thinks are very much improved. The Ford Taurus being one example. Sure, the new Taurus is large, but the old Taurus (aka Ford 500) was a bulbous bore.

But our real choice is the Maserati Gran Turismo, especially as the last generation Maser GT looked, well, lousy. Or at least like something Maserati might have sold when Chrysler owned them. That said, take a peek at the gallery, and discuss USA Today’s list amongst yourselves.

[Source: USA Today]

USA Today counts down decade’s most improved looking vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Etc., Videos, Lamborghini, Pontiac

In the movie Speed Zone, familiarly known as Cannonball Run 3 and ripe for an award for one of the most incredible ensemble casts ever, the opening sequence ends with a Lamborghini Countach eluding the police by skipping over a lake. You know, like a rock.

Mythbusters’ new gearhead Kari Byron wanted to see if that could really be done, so they tested the stunt out on a scale model Lamborghini over an appropriately scaled body of water. Then they tested the stunt again with a full-sized car – Pontiac Fiero, not a Countach – over a real pond, and the results made us go something along the lines of “That’s awesome.”

Follow the jump for the videos, which are broken up into a couple of segments. The scale model Lamborghini segment is cut short – they want you to watch the show – but the final test of the Pontiac Fiero Water Skimmer Edition is at Mythbusters.

[Source: Mythbusters]

Continue reading VIDEO: Mythbusters tests skipping Lambo from Speed Zone, a.k.a. Cannonball Run 3

VIDEO: Mythbusters tests skipping Lambo from Speed Zone, a.k.a. Cannonball Run 3 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Quick Spin: TPCRacing Cayman S Turbo picks up where Porsche left off

Porsche dropped the ball when it hobbled the Cayman with an underpowered engine. Thankfully, TPCRacing was there to grab the pigskin and run with it, creating a turbocharged 400-hp coupe that’s easily worth the price of admission.

SYNC to offer iTunes tagging through HD radio

Hear a song on the radio, tag it and buy it later. That’s what Ford’s latest SYNC system will allow users to do when it rolls out next year.

VIDEO: Jay Leno recreates C’etait un Rendez-Vous on LA’s “Nürburgring”

Jay Leno takes the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG through the canyons and streets of Los Angeles to prove that within every great city lies a world-class race track.

Also of interest:

• Want an Aston Martin Cygnet? You’ll need to have a big boy Aston first
• Lawyer Tracy withdraws lawsuits against Toyota
• GM may let dealers sell remaining “non-core” vehicles as used with big discounts
• Buick aiming to look younger, see other people (under 70)
• Chevy recalls 2005-2007 Corvettes over possible roof panel separation

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Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 12.29.09 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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