Twitter reportedly will be abandoning its suggested user list following some unfavorable attention it received last month.
When a new user signs up on Twitter, the site offers him a long list of suggested users he may be interested in following. The list consists of about 500 prominent users in various fields, including politics.
But the Center for Governmental Studies noticed the suggested users did not equally represent both Republican and Democratic political interests. One of the main points brought up was that prospective Democratic candidates in the California gubernatorial race were listed, but prospective Republican candidates were not.
At the Web 2.0 summit last month, Chief Twitter exec Evan Williams said “‘The suggested user list has been controversial for a while…I desperately want to kill it or evolve it.”
Today, co-founder Biz Stone followed up with the Associated Press, telling reporters, “That list will be going away…In its stead will be something that is more programmatically chosen, something that actually delivers more relevant suggestions.”
Neither Stone nor Williams has presented a date for when the feature will be changed.
I purchased Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on launch day because I the hype behind this game was simply outstanding. The hype was well deserved because its the most phoenominal multiplayer fps experience I’ve encountered. The level of customization (different custom setups, killstreak unlocks, etc) and awesome little rewards like titles and callsigns have you constantly evolving your character. The game looks great on the PS3, although I wish the textures were a little more defined. Nonetheless, a strange issue started happening to me recently where the game would freeze or start freezing up during multiplayer gameplay. This would usually happen at the beginning, or even a few moments into a match. It was occuring over and over and I was getting quite concerned.
UPDATE: As of today, Activision released a 1.04 update to Modern Warfare 2 for the PS3 that fixed this issue for me. Up to this point, I had to delete my game utility data every time before I played to ensure a crash-free experience. This seems to be resolved now. If downloading 1.04 doesn’t help you, try these steps:
After Googling around, I didn’t find much until I actually went to Activision’s support site. I highlighted below in bold what fixed the issue for me.
Here is the fix they list for this issue:
This may be caused by a faulty game disc, or problems with the PlayStation 3. Check the disc for abrasions, scratches, and dust.
Ensure the PlayStation 3 is in a cool, well ventilated place.
Try deleting the game data. Go into the XMB menu. This is the menu that you see when you turn on your PS3. Select Game / Game Data Utility. Select the game and press the triangle button. Select Delete and then press the X button to confirm. Once this is done, reinsert the game disc in the drive. You will need to install the game data to the PS3 again. This should not affect your saved game as it is stored in a different folder.
Try the game on another PlayStation 3.
If none of the above resolves the issue then this may indicate a problem with your Playstation 3 and you will need to contact Playstation Consumer/Technical support at (1-800-345-SONY).
Additional PS3 troubleshooting suggestions can be found at Sony’s support site.
You probably already know this, but Modern Warfare 2 has been banned in Russia because of that controversial level, No Russian. In the mission, you, an American soldier in the employ of the CIA, team up with a Russian terrorist who shoots up a fictional Russian airport. At the end of the mission, the Russian terrorist double-crosses you, shooting you and leaving you at the scene of the terrorist attack. This serves as a springboard for the rest of the game, wherein Russia uses the (what they think is) American attack as a pretext for war.
SPOILERS ARE PRETTY MUCH OVER~!
As a response to the level, Russia has recalled all copies all the game. (Here’s the original Russian source.) Infinity Ward has responded by editing the game, the edited version being expected to go on sale within the month (provided the Russian authorities even allow this version).
We’ve talked about the game a little, but I wanted to share my thoughts on the level in question.
It’s very hard to defend the level. In fact, I do wonder who at Infinity Ward thought it’d be a good idea to include such a level. And that Activision gave the level the OK! Did no one anticipate the controversy that would erupt?
I understand people will want to defend the level, and the game, and Infinity Ward (no one’s defending Activision~!), because it’s “your team” that’s being attacked. “Leave video games alone!” And for the record (get it?), I really don’t think any of us here at CrunchGear believe there’s a link between video game violence and real life violence. All of us have played violent video games, from Doom all the way on up, and we’re a bunch of harmless nerds. I wouldn’t know how to fire a gun, or carjack a minivan, or punch someone in the chest and rip out their heart if my life depended on it. Gaming is just a fun thing done to pass the time. No more, no less.
But to hide behind those excuses when it comes to examining No Russian is absurd. You realize that you’re running around an airport in a simulated terror attack, right? That’s different than you playing the role of, say, the Allied forces in WWII, shooting conscripted Wehrmacht soldiers. That’s two armies going at it; a terror attack isn’t even in the same ballpark.
Let’s put it this way: if an Iranian video game developer released a game that put you in the role of a suicide bomber, and had you roll into a mall in the middle of suburban New Jersey, shoot it up, then blow yourself up in the middle of the food court, you don’t think there’d be people in the media freaking out? I can guarantee that Drudge, Hannity, Rush, Beck & Co. would be up in arms over that. And once they’re up in arms, other news outlets would pick it up (because that’s how news works in the country), then we’d be dealing with a truly national story: should we ban the video game that glorifies terrorism, and shows America at its most vulnerable?
So why is Russia any different? Why can’t Russian gamers (and, more importantly, Russian politicians) be angry over the level? They have every right to.
Again, I’m not saying that by playing the level, all of a sudden America’s youth is going to be training how to attack a Russian airport, it’s just the the depiction of of violence is so over-the-top and so unnecessary that you wonder why it was approved in the first place.
So I officially don’t care for the level. I did enjoy the game—it’s a well-done FPS, yes—but don’t think I don’t recognize that I’m getting my kicks playing virtual soldier.
There’s a larger point you can make here, too: what does it say about our society and culture that one of the highest grossing entertainment releases of the year amounts to virtually shooting up airports filled with helpless victims, or where we entertain ourselves by virtually shooting our friends in the face with AK-47s? I’m guilty of this, too, of course, but it’s something to think about.
This volume is the latest in a series of biennial assessments of the scientific and technical quality of the Army Research Laboratory (ARL). The current report summarizes findings for the 2007-2008 period, during which 95 volunteer experts in fields of science and engineering participated in the following activities: visiting ARL annually, receiving formal presentations of technical work, examining facilities, engaging in technical discussions with ARL staff, and reviewing ARL technical materials.
The overall quality of ARL’s technical staff and their work continues to be impressive, as well as the relevance of their work to Army needs. ARL continues to exhibit a clear, passionate concern for the end user of its technology–the soldier in the field. While two directorates have large program-support missions, there is considerable customer-support work across the directorates, which universally demonstrate mindfulness of the importance of transitioning technology to support immediate and near-term Army needs. ARL staff also continue to expand their involvement with the wider scientific and engineering community.
This involvement includes monitoring relevant developments elsewhere, engaging in significant collaborative work (including the Collaborative Technology Alliances), and sharing work through peer reviews. In general, ARL is working very well within an appropriate research and development niche and has been demonstrating significant accomplishments.
Every time you think you’ve seen the most ridiculous patent infringement lawsuit out there, you only need to wait a day or two before another, more ridiculous, one shows up. The latest is that Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, the Los Angeles Lakers and the band the Pussycat Dolls have all been sued for patent infringement. Seriously. The patent in question (6669346) is for a very large display system for a performance. Basically, it’s for the sort of massive screens used at various concerts (and apparently, some sporting events). Seeing as I doubt that Spears, Timberlake or the Pussycat Dolls built these screens themselves, shouldn’t there be some sort of patent exhaustion issue here, where (if there’s any actual infringement, which seems questionable enough) the liable parties should be whoever made these giant screesn?
Of course the lawsuit was filed in East Texas, and it’s amusing to see the reasoning for this: according to the lawsuit, all of the performers likely had residents from East Texas who attended some of their concerts, and thus it makes sense. As for the Lakers, well, their games are broadcast in East Texas (even if the screen in question is in LA and probably not of much use or concern to those watching at home in East Texas). So, apparently, these days you don’t just have to be an innovative company to get sued for patent infringement. You can just be a rockstar or a sports team…
There are a lot of elements to online reputation management. Really, depending on how far you want to take it, the elements are basically limitless. Any web property out there that gives people a voice caters to potential reputation smearing.
There have been entire books written about online reputation management, and countless articles, but I just wanted to take the time to point out five things to keep track of that you may not have considered (or maybe you have…if so, good thinking).
What do you watch when monitoring your online reputation?Tell WPN readers.
1. Google Sidewiki
There is a chance that people are talking about you right on your site, and you don’t have any clue. A while back Google launched SideWiki, a feature for the Google Toolbar (and also available as a bookmarklet for web browsers), which lets people comment on any page on the web. Anyone who is using Sidewiki can see the comments that have been posted or leave their own. Granted, not all comments left will necessarily show up (Google controls this), but you should do yourself a favor and check to see what kind of comments are being left on your site. If you have a lot of pages, it may be hard to get to them all, but you can focus on the ones that you feel are the most important (or bring in the most traffic).
2. Blog Comments
You may be on the look out for blog posts being written about your brand. People are going online more and more to research businesses before they buy. They’re looking for reviews and what people have to say about businesses and products.
It doesn’t stop at the blog post, however. Often times, some of the most passionate and/or nasty comments will come in the comments sections of these blog posts. If you need to defend your brand or product out there, don’t overlook what people are saying in the comments themselves.
That’s assuming that the comments are negative, but it can also pay to acknowledge the good comments. Engage with people and show that you care and appreciate the kind words. As Connie Bensen of Techrigy recently told WebProNews in an interview, "You’re never done building you brand." You should always be listening, work with those who are being negative (when possible), and thank the ones who are being positive.
