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Posts tagged Microsoft
Xbox 360 Video Card Fried
Mar 6th
Well, I suppose I jinxed myself with my regular bragging of how I’ve never had problems with my 360. To be honest, it has been great; very reliable up to this point. However, tonight, I turned it on…everything worked fine…I connected to my media server….started playing a video and about 20 seconds into the video most of the image turned green. I mean, it was still working because I could see things moving and when I stopped the video I could still move around the dashboard it’s just that everything was green now. So, I decided to reboot the box…….BAD decision….As of now, I have an Xbox360 that seems to be working fine (NO rrod and I can hear sound and it connects to live and all) just NO video. Yes, it seems that my video card is fried. And yes, my warranty expired 3 months ago. I’ve only found one report of someone having this same problem and they said that when Microsoft fixed it and sent it back, their DVD drive failed less than a month later. Since, I’ve already noticed my DVD drive making noise I’m confident something similar would happen to me. So, I’m throwing in the towel and getting a new one (I’ll mess around with fixing this one when I have time in the future).
To be fair, I have worked it a little hard this past week or so. I’ve watched about 6 full seasons of one of my TV shows (streamed from my media server) so it hasn’t really had much time to rest.
So, it looks like I will be buying the Xbox360 Super Elite tomorrow with the 250GB hdd and the new Splinter Cell Convictions.
A new set of tires mounted and balanced and a new Xbox in the same day. How depressing…
Note: I will probably be popping open my Halo Edition Xbox360 that just died at some point to see what I can do about it (or at least mess around with it).
Microsoft Presents MUI (Muscle User Interface)
Jan 1st
Recent patent news indicates a filing from Microsoft describing the control of a computer using Electromyography (EMG) to translate electrical activity from muscles into instructions for the computer. You should really check out the article over at TechFlash and watch the video below. It’s very interesting.
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1agrUM4KYs[/youtube]
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Overdue Post
Dec 15th
I know it’s been a long time, but I’ve been extremely busy. I can’t seem to get any help with new, interesting posts so they are just going to have to come when I find time. If anyone out there likes these articles and would like to help out posting interesting things for people to see and possibly comment about, let me know.
No laptop for you!
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Will go nowhere but wouldn’t it be nice if it did…
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Ridiculous Judgements…Microsoft should cut India off (No Windows for you!) and take back all the jobs they’ve supplied!
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As I said…wouldn’t take long (B&N Nook hacked)
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Google’s Phone coming early 2010 (Nexus One)
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“Killing in the Name Of”….someone he stole an ID from…
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Forget about the recession…Go to the movies…Everyone else did…
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Keeping poor, uneducated people drugged and out of the way
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Racing Setups for the Xbox360
Nov 2nd
There are several wheels out there (mostly for the PS3 and PC) but not so many for the 360 (why is MS not letting Logitech make the G27 not for the Xbox?). But there are a few from the cheap (Madcatz) to the mid-range (MS wheel, Logitech DriveFX) to the enthusiast inspired (Fanatec).
Fanatec makes the best looking wheel, shifter, and pedal setup for the 360 (also works on the PC and PS3 so might be worth some thought). It’s fairly expensive but for the serious racing game enthusiast can you really argue? The wheel looks terrific, the manual shifter (although probably not supported as of yet in any game) looks awesome, and the pedals (all metal) provide functionality that isn’t even supported yet in games (ABS feedback when braking). Also there is actually a clutch pedal for manual driving! You should really check this one out!
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Here are some of Fanatec’s other wheels…
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They also make a pretty good looking mount for the wheels and pedals (works with the MS wheel with an adapter)
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I will probably get one of these stands, when I decide which wheel I want (I have no room for the cockpit).
Maybe we can get a review of Forza3 from some of the Pic-E-Bank members out there. I know at least 2 that have it… 
Eolas Sues Microsoft, Google, and 23 Other Companies
Oct 6th
Eolas is suing Microsoft, Google, and 23 other companies for patent infringement. They claim that they now have patent protection over anyone providing the ability (usually via plug-ins) to embed user-interactive applications. So yea, if you’ve used Wordpress (which uses AJAX) or any other site in which you implemented a plug-in to increase user interaction, you just became a part of history. This is getting ridiculous…
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This just 3 days after the Software Freedom Law Center filed a brief with the Supreme Court insisting that software patents be shot down.
Excerpt: “In this closely-watched case, the Supreme Court will decide whether the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit was correct in restricting patentable processes to those ‘tied to a particular machine or apparatus,’ or which ‘transform[s] a particular article into a different state or thing,’ a conclusion which if fully implemented could bring to an end the widespread patenting of computer programs. … This case gives the Supreme Court a chance to reaffirm what its past cases have held for more than a century: that no patent law consistent with the US Constitution can permit the monopolization of abstract ideas.”
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Guess we’ll see soon about good old Bilski…