Sergio Mora's Public Library

31 Dec 09

Daring Fireball: The Tablet

And so in answer to my central question, regarding why buy The Tablet if you already have an iPhone and a MacBook, my best guess is that ultimately, The Tablet is something you’ll buy instead of a MacBook.

I say they’re swinging big — redefining the experience of personal computing.

daringfireball.net/...the_tablet - Preview

technology apple blog-post 2009

The situation
is uncannily similar to the run-up preceding the debut of the original iPhone in January 2007, including many of the same engineers and software teams at Apple — such as those who built the iPhone Mail, Calendar, and Safari apps — disappearing into a black hole. The iPhone remained a secret until Steve Jobs took it out of his jeans pocket on stage at Macworld Expo. All of which is to say that what follows is my conjecture. Pure punditry, not one of those smarmy “predictions” where I know full well in advance what’s going to happen.
But there’s one question at the top of the list, the answer to which is the key to answering every other question. That question is this: If you already have an iPhone and a MacBook; why would you want this?
4 more annotations...
- Do I think The Tablet is an e-reader? A video player? A web browser? A document viewer? It’s not a matter of or but rather and. I say it is all of these things. It’s a computer.
  
  And so in answer to my central question, regarding why buy The Tablet if you already have an iPhone and a MacBook, my best guess is that ultimately, The Tablet is something you’ll buy instead of a MacBook.
  
  I say they’re swinging big — redefining the experience of personal computing
- The Tablet, I say, is going to be Apple’s new answer to what you use for personal portable general computing.
  
  Put another way, let’s say instead of a MacBook and an iPhone, you’ve got an iMac and an iPhone, but you also want a portable secondary computer. Today, that portable from Apple (portable as opposed to the iPhone’s mobile) is a MacBook. With The Tablet, you’ll have the option of a device that will more closely resemble the iPhone than the iMac in terms of concept and the degree of technical abstraction
- The iPhone OS user interface was not designed in the abstract. It’s entirely about real-world usability, and very much designed specifically around the physical size of the device itself. The size and spacing of tappable targets are designed with the size of human thumb- and fingertips in mind. More importantly, the whole thing is designed so that it can be used one-handed. Even an adult with relatively small hands can go from one corner to the other with their thumb, holding the iPhone in one hand.
- Apple is no
  t i
  n the business of making monolithic OSes that they cram down your throat on as many widely-varying devices as possible. Apple is in the business
  of making complete products, for which they craft derivative OSes to fit each product. There is a shared core OS. There is not a shared core UI.²

02 May 09

Swine Flu good for gaming in Mexico

As if the rampant window plasticizing and complete blanketing of nighttime news with Swine Flu stories weren't bad enough, USA Today is reporting that Mexicans are flooding markets before a five-day quarantine begins in Mexico. The good news? People are renting games (and, ya know, buying other stuff) by the boatload, with the newspaper reporting "residents are snapping up DVDs, renting video games and stocking up on food."

www.joystiq.com/...-flu-good-for-gaming-in-mexico - Preview

videogames(filed-in) swine-flu(about) 2009 blog-post business

As if the rampant window plasticizing and complete blanketing of nighttime news with Swine Flu stories weren't bad enough, USA Today is reporting that Mexicans are flooding markets before a five-day quarantine begins in Mexico. The good news? People are renting games (and, ya know, buying other stuff) by the boatload, with the newspaper reporting "residents are snapping up DVDs, renting video games and stocking up on food."

01 May 09

Kotaku - How Not To Address Homosexuality In Gaming - Homosexuality and gaming

And they almost certainly won't be the last. Homosexuality has long been a controversial issue amongst gamers, developers, and publishers alike. With the ever-growing popularity of online games, players often bring their intolerance online, sharing it with their friends, teammates, and guilds. This tends to lead to knee-jerk reactions from the industry, with an unfortunate emphasis on the word jerk

kotaku.com/...ddress-homosexuality-in-gaming - Preview

videogames(filed-in) homosexuality(about) online-article(content-type) 2009

BioWare's censoring of homosexual terms on the Star Wars: The Old Republic forums was not a wise move, but they certainly weren't the first video game company to struggle with the issue of homosexuality.
Consider the example of SimCopter. A designer named Jacques Servin decided of his own accord to include a bit of beefcake in Maxis' SimCity spinoff, giving birth to "himbos". "Himbos" were shirtless, Speedo-clad men with nipples as bright as runway lights. The men would gather together in large numbers on certain dates, taking the place of some of the scantily clad women originally featured in the game. Servin, himself openly gay, included the bit of secret code on a lark, figuring Maxis would find it amusing.
3 more annotations...
- In 2006, Blizzard scolded a player in their popular massively multiplayer online game World of Warcraft for advertising her guild as gay and lesbian friendly, claiming she was violating the game's harassment policy. Following up on the issue the player, Sara Andrews of Tennessee was informed that her advertisements might cause other players to become abusive.
- While the SimCopter example was one of childish retribution by a developer who felt he was unfairly treated, both the World of Warcraft and Star Wars situations stemmed from employees of the respective companies that felt they were counteracting bad situations. Unfortunately, both representatives chose to attempt this by ignoring the fact that gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and the transgendered exist.
- What makes situations like these so tragic is the fact that other companies have taken great strides towards accepting "alternative lifestyles" in the recent past. Rockstar Games allowed for same-sex kissing to occur in Bully. Many massively multiplayer games not only allow for gay and lesbian couples to get married, but issue press releases to announce the feature. BioWare itself allowed for same-sex pairings in their epic science-fiction role-playing game Mass Effect, standing strong in the face of the controversy that those gameplay elements drew from the mainstream media.

The Cut Scene - Video Game Blog by Variety on Variety.com

A good source saw a working prototype several months ago that largely fit what was in the patent. Sony's controller apparently used LEDs (light emitting diodes, essentially little electric light sources) and a small webcam to track the device's movements. Because the camera can read different color lights and the shape and angle of each light, it's much more accurate than the Wii-mote. It can track precise movements, including along the Z axis (pushing toward and away from the TV; something the Wii is really bad at) as well as velocity.

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videogames(filed-in) 2009 blog-post consoles

That's what I've been hearing from several sources, one of whom has seen the device and two of whom are familiar with Sony's plans to show it at E3 next month.
A good source saw a working prototype several months ago that largely fit what was in the patent. Sony's controller apparently used LEDs (light emitting diodes, essentially little electric light sources) and a small webcam to track the device's movements. Because the camera can read different color lights and the shape and angle of each light, it's much more accurate than the Wii-mote. It can track precise movements, including along the Z axis (pushing toward and away from the TV; something the Wii is really bad at) as well as velocity.

30 Apr 09

Designing for Faceted Search

Faceted search, or guided navigation, has become the de facto standard for e-commerce and product-related websites, from big box stores to product review sites. But e-commerce sites aren’t the only ones joining the facets club. Other content-heavy sites such as media publishers (e.g. Financial Times: ft.com), libraries (e.g. NCSU Libraries: lib.ncsu.edu/), and even non-profits (e.g. Urban Land Institute: uli.org) are tapping into faceted search to make their often broad-range of content more findable. Essentially, faceted search has become so ubiquitous that users are not only getting used to it, they are coming to expect it.

www.uie.com/...faceted_search - Preview

web-design(filed-in) facets faceted-search(about) 2009 design

Faceted search, or guided navigation, has become the de facto standard for e-commerce and product-related websites, from big box stores to product review sites. But e-commerce sites aren’t the only ones joining the facets club. Other content-heavy sites such as media publishers (e.g. Financial Times: ft.com), libraries (e.g. NCSU Libraries: lib.ncsu.edu/), and even non-profits (e.g. Urban Land Institute: uli.org) are tapping into faceted search to make their often broad-range of content more findable. Essentially, faceted search has become so ubiquitous that users are not only getting used to it, they are coming to expect it.
Faceted search lets users refine or navigate a collection of information by using a number of discrete attributes – the so-called facets. A facet represents a specific perspective on content that is typically clearly bounded and mutually exclusive.
3 more annotations...
- The power of faceted search lies in the ability of users to create their own custom navigation by combining various perspectives rather than forcing them through a specific pat
- Ultimately, navigation and search is one of the main interactions users have with your site, so getting it right is not just a matter of good design, it impacts the bottom line. Faceted search is a very popular and powerful solution when done well;
- Faceted search can just add more complexity and frustrate your users if not considered from the user perspective and carefully thought through with sound usability principles in mind.

Teversham quits Xbox for Apple | Gaming Industry | MCV

Erstwhile video games strategy chief joins European office of iPhone firm after 15 years at Microsoft

www.mcvuk.com/...Xboxs-Teversham-joins-Apple - Preview

videogames(filed-in) industry(about) news-article(type) 2009

Erstwhile video games strategy chief joins European office of iPhone firm after 15 years at Microsoft

Activision shares jump ahead of quarterly report | Gaming Industry | MCV

Publishing kingpin sees trading boost as Goldman Sachs upgrades the firm’s shares to ‘Buy’

www.mcvuk.com/...jump-ahead-of-quarterly-report - Preview

videogames(filed-in) market(about) online-article(type) 2009

On Wednesday Activision's share price peaked at $11.16 after closing the day prior at $10.30

Ubisoft FY sales grow 14% | Gaming Industry | MCV

Fourth quarter revenues drop; Publisher confirms FY10 targets; €155m cash in the bank
Ubisoft has reported revenues for its full fiscal year 09 grew 14 per cent – despite a drop in Q4 sales.

www.mcvuk.com/...Ubisoft-FY-sales-grow-14 - Preview

videogames(filed-in) market(about) ubisoft(about) online-article(type) 2009

Fourth quarter revenues drop; Publisher confirms FY10 targets; €155m cash in the bank

Ubisoft has reported revenues for its full fiscal year 09 grew 14 per cent – despite a drop in Q4 sales.
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot stated: "In a highly competitive environment Ubisoft reported full-year sales growth of 18 per cent at constant exchange rates in 2008-09 as well as the second best profitability among comparable companies in its industry.
3 more annotations...
- In addition to strengthening our existing franchises
- we successfully launched two new million-unit-selling brands with Shaun White and Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X
- we affirmed our expertise in titles for Nintendo consoles

29 Apr 09

Daring Fireball: Highly Selective

There are two models for selecting multiple items in a list using the keyboard: anchored and unanchored.

ANCHORED: The selection grows in one direction, and shrinks in the other. In the anchored selection model, if you select two or more items in a list using Shift-Down, then pressing Shift-Up will deselect items from the bottom of the selection range. (And vice versa: if you start by selecting items with Shift-Up, Shift-Down will deselect from the top of the selection.)

UNANCHORED: The selection grows in both directions and never shrinks. In the unanchored selection model Shift-Down always extends the selection range downward and Shift-Up always extends it upward.

daringfireball.net/...highly_selective - Preview

gui-design(filed-in) macosx(about) 2006 blog-post design

There are two models for selecting multiple items in a list using the keyboard: anchored and unanchored
Anchored: The selection grows in one direction, and shrinks in the other. In the anchored selection model, if you select two or more items in a list using Shift-Down, then pressing Shift-Up will deselect items from the bottom of the selection range. (And vice versa: if you start by selecting items with Shift-Up, Shift-Down will deselect from the top of the selection.)
1 more annotations...
- Unanchored: The selection grows in both directions and never shrinks. In the unanchored selection model Shift-Down always extends the selection range downward and Shift-Up always extends it upward

Betalogue » Blog Archive » Shrinking and expanding selections in Mac OS X

In several of Apple’s text editors or applications with text editing tools (probably all based on the same underlying text editing engine), including Mail, TextEdit, but also Pages, Excel, etc., there is a total disconnect between the orientation of the mouse selection and the orientation of selection expansions with the cursor keys.

www.betalogue.com/...selections - Preview

gui-design(filed-in) macosx(about) 2009 blog-post design

Sadly, three years later, things are still a total mess in Mac OS X, even when one keeps the focus exclusively on Apple’s own software applications. If anything, it has become even more complex and confusing.
In several of Apple’s text editors or applications with text editing tools (probably all based on the same underlying text editing engine), including Mail, TextEdit, but also Pages, Excel, etc., there is a total disconnect between the orientation of the mouse selection and the orientation of selection expansions with the cursor keys.

stevenf.com - Office 2010 preview

I’ve been a recreational and professional computer user for, what, 25 years, and I can’t make heads or tails of the user interface on this Office 2010 preview that Gruber linked to.

I know that Microsoft replaced the traditional toolbar with something called a “ribbon” and I’ve never understood what it’s supposed to be. It seems to be a categorized toolbar where you can arbitrarily stack icons of varying sizes, with or without labels, in whichever layout strikes your fancy.

stevenf.tumblr.com/...office-2010-preview - Preview

gui-design(filed-in) 2009 blog-post design

I know that Microsoft replaced the traditional toolbar with something called a “ribbon” and I’ve never understood what it’s supposed to be. It seems to be a categorized toolbar where you can arbitrarily stack icons of varying sizes, with or without labels, in whichever layout strikes your fancy.
The first section of the ribbon is “Delete” which has, as far as I can tell, three separate icons for delete.

scottberkun.com » Why designers fail: the report

The survey consisted of 41 issues, divided into three categories: Psychological, Skill and Organizational. Each participant ranked each issue on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 meaning the issue was highly significant in explaining why designers fail, and 1 meaning least significant (3 was identified as a neutral value).

www.scottberkun.com/...why-designers-fail-the-report - Preview

design-studies(filed-in) design-fail(about) survey(contains) 2008 blog-post design

Last week I announced a study on why designers fail - exploring the reasons why designers, and people who work with designers, believe designers don’t achieve the results they desire. I presented the results as UIE 13 last week, and as promised here is a summary. Prize winners will be announced soon.
The survey consisted of 41 issues, divided into three categories: Psychological, Skill and Organizational. Each participant ranked each issue on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 meaning the issue was highly significant in explaining why designers fail, and 1 meaning least significant (3 was identified as a neutral value).
1 more annotations...
- The average scores for groupings showed little different in weightings: there was no single grouping of issues that proved to be significantly more important in explaining why designers fail.
  
  Organizational issues: 3.37
  
  Skill issues: 3.15
  
  Psychological issues: 3.11

Falloujah et l'évolution de la question du réalisme - Game in Society

La polémique se résume assez bien : on ne peut pas faire un jeu qui touche à un fait de guerre aussi récent et douloureux, selon Tim Collins, colonel du 1er bataillon de l'armée britannique, en interview dans le Daily Mail, alors que pour les pro-jeux vidéo, c'est aberrant qu'un média qui a fait ses choux gras sur la médiatisation du conflit donne des leçons de déontologie à un autre média.

www.gameinsociety.com/...Falloujah - Preview

videogames(filed-in) game-studies(filed-in) discours ideology realism 2009 blog-post

Il y a quelque jours enflait une polémique autour d'un jeu développé par
Atomic game et édité par Konami :
Six Days in Fallujah, un FPS qui propose de revivre la bataille
irakienne éponyme de 2004, bataille qui a fait un nombre de morts considérables
pour les britanniques.
on passe de la dénonciation du jeu vidéo en général, en tant que pratique,
à une dénonciation des contenus, non pas sur le mode opératoire jeu vidéo =
violence, mais bien sur la question du réalisme.
7 more annotations...
- mais ici il la question du réalisme n'est plus esthétique, elle devient
  discursive, elle touche aux propos du jeu et non plus seulement à un ersatz
  pixelisé d'image photo-réaliste
- L'autre tendance concerne le jeu vidéo en soi, pas seulement les discours
  gravitant autour. Le réalisme historique est un ressort classique des
  productions de jeu de guerre : que ce soient les images d'archives de
  Medal of Honour, les historiens sollicités dans Cossacks, le
  jeu vidéo a toujours aimé l'histoire, se tourner vers le passé et proposer de
  l'explorer par le biais de la simulation ludique.
- J'ai classé les productions de guerre (FPS et RTS) en fonction du contexte
  du récit : contemporain, historique, fantaisie, science-fiction, et la
  tendance est plutôt lourde : on a un énorme pic de productions des jeux
  prenant place dans un contexte contemporain entre 2003 et 2007.
- Donc effectivement, le réalisme peut être incriminé, les jeux ne sont pas
  pour autant des éditorial games ou des jeux avec un discours politique
  critique envers le pouvoir. Le contexte contemporain permet avant tout de
  développer non pas tant de nouvelles formes de jeu, mais "saisit" le joueur, le
  plonge dans un environnement familier. Ils ne sont pas non plus hégémoniques ou
  l'expression de la domination impérialiste américaine sur le monde.
- On a encore une fois une évolution de la critique du jeu vidéo, ce qui au
  final est un bien, car des attaques précises poussent à des prises de position
  mieux stigmatisantes, et donc au final la production d'une argumentation moins
  généraliste. Ce qui ne veut pas dire que les discours ne sont pas toujours les
  mêmes (pro vs. anti, question des effets, blablabla), ils deviennent juste
  approfondis.
- est-ce vraiment la bataille de Falloujah qui sera
  mise en scène ou bien la mise en scène de la bataille, sa construction
  médiatique ? Des anciens militaires ayant participé à l'opération ont été
  auditionnés, mais pour autant le récit, l'imagerie n'empruntera-t-elle pas
  davantage à l'histoire écrite par CNN.
- Et là encore, nouvelle évolution : le référentiel n'est plus le cinéma,
  le roman historique, mais la télévision. Les jeux de guerre contemporains sont
  des relectures de l'imagerie télévisuelle, lorgnant davantage du côté du
  reporter de guerre de CNN, style caméra au point (ah l'excitation de la caméra
  de Gears of War) que vers la Ligne Rouge.

More Wii Warriors Are Playing Hurt - NYTimes.com

To say that Wii injuries are an epidemic would be an overstatement, but they are proliferating along with the popular video-game system. Interviews with orthopedists and sports medicine physicians revealed few serious injuries, but rather a phenomenon more closely resembling a spreading national ache: patients of all ages complaining of strains and swelling related to their use — and overuse — of the Wii.

www.nytimes.com/...21wii.html - Preview

videogames(filed-in) health wii newspaper-article(type) 2009

To say that Wii injuries are an epidemic would be an overstatement, but they are proliferating along with the popular video-game system. Interviews with orthopedists and sports medicine physicians revealed few serious injuries, but rather a phenomenon more closely resembling a spreading national ache: patients of all ages complaining of strains and swelling related to their use — and overuse — of the Wii
Nintendinitis
1 more annotations...
- “It’s great in the concept that it gets people active and involved,” said Dr. Brian Halpern, a sports medicine physician at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. “It’s not great in that you get lost in that and are overloading areas that you haven’t worked out in a long time, if ever.”

28 Apr 09

Hadopi : le piratage, un défi pour l’industrie du jeu - Playtime - Blog LeMonde.fr

Les débats de la loi “Création et Internet”, qui ont repris lundi 30 mars, se focalisent sur le piratage de la musique et dans une moindre mesure, des films. Mais ils abordent très peu le secteur du jeu vidéo, dont le chiffre d’affaires est pourtant supérieur à celui de l’industrie du disque.

playtime.blog.lemonde.fr/...un-defi-pour-lindustrie-du-jeu - Preview

videogames(filed-in) industry(about) piracy(about) 2009 blog-post business-models

Les débats de la loi “Création et Internet”, qui ont repris lundi 30 mars, se focalisent sur le piratage de la musique et dans une moindre mesure, des films. Mais ils abordent très peu le secteur du jeu vidéo, dont le chiffre d’affaires est pourtant supérieur à celui de l’industrie du disque.
En valeur absolue, ce sont des millions de téléchargements qui sont effectués chaque mois sur les plates-formes de peer-to-peer. A la fin de l’année 2008, le site Torrentfreak a dressé un “palmarès” des jeux les plus piratés. Sorti en septembre, Spore, d’Electronic Arts, a été téléchargé 1,7 million de fois. Après les Sims 2 (1,15 million de téléchargements en 2008) d’Electronic Arts arrive Assassin’s Creed, d’Ubisoft (1,07 million).
3 more annotations...
- VERS DE NOUVEAUX MODÈLES ÉCONOMIQUES
- Mais contrairement au domaine musical, où le chiffre d’affaires s’amenuise d’année en année, le jeu est en croissance permanente, même si les dépenses de développement augmentent avec les machines de la nouvelle génération. Le marché des jeux sur PC pèse désormais 10,75 milliards de dollars (8,16 milliards d’euros) dans le monde, porté notamment par le succès massif du jeu en ligne de Blizzard, World of Warcraft.
- Les offres alternatives aux ventes physiques continuent également de se développer : plate-forme de distribution digitale, Steam, lancée en 2002, dispose de 20 millions de comptes de joueurs.

Next Wave of Media Threatens Video Game Makers - NYTimes.com

SAN FRANCISCO — Booming video game sales are masking a serious concern for game makers: their economic model is in peril. Game companies are taking in more money, but, in many cases, not profits.

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videogames(filed-in) industry(about) newspaper-article(content-type) 2009 business-models

SAN FRANCISCO — Booming video game sales are masking a serious concern for game makers: their economic model is in peril
But a proliferation of free or low-cost games on the Web and for phones limits how much the major game publishers can raise prices.
7 more annotations...
- “The model as it exists is dying,” said Mike McGarvey, former chief executive of Eidos and now an executive with OnLive, which delivers games from the Internet. He said consumers were looking at games for consoles and saying, “This is too expensive and there are too many choices.”
- The problem is a marked shift in the economics surrounding the PlayStation and Xbox consoles. Makers cannot charge enough or sell enough games to cover the cost of producing most titles. As with the Hollywood movie studios, video game makers have to hope for a blockbuster.
- Mr. Fils-Aime said Nintendo recognized the economics were changing when it developed the Wii. He said the company deliberately did not add high-definition capability to the Wii so games would be cheaper to make.
- But game companies say there is a bigger force at work: the proliferation of consumer choice in the game industry prevents them from raising prices on console games. Games for iPhones are considerably cheaper; indeed, many are free. Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D, a racing game that has been a longtime favorite on the iTunes App Store, costs $5.99. Zombieville USA, another top seller, is only $1.99. Games made for downloading onto the Xbox 360, PS3 or Wii cost $10.
- “Video games used to be the type of entertainment that sucked dollars from TV, music and the box office,” said Evan Wilson, an analyst with Pacific Crest Securities. “Now, inside the video game industry, it’s having its own internal distraction issues. There are lots of options.”
- To reduce the cost of production, some are laying off staff or hiring cheaper staff overseas in China or India.
- Another company, Gazillion, plans to experiment with subscriptions to games inside virtual worlds based on superheroes from Marvel Comics

Puissance-Nintendo : Le jeu vidéo va-t-il changer de modèle ?

En dépit d'une croissance à deux chiffres en 2008, les éditeurs de jeux vidéo sont inquiets : la prolifération de jeux gratuits ou très bon marché remettent en cause les budgets alloués à certaines productions. S'adapter ou mourir à petit feu, c'est le choix fabuleux que doivent faire nos chers éditeurs s'ils veulent exister encore dans quelques années.

www.p-nintendo.com/...N-1064072389.html - Preview

videogames(filed-in) industry(about) business-models online-article(content-type) 2009

En dépit d'une croissance à deux chiffres en 2008, les éditeurs de jeux vidéo sont inquiets : la prolifération de jeux gratuits ou très bon marché remettent en cause les budgets alloués à certaines productions. S'adapter ou mourir à petit feu, c'est le choix fabuleux que doivent faire nos chers éditeurs s'ils veulent exister encore dans quelques années.
La multiplication des jeux gratuits sur Internet, ou très bon marché sur iPhone, mettent le doigt où ça fait mal : il devient difficile de gagner de l'argent avec les jeux vidéo. Bien sûr, la situation n'est encore ni grave et ni désespérée, mais les éditeurs doivent se préparer à la prochaine révolution : des jeux pas chers mais de qualité.
2 more annotations...
- Le problème le plus grave concerne les jeux pour XBox 360 et PS3 : les éditeurs ne peuvent pas vendre assez de jeux pour compenser les investissements nécessaires pour produire ces mêmes jeux.
- Le secteur va donc devoir s'adapter : si les bases de joueurs sur PS3 et XBox 360 n'augmentent pas, c'est tout un modèle économique qui va être remis en cause. Augmenter les prix n'est pas une possibilité (on rappellera que beaucoup de jeux sur ces consoles sont vendus 70 euros) dans un contexte concurrentiel très fort : sur PC, beaucoup de jeux sont gratuits, ou très abordables. Sur les plate-formes de téléchargement sur console, il faut au minimum débourser 10 euros pour un jeu, alors que sur iPhone, un jeu comme Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D se vend 6 dollars !

Jean-Loup Hahn, ou l'itinéraire d'un harceleur précoce qui s'est mué en assassin - Société - Le Monde.fr

ean-Loup Hahn a été condamné à trente ans de réclusion criminelle assortis d'une peine de sûreté de vingt ans, en appel, par la cour d'assises d'Indre-et-Loire, vendredi 3 avril, au terme de quatre jours d'audience.
Le 22 juin 2005, ce jeune homme aujourd'hui âgé de 25 ans avait tiré à trois reprises avec un fusil 22 Long Rifle sur une étudiante de sa promotion, à l'IUT d'Orléans-La-Source (Loiret), au beau milieu de sa soutenance de mémoire de fin d'études. Julia Bastide, qu'il harcelait depuis près de deux ans et qui refusait ses avances, était décédée peu après le troisième tir (Le Monde du 1er avril).

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videogames(filed-in) social-issues(about) newspaper-article(content-type) 2009

ean-Loup Hahn a été condamné à trente ans de réclusion criminelle assortis d'une peine de sûreté de vingt ans, en appel, par la cour d'assises d'Indre-et-Loire, vendredi 3 avril, au terme de quatre jours d'audience.
ean-Loup Hahn a été condamné à trente ans de réclusion criminelle assortis d'une peine de sûreté de vingt ans, en appel, par la cour d'assises d'Indre-et-Loire, vendredi 3 avril, au terme de quatre jours d'audience.
1 more annotations...
- Le garçon de bonne famille s'est en effet mué en "harceleur" dès l'âge de 14 ans, entrant par effraction dans leur quotidien comme les héros des jeux vidéo qu'il affectionne.

23 Apr 09

Kotaku - Adult Gaming on the DS: The Chinatown Conundrum - grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

With 100 million DS and DSi in the hands of gamers worldwide, Nintendo's portable is a mighty tempting platform for developers. So why are only seven of the nearly 1,100 games for the DS rated Mature?

kotaku.com/...the-ds-the-chinatown-conundrum - Preview

videogames critique reviews review:contains ds gta

Expectations for the open-world, high-production value game ran high with analysts predicting 200,000 to 450,000 in sales in the first month. But instead the game moved a paltry 89,000, according to the NPD Group.
"Chinatown Wars received critical acclaim and is the highest rated DS title of all time," said Alan Lewis, vice president of corporate communications for Take-Two, which owns Rockstar Games. "In terms of performance, we think it is performing in line with other triple-A games on the platform."
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- "Remember that many games for Nintendo DS have a nontraditional sales pattern," said Denise Kaigler, Nintendo of America's vice president of corporate affairs. "The trend is toward ‘evergreen' games that sell well over an extended period of time instead of in a one-month spike. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for Nintendo DS is a good example. In its first month (November 2007), it sold only 36,000. To date, it has sold through nearly 500,000. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is a great game that has received tremendous reviews. We expect that with continued backing, it will follow the same long-tail/evergreen sales route that other top sellers have taken.

20 Apr 09

Le buzz Susan Boyle : marketing cynique en temps de crise | Rue89

Voilà une semaine que les médias du monde entier montent en épingle Susan Boyle, une anti-star qui veut devenir chanteuse et n'a pas, a priori, le physique de l'emploi. Aux Etats-Unis, où le phénomène irradie depuis trois jours, on dit désormais qu'il faut revenir d'Irak pour ne pas savoir qui est cette femme.

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media controversy article:type annotated:is

Avec un mélange de culpabillité très télégénique et de cynisme, ceux qui moquaient la candidate mal partie du radio-crochet britannique récitent désormais un drôle de catéchisme, jurant que décidément « l'habit ne fait pas le moine ».
rès vite, la surprise cède le pas à l'autoflagellation. Comme si des palettes entières de « La Société du spectacle » de Guy Debord avaient débarqué d'Ecosse dans le même train que la chanteuse de paroisse, la jurée Amanda Holden fronce le nez et plisse la bouche pour faire son mea culpa
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- La gloire… et les interviews condescendantes
  
  Aux Etats-Unis, Susan Boyle est devenue célèbre après un passage au Early Show de CBS vendredi dernier, même si pas mal d'interviews se sont révélées largement condescendantes. Petit exemple en images, même si c'est en anglais que ça se passe. (Voir la vidéo)
- Chez la blonde Amanda, ce qui frappe le plus, c'est son obstination à redire, comme précédemment dans le Daily Mirror, qu'elle ferait des pieds et des mains pour empêcher qu'on emmène Susan Boyle chez le coiffeur ou chez le dentiste -même si cette dernière est désormais flanquée d'un agent. En clair : cette nouvelle héroïne ne fonctionnerait si bien que parce qu'elle incarnerait cette authenticité plutôt rustique.
- Du côté de Piers Morgan, en revanche, on nous explique encore que cette Ecossaise est typiquement ce dont l'époque avait besoin, « en ces temps de crise économique et de morosité ».