BBFC dropped as PEGI videogame ratings given government approval

Following the wake Byron Report into how children use the Internet and videogames, the government-backed Digital Britain report has finally put an end to the speculation over the BBFC and PEGI age classifications on software packages.
Extensive consultation with industry experts and consumers led to the UK government adoption of the PEGI system as the sole method of classification for videogames. This has means that legally-binding age certificates used by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) will be dropped.

Outlined in the Digital Britain report is the statement “PEGI will give consumers a single set of clear logos for video games that will apply across most of Europe, providing an international solution for game content regulation. It has the flexibility required to adapt to the challenge of rapidly-evolving technology in the games sector and will be highly effective in the online world”.
The PEGI system is self-regulatory and not governed by an independent body, but by the videogame publishing industry itself. The parental guidance it provides is clearly through a series of symbols and advisories that highlight age recommendations and game play details.

According to the report’s findings, PEGI offers the “best elements of a pan-European self-regulatory system” that takes into account “the views of the British public.”

Governmental support of PEGI hasn’t gone down well with the BBFC, which maintains that its long-serving classification system, used to classify movies, DVD and Blu-ray releases, is the more effective solution because the organisation is separate from the industry.

In a statement, the BBFC said that, while it supports PEGI and will co-operate completely with the legislative changes, the UK classification system “must be independent in substance as well as appearance, reaching its decisions and providing information on the basis of its own detailed assessments.”

Although the Digital Britain report and the government’s final decision in favour of PEGI do not reflect all recommendations in the report it apparently “meets all the key criteria” laid down by the Byron Report and will also make it illegal for retailers to sell 12+ computer and videogames to underage children.

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Have you noticed an unusual number of popups recently? It could be that your computer has been infected by spyware. This computer software secretly installs itself on your computer and collects information that is sent to marketing firms, corporations and even criminals.

These programs can also alter computer settings, resulting in slow connection speeds, different home pages, the loss of functionality of other programs and even your Internet connection. Installing network security or antivirus software may not be enough to protect you since these programs can disguise themselves as handy tools.

Trojans
Spyware is primarily spread by downloading information from the Internet. The user installs an application, and the damaging software tags along. You won’t even know it’s happening until the unwanted behavior begins. You may notice poor system performance, unwanted CPU activity, disk usage and network traffic.

Stability issues, such as applications freezing, failure to boot, and system-wide crashes are also common. These programs can sidestep security software so you won’t know what’s happening until the damage is done.

The tech sector has responded to this problem by developing new security software. However, these products may also inadvertently disable wanted programs. To address this issue, the Anti-Spyware Coalition is developing a standard for what constitutes “spam” or unacceptable software behavior.

network security
It’s important to note that some analysts have warned against vendors selling anti-spyware software as a standalone product because most security software products include anti-spyware utilities and they believe that customers should not be paying extra for it. Microsoft even offers a free anti-spyware tool.

There are new programs popping up every day. Uninstaller Software claims to be capable of removing programs that could not be removed by Microsoft Windows Add/Remove program.

For security protection against these software programs, only download material from reputable sites and always thoroughly read the End User License Agreement. Most people click yes without reading the terms and agree to install this software without knowing it.

When a popup appears on your computer read it before you click anything. Although antivirus software isn’t foolproof, they can protect your system in real time. Even with antivirus software and a firewall system, scan your computer periodically to detect and remove any unwanted software. Programs like Spybot Search & Destroy can help and is available free of charge.

security software
Most of us know not to share personal information on the Net, but that data can still be collected secretly. To protect yourself, only use sites you are familiar with, read user agreements, get good antivirus software and regularly monitor your system for unwanted adware.

These easy practices can protect your personal and financial information and save you a world of trouble.

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The 7th generation videogaming arena essentially constitutes the three main contenders Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. Succeeding the Xbox, Xbox 360 was unveiled by Microsoft with great hype, battling with Sony’s Playstation 3 and Nintendo’s Wii for dominance.

The introductory Xbox 360 news was revealed on MTV on 12th May, 2005 and later on at the E3 stands ( Electronic Entertainment Expo ). Additional info on the product was shared amid considerable publicity. This created the start of the Xbox 360 age. In the initial year itself, the console was deployed in around 36 nations, transcending the number of countries in which all of the other machines were launched in their first year. After its launch, the product was totally sold out in every corner of the Earth aside from Japan. The console has since then recorded sales of around 30.2 million units the world over. Arcade, Pro and Elite versions of Xbox 360 togetherwith a range of accessories are currently available.

Incorporated into the Xbox 360 are a number of features such as multimedia capabilities, Windows Media Centre, film rentals, high definition inclusion in all games, gaming downloads and the facility to play HD DVDs with help from an on-drive. But the most impressive feature of Xbox 360 is Live service, permitting users to download television shows, gaming demos, pictures and a wide range of extras.

Considering such cut throat competition among the three big players, what really made Microsoft fly ahead of its competitors? To address the wants of its huge customer base, Microsoft launched its own website titled Xbox 360 News. This site promotes recent reports and info in relation to the Xbox 360, latest offerings of Xbox 360 titles and upcoming releases are supplied through the website. The most impressive aspect of the Xbox 360 News feature is that it is even available on the Xbox 360 gaming console itself through the net.

In supplying the Xbox 360 Newsfeature, Microsoft is the best service providing games machine information in the market, responding to the wants of all gamers whether newbies or veterans. Therefore, if you’re wanting to get knowledgeable on anything regarding the Xbox 360, you want to sign up with the Xbox 360 News website and impress all of your fellow gamers.

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According to EA

Changing positions…again!

Electronic Arts understands how an illegally downloaded copy is not necessarily a lost sale. The corporate communications department of EA, said that “Stepping aside from the whole issue of DRM, people need to recognize that every BitTorrent download doesn’t represent a successful copy of a game, let alone a lost sale”. Understanding this, the company is shifting its approach so that it rewards the customer rather than punishing them for the acts of pirates.

At launch, Spore had an installation limit of three installs and also a limit of only one account per game copy owned. If you wanted more, you had to call Electronic Arts and if you wanted more accounts, you had to buy more copies of the game.

Gamers set in motion a backlash, which included masses of Amazon one star reviews and anti-DRM creatures on Sporepedia. Electronic Arts resorted to the usual hard line, threatening to ban people talking about DRM on their forums, but on the other hand the company saw that most of the complaints were reasonable so they raised the installation limit and improved the methodology of the DRM. They also stated that subsequent patches would include a feature which allows for more screen names per game copy.

Electronic Arts emphasize the social and downloadable aspect of the game in order to fight piracy. Pirated copies can’t access the Sporepedia and can’t get creatures from other people in their games. So by controlling content and emphasising this aspect of the game, it will encourage more people to buy.

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Keeping a close eye on your household while you’re at work or on vacation can be a bother. Paying someone to look after your home while you’re away can also be expensive. Installing surveillance or spy cameras and other cool spy gadgets in the house or office is becoming more and more common. With all the burglaries and vandalism seen on the news, you can never be too careful.

On the other hand, hiring professionals to fit your home or office with spy cameras can be expensive. The solution? WiLife’s LukWerks Starter Kit. Although it’s a bit pricy at $299.99 (single camera package), it’s way cheaper than professionally installed surveillance systems. Adding cameras on the package will cost you $229.99 for each camera. A six camera package will total to around $1,500, a cheap price to pay for home security.

As a power line-connected system that uses your AC wiring as networking connection, WiLife’s LukWerks DVSS (Digital Video Surveillance System) uses a personal computer as control for up to six cameras. If you’re looking for an inexpensive and easy to use surveillance system, then the WiLife LukWerks Starter Kit is suited for you.

Setting up and installing spy cameras can be an annoying undertaking. Once you open the box, you’ll be greeted with a number of components and a bunch of wires that seem impossible to put together on your own. This will not be the case with the LukWerks DVSS. WiLife has made an effort to make the installation process as easy as possible for the majority of consumers. All you have to do is read the manual and labels carefully.

When you are familiar with the individual functions of each and every component, the installation will be as easy as baking a cake. Spy cameras and most cool spy gadgets are not really that complicated. All you need is to read and understand instruction manuals and labels. WiLife’s LukWerks Starter Kit, for instance, provide clear and straight to the point instruction manuals along with a camera, two power-outlet networking modules, and an assortment of wires. You have two options in mounting the camera, a suction mount and a hard mount.

Familiarizing yourself with this starter kit will really make you a surveillance expert in no time.

Popularity: 27% [?]

Is FeedBurner’s candle dimming?

FeedBurner, the service cofounded by Dick Costolo, seems to be getting a hard time from commentators on the web right now (actually, it’s been taking flak for quite some time now but I won’t go into that. It seems that the $100 million investment by search giant Google has been left hanging in the wind and the recent departure of Costolo to pastures greener (aka Twitter) doesn’t seem to have helped matters either - “FeedBurner is dead!” say the experts.

So, why all the grumbling? For a start, there’s the lack of integration with some of the amazingly powerful tools offered by the big G - Analytics; probably one of the best web analysis tools going right now but still no hooks into FeedBurner. Sure, we all know that integration takes time but Google bought FeedBurner back in 2007 which has given them ample time to get the work done.

The next big grumble comes from ad revenue; Google has integrated adsense into FB allowing you displaying pretty little ad boxes on your feeds. The problem is that the revenue derived from this feature is truly appalling. One commentator quoted a site making $200 every 1,000,000 impressions! You won’t be paying your debts off with kind return, let alone running a business based on ad revenue.

The original idea was that FeedBurner’s powerful set of RSS tools would be merged with Google’s infrastructure providing users with an incredibly powerful extension to the already awesome array of analytical tools available. Had this have happened everybody would have been happy: killer marketing tools for online businesses and a healthy revenue stream coming from Adwords straight into G’s very large wallet!

All well and good but, for some reason, this simply hasn’t worked out. And, with the departure of Costolo to Twitter, it looks unlikely to happen anytime soon. Ask any good techie and he’ll almost certainly tell you that integration is one of the hardest jobs going but, even if it is only one step at a time, Google needs to fix this. The highest priority for many webmasters is stats. After actual readers, stats are the lifeblood of any website (how did we get by in the days before search engines?) are need to fixed fast. The danger for Google lies in FeedBurners competition; there are plenty of sites out there that offer similar, and better services, than those seen on FeedBurner. If the search giant starts to lose ground in the distribution of RSS feeds how long will it be before competing sites start to build more, and better, functionality that eats into Googles core revenue generator? It will certainly be interesting to see if Twitter takes up the baton under the steely eyed guidance of Costolo!

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Kota and Pleo Robotic Toys revving up for Christmas

Ok, I know that most of you may not have heard of Pleo and Kota so we’ll give you a quick update. These are two robotic two that made their respective manufacturers some pretty tidy sums of cash during the 2008 Christmas period. Aimed primarily at kids (aren’t we all big kids at heart?) these interactive robots have been built to ‘learn’ - Pleo Dinosaur even goes through a birthing stage - but there are two major differences: size and price.

Kota Triceratops is a ride on toy. At a guess, most of the cynical readers will be saying “they’re extinct, leave ‘em that way” - agreed - but you have to remember that these robotic toys are aimed at children. Pleo is pretty much the same at Kota in that the toy has been designed to interact with human commands and is touch sensitive but don’t go getting ideas about this, it’s strictly good, harmless fun!

Ok, pricing. Prepare for bulging eyes. These robotic toys are by no means cheap; on average Pleo will set you back about £190 and Kota, being bigger and larger, weighs in at around £250+! Don’t hold me to those figures; there are plenty of deals and price comparison sites out there that will save you a bundle on your Christmas prezzie list.

To see these Pleo and Kota Triceratops being touted as big sellers in the run up to Christmas is pretty surprising, especially when you consider the fairly recent news that Pleo really was extinct. It looks like this plucky little Casmasaur has been brought from the dead. With less than 4 months to go before we get into the full swing of Christmas festivities anyone with children can expect to be bombarded with adverts and cries of “I want Santa to bring me one of those” - an ideal opporunity to convince them that Father Christmas with only bring them a Kota/Pleo (your choice) if they keep their rooms tidy!

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