slashdot bits

• BBC | Hi-tech babble baffles many. Not really news. This article suggests trying to "dumb down" computing terms. But really... the "babble" often can't be simplified. MP3, for instance, is ALREADY simplified from MPEG layer three audio compression format. With tech stuff, if the sales assistant can't tell you; leave the shop and go somewhere that hires people who can do their job (hint: Harvey Norman does NOT fit this category). At the end of the day, this is not a technology problem - it's a marketing problem. The point of marketing is to inform prospective buyers about your product and why their lives are shit without it and will become perfect if they buy it (you may wish to mentally rephrase that into something less cynical). You don't do that by saying "this mp3 player has 128 megs of smart memory storage and can digitise media at a sample rate of 44,000....."... you say "this digital walkman holds up to two hours worth of music".
• Slashdot | Thailand Imposes Gamers Curfew. Thailand has a high rate of online gaming addiction; hence this strategy to limit the amount of time the games are available. Pity Australia won't do the same with Casinos.
• CNN | Surprising findings about video game players. 1) Everyone plays games, not just male geeks. 2) Playing games does not ruin your academic career. 3) Playing games can be very social.
• Slashdot | Harry Potter in German, not Czech. In short: fans can translate and release the latest Harry Potter book months ahead of official releases. Instead of getting their act together, the publishers are suing school kids. I cannot fathom waiting until next year to release the Czech translation - in what business plan is that a good idea?

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