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Linux Blog – Linux Games & Banshee

I came across a new Linux Blog, Linux Revolution, that has two posts up, near and dear to my heart:

An overview of next-gen Linux games, looking at some of the lesser known games by smaller studios. Some of these I have tried (or installed), including Sauerbraten, and some more I’m definitely going to keep my eye on.

The second article of note is Rhythmbox vs. Banshee. This is an article I’ve been meaning to write myself for some time, but I”m lazy, and haven’t got to it. It’s a good overview of the two music players for GNOME, and like the author, I’m a huge Banshee fan. Banshee’s development has been fast and furious, and every release adds key features. I can’t recommend Banshee enough.

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Viiv won't check for piracy

I’ve been following Intel’s new Viiv platform for a while, and Intel confirmed some details this week at a launch event. Viiv is Intel’s latest platform, specifically to enable Media Center functionality in the desktop and in homes. From transcoding ability built-in, automatic driver updates, and ability to transfer content to other devices, Intel is betting that’s it’s the cornerstone of the future home.

The good news is that the hardware won’t check for DRM and watermarks natively. From the CNet Australia article:

Interestingly, MacDonald also told CNET.com.au that Viiv won’t be testing to see if the content being played is pirated from networks such as BitTorrent. He believes that it’s not Intel’s job to be policing downloads and that it’s wrong to assume that “all consumers are criminals”. As such, Viiv won’t test for “watermarks” or other red flags that reveal pirated content, allowing any type of media to be played.

Ultimately, though, MacDonald is confident that piracy won’t be a significant issue for Viiv, as Intel promises to “make content easier to buy than it is to pirate”.

Alan Moore interview

Mile High Comics has a two-part interview (Part 1, Part 2) with Alan Moore, a giant in the comic book industry. The author of well-known works as League of Extraordinary Gentleman, From Hell, V for Vendetta and Watchmen, a Hugo award winner.

In the interview he talks about his anger for DC Comics for letting his books be turned into poor movies, not owning his own works, and the industry in general. Agree or disagree with his thoughts, you have to respect him as he stands for his convictions.

DRM drains your battery

More reasons why DRM is evil:

Cnet recently conducted a test of MP3 players, and DRM encoded WMA files drained the battery faster than DRM-free MP3s.

When it comes to the Creative Zen Vision:M’s 14-hour claim, CNET got about 16 hours of playback time with MP3s from a full charge, which was a nice surprise. However, when they tried playing WMA 10 DRM crippled subscription tracks on it, they only got just over 12 hours; a loss of almost 4 hours (~25%) of playback time due to the battery-hungry DRM. CNET found similar results with other players with WMA DRM drastically reducing battery life by up to around 20%. Apple’s FairPlay DRM seems to have less of an effect with battery life being reduced by around 8% when compared with MP3 playback.

Banshee 0.10.7 out

Banshee 0.10.7 is out, and already uploaded to Ubuntu Dapper Drake. (More on my Dapper Drake experiences this weekend, I promise!)

Finally, genre is an available column (yay!) despite Aaron’s protests. 0.10.7 also makes the full time switch to gstreamer 0.10.

I’ve been playing with it, and after one hiccup on Dapper Drake, it works flawlessly. Banshee is definitely my music player of chocie.

The Onion AV Club feature

Check out The Onion’s AV Club new feature: Random Rules.

Take an entertainment person, have them hit shuffle on their iPod, and see what the first five songs that come up are, with comments from the owner.

Definitely some interesting music choices there.

EA could lose exclusive NFL gaming rights

It’s a long shot at best, but if the current collective bargaining agreement were to expire, and anti-trust rules go into place, EA could lose their exclusivity to the NFL players and teams come 2008.

Gamersreports has the story.

I’ve meant to post a gigantic rant for some time on EA exclusive license to the NFL, as it relates to Madden for a long time. I wish I had when it was still relevant, and who knows, I still might.

Welcome to Bloody Thursday

If you’re an NFL fan, Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com has a must read article on what they’re calling today: Bloody Thursday. His follow-up article on what will go down to today is just as good.

With the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Player’s Union and Owners set to expire tomorrow, teams must get under the salary cap – a cap number they still don’t know. Free Agency starts tomorrow, and 2007 will be an uncapped year, so teams will be reluctant to sign anyone, especially as they can only pro-rate contracts over 4 years instead of the typical 7, which drives a player’s salary cap number through the roof.

Will an 11th hour deal arrive and save the league? Are we a year away from no college draft? Will the owners lock the players out after next season?

In the next 36 hours, watch the drama unfold!

Installfest this Saturday!

The Twin Cities Linux User’s Group (TCLUG is having an installfest this Saturday!

If you live in the cities, and always wanted to try Linux, here’s your chance. The experts will be on hand to help out, and will have various distributions to give. Hit the link to learn more and go!