Coffee Talk #352: Who Will Make the NBA Finals???

The 2011 NBA playoffs have been fascinating. There are just so many great stories happening at the same time. Young players like Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose are taking their games to the next level. The old guard…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Donovan McNabb not being black enough for Bernard Hopkins, sexy Spanish mermaids, or the day Pippa Middleton stops getting press, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

The 2011 NBA playoffs have been fascinating. There are just so many great storylines happening at the same time. Young players like Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose are taking their games to the next level. The old guard of the Celtics and Lakers appear to be headed to that bastard level — good enough to make the playoffs, but obviously not good enough to win it all. Some mute doppelganger has replaced Mark Cuban. People are fascinated to see how year one of “Miami Thrice” ends. This has been the most intriguing NBA post-season in a long, long time.

How do you think it will play out? Will the Bulls or Heat make it out of the east? Will the Mavericks or Thunder win the west? Who’s going to win the whole enchilada?!? Make your NBA finals predictions in the comments section (please)!

Sony Details Improved PSN Security Measures

Along with information on the phased restoration of PlayStation Network, Sony also outlined the steps it has taken to improve PSN’s security. These measures include advanced technical measures and personnel reassignment. Today’s press release stated:

The company has made considerable enhancements to the data security, including updating and adding advanced security technologies, additional software monitoring and penetration and vulnerability testing, and increased levels of encryption and additional firewalls. The company also added a variety of other measures to the network infrastructure including an early-warning system for unusual activity patterns that could signal an attempt to compromise the network.

As an additional measure, Fumiaki Sakai, president of Sony Global Solutions Inc. (SGS), has been appointed acting Chief Information Security Officer of SNEI. In addition to his current role at SGS, Mr. Sakai, in his role at SNEI, will work to further reinforce overall information security across the company’s network infrastructure. Mr. Sakai will lead the recruiting effort in finding a new and permanent CISO for SNEI. As CISO, Mr. Sakai will report to Tim Schaaff, president, SNEI, as well as to Mr. Shinji Hasejima, CIO, Sony Corporation.

I was fine with PSN security before and I’m fine with it now. In my mind, every lock can be picked. While the new and improved PSN is surely more secure than its predecessor, I’m sure there are capable hackers that can take it down. The recent outage was an unusual circumstance that Sony wasn’t prepared for (even though it may or may not have asked for the problem).

To me Sakai’s new position is more notable than any technical enhancements. Having more people dedicated to combat hack attacks means that Sony will be better prepared to deal with “external intrusions” in the future.

How do you feel about Sony’s PSN security improvements? Do you feel better about storing sensitive information on your console? What do you make of Sony appointing a CISO?

Sony’s Kaz Hirai Addresses PSN Restoration and New Security

Watch Sony Corporation executive deputy president and Sony Computer Entertainment group CEO Kaz Hirai address the rolling restoration of PlayStation Network in the video above. In addition to restoration details, Hirai outlines PSN’s improved security, identity theft concerns, “Welcome Back” compensation, and more.

Check out the clip and share your thoughts on it (please!). Just for kicks, give Kaz’s address a letter grade in the comments section. I’m giving him a B+.

Sony Starts Rolling Restoration of PlayStation Network

Sony Computer Entertainment has announced that it has started a “phased restoration” of PlayStation Network. As most of you know, the service has been offline due to an “external intrustion” (i.e. hackers). Here’s a clip from the press release:

Sony Corporation and Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) announced that Sony Network Entertainment International (SNEI, the company) will today begin a phased restoration by region of PlayStation Network and Qriocity Services. The phased restoration will be on a country by country basis beginning in the Americas, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Middle East.

  • Sign-in for PlayStation®Network and Qriocity services, including the resetting of passwords
  • Restoration of online game-play across PS3 and PSP
  • Playback rental video content, if within rental period, of PlayStation Network Video Delivery Service on PS3, PSP and MediaGo
  • Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity, for current subscribers, on PS3 and PC
  • Access to 3rd party services such as Netflix, Hulu, Vudu and MLB.tv
  • ‘Friends’ category on PS3, including Friends List, Chat Functionality, Trophy Comparison, etc
  • PlayStation Home

At last, we can all go back to listening to Qriocity and roaming around PlayStation Home!!! *joke* Hopefully the restoration goes smoothly and PlayStation gamers can get back to enjoying their PS3s and PSPs to the fullest!

Please let me know if the “phased restoration” has brought any online functionality back to your PS3 or PSP.

HTC Sensation Overview Video

Here’s a slick HTC Sensation sizzle video that goes over several of the phone’s features. It wisely highlights the unique build quality (aluminum unibody, concave screen) and HTC Sense 3.0 features instead of specs. And really, that’s why I’m excited for this phone. It doesn’t have the raw power of the Samsung Galaxy S II and the GPU will likely lag behind the Nvidia chip found in the T-Mobile G2x as well, but I’m certain that it will provide a smoother Google Android experience with power that’s beyond adequate.

Check out the video and let me know what you think (please)!

Netflix Picks: Mystery Science Theater 3000

I did a lot of “research” for this week’s Netflix pick. I was hoping that my two favorite Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes — Escape 2000 and Master Ninja — were available via streaming. Sadly, they are not. Still, I had a lot of fun going through the several episodes that are available via streaming. I love the sarcastic humor of the show. It’s awesome. If you’re having a hard time deciding then give Hercules Against the Moon Men a shot. It’s as stupid as it sounds.

Since Escape 2000 wasn’t available on Netflix, I posted a highlight clip above. It killed me when Journey’s “Separate Ways” was used in the closing credits. Also, Toblerone rules!!!

Now its your turn to suggest one movie we should all watch. Please make sure it’s available on Netflix streaming.

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

I’m supposed to spend this weekend playing one of the biggest releases of the year. It’s a huge title from one of the hottest publishers in gaming. Can you guess what the game is? Naturally I’ll be taking iPad 2 breaks to clear my head. I’m still loving Civilization Revolution and Final Fantasy III.

How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?

Comcast Blocking The Pirate Bay: A Sign of Things to Come?

Updated: According to TorrentFreak Internet service providers Comcast, Rogers, and Optus have started blocking The Pirate Bay. The site is used by millions of people to acquire pirated movies, television shows, and music tracks. Honestly, I’m surprised this hasn’t happened sooner and that more ISPs haven’t blocked the site. Sure, people will cite free speech and net neutrality, but telecommunications companies tend to act first and deal with the consequences later.

Any of you use Comcast? Is your access to The Pirate Blocked? If so, are you going to change providers? For those of you not on Comcast, would you change ISPs if you didn’t have access to The Pirate Bay?

Update: Apparently this might be a problem with The Pirate Bay and not ISPs. Phew!

Source

Facebook Hired PR Agency to Slam Google

In an awesome bit of nerd warfare news, Facebook hired a PR agency to get negative articles written about Google. Considering the somewhat shady origins of The Facebook, aggressive and morally questionable tactics shouldn’t be too surprising. Still, it was a brazen move that was reckless at best and idiotic at worst. Here’s more from The Daily Beast’s Dan Lyons:

For the past few days, a mystery has been unfolding in Silicon Valley. Somebody, it seems, hired Burson-Marsteller, a top public-relations firm, to pitch anti-Google stories to newspapers, urging them to investigate claims that Google was invading people’s privacy. Burson even offered to help an influential blogger write a Google-bashing op-ed, which it promised it could place in outlets like The Washington Post, Politico, and The Huffington Post.

But who was the mysterious unnamed client? While fingers pointed at Apple and Microsoft, The Daily Beast discovered that it’s a company nobody suspected — Facebook.

There are several amusing things about this situation. First, I can’t believe that Facebook even did this. Did it really think that it wouldn’t come back to haunt the company? Considering the opinionated and informal nature of modern tech journalism, of course someone was going to rat out the PR flack and of course someone would connect the dots back to Facebook.

Secondly, I love that this story was written by Dan Lyons. Some of you know him as Fake Steve Jobs. That’s awesome.

Source

Coffee Talk #351: Do You Use Subtitles in Videogames?

In yesterday’s Coffee Talk, I was surprised to learn that a bunch of you prefer movies with the subtitles turned on. For games, I always have the subtitles turned on. How about you?

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the hotness of mermaids, liking the song “African Child”, or continued iPad 2 production delays, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

In yesterday’s Coffee Talk, I was surprised to learn that a bunch of you prefer movies with the subtitles turned on. As I explained, English is a second or third language for several of my friends, family members, and playmates. Subtitles help us all enjoy movies together. That said, I often leave subtitles on when I’m watching alone. For games, I always have the subtitles turned on. How about you?

I’m a writer. I need to read. In addition to videogame stuff and tech commentary, I’ve scripted videogames and comics. Reading is one of the best ways to improve writing. I’ve “borrowed” techniques from my favorite columnists, comic-book writers, videogame writers, and more. So for me, leaving subtitles on in videogames adds to my enjoyment and serves as a study tool.

And you ladies and gents? Do you prefer your games with or without subtitles?