Tuesday, June 30, 2009

PIC LCD Oscilloscope for Spectrum Analyzers

PIC LCD Oscilloscope for Spectrum Analyzers
This is simple and inexpensive LCD oscilloscope for spectrum analyzer display. The project use PIC 16F876A as main processor. Although a small LCD screen is not as good as analog oscilloscope, a LCD oscilloscope may be very useful in field measurements, for battery operation or you need different measurement at the same time along with oscilloscope.

The 80dB scale of this LCD oscilloscope can be adjusted with the two trimmers providing the reference voltages to the A/D converter. The operation of the LCD oscilloscope is slightly different between the 80dB mode and the 40dB mode. In the 80dB mode, the trace is always visible and saturates on the bottom or top of screen. In the 40dB mode, the trace runs out of the screen and only the central part of the original 80dB scale is displayed. This project designed by Matjaz Vidmar.

Download
Source code, documentation and schematic

tags : LCD, Oscilloscope, Spectrum Analyzer, PIC, microcontroller, project src

PIC LCD Oscilloscope for Spectrum Analyzers

PIC LCD Oscilloscope for Spectrum Analyzers
This is simple and inexpensive LCD oscilloscope for spectrum analyzer display. The project use PIC 16F876A as main processor. Although a small LCD screen is not as good as analog oscilloscope, a LCD oscilloscope may be very useful in field measurements, for battery operation or you need different measurement at the same time along with oscilloscope.

The 80dB scale of this LCD oscilloscope can be adjusted with the two trimmers providing the reference voltages to the A/D converter. The operation of the LCD oscilloscope is slightly different between the 80dB mode and the 40dB mode. In the 80dB mode, the trace is always visible and saturates on the bottom or top of screen. In the 40dB mode, the trace runs out of the screen and only the central part of the original 80dB scale is displayed. This project designed by Matjaz Vidmar.

Download
Source code, documentation and schematic

tags : LCD, Oscilloscope, Spectrum Analyzer, PIC, microcontroller, project src

Monday, June 29, 2009

Functional Programming

This post is mainly an excuse for me to link to a blog I came across:

I have been starting to use Scala over the last year. Initially I was drawn to the language purely by the functional programming experiences I had in Python: using map, filter, and list comprehensions. Scala promised similar tools, but with much better performance, and objects that just "feel" more robust than those in Python. In short, I began using it for very pragmatic reasons that had nothing to do with any underlying theory. However, over the last year, I have started to become more interested in the more theoretical aspects of functional programming, to the point where I'm now starting to reach out and trying to read blogs like the one above.

All of this reminds me of the kind of mind-bending experience I had when I first started to learn about C++ templates... they were a level of abstraction that I couldn't immediately translate to "mental bytecode", but that promised a massive amount of power and versatility. Admittedly, I was only about 13 when I started playing with C++ templates, but these new kinds of logic analyses are equally confusing now! It's all very interesting, even if it's not exactly approachable.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

USB PIC Programmer

open source USB PIC Programmer

If you start learning PIC microcontroller, you need PIC progrmmer to "fill" your PIC with compiled source code. You can build your own PIC programmer like USBPICprog project.

Usbpicprog is an USB in circuit programmer for Microchip PIC processors. The hardware is as simple. The latest version only contains one PIC18F2550, 3 mosfets, and besides the connectors a hand full of passive components.

download
Open source programmer


USB PIC Programmer

open source USB PIC Programmer

If you start learning PIC microcontroller, you need PIC progrmmer to "fill" your PIC with compiled source code. You can build your own PIC programmer like USBPICprog project.

Usbpicprog is an USB in circuit programmer for Microchip PIC processors. The hardware is as simple. The latest version only contains one PIC18F2550, 3 mosfets, and besides the connectors a hand full of passive components.

download
Open source programmer


Sunday, June 21, 2009

Analysis of Strains from a 45-Degree Rosette

45 degree strain gauge rosettes are commonly used for measurement of strains. These rosette arrangements measure normal strains in three separate directions. From this data, the so-called "principal" strain state can be obtained. The principal strain state is just the orientation in which the shear strain is zero. At this orientation of zero shear strain, the two normal strains are called principal normal strains.

It can be quite tricky to obtain the principal strain state from the three gauge strains in a 45-degree rosette. Numerous textbooks provide equations for the principal normal strains, and generally these "just work". However, the angle of the principal strain state is often quite ambiguous. It's often difficult to figure out whether the angle is clockwise or anti-clockwise, which gauge it is relative to, and to which of the two principal normal strains it refers.

I have recently done some work on this problem in the context of measuring strains on the equine hoof wall. I have written a short description of the Analysis of Strains from a 45-Degree Rosette (PDF file; 47.9 KB). Please feel free to use this document (with an appropriate link to my blog), and please contact me regarding any corrections.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Activision Blizzard threatens to stop PlayStation support



Activision Blizzard, the world's largest third party publisher, has warned that they "might have to stop supporting Sony" as early as next year, the company's CEO Robert A. Kotick told the British daily newspaper The Times.

I'm getting concerned about Sony; the PlayStation 3 is losing a bit of momentum and they don't make it easy for me to support the platform. It's expensive to develop for the console, and the Wii and the Xbox are just selling better. Games generate a better return on invested capital on the Xbox than on the PlayStation. (...)

They [Sony] have to cut the price, because if they don't, the attach rates are likely to slow. If we are being realistic, we might have to stop supporting Sony. (...) When we look at 2010 and 2011, we might want to consider if we support the console — and the PSP [portable] too.





Analysts have already predicted doom and gloom for Sony Computer Entertainment, which is nothing unusual. Analysts do not have to be terribly diplomatic and others have voiced similar criticism concerning the other console manufacturers. But this is not the first time that Sony has been confronted with unusually harsh criticism by third party publishers, which is rare in this industry.

Back in May and September of 2007, respectively, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot demanded a price cut for the console ("They have to decrease the price quite significantly") and Square Enix president Yoichi Wada criticized Sony's marketing efforts ("[The future of the PS3] would be tough if its marketing strategy is not straightened up.")

The future of the PlayStation depends on when Sony will reduce the PS3's price tag. The latest guess by an analyst is August. But I maintain that Sony simply has not got the financial resources to reduce the price until Christmas. Sony CEO Stringer has made it quite clear that he puts profitability above everything else.

The real question is, though, whether Activision Blizzard is merely bluffing or if these unusually harsh comments contain a very real threat. Sure, a number of the publisher's games sold more than a million on the PS3. So the console generates revenue for them. We simply don't know what little profit is left. Kotick revealed some of the additional costs of developing for Sony, noting that Activision Blizzard "paid $500 million to Sony in royalties and other goods last year." Again, such a disclosure is highly unusual. What is Kotick up to? Please share your thoughts in the comments section.

EDIT Videogame analyst Michael Pachter has commented on the story, noting:

Of course Bobby’s bluffing, and good for him. (...) I think Bobby’s obviously interested in Sony selling as many PS3s as they possibly can, and he’s not happy with their penetration so far. I think he favours a price cut, and would rather see one sooner than later.


Sony Computer Entertainment has yet to respond in a meaningful way.

I would also like to remind you of the last big debate about whether the PlayStation3 is dead or dying. Back in December, an analyst's assertion that the PS3 was a "sinking ship" which was "flopping so badly" had sparked a lively debate which I quoted extensively.

EDIT As expected, the news of Activision's threat has sparked a lively debate, which I will attempt to capture here, in the familiar style of guest commentary.



Sony's clearly in a pinch

Is the PS3 really losing momentum? It depends, as usual, on where you're standing. Since the system launched in late 2006, it's clearly been growing in year over year unit sales. In 2008--the system's best year yet--Sony sold over 10 million PS3s worldwide. And while sales have been down for all contenders recently, Sony's sold nearly as many PS3s worldwide as Microsoft has Xbox 360s so far this year. Of course Microsoft still has more than a third as many Xbox 360s in the wild, but since 2008, Sony's slowly (very slowly) been gaining. (...)

That said, Sony's clearly in a pinch. Its game division lost nearly $600 million in 2008, the PS3 consistently lags in NPD's US sales reports, and the system charts the fewest high sales software titles month after month.

If Sony lowers the PS3's price, we've been assuming they'll lose even more money. But if they keep it sky-high, they theoretically stifle sales and by virtue thereof, their growth rate, frustrating publishers, who naturally want to sell to as many customers as possible.
PC World




Stark and somewhat surprising

A stark and somewhat surprising statement. (...) PS3 price cut soon, surely?
Play.tm




Could seriously hurt console sales

That’s pretty serious considering Activision is the largest video game publisher in the world. It probably won’t come to that — I can’t see them not lowering the cost in the next year or so regardless of what Kotick thinks — but if I were Sony I would definitely be a little nervous about this. If this inspires some bravado in EA and they make a similar statement it could seriously hurt console sales.
A+E Interactive




The pressure is on

For its part, Sony, which is mired in third place behind Nintendo and Microsoft in the next-gen game-console wars, keeps saying it won't be pressured into trimming the price of the PS3. But with industry heavyweights like Activision making these types of remarks, it's becoming more and more clear that the pressure is indeed on.
CNET




Ever saw a publisher threaten a platform holder?

In that absolute worst-case scenario, that would mean no Call of Duty for Sony consoles. No Guitar Hero for Sony consoles. No Tony Hawk, either. It probably won't ever come to that, of course, but Kotick's words are still worth noting. After all, when was the last time you ever saw a third-party publisher so openly threaten a major platform holder?
Kotaku




A huge bomb

Activision boss Bobby Kotick has dropped a huge bomb on Sony. (...) While Kotick may sound a bit cocky here, I don't think Sony wants to sit on statements like these. And no one is going to argue about the PS3 needing a price cut either.
Destructoid




Nintendo has issued similar denials

Sony has continued to insist that it will not be pressured into lowering PS3 prices before the 2009 holiday season.

"I think everybody but us would love to see it given away for free," Jack Tretton, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America told CNBC. He added that cheapest wasn't always the most successful, but rather, "what you get for your dollar."

It should be noted that Nintendo has issued similar denials regarding a lowered Wii price tag, despite confirmation of a (May) 57 percent year-on-year drop in sales.
TG Daily




What if EA said the same thing?

Now, Kotick's words are just corporate smacktalk (bottom line: Activision still makes money on the platform). But what if a company like EA came forward and said the same thing? No good can come of this for Sony.
Gizmodo




Activision Blizzard needs the numbers Sony delivers

Is it a credible threat? That is hard to say, but the industry has ample evidence of just how ruthless Activision Blizzard has become. (...) By slamming the console maker in public it creates a perception of weakness witih Sony's platforms. Now the developer is in a very good position to bargain for lower licensing fees, help with advertising dollars, or other financial rewards to "stick with" the PS3 and PSP platforms.

It's doubtful Activision Blizzard has lost money by supporting the PS3 and PSP as platforms, and again, the company needs the numbers Sony delivers to meet its goal of having Modern Warfare 2 be the "biggest property launch of all time." What Kotick can do is attack Sony in the press and create a perception of weakness and then exploit it for better terms when releasing these blockbuster titles, and that's what we're seeing here.
Ars Technica




A crazy precedent

Activision is the world's largest third-party publisher, with huge franchises like World of Warcraft, Guitar Hero and, most importantly, Call of Duty under its belt. The loss of even Call of Duty seems to me like it would significantly hurt the PS3. Still, the big question everyone is wondering is if Kotick has enough sway to actually force Sony into a price drop. Maybe Kotick's just blowing steam, but it'd be a crazy precedent for the largest publisher to drop the system entirely.
GameSpy




Cutting prices would be difficult for Sony

Kotick's comments have weight because of the market strength of Activision. The company is the world's largest independent computer games company and has a market value of $16 billion.

Cutting PS3 prices would be difficult for Sony. The company last month reported its first annual loss in 14 years, caused by a strong yen and a sales slump in its consumer electronics business. While the economic downturn hurt sales, Sony also suffered from competitors' lower prices.

As a result, sales in Sony's electronics business fell 17% from the previous fiscal year, and revenue from its game unit fell 18%. While Sony sold more units of the PS3 and PSP, the company saw a drop in software sales.
InformationWeek




PS3 could be Sony's last big console

Could Activision really be considering ditching the PS3? If so, this concept breathes a lot of life into the possibility that the PS3 could be Sony's last big console. Sure, the company would stay afloat if Activision was the only publisher to back away, but that might encourage a lot of publishers to get out of Dodge. Is Sony a sinking ship? (...)

I'm a firm believer in the idea that all three console makers should have a spot on the market. Competition breeds excellence and innovation. Sony cannot disappear, if they do... what would happen to gaming?
Kombo




A total bluff

Sounds like a total bluff — I can’t see Activision pulling support from Sony, but I can see them attempting to influence PS3’s price by publicly threatening to.
Wired


Sources: The Times, VG247
Thanks to: Joystiq

Thursday, June 18, 2009

The PSP Go - The Future is Here and it’s About Time


The PSP Go has been the subject of a good amount of discussion lately, with good reason. That Sony announced it’s next handheld has any number of reasons why it should be surprising. The PSP has had limited success (though you’d be incorrect labeling it a failure), and many thought Sony would simply focus its energies on the console market. On top of this though, it seemed as if these days the PSP was beginning to receive the kind of efforts and support it needed from Sony earlier than just these past few months. Now, Sony is already jumping ship towards its next handheld.

Read full article here:
http://www.powso.com/?p=614

The PSP Go - The Future is Here and it’s About Time


The PSP Go has been the subject of a good amount of discussion lately, with good reason. That Sony announced it’s next handheld has any number of reasons why it should be surprising. The PSP has had limited success (though you’d be incorrect labeling it a failure), and many thought Sony would simply focus its energies on the console market. On top of this though, it seemed as if these days the PSP was beginning to receive the kind of efforts and support it needed from Sony earlier than just these past few months. Now, Sony is already jumping ship towards its next handheld.

Read full article here:
http://www.powso.com/?p=614

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

PSP Go has system features current model PSP's won't have



Sony's PlayStation.Blog.Europe recently answered questions from the community on the new PSPgo (PSP-N1000). There were several more details noted on the PSPgo that weren't on the spec sheet or announcement at E3 2009. Here are a few of the noteworthy features as mentioned by Adam Grant, European Product Manager for PSPgo:

Game sleep function:
"You will be able to operate the XMB™ (XrossMediaBar) while suspending the gameplay temporarily." This won't be available for the current PlayStation Portables (PSP-1000, PSP-2000, PSP-3000 models).

Clock and Calendar Application:
You may have seen the Clock application on the PSPgo in Kaz Hirai's hand at the E3 2009 press conference. That is the Clock and Calendar application, which isn't planned for the earlier PSP models either.

On the PSPgo's battery life:
"We have adopted an embedded battery to realise a smaller and lighter PSP system. The battery life is equivalent with the current models meaning approximately 3 to 6 hours for gameplays and approximately 3 to 5 hours for playing back videos."

Read full article here:
http://www.gamingbits.com/content/view/6008/1/

PSP Go has system features current model PSP's won't have



Sony's PlayStation.Blog.Europe recently answered questions from the community on the new PSPgo (PSP-N1000). There were several more details noted on the PSPgo that weren't on the spec sheet or announcement at E3 2009. Here are a few of the noteworthy features as mentioned by Adam Grant, European Product Manager for PSPgo:

Game sleep function:
"You will be able to operate the XMB™ (XrossMediaBar) while suspending the gameplay temporarily." This won't be available for the current PlayStation Portables (PSP-1000, PSP-2000, PSP-3000 models).

Clock and Calendar Application:
You may have seen the Clock application on the PSPgo in Kaz Hirai's hand at the E3 2009 press conference. That is the Clock and Calendar application, which isn't planned for the earlier PSP models either.

On the PSPgo's battery life:
"We have adopted an embedded battery to realise a smaller and lighter PSP system. The battery life is equivalent with the current models meaning approximately 3 to 6 hours for gameplays and approximately 3 to 5 hours for playing back videos."

Read full article here:
http://www.gamingbits.com/content/view/6008/1/

Monday, June 15, 2009

ARM USB Data Acquisition

ARM Project USB Data Acquisition
This project shows you how to build a simple data acquisition device around an LPC2138, ARM-based microcontroller. The system features a simple GUI that allows you to view graphed data instead of the streaming serial data in a terminal emulator session. In this project, Bruce gives example by collects temperature data from an analog temperature sensor and graphs it via a PC GUI.

Download
Source and PDF

tag : data acquisition, LPC2138, ARM microcontroller, project src

ARM USB Data Acquisition

ARM Project USB Data Acquisition
This project shows you how to build a simple data acquisition device around an LPC2138, ARM-based microcontroller. The system features a simple GUI that allows you to view graphed data instead of the streaming serial data in a terminal emulator session. In this project, Bruce gives example by collects temperature data from an analog temperature sensor and graphs it via a PC GUI.

Download
Source and PDF

tag : data acquisition, LPC2138, ARM microcontroller, project src

PSP Go App Store?



The incoming PlayStation Portable Go!, the new gaming handheld designed by Sony, is set to ditch the UMD drive, which has been the main content delivery system since the PSP was released. The company has said that all the games released for the PSP would be available both in physical form and as digital distribution packets.

Now, it also seems that the new handheld will be getting more content via something that will probably resemble the Apple app store. Destructoid has gotten news from sources close to game development at Sony who are saying that small applications that will not be appearing at retail will be offered through a fresh service on the PlayStation Portable Store at prices set to range from 2 to 6 dollars. The official reveal should be made in August 2009.

Read the rest of the article here:
http://www.diginewsdigest.com/en/news/1034-psp-go-getting-its-own-app-store.html

PSP Go App Store?



The incoming PlayStation Portable Go!, the new gaming handheld designed by Sony, is set to ditch the UMD drive, which has been the main content delivery system since the PSP was released. The company has said that all the games released for the PSP would be available both in physical form and as digital distribution packets.

Now, it also seems that the new handheld will be getting more content via something that will probably resemble the Apple app store. Destructoid has gotten news from sources close to game development at Sony who are saying that small applications that will not be appearing at retail will be offered through a fresh service on the PlayStation Portable Store at prices set to range from 2 to 6 dollars. The official reveal should be made in August 2009.

Read the rest of the article here:
http://www.diginewsdigest.com/en/news/1034-psp-go-getting-its-own-app-store.html

Sunday, June 14, 2009

PIC Low Cost USB-CAN Distributed Motion Control System

PIC Distributed Motion Control System
This project presents high performance distributed motion control system at extremely low cost. Rapid prototyping of multi-axis designs is often required during the development of automation equipment. One can use centralized controls with PC motion control cards, external amplifiers, and a tangle of wires, or utilize existing high cost distributed motion control system with RS485, Ethernet, or one of the fieldbuses (DeviceNet, CANOpen, Profibus, etc.). With the use of highly integrated microcontrollers, such as the PIC18FXX8, and power devices like the Allegro A3977/A3959, a very small and inexpensive system was developed.

Download
document and schematic

tag : motion control system, USB, PIC project src

PIC Low Cost USB-CAN Distributed Motion Control System

PIC Distributed Motion Control System
This project presents high performance distributed motion control system at extremely low cost. Rapid prototyping of multi-axis designs is often required during the development of automation equipment. One can use centralized controls with PC motion control cards, external amplifiers, and a tangle of wires, or utilize existing high cost distributed motion control system with RS485, Ethernet, or one of the fieldbuses (DeviceNet, CANOpen, Profibus, etc.). With the use of highly integrated microcontrollers, such as the PIC18FXX8, and power devices like the Allegro A3977/A3959, a very small and inexpensive system was developed.

Download
document and schematic

tag : motion control system, USB, PIC project src

Yin vs Yang on Health Care: conservatives make a few points

Lighting the political lamp...  Let’s start with evidence that something special is going on. Everybody, you must watch this. Get to know the guy.  And make your conservatives watch, too. 

Of course, if there are folks on the right who remain impervious to reality.  (As there are some on the left.)  Indeed, the more sensible and moderate and consually wise Obama seems, the more extreme the fantasies concocted by the crazies.  And the more imperative it becomes, for reasonable conservatives to choose the real world. 

Speaking of which...


=== Some Conservatives Really Are Openminded ===

My friend, John Mauldin, the brilliant economic analyst, appears to have joined PIMCO’s Bill Gross and other “conservative realists” in breaking away from the standard right-wing doctrine about taxes.  Not in all ways or on all issues. But enough to declare independence form Rupert Murdoch’s party line.

For example, they are much more concerned about trillion dollar deficits than about the purported investment-stifling effects of somewhat higher taxes on the upper class.  Not only are they resigned (and imply some contentment) at seeing the Bush Era’s biggest set of “largesse” breaks for the wealthy expire, next year, they hint that a modest increase might be the least-bad way to reduce both those deficits and inequities in society.  You haven’t seen the punditocracy comment on this trend very much, on TV.  But it is a sea change among the brightest, reality-oriented conservatives and may represent the front of real change in republican circles, at least among those who see reason and patriotism and pragmatism as higher virtues than dogmatism.

And now... partly in order to honor those rational conservatives, and meet them partway, here’s something sure to rile a number of you.  A remise on last time’s topic of health care.  Only from an alternative perspective.


=== A contrarian view of health care ===

In case any of you have come to the false conclusion that I am a reflexive liberal democrat -- simply because I oppose the hijacked monstrosity that the Republican Party has become, let me make clear that I retain plenty of ways that I can exercise contrary orneriness toward the American left. There are times when even the Frankenstein, undead monster than conservatism has become can startle you, by uttering cogent and reasonable “Goldwater-style” objections, instead of the shrill mania pouring from the Murdoch-Limbaugh-Fox nexus.  We should be ready, whenever this happens, to heap on positive reinforcement rewards!  The biggest reward of all?  To actually listen.

One example is where decent conservatives point out genuine drawbacks to the state-run, “universal single payer” health care systems so widely touted in liberal circles.  As one who lived for extended periods in both Britain and France, I have to tell you that their systems have much we can learn from.. and also some serious flaws.  Without any doubt, they are vastly more fair than ours, and do a far better job at both preventive care and ensuring healthy lives for all kids -- which (as I said last time) should be the core goal of any system.  

If we must make a zero-sum choice between Canadian and US health care, then by all means, let’s dump a horror story, in favor of dull, unimaginative and paternalistically meddlesome decency.  But I am always suspicious of zero-sum games. If we’re to improve, we should recognize what the current U.S. system does well.  

Let’s start by giving conservatives their say. Here’s a quote from Dennis Gartman's eponymous newsletter. "Canada is a wonderful place to have a nasty gash on one's forehead stitched, or to break one's nose in a game of pickup baseball; but have cancer, or need eye surgery, or want an MRI, and the business of medicine in Canada and/or the UK breaks down badly in favor of medical care here in the US. For example... and we wish to thank The Investor's Business Daily for the data noted here this morning...
           "... here in the US men and women survived cancer at an average of just a bit better than 65%. In England only 46% survive. In the US, 93% of those diagnosed with diabetes receive treatment within six months; in Canada only 43% do, and in the UK only 15% do! For those seniors needing a hip replacement and getting one within six months, 15% get it done in the UK; 43% get it done in Canada ... and in the US 90% do! For those waiting to see a medical specialist, 23% of those in the US (fail to) get in within four weeks, while 57% in Canada have not yet done so, and in the UK 60% are still waiting after four weeks.  ......  When it comes to proper medical equipment, in the US there are 71 MRI or CT scanners available per million people. In Canada there are but 18, and in the UK there are only 14! Ah, but the best figure of all is this: 11.7% of those 'seniors' in the US with 'low incomes' say they are in excellent health, which in and of itself sounds rather low ... rather disconcerting ... and an indictment of the system itself, doesn't it? But in Canada only 5.8% do!
            "Yessiree bob, ya' jus' gotta' luv that collectivized, socialized medical care! Let's all go break a collective arm and enjoy the benefits of socialized medicine in the Commonwealth! (Canada) ... but heaven help you if you've got something really, really wrong. If that's the case, you'll be running south to the border faster than you can reach a specialist anywhere in Canada; of that we are certain."


Oh, sure, you can spot the use of cherry-picked statistics, right away. (See below.).  And you’ll note how Gartman airily dismisses the general preventive care that should be the heart and soul of any national system, especially aimed at kids, waving it away as stitching a “gash in the forehead.”  Also, I’d like to see comparison of his figures broken down by age group!  And, frankly, I’d like to smack his smug, dismissive face.  (He is not one of the of those “reasonable conservatives” I was talking about.)

Nevertheless, putting aside his reactionary reflex and total lack of humility, after his side allowed the calamity of the Bush years, still, Gartman has a point. Because what people tend to ignore is that all health care systems practice rationing.  There is simply no way to avoid it, as we all would pay any price, for any chance of health.  Thus, there is very little market elasticity.  We’ll take our dying loved one to the best doctor, period, and screw the price and screw second best.  Capitalist principles are very dicey here.  So are paternalistic ones.

The chief difference between the US and the rest of the civilized world is that we let profit-driven insurance companies do the rationing, and they do it based solely on profit considerations and whatever they can get away with.  By exiling people who have health conditions, by eliminating the poor, by refusing service for the passive or meek or less influential or less-litigious.  On the other hand, those who can pay, and fiercely enforce their insurance contracts, can get their companies to cover vast and endless expenses for procedures aimed even at extending, futilely, the very last and most painful phases of life.  The phases that take up to a fourth of all medical expense, in the United States.

Europe etc are different.  There, socialist-oid state committees ration procedures, based on criteria that seem to make sense both to those committees and to generally accepted social consensus.  While it seems both logical and laudable that they prioritize children and young adults and illnesses that can likely be cured -- a proper role for paternalistic single-payer systems -- it still seems heartless and callous that they pay for this by telling old people, or those with chronic or “hopeless” conditions that little will be spent on them.  Indeed, this is why many of the elderly rich, all over the world, fly to America for treatment.  

What is seldom mentioned is an added drawback to that system.  All the money that America spends (or grotesquely overspends) on unpleasantly difficult conditions - those with a poor prognosis - often results in improved science, treatment and success! In other words, the American system serves as the world’s medical R&D test bed.  This is why MRI machines were available here - for those who could pay out the nose - long before state commissions would buy them overseas.  (And boy, was I glad to get home and use one, back in 1992, even though it cost me $1,000!  Back in Europe, where I had lived, there simply weren’t any available.  At all.)

Is the rightwing wrong about Health Care?  Sure they are, as they have made a habit of being wrong about just about everything, ever since their movement and party drank Rupert Murdoch’s Koolaid and slid into mania, years ago.  The present US Health Care System is a travesty and outrage, period.  Nevertheless, the insistence of the Left upon simply adopting what they see overseas, without discussing the drawbacks, is both lazy and doctrinaire.  It is not worthy of a nation of innovators.

=== Start Down the Road Incrementally ===

Hence, let me return to something I said  before. We could derive the topmost benefit of European style health care if we start by simply providing health care to all kids!  Now, immediately.  Without any “insurance” rigmarole.   Take care of children.  Period. Right away.  Just do it!

One method that would take a one page piece of legislation?  Simply take Medicare and extend it to the other end of the spectrum, the other demographic group that is both helpless and deserving, by simple definition.  Or else, use the kids to experiment with single-payer.  Either way, the political opposition would be in a tough spot putting up much resistance!  Americans are inherently more socialistic when it comes to children than we feel toward adults (who, we think, almost instinctively, should stand on their own two feet.)  Moreover, it lets us act upon prevention and lifelong health investment in youth, by far the best use of medical care dollars.

Seriously, why isn’t this a no-brainer?  A win-win that would let Obama achieve wonders at a stroke, while keeping both cost and complexity down and achieving the greatest bang for the buck.  Poor parents would be relieved of their greatest fear and then be able to bargain better for their own, narrower coverage.  Can anyone explain why this isn’t even mentioned?

And then, with our future safeguarded and the very worst injustice solved, we can gather the best and most sensible people from all sides to compare apples, oranges, grapes and every possible plan for dealing with adult working Americans.


=== ADDENDA ===

“The Obama administration is warning lawmakers that the trust fund that pays for highway construction will go broke in August unless Congress approves an infusion of as much as $7 billion...  Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, said it's clear that Congress must raise the federal gas tax, which is now 18.4 cents per gallon.”

Naturally, I agree with Voinovich.  Our gas taxes are among the lowest on the planet and have encouraged wastrel attitudes for two generations.  Still, I’d like to add one suggestion.  While the gas tax is being raised, also transform it from a flat rate to a PERCENTAGE of the cost at the pump.   That way, it can automatically be indexed to rise when consumption does, and some of that rise can be dedicated to filling strategic reserves and a rainy day fund, to kick in when hard times next return.

*  One of you said:

     “I sincerely hope that those who would mock Dr. Brin’s "10,000 McVeighs" prediction are paying some attention.The murder of Officer Johns at the Holocaust Museum, the murder of Dr. Tiller, the murder of five chilean students in Miramar Beach Florida by a man obsessed with "Illegals" , and now the murder of a nine year old girl and her father by the Minutemen.”   

 Alas. Folks, you ain’t seen nothing, yet.

And finally, oooog.  See why libertarianism is often its own worst enemy. What a shame.

 

Friday, June 12, 2009

PSP Go: Sony may have confused hardware for service


Sony is making waves with the PSP Go, although what many gamers are failing to realize is that the ability to buy games online and go purely digital already exists with the product they own. Everyone is talking about the hardware, when the PlayStation Network as a service is the big story... and that already works with your less expensive PSP.

Read more:
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/06/psp-go-sony-may-have-confused-hardware-for-service-1.ars

PSP Go: Sony may have confused hardware for service


Sony is making waves with the PSP Go, although what many gamers are failing to realize is that the ability to buy games online and go purely digital already exists with the product they own. Everyone is talking about the hardware, when the PlayStation Network as a service is the big story... and that already works with your less expensive PSP.

Read more:
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/06/psp-go-sony-may-have-confused-hardware-for-service-1.ars

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Blog link!

I'd like to say thank you to Fran Jurga for publicizing a video that I created during my PhD. She wrote about it on her HoofBlog website, and since that time it has received a lot of attention.

It's great to see that something I worked on during my PhD has been so immediately useful for people. My PhD involved a lot of "basic science" work, which rarely has immediate influence. It helps a lot with motivation to find that people are so enthusiastic about it.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

How good is ´The Conduit´?



76 percent?

How good is the futuristic Wii shooter ´The Conduit´? With many hopes pinned on a handful of more mature Wii games paving the way for a steadier flow of such titles, gamers, journalists and industry insiders are closely watching the critical and commercial reception of said games. Among them, ´The Conduit´ appears to be one of the big hopefuls with most observers, as well as the most controversial with some. While noone denies that it offers astounding visuals, its gameplay and originality are sometimes drawn into question.

A third and critical review has now surfaced that offers that very assessment. The score by the UK's Official Nintendo Magazine, though not catastrophic, is a sobering 76 percent. An article by GoNintendo which linked scans of the review got subsequently deleted and only exists in its Yahoo cache version. The review remarks:


It's really not bad at all. It looks nice, it feels nice and feels decidely grown up. Unfortunately it also feels about ten years old. The rosy whiff of Rare's ´Perfect Dark´ is detectable through much of ´The Conduit´, though that's no bad thing. The action is seemless and immediate, the story is fast-paced and full of conspiracy. (...)

The problem is you can detect the formula almost immediately. Run through a corridor, crouch behind a box and chuck a grenade, flush out side rooms, storm bigger rooms, restore health, repeat all over again. There's nothing wrong with that, it just might mean you lose the incentive to get through the whole ten or so hours of the game's single player campaign. (...)

The reason ´The Conduit´ falls short of must have status is down to the repetition on offer in terms of influences and design decisions. Levels often become a chore, especially the ones set in dull grey military facilities, while the drudge aliens are aptly named. For all its lack of inspiration, ´The Conduit´ is still an enjoyable shooter. Just don't expect miracles.


I find it slightly irritating that the review's tone is largely positive and does not appear, in my mind, to match the review score. The only criticism seems to be lack of originality and the article notes more than once that that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Article deleted

So why has the GoNintendo article been deleted? While the magazine itself insists that the game has officially not yet been rated, there are two alternatives. The most likely is that the rating stands, the publisher simply wants to prevent early publication. For the very same reason, GoNintendo recently had to pull an article based on information by the same magazine publisher.

The second, less likely explanation is that early publication of the rating has led to a formal complaint by the publisher and the rating has been recalled by the magazine. Often, reviews are based on review code, which may differ substantially from the final retail version. And sometimes, there is flawed communication between studio, publisher and reviewer about which aspects will still be changed. This is unlikely, but has happened before.

Other review scores

Let us assume the rating stands and compare it to the others. Nintendo Power gave ´The Conduit´ only a little more, at 80 percent. Here is a summary of their alleged explanation:


The Conduit – “worthwhile endeavor” but wouldn’t “make as big an impact on a competing console”

Pros
-large amount of customization
-good weapon selection
-Intriguing locals (Library of Congress, Pentagon, etc.)
-“platform defining online play”
-Bounty Hunter mode
-best pure first person shooter on the Wii

Cons
-story is rote
-enemy AI fails to impress
-little innovation to speak of (outside if the controls)
-level of detail in the environment can be inconsistent at times
-no destructible environments
-The “All Seeing Eye” is a cool idea but underutilized
-the abrupt, Halo-esque ending (hints at a sequel?)


In fact, here is a scan of the entire article, courtesy of Nintendo-Online.de.

Finally, a German Wii magazine gave the game 87 percent. All in all, those are not catastrophic review scores, like I said before. But the fear is that if an official Nintendo magazine gives the game a 76, scores by important online portals like Gamespot or IGN could be lower.

Rave previews

What is also irritating is that the game received some rave previews. The Official Nintendo Magazine praised the game only in April. And the preview was written by the very same author. His review, as noted above, seems to find mostly praise for the game and differs little from the preview. It is mainly the review score that does not seem to fit the picture.

So how good is ´The Conduit´? We simply cannot tell right now. It is reassuring to note that the graphics really appear to live up to the hype. But a little originality would not be a bad thing, either. It will be interesting to keep track of the game's Metacritic score, averaging all important reviews, as more scores come in.

Also, let us bear in mind that critical reception is not as important as commercial success. And even poor sales figures of ´The Conduit´ would not convince publishers that the Wii is no vehicle for mature games. But the title is an important piece in the puzzle and its commercial success will go some way towards more such games in the near future.

EDIT The rating stands. Metacritic has now included the 76 percent rating on the game's profile.

EDIT In their review, IGN gave the game a staggering 86 percent. The article made me wonder whether the good people over at IGN read this blog. Read it for yourself.


I've no doubt that overzealous system-hating fanboys will assert that there is nothing particularly special about The Conduit, but I don't believe that. In my experience, the title features the tightest, most comfortable control scheme of any console-based first-person shooter to date and that's true because of an innovative, highly customizable configuration that's already changing the way developers approach FPSs on Wii. (...)

Meanwhile, the technology powering the experience is leaps and bounds ahead of most third- party offerings for Nintendo's system. Combined, you've got a game that controls flawlessly and looks great. If you're okay with a few presentational cliches -- a story involving aliens that seems played out -- and a shooting experience that rarely strays from straightforward running and gunning, you're probably going to love the end product. If, on the other hand, you own another system, nothing The Conduit offers, fantastic controls aside, will seem extraordinary. Supposing you are a single console owner, though, High Voltage's shooter not only delivers a fun single-player quest, but an engaging online mode that will keep you fragging complete with WiiSpeak support for months to come.

With poor ratings by Gamespot and especially 1Up (58 percent), the Metacritic average now stands at 75 percent. It is rare to see a game display such a broad range of ratings by the main reviewers.


Source: GoNintendo (Yahoo cache)
Thanks to: GoNintendo, grandjedi6, Nintendo-Online (German)

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Getting started with PIC microcontroller programming under Mac OS X

I recently started experimenting with PIC microcontrollers. Microcontrollers are small chips that contain all of the essential components of a whole computer. They can function as the embedded "brains" of any electronics project.

I found a lot of information online about programming PIC microcontrollers under both Microsoft Windows and various types of Linux. However, the information relating directly to Mac OS X was quite sparse. I began by working with both Linux and Windows under VMWare Fusion, but eventually migrated to OS X when the overhead of continually running VMWare just for PIC stuff became too much.

In this blog post, I'll explain how I set up my toolchain under OS X. My setup is still in its infancy, but I thought I'd share the information early.

1. Obtain a programmer

The first step was to obtain the required hardware - a programming device that can upload your program to the microcontroller chip. There are various programming kits available online and from electronics stores, but to be safe, I ordered a PICkit 2 programmer directly from Microchip Inc. It connects to the computer via a standard USB cable:

The PICkit 2 cost AU$54.70, which included shipping to Melbourne, Australia. It also came with a demo board, which included a PIC PIC16F887:

To get started, this was the only financial outlay (given that I already owned a modern Mac computer running OS X!).

2. Download and compile GPUTILS

GPUTILS provides programs to deal with compiling PIC assembly code. I used gputils-0.13.7 and compiled it using the standard commands:

$ ./configure
$ make
$ sudo make install

3. Download and compile SDCC

The next stage was to obtain a compiler. The compiler takes human-readable programs and converts them to machine code. I wanted to use the C programming language for my work, so I began using the Small Device C Compiler (SDCC).

I downloaded the source code for SDCC and compiled it using gcc. For this step, you need to have the OS X developer tools installed. I obtained SDCC from their subversion directory (read their documentation to learn about this), and then compiled it from the command line using the standard commands:

$ ./configure
$ make
$ sudo make install

4. Compile the SDCC PIC libraries

Inside the SDCC source directory, we now have to compile libraries for SDCC on the PIC16 architecture. This is done as follows:

$ cd device/lib/pic
$ ./configure
$ make
$ sudo make install
$ cd ../pic16
$ ./configure
$ make
$ sudo make install
$ cd ../
$ make
$ sudo make install

5. Download and compile PK2CMD

Microchip Inc. have provided source code for a program called pk2cmd which can be compiled under OS X and Linux. This program communicates with the PICkit 2 programmer. The idea is that once your code has been compiled by SDCC, pk2cmd controls the PICkit 2 programmer to program the chip.

I obtained the pk2cmd source code from the Microchip website. The required package (at the time of writing) is listed about 3/4 of the way down the page and is called "PK2CMD V1.20 Linux & Mac OS X Source Code with Makefile". After extracting the package, I compiled it for OS X 10.5.7 and installed it as follows:

$ make mac105
$ sudo make install

Take note of the makefile target that had to be used for OS X 10.5 (mac105). There is more information in the makefile included with pk2cmd.

6. Try a test program

The final stage is to check that your toolchain is working. The simplest way to do that is to try out a test program with the 44-pin demo board that comes with the PICkit 2 programmer. The test program below works for me:
With this code in a file called test.c, it can be compiled and uploaded to the demo board as follows:

$ sdcc -mpic14 -p16f887 test.c
$ pk2cmd -B/usr/share/pk2 -P -T -M -Ftest.hex

If everything is successful, you should see the LEDs on the board winking from left to right.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Sony Releases Some of the New Features of the PSP Go Portable Gaming System

Sony has recently revealed some of the expected new features on their newest handheld gaming system the PSP Go. This new system has been highly anticipated and is set to be released this fall. Sony had originally proposed a lot of innovative changes for the system, but was unable to deliver on some of them. They were able to include improvements to the system and games on the new PSP Go, and they are hoping that customers and fans will enjoy what they have done with the system.

What can gamers expect from the new system? Digital downloads are now going to be faster and easier. You can choose the games that you want to download right upon launching the system. There are expected to be 100 games available for downloading from Sony. The negative to this is that gamers who have previous versions of the Sony gaming systems, are not going to be able to play their old games on the PSP Go system. It is expected that Sony will have to release some different versions that are compatible with the new system.

Gaming fans have been anticipating how the new PSP Go system will work, and how the new sliding screen feature will work. The screen on the PSP Go is 3.8 inches and the sliding feature reveals the buttons to operate the handheld system. The system is set to start shipping in the fall, so gaming fans from all over will have to keep posted for any new details and new information on the system, the new and exciting games and the pricing as it becomes publicly leaked out. There will be new information about the release of the PSP Go system posted on the Internet, as it is available and also when Sony launches the new system.

The dual memory options on the new PSP Go portable gaming device are sure to please many gamers who want the option of how much memory that they have on the device. The new digital downloading features allow users to download a lot of new games quickly and easily. Sony will also likely set up places in stores where users can dump information and games from their UMD drives unto the new PSP Go system. Sony is hoping that this will alleviate any disappoints from fans about not having the UMD drive on the new system.

Keep watching for new information and details about the new gaming system to be announced on the Internet and more details about the release date and pricing of the new system.

Sony Releases Some of the New Features of the PSP Go Portable Gaming System

Sony has recently revealed some of the expected new features on their newest handheld gaming system the PSP Go. This new system has been highly anticipated and is set to be released this fall. Sony had originally proposed a lot of innovative changes for the system, but was unable to deliver on some of them. They were able to include improvements to the system and games on the new PSP Go, and they are hoping that customers and fans will enjoy what they have done with the system.

What can gamers expect from the new system? Digital downloads are now going to be faster and easier. You can choose the games that you want to download right upon launching the system. There are expected to be 100 games available for downloading from Sony. The negative to this is that gamers who have previous versions of the Sony gaming systems, are not going to be able to play their old games on the PSP Go system. It is expected that Sony will have to release some different versions that are compatible with the new system.

Gaming fans have been anticipating how the new PSP Go system will work, and how the new sliding screen feature will work. The screen on the PSP Go is 3.8 inches and the sliding feature reveals the buttons to operate the handheld system. The system is set to start shipping in the fall, so gaming fans from all over will have to keep posted for any new details and new information on the system, the new and exciting games and the pricing as it becomes publicly leaked out. There will be new information about the release of the PSP Go system posted on the Internet, as it is available and also when Sony launches the new system.

The dual memory options on the new PSP Go portable gaming device are sure to please many gamers who want the option of how much memory that they have on the device. The new digital downloading features allow users to download a lot of new games quickly and easily. Sony will also likely set up places in stores where users can dump information and games from their UMD drives unto the new PSP Go system. Sony is hoping that this will alleviate any disappoints from fans about not having the UMD drive on the new system.

Keep watching for new information and details about the new gaming system to be announced on the Internet and more details about the release date and pricing of the new system.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

PSP Go System Details Leaked Early

If you are a fan of handheld gaming, there is no doubt you have been eagerly anticipating more information to be released about the new PSP Go gaming system. Although Sony has not formally released information about the launch of their new gaming system, sources have been able to retrieve information on the PSP Go system that is set to launch in the fall.

Fans of handheld gaming will have to wait a little longer until more details are released about the PSP Go system about the pricing and other details but there has been some information released about the games that will be sold for it, the specs and the new features.

Gaming fans have been anticipating how the new PSP Go system will work, and how the new sliding screen feature will work. The screen on the PSP Go is 3.8 inches and the sliding feature reveals the buttons to operate the handheld system. There has been rumors of some of the names of the games to be released are Gran Turismo, Jak and Dexter and Metal Gear Solid. These are only a few of the new games set to be released with the release of the PSP Go system.

The information that has been leaked about the PSP Go system seems to have been released earlier than Sony had originally planned. They were going to announce at the E3 trade show, but sources were able to find out some details on the system and leak them out to fans everywhere. If you are a handheld gaming fan and have been waiting for Sony to release their new PSP Go system, you will only have to wait until this fall.

The system is set to start shipping in the fall, so gaming fans from all over will have to keep posted for any new details and new information on the system, the new and exciting games and the pricing as it becomes publicly leaked out. There will be new information about the release of the PSP Go system posted on the Internet, as it is available and also when Sony launches the new system.

With some of the new features of the handheld gaming system, such as the sliding screen and the extra memory, it is expected to be a good launch with successful results. If you do have games from older systems, they may not be compatible with the PSP Go system, Sony may have to release new versions or downloads online to allow users to have access to older games. Stay informed on the new details as they are released about the new handheld gaming system to be revealed.

PSP Go System Details Leaked Early

If you are a fan of handheld gaming, there is no doubt you have been eagerly anticipating more information to be released about the new PSP Go gaming system. Although Sony has not formally released information about the launch of their new gaming system, sources have been able to retrieve information on the PSP Go system that is set to launch in the fall.

Fans of handheld gaming will have to wait a little longer until more details are released about the PSP Go system about the pricing and other details but there has been some information released about the games that will be sold for it, the specs and the new features.

Gaming fans have been anticipating how the new PSP Go system will work, and how the new sliding screen feature will work. The screen on the PSP Go is 3.8 inches and the sliding feature reveals the buttons to operate the handheld system. There has been rumors of some of the names of the games to be released are Gran Turismo, Jak and Dexter and Metal Gear Solid. These are only a few of the new games set to be released with the release of the PSP Go system.

The information that has been leaked about the PSP Go system seems to have been released earlier than Sony had originally planned. They were going to announce at the E3 trade show, but sources were able to find out some details on the system and leak them out to fans everywhere. If you are a handheld gaming fan and have been waiting for Sony to release their new PSP Go system, you will only have to wait until this fall.

The system is set to start shipping in the fall, so gaming fans from all over will have to keep posted for any new details and new information on the system, the new and exciting games and the pricing as it becomes publicly leaked out. There will be new information about the release of the PSP Go system posted on the Internet, as it is available and also when Sony launches the new system.

With some of the new features of the handheld gaming system, such as the sliding screen and the extra memory, it is expected to be a good launch with successful results. If you do have games from older systems, they may not be compatible with the PSP Go system, Sony may have to release new versions or downloads online to allow users to have access to older games. Stay informed on the new details as they are released about the new handheld gaming system to be revealed.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Gamers Eagerly Await PSP Go System

In the world of handheld gaming, any new system that comes out is highly anticipated by fans of portable gaming systems. This is true for the new Sony PSP Go portable gaming system. There have been a lot of rumors surrounding the system including what some of the features will be, what games will be available and what changes have been made to the system from previous versions.

Some of the changes to the new PSP Go system will delight fans, while others may be disappointing because the proposed changes did not go through. What are the changes that gamers were waiting for? One of the biggest things that Sony had wanted to add to the new system was the dual analog sticks. Many gamers were excited to experience the true dimensions of gaming with dual analog sticks, but Sony was not able to produce this feature on the new system. While some gamers are disappointed about that, Sony did serve up some good features that many should be pleased with.

The dual memory system allows gamers to choose from 8 GB of memory and 16 GB of memory. This allows fans to put as many or as few games on their system as they would like. One of the favorite features of the new system is that there is no UMD. This means that you can download tons of games right about launching the system. It has a lot of internal storage, which allows users to choose from either 8 GB of space or 16 GB of space.

Gamers that have been anticipating the new games that will be available with the PSP Go system will be impressed to see that there are new games set to be released with the PSP Go that include Jak and Daxter, Gran Turismo PSP and Metal Gear Solid. The price or price range has not yet released. The older gaming systems are not going to be compatible, so there is a chance that Sony will re-sell the older content through the online store. Sony will likely have to figure out something to do about the lack of compatibility between older games and the new system because many gamers will want to play their older games on the PSP Go as well.

Information that has been released about the PSP Go system indicates that while Sony was not able to include all of the new features that they had originally hoped for, there are still many new features that are sure to delight gamers. Sony is hoping that the improvements over older versions of portable gaming systems will keep customers coming back to purchase the new system.

Gamers Eagerly Await PSP Go System

In the world of handheld gaming, any new system that comes out is highly anticipated by fans of portable gaming systems. This is true for the new Sony PSP Go portable gaming system. There have been a lot of rumors surrounding the system including what some of the features will be, what games will be available and what changes have been made to the system from previous versions.

Some of the changes to the new PSP Go system will delight fans, while others may be disappointing because the proposed changes did not go through. What are the changes that gamers were waiting for? One of the biggest things that Sony had wanted to add to the new system was the dual analog sticks. Many gamers were excited to experience the true dimensions of gaming with dual analog sticks, but Sony was not able to produce this feature on the new system. While some gamers are disappointed about that, Sony did serve up some good features that many should be pleased with.

The dual memory system allows gamers to choose from 8 GB of memory and 16 GB of memory. This allows fans to put as many or as few games on their system as they would like. One of the favorite features of the new system is that there is no UMD. This means that you can download tons of games right about launching the system. It has a lot of internal storage, which allows users to choose from either 8 GB of space or 16 GB of space.

Gamers that have been anticipating the new games that will be available with the PSP Go system will be impressed to see that there are new games set to be released with the PSP Go that include Jak and Daxter, Gran Turismo PSP and Metal Gear Solid. The price or price range has not yet released. The older gaming systems are not going to be compatible, so there is a chance that Sony will re-sell the older content through the online store. Sony will likely have to figure out something to do about the lack of compatibility between older games and the new system because many gamers will want to play their older games on the PSP Go as well.

Information that has been released about the PSP Go system indicates that while Sony was not able to include all of the new features that they had originally hoped for, there are still many new features that are sure to delight gamers. Sony is hoping that the improvements over older versions of portable gaming systems will keep customers coming back to purchase the new system.

E3 2009: Microsoft challenging Nintendo, Sony finished



So, the three press briefings have come and gone. What remains? Quite obviously, Microsoft had the biggest surprise in store for us. Project Natal is certainly ambitious and may serve to position the Xbox360 quite differently in terms of target demographic. Nintendo, while briefly showing that odd finger sensor had almost no surprises when it comes to hardware. Team Ninja working on a new Metroid game was the big news of the briefing and it is hard to exaggerate the ramifications of this collaboration, given Nintendo’s poor track record with third party developers in the past.

Immediately, arguments ensued over whether Xbox360’s Natal or Wii’s Motion Plus will be the more accurate system. But that appears to be an academic debate. The big question in my mind is: where does that leave Sony? The truly gargantuan sales figures of a ´Brain Age´ and a ´Wii Fit´ clearly show where the gaming mainstream has shifted to (or rather, where the new mainstream has been discovered). This is precisely where Nintendo is positioned and it clearly is where Microsoft would like to be with Natal. Sony, however, will have nothing to offer this new mainstream. If they really are working on a Wiimote-like controller themselves, they will show it no earlier than E3 2010 and it will launch no earlier than 2011. This will be too late for this generation because, in my mind, by 2011, Microsoft and Nintendo will be talking about their successor consoles. And with the next generation of consoles, no one will care about a PS3 peripheral.

It seems quite obvious that the PlayStation3 will be falling behind even further, after the E3 announcements. While mainstream gaming has shifted (and opened up to millions new gamers in the process), Sony has remained where the mainstream used to be. Of course, ´God of War III´ will be a spectacular game. But, in terms of sales figures, it will be a niche product and fail to move substantial amounts of hardware. Especially given that Sony boss Stringer will not allow a price cut until Christmas at the earliest. I am absolutely sure: Sony will remain in third place for this generation and I am even less optimistic about Sony’s progress in the next console cycle.

EDIT I stand corrected. Sony did show motion controls other than the Sixaxis. I was unable to watch the Sony conference and really had not seen the motion control section in Joystiq’s live transcription. Sorry. Thanks to Some Guy for pointing out my mistake.

It is interesting to note that I wrote about the patent most likely implicated by this technology back in 2005 and I even tried out a similar prototype at the 2001 ECTS, London’s former videogame expo. There, a webcam connected to the PlayStation2 was tuned to certain bright colours and had the dimensions of various tools and weapons stored in memory. Holding a brightly coloured plastic sword or mace, the console could estimate a 3D position based on the object’s dimensions by comparing them to the actual view in perspective. This way, the same weapon was replicated in the game and moved almost in real-time to my movements. Considering this was fake 3D – since the console only estimated a spatial position based on the distorted perspective of a 2D image – it worked pretty well. It seems to me that the demo shown at the Sony conference was almost the same technology and will work the same way.

However, even if the technology shown will be available next year and works well, it is still no comparison to Nintendo’s and Microsoft’s real 3D motion controls. The only advantage is that Sony’s approach should work with a standard webcam, which will make it the cheapest of the three. But the experience may be less immersive, too. So I stand by my initial judgement: Microsoft may be successfully moving on what now is Nintendo’s turf – the new mainstream – but Sony will most likely fail to catch up.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Project Natal

If you've been wondering why my project blog has been pretty quiet, I can finally say it is because I have been helping Xbox with Project Natal. If you haven't seen the vision video, it is definitely worth checking out:



Now, I should preface by saying I don't deserve credit for anything that you saw at E3. A large team of very smart, very hard working people were involved in building the demos you saw on stage. The part I am working on has much more to do with making sure this can transition from the E3 stage to your living room - for which there is an even larger team of very smart, very hard working people involved. The other thing I should say is that I can't really reveal any details that haven't already been made public. Unfortunately.

Speaking as someone who has been working in interface and sensing technology for nearly 10 years, this is an astonishing combination of hardware and software. The few times I’ve been able to show researchers the underlying components, their jaws drop with amazement... and with good reason.

The 3D sensor itself is a pretty incredible piece of equipment providing detailed 3D information about the environment similar to very expensive laser range finding systems but at a tiny fraction of the cost. Depth cameras provide you with a point cloud of the surface of objects that is fairly insensitive to various lighting conditions allowing you to do things that are simply impossible with a normal camera.


But once you have the 3D information, you then have to interpret that cloud of points as "people". This is where the researcher jaws stay dropped. The human tracking algorithms that the teams have developed are well ahead of the state of the art in computer vision in this domain. The sophistication and performance of the algorithms rival or exceed anything that I've seen in academic research, never mind a consumer product. At times, working on this project has felt like a miniature “Manhattan project” with developers and researchers from around the world coming together to make this happen.

We would all love to one day have our own personal holodeck. This is a pretty measurable step in that direction.

Xbox and Microsoft deserve an enormous amount of credit for taking on such an ambitious project. It’s one thing to say “Wouldn’t it be cool if…”, but it’s another thing entirely to say, “let’s dedicate the resources to really make it happen inventing whatever needs to be invented along the way.” I have to say it's pretty neat building the future.

PSP Go


The PSP Go launches this fall. No price yet. Stay tuned for more info from Sony's presser tomorrow morning.

Hackers, get ready for this new revolution of UMD-less gaming

PSP Go


The PSP Go launches this fall. No price yet. Stay tuned for more info from Sony's presser tomorrow morning.

Hackers, get ready for this new revolution of UMD-less gaming