T w e n t y S i d e d
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And a bonus episode for the weekend since we started this week late. We should be back to our regular schedule next week.
Assassin’s Creed 2 EP3: And Then Something Bad Happened
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You know, in retrospect, the title for last episode would’ve been better for this one. Oh well.
Also, we had another IMG Media UK claim on this video, but I disputed it immediately. Still, if youtube didn’t update immediately, it may be unavailable for a little while in countries that aren’t the US or UK (because that makes a bloody lot of sense). Let me know if there are any problems.
IMG Media UK Scam
Some people have pointed out that the most recent episode of Spoiler Warning is blocked in ALL COUNTRIES outside of the USA and UK. Apparently, we have the jackasses at IMG Media UK to thank for this. Here is another game channel that got nailed by these clowns, and here is that user’s explanation:
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I’ve disputed the claim. I’m sure in a few days this will be sorted, during which time our content will be down and IMG Media UK might make some money on our efforts in regions where the video is allowed. Apparently they can issue these fraudulent claims and collect money without fear of losing their “partner” status?
Off-the-cuff ranting:
Yes, the law has set up a system of guilty until proven innocent, on the basis of a (basically) anonymous accuser who has a financial motivation for making false claims and who can do so with impunity. I can point the finger of blame at Youtube, but Youtube points the finger of blame at US Law, which obliges them to behave this way. We can point the finger of blame at the lawmakers, but they will turn around and point the finger of blame at the Old Media giants who… lined their pockets to get this horrible law passed. Actually, I guess they ignore us rather than do that.
Either way, this sucks. We can moan about creeps like IMG Media UK, but if YouTube stomps on them another company will rise to take advantage of this lucrative exploit. (Lucrative in terms of effort vs. reward.) This problem can’t be fixed without fixing the defective system that makes it possible.
Still, YouTube needs to smack down these creeps in the meantime. I realize they might not want to stand up to the major publishers in Hollywood, but if some idiots show up and claim to own all the videogame footage in the world and file disputed claims against hundreds of content producers, it should be easy to deal with them.
The YouTube dispute process is still absurd. You’re accused of copying content without given ANY indication of what the content is, or where it’s located. This is like the cops coming to your house and saying they have a tip (from a guy who makes money providing tips to cops) that you have stolen goods. They don’t know where the goods are, how you got them, or even WHAT they are, but you need to sit in jail until you can prove you own everything you have. Once you clear your name, there is no penalty for the tipster.
Addendum: Grrrr.
Assassin’s Creed 2 EP2: Ezio Auditore, Paper Boy
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Autoblography Part 17: The Tallest Blade of Grass
Yes, for you long-time readers, this is a re-run. But it’s an important moment and I wanted to include it here in the chronology.
All through the school, the math teachers vanish suddenly and without explanation. Suddenly, everyone has substitutes for math class. This is obviously unexpected, since the subs have not been given clear instructions of how to fill that two-week space of time. When the teachers come back, we discover that they have all been given some sort of crash course in computers, and we are now going to have computer lab on day X, where X is the day of the week when nobody else was using the computer lab.
My math teacher is an immense woman named Mrs. Grossman. Yes, I’m serious, and yes, she really is gigantic. I’m not trying to liven up the story by going all Wonder Years on you. She is spherical, with thick glasses, a short butch perm, and a mean streak wider than her own shadow. It’s clear she does not care for this new turn in her mandated curriculum, and she teaches us to use computers the same way you might teach someone to slap-fight a cobra. Apparently the computer is a dangerous creature to be approached with the utmost caution, and only by doing (sigh) exactly as we were told can we hope to learn anything about these capricious magic boxes.
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Autoblography Part 17: The Tallest Blade of Grass”
Assassin’s Creed 2 EP1: The Life and Times of Desmond Miles
Link (YouTube) |
Sorry for the late start. We planned on launching this series last Tuesday, but Various Things prevented this. You know how it is with Various Things.
For historical purposes, here are the comics I did regarding the original Assassin’s Creed:
Autoblography Part 16: Art and the Computer
Dad is engaged. He’s met a woman about his own age, and they’re living together in a nice place downtown. This seems like a good turn for him. His girlfriend seems nice, and this apartment is a step up from the rat-holes he usually lives in.
It’s at this point that I really envy fiction writers, because they can name their characters at will. If I were making this up, I could name this woman something memorable, and perhaps even something tied to her personality. But this is real life, and fate has named her Pat. So my brother is Patrick, my Dad’s girlfriend is Patricia, and almost everyone else is named Dave. (In about ten years my Dad will rent an apartment from another guy, who is also named James Young. They will live next to each other, and will never get the mail delivery to work right.)
Patricia has a daughter. She lives with grandparents, but the prospect of this marriage brings with it the prospect of a step-sister. She’s about the same age as Patrick and I, and she’s unusually smart and well-grounded. I like her right away.
For Christmas, Dad and Patricia give me books. Dad gives me Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which launches my interest in all things Douglas Adams. Patricia gives me this:
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Art and the Computer, by Melvin L. Prueitt, with introduction by Carl Sagan. Patricia got it for me because it was about art – which she likes and understands – and also about computers, which everyone knows is an obsession of mine.
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Autoblography Part 16: Art and the Computer”
From The Archives:
Why Batman Can't Kill
His problem isn't that he's dumb, the problem is that he bends the world he inhabits.
Could Have Been Great
Here are four games that could have been much better with just a little more work.
DM of the Rings
Both a celebration and an evisceration of tabletop roleplaying games, by twisting the Lord of the Rings films into a D&D game.
Control
A wild game filled with wild ideas that features fun puzzles and mind-blowing environments. It has a great atmosphere, and one REALLY annoying flaw with its gameplay.
PC Hardware is Toast
This is why shopping for graphics cards is so stupid and miserable.
Diablo III Retrospective
We were so upset by the server problems and real money auction that we overlooked just how terrible everything else is.
The No Politics Rule
Here are 6 reasons why I forbid political discussions on this site. #4 will amaze you. Or not.
D&D Campaign
WAY back in 2005, I wrote about a D&D campaign I was running. The campaign is still there, in the bottom-most strata of the archives.
What is Piracy?
It seems like a simple question, but it turns out everyone has a different idea of right and wrong in the digital world.
I Was Wrong About Borderlands 3
I really thought one thing, but then something else. There's a bunch more to it, but you'll have to read the article.