Posted 12/22/2008 at 01:22:55pm

I'd like to see an HTPC built on top of a customized mobile platform. I imagine a company could sufficiently cover all the bases: form factor, noise, heat dissipation. And let's not forget power (this is MaxPC after all). Certainly an HTPC of this ilk wouldn't best one built off of a desktop platform, but what desktop system a) fits in your entertainment center and b) does drown out the audio with its whining turbine of a fan. I suppose you could go water cooling, but then my first point becomes even more of a problem.

Still, I think the comment regarding cable cards is spot on. Until the anti-consumer practices of the the media industry can be tamed by the PC industry this market is going nowhere.

Posted 07/11/2008 at 10:25:56pm

It seems to me to be a no-brainer that Microsoft believes they need to spoon-feed the console market while shutting the PC gaming market in the basement with yesterday's leftovers. Xbox is still a money-loser for MS despite huge expenditures trying to capture market share. The only way they're going to improve that situation is to increase sales of the xbox and of xbox games. The more xbox-exclusive titles they have the more likely they are to attract gamers. Thus, the more gamers there will be to buy third-party games. Isn't this the real cash cow of console gaming, licensing fees paid by third-party game developers? And what does MS get from Windows game developers? Nada.

O.K. ... so maybe that's a bit over the top. But it seems like a plausible line of thought on their part. Not that I agree with such a strategy.

Posted 08/08/2007 at 11:49:21pm

Some of the discussion around this topic and the Bush administration in general seems to be completely inane and childish. I'm not talking about just on this forum, though, but in general in the U.S. Admittedly emotions are high and people tend to say things without thinking when they're emotional. But it'd be nice to see more people think about the issue first rather than default to the typical Bush fanboy or hater prose. There are certainly a few well-reasoned statements flying around here, but focusing on a few others ... @Mad Beaver There were certainly missteps within the Clinton administration just as in the Bush administration. But Clinton was also being hamstrung by a Republican Congress who didn't believe that the terrorist threat was all that important. As a matter of fact, they seemed more interested in destroying one man than in doing anything in the best interest of the U.S. @TheUltimateGamer2006 It's very disingenuous to say that because someone wants to protect their right from unwarranted search that they've forgotten about the people killed on Sept. 11. I'm sure these same people would like to stop the purveyors of terror. The problem is that nobody has any way of knowing that the Bush administration won't spy or isn't currently spying on innocent people. There has been hardly any meaningful oversight of their actions. History has constantly shown us that people in power will use any tool at their disposal, despite the legal and moral implications, to remain in power. @Bin3ry Not all bad here, but "As far as lieing goes..."? Come on. Shouldn't we expect and demand better from our representatives? Has it really gotten to the point where the best we can expect from the President of the United States is the mentality of a four-year-old ("he got to do it so why can't I?!?")? And while secrecy can be important, the Bush administration has made a farce of it by declaring that nobody has the right to know anything they're doing. Now, let the flames begin. I always did like a bonfire in summer.

Posted 08/08/2007 at 11:44:11pm

I think there would be much less opposition to this program if people could truly believe that the Bush administration was acting solely in the best interest of the people of the United States. However, the public has no way of knowing the intentions and actions of the Bush administration because they refuse to tell anyone what they are doing. Plus past actions have shown that these people are more than willing to do just about anything to further their cause. Case in point (and excuse me while I beat a dead horse) the Plame affair. The Bush administration leaked the name and employment of Mrs. Plame while she was working for the CIA. This in spite of the fact that at the very least she was in the recent past an undercover operative. Exposing her employment, no matter the reason, puts the lives of any number of people with whom she has associated at risk and harms the CIA's ability to recruit contacts. And why was the Bush administration doing this? To try and hide the fact that it was knowingly using false information to justify the invasion of Iraq. I find it hard to accept that people willing to use their power in this manner will be able to resist the temptation to abuse the opportunity to spy on anyone in the U.S. without oversight. (Well, meaningful oversight anyway.)