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The future of the flame war

Publié: décembre 13, 2012, 8:54pm CET par Tim Conneally

Anonymity serves an essential purpose; it allows us to speak without fear of persecution. But two-way anonymous communications are inherently antisocial, and are often counterproductive when trying to establish a certain level of discourse. This is the root of the comments section dilemma, and an issue online news sites like BetaNews think about quite a bit. We want you to be able to speak freely. We hate having to censor anything, but we also want civilized conversation.

Text-only communication is viewed as an "impoverished" form of social exchange, lacking all of the nonverbal nuances that help us share information on a deeper, more human level, and anonymous text-only communications are even weaker, stripping out most of the ethos of the speaker.

If we stick to old school communications theory, all that you have in anonymous text are verbal pleas of logic or emotion, or simple nonsense. Sounds like a YouTube comment section, doesn't it?

Last Summer, Google continued its "war on anonymity" by prompting YouTube users to link their real-life names from Google+ to their YouTube profiles. Unlike Google+, which forbids the use of pseudonyms, YouTube users still have the option to remain anonymous. However, Google seems acutely aware that we have all said some things anonymously that we'd be embarrassed to associate with our name and face. Therefore, it gives users the ability to erase their anonymous transgressions if they decide to use their real name.

"Maybe you posted a few things way back (all those 'I love you Biebs!!' comments?) that you’d rather not associate with publicly. By clicking 'Review my content,' you can see every video, comment or playlist you’ve ever posted, and decide whether you want it associated with your full name before making the change," the June YouTube blog post said.

While YouTube has fostered what is arguably the Internet's lowest form of communication (The YouTube comment), it has also progressed to include the Video Response, where users film themselves giving a response to a particular video. While typically bereft of any real value, these responses seem to exist purely to provide nonverbal cues.

A new service Deeyoon takes commentary to the next level, into the realm of the live, face-to-face, moderated human discussion. Deeyoon has a standalone site, and also a plugin that allows its users to create live debates in articles published on other sites. It is more of an intense debate than intensedebate.

Deeyoon CEO and Founder Joe Kalfa said he started Deeyoon after seeing the heated arguments in the comments section of YouTube. He thought there had to be a better way for people to communicate their passions than through text comments or video responses.

"If you look at some of the comments on YouTube, it gets pretty crazy, but that's not to say that two people disagreeing on an issue of any kind cannot become uncivil as well. It's not absolutely preventable," Kalfa told Betanews this week. "It's just when it's two people face-to-face arguing on a topic, chances are it'll be a lot more civil than not. We want it to be a site for everybody, and we don't want it to get out of control."

Deeyoon gives people a place to take a stance on an issue and an equal amount of time for both sides to voice their opinion. The service even offers a plug-in that gives people the ability to open live video debates in the comment section of news articles or blog posts. Users can debate in their own skin in the forum where they are most familiar.

"It's an inherently viral product," Kalfa told BetaNews. "If someone's debating about something they're passionate about and they're having a good debate, chances are they'll share it with people who share their interest and belief system. It happens on both sides of the debate and keeps the site going and growing."

So with rich verbal and nonverbal communication, a potential for viral sharing, and some big announcements coming in the near future, Deeyoon might be the future of the comments section.
Save big on these holiday software deals

Publié: décembre 13, 2012, 8:02pm CET par Chris Wiles

It’s that time of the year where it’s a great time to pick up a software bargain. Through December and the Christmas holiday season, the Downloadcrew Software Store has various software deals that are worth some consideration. Best of all, the Downloadcrew “Giveaway” site returns this Christmas, with five superb exclusive full software giveaway offers, for everyone.

You may have picked up a brand new Windows 8 computer during the festive season. If so, the first thing you’ll want to do is pick up a security suite to keep your system secure. The Downloadcrew Software Store is packed full of security offers from Bitdefender, AVG, Kaspersky, Avira and other brands.

Bitdefender

Let’s start with Bitdefender. Bitdefender Windows 8 Security is the company’s brand new offering, and can be yours for $19.95, 67 percent off MSRP. There’s a saving of 63 percent off Bitdefender Total Security 2013 [3-PC] which includes a strong antivirus engine, intelligent two-way firewall, capable spam filter -- all for just $29.95. If you want to keep your computer safe for even less, look no further than Bitdefender Internet Security 2013 [1-PC] which still packs a punch for just $14.99 saving you 70% off the MSRP.

Many homes have more than one computer and keeping them all protected can get expensive. However, if you invest in Bitdefender Internet Security 2013 [3-PC] can be used to ensure the safety of three PCs for just $29.95. Every computer should have at least an antivirus tool installed, and it’s hard to find something that’s better value than Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2013 [1-PC] which costs just $5.95 with a massive reduction of 85 percent.

AVG

You’ll also find the latest 2013 versions of the most popular security tools including AVG Anti-Virus 2013. This industry standard antivirus tool is available for the massively discounted price of $9.95 – that’s a colossal 75 percent off the MSRP. For a more complete security solution, take a look at AVG Internet Security 2013 which includes an added firewall, spam filter and more – all for just $17.99 (or a 67-percent discount). The most complete security package comes in the form of AVG Premium Security 2013 Complete Bundle, which includes four separate applications worth a total of $130 -- but you can buy the collection at a generous 69-percent discount for just $39.95.

Avira has finally updated their 2013 range so it’s Windows 8 compatible. Within the store, you can pick up Avira Internet Security 2013 [3-PC] for only $29.99, a saving of 67 percent from the MSRP. Avira Internet Security 2013 [1-PC] is yours for only $25.99, or 57 percent off MSRP. If you prefer a lighter anti-virus tool, take a look at Avira Antivirus Premium 2013 [3-PC], 47 percent off MSRP, at $24.99. There’s also a 1-PC version, which is yours for $19.99.

Kaspersky

Kaspersky produces security software that performs reliably and consistently.

Store highlights include the multi-device Kaspersky ONE, which will enable you to support three different devices (three PCs, two PCs and a Mac or, perhaps, two PCs and one Android device. The choice is yours). Available for only $24.95, 69 percent off MSRP. Kaspersky Internet Security 2013 starts at $19.95 or 67 percent off MSRP.

Kaspersky develop a powerful security suite for Mac users, including Kaspersky Security for Mac 2013, which is only $39.95, 33 percent off MSRP.

System maintenance and PC optimization tools help keep your brand new system in check while you continue to enjoy using your PC. System maintenance tools enable you to remove unwanted startup items, erase clutter and temporary files, personalize your computer and much more.

Our first recommendation is TuneUp Utilities 2013. You can save 50% from TuneUp Utilities 2013 [3-PC], ideal for installing on three home computers. If you have a single PC, save even more with TuneUp Utilities 2013 [1-PC]. There is also TuneUp Utilities 2013 [UPGRADE] for existing users to upgrade, at a significant discount. Another recommended maintenance tool is AVG PC TuneUp 2013, effectively a re-branded TuneUp Utilities, which helps you to eke extra performance from your machine. This great utility costs as mere $12.99, or a saving of 68% off the MSRP. Auslogics Boostspeed 5 is also worth considering for $19.95, 60 percent off MSRP, as is IObit Advanced SystemCare PRO v6 [3-PC] is another great all-round system maintenance suite, available for only $14.99 or 62 percent off MSRP. You can move up to IObit Advanced SystemCare 6 Ultimate, which also packs two additional anti-malware scanners, yours for only $18.99, again 63 percent off MSRP.

Everyone needs a backup tool, whether this is to store important files in a secure location or to make a 1:1 copy of your hard drive, to safeguard against system failure. There are few better backup tools than True Image 2013 by Acronis (Acronis True Image 2013), available for only $29.99, which is currently 40 percent off MSRP.

CyberLink

We close this roundup with some great savings from CyberLink.

PowerDirector 11 Ultimate, which bundles PowerDirector 11 with 22 NewBlueFX effects, is yours for only $99.99, a saving of 23 percent from MSRP. Better still, you get a free CyberLink LabelPrin 2.5, worth $19.95, with every order! PowerDirector 11 Ultra is yours for $79.95, a saving of 20 percent from MSRP, also shipping with the free bundle. Media Suite 10 Ultra, which is CyberLink’s 11-in-1 multimedia suite, is yours for $89,95, or 31-percent off MSRP.

Last, but not least, Downloadcrew Giveaway. Between Saturday December the 22nd and Tuesday January the 1st 2013, we’ll be giving away five full software applications. Three of these applications are fully Windows 8 compatible. You won’t be disappointed with these offers. At this stage, we do not know which giveaway will run first or in which order, but we recommend keeping one eye on the Downloadcrew Facebook page, or bookmark the Giveaway website and we’ll announce more info next week!

Photo Credit: thumb/Shutterstock
Defraggler 2.12 gets your hard drive in ship shape

Publié: décembre 13, 2012, 7:42pm CET par Nick Peers

Piriform has updated Defraggler, its Windows defrag utility, with support for Windows Server 2012. Defraggler 2.12 also adds support for drives mounted as NTFS junction points and offers more control over scheduled defrags.

Version 2.12 also tweaks the user interface, fixes a succession of minor bugs and adds several other minor tweaks and improvements to complete the update.

Aside from adding support for Windows Server 2012, which follows on from Defraggler 2.11, which added support for Windows 8, there are a couple of noteworthy improvements in this latest build. The first gives users greater control over the scheduled defrag process, allowing them to automatically prevent defragmentation from occurring if specific processes are already running.

To set up this feature, choose Settings > Schedule. Pick the drive to defrag, tick “Schedule defragmentation for chosen volume” and set up a schedule as normal. Next, tick “Apply additional conditions:” and click Define, then tick the new option – “Do not start the task if given processes are running:” before clicking Define again to select them from a list of system processes detected.

Version 2.12 also adds support for drives mounted as NTFS junction points, which provides a workaround for the 26 drive letter limitation for advanced users. Defraggler 2.12 also provides better performance in that it now improves the placement of large fragments over 100MB in size.

The program also adds what it describes as “advanced crash reporting”, updates various translations and tweaks the GUI for improved usability. It’s rounded off with an unspecified number of minor bug fixes.

Defraggler 2.12 is a freeware download for PCs running Windows XP or later. The program automatically detects SSD drives and will warn the user should they attempt to defragment them, an operation that has no benefit on SSD drive performance and which simply shortens the drive’s life.

Photo Credit: Balazs Justin/Shutterstock
Bing is the place to find amateur porn

Publié: décembre 13, 2012, 7:01pm CET par Joe Wilcox

Overnight yesterday, Google made alarming changes to search that will irk some people and lead others to express thanks. Suddenly, porn is much harder to search for, even with the most generous content settings. In researching the difference, I used Bing as reference and am shocked by the result. Microsoft presents amazing porn search, all neatly packaged. I am no porn connoisseur, nor do I use Bing image or video search enough -- otherwise, the discovery wouldn't so surprise me.

Before continuing, some background: In the years before the Web's rise, I used shortwave radio to get news from around the globe. I still have a Grundig Satellit 750, but the worldband radio doesn't get much use. Sometime in late 2004, perhaps early 2005, I Googled "amateur radio" while shopping for new hardware. But I accidentally hit enter after "amateur", which to my surprise brought back page after page of porn. Google didn't organize images neatly as it does today but the skin was nevertheless easy to find. Since, I've used "amateur" as the benchmark for testing what's wrong with image search, which I do a couple times of year and most recently about a month ago. This week, for the first time ever, results are different.

The Bing Difference

With safe search off, the change is quite dramatic (and I find refreshing). Type "amateur" in image search and you'll see something like this. Go to Bing and image search "amateur" and you get endless porn. The contrast is dramatic. I started out the process primarily for reference, being unable to turn back the clock and see what Google presented before. But I recall porn presented as images on a page. Bing does much more.

Microsoft's search engine makes finding the stuff easy, by providing convenient short links across the top of the image search page: "amateur wife"; "amateur sex"; "amateur girls"; "amateur pawg"; "amateur tan lines"; "amateur girlfriend"; "amateur teen"; "amateur thong"; "amateur lesbians"; "amateur cells"; "amateur radio". Remember, this is all searching for the one word, which could apply, say, to all kinds of sports.

Off to the right under heading "Discover Bing Video" a thumbnail leads to a shocking selection of amateur porn that is well-presented and conveniently organized into headings like "amateur orgasms", "mature amateurs" and "amateur threesomes". Related topics include "gay", "Asian" and "Latina". Moving the cursor over any thumbnail starts the video playing right then and there. With sound! The screenshot above, without grey circles obscuring videos (which editors here added), shows what to expect.

Clicking through to a video brings lots more. Headings across the top of the page provide more video previews, like "amateur stud bangs his wife", which happens to be one of the vids that must be viewed at the original site (in this case Redtube). It's a virtual amateur pornucopia (not an original term, I know). Bing organizes the videos so well, I'll be back looking for stuff that I want to watch more.

Click to Skin

Porn isn't my thing, so in my earlier quick "amateur" Googles, I only searched images, not videos -- didn't think to look. I can only assume "amateur" produced similar skin to Bing before the algorithm change, but presumably not as well-presented. Seriously, I'm really impressed with Bing video search. Microsoft does as well for other topics, but not yet any I find better. Video searches for "Justin Bieber", "President Obama" and "Curling" bring up brilliantly presented video -- the latter term a mixture of the sport and hair techniques. But many more of the videos link to third-party sites than does the porn. That next level of granularity distinguishes Bing vid search but is lost when redirected to another site.

The net result for me as a user: I will use Bing as my primary video search engine, and likely images, too. Presentation, and visual search relevance, really impresses. Microsoft does a tremendously good job and I'm sorry it took a porn search comparison test to discover the benefits.

Still, there's irony here. With Bing image and video search being so good, and Google purging porn from search terms like "amateur", suddenly Microsoft's service is the place for skin. From my perspective as a parent, that's not exactly an appealing distinction.

As for Google, the only thing better now is the filtering. Image results still aren't relevant enough. Amateur can apply to many things -- baseball, hockey, ice skating, radio and skateboarding are among the many, many obvious images to deliver. I don't yet see enough of this kind of content -- 40 hours or so following the change, which greatly appeals to me. I would rather search for something innocuous like "amateur" and get lots of reasonably relevant results, not boatloads of porn.
Get Google Now on Ice Cream Sandwich

Publié: décembre 13, 2012, 4:38pm CET par Mihaita Bamburic

People that want to try out Google's latest voice assistant on green droid devices are confined by the search giant to use either of the two Jelly Bean iterations. However, Google Now also makes its way onto Ice Cream Sandwich through third-party app GNow Handlebars.

Previous to GNow Handlebars, the process of installing Google Now onto Android 4.0 mostly involved flashing files in a custom recovery like ClockworkMod or TWRP. Now the same result can be achieved simply by opening the app and selecting the voice assistant to kick off the installation. There is also a restore option available that brings back the older Google Search, which should come in handy if something goes wrong.

But GNow Handlebars has its caveats. The app requires a rooted and deodexed ROM, which means that Google Now cannot be installed on stock Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich without modifications. Is it off-putting? That depends on how badly the user wants the new voice assistant.

The app is also not available to download from Google Play, and as a result it has to be sideloaded onto the device by enabling "Unknown sources" in Security settings. However, GNow Handlebars can still be downloaded from the Amazon's Appstore for Android or SlideMe.