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UFC targets online piracy. Let’s just hope it doesn’t go all RIAA on us. »
It’s been a running theme for the past few years, and as more and more people get faster Internet connections, and as video compression technology continues to improve, we’re going to be hearing a lot more about it. I refer, of course (of course!), to illegal streams of live sporting events. Whether you’re firing up TVAnts on Sunday to watch Arsenal take on Aston Villa, or trolling USTREAM for a live feed of WWE’s Royal Rumble, or looking for MMA-TV to watch this month’s UFC pay-per-view, you are, in fact, breaking the law. Not only are you breaking the law, but you may even be taking money away from the companies/teams/sports you purport to support. But is that all there is to it? Lorenzo Fertitta, the co-owner of UFC (the more famous Dana White is the company’s president), recently went to Capitol Hill to discuss the problems facing UFC with respect to online piracy. He told the House Judiciary Committee that some 140,000 people watched UFC 106, the company’s November pay-per-view event headline by Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Grifin, online using various streaming sites. UFC had identified 271 unauthorized streams, which is where the 140,000-person estimate comes from. Surely there were more streams that UFC didn’t find—how can you patrol the entire Internet?—and the numbers don’t include non-live viewership. You know, BitTorrent and the like. I can’t help but think that they are people out there who avoid reading UFC results until they are able to download a torrent the next day. You’ll recall that WWE started going after illegal online streams earlier this year. The thing is, WWE claimed, quite like Fertitta here, that online streams were damaging its bottom line. That’s not necessarily the case. The very first pay-per-view that WWE actively patrolled illegal streams for, June’s The Bash, was among the least purchased pay-per-views of the year. If we were to follow WWE’s logic, that buyrates (the number of people who buy a pay-per-view) would increase once the streams were eliminated, well, then The Bash would have done better than the previous pay-per-view, May’s Extreme Rules. It didn’t: The Bash did 178,000 buys to Extreme Rules’ 213,000. (I would suggest that the best way for WWE to improve its bottom line is to improve its product and not blame externalities like illegal online streams. You cannot expect people to continue to buy pay-per-view events or watch the TV shows when the talent roster is stale, bland, and woefully misused (see: pushes starting and stopping to the point of destroying a wrestler’s future credibility); when storylines make little to no sense, even accounting for the suspension of disbelief required to watch pro wrestling in the first place; when comedy, and I use the word lightly, becomes the focal point of each and every show at the expense of, I don’t know, wrestling (see: The Little People’s Court and the Tiger Woods gag from last Monday’s Raw–what does Tiger Woods’ current pickle have to do with WWE?); when guest hosts, who have no business being on its television, act as if they’re “above” the crowd and people watching at home (insulting the audience isn’t exactly a good idea) or refer to non-existent events like “SummerFest”; when a wrestler who co-headlined the biggest WreslteMania ever (buyrate-wise) dies and not a single word is mentioned on television. I could go on but that would be boring. The point is, WWE isn’t very good these days and illegal streams have nothing to do with that.) All of this assumes, of course, that people viewing illegal online streams are inherently lost customers . That’s the same argument the RIAA tried to make, and look where it got those guys. Believe it or not, but people do exist who have zero intention of purchasing a pay-per-view. If the stream goes down they’re not going to call their cable company to buy the event, but rather will go about their business as if nothing happened. You don’t have to worry about these guys: pay-per-views could cost $2 and they still wouldn’t buy ‘em Here’s how I look at it: you have to figure that the people who are watching these illegal streams are younger people. What 50-year-old man is going to sit down and figure out how to forward his router’s ports so that some Chinese-made P2P application works properly? Piracy is a young person’s game. Now, if you’re UFC or WWE you can look at this as they currently look at it, which is to freak out and yell, You’re stealing our money! Or, you can look at it like this: let’s assume some 15-year-old kid is tooling around on a message board in one window with a UFC stream in another window. This kid doesn’t have $50 per month to pay for UFC pay-per-views, and maybe his parents wouldn’t let him buy one in the first place. So rather than eliminating this kid’s exposure to your product, why not bank on the fact that, in a few years when this kid has a proper job and can afford to buy things , he’ll throw some of his new-found discretionary income your way? “Oh man, I remember UFC from a few years back. I used to love that shit. Let me order a pizza and invite my friends over so we can watch the fight tonight on my huge TV.” Does anybody in these organizations think like that? Yes, I understand that that’s an unorthodox way of looking at things, but what great company or organization didn’t think “outside of the box” every once in a while? Again, to make the music industry comparison, they tried to sue everyone under the sun to bring things back to the way they were. That clearly didn’t happen, and it only served to harm the music industy’s image in the eyes of the public. So to the UFC and WWE I say this: chill out. You don’t want to end up like the music industry, especially when you (well, mainly the UFC) have the potential to be absolutely huge. Don’t mess it up by overreacting to your piracy problem.
ContourHD giveaway has a winner! – or does it? (yes, it does) »
Hey, all! Thanks for entering the contest , but as they say: many will enter, few will win. In this case only one: James, who “Did my first backflip snowboarding off a 20 foot cliff, luckily it was all powder I landed in, because i landed pretty much on my head, and my friends had to dig me out of the three feet of powder. It was great.” Watch your email, James. My random number generator actually put me on a non-extreme one so I rolled up and my mouse landed on this lucky guy. Thing is, he’s not responding to my emails. Consider this public warning, James! Get back to me or tomorrow I’ll have to pick another winner! I’d like this thing to be in someone’s hands by Christmas. Thanks for getting back to me, James! Congrats! Be sure to keep an eye out for our other giveaways, there’s lots more stuff to be won this holiday season!
Beejive for BlackBerry 2.0 Released »
If you’re a BlackBerry owner who’s looking for something small to get themselves this holiday season, this might help. Earlier this morning, Beejive released version 2.0 of their BlackBerry IM application – and just in time for the season of getting .. awkward family dinners .. giving, they’ve lopped 50% off the price tag. The new features: * Facebook chat: Chat with your Facebook friends while on the go, and see a record of your chats on facebook.com. * Clickable Twitter usernames: Click on a Twitter username in a chat to launch Twitter. * Refined and responsive UI: Take advantage of BeejiveIM’s custom-written user interface, offering speedy and responsive controls and a modern look-and-feel. * Voice notes: Instantly record and send voice messages to your IM contacts. Voice notes are perfect for on-the-go chatting, such as when you are walking down the street or need to get information to someone quickly and don’t have time to type. * GPS location: Send your current GPS location with a link to Google Maps, taking advantage of your BlackBerry’s location features and adding a new location-aware element to your chats. * More chat styles: Customize your chat styles and colors and set different backgrounds and wallpapers. * File transfers with all IM services: Easily send, receive, and review file attachments, and see previews of images right inside your chat. * Push notifications: Whether running in the foreground or the background, BeejiveIM will always notify you of new instant messages. * Improved Battery Life: Staying in touch with all your friends is now far gentler on your battery. * Support for the 5.0 OS and Storm: BeejiveIM supports all BlackBerrys running 4.2.1+ and 5.X operating systems, including the Storm and Storm 2. From today until January 1st, a one-device license will set you back $9.95 (usually $19.95), while a swappable license will come in at $14.95 (usually $30). If you’re not ready to jump in just yet, there’s always the 30-day trial . Crunch Network : CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
Why are people falling victim to Facebook scams? »
The beauty of essentially quitting social networking, as I have, is that I don’t have to worry about all of the associated nonsense . “Facebook’s new privacy settings cause uproar.” Really? Not if you quit the site it doesn’t. “Malicious programs causing social network malaise.” Again, not an issue if you’re not all-consumed with tweeting every 10 seconds about what you’re eating for breakfast. To roll back the cynicism a tiny bit, there are a few ways to keep yourself safe on Facebook and Twitter and whatnot. • Please don’t make your password “abc123.” You do know that a “bad guy” can run your account through a wordlist and have access lickety split, right? • Don’t click on random links even if they’re from your friends. “Twenty percent off scented candles! I have to click on that link!” Just assume everything and everyone is out to get you. I think that’s it, actually. Come up with a proper password and don’t go around clicking random nonsense. And here’s a personal tip: if any of my friends see a message from me on Facebook and Twitter, assume it’s fake. I logged into Facebook for the first time in a long time on Tuesday, and found a message from someone from September. Oops! Now watch as my accounts get hacked. Whatever.
World of Warcraft’s new dungeon finder just made life worth living again »
For me, the best part of Patch 3.3 in World of Warcraft is the new dungeon finder. I’ve used it a bunch in the past couple of days, and can say this: PUGing is now fun (though it’ll change the way we look at guilds). PUG stands for pick-up group, a term to describe a ragtag collection of players thrust together to run though a dungeon, or instance. Prior to this latest patch, setting up a PUG was a pain the the ass: you’d join a specific chat channel then submit yourself to a pretty rubbish queuing system. It would take an awful long time to get five players together. We’re talking 30+ minutes. Inconvenient, yes. You’d get prepared to run a dungeon, have all your potions and items and whatnot on you, then enter the queue… then you’d wait. And wait and wait. Needless to say, by the time you got a group together, you were often no longer in the mood to run the dungeon. And then you’d find that the group itself was rubbish. Not fun, no. The new system changes things. The biggest change is that the dungeon finder looks across servers, so even if your server has, say, only 100 people in it (for argument’s sake), that’s no longer a problem. You’re no longer handcuffed by your server’s inadequacies! The queueing system has also improved, and dramatically. Now you select your role in the group (damage-dealing, healing, or tanking), then the system scours several servers to find other plays queuing up for the same dungeon. What used to take 30+ minutes to set up now takes around 10. I say that as a damage-dealer (Warlock); healers and tanks, being more rare, are placed into groups even quicker. (Groups consist of three damage-dealers, a healer, and a tank.) Like I said, I’ve used the new system several times since the patch went live. I couldn’t be happier. Within 10 minutes of entering a queue I’m fighting my way through the game’s dungeons. Yes, this is what I do with my life, such as it is. But the new dungeon finder may change the way people look at guilds. Before, you’d join a guild so you can get to know a bunch of other people who you’d run dungeons with. It was a lot quicker for a few guildies run a dungeon than sit though the old PUG system. But now that you can have a dungeon run up and ready in just a few minutes, why bother with a guild? This is especially true of people who like to play the game alone like I do: I have no interest in asking my fellow guildies “hey, what’s up guys?” If I can find a group in a few minutes, then be done with a dungeon in double-quick time, why put up with all the drama of a guild? This only speaks to pre-endgame raiding, of course. That’s a whole different animal where being friends with people and knowing what are people’s motivations (what gear they’re after and so on). So there you go. Running dungeons is infinitely easier, and faster, now, but it may change the way people look at guilds. Are they even worth the trouble now, especially at lower levels?
The 10 best Sci-Fi movies of the past decade »
It’s the end of the year. There’s pretty much zero tech news to discuss (CES is right around the corner, so companies are holding out), and all we want to do is play in the snow. So let’s mix it up, list style! Over the next few days we’ll be doing a few “best of the decade” lists primarily for our own entertainment. You’re encouraged to call us know-nothing fools. The first list is “Top 10 Sci-Fi Movies of the Decade.” Sci-Fi is weird because it’s so broad. Do comic book or superhero movies count? What about fantasy? You can see we wrestled with this. So, presenting the “Top 10 Sci-Fi Movies of the Decade,” as determined by your friends at CrunchGear. 10. X-Men (2000) This was the first superhero movie done right in a long, long time. If it weren’t for X-Men , there’d be no Batman reboot, no Spider-Man, and no Watchmen . In many ways, the 2000s was the decade of the superhero movie, for better or worse. 9. 28 Days Later (2002) Amazing, a “zombie movie” that doesn’t make you feel like an idiot for enjoying it. And to show our indie cred, it was directed by the guy who directed Shallow Grave . 8. Donnie Darko (2001) Want to feel depressed? Listen to “Mad World” while walking around your city and observe the people doting about, doing nothing in particular. 7. Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith (2005) If only because it finally put an end to all of our suffering. “Battle of the Heroes” was fun. 6. District 9 (2009) What is sci-fi if not a vehicle for societal critique? This movie gets extra points for being made outside of the whole Hollywood rigamarole. 5. Moon (2009) The beauty of Moon is that it’s a pretty accurate portrayal of your friendly CrunchGear writers’ actual lives, locked away in an attic or home office for hours on end, only sporadically interacting with actual human beings, and freaking out in between posts. 4. Children of Men (2006) It doesn’t let up. It portrays a sort of end-of-the-world scenario, which is a favorite of ours if only because we’d love to live through such a scenario. 3. V for Vendetta (2006) Yes, it’s a little bit “you can’t tell me what to do, Mr. Authority Figure,” but that never hurt anybody. It also manages to make England seem even more bleak and authoritarian than it actually is, which is astounding . 2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) “I liked you immediately. You didn’t come on to me at all. I liked that. I was so tongue-tied around you at first. I wanted you to think I was smart. I couldn’t wait to come to work. I had these fantasies of us being married… and having kids and… just… Oh, Howie, I can’t do this.” 1. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) Of course, right? I was torn between this one and the first Lord of the Rings , which I thought gave more of feeling of, “Oh boy, we’re having an adventure.” (I like adventures.) The Return of the King wins out because, well, we’re suckers for big battle sequences. Again, feel free to call us fools, but you’d be wrong. Fact.
The Freedom Tray: Made in America, used everywhere »
I have written about gadgets and tech and whatnot for four long years now, but this is by far the greatest thing I have ever seen. It’s called the Freedom Tray , and it’s going to rock your world… with freedom. (Freedom haters need not apply.) What is the Freedom Tray ? Well, obviously, my fellow freedom-loving Americans, it’s a tray, one that’s “made in America [and] used everywhere.” You put things on the tray that scream “freedom!,” like big cups of beer, cheeseburgers, soda, and hot dogs. Hold the relish, Geroge Washingfreedom; let me get a side of freedom instead. As the video shows, the Freedom Tray can be folded up in a moment’s notice—perhaps rain has come out of nowhere during your big Nascar tailgate party? And don’t worry about putting too much freedom on the Freedom Tray, for it can hold up to 75 pounds of freedom! Think of how many double bacon cheeseburgers that can hold! Like, two! Perhaps best of all, it looks like there will be accessories for the Freedom Tray in the future. Maybe it’ll be like the iPod: buying the iPod is just step one, but then there’s cases, docks, and more cases and docks for you to choose from. This is just the beginning for Freedom Products. Soon, we’ll be writing our delinquent mortgage cheques with Freedom Pens, talking to debt collectors on Freedom Phones (or should that be Freedom Fones?), wearing size 58 Freedom Pants, and listening to the same four classic rock songs over and over again on our Freedom Radios. Freedom is a dish best served… on the Freedom Tray.
Wherein we discuss: No Russian, the controversial Modern Warfare 2 level (and the game’s subsequent banning in Russia) »
SPOILERS BEGIN HERE~! You probably already know this, but Modern Warfare 2 has been banned in Russia because of that controversial level, No Russian . In the mission, you, an American soldier in the employ of the CIA, team up with a Russian terrorist who shoots up a fictional Russian airport. At the end of the mission, the Russian terrorist double-crosses you, shooting you and leaving you at the scene of the terrorist attack. This serves as a springboard for the rest of the game, wherein Russia uses the (what they think is) American attack as a pretext for war. SPOILERS ARE PRETTY MUCH OVER~! As a response to the level, Russia has recalled all copies all the game . (Here’s the original Russian source .) Infinity Ward has responded by editing the game, the edited version being expected to go on sale within the month (provided the Russian authorities even allow this version). We’ve talked about the game a little, but I wanted to share my thoughts on the level in question. It’s very hard to defend the level. In fact, I do wonder who at Infinity Ward thought it’d be a good idea to include such a level. And that Activision gave the level the OK! Did no one anticipate the controversy that would erupt? I understand people will want to defend the level, and the game, and Infinity Ward (no one’s defending Activision~!), because it’s “your team” that’s being attacked. “Leave video games alone!” And for the record (get it?), I really don’t think any of us here at CrunchGear believe there’s a link between video game violence and real life violence. All of us have played violent video games, from Doom all the way on up, and we’re a bunch of harmless nerds. I wouldn’t know how to fire a gun, or carjack a minivan, or punch someone in the chest and rip out their heart if my life depended on it. Gaming is just a fun thing done to pass the time. No more, no less. But to hide behind those excuses when it comes to examining No Russian is absurd. You realize that you’re running around an airport in a simulated terror attack, right? That’s different than you playing the role of, say, the Allied forces in WWII, shooting conscripted Wehrmacht soldiers. That’s two armies going at it; a terror attack isn’t even in the same ballpark. Let’s put it this way: if an Iranian video game developer released a game that put you in the role of a suicide bomber, and had you roll into a mall in the middle of suburban New Jersey, shoot it up, then blow yourself up in the middle of the food court, you don’t think there’d be people in the media freaking out ? I can guarantee that Drudge, Hannity, Rush, Beck & Co. would be up in arms over that. And once they’re up in arms, other news outlets would pick it up (because that’s how news works in the country), then we’d be dealing with a truly national story: should we ban the video game that glorifies terrorism, and shows America at its most vulnerable? So why is Russia any different? Why can’t Russian gamers (and, more importantly, Russian politicians) be angry over the level? They have every right to. Again, I’m not saying that by playing the level, all of a sudden America’s youth is going to be training how to attack a Russian airport, it’s just the the depiction of of violence is so over-the-top and so unnecessary that you wonder why it was approved in the first place. So I officially don’t care for the level. I did enjoy the game—it’s a well-done FPS, yes—but don’t think I don’t recognize that I’m getting my kicks playing virtual soldier. There’s a larger point you can make here, too: what does it say about our society and culture that one of the highest grossing entertainment releases of the year amounts to virtually shooting up airports filled with helpless victims, or where we entertain ourselves by virtually shooting our friends in the face with AK-47s? I’m guilty of this, too, of course, but it’s something to think about.
Twitter, Facebook come to Xbox 360 on Nov. 17 »
As of next Tuesday, November 17, you’ll be able to access Twitter and Facebook on your Xbox 360 . The software update is free, like previous updates, and also includes Last.fm and Zune video compatibility. “What are you doing?” “Losing to 12-year-olds in Modern Warfare 2 over and over again! Not fun.” The idea, I guess, is that you’ll be able let your friends know just how much fun you’re having while playing the latest game, or streaming the latest Netflix release , without having to go through the trouble of whipping out your phone or walking over to your computer. I see it as a convenience and nothing more. It may also mean that there’s nothing you can to do stop Twitter’s worldwide dominance. This is what the Twitter interface looks like in motion: Note that the Xbox 360 isn’t the only video game console whence you can tweet or alter your Facebook status. The PS3 and Wii come with a built-in Web browser, and a stand-alone Facebook interface for the PS3 was leaked just yesterday . And while the Twitter and Facebook support will get the most attention, I think it’s the Zune HD support that’s most interesting. Say what you will about the Zune HD—Devin liked it , and I went out and bought it I was so impressed—but the idea of an instant-on, HD, 5.1 surround system movie service certainly intrigues me. Of course, its success now depends on what type of movies are released for it.
Things to do today that have nothing to do with Modern Warfare 2 »
I know that there’s a certain of percentage of people who want nothing to do with Modern Warfare 2 . It’s all meatheads and explosions, right? I’m inclined to agree to a degree—Opie and Anthony were talking about the game this morning, and a real life member of the military called in and complained, “If you want to play war, why not join the Army?”—but no matter. There’s plenty of things to do today that have nothing to do with the game. Let’s take a look! • Real Madrid attempt to overcome a 5-0 deficit against Segunda Dvivisión B team Alcorcón in the Copa del Rey. It airs this afternoon on GolTV and your friendly neighborhood Internet stream . • Maybe you want to see a good movie? Star-Trek is now out on Blu-ray , and you can find—wink, wink!—a Blu-ray rip of Public Enemies online. Pretty good movie, and it totally makes you want to rob a bank. That was the point, right? Also keep your eyes peeled for the movie Moon , which has a very Solyaris feel to it. • Do you read books still, either of the paper variety or using one of those new-fangled e-book devices? I’ll go ahead and recommend Viral Loop by my old professor Adam Penenberg. It’s about how businesses grow on the Internet. If you read TechCrunch for pleasure then you’ll probably like it. If you’re into sports at all, you may want to track down a copy of Brett Hart’s autobiography, My Life Inside The Cartoon World of Wrestling . The paperback version came out a few days ago, and I’m waiting for the UPS man to deliver it. I’m very excited. • Sort of on the same topic of books, download the game Fatale for $7. It’s an interactive version of Oscar Wilde’s play Salome . • Start making appointments for CES. Oh, wait, that’s us~! • Download and watch every single Fedor Emelianenko fight from Usenet . (Thank God for alt.binaries.mma!) I recommend his fights with Antônio Rodrigo Noguiera and Mirko Cro Cop. Oh, Pride, how I miss thee. • Fire up Silent Hill 2 and lament to yourself, “Why hasn’t a game been able to convey sheer and utter hopelessness like this game did eight years ago?” • Download Microsoft COFEE for the sole reason of saying to your friends, “Dude, I just downloaded Microsoft COFEE. I have no idea what it does, and I have no idea how to use it, but it’s so great .” • Download the Sirius XM App for the iPhone (and iPod touch), then leave it on channel 202 The Virus. Let’s face it: Opie & Anthony and Ron & Fez are the only reason to pay for Sirius XM these days. • Take the push-up challenge , and become a reasonable facsimile of a fit person. • Do some Christmas ( or whatever holiday you celebrate) shopping. Only a couple of weeks left! • Write my Razer Naga review for me, so I can concentrate on farming for Honor in Arathi Basin . (I think I won six matches last night. It rocked.) • Read the latest issue of Figure 4 Weekly , or read an exciting back issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. See, there’s plenty of stuff to do today if you want nothing to do with Modern Warfare 2 . It’s a big world out there, tiger, and it’s up to you to make the most of it. Unlike me~!