The Russian government is using Microsoft software piracy investigations as a pretext for seizing computers and other materials from political opponents and news organizations, according to a comprehensive report in The New York Times. The report accuses Microsoft of supporting the raids despite their political nature. Furthermore, the software giant is reportedly refusing to help targeted groups that have gone out of their way to purchase legitimate software, saying the issue is in the hands of the Russian security police. On top of all of this, international anticorruption group Transparency International and Russian human rights group Memorial are claiming that certain private lawyers representing Microsoft are involved in corruption schemes (the accusations appear in a separate Times article). Specifically, the two groups say they have received dozens of reports where corrupt Russian officials allegedly work with lawyers from Microsoft to seize computers, claim that they have found pirated Microsoft software, and demand bribes.
In response to the report, Microsoft gave the Times a very detailed statement, admitting that its antipiracy efforts may need some improvement. "We have to protect our products from piracy, but we also have a commitment to respect fundamental human rights," a Microsoft spokesperson told The New York Times. "Microsoft antipiracy efforts are designed to honor both objectives, but we are open to feedback on what we can do to improve in that regard."Â
Microsoft says it has promised Russian human rights advocacy groups that it will make three changes: improve the training and accountabilities tied to its antipiracy program, publish a list of its authorized representatives in Russia on its website, and increase awareness of its Infodonor program, which makes software available to NGOs for free in Russia.
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Hijacking an ancient arcade machine to promote indie games
Tucked away in a remote hallway, a floor below the main show floor at Fan Expo in Toronto, a group of independent game developers set up an arcade. Six members of the Hand Eye Society—a group of Toronto-area developers previously mentioned on Ars—brought their games for expo goers to play for free; some already released, some still works in progress. But all local and independent. And though things started out slowly, the crowds eventually picked up, allowing the group to show off their creations to a wide-ranging audience.There was also a 30-year-old arcade machine.
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HDR photography with iPhone 4 and iOS 4.1: how good is it?
Apple CEO Steve Jobs revealed during the recent Apple media event that iOS 4.1 would add a new feature to the iPhone 4: high dynamic range photography. The technique has been widely used to create often dramatic images of landscapes, scenery, and still lifes using digital cameras. In fact, several apps already exist for doing HDR photography with an iPhone.But what's so great about HDR photography? And is Apple's new HDR feature any good? Ars dug in to find out.
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Disruption: how one webcomic welcomes the future that so many fear
A copy of the famous xkcd comic "Duty Calls" hangs just outside my office door, signed by creator Randall Munroe. I didn't have to pay for the comic; it was free to view anytime, and I could have printed the (smaller) Web version if I desperately needed it on my wall. But xkcd is funny, Randall comes across as a good guy whose work I'd like to support, the print came signed on thick paper stock and printed at a higher resolution, and it was about $15. The real question isn't why I paid; it's why wouldn't I pay?Munroe's approach to "protecting" his content might be best defined as "lenient."
"You are welcome to reprint occasional comics pretty much anywhere (presentations, papers, blogs with ads, etc)," he writes. "If you're not outright merchandizing, you're probably fine. Just be sure to attribute the comic to xkcd.com."
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The city-states in your pocket: first look at Civilization V
Civilization V is mere weeks away, but we've logged a few hours in some preview code manipulating history, fighting wars, wooing city states, and building World Wonders. While there is still a lot to explore and explain, here are some things that grabbed us in our brush with the newest version. The first thing you notice about Civilization V is the streamlined interface. The HUD that normally took up a good portion of space most of the time has been pared down quite a bit, even when an active unit, like a worker or soldier, is awaiting your command. This mostly happens by way of much smaller buttons for each action, such as Build Road, Build Farm, and so on, and menu boxes that slide open and closed as needed. The edges are more rounded and the text is friendlier, as if he game has been influenced a bit by its cartoonish console relation, Civilization: Revolution.
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Feature: The few, the proud, the fallen: Ars reviews Halo: Reach
Reach, the planet, falls to the Covenant forces and is destroyed by aerial bombardment.That can't be a spoiler at this point, can it? The 2001 Halo novel was called The Fall of Reach, for crying out loud. It's not a subtle reference in the world of Halo. We know that Master Chief is the last surviving Spartan throughout the other Halo games, making Reach something like the Star Wars prequels; we get to see other Spartans fight at the height of their power. Noble Team is ready for anything, eminently capable, and tough as nails. The game details their efforts on a planet we know is doomed. It feels like a tragedy from the beginning, and the ending scene... well, it's something you'll have to experience. People are going to talk about it.
This is Bungie saying goodbye to the Halo series, and handing things off to Microsoft and 343 Industries before moving onto whatever the next project is going to be. Reach may be a prequel to the existing games, but it brings everything to a close with grace and spirit. If ODST was a major stumble, Reach is the recovery.
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Weird Science programs its future robot overlords to deceive
Robots have now been programmed to deceive: "We have developed algorithms that allow a robot to determine whether it should deceive a human or other intelligent machine and we have designed techniques that help the robot select the best deceptive strategy to reduce its chance of being discovered," said one Robert Arkin in describing his role in helping the robots take over the world. We generally ascribe the ability to choose our actions based on who we're dealing with to having a theory of mind, but apparently it can be recapitulated with an appropriate algorithm and a bit of game theory. The algorithm was subjected to rigorous testing: the robot using it had to engage in a game of hide-and-seek with another robot.
It's pretty good stuff, but not quite as impressive as the robots that evolved the ability to deceive their peers without any special programming.
Cheaters are psychopaths: Seriously. There were several experiments that were used to demonstrate this, but the one that stood out is where the researchers actually informed a set of 114 students that their essays would be scanned using plagiarism detection software. Sixteen of them cheated anyway. Although poor verbal skills were linked to cheating, the association with psychopathic tendencies was even stronger. At least some of the cheaters also reported that they saw it as a route to getting the grade they felt they deserved in the class.
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