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You'll Never Guess Who Has One of the Top Bids on That Rare Nintendo Playstation – Gizmodo

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An incredibly rare piece of gaming history is up for auction right now and guess who is trying to buy it for their ridiculous-sounding attempt at game conservation? Oculus founder Palmer Luckey tweeted last night that he was the top bidder for an incredibly rare Nintendo Playstation that is currently being auctioned by Heritage Auctions.

The Nintendo Playstation on auction, which as of publishing has reached bidding at $350,000, is an incredible piece of gaming history. Six years before Sony launched the disc-based Sony Playstation in 1994 Sony and Nintendo entered into a partnership to develop a new disc-based gaming console. This was 1988, only six years after the Compact Disk format was launched and two years before Philips would introduce its disastrously received Philips CD-i system.

CDs were a brand new medium in many respects. Nintendo already had the Super Nintendo in development but agreed to work with Sony to develop a CD-based add-on (think Sega CD), that would rely on Sony’s proprietary Super Disc format. The problem was Sony seemed to have all the power in the partnership. At CES 1991, Sony revealed the Nintendo Playstation add-on and then got a huge surprise. Nintendo had gone behind Sony’s back and formed a partnership with Philips as well.

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The Sony and Nintendo partnership soon crumbled. (The Philips/Nintendo partnership would also fail to create a CD-based system, but would create a series of super terrible Zelda games for the CD-i.) Nintendo Playstation developer consoles became huge rarities—to the point that when one was discovered in a bankruptcy auction in 2015 it was thought to be the only one in existence. That same console is currently the one up for auction, so you can see how it would be prized not just by collectors, but by historians and museums as well.

Palmer Luckey bemoaned the auction on Twitter last night and asked which “nutters” were bidding against him. When asked why he was bidding, Luckey announced that he was attempting to digitize and preserve older gaming systems for VR so that he could, at some time far, far, far into the future have the ability to play old games and consoles in a VR setting.

It’s a neat concept, but there are these things called “museums,” which have a much more reliable foundation for preservation than a single private citizen with cash to burn. Museums are large organizations with a mission to preserve history using the best practices crowdsourced by curators and historians. Typically, museums are considered preferable to one billionaire with a penchant for Hawaiian shirts because conservation of history is their primary job and they’re usually pretty good at it. Unlike a single billionaire, they’re not governed by mercurial whims and have numerous safeguards to ensure preservation. They also, you know, allow access to the pieces of history they conserve instead of locking everything in a bunker and waiting until VR is mature. And let’s keep in mind that this particular billionaire has a habit of disappearing.

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Game historian and NYU professor Laine Nooney pointed this out to Luckey in a tweet.

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Luckey responded as you might expect, telling the historian she was “wrong, full stop.”

When pressed on the matter, Luckey proceeded to say he had “done more videogame preservation than almost anyone, often to a higher standard than any institution I am aware of.”

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That’s curious given the existence of noted institutions for the preservation of gaming history like the online repository textfiles.com, the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California founded in part by Gordon Bell, the Kickstarter-funded National Video Game Museum in Frisco, Texas, the Museum of Moving Image in Queens, New York, which was partially funded by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation, and Luckey’s fellow billionaire, Michael Bloomberg, and the Paul Allen-founded Living Computers in Seattle, Washington, which actually allows remote visitors to access older computers and operating systems online.

Luckey went on to claim that “public availability is just a matter of time” and that he is “preserving the original copies in the most advanced videogame storage facility ever constructed.”

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However, again, the difference between a private citizen like Luckey making that claim and a museum making that claim is a museum has to actually provide documentation and can’t just pull words out of its ass and expect us all to believe it simply because it has a considerable amount of money and a Twitter account.

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Look, I understand having a cool collection—we’ve extensively covered some of the most remarkable private collections of keyboards, computers, cameras, games, and even Soviet hardware ever assembled. However, the difference between those collectors and Luckey is they do actually provide public access to some extent (whether through video explorations, private museums, or loans to publically accessible institutions).

Hoarding history and running your mouth on Twitter isn’t quite the same thing. Here’s hoping whoever does win the Nintendo Playstation auction understands that.

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Ottawa orders TikTok’s Canadian arm to be dissolved

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The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.

“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.

The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.

However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”

Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.

A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.

“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.

“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”

The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.

At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.

A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”

Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.

Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.

Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.

Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.

While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.

Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.

The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.

— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Here is how to prepare your online accounts for when you die

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LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?

It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.

Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:

Apple

The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.

For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.

You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.

Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.

Google

Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.

When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.

You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.

There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.

Facebook and Instagram

Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.

When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.

The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.

You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.

TikTok

The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.

Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.

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It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.

Passwords

Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?

Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.

But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.

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Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.

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Google’s partnership with AI startup Anthropic faces a UK competition investigation

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LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.

The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.

“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”

San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.

Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”

“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.

The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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