Black Ops stats infographic

"Sandy Bridge" is a bad metaphor

From the Intel Newsroom:

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 31, 2011 - As part of ongoing quality assurance, Intel Corporation has discovered a design issue in a recently released support chip, the Intel® 6 Series, code-named Cougar Point, and has implemented a silicon fix. In some cases, the Serial-ATA (SATA) ports within the chipsets may degrade over time, potentially impacting the performance or functionality of SATA-linked devices such as hard disk drives and DVD-drives. The chipset is utilized in PCs with Intel's latest Second Generation Intel Core processors, code-named Sandy Bridge. Intel has stopped shipment of the affected support chip from its factories. Intel has corrected the design issue, and has begun manufacturing a new version of the support chip which will resolve the issue. The Sandy Bridge microprocessor is unaffected and no other products are affected by this issue.

The full press release is here.

PC Perspective provides some additional perspective insight:

First, only the SATA 3.0 Gb/s ports are potentially affected, NOT the 6.0 Gb/s ports that are the latest addition to the platform.  The "performance degradation" is actually a potentially increased bit error rate that could eventually result in a disconnected channel.  You know that error you get on your system where a hard drive can't be found?  Yeah, that.

Apparently Intel doesn't think that a single user has been affected by this problem as of today and that if they are that data loss isn't a problem.  If you are using a retail motherboard you can just switch to another SATA channel but obviously on notebooks that isn't feasible.  Intel estimates that the failure rate over a 3-year system life would be about 5% - that is a HUGE number of potential problems and thus the extreme caution with a halt and recall.

Put your wallet away.

Interstellar Marines - "Will You Believe" trailer

An exceptional multiplayer will deify this game.  A distant-future foundation with a strong online PvP is such a rare breed in the shooter genre, players will flock to any game that does it well.  I hope Zero Point makes it happen.

Wanna play COD? Just ignore all the medical information on the clan server...

Being in Healthcare IT, and personally holding the titles of Chief Information Officer and Chief Security Officer, this one I find extremely hilarious and scary at the same time.

Hackers broke into a Radiology server and set up a Black Ops server. Now, if your typical script kiddie gamer can hack into your healthcare information, how safe do you feel?

More details here.

My personal thoughts: Someone inside the hospital probably set up the server and after realizing how many Federal laws they broke when it was discovered blamed it on "unknown hackers". Well, I like to believe that version more than the possibility that someone from outside got in.

Crysis 2 Multiplayer Demo Announcement Trailer

I'll say this: it shows promise.

TF2 cover of Eminem's 'Love the Way You Lie'

TF2 is a cultural phenomenon.

Black Ops "no foliage"

The following cvars can be inserted into your config_mp.cfg file. They are not cheat protected, but you do need to make the config "read only" once you've added them. Otherwise, the game will overwrite them upon loading.

seta r_treeScale "0"

seta wind_grass_gust_strength "0" 

seta wind_grass_scale "0"

seta wind_grass_tension "0"

seta wind_local_frequency "0"

seta wind_leaf_scale "0"

This is what they do:

As to whether using these cvars should be considered cheating, it's debatable. Having clean lines of sight where you otherwise wouldn't feels a bit sketchy, but since since anyone can use these settings, the advantage they afford is available to everyone.

The advantage is unfair, though, if the cvars aren't universally known. That's why I've posted them here.

Nota Bene: as you can see from the screenshots, adding these cvars results in a framerate hit. Use them at your own risk.  

Sony is screwed

From Ben Kuchera at ArsTechnica:

The PlayStation 3 is a compromised system. Its master key is all over the Internet, custom firmware allowing third-party software to run on the hardware is a click away, and Sony is furiously trying to stop this information from spreading. The company asked the courts for a temporary restraining order keeping those responsible from any further sharing of the keys or information about cracking the PS3, and is suing for damages.

George Hotz and a group calling itself "Fail 0verflow" were able to exploit a cryptographic error to obtain the PS3's private "master key." Hotz (not F0) has released the key, so a simple firmware hack -- by now widely available -- will allow users to bypass digital signature authentication and install any compatible software on the system. Such software will inevitably include pirated games.

Duke Nukem Forever 'Reveal' Trailer

Due in early May:

Black Ops 01-21-11 patch notes

The patch has been deployed, but it's more limited than previously reported. From Steam News:

Updates to Call of Duty: Black Ops have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The major changes include:

Call of Duty: Black Ops

• MP Audio stuttering on certain systems.

• Playercards sometimes not showing properly.

• Added three Private Match Server Settings: Team Change, Team-Up Period, and Keep Balanced Teams.

• Added Alternate Color Scheme for accessibility: Settings / Multiplayer / Player Name Indicator.

• Changed Team-Up Period countdown interval to 10 seconds.

• Combat Training sessions are no longer counted in Server Browser Unranked tab.

• Friends on your team will now show as blue on your minimap.

• Prevention of various exploits.

• Objective markers localized for all languages.

• Various stability improvements

Call of Duty: Black Ops Rcon Tool

• Recognize new "invalid password" server response