Whatever...

Computer says 8013013D

By Jonathan Mathias

 

One evening earlier this week my brother and I had set some time aside to play video games online (pretty lame, but 25 million people can’t be wrong), except we had one problem - my console wouldn’t connect to the wireless network. 

 

Now, I’ve had this problem many times before and have probably spent what seems like over 100 hours trying to fix it.  So often do I have to deal with it I’ve committed the, typically uninformative, error message to memory (It’s an 8013013D error if anyone happens to know a reliable fix?).

 

In fairness, I think it’s probably got something to do with my console being quite far from the router and, as I get older, I’ve started spending my free time on other things (like training for Sport Relief :-)), but it got me thinking about some computer gaming news I’d seen earlier last week.

 

The OnLive service, which Ben first blogged about in April last year has been given the availability date of June 17 in the US.  Now - just as I was then - I’m somewhat sceptical of whether or not this will work.  Pricing is obviously going to be extremely important for OnLive, so too will the availability of broadband networks that can take the strain.

 

This video demonstrates the service pretty well (albeit under no load).  With OnLive you’re just seeing a video of a game that you’re controlling at home, but it’s being processed far away in a data centre somewhere.  Still, gaming is very much HD these days, and the data will still have to traverse a series of tubes.

 

But aside from all of that, what about the connection errors, bugs and outages that we still have to put up with?  When your internet connection flakes out these days, at least you can still play single-player games, some of which are the best out there.  Failing that, you could always take up a new hobby. 

 

Not such a cloudy outlook for German firms

By Michaela Grassl

 

The advantages of cloud computing are obvious, right?  Companies have constantly changing IT requirements, want to do more and more business online, have masses of data to store, yet have shrinking budgets. The cloud just has to be the answer for all those companies that want to concentrate on their core competencies and gain greater flexibility.

 

Except in Germany it’s not the answer.  Businesses here are showing a distinct lack of interest in cloud computing.

 

For German firms, it’s a question of trust. They need assurances that cloud service providers will guarantee security and data privacy because, at the moment, operating in the cloud means losing control over their data.

 

Think of it from a personal perspective.  Over the last week or so there’s been quite a lot of media attention about storing medical records in the cloud.  On a practical level this makes sense – there is masses of information to store, all of which might need to be accessed by any number of hospitals or doctors.  However, I’m not sure if I want my radiograph flying in the cloud without knowing where it’s saved or who can access it. The same argument applies to corporate data.

 

To win over the German market, cloud providers need to be completely transparent about the service they offer customers.  Security and data privacy are an essential part of the cloud proposition and consequently service providers invest lots of money in these areas, more than any in-house IT-department could ever afford.  

 

It’s aspects like this that cloud providers need to shout about if they are to build trustful relationships with German companies.

Sony becomes the Toyota for gamers – at least when it comes to PR

By Richard Scarlett

 

For a moment it was touch and go.  Nobody knew what the outcome would be, nobody dared to predict it.  Thousands – no, millions – were left stranded, confused, waiting with bated breath for some form of respite, anything.  Thankfully, by some celestial power, a miracle came on Tuesday 2 March and the world breathed a heavy sigh of relief... 

 

The PS3 was working again.

 

Yep, Playstation became the latest brand to fall foul of some form of electronic malfunction when the old-style consoles (you know, the fat ones) suffered an internal bug that tricked it into thinking it was a leap year.  Gamers lost hard earned rewards, medals, downloaded games, movies and other data, and were told not to use the machine until further notice.  However, it literally was a case of time being a great healer, as 24 hours and one somewhat conceited statement later (in which Sony seemed to be taking full responsibility for fixing the bug), the problem was fixed.

 

What happened in the period between problem and resolution, and even shortly after, was of particular interest to me.  As expected, the social web was instantly ablaze with venomous comments from frustrated gamers – serving the Sony brand with a particularly harsh beating.  X-Box owners were also out in force, using the bug as fresh ammo in the long-running battle of the consoles (which has inevitably converted to angry Tweets, ranty Facebook updates and explosive discussion boards).  Web 2.0 fallout is to be expected these days, but this was coupled with a surprisingly dramatic reaction from traditional media outlets, so it soon became clear that this one was just going to snowball. 

 

Working in PR I’m certainly not adverse to the idea of sensationalising a story, but you’ve got to agree that running a front page story on the ‘PS3 meltdown’, campaigning that Sony should be sued for the loss of virtual trophies and even comparing the whole thing to the Toyota recall earlier this year is a tad too much.  Don’t even get me started on the fact that it’s now referred to as the ApocalyPS3!  OK, I’m not disputing that this has probably caused a world of heartache for hardcore gamers the world over, but seriously – come on!

 

Needless dramatisation aside, Sony’s PR is not entirely without fault either.  A lacklustre warning Tweet was issued 16 hours after the company first acknowledged the problem – telling users to stay away as they could cause irreversible damage by simply turning on their consoles (hardly ideal as most gamers were itching to play new release Heavy Rain, which funnily enough requires the machine to be switched on).  Even more embarrassingly, it was an ordinary PS3 customer that took it upon himself to explain the glitch to bewildered gamers and even post an FAQ on the subject.  Surely this is something that the PR department should have been on top of long before?  Unfortunately, the failure to do so indicates the fact that the PS3 wasn’t the only thing to descend into chaos on 1 March.

 

So if you must compare Sony with Toyota, fine – but aside from the fact that both have been absolutely brutalised by the press, it seems clear that the only real similarity is the mysterious silence and reluctance to act during a crisis displayed by both PR departments.   

Why let reality get in the way of a good story?

By Mike King

 

Last week's news that the UK economy has been performing better than previously thought doesn’t come as much of a surprise (it turns out that growth in Q4 2009 wasn’t 0.1% as previously reported but was actually 0.3%).   Not massive growth, but confirmation that the UK came out of recession in Q4 2009.  Interesting when you look at how the media has been reporting the UK’s progress, or supposed lack of it, over the past few months.

 

For a while now it has been clear that the media’s reporting of the UK economy has been out of synch with reality.  Record debt levels, the weak pound and a lack of clarity on how the government intends to reduce unprecedented levels of national debt have, understandably, all been dominating coverage.  However, what’s been missing is the over-riding feeling of optimism that now exists as things have been improving.  

 

From anecdotal evidence it is clear that the UK economy is in recovery.  On a personal level, I’ve seen a massive change in attitudes and outlook since the end of last year with new clients, new business enquiries and a real feeling that business is gradually getting back to normal.   Discussions with friends and peers confirm that this is the case across many different sectors.  Everyone I’ve spoken with seems to be in the same boat – not boom times, but a steady improvement that has been underway for a good few months now. 

 

But, the media’s love of a negative story has driven a bad news fixation and an almost Pavlovian response to any mention of the UK economy; UK economy = doom and gloom. 

 

Of course, sections of the media have long operated this way with the attitude ‘why let reality get in the way of a good story?’  What will be interesting is how much longer this style of reporting can continue. 

 

As social media grows in use and sophistication it will, eventually, provide an accurate way to measure real-world sentiment on a massive scale.  Although plenty of tools already exist to supposedly measure sentiment on social networks they are in their infancy and, in my experience, not yet that effective.   However, as this area improves, as it certainly will, media reporting that is so out of touch with reality will be clearly seen for what it is.