@Alsybub: gold plating is completely silly for optical, but there is a reason to not buy really cheap optical cables... SPDIF is a fixed clock signal with no negotiation between the source and receiver, so if the light is weak or reflected poorly in the cable you get a poor signal out the other end and the receiver…

In my experience most people "can" actually hear the difference between crap analog cables and decent ones, and certainly you can see the effect of a poor quality s-video cable - It's more that they just don't care most of the time. :)

@TheFu: Some retail stores (*not* best buy) have decent prices on the acoustic research cables. Still not as cheap as online, but a good alternative when you need something local and quick, and they are actually legitimately decent quality cables. Check with your local pro audio shops too, sometimes they have cheap…

@RenRen: He never said he'd pay $250. Gold plating really does only cost a couple dollars more from normal manufacturers, and does last a heck of a lot longer in high humidity areas. (enough to make it cheaper in the long run potentially)

@fireb0x: It's a good hypothesis though, even if it's not proven. Sony long used this feature as PR to the geek community and as a demonstration of the Cell processor to research and education institutions. It seems unlikely that they would just neuter all these consoles with only a week's notice unless there was…

@Skaarg: It's simply that, like with most things, the people who are affected complain, and those who aren't are the ones who are "whatever". Since the PS3 doesn't have an existing base of homebrew/pirated games like the DS, etc., and not that many who use linux, the response is naturally more tame.

@Sonic5039: The release states you need to get your files off before the update, because you won't be able to access the partition after. You have to format your PS3 to add or remove the other partition, that's how it is already, though you can back up your saves and some of your settings to an external USB drive so…

@David Simpson: I've tested my laptop with and without aero off, and it does make a measurable difference (about 5-8%). It's not a huge difference, but it's enough that I installed aerofoil the second day I had windows 7 my laptop. It helped when I had to take it to half-day seminars.

Alternatively, most cheeses (hard down to medium hardness like jacks) will keep just wrapped in a paper towel and then placed in a sandwich bag. It will dry out the outside a little, so I don't suggest it on your expensive cheeses if you're picky, but it works pretty well, and keeping moisture off the surface is why…

It should be noted that this is/was a PC game first, where the control isn't an issue (in fact, if you have a wacom tablet, you can even use that - totally natural! :)). If you like the game mechanic, but not the control scheme, the PC version is an excellent alternative.

I seem to be in the minority, but I think the iPad is viable in that it will be one of the first platforms to produce properly interesting consumer multitouch based applications (games in particular). The platform is accessible, portable, easy to develop for, and the device and screen resolution large enough to start…

@Mikey: Sure you can, it's called backspace ;)

The problem I have with the trailer is that all I can think while watching it is "yup, that's me dying, yup, again, oh yeah, died cause I walked right into it there, uhuh, bullet through my brain..."

@WhiteMåge is in fact a boy, damnit: and in California, and I've seen a fair number in Vancouver, BC too. Thankfully not too many where I live, I think they're just annoying.

@skins2153: That's because you live in a state with no self-identity. :) Texans and Californians would rather disagree with you.

@Ockeroid: Their customers. This is a worldwide release, and the cultures they depict are not excluded from buying and playing the game. Showing at least some minimal research on a culture prior to this sort of work is not an unreasonable expectation. Getting the language right is a painfully obvious one.

@TriplEEE13: It should be noted that the US does not have an official language (only a predominant one), and there are plenty of locales dominated by Spanish :)

@jello44: See, yeah, that look, that's why cash cab rocks. :)

@Hraesvelgr: sure, but that's a much easier circumstance to explain :)

@Pattypie: Yeah, I remember seeing the canadian version, and when the host guested for an american special, and he doesn't have anywhere near the charisma or enthusiasm of the american host (or the really funny snide reactions to the crazier passengers). A shame really.