Though there's not room in print for all your letters and blog pingbacks, we do here. This week saw reactions to Games Week online. And how do you think that went?
ON THE ZITTRAIN >> Well first of all I think he's just plain wrong. You only have to look at appliances like the Linksys NSLU2 or even the iPhone, which is oddly enough seems to be being held up as the poster child for vendor lock in, to see that we aren't being locked in by these devices at all. Or at least, some of us aren't. I think he's right in one respect, I think we're entering a period where the number of people that can hack on the devices we use to talk to the network is going to become smaller. dailyack.com
HMRC? So, now it begins, my wife's bank account has been debited fraudulently for 560 pounds. She has never user her card on the Internet, she checks her balance daily. So , what does she share with half of the population? The fact that we have children and our details are registered with a government department who have casually lost millions of people's data. She has contacted her bank (Barclays) and found the source of the fraud ( a large garage group). On contacting them, they told her that they have received a large number of fraudulent hits in the last couple of days on the Internet. I would suggest to those that have children, and therefore have had their personal data handed to criminal elements on a plate by this government, to contact their Banks and get new cards issued. Keith Goode, Norwich
GAMES WEEK I loved Richard Bartle's article: it was absolutely fantastic! Please congratulate Richard Bartle for me. This was on the best articles ever written on computer games! I especially loved this part: "15 years from now, the prime minister of the day will have grown up playing computer games, just as 15 years ago we had the first prime minister to have grown up watching television, and 30 years ago to have grown up listening to the radio. Times change: accept it; embrace it. Don't make yourself look even more 20th Century, even more public school, than you do already. You've lost! Understand? Your time has passed." Congratulations on this great article! Mark Rein, Vice President and Co-Founder, Epic Games, Inc.
>> The UK's Guardian newspaper has proclaimed a Games Week for their paper. The Guardian has withheld nothing from this celebration: they flooded their website with new articles from the greats in VG journalism and VG creators. It's a must read... What a great acknowledgment of video games as cultural relevant media. We'll see games popping up in news broadcasts more and more frequently. blogs.setonhill.edu/nmj/
>> It's shameful to admit, but I really like this video game [GTA IV] fieldguidetomemphis.blogspot.com
>> There is no doubt that The Sims played a huge impact by helping mold the casual gamer. More and more people are introduced to gaming every day. simprograms.com
FM? Mr Greenwood says 'apparently FM is higher quality anyway' (Letters, May 1). In my part of north London, FM reception quality has declined so much in recent years, even with an outdoor aerial, that I have been obliged to buy DAB and retire perfectly good FM equipment. I suspect a plot to force us all to convert! Now I get clean reception even with an indoor aerial - no more hiss, fluctuations due to passing aircraft, or interference from pirate stations. Just like the improvement of FM over AM in its early days! The power supply on our small kitchen DAB radio remains very hot even when it is turned off - what a waste! We have to remember to turn off at the mains switch as well. Stephen Thornton, London
CLEANING UP Today's article (Filthy as a loo seat: hazard of computer keyboards) has "a vacuum cleaner can be used to clean vents, but contrary to internet myth, keyboards should not be put in the dishwasher, the magazine said." ISBN 0-596-00513-X has a section describing the author's use of a dishwasher for this purpose - I haven't tried it. David Martin, Glasgow
FREESAT? About a year ago I explored options for satellite reception - we live in a black hole for analogue reception and Freeview does not work here. Freesat seemed a good option with the ability for the user to choose what equipment to use. According to the advertising this should be available from High Street retailers now, but a recent enquiry at the John Lewis in Reading gave the answer that satellite=Murdoch. Can you get any better information on possible launch dates? Peter Beaven, Crowthorne [after this letter arrived, the BBC and ITV announced it..]
PHORM Just a quick note of appreciation for Charles Arthur's interview on Phorm. At last a serious Q&A session addressing the real issues raised by concerned users in a civilised but penetrating way. (name and address supplied)
