Last thing that made you think or say"WTH?!"

[Mr Allen]

I saw the price of the Moto G7 phone which is allegedly (according to Google, which allegedly knows everything) it comes out on the 13th of September (which falls on a Thursday, my Brother's 12th Wedding Anniversary's on Sunday the 16th) for a price of £249! I saw the price and was like seriously!?!

 

[pjcnet]

I said WTH when I saw the price of the latest high end PC graphics cards recently now they've dramatically shot up in price due to a much higher demand caused entirely by Bitcoin mining and other crypto currency mining. Manufacturers are really struggling to keep up with the demand, but apparently it was even worse a couple of months or so ago when they cost almost double what they should be with very limited stocks available and the problem started becoming really noticeable about a year ago, but they still cost a lot more than normal and many makes are still selling out even now. Nvidia have been advising sellers to prioritise normal customers by only allowing sales of up to 2 per customer due to the shortages, but obviously most are just thinking about making a killing in profits rather than being fair and are unlikely to follow this advice. It's basically bad news for PC gamers unless you're wealthy and money is no object, I can only hope the worst is over with the prices at least coming down a little recently even though they're still sky high.

Here's an article from just over a month ago at the time of writing about the ongoing problem, it also gives a brief introduction into how Bitcoin mining works:

Bitcoin mining leads to an unexpected GPU gold rush

The following video was made about 11 months ago when the problem really started hurting PC gamers, it got even worse later:

 

[Mr Allen]

I said WTH when I saw the price of the latest high end PC graphics cards recently now they've dramatically shot up in price due to a much higher demand caused entirely by Bitcoin mining and other crypto currency mining. Manufacturers are really struggling to keep up with the demand, but apparently it was even worse a couple of months or so ago when they cost almost double what they should be with very limited stocks available and the problem started becoming really noticeable about a year ago, but they still cost a lot more than normal and many makes are still selling out even now. Nvidia have been advising sellers to prioritise normal customers by only allowing sales of up to 2 per customer due to the shortages, but obviously most are just thinking about making a killing in profits rather than being fair and are unlikely to follow this advice. It's basically bad news for PC gamers unless you're wealthy and money is no object, I can only hope the worst is over with the prices at least coming down a little recently even though they're still sky high.

Here's an article from just over a month ago at the time of writing about the ongoing problem, it also gives a brief introduction into how Bitcoin mining works:

Bitcoin mining leads to an unexpected GPU gold rush

The following video was made about 11 months ago when the problem really started hurting PC gamers, it got even worse later:

That's kind of why I gave up on PC gaming when the original Xbox came out in 2002.

Constant upgrades to PC parts to run the latest games, and also problems running older games in more modern versions of Windows. whoever created the complete waste of time that was Windows XP wants shooting IMO.

 

[Judge]

That's kind of why I gave up on PC gaming when the original Xbox came out in 2992.

Constant upgrades to PC parts to run the latest games, and also problems running older games in more modern versions of Windows. whoever created the complete waste of time that was Windows XP wants shooting IMO.

Yeah, that's a long list of game titles where they wouldn't run based on the OS, even if you made the executable file "compatible" within systems like Windows XP. Or where you might have to go into the computer's BIOS to alter things like IRQ & DMA channels just to make your peripheral "plug and pray" hardware devices work with a specific game. And where those MS-DOS modes just wouldn't run right if at all. And perhaps worst of all, where things like the version of Nvidia drivers would make or break your ability to play an older game.

Reminded me of when I learned that "European Air War" wouldn't function right with Nvidia drivers beyond version 40.0. Oh sure over the years some folks have come out with some amazing patches and hacks of their own, but there's a point to where it all becomes one ugly hassle you begin to avoid.

I'm still bummed I can't run the original DOS version of Silent Hunter or Red Baron on my legacy Windows XP system. So many roadblocks to just playing some great old games.

 

[pjcnet]

That's kind of why I gave up on PC gaming when the original Xbox came out in 2992.

Constant upgrades to PC parts to run the latest games, and also problems running older games in more modern versions of Windows. whoever created the complete waste of time that was Windows XP wants shooting IMO.

Well Blade think they've got this problem cracked by allowing you to rent a cloud gaming PC:

Blade thinks it’s cracked PC game streaming with the Shadow cloud computer

It's available now in the UK and USA, when my PC gets too old to play the latest games, I am really tempted.

It will obviously only work well if you have a good Internet connection, E.g. fibre, but most people have these days and this could catch on. You can either buy the cheap box or use a non powerful PC or even an Android device to connect to the service, it's exactly like having a gaming PC, except it's rented and you are connecting to it remotely. Obviously they will keep upgrading the PC as needed to play the latest games at high settings without you having to worry. Lots of companies may start offering similar services and the days of buying a home gaming PC could eventually be over.

 

[Misery]

I said WTH when I saw the price of the latest high end PC graphics cards recently now they've dramatically shot up in price due to a much higher demand caused entirely by Bitcoin mining and other crypto currency mining. Manufacturers are really struggling to keep up with the demand, but apparently it was even worse a couple of months or so ago when they cost almost double what they should be with very limited stocks available and the problem started becoming really noticeable about a year ago, but they still cost a lot more than normal and many makes are still selling out even now. Nvidia have been advising sellers to prioritise normal customers by only allowing sales of up to 2 per customer due to the shortages, but obviously most are just thinking about making a killing in profits rather than being fair and are unlikely to follow this advice. It's basically bad news for PC gamers unless you're wealthy and money is no object, I can only hope the worst is over with the prices at least coming down a little recently even though they're still sky high.

Here's an article from just over a month ago at the time of writing about the ongoing problem, it also gives a brief introduction into how Bitcoin mining works:


The following video was made about 11 months ago when the problem really started hurting PC gamers, it got even worse later:

That reminds me of a possible WTH moment.

Okay, I guess this is not just a "WTH" moment for me, but a CONSTANT "WTH" moment for as long as I've been into PC gaming (and that's a long time now). I hear about stuff related to this aspect of gaming ALOT.

Why. WHY. WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY are PC gamers freaking obsessed with upgrading parts? Seriously! I dont get it! I've been doing this for YEARS and I never, ever alter the parts in these machines. Hell, I run the damn things until they fall apart... only then do I go buy a new PC (same way I treated consoles, really... and all other electronics).

And the thing about it is? This machine of mine, using "outdated" parts... still runs all games at max settings perfectly, no matter what they are. Current games, that is. There's no reason to buy the best-and-newest. There never was. The big manufacturers would love you to think otherwise, but so would every other corporate greed-farm.

So..... why? What in the hell is the bloody point? Is it supposed to be some sort of bragging contest among gamers? Like "Oh look my PC has the GVX 20687 graphics card that glows blue and can teleport 2 inches in any direction, and you guys DONT have it, hahaahha"

I just... seriously. What. Is. The point. PC gamers.

And again, I say that as someone who dumped consoles LONG ago.


And that's WITHOUT wondering about this bitcoin crap. I dont even wanna go into that. That's a cosmic facepalm waiting to happen. I dont think my house could handle the shockwave from a facepalm of that magnitude.


There, I got that one out of my system. You're welcome.

 

[Mr Allen]

Well Blade think they've got this problem cracked by allowing you to rent a cloud gaming PC:

Blade thinks it’s cracked PC game streaming with the Shadow cloud computer

It's available now in the UK and USA, when my PC gets too old to play the latest games, I am really tempted.

It will obviously only work well if you have a good Internet connection, E.g. fibre, but most people have these days and this could catch on. You can either buy the cheap box or use a non powerful PC or even an Android device to connect to the service, it's exactly like having a gaming PC, except it's rented and you are connecting to it remotely. Obviously they will keep upgrading the PC as needed to play the latest games at high settings without you having to worry. Lots of companies may start offering similar services and the days of buying a home gaming PC could eventually be over.

Yeah I could kind of do with a Windows PC for game development, not actual gaming, I do all my gaming on Xbox.

 

[Misery]

Okay so I plug in my controller into my PC.

Windows, in it's infinite wisdom, decides that this means I have plugged in 4 additional speaker systems and another mouse.

I just.... what do I even say to that?

I've been contemplating a switch to Linux for the longest time, and a new computer. Time to do both. Well, sort of. New PC will still need Derpdows on it, because some games will absolutely require it. But Linux will be used for absolutely everything else.

The sooner, the better.

I mean, really.... HOW does one cause a bug like THAT? I've seen this OS do some astonishingly stupid things, but this takes the cake. The rotting, bee-filled cake.

 

[Streetwise]

HAYFEVER symptoms

 

[pjcnet]

Okay so I plug in my controller into my PC.

Windows, in it's infinite wisdom, decides that this means I have plugged in 4 additional speaker systems and another mouse.

I just.... what do I even say to that?

I've been contemplating a switch to Linux for the longest time, and a new computer. Time to do both. Well, sort of. New PC will still need Derpdows on it, because some games will absolutely require it. But Linux will be used for absolutely everything else.

The sooner, the better.

I mean, really.... HOW does one cause a bug like THAT? I've seen this OS do some astonishingly stupid things, but this takes the cake. The rotting, bee-filled cake.

Which controller is it? Has it worked okay before? Does it have any special drivers? Some game controllers like the PS4 controller (DS4) have have a built in speaker and a touch pad, this particular game controller only works with a limited number of games without using a free Xbox 360 controller emulator called DS4Windows. What version of Windows is it? If the game controller works you could disable any devices you don't want in Device Manager, either check there's only one sound device enabled or that the main one you want to use is selected as the default device. The most compatible game controllers for Windows are still the old Xbox 360 controller or the Xbox One controller.

 

[Mr Allen]

Which controller is it? Has it worked okay before? Does it have any special drivers? Some game controllers like the PS4 controller (DS4) have have a built in speaker and a touch pad, this particular game controller only works with a limited number of games without using a free Xbox 360 controller emulator called DS4Windows. What version of Windows is it? If the game controller works you could disable any devices you don't want in Device Manager, either check there's only one sound device enabled or that the main one you want to use is selected as the default device. The most compatible game controllers for Windows are still the old Xbox 360 controller or the Xbox One controller.

I've seen and used Xbox controllers plugged into a Windows PC and worked with no problems.

As has been discussed at length, I hate Sony so I would never tarnish my PC by plugging in one of their controllers

 

[pjcnet]

I've seen and used Xbox controllers plugged into a Windows PC and worked with no problems.

As has been discussed at length, I hate Sony so I would never tarnish my PC by plugging in one of their controllers

So you love Microsoft, the Xbox One and their controllers? lol! Of course Windows 10 is absolutely great with all it's hidden spyware and forced updates that makes it seem that Microsoft owns your PC a lot more than you do, plus if you don't upgrade to Windows 10 you won't be-able to run the latest software or hardware which will get much worse as time goes on, even Windows 7 is perfectly capable of running absolutely everything, but Microsoft purposely stop updating it and including things like DirectX12 which could have been easily added, this is to purely to force people to upgrade. It also winds me up when you get games that are Xbox One (sometimes Xbox One and Windows PC) or PS4 exclusive, it's easier than ever these days to port games between the major platforms because they're all based on PC architecture and game engines normally support all, but Microsoft and Sony specifically prevent some games from being released on their rival platforms and in some cases they even pay other software developer not to. Microsoft have also got a horrid history, many of their operating systems were actually based on others and they got away with it. I hate both Microsoft and Sony, but personally I hate Microsoft even more.

PS: Don't worry I don't really think you love Microsoft lol!

 

[Misery]

I've seen and used Xbox controllers plugged into a Windows PC and worked with no problems.

As has been discussed at length, I hate Sony so I would never tarnish my PC by plugging in one of their controllers

You REALLY should get over that. That brand loyalty. You do know that doesnt actually help anyone but the greed farms that are the big corporate groups, right? NONE of the Big Three, or any of the big publishers in the industry are, good. None. They're greedy corporate groups that dont give a flying fart about you or anyone other than themselves. Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo.... yeah. All three of them. They're ALL nasty companies willing to do anything they can get away with to suck your funds out of your nose. Period. Same with groups like EA or Activision. Or anyone involved on the PC side of things. I wouldnt trust any of them further than I could throw the planet Jupiter. I must admit, I cannot throw Jupiter very far.


I never, EVER use an Xbox controller, but it has nothing to do with brand, because I couldnt care less about that. The brand doesnt matter.... never did. Why should I give those jerks any loyalty or love?

I play shmups, and fighting games. These require accuracy of controls. Specifically, they require a functional DPad.... not analog sticks (nobody into either genre would even THINK about using an analog stick for them). And when I say shmups, I mean bullet-hell types, literally the single most difficult type of game there is. ABSOLUTE precision is necessary.

The Xbox brand has always been utterly incapable of providing that. This was very frustrating when I used to use the 360, a device I had *purely* to play shmups on, Japanese games that were inexplicably on a device that most of Japan hated. So yeah, I've used their controllers before, because at the time there was no choice. For years. It was absolutely infuriating. For years. .

Now, there is a choice. So I dont use them because I know how garbagey they are for the function I need (and yes, I've tried the XBone controller too. I dont even want to talk about that thing). I couldnt care less who made it or which damn machine it is meant for, because I hate all of them. They could be made by the most generous, loving company in existence (hah, as if such a thing exists) and I"d STILL never use them at this point. Either a device works, or it doesnt.... it's that bloody simple. The PS4 controller actually does it's freaking job (when Windows isnt interfering, of course), so that's the one I use, despite it being made by yet another horrible, hateful corporate blob.

Which controller is it? Has it worked okay before? Does it have any special drivers? Some game controllers like the PS4 controller (DS4) have have a built in speaker and a touch pad, this particular game controller only works with a limited number of games without using a free Xbox 360 controller emulator called DS4Windows. What version of Windows is it? If the game controller works you could disable any devices you don't want in Device Manager, either check there's only one sound device enabled or that the main one you want to use is selected as the default device. The most compatible game controllers for Windows are still the old Xbox 360 controller or the Xbox One controller.

Yeah, it's a PS4 controller. For the reasons mentioned above.

MOST of the time, there is no issue getting the thing working. There was a time when it was difficult to make it work, but that changed... let's just say I'm not the only one that wants nothing to do with XBox controllers. Hell, I'm finding that ALOT of games now are starting to recognize and work with the PS4 one without me needing to use the relevant software. And even when I do use that software, it's super easy... two clicks and that's it. The only time it isnt super easy to get working is when Windows itself decides to have yet another seizure. However.... it can have that over damn near anything. I've had it go bonkers because it cant handle the brain-melting idea of the MOUSE being plugged in. What a garbage OS. Bah.

It wouldnt be as bad if it wasnt so freakishly random as to when it does or does not work. It's like, at least have some damn consistency, you know?

I cant wait to get a Linux machine, banishing Windows to a dark zone at the back of the thing where it belongs, to be used only when absolutely necessary. Not that linux wont be without it's issues.... sigh. But it'll be better than this insanity.

Ya know what I miss? DOS. I loved DOS. It did what I told it and NOTHING ELSE. It was glorious. It was about as user-friendly as a cactus, sure, but I dont care about that. I care that it FREAKING WORKED.

 

[ksheehan88]

Reading a news article in which I discovered there was such a thing as "incels"

 

[GrownupGirl]

Last night I saw something on YouTube that was posted by a lady who wanted to know if it was safe for her to get her hair cut during her pregnancy because she was worried that it might cut the baby's umbilical cord or shortening her hair would shorten her baby's lifespan or something...
........................................................................................................
I find it frightening that this individual was pregnant to begin with, and I'm hoping stupidity skips a generation.

 

[Judge]

Feds: Uber Self-Driving SUV Saw Pedestrian But Didn't Brake

The system's radar identified the pedestrian, yet the emergency braking control wasn't engaged because it's Uber's claim that this reduces the possibility of erratic behavior while under computer control. Where they rely on the backup driver to intervene.

What's the point of testing automation to its fullest if you have no intention of applying it?

Ironic to think that had they done so, it might have saved a life rather than taken one.

http://www.ktvn.com/story/38268487/feds-uber-self-driving-suv-saw-pedestrian-but-didnt-brake

 

[Mr Allen]

I used an Uber to go swimming yesterday afternoon (Meh, it would've cost me £4 in Tram fares to get to Hillsborough Baths because I have to pay the carer's Tram fare), and it came to about the same price! Even better, the driver arrived about 90 seconds after I'd booked via the app.

 

[AGXStarseed]

The fact that it's the middle of Summer, yet one of the TV movie channels - True Entertainment - is playing Christmas movies all day.
Furthermore, Film4 is playing "Home Alone" later (the film with Macaulay Culkin playing a kid who's left home at Christmas and has to fend off a pair of burglars who try to break in).

Seriously, it's August - not December!

 

[Mr Allen]

The fact that it's the middle of Summer, yet one of the TV movie channels - True Entertainment - is playing Christmas movies all day.
Furthermore, Film4 is playing "Home Alone" later (the film with Macaulay Culkin playing a kid who's left home at Christmas and has to fend off a pair of burglars who try to break in).

Seriously, it's August - not December!

And on Aussie soap Neighbours last month, they did a "Christmas in July" story line, eh?

OK I know Australians spend Christmas Day on the Beach because it falls in their Summer, but come on.

 

[Mary Anne]

The fact that it's the middle of Summer, yet one of the TV movie channels - True Entertainment - is playing Christmas movies all day.
Furthermore, Film4 is playing "Home Alone" later (the film with Macaulay Culkin playing a kid who's left home at Christmas and has to fend off a pair of burglars who try to break in).

Seriously, it's August - not December!

A marketing ploy is that “Christmas in July” nonsense to brainwash shoppers NOW for the coming spending blitz. Also, craft stores around here already have Christmas items predominately displayed. The drug store chain Walgreens already has Orange and Black candy stocked in highly visible end caps signaling Halloween at the very end of October.

Every retailer heavily discounted summer clothing over one month ago. The stores are filled with cold weather clothing, boots, coats, etc. despite it’s going to be 95 degrees F. today...normal for August.