Slow your scroll: Fix sluggish scrolling in windows 7

If you’re windows 7 installation has seriously sluggish scrolling when you connect an external mouse you may need to install the new Windows 7 Intellipoint software from Microsoft.

After installing the beta software my new Microsoft Laser Mouse 6000 is good as new, which is a good thing since it is BRAND new.

You can find the full details as well as direct Windows 7 Intellipoint download links at My Digital Life.

Stay tuned for my attempt at a zero footprint home office coming soon.

Christmas Killed Xbox Live

I figure in 3 weeks Microsoft will announce a press release extolling the number of 360s sold over the holidays and the number of new Xbox Live members who signed up within the last week of December. Right now however I am disappointed that it takes 15 minutes for my home page on the dashboard to load and at least 5 minutes to get into a game of Halo 3 on Live.

Currently Live is up and running, with a 2 paragraph caveat shown below.

Thanks for the apology, can you borrow a few servers from Google for the weekend or get some overnighted? I’d love to get a few more games in before I return to 40 hour work weeks and MBA classes, kthnxBia.

Current Xbox Live Status

Bungie and Microsoft Break Up…Stay Friends

Well much like the romantic relationships of your youth the Bungie/Microsoft ownership has come to an end. Thankfully for gamers they have promised to remain friends. Bungie broke the news in their What’s up Weekly Update and assure fans that they will be continuing to both parter with Microsoft and continue work for the 360 and the Halo franchise. The Bungie summation is below with the whole press release after the jump.

As you have no doubt read on the web today, Microsoft Corp. and Bungie Studios, have reached an unprecedented and exciting agreement – starting immediately, Bungie will become an independent company and will retain a long-term publishing agreement with Microsoft Game Studios for “Halo” titles. The new structure became effective on Oct. 1, 2007. The official blurb follows, but since you’re a valuable part of our community, we thought we’d sum it up simply and concisely.

Bungie has long been built on creativity, originality and the freedom to pursue ideas. Microsoft agreed, and rather than stifle our imagination, they decided it was in both our best interests to unleash it. We’ll continue to make Xbox 360 games, and we’ll continue to make amazing games for MGS. In that regard, nothing has changed. All that has changed is that now Bungie Studios is once again, the property of the folks of Bungie Studios. Microsoft is and will continue to be, a brilliant, inventive and creatively collaborative publishing partner. Practically speaking, nothing has changed and you guys won’t see much, if any difference, for a while unless you come to work for us, that is – we’re hiring at http://www.bungie.net/inside/jobs.aspx

Many gamers will be conforted that this won’t disrupt the Halo 3 experience and the reins of Master Chief et al will stay with Bungie at the driver seat, even if the carriage and buggy is owned by Microsoft.

Previously: If MS and Bungie Break Up, Who Gets the Dog?

If MS and Bungie Break Up, Who Gets the Dog?

You can’t get around any gaming news site or forum today without running across headlines speculating that Bungie and Microsoft are caling it quits. I have seen headlines ranging from the factual, “RUMOR TIME: Bungie Leaving MS” to the Emo, ” OMG Bungie doesn’t heart MS O Nooes!1!!!” but one thing is clear, something is going on between these domestic partners. When I first saw the story on Kotaku yesterday I was dismissive due to the apparent, “my brother’s uncle’s girlfriend’s toddler works at Bungie” nature of the rumor. However numerous other sites have been giving the rumor coverage which coupled with Microsoft’s and for now Bungie’s PR rep’s statement of, “There’s been no such announcement. We continue to celebrate the tremendous success of the global phenomenon that is Halo 3.”, the rumor gets more intersting.

To fuel the speculation it has been 7 years since the purchase of Bungie by Microsoft which likely means that retention bonuses have been paid off for key employees. This would mean allowing the “special sauce” of Bungie to leave for greener pastures and fresher IPs without any drawbacks to the employee.

Further evidence comes in from Seattle locals who have seen the locks at Bungie’s studios being changed as of last nite.

Other reports have surfaced which claim Bungie employees email addresses have been removed from Microsoft’s internal global email address list.

As a gamer my biggest concern is what happens to the Halo franchise, Halo 3 downloadable content, game types and the talented team behind the Halo franchise.

Here’s a rumor roundup:

Xbox360Fanboy

Game Informer

Kotaku

If I find out anything else I will keep you updated.

Halo 3 Announced, Release in 07

Halo 3 was just announced at E3 and is also announced on the front page over at bungie.net

Direct link to more info on Halo 3 at Bungie

The Halo 3 trailer is available in Quicktime and Windows Media Formats in both Small and Large versions and in HD on the Xbox 360.

Note the game was absent of a Forerunner add on to the title.

Check out my Halo 2 Profanity study

Microsoft Profanity Patent

Last week Microsoft filed for a real time profanity patent. The patent outlines a method of bleeping or silencing profane words and is done without any human intervention or need for a delay which many current systems use. While some people will cry out against the Orwellian ramifications of such a filter I can only surmise that Microsoft wants to add this to their Xbox Live offering as an option not as an always on filter to promote family friendly gaming on Live. This would be great for filtering out the racists and homophobes who feel it is their duty to assail my eardrums with their profane babble. As some people have also commented a filter which allows for differing levels of filtering based on whether a person is your “friend” or a random Live stranger would be a great addition to the filter and make this an amazing feature for Live. The point being that I love to trash talk with my friends and it is in good fun, well almost always in fun, but I hate hearing the latest learned slew of words from 12 year old children.

Make sure you check out the Frequency of Profanity in Microsoft’s Halo 2 for the Xbox study I finished earlier this year.

Read more about Microsoft’s profanity filter at Arstechnica

Parents the ESRB and BestBuy

So Bestbuy is doing something a little radical in my opinion they are educating parents about the ESRB ratings on video games and the selling wrist bands to support Boys and Girls Club through Club Tech a Microsoft endeavor.

Best Buy and Microsoft are making a promotional campaign to educate the gamer’s parents on ESRB ratings and the lock-out features that are on game consoles. There is an Xbox 360 wristband that has labels like “Challenge Me”, “Life is Your Game”, etc. at Best Buy outlets.
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Included with the wristbands are pamphlets that explain “Safe and Secure Family Entertainment” by outlining how to set up parental lockout features in gaming consoles

More info on 360updates.com

I think this is very important and shows that retailers are starting to learn that they need to help educate the parents about options otherwise the government is going to start regulating the industry more. Parents take reponsibility, get involved in your kids life and pay attention to the games you are facilitating the purchase of!

Thanks to my Parents for the supply of Mario and Sonic as a kid, without that I would not be where I am today.

Sidenote: Did Playing Duckhunt ever make anyone want to go shoot a duck that didn’t already shoot ducks? How bout playing mario, did that make anyone want to go jump on turtles? No? Then how does stealing a car and shooting a cop in GTA turn your sweet kid into a school shooter, murderer, cop killer? Answer It doesn’t!