Scott ErtzCurrent HostCurrent UpStream ContributorInterim Segment Host
Scott is a development manager here at PLuGHiTz Corporation. He is the project lead for PLuGHiTz Gaming (DDRLover and CounterQuest) as well as PLuGHiTz Live!. Scott is most known for his time in the DDR World, both as a player and then for hosting and presenting tournaments in the Tampa, Florida area. Currently, his energies have been in the development of a few new sites for PLuGHiTz Corporation, as well as redeveloping some of our current sites. Recent UpStream ArticlesQi Charging Comes to Ikea - Kind Ofposted Saturday May 4, 2013 by Scott Ertz
Since we first brought you information about the Qi wireless charging standard, the hope of a wireless world has been in the back of my mind. While we saw creative uses like a fully Qi countertop that can run a skillet anywhere, instead of needing a dedicated cooktop, what we have not seen is any of these cool uses come to market.
We have, luckily, seen a number of devices implement the technology, such as the Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC 8X, but only the Verizon version. The closest we have gotten to accessories, however, is the Palm Touchstone-style charging pads - no counters, desks or nightstands. That is, until now.
Thanks to a DIY project found on YouTube, you can turn an inexpensive Ikea nightstand, or any piece of furniture you're willing to cut into, into a charging surface with just a Nokia charging pad and a little time. A pair of videos explains both how to create the modification, as well as discusses any health-related inquiries, such as the effects of having an inductive charger so close to your head (for the record, there is nothing unsafe about it).
If you are the kind of person who enjoys projects and wants to give this great one a shot, hit the break and check out the videos. Make sure to let us know how your project has gone. I'll update on my process as well, as I intend to give it a shot. read more...PayPal Considering Accepting Bitcoinsposted Saturday May 4, 2013 by Scott Ertz
Bitcoin has had a strange, seedy and difficult start, with hundreds of thousands of dollars easily stolen from digital wallets in several different thefts. Add to that the relative inability to transfer Bitcoins into real good and services, it has not really been a safe or lucrative place to be.
All of that might be about to change, however, as PayPal CEO John Donahoe has said he is considering implementing Bitcoin as a valid payment option through the service. For people involved in the Bitcoin process, it would mean a way to convert to real money without the need to drive to sketchy places to find one of their currency exchanges.
The biggest problem with Bitcoin, other than its security, is its volatility. Last month, for example, the value ranged from $50 to $266. In addition, the legitimacy of the currency is still a little in question. The US Treasury Department had originally considered declaring the currency invalid has, instead, considered it a money-order, which makes it less a currency and more a transfer method.
That being said, a transfer method with no stability in value can cause a lot of problems. By teaming up with PayPal, however, the value could level out some, with retailers being able to accept the payment without having to know anything about the methods. Once Bitcoins are in actual play, the value would stabilize dramatically.
So, the real question is, does it matter? Would you get involved in the Bitcoin world if PayPal were involved with it? Let us know in the comments. read more...An Interesting TV Pilot About Dealing With Cancerposted Saturday May 4, 2013 by Scott Ertz
It is Internet pilot season and we are seeing a lot of new series trying to get off the ground. A few weeks ago Amazon launched 14 pilots for you to choose from, but this is not the only way to decide what types of series are made. Crowd-funding has become a popular way for series concepts to be tested out - if you have an idea, you can test it out and get funded.
We have seen a lot of concepts get converted into series, from older shows to blogs. While the most notable being Shatner's series, $#*! My Dad Says, there are a lot of great ideas out there. One idea that was brought to my attention this week is a series from a blog called Cancer is My Reality, a series about one man's struggles with cancer: before, during and after treatment.
Nick Leland, the writer of the blog and creator of the series, has been writing since January 10, 2010. The writing has been a combination of an emotional outlet for himself to help cope with the reality of his life, as well as an outreach to help others who are living through the same issue cope with their own reality. He hopes that the series could expand that outreach, helping a new group of people to feel better about their lives as they cope with the reality of cancer. Leland explains his reasons,
I hope that this will reach the heart of millions and inspire/encourage other cancer patients and survivors to share there story. This I believe will help other survivors/patients/family/friends in so many ways, just knowing that they are not alone and not different.
Here's how you can get involved: Leland has setup an IndieGoGo campaign, with contributions being as low as $5. If you have some money to spare, you should definitely help the project out. If you don't, at least share the campaign to help this great project get off the ground. read more...Warner Bros. Refuses to License Copyrighted Material in Gamesposted Saturday May 4, 2013 by Scott Ertz
We have all heard of Nyan Cat and Keyboard Cat - if you haven't it might be time to spend some time online. We see these characters all over the Internet - from Facebook photos to videos. They have become some of the best known memes, and definitely some of the longest running.
Because of this, it is no surprise that Warner Bros. wanted to incorporate them into their newest Scribblenauts title, Scribblenauts Unlimited. We saw their inclusion in the game during Nintendo's WiiU E3 2012 event and also New York City launch event. What we didn't know at the time was that Warner Bros. did not have permission to use these characters.
Nyan Cat and Keyboard Cat are creations owned by Christopher Torres and Charles Schmidt. The creators love that the characters are used as memes, for non-profit purposes - comedy on the Internet. For-profit purposes, however, are very different; if you are going to make money off of someone else's creations, you pay for that ability. As it turns out, Warner Bros. and studio 5th Cell did not do this. The creator says,
We reached out to the companies in hopes of working out an amicable resolution of the issue, yet were disrespected and snubbed each time as nothing more than nuisances for asking for fair compensation for our intellectual property. That's not right. I have no issues with Nyan Cat being enjoyed by millions of fans as a meme, and I have never tried to prevent people from making creative uses of it that contribute artistically and are not for profit. But this is a commercial use, and these companies themselves are protectors of their own intellectual property. Many other companies have licensed Nyan Cat properly to use commercially.
The creators have, obviously, been forced into filing suit against Warner Bros. and 5th Cell. If the rights aren't protected now, then the copyrights lose almost all of their value. You cannot set a precedent like that or no one will ever license them properly.
Since Warner Bros. and 5th Cell chose to act as if we had no rights in characters we created, filing a lawsuit was the only way we had to protect our intellectual property rights from being used for others' commercial profit without our consent. Too often normal artists like us don't have the means and resources to protect our rights against big media corporations who use our work for their own profit without permission. We are looking here just to be treated fairly and to be fairly compensated for our creative work.
Hopefully, when all is said and done, the artists will receive what they deserve - compensation for the inclusion of their creations in Scribblenauts Unlimited. read more...Yahoo Steals SNL Syndication From Network-owned Huluposted Saturday Apr 27, 2013 by Scott Ertz
In a move that is both shocking and par for the course, Yahoo announced that their streaming service will become the exclusive home for the Saturday Night Live archives, starting in September. This is definitely good news for Yahoo, who is in the process of jump starting their stalled video streaming services. It is, however, bad news, as well as weird news, for Hulu, who currently has the exclusive rights to online distribution of SNL content.
The bad - SNL is a huge media property, and single-handedly responsible for streaming successes. The video that made YouTube a household name was the Digital Short Lazy Sunday, and the archive capability on Hulu has been a constant draw to the service. Losing the archive could hurt Hulu's subscriptions long-term, though their focus on original programming might negate some of the effects.
The weird - Hulu is a joint partnership between 3 major broadcast companies: News Corp (FOX Television), Disney (ABC) and Comcast (NBC). As any SNL fan knows, SNL has been an NBC property since it debuted in 1975. So, doing the math, NBC lost online distribution rights to its own show to Yahoo. Now, while this might seem as weird as Fox limiting immediate access to its broadcast shows on Hulu to Dish Network subscribers while owning DirecTV, this move actually makes slightly more sense. Instead of being a Fox/Dish type scenario, it is more like a 20th Century Fox/Star Wars scenario.
Originally, when the Star Wars series was picked up, there was so little faith in the possibilities of the franchise that Lucas was allowed to keep exclusive licensing rights for merchandise. This has led to a major financial success for Lucas and probably the termination of many studio heads. SNL was a similar scenario - so little faith was had in the series that Lorne Michaels' production company, Broadway Video, was given distribution rights to the series. Broadway Video, therefore, made the decision to move from Hulu to Yahoo.
The move is a big deal for Yahoo, because, like YouTube and Hulu before it, SNL can really help move the streaming platform forward. In fact, it will be a big deal for SNL as well, as the archive will now be available outside of the United States. While, the available list of clips, musical performances and episodes is not yet available, my hopes are that we will at least have the same list as Hulu, possibly larger. read more... |
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