Study | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Thu, 10 Aug 2017 17:11:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Study | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Reliability study claims 25 percent of Surface owners suffer issues within two years https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/reliability-study-claims-25-percent-of-surface-owners-suffer-issues-within-two-years/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/reliability-study-claims-25-percent-of-surface-owners-suffer-issues-within-two-years/#comments Thu, 10 Aug 2017 17:11:31 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=343266 After some deliberation, the highly respected Consumer Reports magazine has stripped its ‘recommended’ badge from Microsoft’s entire lineup of Surface PCs, finding that the hardware is “significantly less reliable” than other brands. Consumer Reports came to this conclusion after surveying around 90,000 laptop and tablet owners, finding that around 25 percent of Surface users had …

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After some deliberation, the highly respected Consumer Reports magazine has stripped its ‘recommended’ badge from Microsoft’s entire lineup of Surface PCs, finding that the hardware is “significantly less reliable” than other brands. Consumer Reports came to this conclusion after surveying around 90,000 laptop and tablet owners, finding that around 25 percent of Surface users had encountered problems.

A good chunk of those Surface owners taking part found problems with their device by the end of the second year of ownership. Issues include unexpected shutdowns, unresponsive touchscreen and freezing/crashing.

Consumer Reports published its reliability study today and has already been picked up by most major sites, including Reuters. The study ultimately came to the conclusion that 25 percent of Microsoft Surface devices encounter hardware problems by the end of the second year of ownership. This is followed by Toshiba at 24 percent, Dell with 22 percent and Lenovo with 21 percent.

Experiences were surveyed from subscribers who bought their Surface device between 2014 and March 31st 2017. As you might imagine, Microsoft is already responding against these findings, stating that the company does not believe that the study “accurately reflects Surface owners’ true experiences”.

KitGuru Says: This isn’t exactly great PR for Microsoft. The company’s best bet would likely be to mass survey its customers itself and counter with its own findings if they happen to be any better.

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Study finds long-term playing of violent video games does not make you more aggressive https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/study-finds-long-term-playing-of-violent-video-games-does-not-make-you-more-aggressive/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/study-finds-long-term-playing-of-violent-video-games-does-not-make-you-more-aggressive/#comments Fri, 10 Mar 2017 10:20:33 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=324709 As silly as it might seem, violence in video games and its effect on players has been the subject of much debate over the years but this week, the psychologists over at Frontiers published a study to try and come to a conclusion once and for all. This team used games like Call of Duty …

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As silly as it might seem, violence in video games and its effect on players has been the subject of much debate over the years but this week, the psychologists over at Frontiers published a study to try and come to a conclusion once and for all. This team used games like Call of Duty and Counter-Strike to measure the long term effects that playing a violent video game might have… only to find that there weren't really any.

The researchers based in Germany used functional magnetic resonance imaging on players who had been subjected to at least several hours of violent games like Call of Duty or Counter-Strike for more than four years. This is important as it allows the measurement of long-term effects, whereas the majority of studies into the effects of violent video games have only explored short-term effects.

The participants in this study were all male and on average, played for around four hours a day over the course of several years. The effects playing these games had on their emotional and neural responses to depictions of real-world violence were then compared to a separate group of non-gamers, finding that there was zero difference between those who hadn't played a game in their life and those that played regularly.

A Psychological questionnaire was given to both sets of gamers and non-gamers, revealing no differences in measures of aggression and empathy between the two groups. It is also important to note that none of those taking part in the study had any psychological disorders beforehand,

KitGuru Says: While this study might not completely end the debate surrounding violence in video games, it is nice to have some results to throw out there the next time someone claims Grand Theft Auto is turning people into criminals. 

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Astronaut twins reveal more about space’s effects on the human body https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/astronaut-twins-reveal-more-about-spaces-effects-on-the-human-body/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/astronaut-twins-reveal-more-about-spaces-effects-on-the-human-body/#respond Wed, 01 Feb 2017 11:21:13 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=320364 The first results of a study into the effect space has on the human body, using twins Scott and Mark Kelley, have now been released. Thanks to their shared DNA, the studies show that space has effects on human gene expression, DNA methylation and “other biological markers.” The Kelley twins are a unique case, because …

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The first results of a study into the effect space has on the human body, using twins Scott and Mark Kelley, have now been released. Thanks to their shared DNA, the studies show that space has effects on human gene expression, DNA methylation and “other biological markers.”

The Kelley twins are a unique case, because not only are they twins, but they are also both astronauts. However where they differ is in their time spent in space. While Mark has flown beyond our atmosphere for a total of 54 days throughout four space shuttle missions in the '00s, his brother Scott has spent 340 days there between 2015 and 2016.

Looking at their genomes, their gut flora, their chromosomes and a number of other in-depth metrics, NASA and other scientific bodies have been looking to see how longer stays in space affect the body. While we don't expect the full results from the studies to come out until later this year, early results suggest that time in space appears to affect the way genes express gene products.

Scott (L) and Mark (R) Kelley. Source: NASA

The challenge now however, is to figure out how to link these changes with the rigours of space travel. We already know, for example, that weightlessness affects the vertebrae and spinal fluid, and that it leads to muscle atrophy because of a lack of effort required to hold your body together when gravity isn't crushing it. In that same way, scientists must now figure out why the Kelley brother's differ at a genetic level. Why does space have that effect?

Most interesting though, is that there is possibility that space travel could have some positive benefits on the human body. One area where space appears to aid the human experience, is with the length of Scott Kelley's telomeres. Those caps on the end of his chromosomes, which seem to have an impact on ageing, appeared to have grown during his time in space, which is the opposite of what was expected.

As Nature reports, Kelley's telomeres appeared to return to normal quite quickly once he returned to Earth, suggesting any sort of benefit is temporary, but it holds promise as a potential avenue of research.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This is exciting stuff and is just one more step on the road to humans making the long journey to Mars and beyond. 

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Virtual reality can reduce injection pain, claims new study https://www.kitguru.net/components/vr/jon-martindale/virtual-reality-can-reduce-injection-pain-claims-new-study/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/vr/jon-martindale/virtual-reality-can-reduce-injection-pain-claims-new-study/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2017 12:33:21 +0000 http://dev.kitguru.net/?p=319695 Nobody likes being injected, especially not children, but it turns out that distraction and setting can play a big part in how traumatic the experience is. Having kids put on a virtual reality headset and view relaxing scenes can help reduce the amount of pain felt while receiving the injections. The study was conducted by …

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Nobody likes being injected, especially not children, but it turns out that distraction and setting can play a big part in how traumatic the experience is. Having kids put on a virtual reality headset and view relaxing scenes can help reduce the amount of pain felt while receiving the injections.

The study was conducted by Sansum Clinics in Santa Barbara and Lompoc, California, and gave just under half of 244 children vaccinated over a period of two months, access to a set of Turbot 3D VR goggles while receiving their seasonal flu injection. Asking the kids how much pain they felt at the injection, there was a notable trend, where those wearing the VR headset reported a 48 per cent drop in pain compared to those who didn't.

When asking parents about their children's reaction, 48 per cent noted less pain and 52 per cent less fear. That figure was even higher if you asked staff, who believed that children suffered 75 per cent less pain when wearing the headsets.

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Imagine if we hooked this kid up with a Vive, then he'd really be impressed. Source: Sansum Clinic

While some of these numbers don't represent the most accurate way of measuring pain, they do add up to suggest that there is a very real effect of giving children a relaxing view while something traumatic is happening. This could be important for parents who have children with a distinct fear of needles or doctors offices, as many families delay injections because of those fears.

It could also provide other potential avenues of medication free pain-relief, which could be vital for those with addictive personalities or unique allergic reactions.

The results of this pilot project will be shown at the World Summit of Pediatrics later this year, where we may see new studies pop up to further test this hypothesis.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It would be great if patients of all ages could receive some pain relief simply through using virtual reality. Those in pain or with limited mobility could end up benefiting the most from VR.

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‘Impossible’ EM Drive will soon have its first space test https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/impossible-em-drive-will-soon-have-its-first-space-test/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/impossible-em-drive-will-soon-have-its-first-space-test/#comments Wed, 07 Sep 2016 08:26:02 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=305331 The radio frequency resonant cavity thruster, otherwise known as the electromagnetic drive, or EM Drive, that so flummoxed scientists around the world over the past couple of years, is set to have its first test in space in the coming months. It's creator has booked a flight aboard a CubeSat at some point in the …

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The radio frequency resonant cavity thruster, otherwise known as the electromagnetic drive, or EM Drive, that so flummoxed scientists around the world over the past couple of years, is set to have its first test in space in the coming months. It's creator has booked a flight aboard a CubeSat at some point in the near future.

The EM drive was first proposed by Roger Shawyer in 1999, to much derision. The very idea of creating a drive that can propel something without fuel being exhausted, contravenes Newton's third law of motion, in that for every action, there is an equal an opposite reaction.

emdrive

Source: EMdrive.com

Despite being seemingly impossible to physics as we understand it, Shawyer's idea was picked up by American inventor and chemical engineer, Guido Fetta and his drive proposed as a viable propulsion system a few years ago. Surprisingly though, people started to say it works. So in 2014 NASA took a look and even more surprisingly, couldn't find much fault with it.

In fact, there's a lot of evidence to suggest we are on the cusp of a peer reviewed study being released by NASA (via DigitalTrends), which explains what tests were completed on the drive and what methods were used, which allows other scientists to attempt to recreate the results. That would lend a lot of credence to the drive and would likely accelerate plans to test it in space itself.

If successful, the EM drive could change space travel almost overnight. With enough electricity, we could travel to new planets in weeks, rather than months or years and potentially even consider sending denizens to new stars.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Propulsion without fuel would likely have huge ramifications here on Earth too. It's probably going to turn out that this is all nonsense, but if it doesn't, it could change everything. 

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NASA year long Mars habitation study concluded https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/nasa-year-long-mars-habitation-study-concluded/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/nasa-year-long-mars-habitation-study-concluded/#respond Mon, 29 Aug 2016 10:16:04 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=304477 A study that lasted a whole year to see how astronauts might deal with the difficulties of living in confined conditions with each other to simulate a round trip to Mars, has concluded in Hawaii. The study saw six scientists living together inside a specially built habitat for the full 12 months, with limited contact …

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A study that lasted a whole year to see how astronauts might deal with the difficulties of living in confined conditions with each other to simulate a round trip to Mars, has concluded in Hawaii. The study saw six scientists living together inside a specially built habitat for the full 12 months, with limited contact with friends and family and could only go outside when wearing space suits.

As well as the physical isolation of the habitat, researchers tried to emulate the conditions of a space flight as much as possible, even restricting all communications to a 20 minute delay between the crew and the outside world.

Problems did emerge throughout the year, which will no doubt provide valuable data on dealing with mishaps. At one point a plumbing malfunction left the participants washing with buckets for two weeks – not something that would be possible in space, admittedly – and they occasionally had to ration certain resources to make them last the length of the simulated journey.

This study was conducted as part of the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) program and is the longest it has ever run. However it falls short of a Russian study conducted previously, which saw a similar scenario play out over a much longer 520 days.

“We were hoping for some sun,” one of the participants was quoted as saying when they emerged from the habitat on a rather overcast day. However they were in good spirits, and said they were most looking forward to going swimming in the sea, as well as eating fresh foods and a more varied diet than they had available to them in the dome.

If all of this sounds like a walk in the park, you may like to know that the HI-SEAS project is currently looking for new participants for its next two studies. Set to take place in 2017 and 2018, participants will spend eight months at a time in another specially built habitation model.

KitGuru Says: I don't think I'd have what it takes for something like this. I'd go crazy hanging out in such a confined space with the same people. I'd need some privacy.

[Thanks NBC]

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Study claims dashboard cameras are latest road safety vogue https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/study-claims-dashboard-cameras-are-latest-road-safety-vogue/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/study-claims-dashboard-cameras-are-latest-road-safety-vogue/#comments Mon, 12 Oct 2015 09:53:40 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=271505 As much as car companies are touting automated features like autonomous emergency braking, lane assist and smart cruise control as important safety systems that could severely cut back on road collisions, they aren't as big a focus for consumers as you might expect. Drivers are more interested in dashboard cameras according to a new study, …

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As much as car companies are touting automated features like autonomous emergency braking, lane assist and smart cruise control as important safety systems that could severely cut back on road collisions, they aren't as big a focus for consumers as you might expect. Drivers are more interested in dashboard cameras according to a new study, which suggests that one of the biggest perceived problems on the road is avoiding insurance scams and proving innocence in the case of an accident.

This data comes from a new study by GPS firm Garmin, which found that as many as 20 per cent of quizzed drivers have been involved in an accident claim that went unsettled due to lack of evidence. When asked what equipment or feature may have helped avoid that outcome, more than half said that a dashboard camera would have been the most helpful.

There is some evidence that this insight is smart one, as in countries like Russia, where insurance fraud is more common place, dashcams have become similarly so. Any quick Youtube search will turn up hundreds of videos of scams potentially avoided because video footage of its perpetration exists.

driving22

Much like telematics tracking – which can also provide some measure of after-accident diagnostics – dashboard cameras can also help cut insurance premiums. While they aren't always gigantic – circa ten per cent at most insurers – this can be enough in some scenarios to make it worth it – especially if it's a shared work vehicle.

That alone proved to be a deciding factor for many of those quizzed by Garmin too. Around two thirds of all drivers said they would consider a dash-cam based on the cost saving measure alone.

Funnily enough, Garmin is coming out with its own line up of dashboard cameras, which it highlights would be a perfect solution for those individuals. They're said to offer video recording, as well as GPS tracking and in compatible vehicles, can even aid forward collision systems.

Other solutions do exist of course. Intelligent Telematics offers an impressive 3G connected camera, that also provides telematics tracking.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: While this study seems like one that may have been worded to push Garmin's new line of dashboard camera hardware, it's interesting to consider that cameras are simply popping up everywhere now the technology is cheap enough. Are you interested in the idea of having a camera on your car's dash?

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Do any of us ‘laugh out loud’ anymore? https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/do-any-of-us-laugh-out-loud-anymore/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/do-any-of-us-laugh-out-loud-anymore/#comments Tue, 11 Aug 2015 10:43:34 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=263005 Laughing out loud, or “lol”, has been the go to phrase to communicate amusement online (no matter how small) forever. However according to new statistics, that may no longer be the case, with many Facebook users rarely, if ever using the acronym any more, preferring more speech-like “haha” and “hehe,” as ways to let people know …

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Laughing out loud, or “lol”, has been the go to phrase to communicate amusement online (no matter how small) forever. However according to new statistics, that may no longer be the case, with many Facebook users rarely, if ever using the acronym any more, preferring more speech-like “haha” and “hehe,” as ways to let people know they at least blew a little air out of their nose.

The study, conducted by the social network, was called “The Not So Universal Language of Laughter,” and it looked into the discussion habits of the social network's U.S. user base. It found that out of all of the possible ways people could let others know that they'd enjoyed what they just read, saw or heard, “haha” was easily the most common, with some 51.4 per cent of users using it at some point.

Comparatively, “lol” was down to just 1.9 per cent of users laughing out loud (or at least saying they were) on a regular basis. The biggest growth group as of late was emojis, which now have a 33.7 per cent share of the amusement language market.

lol

It's been suggested by some, namely the New Yorker, that certain forms of laughter online were for the young. Although the initial speculation that “hehe,” was something the youngsters said, it was actually found to be the opposite, with emojis enjoying the youngest median audience, while lol occupied the oldest bracket; though only by a few years.

There's also an interesting gender split, with women using more emojis, but men much more likely to use “haha” as a form of online laughter.

The rest of the study has some other interesting trends based on geography and laugh frequency too.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I must admit I'm still a lol user, though I've been know to drop a few of the others too. What about the rest of you?

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Mars had liquid water as recent as 500,000 years ago https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/mars-had-liquid-water-as-recent-as-500000-years-ago/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/mars-had-liquid-water-as-recent-as-500000-years-ago/#comments Wed, 24 Jun 2015 10:54:14 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=255954 Although there is a lot of research and effort going into figuring out Mars' future and how we might fit into that, many people (and a few rovers) are trying to figure out its past as well. Something that's become apparent about it recently, is that it has large deposits of ice still hidden under …

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Although there is a lot of research and effort going into figuring out Mars' future and how we might fit into that, many people (and a few rovers) are trying to figure out its past as well. Something that's become apparent about it recently, is that it has large deposits of ice still hidden under the surface and may have had liquid water not too long ago. In-fact, according to a new study it might have been present during the time when humans were beginning to light their first fires.

The study was put together by Tjalling de Haas from Utrecht University in the Netherlands and published by Nature. In it, researchers were investigating a million year old crater on the red planet, only to discover that it had micro-gullies and sediment deposits, which are characteristic of liquid water flowing across its surface. Considering the age of the impact crater, it's possible to date the liquid water flows to around half a million years past.

“I was actually really quite surprised to discover the volume and activity of water required to explain the [gullies] and debris in the crater,” de Hass said (via PM). “The takeaway is that on a relatively recent timescale, there was quite some fluvial activity at certain locations [like the Istok crater] on Mars, at least for short periods.”

water
An artist's interpretation of how Mars' liquid water changed over the years

However, this water wasn't running across the planet in rivers and lakes, as most of Mars' protective atmosphere was stripped away billions of years ago, which would make the formation of oceans and lakes impossible. Instead, it's believed that the rivulets of water were formed by melting snow and ice, caused by the ending of a Martian ice age.

As usual though, the finding of answers only creates more questions. While we now know more about water flow on the planet, it's still not understood why the water would collect where it did and why the snow and ice would migrate so far from the poles. One suggestion is wind carrying the frozen water, but nobody is certain.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: More evidence of potential life giving water in various states. That's encouraging for anyone that's hoping we find something alive on Mars in the future. 

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Most Americans feel powerless to stop data collection https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/most-americans-feel-powerless-to-stop-data-collection/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/most-americans-feel-powerless-to-stop-data-collection/#comments Mon, 08 Jun 2015 10:35:29 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=253196 One of the fallacies often pushed forward by marketers and policy makers, is that consumers don't mind data being gathered on them; whether that information is the meta data for their phone calls – “if you don't have anything to hide” – or personal data used for advertising purposes. However that couldn't be further from …

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One of the fallacies often pushed forward by marketers and policy makers, is that consumers don't mind data being gathered on them; whether that information is the meta data for their phone calls – “if you don't have anything to hide” – or personal data used for advertising purposes. However that couldn't be further from the truth. In-fact most consumers when asked don't want any of their data being used for marketing or other purposes, they just don't feel like there is anything they can do about it.

The survey that turfed up this data comes from the Annenberg School of Communication, at the University of Pennsylvania, along with members of the University of New Hampshire. Together, those involved asked some 1,500 Americans aged 18 or older about what they thought of everyday occurrences where marketers collect information, phrasing the questions specifically to mention the trade off in free services they get, in exchange for that data. Very few were happy with it.

91 per cent of people questioned said that they didn't like the idea of being given a discount in exchange for data being collected on them. 71 per cent also disagreed that it's fair for an online or physical store to monitor what they are doing online to let them use the outlet's wireless internet. More than half of people even said they didn't want shops or services creating a profile of them to better market products to them.

lock
If only it was so easy… though typing would be a bitch. 

For all of those situations, only four per cent of responders said they were comfortable in each of them.

“A majority of Americans are resigned to giving up their data—and that is why many appear to be engaging in tradeoffs,” the study reads. Rather than feeling able to make choices, Americans believe it is futile to manage what companies can learn about them.”

What's most worrying about this situation, the study says, is that while this is how most Americans feel, they are being represented as happy with the trade off by marketers, leaving politicians in the dark about how to affect policy relating to it. It's not just dedicated marketing firms doing this either, but giant technological companies.

“A 2014 Yahoo report, for example, concluded that online Americans “demonstrate a willingness to share information, as more consumers begin to recognize the value and self-benefit of allowing advertisers to use their data in the right way”, the study points out.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: How happy are you guys about companies using your data for marketing purposes? Do you have the same sort of resignation as most Americans seem to have?

Image source: Succo

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Mobile data to near 200,000 petabytes by 2019 https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/jon-martindale/mobile-data-to-near-200000-petabytes-by-2019/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/jon-martindale/mobile-data-to-near-200000-petabytes-by-2019/#respond Tue, 19 May 2015 10:31:49 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=250025 Considering mobile data was almost non-existent a decade ago, it seems amazing to think how far it's come in just a few short years. But it's set to go even further in a few more, as new research suggests that by 2019, annual mobile data usage around the world could reach the ridiculous heights of …

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Considering mobile data was almost non-existent a decade ago, it seems amazing to think how far it's come in just a few short years. But it's set to go even further in a few more, as new research suggests that by 2019, annual mobile data usage around the world could reach the ridiculous heights of 197,000 petabytes, which is the equivalent of more than 10 billion blu-ray movies.

What's perhaps more impressive about this statistic, is that 41 per cent of that data will still be handled by traditional cellular networks, with the remaining 50+ per cent being offloaded to WiFi networks.

Much of the reason for the explosion of data usage on mobile handsets in recent years is down to streaming video. With HD and soon 4K movies becoming common place on smartphones and tablets, we can expect the data used by these sorts of devices around the world to increase exponentially. In-fact Juniper Research, the author of the study, believes that video traffic on mobile devices is going to increase by more than 800 per cent by the time 2019 rolls around.

netflix2

However it's not all down to video. Utilising local WiFi networks to improve and guarantee call quality has also increased the amount of data being sent over the wireless signal. This is something that is likely to be even more utilised by those in hard to reach rural areas, where cellular coverage isn't quite so stellar.

Other mobile data users set to come online in the next few years won't even involve humans however, as machine to machine communication across the Internet of Things is going to be a big contributor too.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: At least the more data we send around the more expensive it gets for GCHQ and the NSA to store it all. Keep it up people.

Image source: Simmone Henne

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Spotify big data spots age related trends https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/spotify-big-data-spots-age-related-trends/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/spotify-big-data-spots-age-related-trends/#comments Thu, 23 Apr 2015 08:05:29 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=246329 Even though we love a good opportunity to rail against mass data collection, there is some interesting information that can come out of it. Take Spotify's look at the habits of its millions of users, which has pointed out that age seems to be a big factor in a user's music listening habits. For example, …

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Even though we love a good opportunity to rail against mass data collection, there is some interesting information that can come out of it. Take Spotify's look at the habits of its millions of users, which has pointed out that age seems to be a big factor in a user's music listening habits.

For example, young teens are most interested in popular music, which by its nature tends to be the music put in-front of them most often. However, as their age increases through their late teens and into their early 20s, people tend to diverge from the mainstream and discover music that appeals to them more uniquely.

“We’re starting to listen to “our” music, not “the” music,” the service said in an Insights blog post. That trend of stepping away from what youngsters are listening too continues throughout the 20s and tends to peak around the mid 30s, before taking a slight dip back towards popularity in early 40s. Suggesting perhaps, as Spotify does, that people have a bit of a musical mid-life crisis at some point.

spotify

However what's also quite interesting to note from the information, is that being a parent drastically changes your music tastes. Almost regardless of age, parents have a statistical likelihood to be less interested in popular music than non-parents.

What's interesting though is that all of this is data based on music listening, rather than music buying. Jay-Z and fellow millionaire artists might like people to believe that other streaming companies are only about money, but Spotify's data is much more focused on entertainment than traditional services. Downloads are a way of tracking purchases, but streams are a way of tracking actual listens. The stats here are based on what people spend time listening too, not just what they bought. That's very different.

KitGuru Says: My music tastes are all over the place, with much of it being background music that I can write too. Still, I did love that John Carpenter inspired album.

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User errors still at fault for most digital security breaches https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/user-errors-still-at-fault-for-most-digital-security-breaches/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/user-errors-still-at-fault-for-most-digital-security-breaches/#respond Tue, 14 Apr 2015 08:06:58 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=244956 When companies as big and as technologically proficient as Sony get hacked, like it was last year, many people wonder just how exactly that could happen. Surely it knows how to protect itself? Well of course certain parts of it do, but firms like Sony are enormous, with many thousands of employees, and as new Symantec …

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When companies as big and as technologically proficient as Sony get hacked, like it was last year, many people wonder just how exactly that could happen. Surely it knows how to protect itself? Well of course certain parts of it do, but firms like Sony are enormous, with many thousands of employees, and as new Symantec and Verizon studies show, it only takes one of them making a mistake for a digital attack to commence.

This isn't the usual narrative sold by companies and governments when a big security breach takes place. Normally when that happens companies make out as if the attack was highly sophisticated, requiring teams of people to combat. As Reuters points out, this not only makes the originally hacked firm look less vulnerable to secondary attacks, but allows security companies to sell their products and gives politicians a chance to look tough by promising tighter legislative responses.

thenet
Wolfenstein clones can be dangerous too

But more often than not, attacks are simple, using age old tactics like phishing emails linking to or attached with malicious content that when clicked on can run amok on a system and the network it's connected to, which at some big companies, can be everything. According to the Verizon report, over two thirds of company hacks begin with a phishing attack and in-fact, most hackers need only contact 10 employees to almost guarantee that they'll be admitted through nefarious means to the firm's systems.

Once access has been granted, it's only a matter of using login credentials then learned to enter other parts of the network, which in turn gives access to more information and data, and up the chain they go.

This isn't to say that some hackers don't use other means to infiltrate a system. Zero day vulnerabilities like those exposed when security updates for an operating system end are common, though in-fact more often, security problems that were patched out years ago are exploited, due to poor updating procedures at companies.

The other branch of attack is the state-sponsored one and that tends to be far more competent than usual attacks. While they may use phishing and other tactics to gain entry to a system – partly so they don't raise suspicion – once inside, they often write custom software for investigating the system and copying away its valuable data. In the case of ransomware, that data can then be encrypted too.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Always be wary of phishing emails people. It may seem obvious, but it's so easy to click a link in an email without thinking.

Image source: Columbia Pictures

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Using a tablet could be bad for your neck https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/tablet-pc/jon-martindale/using-a-tablet-could-be-bad-for-your-neck/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/tablet-pc/jon-martindale/using-a-tablet-could-be-bad-for-your-neck/#respond Fri, 13 Mar 2015 09:18:16 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=239736 Despite Microsoft introducing the technology in the early '00s, it's only in the past few years that tablets have become a mainstream technology, with some 42 per cent of US under 18's now said to have one of their own. However, while many more of us may be tapping a screen rather than typing, it …

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Despite Microsoft introducing the technology in the early '00s, it's only in the past few years that tablets have become a mainstream technology, with some 42 per cent of US under 18's now said to have one of their own. However, while many more of us may be tapping a screen rather than typing, it  could actually be doing us a lot of neck damage, as a new study to come out of Ergonomics, suggests that looking down at a tablet screen has the potential to strain the neck far more than neutral sitting positions.

For people that sit at a desk or computer for work, posture is often considered to be pretty important – I know I notice it if I slouch for too much of my day – and there are lots of solutions for it, from sitting up straighter, to better chairs, to getting  a full blown standing desk. However, since tablet technology and particularly its popularisation, is still so relatively new, not much research has been done on its usage and effects on the human body. Now though, a handful of researchers working for Ergonomics have discovered that neck strain is far more common in tablet users, than those that sit neutrally at a desktop or laptop.

tabletuse
Noooo, that's not neutral!

The problem stems from the fact that people tend to hold a tablet far lower than their eyeline, which means extending the neck slightly in order to look down at it. This leads to an increased gravitational demand on your neck, whereby your head's weight has to be countered by tensing your neck's muscles, at a ratio of 3:1 and sometimes as much as 5:1, versus a neutral position. This added strain, gives users an increased chance of neck injury and a potential risk for regular neck pain.

Fortunately there is something that you can do as a tablet user and that's to either hold the tablet at a height closer to eye level, or have a stand do the same for you. That position is far less strenuous on your neck, than when the tablet is laid flat on a desk, or slightly propped up at a similar height.

One other interesting aspect of the study looked at female versus male tablet usage, to see if the increased mass of male bodies might contribute to neck strain. However, while male test subjects were found to have a 31 per cent higher gravitational demand compared to their female counterparts, they were also found to have an average of 39 per cent greater muscle mass in their necks to compensate. Ultimately the net-demand on the neck was considered to be around four per cent higher for males, but it was not found to have any real significance in neck fatigue or potential for strain.

Read the full research paper here.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Let this be a lesson to you tablet users. Sitting up straight and maintaining a neutral eye-line is just as important for tablet use as it is at your desktop or laptop. 

Image source: R. Bradshaw

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Visibility, not illegal-downloads affects movie sales https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/visibility-not-illegal-downloads-affects-movie-sales/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/visibility-not-illegal-downloads-affects-movie-sales/#comments Wed, 08 Oct 2014 09:04:32 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=215471 One of the oldest arguments on the internet, is whether the illegal download of movies negatively affects sales numbers, especially when it comes to downloads during the film's theatrical run. Movie studios understandably claim that there's a direct correlation between a download and a lost sale, while pirates argue that illegal downloads act as a free …

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One of the oldest arguments on the internet, is whether the illegal download of movies negatively affects sales numbers, especially when it comes to downloads during the film's theatrical run. Movie studios understandably claim that there's a direct correlation between a download and a lost sale, while pirates argue that illegal downloads act as a free promotional tool, even sending some people to the cinema after viewing, or at the very least making them keen to find a legal download of higher quality.

Many studies have been published on this, most of which seem to side with the latter group, but one more surely wouldn't hurt. This one comes from APAS Laboratory researcher Marc Milot and compares download statistics of the top 32 biggest movie releases of the year, with several key factors: number of downloads (based on torrent popularity), pre-release buzz and movie rating. He then cross referenced all of that with the movie's ultimate box office sales.

As TorrentFreak explains, the study, titled “Testing the lost sale concept in the context of unauthorised BitTorrent downloads of CAM copies of theatrical releases,” found that there was almost no correlation between the number of movie downloads and its success. The metric that had the most effect on sales, was pre-release buzz and to some extent the reviews and ratings once it was released.

utorrent
This, doesn't automatically equal lost sales

Torrents on the other hand, seemed to be relatively unaffected by eventual sales. However, they were likely to be more popular if the movie received heavy promotion and especially if the titles were prominently featured on a torrent site, like Demonoid. This could be extrapolated to mean that people often discover new movies through torrent sites. Theoretically then, the promotional argument from pirates could ring true.

“BitTorrent site users appear to be exploring and downloading the most visible movies, without caring how good or bad they are. It is in this way that BitTorrent sites and the box office are completely different systems in which people behave uniquely and with different motivations,” Milot explained.

Therefore, he said, studios and lobby groups should be careful overestimating losses based on illegal downloads, especially when it comes to cam footage.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This is something that many people not employed by movie studios have known for some time, but it's good to see some more evidence to support the idea. 

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You can actually study super hero movies as a University course https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/you-can-actually-study-super-hero-movies-as-a-university-course/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/you-can-actually-study-super-hero-movies-as-a-university-course/#respond Thu, 25 Sep 2014 11:10:55 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=213490 Who said studying had to be boring? A university in Baltimore is offering a new course called ‘Media Genres: Media Marvels', in which participants will watch and study Marvel comic book movies like Guardians of the Galaxy, Iron Man and Captain America in an effort to spot key insights in to modern culture. A press …

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Who said studying had to be boring? A university in Baltimore is offering a new course called ‘Media Genres: Media Marvels', in which participants will watch and study Marvel comic book movies like Guardians of the Galaxy, Iron Man and Captain America in an effort to spot key insights in to modern culture.

A press release about the course says: “The course, ‘Media Genres: Media Marvels,' will examine how Marvel's series of interconnected films and television shows, plus related media and comic book sources and Joseph Campbell's monomyth of the ‘hero's journey,' offer important insights into modern culture. The course is believed to be the first of its kind in the country.”

guardian-of-the-galaxy-poster1-600x400

The course will start being offered to students during the Spring of 2015. The professor of the course, Arnold T. Blumberg, has taught about comic book mythology for years.

“Every generation has a modern media mythology that serves as a framework for entertaining as well as educating about ethics, morality, issues of race, gender, class, and so on”, he explained in the press release. “For the past several years, ‘Harry Potter' and ‘Lord of the Rings' have served in that role for tens of millions. When I was younger, it was the first ‘Star Wars' series, which I saw in the theater.”

The professor then goes on to say that these days, Marvel is providing that fictional framework with its completely mapped out universe. A chunk of the course will spent taking a look at the impact of Guardians of the Galaxy:

“One thing we'll do is dive into the impact of the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy' film, which proved two things: mainstream movie audiences are not remotely tired of superhero movies; and Marvel Studios can now release a sci-fi adventure that actually features talking trees and raccoons.”

A lot of focus will also be placed on Tony Stark as he was portrayed as “someone who could readily comment on the insanity around him”,  which in turn “grounded the entire Marvel film canon.”

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: So we now live in a world where you can go to University and study Marvel movies, granted it does have some real ties to media studies as a whole. Would any of you guys take Marvel studies if it was offered at your university? 

Source: Cnet

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Facebook conducts psychological study on users https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/facebook-conducts-psychological-study-on-users/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/facebook-conducts-psychological-study-on-users/#respond Mon, 30 Jun 2014 07:34:08 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=200684 Facebook is finding itself under attack this morning, after news emerged that it had conducted a psychological experiment on just under 690,000 of its users without their permission. In conjunction with two universities, it manipulated the news feeds of individuals to see if it affected their regular posting habits. The tests took place back in …

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Facebook is finding itself under attack this morning, after news emerged that it had conducted a psychological experiment on just under 690,000 of its users without their permission. In conjunction with two universities, it manipulated the news feeds of individuals to see if it affected their regular posting habits.

The tests took place back in 2012, and adjusted the feeds of 689,000 users, reporting eventually that those that had less negative news stories in their timelines were found to post less negative comments over all. According to the social network, its reasoning for the study was to find out if exposure to more negative stories could lead people to reduce their interaction on the platform or to even leave it altogether.

facebook

The study is available to read in full for those that are interested, which found that the the correlation of posts users saw went both ways. An increase in negative stories led to an increase in negative posts, an decrease in negativity, saw positive posts boom.

Facebook has apologised for not being more open about the study, stating that its aims could have been made clearer at an earlier time. Some have criticised the social network, with the BBC quoting a few people that suggested Facebook's emotional manipulation could have led to people self harming or falling into depression.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: What do you guys think of the study? Is this something that Facebook should be allowed to do, or it is indicative of the site gaining too much power?

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Silk Road drug marketplace reduced violence, claims study https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/silkroad-drug-marketplace-reduced-violence-claims-study/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/silkroad-drug-marketplace-reduced-violence-claims-study/#comments Tue, 03 Jun 2014 14:15:37 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=196397 Despite the efforts of the media and government officials to tout online drugs marketplaces as the new frontier in the “war on drugs,” fraught with hackers, scammers and other dangerous individuals, it looks like switching trading cash for drugs in a car park to doing so from the comfort of your own home has one …

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Despite the efforts of the media and government officials to tout online drugs marketplaces as the new frontier in the “war on drugs,” fraught with hackers, scammers and other dangerous individuals, it looks like switching trading cash for drugs in a car park to doing so from the comfort of your own home has one big advantage: drug related violence is much less likely.

This is what University of Lausanne criminologist David Decary-Hetu and University of Manchester law professor Judith Aldridge believe. By removing the face to face interactions between dealers and customers and particularly dealers and suppliers (where more organised crime can be involved), real-world violence is reduced, simply because the opportunities for it are lessened. On top of that, due to the sheer anonymity of the platform, many people don't know enough about each other to be able enact any sort of violence.

A user's name and address are only sent to the person sending the product because of the use of PGP encryption, which means Silkroad or any of the other illegal drug marketplaces can't view the information. Likewise a user can send through a fake name and address to further obscure themselves if necessary. Larger scale suppliers and dealers are likely to take security even more seriously, so the chances of them ever even meeting major contacts are slim compared to traditional dealing methods.

silkroad2
The study argues clicking “add to cart,” is a lot safer than meeting a dealer in a car park

Ultimately as well, the paper said, whereas violence may have been a method used by drug dealers in the past, in an online world, having a better business is the defining factor. “In the drugs cryptomarket era, having good customer service and writing skills…may be more important than muscles and face-to-face connections.”

While the study doesn't have any particular statistics to back up its claims, it does highlight the fact that the large volumes of drugs being bought on Silkroad and other sites is indicative of plentiful dealer activity, suggesting more business to business transactions taking place than ever before. Considering violence is more common in the upper echelons of the drug trade, they postulate that this means Silkroad has led to a reduced total in drug related violence.

If that turns out to be true, no doubt the original Silkroad's alleged founder, Ross Ulbricht will be pleased, since he created the ‘road in order to facilitate peaceful deals where everyone is safe and had access to quality product that they know is the real deal because others have reviewed it. Safety was a big ideal he pushed for in its operation.

You can read the paper in its entirety here. Thanks to Wired for the quick quotes.

KitGuru Says: We obviously don't condone the use of such sites, but what do you guys think of this study? Do you think drug related violence has gone down because of sites like Silkroad?

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Study claims Youtube music videos hurt album sales https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/study-claims-youtube-music-videos-hurt-album-sales/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/study-claims-youtube-music-videos-hurt-album-sales/#respond Thu, 10 Apr 2014 11:26:46 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=186864 Piracy is often cited as the main detractor for album sales around the world, but a new study from the University of Colorado and Fairfield University has found evidence to suggest that even legitimate Youtube videos could cause a drop in album sales. The study is called Online Music, Sales Displacement, and Internet Search: Evidence …

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Piracy is often cited as the main detractor for album sales around the world, but a new study from the University of Colorado and Fairfield University has found evidence to suggest that even legitimate Youtube videos could cause a drop in album sales.

The study is called Online Music, Sales Displacement, and Internet Search: Evidence from YouTube, and it looks at specific instances of videos being officially on Youtube and not and how that affected commercial album sales. While the video sharing site is often seen as a great promotional tool, it actually found that in cases like Warner's blackout of the site, where it removed all of its big star and their videos, it actually sold more albums.

popular
There's a lot of content I'd rather see blacked out instead of music videos

However as TorrentFreak points out, this isn't necessarily an indication of lost revenue, as while album sales might be reduced by having these videos on Youtube, the stars featured in them were huge anyway, so the promotional angle isn't as effective, as we saw with movie piracy. Likewise, it should be remembered that these videos are always covered in adverts, for not only other musical products, but in pre-roll videos that often can't be skipped. That generates a lot of revenue for labels in its own right.

KitGuru Says: Since the interpretation of this study seems open to debate, I'll throw my own two cents in. It could be to do with Google placement. Removing a video from Youtube is likely to mean that purchase links rise up the ranks in the search results page and are therefore more prominent. Likewise places like Amazon which offer previews for songs could draw people in with an absence of full song videos. However, it doesn't necessarily make Youtube a bad guy, or even a lesser revenue source, since there's so much speculation here, it's difficult to nail anything down. 

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Shocker: file sharing helps build new music hits https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/shocker-file-sharing-helps-build-new-music-hits/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/shocker-file-sharing-helps-build-new-music-hits/#respond Fri, 03 Jan 2014 11:43:54 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=170232 Anyone that's been reading TorrentFreak for some time, or indeed our own news stories on the matter, will know that despite all the bluster from the media industry and its copyright lobbyists, file sharing looks like it helps media sales rather than hampering them. This idea is further backed up by a new study that …

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Anyone that's been reading TorrentFreak for some time, or indeed our own news stories on the matter, will know that despite all the bluster from the media industry and its copyright lobbyists, file sharing looks like it helps media sales rather than hampering them. This idea is further backed up by a new study that shows file sharing increases the output of artists and thereby helps the industry in the long run.

This study, published in the paper “A case study of file sharing and music output,” was conducted by Glynn Lunney Jr., a law professor at Tulane University, New Orleans. It showed that piracy doesn't hinder the creation of music, in-fact it encourages it. It draws a comparison between dwindling music revenue – which has dropped some 50 per cent in the past fifteen years – and the generation of new music, which has risen by over 20 per cent for existing artists.

It's not all hard numbers though, Mr Lunney also makes some speculation as to the impact of piracy: “First, it shifted output along the music-other margin and led to fewer new artists, as some individuals, given the lower returns available in music, decided to devote their time and creativity elsewhere.“Second, it shifted output along the work-leisure margin and led to more new music from existing artists, as the lower returns led existing artists to substitute work for leisure,” he said.

napster
The original saviour of the music industry?

Overall he said, this increase in production has led to more hit music being produced. This can then ultimately be tied to piracy, suggesting that even if the file sharing of music caused a drop in music revenue, it led to the generation of more music over all and thereby the building of new hit songs.

With his results in tow, Mr Lunney looked at copyright law, which is designed to further the “progress of science,” by encouraging the distribution of new media. Since piracy achieves that goal, he believes that it should be legal to share the creations of others for private use; at least with respect to music.

However, while this study does find piracy to be a beneficial factor in the media landscape, it does differ from similarly concluding studies. Compared to others we've seen, it seems to suggest that piracy doesn't help new artists, which could come under the “small,” banner. This is the opposite result of studies that look into movie sharing, which suggests that newer and smaller studios and film makers benefit the most from people sharing their content, as it increases promotion and therefore exposure of their product. Comparably, giant movies with huge budgets don't need the publicity and could theoretically, lose sales to piracy.

KitGuru Says: An interesting study with some differing claims that we've seen before. At least the conclusion is the same though: piracy doesn't cause anywhere near the harms that the MPAA and other lobby groups make out. 

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MPAA denies study that suggests piracy not as bad as it thinks https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/mpaa-denies-study-that-suggests-piracy-not-as-bad-as-it-thinks/ Wed, 09 Oct 2013 12:09:10 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=156996 The MPAA has released what it describes as a ‘debunking' of the recent London School of Economics study that suggested piracy wasn't having anywhere near the negative impact that media lobbyists have been saying for years. The LSE's response? This is all par for the course. The study was “debunked” by the MPAA on its …

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The MPAA has released what it describes as a ‘debunking' of the recent London School of Economics study that suggested piracy wasn't having anywhere near the negative impact that media lobbyists have been saying for years. The LSE's response? This is all par for the course.

The study was “debunked” by the MPAA on its official site – which aesthetically, is a perfect example of how media organisations know nothing of keeping with the times – where in all fairness to the group funded by major movie studios, it does have a few good points. Some of the LSE's study does make leaps of judgement and in a couple of instances, there are a couple of inconsistencies.

However as TorrentFreak points out, the MPAA then goes on to highlight studies that show the opposite of the LSE's findings, funnily enough suggesting one that was funded (at least in part) by the MPAA itself. Funny that.

mpaa
Look into the orbs… piracy, bad. Spending £10 on a movie ticket regardless of quality or budget, good.

The LSE on the other hand, was more than expecting of the MPAA's tactics. Dr. Bart Cammaert, who co-authored the original report, said: “The main problem here is that the copyright and file sharing debate is waged in a highly ideological fashion. In other words, the industry is itself guilty of the allegations it fields at us. A closer reading of what we actually say in the reports shows furthermore that the industry has misread what we actually say.”

He goes on to argue that the study wasn't designed to show the MPAA as inherently evil or that piracy was inherently good, but that ultimately the media lobby groups are skewing the facts on the effects of piracy.

“Hence, one of the main aims of our policy briefs is to rebalance this and list, document, outline the counter-arguments to this repressive logic and to the same old tune that the internet is killing the video stars. From this perspective, the entertainment industry refuting and taking issue with our findings and conclusions is hardly surprising and as far as we’re concerned totally logical,” Cammaert adds.

KitGuru Says: The MPAA does have a few good points there, but it's just embarrassing the way it goes after these non-agenda-driven studies. I can't blame it too much though, it's gotta justify it's extortionate funding somehow. Did you know that despite cutting staff, the CEO of the MPAA, Chris Dodd, took home nearly $2.5 million last year

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OfCom study claims piracy isn’t a big deal https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/ofcom-study-claims-piracy-isnt-a-big-deal/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/ofcom-study-claims-piracy-isnt-a-big-deal/#comments Mon, 16 Sep 2013 10:02:13 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=152587 British broadcasting watchdog, OfCom, has conducted a study of piracy and online activity without interference from the media industry or its lobby groups and has found that piracy isn't perpetrated by large numbers of people and should be of little concern to the government or content producing companies. The research polled over 21,000 people during …

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British broadcasting watchdog, OfCom, has conducted a study of piracy and online activity without interference from the media industry or its lobby groups and has found that piracy isn't perpetrated by large numbers of people and should be of little concern to the government or content producing companies.

The research polled over 21,000 people during 2012, discussing what their online habits were. Ultimately it turned out that just under 60 per cent accessed music, movies and TV content online, but only 17 per cent did so illegally. Of those that did view pirated content however, tended to spend almost twice as much on legal content per month than non-pirates: £26 per month as opposed to £16.

Many of these pirates said their reason for doing so, was because they already spent enough on content but some also suggested that the industry they were pirating from makes huge amounts of money anyway.

ofcom

On top of these results, OfCom also saw a slow reduction in piracy from web users throughout the year, suggesting that improvements in legal online streaming options and better access to content made watching programs and listening to music legally, far easier to do.

But of course the government isn't taking this study into consideration. As Wired points out, David Cameron has recently taken on Mike Weatherly, MP and former member of the Motion Picture Licensing Company, who's set to outline anti-piracy efforts for the prime minister.

KitGuru Says: Does anyone else think it's ridiculous that a prime minster has concern over people watching pirated movies? Is that really something that the leader of a country should be worrying about? 

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Researchers want game developers to help combat addiction https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/researchers-want-game-developers-to-help-combat-addiction/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/researchers-want-game-developers-to-help-combat-addiction/#comments Tue, 06 Aug 2013 11:40:31 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=146132 Game addiction is a dangerous thing according a new study from Cardiff, Derby and Nottingham Trent universities, with some players of popular MMOs spending upwards of 90 hours per session playing the games, and the researchers want developers to do something about it. According to e study, the problem with MMOs, is that there is no …

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Game addiction is a dangerous thing according a new study from Cardiff, Derby and Nottingham Trent universities, with some players of popular MMOs spending upwards of 90 hours per session playing the games, and the researchers want developers to do something about it.

According to e study, the problem with MMOs, is that there is no end, so the gamers have no restraint on their play time. The researchers even go so far as to say that if developers don't put some sort of restrictions in place, that we should go the route of Eastern nations and the government should step in.

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Yea, because heavily regulated Asian countries are the ones we want to emulate. Source: TheTimes

According to the study, some 11 per cent of gamers had a problem with stopping when playing MMOs.

While the report, published by the Addiction Research and Theory Journal was critical of developers in most cases, it did add the caveat that there are warning messages in most games.
“These warning messages also suggest that the online video game industry might know how high the percentage of over-users is, how much time gamers spend playing and what specific features make a particular game more engrossing and addictive than others,” said one researcher.

“While they do not directly admit this, by showing the warning messages, they do take some responsibility into their own hands.”

Dr Zaheer Hussain, who's described by the BBC as a “cyber psychologist,” however, believes developers should go further. He suggests that developers shorten the length of quests to make it easier for them to get certain items.

However, Mr Hussain should perhaps look at cocaine as an example of how this type of change wouldn't help – it could potentially make it worse. Crack cocaine is a much quicker and shorter lasting high than its powdered cousin and is often considered more addictive than traditional cocaine.

KitGuru Says: If a child has a problem with addiction, it's up to the parents to police their game playing time. Addition in adults, should be looked into by friends and family or the addicted person themselves. It's not up to the makers of the games to hold their hand and make sure they use the game responsibly. If people play too much and fall ill, that's their responsibility to deal with, not the person that makes the game. It would be like banning alcohol because a small minority misuse it. Ridiculous. Just like a lot of substance laws. 

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Average gamers are still getting older https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/average-gamers-are-still-getting-older/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/average-gamers-are-still-getting-older/#comments Fri, 05 Jul 2013 12:48:10 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=141012 Well who'd have thunk it? The average gamer isn't a young homophobic teen, but someone in their mid 30s, with a job and a steady relationship. It wasn't long ago that the world was shocked to learn that the average gamer was 31 years old, now they're 35. What's going on?! “Do you hear that …

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Well who'd have thunk it? The average gamer isn't a young homophobic teen, but someone in their mid 30s, with a job and a steady relationship. It wasn't long ago that the world was shocked to learn that the average gamer was 31 years old, now they're 35. What's going on?!

average
“Do you hear that dear? We're above average gamers.”

While obviously I'm being sensationalist here, it's interesting that with the trend of increasing older and younger gamers coming on board thanks to social network and mobile gaming, the average age of a gamer has continued to grow. However, the gender of the average gamer is completely up for grabs, as according to this study of 2,000 gamers by Pixwoo (via Wired), it could be male or female.

“Not only are women just as likely to be gamers as men, but we are talking about fully grown adults who work, have a family and are in a relationship,” reads the study.

That said, the study did suggest that gaming can be a point of tension in some relationships, with 15 per cent of those quizzed, suggesting that they had broken up with a partner thanks to an issue related to gaming. On the other hand though, almost a third of those polled said that they had made a real life friend from their online gaming interactions.

Kitguru Says: So where do you guys fit in this idea of an “average” gamer? I'm younger by a fair chunk, but I have the job and relationship down. And I've had fights with my girl about gaming… but only because she finds it funny to randomly wander in and hit the escape key.

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Ebay study finds Google adverts ineffective https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/ebay-study-finds-google-adverts-ineffective/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/ebay-study-finds-google-adverts-ineffective/#comments Thu, 14 Mar 2013 13:18:04 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=128088 Google makes the bulk of its revenue from advertising, almost £30 billion a year in fact. However that foundation of income could be threatened, as Ebay has just produced a new study that claims the adverts people are paying for, have almost no effect on sales. “Results show that brand-keyword ads have no short-term benefits, …

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Google makes the bulk of its revenue from advertising, almost £30 billion a year in fact. However that foundation of income could be threatened, as Ebay has just produced a new study that claims the adverts people are paying for, have almost no effect on sales.

“Results show that brand-keyword ads have no short-term benefits, and that returns from all other keywords are a fraction of conventional estimates,” reads the study. Ebay found that the worst returns could be found for those paying for keywords that were the same or variations on a company's brand or name. Without the paid results, people just used the organic search results – which if the page's SEO is strong enough, will be dominated by the official ones anyway.

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Amazon still has quite a few paid for ads up

There was some return on expenditure with new customers searching for certain products that sites like Ebay offer, but existing users or those that are at least already aware of the brand tend not to click paid links. This became a more common practice, the more experienced the users were.

Ebay did however add the caveat, that less established brands or those with less recognisable names may benefit more than larger ones.

Google didn't comment directly on the study, but a spokesperson said that in its own internal studies, it had found adverts generated a positive outcome for advertisers in most instances.

“Since outcomes differ so much among advertisers and are influenced by many different factors, we encourage advertisers to experiment with their own campaigns,” the Google spokesman added (via Reuters).

KitGuru Says: I can't say I ever really click on the paid ads in a search. What about you guys?

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Labels, not musicians make money from record sales https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/labels-not-musicians-make-money-from-record-sales/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/labels-not-musicians-make-money-from-record-sales/#comments Tue, 15 Jan 2013 13:18:34 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=121988 While this might be something a lot of people have known about for a long time, it's not what you'd hear trumpeted by most big music labels. The claims often made by these corporations is that without album sales, musicians starve – it's why they go after pirates so much. However now some interesting new …

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While this might be something a lot of people have known about for a long time, it's not what you'd hear trumpeted by most big music labels. The claims often made by these corporations is that without album sales, musicians starve – it's why they go after pirates so much. However now some interesting new research has shown up, which makes it quite clear who makes money from album and single sales: the labels, not the artists.

Care to take a guess as to how much of an average musician's income comes from actually selling their work? Six per cent. That's it. This comes in behind 10 per cent from session work and 28 per cent from live performing. The information comes from research by Professor Peter DiCola of the Northwestern University School of Law, who quizzed over 5,000 musicians and artists about where they make their money.

Now you might be thinking that of course the lower income musicians aren't going to make much from record sales. They don't have the fans to generate the big bucks and they might not even have album deals or the promotion to get the word out. Well that theory is shot down in flames by further evidence from DiCola, who also graphed the results by income. Ultimately it showed that the richest artists, the top one per cent, made almost the least of the lot, easily beaten out by the lowest earning group.

Music Earnings
DiCola's statistics paint a bleak picture of the music business. Source: Money from music study

DiCola also asked artists about file sharing, with the results split quite evenly. A quarter of those polled believed it harmed them, while another quarter said it helped them – the rest were indifferent.

Collating all this data together, DiCola suggested that current copyright laws benefit the highest earners the most and specifically music labels, since by protecting music sales, the labels protect their own revenue streams more than the artist's.

That said, he was keen to point out that copyright law was still important, as it helped protect those that relied on composing work for the majority of their income: “Those who focus their activity on composing rely on composition revenue and are much more vulnerable to harm from copyright infringement. The same goes for recording artists who rely on sales of sound recordings,” DiCola writes.

KitGuru Says: It really seems criminal that music labels suck up so much of an artist's revenue. Obviously these big musicians aren't starving and they don't have to worry so much about the business side of things, but there's got to be a better way of doing this.

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