PS2/PS3 Controllers and Time

I loved my PS2. Some great games. So great that I bought a used PS3 to get the kind that does the PS2 emulation in hardware and not just software (although no, I have not actually played any of my PS2 library, but that's a different story -- I could if I wanted to). But I had it for a long time. And, I've had the PS3 for a long time? How long? Well, that's the problem.

I've had them so long that the rubber on the thumbsticks degrades and becomes sticky. Not just a little grippy, or tacky, but sticky, in a gross, "this rubber is chemically falling apart" way. That's a problem. (Well ok I got rid of my PS2, but that was after the sticky thumbsticks.)

This has not happened (yet?) with the controller for my XBox 360.

iPhones and Finger Prints

What all of these excitable "we can copy fingerprints!", "fingerprints make horrible security!" posts miss is the really awesome thing about fingerprints versus a security code on your phone: Your 9 year old will try really, really hard to see what your code is (as will your 8 year old, your 7 year old, your 6 year old, your 10 year old, and so forth), but kids cannot copy your fingerprint and make a usable replica to get into your phone--unless you have trained your kid to be that amazing, and then not only do you have other things to focus on besides your kid making fake fingers but your kid probably has his or her own device and doesn't want yours.

Edit: And, c/o Daring Fireball, about 50% of people don't even have passcode security enabled on their phones.

Google H Score, Year 5

For the fifth year in a row (who blogs for that long?), here's my tracking of the cites for some of my papers (since I don't have that many papers that are cited that much, it's not too difficult). Google's lack of table support is really annoying though. 3 cites or more only (this may make things difficult in the future, to be honest). My H score didn't move this year, need to get some of the lesser-cited papers moved up for that. I am happy to report that my Digital Elves paper has a cite, though!

Article (short title)		Year	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
Mechs of an online public sphere		2005	25	42	51	73	82
To broadband or not to...		2004	9	10	12	20	22
Honey, I shrunk the world!		2006	8	12	15	21	28
Playing Internet curveball...		2006	7	11	12	15	24
Online org...		2011	-	-	1	8	9
Tweets and votes...		2012	-	-	-	6	20
A cross-national study...		2007	1	2	5	5	5
Global citation patterns...		2009	0	0	x	?	5
Technology as place		2010	-	-	2	3	3
Strat and global elite theory		2009	0	0	0	3	3
Copyright notices...		2008	1	1	1	?	3

Values as of early September in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013.
x = mislabeled or missing from Google.
? = I didn't record it that year.

And, the previous years: Year 4, Year 3, Year 2, Year 1.

Pants! The Hulk and EverQuest 2

Another case of intellectual property infringement by a giant IP company homage in a game. What's amusing here is that it is cross-genre, from fantasy to sci-fi, which is not as common as within-genre.

What we have is The Hulk's pants, which are in the original conception purple and torn, and The Hulk is kinda dumb but strong.

Edit: Oh look I blogged about these before, just without an image! Nice.