Razer launches new pwnage tool – Naga 17 button gaming mouse

Aug 20, 2009 by Dan Taylor    32 Comments    Posted under: Games, Technology

As a gamer, of course I’m aware of Razer’s line of products, but sadly, they’re still serving the winblows world, and only offer one mac supported mouse. It’s white and cute, but feels more like a laptop, on the go business type mouse, rather than something substantial under hand. And while Razer’s still sticking with the Redmond crowd, they have recently announced that they’ve started shipping an industry first: and MMO specific mouse.

Dubbed the Naga, Razer bills this new input device as the next level in gaming mice for MMO players. Tested in combination with leading MMO gamers and community sites, including the number one MMO addon go to, curse.com.

“Gaming interfaces have been growing but there’s a gap in providing gamers a true experience of control in the virtual world,” said Robert “Razerguy” Krakoff, president, Razer. “Razer’s engineering team addresses this issue with the Razer Naga, designed to be unique and innovative by offering MMO players more customization and balance in-game. “

If you’re not familiar with the typical MMO setup, the quick and dirty looks like this: Most have an action bar at the bottom of the screen that corresponds to the number keys 1-12 (1-0 plus the – and = key). This action bar allows you to press a number that corresponds to the action that you want to take, while leaving your mouse hand free to target, move, etc. Personally, I’ve developed what I consider a great skill in being able to run forward (the W key) while still being able to click on the 2 or 3 key (depending on which spell I need) to cast while on the move. What the Razer Naga seeks to address here is freeing up the left hand from having to turn/twist into unnatural key combinations (think photoshop ‘save for web’ keyboard shortcut – or the PSclaw as I’ve heard it referred to). This industry first 12 button thumb grid allows players to map the 1-12 keyboard commands to the mouse, and access them via a thumb click. Optimally, I could see this remapping allowing for a full 1-12 action bar full of macros or modifier keys.

Razer has already lined up a number of supported titles (can you have a guess which one tops the list? WoW, I knew you could do it!) and includes add-on software that will allow players to save an unlimited number of profiles. These profiles allow for thousands of in-game commands for each individual character, thereby eliminating the need to re-map every time a player re-specs a character.

Again, I’m a mac gamer, and won’t be able to test this one out in person, but admittedly, the concept is intriguing. I guess the only thing that I’d worry about is mis-clicking. Heck, I’ve been known to have a click fail now and again, and that’s with a full sized keyboard. Trying to touch feel 12 buttons under thumb might be quite a challenge. Having said that, I’m sure the average 14 year old would have it mastered in just under half an hour, and 12 additional ‘don’t click – push the button’ macros could be quite handy.

Razer Naga Stats:

COST: US: $79.99, Europe: euro 79.99

AVAILABILITY: Worldwide

Technical Specifications:

• 5600dpi Razer Precision 3.5G Laser Sensor
• 1000Hz Ultrapolling(TM) / 1ms response time
• 200 inches per second max tracking speed
• Zero-acoustic Ultraslick(TM) Teflon feet
• 17 MMO-optimized buttons (including 12 button thumb grid)
• Optional MMO-specific software AddOns
• Unlimited character profiles with AddOns
• Approximate size: 116L x 69W x 41.6H (in mm)

Think Social Media is a Fad?

Aug 17, 2009 by Dan Taylor    12 Comments    Posted under: Social Media, Video

If you, or someone you know, just doesn’t ‘get it’, i.e. “Twitter is a waste of time,” please take 4 minutes and 23 seconds out of your busy day, watch this outstanding video from socialnomics.net and rethink the, “What’s the point?” attitude.

This relationship is headed for an epic fail

Aug 12, 2009 by Dan Taylor    10 Comments    Posted under: Video

OMG RLY???  This is hands down the best video I’ve seen in a long time.  Big props to tenakalaz for sending it over. FTW!

How to fix the exhausted memory error in WordPress

Aug 12, 2009 by Dan Taylor    13 Comments    Posted under: Productivity, Technology

Today, like any other day a wordpress update comes out, is a relatively painless procedure thanks to Keith Dsouza of Techie Buzz’s awesome WordPress Automatic Upgrade plugin. If you don’t already have this one installed in your arsenal, stop reading this and go grab it. This is perhaps the best plugin for wordpress by far, as it saves countless headaches of backing up the db, exporting, installing the new wp version, etc. etc. Thanks Keith!

Right. Now that you’ve got Keith’s plugin installed, and upgrading you wordpress install is literally as easy as 6 or so clicks, you may or may not receive the dreaded ‘memory exhausted on line xyz…bla bla bla’ error. The error may refer to the kses.php file, class-simplepie.php file or any number of other variables. In your dashboard, you’ll most likely see something like this:

Yikes! That looks pretty nasty. But fear not, Captain O’ WordPress, it’s a relatively easy fix. Basically what’s going on here is that the server your blog is hosted on isn’t giving you enough juice to power everything that’s going on in your dashboard. Or rather, I should say, your wordpress installation isn’t telling the server to give you the required juice to make everything play nicey nice. Let’s go ahead and fix that bugger, shall we?

To fix the exhausted memory error:

1. Log in to your FTP client. I use Cyberduck to manage mine, but any FTP client will do the trick.

2. Locate the wp-settings.php file. In my installation, it’s hanging out in the main directory.

3. Download this file to your desktop, or anywhere else you want to store it, just remember where you’ve put it.

4. Open your code editor. I use dreamweaver, but as with the FTP client, any text editing software (even the one included with your OS) will do the trick.

5. On line 13 (shown below), you should see the text – define (‘WP_MEMORY_LIMIT’ , ‘32M’ ). Ah ha! Exhausted memory, memory limit….see where we’re headed with this?

6. Change this variable to anything higher than 32mb. I like to be on the safe side, and ask the server for double what the standard wordpress install calls for, and up it to 64mb.

7. Save the file

8. Upload the file back to its initial location

Click that dashboard button again inside your wordpress installation, et viola! Pretty text and all other goodies returned.

If you’re still having the exhausted memory error after following the procedures above, try upping the memory limit to 128mb. However, keep in mind, with 128mb you’re really pushing the limit on what your host will deem as ‘acceptable’ behavior from the one of perhaps hundreds of sites that are sharing the server with you. I’d recommend testing with 128mb, and upon ensuring this memory allocation solves your problem, try backing the usage down until you get the error again. If problems persist, you might want to open a support ticket with your host.

Problems or questions? Leave a comment below and I’ll do my best to help!

Is Apple working on a PayPal killer?

Aug 5, 2009 by Dan Taylor    10 Comments    Posted under: News, Technology

Just about everywhere you go these days, someone’s trying to make it easier for you to pay. Obviously, the driving force behind this is to ultimately make the sale by facilitating the consumers option to pay. And while the internet has seen it’s fair share, some successful, others not, of ways to pay, there is a constant stream of improvements to the method making their way to market everyday. But let’s face it, when it comes down to paying for something via the internet, without a direct credit card charge, my guesstimate would be that 85% of the average internet surfing/shopping consumer could name only one: PayPal.

We already know for certain that facebook has been playing with microtransactions and multiple payment platforms and options via their “Pay with Facebook” system, but as of now, we’ve got nothing but confirmations that something is being worked on. All that might come to a grinding halt if Wall Street gossips have any validity behind them. Silicon Alley Insider is reporting that said gossiper(s) may have had one too many drinks at a lower Manhattan establishment recently, and mentioned that Apple execs have dropped hints suggesting that the primarily hardware focused company is considering creating a service that would allow iTunes users (store account holders, with a valid credit card on file, or course) to use those accounts to pay for things outside the iTunes realm.

Remember, with the introduction of the iPhone OS 3.0, users are now able to spend freely on virtual and subscription goods within third party iPhone applications. In other words, the vast majority of the technology is already there, it’s just a question of opening this tech up to interface with external third-party platforms.

Now again, traditionally Apple has worked on projects that will solely drive hardware sales. iTunes certainly drove/drives iPod and iPhone sales, so why the interest in what basically boils down to a SaaS? Once you’re at the top of the pile, it’s tough to stay there. There are plenty of upcomers, as you once were, that are hungry and eager for your spot. Perhaps Apple is looking at a payment platform as a natural extension of their already easy to use iTunes Store functionality. One could make the argument that via iTunes, Apple effectively brought the microtransaction payment mechanism to the masses via iTunes, so why limit the functionality just to music? Apple has already branched out into providing video, either for rent or purchase, and again, with the OS 3.0 introduction, provided a way for application developers to monetize through in-game microtransactions.

While this is mere speculation and gossip at this point, a three way battle between eBay (parent company to PayPal), Facebook, and Apple would most certainly up the ante for all parties involved. Competition is a time tested catalyst for innovation, and any way you look at this battle, the ultimate winner is both the consumer and the vendor. Let’s see what Cupertino’s got in store (ouch…no pun intended) for us next.