Ranting Kenya

Stargate Universe is one of the coolest Sci-Fi shows I’ve watched. Sure, I liked SG-1 and the other shows, but this one is so different.

I’m way late to the game on this one. It was not shown in HD in Canada last year when it was initially run (as far as I could tell). As a result I just kinda skipped over it. This year however, some other channel is carrying it in HD. I watched about 3 episodes then I decided to just buy in on Blu Ray.

It is not of the style SG-1. There’s not a ton of techno babble. It’s a drama with a Sci-Fi setting. It’s totally about characters clashing. I’m only part-way through the first season, and loving it completely. The episode “Light” was the episode that made me purchase the show on Blu Ray. The combination of the visuals, the tone, and the wicked synthy soundtrack were too much to ignore. That episode is a gem.

The crazy thing is I’m not really sure who the protagonist is. That’s not to say the show features all these different people and never sticks with anyone. The show really focuses around a handful of characters. But much like the characters in the show, I’m not really sure who I’m supposed to sympathize with.

The current state on the ship is basically two men at war with each other. One a Colonel, the other a brilliant scientist. They each have their own methods of problem solving and their own priorities and they are battling for control of the ship, both in the literal sense and in the court of public opinion with the rest of the crew (a mix of military and civilian personnel). But it’s more of a crazy mind game. Once you think you know who you’re agreeing with, that character goes and does something to advance their own goals that doesn’t jive with how “your hero” should act. Neither character is “the good guy”, but they’re both attempting to achieve the same goal, just with different methods.

At any rate, I’m having great difficulty watching a single episode at a time. I have little doubt that I’ll blast through the entire first season in a couple days, then re-watch everything. Then I’ll be anxiously awaiting season 2 on Blu Ray. The production value of this show is so high, I don’t want it diminished by compression, bandwidth, commercials, audio blips, bad recordings or whatever. Watching it on Blu Ray is so pure and enjoyable. It’s making me pine for a 1080p plasma now to replace my 720p projection.

From what I’ve heard, much of this style is similar to Battlestar Galactica, which I’m interested in checking out. I just need to catch it in HD from the first season or something to get into it.

Due to my desk positioning in the office, I’m frequently privy to many conversations around the office. One that caught my ear the other day was a coworker complaining about the Mac OS X GUI and that they preferred their Windows 7 laptop for many tasks. Music to my ears. Not because I hate Macs (far from it), but the general public consensus about seems to be all pro-Mac without really any hard thinking about the platforms.

Most of the people who switched to Mac in the last couple years have switched likely from an old Windows XP installation, bypassed Vista and Windows 7. Vista aside (not terrible if you waited for service pack 1), Windows 7 is fantastic, and many people don’t realize this.

But this isn’t a post regarding Windows 7 specifically, or the “which is better a better OS” debate. They’re both great at different things. This is a post comparing the two GUIs assuming the user is using the mouse the year is 2010. I’m going to look at user behaviour, Fitts’ law (in concept, not with hard figures) and computers and how they’ve advanced hardware-wise and how this affects GUI elements.

Fitts’ Law

A quick review of Fitts’ law, upon which all my points refer to. The law essentially states that for user using a mouse cursor on a screen, the distance the mouse must travel and the size of the target are related to how easy it is to acquire a target. Target acquisition is the most fundamental action a user takes in any GUI. So, if a mouse must travel far, the difficulty goes up. The difficulty also increases if the target is small.

The Law Applied

The application of Fitts’ law is obviously the most important aspect of it. A little trick that UIs have been doing is placing buttons or menu items on the edge of the screen. This has the effect of making a target area of infinite size (since the mouse cursor cannot extend past the edges of the screen). In the case of Apple’s computers, due to their patent, they always place their menus on the very top edge of the screen (not sure why Linux distros aren’t affected by this patent, obscurity I suppose). File, Edit, View etc. are always in the same place for every program. This is great because it makes consistent mousing to the menu bar much easier. This is good for Macs since they’ve always been mouse-oriented.

Similarily, Windows has been using this trick for the start menu (and some other elements). And in fact, the start menu is probably the easiest to acquire of any UI element on any OS since it’s in the bottom left corner (by default). It essentially has infinite width and height. You don’t even have to look, just throw the mouse that way and click and you got it. However, depending on what you’re doing, you probably don’t need to access this menu nearly as much as the file menu in a program (this is just assuming your only mousing within the active program).

At any rate, due to the way the Mac OS was designed (I’m not just talking OS X… pretty much every version I can think of), this has always been an advantage for Apple.

Things Change

I believe Mac’s advantage in this area is now a liability for many users for a number of reasons.

1. Computer resolutions are much much larger. Just ten years ago (anecdotally), 1024 x 768 was the resolution used on nearly every computer. Now, computers are generally at least 1280 x 1024, or any number of widescreen resolutions (1920 x 1200, 1680 x 1050, 1280 x 960). This means total screen area has increased in general anywhere between 150% to nearly 300%. This doesn’t even take into account multiple monitor setups, which are continuing to gain in popularity. Multiply this effect for Mac users since Apple has truly been pushing high quality, larger displays in the last ten years. Ask any user of a 27 inch iMac how large the display is. A far cry from the resolutions when the patent was filed. What were they? 480 pixels wide?
2. Computer power in terms of multi-tasking is also generations ahead. More and more computers are now truly capable of running multiple programs simultaneously. Having a program open on the right-hand side of your 27 inch iMac, and going to the file menu that’s in the top left corner is a huge distance for the mouse to travel.
3. Users are now more physically capable users. Having a button on the screen of infinite size benefits the user new to a mouse (or trackpad, track ball, whatever) much much more than an experienced computer user. Most people have been using computers now for well over a decade. It’s the same as a new driver. Control of the gas pedal in a car is more erratic for new drivers than drivers with even one month of experience. Most people now click on relatively small targets with their mouse with little issue.
4. So much of what everybody does on a computer now is browser based anyway. The internet has been stealing users of applications for years now. You’ll probably hit the back button in your browser many more times a day than file and quit. This post was typed in wordpress, not Word or Textedit.

But wait, all of these points aren’t Mac exclusive!

Windows resolutions are up, multitasking’s never been better, the users are also experienced, and we have the internet in Windows too! But here’s my reasoning for windows superiority…

1. Combine points one and four. Most of what people do on computers now is browser based. Meaning, user aren’t going to the file menu for all their operations. The most common action for a browser from the file menu is probably quit. Well, if the browser is maximized (it’s probably the most commonly maximized program used now), then quitting on windows is just throw the  mouse to the top right without looking and click. That’s faster and easier then getting to the file menu alone.
2. Consider also that if a program in windows is maximized, you can actually close it in the top left corner by double clicking.
3. If a user is multi-tasking in windows, and you’re working in a specific program, unless the program currently in use is in the top left of the screen, then getting to the menus is vastly shorter for the windows user. Combine that with point three, then hitting a menu that’s not on the top edge of the screen’s advantage is lessened by computer user skill.
4. If you need to get rid of all the windows open to get to your desktop on your Windows 7 installation, just chuck the mouse to the bottom right and click. No need to minimize, minimize, minimize etc.
5. Accessing your pictures, documents, “My Computer” or any number of other items that may not sit on your dock can all be found one level deep on your start menu, which is super quick to access.

Basically, strictly from a mousing usability perspective, Apple’s hold on the most usable OS has eroded away since the early days of GUI computing. Today, Windows (more specifically Windows 7) is a better OS overall for mousing (which is kind of ironic since the Mac OS is more mouse focussed).

That isn’t to say that the Mac OS is unusable. I believe that they are advancing GUI OS’s more than anyone on a large perspective. iOS is a perfect example. While not a GUI by traditional standards, their touch-centric interfaces still rely on GUI elements. Combine this with the desktop trackpads with multi-touch they now offer, they’re obviously attempting to move away from the standard GUI’s we’ve become accustomed to the last 20ish years.

Still Playing Modern Warfare 2

As I’m eagerly awaiting the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops next month, I’ve still been playing Modern Warfare 2.

There’s still quite a few people playing on Xbox live. I still really like the game. I know a lot of people have issue with some choices the designers made, and I understand and acknowledge those complaints, I still think it’s the best online shooter on consoles. I find most people that either don’t like it, or do but find themselves in a rut need to change their play style/setup. Just recently I started using a silence M21 EBR sniper rifle (I’ve typically only used the barrett sniper rifle, and not that much), and that has proven to add even more enjoyment to me playing the game.

I played Halo Reach. I really liked the single player. The multiplayer was exactly what I expected, it is Halo after all. I just feel like their specific multiplayer style feels 10 years old. Which is interesting since most of the people that I know that still play Halo were probably born when the original Halo came out. Still the best one of the series too.

Starcraft 2

I’ve also been playing Starcraft 2. Another game that I suppose should feel at least 10 years old. I didn’t play the original, so it’s all new to me. It’s such a fun game. Still struggling to get the right balance between army and economy. I can build them up pretty well (in my opinion), but a very hard computer of the same faction still seems to roll up on me with more units within the first 7 minutes. I also find building vs expanding difficult to balance.

It’s funny how playing MW2 and SC2 highlight different aspects of a person’s brain. In MW2, with my headset on, I have no problem tracking multiple people through multiple walls, selecting the correct weapons, thinking about defeating the other player’s tactically, still reacting to non-stop changes all while navigating a map. However, play SC2 and try to command an army in a battle while remember to build units back at your base. I have so much problem remembering to do that. I can hotkey just fine, but cognitively I just can’t seem to multitask in that game like I can in MW2. Granted I’ve played many more hours of MW2 (and shooters in general), but I don’t think that’s the whole deal. Interesting to me anyway.

Civ V is excellent, I haven’t played a ton of it yet though. Looks like typical Civ quality.

Astro A40 headset and mixamp are still awesome

Speaking of my headset, I’m still extremely happy with that purchase. I was correct is spending the extra money and get something that works accross systems and works well. I can’t recommend them enough. If you spend time gaming, just get the A40 audio system and forget about whatever else there is. They’re worth every penny.

New things

GoogleTV continues to produce videos and improving what looks like it’s going to be an excellent service. This is why I believe the AppleTV is now $99. Apple is really looking to get a foothold in that market before Google swallows it with it’s unique and superior (in my opinion) approach. However, I’m not interested in another box, and I’m not interested in IR blasters. Basically I’ll have to do some more research before I purchase my next TV.

I’m still looking at a 60 inch Samsung plasma with that game mode. The game mode removes some picture processing to reduce the delay that they introduce. Probably (and unfortunately) won’t be buying a new TV until next fall however.

I’ve also find myself much more interested in getting an iPad. Now that the initial hype has subsided, I’d really like a an internet device on my couch with a screen larger than my phone with little to no startup time. Sounds like an iPad. Too bad too because I increasingly dislike Apple (have you been to the Apple store in Market Mall? It’s busier than the rest of the whole damn mall).

I’ve signed up for Netflix. So excited that this service is finally available in Canada, if you could call it that. The initial selection is pretty slim. Luckily I have missed so many movies they have enough to keep me happy for now. They seem to be adding some meaningful suggested movies to me each week though. If they want to succeed in Canada, they really need to improve the new release selection and make more TV series available (I’m specifically referring to Battlestar Galactica, but there are many many others).

Other Stuff

I guess the Star Wars movies are going to be coming to theatres in 3D. My nerd rage is still in full effect. All I want is original theatrical cut on Blu Ray, and done right. That’s what I want, nothing more. That said, I’ll probably go watch the original trilogy in 3D in the theatres… Any opportunity to watch 4, 5 and 6 in the theatre shouldn’t be passed over. It really really pains me to think I’m going to pay George Lucas again for something that isn’t specifically what I want (the aforementioned Blu Ray release), but I don’t think I can help myself. I will not buy any 3D version for my home theatre though.

I was thinking about my iPhone again today. Still using and liking my 3GS. I think what I want is a better function iPhone 4, but with a larger screen. I think an extra half inch diagonally would suit me just fine (with that retina display).

I still hate facebook. Can everybody stop using already so I can delete it too? It’s just self-propelling at this point. It’s getting so big I pray it’ll just go super nova and free us all.

The Digg V4 design. Everybody is hating on it. Personally, I’m not as mad as most, but I’m using it maybe a couple times a week now, instead of every 11 minutes. I guess that speaks for itself.

I’m again digging into building a MAME machine. I want to run it on Ubuntu, but I’m also lazy. Who knows how long it’ll take. It shouldn’t be this inconvenient, but maybe that’s why it exists still.

Inception was a very good movie. I don’t think it was as mind-bending for me as most (I’ve kinda thought about “mind-recursion” before), but it was pretty awesome anyway. Certainly the new “Matrix” movie. Hopefully any potential sequels don’t suck (Christopher Nolan or JJ Abrams should simply direct everything I watch, maybe Ridley Scott too). Breanne however says that we both mis-understood the ending. I’ll watch it again on Blu Ray this holiday and seem if I can come up with a different explanation.

Will be trying the Medal of Honor Multiplayer PC beta this evening. Hopefully it doesn’t suck. At the same time, hopefully it’s not too good either. I only have so much time to player modern military shooters…

Anybody know of a tumblr-style theme for wordpress?