jk writes:

You reported the initial DRM problems on this title but it's back...

Apparently the game Mass Effect PC version can only be installed 3 times, there are NO credits given back when you completely uninstall it..

They have been very dishonest about this. The consumer is crud at EA. Every single used disc for sale on ebay/amazon could be empty of installs and the buyer wouldn't know til they got it home..

He pointed us to a forum thread on Bioware's message board where one customer posted his attempt to get a straight answer of out EA's customer service reps.

As it been said in the Mass Effect tweakguide that if you uninstall Mass Effect you get an activation back. I decided to ask EA Support if that is true. The exact question is:

When uninstalling Mass Effect do I regain a activation?

Here is one reply from a Chris P.:

Quote: Disc based authentication required authentication every time you launched the game. Online authentication is more flexible and for Mass Effect, game authentication is needed only at the initial launch of the game on a particular machine. Re-authentication is required if the game is re-installed on a previously authorized machine for any reason.

I did not ask about authenication or what is required. I asked if I get an activation back if I uninstalled. This reply does not answer my question. In fact the only 3 possible answers should be Yes, No, or I Don't Know.

I asked again, trying to be clear to exactly what I wanted to know. A Chester responds:

Quote: Thank you for updating on us, Electronic Arts Technical Support. I do apologize for the inconvenience. If you just reinstall the game, you do not need to re-activate the game again.

Again, that is not what I am asking. I am not trying to be rude. I am not trying to be a jerk. I am trying to get a straight forward answer to my question and EA Support continues to fail to understand SIMPLE ENGLISH!

Yes, No, or I Don't Know. How hard can it be?!?!?!

Allegedly, an official answer was eventually wrested from EA—confirming that 3 activations was the limit:

Unfortunately, you will not gain an activation by uninstalling the game.

Any other EA customers running into this wall? Or is this just bad communication? Any luck getting new activations by contacting EA?

The Obliviousness of EA support [Bioware]

From the Mass Effect forums:

It is good that Bioware and EA want to kill piracy — but really, though; at what expense?...If somehow a copy of MEPC game gets out w/out any protection around comes out, that copy won't be hindered by any checks. Why should a legitimate buyer of MEPC have to pay money to be treated like he's a pirate when he isn't the pirate?

Say you, the legitimate MEPC owner, has lost their Internet connection — and it's say not on your end, but your ISP's. What now? Will you be locked out of your legit copy of your game for NO REASON?

Say you, legitimate MEPC owner, tried to get your copy verified online from its online check — but, for some reason, EA and Bioware's servers are down. Or say, too many MEPC users are booting MEPC at once to get verified and you just can't connect for a good while — whether it's 2 minutes, 20 mins, or 1 hour or more. That's an inconvenience. So, will the game boot b/c you can't get your legit copy verified?

Let's hope EA and Bioware are planning on operating these servers in perpetuity, because Mass Effect is very addicting, and if you don't agree, my level 60 Adept Nemesis will Singularity your ass.

What do you think of this style of DRM? Are they punishing the ones who don't steal? Or is this necessary to protect their investment?

Mass Effect for PC System Specs, SecuROM and FAQ [Bioware]

Q. Who should consider a Mac?

A. Pretty much every average consumer using a computer should at least look at the Mac. It combines gorgeous hardware with an operating system I consider superior to Windows, with better built-in software. It can even run Windows programs if you buy and install a copy of Windows. And unless you do that, you won't be vulnerable to the vast array of viruses and spyware that threaten Windows users. Only a handful, so far, have been written to run on the Mac operating system, OS X.

Q. Who shouldn't consider the Mac?

A. People who spend much of their time playing cutting-edge games should stick to Windows computers, because there are far fewer games written for OS X. Apple doesn't offer hardware tuned for serious gaming. People looking for the lowest-price PCs should also avoid the Mac, because Apple's cheapest model, the Mac Mini, costs $599.

Another group that should shun Apple's computers are people who depend for support on corporate IT departments that are either ignorant about, or hostile to, the Mac. Finally, if you know and like Windows, and expect mainly to use Windows programs, stick with a Windows PC.

Morawska did not originally set out to study printers. She was invited by the Queensland Department of Public Works to measure air quality inside a six-floor office building near a busy road.

The scientists quickly noticed that during the workday, particle levels were much higher indoors than out. Indoor particle levels reached as high as 625,986 particles per square inch, compared with 178,619 particles per square inch outside the building.

Printers were clearly the culprit: Copy machines and a break room microwave were not among the main particle sources.

The researchers then analyzed air quality near each printer after it had printed one page, and used this data to categorize printers by the amount of particles released. Particle levels rose as soon as the printer started.

That Printer At The Office May Be Ruining Your Health [LA Times]
Particle Emission Characteristics of Office Printers [Environmental Science and Technology]
(Photo: thraxil)

The article suggests 9 more, and none looks as wonderful as a certain program that uninstalls annoying bloatware from your new PC.

Triteon, who submitted this link, says, " If I ever buy a Windows-based PC again I look forward to using the PC Decrapifier!"

Yay.

Ten free security utilities you should already be using [ZDNet]

"The costs associated with thinking about and using a particular product decrease as a function of the amount of experience a consumer has with it. Thus, repeated consumption or use of an incumbent product results in a (cognitive) switching cost that increases the probability that a consumer will continue to choose the incumbent over competing alternatives."

If you're familiar with something, you're not an objective judge of its quality. Unless it's Linux. Those people are always right, just ask them.—MEGHANN MARCO

Product loyalty: consumers mistake familiarity with superiority [Ars Technica]
Explaining Cognitive Lock-In: The Role of Skill-Based Habits of Use in Consumer Choice [Journal of Consumer Research]
(Photo: Wikipedia)

Lifehacker directs us to PC World where they have no less than 15 reasons to switch to Vista...written by a person who wrote a book about Vista. Oh, well. We're trying to remain positive here.

It seems that there are a lot of little reasons to switch rather than one big one. Better networking, better interface, flippy 3D windows that look like something rejected from the movie Minority Report, better performance, and improved security. Just make sure you get the correct version.—MEGHANN MARCO

Windows Vista: 15 Reasons To Switch [PC World via Lifehacker]

The worst offenders:

AOL
BlueMountain.com
Classmates.com
ESPN
MSN Internet
Napster.com
NetZero
Real Rhapsody
Real SuperPass
True.com

Only Consumer Reports Online and The New York Times TimesSelect received flawless score, "setting a standard that other services would do well to emulate." — BEN POPKEN

Just Cancel the @#%$* Account! [PC World] (Thanks to Karl, Susan and Octavia!)

This sounds like a fantastic solution for those of us weirdos who use both PC and Mac (yay! One computer!), but one wonders if it might be prudent to wait to see what unfolds with Windows Vista, if only to avoid the extra cost of upgrading the operating system.— MEGHANN MARCO

Do you want Windows XP on that Mac? [ZDnet]
MacMall's Windows XP Bundles Press Release [MacMall]

• Don't buy a computer based on a sticker alone.

• "Certified for Windows Vista" means the product has been tested and will deliver a superior experience with a PC running Windows Vista.

• "Works with Windows Vista" means just that. It will work. Maybe not well, but it'll work.

• The minimum performace for the "Windows Vista Premium Ready PC" is not that amazing. "Apart from the RAM and graphics card requirements, even the Premium Ready spec is pretty low. Don't use either of these logos as a "performance" guide." Amen.— MEGHANN MARCO

Windows Vista Logos - what do they all mean? [ZDnet.com]

• "Short technology-product cycles may be a fact of life, but some retailers aggravate the problem by knowingly foisting older gear on customers—or at the very least, by not making clear to buyers whether the items in stock are nearing obsolescence." This is a good point. Make sure you don't buy a new iPod two weeks before the next model comes out. No, we never did that. (Yes, we fucking did.)

• Watch out for bogus reviews. "The problem of bogus reviews has arisen even at well-known sites such as Amazon.com." Oh, so true.

• Complain to the Better Business Bureau if something goes horribly wrong. "The good news: Amazon usually issues a refund to consumers who complain to the BBB about shipping delays."

More at PC World

First they called themselves Soho Store. Then, American Warehouse. Now, PC Warehouse, even though it still sells all Apple products, John Hodgman aside. Whatever you call it, they're still a scam. You think you're getting an AMAZING deal on iPods and Macbooks, and ok, some Alienware for unbelievable prices, and instead you're falling for a wire transfer fraud.

Don't go here. (Thanks to Joe!)

Previously.

So how long does it take the average Internet luddite to just totally ruin their computer with their frivolous clicking? Steve Knopper at Wired bought himself a cheap Dell and then did all the stupid things that your parents do: click on strange email links and pop-ups, accept pop-up offers for more emoticons and search tools, correspond with Ugandan princes looking to off-shore their fortunes.

The result? 18 days later, the machine was so trashed that a computer repair technician had to cancel the spyware app, as it emitted only one long, high-pitched beep for thirty minutes straight.

18 Days of Reckless Computing [Wired]