GameSpot posts official Gerstmann firing notice

It took nearly four long, controversy-filled days, but GameSpot has finally posted notice on their web site that editorial director Jeff Gerstmann has been fired. Or, as the notice itself puts it, “after over a decade in a variety of editorial roles, Jeff Gerstmann’s tenure as editorial director has ended.”

Besides praising Gerstmann’s work and offering him best wishes, the notice echoes the company’s earlier statement by saying that “details of Gerstmann’s departure cannot be disclosed publicly” because of “legal constraints and the company policy of GameSpot parent CNET Networks.” The posting also firmly denies (yet again) that advertiser pressure had any role in the firing.

Thanks to Joystiq for the update go check out the full article there. I’ve already said my view on this. I will not repeat it but if you want to know go check out my other article on this!! It was posted today also. Have fun!

PC World’s Declaration of Vista Fastest on a Macbook Pro Turned into Mac Vs. PC Ad

pcworld.jpg

I’m sure the editors at PC World didn’t think their declaration that the fastest Vista notebook ever was a Macbook Pro would be immortalized in a Mac vs. PC Ad. Of course, PC benchmarks go stale fast. I wonder what’s going to be announced at Macworld 08. [Apple via TUAW]

Haha, I love those commericals with PC VS Mac. Thought people would get a laugh out of the new ads they have out.

The GameSpot controversy as a window into the world of gaming journalism

When GameSpot fired Jeff Gerstmann soon after his negative review of the heavily-advertised Kane & Lynch, no one in the gaming press was surprised. Now, keep in mind we’re not saying that Gerstmann was fired because of the review; he wrote the review, then was fired. The two events may well be unrelated. The fact that the entire GameSpot site looked like a Kane & Lynch advertisement at the time might have been coincidence. CNet, the parent company of GameSpot, released a statement claiming it takes its editorial integrity “very seriously.”

The fact that advertisers put pressure on sites and magazines isn’t exactly breaking news; companies spend much time and money trying to get the most people to give their games the highest scores. If you as a gaming writer want an exclusive, you had better treat the game nice in the review, thanks. You want that advertising campaign to run on your site? This preview better make the game sound perfect.

While gaming may look like a huge, scary industry from the outside, it can be a surprisingly cozy place once you know that world a bit. It’s easy to make enemies, and since public relations staffers change on an almost monthly basis, you never know who is holding a grudge at what company. If you anger one publisher or the wrong PR person, you could find yourself out of luck for information, interviews, or even invitations to trade shows for a long time to come. For sites that need fresh, exclusive news to function, it’s the kiss of death. Even without lording advertising dollars over your head, they know how to hurt you.

A good article on why Gamespot fired this editor but I am not happy with it. I think the review of games is a very good way to find out if I want to play it or not. I do not like the idea of someone pushing me to review something favorable. I will not do that, I will review it on my terms. Go check out this article at Ars Technica. I think you will get a better understanding of the gaming industry.

Some Important programs to prevent yourself from having viruses and Malware!!

This post is in response to Alertscan.net and how many people have seen my page. If you would like to protect yourself from the possible hi-jacking of your internet or Computer there are some programs to consider using:

If you would like to scan your system right now without downloading any files go to:
Kaspersky Lab Free Virus Scan

Firewalls:

Now these are free but I tell you. You will only need one firewall even though windows has a firewall this helps as a better protection to know what is coming in and going out.

Anti-Virus:

Again these files are free but you will only need one of these. If you install more than one you will most like start slowing your system down to much!!

Spyware Removal:

If these load automatically in windows when you set these up unselect them. I only use one or two of these when I think I need to. You can download more than one of these programs to do the job. The only warning I have is make sure when you install them to unselect the startup when windows starts.

Rootkit Removals:

Other Utilities:

Now if you start using these programs that I suggest you will be a far better off then when you started. I will not say you are a 100% protected but will say you are like 50% protected or something to that nature. It is how you explore the web, that causes the most problems some tips to remember:

  1. Never Click links directly – Always go there manually typing in the address(Some links can be phished or Hidden from site!!)
  2. Anything you get in emails Consider who it is from and how much you trust them(Remember though people still can send viruses to you in a multitude of ways)
  3. If in doubt Google search to see what the web has to say about a particular idea or website. If they are a serious website there will be good reviews, and you know the opposite of that.
  4. Be kind, Don’t forward emails when someone says please forward. Most of them are either scams or just trying to clog up the email servers.

I hope all this helps you to be a better user on the internet. If you have any questions, please feel free and go to the miketechshow forums and post your questions. Someone there will be more than glad to help!!

Windows XP to get 10% Performance Boost

According to software development firm Devil Mountain Software, Service Pack 3 for Windows XP is a “must have” update. Because when they ran Office productivity test suite on a preview version of SP3, they found performance boosts of 10%. So in case Windows users needed another performance-oriented reason not to upgrade to Vista, they just got one. [yahoo via lifehacker]

Now is this what people are expecting to happen or is going to happen!! 😉 I don’t think vista is all that good but I have been wrong in the past!!