Copy
Issue #6                                                                                                                                          Web version
Streaming Videogames

 

Hi there <<First Name>>,

How often do you write? Not just emails, but actual articles, journal entries or other forms of longer copy?

I didn't write much before starting this blog, but since then I've come a long way. On the one hand, it's much easier now to come up with topics to write about. But on the other, to actually finish an article still takes much longer than I'd like. Is that the same for you?

Anyway, that's why the newsletter is a little later today. Nonetheless, I think you'll appreciate the outcome. This newsletter will hopefully teach you a lot of (new) things: about path dependence, Google Stadia, and photos of fake people created by artificial intelligence.

Curious? Read on!
 

1. 3 Examples of Path Dependence

This week's blog article is a bit different than usual. In the article, I cover a concept that can help us understand why some things are the way they are.

Consider for instance the QWERTY keyboard, or the location of the cotton industry in Lancashire.

Wonder what these things have in common? Click the link and read more about path dependence.

→ Read the article here

 

2. Streaming Videogames


If you don't regularly play video games, you probably have not yet heard about Google Stadia.

But even if you haven't or if you don't like videogames, Google Stadia is an incredibly interesting piece of technology, and it can be truly 'game'-changing (excuse the pun).

Let me start by telling you a bit about the gaming industry. Until now, most games have been processed on the device that you use to play the game.

For instance, if you install a game on your mobile phone, the phone's hardware ensures that everything appears on screen, that it takes your input, and that you can take certain actions.

This is the same for gaming on a laptop, a PlayStation, a Nintendo Switch, an Xbox and other devices.

The way Google Stadia works however, is by 'streaming' games. Similar to Netflix, where you don't have to download a film in order to watch it — you now don't have to download a game in order to play it.

If you stream a game, all the processing is done on servers elsewhere (in the cloud). You just have to have a screen, some minimal hardware requirements and a controller or keyboard to play.

Considering Google Stadia was released this week; how well does that work?



As you can see, not so well.

Because the game has to be processed elsewhere, more 'lag' or 'latency' can come into play. In this case, this is the difference between pushing a button and seeing the result of pushing that button on screen. As such, playing with a lot of latency is a severe test of your patience.

The reviews aren't all as bad as the GIF above though, but I wouldn't advise you to buy Google Stadia for Christmas.

Nonetheless, the idea is captivating. Streaming games would allow anyone to play a game that is very hardware intensive on any device — even on an old smartphone. You just need a screen and a fast internet connection.

So what are the benefits of streaming games? Well:
  1. Gaming becomes cheaper (you don't need expensive hardware)
  2. You don't have to download games anymore (instant access)
  3. You can play games on different devices, and switch from one to another (e.g. you can walk out the door, switch from your laptop to your phone and keep playing)
And while Google Stadia (or its competitors, GeForce Now and Microsoft's Project xCloud) aren't there yet, they do show the future of the videogaming industry.

So just like we moved from downloading to streaming films, in a few years, streaming games will be the default way to play.

 

3. And then some — AI-Generated Stock Photos


If you've ever had to find a photo of a person for a website, powerpoint presentation, flyer or something else, you probably know about stock photos.

Using stock photos often comes with a cost — you have to pay to get the photo in question, or you can only use royalty-free websites like Pexels or Unsplash.

However, I recently found some companies providing stock photos where the image, or part of the image (such as a person's face) is generated by a computer. Often this means that the photo in question is free to use, also for commercial purposes.

I recommend you to take a look and browse the database of Generated Photos (mostly head shot photos), ThisPersonDoesNotExist (refresh the page to get a different computer-generated face) and Rosebud AI (more stock-like photos, with different scenes). Note that all of these websites provide hundreds of thousands of photos of people that do not actually exist!

While I'm sure there are also negative implications of this kind of AI, but if you're looking for a stock photo, why not use a computer-generated one?

 

4. Previous Week's Challenge


Lastly, I wanted to come back to previous week's challenge! Did you do it? Did you give something?

I decided to buy lunch for two friends, and my girlfriend paid for someone else's sandwich. I'm very curious to hear what you gave away this week!

See you next time,
Jochem

P.S.
Feedback? Send it my way.
Know someone who would like to receive this newsletter? Send this newsletter and the subscribe link their way!
Twitter
Website
Copyright © 2019 JPJ Gerritsen, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp