Circuitboard

Losing Everything acebook’s Last Chance

The Downfall of Pure Gaming Fanboys argue which console, game, and corporation is better.

The Other Side Of The Alien Why Not To Buy Alienware Computers

Biographies Alex S. Hi my name is Alex. I love technology and anything that involves technology. I want to make my own desktop along my own PC game. I also play soccer and somehow find time to play video games. I like first person shooter games want an iPhone and a new laptop. My favorite games are Minecraft, Battlefield 3, Modern Warfare, and more.

Justin Yoon Obviously as one of the contributors to this magazine, I am quite a fanatic of technology, and how we can daily utilize it to better reaches. So I decided to take on a more broad subject as entertainment. Since this shows that technology is not just wires, and programming, but also involves the whole social networking, and business section of it.

Jason Ramirez Sup, my name is Jason. I mainly do the gaming part of our magazine which keeps it interesting. I like to edit any kind of media, from images to video. I also like to play soccer and also a hardcore gamer. I too like games from Modern Warfare 3 to Battlefield 3 and zombies.

Table Of Section One - Computers

3.

The Future of Robots - A look inside Virginia Tech

How robots are continuously effecting our lifestyles and our interatcions

5.

A quiz on terrestial knowledge

How much do you know? Find out by taking this quick easy quiz.

7.

The Other Side of the Alien -Why not to buy Alienware Computers They used to be great but now they have changed for the worse.

Section Three - Entertainment

9.

Losing Everything- Why this is Facebook’s last chance Just like Alienware this company is running into ruin.

11.

Running Into a Revolution - Technology is developing quicker than you think We need to realize that technology is changing us.

13.

The Top 5 Technologies of 2011

These are the greatest inventions that have come out this year.

Contents Section Three - Gaming

15.

The Downfall of Pure Gaming Fanboys argue which console, game and corperation is better Competion is rough these days as we argue.

17.

Biting the Bullet - How the average Hardcore Gamer Deals with Life A deep look into the gamin world and how this world functions.

6?

Gaming by the Numbers

A brief look into what the gaming world is looking like in 2011.

A Brief Letter from the Editors

Welcome reader. Our team of three has spent the past few months working on this production for you.

These months have been stressful at times as we pored over the keyboard and monitor making sure everything is perfect for production. We have spent time on the layouts and articles to make sure they are modern and fit your wants and needs for technology news. We hope you enjoy our work, so flip the page and start reading.

-The CircuitBoard Team

RoMeLa Robotics&Mechanisms Laboratory

Computers

The future of robots A Look inside the labs at Virginia Tech

BY: ALEX S.

In the year, 2020 fire fighters are running through the U.S.S. George Washington ducking and weaving through narrow corridors. The crew is running past him trying to escape the roaring monster that is fire. As the heat waves approach further and the smoke spreads across the ceiling.

The temperatures continue to rise. Nevertheless, the firefighter keeps running to get to the heart of the problem. He sprints through the halls hauling the heavy hose

filled with water to extinguish the flame. He has no fear and feels no pain. After all, he is only a robot. While this seems unrealistic, this is not the case. Just ask those at the RoMeLa lab at Virginia Tech who are working on a robot that does just that.

Over the past year, the college students have been designing, building, and testing this robot named SAPHIRE. This robot is still in development and is proving quite a challenge for the students in the lab.

building more and more independent robots.

Now once people are able to put a high level of AI in robots will they be able to take over the world? The answer is no.

The reason is simple “humans control AI by creating the program,” said Paul D’Angio who also said, “We have total control and always will,” have this control over robots.

However, robots will be able to be programmed to do jobs that may cause injury to humans.

“Robots are putting people out of work.”

The students are making progress slowly because artificial intelligence is not able to perform the complicated tasks of the job due to a lack of computer power. The team at Virginia tech. has been working for many years trying to make robots such as SAPHIRE to keep people out of danger and to better some people’s lives. With multiple robots under their belt, they continue to build new robots to tackle new problems to help more people.

Most people have seen the movie Robocop that has a robot fighting crime.

Some may ask why we do not have robot cops or robot anything’s today. The answer is simple; we just are not there yet. The artificial intelligence required for a robot of that nature is too complicated for the technology of today.

Furthermore, “improved processors are needed to handle more complicated AI tasks,” said Paul D’Angio.

Computer power is the only thing limiting the students at the lab from

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Photo By: RoMeLa Lab at Virginia Tech

As Paul D’Angio said, “There is a strong need for robotics,” in the government and in industry.

Some robots that have already been created at Virginia tech to take people out of these dangerous jobs. The MARs robot is designed to cling on to the exterior of spacecraft and satellites to check for damages and to then repair the damages. The robot would save money and someone would not have to face the risk of space.

Simply put, “robots cost less to run,” said Paul D’Angio.

Another robot created by the students of Virginia tech, HYDRAS, is meant to inspect bridges. Everyday people risk their lives climbing up the wires of suspension bridges making sure they are safe.

It is a dangerous job and, “many people die inspecting these cables,” said Paul D’Angio.

This robot can take people out of harm’s way while still getting the job done.

While robots may save people’s lives, “robots are putting people out of work,” said Paul D’Angio.

For, example car factories all over the

world use robots to make precision cuts or to do repetitive tasks in order to speed up production.

These robots are cheaper, more precise, and are faster but “Robots will never be able to fully replace humans,” said Paul D’Angio.

While everyday people of the world may only see robotics in cars, countless numbers will be bought and used by the government.

The government has more money and can afford the robots that other people cannot.

For example, the military can use robots to detect and diffuse bombs or carry equipment for soldiers out in the battlefield. Maybe one day there will be humanoid robots that can replace soldiers but they first must learn to walk.

Robocup is a competition that challenges colleges to create robots that play soccer in order to find ways of improving a robots agility and speed. This task while seeming simple is complicated because of the way robots are powered. The lack of realistic artificial muscles makes it hard for robots to walk like a human. Over the past few years all over the nation and world are participating in the Robocup so that one-day robots can walk and run effectively in order to do our tasks.

With all the work being done by schools and corporations all over the world robots and artificial intelligence continue to advance. while robots still have room for improvement they have come a long way and have a bright future and will bu used, “for three things, keeping people out of harm’s way, to complete boring tasks, and for military purposes,” said Paul D’Angio.

Photo By: RoMeLa Lab at Virginia Tech

What do you know?

A quiz to test your knoweledge

1 What is the largest camera in existence?

6.What company owns Alienware?

2 Which company did Steve Jobs co-found?

7.What does GUI mean?

.

a. 14 megapixels b. 90 megapixels c. 80 megapixels d. 50 megapixels

a. Hp b. Dell c. Apple d. Toshiba

.

a. Apple b. Next inc. c. Pixar d. A and B

a. Graphical User Interface b. Gaming Ultra Intensive c. Graphical Ultra Interface d. Gaming User Interface

3 How many megabytes make up a

8.How many cores does the largest proccesor

.

Gigabyte? a. 100 b. 10,000 c. 1,024 d. 1,000

have? a. 4 b. 6 c. 12 d. 8

4 What was the first home use computer called? 9.What is the fastest proccesor in existense? .

a. IBM Pc b. Apple I c. Dell Corsair d. HP Flight

5 What was the fist computer to have a GUI. .

a. Xerox Star b. Apple’s Lisa c. Xerox PARC d. Xerox Alto

a. 3.0 GHz b. 5.2 GHz c. 2.5 GHz d. 4.3 GHz

10. Where is AMD’s HQ located? a. Austin, Tx b. Canada c. Sunnyvale, California d. Germany

Answers on back of magazine.

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Computers The Other Side of the Alien Why Not to Buy Alienware computers

by: Alex s.

H

ow could one take a once marvelous company and turn it into an incompetent pathetic excuse for a graphic gaming computer company? The once almighty Alienware brand has fallen on the chain of computer companies after Dell bought them. This company has now lowered its standards for products and refuses to help those who pay thousands of dollars for a computer.

Alienware the once great company now considered by most as overpriced for the computers you get with bad customer service and many hardware problems.

Now I have to admit some people would disagree with me. There are people out there who are strong firm believers that Alienware is the best when it comes to PCs. According to PC world, Alienware sells high performance computers for relatively cheap.

Now I must admit, at one time I was once one of those

Photo By: Richard Tanswell

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people. I even have my own Alienware desktop. However, that was before Dell bought Alienware. Now Alienware in my eyes is no longer, what it used to be.

Other companies sell similar performance based computers for a cheaper price. One of these companies I found was HP. Now their computers are not exactly the same as Alienware and may have a lower performance but they work just fine. I compared one of HP’s high performance 15-inch quad cores to Alienware’s M14x. To get the two computers to match on performance I had to customize the two too get similar hardware. Even having to add more features and upgrade more parts on the HP, it ends up still being cheaper than the Alienware laptop, which has a 1-inch smaller screen.

Alienware also has below par customer service considering that you have just paid a few thousand dollars on one of their products. I have not had experience with this myself but others have. One review posted on Cnet stated that after a problem with the bottom plate of his Alienware laptop customer service put him on hold for 40 minutes before coming up with a solution that did not work.

Customer service promised him a new laptop within ten business days. He received the replacement laptop, which would not turn on, 30 days later according to a Cnet review. I personally would not want to want to be stuck with customer service that would not help me when I bought their thousanddollar product.

Price Comparison

There is one other reason why you should not buy Alienware products. All Alienware products new or old generate a large amount of heat, which causes the fans to run constantly creating unappealing noise.

I know this from personal experience with my 10-year-old Alienware, which has six fans, which are constantly active. The noise always drives me insane along with the computer heating up my whole room.

According to a review posted on Cnet the fans on Alienware’s can get quite loud during periods of intense gaming. Many people have been experiencing some hardware problems. These problems are due to the system running hot and

overheating hardware components. If you want a computer that works reliably for multiple years I would recommend buying and upgrading a computer from a different company instead of buying an Alienware product.

Some people would say Alienware is awesome others like me say it is not worth it. However, in the end it is your decision on if you buy Alienware or not. If you have a lot of patience or money lying around then sure. Otherwise, I would not buy their products and would instead go to other companies such as HP for your computer needs.

Photo By: Jeremy G.

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Losing

Everything

Why this is Facebook’s last chance.

Entertainment

F

By Justin Yoon

or 800 million lives in September 21st 2011, their lives were distorted, without warning millions of people were experiencing a mixture of reactions.

Ranging from happiness, relief, anger, and frustration countless people had to accept the fact that Facebook had once again decided to implement a new layout.

Now with even less privacy options, and more useless information being spurted out everywhere, millions of these users are infuriated by the sudden switches. Facebook needs to change its stance, and change its format back to normal.

As we all know, Facebook is a gargantuan business, starting off with a few college students, the company has reached out to a continually large number of users. It will continue to grow and serve even more purposes, now with over one thousand individual businesses relying on Facebook, its influence will continue to expand. Small and large businesses alike are advertising their products, and letting regular users gain access to information, and coupons. With users receiving great deals, and businesses being able to grow, this plan can easily be seen as a win-win solution for all. Also with information accessible about specific users local ompanies can target specific audiences. Yet doing this makes it so that users know that the company

“Facebook has already been in trouble about the exact issues before; it has been sued multiple times” is just selling itself out, users will become irritatedwith the increased targeted advertising, and will feel that their privacies are being invaded.

The main problem with this new layout is privacy. Facebook has already been in trouble about the exact issues before; it has been sued multiple times because countless users have felt that their privacies were invaded. These past privacy options have left a dent to it’s, already damaged status that it may not recover again. Yet the company has decided, that after so much trouble, that it would yet again, let users feel disrupted by knowing that strangers may know private information about them. Now users are allowed to subscribe to others and learn what events have occurred to them. This usually would not be a problem, but the fact is that anybody,even those who are not friends with their target, can subscribe with them. Random strangers have access to information now even easier, letting incidents such as scams, and identity thievery even more common.

Secondly without knowing about this themselves users will secrete information about themselves that they would not expect. Other websites such as Pandora, and Hulu, will tell others what websites, music, movies, TV shows, action, and etc. that

users have been using. Personal information, that may even be embarrassing, in what others may feel are harmless, can truly destroy other users’ reputations and pride. Also onto the side of the Facebook page, users will immediately notice useless information, such as what friends have liked, which are just plain out distracting and frankly useless information. But now this bar will follow outFacebook users as they browse through the website, continually learning regurgitated information, that in normal circumstance nobody would care for.

My last argument is that these changes are disorienting, regular users do not know how to function with these changes.

I know for a fact, that some have token months to know what has been going on. For many other websites access is always simple, yet when users have finally been given a change to adapt to its frequent changes, change occurs. Not that this should be a big deal, other websites change often. Yet why would this be such a big deal? First off Facebook has always been a pain to learn to use. Also there are too many changes occurring, that it is almost as if all 800 million users, decided to use a separate website.

Obviously Facebook can make it’s own decisions to what they choose to and what not to do, yet the user experience is the most important. A company is nothing without satisfied users, getting what they want. Most importantly when most users are dissatisfied with the changes what is taking so long for Facebook to evolve back into its original state?

Proving Facebook’s dominance and privacy issues.

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Entertainment

Running into a Revolution

Technology is Developing Quicker than we Think By: Justin Yoon

I

wanted to be a part of the future”, and there began a dream, a dream that will continue on. Computer Science is a relatively new major, one that is growing as our world continuously decides to grow more and rely more and more on the technology provided. We need to recognize the importance of the work these people do. Right now our age of technology supports our way of living so much, we could not live without it. Without the work that these people provide we would have little importance.

So we follow the life of one who wanted to pursue these dreams to invigorate the use of technology to fuel our daily lives. As he says “Learning about technology is just too important, and I think we have been realizing how important it is, because we seem to use it since the start of our day until the very end.” He had wanted to join the industry ever since he was in high school, he was deeply inspired after having seen movies about the subject regarding sci-fi

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concepts of how technology can have such a large reach across us. At tng hat time he could have never imagined the concept of a tablet or having a program on a phone that responds completely accordingly to one’s speaking and speech, then doing it’s best to see what it can do for you. Most people though are kind of disappointed that we do not have impressive towering buildings, flying cars, or armies of robots. But we are getting close and one aspect of this is

“Technology is very awe inspiring you know? very futuristic, very much like the movies you watch “ being able to gain creativity. As he says “working with technology is very awe inspiring you know? very futuristic, very much like the movies you watch when

you were a little kid.” Without people that decide to contribute society like he does we would not have the dominating and extreme companies such as Apple, or google. We would have stopped with advancing technology.

Technology continues to branch out into our lives as we grow continuously dependent on it, and do not be fooled, humans are not the only one’s that need technology. Although we are indirectly effected by the effects we are also learning new ways to learn, try save the environment which may be our faults, and trying to restore the deteriorating Ecosystems, which would also be blamed onto the actions of humans. We have created devices that imitate a leaf and create energy from the sun, we have been able to find bacteria that could help us create electrical energy. We can clone other species, read other people’s minds, track down some body’s every movement. The way we have controlled ourself is amazing and it all started with one idea, into multiple ideas, into multiple people, into a revoultion.

In conclusion anybody that is interested in the subject or anything related to it, should pursue the career although it is not my place to say what others should or should not do. People should also experiment and not be discouraged through the roadblocks that all humans will inevitably have to face. As he says “nobody is perfect at first”, and this should not only help those who are struggling to find what they are interested in, but for everybody.

ATI: graphics of the future

Gaming

Fanboys argue which console, game, and corporation is better.

I

n the 1980’s, right when the gaming industry was booming, there was once simple great games that were easily playable and rarely anyone would argue which were better. 20 years after, gaming industries were now creating different game series, such as Call of Duty and Battlefield so they can compete with each other. The term “fanboys/ girls” was then used more frequently, which were people leaning to one side of the gaming “war” and would mostly be bias against the game they are hating. The point of this issue is that this pathetic excuse for a “war” is a complete waste of time, and sometimes these fanboys/girls can take their belief of which console/games are better too far.

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By: Jason Ramirez Ruiz For what people would think they should say against me which are mainly fanboys/girls, is that they will still argue that a person like me can be considered to be part of one side of the “war”. I for one only have the PS3, which I play a lot, a Wii, which I don’t even play anymore, but no Xbox 360. That

is where fanboys start to attack me with their blind knowledge about their own trust to their console, game, or corporation.

What makes a fanboy is not always their fault, but also that there is a probability that their cultural background could

have affected their point of view of which console is better. Since children won’t always have the sufficient money to buy their own console/games, the last resort would be asking the parent. That is when the child becoming the fanboy would eventually take place since the parent may only be willing to buy one console for their child. The decision is then set by the child and is then forever interested in that one console and ignore the others, but not always. The parents themselves could have easily chosen the console themselves because of economic issues or even from their own point of view of the consoles in the gaming market.

Don’t get me wrong, children or even people my age will already develop their “fanboyism”, but the parents can also have some sort of fanboyism too since games were being developed at their time

Fanboys are usually “loyal” to their console, game, or corporation, because really, an industry can’t call themselves industries without them. Fanboys have a great “responsibility” since not only do they support their cause but will do anything in order to keep their undying allegiance to their console by even Photo by: DeclanTM looking for new with their belief and perform “recruits”. They are basically ridiculously insane actions. idiotic unpaid salesmen that will Really, people like this can go convince people that your choice from getting tattoos, to literately of product always triumphs over “bleed” their belief by cutting the next best thing. Sometimes, themselves... do not think that these people can go too far image would be appropriate for this though.

The last thing a fanboy would do is the dirty work, which I consider to be the favorite part for them.

What I mean is that this is another way they support their console, by stating their bias comments towards the console they hate.

These people would simply blindly say anything towards their enemy in an effort to say that their console is better, which can tick off the enemy’s mind and start a fight. Literately, their only defense is attack, which can describe how unintelligent these people are when they are trying to state something, even when they Photo by: Chealion

are defending the weakest part of their console. So there’s really no point to say anything actually smart to them, since they will just respond to you with inappropriate language trying to make you look like the fanboy.

This gaming war is really just a waste of time, but I don’t really see a potential conclusion on how we can stop this. Obviously, it would be slightly better that these people would back up their opinion with more trustworthy evidence. I really don’t care what console I play, since each and every one of the consoles has their advantages and disadvantages.

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Gaming How the Average Hardcore Gamer Deals With Life By: Jason Ramirez Ruiz

F

rancisco knew what his choice was when he had the chance to buy between a PS3 or Xbox 360. However, his younger brother got the better end of the deal and he himself made the decision. Francisco then decided that he would live with what his brother has done and get used to it. He eventually got the hang of owning an Xbox, but has still questioned his brother’s decision.

Like the average hardcore gamer, Francisco has been able learn from the best and also form his own opinion on the gaming community, industry, economy and many other areas in which gaming takes a major role. Being a student at LASA, its totally a different story for him since being a good gamer involves a lot of time, and he’s not the only person in the world that suffers from

this problem. Every hardcore player knows this and also wishes to take their gaming, if they consider their gaming good, to the next level.

Any hardcore gamer like Francisco, knows that anything better than gaming, is getting paid to game. That’s why besides other goals he has, he also wishes to join the most famous

gaming community in YouTube, Machinima Respawn. Most of these gamers are interested in shooters, which makes a huge part of the channel, and is what Francisco enjoys the most. “Cause it’s and I get to do what I love, plus i get paid for it!” was his response when I asked him why he would want to join them.

It’s not all fun and games when gaming, ironic isn’t it, but when dealing with a huge audience, you

can’t always do what you love.

He’s concerned that his studies at LASA and his taste in gaming affects how he likes to play. “I like that you don’t have to pay for the online gaming since it’s annoying on Xbox” is what he states about his opinion on the PS3, but also that “The xbox gets stuff earlier, like the Rezzurection map pack and other map packs for Call of Duty.

This explains why he would prefer one console or one game over the other, but not always the same console/game. “I enjoy in what I

am best at, like how I’ve been playing more Call of Duty then Battlefield since I suck at it.” This statement shows that he is not a fanboy because he bases off his opinion on what he thinks and is correct since he is not influenced from what most people say.

This also contributes to what he says he would enjoy is to join Machinima Respawn. It may sound easy to just game, but it’s the quality that counts, not the quantity. He does believe that “Doing something better is better than doing something many times but isn’t as good.” Francisco also believes that he has the skill and personality to pull of such an impressive move to join Machinima, but is afraid of how his skill and personality might seem to other people since it’s not always to you entertaining yourself, but to entertain a diverse audience of people.

What Machina Respawn is mainly composed of shooters, Xbox, and great people with extreme personalities,

and a guy like Francisco has what it takes, but he also thinks that if you think you’re good enough, then show the whole world.

“There’s no point in wasting such a talent.”

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Entertainment By: Justin Yoon

1.

First on this list is Kepler, a satelite created by NASA taht has founded the first satelite to discover a planet that might support life beyond Earth. Above is an image provided by NASA’s website showing Kepler-22 the planet that most closely resembles that of Earth.

2.

Google Plus might finally destroy Facebook, after Facebook had easily wiped out MySpeace from our memories, by not only being more secure, which is noe of the worst qualities of Faceboo, but it is also much more organized, don’t be surprised if you don’t see Facebook next year. image from Flickr

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3.

iPhone 4s(of course an Apple product) Apple may keep producing new and new upgraded version of itself but atleast the improvements are noteoworthy. Siri, has proven to be one of the most useful apps that comes with these ingenius designs. Image from Flickr

4.

The Martin Jet Pack, brings sci-fi movies to life by showin an actual effective jet pack into our world, by allowing us to levitate and fly just likek humans have always dreamed of, the Martin Jetpack is definitely worthy of being on this list.. Image from Flickr

5.

The 3-DS, is not the most greatest 3d generating electronic device but atleast it was great enough to be used handhelf, undoubtedly this technology will be advanced in years to come, into something much mroe useful.

Image from Flickr

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1. C, 2. D, 3. C, 4. A, 5. D, 6. B, 7. A, 8. C, 9. B, 10. C