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A big lover of all types of media, from Movies to Video Games, Books to Music, Television to Stage.

May 14, 2011

PS3 Update Now Available

According to their Twitter feed, there is now an update available for the PS3.  I am making the assumption here, as I have not yet tried to do this myself, that this means you can at least go online long enough to get the update.  No word yet on whether the actual Playstation Network, the Playstation Store, support for third-party titles (such as CoD or DC Universe Online) or any other media (Netflix) is available at the moment, but since the only thing mentioned in the tweet was the update, it's pretty safe to say that there is nothing else working at the moment.

For Canadian subscribers to Netflix who only have a PS3, don't forget to pay your April and May recurring amounts to them...after all, think of all the streamed Netflix content you've been able to watch since April 20th!

May 10, 2011

Sony Trying To Get Back Online

That's the current word, straight from the Washington Post.  It appears Sony is going to attempt to get the network back up and running by the end of May.  Since the damn thing's been down since April 20th, that means an entire month plus of wasted money for anyone who was playing DC Universe Online, including yours truly.

And since they noticed unusual activity on April 19th, didn't shut down the service for an entire day, and then took until the 26th to admit that they fucked up royally, I have to say I'm fairly pissed off here.

I've already posted information on the Canadian lawsuit applying for class action status, and here's the US lawsuit info:  It was filed by Kristopher Johns, and is also seeking class action status.  Given the situation, I expect both lawsuits will be granted said status, and then we can all hop aboard the "What The Fuck Were You Thinking" train.

And if Sony really thinks that a couple of free movies and 30 days of free Playstation Plus is going to mollify 100 million subscribers...well, it's up to each and every one of us to disavow their notion of what is just.  Last time I checked, I was already a Playstation Plus member, and I buy movies, I don't rent them.  Sorry, Sony, you're going to have to do a hell of a lot better for me to remain a customer.  Start backing up that money truck; just because you haven't 'noticed' anyone using the information that was stolen 'so far' does not mean it won't be used, nor that it hasn't been used already and your company is just too 'useless' to see it.

May 6, 2011

Sony Corporation Tries To Buy Goodwill

Okay, now this is getting kind of funny.  Turns out that Sony thinks it can get back in everyone's good books by offering every PS3 owner a 30 day membership to Playstation Plus, and give out some free entertainment downloads.  Oh, and if you're American (which is lovely for them, but really puts it's foot up the ass of the rest of us) you'll also get a special year-long security insurance policy in case the information stolen is indeed used to nefarious ends by the hackers that took it.

So my question is this:  What the fuck about the rest of us?  The public in general is fully aware that at least 1/4 of the people affected by this little security fiasco are NOT US CITIZENS!  In fact, it was been widely publicized both in my blog and across news outlets globally, that a lot of the 25 million additional accounts that were discovered in the second hack were from Europe!  We've even gone so far as to name countries!  So how exactly does this insurance of only the American users help the rest of us if our bank account balances or credit ratings suddenly change wildly overnight?

And I also have to ask exactly what the hell Sony, and Chief Executive Howard Stringer in particular, think giving people a 30 day membership is going to do when compared to the fact that our identities have the potential to be stolen globally?  How does this little buy-off compare to giving out our addresses, full names and birthdates, which as anyone out of high school will tell you is enough to create an entirely new version of a person and screw up their life for good?

Sony, get ready to catch the hardball which is the multinational lawsuit, coming soon to a Superior courthouse near you!  How's that for a free entertainment download?

May 4, 2011

The Sony Lawsuits Commence

As of yesterday, a minimum $1 Billion lawsuit was filed in Toronto on behalf of the more than 1 million Canadian Playstation and Qriocity members, as a result of the information stolen by the two hacks that have occurred in Sony Corporation's databases in the past two weeks.  One the courts have certified the lawsuit, if Sony doesn't settle this immediately, the case will go to court.  Last time I checked, the courts don't take too kindly to a corporation which gathers personal data witht he reassurance that the information will be kept extremely safe and secure, and then goes and screws up their own security measures and allows the information out into the public domain.

The fact that a lot of people are currently glossing over is that not only did the hackers get to the credit card and debit card information, but sine they also have a huge number of addresses, birthdates, full names and e-mail addresses, the chances of full-blown identity thefts on a worldwide scale is quite possible.  Worrying about one credit card or one bank account is worrisome; worrying that your entire life could be systematically destroyed by someone else's use of your entire identity is devastating.  Take it from someone who is living with a person whose very own sister has done this to her, saddling her with thousands of dollars in debts she never accrued, and destroying her chances of ever owning property, a vehicle, securing a loan, anything financial whatsoever, until her sister is brought to justice.  And this is with knowing where the bitch lives!  Imagine where your information is, right now, pick a country...and good luck with stopping the injustice that Sony's lack of security has brought to us all.

As of yet, there is no information on how to join this lawsuit, and of course I'm speaking solely to the Canadian lawsuit.  There is a US lawsuit in the works as well, and when information about joining either of them comes my way, as well as other international suits which are likely going to follow, I will post any and all contact information right here in one handy source.  It may span multiple posts, but that's the best I can do to keep everyone abreast of the progress being made.

Personally, I'm so sick of Sony's bullshit at this point that I doubt I'll even remotely consider buying another system from them in the future.  We're currently using the PS3 as a Blu-Ray player more than a game system anyway, and since dedicated Blu-Ray players can be bought for as little as $100 at Wal-Mart (yes, I know, with zero features, blah blah blah), I can rest assured that at least with them I don't have to worry about getting personal information stolen while I'm watching Harry Potter.

May 3, 2011

Second Sony Hack Worse Than Originally Thought

Well, once again we have a huge blow being dealt to the wonderful fanboys who still think Sony is the king of all gaming companies.  It has been announced that over 25 million PC users have had their personal information swiped by a second successful hack attempt on Monday, possibly leading to the theft of 10,700 direct debit records from European customers, and 12,700 non-US credit or debit card numbers.  That means us, Canada.

Investors are already saying that Sony botched the way they dealt with the first breach by not notifying customers and shutting down the network immediately, and suggest that they had nothing in place plan-wise in case a situation like this arose.  One also has to wonder exactly what the developers of certain titles that get major play over the internet (DC Universe Online ring any bells?) are likely to do when people have spent money for pay-for-play games and the network is not only down, but all their information is likely unsecured.  Sounds to me like Sony is in for more than a few lawsuits, some corporate, some class-action.

The funny thing is the comment I got when I mentioned last night that the PC network was shut down as well.  An anonymous poster complained that he didn't like the 360 because you have to pay an annual membership, and that he'd rather save his money for games.  I mentioned the following in a comment to his comment, but want to reiterate this here:  The cost of an annual membership to X-Box LIVE is approximately the same price as a new game on either the 360 or the PS3, and with it you already get access to piles of free downloads (themes, avatar items, demos of every arcade title and lots of disc game titles), videos, tips and tricks, previews (all of the last three you have to pay for on the PS3 as their Qore 'magazine' comes with a price) and, oh yes, they haven't threatened our personal information!  I'm sorry, but the PS3 doesn't have any titles good enough to want me to trade my credit card information to an identity thief for the opportunity to play them, and if your best argument is that you'd rather save your money for games on the PS3, then you obviously are too immature to realize that identity theft can ruin your entire future until it gets resolved.  That, and the PS3 has only a small handful of titles exclusive to the system that are worth owning in the first place.  If I can play a game on both the PS3 and the 360, I buy the 360 version each and every time, leaving the PS3 only about 3 franchises worth anything, and they aren't all that hot either.  "God Of War" had two good titles, then the graphics became the big story to the point that they almost rendered the third game unplayable, "Metal Gear Solid" is just a prettier re-hash of the previous titles in the series, and "Killzone" is a CoD knock-off that doesn't do it as well as the original.  Bad argument, sorry.

Paying the equivalent of the price of a game annually(and oftentimes they have deals that lower that cost even more) to ensure my information's confidentiality?  Priceless.

May 2, 2011

Sony Fails Again

In what appears to be the collapse of the Playstation empire, Sony has as of this morning shut down it's online PC gaming service, which means that there are now no Sony services online bar their own website.  There have been rumours that the Playstation Network for the PS3 would be regaining some services this week, but there is now every indication that this latest development throws it all up in the air.

A lot of people wonder if there is any connection between the fact that once the Playstation Network was shut down, suddenly the American forces had enough time on their hands to kill Bin Laden.  I'm just putting the idea out there...

April 26, 2011

Sony Announces Depth of Trouble With Playstation Network

Well, it seems as though something of what myself and others have been writing about has caused people at Sony to admit what has really been going on and come clean with how bad the hack done to them last week really is.

First off, a link to the press release detailing what I'm about to tell you, and that can be found here.

The press release confirms these tidbits:  The Network is indeed offline on purpose.  They are re-building the Network from the ground up.  People's passwords have been compromised.  People's account activity has been compromised.  People's addresses, phone numbers, real names and birthdates, and e-mail addresses have been compromised.

Oh, and yes, while it can't be confirmed (bullshit), it is possible that credit card information has also been compromised as well.

So, the basic upshot of all of this is, is that the speculation I personally have been doing over the past two days has in fact not been speculation at all; rather I've been leaking the truth before they've announced it.

They are also providing a 1-800 number for those in the States to ask them any further questions, like how much money from my Playstation Plus membership am I getting back as a result of your overwhelming fuck-up that has the potential to allow hundreds of people to have their identities stolen?  The number is provided here for your irate phone calls:  1-800-345-7669 

Frankly, I'm even more pissed off that they took so long to admit the depth of the problem when they certainly knew from the outset exactly how bad things were.  This just goes to show what those of us among us were aware of from the launch of the PS3:  Sony no longer gives a shit about it's customers.  You need proof?  Follow the link provided at the top of the page, and read how they gently tell us they've given out our information by not using a secure enough service.

I'll be playing the 360, come get me when this shit is over.