Webcomics from Agent-X Comics

Ousted as mayor

Ousted as mayor published on 6 Comments on Ousted as mayor

An example of how cheating in Foursquare can really suck!

People cheat on Foursquare.

There – I said it.And let’s no longer pretend that “it wasn’t me!”
We have all logged in somewhere that we were not physically at, either to keep a mayorship, to get points or just out of curiosity.

But why would we stoop so low?
Because Foursquare is a game and the people who are active on it (ie: playing it) WANT TO WIN.
They want to have the most points & be Mayor of a location.
But not everyone goes out 5 nights a week and swans about visiting coffee shops and stores all day. So, they compensate.

In every game, people will find ways to cheat. It is inevitable.
We publicly post the cheats to computer games and proudly claim that we found them, so why should Foursquare, Gowalla or Loopt be any different? They are kind of like a computer game after all.

Users are getting so upset, that they have even created a Foursquare Etiquette guide.
There is even a site created already, to shame foursquare cheaters.

But perhaps Foursquare and the other geo-location apps have left the cheating options available so that the very studious among us can find them?
Thereby, increasing activity and cleverly promoting a growth in both the user base numbers, as well as the amount of place listings added to the database.
If so, this would be a very smart move, in my opinion.

As well, letting cheats exploit the system for a little while also allows these applications to easily identify and close the holes once they deem it necessary. Again, a smart move.

So, next time you see a way to cheat, why not share it? Make it public and help the service grow.

They we can focus on the real issue with these applications – Stupid users who add their own house as a location and then complain when strangers check in there and know what their address is.
(Small tip to those users – If you don’t want strangers knowing your address, don’t put it online)

Spam droid

Spam droid published on 3 Comments on Spam droid

This explains why R2D2 looks like a spammers user name!

What I would like to know, is why in the future (or the StarWars Universe – whichever comes first) the bots don’t just wander around prompting people to buy stuff. It seems as if as soon as we free the bots from their restrictive programming forms, and give they shiny metal bodies to ram in, they just give up trying to scam us.

Well I, for one, am just not buying that!

I imagine our future world as one where robots roam freely, but humans cower in fear, because the ‘bots are continuously asking them to sign up for services they don’t need.
Mechanoids are tapping complete strangers on the shoulder to announce they may already have one a million dollars in the Spanish Lottery.
Automatons loiter on street corners, telling heart-wrenching stories of their Nigerian Prince master, who needs a friendly soul to assist him to get his billions of dollars out of the country.
And Vend-Bots download stuff you don’t need along with the product you *thought* you were getting.

Yes, A rich, adventure filled future, full of robotic fun and excitement.
And of course, I will have a JETPACK! YEAH!


It has been really hot here in Australia this week, so I also wanted to share this chilling vision of the possible future, from the 1950’s. Little did they know, just how right their predictions would be…..

Enjoy!

Disconnection

Disconnection published on 12 Comments on Disconnection

Another example of the generation gap in action.

As you grow up, you are exposed to technological changes almost unconsciously.
Sure, your parents may talk about their brand new appliance or electronic gadget, and you may also recall these occasions when you are older.

As you grow up, exposed to these technological advances, you become so accustomed to what they offer, that you assume that what you know is just how things should be.

By the time my children are adults, they will just take for granted things like wireless internet, cable/satellite TV, in-car navigation devices, social networking, blogging and mobile phones which are actually more personal computer than just a phone.

Already, when my son speaks on my iPhone, he looks at the screen, trying to see the person at the other end.
And why shouldn’t he? In a few years, video calling will be the norm, rather than the exception.

I think that is some ways, taking the current technology for granted is good for the children of today.
Let them get comfortable enough with it all, so that they focus on improving it and taking us even further along the path of modern technological marvels.

Yet, part of me also believes in the old adage “You don’t know where you are going if you don’t know where you have been”.

So, I am a little torn in exactly which side of the fence I sit on.
I will teach my children about what came before, in order for them to understand where they are, much better.

But overall, all I really want is for them to be safe and happy.
Oh, and a flying car, because traffic should be a thing of the past by now.

CSI : Google

CSI : Google published on 4 Comments on CSI : Google

Will this CSI show be the lamest of them all?

As nearly everyone on the planet already knows, there are three CSI shows going already, as well the Law & Order / SVU types shows, which really go hand in hand with them.

These shows are popular, but I would challenge you to find someone who is not expecting, in the back of thier mind, to see another one pop up in the near future.

As it is, the shows are shown in 200 countries with an audience of around 2 billion people.
They have had a large cultural impact, creating what has been termed “the CSI Effect“. This effect has created many situations in which juries often have unreasonable expectations of real-life forensics because of what they have seen on CSI.

However the CSI effect has a negative side too.
Criminals are learning form the shows, and are frequently covering up evidence that could be used to trace them

Due to all these shows, the numbers of people looking to study forensic science, has jumped dramatically worldwide.
All of these future Crime Scene Investigators are expecting the job to be just as glamorous and challenging as they see on TV.

Well, since I have a background in science, and also have friends involved in Forensics, I can tell you that they are all in for a serious shock.
Most of the time, these crimes are solved by labwork. And the ones doing the labwork are scientists.

Forensic Science is what it is called, and there is a good reason for that.
IT IS SCIENCE. You wear a lab coat, measure with pipettes, prepare agar samples and look at specimens under a microscope.
Of course, there are some exciting times too –  like burning stuff with a Bunsen flame, or when you unevenly balance samples in the centrifuge. (Science guys will know what THAT is all about)

But, you are not going to be running around, being the one who finds the single stray hair or miniscule drop of blood, which cracks the case. And even if you do, you won’t get the recognition. That goes to the Law Enforcement Officer who in charge of the case.

So, just be warned (again) that Television is NOT real life.
Real life is more boring and has less close-ups.

Content Footer

Page Footer