Greetings and salutations all, and welcome to Friday. We're going to make it a quick one -- I've been unexpectedly laid up with back pain this week so the whole Public Access machine has sort of ground to a halt. That means a lot of you have been waiting too long to hear back about articles and registrations, and my sincere apologies for that. So, let's get this party started so I can get back to all of you (very patient) folks!
A quick note for Public Access users: There have been some issues lately with members not understanding what constitutes plagiarism so let me clarify. Publishing work that belongs to someone else is plagiarism. Do not publish someone else's work under your name -- even if they are a friend and ask you to help them out because they are having computer problems, or say they've been waiting too long for an article to be approved, or have forgotten their login info. If you did not write it, and your name is on it, that is plagiarism and we will bounce you. If you want to quote something that someone else has written or said, then you need to use quotation marks around the text you did not write and cite the source with a mention and a link. As always, if you have questions you can email us or click the "Start Conversation" button within the story template.
Looking for something to read? Check out:
Richard Smith's first Public Access post walks us through his thoughts and opinions on the Google Pixel and Pixel XL handsets -- and it's a great example of a Public Access member giving their straightforward, unvarnished opinion on a new smartphone line.
Meanwhile, Matthew Finch gave us some insight onto how artificial intelligence and chatbots are impacting the future of health services by examining the partnership of Google's DeepMind with the National Health Service and how that partnership is improving patient autonomy.
Lastly, Jojo Roy contributed a thoughtful piece on our "heads down" world of technology consumption and absorption in the context of how digital game designers could change the culture by creating games that provide novel social experiences that foster human togetherness.
Looking for something to write about? Mull over:
Five states have introduced "Right to repair" bills to help tech repair kiosks and shops get access to legit parts and official manuals. Should manufacturers make it easier for third-party shops to repair their products? Should the grey-area legalities around authorized parts simply be clarified to protect them? Or should companies do better in providing customers with authorized repair centers?
Sophocles said "I would prefer even to fail with honor than win by cheating." Apparently over six thousand Pokémon Sun and Moon players feel differently, as the company recently put the smack down on those who had been using modified save files. So...What's the best way for a gaming company to catch and punish cheaters?
Sean Buckley is not a fan of the PlayStation Store's 'minimum funding' charges, even going so far as to declare the practice "anti-consumer" (although to be fair he also admits he might just be a whiner). There were plenty of folks in the comments who agreed or disagreed with both his claim, and his opinion, so we thought we'd throw it open to you: Is the PlayStation Store's minimum funds practice a minor quibble or a pain in the ass? Why or why not? And should the company end or upgrade these policies?