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Always-on? Not so fast.
In a stunning turnaround, Microsoft on Wednesday announced plans to change some of the controversial features and policies built into their upcoming Xbox One game console.
The news was first reported by Giant Bomb and later confirmed by Xbox head Don Mattrick, who posted a statement on the Xbox One website detailing changes coming to the two biggest thorns in the company’s side: required internet access for the system to work and their somewhat draconian approach to used game sales.
"Since unveiling our plans for Xbox One, my team and I have heard directly from many of you, read your comments and listened to your feedback," he wrote. "I would like to take the opportunity today to thank you for your assistance in helping us to reshape the future of Xbox One. You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today with games delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at your discretion is of incredible importance to you. Also important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world."

And you'll be able to do exactly that. From the site:
An internet connection will not be required to play offline Xbox One games
After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again. There is no 24 hour connection requirement and you can take your Xbox One anywhere you want and play your games, just like on Xbox 360.
Trade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc based games just like you do today
There will be no limitations to using and sharing games, it will work just as it does today on Xbox 360.
Boom.
To call the change in policy ‘surprising’ is an understatement. The Xbox One wasn’t just dreamed up yesterday -- this is a system the company has been working on for years. A company of Microsoft’s size isn’t often nimble enough to reverse course when things go south. Typically, that sort of response takes months. And to do so a week after a conference as big as E3? That’s shocking.
On the other hand, it couldn’t have been going worse for Microsoft. Gamers have been livid with Microsoft over what they believe to be unnecessary, anti-consumer tactics built into the Xbox One -- and Mattrick’s response to this outcry hasn't been particularly smooth, to put it mildly.
Sony, meanwhile, undercut the Xbox One’s price by $100 and took Microsoft to task over the policies, detailing for gamers how the PlayStation 4 wouldn’t require an internet connection and how used games could be sold freely. We all knew Microsoft was listening, but no one believed they’d actually follow through.
While this is undoubtedly great news for gamers, it’s doubly great news for GameStop. The video game retail giant’s stock jumped 6% in after-hours trading, which makes sense since GameStop derives a significant portion of its earnings through used game sales. Investors are clearly happy with the news.
The question, however, is whether gamers will be as quick to forgive.

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Beginning July 1, the Obama administration's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) wants truckers limited to driving 70 hours a week with mandatory "restart" periods--which would "include the predawn hours of two consecutive days" for rest.

Currently, commercial drivers are allowed to drive 82 hours a week.

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Governm...rucker-s-Hours

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Senators on Tuesday rejected building the 700 miles of double-tier border fencing Congress authorized just seven years ago, with a majority of the Senate saying they didn’t want to delay granting illegal immigrants legal status while the fence was being built.

The 54-39 vote to reject the fence shows the core of the immigration deal is holding. The vote broke mostly along party lines, though five Republicans, including Sen. Marco Rubio and the rest of the bill’s authors, voted against the fence, and two Democrats voted for it.

Republicans had offered the fence as a way to build the confidence of voters skeptical that the government will enforce its laws, but opponents said building more fencing is costly, would take too long, and shouldn’t be dictated by Washington.

“I think we should leave that to the best judgment of the Border Patrol,” said Sen. John McCain, one of the eight senators who wrote the immigration bill.

Sen. John Thune, South Dakota Republican, proposed the border fence amendment, which would have prevented the administration from granting any illegal immigrants legal status under the bill until at least 350 miles of double-tier fencing has been erected, and would withhold full citizenship rights until 700 total miles have been built.

Minutes after the border fence, senators also voted to weaken current law that requires the government to have biometric checks such as fingerprints or eye-scans for every visitor to the U.S. — a recommendation of the 9/11 commission that looked into the terrorist attacks on Washington and New York.

Senators said it is too expensive to check fingerprints at all air, land and sea ports of entry. Instead, the bill calls for photographic checks at air and sea ports, but excludes land ports.

“When is our federal government going to keep its promises when it comes to the issue of border security?” said Mr. Thune, the sponsor of the fence proposal.

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