This Chart Shows The Incredible Decline of 'Call Of Duty' On The PC

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-incredible-decline-of-call-of-duty-2013-11

While not as big as "Grand Theft Auto," the "Call Of Duty" franchise is one of the few series in video games that can be expected to have a smash hit with every release.

That holds true for the latest entry in the series, "Call of Duty: Ghosts." As Kotaku's Owen Good notes, retailers ordered a billion dollars worth of copies from Activision for the holiday season. On top of that, many copies will likely be sold in the digital stores available on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

There's only one place where the series seems to no longer thrive: the PC, the bastion of hardcore gamers and the platform where "Call of Duty" got its start in 2003.

Steam is a digital store and gaming platform created by Valve and embraced by most of the PC gaming community. Valve collects (with permission) a massive amount of data about gamers on its platform, including the specs of their systems and what they're playing. SteamGraph is a tool that lets you manipulate and look at that data.

Below is a chart of the number of active players over time for every entry in the series going back to "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2." As you can see, the peak number of active players has steadily declined with each release, falling over 60% in just three years.

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Step Inside Africa's First Underwater Hotel Room

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/africas-first-underwater-hotel-room-2013-11

Sleeping with the fishes just became a good thing.

Africa opened its first underwater hotel room this month, making it the second in the world. 

The room, at the Manta Resort on the Zanzibari island of Pemba, was designed by Swedish artist Mikael Genberg, who also built the first underwater hotel room in a lake in Sweden. The Manta Resort room sits 4 meters beneath the surface (that's just over 13 feet, three feet deeper than the room in the Swedish lake).

The three-tiered suite includes a roof deck, a landing deck at sea level with a lounge and bathroom, and of course the underwater bedroom surrounded by windows that afford a nearly 360-degree view of a nearby coral reef and dozens of species of fish. Anchor wires tether the structure to the sea floor.

A stay in the underwater hotel room goes for $900 a night as a single or $1,500 a night as a couple.

Starting from the top, guests can sunbathe on the bed of the roof deck, or stargaze in an area with almost non-existent light pollution.

The three-tiered underwater room is anchored to the sea floor with two cables.

The room sits just over thirteen feet deep in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Tanzania.

Here's t! he view from inside the underwater bedroom.

The windows are under-lit to offer a good view of the ocean at all times.

At night, the lights really show off the fishy inhabitants.

SEE ALSO: The 25 Best Hotels In The World

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The Booming Bottled Water Business Represents Everything That's Wrong With Government Regulation In China

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-water-story-shows-government-power-2013-11

The bottled water business has boomed in China as concerns about contaminated water sources persist.

Sales of bottled water are expected to surge to $16 billion by 2017, from $9 billion last year, according to Euromonitor International.

"This water story illustrates how much China's economy is distorted by unhealthy government power," writes Andy Xie, independent economist and former Morgan Stanley chief Asia-Pacific economist, in Caixin Online.

Environmental pollution has caused people to eschew tap water for bottled water. Xie attributes the pollution to the local governments' desire to draw in investment, as turning a blind eye to the pollution lowers production costs. From Xie:

"As demand for bottled water grows, of course, it is an investment opportunity, too. Hence, the safety of bottled water becomes an issue. If one is willing to sacrifice the environment to attract investment, why not lower the standards for bottled water? That is indeed a serious issue. Consumers have to guess which bottled water is safe.

"A further story is how bottled water has become a source of revenue. As some suppliers have become successful in the market, governments find it more profitable to tax them. Hence, the price of bottled water is rising."

This additional revenue also goes toward investment, as local governments have thus far focused on feeding the beast and meeting GDP targets.

The bottom line according to Xie, is that all of this is done to "satisfy the government," and the real reform that China needs is limited government control.

SEE ALSO: 7 Experts Identify The Best And Worst Things About China's Latest String Of Reforms

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Chrome OS 32 beta makes it easier to find the right window

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/11/19/chrome-os-32-beta/

Windowing has been a familiar sight in Chrome OS for a while now, but it hasn't always been easy to find the window you're looking for. That search should be much quicker if you're running the just-launched Chrome OS 32 beta, though. The test release brings Vista-style window thumbnails when using Alt-Tab to switch tasks, and the overview button now shows an organized view of all those panes. Early adopters can get the beta today, although it's not currently available for either the original Acer C7 or the HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook.

Filed under: Software, Google

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Source: Chrome Releases

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Apple TV update adds Yahoo Screen and PBS apps

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/11/19/apple-tv-yahoo-screen-pbs-apps/

Yahoo's been working hard to include support for Apple services in its Screen iOS app, now it's gone one better and launched its video-discovery app on Apple TV. With an emphasis on comedy, Yahoo Screen has been designed to collate the best of web video, including clips from Saturday Night Live, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show, as well as live news, events and music. You'll also be able to browse trending videos and watch Yahoo Originals programming, which are delivered direct to your Apple TV without the need to AirPlay them across. AllThingsD reports that PBS has also quietly pushed a new app, letting users get their Nova, Frontline or Antiques Roadshow fix (older episodes of Downton Abbey will be available shortly after PBS begins re-airing seasons early next year). Today's update may only available to US users but Apple isn't being shy about broadening the number of Apple TV apps available across the globe.

Filed under: Internet, Software, HD, Apple

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Source: Yahoo Screen (Tumblr)

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