Friday, November 4, 2011
Girl cries in bioshock infinite Behind the scenes
Its really interesting to see how the Voice actors do the work they do and to see the people behind the voices this video is worth a watch
The Humble Voxatron Debut
I have bought every single humble bundle
from their site
"Pay what you want. If you bought these games separately it would cost around $25 but we are letting you set the price.
All of the games work great on Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Be the first to tackle Voxatron -- a voxel-based, old-school-gone-new platform shooter. Pick up your trusty pea gun and shoot your way through more than twenty challenging areas. The included Voxde level editor grants you the ability to create mind-blowing new environments to share with the world. And, as a customer of the Humble Voxatron Debut, you'll receive access to all of Lexaloffle's future updates to Voxatron.
Dive into a twisted basement dungeon in The Binding of Isaac. Get ready for a delicious brew of randomly generated, Legend of Zelda-esque dungeons; Robotron-esque run-and-gun; and action-RPG progression. The recently launched Halloween update adds a ton of content -- a new chapter, new bosses, new enemies, new items, a new character, a new ending, and more!
Learn new tricks with tetrominoes in Blocks That Matter. In this award-winning, charismatic, platform-puzzler mashup, you play as the Tetrobot, a plucky robotic drill that assimilates blocks of varying materials and properties, like sand, wood, stone, obsidian, iron, and diamond. After absorbing blocks, you’ll need to recreate them in various tetromino-shaped patterns to solve puzzles and traverse levels.
You can support charity. Choose exactly how your purchase is divided: between the developers, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the Child's Play Charity. Also, if you like this deal, a tip to the Humble Bundle itself would be much appreciated!"
http://www.humblebundle.com/
Thursday, November 3, 2011
New GTA Will be the "Largest and Most Ambitious" Yet
Rejoice, ye claustrophobics. Rockstar has confirmed that the Grand Theft Auto series is returning to the fictional state of San Andreas, and promises that the upcoming GTA V will be the "biggest and most ambitious" game in the franchise.
Specifically, the game is taking place in the city of Los Santos - the starting city from GTA: San Andreas - and its "surrounding hills, countryside and beaches." The press release from Rockstar makes no mention of San Fierro or Las Venturas, the other two cities present in San Andreas, and they don't appear to feature in the recent trailer. It seems GTA V has a narrower scope than its well-regarded PS2 predecessor, but this doesn't necessarily mean the game area will be smaller. GTA IV technically took place in the same city as GTA 3, yet the environment was several times larger thanks to a current-gen redesign.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/114022-New-GTA-Will-be-the-Largest-and-Most-Ambitious-Yet
Thursday, September 22, 2011
minecraft in spaaaaace!
check out this game its minecraft with 100% more space
http://www.zanmgt.com/Projects/BlockadeRunner.aspx
its early alpha right now and its following in the great minecrafts footsteps
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Toyota sued for a drunken English soccer hooligan with an anger problem
A California woman has been given permission to sue Toyota over a bizarre advertising campaign that led her to believe she was being stalked by a drunken English soccer hooligan with an anger problem and a pit bull.
Back in 2009, Amber Duick received a phone call from a man claiming to be Sebastian Bowler, a 25-year-old English soccer fan who was on a road-trip across the U.S. He'd be at her house in a few days, he said, with plans to stay "til it all blows over," which struck her as rather odd because she had absolutely no idea who he was. Other emails followed, including one about some trouble he'd had at a motel, followed by another from the manager of said hotel which included a bill for a television Bowler had smashed and for which she was now responsible.
Duick, understandably, was pretty freaked out, until she received one final email linking to a video explaining that she'd been "punked" - a term I loathe, by the way, with every fiber of my being - as part of the "Your Other You" ad campaign for the Toyota Matrix. Bowler didn't exist; he was one of five fictional characters created for the campaign who would make phone calls and send text messages, emails and videos to unsuspecting consumers. The campaign was aimed at "20-something males," which advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi LA determined "loves to punk their friends," and someone had signed Duick up for it.
Once the truth came out, she was no longer freaked - she was pissed. She sued Toyota, Saatchi & Saatchi and 50 individuals associated with the campaign, seeking $10 million for "intentional infliction of emotional distress; unfair, unlawful and deceptive trade practices; and negligent misrepresentation, among other things."
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/113073-Bizarre-Advertising-Prank-Lands-Toyota-In-Trouble
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
check out my video game reviews!
http://tldrreviews.blogspot.com/
ive started reviewing video games check it out and let me know what you think =)
http://tldrreviews.blogspot.com/
ive started reviewing video games check it out and let me know what you think =)
http://tldrreviews.blogspot.com/
Friday, April 15, 2011
Update to Portal 2 early release date
Valve is giving us a chance to launch Portal 2 early!
http://www.aperturescience.com/glados@home/
LIST OF POTATOES !
https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1vPutCkoZKA9XL5ZjSuNXfX8NfoeHW3xcrv7DgalKUfE
Remember the Potato Sack? GlaDOS is apparently drawing "power" from computers playing games in the potato sack. For every collective 48 hours for one particular game, that game's "power bar" goes up by 1%. And Steam needs to record you actually playing the game - just leaving something idling in the background does not contribute.
The potatoes we all frantically collected can still be collected - in fact, you are a major contributor if you even collect one potato in one game. Potatoes multiply that game's particular power, so if, say, you gathered 5 potatoes in Audiosurf and one in Bit.TRIP BEAT, you'd be multiplying EVERYONE's efforts in Audiosurf by 6x and BIT.TRIP BEAT by 2x.
Some people seem to think that launching multiple games is a good idea. This is in fact, not helping at all, because Steam only records keyboard activity in games launched through Steam, not through external launching.
http://www.aperturescience.com/glados@home/
LIST OF POTATOES !
https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1vPutCkoZKA9XL5ZjSuNXfX8NfoeHW3xcrv7DgalKUfE
Remember the Potato Sack? GlaDOS is apparently drawing "power" from computers playing games in the potato sack. For every collective 48 hours for one particular game, that game's "power bar" goes up by 1%. And Steam needs to record you actually playing the game - just leaving something idling in the background does not contribute.
The potatoes we all frantically collected can still be collected - in fact, you are a major contributor if you even collect one potato in one game. Potatoes multiply that game's particular power, so if, say, you gathered 5 potatoes in Audiosurf and one in Bit.TRIP BEAT, you'd be multiplying EVERYONE's efforts in Audiosurf by 6x and BIT.TRIP BEAT by 2x.
Some people seem to think that launching multiple games is a good idea. This is in fact, not helping at all, because Steam only records keyboard activity in games launched through Steam, not through external launching.
Get Portal 2 released early
GlaDoS has finally relived her self as the end of Valves ARG has come, giving players the chance to force the game to release early by playing the potato sack indie games.
to see the progress go to this link
http://www.aperturescience.com/glados@home/
To join the IRC and help the effort click here
to see the progress go to this link
http://www.aperturescience.com/glados@home/
To join the IRC and help the effort click here
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Get the Bulletstorm Soundtrack! FREE!
From epic
"They call it a blood symphony for a reason. If you love Bulletstorm like we do, you’ll have noticed the awesome soundtrack. And since our fans are pretty much the best in the whole universe — space pirates included — we thought we’d provide a free download of the Bulletstorm soundtrack in all its glory.
That’s right. Free. No skillshots required. You’re welcome."
http://epicgames.com/community/2011/04/fan-freebies-get-the-bulletstorm-soundtrack/
"They call it a blood symphony for a reason. If you love Bulletstorm like we do, you’ll have noticed the awesome soundtrack. And since our fans are pretty much the best in the whole universe — space pirates included — we thought we’d provide a free download of the Bulletstorm soundtrack in all its glory.
That’s right. Free. No skillshots required. You’re welcome."
http://epicgames.com/community/2011/04/fan-freebies-get-the-bulletstorm-soundtrack/
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
BioShock Infinite Contest Promises to Immortalize Your Name
Irrational Games wants to name one of BioShock Infinite's emporiums after you.
There are only so many names to go around, and Irrational Games needs yours to help with the development of BioShock Infinite. A new contest will reward entrants with a permanent part in the game's world.
Irrational's aptly named "Get Your Name in the Game" promotion reveals that certain establishments in BioShock, such as Sinclair Spirits and Robertson's Tobaccoria, were named after studio staff. Now, the company wants to do the same, but with fans.
Anyone that wants to submit their names should go here and do so by April 13 at 11:59pm Eastern Time. Irrational says that accepted names will be used for "a building, a character, a business-whatever our artists come up with."
Whoever gets to be a surly bartender is one lucky fan. That, and perhaps a crazy, glowing-eyed politician or the owner of a fiery grocery, as seen in BioShock Infinite's gameplay trailer. Just remember that Columbia needs button-makers too
'
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109132-BioShock-Infinite-Contest-Promises-to-Immortalize-Your-Name
There are only so many names to go around, and Irrational Games needs yours to help with the development of BioShock Infinite. A new contest will reward entrants with a permanent part in the game's world.
Irrational's aptly named "Get Your Name in the Game" promotion reveals that certain establishments in BioShock, such as Sinclair Spirits and Robertson's Tobaccoria, were named after studio staff. Now, the company wants to do the same, but with fans.
Anyone that wants to submit their names should go here and do so by April 13 at 11:59pm Eastern Time. Irrational says that accepted names will be used for "a building, a character, a business-whatever our artists come up with."
Whoever gets to be a surly bartender is one lucky fan. That, and perhaps a crazy, glowing-eyed politician or the owner of a fiery grocery, as seen in BioShock Infinite's gameplay trailer. Just remember that Columbia needs button-makers too
'
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109132-BioShock-Infinite-Contest-Promises-to-Immortalize-Your-Name
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
China Bans Time travel in movies and television lol
Tired of the frivolous treatment being given to the serious business of history, the Chinese government has imposed a ban on movies and television shows about time travel.
Time travel is apparently all the rage in Chinese films and television these days, typically in the form of fish-out-of-water tales about modern folk transported back to the past, where they must adjust to life without the everyday conveniences they've come to take for granted while finding true love and resolving some previously intractable historical brouhaha. It goes without saying that hilarity ensues.
It also goes without saying that the government of China is not down with hilarity, especially when it comes to weighty matters like history. So at the Television Director Committee Meeting on April 1, which apparently was an entirely coincidental date, the General Bureau of Radio, Film and Television declared that no more history-warping dramas will be permitted.
"The time-travel drama is becoming a hot theme for TV and films. But its content and the exaggerated performance style are questionable," the committee decreed. "Many stories are totally made-up and are made to strain for an effect of novelty. The producers and writers are treating the serious history in a frivolous way, which should by no means be encouraged anymore."
There's a little confusion about whether all such time-traveling movies are verboten or just ones that don't treat famous Chinese historical figures with sufficient respect, although I'm having a hard time imagining how you'd reconcile one with the other anyway. I don't think you can say "this is my boomstick" in any language without it sounding most non-triumphant.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109096-China-Bans-Time-Travel-Movies
Time travel is apparently all the rage in Chinese films and television these days, typically in the form of fish-out-of-water tales about modern folk transported back to the past, where they must adjust to life without the everyday conveniences they've come to take for granted while finding true love and resolving some previously intractable historical brouhaha. It goes without saying that hilarity ensues.
It also goes without saying that the government of China is not down with hilarity, especially when it comes to weighty matters like history. So at the Television Director Committee Meeting on April 1, which apparently was an entirely coincidental date, the General Bureau of Radio, Film and Television declared that no more history-warping dramas will be permitted.
"The time-travel drama is becoming a hot theme for TV and films. But its content and the exaggerated performance style are questionable," the committee decreed. "Many stories are totally made-up and are made to strain for an effect of novelty. The producers and writers are treating the serious history in a frivolous way, which should by no means be encouraged anymore."
There's a little confusion about whether all such time-traveling movies are verboten or just ones that don't treat famous Chinese historical figures with sufficient respect, although I'm having a hard time imagining how you'd reconcile one with the other anyway. I don't think you can say "this is my boomstick" in any language without it sounding most non-triumphant.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109096-China-Bans-Time-Travel-Movies
Global Agenda goes free to play
While Hi-Rez is hard at work at Tribes Ascend, they haven't forgotten about Global Agenda either. Have you?
If you have, maybe you'll be happy to know that the MMO shooter will go free-to-play through a mid-April 'Free Agent' 1.4 update. The update adds a 'Dome Defense Raid' for high-level content, a Capture The Flag styled Mercenary PvP mode with pilotable robots (!), revised skill-trees and some other changes.
Although you'll be able to play for free with no level restriction and access to all playable content, you can also pay a one-time fee ($19.99/£13,99/€15,99) to get double XP earnings, credits and tokens, as well as access to things like the Auction House and in-game mail. Really not a bad deal if you ask me, and free-to-play has done wonders to MMOs like Lord of the Rings Online before.
Check below for a full description of the free-to-play and paid user differences.
Free-to-Play
No Level Restriction
Ability to earn all of the game’s current items without spending real money.
Access to all of the game’s current playable content, including:
Sonoran Desert Open Zone
Special Ops PvE (1- to 4-person Co-Op)
10v10 Mercenary PvP
4v4 Arena PvP
Double Agent PvPE
10-person Defense Raids (including the new Dome Defense Mission coming in version 1.4).
Agency vs Agency Gameplay (AvA)
Elite Agent - One-time purchase of $19.99/£13,99/€15,99
Earn End-of-Mission XP at twice the rate of a Free-to-Play user
Earn End-of-Mission Credits and Tokens at twice the rate of a Free-Play user
Earn End-of-Mission Elite Loot upon winning an instanced PvE or PvP match
Choose which PvP gametypes you would like to play when queuing for Mercenary PvP.
Access the Auction House
Access In-Game Mail
Less restrictive chat capabilities
No ads for in-game voice
Ability to create Agencies
Higher Login priority
http://www.destructoid.com/global-agenda-goes-free-to-play-198345.phtml
If you have, maybe you'll be happy to know that the MMO shooter will go free-to-play through a mid-April 'Free Agent' 1.4 update. The update adds a 'Dome Defense Raid' for high-level content, a Capture The Flag styled Mercenary PvP mode with pilotable robots (!), revised skill-trees and some other changes.
Although you'll be able to play for free with no level restriction and access to all playable content, you can also pay a one-time fee ($19.99/£13,99/€15,99) to get double XP earnings, credits and tokens, as well as access to things like the Auction House and in-game mail. Really not a bad deal if you ask me, and free-to-play has done wonders to MMOs like Lord of the Rings Online before.
Check below for a full description of the free-to-play and paid user differences.
Free-to-Play
No Level Restriction
Ability to earn all of the game’s current items without spending real money.
Access to all of the game’s current playable content, including:
Sonoran Desert Open Zone
Special Ops PvE (1- to 4-person Co-Op)
10v10 Mercenary PvP
4v4 Arena PvP
Double Agent PvPE
10-person Defense Raids (including the new Dome Defense Mission coming in version 1.4).
Agency vs Agency Gameplay (AvA)
Elite Agent - One-time purchase of $19.99/£13,99/€15,99
Earn End-of-Mission XP at twice the rate of a Free-to-Play user
Earn End-of-Mission Credits and Tokens at twice the rate of a Free-Play user
Earn End-of-Mission Elite Loot upon winning an instanced PvE or PvP match
Choose which PvP gametypes you would like to play when queuing for Mercenary PvP.
Access the Auction House
Access In-Game Mail
Less restrictive chat capabilities
No ads for in-game voice
Ability to create Agencies
Higher Login priority
http://www.destructoid.com/global-agenda-goes-free-to-play-198345.phtml
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Guess what it Rains in Minecraft 1.5 and It Snows!
Like the tittle says In minecraft update 1.5 it will add weather ! personally I am looking forward to this Also there is rumors that the mod Pistons is going to be made part of the core game
"We’ve been working on finishing up Achievements and Statistics for 1.5, I ran into some issues with JSON, got frustrated, and added weather instead. Developing new features like that is what I enjoy doing the most, so I ended up covering a lot of ground. There’s periodic downfall (snow in snowy areas, rain in others, nothing in deserts) that make the sky darker, hides the sun, moon and stars, and makes everything wet. Ice grows back in cold regions, and snowfall covers the ground when it’s snowing. During rain/snow, there can be occasional thunderstorms with lightning. I haven’t finished the actual lightning bolt yet, but everything else is fairly done.
Once the stats are done and the weather has been tested through, we’ll release 1.5. I’m guessing this will be next week. The piston mod might get added, but it will not be in time for 1.5."
"We’ve been working on finishing up Achievements and Statistics for 1.5, I ran into some issues with JSON, got frustrated, and added weather instead. Developing new features like that is what I enjoy doing the most, so I ended up covering a lot of ground. There’s periodic downfall (snow in snowy areas, rain in others, nothing in deserts) that make the sky darker, hides the sun, moon and stars, and makes everything wet. Ice grows back in cold regions, and snowfall covers the ground when it’s snowing. During rain/snow, there can be occasional thunderstorms with lightning. I haven’t finished the actual lightning bolt yet, but everything else is fairly done.
Once the stats are done and the weather has been tested through, we’ll release 1.5. I’m guessing this will be next week. The piston mod might get added, but it will not be in time for 1.5."
Elderly Woman Pokes Cable, Cuts Internet Access in Three Countries
A senior citizen inadvertently cut the internet access of three countries while digging with a spade shovel.
Some citizens of the former Soviet Union make money by digging for unused copper cables and selling them as scrap. A 75-year-old woman from Georgia was doing just that when she accidentally hit and damaged a fiber-optic cable, cutting off internet access for millions of people in three different countries.
The Guardian reports that the woman did the deed with a simple spade shovel. Georgia provides 90% of neighboring Armenia's internet, so her mistake left 3.2 million citizens of the country without internet access. In addition, areas of Georgia and Azerbaijan were also taken offline.
A system monitoring damage notified authorities who arrived shortly after the woman hit the cable. They arrested her on suspicion of damaging property, but she was temporarily released for "old age." She could face up to three years in prison.
The cable is reportedly "heavily protected," but may have been exposed due to landslides, rain, or other natural factors. I'm going to go ahead and say that if a 75-year-old digging with a dinky shovel could damage it, it wasn't "heavily protected," unless I'm missing something here. Then again, maybe the woman had been playing a lot of Minecraft.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109051-Elderly-Woman-Pokes-Cable-Cuts-Internet-Access-in-Three-Countries
Some citizens of the former Soviet Union make money by digging for unused copper cables and selling them as scrap. A 75-year-old woman from Georgia was doing just that when she accidentally hit and damaged a fiber-optic cable, cutting off internet access for millions of people in three different countries.
The Guardian reports that the woman did the deed with a simple spade shovel. Georgia provides 90% of neighboring Armenia's internet, so her mistake left 3.2 million citizens of the country without internet access. In addition, areas of Georgia and Azerbaijan were also taken offline.
A system monitoring damage notified authorities who arrived shortly after the woman hit the cable. They arrested her on suspicion of damaging property, but she was temporarily released for "old age." She could face up to three years in prison.
The cable is reportedly "heavily protected," but may have been exposed due to landslides, rain, or other natural factors. I'm going to go ahead and say that if a 75-year-old digging with a dinky shovel could damage it, it wasn't "heavily protected," unless I'm missing something here. Then again, maybe the woman had been playing a lot of Minecraft.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109051-Elderly-Woman-Pokes-Cable-Cuts-Internet-Access-in-Three-Countries
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Buy Dragon Age 2, Get Mass Effect 2 FREE
BioWare is offering a sweet deal to gamers who buy Dragon Age 2 before the end of April: a free, full copy of the the mega-hit RPG Mass Effect 2.
It's called "The BioWare Sequel Celebration," and it works like this. Everyone who buys a copy of Dragon Age 2 and activates its Online Pass content by April 30, 2011, will be given a code to enter at the BioWare Social Network. That code will make a digital copy of the PC version of Mass Effect 2 available through the EA Download Manager, absolutely free.
"Thanks to gamers like you, Dragon Age 2 is off to a great start - breaking the one million mark in less than two weeks and faster than Dragon Age: Origins," the company said. "We appreciate your support. As a special thank you for helping with the game's early success, BioWare would like to present you with a download code for 2010's Game of the Year, Mass Effect 2 on PC."
Naturally, there are a few catches. Dragon Age 2 owners are eligible for the free game regardless of the platform they purchased it on, but the giveaway is only for the PC version of Mass Effect 2. If you purchased a used copy of Dragon Age 2, you must purchase and install the Online Pass content separately in order to get the free game, and the offers ends at 11:59 pm PDT, no exceptions - so if you snooze, you lose. And finally, the Mass Effect 2 freebie does not include Cerberus Network content, like the Hammerhead hovercraft and the supremely cool Zaeed Massani, so if you want that you'll have to pick it up separately as well.
But a full copy of one of last year's biggest releases, totally free, just for buying a game you were probably going to pick up anyway? No matter how you look at it, that's pretty awesome stuff. A lot of BioWare fans may already own Mass Effect 2 but for those who don't, this is one seriously sweet deal. Full "BioWare Sequel Celebration" details and instructions on how to get your own free copy of Mass Effect 2 are available at the BioWare Social Network.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109015-Buy-Dragon-Age-2-Get-Mass-Effect-2-Free
It's called "The BioWare Sequel Celebration," and it works like this. Everyone who buys a copy of Dragon Age 2 and activates its Online Pass content by April 30, 2011, will be given a code to enter at the BioWare Social Network. That code will make a digital copy of the PC version of Mass Effect 2 available through the EA Download Manager, absolutely free.
"Thanks to gamers like you, Dragon Age 2 is off to a great start - breaking the one million mark in less than two weeks and faster than Dragon Age: Origins," the company said. "We appreciate your support. As a special thank you for helping with the game's early success, BioWare would like to present you with a download code for 2010's Game of the Year, Mass Effect 2 on PC."
Naturally, there are a few catches. Dragon Age 2 owners are eligible for the free game regardless of the platform they purchased it on, but the giveaway is only for the PC version of Mass Effect 2. If you purchased a used copy of Dragon Age 2, you must purchase and install the Online Pass content separately in order to get the free game, and the offers ends at 11:59 pm PDT, no exceptions - so if you snooze, you lose. And finally, the Mass Effect 2 freebie does not include Cerberus Network content, like the Hammerhead hovercraft and the supremely cool Zaeed Massani, so if you want that you'll have to pick it up separately as well.
But a full copy of one of last year's biggest releases, totally free, just for buying a game you were probably going to pick up anyway? No matter how you look at it, that's pretty awesome stuff. A lot of BioWare fans may already own Mass Effect 2 but for those who don't, this is one seriously sweet deal. Full "BioWare Sequel Celebration" details and instructions on how to get your own free copy of Mass Effect 2 are available at the BioWare Social Network.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109015-Buy-Dragon-Age-2-Get-Mass-Effect-2-Free
Feeding Kids meat Is child abuse ? LOL peta
you don't have to be a genius to work out which organisation claims that allowing your child to eat meat is child abuse. You probably thought of them as soon as you read the topic's subject.
Correct! It's PETA!
I know we could make a library of all the posts that we have on PETA, but I was rather bemused when I read about them in a Scottish newspaper, I generally did not know that they had an influence in the UK (especially not Scotland).
In Edinburgh, PETA put up a billboard claiming that feeding your child meat is abuse...
Article: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/health-news/2011/04/02/outrage-over-animal-rights-group-s-meat-is-child-abuse-billboard-86908-23032707/
This might sound familiar to you...Imagine my surprise when I searched for this topic and I did find a similar post - from 3 years ago:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.85741-Banned-PETA-Commercial?page=1
- Same thing but as a TV Advert.
(I tried to find it on YouTube but I couldn't, if you find it anywhere a link would be much appreciated)
The TV advert was banned in the states and the UK/Scottish would do well to do the same. I believe in free speech, but you got to have facts to back it up.
PETA are defending the billboard by claiming that they are tackling the city's childhood obesity problem.
I believe that NOT feeding your children meat would be closer to child abuse, and they are clearly hiding behind the obesity problem to 'save' their precious animals.
What do you think on the whole matter? Should it be taken down, or do you free speech should take priority here?
Monday, April 4, 2011
Zangief Kid: The Game
remember the kid that pile drove that little bully well look he has his on game now
http://www.zangiefkidthegame.com/
http://www.zangiefkidthegame.com/
planet side next!!!
Following the recent wave of layoffs at Sony Online Entertainment, it was pointed out that two new MMOs "based on the PlanetSide and Everquest properties" were safe from suffering the same fate as The Agency.
While PlanetSide Next is safe from cancellation, PlanetSide Universe spoke with SOE president John Smedley to learn more about the game's future. Smedley shared: "PlanetSide Next is getting more resources and will be out a little later in the year but we are pulling out all the stops to make it great."
So, a renewed focus on the new PlanetSide game and as a result of all the turmoil the game will be out a bit later, but will probably be all the better for it. Apparently more news will hit next week, according to the director of Global Community Relations.
http://www.destructoid.com/planetside-next-is-secure-but-has-been-delayed-198021.phtml
"We wanted to share this information with you all directly, rather than having you read about it on another site. What does this news mean for the squads of seasoned fighters in PlanetSide? There are few occasions when we see Vanu, NC and Terran all aligned in game, but we see it every day when we come to the PS forums or read about your campaigns in blogs, videos and other sites. We are listening; the community’s long-term and unflagging support of PlanetSide has ensured that it is one of the franchises that SOE will focus on going forward. I know that you’ve all seen a few cryptic and veiled messaged here and there regarding a new evolution of the game… while most of this development is still highly classified, we hope to bring you at least a few words from the Producer next week to whet your appetite and anticipation for the future.
~Linda “Brasse” Carlson
Director, Global Community Relations"
While PlanetSide Next is safe from cancellation, PlanetSide Universe spoke with SOE president John Smedley to learn more about the game's future. Smedley shared: "PlanetSide Next is getting more resources and will be out a little later in the year but we are pulling out all the stops to make it great."
So, a renewed focus on the new PlanetSide game and as a result of all the turmoil the game will be out a bit later, but will probably be all the better for it. Apparently more news will hit next week, according to the director of Global Community Relations.
http://www.destructoid.com/planetside-next-is-secure-but-has-been-delayed-198021.phtml
"We wanted to share this information with you all directly, rather than having you read about it on another site. What does this news mean for the squads of seasoned fighters in PlanetSide? There are few occasions when we see Vanu, NC and Terran all aligned in game, but we see it every day when we come to the PS forums or read about your campaigns in blogs, videos and other sites. We are listening; the community’s long-term and unflagging support of PlanetSide has ensured that it is one of the franchises that SOE will focus on going forward. I know that you’ve all seen a few cryptic and veiled messaged here and there regarding a new evolution of the game… while most of this development is still highly classified, we hope to bring you at least a few words from the Producer next week to whet your appetite and anticipation for the future.
~Linda “Brasse” Carlson
Director, Global Community Relations"
Sunday, April 3, 2011
why does nothing interesting happen on sunday?
tittle says it all why is sunday the most boring day? so here look elder scrolls penis finger pic I found on destructiod 
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play release date for US Rumors and more
A leaked information got to us about Sony Ericsson Xperia Play release date for US. According to Pocket-Lint guys, Verizon Wireless will plans to launch the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play in the US in mid-April.
“You should see the device landing mid-April,” said a Sony Ericsson product manager at a Verizon pre CTIA party.
Eventhough there is no exact release date but this information is more than enough for now. With Xperia play being released on April 1st in UK I think mid-April is quite reasonable time-frame for US release.
XperiaTM PLAY delivers the smartphone functionality that the most serious power users could need, teamed with the immersive gaming experience that any gamer would want.
In portrait mode, the Android smartphone offers all the benefits that users have come to expect from Sony Ericsson’s existing range of XperiaTM smartphones with best-in-class entertainment experiences, a great 5 megapixel camera, a brilliant 4” multi-touch screen and great social networking features.
However, slide out the gaming control and users enter a new world of immersive mobile gaming. The slide out game pad reveals a digital D pad, two analogue touch pads, two shoulder buttons and the four PlayStation icons: circle, cross, square and triangle. Qualcomm’s optimized Snapdragon processor with a 1Ghz CPU and embedded Adreno GPU graphics processor deliver silky smooth 60fps play-back 3D mobile gaming and Web browsing with minimal power consumption so Xperia PLAY users can enjoy long hours of battery life and game time.
Rikko Sakaguchi, Executive Vice President and Chief Creation Officer at Sony Ericsson commented: “Today is a very proud moment for Sony Ericsson as we bring something truly revolutionary to the market. Living up to our vision of Communication Entertainment, Xperia PLAY will forever change the way people think about smartphones and mobile gaming.
XperiaTM PLAY will run on Gingerbread (version 2.3), the latest version of Google’s AndroidTM platform. The XperiaTM PLAY will also be the first PlayStation Certified device. This means it will have access to PlayStation® game content provided through the PlayStation® Suite initiative,
Camera
5.1 megapixel camera
Auto focus
Flash / Photo light
Geo tagging
Image stabiliser
Send to web
Touch focus
Video light
Video recording
Video blogging
Music
Album art
Bluetooth™ stereo (A2DP)
Google™ Music Player
Music tones (MP3/AAC)
PlayNow™ service*
Sony Ericsson Music player
Stereo speakers
TrackID™ music recognition application
Internet
Android Market™*
Bookmarks
Google™ search*
Google™ Voice Search*
Pan & zoom
Web browser (Webkit)
Communication
Call list
Conference calls
Facebook™ application (from Android Market™)
Google™ Talk*
Noise Shield
Polyphonic ringtones
Speakerphone
Sony Ericsson Timescape™***
Twitter™ application (from Android Market™)
Vibrating alert
Messaging
Android Cloud to Device messaging (C2DM)
Conversations
Google Mail™*
Instant messaging
Picture messaging (MMS)
Predictive text input
Sound recorder
Text messaging (SMS)
Design
Auto rotate
Keyboard (onscreen, 12 key)
Keyboard (onscreen, QWERTY)
Picture wallpaper
Touchscreen
Wallpaper animation
Entertainment
3D games
Dedicated gaming keys
Flash Lite™
Gesture gaming
Motion gaming
Video streaming
YouTube™
Organiser
Alarm clock
Calculator
Calendar
Document editors
Document readers
E-Manual
Flight mode
Google Calendar™
Google Gallery 3D™
Infinite button
Phone book
Set-up Wizard
Widget manager
Connectivity
3.5 mm audio jack
aGPS
Bluetooth™ technology
DLNA Certified
Google Latitude™
Google Location Service
Google Maps™ with Street View
Media Transfer Protocol support
Micro USB Connector
Modem
Synchronisation via Facebook™**
Synchronisation via Google Sync™
Synchronisation via Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync®
Synchronisation via Sony Ericsson Sync
USB 2.0 high speed support
Wi-Fi™
Wi-Fi™ Hotspot functionality
* The service is not available in all markets.
** Requires Facebook™ application installed on the device.
Google™ services*
* These services may not be available in every market Android Market™ Client
Gmail™
Google Calendar™
Google Gallery 3D™
Google Latitude™
Google Maps™ with Street View
Google Media Uploader
Google Music Player™
Google Phone-top Search
Google Search widget
Google Sync™
Google Talk™
Google Voice Search
Set-up Wizard
YouTube™
Screen
16,777,216 colour TFT
Capacitive multi-touch
4 inches
480 x 854 pixels (FWVGA)
In-Box:
Xperia™ PLAY
Battery
Stereo portable handsfree
8GB microSD™ memory card
Charger
Micro USB cable for charging, synchronisation and file transfer
User documentation
Facts
Size: 119 x 62 x 16 mm
Weight: 175 grams
Phone memory: up to 400 MB
Memory card support: microSD™, up to 32 GB
Memory card included: 8GB microSD™
Operating system: Google™ Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
Processor: 1 GHz Scorpion ARMv7
Talk time and networks Networks
Talk time GSM/GPRS: Up to 8 hrs 25 min*
Standby time GSM/GPRS: Up to 425 hrs*
Talk time UMTS: Up to 6 hrs 25 min*
Standby time UMTS: Up to 413 hrs*
Talk time CDMA2000®: Up to 7 hrs 40 min*
Standby time CDMA2000®: Up to 405 hrs*
Game play time: Up to 5 hrs 35 min*
MP3 playback: Up to 30 hrs 35 min*
Networks
UMTS HSPA 800, 850, 1900, 2100
GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900
UMTS HSPA 900, 2100
GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900
CDMA2000®, cdmaOne, EVDO
Colour
Black
Friday, April 1, 2011
Horadric Cube app
You have quite a treasure there in that Horadric Cube app! Using this app, you can transform and recombine any number of other apps you drag into it. Use the Cube's transmute power, and the Cube's Horadric magic will change the existing apps into a new, potentially more powerful app. But beware! A terrible fate awaits those who do not heed the warnings contained within the ancient scrolls. You must not attempt to drag the cube into itself! No good can come of it! Seek out the disclaimer (section 2) for further information.
Features
Transmute your apps into new, more powerful ones
Ninja Birds? Not a problem. Skyndle? Sure, why not. Faceville? You got it!
Intuitive, user-friendly interface
Discover new recipes and share them with your friends via the built-in Chat Gem
Unlock the secrets of the Horadrim
http://us.blizzard.com/diablo3/media/horadrapp/
Features
Transmute your apps into new, more powerful ones
Ninja Birds? Not a problem. Skyndle? Sure, why not. Faceville? You got it!
Intuitive, user-friendly interface
Discover new recipes and share them with your friends via the built-in Chat Gem
Unlock the secrets of the Horadrim
http://us.blizzard.com/diablo3/media/horadrapp/
Thursday, March 31, 2011
zero punctuation dragon age 2
personally I love these reviews i was going to post it on Wednesday but i forgot so here it is now
Spy MMO The Agency CANCELED
Sony Online Entertainment's innovative spy-themed MMO The Agency has been shelved in the restructuring announced today.
Sony first mentioned The Agency way back in 2007. A blend of shooter and stealth gameplay, the MMO was sometimes subtitled Covert Ops and featured an almost cartoonish feel similar to Valve's Team Fortress 2. The game would let you live out your James Bond fantasies as a spy working for one of two organizations that thankfully didn't seem to have a "good" or "bad" feel. The game was set to feature minigames like poker, which could then be used to unlock missions by winning or losing too much. Unfortunately, we will never be able to play a new and possibly innovative MMO because SOE announced today that The Agency is cancelled. Sony's Seattle studio where work on The Agency was headquartered, will close and unless positions can be found for its former employees in Austin, Texas, everyone who worked on the game is out of a job.
"As part of this restructuring, SOE is discontinuing production of The Agency so it can focus development resources on delivering two new MMOs based on its renowned PlanetSide and EverQuest properties, while also maintaining its current portfolio of online games," the statement from SOE read today.
"All possible steps are being taken to ensure team members affected by the transition are treated with appropriate concern," the statement continued.
I respect Sony's decision to try to remunerate the developers who have been working The Agency for at least 4 years, possibly much longer. Any company must make tough decisions if it is to survive, and it couldn't have been easy for SOE President John Smedley to pull the trigger on dumping three studios and laying off 205 people.
But in these times of WoW, the layoffs from Sony and the cancelling of The Agency only prove that companies making MMOs must make careful decisions in order to stay competitive.
And apparently that means focusing on EverQuest and making PlanetSide: Next.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/108899-Sony-Cancels-Spy-MMO-The-Agency
Sony first mentioned The Agency way back in 2007. A blend of shooter and stealth gameplay, the MMO was sometimes subtitled Covert Ops and featured an almost cartoonish feel similar to Valve's Team Fortress 2. The game would let you live out your James Bond fantasies as a spy working for one of two organizations that thankfully didn't seem to have a "good" or "bad" feel. The game was set to feature minigames like poker, which could then be used to unlock missions by winning or losing too much. Unfortunately, we will never be able to play a new and possibly innovative MMO because SOE announced today that The Agency is cancelled. Sony's Seattle studio where work on The Agency was headquartered, will close and unless positions can be found for its former employees in Austin, Texas, everyone who worked on the game is out of a job.
"As part of this restructuring, SOE is discontinuing production of The Agency so it can focus development resources on delivering two new MMOs based on its renowned PlanetSide and EverQuest properties, while also maintaining its current portfolio of online games," the statement from SOE read today.
"All possible steps are being taken to ensure team members affected by the transition are treated with appropriate concern," the statement continued.
I respect Sony's decision to try to remunerate the developers who have been working The Agency for at least 4 years, possibly much longer. Any company must make tough decisions if it is to survive, and it couldn't have been easy for SOE President John Smedley to pull the trigger on dumping three studios and laying off 205 people.
But in these times of WoW, the layoffs from Sony and the cancelling of The Agency only prove that companies making MMOs must make careful decisions in order to stay competitive.
And apparently that means focusing on EverQuest and making PlanetSide: Next.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/108899-Sony-Cancels-Spy-MMO-The-Agency
minecraft name change ! The new minecraft store!!!!!
http://www.minecraft.net/store/loot.jsp
Been waiting for a name change for awhile now since i didn't know my account name would be my in game name so bought that up already =D enjoy thinking about getting the mine helmet next the light on the helm will really help out
Been waiting for a name change for awhile now since i didn't know my account name would be my in game name so bought that up already =D enjoy thinking about getting the mine helmet next the light on the helm will really help out
Minecraft update 1.4 Goes live today!
Claimed by Mojang
* Added tameable wolves
* Added cookies
* Sleeping in a bed now resets your spawn position
* New Minecraft logo
* Holding shift while climbing will hang on to the ladder
* Spiders will no longer trample crops
* Lots and lots of infrastructure for Statistics lists and Achievements
While most of the code is written, statistics and achievements won’t show up until the next update. We didn’t quite have time to finish them this week, and didn’t want to delay the update longer.
Confirmed
Brown sheep!
Wolves!
Cocoa beans!
Attacked wolfs get
red eyes and hostile!
New logo!
Confirmed bugs:
- You can place ladders anywhere underwater, even if there are no walls.
Unconfirmed bugs:
- You can place a cactus anywhere underwater, even on dirt.
- You can place sugar canes underwater.
- You can create a farm patch using a hoe underwater
Petition asks Walmart not to sell 'sexist' Duke Nukem LOL
An online petition that asks Walmart to boycott Duke Nukem Forever is gaining some traction. The petition kicks up stink about DNF's "Capture the Babe" mode, in which women are spanked on the arse to keep them from obstructing the player's view.
"In this disturbing version of 'capture the flag' the player is tasked with kidnapping a woman from his enemy's base, throwing her over his shoulder, and carrying her back to his base to share the spoils," claims petitioner Shelby Knox. "If she starts to "freak out," the player is encouraged to slap her on the butt until she shuts up.
"To be clear, Duke Nukem Forever makes a game out of physical and sexual violence against women ... the Capture the Babe mode of the Duke Nukem game, which will be played primarily by young people, sends the message that physical and sexual violence against women is normal, acceptable, and even funny. It's not -- and we have to say so."
Here's the thing. Duke Nukem Forever's premise is pretty sexist, and one can't really deny that. You know what though? Does it really f*cking matter? When it comes to fictional people doing fictional things to each other in a fictional world, does it really affect you? No, it doesn't, no matter how much you pretend a game like DNF could influence society with the "messages" you've projected onto it.
Seriously, how does it send the message that violence against women is normal? What's normal about spanking women while people shoot at you with a shrink ray?
http://www.destructoid.com/petition-asks-walmart-not-to-sell-sexist-duke-nukem-197656.phtml
"In this disturbing version of 'capture the flag' the player is tasked with kidnapping a woman from his enemy's base, throwing her over his shoulder, and carrying her back to his base to share the spoils," claims petitioner Shelby Knox. "If she starts to "freak out," the player is encouraged to slap her on the butt until she shuts up.
"To be clear, Duke Nukem Forever makes a game out of physical and sexual violence against women ... the Capture the Babe mode of the Duke Nukem game, which will be played primarily by young people, sends the message that physical and sexual violence against women is normal, acceptable, and even funny. It's not -- and we have to say so."
Here's the thing. Duke Nukem Forever's premise is pretty sexist, and one can't really deny that. You know what though? Does it really f*cking matter? When it comes to fictional people doing fictional things to each other in a fictional world, does it really affect you? No, it doesn't, no matter how much you pretend a game like DNF could influence society with the "messages" you've projected onto it.
Seriously, how does it send the message that violence against women is normal? What's normal about spanking women while people shoot at you with a shrink ray?
http://www.destructoid.com/petition-asks-walmart-not-to-sell-sexist-duke-nukem-197656.phtml
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Canadian ISP Admits to Throwing Brakes on World of Warcraft
Rogers, one of the largest Internet service providers in Canada, had admitted that it has been throttling World of Warcraft. The ISP insists, however, that it had only done so by accident as part of its efforts to clamp down on peer-to-peer file sharing.
Last month, WoW player Teresa Murphy lodged a complaint, with Canada's telecoms regulator, the CRTC, saying that Rogers indiscriminate throttling was making the game almost unplayable. She didn't care if Rogers wanted to try to stop file sharers, but said she was paying for a service that she wasn't able to use, because Rogers' filters couldn't tell the difference between P2P and her game.
The CRTC ordered Rogers to investigate Murphy's claims. They discovered that she was right on the money, and that its filters really couldn't tell the difference between P2P file sharing and World of Warcraft. Rogers insists that the problem arises when players use P2P software at the same time as the game, despite Murphy's claims that she didn't use P2P software at all. Unfortunately, it's going to be a while before Rogers will be able to fix this problem. In its reply.to Murphy, the ISP said that a fix for the problems that she and other players were experiencing wouldn't be ready until June.
Internet usage is proving to me something of a thorny issue in Canada; just last month the Canadian government vetoed a ruling by the CRTC that would have allowed fairly stringent usage-based internet charges after the public made its displeasure very clear. Canada is one of the few Western countries that doesn't offer broadband plans with unlimited data.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/108792-Canadian-ISP-Admits-to-Throwing-Brakes-on-World-of-Warcraft
Last month, WoW player Teresa Murphy lodged a complaint, with Canada's telecoms regulator, the CRTC, saying that Rogers indiscriminate throttling was making the game almost unplayable. She didn't care if Rogers wanted to try to stop file sharers, but said she was paying for a service that she wasn't able to use, because Rogers' filters couldn't tell the difference between P2P and her game.
The CRTC ordered Rogers to investigate Murphy's claims. They discovered that she was right on the money, and that its filters really couldn't tell the difference between P2P file sharing and World of Warcraft. Rogers insists that the problem arises when players use P2P software at the same time as the game, despite Murphy's claims that she didn't use P2P software at all. Unfortunately, it's going to be a while before Rogers will be able to fix this problem. In its reply.to Murphy, the ISP said that a fix for the problems that she and other players were experiencing wouldn't be ready until June.
Internet usage is proving to me something of a thorny issue in Canada; just last month the Canadian government vetoed a ruling by the CRTC that would have allowed fairly stringent usage-based internet charges after the public made its displeasure very clear. Canada is one of the few Western countries that doesn't offer broadband plans with unlimited data.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/108792-Canadian-ISP-Admits-to-Throwing-Brakes-on-World-of-Warcraft
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play – An Overview ( Specs, Release Date )
The Xperia Play specs, at a glance:
1 GHz Scorpion CPU
4 inch ( 480 x 854 ) capacitive multi-touch display
400 MB of internal storage, 8GB microSD card included
5 MP camera with flash and auto-focus
Android 2.3 Gingerbread
WiFi Mobile Hotspot functionality
After officially revealing the existence of the Xperia Play with a commercial during the Super Bowl, Sony Ericsson has formally introduced the device during a presentation at the Mobile World Congress event today. After many leaks revealing just about all there was to know about it, we did get two especially important details today: Its first carrier in the United States and a release window.
The Xperia Play will begin shipping worldwide in March. Verizon Wireless will be the first carrier in the U.S. to have the phone -- it'll be releasing it sometime in "early spring." It's a major coup for Verizon after finally getting its hands on the iPhone this month.
The presentation was filled with all the hyperbolic statements you'd expect -- it's a "revolutionary milestone in our industry," "it's a killer new form of entertainment," and other similar comments were presented with an awkward shtick. Mixed in with all that was some actual information that will be of interest to gamers: 50 games will be available at launch, all of which are "optimized" for the phone. A PlayStation Store for the phone will launch later this year. At launch, it will ship with a "legendary" PlayStation One game It's Crash Bandicoot
Support from many developers was promised -- Electronic Arts, Gameloft, and Glu Mobile (which has worked with Activision, Atari, PopCap, Konami, and other game companies in the past) were named. Unity Technologies was also thanked for its support; it's noteworthy for its game engine that powers many games that can now be ported to the Play. Confirmed for the system, though not necessarily for launch, were Battlefield, Assassin's Creed, Dead Space, and Guitar Hero, the latter of which felt like a stange announcement given what has happened recently. Dungeon Defenders Second Wave was played on stage and will launch first on the Xperia Play.
The phone runs on the latest Android release, Gingerbread (version 2.3), and is available for MWC attendees to try out, so expect to be hearing impressions over the next few days. A price and exact release date are two of the remaining details Verizon now needs to officially announce. With the phone shipping next month, it shouldn't be a long wait.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
George Hotz, the hacker who posted the PS3 root key this year, tampered with evidence before running to South America.
The plot thickens. George Hotz aka GeoHot first came to internet prominence by "jailbreaking" the iPhone and PS3 and posting the software necessary to unlock the capabilities of each device without the restrictions set by Apple or Sony. This January, GeoHot might have crossed a line by publishing online the root key that allowed complete control over the PS3 hardware, posing huge security risks for Sony. Never a company to take such issues lightly, Sony has brought the full force of its legal team against Hotz. And even though GeoHot was able to raise enough legal funds to fight back, Sony today filed a motion saying that the hacker has not cooperated with court orders to hand over the hard drive of his PC and that he lied about having a PSN account. Sony claims that Hotz has now left his home in New Jersey and traveled to South America in order to escape further legal action.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Apple, Steve Jobs under fire for approving app that claims to cure homosexuality
"There's an app for that."
The catchphrase coined by Apple and their advertising gurus to sell iPhones and iPads has become so ubiquitous that it's even been parodied on Sesame Street. Still, few would have ever thought that the tech giant—which, like many other Silicon Valley concerns, boasts a progressive profile on many cultural issues, and extends domestic-partner benefits to gay and lesbian employees—would condone an app that purports to "cure" homosexuality. It would seem an even greater stretch for Apple and company founder and CEO Steve Jobs to make such an application available through its iTunes store.
Yet the app—by a ministry group called Exodus International—is right there, along the thousands of other iPhone apps available to plugged in Apple users. And this appears to be the point at which many of Apple's cultish fans—including plenty of gay activists—are drawing the line. No, they say: There's not actually an app for that.
The Exodus ministry seeks to promote the "ex-gay" movement—promulgating the testimony of people who claim to have been cured of homosexuality through Christ. The target audience for the smart-phone app, its makers say, are "homosexual strugglers." The idea is to teach gay people that they have a choice when it comes to their sexuality, a choice to choose "freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus."
Of course, providing a tech platform for a particular spiritual or ideological movement doesn't signify an endorsement of its point of view. At the same time, however, as Gawker's Ryan Tate noted during an earlier controversy over a gay-themed app, "every time Apple approves an app, it implies moral endorsement of the content of that app."
And since average Apple user is younger and more culturally tolerant of homosexuality, word of the Exodus app has sparked a fast-growing protest As of this writing, more than 100,000 people have signed a Change.org petition calling on Apple to abolish it. What's more, some who've purchased it are somewhat baffled by it.
Writes the Atlantic's Nicholas Jackson:
So I downloaded the (free) app, which was launched on March 8. A giant resource bank, the app contains lists of events, videos and news stories that are carefully curated to reflect the mission of Exodus International, which states that individuals can "grow into heterosexuality." Nothing available on the app would lead me to question my homosexuality, but maybe I'm not fictile enough.
Perhaps the time is ripe for a market solution. Surely, engineers for a competing smart phone, like the Droid, are hard at work preparing to launch a more effective and intuitive app curing people of their straightness?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110321/ts_yblog_thelookout/apple-steve-jobs-under-fire-for-approving-app-that-claims-to-cure-homosexuality
The catchphrase coined by Apple and their advertising gurus to sell iPhones and iPads has become so ubiquitous that it's even been parodied on Sesame Street. Still, few would have ever thought that the tech giant—which, like many other Silicon Valley concerns, boasts a progressive profile on many cultural issues, and extends domestic-partner benefits to gay and lesbian employees—would condone an app that purports to "cure" homosexuality. It would seem an even greater stretch for Apple and company founder and CEO Steve Jobs to make such an application available through its iTunes store.
Yet the app—by a ministry group called Exodus International—is right there, along the thousands of other iPhone apps available to plugged in Apple users. And this appears to be the point at which many of Apple's cultish fans—including plenty of gay activists—are drawing the line. No, they say: There's not actually an app for that.
The Exodus ministry seeks to promote the "ex-gay" movement—promulgating the testimony of people who claim to have been cured of homosexuality through Christ. The target audience for the smart-phone app, its makers say, are "homosexual strugglers." The idea is to teach gay people that they have a choice when it comes to their sexuality, a choice to choose "freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus."
Of course, providing a tech platform for a particular spiritual or ideological movement doesn't signify an endorsement of its point of view. At the same time, however, as Gawker's Ryan Tate noted during an earlier controversy over a gay-themed app, "every time Apple approves an app, it implies moral endorsement of the content of that app."
And since average Apple user is younger and more culturally tolerant of homosexuality, word of the Exodus app has sparked a fast-growing protest As of this writing, more than 100,000 people have signed a Change.org petition calling on Apple to abolish it. What's more, some who've purchased it are somewhat baffled by it.
Writes the Atlantic's Nicholas Jackson:
So I downloaded the (free) app, which was launched on March 8. A giant resource bank, the app contains lists of events, videos and news stories that are carefully curated to reflect the mission of Exodus International, which states that individuals can "grow into heterosexuality." Nothing available on the app would lead me to question my homosexuality, but maybe I'm not fictile enough.
Perhaps the time is ripe for a market solution. Surely, engineers for a competing smart phone, like the Droid, are hard at work preparing to launch a more effective and intuitive app curing people of their straightness?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110321/ts_yblog_thelookout/apple-steve-jobs-under-fire-for-approving-app-that-claims-to-cure-homosexuality
Monday, March 21, 2011
Kinect Hacked to Work With PS3
In a terrifying technological version of Frankenstein, Microsoft's Kinect peripheral for Xbox 360 has been hacked to function with Sony's PS3.
How wretched are we, the technologists of the world? O, we did but rejoice in our newfound might to twist Kinect to our very wills, but in our hubris we delved too deep and twisted too far. Now, we have created naught but abomination! We have undone ourselves by the power of that which we once beheld as a tool!
All melodrama aside, there's something kind of unsettling about watching the Xbox 360's Kinect operate on Sony's PS3. I use the term "operate" very loosely, of course - this is still pre-alpha software, which one might kindly describe as "somewhat functional." Nevertheless, if creator Shantanugoel is telling the truth - and he doesn't have a friend with a Dual Shock 3 sitting to the side off-camera - it is, in fact, Kinect working on PS3.
Microsoft has been fairly tolerant of the growing Kinect hacking community, even claiming that it is working on an official Software Development Kit to make it easier for the burgeoning mod community to do its stuff.
One can only surmise that the House of Gates would be somewhat less pleased to see its technology working on the hardware of its biggest rival, but what can Microsoft really do about it?
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/108643-Kinect-Hacked-to-Work-With-PS3
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Large Hadron Collider Could Be World's First Time Machine
If the latest theory of Tom Weiler and Chui Man Ho is right, the Large Hadron Collider – the world’s largest atom smasher that started regular operation last year – could be the first machine capable of causing matter to travel backwards in time.
“Our theory is a long shot,” admitted Weiler, who is a physics professor at Vanderbilt University, “but it doesn’t violate any laws of physics or experimental constraints.”
One of the major goals of the collider is to find the elusive Higgs boson: the particle that physicists invoke to explain why particles like protons, neutrons and electrons have mass. If the collider succeeds in producing the Higgs boson, some scientists predict that it will create a second particle, called the Higgs singlet, at the same time.
According to Weiler and Ho’s theory, these singlets should have the ability to jump into an extra, fifth dimension where they can move either forward or backward in time and reappear in the future or past.
“One of the attractive things about this approach to time travel is that it avoids all the big paradoxes,” Weiler said. “Because time travel is limited to these special particles, it is not possible for a man to travel back in time and murder one of his parents before he himself is born, for example. However, if scientists could control the production of Higgs singlets, they might be able to send messages to the past or future.”
http://news.vanderbilt.edu/2011/03/hadron-collider-time-machine/
“Our theory is a long shot,” admitted Weiler, who is a physics professor at Vanderbilt University, “but it doesn’t violate any laws of physics or experimental constraints.”
One of the major goals of the collider is to find the elusive Higgs boson: the particle that physicists invoke to explain why particles like protons, neutrons and electrons have mass. If the collider succeeds in producing the Higgs boson, some scientists predict that it will create a second particle, called the Higgs singlet, at the same time.
According to Weiler and Ho’s theory, these singlets should have the ability to jump into an extra, fifth dimension where they can move either forward or backward in time and reappear in the future or past.
“One of the attractive things about this approach to time travel is that it avoids all the big paradoxes,” Weiler said. “Because time travel is limited to these special particles, it is not possible for a man to travel back in time and murder one of his parents before he himself is born, for example. However, if scientists could control the production of Higgs singlets, they might be able to send messages to the past or future.”
http://news.vanderbilt.edu/2011/03/hadron-collider-time-machine/
Friday, March 18, 2011
Japanese Fire Fighters tell families "We won't be coming home"
For those of you that haven't heard:
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Fukushima-Nuclear-Plant-Workers-Are-Heroes-After-Risking-Own-Lives-To-Avert-Meltdown-In-Japan/Article/201103315954904?lpos=World_News_First_Home_Article_Teaser_Region_1&lid=ARTICLE_15954904_Fukushima_Nuclear_Plant_Workers_Are_Heroes_After_Risking_Own_Lives_To_Avert_Meltdown_In_Japan_
A number of Japanese firefighters have essentially volunteered for a suicide corps to save Japan. These men have volunteered to stay at the reactor site to continually douse it with water to keep it cool and stable. The radiation levels are so high that these poor men are expected to start dropping dead within the next few weeks, despite any radiation suits. Some have started losing their hair already.
These men called their families today and told them that they loved them, and that this was their final goodbye to their wives and children.
My heart goes out to these brave, brave men. Men that are giving their lives in order to save Japan. I can only imagine the trauma and despair that the families are going through.
In short, this thread is a memorial to the brave souls that have volunteered to die to save their country and loved ones.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Fukushima-Nuclear-Plant-Workers-Are-Heroes-After-Risking-Own-Lives-To-Avert-Meltdown-In-Japan/Article/201103315954904?lpos=World_News_First_Home_Article_Teaser_Region_1&lid=ARTICLE_15954904_Fukushima_Nuclear_Plant_Workers_Are_Heroes_After_Risking_Own_Lives_To_Avert_Meltdown_In_Japan_
A number of Japanese firefighters have essentially volunteered for a suicide corps to save Japan. These men have volunteered to stay at the reactor site to continually douse it with water to keep it cool and stable. The radiation levels are so high that these poor men are expected to start dropping dead within the next few weeks, despite any radiation suits. Some have started losing their hair already.
These men called their families today and told them that they loved them, and that this was their final goodbye to their wives and children.
My heart goes out to these brave, brave men. Men that are giving their lives in order to save Japan. I can only imagine the trauma and despair that the families are going through.
In short, this thread is a memorial to the brave souls that have volunteered to die to save their country and loved ones.
Monday Night Combat free to play on Steam this weekend
If you have not checked out this game give it a whirl I own it and personally find it pretty enjoyable and this weekend its free!
Wolfies ! next minecraft update brings pets!
Personally I love me some minecraft to me its like someone took legos and put crack on them. and this next update plans to bring a pet wolfie to the mix so you wont be so alone all the time whats your guys take on minecraft is it awesome is it lame? hit up those comments
Professor Splash Sets Shallow-Diving World Record
36 foot swan dive into 12 inchs of water .... jumping from a foot into water like that kills me i could only imgaine how much that must hurt
Jack Thompson Threatens Gabe Newell Over School Shooter Mod
all i got to say is blah blah blah
"Dear Mr. Newell:
You either know or should know that the more moral midgets who run Checkerboarded Studios have created a mod for your company's Half-Life which they call School Shooter: North American Tour 2012. This mod is a full-blown Columbine massacre simulator which cannot function without your company's assistance and acquiescence.
Attached herewith is a letter from FHE-ASAP that expresses their, my, and others' concerns about this Columbine massacre mod. As you either know or should know, your Half-Life murder simulator was obsessively played, and thus became a training aid, for a) teenaged Robert Steinhauser, who authored at Erfurt, Germany, the worst school shooting massacre in European history, and b) Seung-Hi Cho, who authored at Virginia Tech University the worst school shooting massacre in world history. As to the latter, the sources of this information are the Washington Post and the New York Times. Now some sociopaths have made reprises of Erfurt and Virginia Tech far more likely.
Given the fact that your company has the technological ability to stop the operation of School Shooter, you must undertake steps immediately to do so.
Speaking for myself alone (for now), you have until five o'clock pm Eastern standard time this Friday, March 18, 2011, to shut down this public safety hazard I predicted years ago this school massacre game would arrive. I hate being right all the time.
GOVERN YOURSELF ACCORDINGLY.
Regards, Jack Thompson"
"Dear Mr. Newell:
You either know or should know that the more moral midgets who run Checkerboarded Studios have created a mod for your company's Half-Life which they call School Shooter: North American Tour 2012. This mod is a full-blown Columbine massacre simulator which cannot function without your company's assistance and acquiescence.
Attached herewith is a letter from FHE-ASAP that expresses their, my, and others' concerns about this Columbine massacre mod. As you either know or should know, your Half-Life murder simulator was obsessively played, and thus became a training aid, for a) teenaged Robert Steinhauser, who authored at Erfurt, Germany, the worst school shooting massacre in European history, and b) Seung-Hi Cho, who authored at Virginia Tech University the worst school shooting massacre in world history. As to the latter, the sources of this information are the Washington Post and the New York Times. Now some sociopaths have made reprises of Erfurt and Virginia Tech far more likely.
Given the fact that your company has the technological ability to stop the operation of School Shooter, you must undertake steps immediately to do so.
Speaking for myself alone (for now), you have until five o'clock pm Eastern standard time this Friday, March 18, 2011, to shut down this public safety hazard I predicted years ago this school massacre game would arrive. I hate being right all the time.
GOVERN YOURSELF ACCORDINGLY.
Regards, Jack Thompson"
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Pepsi Will Soon Make All Bottles from Plants
PepsiCo, makers of geek favorite Mountain Dew, is set to deploy bottles made entirely of plant materials in 2012.
Not to get all green on you, but the human race consumes a lot of soda. The resultant waste from millions of plastic bottles fills up landfills and is generally a self-defeating practice that furthers our dependence on fossil fuels because most plastic is petroleum-based. Food manufacturers have experimented with different ways to reduce waste or devise a commercially viable way to create plastic from plants instead of oil, but research has stymied at only using about 30 percent bio-plastic. Pepsi announced that it has finally "cracked the code" and will begin using bottles derived from 100 percent excess plant material - switch grass, pine bark, corn husks, orange peels, oat hulls, and potato scraps. The plan is to produce a few hundred thousand bottles as a test run this year before going full plant-plastic with over a billion bottles sold each year.
Rocco Papalia, an advanced researcher from Pepsi who spent years on the project, said that the bottles made from plants are just like ones you'd find in stores now. "It's a beautiful thing to behold. It's indistinguishable," he said.
Independent scientists are chiming in with what they believe is a packaging revolution. "This is the beginning of the end of petroleum-based plastics," said Allen Hershkowitz from the Natural Resources Defence Council. "When you have a company of this size making a commitment to a plant-based plastic, the market is going to respond."
Pepsi is certainly using the opportunity to slap Coca-Cola in the face with its discovery. Coke, Pepsi's much larger competitor, recently stated that its research was several years away from a 100 percent bioplastic bottle.
Not to get all green on you, but the human race consumes a lot of soda. The resultant waste from millions of plastic bottles fills up landfills and is generally a self-defeating practice that furthers our dependence on fossil fuels because most plastic is petroleum-based. Food manufacturers have experimented with different ways to reduce waste or devise a commercially viable way to create plastic from plants instead of oil, but research has stymied at only using about 30 percent bio-plastic. Pepsi announced that it has finally "cracked the code" and will begin using bottles derived from 100 percent excess plant material - switch grass, pine bark, corn husks, orange peels, oat hulls, and potato scraps. The plan is to produce a few hundred thousand bottles as a test run this year before going full plant-plastic with over a billion bottles sold each year.
Rocco Papalia, an advanced researcher from Pepsi who spent years on the project, said that the bottles made from plants are just like ones you'd find in stores now. "It's a beautiful thing to behold. It's indistinguishable," he said.
Independent scientists are chiming in with what they believe is a packaging revolution. "This is the beginning of the end of petroleum-based plastics," said Allen Hershkowitz from the Natural Resources Defence Council. "When you have a company of this size making a commitment to a plant-based plastic, the market is going to respond."
Pepsi is certainly using the opportunity to slap Coca-Cola in the face with its discovery. Coke, Pepsi's much larger competitor, recently stated that its research was several years away from a 100 percent bioplastic bottle.
if this isnt the best idea ever i don know what is
Children Continue to Pretend Game Boys Are Bombs
Yet another child has stirred up a bomb scare with his old school Nintendo Game Boy.
What is it about the original Game Boy that makes kids want to turn it into a bomb? Last year, an 18-year old tried to boost his popularity by pretending one was an explosive device, and just recently another even younger child has done the same thing.
NBC reports that an 11-year-old student of the Northside Intermediate School in Milton, Wisconsin was on a school bus and threatened to blow it up with a bomb. The student was holding a device with batteries and wires on it. Police were notified and other students were evacuated off the bus.
A SWAT team and bomb squad showed up to negotiate with the child, who was convinced to exit the bus and leave the device behind. The bomb squad destroyed the device, though it didn't contain any actual explosives. It was simply an original Game Boy with a bunch of wiring and other materials attached, the Milton Police Department confirmed to Kotaku. School was cancelled for the day, and the 11-year-old was taken into custody
Yet another child has stirred up a bomb scare with his old school Nintendo Game Boy.
What is it about the original Game Boy that makes kids want to turn it into a bomb? Last year, an 18-year old tried to boost his popularity by pretending one was an explosive device, and just recently another even younger child has done the same thing.
NBC reports that an 11-year-old student of the Northside Intermediate School in Milton, Wisconsin was on a school bus and threatened to blow it up with a bomb. The student was holding a device with batteries and wires on it. Police were notified and other students were evacuated off the bus.
A SWAT team and bomb squad showed up to negotiate with the child, who was convinced to exit the bus and leave the device behind. The bomb squad destroyed the device, though it didn't contain any actual explosives. It was simply an original Game Boy with a bunch of wiring and other materials attached, the Milton Police Department confirmed to Kotaku. School was cancelled for the day, and the 11-year-old was taken into custody
Sony Hopes LittleBigPlanet Will Help Kids Do Homework
Media Molecule is releasing a pack of LittleBigPlanet 2 levels that are focused on educating children.
Sony evidently has a new initiative in the works that will hopefully see the PlayStation 3 used as a learning tool in schools. The first step in the initiative is Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet 2 "Teacher Pack," a set of levels designed for educational purposes.
MCV reports that the levels in the pack will feature "instructions for teachers and demonstrations of National Curriculum-based in-game levels that other teachers have made." They'll use the PlayStation Move motion controller to help give a visual representation of subjects within topics such as mathematics.
PlayStation Move can reportedly track distances, calculate speeds, and perform other useful actions. Sony feels these abilities in a physics-based game like LittleBigPlanet can be a boon within the educational world.
Sony evidently has a new initiative in the works that will hopefully see the PlayStation 3 used as a learning tool in schools. The first step in the initiative is Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet 2 "Teacher Pack," a set of levels designed for educational purposes.
MCV reports that the levels in the pack will feature "instructions for teachers and demonstrations of National Curriculum-based in-game levels that other teachers have made." They'll use the PlayStation Move motion controller to help give a visual representation of subjects within topics such as mathematics.
PlayStation Move can reportedly track distances, calculate speeds, and perform other useful actions. Sony feels these abilities in a physics-based game like LittleBigPlanet can be a boon within the educational world.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
ESRB ratings brake down
someone should show this to fox news with all the crying they do u would like every game ever made was rated M
The Entertainment Software Rating Board has just posted the ratings breakdown of games published in 2010. As you can see in the chart above, a little more than half of all games received the all-ages rating, while games rated E10+ and teen were fairly even at around 20% each.
Games rated mature only made up 5% of all games released this past year, a statistic which may surprise you. With how much drama is drummed up in the media, you would think that most games were hyper-macho bloodsports filled with enough raw sexual energy to make even Dr. Ruth bow her head in shame. In reality, those games are but a drop in the pond.
I personally am not surprised. Mature games have never taken up a large slice of the pie. There was a peak in 2004 and 2005, during which 12% of all published games were rated M, and after which the percentage kept declining. What does surprise me is how M-rated games are able to gather the lion's share of consumer and enthusiast press awareness despite their relative rarity.
http://www.destructoid.com/very-few-games-are-m-rated-but-they-take-all-the-glory-196480.phtml
The Entertainment Software Rating Board has just posted the ratings breakdown of games published in 2010. As you can see in the chart above, a little more than half of all games received the all-ages rating, while games rated E10+ and teen were fairly even at around 20% each.
Games rated mature only made up 5% of all games released this past year, a statistic which may surprise you. With how much drama is drummed up in the media, you would think that most games were hyper-macho bloodsports filled with enough raw sexual energy to make even Dr. Ruth bow her head in shame. In reality, those games are but a drop in the pond.
I personally am not surprised. Mature games have never taken up a large slice of the pie. There was a peak in 2004 and 2005, during which 12% of all published games were rated M, and after which the percentage kept declining. What does surprise me is how M-rated games are able to gather the lion's share of consumer and enthusiast press awareness despite their relative rarity.
http://www.destructoid.com/very-few-games-are-m-rated-but-they-take-all-the-glory-196480.phtml
Kid stands up to being bullied epic victory
Scout vs Heavy from Dragon 029 on Vimeo.
now if thats not standing up for your self i dont know what is
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Ipad or xoom?
so ive been thinking about geting a tablet im leaning towards the xoom so far what do you guys think?
Yesterday, Apple showed off its fancy new iPad 2. The unit has quite a few new features and upgrades, but how does it stack up against the newly released Motorola Xoom in all the ways that count? Well, we’ve got the answers for you. We’ve compared the two units in a few ways, dueling them in sexiness, screen quality, processing power, camera quality, software availability, accessories, and price. If you’re in the market for a new tablet, look no further. We’re here to give you an idea of what each tablet brings to the table. Enjoy!
Aesthetics
Winner: iPad 2
It’s hardly fair to start out with looks, because even if you hate Apple, you have to admit that the company definitely has hardware design down pat. Few products look as good as Apple’s minimalist designs. The iPad 2 takes the great features of the iPad and smooths them over. With a flatter and beveled back, alternate white color scheme, rounded front border, and a thickness of only 8.8mm (thinner than the iPhone 4), we can’t help but get excited looking at Apple’s new tablet.
Still, though we give the edge to Apple, the Xoom is not hard on the eyes. The unit is fairly thin at 12.7mm, which almost the exact thickness of the original iPad. In addition, the lack of a big home button on the Xoom means the unit can more easily be used in any orientation imagineable. No matter how you hold a Xoom, it will reorient itself and its in-screen homescreen buttons will pop into the lower left of the screen. Apple has won this round, but many will like the blacker, more industrial look and feel of the Xoom. Good job, Motorola.
Horsepower
Winner: Tie
The iPad 2 features a 1GHz dual-core A5 processor, and the Xoom has a 1GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor. For all intents and purposes, both units match the current trend of 1GHz dual-core processors. They both pack some power. However, both units have some advantages. The iPad’s advantage is its separate PowerVR SGX543MP2 graphics processor (GPU), which appears to run circles around the Xoom’s dual CPU/GPU Tegra 2. Performance tests by Anandtech show significantly greater graphics performance on the iPad 2. In some tests, the iPad 2 nearly doubled or tripled the Xoom’s graphics performance.
Still, the Xoom’s 1GB of Random Access Memory (on-the-fly memory) is double that of Apple’s tablet. In many situations, this RAM may not be noticeable, but for things like video editing and multitasking the added RAM will come in handy.
When it comes to actual storage, Apple sells iPad 2 units with 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB of storage included. Xoom owners will have to accept 32GB of storage out of the box. There is a MicroSD card slot on the device, which could support memory cards up to 32GB, but Motorola has not enabled the slot yet. An upcoming software update should allow SD card use on the Xoom.
Screen
Winner: Xoom
Apple made a lot of improvements in the iPad 2, but the screen was left entirely untouched. The iPad 2 features the same LED backlit 9.7-inch screen with a resolution of 1024 x 768. Unlike most modern laptops and TVs, Apple continues to stick with a 4:3 aspect ratio, meaning its screen is a lot more squared (like a sheet of office paper) than the Motorola Xoom. This isn’t necessarily bad, but it is uniquely Apple at this point.
The Xoom has a ratio very close to 16:9, the standard for widescreens today (the Xoom is WXGA, techies). Thanks to its slightly larger size of 10.1 inches, the Xoom also boosts a higher pixel count at 1280 x 800 pixels. In terms of total brightness, the iPad 2 probably edges out Xoom by a small margin, but Xoom’s aspect ratio is better for watching HD-widescreen content. What can we say, we like wide screens and here the Xoom wins out.
Cameras
Winner: Xoom
Both the iPad 2 and Xoom feature front-facing webcams and more powerful rear cameras. However, Apple did not list the specifics of its cameras on its website, which likely means that they don’t stack up as well as other features. From what we can extrapolate, Motorola has a better front and rear camera. The iPad 2 appears to have a VGA-quality (640 x 480) front-facing camera, while the Xoom has a more competitive 2-megapixel cam. The only statistic Apple has released about the rear camera is that it can record 720p video, meaning it might be as little as a 1.3MP camera. This seems anemically weak and we’re hoping it’s better, but with a solid 5-megapixel rear camera, autofocus, and a dual-LED flash (the iPad 2 has no flash), we have to hand this category to the Xoom.
With that said, we’re still not sure exactly how much users will need a rear camera on their tablets. A front-facing webcam is useful, but can you imagine a lot of scenarios where a really good rear camera (with flash) will be vital? Judge the importance for yourself, but either way, Motorola wins.
Apps
Winner: iPad 2
While Apple’s iPad has been out almost a full year, the Xoom is the first tablet featuring Android Honeycomb, Google’s first tablet OS. As such, Apple CEO Steve Jobs made a point to say that there are roughly 65,000 apps in the App Store that are designed to natively run on the iPad 2. Google has less than 100 tablet-specific apps in its Android Market, Jobs claims. He’s definitely right about one thing: The iPad 2 has a big head start. Still, the Android Market will catch up fast, as it has on smartphones. Also, keep in mind that nearly every iPhone and Android phone app will also run on tablets — they just won’t look as good.
Google is working hard to counter some of Apple’s software advantages. A few weeks ago, CEO Eric Schmidt showed off an iMovie-like video editing program called Movie Studio. However, yesterday Apple took it one step further, unveiling iMovie for iPad as well as a new version of Garage Band, a music creation program. Google and Apple are also battling it out in the video chat space, where Google Chat with Video is now the Android equivalent of FaceTime. We look forward to spending time with all of these new apps in the near future.
Extras
Winner: Xoom
While we love Smart Covers, the Xoom offers a lot of hidden features and accessories that make it a more intriguing buy. For starters, the Xoom has a direct HDMI out (iPad will cost you $39 for an add on), a cool speaker dock that props up your screen, a standard dock that can turn your tablet into a picture frame, and a decent custom-fit case that protects and helps prop up the device. Both tablets have wireless keyboards as well. Moving internally, the Xoom has more sensors inside it than you can count. The iPad 2 may have an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, and gyroscope, but the Xoom also has a proximity sensor, digital compass, and barometer inside it. Pretty cool, right?
When it comes to connection speed, the Xoom and iPad 2 are both 3G right now, but Motorola will offer a (supposedly free) LTE 4G update if you mail in your unit. Flash support is also on the way (hopefully soon), which won’t ever be available on the iPad 2. However, the Xoom is stuck on Verizon’s network for the time being, so if you roll with another network, the iPad may be a better bet. There are Wi-Fi only versions of both devices.
Price
Winner: iPad 2
Traditionally, Apple is not a company that offers the cheapest products, but thanks to its foresight and market lead with the iPad (it’s been a year and there are still only two competitors), the folks in Cupertino have been able to lock down massive supply deals that almost ensure that the iPad 2 will remain the most affordable tablet on the market for its size and feature-set. The iPad starts out at $499 for a bare-bones 16GB Wi-Fi only unit, while the cheapest Xoom (also Wi-Fi only) costs $599, though you do get 32GB of storage for that price. Currently only the Verizon 3G model is on shelves, which costs a hefty $799. The most expensive 3G iPad (64GB storage) runs for $829. The 32GB 3G iPad 2 costs $729, or about $70 less than the 3G Xoom.
Overall
Winner: Xoom
There are a thousand ways we could reorganize this battle and give the trophy to Apple. The fact is that both of these tablets are extremely competitive and offer some unique benefits. Both claim a 10 hour battery life as well. However, despite the beautiful design of the iPad 2 and software and price advantage it currently has, we think Motorola’s Xoom is a healthy competitor and worthy of a look. If you’re an iPhone lover, chances are the iPad 2 will win your heart, but if you’re not, give them both a try. You may be surprised at some of the differences between the two units.
Disagree vehemently with us? Direct all of your fury and elation into the commenting receptacle below!
Yesterday, Apple showed off its fancy new iPad 2. The unit has quite a few new features and upgrades, but how does it stack up against the newly released Motorola Xoom in all the ways that count? Well, we’ve got the answers for you. We’ve compared the two units in a few ways, dueling them in sexiness, screen quality, processing power, camera quality, software availability, accessories, and price. If you’re in the market for a new tablet, look no further. We’re here to give you an idea of what each tablet brings to the table. Enjoy!
Aesthetics
Winner: iPad 2
It’s hardly fair to start out with looks, because even if you hate Apple, you have to admit that the company definitely has hardware design down pat. Few products look as good as Apple’s minimalist designs. The iPad 2 takes the great features of the iPad and smooths them over. With a flatter and beveled back, alternate white color scheme, rounded front border, and a thickness of only 8.8mm (thinner than the iPhone 4), we can’t help but get excited looking at Apple’s new tablet.
Still, though we give the edge to Apple, the Xoom is not hard on the eyes. The unit is fairly thin at 12.7mm, which almost the exact thickness of the original iPad. In addition, the lack of a big home button on the Xoom means the unit can more easily be used in any orientation imagineable. No matter how you hold a Xoom, it will reorient itself and its in-screen homescreen buttons will pop into the lower left of the screen. Apple has won this round, but many will like the blacker, more industrial look and feel of the Xoom. Good job, Motorola.
Horsepower
Winner: Tie
The iPad 2 features a 1GHz dual-core A5 processor, and the Xoom has a 1GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor. For all intents and purposes, both units match the current trend of 1GHz dual-core processors. They both pack some power. However, both units have some advantages. The iPad’s advantage is its separate PowerVR SGX543MP2 graphics processor (GPU), which appears to run circles around the Xoom’s dual CPU/GPU Tegra 2. Performance tests by Anandtech show significantly greater graphics performance on the iPad 2. In some tests, the iPad 2 nearly doubled or tripled the Xoom’s graphics performance.
Still, the Xoom’s 1GB of Random Access Memory (on-the-fly memory) is double that of Apple’s tablet. In many situations, this RAM may not be noticeable, but for things like video editing and multitasking the added RAM will come in handy.
When it comes to actual storage, Apple sells iPad 2 units with 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB of storage included. Xoom owners will have to accept 32GB of storage out of the box. There is a MicroSD card slot on the device, which could support memory cards up to 32GB, but Motorola has not enabled the slot yet. An upcoming software update should allow SD card use on the Xoom.
Screen
Winner: Xoom
Apple made a lot of improvements in the iPad 2, but the screen was left entirely untouched. The iPad 2 features the same LED backlit 9.7-inch screen with a resolution of 1024 x 768. Unlike most modern laptops and TVs, Apple continues to stick with a 4:3 aspect ratio, meaning its screen is a lot more squared (like a sheet of office paper) than the Motorola Xoom. This isn’t necessarily bad, but it is uniquely Apple at this point.
The Xoom has a ratio very close to 16:9, the standard for widescreens today (the Xoom is WXGA, techies). Thanks to its slightly larger size of 10.1 inches, the Xoom also boosts a higher pixel count at 1280 x 800 pixels. In terms of total brightness, the iPad 2 probably edges out Xoom by a small margin, but Xoom’s aspect ratio is better for watching HD-widescreen content. What can we say, we like wide screens and here the Xoom wins out.
Cameras
Winner: Xoom
Both the iPad 2 and Xoom feature front-facing webcams and more powerful rear cameras. However, Apple did not list the specifics of its cameras on its website, which likely means that they don’t stack up as well as other features. From what we can extrapolate, Motorola has a better front and rear camera. The iPad 2 appears to have a VGA-quality (640 x 480) front-facing camera, while the Xoom has a more competitive 2-megapixel cam. The only statistic Apple has released about the rear camera is that it can record 720p video, meaning it might be as little as a 1.3MP camera. This seems anemically weak and we’re hoping it’s better, but with a solid 5-megapixel rear camera, autofocus, and a dual-LED flash (the iPad 2 has no flash), we have to hand this category to the Xoom.
With that said, we’re still not sure exactly how much users will need a rear camera on their tablets. A front-facing webcam is useful, but can you imagine a lot of scenarios where a really good rear camera (with flash) will be vital? Judge the importance for yourself, but either way, Motorola wins.
Apps
Winner: iPad 2
While Apple’s iPad has been out almost a full year, the Xoom is the first tablet featuring Android Honeycomb, Google’s first tablet OS. As such, Apple CEO Steve Jobs made a point to say that there are roughly 65,000 apps in the App Store that are designed to natively run on the iPad 2. Google has less than 100 tablet-specific apps in its Android Market, Jobs claims. He’s definitely right about one thing: The iPad 2 has a big head start. Still, the Android Market will catch up fast, as it has on smartphones. Also, keep in mind that nearly every iPhone and Android phone app will also run on tablets — they just won’t look as good.
Google is working hard to counter some of Apple’s software advantages. A few weeks ago, CEO Eric Schmidt showed off an iMovie-like video editing program called Movie Studio. However, yesterday Apple took it one step further, unveiling iMovie for iPad as well as a new version of Garage Band, a music creation program. Google and Apple are also battling it out in the video chat space, where Google Chat with Video is now the Android equivalent of FaceTime. We look forward to spending time with all of these new apps in the near future.
Extras
Winner: Xoom
While we love Smart Covers, the Xoom offers a lot of hidden features and accessories that make it a more intriguing buy. For starters, the Xoom has a direct HDMI out (iPad will cost you $39 for an add on), a cool speaker dock that props up your screen, a standard dock that can turn your tablet into a picture frame, and a decent custom-fit case that protects and helps prop up the device. Both tablets have wireless keyboards as well. Moving internally, the Xoom has more sensors inside it than you can count. The iPad 2 may have an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, and gyroscope, but the Xoom also has a proximity sensor, digital compass, and barometer inside it. Pretty cool, right?
When it comes to connection speed, the Xoom and iPad 2 are both 3G right now, but Motorola will offer a (supposedly free) LTE 4G update if you mail in your unit. Flash support is also on the way (hopefully soon), which won’t ever be available on the iPad 2. However, the Xoom is stuck on Verizon’s network for the time being, so if you roll with another network, the iPad may be a better bet. There are Wi-Fi only versions of both devices.
Price
Winner: iPad 2
Traditionally, Apple is not a company that offers the cheapest products, but thanks to its foresight and market lead with the iPad (it’s been a year and there are still only two competitors), the folks in Cupertino have been able to lock down massive supply deals that almost ensure that the iPad 2 will remain the most affordable tablet on the market for its size and feature-set. The iPad starts out at $499 for a bare-bones 16GB Wi-Fi only unit, while the cheapest Xoom (also Wi-Fi only) costs $599, though you do get 32GB of storage for that price. Currently only the Verizon 3G model is on shelves, which costs a hefty $799. The most expensive 3G iPad (64GB storage) runs for $829. The 32GB 3G iPad 2 costs $729, or about $70 less than the 3G Xoom.
Overall
Winner: Xoom
There are a thousand ways we could reorganize this battle and give the trophy to Apple. The fact is that both of these tablets are extremely competitive and offer some unique benefits. Both claim a 10 hour battery life as well. However, despite the beautiful design of the iPad 2 and software and price advantage it currently has, we think Motorola’s Xoom is a healthy competitor and worthy of a look. If you’re an iPhone lover, chances are the iPad 2 will win your heart, but if you’re not, give them both a try. You may be surprised at some of the differences between the two units.
Disagree vehemently with us? Direct all of your fury and elation into the commenting receptacle below!
Bioware Employee reviewing dragon age 2 LOL
EA Bioware’s Dragon Age 2 has been met with a rocky reception from fans over numerous issues since its release. In an effort to control the damages wrought by the outcries of gamers, EA Bioware has implemented a few unsavory methods in order to get back into the spotlight. The newest one? Having an employee give it a good rating on Metacritc.
Reddit user GatoFiasco was browsing the user reviews for Dragon Age 2 until something strange caught his eye: the top user review by ‘Avanost’ was closer to an ad than a review. Here’s a quote from the review, already taken down:
“The immersion and combat of this game are unmatched! A truly moving and fun epic. Anything negative you’ll see about this game is an overreaction of personal preference. For what it is, it is flawlessly executed and endlessly entertaining.”
Adding to the suspicion, Avanost has only reviewed one game: Dragon Age II. The GatoFiasco continued down the google hole, and eventually found that the reviewer works for EA Bioware as an engineer.
The internet caught wind, and so to save some sort of face, the company has removed the review. But this is the internet, my friends, where nothing is permanently deleted. Users have saved the web pages before they were taken down, and now various images of screencapped failure are circling the web.
You could have at least given it a eight or something, EA Bioware. Or maybe next time not tell everyone that if they have a negative points against the game, that it’s merely an overreaction of personal preference.
Reddit user GatoFiasco was browsing the user reviews for Dragon Age 2 until something strange caught his eye: the top user review by ‘Avanost’ was closer to an ad than a review. Here’s a quote from the review, already taken down:
“The immersion and combat of this game are unmatched! A truly moving and fun epic. Anything negative you’ll see about this game is an overreaction of personal preference. For what it is, it is flawlessly executed and endlessly entertaining.”
Adding to the suspicion, Avanost has only reviewed one game: Dragon Age II. The GatoFiasco continued down the google hole, and eventually found that the reviewer works for EA Bioware as an engineer.
The internet caught wind, and so to save some sort of face, the company has removed the review. But this is the internet, my friends, where nothing is permanently deleted. Users have saved the web pages before they were taken down, and now various images of screencapped failure are circling the web.
You could have at least given it a eight or something, EA Bioware. Or maybe next time not tell everyone that if they have a negative points against the game, that it’s merely an overreaction of personal preference.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
crazy ass jap robot with rockets?
Six months of effort and planning went into making the rig, which is seemingly designed just for messing around in and having fun.
What would you do if you had an exoskeleton of your very own? Fight crime perhaps, or maybe wrestle alien horrors? You probably wouldn't use it to play baseball with a spring onion, or steal sodas from your friends, but then again, you're also probably not a member of the Skeletonics team.
The three-man team took six months to build the rig, from the first concept to the finished product. The goal was to extend the range of human gestures without adding motors, and using a combination of ingenuity, planning and a lot of aluminum, they achieved it with aplomb.
The first half of the video shows the design process, from the planning stages through to the rig's manufacture. The second half, however, shows what the team did with the rig after it was done, including the aforementioned vegetable sports, as well as firing off its hidden, arm-mouted rockets in a parking lot.
As the rig is unpowered, and thus doesn't make the wearer any stronger, it probably won't kick start the creation of Gundams or anything that that. It's still a very impressive piece of engineering, however, and I'd be lying if I said that I didn't want to take it out for a spin. I mean come on, it has rockets.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Hey Im back! more random stuff like Gabe Newells steam password
Gabe Newell has given out his Steam account information and double dog dares you to log-in to his account.
Gabe Newell's Steam account information has been leaked to the entire world. Not by a hacker, but by Newell himself in an attempt to prove how safe Steam's new security system is.
Valve recently unveiled Steam Guard, a new layer of protection that allows Steam users to tie their account to a single PC, preventing account theft even with the knowledge of log-in information. Steam Guard also notifies users if someone tries to log-in to their account from a foreign computer.
At the CeBIT conference in Hanover Germany, Newell demonstrated the power of Steam Guard by revealing his Steam log-in email and password to the crowd (and now the internet). "You can try to log-in and steal my account if you can," he said. "But you can't."
Newell's Steam log-in email is "GabeN@valvesoftware.com," and his password is "MoolyFTW." Give it a shot! Perhaps the elusive Half-Life 2: Episode 3 is inside.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/108247-Gabe-Newell-Gives-Away-Personal-Steam-Password
Gabe Newell's Steam account information has been leaked to the entire world. Not by a hacker, but by Newell himself in an attempt to prove how safe Steam's new security system is.
Valve recently unveiled Steam Guard, a new layer of protection that allows Steam users to tie their account to a single PC, preventing account theft even with the knowledge of log-in information. Steam Guard also notifies users if someone tries to log-in to their account from a foreign computer.
At the CeBIT conference in Hanover Germany, Newell demonstrated the power of Steam Guard by revealing his Steam log-in email and password to the crowd (and now the internet). "You can try to log-in and steal my account if you can," he said. "But you can't."
Newell's Steam log-in email is "GabeN@valvesoftware.com," and his password is "MoolyFTW." Give it a shot! Perhaps the elusive Half-Life 2: Episode 3 is inside.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/108247-Gabe-Newell-Gives-Away-Personal-Steam-Password
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