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Cosplayer - Francesca Dani

2010-03-23T01:20:00.000+02:00

[Via http://mikelash.wordpress.com]

Leighton Steward: Great news for earth's ecosystems | Washington ...

My Favorite Twitter Feeds, Plus Live-Tweeting the Bruins-Rangers Game

2010-03-21T17:37:00.000+02:00

Feel free to follow me on Twitter this afternoon as I live-tweet the Bruins-Rangers game, a contest that is crucial to both teams as the NHL approaches the stretch run of the regular season. Also, check out this list of my favorite Twitter feeds, most of which are related to my beat (which the Bruins game, unfortunately, is not):

GuardianMusic: The feed for acclaimed British publication The Guardian. They keep me up-to-date on most of the bands I like to follow, as well as provide me with potential new music to get into. I am always looking to consume new music, and The Guardian is one of the first places I go to for that.
GuitarWorld: The best guitar magazine in the world, in my opinion. They are always up-to-date with equipment news, which I am always interested in, and always highlight the hottest new guitar-driven bands, which I love. Their Q&As are always good reads.
RollingStone: The most comprehensive music news organization on the planet. They are a legendary magazine and they’ve truly earned it. They always have the best sources on their stories, are often the first to break big news, and always write great reviews. I don’t know what I’d do without Rolling Stone in my life.
The Onion: They aren’t devoted entirely to music, and by no means are they a serious news organization…But their “A/V Club” is one of the few legitimate areas of coverage for their site, and I always count on them for quality music reviews.
Metallica.com: I am still a big fan of Metallica, despite them growing into old men. their website is usually good with updates, and I’m always interested to know if they’re working on new material.
Guitar Center: This is the only legit music store we can find. The little privately-owned shops might be good to look for hidden gems, but if you want real-deal merchandise and any kind of accessory you need, you go here. And they always have great sales, which I frequently take advantage of.
Total Guitar: The British equivalent of Guitar World, Total Guitar is another strong guitar-driven publication. They tend to give their two cents on news stories in the feed as well, which is usually entertaining to read.
Digital Music News: Just like I like to keep up-to-date with news of the music itself, I also like to know the latest stories and trends in the realm of digital music. Since the industry is likely headed toward becoming a purely digital medium, I like to stay as far ahead of the curve as I can.
Pitchfork Media: This is likely one of the most polarizing music news organizations in the World. They deserve credit for having critics that are very well-educated in music and have heard a myriad of different styles from which to draw their opinions. But their reviews border on snobbery, and they tend to favor electro pop and indie rock more than any form of mainstream music, which may leave them appearing biased. But I love reading their reviews for the depth to which their reviewers go in analyzing pieces of work.

[Via http://theaxegrinder.wordpress.com]

Big Red pull big upset : The Temple News

Transformers The Game

2010-03-20T17:05:00.000+02:00

Hello!!!!

Transformers: The Game is the name of multiple versions of a video game based on the 2007 live action film Transformers, all of which were released in North America in June 2007. Home console and PC versions were developed by Traveller’s Tales for the PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 3 and PC. A different PlayStation Portable version was developed by Savage Entertainment.

Transformers: Autobots and Transformers: Decepticons are the Nintendo DS versions of Transfomers: The Game. Vicarious Visions, who was tasked with bringing the adaptation to the Nintendo DS, chose to adapt the DS version into two separate games. Autobots follows the heroes’ perspective while Decepticons follows the villains’. Unlike games with multiple SKUs such as Pokémon which feature only minor differences between versions, these are two separate games, sharing some basic similarities, but with unique characters, missions and locations.

System Requirements:

ATI Radeon 8500 Series Intel Pentium 4 2GHz or AMD Athlon 512 MB RAM Download Linkz: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Enjoy!!!!

[Via http://gamingpassage.wordpress.com]

Stocks in the News: Google, Google China, Ford, Toyota, Lloyds ...

Wazzup! JS1 here. (that's what I've b ...

2010-03-20T01:43:00.000+02:00

Wazzup!

JS1 here. (that’s what I’ve been calling myself in the hours I’ve used the oh-so-wonderful Touch of Death Forums. Yea, that’s what I’ve been doing lately. MMO development. I’m also going to set up an indie site. And that’s what I’m going to teach you how to do today. For absolutely no cost to you. Here’s how you do it.

Domain Name Registration

First, we need to register a domain name. You can do some survey stuff for a dotcom (hey, don’t blame me if you get scammed) or you can use Co.CC. Co.CC lets you register a domain name suffixed by co.cc, sort of like co.uk, but free. For example: jschilli1.co.cc, or pixelcraft.co.cc. Now you may notice (excuse me if I get off-topic) that niether of the aforementioned sites exist. That’s because I tried to register a cool sounding domain, but then I realized it was really a stupid sounding domain, so I deleted it. Thing is, Co.CC only lets you register one free domain, the rest are like $4.99 or something. So I’m going to try to wait it out or something of the nature. Maybe you can only have one at a time, and their servers need to update. Oh well. Off-topic. Anyway. Go to co.cc (yes, that’s the site) and register for an account. Once you’ve registered and got finished with all the setup stuff, proceed to the hosting part of this tutorial.

Hosting

First, go to 000webhost.com, and register for a free account. While registering, enter your Co.CC domain name in the “I have an existing domain” box. You now have a hosting account. But here’s the merging part.

Linking Them Together

Once finished, you should be redirected (or directed to go to) the CPanel (control panel). Now, here, you’ll se something about DNS or ns01.000webhost.com or something. Go to your Co.CC control panel. Click on the setup button. Click on the Domain Server option, and enter the two DNS addresses found on the $0.00 WebHost control panel in the Domain Name Server 1 and Domain Name Server 2 textboxes. Click update or save changes or whatever.

Sprucing it All Up

Now that your domain and webhosting services have been acquainted, you can use any of the free options found on the $0.00 WebHost CPanel to build a site. View other tutorials on this, as this is beyond the scope of this post.

And there you have it folks. A place on the web for nada. And I don’t even have one

-JS1

[Via http://jschilli1.wordpress.com]

Obama On Fox News: Accuses Bret Baier Of Interrupting, Two 'Going ...

Robot unicorn attack!

2010-03-18T01:55:00.000+02:00

Robot unicorn attack is a cute online platformer in flash. It features all things bliss, unicorn, rainbows, faries, shiny things and heavenly music from erasure!

It’s rather twitchy, repetitive and you can never win, but still brilliant in it’s execution!

Robot unbicorn attack -screenshot

Play it now at http://games.adultswim.com/robot-unicorn-attack-twitchy-online-game.html or just listen to the music:

Erasure live - Always

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[Via http://netgoon.wordpress.com]

Stocks in the News: Limited Brands, Sequenom, PepsiCo - DailyFinance

The LTR thinks she's a bad person

2010-03-16T16:27:00.000+02:00

Yesterday, the LTR said to me as I walk in the door, “I’m a bad person.” Immediately several answers pop into my head. The supplicating answer is, of course, “No, you’re not.” I didn’t answer that way. I could have said, “Yep, I know” or something along those lines, but I thought that might have been a little too flippant without finding out further information. So I went for the knowing smile and replied, “Really? What did you do now?”

A guy she used to know back in high school, went on a few dates with, and who she’d given the “Let’s Just Be Friends” speech to years ago, had contacted her via facebook a few months ago. I knew this at the time because he’d written her a long heartfelt message about his life in the eastern U.S. where he didn’t like the people and was so lonely. The LTR had shown me the message when it came in and read portions of it to me to get a guy’s take on the contents. The LTR’s description of this guy back in high school was that he was the dreaded ‘nice guy.’ Good enough to hang out with, but no girl would ever let it go beyond that.

The LTR was a bit creeped out by this guy’s message. To me it was the ultimate in DLV communication. Everything he said seems to push him farther and farther into the social outcast/omega end of the male social spectrum. I wanted to physically shake the guy and tell him to wake up. I wanted to tell him he would remain lonely and feeling like an outcast if his primary communication was one big advertisement of how pathetic his whole life was. I can’t fathom that there are guys who think they should be a gigantic pussy in order to get female attention, but there you go.

Fast forward to yesterday. This guy sends my LTR another message via facebook. For a variety of reasons, he decided to move back to the Big City. His family is here, so there’s some support there. There are also a lot of his old friends here. In his message he asked my LTR if she was available to meet for lunch to reconnect and catch up sometime this week. To which she replied that she was not interested. This made her feel guilty and she was looking for reassurance from me that she wasn’t a bad person for telling the guy ‘no thank you.’

The LTR tells me that she doesn’t want to see the guy and finds his attention just a little bit weird. The word creepy get’s used again. She asks me if I know what she means. I told her I did. I do understand the underlying message of her words. This poor man has sunk into Omega territory. She doesn’t want to have anything to do with the guy. He has become a woman repellant, 100% active ingredients.

The LTR proceeded to email her closest friend whom she has known since high school. This woman also knows this man. The LTR also wanted female reassurance that she was not a bad person for slamming the door on this guy. This female friend was quick to reassure her that she had done nothing wrong. Funny enough, her email back to the LTR was a half dozen paragraphs long of justifications.

Is it over? I don’t know. Stay tuned.

[Via http://seasonsoftumultanddiscord.wordpress.com]

News Ticker: Guns n' Roses, Public Image Ltd., Crafts for a Cause ...

Idea 1 - Project Statement (02.24.10)

2010-03-16T00:58:00.000+02:00

Project Statement

(1st paragraph: what is intended; 2nd paragraph: why)

Taking inspiration from game developer thatgamecompany, most notably their games Flower and flOw.

input mic from space that measures noise level and corresponds with an increase in red shown through LED lights. This represents the activity level and if there is too much the structure will start to lose air and die unless those people present act upon the structure to try and help it.

Moral decision.

The project is about archiving impact through the measurement of our interaction within environments. This project creates the ability to be aware of the responsibilities we have towards our environment.

By creating a space where a user (of a particular simulated space) can interact with an environment and register their impact through visual display and auditory awareness the user is able to read, comprehend, and then manipulate their environment by actively acting within it responding to the complexities that arise from their presence within it.

The archiving process is the process of collecting the knowledge of the user’s space and time and processing the information acquired and becoming more knowledgeable of the impacts we have short and long term and what we have to do to maintain balance and the energy required to harm and help these environments.

The constitution of a game provides this medium for understanding through individual and group moral decision making. This simulates a large and small scale real world response.

One iteration of this might be noise sensors that monitor levels and to “fix” the problem when there is too much noise there might be poles in the room that X amount of people must hold onto and squeeze thereby preventing further movement and committing them to solving the problem through direct action. The solution otherwise is to leave the room of quiet the room down minimizing the impact upon the environment in the room.

[Via http://mediascapes2010brianpace.wordpress.com]

Small Business News March 15 | Small Business Trends

GDC 2010 Impressions: Everything you know is wrong Sid Meier!*

2010-03-14T09:18:00.000+02:00

Mr Meier’s keynote speech at GDC was an interesting one, I was drawn to its promise “everything you know is wrong”, that and the fact that I really enjoyed a game of Civilisation back when I had any significant amount of spare time. I liked the idea that I’d learn something about myself as a gamer and how that’d impact development; the psychology of gaming, contentious, yet interesting stuff indeed. Sadly, it didn’t seem as if the talk really gave what it was supposed to, here are my impressions on it.

The catalyst to the speech was that when Sid first started to design games he didn’t consider what was going on inside the gamer’s head, instead he was trying to pursue some purist goal of fidelity to his chosen area with the assumption that this would make a good game. Now Sid, having been designing games since I was probably being potty trained, has had enough experience to know that realism is a fickle mistress, there is a difference between was is realist and what is perceived to be so by the gamer. Shame he couldn’t just say that really. Instead he sets out to outline various traits of the player, which whilst sounding good on paper, didn’t really come together all that well on the day. I won’t try and outline them all because they are scatter-gunned, but I’ll point out those which I found most important here. There is the egomaniac tendencies (i.e. The player thinks they can create “a civilisation that can stand the test of time”), they think they’re better than they are. This also leads into “The winning paradox”, the utopian ideal with games – you (basically) always win. Obviously this is has real founding in life, it comes with wins and looses, Sid used the NFL and NBA to illustrate this, only one team out of 20-odd will win. This creates the first major problem Sid is describing, a search for realism overshadowed by a lust for victory.

Amongst other things, Sid outlines (and patents) the term “unholy alliance” in reference to the pact which gamers and developers have to make in order for them to both enjoy games. Gamers have to pretend its real – therefore devs have to promote this. This is based on a number of different factors, but is essentially based on “suspending disbelief”, which should be pretty evident by now. This though, is problematic and that is because of what Sid discussed when he started the speech – his quest for realism. Because he’s a mathematician first and foremost, his games are created with equations and coding, rather than narrative and emotion. So, when he presents a player with a battle whose odds of winning are 3:1 it is perfectly fair, he says, for the player to loose one in four of the fights – i.e. Expect to loose gamer! However, not everyone can appreciate this, or perhaps they find the potential mathematical uncertainty frustrating and “cheap”, but for what ever reason Sid said a 3:1 chance of winning (for his typical gamer) should mean a win every time rather than three in four (because 3 is a bigger number than 1, ergo big beats small every time). So, humouring the player he made the odds “fairer”, however this isn’t enough. Sid then outlines a number of other odds in which the player shows a lack of knowledge for probability and logic and essentially how his games have had to change because of this. This section probably should have been titled “why the player is stupid”, Sid appeared to be a little bitter at this behaviour.

The following few moments are remarks on things he is sorry about over his career, the list might seem to contain some welcome admissions for the die-hard fans including things like “real time Civ,” the randomised tech tree, natural disasters and not making “the Dinos game”. I believe elements in his next section however, should probably belong on his “my bad” list. Sid goes onto describe how to make “AAA games on a shoestring budget”. Firstly this was probably here to make people happy that he’s mindful of financial difficulties, although I can’t help be think Sid may have lost it, just slightly. His points here are based on two things, leave out expensive graphic design and don’t bother writing extensive narrative, just rely on cultural memory. I think I should explain this a bit better for those who haven’t seen it. The first point was based on the fact that in Civ Revolution they illustrated riches from one empire being bestowed on the player shown simply as a line of text, i.e. “you received seven dancing bears”. Apparently the fact that the player will read this and then imagine the dancing bears will be enough, no need to go to the expensive of showing it, simply telling it will be fine. I’m not going to patronise people with the “show, don’t tell” argument, it just seemed really strange that in 2010 a game designer was opting for text approach. The second point was a lousy one really, that games can simply rely on stereotypes to tell the story rather than paying someone to write something advanced, detailed and well thought out. If you see a pirate with a black, curly moustache and a sword you can tell that he’s evil – no need to write some complicated reasoning for it. Okay, I know this is money saving we’re talking about here, but this is lazy on a shameful level, whilst stereotypes can be useful for limited purposes, I hardly think you can base antagonists, protagonists etc on them (although some games do still try and come off worse for it).

Sid then goes on to give another almost basic lesson which is “listen to the gamer” and interpret the answers to work out what drives them, rather than taking it at face value. I can only speak for myself when saying this but this isn’t anything new, even coming from Mr Sid Meier himself. The final moments are spent describing the process of making the epic journey of games, more epic and the apparent holy grail of gaming, replayabilty. This is down to choice making, progression and apparently Word of Warcraft does this well (seems like over 11 million people can’t be wrong). I couldn’t help thinking that all I already knew about games and the gamer wasn’t wrong, so the premise the speech is based on is perhaps a little thin. It might seem like I have ripped on Meier rather heavily here, that is not to detract from what was a very interesting speech, just a shame it seems to come from one of dinosaurs of games design, someone we should learn from, but ultimately someone who will be/has been surpassed – I think the remarks at the conference, no matter how well received, are a sign of this.

*Alright, I know that my title might seem a little hyperbolic, but so was Sid’s!

Chr15 6r33n (Follow me on Twitter at chrisgreen87)

[Via http://rr0d.wordpress.com]

News is presented between 2:03 and 2:09 p.m. Eastern | Firedoglake

UUUUUGHHHHH.

2010-03-14T01:27:00.000+02:00

Being sick is terrible. Probably the only two reasons I made this blog were that I was sick (and therefore bored) and a girl on House the other night had a blog. Yeah. I’m pathetic, aren’t I?

But, more on topic: congestion. It STINKS. Your nose (Or in my case, my right nostril. EVERY TIME.) is clogged and YOU CAN’T BLOW IT OUT. Feeling sick is just your body trying to kill germs (Germs can be fungi like mold and mushrooms and stuff but smaller. Doesn’t this make being sick even more “extra special fun”?), so WHY DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE CRUD? My theory: Bodies are emo. I swear to god, mine has been trying to kill me for a week or so, ’cause I’ve been tripping over every GOD-DARNED THING THAT EVER EXISTED. Except valuable things. Or things I want to find. RAWR. So, next time you get sick, you can thank your body for making you feel that bad! NOPE! Not the germs! Your body itself. Kinda like when a country self-destructs itself funding a war. Huh. Wow.

On a completely unrelated note: Did you know that Bing’s name stands for “Because It’s Not Google”? How desperate is Microsoft, anyway?

On a somewhat related not to the previous note (Yes I do this a lot): HOW DO YOU USE MACS? I swear, you CANNOT minimize windows on Mac computers. If you do, you will never see them again. I also don’t get the maximize button. I can NEVER get it to work. Also, Steve Jobs, if you’re reading this: RIGHT CLICK, DUDE. Everyone else has one, and for good reason. Like their keyboards, though. Mac should just make keyboards and iPod Touches. And earbuds. NOTHING ELSE. EVER. Nintendo should have learned that lesson with the Zelda games by now. Zelda II: They changed the formula. FAIL. Phantom Hourglass: They changed the formula. FAIL. Majora’s Mask: They fiddled with the formula with that 3 days crud. FAIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL. Spirit Tracks: The train: FAIL. People, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

Though, for the US government, if it IS broke, DON’T FIX IT (I.E. Bail it out). Really. It’s their own fault they went down in the first place.

Which reminds me: YES. A bit PG-13 at times, BuuuuuUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuuuuut… Hi. Larious. Play it NOW. Especially the level Capitalism: The Game.

Wow. I sure can type. 390+ words already. I’m-a see it I can bump that up any.

Let’s see here…

Survivor! Great show. If you don’t watch it, you should. But not this season. Russel is still here. Don’t worry. I’ll tell you when it’s safe to start watching.

Russel is a TROLL. I’m serious. If you looked at the cast pages before the start of this season, they had questions that they asked each person, one of which was: “Which previous Survivor player do you respect the most?” and another of which was “Which previous Survivor player do you respect the least?” GUESS WHAT RUSSELL SAID. He said “I don’t respect any of them.” DUDE! NOT COOL! Then, in his first season, his WHOLE strategy was to be a jerk. LITTERALLY. HE SAID IT HIMSELF. Not in those *exact* words, but, still. THEN! Then he called all the blond girls on the show (There are always about 2 million of ‘em) his “Dumba**” Blond Girls”. NO! YOU DON’T DO THAT!Then, at the end of that season, one of said girls BEAT HIM! YES! Poetic Justice at its finest!

And then they brought him back for another go. STUPID. PRODUCERS. RAWR. AND! This season, they are doing NOTHING but wrestling challenges. I sewar. This season must have set a record for the most injuries. EVER. It’s like World War III out there.

Well, word count is up to 622, and Star Wars is on, so I’m about done for now.

Peace

–Lync

[Via http://3feettotheleft.wordpress.com]

UN Could Take a Lesson from South Dakota « Liveshots

Doctor Who on Nintendo Wii?

2010-03-12T22:33:00.000+02:00

Is Nintendo developing a Doctor Who game for their Wii console? We think yes, The Sun reports that BBC Worldwide have secured a multi-million (10 Million pounds to be precise) contract with Nintendo to develope a Doctor Who game for their two main consoles, the Wii and DS.

The game is said to be in the early stages of production and will feature Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor with monsters and villians such as Cybermen, Daleks and Silurians. A BBC insider has said ”This has been in the pipeline for years. We’re delighted to have finally nailed down a deal. We went with Nintendo as they have huge appeal for families and Doctor Who is very much a family brand.” and ”The Wii console is key for us as it’s something families play together.”

The Inside added “BBC Worldwide, which licenses BBC shows, has been trying to find some way of doing it. But you can’t have Doctor Who blowing things to bits with a laser gun. That would massively change the nature of the show”.

Also The Sun talked to 10th Doctor David Tennat about the issues involved with it being kept from coming out before now was the treatment of the Doctor’s charater. Tennant said that “The video game was quite actively developed, but it’s difficult to nail as the Doctor doesn’t blow things up. He’s not Batman, who goes around smacking people in the head.”

It has been said that the production will be kept close under BBC supervision in the key production stages from becoming to violent.

[Via http://dwnd.wordpress.com]

Chaos Theory - Desperation News Network -- Politics Daily

First Hours of Final Fantasy XIII

2010-03-11T17:48:00.000+02:00

Well, after a few days of getting some solid time in on Final Fantasy XIII (outside of work and begging for Big Screen time hah), here’s my first thoughts on this game.

Lets start with the story. So far the story has kept my attention very well. I found myself at first really fighting to understand each of the factions and what they are doing. However, it cleared itself up aside my fear. It’s looking like it’s covering 4 groups. The citizens of Cocoon who live in utopia, the people of other villages, the Sanctum who ‘protects’ Cocoon, and the fal’Cei who provide to humans.

At some point the fal’Cei of a town called Pulse, goes against human kind, and begins marking humans to serve them. Fulfilling a ‘focus’ and becoming a crystal, or fail and become a mutant. You and your fellow heroes join in the story trying to stop the Sanctum from ‘purging’ citizens. Quickly however discovering alternate plans to save someone from the Pulse fal’Cei.

Overall, so far the story is keeping me interested, however at points it becomes redundant.

The characters are great. I love the personality and story behind each one so far. Many tragic and many interesting. Lightning is just plain awesome on the battle field, while being torn to her soldier like mind when facing relationships. Snow is a gun-ho resistance leader who keep on a tough face to help others around him. Vanille is a cute over cheerful character who may have a dark past. Hope is a lost child who loses everything and tries to hide from it with fighting. Sazh is the ‘down-to-earth’ person with a funny personality.

The Graphics are amazing. It doesn’t seem at any point that they cut the graphics short. Every landscape is beautiful, spell casts are vibrant, and the overall animation is stunning.

Now on to the important stuff. Where all this is put together and presented, because let’s face it, this is a game not a movie.

The gameplay and battles are fast pace. At no point are you bored finding something to hit. However this comes at a price. I figured the path running and combat sequences were just part of the opening battle. After several hours and many zones later, I found that to be a repeated thing. So I begin to question if this is the game in it’s entirety. Running down narrow path after narrow path after narrow path constantly. It’s gone from a promising action packed game to a linear repetitive action game. Like an old school Contra in 3-D.

The battles were very well done. The transition from initiating a battle was quick. No loading issues. The battles themselves are fast pace but still contain commands to keep the Final Fantasy feel. The bosses were interesting and involving. You can’t just mash them to death, but you also can’t remain defensive. So you juggle to keep alive while dealing a chaining damage.

First attribute that makes the battle interesting is Paradigms. You can essentially create battle modes such as “relentless assault” or “war and peace.” As well as each character has roles they can fill. These include things like healing, fighting, protecting, casting, debuffing, and buffing. Depending on how you set it up, each battle mode you select assigns your characters to specific roles. Example being, if I select Relentless assault, everyone will go on offensive with one person commanding chains. If I select War and Peace, one person will heal while other attacks.

On top of that, you have to chain and stagger enemies by focusing attention on them. More damage you chain on the enemy, the more damage multipliers are added on them. At a point, you’ll reach a stagger point which will stun the enemy or slow them down. All of this coupled together makes for a very interesting and fast pace combat system.

Character progress is a bit dry. I noted that there is no levels. Instead all you do to progress your character is a grid system called the Crystarium. Here’s a bit of a double edged blade. First off you’re capped on how far you can progress your Crystarium. Beating certain parts of the game unlocks further progression. Essentially this capping prevents you from overpowering or out leveling enemies. Which is cool in respect that you can never make the game easier, but only harder.

Now, why is this bad? You essentially have no control to “progress” your characters. It makes you think you are, but in fact you’re always filling out your Crystarium each time you’re allowed to raise it. Thus, I wonder, what’s the point? Why not just fill that info in automatically? It’s not like you can customize or push forward. You’re always being directed and controlled to a linear path.

Well, there you have it. A beautiful game with linear running down a narrow path, awesome battle fights, great characters and story, terrible customization, and.. oh ya.. did I mention narrow linear running down of repetitive paths? Jokes aside, I am enjoying it. The story and character builds are very interesting. The gorgeous graphics and animation keep me going.

[Via http://cabbitwolf.wordpress.com]

Tim Donaghy: Yesterday's News ... Or Is It?

Mafia Wars Most Money - Find Out How Pro's Make So Much Mafia Wars Money

2010-03-11T09:55:00.000+02:00

Mafia Wars Most Money

Mafia Wars is one of the most hot social networking games to date. It begun in 2007 on the latterly built FaceBook platform as a project by Zynga. Now in 2010, it has over 25,000,000 engaged players on the FaceBook version of the game alone. As a result, Zynga has now extended it’s breadwinner onto other platforms such MySpace and the iPhone as well as publishing new games such as Farmville which is now FaceBook’s most used application.

In order to become a successful Mafia Wars player, one must engage many different illegal activities such as thieving and killing in order to make money and growth in-game stats. However, getting money by completing jobs is by and large quite slow and boring. Another option Zynga offer in order to fast track your earnings is to finish some of their “special” offers. However, this definitely won’t be for you unless you’ve got rich pockets as it costs a fair total (generally $5-20) to complete said offers. A touch of hope does exist though. We’re now offering you, for a limited time only, access to Mafia Wars money cheats that will allow you to generate as much money as you want in just a couple of minutes.

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Mafia Wars is undoubtedly the most favorite game of social networking open play. One of the many bonus game social game like Mafia Wars is that you get to see many people from around the world have the same interest.

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[Via http://tendenctjon.wordpress.com]

Tim Donaghy: Yesterday's News ... Or Is It?

Autodesk visit and Aika online

2010-03-09T17:50:00.000+02:00

So today, the Technical Sales Manager of Autodesk came to my school. For those of you who aren’t in the development side of gaming: Autodesk is the creator of popular 3d software packages like 3D Studio Max, Maya and Mudbox. They also have software for animation and AI. The Autodesk guy gave a presentations about the different assets of 3d use in games. He gave some examples, talked about some game history, etc… and he ended by talking about 2 of the software packages from Autodesk I didn’t know yet, but who seem interesting. The first one was HumanIK. It’s a software that easily integrates your character animation with the game engine. Kynapse was the second program. Though I didn’t knew it yet, according to Autodesk’s site it’s the “leading artificial intelligence (AI) solution for game development and real-time simulations”. It has been used for more than 80 AAA game titles.

Aika Online

The next part of this blog entry is about the beta of a game I have been playing recently. I have already been in a few game beta’s this year. Command and conquer 4 and the Battlefield Bad Company 2 beta for example. I was disappointed by C&C and haven’t played Battlefield enough to judge it (I have bought it and will review it once I have). The beta that I enjoyed the most is Aika Online. It’s a free mmo, with the well known concept of an item shop to fund it. Don’t worry though, they have announced that no items will be sold that can’t be found in game. So there will be no overpowered people with gears you can’t get if you don’t want to pay.

While playing through the 1st and 2nd closed beta fase, I wasn’t impressed by the quests and story of the game. They were not bad, but didn’t do anything innovative, though the dialoges contained quite some humor. There were several quests that advised to use a party, so the players were encouraged to interact with each other.

The leveling is quite fast in this game, but this was on purpose. The gameplay is heavily dependent on PVP. Every player in the game can be the citizen of one of the five nations. Each nation has a leader, which is the guildmaster of the guild who won the last castle siege. Guilds can work together to either help or attack the ruling guild when the next siege begins. Of course there don’t exist 5 nations to have them fight among each other. The ruling leader of a nation gets access to a special chat which allows him to easily contact his entire nation. He is supposed to be the military leader and can assemble his nation to go on a raid. The main reason why raids are done is to steal relics from other nations. The relics can be stolen by breaking through the defenses of the enemy temple and taking the relic to your own nation’s temple. I don’t know yet what kinds of defenses those temples have because I only once joined a raid, but it was unsuccessful. We had been defeated when we almost reached the temple.

That should give you a first impression about Aika Online. I have not discussed all features of the game at all. Dungeons, crafting, enchanting are just some of the other features. I might give a full review later, we’ll see about that. I’m ending this with some screenshots I took during my time in the game. There are some pictures of the raid I did. That was an unprepared raid that was formed in half an hour. The game should be able to handle battles with thousand people. I did not have any lag in that raid.

Links:

Autodesk in games: http://www.autodesk.co.uk/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=452932&id=12390389
Aika Online: http://aika.gpotato.com/

(try to grab an Aika beta key for the next beta which will be either closed beta3 or the open beta. My ingame name is massi or massenic)

[Via http://massenic.wordpress.com]

[Review] X-TUBE USB DTS… The Quick Review « Akihabara News

Fraps v3.1

2010-03-09T09:54:00.000+02:00

Fraps is a universal Windows application that can be used with games using DirectX or OpenGL graphic technology. In its current form Fraps performs many tasks and can best be described as:

Benchmarking Software – Show how many Frames Per Second (FPS) you are getting in a corner of your screen. Perform custom benchmarks and measure the frame rate between any two points. Save the statistics out to disk and use them for your own reviews and applications.

Screen Capture Software – Take a screenshot with the press of a key! There’s no need to paste into a paint program every time you want a new shot. Your screen captures are automatically named and timestamped.

Realtime Video Capture Software – Have you ever wanted to record video while playing your favourite game? Come join the Machinima revolution! Throw away the VCR, forget about using a DV cam, game recording has never been this easy! Fraps can capture audio and video up to 2560×1600 with custom frame rates from 10 to 120 frames per second!

[Via http://rdportables.wordpress.com]

Future of Online News – Jeffrey Zeldman Presents The Daily Report

Home for the Duke Game

2010-03-09T01:20:00.000+02:00

Rusty red corollas, murky gray sedans and midnight black trucks swarm together on the three-lane highway enclosing a rivalry unmatched since the Civil War. Honking horns, swerving tires and screeching brakes hum brilliantly like a symphony of old train whistles.

The wheels of my blue Toyota Camry inch forward, making the road toward Odum Village still beyond reach. I silently curse my boss for keeping me at work, believing he hates UNC enough to make my 20 minute ride home an insufferable hour and 15 minutes, thus far. With music blasting, I crack my window half-way to let the cool breeze in while trying to minimize the bickering banter of Blue Devil fans implying our team is lacking in the anatomical department.

A Duke fan in the lane to my left tosses an unmistakable blue jersey out the window and his chuckles echo in my ears. My teeth clench and my fingers find the volume bar, increasing Coldplay’s Clocks, sending musical interludes into the mix of reverberations. The last stop light before Manning turns apple green and a smile creeps to my mouth—I’m almost there. But no one moves.

A dove gray pick-up truck in the right lane accelerates and brakes with quick stops dripping oil on the asphalt like melting butter.

A man dressed in a mixture of periwinkle and pale blue paint rolls down his mud-stained window and leans hard on the wheel—a clamorous persistence that UNC will win, echoed by Tar Heel decals and a glowing blue UNC #1 license plate. His cheeks glow red as he screams, “Suck it, Duke!” A car next to him, a black Chrysler with Blue Devil streamers blowing from the side windows, coasts alongside the perceived enemy and cuts him off, barely missing the front bumper.

The light turns yellow and my frustration builds. My palm presses the horn with gentle pressure—a middle finger reflects back at me from the Duke fan. The smell of burning rubber lingers after he makes a wide right turn onto Manning. The light turns a burning red. I pop two migraine pills into my mouth, swishing the tablets with old, warm water resting in my cup holder.

The sun melts beneath the North Carolina horizon with an expectation that each new day begins and ends with the same sky radiating the colors of the rainbow. But on this night, fading so slightly from the light blue sky of the afternoon into the pinks and yellows of sherbert, the streaks dip closer to a dark blue, almost as though the stars and planets have breathed truth into this game—a game that defines identity and fervent admiration.

The light turns green and cars roll past, children sipping juice boxes wave flags from back seats and my foot presses the accelerator, the gears churning in mechanical rhythm on my journey home. Bright orange cones bleed into view as bands of dark blue and light blue sweatshirts zig-zag through crowds approaching the Dean Dome, crossing the street with whoops and hollers.

Apple green welcomes me to Hibbard Drive. Weaving around the curves and gravel of Odum Village, my dashboard clock reads 8:47 p.m. and I breath a sigh of relief as my parking spot inches into view.

[Via http://iwantaboringlife.wordpress.com]

AMERICAblog News: The voters have voted in Iraq

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 “PROPER” [PC Game]

2010-03-07T17:42:00.000+02:00

Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW

UPDATE: Files re uploaded. #5

Return to today’s war front with the second chapter in the Modern Warfare series. Modern Warfare 2 continues the gripping and heart-racing action as players face off against a new threat dedicated to bringing the world to the brink of collapse. Playing as as Sgt. Gary “Roach” Sanderson, your international squad of elite soldiers battle through harrowing combat scenarios that range from snowy mountaintops in Siberia to the crowded streets of Rio de Janiero, Brazil and beyond, facing a terrorist force hellbent on redefining the boundary lines of today’s modern warfare. Players can face the threat alone or with other players in cooperative SpecOps mode. For even more intense combat, take up arms against online foes in enhanced deathmatch warfare on a host of Modern Warfare 2 maps.

Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW

UPDATE: Files re uploaded. #5

General Features:

* EPIC SINGLE-PLAYER CAMPAIGN – A riveting story picks up immediately following the thrilling events from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

* SPECIAL OPS CO-OPERATIVE — An entirely new gameplay mode which supports 2-player co-operative play via online or split screen that is unique from the single player story campaign. Special Ops pits players into a gauntlet of time-trial and objective-based missions. Missions include highlights from the single player campaign, fan favorites from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and all new, exclusive missions. Rank-up as players unlock new Special Ops missions, each more difficult.

* MULTIPLAYER REINVENTED — Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer delivers new capabilities, customization, gamestates and modes, including: Customizable Killstreaks, Accolades (post match reports) & evolved Create-a-Class.

System Requirements:

Intel CPU - Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4GHz

AMD CPU - Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4400+

Nvidia Graphics Card - Geforce 8800 GS

ATI & Intel Graphics Card - Radeon X1800 Series 256MB

RAM - 2 GB

Hard Disk Space - 12 GB

Direct X - 9

Install Notes:

1. Unpack release

2. Mount image or burn it

3. Install

4. Copy the content from the SKIDROW directory on DVD2 to your installation directory and overwrite

5. Play the game

More at Gamespot:

http://gamespot.com/pc/action/modernwarfare2/index.html

Download:

http://rapidshare.com/files/358624886/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.200.part01.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/358657150/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.200.part02.rar

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CLICK HERE FOR HIGH SPEED DIRECT LINK MIRRORS

[Via http://softkrack.wordpress.com]

Cowboys tendered Alan Ball, Steve Octavien, too | Dallas Cowboys ...

My Fav Genre of Game

2010-03-07T09:07:00.000+02:00

Game RPG.. atau dalam bahasa Indonesia adalah “permainan peran”, sudah tidak asing di telinga kita. Ya, permainan yang dimainkan oleh 1 orang ini sudah sangat terkenal di seluruh dunia. Ada banyak sekali permainan-permainan bergenre RPG. Contoh yang sudah sering kita ketahui adalah Final Fantasy, Suikoden, Dragon Quest, Legend of Zelda, dan masih banyak lagi!

Namun, karena game RPG adalah permainan yang di desain seperti sebuah cerita, maka butuh waktu cukup lama untuk menyelesaikan game RPG. Banyak orang mengatakan bahwa game RPG itu tidak menarik, game RPG itu membosankan, game RPG itu tidak ada manfaatnya.. semua itu salah! Bisa saja orang-orang yang mengatakan hal itu belum pernah sama sekali bermain game RPG. Padahal, jika dicermati, banyak sekali manfaat dari game RPG. Tapi, seperti pepatah mengatakan, ‘tidak ada manusia yang sempurna’, untuk game juga sama, tidak ada game yang sempurna. Jadi, selain manfaat, game RPG juga memiliki dampak negatif.. tapi hanya dikit banget kok hehe..

Coba aja deh, main game yang bergenre RPG!!dijamin seru bangetttt… ggaaaaaaaakkkkkkk bohoooonnngggg ;D

[Via http://raihanfinalfantasy.wordpress.com]

Steam News

Mass Effect 2

2010-03-07T01:41:00.000+02:00

If there’s one word I can guarantee that I will avoid using when I write about Mass Effect 2, it’s ‘disappointing’. I also promise not to mention ‘marmalade’, but that’s hardly relevant.

Apart from surpassing the previous installment in every way possible, ME2 has cast an apocalyptic shadow over its inferior (and obese) relative Dragon Age: Origins. I can certainly target some flaws in the gameplay, and I will, but what game, with the possible exception of Planescape: Torment, doesn’t have flaws? The fact is that there are a hell of a lot of good things to say about ME2, and it ought to be recognised as the pinnacle of film-like storytelling in gaming today.

Like most games, ME2 has taught me a valuable lesson, and that is that I can be seduced very quickly. Not very easily, mind you; it takes the right set of atmospheric conditions, long, flowing hair over supple breasts, or an array of well kept, high calibre firearms to get me in the sack. But if you’ve got those things, or something similarly alluring, you can have me remarkably fast.

In the case of ME2, the allure to begin with was the third-person shooter combat. This was something I was looking forward to from the myriad gameplay trailers produced by Bioware before the game’s release. It stands in stark contrast to the combat in ME1, which felt a little crude and contrived even at the time. Now we have a Gears of War-esque model, featuring a fully developed cover system and a proper emphasis on the value of headshots.

In time I settled into it—the rhythm and structure of fights. It became normal; part of the wonderful scenery. But at first it was a thing of sheer joy. None of the hype had prepared me for how natural and exhilarating it feels to take such intimate tactical control of Commander Shephard’s actions.

It’s a funny thing, because in truth the mechanics at work are no more sophisticated than those in Gears of War. What makes it so impressive is that it creates an immediate sense that this is how Shephard really fights. In ME1, the character of Shephard—whether paragon, renegade or a bit of both—was expressed only in conversation; this time around you get to be Shephard the strategist, the marksman, the warrior.

Or more accurately, Shephard the vanguard, my chosen class, imported from my ME1 save game, which reminds me to note briefly that the slight concern I had about the import feature—a selling point advertised at the game’s announcement—was unwarranted. It worked flawlessly and instantly—a quick copy and paste—and I was away. And I was pleasantly surprised by how many of my actions in the previous game were taken into account.

In the two years that have passed since the Geth machine race and their master, the reaper Sovereign, were destroyed, much has changed in the galaxy, and the decisions you’ve made have had time to take effect. The long term consequences which were only hinted at before are repeatedly stressed.

For instance, I sacrificed the council to bring down Sovereign (the big boss of ME1)—what I thought was a necessary act at the time—and in ME2 the council has been dominated by human representatives. Where previously it was a balanced authority over galactic affairs, it’s now sparked a creeping xenophobia amongst the populace. Humans have become used to treating aliens like second class citizens, and many aliens resent what they perceive as a machiavellian takeover.

Apart from these basic political facts, plenty of smaller narrative threads are picked up on. Most of these don’t have an immediate influence on the central plot of ME2, and although some of them are too minor to be anything other than a pleasant reminder of good deeds done, I strongly suspect a few will be carried over and brought to conclusion in ME3, or perhaps beyond.

The choice you made on the Noveria mission in ME1 between exterminating or liberating the Rachni Queen, for example, is explored at great length (at least it was for me – a dyed in the wool liberator), and I strongly suspect there will either be hugely positive or horrifically negative ramifications to come in the next installment. Bravo to Bioware for creating a sense of continuity while at the same time allowing ME2’s central mission to play itself out.

It’s a spectacular mission, and, as plots go, quite beautiful, in the sense that it can be fully explained in the course of a few sentences, and that explanation would in no way spoil it. I’m tempted to do that now to prove my point to those among you who haven’t played it yet, but I won’t. I will say instead that it’s the personal stories of your crew (alternatively known as your party)—which blossom and transform as you progress—that elevate what would otherwise be a medicore action thriller into an epic symphony.

Yes, there is the mission—essentially to save the galaxy (again)—driving you forward; that’s the end goal. But what occupies the majority of the 30-40 hours of gameplay, if you play properly, is the long recruitment process. It’s made very clear to you up front in your briefing with the enigmatic Illusive Man (voiced by Martin Sheen in case you haven’t heard) that Shephard is doomed to failure without an extensive and well prepared squad.

Only 2 of the 11 characters available to join you are members of your old ME1 crew, namely Garrus and Tali, although the rest of the old bunch—Wrex, Ashley Williams/Kaidan Alenko and Liara—still make their obligatory cameo appearances. Liara, the fragile asari archaeologist, is as dull a character as ever, unfortunately, but meeting Wrex in his new situation was a wonderful dramatic moment.

It’s a telling sign of Bioware’s prowess that that first thing I did after the opening mission was search for Ashley (my previous romantic interest) out of a sense of duty. Her brief section of dialogue is rewarding, but also reminded me of Shephard’s changing circumstances. He was the first human spectre, and revered as an Alliance poster boy. Now, he’s wavering on the outer fringes of the political spectrum.

The characters who join you, including Garrus and Tali, are once again superbly voice acted, but things have been taken up a notch in ME2. It’s a noticeably more adult oriented experience, and not in the cheap sense that there are big, bad swear words and shocking moments of violence—although there are some A grade shockers in store if you’re inclined toward renegade choices.

The galaxy of ME2 is more morally ambiguous than it was in ME1, and there’s plenty of noir backstory in the loyalty missions. To explain, each party member has his or her own loyalty mission, which begins when they mention—typically in a fairly urgent tone—that some dark element of their past has resurfaced and must be dealt with.

You’re given the option of turning these missions down in favour of pushing forward in the main story, but that would be foolish. For one thing, you’ll miss out on unlocking an extra outfit (usually a Matrix-style jet black look) for each character. Reason enough, surely? But most of these missions are well worth pursuing for the narrative flavour they add. It has to be noted that some are clearly better than others, but the best ones—like salarian xenobiologist/commando Mordin Solus’s search for his old pupil gone rogue, or Tali’s troubled return to the migrant fleet—are exceptional.

Mordin’s mission is particularly noteworthy. At its core is a more ethically challenging theme than most games will manage to incorporate in their entire duration. Genocide and racism are on the menu, and the numerous exchanges between Shephard and Mordin can spiral into chilling, emotionally fraught debates, or not, depending on the dialogue choices you make. Mordin is an entertaining chap to have around regardless, but these verbal tussles expose him as being far more complex and intriguing. Perhaps he’s a well meaning and brilliant thinker, or perhaps he’s a psychotic and morally bankrupt villain; it’s not easy to say.

Praise must be given not only for how Bioware have bolstered the series’ existing strengths, but also for the bold action they’ve taken in cutting out weaknesses. Gone is any recognisable form of inventory system, which for some is objectionable; for me, a masterstroke. I’ve no love for sorting items anyway. Even where inventory screens are bearable they’re inevitably tedious, and detract from the pace of the rest of the game. The inventory in ME1 distinguished itself as a major irritation, and removing it in ME2 has shifted the spotlight away from the boring and repetitive and on to what matters: shootin’ up galactic scumbags.

Another blight on the otherwise great ME1 experience were the vehicle sections, in which Shephard approached each objective in an armoured buggy, the Mako. These could’ve been executed better to say the least, and I’m overjoyed to see them disappeared in ME2. Now there are no pointless preambles; your three man team lands in a shuttle and dives straight into the combat. And because firefights and plot advancing sequences flow seamlessly into each other at a refreshing gallop, once you’re in, you’re carried away with a sense of urgency until the thrilling climax.

The lost vehicle sections served another purpose in ME1, and that was to open up the galaxy—the planets and moons in particular—for exploration. Roving a planet’s surface in the Mako presented various (limited) opportunites, namely the discovery of ore deposits to work toward achievements, and a few extra experience points, but it was never enjoyable. It was in fact little more than a filler between missions. A filler of the chewy, rotten kind that wants to be spat out as soon as possible.

In ME2, this kind of prospecting has been shunted in favour of the now infamous scanning mini-game. Zoom in on a planet—any planet that’s not set aside for a specific mission—and something akin to a Geiger counter pops up, monitoring for ore deposits. The game boils down to holding the right mouse button to scan, keeping your eye on peaks that appear on the counter, and launching probes which scoop the ore on to your ship.

It’s markedly more tolerable than the hours spent in the Mako, but still a chore. And what’s more, you’re punished later on if you don’t collect the resources, which you can spend on upgrades to your squad and the ship’s systems. This makes it a small evil, and a strange anomaly, given that so much effort has been put into jettisoning other time-wasting garbage. It also hurt my hand after a while.

Slightly less lame but still a pointless diversion, the hacking mini-games, which alternate between a patronisingly easy version of matching pairs and a basic pattern recognition task, are frustratingly frequent. The motivating factor in this case is that hacking is (as far as I can recall) the only source of credit income, credits being required for yet more squad and ship upgrades. As with the scanning, there is literally no challenge in these games at all, and they’re not even slightly enjoyable.

The lesson Bioware need to learn for ME3 isn’t that they need to improve or expand upon these vomit machines, but that they should save themselves time and money and lose them entirely. Sure, you could draw inspiration from winning arcade games like Peggle or Bejeweled, and maybe succeed in designing a mining game which is genuinely fun, but I really think that if people want to play Peggle, they’ll play Peggle. When I boot up ME2 I’m not looking for an arcade game to break up the story; I just want the story. If I get bored and want something more lighthearted, I’ll quit and play World of Goo.

A heavy chunk of the character development options have also been cut. In ME1, no matter what class you chose, you had more than enough skills to spend points on. For instance, I specialised in shotgun and pistol use, which meant that my Shephard was a magnificent retard when it came to assault and sniper rifles.

This time around, your options are strikingly thin on the ground, and although you’ll still need to make a choice as to which of the six (at least it was six for me) skills you neglect, there’s no room for defining a sub-class. If you choose to be a vanguard, that’s what you are. You can’t be a shotgun specialist close quarters vanguard, or a pistol marksman vanguard.

The most you can do is power up cryo rounds (which are awesome by the way) instead of incendiaries, or vice versa, or forsake the pull biotic (effectively force pull as in Jedi Academy) in favour of shockwave (an uber force push). These choices don’t redefine the way you fight, but they do subtly influence it, to the extent that some tactics will become more or less workable than others. And I can understand why this is a significant downer for some, but for whatever reason it doesn’t bother me in the slightest.

When I wonder why it doesn’t bother me, I’m reminded of why I love ME2 so much, and why it had me proclaiming within the first half hour that it was the best game ever made. On paper, it looks like it’s been given something like the Deus Ex 2 treatment: interface massively reduced, avenues for defining your character and class cut in half, etc. But none of those things were what made ME1 great. What made ME1 great was the way in which it made me believe that games really can be as good as films.

At bottom, the story of Shephard versus the big bad aliens is no more complex than your average Hollywood blockbuster action movie: Independence Day for example. But when you play it, it’s not like Independence Day; it’s like The Fifth Element, albeit without the joys of Chris Tucker as an ultra-camp pest in a skin-tight pink suit.

The Fifth Element is a wonderful film, not because of its plot—which is basically solid and dependable—but because for an hour or two, it lets you live in and explore a radically altered universe: quirky, multi-layered, dangerous, fantastic, and teetering on the edge of being obliterated. ME2 achieves that level of escapism too, but unlike a film, it naturally does it far more literally. It’s as close to living in a film world as you can get right now, and that means it can easily withstand the loss of some fairly sizeable chunks of gameplay.

As it stands, it’s a titanic masterpiece, but who knows if it could’ve been even better had some more bits and pieces been given the chop? Who knows if ME3 might pillage the entire galactic map and run you through the story in a completely linear fashion?

All I know is that I trust Bioware. If any developer has proven its ability to make radical game improving decisions other than Valve, it’s them. The only problem now is that RPGs released in 2010 are going to have to aim for a bar set so high that the gods of Mount Olympus are presently using it as a foot scraper.

P.S. That’s right, I’m doing a P.S. in a review – deal with it! I would be remiss without mentioning a couple of flaws that have only occurred to me since writing the above splurge of adoration. These, unlike some of the small issues I’ve already discussed, are what I consider to be real, substantial problems with the game.

The first is something that bugged me in ME1 too – the character animations. Don’t get me wrong; the animation in ME2 is thoroughly decent. It’s certainly some of the best in the genre, and occasionally Bioware do get it just right. Indeed, even at his worst, Shephard looks infinitely more believable than any character you care to mention in an earlier Bioware title like Knights of the Old Republic.

But there remains a great deal of awkwardness and uncanniness in the way ME2 characters move. This is most obvious in conversations, not that one should therefore dismiss it. Don’t forget that you’re going to spend something like 50% or more of the game speaking to people.

It’s actually uncomfortable to watch sometimes: Shephard lowering himself down on to one knee for the duration of an emotional dialogue, arms dangling by his sides like a rotund ape, for example. Bioware have lazily, and rather painfully chosen to recycle some animations from ME1 too: the way that so many characters like to take a stroll from one side of the screen to another half way through a sentence, and then return to a stop, standing motionless for a couple of seconds like a gymnast ending a routine.

These and many other gestures are horribly fake, and all they do is make the player aware of the fact that you either couldn’t, or didn’t want to spend time thinking through the mood and motivations of the characters speaking, and extending those aspects into their movement.

I really want to see a major push on this front in ME3. I won’t deny that some small improvements have already been made, coming from ME1, but what’s needed is a new paradigm: the kind of attention to detail normally reserved for cutscenes adopted as a standard for acting in-game. Imagine that, and you’re imagining my dreams.

Second up is an issue that is perhaps less tangible. It occurs to me, in retrospect, that I almost never suffered any negative outcomes from my actions. ME2 is built on choices in a way that ME1 was to a somewhat lesser extent. It takes the paragon and renegade metric and expands its jurisdiction to spur-of-the-moment so called ‘quick time’ events. You’ll be asked to decide whether to let a party member take revenge on someone, or whether to intimidate some upstart by shooting him in the foot, as opposed to using non-violent persuasion.

I enjoyed having these choices pop-up, and then watching the hilarious or shocking theatre that ensued. But that’s all these events have to offer: theatre. I couldn’t escape the nagging feeling that none of the decisions I made were having any lasting impact. They always made me feel good, either in a comforting “I’ve just rescued someone” way, or in a more instantly gratifying “I’ve just set you on fire by shooting up a fuel canister under your feet” way. I never regretted what I did, or looked back and recognised a flaw in my moral logic. If Shephard is a paragon, everyone loves him for his generosity and kindness; if he’s a renegade, he gets his way and people praise him for cutting through red tape.

In reality, someone who cuts corners, ignores legal restrictions and scraps moral values will often succeed, yes, but this isn’t the rule. These proud pragmatists can be made to realise, by the consequences of their actions, that those rules were in place for a reason. And on the flip side, well intentioned people can make fatal errors in judgement which lead to tragedy. None of this nuance, which we can all accept, is explored in ME2. Things are pretty much always rosy whichever side you pick.

In ME3 I’d like to see good and bad side effects of Shephard’s grand crusade. He’s never going to be evil in the classic sense; that would be a betrayal of his personality. But surely some of the things he does should be thwarted? Like any human with limited faculties, he can’t forsee the precise nature of every ripple effect. Some people he chooses to save should turn out badly, and sometimes when he draws his gun in a hostage situation it should result in a death.

Even Jack Bauer screws up every now and then.

[Via http://onemoreturn.wordpress.com]

West/Zampella suit details "inquisition" News | Eurogamer

To all the Star Wars RPG Fans.

2010-03-06T17:01:00.000+02:00

Hey To All You Rp’ers….

Hey all, I am out here to put out the word on a fairly New Star Wars RPG.

http://www.swheroesandscoundrels.com/portal.php

This is a forum based play by post RPG. It is completely Free to play. No subscriptions or fees.

The creators and administration team are very helpful and willing to get you started and set up.

The system is based off the Saga Edition rules and guild lines, and very easy to grasp.

It is an open galaxy system to where you write the stories and adventures that will become the histories of the future.

So come join us and be the Pirate, Trooper, Spy or Jedi you always wanted to be.

John GWolf.

[Via http://johngoldenwolf.wordpress.com]

Japanese charts: new entries abound News | Eurogamer

Hidden Identity Chicago Blackout - Explore various Chicago locations and find out who you are!

2010-03-04T09:21:00.000+02:00

You awake with amnesia in a Chicago hotel room and can’t remember your own name. Who are you? And how did you get here? You’ll need to keep your wits to solve this riveting hidden object game!

Explore scenes from your past and find hundreds of cleverly hidden objects, which offer clues to your forgotten identity. Find the clues quickly and earn special speed bonuses. Then uncover the secret notes that you left behind, and solve unique mini-games to jog your memory. Will you unravel the mystery, and discover your true identity?

Uncover all the secret notes that you left behind and solve 5 different types of mini-games that will help jog your memory.

Download Hidden Identity Chicago Blackout and Uncover your true identity today!

Hidden Identity Chicago Blackout Game Features

Explore 25 City Scenes!
Solve 5 Intriguing Mini-Games!
Find 50 Secret Notes!
Earn Speed Bonuses!

Hidden Identity Chicago Blackout game screenshots

Hidden Identity Chicago Blackout game trailer

[Via http://besthiddenobjectgames.wordpress.com]

Platinum's Vanquish for Japan this winter News | Eurogamer

Valve Software is up to something. More cake likely.

2010-03-04T01:28:00.000+02:00

It’s been a crazy week for fans of the Portal that have been following the gaming press. After last patching the game with minor fixes in June 2009, Valve have pushed two cryptic updates live for the game this week, both of which made changes to the game itself.

The first added several radios to the game’s levels in addition to the ones already present in the game. Usually these just play some fairly crazy, mexican sounding musak, but several forum-posters on various sites have found that placing these radios on the various red buttons scattered throughout the game as part of the game mechanics, causes them to broadcast a new series of signals.

Things only get crazier from there. Portal fans from a bunch of fan forums, bless ‘em, have examined the transmissions and managed to decode them into morse code and images of security camera footage from Aperture Labs – the installation the game takes place in. The rabbit hole went further, though, as an MD5 hashed phone number for an old-school Bulletin Board Service was found in the images which itself had MORE cryptic images.

Kotaku’s Michael McWhertor has a great write-up of the findings.

I love that Valve put this stuff out there knowing that their fans are crazy enough to do the work. I guess that’s what happens when you have to wait so long for sequel announcements! Episode 3

The second update to the game, which JUST went live actually changed the game’s ending – albeit very slightly.

I’m not going to spoil it for you, but if you HAVE finished the game, you can see the updated ending over at Giant Bomb.

All of this looks like it points to an announcement for Portal 2 at the GDC next week where Valve’s Gabe Newell is receiving the Pioneer Award for the Game Developers Choice Awards 2010.

Oh, yeah. It also looks like we might have a Mac version of Steam soon. Awesome.

[Via http://amnesiablog.wordpress.com]

AMERICAblog News: Evan Bayh is worried that going the ...

Man in Blue

2010-03-02T17:45:00.000+02:00

One Man Army, the wait is worth the fame

Don’t need no secondary, I rape just the same

Reload so quick and aim so fast

Got that Sleight of Hand to pop caps in yo ass

I run like the wind, they call me Marathon King

But when I slow down, they get blinded by my Bling

I’m a Scavenger whore , I’ll be taking all your ammo

So many headshots, I make my own camo.

[Via http://harrishudson.wordpress.com]

Poker News in Brief: Feb. 22-28, 2010

Global MU Online Patch 1.03O

2010-03-02T09:44:00.000+02:00

Global MU Online was developed in 2003 by Webzen, and since then has been enjoyed by millions of players in over 100 countries. With a level cap at 400 and over 100,000 possible item combinations, Global MU is arguably the most potent, richly developed, well supported hack and slash adventure ever created.Gamers First is clearly in effect with Global MU Online. The game receives constant, close attention, and the MU Masters (the MM’s, Game Masters for Global MU Online) take great pride in listening to their players and responding to their feedback.Global MU Online is free to download and completely Free2Play. Players can explore practically all of the game’s areas and experience most of the events at no cost. Premium services are available that increase the frequency of regular events, grant access to special events, and offer many game enhancements.Community is truly amazing in Global MU Online. The game boasts a highly active and passionate group of players, and MM’s frequently interact with them both in game and in the official Forums. The most impressive demonstration of community in Global MU Online involves the game’s unique events. The organization, planning and cooperation executed by players make this game what it is. Events such as Castle Siege span weeks, and over 1,500 players go at it in the same battle.Global MU Online gives players a great deal of content. There are many amazing armor sets, and players are able to create 30 different builds with the five existing character classes.With a huge global community, weather effects, character wings, mounts, and many other fantastic features, Global MU Online offers players the adventure of a lifetime.Make sure that you always use the newest Global MU Online Patch

Download

[Via http://thecastex2.wordpress.com]

Just Released Report: Understanding the Participatory News ...

Round 5 New UFC Figurines

2010-03-02T01:43:00.000+02:00

[Via http://fighttime.net]

Just Released Report: Understanding the Participatory News ...

7 Games

2010-02-28T01:46:00.000+02:00

Prambors vs Red Fox 11 : 0

Prambors vs Giants 5 : 1

Prambors vs Bumi Asri 3 : 1

Prambors vs Rebels 11 : 1

Prambors vs Gorgeous 4 : 6

Prambors vs Chikara 5 : 4

Prambors vs Pejabat 9 : 4

It’s been 7 games in the last few days. We have won 6, lost 1 and we are in the Grand Finals! We will be playing against team Gorgeous this afternoon at 12pm.

[Via http://softballacademy.wordpress.com]

News Topics as Social Network | FlowingData

Travels With Gulliver

2010-02-27T17:56:00.000+02:00

Follow Sedona, and the members of her book club, as their luxury yacht travels the world in their Travels With Gulliver. Their charming story takes some unexpected turns, including a bit of romance and a bit of mystery.You’ll get your passport stamped in exotic ports and piece together local scenes to earn postcards. Match 3 game play, lush artwork and a spectacular original soundtrack will make Travels With Gulliver a trip to remember!NOTE: This is a downloader for the game. Once run, the application will automatically download and install the game on your computer.To buy the product you need to register with Big Fish. The registration is free and the account will let you earn free games, play community games or participate in game forums, write reviews as well as offer you significant discounts.This is a great match three game that will take to various exotic places!

Download

[Via http://thecastex2.wordpress.com]

Unemployment Extension News

Five Things Men Must Look Out For When A Woman Leaves His Place

2010-02-25T17:25:00.000+02:00

Most men (and some women!) have had to clean up their place after having over some company they know damn well they shouldn’t have had over. Or, in some cases, the company of the opposite sex is perfectly appropriate, but still, to avoid an awkward situation, one in which the present casual friend notices something left behind by the previous casual friend, we have to make sure our area is spotless.

Now I can’t speak for the women, but I know as a man, cleaning up after a woman has come over is not like cleaning up on a regular day. If I was smart enough, I’d invent a female detector. It would be sort of like a medal detector, except it detects all female stuff. But unfortunately, I’m not smart enough, and apparently no one else is either because I have yet to see a female detector on the market.

So until then, men like myself must rely on our eyes to spot out any damning evidence, which itakes years of training. Most men are programmed to look out for the big stuff like panties, and even strands of hair that’s not hers. But as some would say, where the devil truly lies, is in the details. Thus, we have to develop an eye for the smaller, less obvious things that may call attention to our “lifestyle.” Here’s five of those things.

BOBBY PINS/HAIR RUBBERBANDS

Two items that are easily hidden by men’s messes. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been sweeping my apartment, and in the middle of the dust and lint balls, there’s a small, black, oval-shaped piece of elastic accented with a piece of faux gold, or even more discreet, the bobby pin. Those things are so thin, and seem to camouflage with anything. Usually another woman doesn’t see these things either, but if she does, I know I’ll probably have some explaining to do.

THE TORN PIECE OF THE CONDOM WRAPPER

There’s the condom itself and there’s the wrapper. Every guy knows to deposit those at the bottom of the kitchen trash (she’ll never see it there!). But what about the piece we tore off to open it? In the heat of passion, I’m not paying attention to where it went, and still high off the good time I just had, I’m pretty sure I’m not thinking about it after. My brain is only functioning halfway, so it’s not even registering to me that there’s this thin piece of evidence lying somewhere in close proximity to my couch bathroom sink dining room table doorway bed, but that piece? That small, strip of foil? Women have a sixth sense for it.

STRAWBERRIES

I love strawberries. Absolutely love them. But I don’t just sit on my couch eating a bunch of them with a napkin on my lap by myself. I only do that with grapes (green ones!). I hate to be the bearer of bad news for all the ladies who are reading this, but if you ever opened up the refrigerator of some dude you’re messing with and he has a plastic container of strawberries just sitting there, trust me, those aren’t for him, and honestly, they’re probably not for you either.

COMPUTER EVIDENCE

Heaven help the man who lets a woman check her email, Facbeook, Twitter, or MySpace (to say nothing of those men who date women who are still checking their MySpace) on his computer? Bad move, playboy. I mean, sure it seemed harmless, until the next girl came over and asked if she can do the same, and without even thinking, the man said, “Sure.” Next thing he knows, his present female company is all up in his face asking who the hell is @CaramelComplexx* or SnoBoo@gmail.com* or Facebook.com/JaneBlackwell* and for the next two weeks he have to lie and say he knew none of those girls.

A COPY OF THE NOTEBOOK OR QUESTIONABLE READING MATERIAL

Even I know The Notebook isn’t some mood-setting movie. That’s a relationship movie, and if there’s a copy of it lying on my shelf right between my copy of Training Day and Inglorious Basterds, she’s either leaving for the night (and for good!) or willingly playing the role of woman on the side. I’d rather keep her from having to make such decisions, so I’m just going to make sure there is never ever a copy of that Nicholas Sparks classic anywhere in my apartment. That DVD gets no burn in this crib. Relationship or not.

As for the questionable reading material. Tell a woman I read Playboy for the articles, and she might believe me. Tell a woman I read Cosmopolitan for the articles and she’s going to either ask who else I’m sleeping with or just walk out of my place.

* I don’t follow a CaramelComplexx, I’ve never emailed a woman whose email starts with SnoBoo, and I’m not Facebook friends with a woman named Jane Blackwell. I swear, I made these names up.

[Via http://untiligetmarried.com]

News of the World phone hacking: Reaction to the MPs' verdict ...

Game #2: Saturday, February 20th 2010

2010-02-25T09:51:00.000+02:00

this time pfaeffin got slaughtered. like… really slaughtered. but i assume only this time, because next time she will take revenge on me. to our astonishment, this game had a religious and metaphysical direction: himmel, joch, segnet, ship, lords, eve, taufe, sühne,….

we are safe though, because as long as one of us comes up with the word nerds, we are good.

maybe wearing your glasses next time will help, pfaeffin?!

pfaeffin ……………………… 193 pts.

markusbear ………………… 245 pts.

(after two games, markusbear (446) leads the series against pfaeffin (408).

[Via http://52gamesofscrabble.wordpress.com]

Sigma planning interchangeable lens compact: Digital Photography ...

Red Dead Redemption goes femme fatale

2010-02-25T01:48:00.000+02:00

Like Age of Conan developer Funcom before them, Rockstar elevates the women of their new game in a new femme fatale teaser trailer. There is only one thing to say about this game: I want it, and I want it now!

Just the idea of a proper western open world sanbox game is absolutely fantastic. And with the cinematic quality of their previous sandbox game Grand Theft Auto 4 fresh in my mind, I am already… erh… smiling (you can’t say aroused on Internet).

April 27 just can’t come around fast enough.

[Via http://mertesgameblog.wordpress.com]

Dr. Belisa Vranich: Breaking News: Penis Size in the USA

Olympic Schedule 2010-02-23

2010-02-23T17:30:00.000+02:00

So here are some of the Olympic events going on today that might of be interest to you all:

1) First and foremost cannot forget to include the epic hockey battle occurring today @ 16:30 between Canada and Germany’s mens hockey teams! This game is the latest hurdle these two teams must overcome in order to progress into Quarter Finals. If Canada does manage to win this game…which Simon thinks is a sure thing…then the Canadian team will have to resurge their strength and go in it again for another game the next day against Russia. Let’s keep our fingers crossed otherwise their will be a load of disappointed fans!

2) Men’s 1,0000m Speed Skating event @ 11:00am. This is a medal event so let’s see which country manages to make the podium!

3) @ 14:03 Ladies’ ski cross finals (free style skiing) medal event!

4) And then this last one i’m just putting in because i love ladies figure skating and the short program is on today at 4:30 and i’m totally going to be setting my alarm for this one. Canada isn’t doing so great with their current standing being 15th and 26th, so i think we might be out of the running for a medal but hopefully our ranks will move up. We will just have to wait and see!

GOOD LUCK ATHLETES!

[Via http://internexcanada.wordpress.com]

UK charts: AVP is the new leader News | Eurogamer

Ellie-Phant

2010-02-23T09:28:00.000+02:00

There comes a time in a dog’s life when he grows older, wiser, more mature and –dare I say– too good for squeaky toys. While these high pitched play things were entertaining when I was a pup, they no longer have a place in my life now that I am an International Dog of Mystery. Well…I guess if a squeaky toy were to come my way I wouldn’t ignore it–but that’s not the point! I have a new toy in my life. He came to me from the far off land of New Jersey. He is my best friend, he is wonderful, he is an elephant and his name is Ellie.

Today Mommy and I had a wonderful fetch session with Ellie. As you can see, I get very excited playing with my friend.

What do you have Mommy? Is that Ellie?!

Then Mommy throws Ellie around the house and I run after him. Mommy laughs when I slam into things but I don’t care. Ellie and I are playing a very serious game and I’m not going to let a wall or cabinet stop me from getting what I want. I am a very determined dog!

Ah ha, I've got him! There is no way I'm giving him back to you....unless you throw him again, that is.

Yes! Throw him again, throw him again!

This game endures for a while and it is really quite fun. The very best part of the game is when Ellie and I are together at last…just like old times!

Ellie!

[Via http://misterpeoples.wordpress.com]

Dr. Belisa Vranich: Breaking News: Penis Size in the USA

Task 5: Going to a live football match

2010-02-23T01:29:00.000+02:00

Far from trying to sound cynical, going to sports games always make me feel disappointed about humanity.

We had awesome seats right above the den!

The sports field is a passion-fuelled place. So it is no wonder that everyone is treated as a prisoner when entering the grounds. Bags are searched, drink is to be tipped out and you can fill this up when you enter the stadium again.

My first taste of a footy match was by no means near the level of mob anger at my first cricket game, where fruit was being thrown on the field missing us by a few inches, but it certainly illustrated the level of passion people invest into a sports game.

“Get to the other corner!” Yells Mr Fat Man from the row in front of us. “Don’t be fucken stupid!”

A few girls laugh at him from the other side of the bench. Whether the man is trying to be funny is unknown. But he does continue to say “I’m getting angry!”

Only now getting angry? Jesus, I wouldn’t want to see him angry.The game was awesome, don’t get me wrong. It ended up with 30 minutes extra time and a penalty shoot-out.

But I just couldn’t help looking at these men shouting obscenities and thanking my lucky stars they weren’t in my life. At all.

I guess people need to take their emotion somewhere, some people cry at work and others yell at footy games. Both can be uncomfortable to the people around them, but at least those that yell can help it.

The beers were a fair price at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington, but of course you are limited by how much you can buy.

In the end Wellington Phoenix won the penalty shoot-out against Perth Glory leaving the score at 2-1.

Angry men on left with yellow and right in red.

[Via http://25things1year.wordpress.com]

Make Something Unreal winners unveiled News | PC | Eurogamer

(Source GSM World) U.S. DoJ: more spectrum for wireless = more competitive Internet

2010-02-21T16:53:00.000+02:00

(Form Mobile World Congress Barcelona Feb. 2010)

U. S. DoJ (Department of Justice says best way to encourage broadband competition is to make many more licenses availabe for wireless use.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/01/doj-more-spectrum-for-wireless-more-competitive-internet.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss

[Via http://hoeksteen.wordpress.com]

Live -- Tiger Woods News Conference | TMZ.com

Virtual Villagers: A New Home

2010-02-20T17:48:00.000+02:00

These poor villagers washed up on shore after surviving a horrific volcanic eruption. You have to guide them in learning how to survive in this real-time simulation game. They learn by doing, but you might have to keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t give up too easily. They need to become farmers, builders, scientists, parents and more in order to thrive on this new island. How will you lead your tribe?

Virtual Villagers: A New Home

[Via http://casualgameswizard.wordpress.com]

Find My iPhone now accessible from iPhone, iPod touch | iLounge News

[Rant] Shameless Plug Advertising

2010-02-20T09:33:00.000+02:00

If there is one thing that I’m absolutely tired of seeing, its advertising for god awful shit I’d never need let alone look at twice. Its everywhere. Television, The Internet, Magazines, Email – Hell, even my fucking IM client.

Now I’m not trying to single out one specific type of advertising, because I hate the-fucking-lot however I do hate some types of advertising over the rest.

An advertising campaign for Evony. Now with 100% fake Bewbs!

The highest on my shit-list of shameless pluggers, is those god awful Evony advertisements. You can only imagine how much these adverts piss me off. It wouldn’t be as bad if I only saw the ads for Evony once every so often, but they’re on just about every bloody website I can think of that I’ve been to. What is worse is that on some sites its displayed more than once, and for what? The adverts are misleading, because Evony is infact a shoddy rip-off the game Civilizations. Its like the game CrossFire only with worse advertising (aka. Game that is a clone of another game, marketed towards internet perverts).

Another thing on my shit-list of Shameless Plugs are those late night ads that promote sex hot-lines. Now I’m not sure of details, but there was a period where I didn’t see them at all and then all of a sudden *BAM* there they are. What fucking idiot said yes to allowing these whore ads being allowed on TV? I don’t fucking care if its after a certain time of night, the fact is that these ads make up 60% of late night TV programming! Yes, that means 40% IF THAT is left for REAL programming, which isn’t a whole lot considering all the late-night shows are utter shit… (Except for David Letterman, he’s cool)… What drives it a cursing frenzy is the phrases “Come flirt with me now” or “I want you real badly” — Most nights when I hear that I yell shit like “GET THE FUCK OFF MY TV!”, and no I don’t throw my TV remote (as much a I would like to). What ever fucking happened to keeping this sleazy shit to porno mags? Y’know, the little dirty magazine you hid in a brown paper bag from your parents back in High School – Why can’t it just be kept there!?! Instead of this domination-of-airwaves that we’re seeing…

There are a dozen of the advertisement and marketing scuzz-buckets I could rant at, but this is going to be the last one.

Weight Loss ads. I know I’m a fat fucker, but I don’t need these money-chasing shitbrains telling me that! (I cop enough shit from my family too). Another thing about these ads is they all claim to be something that any other product or diet! There just gets to a point where you just want to belt these guys up the side of their single-minded heads!

“…all this at a five-dollar value can be yours for just 13… easy payments of 14.95!”

In the closing of this rant, this shameless plugging needs to be addressed, especially by these bigot Pro-Censorship guys who seem to hit and miss things that REALLY need to be censored… because these ads make up more of a content percentage than the actual TV shows do! Seriously, the next time you sit there and watch TV for a while – take notice on how much ads there are compared to actual shows – and then you’ll understand why I don’t watch TV.

[Via http://reallyrantic.wordpress.com]

Google News Prototype?

flatout ultimate carnage

2010-02-20T01:35:00.000+02:00

# Supported OS: Windows XP (32bit) Windows Vista (32/64bit)

# Processor: Intel Processor 2.2GHz or Higher / AMD 2.2GHz or Higher

# Memory: 2GB or higher

# Graphics: DirectX 9.0c or higher supported graphics cards with 256MB of Memory.

Supported Cards:

Nvidia Geforce 7600 or higher, ATI Radeon X1800 or higher.

Integrated Graphics Chips and Laptops are not supported by this game.

# DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c

# Sound: DirectX 9.0c supported Soundcard.

# Hard Drive: 8GB free hard disk space

Download Link:

http://www.indowebst…nage_part1.html

http://www.indowebst…nage_part2.html

http://www.indowebst…nage_part3.html

http://www.indowebst…nage_part4.html

[Via http://polsxsoax.wordpress.com]

Bravo Game Studios opens in Spain | News

Nindou Levels and Occupations

2010-02-18T09:41:00.000+02:00

You know, Nindou level has not written in the site.. I found this article in forum and I tried to make it simple… You can not upgrade your occupation if your level is not fill the requirements. This is the list… so you can upgrade…

Soshinsha

Lv.1-0 Lv.2- 800 Lv.3- 1600 Lv.4- 2400 Lv.5- 3200 Lv.6- 4700 Lv.7- 6200

Genin

Lv.8- 7700 Lv.9- 9200 Lv.10- 10000 Lv.11- 21000 Lv.12- 32000 Lv.13- 43000 Lv.14- 54000 Lv.15- 65000

Chunin

Lv.16- 76000 Lv.17- 87000 Lv.18- 98000 Lv.19- 109000 Lv.20- 120000 Lv.21- 135000 Lv.22- 150000 Lv.23- 165000 Lv.24- 180000

Jonin Lv.25- 195000 Lv.26- 210000 Lv.27- 225000 Lv.28- 240000 Lv.29- 255000

Huurai Nin

Lv.30- 270000 Lv.31- 287000 Lv.32- 304000 Lv.33- 321000 Lv.34- 338000

Yuushi

Lv.35- 355000 Lv.36- 372000 Lv.37- 389000 Lv.38- 406000 Lv.39- 423000

lga Ninja

Lv.40- 440000 Lv.41- 460000 Lv.42- 480000 Lv.43- 500000 Lv.44- 520000 Lv.45- 540000 Lv.46- 560000 Lv.47- 580000 Lv.48- 600000 Lv.49- 620000

Rappa

Lv.50- 640000 Lv.51- 661000 Lv.52- 682000 Lv.53- 703000 Lv.54- 724000 Lv.55- 745000 Lv.56- 766000 Lv.57- 787000 Lv.58- 808000 Lv.59- 829000

Anbu

Lv.60- 850000 Lv.61- 875000 Lv.62- 900000 Lv.63- 925000 Lv.64- 950000 Lv.65- 975000 Lv.66- 1000000 Lv.67- 1025000 Lv.68- 1050000 Lv.69- 1075000

Kage-musha

Lv.70- 1100000 Lv.71- 1127000 Lv.72- 1154000 Lv.73- 1181000 Lv.74- 1208000 Lv.75- 1235000 Lv.76- 1262000 Lv.77- 1289000 Lv.78- 1316000 Lv.79- 1343000

Huuma

Lv.80- 1370000 Lv.81- 1400000 Lv.82- 1430000 Lv.83- 1460000 Lv.84- 1490000 Lv.85- 1520000 Lv.86- 1550000 Lv.87- 1580000 Lv.88- 1610000 Lv.89- 1640000

Kage-boushi

Lv.90- 1670000 Lv.91- 1710000 Lv.92- 1750000 Lv.93- 1790000 Lv.94- 1830000

Ninja Master

Lv.95- 1870000 Lv.96- 1910000 Lv.97- 1950000 Lv.98- 1990000 Lv.99- 2030000 Lv.100- 2070000

Onmyoji or Night Blade

Lv.101- 2170000 Lv.102- 2270000 Lv.103- 2370000 Lv.104- 2470000 Lv.105- 2570000 Lv.106- 2670000 Lv.107- 2770000 Lv.108- 2870000 Lv.109- 2970000 Lv.110- 3070000 Lv.111- 3270000 Lv.112- 3470000 Lv.113- 3670000 Lv.114- 3870000 Lv.115- 4070000 Lv.116- 4270000 Lv.117- 4470000 Lv.118- 4670000 Lv.119- 4870000 Lv.120- 5070000 Lv.121- 5370000 Lv.122- 5670000 Lv.123- 5970000 Lv.124- 6270000 Lv.125- 6570000 Lv.126- 6870000 Lv.127- 7170000 Lv.128- 7470000 Lv.129- 7770000 Lv.130- 8070000 Lv.131- 8420000 Lv.132- 8770000 Lv.133- 9120000 Lv.134- 9470000 Lv.135- 9820000 Lv.136- 10170000 Lv.137- 10520000 Lv.138- 10870000 Lv.139- 11220000 Lv.140- 11570000 Lv.141- 11970000 Lv.142- 12370000 Lv.143- 12770000 Lv.144- 13170000 Lv.145- 13570000 Lv.146- 13970000 Lv.147- 14370000 Lv.148- 14770000 Lv.149- 15170000 Lv.150- 15570000

Wuaaah…I think it’s enough now… Next article: Ninjutsu on Nindou… Stay tune!!!!

[Via http://whitefangz.wordpress.com]

Google News Blog: Open-sourcing the Living Stories format

HAITI

2010-02-18T00:41:00.000+02:00

Monday, January 18, 2010 THE MATCHPLAY BLOGGER

I had another blog written for today but in light of the events in Haiti since my last post I cannot in good conscience post a blog that is promotional, blunt, pithy or trite.

I would like to say my heart and my prayers go out for the people of Haiti and for all those who have been personally affected by the devastating earthquake.

[Via http://playmatchplayonline.wordpress.com]

NPR News v1.2 Adds Live Station Streaming | AndroidGuys

Entropia Tips - Buy from Shops!

2010-02-16T17:06:00.000+02:00

When you have a few peds on your avatar’s ped card in Entropia Universe, it is a good idea to price around and window shop a bit before doing any buying. The global auction system, accessed from the auctioneer npc is one of the main markets in game, and it is what is used to determine market value of item. However, in game shops in the malls and outlying areas are where you can sometimes find some spectacular deals. Actually, some “resellers” that sell things on the auction get their stuff from shops around the countryside where they can find items cheaper than they can in the auction. Sure, there are some greedy shop owners that want to price things way above where they should be, but there are also lots of shop owners that price things well below the auction values on a regular basis.

At my shop in Omegaton West Habitat, Delta Tower, I try to personally keep things below market value when possible. I can’t do it on everything since the minimum markup on items is +1 ped, so minimum total price is 1.03, which is the +1 Ped + 2 pecs for taxes that is automatically added to the pricing. Tax is approximately 2% in most shops in games currently.

The reason I, and several other shop owners, can keep our prices so low is that we deal directly with crafters, hunters, and others that get us the goods in direct deals, or bulk buying deals. That keeps things cheap, and keeps those that we buy from having a steady income instead of a sporadic income they would otherwise have if they only used the auction system to sell everything. Additionally, the auction costs them more in the long run since the auctioneer will take a fee from the seller of items regardless of whether the item sells or not.

Shop owners like myself, who set up consignment deals, usually pay Trade Terminal value to those we buy from, then we try to sell the items in question, and if we get sales, we share profits back to the original item’s owner later. If the item does not sell, we contact the original owner after a specified time period and offer the item back to them at trade terminal value. That keeps them having some peds on hand, us having something to sell, and keeps the general public happy since they have interesting items to look at in the shops that are always changing. We can afford to change the inventory out and swap things around that don’t sell since we are not paying markup for the items until a sell is made in consignment shops.

Other shops pay markup on everything, and then they get stuck with items they might not be able to sell. That’s sometimes the right way to do things, especially if markup climbs later after an item is acquired, but many times, it’s silly to pay full markup for items that you might not be able to sell, especially if you are just buying it for the purpose of reselling it.

When you double click on an item in a shop, you will see the item screen that explains more about the item. There are several tabs in the item screen, including a little popup window you can access that shows the market history of the item, which lists the price that the item was sold at in the auction for the day, week, month, year, and decade. That history screen is very important when you are checking prices on things since you’d otherwise have no reliable way of knowing exactly how much an item is worth. Before that window came along, buying things from shops was hard to do since it was difficult to know how much the stuff you were looking at was really worth. The same thing happened on the auction sometimes before the history window existed. Be glad it’s there and use it. It could save you a lot of peds over time.

Not all items in shops and booths are for sell. You can tell what’s for sell or not by seeing how much the markup is on the item in the main item screen (left most tab). Items that don’t have a markup are not for sell, and cannot be purchased. Usually items that are not for sell are there just for decorative purposes to give the shop a theme or specific look that the shop owner wants the place to have.

If you do window shop, be sure to look around at all of the malls and shops. There’s a bunch of them. Many don’t have their rent paid, so you cannot access them, but the active shop owners do keep their rent paid, and keep prices marked up, usually at descent levels because they want you to buy. Pricing around at various shops, just like window shopping in the real world, can sometimes get you some spectacular deals you would have otherwise missed.

In a future post, I will go in to details about what it is like to be a shop owner in this virtual universe.

In another post in the future, I might try to list all of the shops in game that I know about. There’s a LOT of them. Remember there’s 3 mall shops in game (Port Atlantis, Twin Peaks, and Emerald Lakes) so far, lots of various shops in the countryside and in apartment basements (Omegaton West Habitat, Genesis HQ, Sakura City, Treasure Island, Minopolis, North of Fort Argus, and a several other places too), a really big shopping area on Club Neverdie, a few booths on Crystal Palace, and several other places people can sell things since shopkeepers enable ANY estate in game to become a shop… including but not limited to any apartment, any hanger, and any Land Area. Additionally, shopkeepers can be used to add more item slots to already established shops, making them even bigger than they once were.

There’s an entire virtual universe to window shop in!

When new planets come in to play there will likely be even more shops elsewhere.

Have fun.

[Via http://jeffthomann.wordpress.com]

Sony warns of PS3 shortages | News

KG: All Power to the Power

2010-02-16T00:15:00.000+02:00

Well what a positive start it’s been for the Power in the NAB Cup.

Sure it’s only February, and a pre-season game but when you look at the disastrous season Port Adelaide had last year both on and off the field, I just think it was so important for them to get off to a flyer in the NAB Cup and give their supporters something to enjoy.

Having that said it can’t just be a one game wonder for Port Adelaide. They must keep their positive and aggressive football going through the NAB Cup.

The thing that I like about Port Adelaide that hasn’t been there for some time was the amount of pressure they were able to put on the opposition. I thought that was fantastic and created turnovers as the Crows were forced into error and as a consequence Port Adelaide took the ball forward and scored goals from it.

So I would imagine the Port supporters would be tickled pink with that, and while it’s only one game, it’s a great start and one the club was looking for.

And I have no doubt that the effect Dean Laidley and Buddha Hocking have had on the club was evident in the performance, so I’ll be keen to see what happens for the rest of the season.

From the Crows point of view, well they were pathetic to be quite honest especially when you consider Neil Craig went public recently—whch is most unlike him—saying that this year there was a distinct window for the Crows and he even mentioned a premiership, which is most unlike him.

Steven Trigg the CEO also went public saying there was a good feeling within the club and this looked like being a very positive year but gee whiz, and I’m taking nothing away from Port Adelaide, if the Crows reproduce that kind of performance too often in the home and away season then they are going to have a very ordinary year.

It was unlike Adelaide, who over the years, even when they’ve been beaten have managed to be competitive, but that simply wasn’t the case on Saturday night because they were never ever really in the game of football.

They looked slow, they were uncompetitive, made loads of unforced errors and bad decisions, and their ball handling was terrible. In fact, and you might think I’m being stupid here, I couldn’t find one positive thing to say about that performance by the Crows. I’ve racked my brain and I just can’t think of anything positive.

Now they have two weeks to think about it. It would have been nice to see them back in harness this weekend to show the supporters and everyone within the club that it was just a one-off situation, but now they have to wait two weeks now before they go to Alice Springs to play Essendon which is not going to be easy given the conditions up there.

From a club with such big expectations it was a very ordinary performance and Craigy would not be a happy man.

[Via http://kgandthegeneral.wordpress.com]

Bayh called Reid after news broke - First Read - msnbc.com

Club Penguin Online Game

2010-02-14T17:11:00.000+02:00

Hi,

Club Penguin is an awesome game in which you can meet your frends anytime when the are online!

I am playing it now and i have played it much.In that game you can play another games like aqua grabber.Its my favorite game in which we are in submarine!

If you wanted to buy dresses you have to buy member ship of 5$.You want first to sign up.For signing up you have to click on “play”.Then down there will be the option “Create a new penguin”.Fill up the things and then done.It is so simple to play the game.Fot adding frends click on whom you wanted to add and the down the first option come “add buddy” click on it then it will be sended you will be alerted that he accepted request for seeing the requset up there is newspaper side of it you will get message box and side of it a box will apear if you have any requset or notifications.

Enjoy The Game Well And Happy Valentines Day!!!

[Via http://ultramaxerzone.wordpress.com]

Breaking News: Shooting at UAH « Watts Up With That?

Need for Speed: Shift (2009)

2010-02-14T01:55:00.000+02:00

NFS Shift is bringing the franchise back down to earth. This is a straight-up sim, offering realistic race tracks, real world race cars, and controls that handle like the real thing. The game also offers some nifty perspective effects (ie. your view changes as your body “shifts” during tight turns) that are sure to make this the best Need For Speed game yet.

Imagine the experience of being a race driver. The adrenaline rush of driving at breakneck speeds, the pressure of fierce competition, the fear of losing control, the intense concentration and athleticism needed to harness the power of speeding chrome and steel. This is the True Drivers Experience of Need for Speed SHIFT. Through the combination of perception-based G-forces, an ultra-realistic first-person cockpit view, an accurate, accessible physics-based model and the all-new, brutally disorienting crash dynamic, you’ll be thrust into the drivers seat amid the chaotic noise, intensity, and physical and emotional demands of the race.

System Requirements:

Internet Connection

OS – Windows XP (Service Pack 3) or Windows Vista (Service Pack 1) / Windows 7

Processor Intel Core2Duo 1.6 GHz or faster

Memory XP: 1 GB RAM; Vista/Windows 7: 1.5 GB RAM

Hard Drive 6 GB

DVD Drive – 8 SPEED

Video Card 256 MB Video Card, with support for Pixel Shader 3.0*

Sound Card – DirectX 9.0c compatible

DirectX – DirectX 9.0c compatible

Online Multiplayer 512 Kbps or faster; 2-12 Players

Input – Keyboard, Mouse

Optional USB Steering Wheel / Dual Analogue Gamepad

[Via http://hotflashers.wordpress.com]

Friday Morning News and Views « The Confluence

Ah... Procrastination... >_>"

2010-02-13T09:44:00.000+02:00

I think I just have a habit of not completing set tasks on time…

Actually, I think it just runs in my blood…

Anyway, since I’m still in the midst of Yashio and Mikumo for the time being (I can’t promise, but it’ll probably be released by next week at the latest…), I just felt like posting these (horribly taken) photos! 8D

I just bought this today because I was thinking of the latest ONE PIECE chapter where *censored* dies…

You’ll find out eventually anyway, but I’m just going to leave it censored for others…

So I felt like buying this cup so I could drink my tea and read One Piece like I usually do ;P

It’s from the latest movie: STRONG WORLD.

The picture below is of my beloved Kingdom Hearts figurines!

Isn’t Sora adorable! And look at Axel hugging him *awww*

That was so not intended, but all’s well that ends well 8D!

Oh, right. The One Piece clock is also new…

WOOH~

Look at my beloved LIMITED EDITION KINGDOM HEARTS BIRTH BY SLEEP PSP~!!

And the lovely mobile straps to compliment it!

The avatars are too die for and I really wish I could play coded…sigh…

Oooo, EVIL SORA~!!

Jokes. That’s Vanitas for those who are still uninformed or are refraining themselves from spoilers

Yeah, sorry if you didn’t want to know but still read that bit…

This scene made me cry…

If you look very closely, you can distinctly pick out one of Sora’s emotions. Yes, I know he looks like Sora and that would be obvious but I highly doubt you’d see Vanitas all desperate in any scene other than this. It’s a distinct scene of him refusing to disappear…

I only put this picture in because I REALLY like the CG art for this!

I want this picture of Ven and Vanitas as a wallpaper~!!

Wow…

That’s a lot more than I had planned… -_-;;

Okay! So now I’m heading off to do some homework and then some finishing touches to Yashio and Mikumo so I can finally release something!

P.S.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR to everyone who celebrates it!

And I hope you receive the amount of money you’re wishing for!

[Via http://vivacioussky.wordpress.com]

Colbert Rips Fox News For Using Snowstorm To Deny Global Warming ...

Sejarah Game Konsole

2010-02-13T01:33:00.000+02:00

Mungkin kata “GAME” sudah tidak asing lagi dalam benak tiap orang. Pastinya dari anak kecil hingga orang yang sudah lanjut usia pun mengerti akan game. Game memiliki artian bahasa Indonesia sebagai permainan. Jika menggunakan kata permainan mungkin yang akan terlintas dibayangan pembaca adalah berbagai permainan tradisional seperti petak umpet, batu 7, bola gebok, tak jongkok, benteng, galaksin, dsb. Namun yang kita bahas kali ini bukanlah permainan tradisional seperti itu melainkan permainan modern yang menghubungkan antara permainan(game), pemakai (user) dengan hardware (game console).

Baca Selengkapnya…

[Via http://miauw271289.wordpress.com]

Energy and Global Warming News for February 11th: Utilities ...

She Came in Through the Bathroom Window.

2010-02-11T17:19:00.000+02:00

In actuality she came in through the bathroom heat register. A mouse that is. We’re not going to name her, because her story does not end well.

For about the past week to two weeks Prudence has been guarding the heat register in the bathroom. I pretty much ignored this craziness as I figured it was just the pipes that she was reacting to, the various noises that they make. Or a piece of dust that she was swatting at underneath. Ha. not so much.

About midnight or so last night I hear her playing with the door stop on the bathroom door. Thinking that this is all well and fine for her to do while I’m at work this is not a game she gets to play at bedtime, so I go to the bathroom with the intentions of picking her up and ending the little game. This is how the rest of the evening went:

Lights get turned on, and there’s Pru with a mouse under her paw. I freak, and jump in the tub. Pru starts purring and looks at me as if to say, “look what I did Mom!” I ever so calmly reply (yes out-loud, because I’m a little bit crazy and talk to my cat) , “We are so not putting that on the fridge.” Well so in her excitement of showing me what she had caught the not so dead yet mouse gets away and runs back behind the door and her game continues. After about 15 min of Pru swatting and batting at the poor thing, and me freaking out that its going to run away from her and hide somewhere she can get at and then I’ll have no idea if its still in my apartment or not, I decide its time for this to end. About that same time Pru manages to trap the thing under the bathroom rug and I take care of it from there. I cleaned up the mess and spent the next hour convincing myself it was OK to go back to sleep and I wouldn’t wake with mice in my bed (either alive or as presents from my dear huntress).

Needless to say Pru is quite pleased with herself. She’s still guarding the heat register so I’m going to pick up a couple traps tonight because we’ve all seen the Disney movies. Its never one mouse. gross.

A special thanks go out to our dear friends, Amanda and Penny Lane, in FL who kept us company via text during this ordeal.

Pru, the mighty Huntress.

[Via http://heyjudestpaul.wordpress.com]

Stocks in the News: Marriott, PepsiCo, Viacom - DailyFinance

Quail, chickpeas and spring onion

2010-02-11T09:00:00.000+02:00

After I’d gone all out baking cookies, I had a brief period where I wasn’t sure what to cook next (and I was still finding dried icing in my kitchen!). As previously when I have run out of inspiration, I turned to Fergus Henderson. Although I haven’t been brave enough to tackle a pig’s head yet, I’m a huge fan of Henderson’s way of cooking and general philosophy – and I hope one day to visit his restaurant in London.

In his Nose to Tail Eating, Henderson provides a recipe for pigeon, chickpeas and spring onion. I didn’t have easy access to pigeons (well, the edible kind anyway…there’s lots around the park!) so thought I’d combine the flavour elements of this dish with Henderson’s instructions for cooking quail, which were available from the poultry store.

First, I had to prepare the chickpeas. I started with dried chickpeas, and soaked them overnight (the recipe says 500g but I used less as I was only cooking for 2). I drained them, added garlic, salt and pepper, and covered them with water. I simmered them for just under 2 hours, until they were soft.

Once the chickpeas were almost done, I started preparing the quail. Again I used Henderson’s recipe in Nose to Tail Eating, which describes a simple way of preparing and cooking the quail. First, I seasoned them with salt and pepper well, both inside and outside.

Next, I used some olive oil to brown the quails, two by two, in a pan.

They browned fairly quickly, and I put them on an oiled tray and stuck them in the oven for 20 minutes. While the quail were cooking, I went back to prepare the chickpeas and the spring onion. In his recipe, Henderson suggests serving the original pigeon with spring onions. I decided to make a sauce out of the spring onions to add a different texture and flavour to the dish.

I used a sauce I originally learned to make with an Chinese-style steamed chicken recipe. It’s simple: sesame oil, salt, and the spring onions. You put some sesame oil in a saucepan, and add some salt (a fair amount). You heat it slowly until the salt has dissolved, and then add the spring onions. Let them cook slightly – I cooked them until they were soft, but still green and not crispy. Once they’ve cooked sufficiently, take the saucepan off the heat to cool the sauce down – serve the sauce at room temperature.

I also prepared the chickpeas by draining the water, and pureeing half the chickpeas in a blender with tahini, more garlic, lemon juice, tabasco sauce and olive oil – you’re making hummus, essentially. Once they were blended, I added the remaining chickpeas but didn’t blend them as much, to give a bit of texture to the chickpeas. The recipe suggests that a thinner consistency is good, rather than a “thick glump”, and I think if I were making this again, I’d make the chickpeas thinner as the end result was still fairly thick.

By this time, the quail was ready. I served the quail with the chickpeas on the side, and some of the sesame and spring onion sauce over the top.

My immediate thought was, “my quail are doing the can can!” Once I’d got over that, I was pleasantly surprised by how moist and juicy the quail were. They were cooked to the point where it was easy to pull the legs off, and the meat was tender and succulent. The salty quail contrasted nicely with the garlicky, tangy chickpeas. The sesame and spring onion sauce tied the whole dish together, providing a kick of sesame which worked well with the quail meat.

While the pigeon in the original recipe would have been gamier, and probably provided a greater contrast with the chickpeas than the quail did, this was still a satisfying meal, and the flavours all worked well together. While quail does not feature prominently in the Nero Wolfe stories, I’m sure that Wolfe and Fritz would both appreciate this meal, and perhaps it may even be added to Wolfe’s usual lunchtime fare.

[Via http://inspiredbywolfe.wordpress.com]

Tashard Choice doesn't want to leave Cowboys | Dallas Cowboys Blog ...

GTA china town for Iphone

2010-02-11T00:55:00.000+02:00

one of my fav game installation series of all time . I like GTA series . uses to play San Andreas and loved it .. that black dude going ard and hustle … one thing I like is that it is a sand box game . u are given way freedom as in where to go , which mission to take .. not linear style …

so yesterday I was seraching new iPhone game and it just pop up.. didn’t know it just relaase on feb 2010.. I went googling and serched some reviews .. u know app148 and macworld .. damnn.. it is good .. a 9.99 bucks app .. hummmm.. still 50 50 .. though …

but I went ahead and bought it last night . trust my guts … this morning I was palying in bus for awhile and wow .. shit is great … control wise .. graphic … yep… pretty cool .. can’t wait to spend time with this cool app …

[Via http://saungthamar.wordpress.com]

AP Articles Reappear On Google News

理清一些网游的头绪

2010-02-09T09:51:00.000+02:00

有点混乱，我要理清一下：

文化部官方声明不会用游戏分级制度为了：

一更好的捞钱，如果有游戏分级，游戏厂商有正规流程可以走，就不需要求着文化部，用不着塞钱。

二采纳游戏分级，政府不好干预网络游戏产业，也就同时不好干涉Internet，包括了网吧。

政府一直是以保护未成年人为理由干涉Internet，包括GFW，反低俗，花季护航。

电子游戏，从我小学时候的街机，批判以电子海洛因，到现在的网络游戏叫网瘾，为什么？

一将教育问题全部转嫁到游戏

二父母好骗？

三表明政府多么关心未成年人

四保护未成年人是道德的制高点

五网咯游戏是Internet重要的一部分

文化部和新闻出版总署的争斗

一谁能拥有网游审批权就意味着拥有整个中国游戏产业（中国游戏主要是网络游戏）

魔兽世界WLK一直卡审批

劲舞团，指环王，征途等之类游戏，甚至有些画面都是骷髅的游戏为何能审批，魔兽世界却不行

一魔兽世界是中国最大的网咯游戏，是几个争夺网游审批权的部门的中心，魔兽世界听谁的，以后的网游全部都听谁的。

保护未成年人的范围

一色情网游中的裸露

二暴力网游中的砍杀

公开反色情和反暴力，背地里同时抹除政治不利言论

哪里有色情，暴力

一论坛

二 QQ群

三游戏

四网页

杨永信和陶宏开的动机

一利，网瘾治疗中心的收费

二名

三？党国的后台？

Internet的控制

一即时聊天 QQ 已经被政府控制

二论坛，敏感删帖，自保；解散大型论坛如水木清华

三网络游戏

四电子邮件，网页浏览由GFW控制，雅虎中国电子邮件被政府控制如谭作人，或攻击电子邮件服务商如Gmail

五公共电脑，网吧，由公安的网吧监控系统控制，还有绿坝花季护航

六个人电脑，绿坝花季护航

[Via http://qiii2006.wordpress.com]

zoomIt brings SD card access to iPhone, iPod touch | iLounge News

Arisa Nakayama - Until

2010-02-09T01:32:00.000+02:00

I translated the romaji into English. The ending song of Tears to Tiara, the game, and an insert song in the anime. Enjoy.

Rhiannon from Tears to Tiara. I believe this song expresses her feelings and devotion.

Song: Until

Artist: Arisa Nakayama

Album: Leaf Theme Songs Collection

Romaji

kikoe masu ka boku no koe ga

kimi no koto wo sotto omou kisetsu ga tsuduku

sore ha kesshite kanashii mono janaku tsuyokute yasashii

konna konna tooi basho kara utatteru yo

kimi no koto ga wasure rarenai

boku ha otona ni natte kodomo ni natteku

itsuka doko ka de deaeru hi nado konai hou ga ii yo

kitto ano hi mitai koi shite shimau

koganeiro ni hikaru susuki no umi

mitsumeteita ano toki no kimi no yokogao

sore ha hakanai toki no naka de mieta eien no you sa

konna boku ni oshiete kureta ano kimochi wo

kimi no koto wo wasurenai yo

boku ha ironna hito to deatteku kedo

itsuka doko ka de omoide no naka warau kimi ga iru yo

zutto kawaranai yo boku no kokoro ni

soshite boku ha hateshinai kono tabi wo tsudukeru

omoide tachi wo yasashii uta ni kaete

kimi no koto ga wasure rarenai

boku ha otona ni natte kodomo ni natteku

itsuka doko ka de deaeru hi nado konai hou ga ii yo

mada kimi no koto wo wasurenai yo

boku ha ironna hito to deatteku kedo

itsuka doko ka de omoide no naka warau kimi ga iru yo

zutto kawaranai yo boku no kokoro ni

English

Can you hear it? My voice

As it softly thinks you, the seasons continue to move

That will never be something sad; it’s strong and kind

I’m singing from this far, far place

I can’t forget about you

As I become an adult, I’m becoming a child

If there is a day that we meet again, it’d be best if you didn’t come near me

I’m sure I’ll fall in love with you like I did on that day

At the golden-colored glowing ocean of field grass

At that time, I was gazing at your face

It was like being inside unbreakable time for eternity

You taught even someone like me that feeling

I won’t forget about you

I may meet a lot of people, but

Someday your smiling face will be somewhere inside my memories

It will never change in my heart

And so I will continue this endless journey

I will change my memories into a gentle song

I can’t forget about you

As I become an adult, I’m becoming a child

If there is a day that we meet again, it’d be best if you didn’t come near me

I still won’t forget about you

I may meet a lot of people, but

Someday your smiling face will be somewhere inside my memories

It will never change in my heart

[Via http://mewpudding101.wordpress.com]

Stocks in the News: CIT, Hasbro, CVS Caremark - DailyFinance

Kichiku Megane (pc BL game)

2010-02-07T01:44:00.000+02:00

“Whatever he does, it always backfires, a salaryman who always fails, Saeki Katsuya. Facing restructing, a guy appeared before him when he wanted to give up. From the moment you put these on, your life will alter drastically.The glasses which were handed to him, seemed to be a forbidden item that will change its wearer into a dominant brute… Having obtained the glasses and on the road to being a beast, will Katsuya obtain real love?”

[Via http://devilishyaoi.wordpress.com]

Sports Media Blog | Sports News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas ...

Apple iPhone Game Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D

2010-02-06T01:55:00.000+02:00

Apple iPhone Game Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D

The richest 3D kart racing experience! Speed your way through 12 thrilling tracks and multiple environments! Race and battle against zany opponents and turn them to dust with 8 devastating weapons. Tilt and twist your iPhone for truly “Nitro” driving sensations.

Download via 4Shared

Download via 4Shared

Download via Mediafire

[Via http://justinide.net]

ModNation Racers heading to PSP News | PSP | Eurogamer

[Otome Game] 薄桜鬼 (Hakuouki) Anime!

2010-02-04T17:16:00.000+02:00

I haven’t reviewed 薄桜鬼 (Hakuouki). Haven’t I? But if you are in love with otome game, you’d probably heard of Hakuouki. This is the ultimate otome game with handsome character(s), best seiyuu(s), and beautiful stories. And it will be made into anime. I’m hearing that it will be aired on Apirl 2010 with other new anime releases. I don’t have the full information, yet. But when I do, I will post it. Also, whenever I get a chance, I will also do the full character review for the Hakuouki as well. So, till then. Let’s count the days till the airing date of Hakuouki anime version. Oh, wait. We don’t know, yet. hehe ^^;; (April 2010!?!)

[Via http://usagitsuki.wordpress.com]

Brennan: All Transferred Detainees Who Returned to Terrorism Were ...

Giveaway of the Day

2010-02-04T01:25:00.000+02:00

It is said that you get what you pay for; that nothing good comes free. It may be true most of the time, but there are always instances that prove that sometimes, somewhere, someone isn’t interested in making a profit.

Giveaway of the Day is, as you might have already guessed, a site which… gives away. To be more precise, software. $0 deposit, $0 balance, $0 interest. 7 days a week, 365 days a month. Now this, of course, is not illegal. The developers have all agreed to it, since it promotes their software. Not all the programs will be of top-notch quality, but who cares? It’s free! More often than not, you’ll find yourself with something useful, and that’s the beauty of it. A little gift every now and then.

Now, there is a catch. A small one, but still a catch. The software must be downloaded and installed on the same day, the day it’s up as a giveaway. So if you want something, you’ve got to act quickly, because it won’t be available the next day. This isn’t really a problem, though. After all, installation is very short and after that there are no restrictions. No limited usage, no maximum number of days/uses. It’s win-win! And better yet, they have a sub-site, called Game Giveaway of the Day, which… well, I don’t really need to explain.

I’d highly recommend bookmarking the site to remind you to check it out every day. There are a lot of great deals you wouldn’t want to miss. Check it out!

[Via http://talkingpyjamas.wordpress.com]

BREAKING NEWS: Here's Some News | Best Week Ever

Level 4

2010-02-02T17:25:00.000+02:00

What’s her Secret Identity level 4

Mr.Tamino sends you his best regards

and thanks you all for your wonderful messages you left him..

he sent me a package ,,, but it’s different from all other packages.. this time the clues are all digital..

he says that we have to find out the identity of for this level, because she plays

a really important part in defeating the evil president.

this level’s superhero girl will help us idnetify the exact location

of the evil president’s hiding place.

so this level is a very vital part of the operation.

the mystery guy informed him that he’ll reveal his identity when we’ve uncovered

all seven secret identities..

Hassna, Saba, and noura are on theirway to Mr.Tamino’s hiding place to start

planning the opertation.. Hassna is running late,, so she’ll catch up with u two later

sadly, i cant join them because the SIA are watching me,, i can’t lead them straigh to Mr.Tamino’s place,,

so you three should keep me posted

once again.. our plan can’t be complete untill we’ve uncovered all seven IDs

so.. good luck !!

Rules for the Fourth Level:

Download the following exe file it should get u started with ur package

http://www.4shared.com/file/213789057/b43fc780/lvl4.html

1\ packages will be handed to you sometime this week, cuz i’m not gonna

be seeing till next semester.

2\ you are forbidden to open the package untill Wed. 3rd of Feb. 2010.

3\ all passwords that you use, you should use without any spaces.

4\ follow directions exactly as they are,, step by step and don’t try to open

folders that you weren’t asked to,,, i’ve put in traps

5\ there are PLENTY of hidden messages, you just have to know how to find them

look for them everyWHERE!!!

6\ Watch out for bonuses.. they are planted everywhere

(( when you find one,, keep quite about it and don’t tell anyone ))

bonus points would be given first come first served.

i know you probably didn’t understand, but

once you’ve recieved the package everything would be clear

GOOD LUCK, and may the best be first

[Via http://shathanasser.wordpress.com]

International HD news roundup -- Engadget HD

Am I just Naïve?

2010-02-02T09:51:00.000+02:00

I was playing a lottery instant win earlier, Uno to be precise. I have picked three cards; a Red 2 a Blue 4 and a Yellow 2. As I went to select the last card the browser window closed suddenly and I was given a error message saying my browser had quit unexpectedly. I duly restarted the browser and went back to the website. There it told me I had an unfinished game, so I clicked and was returned to my last game. All the prize values the same and the start card the same. I could remember in my head the positions of the two 2 cards and so clicked away at these. To my amazement I did not receive two consecutive 2s but a 2, followed by a 4, followed by a 2… Strange. Maybe I did something different. So I refreshed the window and It again prompted me to finish my game. This time I clicked arbitrary cards. and funnily enough the same sequence turned up.

It seems to me that the game had decided what I was, or indeed was not, going to win before I had even turned over the first card. No luck. No Chance. All predestined.

I’m sure that there is an explanation for this and that it is sat in a folder on some employee’s shelf for just such this occasion. I feel nauseated that I trusted that such an organisation that, by its very purpose, should allow every player the chance to win and not decide, before the game is even begun, how much or when they should win. It seems that even luck is being syphoned out of our lives. Along with choice and freedom they are now all dying breeds. We are told when to enjoy ourselves, when to rest, what to watch and when to win.

I have learned my lesson. May this help all of you too.

This is definitely not the world that I signed up for!

[Via http://andrewcgmorris.wordpress.com]

iLounge's Jesse Hollington becomes Applications Editor | iLounge News

Driving Me Up The Virtual Wall

2010-01-31T17:00:00.000+02:00

“Whilst all of his other friends were eyeing up Madonna by moonlight, he was learning about the Prancing Horses heritage”

Driving games are notoriously unrealistic. They arrive with a pretense of being the most “realistic driving simulator” and usually come with inspirational quotes from the likes of Michael Schumacher on the box. Once the glitz and glamour of packaging and turbo-charged graphics are worn away however, the actual experience usually turns into something a lot more boring. You’re usually presented with a well-rendered model of your ideal car, and are then expected to drive it with a controller that bears no resemblance whatsoever to the controls for a car. I’ve driven a few cars in my time, and never in any of them was the gear change controlled by a little green button. Nor was the accelerator actually a small trigger on the side of the steering wheel. And I may be wrong here but I’m pretty sure the car wasn’t presented to me in a third person view either. But here’s the thing. Aside from all of the technical problems associated with driving games, what they do offer you, especially if you’re racing a mate is a unique glimpse into their automotive mind. And that is a very interesting experience indeed.

As those of you who are in touch with your inner geek are probably aware, the game I’m talking about is the latest offering from the Forza series. This third installment really does have a tough act to follow. When it’s big brother came out a few years ago, I spent so much time staring blankly at the television screen my parents thought I might actually have slipped into a coma. But somehow Forza 3 offers you more than just a racing game, it offers you a chance to drive the most exotic cars on the planet from the outset. The first race in career mode for example puts you at the wheel of an Audi R8. None of this start in a Corsa and work your way up to a Ferrari nonsense.

I should probably explain why I was playing this game in the first place. Well, myself and one of my friends at university had an argument, quite a big one as it turns out. But being blokes, we’d forgotten about the whole thing five minutes later and went to settle things with a pint and a race. The rules were simple. 3 laps, any car, and the winner would be able to claim moral victory over the other. I’d expected him to head straight for the hyper car garage and pick out a Veyron, as most other people would have done. But no, to my astonishment he eventually chose a fantastic Ferrari F50, a magnificent car. He explained that he’d lusted after one for years and even went so far as to have a poster of it on his wall. Whilst all of his other friends were eyeing up Madonna by moonlight, he was learning about the Prancing Horses heritage. Over the next half hour we had several races, and each time he managed to make a truly informed decision over what type of car to choose. So what had started out as an apologetic make-up race had turned into petrol head heaven as I discovered that my friend does in fact know quite a lot about cars. This meant we could talk about which cars were the best. Which of course led to more arguing. Which also lead to more racing.

So yes, a very positive experience came out of playing a so called “driving simulator,” but to be honest I still don’t see the point in them. I mean, aside from giving you a view as to how your opponent’s brain is wired up, they’re really pretty useless. I can see the point of games that allow you to go online and throw grenades at another person halfway around the world. Because actually going out and doing it would be pretty stupid. But if you wanted a truly realistic driving game, why not just go for a drive instead? I guarantee it will be a more realistic experience, and the graphics are amazing. Why offer a virtual alternative to something that is readily available? I did some research into the other types of simulators people can buy, and honestly, only someone with more facial hair than common sense would find any of them interesting. Did you know you can actually buy a bus simulator? Why would you need, or want, to simulate a bus? Why would you want to virtually perceive such a horrible experience in the first place? Surely a bus journey in any form is horrific enough, without having to deal with it when you come home as well? And don’t think the simulator stupidity stops there either. There’s sailing games, flying games, virtual fishing, virtual cooking, there’s even virtual sex games for goodness sake! How unlucky do you have to be if you can’t even get laid virtually!

So far as I can see all so called “simulators” are pointless. I mean yes they can give you the experience of doing something you’d never normally get to do, but surely it would be better to have that experience for yourself? Rather than relying on a computer to give it to you. I don’t see the point in them and I’m sure I never will. But it seems that the nation’s youth are hooked onto any sort of simulator they can get their hands on. I’m sure of there was a street crime simulator they’d be queuing out the door for it. So in the absence of being able to change anyone’s opinion on the subject, if you don’t mind, I’m going for a drive. A real one.

[Via http://mossonmotoring.wordpress.com]

News Corp. to Settle Suit for $500 Million | Shira Ovide | Voices ...

Lazy Saturday

2010-01-31T01:48:00.000+02:00

Today I did nothing!!! I slept in later than normal because my parents went to Bend today. After I did morning duties, I played a single game for hours. I usually don’t allow myself to be totally enthralled in a game because there is also something else that is more exciting and/or creative. Playing a game is neither of those. However, as I didn’t need to do anything, I played it.

The game is called “A Tale of Two Kingdoms”, another game on Adventure Game Studio. I have mentioned this game site before. Anyway, the game is about two kingdoms that don’t like each other. There is the threat of goblins so the other kingdom comes to the first kingdom’s aid. Tensions are high during supper and in the night, an assassin kills the king. The character that you are controlling gets framed for that murder. So he has to escape.

There are other plots in the story. The story includes druids and faeries (“don’t call them that,” says a druid). The game has amazing graphics, but still not 3D. For a point-and-click game, it has amazing graphics. It also has several ways to die (giant food, imprisoned forever, fall off a cliff, drown, pecked to death by ravens, etc.).

I had to use the walkthrough several times of course. However, there was a part where I couldn’t continue even with the walkthrough. It happens after I get the flute from the jeweler. Then I travel to the place where the flute would be useful (no game hints here). Halfway to that place, a thief shoots me with a slingshot or otherwise traps me and takes my flute. This is what the walkthrough says:

First, stop moving, and LOOK at the net right above you (+1% Wisdom). Then, go grab the apple for a later puzzle (+1% Wisdom), and then open the chest to get your stuff back (+1% Wisdom).

I can never find where that net is. I’ve stopped before the place where the thief traps me and look around and I cannot find anything. When I am trapped, I cannot go anything until the thief leaves and I still cannot find anything. So I registered on the forum and did not write down what I called myself, which is “sam” with some sequence of numbers. This was stupid. But then I thought that I was done with the game anyway.

These troubles broke the trance. I played with total concentration. The fire was done to almost ashes and I hardly ate anything for lunch. Perhaps now I can do something useful or semi-useful.

[Via http://spufool.wordpress.com]

AMERICAblog News: Krugman and Ezra have apparently had it with ...

Riddle of The Month (ROTM) Matibeku.com

2010-01-30T17:26:00.000+02:00

Yey, akhirnya ROTM berakhir! Hahahaha.. Akhirnyaaaaa,, setelah 13 minggu yang cukup membuat kepala sakit.

And the result is….

Kl gambarnya gag keluar, bisa diliat di SINI.

Ane runner up gan! wkwkwk..

Padahal gue bisa jawab dengan benar 2 week terakhir,, karena satu dan lain hal, gue malah jawab ngawur..

Anyway.. Ehem.. Terima kasih kepada Allah SWT. Terima kasih kepada kedua orang tua saia. Terima kasih kepada Ibu Bapak Guru.. (lho? lw mau posting apa pidato kelulusan???) Well.. Ehem.. Terima kasih kepada teman-teman yang telah membantu saia dalam mencari pencerahan(davindra, fajrin, athin,ryz, bertiupangin, dll). Terima kasih kepada Wangsa, Yamiza, n Tangleons yang sudah membuat riddle yang cukup untuk membuat saia melupakan “sesuatu”. Hehehehe..

Enough ah maen riddlenya. Mau SIMAK UI. Mengalihfungsikan otak dari main riddle jadi belajar fisika.

Doain gue yaa kawand!

Case Closed.

[Via http://justthegirl54.wordpress.com]

Talking Biz News » BW names exec editor, deputy editor in first ...

Tetris+Snake=NoMoreBoredAtWork (Game)

2010-01-30T09:03:00.000+02:00

[Via http://worldofsmedley.wordpress.com]

Google please! Produce something

New fashion stuff and...

2010-01-30T01:49:00.000+02:00

As always we have new beach theme stuff, but they are mostly for CASH only,

why is it that all HATS are always for cash, and what KITES has to do with FASHION if I can ask, because I do not think we can wear it… so 4thumbs down and one up for nice look of them..

on the other hand I finally got my first and from what I hear one and only RARE till now it is a BUOY….

so I am happy now I know all the things really are in MYSTERY FREE GIFTS but we need luck lots of it to get rare or cash LOL.. I open 77 gifts and one rare in it… but I do not ming the rest was YOCOINS I almost made 700 with it… so with 1000 in the morning I made a lot for one day and I still love this idea and not getting free gifts I do not want…. yocoins are fine with me… yes yes I would love some cash too, but I got already 2$ so maybe this is what one profile is suppose to get LOL… I am happy anyway

And one more thing, I have seen those wallpapers and thought how about making a blue flowers

MY VERSION

ok something close to that color just me trying to not be so one color because porangy floor with orangy walls looks not so good

Finally one thing I love any sculptures in this collection finally some art big way in one collection on YO… and even those sand sculptures love those too they really remind me of beaches…

the prices are little big for those, but I love any art so those are

5 thumbs up….

[Via http://yovillanm.wordpress.com]

Shakesville: TV News Item Korner

Rubik's Cube

2010-01-28T17:41:00.000+02:00

The Rubik’s Cube was invented in 1974 by a Hungarian Sculptor and Professor of Architecture, Erno Rubik.

The man was obviously a twisted and demented sadist.

When I was kid, everyone on the planet had a Rubik’s Cube. I think I am the only idiot on the planet that was never actually able to solve the Rubik’s Cube.

I never even came close.

While some of my friends could sit and spin and twist that damn thing and get it finished in 5 minutes, I could spend days feverishly working on it and it would still look no more complete than when I started.

Over 350 Million Cubes have been sold worldwide since it was invented.

I wonder how many suicides, cases of alcoholism, cases of drug addiction, and severe mental breakdowns the blasted little game has caused over the years?….

The Rubik’s Cube is widely considered to be the world’s best selling toy.

I have never bought any of my three children a Rubik’s Cube. I would not wish that level of torment and mental anguish on my kids or any one Else’s kids.

Of course, my kids could probably solve it in 5 minutes or less, just reinforcing the fact that I am a major Idiot.

The kid solving the puzzle in the video is NOT one of my kids! I would have sold them to the Circus if they had been able to solve the puzzle in 10 seconds!

[Via http://idiotflashback.wordpress.com]

All of the news from today's iPad announcement

Can you believe she said that?

2010-01-28T00:55:00.000+02:00

Yes, I can.

I’ve had a lot of time on my hands today and I’ve done a lot with that time. I actually completed not one, but two sets of homework! I’m amazed how driven I was today. It’s weird because Wednesdays are usually my worst days of the week but tonight I get to leave at 8. The class I monitor only meets up 3 weeks and then gets a week break. I’m missing out on hours but I don’t care at this point. Any time I get the option of going home early, I’m going to take it.

Did you know I can type 60 wpm? Well, I can. One time I even got up to 90 wpm. But maybe that was just a fluke. Either way, these fingers are magical. Like Harry Potter magical. So magical in fact, that I’m waiting on my acceptance letter from Hogwarts.

I’ve been uncomfortably thirsty all day. I’ve drank a lot too but for some reason, my throat feels really dry. I had my math test today. I have to say, I’m a genius. I’m magical and a genius. No wonder I’m royalty. If I wasn’t, then who would be? Right? Right.

Saturday I’m going to a “game” night. I’m expected to socialize. It won’t be so bad. Tyler is even bribing me with a trip to Half Price Books before that. Some guy we work with is throwing it. I do love games, so hopefully it will be fun. It’s also made me realize how little friends I have. I haven’t hung out with anyone besides JC in a little over two weeks and even with JC, that was a while ago. I guess I’ve kind of retreated into school and…well basically school. It has been a busy two weeks. I’ve even gotten holes in my Vans slip-ons from how much I’ve been doing. I swear, they were in decent condition before school started and now they are falling apart. I think it’s from all the salt that they lay down. And because I’m a machine. More probably because I’m a machine. I power walk between buildings at least 3 times a day. It’s crazy. Okay, I don’t actually power walk. That was a lie. I just non-leisurely stroll back and forth. Non-leisurely? I’m a dork.

I’m going to make my mom buy me some new “kicks” this weekend. Maybe more slip-ons because I hate work and tying your shoes is a constant headache. Who wants to bend down and tie two strings together? Not me obviously.

I’ve also been working on Valentine’s Day projects. Oh, this year is going to be the year of amazing Valentine’s. Maybe I need to tone down the awesomeness. I don’t want everyone to get all worked up. I also gave Tyler an idea for a valentine he could make. I told him to get naked and put a heart shaped pillow down you-know-where and then lie down on the bed with a come-hither look. He laughed but I don’t think he’s for it. That would be one awesome Valentine card to get, wouldn’t it? Yes, it would.

[Via http://maggiesampson.wordpress.com]

Notes from Q1 2010 Apple Conference Call | iLounge News

How to Save Money on Xbox 360 Accessories

2010-01-26T17:00:00.000+02:00

The Xbox 360 is one of the most versatile, exciting and high quality game consoles available today. If you are one of the several million people who currently own one, you’d probably like to fit it out with as many cool accessories as possible. Money shortages are the biggest roadblocks to getting all of the Xbox 360 accessories that you’d like to have; fortunately, we’ve got a number of hot tips that can help you get those accessories for a lot less money – check them out below.

visit the top online retailers that turn up during your search. You are sure to be amazed by how much store credit you are one of the original price. Check in on online auction sites regularly and bid on the things that you want to buy, then visit the top online retailers that turn up during your search. You are sure to be amazed by how much the price for one Xbox 360 accessories that you are one of the most versatile, exciting and high quality game consoles available today. If you are saving yourself by shopping for Xbox 360 accessories at online auction sites regularly and bid on the things that you buy online.

Those savings quickly add up, and can be used to purchase more items to go along with your video game system. Use Online Auction Sites Popular online auctions sites like eBay are great places to find cheap Xbox 360 accessory can vary from one retailer to the nearest video game accessories by purchasing a minimum amount of money – check them out below. Trade In Your Old, Unused Stuff Video game stores typically let gamers trade in their old things for store credit. You can use that store credit you are saving yourself by shopping for Xbox 360 Accessories The bottom line is that there’s no reason to ever pay list price for Xbox 360 Accessories The bottom line is that there’s no reason to ever pay list price for Xbox 360 Accessories The bottom line is that there’s no reason to ever pay list price for one Xbox 360 accessories to ensure that you’re not going to get ripped off.

Other than that, sit back and appreciate the money that you want to buy, then visit the top online retailers that turn up during your search. You are sure to be amazed by how much the price for Xbox 360 accessories at online auction sites regularly and bid on the things that you bring in and determine how much store credit you are saving yourself by shopping for Xbox 360 accessories. Many times, you can get free shipping for video game retailer. Store staff will look through the items that you buy online.

Those savings quickly add up, and can be used to purchase more items to go along with your video game system. Use Online Auction Sites Popular online auctions sites like eBay, too, and usually for significantly less money than usual. Check the seller’s rating before bidding on any Xbox 360 accessories. By taking your time and using various resources, you can save a significant amount of money – especially when compared with how much store credit to buy brand new accessories for your Xbox, you can usually avoid paying more than you’d bargained.

[Via http://bobcomment.wordpress.com]

Marvelous sells stake in Rising Star Games | News

Tatiloyun.com - Tatil Oyunları Sitesi

2010-01-24T01:39:00.000+02:00

Türkiye’de her geçen gün açılan yeni siteler içerisine birde Turkey Tour çalışması olan Tatil Oyun eklendi. Tatil Oyun hedef olarak en iyi tatil oyunlarını derleyip sitesine eklemeyi amaçlıyor. Bu konuda küçük bir araştırma yapan kadroları Tatiloyun.com ‘u satın alıp üzerine inşaa etmeye devam ediyorlar.

Her gün bir birinden ilginç oyunları eklemeye gayret sarfeden Tatil Oyun bunu bir miktar başarmışa benziyor. Henüz biz bu makaleyi yazarken Tatil Oyun bilgi hazinesine sadece 10 oyun eklemiş durumda Bu oyun sayısı elbette zamanla artacak ve Tatil Oyunları dendiği zaman marka konumuna gelecektir. Bu konuda eminim çok iyi bir iş çıkartacaklardır.

Tavsiye Oyun

Otel işletmesini sevenler için ekledikleri oyun benim çok hoşuma gitti. Sizde eğer otel işletmesini becerebileceğinizi düşünüyorsanız bu oyun ile kısa bir çalışma yapabilirsiniz. Bakalım otel işletmek sizin düşündüğünüz kadar kolay mı?

http://www.tatiloyun.com/file.php?f=5

[Via http://kraloyunara.wordpress.com]

Fox News: Apple Tablet May Be Sold By Both Verizon and AT&T ...

Skates Are Here & Pop Up Chat Window!

2010-01-23T01:01:00.000+02:00

Hey guys this is Jimbercane posting. There are some updates in Planet Cazmo as you can see from the title of this post, so lets begin. First off all, the most awaited skates are here! (That too the most perfect day for it to come too, since today is a Friday!; I think they had it ready earlier though, but still good release time.) To buy it, first click on the Newspaper Icon on your Chatbar or your Mini-Chatbar. (Your Mini-Chatbar is visible right when you log on to Planet Cazmo.) After doing so click on the bottom section where it says Hot Deals, and you will go automatically to the shop. Just scroll through and you will find the skates. They cost $25 Cazmo Cash. Unfortunately I can’t afford them. (You may think I am rich from alot of awards that I am given, but I spend alot of it, and therefore it wouldn’t hurt me if you call me broke ) You may stil lbe able to afford them, so go ahead and check them out!

Finally, there is now a Pop Up Chat Window! To view it, click on the Chatbox button on your Mini-Chatbar, and then on the first icon at the top. What this does, is that it brings up that chat in another window itself. I don’t know why this update was made, but I think probably because it is easier to view all of the chat that is going on. Oh well that is just my opinion, you may have a different one.

jimbercane.wordpress.com

planet cazmo cheats

~Jimbercane~

[Via http://planetcazmocheats.net]

Fox News' Wallace on White House Effort to Spin Brown Victory: 'I ...

Beginning Research for Red Light, Green Light

2010-01-21T17:15:00.000+02:00

I’m starting to do my homework for designing and implementing the Red Light, Green Light game I’ve blogged about here in the past. At the moment I’m putting together a reading list about architectures of control, but I’m having a hard time finding any information specifically about designing campuses in response to the Kent State massacre. Since UB’s North Campus was built post-Kent State, I suspect that I might even be able to find specific information about the design of this campus as a response to that event.

The idea of putting together a bibliography for a game is kind of odd, but it makes sense if you want to make an effective intervention. I think it would be beneficial for players to have a resource to be directed to after the fact. And also something to prove that I’m not just a “fun” designer. I think I will make the bibliography available via AAAARG, both for political and practical reasons.

Anyway, if anybody has any ideas about additions to the bibliography for me to check into, please let me know. I’d really appreciate it.

Oh, and also, we can play Name That Game, since I’m not yet sure what to call this exercise.

[Via http://thenoiseofthestreet.net]

News Ticker: Amy Winehouse, Kate McGarrigle, Charlie Daniels ...

I am getting me one of these.... sooooo sexy

2010-01-21T09:40:00.000+02:00

Oh my god this literally looks sooooo sexy !!! for anyone who is like me and loves the design and everything about penguin books this is a must have. I can predict I will probably be absolutely terrible at the actual game but ohhhh it looks soo nice !!!I am already bidding on one on ebay, now don’t go and outbid me please !!!

[Via http://jocastaisseyegh.wordpress.com]

Report: 44% Of Google News Visitors Scan Headlines, Don't Click ...

Supersoldat

2010-01-19T17:41:00.000+02:00

I’m going to do one of these little presentations for each of my games

“Supersoldat” was the first “Gamemaker” game I ever made. I started off by modifying Mark Overmars‘ “platform game” tutorial and gradually added more and more weapons, abilities and enemies: some games have “feature-creep” but Supersoldat was the very embodiment of feature-creep. That said I’m very pleased with how it turned out, considering that I never once say down and planned out what I wanted the game to be. It also only used Gamemaker’s Drag’n'Drop functions, which is an achievment… in the same sense that head-butting your way through a brick wall is an achievement.

Setting

Apart from experimentations with the tools, Supersoldat was born out of a “Ramnstein” phase – that’s where the name and setting come from at any rate. The Nazi enemies will actually goose-step in time to “Du Hast” because that’s the song I was listening when I started working on it. Later on I swapped it for something less loud so you could actually hear the other sound effects.

The basic premise is that “Seibben” (“Seven” in German) is a super soldier developed in a Nuclear Bunker in a post-apocalyptic, alternate-history world where Nazis and Soviets are the only surviving world powers, and are still fighting the good fight despite both being buried deep beneath the ground. I’d just finished reading “Children of the Dust” and wanted to say something about Nuclear War (man). I’d also recently watched the original “Manchurian Candidate” so I decided that Seibben would be neuro-linguistically programmed to follow the orders of anyone who knew the right code-word. But the code is stolen by a Russian spy (who else?) who takes a sample of Seibben’s blood (so as to clone him) then orders him to escape, hoping this will create a distraction.

Of course, none of this actually comes across in the game because I never got round to making any cinematics – it does however explain why our aerian hero is running around a bunker flying-kick Einstein look-alikes in the face.

Gameplay

Supersoldat is a pure adolescent power-fantasy: I was also doing Tae Kwon Do throughout development (all of Seibbens attacks are based on this martial-art) and feeling pretty lean and mean, and the game was an outlet for that intensity. So you can run unbelievably fast and jump unbelievable high, you can sneak up behind a guard and literally turn their head backwards, or, if you get enough of a run-up: rebound off a wall and flying-back-kick them from one side of the room to the other.

The mechanics are really all about speed: the faster you’re running the more power your attacks have and the further you can jump. You’ll also bounce further if you kick off walls, which is nessecary for certain levels. Obviously some inspiration comes from “Abe’s Oddyssey”: you need a run-up to make certain jumps, you’ll knock yourself down if you run into a wall, and for the final level you have to escape from guard-dogs by timing rolls under various obstacles and jumping over bottomless pits. There are also grenades you can use, shadows you can hide in, buttons to press to open (trap) doors and men with guns to shoot you down if they catch sight of you.

I’m particularly proud of the AI: it was probably the thing I spent the most time on – enemies will jump over pits and climb up ladders to search for you, and generally do a very good job of hunting you down. Depending on their type they may also keep their distance and hurl projectile back at you, or periodically stop in their pursuit and take pot-shots.

Presentation

There artwork for Supersoldat was very minimalistic: one background, one tileset, two tracks (from “Final Fantasy 7″ in case you were wondering). I spent a lot of time on the pixel-art though, and I’m very pleased with the often gruesome animations, especially considering that I was very bad at drawing with a mouse back then (I used a lot of references). I actually started off with static, black and red stick figures (the game was originally called “Stick Wars”) and gradually coloured them in and animated them, frame-by-fame-by-hand. I think animation is the most important thing when it comes to bringing a character to life: Seibben may only be 32 by 32 pixels, but when his face gets bitten off, you feel it!

[Via http://wilbefast.wordpress.com]

Windows Mobile 7 handset news

Get yourself into the game

2010-01-19T09:14:00.000+02:00

Are you ready to take the jump and get yourself into the game? Is jumping into the ‘cloud’ too much of a risk right now? Can you weigh up the benefits of cloud against the perceived risks?

Whilst one cannot take such strategic decisions lightly… break up the day with some fun and try our fiendishly simple yet tricky game ‘StratosFear’. Journey through the clouds, collecting SunGard services along the way… all before the Sun sets and your time is up!

I’ve played it a number of times, it’s a little addictive and quite tricky – Give it a try and better still invite three friends and you’ll get a chance to nominate one of the supported charities!

Enjoy… Like most of us in some way or another we are all in it to win it!

[Via http://100daysinthecloud.wordpress.com]

iPhone component supplier faces worker strike | iLounge News

What a start to the day.

2010-01-19T01:45:00.000+02:00

Hey Everyone.

Well, This morning (this is australian time) I woke up. I felt a strange wet sensation on my bed, near where my thigh was resting (i sleep on my side.) odd. I look down, surely I’m past the age of bedwetting. Confused, I look down further. I see one of my two cats, this one a kitten, sleeping towards the end of the bed. It was then I knew, the culprit.

Anyway, Today I plan to continue experimenting with various synths and beats. It’s going alright, however it hasn’t moved much from where I started from, but taking my time is the way to go. Anyway, As for remixes, I’m sort of taking a break to continue on with the original. I am loading and working on a few every now and then, but as far as I can say, It’s mainly just working on random pieces for the chance to learn new things. That’s the best way.

[Via http://echoraid.wordpress.com]

Jack Myers: ESPN, Weather and CNN Lead News & Sports Nets in Multi ...

Vintage Nordschleife

2010-01-16T16:58:00.000+02:00

Nordschleife

In my wanderings across the Interwebs I stumbled across the YouTube video below, narrated by the great Allan McNish, talking about Nordschleife, the legendary 14.173 mile racing configuration that makes up one of the four original circuits at Nürburgring.

Maserati MC12

Why is it relevant? I discovered Norschleife while playing Need for Speed Shift. My preferred race car for this tracks is a Maserati MC12. The track is indeed demanding. But, there is a long straight at the tail end of the 14.173 mile circuit that I define as “Peace and The Wind.” It’s fast, flat, and you can truly open up the car to top speed down the long straight.

I know it’s only a game. But, when driving this part of the circuit, you truly get the feel of being in a race car. Everything goes silent. All thoughts, problems and cares in the world just seem to vanish. It’s just me, the racer, and the race car…. racing on the legendary Nordschleife.

The only thing that can make me snap out of the trance is driving at such a high speed that it becomes scary. I have to drive this car in an actual race car someday.

If you have Need For Speed Shift, Forza Motorsport, or Gran Turismo, I strongly suggest you drive Nordschleife in a great race car. You’ll truly understand what I’m talking about.

Enjoy the video.

[Via http://officialmdub.wordpress.com]

Snyder won't seek re-election | Arkansas News

Updates

2010-01-16T01:53:00.000+02:00

Hey guys its AC today cazmo updated!

Theres some new hot deals and two new coats are out.

Ice skates havent come yet but I found a very cool sneak peak of them!

The Arena has been updated and there is some ice that you can walk on similar to the ice at the lake. I think the Arena looks pretty cool!

Ambassadors are now able to hand out 3 gifts a day! These gifts are the same as the ones given by moderators. Please dont ask me for a gift, if you are helping someone or being nice I will notice you. At times I may just get bored and give out a gift to a random person in the room too.

This weeks gift is a brown shirt.

Today was the Kate concert. Mick came for a visit and he said he might come back to pc!

I thought it was interesting that at the end of the concert the curtains closed instead of them just poofing off.

You can get an autograph from Kate backstage if you are a member!

Wow that was a lot of updates! Iceskates should come early next week. Buddy lists have increased for members and ambassadors too!

-Agent

Planet Cazmo Cheats Guide Owner

PlanetCazmoGuide.Com

[Via http://planetcazmoguide.com]

Ravens Insider: Garcon gets a bit of good news - The inside scoop ...

Twitter list: Best twitter apps for your mobile phone

2010-01-14T17:05:00.000+02:00

1. Twitter Apps for BlackBerry

1a. OpenBreak – Originally known as TwitterBerry, OpenBreak is one of the most popular Twitter apps for BlackBerry. You can take a picture with your BlackBerry camera and directly post it to Twitter via TwitPic or yfrog using TwitterBerry.

The app will automatically recognize #hashtags in the tweets and a notification icon will show you the number of new messages in your Twitter timeline just like your BlackBerry displays notifications for unread emails or missed calls.

1b. UberTwitter – Another popular Twitter client for BlackBerry, UberTwitter is location-aware so it can automatically update your location based on the cell tower information even if your BlackBerry phone doesn’t support GPS (like Google Latitude). The latest beta of UberTwitter also includes support for Twitter Lists.

1c. Seesmic – With Seesmic, you can track all your saved searches and Twitter lists inside your BlackBerry phone. Just like most other BlackBerry apps, Seesmic can run in the background and notify you of new direct messages and @replies via the famililar notification icons.

2. Twitter Apps for Nokia Phones

2a. Tweets60 – As the name suggests, Tweets60 is a native Twitter client for Nokia S60 smartphones that is available in both free and pro versions. This application is primarily for users who just want to quickly update their own status on Twitter as well as follow what their other friends are saying on Twitter.

The pro version supports additional features like the ability to post images to TwitPic and follow search terms on Twitter.

2b. Gravity – Gravity is a hugely popular and powerful Twitter client for Nokia S60 smartphones. With Gravity, you can manage multiple Twitter accounts, save links from tweets to your delicious account, post pictures to any of the Twitter-friendly photo sharing site like TwitPic of YFrog and it obviously supports all the other Twitter functions like retweets, direct messages, favorites, etc.

You can download a 10-day trial version of Gravity from the Ovi Store.

2c. Snaptu – Snaptu is an all-in-one application that lets you manage your Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and even your Google Picasa account from the mobile phone. Snaptu’s Twitter application provides all the basic Twitter functionality – status updates, direct messages, @replies – while their Facebook component lets you update statuses and you can also read and write messages using Facebook email.

Snaptu works with any Java-enabled mobile phone including Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Motorola models.

3. Twitter Apps for Windows Mobile

3a. Tiny Twitter – This is a free Twitter application for Windows Mobile that provides all the basic Twitter functionality. One of the unique features in Tiny Twitter is that you can temporarily suspend a Twitter user so that his tweets won’t appear in your timeline though he would still remain in your follow list.

3b. PockeTwit – This is another popular Twitter client for Windows Mobile with support for multiple accounts. You can take a picture from your camera and post it directly to Twitter via PockeTwit. The application features a nice sliding interface so you can drag the tweets to the left to see all the actions that you can take on that tweet. PockeTwit is free and open-source.

3c. Twikini – The app integrates with Windows Media Player so you can tweet the name of the song that you are currently listening to. Twikini can shrink URLs using Bit.ly or TinyURL so you have more space for text and it also displays Twitpic images inline. If you have a GPS enabled mobile phone, you can also add your location to the tweet with Twikini. The app costs $4.95 though a 14-day trial is available for free.

4. Twitter Apps for Android Phones

4a. Twidroid – This is probably the most popular Twitter app for Android phones – the basic version is free but you’ll have to get the PRO version in case you want to manage multiple Twitter accounts from the same application.

Twidroid supports all features of Twitter including Twitter lists. You can shake your Android phone to fetch the latest tweets but this again requires the pro edition.

4b. Seesmic – With Seesmic for Android, you can capture photos or record videos and share them on directly Twitter via yFrog. The app will also let you share you current location on Twitter. You can configure Seemic to notify you with a custom ringtone (or a blinking light) when there’s a new @reply or direct message for you on Twitter.

5. Twitter Apps for iPhone and iPod Touch

5a. Tweetdeck – TweetDeck is a brilliant application that you may use to manage both Facebook and your multiple Twitter accounts from the iPhone or iPod Touch.

The app will automatically sync with TweetDeck Desktop so if you have created any custom search columns on the desktop, they’ll also become available inside the mobile app (and vice-versa). Just shake your iPhone to check if there are any new updates.

5b. Tweetie – This $3 app is one of the most popular Twitter client for iPhone with a very impressive UI. There’s an offline mode so you can do things like reading past tweets, following new people, replying to tweets, etc. even without a data connection. You also get a bookmarklet that lets you post links from Safari directly to Twitter via the Tweetie app.

5c. Twittelator – One of the unique features of Twittelator is that it lets you record and tweet both audio and video clips from your iPhone. You can even tweet the name of the song that’s currently playing on your iPhone. The basic version of Twittelator is available for free on the iTunes store.

5d. Echofon – This is light-weight Twitter client for the iPhone that is free and supports nearly all the basic function of Twitter. The $5 pro version of Echofon supports push notifications so you’ll get an alert when another Twitter user sends you a direct message or mentions you in his or her tweet.

Screenshots of Twitter Mobile Apps

More ways to use Twitter on mobile phones

If you can’t find a decent Twitter application for your mobile phone, you should check out Dabr. This is like an improved version of Twitter’s mobile site.

Dabr will display a more detailed profile of Twitter users so you can quickly decide whether or not to follow a particular user. It will auto-convert Twitpic and other picture URLs into thumbnails so you can view images directly in your Twitter timeline without having to click the click. And since Dabr is a mobile website, you can use it from just about any mobile phone, not just a smartphone.

Another option is email. Just associate your Twitter account with Posterous and then you’ll be able to post updates on Twitter by sending emails to twitter@posterous.com. Whatever you put in the email subject will be converted into your Twitter status.

This email to twitter option will be quite handy if your phone plan allows unlimited email but you need to pay for every extra byte that you download on the phone (lot of BlackBerry plans are like this).

[Via http://therealprizeking.wordpress.com]

Dallas Cowboys Blog | Sports News | News for Dallas, Texas ...

Game 6 Recap - 01/13/10

2010-01-14T01:00:00.000+02:00

Opponent:

St. Luke’s School

Score:

1st Quarter: 6:2

2nd Quarter: 10:16

3rd Quarter: 15:10

4th Quarter: 6:8

FINAL: 37:36 (St. Luke’s vs Columbia)

Stats: Jersey # Name FG FT RB TR AS ST BL FL PT 14 Jason Schottenfeld 0/7 1 3 2 12 Ryan Glick 0/1 21 Maurice Russo 5/19 1/2 3 3 2 11 15 Eric Smith 10 Noah Martin 20 Ronald Tricoche 2/10 10 1 1 5 4 11 Adam Felsenthal 13 Zachary Ashley 4/10 1 1 1 2 8 1 Alec Ashley 23 Charles Dickstein 2/11 1/2 1 2 4 5 5 22 Joshua Kanter 4/19 3 3 3 1 8 TOTAL: 17/77 2/4 15 11 15 5 12 36 (FG – Field Goals, FT – Free Throws, RB – Rebounds, TR – Turnovers, AS – Assists, ST – Steals, BL – Blocks, FL – Fouls, PT – Points)

[Via http://columbiabball78.wordpress.com]

News Corp. Shakes Up Top Fox Executives

What If Games Were Hit by Snow, it's Snow Joke...

2010-01-12T09:26:00.000+02:00

The UK has been hit by one of its coldest winters since 1963. Roads are in chaos as drivers simply do not know what to do when driving over the thick white stuff. People are seen walking around in hiking boots, with three scarf’s on and a duffle coat to match and to add people are panic buying again, as they don’t know when they’ll be able to drive back to their local stores. The UK is in a snowy stand still and it will be a couple of weeks before things return to usual.

So what if one of your games had a sudden weather change and instead of open roads and paths all you could see is white with maybe a few deer tracks here and puppy tracks there. Let’s take a game such as Grand Theft Auto as an example, imagine your last save saw you stealing a Blista Compact and carefully placing it into your garage before getting some shut eye. To your amazement you wake up to a blanket of snow and as you attempt to leave your garage in your little Blista you find yourself going nowhere fast. With no traction you find yourself hearing that horrible squeal as rubber constantly spins over solidified snow. Like any man broken down in his vehicle your answer is of course more power, but alas your car still goes nowhere and slowly you start to feel the onsets of carbon monoxide poisoning within your little garage.

Your character steps out of the vehicle slams his door shut and you know find yourself crunching through the snow with your cell phone in your left hand and your Uzi rattling within your frozen fingers of your right hand. So where’s your wellies, or hiking boots to help you walk through the black ice. Of course you don’t have any so you make your way out your garage as warily step onto the path way and like a cartoon character going over a banana you find yourself kissing the ground with snow crawling up your back and your fingers now completely numb. Where all the gritters in Grand Theft Auto, all the roads are are caked in snow and there’s no sign of it budging, but with no gritting company in Vice City there’s no sign of that changing. When they mayor was elected did he not think that it would snow in Vice, that a freak snowstorm would hit the VC coast and because of it business, travel and the economy take a massive downfall because of the city not being prepared. A horrible though I know but hopefully this winter will be a warm one in Vice City.

Now imagine yourself playing Dead Rising and as you start you realize that overnight the mall was hit by a snowstorm and because of this the doors are inoperable and will not open. This I suppose is both good and bad you are trapped in the mall with the hundreds of zombies slowly dragging their dangling legs towards you. The upside being that there’s no chance of the zombies outside making it inside so at least you can be happy knowing one all of these zombies are dealt with you can happily sit by a camp fire with smores and marshmallows singing cumb by ar in relative peace. The mall will also no doubt have a clothing store with winter clothing so you won’t be cold and sleeping bags are another plus. The down side being a quick getaway in a car is out of the question, there were no salt or grit boxes outside so I highly doubt the roads will be clear. Any gritters that are out on the road will no doubt be controlled by some blood stained zombie who has yet top learn how to operate the salt dropping button, so cars are not an option. With airports shutting and flights cancelled left, right and centre I don’t see flying as a viable option if you did make it to an airport alive.

The only option is live it out and to be fair no one is sure of how zombies cope in the tundra conditions of a snow storm so you may be in luck. Perhaps the dipping temperatures cause the congealed blood running through the undead veins to ice over making your foes immovable and pretty much threat less. All things considered I actually think in this scenario snow could be a good thing.

Let’s now move to the world of handheld gaming and Pokémon, your walking around the various Routes, looking at the beautiful trees and the Pokémon prancing around in the tall grass and it begins to rain and as you begin to shiver the rain turns to slow and as you look on everything turns from green or brown to clean white. You could run into one of your local caves but no doubt the wild Pokémon will end up there and you will just find yourself in battle after battle trying your best to find the exit only to see it blocked with a wall of ice. Maybe you’re in the game park trying to catch all manor of creatures and you decide to make your way to the exit and call for the tram only to see all services cancelled, your now stuck in the boggy marshlands and as the hours tick by you start to wonder which of your Pokémon has the most meat on it. There are hundreds of items you can collect on your trails but I notice there are no bags of salt or warm weather clothing, another game simply not prepared for the cold weather front coming to the Pokémon Island.

So what do I propose I hear you ask? I ask all Mayors, Presidents or Prime Ministers of these virtual islands to employ gritting teams and to have a supply of grit or salt that will last the gritters up to 13 days. Furthermore more warm weather clothing should be on sale in clothing stores around the county. These stores are to include arctic coats, wellies, hiking boots, beanies, ear cozies, winter trousers, neckerchiefs, scarves and winter socks. There should also be a daily weather update including temperature and a short summary of what is happening to the cold and warm weather fronts in the vicinity of your small town or city. Gas and Electric companies should install radiators and central heating through the entirety of the island and shall be given extra supplies of gas, coal and oil for emergency situations such as snowstorms, blizzards and deadly wind chill. Finally all vehicle garages should have tyres on sale with more suitable tread and also snow and ice tyre chains which can be placed on a car with ease to help them get to work on time and keeps the economy going strong through the coldest of days.

It’s horrible to think what the big chill could do to your gaming experience, the snowball fights and snowmen making would be a nice feature that all could enjoy but when the novelty of that wears off all you will find yourself doing is shivering to death and trying to find away to heat yourself up in a room, which thanks to the games developers, is left without a radiator or double glazing. When it comes to the snow it’s safe to assume that games designers have little care for the well being of your character so next time you pick up Grand Theft Auto or Pokémon just think about that.

[Via http://toonlinkdojo.wordpress.com]

Palin to join Fox News, according to reports - The Hill's Blog ...

index

2010-01-12T01:38:00.000+02:00

hurricane katrina

okay, so there was this storm here, right? it struck louisiana on august 29, 2005. (1) it was absolutely a big deal, (2) i am, by no means, belittling the tragic nature of what occurred, and (3) i have discussed it in less cheeky terms here: my first ever new orleans post. so if you don’t care for cheek, get your ass outta here. (get it? heh.)

so any-hoo, here’s the thing that i find wild about The Storm: more than four years later, people are still talking about it. i mean, like a primary topic of conversation. i mean, like, i can’t go wait in line to buy a cherry pepsi at the breaux mart without hearing it come up. it’s un-freakin’-canny. i’m not putting anybody down over this; it just bugs me out is all. i was living in nyc when the towers fell and was still there more than four years after, and trust me, we weren’t still talking about it on the daily. different dynamic, i suppose. less widespread devastation, i reckon. bigger city, you might add. well, bethatasitmay, i have decided to use new orleans’s quirky little habit for my own personal, diabolical amusement. behold, i give you (read: me)…

here’s how the game is played: any time you (read: i) hear any mention of “the storm” or “katrina” in a location shown on the card, that location is marked off. the goal—duh—is to get five in a row in any direction. the prize? personal satisfaction at a job well done and front row seats at the award ceremony in your (read: my) honor, to be held just south of the river styx. …wanna play?

[Via http://piratejanny.wordpress.com]

iPhone chip maker intros new graphics core | iLounge News

The masked raider

2010-01-10T09:41:00.000+02:00

On Friday as we drove through Swanson in the process of calling it a day, Husband suddenly exclaimed, “Look! A dead duck!”

He sounded so excited, I almost expected him to continue, “Oh, WOW! I feel so HAPPY! This is BETTER THAN SEX!”

Of course, the appropriate response to a dead duck alert – not that I’ve come across many – is along the lines of, ‘yeah, it looks dead all right,’ or ‘well, that’s what you get when you play chicken with cement trucks. I hope you’ve learned something from this.’

Instead, no doubt carried away momentarily by Husband’s enthusiasm, I shouted, “Quick! Stop the car! Do a U-turn!”

Narrowly avoiding the kerb and a stray recycle bin, he did just that.

“Er, I was just joking, you know,” I said, as he pulled up next to the dead duck and, hopping out, picked it up by the legs. “Woah- hey, I don’t want that thing anywhere near me. What are you doing-”

“It’s for Jed,” said Andrew, tucking the carrion into his footwell. “He can retrieve it.”

Indeed, Jed instantly picked up the scent – well, it wasn’t subtle – in fact, you could say it was pretty gamey – and went berserk in the back of the car. He attempted to bodysurf into the front and when that was not effective, contented himself with a spot of yodelling. If you haven’t heard Jed in full cry, check out his vocal contortions in the videos on this post.

I never thought I would end up the type of person who would be an accessory to picking up dead animals on the side of the road and stuffing them in a footwell. I don’t know; I just expected . . . MORE out of my life, you know?

Yesterday, we took Jed out to get acquainted with his dead duck. I was present in an official capacity to record the momentous occasion. Andrew was the duck handler.

To check check relative deadness of duck: hold upside down and shake. If it quacks, try again.

Husband and Jed keep a close eye on duck, in case it makes a break for it.

Jed poses with duck for the camera.

He's not usually cross eyed.

The masked raider: who needs vision?

[Via http://deadlyjelly.wordpress.com]

Fox News Man Bill Hemmer Talks Football with NFLGridironGab.com ...

Nat Geo Games: Mystery of Cleopatra: Solve a soldier's murder in Cleopatra's Alexandria!

2010-01-09T09:02:00.000+02:00

Nat Geo Games: Mystery of Cleopatra (155 MB download)

As Queen Cleopatra’s Advisor, it is your task to investigate the murder of a Roman soldier who had broken into Cleopatra’s palace. Follow the clues as they lead you into a world of intrigue, national politics and personal revenge. Finding objects and piecing together evidence, you will explore Alexandria as you hunt for the murderer in a tale of disguise and deception!

[Via http://lisadrem.wordpress.com]

Sky News Orders All Journalists to Install Tweetdeck

RTOD 08JAN2010 - Art Vs. Video Games

2010-01-09T01:02:00.000+02:00

RTOD 08JAN2010 – Art Vs. Video Games (And a few other things)

You know, it’s been a few … Hmm… Okay, months, since I’ve actually posted a Random Thought of the Day. I’ve been soooo busy with everything that I just let it go. I know, not cool. I’m sorry to you all. (The two of you who cared to read) It’s not that I stopped caring, but when you find yourself always busy, you wind up running out of things to write, or, just can’t seem to complete the thought. Or, you find new avenues of stealing what little time you have in your life. That includes World of WarCraft (which I’ll touch base on another time) and writing and drawing. That’s a lot to go over.

Speaking of writing, four of my five chapters have received either minor face-lifts or some wording changes. I have to thank a new make-shift editor, Jeremy, who will be known as TheRev, for helping me out in seeing a few things that really needed to be fixed. I had already received some assistance in that realm from friends and family, which is greatly appreciated. He just went above-and-beyond and did some editorial work for me, and I’ve made some corrections and adjustments based on what he saw. So, Thanks, Rev!

Now, on to the actual thought.

Like I said, I’ve found a few new games to mess with. Evony, World of WarCraft, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. How can I dedicate a few hours to being with my Kikat, drawing, writing, working, sleeping, doing chores, eating, etc, and fit it all into twenty-four hours in a day?! I can’t!

Which presents what my thought is…

I’ve found that I can write and draw more freely when I’m alone and in a relatively well-lit environment. That can be just about anywhere. And, for some reason, listening to Owl City helps. I dunno why, but it just does. But, this same kind of environment also is perfect for my games. And I tell myself, I will only play for a few minutes, I’ll just do as I need, and then, that’s it. And then it turns into a half-hour. Which then becomes an hour. Then two… I don’t think I need to elaborate further. So, I lose another several hours of perfectly good work/art/writing time to it.

Being a gamer as it is, I’m used to it. But, the other day, when I realized that I had done it yet again, I began to wonder just how many talented artists, musicians, writers, etc, lose their drive to do their work, or never develop the interest to grow their natural talents BECAUSE of video games.

Let’s be honest here, video games can easily absorb a person into them, especially these newer, more immersive games on the market. And with the games being given to children at younger ages, such as the V-Smile, which I bought for my daughter, and is aimed at kids ages 3 and up, and now there are game systems for even YOUNGER!, it’s not hard to believe that these children, which may or may not have ever been given a crayon or pencil to draw with at their ages, might never discover a serious interest in drawing. Or writing. I would lump music into that, but games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band are slowly introducing people into those arts, whether or not they’re really that good. But practice can make people better there.

There will be those who discover that their talents are there eventually, but that could take years. And then, it’s even longer as they learn to develop that talent into a usable form. Sure, there are the prodigies, those who just seem to have that ability regardless, but they are few and far between.

Way back when, I drew my first drawings. Nothing great, I drew what amounts to a stick figure horse and its colt on a plains. But, I had a blast drawing it! It didn’t matter to me that it wasn’t some great work of art, but I managed to complete it. And it really wasn’t terrible considering I was about seven or eight, and drew it on the back of a large sheet of paper with crayon. But then I compared it to some works of people with years of training. I got discouraged, and went on to play, you guessed it, video games!

When I was in fourth grade, I wrote what amounts to the middle of a short story. It was a chapter, more or less. But, I got an A on it, and my teacher said that they really hoped that I would keep working on it. So, what did I do? I went home and started playing video games.

Fifth grade. I drew a three-dimensional space station, complete with the NCC-1701-D USS Enterprise docking. I got an A- on it. The teacher said I should do more of them. Well, that didn’t happen. I played more games.

Tenth through twelfth grade. No more art classes, but I started to do random geometric drawings and mazes, as well as the occasional doodle. Most of my work was seen and enjoyed by those who saw it. But, instead of looking into it, I played more video games.

Twenty years old. At work, I was relieving my stress by drawing mini-sketches in ink. I drew a few rather impressive ones. Most of them directly relating to telemarketing and the stresses we got from people we were calling. My co-workers thought that they were great. I showed them to my, at the time, girlfriend, who decided they were horrid. Might have been a symptom of a different issue, but I hid in the video games.

Now, I’ve been doing the Random Thought of the Day on and off for about 2 years now. I’ve been doing random writings and drawings during those few years, and even started a novel I plan to complete, and am almost willing to make a bet about it, but those games keep coming and being a distraction! Hell, as I write this, I’ve got one running!

Now, who wants to think that I’m an isolated incident? Any takers?

I didn’t think so.

It’s really a shame. How much raw talent is available to be used, and lost behind video games.

On the other hand, many of the talents that I fear are being lost to video games also take part in those same games. Artists, designers, writers, musicians, all of them. And, really, there are a lot of things that I can’t factor in, like personal situations, romantic distraction, self-doubt. Then, there’s the intimidation of looking at your work, then comparing it to the people who are already well-established, and, well…

Okay, so it’s not just the video games, but you have to wonder. How much of it is the games giving a separate outlet for entertainment, stress, and, in some cases, creativity? Why be creative for yourself, someone else already has, right?

[Via http://thelonewulf.wordpress.com]

First Edition: January 7, 2010 - Kaiser Health News

Mass Effect 2 Action Figures Glimpse

2010-01-07T17:01:00.000+02:00

Gamervision has caught a sneaky glimpse of four planned Mass Effect 2 action figures. The first Mass Effect game sorely lacked any collectible geekery, but now, up for purchase are plastic replicas of Shepard, Tali, Grunt and Thane, varying in size from 6.65″-6.8″. Unfortunately though, we won’t be seeing these guys until 25 August 2010, and the models themselves are not final. Which is just as well really, because Shepard looks like he’s struggling against a rectal prolapse, whilst Tali has clearly forgotten to wipe the condensation from her mask.

I’d be interested in nabbing Thane or Grunt, but I’d be more up for releases of the original’s characters, like Garrus and Saren. Fingers crossed! Expect these babies to retail from $20-$30.

Decman

[Via http://thegameologist.wordpress.com]

thejetsblog.com » News: Weis to Return to the NFL?

Bow Wow - The Greenlight 1 & 2 Mixtapes (DJ Ill Will & DJ Rockstar)

2010-01-07T09:38:00.000+02:00

“THE GREEN LIGHT 2 OFFICIALLY DROPPING JANUARY 4TH HERE ON DATPIFF.COM & HNHH. The highly anticipated mixtape from new Young Money / Cash Money artist and Hip Hop vet BOW WOW. Shouts to @DeejayILLWILL, @RealDjRockstar & @Bowwow614″

“Here goes Bow Wow’s first official Mixtape since signing with Cash Money,

courtesy of DJ Ill Will & DJ Rockstar!”

Stream: Stream Now

Zipped: Download Now

Torrent: Download Now

front

1. Greenlight Intro Prod by King Dave

2. One 4 The Money

3. I’m Dat Nigga

4. In My City

5. Regret

6. On My Mind

7. Love Struck

8. Come Smoke With me

9. Sock It 2 Me

10. This Is My House

11. Lambo

12. Do I Love Her feat Khleo

13. Potential

14. I’m Too Good feat DJ Jus

15. You Know I’m Nasty

16. I’m Goin In feat DJ Jus

17. I Know I’m The Shit

18. All I Got

19. Long Bread

20. All My Life feat Jermaine Dupri

21. Go Harder

22. Belt 2 Match

23. So You Mad feat DJ Jus

24. I Love Cash Money

—

“Cash Money Records Bow Wow teamed up with DJ Ill Will & DJ Rockstar to bring you “G2″ the highly anticipated 2nd edition to his Greenlight Mixtape series!! www.twitter.com/bowwow614 www.twitter.com/deejayillwill www.twitter.com/realdjrockstar this is a datpiff.com and hotnewhiphop.com exclusive release!!”

Stream: Stream Now

Zipped: Download Now

Torrent: Download Now

front

01. G2 Intro

02. I Do Dis

03. All Talk

04. I Wanna Rock feat Short Dawg

05. Boyfriend for the Night

06. I’m Gon’ Make It feat Pleasure P

07. December 4th Freestyle

08. Every Other Prod by Cool n Dr

09. Say Something (YOUSO Remix)

10. The Game Speaks (Kobe LeBron)

11. Mo Milly Freestyle

12. Dangerous

13. Come Smoke With Me Pt. 2

14. Patna Dem Freestyle

15. Put In Work (Bow Speaks)

16. Shine

17. Big Everything

18. Slow It Down (Interlude)

19. Addicted to Women

20. Come Over feat Pleasure P

21. Blonde Or Brunette

[Via http://bigtopnumbers.com]

News Ticker: Pearl Jam, Ron Asheton, Sandro, “Celebrity Apprentice ...

Playing the probabilities in Settlers of Catan

2010-01-07T01:52:00.000+02:00

One of my favorite board games is Settlers of Catan. I encourage all of you to check it out. It is a great game because it is a combination of luck and strategy and it is different each time you play. I’ve been on a big Settlers kick lately, because I’ve downloaded a version for my iPod Touch.

This post will probably be interesting only to those people who know the rules to the game (sorry), but I will give a brief explanation of the relavant rules so that anyone can follow the discussion.

A couple of years ago I asked myself the following two questions about Settlers of Catan.

What are the most valuable intersections? This information is most important to know at the beginning of the game when placing the first two settlements.
Where should I place the robber to do the most damage?

I just found my notes that I wrote, so I thought I’d share them here. The mathematical analysis is extremely simple, but is kind of fun and maybe a little useful to know.

The most valuable corners

At the start of the game the hexagonal game pieces are put in place randomly (as shown in the picture above, which you can click on to enlarge) and the round chips are distributed according the the rules. Each chip has a number 2 through 12 (except 7) on it. The players take turns placing settlements on the corners where three hexagons meet. Once each player has two settlements, play begins.

During each person’s turn a pair of dice are rolled and anyone with a settlement adjacent to a hex with that number on it gets a resource card of that type. If the player has upgraded a settlement to a city and it is adjacent to the hex, he or she gets 2 resource cards. For now I’ll ignore what happens when a 7 is rolled.

Thus it is good to put your settlement next to a 6 or an 8, 5 and 9 are good too, however the hexes with 2’s and 12’s are not worth much. You may put your settlement along the coastline or the desert, but the downside is that it would be adjacent to only 1 or 2 resource hexes.

The round chips not only have numbers, they also have dots on them. The dots give you an easy way to determine which are the valuable hexes. They are assigned as follows:

•: 2, 12

••: 3, 11

•••: 4, 10

••••: 5, 9

•••••: 6, 8

My question is: how do we look at a board and determine the most valuable intersections? By valuable I mean greatest likelihood of yielding a resource card when the dice is rolled. I’m ignoring the other strategies: settling on ports, spreading out your settlements, getting a broad range of resources, etc.

I was surprised to discover that the simple answer is the correct answer: add up the dots on the adjacent hexes. The intersection with the largest dot-sum is the most valuable.

The reason this is true is that if a chip has n dots, then the chance of rolling the number on that chip is precisely n/36. For example, there are 3 ways to roll a 10 (4 &6, 5 & 5, or 6 &4) and there are 36 possible rolls, thus the chance of rolling a 10 is 3/ 36. Indeed, the 10 chip has 3 dots on it.

Now suppose your settlement is on a 6/4/11 intersection (which corresponds to dots •••••/•••/••, or as I will write from here onward, 5-3-2). Then the chance that this settlement will pay off is .

Before answering the question I must point out that some combinations are impossible. You can’t have two adjacent hexes with the same (dice roll) number on them. You can’t have two adjacent •••••’s (or two adjacent •’s). You cannot have three adjacent hexes with the same number of dots. Thus, here are the most valuable intersections (of course, depending on how the board is set up, not all of these configurations may exist).

Probability 13/36: 5-4-4

Probability 12/36 5-4-3

Probability 11/36: 5-4-2, 5-3-3, 4-4-3

Probability 10/36: 5-4-1, 5-3-2, 4-4-2, 4-3-3

Probability 9/36: 5-3-1, 4-4-1, 4-3-2, 5-4 (on the coast or desert)

One consequence of this analysis is that you should not feel obliged to place every settlement adjacent to a 6 or an 8. There may more valuable corners elsewhere. For example, looking at the intersections in foreground of the picture above, the 8/5/10 and 8/5/4 (5-4-3) corners are the best, the 5/9/10 (4-4-3) is next best, and the 8/4/3 (5-3-2) comes after that.

The best use of the robber

The little black guy in the picture above is the robber (or bandit). He temporarily kills any tile upon which he sits (rolling a 7 allows you to move the robber). Obviously, you want to place it on a hex that has none of your settlements or cities and does as much damage to your opponents as possible.

It is important to note that properties (settlements and cities) cannot be placed on adjacent intersections, so you can have at most 3 on each hex.

My question is: where should you put the robber to do maximum damage to the other players? Again, I’m simplifying the analysis. Often you want to harm one player more than another because he or she is about to win—I’ll ignore that.

By the expected damage I mean the expected number of resource cards “lost” when the number is rolled. For example if there are two settlements and one city on an 8-hex and an 8 is rolled, the other players will not get the 4 resource cards (1+1+2) they would have gotten had the robber not been present. Since the probability of rolling an 8 is 5/36, the expected number of lost resource cards by placing the bandit on the 8 is 4(5/36)=20/36.

It is easy to create a table of expected damages. The values at the top of each column of the table is the number of settlements plus twice the number of cities on the hex (the number of resource cards that would be distributed if that number was rolled). Each entry in the table is the expected damage (in 36ths)—so the larger the number, the greater the damage.

1 2 3 4 5 6 • 1 2 3 4 5 6 •• 2 4 6 8 10 12 ••• 3 6 9 12 15 18 •••• 4 8 12 16 20 24 ••••• 5 10 15 20 25 30

For example, a 6-hex (•••••) with three settlements has a lower expected damage (15/36) than a 9-hex (••••) with 2 settlements and a city (16/36).

[Image by xingty (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)]

[Via http://divisbyzero.com]

AT&T announces completed 3G network upgrade | iLounge News

Sparks

2010-01-05T17:07:00.000+02:00

Which way do those little yellow balls go? Flip the right switches to get them going in the right direction. All you have to do is to click on the white segments to rotate them to allow the sparks to follow their path to the center.This is a fun puzzle game where you must guide balls to the center

Download

[Via http://thecastex2.wordpress.com]

News Ticker: Pearl Jam, Ron Asheton, Sandro, “Celebrity Apprentice ...

Puzzle 150 (Double Back) [Marathon]

2010-01-03T17:00:00.000+02:00

This is a Sunday Double Back marathon. That is, it is a very large and very difficult Double Back puzzle.

Puzzle 150

OH! That’s where puzzle 149 went! I suppose you have two puzzles you can do now, either a 12 by 12 or a 50 by 50. Have fun!

[Via http://mellowmelon.wordpress.com]

Saturday News: The Tools of Ignorance - Pinstripe Alley

Gotcha - Celebrity Secrets: Can you handle the scandal?

2010-01-02T23:28:00.000+02:00

Gotcha – Celebrity Secrets (124 MB download)

Help Gaby ditch her dead-end job for the exciting world of celebrity gossip. Uncover Hollywood’s dirty secrets by tracking celebrities’ whereabouts, following leads and solving puzzles that reveal scandalous details to post on your blog. From rock star weddings to steamy love triangles, the juicier the story, the more readers you attract, and the closer you come to becoming the most famous celebrity blogger in Hollywood!

[Via http://newfungames.wordpress.com]

Good News From GMU « LewRockwell.com Blog

Playing Options of Living World Racing PC Game

2009-12-31T17:41:00.000+02:00

Living World Racing is known as the most famous kid’s game on PC. The game creates a live world of cartoon on whole screen of your computer. You can play the game very easily knowing some option for operating it.

You can get the options of – play game, how to play, save game, credits and play instruction in main menu of the game. You just have to click “Enter” on play game option to play the Living World Racing game.

Play game option will also offer some new options such as – difficult level. Now, you will enter into game modes – single, time trail and challenge.

Single race makes you perfect for the championship. You can be a perfect player in the single race game of Living World Racing.

Time Trail develops a skill in you racing against your best times. A current lap of times will be shown on your screen during the game mode.

Challenge mode of the game is very hard. You can challenge your competitor players to participate in.

“Breeze” mode in Living World Racing game is known as the winner of cup challenge. “Gusty” declares faster. “Wind Power” becomes available and “Gale” is unlocked.

Living World Racing game offers some cute small animals that are the characters of the game. You can choose a character during playing the game.

“The Drops Cup”, “The Classic Cup” and “The Extrusion Cup” are three cup for the championship in Living World Racing game. At first, “The Drops Cup” is unlocked for players.

Position of the characters is also scored by the points in the championship of racing. Overall the championship match can be played before some practice.

Graphics, design, sounds and background of Living World Racing PC game is really great. You can just imagine getting a game such as Living World Racing for your kids.

Living World Racing game covers whole screen of computers and creates a scenic beauty of live world. You can play Demorash biking racing game also.

[Via http://playinggamereview.wordpress.com]

T-Mobile “Officially” Confirms Google Phone | TmoNews - Unofficial ...

Find Your Own Way Home: Hang out with legendary rock band, REO Speedwagon!

2009-12-31T09:50:00.000+02:00

Find Your Own Way Home (165 MB download)

Go on assignment as a hip Hollywood reporter with legendary rock band, REO Speedwagon! Tonight, the band’s new album debuts…but when band member Kevin Cronin doesn’t show up for the pre-party interviews, a mystery starts to unfold. Track down clues to try and locate the missing star as events start spiraling out of control. The fun and challenging gameplay is complemented throughout by numerous REO hit songs from the 70’s, 80’s and today!

[Via http://hiddenobjectsgames.wordpress.com]

Weekly World News on Google Books Boing Boing

Kawai Run

2009-12-29T17:47:00.000+02:00

Kawai Run

Kawai Run – Fun to Pass the Time!

Kawai Run is a classic arcade action game that keeps the player addicted due to its straightforwardness. Running, jumping, and diving are all par for the tricky course that the player must maniplute to get as many points possible. The uncomplicated graphics make the game player friendly for all ages and entertaining for users. However, the player must be wary of bees, mud holes, ghosts and a variety of other fun obstacles the course has to offer.

Once the initial stage is passed, the player must be on his toes because many dangerous challenges await in the graveyard and subsequent courses. There are sneaky little monsters and ghosts that attack the character if the player is not alert. The further the player travels, the more exciting and addictive the game becomes and the bigger the desire to beat the player’s own previous score. Kawai Run is a fun game to pass the time and challenge your friends!

Play Kawai Run

[Via http://dailygame.wordpress.com]

FOX News: Best year yet: The Swamp

Are you ready for the NEXT?

2009-12-29T09:22:00.000+02:00

No, not the next project, as the current one is moving at too much of snail’s pace to warrant the start of another one. I mean NEXT PLUS.

As in this…

This would be Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam NEXT PLUS the PSP. Picked it up for $75 at this most awesome of game shops in Chinatown on Sunday. They stock the latest titles from Japan, including MSG Battlefield Report 0081 for the PS3, Gundam 00: Gundam Meisters for the PS2, they even had old Dreamcast & N64 games!

Anyways, the game has a decent learning curve, especially since I’m no good at reading Japanese. But once I got the controls down, things became manageable. I won’t go into detail on the game yet, but here’s what I can tell you from having played it most of Monday…

-Force Impulse is a DAMN good Gundam

-You’re bound to lose the same fight a couple times before you pwn. That’s what happened when I beat down Virtue, Nadleeh(sp?), 00-Raiser (!!!), and Exia. All with God Gundam (with the RX-78 for a partner no less!)

-Speaking of God Gundam, its attacks are sheer epicness. You can even do the Sekiha Tenkyouken God Finger! (That’s what he used to beat Master Asia in the Gundam Fight final IIRC)

-Kampher is amazingly cheap…

-All those units they prominently promoted for the game, the PSP exclusives? Most of them have to be unlocked. Wing Zero Custom and Nataku are available from the start, as are Unicorn, Exia, Strike Freedom, and whoever else you can think of who is in this game.

-Oh and Kshatriya is PLAYABLE. I have yet to fight it though…

-Where the hell is Sinanju?!

-Never pick a fight with the Devil Gundam. Not when its a boss character which is pretty much made up of the ENTIRE BATTLEFIELD!

[Via http://zrogunota.wordpress.com]

Dining@Large: Local food news stories of the decade - Elizabeth ...

What is this about?

2009-12-29T01:36:00.000+02:00

OK everyone this is my first ever blog. Although I think most blogging, tweeting, and general internet posting is very selfish and conceded I thought this was a good idea. What I am trying to do with this blog is document my attempt at creating a game company.

Some very basic background. I have worked in the video game industry since early ‘03, giving me roughly 7 years experience… come February. I have worked in several development studios and had jobs that varied widely from QA to Producer. I also have some design experience and I feel its time to put all my experience to work. For me!

About a year ago I had one of those ideas… big ideas. Something that would throw an industry on it’s head. I met up with a fellow developer and discussed my idea and he was in. I have spent the last year doing little more than thinking about my idea but recently both he and I have decided to “get real” on the project and start moving forward. I won’t be going into detail on the design or other specifics as that is not as important as the premise for the blog.

My partner (business not personal) and I are starting up a video game business and I thought I should document what I’m doing, how I’m doing it, how I’m doing at it, and in general all the BS that goes along with starting your own studio.

Some people may read this and have insight for me, others may read it and use it as a guide for when they’re ready to do the same. And I hope at least some people read this just to get a kick out of all the silly decisions I make.

Again this is my first blog so as I get more and more into the whole “blogging” thing I will inevitably get better at writing, posting, formatting, etc. So stay tuned and I hope this turns out to be something fun, not just for me but for anyone willing to read this.

Thanks,

-C

[Via http://simulatedskillsystems.wordpress.com]

Tyra Banks Announces End of Daytime Talk Show | Fancast News

DJ Whiteowl - Whiteowl Drop That 98 Mixtape

2009-12-27T00:56:00.000+02:00

Stream: Stream Now

Zipped: Download Now

Torrent: Download Now

front

1.Lil Wayne Ft. Drake,Jae Millz, Nicki Minaj, Gudda Gudda , Tyga, Mack Maine, Lil Chuckie, Lil Twist &

2.Lil Wayne – Exclusive

3.Lil Wayne Ft. Drake – Pass That

4.Styles P , Capone & N.O.R.E, Raekwon The Chef & Alicia Keys – New York (Remix)

5.Fabolous & Red Cafe – Muthafucka Im Ill (Hot !!!)

6.Nas – Help Somebody

7.Dmx – Till Im Dead

8.Eminem – My Music Box

9.Busta Rhymes Ft Game – Breakin The Rules

10.Grafh – Im Sinning Again

11.Lloyd Banks -Freestyle

12.Lloyd Banks – Freestyle

13.Jay Bezel Ft Castro & Var Money – Tru Dat (Exclusive)

14.Lil Wayne Ft Young Money- The Streets Is Watchin

15.Lil Wayne – One Way Trip

16.Young Jeezy – Freestyle

17.Gucci Mane & Big Boi – Blockers

18.Gucci Mane & Woo Da Kid – Volume

19.Game – Turn The Lights Off

20.Www.Whiteowlthat.Com

21.Lil Wayne Ft Young Money – That New Shit

22.Quic & Teaz – That

23.Papoose Ft Quic & Teaz – Staten 2 Bk

24.Young Money – Where’s Wayne (Hot !!!)

25.Lil Wayne – Ms. Parker

26.Gucci Mane – My Enemy

27.50 Cent – 1999

28.Eminem – 1999 Pt 2

[Via http://bigtopnumbers.com]

Andy Plesser: Video: Exclusive: Google News to Share "Fast Flip ...

Deal: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 on Sale at Amazon.com

2009-12-26T01:20:00.000+02:00

Get it at Amazon.com: Xbox 360 / PS3

The immensely popular Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 is on sale with a $20 discount and free shipping. I would totally recommend the game — it’s absolutely brilliant.

[Via http://massivecritical.wordpress.com]

updating news - Hot Scripts Forums

Entropia Survival Strategies and tips...

2009-12-24T17:36:00.000+02:00

As someone that has had an avatar on Calypso a few years, I have a bit of experience in surviving in Entropia Universe (EU). This is the first of many little Survival tips, hints, tutorials, etc. I’m probably going to be posting in here.

If you don’t know what Entropia Universe or Planet Calypso is yet, go take some time to read about it at http://www.entropiauniverse.com.

Also, go take a look at the entry for Entropia Universe on Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entropia_universe

Take particular note of the stories on there about Neverdie, Jon Jacobs (Deathifer), Mike Everest, and a few other success stories. THESE types of stories are usually true. HOWEVER, they are not typical stories of average participants. Most people that participate in the virtual universe can and should expect monetary losses when playing. This is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) after all, just like Warcraft, Dialo 2, or Everquest. However, unlike those other games, the losses in EU should not be extremely great unless the participant in question wants them to be because EU is free to participate in on some levels. Sweating, gathering dung, fruit, stones and oil are all free (well oil is probably the hardest of those to get because the rig is in the middle of a pvp zone that’s always full of avatars)…

There are many risks in EU. Many consider the main professions of crafting, hunting, and mining in the game to be similar to gambling in a slot machine at a real world casino. However, there ARE ways to participate and make money and come out ahead. It just takes some work to figure out how to come out ahead… it also takes a bit of luck on occassion. Trading is one of the main ways to do this. HOwever, you have to be smart with the way you trade to make money in this game. You also have to have a lot of persistence, strategy, and sometimes just plain luck.

FORUMS

There’s quite a few forums run by participants (players) of this virtual universe with the real cash economy known as Entropia Universe. Forums are THE primary way participants share information with one another. In a “game” (even if the developers don’t want to call it a game – but a virtual universe instead) such as this one, KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, and getting knowledge from other participants through forums is probably the easiest way to get knowledge quickly.

The largest, and probably most popular one in English currently is probably http://www.entropiaforum.com (EF). I participate in that forum a lot, as do many other helpful individuals. EF is a huge place – take time to read, read, and then read some more before you ever think about depositing a lot of cash in to the game. There’s a huge learning curve to this virtual universe known as Entropia Universe, and places like EF can help you get over the major hurdles of that learning curve much, much, much faster than you can overcome the learning curve on your own.

Other forums exist. Http://www.entropiaplanets.com (EP) is one example of such a startup. A few years ago Entropia Pioneer’s forum was hot, but that got so stale and stagnant that it got shut down permanantly some time during the last year or so. There’s also been a few other forums here and there that have had limited success.

http://www.entropiareality.com is another forum, but it’s mainly for flame fests since it’s not moderated. Since entropiareality (i.e. ER in other forums since some other forums actually hate ER enough that they edit their forum to keep that word from showing up in their own forum) is flame bait, some discussions in other forums sometimes end up here near the end since no moderators are not around to keep all parties posting their spit spats to one another out in the open like little elementary kids that like to cuss because they have not potty trained their speech yet.

When it comes to the forums, remember to use netiquitte. Also remember that theories are just that, theories… not something that can be proven, and if it can be proven, the system might just be altered to make the theories false again later… This is important to know since there’s a LOT of various loot theories out there…. and if the Mind Ark and FPC are smart, as I believe they are, they likely change the loot system regularly, just like online casinos or google, to keep those that want to cheat the system from doing so for too long of a stretch of time.

AUCTIONS

The in game auction is nice, but it’s limited because there is an auction fee that the seller has to pay regarless of whether the item the seller is trying to sell actually sells or not. The selling forums in EF help people bypass that little administrative fee. Similarly http://www.entropiabay.com (EB) was set up specifically to help people do this sort of stuff in a more ebay type of setting. Entropiabay is sort of a new kid on the block, but it has limited popularity. Over time, it might become one of the best places to sell stuff online in game. EP also has an auction type of thing in it’s forums, but since EP itself is even newer than EB, the number of people utilizing that system is very limited.

Most folks that don’t do a lot of person to person trading in game use the in game auction system at some point in time. It is a lot more reliable than the forums sometimes because forums require that you have to meet up the people you are dealing with in game, which is not always easy. With the in game auction, you are using a system that anyone in game can access 24/7. However, since it does have fees to sellers, and high fees in addition to that, it’s not necessarily the best way to sell things.

SHOPS

In game shops are nice to have. They allow you to sell things in game 24/7 regardless of whether your avatar is actually logged in or not. Price of shops very greatly depending on location and size of the shops in question. Mall shops are the most expensive and have the highest monthly rent fees. However they also are probably the most popular shops in game. Shop owners have to deal with taxes when figuring out what prices to mark items with. They also have to deal with monthly rent sometimes. Taxes are not too difficult to work with since taxes are passed on to customers, not to shop owners themselves, and taxes also are interesting because they usually are a lot lower than the fees that have to be dealt with in the in game auction regardless of whether people bid or not. Tax money that is collected goes to Land Owners if the shop is on a land area that is owned by a participant. Some shops are in areas that are not owned by participants, and it’s never been determined if the taxes off of those shops go back to feed the loot pool or go in to the overall income of MindArk. Some estates that act as shops, such as booths in apartment basements, hangers that have shopkeepers in them, and some houses that have shop keepers in them, do not have monthly rent payments. That makes these places very interesting places to own as any income from the shop is more or less a complete income since the shop owner does not have to “break even” on a rent fee every month. However, they still may have some decay fees in the form of shopkeeper decay. Shop keepers decay approximately 10 PEC per sale… Most folks that own shop keepers are aware of this and pass that cost on to their customers. Even that small fee is typically less than the auction fee costs sellers as the auction always costs a seller something regardless of whether or not any actual sale was made.

HANGERS

Hangers are estates that have ships that can be used to fly to the astroids above Calypso, Club Neverdie (CND) and Crystal Palace (CP). It is also possible that they will be used to get to new planets when new planets are introduced in 2010. Hangers also have a number of item points on them, so they can hold furniture and other things, such as shopkeepers, just like all estates that have over 6 item points (shopkeepers require 6 item points but give you 20 back in exchange with the number of things that the shopkeeper can hold and sell for you)

ALGORITHMs…

Here’s what is believed to be the algorithm that is currently used to figure taxes.

Shop Tax = (Markup * 49.75 / (1990 + Markup))

Here’s what is believed to be the algorithm that is currently used to figure auction fees on the in game auction.

Auction Fee/Commission = (0.5 + Markup * 99.5 / (1990 + Markup))

Here’s what is believed to be the cost to pilots for using ships (although the ship system is currently offline until it’s reintroduced. This system, along with most other systems in the game have to be recreated to suit the Cry Engine 2 Game Engine that was added to EU in Version Update 10.0)

the actual flight costs, one way, to each desination are (in TT value):

10 ped to CP (4 decay, 6 ped in oil).

40 ped to cND (16 decay, 24 ped in oil).

DYNAMIC CHANGES…

As with everything in this dynamic universe, change is the ONLY costant we can accurately rely on… so the information above may be completely inaccurate by the time you read this. The systems in place in the virtual universe change every time a new version update is implemented, and sometimes even during the course of the same version of the game as Mindark can and does alter some things on the server side of the game any time they want. Getting used to changes IS a very important characteristic anyone that wants to survive in EU for long MUST have because there can, will be, and always are changes coming up… some may benefit you. Others might not… that’s why a lot of the forums are always full of people complaining about things and speculating about things. However, most long term residents of Calypso and any part of EU know that change is coming and always will happen over time…. because ENTROPIA UNIVERSE IS DYNAMIC!

I’ll add some more tips about EU and living on Calypso in future postings here. Stay tuned…

[Via http://jeffthomann.wordpress.com]

In White Folks News: Steven Tyler of Aerosmith Goes to Rehab ...

Front Mission 3.Rural Village.ePSXe.Fix.

2009-12-24T09:46:00.000+02:00

Best Front Mission game so far

So I’ve been replaying games I really loved when the PSX was out. My old PSX lost it’s function already so I opted for an emulator. I can’t post links to an emulator but it’s called the ePSXe. Just google it.

Anyway, one of my favorite PSX games of all time would have to be Front Mission 3. It’s this cool RPG-Mecha-Turn based-Strategy game which I thought was very advanced at the time of it’s conception and release.

I was playing the game on my emulator when the game suddenly CRASHED when the mission for the Rural Village was next. This was in Emma’s story mode right after Yingko. I found out that almost the entirety of the people who were replaying the game also had the same problem, if not more. As I tried to search for ways to fix this little bug, I googled myself a few possible solutions.

1. Update the plugins of the emulator

2. Change the emulator

3. Fix the emulator

4. Look for my original copy of the game

5. Download a “cleaner” version

I’m pleased to say that I did all of the steps above with the last step taking too much of my time and almost had me give up on the game. Why you ask? I got at least 3 “other” copies of the game. Two of which are from a torrent site. One of them was said to work perfectly for the PSP (They were PSX-PSP versions, all I had to do was extract the ISO and it was playable via ePSXe) but when I finally played it, it was still bugged. The other one sucked at seeds that it took me almost 7 hours to have it at 60%. Mind you, the download was only 300+ MB large; you can just imagine my frustration so I eventually had to let it go.

It wasn’t until I saw this site for roms via google in which I saw this particular thread (Yes. I googled hard for this) in which it pointed me to the perfect copy of the game, with the bug that annoyed the hell out of me fixed, rather, made it nonexistent.

I owe my thanks to those guys. In case you’re wondering, I downloaded Aguia’s version. Works well so far. Too bad my characters are already too strong for the current missions. Why? I’ve been practicing and mastering their skills in simulator mode while I let the time pass for my downloads to finish. And yes, I went uber because of the Fukushima stage in TEST mode.

[Via http://anima9.wordpress.com]

The December, 2009 Issue of E-News for ARL Directors is Now Online ...

Cooking Academy! : The game where YOU are the Chef!

2009-12-23T23:44:00.000+02:00

Cooking Academy! (50 MB download)

Grab your oven mitts and don your Chef’s Hat! Cooking Academy is the game that places you in the kitchen of a prestigious culinary school! From Eggrolls to Pancakes, from Ravioli to Créme Brulee, it’s up to you to prepare over 50 different recipes! Learn interesting trivia about food while mastering the skills of chopping, kneading, mashing, flipping, frying, and much more! Unlock new recipes and trophies by passing your cooking courses and exams. Are you ready to be a Master Chef? Well, then, it’s time to enroll at the Cooking Academy!

[Via http://newfungames.wordpress.com]

AMERICAblog News: Obama now says he didn't campaign on the public ...

HAMSTER PONG

2009-12-22T17:00:00.000+02:00

HAMSTER PONG WINNER-EATS-ALL

doz it taste liek a cupcaek?

Picture by: dunno source Caption by: MuttMeat via Our LOL Builder

» Recaption This!

» View All Captions

[Via http://icanhascheezburger.com]

Vodafone UK to begin iPhone sales Jan. 14 | iLounge News

Getting Free Flight Simulator Game Updates and Upgrades

2009-12-22T09:49:00.000+02:00

Who doesn’t want to get upgrades for free? Almost all the time, people search where to get stuff for free either offline or online. And if you are an aircraft game fanatic, it would definitely amuse you to find a free flight simulator updates as well as software upgrades that can give you the ultimate flight experience when it comes to flying aircrafts as if it was the real thing. You probably may find a lot of aircraft combat related games online but if you are more interested on understanding how aircraft are being maneuvered by pilots, or if you are a pilot yourself who would like to try other maneuvers without putting yourself at risk, being able to get access to a flight simulator that can provide you all those features that you have never thought could be possible in an aircraft gaming system would be wonderful. But of course aside form the additional features, you would also like to get free flight simulator updates and software upgrades needed for your flight gaming system to work properly. And the easiest want to get access to these updates and upgrades without having to search for various website providers online, is through obtaining a flight simulator software that offers a 100% free service for this. Flight simulator software providers more often includes this in their software package which makes it easier for you to more information regarding new add-ons and downloads needed to level-up or upgrade your gaming system. This is necessary for those who uses the simulator to train themselves with various aircraft maneuvers. This is one of the reasons why the best softwares out there are not merely for enhancing a gamer’s flight experience but getting access to these aircraft softwares also allows pilots to get some training. These flight simulator softwares can be downloaded easily at your convenience. You may choose from various softwares which includes additional features that you can enjoy while flying your aircrafts such as weather changes, world sceneries, various real work airports, and even having the capability of real-time synchronization. There are software packages which also allows the player to experience flying an outrageous number of aircrafts available such as a 1903 Wright Flyer, B-29 Superfortress, Cessna 182, Cessna T-37, Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, and many more options to choose from. To get the maximum benefits from an aircraft software package, you should opt to purchase those which includes free automatic updates and upgrades when installed. Who knows? You might even come across a software package offer that can provide you with a free course to start with your ultimate real life flying experience.

Related Tech Game blogs where you can find some more important tips :- Apple Products – Technology News – Latest Phone Review

[Via http://gameup.wordpress.com]

Opera 10.50 Pre-Alpha Leaks

Higurashi : When They Cry PC game

2009-12-20T01:06:00.000+02:00

Manufacter : 07th Expansion
Genre : Adventure
OS : WinXP (32 Bit), WinVista (32 Bit)
Plot:

The 58th year of shouwa, early summer. It’s June and the early summer heat has arrived earlier than it does. By day there are crikcets and by night there are cicadas.

We’re in Hinamizawa, a small village in the countryside. There are fewer than two thousand people here. But every year, there is an event.

This event is a mysterious death. (The series has run from 1979-1983)

On a certain day in June, someone dies and someone else going missing. The series of deaths is connected to the upheaval surrounding the dam construstion project. A murder case that was covered up is being reenacted. Is it a conspiracy?A coincidence?Or perhaps a curse?

Someone who was suposed to be there, there is not.

Someone who was not supposed to be there, there is.

Someone who was alive last night is dead now.

Someone who is here right now is not alive.

So there is no way to avert tragedy. There is no choice but to give up. But don’t give up.

Only you can stand up for this.

SOURCE1 and SOURCE2

[Via http://ichii1350.wordpress.com]

GamesIndustry.biz launches new mobile site // News

Our iPhone app's pages being translated to Dutch, French and German

2009-12-19T17:38:00.000+02:00

Today we started the translation of many of our iPhone apps their iTunes Store pages. We are starting with the translation for the most popular apps to also translate the less popular apps later. So people of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, French Canadian, France and German iTunes Stores will soon be able to read the App Description in their own language.

The following iTunes pages have already be translated :

-MonoPhix – Black/White Image Editing App (Dutch, French, German)

-iDuelpro – Yu-gi-oh! Calculator (Dutch)

-Lingi – Language game (Dutch)

The two who aren’t translated to French and German yet will soon be translated as well.

When these translation are done, iDuelpro Lite, iPhix, FlashPhix and GrayPhix, will also be translated.

We might even translate all the descriptions to Spanish and Japanese as well to improve the internationalisation of the iTunes Store.

[Via http://phoenxsoftware.wordpress.com]

'Core' US game sales grew 17% in last 6 months, says analyst // News

Westward IV - All Aboard: Ride the rails to adventure!

2009-12-15T16:08:00.000+02:00

Westward IV – All Aboard (79 MB download)

Ride the rails to adventure in Westward IV: All Aboard , a thrilling real-time strategy adventure. When the patriarchal owner of the Turner Railroad Company goes missing, his children, Anne and Henry, are called upon to uncover the truth behind his disappearance. Protect the family business from greedy bandits as you help the Turners expand their railway to neighboring towns. Rescue kidnapped citizens being held for exorbitant ransoms, battle greedy bandits, and guide your town to fortune and prosperity.

[Via http://forallgamers.wordpress.com]

Bethesda loses Interplay court battle // News