Starhawk will have a war on campers.

Starhawk, the multiplayer centric game being released exclusively on the PS3 has given a few more details on how the game will combat campers in the game.  I am sure you can agree with me that one of the most annoying things about multiplayer shooting games are those annoying people who find the perfect spot and "camp" to kill everyone as soon as they spawn or can even get to them.  Well Starhawk plans on having special pods that players can release in the direction of that said camper and blow them to smithereens.  I think this is a very unique way of keeping people from camping even if it might seem a little over powered.

Come May 8th we will all be able to see it in action for ourselves when the game is released here in the US.

Good Reads: The social website for the book lovers out there.

Goodreads is a unique social site where you share and can buy books.  It has been rumored to already be pushing well over 20 million unique visitors per month.  Where it differs from the more talked about social websites out there is the fact that it revolves around books (authors and readers out there) in one spot to review and find the next book that you will love.

Goodreads began offering e-books directly from their site and realized that their were a lot of self publishing authors out there who were looking for a place to get their work out there.  Goodreads says they have at least 35,000 self promoting, social-networking authors on their site.

They also have a way to set up online book clubs so that you can review and comment on books with other like minded people on the internet.  They have over 20,000 groups on their site including The Sword and Laser (part of the Geek & Sundry YouTube channel,) The Next Best Book Club, and many smaller hometown groups as well.

To get readers to the new books that they would enjoy, Goodreads works with an algorithm that they have made that works with ratings, your own virtual bookshelf, and what the readers similar tastes have recommended.

All in all it is a great concept and if you are one who has a hard time finding the next book to read this is a great place to start.  goodreads.com

Spec Ops: The Line

I had never even heard of this game until the other day and decided to do a little research.  It is a game which plans to compete with the Call of Duty franchise with out just being another clone of that franchise.  From what I can gather from the info available it seems to be trying to focus on being a more mature type of game.

Prepare to be flogged.

So this episode of the FLOG Felicia is pretty hilarious so yeah check it out below. PS she uses a chainsaw.

Don't forget to subscribe to her youtube channel Geek and Sundry

Mario and Luigi do Jurassic Park

Here is another fun video of the Plumber brothers doing the opening scene to Jurassic Park.  Pretty neat idea, and I'm sure it was very time consuming.

New Origin Gaming PC for only $999

Origin PC has just shown off their new EON11-S laptop made specifically for gamers, artist and graphic professionals.  It boasts an 11 inch screen, a new intel Ivy Bridge-based core processor, Nvidia GeForce GT 650M praphics and Nvidia's Optimus graphics switching technology.

It comes in a wide range of colors and you can even have your own custom paint job on the one that you order.  They state that with the Optimus technology, which turns off the discrete graphics chip when it isn't needed, will give you a 6.5 hour battery life.

For your Sunday enjoyment

Sorry for the lack of posts this weekend.  I have had a very busy weekend but anyway for your viewing pleasure a very random Star Wars video parody.  I might add that the person who made this must really have a lot of time on their hands to come up with all the perfect parts of the movies to make this work well.   So, here you go.

=3 a youtube show by Ray Williams Johnson

So I get addicted to youtube every now and then and this is one of the shows that I actually subscribed.  Ray is pretty funny (sometimes) haha and this latest episode is one that I really thought was really funny.   He has a lot of guest appearances the most often from the comedian Gabriel Iglesias (who happens to be my favorite comedian.)  Anyway give the show a watch and subscribe and you will get a lot of funny comments on the hot new videos on youtube.  Enjoy

Take your movies and music with you anywhere!

I found this gem this morning while surfing the inter webs.  It is the GoFlex Satellite Wireless from Seagate.  What is it you ask?  It is a wireless external hard drive that works over wifi to deliver all our media content on the go to your iPad smart phone or other tablet.  So this means you can take up to 300 movies or tons of songs with you where ever you go with your mac.

Some of the mentions features are:
The ability to stream up content to 8 devices at once.

Automatically sync content from your Mac or PC.

Up to 7 hours battery life.

This sounds like a great idea and comes at a price tag of $199.  This is the first drive of this type specifically designed for this type and seems like a brilliant idea.  It has gotten a lot of great results from online retailer sites.

If you are one of those people who wish they could take it all with them on your iPad then this would be a great accessory for you!

The Amazon Kindle Fire now holds 54% market share for all android tablets.

The Kindle Fire now holds over half the market share for all android tablets.  I am sure the fact that it is only $199 helped that happen fairly quickly and the fact that Amazon took a note from Apple's playbook and made this a closed environment.  What this means for Google is that 54% of all android tablet devices are not using the Google Play store and are not paying google a dime for apps.  That is because Amazon has it's own app store and does not allow access to the Google App store.  This is limiting in a way to the amount of apps you have access to but it also means that every app you download you know will work flawlessly with your tablet.  Something the Google Play store cannot boast with the plethora of apps and tablets that use it's services.  As it turns out many more manufacturers are now playing around with the idea of making their own store and limiting Googles access to these devices.  This in itself does not look good for Google and it's plan for Android.  But then again they did want to provide android as a system that any company could make their own.  All I can say is look our for a lot more fragmentation if this catches on with other manufacturers.

Free live streaming tv to your iPhone or iPad.

Some fun and intuitive person has made a website where you can go and watch live streaming TV in many countries all from the browser on your mobile device.  Simply go to ioslivetv.com and enjoy.   As of this writing the site is still working all though some shows sputter a little probably from the site being broadcasted all over the internet from sites that blog things, so kind of like me. haha  Anyway enjoy this free service before it is taken offline due to the fact that I am pretty sure this is not going to be considered legal.

Gaming on the Go: MetalStorm: Wingman

This is a free game in the app store based on a flight combat.  You have your usual gameplay styles with accelerometer and swipe controls.  This game even features full multiplayer dogfighting.  Fun times right there!  You have your choice of playing the dogfighting, campaign mode, or endless survival mode.  All of which help you gain credits to spend on upgrades for your plane type, missiles, guns, and other attributes of your plane.  As with most free games there are options to buy premium coins from in app purchasing that can get you even better upgrades.  Check it out in the app store today.

The first pick of the NFL draft still uses a flip phone!

I am not impressed!  Andrew Luck, I mean seriously you are suppose to be the replacement for  Payton Manning and about to get crap ton loads of money and you still use a flip phone.  I mean really?  Ok maybe he can afford to get a decent phone that isn't from 1990 now that he will be making the big bucks.

Yes this is what you look like when you use a flip phone and it's not cool.  HAHA I know a lot about football so this is how I comment on the NFL draft, don't judge me!

I sense a great disturbance in the force!

Can I tell you how excited I was about this game?  You have no idea how Geeked out I was for a chance to get to play this game.  So much so I even went out and bought a decent windows laptop to play it on (GASP!)  I literally followed every fan site every beta testers slightest little tale of how awesome this game was.  So when it was released yes, I was there on day one already in a guild and ready to kick butt with my Sith Inquisitor and everything was great in the world.  Well so I thought, as I had feared EA had pushed so hard for a holiday launch that there were as with most games these days a lot of hick ups that hadn't been worked out.  I could play the game but at 5 fps (frames per second) it was pretty miserable.  I contacted a GM (Game Manager) right away and then another and another.  Finally one made sense and asked for a few files from my computer and that they were going to forward it on to the next level of GM service.  Meanwhile as I waited I scoured the forums and found a really stupid answer.  If I put all my settings to high I could actually play the game at 16 fps.  Which isn't great but at least it didn't make my eyes hurt like I was watching a flip chart cartoon.  So now I was off into leveling land and everything again was decent.   I leveled with friends did a few flash points and was totally amazed with the story that it seemed as if I was the only one that was having this experience.

The servers were full the game seemed like it was a great success but then it happened.  Level cap and boy did it hit strong.  See this game is based so much on the experience of the story that when you hit level cap the main story line was over.  Back to the typical mundane MMO experience you go and sadly this is another part of the game that had been rushed.  The end game content was basically so finite you could say it was none existent.  No granted it seems they are rolling out updates as fast as they can.  Something still just didn't sit right with me and my love for the game quickly ended out of boredom.  So after one free month and one paid month of gameplay I canceled my subscription.

Well it would seem that I was not alone more and more of my online buddies seemed to not be venturing into the game lately.  Talking with one the just the other day I was told that the game state is in trouble and that they need to do something soon or it would fall apart.  I asked what they meant because as far as all the PR is concerned the game was going well (no WOW killer, but good.)  What I was told was that the server I was on (the busiest when I was playing) seemed to have fewer and fewer people playing.  Also with the primitive form of group forming tools the game was not as fun because you couldn't find people to do group activities such as flash points and raids with.   Him and his guild buddies were even talking in game about how Bioware really needed to do something or they feared the game would be headed into a steep decline quickly.

Now I hope this was all pure speculation on my friends part but as I stated the game after you hit level cap just becomes another MMO.  Bioware really needs to focus and reinvent what endgame really is in this story based game of theirs and if they do they will start seeing a lot of more people coming back and playing the game for the first time.  Also, Bioware make this game work on a Mac. PS, Next time you get a comment about what you were going to do about the problems people were having at the start of the game don't say something stupid like most people aren't playing on low end PC's so we don't see this as an issue.

Sad news for the X-play viewers out there.

Adam Sessler has announced that he is leaving X-play and G4TV.  He has been with the show since it was first introduced back in July of 1998.  The announcement goes on to say that he will still be out there to be a face for video gaming and will be consulting for movie adaptations for games.  Also he sings so is available to be booked for your weddings or bar mitzvahs.  Maybe that last part was a joke?

Adam you will be missed.

iHome introduces the iDM5

iHome introduced a new product of interest this week, the iDM5.  What is so interesting about another keyboard for the iPad?  Well this one is meant to be a stand, keyboard and bluetooth speaker system for your home and not for traveling.  It's a neat idea although a rather expensive one I think.  At $129 dollars I suppose for an iPad peripheral that has a bluetooth keyboard, speakers, two usb charging ports, and a stand it really is probably a bargain as all of those things would cost you a lot more separately.  iLounge did a great review giving it a B and slightly recommended.  Their biggest gripers were with the keyboards responsiveness and not having an actual bottom dock charger built into the device.  However it is providing two usb ports for you to charge any devices or phones with it and you can keep the iPad in landscape position and charge it at the same time.  I feel that it would be a good buy for someone who is looking for their iPad to be a portable device it is but needs a good keyboard/office kind of platform to type on and play their music or skype calls with.  check it out at iHome.

Microsoft releasing a Spotify competitor?

Rumors abound today on the interwebs about the possibility of Microsoft announcing at E3 their own version of a Spotify service for their xbox platform.  It would be code named Woodstock.  Pretty clever name for a music service but I would have a feeling that if this is true it would be released for even more things than just the xbox such as the Windows phone and Windows in general.  It will be interesting to see if this comes to pass and exactly how Microsoft would plan to blow Spotify out of the water.

Productivity app: SayHi translator.

Available on the iOS app store for only .99 cents right now you will find an almost true universal translator.  It's almost like a right out of the sci fi movies I grew up with.  It is pretty darn cool and works really well.  So if you are traveling abroad, work around a lot of people who natively speak different languages give it a try.  If anything it is a fun way to practice your language skills.

Kickstarter: the site that will literally kickstart any idea

So you may or  may not of heard of Kickstarter, the website where you pitch and idea where people can come and look at it and fun your idea into actually being done or made.  This has so many great prospects and it seems to already be launching a lot of great products, games and ideas into fruition.  But I also have to say, there are a lot of crap ideas out there and what seems to be a lot of people who are carelessly throwing their money into the wind in order to have that one chance of being part of something big and earning big from it.  Basically what I am getting at here is the fact that I see a lot of great stuff coming from this and also a warning for all the crap we are probably about to get thrown our way.  I mean I know I am no expert on what will be the next big thing but that can probably be said for about 80% of us would be investors.  Or maybe I just like (what little) money I have an just don't want to give it up to just any crazy idea.  HAHA.  Anyway if you want to check out this interesting and great tool for creators and inventors go to http://kickstart.com.

Let the iPhone 5 rumors begin!

What you have here is the first of many many so called leaked parts of the future iPhone.  This according to true supplier is what the new home button on the new iPhones will look like.  To be the first of many rumors about what the iPhone is going to look like I must say it is rather disappointing.  Oh well I am sure this is just the first of thousands of so called parts leaks.

Marvel vs Capcom 2 has hit the app store!

Touch Arcade announced last night that Marvel vs Capcom 2 has hit the iOS app store for $2.99 and the first reviews seem to be pretty good.  With some note that 3gs level hardware may notice a bit of lag in the game.  Enjoy the video of gameplay below.

Google Drive is actually real.

Looks like all the rumors and leaks are now official as Google has announced Google Drive an online storage option offered by Google.  Looks like they are a little late to the part as there are plenty of other options such as the popular Dropbox, skydive, box, and iCloud.  So far the announcement seems pretty ordinary as they will over 5 gigs of storage free with payment plans available for more storage.  I really feel like Google needs to do something special here if they want to take some of the users away from these other more established online storage options.

Guild Wars 2 beta weekend!

Arena Net has came out with a few announcements about it's upcoming beta weekend.  If you were one of the lucky ones to get said invite you can expect to receive an email soon to download the beta client and you can look forward to playing the weekend of April 27th to Monday April 30th.

More details on Arena Net's website to see what all you can expect from the beta weekend.

Gameloft announces N.O.V.A. 3!

So Gameloft's newest answer to HALO on iOS and Android is coming soon and they have given us a fun teaser video to along with the announcement.  I'm pretty pumped for this game as I have enjoyed NOVA and NOVA 2 on my iPhone.  In fact these games were what introduced me to Gameloft and their really nice lineup of games for mobile platforms.

Viddy: The instagram for Videos.

Viddy for iOS is basically the Instagram for videos.  The service launched last year and allows you to upload 15 second videos to share and add different effects.  It can connect to twitter and Facebook as well to share all your videos with your friends on these social networks.  It is a pretty neat little app and I am sure will catch on soon the same way that Instagram did.

Adobe introduces an update to its CS5 products.

Adobe announced its new line up for its CS6 applications including its very popular Photoshop program.  It also announced a new cloud service which will basically let you rent the entire suite of apps or the individual application of your choice.  Along with the usage of the application you also will gain access to 20 gigs of online storage along with a host of other features.  The prices are a little steep for me but then again the applications themselves aren't cheap either.  Head on over to adobe's website if you are ready to upgrade or would rather check out their new cloud service.

Samsung has started a count down to announce their next Nexus...

Samsung has started a count down timer for an announcement of their next Nexus Phone.  No more details other than the May 3rd launch date.  Is it more or did the last nexus phone like literally just came out?  I mean sometimes I am glad that I like my iPhone because seriously at the rate these companies pump out new phones you wouldn't get the new one home before they out do it and you are like well crap this phone sucks.  At least with my iPhone I can wait a whole year before I am like I must have new phone.  If I had an android phone I would be even more broke than I am now.   Anyway stay tuned on May 3rd to see what fanciness Samsung has come up with.

Time Warner Cable adds more channels to their mobile app.

At the end of last week Time Warner added a bunch of regional and national sports channels to their iOS app and web portal TWCTV.com.   If you have Expanded basic cable or higher level of a subscription you can access and watch a ton of channels live for free with the app or web portal.  It is also to be noted that Time Warner says that this will function on any Time Warner or Road Runner internet connection.

For all those people buying the new Nokia Windows... phone..

Good news for you!  It looks like Microsoft has finally taken Skype for Windows phone out of the beta status and released it as version 1.0.  One feature added of note is the ability to search and add contact and also call landlines.  The one thing however that does not work is this app will not make background calls. Which basically means if you don't have the app open you cannot receive or make calls with the Skype app.  Hopefully this will be fixed in a future update or if it may be taken care of in the new Windows 8.

Gaming on the Go: Order and Chaos Online

So yeah I am a recovering WOW addict.  OK seriously I am trying out the beta right now but I'm not currently playing the actual game right now.  Why do I mention this you ask?  Well let me tell you about a game that is feeding this addiction on the cheap.  Order and Chaos online from Gameloft is basically their WOW clone, and if you know anything about Gameloft you know I almost mean literal clone.  Regardless this is still an amazing game that Gameloft has pulled off here.  It is a full fledged MMO with all the bells and whistles. (well they don't have mounts.  I WANT MY GIANT CAT to ride Gameloft!)

 Any who this game is really fun and has lots and lots of questing, PVP, dungeons and even heroic mode dungeons that they call legendaries.  I believe that the current level cap is 50.  They have already released at least 5 updates for this game and the iOS version on the iPad and iPhone looks just amazing.  It is also available for Macs and for Android.  A warning about the android version though looks like they had a few problems with the last update but I believe they have gotten things worked out and are back on track for it now.  The game usually runs for 6.99 in the app store but I got it on a sale for .99 cents when I came across it.  It does have a monthly subscription which you pay for with in app purchases.  A month usually costs you .99 but they have great discounts for mutli-month subs.  You even get 3 months of free play time just for buying the app.  

You can choose from being a Mage, Warrior, Monk, and a Rogue.  There are also four races to be which are human, elf, orc and undead.  So there is a lot to choose from in the game you have a guild system in place, a personal bank and pets just to name a few. 

 I really like how they set up the control scheme.   You have all your abilities in a  dial in the bottom right that you can turn to access 3 abilities at a time and a map in the upper right corner and your picture, health, and XP bars in the upper left.  Your chat window pops up from the bottom whenever someone says something in the channel that you currently are in.  

I would highly recommend this game for anyone who is a fan of MMO's or any RPG game but doesn't want to pay 15 bucks a month or for those who simply would enjoy playing an MMO on a mobile device.  

New Flog Episode for the week.

In case you hadn't noticed I like Felicia Day and her GeekandSundry Youtube channel.  So yeah watch it, Watch the new Flog!

Call of Duty Announcement coming May 1st.

Head on over to callofduty.com where there is a special front page announcing an announcement haha.  Looks like on May 1st there will be a special world reveal during the Basketball playoffs on TNT.  Could this be the new Black OPs or something entirely new?   Check back to the site for  hints as new picture clues will be "declassified" each day.  Thanks to Ryan for the heads up on this one.

Zelda the Musical! Completely Geeked out over this.

OK seriously, Zelda is one of my all time favorite games period.  So much so that it was the sole reason I bought several Nintendo systems.  Well here in it's awesomeness and coolness we have Zelda the Musical.  Pretty funny too.

Hulu doesn't want to be outdone by Netflix...

Looks like Hulu, not to be out done by Netflix, has announced four more original programs that they will be starting soon on their Hulu service.  With this time around some notable additions mentioned were Seth Meyers, Michael Shoemaker, as well as Adrian Grenier will be participating in creating these new shows. Pretty exciting for the internet TV arena.  Hopefully these shows will be released soon and will also release all episodes at once just like Netflix is planning on doing with their release of the next season of Arrested Development.

Crackle: Free movies and tv shows.

Check out Crackle on the web, iOS device, or Android and watch free movies and tv shows with ad sponsored showings.  Yes it basically works just like Hulu but it has newer movies and content such as TV shows.  This service is brought to  you by Sony studios and others to deliver their content ad supported and free of charge on all the different access points mentioned above.  It's pretty neat and worth a download on your iPad or other device.

Watch the Uncharted Trilogy edited into Movie form!

Looks like a reeddit user by the name of Morphinapg had a lot of time on his hands and created these masterpieces.  All of the Uncharted Trilogy, each in its own movie of cutsrcenes and minimal came play so that there are no plot holes in the story.  As much as people want to see an Uncharted movie this may be as close as we get for a while.

Weekend Highlights, Diablo 3 open beta weekend and more...

Well it's sadly almost the close of another weekend.  As sad as that might be here are a few things from around the web that might help.

Diable 3 open beta weekend is still going on.  So if you still have an active battle.net account head on over to battle.net and download the beta before it goes bye bye.

In other weekend news a new Youtube channel as arrived and it is full of fun and entertaining news, sketches from kids n the hall (remember those guys?)  Some other notable shows on the channel are some original new content from Weird Al, puppets, and everything nerdy that you might find absolutely hilarious.  So head on over to their youtube channel  The Nerdest and check them out.

Crysis 3 Trailer

With lots of pew pew and boom boom Crysis now has a teaser trailer.

Let's face it Macs are not as safe as they use to be.

Apple loves to boast about how much safer and secure that it is than any other operating systems.  The truth is yes in some ways it is but it has also lived and enjoyed the life of a small percentage of the computers used.  This has let them fly low on the radar for hackers simply target Windows because there are many many more users which gives them better chances.  But with Apple more and more in the spotlight and there Mac sales on the increase it is becoming more appealing for hackers to want to target Macs.   Also oh look barely any of them at all have Antivirus software even easier.  But why should they?  Macs have enjoyed being pretty much virus free for the most part but lately you here more and more malware and trojans for the Mac and they spread pretty quickly because there is not much stopping them before those exploits they use are patched up.

So yes I am saying it.   Sigh and true be known I always hoped I never had to but yesterday I put an antivirus program on to my iMac.  Even though I am definitely not one to click on strange emails or go to shady websites the truth is you just never know these days.  So which did I choose?  I went with Sophos antivirus.  First it is free and second it has been around for a while.  It seemed to get a lot of good reviews and to be honest I have not noticed a single intrusion into my screen or any of my normal computing tasks.  It just sits there doing what it does best and doesn't bug me every two seconds with a notification if I want something to do this or that (thats what OSX has security stuff built in for that.)

Basically the point is ladies and gentleman it is time to put up some caution and us Mac users must finally come to some terms to protect ourselves.  That is until Apple comes up with a super patch to make it impenetrable!  HAHA

Gaming on the Go: Jetpack Joyride

Another fun and free game that has come to my attention is Jetpack joyride. It is a fun little side scrolling platformer where you use a Jetpack to move your little guy across the screen.

It is a fun little game to play when you just need to pass a few minutes while waiting in line or are on a trip.


Check it out for free over at the iOS app store.

Productivity on the Go: Pocket the web dvr

Have you ever been during the inter webs and came across and article then got busy and misplaced the link or simply thought of it another day and for the life of you couldn't find it again.  Happens to me all the time and it infuriates me to no end.  Well welcome the new DVR for the internet Pocket.

Beware the fake Instagram on Android!

Apparently there is some malware disguised as the Instagram app in the Android Market.  Needless to say that I hope everyone pays attention to where you are downloading the app from and have an antivirus set up on your device.  Here I thought Google was making it harder for this stuff to get onto Android?  Regardless make sure you read comments and make sure you know you are getting this from a trusted source and from the original developer.

God of War: Ascension revealed

Looks like all the leaked pictures were real and we will be getting a new God of War game coming to the PS3.  It will be a prequel to the series.  Check out the official game trailer below.

More info on the new season of Arrested Development

Yeah you heard that right Netflix has finally started production to bring back Arrested Development!  My buddy got me into this show on Netflix a while back and I loved it.  Thanks to Netflix we will be getting more of it and apparently not just one season but possibly more.  Creator Matt Hurwitz, has even said that he was going to have each episode  focus on a different character but thinks it is moving away from that and be more like the old show.  Since all episodes will be open on the exact same day they will weave some things into each episode and hopefully will make us want to go back and watch them again to check for clues after the ending since we watched all 10 episodes together.  Everything seems to point at these being released sometime next year.   I can't wait, I guess in the meantime I'll start watching the episodes I didn't get to watch well actually I'll just watch them all again!

Black Ops 2 release date teased?

So the rumor mill has it that this is a promotional piece that has leaked to the internet saying that this is the release date of the next Black Ops.  As rumors go I must say that I would see this more of a teaser to an announcement or trailer for the game or something.  I really doubt that they would release a game less than a month away with out a chance to preorder or hype up the game more.  I could be wrong considering its a game about people who sneak around doing cool stuff while no one knows that they are there, I still don't see this happening that soon.  Unless they really think a good promotional campaign is to just sneak it out on release date with no hype because you know they are black ops and you never saw them coming.  Regardless it will be interesting to see if anything actually goes down on 5/2.

Apple and Valve Teaming up?

Rumors are running around the internet that Tim Cook's low profile visit last week was to talk with them about implementing the steam box into Apple's up and coming TV.  The story over at Gamesradar says that Apple is making a kinect like console that will be integrated with the Apple TV that will come out later this year and that maybe Apple wants Valve as a partner or just license some of their tech.  I guess with the typical hush hush around Apple products we will just never know until Apple actually does something if they even do.

Why I want to love this phone but....

Nokia and Microsoft have teamed up to help save each others mobile business plans and this phone is a beauty.  There are even rumors that AT&T can't keep them on their shelves.  I will have to admit it is one sleek phone and Windows phone 7 is a neat and finally original concept for a smartphone's operating system.  So why haven't they taken off?

More Dust 514 info.

Yeah I bet you couldn't guess I'm excited about this game huh?  Anyway courtesy of the fan page Dust514.org we have a small guide on what to expect from Dust when you first download and start playing the game.

After picking a character faction and coming up with  a name for your character you will be given some basic armor.  As with EVE you will be brought to a lot of NPC characters for corporations that will allow you to do a lot of missions to begin building up your character.  Now just because they are NPC missions does't mean you will just be fighting a bunch of NPC's.  You will also be fighting other players who have chosen other corporation NPC's.  Once you begin to earn some money and start loading out your character via, what seems to be a complex skill tree and completely customizable armor and gear set, you can start going into some major battles.  You will have the option to be a lone wolf or sign up for a corporation and help take over planets and solar systems.  You can pretty much choose any role and learn the skills to master them.  Apparently if you wanted to master all skills it would take you about 7 years.  Yeah no thanks I'll just stick to the ones I like best then.

It looks like the beta will be coming out in June with a hopeful early fall release.  Check out the very very exhaustive introduction over at dust514.org

The Magicians

After watching the first episode of The Sword and Laser show over on geekandsundry I decided I was going to read this book.  It's called the Magicians and its pretty much a grown up version of the magic world aka Harry Potterish but more adultish. HAHA

"The New York Times bestselling novel about a young man practicing magic in the real world 

Like everyone else, precocious high school senior Quentin Coldwater assumes that magic isn't real, until he finds himself admitted to a very secretive and exclusive college of magic in upstate New York. There he indulges in joys of college-friendship, love, sex, and booze- and receives a rigorous education in modern sorcery. But magic doesn't bring the happiness and adventure Quentin thought it would. After graduation, he and his friends stumble upon a secret that sets them on a remarkable journey that may just fulfill Quentin's yearning. But their journey turns out to be darker and more dangerous than they'd imagined. Psychologically piercing and dazzlingly inventive, The Magicians is an enthralling coming-of-age tale about magic practiced in the real world-where good and evil aren't black and white, and power comes at a terrible price."



If you love a good fantasy book check it out at Amazon.

Halo 4 release date set for November

343 studios, the new team behind the halo franchise will be releasing the new sequel to Halo on November 6th 2012.  Microsoft formally announced yesterday.  I am interested to see how this new team does with the franchise especially since they will be bring back our favorite character Master Chief.  It also appears from the announcement that they plan to keep Halo going for at least a decade longer with a new saga for the series.  It will be interesting to see who the game lives up to the previous games.  It is odd seeing a Halo game with out the name Bungie attached to it.

Oakley making some Google glasses of their own.

So I have to admit, I think the idea of the Google Glasses is a neat concept but I also wonder how well it will work and also seriously come one Google why did you make them so ugly and uber nerdy.  I mean even the Bluetooth headset, all the time wearing, belt phone holster dorks of the corporate world probably wouldn't want to wear those with the way they look.

Anyway now that I have that rant over with it appears that not only Google, but Nokia (who came out with their concept in 2009) and now Oakley is dabbling in the business of augmented reality glasses.  Things will get pretty neat and if they can make them look at least a little bit cooler they will really be a cool concept!

Yesterday was a sad day for my childhood...

So Yesterday the Space Shuttle Discovery made its last flight from Florida on the back of a special 747 to Washington DC.  Where it will forever rest in the Smithsonian for everyone to see up close and personal. I watched on TV while I was at work yesterday as it made all it's low flying passes over Florida and Washington wishing I was there.  What a breathtaking thing to see.  I can remember when I was young watching all the space flights and keeping up with the cool NASA things I could get my hands on.  Yes I had the typical I want to be an astronaut childhood fantasy.  

With this shuttle being put to rest in a museum it is a humbling thing to watch and end to an era.  I guess they say all good things must come to and end but don't fret though as NASA exits the orbital business and turns it attentions to what it does best (Making rockets to take us to Mars.)  Now enters the first corporate space flights to begin taking over the long tradition that these space shuttles have done over the years.  I company called spaceX will begin sending rockets up to the International Space Station to bring supplies and hopefully by 2018 them and other companies hope to be able to be sending astronauts up on commercial rockets themselves.

But still in a way its sad to see this shuttle go...