about 2 weeks ago -
Unlike Dexter, here’s a look at some simply cold-blooded killers.
…Dexter has nothing on them? Those people are disgusting, vial abominations. Dexter (the character) kills criminals, people whom hurt other people and other wise deserve their fate. I see the reason of bringing this topic up was just to compare the worst acts of the worlds most sickening people and Dexter’s name was just the means to get people to check it out.
Interesting to see the comparisons, but to say Dexter has nothing on them is absurd. If Dexter were real, those sick…
about 3 weeks ago -
Word just broke that Mark Hurd, the CEO of HP resigned due to a sexual harassment investigation! Whoa.
…Lesjak has asked to be excluded, and HP declined to answer if Jon Rubinstein was being considered when we asked.
Update: We liveblogged the media call — check it after the break!
Update 2: A quick note from the investor call, which mostly repeated the same info — interim CEO Cathie Lesjak said that although Mark Hurd was a “strong leader, at the end of the day, he didn’t drive our initiatives — it was the organization that supported Mark in driving those initiatives.” Ouch — given Mark’s recent history of saying things like “we didn’t buy Palm to get into the smartphone business,” it certainly seems like he might have been a little disconnected.
3:32PM And that’s it! There’s an investor call coming up, we’ll let you know if we hear anything there.
3:32PM PC Mag: Any litigation here? HP: Nothing has been filed, we have an agreement with Mark in place.
3:32PM Next question (from us!): Will Jon Rubinstein be considered for the CEO position? HP: We’re not identifying any candidates at this time.
3:31PM…
about 3 weeks ago -
They’re games, but they’re also parodies of games. Sweet!
…better than creator Ian Bogost himself: “You get a cow. You can click on it. In six hours, you can click it again. Clicking earns you clicks. You can buy custom ‘premium’ cows through micropayments (the Cow Clicker currency is called ‘mooney’), and you can buy your way out of the time delay by spending it. You can publish feed stories about clicking your cow, and you can click friends’ cow clicks in their feed stories. Cow Clicker is Facebook games distilled to their essence.” Plus you don’t even need Flash…
about 3 weeks ago -
It came as no surprise that something as good as Portal appealed not only to a hardcore audience, but also casual gamers. The wait for Portal 2 is getting shorter, but as more information is revealed one thing keeps coming up: is Portal 2 going to be too hard? Will it scare off the casual fans Portal was able to pick up?
…When I initial heard about the Orange Box I thought Portal sounded like another tedious puzzle game. I lothe puzzle games. But I recently bought Orange Box for $18 used, and thought, what the hey I will try it out. I love the game. Finished the advanced maps and am still trying to capture gold in a few of the stages. It is a great game. With all that in mind though, I would have rather seen Valve put out another Orange Box, with multiple games again, that have a stand alone Portal game. The time it takes to get thru all the maps in Portal is just about perfect, and if you want to do more you can. If a full game of Portal is longer I think it would border on the repetitive, but it if is only as long as the first one, then I do not think people will be happy paying full game price for it….
about 3 weeks ago -
Breaking down the greatest role-playing games of all time is a tricky task. There are many games that have RPG characteristics, but don’t really fall into the genre. There are some franchises that constantly put out great products, and it is difficult to separate one from the rest.
…8. Secret of ManaSecret of Mana may be the most innovative title on this list — which is huge praise considering the other titles on it. It incorporated multiplayer like never before. It broke away from the traditional turn-based fighting mechanism and used real-time combat instead — much like the Legend of Zelda games.Those things, coupled with the wonderful story, set Secret of Mana apart from the rest. As much as it was a technical achievement, it drew the player in with its wonderful characters. The world was lush and bright, and those that lived there were imaginative and unique.The soundtrack remains a hidden gem. In the video game canon of great soundtracks, Secret of Mana is known as one of the best, though it doesn’t hold the same fame as some of the other iconic ones. But that typifies the game as a whole — not the kind that comes to mind when discussing the great RPGs of all time, but one that definitely holds its own when stacked up against the…
about 4 weeks ago -
Axel, E.T. and Indy (no, not the one who hides from nuclear blasts in refrigerators) vs. Aragorn, Gaylord and Jake Sulley.
…Ledger edges Nicholson (not in cool though) Keaton and Bale are a wash to me, and TDK has the far superior script. That was tough to say. I beat a kid up on the bus over the Batman VHS back in 90, and I owned it for 25 hours before his brother got to me the next day and body slammed me Ultimate Warrior style in front of the entire 5th grade. I gave the tape back.That was my dedication. I gave and took ass whippings for Burton’s Batman….
about 4 weeks ago -
Rudy Trace Soliz III, a former Customs and Border Protection, pleaded guilty to alien smuggling and bribery, the U.S. Attorney’s office announced today. He did it “in return for sexual favors with the co-conspirator,” the feds say
…This hot desire converts to cold disdain.” (Hey, we’re nothing but classy here.)The female co-conspirator has already pleaded guilty to possession of more than five kilos of cocaine with intent to distribute. She had yet to be sentenced, so we guess Soliz figured she wouldn’t exactly keep his secret when she got on the stand.The transporting of illegal aliens conviction carries a maximum punishment of 10 years imprisonment, while the bribery conviction is punishable by a maximum 15-year-term of imprisonment, the U.S. Attorney’s office says. Each count of conviction is also punishable with fines of up to $250,000….
about 4 weeks ago -
According to Google’s advanced algorithms, there are nearly 130 million books.
…s thesis languishing in a university library). Google admits their definition is imperfect, but it’s workable and similar to what ISBNs are supposed to represent. ISBN, or International Standard Book Numbers, are designed to be unique identifiers for books. Because they’ve only been around for 30-40 years and are used in mostly Western countries, they can’t be used by themselves. That’s why Google took data from the Library of Congress, WorldCat and others to find as many books as possible one billion raw records by the company’s count.Here’s where Google’s engineering talent comes into play. The company used countless algorithms to determine and discard duplicates in an effort that required more than 150 pieces of metadata related to the world’s books to evaluate whether each book record was unique or a duplicate of another. Analyzing this data resulted in 210 million unique books.Next, Google subtracted the millions of microforms, audio recordings, maps, t-shirts, turkey probles (yes, turkey probes) and…
about 4 weeks ago -
A new Brookings poll reveals the harmful effects of our foreign policy, including toward Israel.
…But a consensus had arisen in the Foreign Policy Community — and it was certainly a major plank in the Obama campaign — that multiple U.S. interests (beginning with our ability to deter Terrorism) would be served by improving how the U.S. is viewed in the Muslim and Arab world….
about 4 weeks ago -
A Queensland magistrate has ruled that it is acceptable for people to tell police officers to “f*ck off”.
…”I told him it was an offence to swear at an officer and gave him two choices - a fine or be arrested.” Mr Kaitira opted to be put in handcuffs and taken to the watch house. After winning the landmark case he explained outside court why he pleaded not guilty - despite admitting to swearing at Constable Young. “On the night it was completely over the top and I didn’t think it was fair,” Mr Kaitira said.”Most people just cop a fine but I didn’t want to do that.” The defendant instead read through hundreds of similar legal cases before employing a leading criminal barrister and a solicitor to take on his public nuisance case at a cost of $4622.11. It was worth it for the horticulturist as Magistrate Smid said he was not satisfied Mr Kaitira committed an offence and police could be liable for his legal bills. “The defendant spoke normally, he had his hands in his pockets and walked away,” Magistrate Smid said. “It’s not the most polite way of speaking but those who walk the beat would be quiet immune to the…
