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LuxuryLaneSoap.com of @KyleeLane fame

• POWERGEEKS for 20% off in her store!
• @CreeHawk wins the Han Solo Soap!!!

And now introducing a new section – Holy SteamPunk Batman

• Steampunk ‘Victorian Organ Control Desk’
• 8GB Steampunk USB drive is a functional art prodigy
• Artist Makes Steampunk Gizmos Out of Dead Animals

• 

  Is it powered by steam?

Geek Speak

• Pro’s of PC gaming
  • No real DEV hardware kit needed (this is extra cost)
  • No need to go through a third party to get to your customers
  • Pretty wide open how you publish and what kind of game you can write
  • Steam, facebook, popcap, Stardock, and even storefronts through traditional publishers
• Con’s
  • Very Niche because of cost of rigs for real high end gaming
  • Hard to write for hardware that is constantly changing, you kinda have to pick your lowest common denominator of hardware
  • Piracy is rampant because of the lack of control of the platform
  • No real standards to be able to target to control your development costs and QA costs
• Discuss!

• IPad Sells 300,000 on first day
  • Hollywood is digging it so we gotta dig it 2, right?
  • iBook vs. Kindle App, one reason I would buy into the IPad
  • This is a reminder that I need to check the IPhone OS 4 news Thursday
  • Penny Arcade gives a cogent and non-biased review of the IPad
  • Scott Kurtz IPad Breakdown
  • Also Just on it’s heels… iPhone OS 4.0 event Thursday April 8th… News to be had next week! Apple not resting on their laurels with just the iPad
  • Comic App (me wanties but are they really going to release their whole catalog….)

• Most companies block game sites
• Guess what sites I found open: ESPN.com, WSJ.com, USATODAY.com, mtv.com
• What do you consider the best solution, limited time to surf? There are companies that issue a certain amount of ‘free time’ to browse whatever you want
• some that block access to certain sites, some that monitor without telling you… and some (though few) that do nothing
  • This actually goes to one of my pet peeves… trying to get technology to enforce random rules instead of managers doing their jobs… (JP)

Deals of the Week / New Releases

• TPG Giveaway of ScrAPPbook for iPhone to someone who has a US account iTunes and an iPhone. Details here. (JP) You can go buy it in the App store for only 99 Pennies!!!

• Threadless is having a sale, tees starting at $9 !

• New to DVD:

Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

• T-Mobile Planning $350 rebate for IPhone Users?
  • Trade in any IPhone, and get a $350 in-store credit
  • Not available at all retailers but here’s how it works
  • Any working Iphone, turn it in and you could walk out with an HD2 w/ either a contract or no-contract for $100
  • HD2 is currently running WinMo6.5 but it’s been certified for WinMo7
  • Q: Is anyone crazy enough to trade in an IPhone?

• Ham Radio Operators 700,000 Strong
  • Why show this on a tech show? How u going to communicate during a Zombie Apocalypse?
  • ham radio’s aren’t quite as sexy as IPhones but they can be fun + THEY DON’T REQUIRE ANY INFRASTRUCTURE OTHER THAN AN ANTENNA AND A BASE UNIT
  • All you have to do to get certified is take a course and a test (they did away with the morse requirement recently)
  • The ultimate communication piece for your zombie kit!!!

• Net Neutrality Not Enforcable in Court
  • FCC came down hard on Comcast because they were slowing down P2P traffic on their routers
  • Sanctions imposed  in 2007 because Comcast was violating a 2005 “Internet Policy Statement” that included freedom from traffic discrimination
  • Comcast complained to the courts, the courts ruled that the statement was just a policy and not enforceable “aspirational, not operational”
  • Thoughts?
  • (SM) Congress needs to give the FCC teeth already against this type of stuff

• Privacy Ruling For Personal Email in Workplace
  • Most sane ppl can pretty much assume that everything done in the workplace is free game for IT to monitor
  • (JP) If you don’t you’re smokin something
  • A case came to the courts recently that was found in favor of the employee and their privacy
  • Supreme Court of New Jersey, Marina Stengart vs. Loving Care Agency (stengart was allegedly fired and then sued for discrimination)
  • Loving Care Agency happened to capture some emails that went out on their system through yahoo to her lawyer and used them as evidence
  • Not so fast, Courts found that she had a reasonable expectation of privacy because it was password protected and not saved on that computer\
  • Thoughts?
  • (SM)Call me cynical, but my employer already blocks all the webmail sites :s

• AOL Dumps Bebo after paying $850 mill
  • bought in 2008 for a colossal sum, $850 million, back when it was still AOL / Time Warner
  • It was a huge social networking site in the UK and Australia. AOL planned to use it to compete against Facebook
  • Never took hold in the US, AOL is going downhill anyways, so AOL is bailing, up for sale
  • Another tool for sale from the AOL portfolio? venerable ICQ (SM: my first IM client back in the day)

• HP Slate specs, price and video, they are doing it better than the iPad
  • Specs:
    • 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor
    • 8.9-inch 1024×600 capacitive multitouch display
    • 1GB RAM
    • Intel UMA graphics good for 1080p playback
    • and unlike the iPad, it has an SD card slot, SIM card tray for optional WWAN, USB 2.0 port, & inward-facing VGA webcam and an outward-facing 3MP camera
    • Weighing almost at par with the Wi-Fi iPad, the Slate will be priced at about $549 for the base 32GB flash memory storage version, and about $599 for the better 64GB version

• Someone Remind George Lucas that he’s NOT a comedian! (JP)
  • After the film prequels, the cartoon and the live musical experience it was only a matter of time before Star Wars was repackaged as a sitcom.
    (SM: Don’t forget the ever so forgettable “Christmas Special”
  • Producer, Jennifer Hill, said “With the team we’re establishing, Matt Senreich and Seth Green, it’s going to be really fun and funny to the public.”
  • Altho still in its early stages, Brendan Hay, who writes for The Daily Show, has been appointed to lead a team of up to ten writers.
  • Lucasfilm said in a statement that the series would “look at the saga’s characters with a playful and irreverent tone”.
  • i say – stop ruining the things i Love!!!!
  • SM: don’t forget that this will be animated… yeesh. Star Wars comedy can work, see Robot chicken and Family Guy

• Report: AT&T Helps Apple Fix iPhone Woes (SM)
  • with (long-standing) rumors that Apple may soon end exclusivity with AT&T and launch a Verzion version of its popular smartphone, AT&T is ramping to beef up its network in an effort to satisfy users.
  • As part of improving iPhone users’ experience, AT&T worked with Apple to reduce strain on its network, according to the WSJ.
  • AT&T reportedly flew its people to Apple’s California offices to give Apple designers a crash course in wireless networking, which ended up in regular meetings between the two parties.
  • As a result, the WSJ report says iPhones put less load on AT&T’s network when they need to find the closest cell tower or check for text messages.
  • Part of a so-called 100-day network improvement plan, AT&T added new network spectrum to help with traffic handling and repositioned antennas in many locations to aid reception in office towers.

• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Game Headed to the App Store (iKDR)
  • The 2009 mashup novel, which combines zombies with the classic novel Pride and Prejudice, has been turned into an iPhone and iPod Touch game and is set to be released on the App Store “by April 2010.”
  • here’s very little detail about the game outside of the screenshots; the press release describes the game as combining “exciting gameplay, 2.5D graphics

• Kid Breaks Asteroid High Score
  • Kid sat for 3 days straights

• Underachieveing AT-AT’s – a very funny comic (JP)

• Nintendo releasing Google Wars Game in Japan on Wii
  • Group of 4 guesses which search term is more popular on google
  • adaptation of “google fight” which returns number of hits…
  • Sound scintillating? I didn’t think so either. Good thing they don’t plan to port

• Top Mac Terminal Easter Eggs (JP)
  • In honor of Easter I thought I would point out some Easter Eggs of a more geeky nature
  • My two favorites are… Tetris and the Calendar of important Historical dates that includes some from middle earth
    • Although I just tried the calendar one again and the tolkein dates are gone… I wonder if they were taken away in the latest update of MAC OSX??
• Shibaura Institute of Technology shows off ‘robo-skateboard’ (iKDR)
  • Segway-like mechanism to let you ride it by simply pressing down on the front or back and turn by leaning left or right
  • tops out at a mere six miles per hour & is a whopping 33 pounds, which explains the retractable luggage-like handle for carrying it around
  • developers are trying to get the price down to about $1000 for its release in 2013

• Kid Racks Up $1400 Debt in FarmVille (iKDR)
  • Time to add FarmVille to the list of internet addiction scares after a 12-year-old UK boy has amassed £905 in FarmVille debt
  • The debt — which is equivalent to about $1400 USD — was racked up in all of about two weeks’ worth of gameplay
  • Moms bank didn’t see any red flag b/c the purchase was on Facebook, and not a “suspicious” like a gambling site

• 3D Sonar Image of Russian Sub
• A4 Processor Teardown (IPad processor)
• Diary Case for IPad
• Feudal Star Wars Art
• Geekcast Radio
• The USB Boys – Episode 7(Geek Girls)
• Smart Spending: Getting Rid of Old Gadgets

Contact Info

Sponsors

What We Are Playing

Cole- Bejeweled- Yes I finally gave it a shot! (aaaand you hated it ), Phone upgrade

Jeremy – Tiny bit of ODST and then fighting being sick for days

Steven – BREWFEST achievement WOO! Bejeweled blitz! totally addicted.

Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

• FCC Backs Net Neutrality (abbreviated speech) (SM)
  • Full Speech Here
  • what is Net Neutrality? “ISP’s cannot slow down a specific type of traffic and allow others free reign”
  • Even went as far to declare all broadband should be “net neutral”, including cell phones

• U.S. Wireless Could Be in ‘Crisis’ by 2015 (JP)
  • All those smart phones don’t “magically” pull down data, they need bandwidth, (otherwise called spectrum)
  • One of the promises that the FCC made when shutting down analog TV, was to free up bandwidth for such purposes
  • Well, the carriers have formally requested more bandwidth from the FCC, 800Mhz more to be exact (currently there is 400Mhz available)
  • What about the open access initiative that the FCC is requesting of all the carriers? Well, they already required that of Verizon when they gave them a chunk earlier
  • FCC has already promised to push that openness to all the carriers

• Blizzard COO Buys Piece of Steeler Pie (Cole) 18:00
  • A large corporate exec has plenty of options for their millions right?
  • Paul Sams decides to become 1 of the 10 owners of the NFL Pittsburgh Steelers
  • (Steven) So thats where all that cash from WoW subscriptions went

• Microsoft Releases Virus / Spyware Cleaner (SM)
  • Microsoft Security Essentials is available for Windows XP 32-bit (8.61MB), Windows Vista/7 32-bit (4.28MB), and Windows Vista/7 64-bit (4.71MB)
  • Ars is giving it  clean bill of health declaring it “less intrusive, clean interface, and pretty decent at security”
  • Symantec on the other hand is trashing it as a “poor product” that will “never be up to snuff.” Meggers added, “Microsoft has a really bad track record in security.”
  • Be warned: It does a “genuine” check on your OS to make sure your legit before installing
  • (steven) I installed this myself
  • (JP) I’ll be holding off a while longer before I sign on (don’t trust M$)

• Spawn HD720 It’s like a slingbox for your consoles!!! (JP)
  • hook up most any major console and play on a laptop or pc (or even MAC running windows)
  • share your console with a friend to play against them
  • 200 bucks street price right now
    • 1 drawback…. untill games are able to run from the HD w/o a disc in you are limited in what you can play by what you loaded before you left the house!

Geek-Speak

• Judge rules against GPS trackers on cars without warrant (SM)
  • Says that its illegal “search and siezure” (the capability for a cop to stop with reasonable suspicion and search your car and then impound if necessary)
  • Previous rulings have stated that cops can use beeper tech to track but ruled that GPS is much more powerful and will need a warrant
  • Good? Bad? Indifferent folks?

• Best 8 bit video games played (SM)
  • Steven
    • 1) Zelda – how many hours did I plunk down into this simplistic dungeon crawler? too many. I still can’t find my way out of that forest maze though
    • 2) Contra – smooth graphics (for that time), engaging gameplay, same screen co-op. My cousin owned it. I still remember the cheat for 99 lives to this day…
    • 3) Gauntlet- I love the wizard in this… I fell in love with the arcade version of this and to find it on my beloved NES? cmon. I never did get to that 100th level though
  • Jeremy
    • 1. Space Invaders – I spent my first all night gaming session when I was in the 4th grade trying to get to level 100 on this game (in the 4th grade!)
    • 2. Contra – best two player (co-op) game around back them… so much fun with a friend
    • 3. Track & Field – I spent so many quarters on this and can still wield a pocket comb fast as can be!
      • (Super Mario was gonna make my list too… but eh… let’s not all be lemmings… hehehe)
  • Cole
    • 1) Super Mario 1,2 & 3 – Proud to me a Mario lemming! I spent far too many hours of my childhood learning all the secrets that I still remember
    • 2) Wizards and Warriors- Does anyone else remember this nintendo game? Used to scare the crap out of me as a kid but I played anyways
    • 3) Pitfall- Classic Atari adventure game that went on and on and on…..

Product Reviews:

• Virtual Echo App
  • Be among the first to check out VIRTUAL ECHO, the new application that takes Echo out of the Dollhouse and brings her to your computer. Interact with Echo and explore elements of the Dollhouse like never before.
    • I am sooo excited about this… can’t wait… although with the ratings from last week’s premiere for season 2 I’m worried about the show! go tune in to see Dollhouse on Fox Fridays (JP)

• EarPollution Noise isolating Ear Buds with Microphone by iFrogz
  • I love noise cancelling ear phones… I have a nice pair of Large headphones by Phillips for this purpose that are great…
    • but not so great for everyday use.. (too big to carry and where everywhere…)
    • I have a set of Phillips ear buds that are supposed to be noise cancelling, but fall very very short in this realm….
    • These new iFrogz are great at this, great sound, great fit… much more confortable than my others… and they have a MIC built in…
    • Which is awesome for when I get calls while listening to Music.
      • I would rate these a 4 out of 5 and we have a PAIR to giveaway to a lucky listener…

Deal of the Week

• Immortal Defense for $3
  • An abstract tower defense game with some jamming music
  • There’s a demo 30+ levels
  • Sale ends Oct. 4

Contest

We have two contests running this week… 1 for a pair of iFrogz for iPhone or Blackberry and 1 for a Triazzle iPhone code

For the headphones, the first person to email jeremy puent with what Cole does for a living (imagined or otherwise) gets the pair of awesome earphones

We have 1 more codes to give a way to lucky listeners with iPhones….
so let’s say the first two people who email or twitter me with the costume Cole wore to her Star Trek convention we talked about in an earlier episode will win.
Must have an iPhone and a US iTunes account to redeem the Code for the game. Triazzle, a wonderful puzzle game we have talked about in a few different episodes..

Contact Info

• On Twitter: Steven is @DarthMolen and I am @JPuent and @FueltheFighter
• email us: darthmolen@thepowergeeks.com and jpuent@thepowergeeks.com prcole@fuelthefighter.com

Sponsors

Doghouse Systems

- New System – Under $1000 – Still handcrafted with care

DoghouseSystems VS

-Performance in WoW is still great: 40 Frames / sec @ 1920 x 1280
-Don’t forget their laptop which has 2 graphics card built in, the mobius, at a mid-line desktop price
-If you want all the bells and whistles, they can handcraft that too, just call them up during normal business hours, they’ll talk with you, find out your needs, and recommend the system that you need (not the one that costs the most)
-877-DHS-DHS2 (347-3472)

Jinx

- Lifestyle apparel for your inner-geek
- Men’s, Women’s, all sizes
- Specific Collections? They got them,
- World of Warcraft – Home is where the hearthstone is, Baby-T = “My other stroller is [Epic]“, Tanks, Your Welcome
- New Sticker This week (JP)
- They even have hats – Quest-giver hat
- Stickers, Patches, Pins
- Go online jinx.com or call them @ 1-888-JINX-COM - 888.546.9266

Never wanted a controller more than right now

Professional pics to come….stay tuned!

(Steven)WoW, and more WoW. Did I mention WoW? 2 world achievements to get, Brewfest and All Hallow’s Eve. Working towards “What a long strange journey” which awards a really fast mount

Jeremy – 4 little words… O D S T !!!!! Baby!