We are LIVE on Ustream!!! This week we talk Gamification, Twitter news, people getting sue-happy, and 1080p on your phone! that and much more

Items of Interest

• (JP) Big O Pc/ Xbox 360 console combined
  • Monster Pc with Built in XBox 360

• • Starting at $7,669, the Big O features a double-wide case with all the bells and whistles. base configuration, the CPU, both GPUs, and the motherboard all come liquid-cooled. Upgrade options include up to two six-core Intel Xeon X5680 CPUs, two 1,000-watt power supplies, and up to four graphics cards. All of that while impressive, is nothing compared to the bottom edge of the system, where Origin has built in a liquid-cooled Xbox 360 Slim.

• (SM) Infinite Adaptive Mario

Gold Sponsors:

UberDorkCafe

• Will be THE place for Geeks to hang out
• What is UberDorkCafe? It is the brain child and DREAM of Natali, aka @UberDorkGirlie from twitter, and it blends art + science = geek
• Place to hang, eat, have awesome kid parties (if thats your thing), or to get your gaming on
• Woookie Coookies – a piece of UDC before there is even a physical cafe
• UberDorkCafe – Auction Sept. 11th – DC,Tampa Bay,Online
• first Piece revealed and accompanying t-shirt @hefnatron
• Ellen campaign???

• Golden Pic and Golden Pic Lite for Android devices

• • Both are available in the Android Market for Android devices running 1.5 or later
  • Lite is a free version (ad supported) with slightly limited functionality
  • Full version is only $1.99 USD
  • Go Buy it! or try it, then buy it!

Deals of the Week / New Releases

• Free Ringtone HEAVEN! (udg)

• • http://www.brinked.com
  • Account is free (hint: use fake phone # for security purposes. Retyping their example # works just fine)
  • Upload and edit your own songs
  • Import & edit YouTube clips! (Yes I made the “Junkpunch: YOU KNOW WHY!”)
  • Download tone, sync phone and you’re set. Jinkies it’s awesome!
  • Ok, SERIOUSLY, SERIOUSLY addicting
    • (JP) I use Audiko.net same thing, no account required!

• iOS 4.1 Released and now in the Wild
  • Game Center (not including 3g)
    • (JP) no games using it yet… even one update moments ago that claims to have it, doesn’t show up in Game Center yet
  • HDR Photography
    • Slick. I love HDR, so this will be a cool feature
  • Various fixes around bluetooth

• Atari Restickable wall decals!!! (JP)
  • Asteroid, Centipede, or PONG!!!
  • Plus… use code PONG for $10 off a $30 order, good through 9/10/10 at 11:59 PM ET.

Geek Speak

Companies Adopt Gamification

• Good games sell better.
• developer’s goal is to design a structure and system of rules in which players will a) enjoy the process or journey, and b) create a sense of added value.
• fun process coupled with a system for incentives or rewards for a job well done can become downright addictive. (WoW, zinga games, mini ipod games that status twitter or fb)
• Ppl are seeking to take RL lessons from games

• • Nike +
  • Mint.com
  • Foursquare
  • etc?

How do we gamify our lives?

Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

• Gearbox buys Duke Nukem Rights (JP)
  • The story, and game, that just won’t buy gets a new chapter
  • Gearbox announced this bombshell at PAX proper
  • DNF is their first game, but more to come
  • Original creator, Alan Blum, now works for gearbox
  • Release date: xmas 2020

• Borderland raises their level cap by 8 (SM)
  • (another Gearbox)
  • There’s new DLC for one of our favorite post apoc FPRPG
  • “Claptrap’s New Robot Revolution”
  • What it won’t include is a new level cap raising and rebalancing
  • Good News? They’re giving those out for free
  • They plan an 8 lvl raise for all players, current cap is 61….

• New Parody RPG Fantasy University Aims to give Zynga a run (udg)

• • I’ve long stated FB game “addicts” have no right to call themselves “hardcore gamers.” The games just don’t qualify period. Until now?
  • Simutronics is hoping their new game Fantasy University will live up to the standards real gamers (yea I said it) look for.
  • It’s a parody-driven role playing game that mocks pop culture.
  • Players move around a game world, gathering quests and fighting beasties one whack at a time. But there’s more to the game than flavorless hack-and-slash. Fantasy University is funny, stylish and smart; in short, it’s no FarmVille.
  • With an art style created by Tracy Butler, the artist behind the web comic Lackadaisy, and a plot brimming with pop culture references, the game feels like Mad magazine’s take on the fantasy videogame.
  • Game is in beta test right now, which I have signed up for and from what I’ve seen looks pretty awesome.
  • Can it achieve it’s goal of drawing hardcore gamers into FB gameland? I think only time will tell. All I know is it’s not Zynga and that alone makes me root for them.

• Captive Freed by Twitter (SM)
  • Well, nobody knows if the twitter was what really aided in his release
  • Japanese journalist, not heard since Apr. 1, sends 2 tweets from prison.
  • i am still allive [sic], but in jail,” and “here is archi in kunduz. in the jail of commander lativ.”
  • Low lvl captor had an N70, wanted to use it to see Al Jazeera, journalist activated it for him, and then tweeted from it.
  • A days later he was free back in Japan
  • See? Twitter can save your life
  • Speaking of saving your life, this guys tweeted a live heart attack
  • Tommy Christopher, White house reporter for mediaite.com, suffered a major heart attack that was almost fatal
  • His response to the event? Live tweeting! “I gotta be me. Livetweeting my heart attack. beat that”

• Journalist Benched Over False Twitter Report (JP)
  • Mike Wise, Journalist at The Washington Post didn’t think Twitter was that big of deal
  • To emphasize his point, he posted a fake tweet on Ben Roethlisberger (Pitt QB)
  • Instead of making his point, he got suspended when readers did their own fact checking and called him on his false report
  • 1/4 of all posts contain a link, 190 million unique visitors monthly
  • definitely a valid source of news finding
  • recent scoops: (us airways hudson river, dominican republic earthquake, Iran elections, fort hood shootings)

• Comic God Mark Millar Starts His Own Kick-Ass Magazine (udg)

• • You’re one of the hottest comic book writers on the planet. Wanted and Kick-Ass were already turned into A-list Hollywood movies and Nemesis scored its movie rights being snatched up after only 2 issues, so what’s next?
  • A print magazine of course!
  • British stores will be stocked w/ CLiNT, Mark Millar’s new monthly mag for “dudes.”
  • Will only be available to us US peeps via subscription for now.  Excited? So was I until the $61.99 stopped me.
  • Millar’s new passion project is the quest to create the ultimate magazine for young guys.
  • Will feature articles on movies, music, tv, as well as serialized comics.
  • One of the most awesome things? One of those comics will be the debut of his Kick-Ass sequel- Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall.
  • Ok, umm so what’s up with the name? Well rumor has it when the name Clint was printed in comic books in the early 60’s poor print quality made it look like a certain other c-word.
  • Wanna read a breakdown/review of the first issue? Check out what Comics Alliance had to say here.

• Windows XP Dying Oct. 22, Dell rushes it to grave (SM)
  • Oct. 22 is the final moratorium on XP downgrades for PC Makers
  • Dell is retiring it a month early in preparation
  • Sales of XP in stores was first halted in 2008
  • 60% of the personal computer market is still XP
  • 30% is a combo of Vista and Win 7
  • Apple? Up to 6%

• PS3 Blocks Jailbreaking with firmware update (JP)
  • Surprise Surprise, PS3 Jailbreak USB stick no longer works w/ new update
  • Sony calls the update “minor” but doesn’t really say whether it was to stop jailbreaking just unspecified “security features”
  • Prediction: There’s gonna be a war over the PS3 because it is more open than the XBox 360

• Microsoft Co-Founder Sues Everyone and Their Mother (udg)

• • Microsoft Co-Founder Paul Allen has gone on quite the insane little patent lawsuit run
  • Whose on his hitlist? Only Google, Facebook, eBay, Apple, Yahoo, AOL (seriously do they have anything left???), Netflix, Office Depot, Office Max, Staples and YouTube (umm… doesn’t Google own it??)
  • The patents he’s citing describe tasks like:

• • • • “A site to offer suggestions to consumers for items related to what they’re currently viewing.”
      • “Enables ads, stock quotes, news updates or video images to flash on a computer screen peripherally to a user’s main activity.”

• • • • “allows readers of a news story to quickly locate stories related to a particular subject, among other things.”

• • There are sooo many things wrong with this on so many levels. Is the $18 BILLION he is currently worth not enough? Why now?? And how the Hell did AMAZON and a zillion other sites escape this mad spree?
  • Here’s a thought- let’s stop suing everyone and focus on making ummm… I dunno…. GOOD TECHNOLOGY PEOPLE CAN USE TO BETTER THEIR LIFE. Or a faster way to buy a new toaster. Either way, I’m calling bullshit on this one.

• 1080P in your Phone via Dual Core Processors (SM)
  • Already in the pipeline, should hit next year
  • 5x the graphics power, allows for both recording and playback @ 1080p
  • 2 x 1ghz arm processors, new graphics processor, faster memory (up to 64GB)
  • Dual Proc actually reduces the power consumption of more intense applications
  • Samsung, Tegra, and Quallcom all have announced different new processors
  • (SM) These will be SMOKIN!

Intarweb Goldmine

• Welcome back to school! Here’s your porn pen! (sm)

• • To sweeten their first day at primary school German children are normally given a cardboard cone filled with sweets, but schoolchildren in Essen this year opened their cones to find pens which project erotic images.
  • Who do the kids (and their screaming parents) have to thank? Why the Communists! No, seriously.
  • In a press release the German Communist Party stated that it had purchased the pens from a discount store, which had said the pens lit up at the push of a button. Oh something lights up alright, but it’s not the pen.
  • Don’t worry though, the Commies have offered to exchange the pens for something “more suitable for children.” And who says Communism is bad?

• Specially submitted by everyone’s favorite Geek Girl Kristin (JP)
  • Man calls 911 demands hugs and Hot cocoa and suprise, gets arrested
  • homeless man in Oregon was arrested for trespassing after sneaking into a local hot tub and calling 911 to request “a hug and a warm cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows,”
  • Officers responding to the bizarre call arrived at the Beaverton, Ore., neighborhood pool to find Mark Eskelson sitting naked in a hot tub. According to statements made to police, he had been sitting in the water for around 10 hours and began to worry for his health when he realized he had no dry towels.

• Venezuelan Politician Offers A Bizarre Raffle Prize (udg)

• • For under $6 you could win the chance at a shiny new pair of…. breasts.
  • Gustavo Rojas, who is running as an alternate for the National Assembly in Sept. 26 elections is the genius behind this plan.
  • With over 30,000 implant surgeries a year in the image-conscious Venezuela, this costly procedure is in high demand.
  • Rojas admitted it’s a little unusual but followed it up with “it’s like raffling off a TV set or a telephone.”

• Frankenstein Cited For Monstrous Behavior in Ohio (jp)

• • Ohio police say a Toby Keith fan named Forrest Frankenstein threatened them and beat his head against a partition in their cruiser after his arrest.
  • When the judge asked 39 yo Frankenstein why he “went crazy” at the Aug. 27 concert in Cincinnati. Frankenstein replied that he had been drinking and didn’t really remember anything.
  • Frankenstein, of Hamilton, is being held on $80,000 bond on counts of menacing, disorderly conduct and vandalism.

Extra Links

• TI-84 to hack a PS3
• XBLA on Win 7
• Other info on M4R format

Contact Info

• On Twitter: Steven is @DarthMolen and I am @JPuent Natali is @UberDorkGirlie
• email us: darthmolen@thepowergeeks.com and jpuent@thepowergeeks.com and uberdorkgirlie@thepowergeeks.com (yay!)
• And Become a Fan

Sponsors

Prof. Mordarm’s “The Wandering Geek Con Journal”

• Kickstarter Project by Lorenzo R.(aka @Prof_Mordarm), create a useful medium to inform people of Geeky Cons across the U.S., both big and small.
• Series of physical journals that will be written in and by the geeks, the panelists, the cosplayers, the vendors, & the fans. Everyone & anyone at a Con can write in this journal Allowing good, bad, and geeky experiences to liv on
• When enough content is gathered, these experiences will be published into easy to read (online, PDF, & hardcopy) editions each year. It will be the Geek’s version of the Farmer’s Almanac, but for Geeky Cons!
• To help get your own TWGCJ and/or support or if you have questions, check out the Kickstarter @ http://kck.st/cNUADw & also follow the project creator on Twitter for updates.

http://luxurylanesoap.com, @KyleeLane, GORGEOUS, IMAGINATIVE, HANDCRAFTED, GEEKY Soap

• Can I say any more superlatives? You will love her products.
• (We Do! They’re Geekalicious! but don’t eat them… they are SOAP!)

We are LIVE on Ustream!!! This week we talk InterventionCon, Apple Media Press Conference, Commodore 64 rising from the ashes and MUCH MORE!!!

Items of Interest

• Jack from Mass Effect 2 CosPlay !!!! (JP)
  • Super impressive costume! Must see!

• Historic Nasa Pictures come to Flickr “Commons” (SM)
  • Nasa posts free pictures on Flickr Commons of some of the most historic moments in its history
  • a GREAT trip down memory lane for any space nuts out there
  • Goddard, JFK, Von Braun, LBJ, John Glenn, Lots of rockets and xp planes
    • (JP – What an awesome collection of pics… Geeks and space geeks alike should dig this!)

Gold Sponsors:

UberDorkCafe

• Will be THE place for Geeks to hang out
• What is UberDorkCafe? It is the brain child and DREAM of Natali, aka @UberDorkGirlie from twitter, and it blends art + science = geek
• Place to hang, eat, have awesome kid parties (if thats your thing), or to get your gaming on
• Woookie Coookies – a piece of UDC before there is even a physical cafe
• UberDorkCafe – Auction Sept. 11th – DC,Tampa Bay,Online
• first Piece revealed and accompanying t-shirt @hefnatron
• Ellen campaign???

• Golden Pic and Golden Pic Lite for Android devices

• • Both are available in the Android Market for Android devices running 1.5 or later
  • Lite is a free version (ad supported) with slightly limited functionality
  • Full version is only $1.99 USD  (On Sale till Midnight Monday Central for only $0.99 for Labor Day Sale!)
  • Go Buy it! or try it, then buy it!

Deals of the Week / New Releases

• Dragon Age: Origin Awakenings XPack now on Mac (JP)
  • Did you know one of the best RPG’s out there was on Mac? DAO = the win
  • Awakenings now available on their store, its the xpack that has been out for awhile now
  • (Research a bit about the story)

• Thriller- The Entire Series on DVD (UDG)

• • Originally aired 1960-62, hosted by Boris Karloff
  • Guests included Shatner, Richard Chamberlain and other soon to be stars
  • Many of the program’s writers, including such icons of the genre as Robert Bloch (“Psycho”) and Richard Matheson (“I Am Legend”)

• Pinball FX2 comes to XBLA (SM)
  • Pinball? In this day and age? Original Pinball FX was one of the most bought and downloaded games on XBLA
  • FX2 is a “platform” meaning, you get the engine for free, you can import all your original FX boards and then the new boards come as content that u can purchase
  • New Achievements for old tables, Multiplayer support over XBLA, Leaderboards
  • (sm) Pinball tip of the week – Every Chuckie’s i’ve been to has 1 pinball machine for 1 token plays, boot the kids off it and camp the sucker

• Mirror’s Edge, Puzzle Agent coming to IPhone (SM)
  • Already on the IPad, now moving to IPhone
  • $4.99 for the Parkour style Adventure game

Geek Speak

• InterventionCon

• Apple Event (JP)

  • New AppleTV delivers on $99 price point, streaming

  • a smaller form-factor that clocks in at 1/4th the size of its first-generation sibling.
  • power supply is built into the Apple TV along with HDMI (at 720p cap) and Ethernet connections, and onboard 802.11n WiFi support. It also includes an Apple remote.
  • The Catch for $99 bucks? All Rental model… no purchases.
  • Netflix and YouTube streaming is available, along with photo streaming from Flickr and MobileMe.
  • new AppleTV will also be able to stream content from an iPad using the just-announced AirPlay in iOS 4.2 that’s slated to come out in November.
• iTunes 10 (available for download starting today)
  • New logo, few interface tweaks
  • Most of the new release’s focus is on Ping, a social network for music. “It’s like Facebook and Twitter meets iTunes,” Jobs said

• • iOS 4.1 announced, available next week

• High Dynamic Range photos: The phone will take three photos in rapid succession — one at what the phone thinks is the normal image, one underexposed and the third overexposed. The image is then combined to create the high dynamic image. Mel Martin demonstrated the power of this type of program in July.
• Bug fixes including those relating to the proximity sensor, Bluetooth and the iPhone 3G.
• High-definition video upload over Wi-Fi.
• TV show rentals and purchase
• Game Center debut

New iPod Nano
It’s hip to be square. the newly introduced iPod nano finally dispenses with the wheel because now the control surface is the iPod touch. The new model is so small that like the newly announced iPod shuffle, it has a clip that allows it to be worn and has a 24-hour battery life.

What isn’t there: the video camera that was included in the last release of the nano a year ago.

Other features include:

• VoiceOver
• FM radio
• Nike+ and pedometer

It comes in six colors, two more than the shuffle. It will cost $149 for 8GB and $179 for 16GB.
New Shuffle
The new iPod shuffle is smaller than the 2nd generation device and brings back buttons!
The new shuffle has a click wheel
It will hold 15 hours of music, is available in 4 colors and sells for US$49.
4th Gen iPod Touch
FaceTime. It isn’t just for iPhone any more.
Apple has just introduced a new generation of iPod touch with an new chip (the same A4 that powers the iPad and the iPhone 4), a better display (the iPhone 4′s double-resolution Retina display), and a built-in, front-facing camera that introduces FaceTime video conferencing capabilities.
a hefty refresh for an already great device,
lots of new features that really expand the way you can use the device.
newest iPod touch units bring nearly all of the iPhone magic to a Wi-Fi only platform.

Preorders start today, and they’ll be shipping within a week
Prices start at $229 for the 8GB version.

Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

• Intel a Busy bee (SM)
  • First, the purchase of Mcafee for $7.68 billion
  • Now, Infineon’s wireless unit for $1+ billion
  • Who is Infineon? make certain Iphone / IPad parts
  • Even intel sees writing on wall and is scrambling to be relevant

• HP writes a painful $55 Million check. (udg)

• • Have agreed to pay the US govt $55 million to settle charges that it paid kickbacks to tech partners for recommending their products to federal agencies
  • This final agreement, announced Mon, by the Dept of Justice follows a tentative settlement earlier in the month where HP agreed “in principal” to resolve the case.
  • “Contractors must deal fairly with the government when doing business with federal agencies,” Tony West, assistant attorney general for the civil division of the Department of Justice, said in the statement. “As this case demonstrates, we will take action against those who seek to taint the government procurement process with illegal kickbacks.”
  • The case stretches back to 2004 when two whistleblowers–Norman Rille, then a senior manager with Accenture, and Neal Roberts, a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers–filed a civil complaint alleging that HP had doled out kickbacks. The suit, which also included Sun Microsystems and Accenture, was launched under provisions of the False Claims Act (PDF) in which private citizens can file actions regarding fraud on behalf of the U.S. and share in any money recovered.
  • In 2007, the DOJ joined the investigation and charged that the defendants used affiliate relationships “to enrich themselves through a kickback scheme.”
  • The settlement also resolves charges that a 2002 contract between HP and the GSA was falsely priced because HP failed to provide complete information during negotiations with the government.
  • HP’s response to the whole thing? “HP denies engaging in any illegal conduct in connection with these matters. We believe it is in the best interest of our stakeholders to resolve the matter and move beyond this issue.”

• Commodore 64 Rises from the Ashes (JP)
  • Commodore USA announced right to make branded computers 6 mos ago
  • Then promptly went back under that radar as a deal couldn’t be hammered out
  • Now popped back up with full blown computer hidden in a authentic commodore 64 shell, right down to the huge keys!
  • PC64, 4GB DDR3, SATA 1TB HDD, HDMI, Blu-Ray or DVD
  • Want more modern? Go w/ the Phoenix or Amigo
  • All OS’es (including Amiga emulation)
    • (JP – I want one!!!)

We are LIVE on Ustream!!! Tonight we break out the zombies, Lightning Rock’n’Roll, high tech garbage, and stalking gets easy, all this and more!

(JP) With gratitude and much respect, best birthday wishes to Mr. Declan MacManus aka Elvis Costello.

Jeremy brought it up, Prof. Mordarm made the pic

Items of Interest

• You’ve seen Steampunk…helloo MarvelPunk (udg)
• • 19 yo Zachariah Perry Cruse, a sculpture student of Herron School of Art and Design in Indianapolis, Indiana has created an Xbox 360 mod Tony Stark would be proud of.
  • It started as a rusty, fat Falcon HDMI Xbox 360.
  • It has its own Arc Reactor that glows in cool white when the console is turned on, in addition to a ring of light around the Arc Reactor that looks like the console’s power button.
  • Available on ebay, the sexy beast comes with matching red controller and a 120g hard drive with “Stark Industries” label.
  • Looking to bid on this? Good luck- current top bid is $3,200.
    • I think Microswerve should hire this kid immediately… his consoles beat any of the custom faceplate models on the market to date (JP)

• Walking Dead Official Trailer (SM)
  • (SM)I am officially in love with this series and its not even out yet
  • We saw pieces of this from SDCC
  • That they would keep Kirkman around speaks volumes towards how they want to get this right
  • Watch all the other stuff at that site… Zombie school? Count me in
    • (JP) So Glad Darabont is attached to this. He has done the best adaptations of Stephen King novels… He has a great way of handling horror/suspence subject matter. This should be amazing! now I have a new reason to look forward to Halloween!
• Age of Empires Getting a new treatment for online linked to Xbox360 and Windows Games Live (JP)
  • Sign up for the Beta at the link in the show notes…
  • Under an NDA for now, but as soon as  I can talk about it… I will
  • I can say I have always love AoE games and am excited about this…

Gold Sponsors:

UberDorkCafe

• Will be THE place for Geeks to hang out
• What is UberDorkCafe? It is the brain child and DREAM of Natali, aka @UberDorkGirlie from twitter, and it blends art + science = geek
• Place to hang, eat, have awesome kid parties (if thats your thing), or to get your gaming on
• Woookie Coookies – a piece of UDC before there is even a physical cafe
• UberDorkCafe – Auction Sept. 11th – DC,Tampa Bay,Online
• first Piece revealed and accompanying t-shirt

• Golden Pic and Golden Pic Lite for Android devices
  • Both are available in the Android Market for Android devices running 1.5 or later
  • Lite is a free version (ad supported) with slightly limited functionality
  • Full version is only $1.99 USD
  • Go Buy it! or try it, then buy it!

Deals of the Week / New Releases

• Tactical Bacon - ‘Nuff said
  • Delicious bacon, canned, so it has a 10+ year shelf life.
  • Approx. 18 servings per can (1 serving = 3 slices of bacon).
  • Net Wt.: 9oz
  • a must have for every Zombipocalypse survival kit!

We are LIVE on Ustream!!! This week we talk GENCON!!! UberDorkGirlie gives her rundown of the venerable geek conference, but no PICS of the famed slumber party, and much more…

(JP) Happy Birthday to WOZ!!! Steve turns 60 today! so we wish him a Power Geeky Birthday!

Gold Sponsors:
UberDorkCafe

• Will be THE place for Geeks to hang out
• What is UberDorkCafe? It is the brain child and DREAM of Natali, aka @UberDorkGirlie from twitter, and it blends art + science = geek
• Place to hang, eat, have awesome kid parties (if thats your thing), or to get your gaming on
• Kickstarter site for UberDorkCafe, these places just don’t build themselves
• Woookie Coookies – a piece of UDC before there is even a physical cafe

Deals of the Week / New Releases

• Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World hits theaters Friday. (udg)
  • Based on comic Scott Pilgrim by Brian Lee O’Malley
  • Looks like a whole lotta awesome that does the comic proud

• JP – Golden Pic and Golden Pic Lite for Android devices
  • Both are available in the Android Market for Android devices running 1.5 or later
  • Lite is a free version (ad supported) with slightly limited functionality
  • Full version is only $1.99 USD
  • Go Buy it! or try it, then buy it!

Geek Speak

• Gen Con- The best 4 days in Gaming

• • Indy this past weekend Aug 5-8 43rd year
  • I’ve not been to one since it left Milwaukee
  • Media Guests of Honor- Felicia Day, the cast of The Guild and Will Wheaton. Checked in to get my press pass, hit the goodie table, turned around – Felicia
  • )
  • Cos Play-
  • s
  • Tons of great artists, I’ll have to compile a list of all of them for ya for the site.
  • 

• • Jackass Chef there WHY? Hello stereotypes. I wanted to junkpunch.

Oh wait, there were games!

• Magic: The Gathering celebrated “Summer of Mulitplayer” with 5 multiplayer events each day
• True Adventures (producers of True dungeon live-action gaming event) raised $9,000 for the Gary Gygax memorial to be raised in Lake Geneva, Wi- the birthplace of Gen con.  (JP – I met Gary at GenCon in Indy like 20 something years ago… he introduced me to the 100 sided die! )
• Atari announced they are working on something new. Wouldn’t say what, but based on new domain names they recently registered, it points to a Neverwinter Nights MMO on the horizon.
• So… AWESOME weekend!!! And lots of hugs for everyone…

• • !
  • !

Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

• Rubiks Cube Solvable in 20 Moves (SM)
  • Did you know that most human’s can solve a rubiks cube in about 40 moves?
  • What you are actually doing when you combine rubiks twists is called an algorithm
  • Well, the magic number for the fewest twists is called “God’s Number”
  • It only took 35 total years of google computer time to get to it

• 12 Core Mac Pro Now Commercially Available (JP) – The Sticky note of infamy was up on the Store page the other day… MAC refresh was there when the sticky was gone.
  • You’re gonna pay a cool $5k for the low end of this system
  • two 2.66GHz six-core Intel Xeon Westmere processors, 6GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive, and an ATI Radeon HD 5770 graphics card (up to 3 monitors, dx11 support)
  • 21.5” iMac
    • i3 processor, discreet graphics, 1080p
    • $1099, No blu-ray option (Steve says this isn’t coming to any MAC despite demand from user base)

• Cookie Headset- I can haz any cookie? (udg)
  • “Meta Cookie” is an “interactive gustatory display” by Takuji Narumi of the University of Tokyo
  • Helmet with goggles connected to a camera
  • Person chooses whatever cookie they want out of ones shown to them
  • Handed plain cookie. Airtubes attached to helmet pump smell of desired cookie into nose
  • Wrong… just plain wrong I tell you.
  • (SM) This is a perfect way for Vegetarians to try Woookiee Cookies!
  • Speaking of Wookie Cookies… I think the postman ate mine! JP

• Droid 2 to release on Verizon with Special Star Wars R2D2 Edition (JP)
  • the worst kept secret from Verizon the Droid 2 will be available for pre-order aug 12th and will ship with Android 2.2
  • Amusingly, Motorola and Verizon also announced that they will offer a special edition Star Wars version of the Motorola Droid 2 in September. The R2D2 Droid 2 will come with Stars Wars content and it will be made to look like R2D2 Astromech droid from the Star Wars film. Motorola didn’t share a picture of the R2D2 version of the Droid 2
    • (side note regarding 2.2 FroYo on current droids – 2 hrs ago )

• Netflix getting closer to streaming 1st run movies (SM)
  • Paramount, Lion’s Gate, MGM
  • It’ll cost Netflix nearly 1 billion to do so
  • The deal will commence Sept. 1.
  • Ted Sarandos, taking a “pile of money” from USPS, giving it to studios ($600 million)

• Facebook hacked, Names and photos revealed (udg)
  • A bug in FB’s login system allows attackers to match unknown email addresses with users’ first and last names, even if set to private
  • If the address belongs to any one of the 500 million active users the site will return the full name and picture associated with the account.
  • Facebook has been under repeated attack for revealing way too much private info about it’s users over the past couple of years.
  • Their response was giving users more control over who could see what.
  • The name-to-email address extraction bug proves that doesn’t really work.
  • We can expect to see a fix to this soon?

• Games responsible for 5 billion of US economy (JP)
  • A study commissioned by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) found that the video game industry added about $5 billion to the US economy in 2009.
  • Entitled “Video Games in the 21st Century: The 2010 Report” [PDF link], claims the industry directly employs about 32,000 people in the US and indirectly employs 120,000 (GameStop employees, video game media, manufacturing and distribution).
  • Average industry employee makes $89,781 a year. Obviously that’s not the GameStop employee, but that is the average of them all.  (Kiddies this means video game programming pays… testing… not so much!)
  • CA lays claim to 41% of the employees in the industrty
  • The annual growth rate of the industry exceeded 10% between 2005 & 2009

• Starcraft 2 Tourneys offer $500k total (SM)
  • We know how South Korean’s love their starcraft
  • One TV network locked down Blizzard broadcast rights in SK, GomTV
  • New league, Global Starcraft 2 League, hellbent on luring SC 1 players over to 2
  • Offering $125,000 PER TOURNAMENT, 64 player field, 1 a month for rest of 2010
  • Plans for grand finale in 2011, Nothing says progress like money
  • Scintillating Starcraft commentary

Intarweb Goldmine

• Prisoners thank Plants vs Zombies (udg)
  • Where? Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines
  • The guard actually left the keys lying around while he became engrossed in a round of Plants vs. Zombies,  DUH!! Hello Prison Guard 101
  • Four of the inmates were caught soon after the escape, but one still remains at large
  • interesting side note… the guard should no longer have access to his idevice since he’ll be rooming with some of his former wards!! hahahaha

• Guy wants a roomate in SoHo who isn’t a Mac Fanboy (JP)
  • An ad posted to Craigslist yesterday is from an open-minded sort of guy who wants a roommate for an apartment in Soho. Sounds typical, right? Here’s the catch: He insists that prospective roommates not have an iPhone or an iPad.
• The ad states that “I refuse to live with anyone that has sold their immortal soul to Steve Jobs.” He’s also looking for a guy with Starcraft II experience, and wants any potential live-ins to post a link to their battle.net profile and to prove to him that they don’t own an iPhone.
  • The New York Observer found the guy, Vince Thomas, and he said he currently lives with another fellow who is a Mac fan, and Vince says he “just can’t take it anymore.” Vince has a Droid phone from Motorola, and apparently he’d rather talk about that instead.
• Vince has a point. Some of us love our iPhones. In social situations I don’t bring it up unless someone asks. I’m even feeling a bit guilty about the ‘Sent from my iPhone’ tag on my mail. If I write Vince I’ll be sure to change it to ‘Sent from my wonderful Droid, which is so much better than the iPhone I ditched.’
  • (JP) my bet is… this guy is no picnic to live with either!
  • (udg) Are you sure this guy’s name wasn’t Steven????

• Woman driven mad by McDonalds
  • Woman in Ohio gets incensed because MiccyD’s is serving b-fast and can’t get nuggets
  • Reached through drive-thru and punches 2 employees then smashes Drive-thru window
  • Gets 60 days in jail
  • Proof that fast food and McDonalds CAN drive ppl nuts…

• Woman quits job in style
  • Was sexually harassed at work
  • revealed her quitting in 33 pictures
  • Kicker? Her boss installed a spy for monitoring web traffic
  • He himself played 19 hrs of Farmville a week
  • UDG- SORRY THIS IS A HOAX!!! (woulda been awesome though)

Extra Links

• Net Neutrality: Argument For
• Geek Love: Edgar Wright Talks Scott Pilgrim

Contact Info

• On Twitter: Steven is @DarthMolen and I am @JPuent Natali is @UberDorkGirlie
• email us: darthmolen@thepowergeeks.com and jpuent@thepowergeeks.com and uberdorkgirlie@thepowergeeks.com (yay!)
• And Become a Fan

Sponsors

FanboyScouts.com

• Ever wanted to award your loved one for the Kessel Run?
• Ever braved a Danger Room and wanted to show your friends proudly?
• Now you can with merit badges from fanboyscouts.com! 11 collectible badges
• Get ‘em while they are hot, and limited

http://luxurylanesoap.com, @KyleeLane, GORGEOUS, IMAGINATIVE, HANDCRAFTED, GEEKY Soap

• Can I say any more superlatives? You will love her products.
• (We Do! They’re Geekalicious! but don’t eat them… they are SOAP!)

Happy Birthday Prof_Mordarm from all of us at TPG!!!! (that means no singing steven!!)

This weeks Steampunk Fix a double dose of Steamy Goodness… starting with

Dr. Who Dalek as done Steampunk:

LuxuryLaneSoap.com

of @KyleeLane fame

• POWERGEEKS for 20% off in her store!
• Her Han Solo soap is going global!!!
• Sci Fi Wire, WSJ Digital Network, Geekologie
• Even got invited on TV!
• Awesome creative soaps Check her out

Deals of the Week / New Releases

• Official Twitter App for iPhone released (formerly Tweetie) for free (JP)
• 1950′s style 3D The Empire Strikes Back!!!! (JP)
  • Free on YouTube… these guys have also done a Raiders of the Lost Ark and Ghostbusters…
  • Which is your fav??? They all Rock!!!
• New DVD’s this week include Valentine’s Day a romantic flick starring literally half of Hollywood, Invictus starring Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandella and Matt Damon telling the story of how a rugby player (and the 1995 Championship) changed South Africa and finally the Messenger a story about an Iraq war veteran who narrowly avoided dying struggles with his new post at the Casualty Notification Office.

Geek Speak

• New Game with Jeremy – Mad Lib style for the modern day….

great questions from The Professor:

• Choose 1 – Cyberpunk, steampunk, urban fantasy/horror, or sword and sorcery?
  • SM – Sword and Sorcery-hands down (bookcase story)
  • JP – Toss up… a dead heat between Cyberpunk and Steampunk I love both!
  • iKDR – steampunk ftw! . i get to ? the victorian style garg and still get to use technology.

• Each of you are now a video game (old or new): so which one and why?
  • SM – Zelda. My life is all about the journey, there’s no order to it, but its large and def. an adventure
  • too tough… can’t honestly figure out how to answer this one right now!
  • iKDR – Ratchet & Clank. i would love visiting new worlds, kicking ass and getting gigantic and outrageuos weapons, like the BFG and the one that turns bad guys into fullfy sheeps

• What are TPG looking forward to see (or want) coming out tech-wise this year? Next year? 10 years from now?
  • JP – This year iPhone 4, next year – iPad next gen (with camera for skype dang it!) in 10 years… VR Rooms (IE Star Trek Holodeck!)
  • SM – I’m more of an in-the-moment guy. now: Android is my “now”. I like it and want to see it better. 10 yrs? Wearable nano-clothing
  • iKDR – i just at&t to stop jerking me around and turn on the 3-effing-g service in my-effing-area of the us!

From Listener Chuck out on the West Coast (Oregon) (JP)
“I want to hear you guy’s take on the whole ebook battle between Amazon, Apple & Google — Barnes & Noble + Borders want to get in on the fight, but they’re bantam weight for this battle.  Will consumers win or loose? Are people really reading ebooks on those tiny little smartphone screens?  Will the iPad and upcoming gPad take the place of Kindle-like devices? You asked. That’s what I’d like to hear about.”

• JP – I had a discussion today with a client about it… I got my hands on an iPad this past weekend and I am dying to get one now… even though I said I wanted to wait for the net gen. the client swears by his Sony ebook reader… I held it, nice but I want an all in one device. I saw tons of kindles and nooks, and sony ereaders on the plane and at the airport last week as well as on the train…
• I think overall the answer is that people use these devices, I have read a couple of things on my iPhone, but overall the screen is too small for too much use… however the others are great… eventually I believe this will cause the prices to come down just like have for music, thus eventually the consumer should win out.
• SM – my sister just bought a nook and I tried it out… and it was a more positive experience than i thought…
• I can see the xp being diff for the eReader and the IPad… for now. Ipad is really unweildy for casual reading, whereas the Readers are more lightweight and easier on the eyes
• I’ve read ebooks on my phones for as long as I had Microsoft eReader… and will continue to do so
• iKDR – i still buys books or download audiobooks (i know i know) but i still think there’s room for more than one device on the market, same as laptops, same as smart phones and the more the manufactures battle it out, i think the moire the public will benefit becuase they will be the opnes taking advatage of the next great thing being offered by each competing company

Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

• Roku, UFC team up to deliver LIVE fights
  • UFC 114 will the the start of partnership (May 29)
  • Roku will have the rights to stream the PPV broadcasts on their device for $49.99
  • + they will have a UFC Vault Channel ($59.99 for 6 months)
  • Very similar to their MLB offering, where live games are streamed for a fee
  • (JP) I have been debating getting a Roku or holding out for a popcorn box or a boxee box… now I’m even more torn than ever!

• Apples Damages “HUGE” over IPhone Leak
  • Apple officials told investigators that the iphone prototype was “immensely damaging” and “huge losses”
  • Affidavit cited lack of sales because ppl would know that a new phone was coming out (duh)
  • Also, Apple knew the identify o the man who sold the prototype
  • No arrests have been made yet of the person who committed “industrial espionage”
  • thoughts?
  • The computers haven’t been touched yet as they are still battling it out
    • Apple has had some very serious breaches lately for a company that usually has this stuff locked down so tightly (JP)
      • Macbook revamp leaked early and was accurate with all but one piece of data (Vietnam)
      • Vietnam also picked up a full IPhone4….
      • Rumors are that Apple is on the rampage trying to find out where the leak is… they believe it is from one of the Chinese manufacturing facilities since it is close to the Vietnam border

• Nintendo Wii, Good for the Heart (iKDR)
  • the AHA and Nintendo have teamed up to promote healthy hearts
  • How to do it? AHA showed 30 minutes “active play” a day, demoed for the media on a Wii Fit Plus
  • There was a bit of speculation that said some mysterious “vitality sensor” was going to be announced but nada!
  • Sheer marketing or do they have a point? can the Wii woo kids and adults to be more “active”?
    • (Is this really the Wii that’s good for your heart?? I think it’s not sitting on your @$$ that’s good for the heart!!!) – JP

• Google Wave opened to the Public to much fanfare and fuss…. oh wait… no one cared… nevermind (JP)
  • If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a noise?
  • here’s a funny sidenote… I was in a training session and someone there was asking about a free realtime collaberation tool, and I couldn’t think of one off the top of my head… Guess now that I give it some thought Wave would do all the things he was asking for…. how bad is that for Google… This tool never even occurred to me because while I tried to find a way to use it… I couldn’t. I wonder if this is like Twitter… I was so against it at first… because  I didn’t see a use for it, then after I was asked by a friend to just try it for a week… I became addicted. Wondering if this would be the same thing now… if I tried to use it for a solid week… would I fall in love with it?

• Zynga and Facebook enter 5 yr partnership (SM)
  • Zynga is the big boy on facebook who brings in a loooot of money, farmville, mafia wars, yoville, etc!
  • They’ve been trying for a bit to make themselves an independent player, even announcing a “Z Live”
  • Also there’s been rumors that Zynga doesn’t like Facebook’s 30% slice of the “facebook credit” pie that all developers are going to have to use
  • So, despite all that? Nothing, they sign a 5 yr deal that will keep Zynga games on the giant social site

• ZOMG: ‘Cube’ director wants to make a video game adaptation

  (iKDR)

  • Synopsis of movies: A group of strangers must find their way out of a multi-roomed, cube-shaped prison, which is filled with gruesome, deadly traps.
  • The director of the original Cube, Vincenzo Natali, recently told MTV

    that he’d love to make a video game adaptation of the film.

  • And he used the MTV interview to broadcast, “if there are any game designers out there, give me a call.”
  • You heard the man. Pick up a phone book, and let’s get this thing done.

• Criminals using Google against itself (SM)
  • Criminals are using analytics and good common sense to seed search engines w/ bad sites that attack your computer
  • They’re gaming the top search words to make their bad sites pop up as popular links
  • Haiti, Ipad, toyota recall have all been targeted
  • Click their site and get all sorts of malware instead of the news
  • Other forms of attack? USB drives, it uses the autorun feature to launch the bad stuff and they load it at the manufacturer so you don’t know until you hook it up
  • Facebook scams: “Sexiest Video Ever” Shows someone boobs and “encourages” them to update their video player, but its not a video player….
  • Spam back on the rise: Jan – Mar 2010 (guess the number 139 billion piece of spam email sent) 89% of email traffic on internet
  • Yeah, all the more reasons to be careful w/ your pristine computer

• In Largest Science Experiment Ever, Three Spacecraft Will Swap Laser Fire Across 3 Million Miles (iKDR)
  • The NASA/ESA LISA project aims to measure gravitational waves with giant lasers and free-falling cubes of gold CERN’s Large Hadron Collider is currently the biggest science experiment in operation, but it may have to pass that mantle on soon enough.
  • A collaboration between NASA and the ESA plans to launch three spacecraft into orbit around the sun 3 million miles apart, then have them shoot lasers at each other, all in the name of proving the existence of gravitational waves, the last piece of Einstein’s relativity theory that is as yet unproved.
  • The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, or LISA, aims to do just that.
  • If gravitational waves do exist, they should slightly alter the distance between the cubes, making them detectable for the first time, a feat ground-based instruments have been unable to accomplish.
  • Work is already underway on LISA’s instruments, and British-based Astrium EADS is already preparing a precursor mission called LISA Pathfinder due for launch next year. As for LISA, don’t hold your breath. The largest scientific instrument in the universe isn’t slated for launch until 2020.

• Are You Kidding Me?: Man wins $1M playing baseball video game (JP)
  • Wade McGilberry just won a million dollars playing a video game.
  • The 23-year-old from Mobile, Ala., accomplished the feat in just an hour and a half, becoming the first to pitch a perfect game in Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.’s “Major League Baseball

    2K10.”

  • MSNBC report that He and his wife, Katy, plan to… know, what, i dont give a f—.

• The Grand-Theft-Auto-I-Dare-You-To-Top-That-Challenge has just been answered (iDKR)
  • Red Dead Redemption, Like any sandbox-style game, it’s full of wide-open space where players can spontaneously live out their whims of heroism or villainy
  • ..including hogtie other playings and murdering nuns
  • When players successfully kill another character in this way, it unlocks the “Dastardly” achievement for plus five gamerscore.

• Speaking of Lasers… (iKDR)
  • Advances in the technology have made it possible for military testers to shoot down incoming mortar rounds with land-based lasers, and military commanders are on the verge of being able to fire laser blasts from the air that could be aimed at tanks or mines.
  • “We literally are the invisible death ray, let me tell you,” says Mike Rinn of Boeing’s Airborne Laser Program in Seattle, a missile- defense effort.
  • Laser stands for “light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.”
  • Invented five decades ago, lasers are as widely used as they are little-understood. But they are everywhere around you, inside your laptop’s DVD player, sending your phone calls down fiber optics and ringing up your groceries at the store

• Geeky Note regarding a bug I found in iTunes for iPhone users (JP)
  • Cool new setting to convert higher bit rate songs to 128kbps on the fly, leaving your original on your PC or MAC alone thus saving mucho space on your iPhone (I saved almost 4 GB)
  • Version 9.1.1.11 has a bug that causes it to wipe and redo the process each time you sync (it’s only supposed to do this for anything new on subsequent sync operations…. however, with a little digging I found that there were two versions floating around out there
  • Version 9.1.1.12 (available at apple.com/downloads for both PC and MAC now) corrects this bug… so if you’ve run into this bug or were thinking about trying the conversion… Grab this first!

• This fall programming is all about the geeks (iKDR)
  • The Event, starring Jason Ritter (NBC)
    • Everyman investigates the mysterious disappearance of his fiancee, Leila (Sarah Roemer, Disturbia), and unwittingly begins to expose the biggest cover-up in U.S. history.
  • Undercovers, starring Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (NBC)
    • Outwardly, Steven Bloom (Kodjoe) and his wife, Samantha (Mbatha-Raw), are a typical married couple…Secretly, the duo were two of the CIA’s best spies until they fell in love on the job five years ago and retired. When fellow spy and friend Nash (Carter MacIntyre) goes missing while on the trail of a Russian arms dealer, the Blooms are reinstated and thrust back into the world of espionage as they follow leads that span the globe.
  • Terra Nova starring as yet unknown (Fox)
    • A large group of settlers are preparing to leave the apocalyptic world they live in to time travel back millions of years via a massive, high-tech contraption. Their goal is to see trees, enjoy a blue sky, eat real food – basically, to start over in this so-called Eden. But what they find is unlike anything they were expecting.
  • The Cape, starring Dave Lyons (NBC)
    • Lyons [plays] Vince Faraday, an honest cop on a corrupt police force, who finds himself framed for a series of murders and presumed dead. He is forced into hiding, leaving behind his wife, Dana (Jennifer Ferrin, “Life on Mars”) and son, Trip (Ryan Wynott, “Flash Forward”). Fueled by a desire to reunite with his family and to battle the criminal forces that have overtaken Palm City, Faraday becomes “The Cape” his son’s favorite comic book superhero — and takes the law into his own hands.
  • No Ordinary Family, starring Michael Chiklis and Julie Benz (ABC)
    • The Powell’s plane crashes into a swampy river; they manage to escape, but, their pilot, unfortunately, isn’t so lucky. As the Powells gratefully return to their old lives, they are shocked to discover that they have suddenly developed some rather extraordinary abilities.

• Ghostbusters invade NYC Public library (iKDR)
  • Public scene-maker Improv Everywhere

    recently staged an inspired stunt in the historic location: a reimagining of the opening scene of Ghostbusters

    .

  • The NYPL is currently dealing with some serious budget cuts, so they approached Improv Everywhere (of Pantless Subway Ride

    fame) to draw attention to the building’s plight.

• Veggie induced Coma??? (JP)
  • While eating your veggies is good for you… too much of anything is not good for you….
    • an 88 yr old Chinese ate enough raw bok choy to send herself into a life-threatening, thyroid-induced coma
    • How much does it take you might be wondering…. She ate 2 – 3 lbs of the raw veggie every day for months
    • Why??? you might ask?? (I did) she was trying to get her diabetes under control????!?!?!? WTF????
• Testicle blasting ray funded by Gates
  • Ray Gun, Family Jewels, no more little swimmers, men sad
  • Its being billed as a non-permanent contraception possibility
  • but really? a ray gun shining at my manhood? what if the operator sneezes? #justsayin

• Doctors see rise in Google-itis
  • Doctors are seeing more ppl coming in with mis-diagnosis on their mind
  • Cause? ppl take symptoms and “google” them finding weird, non diseases that they might have

• Facebook Uprising 101
• Tracking without cookies
• Computer identifies sarcastic tweets

Contact Info

Sponsors

Fan Mail

@girlfromcanada says  The Power Geeks make my inner and outer geek girl very happy!!

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

Gold Sponsor:

LuxuryLaneSoap.com of @KyleeLane fame

• 20% off all her store. code = POWERGEEKS
• HAN SOLO SOAP GIVEAWAY!
• Post a comment on our FB page about this episode
• Smarmy remarks welcome
• We’ll pick a random winner from the comments just prior to next week’s show!

Geek Speak

• V (Returned yesterday) (@PhysicistLisa had a truely different take on the relationship between Ana and Lisa) check Twitter from the 31st if you want to know what she thought!
• Stargate Universe (returns starting Friday)
• Survivors (the BBC show we talked about last week Started season 2 this week on a new night Tuesdays)
• The Big Bang Theory (Did you know Sheldon is a fan of TPG on Facebook!!!!?!?!?!) and “Blossom” will be appearing this week as his GF-iKDR
• Warehouse 13 will be back this summer too… they started filming a little over a week ago. I can’t wait! Meh-iKDR
• Fringe !!
  • Listener’s What are you watching that we aren’t talking about and maybe we should be watching?!?!?!

Multi-Monitor Gaming, when will it be widely supported?

• 6 monitor video card now available commercially
  • (JP) This actually made me drool a little… and of all days… today my monitor died!
• Key talk points:
  • A lot of game support windowed mode, but this doesn’t take advantage of SLI (2 chips or card working as 1 to generate 1 picture)
  • Full screen is annoying when you have that second monitor there and have to alt-tab just to respond to something in twitter
  • Not enough games support spanning across multiple screens (Id is really good about this, among other select few)
  • LCD monitors have come WAY down in price… compared to the past

Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

• Quick Game hits (SM)
  • FF IX rumored to be coming to PSOne Classics store on PSN
    • This from a Japanese website, one of my fav FF of all times
  • PA Ep. 3 will not be coming out
    • Ep. 1 and 2 came out in 5 months in 2008
    • No news since then from Hothead… Ep. 2 sold only 1/3 of Ep. 1
    • Hothead now developing Spankk
    • PA will release the final 2 episodes in illustrated narrative on their site
  • L4D2 DLC The Passing Missing March Date
    • was slated for early spring
    • this would have had the original cast as supporting actors
  • UFC not Banning Fighters on EA MMA

• MW2 DLC new Maps the Stimulous package hit Xbox 360 Yesterday (JP)
  • It’s 1200 Microsoft points ($15) which is a lot for DLC but totally worth it in my humble opinion
  • It did however cause some pretty big problems for Xbox Live yesterday. I downloaded everything fine. played two maps (new) and then could not connect to the new maps again the rest of the day/night. The group I play with regularly just gave up and went back to Ground War with the regular maps… we’re gonna try again tonight.
  • I ran through a few of them on my own and am excited. Happy to have Overgrown & Crash maps back. Stoked for Salvage; my fav so far out of the new ones

• Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions to be unveiled at WonderCon (iKDR)

  • Saturday, April 3, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions will be featured in an afternoon panel hosted by the likes of Marvel writer Dan Slott, Spidey voice actor Christopher Daniel, Activision senior producer Meghan Morgan and creative director Thomas Wilson of developer Beenox Studios

  • takes a new approach to chronicling the webbed hero’s exploits that comes closer to his comic roots

  • “an exciting new universe never before seen in Spider-Man video games,” featuring “unique, unexpected worlds,” and the reveal of two “new” villains

• Flash to be part of Chrome (SM)
  • Apple says “No”, Google says “Why not?”
  • Google will distribute , update, and consume fully within its browser to better contain security issues
  • Seeing it as a good bridge between HTML5 and H.264 which is coming in future
  • Also looking to improve its browsers by promising resources to the Netscape Plugin API
    • (JP ) is this Google trying to look nice while playing both sides of the fence? they own UTube and are pushing for HTML 5 video on it so what’s really going on? More in the war with Apple using the press to their advantage to look like the good guys while playing both sides?

• IPad Sells out before launch? (JP)
  • Hundreds of thousands already sold and Apr. 3 isn’t even here yet
  • Best Buy will be your only non-apple seller that will have the device at launch
  • Analysts are predicting 2.5 million – 5 million to be sold this year alone
  • (kindle has sold 3 mill units to date)
  • For those wondering, IPhone still dominates the mobile phone market (but android catching up)

• Rumor: Verizon to get IPhone (iKDR)
  • The Wall Street Journal is just barely reporting that a CDMA iPhone will be introduced this fall, possibly  September, and that Apple’s exclusive relationship with AT&T “appears set to end.”
  • Reported by “The Apple Blog” – same source as the IPad leak in the WSJ – Yukari Iwatani
  • “Nothing cures network congestion like a million people taking their business elsewhere…”
  • Still threadbare but gaining steam… and a company name.
  • At&T = 3.6 mill subscribers as compared to Verizon = 3.8 mill
  • Facts and rumors sorted

• Other OS Support Going Away From PS3 (SM)
  • PS3 had the ability in the “Fatty” days to install Linux as a second OS
  • My friend had it, It was nice for web browsing and multimedia sharing
  • Sony took away this option with the “slim” line but maintained support in older models
  • Now, inexplicably, that feature will be totally gone as of April 1, 2010
  • Gone, back up your stuff on that partition because if you update, no access for you
  • SHAZZAM! your data is now bricked  Sony cites “security issues”

• Company develops world first electronic underpants (SM)
  • Texts, Announces on the loud speakers, and even calls somebody when you wet your pants.
  • what if get laughing really hard and only pee a little ???
  • Wonder if it Tweets No. 2?

• CNN Reports: Autopsy in: Seaworld trainer died of drowning and traumatic injuries (iKDR)
  • This was on CNN Breaking on twitter (@cnnbrk) ….breaking ??….from 2 weeks ago ???
  • The passing is sad, but did we really need a report on an autopsy that already was giving a foregone conclusion?
  • We’re a bit “Captain Obvious” today huh? slow news day to report that bit we already knew…

• Man forced to pay part of court costs for suing people boycotting his Sons’ funeral (JP)
  • The Man sued a group for picketting his Marine Son’s funeral and an appeals court has ordered him to pay for their court costs
  • Anyone else wanna hit something? or someone when they hear stuff like this?!?!?!

• Who put the sexy into little kids video game? (iKDR)
  • Mom of a 9 yr old girl went to Big Lots in Tacoma and thought she was buying an “E”-rated game, which is rated suitable for everyone.
  • Instead of opening a Petz monkey game where kids raise and care for monkeys, her daughter got an eyeful of the T (teen)-rated “Sprung”
  • according to Amazon – Sprung: A Game Where Everyone Scores – meeting, flirting and hooking up as you engage in a risque, daring adventure with sexy singles

• Airline Attendants pose NUDE after not getting paid (SM)
  • Flight attendants aren’t paid for 9 months
  • Get sick and tired of waiting for their embattled company to pay
  • Pose nude for calendar made inside airplanes
  • thats definitely one w ay to get an execs attention

• D&D meets Microsoft Surface = SurfaceScape
• 160 Governator quotes
• Supersized Superheroes Another WIN from NerdSalad.com
• Floppy Disk Ceramic Tiles Would Make For One Nerdy Backsplash
• Remix Music + Win A Zombie Defense Kit!

Contact Info

Sponsors

(SM)SCII Beta is now out. DL’ed and played before the podcast (are you jealous JP? You should be…)

Deals of the Week

• iPhone Apps (iKDR)
  • Thereminator – For a mere $3, you can put a theremin in your pocket!
  • Plants vs Zombies – $2.99 WOOT
  • Augmented Reality Browser – Free for iPhone 3GS
    • info about augmented environment research, click here (thanks @AdamSolid from WireJacked.com)

• (iKDR) Zombie Pizza is now on sale for .99!
  • (Appy Entertainment’s Zombie Pizza is a staff pick on Apple’s iPhone Staff Picks page, and has been favorably reviewed by Entertainment Weekly, The Huffington Post, and Macworld, who gave the game 4/5 mice.) TPG also covered this one a while back!

Geek Speak

*Terminator Franchise rights acquired…. What will the future hold? (JP)
Mike Fleming at Deadline Hollywood has an intriguing answer: He’s read a 24-page treatment for fifth and sixth movies that would wrap up the story by none other than William Wisher, the screenwriter who contributed to the first two (and best-loved) installments in the franchise, James Cameron’s original Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
How great would that be?? But will it come to light?

(SM) My question is do we wanna see Linda Hamilton all “Ellen Ripley” again…

Deals of the Week

Geek Speak

• KDR – this brings up a host of questions:
  • how will it be regulated?
  • can users who have “collateral” still be baned from games for misconduct?
  • what’s the rate of exchange?
  • can i quit my day job?
• KDR – legality issues/benefits:
  • does in-game goods and services get taxed?
  • will insurance be available to protect your virtual property from server malfunction or fraud
  • how do you go about collecting funds – what happens if they other party cant provide the owed funds – can you send them to collections?
• KDR – virtual/real world:
  • i wonder if virtual banks will be established for easier funds transfers (is there gonna be a magicla money faerie atm, how long is that line gonna be??)
  • if i have a shitty apartment and no money in real life – but alot of virtual money and property, will my social-economic status change in real life?  will my self image be affected?
• KDR – i’ve heard of kids building up character stats & weaponry in certain games, then “e-baying” those profiles for real money -is this any different?

Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

• Google to pay Bounty for Bugs in Browser
  • $500 or $1,337 based on the size of the bug
  • Obvious a nod to the “l337″
  • Mozilla also has a bounty program for “new and inventive” bugs
  • Must submit your finds for the browser only at the chromium bug tracker

• Real Genius Laser! (KDR)
  • National Ignition Facility recently produced the world’s first megajoule laser
  • only lasted for a few nanoseconds, the system is capable of generation 500 trillion watts of power
  • milestone for nuclear fusion development (clean energy on a massive scale). (Steven)Hold our breaths and wait for summer when they try a bigger test

Contest

ok folks, we have a contest to win a Suction Clip for your smartphone or iPod, etc… SuctionClip.com (we’ll be doing a full review of this product once Kristin and Steven get theirs…)
From now through Valentine’s day you can send a picture of you holding a geeked out version of The Power Geeks logo or a sign saying The Power Geeks, etc… send pics to jpuent@thepowergeeks.com
Be creative… the better the better your chance of winning… Photoshop something crazy, take a picture of yourself in a bikini (not you Steven, you’re not eligible)
After Valentine’s Day we’ll vote on a winner…

Here’s a sample:

Jeremy and Silent Bob with the Lego TPG Logo

Intarweb Goldmine

• telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl
  • Telnetting to this site will launch an ASCII Version of Star Wars Episode 4. Holy Crow is this awesome!!!!
  • takes a minute to load… be patient it’s worth the wait! sooo impressive
• Peter Rabbit the Panzer Tank Killer
  • Hilarious new take on a childrens classic (not for kids!) hahahaha (oh so sad, these were my FAV books
• 10 Reasons NOT to Date a Girl Gamer (KDR)
  • It would be embarrassing if she were better at video games than you
  • She says she’s a gamer, but the only games she plays are on PopCap and other websites.
  • (JP) no such thing as a reason not to date her… these are almost like unicorns… if you find one… hold on tight!!! hehehhee
• Live webcams throughout the Chicago Autoshow
  • If you dig the autoshow, you can watch set up of the booths, or once it starts… peek in on the cars and booth babes!

Extra Links

• Nintendo Game Boy gets Steampunked (KDR)
  • @NerdSalad had posted a link
  • Thretis (Chip Musician & Console Customizer) took a Gameboy and constructed a SteamPunk mod, added a Pro Sound mod audio output, and switched out the power LED with an orange-colored one.
• Speaking of Mods – Kratos on your PC, Literally
• Red Letter Media Tears up Avatar
• Using Windows Server Home to Sync Zune Media around the house

Contact Info

Thanks to @PhysicistLisa – she said i do a good job of not being the “token female” opinion