ThePowerGeeks.com » xbox http://thepowergeeks.com The Power Geeks Radio Show Wed, 03 Aug 2011 03:25:22 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 For Geeks, By Geeks. We update every week to bring you the latest in everything geek. Tech, gaming, movies, and general nerdery. Get you geek on Neeenjas! Steven Molen clean Steven Molen darthmolen@thepowergeeks.com darthmolen@thepowergeeks.com (Steven Molen) The Power Geeks Radio Show ThePowerGeeks.com » xbox http://thepowergeeks.com/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/power_symbol_square.jpg http://thepowergeeks.com The Power Geeks #110 http://thepowergeeks.com/2011/07/the-power-geeks-110/ http://thepowergeeks.com/2011/07/the-power-geeks-110/#comments Wed, 27 Jul 2011 03:06:48 +0000 DarthMolen http://thepowergeeks.com/?p=16716

We are LIVE on Ustream.  This week we talk R2D2 XBox360, Chinese going too far, and even a bit of Ant-Man the movie… WHAT??? Seriously?? blech

Intro Natali

Items of Interest

  • R2D2 XBox360 (SM)
    • Kinect version
    • Total R2D2 paint job
    • Gold 3PO controller
    • Star Wars Kinect Game
    • Star Wars for system sounds…
    • Must.Buy.Immediately.In.NOVEMBER!!! NOOOOO!~

Gold Sponsors:

Jeb Apps – Today in Geek History, Today in Movie History

  • Want to wow all your friends with off-the-wall Movie Trivia?
  • Want to know more about Geek History and share them with your friends?
  • Today in Geek History and Today in Movie History are for you
  • Both have been out on the Android Marketplace for awhile now
  • After a long vetting period, Today in Movie History is now available on iTunes!!!
  • Go check out both apps, TIGH  and TIMH, now available on both Android and iPhone
  • Now As Seen on Wired.com!!

Natali’s Etsy!!!

  • Need your noms????
  • @UberDorkGirlie’s etsy is the way to go :) :)
  • Whether it’s Woookie Cookies, Happy Pandas, or Unicorn Treats, every sweet tooth needs to try them out
  • Need a present and don’t want to bake? then Natali’s Etsy store is the way to go

Deals of the Week / New Release

  • New Released DVD’s / BR
    • Source Code – Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Action thriller where a guy gets amnesia and has to uncover his identity and a bomb plot at the same time
    • Red Planet – More realistic, gritty portrayal of space travel.. might be worth some of your time
    • Blues Brothers / Animal House – RIP Jon Belushi

Entertainment Geekly (new feature)

  • FX Picks up Superhero movies left and right
    • Recently acquired Captn America (the one in theatres)
    • Already had TF: Dark of the Moon, Green Lantern, X-Men: First Class, Thor, Tron: Legacy, Kung Fu Panda 2, The Green Hornet
    • Maybe they should rename themselves “TSN: The SuperHero Network
    • Most of these came from an epic 2008 deal with Marvel, before the Disney acquisition
  • Ant-Man: the Film???
    • Ant-Man is the superhero persona of Hank Pym
    • Recently came to the forefront with the Avengers cartoon being so popular
    • Can shrink and enlarge at will, Super-Genius, Pacifist
    • Has pretty side-kick “The Wasp” (Janet Van Dyne)
    • Really worth a full featured film though???

  • Wanna See What We’re Not Missing W/ WW?? (udg)
    • io9.com “We’ve seen the unaired Wonder Woman pilot, and it’s actually kind of worse than we expected. It’s bad in the ways that we were all expecting, but it’s also bad in other, more fundamental, ways.”
  • Comic Con Trailers (udg)
    • Features- The Amazing Spider Man, Haywire, Sherlock Holmes 2, Dark Knight Rises Teaser

Geek Speak

  • SDCC! – Tease it for next week, Everyone has hangovers, we’ll bring on some heavy hitters and have a good round-table

Tech, Gaming, and Geek News

  • The Chinese Have Now Gone TOO FAR! (udg)
    • Cuz selling fake iTunes cards and really cheap Apple knockoffs on their sites weren’t enough, last week five supposed Apple stores were operating in China. Only they weren’t actually official Apple stores!
    • To make it worse, they were nearly flawless copies of the official stores. To the point that the employees thought they were working for Apple!
    • Two of those five have since closed. But, not for them being complete fakes. Nope, the only reason they are closed is because neither had a business license in the first place.
    • The iFakes hit the major media and were brought to light last week when blogger  BirdAbroad visited one and spoke to staff. The store she located and visited was in the southwestern city of Kumming, and is not one of the two that have been shutdown. There’s a video of how Apple Store-like the store is in our show notes.
    • What’s going to happen to the other 3 stores is unclear at the moment. Chinese law does deem the stores illegal, but it’s the Chinese. If they’re able to cough up a business license, there’s no guarantee they’ll get shut down.
    • One thing is certain- Apple is definitely going to be talking to Chinese officials and this could get interesting.
  • Hacker Caught, 10 years in jail (SM)
    • Rogelio Hackett Jr. 25, of lithiuania, plead guilty to stealing 635,000 credit cards
    • Instead of light slap: Go directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200
    • Must pay $100,000 fine and serve 10 years in a jail
    • Guy had been hacking since 2002, and trafficing in purchased accts
    • Before you go all boo-hoo, the CC companies found that he bamboozled over $36 million dollars over the years
    • Yeah, I’m personally glad they threw the book at him
  • Google’s Print Mag (udg)
    • Because you know they haven’t launched enough new stuff over the last few weeks, Google has now released the first US edition of its marketing mag Think Quarterly.
    • Actual print copies of the mag will be sent to a select and limited and are all kinds of lux with a magnetic cover, heat-sensitive end paper and a pretty blue ribbon fastener. Don’t fret though, us little people get to at least check out the online version.
    • The magazine is essentially a very pretty advertisement for how wonderful Google is, with a feature story highlighting the positive work done at Google. In addition to several pages dominated by advertising executives, the magazine also has several essays on the future of the Internet and society. I actually kinda dug it.
    • The UK version of Think Quarterly launched in March 2011, under the clear distinction that it is not intended to be a consumer magazine. Through Think Quarterly, Google may be taking steps to change its image from a familiar search engine to a group of innovative thinkers and strategists who have a real impact on the world.
    • But change their image with who? Well, potential advertisers of course. They are the people getting the snazzy print version, after all. The rest of us Googlers are just left with our Intarwebs.
  • Samsung passes Apple in Smartphone Sales (SM)
    • Samsung passed Nokia for new sales in the last quarter
    • According to bloomberg, 18-21 million handsets were sold in the last quarter
    • Thats in comparison to the 20 million sold by Apple
    • Nokia has been sliding from their dominance for awhile now
    • M$ partnership has not helped them.
    • Lets be real, Everyone is waiting on the IPhone 5…
  • Data Furnaces (udg)
    • Servers are energy hogs. Not just to run, but they get so bloomin hot you have to use more energy for the air conditioning that keeps the waste heat at by. This problem with inefficiency is only going to compound as the hoopla about the cloud continues.
    • Seems Microsoft has come up with a wacky-in-a-way-that-just-may-work solution: Distribute cloud servers to businesses and homes for use as heaters.
    • “Data Furnaces” as Microsoft dubbed them in a research paper on the subject would provide exhaust that, while too cool for energy regeneration (104-122 °F), is just right for space heating. Not only does this reduce waste, but it could increase the overall efficiency of the cloud servers involved by making it far more practical to locate specific servers near the areas they serve.
    • That’s a lot of win right there.
    • Obviously with issues like size, the fact heating systems are complicated, security, reliability, you get the point- this is something for way off in the future. But, it’s definitely got my interest piqued.
  • Netflix Up, Blockbuster Wooing (SM)
    • Netflix made a profit, just not as much as investors had hoped.
    • To blame? The price hike announcement for September
    • Not all doom and gloom, their subscriptions are up 70% for streaming
    • Netflix talks with Dreamworks (Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar)
    • Blockbuster is looking to capitalize w/ a $9.99 1-disc out plan
    • (still no streaming from BB)
  • Fox Gets Stupid (udg)
    • In what is probably one of the lamest ideas I’ve heard in a very long time, Fox has just announced that it will only allow approved cable or satellite consumers free next-day access to its popular TV shows. Fans could previously catch shows the next day on Fox.com or Hulu.com for free.
    • Don’t have cable or want to pay for Hulu? Well then you’ll have to wait until 8 days after they’ve aired to watch it.
    • Got DISH? No worries!
    • “DISH Network is proud to be the first pay-TV provider in America to give customers the opportunity to take full advantage of the new Fox.com viewing experience — at no additional cost,” according to a Fox press release.
    • Hulu Plus customers will also still have access to Fox shows, according to a tweet from New York Times reporter Brian Stelter. Fox hopes to add more cable and satellite partners in the coming months.

Intarweb Goldmine

  • What Ya Get For Being A Sound Sleeper In South Africa(udg)
    • A 50-year-old South African man woke up inside a mortuary over the weekend and screamed to be let out – scaring away attendants who thought he was a ghost.
    • His family presumed he was dead when they could not wake him on Saturday night and contacted a private morgue in a rural village in the Eastern Cape.
    • He spent almost 24 hours inside the morgue, the region’s health department spokesman told the Sapa news agency.
    • The two attendants later returned and called for an ambulance.
    • The man – whose identity has been withheld – was treated in hospital for dehydration.
    • The man woke up at 1700 local time (1500 GMT) on Sunday, demanding to be let out of the chilly morgue in Libode village, frightening the attendants on duty.
    • “At first the men ran for their lives,” said Mr Kupelo.
    • Officials have urged the public to contact doctors or the emergency services so they can they can pronounce someone dead before calling an undertaker.
    • “You begin to ask yourself how many other people have died like that in a morgue,” said Mr Kupelo.
    • “We need to [get] the message across to all South Africans that it is very wrong for them to conclude on their own that a person has died,” he said.
  • Jaws Jumps into boat… Literally (SM)
    • Have a front row seat to Discovery’s shark week? Not as close as these guys
    • 6 researchers off the coast of africa got the scare of their life
    • After an hour of shark activity, 10 foot great white breached the water and jumped halfway on the boat
    • In a panic and apparently trying to eat a crew member, he thrashed all the way on board and then became stuck
    • Despite the danger to their lives, the scientists eventually rescued the shark after being towed to port, letting it go, being beached, pulling it back out, and finally getting it out to sea
  • Mystery Prisoner (udg)
    • A mystery man arrested on minor charges more than three weeks ago remains behind bars in Utah while law enforcement officials try to determine his true identity, which he refuses to reveal.
    • “This is really a strange case,” said Lt. Dennis Harris with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office. “He just doesn’t want to be found.” The unidentified man, who has graying hair, a light beard and is believed to be in his 60′s, was arrested on July 1 for trespassing in a parking garage.
    • He was booked into jail on three misdemeanor charges and has thwarted any chance of release, with or without bail, by refusing to identify himself.
    • “I’ve been trying to think from A to Z why he would want to stay here … why he wouldn’t give us any information,” Harris said.
    • “He either has to be wanted by some other state or he could be on some other registry or database that has not shown up,” he added.
    • Law enforcement officials say the man is “fairly well spoken and educated,” but very guarded about his identity.
    • As a result of several short conversations with him, officers believe he may not be from Utah.
    • Officials gave the man a telephone calling card so he might contact friends or relatives, but he has not used it.
    • “He was very aware of what we were trying to do and he would not give us the slightest bit of information indicating where he was from or anything relating to his family situation,” said Harris.
    • “We’ve had a lot of people call in but nothing has panned out. Nothing,” he added.
    • Officials say in three weeks of jail the mystery man has shown a pleasant demeanor and has communicated that he is being treated well.
    • “He said the food has been great,” Harris said.
    • “I realize that sometimes people want to go to jail because they are homeless, have nothing, they are destitute. I’ve seen that over the years. I just don’t get the impression that’s the reason. He just doesn’t want to be discovered by somebody.”
    • Now in his fourth week of incarceration, the man added another twist to the story recently by hinting he had business of some kind outside prison that he would need to attend to.
    • “He said there was a point at some time that he would need to get out of jail,” Harris said. “That’s the closest I can find of what he wants to do. And that makes no sense to me whatsoever.”
    • I’m surprised I don’t know the guy. I seem to attract people like this.
  • RDJ New Hazards: Exploding manholes
    • Imagine if you will, walking down the street
    • A rumble and a roar shake the ground and all the manhole covers explode into the air
    • This isn’t hollywood, welcome to Rio De Janeiro
    • Recently a manhole cover blew up into the air, injured 2 ppl, smashed into a nearby window, and ended in a parked car
    • This was the 130 of these in April alone…
    • Sparks from old transformers igniting “gasses” (read human methane) causing the random explosions around the city
    • Talk about some dangerous crap….

Extra Links

]]> http://thepowergeeks.com/2011/07/the-power-geeks-110/feed/ 0 android,Apple,China,dungeon and dragons,facebook,games,gaming,Geek,google,IPhone,iPhone Apps,Microsoft We are LIVE on Ustream.  This week we talk R2D2 XBox360, Chinese going too far, and even a bit of Ant-Man the movie... WHAT??? Seriously?? blech - Intro Natali Items of Interest R2D2 XBox360 (SM) Kinect version Total R2D2 paint job We are LIVE on Ustream.  This week we talk R2D2 XBox360, Chinese going too far, and even a bit of Ant-Man the movie... WHAT??? Seriously?? blech Intro Natali Items of Interest R2D2 XBox360 (SM) Kinect version Total R2D2 paint job Gold 3PO controller Star Wars Kinect Game Star Wars for system sounds... Must.Buy.Immediately.In.NOVEMBER!!! NOOOOO!~ Not as Cool as R2 But Dad Hacks Wall-E Toy To Make Real Robot :) Gold Sponsors: Jeb Apps - Today in Geek History, Today in Movie History Want to wow all your friends with off-the-wall Movie Trivia? Want to know more about Geek History and share them with your friends? Today in Geek History and Today in Movie History are for you Both have been out on the Android Marketplace for awhile now After a long vetting period, Today in Movie History is now available on iTunes!!! Go check out both apps, TIGH  and TIMH, now available on both Android and iPhone Now As Seen on Wired.com!! Natali’s Etsy!!! Need your noms???? @UberDorkGirlie’s etsy is the way to go :) :) Whether it’s Woookie Cookies, Happy Pandas, or Unicorn Treats, every sweet tooth needs to try them out Need a present and don’t want to bake? then Natali’s Etsy store is the way to go Deals of the Week / New Release New Released DVD’s / BR Source Code - Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Action thriller where a guy gets amnesia and has to uncover his identity and a bomb plot at the same time Red Planet - More realistic, gritty portrayal of space travel.. might be worth some of your time Blues Brothers / Animal House - RIP Jon Belushi Entertainment Geekly (new feature) FX Picks up Superhero movies left and right Recently acquired Captn America (the one in theatres) Already had TF: Dark of the Moon, Green Lantern, X-Men: First Class, Thor, Tron: Legacy, Kung Fu Panda 2, The Green Hornet Maybe they should rename themselves “TSN: The SuperHero Network Most of these came from an epic 2008 deal with Marvel, before the Disney acquisition Ant-Man: the Film??? Ant-Man is the superhero persona of Hank Pym Recently came to the forefront with the Avengers cartoon being so popular Can shrink and enlarge at will, Super-Genius, Pacifist Has pretty side-kick “The Wasp” (Janet Van Dyne) Really worth a full featured film though??? Wanna See What We’re Not Missing W/ WW?? (udg) io9.com “We've seen the unaired Wonder Woman pilot, and it's actually kind of worse than we expected. It's bad in the ways that we were all expecting, but it's also bad in other, more fundamental, ways.” Comic Con Trailers (udg) Features- The Amazing Spider Man, Haywire, Sherlock Holmes 2, Dark Knight Rises Teaser Geek Speak SDCC! - Tease it for next week, Everyone has hangovers, we’ll bring on some heavy hitters and have a good round-table Tech, Gaming, and Geek News The Chinese Have Now Gone TOO FAR! (udg) Cuz selling fake iTunes cards and really cheap Apple knockoffs on their sites weren’t enough, last week five supposed Apple stores were operating in China. Only they weren’t actually official Apple stores! To make it worse, they were nearly flawless copies of the official stores. To the point that the employees thought they were working for Apple! Two of those five have since closed. But, not for them being complete fakes. Nope, the only reason they are closed is because neither had a business license in the first place. The iFakes hit the major media and were brought to light last week when blogger  BirdAbroad visited one and spoke to staff. The store she located and visited was in the southwestern city of Kumming, and is not one of the two that have been shutdown. There’s a video of how Apple Store-like the store is in our show notes. What’s going to happen to the other 3 stores is unclear at the moment. Chinese law does deem the stores illegal, but it’s the Chinese. Steven Molen clean 50:54 The Power Geeks #104 http://thepowergeeks.com/2011/06/the-power-geeks-104/ http://thepowergeeks.com/2011/06/the-power-geeks-104/#comments Thu, 09 Jun 2011 04:31:32 +0000 DarthMolen http://thepowergeeks.com/?p=16693

We are LIVE on Ustream. Tonight we talk E3, The new Wii Controller, Some Apple Stuffs, New movie releases, and even the surprise average age of gamers…

Intro Natali
Intro Ben

Items of Interest

  • Instructables (udg)
    • It occurred to me today that I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned one of my absolute favorite sites on here. I have mentioned Etsy and it’s crack-like ability to suck me in for hours. Well, Instructables is it’s counter-part. It is THE site for anyone that’s ever wanted how to make…. well anything. I’m not kidding! From a PC Case out of a mannequin to cupcakes and every possible thing in between, there’s an instructables for that.
  • Bring Me the Head of Green Lantern (btm)
    • Made by Schell Sculpture Studio
    • They design concept art for TV and Movies
    • Creating a Hal Jordan bust based on the DC Comics character

Open Source Flashlight (SM)

  • Started by
  • 500 Lumen bulb (high end) 350 lumen at the low end
  • Fully Open source (you can change how bright, blink, modes, from your computer)
  • top end is USB chargeable (about time, most tac lights take expensive batteries)
  • On a kickstarter but already exceeded their goal by more than double
  • I totally bought the ultra bright one
  • The World of Mistrunner (udg)
    • With 28 days to go, I really wanted to mention this awesome kickstarter from our loyal chat room member and friend Naked Hobo again.
    • What is Mistrunner? In the creator’s words it’s a RPG set in world of high fantasy, steampunk and a bit of post apocalyptic action thrown in as well. What I see is an amazing game, ney world, he has crafted out of obvious love. One of the things that makes me most proud to be a gnork is the support that we all give each other. Bound together by the very things that set us apart. Please help us support this project. Times are tough and that’s understandable. If you can give $1, that’s awesome and it will get you listed in the book as a Patron. If you can’t, that’s okay too. What you can do it blog about it, tweet about it, FB it, carrier pigeon it, get it out to everyone you know and help make this dream a reality.
  • Wanna iPad laptop? (btm)
    • Nifty device from Crux
    • The Crux Loaded features a clamshell keyboard case, Bluetooth trackpad and external battery to turn your iPad into a more laptop-like device.
    • Available this fall.
  • Star Wars Rubber Duckies (udg)
    • Rubber duckies are kind of awesome. Now you can haz Star Wars themed rubber duckies complete with 45 battery life LED lights in them. A rubber ducky you can be proud to bring in the tub or pool this summer.

Gold Sponsors:

Jeb Apps – Today in Geek History, Today in Movie History

  • Want to wow all your friends with off-the-wall Movie Trivia?
  • Want to know more about Geek History and share them with your friends?
  • Today in Geek History and Today in Movie History are for you
  • Both have been out on the Android Marketplace for awhile now
  • After a long vetting period, Today in Movie History is now available on iTunes!!!
  • Go check out both apps, TIGH  and TIMH, now available on both Android and iPhone
  • Now As Seen on Wired.com!!

Natali’s Etsy!!!

  • Need your noms????
  • @UberDorkGirlie’s etsy is the way to go :) :)
  • Whether it’s Woookie Cookies, Happy Pandas, or Unicorn Treats, every sweet tooth needs to try them out
  • Need a present and don’t want to bake? then Natali’s Etsy store is the way to go

Deals of the Week / New Releases

  • Subway Goes All Out for Green Lantern (udg)
    • Subway has launched a new promo that could have you unlocking awards like free Green Lantern movie tickets and other stuff.  Want in?
      • Download the SCVNGR app for your iPhone or droid.
      • Complete easy challenges
      • Win prizes and rewards.
    • Pretty simple. Oh and grand prize? Tickets to the Green Lantern Premiere in LA.
  • New Movie Releases for 1st Week June
    • (SM) Epic Westerns Alert:
      • The Outlaw Jose Waley (clint eastwood) – I <3 The Good, The Bad, The Ugly hardcore, I gotta see this. Characterized as the “Best Mythic Western Ever”
      • the Long Riders – James and the Gang – Best Western Period
      • True Grit – Remake by Coen
    • Superman: The Anthology (1978 – 2006) – Holy Crap…
      • everything you could want including
      • 2 versions of Superman and Superman 2
      • All the 1950’s Superman cartoons
      • Outtakes from the Brian Singer Superman Returns
      • 8 full Blu-Ray Discs – Much Much more… all for under $100
    • The Man Who Would Be King – Sean Connery, Michael Caine, when men were men
    • Burial Ground – Italian Zombies
    • The Stuntman – Real Men, Doing Real Stunts, On real movies back in the day

Entertainment Geekly (new feature) (SM- Awesome Title Natali!)

  • Eliza to Star in Torchwood Spinoff (udg)
    • Eliza Dushku has officially signed on to star in a new Torchwood animated spinoff web-series. It’s an animated motion comics series called Torchwood: Web of Lies, and it’s based on Starz upcoming series Torchwood: Miracle Day. The animated series will also include voice appearances by Torchwood stars John Barrowman as Capt. Jack Harkness and Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper.
    • The new series is being written by Jane Espenson, who worked with Dushku on Dollhouse and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She’s also worked on Battlestar Galactica and Torchwood. Ryan Scott is also a co-writer on the series.
    • The series will consist of 10 three-minute videos, and will be released before the Torchwood premiere on July 8th. The plan is to release a new episode online after each new Miracle Day episode.Miracle Day episode.
  • Penny Arcade Strip Inspires a Movie (udg)
    • It started as a comic but Penny Arcade has expanded into video games, a charity, merchandise, conventions and now…. the film.
    • According to the Hollywood Reporter, Paramount is producing an animated movie based on Penny Arcade’s “The New Kid” comic strip. The comic was published this past October and focuses on a young boy who is constantly switching schools because his father’s job takes him to different planets.
    • Gary Whitta, the former editor-in-chief of PC Gamer magazine and writer of The Book of Eli and a number of games (including Gears of War), will write the movie’s script.
    • (SM) when are they going to do “Automata” already?
    • (SM) FYI, they’re doing a boardgame based upon “The Lookouts” – Think Boy Scouts meets D&D
  • There Will Be a Full Season 7 for Doctor Who (btm)
    • Kasterborous site reported over the weekend that BBC Wales (producers of the popular Doctor Who series) was planning a truncated 7th season consisting of only 4 or 5 “specials”.
    • BBC officials were upset as this would leave gaping holes in their programming.
    • After watching fans react over the weekend BBC and Doctor Who producers calmed everyone’s nerves by announcing Tuesday that the 7th season would be a full, 13 episode season and current Doctor Matt Smith would be appearing in them.
    • Showrunner Steven Moffat tweeted:
      • “14 eps + Matt DEFINITELY. I’ve got a plan and I’m NOT TELLING YOU WHAT IT IS. Now hush or River shoots you with her Spoiler Gun.”
    • Nerds throughout the Commonwealth sighed in audible relief.

Geek Speak

PSA: CEA trying to sell off free over-the-air HDTV Bandwidth (SM)

  • They want to let the “free market” soak up all the bandwidth you could be using for free
  • Cite low number who actually use the service.
  • (SM) HANDS OUT OF MY COOKIE JAR
  • dual analog controller,
  • front and rear camera,
  • OLED touch screen type,
  • touchpad on the back.
  • V4-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU and a
  • 200 MHz SGX543MP4+ GPU.
    • Playstation 3D TV
      • Non-split screen mode where both can play on the full screen
      • 24” 3D TV
      • Good glasses for $4.99
    • New Nintendo Console
      • Wii U, Wii U (btm.. like an amblance)
      • 480i to 1080p, HDMI output
      • Flash based memory + sd card slot + usb for external storage
      • Awesome controller that is
        • touch capable
        • a cross between a ds and a dreamcast controller
        • (think mini-tablet w/ 6 inch screen and motion controls)
        • can play games independent of Wii
        • Interact with games on the screen
        • (SM) I actually want one of these :D
        • This has SUCH amazing potential it’s unbelievable. I’m seeing people either geeked to get theirs or declaring it the beginning of the end of Nintendo. I am definitely leaning much more toward the geeked side. (udg)

Tech, Gaming, and Geek News

  • EA’s Origin Takes on Steam and Games for Windows (udg)
    • Electronic Arts announced some pretty big news with the launch of the Origin game store and social network, a direct-download game marketplace and social service for gamers who play EA titles. It is available now and came out the gate with over 150 EA titles. In the future they will be publishing all their new games, including Battlefield 3, FIFA 12, and games from partner studios in the Origin store.
    • Sound a bit familiar? Add to that an application on your system that will manage installations, licensing, updates, and new purchases for you electronically and keep track of your achievements, let you connect with other people who play the same games, and share what you’re playing with friends. Yeah, I’m guessing right about now Steam and Games for Windows are popping in your head.
    • Back when Steam first launched, the took a huge chance. It was untested and both gamers and publishers were clueless as to whether digital distribution would even really work. Steam is a HUGE success, Microsoft can’t really claim that with their Games for Windows.
    • There is one area Origin is taking gamers that Steam and Games isn’t and that is onto mobile devices. EA plans to give gamers a way to connect with Origin, find their friends, and play multiplayer games with them. They even tipped there’ll be a mobile version of Battlefield 3 that will be playable using Origin. They’re also plannig exclusive content, game releases, downloads, and easy purchasing through the Origin store.
    • The big question that goes unanswered with all of this news however is whether or not EA will pull its game library from other digital download stores because they’re launching their own. Many gamers already have both Steam and Games for Windows on their systems, and Mac users have adopted Steam wholeheartedly. We’ll have to see if EA moves to force people who want their games to install Origin to buy and download them.
  • Poor Sony, Still free game (sm)
    • Sony Music Brazil, Russia, and their Internal network were all hacked
    • a subversion repository was released on the Internet
    • a group called “lulzec” has essentially declared war against Sony
    • “We\’ve recently bought a copy of this great new game called \”Hackers vs Sony\”, but we\’re unable to play it online due to PSN being obliterated. So we decided to play offline mode for a while and got quite a few trophies. Our latest goal is \”Hack Sony 5 Times\”, so please find enclosed our 5th Sony hack. Enjoy this 54MB collection of SVN Sony Developer source code. That\’s hackers 16, Sony 0. Your move!”
    • Still no idea what Sony did to become such a target for hackers….
    • Their stock has fallen like 29%
  • Steve Jobs Wants to Build Giant Spaceship-Shaped Headquarters (btm)
    • Jobs presented his plans for the new 150 acre property at the televised Cupertino City Council meeting on Tuesday.
    • Currently Apple employees are scattered throughout the city in rented buildings and office space
    • The new campus would place 12,000 or 13,000 employees into one giant 4 story oval shaped complex.
    • Moving parking underground allows for 80% of the campus to be landscaped and filled with 6,000 trees.
    • Company plans to build its own “energy center” to power the complex
    • Jobs reminded the Council that Apple pays more taxes than any other company in the city, and while they would love to remain in Cupertino, it would be a shame if they had to move somewhere else like Mountain View in order to build their complex.
    • Is it just me or is this starting to sound like a Bond Villain’s lair?
  • Apple Paying Up to $150 Mil to Music Labels for iCloud (udg)
    • With Universal Music now along for the ride, Apple has officially signed the last of 4 deals with 4 major music labels and will now be able to launch its iCloud streaming and storage service. And they’ve ponied up a healthy sum in return for permission to access their content in the cloud.
    • According to the NY Post, Apple is paying between $100- $150 million UPFRONT to the labels. Business Insider stated “Apple has $66 billion in cash and long-term and short-term securities.” So, basically, spending up to $150 million to avoid any future lawsuits from these music labels is really not a big deal for Apple.” When you phrase it that way, yeah it’s really not.
    • Both Amazon and Google, however, launched their own cloud music services without any sort of contract from any of the labels. Amazon claimed it didn’t need any licenses to store music since its service works pretty much like an external hard drive. A user has to upload each song one by one to be able to access their content in the cloud.
    • Apple defines the iCloud as “iCloud is so much more than a hard drive in the sky. It’s the effortless way to access just about everything on all your devices. iCloud stores your content so it’s always accessible from your iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Mac, or PC. It gives you instant access to your music, apps, latest photos, and more. And it keeps your email, contacts, and calendars up to date across all your devices. No syncing required. No management required. In fact, no anything required. iCloud does it all for you.”
    • Pricing seems to be up in the air a bit. We know that the first 5gb is free. We know that they’ve talked about a $25 yearly fee. What we don’t know exactly how much storage that $25 will get you.
    • According to Apple’s site, Free Gets You A Lot. When you sign up for iCloud, you automatically get 5GB of free storage. And that’s plenty of room, because of the way iCloud stores your content. Your purchased music, apps, and books, as well as your Photo Stream, don’t count against your free storage. That leaves your mail, documents, Camera Roll, account information, settings, and other app data. And since those things don’t use as much space, you’ll find that 5GB goes a long way.
    • Apple is said to be taking 30 percent of iCloud revenue, whereas the labels will be getting 58 percent. The New York Post said Apple has finalized deals with the necessary music publishers, who will be getting 12 percent of the revenue.
    • Now, I’ve been pretty open about my skepticism about the almighty cloud and I can hear Steven ITCHING to blurt out some “worship at the alter of Apple” comment. But, I’m on the fence. On the one hand, if anyone is going to protect my stuff, it’s gonna be Apple. On the other hand, this is a hacker’s wet dream. In the end, I honestly trust that if this bad boy wasn’t a zillion per cent locked down and safe, it wouldn’t be launched this Fall. Bottom line? I’ll do what I do when it comes to EVERY Apple item- I never jump aboard right out the gate. With this I’ll give it a few weeks for the kinks to get worked out and the hackers to give it their best. When all has died down, then I’ll give it a go.
  • MacOS X “Lion” Unveiled at WWDC (btm)
    • Scheduled for a July release.
    • It will be a Mac App Store exclusive download for $29
    • Begins to incorporate some of the better elements of iOS to MacOS
      • Multi-touch gestures
      • Full screen applications
      • Mission Control
      • Auto-Save and versioning
      • Redesigned Apple Mail
      • Better Search features
    • 4GB download
  • China Warns Google (udg)
    • Dear Google, I heart you. So, according to an official Beijing newspaper Monday, Google has become a “political tool” vilifying the Chinese Government. In fact they flat out warned that the Internet giant’s statements about hacking attacks traced to China could hurt its business. Of course this all appeared in the leading newspaper of China’s ruling Communist Party.
    • Why exactly does China have it’s cha in a bunch? (btw thank you google translate) Last week Google came forward with news it had broken up yet another effort to steal the passwords of hundreds of Google email account holders, including Chinese human rights advocates and journalists and oh US GOVT OFFICIALS. And that these attacks seemed to come from China.
    • Of course the Chinese Foreign Ministry rejected those accusations, and then whipped out the warning to Google about  playing a risky political game. On the front page no less. According to the paper, by saying that Chinese human rights activists were among the targets of the hacking, Google was “deliberately pandering to negative Western perceptions of China, and strongly hinting that the hacking attacks were the work of the Chinese government.”
    • “Google’s accusations aimed at China are spurious, have ulterior motives, and bear malign intentions,” said the commentary, written by an editor at the paper.
    • “Google should not become overly embroiled in international political struggle, playing the role of a tool for political contention,” the paper added. For when the international winds shift direction, it may become sacrificed to politics and will be spurned by the marketplace,” it said, without specifying how Google’s business could be hurt.
    • A Google spokeswoman said the U.S. firm had no comment on the remarks. If I were that spokeswoman, you know I’d have had some comments.
    • Why is China REALLY upset? Google said last week that the hacking attacks appeared to come from Jinan, the capital of China’s eastern Shandong province and home to an intelligence unit of the People’s Liberation Army.
    • U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates over the weekend warned that Washington was prepared to use force against cyber-attacks it considered acts of war.  Hacking a major US company to obtain passwords to US Govt Official’s passwords could very well fall under that category. And to think I joked about hacking Google probably not being considered and act of war. Thank you China for proving me wrong. And eff you if you think your silly threats will actually have a negative effect on Google.
  • France Bans “Facebook” and “Twitter From the Media (btm)
    • Ban goes back to a 1992 French law that prohibits mentioning the services due to it being a form of advertising and preferential treatment.
    • Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel (organization responsible for regulating French electronic media) says,
    • “Why give preference to Facebook, which is worth billions of dollars, when there are many other social networks that are struggling for recognition?”
    • To get around the rules French broadcasters will start saying “Find us on social networking sites” or hope they will find links to their Facebook and Twitter pages via their web site links.
  • Average Gamer Age Surprising!! (SM)
    • Guess the Age (SM- I know, I know!!)
    • Average Game Buyer? 41 yrs old
    • FTC Undercover Shopper program:
    • only 17% of ppl over 17 were able to buy M-rated games
    • contract: 38% under 18 were allowed to buy R-Rated movies
    • All published by the ESA (they regulate the ratings on games)
    • 25 billion dollars spent on games in the last yr / 5 billion online
  • Droid 3 Videos Leaked (udg)
    • In case you haven’t heard, a trio of training videos complete with some basic how-to instructions for the upcoming Motorola Droid 3 were posted to YouTube this weekend by “Phonepads.” Not surprisingly, Motorola has had them yanked. Of course, it’s the intarwebs so a number of other YouTube and Vimeo users have re-posted them.
    • So what can we learn from them? Well they give us a a pretty decent tour of the yet-unreleased Droid 3 complete with where all the buttons and ports will all be. Just like the original Droid and #2, the keypad will slide-out but it’s going to have a 5th row of # keys up top so you so’t have to hit Alt and then the combo letter/number key anymore.
    • While the video makes it pretty clear that what you see may not be the final product, it looks like it’s going to come with Gingerbread pre-installed, sport an 8 megapixel cam with LED flash on the back of 1080p video and probably sport a dual-core processor.
    • Some other notable stuffs- they added an HDMI port on the side, the power button is on the center top of the phone now and the screen looks bigger, but they don’t say how large it is.
    • No leak is thorough it seems so there are still some unanswered questions out there. I think one of the biggest is whether this will be a 4G LTE phone or not. Others maybe storage or processor speed.
    • I’m on the side of those that feel Motorola pulled the “controlled leak” card with this (especially with it being on the heels of the big Apple’s big annual WW Developers Conference) so expect to hear more soon.
  • DC Comics Resets to #1 (once again) and Announces Day & Date Delivery (btm)
    • Last week’s big news in the comic world was thought to be the renumbering of DC Comics to #1 and a total restructuring and sometimes redesign of characters in the DC Universe.
    • The “real” big news was the announcement of Day & Date Digital Delivery
    • JLA #1 will be released in print and digital formats the same day and this is the first of many.
    • Many are concerned this will hurt comic book retailers as comic readers will now be able to get their fix digitally instead of driving to the stores.
    • Expect Marvel to follow suit later in the summer.

Intarweb Goldmine

  • Friendly PSA For Our FL Listeners (udg)
    • On May 21, 2011, a bronze statue of three dolphins was taken in at Allied Recycling located 3770 Veronica Shoemaker Boulevard Fort Myers, Florida. Allied Recycling contacted Law Enforcement believing the statue was connected to Lee County Sheriff’s Office burglary investigation from North Fort Myers, Florida. Unfortunately this did not belong to that particular victim.
    • Local Law Enforcement believes that this statue belongs to a victim who may not have reported it stolen. If you or someone you know had a 300lbs bronze dolphin statue stolen, please call the Cape Coral Police Department at 239-574-3223.
    • Okay, seriously who the HELL steals a 300lb statue!?!? Of dolphins.
  • “Thanks For Taking My Money, A–hole!” (btm)
    • Austin area movie theater has a strict “no talking, no texting policy”
    • Recently they ask a theater patron to leave
    • The upset patron called the theater’s customer service line and left an empassioned, expletive laced message expressing her displeasure at being asked to leave.
    • Theater now plays the uncut message as their “Don’t Talk or Text” PSA before R-rated movies.
  • Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (udg)
    • Now, there’s nothing wrong with driving with the top down. Driving with YOUR top down, a whole other story. Especially when you’re drunk and carrying marijuana in your purse.
    • Florida police pulled Keila De Oliveria Leite over for driving erratically, on the wrong side of the road, 20 miles below the speed limit and oh passing a Martin County deputy who tried to stop her.
    • When they did finally get her to stop, Keila was naked from the waist up and had weed sticking out of her purse. A search of her car found a pot pipe too. To top it all off, this classy chick got all kinds of feisty about putting her shirt back on. They did manage to get one on her for her mug shot. Yeah, she failed several sobriety tests and has been charged with  driving under the influence and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Guess they must have been feeling kind, or appreciative, because no indecent exposure charges were made.
  • 51 yr old Lady Charged with Pushing Garbage Full of Body Parts (SM)
    • Police in California strolled up on an older lady pushing garbage
    • Guess what was inside? A fully dismembered decomposing Human
    • Yeah, they’re not sure where he came from
    • Either homicide or disenterment are the two theories
    • The lady ain’t commenting on who her victim in the 30 gallon garbage is
    • (sm) My thoughts? Not only Zombies love brainzzzz
  • These Ain’t No Crop Circles (udg)
    • One of the sheer joys of Google Maps is the photos it manages to catch. Some are downright hilarious, well unless you’re the folks at Fairfield College in the North Island town of Hamilton.  Seems while looking for a home in the area, Kiwi David McQuoid spotted a photo from the campus featuring several cartoon-like phalluses in various sizes- some several meters across.
    • The school’s acting principal said it was hard enough to deal with it when it happened back in 2009.
    • It happened over a weekend but it wasn’t until the grass died off bit by bit that phallic symbols started to pop up around the school grounds. Every week another crude image revealed itself, much to the dismay of staff. “There’s not really much we could do about it,” he told a newspaper. “The caretaker took some more weedkiller and tried to camouflage it a bit.”
    • The culprits were never caught and the prank probably would have passed into schoolboy folklore had it not been captured by Google Maps.
    • The red-faced principal said he would be contacting Google to plead for the image’s removal but an internet privacy specialist said it was difficult to get such satellite photographs changed or blurred.
    • Kiwis however, thought the prank was hilarious, with 70 adding mostly encouraging comments to the online story, like “Freakin brilliant!!! Love it!!! Classic piece of adolescent artwork.”
    • One gave the artists an A+, top marks for cunning, planning, chemistry and geometry, while another said their anatomy detailing left a lot to be desired.
    • “I totally reckon it was actually girls,” they wrote. See, if they were made THAT big, yeah it wasn’t girls.
    • Then came a confession: “HAHAHA!!! we did this as our 7th form prank, now it lives on! how awesome!”

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]]> http://thepowergeeks.com/2011/06/the-power-geeks-104/feed/ 1 android,Apple,China,comics,E3,gaming,Geek,ipad,IPhone,Microsoft,pc,ps3 We are LIVE on Ustream. Tonight we talk E3, The new Wii Controller, Some Apple Stuffs, New movie releases, and even the surprise average age of gamers... - Intro Natali Intro Ben - Items of Interest Instructables (udg) - We are LIVE on Ustream. Tonight we talk E3, The new Wii Controller, Some Apple Stuffs, New movie releases, and even the surprise average age of gamers... Intro Natali Intro Ben Items of Interest Instructables (udg) It occurred to me today that I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned one of my absolute favorite sites on here. I have mentioned Etsy and it’s crack-like ability to suck me in for hours. Well, Instructables is it’s counter-part. It is THE site for anyone that’s ever wanted how to make…. well anything. I’m not kidding! From a PC Case out of a mannequin to cupcakes and every possible thing in between, there’s an instructables for that. Bring Me the Head of Green Lantern (btm) Made by Schell Sculpture Studio They design concept art for TV and Movies Creating a Hal Jordan bust based on the DC Comics character Open Source Flashlight (SM) Started by 500 Lumen bulb (high end) 350 lumen at the low end Fully Open source (you can change how bright, blink, modes, from your computer) top end is USB chargeable (about time, most tac lights take expensive batteries) On a kickstarter but already exceeded their goal by more than double I totally bought the ultra bright one The World of Mistrunner (udg) With 28 days to go, I really wanted to mention this awesome kickstarter from our loyal chat room member and friend Naked Hobo again. What is Mistrunner? In the creator’s words it’s a RPG set in world of high fantasy, steampunk and a bit of post apocalyptic action thrown in as well. What I see is an amazing game, ney world, he has crafted out of obvious love. One of the things that makes me most proud to be a gnork is the support that we all give each other. Bound together by the very things that set us apart. Please help us support this project. Times are tough and that’s understandable. If you can give $1, that’s awesome and it will get you listed in the book as a Patron. If you can’t, that’s okay too. What you can do it blog about it, tweet about it, FB it, carrier pigeon it, get it out to everyone you know and help make this dream a reality. Wanna iPad laptop? (btm) Nifty device from Crux The Crux Loaded features a clamshell keyboard case, Bluetooth trackpad and external battery to turn your iPad into a more laptop-like device. Available this fall. Star Wars Rubber Duckies (udg) Rubber duckies are kind of awesome. Now you can haz Star Wars themed rubber duckies complete with 45 battery life LED lights in them. A rubber ducky you can be proud to bring in the tub or pool this summer. Gold Sponsors: Jeb Apps - Today in Geek History, Today in Movie History Want to wow all your friends with off-the-wall Movie Trivia? Want to know more about Geek History and share them with your friends? Today in Geek History and Today in Movie History are for you Both have been out on the Android Marketplace for awhile now After a long vetting period, Today in Movie History is now available on iTunes!!! Go check out both apps, TIGH  and TIMH, now available on both Android and iPhone Now As Seen on Wired.com!! Natali’s Etsy!!! Need your noms???? @UberDorkGirlie’s etsy is the way to go :) :) Whether it’s Woookie Cookies, Happy Pandas, or Unicorn Treats, every sweet tooth needs to try them out Need a present and don’t want to bake? then Natali’s Etsy store is the way to go Deals of the Week / New Releases Subway Goes All Out for Green Lantern (udg) Subway has launched a new promo that could have you unlocking awards like free Green Lantern movie tickets and other stuff.  Want in? Download the SCVNGR app for your iPhone or droid. Complete easy challenges Win prizes and rewards. Pretty simple. Oh and grand prize? Tickets to the Green Lantern Premiere in LA. New Movie Releases for 1st Week June (SM) Epic Westerns Alert: The Outlaw Jose Waley (clint eastwood) - I <3 The Good, Steven Molen clean 1:40:14 The Power Geeks #91 http://thepowergeeks.com/2011/03/the-power-geeks-91/ http://thepowergeeks.com/2011/03/the-power-geeks-91/#comments Thu, 10 Mar 2011 05:02:54 +0000 DarthMolen http://thepowergeeks.com/?p=16652

We are LIVE on Ustream . New movie formats, possible? maybe, Next Gen consoles, Wonder Woman Update, and the death of the shuttle program…

Intro Jeremy
Intro Natali

Items of Interest

  • “SUPER” – coming to theatres April 1 – (trailer here)
  • Nerdy Bedtime Stories FTW (udg)
    • After seeing an article for Five Sci-Fi Children’s Books on College Humor, Julia Yu decided to do a more fleshed out version of Goodnight Dune. While she thought the original parody art was amazing, she chose to stick closer to the Original Goodnight Moon and incorporated some stylistic elements from the David Lynch movie version of Dune.
  • Backflip Studios releaseing Army of Darkness Game for iOS this summer! (JP)
    • Yup— you heard me right… all you Evil Dead fans! coming to your iPhone, iPad, iTouch device soon! Screenshot at the link in the show notes… check it out…
  • Craigslist Scam (udg)
    • I had the joy of my TV breaking on Friday and decided to go through Craigslist to find a new one. I was surprised to find a fairly well-thought out scam. The TV was reasonably priced, photo from a home not stock, wording seemed legitimate. Responded. Got back an email that was, again, well written, didn’t seem autobot and ended with “Please visit: CL Phone Safe which will certify you wtih CL. I’ll call you as soon as done and give you my address to pick  it up.” Seemed reasonable. Go to the site, at first glance looks legit. But, I’m me. Googled the gmail addy it was sent from and yeah COMPLETE SCAM! So, remember- be careful when dealing on CL. Do NOT enter your number in on a site like that, mo matter how it looks, without first researching.

Gold Sponsors:

Natali’s Etsy!!!

  • Need your noms????
  • @UberDorkGirlie’s etsy is the way to go :) :)
  • Whether it’s Woookie Cookies, Bark Maul, or Hothballs, every sweet tooth needs to try them out
  • Need a present and don’t want to bake? then Natali’s Etsy store is the way to go
  • Convention Schedule
    • C2E2 – March 18-20

Big Exciting News… We are very close (depending on Apple) to being able to test and release our first iPhone app!!! (@JebsApps) it’ll be Movie History… with lots of new features (that we can’t make androids do… yet) but both will be getting a huge update to the Database!!! and right on the heels of that will be Geek History with a bigger update to the Database!!! So… More Geekiness… = More GeekyGoodness!!
Get yours today if you have an Android for only $0.99 to keep up with facts like:
Today in MovieHistory 3/9/2007 2007
300 directed by Zack Snyder is released starring Gerard Butler and telling the tale of the battle of Thermopylae

Deals of the Week / New Release

  • Dragon Age II released
  • New DVD Releases
    • The Walking Dead Season 1
    • EXCALIBUR!!!!
    • Nausicaa – Myazaki – Both Dub and Japanese, Subtitle
    • The Man from Nowhere – John Woo and Ringo Lam. ‘nuff said

Geek Speak

  • Movie Industry Backing new Video Cloud Standard (SM)
    • There’s a new video format in town “Ultra-Violet”
    • Cloud-Friendly – download on all your devices through the cloud by storing it on 3rd party servers
    • One big roadblock was HBO and Time Warner, which blocks certain programs when they go on their networks
    • Talks are progressing to relax that for the cloud based media
  • Facebook To Take On Netflix? (udg)
    • ($3 for 48 hr rental??)
    • Meet your new media company: Facebook. Warner Bros just announced it will begin distributing movies for sale and rent via Facebook, beginning with “The Dark Night.” It will be available for rental for $3 or 30 Facebook credits. Hmm… I love the movie, so much so that I happily sprung the $1.99 to buy it at Target when it was on sale. I gotta say I’m not too impressed with the first selection or the price initially attached to it.
    • “The Dark Knight” isn’t a new release (2008), and Facebook appears to be getting the same terms as iTunes, which rents the film for $2.99 and sells it for $9.99. One thing Facebook (and Netflix) have that Apple doesn’t is a beachhead as an app on most internet-connected TVs.
    • Another way they’re similar: Facebook takes a 30% cut of credits transactions, just like iTunes. Still, if Facebook allows studios to sell their wares directly and set their terms, there’s no reason its catalog won’t expand quickly. Netflix shares opened nearly 3% lower on the Nasdaq the morning this deal was announced.
  • Netflix kinda scares them
    • Insiders are saying that the movie industry is angry and scared of Netflix
    • Who wouldn’t be? More content, all you can eat. Fixed price. No more $20 to watch a movie once
  • Are we still movie collectors or has that gone the way of the Dodo?

Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

  • “Tweetviewer” virus spreading like wildfire (SM)
    • You see a tweet link from a friend – “I just viewed my TOP20 Profile STALKERS. I can’t believe my EX is still checking me every day –<<bit.ly Link Here>>”
    • You click, get the oauth, but instead of delivering an app, the hackers now have your un/pw
    • Its amazing how curious ppl are to see who is looking at their profiles
    • Hackers know this, targeting these ppl with the above phishing scheme
    • If you got targeted: Settings > Connections > Revoke Access.
    • ahhh, the dangers of short links
  • Xbox 720 Here We Come (udg)
    • Back in 2006 when Sony unveiled the PS3 and stated they expected to be around for over a decade, it seemed absurd. And, 5 years later, it’s certainly showing no signs of being at the end of it’s lifespan. Heck, even the 11 year old PS2 is still outselling The PSP on occasion. The same longevity goes to the Xbox 360, which outages the PS3.
    • So, it seems Sony was right, this generation of consoles is looking at a decade long run. We can expect the same for the next generations as well. It just takes at least that long for game developers to figure out how to optimally leverage the technology of a console and get the most out of it.  When it starts to see like the console is starting to stagnate a bit, in comes some new life like the Kinect of Move.
    • Having said all that, don’t get too excited but Microsoft has just posted a slew of job openings that pretty much indicate they’re ramping up for a third generation Xbox.  Namely to join a team responsible for “defining and delivering next generation architectures.”  We probably won’t see the Xbox 720 until 2015 still it is encouraging to know they are looking for a design verificaion engineer, a graphics hardware architect and an audio/video hardware architect this far out. If it takes 10 years for developers to really get a current gen console to reach it’s full potential, five years to design the next generation seems about right.
  • Best Buy Announces New Geek Squad Service (JP)
    • Best Buy hot off the heels of it’s new Buy Back program announcement is announcing more new ideas…
      • This time it’s unlimited Geek Squad Tech Support, that will allow computer and tablet purchasers to pay a flat fee for service from the Geeks, not just on the computer they purchased at Best Buy but on all computers that customer owns.
      • details about what is or is not included are sketchy at best at this point, but the tipster tells us it will cost around $200 for one year of GSTS coverage.
      • Are you willing to pay 200 bucks a year for support?
  • Facebook Bans Adsense from Apps (SM)
    • Ad Providers for FB apps were finalized other day
    • Unsurprisingly, adsense (owned by google), was left off the list
    • FB is stating that any missing network has not met the TOS
    • Devs now have to severe relationships with “non-compliant” advertisers
    • The community manager has directed the devs to talk w/ their providers
    • Should be handling that directly with adsense
  • Wonder Woman Update? As You Wish (udg)
    • The cast of NBC’s Wonder Woman pilot is starting to shape up with a couple of big announcements this week.
    • Cary Elwes, best known as Wesley from The Princess Bride, has been signed up to play Henry Detmer, the acting CEO of Themyscira Industries. Henry is thought to be “devoted” to Diana and could be a love interest for her later in the series.
    • Liz Hurley has confirmed that she has also joined the cast as Wonder Woman’s nemesis, adding: “I’ll be playing the evil villain. Can’t wait.”
    • The role of Diana’s personal assistant Etta has gone to Tracie Thoms, formerly on Cold Case and Pedro Pascal will play a police liaison who is a loyal ally of Wonder Woman’s alter ego Diana.
    • Caprica director Jeffrey Reiner is expected to helm the Wonder Woman pilot, which is under consideration for NBC’s 2011-12 television season.
    • Adrianne Palicki showed up at the premiere of her new movie Elektra Luxx with new, darker hair. I’m not sure I’m feeling the bangs and I don’t expect the big hair of our original gal, but a little bit of bounce wouldn’t hurt. Is it just me, or does she look like Xena? I know, I know, I’m trying not to be nit picky, really I am! :)
    • (jp – when I see Lucy Lawless nowadays I think of Spartacus on Showtime, not Xena)
  • Shuttle Undocks for the last time from the ISS (SM)
    • The last official shuttle visit has left the ISS building on March 17th
    • This was the 13th visit to the space station for the retiring platform
    • The station disengaged at 7 AM to the sounds of the original “Star Trek”
    • Good ol’ William Shatner himself voiced a slightly different intro
    • “Space…the final frontier,” Shatner said as the music played. “These have been the voyages of the space shuttle Discovery. Her 30-year mission: to seek out new science, to build new outposts, to bring nations together on the final frontier, to boldly go and do what no spacecraft has done before.”
    • Upon undocking, the Shuttle did a 360 fly-around that lasted for a good hour
    • (sm)I will admit, I cried when reading this article
    • Oh well, who really cares about scientific endea
  • Google Doodle Celebrates 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day (udg)
    • Yesterday Google’s homepage greeted visitors with a new Google doodle celebrating the 100th year of International Women’s Day. It didn’t just highlight women’s achievements over this last century, clicking on it too you to a page that explains more about IWD and its corresponding events that Google has a big part in.
    • They invited both men and women to take part in the “Join me on the Bridge” campaign, which encouraged supporters to gather on almost 300 bridges in 50 countries yesterday to celebrate women’s achievements, and to shine a spotlight on issues that effect women in developing countries and around the world.
    • According to Google,
      • We invite you to join tens of thousands of people coming together on bridges all over the world — from the Millennium Bridge in London, the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, to the Grand Barriere Bridge joining Rwanda and Congo — to show your support for women’s causes and celebrate women’s achievements.
    • Couldn’t make it to a participating bridge? You could also show support by “checking in virtually” using Street View. The Google Map showed events hosted by Google, by the Women for Women International organization, by hosted supporters, and by hosted online supporters.
    • Not only did Google change its logo for International Women’s Day, the “Pegman” icon found on Google Maps was also changed to a female version.
    • Below the map of events, they listed ways to support women’s causes. Each section listed places to donate, and information about each cause. Under the “empowerment” tab we learn that 75 percent of all women cannot get bank loans because they have unpaid or insecure jobs and lack property ownership rights. We see in the “economic security” section that women perform two-thirds of the world’s work and produce half the world’s food, but earn just 10 percent of the income and own 1 percent of the property. And in the “health section,” we learn that 99 percent of maternal deaths are preventable, but every minute a woman dies from pregnancy-related causes.
    • International Women’s Day also brought out the celebrities, including Geena Davis – whose gender-and–media institute was one of the affiliated causes—and Annie Lennox, who will help lead the London event.
  • del Toro’s Lovecraft Adaptation Nixed (JP)
    • Guillermo Del Toro of Pan’s Labyrinth fame… who ‘left’ (or was fired depending on who’s story you believe) The Hobbit was set to make a $150 million live-action film of H.P. Lovecraft’s “At the Mountains of Madness.”
    • has been canned by the studio… This is very disappointing to myself and anyone else was looking forward to a well done telling of a Lovecraft story….
      • Lots have been done… none have been done justice…
    • Hitting the Road to SXSW With Geek Entrepreneurs (udg)
      • So a couple dozen coders and geek entrepreneurs step off a shiny, high-tech bus at a barbecue joint in Texas.
      • Nope, it’s not a joke.  It’s the Startup Bus, which is, yes, a group of a couple dozen coders and geek entrepreneurs riding a shiny, high-tech bus through the Lone Star State from their hometowns to the South by Southwest Interactive conference in Austin, Texas, part of the broader SXSW music and film festival.
      • This is not your standard road trip though, it’s a high-paced competition. Yesterday they boarded the bus, were broken up into small teams and have 48 hours to come up with the best, most viable, tech start-up.  And we’re not talking just one bus. 150 “busrepreneur” loaded their laptops and red bull in cities from New York, to Miami, Cleveland and Chicago to San Fran. In two sleepless days they will have to build a start-up from the ground up and the best team will take home the glory and possible future funding when everyone hits Austin.
      • This is the brainchild of Australian entrepreneur Elias Bizannes who created the Startup Bus and took his first group of buspreneurs to Austin last year.
      • “It’s about developing the people in a contained environment that mimics a real start-up situation with constraints,” Bizannes said, “to get people to focus on what’s important…For Startup Bus, we’re trying to develop the entrepreneurial potential of people by helping them develop their experience, network, skills, and confidence. What we are really trying to do is build a community where the Startup Bus experience is simply the initiation rite into that community…a closed community where job and partnership opportunities can be shared, co-founders can be met, and ideas can be shared–in an environment where everyone can be vetted, trusted, and accessible.”
      • Once the buses hit the pavement, a Startup Bus stock market game will begin. According to Bizannes “It’s a game where all the start-ups are listed on a stock market and their share price increases through a combination of milestones that the teams achieve and actions that players–i.e. people not on the bus–perform.
      • The  Startup Bus organizers have arranged to ensure that just about everything that happens onboard is posted online–be it a blog post by a team member, a tweet, a video, or a photo–and geotagged so that the viewing public can follow along more or less in real time.
      • I want to know that Bizannes is a scout for the Angel List and I think this is an awesome idea, but take issue with his whole “initiation rite” into a “closed community”
    • Meth Dealer in Danger of losing 18,753 Comic Books
      • Guy gets caught for manufacturing meth
      • Gov’t claims that he was laundering money by buying rare comics
      • Personally, THIS IS GENIUS!!!, although I don’t support illegal drug habits
      • Whats to say the guy just didn’t love the medium? Maybe he just wanted an awesome collection?
      • Guy is still going to get his day in court.
    • Spiderman Postpones Opening (udg)
      • For those of you on the edges of your seats for the March 15th opening of “Spider-Man: Turn of the Dark” on Broadway, you may want to sit back and relax a bit. It seems the producers are planning a huge overhaul of the $65 million musical.
      • As of late Tuesday, the new opening night is also not clear. An official start in June wold mark the 6th delay to the opening of “Spider-Man” in the show’s long and troubled history which began in 2002 when Marvel first reached out to Broadway producer Tony Adams with the idea. It has since survived Mr. Adam’s death in 2005, almost bankrupted in 2009 and faced technical issues regarding its arial stunts this past Fall and Winter which lead to the injuries of 4 performers and numerous state and federal safety code violations. Not to mention it just completed its 99th preview performance on Tuesday night, more than any other show in history and it’s also twice as expensive as the next big-budget Broadway show, “Shrek the Musical.”
      • Bottom line-  fiercely negative reviews from most of the nation’s theater critics last month have led the producers to feel the show needs fresh eyes and have asked Julie Taymor, who is its director, one of its script writers, its mask designer and far and away its chief creative force to work with new collaborators or face another resolution, possibly even leaving.

      Intarweb Goldmine

        • Klepto Kitty (udg)
          • Dusty, a Siamese cat in Redwood City CA has redefined Cat Burglar. His owner, Jean Chu, recently displayed hundreds of items on tables in front of their home hoping the owners would come by and claim the goods.
          • The items included balls, towels, car wash mitts, gloves, shirts, bathing suits and other miscellaneous clothing. Chu estimates that Dusty — who has been dubbed “Klepto Kitty” — has stolen more than 500 items over the years.
          • Chu said Dusty leaves at night through a pet door that is left open for the family dogs. He retrieves items left on neighboring porches and in backyards — a favorite being bathing suits in the summer.
          • Neighbors claimed the clothing, but most of the towels remained. Chu is thinking of donating those to the Peninsula Humane Society, which rescued Dusty as a kitten.
          • Girl Scout Cookie Crime At It Again (udg)
            • First there was a brawl over thin mints, now that’s not powdered sugar in that box of Girl Scout cookies.  A New Port Richey man was arrested after police found cocaine in a Girl Scout cookie box inside his car. Police say they pulled Stevenson Papin over because one headlight was out.
            • During the traffic stop, the officer noticed an empty box of Girl Scout cookies with a small plastic baggie inside. The box was next to Papin’s leg.
            • Police say the baggie had a white rock-like substance inside. A field test on the substance was positive for cocaine.
            • According to police, Papin said “I ain’t going to say it’s mine, but I ain’t gonna make your jobs harder. Take me to jail.”
            • Papin’s request was granted. He was taken to jail and charged with possession of cocaine.
              • (JP – now we know why those thin mints are so damn addictive!!!) (STEVEN… Hands off my joke!!!)
          • Residents Evacuated to Dunkin Donuts, After it Was Just Robbed
          • Intruder and Home Owner Call the Police on Each Other (JP) (If I may steal this one…)
            • Oregon police say both an intruder and a Portland homeowner phoned 911 to report the same thing: a strange man in a home.
            • Lt. Kelli Sheffer says the intruder told police he had just broken into a home Monday evening when the owner arrived — and the caller was worried the homeowner might have a gun.
            • Accompanied by his two German Shepherds, the homeowner found the intruder and asked what he was doing in the house. That’s when the stranger locked himself in a bathroom and phoned police.
            • The homeowner called police with his account.
            • Sheffer says 24-year-old Timothy James Chapek, of Portland, was booked into jail for investigation of first-degree criminal trespass.
            • Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/03/07/national/a220103S00.DTL#ixzz1GA59wsla

            Extra Links

            Contact Info

            • On Twitter: Steven is @DarthMolen, Jeremy is @jpuent, Natali is @UberDorkGirlie
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            ]]>             http://thepowergeeks.com/2011/03/the-power-geeks-91/feed/ 0 Apple,facebook,gaming,Geek,pc,ps2,ps3,star trek,starwars,tech,tv,xbox We are LIVE on Ustream . New movie formats, possible? maybe, Next Gen consoles, Wonder Woman Update, and the death of the shuttle program... - Intro Jeremy Intro Natali Items of Interest “SUPER” - coming to theatres April 1 - (trailer here) We are LIVE on Ustream . New movie formats, possible? maybe, Next Gen consoles, Wonder Woman Update, and the death of the shuttle program... Intro Jeremy Intro Natali Items of Interest “SUPER” - coming to theatres April 1 - (trailer here) Nerdy Bedtime Stories FTW (udg) After seeing an article for Five Sci-Fi Children’s Books on College Humor, Julia Yu decided to do a more fleshed out version of Goodnight Dune. While she thought the original parody art was amazing, she chose to stick closer to the Original Goodnight Moon and incorporated some stylistic elements from the David Lynch movie version of Dune. Backflip Studios releaseing Army of Darkness Game for iOS this summer! (JP) Yup--- you heard me right... all you Evil Dead fans! coming to your iPhone, iPad, iTouch device soon! Screenshot at the link in the show notes... check it out... Craigslist Scam (udg) I had the joy of my TV breaking on Friday and decided to go through Craigslist to find a new one. I was surprised to find a fairly well-thought out scam. The TV was reasonably priced, photo from a home not stock, wording seemed legitimate. Responded. Got back an email that was, again, well written, didn’t seem autobot and ended with “Please visit: CL Phone Safe which will certify you wtih CL. I'll call you as soon as done and give you my address to pick  it up.” Seemed reasonable. Go to the site, at first glance looks legit. But, I’m me. Googled the gmail addy it was sent from and yeah COMPLETE SCAM! So, remember- be careful when dealing on CL. Do NOT enter your number in on a site like that, mo matter how it looks, without first researching. Gold Sponsors: Natali’s Etsy!!! Need your noms???? @UberDorkGirlie’s etsy is the way to go :) :) Whether it’s Woookie Cookies, Bark Maul, or Hothballs, every sweet tooth needs to try them out Need a present and don’t want to bake? then Natali’s Etsy store is the way to go Convention Schedule C2E2 - March 18-20 Big Exciting News... We are very close (depending on Apple) to being able to test and release our first iPhone app!!! (@JebsApps) it’ll be Movie History... with lots of new features (that we can’t make androids do... yet) but both will be getting a huge update to the Database!!! and right on the heels of that will be Geek History with a bigger update to the Database!!! So... More Geekiness... = More GeekyGoodness!! Get yours today if you have an Android for only $0.99 to keep up with facts like: Today in MovieHistory 3/9/2007 2007 300 directed by Zack Snyder is released starring Gerard Butler and telling the tale of the battle of Thermopylae Deals of the Week / New Release Dragon Age II released New DVD Releases The Walking Dead Season 1 EXCALIBUR!!!! Nausicaa - Myazaki - Both Dub and Japanese, Subtitle The Man from Nowhere - John Woo and Ringo Lam. ‘nuff said Geek Speak Movie Industry Backing new Video Cloud Standard (SM) There’s a new video format in town “Ultra-Violet” Cloud-Friendly - download on all your devices through the cloud by storing it on 3rd party servers One big roadblock was HBO and Time Warner, which blocks certain programs when they go on their networks Talks are progressing to relax that for the cloud based media Facebook To Take On Netflix? (udg) ($3 for 48 hr rental??) Meet your new media company: Facebook. Warner Bros just announced it will begin distributing movies for sale and rent via Facebook, beginning with “The Dark Night.” It will be available for rental for $3 or 30 Facebook credits. Hmm… I love the movie, so much so that I happily sprung the $1.99 to buy it at Target when it was on sale. I gotta say I’m not too impressed with the first selection or the price initially attached to it. "The Dark Knight" isn't a new release (2008), and Facebook appears to be getting the same terms as iTunes, which rents the film for $2.99 and sells it for $9.99. Steven Molen clean 1:25:11             The Power Geeks #83 http://thepowergeeks.com/2011/01/the-power-geeks-83/ http://thepowergeeks.com/2011/01/the-power-geeks-83/#comments Thu, 13 Jan 2011 05:22:42 +0000 DarthMolen http://thepowergeeks.com/?p=16627

            We are LIVE on Ustream . This week we talk Verizon Iphone, Government conspiracies, Chinese devils 4 real, and HAN SOLO in Firefly!!! It’s real, believe it…

            Intro JPuent
            Intro Natali

            Take a moment to express our condolences for those lost this past weekend in Arizona, and thanks to those that stepped up to stop the mad man. Remind yourself that time in this life is short… be grateful for those that are important to you and take a moment to tell them.

            Items of Interest

            Your very own IPad Arcade
            Very Special Thanks to @missClareJordan
            She is an amazing Artist, A Geek Girl extraordinaire, Star Wars Geek… and awesome Tattooist…. if you’re out on the East Coast looking to get some work done… Visit her at No Regrets in Naugatauk, CT Follow her on twitter… and look for some big Geeky artsy things from her this summer…. Over the holidays she did this… to @JPuent
            Ender’s Hand Prints Tatt’d by @MissClareJordan !!!!

            • Han encased in Carbonite in every Firefly?
              • The way freakin’ awesome @Amy_Geek girl from the illustrious Geek With Curves has found one of the coolest things ever. Just when you thought Firefly could not achieve more awesomeness…it turns out there may be a Han encased in Carbonite in every episode.
              • And she’s hunting them down. Check out her post! :)

            Gold Sponsors:

            Natali’s Etsy!!!

            • Need your noms????
            • @UberDorkGirlie’s etsy is the way to go :) :)
            • Whether it’s Woookie Cookies, Bark Maul, or Hothballs, every sweet tooth needs to try them out
            • Need a present and don’t want to bake? then Natali’s Etsy store is the way to go
            • Today in Geek History
              • JebsApps (owned by our own Jeremy Puent) released their latest app, Today in Geek History
              • Gives you factoids based upon date, spanning all sorts of geekiness
              • For example, did you know on 1/12/1997  HAL (Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer) The HAL9000 became operational according to the 1992 Film 2010
              • This app is available for Android in a Lite version for free or a paid version, all on the Marketplace
              • Check out the lite version, but the paid version for .99
              • Or check out their new app Movie History
            • Convention Schedule
              • Milwaukee Anime Con – Feb. 18-20
              • C2E2 – March 18-20

            Deals of the Week / New Release

            • DC You-niverse Goes Live (udg)
              • You know you’ve always wanted to slip into some Super Hero tights and strut around like your favorite one. Now, here’s your chance. Well kinda.
              • Say hello to the now live DC Universe Online. Start with an entry-level gig at Wayne Enterprises. Clock out of work for the day and on goes the costume  and off you go to beat up some bad guys. Maybe chat up a Wonder Twin at a kegger Sat night or chill on Sunday while you’re icing some plasma burns and paging through the latest edition of The Daily Planet.
              • At some point in all our lives we wished we could slip into a DC Comic, live in DC Universe.  And now we can. The backstory is a bit twisty. Geek Chic Daily says “think time travel, alien overlords and a dead Superman” But, the animation is awesome. You go hero or villain and you can completely create and customize your character. Then you get to pick an iconic DC Character (like Superman, Batman, Lex Luthor or the Joker ) who sends you on assignments and group missions. There are also alternate gaming options that let groups of players square off against each other or you can throw down as your fave DCer.
              • You have no idea how much I wish this was Mac compatible. *pout*
            • Green Hornet Release – BRUCE LEE LIVES!!!
            • New DVD/Blu-Ray Releases, 2nd week of January
              • The Social Network (Natali’s new heartthrob)
              • Dances With Wolves Blu-Ray -
              • For you Picard Lovers – MacBeth (with Patrick Stewart)
              • Rob-Roy on Blu-Ray – For the Ep. 1 lovers out there (liam neeson) all two of you

              Geek Speak

              • Big Red announces it will have the iPhone 4 starting Feb 10th
                • The good, the Bad and the Ugly of the announcement
                • No Data while Voice is in progress – What does this mean to you?
                  • Guess we won’t see that ad touting iPhones ability to send emails or update reservations and check movie times while on the phone with a friend anymore…
                  • 1st time Apple will manage a product with 2 different user experiences
                    • This may prove to be a bigger deal than people expect… it may frustrate some customers and affect Apples stellar customer service experience. Part of the great service has been not having to sit through endless questions about what you’re using, service, etc…. as it has always been a known quantity… no longer the case.
                • Not an iPhone 5 as some had suspected
                • Hot Spot ability from day 1, unlimited data plan
                • no pricing announced yet
                • redesigned antennae so no repeat of Antennaegate
                • has facetime and retina display
              • So who will this hurt? Who thinks AT$T (not JP) what about who thinks it’ll hurt Android on Verizon the most?
              • App Devs are hoping this will mean a big boon to them.
              • What other changes are/ have come to Verizon in preparation for getting the iPhone?
              • Verizon iPhone- For Real This Time (udg)
                • It’s finally official. iPhone 4 will be available on Verizon starting next month.
                • The good: 16GB version will only cost $200 with a 2-year contract. The Verizon iPhone will offer a mobile hotspot to which up to 5 devices can be connected and rumor has it (via the WSJ) unlimited data will be FREE. Oh and they’ll have it in white.
                • The bad:  Your new shiny will NOT run on Verizon’s new ultra-fast 4G LTE network and (like all CDMA phones) you cannot use data while on a call. While Verizon’s Dan Dee swore otherwise during the press conference, many speculate that Verizon has the capacity to withstand the additional burden from millions of iPhone users.
                • Pre-orders start Feb 3rd, it launches live on the network Feb 10th.

                Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

                • Gov’t doc to limit leaks, leaked (JP)
                  • Ahhh, Irony of all Ironies, The document to get more security and prevent future leaks in the Gov’t was leaked to MSNBC…
                  • After WikiLeaks debacle, its understandable that they wanna plug the leaky boat
                  • In short, document wants the agencies to
                    • audit their systems for compliance to classified laws
                    • audit their system for leaks
                    • audit possible changes to the system to fix problems,
                    • acquire resources to complete said changes,
                    • and hire psychiatrists and sociologists to determine who might be a probable leak problem
                  • Obama administration suggests online unique Internet ID (SM)
                    • Obama is planning to hand authority to create over the ability to create an Internet ID for every online American
                    • It’s “the absolute perfect spot in the U.S. government” to centralize efforts toward creating an “identity ecosystem” for the Internet, White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard Schmidt said.
                    • Announced at Stanford, the administration is drafting what they call the “National Strategy for Truested Identities in Cyberspace”
                    • “We are not talking about a national ID card,” Locke said at the Stanford event. “We are not talking about a government-controlled system. What we are talking about is enhancing online security and privacy, and reducing and perhaps even eliminating the need to memorize a dozen passwords, through creation and use of more trusted digital identities.”
                    • Details still sketchy but the Gov’t wants the private sector to take the lead on the initiative
                    • Emphasizing Voluntary and Competitive
                    • Trying to say there would be no centralized storage, but how?
                    • You always have to have a trust authority somewhere…
                    • Thoughts??
                      • This is just a half step away from putting chips and barcodes on us to track our every move and listen in to our conversations and thoughts…
                  • Chinese Auction Site Sells 50,000 Stolen iTunes Accounts (udg)
                    • 50,000 of reportedly hacked iTunes accounts have been found on Chinese auction site Taobao, but the company claims it is unable to take action unless there are direct complaints, according to news reports.
                    • The Global Times reported last week that as many as 50,000 illegally obtained iTunes accounts were sold on China’s biggest consumer auction site. The Beijing-based newspaper also interviewed a seller who admitted the accounts were hacked but did not reveal how they were obtained.
                    • Taobao, however, said that to protect its users, it would not be taking action until it has received a formal request. In a statement carried by BBC, the company said: “We take all reasonable and necessary measures to protect the rights of consumers who use Taobao, of our sellers and of third-parties. Until we receive a valid takedown request, we cannot take action.”
                    • Yesterday the accounts were finally taken down. It is not clear whether it was due to complaints from those that purchased them or from pressure from Apple to remove.
                  • 3DS could hurt childrens eyes??? (SM)
                    • Nintendo recently announced on their website that the 3DS could hurt growth in kids eyes under 6 years of age…
                    • HUH, WHA???
                    • Their fix? There’s a 2D mode, and take hourly breaks for ppl over 6
                    • the 3DS claims to allow 3D gameplay without glasses
                    • They’re hoping the warning won’t hurt sales too much
                    • Sales start Feb. 26 in Japan ($300) and continue in March for the US
                    • (SM) Does anyone at Nintendo have a kid? When was the last time they did anything a parent asked them to do 100% of the time?
                  • Park Chan Wook debuts newest movie- shot solely on iPhone 4 (udg)
                    • (sm) damn I saw this and was gonna post… beat me 2 it :P (that’s right punk!!! >;-) )
                    • With titles behind him like I’m a Cyborg, But That’s Ok, Oldboy and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Park Chan-Wook’s movies are used to making headlines.  This time it’s not for his flair for violence. The director has paved yet another new path in cinematography but solely using the iPhone 4 to shoot his newest project.
                    • It’s a 30 minute short called Paranmanjang, which loosely translates into “a life of ups and downs.” Everything from finding shooting locations to auditions to the documentary on the making of the film was done via the iPhone 4.
                    • Park’s younger brother told the International Business Times that iPhones allowed for more angles and edits in the film since more cameras could be used. Park himself added to AP that the lightweight portability of the camera made a difference.  He attached different lenses to the phone, adding it was just like making a regular movie.
                    • The total project came in around $130,000 to make and will hit Korean theaters on January 27. The WSJ said that KT Corp, the wireless operator that distributes the iPhone in South Korea, paid for the production costs.
                    • But, it’s Park, so he made sure that, though it was sponsored by a corporation, his vision was not censored in any way. So, if the synopsis of the film, which revolves around the Korean ideas of life and death, is correct the short keeps in line with Park’s eerie, yet poignant storytelling techniques.
                  • Microsoft considering bringing Kinect to PC (SM)
                    • Basically say “when time is right” i.e. when 360 sales peter off
                    • Why should you care? Think of being able to control your set-top box with just hand gestures
                    • Actual virtual keyboards anyone?
                    • Well, somebody is going to beat M$ to the punch, namely the guys who designed it for them in the first place
                    • The original designers already beat them to the punch
                    • Primesense and Asus are partnering to bring this to your living room
                    • Also developing a SDK for other developers to bring it to the desktop
                  • Orb BR Turns Any Networked Blu-Ray Player Into a Streaming Set Top Box (udg)
                    • Got a network-connected Blu-Ray player? Got $20? Then, thanks to Orb, you can have yourself a streaming set-top box,
                    • Orb’s latest product is a $19.99 disc that you pop in to your Blu-Ray player which will turn any network-connected player into an Orb station which can be controlled with the company’s free apps (yeah, like from your iPhone) or the Orb Caster software for the PC or Mac.
                    • Once you’ve popped in the disc, you can access streaming content from the likes of Netflix, Hulu,YouTube, Comedy Central, Amazon Video On Demand and more… at either 720p or 1080p resolution, which officially makes this $20 disc better than the $99 Orb TV, which can’t do 1080p.
                    • “The combined cost of a Blu-ray player and Orb BR software is less expensive than most of the other Internet TV solutions, like Boxee and Google TV, while providing more capabilities,” said Joe Costello, CEO of Orb Networks. “With more than eight million connected Blu-ray players and 40 million PS3 players already in homes, the market opportunity for Orb BR is huge.”
                    • To help consumers easily find and watch their favorite shows, the Orb controller app features a powerful and easy-to-use global index of TV shows. Consumers can type in the name of the show they want and then Orb quickly finds the show, without requiring the user to specify its source (e.g. Hulu, ABC, CBS, etc).
                    • The Orb BR is planned for a late February sale and will be available via orb.com
                  • Geek Squad Gets Halved (udg)
                    • Best Buy is reportedly snipping the white ties of hundreds of agents, shutting down seven of its 16 Geek Squad service centers.
                    • WEWS Ohio reports a Cleveland-area center, which has about 100 employees, is one of the seven affected, and will close down April 29. According to the story, 45 employees at the Cleveland-area facility will lose their jobs.
                    • Citing an unnamed source, WEWS reports laid off employees will be allowed to apply for other job openings in the company, but have no guarantee of continued employment. Employees who will be laid off must stick around until April 8 to receive severance packages.
                    • According to the source, company officials told workers on a conference call Friday morning the layoffs have nothing to do with money, but everything to do with consolidation and better work efficiency.
                    • Friday evening, Best Buy’s public relations department released the following statement:
                      • “Today we notified the 45 employees at our small service center in the Cleveland area of our plans to consolidate service centers and repairs operations. The changes in the volume and types of products handled through these facilities has forced us to consider ways to better streamline our operations and be more relevant to the needs our customers have today.
                    • Personally, I can’t help but wonder if this has something to do with Best Buy’s sad attempt to finally jump aboard the Apple train. Geek Squad isn’t authorized to do any hands-on work on Macs. Or maybe it’s just because most American’s are becoming more tech savvy?
                  • Intel to pay NVidia 1.5 Beeellion dollars (JP)
                    • Results of a lawsuit that was filed against each other in 2009
                    • Intel claimed NVidia couldn’t build processors past Core 2 Duo (i3,i5,i7)
                    • For example, 2nd gen Macbook air, used NVidia chip with an Intel Core 2 Duo
                    • Nvidia still blocked, but now gets a huge chunk of change from Intel to use their patents
                    • (in other Chip related news) AMD CEO resigns – Meyers had just taken over the job in 2008
                      • Surprise to the whole industry
                      • Prepare for the guessing games as to why he did this, since on one really knows what it means…
                  • Mac App Store Update (udg)
                    • Last week I reported some doom and gloom in regards to the launch of the Mac App Store. I’m quite happy to say that all of that seems just silly now.
                    • Prices- Firstly, the articles I’d read and cited listed really cheap prices for apps. Browsing the store, I see quite the contrary. There are so many apps I really want (both personally and professionally), but am going to have to hold off on because they are much more pricey than initially thought. But, all seem quite worth it!
                    • Developers win! (Or as we like to call it “The Steam Principle rings true) In an article on MacDaddyNews.com, LittleFin Software stated “When the Mac App Store launched, I had high hopes. But nothing could have prepared me for what happened on January 6. Our home inventory App, Compartments, had been selling at a steady, average pace—we were selling between 6 and 10 copies a day, at $24.95 each. We decided to lower the price to $9.95, in hopes of attracting a larger audience at the start of the App Store. What happened next blew us away. Apple liked Compartments. They featured it as a Staff Pick, and listed it prominently on their Great Mac Apps page. The effect: On January 6, our little home inventory app went from a few sales a day to an astounding 1,500 sales on the first day of availability in the App Store. Through Saturday,it has maintained sales over 1,000 per day (Sunday stats haven’t been posted yet). Our other app, Chronicle, was not featured by Apple. Even with no promotion, Chronicle is still selling 80 to 100 copies a day—about 10 times its usual sales volume, and it’s on the way up. Of course, the price for Chronicle is half what it was before. But rather than hurting us, the lower price is helping us.”
                    • 1 million apps sold in first 24 hours
                    • Hacked Already (but don’t fear)
                      • Surprisingly, one method that hackers discovered to play illegitimate Apps on the Mac was basically a cut and paste. Downloading a paid App from an illegal location, and then replacing the receipt and signature files with those from a free App sometimes allows the App to run. Apple recommended that App developers implement a measure to avoid this simple crack (which they gave them!), but some apparently haven’t been listening.
                      • Cracking group Hackulous, known for breaking Apple’s iOS DRM, has also developed a more thorough Mac App Store crack called “KickBack,” but doesn’t want to release it just yet. The group says: “Most of the applications that go on the Mac App Store [in the first instance] will be decent, they’ll be pretty good. Apple isn’t going to put crap on the App Store as soon as it gets released. It’ll probably take months for the App Store to actually have a bunch of crappy applications and when we feel that it has a lot of crap in it, we’ll probably release Kickback.” Hackulous added that it doesn’t want to “devalue applications and frustrate developers” right away.
                    • I’m really looking forward to the continued growth of options available on Mac Apps. :)

                  Intarweb Goldmine

                  • Man With Ace Bandage on Head Terrorizes Neighborhood as “Wandering Mummy” (udg)
                    • Guy in Fairfield, Texas, got his jolliies wrapping himself up with an ace bandage and showing up at peoples windows.
                    • When you answer the door, the mummy flees (that’s how you know it’s not a real mummy)
                    • Mummy still at large
                    • Fess up Steven, it’s you, isn’t it??? >;-)
                    • (SM) I will fess up to wanting my mummy, but not to being one :P
                    • Don’t Drink and Backhoe Kiddies (JP)
                      • DUI’s aren’t just for ppl who drink and then drive a car folks..
                      • 11:50 pm on Sunday in California, police get a call of a single car accident
                      • After response, guy drives up in a backhoe to pull out the ford mustang from ditch
                      • Police get suspicious, guy blows hot, and gets arrested for 2 counts of driving under the influence  (oh yeah… and allegedly driving without a license on top of it)
                      • Don’t drink and drive folks… and SERIOUSLY, leave the large construction equipment at home…
                      • If you crash your car, imagine what crashing a backhoe would do!
                    • Pay Up, Or Fido Gets It- Really??? (SM)
                      • Village in Switzerland, Pop, 2,245 human, 280 dogs
                      • $50 yearly tax on owning a pet
                      • How have they figured out to get ppl to pay their dog tax?
                      • If you don’t pay, they’ll euthanize the dog….
                      • Thats ONE way to get somebody’s attention
                      • Authorities have received death threats over this
                    • The Devil Had Horns and Now So Do The Chinese (udg)
                      • When you think about horned creatures, a few come to mind instantly: rhinos, bulls, unicorns, the devil. Now you can add at least a couple of Chinese people to that list.
                      • China’s Huang Yuanfan, 84, says that over the past two years, a small bump on the back of his head has turned into a horn that’s nearly 3 inches long. “Doctors say they don’t know what caused it, but if they try to take it off it will just come back,” he told the press. “I try to hide it beneath a hat, but if it gets much longer it will be sticking out the top.”
                      • Last year, Zhang Ruifang, a 101-year-old from China, made news when a second horn began emerging from her head. Her first horn had already grown 2 1/2 inches. Zhang embraced her new look and told reporters that she was eager for the second horn to match the first in size. She refused offers to remove the horns.
                      • China has produced a number of other elderly horny folks in recent years. In 2007, 93-year-old Ma Zhong Nan flaunted a 4-inch horn growing atop his head. He paid little attention to it until it became itchy, at which point he sought help.
                      • That same year, 95-year-old Xiou Ling made headlines for a 6 1/2-inch horn that jutted out of her forehead and curled downward over her face. It had been growing for four years.
                      • And in 2006, Zhang Yuncai of China’s Xingyang county felt what he thought was a pimple on his head. Eventually that “pimple” got bigger and bigger until it developed into a 2-inch horn-shaped bump. Doctors removed the strange growth free of charge.
                      • NY: Bringing A New Meaning To “Flash Mob” (SM)
                        • Yes, this is a total play on words
                        • 10th anniversary of the breezy event
                        • Here’s the 411, ppl board the subway, and then strip down to their colorful underwear and ride around
                        • Organized by Improv Everywhere
                        • Purpose: “incite scenes of joy and chaos in public environments”
                        • Participants were asked not to stretch, pole dance, or do anything other than to take off their pants
                      • Why A Christmas Story Should Be Required Viewing (JP)
                        • Woodward Fire dept was called out at 7:24 and found an 8 yr old boy with his tongue frozen to the pole of a stop sign
                        • Why did he do it? because his “older brother dared him to”
                        • My guess? His older brother was a fan of our favorite movie
                        • A water bottle saved the kids tongue…
                        • Apparently, there was another kid in that town with the same problem shortly thereafter
                          • My guess… these kids came from the shallow end of the gene pool

                      Extra Links

                      Contact Info

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

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                      ]]>                       http://thepowergeeks.com/2011/01/the-power-geeks-83/feed/ 0 Apple,China,facebook,games,gaming,Geek,google,id,ipad,IPhone,iPhone Apps,mac We are LIVE on Ustream . This week we talk Verizon Iphone, Government conspiracies, Chinese devils 4 real, and HAN SOLO in Firefly!!! It’s real, believe it... - Intro JPuent Intro Natali - Take a moment to express our condolences for those lost this... We are LIVE on Ustream . This week we talk Verizon Iphone, Government conspiracies, Chinese devils 4 real, and HAN SOLO in Firefly!!! It’s real, believe it... Intro JPuent Intro Natali Take a moment to express our condolences for those lost this past weekend in Arizona, and thanks to those that stepped up to stop the mad man. Remind yourself that time in this life is short... be grateful for those that are important to you and take a moment to tell them. Items of Interest Your very own IPad Arcade Very Special Thanks to @missClareJordan She is an amazing Artist, A Geek Girl extraordinaire, Star Wars Geek... and awesome Tattooist.... if you’re out on the East Coast looking to get some work done... Visit her at No Regrets in Naugatauk, CT Follow her on twitter... and look for some big Geeky artsy things from her this summer.... Over the holidays she did this... to @JPuent Ender’s Hand Prints Tatt’d by @MissClareJordan !!!! Han encased in Carbonite in every Firefly? The way freakin’ awesome @Amy_Geek girl from the illustrious Geek With Curves has found one of the coolest things ever. Just when you thought Firefly could not achieve more awesomeness...it turns out there may be a Han encased in Carbonite in every episode. And she’s hunting them down. Check out her post! :) Gold Sponsors: Natali’s Etsy!!! Need your noms???? @UberDorkGirlie’s etsy is the way to go :) :) Whether it’s Woookie Cookies, Bark Maul, or Hothballs, every sweet tooth needs to try them out Need a present and don’t want to bake? then Natali’s Etsy store is the way to go Today in Geek History JebsApps (owned by our own Jeremy Puent) released their latest app, Today in Geek History Gives you factoids based upon date, spanning all sorts of geekiness For example, did you know on 1/12/1997  HAL (Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer) The HAL9000 became operational according to the 1992 Film 2010 This app is available for Android in a Lite version for free or a paid version, all on the Marketplace Check out the lite version, but the paid version for .99 Or check out their new app Movie History Convention Schedule Milwaukee Anime Con - Feb. 18-20 C2E2 - March 18-20 Deals of the Week / New Release DC You-niverse Goes Live (udg) You know you’ve always wanted to slip into some Super Hero tights and strut around like your favorite one. Now, here’s your chance. Well kinda. Say hello to the now live DC Universe Online. Start with an entry-level gig at Wayne Enterprises. Clock out of work for the day and on goes the costume  and off you go to beat up some bad guys. Maybe chat up a Wonder Twin at a kegger Sat night or chill on Sunday while you’re icing some plasma burns and paging through the latest edition of The Daily Planet. At some point in all our lives we wished we could slip into a DC Comic, live in DC Universe.  And now we can. The backstory is a bit twisty. Geek Chic Daily says “think time travel, alien overlords and a dead Superman” But, the animation is awesome. You go hero or villain and you can completely create and customize your character. Then you get to pick an iconic DC Character (like Superman, Batman, Lex Luthor or the Joker ) who sends you on assignments and group missions. There are also alternate gaming options that let groups of players square off against each other or you can throw down as your fave DCer. You have no idea how much I wish this was Mac compatible. *pout* Green Hornet Release - BRUCE LEE LIVES!!! New DVD/Blu-Ray Releases, 2nd week of January The Social Network (Natali’s new heartthrob) Dances With Wolves Blu-Ray - For you Picard Lovers - MacBeth (with Patrick Stewart) Rob-Roy on Blu-Ray - For the Ep. 1 lovers out there (liam neeson) all two of you Geek Speak Big Red announces it will have the iPhone 4 starting Feb 10th The good, the Bad and the Ugly of the announcement Steven Molen clean 1:29:15                       The Power Geeks #68 http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/09/the-power-geeks-68/ http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/09/the-power-geeks-68/#comments Thu, 23 Sep 2010 04:10:10 +0000 DarthMolen http://thepowergeeks.com/?p=16552

                      We are LIVE on Ustream!!! This week we talk Stan Lee vs. the Supreme Court, Tokyo game show recap, possible facebook phone?, and a couple IPhone apps that might interest you… this and much more

                      Intro Natali, Queen of Junkpunch,
                      Intro Queen of Jerkfaces, Kristin

                      Items of Interest

                      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
                      • first Piece revealed and accompanying t-shirt @hefnatron
                      • Ellen campaign!!

                      NYCC (iKdr)

                      • During the convention, we will all be busy waiting in lines, getting autographs, attending panels, waiting for bathrooms, and squeeeing over all that is awesome that time to meet those you have been friends with online and across the globe often takes a serious back seat. This Tweet-Up will be the perfect opportunity to hang out with friends you have made online and hopefully make some new friends.
                      • WHEN: Friday, October 8th @ 8:30 pm
                      • WHERE: Stitch Bar & Lounge 247 West 37th Street
                      • EPIC MUSIC: Kirby Krackle
                      • There is more to come so RSVP to the FB Events Page!
                      • GGN is looking for event sponsors. For more information on sponsoring this epic event, please email info@geekgirlsnetwork.com.
                      • *ThinkGeek Wampa Rug Giveaway!!!
                        • 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

                        • Cheap 12 Month Xbox LIVE Gold + Free Halo Reach Noble 6 Avatar Helmet Promotion Has Kicked Off!
                        • Microsoft is currently offering new and existing Xbox LIVE Gold customers the option to add 12 months of Xbox LIVE for $29.99.  This is 50% off the rate of $59.99 per year, which is set to start in early November 2010!
                        • In addition to the $29.99 deal, Microsoft is throwing in a free Halo Reach Noble 6 avatar helmet with this offer.
                        • Just simply fire up your Xbox 360, and this offer will be available on the blades…
                        • Finally, Microsoft is having a free Xbox LIVE Gold weekend.  This free weekend offer will run from September 17 – 20th…
                        • Yeah, my man Dexter is back, starting this Sunday night. Tune in and become addicted like the rest of us. After last season’s finale I can’t wait to find out how they handle this season! :)
                      • Watch Clone Wars Online
                        • What if you don’t have cable or the Cartoon Network???
                        • You can watch each episode of all the seasons online!!!

                      Geek Speak

                      What if? “Warning labels for Relationships”

                      • What if everyone had an RFID, a scanner, and a piece of software that could read the possible future relationship of the person that you scan?
                      • “Sex would be great but you will eventually hate her love of her cats and leave her” (UDG)
                      • Corrolary:  ”sex will be great but you’ll eventually get freaked out because the cats like to watch” (SM) -Theres nothing wrong with loving cats!! (iKDR)
                      • “Sex will start out bad, but get better. He lies when he’s nervous, but you will know because they are obvious and harmful. You will eventually leave him for his best friend.” (iKdr)
                      • “Run. Run far and run fast” (UDG)
                      • “she is a big flirt but horrible in bed and neighs like a donkey, but she makes great lasagna” (SM)
                      • “Her screechy voice will drive you to drink but your children will be cute” (SM)
                      • “He says he loves you, but he’s secretly dating 10 different women all over the place. “ (UDG)
                      • “She says she loves Star Wars but later on you find out that she is a trekkie in disguise sent to infiltrate the 501, in the which you are a member”
                        • The date has been set, November 2nd may be a day that lives in infamy, for gamers at least. On November 2nd the United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear California’s appeal to keep their 2005 video game law related to selling video games to minors.
                        • According to the Supreme Court of the United States Blog, the case is dubbed Schwarzenegger vs. Entertainment Merchants Association and will be heard on November 2nd. The Supreme Court will be looking at the ECA’s (Entertainment Consumers Association) argument for why they believe the law is unconstitutional, due to it being poorly written and leaving the chance of it threatening American’s right to free speech, which ultimately harms the gaming industry.
                        • In an open letter published on the Video Game Voter’s Network website, Stan Lee has thrown his support behind the game merchants of this infamous case which will give a federal ruling on whether it is constitutional to prohibit minors from purchasing violent games.
                        • Lee makes very appropriate comparisons between the current mainstream worry about children playing violent games and the same fears about crime and horror comics in the nineteen fifties.  Hopefully the public’s fears of video gaming can be resolved without a restrictive self-imposed system of censorship that artistically hobbled the industry for a decade and a half.
                        • In encourage you to read all of Stan’s letter for yourself.
                        • “Why does this matter? Because if you restrict sales of video games, you’re chipping away at our First Amendment rights to free speech.”– Stan Lee
                        • Dear Supreme Court, if Stan Bad Motha Trucka Lee says it, it is so.
                        • (SM)…They do so despite the fact that the industry has a remarkable rating system in place already and all new consoles have parental controls — both of which help parents ensure parents are in control of what their children play. But you can help fight the battle against politicians.
                      • Bogus Study on Violent Video Games
                        • In that same corrolary, there are studies like the following:
                        • Here’s the whole study: Young men were asked to play a violent video game and think about it constantly for 24 hours straight had a tendency to think more violently (duh)
                        • The other duh? if you didn’t reminisce, you didn’t experience more violence…
                        • more minutes of play = greater aggression? or does the aggression last longer than 24 hours if you constantly think about it

                      Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

                        • Attracting record attendances of over 200,000, this year’s Tokyo Game Show proves to those doom-mongers who insist that the games industry is dying in Japan that it’s not. But it is having to evolve in order to serve the contemporary global audience – an audience that hasn’t been brought up in arcades playing the giant Sega, Namco, Capcom and Konami coin-ops. So what did this year reveal?  Here are my top 3 picks!
                        • The return of Radiant Silvergun! Once heralded as one of the finest games for the Saturn system, it never received an official western release – we had to wait for its successor, Ikaruga. Until now. Radiant will be coming to Xbox Live next year, complete with enhanced visuals and online co-op.
                        • Mikami + Suda 51 = Shadows of the Damned! It’s long been known that Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami has been collaborating with Grasshopper Manufacture, the crazed developer behind Killer 7 and No more Heroes, now we know what they’ve been up to. Due to be published by EA next year, Shadows of the Damned is described as a psychological action thriller, follow hard-bitten, motorbike-riding demon hunter Garcia as he rides into Hell to save his lover. Okay, so it sounds a little like Devil May Cry meets Ghost Rider, but with Mikami and Suda 51 at the helm, we can at least expect stylised visuals, weird ideas and gore aplenty. Plus, revered Silent Hill scorer Akira Yamaoka is providing the soundtrack.
                        • The thing about Yakuza and zombies…Fans of Sega’s Yakuza series didn’t know what to do with themselves when the publisher announced the latest iteration in the series, subtitled ‘Of The End’. Instead of a contemporary drama of gangland strife, it’ll be set in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo, infested with zombies. The game still stars orphanage-owning hard nut Kazuma and will feature the trademark mini-games… but now they’re mini-games with zombies. How freakin awesome is that??
                      • DX 10/11 for Linux (SM)
                        • up until recently, you played games on linux through a windows emulater called wine
                        • Wine used a DX translator that turned instructions into OpenGL, it was slow, it was clunky
                        • Wine currently only has access to DX 10
                        • Enter Gallium3D (currently written by VMWare), they are committing to supporting DX 10/11 on Linux through their drivers… which is a HUGE deal
                        • All of this support will be Open Source
                        • 26,000 lines of code were involved in the making of this miracle
                        • ‘No Reservations’ Host Anthony Bourdain Writing Graphic Novel For DC Comics (iKDR)
                          • Anthony Bourdain – acclaimed chef, food author, world traveler and television personality best known for “No Reservations,” his globe-trotting Travel Channel series that shines the spotlight on the world’s greatest culinary treats.
                          • Robot 6 discovered a pair of interviews in which Bourdain revealed that he’s in the midst of working on a graphic novel for DC Comics tentatively titled “Get Gyro,” a story that takes his obvious passion for food and sets it within a high octane comic book world.
                          • “It’s about ultraviolent food nerds.”
                          • “It’s a gourmet slaughterfest, sort of like ‘Fistful of Dollars’ meets ‘Eat Drink Man Woman.’”
                          • Could be out as early as next year
                          • EZ Texting claimed Friday it would go out of business unless a federal judge orders T-Mobile to stop blocking its text-messaging service, the first case testing whether wireless providers can block text messages they don’t like.
                          • They claim T-Mobile blocked the company from sending text messages for all of its clients after learning that legalmarijuanadispensary.com, an EZ Texting client, was using its service to send texts about legal medical marijuana dispensaries in California. “T-Mobile subjectively did not approve of one of the thousands of lawful businesses and non-profits served by EZ Texting,” according to New York federal lawsuit.
                          • Comes as the company just announced it was raising its texting prices & amid a fierce debate surrounding net neutrality, with net giant Google claiming that wireless carriers should not be bound by the same rules as wireline carriers.
                          • Even the New York-based texting service acknowledges that the case raises novel issues. “At the very least, EZ Texting has raised serious questions about the legal ability of a wireless service provider, T-Mobile, to block its customers from exchanging text messages with EZ Texting’s customers,” according to the suit.
                          • EZ Texting offers a short code service, which works like this: A church could send its schedule to a cell phone user who texted “CHURCH” to 313131. Mobile phone users only receive text messages from EZ Texting’s customers upon request. Each of its clients gets their own special word. A party supplier might get “PARTY.”
                          • Wait, so these are even people that have OPTED IN to receive these texts? Jinkies!!
                          • Facebook working on a phone?? (SM)
                            • Sources close: Working on software and contacting 3rd party to build hardware
                            • Following in the the steps of google and even microsoft
                            • Facebook wants access to your contact lists among other things
                            • They’re in total denial but various signals point towards their entry:
                              • Hardware manufacturers have been contacted
                              • 2 employees are said to be working on the project
                              • 1 dev who helped build firefox (Hewitt) and another who worked on chrome (Papakipos)
                            • oped on possibility
                          • Star Wars: Vader Yourself: The Force is weak with this one (iKDR)
                            • a Lucasfilm-licensed app that makes your spoken words sound like the big man’s–in theory, at least.
                            • Modeled after the control panel on Vader’s chest
                            • To make a recording, you tap the Record switch, provide a filename, then start speaking. You’re instructed to use a loud, menacing voice
                            • When you’re done, you’ll hear Vader’s trademark heavy breathing, followed by a slowed, deepened version of your voice. The expectation: that you’ll sound like James Earl Jones. The reality: you don’t. There’s no metallic undertone, no computer-generated Dark Sidey-ness.
                          • Apple Approves VLC Video Player (SM)
                            • Why are we reporting on yet another app to the millions in the app store?
                            • This one supports a bunch of different video formats that the built in player does not support (divx and avi’s anyone?)
                            • Based on the desktop version of VLC
                            • File conversion can be hit or miss sometimes through itunes, its nice to be able to have something for free where you don’t have to convert
                            • Making video viewing on the IPad easier could gives their rental service some competition, at least from the hardcores that DL their own stuff
                            • Also what happens if 3rd party apps can use “AirPlay” a built-in service that allows other IOS devices stream to the AppleTV
                            • Hai, yeah Twitterz, when peoples tell you that your stuff is broke DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!
                            • For a few hours yesterday morning, the homepage of popular microblogging service Twitter became one of the most dangerous places on the Internet, as a glitch in the way Twitter deals with Javascript code (specifically the onMouseover command) allowed  malicious users to hijack your Twitter account and your web browser just by mousing over a link in your timeline.
                            • Twitter’s fixed the problem now, but you might be surprised that the bug was first reported to Twitter over a month ago by a Japanese developer called Masato Kinugwa, who discovered the XSS vulnerability on August 14th and then rediscovered it in the “new” Twitter when it was launched last Tuesday.
                            • Since Kinugwa was not getting anywhere reaching out to Twitter itself, Kinugwa set up an account yesterday called RainbowTwtr which showed how the XSS weakness could be used to turn Tweets into different colors.
                            • Quickly, though, Kinugwa’s idea was picked up by people who recognized the vulnerability could be used far more maliciously: Scandinavian developer Magnus Holm, who resigned the code so that it would retweet itself. At first, Holm didn’t think the worm would scale, but soon enough, it exploded exponentially… leading to the onMouseOver apocalypse users of Twitter’s homepage experienced yesterday.
                            • So, I’m wondering who at Twitter got the flogging for this one. :)
                          • Shaq a Hacker ?? (iKDR)
                            • NBA star Shaquille O’Neal is at the center of an explosive new lawsuit accusing him of computer hacking, destroying evidence and indicating that he attempted to frame an employee by planting child pornography on his computer
                            • Shaq’s former employee Shawn Darling filed the suit for intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and civil R.I.C.O. (a racketeering charge) on August 3, in Miami-Dade County, Florida.
                          • Shaq hacked into the voicemails and phone systems of Darling and Vanessa Lopez, a mistress who is currently suing O’Neal. He deleted Lopez’s messages and changed her password.
                          • O’Neal used his law enforcement contacts, both active and retired, to obtain restricted information about one of his mistresses, Alexis Miller, while he was involved in a legal battle with her.
                          • Shaq threw a personal computer holding much of this evidence in the lake behind his home.
                          • Shaq conspired with active law enforcement as well as ex-members of law enforcement to frame Darling for a criminal offense and destroy any evidence that Darling might have against O’Neal.
                            • Why weren’t Kristin and I invited???  *You know why*!!
                            • TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington dropped an enormous bombshell on the Internet last night: he alleges that a secret posse meets every month in San Francisco to collude and price-fix, and this lil mafia is comprised of “nearly 100%” of early-stage Silicon Valley investors.
                            • According to Arrington — who apparently walked in on the group at a local wine bar — they discussed how to hold down the valuations that members assign to early stage companies and start-ups, as well as how to block venture capitalists from investing in companies that outgrow them, as well as how to undermine startup incubators.
                            • Arrington says: “This isn’t minor league stuff. We’re talking about federal crimes and civil prosecutions if in fact that’s what they’re doing. I had a quick call with an attorney this morning, and he confirmed that these types of meetings are exactly what these [collusion and price fixing] laws were designed to prevent.”
                            • I should note at this point that Michael Arrington, who is a former lawyer himself, is highly reputable. How he found out such information from a meeting he was ousted from though seems a bit suspect. He claims he was tipped off to a meeting of the group at the restaurant Bin 38 in San Francisco, barged in, was kicked out, and then later spoke to three attendees who detailed how the angels are colluding to combat the growing power of startup incubator Y Combinator. Given the seriousness of the charges being made, why would anyone talk?
                            • One of the meetings’ attendees, well-known Valley investor Dave McLure, responded with a profanity-laden tirade in which he he called the charges “bullshit” and accused Arrington of sensationalism. “The agenda was drinks, good food, & shooting the shit,” McLure wrote. “It wasn’t to collude, to price fix, to put out a hit on [Y Combinator founder] Paul Graham, or generally bust a cap in any founder’s ass.” McClure did not return a request for comment.
                            • Right now these charges are being made solely on hearsay, but if they can be proven, well I suspect McLure will be dropping A LOT more F bombs.
                          • Intel to charge $$$ to unlock processor features (SM – via Custompcmax)
                            • Small pilot program that puts Intel’s age-old marketing at forefront
                            • Users will get an option to turn on hyperthreading and upgrade the cache
                            • How much? $50 – best buy or yourself can do the honors
                            • DLC Hell for hardware? Its already there why not give it to me anyways
                            • (SM) Intel has been doing this for years. They’ll make a processor and then deactivate features and call it something different

                            Intarweb Goldmine

                              • An alleged robber of the Get & Go Mini Mart wore a Darth Vader mask when he threatened the clerk with a butcher knife and demanded cash about 1:35 a.m. Sept. 13, according to Ferndale police.
                              • That’s not what the suspect looked like when he walked in the front door, according to store videotape.
                              • That’s right, Jamie Carlos Hernandez, 41, is a maroon. The video tapes show he entered the store WITHOUT sportin’ the Vader mask, then show him donning his way too cool for his goofy ass disguise, walking up to the counter and waving a knife at the clerk.
                              • Yeah… Jamie… you are so not worthy.
                            • Pope Astronomer Willing to Baptize Alien
                              • Guy Consolmagno Is willing to preach to any intelligent life we might find out there
                              • “Any entity – no matter how many tentacles it has- has a soul”
                              • Would he baptize an alien? Only if they asked
                              • (SM)What if they tried to eat him first?
                              • Readily admits that the odds of this happening are very minute (ya think?)
                            • Cocaine stolen from trunk, so man calls 911, police say (iKDR)
                              • When alleged drug dealer Steven Dragon found out that a half a kilo of cocaine had been stolen from the trunk of his car, he panicked: he dialed 911 to report the theft.
                              • What he didn’t know was that police had taken the drugs themselves as part of an undercover sting targeting the Two-Six street gang,  according to a federal complaint.
                              • A record of the 911 call he made says he told the dispatcher, “Somebody robbed my car when the police had me. . .they took my keys and everything.” He fled before police arrived but moments later, he called an alleged accomplice on a wiretapped phone and told him, “I just got f***ed, so hard,” according to the complaint.
                            • Swan Dancing Robot Moves People To Tears?
                              • 3.2’ robot with 19 joints allows it to dance a “tear inducing” rendition to Tcaikovsky’s “Swan Lake”
                              • Involves both fiery and gentle dance moves to a 4 minute coreographed piece
                              • Who knew robots could dance?
                              • We’ve talked about “robot partners”, “robot helpers” now why not robot dancers!

                            Extra Links

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                            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.

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                            @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!)
                            ]]>                             http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/09/the-power-geeks-68/feed/ 0 Apple,facebook,games,gaming,Geek,google,ipad,IPhone,iPhone Apps,Microsoft,net neutrality,nintendo We are LIVE on Ustream!!! This week we talk Stan Lee vs. the Supreme Court, Tokyo game show recap, possible facebook phone?, and a couple IPhone apps that might interest you... this and much more - Intro Natali, Queen of Junkpunch, We are LIVE on Ustream!!! This week we talk Stan Lee vs. the Supreme Court, Tokyo game show recap, possible facebook phone?, and a couple IPhone apps that might interest you... this and much more Intro Natali, Queen of Junkpunch, Intro Queen of Jer... Steven Molen clean 1:09:27                             The Power Geeks #61 http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/08/the-power-geeks-61/ http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/08/the-power-geeks-61/#comments Thu, 05 Aug 2010 04:55:45 +0000 DarthMolen http://thepowergeeks.com/?p=16520

                            We are LIVE on Ustream!!!  This week we bring on the Geek Scouts, Talking some really cool action figures, Getting all tin foil hats about China, and our first racy Intarweb Goldmine. Click here to download this episode

                            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

                            • Amazon Releases Rad XB360 Bundle
                              • FFXIII, Faceplate, UFC Undisputed 2010, and Bioshock 2 all in 1 bundle
                              • $299
                              • Be warned, this is the wired version of the XB360…
                            • Pocket God iPhone App Spawns Comic (udg)
                              • Game where you play God over multiple Pygmies that you feed, and kill. Don’t worry though, they are immortal and keep coming back to life.
                              • New chapters constantly updated to game, all for 99 cents.
                              • It has gotten so big game wizard Dave Castelnuovo is branching out
                              • Digital comic launched this week w/ paper version having launched at SDCC
                              • What’s next for the game that makes gruesome death so adorable? Plushies :)
                            • WWII versions of Star Wars Toys
                              • Best Star Wars toys EVAR
                              • It get’s better, the guy has also done Samurai Star wars
                              • Made by Sillof.com, custom toy maker
                              • Not for sale currently… somebody needs to buy this guy out. srsly.
                              • (JINKIES!! the steam punk ones are cool as hell too and the Marvel Pulp ones have some huge potential. udg)
                            • Captain’s Log, an iPhone app meant to promote the latest Trek feature. (JP)
                              • I wondered how long it would be before someone made a nice Trek-style communicator for the iPhone. This isn’t the first, but it’s pretty, fun and makes use of the iPhone 4′s gyroscope. Here’s what I found while playing around.
                              • Look and feel:
                              • Turn it on and you’re greeted with familiar Star Trek sounds. I’ll let the Trekkies among you ID what you hear, but there’s communication noises, the famous “woosh” of the ship’s doors opening and closing and of course the chirp that accompanies flipping open a communicator.
                              • Speaking of which, yes, you can flip it open. At first you’ll see a pulsating Starfleet logo and a window displaying a rotating 360
                                • Only $.99 but now people are up in arms about it… it doesn’t mention anywhere that a user account (which monitors your location and tells others your whereabouts is required… not optional. so use at your own risk…  (that being said I don’t know anyone who’s really that afraid of Trekkies!!!) hahaha

                            Geek Speak

                            Bring on Brion Salazar

                            • fanboyscouts.com
                              • (SM) What was the impetus behind making geeky merit badges?
                              • (SM) Give us some sample requirements…
                              • Believe it or not, I’m a Daisy Troop Leader- would you ever consider doing a kid’s line? (udg)
                              • I noticed the only stores that currently sell them are in Illinois and Minnesota- how can we get them at a store near us? I’d love to sell them at my place when it opens! (udg)
                              • Does your website have a location to list criteria to qualify for the badges? (JP) If not, let’s start one! (I didn’t see one.)
                              • (SM) Won’t be in show, I will be talking with him tomorrow about that very thing :) a way to make troops, partition out badges, and share them on social networking sites :)

                            Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

                            • Batman No. 1 fetching $40k at auction (SM)
                              • HOLY COW, BATMAN. No sh!t robin…
                              • Original comic where batman was solo, is going for a lot of money
                              • It was found in Alaska where humidity is low so its in good shape
                              • A comic that old unwrapped would crumble upon touching
                              • This one is in good shape, Fewer than 300 in existence
                            • China Pushes Real Name System for Online Games (udg)
                              • Starting Aug 1st, if you live in China and want to play any online game, you’re gonna have to do so using your REAL name. Incl Social Network games.
                              • The Ministry of Culture issued the regulation on June 22nd claiming it’s part of a nationwide campaign to regulate the mgmt of online gaming industry and protect minors from questionable content.
                              • China tops the world for net users with 420 million as of the end of June
                              • Major online gaming operators in China said they began implementing the real id months ago.
                              • However, it would be meaningless to promote real name registration without an effective national identification system said Li Li, deputy director of the Shanghai Information Law Association
                              • He goes on to say “It should ideally include other credible information of the players, such as their bank accounts, in order to be really effective”
                              • Yeah, umm…. people in China are already pissed at this because nothing has been put into place to protect the data they are being forced to fork over.
                              • Based on my ever growing conspiracy theory, I see this as China recruiting. They’ll have access to the real names of people that are game savvy and could be molded into one of the members of their sneaky internet ninja army poised to take over the interwebz.
                              • (JP – hahaha wonder where they got this idea??? Blizzard news? hmmm… the Americans are very against this… we should be onboard!)
                            • Smartphones 4 credit cards (JP)
                              • AT&T and Verizon setting their sites on Visa and MasterCard?
                                • three people with direct knowledge of the plan said the partnership, which also includes Deutsche Telekom AG unit T-Mobile USA, may work with Discover Financial Services and Barclays Plc to test a system at stores in Atlanta and three other U.S. cities that would let a consumer pay with the contactless wave of a smartphone, the people said.
                              • Anyone want to be the first to lump on the please steal my identity train?
                              • While I agree with this article that this could potentially be a “game changer” for both industries… I urge anyone who is too excited about this to look up the stats on hacking data from cell phones from say DefCon or some other Hacker convention.
                              • How much money are we really talking about putting at risk though?
                                • Visa and Purchase, New York-based MasterCard handled $2.45 trillion, or 82 percent, of U.S. consumer spending on general- purpose cards last year, according to the Nilson Report, an industry newsletter. That dominance has helped fuel profit growth for both companies. Visa’s annual operating income has grown sixfold since fiscal 2005 to $3.54 billion last year. MasterCard’s has surged more than fivefold to $2.27 billion.
                            • SCII Could Fry Your Graphics Card (SM)
                              • Its not what you think, the in-game graphics are silky smooth and framerate capped
                              • Its the ship-board scenes, which seem pretty static, but the initial render can be intense
                              • Some systems that aren’t cleaned properly could experience extreme heat issues
                              • There is a config file fix you could implement
                              • AND DUST YOUR PC FOR GOODNESS SAKES
                              • (SM) We all know that Macs don’t gather dust… their static forcefield just levitates the dust away :)
                              • (Actually Steven Mac lovers just take care of their lil computer children better. :P )
                            • Nerds rise up!! HELLZ YEAH!! (udg)
                              • Two masked gunmen walked into PC Gamerz in Keneohe (Connie oh hay) Hawaii last Wed round Midnight
                              • They began to hit the guy behind the counter (who turned out to be the owner of the place) and demand every one’s money.
                              • People started handing it over when one of the masked guys approached Dylan Hays and demanded his DS.
                              • Yeah, not really a good idea mr masked guy. Dylan responded swinging. Guy hit back. Dylan started a bum rush that resulted in mayhem.
                              • In the, end one of the friends of the masked maroons had to come in and help drag one of the attackers out of the store.
                              • Hays had this to say “I mean we’re gamers, we’ve been immersed in that culture where like we all want to be Superman, you know we’re missing something partial in our brain that says yeah this might be dangerous. It’s Devin’s place, but it’s also ours, like this is were we come to hang out.”
                              • (SM) Punch an owner, fine. Bully a kid. ok. TOUCH OUR DS?? We gots problems!
                            • Advertiser stalks winners w/ GPS (SM)
                              • Brazilian ad agency slips GPS device into 50 boxes of detergent
                              • They then follow the “winner” to everywhere, eventually catching up with them
                              • What do they win for the stalking? a pocket video camera and day of outdoors
                              • Plus a lifetime of looking over their shoulder
                            • Jailbreak your IPhone 4 from the browser (JP)
                              • a security exploit has recently been used to create a very novel jailbreak for the iPhone 4 iOS. it uses an exploit in the code that allows you to access pdf’s from safari to overrun the buffer and then root the phone.
                              • you literally browse from safari on your iOS 4 running device, and slide an image across the screen, and it will jailbreak your iPhone and install Cydia allowing you to install non app store apps, etc…
                              • How easy is it to do? Someone in Canada visited an apple store there and did the jailbreak procedure on one of the display iPhone 4’s and no one noticed while he did it.
                              • Apple says they are looking into the exploit. I expect a patch very quickly for this one. This same procedure could easily be used to put the first major virus on iPhones since the same exploit could be used against non-jailbroken devices
                            • Real R2 Unit Headed for Orbit (SM)
                              • a humanoid “dexterous” robot slated to land on the ISS
                              • Joint venture between DARPA and GE
                              • They needed a robot that could take the place of an astronaut
                              • Maintenance jobs and other situations too dangerous for a human
                              • Slated to go up with ST-133, which lifts off in November
                              • Even tweets for your amusement @AstroRobonaut (what tech doesn’t nowadays)

                            Intarweb Goldmine

                            • Lady Calls Dell to Help with Nude Pic Retrieval
                              • Can’t find her nude pics, calls tech support to find them
                              • He finds, and emails them to himself while she’s watching
                              • Then calls back later to blackmail her.. she caves
                              • She finds her pics on a nudie site, and she goes to somebody
                              • Only thing done? He no longer works for the company
                              • Who knows where all those pics went.
                            • Atlanta Man robs Wendy’s then complains it’s too little (JP)
                              • ATLANTA — Police say a man who robbed a fast-food restaurant with a gun was so mad about the amount of loot that he called back twice to complain.
                              • The man walked up to the drive-through window of an Atlanta Wendy’s late Saturday night, wearing a ski mask and holding a gun.
                              • He demanded the cash drawer, grabbed it and ran away.
                              • But police say he later called the fast food restaurant to complain about the amount of cash.
                              • Police say in one call he said that “next time there better be more than $586.”
                              • He called again with a similar complaint.
                            • Street Fighter- Taking Protection to a New Level
                              • Yeah I’m guessing not an official CapCom product
                              • Shows Ryu going to town w/ Chun Li
                              • Ironically, they are doing so under an array of flags- many of the countries of which don’t even have characters in the game.
                              • And they say gamers don’t get laid.
                              • If the Street Fighter ones don’t woo the ladies, try the Nintendo ones
                            • Jeremy’s Nominee for biggest balls on Earth (JP)
                              • ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A Florida inmate has filed a lawsuit seeking $500,000 in damages from three men who caught him red-handed with a stolen bicycle, claiming they roughed him up, according to a newspaper report.
                              • Michael Dupree is serving a 12-year sentence for burglary and cocaine possession stemming from a 2007 break-in of a van in St. Petersburg, Fla.
                              • Dupree allegedly stole the bicycle locked inside and was apprehended after the owner, Anthony McKoy, saw him with the bike down the street, the St. Petersburg Times reported.
                              • Dupree, who was homeless at the time, according to a police report, claimed McKoy and two others pointed a gun at him, handcuffed him and placed a knee painfully in his back.
                              • In his suit, which he filed on his own without the help of an attorney, Dupree said that the take-down “resulted in permanent disabilities and psychological disorders which the Plaintiff continues to suffer.”
                              • ‘What gall’
                              • After being served with the suit, McKoy said: “I thought it was a joke. I’m the victim.”
                              • “It’s laughable. It’s a waste of taxpayer money,” he told the St. Petersburg Times. “What gall. I guess time in prison just makes you go crazy.”

                            Extra Links

                            Contact Info

                            Sponsors

                            Wow4Cure.com Plans to play non-stop to level 40 and raise $10,000 for cancer

                            • Scheduled to take place Aug. 6th and they will continue playing if the donations keep coming
                            • Check out their website, we’ll talk more about them in the weeks to come

                            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!)
                            ]]>                             http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/08/the-power-geeks-61/feed/ 0 Apple,China,dungeon and dragons,facebook,gadgets,games,Geek,gencon,google,Microsoft,nintendo,tech We are LIVE on Ustream!!!  This week we bring on the Geek Scouts, Talking some really cool action figures, Getting all tin foil hats about China, and our first racy Intarweb Goldmine. Click here to download this episode Gold Sponsors: - We are LIVE on Ustream!!!  This week we bring on the Geek Scouts, Talking some really cool action figures, Getting all tin foil hats about China, and our first racy Intarweb Goldmine. Click here to download this episode 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 Amazon Releases Rad XB360 Bundle FFXIII, Faceplate, UFC Undisputed 2010, and Bioshock 2 all in 1 bundle $299 Be warned, this is the wired version of the XB360... Attention Guitarists out there... Capo 2.0 let's you reverse engineer music (JP) you can load music from your library into the software and deconstruct it, slow it down, play it over and over... etc... for $50 bucks it’s pretty cool. There are videos and demo’s at the link. Jump from our shownotes into a whole new world of learning Pocket God iPhone App Spawns Comic (udg) Game where you play God over multiple Pygmies that you feed, and kill. Don’t worry though, they are immortal and keep coming back to life. New chapters constantly updated to game, all for 99 cents. It has gotten so big game wizard Dave Castelnuovo is branching out Digital comic launched this week w/ paper version having launched at SDCC What’s next for the game that makes gruesome death so adorable? Plushies :) WWII versions of Star Wars Toys Best Star Wars toys EVAR It get’s better, the guy has also done Samurai Star wars Made by Sillof.com, custom toy maker Not for sale currently... somebody needs to buy this guy out. srsly. (JINKIES!! the steam punk ones are cool as hell too and the Marvel Pulp ones have some huge potential. udg) Captain's Log, an iPhone app meant to promote the latest Trek feature. (JP) I wondered how long it would be before someone made a nice Trek-style communicator for the iPhone. This isn't the first, but it's pretty, fun and makes use of the iPhone 4's gyroscope. Here's what I found while playing around. Look and feel: Turn it on and you're greeted with familiar Star Trek sounds. I'll let the Trekkies among you ID what you hear, but there's communication noises, the famous "woosh" of the ship's doors opening and closing and of course the chirp that accompanies flipping open a communicator. Speaking of which, yes, you can flip it open. At first you'll see a pulsating Starfleet logo and a window displaying a rotating 360 Only $.99 but now people are up in arms about it... it doesn’t mention anywhere that a user account (which monitors your location and tells others your whereabouts is required... not optional. so use at your own risk...  (that being said I don’t know anyone who’s really that afraid of Trekkies!!!) hahaha Geek Speak Bring on Brion Salazar fanboyscouts.com (SM) What was the impetus behind making geeky merit badges? (SM) Give us some sample requirements... Believe it or not, I’m a Daisy Troop Leader- would you ever consider doing a kid’s line? (udg) I noticed the only stores that currently sell them are in Illinois and Minnesota- how can we get them at a store near us? I'd love to sell them at my place when it opens! (udg) Does your website have a location to list criteria to qualify for the badges? (JP) If not, let’s start one! (I didn’t see one.) (SM) Won’t be in show, I will be talking with him tomorrow about that very thing :) a way to make troops, partition out badges, and share them on social networking sites :) Tech,Gaming, and Geek News Batman No. 1 fetching $40k at auction (SM) HOLY COW, BATMAN. No sh! Steven Molen clean 1:27:14                             The Power Geeks #59 http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/07/the-power-geeks-59/ http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/07/the-power-geeks-59/#comments Thu, 22 Jul 2010 05:18:07 +0000 DarthMolen http://thepowergeeks.com/?p=16470 We are LIVE on Ustream!!! This week we talk San Diego Comicon Survival Guide (can you survive BO), Antennagate, and HULK MAD! The Zoda is back in the hizzouse and we are pumped!!! download show here.

                            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

                            JP – Listener Rob wrote in and said he follows us on FB and wanted to know why my nickname is ‘Zoda’ most of you may know I used to not be as mild mannered as I am today (look at the hair, the goatee which had two blond streaks in it, and yes… if you look closely my fingernails are all different colors)… I am a former pro In-line Skater. here’s a picture of me from back in the day skating a 7’ deep oval bowl in Rockford IL at The PIT skatepark. and here’s the story of my Nickname.

                            Jeremy 'Zoda' Puent

                            Deals of the Week / New Releases

                            • AMC Cult Classics 6 Movie Set! (UDG)
                              • Zombies, Pirates, Vincent Price, Dennis Hopper for under $5.00!
                              • All original casts! Night of the Living Dead, House on Haunted Hill, Carnival of Souls, Night Tide, Bluebeard, Chamber of Horrors
                            • http://www.votebundle.com/ (JP)
                              • a new Mac Bundle is in the works, this time you can vote for 10 of 20 apps, the top ten will be in the bundle.
                            • New out on DVD this week and JP wants to see them both
                              • Cop Out the Kevin Smith flick with Bruce Willis and Tracey Morgan
                              • The Losers  - After being betrayed and left for dead, members of a CIA black ops team root out those who targeted them for assassination
                            • One last Freebie for MAC users (JP)

                            Geek Speak

                            • AntennaGate, Jobs explanation
                              • Every smartphone has a problem with reception
                              • $100 million spent on audio testing equipment, how can something be wrong?
                              • We make mistakes (but not saying this was one)
                              • Free Rubber Baby Bumpers for the world
                              • Money back guarantee
                              • In close, not our fault. All smartphones suck.
                              • RIM  Response
                              • next week Jeremy will give his experiences as his iPhone 4 will arrive by Friday

                            SDCC Preview & Survival Guide! (UDG)
                            Survival first! My name is Natali and I’ll be your Fairy Con Mother :)
                            #1- COMFORTABLE bag of choice (backpack, messenger) A. for the haul of freebies, B. for the stuff you’re gonna buy there 3. for your survival kit.
                            Survival Kit:
                            1. WATER (plastic bottles only) You need to stay hydrated peeps
                            2. Energy boosts!  You’re gonna wanna hit w00tstock or some of the late night events, sleep is for the week during this epic 4 day weekend. Whether it’s energy shots, craisins… etc.
                            3. CAMERA- Don’t be proud. Yes you have an iPhone. That iPhone has a battery life peeps.
                            4. Chargers!!!! – Be it battery for cams, phone, laptop, you need it!
                            5. Tiny Power Strip- For realz, you snag an open outlet, you best charge all your stuffs.
                            6. Sketch Pad & Pens- if you’re hoping of any autograph or artist’s work.
                            7. Sunscreen- Seriously. The lines for some of the halls run outside. W/ no shade
                            8. COMFORTABLE SHOES (no these don’t go in your bag, they go on your feet)
                            9. Meds, Inhaler, etc. Passing out during The Guild panel doesn’t mean Felica will give you mo 2 mo. (There goes my super plan for next year… I’m out! JP)
                            Superman underwear Nothing will power you through the conference like having Superman’s emblem on your junk. Note: Con vets always pack a spare pare in case they see something that gets them so excited they crap themselves. (just cuz that’s funny stuffs)
                            #2- A Plan
                            Plot out the panels you really want to see. Rule out seeing a panel right before it if it’s not in the same hall. For the biggies a 3 hour line wait is not unheard of.
                            Don’t forget your shuttle schedule!!
                            Schedules for events change daily! Make sure you pick up the flyer they have all over w/ changes on them
                            How are you getting your loot home??
                            #3 Hygiene
                            San Diego heat + 140,000 people = O M Stinky G (x it by hangovers = yeah…. )
                            SHOWER & be kind, toss a stick of travel size deodorant in your survival kit! And Febreeze, Axe and all kinds of girly sprays all come in tiny lil travel sizes #justsayin
                            #4 The sign
                            The day you check into your hotel, on the back of the door- “HEY DUMBASS DO NOT FORGET YOUR BADGE”
                            #5 The Realization
                            There are three major things you need to realize before you start this adventure to mecca:
                            1. There will be an INSANE amount of people (if you’re crowd phobic) and you need to stand in line for hours w/ them.
                            2. You will NOT, I repeat NOT see everything on your list. It’s impossible.
                            3. Your main mission: Snag the fun badge. That’s it.
                            (JP ) come up with a treasure hunt list of things for you and your friends… IE Pic with Felicia Day, Pic with Wil Weaton, Photo with @GEEKGIRL at her Panel, etc… be creative

                            List of exclusive Con items!

                            Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

                            • Android’s IPad Killer? ICD Gemini (SM)
                              • The features alone blow away the IPad
                              • Widescreen, true 1080P
                              • 2MP/5MP camera
                              • Cell Service / SMS / MMS / 3G
                              • SD Card Slot, USB Peripherals
                              • Dual Speakers / Dual ambient mics
                              • Micro USB for charging / FM Radio
                              • Catch? August 2010
                                • (JP) – that’s next month… since we saw and read about the Boxee Box and it still isn’t on the market yet, I doubt we’ll be seeing this in August of this year… maybe August of 2011!!! hahahah
                              • http://www.alternatives2ipad.com/
                            • XBox 360 Gets New SKU’s, Kinect Priced at $150 (UDG)
                              • Release set for Nov 4th, will come w/ Kinect Adventures
                              • New version of Xbox will hit the stores on Aug 3 – $200
                              • 4GB of flash storage  Slim’s styling with a matte finish.
                              • Ability to store and save games on USB sticks most able entry-level 360 ever released and has WiFi
                              • $300 bundle for both is great for newbs, but already hardcore XBoxers not likely to fork out $150 for a peripheral (personally I’d rather drop that on the 250gb slim)
                              • 250gb version of matte finish? Bundle?
                              • PS3 Netflix going Discless (JP)
                                • The rumor was that M$ had the lock with live on discless Netflix
                                • Both Wii and PS3 both require discs to boot up the Netflix streaming
                                • October will be new XMB discless update, will include seamless UI updates
                                • Joins Hulu Plus as yet another streaming service competing for money
                                • Netflix in Canada
                              • Starcraft cost $100 million dollars to make (SM)
                                • Might seem like a lot but it’s guaranteed to make at least that.
                                • Starcraft 1 is a national pasttime in Korea
                                • Activision has 7 pillars of money making games, guess what they are?
                                • Each pillar is expected to make half a billion to a billion in its lifetime
                                • July 27th will be interesting. can they make $100 mill in a week
                              • Warrant withdrawn in Gawker, IPhone 4 case (UDG)
                                • Jason Chen, reporter who “bought” IPhone 4 prototype, apt was searched and comps seized
                                • Felony charges were / and still are / being pursued over the “stolen” IPhone
                                • Gizmodo “cooperating” with DA, The warrant was withdrawn and comps / cameras returned
                                • Still no charges filed but the info off computers could be subpoenaed
                                • (SM) It’s still fishy to me how Apple is a member of the task force that asked for the warrant in the first place
                              • Military researches Soldier Exo-Skeleton (SM)
                                • Here we thought Aliens and Avatar were far fetched…
                                • Military developing computer driven exo-skeleton to help with heavy payloads for individual soldier, HULC
                                • Jeremy, from experience, how heavy is a full load-out? (talk about whatever, WTF am I doing telling a professional soldier what to say :D ) (USMC handbook suggests approx 30% of your Body weight – usually a bit more 70 – 100lbs  on average which can severely hamper movement and agility)
                                • Skeleton comes in 2 parts, upper and lower body, with a built in microcomputer to aid in the movement of the associated hydraulics built into skeleton
                                • Allows soldier to carry up to 200lb with little exertion yet remain nimble enough to perform “deep squats, crawls, and upper body lifting”
                                  • JP – other thoughts. We’ve read about this type of suit or enhancement since we were kids. I have heard of experiments of prototypes for years… when the Segway came out I figured we were really close to something actually functional, because of the gyroscopes that would be needed to assist with a fully capable suit of this type. lifting and running jumping, the types of movements required on the battlefield and still be strong enough to withstand blasts and rounds shot at it, and add strength to lift, jump, etc… very cool. would love to try one out, see how steep the learning curve is.
                              • Cyberwarriors wanted, Apply within (UDG)
                                • No country move vulnerable on the planet than the US
                                • U.S. security officials say the country’s cyberdefenses are not up to the challenge
                                • Huge shortage of computer security specialists & engineers up to doing battle against would-be adversaries.
                                • there are now only 1,000 people in US skilled in handling most demanding cyberdefense tasks.
                                • U.S. gov agencies and large corporations needs a force of 20,000 to 30,000
                                • Nonprofit SANS (SysAdmin, Audit, Network, Security) Institute outside Washington, D.C. provides traiing, but the demand for qualified cybersecurity specialists far exceeds supply.
                                • And there’s China- the training of computer experts is a top national priority.
                                • Most recent round of the International Collegiate Programming Contest, Chinese universities took four of the top 10 places. No U.S. university made the list.
                                • One of the Chinese youths who won that competition had earlier been caught hacking into a Japanese computer, according to Paller, only to be rewarded with extra training.
                                • U.S. Cyber Challenge, a national talent search at the high school level. The aim is to find up to 10,000 potential cyberwarriors, ready to play both offense and defense.
                                • Starting with game cheats
                                • the best way to defend a computer system from attack is to figure out how an adversary would be able to hack into it.

                              (JP – Funny this should be brought up this week with DEFCON next week in Vegas. A friend contacted me saying it was a bummer he was under an NDA and could not discuss how vulnerable major things in this country were and how surprised I might be if I found out….  me being me, I thought what could scare me… SCADA the system that controls nuclear power plants and Electric company interfaces, etc… so I Googled SCADA and Hacking, guess what, I AM Afraid.)

                              • Amazon Sells more Ebooks that Hardcovers Q2 2010 (SM)
                                • Amazon claims that digital books are outselling their physical counterparts
                                • Q2 – 143 ebooks to 100 hard covers, Last month 180 – 100
                                • Don’t toot your horn so fast 2009 projected numbers
                                  • hardback: $4.4 billion, paperbacks, $5.1 billion in revenue, audiobooks $218 million, and e-books just $81 million
                                • Tripled sales of Kindle since pricecut ($260 – 190) Not hard numbers still

                              Intarweb Goldmine

                              • Guy smuggles 18 monkeys in girdle
                                • Guy in Mexico City get stopped at airport for mysterious bulge
                                • Authorities found EIGHTEEN tiny endangered monkeys in a girdle
                                • 2 of the poor tiki’s were dead :( :( :(
                                • His excuse? He didn’t want them to be harmed in his suitcase!!!! WTF
                              • Teacher who claims student tormented her with bunnies loses case (UDG)
                                • German court tossed out the case of teacher against 14 yo pupil
                                • Has a “paralysing fear of rabbits” claims girl purposely drew rabbits on blackboard
                                • Two years ago (dif school) the teacher took a pupil to court and won- student had to agree to never again to claim that the plaintiff “freaked out” when she saw a rabbit or heard the word.
                              • I’ll let that happen when Donkeys Fly!!! ooops (JP)
                                • Authorities in Russia investigate Animal cruelty regarding parasailing Donkey….. Yup… you heard me right.
                                • Video from Southern Russia shows donkey braying in fear while forced to parasail for over an hour. WTF?!?!?!? Video at link.
                              • Which came First? The Chicken or The Egg??? we’ve got the answer and scientific proof!!! (JP)
                                • Scientists in Britain claim to have proven that the Chicken came first, discovering an protein found only in a chickens ovaries necessary for the formation of the egg… so the egg could not exist before the Chicken!??!?!?

                              Extra Links

                              Contact Info

                              Sponsors

                              Wow4Cure.com

                              • Plans to play non-stop to level 40 and raise $10,000 for cancer
                              • Scheduled to take place Aug. 6th and they will continue playing if the donations keep coming
                              • Check out their website, we’ll talk more about them in the weeks to come

                              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!)
                              ]]>                               http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/07/the-power-geeks-59/feed/ 0 apple,microsoft,google,games,twitter,mw2,xbox360,xbox,ps3,netflix,sdcc,survival guide We are LIVE on Ustream!!! This week we talk San Diego Comicon Survival Guide (can you survive BO), Antennagate, and HULK MAD! The Zoda is back in the hizzouse and we are pumped!!! download show here. Gold Sponsors: UberDorkCafe We are LIVE on Ustream!!! This week we talk San Diego Comicon Survival Guide (can you survive BO), Antennagate, and HULK MAD! The Zoda is back in the hizzouse and we are pumped!!! download show here. 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 JP - Listener Rob wrote in and said he follows us on FB and wanted to know why my nickname is ‘Zoda’ most of you may know I used to not be as mild mannered as I am today (look at the hair, the goatee which had two blond streaks in it, and yes... if you look closely my fingernails are all different colors)... I am a former pro In-line Skater. here’s a picture of me from back in the day skating a 7’ deep oval bowl in Rockford IL at The PIT skatepark. and here’s the story of my Nickname. Deals of the Week / New Releases AMC Cult Classics 6 Movie Set! (UDG) Zombies, Pirates, Vincent Price, Dennis Hopper for under $5.00! All original casts! Night of the Living Dead, House on Haunted Hill, Carnival of Souls, Night Tide, Bluebeard, Chamber of Horrors http://www.votebundle.com/ (JP) a new Mac Bundle is in the works, this time you can vote for 10 of 20 apps, the top ten will be in the bundle. New out on DVD this week and JP wants to see them both Cop Out the Kevin Smith flick with Bruce Willis and Tracey Morgan The Losers  - After being betrayed and left for dead, members of a CIA black ops team root out those who targeted them for assassination One last Freebie for MAC users (JP) App Wall ScreenSaver... Just Like WWDC For Free!!! moving App icons, select top Paid, Top Free, etc... and sit back and enjoy! Geek Speak AntennaGate, Jobs explanation Every smartphone has a problem with reception $100 million spent on audio testing equipment, how can something be wrong? We make mistakes (but not saying this was one) Free Rubber Baby Bumpers for the world Money back guarantee In close, not our fault. All smartphones suck. RIM  Response next week Jeremy will give his experiences as his iPhone 4 will arrive by Friday Green Lantern Hi Res Costume (SM) I actually like this redesign, the glowing stuff veins that radiate out from his symbol do it justice SDCC Preview & Survival Guide! (UDG) Survival first! My name is Natali and I’ll be your Fairy Con Mother :) #1- COMFORTABLE bag of choice (backpack, messenger) A. for the haul of freebies, B. for the stuff you’re gonna buy there 3. for your survival kit. Survival Kit: 1. WATER (plastic bottles only) You need to stay hydrated peeps 2. Energy boosts!  You’re gonna wanna hit w00tstock or some of the late night events, sleep is for the week during this epic 4 day weekend. Whether it’s energy shots, craisins... etc. 3. CAMERA- Don’t be proud. Yes you have an iPhone. That iPhone has a battery life peeps. 4. Chargers!!!! - Be it battery for cams, phone, laptop, you need it! 5. Tiny Power Strip- For realz, you snag an open outlet, you best charge all your stuffs. 6. Sketch Pad & Pens- if you’re hoping of any autograph or artist’s work. 7. Sunscreen- Seriously. The lines for some of the halls run outside. W/ no shade 8. COMFORTABLE SHOES (no these don’t go in your bag, they go on your feet) 9. Meds, Inhaler, etc. Passing out during The Guild panel doesn’t mean Felica will give you mo 2 mo. (There goes my super plan for next year... I’m out! JP) Superman underwear Nothing will power you through the conference like having Superman’s emblem on your junk. Note: Con vets always pack a spare pare in case they see something that gets them so excited they crap themselves. (just cuz that’s funny stuffs) The Power Geeks clean 1                               The Power Geeks #54 http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/06/the-power-geeks-54/ http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/06/the-power-geeks-54/#comments Thu, 17 Jun 2010 04:57:37 +0000 DarthMolen http://thepowergeeks.com/?p=16433

                              (Live on UStream) This week its all about E3. The gaming mecca that none of us ever get invitations 2. Also, if you haven’t noticed, we’re back from the dead, like the zombies we are. Jeremy and Kristin were eaten by the Real Life monsters so WE BRINGING THE BACKUP!!!2 guest hosts Physicist Lisa, hows it going Lisa and Prof_Mordarm aka Lorenzo. Click Here to Download Ep. 54

                              Gold Sponsors:

                              UberDorkCafe

                              • To help tell us about this new sponsor, we bring on Natali, aka UberDorkGirlie, the owner of this idea
                              • Geek Refuge, Part Coffee shop, Part cafe, Part Game Room, Part Party place
                              • 1 geek, Ginormous Dream
                              • Art + Science = Geek
                              • Donate small ($1 or $2 or Big! and get rewards)
                              • Kickstarter site for UberDorkCafe

                              Deals of the Week / New Releases

                              Geek Speak

                              E3 Talk

                              Interactive Party games, 3D, and Motion Controllers seem to be the theme for this E3
                              Overalls – Who did you like the best
                              • COD: Black Ops
                              • Activision signs exclusivity agreement w/ M$. All map packs for COD hits first on 360
                              • Natal Renamed Kinect: Zune movies, handsfree entertainment control, Zune Music, + wii-type games (a Me2 for Wii)
                              • Metal Gear Solid: Rising – Sword Action
                              • Fable 3 (revolution)
                              • Halo Reach LOOKS AWESOME
                              • ESPN coming to xbox 360 for Gold Subscribers: 3,500 Live and pre-recorded events, Trivia, factoids, etc all available
                              • New redesigned console: smaller, 250GB, PRE-N wireless built in

                              Sony, Summary -

                              • Fat Princess DLC + Pirates and Ninja classes (Cake for everyone!)
                              • Sony pimping their 3D gaming tech, 20 titles native by Mar.2011 (Killzone 3 being their main title)
                              • (SM) Do ppl really want 3D in games?
                              • Move pushed by Sony heavily (Me2 for Wii) ($100)
                              • Sorcery looks kinda cool. Use the Move wand like a magic wand
                              • (LR) I was surprised to see Gabe Newell (from Valve) come out and support PS3 after his stances against the console.
                              • Theme = old franchises return, Tech is just a tool
                              • Golden Eye 007 is back!
                              • New Zelda for Wii, Sword = wiimote, nunchuck = shield, SM – looks way funner than twilight princess
                              • Disney Epic Mickey on Wii!

                              PC

                              Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

                              • Remote WOW Auction House (SM)
                                • Finally! People have been asking this for years.
                                • $3.99 a month fee
                                • Available for IPhone and Android Market
                                • some ppl play wow just to screw around with the market economy
                              • UFC 2010 Slow Sales Affect THQ (LR)
                                • UFC 2009 Undisputed sold a million copies in its first week (2/3 to xbox, 1/3 to PS3)
                                • No NPD numbers yet for the newer game, but THQ revised their quarter numbers by 4 million (193 million)
                                • What will this do for a 2011 franchise? Will this be another Madden or just a mediocre performing non-descript sports game?
                              • Actual Working Lightsaber (LM)
                                • YEAH! Commercial ready no less
                                • 1 watt laser – 1000 times more powerful on skin than the sun
                                • ‘It will blind permanently and instantly and set fire quickly to skin and other body parts – use with extreme caution and only when using the included eye protection.’
                                • Planes can see this laser from 72 KM away… :s
                                • $200 pricetag makes this a basement bargain
                              • New Mac Mini Unveiled (SM)
                                • Unibody aluminum case, Built-in HDMI port and SD Card Slot
                                • 2 options including a “leopard server” option w/ more memory (just screams apple tv or xbmc )
                                • Double the graphics power (GForce 320M)
                                • 2.4GHZ, 2GB RAM, 320 GB HD (only 5400 tho)
                                • Starts at $699
                              • AT&T Stops Taking IPhone 4 Orders (LR)
                                • Website and phones were overwhelmed by pre-orders wednesday
                                • AT&T had to call a halt to the madness
                                • Expected ship date went from June 24 to July 2
                                • Walmart still plans to sell in-store on June 24
                                • Radio Shack Suspended their pre-order possibilities
                                • Best Buy honoring their program (we talked about BB being in bed w/ Apple recently)
                                • Some guess that over 600,000 phones were pre-ordered in less than a day
                              • Gates funds project for Nuclear waste project (LM)
                                • A new kind of reactor that’s been theorized since the 50′s but never built
                                • Uses depleted uranium, so nuclear waste from standard reactors to power itself
                                • Claim that they would only have to be fueled every 60-100 years
                                • Use a very small amount of non-depleted material to start it and then the depleted materials is shuffled around into a “power zone”
                                • Very interesting and has a lot of potential for fixing the main problem with nuclear power: waste.
                              • Texting gone right in College (SM)
                                • Students are going to text, why fight it?
                                • Georgia State picks up a tech inspired from a Sports Jumbotron
                                • Students text their questions to a certain number, scrolls across the bottom of the projector
                                • 15 business classes using, $10,000 licensing
                                • Education
                              Intarweb Goldmine
                              • Bigfoot Sighting (LM)
                              • Bus Driver Steals Own Bus to See Girlfriend
                                • Duane Snipes, 29, a Greyhound bus driver for 2 years, hijacks a $600,000 coach.
                                • Later abandoned the bus, which caused a terror scare with local police.
                                • When Duane was later caught, he made many excuses: Was giving $600 tours, picking up his daughter, and going for a joyride.
                                • Later he said he did it for love; so he could meet his love in Mount Vernon. Problem: Family says that girlfrend lives in North Carolina.
                              • Woman Shoot Herself To Get Medical Aid
                                • Kathy Myers hurt her shoulder but could not afford health insurance.
                                • Her solution: Shoot herself.
                                • Says “no suicide wish” and “…I want to live”
                                • DA is concidering charges for discharging weapon in city limits.
                                • (LS) Seriously, she should be up for mental issues IMO.

                              Contact Info

                              Sponsors

                              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!)
                              ]]>                               http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/06/the-power-geeks-54/feed/ 0 E3,Sony,Microsoft,Apple,Iphone,Nintendo,Zelda,COD,Move,Kinect,Nuclear,Wow,Auction,xbox,360 (Live on UStream) This week its all about E3. The gaming mecca that none of us ever get invitations 2. Also, if you haven't noticed, we're back from the dead, like the zombies we are. Jeremy and Kristin were eaten by the Real Life monsters so WE BRINGI... (Live on UStream) This week its all about E3. The gaming mecca that none of us ever get invitations 2. Also, if you haven't noticed, we're back from the dead, like the zombies we are. Jeremy and Kristin were eaten by the Real Life monsters so WE BRINGING THE BACKUP!!!2 guest hosts Physicist Lisa, hows it going Lisa and Prof_Mordarm aka Lorenzo. Click Here to Download Ep. 54 Gold Sponsors: UberDorkCafe To help tell us about this new sponsor, we bring on Natali, aka UberDorkGirlie, the owner of this idea Geek Refuge, Part Coffee shop, Part cafe, Part Game Room, Part Party place 1 geek, Ginormous Dream Art + Science = Geek Donate small ($1 or $2 or Big! and get rewards) Kickstarter site for UberDorkCafe Deals of the Week / New Releases Microsoft Office 2010 Free for 60 Days (and Beyond) You can "rearm" Office up to five times (180 days) using this free (and legal) program. Geek Speak E3 Talk Interactive Party games, 3D, and Motion Controllers seem to be the theme for this E3 Overalls - Who did you like the best Microsoft Conference Video and Highlights COD: Black Ops Activision signs exclusivity agreement w/ M$. All map packs for COD hits first on 360 Natal Renamed Kinect: Zune movies, handsfree entertainment control, Zune Music, + wii-type games (a Me2 for Wii) Metal Gear Solid: Rising - Sword Action Fable 3 (revolution) Halo Reach LOOKS AWESOME ESPN coming to xbox 360 for Gold Subscribers: 3,500 Live and pre-recorded events, Trivia, factoids, etc all available New redesigned console: smaller, 250GB, PRE-N wireless built in Sony, Summary - Fat Princess DLC + Pirates and Ninja classes (Cake for everyone!) Sony pimping their 3D gaming tech, 20 titles native by Mar.2011 (Killzone 3 being their main title) (SM) Do ppl really want 3D in games? Move pushed by Sony heavily (Me2 for Wii) ($100) Sorcery looks kinda cool. Use the Move wand like a magic wand (LR) I was surprised to see Gabe Newell (from Valve) come out and support PS3 after his stances against the console. Nintendo, Summary - Theme = old franchises return, Tech is just a tool Golden Eye 007 is back! New Zelda for Wii, Sword = wiimote, nunchuck = shield, SM - looks way funner than twilight princess Disney Epic Mickey on Wii! PC The Old Republic Trailer Also just announced that players will be able to have and own ships! Holy Crap! I want the trailer as a movie... Warhammer 40K: Dark Millennium Online Trailer Developed by Vigil, makers of Darksiders Slight glimpses of actual game-play but nothing real concrete yet. Portal 2 Trailer Tech,Gaming, and Geek News Remote WOW Auction House (SM) Finally! People have been asking this for years. $3.99 a month fee Available for IPhone and Android Market some ppl play wow just to screw around with the market economy UFC 2010 Slow Sales Affect THQ (LR) UFC 2009 Undisputed sold a million copies in its first week (2/3 to xbox, 1/3 to PS3) No NPD numbers yet for the newer game, but THQ revised their quarter numbers by 4 million (193 million) What will this do for a 2011 franchise? Will this be another Madden or just a mediocre performing non-descript sports game? Actual Working Lightsaber (LM) YEAH! Commercial ready no less 1 watt laser - 1000 times more powerful on skin than the sun ‘It will blind permanently and instantly and set fire quickly to skin and other body parts – use with extreme caution and only when using the included eye protection.’ Planes can see this laser from 72 KM away... :s $200 pricetag makes this a basement bargain New Mac Mini Unveiled (SM) Unibody aluminum case, Built-in HDMI port and SD Card Slot 2 options including a "leopard server" option w/ more memory (just screams apple tv or xbmc ) Double the graphics power (GForce 320M) 2.4GHZ, 2GB RAM, 320 GB HD (only 5400 tho) Starts at $699 The Power Geeks clean 1                               The Power Geeks #49 http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/05/the-power-geeks-49/ http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/05/the-power-geeks-49/#comments Fri, 07 May 2010 04:49:11 +0000 DarthMolen http://thepowergeeks.com/?p=16412 (Live on UStream) Tonight we talk Zombie Kristin, scouting for video games, useless IPad apps, Next Call of Duty, aaand your mom!
                              My new favorite love “IT Crowd”!
                              • (iKDR) You can follow the creator Graham Linehan on Twitter @Glinner and also check out his blog Why That’s Delightful which is hilarious!!
                              • (JP) I have been enjoying this for some time… It’s AbsoFreakingLutely a must watch!!!! (power cord story from first ep)

                              How much does it cost a geek girl to puke in Chicago? or How I almost became a zombie. – a heartfelt story of vomit and friendship told by iKDR

                              Shout out to the chat room :) – ustream.tv/channel/the-power-geeks Wednesday 9 PM Live
                              @Prof_Mordarm asked a great ?? Shortly before we began…

                              If we could have dinner with any famous geek, who would it be, what would you have? and what would you ask them…???

                              I asked… Alive or Dead… He said to make it more interesting they could be real or fictional as well….
                              JP: My choice would be Einstein, I would have a steak, and ask him what was the most important lesson he learned in his lifetime… (I kinda really idolize him a bit)
                              Gold Sponsors:

                              LuxuryLaneSoap.com of @KyleeLane fame :)

                              Deals of the Week / New Releases

                              • Mechwarrior 4 FREE!
                                • Here’s the catch… is peer-2-peer so have fun with your firewalls!
                                • 1.6 GB download and totally free to play tho :)
                                • Sites a bit overloaded as we speak
                              • Humble indie Bundle 5 Mac games for Pay-What-you-will price!
                                • Pay what you want and say where the money goes… divide it amongst the developers…
                                • donate it to one or two charities they are working with (Child’s Play is one of the charities.. .we’ve discussed this and some of us have donated to them in the past)
                                • divide it evenly across the developers and the charities… it’s up to you!
                                • What a great concept!!!
                                • Oh yeah!!! it’s truely cross platform… all the games can be played on MAC, Linux, or Windows!!! so pick your poison!!!

                              Geek Speak

                              Lets find some absolutely useless IPad apps…

                              • Pedometer for the IPad
                              • GPS 4 The IPad
                              • 30 Day Sex Coach (better than the bouncing boob app?)
                              • 5 useless Ipad apps
                                • Paper Football HD (because paper football needs to be in High Def???)
                                  • What’s worse is that it’s free, but has an available Premium upgrade??? WTF?
                                • Bubble Wrap Fun (99 cents to pop virtual Bubble wrap and annoy your friends)
                                • iBeerkeg (3 bucks…) Why????
                                • Lose Weight Now Hypnosis HD Video App by Glenn Harrold (I think anyone who buys this should have all electronics taken away from them!)
                                • Spin the Bottle HD (yup… get to second base without having to face the hangover!)
                              • You guys can make fun… I have actually found another really cool use for the iPad…
                                • installed in a kitchen cabinet door. plays music, watch videos, and use food/ cooking apps…
                                • Very simple and slick. (I believe I even mentioned this as what I thought would be a good possible use for the iPad a while back!)
                              • Sequel to Level 26 coming out… available for pre order
                                • This was a book I talked about a couple of times back in the day with Cole (who has since read it and really enjoyed it!!!)
                                • Interactive book with online video and an iPhone app… This is a sequel featuring the star Steve Dark.
                                • I can’t freakin wait!!! John and I went rounds on Twitter about our interpretations of the first… I look forward to further clarification or debates with him and Cole after this one hits!

                              Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

                              • HP Buys PalmOS (SM)
                                • 1.2 billion later, they have a bunch of patents
                                • 2000 apps is a paltry amount compared to Android, Apple
                                • What do they do with them now?
                                • They already own the IPaq from an older compaq acquisition…
                                • They’re in bed with Microsoft as an official partner for Win 7 Phone
                                • (SM) yeah, I don’t see anything good coming out of this…
                              • Cub Scouts Add Video Game Award for Ratings Awareness (iKDR)
                                • (SM) btw, I’m an eagle scout :) and we had a huge argument over this new badge
                                • the Cub Scouts–the junior 8 to 11 ages subset of the Boy Scouts of America–are adding a new “ability badge” to their arsenal of earnable merits for the Tiger, Cub, and Webelos troops.
                                • The awards aren’t for how many bonus lives you’ve earned, or stars you’ve collected–you have to do stuff like bone up on the ESRB’s rating system and be able to describe why it’s important.
                              • HALO Reach: Multiplayer Beta kicked off on May 3rd (JP)
                                • If you have ODST on May 3rd a new menu option appeared at the main screen… Play the Beta
                                • If you click on it it downloads 1.2GB to your hard drive, then when you click on it again, it launches the Beta
                                • I played a little bit… There are some pretty big changes (you don’t jump as high but you can have a jet pack that lets you fly)
                                • in multiplayer lobby there is a voting list for the map and gametype… which I really liked and hope that the next MW implements something similar
                                • since it’s a Beta it still seemed very unbalanced at times to me.
                              • Bungie Jumps to Activision (SM)
                                • We announced a couple months back that Microsoft let their Halo dev go :s
                                • So Bungie finally found a place to land, Activision
                                • Now, this could be a good thing or a bad thing… Will it be like IW or Blizzard?
                                • Regardless, next big project will be wholly funded by the giant, could occupy up to 200 ppl
                                • What will it be? all they are saying is “New IP”
                                • (SM) Oh, the giant earned 1.3 Beeeelllion $$$$ in Q1, 2 guess what were the drivers…
                              • Next Call of Duty Quietly Announced (JP)
                                • Black ops
                                • Lots of explosions
                                • some glimpses of jungle
                                • Apparently all that war has addled your brain, gotta find out who you are all over again
                                • I DON’T CARE, I WANT IT NOW!
                                • The United States Supreme Court on Monday agreed to review a lower court’s decision that blocked a California law banning the sale of violent video games to minors.
                                • The law, AB 1179, forbids the sale of violent video games to anyone under the age of 18, requires labels on violent video games, and calls for a fine of $1,000 for anyone who rents of sells such a game to a minor.
                                • plans to spend a lot more in the rest of the year
                                • Admob merger / sale for $750 million still pending with the FTC
                                • Lots of little companies. some of the most recent?
                                • 3D desktop Bumptop
                              • MIT unveils first Solar Cell printed on Paper (iKDR)
                                • Able to print thin film solar cells using something similar to an inkjet printer
                                • What was the ink? Carbon based dyes
                                • Before you get too excited, it was only 1.5 – 2% efficiency
                                • Still in research phase, could take years to go commercial
                              • Russian company buys ICQ (SM)
                                • anybody remember the name Mirabilis? ahhh. the memories.
                                • Apparently, same company with big investment in facebook, wants ICQ now
                                • $187 million (less than half what they paid for it $403 million)
                                • Not so big over here anymore, but huge over in Europe
                                • That client is a huge spam magnet :s
                              • Beware of Privacy Breaches (JP)
                                • Plugin for Chrome and IE is unintentionally sharing ur shopping habits with every store that uses the service
                                • Invisible hands – allows you to compare prices across stores and pops up when you’re on a competitors site
                                • Well, only amazon is using the bug right now
                                • your “recently browsed” item will show up even if u didn’t look for said item on their site
                                • Product of how IE and Chrome handles processes
                                • Firefox unaffected
                                • This newly launched application will let you conduct massively multiplayer chats right from your Facebook page.
                                • This app has a simple, non-distracting UI that represents a good blend of familiar group chat interfaces and the even more familiar Facebook interface; it merely adds a “Chat” tab to the upper part of a Facebook page.
                                • Adding Clobby is an easy 2-click process. One click authorizes Clobby to access the Facebook page, and a second click adds the “Chat” tab to the profile or page in question.
                              Intarweb Goldmine
                              Extra Links

                              Contact Info

                              Coming up on GeekGirlsNetwork…word to our geek moms…

                              Sponsors

                              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!)
                              ]]>                               http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/05/the-power-geeks-49/feed/ 2 apple,ipad,microsoft,hp,palm,palmos,geeks,geekgirl,mw2,sc2,xbox,xbox360,solar (Live on UStream) Tonight we talk Zombie Kristin, scouting for video games, useless IPad apps, Next Call of Duty, aaand your mom! My new favorite love "IT Crowd"! (iKDR) You can follow the creator Graham Linehan on Twitter @Glinner and also chec... (Live on UStream) Tonight we talk Zombie Kristin, scouting for video games, useless IPad apps, Next Call of Duty, aaand your mom! My new favorite love "IT Crowd"! (iKDR) You can follow the creator Graham Linehan on Twitter @Glinner and also chec... The Power Geeks clean 1                               The Power Geeks #31 http://thepowergeeks.com/2009/12/the-power-geeks-31/ http://thepowergeeks.com/2009/12/the-power-geeks-31/#comments Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:27:50 +0000 DarthMolen http://thepowergeeks.com/?p=16265 Intro

                              Kristin created Geek Girls Network, a resource hub for women who possess a passion, knowledge, and interest for all things “geeky”.

                              Aside from providing timely news, reviews and how-tos, this website also encourages women to share their geeky expertise by accepting contribution articles.
                              When I’m not writing or tweeting, I spend my time reading comics, building websites, dreaming about zombies, and reluctantely playing Bejewled Blitz (already about 80,000 ahead of Steven… still slightly behind JP though :) ).  And as of today, will be officially guest writing for the new GeekWeek online zine.
                              Christmas Presents!!!!!

                              JP -

                              • Tony Hawk’s Ride for Xbox 360

                              SM -

                              • Borderlands and Overlord I + II

                              KDR -

                              • Its beginning to look a lot like Zombies ( a zombie xmas carol book), & Bunny Suicide Calendar

                              Geek Speak

                              2009, 2010, and end of a decade

                              JP – 2 biggest stories of last decade

                              • 1 – 1999 new years – otherwise known as the Y2K (Nothing happened – pretty much people spent a ton and nothing really happened)
                              • 2- Apple… was on the verge of death and now rules most things tech (SM – I wouldn’t say “rules” but is the most buzzed about, yes)

                              SM – My 2 biggest stories

                              • Storage Capacity, 3 Terrabytes on a home computer?
                              • Y2K

                              KDR – My biggest

                              • Finally started a blog promoting the female geek
                              • Traded in my day planner for an iPhone
                              • Biggest FAILs of the Decade – The Watchmen, Indiana Jones, Vista, Xbox Red Ring
                              Devices / Software of the Year 2009
                              • SM – Droid / Android (marketshare figures)
                                • Chrome (released in 2008, based on webkit, 4% market share, passes safari, poised to blow up in 2010),
                                • Bing! (yes, microsoft’s search engine, 10% market share)
                              • KDR -Twitter spawns a gazillion social media gurus
                              • JP – iPhone!!!!! ALL LTHE WAY… turned me into a MAC convert… after years of rallying against! <-WORD!!! kdr
                              2009 Game of the Year
                              • SM – MW2 (JP agrees here!)
                              • KDR – Uncharted 2

                              2010 Predictions

                              Predictions for 2010? Apple iSlate? New Google Phone?? Next big Twitter-like product

                              • (JP – I predict iSlate is Jobs legacy and he will retire shortly after it’s release…)
                              • KDR – will anyone find a permanent use for Wave?
                              • (SM) I’m horrible at predictions. My guess is a Zombie Apocalypse and I have my Boomstick ready… (How about TPG makes it big… no HUGE in 2010??)
                              Google’s new Nexus One Reality? or more hype? (specs after jump)

                                • Rumored to be sold directly by Google after the new year…
                                • is there any truth to this? If so, how will it be priced?
                                • How will google ramp up to do retail when they never have done this before?
                                • Does this make sense?
                                • What is their motivation to compete against their partners? (Verizon and TMobile?)
                                • Is there a new business model in sight here?
                                • WHAT ABOUT WINDOWS PHONE AND THOSE AMTHROPOMORPHIC ICONS IN TIGHTS?
                                  • oh yeah, its just re-branded windows mobile on a HTC pure… doh!
                                • \Don’t forget the Android Netbook…
                                • (JP – I was trying have not spent too much time, but I tried to get a VM of Chrome running… will try to get it up again soon… no luck on first try!)

                              Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

                              • “Spock” Voices Star Trek Online (for John) (JP)
                                • Will Narrate the games introduction, also will be on various cut scenes throughout the game
                                • Newest Spock, Zachary Quinto, will be relegated to the “Emergency Medical Hologram tutorial”
                                • (SM)sounds like latrine duty to me, they should task him to hold Leonard’s Jock while he’s at it :D :D
                                • (KDR) Finished downloading the beta yesterday and will be releasing an official pre-review of the game shortly
                                • (KR) Finally a release date, 2010
                              • AT&T Stops Selling IPhones in NYC (SM)
                                • We talked about this a couple shows back. AT&T can’t keep up with the bandwidth hungry IPhone users
                                • Their solution: Stop selling phones in that market…. yeah. quite an epic solution
                                • (JP)And then re-adds it a day later without too much explanation…. (some talk is that there were too many stolen credit cards being used to buy them from here…)
                              • User to pay large sum because others are Pirating
                                • It’s in the UK and the Entertainment industry there is forcing the ISP’s to warn and then cut off users who are pirating
                                • all through a government bill called the Digital Economy bill
                                • Whats the catch? They aren’t paying the bill for the enforcement measures, the average user is.
                                • Everybody else at the ISP will have to pay more to foot the costs of the piracy crackdown while entertainment industry gets all the gains
                                  • (JP- I am not ever down with this type of counter measure… I don’t believe this is a deterrent… you want to deter crime??? Make the punishments severe and make them stick. People do it because they can get away with it or they just get a slap on the wrist if they get caught.)

                              Deal of the Week

                              Intarweb Goldmine

                              • Florida man calls 911 hoping for ride to a bar!
                                • I’ve seen some winners when it comes to Mug shots… but follow the link for a peek at this gem!!!
                                • He lied about being attacked, then kicked a sheriff in the knees and had to be tasered!

                              Contact Info

                              • On Twitter: Steven is @DarthMolen and I am @JPuent and Kristin is @GeekGirls
                              • email us: darthmolen@thepowergeeks.com and jpuent@thepowergeeks.com
                              • Shout out and holiday wishes to our troops here and abroad special thanks to Kristin, and all our listeners for a great 2009 and let’s make 2010 HUGE!! Spread the Geek word!!

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                              ]]>                               http://thepowergeeks.com/2009/12/the-power-geeks-31/feed/ 1 apple win7 mac iphone borderlands mw2 blog twitter facebook geek spock stonline startrek Intro Kristin created Geek Girls Network, a resource hub for women who possess a passion, knowledge, and interest for all things “geeky”. Aside from providing timely news, reviews and how-tos, this website also encourages women to share their geeky ... Intro Kristin created Geek Girls Network, a resource hub for women who possess a passion, knowledge, and interest for all things “geeky”. Aside from providing timely news, reviews and how-tos, this website also encourages women to share their geeky expertise by accepting contribution articles. When I'm not writing or tweeting, I spend my time reading comics, building websites, dreaming about zombies, and reluctantely playing Bejewled Blitz (already about 80,000 ahead of Steven... still slightly behind JP though :) ).  And as of today, will be officially guest writing for the new GeekWeek online zine. Christmas Presents!!!!! JP - Tony Hawk's Ride for Xbox 360 SM - Borderlands and Overlord I + II KDR - Its beginning to look a lot like Zombies ( a zombie xmas carol book), & Bunny Suicide Calendar Geek Speak 2009, 2010, and end of a decade JP - 2 biggest stories of last decade 1 - 1999 new years - otherwise known as the Y2K (Nothing happened - pretty much people spent a ton and nothing really happened) 2- Apple... was on the verge of death and now rules most things tech (SM - I wouldn't say "rules" but is the most buzzed about, yes) SM - My 2 biggest stories Storage Capacity, 3 Terrabytes on a home computer? Y2K KDR - My biggest Finally started a blog promoting the female geek Traded in my day planner for an iPhone Biggest FAILs of the Decade - The Watchmen, Indiana Jones, Vista, Xbox Red Ring Devices / Software of the Year 2009 SM - Droid / Android (marketshare figures) Chrome (released in 2008, based on webkit, 4% market share, passes safari, poised to blow up in 2010), Bing! (yes, microsoft's search engine, 10% market share) KDR -Twitter spawns a gazillion social media gurus JP - iPhone!!!!! ALL LTHE WAY... turned me into a MAC convert... after years of rallying against! <-WORD!!! kdr 2009 Game of the Year SM - MW2 (JP agrees here!) KDR - Uncharted 2 2010 Predictions Predictions for 2010? Apple iSlate? New Google Phone?? Next big Twitter-like product (JP - I predict iSlate is Jobs legacy and he will retire shortly after it's release...) KDR - will anyone find a permanent use for Wave? (SM) I'm horrible at predictions. My guess is a Zombie Apocalypse and I have my Boomstick ready... (How about TPG makes it big... no HUGE in 2010??) Google's new Nexus One Reality? or more hype? (specs after jump) Rumored to be sold directly by Google after the new year... is there any truth to this? If so, how will it be priced? How will google ramp up to do retail when they never have done this before? Does this make sense? What is their motivation to compete against their partners? (Verizon and TMobile?) Is there a new business model in sight here? Update: Jan 5th... google holding Android Event What will it be??? Rumors are the new Google phone will be released through TMobile (180.00) or sold unlocked for 530.00 WHAT ABOUT WINDOWS PHONE AND THOSE AMTHROPOMORPHIC ICONS IN TIGHTS? oh yeah, its just re-branded windows mobile on a HTC pure... doh! \Don't forget the Android Netbook... (JP - I was trying have not spent too much time, but I tried to get a VM of Chrome running... will try to get it up again soon... no luck on first try!) Tech,Gaming, and Geek News "Spock" Voices Star Trek Online (for John) (JP) Will Narrate the games introduction, also will be on various cut scenes throughout the game Newest Spock, Zachary Quinto, will be relegated to the "Emergency Medical Hologram tutorial" (SM)sounds like latrine duty to me, they should task him to hold Leonard's Jock while he's at it :D :D (KDR) Finished downloading the beta yesterday and will be releasing an official pre-review of the game shortly (KR) Finally a release date, 2010 AT&T Stops Selling IPhones in NYC (SM) Steven Molen clean 1:01:00