April 2011
44 posts
4 tags
Birds Tweeting.
It was bound to happen. Latvian birds have been allowed to ‘tweet’ after someone decided to attach fat to the keys of a keyboard and let the birds ‘type’ by eating. The tweets are, as you’d expect, unintelligible strings of random letters and numbers. Despite this, they’re quite entertaining to see. The birds are streamed live at birdsontwitter.com....
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The Long Procession
Amia Venera Landscape’s debut album The Long Procession was released 4/12/2010, over a year after their first, self titled, EP. This album has genuinely left me lost for words. Originally I was in love with the EP, though it was short at three tracks, it was enough to induce hyper anticipation of their future album.
This band has put no less than everything in to their album, and no less...
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New Oddworld projects announced
This was accompanied, however, by three extra announcements that got such an Oddworld fan as myself reminiscing. Firstly, Munch’s Oddysee will be receiving the PS3 treatment, the same as strangers wrath…good start. Second, Oddboxx (a whole compilation of the four titles to this legendary series) will be coming over to the suite of consoles available to us now. And third, and...
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Strangers Wrath HD delayed.
A night of both bad news and excitement was in store for Gamecity, as Just Add Water’s boss Stewart Gilray took the stage. It’s no surprise that this ensemble was working on reviving Strangers Wrath for our fair PS3; but the delay from it releasing this week until the summer is a shot to the arm of any expectant fan. To remedy this, JAW are adding PS move and 3DTV support…two...
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Pepsi Social Vending Machines
Pepsi is beginning to roll out new ‘social’ vending machines in the US.
It seems Pepsi are hopping on the ‘social’ bandwagon. How exactly can a vending machine be social? The new machines allow users to select a drink as a ‘gift’ for a friend, by entering their name and mobile number. This then sends a code to the friend that can be used to redeem the drink...
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To students, is Facebook messing up your grades?
Liking statuses, liking photos, liking comments of photos, liking comments on your statuses, trawling the internet for funny pictures and youtube for likes, keeping Facebook open on one tab to wait for likes as you “work.”
It may all be a very likable affair; but we all knew the answer to this question before you even opened up this article. Until the vast stratosphere of Academia...
Thanks to the PlayStation, you too might be at...
Could the hack attack on the PlayStation console be the most colossal data theft in history?
Prior to this week Sony have shut down the PlayStation network and associated Qriocity services, after solemnly admitting that the network was unexpectedly seized by hackers.
But the harsh reality for millions of their gamers is that inexcusably, they may have had their personal security compromised.
...
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The Amazing Spider-Man
With Andrew Garfield cast as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, my excitement rose for The Amazing Spider-Man which is currently in filming and set to be released 4th July 2012. Finally, Spider-Man is back to the scrawny teenager portrayed in the comic books and cartoons we all grew up reading/watching.
The main photo (above) causing speculation at the moment is of Spider-Man, unmasked, in an updated...
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pplscroll
Pplscroll.com reduces social networking to a simple premise, appearances are everything. To connect on pplscroll you simple scroll through a carousel of people and if you like someone you click ‘yes’. You only see their picture and that’s the criteria you judge them on. If they have also liked you in the same way, you’ll become friends. Ugly people like me hate this idea....
Wii 2 To Launch in 2012
After months of speculation, Nintendo have confirmed a “2012 launch” for the next generation Wii games console. Depending on the release date, that doesn’t really give us much time to play it before the end o the world.
It’s code named ‘Project Café’ reducing the aspirations of the hardcore audiences. But none the less the rumours show no sign of stopping; this new console will feature...
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Welcome Home Armageddon
Funeral For A Friend’s fifth studio album, released 2/9/2011, is a step forward from Memory and Humanity, which left nothing for me to remember it by, in its mundane averageness. Welcome Home Armageddon is a carefully developed explosion of breath taking guitar riffs and high energy songs that have sustained my initial excitement from first listening. Once again Ryan Richards, on drums and...
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Portal 2
Portal 2 has convinced me that I am the world’s most anserine mastermind. Puzzles range from numbingly easy to devilishly tricky as the story progresses. Yes, story Portal 2 actually has a rather developed narrative, enforced by Valve’s unique way of subtly telling it. We see a return of the sarcastic GLaDOS, and she’s just as mocking as last time. We’re also treated to a new character; Wheatly...
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Nyan Cat
‘Nyan Cat’ is a recent viral hit, the original video has nearly 2 million views and there’s a website dedicated to watching it for as long as possible.
There’s a kitten whose body appears to be a Pop-Tart, for no discernible reason. The cat is also excreting rainbows and flying through space, but it’s the tasty torso that is most confusing. The music is repetitive...
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StumbleUpon
Spin the wheel, or click the Stumble button, and see what you find on the world wide web. It’s not as broad as it sounds, don’t worry, you simply choose some interests you are interested in and StumbleUpon will generate a website or photo relative to your interests.
It’s very rare, in the month I’ve been addicted to it, that this website brings forth bad results. This...
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Regular Tweets don't get you love
And now the reason for th ever-dwindling love lifes of we NRM writers begins to make an alarming amount of sense. According to stats published by OK Cupid, active users of Twitter have shorter relationships than those of us with actual social lives. Of course, no qualitative evidence could be collected: like whether the twitterati are just more annoying, or whether the short nature of our posts...
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Porn: the stats.
Grannies are still a hot subject matter for porn, with a large British audience. According to one adult industry veteran, many of us Britons were schoolboys, we were spanked/slapped/pinched by our school teachers. We search more for fat than thin. For every one search for a skinny girl, there’s three for fat women, with 504 websites from the source (Dogpile, an online porn catalogue)...
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Is the engine shed losing steam?
Opening with an emphatic entrance into Lincoln’s live music scene in September 2006, The Engine Shed has welcomed a small canvas of great artists, including Gorillaz, Fat Boy Slim and the Foals. Since this triumphant start, a dry spell has now drifted over the self-proclaimed “refuge” for music. With student numbers almost reaching around 10,000 at the university, the audience is clearly...
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The PSP Go...Goes Away
In a move surprising absolutely nobody on or within earshot of this great planet, Sony has removed it’s production of the oddity of a high priced console with no external UMD drive, promising that support and repairs will continue. So as the Xperia Play takes over the reigns of being the Playstation-slider device we actually wanted, we’re left feeling sorry for anyone who’s...
TED's public auditions.
TED is a series of conferences that invite speakers to present ‘ideas worth spreading’. There are over 700 TED Talks available to watch free online, with an impressive array of speakers.
Now TED want Joe Public to join the ranks of Bill Gates, Al Gore, Richard Dawkins and.. Jamie Oliver. Anyone can send a one minute video ‘audition’ explaining their idea, and the best...
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TheSixtyOne
TheSixtyOne is a web based musical journey for users to discover singer/songwriters. The simple web page is a background image, chosen by the artist, a control panel for musical directions (play, pause, volume, skip, add to playlist), a panel to discover new types of songs, for example you can choose a song set to a mood you’re in, and a panel to share, comment, download or...
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Jackass 3.5
If Jackass started now, it would be a completely different beast. It would still be silly men, performing silly and dangerous stunts, but wouldn’t take the form of a television show. Jackass would be a series of online videos, MTV doesn’t really air shows like Jackass anymore, times have changed.
We appear to have come full circle, ‘Jackass 3.5’ is being released...
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iTunes vs Indie record stores
Many of the worlds biggest artists are trying to get people back into independent record stores. Music is becoming more and more disposable these days, thanks to faster Internet speeds and cheaper downloads. With just a click of a mouse you can now buy any album - new or old - anywhere, anytime, without even having to leave the comfort of your bedroom. But whatever happened to walking into an...
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Valve and the Great Marketing Misadventure
Famously known for their knack at generating hype for their games through viral sites, puzzles and hidden references Valve certainly haven’t broken this ritual with Portal 2. Weeks before its intended release Valve released “The Potato Sack”, a collection of indie gems at a discounted price, initially this was just thought to be another Steam sale, but as Portal 2 drew closer this façade was...
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Spotified Part 3: The controversial way Spotify...
Don’t offer an open account altogether.
The fact you’re offering this existential limbo between an open account and a ”trial” is the reason why many people are packing up shop and leaving. I would say either make it free or a 30 day trial; but from how multiple requests have been given to labels from Spotify to “give us time, it’ll make money soon,”...
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Spotified part 2: make money without hurting the...
Increase the amount of advertising. Yes it’s a discomfort; but more regularity and more companies will increase revenue, eliminating the reduced free account allowances. We won’t care if we have the same, virtually unlimited service.
Do not limit plays to 5 per track. Common sense here: speak of “making sure the artists whose music we all love continue to see the benefits...
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Spotified Part 1: Spotify Open, not so open now.
We become accustomed to listening to as much music as we please via the on-demand music service without spending a penny. So it’s fair to say the displeasure felt by further crippling the experience we get (by half: 20 hours to 10) is across the board. But everybody’s talked enough. Spotify’s got their fingers crossed in the vain hope that this will convert free subscribers...
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ColourDNA
ColourDNA is a new recommendation service. Based on geographical and social factors plus what you ‘love’, ColourDNA will bring up things that it thinks you will also ‘love’. This is similar to the ‘those who bought this, also bought this’ system. It’s an interesting service, and one that is absent from Facebook, recommended ‘likes’ based on...
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fitsort.com
Feel like being shallow and judgemental on the internet? Well you probably already are; want to take it to the next level? Then turn to fitsort, this erudite website, obviously aimed at the internet savant, allows you to anonymously rate your Facebook friends based on their attractiveness. As if there weren’t already enough ways to insult people (or compliment depending on which way you look at...
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Rebecca Black suing producers
Nothing gives you that Friday feeling more than an lawsuit. The video is being called an accidental parody of modern pop music; but has the most dislikes on youtube, overtaking Justin Bieber’s ‘Baby’ (1.19 million and counting). Rebecca Black and her Mother is suing Ark Music Factory for alleged unlawful exploitation of publicity and copyright infringement. Simply put, this...
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Geohot lost; but goes about it in the wrong way.
Everything has been very much up in the metaphorical air about this. Esteemed hacker, George Hotz, has been in court recently for successfully hacking the PS3. After a couple weeks, and thousands of dollars (gained from donations from Geohot’s community followers), a settlement was agreed where George wasn’t allowed to crack another Sony product, and would face a minimum of a...
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Mortal Kombat Legacy
A true “making a name for yourself” story hangs behind this elegantly made homage. One avid fan’s (Kevin Tancharden) piece of live action going massively viral on youtube (link to that), only to be scouted by Warner and commissioned to make more. Not only does it feel right to watch it for this reason, it becomes oh so apparent that this is the video game adaptation MK...
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Twitter predicts the future!
Twitter, the big, group consciousness that it is, has been used to predict the future. Well, the future of the stock market. A researcher discovered that one could achieve an average return of 15% by following stock market tweets, buying and selling accordingly.
A similar study predicted the results of the German federal elections within a 2% accuracy compared to the numbers of votes received....
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Game of Thrones
Sky Atlantic will be premiering the Fantasy TV series “Game of Thrones” on the 18th of April. The plot of this sprawling epic follows the vehement struggle for dynasty in the kingdom of Westeros. The series is based on the series of Novels by George R.R. Martin; the books boast an immeasurable cast, thousands of characters belonging to a score of different families. The narrative is complex to...
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Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
After recording their previous four albums at Studio 606, Foo Fighter’s have gone back to basics with their latest album Wasting Light, recorded in Dave Grohl’s garage using only analog equipment until post-mastering. The album has also revived Pat Smear as a featured guitarist, first album since The Colour and The Shape, although he has been touring with the Foo’s since 2006.
...
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Katy B - On a Mission
I decided to indulge into broader musical genres, and with Katy B’s new album released 4/4/2011 indulgence was sweet. Featuring tracks, you’ve all heard on a night out, On a Mission, Lights, and Perfect Stranger and other filler tracks, the album is a comfortable mix of dub-step, funky and R&B. Granted there are some strong tracks with catchy vocals, but I felt the album was more...
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Adventure Time
“Dungeons and Dragons on crack” Possibly the best way to describe this fantastical, vibrant and lifting cartoon. After being piloted online and receiving massive amounts of interest the show was picked up by Nickelodeon and then passed to Cartoon Network. Set in the magical Kingdom of Ooo, Adventure Time follows Jake (The Dog) and Finn (The Human) on various perilous and wondrous adventures. The...
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Tron: Legacy
With numerous nominations for awards, this sequel to the 1982 Tron appealed to me at first only for its technical aesthetics. This is all it remained appealing for during the film. However, putting the cliché speeches and predictable plot aside, the soundtrack kept me engaged in this film. Daft Punk brought it to life for me. Of course the animation was extraordinary and the acting’s...
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"Social Media is Over" - James Franco
“Social media is over.” says James Franco.
Franco, who you may recognise from his various appearances in the more traditional medium of film, appears to have made this sweeping statement shortly after quickly vanishing from every celebrity’s favourite social networking site, Twitter.
Apparently, Twitter exodus came after companies Franco ‘work[s] with’ contacted...
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Bulletstorm
Bulletstorm is a crass, ridiculous “Michael Bay” game. Macho protagonists, a weak story, ludicrous set pieces; these are all things you will experience throughout the game. Despite this Bulletstorm still manages to succeed, yes it is outrageous and silly, but it knows this and actively flaunts it. Lines such as “You scared my dick off” habitually emerge and I’ve learnt a few hundred new swear...
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The Governator.
With Arnold Schwarzenegger back, and launching a new children’s cartoon for television, a question arises, is there nothing he can’t do? The new TV cartoon is backed by his own firm A Squared Entertainment and also POW! Entertainment which was began by Stan Lee, former Marvel contributor. Schwarzenegger hopes his first post-political action will being forth comic-books and a 3D...
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Gaming is dead. Long live Gaming.
Video Games have enjoyed a huge boost in acceptability and popularity over the past few years and as a result games have changed. The more available the game the better it performs it seems, Angry Birds has now been bought over 100 million times and played countless more, “core” producer Bioware have paraded the fact that their games are appealing to a much wider demographic since the days of...
An exploration of the new Chrome logo
joshuatopolsky:
Love this.
If the light source is coming from above, how come there are shadows being cast from bottom to top as seen in the green-to-red transition? The red-to-yellow pane indicates one kind of dimension but the rest doesn’t follow.
Via Brand New
Google chrome. Abusing the physics of light, one logo at a time.
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The best media April fools of 2011.
Every year has always had it’s keenly played jokes upon the unsuspecting populous of self-important media consumers, and 2011 has been no exception. We’ll start briefly with some G-mail motion, as shown below:
We became aware of this being a mere parody as the gesture was made for Barbados…as nocturnal creatures we get a bit slow at times.
Then we focus our un-abided...
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Rise Against - Endgame
Three years since their release Appeal to Reason, Rise Against have finally emerged from a cave with a new record, Endgame. The album infuses sounds from their break through album Siren Song of the Counter Culture, these sounds fans grew to love them for. It also builds upon their bigger sound they developed in The Sufferer and The Witness and Appeal to Reason. Feelings towards this album are...
