I was stealing your images, and you took them down? WTF?

This picture is worth more than a thousand words.


Source: ritubpant's photostream

Some moron though he was in the right hot-linking, to his website, images that he did not own to sell his own crap. Not only that, when they were taken down, he had the gull to write to the owner and threaten legal action if they were not reposted on the flickr account immediately.

What a jack@$$.

The original post can be found at Digg.

Production stills from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland.

Image by giraffe_756 via Flickr

New stills were recently released of the much anticipated Alice in Wonderland, slated for a 2010 premiere. Tim Burton will be giving us nightmares with his rendition of the children's classic starring Johnny Depp and Anne Hathaway.

Enjoy, and don't get too wigged out by "Madonna Depp".









Source: USATODAY.com

For the high-res stills, check out USATODAY.com.

Leo Laporte of "The Screen Savers" blows up during Palm Pre review.

Image via Wikipedia

If you're a tech junkie like me, you grew up on "The Screen Savers" on TechTV. Hosted by the great Leo Laporte for it's entire run, I'll be darned if Laporte wasn't one of the funniest, down to earth hosts on TV.

Since being bought out by G4 a few years back, "The Screen Savers" was effectively destroyed. Now a completely different show in the form of "Attack of the Show." Leo found himself an avid web host, like most of his kin whom were let go from the channel.

That brings us to June 6th, 2009. During a show known as "The Gillmor Gang", Michael Arrington of the website TechCrunch, insinuated that Leo Laport was swayed into a positive review of the new Palm Pre. How? With a free Pre of all things. What nerve.

Enjoy the angry repercussions, and bask in Mr. Laporte's awesomeness.

WARNING:
The video below contains harsh language.
Please watch at your own discretion.

Source: TWiT.tv

Mtn Dew Game Fuel Sweepstakes!

Castlevania & Hideo Kojima

Image via Wikipedia

It was announced at E3 that the newest entry into the Castlevania franchise will be spearheaded by non other than Hideo Kojima of Metal Gear fame. Great news, or is it all an elaborate ruse? True Hideo Kojima is working on the new Castlevania entry, entitled Lords of Shadow, but it is not Kojima's game.

Last year MercurySteam, a Madrid-based developer, announced Lords of Shadow as a fresh, standalone IP. As the main character wields a crucifix shaped whip, it is easy to see why the title has instead been rehashed into a new Castlevania game. Hideo Kojima's team is now attatched the production, and credited with a vague "in association with" label.

I'm a little saddened over the thought that the game was not Kojima's vision from the ground up, but hopefully he can put his unique spin on LoS. As it stands now, the game looks to be quite far along in it's development cycle. There also appears to be a few cut scenes in the trailer that have the Hideo Kojima touch to them already. Time will tell.


Source: Machinima.com

For more information on Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, stop by IGN.

Sony and E3.

Sony came out about even to Microsoft this year with their E3 press conference. With a lot of a expected announcements, and a few surprises, I came away fairly satisfied. We got information on everything from the PSP go! to the PS3 motion controller. From LittleBigPlanet for the PSP, to God of War III for the PS3. All in all, it was good.

The PSP go! made it's expected debut, with the big wigs even jokingly calling it the worst kept secret of E3. The presentation showed some great ideas on interactivity with the Playstation Store for video content. The whole thing mostly came across as trying to quickly play catch up with the iPod and DS. There were some fantastic game announced for the platform including Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, a new Assassin's Creed, and Gran Turismo... finally. No touch screen, though. -.-'


Source: Machinima.com

Sony also announced a slew of games for the ever struggling Playstation 3. Fantastic new entries into beloved series, like Assassin's Creed II, Uncharted 2, Last Guardian (from team ICO), Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIV, and God of War III. We're also going to see some exciting new franchises, such as Mod Nation Racers (which was very impressive) and MAG.


Source: cnet


Source: G4

Finally we have the Playstation 3 motion controller. Very impressive, the whole thing is extremely responsive with 1:1 movement. The controller uses the Playstation Eye and a Wii-like controller with a color changing ball at the top. The camera tracks the ball and you, while the accelerometers in the controller are tracked by the system. Though the unit worked almost flawlessly, it appears to be aways off as far as release goes. The tech demo was in very early development, and the controller was still a prototype.

I can see the Natal wining this battle between the two motion capture devices for a few reasons. First off, as stated before, Sony's offering is still aways off. Microsoft's "Project Natal" is almost darn near completion. Second, the Natal can easily adapt a controller for even more precise control, but is already very accurate without it. It will be nice to see the Natal adapt a real wheel and pedal for racing, or a remote for menu navigation, but it's not needed. Sony's device is still extremely impressive, with the most accurate motion capture seen yet. Even if it is with a "magic wand".


Source: BBC

For a complete replay of the event, visit IGN's E3 2009 LIVE coverage.

Nintendo and E3.

The Big N has come in at a definite third place to Sony and Microsoft. At least as far as the E3 press conferences are concerned. First, what Nintendo got right.

Some big names in gaming were thrown around at the conference. Mainly mascots'. We have a very well known mascot that is appearing in not one, not two, but three new games coming out before too long. Everyone's favorite plumber, Mario. We're going to see "Mario vs. Donkey Kong," exclusively for the DSi. A four player "New Super Mario Bros." and the very impressive "Mario Galaxy 2," for the Wii.


Source: IGN

Following that stunning announcement, came news of a new Metroid, "Metroid: The Other M." Unfortunately Retro Studios, the makers of the "Metroid Prime" series, is no more. However, Nintendo blew us away with the news that the next Metroid would be made by Team Ninja, of "Ninja Gaiden" fame. The trailer looks amazing, but Samus Aron speaks for the first time. Say it ain't so!


Source: IGN

How could that possibly have been a bad presentation, you're surly asking now. Well, next up comes Nintendo's biggest hurdle this generation. While The Big N sure started a revolution with motion controls, they're not keeping it fresh by any means. Microsoft and "Project Natal", Sony and "The Motion Controller", and Nintendo with... cough... "Wii MotionPlus". A nice addon in it's own right, still not half as accurate as either of the other contender's options.

Finally the biggest let down of the press conference, neigh, all of E3 thus far. The "Nintendo Vitality Sensor." An attachment that reads your pulse with a small, doctor's office like, finger clamp. Can I get a WTF!?

Source: Engadget

At least with a strong software lineup, we'll be entertained this holiday, right? What? None of those huge titles are coming out until 2010? Great...

For a complete replay of the event, visit IGN's E3 2009 LIVE coverage.

Microsoft and E3.

What a monumental day for Xbox 360 Owners. There was definitely some landmark stuff at the Microsoft E3 press conference today, and it was by far better than last year. I'm not going to go in depth about everything they shown at the event, there are enough sites about that out there already. I do want to hit a few points, though, that made my day.

Fist off, we have the "Milo" project from Lionhead Studios, makers of the Fable series. Using the Microsoft "Project Natal" interactive camera system and software, Lionhead creates a tech demo of a child that reacts to everything you do. Take a look, and tell me that you aren't intrigued.


Source: IGN

The reason this project interests me so much is simple, and complex at the same time. The next evolution of a Tamagatchi pet is what first pops into my mind. Been there, done that, and so on. Then you start really paying attention. As Peter Molyneux points out, Clair instinctively reaches for the goggles she's thrown. Imagine throwing yourself into an experience like that. Sure, my girlfriend leans when she plays racing games, but rarely do the hardcore gamers show such a reaction to a game. Crazy!

As the demo progresses they also show Clair drawing Milo a fish. Glimpsing it to the camera for a split second, Milo can recognize colors, and the shape of the drawing. I had some hands on with Sony's Playstation Eye when it first came out, and it was never nearly that accurate.

The next piece of impressive media I wanted to share with you is the "Forza 3" tech demo. In it the developers show what videos can be made using the game when in the hands of the public. The video consists of multiple expensive race cars spinning and dodging, narrowly missing each other time and time again. The whole thing would make stunt drivers weep. The most bizarre thing is, I was so captivated by the whole thing, I cringed every time the cars came inches from each other. The thought kept rushing to my head, "Those are beautiful, expensive cars that are going to slam into each other!" It then occurred to me that I was talking about a game.

The video below is the entire "Forza 3" presentation. The demo I'm speaking of is the last few minutes of the clip.


Source: IGN

We are truly entering an interactive age like nothing we've seen before. We're this far into it already, and we haven't even made the controller obsolete yet. Imagine what this will mean for our future. Not just the future of the game industry, but all industries.

For more in depth information on the 2009 Microsoft E3 press conference, check out Gizmodo's Liveblog.

For a complete replay of the event, visit IGN's E3 2009 LIVE coverage.

PSP go! leaked.

Poor Sony can never catch a break. It appears that Sony's next big thing, the PSP go!, was accidentally leaked by "Qore". The interview looks as though it was meant to be released AFTER Sony's press conference on Tuesday. Good news for us, bad new for them!

Source: Gizmodo
So, a little about the system. The statistics aren't entirely flushed out yet, but we do have some juicy bits so far. For starters the PSP go! is not going to have a UMD drive. Sony seems to be leaning toward downloadable games now, with "Patapon 2" to being a full release available on the Playstation Network.

Also the system is going to be touting 16GB of internal memory, and a Memory Stick Micro expansion slot. This news is unfortunate for anyone who wants to expand their PSP go!, because those cards are very expensive.

Coolest of all, it looks like the unit will house Bluetooth. In the "Qore" interview, SCEA Director of Hardware John Koller said that integration with cell phones should play a big part. If the go! has a multi-touch screen, then I will be truly happy.

Source: Gizmodo

The PSP go! will be in stores this fall. A price will most likely be announced at E3 on Tuesday.

For more information on the system, check out Gizmodo and IGN.

The Zune HD.

Yesterday Microsoft announced the Zune HD for release this fall. While it looks like another ho-hum Microsoft letdown at first glance, there are some promising aspects that might get one into our pockets.

Source: Gizmodo
First on the list is the organic LED, or OLED, screen. Everyone and their mother has been touting this technology as the next big step in screens. While we're not seeing the super thin screens OLEDs are known for due to the fact that the OLED is obliterated by moister, the screens still look fantastic. Even after a thick encasing to protect it.

The second point, and I think biggest of all, is Xbox Live integration. Microsoft has already announced that Live's video content will be available on the Zune, but speculation about games has started as well. The big M has been sketchy about details, especially so close to E3. I can't wait for June 1st, and the press conference. Gizmodo helps to fuel this speculation with their observation that the top option in the Zune HD pictures was missing. They took it upon themselves to fill it in with a nice "games" logo.

Source: Gizmodo

For more information about the Zune HD, please visit Gizmodo. (link 1, link 2)

Lenovo S12, with ION. Take it or leave it.

So the first "netbook" with the Nvidia ION GPU has been announced. The odd thing, it's not really a netbook. It's the Lenovo S12, and will retail for $499. The tiny computer is classified as a netbook, but has a 12 inch screen and full sized keyboard.

Source: Gizmodo

Don't get me wrong, the little beast looks amazing, and packs an HDMI output. The two things that bother me the most are the size, and the archaic processor. Unfortunately, the S12 is sporting a Intel Atom N270.

The problem with the S12 using the Atom, is that it's going to be MUCH harder for the computer to perform well when running flash applications. Flash is a very CPU intensive format, and our beloved YouTube and Hulu both use it. Even with the powerhouse ION GPU, it will still run flash applications like all it's predecessors. This makes that promised 1080p HD, through HDMI, not as plausible as they would like you to believe.

Either way, if they can jump that little hurdle, this will be a very mouth watering deal.

Check out more on the Lenovo S12 on Gizmodo.

More information on the Nvidia ION GPU can be found at Nvidia's website.

Nvidia's weapon for netbooks.

Today's topic is the new Nvidia ION. The ION is a new graphics chipset that for small form factor computing. Compared to the Intel GM45, the 9400 version is supposed to rate 5x faster. Compared to the Intel 945GSE, it rates 10x faster. Imagine what that would mean for the next MSI Wind.

It appears, so far, that the Ion works WITH the CPU to increase graphic transcoding and reduce battery usage. Hopefully they will figure out a happy medium, or pack these suckers with some tiny 12-cell batteries. I wouldn't want my netbook to die after 5 minutes of WoW, after all.

If you get a chance, head over to Nvidia's website, and read up on it.

More attention for me! >.<

Image via Wikipedia

I decided to start another blog only 2 days after my first. This one is aimed to be a little more of a portfolio for the job I want in the future, whereas the other is more of a personal nature.

This blog will focus on electronics, in whatever form they may be.

So if you care to hear what I have to say, good. If you don't want to read any of it, go make some ramen noodles, ya bums! :D