Netflix streaming is great and all, but one has to admit, the selection of movies leaves a lot to be desired. Mubi will soon be filling this void when they bring their online service to the Sony PS3, offering a ton of awesome movies created by top directors from around the world. The Announcement:
Hello, We are MUBI. Who? What? Ok, lets make this simple… Do you know who Kubrick is? What about Antonioni? David Lynch? Ring any bells? It’s ok, don’t bother if you don’t… But if you are still reading you are going to like this a lot. Well, we are MUBI and we are basically transforming your PS3 console into your own online cinema. (You can still play games and all that, don’t worry!) We couldn’t resist the idea of everyone having their own exquisite film library—And that’s it in a nutshell.
But lets get this straight, we are not just an online cinema and we are not just some tech and film geeks in California—well, some of us are, yes—but we are 300,000 friends talking, discovering, and sharing films with one another every day. In fact, every 2 minutes there’s someone joining us. Yes. 2 minutes. Sorry to get a bit geeky (we warned you!), but that’s 700 people joining each day. Not bad… but joining what?
In 1909 an article appeared in Popular Mechanics by Nikola Tesla, inventor of the AC current, that predicted the availability of wireless SMS texting.
Tesla wrote in the magazine that one day it’d be possible to transmit “wireless messages” all over the world and imagined that such a hand-held device would be simple to use and one day everyone in the world would communicate to friends using it, Porges said.
This would usher in a new era of technology, Telsa wrote in the publication.
“Nikola Tesla was able to predict technology which is still in its nascent forms a hundred years later. He talked a lot about his other great passion, which was wireless power.
“It has taken a little longer to get off the ground, but work on fascinating wireless conductive transmission is going on right now in research centres at MIT and Intel and other places,” ‘The Daily Telegraph’ quoted Porges as saying.
Instead of one sentence explanations buried in emails to obscure customers, Steve Jobs has finally written a proper open-letter that explains Apple’s position on Flash. Frankly, I’ve had an iPad since launch day and have yet to miss Flash.
Apple has a long relationship with Adobe. In fact, we met Adobe’s founders when they were in their proverbial garage. Apple was their first big customer, adopting their Postscript language for our new Laserwriter printer. Apple invested in Adobe and owned around 20% of the company for many years. The two companies worked closely together to pioneer desktop publishing and there were many good times. Since that golden era, the companies have grown apart. Apple went through its near death experience, and Adobe was drawn to the corporate market with their Acrobat products. Today the two companies still work together to serve their joint creative customers – Mac users buy around half of Adobe’s Creative Suite products – but beyond that there are few joint interests.
I wanted to jot down some of our thoughts on Adobe’s Flash products so that customers and critics may better understand why we do not allow Flash on iPhones, iPods and iPads. Adobe has characterized our decision as being primarily business driven – they say we want to protect our App Store – but in reality it is based on technology issues. Adobe claims that we are a closed system, and that Flash is open, but in fact the opposite is true. Let me explain.
Nintendo’s decision to not include a built-in rechargeable battery pack with the Wii remote has left you with an odd conundrum. On the one hand, you don’t necessarily have to stop gaming or swap controllers just because the batteries have died. If you have another set of batteries on hand, you simply swap them out. There’s no need to stop the gaming session for a recharging session.
On the other hand, you’re also needlessly spending money on items that could have a much longer shelf life. Why spend money on an entirely new set of batteries each time the previous set runs out of juice?
Let’s face it: disposable batteries have been outmoded for a while now. Rechargeable batteries are the way of the savvy consumer, and Nintendo’s decision has left you with several options in the rechargeable battery realm.
The Wii’s popularity has rallied in numerous aftermarket accessories, so there’s no lack of variety. Before you waste another dime on a set of disposable AAs, take a look at our detailed battery guide and choose a set of rechargeables that are right for you.
We’ll weigh the three major options currently available, and provide a breakdown at the end to indicate which option best suits your gaming habits.
Despite what Microsoft or Blizzard may lead to you believe, real life achievements existed long before the video game ones.
The most specific example that comes to mind is Boy Scouts. Where else, besides the military, will you get the chance to show off every challenge you have conquered, such as a rank advancement or a sports achievement, with a fancy addition to your clothing for everyone to see? It’s an even better way of saying, “Hey, look at me! I have more achievements than that guy!”
So really, we can see that Xbox Live and World of Warcraft just copied merit badges. Digital merit badges. It makes sense.
Need proof? The Cub Scouts (the younger version of the Boy Scouts) have just introduced a video games belt loop and pin for all aspiring scouts. These are the requirements for the belt loop:
1. Explain why it is important to have a rating system for video games. Check your video games to be sure they are right for your age.
2. With an adult, create a schedule for you to do things that includes your chores, homework, and video gaming. Do your best to follow this schedule.
3. Learn to play a new video game that is approved by your parent, guardian, or teacher.
For comparison’s sake, let’s take a look at some comparable Xbox 360 achievements – say, from Modern Warfare 2:
Look Ma Two Hands
- Kill 10 enemies in a row using akimbo weapons in Single Player or Special Ops.
Colonel Sanderson
- Kill 7 chickens in under 10 seconds in “The Hornet’s Nest.”
Back in the Saddle
- Help train the local militia.
As we can see, Microsoft and Blizzard blatantly ripped off the Boy Scouts and no one bothered to call them out on it. Killing seven chickens might as well be the cooking merit badge in video game form. And training your local militia? Hell, that’s a good deed for the day. Even better than helping an old lady cross the street.
Now, I just have one question: Where was this wonderful achievement when I was in the organization? Back in my day, the oh-so-long-ago early ’90s, we had to earn belt loops based on archaic physical activities such as archery, soccer and physical fitness – things modern day kids only experience in their most recent round of Wii Sports Resort.
If my NES-obsessed brain had been given the chance to earn a video games belt loop back then, I would have not only worn it on the front of my belt, but I would have ordered a second one and proudly glued it over the Cub Scouts logo on my hat.
Too little, too late I suppose. But at least this current generation of kids will have something more digital entertainment-based to help them connect Cub Scouts with their lives. Hopefully the Boy Scouts follow suit and offer a video games merit badge soon.
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