There were some really cool StarCraft II mods on display at BlizzCon 2010, including “Aiur Chef”, “Defense of the Ancients” (DotA), “Left 2 Die”, and “Starjeweled”. Obviously “Aiur Chef” is a spin on Iron Chef, “Left 2 Die” is a take on Left 4 Dead, and “Starjeweled” is inspired by Bejeweled. “DotA” is a really neat StarCraft take on the popular Warcraft III scenario (here we go yo). Here are a bunch of screens from all four mods. Enjoy!
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Here are some BlizzCon 2010 screenshots and concept art for the excellent Diablo III, including a few shots of the new demon hunter class. The game had the longest lines at the show and after playing it for a few hours, I totally understand why. Diablo III is going to be the hotness!
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Here’s a fascinating interview with WWE Superstarstar The Undertaker at UFC 121. He’s out of character, which is super rare for ‘Taker; he’s very protective of his character and rarely makes appearances — let alone gives interviews — as his “real” self. Secondly, he has a brief confrontation with Brock Lesnar (fresh from his thrashing by Cain Velasquez). The Undertaker has heat with Lesnar over some old WWE issues.
Check out the clip and let me know what you think (please)!
Mel Gibson’s cameo in The Hangover 2 has been scrapped and the buzz is that Zack Galifianakis played the biggest role in booting the beleaguered star. Director Todd Phillips sent out the following statement via Warner Bros.:
I thought Mel would have been great in the movie, and I had the full backing of [Warner Bros president] Jeff Robinov and his team. But I realize filmmaking is a collaborative effort, and this decision ultimately did not have the full support of my entire cast and crew.
In a recent episode of the Comedy Death-Ray podcast, Galifianakis said:
But a movie you’re acting in, you don’t have a lot of control — you just show up and vomit your lines out. I’m not the boss. I’m in a deep protest right now with a movie I’m working on, up in arms about something. But I can’t get the guys to [listen] … I’m not making any leeway.
Numerous Hollywood dirt sheets have reported that Galifianakis was referring to Gibson in the podcast.
Some people think that Gibson is being treated too harshly, saying that he’s not guilty of anything other than being a racist prick that treats women poorly. These people are pointing to the fact that the original movie featured Mike Tyson, a convicted rapist. Others are applauding Galifianakis for taking a stand against a racist prick that treats women poorly. What say you?
For a company with the unofficial motto of “don’t be evil”, Google’s tax practices seem a little bit…sketchy. The company has used various loopholes in numerous countries to save $3.1-billion in taxes. While I understand that a publicly traded company is supposed to maximize profits to keep shareholders happy, it’s a little funny that the “don’t be evil” company has cost America money when the country has an enormous deficit. It’s even funnier when you consider that Google is based in California, a state with a wrecked budget that has resorted to imposing unpaid furloughs on government employees.
Here are the details on Google’s scheme via Bloomberg:
Google Inc. cut its taxes by $3.1 billion in the last three years using a technique that moves most of its foreign profits through Ireland and the Netherlands to Bermuda.
Google’s income shifting — involving strategies known to lawyers as the “Double Irish” and the “Dutch Sandwich” — helped reduce its overseas tax rate to 2.4 percent, the lowest of the top five U.S. technology companies by market capitalization, according to regulatory filings in six countries.
Don’t be evil, hey?
Google is hardly the only American company engaging in these practices, but it’s one of the biggest and most influential. What do you think of these loopholes? Is it cheating America out of money? Or is it fiscal cleverness that Google is obligated to pursue on behalf of its stockholders? And yes, I fully expect RPadholic smartguy for a full analysis from an accountant’s perpective.
The mobile world is a-changin’: AT&T has moved to a tiered data system, Verizon is launching its tiered pricing soon, and T-Mobile will unleash a strange hybrid of tiered plans complemented by throttled “unlimited” plans.
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the last time you rode Amtrak, Phil Hughes rocking it tonight, or the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Orange County brought to you by Disney, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
The mobile world is a-changin’: AT&T has moved to a tiered data system, Verizon is launching its tiered pricing soon, and T-Mobile will unleash a strange hybrid of tiered plans complemented by throttled “unlimited” plans. The days of truly unlimited mobile data are coming to a close. Which scheme is worse? Tiered data plans with hard caps or throttling data after a certain number is hit?
On one hand, a lot of consumers — ones that use less data than they think — can save money in a tiered system. A lot of iPhone and iPad users don’t come anywhere close to the 2GB limit that comes with the $25 data plan. (Yes, some of these people are hipster lamers that never download apps.) Data hogs and those that want less restrictions will be happy with T-Mobile’s data rates…until they hit 5GBs of data and the company can throttle down bandwidth.
Both pricing schemes suck and stifle the future of mobile computing. Developers are limited in what they can do with mobile apps because they don’t want to create a brilliant program that consumers will avoid because it hits the Internet for too much data. Consumers won’t use the devices they have as much as they would if data were truly unlimited. Unfortunately, data caps and data throttling are here to stay. Which one do you think is worse?
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I want to play more Costume Quest, but I’m heading to Anaheim for BlizzCon 2010. Between the show, watching the Yankees in the ALCS, and doing video stuff, I’m not going to have time to play anything. I’m leaving my DS and PSP at home, so as not to be tempted by Pokemon or Final Fantasy. It’s for the best.
Instead, I will live vicariously through you! What’s on your weekend playlist?
I enjoy using Twitter for a variety of reasons, but the one that’s been on my mind lately is how much the service adds to watching sports. Using Twitter makes watching the Yankees in the MLB playoffs a better experience for me. I love that the service makes me feel like I’m watching the games with friends all over the world. There’s something cool about watching a Yankee home run in Los Angeles and celebrating it with friends in New York, San Francisco, London, Tokyo, etc.
A bunch of my friends follow athletes on Twitter. They regularly get replies from athletes in baseball, football, basketball, boxing, and more. That’s awesome! Twitter is a great way for athletes to keep in touch with their fans. It’s a low-effort way for athletes to personally connect with everyday people.
Do any of you use Twitter to keep in touch with fellow fans? How about athletes? Have you received any replies from any big-time players? Now please excuse me. I have to cheer for Tim Lincecum in the Twitterverse (dude’s part Filipino, you know).
According to a recent study by Nielsen Wire, 32 percent of Apple iPad owners have not downloaded an app. Compare that to 63 percent having downloaded a paid app and five percent having downloaded free apps only. That deserves a Brian Fellow, “That’s crazy!!!”
There’s no doubt that the iPad is an amazing device that has legitimized the tablet computing market, but it’s also a popular choice for hipsters that want to be seen with a cool piece of consumer electronics at a trendy coffeehouse. As my friend Christian says, “The iPad is an international symbol for douchebaggery.”
Keep in mind that the survey used a sample size of 5,000 consumers. Still, the numbers are fascinating. What do you think of them? Do you agree that the iPad is one of the most coveted hipster accessories in 2010? Also, the next time I go to Intelligentsia in Silverlake and see someone with an iPad, I’m going to assume it’s some lamer that has never downloaded an app.
Nintendo of America has announced that red versions of the Wii and DSi XL will be released in America to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. The bundles will be available on November 7, 2010. Here’s a snippet from the press release:
Red Wii Bundle: This limited-edition Wii hardware comes in beautiful red to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original Super Mario Bros. game. The bundle includes New Super Mario Bros. Wii and a new red Wii Remote Plus controller, in addition to all the other included items, like Wii Sports and a red Nunchuk controller. It will be available while supplies last at a suggested retail price of just $199.99.
Red Nintendo DSi XL Bundle: This special-edition Nintendo DSi XL bundle is also red in honor of the 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. and features three iconic Super Mario Bros.-themed graphics. The bundle comes with Mario Kart DS, which looks gorgeous on the extra-large screen. That’s in addition to the pre-loaded software of Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters, Brain Age Express: Math and Photo Clock. It will be available while supplies last at a suggested retail price of just $179.99.
Damn…I want both of these…but I’m not sure which one I want more. How about you? Do you want either of these consoles? If you dig both, which one would you buy first?
