Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan “Confrontation”

If you haven’t seen Ric Flair’s first promo for Hulk Hogan’s Australian Hulkamania tour, go check it out. If you have seen it, prepare for part II. The Nature Boy and The Hulkster meet to try to drum up interest in the tour.

This promo made me a little sad. Although Flair can still put on a good match with a solid partner like Shawn Michaels or Kurt Angle, he can’t do much with an old, broken down, and extremely limited wrestler like Hogan. I found it amusing that Flair mentioned “the big boot”, but didn’t mention Hogan’s leg drop, which he can’t do anymore because of his hip problems. At least neither of them are as pathetic as “Nasty Boy” Brian Knobbs, who was never that good and is only on the tour because he kisses Hogan’s ass.

Congrats to Smartguy (and Other Contest Updates)!!!

RPad Magnet Iceman

Congrats to Smartguy!!! He’s the latest winner in the RPad.tv chick magnet giveaway. One of the site’s best and most frequent commentators, Smartguy won with this comment. Keep an eye on your email!

Today I mailed out prizes to Hrolf and thiswillallbeburne. Iceman was kind enough to send a photo of his RPad.tv magnet. If you already have one, I’d love to post a photo, so please send ’em in. I love that Iceman is looking at my site and chicks in bikinis. Awesome.

Google Reveals More Details on Chrome OS

Google has unveiled details on its upcoming Chrome operating system. This open-source, lightweight OS relies heavily on the Internet for functionality and is being designed for netbooks. Its narrow focus eliminates a lot of the headaches involved with a traditional operating system, but also limits its capabilities. A post on Google’s blog revealed:

It’s all about the web. All apps are web apps. The entire experience takes place within the browser and there are no conventional desktop applications. This means users do not have to deal with installing, managing and updating programs.

Second, because all apps live within the browser, there are significant benefits to security. Unlike traditional operating systems, Chrome OS doesn’t trust the applications you run. Each app is contained within a security sandbox making it harder for malware and viruses to infect your computer.

The concept behind Chrome OS sounds great and I could totally work with it. The bad news for Google is that there are a lot of people that can’t work with a cloud OS. The bad news for tech geeks like me is that Chrome OS won’t be out until “this time next year”.

Also, the guy narrating the video is a nob, but he’s not nearly as bad as the toolbox that Square Enix hired for its Final Fantasy XIII video. Anyway, let me know what you think of Chrome OS. Is it something you could use? Would you buy a Chrome OS netbook?

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Supreme Commander 2 Walkthrough with Chris Taylor

Gas Powered Games founder and lead designer Chris Taylor — the funniest man in game development — gives an excellent walkthrough of his upcoming game, Supreme Commander 2. Check out this video, narrated by Taylor, that details the game’s terrain, units, weapons, and more.

I’ve been chatting with Chris lately and I will have a full interview with this handsome man soon. In the meantime, let me know what you think of this walkthrough video.

3D Dot Game Heroes Launch Trailer

Atlus has released the launch trailer for 3D Dot Game Heroes for PlayStation 3. The game has been the darling of importers and game writers, but I’m not sure how many of you are interested in it. For my part, I’m totally charmed by the game and can’t wait to play it. Check out the trailer and let me know what you think (please)!

Dragon Age: Origins DLC Announced for Holiday 2009

Dragon Age Cailan

BioWare and Electronic Arts have announced the “Return to Ostagar” DLC for the excellent Dragon Age: Origins. The DLC will cost $4.99 on PlayStation Network, 400 BioWare Points on PC, and 400 Microsoft Points on Xbox Live. Here’s some info from the press release:

Return to Ostagar, BioWare’s next thread in the Dragon Age: Origins tapestry, summons players to a new quest in which they will return to the fateful battleground in Ostagar where the Grey Wardens were nearly wiped out. Players will discover King Cailan’s top-secret political agenda and go behind enemy lines to revisit a place that many feared had been lost to history.

I’m hoping that I’ll be able to snag Cailan’s armor from his rotting corpse — dude had some pretty slick armor! I’m also curious the learn what his political agenda entailed. Did he want universal health care for every citizen of Ferelden? Was he planning to institute equal opportunity programs for dwarves and elves? Maybe has was going to let the Dalish open up casinos.

This is a day-one download for me. How about you, my fellow DA players?

California Restricts Television Power Consumption

Samsung LED Backlit TV

In an effort to reduce greenhouse gases, lower power consumption, and maintain the state’s reputation as the hippiest in America, the California Energy Commission has set strict guidelines that would require televisions to use less power. According to SF Gate:

The new rules, adopted unanimously by the California Energy Commission, will require manufacturers to cut the power televisions use by one-third in two years and in half by 2013 by setting wattage ceilings.

Consumers are expected to save $8.1 billion in energy costs over a 10-year period as a result of the restrictions, without sacrificing high-definition pictures, the commission said. The panel also cited a study that showed the energy savings could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3 million metric tons a year — the equivalent of taking 500,000 cars off the road — in part by eliminating the need for a new power plant.

While environmental groups are applauding the effort, consumer electronics advocates are not. Doug Johnson, senior director of technology for the Consumer Electronics Association said, “This is a constraint on innovation and on consumer choice. It’s unnecessary and unjustified.”

Continue reading “California Restricts Television Power Consumption”

Krista Ranillo Uses Facebook to Discuss Manny Pacquiao Affair

Krista Ranillo

After defeating Miguel Cotto on Saturday, boxing great Manny Pacquiao returned to the Philippines with news of his affair with actress/model Krista Ranillo making almost a big a splash as his historic victory. Pacquiao is huge in the Philippines — I’m talkin’ Elvis huge — so an affair is a tremendous deal. What’s interesting is how social networking has played a part in the whole thing. Showbiz Gossips has reported that Ranillo broke her silence through Facebook:

In last night’s report in 24 Oras, GMA-7 reporter Nelson Canlas was able to talk to Krista Ranillo through Facebook chat. The actress is still in the US with her family and is set to go back to the country by the weekend. Krista revealed that she is aware of the negative issues about her rumored relationship with Manny Pacquiao.

Twitter is getting in on the action too. CNet Asia’s Joey Alarilla wrote about Twitter users sending messages with the hashtag “#teamjinkee”, in support of Manny’s wife, Jinkee Pacquiao. It’s just crazy how social networking services have changed the way we consume information, including 411 on adultery by superstar athletes…or would this be Adultery 2.0?

And yes, even though I’m genuinely interested in this story as a Filipino-American and a social networking junkie, I used the whole thing as an excuse to post a picture of a hot girl on my site. Hit the break for another picture of this sexy home wrecker.

Continue reading “Krista Ranillo Uses Facebook to Discuss Manny Pacquiao Affair”

Coffee Talk #29: How Many Gaming Consoles Have Died on You?

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 continuation of Showtime’s “Super Six” super-middleweight tournament, bisexual elf assassins, or the rise of Kofi Kingston, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

On Tuesday, I wrote about a recent CNet UK poll that showed some nasty numbers on the Xbox 360’s failure rate. I found your comments on the article interesting. My experience with console failures is limited to my Xbox 360 Elite. Every other console I’ve had has worked fine until it was retired for a next-gen system. Sure, I’ve had to blow on my fair share of cartridges (did that really do anything?), but I haven’t had a gaming system die on me until my Elite.

[poll id=”10″]

Magneto Was RightI was surprise by how many of you had multiple console failures. Nightshade386’s comment was particularly alarming — dude had seven consoles die on him! Either he’s one of the unluckiest gamers in America or he’s really Magneto. While my experience of one dead console might be unusual, his situation is on the other end of the spectrum…or so I think.

Today I’d like to know how many consoles have died on you. Leave the number in today’s poll and elaborate in the comments section. I’m curious to learn which systems failed you. While today’s consoles are more advanced than ever, they also seem to be far more fragile. Maybe it’s because the parts they’re using are so complex and delicate. Or maybe they don’t make ’em like they used to. Either way, I can’t wait to see your comments today!

Google’s Own Android Phone Might Be VoIP Only

Google Android

Google is rumored to be making its own Android phone with some pretty beefy specs…but it might not be a phone in the traditional sense. TechCrunch’s sources have told it that the phone will be data only and use VoIP for calling. The site’s Michael Arrington said:

The Google Phone may be a data only, VoIP driven device. And Google may be lining up at least AT&T to provide those data services for the Google Phone, says one person we spoke with today.

Users could still make calls just like a normal phone, of course. The calls would just be over the data service instead. In fact, this is the exact vision Google proposed back in 2007 when they were bidding on the FCC auctions for the 700MHz spectrum.

Presumably, the phone will use Google Voice to handle calls, but the service would have to change to work with a data-only phone. Right now, Google Voice still calls a local number for the “last mile” connection before handing off to VoIP.

While I’m still interested in this handset, being data only limits its appeal. Consumers with poor 3G coverage will likely have problems using Google’s Android phone to make calls. Mobile VoIP over 2G can be pretty poor. Arrington’s source is from AT&T, which has pretty shoddy 3G coverage. Would a data-only phone be feasible for that network? Will the phone have different radios to support other carriers? I’m curious to see how this rumored product pans out.

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