From Dust Update: Or, Eff You Ubisoft

From Dust, a new Ubisoft game I posted about a few days/weeks ago, (I’m not sure, nor do I feel like checking. Just trust me…  or just scroll that little wheel between your legs fingers), was recently released on PC as a port from the 360. If you’re a gamer, you know about Ubisoft’s  horrendous reputation with PC Gamers. Well, it now looks like they’re attempting to incite a boycott of their products.

You see, back at the beginning of the month, Ubisoft made the following statement:

Surprise, surprise, upon release of the game, players found out:

It’s impossible to launch From Dust, even from Steam in offline mode, without being online. Launching the game fires up their new Ubisoft Game Launcher, which refuses to work unless it can find a connection,” 

Rock Paper Shotgun reports.

And Ubi’s reply?

Due to the recent confusion over the type of DRM used in From Dust, please find the following explanation of the type of DRM used.

From Dust requires an internet connection when you start the game.

Make sure you are connected to the internet when you attempt to start the game.

After you have signed in and the game is running, you no longer need the internet connection and can disconnect from it if you so wish.

Liars!

 Check with ArsTechnica for more of the story.

My First Cat Post

I never really understood the whole LolCatz meme thing. I’ve also never been much of a cat fan, sure there are the rare exceptions in which a cat is friendly, playful and cute. However,  it’s been my experience that most cats are cucking funts evil. 

To prove my point, I’ve posted the below video of a, (as Geekologie Writer so perfectly calls it), Hunchbacked Rear-Leg-walking Demon Cat. I watched it three times, not because I find it cute, but the eyes, the eyes…

Source – Geekologie

UK PM David Cameron’s Hypocrisy Fail

Remember when Hoser Mubarak  shut down the internet in Egypt to curb his citizens from organizing?  Back in January, Mr. Cameron criticized Egyptian efforts to block access to the internet and called for the bar to be lifted.

Well looks like he has changed his mind on that issue not that his own country is facing a similar problem.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Cameron said, ‘Everyone watching these horrific actions will be struck by how they were, organized via social media. Free flow of information can be used for good. But it can also be used for ill. So we are working with the police, the intelligence services and industry to look at whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these websites and services when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and criminality.’”

Why did the Prime Mister forget about Egypt and the things he said to Hoser Mubarak? It sounds like someone needs to tell him the same things he told Hoser. Instead of fighting and stopping Twitter and instant messages, maybe he needs to do something to make a “future with greater rights”, because right now he only seems to be protecting the rights of the rich, not the rights of everyone.

Cameron added that the Home Secretary Theresa May will be meetings with RIM, Facebook, and Twitter representatives to discuss the matter. Though this is the first announcement by Cameron, it comes after several arrests were already made for inciting violence via social media. The Guardian says that three people have been arrested in connection with their use of the BlackBerry Messenger service, and other arrests have stemmed from inciting violence through Facebook.

Like Free Stuff… Free Broken Stuff?

Picture not related, but isn't Tux cute?

That’s right folks, free stuff! Maybe. ThinkGeek is considering giving away all their junk returns to those that are interested in doing something with them. I’m not sure what we’ll use this stuff for, but we’ll figure something out when/if this gets instituted.

From ThinkGeek…

We have a problem. And it’s growing at a rate proportional to our return pile.

We can’t, in good conscience, resell damaged electronics. And we can’t donate them to charity–the saddest kid in the world is one with a handheld video game that won’t turn on. Garbage, then? Not good for the environment.

Luckily for us, there’s an entire class of scavengers out there ready to pick the bones of our helicopters, keyboards, and interactive t-shirts: hackers, makers, and crafty techy types.

Whether it’s in a school’s technology lab, or a FIRST Robotics team, or your neighborhood hackerspace, we’re betting somebody out there would enjoy getting a box of broken stuff from us every couple of months–and then use the parts and piecesfor good, not evil.

Hit the link here to find out more and sign up for consideration.

You’re Singing it Wrong

Apparently this has been up for a year, but I just came across it for the first time. You’ve all seen the video giving the translation of what the Ewoks were saying in their victory over the Empire song, well now, you can sing along with them in the correct language. I give you, Ewok Karaoke.

(via: Rob Tyler)

Knock-Off iPad – I’ll buy that for $150

At Steve Jobs’ last keynote speech, he introduced us to the Apple iPad. It was sleek, mobile, and considerably more than I wanted to pay for a giant iPhone. No longer do I have to worry about buying a big screen iPhone as China Grabber is now selling the iPed here. The iPed is a knock-off product made in Shenzhen, China at the Foxconn plant, which just so happens to be the same place that manufactures the iPhone.

Personally, I’d prefer this to the iPhone as it comes with Android OS installed which keeps Jobs and his cronies from locking out features I’m sure to like. Also, I’m cheap, and being a cheapskate, $150.00 is perfect for this hardware. Check out the video below so see how it works, it’s in Japanese, so good luck understanding the dialogue.

Twas’ Never a Year Like ’09

No, don’t worry we aren’t going to go nuts with posting lists and lists of the best of/worst of ’09 like every other site you’ve visited since October. I will post this though, as it mentions just about everything except Britney Murphy passing out on her bathroom floor. Hit play to check out the video made by JibJab. Every year they make a short and sweet video summing up the major events transpired throughout the year. I love the animation of the twitter revolt.

With all the drunken buffoonary that transpired around Christmas, don’t you think it’s a bit odd that all these media outlets make their Annual lists months before the year has wrapped? How many celebrity death lists have you read in the last month? Bet the “sane Britney” wasn’t on it. What about the best celebrity mugshots; everyone is going to miss out on Mr. Sheen, aren’t they? Well, here’s to 2009, all the days which have passed, and the two days we have left!

Source- JibJab

Thanks Stem Cells! Vision Restored!

Attempted hero, Russell Turnbull, lost most of the sight in his right eye. At 25, Russel after tried to break up a fight on a bus and ended up being sprayed in the eye with ammonia. For him, the reward for said heroism was what’s known as Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency.

Nature.com - Limbal stem cells act as a physiological barrier to the ingress of conjunctival cells across the cornea. Deficiency leads to conjunctivalisation of the cornea, with the epithelium being of conjunctival phenotype typified by goblet cells, surface irregularity, and vascularisation.

This affliction which caused him great pain, is all behind him now. Russel went through a grafting procedure which removed healthy tissue from his fully functioning left eye, and had it implanted into his winkey, ammonia sprayed, right eye. To see him muttering out his description of the fight and taking an eye exam, check out the video below.

The video states that the procedure was performed 3 years ago, so I don’t know if it took that long for his vision to return or if news of it’s working took 3 years to make it’s way state side. He’s still wearing glasses too, so I wouldn’t recommend anyone running out and getting it done just yet. I also recommend that, if some bloke is acting a fool on the bus, just hit him in the head from behind with a cricket stick. That’s what they play over there, right? Cricket?

Link -via Engadget, Channel4

Unreal Engine on the iPhone?

So this un-named person at AnandTech met with Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games recently and was allowed to play with an iPod Touch running an Unreal Engine 3 demo loaded on it. Looks cool so far. The control scheme needs to be worked out though, (as playing a first person shooters with your thumbs blocking a third of the screen can’t possibly help your kill score). People who’ve tested it must have said the same thing since Mark stated that they are experimenting with different control schemes.

As of now, there is a virtual thumbstick on the left side of the screen which is used for controlling movement, while the camera is tracked by moving your right thumb around the screen. To fire, just tap the screen. I don’t know what they’re doing for jump, maybe ackwardly shaking the device. Here’s a video of the demo, looks fun but pointless since there is only a single respawning enemy.

So why is this interesting, you ask? Well, perhaps it’s because Epic is planning to make the engine available to licensees in the near future; allowing anyone and their mom, (who can afford the license), to make a decent looking game on a mobile device. The current engine doesn’t run on the iPhone 2G or 3G as it requires  OpenGL ES 2.0.

From AnandTech - “For Epic, expanding UE3 into the portable market makes a lot of sense – it will eventually increase the base of paying UE licensees as well as help move the entire portable gaming industry forward… by releasing iPhone and other portable versions of UE3 it helps secure Epic’s position as a supplier of game engines, regardless of platform“.

Epic is looking to the future and never looking back, so too bad for you folks who jumped on the bandwagon early, (HAHA). Mark also said that Epic is going to be seeing the engine on another mobile platform at CES. Could that mean UT or Gears of War on Android? We’ll have to wait an see.

Art Lebedev’s See-Thru Truck Concept

I’ve been begging for this to be invented since I went on my first road trip with my parents. I really wanted to see it once I started driving in LA traffic. If you don’t know, these trucks are always in the way and prevent drivers from being able to see what’s happening in front of you at all. This tech needs to be rolled out and made mandatory ASAP. I got really excited a few years ago when that kid made the “invisible cloak” with essentially the same technology. Alas, I waited and apparently will continue to wait as this is only a concept. Once someone can find a way to make a profit by selling them, I’m running for office to make sure these become required in California. Now that I think about it, wouldn’t it be great if you could hack the image displayed? I definitely wouldn’t mind watching some summer CGI blockbuster on this while heading to Mammoth.

Head over to Art Lebedev’s site to check out their other concepts and gadgets.