The Blind Sayid looks fantastic.
[Via ABC]
Funny or Die becomes Bieber or Die; what has the world come to?
Apparently The Bieb has taken over Funny or Die. Not only has the site been renamed Bieber or Die; it has been decorated with all things Bieber and all the featured videos include Justin Bieber. As much as I can’t stand the #1 Twitter trending topic for one-plus years, some of the videos here made me chuckle. Notables include: Bieber After the Dentist and Just Bieber Screensaver. Good thing it’s just a April Fools gag. Well it is…right!?
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: 1988
The next installment of Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is here! The narrative jumps abot 80 years into the future from lasy year’s “Century: 1910” to League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: 1988. Is that Dr. Emmet Brown front and center? Synopsis, people:
When war-hero-turned-handyman Kesuke Miyagi is found drained of blood, it becomes clear that the occult gang known as the Lost Boys are targeting the only individuals that can stop them from complete domination of America. It’s the perfect case for the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen–except that their government contact, Oscar Goldman, disbanded the team in 1979 after they defeated Mr. Han’s army of the living dead.
Now, disgraced scientist Emmet Brown has to put together a new team to combat the growing threat of the Lost Boys and their leader, a newly resurrected vampire kingpin Tony Montana: Transportation specialist Jack Burton, ex-commando B.A. Baracus, tech wizard Angus MacGyver and the mysteriously powerful femme fatale known only as “Lisa.” But will Brown be able to stop the Lost Boys before time runs out?
1988 is written by Moore, but, according to ComicsAlliance, one Rusty Shackles will fill in for illustrator O’Neill “due to the latter’s crippling addiction to “Pokemon SoulSilver”.”
[Via ComicsAlliance]
Google knows how to celebrate April Fools like no other
As I am sure many of you noticed today, Google changed its name to Topeka. But why, you ask? Well because the town of Topeka, Kansas changed its name to Google for the month of April. Topeka, Kansas is one of many communities that have entered a pool of contestents to vie for a fiber-based 1 gigabit broadband network to be provided by Google sometime in the near future. To get Google’s attention, Topeka Google’s Mayor Bill Bunten changed the town’s name and this is how Google pays it forward. Though it’s quite a gesture of gratitude, Google has this to say: “We want to be clear that this initiative is a one-shot deal that will have no bearing on which municipalities are chosen to participate in our experimental ultra-high-speed broadband project, to which Google, Kansas has been just one of many communities to apply.” And that’s why you see Topeka at www.google.com today.
“Google Translate for Animals” does just what you think an app with that name would do. Check it out in action in the video above.
The latest addition to YouTube is TEXTp, a text-only mode way of watching (most) YouTube videos. Once you flip the switch (found in the same place to select SD/HD modes) the YouTube video will playback in ASCII code, or a dumbed down jumble of letters and numbers. It’s pretty neat! The Lego Matrix stop motion video was made to be dressed in ASCII code, and Trololo (the Creepy La-La-La Guy) looks downright funky.
Google on the new addition: “TEXTp is the result of months of intense transcoding efforts by our engineers, who toiled for weeks to ensure that a large chunk of videos on the platform could be reduced to their most basic elements.” “For every person who selects TEXTp and keeps it on while you watch a video, you save YouTube $1 a second, resulting in potentially billions of dollars of savings for us.”
Head over to YouTube to check out your favorites in TEXTp mode, or add append &textp=fool to the end of any video URL to enable the feature. This better not be a one-day deal, Google!
And lastly there’s the new Google Wave wave notifications. They’re real time, real life notifications from a human male in a lab coat who literally waves at you when your Wave account receives a new message. To enable the new notification system, access the the drop down menu that appears in the Inbox Navigation panel. There you can choose from four levels of loudness: Silent, Medium, Loud or Vibrate. Now see what it’s all about in the video above.
Twitter homepage gets a refresh
![[homepage-screen.png]](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cmfm67YgFs4/S5_WB5CAb6I/AAAAAAAAAgI/oWnTVK_bWVY/s1600/homepage-screen.png)
Today Twitter pushed out a redesigned homepage. It’s definitely more effective than previous implementations due to its friendly nature that will likely appeal to non-Twitter users who are looking to find out more about the community. Trending topics and hashtags scroll along the top; what’s prominent now are the “see who’s here” and “top tweets” sections. These sections give visitors a sense of who is adding to the conversation and what‘s being talked about in a bit more detail. Twitter explains:
With the new design, we’re intentionally featuring more dynamic content on the front page, revealing a sample of who’s here, what folks are tweeting about, and the big topics that they’re discussing. The homepage now features a set of algorithmically-selected top tweets that automatically appear every few seconds. It also highlights a random sampling of suggested sources; hover over any of them to see a profile summary and their latest tweet. Trending topics now scroll across the page, allowing us to present a large set of trends using little page real estate. Hovering over some of these trends will show a description explaining why the keyword is (or has recently been) popular.
Now if there was only a way to get rid of all things Justin Beiber.
[Via TwitterBlog]
Apple iPhone rumor roundup: iPhone HD, CDMA iPhone coming to VZW, & more predictions
According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is “developing a new iPhone to debut this summer.” This bit of news isn’t too surprising if you look at Apple’s track record; since the inception of the iPhone, new handsets have been announced each and every summer. But wait–there’s more! Apple is also “working on another model for US mobile phone operator Verizon Wireless.” In other words, the best smartphone is coming to the best network. We’ve heard these rumors before, but hearing it come from the WSJ make it sound that much sweeter.
Some manufacturing details have surfaced as well. According to “people briefed on the matter” and relayed by the WSJ, the “next iPhone is being manufactured by Taiwanese contract manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry” (the same company behind all previous iPhones) and the first CDMA iPhone (purported to go to VZW) will be manufactured by Pegatron Technology. Mass production of the CDMA iPhone could start as early as this September.
Engadget was tipped about a June 22 unveiling for the next-gen iPhone, dubbed the iPhone HD. Long-time Apple product seer John Gruber added his latest predictions to the mix. He claims the next-gen iPhone will feature the A4-class system-on-a-chip, a 960×640 display, a front-facing camera, and third-party mulititasking support with iPhone OS 4.0.
To sum up: A new iPhone (possibly the “iPhone HD”) will be announced this summer; said iPhone will boast a high-res display and front facing camera (among other predictions); and a CDMA version of the iPhone is headed to Verizon Wireless, with manufacturing to commence as early as September, ending AT&T’s death grip on what is arguablly the world’s best smartphone. Sounds about right to me. Now it’s time to start the waiting game. Summer isn’t that far away, is it?
[Via WSJ; Engadget; DaringFireball]
Slingplayer headed to iPad, WP7S
Slingers, rejoice! Sling Media has come out and stated they are “actively moving towards H.264” and Microsoft Silverlight video support to bring the Slingplayer application to the iPad and Windows Phone 7 Series devices sometime in the near future. The move to these video formats will increase the current resolution of the player from 320×240 to something larger and more expansive. Slingplayer HD, perhaps? Sling had this to say on the matter: “When it makes a noticeable difference in quality, we will definitely provide higher resolution streaming. The iPad is a good example of a device where we are hard at work on this, but unfortunately it won’t be there at the April launch.” Patience is a virtue. That’s what they say, right?
[Via ZatzNotFunny]
Mixr DJ app scratches the surface of what you will find in the iPad marketplace
Mixr will be one of the first professional DJ applications for the iPad. The iPad’s large multitouch 9-inch screen will be able to accomodate two fully featured turntables with options for “cross-fading, equalizing, cue, drag & drop tracks, and full effects such as delays and auto filter.” You can create your own libraries, digital DJ crates, and even record your own mixes using tracks from your iTunes music library. As fun and exciting this all sounds, there’s an overarching theme here to be considered: apps like Mixr are just the beginning for the iPad. Thanks to the large screen and intuitive touch controls, the App Store will start to flood with brand new apps made specifically to take advantage of the tablet’s features, inside and out. If you thought the App Store launch on the iPhone was buzz-worthy, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
Next PS3 firmware update will remove “Install Other OS” option
Linux fans face another defeat. This time not to the overarching power of software giants Windows and Mac OS but instead Sony and the PlayStation 3. All PS3 consoles will be stripped of the “Install Other OS” option found in the system settings, disabling users to install Linux onto their PS3s. Sure, the removal of this feature won’t be affecting the majority of PS3 users, but it is still a mightly blow to Linux fans and console tinkerers. Why the sudden change in heart? Sony says it’s “due to security concerns” and that “disabling the “Other OS” feature will help ensure that PS3 owners will continue to have access to the broad range of gaming and entertainment content from SCE and its content partners on a more secure system.” If you are adament about keeping this option, you’re sorta outta luck; if you do not download firmware update (v3.21) you will lose access to PlayStation Network and playing games online, among other things. The update hits all PS3s April 1. It should be noted that all new Slim PS3s were manufactured without the “Other OS” option, so this really only applies to all fat PS3 owners out there.
New Iron Man 2 poster surfaces
Paranormal Activity sequel finds a director
Paranormal Activity 2 is starting to come together. Writer and director of the original film Oren Peli posted a note to the film’s website sharing news that a new director has been chosen for the sequel. Kip Williams (The Door in the Floor) got the job. Peli says: “Kip is the guy we want at the helm, because he knows exactly what we want to deliver to the fans.” Peli will remain on the team as a writer and producer, and Michael Perry is set to pen the screenplay. Production starts in May and if all goes as planned, Paranormal Activity 2 should hit theatres right before Halloween on October 22. Any plot details, you ask? Tight-lipped Peli has this to say: “I don’t want to spoil the story but I promise it will surprise you. Stay tuned.”
[Via EW-PopWatch; ParanormalMovie]
AMC to bring ‘The Walking Dead’ to life on the small screen
I can see you comic book fans sitting up in your seats! AMC announced today a new show based on Robert Kirkman’s “The Walking Dead” highly acclaimed comic book series about a world run by zombies. An initial six-episode run will debut this October. It will be written and directed by Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption) and executive produced by Gale Ann Hurd (The Terminator, Aliens, The Incredible Hulk), Charles Eglee (The Shield, Dexter), and Kirkman. Here’s AMC’s description of the series:
The Walking Dead tells the story of the months and years that follow after a zombie apocalypse. It follows a group of survivors, led by police officer Rick Grimes, who travel in search of a safe and secure home. The comic goes on to explore the challenges of life in a world overrun by zombies who take a toll on the survivors, and sometimes the interpersonal conflicts present a greater danger to their continuing survival than the zombies that roam the country. Over time, the characters are changed by the constant exposure to death and some grow willing to do anything to survive.
Lead characters Rick and Lori have yet to be cast, but Rick’s partner has been chosen: Jon Bernthal (The Pacific) will play Shane.