Wednesday, November 26, 2008

YouTube goes widescreen!


Youtube has recently switched all of their videos to 16:9 widescreen format. 4:3 ratio videos will still work and have been pillarboxed to maintain the correct aspect ratio. Also added under all videos is a link to the high-definition version of the video, which adds a huge amount of visual quality to the movies. Check it out!



http://www.youtube.com

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Make: Kits

Make: Kits

The MakerSHED has some great gift ideas for the DIYer in your shed.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

17 Holiday Gift Ideas for Geeky Kids

Some of the gift ideas look pretty cool.... like the fully automatic stapler with transparent casing that reveals the secrets behind stapler technology & the brew your own root beer kit. Link

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/17_christmas_gift_ideas_for_ge.php

PETA uses games

The PETA Files: Your Mama! (Kills Animals)

from SLASHDOT:
Cooking Mama is a series of games for the Wii and the DS in which players go through a number of steps to prepare meals using a variety of recipes. Last week, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) created their own Flash-based parody of the game, highlighting the use of meat products by having a more bloody-minded Mama do things like pull the internal organs from a Thanksgiving turkey. Cooking Mama's maker, Majesco, issued a light-hearted response, pointing out the vegetarian meals in the game. PETA then said they plan to continue making parody games as a way of "engaging the public."

Friday, November 21, 2008

2008 Holiday Gift Guide

Curbly's Guide to 2008 Holiday Gift Guides � Curbly | DIY Design Community

Pretty extensive list of gift guides, lists and ideas for a wide range of folk. I already have some good ideas.

: )

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Spinebreakers

Spinebreakers is a site sponsored by Penguin Books which appears to be bringing print publishing up to Web 2.0 sensibilities. It's interesting because traditional print publishers need to keep up if they don't want to become irrelevant, and Penguin Books seems to be doing the right stuff. Between initiatives like Paper Cuts, a competition to get kids to write 100 word essays on what really matters to them and collecting the best ones into a printed volume, to fantastic cover design for classic reprints, they're doing the right stuff.

(And speaking of visual design for book jackets, be sure to check out the Penguin blog, which celebrates print design with articles like this one about designing the covers for a series of horror novel reprints. Good stuff.)

iPhone version of "Adventure" Released

Yup. The classic Atari 2600 game Adventure for the iPhone is out, it's free, and it's faithful to the original, right down to the easter egg.

Interestingly, all the commenters on the game are screaming for touch controls (this version uses tilt to move), and the developer has acknowledged this desire and is working on it. It will be interesting to compare the two modes of control for the game.

Oh, and if you haven't played Adventure, it's time. This is the granddaddy of Zelda games, a first-in-class. Despite its blocky, abstract graphics and limited world, it consumed many, many hours of practically every kid who had a 2600, with one of the highest replay values of any 2600 game. What are you waiting for? It's free.

Apartment Therapy Unplugged | X-Biking: Like Wii Fit, But Xtreme

Apartment Therapy Unplugged | X-Biking: Like Wii Fit, But Xtreme: "With the XDream Stationery Bike, you can get graphs to show how your stamina and ability has progressed. But what really makes this different from similar computer generated games is just how responsive the software is to your movements. The interactive aspects are amazing, from responsive gear sand brakes attached to your handlebars as well as laterally-moving handlebars so you literally have to pull yourself right or left to adjust your direction.

The XDream has over 400 workouts and there all sorts of features you can play with such as racing a virtual guide, or changing you fitness level to pro for an extra challenge. Check out more here."

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

The Casual Collective

The Casual Collective - Social Gaming & Casual Networking

From the makers of Desktop Tower Defense.

One Laptop per Child Foundation @ Amazon.com

One Laptop per Child Foundation @ Amazon.com:

"Give One. Get One."

Lorem 2: An all-around better Lorem experience.

Need some Lorem... try here:

Lorem 2

"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Donec odio. Quisque volutpat mattis eros. Nullam malesuada erat ut turpis. Suspendisse urna nibh, viverra non, semper suscipit, posuere a, pede."

Monday, November 17, 2008

OFFWORLD

"Boing Boing Offworld is a hub for gaming culture that cultivates the joy of discovery, sense of wonder, and celebration of innovation that all of us, and you, thrive on. Offworld will mix no-nonsense game reviews with profiles of designers, game industry news with level-headed thinkpieces, HOWTOs with actual games you can play. And of course, community! Gaming is a social phenomena."

Whirled -

Whirled - Games

The gang at Three Rings Design (Puzzle Pirates), has launched a new web-based Flash gaming environment. Whirled, which has been described as “Flash Second Life,” invites animators to upload their creations in the form of avatars and games.

Try Corpse Craft.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Aggie Almanac story now up

The Aggie Almanac story on the NMSU Learning Games Lab has been posted to the KRWG web site. We should have a link to the video on the web page.

Robokill

Robokill - Rock Solid Arcade

Really fun Flash game.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Election maps

Check out these election maps which help visualize what happened during the 2008 presidential elections. Interesting exercise in data visualization.

51JapaneseCharacters

51JapaneseCharacters

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Tethering with iPhone

Technologizer (via Daring Fireball) is reporting that AT&T is working with Apple on "tethering", which is the process of allowing the iPhone to serve as a wireless modem for laptops, and that it is coming "soon".

Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories - Simple Solar Circuits

Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories - Simple Solar Circuits

Monday, November 3, 2008

Sumopaint

Sumopaint

browser-based drawing tool that is vector-based and does not even need a registration to use. (from Kathy Shrock)