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GamesArchive for November 11th, 2009
Earlier this week, we released the TechStuff podcast Jonathan and I recorded about the hackintosh. As you already know, Apple’s Macintosh is a closed system — they produce the hardware and the software both. It makes for an elegant solution, because in general the machines and operating system are tailored to each other and work well together.
One downside of this is that Apple charges a premium for its computers. So if you like OS X and want to run it on your desktop, you have to buy a Macintosh computer. If you don’t mind, it works out; Apple hasn’t released a lot of underpowered machines lately. But if you’re on a budget, you just might be buying a PC. Also, if you prefer netbooks, you’re also out of luck, since Apple’s stance on the issue is that the company can’t make a netbook of the quality that Apple can get behind.
It’s a good news/bad news kind of announcement: Fox is canceling “Dollhouse.” In spite of storytelling that picked up in the last half of season one, the show’s ratings have been poor, even with DVR results factored in. This probably doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone. As if reports that Joss Whedon would be treating the season finale as a series finale weren’t enough, the show went on hiatus during November sweeps — presumably so it wouldn’t pull down Fox’s average. The good news (if you’re a “Dollhouse” fan) is that the network plans to air all 13 episodes of the second season after the show returns from its hiatus.
The USS New York is the Navy’s newest ship, and it is part of a completely new class of vessel. It is like a floating airport, marina and garage able to deploy 700 marines and their equipment anywhere in the world. Here’s a description of this new class of ships: It has a stealthy shape [...]
They’re celebrating a big anniversary this week on Sesame Street — the children’s show marked 40 years on the air. Most discussions about the tremendous impact of “Sesame Street” include a mention of how the show’s writers handled the death of Mr. Hooper in 1983. When actor Will Lee, who portrayed the friendly shopkeeper in the neighborhood, died, the producers decided to have the character die as well. The writers consulted with psychologists who told them to take a direct approach with the young viewers, and producers chose to air the episode during the Thanksgiving holidays, so that families could watch it together.
I love the smell of old books. It’s just one of the reasons they’ll have to drag me kicking and screaming into the world of Kindles, Nooks and BeBooks. So it’s rather amusing that while the forces of technology and science seem intent on carrying out a kind of print holocaust, some scientists are hard at work creating new ways to smell books.
Eric Schmidt (CEO of Google) and Steven Chu (U.S. Energy Secretary) talk about America’s energy future and how it may unfold: Topics covered include wind and solar power, carbon sequestration, “clean coal”, nuclear power, the role of science in setting energy policy, etc. [[[Jump to previous MYT - The Army won’t accept 75% of Americans]]]
A brief history of Google: A more in-depth time line is available here: Google Milestones See also: How Google Works and How Google Works [[[Jump to previous BFTP - 20 years after the Berlin Wall]]]
Here is an 84 square foot cabin – smaller than a single parking space in a parking lot: Her house is dwarfed by this 100 square foot home: Then he upgraded to 120 square feet: And this 325 square foot house called the MiniHome is a mansion: There’s an idea that if we were all [...]
A fun and interesting infographic: 15 things worth knowing about coffee Fun facts include: – “70% of the world consumes Arabica coffee, which is mild and aromatic. 30% drinks Robusta, which is bitter-tasting but has 50% more caffeine.” – “Coffee is the second most traded commodity on earth.” – “Espresso: It’s not a particular type [...]
You Asked: What’s an axolotl? — Jeremy, Williamsport, Pa. Marshall Brain Answers: And how do you pronounce it? It looks like some weird text messaging acronym rather than an animal’s name. You pronounce it “axe-uh-lottle”. An axolotl is a type of salamander. They can get to be about a foot long. You can see what [...]
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