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21 Dec 2009 22:38

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Tech: “Duke Nukem Forever” got caught in a technology loop

  • I was hoping for George to come in and say, ‘OK, that was great, we got what we wanted, let’s get this done now!’ But he never did.
  • A former 3D Realms employee • Regarding the fate of “Duke Nukem Forever,” a video game that became such a massive joke among gamers that it’s unlikely that it’ll see the light of day in any way, shape or form. Why’s that? Blame George Broussard, who spent most of his adult life trying to catch up to the latest and greatest instead of getting the game released. And thanks to the success of “Duke Nukem 3D,” he had plenty of cash to dilly-daddle around for 12 years, annoying employees whose careers – and pay – hung in the balance of an unreleased game. (To say nothing of the many fans of the classic tawdry gaming icon.) The lesson to take from this? Sometimes, an artist just has to let go and stop worrying whether everyone’s using the Quake II or the Unreal engine. source
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21 Dec 2009 21:52

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World: Mexico City legalizes same-sex marriage, and Twitter cheers

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Dec 2009 21:47

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Offbeat: Google is responsible for this 3D-rendered Santa atrocity

  • You know, usually we’d think something like this was kinda cute in its primitive nature. But it’s made by Google, so the fact that it looks cheesy only makes us want to make fun of it more. In other news, click this link to read an intriguing story about how NORAD has wasted its resources to track “Santa” (i.e. the Russians) on Christmas Eve since 1955. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Dec 2009 21:35

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Tech: What piece of software is the most vulnerable? Firefox, of course!

  • 102 vulnerabilities were found in the slow, bloated (but good) Web browser
  • 45 vulnerabilities were found in Adobe Reader, which should scare you, PDF fans
  • 41 vulnerabilities were found in Microsoft Office, which is freaking obvious source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Dec 2009 21:19

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U.S.: What’s next for the health care bill? Here’s a quick round-up

  • one It (likely) passes the Senate after a couple more super-tense votes later this week.
  • two The Senate and House take their bills and try to compromise on major details.
  • three The House and Senate vote again, possibly with everyone still on board.
  • four It hits Obama’s desk, and he asks, “What do you call your act?” “The Aristocrats!” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Dec 2009 21:08

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Offbeat: Hot stuff in the art world: This 94-year-old former recluse

Carmen Herrera, formerly of Cuba, has been painting for nearly 60 years. She sold her first painting five years ago, and now crazy arthounds can’t get enough of her. source
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21 Dec 2009 20:56

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U.S.: The military’s genius new policy: Get pregnant, get court-martial

  • Whoops, the condom broke! I’m screwed! In a baffling decision clearly made by a man, soldiers under command of Gen. Anthony Cucolo in Iraq could face a court martial if they get – or get someone else – pregnant. “Anyone who leaves this fight earlier than the expected 12-month deployment creates a burden on their teammates,” Cucolo wrote. “Anyone who leaves this fight early because they made a personal choice that changed their medical status – or contributes to doing that to another – is not in keeping with a key element of our ethos.” An expert quoted in the article says the policy is legal, too, if controversial. In other news, if the Catholic Church could do this, they totally would. source
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21 Dec 2009 12:57

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U.S.: Crime’s on the decline in 2009, according to the FBI

  • 4.4% drop in violent crime in 2009’s first half source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Dec 2009 12:02

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Music: Pitchfork’s top 50 albums: Which one sold the most, anyway?

  • 131k sales figures for Animal Collective’s “Merriweather Post Pavilion,” which topped the list
  • 205k sales figures for Phoenix’s “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix” (No. 8), which is the highest-selling on the list
  • 3.4k sales figures for Real Estate’s “Real Estate” (No. 20), the lowest-selling on the list; you should buy it source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Dec 2009 11:25

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Tech: RSS pioneer: Google Reader (and other products) failed RSS

  • It wouldn’t make you smarter, happier, worth more, have more friends, get laid more often, go to heaven or become a saint. Reading every story is a meaningless concept.
  • RSS co-inventor Dave Winer • Discussing how the syndication technology has been interpreted all wrong by feed readers, specifically Google Reader. The programs are designed like e-mail programs, which has had the end effect of making it so you’re encouraged to read everything, like e-mail. Winer continues, saying that Twitter has essentially nailed down the news-reading model RSS was trying for. “Twitter found a way to put both the authoring tool and the reading tool on the home page. Had I cracked that nut in 2002,” he says, “Twitter might have happened a few years earlier.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 4 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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