Have you ever wondered why your friends with iPhones never seem to text back or take their sweet time answering? They aren’t ignoring you. Well, not all of the time, anyways. A new lawsuit alleges that iPhones don’t deliver text messages to users on Android and other mobile phones with the problems worst for users who switched from iPhones to other devices.
This is a pretty big week for business acquisitions. First, it was all about YouTube’s reported purchase of Twitch. Then, there was the story about AT&T buying DirecTV for billions of dollars but only if the NFL renewed its Sunday Ticket deal. Now, Twitter decieded to get in on the action. A new report suggests that the social media / microblogging website is in talks to buy online audio-sharing website SoundCloud.
This week, the DC Comics universe begins again. After many weeks of delays, the Forever Evil saga comes to an end. Old storylines end (or maybe they die) and new ones rise in their wake. So if you’re a DC fan, you have three comics to choose from. The big DC-verse-wide event comes to and end as Lex Luthor’s Injustice League does battle with Earth-3’s Crime Syndicate in Forever Evil #7. The fallout from that continues in a new storyline in Justice League #30. And the JLA series comes to an end in Justice League of America #14 but who will survive.
Elsewhere in the comic book world, Marvel’s 2014 universe event continues in Original Sin #2. Just because they’re losing the Star Wars license doesn’t mean that Dark Horse isn’t pushing out new Star Wars series. New this week is Star Wars: Darth Maul – Son of Dathomir #1. And Dynamite has a new series featuring pulp hero The Shadow in the Cold War called The Shadow: Midnight in Moscow #1.
The ultimate underdoge story didn’t have the ultimate underdoge ending but for a little team that often doesn’t have sponsorship, this weekend had to have been the best in their history. Josh Wise and the #98 Dogecoin car of Phil Parsons Racing toppled Danica Patrick in the All-Star Fan Vote to qualify for the All-Star Race and came home 15th in the 23 car field.
If you can’t beat them, buy them. While YouTube has tried their hand at live streaming, they aren’t as big as live streaming powerhouse Twitch. So how do you fight back? You buy them.
YouTube has dipped into Google’s massive pockets and reportedly come up with $1 billion to buy Twitch in what would be the online video site’s largest acquisition.
Welcome to Game of Thrones: A show with so much plot that even the narrative-heavy, transitional episodes have all sorts of important things to talk about. Even if Tyrion didn’t move one step closer to life or death, even if nothing new happened at Castle Black, even if Arya is still only wandering through the wilderness with Sandor Clegane, enough is happening that would make you think that this little setup episode is still one of the best of the season.
A quick programming FYI. Monday’s a holiday here in Canada so I’m taking the day off on the blog as well. I’m hoping no major news breaks this weekend so I can take the weekend off. Knowing my luck…
“As a critic, once you find yourself questioning the validity of a new cultural medium, you are no longer relevant; you have consigned yourself to a time frame, and your frame is over.” [The Guardian]
It was Early Access before there was Early Access and now it shows the danger of Early Access before we’ve had the mainstream example of the dangers of Early Access. Towns was abandoned last week. Here’s a look at the fall of Towns. [Eurogamer]
The Ouya came and went with a lot of hype and nothing to back it up. However, it still has a purpose it you want it to be a local multiplayer for casual gamers box. [Wololo]
To prove that there’s no creativity left in Hollywood and that everyone has stopped caring about the art of movies, work is underway on a Blade Runner sequel. [Variety]
What’s this? A double dose of Friday of Ice and Fire? I saw this video yesterday and couldn’t bring myself to not show you this week. That’s why you’re getting two editions of Friday of Ice and Fire for the price of one.
A YouTuber by the name of NicksplosionFX has recreated the Game of Thrones intro using scenes and maps from Super Mario World. He’s even got a 16-bit version of the theme for the video. The whole thing is just awesomeballs.
We’ve featured videos from YouTube’s Man at Arms before but now I can do it for Fridays of Ice and Fire. In a recent episode of the show, swordsmith Tony Swatton forged his own copy of Jon Snow’s sword, Longclaw. I never would have guessed that replicating a sword would involve so much work I couldn’t even imagine how swords were made centuries ago.
The agreement between Netflix and Comcast to provide better service to customers on the Comcast wasn’t a one-off blip in net neutrality. It was actually the first in what could be many content deals that could see your price for web services increase.
On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission voted to allow internet service providers the ability to charge websites for faster service in transmitting data to users on their network.
et geekera 