Author Archives: Steve Murray
Geek Links of the Week
A security expert has found security backdoors that Apple has included on their iPhones and iPads that gives unencrypted access to a whole host of information you’d rather no one saw. Doesn’t this make you feel great about every tech company? [Times of India]
It probably wouldn’t surprise you to hear that World of Warcraft is worth over a billion dollars to Blizzard annually. However, you might be surprised to hear that Star Wars: The Old Republic generated $165 million in revenue last year. For a game that was a critical and commercial flop, it still prints money. [SuperData Research]
If you’re a Yogscast fan, it’s been a rough couple of weeks. First, the team announces a questionable sales commission program. Then, it’s half-million dollar Kickstarter campaign fell apart and everyone’s blaming everyone else. [Kotaku]
It’s been nearly 25 years since Twin Peaks debuted and most of the cast did a reunion to celebrate the show’s upcoming Blu-Ray release. Much to no one’s surprise, David Lynch and Ray Wise haven’t aged. Fortunately, neither has Madchen Amick. [Warming Glow]
PSA: The Destiny beta has been opened up to everyone. Get to it, people. [Bungie]
Share this:
Jon Snow Knows Nothing
Who would have thought that “You know nothing, Jon Snow,” would quickly become Game of Thrones’ most quotable line? Personally, I prefer quoting Bronn but that’s because I don’t have any more honour than your typical sellsword. Anyway, Ygritte’s famous quip might be the show’s most popular line but it might also be its most true line.
For today’s Friday of Ice and Fire, we have a supercut of Jon Snow knowing nothing.
Share this:
Sony Settles for $17.75 Million in 2011 PSN Hacking Lawsuit
It’s been three years since the big PlayStation Network hacking incident that saw the PSN having to be shut down for 24 days and the personal information of 77 million users stolen. While Sony ran the Welcome Back promotion that saw users get free games and a free month of PlayStation Plus, the lawyers have decided that wasn’t enough and now Sony will be paying up to $15 million in damages as a result of the PSN hacking incident of 2011.
Share this:
iPhone 6 Coming with Two Screen Choices that are Bigger than the 5S
If you spent hundreds of dollars on a gold iPhone 5S, I feel bad for you son. I’ve got iPhone problems but a small screen soon won’t be one. The Wall Street Journal is now backing up a months old report by Japanese business publication Nikkei that Apple’s upcoming iPhone 6 won’t just come with a bigger screen but a choice of screen sizes for iPhiles to choose from.
Share this:
eSports Weekend Calendar: July 25 – 27, 2014
Now that the two weeks that the eSports world has dedicated to Dota 2 ended with the $5 million Grand Final of The International, what else is there to watch? Okay, we have the eSports calendar to help answer that question but doesn’t it feel, ever so slightly, like a bit of a let down. We go from the biggest tournament in eSports history to a couple of random tournaments and leagues. It’s just not quite as hype.
Anyway, if you’re a StarCraft fan, there’s plenty for you to watch this weekend. GSL Code A is wrapping up for the final time this season. If you’re looking for top-flight Korean action, Jin Air Green Wings and KT Rolster do battle in a Proleague semi-final. Who isn’t excited about the possibility of sOs vs. Zest in a battle of two of the best in the world?
Share this:
Kickstarter Suspends Campaign for Areal Amid Accusations of Foul Play
It’s not often that a Kickstarter campaign is the subject of such controversy but controversial is about the only way to describe the campaign for the planned game Areal. The game, by a new company of experience developers called West Games, was to be a spiritual successor to the STALKER franchise by developers of the games. Sounds like the perfect project for a Kickstarter, right?
That’s when the wheels started coming off. The game’s campaign was criticized for not having any sort of gameplay to show for itself despite the devs saying they’ve poured every last cent into developing the game to this point. Spam comments flooded the campaign, allegedly to bury questions or criticisms about the campaign. And it ended with a couple of massive last-minute to push a campaign that had stalled out over the goal.
The suspicious circumstances surrounding the campaign resulted in Kickstarter suspending the campaign two days hitting the goal and told backers that their pledges wouldn’t go through.
Share this:
Valve Changes Steam Controller to Add a Thumbstick
The Steam Controller was one of three new Steam-themed projects that Valve announced last fall and it’s undergone a lot of testing and revising since the initial announcement. While it hasn’t been officially revealed, the latest Steam client beta was mined for data and it looks like the next iteration of the Steam Controller prototype will swap out the d-pad for a thumbstick.
Share this:
Harry Potter and the Mid-Life Crisis
J.K. Rowling recently released a quick look at the adult life of Harry Potter on the Pottermore website. In it, Rowling looks at your favourite characters, including auror Harry Potter and sportswriter Ginny Potter (née Weasley), as they attended the Quidditch World Cup of 2014.
Well, one good idea begets another. The folks over at someecards have come up with a few more concepts for future stories of an adult Harry Potter.
Share this:
New York City Wants to Turn Payphones into Free WiFi Hotspots
Since payphone use is so amazingly low now, it surprises me that New York City reports having over 7,300 payphone kiosks in town. However, the city is planning to put them back to use. Rather than keeping them as simple payphones, the City of New York wants to convert payphones into free wifi hotspots.
Share this:
Britain Decriminalizes Online Piracy
While American companies are still attempting to charge and sue digital pirates into oblivion, Britain is moving to a more progressive system that’s built on the basis of the old adage that you can attract more flies with honey and vinegar. Starting in 2015, Britain is introducing the Voluntary Copyright Alert Programme (VCAP) that will decriminalize copyright policy.
et geekera 