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Google takes down Shoot View, the Street View shooting game

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Google, Video Games,

Gamers are not averse to first-person shooters—Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, for example, earned $1 billion in just over two weeks. But what about when the targets are real, unsuspecting people on the sidewalks rather than cartoon soldiers?

That's the approach taken by Amsterdam-based ad agency Pool Worldwide, which used Google's Street View API to create "Google Shoot View," a game that lets players take aim at those who appear in the street-level, 360-degree images captured by Google's Street View cars.

"Google Shoot View. Explore the world at street-level... and fire a M4A1 assault rifle," Pool Worldwide said in a Dec. 9 tweet announcing the game (preview below).

Google was apparently not thrilled by the idea of having its technology used as the backdrop for a street-level killing spree. The search giant this week pulled Pool's access to its API—the code that allows developers to use the technology.

"Unfortunately, Google has killed the API so at the mo we can't run shoot view," Pool tweeted yesterday.

Click to continue reading Google takes down Shoot View, the Street View shooting game


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Video: Why the penny needs to die

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Misc. Tech, Videos,

You know how you have all those pennies stored away somewhere in a jar, or some sort of awkward spot in your car? Of course you do, because no one wastes their time using pennies to make purchases, unless they're clueless or trying to pull some sort of sick joke. Check out the video above, which explains why the penny needs to be abolished from the United States currency, as it's a burden on the economy.


Bronze Steve Jobs statue coming to Graphisoft Park

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Videos,

A fan of aluminum and glass in life, former Apple CEO Steve Jobs is scheduled to be memorialized with bronze, in death. Hungarian software company Graphisoft is planning to unveil a bronze statue of Jobs on Dec. 21 as both a tribute to Jobs's life at Apple and for his support of Graphisoft itself during the 1980s.

"Apple gave us cash and computers at a time when Graphisoft was a young company with very limited resources; the technology represented by those computers was not even available in our part of the world," reads a statement on Graphisoft Park's Web site. "Even more valuable, Apple introduced us to its worldwide distribution network, which we rely upon to this day."

While Jobs, the innovator, constantly pushed Apple engineers to design smaller and smarter, Hungarian sculptor Erno Toth has built the bronze tribute statue at a slightly larger-than-life height of around six fee, five inches. Steve Jobs, the statue, will weigh approximately 485 pounds once complete.

Click to continue reading Bronze Steve Jobs statue coming to Graphisoft Park


Sneak Peek of the Next Episode of American Horror Story

Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Prime Time, Sci-Fi/Horror, FX, Video,

The Harmon twins haven't even been born yet, and they're already quite the popular pair!

In this sneak peek of this week's American Horror Story, titled "Birth," dead couples Tate/Violet (Evan Peters/Taissa Farmiga) and Chad/Patrick (Zachary Quinto/Teddy Sears) verbally go at each other over who is going to take care of the babies.

Is making Zachary Quinto a regular cast member too much to ask for?

American Horror Story airs on FX at 10 p.m. EST/P.

Read More | E! Online

Bleeding Edge TV 405: Xbox 360 Fall 2011 dashboard update review

The next major Xbox 360 dashboard update happens on December 6th, and we’ve got a look at all the new changes and additions in this episode of Bleeding Edge TV. The Fall 2011 Xbox 360 Dashboard Update is the official name of this release, and we show you the update process, and then walk you through the new interface. We give you a look at new features like Bing, Cloud Storage for games and profiles, the new Social, Games, Movies, and Music channels, and more. Expect good things from Microsoft's latest update, including full Kinect integration. This is a big update that brings another big redesign to the Xbox 360, similar to what they did a couple years ago with the New Xbox Experience. Things are a lot more flat...even boxy. It's somewhat similar to the Metro UI that you’d find on  devices or Windows 8, and the synergy is understandable…plus, it makes things a lot more user-friendly as it pertains to .

Big thank you to GoToMeeting and JackThreads for sponsoring the show - be sure to check them out! As for JackThreads, we've got exclusive invite codes that give you $5 to use towards anything you'd like.


VIDEO: Lady Gaga Gets Revenge in Marry the Night

Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Music Videos, Videos, Pop,

Revenge, for Lady Gaga, is a dish best-served stylishly.

In her latest music video off of Born This Way, "Marry the Night" tells the tale of how her initial record label -- Def Jam -- dropped her after only 3 months and of her subsequent "breakdown" and recovery. Of course, in this Gaga-directed video full of Cheerio love, Black Swan nods, and general craziness, reality can't hold a candle to Gaga's world. After all, as she states in the video, "It's not that I've been dishonest. It's just that I loathe reality."

Is it too much, or does it leave you wanting more?

Read More | People

Spotify launches its own app ecosystem in attempt to become a music platform

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Internet, Music, Software,

Spotify has opened its network up to developers, turning the music service into a music platform.

"We're launching truly integrated apps inside Spotify from the best and brightest," Spotify chief executive Daniel Ek said during a New York press event. "We really believe they'll deliver unique experiences tailored to you and your music tastes."

Third-party developers will be able to build HTML5 apps that access Spotify's music library via a JavaScript API. Spotify is "opening our platform in a way that lets you curate the apps you want and make Spotify yours," Ek said.

All app developers are invited to submit apps to Spotify "but we will approve the apps because we think the core here is the user experience," Ek said.

At this point, there are also no monetization possibilities; all apps will be free.

Click to continue reading Spotify launches its own app ecosystem in attempt to become a music platform


Samsung Galaxy S II ad makes fun of Apple fans

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Videos,

A new ad for the Samsung Galaxy S II pokes fun at Apple fans who wait in lines for days to get their hands on a "magical" iPhone, which Samsung criticized for its lack of 4G, as well as its battery issues.

The commercial shows a line of hipster types waiting at New York and San Francisco Apple stores nine hours before the launch of the latest iPhone.

"I am so amped, I could stand here for three weeks," says one fanboy.

"Only seven people stand between us and meaning," says another.

Soon, however, one line waiter sees blog posts that describe the battery situation as "sketchy," a dig at the iOS 5 glitch that drains the battery life from some iPhones at a speedy clip.

Another questions the design choices. "If it looks the same, how will people know I upgraded?" he asks, while others discuss the lack of 4G.

Click to continue reading Samsung Galaxy S II ad makes fun of Apple fans


VIDEO: Katy Perry’s ‘One That Got Away’

Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Music Videos, Pop,

Actor Diego Luna stars alongside Katy Perry in her latest music video, "One That Got Away." Directed by Floria Sigismondi, the video cuts back-and-forth in time as an elderly Perry reflects upon a lost love from her younger years.

Cutting back on the colorful costumes, makeup, and hair, the music video plays more like a short film, complete with Johnny Cash's "You Are My Sunshine" at the end.

What do you think of Perry's more serious pop song vid?

Read More | MTV

Grand Theft Auto V trailer [Video]

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Action, PlayStation 3, Trailers, Xbox 360,

After months of speculation, Rockstar Games on Wednesday released a trailer for Grand Theft Auto V. In a little over a minute and 20 seconds, Rockstar sets the scene for the highly anticipated game and introduces what is presumably the main character.

The trailer answers a few questions. First of all, the game seems to be returning to the fictional state of San Andreas, specifically to Los Santos, a city based on Los Angeles. The narrator of the trailer also seems to be the main character. His voiceover suggests that he is a reformed criminal who has moved back to Los Santos to pursue a life on the straight and narrow.

He said he wanted to "retire ... from that line of work. Be a good guy for once. A family man." Gamers can assume that’s probably not going to be the case, as the trailer progresses into clips of car chases and holdups.

But this is all purely speculation at this point.

Click to continue reading Grand Theft Auto V trailer [Video]


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