Blockbuster Not Acquiring Circuit City
Posted by John Manalang - Wednesday, July 02, 2008 1:26 PM
Looks like the construction for the new city on the block has been cancelled.
Blockbuster has announced yesterday that the company has decided to withdraw its proposal to acquire Circuit City. Here's the official statement:
"Based on market conditions and the completion of our initial due diligence process, we have determined that it is not in the best interest of Blockbuster's shareholders to proceed with an acquisition of Circuit City," said Jim Keyes, Blockbuster Chairman and CEO. "We continue to believe in the strategic merits of a consumer retail proposition that would bring media content and electronic devices together under one brand. We will pursue this strategy through our Blockbuster stores as a way to diversify the business and better serve the entertainment retail segment."
Blockbuster stated its interest to acquire Circuit City earlier this year. Circuit City has been ailing in losses in both stocks and consumers. The Blockbuster deal would have gave the company a boost and intrigued some (if not, a few) investors. The fate of Circuit City is still up in the air but with competitors such as Best Buy, who knows how long they could stay up there.
PRNewswire: Blockbuster Withdraws Proposal to Acquire Circuit City
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TAGS: Other People's Misfortune
Price Of Texting Shoots Through Roof
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Wednesday, July 02, 2008 11:23 AM
 Everyone knows gas prices and food prices have spiked dramatically recently, but did you know that text costs have also shot through the proverbial roof? It costs twice as much to send and receive text messages on all four major carrier networks then it did in 2005--10 cents to 20 cents per message.
Unlike the variable supplies of both food and oil, the actual cost to the carriers for you to send a text message has not changed. The prices are jacked extremely, like 1000 times the cost to their providers. So why the price hike? Because you'll pay it, buddy.
As always it's completely free to post a comment in our comment section below.
CNET: The rising cost of texting
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TAGS: Internets Culture, Other People's Misfortune, Tech
'LittleBigPlanet' Content to be Limited
Posted by Ty Colfax - Wednesday, July 02, 2008 10:24 AM
Media Molecule's David Smith did a live chat recently to address questions about the impending release of their sandbox/adventure game, LittleBigPlanet. He drops some juicy tidbits about controlling content in a user-created model to avoid a similar Spore Creature Creator incident where dong-shaped beings roam the game's landscape.
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TAGS: Internets Culture, Other People's Misfortune, PlayStation 3
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Starbucks Closing 600 Stores
Posted by John Manalang - Tuesday, July 01, 2008 4:32 PM
Java mogul Howard Schultz and his company have decided to shut down 600 underperforming, company-owned Starbucks stores as the company is still in the process of restructuring. This decision also halves the company's expansion plan for 2009.
Although the company's share recently went up to 2.4% at $16, according to the CNN report, the store closures were already part of the strategy shift implemented since January of this year. CNN reports that most of the stores closing are located in the U.S. market and 70% of those stores opened in the past 2 1/2 years. Starbucks expects to fork over $8 million in severance pays - that's sounds like a latte (sorry we couldn't help it).
Schultz could only hope that this move could put the company back on track. But from the looks of things, frappucinnos aren't the cool thing to drink anymore these days. Maybe they should just start selling yogurt. Starberry? Now that's a product!
CNNMoney: Starbucks To Close 600 Stores, Halves 2009 Expansion Plans
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TAGS: Other People's Misfortune
Actor's Strike Could Happen Soon
Posted by Ty Colfax - Tuesday, July 01, 2008 1:58 PM
We won't go into specifics because its surprisingly technical and kind of boring but the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) has made a final offer to the actor's of various unions and are saying they can't do any better.
Just as the writer's strike happened late last year and into this year, the actor's, too may choose to demand more backend money for "new-media" productions. Both sides are in meetings now to go over the proposed deal and today marks the 43rd day of negotiations following five weeks of highly unproductive talks.
So, its not for sure either way, but prepare yourself for what could be a very interesting fall lineup of new actorless shows and re-issued films.
hollywoodwiretap.com: AMPTP UPS THE PRESSURE ON SAG...
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TAGS: Other People's Misfortune, TV
Are Games Making Players Prejudiced?
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Tuesday, July 01, 2008 11:03 AM
A study conducted by the University of New South Wales in Australia suggests that gamers are threatened by turbans. Here's how they put it:
Research volunteers played a computer game that showed apartment balconies on which different figures appeared, some wearing Muslim-style turbans or hijabs and others bare-headed. They were told to shoot at the targets carrying guns and spare those who were unarmed, with points awarded accordingly.
People were much more likely to shoot Muslim-looking characters - men or women - even if they were carrying an innocent item instead of a weapon, the researchers found.
This is not exactly surprising, given the number of videogames that have come out recently in which turban=bad guy, but it is disturbing, so, as a public service to the planet earth let us reiterate this: Turbans are worn by awesome people of many religions, including Sikhs and old-school swamis from movie serials of the 1930s. All religions are equally exciting and super-special, so we should be tolerant of everyone. All the big prophets and holy men agree: It's all love. Stop shooting turbans.
GamePolitic: Islamophobia? Video Game Study Suggests "Turban Effect"
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TAGS: Other People's Misfortune, Videogames
Monday, June 30, 2008
BitTorrent Seeder Plants 10 Years In Jail
Posted by John Manalang - Monday, June 30, 2008 1:58 PM
 Sharing is caring. Sharing $&^#! that's not yours is not.
26-year-old BitTorrent seeder Daniel Dove faces 10 years of jail time after being convicted of copyright infringement last Friday as announced by the US Department of Justice.
According to the DoJ, Dove was the head honcho of a small seeder group called - get ready - the 'Uploaders' who recruited members with high speed connections to seed illegal digital loot. Investigators found 'massive amounts' of software, video games and music that proved enough evidence for a trial. Dove did not plead guilty during the trial, hoping that one of the jury members would somehow recognize him for giving them a copy of Microsoft Office.
The MPAA has been on this case since 2005 when investigators took over Elitetorrent.com where Dove was one of the administrators. The site was fresh blood for leechers back then, having blockbuster movies available before their release such as Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Two other site admins, Scott McCausland and Grant Stanley, pleaded guilty in 2006 which lead to a five month jail sentence. Oddly, McCausland's probation officer requested him to utilize Windows rather than Linux (zomg government/microsoft conspiracy!).
Dove will be sentenced on September 9, 2008, thus concluding the pirate crusades of the 'Uploaders'.
Ars Technica: BitTorrent seed farmer found guilty, faces 10 years in jail
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TAGS: Internets Culture, Other People's Misfortune
Modified Camera Ruins Other People's Pictures
Posted by Ty Colfax - Monday, June 30, 2008 11:56 AM
Julius Von Bismarck, a German artist and our first nominee for Name of the Week, has created a camera that puts images into other people's pictures. The 'Image Fulgurator,' as he has named it, is triggered by a nearby camera's flash. In that brief moment when the unsuspecting camera is recording the image, the fulgurator sends out an image of its own through the front of its lens to be recorded along with the flashed image.
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TAGS: Other People's Misfortune, Tech
Valve Hacker, 'Quake,' Thief Caught
Posted by Ty Colfax - Monday, June 30, 2008 10:43 AM
 Dutch police have captured a hacker (not pictured at right) who has stolen around 50,000 credit card numbers and racked up $2 million in damage along his merry purchasing way. He also hacked into Valve's servers and purloined credit card numbers, and also accessed Activisions' computers, stealing Enemy Territory: Quake Wars while it was still in development.
According to the Dutch Ministry of the Interior, the 20 year old hacker (Madoxx) burned "13 million Euros playing poker online and shopping for notebooks, flat screens and MP3 players" before being caught.
The criminal was collared by a Dutch police unit called Team High Tech Crime, coincidentally, also the name of our company softball team.
MaddoxX is behind bars and will not be stealing any more PC games until they are ready to be stolen.
iafrica.com: Web credit hacker caught
ShackNews: Valve Hacker Caught by Dutch Police
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TAGS: Lowlife, Other People's Misfortune, PC Gaming
Friday, June 27, 2008
Nugget From The Net
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Friday, June 27, 2008 2:11 PM
Awesome blog photoshopdisasters.com is featuring one effed-up videogame cover!
It's for FIFA 08, and it's under the cut.
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TAGS: Nuggets From The Nets, Other People's Misfortune
NASCAR Doing Weird Stuff To Your Butt
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Friday, June 27, 2008 11:56 AM
NASCAR is getting ready to do some weird stuff to your butt. This weekend, they will coordinate the ButtKicker, a vibrating device your sit on, and driver Jeg Coughlin Jr.
Jeg will have a sensor installed in his car that will allow home viewers to experience the same buttockular vibrations he'll enjoy during NASCAR races. Why anyone would want to do something like that remains a mystery, but someone thinks it will make some money--while they're just testing the rump-shaking out now, the plan is to sell subscriptions to the ButtKicker feed as an add-on to NHRA and NASCAR races. So eventually, you'll pay for this service. With money. That you earn by working.
Help me to understand, readers.
Engadget: NHRA to test ButtKicker remote-butt-shaking device this weekend
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TAGS: Other People's Misfortune, Prostate Health, Tech
Teenage Hoods Blame 'Grand Theft Auto'
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Friday, June 27, 2008 8:27 AM
 A gang of teenage hoods in New Hyde Park, New York reportedly went on a crime spree on Tuesday night, menacing residents with a baseball bat, a broom handle and other improvised weapons. When caught by police, the delinquents said they were imitating Grand Theft Auto IV.
Here's how the dumb-as-dirt crimes supposedly went down: Four young people were hanging out in a park and someone was presumably like: "Let's do crime! I saw it in a videogame!" His friends were probably all, "Hellz ya! That'd be sick!"
So they descended en-masse on a dude leaving a supermarket and roughed him up, kicking and punching him and stealing a cellphone. Then they broke into some sheds and stole a bat, a crowbar and a broom handle. They used the makeshift weapons to menace a lady in a BMW. They scared her and stole her cigarettes. The motorist called the cops and the kids were collared. Rather than man-up and admit they did something dumb, they blamed a videogame.
"They decide that they're going to go do some street robberies, emulating the popular fictional character Niko Bellic," Nassau Det. Lt. Raymond Coté said, showing a remarkable knowledge of videogame culture. (I mean, how often do cops know the name of the protagonist of a videogame?)
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TAGS: Other People's Misfortune, Videogames
Thursday, June 26, 2008
'ShellShock 2: Blood Trails' Refused by Australians
Posted by Ty Colfax - Thursday, June 26, 2008 3:52 PM
Add ShellShock 2: Blood Trails to the list of games given the ole "refused classification" treatment by the Australian government. Considering the first game's violent nature and the usual escalation of realism and gore in sequels, it can be reasoned that the game was refused for its violent content.
Such a rating could mean the game will not eb sold in Australia (legally) and is similar to what almost happened to Grand Theft Auto IV which Rockstar preferred to go in and change rather than lose the Aussie revenue.
ShellShock 2: Blood Trails is a visceral, war simulation shooter due out on September 30 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC platforms. It is produced by Rebellion and published by Eidos Interactive.
palgn.com.au: ShellShock 2 refused classification in Australia
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TAGS: Other People's Misfortune, PC Gaming, PlayStation 3
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Nintendo Sued Over Music Usage
Posted by Ty Colfax - Tuesday, June 24, 2008 10:52 AM
 Morgan Creek Productions sued Nintendo recently for an unauthorized use of music from their 1993 film, True Romance. Supposedly, Nintendo used the music without clearance for a Paper Mario 2 commercial back in the Gamecube days.
The suit was voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiff on June 18th, however and we're still trying to figure out why. The film was written by Quentin Tarantino which leads us to believe that Nintendo might have sent some hard, pipe-hittin' fellas (Mario Bros.) over to the Morgan Creek offices to show them a thing or two about plumbing, although we have no solid evidence of this.
gamepolitics.com: Nintendo Sued Over Use of Music from 1993 Film
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TAGS: Movies, Other People's Misfortune, Videogames
Long-Nailed Ladies Hate iPhones
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Tuesday, June 24, 2008 10:43 AM
According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, the Apple iPhone is anti-feminist! Long-nailed ladies are being treated as second-class citizens by the handset because operating a touch screen with a hand full of talons can prove problematic.
"Considering ergonomics and user studies indicating men and women use their fingers and nails differently, why does Apple persist in this misogyny?" Erica Watson-Currie wrote in a comment on The L.A. Times website.
Another group being discriminated against by the phone: The portly of both gendered. Apparently the obese are having problems navigating with their larger-fingers.
Luckily, Attack of the Show already addressed the problem for the huge-fingered with their invention Lady Hands. Click the video below to see what I mean.
Maybe the ladies need a sequel--"Man Hands" anyone?
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TAGS: iPhone, Other People's Misfortune, Tech
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