301: Tonight We Have Dessert In Hell

Guess what? Frank Miller is writing a follow-up to 300. Guess what else? Zack Snyder will be directing it.

Movieweb is reporting this wonderful news but they also point out that a sequel is most likely out of the question as almost the entire cast died in 300. A prequel on the other hand would be a better way to go showing the rise of King Leonidas etc.

I think Frank is looking to beat Stan Lee's record for most films made from his comics/graphic novels but at the rate Stan's going there's a long way to go.

Car Photography For Dummies

In my current role I've found myself having to take hundreds of photographs of various cars. I like to think I take a semi-decent photo but when someone writes up a simple list of things to check and do to get great results you'd be mad not to look into it.

Richard Truesdell at Automotive Traveler has done just that with this very helpful article on how to take great car photos. He uses a recent shoot he did of a 1968 Ford Mustang California Special to talk the reader through the process.

Simple things like the time of day and location you take the photos can make a boring photo into a thing of beauty.

Do yourself a favour and go read the article.

Shipping Seven vs New York Times

The mysterious Shipping Seven blogger has seen fit to have a go at a recent New York Times article bashing Windows. Randall Stross suggests that Windows has code from the 1970s in it and it's just too big and clumsy to be useful in the future.

Shipping Seven guy has a few comments about various statements, some of which are just plain wrong, from the article. Of course that's all irrelevant seeing as plenty of people read NYT and will believe what's written there.

While we're talking Windows I'd just like to say that I use Vista x64 at home and at work and have had zero problems with it. I assume those who keep bitching about it either haven't got enough RAM or just haven't used it. ...and if you want to start sooking about having to get more RAM you can pick up 2GB of DDR2 for around $40 now.

Stick It To Darth and R2

Now, I consider myself a bit of a geek but I think this is going a little too far. Click through to watch videos of these Darth Vader and R2D2 USB hubs.

Only the Darth video was working when I visited and after plugging him in his eyes light up, his head moves around and you head the scuba-gear breathing sound we all know and love. The guy in the video plugs a USB key into his chest thingy and other useless stuff happens.

If you have $68 USD to throw away or you'd like a USB hub that matches your awesome Boba Fett suit then don't let me stop you.

Back To The Feet-ure

I love it when classic movies meet modern tech and this is certainly one to be proud of. You may remember Marty McFly's bitchin' Nikes in Back to the Future II (the ones he had on while hoverboarding around). Well Nike appear to be making a very similar pair for the real world.

Now we just need to keep our fingers crossed for the auto-sizing, self-drying puffa jacket.

Bye Bye Bill

Engadget have been running an all-day Bill Fest for the big man's last day on the job. They had four competitions, multiple articles and even dug through their archives for a Best Of Bill bit.

I'd just like to say thanks to Bill and all his efforts over the past 33 years. Personal computing wouldn't be what it is today and I don't mean that in a negative way. Good luck in retirement (if that's what you'd call it) and I hope your super payout is enough to cover you the rest of your life. I'm sure that $58B USD won't last forever.

GLaDOS GPS Speaks, No Mention Of Cake

On the heels of last week's news about a KITT GPS kit comes this little tid bit from Engadget. Some Portal loving tech head has gone and made a voice pack for his GPS starring the voice of one mentally disturbed AI known to gamers everywhere as GLaDOS.

If you've played Portal you'd know that GLaDOS isn't known for "her" helpful directions so I'm not sure you'd want to be driving around under its instruction but it'd be fun to freak out your passengers.

I was a little disappointed there was no mention of cake during the entire video though.

Tim's Crap of the Day

Last night Tim sent me this series of photos in an email titled "hydraulics madness". It took me a while to figure out what is going on here though. The digger in the picture is actually climbing up the purpose-built tower then showing off by doing a "hand stand" at the end. Whacky, but fun.


TA DA!

Queenslanders Wake Up, Invent New Engine

Revetec, a Gold Coast, Australia-based company has created a new type of internal combustion engine, dubbed the "controlled combustion engine", which uses half as much fossil fuels, is half the weight and is cheaper to make than a similarly sized modern engine.

If that's not enough, because the engine delivers higher torque, and can perform and operate well at much lower revs than a conventional engine, the noise levels are lower.

gas2.org reports that Revetec have a prototype which has been attached to an actual vehicle and independently tested to substantiate their claims.

Even in the foreseeable future we'll be needing secondary engines to give battery powered cars extended range by charging batteries on the go. Platforms like GM's E-Flex system, to be used first in the Chevy Volt, are designed in such a way that the secondary motor can be replaced with pretty much anything that can generate electricity. GM should talk to Revetec.

Thanks for the tip Ottey!

eBook Works Like A Real Book

Researchers at Maryland and Berkeley Universities have put their collective heads together to come up with an eBook that works like a regular book.

You perform a quick flip motion to turn the page on this dual screen book-like eBook or fan the pages to skip through the book faster.

More info over an Engadget.

Arizona Speeder Bitton Off More Than She Could Chew

Jennifer Bitton was recently busted for speeding 22 times in a 45 day period by speed cameras on Arizona's Loop 101.

Bitton obviously thought she was playing GTA IV reaching up to 150 kph (95 mph) during one of her photo sessions on the 105 kph (65 mph) limited road. That said, she was still a large margin off beating the high score set in May 2006, when a vehicle was allegedly clocked traveling at 237 kph (147 mph) on the 101.

Maybe next time.

China Gives Korea A Hand In Gwoemul Sequel

One of the best monster movies in the past few years was the Korean gem Gwoemul (AKA The Host). While JJ Abrams and associates were making the biggest damn monster to stomp around a city the monster in The Host was just big enough to freak you out but also small enough to chase after you.

Movieweb tells me that the Korean/Chinese co-production will begin shooting early next year for a release at the end of the year.

Microsoft, Then and Now

You've probably seen the uber nerdy photos of Bill Gates and Co from way back in the late 70s. Well the original founders have gotten together to commemorate 30 years in the biz and to give BillG a pat on the back as he makes his elongated exit from the company he helped start by (sort of) reproducing the photo you see here.

Bob Wallace is the only person missing from the photo due to him dying in 2002.

(Awesome) Source: BBC Online

NSFW: Finally, Soccer Is Interesting

I'm not too interested in what was going on behind this soccer game but SMH is reporting that a topless Austrian soccer team beat a topless German soccer team. nuff said.

Oh, the shorts and tops are painted on... the "players" are wearing nothing but a g-thang.

Rant: Why Does YouTube Attract Such Angry Idiots?

I posted a video to YouTube over a year ago of me doing some mediocre stunt work in Electronic Art's "Modern Warfare" game Battlefield 2. Since then I have received varying degrees of responses from a simple pleasant "nod" to complete and utter rage. The majority are simple one-liner abuse along the lines of "noob" or "gay" but some people take the time out to really say what they're thinking.

The how and why of the video is irrelevant, just know this: I made it ages ago, it has been on YouTube for over a year, it's harmless.

OK, now we get to peer into the mind of your average YouTube (and average is the word!) user. We all know that YouTube is becoming a replacement for regular television but I get the feeling some people are taking it too far.I like to swear at the TV as much as the next guy when something mind-numbingly stupid is showing and I think it's this "yelling at the idiot on telly" that now comes across into the comments section on YouTube.

Here are some sample comments you just would NOT say to someone's face:

Doommakers said a year ago, "my 11 y/o bro flies a way better than this, and he just started playin like 2 months ago". I guess that means now that his 12 year old brother can fly better than me. Maybe his brother is just really good at it like the 8 year old Guitar Hero kid.

daygo80 said around the same time, "that was terible crapy flyin u wrecked, way to suck dude". Heartwarming to say the least, nice spelling too.

Remixmaung steps it up a notch with "This Vid is SH*T ~~ Sh*tty Pliot and Sh*tty Stunts
Peace Out! Sh*t out! ". I'm not entirely sure what he was trying to say... ahwell. [I edited the comment so it makes it through corporate networks and sh*t].

keeevan cooled things down a little with the informative "use rudder in the same direction your turning, when u dont the nose of thje airplane tends to slide during the beggining of the turn". Thanks keeevan.

dmkmonkey also lets some (un)helpful information fly with "Why spend your time pretending to fly, when if you like it so much, pay for some flying lesson's ". Other than giving the Apostrophe Protection Society a call, last I checked you can't fly a real plane from your desk.

But the comment that pushed me to write this entry came in earlier today from 64thAGGRESSOR with this lovely comment, "are you really that stupid, does bf2 just gather every f*cking idiot in the world, even a f*cking noob knows its called a j-10 the z-10 is the attack heli, bf2 has been out for almost 6 years and yet there are still monkeys playing keep up the noobish behavior and I will see you at the end of my mg36 ". I think this guy needs a promotion to 1stAGGRESSOR. Seriously, does anyone care what it's called? Perhaps we need another world war to give some perspective to people who get so wound up over trivialities.

So there you go, a tasty sample of the great minds of this world. I have grave doubts we, the human race, will be making it through the next century.

Read all the abuse and supportive words helping me defend against the abuse here and in Remixmaung's words, Peace Out! Sh*t out!

Heavy Rain: The Freak Out

I remember the first time I saw the Heavy Rain: The Casting (tech demo) back in 2006. How I thought it was frickin’ amazing from a visual point of view and an animation point of view. Her teeth were a little freaky but so were Aki Ross's but it just looked so damned good.

Well, I just watched it again after 2 years of progress in the game engine business and I was shocked at how terrible it looks. All those glowy, blurry filters over the top... her freakin’ teeth! ...and those dead eyes. *shudder*

It's amazing how fast our expectations move, especially when it comes to technology.

More info on Heavy Rain.

The Mist Blu-Ray Release Confirmed

If you're a fan of Stephen King and a fan of Frank Darabont's films based on Stephen King's stories and you really liked The Mist then you'll be happy to hear that the demise of HD-DVD didn't kill the hopes of an HD release of the film.

Movieweb is passing on word that Frank Darabont was heard to say that "...The Mist is definitely coming to Blu-ray with the black and white version on it as well,". JOY!

While we're talking about The Mist, Marcia Gay Harden won an award for Best Supporting Actress last night for her performance as Mrs. Carmody, the crazy religious woman.

Ferrari California Gets Its Top Off

You've probably already seen photos of the new Ferrari California but have you seen a video if it taking its top off (and back on again)? According to the voice over it only takes 15 seconds to get the roof on (watch your fingers!) and I assume another 15 seconds to open the roof.

Watch the video on Autoblog.

Zero Punctuation Does MGS4

The Zero Punctuation guys are at it again. This time "telling it like it is" in their classic non-stop manner all about Metal Gear Solid 4.

As a person who has only played MGS2 (to death!) I can't comment on MGS4 but this video review tends to reiterate what everyone else is saying. Long, arduous cutscenes, lots of silly dialog and a story so far fetched that it could just be real.

Thanks Ottey!

Arrested Development Film Under Construction

I loved Arrested Development. It was the funniest thing on TV at the time and was a rare thing, a comedy that makes me laugh out loud. The majority of comedies tend to make me smile and go "heh" (if they're funny at all) but to get me to burst out laughing with tears in my eyes is a major feat indeed.

So I was quite stoked to read that the rumoured Arrested Development film is becoming less rumour and more fact. Check out the update on tv.com.

DARPA Designs Scramjet Hybrid Engine

In today's world, when we hear hybrid we think of Priuses with their ICE/Electric hybrid drives but imagine a Prius that can go Mach 24. Now imagine the Prius doesn't look like a beached whale and is flying and you might glimpse what DARPA is up to with their new scramjet hybrid.

The US agency DARPA has designed a hybrid jet that uses a regular old turbo jet to get their flying machine up to the magic speed of Mach 4 where the scramjet can kick in and accelerate it up to a theoretical maximum of Mach 24 (that's 29,401 km per hour if you're on the ground). Fast enough for ya?

Check out the video and further details over at Engadget.

Kinetic Powered Phone Recharger

Looks like the marketing team got a hold of this one and decided that the best way to generate enough kinetic energy to recharge your mobile is through dancing all night, out of your head on drugs.

The Register tells me that Orange in the UK has released The Orange Dance Charge which you strap to your arm while jigging around and through a system of weights and magnets, generates and stores enough energy to plug your nubile phone in for a recharge.

Quake On Wii

Those whacky WiiBrew guys have made it super easy now to hack your own Wii using the Twilight Hack. They've created a video showing you how to do it from scratch. Said video also shows Quake running on a Wii... aaahhh... the good ol' days. Thanks Engadget.

No Gmail In Germany

Due to a court case that Google lost they are not allowed to use the term Gmail in Germany.

If you're planning a trip, don't fret. It's still available via http://mail.google.com but it's called Google Mail. ooooooh.

Read more about this strange case over at The Register.

KITT Speaks

Further to my post the other day about a Knight Rider themed GPS Autoblog have posted a video from Knight Rider Online of the device in action.

I think hearing the original KITT after all these years has lessened my enthusiasm for such a device, not that I was going to get one.

On a side note, William Daniels and Anthony Daniels are not related even though they were both responsible for effeminate robotic voices.

You Now Have To Pay For Alex Kidd In Miracle World

If you were a Sega fan boy like me you may have had a Sega Master System II back in the day. The Master System II had one amazing feature that hadn't been seen before or since. It had a built-in game, Alex Kidd in Miracle World. Not only was it built into the console, making it essentially free, but it was one of the best games on the console!

Well, as part of this week's Nintendo Wii update they have FINALLY released this classic title through the Wii's Virtual Console. Nintendo FTW!

Thanks Kotaku for the good news!

Lamborghini Reventón Unboxing

Usually we see unboxings of gadgets, gizmos and other smaller hardware but it's a rare event to see one of the world's most desirable (and limited edition!) vehicles being "unboxed".

Over at BulletinBoardForum is a series of photos of the first of only 20 Lamborghini Reventóns being unboxed at Las Vegas Lamborghini.

For those who have been asleep for the past year, the Reventón's exterior styling was based/inspired by the F-22 Raptor jet.

Heaps more photos here.

Thanks Jussy!

First Spy Shot of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo

Today Engadget has posted the first actual photo of Richard "Virgin" Branson's SpaceShip Two, or at least part of it.

SpaceShip Two (SST) is the aircraft that will actually go out into orbit with help from its carrier craft WhiteKnight Two as part of the world's first commercial "space tourism" industry lead by Virgin Galactic.

HDD Price Drop: 13c Per Gig!

IT Estate have got some great specials this week including 500GB drives for $65 AUD and 750GB for $90 AUD. Not to be out done Centre Com have got 750GB drives for $99! CRAZY! That's 13 cents PER GIG if you get a 500GB drive!

Is that enough exclamation points for one post?

Tim's Crap of the Day

Yet another email from Tim with GIANT BOLD TEXT declaring that you're stupid for paying for oil followed by a bunch of decadent photos presumably from Dubai.

Regardless of where or what this is it makes for an interesting look at beach side living. Reminds me a little of some of the areas around The Gold Coast.

Update: Crysis Still Dines On Your Hardware

If you thought going out and getting yourself one of these amazing new 512MB nVidia GeForce 9800 GTX+ video cards would mean you could finally play Crysis at a decent resolution with everything on Ultra High then think again. The guys over at PC Perspective ran the new card through its paces and... well... just weep over the results.

The 9800 GTX (nonplussed) costs you around $300 USD currently so it'll be interesting to see how much that little plus sign will set you back.

Your 110" 1080p Setup Sucks!

Engadget today wrote about a projector setup that will make the richest videophile cry. NHK were showing off 7,680 x 4,320 pixels of video on a 6.6 x 3.7 meter (21.6 x 12.1 feet) screen using 2 projectors (I assume they were 4K projectors) from a prototype 8K video source.

Now, if you're as bad at math as me you'd think that's a whopping 4x increase over 1080p. If you did then slap yourself because you forgot all about the second dimension! This thing is 16 x the resolution of 1080p. *gasp!*

Arnie + Sly + Bollywood = WTF?

Is it the first of April today? What's this I hear about Arnie and Sly hooking up together for a Bollywood film being shot at Universal Studios in LA?! A Bollywood romance revolving around the stunt world... huh!? Someone slap me, I need to wake up.

Mercedes Going Super Green

Autoblog Green has a few interesting pieces of Mercedes news today. First there was the confirmation of an electric luxury vehicle from the three pointed star due out in 2010. Then we hear that Mercedes wants to totally eliminated the reliance on petroleum by 2015.

That sounds quite amazing but when you look closer you'll see that while they're planning not to release any more petrol powered cars they will be releasing biodiesel powered cars. Still, they have my full support... now go make me a car I can afford.

Hello Michael, where do you want to go today?

Autoblog has an article on a new GPS navigator from Mio which has a bit of an 80s twist. This kitschy KITT kit has the voice of William Daniels, TV's KITT not the voice from the highly forgettable tellimovie, to help you escape the bad guys (or find your way to a baby shower).

When you power it up the scanning red LEDs flash a la KITT's grill and it says "Hello Michael, where do you want to go today?". Cheesy, but fun.

HSV W427 Price and Release Date

HSV has issued a press release confirming that HSV's super rocket, the 375kW/640NM W427, is due for release this August.

HSV plan to release only 427 of these $150,000 AUD beasts but with a 7 litre engine you'll need that much again just to run it.

Check out more details over at Car Advice.

I Love Web 2.0, It's So Casual

Back in the good ol' days websites were strung together with rubber bands and tooth picks but the big players were always up and running.

Well, these days we don't care about that kind of thing, so long as we have RSS feeds of our friend's bowel movements and ads all over the site (when it's up) we're all good.

Weezer's Pork and Beans Video: We're Internet Famous!

Thanks to Cappa I've just seen the video clip for Weezer's track Pork and Beans from their new "Red" album. Yes, those are lightsabre drumsticks. :)

The video clip is jam packed with as many YouTube and other "internet famous" people (and animals) as you can poke a stick at.

Watch the video here.

Mars Phoenix Rover Finds Water Ice, Tweets

You may have heard via other nerd networks that the Phoenix rover on Mars stumbled upon some frozen water (AKA "ice") but what is a little disturbing to me is that it was announced via Twitter.

"Are you ready to celebrate? Well, get ready: We have ICE!!!!! Yes, ICE, *WATER ICE* on Mars! w00t!!! Best day ever!!" the Mars Phoenix Lander tweeted at about 5:15 pm on the 19th of June. What if Twitter had been down!?!? Sheesh...

Tim's Crap of the Day

Tim sent me a lot of crap today but these images from a Powerpoint document were the standout performer.

The first slide (left) shows a buxom blond beauty by the pool with this mangled English query as its title, "Hello, do you know, WHO IS MY FATHER ???".

After a few more mildly NSFW shots you get the amazing reveal (below) that Gemma Atkinson is actually Rowan "Mr Bean" Atkinson's daughter.

Of course this is total bollocks and a rumour started by some drunken spaz with an IQ high enough to search Google Images and a penchant for massive manipulated mammeries (OK, no more alliteration).

If you're still not convinced, you should start mourning the death of Rowan Atkinson as she was quoted back in Jan of 2007 that she took up acting and being a superstar in general in memory of her deceased father who suffered a heart attack in 2002. RIP Rowan.

Engadget's Media Center Extender Shoot Out

Apparently there are now enough Windows Media Center Extenders available that Engadget was able to compare them. Unfortunately there are only THREE of them and one of them is the Xbox 360. Have a quick read through the results to see if you'd rather just get a HTPC.

Batman's Other Bike

Some people dig Batman's new Bat Pod "motorbike" but others (me included) think it's totally rediculous and cumbersome, even for Batman. Well, fortunately for us it appears, as with the Batmobile, that Bruce Wayne can't be seen riding around on a half-Hummer so he gets to hoon around on this wikkid looking MV Agusta F4 superbike. Thanks for the good news Autoblog.

Gen 1 Chevy Volt To Cost $40K USD

So now Bob Lutz, GM's Vice President, tells us that the Chevy Volt which was pretty much promised to be sold in the US at around $30K is more likely to be $40K. $40K at a loss to GM. But that's the price you pay to innovate.

Seen by many as the saviour of the (US) car industry, the 2010 Volt promises so much and the almost daily news we get on its progress toward release helps. Personally I'd buy one if I had the cash and it was released and it was available in Australia. At least there's some good news ahead.

Fuel Prices A Steal

We all know fuel prices are on the up and up (I saw 168.5c/l today) and as humans are wont to do they take advantage of others misfortune to make a quick buck. This gent took it upon himself to build a large fuel tank (and I mean large) into the back of his truck and with that and a magic fuel bowser gauge disabling key went about stealing lots and lots of petrol.

Of course when others noticed this guy taking half an hour to fill his truck's tank they got a little suspicious.