Big City Urban Search Results

How To: Get the 'Master Criminal' Achievement in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

This was one of the most difficult achievements for me to get in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Mostly because I was never able to do something horrible enough to warrant a 1000 gold bounty. However, pms00 has a great video tutorial showing the easiest way to get the 'Master Criminal' achievement, which requires you to hold a bounty of at least 1000 gold in all nine cities in Skyrim.

Din Tai Fung: The Best Dumplings... in the World?

Luckily for Los Angeles residents, Southern California's most populated county is chock full of amazing Chinese food. Granted it's a far drive for many—the best restaurants are in Alhambra and Monterey Park, which fall within the far eastern realm of the county—but regardless, I've found more amazing Chinese restaurants in L.A. than New York City.

Games That Act Like Films: Are They Really 'Bastard Half-Children'?

Many gamers see the film industry as the premier model that video games should follow, and it's no surprise. Movies are seen as the most legitimate and profitable of all artistic visual mediums, which is certainly qualities practitioners of any new medium would desire. Big budget games like Heavy Rain and L.A. Noire strive for the same level as film by aping its techniques, focusing on storytelling in a cinematic fashion, rather than creating compelling gameplay experiences.

News: Is Open Source Really Insecure?

To go Open Source or go proprietary? There is a common conception that open-source is unsafe and insecure and therefore companies should rather go for proprietary solutions. They think that because software is termed "open-source", that the world can see the vulnerabilities of the software and might exploit it, and less informed people tend to think that open-source software can be modified while it is running.

DIY Anthropology: International Obscura Day this Saturday. Go Wild.

Calling all curious minds—scientists, anthropologists, relentless tourists: Saturday, April 9th, is International Obscura Day, the day to "explore hidden treasures in your hometown," or so says Atlas Obscura, a website dedicated to public curiosities and esoterica. If you're the kind of person who appreciates public oddities every day of the year, tomorrow is icing on the cake. Celebrate Obscura Day in one of hundreds of locales—from Los Angeles to Sydney, from Berlin to Manila.

The Joy of Destruction: Smashing, Guillotining, Igniting & More

Why is it so satisfying to squash, snap, squeeze and splatter? You know, squashing a juicy grape, snapping a twig, squeezing ketchup out of a packet—perhaps with your fist—or splattering mud across a sidewalk. But all of these actions are child's play next to animators Laura Junger and Xaver Xylophon's Joy of Destruction. The real joy of destruction is illustrated below—we're talking sawing ladies in half, exploding corn into popcorn with dynamite, burning cities, and rolling over statues wit...

How To: Knock a Holiday Out of the Park: Observing Mom the Homemaker Prepare for Easter

I confess, I’ve always wanted to put on an awesome holiday dinner in a big house that’s mine where I cook everything and it is AWESOME. Since I don’t yet have a house, I’ve only entertained in small ways (college parties notwithstanding, ahem), but watching Mom the Homemaker utterly tame Easter dinner this year gave me some great ideas for holiday entertaining. Check out the helpful tips I learned from watching her!

News: Sign up for a FREE Dragon pet!

Many of you wizards out there still don't know what this Wizard101 is. Technically, I shouldn't call you wizards, but oh well, you will soon become one.So you read the overview of Wizard101 and are very interested in it. You head over to the Wizard101 website and click Play, sign up, and have a new Wizard101 account.But wait!Along that way, you are not reminded of anything about getting a free dragon or free Crowns. But now, there's a way.On the Links box on this page (or any other one), you ...

HowTo: Dumpster Dive For Gold

Dumpsters make great swimming pools and skateboard ramps, but when they're full of trash, they're pretty valuable, too. You can get a surprising amount of free booty dumpster diving. If you're a penny pincher who values low cost (re: free) functionality, check out Apartment Therapy's guide to mastering the craft. Below, my three favorite insider tips.

News: Culver City Seido's Approach to Competition

Competition and cooperation are two modes of interaction that engage us throughout our lives. West LA Seido Karate recognizes the need for being skillful at both. We channel the cooperative instinct in the dojo in a variety of ways, ritual courtesy being the most visible. We also give our competitive nature its due. In weekly sparring classes and periodic tournaments throughout the year, the West LA Seido program provides the eligible student with sufficient opportunities to “test” her or him...

How To: How high is your landfill?

Think about how many things you truly throw in the trash, and how many times you empty your trash, only to be taken away by the garbage man and out of your sight. Well, the truth is that its not exactly out of your life. Statistics show that on average each person uses 350 trash bags each year, thats 100 billion all together, and the worst part aboput this fact is that it takes up to 500 years for each of the bags to decay. Thats right in your city at your landfill, bags pileing up, polluting...

News: Alice Waters and Her Edible Schoolyard!

Oh Alice Waters and her magical Edible Schoolyard! Back in 1994, Alice Waters and King Middle School principal Neil Smith, worked with the community to refurbish their 1930's cafeteria kitchen into a wonderland of food education. The kitchen along with a one acre garden was the begining of what turned into the Edible Schoolyard project. 

News: Just Cause 2

Just got finished playing Just Cause 2, a fairly new title developed by Eidos & Avalanche.  I was fairly skeptical of it due to the 81 metascore on metacritic, but decided to rent it with Gamefly.  At first, I was pretty turned off due to the highly repetitive missions (HIGHLY), but after exploring the vast world, I realized it offered so much more.

News: Terror Bird - Sociopaths Are Glam Cassette

I don't know what they are feeding the kids in Canada but there are so many great bands coming out of there. Vancouver's Terror Bird are no exception. Made up of Nikki Never (Modern Creatures) and  Jeremiah Haywood (Twin Crystals), these two have released a few cassettes and a couple singles now. "Sociopaths are Glam" is my favorite so far. This was a cassette release on Night People out of Iowa City. The music is dark and murkey, lo-fi synth pop. They pull from mid 80's dark wave but their m...