Year End Search Results

Bethesda vs. Notch: Does 'Scrolls' Infringe Upon 'The Elder Scrolls'?

Minecraft might still be in development, but that doesn't mean a creative guy like Notch doesn't have time for other projects. A few months ago he and his company Mojang announced their second game, a digital collectible trading card affair called Scrolls. A simple title (perhaps too generic if anything), but it's not the name of an extant game, and it's appropriate given the visual style and card-based gameplay of the game itself.

News: Friday Indie Game Review Roundup: Three Summer XBLA Titles That Rock

Generally, summer is a slow time for video games, but not when it comes to Xbox Live Arcade where it's harvest season! In the last month, there have been at least four great games released on XBLA, with Bastion getting the lion's share of the attention. But the remaining three are pretty awesome, as well, and should help you while away the time spent indoors away from the brain frying heat sweeping the U.S.

News: Enter The World of Catherine

Stuck in a relationship that is going nowhere? Do you wake up and it's nine years later and nothing has changed? Do you also dream of sheep? You know, in the non erotic sense? Well welcome to Catherine, a puzzle game of non-commitment and text messaging.

News: Is the End Coming for Quadriplegic Gaming?

A century ago there wasn't much life available for quadriplegic people. Handicap accessibility was barely even a concept, and lacking medical technology kept any semblance of independence out of reach. Today those unfortunate enough to be paralyzed from the neck down have brighter prospects, but are still unable to participate in many activities. Video games are a great option for those who do not have the use of their legs, but for quadriplegics, the use of a standard controller is not an op...

How To: Create Stop Motion Videos with Your iPhone

This week has been awash with iPhone camera tips: Decim8, the digital glitch art generator; Bakari's 10 Uses for the Front-Facing iPhone Camera; and FiLMiC Pro, a professional app for shooting industry standard video. To wrap up our mini survey on iPhone camera apps & tips, one last fun tool: the $0.99 StopMotion Recorder.

News: The $25 USB Stick Computer

Earlier this month, game developer David Braben and his Rasberry Pi nonprofit foundation revealed a $25 USB PC. The computer can connect to an HDMI monitor on one end, and a USB peripheral on the other (such as a keyboard or a USB hub). You can use the USB hub to connect multiple items, such as a keyboard, mouse, printer, USB ethernet/wireless, creating a fully functional computer.

How To: Roll Your Own Sushi

The next time you are craving sushi, how about making it yourself? All you need is some sushi rice (you CAN use leftover white rice, but this would taste better), sheets of nori (seaweed), a sushi rolling mat and your favorite sushi ingredients. Do the classic California roll (avocado, imitation crab meat, cucumber, daikon radish) or go crazy with your own unique sushi invention (tempeh? smoked salmon? shredded kale? Anything goes).

News: Ale vs. Lager

What's the Difference Between Ales and Lagers People often ask me, "Nick, what is the difference between Ales and Lagers?" Well, as you may or may not know, there are two types of beers -Ales & Lagers. All beers are made from the basic combination of water, hops, malts, and yeast. However, Ales have been around for thousands of years longer than lagers. So, what makes lagers and ales unique? Here are a few steps to figure out the process:

How To: Fold a Chopsticks Rest from Its Paper Wrapper

The next time you go out for sushi with friends, impress your company by fashioning your own chopstick rest using the paper wrapper the wooden chopsticks come in. Keeping the ends of your chopstick off the table surface makes for good hygiene (who knows when was the last time the table was really wiped clean?), and there is no awkward moment of getting your chopsticks off your plate when your server whisks your finished plate away mid-meal. Gotta love functional origami.

News: 4 Years of Spectacularly Pointless Marble Machines

So very pointless, yet unquestionably spectacular. The best kind of "art" performs no other function than to delight the viewer, and Japanese YouTube user Denha's complex marble machines do just that. But are marble machines art? You can call them that—or toys, scientific contraptions, engineering feats—but however you choose to label them, the best marble machines are complicated, skillfully crafted, and driven by the principles of potential energy, kinetic energy and gravity.

How To: Yumi's Guide to Easter Egg Blowing

Get crafty this Easter weekend with egg blowing, a technique where you poke holes on the ends of raw eggs and blow out all the yolk so that you can use the empty, still-intact eggshells for painting and decorating. Fun for the whole family and all that huffing and puffing just may distract you long enough from over-binging on the giant chocolate bunny and that package of sugary Peeps. Happy Easter!

How To: MARK BURNETT on How to Become the Biggest Producer in Prime Time Television

Mark Burnett is, financially speaking, perhaps the most successful television producer today. While I had launched America's Most Wanted and COPS a decade earlier, Mark exploded onto network television with Survivor, the glossy and fantastical innovation to reality television. With Survivor now entering its 11th year, I recently interviewed Mark at the Los Angeles public radio station KCRW, where the podcast will be made available. Below, Mark's 10 steps from soldier-to-nanny-to-premiere-Holl...

How To: Learn how to make a balloon animal dog from this simple video

http://www.BalloonLibrary.comMr. Fudge teaches how to make a balloon animal dog the easy way on this simple step by step balloon animal video from youtube. Your Balloon Man, Mr. Fudge has been a balloon artist and entertainer for years, specializing in teaching other entertainers how to twist balloons. With his years of expertise in the balloon world, you're sure to find this tutorial easy to follow and fun to watch. Happy twisting!

News: Of Coyotes and Chickens

In my earlier post about long-term strategies I promised I’d ask some of my neighbors who do what I call factory chicken farming (Let 1000 Chickens Bloom) if the coyotes that have shown up will change the way they play the game. The one guy who replied in any detail said that he wasn’t sure what he was going to do yet, but he thought that he was losing 50 chickens each time he harvested them pressing “Collect Bonus” using a coop.

News: Build Your Own AT-AT Imperial Walker Snow Sculpture

It's been a legendary year for snow art. First there was the Eiffel Tower penis. Then the crash-landed AT-AT. Then the beautiful snowdecahedron and the skull-shaped igloo fortress. Found on Unreality Mag, the latest newsworthy snow sculpture is every Star Wars-loving little kid's dream: an AT-AT "pony ride". Okay, so it's freezing cold. And it's technically immobile. Who cares. It's awesome.

News: Chinese Ironworkers Build Massive Transformers Megatron Tank

Jiiang Chen and Yang Junlin, of the Wing Wah metalcraft factory in Huizhou, China, forged together a 10,000-pound replica of the Megatron tank as seen in the movie Transformers 2. The tank is from a series of other massive works from the company's "Legend of Iron" project (see last year's insane Megatron below). The tank was assembled and welded together with mostly scrap metal by the two expert craftsmen. In a word... insane.

News: Alpine Racer Swaps Surfboard for Skis

Chuck Patterson has spent much of his life riding majestic mountains in boots and bindings, ski poles in hand. In recent years, the extreme athelete decided the massive Hawaiian swells needed conquering as well. Below, Patterson ditches the traditional surfboard for his trusty skiis, and towsurfs into some of the biggest waves of the year at Jaws, Maui's legendary surf break. More at Jaws:

News: Yummy, Revolting Entrails Crafted with Marzipan

Somehow delicious desserts in gnarly packaging always warrant a head turn. It's a delightful anomaly: apply extreme culinary mastery to create something that tastes great, but looks like a heap of horror. As we're approaching Valentine's day, here's another example of stomach-churning dessert to share with your sweetie (if your sweetie is the Zombie loving type). Expertly crafted by Helga Petrau-Heinzel, a collection of hyperrealistic human entrails made with marzipan (ew. ew. ew.):

News: Gino Cavicchioli Sculptor

Gino was born in Australia, but spent his formative years in Rome. As a child he was fascinated by the architecture, sculptures, fountains and the works of the masters that surrounded him. The craftsmanship and attention to detail was indelibly etched into his own creative expression and his drive to achieve the same level of perfection in his work.

“Wow, You Look Great!”: Giving Compliments Without Being a Jerk

As someone who’s entering a time of life that involves weddings, reunions, and generally running into people I haven’t seen in awhile, I find myself being shocked by how much people have changed over the years. A lot of times, people will have dropped a bunch of weight, or have turned into a kind and articulate human being, or have obviously stopped doing so many drugs. It’s important, when complimenting people on positive life changes, to let them know how well you think they’re doing withou...

News: The 2011 No-Pants Subway Ride

Improv Everywhere's 10th annual no-pants subway ride gave 10,000 New Yorkers an excuse to ride the tubes in their skivvies this month. Good, but not as good as last year's April Fools faux-genital baring ride. Scroll below the video of the NYC ride to see other participating cities around the world.

News: Robotic Ghost Knifefish Is Born

Researchers at Northwestern University have hatched a robotic replica of the ghost knifefish, an amazing sea creature with a ribbon-like fin, capable of acrobatic agility in the water. The fish is distinctive in its ability to move forward, backward and vertically, but scientists didn't understand its vertical movement until the creation of its robot replica, GhostBot (shown below). They now know its vertical propulsion is caused by two waves moving in opposite directions, crashing into each ...

News: Homemade beauty recipes

This is a great website to browse if you're not into slathering unpronounceable ingredients onto your skin. The beauty industry is very much self-regulated, which means it is not required by the FDA or by any law to disclose all of the ingredients in a product. And there is also no legal definition of "natural" or "organic." So yes, that "natural" jar of cocoa butter you're using might be no better for you than your generic body lotion, and it may still contain cancer-causing agents.