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Activision shuttering Budcat, downsizing California QA team
Iowa-based Budcat Creations is being closed, Activision confirmed in a statement this afternoon. The company also revealed a "targeted reduction in jobs" at its Quality Assurance outfit in California. Budcat had been owned by Activision since 2008, when the developer was acquired for work on the Guitar Hero franchise. According to the publisher, "approximately 88 positions, or approximately 1 percent of our global workforce" have been affected by today's layoffs -- Budcat is thought to comprise roughly 60 people, putting the California redundancies in the range of 25–35 workers. "We continue to streamline our music development resources to ensure that they are aligned against our slate and strategic goals," Activision explained. "Budcat has been a great partner to Activision and has created a lasting impact on the Guitar Hero franchise." Aside from Guitar Hero, the studio also worked on the Psychonauts PS2 port, as well as Medal of Honor: Vanguard for Wii. Activision also notes it's "working to redirect those employees that are impacted to other parts of the company where possible, as well as offering them outplacement counseling services." Activision's full statement can be found after the break.
Walter Day retires from Twin Galaxies, gaming hall of fame to be opened
Open up that 40 oz. of Bawls and pour one out for Walter Day, who just this past week announced his intentions to retire as head of the gaming world's official scorekeepers, Twin Galaxies. In an interview conducted by TG's Josh Houslander, the regularly pinstripe-clad referee and musician took the time to not only spell out his future plans (he's focusing on his music), but also detail the upcoming inauguration of the International Video Game Hall of Fame and Museum in Ottumwa, Iowa (a town in Iowa that's vying for the title you see above). "I like to dream big and shoot for the stars, and that's what I'm doing now," Day says in the lengthy video interview (found in full after the break). He says that he'll be on hand for the inaugural ceremonies on August 5 - 8, but in the future, Day will be little more than an attendee at various Twin Galaxies events. Everyone here at Joystiq would like to wish Day the best in his future endeavors. [Via GameSetWatch]
Iowa State study links gaming to -- over there, check it out!
If we can stay focused on this post for just a minute, we'll tell you all about a recent Iowa State University study that concluded -- hey, how 'bout all that commotion over Demon's Souls ... crazy, right? So anyway, this study claims there's a correlation between spending a lot of time gaming and ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). The study, appearing in the latest issue of Psychophysiology, determined brain wave responses to both proactive (i.e., "attack the monster") and reactive (i.e., "dodge the monster's attack") activities. By the way, have you been following the buzz around Uncharted 2? The game's awesome! Oh right, so ... The ISU researcher (not this one) found that test subjects playing games for four-plus hours a day showed "significantly diminished" attention levels to proactive activities. Though you're welcome to draw your own conclusions, you little scientists, this deficiency is alleged to -- cue scientific blabber: "reveal a reduction in brain activity and disruption of behavior associated with sustained attention ability." It's possible you'd have a mess of outraged questions at this point, but let's be honest: you didn't read the whole post, did you? [Image credit: MarsDD]
Iowa 911 call center now accepting texts; Twitter and Facebook status updates can't be far behind
As of this week, callers can now text their requests for fire, police, or ambulance, to the emergency call center in Black Hawk County, Iowa -- both a nationwide first and a definite improvement for deaf and hard-of-hearing residents who have thus far had to rely on TDD devices. Unlike voice calls, however, the 911 operator can't get your location from a text message, meaning that the caller must first respond to a request for their city or zip code before the call gets routed. Currently, only i wireless subscribers (a local carrier affiliated with T-Mobile) can use the service, but plans are afoot to bring other carriers on board as well. Other future upgrades include the ability to accept video and picture messages. All the operators ask is that you refrain from sending them those silly chain text messages -- that sort of thing can be really distracting when you're busy saving lives.
Ottumwa, Iowa says it's the world video game capital
You, of course, know Ottumwa, Iowa as the birthplace of actor/raconteur Tom Arnold and M*A*S*H*'s Radar O'Reilly. But were you aware that it's also "The Video Game Capital of the World"? It's true! How did they nab such a lofty distinction? Well, basically, they just called it yesterday afternoon. Yeah, that's apparently all there is to it. Just calling dibs. The next step they want to take on is, apparently, building a Video Game Hall of Fame.Their basis for the claim? Billy Mitchell scored a Donkey Kong world record at an Ottumwa arcade in 1982. In fact, you can now see that machine for yourself, as The Mitch donated it to the city yesterday. Book your summer holiday early folks! [Via GamePolitics]
Mediacom dishes FOOD, SPEED and HGTV HD in Iowa
We've always heard that good things come in threes, and apparently Mediacom is sticking by that mantra. After adding a pair of trifectas in December, the carrier has just tossed in SPEED HD, FOOD HD and HGTV HD in Iowa, giving local viewers all the high-def racing, cooking and homemaking they can handle. If it has to be Monday, at least it's a Monday with new HD channels.[Thanks, Kyle]
Mediacom throws CNN, TBS and USA HD to Coralville / Iowa City, IA
Mediacom just added in A&E HD, History HD and SciFi HD in Iowa earlier this month, but now three more are hosted up in the EPG. A local has reported to us that TBS HD (836), CNN HD (837) and USA HD (838) have shown up in Coralville and Iowa City, IA, bringing the grand total in the region to 17 HD channels. A small figure compared to some systems, sure, but we highly doubt anyone in the area will complain over six newcomers in the span of a fortnight.[Thanks, Abdouramane]
Mediacom adds A&E, History and SciFi HD in Des Moines / Ames, IA
We're feeling for you Iowa -- it has been far, far too long since Mediacom gifted you folks with any new high-def content. Thankfully, something finally snapped into place, and now customers in the region have access to SciHD (839), A&E HD (847) and History HD (848). Our gracious tipster also notes that MOJO HD is still in the guide stinking up the place, but if we had to bet, we'd say another high-definition station should take its place soon.[Thanks, Brett]
Cable One makes some HD channels viewable only with CableCARD / STB
At first glance, we assumed that Cable One had relegated a number of channels to switched digital video, but that doesn't appear to be the case. Instead, company officials have proclaimed that "cable programmers like Discovery HD, Nat Geo HD and ESPN HD have requested their signals to be scrambled," meaning that subscribers will now need to fork out for a CableCARD or cable company-issued set-top-box in order to see all 24 high-def stations offered in Sioux City, Iowa. Ah well, you've been looking for a valid reason to make the leap to a carrier with a real dose of high-definition anyway, right?
Mediacom next in line to hike cable rates
Earlier this month, Comcast announced that it would be boosting cable rates by around 4.6%. Now, Mediacom is joining the fun by pumping up the prices in various locales around the country. We're seeing a number of local news outlets putting out information that the carrier will be raising rates in their neck of the woods, with Cedar Rapids, Iowa expecting a 7.2% increase on its mainstay Family Cable package next month. Additionally, the greater Quad Cities area will see a similar change beginning in mid-November, and everyone in Princeton / Caldwell County, Kentucky will be paying more in a few weeks as well. We guess someone has to pay for all those huge HD expansions, right? At least we're only half kidding there.Read - Cedar Rapids announcementRead - Quad Cities announcementRead - Kentucky announcement
DISH Network expands MPEG-4 delivery, adds HD locals in six markets
Just a few short days after DISH Network transitioned 11 of its East Coast markets to MPEG-4, in comes word that it has added 21 more (all classified as "East Coast") to bump the grand total to 52 regions. In somewhat related news, we've also learned that six more DMAs can look forward to HD locals today. In no particular order, we've got Columbia-Jefferson City, Missouri; Des Moines-Ames, Iowa; Lincoln and Hastings-Kearney, Nebraska; Omaha, Nebraska; Quincy-Hannibal-Keokuk, Illinois; and Waco-Temple-Bryan, Texas joining the fray. The half dozen new additions means that DISH now serves up HD locals in 76 markets across the US, and it hopefully also means that the next wave isn't too far behind.Read - DISH Network MPEG-4 expansionRead - DISH Network HD locals expansion
Iowa senators want DTV transition coupons reissued for severe weather victims
Personally, we think the whole three-month expiration on these government-issued DTV vouchers is pretty pointless, but Iowa senators Charles Grassley and Tom Harkin are pleading with the National Telecommunications Information Administration for a different reason. The duo asserts that Iowa citizens badly affected by the recent severe weather shouldn't have to flip through whatever is left of their belongings in order to scrounge up pieces of a $40 coupon; they suggest that simply reissuing them would be a much better alternative. Can't say that we disagree there, but senators, if you two manage to get this by the NTIA, how's about wringing their arm to get those expiration dates removed as well?
Second Life grows to the size of Cedar County, Iowa
Weighing in at 1.5 billion square metres (579 square miles, plus change), Linden Lab's virtual world Second Life stacks up at the same size as Cedar County, Iowa, which we've chosen to give you a convenient physical world comparison for size. The figure comes from Linden Lab CFO John Zdanowski's (Zee Linden) quarterly metrics report for Q2 2008. A sudden surge in land area was attributed to a drop in simulator prices earlier in the year, along with changes to purchasing conditions and capacity of Void simulators (also known as Openspace simulators).
Mediacom dishes out four new HD channels in Iowa, too
Do we smell a regional expansion brewing? Just days after hearing that Mediacom customers in Southern Illinois would be receiving four new HD channels, it seems that those very same stations are heading northwest to Iowa. According to the latest Mediacom bill received by a tipster in Ames, Iowa, he too will be receiving FSN Midwest HD, TNT HD, TBS HD and CNN HD shortly (if not already). So, dear Midwesterners (that just so happen to rely on Mediacom), are you seeing four new HD options pop up in your EPG? If so, shout out your location below -- here's to hoping this rollout is more widespread than previously assumed.[Thanks, Jason C.]
DirecTV bringing HD locals to Waterloo / Cedar Falls, Iowa?
DirecTV has been on somewhat of a tear lately, bringing HD locals to both Knoxville, Tennessee and Tyler-Longview, Texas, and it seems as if Waterloo-area residents may be next in line. According to numerous e-mails with varying DirecTV CSRs, Waterloo / Cedar Rapids, Iowa is all but set to receive its locals in HD via the satellite provider. We've heard both "early February" and "February 8th," so whatever the case ends up being, we're keeping our fingers crossed that FOX, NBC, ABC and CBS finally get the high-def treatment they deserve for those Iowans real soon.[Thanks, Rod]
Democratic presidential debate exclusively in HD, on HDNet
When the lights go up on the Democratic presidential debate (the Iowa Brown and Black Forum) this Saturday, all the cameras will be HD. What's more, HDNet is the exclusive national broadcaster of the event. With YouTube becoming standard fare in the presidential debates, we're glad to see a swing to the opposite side of the video quality spectrum. Granted, picture quality is not essential to the debate and maybe it even detracts from the point of the event; but still it's nice to see more HD-exclusive content, right? One thing's for sure, even if the candidates are able to hide behind "softball" questions and couched answers, there's no hiding a bad makeup job or nervous tick from HD cameras!
Excess wind energy to be stored underground for future use
We've seen some fairly impressive uses of wind power, but a group in Iowa is looking to actually capture and preserve excess wind energy for use when demand peaks. At the Iowa Stored Energy Park, a number of local utilities is "building a system that will steer surplus electricity generated by a nearby wind farm to a big air compressor," which will be held deep below the ground for future use. The project is being backed by the Energy Department, but more than a hundred municipal utilities in surrounding states are shelling out $200 million to construct the 268-megawatt system. As it stands, Iowa's compressed air energy storage (CAES) installation will be the first of its kind when it's completed in 2011, but there's already work being done in Texas to build a similar unit.[Via Ecotality]
Iowa senator tells colleagues to stop playing games
Usually when a politician talks about video games, they're worried about the deleterious effects they have on children. At least one politician, though, is just as worried about the computer gaming problem among his fellow politicians.The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports on freshman Iowa State Senator Bill Heckroth, who chastised his fellow senators last week for playing games like Solitaire on state-issued laptops during floor debate. Heckroth, who noticed the illicit game-playing while watching proceedings from the gallery with visiting family, worried that the gaming might hurt the reputation of the senators among those watching from above. "I just got to thinking that just doesn't look real professional," he said on the senate floor last Thursday. "You hear enough bad things about being a politician."Veteran lawmakers were relatively blasé about the problem "Freshmen are always shocked by what goes on," said senate minority leader Mary Lundby. "Next year he won't even mention it. He'll probably be playing games."Related: Federal judge caught playing solitaire during a trial
PS2 burgled, held ransom for gas money
While stealing gaming consoles from cancer patients is just wrong, you can't blame someone for holding stuff ransom when owed a bunch of cash. Des Moines, Iowa resident James Kloppenburg awoke Monday morning to find a glass panel removed from the front storm door, and more disturbingly, his PS2 nowhere in sight. He reported the theft, stating he already knew the equipment would be returned if he payed the disgruntled burglar an undisclosed amount of owed gas money. However, it was written in the police report that "James changed his mind and told me he didn't want charges filed against (the suspect.)" The offender was obviously close to the victim, aware that Kloppenburg's despair would not stem from the missing console, but more so from a memory card full of hundreds of hours of gameplay, and very likely, a neglected social life. So let this be a lesson to all you deadbeat ride-mooching gamers: you better pay up if you wanna play up.[Via Joystiq]
