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Here are the most popular emojis by state (kind of)
Emoji are insanely popular, despite the near-endless stream of stickers and GIFs that dominate our messaging apps these days. But depending on where you live, some emoji are more popular than others. The folks behind SwiftKey, the predictive keyboard app for iOS and Android, have been mining their community's usage via SwiftKey Cloud to see which icons rank highest across the US. They've come up with an interactive map, but to be clear -- each state's pick isn't based on sheer volume. As a spokesperson explained to Gizmodo: "To identify the 'top' emoji per state, we cross-referenced the list of emoji each state uses more than the US average with the emoji each state uses more than all other states." So there you have it. You might be able to poke a few flaws in the methodology, but it's still fun to see where different emoji are used more often. Georgia really likes the moon, for instance, and Utah has a soft spot for lollipops. Who knew?
'Devil's Third' for Wii U headed to the US, thanks to Nintendo
If you're a Wii U owner in the US, there aren't too many games to look forward to in 2015. After Star Fox Zero, Super Mario Maker and Yoshi's Woolly World, the company's release schedule looks pretty barren. One of the games that could make up the numbers is Devil's Third, a third-person action shooter that's finally been confirmed for the Americas. The debut title from Tomonobu Itagaki's Valhalla Game Studios has already been announced for Japan and Europe, but until today there had been little mention of a US release. Nintendo has stepped up to publish the game in the fourth quarter of this year, while Valhalla handles the "free-to-start" PC version. Any additions to the Wii U library are welcome, but initial reactions to Devil's Third haven't been positive. No matter, there's always Xenoblade Chronicles X if you're looking for games to fill out your collection.
Thanks, Obama: Now you can take selfies in the White House
We've seen President Barack Obama take a few selfies in the White House before, but until now the practice has been strictly forbidden for visitors on the public tour. Well, today that 40-year-old ban has been officially lifted. From now on, you can use a smartphone or a compact camera with a lens no longer than three inches to take photos inside the building. (Yes, this includes selfies.) While the rules have been relaxed somewhat, there are still plenty of gadgets on the "Prohibited Items" list. These include selfie sticks, tablets, GoPro-style action cameras and any snapper with detachable lenses. Texting, calls and livestreaming are also forbidden -- so no Periscoping while you walk down the entrance hall.
Google's next data center will be a converted coal plant
Google is constructing another data center in the US, but the location it's settled on might surprise you. Instead of building a site from scratch, the company has decided to redevelop an old coal power plant in Alabama. The Widows Creek factory in Jackson County is scheduled to close in October due to changing regulations about the storage and monitoring of coal ash. It's been generating power since 1952 and Google plans to repurpose some of its infrastructure, such as the electric transmission lines, for its new data center. However, it doesn't want dirty fossil fuels powering its servers. Instead, it'll be working with local authorities to source new renewable energy projects that can feed into the electrical grid. Like its data center in Finland, which was once an old paper mill, it's a creative way to adapt a site that has already benefitted from years of investment.
White House secretly expands NSA power to collect US internet data
The Obama administration expanded the NSA's ability to collect Americans' internet data in 2012, with absolutely no notice to the public, The New York Times reports. The Justice Department issued two memos, in secret, to the NSA allowing the agency to gather and search Americans' international internet traffic without a warrant, ostensibly to find foreign hackers or malware. The secret memos allowed the NSA to track IP addresses and cybersignatures that could be tied to foreign governments. However, documents provided to the Times by Edward Snowden show that the NSA tried to target hackers that weren't tied to any foreign authority.
Russia might have hacked the White House
Russia's military overtures haven't been limited to its recent arctic war games. Cyber operatives reportedly working for Russia have already compromised an unsecured State Department computer system. Now US officials have admitted that the White House's network has been hit as well. While the affected White House's computers were part of an non-classified network serving the executive office, the attackers were still able to access sensitive information like the president's real-time daily schedule. Even more disturbing, a CNN report suggests that the hackers used an account on the State Department network to phish their way into the White House.
PlayStation Now hits Samsung Smart TVs in first half of 2015
Game-streaming service PlayStation Now is coming to select Samsung Smart TVs in the first half of 2015, meaning you'll be able to enjoy PS3 games without owning a Sony system or even a Sony TV. The Smart TV-based form of Sony's cloud-based service will roll out in the United States and Canada, according to this week's announcement. Sony says Samsung Smart TVs will support "all functionality" of PlayStation Now, including trophies, cloud saves and online multiplayer.
Kim Dotcom will bring the Internet Party to the US in 2015
If, after declaring that he was broke, you thought that Kim Dotcom would go quietly into the night, then you really don't know him. After a successful bail hearing, the Megaupload founder is announcing that he will help launch a version of his Internet Party in the US next year. The political party, which failed to gain a seat in New Zealand's most recent elections, stands on a platform of internet freedom, free university education and the decriminalization of cannabis. According to Dotcom's Twitter account, the party will be "well funded and run by American citizens," with the lad himself just helping out with public relations - interesting, given that he's previously admitted that his personal brand was "poison" to the movement's cause.
Uber offering more perks to its full-time US drivers
Uber has been up against the ropes lately. For one, it's dealing with the fall out from an exec's suggestion it should be investigating critical journalists. Plus it's combating a report that claims a 'God Mode' allows its employees to track customers' whereabouts. No doubt keen to shift the spotlight back on its services, the company is launching a new rewards scheme today in its ongoing bid to boost driver numbers. The program is called Momentum, and it gives eligible US contractors a few different benefits, including discounted car maintenance and cheaper smartphone contracts. The Financial Times reports that drivers will qualify for the scheme provided they drive between 30 and 50 hours for Uber each month. Available perks include up to 15% discounts at major car repair outlets including AutoZone, Firestone, Maaco, Meineke, Midas, Jiffy Lube and Valvoline, as well as between 15 to 18% off phone plans from AT&T and Verizon. Lastly, Stride Health has agreed to advise Uber drivers on choosing a healthcare plan.
China and the US agree to expand free trade in technology
China and the US may be at each other's throats over a lot of tech-related issues, but that hasn't stopped them from finding some common ground. The two nations have reached a tentative deal that expands the range of devices covered under the free trade-oriented Information Technology Agreement. The updated pact would shrink or eliminate the tariffs on computer storage, processors, GPS units and game consoles, among many other gadgets; it would also scrap import duties on additional hardware, including video cameras.
Google's Megan Smith rumored as America's next CTO
The United States found itself without a Chief Technology Officer yesterday when Todd Park relinquished his post to go trawl Silicon Valley for IT types, but that spot may not stay open for long. Bloomberg claims that there's already a frontrunner for the job: Megan Smith, the 49 year old vice president of Google's moonshot-loving X division. If the rumors hold true, Smith would become the country's third CTO (succeeding Park and his predecessor Aneesh Chopra), and the first not to trade one government job for another.
USA Now, SyFy Now apps bring Psych, Burn Notice to Xbox One
Xbox Entertainment Studios may be closing, but that doesn't mean that it won't act as the home for plenty of other studios' television and film projects. NBCUniversal, for example, is more than happy to provide the Xbox One with two of its networks' "TV Everywhere" apps: USA Now and SyFy Now. The USA Now app grants Xbox One owners access to shows like Psych, Burn Notice, White Collar and Graceland, while the SyFy Now app offers up such content as Warehouse 13, Being Human and Face Off. If you're a fan of Trion Worlds' MMO shooter Defiance, the SyFy Now app will offer you a chance to catch up on the events of the show that it ties into - also called Defiance. USA Now and SyFy Now; because after all, it's our entertainment and we need it now! [Image: NBCUniversal]
The Game Archaeologist: World War II Online
The 1990s saw the rise of flight simulators that thrived on detailed, complicated controls and handling. Such games threw out accessibility and casual-friendliness for stark-raving realism, and a certain subset of gamers really thrived on them. I tried my hand at a couple and found myself breathing rapidly when pouring through keyboard charts and doing basic algebra just to get a plane off of the ground. Not for me, I said then. I don't think there's ever stopped being absurdly complex video games that aim for immersion through detailed realism, even though that appeals to only the fringe of the fringe. Some people have their gaming standards set exactly that high and no lower, and some devs refuse to water down their visions just to sell more box units. For these people, Cornered Rat Software (CRS) created World War II Online, an overly ambitious MMOFPS that stumbled out of the gate in 2001 but has gamely soldiered on since then. Over a decade now an epic war has been raging for control over a continent, and it's been up to the fiercely loyal fans to keep the fight going. Today we're going to take a look at the guts 'n' glory of this project to both praise its complexity and curse it for the same thing. If nothing else, it was a game that could only have arisen from the early landscape of 3-D MMOs, and for that it warrants our attention.
The NSA's 2013 transparency report is more opaque
In an attempt to offer transparency to United States surveillance tactics, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a report today offering numbers for National Security Agency actions in 2013. The report notes thousands of orders placed for use of surveillance tactics (FISA requests: 1,899 in total), but fails to mention who or what was being targeted, not to mention exactly how. It recounts thousands of requests to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court -- the court that decides which surveillance tactics are considered legal by the US government -- and thousands of "targets" (90,601). However, issues arise immediately. The word "target" is defined as such: "[It] has multiple meanings. For example, 'target' could be an individual person, a group, or an organization composed of multiple individuals or a foreign power that possesses or is likely to communicate foreign intelligence information that the U.S. government is authorized to acquire."
Persona 4 Golden anime begins July 10, US streams confirmed
US viewers will be able to tune in to the first episode of Persona 4: The Golden Animation when the series begins airing on July 10. Aniplex revealed it's streaming the anime on its own online channel, with new episodes promised every Thursday - there's no word yet on times but we can only hope they'll be aired at midnight. The presumably subtitled streams will also be available to watch on Hulu, Crunchyroll and Daisuki.
World War II Online crowdfunds a client update
In an effort to update an aging client without breaking the developer's bank, World War II Online: Battleground Europe turned to the community to crowdfund the project -- and the community delivered. A $9,250 fundraiser on Indiegogo dedicated to the creation of a new test server, PC client, and Mac client was met and surpassed this past week. The update, which should roll out within six months, will include billing tools for Steam and improved audio and visuals. The crowdfunding campaign is now aiming for stretch goals that could add community upgrades, improved tech infrastructure, and additional marketing.
Military's 'Plan X' would put cyberweapons into the hands of soldiers
A soldier's natural home is on the battlefield. So what happens when to infantry when conflicts move online? It turns out that DARPA, America's mad science division, has a solution called "Plan X." The project is designed to make cyber-weapons as easy to use as a pistol, but also to use technology to turn soldiers into digital warriors. One of the more realistic aspects of the project is to equip marines with hardware that'll sniff out wireless networks that could be hosting booby traps.
Nintendo 3DS software sales increased in 2013, sold 11.5 million hardware units in US
Avoiding a conversation about its other child, Nintendo announced this morning that the lifetime hardware sales for the 3DS have surpassed 11.5 million units in the US. The 3DS family includes the original system, along with 3DS XL and 2DS. The company plans to announce its third quarter earnings on January 29, which should help bring global context to the hardware sales number. Nintendo also stated this morning it had more than 16 million software sales (both retail and digital) in 2013 for 3DS, which is a 45 percent increase from 2012. It also pointed out that two of its Nintendo 3DS games in 2013 had over a 90+ Metacrtic. Coincidentally, both of those games made our Joystiq Best of 2013: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and Fire Emblem Awakening.
Nintendo of America: Wii to remain on store shelves in US
The Wii will be available in the US as usual this year, Nintendo of America has confirmed. Yesterday, Nintendo of Japan announced that it would discontinue production of the Wii, but the worldwide implications of this stoppage were unclear. "The announcement that the Wii console has been discontinued is specific to Japan," a representative told Gamespot. "There is no change in the status of Wii in the United States, and it is available for purchase this holiday season." Earlier this month Nintendo of Japan announced that Wii manufacturing is due to end soon. Nintendo has sold 12.7 million Wii consoles since its launch in late 2006.
Internet infrastructure groups push for more independence from US monitoring
Internet overseers like ICANN, the IETF and the W3C aren't happy that the US strongly influences their operations, especially when it likes to spy on much of the world. Accordingly, several of these organizations have just called for truly international governance of online affairs. The groups want to speed up the globalization of their roles and let everyone contribute "on an equal footing." In other words, they want national institutions like the US Department of Commerce (which monitors ICANN) out of the picture. A statement of intent doesn't guarantee action, but it's clear that Americans shouldn't expect to maintain their current level of control.
