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'Venom' and 'Alpha' will be the first IMAX Enhanced 4K blockbusters
The 'IMAX Enhanced' tag that IMAX and DTS teamed up to create for home entertainment is continuing to expand with several announcements at CES. According to its backers, the label means that content is mastered using the latest "proprietary post-production process developed by IMAX while a "special variant" of DTS:X pumps up the audio to deliver an "immersive" IMAX experience at home. Today the group added three general outlets for streaming IMAX Enhanced content: Tencent in China, FandangoNow in the US and RakutenTV in Europe, plus Privilege 4K in the US for Sony TVs. Sony Pictures announced that Venom and Alpha will be among the first blockbuster movie titles available with the tag. while Paramount has also pledged support. Arcam, Elite, Integra, Lexicon, Onkyo, Pioneer and Trinnov are working on certified A/V receivers, while TCL has joined Sony in developing certified TVs. Meanwhile, an IMAX Certified Mode to optimize settings based on content is still in development.
Snail venom provides a new way to treat chronic pain
The Conus regius' venom is bad news for its prey, and it's been proven harmful to humans as well. For instance, a 2009 clinical case describes a diver who had trouble moving his arm for 12 hours after an attack. However, scientists from the University of Utah see hope in the ocean dweller's powerful venom. In fact, research suggests it could be used to develop a new treatment for chronic pain.
Nanofiber gel and snake venom work together to stop the bleeding
Researchers at Rice University announced a novel use for batroxobin, a hemotoxic component in the venom of two South American pit viper species. They've figured out how to leverage it as a potent coagulant -- when combined with a nanofiber hydrogel called SB50 -- that could save countless lives in surgery. Medical science has actually been employing batroxobin as a topical clotting agent and thrombosis treatment since the mid 1930s. Used along with the gel, now it's shown a capability to stop the flow of blood even if the patient is on heparin, a powerful anticoagulant administered before some surgeries.
A virtual server bug is said to be worse than Heartbleed
In case you were napping, Heartbleed struck web servers' OpenSSL security last year, opening up the servers' memory to intruders. There's a new so-called zero-day vulnerability, only this time the researchers who discovered it say it's much worse, impacting millions of datacenter machines. The flaw is called Venom, which stands for Virtualized Environment Neglected Operations Manipulation. What does that mean? With the common practice of putting multiple customers into virtual servers, datacenters are setup to share some key tools, but sensitive information remains separated. Thanks to Venom, though, a hacker can gain access to a datacenters' entire storage network, leaving all of the customers on it vulnerable. As you might expect, the issue resides in an often ignored virtual floppy disk controller, but when it's exploited, it's like opening up a vault of stored info. As ZDNet reports, many modern virtual systems contain the bug -- platforms like Oracle's VirtualBox, KVM and Xen. The good news is Oracle says it already remedied the issue, and will nix it completely in forthcoming update. [Image credit: Marvel via Getty images]
Get the full scoop on Marvel Heroes' Venom
The most recent addition to Marvel Heroes' roster, Venom, isn't merely a Spider-Man reskin. Gazillion put some thought into making this 43rd playable character unique as it uses its symbiote power to do nasty things to nasty people. Gazillion said that it wanted to go "all out" on Venom's looks and animations. Venom also has an interesting resource builder. "Unique to Venom, ichor serves as his primary resource, replacing spirit entirely, and accumulates as Venom uses powers that drain his own health – representing the host's constant battle with the symbiote," said Systems Designer Michael May. You can check Venom's trailer out after the break! [Source: Gazillion press release]
Marvel Heroes adds Venom, throws 50% off sale
'Tis the season for deep discounts and disturbing heroes, as has come to pass in the merry lands of Marvel Heroes. The jolly figure known as Venom has come to distribute pain, suffering, and alternative dental plans for those who pick this new playable figure. The Marvel Heroes team is also offering a half-off sale on most -- but not all -- of the in-game store. This includes many of the title's heroes, costumes, team-ups, and pets. And even if you don't want to spend money, you'll still be getting treats all month with the game's Winter Wonderland & Season's Givings event. Presents and buffs will be available all over the game, in addition to new daily log-in rewards.
Marvel's Venom infects Zen Pinball games next month
Zen Studios announced a new table for its pinball games based on the popular villain from Marvel's Spider-Man universe, Venom. The table explores Venom's rivalry with Spider-Man as well as Carnage, the offspring of the dark Symbiote, hosted by the first of Venom's victims from the webbed superhero's comics, Eddie Brock. As with Zen Studios' other tables, the add-on will launch for multiple Zen Pinball and Pinball FX games on December 10 and December 11. It will cost $2.99 (€2.99/£2.49) for Zen Pinball 2 and Pinball FX 2 players on PS4, PS3, Vita, PC, Mac, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Wii U. Those playing Zen Pinball, Zen Pinball HD and Marvel Pinball on iOS and Android will need to pay $1.99 (€1.79/£1.49) to access the Venom table in those games. [Image: Zen Studios]
Alter Ego: Issue #6 - Gargoyles' Gaze
Last time in Massively's DC Universe Online comic, Batman tasked Kid Critical with finding out what Bane's thugs are doing in Gotham City's East End. As it turns out, the enforcers are offloading crates of the masked madman's venom at the Cape Carmine docks. Can The Kid stop them before Bane's strength-boosting street drug makes its way through Gotham's criminal underworld? Find out in Alter Ego: Issue #6 - Gargoyles' Gaze, after the break!
Alter Ego: Issue #5 - Opportunity Knocks in DCUO
Previously in Massively's DC Universe Online comic, Kid Critical teamed up with Batwoman to rid Gotham of the Scarecrow and his hallucinogenic fear gas. Now, a new villain is filling the void, as the masked strongman Bane has set up shop in the city's East End and is terrorizing its citizens with an army of thugs powered by his rage-inducing venom. Can The Kid and the Bat family put a stop to his nefarious plans? Find out in Alter Ego: Issue #5, after the cut!
Marvel Heroes to introduce playable Venom, Magneto, and more in 2014
Marvel Heroes is looking to substantially beef up its super-powered roster in 2014, as the devs are prepping a huge round of playable villains and heroes for an upcoming release. These new characters will include Venom, Juggernaut, Magneto, Psylocke, Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Moon Knight, Nightcrawler, Sue Storm, and Star-Lord, as well as a couple of additional comic book icons to be named later. Even though the new characters are not in the game yet, Gazillion is hosting an "advance pack" sale for players who want to pick all of them up for a discount. Players can spend either $99.99 or $129.99 to get all 12 characters as well as various extras including costumes, fortune cards, retcon devices, and even an extra hero.
Potemkin, May, Venom and Chipp return in Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-
More characters have been revealed for Arc System Works' highly anticipated Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, and like the swallows returning to Capistrano, so too have series veterans May, Venom, Chipp Zanuff and Potemkin returned to the roster. This brings the game's list of fighters up to seven confirmed combatants, as Sol Badguy, Ky Kiske and Millia Rage have already been announced. We recognize that Guilty Gear's characters are not as ubiquitous as some other fighting game faces, so we'll break it down SAT style: If Sol Badguy and Ky Kiske are to Guilty Gear as Ryu and Ken are to Street Fighter, then this latest reveal is essentially like finding out that Cammy, Chun-Li, M. Bison and Dhalsim are returning – exciting, if not entirely surprisingly. Everyone's trademark abilities appear intact based on Shoryuken's ongoing translation of each character's move list, so expect plenty of Potemkin Buster-ing in your future. Arc System Works is set to begin location testing for the arcade version of Xrd -SIGN- in Akihabara sometime this month, though beyond that no release window or platform availability information has been made available.
Lego Marvel Super Heroes adds Venom, Human Torch to the roster
Lego Marvel Super Heroes will feature Venom and the Human Torch when the game launches this fall for Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii U, Vita and 3DS. TT Games Producer Phil Ring announced the character additions at MCM Comic Con in the UK, according to a series of tweets from TT Games employees. Lego Marvel Super Heroes has an original storyline starring Nick Fury, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Spider-Man, Wolverine and others, all battling Loki and Galactus, and all in Lego form. The game stars over 100 unlockable characters from the Marvel universe, so staples such as Venom and the Human Torch are just the beginning. [Thanks, Jason!]
Encrypted Text: Examining the rogue's assassin ancestry
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here. If you start looking into the history of the rogue class, you end up reaching several dead ends. The reason is that a rogue who's easy to track or trace isn't much of a rogue at all. We specialize in disappearing, which makes rogue family trees notoriously difficult to map. Garona Halforcen is often considered to be the mother of the rogue class, executing one of the earliest and most daring acts of assassination and regicide in Azeroth's history. The truth is that if we want to find our spiritual beginnings, we have to look back even further than Garona and even further away than Azeroth. The true ancestor of today's rogue class first found life eons ago, in another realm, known only as Sanctuary. There, the assassin class stood against the three Prime Evils, defeating the Burning Hell's greatest powers with elegance and subterfuge. The rogues of WoW were inspired by the assassins of Diablo II, and that influence can still be felt today.
Bee venom used to create ultra-sensitive explosives sensor
We knew that well-trained bees were capable of sniffing out dynamite and other explosives, but researchers at MIT have now come up with a slightly less militant way to use our winged friends as bomb detectors. A team of chemical engineers at the school recently developed a new, ultra-sensitive sensor that's sharp enough to detect even one molecule of TNT. Their special ingredient? Bee venom. Turns out, a bee's poison contains protein fragments called bombolitins, that react to explosive compounds. To create the detector, researchers applied these bombolitins to naturally fluorescent carbon nanotubes. Whenever an explosive molecule binds with the protein fragments, the interaction will alter the wavelength of the carbon cylinder's fluorescent light. The shift is too small for the naked eye to pick up on, but can be detected using specially designed microscopes. If it's ever developed for commercial use, the sensor could provide a more acute alternative to the spectrometry-based detectors used at most airport security checkpoints. At the moment, however, the technology isn't quite ready to be deployed on a widespread basis, so feel free to keep on living in fear. Full PR after the break.
Forlorn Spidey has nowhere to sling his webs
No wonder Spider-Man 3 got such mixed reviews on the Wii version of the game -- someone forgot to finish the graphics. We can't think of any other possible explanation for something this atrocious. What's going on here? How can this be considered acceptable ... and how can anyone bestow even a middling-good score on such a sight? We love us some Spider-Man and all, but this game would have to be the best thing ever (moreso even than sliced bread) to wrangle an 83%. Maybe we're just pickier than most, but this looks like a sign that not only is there something wrong with how some third-party Wii games are being handled, but maybe the review system isn't all it's cracked up to be, either.[Via Digg]
New goodies, and baddies, coming to Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Xbox 360 owners, traded in your Marvel: Ultimate Alliance disc yet? If you did, then you'll be missing out on the opportunity to fork over your Microsoft points in exchange for some additional characters. In April you'll be able to purchase either a 'Heroes' pack or a 'Villains' pack for 500 points apiece, or both for 800. Whoever said that Activision doesn't like to make a deal and pass the savings along to you?The Heroes pack includes: Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Hawkeye, and The Incredible Hulk. On the flipside, the Villains group consists of Venom, Magneto, Sabretooth, and Doctor Doom ... which sounds like an 80s hair-band mega-metal tour. Both packs will include new achievements as well, breathing some life back into this game. Hopefully this is a trend that'll continue for awhile, because we like adding some shelf-life and playability to our games. Of course, we're still waiting on additional achievements for Whacked!, but that's a different story.
Prey gets patched, new content soon
Some of you may have noticed an update last time you loaded Prey. This may or may not have been a recently announced patch from 3D Realms -- according to their site, the ETA for the patch is still "soon". Looks like ten years just wasn't enough time to test and polish all the bugs (I keed! I keed!). Seriously though, the patch should address the multiplayer lag issues on the 360 version and a few other bugs as well. In addition to the patch, expect to see some new content soon. Included in the content will be some new maps tooled for smaller groups. These should accommodate 2-4 players (and possibly limit lag). 3D Realms will be releasing 6 new player models as well (4 female and 2 hunters). Thus far, none of this content has been priced and no release date has been given. New content is great, fellas, but how about some more multiplayer modes?[Via Joystiq]
