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Urbanears has sweat-soaked headphones, if that's what you're into
What's the best way to promote a line of workout headphones? Well, if you're Urbanears, offering a "Limited Sweat Edition" that carries the perspiration of real human "movement makers" is how you go about it. The audio company teamed up with seven folks from fashion, music and sports on a group of sweat-soaked headphones that will be used to raise money for charity. Yes, it's pretty gross, but Urbanears is playing up the Hellas wireless headphones removable headband and earpads to remind you that said funk can be removed. And yes, you can buy a fresh pair if you prefer.
KFC-flavored nail polish gives new meaning to 'chicken fingers'
KFC is taking its "finger lickin' good" slogan a bit too far. The fried chicken fast food chain made two "edible" fingernail polishes for its fans in Hong Kong. Teaming up with ad agency Ogilvy & Mather and food experts at McCormick, two shades were created that incorporate the restaurant's top secret blend of 11 herbs and spices: Original Recipe and Hot & Spicy.
Like being followed around all day? There's an app for that
If you like the feeling of being watched while you go about your daily routine, there's an NYC-based artist who will coordinate that for you. With the appropriately-named Follower project, you can apply to have someone keep tabs on your for an entire day. Once you're selected, you get access to an iPhone app that lets you know when the watching starts and stops. The software also uses your phone's GPS to track you during that time.
Tidal charged ex-subscribers and re-activated accounts (update)
If you gave Tidal a shot and have since cancelled, you likely noticed you were charged for the service in the last day or so. You're not alone. The Verge's Chris Welch was charged $20 by the streaming service, the price of its Premium or hi-fi tier. As if the bogus charge wasn't enough, Tidal offered those affected by the error three months of Tidal Premium in addition to a refund. This means that accounts that were closed have now been re-activated.
The internet was fixated on a livestream for a puddle
It's official: the internet is off its rocker. Just months after the one-two punch of the blue/gold dress and a llama chase took absurdity to a new level, legions of people (reportedly over 300,000) have tuned in to #DrummondPuddleWatch, a live Periscope stream of a big, pothole-filling puddle in the UK's Newcastle upon Tyne. Why? Part of it was the comedy of watching people try to cross, but it also reflected the herd mentality of social networking. While this was started by a marketing agency, it quickly drew in jokesters, politicians and many others trying to capitalize on the weirdness of the situation -- not to mention everyone wondering what that strange trend was in their Twitter feed.
WTF, 'Clickbait' and 'Emoji' are now officially words?
As the English language continues to evolve in response the internet's cultural onslaught, Merriam-Webster has announced that it's adding a host of new net-centric terms to its pages. In fact, the dictionary company has recently added a total of 1,700 terms to its word repository. Among them: net neutrality, click fraud, meme, photobomb, NSFW and a host of other words your kids have already been using for years. Numerous other, non-technical words made their way into Merriam-Webster Unabridged as well including jegging, crema, and colossal squid.
Uber CEO gives exec public slap on the wrist for threatening journalists
By now, there's no question that Uber exec Emil Michael said some seriously concerning things about the potential merit of digging up dirt on journalists critical of the company at a private party in front of reporters and celebrities. For the record, no, he never said that Uber was actively digging up dirt on seemingly pesky reporters, nor did he suggest that Uber plans to. Still, the very fact that he responded to the issue of seemingly slanted journalism with a pretty detailed plan of attack set off a media firestorm. This whole thing prompted Uber CEO Travis Kalanick to take Michael to task on Twitter today, noting that his comments at that dinner demonstrated a distinct lack of leadership and humanity.
Ankama teaser melds Dofus, Wakfu
Did you catch that cryptic teaser vid Ankama put out earlier this month? If not, and if you're a fan of quirky sandbox games with goofy names, click past the cut to have a look. The clip hints at some sort of joining between Ankama titles Dofus and Wakfu.
There's something off about this Assassin's Creed: Unity trailer
The weird part of this Assassin's Creed: Unity video is where Arno jumps through a rift in time and travels from French Revolution-era Paris to a Paris filled with electricity, zeppelins, machine guns and the Eiffel Tower. And possibly Nazis. That's a 140-year jump. What the hell is happening here? Ubisoft released the trailer with just one comment: "In Assassin's Creed Unity, all of French Revolution Paris is yours to explore, and perhaps more." Perhaps, indeed. Assassin's Creed has always dabbled in time travel of sorts with the Animus, but this is a big leap for an installment that's been billed as a French Revolution story, and nothing more. Assassin's Creed: Unity is due out for Xbox One, PS4 and PC on November 11. See the fairly demanding PC requirements here. [Image: Ubisoft]
Weather to Wear helps you plan your skirts around the breeze
When it's hot outside, a nice skirt or dress can keep a person cooler during the day, but sometimes the wind conspires against you, turning your fashion statement into a bout of unexpected exhibitionism. Now, in the parlance of an old iOS slogan, there's an app for that. Weather to Wear is weather app that built with picking out your wardrobe in mind. Presenting users with a five-day forecast, Weather to Wear gives you an idea of exactly how windy it will be so you can plan your own personal level of wind comfort. With colorful graphics that change with the weather, the app is fun, adorable, and practical all at once. Simply enter your location or postal code and Weather to Wear will give you an idea of what to wear for the week. The app can also find your location via GPS. You can currently download the app for free on the iTunes store. With the summer festival season coming up soon, it might just keep you from an embarrassing situation while watching your favorite band. Enjoy.
Will.i.am claims he developed a smartwatch that will launch in July (video)
Will.i.am hasn't exactly had the best track record with hardware projects, but that doesn't seem to have dampened his enthusiasm for buzzy gadgets at all. That's why he showed off -- what else? -- his own smartwatch during a recent appearance on a British chat show called Alan Carr: Chatty Man. "I started the company myself," he said before apparently tapping at a wrist-mounted touchscreen. "I funded it, used my own money to develop it."
KISS' Photo Bomb app will glam up your photos in the worst way possible
Hey you! Have you ever wanted to use a mobile app to relive the heady glam-rock days of the late 1970s? If so, the newly released KISS Photo Bomb app for iOS and Android is not the way to go. The name says it all, really: with the app you can digitally insert members of KISS into your photos, as well as lather your face in iconic makeup (see above) and stick Gene Simmons' crimson tongue just about anywhere you like. The end results are... just as absurd and facepalm-y as you'd imagine. Yes, this is a real thing. No, we don't know why. Wait, yes we do: it's a ridiculous, naked money grab, with additional sticker and frame packs priced at $1 a pop. Then again, we'd expect nothing less from the guys who thought sticking their faces on caskets was a rad idea.
If you have lots of rubbing alcohol, Lick app may just improve your love life
Sometimes people lack certain skills in life, skills that may affect their love life. The question is: how far would you go to gain those skills? Would you lick your iPhone to improve them? Even knowing where your phone has been? Lick is an important app that forces you to answer that frankly disgusting question. Love is a battlefield after all, and everyone knows war is hell. Lick is a web app that wants you to get busy with your phone. You can view the site here, but the true meat of its content is only available via touch screen devices. After you pull it up on your iOS device, navigation is controlled via licking your screen. Once inside, Lick offers up three separate levels of "tongue training." Level 1 is flicking a light switch up and down as many times as you can, level 2 requires you to turn the crank of a pencil sharpener in a circle, while level 3 is sort of a freestyle session where you aim to keep a ball in the air. Again, all using your tongue. On your iPhone. Which -- let's be honest -- you probably also use in relatively unsanitary places. We're trying to be classy about this, so think about where you clear most of your Instapaper queue. Yeah, that place. So in the interest of promoting public health, here's how to practice safe licking: Method 1: Place saran wrap over your screen. Get to business. Method 2: Rubbing alcohol. Lots and lots and lots of rubbing alcohol. Get the 90% isopropyl alcohol from your local pharmacy. Put some on a paper towel. Clean your screen. Repeat until the voice in your head stops screaming "what are you doing?" Get to business. Then clean your screen again with alcohol. Then probably consider contacting a priest or a therapist. If all this sounds absolutely insane to you, perhaps you should watch this trailer. Maybe we're slowly licking our way to the future. Either way, please for the love of God clean your phone first if you try this. Or at least use protection.
ArcheAge video features people in bear suits and flying sloths
ArcheAge Korea recently got updated with a new patch, and the folks at XLGAMES have released a new video to show it off. Though to be completely honest, we're not entirely sure what to make of it. There are people dancing in bear costumes and sloths being worn as backpacks and/or used as hang-gliders. That's really all there is to say. If that's the sort of thing you're into, you can check out the full video after the cut.
Cinderella drummer, Neil guitarist pen Dragon's Prophet song
What do you get when you cross MMO dragons with big-haired 1980s metal gods? The latest Dragon's Prophet video, naturally. SOE has teamed up with Cinderella drummer Fred Coury and Vince Neil guitarist Brent Woods to produce a little ditty called Ride Until We Die. Be sure to catch the clip after the cut, and don't forget that Dragon's Prophet is free-to-play right now. You can download the client via the official website link after the video. [Source: SOE press release]
Peripheral Vision 002: Marc Maron
In 2009, Air America relieved Marc Maron of his duties for a third and final time. He'd co-hosted the station's drive time show Morning Sedition before being given the reigns on his own titular evening program. By show three, he was relegated to the station's kitchen, joining fellow Boston comedian Sam Seder for the short-lived web video show Breakroom Live. Naturally, Maron did what any down-on-his-luck radio host would in his place: he started a podcast. "I think in the beginning, I just needed to talk to someone," he explains. "I was going through a very difficult time. I'd certainly been humbled by love and by show business." WTF wasn't the first podcast by any means, but over the last few years, it's become one of the most popular, thanks to Maron's frank and engaging conversations with comedians and other show biz types. More recently, the program has served as the basis for Maron, an IFC show starring the host as himself, which will enter its second season next year. On this second episode of Peripheral Vision, we sit down with the host to discuss the power of the medium, the trouble with Twitter and making a name for yourself from the comfort of your own garage.
Nintendo 2DS out Oct. 12 for $130, plays all 3DS, DS games
The Nintendo 2DS is a new handheld in the DS family due out on October 12 for $130, in red and blue. As its name suggests, the 2DS plays all 3DS and DS games, but in 2D. It's a solid piece of hardware, no hinges, with dual screens the same size as 3DS screens, one circle pad, a camera, a single speaker and standard DS face buttons. Nintendo calls the 2DS "an entry-level dedicated portable gaming system." Nintendo describes the 2DS as follows: "The system features a distinctive fixed, slate-type form factor .... Nintendo 2DS maintains many of the same hardware features as Nintendo 3DS: dual screens, game-play controls and touch-screen features. The system also has backward compatibility with the existing library of more than 2,000 Nintendo DS games, as well as access to wireless connectivity features like multiplayer online game play, fun Nintendo Video content and great digitally delivered games in the Nintendo eShop." No, this is not a joke. For a better look at the size of the 2DS, check out this screencap of a young boy holding it in one hand (and smudging the screen). Optional carrying cases, also in red and blue, are due out at launch for $13. October 12 also marks the release of Pokemon X and Y.
TERA introduces tasty new weapon skins
TERA fans, have you ever been squaring off against a big-ass monster and found yourself thinking, "Man, it sure would be great if I could beat the stuffing out of this guy with a plate of salmon nigiri?" If so, you're either crazy hungry or just plain crazy, but that's fine because the folks at En Masse Entertainment have you covered. That's right, the latest addition to TERA's cash shop is a new set of weapon skins themed around a variety of delightful epicurean treats. The weapon skins range from the barely logical, such as a swordfish that replaces the Slayer's greatsword, to the completely absurd, like the Archer's new bow which has been haphazardly constructed with some bananas and a slice of watermelon. If you wanna check out all the ridiculous new offerings for yourself, just head on over to the game's official site. But take our advice and don't do it on an empty stomach.
Yes, that is a car in ArcheAge
This not-sure-if-serious moment is brought to you by XLGAMES. The Korean MMO maker, presumably hard at work collaborating with Trion to westernize its ArcheAge sandbox opus (right guys... guys?), has published what can only be termed a curious gameplay video to its official YouTube channel. The clip features car racing and a number of spiffy looking hot rods, which normally wouldn't raise any eyebrows if they weren't located smack dab in the middle of a feudalized high fantasy world that, up until now, has featured sailing ships, horses, and low-tech gliders as its primary forms of transportation. It's hard to tell what's under the hood on these babies -- maybe it's some sort of steampunkish propulsion system -- but one thing's for sure: We can't make this stuff up. Have yourself a look-see after the cut. [Thanks Dengar!]
Exploit Hotfixed: Azeroth's cities safe once more
Nethaera hopped on the forums today to let us know that the massive city deaths were indeed a result of an exploit taken by nefarious individuals. The exploit has been hotfixed already, and it should no longer be a problem. Blizzard doesn't mess around with stuff like this... if people are found exploiting the game and causing problems, they'll not only find themselves banned but also in some other troubles. Nethaera Earlier today, certain realms were affected by an in-game exploit, resulting in the deaths of player characters and non-player characters in some of the major cities. This exploit has already been hotfixed, so it should not be repeatable. It's safe to continue playing and adventuring in major cities and elsewhere in Azeroth. As with any exploit, we are taking this disruptive action very seriously and conducting a thorough investigation. If you have information relating to this incident, please email hacks@blizzard.com. We apologize for the inconvenience some of you experienced as a result of this and appreciate your understanding. source Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
