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Paul McCartney will play a YouTube concert on September 7th
Paul McCartney is no stranger to embracing technology, and you're about to get further proof of it. The iconic musician is performing an "intimate" YouTube concert on September 7th at 8PM Eastern as part of a YouTube Original production. It's a plug for his new album Egypt Station, as you might have guessed, but he'll also play tunes from his Beatles and Wings days.
6 high-flying clean energy generators
By Cat DiStasio Dirty fossil fuels come from the ground, but the future of energy is in the sky. Thanks to innovative engineers in the renewable energy industry, the world of high-altitude wind and solar generators is booming. Not only are these devices cleaner than fossil fuel alternatives, but they have the potential to generate more usable energy at a lower cost. High-altitude wind turbines can take advantage of faster wind speeds, and positioning solar arrays above the clouds yields better sun exposure without shadows blocking the rays.
Frontier expanding Elite's dev team, feature set
The latest Elite: Dangerous newsletter is out, and while it's chock full of tidbits for fans of the space sim title, perhaps the most interesting revelation occurs in the development update section. "We're expanding the team working on the game so that we can maintain a regular schedule of updates as well as working on the paid expansions," Frontier says. Those regular updates aren't limited to fixes, either, as "new features and content for all" is part of the plan. First up are the wings, "associated multiplayer features, and additional ships" that the devs hinted at in 2014.
Wings! Remastered Edition touring prettier skies in 2014
Cinemaware's World War 1 bomber is circling over PC, Mac, iOS and Android for a second round as Wings! Remastered Edition. The update will retain the top-down gameplay from Wings!'s 1990 debut on the Amiga, but HD polish, new sound effects and a redone soundtrack will help freshen up the experience. A press release notes pilots will join the 56th Squadron for "over 230 diverse missions taking place between 1916 and 1918." Surely most of those conflicts will be resolved with subdued diplomacy ... Wings was meant to be revisited via Kickstarter in 2012, but Cinemaware's campaign for Wings: Director's Cut only managed to gather a sixth of its $350,000 funding goal. [Image: Kalypso Media]
Hearthstone opens up the first wing of Naxxramas
Are you ready to take on Naxxramas in Hearthstone? Good! You can start now. The first wing of the new adventure is available to players today; it'll send you through the Arachnid Quarter in a trip down a spider-filled memory lane. If you're on the fence about trying it out, you can take on this wing for free now through early September (the exact date for the end of free access will be announced later on). Players will be able to purchase further wings of Naxxramas with either in-game currency or real money, with discounts available for bulk purchases. But you don't have to just hope you'll enjoy the adventure; you can log in and try it for yourself right now.
Buffalo Wild Wings to use tablets for gaming, ordering another round
Service at restaurants can be decidedly slow. But for those of you who frequent Buffalo Wild Wings, relying on the waitstaff to place an order could soon be a thing of the past. The company has revealed that, after a successful pilot program, it's going to put tablets on each one of its tables, with all US locations expected to be outfitted "by the end of 2015." Powered by Buzztime's BEOND platform, these 7-inch Samsung Galaxy slates (no word on the specific model) will let customers order food and drinks, play games, pay the bill, request to have a channel changed and more. Even though this type of setup isn't particularly novel, it's great to see that it's becoming the norm at dining places.
Wings Over Atreia: From Shugos to splitting up, Aion's instances are evolving
Today I was all set to focus my energies and words on cajoling NCsoft to not do certain things to Aion. I was poised to carefully blend pleading, ranting, and even some common sense into the perfect concoction to convince the studio to avoid introducing various trappings to Atreia. Then, surely as a means to distract me from said designs, the studio released news about the new instances coming after 4.0. Wait -- after?! A ha! Yet more fodder to add to my nonononono rant; after all, who wants to be teased about things coming after an expansion we don't even have a date for yet? However, after a bit more reflection I decided that -- for today at least -- I'd rather applaud the company for looking at new ways to approach instances instead of rail on it for sharing the info so darned early. Perhaps it's the whole "you can catch more sparkies with honey than vinegar" approach, but the truth of the matter is I am happy with the direction this latest announcement portends. Aion is integrating variety into the dungeon-diving sphere, and that's a move that can only be good for the game. Even better, you don't actually have to wait until after 4.0 to experience the first rumblings of this shift. Thanks to the Shugo Kingdom Adventure event going on now, Daevas can try their hands/claws at a new (though temporary) dungeon experience, What about these new dungeons has me hopeful for the future of Aion? Let's dive right in and take a look.
Cinemaware is back at it with a Kickstarter campaign for Wings: Director's Cut
Cinemaware recently announced plans to remake its 1990 Amiga game Wings (no, not that Wings), and hopes to fund it with a Kickstarter campaign. The developer's goal is to reach $350k on the funding platform in order to complete Wings: Director's Cut, which would include new missions and story elements not seen in the original game.Per its Kickstarter page for the project, the game is in development for PC and both Android and iOS mobile platforms. Additionally, the company noted its excitement for the Ouya console (which finished its own crowd-funding campaign at $8.5 million this past week), saying it "became official supporters of the Ouya campaign on Kickstarter, and are in line to receive a development kit." Ouya support is in the works for Wings: Director's Cut since Cinemaware has to use that development kit for something, after all.
Visualized: the history of the Formula 1 car in 60 seconds (video)
Formula 1 car technology has come a long way since it first hit the asphalt banks 62 years ago. It's been hard to convey the sheer amount of change in a succinct way, but Rufus Blacklock may have nailed it in exactly one minute. Abstract versions of the cars show us the progression from the bullet-shaped cars of the 1950's through to the low-slung, wing-laden beasts we know today. If the clip is a little too F1-fast, there's also an infographic that details exactly when certain technology changes came into play, starting with the first wings in 1968 through to modern (and at times controversial) introductions like KERS in 2009. Click past the break for the video, and check out the relevant source link for a quite literal big picture.
Paul McCartney: 'You can keep free streaming for the birds and bees, now give me money'
A wise man once told Engadget that streaming and bought music services could live side-by-side like a piano keyboard. It looks like impoverished multi-millionaire Sir Paul McCartney didn't hear that particular song, as he's withdrawn all of his music from streaming service Rhapsody, after doing the same to Spotify some time ago. He's the latest in a long line of impecunious artists including Adele, Coldplay and Tom Waits, who have done the same as they feel they're not getting fair compensation for their labors. It would be cynical to point out that McCartney's move comes just ahead of a live performance that's exclusively streamed on the iTunes music store and Apple TV, so we won't.
Paul McCartney working on music for video game
Paul McCartney, legendary recording artist of the band Wings, is apparently working on music for a video game -- and, no, it doesn't appear to be Beatles Rock Band 2. In an interview with Germany's Die Zeit, McCartney was asked if he'd consider writing music for a video game. He responded that he's already working on it.McCartney said he finds the video game market fascinating and was excited by the opportunity to work on a game project. He noted that growing up, he only had radio and records, but now music is everywhere. He feels that by writing music for a game that it may be the first time his music will be heard by the next generation.There's also the business of music. McCartney said, "A new computer game is selling these days so much better than a new CD. And you reach a different audience." Might we suggest Paul of Duty, a music shooter. It worked out well for Aerosmith.
The Daily Grind: Do developers troll their fans?
Sometimes I honestly wonder what goes on in the minds of the decision-makers at Sony Online Entertainment. Case in point is the recent decision to add wings to EverQuest II's cash shop. I'm not opposed to cash shops per se, and I'm not opposed to flying mounts or the formerly nifty race-specific quest that allowed Arasai players to earn a pair of functional wings at high level. Now, though, any old ratonga, iksar, or troll can fork over 20 bucks and take to the skies with angel's wings on his back, and while the EverQuest universe has fairly inconsistent lore on occasion, I can only conclude that someone at SOE thought it would be funny to mess with franchise fans a little bit. If not, surely there are more fan-friendly ways to go about designing cash shop items or new means of transportation. This isn't the first time SOE has indulged its baser shark-jumping instincts, either. Ask a Star Wars Galaxies vet about the infamous Ewok-themed Valentine's Day if you need another example. And therein lies today's Daily Grind. Do you think that developers troll their fans? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
EverQuest II adds player wings, yes really
EverQuest II is one of the most feature-rich MMOs in existence. One of the few things it doesn't didn't have is the ability for players to sprout wings and take to the skies. Oh sure, there are some pretty spiffy flying mounts, and there is even a quest line that grants Fae and Arasai avatars the ability to use their faerie wings for something other than looks. Today, though, Sony Online Entertainment is raising the bar via new sets of wings that are available to any character (of any race). These aren't just crappy looking social add-ons, either, but slickly animated functional wings on par with those in Aion or Perfect World. The catch is that they're only available in the Station Cash marketplace, and they'll set you back 1,950 points (about 20 bucks). Check out the video after the break for a brief demonstration. Also keep in mind that you'll need a character of level 85 or higher to use them. [Source: SOE press release]
Angelbird's Wings PCIe-based SSD preview and benchmarks
Storage enthusiasts (yeah, there is such a thing -- what of it?) would probably tell you that PCIe-based SSDs are a dime a dozen these days. But in all seriousness, the prices we're seeing are proof that a few more competitors wouldn't hurt. A few weeks back, Austria's own Angelbird started to ship a solution that we first heard about during 2010, and we were fortunate enough to pop a Wings PCIe SSD RAID card into our Mac Pro for testing. For years, we've been booting this up and running every single application off of its stock HDD -- a 640GB Hitachi HDE721064SLA360 (7200RPM) -- as we surmise many of you desktop owners might be. Anxious to see if these are the Wings your existing tower needs to soar? Head on past the break for our impressions. %Gallery-134642%
Angelbird's PCIe-based SSD: it's real, it's shipping, it's 800MB/s
Remember that 1GB/s PCIe SSD system from Angelbird we covered a year ago? Well, the company just let us know it's finally available. The performance claims are more modest than we saw in the beta phase, but we're not distraught: the new benchmark is 800MB/s reads and 750MB/s writes, achieved with a $3000 setup including four 240GB SSD modules mounted on a Wings PCI-e card with a 32GB SSD built-in. Need to hold something back for groceries? You can't reduce the number of SSDs without slowing everything down, but four 60GB drives on the cheapest Wings Lite PCIe card ought to satisfy most thrill seekers for just under a grand. We hope Smart Modular is paying attention.
Swiss rocketeer jetpacks above Grand Canyon, lives to tell the tale (video)
There's "crazy" and then there's "craaazy." Crazy is going swimming five minutes after eating, or wearing white after Labor Day. Craaazy, on the other hand, is Yves "Jetman" Rossy -- a Swiss flight fanatic who jetpacked across the Grand Canyon at 190-mph yesterday morning. Rossy's suicide mission began inside a helicopter hovering some 8,000 feet above the canyon's floor. After hurling himself out of the chopper, Jetman ignited his four-motor jetpack and, using his body as a rudder, gently steered himself across the abyss. The daredevil proceeded to coast for a full eight minutes at just 200 feet above the canyon ridge before he presumably realized that he was flying above the Grand Canyon and decided to parachute down to the bottom. Rossy completed the flight with his physical health fully intact, though his mental condition remains up for debate. Blast past the break for a video that'll throw your acrophobia into overdrive.
Star Wars Galaxies developer webcast today shares the present and future of the game
Calling all Star Wars Galaxies adventurers -- the SOE community team is planning to pour its heart out with the fans in a developer webcast later today! If you want to get the inside scoop on the Ewok Festival of Love and the Bonus Everything Weekend, then you will definitely want to catch this chat. The webcast will take place today, February 17th, at 4:00 p.m. PST on Stickam, according to a Facebook announcement. The devs will be talking about the current in-game events as well as dropping "a few hints about what's coming up next." The Ewok Festival of Love is a month-long (February 10th through March 10th) event in which the cute and cuddly inhabitants of the forest moon of Endor celebrate good feelings, good food and their obsession with flight. By participating in the events, players can earn several special rewards including housing items, pets, and decorative wings. Because nothing strikes fear in Stormtroopers like Jedi with itsy-bitsy wings!
Rock Band Weekly: Paul McCartney, Inhabited, Siouxsie and The Banshees
The post-Yule Rock Band DLC update from the newly-reindependent Harmonix will celebrate with tracks from Paul McCartney and Wings' 1973 album "Band on the Run," which was remastered earlier this year by the same team that did the Beatles' catalog. There will also be songs from Inhabited and Siouxsie and The Banshees released. The update will be available next week on Xbox 360 and Wii, while PS3 updates go on hiatus until January 4. Run on past the break for the complete DLC details.
AngelBird's PCIe SSD solution brings breakneck speeds, achievable prices, 'incremental awesomeness'
PCIe SSD solutions tend to be two things: stupidly fast and stupidly expensive. With read performance of up to 1GB/s and writes happening at up to 900MB/s the Angelbird Wings solution certainly has the speed. And, at a starting price of $239 for a 16GB model, the pricing isn't too bad -- for this sort of setup, anyway. What you're getting for that money is an expandable PCIe controller board with slots for up to four SSDs of 120GB in size, each offering SandForce 1200 controllers. With one board you'll get pedestrian read and write speeds of just under 300MB/s. But, with each new drive you basically multiply that, with the maximum figures quoted above coming with four. Interestingly, the controller comes with its own onboard Linux flavor called Virtue, a full UI that you can boot directly into and get all your RAID ducks in a row. Full cost for a fully kitted out system with four boards? $1399, which is hardly cheap for a mere 500GB or so of storage, but is a solid price for 1GB/s performance.
Cyborg flies jack into Lego robots semi-Avatar-style
See that? It's a picture of a fly that thinks it's flying around, but it's really navigating a Lego car around a small obstacle course. Researchers at ETH Zurich's Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems developed an impressive visual stimulus tube that tricks said fly into thinking it's navigating the same terrain the camera-mounted robot is in. Then--in a novel twist--a high-speed visual wing-tracking system tells the robot where to roam, based on where the fly thinks it's flying. While it's not exactly what the Na'vi were dealing with, it's close enough to make us a fun combination of fascinated and scared. Pseudo-psychedelic fly stimulus video after the break.
