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Two Bosses Enter: Announcing Season 2's boss lineup
In Two Bosses Enter, WoW Insider's series of fantasy death matches, the bosses of World of Warcraft face off in the squared circle. Your vote determines who wins and claims the season title. Today we are ready to reveal our tournament bracks for Two Bosses Enter's second Cataclysm season! I've sifted through last week's reader requests and built this tournament brackets based on a few factors. Your feedback was absolutely taken into consideration, and most of this season's competitors were chosen by you. However, some competitors were picked by myself and other WoW Insider staffers. Highly elaborate encounters like Jin'do the Godbreaker or bosses with one-shot abilities such as Bloodlord Mandokir, while popular choices, were not included in this season because their mechanics would make the tournament extremely one-sided unless I added special circumstances and stipulations from week to week. In order to include them, Two Bosses Enter would be less let the fans figure out what would happen and more what arbitrary rules does Alex want us to play by this week? If that's something people want, I can make it happen next time around, but I'm fairly sure the majority of readers would like things to stay as they've been all along. There will be no voting this week, but I will be revealing this week's brackets and I will explain what we will be doing differently this season, along with some commentary of what did and did not work last season.
Dutch parliament passes strict new law regulating cookies -- the non-edible variety
Well, it's certainly been an interesting month for those interested in all things technology-related in the Netherlands. Just last week, the Royal Dutch Mint showed off some new coins emblazoned with QR Codes promising untold "surprises," and this week the Dutch parliament made a bit of history by passing the first net neutrality legislation in the EU. Now it's taken aim at another target: internet cookies. Despite warnings that it could cause websites to flee en masse to less-restrictive countries in Europe, the parliament has also passed an amendment to the net neutrality law that drastically changes how cookies are handled on the web. Specifically, websites will have to prove that visitors explicitly agreed to allow cookies, which likely means an extra click or a pop-up window before anyone's able to actually visit a site. Of course, there's also the possibility that it could lead to a drop in a cookie use in the country, although that seems about as likely as a drop in actual cookie consumption. [Thanks, Lucian; image: The Bygone Bureau]
Disconnect browser extension keeps pesky cookies in check, blocks third-party tracking requests
Internet Explorer 9 may block 'em in 2011, and the US government's on the case too, but you don't have to wait for Microsoft or bureaucracy to keep your privacy paramount if you browse with Rockmelt or Chrome. That's because former Google developer Brian Kennish just released Disconnect, an extension for either one, that banishes Digg, Facebook, Google, Twitter and Yahoo tracking requests (more companies are on the way) as you make your merry way across the web. Install and you'll find a nice little "d" icon on your browser's status bar, with a drop-down menu exposing exactly how many requests you've blocked from each service, and the option to manually disable blocking at will. Why bother? Don't you want to keep that secret love of Thanko products all to yourself?
Internet Explorer 9 privacy measures to include Tracking Protection
In a nod to future FTC mandates regarding web privacy, Microsoft has announced that among its many charms, Internet Explorer 9 will introduce something called a Tracking Protective List. In essence, the TPL looks at third party elements of whichever page you may be viewing (for instance, when you're at msnbc.com and it contains elements that are hosted by another domain) and allows you to block those which track your movements. This is done by domain, and there is both a whitelist and a blacklist -- ensuring that while elements that are required for full functionality will be allowed, those which are a nuisance will be blocked. Of course, this isn't the answer to all of your security needs, but between this and properly managing your cookies it is a decent first step. IE9 will come around sometime in early 2011 -- in the meantime, check out the video after the break for more info.
FTC wants to fight tracking cookies with other cookies, create delicious sugary warfare
We're not sure that fighting fire with fire actually works outside of the metaphorical realm, but don't let us tell the FTC how to do its thing. The federal body, which recently told Google "it's all good" after the company apologized for stealing people's private infos, is now asking for social networking sites and browser developers to create a sort of "do not track" cookie system. If this cookie was present the sites would not capture a user's browsing habits and not deliver customized ads, a cookie that would be created and enabled by a simple browser button. As of now the FTC is not mandating anything, but did deliver this passive-aggressive threat: With respect to 'do not track,' we are giving companies a little time, but we'd like to see them work a lot faster in making consumer choice a lot easier. So there you have it: start playing nice, companies, or the FTC might possibly do something. Meanwhile, we might possibly eat the cute looking gingerbread man in the middle up there. He sure looks tasty. [Image courtesy of Fagles]
Countdown to Cataclysm: The Deadmines dungeon guide
This article is part of our Countdown to Cataclysm series, preparing you for Cataclysm launch one day at a time. The Deadmines has been a classic staple dungeon for any leveling player. In patch 4.0.3, the instance received a complete facelift. Players will no longer be taking down Edwin VanCleef, as the game has progressed forward in time and has been updated to reflect the events that have occurred in the game. The Defias stronghold appears to be housing the next generation of Defias forces. They're being led by Vanessa Vancleef, Edwin's daughter. At a glance: five boss encounters level 15 - 21 Alliance and Horde players both have access to this dungeon via dungeon finder
TUAW's Daily App: Cookie Rush
Cookie Rush is an interesting title. The goal is to keep some villagers away from a giant rolling cookie, but instead of guiding them directly, you control them by placing jump arrows in their way -- it's kind of like a group Canabalt where you're controlling the environment rather than the character. Things get frantic quickly. As you go along, you have to dodge gaps and try to get your villagers up to rescue vehicles, there are dogs to dodge, and there are bad guys that you don't want jumping up with the rest of your folks. I like Cookie Rush. It's pretty original (given that the main villain is a gigantic rolling cookie, it pretty much has to be), and it's worth a shot if you like arcade-style platformers. It's too bad there's no free version to try, and if you're on the fence, you might want to wait for a lite version to come along. But OpenFeint achievements and leaderboards add some fun functionality for just US$0.99. If the idea of the gameplay appeals, it's worth a look.
BlizzCon 2010: Food cart sells Murloc baked goods, potions
The line to pick your badge for tomorrow's 2010 BlizzCon remains a bit of an endurance test. With hundreds of fellow players, you'll be waiting for hours in a line that snakes around the convention center. The usual array of pizza boxes and fast food wrappers lay strewn about, but there's one more relief for the hungry and afflicted line waiters this year. A food cart travels up and down the line, selling baked goods ostensibly provided by Cookie the Murloc, the Defias' chef, fruit from Stranglethorn Vale, sweets from Smokywood Pastures, and bottled water that doubles as a rejuvenation potion, according to the cart's sign. I have to say, those prices don't exactly inspire Heroism in me or anything, but hey. If you're hungry and stuck in line, you do what you gotta do. Maybe next year that Taco stand will finally rebrand themselves Murloco's Tacos. For high res pics of the cart and more, check the gallery below. %Gallery-105730% BlizzCon 2010 is upon us! WoW Insider has all the latest news and information. We're bringing you liveblogging of the WoW panels, interviews with WoW celebrities and attendees and of course, lots of pictures of people in costumes. It's all here at WoW Insider!
LG Wink series custom crafted for 'Generation Z,' Gen Y need not apply (update: Cookie in UK)
Generation Z, as far as we can tell, roughly refers to kiddies born between 1991 and 2009 -- which means that if you're the ripe old age of 20, LG's not really looking to target you with its new full-touch Wink line, specifically identified as a Gen Z special in the press release. Of course, considering the specs, you probably won't be shedding many tears; the entry-level Wink (pictured left) has just a 2.4-inch display, the Wink Style isn't much more generous at 2.8, and the "high end" Wink 3G (pictured right) seems to be the only one of the bunch with high-speed data. All three have 3.5mm headphone jacks, integrated FM radios, and microSD expansion, but if you're an American Gen Z'er, don't get too excited -- it's only slated for Europe and the Middle East this month followed by Latin America, the CIS, and "select Asian countries" later in the third quarter. Follow the break for LG's release. Update: Turns out these will be using the longstanding Cookie brand for their UK launches: the Cookie, Cookie Style, and Cookie 3G, respectively.
Android team's Morrill discounts Gingerbread rumors
Eldar Murtazin has a pretty decent track record when it comes to smartphone whispers, but his Android 3.0 Gingerbread morsels yesterday are now at odds with someone a bit closer to the dough -- namely, Dan Morrill, Android's Open Source and Compatibility Tech Lead (yeah, that's a bit of a mouth full). Here are a few highlights from his Twitter feed tonight: "I love it when people just make stuff up" (sarcasm, obviously), "rumors are not official announcements," and so on. Sure, he could just be playing coy here, but for now, this is more or less the final word on the matter -- until either Google or the rumor mill heat up again, of course. Guess that's how the, erm, cookie crumbles.
LG shows off Cookie Music, Viewty Smile, other goodies to Dutch press
Unwilling or unable to wait for the next major trade show (CTIA in two weeks), LG showed off a king's ransom worth of new devices to a bunch of journos in the Netherlands this week; most of it appears to be pretty low-end fare, but there were a few notables in the lot. First up, the Cookie Music extends the Cookie brand with Dolby Mobile tech on board (something LG's been doing pretty frequently lately), a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a tweaked design that looks a little more futuristic than Cookies of old. Viewty was starting to feel like a forgotten marque, but not so -- we've now got a GT400 Viewty Smile here featuring a 5 megapixel cam and scratch-resistant display. As QWERTY dumbphones go, we'd thought that the GT350 was the KS360's true successor, but not so -- there's a new KS365 in the mix with revised styling but seemingly very little in the way of upgraded specs. The rest of the lot looks like pretty forgettable stuff -- and seeing how LG operates, they'll all be forgotten and replaced with revised models within a few months' time anyhow. You know, Circle of Life and all.
LG Cookie, now in delicious CDMA and macadamia nut flavor
Careful, LG -- we know you've got a good thing going with your reasonably-priced Cookie line, but don't overdo it, okay? After the original KP500 and the alternatively-spelled Cooky, LG's now rolling out a purely CDMA-based variant as the KX500, ripe for battle in the Asia-Pacific region's 1x networks. It's got a WQVGA display, handwriting recognition (especially important in those markets), a 3 megapixel cam, built-in FM radio, 92MB of onboard storage, and microSD expansion. If those specs have you worked into a tizzy, you can look for it on shelves across the region starting later this month in black. [Via Unwired View]
O2 UK shows the LG Cookie sporting a new whiter look on Pay & Go
O2 seems to like LG's KP501 Cookie so much that its decided to offer it in white with shiny metallic accents in the Pay as you go realm. Pricing is listed as £99 (roughly $140) and for that money you'll get stuff like a 400 x 240 touchscreen display, a 3.2 megapixel sharpshooter, Bluetooth, FM radio, and so forth. Sound like it's too good to be true? Well, it isn't, though, you'll need to sit and wait a tick as this guy is listed as "coming soon" to shops and the O2 online store.
LG Cookie: now in pink and silver on Orange
LG's Cookie -- which is more formally know as the KP501 -- has just arrived in two more hues on Europe's most colorful carrier. If black just wasn't doing it for you, the touchscreen handset (which obviously resembles the KP500 in more ways than one) is now listed as "Coming Soon" in pink and silver. If you believe Orange's press release, though, it should be available now in stores for £99.99 ($142) on a pay-as-you-go contract and just £15 ($21) with a two-year agreement.
What a horrible summer not to be going to Comic-Con
NECA, the company responsible for the awesome Castlevania figure prototypes, has a new Simon Belmont figure on the way. It's a somewhat more faithful sculpture of Simon as he appeared in the first Castlevania on the NES. Unfortunately, only 1,000 units will be produced, and it will only be available at the San Diego Comic-Con.We totally want this, and we are all about pixel art, but we must say that this figure, with its rounded edges and inexact paint job, looks a little more like a cookie to us than an action figure. Which actually gives us an idea! [Via NeoGAF]
More details on Cookie & Cream DS
Even though The Adventures of Cookie & Cream was originally on the PS2, it's always been a DS game at heart. Seriously-- it's a split-screen puzzle game (even in single-player mode!) If only there were some kind of console out there that had... two screens! Really, it's a shame there was no DS to release it on back in 2001.When we heard the news that a Cookie & Cream game was coming to the DS (dropping the Adventures from the title,) we got a little excited, but we still wondered: would this be a new game or a port? From the short description, we are guessing "new game." Previously, players were charged with controlling two characters simultaneously through similar courses, but in this one, platforming action is on the top screen, while the touch screen is used in varying ways to clear obstacles. We might be the only people in the world who admired the "two games at once" gameplay of Dig Dug: Digging Strike. Despite that, we hope there are like-minded individuals out there anticipating this game.[Via GameSetWatch]
Congratulations, you don't have an HDTV. Here's your cookie
I read an interesting piece on Bit-tech today, in it the author goes to great length to tell the world how well off he is without an HDTV and how he doesn't really need one even for the Xbox 360 that he doesn't have yet. Why buy an HDTV?, there's hardly any programming and the games look just fine on the TV he proudly bought 6 years ago.First, there are several things I agree with him on. There has been much misinformation spread about how HDTV works, whether or not you'll see a benefit to your next generation games without an HDTV, etc. Anyone who tells you they can't tell the difference between Xbox and Xbox 360 games no matter what the TV, is blind or simply trying to attract attention. Comparing screenshots of ports is only relevant if you are planning on buying your next gen console to play last gen games. Also, there is somewhat limited HDTV programming available, especially in England where the writer appears to be from, which besides being overrun by wolves is also only just recently starting to have HD broadcasts become available.With all that, you might start to think, why should I buy an HDTV? Here's why.
