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Want free coffee and got an iPhone? Use Jonathan's Card (Updated)
Update from Editor-in-chief: According to evidence surfaced via Coffeestrategies.com, this was supposedly a "viral marketing campaign." While we strive to verify sources before posting, it appears we were too eager to believe this "social experiment" was legitimate (and others have been in the past, just not from Starbucks). - Victor Agreda, Jr. Update 2: We received this statement from Starbucks: "I received your note and wanted to let you know that the information you read is inaccurate. Starbucks had no knowledge of Jonathan's plans, and has no official relationship with him or the company he works for. We do think his project is interesting and we are flattered that he is using Starbucks as a part of his 'pay-it-forward' experiment. Again - Starbucks did not have any knowledge of Jonathan's project." While we here at TUAW find it curious that Starbucks was, at one point, listed on the Mobiquity client page, and shortly after this story went wide that page was removed, it is possible that Jonathan, obviously a Starbucks customer as well, independently came up with this idea on his own and implemented it. Note the use of past-tense when referring to the relationship with Starbucks and Jonathan and his employer. The only comment from Jonathan has been by way of this Facebook page. - Ed. Update 3: Our pals at TechCrunch were even more generous in this post, published 3 minutes before update #2 there. Faith in humanity is once again restored. Mostly. - Ed. App developer Jonathan Stark is taking the Starbucks app and adding a philanthropic twist to it. Stark is trying out a social experiment by offering up a picture of his Starbucks card to the Internet and urges people to get a cup of coffee on him. He bought a Starbucks gift card, took a screencap from his iPhone and uploaded it to the Internet for anyone to use. The only thing Stark asks is that if folks are feeling generous, they can add to the card's balance to pay the good deed forward once they get their free cup of joe. To participate, download a copy of the image to your iPhone and take it to your local Starbucks and use it to pay for your coffee. A Twitter feed keeps track of the current balance on the card. Instead of launching the Starbucks app, open the saved image and have the Starbucks employee scan it. This can be used in locations where the Starbucks mobile app is accepted. Stark told CNN that as of Monday, more than $3,650 has been spent on a card that started with just $30 on it. Starbucks told CNN that the company was flattered that Stark chose to use it for the experiment.
The Soapbox: Rooting for the fail
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. I'm going to start this with a strange admission: I love MMOs. I love them as a lumpy, imperfect collective; I love specific ones immensely, and I love being a fan of the genre. I feel that I have to clarify my stance when I sometimes -- often -- see people who apparently follow MMOs quite closely become a neverending fount of bile and venom toward these games. Apparently, not all MMO fans love MMOs, and that perplexes me. Odd as that may be, whatever, I can accept that we live in a topsy-turvy world. What I really don't get are the folks who hate specific games so greatly that their entire bodies and minds have been honed into a dedicated game-loathing entity. Mention that title anywhere on a forum, a blog, or in a post, and these people come out to scream through clenched teeth how this MMO sucks beyond the telling of it and that we are all fools, fools for getting anywhere near it. They aren't just content to say their piece and be done with it, oh no; their vitriol literally knows no end. They will rant, they will attack, they will laugh with derision, and above all else, they will root for the fail. Their greatest desire in life is for this specific game to die so that they can rend their clothes and let out a blood-curdling victory howl. And I don't get it. I feel like an alien in their presence, perplexed at their rage and fixation. Why do people root for MMOs to fail with such intensity? What motivates them and what do they hope to achieve?
One Shots: All together now
Although I've migrated on to different superhero pastures, City of Villains holds many of my fondest memories, including today's episode of One Shots. The strangest thing about this particular screen is that I am not in the screenshot at all; instead, this almost looks like promotional art for the game's mystic villain group, the Circle of Thorns. Instead, what actually transpired is that I fell into a cave room with my brute, and made a magnificent faceplant against this formidable group. While it's probably failure on my part that I died here, the good news is that my camera was obstructed in just the right way to allow me to take this screenshot. All this week, we Massively writers are spotlighting some of our personal favorite One Shots. What exciting stories revolve around our screenshots? Stay tuned to find out. Next week, after staff picks week, will be free-for-all week for you, our readers. Send any eye-catching, beautiful, scary, or generally epic screenshot to oneshots@massively.com, and we'll pick the best of the best for next week's One Shots! %Gallery-112285%
Radioshack sucks at OS recognition: close, but no Android
"Make it an Android?" Are you trying to tell Elop he chose the wrong OS, Radioshack? [Thanks, Travis]
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Ruining your own birthday party
There are few times when I wish that my columns came earlier or later than they did. As it stands, this column doesn't go live until at least nine of the City of Heroes servers have gone through the big Praetorian invasion event, and that's kind of disappointing on one level, because I would like to use it to warn people about what's around the corner. Then again, at least we can all be united in disappointment. Or maybe I can be told that on every server other than Virtue, the event has been a non-stop cavalcade of roses and badges and possibly free Incarnate shards. Lots of things are possible. If it weren't obvious already, the implementation of Wednesday's event left a bad taste in my mouth that I'm still trying to spit out several days later. And while I'd really like to say it's the sort of thing that's wholly understandable and I don't mind the technical problems that cropped up... I really can't. There's complaining about lag, and then there's complaining about an event designed to run into huge problems that ran into bigger ones.
Nikon Image Authentication Software validates Photoshop phonies
It's hard to believe that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Apple man Steve Jobs would get all giggly over a Granny Smith, and that's for good reason: that apple's about as phony as this tiny iPhone. According to a Russian security firm, however, Nikon's Image Authentication Software would tell you otherwise. This rendering is one of a handful used to demonstrate a flaw in the camera maker's image verification system. Programs like Nikon's apply an encrypted signature to image files at the time they are captured, and overwrite those signatures when a file is altered, allowing for verification of a photograph's integrity. According to ElcomSoft, the firm exposed a flaw in the system used by Nikon, as well as a similar program employed by Canon's DSLRs, that allowed them to extract the signature key from a camera and apply it to phonies like the one above. According to the outfit, neither company has responded to its findings. For more funny fakes, including a shot of Mike Tyson rocking an Angry Birds tattoo, check out the source link below.
Want a PlayBook that runs Android 3.0? You can get one at MacMall!
Hurry and order yours today -- before they run out of magic dust. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
The Daily Grind: Is it better for devs to try and fail than never to have tried at all?
Recently, two of the MMOs that I'm playing -- RIFT and Lord of the Rings Online -- both experienced rather lackluster events. In RIFT, the much-anticipated final phases of its first world event fizzled out so quickly that several players never saw it at all, and LotRO players have their ire up over the grind and mechanics associated with the fourth anniversary event. In reading the forum comments and comments here on Massively, I started to wonder: Is it better for devs to try and fail than to have never tried at all? Obviously, it's best to try and succeed, but that's not always the case (or the question for today). Are we as a community too harsh and unforgiving toward developers when we feel that a promised feature or event hasn't lived up to its potential? Are the flaws and failed attempts worth the experimentation? Would you rather have developers trying new things -- even if they don't always work out great -- than to just not do them at all? Let us know what you think; there's a lot of meat to chew on this bone! 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!
The Perfect Ten: MMO forum terms beaten to death
If there's one aspect of MMO culture that I have difficulty saying anything positive about, it would have to be the official forum. No matter how well-moderated and well-intentioned studio forums may be, they're essentially giant signs broadcasting "COME WHINE HERE!" When you witness a 500-page thread that's responding to a badly spelled rant about a nerf we'll all forget about in a month's time, it's hard not to break down and weep at the time and energy lost to such trivial stupidity. And with the forums -- and to a lesser extent, comments on blogs, Twitter, and telegraphs -- comes a shocking array of linguistic conformity. You see, when people are upset or eager to prove a point, they have no time to sit down and calmly think of a way to fully communicate their perspectives. No time! Instead, they reach deep into the well of the same overused words and phrases, give them a hearty kick in the direction of their post, and feel as though they've conjured up a masterful work of literature. So today I'm going to exorcise 10 of the most overused, abused, and tired forum terms seen daily in your local MMO forum. Then I will move on with my life and suggest you do the same.
UPenn's PhillieBot throws out first pitch, Skynet calls for a reliever (video)
We'll hand it to the University of Pennsylvania -- mixing robotics and sport definitely isn't easy. But in the heart of Citizens Bank Park today, the so-called PhillieBot came close to generating a universal chorus of boos after it failed to successfully toss a first pitch to the Phanatic. We're guessing it'll be wound up a bit more before trying again; after all, it's not like Philly needs another reason to pelt an otherwise lovable character with vitriol (or snowballs).
Screen Grabs: iPhone messaging app spotted on a RAZR in Traffic Light
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dot com. The iPhone was indeed the handset to supplant the well-loved RAZR as America's favorite, but we're not so sure its messaging interface ever made it onto Motorola's slim clamshell. That hasn't stopped Fox's Traffic Light from rewriting history, however, as last night's episode featured a RAZR receiving a "smiley-faced emoticon" text message encased in an all-too-familiar grey speech bubble. Catch this crazy new invention on video after the break. [Thanks, OMGitsShan]
Nokia sucks at Photoshop
Oh man, is this the new version of Symbian? If so, it looks magical. [Thanks, Jaris]
Use a Smart Cover to stick your iPad to the fridge
OK, so this one definitely comes under the heading "Don't try this at home," with the sub-heading "Unless you're completely crazy ... and even then maybe not." That's right, that's what the picture shows: someone's worked out that the bevy of magnets in an iPad 2 Smart Cover are strong enough to hold the iPad to a refrigerator door. This raises at least two questions: first, what kind of mind do you need to wonder if your five hundred dollar (or more) chunk of magic can be held to a refrigerator door by the magnets in its cover -- and then actually try it? Also, will AppleCare cover this when it all turns to tears? [Via Gizmodo]
PC World placement inadvertently suggests you get a Mac
Credit: FAILblog It's Friday, and a little levity seems appropriate: the FAILblog has posted an image of a newsstand where the cover of PC World, which touts the "Best upgrades for your buck," clearly points to Macworld (and it's apparent this picture was taken some years ago, as the upgrade in question is to Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard). Obviously unintentional, at least on PC World's part (I can't speak for the newsstand owner), but a good chuckle nonetheless. FAILblog lists it as a "win," so clearly they're biased in the same way I am. With the apps included in a Mac OS X distribution, combined with the quality of the hardware and great service agreements, Macs actually are a great "upgrade for your buck." Not to mention, they're awesome.
Woman tries, fails to smuggle 44 iPhones into Israel
Sigh. We don't know whether to congratulate the enterprising spirit of this venture or to bemoan the sad state of a world where a 60-something-year old lady feels compelled to turn into an iPhone smuggler. Either way, Israel's Ben-Gurion International Airport has given us a pretty good reason for the use of full body scanners, which revealed the woman in question was strapped with 44 iPhone 4s all around her body. Dressed in traditional Georgian attire, the lady had some struggles walking around, which raised suspicion and got the officials to run her through the machines. Guess this gives us a whole new definition to the phrase "stocking stuffer," eh? [Original image credit: buystoreshelving.com]
Notion Ink Adam gets caught Photoshopping its bezel away
How big is the Notion Ink Adam's screen? Well, it depends on what time you looked at the company's site today. If you were one of the unlucky folks who saw the image titled "preordernow.jpg," the screen's a tiny bit smaller and the bezel a tad larger than it is for all the fortunate peeps pre-ordering from the "preordernow1.jpg" pic that's currently gracing the site. Now's your chance, guys -- go grab yourself the truly magical and revolutionary tablet whose specs change with the wave of a Photoshop airbrush. [Thanks, Andrew] Update: To be clear, we don't know which of the two 'shops is the real deal -- technically, neither is, they're both renders -- but earlier prototypes have shown some pretty slinky bezels. It'll be on Notion Ink to demonstrate just how slim the Adam's screen surround is when it finally unveils the real deal.
Verizon sucks at Photoshop: the Continuum definitely can't do this, we checked
Notice something missing from that Continuum there on Big Red's home page? That's right: if this were a real phone, there'd be an arbitrary black bar across the screen somewhere around the young lady's midsection, followed by a "ticker" at the bottom... but instead, just as with the iOS-powered Droid X, they've once again exceeded the bounds of reality with a little help from Adobe products. Don't get us wrong, the phone Verizon's got up on its home page is the Continuum Verizon probably should've launched... but then they would've had to answer the burning question of why they released a slightly sexier, slimmer version of the Fascinate. It's alright, though, guys -- we've got your back -- just follow the break for the corrected version. You're welcome to use it!
PSA: Botched AVG 2011 update might be why your PC won't start today
Did you update your free copy of AVG 2011 today, in the hopes of evading a nasty bug? In a set of mildly familiar circumstances, the antivirus company has inadvertently unleashed an even nastier one. Users running 64-bit editions of Windows 7 and AVG 2011 are reporting a STOP error after a mandatory antivirus update this morning, which is keeping some from booting their machines into Windows at all. The buggy update has since been pulled and there are a couple ways to preemptively keep it from happening if you're staring at the message above, but if you've already been stung, you're looking at some quality time with a recovery disc or repair partition to fix your Windows boot files. Find all the solutions, including the preemptive ones, at our source link below.
Verizon sucks at Photoshop: confuses the Droid X for an iPhone
Man, Motorola's not going to be pleased about this! The Droid X is justifiably one of Verizon's marquee devices for this holiday season and takes pride of place on the carrier's Cyber Monday offers page, but wait... why does its screen display the iPhone version of Google Maps? Oops! [Thanks, Chris]
Apple sucks at Photoshop too
Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the new fourth-generation iPod touch: it's so much like an iPhone that it has a Phone app (wait, what?). Better yet, if you do a Spotlight search on it, it'll return results from a messaging app it's not supposed to have. How's that for value? This would all be a great big enigmatic mystery if we weren't ourselves familiar with the practice (and pitfalls) of splicing disparate images into unholy creations. Well, at least now Microsoft isn't alone in making self-published Photoshop gaffes. P.S. -- There's one more misplaced app on this magical device, but we'll let you figure it out for yourself! [Thanks to everyone who sent these in] Update: Apple's now finally rid itself of the ignoble image above, but the ones below remain.
