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ICYMI: We've gone full Leia in honor of Star Wars
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-811506{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-811506, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-811506{width:570px;display:block;}#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-44035{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-44035, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-44035{width:100%;display:block;}try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-44035").style.display="none";}catch(e){}try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-811506").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Many of you will be leaving work as quickly as possible to catch an early screening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. We're helping you prepare for the glory of what awaits with a round-up of some of our favorite Star Wars moments and characters with all the products, amazing DIYs and games that are rocking our galaxy.We'll be back to normal for tomorrow, so if you see any interesting science or tech videos, please share with us! Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag to @mskerryd.
Captain's Log: Star Trek Online's wacky Winter Event
Ah, the holiday season! I've learned over the past few years that MMO developers must really look forward to working on their respective games' winter events because they're allowed to break free from the rigidity of individual franchises and create things that are a bit more avant garde. OK, maybe not every developer, but one thing's for sure: The team over at Cryptic certainly uses the Winter Event in Star Trek Online to allow its silly flag to fly. The Star Trek Online Winter Event has incrementally grown bigger and wackier since it first began, and this year's festivities are no exception.
Geeks lose minds, recreate first level of Super Mario Land with 18 million Minecraft blocks
There's homage and there's homage. And then there's three guys spending over 500 hours to recreate the first two minutes and twenty seconds of Super Mario Land using more than 18 million Minecraft blocks. The movie, made by carpenter James Wright, Joe Ciappa and a gamer known as Tempusmori, had the guys running the classic monochrome platformer in an emulator and replicating it pixel-for-wool-block-pixel inside a giant Minecraft Game Boy. The team spent approximately four weeks, working six to seven hours a day with no days off, to create the shots, which were then dropped into a video editor and slowed so each frame displayed for one sixth of a second. Take a gander at the final product and the making-of video after the break for your daily dose of mind blowing.
The Road to Mordor: The Professor
This past week on January 3rd, J.R.R. Tolkien celebrated his 118th birthday -- or rather, we celebrated it for him. Tolkien was born in South Africa in 1892 and lived a rich and full life, from fighting in the first World War to working on the Oxford English Dictionary to taking a position at several universities that would earn him the nickname "The Professor." He is, of course, most well-remembered for his seminal works of fantasy -- The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion -- although his writings didn't end there. Due to Tolkien's love of nature, linguistics, and mythology, his creations were born out of comprehensive backgrounds and rich histories, which he seemed to love making up just as much as the stories themselves. For years now, Tolkien fans around the world have remembered his birthday by raising a glass on his birthday and giving a simple toast, "The Professor," at 9:00 p.m. wherever they lived. Likewise, in Lord of the Rings Online, many players gathered at their tavern of choice to do the same. Today I thought I'd remember the Professor in a slightly different way by exploring the quest chain "Missing the Meeting." While it's not completely overt if you happened to come across it, "Missing the Meeting" is a tribute to J.R.R. Tolkien and his life, and it's worth going through at least once if you want to pay homage and get a nifty token by which to remember him.
DC Universe Online releases the commentary edition of the cinematic trailer
DC Universe Online is entering a crowded field, but it's aiming to enter said field with both guns firing. The cinematic trailer alone is the sort of thing to make any long-time DC fan happy, showing a large-scale battle between heroes and villains in the vein of the best comic crossovers. In the new director's cut variant, however, Jim Lee and Tim Miller sit down to examine and discuss the trailer, from the large-scale goals of the video to the easter eggs that tie everything together. It's clear from watching the trailer and the commentary that the people involved adore the work they're doing and the source material, with everything from an homage to Kingdom Come to Batman's role mirroring the end of The Dark Knight Returns. Click past the break to see the full trailer with commentary, which is certain to point out pieces that you missed. If, on the other hand, you haven't seen the original DC Universe Online trailer, it's available on the official site.
We really wish 8-bit StarCraft was a thing we could play
StarCraft 2 may be one of the most anticipated titles of this year, but after checking out this 8-bit recreation of the game that started it all, we're inclined to cancel our pre-order and spend the rest of our days praying for a playable version. It takes us back to our elementary school days, when we thought getting to play Oregon Trail in school was about the best thing ever. Can you imagine if we had this instead? Zerg rushing would be at, like, a whole 'nother level. But we digress. Instead of pining for what could've been, you should head past the break to watch the game in action and hope for what could be: an actual playable release of this charming 8-bit recreation. What else could you possibly want in life?
Fan-made Pre ad gets the point, why can't Palm? (video)
We've already talked (at length) about Palm's failure to properly present its wares to the public. Using promotional campaigns that have fluctuated between gimmicky and creepy, the company has never allowed its superlative WebOS its time to shine. As if to illustrate our point to perfection, a loyal Pre user has put together his own, extremely professional, advert for the device, which manages to achieve -- in a mere 30 seconds -- what Palm has been struggling with for nearly a year. It shows off the handsome device, the effortless multitasking, the variety of apps, integrated services and video capabilities, and, most importantly, emphasizes the sheer beauty and ease of use of WebOS. See the video after the break. [Thanks, Chris F]
Nao performs Star Wars homage, scores mad geek cred
While we're still busy thinking up legitimate uses for a humanoid robot, Aldebaran Robotics keeps finding newer and zanier ways to play with its Nao. The latest is a pre-programmed Star Wars routine that should have all you aging loyalists positively moist with glee, and even includes a terrific R2D2 impersonation that is not to be missed. Past the break, you shall find it. Oh, and as to real world uses, there are further videos of Nao reading out your emails and doing balancing acts, which may be found at the source link.
Wowhead founder receives in-game homage
It seems that Blizzard snuck this one in quietly with Patch 3.1 as not a lot of people noticed, but thanks to Saithir of angrydwarfs for pointing it out. Apparently, an NPC named Loremaster Skosiris appeared at the top of Scryer's Tier in Shattrath tending to a new library of books. The NPC tends to a host of bookshelves that act as master trainers for primary and secondary professions, saying "Here I have amassed what may well be the greatest depository of lore in all of Outland. Even the grand libraries of Silvermoon City pale in comparison." Skosiris also tells players, "please... look, read, browse to your heart's content. You'll find everything organized and clearly labeled."Why is this so cool? Well, Skosiris is the name of the founder of everybody's favorite World of Warcraft database, Wowhead. What can be a more fitting tribute than an NPC that manages, well, data! So that's what the Scryers did with all those Arcane Tomes. Blizzard has given nods to the community in the past, most notably with the NPC Breanni, who operates the pet store in Dalaran, and even to now-retired Druid blogger Phaelia, who got an item appropriately named after her. These are the tiny little touches that remind all of us that Blizzard appreciates what the gaming community does. Even though Shattrath is now a ghost town, Loremaster Skosiris and his library is a pretty good reason to drop by. When you do swing by the Scryer's tier, don't forget to bring some tacos for this librarian.
Dutch filmmakers whet our Half-Life 2 appetite with superb short
A group of Dutch filmmakers is setting the internet ablaze with a nine-minute video titled What's In the Box? When it was first discovered online, many believed the video was a viral marketing ad for Half-Life 2: Episode 3 because of the use of Half-Life 2 sound clips and imagery -- like the Combine soldier chatter and the large, Citadel looking structure in the video. However, the video also includes other popular references, such as the music from Lost and the initial isolation found in 28 Days Later. Two of the people involved, Tim Smit and Steven Roeters, recently won a film competition landing them a meet-and-greet with Discovery Channel's Mythbusters. In an article from their college campus paper following the competition, the pair mentioned they were hard at work on a film titled What's In the Box? So, unless they forgot to mention Valve contracted them for a viral marketing ad, this one remains labeled as an homage of sorts. The official site for the short film seems to indicate the story isn't finished yet, and we honestly cannot wait to see what happens next. Watch the incredible short after the break.[Thanks, enfo]
Molten Core now available for download
You may remember Blizzard's April Fool's joke this year, a trailer promising the release of a console version of the Molten Core. It was a concept that did so well in the polls, we expected to see it turned into some kind of official mini-game.An enterprising fan, however, beat them to the punch. The Molten Core ATARI-style game is now available, as posted in the forums. You can download it from Box.net or from Filefront. Design inspiration is credited to Blizzard, of course, but its graphics, programming, and game play are courtesy of Derek Gallant.With this morning's server restarts, I took the opportunity to fire up this 1 or 2 player raid instance. And, while it probably won't be peeling me away from the zombie invasion, I didn't stop laughing the entire time. Derek's creation allows you to play each of WoW's staple classes, and everything is, indeed, fairly reminiscent of Molten Core. (If you know what you're looking at.)Good luck!
Fan Art bears resemblence to work of Michael Turner
On the left is a piece of art by the late Michael Turner, who passed away in June of this year. On the right is a submission in the Blizzard Fan Art Program, by Emiko Setsuna (or Dênakê). Tipster Ron pointed this out to us, figuring it was worth a mention. If you notice the two pictures look very similar, you're right. If you're not convinced, look very closely at the ladies' left hand, and how the fingers and thumb are placed. I'm not ready to scream "plagiarism" here (or Laaaaaaaand!, if you're familiar with comics). The idea of "inspired art" and "homage" is very common, and there are only so many ways you can pose the humanoid body. The Blizzard Fan Art Program doesn't have a commentary feature, so it's possible Setsuna intended on crediting Michael Turner for the inspiration. If you consider the timing, especially, it's likely Setsuna was memorializing Turner, as he only passed away a few months ago. Still, it does make me wish that the Fan Art section did have more information from the creator, so we could draw a conclusion more easily.
iPod homage seen from space
Sometimes even his Steveness is guilty of having too much time on his hands. Apparently, Mr. Jobs won an abandoned mineral mine in Australia in a game of poker (or so the digg post says). So what does Steve do with the land? Why, construct the world's largest homage to the iPod, of course! The site can be seen from space (Google Maps link) and still looks to be a work in progress - but wow. I wonder if this is Apple's attempt at putting little white music players in the hands of little green men.
