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How the internet got me into snail mail
Social media is a great way to get into sending snail mail.
FCC asks telecom companies to help trace international robocalls
Last year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) banned robocalls from international numbers. Now, it's calling on phone companies to help trace international robocalls back to their "fraudster" sources. Today, the FCC sent letters to seven gateway service providers asking them to help track down robocall sources, prevent apparently illegal traffic originating outside the US and provide more info on how they may be facilitating illegal calls.
Daily iPad App: Letz: The Story of Zed does match 3 right
Letz is a game that doesn't necessarily excel in its mechanics -- it's a match 3 game, basically, though there is a fun addition in the form of a word-making challenge as well. But where Letz really shines is in the icing. The sounds and graphics on this one are just pure sugary pleasure -- the kind of great bleeps and bloops that you hear on the floor of a casino when everyone around you is winning lots of money. Ok, so maybe it's not for everyone, but I am completely charmed by Letz's cotton candy graphics and all the sounds the game makes. Match 3 isn't that complicated a game form, obviously, and that's what you're doing here (though you can collect letters as you match tiles, and then match those letters up into words, including one story word per stage in the campaign as you play through it). But despite the simplicity, the game's big board allows you to chain tiles and shapes to your heart's content, sometimes getting up to a minute or two of dings, rings and rewards for just the right match. An XP system with plenty of objectives also keeps the action interesting, and the whole package is just excellently charming throughout the game's huge amount of content. Letz (full title, The Story of Zed) is a bargain for just US$1.99 on the iPad. It's a very well-polished game that's almost excessively rewarding, and match 3 aficionados especially will have a great time with it. If you've yet to be convinced, there's a lite version to try out as well.
Parody: Apple patents Letters
When Apple officially scored the design patent for the virtual page turn, it opened up the flood gates for Internet comedians to weigh in on what common, everyday concept the company would set its sights on next. As The Atlantic reports, Washington Post book critic Ron Charles took this idea to the next level, creating a parody video where Apple reveals its latest patent acquisition: Letters. That's right, according to the humorous video clip, the text you are currently reading is now the property of the Cupertino tech giant. We're not sure when we'll get our cease and desist notice, but whenever it arrives, you can expect to see a lot more hand-drawn representations of news stories.
Steve Jobs autographed computer chip
Letters of Note is a wonderful repository of "fascinating letters, postcards, telegrams, faxes and memos," and a favorite destination of several members of the TUAW staff. Today's find was actually published on October 6, 2011, the day after Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs passed on. The typewritten letter, dated November 16, 1983, is from Jobs to an Apple fan ("Francis") who had apparently expressed enthusiasm about the company's early products. It's pretty cool that Jobs responded to the fan's letter at all, but even more impressive is the fact that his signature isn't on the letter, but on an Applesoft ROM chip taped to the letter. Any TUAW readers with Jobs-signed memorabilia can let us know about your swag through the "Tip Us" button on the top right of this page.
Drama Mamas: Letter-writers tell what happened next
Drama Mamas Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are experienced gamers and real-life mamas -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of the checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your realm. Now that's drama. That part when Onyxia lays the smack down? Squee! Anyway, here it is: the long-delayed (by me), greatly anticipated (also by me) results edition of Drama Mamas. Woohoo! We took the responses we've received from those we've given advice to over the recent months and compiled them here, with links to the appropriate columns. There are other results from our advice that we know of but don't have permission to discuss in public here. For example, sometimes letter-writers will post in the comments with explanations, but they've chosen not to identify themselves -- so we're not outing them here. But that doesn't mean we're hurting for responses. Join us after the break for results from some of the most controversial letters we've posted.
Storyboard: Putting the RP out of the G
Roleplaying happens in the game, that much is a given. For some players, it's a supplement to the other parts of the game; for others, it's the whole point of playing. And there's nothing wrong with leaving your roleplaying as just an in-game thing, something you put down as casually as any other in-game activity. But there's also nothing wrong with working on developing your character and her story when you aren't logged into the game, and this week, I'm going to look at some of the more effective ways to do just that. The obvious question about taking RP out of the game in part is the question of why. It could be for any number of reasons -- maybe you can't access your main game computer at a given time, maybe you want to fill in the gaps in your character's life, or maybe you just want to make the experience of the character herself more immersive. Whatever your reasons, there are three main ways to keep your character interactive and living even if you haven't logged into the game proper.
Computer 'glitch' causes university to send out false acceptance letters
Middlesex University in the United Kingdom has confirmed that a problem with its "internal mailing system" cause acceptance letters to be sent out to 2,500 applicants who have, in fact, not yet been accepted. Anyone who's ever waited for such letters can probably imagine the insanity of being accepted to a school, only to be told a day or so later that a "glitch" caused the letter to be sent "in error." The University says it's not yet completed its review process of the applicants, so it's safe to assume that some of them will eventually be formally accepted, while everybody else? Well... they'll always have that letter The Onion sent them, won't they?
TUAW's Daily App: The Ultimate Alphabet
Today's app is going to blow your mind. Back in 1986, artist Mike Wilks published a book called The Ultimate Alphabet, which featured 26 different paintings, each filled with items that corresponded to the letters of the alphabet; the letter A painting contains airplanes, ants, an apple tree, and so on. There are more than 7,777 words represented in the book, with lots more little secrets hidden in the paintings; there are letters encoded in Morse code or semaphore, obscure symbolism, and visual gags. The book was part of a competition with a big cash prize, which was solved in 1988, when Wilks published The Annotated Ultimate Alphabet; it included descriptions and clues for each of the items hidden in the extremely detailed paintings. Now, a company named Toytek has begun to bring the book to the iPad, and it allows you to interactively explore some of Wilks' paintings and their extremely deep complexity. As you can see above, it's wild; you tap on an item, enter the actual name, and then the book will tell you whether it's right or provide clues for the word you're looking for. The app is free to try, though it's prohibitively expensive if you want to purchase everything. You can buy the letters in bundles, and the full purchase price eventually comes out to around US $45 in total. That's pricey, although it's the same cost as the printed book, and you get the interactivity for free. Still, it's a great idea, and there is a free trial if you want to check it out. Update: We're told that due to user input, the free version has been changed from a timed trial to simply having the entire letter A be completely free to play all the way through. Enjoy!
Senator Chuck Schumer writes open letter to Steve Jobs, world is officially doomed
Look, we get it. There's a problem with the iPhone's antenna. But was the open letter to Jobs calling for a "clearly written explanation of the cause of the reception problem" and a "public commitment to remedy it free-of-charge" really necessary? What, you don't have better things to do? The full press release (and the Senator's letter) is after the break.
Choose My Adventure: Letters home
Choose the adventures of the WoW.com staff as we level our characters in <It came from the Blog> on Zangarmarsh (US-PVE-H). Here is the schedule for the rest of the week. Robinemia will do a little bit more nekkid mailbox dancing tonight but is then going to play with fire. So meet at the Orgrimmar bank if you want to join me. Robin Torres as Robinemia, the undead mage: Wednesday, 11 p.m. EDT Amy Schley as Patent, the troll rogue: Thursday, 10 p.m. EDT Fox Van Allen as Foxlight, the blood elf paladin: Friday, 8 p.m. EDT Michael Sacco as Sahko, the orc warlock, Christian Belt, as Selfloathius, the blood elf warlock, Elizabeth Harper as Faience, the troll shaman, Matthew Rossi as Andrenorton, the troll mage, Michael Gray as Grayfields, the tauren hunter, Adam Holisky as Adammentat, the tauren druid, and Gregg Reece as Yakkowakko, the orc warlock, will be making appearances as they can Turn the page for a couple of letters home.
Storyboard: Getting into the scene
So, I lied. While I had originally been planning on something different for this week's column, I had a new topic more or less thrown to my doorstep from Bio Break. It's all well and good to talk about roleplaying as if everyone has been doing it since small times, but there are plenty of players with a vague curiosity who have never tried it out. For them, roleplaying is like heroin, vaguely promising a good time while always seeming dangerous, with the failures so publicly visible that... You know, I'm dropping that analogy right now before it starts looking terrifyingly appropriate. The point is that people are interested who aren't sure quite where to start. Thus, we're taking this week to put together a few things that help make it just a little easier to get into the joy of roleplay without getting bored, unintentionally stepping on toes, or winding up as the butt of everyone's in-character jokes. We can be a catty bunch. But you can get started without drama or too many issues, and it's not as bad as you might think.
Nov. 15 is 'National Gaming Day' at your library
The American Library Association, in a rather surprising diversion from its usual finger-on-lip hushing, has excitedly dubbed this Saturday, November 15th, as "National Gaming Day." At your library. Participating book bastions will open their doors to gamers of all types, promoting and celebrating "the educational and social value of video and board games." None of which are likely to contain poor approximations of Gandalf, Uhura and C-3PO, we're sorry to say.And hey, while you're there, you might just pick up a perfectly entertaining book (hint: be sure to pick one with a good cover). For more information, check out the official ALA site. Just make sure none of your macho friends see you typing in that particular URL.
Know Your Lore: Stalvan Mistmantle
Welcome to this week's edition of Know Your Lore, bought to you today by assistant lore nerd Daniel Whitcomb. Stalvan Mistmantle, an inhabitant of Duskwood, is one of those guys who just sort of sits there in lore, provoking admiration in some, malaise in others, and a lot of questions in others. Most Alliance have likely at least heard of him, but if you've leveled exclusively in the Horde, you may never have met him. His story is presented in a very sinister fashion, but as to the man behind the quest, and how exactly he came to surrounded by Necromancy and horror, that is a little less clear. As an Alliance member, you first hear of Stalvan through a vision of Death received by Madame Eva. Specifically, she senses Death in the future for her granddaughter, and hears a name in her visions - Stalvan. Heading to Daltry, the town clerk, you begin your investigation. As you continue it, you find out more and more about Stalvan's life. Strangely enough, although it starts out benign, and in fact paints him to a pleasant fellow, an itinerant wanderer and country teacher, spirits appear and try to end your investigation violently. In addition, you often find yourself cursed simply from handling his old belongings.
RPers distraught to see saved letters soulbound
Here's a really interesting undocumented note from the latest patch: Angelhunter on LJ says letters (as in saved copies of mailed ingame letters) are now soulbound. And that's a huge deal, apparently, to roleplayers -- they used those little scraps of paper for everything from treasure hunts and "official" documents to invitations and tickets.Now, I'm not quite sure exactly why this change would be made -- for what possible reason would you want to keep people from trading saved copies of in-game mail? It's not like it would stop anyone's communication -- anything goldsellers could say in these sheets of paper, they could say in in-game chat just as well. And I can't think of any possible way that these saved letters could be used to do something devious like pass secret letters or communicate across factions-- there's no reason to make them soulbound by default.Of course, it may just be a bug -- that's what someone was told by a GM, so maybe Blizzard will put a fix in, and RPers can have their murder mysteries again. Unfortunately, I can't seeing it justifying a hotfix -- odds are that even if it is just a bug, RPers will be waiting quite a while until they can trade letters again.
