Massachusetts
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Rhode Island pitches a $75M loan offer to 38 Studios
States are always highly competitive when it comes to luring industries to their neck of the woods to bolster the local economy. From movie shoots to auto plants to hospitals, states tend to be shameless in offering incentives and tax breaks to benefit from an economic injection by these companies. It's interesting to see that MMO studios are being courted as well. Worlds in Motion is reporting that Rhode Island is enticing Curt Schillings' 38 Studios to relocate from Massachusetts in exchange for a $75,000,000 guaranteed loan under relief provisions for high-tech companies -- a provision that Massachusetts does not offer. The loan would represent a significant investment for the company, but Massachusetts is attempting to provide reasons for 38 Studios to stay put, including citing that it has better access to talent in the state. As the MMO genre expands and more studios pop up, will we see an increase in states fighting over these companies in an effort to help their economies? In any event, Copernicus' developer now has a difficult decision to make, especially for this ex-Boston Red Sox pitcher.
Fallout 3's 'Vault Boy' now delivering pizza, copyright infringement
Ever since Fallout 3's Vault Boy went to space in Mothership Zeta, we've been at a loss for where to find the congenial gent. Alas, we never expected to see his mercurial face gracing the cover of a Massachusetts pizza shop's menu. Expresso Pizza of Billerica, Ma. put the young lad to work on the menu's cover, holding a pizza and pretending he's a waiter. We all know you're a Capital Wasteland Wanderer, silly Vault Boy! The only question now is "How long until Bethesda shuts this down?" We contacted the Fallout publisher to find out its reaction, and were told, "Well he is a big part of our Fallout brand and is copyrighted, so, yeah, deciding on your own to use him to promote your business or product, or to sell stuff, or whatever, without getting permission from us ... not a good idea." Ruh oh! (Thanks, Dan) [Via BadCartridge]
Apple retail news: three new stores opened this weekend
While all of the attention this weekend was around the launch of Snow Leopard, Apple opened up three new retail stores; two new stores in the US and one in Germany. First, the company opened a new store in Hamburg, Germany on Saturday, which is now Apple's second store in Germany, after the store in Munich opened last December. Second, there's a new store in Dedham, Massachusetts at the Legacy Place shopping center. This store will be the ninth store in the state of Massachusetts. Finally, Apple also opened up a new store at the Stonebriar shopping complex in Frisco, Texas. This store makes it the sixth store in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. If you live in or are near one of these areas, be sure to check out your new Apple Store. As always, we would love to hear your stories of your first visit or see your photos!
ESRB's ad campaign with Boston mayor in the wild
Although it was announced a couple weeks ago (we were busy), we finally got a chance to the see the ESRB and Boston mayor Thomas Menino's "public education campaign" about the video game rating system on the side of Beantown buses. Like Mayor Menino, we also totally "suit up" before we sit down for an afternoon of gaming with the local neighborhood children. There are also local radio and television ads.The campaign is likely part of Menino's continuing penance for making some ill-advised moves against the games industry and hooking up with Jack Thompson to do so. The state of Massachusetts is currently attempting to pass incentives to grow its stable of major developers and turn the city into the East Coast hub of game development.
New cuttlefish-inspired display tech can change color, eat your pet guppy
Cuttlefish are one of the most intelligent creatures in the sea, able to change their shape and color to escape predators -- but, they aren't smart enough to escape us, and they taste good, so they also go great with risotto. Scientists at MIT, however, decided not to eat their cuttlefish, instead using them to inspire the tech inside a new type of highly-efficient display. The screen is just one micron thick and contains a layer of poly-2 vinyl. Left alone it's clear but, when exposed to an electrical charge, its thickness and reflectivity can be controlled to create color. Just a few volts are required to form an image but, like e-ink, its design means backlighting is not an option. Viewing angles are also quite poor at this point, so this is one display tech that may take a long time to belly up at retail. Master of disguise video after the break.
Boston mayor forms game development expansion committee
Thomas Menino, who has served as mayor of Boston for nearly 16 years, is one of the most intriguing political figures in the gaming realm. He first antagonized the gaming industry in 2007 by endorsing a Jack Thompson-authored bill that would treat the retail practices of mature games (as deemed by the state) like the retail practices of pornography. It failed miserably, and we doubt any of the many Boston-based game studios sent him any fruit baskets to console him.In the midst of this political blunder, Mayor Menino announced he was interested bringing more game developers to work in the city. We thought it was solely a political soundbite -- but the city recently formed an advisory "Steering Committee," composed of local industry figures, to inform the mayor on how to bring further game development to Boston. In addition, the city launched PoweringUpBoston.com, which provides info and resources to Boston's game studios and potential new developers. Wicked Ahhhsome!
Verizon wraps up network expansion projects in Rhode Island, Massachusetts
We needn't reiterate that Verizon is madly in love with the northeast, but just in case you had any doubts, we'll point you to these two network expansion projects. The operator responsible for bringing FiOS TV to select communities has just completed a $600 million enhancement program in the Bay State while sealing up a similar deal for $100 million in Rhode Island. The projects enabled it to bring FiOS TV service to another 29 and 12 communities in each respective state, and it also delivered high-speed internet and expanded wireless coverage to more areas in both regions. And with that, we fully expect Verizon to start FiOS TV rollouts in the southeast and central US -- right Verizon? Right?Read - Rhode Island expansionRead - Massachusetts expansion
Comcast adds a bunch of HD nets in Boston, Massachusetts
Check it, Beantown. Comcast has just upped the HD ante in your city, delivering a badly needed new helping of high-def stations to its lineup. Starting now, users in the Boston region can find a bunch of new HD premium movie channels along with HDNet, Travel Channel HD and CBS College Sports Network HD. For the full rundown of newcomers, give the read link some love (or just a look).[Thanks, cypherstream]
Boston's WBZ-TV fires up HD newscasts
Check it, Beantown. Your local CBS affiliate (WBZ-TV) has decided to follow WHDH-TV into the 21st century, as it finally fired up HD news this week. With this network going high-def, that makes three of the big four in Boston that have successfully made the switch. News in 1080i -- equally depressing, a lot more beautiful.[Thanks, Will]
Verizon's FiOS TV expansions: December 6, 2008
After a light week a week ago, Verizon has taken it pretty easy the past seven days too with just a handful of new FiOS TV expansions. Kicking things off are video franchise approvals in Danvers, Massachusetts and Lackawanna / Atlantic Beach, New York. Next, we're reassured that everyone's working as hard as possible to bring the fiber-based programming service to the City of Brotherly Love. Keep at it, folks -- we'll see you here next week. Same time (roughly), same place (definitely).Read - Massachusetts expansionRead - New York expansionRead - Philadelphia expansion
Boston TV stations team up for educational 'DTV Day'
As the US analog shutoff draws inevitably closer, we have all ideas that we'll be seeing quite a few other major markets making major pushes to get the word out. The next in line is Boston, where all of the local television stations and cable providers have teamed up to "help viewers prepare for the federally mandated shutdown of full-power television analog signals and the transition to digital television (DTV) on February 17, 2009." The so-called 'DTV Day' will take place a week from today from 5:00AM to 7:30PM ET, and during that window, locals will see intermittent daylong crawls on all outlets promoting DTV information, daylong, uninterrupted DTV information on a single, destination station (WGBH-TV analog) and a trio of two-minute "Virtual Shutdown" readiness tests. Talk about serious -- we didn't even prepare for Y2K like this.[Image courtesy of Brandeis]
Verizon's FiOS TV expansions: November 29, 2008
It's a holiday week here in America, so we'd expect the employees at Verizon to be taking it halfway easy. To that end, just two new locales granted the company cable franchises over the past seven days: Maynard, Massachusetts and LaPlata, Maryland. Both cities are a major step closer to having yet another programming option, though there's no exact mention of a go-live date. Ah well, at least a pair of places get to be thankful, right?Read - Massachusetts expansionRead - Maryland expansion
Verizon joins Black Friday bash, makes offers to celebrate MA store opening
Remember that FiOS TV store we knew was coming to Reading, Massachusetts? Yeah, well it's about to welcome in a whole slew of potential customers this Friday. In an effort to draw foot-traffic on a day where most normal citizens will be out fighting each other for that last $3.99 blender, Verizon is offering store patrons a mildly delicious deal should they choose to sign up for FiOS. At the grand opening of the Verizon Lifestyle Store inside Jordan's Furniture, the provider will be giving away gift cards for one of 13 local restaurants and three free months of three premium entertainment packages to individuals who sign up. Personally, we'd prefer Guitar Hero World Tour, but maybe that's just us.
Verizon gears up for FiOS rollout in 27,000 Aimco apartments
It's incredibly obvious that one of Verizon's main opportunities for growth in FiOS TV is locking down contracts with housing facilities and apartment complexes, and while we've seen some small to medium-scale rollouts before, this one takes things to a whole 'nother level. Last year, the provider inked a deal with Aimco that would eventually bring fiber-based FiOS services to residents of some 27,000 apartments in 11 states across the nation. Now, 100 Aimco properties from coast to coast will be lit up with FiOS TV / internet / digital voice services prior to the onset of 2009, and that should make for quite a few happy tenants this holiday season.[Image courtesy of Apts247]
Verizon's FiOS TV expansions: November 22, 2008
Verizon's not slacking off as the run-up to the holiday season continues -- probably because folks are apt to have all sorts of free TV watching time here in the next month or so -- so we'll get right down to the releases. Up first are the towns of Middleton, Massachusetts, and the corporately-stacked Wilmington, Delaware, which have just granted the company a video license. Next, we head to the Pacific Northwest to see that Camas, Washington and Gresham, Oregon have agreed to do the same. Finally, we're told that Philadelphia-area residents are being treated to 30 new channels (17 of which are in high-def). That's it for this week -- we'll see you back again in seven days for (hopefully) even more.Read - Philadelphia channelsRead - Washington expansionRead - Massachusetts expansionRead - Oregon expansionRead - Delaware expansion
Comcast adds FX HD / FOX News HD in New Hampshire and Massachusetts
While Boston and Brookline already had access to these two, surrounding areas (which are obviously less privy to upgrades) have finally been blessed with FX HD and FOX News HD. Two separate tipsters have chimed in to inform us that both channels are live in the Andover, MA / Nashua, New Hampshire areas, which should provide for some solid extra weekend entertainment. If you can keep your eyes off of college football, that is.[Thanks, Joe and David]
Two LIN TV stations to trial Backchannelmedia's TV-to-Internet ad platform
While LIN TV and Time Warner Cable remain embroiled in all sorts of disagreements, two of the company's stations in the Hartford-New Haven, Connecticut area are gearing up to trial Backchannelmedia's TV-to-Internet click through technology. If you'll recall, we first heard of this worrisome interactive advertising platform back in May when MGM Grand at Foxwoods signed on. Now, WTNH (ABC) and WCTX (MyNetworkTV) have also agreed to participate in the company's market trial, which is set to start next month. In essence, it will give viewers the ability to click on "non-intrusive icons at the bottom of the their TV screen" in order to bookmark offers for online viewing; obviously, all of the response data is forwarded on for use in soliciting more cash from advertisers. Why does the idea of having to engage with ads sound so dreadful from here?
RCN pipes HD programming into Boston's Mandarin Oriental luxury hotel
This isn't the first hotel deal RCN has managed to land, and we have every reason to believe it's far from the last. The cable carrier's lastest grab is the Mandarin Oriental luxury hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, where it will deliver HDTV programming, all-digital cable and a dedicated data network connection to serve as the hotel's failsafe for internet connectivity. The multi-year deal will bring the services to 136 guestrooms, 12 luxury suites and the condominiums, apartments and retail stores located within the hotel. Now, if only we could afford a room to check it all out, we'd be set.
Verizon's FiOS TV expansions: October 11, 2008
Verizon's making up for lost time this week. Last Saturday, we realized it had gone the entire week without stretching its FiOS TV footprint any further, but the same can't be said today. In addition to bringing its fiber-based services to apartment buildings in Yonkers, NY, the outfit has either gone live with or nailed down cable franchises in a smattering of new locales. For starters, FiOS TV is now available to even more communities in Los Angeles and Orange County (CA), while the villages of Cove Neck and Brightwaters on Long Island (NY) granted the provider the all-important franchise agreement. Expansion efforts were also seen in six new New Jersey cities; Hudson, Massachusetts; Bel Air, Maryland; and Chesapeake / Portsmouth / Virginia Beach, Virginia. We'll see you next week -- here's to hoping your neck of the woods gets covered within the next seven days.Read - California expansionRead - Long Island, NY expansionRead - New Jersey expansionRead - Massachusetts expansionRead - Maryland expansionRead - Virginia expansion
DirecTV uncorks HD locals in Springfield-Holyoke, MA / Savannah, GA
Now that we've officially hit fall here in the US of A, we suppose DirecTV should revamp is HD rollout plans to include this season. Nevertheless, the satcaster is slowly but surely wrapping up its summer plans by bringing HD locals to the Springfield-Holyoke, Massachusetts and Savannah, Georgia DMAs. Both markets can now tune into their local CBS, NBC and ABC affiliates in HD, though FOX was strangely omitted for both. Hope you weren't looking forward to the World Series in high-def or anything...Read - Springfield-Holyoke, MA rolloutRead - Savannah, Georgia
