quotes
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Facebook lets you share quoted text with a click
Facebook is continually looking for ways to help you share more stuff. Today, the social network announced a tool for developers that will help you easily share quotes from an article. Rather than having to copy and paste a snippet of text across apps, you'll be able to simply highlight the words you want to share and post them to Facebook with a click. In the News Feed, the post will appear as a block quote with a link to the original URL or source. And yes, you can add an additional comment on top of the selected text.
Audible wants you to share audiobook passages like Vine clips
The next time you discover a notable passage in an audiobook, Audible wants you to share it among your friends like you would a meme or Vine clip. The audiobook company announced a Clips feature today, a tool that allows you to select a short passage or excerpt to download for future listening. The feature also lets you share the snippet of audio via social channels, email and text message. In the Audible app, just tap the Clips icon when you hear something you want to save or share. The software will then let you select up to 45 seconds of audio. And yes, you can make edits should the need arise.
Typing of the Dead: Overkill goes to the movies for quote-laden DLC
If the Oscar party you've got planned for tomorrow night is less about drinks and dresses and more about the undead and brain-bashing, boy does Sega have a deal for you: meet the Silver Screen Lexicon Pack DLC for Typing of the Dead: Overkill, where the game's words and phrases have been replaced by some of cinema's most quotable quotes. Unlike a box of chocolates, you know just what you're gonna get here: film references up the wazoo for $2.99. You'll need to type in phrases like "life finds a way" and "Houston, we have a problem" in order to take out those damn dirty zombies. If you can't keep up, not only will we have a failure to communicate, but *whisper voice* you'll see dead people; lots more than you would otherwise. So carpe diem; seize the day, zombie-hunter-slash-typing enthusiasts. Go out and win one for the Gipper. [Image: Sega]
Siri update prompts users to be brief
Apple's voice interaction system Siri has been updated, this time specifically to ask users to keep it short. Siri's system doesn't deal well with longer user queries, so if you happen to ask something that's just too long for Siri to deal with, she'll interrupt you, giving you a quote from a famous person, and then asking you to rephrase the question, shorter or in fewer words. Siri herself doesn't have the authority to change your speech patterns, apparently, so she's recruited legendary wordsmiths like William Strunk and Thomas Jefferson to make her point more clearly. Ironically, the quotes used aren't very short at all, which makes the whole process go even longer. But at least Siri is telling you the problem with what you tried to ask her, rather than just using a generic, "Sorry, Mike, I didn't get that." If a user is sending a query that's just too long, this is definitely a clearer way of asking for a correction.
A list of Steve Jobs's best quotes
The Wall Street Journal's Jennifer Valentino-DeVries has published a list of Steve Jobs's great quotes. Steve's intelligence, salesmanship and significant public speaking skills have produced several gems, and Jennifer has listed some of our favorites. Highlights from her list include: "It will go down in history as a turning point for the music industry. This is landmark stuff. I can't overestimate it!" [On the iTunes Music Store, Fortune, May 12, 2003] "I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what's next." [NBC Nightly News, May 2006] There are so many wonderful quotes in the WSJ article, and we suggest you read them all. One of my favorites is the line which, according to lore, Steve used to lure John Sculley away from Pepsi Co.: "Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life or come with me and change the world?" What are your favorites?
Jobs reportedly told Nike "Get rid of the crappy stuff"
Steve Jobs is often regarded as a visionary who rejoined a failing Apple in 1996 and propelled it to the top of the electronics industry. As a result, people are combing through Jobs' history to find the secret to his success. Carmine Gallo of Forbes stumbled on an interesting conversation Jobs had with Nike CEO Mark Parker. After taking over the helm at Nike, Parker reportedly talked to Steve Jobs on the phone and asked him for advice. Jobs bluntly replied, "Nike makes some of the best products in the world. Products that you lust after. But you also make a lot of crap. Just get rid of the crappy stuff and focus on the good stuff." Parker responded with a chuckle, but Jobs remained silent. He was being serious. This laser-like focus separates Jobs from other CEOs. Many companies throw a bunch of products into the market to see which one sticks. Apple is much more selective, picking and choosing those items that have the best chance for success when they are introduced. Yes, there have been a few klunkers in Jobs' portfolio, but you can't argue with the market domination of the iPod, iPhone and iPad. [hat tip AppleInsider]
Overheard@GDC: Credit where credit's due
"What physics engine did you use for Angry Birds?" --Man "Box2d" --Peter Vesterbacka, Rovio "Would you be willing to credit it?" --Man "Yes" --Vesterbacka "I'm the creator of Box2d." --Erin Catto, creator of Box2d Following this exchange -- which took place during Rovio's panel on its multi-million-dollar franchise -- a smiling, caught-off-guard Vesterbacka said that the company would credit Box2d as the physics engine it uses if Catto would see him after the Q&A session. [Image: The Clock Blog]
Guess what Barnes & Noble Chairman Leonard Riggio doesn't use to read? A Nook
That's right, folks. Barnes & Noble, a company which -- according to its recent earnings -- is making pretty nice inroads into the digital book market, is headed up by a self-proclaimed Luddite. In a recent short profile in New York Magazine, Riggio admitted quite openly that he'd rather turn actual pages, and carry around actual books than use his Nook. While he believes that the convenience of the e-reader will trump most readers' attachment to the physical book, Riggio (in direct opposition to, say, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos) holds firm in the belief that brick and mortar stores will always exist for books, and says he's too busy, and too old, to adjust to the new format. In fact, he's reading a hardcover copy of Mustaine right now. Oh wait, that's... us.
Prince offers the first proof that he's actually aging, says the internet is 'over'
This probably isn't going to go well. Prince -- who has famously fought for complete copyright control of his work -- has said something about the internet, and it's not good. In fact, the diminutive all star has been quoted in a Mirror interview as saying that the "internet's completely over." He explains: "The internet's like MTV. At one time MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated. Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are no good." Now, we know that the artist formerly known as "The Artist Formerly Known As Prince" is going to (deservedly) take a lot of flack from the "internet" for this one -- after all, nobody likes to hear that they're "over," right? But, in his defense, he was never really into the internet to begin with -- as is evidenced by the awesome YouTube clip below. [Thanks to commenter xkaosu9x for the image]
Bill Gates: Microsoft pursuing 'a lot of' tablet projects, pen-based input will be 'mainstream for students'
Few people would've taken the news of the Courier's demise lightly, and while Microsoft sought to comfort us, it's never quite as reassuring as when you hear it from the progenitor himself: "Microsoft has a lot of different tablet projects that we're pursuing. We think that work with the pen that Microsoft pioneered will become a mainstream for students. It can give you a device that you can not only read, but also create documents at the same time." So yes, Microsoft ain't quttin' on tablets just yet, and don't you even dare question the utility of the stylus. Bill Gates has been an unashamed promoter of pen-based computing for the longest time, and it's fun to see that even cold hard facts are insufficient to shake his confidence. Having spoken out against the iPad's lack of keyboard or pen input back in February, Bill has seen the American market gleefully embrace Apple's touchscreen device, something he acknowledges by agreeing that "both in general and in the specific, Apple's done a great job." But he still expects students to be drawn to pen-friendly mobile devices. Well Bill, give the other Steve a call and get him to bring one out and we shall see, eh?
Blizzard hasn't looked at the iPad for StarCraft
Last week, the folks from Ars Technica got a chance to stop by Blizzard headquarters in Irvine, CA. They kindly asked a question that many of us RTS gamers have been wondering about ever since the iPad was released: Is there any chance that we'll be getting StarCraft to play on the iPad? Sure, there are lots of games we'd like to play on Apple's revolutionary device. Real-time strategy seems a perfect fit for a touch interface, though, and when you talk about RTS, you're talking about StarCraft. Either a port of the old game, or maybe even a few teaser levels for the new version would be awesome to see in the App Store. Unfortunately, it's not in the cards quite yet. StarCraft II's lead designer, Dustin Browder says it's not beyond the realm of possibility at some point, but the team is "certainly not working on it now." Like all of us, they're intrigued by the idea of the iPad, but they aren't quite convinced that it's ideal for their gameplay. "It's possible that's a control scheme that would work for us," Browder says. "It's possible that it isn't... we're not going to put it out there just to make a couple bucks." That's a shame, because I'd definitely pay a couple of bucks for it. Still, the iPad is new, and Blizzard hasn't sworn off the device. Browder says that they, polishers and perfectionists that they are, would rather focus on matching experiences to devices rather than the other way around. That's fine, then. Command & Conquer isn't really what we expected from a marquis title. Hopefully someone else will come along and provide a premiere RTS experience on Apple's tablet.
Forum Post of the Day: Great Warrior literature
This thread, sent to us by reader Talmar (thanks!) is probably the best QQ thread I've ever read. Not because it's full of substantive criticism about the class, but just because it's got lots of references meant for literary nerds like me. The styles of Kafka, Shakespeare, Camus, Wilde, and Douglas Adams (who fits in that crowd, right?) all make appearances as players combine old literary quotes with the plight of Fury Warriors.And when Pynchon shows up on page 3, then the rails really go off the tracks. But it is a lot of fun. Because if you're going to QQ, you might as well do it in style, right?"Ghostcrawler believed in the perfect Fury build, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter -- tomorrow we will run faster, stretch our arms our further... And one fine morning --So we grind on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
The winner of the Mark Jacobs Award for Corporate Community Achievement is...
Yes, you didn't blink when you read the title. Of course, the award was made by Alex Litel of "Bell, Game, and Candle" at GameSetWatch and it's meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but it really shows how connected Jacobs is with all of the Warhammer Online hype.Litel's article showcases the many press release quotes that just make you tilt your head in confusion and wonder why exactly someone wrote that for marketing purposes. Quotes such as Cliffy B calling the original Gears of War "...just a tease, an appetizer to Gears of War characters and new style of gameplay" just to ramp up marketing for Gears of War 2.Litel inserted the Mark Jacobs award because he thought it would be unfair to include Mark Jacob's quotes in with the other quotes he gathered. With all of the passion Mark puts behind his marketing promises, including Jacobs's quotes would turn the article into a countdown of Mark Jacobs moments. So, the quotes were left out, but the spirit of Jacobs remained alive and well.If you want to see all 50 quotes, and which quote got the coveted award, head on over to GameSetWatch and check out Litel's article. We certainly got a few chuckles out of it.
Top 5: Say What?
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Top_5_Nintendo_Corporation_Quotes'; Ahh, the quote. Whether used to end an essay or defame a political opponent, the quote is a very versatile tool. Particularly in the era of blogging, every word that escapes a well-known figure's mouth has the potential to be immediately flung back at them. It's quite scary to look back on conversations I've had and consider the possibility of quotes of mine being used to define my character as a whole. In fact, judgement of character based on a quote can even usurp the validity of the quote itself. Conventional wisdom asserts that singer Lauryn Hill once made a statement to the effect of "I'd rather have my children starve than have a white person buy my album." While this is simply not true, the false statement has been cited by those who would define Hill as a racist. Even Eminem supported the fallacy in a song whose title I won't mention. Being over a century old, Nintendo is bound to have a few interesting quotes attributed to them. Coupled with a philosophy that is undoubtedly unique and perhaps offbeat, the Big N is not lacking in the department of ear-catching statements. Two weeks ago, I made a Top 5 in which I tried to downplay any tension between Nintendo and its fans. This week, I'm providing cheap ammunition. Enjoy. NEXT >> #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } The Top 5 is a weekly feature that provides us with a forum to share our opinions on various aspects of the video game culture, and provides you with a forum to tell us how wrong we are. To further voice your opinions, submit a vote in the Wii Fanboy Poll, and take part in the daily discussions of Wii Warm Up.
Breakfast Topic: Your last breath
A pretty fun forum thread caught the attention of Bornakk and many, many regular posters as well. The player Course of Medivh-US asks a question: If your character said one last thing upon dying, what would it be? A majority of the responses were comedy answers, and only a handful leaned over to the serious side. The jokes were pretty hit or miss, but I got a few laughs out of it. Among my favorites... "Haha, you fool! You fell for one of the classic blunders, the first of which is, "never get involved in a land war in Kalimdor." Only slightly less well-known is this; never go in against a Gnome when death is on the line! Hahahaha... *dies*" "Pat? What pat?" "wwwwwwwwssssssssssddddddddaaawdssssd" "Et tu, Brutallus?" "With my dying breath, I curse Kalgan!" Being an RP nerd, my characters would probably say something more serious. My Priest would lament her failures or regret she couldn't have done more before the end. My Paladin probably wouldn't say anything. She would just harden a defiant glare and pass on. If we were leaning to the silly side, my Shadow Priest would probably say something like, "Whoops, shouldn't have hit Shadow Word: Death there." Actually, I probably say that a lot already... but let's not talk about that. Let's extend this to you guys: What would your character say with their final breath? Heck, how do you envision your character taking the final spill? Old and grey on their deathbed, going peacefully? Being cut down in glorious battle? Blowing themselves up while skilling up Engineering?
Breakfast Topic: Guild sayings
Anteia emailed us about sayings that her guild has -- when guildies enter guild chat, apparently they say "Parn," for no other reason than at one point someone said "Hola" while their Draenei filter was on, and it came out as "parn." Thanks to a guild typo, they also use "exacrit" in place of "exactly" (as something that crits logic), and running away in cheetah form is referred to as "hauling cat out of there." That's a good one, actually.My guild has a few sayings (most of which have already sneaked into Guildwatch), though my personal favorite is simply yelling "Shaman Power!" when a Shaman in guild gets a nice drop or does something spectacular. Not nearly as catchy as Anteia's examples, though.Has your guild built up your own jargon or sayings? When a group of people are placed in situations like this, it's almost unavoidable that they'd build up their own meanings and words among each other. What are some good sayings and phrases that your guild uses ingame?
Breakfast Topic: Favorite Boss quotes
Many times we find ourselves too busy as rush through dungeons and raids to truly appreciate the creativity that goes into them. I get a kick out of the amusing, over dramatic, and downright egotistical things that bosses say when facing their demise. Balthazaar of Etrigg began a thread in the official forums on favorite boss quotes. The original poster mentioned that simply the word, "Die," as articulated by Gruul [in Gruul's Lair] as being a chilling statement. Nobor of Kel'Thuzad added "Anything Prince Malchezaar [in Karazhan] says. Because he's got the smoothest, sexiest voice in the game." There were several other notables. Winghong of Scarlet Crusade, [James Vishas inScarlet Monastery], "Naughty Secrets." Crits of Magtheridon, Lady Blaumeux (3rd Rider of the Apocalypse) [In Naxxramas], "The first kill goes to me! Anyone care to wager?" Anubie of Eonar, Selin Fireheart in Magister's Terrace, "Yes! I am a god!" Donvito of Gorgonnash, Shade of Aran [in Karazhan], "Where did you get that?! Did HE send you?" Kainas of Stormreaver, [Bill Lumbergh in Office Space] "So, Peter, what's happening? Aahh, now, are you going to go ahead and have those TPS reports for us this afternoon?" Ok, so the last one takes a little artistic license. My favorite is Keli'dan the Breaker of Blood Furnace when he says, "Closer! Come closer... and burn!" What's your favorite boss quote?
WoW Insider Show Episode 15 live tomorrow
Here's just a sample of what listeners are saying about our podcast (now in its 15th week, and going live on the air once again tomorrow afternoon at 3:30pm EST):"Quite entertaining.""It's probably the best WoW radio content out there right now.""Highly recommended."The WoW Insider Show is just like this great website you're visiting, only in audio form (and with a considerable dash of WoW Radio's Turpster, which will definitely add spice to any meal). If you haven't gotten a chance to listen live yet, please tune in tomorrow at 3:30pm EST over on WoW Radio-- not only can you hear our voices as we speak, but you can also join us on IRC and actually interact with the show as it goes down. We'll be chatting about the boy-meets-moose story, the WoW laptop (and whether it's worth it or not), Activision Blizzard, and both how to beat a warlock, and how to lose in Alterac Valley.If you can't make it, no worries-- the show is also available to download on WoW Radio's site and on iTunes every single week. But if you can tune in tomorrow, we'd be thrilled to have you.
WoW Bash collects chat screenshots from MMOs
Many of you might be familiar with bash.org-- it's a legendary collection of quotes from IRC. Their top 100 page is a must-read if you've never done it before, but be careful, as extreme laughing will ensue.And now, reader Furism sends us a note that he's started WoW Bash, a version of bash.org that collects quotes from MMO games, including many quotes from World of Warcraft. The site just started, so unlike bash, there's not tons of great quotes to read through (many of them are not very funny), but there are a few gems to be found, most of them on the top 100 page (which only has about 40 on at the moment). This one made me laugh. But the genius of bash is that it collects quotes from all over the IRC world, and so by bringing this page to you, dear readers, hopefully WoW Bash will gain some exposure and get some really good quotes on there.And even if it takes a while, it's an excellent idea, and a great way to show off the hilarity (or usually stupidity) appearing in chat channels all over Azeroth and all the other online worlds. If you've got a screenshot of a funny quote, get it up there.
Weird software: Lonesome Electric Chicken
I wish I had a more insightful or enlightening explanation for what the Lonesome Electric Chicken is, but I'm afraid there really isn't one. As its author, John Schilling, states on his site, it's a: "time and life wasting application that spews forth a gathering of quotations. That's it. Don't look any farther into it than that".Killer app? Or scourge of cyberspace? Either way, John has made the source code available with this Universal Binary app, and he is accepting donations for his most interesting work.[via Hawk Wings]
