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Blanca Li dances with robots to better understand them
Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Stephen Hawking are deeply concerned about AI, but the tech and its ramifications are poorly understood by the public. That disconnect prompted Blanca Li and her dance company to create a choreography for eight dancers called Robot. Produced with Softbank's robotics division and Japanese artists Maywa Denki, it attempts to explore "the interactions between [humans and robots], in an absurd and poetic way."
Breakfast Topic: Do you have any MOBA experience?
For those unfamiliar, Heroes of the Storm belongs to the genre that's been referred to as MOBA -- Multiplayer Online Battle Arena. Valve calls its Dota 2 an ARTS, an Action Real Time Strategy, but since they're the only game that uses ARTS, let's stick with MOBA. I don't have much history with this genre of games and for good reason: I'm not a very competitive person. When I try to be competitive, I turn into a raging maniac and I'm not fan of being that guy. Unfortunately for me, MOBAs are an extremely competitive genre. I played two rounds in League of Legends a couple years back and decided to never touch it again. Heroes of the Storm's technical alpha has pulled me in due to its co-op mode, allowing you to play with a team of human players against a team of AI players. Having a strong co-op mode available might make me rage less when I take my chances at PVP. I'm curious how many of you have tried a MOBA before, whether it be League of Legends, Dota 2, the original Defense of the Ancients mode in Warcraft III, or something else in the genre. Are you a MOBA veteran? Never touched one? Touched one but didn't like it? Whichever camp you fall in, are you going to try Heroes of the Storm when you get the chance?
Explore the history of Disney's animated films in the 'Disney Animated' app
If you're a film, animation or Disney junkie, you're going to love the latest app Disney has released for iOS. Disney Animated explores the history and animation of all 53 animated Disney films. The app is a love letter to the company that was so important in the history of animation. Users can explore every single Disney animated film from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to their latest upcoming film, called Frozen. For each film, users will find interactive pictures, animated clips with flipbook-style controls, animated timelines and the ability to animate 3D models of Disney characters. The app also contains an unabridged version of the "Principles of Animation" chapter from The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston along with dozens of other goodies. From the release notes: • Reveal work-in-progress animation steps and visual effects layers beneath hand-drawn and computer animated scenes. • Zoom in on concept art, painted backgrounds, and storyboards to see intricate details. • Rotate treasured artifacts from the locked vaults of The Walt Disney Animation Research Library, as well as modern 3D computer models, as if they were in the palm of your hand. • Animate Vanellope from Wreck-It Ralph using a simple but powerful 3D animation package adapted from real Disney computer software. Export your animations and share by email or social media. • Control the path of Elsa's magical snow from the upcoming film Frozen using an authentic replica of the visual effects animation system used in the movie. Export your creations and share by email or social media. • Learn about computer animation character models through a shape-shifting interactive, featuring the many moods of Tangled's Maximus. • Swipe through a complete timeline of every Walt Disney Animation Studios feature film, with clips from hundreds of characters, dozens of recently uncovered trailers, and promotional featurettes from historic films. • Guess the movie from its unique color palette in the Color Map. Trace your finger over a single full-screen image that shows every scene from every Walt Disney Animation Studios animated feature film in thumbnail form. Never before has this complete catalog been browsable in this way. Disney Animated is an iPad app and costs US$13.99. The app is also 1.78 GB, so make sure you have room on your iPad first.
The Lawbringer: Blizzard and Valve settle on DOTA
Pop law abounds in The Lawbringer, your weekly dose of WoW, the law, video games and the MMO genre. Mathew McCurley takes you through the world running parallel to the games we love and enjoy, full of rules, regulations, and esoteroic topics that slip through the cracks. One of the highest-profile disputes in the gaming industry has come to a settlement agreement. Blizzard has agreed that it will back off from Valve's use of the DOTA trademark for commercial use, while Blizzard retains noncommercial use of the term for modders, map creators, and the community revolving around the game. In addition to the commercial/non-commercial separation, Blizzard has officially changed the name of its upcoming Blizzard DOTA to Blizzard All-Stars, so expect a new branding push soon. At the end of the day, I am still bewildered as to why we're fighting over DOTA, an acronym and phrase that comes packed with baggage and various connotations. Back in 2010, Rob Pardo told Eurogamer essentially that trademarking DOTA was a slap in the face to the community that created the genre, and for a company that built a great deal of its success on mods, it seemed genuinely out of place for Valve. While everything is always about money, sometimes things are about money just a little less. With its own products announced using the DOTA name and former-DOTA developers having joined S2 Games and Riot Games to create Heroes of Newerth and League of Legends respectively, the MOBA genre is healthy.
Rumble Between the Junglers: How the DotA fight began
Pop law abounds in The Lawbringer, your weekly dose of WoW, the law, video games and the MMO genre. Mathew McCurley takes you through the world running parallel to the games we love and enjoy, full of rules, regulations, and esoteroic topics that slip through the cracks. Defense of the Ancients is a genre all unique to itself. Sure, the concepts are not brand new and the bulk of the original game was created using the Warcraft III World Editor, but the lasting appeal and standing reverence of the DotA genre continues today and shows no sign of slowing down. Part tower defense, part real-time strategy unit movement, this game type has experienced astounding growth all over the world over the last decade. As the genre grows, Defense of the Ancients-style games, or MOBAs (multiplayer online battle arenas), or ARTS (action real-time strategy), or... wait... what are we calling this genre? My initial reaction to the entire naming fiasco was wonderfully summed up by Joystiq's own JC Fletcher: "Which giant company has the rights to the fan-created, community-promoted word 'Dota?'" He's right to be cynical -- justice will be meted out over a word that was born in the Blizzard maps community because of the actions of two super-huge gaming companies. That's not all there is to the story, however. Therein lies the crux of the hot topic of the day -- Blizzard has finally thrown in its opposition of Valve's attempt to trademark the name Dota for its upcoming release of DOTA 2, a literal successor to the original DotA throne. The problem is that there are a whole bunch more facts, people, and anecdotes in this story than most people know. I wrote a short post on the Dota trademark issue a few days ago that served as the basic of basics, what the news was about. Here's the short version: Valve is attempting to trademark a name that many gamers (and companies) consider to be a general term for the genre rather than the proper name for the game that spawned the genre. Hell, it could be both.
Daily iPad App: Monster Coloring Book
Monster Coloring Book is so adorable that I had a hard time putting it down long enough to write a review. It's an iPad coloring book that has a series of monsters you can "color" using your finger as a brush or tapping to fill an area. If you find that the iMarker/Crayola ColorStudio HD combo is a bit too costly, this is Monster Coloring Book is a much cheaper alternative without the stylus. There's quite a few options that can be chosen including different colors, brushes, stickers and patterns. You can change the size on the brushes to make sure you keep inside the lines. You can share your creation in a gallery on the app, email, print or export it. You can listen to music while you or your child (come on, we know you'll use this too) color, including some classical tracks to introduce new composers. The free app comes with one brush and the option to purchase more with an in-game currency called Monsterbucks. You start off with 1,000 Monsterbucks in the free game, so you can add on a couple of brushes or purchase an extra monster or two before you're prompted to buy more. Also, performing some activities will net you a few extra Monsterbucks. All of the starter monsters are free, so there's plenty to experiment with before deciding if you want to purchase more. There are 150 pages in all that can be acquired. There are a couple of caveats. When you try to purchase Monsterbucks in the app, it doesn't let you know how many real-life dollars the purchase is. As seen from the fiasco over the Smurfs Village app, this could potentially cause a problem. However, if you want full access to all the features without dealing with the in-game currency, get $1.99 paid app. All of the app content is unlocked, so it's much cheaper than purchasing in-game currency. The tools work well, except I have a difficult time rotating some of the stickers using the 2-finger rotating gesture. A cheat sheet pops up when you use stickers so it's easy for new users to figure out how to reshape and rotate them. Monster Coloring Book is definitely an app to have on your iPad for kids of all ages -- and the adults who still have the desire to try to color inside the lines.
TUAW's Daily iPad app: NPR 2.0
NPR has rolled out a rather hefty update to its venerable and well-liked iPad app. As before, the app is kind of a digital magazine that mirrors the content mix on NPR, with world and U.S. news, the arts and music features. The iPad app is more fully featured than the NPR app for the iPhone, which contains mainly news. NPR does have a separate music app for the iPhone. You can listen to any NPR station live, and also access dozens of NPR programs like Car Talk, All Things Considered and Fresh Air on demand. Programs play in the background, so you can exit the app and use your iPad while still listening to the content of your choice. The app has an AirPlay icon, but it was dimmed. I'm not sure what is going on there. My other AirPlay-enabled apps worked fine, and I can find no settings on the NPR app that will turn the feature on. In terms of the user interface, I think the improvements are positive. Getting access to the hourly newscast is just one click away, and listening to local stations and NPR programs is just two clicks. The app can access your location, if you allow it, and display the closest NPR stations to where you are. The programming list has been cleaned up and programs can now be sorted by topic and title. The ability to make playlists has been retained. Audio playback now has a 30-second rewind feature, and NPR says the app is more stable. I didn't see any issues in about an hour of use. I've always liked the NPR app on both the iPhone and iPad. This update has cleaned up the user interface quite a bit, and added some new features that are worthwhile. Other than the malfunctioning AirPlay button, NPR for iPad is a good, free upgrade for news and arts junkies. %Gallery-127943%
Zen master Zimoun asks: what is the sound of 138 motorized cotton balls rolling on cardboard? (video)
Unlike most of us, Zimoun sees a pile of DC motors, cotton balls, and cardboard boxes and thinks "I can work with this." That, along with his mysterious single name, is what makes him an artist. We're all fans of gadget-centric art -- especially when it involves fire or seemingly worthless parts -- and the Swiss sculptor certainly loves the latter. His installations feature dozens of motorized cotton balls rolling across cardboard; the result sounds something like a heavy rainstorm. Or like the incessant, deadly chewing of the Langoliers, depending on your point of reference. Check the video after the break to decide for yourself.
Visualized: Google searches around the globe
You've already seen Android activations mapped around the globe over time, now how about some Google search volumes? Using WebGL and different color crayons for each language, the coders at Mountain View have put together the above Search Globe, which presents a single day's worth of Google queries in a beautiful, skyscraper-infused visualization. Jacking yourself into the source link below (your browser can handle WebGL, right?) will let you twist and turn the model world for a closer exploration of global Google use. And if you get tired of that, there's an alternative map showing world populations over 1990s -- that's available at the second link.
Painting with fire, thanks to a cybernetic glove (video)
Fire: the most primal element. "It's a living thing," Robert De Niro once said, "It breathes, it eats, and it hates. The only way to beat it is to think like it." Unless you're an artist – then you rig up a series of tubes, pump in some kerosene, and connect it to a Power Glove-like control device. Next thing you know, you're "fire painting," making that hateful beast dance and strut for your amusement. "Its burning can be handled by subtle movements of the sensory data glove for tactile formulation of the fiery image," the artist explains, "Thus, the image can be manipulated, yet it constantly escapes control." To know what it's like to summon flame with a flick of your wrist – while sporting a creepy smiley-face welding mask, no less – see the video above.
Custom gaming statues are highly desirable
We love our parents, don't get us wrong, but we seriously missed out on a large part of awesome during our childhood thanks to these wonderful statues. Featuring your standard blue Mega Man, little sister Roll, and Chozo-suited Samus (among others), the set of resin statues was created by our new BFF, Dimension Diver (not to be confused with Holy Diver, though just as awesome). Head past the break to check out Samus and Roll, but be sure to hit up Tokyo Hunter if you're looking for more gaming characters. There are lots, believe us.[Via Tiny Cartridge]
Live theater returns to British TV on Sky Arts 1 HD
Moving one step beyond the opera broadcasts suddenly so popular recently, British television is getting its first live drama in two decades this July on Sky Arts 1 HD. Six authors have contributed 30-minute plays that will broadcast every Wednesday starting July 8 in front of a 140 person live audience. Viewers at home will apparently be allowed in on the post-show commentary sections, with HDTV providing a helping hand to more than one area of the arts we won't be surprised if Sky Arts Theatre Live! is yet another success.
DS Daily: Peripheral party
The DS might not be a system that can immediately benefit from peripherals, what with it being a portable games machine and all, but that hasn't stopped some from coming up with cool stuff to attach to your beloved. Whether it's something as simple as a stand or a wicked awesome controller, there's been some advancements in the field. So, we figured we'd ask you what you were all rocking. Whether it's just a simple case that protects your DS, or something home-made, let us know what kind of fun stuff you have for your DS. If we covered it on the site, link it in the comments!
Nintendo raining on EA's Mii Parade
One of our astute readers was just speculating in the My Sims DS comments thread about why EA didn't use Miis in My Sims, especially given that the Sims as they appear are very similar to Miis, and now we have an answer: Nintendo is being stingy! According to a quote in Next Generation from a producer at EA named Eric Chartrand, Nintendo hasn't let any of its third-party friends have development tools for integrating Miis into their software. Whether this means they haven't yet or they won't is still unknown.Nintendo not cooperating with third parties... this sounds familiar somehow. We hope this isn't an ominous portent for the future of non-Nintendo games.The Next-Gen article is not just about Miis, although they do figure into the whole idea about user-created avatars and content as a step into, and reaction to, the Web 2.0 participatory culture. It's a pretty good read.[Via NeoGAF]
Happy Mac cross stitch
TUAW reader Benjamin White sends in this photo of a cross stitch project he recently crafted. After weighing the merits of OS X and OS 9 art, he decided to go with the OS 9 Happy Mac startup face. The project is about 2-by-3-inches in real life and came out beautifully. White thinks he should have left more white space around the edges of the icon, but I think it looks great. I particularly love the gradation of the shadow under the main unit with the different colors of gray. The Apple logo is just suggestive enough to remind us of what it is supposed to be without going into too much detail. Kudos!
First screens for Theme Park DS
EA has issued out the first screenshots for the upcoming Theme Park DS. A port of the PC game, there are few details still on the features this port will have. So, we're still in the dark on the game's features, but at least we now have some screens of the game to gawk at. We've included a hand full of them into the post, after the break.See also: EA announces Theme Park DS
NFS Carbon developer diary video
IGN has posted a video developer diary for EA's upcoming racer Need For Speed Carbon. Obviously, being the Nintendo version of the multi-platform game, we care most about the controls. Understanding such, that is the focal point for the majority of the video. IGN doesn't allow their videos to be embedded, so you're going to have to go over there the old-fashioned way.[Thanks Marc!]
New NFL Street 3 screens released
The only things certain in life are death, taxes and never-ending sequels from companies like Capcom and EA that mainly include little to no worthwhile upgrades other than a few more characters or new rosters. Having said that, I'm happy to tell you EA plans on bringing NFL Street 3 to the PSP Nov. 5, and Gamespot has just posted a cornucopia of new screens for you EA boys to drool over.Hopefully, EA has taken the time to fix the loading issues and the ridiculously over-powered running game that plagued NFL Street 2. (Via Gamespot)
EA: DS great, PSP not so much
You know what they say, keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. We kid, we kid, we love those guys over at PSP Fanboy and thank them for this latest nugget of news. Recently, EA executive VP and COO of worldwide studios David Gardner slammed the PSP, citing that Sony has some serious issues they need to address in regards to the platform. Admitting that his company has backed the PSP more in the past, he now claims that they will invest more effort into putting games out for the DS."There's no doubt that EA has historically bet more on PSP. I think we were excited by the technology, but the consumers have proven that actually what they want is fun. We must never forget that what we need to focus on is fun and so EA is putting more effort behind DS games – and creative ones that really take advantage of the hardware."Ouch. It's no wonder that the company is going this route, being one of the handheld's biggest porters supporters. With all of its major sports and non-sports franchises gracing the system, the company has undoubtedly taken huge losses due to lackluster sales. Hopefully the company will keep Gardener's word and not look to just port everything over to the DS as it did with the PSP, stripped of all features.[Via PSP Fanboy]
EA announces 10 games for PSP this year
Today was a busy day for EA as they released a list of games heading our way, 10 of which would be releasing for our beloved PSP before the end of the year (excluding NFL Street 3). The titles, a majority of which are sports-related, should help strengthen the already great library of games the PSP has. These games include: Madden NFL 07 NASCAR NBA Live 07 NCAA Football 07 NFL Street 3 NHL 07 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 The Godfather The Game Need for Speed Carbon Superman Returns: The Videogame [Via PSP World]
