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Uber's former self-driving lead is creating an AI religion
In a development that wouldn't be out of place in a Black Mirror episode, we could soon be worshipping an artificially intelligent god figure. And this isn't a satirical take on our existing roles as disciples of social media, or the transcendental joy we feel when an Uber Eats delivery arrives. According to state filings uncovered by Wired, in September 2015 disgraced engineer Anthony Levandowski established a non-profit religious corporation called Way of the Future. Its mission: "To develop and promote the realization of a Godhead based on artificial intelligence and through understanding and worship of the Godhead contribute to the betterment of society." In the last two months alone we've seen robots perform funeral ceremonies and AI chips mimic the human brain -- could a Deus ex Machina really be that far behind?
Registration opens for the 'Mirror's Edge Catalyst' test run
February 23rd, the date when publisher Electronic Arts originally promised Mirror's Edge Catalyst is coming up. But rather than mope until it finally releases in May, there's a reason to turn that frown upside down: We have news to share of a multiplatform (!) closed beta in addition to a pretty good looking new trailer. Wait, a beta for a game that doesn't have traditional multiplayer? Yep. Apparently EA and developer DICE, fresh off Star Wars Battlefront, want to ensure that returning protagonist Faith's asynchronous multiplayer modes work as smoothly as possible. Best of all, the test isn't locked behind a pre-order or console purchase -- nor is it exclusive to one console.
'Mirror's Edge Catalyst' is make or break for Faith
Even now, after seven years, Mirror's Edge is a unique and exhilarating parkour thriller. It's littered with flaws -- a paper-thin story, some frustrating level design and unnecessary gunplay -- but the clean, dystopian world and fluid motion still impress. The game didn't sell particularly well, so it was a surprise when EA first announced that it was giving developer DICE another roll at the franchise. Mirror's Edge Catalyst is a complete reboot for Faith, but it could also be the team's last chance to prove the series has a future. If the game can't find a larger audience this time around, it's unlikely that EA will green-light another.
The Daily Grind: Is your character religious?
Maybe it's just me, but it seems like your character's choice of religion (or not) was far more of a feature of pen-and-paper RPGs than in most CRPGs and MMOs. I can't think of many MMOs where you're ever asked to assign a fictional religion or deity to your character, save perhaps for Neverwinter's cosmetic choice and a more beneficial (and optional) selection in EverQuest II. Oh, and I think that some of the Guild Wars 2 races ask you to pick a deity as part of your personal story, so there's that. But that doesn't mean that your character can't have a deity to worship, if only in your own mind. After all, combat prowess isn't the beginning, middle, and end of character development. Does your character adhere to one of the faiths in the game? Does he or she have a patron saint of the underdark that is prayed to on a regular basis? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The best apps for Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Buddhists for daily spiritual help
With the hustle and bustle of everyday life it's easy for even the most devout of religious people to forget to find time to feed their spiritual side. Thankfully the shiny phone in your pocket or tablet resting in your bag can provide a wealth of options for religious exploration regardless of your beliefs. Here are the best apps we've found for the largest religious groups in America at this time. If we missed your faith, let us know in the comments and we'll see what we can find. Christians Bible Cost: Free Bible is one of the most popular and powerful Biblical iOS apps available on the market. With over 100 million downloads around the world, this free app offers up something for every denomination of the Christian faith. It includes a myriad of translations including the NIV, NASB, ESV, KJV, and more, along with the ability to read these translations offline. The app also provides online audio Bibles for users who'd rather listen along. In addition, Bible offers hundreds of reading plans and devotionals to provide a helping hand if you're not sure where to start. Once you've figured out what to read, the app allows you to highlight your favorite verses with custom colors, create private notes to yourself, or share verses with friends via social media, email, or SMS text message. Utilizing YouVersion, users can also pull up their notes, highlights, reading plans, and bookmarks from any other supported device. Simply login to your account and you'll be ready to go. Bible + aka glo Bible Cost: Freemium If you need a more interactive experience with scripture and you don't mind paying for it, Bible +, or glo Bible, is the app for you. Bible + is an interactive HD text that uses videos, high-res images, articles, and digital tours to help you learn the Bible. Unlike the previously recommended app, this version only comes with free copies of the NIV and KJV translations, meaning you'll have to use in-app purchases to upgrade to your favorite translation. The premium version of this app costs $34.99. For your money you get access to a complete library of multimedia videos, study guides, and access to the same premium content via your web browser. While this sounds like a lot of money, the quality of the multimedia content is incredible, offering professionally shot videos and beautiful photographs to enhance your learning experience. Thankfully add-on pricing is tiered, so if you'd just like to unlock complete multimedia access it's available for $19.99. This provides 3.5 hours of HD video content, and thousands of HD pictures and related works of art. New study guides are available for purchase as well. The prices are a little steep for my tastes considering what is being sold, but the quality is impressive. If you're looking for a more interactive experience than our previous recommendation offers, give glo Bible a shot. Jews PocketTorah Cost: Free PocketTorah is a wonderful app designed to help you learn the Torah and the Haftarah. It includes the entirety of both texts in Hebrew and English. Additionally the app offers on-demand audio; simply touch any verse number and the corresponding text will be read in Hebrew with the proper trope. Finally, users are offered the Tikkun View which allows you to swipe your finger to switch between Hebrew passages as vowelized text or as it traditionally appears in the Torah with crowns and no vowels. Shabbat & Holiday Times Cost: Free I know the concept of a Shabbat app seems counter intuitive, but this one may come in handy for planning ahead. This app tells you when Shabbat begins and ends based on your current location or searchable time zones. To make sure its Shabbat times are accurate, the app is powered by the website Chabad.org. Beyond being a useful tool for planning your time of rest, the app includes a list of times for upcoming Jewish holidays. Muslims iQuaran Cost: Freemium (iQuaran lite can be found here) iQuaran is a powerful app designed for all ages. The app available as both a free and paid version, with the paid version costing an affordable $1.99. Both versions have been optimized for Retina display, but the free version only comes with an English translation while the paid app includes 38 translations and includes support for both landscape and portrait views. Each app includes verse by verse audio, including incredible controls designed to help with memorization. Rather than simple rewinding to hear a verse again users can set the app to repeat a single verse multiple times, repeat on reaching the end of a surah, or select a range of verses to loop. On the advanced app this functionality is enhanced with AirPlay support, and gapless verse by verse recitation by a wider range of narrators. The paid version also includes access to unlimited bookmarks and note-taking options, including special bookmark categories that will help you group verses by reading, memorizing, interesting, or discussion. iQuaran provides a ton of incredibly useful content for a tiny price. iPray: Prayer Times & Qibla Compass Price: $3.99 iPray is a prayer clock designed to help traveling Muslims keep their daily prayer schedule as they travel. The app offers sound and vibration alerts when it is time for your individual prayers, including Fajr, Ishraaq, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha and Qiyam-ul-lail. Using your GPS location and the iPhone's compass feature, the app keeps track of what the Qibla is for any given prayer. Buddhists Buddha Vacana Cost: Free Buddha Vacana is a free daily readings app that sends a verse of the Buddha's teachings to your iOS device every day. Featuring 365 verses from the Pali Canon, the app allows users to browse and read verses by date, and plays a soothing bell chime whenever the app starts. Buddha Vacana is a simple app designed to help remain mindful during the stresses of every day life. If we missed your particular faith and would like us to find apps that would help you in your own spiritual journey please leave us a comment below. It's been a fun challenge discovering how various religions have utilized the iOS environment to help their fellow believers. We look forward to reading your feedback.
The Daily Grind: Have MMOs gone as far as they can go?
Do you ever feel like MMOs have gone as far as they can go? I don't mean to be a downer, especially on a Monday, but occasionally I'll play a single-player title that knocks my socks off and -- as an incurable MMO fan -- the first thing I think of is could/should this be made into an MMO? And usually the answer to that question is no, it can't be done because of technical limitations, latency, or lack of gamer interest. Over the weekend I played Mirror's Edge, a first-person platforming thing that I missed way back in 2009. I fell in love with the free-running, the expansive environments, and the vertigo-inducing perspectives and I realized, sadly, that all of those things and many more simply aren't in the cards for MMOs. I know that not everything has to be an MMO, but I'd love to experience Mirror's Edge with a persistent world behind it, as well as share it with my MMO-playing buddies. What about you, Massively readers? Do you think MMOs have gone as far as they can go, or do you think we're in store for anything new and exciting beyond continual refinements to the existing formula? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Apple, Microsoft meet with Turkish minister, may bid to supply 15 million tablets to schools
When it comes to the economy, things appear to be pretty shaky in the land of feta and olive oil, but at least Greece's neighbor to the east is ready to spend, considering a very ambitious (and costly) investment in its education system. Turkish Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan just completed a tour through Seattle and Silicon Valley, making stops to meet with executives at Apple, Intel and Microsoft along the way. Caglayan's stateside mission was to discuss Turkey's FATIH Project, which somehow stands for "Movement of Enhancing Opportunities and Improving Technology" and aims to equip 15 million students with tablets within the next four years. The official seems to have left with a positive impression, telling the Turkish Weekly that "upon agreement, Microsoft teams will come to Turkey to cooperate with Turkish firms on the project." He went on to say that Apple executives expressed interest in having iPhone and iPad accessories manufactured in Turkey as well. Doesn't exactly sound like a firm commitment from either company, but 15 million tablets would be nothing to sneeze at, so we'd be surprised if the tablet makers didn't end up making formal bids. With South Korea and now Turkey making commitments to improving education, perhaps we'll see a similar plan hit stateside soon?
Sony Ericsson 'Faith' shows a lot of faith in demand for WinMo 6.5.3
We'd have guessed that the X2's lukewarm reception would've doomed Sony Ericsson's barely-there WinMo strategy -- especially since they've also got Android and Symbian to worry about -- but here we've got the first images of what's said to be the "Faith" running 6.5.3. Apparently part of the eco-friendly GreenHeart range, the portrait QWERTY set would represent distinctly new territory for the company if it actually makes it to market (a good deal of leaked Sony Ericssons don't) and would seem to suggest a renewed interest in working with Microsoft going forward -- possibly to get in on this WinMo 7 action everyone's talking about these days. The Faith has a 2.4-inch QVGA display, Euro 3G, and an honest-to-goodness touchscreen above the keyboard, giving it access to 6.5.3's headlining feature -- finger-friendly controls. We'd just as soon see these guys hold off for 7 and focus on Android in the meanwhile, but hey, who knows -- maybe there's some massive, untapped interest in a product like this after all. [Thanks, Daniel]
Mirror's Edge vaults onto the iPhone
Click to see all of Faith's roof-hopping antics. So, hypothetical situation. You're perched on the roof of a skyscraper, peering across a lengthy chasm to the adjacent building, where your destination lies. You're suddenly overcome with doubt and uncertainty! If only you had some sort of portable parkour training manual which could show you the proper timing and form for such a jump. Fortunately, your hypothetical needs are being tended to. According to a recent EA press release, the high-flying, first-person adventure, Mirror's Edge, will soon land on iPhones and iPod Touches. A few screenshots for the title (which is due out in January) show that while it will be in 3D, we'll be operating from a side-scrolling perspective rather than being stuck within Faith's head. %Gallery-79316%
EA shatters our faith in future Mirror's Edge DLC
Mirror's Edge fans are going to have to wait for the sequel before experiencing any new leaps of Faith. EA has told ThatVideoGameBlog that there are no "immediate plans" for more DLC. A downloadable map pack was made available this past February.Although not a runaway smash, Mirror's Edge did find success and some awards -- even from our little corner of the internet. Hopefully a sequel will address the multitude of frustrating gameplay issues found in the original -- like the combat system. We have fai... ahem, we believe DICE will do right next time.
EA VP: 'Small team' working on more Mirror's Edge
Joy be thine, as EA has confirmed Joystiq GOTY Mirror's Edge won't be the last we see of Faith. In speaking with Videogamer back at E3, EA's senior VP of EA Games Europe, Patrick Soderlund, stated, "You will see another Mirror's Edge for sure. It's just a matter of when that time is and what we do with it. We have a small team on it and I'm excited about what we do."Of course, one mustn't jump to conclusions and automatically label this as a sequel. Soderlund could've meant anything based on that comment. EA could be working on a full-fledged sequel (something we desperately need), sure, or could be adapting a port for some other system. Or, the company could be making a spiffy new Flash game for all we know. Only time will tell, but the important thing is that no matter what this project turns out to be, we all have more parkour-based gameplay to look forward to down the line. And that's a very good thing.[Via VG247]
Ask a Lore Nerd: Holy Warriors
Welcome to Ask a Lore Nerd, where each week blogger and columnist Alex Ziebart answers your questions about the lore and history of the World of Warcraft. Ask your questions in the comments section below, and we'll try to answer it in a future edition.Insert snappy preamble here.jealouspirate asked... "I have a question about the Draenei. Mainly, why have they stayed in Azeroth? I mean, I know for the sake of gameplay this is how things are, but is there any justification for it? Shouldn't Velen be in Shattrath?"
Mirror's Edge hack introduces third-person view
Voyeuristic hackers have undone its raison d'être and transformed the PC version of Mirror's Edge into the third-person parkour-em-up that could have been. Mind you, the one that could have been would have featured animation cognizant of the external viewpoint, and not just movements fit for first-person glimpses. It must have been a harrowing experience for those who expected to see Faith's nimble movements and instead received the lifeless posterior of a city-traversing robot. You'll find instructions on how to coax the camera out of Faith's head at the On Mirror's Edge forums, and a video demonstrating the amusing trickery after the break. Mind the big spoilers after the 3:10 mark.[Via Shacknews, Big Download]
Spiritual Guidance: Is Greater Heal on Life Support?
Every Sunday (usually), Spiritual Guidance will offer practical insight for priests of the holy profession. Your host is Matt Low, the grand poobah of World of Matticus and a founder of PlusHeal, a new healing community for all restorative classes. Is the Priest usage of Greater Heal fading away? Matticus shall answer! An excellent thread on Plus Heal has caught my attention and it's a topic that's also been picked up by Kestrel. It's about the current use of Greater Heal (or lack thereof). Check your meters. Specifically, check your cast sequences. See if you can determine how often you use Greater Heal on a typical night. If you're a player who uses it often, I applaud you. From a mathematical and healing efficiency stand point, Greater Heal has the edge. Under lab conditions. Except raid environments aren't lab conditions. Let's go into detail about when Greater Heal is used in Discipline and Holy after the break.
All the World's a Stage: So you want to be a Priest
This installment of All the World's a Stage is the seventeenth in a series of roleplaying guides in which we find out all the background information you need to roleplay a particular race or class well, without embarrassing yourself. Priests in the World of Warcraft are a single class that incorporates a wide variety of characters. They are best known for casting spells that call forth the power of the Holy Light, but the priest using these spells in the game mechanics doesn't necessarily have much connection to the Light as such -- rather they have a connection with their own religion which grants them similar effects to those of the Light.When WoW was being developed, Blizzard realized that night elves and trolls, for instance, would not follow the Light in the same way humans and dwarves do, so they tried to represent a bit of this diversity through race-specific spells. It didn't work out, though -- some were too powerful, while others weren't worth reading about, much less putting on one's action bar. The end result was that they made some of these spells universally available to all priests, and completely removed the rest. Here the lore had to surrender to the game mechanics in order to provide the best game balance.In roleplaying, however, there is a lot of room for players of different races to behave differently, and draw their powers from totally different sources. Greater Heal, for instance, could come either from the Light or the power of Elune. A Shadowfiend could either be a spawn of the Forgotten Shadow, or a dark trollish voodoo spirit. If you are roleplaying a priest, the only thing that really matters is that your character have some sort of faith or profound belief, which could serve as the source of their divine magical power. A priest's magic revolves around his or her strong beliefs and ideas -- but what those beliefs are is entirely up to you.
Branching Dialogue: Display of E-motion
Presenting Branching Dialogue, a weekly, wordy and often worryingly pedantic discussion of video game genres, trends and err ... stuff I didn't think to put in this introductory line. In his thoughtful review of Mirror's Edge, Eurogamer's Christian Donlan calls it a game "that's easier to love than like." He's quite right. DICE's first-person parkour platformer doesn't hold up to objective scrutiny, often coming apart under a reviewer's bit-by-bit examination. The discordant ratings are testament to that, if not to the claim that Mirror's Edge exudes a boldness and brilliance that's hard to capture in words, let alone numbers. You can certainly try lobbing several comparisons at the game's gestalt ("It's Sonic the Hedgehog meets Montezuma's Return!"), but its evocative nature really comes through when you have the controller -- and the life of a runner -- in your hands. For as much as Mirror's Edge is about relentlessly pushing you through an urban obstacle course, it's also about capturing a gripping, breathless exhilaration. It's an unfortunate consequence of the mechanical and very deliberate design of games: doing exciting things with an on-screen proxy rarely feels as exciting as it should.
Behind the Curtain: Religion as a game mechanic
Should we have more religion in MMOs?I'm not talking about the Priests and Paladins we see in World of Warcraft, Everquest 2 and probably lots of other games I haven't played. Religion for character classes like these is more often than not a game mechanic, something which is used to explain the source of their powers. Divine Magic is a term which is frequently used to explain a player or character's ability to cast spells. It's a catch-all term, attributing magical and mystical abilities to ill-defined deities and otherwordly beings watching over the game-world. Usually benevolent, these beings empower their followers, enabling them to carry out miraculous feats. Probably deliberately, religion has remained generally fuzzy and ill-defined in MMOs. That shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Religious debate in the real world is a sure-fire way to incite some flames, and it's no wonder that games developers have been keen to shy away from it thus far.
Behind the Curtain: Religion as a game mechanic pt. 2
If developers chose to extend similar mechanics to affect players, you might find yourself being penalised for being in possession of 'forbidden' materials, whatever they may be. Mechanics might be in place to reflect how devout your character was, meaning you were actively prevented from taking certain actions at a certain time, reflecting any holidays or religious observations your character made. Imagine a Paladin who was actually prevented from ganking lowbies because it was contrary to his faith? Shocker. More blue-sky thinking, I know. Putting aside for now the idea of fake religions, what about allowing real-life religions into games?
PAX 2008 hands-on: Mirror's Edge, even edgier with an audience
Our first stop on the whirlwind tour of EA's heavy hitters was with our favorite running, jumping, sliding, wall-climbing, Faith. Mirror's Edge continues to impress, and we were lucky enough to get a few minutes on a kiosk with her. However, the best thing about it isn't in the game, it was the cheering crowd behind us. Head behind the break to get the full skinny on our PAX experience this data-running hottie.%Gallery-17126%
Premonition gets the Eredar Twins US first!
Congratulations to Premonition of Alleria on the first kill of the Eredar Twins in the US! From what I hear, it was a tight race to first place yesterday, but Premonition was ahead of the pack.They walked away with the Golden Bow of Quel'Thalas, Shroud of Redeemed Souls, Shoulderpads of Vehemence, Sin'dorei Pendant of Triumph, and some lucky Warrior/Hunter/Shaman walked away with a pair of Tier 6 Bracers. Though Nihilum beat them to the world first, there's no denying they put plenty of work into this kill. Congratulations to Premonition, and good luck on M'uru when Rohendor decides to get out of the way!I must add, it's neat to see some of the old school sets in many of these first-kill shots. They're still way cool, but you can see Blizzard's trend of making things more and more over the top as WoW evolves. I can't honestly say I have a problem with that. As much as I adore Faith, Absolution blows it away as far as style and the smaller details.
