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  • EVE Evolved: The great wormhole heist, part 2

    by 
    Brendan Drain
    Brendan Drain
    04.17.2011

    One of the most common things I hear from people who don't play EVE Online is that they don't like the game itself but they absolutely love the stories that come out of it. There's something inherently brutal and visceral about the stories players act out every day in EVE's colossal sandbox. Tales of high-profile thefts and political intrigue occasionally creep into the media and grab our attention, but stories of that sort are a lot more common than you'd think. Last year, we told one such story of a player's descent into criminality and revenge taken too far. In last week's EVE Evolved, I began to tell the true tale of that same player in one of his biggest heists to date. If you haven't read the first part of this story yet, head back to last week's EVE Evolved before reading on. A matter of time Having discovered an opportunity for theft much greater than expected, Scott recognised that he would need help to pull off a successful heist. With the wormhole corporation's assets within Scott's reach, a sense of urgency began to overtake him. Based on discussions with his new corp members, he knew that the group's wormhole tenancy had just begun and that they were still in the process of clearing the starbase up following a frantic move-in. This explained the secure containers littering space -- a temporary measure to be used until an adequate hangar permission scheme could be created. In this week's conclusion of the story of the great wormhole heist, Scott discovers allies in some unexpected places and finds out first-hand whether there really is no honour amongst thieves.

  • Inax's Satis Asteo Washlet toilet: pre-loaded with classical tunes

    by 
    Darren Murph
    Darren Murph
    04.26.2007

    While there's certainly a market for techtoilets out there, Inax is apparently hoping that all interested john owners haven't already snapped up a Toto or Brondell, as its Satis Asteo Washlet doesn't do much to stand out. The musically inclined lavatory sports the obligatory SD slot, built-in stereo speakers, and an automatic lowering / lifting mechanism, but one interesting aspect of this iteration is the tunes that apparently come pre-loaded. While the translation is admittedly sketchy, Inax appears to have a number of classical pieces from the likes of Bach, Chopin, and Mendelsohn ready to rock, presumably to drown out less than pleasant ambient noises when you forget your own MP3-stocked SD card. Furthermore, the device can reportedly detect whether you'd prefer the lid up or down (saywha?) and the built-in nightlight should prevent any early morning surprises when sleepwalking into the restroom. Inax's latest toilets are available right now for those in Japan, and will set you back anywhere from ¥55,333 ($467) to ¥87,333 ($737), depending on model.[Via Core77]

  • Toto's Apricot toilet seat plays tunes from SD cards

    by 
    Darren Murph
    Darren Murph
    01.25.2007

    Sure, talking about toilet seats can be somewhat awkward, but we're fairly certain you'd rather have a seat that sung to you while occupying the restroom than one that, well, didn't. Regardless of whether you're creeped out by a speaker-infused toilet seat or not, Toto is back and better than ever with its new Apricot. The seat maintains the SD slot and MP3 playback abilities of its predecessor, but this rendition also features a few "self-cleaning" abilities, a fragrance emitter, and an automatic light that turns on when it knows you're approaching. Furthermore, it looks to interface with a wall-mounted control unit that can queue up a playlist just as soon as it senses your presence, and as a good steward of the environment, shuts down when not needed to conserve electricity. So if you're strangely curious about sitting on an ultra-clean, sound streaming seat when visiting the bathroom, you can pick up Toto's Apricot next week for a staggering ¥109,200 ($900).[Via Impress]

  • Japanese hardware sales, 4 December - 10 December: Terminator edition

    by 
    Jason Wishnov
    Jason Wishnov
    12.15.2006

    Listen to me. I've been sent from the future, sent to warn you about the impending destruction of the human race. There were so many, we just couldn't ... we were overwhelmed within weeks. Humans now live in scattered clusters, fearful of the raids, desperately clinging to life. We need to stop it. They're gaining power.Surely, you've seen the signs. They're infecting homes, complacent, waiting for their chance to strike. Soon, their numbers will be unstoppable, and you're allowing, nay, helping their cause. Every week they grow stronger! They added what will be their strongest general, Dragon Quest, to their arsenal quite recently. Yes, surely you see it now: within two months, the DS Lites will become sentient. They'll launch a attack on the Pentagon and all major military bases in the continental United States, removing our defensive capabilities. From then on, it'll be inevitable ... Judgement Day.From their seat of power in Akihabara, Japan (the new capital of Nitro, their self-proclaimed worldwide empire), they will launch wave after wave of attack on the remaining humans. We're led by the one man who might rally us from defeat ... Reggie, of course. He sent me here, to prevent it, but now I see that it's already too late. February 13th is the day, gentlemen. May Iwata have mercy on your pathetic souls.- DS Lite: 309,630 132,729 (75.03%)- Wii: 85,439 264,919 (75.61%)- PS3: 50,171 18,735 (59.6%) - Xbox 360: 35,343 31,290 (772.02%) - PS2: 30,460 7,345 (31.78%) - PSP: 28,930 5,013 (20.96%) - GBA SP: 1,896324 (20.61%) - Game Boy Micro: 1,555 303 (24.20%) - Gamecube: 569 252 (30.69%) - DS Phat: 167 27 (19.29%) - GBA: 17 5 (22.73%) - Xbox: 6 5 (45.45%)[Source: Media Create]