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NASA seeks Jupiter's secrets with historic spacecraft flyover
Every planet in our solar system is famous for something. Saturn has its rings, Mars has its soil, Uranus has that unfortunate name, and Jupiter has the Great Red Spot: a titanic storm that has been spinning for more than 350 years. Though we've peered at the distant gas giant's iconic feature since the 1830s, we still know little about its inner workings. That could change on Monday night, when the Juno spacecraft flies directly over the Great Red Spot for the first time in human history.
FBI apprehends troll for seizure-inducing Twitter attack
The perpetrator who tweeted a seizure-inducing image to a journalist has been apprehended by the FBI. In December a troll sent Vanity Fair and Newsweek writer Kurt Eichenwald, who is epileptic, a flashing, auto-playing image. Earlier this morning, Eichenwald tweeted that following three months of research, that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has arrested the suspect. Eichenwald says that the perpetrator faces federal charges and will be indicted by the Dallas district attorney (where Eichenwald lives) on "different charges" over the next few days.
Newsweek's Twitter account hacked, spews out threats to Obama
Hackers claiming ties to ISIS took over Pentagon social media accounts last month, and today, the group targeted the media. The so-called CyberCaliphate snatched Newsweek's Twitter feed this morning, communicating threats against President Obama and his family. Representatives for the publication say it has since taken back the account and apologized for the offensive tweets posted during the incident. Commandeering the social feed of a major news outlet was sure to get the President's attention, and it comes just weeks after he announced a big push for stricter cybersecurity legislation. Obama's plan includes increasing the ability of law enforcement to track down those who commit cybercrimes, a federally mandated privacy standard and disclosure requirements when a company -- like Sony -- is breached.
Dorian Nakamoto is raising money to sue Newsweek
March was a busy month for Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto -- Newsweek named him as the "face behind Bitcoin," a cryptocurrency the California resident claims to have only heard about a few weeks before the article's publication. Nakamoto hired a lawyer and issued a unconditional denial of allegations. Now it seems like that lawyer is about to go to work: Nakamoto has launched a legal defense fund to help pay for an impending lawsuit against Newsweek. The fund's URL and official Twitter account are bluntly named, and to the point: "NewsweekLied."
Alleged Bitcoin founder hires a lawyer in bid to 'clear his name'
While Newsweek continues to stand by its claim that Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto is the founder of Bitcoin, the man at the center of the allegation has decided to lawyer up. Despite having already denied his involvement, Nakamoto has now shared a personal statement with Reuters to "clear [his] name" and make it clear how much he has suffered from Newsweek's report. Once believed to be in control of a million dollar Bitcoin fortune, the Californian resident detailed his struggle to find work, adding that the article has damaged his prospects of finding a job and caused him and his a family "a great deal of confusion and stress." Apparently, he even cut his internet connection last year, citing financial issues. Nakamoto says it'll be his first and final public word on the matter, but given the fact he's sought legal counsel, the supposed father of Bitcoin may have more to say behind closed doors.
Newsweek ends its print run with a hashtagged cover
December 31st will mark the end of one of the biggest names in the world of printed news. As noted back in October, however, Newsweek isn't saying die, it's just jumping head first into the warm embrace of digital media. And as the publication revealed via its Twitter account, it will be doing so with a wink and a nod, thanks to a giant #lastprintissue hashtag smack dab in the middle of a classy black and white cover. #godspeed, Newsweek, #godspeed.
Newsweek goes all-digital, will cease print publishing at end of 2012
Newsweek Magazine is almost 80 years old, but the print edition isn't going to get much older. The magazine's December 31 issue will be the final one in paper-and-ink format. After that, Newsweek will be all-digital and change its name to Newsweek Global. Newsweek Global will be available for reading in web browsers and on the iPad and other tablets. Newsweek merged with The Daily Beast in 2010, and some Newsweek content will appear on The Daily Beast website. Editor-in-Chief Tina Brown wrote: "Exiting print is an extremely difficult moment for all of us who love the romance of print and the unique weekly camaraderie of those hectic hours before the close on Friday night. But as we head for the 80th anniversary of Newsweek next year we must sustain the journalism that gives the magazine its purpose and embrace the all-digital future." For now, Time Magazine is the standard-bearer among the few major US news magazines still being printed (US News and World Report ceased print publication in 2011). Former Time Inc. interactive editor/NYT public editor Daniel Okrent told Columbia J-school students in 1999 that they would see the death of print in their professional lifetimes (in the process, describing an intriguing tablet-style reader device featuring finger-swipe page turns and "a cellular hookup to a satellite-connected database" for downloading new content); it looks like Okrent's forecast continues on target. Not everything is perfect on the digital publishing side either, however. E-newspaper The Daily, started by Rupert Murdoch last year, has seen a rocky birth, with iPad and other tablet editions available on a paid subscription basis. The toolsets for digital publishers are improving steadily, with Adobe, Mag+ and Aquafadas (among many others) providing comprehensive solutions. Newsweek already has an iPad app available, with in-app purchases for each issue.
Newsweek to drop print edition after December 31st, gives the digital future a warm hug
It's no secret that print media is on its way out, as many regional and niche publications have had to either find a path through the digital wilderness or fold completely. We're still not used to national publications facing that ultimatum, though, which makes Newsweek's fresh decision to drop its print edition after December 31st both unusual and a bellwether. Anyone still yearning for the magazine's content after the presses stop will have to turn to the purely digital Newsweek Global or its The Daily Beast sibling, no matter how attached they are to the outlet's 80-year history with paper. The explanation for the cutoff remains a familiar story: print readership is dying on the vine and expensive to maintain, while web and tablet adoption is growing quickly enough that Newsweek believes it can make the switch without taking a long-term financial hit. Whether or not the transition works, it's evident the periodical knows its identity must be wrapped around an online presence -- figuratively, not literally.
Apple number 65 on Newsweek's list of green companies
Newsweek has published their list of the most environmentally-friendly companies, and Apple is ranked number 65 out of 500. While it didn't make the top 10 (Dell is number one), Apple improved significantly from last year when it placed 133rd. The rankings considered a number of scores, including green score, environmental impact and green policies. Other tech companies in the top 10 include HP, IBM, Intel, Sprint, Adobe, Applied Materials and Yahoo!. Apple has made vast improvements in their environmental friendliness over the past few years, as organizations like Greenpeace have put the pressure on. Last January Greenpeace ranked Apple first in their list of the top 18 consumer electronics company in terms of reduction or elimination of hazardous chemicals in the manufacture of its products. [Via Macsimum News]
Why the App Store is working just right
Edible Apple has an interesting analysis up about this Newsweek article claiming that App Store developers aren't getting rich. Newsweek basically claims that all those success stories we've heard about App Store developers have a darker side: if they aren't already buried in costs from developing that hit app, they're desperately scrambling to rise above the noise and get another one's sales up on the App Store. [For a similar perspective to Newsweek's, check out this post from Ged Maheux at the Iconfactory.] Edible Apple replies that that's true, but a closer inspection of the numbers shows that these devs are actually making plenty of money -- while their costs are going higher than they expected (one example has a developer paying over $100,000 to make $200,000) there is still money to be made. What developers are actually discovering, says Edible Apple, is that the App Store isn't a gold rush -- it's a business. That's an interesting point. In the beginning, the App Store was a gold rush -- you could hack together a fart app and come up with a few month's worth of beer money over night. But with almost 100,000 apps, it's a different ballgame. You either need to come up with an original idea that people are interested in, or polish an existing idea until it shines so bright it's unavoidable. And as Edible Apple says, that's actually a good thing. There is money to be made in the App Store these days -- multiple developers have proven that already. It'll take work and luck to do it, but isn't that the case with any successful business?
The distance of romance: Is online romance possible?
Newsweek's story this week, about two Second Life users who met and fell in love without a nasty breakup, divorce, murder or any other sort of common human drama has sparked a lot of talk among users of virtual environments about love and romance over a distance. Opinions are divided of course. Some feel that it's impossible to fall in love with someone who is out of range of a slap in the face, while others see it as completely natural. Are human relationships like electro-magnetism, where they cannot exist beyond a certain small physical radius?
Dan Aykroyd prefers Ghostbusters for Wii, says romance got axed for gameplay
Dan Aykroyd really likes the 2004 film, The Incredibles. So much so, in fact, that he believes himself to look like an Incredibles-esque superhero in the upcoming Ghostbusters game for Wii, telling Newsweek, "I love the way we look in the Wii platform ... anybody who looks like an Incredible is automatically a superhero." Though we're not sure if there's a direct correlation between the two, Aykroyd firmly believes so, continuing, "I was so pleased that they shaved off at least 60 pounds from my current bulk." Apparently Aykroyd's current poundage isn't all that was shaved in translation from movie to game, as the romantic elements between Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver have been omitted from the forthcoming title. Aykroyd says "the format of ghostbusting lends itself to a video game beautifully," while apparently the finesse required in convincing Sigourney Weaver to fornicate with Bill Murray doesn't so much. Not even a minigame, folks? We kid! It probably didn't help that Ms. Weaver declined to be part of the game, huh? %Gallery-38587%
N'Gai Croal to leave Newsweek for consultancy career
That's right. Newsweek's N'Gai Croal – one of game journalism's most august statesmen – will be packing up his desk at the venerable (though not invulnerable) news magazine and heading out for waters uncharted, Gamasutra reports. Croal may be leaving games journalism but he's not leaving the gaming industry; instead, Croal will "pursue a career as a creative consultant to game developers" to help them reach that most mysterious of all gamers: the adult.Croal has posted his final piece on his LevelUp blog, but if you want moar Croal, you'll still find his monthly column in Edge magazine, a personal blog at (the currently parked) ngaicroal.com and, of course, Twitter. If you had to read one piece of work from Croal's coverage of the gaming industry, the man himself recommends his investigation of the unfortunate Gerstmann-gate incident and (here's the good part, folks) "the contempt publishers have for the enthusiast press," calling it "one of the posts I'm proudest of." We're inclined to agree.So, here we are ... from one editorial we to another, we'll selfishly miss your contributions at Newsweek but wish you the best in the new gig.
Rumor: E3 2009 open to the public, happening in June
There is speculation popping up from several different places this evening that E3 2009 will be held in June at the Los Angeles Convention Center and be open to the public. G4 ran a piece this evening on X-Play (embedded after the break) that the event will be held June 2-4. N'Gai Croal of Newsweek received similar information from a source, but also adds that the event will be open to the public on June 5-6 and the event will be capped at 40,000 attendees. Both G4 and Croal claim an official E3 2009 announcement will be made tomorrow. Just to be very clear, at this point all this information is merely rumor and speculation from sources. The ESA has not made an official statement.We contacted the ESA a few hours ago when we were only aware of the G4 piece running this evening and were informed: "There will be a 2009 E3 and we will announce the details at the appropriate time." At the time the ESA said it had no idea what information G4 was planning to reveal and hadn't commented on the piece.We've contacted the ESA for any official statement and will update as soon as we receive it.Update: Croal has amended his piece to say that the E3 weekend dates, set aside for the public, "may have been incorrect."Source - E3 2009 To Take Place During First Week of June, Be Open To the Public, Attendance Capped At 40,000 [Newsweek]Source - E3 Returning To Past Size And Spectacle In 2009 [G4]
Fake Steve leaving Forbes for Newsweek
Dan Lyons, the real Fake Steve Jobs, is leaving his editor's job at Forbes to join the staff of Newsweek, where he'll take over for outgoing columnist Steven Levy. (Levy left Newsweek for Wired in April.) Lyons is leaving Forbes on good terms, with associate managing editor Bruce Upbin writing, "Saying we wish him well is an understatement." No details surrounding the financial aspects of the transition were immediately available. Since Lyons owns the FSJ property himself, Silicon Alley Insider says he'll be bringing El Stevo with him, but it remains unclear what will change about the vast FSJ media empire. Fake Steve, I honor the place where your funny and my bone become one. Namaste. [Via Daring Fireball.]
MTV talks to black professionals in gaming
Much like what she did last year with women in games, MTV Multiplayer's Tracey John is in the middle of a week-long series that looks at black professionals in the video game industry. So far she's talked to Newsweek's N'Gai Croal, Crystal Dynamic's Morgan Gray and Nerjyzed Entertainment's Brian Jackson. Tomorrow's entry will be an interview with SCEA producer Felice Standifer.Similar to the last series, topics of discussion include the perception of black people in games, the struggles with diversity in the industry and how it affects the end product (i.e. the game). Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Gears of War's character Cole Train are discussed on multiple occasions. Concluding his interview, Croal threw out an idea for a Dance Dance Revolution title that would actually teach you how to dance, which the rhythmically-deficient folks at Joystiq would love to get our off-time hands on.
N'Gai Croal redesigns the Wiimote for Metroid Prime 3
Of course, you may want to substitute the word "redesigns" for "fixes," depending on how compulsive your scanning was. In his Level Up blog, Newsweek's N'Gai Croal has posted a visual illustration of a special Wii remote he would have liked to find in the Metroid Prime 3 box. Unhappy with the placement of the plus and minus buttons -- both of which are frequently used in the game -- Croal proposes that the above kidney shaped configuration would add up to less limited controls. As he tells MTV's Stephen Totilo following their lengthy dissection of the game, "I know you'll agree with me."We certainly do. We reckon the design change would also benefit the games that don't involve intergalactic bounty hunters, eliminating the trek our thumbs embark on every time they leave the safety and security of the A-button. We like the idea so much, we're inclined to forgive Mr. Croal for calling his design the "Metroid Pwiime" remote.
Newsweek's Croal chimes in on 'video games as art' debate
Film critic Roger Ebert, who originally sparked a blaze of discussion in late 2005 by labeling video games inferior to art like film and theater, reignited talks last week when he "clarified," so to speak, that games could be art but not "high art." Our own Ludwig Kietzmann chimed in on the debate, but the ferocity of his diction is marginal compared to the exhaustive rebuttal laid out by Newsweek's N'Gai Croal.Taking Ebert to task paragraph by paragraph, Croal criticizes and calls the film critic out on his apparent ignorance to the subject that he is chastising, much in the way Ebert did himself when he pulled quotes from a Hollywood & Games panel with Clive Barker. Croal's vitriolic and eloquent response warrants notice and discussion, if only for the sheer detail of his counterargument. If we are going to debate whether one medium has the potential to achieve an artistic maturity now in comparison to one more than three times its senior, this is how we should do it.Here's a scenario regarding Ebert's opinion giving players a "smorgasbord of choices" proves detrimental to its emotional impact: imagine a situation where a player's task is to save someone he loves, yet no matter what action he or she takes, that person cannot be saved. In that situation, wouldn't giving an audience multiple choices actually be more emotional as it emphasizes the hopelessness of the situation?
Spielberg spells new projects with Newsweek
Two of filmmaker Steven Spielberg's three projects with Electronic Arts have been shown to Newsweek's N'Gai Croal. Brought to you by the letters L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, and S.In an article dated July 16 (published a bit too early?), Croal talks about his projects codenamed LMNO (Xbox 360 and PS3) and PQRS (for the Wii). The latter title is reportedly a physics-based action puzzler simulator "that neatly blends the creativity of the building-blocks game Jenga with the charm of a Saturday-morning cartoon," he said. Blocks are manipulated using motion gestures via the Wii remote.Project LMNO is described as North by Northwest meets E.T. and has you playing as an ex-secret agent alongside an AI-controlled woman. "The challenge is," said Spielberg, "can the game have an emotional impact on players while they are actively manipulating the world?"We know Spielberg has one other project in the works. Is it ABC, DEFG, HIJK, TUVW, or XYZ? And what happens when he runs out of letters? Hiragana? No news on release dates, but the Wii title was previously mentioned in an EA financial report as coming out before April 2008.[Update: revised unannounced project suggestions]
Nintendo takes wraps off of WiiWare
Nintendo is the latest on the indie console-development bandwagon with WiiWare, a "game-creation service that will allow developers large and small to create new downloadable video game content" that the company announced this morning. The company is making it clear that they're looking for little guys to make games for the console, though it's currently unclear exactly how that will be done. Interestingly, Reggie Fils-Amie told N'Gai Croal of Newsweek that the games would be checked for bugs but not vetted by Nintendo. Developers would be responsible for securing an ESRB rating (AO titles won't be welcome, sorry Manhunt 2.) Look for the first WiiWare to start appearing in early 2008.Nintendo will also be deciding how many points the games will be sold for when they're put on the Wii Shop channel. With this brave new world of indie development, who knows where the next big Wii game will come from now? Well, we do, it will come from Nintendo. But thanks to WiiWare, the search for the next big way to wait for the next big Nintendo game just got a lot more interesting.Read -- Nintendo's WiiWare Paves The Way ...Read -- What is WiiWare? Level Up Gets the Scoop ...
