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Apple hires former Google AI scientist who left after ethics turmoil
Apple has hired former Google Brain research manager Samy Bengio, who left the company after its firings of two female AI researchers.
Howard University and Amazon want to diversify the entertainment industry
Howard University and Amazon Studios are working together to diversify the entertainment industry. Today, they announced Howard Entertainment, a program that will give African American, Latinx and Native American students a chance to study and train alongside entertainment executives.
Video game voice actors push for standardized contracts
In the midst of a protracted squabble, the union representing voice actors has come up with a contract for low-budget indie game developers. SAG-AFTRA is promoting a new agreement for titles under $250,000 that would limit difficult vocal sessions (presumably involving yelling or other vocal gymnastics) to two hours. Actors would also be paid double for such work, and collect residuals above the normal rate ($825.50 for four hours) for games that sell 500,000 units or more.
Twitter buys an agency that turns social networkers into ad stars
Twitter thrives on celebrities with legions of followers, and it just took a big step toward making a pile of money from those big names. The company has bought Niche, an agency that links social media stars like Zach King (above) to advertisers who want to capitalize on their popularity. Twitter isn't being specific about its plans, but it's not hard to figure out what comes next -- the service now has an easier way to get your favorite Twitter and Vine celebs into ads, raising the chances that you'll notice promo pieces in your feed. It's hard to tell if this will work, but Twitter may feel that there isn't much choice. It isn't having a great time scoring new users, so it might as well get more ad revenue from the people who are sticking around. [Image credit: Zach King]
BlizzCon 2014 Talent Contest now open for submissions
The sign-up page for the BlizzCon 2014 Talent Contest is now open and taking entries. For the Talent Contest, entries should be a 2-minute video of a Blizzard-themed performance. This year, Blizzard has obtained the rights to several different songs that can be used during the performances, either as a backing track, or even as a Blizzard-themed derivative version -- in other words, parody tracks using the approved songs are completely fine. The full list is available on the official announcement post. Semi-Finalists in the Talent Contest will receive $500. Four Finalist acts will be chosen and provided with airfare, tickets and hotel accommodations to BlizzCon 2014, where they will perform their acts for the judges, who will then decide the winners. The Fourth Place winner will receive $800, Third Place will receive $1,250, Second Place will receive $2,000, and First Place will receive a whopping $3,000. But if you want to throw your hat in the ring, you better get moving -- all entries must be received by 11:59PM PDT on August 5. As a reminder, those looking to enter the Blizzcon 2014 Art and Movie contests only have a few days left to enter -- submissions will be closed on July 7. Good luck to all who enter!
BlizzCon 2014 Art and Movie contest submissions now open
If you're an artist or a movie maker with a penchant for all things Blizzard, now's your chance to show off your talents and win some prizes. The Art and Movie contests for BlizzCon 2014 are now officially taking submissions, and there's a sweet list of prizes to be had. For the BlizzCon Movie Contest, third place will receive $850, second place will receive $1,300, and first place will receive $2,000 and an Oswald Statue. Prizes for the BlizzCon Art Contest are $700 for third place, $1,000 for second place, and $1,500 to the first place winner ... but that's not all. Each winner for both the Art and Movie contests will also receive either a ticket to BlizzCon 2014, or an additional $175 cash. Keep in mind that the submissions for these contests don't necessarily have to be Warcraft related -- you can take your inspiration for your artwork or film from any of the Blizzard franchises. But if you want to enter, you might want to get a move on -- the deadline for submissions is 11:59PM PST on July 7. For more information, official rules, and submission guidelines, head to the official site.
BlizzCon 2014 - Many contests, handle them
I have never been to BlizzCon, so I assume it's a lot like a raid. This year, amongst the many encounters will be a series of contests that you have the opportunity to defeat. As is customary, there will be an excellent costume contest (at least, it's always been excellent when I watched it on the stream) with some fairly sensible rules, like 'no real weapons' and 'please design your costume so you can see and walk because otherwise you'll fall down a lot'. Then there's the expanded talent contest. Can you sing, dance, or make people laugh? Send 'em a YouTube link with your intended performance and make sure you keep it within their suggested limits so they can use it during the con if they like it and you. There's also an art and a movie contest, for the artistic and visionary types among us. So go ahead and check out the dungeon journal for the BlizzCon contests. There's also an email address for any questions you may have - BlizzConContest@Blizzard.com.
WoW Archivist: WoW's talent system has come full circle
WoW Archivist is a biweekly column by WoW Insider's Scott Andrews, who explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? It first appeared on our sister site on April 11th and is included here by permission. The Warlords of Draenor patch 6.0 notes have revealed the latest changes to WoW's ever-evolving talent system. Talents have remained a core system in WoW since its earliest days; it's the primary method that allows players to make their characters distinct. In the beta for WoW and throughout vanilla, talent trees were a bit of a mess, as Archivist covered. Today, we'll examine how those early trees came to be expanded, refined, and then scrapped for a very different system. We'll also look at how Warlords is bringing back the earliest version of talent trees in a brand-new way.
Wowhead's talent calculator updated with new Warlords of Draenor talents
In the wake of Blizzard's press event, all sorts of news is burbling out, and among these bits of information are new level 100 talents for rogues, warlocks and warriors. Now Wowhead has updated their Warlords of Draenor talent calculator with these new talents. Some of these changes are pretty amusing. Rogues, for example, get a new talent at level 100 called Venom Zest, for instance. However, since the video in question didn't actually mouse over said talent, we don't actually know what it does. I like to think it makes venom a delightful accent to any meal. But that's unlikely if you've ever actually eaten with a rogue. Head on over to Wowhead and take a gander at all the new talents at their talent calculator for Warlords of Draenor. With Celestalon tweeting about an upcoming flood of new information, you should probably keep an eye on it.
Vine gets an unofficial talent agency, helps you profit from six seconds of fame
Believe it or not, it's possible to to be a star within the six seconds of a Vine video -- just ask the likes of Riff Raff or Will Sasso, whose Vines are nearly as popular as their usual work. Social media guru Gary Vaynerchuk is starting up a talent agency, Grape Story, to make sure those celebs are getting paid in more than just likes. While Vaynerchuk isn't naming initial clients beyond co-founder Jerome Jarre, he expects the agency to be profitable enough that a wildly popular Vine user could make a living from posting 20 clips a year. There's also no word on when the agency will be open for business, although it already has a partnership lined up with Virgin Mobile. Just don't expect a rush toward Instagram videos -- for now, Grape Story is focused on the more established platform.
Why I Play: EVE Online
Sci-fi MMO EVE Online is possibly the most polarising online game in existence. It has some of the genre's most loyal fans and spawns some of its biggest news stories, but most people just can't stand the user interface and gameplay. It's been called boring, overcomplicated, and a griefer's paradise, but even those who don't play it often still watch from the sidelines as each insane story of theft or corruption emerges from the sandbox. Most games can only keep my attention for a few months at a time, but somehow I've played EVE for over eight and a half years. I've heard it said that EVE is a long-term commitment, a statement I find hard to argue with as at only 26 years old I've been playing EVE almost continuously for a third of my life. It's not just been a game to me; at times it's been a way of life, a refuge from stress, a way to stay in touch with friends, and even a place to learn skills that can apply to the real world. Thanks to Massively, my attachment to EVE has even grown from a hobby to a career in writing and games journalism. I've had numerous periods of low activity in EVE and even quit for months at a time, but something always brings me back to the world's biggest sci-fi sandbox. In this article, I look back at what drew me to EVE initially, some of the unusual factors that have kept me playing EVE over the past eight years, and the reason I'm still motivated to subscribe to this day.
Class guides and resources for Mists of Pandaria
In the interest of providing a fast, easy-to-use resource for every class, we've gathered up our favorite guides, best lists, and most relevant posts into a convenient list. Check back often, because we'll keep these resources up to date throughout the last days of the Cataclysm and deep into the Mists of Pandaria. Check back as we add more guides, more resources, and the best links. If your favorite is missing, we'll be adding it soon. Death knight Glyphs round-up (and more!) PvE frost knights in Mists of Pandaria PvE blood death knights Unholy death knights by Icy Veins Druid Cat and moonkin talent walk-through Cat and moonkin talent walk-through, part 2 Guardian druid enchants, mods, gems, and buff items Restoration druid enchants, mods, gems, and buff items Resto druids by Icy Veins Patch 5.0.4 for balance and feral druids Patch 5.0.4 for guardian and restoration druids Video guide for PvP Boomkin and more (warning: language)
Mac, iOS developer Acrylic joins Facebook design team
Sparrow isn't the only big Mac developer that's switched to a high profile project today. Mac and iOS shop Acrylic has been called away from its own projects, including the apps Pulp and Wallet, by Facebook. The company doesn't say exactly what they'll be working on, but presumably it'll be the Mac and iOS interfaces for the popular social network (which, let's be honest, can use all the help they can get). Acrylic's Dustin MacDonald says the matchup "was a natural fit." Facebook hasn't acquired any of Acrylic's projects, and those will remain available for download. Acrylic says it will post news of any updates or other work on its official blog, but helping design Facebook is probably a full-time job. Just like Sparrow, we're sorry to see a really great Mac/iOS developer move on from the projects we know and love, but we're also excited to see what work they can do on a bigger stage. [via MacStories.net]
Skill Mastery: Astral Shift
One of the early shaman survival cooldowns that you can get at level 15 is called Astral Shift. It isn't flashy or super awesome or anything. But an emergency damage reducer on a 2-minute cooldown could be just what you need to stay alive and continue DPSing (or healing). It doesn't reduce only magic damage. Nor does it reduce only physical damage. It reduces any damage! In case you feel two minutes is too long, you have some alternatives. Nature's Guardian is an effect that can kick in once every 30 seconds, which might potentially save you (although the next hit you take could be lethal). Stone Bulwark totem is another alternative that places a shield on you which refreshes and adds additional absorb amounts every five seconds after. The theme of the level 15 shaman talents revolves around survival and damage mitigation. Raiders may lean more toward Astral Shift, but I'm using the Stone Bulwark totem for the purposes of questing and leveling. It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
Raid Rx: Shamanism heading into Mists of Pandaria
Every week, Raid Rx will help you quarterback your healers to victory! Your host is Matt Low, the grand poohbah of World of Matticus and a founder of Plus Heal, a discussion community for healers of all experience levels and interests Catch his weekly podcast on healing, raiding and leading, the Matticast. After covering monks, priests, paladins, and druids, there is one class left to review: shaman. How are they going to fare entering Mists of Pandaria? Totems ... gone! Just kidding! They're not really gone. They've switched to more of a utility focus now. Looking at the entire list of totems available, not a single one provides any type of stat increase. Totems that provided passive buffs like Flametongue Totem, Mana Spring Totem, and Stoneskin Totem have been removed. Healing Stream took a nerf cannon to the face, now only affecting a player now instead of whole groups.
Mists of Pandaria Beta: Paladins get Ashbringer with new talent
Paladins, Ashbringer is yours -- well, for a short duration, at least. The level 75 paladin talent Holy Avenger, which is a cooldown that allows the player to gain 3 holy power when using an ability that generates holy power, now turns the paladin's weapon into the mighty Ashbringer for the duration of the spell. Paladins have been asking for iconic imagery in their sets and weapons for some time, with many paladins feeling left out or in an odd place when tier sets are designed around aspects of paladins in the game rather than the Alliance paladins of the traditional days. Ashbringer is about as traditionally paladin as you get. Paladins, congratulations on your badass graphics for Holy Avenger, especially with something so iconic as Ashbringer being part of your kit, so to speak. How cool is that? Blizzard has already given shaman the ability to transform into powerful ascendants, and now we see this cool new flavor for the paladin and brand new demons for the warlock. What will surprise us come next beta patch? It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
Mists of Pandaria: Priests get an optional Shadowfiend upgrade, Zoidberg approves
Getting tired of your Shadowfiend, priests? After having served us faithfully over multiple expansions, your Shadowfiend will be able to be talented into an upgraded Shadowfiend. Enter the Mindbender! The Mindbender is a floating, squid-like creature that'll leech mana off opponents just like the original Shadowfiend --not just that, but the Mindbender hits harder and you get more mana back. Mindbender can be talented into at level 45. (That spot used to be blank before.) At level 87, my little minion was doing around 12,000 damage with possible crits up to 30,000 against the raider training dummies while I was in a healing spec. Pretty cool facelift for the little guy! It'll be an interesting choice between Mindbender, Archangel, and From Darkness, Comes Light. Too bad we can't give these pets names. I'd name mine Zoidberg. It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
Mists of Pandaria: Monk talents revealed
Our friends over at WoWHead have compiled a working talent calculator with the monk talents. While one talent is missing (and is defined as "mystery talent"), it seems Blizzard is well on its way to finalizing the list of talents. Level 15 (Affects Roll) Intuition Celerity Momentum Level 30 (Affects Chi) Mystery Talent Ascendance Jiny'u Cider Level 45 (Affects crowd control) Deadly Reach Charging Ox Wave Leg Sweep Level 60 (Affects personal movement) Beguile Dematerialize Tiger's Lust Level 75 (Affects survival) Ring of Peace Rushing Jade Wind Chi Cocoon Level 90 (Damage and healing abilities) Chi Bind Chi Sphere Chi Torpedo While the talent list isn't set in stone, it's nice to at least have an idea of what types of spells and talents monks can choose. Now that the information is out, which talents do you plan on taking for your monk? Any guesses as to what the Mystery Talent might be? It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
All the World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria previews you can shake an empty fist at
In the wee hours of this morning, the press NDA for World of Warcraft's Mists of Pandaria expansion came tumbling down, and our sister site WoW Insider has a bounty of coverage to share. The much anticipated -- and much debated -- expansion is slated for release this year and will include a new continent, the Monk hero class, the Pandaren race, pet battles, a level cap increase, and a massive overhaul of the game's talent system. World of Warcraft players are undoubtedly fixated on the expansion, as January's 4.3 patch was announced to be the last major update to the game before MoP arrives. You can check out all of the juicy info squeezed from the press beta groves after the jump, including hands-on impressions and insights you won't find anywhere else!
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm post-mortem reflects on success, failure, and lessons learned
World of Warcraft's Cataclysm expansion is over a year old now, and Mists of Pandaria is looming just over the horizon, which means that it's time for a Cataclysm post-mortem. The infamous pony-promiser Greg "Ghostcrawler" Streets took some time out of his day to set aside the nerf bat and answer some questions regarding World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. What worked? What didn't? Where the hell is the dance studio, anyway? Just kidding, we still don't know that last one. One topic that's frequently revisited throughout the post-mortem is the talent system revamp. In a nutshell, Ghostcrawler says that the team (and the players) were largely pleased with the ability to choose a spec and gain powerful, useful skills right at level 10. What didn't work out as planned? "Everything else!" says Ghostcrawler. The team realized that "the talent tree model where you pick up tiny performance increases here and there (and where there's, mathematically, nearly always a 'right' answer and a 'wrong' answer) is not a great model." He goes on to add that Mists of Pandaria's talent system "should fix this problem once and for all." Well, third time's the charm, right guys? At any rate, there's more on the discussion table than just talents, so head over to the full article and see what lessons Cataclysm has taught the devs.
