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Recommended Reading: Building a life in 'World of Warcraft'
My disabled son's amazing gaming life in the 'World of Warcraft' Vicky Schaubert, BBC News This is an amazing story from parents about their son who suffered from a rare degenerative muscular disorder. After his passing, they discovered that Mats had lived a full life through video games. He made friends all over Europe in the process, rather than being confined to an isolated existence due to his medical condition.
Aaron Sorkin says it's time for a 'Social Network' sequel
Aaron Sorkin is ready for a follow-up to his Facebook origin movie, The Social Network. And he's not the only one: the film's producer Scott Rudin has also sounded off on a possible sequel, Sorkin told the Associated Press.
Native Facebook app for Android is in the final phases of internal testing
Remember when Mark Zuckerberg said that Facebook's HTML5 Android app was a mistake? Well, one of our tipsters, embedded deep inside the Social Network, has let us know that the native version for Google's mobile OS has entered final testing. As such, it won't be long before the software is ready for consumption by the public at large, give or take an angry Winklevii or two. [Thanks, Anonymous]
Tencent reveals how it gets users to pay for its service
We've all seen those "OMG! Don't make us pay for Facebook" fake petitions, but App.net and The Social Network raise questions about how our social services raise their moolah. Tencent's Sophia Ong has revealed that it's in the unique position of having users happy to pay for services that we take for granted. While signups for QZone (Facebook equivalent) is free, users have to use QBs, the site's virtual currency, to buy and clothe their avatars. While 1 QB = 1 yuan ($0.16), there are 30 million paying customers on the site -- meaning that the company can count on around $50 million in monthly payments. It's not stopping there either, sensing a slowdown in the local economy, the company has an eye on opening up its eCommerce platform to ensure it can continue to rake in the cash.
February 14th is Valen... Angry Birds day
Forget poking: from February 14th, show you love someone by flinging a mis-tempered avian toward them. It's Valentines Day that Angry Birds will finally arrive on the ubiquitous social network -- just in time to ensure half the coupled population of the world misses its dinner reservation, in order to get past one more level. The basic game will be free, but upgrades like the Mighty Eagle, double-sized birds, an earthquake weapon and a max-strength catapult will cost you. It'll be launched in Jakarta around the same time you offer up that heart-shaped box of chocolates, so if you want to ensure the day remains romantic, we'd suggest waiting until the 15th before installing.
Facebook Messenger for Windows is seemingly en route, Like it or not
He's got your personal data, relationship status and those pictures from last night -- now Mr. Zuckerberg is aiming for a share of your desktop, too. Facebook has released a desktop messenger client for Windows 7 that brings you access to the site's chat, ticker feed and notifications without everyone in the office spotting the blue-bar-of-lost-productivity across the top of your browser. It's currently in limited beta, so there's still time to build a rival client -- maybe with some support from the Winklevii?
Mark Zuckerberg meets the fake Mark Zuckerbergs on Saturday Night Live (video)
Mark Zuckerberg, the man who invented poking and the subject of a major motion picture in 2010 just met his nemeses on the set of Saturday Night Live. No, not the Winklevoss twins, we're talking Jesse Eisenberg, the man nominated for an Academy Award after playing Zuckerberg in The Social Network. Toss in Andy Samberg and we've got a comically uncomfortable situation from Web 2.0's very personification of awkward. All hail the Zuck Bergs!
Sony schedules The Social Network Blu-ray for release January 11, 2011
After an impressive run in theaters and a recent slew of year end awards, it's no surprise Sony Pictures has quickly scheduled the release of The Social Network on Blu-ray for January 11, 2011. The two disc set includes extras like a commentary with director David Fincher, another with writer Aaron Sorkin and the cast, a documentary about the making of the movie and more. Of course, we think they really might be missing out if there's not some sort of BD-Live powered Facebook checkin included, but that's just us.
