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Massively does Geek Week: The top 10 most epic encounters in Guild Wars 2
As MMO players, we know all about being geeks; we're the geekiest video gamers around! Join in the fun today as we celebrate Google's Geek Week with a series of MMO-flavored videos to introduce fellow geeks to our favorite games: Guild Wars 2, SWTOR, The Secret World, and more! Guild Wars 2 is gorgeous. It's as simple as that. Even as it approaches the first anniversary of its launch, we still find ourselves gawking at the painterly landscapes and impressive character models. Lush environments, enormous world bosses, and breathtaking vistas are all accented by an emotionally gripping soundtrack in an immersive experience. To illustrate this, we've compiled a top 10 list of the most epic encounters in Guild Wars 2 based on its environments, animations, and sound design. Temporary content was off the table (with one big exception), so some fan favorites like Super Adventure Box, Molten Weapon Facility, and the Wintersday festivities weren't included. Enjoy our take on the most epic encounters in GW2 in celebration of Geek Week!
Inhabitat's Week in Green: solar supertrees, pee-powered plasma and a bug-eyed mantis shrimp with a serious right hook
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. It's been a big week for energy-efficient breakthroughs in the scientific community. Scientists at MIT developed a new type of textured nano surface that could reduce the thickness of silicon used in solar panels by more than 90 percent, bringing down the cost of photovoltaic technology. Meanwhile, in the land down under, researchers at the Australian National University are working on a pee-powered plasma thruster that could make deep space missions more feasible. Also this week, a team of engineers from MIT developed a new glucose fuel cell that runs on the same sugar that powers the human body and could be used for brain implants.
The best Steve Jobs Macworld Expo moments
Apple CEO and tech legend Steve Jobs doesn't present keynotes at Macworld Expo anymore, though he does occasionally rile crowds at WWDC and City Council meetings. Ranker, a website that publishes ranked lists of just about everything, has compiled a list of the top 10 Steve Jobs Macworld Expo moments. Each item on the list includes an accompanying video showing Steve at his best. Number one on the Ranker list is the 2007 Macworld Expo moment when Jobs introduced the iPhone to the world. That is my personal favorite -- I was in the audience and remember having the distinct feeling that the world was about to change. It was such a charged emotional moment that I ended up buying a Nitrozac painting of it that is on the wall in my office and at the top of this post. For those of you who have been Apple fans for a long, long time, what's your favorite Steve Jobs Macworld Expo moment? Leave a comment below.
10 apps you should install FIRST on your iPhone
You've taken the plunge and bought your first iPhone. You've activated your service with your local wireless carrier, connected and synced it with your main computer for the first time, and brought over as much music, photos, and videos as you can squeeze onto it. Maybe you've even played around with Apple's default apps a bit. "Now what?" you may be asking yourself. "I've heard about all the great apps that are available for the iPhone, but where do I start?" That's a very good question, and it's one that gets harder and harder to answer the more apps make their way into Apple's App Store. With hundreds of thousands of apps now available for the iPhone, it may seem overwhelming trying to sift through them all if this is your first few hours with an iPhone. Not to worry, because we've got you covered. We put our heads together and came up with a list of the apps you should install first on your brand-new, factory-fresh iPhone. Keeping in mind that people from all over the world use iPhones and read TUAW, we excluded from consideration any apps that don't have full international functionality. This meant leaving a number of very cool and useful apps out of consideration, but we wanted to make sure this is a list that applies to everyone, not just US or UK readers. We also kept this list pretty simple; if you're familiar with the way iTunes separates music collections into The Basics, Next Steps, and Deep Cuts, you'll see that we very much went for The Basics for this go-around. Click "Read More" to see the full list of recommended apps for first-time iPhone users and our rationale for choosing each one.
Adobe dominates Kaspersky Lab's top ten PC vulnerabilities list
Being number one is usually an honor, but not when it comes to Kaspersky Lab's top ten PC vulnerabilities list. Unfortunately for the software giant, Adobe took top dishonors for Q1 this year, pulling in five total spots on the list, including the top three. According to the security firm, all of the vulnerabilities appearing on the list allowed cyber-criminals to control computers at the system level. The number one spot was occupied by a vulnerability in Adobe Reader that was reportedly detected on 40 percent of machines running the application, while Flash Player flaws took second and third. Other dishonorees included the Java Virtual Machine, coming in at fourth and fifth place, Apple QuickTime, Winamp, and Microsoft Office. That ain't bad, considering Microsoft ruled the vulnerabilities roost in 2010.
Letterman lists 'Top Ten signs you've purchased a bad iPhone'
The iPhone's ongoing technical issues made it to David Letterman's Late Show last night, as he presented a "top ten signs you've purchased a bad iPhone." It's as funny as Letterman usually is -- I especially liked the Pop Tart one, and you even get a nice less-than-sincere apology to Larry King for a previous top ten inserted right in the middle there. I wonder what kind of cell phone, if any, Letterman carries around. The guy's not exactly technically inclined, and while the iPhone would probably appeal to him if he tried it (how could it not?), he might just be too much of a luddite to even bother. In other late night show host iPhone news, Conan also tweeted about the iPhone 4's reception issues -- apparently the design flaw in his iPhone is that "people get angry when I talk on it during a funeral." I wouldn't worry too much about that, though, Conan -- Apple will probably fix it in the next OS update.
Letterman's iPad top ten list doesn't go quite according to plan
Sure, David Letterman is rich, famous and apparently no slouch with the ladies... but he's not an iPad-savvy geek, as you can see here. During tonight's Late Show, he brought out an iPad with the top ten list shown ("Top Ten Questions To Ask Yourself Before Waiting In Line For The iPad") -- then proceeded to turn the iPad upside down, get frustrated with his inability to wake it from sleep mode, accidentally try to power it down, lick it (!), then he simply went ahead and read from his paper card. It's not clear how much of Letterman's frustration was feigned for comic effect, but it was a bit painful to see guest Sam Worthington place his coffee cup atop the iPad screen a few minutes later. Meanwhile, over on basic cable, Stephen Colbert showed the world how it's done (via Gawker). In addition to slicing veggies for a tangy salsa with his iPad, Colbert also got in a nice dig: "If you've already got an iPhone, a lot will be familiar to you on the iPad. The same touchscreen technology, the same apps... and just like the iPhone, you can't make calls with it." Oooh, burn. Update: Colbert video now embedded in the 2nd half of the post along with Letterman.
Nielsen stats: a lot of iPhones out there, but also a lot of everything else
Fact: most phones last. Thing is, for us (and likely many of you), they last far longer than our clinically-diagnosed Gadget Attention Deficit Disorder would ever tolerate -- but for your dad, your sister, your college buddy with the hand-me-down ZEOS Pantera running Windows 95, or anyone weary of re-upping a two-year commitment, a handset can easily become a serious long-term investment. That helps explain why Motorola's venerable RAZR series remains staggeringly high on Nielsen's latest US phone usage report -- third place, to be exact, at 2.3 percent of all subscribers behind the iPhone 3G at 4 percent and RIM's BlackBerry Curve line at 3.7 percent. Needless to say, that doesn't mean the ancient V3 line is still in third place for sales -- it's more a testament to the staggeringly huge RAZR user base Moto managed to develop over the years, many of whom scored their phones at sub-$100 price points as an attractive, midrange value in the phone's twilight and have no intention of upgrading any time soon if they don't have to. Maybe the most interesting part of this is that two V3 variants are also topping 2009's most-recycled list, so they're definitely getting taken out of circulation -- it just might take a few years yet before you don't know anyone that uses one, that's all.
AskMen's Top 10 Hottest Women in Tech
AskMen, IGN's online magazine for the XY chromosomatic, recently compiled a list of the ten most alluring tech-savvy ladies. Unsurprisingly, six of the ten women are current or former employees of G4TV, including Cheat's Kristen Holt (pictured above) and X-Play's Morgan Webb. PSP-licker-turned-journalist Jessica Chobot also ranks at number three.As a number of comments on the article have pointed out, there's a few noteworthy names missing from the list. Where is Jade Raymond, Assassin's Creed's delightful producer; or Layla Kayleigh, G4's pint-sized British news correspondent? Oooh, what about Old Grandma Hardcore, that saucy, foul-mouthed minx? We'd like to see just how "hardcore" she really is, if you know what we mean.
GamesRadar finds ten of the world's best gamers, you aren't one
Sorry, neither are you, Jimmy Woods. However, ten other virgins incredibly skilled gamers made it onto GamesRadar's "Ten of the godliest gamers" list, playing the games they've spent humbling portions of their lives mastering. From Street Fighter to Minesweeper, prepare to have your opinion of your own gaming skills blown to smithereens. Think you're good at Tetris? Can you play at the speed of light, with invisible blocks? We thought not.Forgive us if we glance at these videos with apprehension. Don't get us wrong, the list is impressive; we're just a little hurt that we weren't included. We don't mean to brag, but we used to know a thing or two about a little game called Pokemon Snap. We've been told that seeing our photo of a newly-evolved Charizard bursting from the depths of a volcano, skin glistening from the polish of magma, is like feeling your soul stir deep within your chest. Please, if you have a moment, let us show you them.
Breakfast Topic: Top ten WoW goals
Saturday was a memorable day for me. It was the day I hit 40 with my draenei priest, and was at last able to mount my Brown horse and ride off into the, uh, twilight. My goal had been accomplished, and it was time to shift gears. Saturday was also the day that I finished my first piece of my Spellfire set on my mage, another goal I had been working towards for more than a month. Having spent so long getting her to that point, I felt an odd sensation afterward. There was this emptiness where the drive to reach my goal had been. I thought to myself "why do I do now?" It took me a couple hours of contemplation to realize that my next goal should be to level my warlock, since she is already so close to 70 as it is. Now with a new difficult goal in mind (being that I tend to bounce from one character to another rather than focusing on one), I felt I had a gaming purpose as I set out to adventure in Azeroth. I'm not really sure if this is just something I do or if others organize their playtime like this. I have other goals, but not nearly as pressing. Now a while ago James wrote in about a forum post he encountered talking about a top ten list for goals in WoW. I am not sure I have a list of my own that goes to that extent. More like a top four list if anything. Do you have a top ten list of things you want to accomplish in the game? [via James]
Ten things we still love about Tiger
Whether you're disappointed or pleased at the four-month delay for Leopard, there's no question that the progress, or lack thereof, on Apple's next OS release has been big news. With all the focus on 10.5, it seems to me that we've lost sight of all the wonderful things about our current main squeeze... so here goes: the top ten things we still love about Tiger. #10: Still runs on the vintage hardware. Officially, Tiger installs on any Mac with built-in FireWire; unofficially, any machine with a G3 processor and adequate RAM will rock the casbah. I've seen happy campers on original Bondi iMacs and USB-only iBooks with Tiger, although most folks on low-end gear will need to disable Spotlight to get adequate performance. #9: iChat AV multiparty video. Sure, it requires hefty hardware, and the connection troubleshooting is more finicky than Morris the Cat. It's all worth it for that moment when the entire family (or the far-flung workgroup) pop up on the same screen in glorious H.264 -- and for a lot cheaper than previous videoconferencing options.
Carrie Underwood sets iTunes record
The question of Sanjaya's hair-styles aside, American Idol is a music phenomenon. Carrie Underwood's American Idol Gives Back recording of "I'll Stand by You" just became the first iTunes-exclusive track to debut in the Billboard Hot 100's Top 10 according to Country Standard Time. "I'll Stand By You" is set to appear at #6 on that top ten list for the week ending May 12th. Apparently there have only been six on-line releases to debut in the Top 10 and "I'll Stand By You" is "the only track to do so without having been serviced to radio for airplay", selling nearly 125 thousand copies since it debuted in late April. iTunes will donate net proceeds from "Idol Gives Back" singles and videos to the Charity Projects Entertainment Fund.
Live top ten: Sin City descends
Last week, Crackdown came on strong with bronze position on the Live top ten. Now it's swapped spots with Rainbow Six: Vegas as Call of Duty 3 continues to be just shy of the podium. GRAW 2's mulitplayer demo makes a return to take the Crackdown demo's position, which moved to 7th. Madden refuses to budge at sixth while Lost Planet and Oblivion get nudged to eighth and ninth, respectively. GRAW rounds out the bottom of the list while last, and obviously not least, Gears of War retains its top spot over all of Xbox Live-dom. Do you feel slightly confused? If so, our simple, yet eloquent list awaits your review after the break, complete with last weeks standings in parentheses.
DS snags two slots at top of '06 charts
It's always nice to be reminded that it's not just about us. Y'know, the hardcore devotees the folks who cackle over zany niche titles, when we're not busy whipping it good in something a little more mainstream. Awesome as we are, we're not the only ones who drive the DS market ... and the list of the bestselling games of 2006 (in the U.S.) serves as a great little reminder. The DS grabbed two of this year's top spots with New Super Mario Bros. and Brain Age, which took 2nd and 10th, respectively. Numero dos behind Madden '07 is a pretty big deal, and surely not all of the people who bought New Super Mario Bros. would consider themselves Nintendo fanfolk, and that's almost certainly true of Brain Age, as well. The DS may not be recognized as the top system in the U.S., but we're still in your lists, stealin' your slots. And, of course, that money.
Live top 10: Vegas terrorizes the charts
Last week, we were surprised to see Rainbow Six Vegas all the way down at #7 on the Xbox Live charts. Considering Vegas has more online options than most shooters out there, it was a little strange to see it so low on the list (even lower than the Superman demo). Well, someone at Ubisoft must have gotten their wings this week, because Vegas shot up to #3. It looks like all the people who played the demo (it was #8 last week) decided to go ahead and buy it. Congratulations, Mr. Clancy. Rounding out the top 5, Gears of War maintains the #1 spot, Call of Duty 3 takes #2 again, the Lost Planet multiplayer demo remains at #4, and Madden gains a rank to hit #5. As for the rest, Small Arms, so far enjoying a great run in the top 10, has fallen all they way to #10. Last week's Arcade release, RoboBlitz, debuts at #6. Call of Duty 2 moves up two spots to claim #7, as does Oblivion to claim #8, and finally, GRAW makes it back onto the list at #9. Below is the top 10 in a handy list format. Each title is followed by its position in last week's top ten.Xbox 360 Titles for the week of 12/4:1. Gears of War (#1)2. Call Of Duty 3 (#2)3. Rainbow Six Vegas (#7)4. LOST PLANET OnlineDemo (#4)5. Madden NFL 07 (#6)6. RoboBlitz (--)7. Call of Duty 2 (#9)8. Oblivion (#10)9. GRAW (--)10. Small Arms (#3)Are you helping to put these games on the list, or are you disconnecting from Xbox Live so you can play Viva Piñata without shame?
Live top ten: GOW is #1 yet again
Just two weeks ago, we found out that Gears of War had accomplished the impossible by knocking Halo 2 off of the number one Live spot. That lead held for a second week, and now it has solidified itself into the top spot yet again, three weeks running. Rounding out the rest of the top ten is an interesting mix. Call of Duty 3 rests comfortably at number two, Small Arms is in third (very impressive for an arcade title), while Rainbow Six Vegas -- a game teeming with online features -- lands all the way down at number seven. Curiously, there are three demos in the top ten, and if the Lost Planet demo is any indication of its future popularity -- it's in fourth place -- Capcom looks to have a hit on its hands. Meanwhile, the rest of the list is filled in with staples Madden (#6), Call of Duty 2 (#9), and Oblivion (#10).Xbox 360 Titles for the week of 11/27:1 Gears of War2 Call Of Duty 33 Small Arms4 LOST PLANET OnlineDemo5 SUPERMAN DEMO6 Madden NFL 077 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas8 Rainbow Six Vegas Multi Player Demo9 Call of Duty 210 OblivionSo, are you rocking any of these games, or are you one of the guys still playing Counter-Strike on the original Xbox?[Thanks, un1qu3 n3wy0rk]
Top 10 awful achievements
Let's face it, some 360 achievements are pretty difficult to get. Others are pretty easy. However, there are some that are too easy or too hard. And of course there are those that are just stupid (here's looking at you Kong). GamersReports has taken our distaste for crappy achievements and combined them with our love of easily digestible lists of information. The product of this peanut butter/chocolate creation? A top ten list of the worst achievements on the Xbox 360, of course! Even better, Joystiq went to the trouble of recreating this list, which we will delicately lift for our own personal gain. It's the American way. Behold: Mini-Games (Enter the Mini-Games mode); Madden 2007 Pyromaniac (Jack used fire to scare off enemies and get out of harm's way); King Kong The Graduate (Earn the highest score on every drill in Training Mode); Rockstar Table Tennis Tactical Instructor (Top marks in every Story Mode mission); Chromehounds Play Some Online (Compete in each of the online game modes at least once); Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006 Food Bank; Feeding Frenzy Game Master (Finish the entire game without continuing while using default settings); Smash TV Complete 99 Stages (standard mode); Bomberman: Act Zero Transmissionary (Answer all calls from Otis); Dead Rising World Champion (Multiplayer: Climb to the top of the universal leaderboard); GRAW Do you agree with this list? Any others you'd care to throw up there?[Via Joystiq]
Macintosh intro one of the top 10 best presentations ever
We all know that his Steveness is a master showman. His patented Reality Distortion Field often gets people to take out their wallets before he has even uncovered whatever product he is showing off. That is why it should come as no surprise that his 1984 keynote, introducing the Macintosh, made this top ten list of presentations. Martin Luther King Jr also made the list, so Steve isn't in bad company.Dear TUAW'ers, I thought it would be fun to ask you what your favorite Stevenote was. I have to pick the 2006 MWSF Stevenote, since that was the first one that I saw in person. How about you?[via iFlipFlop]
10 ways to pimp your MacBook
Our friends at Uncrate have put together a list of ten things that every MacBook user should have. The list covers everything from RAM (don't kid yourself, you need 2 gigs) to a few different cases that are both fashionable and attractive (much like me).On a related note, I would like to ask the world to please stop using the word 'pimp' in various contexts. It is so last year, people, and I think we can do better.
