valentines
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Spotify will make a playlist out of your Valentine's love note
Back in the day, people had to painstakingly make carefully curated mixtapes for the apple of their eyes. Then we all moved on to making playlists. Now, Spotify is making it even easier for bashful, lovestruck folks to send V-day messages to their crushes. See, all you've got to do is visit the Love Notes portal, choose a color scheme from cool (blues) to hot (reds) and pick three music genres. When you type in a message, the website automatically makes a playlist using songs that begin with the letters you use.
Valentine's Day around the virtual world
Do you hear the chirping of songbirds in love? Do you see the flirtacious glance that cute Orc is giving you from across the battlefiend? Do you smell the flowers of romance in bloom all around you? If so, man, you've got it bad. Fortunately for those suffering from VDAS -- Valentine's Day Addiction Syndrome -- plenty of MMOs are on hand to provide you with a temporary fix until you get proper medication and are carted away to a professional love care facility. It may not be the biggest of holidays in the virtual world, but when love arrives in February, it cannot be denied. And who knows for you single folk? The man, woman, or one-eyed Gnome of your dreams might just stumble over you on this fine day! Read on as we sum up some of the larger Valentine's events in MMOs today.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: solar tulip, new discovered molecule and a colossal statue of Coca Cola crates
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. The big news that had the world of green transportation buzzing this week was Tesla's unveil of its brand new Model X luxury car and we also saw the blazing fast Lightning GT EV hit the track for the first time. We also shined light on the futuristic solar-powered SPV car while Mitsubishi's i-MIEV electric car stole the greenest vehicle title from the Honda Civic and the Boulder EV became the first electric truck capable of hitting 70 mph. We were also excited to announce that San Francisco is set to launch its electric bike sharing program, French cyclists won the controversial right to run red traffic lights, and Volkswagen unveiled its Think Blue Beetle, which is made from 2,805 pieces of recycled trash.Energy news sent shock waves around the world this week as Inhabitat reported that the US approved its first nuclear power plants in 30 years and the temperature of Japan's damaged Fukushima nuclear plant suddenly soared up to 45 degrees celsius. We also saw an energy-generating "Solar Tulip" power tower spring up in Spain, and a 10-year-old girl discovered a new molecule that stands to improve energy storage. Meanwhile, we brought you the scoop on the world's next tallest skyscraper in Azerbaijan and industrial giant AAB announced plans for a worldwide electric vehicle charging network.In recycled design news, we saw a colossal statue made from 4,200 Coca Cola crates rise up over Cape Town and we shared a set of larger than life beasts made from recycled motorcycle parts. We also brought you a brilliant line of lamps made from recycled e-waste and a set of LEGO-like Earth Blocks made from coffee beans and tea chaff. Last but not least, we showcased an electronic suit that treats nerve disorders, and since Valentine's day is on the way we took a look at BIG's interactive LED heart sculpture in NYC, 6 adorable DIY cards, and 6 simple DIY V-Day gifts.
City of Heroes asks, 'Will you be my super-Valentine?'
It's hard to believe that it's already February and that spring is now within striking distance. City of Heroes feels the season coming on strong, which is why it's bringing back its Spring Fling holiday event from February 8th through the 27th. The event this year will be a mix of the old and the new. Returning from the past are tangles with Arachnos, quests to fetch underwear for Eros, and a smackdown of Snaptooth. New for the 2012 season are a couple of additional missions for the restless hopeless romantic in all of us -- Widow in Red and Valentines -- with accompanying badges. The former quest will have players looking into the love life of Lord Recluse (Match.com has no entry for "super-villain," much to his dismay), while the latter will send heroes all across the game world looking for valentines to deliver or redirect. The Valentines missions reward players with temporary powers such as Arrows of Romance and Arrows of Jealousy.
AMD can't even get through Valentine's Day without knocking Intel
Oh AMD, is no corporate-mandated, decidedly commercialist holiday sacred to you? While we were all snuggling with our snookums and/or cooing to our cohorts the marketing team at Advanced Micro Devices was shipping out something a little bit nasty -- and not in the "go get the fuzzy handcuffs" kind of nasty. The company sent out a mug of chocolates that, on the front, says "I ♥ APU," referencing the Fusion platform that's recently powered the HP Pavilion dm1z and Lenovo Thinkpad x120e to solid reviews. Sadly, that wasn't enough, as the note started like this: I heard that Sandy B. broke your heart and wanted to let you know that I'm here for you. Oh, and I have a cousin from Llano, Texas I'd like to introduce you to soon--I think you two will really hit it off! XOXO, AMD Fusion APU Cute, AMD. And here we thought maybe you and Intel had finally made up.
The Daily Grind: Have you ever gone on a date in an MMO?
Fight it, avoid it or embrace it, Valentine's Day is almost here, and you know what that means: Well-meaning bloggers are going to pry into your love life! Just giving you the heads-up for the next paragraph. When our thoughts turn to sweethearts and romance, it's only natural for us gamers to incorporate our hobby into our love lives. Ew, not like that! Never like that! Put that away! I meant that MMOs can be just as much of a venue for flirting, relationships and courting as anywhere else, so it stands to reason that a segment of Massively readers have done just that. So have you ever gone on a date in an MMO, and if so, what happened? Did you map out an evening of adventurous delights, or simply play together as nature and MMO studios intended? And if you haven't gone on an in-game date, what do you envision being a fun way to spend time with a romantic interest? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Night of Murder brings holiday butchering to Warhammer Online
It's hard to deny that Warhammer Online takes place in the most metal universe anywhere. That becomes especially clear during the Valentine's Day event in the game, which features absolutely no affection between characters but a great deal of rampaging bloodlust. The Night of Murder event is upon players once again, giving everyone an in-game opportunity to completely bypass the usual plethora of chocolates and cards in favor of battleaxes and bloody vengeance. Running from February 8th until the 22nd, the event is a celebration of Khaine, during which even the forces of Order wind up drifting close to the chaotic side. Players taking part can net a variety of rewards, including the quite desirable Butcher's Blessing buff, which increases both Experience and Renown gains by 10% for three in-game days. Hop in now to enjoy Warhammer Online's senseless slaughter, which includes nearly as many hearts as the usual take on the celebration (except that the usual holiday involves those hearts remaining within the ribcage).
Reminder: Love is in the Air ends tonight
Love is in the Air ends just before midnight server time tonight. Which means that today is your last day to get your Love Fool title and to try for the naughty, naughty Big Love Rocket Mount. This is also your last chance to: Go take a ride on a love boat in Stormwind City or The Undercity. Have a drunken fling with Jeremiah Payson. Gorge yourself on chocolates. Get yourself a Lovely Black Dress. Share a chocolate treat at a romantic picnic with a friend. Warning: sometimes events end a little bit before the time in the calendar, so don't wait until the very last minute to get everything you want done. Please see our Guide to Love is in the Air for all of the activities to do before the holiday ends.
It came from the Blog: Love is in the Blog snapshots
We had the loveliest time last Saturday at the Love is in the Blog event. First, many of the WoW.com staff mingled with the guildies at the court fountain in Silvermoon City. Then we ran around and did Love is in the Air quests. The staffers that showed up were: Elizabeth Harper Michael Sacco Lisa Poisso Allison Robert Matthew Rossi Chase Christian Christian Belt Rich Maloy Dawn Moore Anne Stickney Fox Van Allen Amy Schley Basil Berntsen Robin Torres (That's me!) It was such a success, that we plan on holding a mixer before the Lunar Festival event as well. Details for that coming soon. In the meantime, please enjoy the annotated snapshots in the gallery: %Gallery-85590%
The Daily Quest: Love Is in the Air
We here at WoW.com are on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we ought to follow? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! Are you a Fool for Love? For today TDQ is, because we're talking about the Love Is in the Air holiday events, which are live until the 20th, giving you a few more days to get involved -- if that's your thing. And if it's not, well, never fear! The Lunar Festival has already begun, so there's no shortage of things to do in Azeroth just now. Not sure where to get started? The WoW blogoshphere (is that even a word?) has you covered: WoW.com has a Love Is in the Air FAQ, a guide for casual players, a guide for all players, and an overview of the holiday bosses in Shadowfang Keep. The Fluid Druid has a Fool for Love achievement guide. Righteous Defense talks about farming Lovely Charms as a prot paladin. Phyllixia explains the excellent raid buffs to be had from doing the right dailies. Escapist Scrawl ponders what to get your in-game sweetheart for the holiday and shares a romantic Undercity moment. At Critical QQ, Euripedes is amused by the ease of gathering Lovely Charms. Check out WoWWiki's Love Is in the Air write-up. Look up the holiday's achievements on Wowhead. And in case all of the above is too virtual to catch your interest, perhaps the latest offering from J!NX may strike your fancy.
Reminder: Love is in the Blog event today
Today! Mix with the WoW.com staff! Then do Love is in the Air quests! Do it!: When: 5:30pm EST (2:30pm PST, 3:30pm realm time) Saturday, February 13 2010 (Show up at 5pm EST for the Meet and Greet) Where: Court of the Sun fountain, Silvermoon City Zangarmarsh U.S. Who: Any Horde character, any level. What: Love is in the Air daily quests. How: Ask Robinator, Robiness or any It came from the Blog Lurker or above for an invite to the guild. I am so excited about the Meet and Greet. Many, many of my fellow WoW.com staffers have said they will be there sometime during the pre-event mixer. We'll be hanging out by the fountain in the Court of the Sun, Silvermoon City until 5:30pm. Then we'll start the Love is in the Blog event proper. Unlike many of our events, lower level characters may have more fun than higher ones, so there's no need to get a DK up before the event this time. If you have any other questions about It came from the Blog, please see our FAQ. Be there!
WoW, Casually: Casual guide to Love is in the Air
Robin Torres writes WoW, Casually for the player with limited playtime. Of course, you people with lots of playtime can read this too, but you may get annoyed by the fact that we are unashamed, even proud, of the fact that beating WoW isn't our highest priority. Take solace in the fact that your gear is better than ours, but if that doesn't work, remember that we outnumber you. Not that that's a threat, after all, we don't have time to do anything about it. But if WoW were a democracy, we'd win. Love is very much in the air and the complete revamp of this holiday is good news for those of us with limited playtime. Me: Wait, wait, wait, wait. Didn't we say we were going to talk about PvP this week? I: They changed the holiday drastically. It's more timely. Myself: Holidays are fun! Whether you have an 80 or are just leveling, there are a lot of benefits to spending a part of your play session completing the Love is in the Air quests. Of course, if you are into achievements and titles, you are already doing this -- if you didn't get your title last year. But there are quite a few other reasons for casual players to participate in this particular event:
Fallen Earth developers want you to be their valentine
Assuming the Prairie Chickens, scavengers, and warring factions don't get you, the Grand Canyon of Fallen Earth is a pretty romantic place. And the wide open spaces give a real sense of of inspiration, even if they just inspire you to get down behind cover before you test your clone's survival ratio against buckshot. So it makes perfect sense to compose a poem in the vein of Valentine's Day, and send it to some of the people closest to your heart in the wasteland... the game's developers. From now until the end of February 14th, there's a thread on the official Fallen Earth forums for players to submit their most original and interesting wasteland-inspired love poetry. Three winners will be chosen on the 15th, based on the quality and originality of each entry, and will be rewarded with a t-shirt and special valentines directly from the development team. But even if that doesn't warm your heart, they've even given out an early gift of affection through a special discount when you purchase the game in the official store. Ain't love grand?
It came from the Blog: Love is in the Blog
Love is in the air and that means it's time for another It came from the Blog get-together: When: 5:30pm EST (2:30pm PST, 3:30pm realm time) Saturday, February 13 2010 (Show up at 5pm EST for the Meet and Greet) Where: Court of the Sun fountain, Silvermoon City Zangarmarsh U.S. Who: Any Horde character, any level. What: Love is in the Air daily quests. How: Ask Robinator, Robiness or any It came from the Blog Lurker or above for an invite to the guild. As you can see, we are also going to be having a pre-event mixer. Many of our bloggers will be showing up for a meet and greet a half an hour before the event. They will be chatting with readers and posing for photos to be posted on the site. So show up early if you wish to hangout with some of the WoW.com staff. If you have any questions about It came from the Blog, like why Horde or why U.S., please see our FAQ. We hope to see you there!
Love is in the air in your favorite MMOs
Love is in the air in World of Warcraft and the event has completely changed this year over previous years. WoW.com has the latest on this Valentine's Day-themed event. Fool for Love Achievement: If you are into holiday achievements, the Overachiever guide has all of the details. Love is in the air FAQ: Answers any event questions you may have. New Boss Loot: The list of the loot from the three new bosses. Naughty, naughty loot. But WoW is not the only MMO that has an event going on now or soon: Spring Fling in City of Heroes City of Heroes also has a Secret Admirer's contest A chocolate related Valentine's event begins Tuesday in 4Story. Valentione's Day in Final Fantasy XI Lover's Jubilee in Lineage II MapleStory has become a world of romance. Double experience next weekend for Aion. Valentine's Day UStream event for all SOE games on Friday, February 12th, which includes EverQuest, EverQuest II, Free Realms, Planetside, and Star Wars Galaxies. Which MMO do you think does this romantic holiday best?
WoW Moviewatch: Demachic: Lonely Valentine
Demachic posted Demachic: Lonely Valentine on Warcraftmovies.com yesterday. I would have loved to see it during the Love is in the Air in-game event, but hey -- I'll take what I can get. It is a short, dialogue-less story about a gnome seeking true love, and the artillery she builds to obtain that love.I have to admit that I actually thought to myself, in actual words, "Oh my god, so cute!" This video really is cute. It captures all the bittersweet and totally-saccharin flavors of Valentine's Day. It's got a little hopefulness, a little despair to counter, and a whole lot of wistful, wishful romance. And, it's got a totally adorable gnome to drive home the cute-puppy-love angle.The movie is created without any spoken or subtitled words. I actually really like that, since it encourages the audience to create and interpret their own story for on-screen events. It works great, and the musical selection matches the overall mood of the video. Great job, Demachic!If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ..
Left 4 Dead Valentine's cards over here!
Nothing says, "Love me forever," like a Valentine's card depicting a vomiting Boomer, a tongue-twisted Smoker or a weeping Witch from Valve's cooperative shooter, Left 4 Dead. Keyword there is "cooperative." Valentine artist beavotron posted a handful of Left 4 Dead themed cards over on the Penny Arcade forums, allowing anyone to print and give them to a (real or imaginative) significant other. Just know that if your lover doesn't accept the zombified sign of love, your relationship just wasn't meant to survive.[Via Aeropause]
Mythic hinting at possible 'Death Night' live event in February?
Another round of mysterious packages have been sent to the Warhammer Online blogging community, but this time it's not about additional classes -- oh no, this time it's personal. As in it's something of a personal ad sent by those blood-obsessed individuals known as Witch Elves. Rainbow MMO was the lucky recipient of this not-so-subtle hint at something happening in the second week of February, and of course it didn't take long for others to get in on the action as well.The prominent guess by the fellows over at Wizards & Wenches is all of this is related to an official Dark Elf holiday called Death Night. This would be an evening where Witch Elves go crazy, pulling anyone off the street and sacrificing them to their dark god. Some of these crazed death-worshipers even go so far as to raid people's homes, which is why many Dark Elves board up their doors and windows in fear of being witch-napped.Assuming this is landing on Valentines day (second week in February) and that Mythic is all about embracing the horror and "awesomosity" of the Warhammer IP, we'd wager that the Death Night guess is a pretty good bet. WAR has gone 1.1! Check out our full coverage of the 1.1a patch, along with our interviews exploring upcoming content and the open RvR changes. Plus, don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
Love no longer in the Air
Our hearts may return to their regularly scheduled descent into blackness, Azeroth is leaving Valentine's Day behind today. At least, that's what the calendar says.I hope everyone received all they had hoped for in WoW during this event, or you're in for a mighty long wait to try again. I personally received a number of scandalous dresses and fancy baskets over the course of the last few days. I don't have much to complain about this time around, except for the fact that it is always a little disappointing when one of Azeroth's many holidays comes to a close.Even if the Valentine's Day holiday is quite fun in WoW, I still have a habit of wondering what could have been done better for any given event. I think it would have been great if voting for your favorite faction leader actually worked, and had some sort of effect. For example, if Tyrande winning for the day gave those that voted for her a buff. "Tyrande's Thanks" or "Sylvanas' Satisfaction" or somesuch. Even if it didn't do anything, having the buff would be really fun. Of course, I'm a big supporter of spells having extra sparkles just for the sake of having sparkles, so maybe only I would be interested in that. After all, Prayer of Mending turning into a laser gun kept me from quitting my priest early on in The Burning Crusade. Love is in the Air and on WoW Insider. Check out our continuing coverage of the event and our guide to earning the achievement. And you better hurry; the holiday only lasts five days!
Cinemassively: Here Without You
One of the best machinimas created in World of Warcraft was actually made almost three years ago, and still lives on in machinimators today. With over 20,000 videos uploaded to Warcraftmovies, Here Without You, by Dimoroc, was one of the first 1200. Many filmmakers have since tried to replicate the raw emotion evoked in this video, but few have succeeded.Here Without You centers around the origin of a Forsaken, from how he came to be, to how he's haunted by his past. Using only music and interactions, instead of dialogue, Dimoroc was able to create a moving display of love. After posting this video, he disappeared, which is a real shame, because he helped pave the way for so many talented machinimators after him.[Via Warcraftmovies.com]
