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Author taps out 384-page book using mobile
We're usually pretty proud when we're able to crank out a few emails -- or mediate a discussion gone wrong in the comment section -- on our morning commute. Italian author Robert Burnocco has us trumped in style by actually using T9 and his mobile to cobble together a 384-page book in just 17 weeks. He was inspired to write his mobile opus, Compagni di Viaggio (Travelling companion) on the bus as apparently "In public transport, I realized that my imagination was productive and that the ideas abounded." We aren't sure what the buses are like in Italy, but we are usually just surrounded by lunatics and screaming schoolkids on our morning ride, hardly a top spot for creative endeavors.[Via textually.org]
Art Lebedev's Finger Folder flash drive
We know, either you're waiting impatiently for December to roll around or figuring out odd jobs to raise upwards of $1,500, but here's a gem from Art that'll take your mind off (momentarily, at least) that other creation. The Finger Folder flash drive describes itself fairly well without any help from us, as the brilliantly simplistic USB drive resides in a manila folder that you're free to label at will. Sure, you could get all fancy and buy a drive with a programmable BCD, but there's just something magical about doing things the old way.[Thanks, Mike I.]
'Dear Diary: Today I went to the wrong castle again.'
Every day, someone makes an adorable video game artifact to make his or her daily life slightly nerdier, out of nothing but love for the games. Meanwhile, all we do is hang around here and talk endlessly about Pokemans and pseudo-pornographic witch-touchery. This Mario journal was made from the outer cover of a hardbound book, covered with corduroy. Each teensy felt pixel of the Mario sprite was then stitched on by hand. We considered trying this ourselves, but we remembered where all of our writing goes, and we don't want to make a cover big enough to fit over the Internet.[Via Wonderland]
Warcraft comic book free to read online
The Warcraft universe is constantly expanding. Trading card games, sound tracks and board games abound. It seems we can't get enough of Azeroth online or off. Blizzard has tried to meet this growing demand is by creating a series of fiction novels and comic books. One of those endeavors is a Korean manga title, Dragon Hunt, the first novel in the Sunwell Trilogy that was published last year.Now, our friends over at the WoW Europe official site have made Dragon Hunt available to read online for free! Every week they are putting up a new chapter. So far there are three chapters to read and I already can't get enough. Head on over, check it out and tell us what you think.
Conceptual Flexi PDA boasts rubber hinges, flexible display
Just as Dell calls it quits on the PDA market and flexible displays become more and more common, it makes sense to see a concept device that takes advantage of both opportunities. The Flexi PDA, although still stuck on the drawing board, would present a rubber hinged handheld that could fold open much like a book, giving users a device that's a bit smaller and deeper than current alternatives. Additionally, the casing could easily be ruggedized in order to add water, dust, and shock proofing abilities for those with less delicate work spaces. As expected, this novelty would also pack a QWERTY keyboard, double as a cellphone, and triple as a media player should it ever hit the market, but for now we'll just have to settle with the above picture and a faint hint of hope.
Capcom releases Japanese textbook about video games
Capcom has published an educational textbook in Japan called "Secrets of video games" to teach children about the games industry and culture. (Our zany Google translation of the book's title from Capcom's press release called it "May be the Gakken cartoon the [hi] of the series video game which is understood to see.")The textbook, presented in Manga form, is part of gakken's series of books aimed at teaching children complicated topics in a simple manner (i.e. comics). According to a translation by Canned Dogs, the book teaches children "the things that a game creator does, the development process in creating a game, how games affect the brain, and also how economically competitive the game industry is.""Secrets of video games" was distributed to 24,000 primary schools and 2,700 public libraries in Japan.[Via DS Fanboy]
Capcom releases textbook about video games
Here's an interesting break from the educational training games: an educational book about games. Secrets of Video Games is a textbook about the game industry, written in manga format and sent to libraries and primary schools. Unlike the video game books we grew up with, this textbook covers serious subjects like the business of the game industry. It's being published by Capcom, who has dabbled in the game industry somewhat. This should help prepare a generation of Japanese children to obsess over sales numbers on NeoGAF.[Via Canned Dogs]
Prototype Philips remote control mimics a book
Although Chen Hung Ming's Book Style remote control isn't the first gizmo to mimic pages of the past, this prototype device adds a whole new meaning to flipping through the channels. Reportedly crafted for a short-term Philips project, Ming set out to construct a remote that was "perfect for everyone," had a simplistic interface scheme, and would appeal to a broad group of ages. Still, we can't imagine that this "universal" remote would be any easier to program that the internet-savvy controllers that are already available, but the clever colored tabs are indeed a thoughtful inclusion when considering the elderly. Of course, we've no idea if Philips (or anyone else, for that matter) plans on commercialization the design, but click on through for another glimpse anyway.[Via YankoDesign]
Halo novel now in even cheaper paperback
Now you can pretend you can read for cheap. Ghosts of Onyx, set in the universe of the frightfully popular Halo first-person shooter game, is finally available as a $7.95 paperback. For your enjoyment, we have obtained the following promotional excerpt from the novel."Pew! Pew! The Halo guy shot his pistol at the other Halo guy. He changed weapons to the rocket launcher. He changed weapons to the sniper rifle. He changed weapons to the pistol. He changed weapons back to the sniper rifle. Pew! Pew! The Halo guy killed the other Halo guy. Now there were some more Halo guys coming toward him. Pew! Pew!"[via Xbox360Fanboy]
Moon Books moves
Remember Moon Books? It seems they've gotten pretty popular, since mastermind Brandon is in the process of upgrading to an expansive new site. Since we first reported on the project, several new titles have been added for use with the homebrew text viewer; no matter your pleasure, from Herodotus to T.S. Eliot, if you're a litgeek, this is some of the best stuff the homebrew scene has to offer. For now, it looks like most of those archives are on the old site, but we expect they'll be moved over directly. If there's a title you'd like to request, or if you have questions about Moon Books, it's probably a good time to ask, before the spankin' new forums get cluttered.
Learn character modeling from Gears expert
Epic Games' own character modeling maven Kevin Lanning lent his knowledge to a new book that is coming out entitled d'artiste: Character Modeling 2. Inside its pages Lanning and two other talented modelers give tips on how to create flawless high poly and low poly models including pictures along the way. It's extremely interesting to see how much work, the amount of detail, and how much talent and effort goes into each character model. After looking through a few of the pages we'd love to get a copy strictly for Lanning's Gears modeling artwork ... it's that pretty! Head on over to the website, take a peek at a few of the pages, and if you feel the urge plop down $55 for a copy. And, as always, we would never turn away free gifts from our loyal (or not so loyal) readers.
Sci-fi author tackling Assassin's Creed books
Pro-G reports that a trilogy of Assassin's Creed books are to be written by best selling science fiction author, Steven Barnes. The first book is a prequel to the game and is set to release in October. The books will center on the backstory of the game's main character, Altair. Having written for television series such as The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, Barnes seems like a natural choice (360 Fanboy readers will remember the recently leaked info that Assassin's Creed actually has a science fiction plot). We're curious to see how many of the game's sci-fi elements make it into the books.So, will you be picking up the books, or will you be saving your scratch for the game?[Via Game Stooge]
TextMate: Power Editing for the Mac
Some people balk at the idea of paying for a text editor. 'Doesn't OS X ship with a pretty good text editor called TextEdit,' they say. That is very true, but if you make your living creating text documents (whether they be code, blog posts, or content of some other kind) TextEdit just won't cut it.Enter TUAW favorite TextMate. This program is the swiss army knife of text processing. It includes a number of features that make coding and writing a breeze. It is a complex application, and as such the learning curve can be a little steep. The Pragmatic Programmers latest effort, 'TextMate Power Editing for the Mac,' hopes to turn you into a TextMate pro. Author James Edward Gray II shows the reader the ins and outs of TextMate, and teaches you how to get the most out of this great app.'TextMate Power Editing for the Mac' is available now. The physical book costs $29.95, the PDF version costs $20, and you can grab both for $37.45.
Mass Effect prequel novel announced
Mass Effect lead writer Drew Karpyshyn has been working overtime, penning two novels that will tie into the Xbox 360 action-RPG trilogy. The first, Mass Effect: Revelation, is described as a prequel novel following Alliance Commander David Anderson as he uncovers a "sinister conspiracy" that spans a galaxy of uncharted worlds. Ooh, nothing like a lil' cliché sci-fi lit to get you in the mood...The Mass Effect novels will be published by Del Rey, an imprint of Random House. Revelation is due in May, followed by the second book Mass Effect: Revolution (TBD).
Hotel Dusk gets European release date
The "interactive novel" Hotel Dusk: Room 215 has been swimming its way around the United States for over a week now, bringing people back to their roots with gritty, film noir style. But, alas, we cannot forget our comrades on the other side of that large, salty blue thing. Europeans, get ready from some pencil-sketch, because Hotel Dusk is dropping on April 13th.The game has created quite a bit of controversy over whether or not its even a "game", per se, but our experiences with it so far have been rock solid. Though we won't be compiling a full review on the game (at least for quite awhile), Hotel Dusk receives a solid recommendation based on dialogue, graphical style, and originality. Americans and Europeans alike, give it a run for your money.
Polymer Vision's Readius rollable display gets face time
Talk about a long time coming, as what is now Polymer Vision has seemed to finally put all the pieces together and produce an actual working product from the idea envisioned by Philips around two years ago. We knew the spinoff was looking to commercialize the product later this year, but after nearly 24 months of coming up empty, a bit of understandable skepticism begins to seep through. Nevertheless, the firm's rollable, pocket-friendly "Cellular-Book" was out and showing its stuff at 3GSM, proving that there's at least something there to put on store shelves. Although the unit on display was indeed a standalone device -- sporting 16 shades of grey, USB, "10-days" of battery life, 4GB of internal storage, and GPRS, EDGE, and DVB-H connectivity just like we'd heard -- Polymer Vision is actually hoping to integrate its e-paper technology into mobile handset displays in the near future. Sadly, there still didn't seem to be any hints of a release date for the nifty pocket reader, but be sure to click on through for the very long awaited pictures of the Readius in action.[Via Slashdot]
"Hello, tech support? My book isn't working"
"Have you tried closing and opening it again?"
Game marketing book free to industry folks
All right, so you've got a great game -- totally original, with an engaging story and tight, responsive controls and intuitive play mechanics. One problem: there isn't a big-name license or franchise attached to it, so getting attention from press or gamers is an uphill battle. Enter The Definitive Guide to Videogame Marketing and PR. Game marketer and freelance journalist Scott Steinberg promises the book has everything you "need to know to ensure every title's a surefire smash." What's more, the eBook version is being offered for free to all "working industry professionals" in a limited time offer -- just e-mail your interest to freebook [AT] sellmorevideogames [DOT] com. The book will be available in hardcover and paperback on May 15.
New WoW book: Tides of Darkness
Tie-in novels really aren't my thing, so I never read Rise of the Horde, but for those of you that are interested, there's a new Warcraft novel coming out. World of Warcraft: Tides of Darkness is written by Aaron Rosenberg, who wrote, among other things, Starcraft: Queen of Blades. If you couldn't guess by the title, this new book is going to be exploring the events of Warcraft 2, which was my favorite game by far of the three. Blizzplanet has the full story on it; it's going to be released in August 2007, and the author will be making an appearance at New York Comic Con if you want to meet him.Regardless of whether I personally read these novels or not, I do think they're a good thing, in that they delve further into the lore than the games often have a chance to. Lore: it does a body good. What aspect of Blizzard's various universes do you think needs a novel treatment?
DS Daily: The new book?
The adventure genre peaked in the early to mid 90's. And then it crashed. Hard. As it trudged along through the years, essentially dead but for rare gems like The Longest Journey, it slowly faded from the minds of modern gamers.The point-and-click capabilities of the DS have certainly given the once-zombified genre a much-needed jolt. We've seen excellent offerings, including the superlative Phoenix Wright series, the soon-to-be-released Hotel Dusk: Room 215, Trace Memory, Lost in Blue, and a few others (let's not even mention the ScummVM homebrew project). But the DS gives these games something they could have never had in the nineties: absolute portability. It's almost as though these games compete directly with the classic novel, something which has never really been seen even amongst the myriad of gadgets anyone can go out and readily purchase.Our question is this: how does a DS adventure game compare to that of a classic book? What would you rather whip out on the way to work? Phoenix Wright 2 has had our hearts and minds in a legal grip for days on end. You may not look as smart as those punks reading Vonnegut, but that's okay. You look cooler.
