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Verizon tiptoeing around Boston with FiOS rollouts?
All in all, the Bay State most certainly isn't hurting for access to FiOS TV, but curiously enough, downtown Boston has yet to be touched by Verizon's fiber-based services. More specifically, the areas of Boston, Brookline, Somerville, Cambridge, Everett, Revere, Chelsea, Medford, Melrose, Watertown and Quincy have yet to be reached by Verizon's recent expansion efforts, and for whatever reason, it seems that may be the case for some time to come. According to a response by Boston's Mayor on the situation, Verizon has "declined the city's repeated encouragement to enter a cable franchise negotiation, opting instead to slowly build in the suburbs." Granted, it's not unusual for the firm to target the outskirts, but it's certainly not pleasing news for Bostonians holding out for FiOS.[Thanks, Jason K.]
RCN unleashes four new HD options in Boston, Massachusetts
Hey, non-Comcast users in the greater Boston area -- feeling a touch of envy after the aforementioned carrier gifted its subscribers with Sci-Fi HD and Animal Planet HD last month? For those of you with RCN, your provider has done you one, er, two better. Reportedly, RCN has added four new high-definition channels to its lineup: Animal Planet HD, TLC HD, Discovery Channel HD and Science Channel HD. Needless to say, you'll be doing a lot of brain feeding in between Celtics matchups from here on out.[Thanks, Michael J.]
Comcast adds Sci-Fi HD and Animal Planet HD in Boston
Oh yeah, Comcast has already added Sci-Fi HD and Animal Planet HD in a number of markets, but for folks in and around Boston, Massachusetts, they were still scraping by without. Buck up, you Bostonians -- as of today, Comcast has slipped the aforementioned channels into your HD lineup, though we've no idea if it plans on plugging in a few more as it has done elsewhere recently. Fingers crossed![Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
LED pranksters remember the Aqua Teen Hunger Force "bomb" scare
In an expression of remembrance for a historical moment in hair-trigger overreactions, artists all over the Boston area have taken to the streets armed with provocative LED signage. Paying homage to the "bomb" scare of January 31st, 2007 (which was actually just viral promotion for the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie using LED art), creative pranksters have descended upon the city with electronic recreations of President Bush, Osama Bin Laden, and a number of other inflammatory images sure to rile the local authorities but-good. Truck on over to MAKE to see a collection of images, and if you happen to be in the Boston area, don't miss a chance to snap some photos of your own!
Three carriers now offering service on Boston's subway
It seems that one of the last few cellphone-proof havens in the world is giving in at a fairly brisk pace now, with New York most notably committing to adding phone service in train stations. After a couple of aborted attempts in years past, Boston's T has now signed up to do the same with AT&T lighting up service in four stations this week (Verizon and T-Mobile did the same earlier this month). Though your call's currently going to drop as soon as the train leaves the station, the plan is to eventually blanket tunnels and other stations -- assuming carriers see that customers are using the service and are willing to foot the bill. The transit authority has wisely already put up signs in trains encouraging folks to keep calls quiet and quick, though with any luck, the racket of the trains and the crowds will limit most usage to data and texting anyhow.[Via textually.org and ITBusinessEdge]
Cinemassively: Re-Imagining Boston City Hall Plaza Using Second Life
In 2007, a group of students from Emerson College entered Second Life for a project. Under a pilot program, Hub2, in Boston, to recreate Boston's City Hall Plaza. In an event on December 13th, they will be presenting the Mayor's office with the keys to their virtual city.Their City Hall has long been considered a failure in design, with one study naming it the worst plaza structure worldwide! In SL. the Emerson students call for art installations, a juried space, a place to submit their art for consideration, and a spotlight for the best art piece. While not much more is said in this video, I look forward to learning more about this project and how to city reacts to it!
Exhibition teaches youth about WoW, Second Life
If you're in the American Northeast and you love games, you might be interested to know that the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston is hosting an exhibition about the role computer games have played in New England's economic development, and that said exhibit includes coverage of MMOs. This is all part of their New England Economic Adventure program.Subjects of the exhibition span from the birth of computer games -- Spacewar!'s creation at MIT, according to the press release -- to present day titles like World of Warcraft, Star Wars Galaxies, and Second Life. Organizers hope the exhibits will teach kids how technological innovation and entrepreneurship can spur economic growth. Old-school arcade games will be free to play at the exhibit too.If you ask us, the folks at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston have come up with a brilliant plan -- bait kids with Frogger, then make them learn something!
We wait for the Halo 3 (Boston edition): aka failure to launch
Don't see much in the picture above? Don't worry about it because there's nothing to see. Remember how there were those midnight Wal-Mart launches for Halo 3? Well apparently that didn't apply to the Wal-Mart in Walpole, Mass. Quick timeline of the events leading to midnight: 11:43PM - Arrive to an almost empty parking lot at Wal-Mart. 11:43:30 - Realize there is nothing going on here as I watch a woman cleaning inside. 11:44 - Two guys pull up asking what's the deal with the midnight launch? Tell them it looks like it's not happening here. 11:48 - Call up Ross who's apparently in a really great launch line waiting for his copy. Ask him if he can easily find a 7-Eleven on his internet-enabled phone that has a midnight launch. He can't hear me, but the two guys in the car know of a local store. It'll be a roll of the dice whether they're selling Halo. 11:50 - Follow the two guys to the nearest 7-Eleven. That's at least where I hoped we were going. 11:55 - Arrive at the local 7-Eleven and in a very awkward exchange that involves me pointing at the Slurpee machine and asking if they are selling, "The Halo 3." The clerk politely responds and laughs, "No, no, no, no." 11:57 - Say goodbye to the two strangers who say they're off to bed. They say they'll just pick it up tomorrow morning. 12:01AM - Standing in the empty 7-Eleven parking lot and accepting the fact that there won't be the Haloz tonight. Begin the drive home. So, what's the point of this post? Did you try and get a copy of the game tonight and have no luck? Share your stories below.
MIT student arrested for fake bomb at Boston's Logan airport
Boston authorities have once again put their hair-trigger reactions on display for the world today in a case involving an MIT student and bad fashion choices. In a situation eerily similar to the Aqua Teen Hunger Force debacle, Star Simpson (the student in question) was placed under arrest at gunpoint (submachine gunpoint, that is) at Boston's Logan airport because of an "art project" she was wearing. Simpson, who was at the airport to meet her boyfriend, was sporting a black sweatshirt with a circuit board and flashing LEDs attached... and was inexplicably holding Play-Doh. Authorities mistook the combination for some type of explosive device. Maj. Scott Pare, the airport's commanding officer said, "I'm shocked and appalled that somebody would wear this type of device to an airport," and then lovingly added, "She's lucky to be in a cell as opposed to the morgue." Here's our suggestion to authorities next time: just ask, "What's up with the bad art?"
Construction continues on Boston's future Apple Store
When Apple opens Boston's flagship Apple Store on Boylston street, it's going to be huge - both literally and figuratively. ifoAppleStore has had a webcam pointed at the construction site for months now, and today's image is impressive.The building looks like it extends from Boylston street to Newbury street behind it, making me wonder if it will have an entrance on either end (check out the overhead photo).This store is scheduled to open in 2008. Oh yes, I'll be there.
CCFC advocacy group demands Manhunt 2 ratings review
The Campaign For a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC), the group that successfully disturbingly pulled-off getting GTA Vice City ads removed from the Boston metro system, has begun their Manhunt 2 marketing campaign. Sure one could view it as they're trying to stop the game, but these groups seem to only help generate sales, so let us call a spade a spade.As reported by GamePolitics, back in the day the CCFC demanded Manhunt 2 be rated AO just as the ESRB beat them to the punch. Then came the saga of Manhunt 2, with the latest twist coming this week that the game would be out by Halloween. The CCFC is saying, "Despite industry claims to the contrary, M-rated games continue to be marketed and sold to children under seventeen ... We call upon Rockstar Games to allow the content of Manhunt 2 to be reviewed by an independent review board with no ties to the video game industry ... We ask the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the process by which Manhunt 2's rating was downgraded from AO to M."Hmm, so the CCFC is demanding a ratings organization allow an outside group to tell them how to do their job, wonder how the MPAA would feel about that for movies? And as if the FTC didn't already have to deal with enough video game related silliness this week. Maybe the Boston-based CCFC can get the city's Mayor Tom Menino to help them out while he's trying to court the video game industry at the same time.
MIT builds robotic weight loss coach
In an attempt to understand how humans react to having a robotic weight loss coach in their home versus simply using the software that the machine is loaded with, the imaginative folks at MIT have constructed a sociable robot that wants to see you reach your ideal weight. The robot uses internal cameras and face-tracking software to maintain eye contact with you while you attempt to fib about exactly how much exercise you've had, and the external touchscreen allows you to input data such as food / calorie consumption and duration of exercise. The creature is slated to hit the homes of select Bostonians as the designers begin to test its long-term effectiveness, but those looking for a glimpse of it in action should check out the video provided in the read link.[Via TechDigest]
Apple UK looking for retail employees
Apple is prepping several UK retail stores. A message on their website is calling for employees to fill slots in Brighton, Exeter, Glasgow, Milton Keynes, Reading, Solihull and Thurrock. Of course, that means seven new stores have been planned for the UK.Here in the US, four existing stores - Pentagon City (Virg.), Legacy Village (Ohio), Freehold Raceway (NJ) and Burlingame (CA) will be closed for renovations during the coming weeks. Finally, workers have poured the foundation and installed some steel rebar at the site of Boston's future flagship store.Thanks, Jon!
Today's hungriest video: Aqua Teens
The half-baked, non sequitur style of Adult Swim prevails in this trailer for Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro-Am. They couldn't even resize footage from different sources to be the same resolution. That's the Adult Swim seal of approval.Strangely -- like some of those cartoon shows the kids are into -- the trailer comes off as engaging and funny. There's golf cart racing, a helpless Carl taking the detectives' abuse, Mooninites, and very little actual golf. Hopefully the actual game will strike a similar balance.See the trailer after the break.
HANNspree unveils design-centric Xm-Series LCD monitors
We had a sneaking suspicion that HANNspree would revert back to its relatively flamboyant style soon enough, and just two months after busting out a surprisingly bland array of monitors, the firm is hitting back with a duo of stylish LCDs that take cues from two of America's most recognized cities. The 19-inch HANNS boston and HANNS new york are both part of the design-centric Xm-Series, and each share a WXGA+ resolution, brightness levels of up to 350 cd/m2, a five-millisecond response time, cable management / mounting options, DVI and VGA inputs, 700:1 contrast ratio, built-in two-watt stereo speakers, and an auxiliary audio input as well. As seen above, the Boston-themed flavor sports a wood-grain design scheme, while the industrial New Yorker (pictured after the break) sports a brushed aluminum stand and a dash of "art techno" for good measure. Regardless of your city of choice, both of these devices can be snapped up real soon for $249.99.[Via Electronista]
Boston's Crimestoppers offer anonymous SMS snitch service
We appreciate the citizenry's need to pause and blow the whistle on occasion and therefore really dig Boston's Crimestopper's idea to let the snitching happen in beautiful texting anonymity. Crimestoppers has existed for more than a decade in Boston (and many other spots across the nation) as an anonymous phone service, but the new "Text a Tip" program is a first in the country. To sell somebody out, all ya have to do is send a text message with the word TIP in the subject line to CRIME (27463) and then let the police do all the tough work. We expect this will catch on and if so you may well be seeing this program in your neck of the woods in the not too distant future.[Via textually.org]
Malfunctioning fax machine prints out bomb ClipArt, forces evacuation of area
In any normal town across America there are countless faxes sent and received which feature poorly chosen ClipArt: why then must a promotional fax like the one pictured above fail to print out correctly -- leaving only a picture of a bomb -- in the town of Ashland Massachusetts, not far from the recent high profile Boston bomb scares? This innocent fax caused the evacuation of a dozen nearby businesses after it was received at a Bank of America branch, coinciding with what police said was the delivery of a suspicious package by a customer. The package turned out to merely be "papers," and the fax turned out to be a promotion counting down to an explosion event called "Small Business Commitment Week." Maybe next time the company behind the fax will be a little more wary of the consequences of inappropriately using bomb imagery, and the staff that received the fax will stop to consider whether a potential bomber would use an off-center and badly stretched ClipArt image of a bomb to illustrate their intent. Or, if the Aqua Teen Hunger Force farce is anything to go by, then everyone will blame the person responsible for maintaining the fax machine, and he/she'll appear on TV talking about hairstyles from the 70s.[Thanks, George]
Boston mayor wants more developers, but backs Jack Thompson
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino really can't seem to craft a clear message on the video game industry. Despite numerous attacks against the industry, including his full support to pull GTA ads on the T for purely political reasons and supporting a Jack Thompson drafted bill, he wants to bring more gaming companies to the city. The city of Boston currently has no notable game companies within its borders. The best up-and-coming companies (meaning they aren't Blizzard, EA, Activision or Ubisoft just yet) like Turbine (Lord of the Rings Online), Harmonix (Guitar Hero, Rock Band) and Blue Fang Games (Zoo Tycoon) are all located outside the city in Westwood, Cambridge and Waltham respectively. Meaning they bring neither tax revenue or help "creative industries flourish" within the city.It would be great to see some creative energy be injected into the city with tax incentives given to game companies. This is also part of the mayor's plan to retain young professionals, which the city continues to hemorrhage after the students leave university due to cost of living. Now if the mayor could just be schooled that one of the ways to attract game companies is not to align yourself with Jack Thompson there might be hope for the city yet. Looks like Thompson is leaving more than a few politicians looking stupid in his wake.[Via GamePolitics]
Lord of the Rings Online midnight launch in Beantown
At the Prudential Mall in Boston last night, Turbine and Gamestop held a midnight launch for the Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, this was one of the five sites across the country where LoTRO fans could get their MMORPG on early. The game is going into a very different MMORPG climate post-World of Warcraft and is doing its best to compete, with the first free content update already expected in June.We had a chance to speak with Jeff Anderson, president of Turbine at the event, and he was looking forward to showing players who never experienced a Turbine produced game the company's strength, "Most companies throw a project out there and don't update for six months to sometimes over a year. Turbine has been good at episodic content and we're looking to launch strong and keep adding content every quarter."The little gallery we put together of last night's event was supposed to be up this morning, but due to some technical difficulties that we're blaming on fat hobbits, we can now show off some images that survived the melee. We now wait to see if LoTRO can fair better than every other MMO that's entered the market over the last two years.%Gallery-2785%
Massachusetts tries Jack Thompson's failed Utah game bill
Massachusetts' legislators have been offered up HB 1423, a game bill which seeks to "restrict the sale of video games wih [sic] violent content to minors." "Harmful to minors" is defined as content describing or representing nudity, sexual conduct or sexual excitement, "so as to appeal predominantly to the prurient interest of minors." Section four of the bill is where the civil rights lawyers are going to have a field day. It states a game is harmful to minors if it "lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value for minors." That's about as broad as making brush strokes with Mr. Fantastic's super powers.Why does this all seem oddly familiar? This bill was created with the assistance of Jack Thompson and similar versions were shot down in Utah and deemed unconstitutional in Louisiana. Mayor Thomas Menino, one of the petitioners of the bill, was one of those who pushed through a ban on M rated game advertisements on the subway and got very upset during the infamous Aqua Teen Hunger Force bomb incident. Hopefully this bill will die somewhere along the path, because we're sure the citizens of Massachusetts aren't looking to pay back the ESA when this bill is deemed unconstitutional in the courts ... again.
