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LEGO Universe builds community via community building
The fun of playing with LEGO sets is only half in the assembly -- a lot of the enjoyment comes with showing off what you've created to others, no matter your age. It's an element that LEGO Universe has taken to heart, as a recent release talks about the community events the game has run thus far and the plans for more events in the future. Each month of the game's operation has been based around a core theme for community events and challenges, giving players unified goals to work toward. March is the Battle Month, with the final event taking place this weekend in the Battle for Nimbus Station. Players who successfully face off against 29 waves of enemies will be in the running to win a variety of in-game prizes as well as some real-world LEGO sets. The Creation Lab has also been a major area of development, allowing user-generated content to come front and center in the community. Even if you're not currently playing LEGO Universe, you can take part in some of the contests and get your own buildings in the game -- sharing what you've built with everyone even if it's not made out of plastic bricks.
Intel to spend $5 billion on new 14nm fab in Arizona, create 4,000 new jobs this year
When Paul Otellini isn't too busy talking about being jilted by Nokia, he spends his time hosting presidents and splashing billions of dollars on new manufacturing facilities. Intel's CEO is wrapping his tumultuous week on a high note, having welcomed Barack Obama to Chipzilla's Oregon facility and treated the president to the happy news that Intel will invest $5 billion back into the US economy by building its most advanced fab yet -- which will introduce an impossibly small 14nm production process -- in Arizona, to begin operation in 2013. Construction starts in the middle of this year and is expected to create "thousands" of jobs, both temporary and permanent. Aside from that, Otellini has disclosed Intel's intention to create 4,000 new jobs in the US, mostly in R&D and product development. Music to Obama's ears, we're sure.
NASA's Sustainability Building, the government's greenest building, opening in California this year
You may or may not have heard about NASA's project to build the most sustainable federal building in Moffett, California. The project began about two years ago, and will supposedly be finished this May. The experimental, earthly 'space station' cost $20.6 million to build, and includes 50,000 square feet of work space on two floors. The building also includes radiant ceiling panels, heating panels on walls, and radiant concrete flooring. When completed, the Sustainability Base will use 90 percent less potable water than a regular office building of the same size, and it will be able to create 22 percent more energy.
China has built the longest bridge in the world... so you don't have to dig that hole
Yes, in addition to being one of the coolest and largest nations in the world, China now has the distinction, at least for the time being, of having the longest bridge in the world. The Qingdao Haiwan Bridge -- at 26.4 miles long -- in Shandong Province is almost three miles longer than the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana, which was the previous record holder for the longest bridge over water in the world (the longest bridge in the world period is also in China). The bridge took four years to build -- lightning fast by American construction standards -- and cost around $8.5 billion dollars. It was designed by Shandong Gausu Group and built by about 10,000 workers.
Massively Exclusive: Jordi Grau Davis answers our Xsyon questions
With Xsyon's impending release date just around the corner, we thought it was high time we sat down and had a chat with the brains behind the indie post-apocalyptic sandbox. Notorious Games' Jordi Grau Davis was kind enough to answer a few of our questions relating to the game he's wanted to make "since I first sat at a computer," and he has a lot to say about Xsyon's unique features and how it differs from other PvP-enabled sandbox titles. Join us after the cut for all the details.
Qualcomm lays down $1 billion for new Mirasol plant in Taiwan, catering small and medium devices
Good news, digital bookworms! After months of rumoring, Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs has just announced that Qualcomm will really be building a new Mirasol plant over there. Specifically, the $1 billion, seven-hectare factory will reside in the Hsinchu Longtan Science Park to mass-produce small and medium flavors of said transflective display, meaning the Snapdragon maker will, for the first time, be able to churn out something smaller than the current lone 5.7-inch model. Yep, those must be the low-power smartphone screens that Qualcomm talked about previously, which sure sound delicious. Now, what's up with our little Pixel Qi?
Wasted heat from Metro stations to heat apartment building in Paris
Close to the Centre Georges Pompidou on the Rue Beauborg, Paris Habitats renovating a residential building in an environmentally friendly manner, and it's including some pretty out of the ordinary heating methods in it. The old building has a staircase which connects to the Metro station beneath it, thus making it cost effective to build the system, which will produce heat from the bodies of the people and trains moving below, and will be used in conjunction with a traditional heating system. It is thought that it will be able to cut carbon dioxide emissions by one third when the building is completed. The project is set to get underway next year.
Qualcomm building a $2b Mirasol plant after winning 'major client'?
Well, if this isn't a statement of intent, we don't know what is. Those good old market sources are reporting today that Qualcomm has set aside a cool $2 billion to build a new Mirasol display production plant in Taiwan. The chipmaker already has a Mirasol facility in Longtan, a joint venture with Foxlink, but is said to be the sole investor in this new build. The whole thing has apparently been spurred on by a major client having "already started the design-in process" after seeing production samples of the 5.7-inch, low power, color display. We can't know for sure who that client may be, but Qualcomm's been doing some real heavy flirting with Amazon and all those overtures might (might!) finally have paid off. Of couse, as Jeff Bezos himself said, a color Kindle isn't likely to hit the market anytime soon, and this new factory isn't expected to begin volume production until 2012, but we'll take a slow and speculative roadmap over no roadmap at all.
Visualized: PlayStation 3 is big in Japan
Surely some folks must have noticed the similarities between the Namba Parks building in Osaka, Japan and the original PlayStation 3 before, but it somehow seems to have remained a well-kept secret on the internet until now. Apparently, the rent is cheap, but planned upgrades have hit a few snags.
New LEGO Universe trailer highlights building
With the LEGO Universe release date just a few months away, information on the game is coming at a faster pace. We've gotten game news on everything from pets to factions to character creation, and this latest LEGO Universe trailer takes us back to the basics with a look at building. The video illustrates some truly impressive building examples as an enthusiastic character sets out to impress his friends with a huge castle and courtyard, complete with a dragon. If a medieval castle's not quite your thing, try a frontier-style stockade, or even a farm. There is also a bit of battle footage, but the central idea is one that LEGO fans are counting on this game to provide: the ability to build whatever your heart desires. Check it out at the LEGO Universe site.
Wasteland Diaries: Try not to be such a noob
Fallen Earth has a steep learning curve. It's not hard to die a horrible death in Fallen Earth because you simply didn't have even the slightest clue what you were doing. But life doesn't have to be short and brutal in the wasteland. In fact, you can eke out a decent living and make quite a name for yourself. There are a few things you can do to minimize the bewilderment you will face once you emerge from the LifeNet pod for the first time into the unforgiving desolation of the apocalypse. After reading this guide, you are likely to be heard saying things like: "Y'know what? The apocalypse isn't all that bad." and "I wish this place were just a little more dangerous."
Wasteland Diaries: Spinning the wheel
Every game has a group of number-crunchers that want to get the most out of a character build. Whether you call them min-maxers, power gamers or munchkins, they are intrinsic to any RPG system ever made. They are the direct antithesis of the roleplayer, and often referred to as roll-players. There is a very clear-cut process to maximize your character's power in Fallen Earth. This process is called "Spinning the Wheel". When I use the term "wheel", I am referring to the faction wheel. While some do choose to spin the wheel, most players usually flip the wheel. I'll explain the difference later. So what does the wheelspin do for you? It gives you about 30 extra AP and unlocks all the mutation lines. The important thing here is that you will be noticeably better than those who don't bother to do it. Why would you do it, and how do you do it? Read on.
Bayer's 'Media Facade' redefines building-vertising
You may think that once you've seen one building turned into a massive billboard you've seem them all, but that would mean you probably haven't seen the so-called "Media Facade" now adorning Bayer's former HQ in Leverkusen, Germany. Built by ag4 media facade GmbH and GKD AG, the massive display apparently consists of 5.6 milion LEDs that cover the entire 17,500 square meters of the building, and which can be lit up at will to pump out gigantic advertisements worthy of any science fiction movie. You'll note this is the former Bayer headquarters -- it seems that the promise of 'round the clock ads visible for miles around saved the building from the wrecking ball. Head on past the break for a video of it in action, and a second showing the facade being constructed.[Thanks, Gerrit]
Dow's POWERHOUSE solar shingles get along with non-solar siblings, your HOA
Oh sure, massive photovoltaic installations on rooftops are nothing terribly new, but by and large, the ones we've seen are stuck on massive warehouses or elaborate stadiums in foreign lands. Dow Chemical is doing its darnedest to change all that with the introduction of the POWERHOUSE line of solar shingles. As you'd expect, these solar shingles are aimed at roofers looking to tip their hats to Ma Earth while providing shelter for well-endowed homeowners, and unlike most of the futuristic alternatives, these actually look somewhat similar to traditional shingles. Dow claims that "affordability" will be a feature when they become widely available in 2011, but we're understandably skeptical of such a claim given just how pricey solar roofs currently are (and you know, considering the company's for-profit standing).[Via Jetson Green]
Video: Polish students take building light shows to the next level
Our friends at Engadget Polska caught this video of a giant lightshow -- a nerdworks, if you will -- put on by a group of students at Wrocław University of Technology. This is not the first time we've seen such a display, nor is it a first for this particular group, who call themselves Projekt P.I.W.O. -- but it is one of the best (and longest). The ten minute show includes much classic geekery -- Pong, Tetris, Dr. Mario, and Michael Jackson. Yes, that's right: Michael Jackson. Check the video after the break.[Via Engadget Polska]
Shanghai building looks like world's largest PS3
Godzilla finally has a reason to stop attacking Tokyo. Instead, he can go over to Shanghai, where he'll be able to play with a building that looks to be the world's largest PS3. The building, which can be seen on Google Earth here, features the same iconic curvature of Sony's home console. The lines running across its side remind us of the vents also featured on the real-life system.For a high-res look, visit areagames.de.[Thanks, Marc!]
Wii Fanboy Review: Sandy Beach
While not all of Hudson's WiiWare offerings are necessarily successful in terms of sales or critical response, they've been responsible for some of the best, and best-selling, games on the service. And even when they don't do so well, effort is evident. So why can't Hudson's parent company, Konami, take a lesson from their subsidiary? Since the launch of the service, they've released only two games: Critter Round-Up and this. So they've released, like, one and a quarter games.Sandy Beach is a baffling release -- in that I can't fathom how Konami saw this and decided there was enough game to be worth releasing. It's really two games, but the sum fails to provide enough value for the 500 Wii Point cost. %Gallery-31918%
15 Minutes of Fame: Lego fans assemble Booty Bay
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Lego_version_of_Booty_Bay'; 15 Minutes of Fame is our look at World of Warcraft players of all shapes and sizes – from the renowned to the relatively anonymous, the remarkable to the player next door. Tip us off to players you'd like to hear more about.Oh, snap – literally. Yes, that's Booty Bay, constructed completely from tens of thousands of Legos. It took Astrylian and Raeina, husband and wife WoW players from Eonar and long-time Lego aficionados, about a month to assemble this five-foot masterpiece. While WoW Insider couldn't lend the industrious couple an equivalent 43,000 minutes of fame, as soon as we saw their creative piece de resistance, we decided a solid 15 minutes were definitely in order.%Gallery-36650%
Eskil Steenberg interviewed about his one-man MMO project "Love"
Have you ever wondered what it would take for a single person to create an MMO? Is a task this monumental even possible? Apparently it is, given what we've seen and read of Love, an MMO being developed by a single man -- Eskil Steenberg. Love isn't being created by a team of devs, nor does it have a multi-million dollar development and marketing budget. It's just one man with a vision, building the best game he can and showing it off on his laptop. Rock, Paper, Shotgun recently got an exclusive first look at the Love trailer and Jim Rossignol from RPS followed that up with an interview with Eskil Steenberg. They discuss how Love's unique visual style evolved into what we see today and talk about the game's trinity of activities -- exploration, combat, and building -- namely the system of city building. It's a very interesting talk with Steenberg, and really is a must-read if you're enthusiastic about Love and the ambition of its creator.
OMG at Resistance Leviathan (ad) attacking building
Wow, that sure is a Leviathan-sized ad plastered over the side of this building over Wilshire Avenue in Los Angeles. The ad is noteworthy, not only because its scale -- but because it accurately depicts what you'll be facing off in Resistance 2.Check out more pics at G4.[Thanks, Mozz!]
