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Inhabitat's Week in Green: CR-V hybrid, Facebook's server farm and robot costumes
The world of green tech presented us with some neat tricks and eco-treats this week from this plan to 3D print new shells for homeless hermit crabs to this handy LeafSnap app that helps you identify all different kinds of fall foliage to an energy-efficient UFO hotel room, which recently "landed" in the forests of Sweden. Speaking of spaceships, we also spotted this Star Trek Enterprise feeding system for babies (you're never too young to live long and prosper) as well as plans for a massive nuclear-powered airport/airplane that could fly as many as 3,000 passengers through the sky, and Philips showed off its eerie and futuristic bacteria-powered lamps. In honor of All Hallow's Eve, we rounded up the top six creepiest buildings of all time as well as six spooky churches made of bones. And just in case you missed the craziest Halloween story of the week, check these photos of a trio of ghastly zombies bursting out of the world's largest pumpkin's hell, er, shell. On the green transportation front, we took the Honda CR-V hybrid for a spin and came across news that Tesla will reintroduce its sexy roadster in 2014. We also saw that GM is working on cars that could drop drivers off at their destinations and even park themselves, and the auto giant impressed us even further by joining Ford and Chrysler, who are working closely with engineering students from the University of Michigan Solar Car Team to create viable solar-powered cars for the future. But if you can't wait that long, this Solarship is a blimp-like solar-powered airship that actually exists today. In tech news, Facebook announced that they'll be building a fancy new server farm in the Arctic. And speaking of cold weather, we also spotted where this clever Umbrella coat that has a handy umbrella instead of a hood - perfect for rainy fall days. A new study showing that TV is officially harmful to children under two confirmed some of our suspicions and we also saw news of a judge who ruled that cell phone warnings be blocked in San Francisco. If you're planning on dressing up for Halloween, don't forget to enter our Green Halloween costume contest (or your kids in our Inhabitots costume contest) for some frightfully fabulous prizes. If you need some inspiration, we've got a slew of techie costume ideas you could cobble together from things you already own like this delightful iPhone getup or this homemade robot outfit.
BlizzCon 2011: Cosplay image gallery
Pandas? Pfft. None of you care about pandas. Nerds in costume? That's where it's at, ladies and gentlemen, and I mean that with all sincerity. The costumes are routinely one of the most fascinating aspects of any convention, and ... uh, I'm sorry, sitting here in front of that costume up above is freaking me right the hell out. Enjoy the pictures. %Gallery-137291% Turn to WoW Insider for all your BlizzCon 2011 news and information. Get ready to kick off the weekend with the WoW Insider Reader Meetup, cohosted by Wowhead and Gamebreaker.tv, and look for our liveblogs of the convention panels, interviews with WoW celebrities -- and of course, lots of pictures of people in costumes. It's all here at WoW Insider!
Win an Ultimate Comics Spider-Man character in Super Hero Squad Online
In Marvel's Ultimate Comics edition of Spider-Man, Peter Parker is dead and Miles Morales has stepped up to become the new friendly neighborhood webslinger. As with any reinvented superhero, you know a costume redesign is not far behind. To mark this solemn-yet-cool occasion, Gazillion is giving Super Hero Squad Online players the opportunity to add Ultimate Comics Spider-Man to their rosters. The character comes with not only a sleek new look but special powers and emotes. Unfortunately, there can only be 30 recipients of this limited-edition superhero. SHSO players are encouraged to enter in the code "MILES2011" on the official website for a chance to win one of these characters. The sweepstakes ends on the 28th, so sling your web fast and true if you want in on the fun! [Source: Gazillion press release]
This DIY Daft Punk helmet is way cooler than your DIY Daft Punk helmet (video)
Harrison Krix may never actually be invited to join Daft Punk, but at the very least, he'll likely have the coolest Halloween costume in the room for pretty much the rest of his life. It's true, we've seen plenty of folks have a go at the French electronic duo's signature headware in the past -- including one from Krix himself -- but few if any have shown quite the attention to detail as this project from the Atlanta-based graphic designer. At the center of the project is an Arduino-controlled LED with text that can be changed over WiFi with an iOS device. Relive the four month project in the three and a half minute video after the jump. And if you've ever wondered what Back to the Future might have looked like with Thomas Bangalter as Marty McFly, check out the source link below.
Rusty Hearts' closed beta swings into phase 2
It's an exciting time for the hyper-kinetic Rusty Hearts, as the title is not only moving into its second closed beta phase today but ramping up for a blockbuster appearance at this week's PAX. Perfect World is upping the ante for potential testers, offering a free costume item for those who log into the game in the first 12 hours. This costume piece will persist through open beta, so there's no worry it's going away anytime soon. Rusty Hearts' closed beta phase 2 is also increasing the amount of content available in the game, including a complete town restructure, a fine-tuning of the PvP system, the ability to compare yourself to other players, a side quest system, a revamp of the skill tree, advanced crafting, and unique cosmetic looks for crafted weapons. If you don't have the pleasure of attending PAX, the Rusty Hearts dev team has a present for you anyway: the full PAX walkthrough video that will be on display at the convention. You can check it out after the jump!
Wearable lab coat TV packs thousands of LEDs, heads for Burning Man (video)
Sure, we've seen iPad hats and augmented reality tattoos, but a 60-inch display suitable for hours of wear under the hot Nevada desert sun? Well that's just crazy talk. Believe it or not, a one Dave Forbes built exactly that: a 12V battery powered, 160 x 120-pixel monitor capable of displaying standard NTSC analog video from an in-pocket iPod. The result is nothing short of incredible, but when you're building a wearable lab coat-based TV with thousands of LEDs and a pair of circuit boards, features like breathability and water-wicking tend to get overlooked. Forbes spent six months creating this ultimate gadget, which is likely to make quite the colorful splash when he shows it off next month at Burning Man. But with a multi-month time commitment and $20,000 price tag, we can't help but wonder what this 'brainiac' could have come up with were he to redirect those resources towards a super-slick tech project for the masses, instead.
Gamescom 2011: ArenaNet announces Guild Wars costume competition!
ArenaNet always makes an outstanding appearance at the video game fan conventions. Last year at Gamescom, developers allowed players to play Guild Wars 2 for the first time, and fans -- begging to get a bit of swag -- would literally swarm the stage each time the staff would speak. This year will likely be no different. Holding to tradition, ANet is sponsoring a Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 costume contest for those who attend the event in Cologne, Germany. Come to the convention dressed in your best Guild Wars-related outfit on Sunday, August 21st to earn prizes and display your love for all things Guild Wars. ArenaNet is also happy to announce that it will attend the Eurogamer EXPO this year on September 22nd through 25th in London, England. The team promises to have game demonstrations at the NCsoft booth so that you can grab some personal playtime with Guild Wars 2. A full list of convention activities can be found on the Guild Wars 2 official site. [Also, check out some of the amazing Guild Wars costumes, like the one pictured above, by Katerina Maria on DeviantArt.]
Realms Online celebrates the 4th of July in style with zombies and unicorns
The British are coming! The British are coming! And they want to... eat your brains? In perhaps the oddest holiday event we've ever heard of, Realms Online is featuring a Redcoat zombie invasion that starts today. Redcoat zombies are swarming over the warzone, and it's up to you to fight for independence from brain-noshing. Participating in the event will give players the chance to earn special Independence Day costumes until July 15th. Zombie invasions aren't the only things going on during the Dawn of Freedom event -- GMs will be throwing firework shows, banners will be playing the American national anthem, and other fun activities will be available. Realms Online is also selling 4th of July-themed items in its item shop for those with particularly strong patriotic persuasions. And what 4th of July event would be complete without... unicorns? Unicorns? OK, we'll roll with that. GameSamba is going to post a code on the Realms Online Facebook page that will let players use a unicorn for free for a week before it goes on sale in the store.
Do the shopping cart: Prius Online opens item shop
Prius Online has taken another step toward full-fledged release, as gPotato opened the doors to an in-game item shop today. As with many free-to-play titles, Prius Online will chug along under the power of microtransactions from shop purchases. The item shop will hold an attractive array of fun and useful goods, ranging from costumes to mounts to all manner of helpful trinkets. To celebrate the shop's opening, Prius Online is handing out a free Leaf of Oblivion to players who log in between June 15th and 19th. The Leaf is capable of resetting your skill points, including your initial job choice, so that you can respec into a better build. Prius Online went into open beta earlier this month, and any interested parties can check the game out by visiting the website and signing up!
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Consumerism at its finest
As of today, the Steampunk Pack should be live in City of Heroes. If anyone needs me for the remainder of the evening, I'll probably be logged in and furiously punking some steam or whatever you would call it when one surrounds oneself with clockwork gizmos and dripping oil slicks. Suffice to say that I like this pack a lot even sight unseen -- I've been excited as heck about it since the announcement, and I'm more than ready to purchase this one the day it goes live. It's nice to see that the art department at Paragon Studios is putting a little more emphasis on launching specific theme packs for character costumes -- if you don't have any characters to use the concept, you can pass, but if you do, it's money well-spent. At the same time, I have to admit that I'd like to continue branching pretty far afield from the traditional superhero genre just to keep producing new packs. And hey, that's worth a column, especially as my head fills with visions of new costume pieces with steam and rivets.
WoW Fashionista: Creating that "super" summer look
Patch 4.1 might have just come out, but it's been months now that you've been sporting that same old tier. With the trade chat PUGs finally catching up to you on gear, are you worried about how you're going to get people to inspect you while you fake standing AFK outside the bank? Sure, you could mount up, but you know in your heart that Invincible mount is sooo last expansion. Fortunately for you, WoW Insider is here to get your bags ready for the summer slump with the hottest new look! With Thor already in theaters and several more costume-heavy blockbusters like Captain America and Green Lantern on the way, you can bet your Val'anyr that the superhero look is in. Better start dusting off those classic capes in the bank and hope to Elune you didn't shard that Netherblade Facemask.
One Shots: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
There are many different cosmetic costume choices to be found in DC Universe Online, either through gear purchased off vendors or picked up as drops. Thanks to that variety, you stand a good chance of having your character look fairly unique. That is, unless your friends decide to have some fun with the in-game ability to switch costumes at any time. If that happens, you might face a situation like Zlaine shows off in today's One Shots. He writes in to explain: "I just started playing DC Universe Online a couple of days ago. I was with a group of people doing bounties and we had just finished the Gotham circuit. I wanted to take a screenshot for fun, when the group leader decided to change into the exact same style of gear to spice things up. The similarity is uncanny -- right down to the violet emissive eyes. Seeing double? Don't worry, you're not the only one. Hopefully he won't turn out to be my evil twin a la Katherine from The Vampire Diaries." Has someone pulled off a practical joke on you in an MMO? Have a screenshot of it? If so, we'd love to see that picture. Email it in to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a note that tells us all about it. Your image could wind up being the next one we post here on Massively! %Gallery-112285%
City of Heroes unleashes the Animal Pack [Updated]
Ever feel like howling at the full moon or flying into the sun on golden wings? We don't really need to hear about your dreams -- ours are freaky enough as it is. But if you've been looking for a way to express your inner animal in City of Heroes, NCsoft has you covered. With the upcoming Animal Pack, players on both sides of the conflict will be able to create even more superhero-beast hybrids than ever before. Not only does the pack include a number of new animal-themed options for the character creator, but the savage amongst us will enjoy creature-themed emotes and a new level 4 travel power, Beast Run. The pack includes over 60 new heads, body patterns, manes, and tails themed after cats, birds, minotaurs and wolves. Roleplayers should like the Sniff, Hiss and Feather Fly emotes, while everyone will be able to appreciate two unique auras. One of these auras, we kid you not, is a flea aura. Get ready to start scratching! The City of Heroes Animal Pack will go on sale on February 23rd at the NCsoft store. [Update: We've added the Animal Pack gallery below and the video after the cut... enjoy!] %Gallery-115975%
Alter-Ego: Building a better costume
In last week's Alter-Ego column, I went over some of the basics of creating a character as well as my own view on the costume creator. This, in turn, set off a small firestorm of remarks in the comments both for and against the way DC Universe Online's designers have handled costuming. One thing was made fairly clear to me -- there are lot of people out there who don't entirely understand just how costuming and stat-based gear in DC Universe Online actually work. While you do start off with a limited number of options in the creator for costuming choices, a great many open up once you actually start playing the game. As such, I wanted to take some time in this week's column to really dig into how gear and costuming works in the game. Hopefully, it will help to clear up some confusion for people who haven't had a chance to actually play the game as yet. So if you're curious about how to build your super costume choices or how the nuts and bolts of stat gear work for heroes and villains, then join me behind the break for this week's edition of Alter-Ego!
Deck the halls with Coralax costumes in City of Heroes
At one point in development, the Coralax were going to be the new epic archetype for the villainous crowd in City of Heroes. Now, they're just another low-level villain group with some memorable looks to them. But for the next twelve days, they can be something more -- namely, they can be your new clothing. No, you aren't getting missions to skin the Coralax and wear what's left as a hat. The Paragon Studios team is taking the opportunity to give away the never-before-seen costume code for the aquatic humanoids via social networking through December 23rd, skipping the weekends. While similar giveaways have happened in the past, they've always been with costume codes from a recent convention. The Coralax costume is totally new and unprecedented, and that means whoever snags one owns a unique part of the game's history. Since the team won't be announcing where the codes will be dropped next, it's up to players to keep a close eye on Twitter, Facebook, and the forums to try and snag a code in time. Good luck to City of Heroes players eager for the new costume, because nothing says the leadup to the holiday season like a mad dash for something everyone wants.
Caption contest: publicity stunt generating publicity
We do hate to play into wily PR folks' attention-grabbing campaigns, but when they're quite so nutty, we can't help but admire them. UK network Three is trying to promote its hotspots (we think) by having dudes wearing full-body underwear running around with "Human Hotspot" signs and what looks like part of the Engadget logo throughout London. We don't get it, but we do love it. Thomas: "I can look up your WEP." Vlad: "Please note, dressing up as a Trojan won't protect you from actual trojans." Nilay: "Touch my junk and I'll have you arrested." Darren: "I'm probably working... even if the tube drivers aren't." Richard Lai: "My SSID is quite well hidden, if I may say so." Carlos: "I'm hot... or not?" Tim: "I knew that Fantastic Four movie was a bad career move. Time for a new agent." Ross: "Ask about where I keep my SIM card." Myriam: "Spot the hotness." Sam: "The Blue Man Group member that never was." Josh T.: "Due to his drug habit and carousing, the Invisible Man had been forced into a number of demeaning jobs."
The Daily Grind: When have reused graphics bothered you?
Reusing art assets in MMOs isn't done for style but for the continued sanity of the art team. Asking for 50 different variants on a sword design alone is pushing the boundaries of what can be done; asking for 500 different variants will have modeling artists throw their keyboards through a wall. I don't complain about that, but I'm really sad to see that the next latest and greatest armor for Final Fantasy XI's Dragoons is another reskin of the artifact armor, which looks blander and less interesting every time the artists slightly change which parts are purple and which parts are brown. Of course, for the most part we really do accept the slight reskinning and retexturing of game models as a matter of necessity. But there's always a point at which something makes you narrow your eyes in disappointment, one set of armor or another that you wish the art team had put together as an original graphic instead of yet another reuse of an old texture. So when have re-used art assets bothered you? Was it with a certain type of enemy appearing far too often? Armor or weapons that you seemed to be using for eternity? Or just a popular piece of equipment that everyone wanted reskinned ad infinitum? 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!
I am 8-Bit headgear: it's always in season
We know, Halloween is so last month, but with a costume like this... who cares? Dan Liuzzi's "I am 8-Bit" headgear was crafted from insulation foam, joint compound, a cardboard box, glue, some gesso spray and acrylic paint. Even Dan himself calls the project "pretty amateur stuff," noting that it took him around two to three weeks to complete. You've got a bright future in that face, Dan -- we can just feel it. P.S. - Hit the source link for even more pictorial goodness.
Found Footage: iPhone costume update includes working 40" LCD
In 2007, we saw the first generation iPhone in some comically large costumes (video on the next page). Last year we brought you the footage of Reko and John sporting giant TV screens with jailbroken iPhones powering the costumes. They used "updated" iPhones, but still sported square edges and no touchscreen interfaces. This year John Savio goes it alone with an updated, touchscreen iPhone 4 costume that's the best we've seen. With a light on the back to simulate the LED camera light, a 40-inch LED LCD panel strapped to sandwich board and a 12-volt battery, the entire rig weighs 75 pounds. Quite a way to work off all that candy. Watch a painfully awkward yet strangely adorable video of the costume on the next page. [via Switched and iPhoneSavior]
Dress up in new costumes with Super Hero Squad Online!
Children of all ages (yup, that includes most of the adults out there) have dressed up for Halloween as their favorite super hero. The Super Hero Squad Online from Marvel and Gazillion is giving out new costumes for the kids (and adults) this trick-or-treat season. We all know what the classic Spider-man costume looks like, right? Well, why not try the black costume? Or maybe a red Hulk fits you better? Whatever best helps you to hero up! Each costume is not just a cover to wear over your existing costume, but they are full-fledged heroes with their own emotes and superpowers that are different from any other hero. After the costume try-ons are over, go play the amazing online trading card game or save Super Hero City from evil. What? You haven't signed up for beta yet? Well, get over there an do it now, and while you're at it you can sign up your children, too. Gazillion is looking for a whole range of different testers! And if you haven't seen the "spooky" Halloween trailer, you can watch it by hitting "Read More" below. 'Nuff said.
