disaster
Latest
Sony, Subaru, and Toyota close factories in wake of earthquake, other companies check in
Our thoughts this morning are with the folks in Japan and the other Pacific areas affected by the massive 8.9 earthquake that struck about 230 miles East of Tokyo. Reports of damage are flooding in from the country, and indeed many familiar manufacturers are checking in. Sony and Toyota have both stopped operations in their factories due to damage. Tragically, one Honda worker lost his life after a wall collapsed, while several Panasonic workers are said to have suffered minor injuries. It remains to be seen exactly what impacts this will have on consumers, but Sony's closed factories were responsible for the production of Blu-ray discs and batteries, while the numerous automotive shutdowns could result in short-term shortages. This bad news sent stocks downward, with German share prices for Sony dropping 2.5 percent and Honda 4.5 percent. We're still watching with concern to see what other impacts the resultant tsunamis could have, but for now we'll keep hoping for the best. Update: Some further news from Smarthouse, which indicates that Sharp's new 10G LCD plant in Sakai City shut itself down automatically upon first signs of a quake. Hooray for technology.
Google reacts to Japanese tsunami with a Person Finder tool
Now this is the sort of activity you'd expect from a true search giant. Instead of sitting on its hands during the tsunami that has stricken Japan today, Google has put together a Person Finder tool where people worried about the plight of their loved ones can look them up by name. There are only a few thousand records up on the site at the moment, but it should still be a useful repository for missing person data, particularly since mobile networks were taken down by the tsunami's damage earlier this morning. Information should also start piling up as recovery efforts continue. Let's just hope this Person Finder won't have to be used for too long and things can be brought back to normal soon.
Space Shuttle Atlantis ends its run of predicting disaster for other NASA shuttles
And then there were two... After 25 years, 32 successful missions, and more than 120-million miles traveled, space shuttle Atlantis made what's likely to be its last landing yesterday at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Of course, being the astute follower of space tech that you are, you knew this already. But did you also know that Atlantis had an uncanny knack for predicting disaster? Way back in November of 1985, on just its second mission, Atlantis experienced a blow-back of hot gases past the primary O-rings in one of its solid rocket boosters, resulting in serious erosion of said O-ring. NASA noticed the problem, but didn't recognize the danger -- three months later a similar O-ring failure led to the loss of the Challenger and her crew. Three years later during STS-27, Atlantis' heat shield sustained severe damage from a piece of insulation that broke off of the right solid rocket booster during launch. Since this was a classified mission for the Department of Defense (you know, to handle super secret military stuff), the shuttle's crew was forced to encrypt the images of the damaged tiles it sent back to NASA, which lowered the resolution of the images enough that the ground crew wrote off the damage as a trick of the light. Looking at the clear images onboard the spacecraft, the crew's commander Robert "Hoot" Gibson was so certain of the damage, he remarked that "we are going to die." Fortunately, Atlantis survived reentry, and the ground crew stared in shock at the missing, cracked, and broken tiles while likely getting a serious dose of "I told you so" from the crew. Years later in 2003, the exact same thing happened to the shuttle Columbia on launch; needless to say, her crew wasn't so lucky. The second-youngest orbiter, named after the world's longest-serving scientific research vessel (the RV Atlantis), first blasted into space on October 3, 1985 on a military mission for the Department of Defense -- yet again to do secret military stuff. Oh, how the times have changed... its final mission saw Atlantis successfully deliver the Russian Mini-Research Module Rassvet to the ISS. She'll be prepped one last time to stand-by as a rescue ship for the upcoming (and final) missions of Endeavor and Discovery, but Atlantis' days in space are likely over. All gussied up with nowhere to go, Atlantis will finally be laid to rest. And yes, we'll shed a tear or two.
ReCellular will recycle your phone and donate all proceeds to Haiti disaster relief
It might've been hard to watch pictures of the latest natural disaster striking the island of Haiti recently, but lending a hand in the relief effort shouldn't be. If you've got an older cellphone -- functioning or otherwise -- batteries, chargers, or other accessories, ReCellular wants to hear from you. The cellphone recycling company has launched a Phones for Haiti program, whereby you can donate your unwanted handsets and rest assured that 100 percent of the revenue raised from them will go to helping Haiti survivors rebuild. Partnering with the American Red Cross, ReCellular will even pay for the shipping of your castoff electronics, so really, how much easier do you want it?
ioSafe Solo hard drive places a 2TB bet on all kinds of disasters
It's Friday the 13th, and ioSafe couldn't have chosen a better time to update their Solo fireproof and waterproof hard drive line with a 2TB model. Sure, it'll cost you $399 for a USB 2.0 connection instead of eSATA, FireWire 800 or USB 3.0, but you'll never know when your yacht sinks or burns down, sending that precious Kenny G collection to oblivion. Don't go thinking you can just get the $149 500GB model and upgrade it yourself either -- you'll have to destroy the waterproof seal to get to the hard drive, as demonstrated before. Yeah, life's tough.
Midway's epic downfall condensed by Gamasutra
For those who didn't keep up with the collapse of Midway in real time, or aren't in the mood to check out every bit of minutia about the epic, Gamasutra has extracted the highlights. The piece showcases the publisher's financial issues -- like the fact Midway hasn't had any annual profits since 1999 -- the management's lack of vision, and finally the last couple years where even the most casual industry observer could watch things go horribly wrong.The second half of the feature covers the anatomy of the disaster and stops short of getting into these past six months, which, in fairness, given the mysterious Mark Thomas, still makes very little sense. It's definitely worth the read for those who want to know how not to run a company, and for those who just like to point and cry at the stupid.
Researchers develop flying WiFi robots for disaster relief
Researchers at Germany's Ilmenau University of Technology are developing flying quadcopter robots that can be used to form a self-assembling ad-hoc wireless network in the event of disaster. Built with off-the-shelf parts (including VIA's Pico-ITX hardware and a GPS unit) the robots are designed to provide both mobile phone and WiFi access -- and they can do it far more quickly than a technician on the ground might be able to. The device comes in a kit for €300 (about $380), which includes all but the battery -- the batteries currently run around €1,000 (over $1200) and only offer up 20 minutes of flight time. Once the device has found a perch, however, it can operate for "several hours." If you'd like to see some more of this guy, be sure to head on over to FutureParc hall at CeBIT. Either that, or check out the additional picture after the break.[Thanks, David]
Predicting a clamity: Patch 3.1
We've had some rather...bumpy... patches as of late from Blizzard. In patch 3.0.2 the servers were down for what was nearly a day before hand, and when the patch finally did arrive not everything was as it should have been. It took a month's time for all the changes to make their way to the live server.When Wrath of the Lich King was launched, there were countless servers inflicted with near game-ending lag and connection problems for people. And that's not to mention the hour long queues many of us faced (and still face to some degree).Patch 3.0.8 brought with it a whole new host of issues, leading Mike Schramm to proclaim The Disaster of Three-Oh-Eight. There are still lingering issues from that. Just ask any Hunter about the cower bug.So while we sit here with bated breath waiting for new information about patch 3.1, there is a little voice going on in the back of my head. "Do you really want this, Adam? Do you really want your email box to be flooded with tips about how buggy the patch is?"But then I think of happier things, like clam stacking, and I smile.I want to take a poll today. Do you think patch 3.1 will be a clamity or a cheering celebration? %Poll-25977%
E-paper signs being tested in Tokyo for disaster prevention
While we're still waiting for our electronic broadsheet (hell, we'll settle for a tabloid) it looks like folks in Toshima will be seeing quite a bit of the e-paper as they hit the streets of this Tokyo ward. In a test conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the signage has been installed in the proximity of the Toshima Life and Industry Plaza, where a wireless network was established to provide updates in case of an emergency. There are currently two signs: one in the lobby of the post office measures over three meters across and sports 240 x 768 resolution (the paper has 4mm pixels), and holds down power consumption at about 24W. Stationed at the Higashi-Ikebukuro bus stop, the second sign is 60 x 40 centimeters with 144 x 96 resolution, and power consumption here is about 9W. The test will run until January 29th, after which point the city will have to rely upon its usual civil defense repertoire -- which is believed to include the vigilant eye of Honda's 49-foot ASIMO.
I Am Alive, but I've been delayed
My dearest followers, It's me, Ubisoft's forthcoming first-person survival game. You know, I Am Alive. We met at E3, remember? I briefly exposed myself in front of you and left you somewhat confused ... but curious. You've been wondering about me, haven't you? We'll get to know each other in due time, it's just that ... well, I lied. I know I said I'd meet up with you in March. And I know that neither of us believed it, you with your "skepticism" and me with my nebulous features and infrequent public appearances. So, I'm going to be running late. Rest assured -- I Am Alive -- but I won't be leaving the office until Ubi's 2009-2010 fiscal year, which runs from April 2009 through March 2010. I know it's hard for you to understand, but it's for the best. I just ... I just can't let people see me covered in so many bugs. Despite my most fervent wishes, I can't make an exception for you -- it would be a fatal exception. Yours truly, I Am Alive P.S. PDF – Ubisoft Q308 earnings report
The disaster of patch 3.0.8
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Is_Patch_3_0_8_the_biggest_disaster_to_hit_WoW_since_launch'; Bugs plague any developer of computer software -- even when you think your code is perfect and it's been seen as such by everyone in the company, you'll still have your users find bugs faster and more frequently than you ever thought possible. And Blizzard is no stranger to bugs -- though they have a reputation for quality releases, they've always had a few bugs sneak through. As big a game as World of Warcraft is, there's always bound to be something not working quite right.But patch 3.0.8 goes above and beyond the bounds of normal mistakes. Adam put together a terrific roundup last night of bugs found so far, and the list goes on and on: Wintergrasp (one of the biggest promoted features of Wrath) shut down. Unbearable lag on the realms and in instances (and this patch was supposed to fix that). Blizzard even went live with the patch knowing that major bugs (the Warlock summoning and animation and clipping errors) were in there, and, perhaps worst of all, bugs that have been in the game so long they seem to belong there (we're looking at you, Pet Cower bug) didn't even bother showing up in the patch notes, and haven't been fixed.In short, patch 3.0.8 has been a disaster. If Blizzard feels that this patch lives up to the quality of content they released in Northrend (or if they, unbelievably, somehow though this was meant to be a bugfix patch for Northend, that ended up screwing up more things than it fixed), then they need to take a long, hard look at their quality assurance system again.
Wii Warm Up: Disaster planning
After delays and uncertainty, Disaster: Day of Crisis finally came out in Europe and Japan -- and pretty much bombed. New information suggests that Disaster may be planned for a North American release (although we suspect it's more that said release was planned years ago when the game was first unveiled, and just has yet to be cancelled). But should it? Do you think the game has a better chance here than in other regions? Would you have any expectation of sales, especially given Reggie's low confidence (and thus low likelihood of promotion)? Personally, we want to play it and we don't much care if Nintendo of America profits on it or not. They've got enough money, but we don't have enough copies of Disaster. Feel free to speak from the position of "armchair business analyst" or "person who wants to play a game"!%Gallery-30942%
Disaster back on the train to Rumorsville
We've been pessimistic about Disaster: Day of Crisis getting localized for North America, and with (what we believe to be) good reason. Now, the will-it-won't-it saga has taken another twist, after Go Nintendo reader Silver Lunar received an email from Nintendo customer support saying the game would be released in the region.Okay, we know. Some guy saying he got an email from Nintendo customer support is exactly the kind of anecdote we'd usually snort derisively at, and you're right: we should all treat this with a degree of suspicion. That said, Go Nintendo's RMC received screencaps of Silver Lunar's email exchange with the big N, and reckons it's the real thing. If you'll excuse us, we'll shamelessly grasp at any straws tossed our way. Pleeeeease be true, lovely Disaster rumor.%Gallery-30942%
Monolith reflects on Disaster non-sales, mentions a sequel
It is difficult to envisage a second Disaster: Day of Crisis game, for two reasons: How any follow-up could top the unlikely mélange of disasters (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, terrorists, bears) that featured in the first game is beyond us. Perhaps an asteroid? Sales of the first game. Or the lack thereof. Nevertheless, developer Monolith Soft is at least open to the idea of a Disaster 2. In an interview with Cubed3, Director Keiichi Ono revealed that "...there were so many wonderful options [in the game]. We would like to see the possibility for them, if we have chance to develop the sequel..." The sequel? Or a sequel? The difference is pretty crucial! While we're not exactly taking that as rock-solid confirmation of Ray's return, it's an interesting remark.To bring us back down to earth, Nintendo's Hitoshi Yamagami reminded us of why the first game might not even come to North America, describing how Disaster is "performing lower than expected" at the tills.%Gallery-30942%
Alternate ending suggests potential Disaster sequel [update]
[Update: Thanks to some of our commenters, we now have a better idea what's going on here. This is the introduction to an unlockable shooting minigame, rather than an unused ending. So instead of a lead-in to a sequel that won't happen, it's just a video from a game whose sequel won't happen.]WARNING: If you don't want to spoil the incredibly obvious storyIine of Disaster: Day of Crisis, do not watch this video. We've put it after the break in case you don't want the game's epic plot ruined by even one preview frame.It seems that Nintendo and Monolith Soft may have seen sequels in Disaster: Day of Crisis's future. Unfortunately, they didn't foresee the biggest disaster of all -- the release of Disaster: Day of Crisis, which turned out to be a powerful bomb capable of creating a sales vacuum.Even though this clip, found in the game's theatre, creates a clear opening for a sequel, we wouldn't hold our breath in anticipation of the continued adventures of Raymond Bryce and his ornate beard. For one thing, this is just an extra video and not the real ending. Also, obviously, game companies prefer to make money. However, it's pretty entertaining to see the jokey, ham-fisted manner in which they teased a sequel. %Gallery-30942%
Disaster: Days of Nobody Buying It
A promise made by Reggie Fils-Aime means that North American Disaster: Day of Crisis fans have an active interest in how the game fares in Europe. If it sells enough copies on the other side of the Atlantic, Reggie has suggested a U.S. release will be considered. Sounds fair to us. The only problem? It's selling really badly in Europe.According to the latest European sales charts, the game failed to reach the UK top forty, the Irish or Norwegian top twenty, or the Dutch, German, or Spanish top ten. More worryingly still, Monolith's title wasn't even amongst the top fifty Wii releases in the UK last week. Oo-er. Such a meek performance in Disaster's opening week doesn't exactly convince us we'll be seeing a Stateside release. We'd love nothing more than to be proved wrong and see Nintendo of America take a gamble.Source: Brits prefer their Wii FitsSource: Ireland isn't bitingSource: Holland bought more copies of Mario Party 8 last weekSource: Norway says "nor way" to DisasterSource: Monolith's game knows only pain in Germany and Spain%Gallery-30942%
Nintendo directs Pikmin remake to North America
Nintendo has published a list of Wii releases for 2009, and while it's some way from being a complete list, the news for North America ranges from great to ominous. We want to start this post on a happy note, so we'll begin by saying: the Play on Wii remake of Pikmin -- just the first game -- is totally coming to the U.S. The schedule also confirms the Mario Power Tennis remake for the States, so it looks like those two will lead the brand off here.But there's worrying news as well. For one, Disaster: Day of Crisis still isn't down for a North American release. Okay, so this isn't actually that surprising, as Reggie (who isn't the title's biggest fan, remember) has said all along that any U.S. release hinges on the performance of the game in Europe. As Disaster only came out in Europe last Friday, we still don't know how it fared, though will find out soon enough. Also missing are numerous Play on Wii remakes, including Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Chibi-Robo, and the two Metroid Primes.We'll say this again, just in case: this is definitely a bare-bones list, with not every Wii release of next year featuring. We're not about to give up on getting Disaster just yet.[Via Siliconera]
Say what you think: Reggie lays into Disaster: Day of Crisis
If you thought our 7/10 review for Disaster: Day of Crisis was harsh, you should hear what Reggie Fils-Aime -- yeah, that Reggie Fils-Aime -- thinks about it. Twenty-five minutes into IGN's latest Nintendo Voice Chat podcast, Matt Casamassina revealed how Reggie "doesn't think Disaster is a $50 game," and regards the audio as "laughable." Burrrrn.We have to confess we're slightly dumbfounded to hear Reggie delivering such a hefty haymaker to one of his company's own games ... while speaking on the record, as well. We suppose it's, uh, refreshingly honest?%Gallery-30942%[Via Infendo]
Official class forums to be replaced with role forums [UPDATED x2]
Want to hear something frightening? There will be no more class forums. Nethaera announced it a bit earlier on the official forums, and I'm still not sure what to think. They're breaking down the class forums and replacing them with role forums: Tanking, Healing, and Damage Dealing. For those players that have been afraid they're homogenizing classes a little too much, this really isn't helping.Personally, I think this is a horrible move. The official class forums were bad enough, and now they've thrust all of the classes together. Have you seen those really cruel, gross videos where they put two scary looking bugs together in a glass cage and let them kill each other, and they'll do it every single time just because it's in their nature to defend themselves? This is the WoW forum equivalent of it. This is going to be a disaster. The walls are going to be painted with blood.
Wii Fanboy Review: Disaster: Day of Crisis
If Disaster: Day of Crisis were a movie, it would be one of those big, dumb, summer blockbusters, the kind of feature where it's best to leave your brain at the door.Although that might sound like a criticism, it's not intended that way, because just like over-the-top, thought-free action flicks, Disaster can serve as a guilty pleasure. It's got a Seagal-esque hero who must be one of the most resistant, hardened one-man armies of all time, tons of implausible "escaping death" scenarios, and a script that's cheesier than an explosion in a Roquefort factory. Yet despite all of this, I enjoyed it. Mostly.%Gallery-30942%
