gross
Latest
OtterBox made a 'bacteria-killing' screen protector for your phone
Face it, your phone screen is filthy. Think about all those times you texted from the toilet or scrolled through Instagram while riding the subway: Those streaks on your screen are not only schmutz but also breeding grounds for bacteria. That's where OtterBox's Amplify Glass Anti-Microbial comes in.
Urbanears has sweat-soaked headphones, if that's what you're into
What's the best way to promote a line of workout headphones? Well, if you're Urbanears, offering a "Limited Sweat Edition" that carries the perspiration of real human "movement makers" is how you go about it. The audio company teamed up with seven folks from fashion, music and sports on a group of sweat-soaked headphones that will be used to raise money for charity. Yes, it's pretty gross, but Urbanears is playing up the Hellas wireless headphones removable headband and earpads to remind you that said funk can be removed. And yes, you can buy a fresh pair if you prefer.
KFC-flavored nail polish gives new meaning to 'chicken fingers'
KFC is taking its "finger lickin' good" slogan a bit too far. The fried chicken fast food chain made two "edible" fingernail polishes for its fans in Hong Kong. Teaming up with ad agency Ogilvy & Mather and food experts at McCormick, two shades were created that incorporate the restaurant's top secret blend of 11 herbs and spices: Original Recipe and Hot & Spicy.
League of Legends poised to generate $1 billion in annual revenue
Few things mystify me more than League of Legends. I just don't get MOBAs in general and Riot's juggernaut in particular. Judging by a new report from SuperData Research, though, I'm fairly alone in that assessment as the title is poised to break the $1 billion annual revenue barrier. According to SuperData, LoL generated $946 million via in-game spending between January and September of 2014 and, get this, it makes more money than World of Tanks, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, and Hearthstone combined.
The Daily Grind: What's the grossest quest you've ever done?
So yesterday I picked up piles of dookie in ArcheAge. Yes, there really is a quest in Anvilton that requires you to go around and fill your bag with yata manure, yatas being those floppy-eared rabbit/kangaroo mount things. As if stuffing crap in my quest bag wasn't enough, there's an occasional overpowering stench status effect that causes my character to temporarily pass out and fall down. Finally, the end of the quest required me to deposit a huge helping of poo on an NPC's workbench, complete with buzzing fly and rising steam animations. How about you, Massively readers? What's the grossest quest you've ever done? 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!
Pokemon had a baby with Attack on Titan and it's awful
Some things we never wanted to see. Some things we never knew we never wanted to see – and Pokemon mashed up with Attack on Titan is one of those things. Ugh. Today's dose of nightmare fuel comes from zsparky on DeviantArt, as spotted by Tiny Cartridge. The only thing creepier than waking up to a face full of Lickitung in the morning would be a face full of grinning Lickitung. Ugh ugh. But, you know what they say: We had to see it, and now you do, too. Sweet dreams, folks. [Image: Beth Emery / zsparky]
Daily App: Gross motivates you to move by breaking down your motion data
Gross from Forest Giant is one of a growing number of apps that take advantage of the M7 motion co-processor in the iPhone 5s. The app sets itself apart by breaking down your movement into categories and displaying it in a simple and clear way that is easy to understand. Gross uses a text-based interface to present your motion data to you. The main screen of the app is a list of the days of the week. Under each day is blue line that represents your overall motion. At the bottom is your gross movement that summarizes your movement for the past seven days. The app focuses on the here and now, so there is no fitness history, just your performance over the past week. Tapping on a day of the week brings up the motion data recorded for that day and breaks it down into degree of activity. In a quick glance, you can see how much time you have spent walking, running or cruising. You can also see your gross stats for the day. On the right side of the detailed view, there is a column that shows your activity throughout the course of a day and allows you to quickly determine the hours of the day that you are most active. Gross' strength is its simplicity -- you don't have to wade through charts and analysis to get to your core motion data. It's a basic tracker that displays your movement in an easy-to-access and straightforward way. It's perfect for those who don' t need the extra fluff and just want to see how much they move during any given day of the week. Gross is available for free from the iOS App Store.
The Daily Grind: Has an MMO ever grossed you out?
Everyone has their own gross threshold. Maybe it's diapers, maybe it's Honey Boo Boo, or maybe it's a particularly gnarly moment in a video game. Personally, I'm not a big fan of little worms swarming all over carcasses, which is why it's a good thing that all of our kills tend to disappear instead of covering the land in decomposing nastiness. I took the above screenshot in The Secret World, where a diner's small bathroom made me hurk a little. What happened here? Do I want to know? No I really don't. I'm just glad that we can't yet smell MMOs. So has an MMO ever grossed you out? Unleash your inner kid and share all of the disgusting details! 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!
38 Studios debt to be partially repaid with bloody sock
In 2004, Curt Schilling ignored his doctor's advice and hobbled to the pitcher's mound with a wounded right ankle to win Game Two of the World Series, clenching the second of four straight victories against the St. Louis Cardinals and proving that the Curse of the Bambino had run its course. The blood-stained sock worn by Schilling on that day is now stuff of Boston legend and had become quite an icon during the series. It seemed to be a piece of memorabilia that Schilling wouldn't dare part with, but his recent business dealings have forced his hand. And foot. If you find yourself in need of a used bloody sock to frame in your sports den, you can start the bidding on February 4th. Schilling hopes to raise at least $100,000 through the auction.
Cyborg cockroaches inch closer to reality, blame science
Few things on this planet are more indestructible than the lowly cockroach -- except, of course, a cyborg cockroach. That's what researchers at Case Western Reserve University are looking to create, and they're a lot closer than you may think. In fact, chemistry professor Daniel Scherson has found a way to harvest energy from the chemicals swimming within these insidious insects, meaning that they may soon be able to create robot cockroaches with a more reliable power source. To do this, Scherson and his team incorporated enzymes capable of converting a cockroach's food intake into electrons, which can then be funneled through a fuel cell to generate electricity. Unlike similar developments, Scherson's technique doesn't rely on an external source like light, movement or batteries. All you need is a cockroach and a steady food supply -- basically, a college dorm room. [Image courtesy of The Life Files]
The Daily Grind: What grosses you out in MMOs?
Most of us have squick lines in life that totally gross us out. Whether it be changing a dirty diaper, watching someone pick their nose, or hearing someone attempt to parody Rebecca Black's music, there's always something that can make us go "EWW!" and flap our hands around like grounded birds in distress. But what about MMOs? Is there anything in them that can actually gross us out? I'm willing to bet there is, considering that I've seen a few things that have given me the willies over the years. The biggest gross-out for me are decaying corpses that are detailed in ways I wish they were not. The above picture grosses me out, and that's just a dead cow in Lord of the Rings Online. So what grosses you out in MMOs? Is it the squashing of bugs, the terrible fashion sense on display, or something else entirely? 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!
Xperia Play commercial surfaces, makes back alley surgery fun again (video)
You know, it just wouldn't be an ad campaign for a Sony game system without a suitable "WTF?" moment. And why would Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play (a.k.a. PlayStation phone, a.k.a. the Worst Kept Secret in the Business) be any different? There isn't much to say about this ad, except that the fine folks at Droid NYTT got hold of a copy, and that we hope these back-alley thumb transplant goons know a thing or two about anesthetics. See for yourself after the break.
Citibank: Apple could pull in $2 billion in App Store revenues in 2011
Right before the year switched over, Citibank released its "US Internet Stock 2011 Playbook," and in there was an interesting prediction about the App Store. Despite what seems like constantly falling prices and the rise of "freemium" apps, Citibank expects Apple to pull in $2 billion in gross app revenue in 2011 alone. That's comparable to gross revenue for the entire online video advertising market, according to TechCrunch. And presumably this is just the iOS App Store -- later this week we'll be seeing the first fruits of the Mac App Store arrive, and it's likely that market will pull in a nice chunk of change for Apple as well. Smartphone software in general is also set to grow -- Citibank says that by 2013, the app market should be worth around $27 billion (that includes, of course, Android and any other platforms that should emerge in the next few years). Demand is strong for smartphone hardware, but I don't think the exponential growth of apps will continue for years into the future. Then again, who can tell? This is a market that barely existed just a few years ago, so where it's headed from here is anyone's guess. [via Loop Insight]
Overheard@PAX: The sound of 1,000 knuckles cracking
There are few words one could use to describe the audio phenomenon which occurs at each Penny Arcade Expo, other than, of course, yucky. The video posted after the jump was captured at the first Penny Arcade panel at PAX East, in which everyone in the room simultaneously cracks their knuckles. It is really, really gross and nobody should watch it. We wish we hadn't seen it. We also wish we hadn't filmed it, and then copied it to our computer, and put it online, and put it in this post -- a process forcing us to relive that horrifying moment eight or nine times.
Gigabyte's M1305 ad campaign says docking a laptop is like picking your nose
External graphics cards may well be a rarity these days, but we're not sure if this simple fact justifies the launch of a grotesque and debatably heinous ad campaign. As you can so clearly see above, Gigabyte disagrees. In order to promote its Taiwanese M1305 CULV laptop cum external graphics card dock (housing an NVIDIA GeForce GT220 desktop VGA card), it released posters featuring a disoriented person poking his / her nose, each of which were presumably in the process of "doing some soul searching." Curious as to what these ads actually say? "How good is an expansion dock with integrated graphics card? Plug in a Gigabyte laptop and you'll find out!" Thanks, but no thanks Gigabyte -- we're currently preoccupied with flushing our memories of this visual disturbance you've just forced upon us. Psst... two more posters after the break for extra raunchiness! [Thanks, TheLostSwede]
The Daily Grind: What produces a visceral reaction in you?
Every RPG has giant spiders. Inevitably. Despite the fact that such creatures couldn't possibly support their own body weight and other natural physics problems, you will find them. And arachnophobes the world over will cringe, because it will usually culminate in having to dive into an entire dungeon filled with spiderwebs and chittering eight-eyed things the size of a Hummvee. Not to mention all of the quests where your character has to smash them and then rifle around in what's left of their corpse and you get the general idea. If you're not comfortable with the idea of unholy, bulbous, overlegged creatures scuttling about, these parts aren't terribly comfortable even though you know it's just a game. Today, we ask you what produces that sort of bred-in gut reaction when you come across it? Giant bugs, blood, and slimy things are all common ones for a negative reaction, but there are others, and some of them might even be unique to your own sensibilities. So we'd like to know, what gets you at a basic level, even when you're totally aware it's just a game? (And if any developers are reading right now, bonus question: why all the spiders, guys? Come on.)
How much money Blizzard is really making from 10 million subscribers
An article on Playfuls.com (which I found via Incgamers) tried to take the news about Blizzard's ten million subscribers from earlier this week, and suss out just how much money they're making. They do what most people would do, which is multiply their $15 subscription rate per month times ten million, which would mean that Blizzard is raking in $150 million a month, or about $1.7 billion a year is gross profits.Except that's not right. Because while North American and European players pay about $15 a month, many Chinese and Asian subscribers don't pay monthly-- they pay hourly, at a much lower rate than what other players around the world pay. With 2.5 million and 2 million subscribers in North American and Europe respectively, Blizzard is still making $810 million a year (not to mention the cost to purchase the original game and the expansion pack, which at this point is probably negligible at this point given how much retailers like to take out) in those places. But that leaves 5.5 million players in other countries, and their payment plans aren't as rigidly defined.Of course, obviously these are all estimates as well, and they're gross, too-- you have to remember that Blizzard pays a huge group of people money to keep up content, customer service, promotion, and administration, as well as maintenance on what must be a huge number of servers (each realm has at least three or four servers running on it, for each continent and all the instances). And Blizzard has other income coming in as well-- licensing fees, fees from The9 (the company that actually runs WoW in China, and likely collects subscription fees there), transfer fees from players, and so on.Don't get me wrong-- Blizzard is still making a lot of net money on the deal, easily into the hundred millions. But it's not as easily as multiplying what you're paying by ten million, because that's just not the case.
The Daily Grind: Most disgusting quest
As anyone who has ever played World of Warcraft can tell you, there seems to be quite a few quests that just make you go "yuck." What kinds of quests? Well, as highlighted in a recent Real Life comic, one of the Nagrand quests sends you hunting around in Talbuk poo to get beans which you then make something to eat from them. Admittedly, I can't speak for anyone else, but I finished that quest arc with every single one of those 'Nagrand Cherries' still in my bag -- having made a few underwater breathing potions on my Alchemist alt. Sure, you're aware that you aren't really eating the poo-beans, but the idea was just gross to me at the time. (Besides, I had a lot of herbs back-stocked, so it cost me nothing beyond the vials and a mailing fee.) But we know that's far from the only yucky quest out there. For today's question, we thought we'd ask just what quest you've come across made you stop and go "ew" in your travels. We know Blizzard can't have the corner of the market on gross, so share your yucky stories!
DoA movie even deader after arrival
After what seems like a lifetime in development, direct-to-DVD speculation and a dismal 18th place opening last weekend, we thought things couldn't get much worse for the Dead or Alive movie. But we were wrong. Dead wrong, if you will. This weekend's box office numbers show earnings for the movie dropping off an incredible 91.9 percent to just over $21,000. Total. For the whole country. For reference, top-earner Evan Almighty made that much off just three of its 3,604 opening screens. The 54th-most popular movie for the weekend, DoA was shown in just 98 theaters, earning an average $214 per screen. For even more context, action flick 300 was shown in 140 theaters and averaged $737 per showing despite being four months old. Granted, DoA was a low-budget popcorn flick with no big names attached and next to no advertising. Still, what does this unmitigated flop say about the prospects of other upcoming, game-based movies like Prince of Persia or Spy Hunter ... or Metal Gear Solid or Diablo ... or City of Heroes or The Sims? They can't all be Tomb Raider, after all. [Via 1up]
