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Changeable hairstyles at last! Long live new dances!
I was talking with some friends of mine the other night about the new expansion and we were giggling to ourselves about how the expansion video presents us with the amazing new features to be revealed in Wrath of the Lich King. "New Continent: Northrend!" it announces, "Destructible Buildings! Siege Weapons! New Profession: Inscription! ....Changeable Hairstyles! New Dances!"It does seem rather incongruous that in a game called about warcraft, changeable hairstyles and new dances would be a big deal, but it's true! This is something we've been wanting for a long time, but I never for the life of me imagined it would be an expansion feature. I always thought it would be like voice chat and guild banks, added in with some patch or another just like so many other things.It begs some frightening questions: Are we going to have special hairstyles and dances only available to those who have bought the expansion? Will we have to quest for that really epic hairdo, or spend hours and hours grinding for the reputation to access that one faction haircut we want? After all, we do it for special mounts whose only claim to fame is looking cool, why not for hairdos too?I suspect there won't be such thing as an epic hairdo quest, nor rep-grind barber shops, but really any which way Blizzard manages it will be fine with me. I do hope there will be new skin colors, faces and other characteristics be available too, though one could argue that should those be set in stone. Also, one would wonder if it's just new hair and dances which they have in store for us, or are there going to be a whole slew of new social features? Dare we hope for a proper /hug animation?
Shave and a haircut, two bits!...er...gold?
While I know that this subject has been touched on before, one can only hope that someday Blizzard implements a feature to change the appearance of your character. Many players have already voiced their opinions over the years, but it seems the cause has been reinforced yet again. Cyn from the Lethon realm has caused a resurgence in this movement. His efforts include digging up more than 40 previous petition posts, many of which already have hundreds of signatures as well. This isn't even the tip of the iceberg for the outstanding demand of this feature, as his post already has 300 signatures as well. The idea stands that people want to be able to change their facial expression, hair style, hair color, facial hair, and skin tone without having to reroll their character. Essentially, players want to have a tool in-game that performs like the character creation tool, but that doesn't require you to start over at level one, as it stands now. There seems to be a real demand for this, and its a shame that Blizzard hasn't implemented or at least given a "coming in future patches" notice to all the fans requesting it. I for one wouldn't mind forking over the equivalent cost of a respec to fix my level 70's ugly mugs into something a tad more appealing, or more complimenting to the current gearset that I have equipped. I mean, hey, the neon pink and green gnome-fro's just don't always go with the orange-red Spellstrike Garb. Does anyone else have a bad-haircut story to share? What do you think about this potential feature or lack thereof?
Ugliest Luigi ever
Poor Luigi. The lanky plumber already has enough problems dealing with his older brother always stealing the spotlight and Princess Daisy's failure to commit to a serious relationship, but now he has to worry about embarassing photos from 20 years ago resurfacing on the internet. We all have our fair share of unflattering pictures from the 80s, but the images posted for this vintage Super Mario Bros. doll auction are downright embarassing. This 3.5'-tall toy was a promotional item from Nintendo that was never released to the general public. Head past the post break to see what the green guy looked like before he tamed his hair and trimmed his mustache. He really let himself go back then -- look at that hat![Via GameSniped]
HairMax LaserComb now FDA approved -- no, really
Brace yourself Jack... remember the HairMax LaserComb? Yeah, well it's now FDA approved. Seriously, in the FDA trial some 93% of the participants saw an increase in hair density with an average increase of 19 hairs/cm. Of course, that stamp of approval doesn't necessarily mean those lasers will restore your hair, but at least it's not likely to singe the tuft you've got left. Just remember, the FDA also approved Olestra which can cause orificial leakage. Now go ahead, pony-up the $545 required to try 'er out. We sure as hell won't be going hands-on with this one. [Via Physorg.com]
Philips patents razor light technology to zap hair growth
While most folks aren't exactly fond of going bald on their noggin, eliminating the pesky hair on faces and legs doesn't sound half bad. Aside from the gazillion topical treatments scams available at your local Wally World, there's always the uber-expensive "laser hair removal" option, but Philips seems to think it has a less costly, less intrusive solution. The firm has recently patented razor light technology, which utilizes "low doses of electromagnetic radiation" to kick active follicles into the dormant catagen phase. By sending pulses "between 1 and 100 milliseconds" apart just above the skin, it offers up a relatively safe, easy, and (hopefully) pain free experience to putting a halt to shaving every other day (or more). Obviously, the method isn't aimed at immediate hair removal, as plans are to implement numerous treatments over "two week intervals," but it could slowly eliminate the regrowth of hair once treated. So while we're not exactly sure when you'll be replacing that bag of disposables with a newfangled light gun, a little help in the hygiene department is never a bad thing.[Via NewScientistTech]
LouseBuster kills lice, is ineffective against Slimer, Gozer
We're sure Dan Aykroyd and the gang never envisioned their symbolic ghost-busting machine being converted into a lice-evicting device, but researchers at the University of Utah are doing just that. The "chemical-free, hairdryer-like device" -- dubbed the LouseBuster -- eradicates head lice infestations on children by exterminating the eggs (or "nits"), and killing enough lice to prevent them from reproducing. While the description may make some folks queasy, Dale Clayton not only supports the head vacuum, but claims that it cured his teenagers from their own battle with lice. The rake-like comb channels air from the machine into the hair, which after several half-hour treatments makes the environment too arid for lice to survive; however, the team was quick to warn parents that hairdryers weren't an acceptable substitute for the miracle-working powers put forth by the LouseBuster. Nevertheless, Clayton hopes his spinoff company, Larada Sciences, will have the presumably Bill Murray-approved apparatus on shelves soon.[Via MedGadget]
British robots to help treat baldness
A British firm has just secured government funding from the "Technology Programme" to build a robotic system aiming to speed up the process of multiplying hair cells to help treat baldness in males and alopecia for both genders. The firm, Intercytex, extracts hair follicles from the neck, multiplies the cells, and then reimplants them in bald spots three weeks later. The £1.85 million grant ($3.48 million) will be used to process various cell samples using robots in a "reliable, effcient" way.Read - Intercytex press releaseRead - BBCRead - Reuters
