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Build a Loco Roco house, win stuff
After such a convincing Metareview, you probably got up and ran out to buy yourself a copy of Loco Roco, right? Well, one of the cooler features in the game is the ability to build your very own house for the blubbery blobs with pieces hidden throughout the levels. With enough rare items and tons of creativity, you can really make something truly spectacular. In order to encourage some creativity amongst the PSP crowd, hardcore PSP fanboy chubigans (the guy who brought you the Flash Arcade collection) is holding a contest where you can win three UMDs from Silver Platter. All you have to do is build a home, and take a snapshot of your creation through the in-game capture method. Not bad, huh? Get moving, because the deadline is September 25th. If you do enter a submission, why not show it off to us too? Simply add a link to your creation in the comments section below. [Via Club IGN]
Zillow Mobile appraises real estate on the go
Say you're passing by, oh, Pharrell Williams' house and you're just dying to know what that puppy's worth. You know Zillow's got your hookup, but normally, you'd have to make a note of the address and run back to your PC or fumble around with their website on your phone's mini-browser. A new project by the company, Zillow Mobile, lets you simply fire off a text message with the address and get back the home's value and vital stats in real time. Zillow says the system is still a side-project for the moment and may not be rock solid, but we think this'll be a neat tool for serious use and entertainment value nonetheless.
Talking mirror now available for your home
Adding secondary functions to mirrors isn't a new concept, but Craig Barr has literally made a dream -- or at least a fairy tale -- come true. The animatronics guru that produced the King Kong ride at Universal Studios Florida has channeled his creative powers to Themeaddicts, Inc., a startup company that makes it their business to turn wild fantasies into take-home products. The "Magic Message Mirror," aside from being a decoration of stunning novelty, doubles as a security monitor in which Basil, your on-screen tipster, gives you the low-down on what's happening on your premises. The mirror is connected to a series of triggers and cameras mounted around your domicile, and when those alarms are activated the system springs to life while Basil magically appears to alert you. This conversion piece is mighty sophisticated, and even Barr admits he's aiming this at "cribs like you see on TV," so we're not surprised that pricing is not disclosed. If you consider off on-the-wall security devices and home decor must-haves, then Basil should fit the bill quite well. You can catch the mirror and its inventor at the CEDIA Expo this September.
The Evil Children of Goldshire?
After seeing The Omen remake earlier & looking for some discussion of its lameness, I was browsing the official WoW forums & came across this interesting thread, which makes it seem like the peaceful little town of Goldshire might not be so bright & sunny under the surface. It seems that some folks have spotted a group of unexplained, evil-looking children, standing in a pentagram-type formation, appearing sporadically in one of the houses in town...because you know you can't go anywhere these days without tripping over a satanic toddler. Nobody seems to be able to interact with them, and creepy music is reported to be heard in their presence. I've read through a ton of the over 666 posts on the thread, and I still can't figure out whether this is always in the game, or the result of an event or quest, so I'm going to go check it out myself as soon as possible; I'll report back after I investigate. As soon as I'm sure I won't get ganked for going within 100 yards of the Faire, that is...
US house Reps approve net neutrality bill, reveal semblance of sanity
We aren't out of the woods yet, but a U.S. House of Representatives panel has approved the net neutrality bill, a controversial proposal that would prohibit broadband providers from restricting access and impairing the speed of their competitors' content. Many feel this bill is crucial for market competitiveness and preserving the democratic nature of the internet. But instead of inciting a debate here at TUAW about a bill that is already setting media outlets everywhere ablaze, I'll just point you to a few resources to learn more about the issues, such as the Network neutrality Wikipedia entry, a Wired article and Macworld's report of the recent bill approval.
HDTV Listings for May 23, 2006
What we're watching: Only one season finale tonight, as House ends their season with a bang, literally. The Eastern Conference finals are here, and it's the same teams as last year, Detroit vs. Miami. They went all seven games last season, what will it take to get to the finals this year?On ABC Stephen King's Desperation takes center stage, maybe this will be better than every other Stephen King adaptation (except Misery)...maybe not. The miniseries 10.5 Apocalypse also comes to an end on NBC, but we may give WB's Pepper Dennis another look at 9 p.m.Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
