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IRL: WildBlue satellite internet, international charging, a flashing habit and failing to get work done on an iPad
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. It's been a whirlwind two weeks of sitting inside concept cars, soaking up details about the PlayStation Vita and getting acquainted with Windows 8, and now that it's all wound down, we're getting back to the business of griping about gadgets we already own. This week, Darren dresses down the satellite service we used to hit posts in the wilderness, Tim takes a breather after a year of jet-setting, Joseph carries on his flashing streak and as for Joe, well, let's just say his honeymoon with the iPad has come to a sudden, unproductive end.
IRL: Nexus One, Sansa Clip Zip, DeLorme PN-60 and the HP TouchPad
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. Welcome back to IRL, a new column where we dissect, defend and gripe about the gadgets we're using in real life. This week, Dante gets a firesale TouchPad, Dana ditches her Shuffle for a Sansa Clip Zip, Tim's on a boat with the DeLorme PN-60 and Darren explains why, exactly, he's still clinging to his Nexus One.
IRL: The stuff Engadget editors are using... in real life
Hi, guys! Welcome to IRL, a brand new feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life. One of the reasons we started this column is that we don't necessarily stop evaluating products once we slap on a numbered rating and publish some 3,000 words worth of impressions. This is a dilemma all gadget reviewers wrestle with, really. It's one thing to test a product for a week and report back on benchmark results and battery life, but it's another thing entirely to live with it. Sometimes, there are things we didn't get to test. And if you play with something long enough, the Honeymoon always comes to an end. No exceptions. We still see reviews as a snapshot in time -- our job, after all, is to size up the products folks might be thinking of buying today, and it's not fair to stay mum while we wait for companies to tweak products they had no business shipping half-baked in the first place. But we don't think the conversation should end with the review. You guys already get to sound off on the things you own in the "How would you change?" column. Consider this our turn.
EverQuest becomes ever after: A talk with Linda Carlson of SOE
When it comes to getting involved with community, Sony Online Entertainment's Director of Global Community Relations Linda Carlson knows it well. Most often seen tromping around conventions dressed as her beer-craving Dwarven alter-ego Brasse, Carlson was a fixture at SOE's Fan Faire events and author of her own gaming comic long before she ever started working for the studio. As we had the chance to find out recently, this was due at least in part to EverQuest changing her life many, many years prior. While these days meeting up with someone you've met online is considered fairly commonplace, when you look back to the earliest days of MMO gaming, it generally was not something many people did. Even if you did meet someone from "on the computer," they tended to be folks from one or another BBS -- local connections that were easily made and just as easily dismissed. The idea of not only meeting someone online in a romantic fashion but leaving the country you live in to see him/her was considered completely insane. "What if you don't get along? Or what if he/she is a murderer?" your friends might ask, since this was all really new territory and nobody quite knew what would happen. Still, some early MMO gamers like Carlson gathered up their courage and took that gamble. In honor of Valentine's Day, we interviewed Carlson about how her EverQuest connection became an "ever after" -- join us after the break!
Breakfast Topic: Using "IRL," IRL
I used to work at a sandwich shop. Yes, I've heard the "make me a sandwich" jokes already. I worked the lunch shift and I had this regular customer who came in a few times a week to get a hummus pita. If you don't know what hummus is, it is a delicious and flavorful spread made of mashed chickpeas and spices. It's often served with pita bread as an appetizer, or as a side or dip for various Middle Eastern or Greek dishes. Anyway, after a few weeks of making the same pita for this woman, she told me "you know, you make the best hummus pita here." I smiled at the compliment and responded, "Well, I just make yours the way I would make my own. I really like hummus IRL." As the last letter of the acronym escaped my mouth, it twisted into an awkward tone as I realized the error in my sentence. Immediately flustered, I stuttered, "Err-- I mean... I like hummus... Uh..." She laughed at me with a smile and replied, "Don't worry, I know what you meant." But my nerdiness was already exposed; I was prone. I sensed an incoming AoO. It never came. At the time I was probably overreacting, granted. The usage of net speak is pretty acceptable and easily understood to the average person these days. "BRB" doesn't bewilder most people, for example. On the other hand, I find myself telling my friends once a month, "I don't feel like going out: girl debuff," always getting mixed responses. Recently, a friend of mine going off to college soon came to me for some advice on dorm living. I told him, "if you want more privacy, just bunk the beds." Before I could continue, he followed up with "oh yeah, that'd block LoS." I stared at him, dumbfounded. Had someone just out-nerded me? So what WoW terminology do you use in your everyday life? How do your friends who don't play WoW react?
Breakfast Topic: Fancy meeting you here
A random reader email we received this week sparked an interesting topic of conversation among the crew here at WoW.com -- the odd places and ways people happen to meet or bump into fellow World of Warcraft players. Some of us find fellow players through work, some of us meet them on the street or in the store, and there's no real way to identify them. Whether it's a hoodie, a sticker on a car, or someone making the familiar mouse and keyboard hand motions when mentioning they play video games, there's a peculiar thread that connects the millions of people that play WoW. It's identifying that thread that can sometimes be tricky. By the end of the conversation, it was pretty much decided that WoW players need some sort of signal to indicate they play, a secret hand gesture of some sort. As for myself, the most random of these moments was selling my television. I found a buyer who arrived with a friend to pick up the thing and noticed the friend was wearing a WoW hat. Upon asking him if he played, I discovered not only did he play, he had played on my server, and not only had he played on my server, he played a character that I'd randomly /licked in Dalaran out of sheer boredom one evening when turning in a cooking daily. Small world. With a game that has over 11 million players, running into someone that plays the game at some point in real life is almost a given. Where have you met your fellow players? What's the most random, unexpected moment you've run into someone that plays WoW?
The Daily Grind: Have MMOs given you skills you can use in real life?
We all know computer games aren't just about killing things, racing cars or 'improving your hand-eye coordination' (which was the one I used as a kid and, to be fair, mine is really bad). However MMOs are not just any computer game, they can also teach you a specific set of interesting skills and no, I don't mean transforming your boss/parent/teacher/sibling into an elite boss on an enrage timer who has to be downed within five minutes or all hell breaks loose.For example, since entering Azeroth, I've learnt tactical battle plans to the point where I can command a raid of multilingual, bickering humans to win Wintergrasp or down a giant monster, I've learnt to co-exist better with (albeit virtual representations of) people, I've learnt AH skills which allow me to make money from nothing and, possibly the most important thing, I've learnt to be patient (thanks in part to fishing). This doesn't matter if it's relating to grinding for a new DVD boxset or a holiday, patience is vital. Many of these skills can easily be transferred to real life. So, readers, what skills has your favourite MMO taught you that you use in real life?
April Guild of the Month: Wildfire Riders on Feathermoon
Huge congrats to our second Guild of the Month, the Wildfire Riders of Feathermoon. We combed through all of the entries sent to us over the last 30 days, and the Wildfire Riders came out on top -- not only do they run some exemplary raids, but they are a shining example of fun and interesting RP, and we really enjoyed their one loot rule, too. Read on after the break to find out what it is, and what kind of people make up April's Guild of the Month.In addition to being featured right here on the site, Wildfire Riders also picks up a raid pack from the good folks at Swagdog.com, who offer hats and t-shirts custom printed with your guild and character information -- the perfect piece of clothing to pack up for BlizzCon later this year. And speaking of BlizzCon, Swagdog tells us that they're going to be there yet again (last year they were giving away custom mousepads), and that they've got some more customized guild gear in the works, so stay tuned. Thanks to them for helping us sponsor this contest -- go head over to their site now to make your own custom guild shirt or hat.And of course we're now opening up nominations for the May Guild of the Month. To enter, send us an email (no more than 200 words please) to guildofthemonth@gmail.com stating why your guild deserves to win. Please note that you must be from the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) and age 18 or older, as them's the legal rules, and also note that even if you sent us an email last month, you must re-nominate your guild if you want to be considered again. You can send us the same message if you want, but we've got to keep everything current, so please re-send. Official rules are still here, and this month's deadline will be midnight on June 13th.
Breakfast Topic: Which class are you in real life?
A bunch of blogs have come up with this interesting discussion lately, with Saresa over at Twisted Nether collating all the posts on the topic. It's a pretty good question and some World of Warcraft bloggers have taken it upon themselves to answer the question -- we've got someone who wants to be a Mage; another who thinks she'd be a Warlock; while this lady believes she fits Paladins best; and finally one lady who actually wants to be a bear. We thought this was a clever idea and decided to share it with you for this morning. It might kick off a post for your own blogs, as well.The cool thing is, I think that a lot of people fit into certain class archetypes, even without any of the abilities or spells. A priest at church would quite obviously be a Priest, while athlete fighters would probably be Warriors. Your uncle who goes off deer hunting in the Fall just might be a Marksmanship Hunter. With or without class skills and abilities, I'm sure we all have a class we sort of identify with, or whose powers we wished we possessed. You can even think of it as the WoW player's version of HEROES, choosing a class because of their powers. Myself, I'd probably stick by the Paladin. Being able to cure diseases and heal the sick would be a great thing, while still being able to lay the smackdown on baddies. Of course, when things get hairy, I'd love to be able to put up an invincible force field and... go home. How about you? You can use this Shared Topic to write your own blog post, but at the same time we'd love to hear your ideas on which class you'd be in real life.
Indy Racing League to stuff HD cameras inside select cars
Though we already knew the entire 2008 IndyCar Series would be broadcast in high-definition, many may have glossed over one crucial (to us, anyway) element: a minimum of six cars in each race "will be carrying onboard HD cameras with 360-degree panning capabilities." Of course, NASCAR fans know all too well the joys of seeing things from within the frame, but this marks the first time professional racing has used cameras of the HD variety to entertain. Reportedly, the devices will be "lipstick-sized and mounted in a protective shell atop the car's air intake, and panning [will be] controlled by technicians operating joysticks." Of note, drivers who carry the cams will vary from race to race, but we do know that Helio Castroneves, Danica Patrick (surprised?) and Dan Wheldon will be among those chosen for the opener.[Image courtesy of G4TV, thanks Geoff]
Study finds teens still like to hang out behind the Gas N' Sip
According to a recently released report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, a telephone study of US youths aged 12-17 found that -- get this -- kids actually put value on "non-online" meetings, such as "talking on the phone" or "hanging out." If you believe these so-called findings, 40-percent of teens say they use that archaic and confusing system of wired telephones, while 31-percent claim to spend time "in person" with friends every day, as though they're not frittering away their time on PCs, DS Lites, and cellphones -- interacting virtually, like the rest of us. Our take? Obvious youth-driven cover-up. Hear us out here. If the 'rents found out kids were growing up so socially disenfranchised, they might just take all those beautiful gadgets away. On the other hand (or OTOH, as the youngsters say on their picture calculators), we don't exactly take a telephone poll of 935 teens as empirical knowledge, so maybe it's possible that kids are pretty much the same as they've always been -- if slightly more distracted. One thing's for sure -- they'll never experience the pain of not knowing the lyrics to Rock Me Amadeus like we did.
Dreamhack leveling contest
As Massively reported a little while back, Dreamhack, which bills itself as "the world's largest computer festival," will be hosting some pretty awesome WoW contests this year. The party kicked off today in Sweden, and Blizzard Europe recently posted some details on the contest they'll be running. The task is to see how high you can level in 20 minutes, using a new character of any race and any class.Signups started at the Extreme Masters booth in Hall C at 4:00 PM CET, which was two hours ago (10 AM EST), and will go until 8 PM CET today and tomorrow at times to be announced. Qualifier times and rounds are also TBD, and the finals will be held Saturday from 7 PM to 9 PM CET at the Extreme Masters booth. Is anyone at Dreamhack or going to be attending? Will you compete? Also, if you are at Dreamhack, word on the forums is that both Vaneras and Thundgot are hanging out at the Blizzard/Intel booth in hall C (is this the same as the Extreme Masters booth?), and will be pleased to chat with you.
The Daily Grind: IRL
I really like Sanya Thomas (although she's Sanya Weathers now, isn't she?)-- I read her stuff every day when she was writing ye olde Camelot Herald as a Dark Age of Camelot CM, and and while her blog, Eating Bees (as in a job you signed up to do) runs a little blue sometimes, it's definitely an interesting read for anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes of MMOs.And in this recent entry, she lashes out at folks who use the term "in real life" to describe something that occurs out of game. She says that saying "IRL" makes the time spent in an virtual world somehow seems less real, when really, you're actually sitting at an actual computer, and having actual interactions with other people online.Now, her argument is a little more academic than practical-- of course there's a difference between virtual worlds and "real life," and most of the people who use "IRL" don't do it to devalue their ingame activities; they use it to describe something that happens in a place that (we assume-- whoops, this just got deeper) is real.So what do you think? Does "IRL" imply that what you do in a virtual world is somehow worth less respect? Are the friendships you have with the people you know ingame not "real" friendships, or the achievements you're earning not "real" achievements? Or is it just a phrase you use for lack of a better one? And if so, is there a better one? "Nongame"? "Out-of-game"?
WoW Moviewatch: Stealthing IRL
To paraphrase the Matrix: unfortunately, you cannot be told what this video is. You must see it for yourself. After watching it, I can't help but wonder if spending my days in stealth might occasionally be an improvement. (Think about all of the dull office conversations that could be avoided!) The only difficulty would be perfecting the walk -- well, that and the air of certainty that no one can see you!Previously on Moviewatch...
WoW Rewards Visa
I had to check my calendar to make sure this wasn't still April 1st: Blizzard is announcing that you can now get a WoW credit card! It's a Visa that gives you 1% of all your purchases as free game time, as well as a free month with your first purchase. The 1% rewards rate means spending $1,500 with the card nets you a free month of play. There are some other credit cards that give you 1% cash back (or more) on all purchases, though, so this card's strongest point seems to be its attractive designs. Then again, that may not be such a good feature if you don't want to out yourself as a WoW player every time you open your wallet. With no annual fee, I might well pick one of these up myself, if only to use once for the free month. What about you guys?
Player ganks woman's character, gets beat up by husband
A Mexican WoW player named Bronco Carson got beat up in real life by the husband of the player he had been repeatedly ganking, as well as a few of the husband's friends. Apparently, he'd been killing the heck out of this woman's character, which is reasonable enough, although somewhat annoying. The woman started threatening Carson at some point, but hey, it's the internet, right? They don't know where he lives.Wrong! Carson seems to have decided that a good idea would be to give the woman his address and and ask "if her husband was man enough to just come meet me to settle this." Um...bad move, sir. The husband and friends came and beat him up, netting Carson two broken fingers, a fractured wrist, and a destroyed computer and entertainment center. The moral of the story: if you're going to make life hard for someone in-game, don't give them your address and taunt their husband to come fight you. You are not prepared.Note that this story may well be fake, seeing as how there's no terribly credible source for it -- all the references to it I've been able to find trace back to this story on Fun Tech Talk. Grain of salt and all that.P.S. Just so we're clear, beating people up isn't cool, especially when it's three against one.[via wow.qj.net]
Crackdown meets the real world
You ever play a game so much it starts to intrude on your everyday thoughts? Maybe you spy a piece of driftwood and think to yourself, "that looks an awful lot like a brute shot." Maybe you see the side of a building and see tetrominos falling. Flickr user, AgentG must have Crackdown on the brain, because he sees agility orbs everywhere. From Mt. Rushmore to the Eiffel Tower to EPCOT, those agility orbs could be anywhere. AgentG has even gone to the trouble of locating some secret orbs, too. You'll have to look very carefully to spot them though. Halo 3 beta or not, the wait for Crackdown is becoming interminable. Hopefully these pictures will ease the pain a bit. Hit the "read" link to peruse some more.[Thanks, Jonah Falcon]
Xbox Live school threat is serious business
Two Ohio schools received quite a scare this week, as two potential plots to bring firearms to the schools were uncovered. The tool that was used to uncover one plot: Xbox Live. The first incident involved a middle school student who told a California teen, during and Xbox Live match, that he intended to bring a 9mm pistol to his school. The California boy's father overheard the conversation and contacted the FBI. The middle schooler was subsequently arrested. His Xbox 360 and a pistol were confiscated. It is currently unknown when or if he will be allowed to return to school.A second similar threat was made towards an Ohio high school, apparently overheard by a student. The high school was briefly on lockdown and patrols in the area have been increased. Teays Valley Superintendent, Jeff Sheets, believes that the second threat was inspired by the middle school plot earlier in the week. So far there are no arrests and no suspects have been named for the high school threat.[Via Joystiq]
HDTV Sports Sunday: Golf & Indy don't get it done
NBA: CheckNCAA: CheckNASCAR: CheckPGA & IRL: ZzzzzzzzzzzzI guess I don't have much to complain about. A close game between the Pacers and 76ers is on ABC, NASCAR Nextel Cup action is about to kick off in Bristol on Fox, and CBS' sharp-but-pixely Elite 8 coverage is less than an hour away. But what if I wanted to check out Vijay, Retief, Tiger and the guys out at Sawgrass? Golf is already boring to watch (it is, I like to play golf but watching it is like watching someone else take a walk in the park), in SD it's a no-go. The IRL (R.I.P. Paul Dana) keeps trying to tell me how big a star Danica Patrick is going to be but if I don't see her in 720p then well, I won't see her.
