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Paradox CEO outs Fatshark's next project, codenamed 'Project Postman'
Fatshark's next game is "primarily a PC title to begin with," Paradox CEO (and head of snappy haircuts) Fredrik Wester told me in a recent interview at Joystiq's NYC offices. "We're doing a new game with them at the moment, which is also multiplayer-focused," Wester added. "Project Postman" is the working title for a game currently in development at Fatshark, with Paradox signed on as publisher. "We'll see about consoles," Wester skittishly noted. As you might imagine, his company is a bit wary of confirming console games that may or may not ever arrive, given past experiences. Without going into details about the game itself, Wester did reveal that the title would be "announced later this year," though he specifically pointed out that it won't be a big E3 announcement. "I think we're actually waiting for summer, or maybe GamesCom in Germany where we have more stuff to show." He also said that the unnamed game would likely have a trailer by the time GamesCom happens in August. As for why his studio names its projects after Kevin Costner films ... that's less logical. But in a good way. Head past the break for the hilarious roots of Paradox's strange tradition.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: trains speed up, paint improves planes, and the CO2-scrubbing artificial trees
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. This week Inhabitat saw high-speed railways pick up steam around the globe as China announced plans to build a trans-continental railroad in South America and Japan began developing the world's fastest high-speed train. We also saw eco transportation reach new heights as a kite-powered car completed an epic 5,000km journey across Australia and researchers developed a nanotech paint that will increase the fuel efficiency of airplanes. The automotive world is also gearing up for the Geneva car show as Toyota is getting set to roll out an all-electric IQ and Porsche pulled back the curtain on its Panamera S Hybrid and Boxster EV. In other news, this week we brought you an exclusive video interview where celebrated environmentalist Stewart Brand argues that nuclear power could save the world. We also explored several other alternative energy sources that are decidedly less controversial - PurposeEnergy is transforming beer brewing waste into a source of clean-burning biofuel, and a design duo has proposed a series of beautiful solar-powered artificial trees that scrub CO2 from the air. Roughly one in every six people do not have access to safe drinking water, so we were excited to learn about a pedal-powered water purification system based on the bicycle that holds great promise for the developing world. Speaking of cleaning up dirty water, this week Stephen Baldwin sued Kevin Costner over the oil-separating technology that cleaned up the BP oil spill. And last but not least, we were wowed by this hydrofloor system, which can save space and energy by concealing a swimming pool beneath your living room floor!
Picaroon heads into the open waters of open beta
Picaroon, the pirate MMORTS with an attitude (and a mild case of scurvy), has now walked off the gangplank into the depths of open beta. We've been following this title since last October when Picaroon announced its closed beta, and now it's available for all to check out, test and see if it be as worthy as a salty sea dog. Nice Technology's Toby Simpson thinks the game has a broad appeal: "We're excited about open beta and look forward to welcoming new members to our growing community of Picaroon fans. Picaroon has strategies for all: builders, attackers, defenders and diplomats." Set in a futuristic water world (no, not the Kevin Costner one) where empires clash over the few remaining patches of land, Picaroon tasks players with building up fleets and setting sail for adventures. Nice Technology has designed the game to include three modes depending on your time constraints: hour-long skirmishes, two-week struggles, and a persistent war. Fighting isn't the only way to victory, as Picaroon offers players the options for diplomacy as well. You can check out the open beta by heading over to Picaroon's site. %Gallery-116039%
Kevin Costner sells 32 oil-water separators to BP, testifies before congress
When filming his critically acclaimed documentary Waterworld, Kevin Costner became interested in cost-effective technologies for separating oil from water (such as in the aftermath of an oil spill). Today, he appeared in front of a House committee to drum up interest in the oil-water separator he's been developing over the years in partnership with Louisiana's Ocean Therapy Solutions. It is claimed that the device can process some two-hundred gallons of water a minute, using a centrifuge processing technology that sucks in polluted water, separates the oil, and stores it in a tanker before sending the water itself (now some 99.9 percent purified) back into the gulf. (A company called Enviro Voraxial has a machine that relies on a different technology to process some 500 gallons per minute, which BP is also looking into.) BP has reportedly ordered thirty-two of Costner's machines for testing, although it will be a matter of time before it's determined whether they do the job safely enough to aid in the gulf clean-up effort. What can we say? Our man's come along way since he starred in Sizzle Beach, USA.
Warner to release first hybrid HD-DVD May 9th
Those early adopters who've already picked up a Toshiba HD-A1 but don't want to buy duplicate copies of each movie for use on their current car and portable DVD players have gotten a reprieve from Warner Home Video, who just announced that the first hybrid HD-DVD/standard DVD will be available on May 9th. However, folks looking for a Matrix-like title to put their new toy through its paces will probably be disappointed with Warner's choice: the critically-panned 2005 Kevin Costner/Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy "Rumor Has It." Plus, don't think that the 480p content on the flip side of the disc is just a bonus, as these hybrid offerings are debuting for eleven dollars more than their single-copy counterparts. Still, if these discs enable you to create a backup of the flicks you buy on HD-DVD, even at non-HD resolutions, the extra dough might be worth it in order to get maximum utility from your purchased content.[Via eHomeUpgrade]
