LA
Latest
Mischievous duo plead not guilty to LA traffic hacking scandal
We've seen our fair share of scheming and conniving, but a duo of engineers that were previously employed by LA's Automated Traffic Surveillance Center allegedly pulled off one of the most impactful jobs we've ever heard of. Both men have just pled not guilty to charges of "manipulating traffic signals to disrupt transportation across the city in the run-up to a union protest last August," a case which pins them with deeds such as identity theft and illegally using those 1337 skills to wreck havoc. In a situation eerily similar to that seen in The Italian Job, the pair overrode intentional barriers to access the traffic light system in LA, and proceeded to not only force lights to stay red for extended periods of time in some of the city's most critical and congested intersections, but locked out city officials from entering back in and reversing the changes as well. Ranking right up there beside the numerous ATM hacks we've seen, this job led to massive amount of chaos in the following days, creating gridlocks in some areas that reportedly took "four days" to totally clear out. If convicted, the two could face several years in prison, but if not, we're sure risk-loving tech executives everywhere are drooling to pick these two up and put 'em to (honest, law-abiding) work.[Via The Register]
E for All Expo takes the reigns, stays in Los Angeles
Those of you so deeply saddened and hurt by E3's sudden departure can take heart, as there's a new trade show coming to town, and hopefully it'll be half as good as the tried-and-true Electronic Entertainment Expo of days past. Slated to open its doors to the public and adoring media on October 18th through the 20th, the Entertainment for All Expo sports a kinder, more inviting title, that apparently hopes to focus more on the general public rather than industry insiders and advertising giants. Clearly hoping to garner more attention by continually stating that "this show is for everyone," IDG World Expo also claims that we kiddos will be able to "test drive the latest in games and gadgetry" as well as purchase things we like right on site. So while it'll (probably) never live up the expo of old, we're still down with ginormous trade shows with too much to do in not nearly enough time, and hey, now you've already got something to look forward to in October.
E3 to be reborn as GamePro Expo
While E3 may be long gone, and E3Expo may have been on the horizon for a brief time, it appears that GamePro Expo will now be taking its place as the king of the American gaming shows. IDG, the company that publishes GamePro magazine (and Macworld mag and Expo), will now run this latest show to take over the Los Angeles Convention Center come October 2007. Although GamePro is only slated for 30,000 people (half the size of E3), it should still rock, given that it'll bring live competitions among other goodies. And if you're looking for us while at the show, we'll be the ones hanging our heads in shame after getting totally pwned by the smarmy editors over at Joystiq.[Via DSFanboy]
Game immersion and you: TV Fighter
With the Nintendo Wii interface, gamers are beginning to recognize the importance of a this new level of innovation. However we are also beginning to understand that it's going to take some time for developers to bring this type of immersion into a more unambiguous experience for everyone. Tucked away within the bowels of E3 was SDW Games and their TV Fighter. As you can see from the picture, the gamer controls it with boxing gloves. Theoretically, this could have been really fun, but what is it about cheaply made peripherals that seem to completely take away the experience?
Dell gaming preview: The XPS desktop
You're looking at the latest work-in-progress gaming desktop from Dell, the next XPS. They invited us down today and let us take a gander at their prototype.They didn't tell us anything juicy about stuff like the components, pricing or a release date. The directors who headed up the presentation were mainly looking for some feedback from the gaming community. One of the interesting things with this new minimalistic design is the complete air flow from rear to front. Unfortunately, everything they showed us was purely aesthetic, so we'll have to hold out for a bit longer to find out about anything else.[Reposted due to technical difficulties.]
Preview of new Guitar Hero II co-op mode
In case you missed it on Friday, IGN posted a pre-E3 hands-on preview of Guitar Hero II's new co-op mode. It's a departure from the first game's multiplayer mode in that the two players have to depend on each other a lot more to pass each song and thereby make beautiful music together.While the old multiplayer option will still be around in the sequel, the new mode mixes distinct lead guitar and bass or rhythm parts where each player affects the other in various ways, whether by failing if either performance slips (as in DDR), sharing the same Rock Meter (with mistakes from either player resetting the score multiplier), and needing to both go vertical at the same time to activate the shared Star Power. Thankfully, different difficulty levels can be assigned to each player.The Joystiq team out in L.A. will probably find something to do until they get their sweaty paws on a guitar controller or two on the E3 show floor (maybe one of those wacky press conferences will help pass the time), but we're sure the wait to try the latest build of this rockin' series will be worth it. The seven songs available at E3 are listed below.[Thanks, murph]
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children reports from Hollywood
For the Final Fantasy fans lucky enough to be near Hollywood yesterday night -- and in line for free tickets during the middle of a regular workday -- there was much rejoicing to be had as Advent Children celebrated its U.S. theatrical premiere in style.Siliconera has a write-up on the event with quotes from most of the American voice actors in attendance, who, along with the audience at hand, watched the film in English for the very first time. Lip synching may have been off due to the low-resolution print the actors had to work with, but even Rachel Leigh Cook -- pictured here with her character Tifa Lockheart -- declared herself a new fan of Final Fantasy after the show.Helpful Joystiq Contributor epobirs also had something to report from the screening yesterday, where he gives us an Ain't-It-Cool style rundown of the event. If you want the rest of his reflections on the requirements of the Academy in Oscar nominations, as well as what it takes to "assert your hetero nature ... after watching a movie packed with metrosexual men," simply continue reading below for more. Siliconera's report can be found by clicking on the image of Ms. Cook above or the Read link below. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children will be out on DVD/UMD April 25th.[Thanks, epobirs; image of Tifa courtesy of Eyes on Final Fantasy]
iPod giveaways at Beverly Center Apple Store
ifoAppleStore is reporting on a month-long contest that is going on at the Beverly Center Apple Store in Los Angeles, CA. Several Mac owners living in southern California have recently received a contest notification via email, which states, "...Every night in March we’ll give away an iPod [30 Gb], iPod nano [2 Gb], or iPod shuffle [512 Mb]." You can see the full invitation after the jump.Good luck, LA! Let us know if you win.
