LA
Latest
Visualized: KIRFer's paradise
LA lovers of things that Keep it Real Fake, finding your next knockoff might be a little harder than anticipated. The Los Angeles police just busted a warehouse full of knock-offs, things like GiPhones, iPhoncs, PNPs, and Poops. Among all this junk, some $10 million worth, two dudes were found and arrested -- two dudes who had records showing more than $7 million in profits. It seems KIRFing does pay, for a little while at least.
Sprint and Clearwire deliver WiMAX to Los Angeles, Ohio, Miami and Washington DC, promise SF on December 28th
Seems like Sprint wants to get every last lick of 4G coverage in before Verizon flips the switch on LTE -- today, its joint venture with Clearwire is launching WiMAX in the City of Angels a day ahead of schedule. Lest you think Los Angeles is getting special treatment, five other cellular markets can now also get a taste of 5Mbps to 7Mbps download speeds, including Miami, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and our nation's capitol, Washington D.C. That brings the total number of regions where you'll get some mileage out of that $10 surcharge up to 68, in case you're keeping track. What's next? If the press release after the break is correct, San Francisco will finally satisfy its need for speed on December 28th. Not that any of these locales haven't been secretly enjoying 4G already, of course.
Sprint and Clearwire set to launch WiMAX in Los Angeles by December 1st
The headline says it all on this one, folks. Thanks to a tweet by Sprint representative Stephanie Vinge we know that company and Clearwire will be flipping the switch on 4G service in LA sometime before December 1st, following on recent successes in New York City, Tampa, Hartford, and many other lovely locales. Of course, we all know it isn't actually 4G, but it's as close as we're going to get right now, and we'll certainly take it. Update: Lots of folks are indicating WiMAX is already well and truly working in the greater Los Angeles area, so go ahead and enjoy those download speeds early -- unofficially, of course. [Image courtesy Sten Rüdrich]
Sprint promises WiMAX in NYC on November 1, LA on December 1, and San Francisco a few weeks later
The fact that Sprint and Clearwire have teamed up to deliver WiMAX to New York, LA, and San Francisco isn't news. In fact, we've already seen the networks light up in operational readiness modes on the way to full consumer availability. But now we've got dates, the first specifics that we can recall for these cities. Now, according to both Clearwire and Sprint, New York's WiMAX service will go live on November 1st, LA's on December 1st, and San Francisco sometime around the end of December. We'll see if those early 5Mbps to 7Mbps download / 1.2Mbps upload speeds we've experienced can be maintained once the service meets the crush of the big city horde. Of course, this is nothing but good news for wireless consumers who'll also see Verizon light up its competing LTE network in these cities (38 in total) at about the same time.
Raytheon's 'pain ray' to be installed in LA County jail, Charlie Sheen contemplating move to Portland
Raytheon's been cranking on its 10,000 pound Silent Guardian for years now, and we always try to keep abreast of its... progress. The device, popularly known as a 'pain gun,' is a non-lethal weapon designed to deliver an overwhelming heat to say, members of a mob scene or rioters at a prison, causing an immediate flight response. The Air Force, which helped test the device, has assured the world of its safety, and recently the devices went on sale. So what's next for the Silent Guardian? Installation at the LA County jail in Castaic, where a large scale riot recently broke out, injuring more than 20 people and lasting well over an hour. Now, we're in no position to form an opinion about whether the pain ray is going to help situations like these or not, but we're pretty sure of one thing: it'll likely have little to no effect the next time Britney Spears is brought in.
Found Footage: iPhone 4 takes to the skies
Aside from the relative wisdom of rigging the phone and flying it near a working radio tower, the video is actually quite compelling -- there's also a behind-the-scenes clip showing the extended process of building and flying the rig. Thanks Jimmy!
Using your iPhone in the city? Be careful!
I've lived in big cities for almost ten years now, first in Chicago and now in Los Angeles, and I could have told you exactly what this New York Times piece does: that you've got to be careful while using your iPhone while walking the city streets. We've heard about this before with the iPod, but an iPhone offers up even more distraction while walking around -- in between checking email, jumping on Twitter, and/or playing any number of games, it's practically impossible to spend enough attention on where you're walking and what you're doing even on a relatively clear street. Think it's a joke? Over 1000 people found themselves in emergency rooms in 2008 because they were distracted while walking, says the article, which is twice the number from 2007, which itself was almost double the number from 2006 (and it's probably gotten higher in the last year). That's not to say that we need actual legislation to deal with this (although legislation has been discussed in New York, and there is already legislation on the books in many places against using your phone while driving), but it's something to keep in mind: I put my iPhone away whenever I cross a street, and just plain stop whenever I need to do anything more attention-deserving than switch a song or up the volume. And it only took me one close call with a moving truck to figure that one out. If you're walking around with your iPhone or iPod in a busy urban environment, be careful out there. Note: Clarified the statistics above; the 2008 number is approximately four times the 2006 number.
Richard Knaak signing in the Midwest, Blizzard artists' forum at UC Irvine
Stuck in the Midwest and didn't have enough money to go see all the fun at BlizzCon 2009 this year? We've got a little (very little) bit of condolence for you: Richard Knaak, author of the Warcraft novels, is doing a signing tour this weekend around the Midwest in Missouri and Kansas. Blizzplanet has all of the dates and places -- he'll be in St. Joseph, MO on Friday (today), and then in Overland Park, KS and Lawrence, KS on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Not quite as fun as seeing Ozzy, but if you're out in the middle of the country, there's your chance at a little facetime with someone helping shape the WoW universe.Unfortunately, I'm stuck in Chicago, and -- oh wait! I moved to Los Angeles last weekend, which means I'm actually going to get to go to this artists' forum down at UC Irvine in California. Where I am (it's still a little weird to say that). The Laguna Art Museum (which has an ongoing relationship with Blizzard) will be hosting some of Blizzard's and other artists on October 1st, and they'll be talking (we presume) about creating art and other media for games and digital entertainment. Usually this is the part of the post where I'll ask you to send us pictures if you go, but what the heck -- I'm in the neighborhood (not really, but closer than Chicago), so maybe I'll get a chance to go and check it out for myself. See you there?
King of Fighters XII tourney in LA this Saturday, May 30
A King of Fighters XII battle to the death tournament will be held this Saturday in a little burg known as Los Angeles. The event will be held May 30, from 12-7PM at Element (location details after the break). Cosplayers are welcome and there will be "goodies" on hand.Want to compete? The first 100 folks to RSVP to Paul[at]ignitionusa[dawt]com with their name and email address are good to go. We'll be covering the tournament this weekend in hopes of kicking our Iori Yagami addiction, so stay tuned for more.
Giant Final Fantasy XIII characters watch over LA residents
Look up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a Japanese role-playing game character watching you shower? Los Angeles residents have been introduced to the cast of the upcoming Square Enix powerhouse, Final Fantasy XIII, via building-sized promotional posters. The giant ads for the upcoming JRPG can be spotted on the corner of S. Figueroa Street and Olympic Boulevard in Downtown Los Angeles.The 124ft image showcases the game's three main characters, (above-left, from left to right) Vanille, Snow and Lightning, as well as a heading that promises the game will launch in 2010 (with logos for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360). Giant video game based promotional posters in LA, huh? You'd think some kind of huge gaming event was happening in the area soon, or something.
L.A. Live convention center / hotel includes gigantic, see-through outdoor screen
The 54-story tower planned to house The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Los Angeles and JW Marriott when it opens in 2010 will also include an 8,000 sq ft screen on its eastern face, without disrupting the view of guests inside. The result of a deal between property owners AEG and sponsor Panasonic, the 50-foot by 160-foot screen will live in the neighborhood of the new Yankee Stadium and the Dallas Cowboys new home. No word on the exact res, but there will no doubt be plenty of HD as the entire complex, including Staples Center and Nokia Theatre, is getting Panasonic screens installed as part of the deal. Our reservations are already in, check after the break for an illustration of the future layout.
Widespread connectivity issues abound today
Users of Comcast and Verizon are experiencing technical difficulties today in their connectivity to the game. They are experiencing this in both connecting to the actual game, and then maintaining a good connection once in the game.Blue poster Claudiog is seeking more information from the community on the technical support forums. In particular he's looking for traceroutes from affected users. Head over to their forums (ignoring their own ads) and help them out if you're struck with these issues.Some users are stating that the Los Angeles datacenters are the culprits for the connectivity issues. However we want to caution users that Blizzard has made no official statement about their datacenters.
E3 tries to make a comeback in 2009
E3 2009 will take place June 2-4 next year, at the LA Convention Center. It won't be open to the public or anything, but the list of people who can attend will be less restrictive than the previous two years, says the ESA. They'll be opening the doors to all "international and US-based media, analysts, retailers, developers and business partners." So, attendance will increase and this move should hopefully help E3 get back to what it used to be: loud, smelly, and oh-so-fun!And while we're on the subject, be sure to check out Joystiq's interview with ESA president and CEO Mike Gallagher right here.%Gallery-27788%
Massive Resistance 2 ad in LA features rampaging Leviathan
A ginormous ad promoting Cloverfield 2 Resistance 2 has taken over one of the buildings on Los Angeles' well-trafficked Wilshire Blvd. The building-board features one of R2's massive Leviathans crashing through the complex. G4 has some more images of the ad from different angles. We strongly recommend not walking by this thing whilst on hallucinogenic drugs. Wait, what are we saying?! Nobody walks in LA.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Every single 2008 - 2009 LA Lakers game to be aired in HD
Getting to the NBA Finals has its perks. 'Course, being situated in Los Angeles, California doesn't hurt either. Either way, LA Lakers fans who can't get enough of HD sports are really in luck, as the club's entire 2008 - 2009 season (we're talking preseason, regular season, the whole shebang) will be aired in crystal clear high-definition. Between KCAL HD, FSN HD, TNT HD, ESPN HD and ABC HD, every last Lakers game, home and away, will be available (at least in the greater LA area) in HD. C'mon NBA -- how about we make this the norm rather than the exception?[Thanks, Pete][Image courtesy of BBallOne]
SoCal quake putting the hurt on AT&T and Verizon?
We're hearing some reports that folks on AT&T and Verizon are having trouble with their cellies -- voice and BlackBerry services, respectively -- in the wake of this morning's magnitude 5.4 tremblor out in southern California. What's the story, Los Angelinos? Still able to make and receive calls?[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
E3 returns to LA Convention Center next July, remains invite-only
The ESA has found a familiar home for the 2008 E3 Media & Business Summit: the Los Angeles Convention Center. The reunion of super structure and trade show follows an ill-considered retreat to Santa Monica, which played host to a mind-bending E3 this year – how can one thing be scaled way down, yet spread so far apart? But the reestablishment of a centralized location for the event doesn't mean a resurrection of old ways. E3 2008 will retain the 'intimate' structure of this year's gathering (in other words, the ban on GameStop regional managers and booth babes is still in effect). The emphasis will be on "press events and small meetings with media, development, and other key sectors," confirmed the ESA in a statement today. So, the new formula: (confusion/distance) + (disorganization*cell phone bill) - shuttle buses = E3 2008.E3 is scheduled for July 15-17, 2008, and, like last year, attendance will be by invitation only.
Charter upgrades Louisiana to 44 HD channels
If you're a Charter customer in Louisiana for whom the addition of Wealth TV wasn't enough to sate your HD appetite, don't despair. Turns out that when Charter was forced to rebuild its LA plant after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, it designed around higher capacity from day one. The upshot is that the company has doubled its HD channel count in Louisiana, bringing the channel count to 44. Those of you in LA, enjoy your HD-bragging rights over the L.A. crowd. Seriously, this is good news for you customers, and a definite sign that the company is serious about the SDV rollout.
Microsoft joins Sony saying no thanks to E for All
GameIndustry.biz has apparently confirmed that Microsoft will not be attending the E for All expo in LA at the end of October. Microsoft joins Sony now in ignoring the event organized by IDG World Expo, which was intended as a consumer-based replacement for E3. Sega, Capcom, SOE and Midway (who probably couldn't afford it anyway) will also not be attending.On the bright side of things, Nintendo and Electronic Arts have confirmed their attendance. They'll be joined by Konami, THQ, Namco Bandai and others. With Microsoft and Sony's non-attendance, this event would have been a total bust without Nintendo. Makes you wonder what it took for them to be an anchor? We're not saying anything, we're just asking.
Strange family sues KDND-FM and employees for wrongful death
Yeah, you could see this one coming way back when the original tragedy actually happened, but after getting things all lined up, it seems that the family of Jennifer Lea Strange will be aiming for Sacramento-based KDND-FM, its parent company Entercom, and the employees associated with the whole "Hold your wee for a Wii" ordeal in a wrongful death lawsuit. Although on-air personalities claimed that the contestants signed "a release," that paper was apparently one that simply "granted the station permission to use the contest in its promotional materials," and the family lawyer believes that no waiver of liability was ever signed. Notably, the FCC has jumped into the investigation as well at the request of the family's attorney, as one of their suggestions is to have the station "taken off the air." Per usual, the lawsuit "seeks unspecified medical, legal, burial, and funeral costs," as well as presumably lofty sums of money to compensate for "other punitive damages," which we're fairly sure they'll end up receiving.[Thanks, Jason D.]
