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The Daily Grind: Are you gaming on Memorial Day?
Seeing as how it's Memorial Day in the States, I thought I'd ask about your holiday gaming habits. Do you make sure to save some holiday time for gaming, or do you only get around to it after you've unwound in other ways? How much gaming are you doing this Memorial Day? If you don't have the day off or you're in a country that doesn't observe this particular holiday, how much gaming do you plan to do on your next holiday? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Phat Loot Phriday: Girdle of Eternal Memory
It's Memorial Day weekend in the United States. And so we feature the Girdle of Eternal Memory. It's a silly, meaningless gesture in the face of the overwhelming sacrifices made by the members of our uniformed services, but it's the one we have. So this weekend, I hope you take a moment or three of silence and consider the words spoken by TIrion: "We shall take heart in his shining example and in your selflessness. Thank you for all that you have done." Phat Loot Phriday brings you the scoop on some of the most ... interesting ... loot in the World of Warcraft, often viewed through the eyes of the stalwart Throgg and indelible Lolegolas. Suggest items you think we should feature by emailing mikeg@wowinsider.com.
Talkcast tonight, 10 pm ET: Memorial Macs
Tonight on the Talkcast, as we enjoy the fun and sun of this Memorial Day weekend here in the US, we're going to honor our servicemen and women by dedicating the show to them. It's Macs in the military night -- if you've got a story of an Apple product used in the uniformed services, call on in! We'll also be remembering our favorite Apple products of the past, and of course reviewing the week that was. To participate in the call, you can use the browser-only Talkshoe client, the embedded Facebook app, or download the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for +5 Interactivity, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the Talkshoe Web button on our profile page at 4 HI/7 PDT/10 pm EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (Viva free weekend minutes!): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 -- during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *8. If you've got a headset or microphone handy on your Mac, you can connect via the free X-Lite or other SIP clients -- basic instructions are here. Skype users with dial-out credit can call in via the service, or use those free iPhone minutes. Talk to you tonight!
Tons of apps on sale to kick off Memorial Day weekend
It seems like it's been a while since we had a big holiday weekend full of app sales, but the wait is over: Memorial Day is coming up in just a few days, and app developers are bringing down prices all over the store to celebrate! EA's got most of its games on sale for just 99 cents, including Flight Control Rockets, Trenches 2, and Burnout Crash. Some really great deals in there. Because We May is a big coordinated indie gaming sale going on, and pretty much every great indie game on iOS has been brought down to 99 cents. Too many great titles in there to list: Puzzlejuice, Swords and Soldiers, Fieldrunners, Super Mega Worm, 1-bit Ninja, Aftermath, League of Evil 2, and a whole lot more. Seriously -- go buy some iPhone games. Above has dropped to free. Cut the Rope: Experiments is free. Mini Motor Racing HD has gone free. And side scroller racing game Dream Track Nation has gone free as well. Business Card Reader from Shape Services is now $2.99, down from $4.99. Man oh man that's a lot of great, really cheap games. Especially that Because We May sale -- seriously, go look at it, both for iOS and Steam.
Deals hot off the grill: Memorial Day sales roundup
This weekend is the unofficial start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and as to be expected, there are many deals to be had. We'll be updating this list throughout the weekend as news of more sales emerge, so be sure to check back between your BBQs! • Aspyr is offering $10 off some of their most popular Mac games over the holiday weekend. From the Mac App Store the games include Star Wars: Empire at War, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and Civilization IV. Aspyr is also offering many other games for sale at its GameAgent website. • The MacGameStore is offering Sally's Spa for free over the weekend. • iPhone battery pack maker Mophie is offering up to 60% off select items plus free shipping on orders greater than US$100. • Griffin is offering 25% off almost everything in their store with the exception of Col. Littleton products and GriffinDeal products. Use code "MEMORIAL12" in their store. • Drobo is offering dramatically lowered prices on their most popular Drobo simplified RAID arrays. Use the code "DOUBLEDROBO" in the Drobo store to get the following prices on these Drobo products: Drobo (4-bay USB / Firewire): $298, Drobo FS (5-bay Gigabit Ethernet File Sharing): $598, Drobo S (5-bay eSATA / USB / Firewire): $698, Drobo Pro (8-bay iSCSI / USB / Firewire): $1398.
A little iPad magic
Here's a little iPad magic for your Memorial Day afternoon -- turns out the iPad really is a "magical" device. I'm not sure what app video is being used here, but I think it's a proprietary one, and probably not something you could use yourself (unless you know how to do some of the great slight-of-hand stuff that this guy is doing). But the iPhone can definitely be used for magic, as we've seen before, even if you're not a highly trained magician. But even though this guy is a little late some times (his brain unfortunately falls out of his head, since he misses the timing just a little bit), he pulls off this series of tricks quite well. [via TDW]
5 apps for Memorial Day
Here in the US, we're celebrating Memorial Day. It's the day we set aside to remember and honor the men and women who gave their lives in military service to our country. It's also the unofficial start of summer, a time when we dust off our grills, cook with fire and spend time outside. Before you step outside, grab one of these five apps to increase your fun. Happy Memorial Day! Bug Spray (free) supposedly emits high-frequency tones that repel flying insects. Back in my day, we just set up one of those zappers. if you prefer a more contemporary approach, this may be it...with a few caveats. From the manufacturer: "Do not use around infants, small children, individuals who are hearing impaired or people who are incapable of physical response to sound." Hmm. Seems this app repels more than bugs. Weather Bug for iPhone and iPad (both free) will let you know if you're planning a backyard BBQ in vain. Get up-to-the-minute weather updates for your neighborhood, browse weather cams, watch animated maps and more. If you like a more minimalist presentation, consider WeatherStation Pro ($1.99) for iPad or Outside ($2.99) for iPhone. [Apologies for the mischaracterization of Memorial Day above; it has been amended. –Ed.]
TUAW's Daily App: Weber's On the Grill
It's Memorial Day, and hopefully that means you're celebrating the onset of summer by putting some meat on a hot grill until it tastes amazing. If you need a little help, though, Weber's official iPhone app (or the iPad version) can be there -- it's got references, recipes, tips, grilling timers, and even a shopping list feature (although if you're planning to grill today, hopefully you've been marinating since last night!). The app is excellent, with big, colorful pictures, a host of options for serious grillers, and more recipes than you can cook in one summer. You might think that it's a bit pricey at $4.99, but don't forget that a comparable recipe book (there are over 250 recipes in the app) would be much more expensive. And if you're grilling so much that you need an app to help you cook, why not shell out for the best? If you're really that cheap, there are a few other griller's helpers apps out there (and Grill-It! isn't bad for just 99 cents), but in this case, the five bucks is worth it. Good luck at the BBQ today!
Holiday weekend giveaway: Ninja pack!
Memorial Day: in the US, this is the holiday where we honor the service of our brave men and women in uniform who have given their all in the defense of our nation. Also, we have fireworks, attend barbecues and often go to the beach. Viva America! We know that TUAW readers love three-day weekends almost as much as they love free swag, so we thought "Why not combine the two?" We'll be posting giveaways all weekend long to help you get set up for summertime. Our first pack of goodies comes courtesy of Shawnimals and Venan Entertainment, who are the folks behind the new $1.99 Ninjatown:Trees of Doom game for iPhone.
WRUP: Hoopy frood edition
Towel Day may not have fallen on a Friday, but in this week's WRUP we're celebrating belatedly and ensuring that all of the writing staff are hoopy froods who know where their towels are. For those of you with no idea what I'm talking about, you can get a start by listening to the infamous Douglas Adams speak at UCSB in the video above. It has nothing to remotely to do with WoW, but as geeks, I suspect most of us owe him a debt of gratitude. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about and don't want to know what I'm talking about, catch us after the break to see what the team is playing this weekend and some entirely unrelated talk about towels. As always, you're welcome to join in on the comments.
Call of Duty Endowment donating $1 to veterans for every Facebook 'Like' it gets
To coincide with Monday's observance of Memorial Day in the US, the Call of Duty Endowment -- a non-profit charity established by Activision Blizzard to assist veterans with finding employment once they leave the service -- is partnering with Hire Heroes USA to provide the "career transition" operation with funding through a novel approach. The Endowment will give $1 to HHUSA for every user who "likes" C.O.D.E.'s Facebook page through 11:59 p.m. PDT on Monday, May 31, or up to $50,000, whichever comes first. This funding is on top of the undisclosed amount C.O.D.E. has already granted Hire Heroes USA. So far, more than 8,400 users have "liked" the page since the unique fundraiser began yesterday. If you've got a Facebook account, what's not to "Like" about this idea? Plus, it'll totally reestablish your cred after "liking" that one Justin Bieber page.
Bring your iPhone for SCVNGR hunts around museums and universities
SCVNGR looks like an interesting idea for an iPhone app: It's sort of a virtual scavenger hunt, composed of a series of "challenges" at certain real-life places that are found via the GPS on your iPhone. When the iPhone first released with GPS, the idea of a real-life MMO was something I wanted to see, and while SCVNGR (on the App Store for free) seems targeted more towards exploration than actual gaming, it's definitely something that should get you to exploring your world a little differently. Lots of organizations have already jumped in to make up some challenges, and this note, about how a few LA museums got their challenges, caught my eye. If you're looking for something fun to do with the family this holiday weekend and want a new iPhone-based twist on the usual museum tour, SCVNGR might be just the thing.
Earn double XP in Modern Warfare 2 this Memorial Day weekend
Wait, you're telling us that you still haven't hit 10th Prestige? Is this some sort of joke? Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has been out for like, a hundred years. Whatever the reason for your pathetic, amateurish ranking, you can give yourself a boost by playing during this three-day Memorial Day weekend, when Infinity Ward will be offering double experience across all of the game's cornucopia of platforms. There, now you have no excuse. Unless you're having, like, a cookout or pool party during the extended weekend. Or if you're going to a baseball game. Or if you're going to the beach ... Those are all pretty great excuses, we suppose.
TO: Readers, RE: Memorial Day
FROM: JOYSTIQ MGMTTO: READER DEPT [US]RE: Memorial DayATT: meat.jpg (credit: sanctumsolitude)To all members of the Reader Department [US],It has come to the attention of Joystiq Management that today is Memorial Day [henceforth referred to as 'Memorial Day']. As such, we have learned that a great deal of our readership will be engaged in festivities ['Festivities'] and will not be coming to the office. As such, management is required to dispense pleasantries ['Pleasantries'] and good wishes ['Good Wishes'] to all members of the Reader Department [US]. Pleasantries and good wishes follow: Happy Memorial Day to all United States readers of Joystiq. Go forth and gorge upon grilled meats [see attached] and spend time with your families. Also, please take this time to reflect on the sacrifices of all members of the armed services. Additionally, should anyone from the Reader Department see a member of the Blogging Department partaking in Festivities, please tell him / her to return to work.Enjoy the Holiday ['Holiday'],J. J. Joystiq Sr.
Have a safe and fun Memorial Day from WoW.com
It's Memorial Day in the United States, a time when we celebrate the memories of our fallen soldiers by visiting memorials, breaking out the BBQ grill, and jumping into all of the swimming pools opening for the summer around the country.There's a lot of interesting things that have happened the past few days here at WoW.com. Our new site is in full swing, and you can read about all the changes we've done.One of the major additions to the site is the WoW.com profiles, which bring the famed social networking features right into WoW via our custom add-on. Check out what some of our users are already doing: Yamara34 just started up a brand new guild over on Proudmoore, and Mogri got lucky on the fishing daily.A few major details about patch 3.2 were released on Friday, along with some clarification points by the blues. There is no indication when patch 3.2 will hit the PTR, but we're on the lookout for it. With a new 5-man dungeon, and a new 10/25-man raid, it will be sure to make a splash.In addition to the new dungeons, patch 3.2 will nerf Jewelcrafting a bit. This is an unwelcome change for many players, and it has all the JCers up in arms.We hope that everyone has a great time celebrating Memorial Day, and make sure you do it safely. For those of you not in the US, have a great Monday anyway! Welcome to the new WoW.com! Check out WoW.com's site documentation for information on the new profiles and add-on. Be sure to let us know if you experience any problems during our beta test. And don't forget to check out all the latest World of Warcraft news!
Gears of War 2 goes old school this weekend
Well, as old school as 2006, anyway, as Epic has announced another Gears of War 2 weekend event. This weekend, the sequel will get a touch of the original Gears of War experience, as Epic will be turning off the concussion from smoke grenades (thank you!), and limiting team size to four in public matches in the Execution - Warzone, Annex - KOTH, and Guardian - Submission playlists. The madness has started as of 9 AM EST this morning and will continue through Tuesday, May 26, at 9 AM EST. You can thank Memorial Day for that extra day of fun, folks![Thanks, Joe!]
Design your own holiday
Crygil wants to know: if you could design a new holiday for the game, what would it be? I don't think I've ever heard the question asked before -- holidays are really just optional fun for more players, and Blizzard has always covered the basics (Christmas, New Year's, Thanksgiving, Halloween, etc.), and even added in some of their own by giving real-world holidays some Azerothian flavor (Midsummer Fire Festival, and of course Brewfest). Are there really any holidays they missed?I guess Labor Day and Memorial Day are the two biggest ones -- maybe all of the NPCs could take a day off, there could be giant barbeques set up in the capital cities, or players could take a day to remember those fallen in the past wars. Or you could go another route and just make up your own holiday: Grumpyfool of Azjol-Nerub recommends Gnome Appreciation Week (a whole week?), where Azeroth's shortest denizens can get some love of their own. A more recently based holiday might be fun, too -- maybe once a year we could remember Arthas' (it was Arthas, right?) zombie attack on our homeland.I doubt this is going to be used to determine actual Blizzard policy. Seems more like just a fun thought experiment. But there are definitely some interesting ideas in there -- if Blizzard ever wants to add yet another holiday to the calendar, there are plenty of ideas.
Happy Memorial Day from X3F!
It's Memorial Day fanboys and fangirls, and for Americans everywhere that means a day off and some delicious barbecue. It also means some much needed game time gamers, and we hope everyone out there takes as much advantage of it as possible. We'll still be around posting news, so keep an eye on X3F to get your sweet 360 fix. One last thing of note, the latest edition of the Fancast won't be arriving until tomorrow. Now, if you'll excuse us, it's time to break out the meat. And remember kids, meat is murder. Tasty, tasty murder.[Image: greckor]
The Daily Grind: Memorial Day in MMO-land?
In the United States today it's Memorial Day, a holiday designed generally to remind the average citizen of the military's role in the union. As it's a government holiday, this means a lot of people in the states have the day off of work. There's not likely to be a ton of breaking news today as a result. Here at Massively we'll keep the MMO-newsfires burning just in case you need a break from barbecuing or relatives.It does beg the question, though: what are you doing today? Stepping AFK to have a burger or brat with loved ones? Camping, maybe, or attending a parade? Or are you celebrating the way we do every holiday, Pinky? By jumping online and touching base with friends in a massively multiplayer game? Give us a shout-out.
The Daily Grind: Does your guild like to party down?
As has become tradition for this blogger, every year on Memorial Day (aka 'the birthday') weekend, lots of people from our guild like to get together and party down. There are friendships in our guild that span many years and almost as many games. Of course, beyond just discussing whatever is going on in MMOGspace, there's lots of good food, beer, and geekery to be had for everyone! Since this is the perfect weekend for getting together with friends and family here in the States, we thought that we'd ask you -- do you ever have guild parties in meatspace? Are there any particular times of the year that you and your guild-mates like to get together, like at a convention or fan faire? Or is your guild a strictly online-only guild?
