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WoW TCG March of the Legion event dates and locations announced
As you may recall, Upper Deck recently announced the March of the Legion tour, a series of tournaments against their own legionnaires for fabulous prizes. They've updated the tour page today with information on the first leg of the tour, including the identities of the legionnaires and the places they'll be visiting, including Northern California, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Philadelphia, Florida, Michigan, and Ontario (Canada). The events last through June, so there's sure to be more locations and dates added later. The legionnaires are no slouches, though. We're talking lead developers and high class judges for the TCG here, so it sounds like you'll have your work cut out for you if you want to win yourself a Varimathras extended art card and a Leeroy Jenkins T-shirt by defeating them. Of course, as mentioned, just showing up gets you that Weeble extended art card, and it sounds like the event should be fun. Let us know how it goes if you show up to one!
Charter brings TLC HD and Discovery HD to West Michigan
Call it a hunch, but we're guessing that Charter's taking TLC HD and Discovery HD to as many locales as it possibly can. Just days after the duo struck Northeast Wisconsin and months after it hit Madison, the aforesaid channels have now made their way to Western Michigan. The pair is available to watch now on slots 796 and 797, respectively, but there's no word on when (or if) they'll spread further.[Thanks, Matt]
DISH Network gets official with HD locals in four more markets
Shortly after the AMC-14 launch went awry, we received confirmation that DISH Network's Spring HD rollout was still on track. Apparently things are going better than expected, as the satellite provider is getting official with HD locals in four new markets today. As we'd heard already, both Orlando and West Palm Beach, Florida have already been admitted into the HD locals club, while Austin, Texas and Flint, Michigan are joining days ahead of the scheduled April rollout. Best of all, DISH affirms that we'll be seeing lots more where this came from over the course of 2008, so if you're market hasn't been touched just yet, hang tight.
FSN Detroit looks to air more games overall, in HD
While Ohio residents are certainly getting their fill of local sports in HD, it seems as if Motor City dwellers could be experiencing the same in the not-too-distant future. Reportedly, FSN Detroit has locked up deals with the Tigers, Pistons and Red Wings to "televise nearly all their games -- exhibition, regular season and playoff -- for at least the next decade." Apparently, the revised deals will enable FSN to pick up the rights to all telecasts not claimed by a national network, and we're already told that it'll air 152 Tigers games this season, with 103 being in high-definition. According to FSN senior vice president and general manager Greg Hammaren, the firm is "stepping up its investments and is clearly committed to HD." That's what we like to hear, Mr. Hammaren.[Image courtesy of mlive]
COM-BAT swoops in to gather data on reconnaissance missions
The University of Michigan's COM-BAT most definitely isn't the first mechanical animal to get its inspirations from the bat, but it's probably the best equipped to play a vital role in modern day warfare. A select group of Wolverines have been blessed with a $10 million grant from the US Army in order to concoct a "six-inch robotic spy plane modeled after a bat [that] would gather data from sights, sounds and smells in urban combat zones and transmit information back to a soldier in real time." Purportedly, the critter will eventually boast a bevy of sensors, miniature microphones and detectors for picking up nuclear radiation and poisonous gases. Even more interesting, creators are hoping to implement "energy scavenging," which would enable the bat to stay charged from wind / solar energy along with vibrations and "other sources." So much for being nocturnal, eh?[Via UberGizmo]
University of Michigan creates most intense laser in the universe
Rest assured, we've seen some wicked frickin' lasers in our day, but apparently, even the two-kilowatt rendition that heats coffee in mere seconds can't hold a candle ray of light to HERCULES. Intentionally named in all caps by University of Michigan gurus in order to highlight its awesomeness, said laser contains 300 terawatts of power (or 300 times the capacity of the entire US electricity grid) and could "help scientists develop better proton and electron beams for radiation treatment of cancer." Still, we can't help but conclude with UMich's own description of this masterpiece: "If you could hold a giant magnifying glass in space and focus all the sunlight shining toward Earth onto one grain of sand, that concentrated ray would approach the intensity of [HERCULES]." Damn.[Via Physorg]
Student hospitalized after suffering leg burns from pocketed PSP
This past month has seen the addition of a number of useful features to Sony's underdog handheld, such as its Skype integration and the soon to be imported GPS functionality. However, a story from a Michigan middle school recently broke the news of a heretofore unannounced ability of the PSP -- instantaneous superheating, with possible leg disfigurement.Apparently, a student had the system turned off and in his pocket in the middle of band practice when, all of a sudden, it melted through his jean pocket, sending him to the hospital with second-degree burns on his leg. Sony has yet to comment on the incident, though their website reminds PSP owners that using third-party batteries and charging equipment is likely to cause such an accident -- as will playing the trombone within a 5 foot radius of the system, apparently.In a beautiful showing of coincidence, the game occupying the system at the time of the meltdown supposedly was, you guessed it, Burnout Dominator.
AT&T's U-verse motors to Detroit, Michigan
For Motor City residents wondering when AT&T's U-verse would ever find its way to your neck of the woods, you can finally sleep easy knowing that it's available now. As of this week, those who call Detroit home can order up AT&T's fiber-based TV, internet and / or phone service, as it is being hailed "the first area in the nation where AT&T U-verse Voice is available." Granted, we're sure the most of ya already have the phone thing covered, but just be prepared to fend off those lightning quick "triple-play" sales pitches when you call up to order TV service exclusively.
Wide Open West customers in Metro Detroit get new HD channels
While many of the larger cable companies have been expanding their HD lineups of late, we figured the little guys should get their time in the spotlight, too. According to a tipster parked in the Metro Detroit area, four new high-definition channels have been added to Wide Open West (or WOW!, as it were). Effectively immediately, customers in the region can look forward to Discovery HD on channel 225 (HD Theater relocated to 210), Animal Planet HD on 226, TLC HD on 227 and National Geographic HD on 228. Any WOW! subscribers in other locations receive the updates, too?[Thanks, Riscky]
Researchers fire most powerful antimatter beam ever
Scientists at North Carolina's PULSTAR nuclear reactor facility fired a positron bean five times stronger than any other ever created earlier this month, breaking a record previously held by a team in Germany. The antimatter device -- which apparently looks like a Star Trek warp reactor -- was developed as part of a two year project by NC State, the University of Michigan, and Oak Ridge National Labs. Now that the device is working, the team is looking for practical applications for the tech, including building an "antimatter telescope," which would allow even closer observations of atomic interactions. Or they could use it to blow up the universe. You know, whatever.[Via TG Daily]
Ann Arbor street lights to be replaced with LEDs
The latest locale to join Toronto and Raleigh in the LED City initiative is none other than the home of the Wolverines, which recently announced plans to replace about 1,400 street lights with light-emitting diodes. The city is claiming that it will be the nation's first to "convert all downtown street lights to LED technology," and it's hoping to save around $100,000 per year in doing so. Not surprisingly, Research Triangle Park-based Cree will be providing the components for Ann Arbor's transformation, and it sounds like it'll take a couple of years before the $630,000 project is actually completed. Hopefully, it won't take quite that long before the Maize and Blue can topple Ohio State again.[Image courtesy of University of Michigan]
Partridge Creek grand opening tomorrow morning at 10am
As more than a few of our readers have noticed, Michigan is set to receive its fifth Apple Store tomorrow, in the form of a new store at Partridge Creek (near Clinton Township). Apparently, it's not an Apple-only opening-- the whole mall is having a grand opening tomorrow morning, but we're told there will still be the usual Apple festivities (and t-shirts, which is really why you guys go to these things anyways, isn't it?).And as usual, take a camera and capture all the goings-on for us, won't you? Especially keep an eye out for any new Leopard displays. If it's already shipping, maybe Apple will grab a head start on showing the new OS off in a new store.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Apple Store openings: Did you go?
It was a good weekend in Holyoke, Massachusetts and Ann Arbor, Michigan, as each city opened a new Apple Store on Saturday. As usual, we ask any TUAW operatives who may have attended to share their reports and/or pictures. So, did you go, and if you did, how was it? Let us know in the comments. I wanted to get up to the Holyoke store, but real life had other plans for me. I wonder if the opening will affect the authorized retailer in neighboring Northampton, MA.Anyway, here's hoping you scored a T-shirt, the Opening Day Contest's grand prize and, dare we say, an iPhone!Finally, if you haven't gone down to the stores yet, show us a little love and set the in-store Macs to TUAW!
Ann Arbor, Mich Apple Store opens Saturday
Massachusetts isn't the only state opening a new Apple Store this weekend. Apple Store Briarwood will open in Ann Arbor, Michigan this Saturday, July 21st at 10:00 AM. The store is located at 652 Briarwood Circle, between The Limited and D.O.C. Optical. You'll find complete travel directions here.You know the drill: The first 1,000 fanatics visitors through the doors will receive a commemorative T-shirt, and everyone may register to win the opening day giveaway (which is pretty nice). This will be Michigan's 4th store.If you visit Apple Store Briarwood this weekend, let us know! Good luck and have fun.[Via ifoAppleStore]
Study: Gamers read, study less but still socialize
The latest scientific study of gamers is kind of a wash for the image of our favorite hobby. On the plus side, adolescents who play games were shown to spend just as much time socializing with family and friends as non-gamers. On the downside, adolescent gamers were found to spend less time reading and doing homework than non-gamers.The University of Michigan study asked nearly 1,500 10- to 19-year-olds across the country to report how they spent their time during the 2002-03 school year. The roughly 36 percent of the sample that played games spent 30 percent less time reading and 34 percent less time doing homework than their non-gaming peers. Interestingly, the reading deficit came mostly from male gamers while the homework deficit was caused mostly by female gamers, according to a Reuters story on the study. It's not all bad news though; the study also concluded that "gamers and nongamers did not differ in the amount of time they spent interacting with family and friends."Before you go off believing that gamers are more likely to be lazy ignoramuses, understand that reading and homework time are not direct measures of intelligence. The study author herself admitted to Reuters that "there have been some studies that show that high academic achievers spend less time doing homework." In other words, perhaps gamers have just been trained to work smarter, not harder.
Auditory nerve implant could drastically benefit deaf individuals
Early last year, gurus at the University of Michigan were devising a newfangled type of cochlear implant, but now it looks like the Wolverines are more interested in a fresh auditory nerve implant that is being dubbed "a superior alternative" to the (now) old fashioned option. The uber-thin electrode array would purportedly "transmit a wide range of sounds to the brain," and could give profoundly and severely deaf people the ability to "to hear low-pitched sounds common in speech, converse in a noisy room, identify high and low voices, and appreciate music." Researchers on the project are convinced that this technology trumps cochlear implants in every way, and while preliminary patents have already been filed, it'll still be nearly a decade at best before these things can invade human ears en masse.[Via Physorg]
Michigan Dems deny iPod initiative, pledge to repay Apple junket
In the only politically responsible move when your party is the focus of national media attention because of a ridiculous budget proposal, Michigan state Democrats have denied that they ever planned to suggest funding an iPod for every student, and also pledged to repay Apple for that controversial "fact-finding trip" where lawmakers are suspected of hatching the supposed initiative. Representative Tim Melton spoke for the three jet setters when he claimed that this whole ordeal has been blown out of proportion, arguing that Dems were actually considering a wide-ranging $38 million technology package, and not just a DAP giveaway. So in the end -- other than bemused readers -- no one seems to have come out a winner here: Melton and his cronies will have to shell out $1,702 each for the Cupertino junket, Michigan kids statewide will have to return all of the iPod accessories they've been buying to prep for their freebies, and worst of all, Apple won't be able to realize its ultimate dream of locking an entire state's children into the iTunes ecosystem for life.[Via The Raw Feed, photo courtesy of Anti iPod]
Did Apple junket inspire "no iPod left behind" initiative?
Michigan's much-derided initiative to give iPods to every student in the state just seems to be getting curiouser and curiouser, with word now coming out that some of the lawmakers involved in the proposal went on a junket to California that was paid for at least in part by Apple. As The Detroit Free Press reports, both Representative Matt Gillard and House Speaker Andy Dillon took part in the 2 1/2 day trip earlier this year, where they apparently discussed classroom technology and the educational benefits of iPods, sneaking in some time to discuss wine distribution and business taxes as well. While it's not clear exactly how much of an influence the junket had on their decision, it certainly doesn't seem to have hurt things, with Dillon unveiling the $36-million iPod proposal not long after he returned.[Via The Inquirer, photo courtesy of Anti iPod]
Michigan's "no iPod left behind" budget proposal
Facing a $1 billion budget deficit, Michigan state House Democrats have proposed the natural addition to such a weighted spending plan: free iPods for every kid. Ostensibly for educational purposes, the $38 million plan would provide iPods or MP3 players to every student in Michigan to use as a learning tool. We've seen laptops -- which Michigan (and Virginia) handed out to its students a few year back -- and even PSPs be put to such educational use, but iPods are a bit of a new one on us. Pearson Education does have that curriculum for the iPod, and bought Apple's PowerSchool a little while back, but this would undoubtedly be the largest rollout of such curriculum to date. That said, we're all for the insanity, 'cause just like our iPod always told us: "We don't need no education... Teachers leave those kids alone." And if the iPod says it, it must be true![Via The Raw Feed, picture courtesy of Anti iPod]
Michigan Tech students craft 20,000 watt snow horn
While we've seen water-based, cement cast, and speaker-shaped speakers make their respective debuts lately, this Michigan Tech project might just take the proverbial cake. Seeking to becoming kings of university's annual snow statue building contest, a few zany students crafted a monstrous snow horn, fully equipped with tweeters, mid-range drivers, and subwoofers. The horn was unfortunately disqualified from the competition due to using "materials other than snow," but how can you not hand over a gold medal to a team that braved the freezing cold in order to craft a 20,000-watt megaphone? You heard right, powering this immense array of drivers were nine Behringer EP2500s and a Crown XLS602, and while we've no way of confirming, we have every reason to believe that folks have "called to complain from miles away." So if you've ever wondered what (is probably) the loudest speaker to ever be constructed primarily from snow looks like, be sure to hit the read link for a bevy of in-progress and finalized snapshots.[Via Audio Junkies, thanks Lukas G]
