peace
Latest
Mainland China, Taiwan send first data over direct fiber optic link, take steps towards peace and harmony
Relations between mainland China and Taiwan haven't always been what you'd call warm, even with many companies having a footprint in both regions. Consider the first bursts of network traffic from a newly active connection as olive branches: a pair of undersea fiber optic cables running between southern China's Xiamen and the Taiwan-claimed Kinmen island chain represent the first truly direct data link between the two sides. Built by China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom and Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom, the link both has its share of diplomatic symbolism as well as the very practical advantage of a faster, more reliable route -- there's no globetrotting required to get data and voice to their destinations, and there's fewer chances of blackouts if a boat inadvertently slices a cable. We wouldn't go so far as to call it a Happily Ever After for either faction after decades of tension, but it does at least provide a greater semblance of normalcy to their communication. [Image credit: Aine Hickey, Wikitravel]
Black Prophecy escalates the species war with Episode 2
"The time of peace has ended," gamigo writes in the introduction to the second major content update for Black Prophecy. We weren't under the impression that this was a tranquil game up to this point, but we suppose it's going to get a lot less peaceful with the introduction of warzones. Episode 2: Species War takes PvP to a much more intense place, as players will be encouraged to duke it out for the control of strategic locations in space. By pulling up the warzone tab, ship captains can identify where the contested borders are and zip right over to them. Up to 200 players can engage in a single warzone, pursuing multiple objectives with the ultimate goal of capturing the command center. By participating, players will not only earn honor points, but XP and loot as well. Black Prophecy is adding rare blueprints that can be purchased with these honor points. The update addresses the game balance in several ways, such as equalizing the benefit of shields and hulls. Players will receive a free skill reset because of the changes. To celebrate Episode 2's release, gamigo is throwing two consecutive bonus PvP XP weeks, from September 21st through October 6th. %Gallery-131819%
Varian Wrynn is Right
Warning: This article contains spoilers of varying intensity for the Wrathgate world event, the new Arthas Novel , and the Warcraft Comic Series. It is also 3 pages long. Be sure to click the links at the bottom to head to the next part!Among WoW players these days, it seems to be a popular opinion that King Varian Wrynn is a narrow minded short-sighted bigot who will lead the Alliance to ruin. This is an easy opinion to have, since he does show a considerable amount of anger at times when dealing with the Horde, and it's long been the general opinion that "no-one is truly evil" in the Horde and Alliance conflict. This is even the opinion of some of my fellow writers.Here's my problem with this: The underlying causes of Varian Wrynn's anger are all unconditionally justified. Varian Wrynn is not angry at the Horde because of a series of misunderstandings and misinterpretations. He's been witness to or victim of multiple wrongdoings and atrocities perpetuated by the Horde time and time again, both the new Horde and the Old. Most, if not all of these times, the wrongdoings have been the result of outright maliciousness on the part of the Horde or its members, and in the case the so-called "peaceful" New Horde, there's been no sign whatsoever that Thrall is punishing or disciplining the perpetrators of these acts, and at the least, it is clear that he is not properly dealing with the consequences.
Forum Post of the Day: Let's be friends
I spend an awful lot of time sifting through the various forums for quality candidates for Forum Post of the Day. My usual suspects were pretty lackluster today, so I ventured into some unknown territory. As I flipped through some of the posts in the Role Playing forum, I was briefly reminded of folks running around game shops with their arms crossed at their chests saying something to the effect of "you can't see me." I decided to give it a shot anyway. Yitrana of Twisting nether began an in-character plea for peace between the Horde and Alliance forces. The story begins with a note posted in he World's End Tavern in Shattrath City:
Microsoft's bumpin' Zune SUV disturbs the New York peace
Granted, we've seen some fairly bizarre methods of promoting one's product, and while Microsoft's Zune hasn't exactly been tagged with controversial propaganda or flashy automobile campaigns just yet, all that changed in a New York minute. According to reports from Hell Square residents in lower Manhattan, a California-tagged, Zune-branded SUV rolled through Ludlow Street during the "wee hours of February 25th," but rather than handing out flyers to the night-owls still roaming, the vehicle decided to test out its "competition grade stereo system" in a densely populated neighborhood. Dubbed an "egregious display of noise terrorism," the 3:00AM blasting from a (presumably Microsoft owned) Toyota FJ Cruiser didn't garner the positive attention that the firm was apparently hoping for, and consequently, quite a few residents of the area are now flaming mad and demanding restitution. Honestly, we've no problem with a little viral marketing every now and then, but blowing out the 'hood on a Sunday morning probably takes things a bit too far, and if you're interested in catching a video of the blasting in action, be sure to hit the read link and await an official apology that will probably never surface.
Talking urinals invade privacy
Apparently these talking urinals have been circulating in select areas for some time, but rather than the idea just going down the drain, it seems to have gained attention. The Wizmark Urinal Communicator sits at the bottom of men's urinals and sports a miniature LCD screen and a speaker to broadcast all kinds of messages, alerts, and advertisements to the, um, current user. The waterproof drain cover also acts as a deodorizer, and presumably continues to play even when purposely blasted by those who feel their privacy has been breached. Similar to automatic flushers, the device senses an approaching patron from about 30cm away and queues up a programmed message to play upon his (or her) arrival. The most common uses thus far are to warn patrons not to drive while intoxicated, but we assume this will eventually become another bizarre advertising medium. The mastermind of the Wizmark, Dr. Richard Deutsch, asserts that the uses are limitless, as everything from public service announcements to beer commercials could find their way in your stall. So on your next visit to the gentleman's room, we'd strongly recommend keeping your eyes aimed directly ahead, no matter what interesting things your neighbor's Wizmark might be saying.
