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Professor aims to create 'shared moment' using Tetris and a skyscraper
Humans are social creatures yet technology often serves to isolate us. Professor Frank Lee believes it can also be used to bring us together. The footage above captures a recent multiplayer game of Tetris playing out across the sides of the 29-story-tall Cira Centre in Philadelphia. Randomly selected players took turns manipulating and dropping tetrominoes, with their actions displayed via LED lights attached to the building. From that towering vantage, the game was visible to people across the city and for that brief period, the game became what Professor Lee calls a "social beacon" for the citizens of Philadelphia. Speaking to Polygon, Professor Lee also explains that he hopes this event will encourage people toward coding. "Coding is going to be so important in our future," Lee said. "Certainly you have a lot of people saying that as well, but this will be a fun way to engage students who might have never thought about going into programming." "[I want] to use this as a platform to try to reach those groups and those students to think about programming as a very creative endeavor." [Image: Drexel University]
Kick off this year's Philly Tech Week with a gigantic game of Tetris
There's a few reasons why Tetris is one of gaming's most enduring classics: it's easy to pick up, hard to master and can be played on just about any platform -- including the sides of a building. Drexel University students are rigging the city of brotherly love's Cira Centre with LEDs to play Tetris on a massive scale for the kick-off of this year's Philly Tech Week. The school did something similar in 2013 with a giant version of Pong (video below), but the difference is that this time two sides of the 29-story Cira Centre will be used instead of just one. This will cover more than 100,000 square feet of the building's façade and, according to the university, it should be visible from just about anywhere in Philadelphia. Should the installation go off without a hitch, Drexel will set another Guinness World Record for largest architectural video game display. If you want to show off your block-dropping skills on a massive scale come April 4th, there's a sign-up at the source. [Image credit: michaelwm25/Flickr]
T-Mobile to start turning off older MetroPCS network this year
T-Mobile's efforts to transition customers from MetroPCS' aging CDMA network to its own GSM and LTE frequencies is going quite swimmingly. The company has been bragging that it's well ahead of schedule, and in some markets it's already begun repurposing the smaller carrier's spectrum to deliver faster Wideband LTE connections. Things are going so well, in fact, that it will begin shutting down the slower MetroPCS network this year, instead of waiting until 2015. The first three cities on the chopping block will be Boston, Philadelphia and Las Vegas. Though, considering its accelerated transition we wouldn't be surprised to see others join the list before the end of the year. Around 40 percent of MetroPCS users have already switched to phones that will work on T-Mobile's network, and the carrier plans to offer more aggressive upgrade options to push more customers over. Those that have yet to upgrade won't suffer a complete disruption of service, however, thanks to roaming agreements. The next step, of course, will be "refarming" that newly cleared spectrum to deliver even faster wireless speeds. [Image credit: Jim Carroll, Flickr]
Philadelphia says no to 3D printed guns
The Liberator made quite a name for itself a few months back when it became the first functioning all-3D printed gun, and while its maker designed it with mass distribution in mind, we now know one place where it's unwelcome: Philadelphia. The city of Brotherly Love lived up to its name yesterday, when the city council voted unanimously to ban folks from being able to print plastic pistols with which to shoot each other. That's right, it is now illegal to manufacture guns via 3D printer in Philadelphia. As of this writing, Philly's the first city to put such a ban in place, and it's not in response to a a rash of plastic pistols flooding the streets, either -- Philadelphia Magazine reports that it's just a preventative measure. Nice to see a city government trying to stop a problem before it starts, but we're betting it won't be long before someone in Philly takes to the courts to challenge the ban.
Ask Engadget: best Philadelphia wireless carrier?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from is from Joe, who has helped inspire a regular feature and also wants to know which carrier he should pick for Philadelphia. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "Hey! I loved your question about NYC carriers and thought it would be a great idea to let your visitors sound off on other major cities. I'd love to hear opinions on Philadelphia carriers myself, so if you could possibly consider adding this, I think it would be appreciated by many." Way back in April, we asked you about which carrier rules the roost in NYC and it caused a little sensation, with hundreds of you bombarding the Ask Engadget inbox to ask if we'd do your city or state. We'll be sprinkling them in every now and again to let you sound off about the coverage in your local area, so if you live in Philadelphia and have world-class (or world's worst) signal, let us know in the comments below.
Rare Atari 2600 game, Red Sea Crossing, pops up in Philly shop
Red Sea Crossing is one of the rarest Atari games in existence. According to legend, the developer, Steve Schustack, made 100 copies in 1983 and promptly lost track of where they went or what happened to them. Until now, there was just one known, unauthenticated copy of the game on this planet, and after years of hoarding it the owner recently decided to auction it off on Ebay, on August 22.Yesterday, another copy of Red Sea Crossing turned up at Medium Bob's Curiosity Shop in Philadelphia. The boys at Medium Bob's have since recorded themselves playing the game, providing proof of its functionality, which is more than the owner of the original copy has done. The owner of the first copy has since postponed his auction and made offerings to the drama llama over on the AtariAge forums.Medium Bob's is accepting offers on its copy of Red Sea Crossing, but doesn't yet have a plan for proceeding with the sale. It will post details on its Facebook page once it decides a course of action, but for now "the game is buried deep in a vault somewhere near the Earth's core."
CableWiFi ties up 50,000 WiFi hotspots for cable subscribers to share
When it comes to supergroups, The Traveling Wilbury's haven't got anything on these guys. Bright House, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox and Time Warner are teaming up to share around 50,000 metro WiFi hotspots for their customers, under the banner of "CableWiFi." New York City and the Tri-State area, Los Angeles, Tampa, Orlando and Philadelphia will be among the first to get the service, with growth to more cities pledged for the future. If nothing else, it should be a good way to stick it to the man when he snatches your unlimited data plan.
Augmented reality iPad app enhances Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer is working with Augmented Reality specialists Aurasma to provide an enhanced version of their newspaper says a report in ITworld. The project would allow people to launch a custom iPad app built by Aurasma that would show animations, video and audio when it's pointed it at a printed copy of the newspaper. AR technology can be useful when used in the right context, but, as ITworld writer Keith Shaw points out, it's somewhat unnecessary to require people to have a printed newspaper and an iPad app. Instead, The Inquirier could roll all that interactive material into a dedicated iOS app or even a multimedia-rich webpage that doesn't need a printed copy of the paper.
Assassin's Creed 3's displaced main city: Philadelphia
There are three main "cities" in Assassin's Creed 3: Boston, New York, and "The Frontier." Notoriously absent from that list is a city that I considered to be a lock in the Revolutionary War-based title – my beloved Philadelphia. Having spent six years of my life in Will Smith's place of birth, I hoped for a chance to explore its auspicious beginnings with a hidden blade. It also makes perfect sense for inclusion, given its history as the heart of the American Revolution. So why isn't it included?Though the oft-neglected city was planned early on for open world exploration in the game, creative director Alex Hutchinson told me it was eventually cut for gameplay reasons."When we started out, Philly was one of the cities that we wanted to do. In the end, we decided against it, 'cause when we mocked it up – as you know, being from Philly, it's an architecturally designed city, so it's on a grid. Which at first we thought would be cool – the first city in AC to be designed on a grid – and then you realize ..." Hutchinson said. His colleague picked up after him."Well it's on a grid and it's flat, and the avenues are super large. So that's like three things that made us say it doesn't work in an open world." Indeed, Philadelphia was architecturally laid out as a grid by Pennsylvania's first governor William Penn, modeled after European cities of the time.But even the large avenues and rigid layout couldn't keep AC3 from Philly. "That said, there are key events that take place in Philadelphia," Hutchinson assured me. As for nods to everyone's favorite fresh prince during said events, we'll have to wait until October to find out.[Image credit: Flickr user 'bengrey']
Philly papers to offer subscribers discounted Android tablets that make terrible birdcage lining (video)
As the internet has overtaken newspapers as an information source, convincing readers to shell out the dough for online news has proven an uphill battle. Now two papers are trying a new approach: entice customers with discounted Android tablets and pre-loaded content apps. The Philadelphia Media Network, which owns the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News, is planning a pilot program for mid-August which will offer around 2,000 tablets; if successful, it could expand to more readers. The combined price of hardware and a one- to two-year daily subscription should be about half of retail. So far we have few details on what you'll get for your money, but expect a WiFi tablet from a major manufacturer, with 3G and/or 4G possible in the future. If you're from the city of brotherly love and want more details on this early-stage plan, see the video after the break.
Xfinity Home Security makes home monitoring and management Comcastic (video)
It looks like Comcast's trial bubble has been something of a success, and now the company is announcing that its Xfinity Home Security Service will be branching out beyond Houston to arm alarms, dim lamps and keep home automation freaks appraised of sports scores in an additional six markets (including Philadelphia, Portland, Jacksonville, Sarasota/Naples, Chattanooga and Nashville). Powered by iControl Networks' Open Home automation and security platform, packages start at $40 a month and feature live video monitoring, lighting and climate control, burglar and fire alarm monitoring, and more -- via touchscreen interface, web portal, and iPhone app. Now you too can put your family's safety in the same hands that bring Gilligan's Island into your home! Video, PR-palooza after the break.
Funcom and Stunlock Studios to sponsor Bloodline Champions tournies
Funcom and Stunlock Studios know that Bloodline Champions was just made for the tournament circuit, which is why both companies are sponsoring a pair of gaming events in May that feature this popular PvP battle arena. First stop on the trail is this weekend's TooManyGames expo, an indie gaming event in Philadelphia that's running from May 6th through the 8th. The Bloodline Champions tournament begins on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. EDT, and any interested combatants can preregister on the website or sign up at the door. Later in the month comes Digital Overload in Baltimore from May 27th through the 29th. Digital Overload is a giant LAN party, and with Funcom's sponsorship, it's hosting a Bloodline Champions double elimination tournament that's free to enter. To help promote Bloodline Champions and encourage the playerbase, Funcom and Stunlock Studios plan to continue to sponsor and host events around North America this summer.
Philadelphia Eagles going self-sufficient on stadium energy from 2011, 30 percent of it renewable
Let's skip right past the cringe-worthy "Declaration of Energy Independence" slogan and look at what the Eagles are actually doing with their pro sports venue. The franchise that dresses in midnight green is aiming to smarten up its eco-green credentials with a new partnership with SolarBlue that will provide all of the Eagles' stadium energy needs for the next 20 years, after which point the team will be free to resell any surplus electricity back to the grid. 15 percent of the total output with be generated with spiral wind turbines erected around the top rim of Lincoln Financial Field, another 15 will come from 2,500 solar panels to be installed near the stadium, and the rest will be obtained from a biodiesel / natural gas plant. So it's not all renewable, but a nice step in the right direction, nonetheless.
MetroPCS' new Metro USA service features nationwide coverage, LTE comes to Philly and LA
MetroPCS' march toward a full LTE overlay continues today on news that it's expanding its nascent (and still tiny) next-gen network to Philadelphia and Los Angeles, two huge markets that should do a good job of stress testing what the network is capable of. As with its existing LTE markets, the only device available is the Samsung Craft, a landscape QWERTY slider dumbphone that offers access to the carrier's video-on-demand library on a 3.3-inch AMOLED display for $299 (no contract, mind you) after a $50 rebate. The move brings MetroPCS' launch total to five markets, with plans to expand to another nine in the coming months. On a related note, the carrier has also introduced its so-called Metro USA service, essentially a brand name for nationwide coverage -- MetroPCS claims over 90 percent of the population, which ain't bad. Though it won't go into details, they're saying that the coverage has been reached through a combination of "both network expansion and roaming agreements" and that customers can expect a mix of 1xRTT and EV-DO (2G and 3G data, that is) as they move around. Follow the break for both press releases.
Criminal behavior prediction software to go live in D.C., Precogs union up in arms
We all know what happens when people start using supernatural forces to predict and prevent crimes, and we certainly don't want to go there. But software that predicts criminal behavior is already in effect in Baltimore and Philadelphia: while it won't send a SWAT team to a perp's door moments before shots are fired, it will algorithmically show which criminals are most likely to commit or be victims of certain crimes in the future. While the software is now being used to determine how closely parolees should be monitored for murder risk, law enforcement agents in D.C. are hoping to use it to detect the likelihood of lesser crimes as well. Forget all that gobbledygook about immigrants taking all our jobs--let's figure out a better way to keep algorithms from getting into the U.S. of A. [Photo courtesy Bryan Babich]
Two new Apple retail stores opening this weekend
Apple is on track to open a raft of stores around the world, having largely rolled out the stores it needs in the USA. Still, some cities need extra capacity, so the retail gods in Cupertino have seen fit to bestow upon us two more stores this weekend and another later this month. Macsimum News reports on a new store in Lexington, KY opening this Saturday at 10am -- the city's second Apple Store. ifoAppleStore reports the opening of another store in Columbus, OH. The following week Philadelphians will get their third Apple Store. Enjoy the expanded shopping options, locals! Anyone remember when the only Apple "store" was in Cupertino?
RCN offers TiVo Premiere in Boston; Philadelphia, Chicago are next
For your daily TiVo update, those RCN distributed Premiere units have found their way up to Boston after first being unleashed in Washington D.C. and New York City. The blog post mentions Chicago, Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania will be next, and a bit of URL finagling on RCN's website easily reveals promotional pages for those areas. The 12 month promo deals vary by location, but if you're just adding the box to current service, the $19.95 fee is consistent, as is the classic TiVo menu. Of course, over the top video options are still limited to YouTube and cable VOD, but we're wondering if RCN will get the same multiroom tweaks Suddenlink has promised.
NHL 2K11 riding in an RV across the US this summer
Ah, the July 4th weekend. The perfect time for grilling hot dogs, setting off fireworks, jumping in the pool, and ... hockey? That's what 2K Games wants you to think about -- it's sending an NHL 2K11 recreational vehicle on the road this summer, giving you a chance to play the new game in a town near you. The RV started at E3 a few weeks ago in LA, and after a quick stop in Santa Monica next week, it's off to the wild roads of the United States and Canada (the full schedule is after the break). Ryan Kesler has a tour of the vehicle over on 2K's website, and it looks like a fine conveyance. For now, anyway. Sorry, Philly and New York -- after a couple of months on the road, that shower might not be quite so pristine.
Make Philadelphia in LittleBigPlanet, win a PSP Go
Geekadelphia, arguably the best Philadelphia-centric tech and entertainment blog around, is hosting a pretty clever contest. The site is giving away a PSP Go and a $50 PSN card to the amateur engineer who can create the best representation of the City of Brotherly Love in LittleBigPlanet. Geekadelphia is accepting entries (limit one per person) until March 10 -- three days later, the site will reveal the winner at a chiptunes dance party at Philly's Studio 34. Check out Geek's announcement for more information about the contest. Get a move on, though -- we've already started crafting our auto-play music level of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air intro.
Philadelphia wants to buy Earthlink's former hardware, keep municipal WiFi dream alive
It never came to pass. Philadelphia's city-wide WiFi plan was announced in 2006 and then, after struggling on for two years, died when Earthlink decided it wanted nothing to do with muni wireless. A private company called NAC bought the hardware last year and now the city wants to buy it from them for $2 million. The Mayor's Office pledges to "provide free internet in targeted public spaces," which is somewhat less aggressive than the previous city-wide reach, but ditching the $20/month that Earthlink was asking seems like a fair trade. The only question now is exactly which spaces will be targeted, and if South Street Philly Bagels doesn't make the list that's a damn shame.
