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'Stranger Things' compilation earns Grammy nomination for Netflix
The 61st Grammy Award nominations were revealed Friday morning and Netflix shows and documentaries were among the nominees once again. Stranger Things picked up a nod for the second season's compilation soundtrack, while a documentary about legendary music producer Quincy Jones called Quincy (which was co-directed by his daughter Rashida) landed a Best Music Film nomination.
Microsoft deliberately wasted energy at data center to avoid fine, says NY Times
Microsoft's desire to avoid a fine combined with a power company's strict electricity usage rules resulted in the software giant deliberately wasting millions of watts of power, according to the New York Times. Redmond's Quincy data center, which houses Bing, Hotmail and other cloud-based servers, had an agreement in place with a Washington state utility containing clauses which imposed penalties for under-consumption of electricity. A $210,000 fine was levied last year, since the facility was well below its power-use target, which prompted Microsoft to deliberately burn $70,000 worth of electricity in three days "in a commercially unproductive manner" to avoid it, according to its own documents. The utility board capitulated and reduced the amend to $60k, but the messy situation seems a far cry from Redmond's pledge to become carbon neutral by this summer. [Image credit: New York Times]
Qisda's ultra high-res QCM-330 smartphone and more surface ahead of iF awards
The iF Design Awards won't officially be handed out until the big ceremony at CeBIT next month, but some of the winners have now already been announced, and they include a few surprises. One of those is this new Qisda QCM-330 smartphone, which is said to be Android-based, and packs a 4-inch, 1,280 x 1,024 screen (supposedly, although the actual resolution will likely differ given the aspect ratio), WiFi and HSDPA connectivity, a 3 megapixel camera, and an accelerometer, among other, as yet unnamed specs. It's joined by the LG GD880 we previously spotted in the wild, along with a slew of phones headed for Vodafone, including the Compass slider, and the Krystal (pictured after the break), which apparently packs displays on both sides and some augmented reality-type features (like on the fly translation of newspapers). Rounding out the lot are the decidedly more ordinary Vodafone Sting, Shilpa, Quincy and, our personal favorite, the Larry. Hit up the link below for a closer look at those.
Craigslist Lotharios looking for PlayStation Home rendezvous
There, shining like a beacon of justice atop Mt. Craigslist, we saw it. Two men from the Washington D.C. area had poured their hearts out on a digital classified ad, looking for women tailored specifically to their carnal needs. Their demands were innocent enough, until the inclusion of the immediate disqualification of "Obese Girls (try drinking water for a change)." This shallow (and confusing) item required immediate karmic retribution. As we pondered our involvement in this matter, we saw it: "Looking for potentially LTR (long-term relationship) with college educated women around our same age, to meet initially via Playstation Home." Our minds raced with the retaliatory possibilities -- shapeshifting would most certainly be involved, that much is given. But to what extent could this vulnerability be exploited? An hour of feminine manipulation, and then ... the switch? A day of personal exchanges before ... the exchange? A week? A month? A year? With solemn determination, we gathered our courage -- and became unspoken executors of the Longest Con. [Via Superannuation]
SOE's Free Realms closed beta now open
As per Sony Online Entertainment's word, the free-to-play MMO unironically named Free Realms has opened the doors of its closed beta to the world. Aside from the kart racing and pet raising, we imagine users will start flooding into the online world and immediately partake in our time-honored tradition of Quincying. (Go, Joystiq Hive Mind!)Like most betas, this one's asking its users to keep quiet on the inner workings of the game, though, ironically, SOE is asking participants to blabber on to their hearts content on the game website's public forums. For those of you looking for hot scoops on Free Realms, now you know where to go. And did we mention we have a tips box that guarantees anonymity?
Average PlayStation Home session 55 minutes long
We've had some fairly extensive, extremely erotic Quincying excursions in our time, but we were shocked when SCEA VP of Marketing Peter Dille revealed that the average session within the glossy locales of PlayStation Home lasts 55 minutes. As Dille aptly points out, that's longer than an hour-long television program, sans commercials. You heard that right -- Home is now more popular than television.All snark aside, how are you guys wasting your hours away whilst perusing Home's virtual offerings? Dance parties in the Home Square? Digging through new content in game-themed rooms? Decorating your den? Waiting in line to bowl? Aggrevatedly griefing those attempting to take part in the aforementioned activities?
Anti-Aliased: See the griefing, taste the griefing
If home is where the heart is, then PlayStation 3 users have some pretty cold, racist, and sexually demeaning hearts. Hearts that make Halo 3 players look like cute puppies in comparison. Now I'm not saying that PlayStation Home is not a great idea -- in theory it's a brilliant idea. Play in a world like Second Life, meet other users, play mini games, launch into full PS3 games, what's not to love about any of that?Well, it seems Sony forgot about the precedents of other virtual worlds. Second Life, while nice, can have the uncanny ability to resemble slums in certain areas thanks to the scary nature of some of the creators. Xbox Live sports some of the most offensive users (NSFW) around. So how exactly was Home suppose to avoid the travesties that affect other worlds?Sony has already stated that "user behavior and feedback" will shape where they go with the Home beta. If that's the case, where are they going to go? Totalitarian state, anyone?
The Daily Grind: Are you online with PlayStation Home?
PlayStation Home. Never will you find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.Well, that's what we're told, anyway. Especially when other parts of our blog network are running around and causing havoc themselves. But this isn't a story about the other parts of our blog network, it's a story about you. Today's grind wishes to ask you if you're enjoying the virtual world of PlayStation Home. Or, perhaps not enjoying it, as the case could be.We want to hear your experiences with the software -- good, bad, and even the ugly Quincys. Is the world living up to all of the hype that surrounded it, or was it indeed released too early and in need of more work in order to live up to its potential? Let the comment box ring with your opinions!
How to perform Quincying in PlayStation Home
HOW TO QUINCY: var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/playstation/The_World_s_Greatest_PS3_Home_Grief'; Co-workers, esteemed colleagues, The time grows near when the Joystiq staff must choose the games which should be honored in our annual Top 10 list. I'm sure that you, like me, have had no small amount of difficulty separating the wheat from the chaff in what has proven to be a wheat-filled year. A Microsoft Word document currently sits minimized on my taskbar, where I attempted earlier this week to choose the greatest title which dropped in the past 365 days. I say "attempted," as I was unsuccessful in choosing just one game to hold this honor. However, when I compiled this list, I hadn't yet entered the Home beta -- nor had I been introduced to the gameplay experience that would sweep me off my feet faster and harder than anything in any other 2008 title has before. What started out as a minor distraction in a fairly distraction-free virtual world has become an obsession. A calling. I speak, of course, of the timeless art of Quincying. Rather than write out a length of wordy prose, I want to share with you the step-by-step instructions on how you can start Quincying the next time you log into Home. Prep Work Create an attractive female avatar. This should not be very difficult. Create a "Quincy" -- the most unappealing, disfigured Elephantine man as you can possibly craft using the avatar creation tools. Again, this should not be difficult. My Quincy looks a bit like an alternate-universe version of Perez Hilton, but with a curly mustache and clear side-effects of methamphetamine abuse. Setting the Trap As your attractive female avatar (AFA), go to a crowded area. The central hub is a great place to learn how to Quincy, as it is full of lonely suitors and needless dancing. Approach a lonely suitor. Don't just run up and start dancing. Strike up a conversation, ask where they're from. Get them interested. After cordial introductions, begin dancing with a suitor. Should other suitors begin to dance with and/or cat-call you, all the better -- but keep your focus on the original suitor. When you're positive you've got all the suitors' attention, and you're in the middle of a provacative dance, you're ready to go. Springing the Trap The Art of Quincying is not just the action itself, but the build-up. If you've followed directions so far, you've probably got a nice following. Your Quincy can't just appear, you need to say something in the chat to hint at the fact that things are about to get very, very weird for any and all nearby suitors. Suggestions: Simply shout "IT'S A TRAP" or, when asked where you're from, answer "Your nightmares." As SOON as said message is transmitted, open up your wardrobe menu, and switch to your Quincy. Exit the menu as quickly as possible. If done correctly, your avatar will have continued its provocative dance, albeit with a new, horrifying appearance. Aftershocks The typical male reaction to a well-executed quincying is an immediate ceasing of dancing, and a hasty retreat from the newly transformed Quincy. Occasionally, a suitor will stick around, laughing the experience off. This behaviour should be discouraged. Deliver said discouragement by changing back to your AFA, and resume dancing with the suitor. The loneliest suitors will continue their dance, though perhaps with a healthy amount of trepidation. Punish their persistence with a swift revert back to the Quincy. Repeat as needed. Video Demonstration
