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Windows 7 Whopper claims its first victim (video)
Few brave souls will even attempt to consume the Windows 7 Whopper, and fewer still will achieve that first dyspepsic bite -- as you can plainly see in this video. Indeed, we were sure that this was some sort of promotional stunt for Microsoft in Japan, but reports are filtering in that these have been available in Texas for years now. Of course, in the Lone Star State it's not called the Windows 7 Whopper, it's called "lunch." [Via Pocket-lint]
Burger King selling a Windows 7 Whopper in Japan
Confirming our belief that Japan is at once among the coolest and craziest places on this planet we all call home is Burger King's exclusive Windows 7 Whopper. Seven stacked beef patties extend your usual Whopper to over five inches in height and the whole thing costs an appropriate ¥777 (or $8.55). It'll be available for one week only -- or seven days, get it? Join us past the break to see the full towering size of this meaty monstrosity. [Via Electronista] Update: Andy Yang, our Engadget Chinese editor, has read the smallprint and noted that in fact only the first 30 customers each day will get the Win 7 Whopper at ¥777, with the rest shelling out a cool ¥1,450 ($17.10) for the privilege. Way to break with the number 7 theme, guys.
Video: Robots cook delicious ramen noodles for expendable humans
So you think you've seen robot chefs before, huh? Well, actually, yes you probably have -- but you sure as hell haven't seen a mechanical cook spinning plates, right? We thought so. The latest culinary drone, hailing from Nagoya, Japan, features a pair of delightfully dextrous arms and is capable of serving up a yummy bowl of ramen noodles in under two minutes. With such rapid speed, the bots get some downtime, which they fill by performing a little show for their clientele. Trust us, you really don't wanna be the one person who didn't see the surreal duel that lies beyond the break.[Via Switched]
The best of WoW Insider: December 9-16, 2008
It's that time of year again -- the trees and lights are up in Azeroth, and Winter's Veil is upon us. Father Greatwinter is giving out gifts in Ironforge and Orgrimmar, and Blizzard devs are busy giving players the gift that keeps on giving: nerfs and more nerfs. Follow all of the wintry action at Joystiq's sister site WoW Insider -- if there's something under your tree that you need to know about, it'll be there, along with the usual cookies and milk. News World of Warcraft PTR 3.0.8 patch notesThe first post-expansion patch is queuing up on the test servers, and here's the notes. Mount race restrictions lifted, Tauren rejoiceNow you can mount up on all of the faction mounts, no matter what race you are. Character re-customization added for a small feeBlizzard makes it possible to re-customize your character's look or gender, for a price. FCC Commissioner: World of Warcraft causes college dropoutsThe same woman who blamed television for child obesity blames WoW for people dropping out of college. Warcraft restaurant opens in BeijingT.G.I. Frost Mages? We would also have accepted T.G.I. Fordragon's. Or Arthusbee's, though that last one is bad. Features The great Hunter nerf of 2008 BM Hunters get smacked with the nerf bat. The achievements of Winter's VeilThe Winter holiday has begun on the realms, and here's how to get your holiday title this time around. Patch 3.0.8: Analysis of Death Knight changesChanges to the dead man class in the new patch. Working at Blizzard: Sunshine, rainbows, claymores, backrubsA look inside the doors of one of the best game companies in the world, both from an interview with the COO and our own blogger's experience. Addon Spotlight: AchievementsA few good addons for tracking down all of those new achievement points.
World of Warcraft themed restaurant wows Beijing
Unlike the April Fool's joke from Blizzard in 2006, this time there really is a World of Warcraft-themed restaurant open for business in Beijing. The venue boasts a Dark Portal entrance, full wall prints of WoW scenes, an enormous screen that shows action from the game, a tree in the center reminiscent of Raynewood Retreat, and what appears to be the ability to log in from your table.From the sounds of things you may not be able to order Delicious Chocolate Cake (after all, the cake is a lie), but maybe Gadgetzan Gado-gado or Murloc Mince Pie are on the menu. So if you're in the Beijing area and looking for a great place to host your next guild meeting, check it out and let us know how the food is.
London restaurant claims fame with touch-sensitive tables, colorful menu projectors
A chic London restaurant and bar called Inamo is making patrons' dining experiences digital by projecting colorful menus and aesthetic patterns onto touch-sensitive tabletops. When browsing, patrons can preview the food as if it were on the plate in front of them -- only flatter, we suppose. They can also order their meals, look up neighborhood services, and select one of seven visual vibes without ever interacting with carbon-based lifeforms. Inamo isn't the first automated establishment we've seen, and this sort of table menu tech isn't new -- but the futuristic panache is hard to beat. Hit the read link for more pics.[Thanks, Nvyseal]
Asylums, nurses, and gore: Dementium's awesome Japanese launch event
Dementium: The Ward launches in Japan today, and Japanese publisher Interchannel-Holon could not have found a more perfect venue to promote Renegade Kid's horror title*. "Alcatraz E.R." is a novelty restaurant in Tokyo's Shibuya ward with a mental asylum theme where patrons must announce their blood type before entering. They are then handcuffed by girls dressed as nurses who serve up food in surgical trays and drinks in hospital drips.In other words, it's a totally amazing and ideal place for a Dementium promotion. Hit the break for more gory pics of the press-only event (our invites must have got lost in the mail). * Admittedly, they could have used an actual abandoned psychiatric asylum, but that probably comes with its own issues.%Gallery-4929%
We didn't Order Up! this stale video
We really want to be charmed by Order Up!, but this gameplay video was more sleep inducing than a lecture on the merits of drying paint. We just can't help but feel a bit of a "been there, done that" vibe when it comes to this upcoming SuperVillain Studios title.The promise of restaurant management elements seem like the game's one saving grace, as it sets Order Up! apart from the Cooking Mamas and Diner Dashes of the world. We would have much rather preferred to see a gameplay video of how the sim stuff works. However, since the game did show some initial promise, we'll approach it with an open mind when it releases in late July.On a related note, Amazon and other retailers list a $39.99 price point for Order Up! Do you think that's still too high for the title, or does $40 hit your virtual restaurant-loving sweet spot? Gallery: Order Up!
Mario's Mexican brother you never knew about
Look closely at the above image. Doesn't it remind you of something (hint: this)? The graphic is from a restaurant in Acapulco, Mexico, by the name of Pancho Bigotes. Pretty blatant rip-off, wouldn't you say?Frankly, we always thought Mario strictly stuck to the vegetables, what with the mushrooms and leaves he's always eating (that might explain his recent trip into bat country), so it's kind of odd to see him holding a plate full of meat and a mug of beer.
X-Play gets their hands on Order Up!
G4's X-Play managed to get some time in with Order Up!, which turned out to be the rumored project of SuperVillain Studios. As you can see in the video above, it has a very charming artistic style and looks to offer the same kind of fun found in other casual titles such as Cooking Mama.Anyone liking what they see here? Think this is a title that should be avoided?%Gallery-21449%[Via Go Nintendo]
TEC develops 3D Tobidasu table menu, makes your mouth water
Shortly after Teraoka's Deli Touch pen gave a reason to (almost) ignore the wait staff entirely, along comes the 3D Tobidasu table menu to make you order way more food than you likely would otherwise. Developed by TEC, the pop-up menu is designed to be integrated into restaurant tables, and reportedly, it enables patrons to browse the offerings and view individual items in "3D." Granted, the photo above doesn't really capture the effect, but if you look long enough, chances are you'll be salivating in no time.[Via The Raw Feed]
Fully automated restaurant opens in Germany
Hate interacting with humans? Well then we've got the restaurant for you, located in Nuremberg, Germany. The restaurant, called Bagger's, eschews waiters and waitresses for gravity operated ramps that sends food directly to tables. Customers order on touch screens, swipe their cards on built in readers, and wait for their food with a read-out that shows when the food is expected to be delivered. So, get ready to yell at your ordinateur when your fries are late. "Garcon!" ain't gonna cut it in this restaurant.[Via The Raw Feed]
Taylannas' Menus That Talk vocalize what's for dinner
Auditory menus might be an old trick, but it's likely to make Taylannas some serious coin if implemented in any number of eateries. The Florida-based startup has announced plans to dole out "slim electronic tablets about the size and shape of a DVD case" that sport touchscreen displays, speak numerous languages, and can even have its buttons imprinted with Braille to help the blind wade through the interface. As the title implies, the menus will vocalize what's on the docket, as customers can select different segments (drinks, dinner entrees, desserts) to be read aloud. The obvious benefactors are those who are visually impaired, but even customers who are hard of hearing were taken into account as the Menus That Talk devices also have a "detachable hand-held earphone" that reportedly syncs with most modern hearings aids. Still, we have to wonder if restaurants that rely on a quiet, low-key atmosphere won't disable the volume functions or demand a built-in whisper mode in order to maintain sanity during the evening rush.[Thanks, Joe B.]
Apple's iPod Shuffle: the next great appetizer?
Although this won't go down as the first restaurant to mix in a little iPod action with the meal, it's fairly safe to say that Fat Duck chef Heston Blumenthal has melded portable audio with dining like no other. Apparently, the culinary guru "wanted to experiment with using sound to enhance a dining experience," which landed a person with a plate full of silver electronics and tangled white cord to compliment the rest of the Sound of the Sea dish. Aside from the food itself, the iPod was pre-loaded with "soothing sounds of the sea breeze and waves gently caressing the seashore," presumably to further enhance the eating experience. Still, we can't really envision how listening to sounds related to our meal would make things more appetizing -- you know, unless deafening moos just jazz up your taste buds when rolling by a burger joint.[Via Kottke]
Diner Dash doesn't look too appetizing
Games don't need to have good graphics--but they need to have fun. The upcoming Diner Dash seems to have neither. The competitive world of restauranting should make for an interesting gameplay experience, but this first video of the game looks utterly uninspired. 1UP recently previewed the game: "In Diner Dash, you show patrons to their seats, take their orders, serve them food, and clear the tables when they leave. Promptly serving people and working your way quickly through the increasing line of customers earns you points in the form of tips. The hardest part is managing your own stress levels as you serve impatient people. Sometimes your customers have screaming kids who need high chairs, and you're usually either urging that family of four to quickly finish their hamburgers, or scrambling to mop up the mess they left on the floor." Seating customers and moving food from one place to the next could provide some brief bursts of entertainment, but is that really enough to warrant a full-fledged game? Watch the video after the cut, and tell us what you think.
Making some Westfall Stew in real-life
Earlier this evening I was checking out what the WoW Ladies over on livejournal had to say, and a few of them were chatting about how to make real-life Westfall Stew-- you know, the lowbie collecting quest in Westfall that gives you a cooking recipe and some food with a nice bonus.When I checked, they hadn't found the link yet, but now they have, and here it is: Real-Life Westfall Stew (Dave also dropped us a note on this one-- thanks, Dave!). They actually cheat a little bit-- they use chicken for vulture meat, and tomatoes for Murloc eyes. I don't know if you've ever had Murloc eyes in Westfall stew but let me tell you, if you substitute tomatoes, you're probably not going to get that tangy flavor that comes with the real thing! Or the pleasure of taking the eyes from the Murlocs in the first place. But I'm sure this faked stuff is pretty good, too.How soon until we see other great WoW dishes in real life? Who wouldn't want to try some Dusty "Crab" Cakes (who knows where Chef Grual gets those tasty crab legs from), some Cactus Apple Surprise, or some Dragonbreath Chili? And you can wash it all down with some tasty Thistle Tea (it'll get you all the energy you need) or, my favorite (even though you have to be 21 for this stuff), Noggenfogger Elixir. For dessert, a Savory Deviate Delight, of course. With all these great foods to choose from, a World of Warcraft Restaurant is only one Blizzard employee's crazy idea away..
