rocks
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Space radar captures echoes of Perseid meteor shower (video)
We all know lasers make a "pew pew" sound, but shouldn't there be a sound effect button for high-speed burning meteors? Well, the US Air Force Space Surveillance Radar in Texas just recorded its own, capturing echoes of the Perseid meteor shower last Friday night. Every year, the Earth orbits directly into a cloud of debris from the Swift-Tuttle comet, which burn up as they fly through the atmosphere at a staggering 133,200 mph. Similar to the sound of a lightsaber slicing through the air, they make some pretty sweet sound effects -- perfect for your next auto-tune experiment. Check out the audio with some ISS pics thrown in for good measure after the break.
M-Disc holds your data 'forever,' we go hands-on for a few minutes (video)
It was two years ago when we last wrote about Millenniata and its Millenial Disc for ultra long-term data storage of somewhere between "1,000 years" and "forever." If you'll recall, it works using a "synthetic, rock-like" layer that your data is "etched" into, rather than burned onto like other writeable discs so files don't corrupt over time. Since then, the disc's been given DoD certification for data retention in extreme conditions and redubbed M-Disc, while Hitachi-LG has signed on to produce drives. We recently got the chance to check out a few of these discs and see whether this tech will fly like a Frisbee or sink like a stone. %Gallery-130389%
Breakfast Topic: What little details do you hope make it into Cataclysm?
Cataclysm is so close! I can already taste the crisp corners of the box -- not that I eat cardboard or anything weird like that! Dawn looks bashful. Anyway, if you're a daily reader of WoW Insider, you've probably seen a ton of Cataclysm coverage over the past few months. You might even think you know everything the new expansion holds for us. But do you know about ... the Slap Rock? Yeah, I didn't think so. What about the Origami Rock? The Very Unlucky Rock? The Colorful Rock? It sure is a good thing I'm here to enlighten you, huh? As some of you know, I collect rocks. With each expansion, I've been able to expand my little collection, but Cataclysm held the most promise for me since the whole concept is about the earth shattering. (Surely there would be a lot of rocks involved in that, right?) When Cataclysm went into beta, I scoured the database for a sneak peek on the rock situation in the expansion, and I'm definitely excited -- but I'd still say the game needs a few more rocks before it's ready to ship. Maybe some sort of charred rock in the zones that Deathwing laid to waste? Or maybe Blizzard should go all out and design an encounter around rocks. You know, something like David and Goliath, where the players have to pick up rocks and sling them at the boss at the right time. I'm crossing my fingers! So what about you guys? Is there anything you haven't seen in any of the beta coverage yet that you're still hoping will sneak into the expansion? Let's hear your ideas!
Breakfast Topic: Caught between a rock
For a while I wasn't sure if I'd continue playing World of Warcraft into the next expansion. I was by no means planning on giving up my gaming habit, but I really felt like I was ready for something new: either another MMO or one of the latest generation consoles. Many pros and cons were weighed, and I have decided to stick with WoW for at least one more expansion. It was a difficult decision for me but in the end it was the rocks that won me over. Yes, the rocks.
Go out and steal oil in Planet Calypso's 10.1 update
In a move to make our virtual lives eerily more like our real ones, the First Planet Company has re-opened the oil pumping station on Planet Calypso with patch 10.1, offering all players the chance to make a quick profit by grabbing oil from the pump -- if you can make it out alive, of course.The pumping station is not only in the middle of the wasteland, but it's also surrounded by angry NPCs (the wastelanders) and it's right in the middle of an open PvP area. Sure, you can make a tidy profit by grabbing oil from the station, but you have to be efficient and sneaky about it. Otherwise, you'll just end up with a bullet in your back and your blood mixed with the oil.
Birthday boy gets box of rocks instead of Nintendo DS
No, you're not being mercilessly attacked by an unyielding feeling of déjà vu for no good reason -- we really have seen something eerily similar to this happen before. This go 'round, we've got a totally innocent ten year old boy who was given Guitar Hero for DS prior to even owning a console; as the mother finally ended the tease, she handed him a shiny new DS handheld for him to unwrap. Unfortunately for everyone involved, all that was tucked inside was a couple of stones, a Chinese newspaper and boatloads of disappointment. After the Walmart store from which she purchased it referred her to the Big N, she furiously admitted the following: "They don't want to do nothing. They want me to keep the box of rocks. I'm not buying a box of rocks for $138." Thankfully, Wally World finally refunded her and threw in a $20 gift card for the trouble (after being hounded by a local news station, mind you), but the real damage -- losing all hope in humanity -- will never be undone. Ever.[Via plugged in]
Someone put a damn unicycling llama on their DS
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/mods/Someone_put_a_damn_unicycling_llama_on_their_DS'; So, is this what's hot on the streets nowadays? Is this what's really hood? We have to commend Acidmods forumer Rocky for having enough technical knowhow to mod his handheld so extensively -- regular readers will recognize his work from our previous posts spotlighting his LED wizardry. We also have to commend him for blowing our minds with this off-the-wall design.We assume that the inspiration behind the unicycling llama came from Rocky's animated avatar on the Acidmods message board. Fellow forumer XionDS engraved the llama onto a transparent shell for him with a CNC cutter, immortalizing the balancing pack animal. You can see more photos of Rocky's DS Lite and images of XionDS's similarly-etched system past the post break.
Birthday girl gets two rock-filled iPod boxes
We're tempted to believe this story just isn't true, but if the details are indeed factual, we're a bit flabbergasted to say the least. Turns out, a teenager's mother scurried to Target in order to snap up a video iPod for her daughter's upcoming birthday, and she put it on a Target credit card in order to receive a discount. Upon opening it up, the gal's 14th birthday party took a turn for the worse as Regan Ritter found nothing but rocks packaged neatly inside. After demanding a refund and getting rejected, store employees were able to locate another iPod at a different Target location. As you can probably guess, that box was also stuffed with rocks. Target still refused to refund the lady's dough and insisted that she blow the $350 on other store merchandise instead. As it stands, Ms. Ritter is expecting some higher-ups to contact her and truly resolve this, but there's no word as to whether or not Regan ever acquired an iPod from anywhere else.[Via Techmeme]
