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‘Searching’ turns a computer screen into compelling cinema
The idea of watching a movie told entirely through computer screens sounds like a gimmick. Unfriended gave us a taste of that. It was a horror movie told through Skype video chats in what producer Timur Bekmambetov calls Screenlife, his movement to tell more stories through screens. Unfriended was a hit, but it was also a first stab at a new style of storytelling. Searching, on the other hand, the new thriller starring John Cho and directed by Aneesh Chaganty, deftly shows how Screenlife films can be genuinely cinematic.
Firefox 14 rolls out: Google searches default to HTTPS, OS X Lion users get fullscreen support
The changes in Firefox 14 may not be quite as immediately noticeable as those in the recently released Firefox 13, but they're still fairly notable nonetheless. One of the biggest is Mozilla delivering on its promise to move to HTTPS for all Google search results and search suggestions, giving users a bit of added security. Mac OS X Lion users will also be glad to know that the full screen mode is now fully supported, and all users can also now expect better mouse performance in web-based games and other applications thanks to Mozilla's implementation of the Pointer Lock API. As is the norm now, though, you'll just have to wait another six weeks for the next release if a feature you've been waiting for didn't make it into this one.
Google talks specifics about its network infrastructure, hopes to inspire the rest of the internet
Key Google employees were in attendance this week at the 2nd annual Open Network Summit in Santa Clara, CA to discuss some significant changes, including the implementation of OpenFlow -- an open-source technology designed to change the way that data is used, transferred and managed -- and is supposed to significantly reduce costs by a projected 20-30 percent, increase efficiency, and better organize the massive amounts of data that the company handles on a daily basis. Google said it went public at the summit with hopes of provoking change all over the internet by disclosing that it has recently made some of the most significant modifications to its network infrastructure since setting up shop in the days of The Backstreet Boys and Furbies, aka 1998. Extensive information is available at the source links.
3 time-saving WoW keyboard shortcuts you may not know
I think we all like to save time in game when doing mundane things so that we can get back to the fun stuff. I also find that World of Warcraft is unable to read my mind and know that I really meant "armor" when I typoed "amror." So out of necessity, I've discovered some tricks to let WoW know what I really mean in a timely fashion. Shift-clicking a crafting material in your inventory with the appropriate craft box open will search for patterns that include that mat. I can never remember if my jewelcrafter has already leveled past some gem or other, but with this trick I can easily check. Also, if I pick up some meat and don't know if I have a recipe for it, shift-click searching lets me know. You probably already use this trick for searching in the Auction House, as well. Shift-clicking the icon for a letter in your mailbox will put all items from that letter into your inventory. I find this invaluable for sending items to my bank alt. Note: This will delete the letter from your mailbox if there is nothing written in the letter itself.
San Fran PD looking for security footage at lost iPhone bar
CNET is reporting that the San Francisco Police Department is poking around local bar Cava 22, the same establishment where a prototype iPhone was supposed to have been lost a little while ago. The owner of the bar says that the SFPD came by asking for surveillance videotape of July 21 and 22 (the days the phone was supposedly lost in the bar), and while he's got it and is willing to share, he hasn't heard back from the officers. But there may be more going on here than just a lost iPhone; this is of course the same case where SFPD officers "assisted" Apple in an investigation, going so far as to wait while Apple detectives entered a citizen's home, apparently searching for information related to the lost iPhone. The SFPD is investigating that situation (though the department does admit that the "assistance" took place), and it's possible that this surveillance footage is for that research. At any rate, the case isn't exactly closed. Unfortunately, it's unlikely that we'll ever hear anything else about this one, unless the cops did violate the law in some way by helping Apple's investigation. Even if a lost iPhone was found, Apple wouldn't exactly go yelling it from the rooftops, and the SFPD probably won't be happy to publicize any of their officers' behavior, either. The investigation may still be ongoing, but we'll have to wait and see if and when the public is let in on any of its findings. [via 9to5Mac]
NYT uncovers the tawdry, seedy tale of the SEO games of J.C. Penney
The New York Times has run an incredibly detailed piece about a feat of Google search engine gaming which seems to have been done by or for JC Penney. We won't bore you with SEO basics -- we're pretty sure you've got those down already -- but suffice to say that The Times noticed that the retailer was at the top of Google's search results for many more terms than seemed possible or natural, so they started to do some digging. What they found was that thousands of links had been placed on what were essentially spam sites all over the web, resulting in the retailer ruling the Google juice for terms such as "little black dress," and even super generic ones like "rugs" and "bedding." This is one of the dreaded kinds of 'black hat' optimization that Google frowns upon, because it's so obviously cheating, and it's punishable by a massive sinking of the offending site's ranking in results (which is, of course, not the desired effect). JC Penney unsurprisingly denies knowing anything about it, and no evidence exists to suggest it was directly involved, so on Wednesday, Google began 'corrective action' to bring Penney's results back to planet earth. One example -- before the action was taken, JC Penney held the number one spot for the search term 'living room furniture,' and after it stood at number 68 -- is enough to show the awesome power Google holds over the results it delivers, but the story also serves to show how truly broken search is, as well as Google's seeming nonchalance about the issue. Hit up the source link for the full story.
Updated Armory app features Find an Upgrade, saved talent builds
A few readers (thanks!) sent us notes pointing out that Blizzard has updated the Mobile Armory app for the iPhone. The new version, 1.1.0, features a streamlined character selection screen, the ability to save and load custom talent builds (though unfortunately it doesn't look like there's any way to bring these into the game automatically -- you just have to choose points the same way), in-game reputations on character profiles, and a number of other bugfixes and user interface improvements. The one big feature is that "Find an Upgrade" now works on the mobile app -- you can search directly in the app for a gear upgrade for any equipment slot on your character. That's a nice bonus; it means that while you're sitting on the bus with your iPhone, you can look through your gear, and figure out what you're going to be upgrading to in that waist slot the next time your guild heads up into Icecrown. I'd still like to see a little more integration with the game itself (a few MMO companies have hinted that they're pushing for more integrated iPhone tie-ins), but since the app is called Mobile Armory, and yes, is still free, I can't complain too much.
Exploring Azeroth with quest icons on the map
We've heard this argument before, and every time Blizzard makes a change to help players complete quests more quickly, it comes up again. And with the recent announcement that Blizzard will actually be adding quest targets to the ingame maps (again replicating another function of the popular Questhelper addon), players have again brought up the old argument: is the game too dumbed-down? Originally, when the game began (though I don't know anyone that didn't still use Wowhead to find quest coordinates even back then), you were sent "east" to find a tiny little brown backpack to click on, and in the next patch, not only will you see that brown backpack sparkling with flares as you get close, but you'll have it marked on your map the entire time.Larisa waxes nostalgic over at the Pink Pigtail Inn, and says that this is just farther down a sliding slope that leads to a ravine where we all just have two spells and need to kill three boars to level to 100. Kinless Chronicles straight out says "Patch 3.2 will play for you" with some funny tongue-in-cheek analysis. But since I do it so much anyway, I'll play the Devil's advocate here: let's face it, we all used the addons and coordinates while leveling up alts, if not even while leveling mains. It's easy to be nostalgic, but I never did like hunting around for that little pixel of brown you had to click on to finish a quest, and if you really do want to stumble around in the dark the old way, just don't look at your map and/or close the minimap down. I've recently played two other console games, Fable 2 and Dead Space, that also offer glowing line navigation straight to your quest targets, and I did feel a sense of exploration in both -- if I wanted to wander off the path, I was welcome to (and usually rewarded for it), while if I just wanted to get to where I was going, I could do that, too.
Nintendo hopes to redefine 'hit game' with search engine-based Kensax
Nintendo of Japan revealed a ton of new games at its fall media conference, and it's just now getting around to talking about some of them. Kensax was one of the many first-party games buried in the avalanche of news, with nothing released but three baffling, context-free screenshots and a few seconds of video.IGN has translated an article from the latest issue of Famitsu revealing the first information about Kensax, which, as it turns out, is about ... search engines? The minigames in Kensax all revolve around putting words into a search engine and using the resulting hit count as a measure of progress and as the focus of multiplayer competition.For example, "Battle! Search Panel 9" tasks up to four players with combining words from a "stock" with words from a 3x3 board to conduct search terms. The player with the highest hit count steals a panel from another player. At the end, the game tabulates the panels in each player's possession, as well as the total hit count, to assign a winner. In "Fastest! Search Shooter", players shoot moving words to create high-hit-count combinations with their stock words.Kensax includes 3,000 words and their estimated hit counts, but players can go online to bolster the game's vocabulary. Famitsu didn't offer a release date beyond "2009", and, of course, there is no word on a release outside of Japan. We hope to hear more about the other stealth Nintendo announcements soon, like Cosmic Walker. Gallery: Kensax
TUAW previews Hahlo 3: the Legendary Edition
John Gruber's (and my) favorite Twitter web app for the iPhone is about to get better -- if you've been on the Hahlo for iPhone homepage lately, you'll have seen that Dean Robinson is working on version 3 of Hahlo (titled, hilariously for us gamers, the Legendary Edition).TUAW got to take a look (along with all of the other beta users) at the new software, and here's a short preview running through what the new Hahlo will look like, as well as updates to the system, including a brand new Settings page, inline replies, hashtags and searching, and lots of other cool tweaks and updates.Our preview starts right after the jump.
Vodafone's Otello draws a blank on Chancellor Angela Merkel query
If there's one person at CeBIT you don't want to not recognize, it's German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Nevertheless, we can only assume that Vodafone booth workers were left with their tails stuck between their legs after said figure gave its recently announced picture-based search engine a go. Upon Otella returning nothing after a picture was presumably snapped of Merkel, she quickly asserted: "I am not in the database." Better still, she continued by proclaiming: "That's a major gap." Heck, maybe she should be happy -- after all, Vodafone's set to trial the service with Europe's "best selling tabloid," and not being in there would most certainly be a good thing.
Vodafone's Otello search engine uses images, not text
We've certainly seen some clever methods of searching from one's mobile, but Vodafone's latest idea is quite the stroke of genius. Showcased at CeBIT, the Otello search engine simply uses images as input; in other words, handset owners just snap a picture of anything -- a landmark, DVD case, unidentified flying object, etc. -- and Otello then "returns information relevant to the picture to the mobile phone." Reportedly, Vodafone is expected to conduct a trial with German paper Bild in which readers can "find out more about specially-marked articles by photographing them with their mobile's camera and sending the image to [the aforementioned paper]." Unfortunately, the carrier is being tight-lipped with its plans for Otello beyond the trial, but if this stuff functions as advertised, we can't see it remaining a secret for long.[Via Pocket-lint]
Alltel unveils carrier-branded search agent, dedicated button
These days, it's just not good enough to offer some form of search engine on your phone, as the marketing dollars of search giants are finding their way into phones as providers attempt to dictate your searching and clicking habits. Alltel is finally joining the gang as it unveils the "world's first carrier-branded mobile search application to be pre-installed on handsets with a dedicated search key." The button will activate a BREW client that allows users to search for whatever they please without thumbing through numerous menus, theoretically getting you your answers in a hasty fashion. By partnering with JumpTap, Alltel will reportedly start rolling the "feature" out on its mobiles here in the near future, with the colorful line of AX8600s being the first to "have the search application preloaded."[Via MocoNews]
TUAW Tip: force Spotlight to re-index some apps
I recently was fortunate enough to upgrade to a MacBook Pro, which means my wife can now get her mobile on with a MacBook. After I moved everything over and got to work with the new machine, I noticed some strangeness with Spotlight and Yojimbo: apparently, thanks to some quirk of bits and bytes, Apple's fancy schmancy search wasn't bringing up any of my Yojimbo items. After requesting some support from Bare Bones Software, a most useful employee of theirs shared a handy trick that forced Spotlight to re-index my items. It worked like a charm, and it was simple to pull off.If you have a 3rd party app that isn't behaving well with Spotlight, you could try surfing to ~/Library/Caches/Metadata. This is where apps, especially database-driven ones that want to be indexed by Spotlight, place cache data in order to make it into search results. For me, simply quitting Yojimbo, tossing out the Yojimbo folder sitting inside that Metadata folder and restarting Yojimbo forced Spotlight to get to work. The little magnifying glass began flowing on and off, and my Yojimbo items were soon appearing in my Spotlight search results just as they should.Now I don't know if this is the end-all solution to Spotlight indexing issues like this. I only know it worked for me, and judging from the emails that occasionally bounce over the Yojimbo mailing list, I'm not the only one who's ever tangled with Spotlight's indexing quirks. I hope this tip can help you unravel any Spotlight searching issues of your own.
