swine-flu
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For sale on eBay: One iPhone development business, batteries not included
Want an iPhone app business without all the boring hassle of actually programming and releasing iPhone apps? Boy, does Brice Milliorn have a deal for you! He's auctioning off his iPhone app business, which he says has 87 different apps for sale, over on eBay. Milliorn says he started out developing apps on his own, but the business is just too big for him to keep up so he's selling all of the apps and their rights, all of the source code, and technical support for two months to transition everything over to the new owner. He doesn't specifically say that he'll transfer the developer account on Apple's App Store to your name (he says he'll send over a DVD with the source code and transfer "the whole kit and caboodle" to you), but we presume that's what will happen -- of course if you go for it, you're doing this at your own risk. What will a burgeoning App Store business, complete with apps like iSexyRef and Swine Flu cost you? Just a cool $100 grand. That's the starting bid in the eBay auction, which has just over a week left and no bids as of this writing. There are certainly less expensive ways to get started selling apps on the store. It only costs $100 to register in Apple's Developer Program for a year, and then you just need to find a developer you can pay -- or even do it yourself with a helper service). If you'd rather start off with a bunch of marginal to silly 99-cent apps and happen to have an extra $100,000 lying around to spend (maybe for a nice holiday gift?), here's your opportunity.
Japanese company to sell Swine Flu-resistant suit -- because nobody wants their clothes to get sick
Japan's been particularly hard hit with this H1N1 influenza marching around the globe, so maybe it shouldn't be surprising that one of its companies has come up with an "anti-flu" suit... but it still is. Japanese clothier Haruyama Trading Company has developed and is now selling a men's suit which will supposedly ward off the H1N1 virus -- not the first time we've seen this idea. The suit, which looks exactly like any other, is coated in titanium dioxide (a popular ingredient found in sunscreen and toothpaste) which reacts when exposed to sunlight and kills the virus. Nobody's really checked into whether or not these things actually work, of course, but hey -- that's part of the fun, right? If you live in Japan, you can grab one for somewhere in the neighborhood of $580. [Via Cnet]
Hurry! Universal Invention of the Future just $10.50 on eBay
One man's junk is another man's treasure -- that's the bromide behind eBay. And sometimes if you look hard enough you can find a device that changes everything. An invention so magnificent, so unknowable, that its discovery alone could "make you feel good all over the world" without even making a bid. The prototype pictured above has universal purpose: it can inflate helium balloons when it detects hot lava, find gold floating in the sea, or let you know when a horse wakes up with the Swine Flu. Really, the choices here are limitless. And for just $10.51, the "Universal Invention of the future" is yours -- hurry, just 8 hours left. Check the video treasure after the break, you can thank us later.
Samwise does guest strip for Penny Arcade
The webcomics community seems like a pretty cool bunch, specially when they all pitch in and help each other out. One of my favorite webcomics, PvP Online, often features guest artists to fill in for creator Scott Kurtz when he's away at some convention or just down with some bad bug. Just recently, he coralled the immensely talented Ramón Pérez, the genius behind Kukuburi, to do a guest strip while he was down with the flu.That's nice, you say, but what's this got to do with World of Warcraft? Well, see, Gabe from Penny Arcade (aka creator Mike Krahulik's alter ego) apparently picked up some kind of bad bug during their PAX or Penny Arcade Expo, and some well-known comic folks such as Bill Amend and Kris Straub stepped in to help. The highlight is that World of Warcraft's art director, Samwise Didier, the man largely responsible for the look and feel of many of Blizzard's games also pitched in his contribution.It has nothing to do with our favorite game, but it's freaking Samwise doing a freaking Penny Arcade strip! I mean, I don't really have to explain why I'm posting this, right? One of our favorite WoW icons doing a guest strip on one of our favorite webcomics (that occasionally tackles WoW) is so full of win it almost makes Saurfang cry. These sort of crossovers are so cool, you almost wish these webcomic creators would get sick more often. Ok, not really, but you know what I mean.
PSA: Swine flu cases confirmed at PAX
Important note for PAX attendees only: Okay, before we get into this, you have to promise us you're not going to panic. Promise? Okay. Some people who attended PAX have been stricken by confirmed cases of swine flu. So, if you were there, and you start feeling sick (like many apparently have), don't freak out, but do go to your doctor right away. [Update: According to the CDC's latest advice, you need only go to the doctor if you're in a high risk group or have really severe symptoms. You can read all the advisement here, and thanks to Nori for setting us straight.] There's a list of flights over at Penny Arcade of those with confirmed cases so, if you attended, make sure you check that out. But whether or not yours appears there, you need to keep an eye on your health, okay? Don't freak out, just be smart. Important note for non-PAX attendees only: Okay, we're going to have to be smart about this thing if we're going to survive it. If you know someone who went to PAX, it's very sad, but they're dead now. You hear us? DEAD. We don't care if your own brother is banging down your door asking for NyQuil, you just keep telling yourself, "That must be the wind. It can't be Griffin, because he's dead." Also, invest in power armor.
Dead Rising 2 skips PAX, shambles to TGS
Capcom is still worried about all of this Swine Flu business, apparently, as MTV Multiplayer revealed that the company will not bring Dead Rising 2 to upcoming PAX (or Games Con, either). Instead, Chris Kramer, senior director of communications, revealed that the next glimpse of the game will be at the Tokyo Game Show, in late September. We tracked down Kramer ourselves and asked him what the deal was. He said he couldn't provide us with anything other than to expect something on the game around TGS. We further inquired why the title would be missing PAX, but Kramer remained tight-lipped. We have a feeling the game is skipping the show because Capcom is still worried about all of this Swine Flu business, and not because Dead Rising 2 is a bad game or anything. Duct-taping chainsaws to dirtbikes and killing zombies with them sounds like the opposite of bad to us.
E3 2009: Dead Rising 2 trailer gets gritty
Though we're not going to be seeing Dead Rising 2 at E3 this week due to Swine Flu concerns, Capcom has apparently released a brand new trailer just before the show to keep the game fresh in our rotted, bloodthirsty minds.To be Frank, the newest trailer paints a sincerely more serious picture of Dead Rising 2, replete with zombies eating dudes' necks and a whole mess of slow zombie shambling. Unfortunately, as the game is sitting out this week's events, you're just going to have to make due with the newest video, just after the break.%Gallery-44178%
Some Japanese companies not attending E3 over Swine Flu concerns
No, we can't believe we just wrote that headline either. And according to scattered reports (and a variety of phone calls we made this afternoon), it's the unfortunate truth: Some Japanese developers and producers are canceling their trips to E3 2009 due to Swine Flu worries. Capcom's Keiji Inafune and his game, Dead Rising 2, will both be missing. (This isn't the first time Inafune is canceling a trip.) Develop is also reporting that Square Enix and Koei will be canceling some employees' flights, with the Kingdom Hearts team and "an unspecified number of [Koei's] Japanese employees" taking the hit.We asked Tecmo if there would be a change in its lineup at E3, to which a company rep assured, "No. Our content is still scheduled to be there and everything on the show floor, if not by the staff that's scheduled to fly in from Japan, it'll be demonstrated by our own staff from the US office." Tecmo also said producers for its upcoming lineup are still scheduled to appear alongside their titles. "As of today, we've been told our producers will still be in attendance." Konami declined comment as of press time and the ESA (E3's governing body and financial supporter) has yet to respond to our inquiries. As it stands, it looks like we'll be waiting 'til PAX 2009 or even the Tokyo Game Show to get our hands on Dead Rising 2.
Inafune skips Nordic Game conference due to swine flu restrictions
Capcom Producer Keiji Inafune won't be pigging out on fine Swedish meatballs at the Nordic Game conference, due to swine flu concerns. GI.biz reports a Nordic Games spokesperson was informed that Capcom has a "corporate policy restricting foreign travel" during the current media-hyped pandemic. Capcom also mentioned that a dog ate Inafune's plane ticket ... not really, but it's just as viable an excuse.Taking Inafune's spot at the conference will be Team 17's Martyn Brown. So, the guy with a severe case of Worms is taking over for the one afraid of catching piggy flu? [Image]
Swine Flu-based games becoming an internet pandemic
A GamePolitics article recently turned our attention to two new Flash-based titles based on every news outlet's current infatuation: Swine Flu. The first is noteworthy because it's actually pretty fun -- originally titled Sneeze but now going by the more timely moniker Stop Swine Flu, the game tasks you with spreading a disease among a crowded area by sneezing on as many folks as possible. Though the game was commissioned by uber-charity Wellcome Trust, it's caught a bit of flack from critics for awarding points for infecting toddlers. It's definitely worth checking out. The other game is also noteworthy, but only because it doesn't make a freaking lick of sense. In Swine Flu: Hamdemic, players must slingshot infected pigs across the U.S. - Mexico border, using a six-shooter to keep said pork suspended in the air. Ah, yes. Of course. The origins of this potent malady have at long last been discovered.
Swine Flu worries? Ian Bogost's Killer Flu will make you feel better
A few months back, Ian Bogost and his studio, Persuasive Games, were tasked with creating a game for the UK Clinical Virology Network to teach folks about seasonal and pandemic flus. Named Killer Flu, the game operates on a hexagonal board and, while learning about how to infect a populace by playing as the flu itself, the player is tasked with infecting various community members and sending them into buildings to infect their comrades.His timeliness is incredible, considering only a few months have passed and we've nearly got a pandemic on our hands with the Swine Flu. Okay, okay, we're exaggerating a bit. If anything, Bogost's game schools our panic-inclined brains to the relative difficulty a virus faces in becoming an actual threat. "The truth is, pandemic flus are rare and unusual strains that are far harder to spread than popular discourse might make it seem," Bogost says in a post about the game on Gamasutra. So hard, in fact, that we lost repeatedly in our attempts to infect a decent chunk of the virtual population. Do yourself a favor: check out Killer Flu and assuage your worries about the upcoming apocalypse. Besides, we all know it's going to be zombies that do us in. Come on now![Via GamePolitics]
Sunday Morning Funnies: They did it with a shirt
This week's set of comics is actually quite topical, from a recent scandal, to world news to proper feline nutrition. There also aren't as many Noblegarden-themed comics as I expected. Cru the Dwarf is making fire. Nifty things are afoot! Experience Points examines the latest content patch. Flintlocke vs the Horde: War Party part 11. GU Comics: It Figures. This is related to a recent story that we covered involving hacked accounts, a GM item, and some very naughty players. Read all about the Martin Fury Scandal, and then tell us what you thought in our polls. GU Comics also hosted a guest strip by Stormhaven, called Inconsistent Know-How. Don't forget to read the explanation underneath! Before I did, I thought it was about the fact that Mustard Dogs seems to never come up. I have stacks and stacks of the Rhino Dogs, but no dice. GU Comics also posted a comic about last week's Noblegarden festivities, Rabbits Everywhere. This is the second-latest LFG comic, but I thought that it stood better on its own than #248. NoObz: Useless. NPC: For the Taurine! I love this one. If you don't know what Taurine is, you don't love your cats enough. Yep, I said it. Check out the latest from Teh Gladiators. The Adventures of Disgraph T. Dwarf has updated, and I have to agree, I Love the Smell of Bacon in the Morning. Here is another from It's a 2v2 Life. Here's a newbie: KUO, with Eyebeam Irony. I couldn't decide which one to list, so check out a few of them, and I'll go with the latest next week.
Swine flu? There's an app for that
The folks at IntuApps have responded to the Swine Flu pandemic in the way that only a developer could: By building an app!The forthcoming Swine Flu Tracker for iPhone and iPod touch (it's pending App Store approval as of this writing) will do 3 things. First, it will display the current threat level as determined by the World Health Organization. Secondly, it drops pins onto Google maps to represent confirmed or suspected cases. Finally, it tracks and reports on Swine Flu news from around the world. If you're traveling or simply concerned about this problem, it sounds like you might find Swine Flu Tracker useful. Of course, we haven't played with it yet, so the app's actual performance remains to be seen.We can only hope that Apple's notoriously long review process won't keep Swine Flu Tracker out of our hands for too long, as we want to live to see it.
Swine Flu good for gaming in Mexico
As if the rampant window plasticizing and complete blanketing of nighttime news with Swine Flu stories weren't bad enough, USA Today is reporting that Mexicans are flooding markets before a five-day quarantine begins in Mexico. The good news? People are renting games (and, ya know, buying other stuff) by the boatload, with the newspaper reporting "residents are snapping up DVDs, renting video games and stocking up on food." We contacted a few American Blockbuster outlets and asked the folks on the other end of the line how business has been lately, and if they've seen an uptick in game rentals over the past couple of weeks. "No, actually, it seems kinda slow ... I guess maybe people are afraid to come out or something," we were told by an employee at the chain in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Calling another store in Madison, Alabama yielded vastly different results, where an employee told us, "The past couple of days it's increased. I think it definitely has to do with the Swine Flu worries." While these testimonials do little for our theory that more folks are renting games in the States for the same reason, it's quite possible that us brazen Americans are simply turning a blind eye to the clear signs of end times. Hell, we're still planning on going to E3 2009 and that's a month away! We could all be dead by then! [image]
Swine Flu strikes Azeroth!
I'm sure you all will be quite happy to hear that the Swine Flu has struck Azeroth. Yes, you read that right.Out in the Borean Tundra, Unliving Swines near Warsong Hold will cast the debuff Swine Flu on you when you're fighting them. The pigs are dirty little creatures, and luckily anyone can cure the disease that has such an ability.The Swine Flu disease itself is benign, however every time you attack something it has a chance at triggering an Outbreak. An Outbreak of Swine Flu will cause a fever that inflicts 120 nature damage every 2 seconds for 8 seconds total, and reduces movement speed to 70% of normal. Like Swine Flu, Outbreak is a disease that can be cured.We should note that this isn't some joke recently put into the game. It's existed since Wrath of the Lich King released, so all the conspiracy theorists that are suggesting Blizzard manufactured the real swine flu in order to make more people stay home and play their game are clearly wrong. Clearly.Oh noes! There's a knock at the door... I think Ghostcrawler and Belfaire are here with an offer I can't refuse.
Despite swine flu fears, E3 progressing as planned
Thanks to our chemical inability to modulate our level of fear, we've been in an utter, blind panic since the first time we heard "swine flu" mentioned. The ESA is a lot calmer than us, though, saying that planning for E3, which packs people from every continent into a single building like international sardines, continues without a hitch, despite travel warnings."The 2009 E3 Expo is progressing as planned. Public health officials are taking all appropriate steps and we continue to follow their direction on all measures," said ESA spokesman Dan Hewitt. "We look forward to a great event, and to seeing you in Los Angeles in June."That's fine, Dan, be the very picture of calm. We're going to continue lining our windows with plastic wrap, if it's all the same to you.
