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The Darkmoon Faire is in town!
The Darkmoon Faire is in town, and it's on time this month! This time around you'll find it in Mulgore, just outside of Thunder Bluff. For future visits to the Darkmoon Faire, you can always check the official Events Calendar to find out when and where!If today will be your first time at the Faire, Daniel Whitcomb has a few neat little guides of you to take a look at, right here on WoW Insider. First, we have a guide for those interested the Faire's ticket system(why you would be, I do not know), and another about the very cool trinkets you can get via the Darkmoon Decks.The real awesome part about the Faire, though? The Iced Berry Slush. I'm serious! Go try one! Go go go!
Phat Loot Phriday: Last Year's Mutton
This week we take a trip once again into husky loot (a.k.a. cool items that anyone can grab) and dip into ye olde garbage bin at the Darkmoon Faire.Name: Last Year's Mutton (Wowhead, Thottbot, MMODB)Type: Common One-hand Meat/MaceDamage/Speed: 44-82 / 2.00 (31.5 DPS)Abilities: Pulverize your foes into mincemeat with this leg o' lamb. Whether you're biting down yourself, or flanking your foes until they're well-done, this club o' grub will let you tenderize even the toughest turkey. I'd steak my reputation on it! Not to be confused with Last Month's Mutton (see in the right hand in the pic above), which does smell a little better, but isn't nearly as tough.. or green. Unfortnately, weapon enchants don't currently appear on this item, so while it would be completely awesome to have a flaming mutton, apparently that can't happen. Yet. How to Get It: How can you wield this Excalibur of Lunchmeats, this Frostmourne of Foods? All you've got to do is redeem 50 Darkmoon Faire tickets with Gelvas Grimgate, a goblin at the traveling Darkmoon Faire (it's either in Elwyn, Terrokar Forest, or Mulgore, depending on whatever week of the month you're in). And how do you get tickets? WoW Insider's Daniel Whitcomb has you covered -- they're the main currency of the Faire, so there are all kinds of turn-in quests and various silly things to do to earn them. Get 50 (or just 10, if all you want is last month's meat), go to Gelvas, and the mutton's all yours!Getting Rid of It: Is not a good idea -- who knows when you might be hungry next? But it isn't BoP, so you might be able to drop it in the AH. Otherwise it doesn't disenchant, but a vendor will give you 1g 93s 76c for it. Too bad you just can't eat it -- this would be the ultimate marinade!
WWI 2008 tickets sold out
Yup, if you haven't gotten a ticket yet to the WWI event in Paris, you're out of luck -- the event has sold out. There's going to be a lot of cool stuff there -- demos of Wrath of the Lich King and Starcraft II, tournaments aplenty, and even some developer panels, but if you haven't grabbed a ticket, you won't be one of those things going.And some players are unhappy that they didn't get one, because they really did try. Apparently there were some problems with the payment system, and quite a few people got an incorrect error message when trying to pick up tickets. No word on whether Blizzard's going to compensate those angry folks or do anything for them.The good news is that even if you didn't get a ticket, worry not -- WoW Insider's got you covered. We will do our best to have folks on the scene and reporting live, so stay tuned to the site for lots more info about (and hopefully from) WWI 2008.[Via Incgamers]
Blizzard Worldwide Invitational 2008 tickets on sale today
Tickets for the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational, being held this year in Paris, France, are now on sale according to the official website. The event, taking place on June 28th and 29th, promises to be a big one. Not only will there be invitational tournaments, but you can expect developer panels, auctions, loot galore, and the thing we're most looking forward, playable versions of Wrath of the Lich King and Starcraft 2. If you have any chance of being able to make it out to the City of Lights this summer, we'd strongly recommend buying a ticket, it sounds like it's going to be a blast for Blizzard fans, whether competitive tournament play is your thing or not. We'd also recommend staying tuned to WoW Insider for all the latest information on this event and the Wrath of the Lich King expansion!
Survey sez: nearly half of America prefers football on HDTV versus in-person
We know, the hardcore fanatics out there aren't likely to believe these results, but according to a recent survey commissioned by Motorola, some 45-percent of Americans would prefer to watch collegiate / professional football games on an HDTV rather than attending -- which certainly mirrors the conclusions drawn by a similar survey conducted earlier this year. Furthermore, only 32-percent of those questioned stated that they outright preferred live matches to those shown in HD, while the other segment was apparently indifferent. Not surprisingly, Moto attributes the results to our growing fascination with HD sports, but we have to believe the unprecedented rise in ticket prices has something to do with all of this as well. Still, even we can't deny the allure of getting all up in the huddle at 1080i, and given the alternative of sitting in costly nosebleed seats in sub-freezing temperatures, it's hard to pass up the former.[Via ConnectedHome2Go]
Season 2 of Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD kicks off soon
Apparently, the first season of Metropolitan Opera: Live in High Definition went over quite well, as the second season looks to hit even more venues and capture the hearts of more individuals in 2007 - 2008. Reportedly, the season gets started on December 15th with a live opera transmission of Gounod's Roméo et Juliette, which will be the first of eight total broadcasts. Other features include Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, Verdi's Macbeth, Puccini's Manon Lescaut, Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, Britten's Peter Grimes and Donizetti's La Fille du Régiment. Over 600 venues in North America, Australia, Europe and Japan will be participating in the Met's upcoming series, and if all goes to plan, over one million people will be picking up tickets. Speaking of which, be sure to hit the read link for more detailed information on ticket prices, venues and schedules, and do be sure to let us know how things turn out if you take in a show or two.
Sports fans swapping season tickets for HDTVs?
C'mon, don't act surprised -- now that just about every team (and every game) that you can imagine gets televised in some form or another, it's not shocking at all to hear that some devoted season ticket holders are trading in their seats for HDTVs. Folks in the industry are noticing that rising ticket prices combined with greater availability of televised games are enticing fans to opt for the more comfortable couch, and "a study by the Consumer Electronics Association showed about three in ten sports fans" would rather watch events in HD than actually go. Furthermore, of the 48-percent surveyed who were looking to upgrade their set within two years, "more than half were sports fans." So, dear readers, how has the abundance of televised sporting events changed your views on making it to the stadium, if at all?
Camera-equipped buses could automatically ticket San Franciscans
Not long after hearing about England's newfangled auto-ticketing system comes word that San Franciscans could soon be facing something similar. If signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger, "forward-facing digital video cameras would be installed on city buses," which would then be used to automatically ticket the owners of vehicles that are caught "blocking buses." The cameras would presumably be used to photograph vehicles that are in bus-only lanes, and interestingly enough, the proposed law also authorizes Municipal Transportation Agency "employees to access sensitive personal data" from the DMV for ticketing purposes.
Networked cameras to seek out parking violators
The folks in England just can't catch a break. As if hovering surveillance drones, camcorder-wielding traffic wardens and helmet cam-equipped officers aren't enough to keep you on the straight and narrow, London's city of Westminster is apparently looking to "install networked security cameras that can recognize parking permits and the plates of offending vehicles." Essentially, the system would enable parking violators to be ticketed without an actual human witnessing the offense, and it's being dubbed "the most significant application to be deployed on the Westminster's WiFi network." Eventually, the council plans to roll out about 250 of these sure-to-be-hated cameras, and it should ruin enough people's days to "pay for itself in two to three years."[Via CNET, image courtesy of BBC]
Who's got BlizzCon tickets? We've got BlizzCon tickets!
Yes, if you're going to BlizzCon, you can expect to see plenty of WoW Insider staff on-hand to cover all the excitement. And if you aren't at BlizzCon, we'll be posting every last scrap of interesting information we find there on the site, so you'll see everything we see! But, no, I'm not making this post just to mock the poor folks who didn't have a chance to purchase tickets because they sold out. I'm making this post to let all of you know that we have some BlizzCon 2007 tickets to give away! So for those of you who were hoping to go to BlizzCon, don't give up yet. We'll be giving away our tickets by random drawing next week -- so stay tuned!
WSVG giving away Blizzcon tickets to lucky 3v3 team
Want to hit up Blizzcon but don't want to shell out for the ticket? Our contact at the World Series of Videogames sends along a note that they're sending one lucky guild to Blizzard big event in Anaheim, California. The catch? They'll be picking one lucky 3v3 team at random from all of the teams that attend their next event in Dallas, Texas on July 5-8.Yeah, it's kind of a big hoop to jump through (especially when you can just pay $100 now to get your own ticket anyway). But then again, tickets are going fast (I got mine the other day), and if you're planning on going to the event in Dallas anyway, it's a nice bonus. Interesting that they're giving it away to a lucky 3v3 guild-- maybe they need more of them to fill out the brackets? If you're interested, register an account on the WSVG site, sign up for the event when you're logged in, and then you've actually got to show up to the event to be eligible.We'll keep you updated on more giveaways as they come along-- WoWWiki has already given away a couple of tickets to their own contributors, and we're sure there will be a few more in different places in the days to come.
BlizzCon tickets are going fast!
Looking to buy tickets to BlizzCon 2007? Well, they went on sale this Tuesday, and by Wednesday evening Blizzard reports that half of the tickets have been sold. Yikes -- that seems pretty fast to me, and I've got to ask: are they releasing that few tickets or are that many people interested in going? If Thursday turns out to be as busy a day as Wednesday, you can expect every last ticket to be gone soon -- so if you're wanting to go to BlizzCon in August, hurry up and buy your tickets, because it looks like they're going to be gone soon.
UK drivers change lanes to outsmart SPECS speeding cameras
Why pay thousands for that temptation-quelling adaptive cruise control option, or dream about the forthcoming Siemens VDO electronic governor, when all you have to do is switch a few lanes while smashing the pedal to the metal? The Home Office has fessed up to a "massive flaw" in the costly (and abundant) SPECS speed monitoring / ticketing cameras, which allows drivers to avoid any legal repercussions by simply ending up in a different lane than the one they began in. The system takes the average speed between two points to calculate if a motorist has been speeding, and then snaps their photograph and sends them a very unwelcome ticket in the mail if they were; however, the cameras are only designed to analyze and penalize those who remain in the same lane throughout the speed-checking segment, opening up a very exploitable loophole. Government officials, along with the cameras' manufacturer (Speed Check Services), have resorted to begging with the public to not evade the presumably imminent £60 ($112) fine in order to maintain a "high level of safety" on the roadways, but it's not likely that pleading to deaf ears (and lead feet) will entice folks to willingly suffer a penalty this easy to avoid.[Via FARK]
Widget Watch: OnTour - know when your favorite iTunes artists are in town
OnTour is a Dashboard widget that scans your iTunes library and offers concert notifications when the artists you actually listen to are coming to a venue near you. The widget uses OnTour.net to collaborate all this information, and links are provided to buy tickets, as well as to the iTS in case you need to brush up on your choruses. To top things off, the OnTour.net site itself provides even more links to discographies and Google maps for directions. Nice.[via Lifehacker]
Video Games Live seats in Indy up for sale
Tickets are now on sale for the two Video Games Live shows planned in conjunction with Gen Con Indy Friday & Saturday, August 11-12.After a stop in Philly earlier this month, the VGL tour is moving on to Houston July 14th, Chicago August 5th, and then Indianapolis the weekend after that. More on reserving seats for the Hilbert Circle Theatre can be found on the official announcement page (via the pic to the right or the Read link below).Judging by the reviews of the Philly show so far, Video Games Live sounds like it could be a lot of fun. If they keep providing public access to Guitar Hero II, they may have sold this blogger on going already. We hope Midwestern gamers not attending the Chicago show can make a pitstop in Indy to keep Tommy's show on the road. So, yeah ... rock on.See also: Official VGL report from Philly (with some local links to boot) Video Games Live ticket purchases opened a bit early The official page for Gen Con Indy PS2 impressions: Guitar Hero II
WoW Moviewatch: The Darkmoon Faire trailer from E3
This is the first part of a series of press release videos from E3; this one spotlighting the events at the Darkmoon Faire. It probably doesn't contain anything that most of us haven't seen, but it's a nice little video, in any case...although it could really use one of those carnival barkers yelling "Sunday, SUNday, SUNDAY!". Enjoy...
More cities using personal parking meters
Parking meters have made huge strides in recent years, with some of them -- such as pay-by-cell systems -- providing increased convenience to change-starved consumers, while others -- like auto-resetting meters -- have made it harder to get away with modest infractions like picking up a previous parker's minutes. Now, what may be the ultimate in parking convenience, the "personal meter" is starting to catch on in more major cities. The small card readers have been around for several years, but have recently become more popular; last month, Buffalo expanded its pilot system from a service for handicapped drivers to a citywide program. Buffalo's system, like many others, relies on the Smart Park reader, from Israel's Ganis Systems. The card reader can hang from a car's rearview mirror, and can be programmed with a city's parking rules. When a driver parks, he inserts the card into the meter, sets it for his location, and the meter starts ticking away. Enforcement officers with handheld receivers spot-check cars, and issue tickets based on data they download via an IR link. The system definitely sounds convenient, and could eliminate all of those tickets for underestimating how long you're going to be parked. However, we can't help but think it could be improved by adding wireless communication with servers that can automatically track violations and issue tickets. This could be more efficient than the spot-check system, even if it would put Lovely Rita out of a job.
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children reports from Hollywood
For the Final Fantasy fans lucky enough to be near Hollywood yesterday night -- and in line for free tickets during the middle of a regular workday -- there was much rejoicing to be had as Advent Children celebrated its U.S. theatrical premiere in style.Siliconera has a write-up on the event with quotes from most of the American voice actors in attendance, who, along with the audience at hand, watched the film in English for the very first time. Lip synching may have been off due to the low-resolution print the actors had to work with, but even Rachel Leigh Cook -- pictured here with her character Tifa Lockheart -- declared herself a new fan of Final Fantasy after the show.Helpful Joystiq Contributor epobirs also had something to report from the screening yesterday, where he gives us an Ain't-It-Cool style rundown of the event. If you want the rest of his reflections on the requirements of the Academy in Oscar nominations, as well as what it takes to "assert your hetero nature ... after watching a movie packed with metrosexual men," simply continue reading below for more. Siliconera's report can be found by clicking on the image of Ms. Cook above or the Read link below. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children will be out on DVD/UMD April 25th.[Thanks, epobirs; image of Tifa courtesy of Eyes on Final Fantasy]
THQ Superstar Challenge in Chicago tonight [update 1]
WrestleMania 22 may still be 3 days away, but that isn't stopping WWE Superstars from taking to the virtual squared circle tonight in Chicago.The fourth annual THQ Superstar Challenge will begin in less than an hour at 6 PM at the House of Blues. It'll be SmackDown vs. RAW on SmackDown vs. RAW with reigning Challenge champ Shelton Benjamin defending his gamer title in a 16-player bracket-style tournament.If it's too late to snag $20 tickets to the opening WrestleMania weekend event, perhaps you can hang around until tomorrow, when THQ will "announce the next addition to the WWE video game family." Would a next-gen announcement be too much to hope for before E3? And will the Undertaker continue his undefeated WrestleMania streak? Answers to your manly soap opera questions will be coming at ya this weekend.[Update: It turns out that the new game's already been confirmed--WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2007 will hit the PS2, PSP, PS3, and even (a non-Sony system for once on) the Xbox 360. 10 "next-gen" screens of the game to hit later this year are also available via the Update link. Thanks, Master X 24!]See also: Official WWE page for WrestleMania 22 Load time from HELL! PSP game takes its sweet time [SD! Vs. RAW] WWE sues THQ Rumble Roses XX promises hot girl-on-bear action
