Source: http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/index/~3/7KFf_Az3pKI/
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Boomshine is a soothing-yet-frustrating time waster
That single click triggers a chain reaction; circles start exploding, and other circles colliding with the shockwaves explode as well, creating their own shockwaves, which then catch other circles.
It's been done before, yes, but this one is a great iteration. The soundtrack is mellow, with lots of piano and some nice percussion (not electronic - it sounds like drums).
At each level you need to make a certain number of circles explode to go on to the next level. I got up to level 12, where you get 60 circles and need to make 55 of them explode. And then I kept trying and trying, but simply couldn't get it. I did get to 54 circles a couple of times, but as they say, you don't get points for trying.
There's no time limit, so you can carefully study the pattern of motion and place your click at the exact right place to create the best chain reaction. I've found that clicking near the middle of the screen works quite well, especially if the balls are slowly moving in that direction. By the time the first shockwave dies off, the oncoming balls usually hit it and the chain reaction continues.
What level did you reach? Screenshots please!
Boomshine is a soothing-yet-frustrating time waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/16/boomshine-is-a-soothing-yet-frustrating-time-waster/
Google Pleased With Chromebook Sales
Chromebooks have found fans and detractors, but Google's new operating system isn't really a hardware story.
Source: http://feeds.informationweek.com/click.phdo?i=0c73ff3f87ac64bc9885bacbd2b204da
Beware of Spam Titles in Kindle Store
Amazon's Kindle e-reader store has a spam problem, and that isn't good news for legitimate authors and consumers trying to find their books.
The reason spammers have had such success is partly because self-publishing an e-book to Amazon.com is so easy anyone can do it.
One solution could be to start charging authors to publish an e-book. Changing the economics should drastically reduce the number of spam titles. Currently, any sales of spam e-books are pure profit for spammers, encouraging them to publish dozens of titles in the hopes of just selling a few copies of each to make their time more than worthwhile.
Charging authors $50, $20, or even just $10 to publish to Amazon would drastically cut back potential profits for spammers, and any author that spent months or years crafting a quality work should have no problem shelling out a small amount to access a global market and ensure that there's fewer titles to weed through.
The spammers have been utilizing two tactics.
The first is to use available software that advertises the ability to easily publish 10 to 20 Kindle books per day by basically grabbing public domain content from elsewhere and slapping it up on Amazon with a new cover. Ironically, if you don't want to use the software, there's plenty of e-books available on Amazon that will teach you how to flood Amazon with spam e-books.
The second spam-publishing method involves copying an already successful e-book and republishing it with a new author, title and cover aimed at a slightly different audience. A number of authors have been surprised to find their Kindle-published works available under different titles and bylines elsewhere on Amazon.
There is some sort of internal approval process within Amazon that it takes most titles less than 48 hours to pass. With such quick turnover and the multitude of new titles being electronically published to the site every day, it's easy for spammers to mix in with legitimate authors.
For its part, Amazon is trying to fight back against the spam when it comes to short titles. The Kindle Singles store features hand-picked and curated selections that are shorter than the average book-length title. Unlike the 48 hours it takes a self-published title to go live in the main Amazon store, it can take up to two weeks to receive approval for a spot in the Kindle Singles store.
Source: http://feeds.pcworld.com/click.phdo?i=968c90abcd95122fa7622fc6a9134c72
Sunday, June 19, 2011
No DVD or Blu-ray in Wii U: Nintendo
If you either hoped or assumed that since Nintendo's Wii U is going to finally match, or perhaps (hopefully) even surpass the specs of the Xbox 360 and PS3, it would also support Blu-ray or DVD optical discs, don't hold your breath. Buried in the 2011 E3 Analyst Q&A Session, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said the next-generation...Source: http://hothardware.com/News/No-DVD-or-Bluray-in-Wii-U-Nintendo/
Thunderbolt iMac: The perfect compromise
Pundits have predicted the death of the desktop for years. I wish it could be so. No technology is more deserving of retirement than the sheet-metal black box and tangle of cables that is the standard PC.
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