With less than a week before the release of Animal Crossing: New Leaf in the United States, Nintendo's latest 3DS installment in the hugely popular series, many of the game's first reviews have been released, giving insight as to what we should expect come Sunday. So far, the vast majority of reviews seem to be generally favorable, and rightfully so; at nearly 4 million copies, Animal Crossing: New Leaf is the best selling 3DS game of all-time in Japan (where the game is titled "Animal Forest: Jump Out" とびだせ どうぶつの森), shockingly surpassing entries in both the Pokemon and Mario series. Such high sales numbers likely foreshadow what we can expect in the U.S. to a certain extent.
IGN (96): "New Leaf is a truly magical game, one that you can easily expect to invest hundreds of hours in over the course of years. Anyone with access to a 3DS should absolutely give this game a try - just be prepared to kiss your “real” life goodbye."
Polygon (90): "Animal Crossing: New Leaf's addicting, ceaseless progression is all in the service of creating an identity for yourself and your surroundings. The expansion of the series' multiplayer capabilities — a vehicle for you to actually showcase that identity — is one of the best things New Leaf has going for it."
Joystiq (90): "Yes, it can be boiled down to "just more Animal Crossing," but the introduction of your mayoral duties, a few housing and furniture enhancements and (let's be honest here) the ability to buy your character pants is enough to make Animal Crossing: New Leaf worth playing, even for series veterans."
Nintendo Life (90): "It is apparent from only a comparably short time — as opposed to months and years — spent with the game that Nintendo has done a great deal to address the complaints of its Wii predecessor, and provided plenty of exciting new features and buildings to enjoy."
Game Informer (85): "New Leaf is one of the most purely pleasant experiences in gaming, free of stressful boss fights, combative multiplayer experiences, or cynicism in any form. Instead, it focuses on clever humor and forming friendships with the residents of your town. Some may find it cheesy or without direction, but I enjoyed this endlessly charming outlier in the current gaming landscape."
GameSpot (80): "New Leaf is an expected sequel that doesn't stray far from its predecessors. Still, the happiness of your citizens is so intoxicating that it's easy to be sucked into this portable adventure as you live out your dreams as an all-powerful mayor."
On May 1st, AT&T added their new administrative fee which they were adding, a total of 61 cents a month. With the company having around 107 million users, their "Mobility Administrative Fee” could bring in $775 million a year. People are just now beginning to notice as they get their phone bills and see the extra fee. The fee applies to all postpaid (contract) consumer wireless customers.
Their "Mobility Administrative Fee” could bring in $775 million a year.
The Verge says, “AT&T tells us that the administrative fee will "help cover certain expenses, such as interconnection and cell site rents and maintenance." It also added that the charge is "consistent with similar fees charged by other carriers." While it's true that both Verizon and Sprint actually have higher administrative line charges — T-Mobile bundles any administrative fees in with regulatory charges, so it's difficult to tell — that's not likely to be much consolation for AT&T customers.”
Overall, most AT&T costumers are not happy, even though they all got a months notice. Many may decide to switch carriers, even though AT&T's rates are lower than competitors as far administrative fees go. I know that $.61 doesn't sound like a lot of money, but it adds up. It adds up to over $500 million in this case. Good luck to all of you AT&T users, and may you make a good decision when deciding whether to stick with AT&T or to switch over.
Microsoft announced its latest product, the Xbox One, on May 21. The announcement drew much attention and excitement, but the actual hardware seems to have a mixed response. With a new console, new Kinect sensor, and a new controller, this is the first big change for Microsoft since 2005.
What Microsoft aimed for with the Xbox One wasn’t, in my opinion, game-prioritized. As one of their tag-lines states, “All the entertainment you love. All in one place.” The main aim of the Xbox One is to combine everything you do involving technology onto one source. It brings together your cable, internet, and movies. You can also Skype, go on Netflix and HBO, and listen to music. Sometimes you’ll play games as well. This is what Microsoft was really going for with their new console. Getting you to live through the Xbox. And what better way to do so than to integrate it with the rest of your life. Then make it easier to access by taking away the remote and letting you turn on the TV and Xbox with your voice. Who needs to get up anyways?
Microsoft is probably very happy that they are also now the “Official Interactive Content Provider of the NFL”. The Xbox One will be a key feature in this new partnership. Also key will be SmartGlass, which isn’t new, but it being more well used in the the Xbox One. It allows you to use a phone or tablet as a second screen, and has a lot of potential in gaming and sports.
While perhaps the new update isn’t focused on gaming, there are plenty of new gaming improvements. Many Xbox Live additions are only part of the new interactions with other users. New achievements, a new multiplayer matchmaking system, and a way to watch your friends’ replays will add on to the current gaming system. Many new games, some such as Forza Motorsport 5 exclusive to the Xbox One, have been introduced and more are to come at E3 this June.
The new Kinect box has been enhanced as well. A greater range of vision, voice recognition and understanding, and motion detection mean that the Kinect should function more smoothly and allow you to interact more easily. The new controller is slightly bigger, but is meant to be more precise and comfortable for the added size. Other additions such as Impulse Triggers and easier access to bumpers make the new controller a plus as well.
Overall the Xbox One is a big change from the 360. Even if at first it hasn’t gotten the completely overwhelming reaction Microsoft wanted, it has the potential, and over time I think the changes that some people are criticizing will become its best features.
After releasing the date for their 2013 WWDC (Worldwide Developer's Conference), Apple again, with the news hardly out of the gate, has beaten their own records. Thursday, April 25th, Apple released the tickets to this event. Roughly 90 seconds later, it closed. No problems, glitches or anything, Apple sold out, making roughly $8 million in 90 seconds. Comparatively, Google managed to sell their own tickets to their convention in 49 seconds, and last year, it took two hours for Apple to sell out. Being only the second WWDC with Tim Cook as CEO, this is a phenomenal display for Apple's attribution in the electronic business. Additionally, with Tim Cook being CEO, he and Jony Ive both have eagerly plotted out iOS 7 and Mac OS X 10.9. In such, it is clear that this WWDC is to be expected as quite a way for Apple to break out of the gates with all of their new transitions in all categories of their products.
I couldn't find a picture of Judge Hamlin, so here's a picture of Judge Judy instead.
Laws! Rules! Regulations! Everybody loves them (As long as the other party hates them.) But this new law, proposed by Californian Judge, may be one that we can all agree to be necessary, even if the other party loves it.
Judge Kent Hamlin rules that even if you are using your phone for navigational purposes and it is in your hand, you are breaking anti-texting regulations. Judge Hamlin wrote, "The primary evil sought to be avoided is the distraction the driver faces when using his or her hands to operate the phone." Even if you are not in a conversation with somebody, using your phone is an endangerment to your safety while driving a vehicle. I think this is a valid point. If you're going to use your phone for navigation, get a stand in your car just like GPS's have. And with technology getting uber advanced these days, most cars now come with built in GPS's, so there's very little excuse to have your hands on your phone.
However, there a million other distractions to drivers while driving. Children, their favorite song, that one street artist who had to pain that fence hot pink...the world is a distracting dangerous place. You could even get distracted by looking at the printed directions off Google maps (Not Apple maps) that you only printed up because you wanted to avoid getting distracted in the first place.
So should we start targeting phones as distractions? Absolutely. It will make the roads safer, and make us more focused on the road. Should we only target phones? No. I think we need to be aware of the distractions we are forced to deal with and try to fix all of them. To point the finger only at smartphones is not fair...as distracting and as endangering as they may be, in a vehicle, and out of it.
We all at one point had the possession of a Nerf gun. The foam darts gracefully bouncing of your little sister’s head…those were the days. But now with the invention of easily accessible 3D printing, it was only a matter of time before this happened.
That gun was designed by Cody Wilson, a 25-year-old college student studying law in Texas. The gun is called the Liberator. Cody wanted to prove that 3D printing a gun could be possible. The Liberator is made out of 16 separate pieces. Of those 16 pieces, 15 of them are plastic (the other one is a firing pin). This gun is virtually undetectable by airport security. And the files to print it were downloaded 100,000 times before the government intervened. Already, the U.S. government has been making steps to legislate the banning of 3D printed guns. After all, it is easily accessible and easily concealable, making security checkpoints obsolete. Although the files are no longer available online, 100,000 people have it saved to their computers. And they could re-upload it if requested to. Although the government is trying to control this, it is really out of their control.
The good news is that the vast majority of people who own firearms have no ill intentions to use them. They want them to defend themselves, not to cause terror. The sad truth is that the few who use guns to spread terror are the reason guns are under such lock and key. But now with 3D printed guns, it offers both potential for the spread of terror and easily constructed, cheap and durable guns for the military to use. Will the future of 3D printed guns be in our pockets, on the streets, or on the battlefield? Only time will tell.
The Reading Rainbow iPad application is one of the highest-quality children's reading applications available on the App Store. It is extremely user friendly, child friendly, and very encouraging to children, helping them to read by making the books exciting and fun. It has games that a kid could play that coincide with the stories. It also has virtual stickers that a child receives after completing a book. There are tons of different books for the kids to choose from, and each one will give you a different sticker. There is a virtual customizable backpack that the child can keep their books in. They can have a maximum of five books in the backpacks at once, and have to return one of the five books to get another book.
In the app, the layout is very easy to use. You can clearly see what each button does, and if you are having trouble figuring things out, there are some handy videos that can help you. Getting a book to read is extremely easy, considering all that you have to do it choose it. There are many different things that a child could enjoy, such as the stickers they are given after reading a book, the different interactive worlds, and of course the interactive books themselves. Any child four or up would easily be able to learn how to use the app and read some excellent books.
"Back in the lineup for Reading Rainbow are the old theme songs and their host Levar Burton."
Reading Rainbow is a colorful and well designed app. The main screen shows the many islands to which you can travel to read books. You also have your backpack in which to store your books. When you read these books, you get stickers. Both of these are ways in which the app will attract kids to read books. It is fun and gives a sense of accomplishment. Back in the lineup for Reading Rainbow are the old theme songs and their host Levar Burton. Levar has many new videos, which fit in with the books. There are many National Geographic videos for their respective books. Inside the books there are also humorous animations. The iPad provides great quality of images too, which is important in both the videos and books. Overall, Reading Rainbow looks great, stunningly illustrating the books.
The book selection in Reading Rainbow is superb. There are many topics covered by the books, from sports to non-fiction to adventures. The books range in level as well. There are books for 4 year olds, and books for 9 year olds. There is also an option given to have the book read aloud, or to have the reader read themselves. This is great for young kids just starting to read, who will learn more easily by hearing the words spoken to them while they can see them. The books also have videos to complement them. One of the greatest features of Reading Rainbow, from a parent’s perspective, is that they can view the reading history of their child. This includes which books and for how long. Multiple accounts can be created, one for each child.
"Between the integration of iPad and book, Reading Rainbow has found a new media entirely which entertains and educates."
For parents focusing on utility, this application is excellent for literacy in their children. The entire application is very interesting and will keep the attention of any child under ten with the use of interactive images, entertaining audio tracks, eye-catching images, and fantastic transitions. The main functionality of Reading Rainbow is to aid in the literary education of children and additionally educate in all included topics from animals and natural life to historic figures. In such, Reading Rainbow fulfills expectations completely. Between the integration of iPad and book, Reading Rainbow has found a new media entirely which entertains and educates. However, the only thing about Reading Rainbow that may leave people disgruntled with the application is payment.
Reading Rainbow offers a variety of choices for using the application. The first choice is simply a way to try out the program. You download the free application, set up an account, and then get one free book to try for each of the children in the program, of which it is free of charge to sign up. Once you get past that one book, there are two choices of monthly based memberships. Either for one month at 9.99 USD or six months at 29.99 USD you can get unlimited books, as can fit into your virtual backpack, and explore all of the contained videos and other extra materials. This may seem like a steep charge, however in consideration with alternative opportunities, it is likely that the charge is worth skipping the hassle of the library or the price at a bookstore. In reality, for the number of books a child could go through, it is often cheaper, and much more entertaining, to use Reading Rainbow.
Such only clarifies that if you have a child beginning to read, Reading Rainbow is the best way to go. Being one of the most simplistic and entertaining ways to read and learn about the world, Reading Rainbow will have children asking for bedtime stories from Levar again and again, and will have parents wanting to watch their children learning to read, each with a smile on their face and an island full of stickers.
This is the latest game in the series of Animal Crossing games, and the first for the 3DS. The main character lives in a village that is populated with human-like animals. The main character is supposedly the mayor of the village. The character will begin their adventure in a tent, and then they can upgrade it. Also, the customization abilities of the character have been improved, with the ability to use your choice of clothes, and the ability to place furniture.
This game was announced at E3 in 2010, a pretty long time ago. A trailer at E3 2011 shared new details and insight about the game. Now the game is almost here and will be released in North America on June 9th, 2013 and in Europe on June 14th, 2013. The game was released in Japan and received a 39 out of 40 from Famitsu. IGN gave the game a whopping 9.2 out of 10.
"The best selling 3DS game of all-time."
It is the best selling 3DS game of all-time in Japan, with 2.73 million copies sold thus far.
IGN's lowdown on the game shares: “The charming community-building franchise returns with Animal Crossing: New Leaf. The Nintendo 3DS entry into this popular franchise introduces a number of options new to Animal Crossing, including the ability to become the head of the village and boost its development, a way to install certain items in the village to make its characteristics more personalized for each player, and the ability to view homes of other players who are tagged through StreetPass connections.”
CBS, 60 Minutes: "Born in a prison camp, Shin Dong-hyuk describes how three generations of a family are incarcerated if one family member is considered disloyal. Anderson Cooper reports."
Shin Dong-hyuk was born into a concentration camp, and had no idea that there was another kind of way to exist.
"Shin Dong-hyuk isn't just somebody who was sent to a concentration camp," says Anderson Cooper. "This is somebody who was born into a concentration camp. And for the majority of his life up until he was probably 22 or 23, had no idea that there was another kind of way to exist."
"I think I am still evolving-- from an animal to a human."
"When I was in the camp I don't remember crying so much. Even when my mother and my brother were executed, I didn't shed too many tears," Shin told Anderson. "But now, for example, when I see videos of the Holocaust it moves me to tears. I think I am still evolving-- from an animal to a human."
Tuesday, June 4, 2013 at 10:46PM 
