Author: Steve Murray

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Wednesday Link-Off: The Greater Good

katherine-mcphee-esquire15-02Sometimes, I’m not entirely sure if it’s better that you leave people to their own paths and plans. After all, it’s nice that someone will chip in some help but that doesn’t mean they are actually contributing to the cause even if they should drop the act. Sorry, I was really tired when I wrote this but it does make some sense.

Anyway, it’s Wednesday which means that we have to do the links. Let’s kick things off with Katherine McPhee.

Is the Ontario government opening up beer sales to some grocery stores for the greater good or part of secret legislation changes to protect the interests of big brewing? (The Globe and Mail)

The NDP went from possibly being the third-party to form the Canadian government to returning to their history also-ran status. How did they go from virtual certainties to a distant third? (Canada.com)

A lot of people thought the Duffy trial would negatively impact the Conservatives’ reelection chances. In fact, the late campaigning with the Ford brothers did them worse. (Metro)

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Leave a comment Posted on by Steve Murray Video Games

The Mass Effect / Pokemon Crossover You Never Knew You Needed

Sometimes, you just don’t know what you need until you get it. Take this fan art album we have for you today. Sketch-BGI over on DeviantArt designed a massive collection of Mass Effect species and turned the into Pokemon complete with evolutions and types. We’re already at 720 Pokemon. What’s another 63 really awesome additions between friends?

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Facebook Fails of the Week

Every so often, we look at the most spectacular fails that the internet has to offer. Well today, we look at the most spectacular fails that Facebook has to offer. This week, we have five of the best fails Facebook has to offer.

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Sunday Link-Off: Ready

sarah-silverman-ismileback15-03I’m not going to sit here all giddy but I was quite happy with the election results from Monday. Sure, I think I would have actually preferred a minority but I won’t complain about Canadian citizens resoundingly rejecting the status quo and telling the NDP that skewing hard right to pickup Liberal and Conservative voters isn’t the way to win.

Anyway, it’s Sunday which means it’s time for us to do the links. Let’s kick things off with Sarah Silverman.

We’re so used to negative campaigns in politics. It was nothing short of amazing that Justin Trudeau’s positive campaign vaulted him from third place and somebody derided as a joke candidate to a majority and 24 Sussex Drive. (MacLean’s)

And from the opposite side, here’s how the Harper government fell in #elxn42. (The Globe and Mail)

Even the New York Times weighed in on the importance of image in the election. Nice hair was actually a factor. (New York Times)

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Doctor Who: The Girl Who Died Review

doctor-who-the-girl-who-died-headerThe Doctor Who and Game of Thrones crossover game was strong this week. We always have that connection between the two series because Jenna Coleman is dating Richard Madsen (Robb Stark). This week, we’re going back to medieval times and adding Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) as a Viking girl. Okay, it’s not quite a proper Doctor Who / GoT crossover but it’s probably as close as we’re going to get until Littlefinger shoves Clara out the Moon Door.

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Leave a comment Posted on by Steve Murray Video Games

Life is Strange – Episode Four Review: Hello Darkness, My Old Friend

life-is-strange-episode-four-headerNext week marks the release of the final episodes of both Tales from the Borderlands and Life is Strange. As someone who is reviewing both games, that leaves me a choice of which game I should play first with both finales coming out this week. After playing Episode 4: Dark Room, Life is Strange proved that it is the best in class in the episodic adventure game genre.

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Life is Strange – Episode Three Review: Truth and Consequences

life-is-strange-episode-three-headerNewton’s third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Put simply, for every action take, there is an opposing force pushing the opposite way with equal strength. While that’s a law of physics, Newton may as well have been a philosopher with that one. I’m not sure that there’s a law of physics more appropriately applied to life.

The whole point of Life is Strange is actions and their equal and opposite reactions. You could make the argument that all games that are designed to change themselves to fit your decisions should act like that. If there’s one thing that Dontnod has gotten right through three episodes of Life is Strange, it’s that your decisions cause real and obvious reactions in Arcadia Bay. It certainly extends beyond just little changes in dialogue too.

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Leave a comment Posted on by Steve Murray Sports

The Dollars and Cents of the Fantasy Football Boom (Infographic)

With the hockey season just underway and the NFL already far enough in for my Lions to be eliminated from the playoffs, fantasy football’s busiest time of year is in full swing. You know it’s a big deal because you hear people talking about fantasy sports all the time. What you may not know is how big a deal it is. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry with tens of millions of people playing every week.

For more on the dollars, cents and sense of fantasy sports, here’s a handy infographic looking at the fantasy football industry.

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Election Link-Off: What You Need to Know for #elxn42

It’s Election Day in Canada. That doesn’t have as good a ring as Hockey Day in Canada but there’s probably a reason why they don’t have elections in Canada on Saturdays. Between kids playing at the local rink and families watching on TV, hockey might get in the way of democracy. Today, though, it’s all about finding the next Prime Minister in one of the most hotly contested and bitter campaigns in Canadian history.

Before you vote, we have some last minute links to help you if you need it.

If you want to see how your views stack up against the rest of the parties, try Vote Compass. It took me like ten or fifteen minutes and gave me a pretty clear top and bottom ranking (the other two tied, actually). (Vote Compass)

Or if you’d rather get a crash course in where everyone stands, MacLean’s has a summary of the major issues and policies. You may want to read that Taxes primer because one party has a middle-class tax cut and it isn’t the blue guys. (MacLean’s)

And just in case you need some info on where to go or what to bring to the polls today. Elections Canada has you covered. (Elections.ca)

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Sunday Link-Off: The Calm Before the Storm

yvonne-strahovski-rosenthal15-05bI hope you aren’t coming here today looking for election links. We’re trying something different for #elxn42. Tomorrow, we have a special Election Link-Off that will cover everything you need to know ahead of voting. So if you’re looking for election info, tomorrow is the day to come by the blog.

But before tomorrow’s E(lection)LO, it’s Sunday so it’s time for us to do the links. Let’s kick things off with Yvonne Strahovski.

A book from inside city hall in Toronto has been written about Rob Ford. Here’s an excerpt. (Politico)

Did you know that Canada is sending its waste to the Philippines and using the country as a dump? (Vice)

It’s not wrong to say that big money buys elections and political favour. Half of the money in the 2016 Presidential campaign so far have come from just 158 families. (New York Times)

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