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Sunday Link-Off: Food For Thought

andi-muise-fredericks13-07You know, the latter half of the week wasn’t nearly as good as the first half for links. Did the internet decide to shut down from Wednesday onwards? Anyway, we have links but it’ll be a bit shorter than usual. So let’s get started with Canadian model Andi Muise.

Are you habitual caffeine consumer? It could be hampering your creativity. So that’s my problem. (New Yorker)

Trying to expose Lance Armstrong as a drugs cheat was a dangerous occupation for anyone who wanted to make a living or not get sued into oblivion. (Columbia Sports Journalism)

Paula Deen has been dropped by Food Network after she admitted to being racist in the workplace. (Warming Glow)

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Entertainment Link-Off: Monster Party!

Amber_Heard_MalibuMag_7Well if you’re heading out to the theatres this weekend, it sure ain’t for the eye candy. One of the big releases is the animated film Monsters University, which serves as a prequel to the 2001 film Monsters Inc. Then there’s the PG-13 zombie flick World War Z. Anyway, not sure who to kick off this ELO with, so here’s the always hot Amber Heard.

After the jump, Billy Crystal meets his worst nightmare, movie rumours for Jurassic Park 4 and Terminator 5, no Mary Jane in Spider-Man 2, check out a minion test reel and a music video that is meant to Channing all over your Tatum. Continue reading →

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Caption This: June 15 – 21, 2013

Inspired by the Globe and Mail’s caption writing person, we waste our time writing funny picture captions for some of the more interesting photos we come across when blogging. So here are some of the best pictures from the past week with a funny (-ish) caption. Continue reading →

Leave a comment Posted on by Steve Murray Video Games

Super Puzzle Platformer Deluxe Review: Jump and Gun

super-puzzle-platformer-deluxe-logoBefore I got around to playing The Last of Us, I found a fun little sink published by one of new best friends of indie developers everywhere. Adult Swim Games’ move from the flash game market to publishing games on Steam was unexpected but their propensity for getting simple but fun games straight onto Steam without going through the hit-and-miss Greenlight system benefits both the developers and gamers.

Their second release on Steam is another upgrade of an Adult Swim flash game. Super Puzzle Platformer Deluxe might be a bit of a misnomer but that doesn’t make Andrew Morrish’s creation any less delightful to play.

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Leave a comment Posted on by Steve Murray Video Games

Microsoft Does an Xbox 180 on Xbox One DRM

xbox-one-logo-bannerAfter taking a PR battering over 24-hour online check-in, used games restrictions, contradictory explanations of their policies and seemingly mocking people who didn’t like the Xbox One’s policies, Microsoft is performing an about-face on their established DRM policies.

A post on the Xbox website said that Microsoft was backtracking on the DRM and used games restrictions that nearly derailed the Xbox One in this console generation before it started.

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Leave a comment Posted on by Steve Murray Columns, Video Games

Building a Successful Call of Duty Clone in Three Steps

call-of-duty-mw3-midnight-launchThe most successful video game on the market right now is the Call of Duty series. Say what you will about the game’s lack of innovation and utter disregard for the single-player campaign, this is the most commercially successful game on the market. The last couple of years have seen gross sales of over $1 billion and units sold well in excess of 10 million.

As such, you could understand why everybody is looking to CoD for cues for their upcoming efforts. Just look at the new all-brown colour palette and gritty art style of Dead Rising 3 and EA turning Battlefield into an annual franchise. The thing is that Call of Duty’s success isn’t about how it looks or how often it comes out. It may come as a shock but there’s a simple but largely undiscovered formula that makes CoD a massive success.

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Wednesday Link-Off: Just the Worst

giada-de-laurentiis-daytimeemmys13-02I’m working on a couple of video games post for the next couple of days, including a fun little column about the gaming industry’s obsession with copying Call of Duty. For now, it’s the middle of the week links. Let’s start off with celebrity chef Giada de Laurentiis.

I know that EA is the twice-defending Worst Company in America but the Bank of America really should have won. (The Consumerist)

Dick Cheney thinks that Edward Snowden is a traitor. Says the man who led America into a fictitious war. (Politicus USA)

Bill Nye has gone from the Science Guy to the Science Warrior. He’s not just teaching kids about science but people who should know better like the media and politicians. (New York Times)

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Fails of the Week

Every so often, we take a look at the most epic fails from the week that was in the Fails of the Week. This week, we have five pictures, GIFs and videos that we think are the most epic fails of the week.

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Leave a comment Posted on by Steve Murray Sports

IndyCar – Milwaukee IndyFest: The Champ is Here

indycar-2013-milwaukee-rhr-victoryLet’s face it, last week’s race in Texas was a bit lacking in action. Drivers trying to keep their cars out of the wall and tyres under the car doesn’t make for an exciting race on TV, though it probably makes for an excessively exciting night in the cockpit. Fortunately, the series’ trip to Milwaukee produced a bit more action that ended with Ryan Hunter-Reay scoring his second straight win on the Milwaukee Mile.

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Sunday Link-Off: Wrestling with Technology

rachelle-goulding-lavieenrose13-03Well, another year of E3 has come and gone and now I have to put together a week’s worth of blog posts without all the great content that E3 affords. If you were following E3 over at et geekera, we had 17 posts with E3 news and analysis and a total a record-high 27 posts on the blog last week. I think we’ll have at least one game review this week and a second one if I have time, along with a recap of this week’s IndyCar race and news.

But first, let’s start today’s set of links with Canadian model Rachelle Goulding.

If you’re a high school football player that rapes a girl, you get one year in prison. Uncover evidence of rape through hacking? You get a nasty visit from the FBI and face up to 25 years in prison. (The Plain Dealer)

Speaking of data hacking, the US government has taken it upon themselves to avail themselves of your info. You should be concerned. (The Guardian)

Intel is trying to make the next-generation of internet TV but cable companies would rather that Intel didn’t try something new. (The New York Times)

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