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Sunday Link-Off: Toward the Cliff

anna-kendrick-trevorproject12-03It’s the end of the week which means it’s time for more links. There’s not too much planned for the week ahead. If the videos are ever uploaded to YouTube, we’ll have a VGA trailer roundup. We’ll also have our first indie game review later this week. For now, here’s Anna Kendrick. She might not be one of the blogosphere’s favourite women but she is one of ours.

With America ready to dive off the fiscal cliff, the question is starting rise as to whether the US and global economies would be better off with a Republican plan to cut social spending and “close tax loopholes” or letting the deal expire. (The New Republic)

The gun control debate is starting back up again. We’ve essentially reached the point where the battle lines are being drawn and people will have to pick sides. (The Shadow League)

On that note, given how much America spends on defence, isn’t it time that the defence budget is reduced? (Business Week)

After the jump, ESPN’s spin on plagiarism, some brief looks at the money of the video game business and a little bit of Metallica. Continue reading →

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Caption This: December 1 – 7, 2012

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 →

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2012 Spike Video Game Awards Nominations And Predictions

Tomorrow night is Spike TV’s annual Video Game Awards show. This year’s edition of the VGAs is billed as the 10th anniversary of the show even though it’s only the 10th edition of the show since its debut in 2003. As was the case last year, the awards are not voted on by the public but by a panel of video game writers and publication editors.

While the VGAs are often the target of criticism for being a glorified popularity contest, it is the starting point of the video game awards season. So let’s take a look at 2012 crop of VGA nominees and give you what our vote would be if we were on the expert panel and our predictions for who will be the night’s winners. Continue reading →

1 Comment Posted on by Steve Murray Man Lab

Man Lab: Ten Manliest Cocktails 2012

It’s time for Christmas parties around the world. One thing is consistent among all parties: Everyone but the DD and the wait staff is drunk. However, it’s not exactly in fashion to down beer after beer. Unfortunately, beer is the staple of male alcoholic beverage consumption.

So it’s back to our Man Lab to help you figure out what you should drink at your fancy Christmas functions. As we do every year, here is our list of the top ten manliest drinks that aren’t beer or wine that you get away with drinking at a formal function. Continue reading →

4 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Video Games

BioWare is Going “All Hands on Deck” for Next ME3 DLC

mass-effect-3-citadel-dlc-unofficial-bannerI may have been underwhelmed by Mass Effect 3’s Leviathan DLC but I was more underwhelmed by the follow-up Omega DLC. What was expected to be ME3’s equivalent to Lair of the Shadow Broker turned out more like its Overlord. For the third post-launch DLC, BioWare has gone all hands on deck. Most of the production team’s major players from the full game are back to work on this DLC. That includes the writers, composer Sam Hulick and even voice actors from the main cast. Continue reading →

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Wednesday Link-Off: The Bigger Picture

doutzen-kroes-victoriassecret12-07Today, we take a break from the long reads to bring you our usual set of Wednesday links.  Don’t worry, though, because there is still some worthwhile reads in today’s links. But first, here’s Victoria’s Secret model Doutzen Kroes. Her appearance has everything to do with cashing in on last night’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

John McAfee’s run from the law in Belize has been a long running story in the tech world. The story is exposing the possibility of corrupt government officials in Belize and the ineptitude of the police for being unable to arrest him. (New York Times)

By now you’ve likely heard about the murder-suicide committed by NFL player Jovan Belcher. Here’s a breakdown of the timeline of that fateful Saturday. (Kansas City Star)

The editor-in-chief of The New Yorker thinks that Hilary Clinton will run for President in 2016. (The New Yorker)

After the jump, a celebrity is planning a Senate bid, what does a Marine think of Spec Ops and a DMX Christmas carol. Continue reading →

4 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Video Games

Mass Effect 3: Omega DLC Review (or Mama, I’m Coming Home)

mass-effect-3-omega-bannerThe Mass Effect 3 Omega DLC has been an interesting topic of discussion. While most Mass Effect fans loved Aria T’Loak, the overlord of the Omega space station, would doing a mission with her be worth the extra $5 that BioWare was charging? When it was released Lair of the Shadow Broker was the most expensive piece of Mass Effect 2 DLC. Could Omega live up to the legacy of LotSB? Continue reading →

4 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Sports

Who Is Canada’s Next Racing Hero?

Now that the Formula One season is over, it’s time for us to look ahead to the future of motorsport. In Canada, we have an amazing motorsport history. Formula One’s best and most exciting driver, Gilles Villeneuve, hailed from Quebec. His son, Jacques, won the Indy 500 and IndyCar championship before becoming the Formula One World Drivers’ Champion. The most exciting F1 is consistently the Canadian Grand Prix at Montreal. West Hill’s Paul Tracy is one of the winningest drivers in Champ Car (formerly CART) history.

But who is left for Canada to cheer for now. No one is at the top echelon of the sport right. But that isn’t to say we don’t have some potential racing heroes waiting in the wings. So here’s a look at the future of Canadian motorsports. Continue reading →

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Lowdown Monthly – November 2012

It’s time to once again take a look back at the past month here on the blog with Lowdown Monthly. Considering the amount of content we’ve pushed out over the last 30 days, I thought now would be a good time to bring it back. So here’s our look back at our favourite and the most popular posts of November. Continue reading →

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Sunday Link-Off: Sports Bucks

michea-crawford-paindusucre12-01If you thought there was a lot to read on the blog last week, wait until you see we have what we have in store for this week. We have a review of the Mass Effect 3 Omega DLC, a look at the top Canadian racing driver prospects and our annual look at the Spike Video Game Awards and none of those are short posts. It’ll be a good week if you like long reads.  Anyway, let’s kick off the links with Canadian model Michea Crawford.

Conservative commentator S.E. Cupp says that it’s time Republicans stop worrying about ridiculous pledges they make to earn endorsements and worry about the electorate and being accountable to the voters. (New York Daily News) By the way, if you read the comments, you can see the Tea Partiers take issue with her common sense point of view in this column.

Forbes again released their list of the value of NHL franchises. The problem is that they seem to be making up the revenue numbers used for valuation and ignoring the fact that there’s a lockout. (mc79hockey)

You shouldn’t need any help figuring out why you should have Notre Dame football. If you do need help, here’s a Hater’s Guide to Notre Dame. (Deadspin)

After the jump, David Stern is drunk on his own power, the return of Iron Chef isn’t as successful as hoped and a modern Santa Claus Conquers The Martians. Continue reading →