It’s been since October that we’ve done a news update on the IndyCar front. Since Simon Pagenaud jumped to Penske and James Hinchcliffe signed with Schmidt Petersen, there hasn’t been a lot of news. However, over the last week, there’s been a flurry of signings and announcements that has made a big impact on the IndyCar scene for 2015.
Evolve Closed Beta Impressions: Evolution, But Not Revolution
Don’t look now but I’m pretty sure the game demo is dead. In its place are “betas” that accomplish a multitude of things simultaneously. They act as a demo without needing to polish a vertical slice of the game. That’s because they can slice out a portion for QA testing by the general public without paying professional QA testers to find problems with the game. And by limiting access to betas, devs and publishers drum up demand relative to supply to goad people into pre-ordering the game to get into the beta.
Shockingly, this doesn’t bring us to Heroes of the Storm. That’s a column for another day. It does bring us to Evolve. Turtle Rock Studios left E3 with the whole world in its hands after cleaning up most of the major E3 awards. However, 2K seems hell-bent on throwing it all away with their utterly confusing and transparently greedy pre-order, season pass, deluxe edition and DLC scheme.
So when Turtle Rock gave us one last chance to get a taste of Evolve before its February release date, everyone who could jumped at the opportunity. But was this one last taste of Evolve enough to convince me to spend $60+ on the game from the Left 4 Dead developers?
Wednesday Link-Off: At Least The Game Was Good
It’s been a long week for me IRL and we’re only two days in. I was hoping to write an IndyCar news update for yesterday but I didn’t have any time to do that. I’m lucky I pulled this post together. Maybe I’ll get the IndyCar update tomorrow or Friday. I do have a game review to cover you off one day this week so that should be fun. Remember when I used to do some topical opining at the start of these posts?
Anyway, since it’s Wednesday, that must mean that it’s links time. You might have missed her but fresh off her Super Bowl ad appearance, here’s Alessandra Ambrosio.
You may not know but Albuquerque has one of the highest rates of fatal police shootings in America. So why has no one noticed? (New Yorker)
DJ Esco went to Abu Dhabi to perform at the season ending F1 Grand Prix. His stay included 56 days in jail. This is his story. (The Fader)
Back in 2002, Germany legalized prostitution. Over a decade later, the fallout is still being felt. (The Telegraph)
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.
Royal Rumble 2015 Review
Okay, I’ll be the first to admit that I probably shouldn’t be writing wrestling reviews on any sort of basis. I don’t watch the WWE regularly apart from watching their NXT developmental territory. I’ve probably watched more New Japan in the last month than WWE since WrestleMania 30. But it’s the Road to WrestleMania and what better time to tune into the WWE for three months.
But even I with my limited WWE viewing knows that what’s best for business is paying customers. With the relative failure of the WWE Network launch, TV ratings that are stagnant at best and fans who are growing increasingly discontent with the product on-screen, the Royal Rumble had to be bigger than just your standard hype machine for WrestleMania.
It’s just too bad that the WWE failed entirely to get anyone interested in their annual showcase.
Sunday Link-Off: The Big Game
You know, I haven’t really watched the Super Bowl for the last couple of years. If it’s a good game, I’ll watch it but generally I don’t care. Last year, I stopped caring shortly after the safety to open the scoring. And I haven’t watched any football since my Lions were eliminated. Maybe I’m just getting old but I don’t find sports as interesting as I did even just a few years ago.
Anyway, it’s time for the links. Let’s kick things off with the halftime star from the Super Bowl. It’s Katy Perry.
With Mitt Romney pulling out of the Republican nomination race for the 2016 election, the new early favourite is Jeb Bush (The New Yorker)
For a more broad look at the various contenders, the Post put together a look at their life histories. (Washington Post)
Things at Fox News aren’t always sunshine and lollipops. Bill O’Reilly tends not to be happy when his position as top dog is threatened. (Mediaite)
Entertainment Link-Off: One Less Problem
It’s the last day of January, and it just so happens to land on a Saturday, so here’s the last ELO of the month! Kicking things off is Felicity Jones. I recently saw The Theory of Everything, which happens to be a fantastic film and all the acting performances were indeed very good.
After the jump, so notes on Game of Thrones, Jupiter Ascending isn’t really trending upwards, Fantastic Four gets very serious and watch Team Coco tackle Mortal Kombat X! Continue reading
Super Bowl 49 Snack Time (Infographic)
I haven’t really paid much attention since my Lions were jobbed out of the playoffs by the refs, the NFL and Roger Goodell but the Super Bowl is this weekend. The Patriots and Seahawks will do battle in a game where most fans hope that both teams can find a way to lose.
One thing that will always happen regardless of which team you hate winning the Super Bowl is the parties. Many years ago, we had an infographic that showed the 50 million cases of beer that would be consumed during the Super Bowl. Today, we have an infographic that looks at the millions and millions of pounds of food that people will gorge themselves on during the Super Bowl.
How Will You Die? (Infographic)
We don’t like thinking about the inevitable end of life but we’re on a non-stop course for death. Some of these causes of death are somewhat preventable or manageable if you’re proactive. Others could just happen in a flash.
So what are the most common causes of death and which are most common among people your age? We have a handy (or is it really scary) infographic to help you predict your end.
Wednesday Link-Off: (Not) Snowed In
I don’t know how but my hometown managed to avoid this seemingly apocalyptic snowstorm that hit most of the Eastern US. I’m not complaining since the snowbanks are way too high as it is but we’ve gotten all the rest of the snow this year so why not this too?
So now it’s time to kick off the links. Let’s heat things up from the start with Sarah Stephens.
What is middle-class per the Conservative government? That would be families who earn over $120,000. (Yahoo News)
Speaking of big money and politics, the Republican National Committee could spend nearly one billion dollars to win the White House in 2016. (Politico)
The man who will lead the Greek economy is the same man Valve had leading the Steam Market. (International Business Time)
The Lowdown 