The Flickcast – Page 265 of 1030 – Stuff Nerds Love

U.S. Justice Department Sues Apple and Other Publishers Over eBook Prices

Posted on April 11, 2012

If you’ve wondered why eBook prices always seemed so high even though you were just buying a digital copy of a book, now we might have at least part of the answer. In a move that surprised almost nobody who follows this kind of thing, the U.S. Justice Department has today filed an antitrust lawsuit against publishers including Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin and Apple alleging the companies conspired to fix electronic book prices.

According to the suit, the government wants publishers to let Amazon and other retailers decide what to charge customers, based on the wholesale price of the product. At the moment, publishers decide what price eBooks will be sold for.

This would, in theory, allow for more competition and see better pricing for consumers. Something, if true, most consumers would probably agree is a great idea.

What it will really mean is anyone’s guess at this point. You can bet Apple and other publishers will defend this suit with everything they have so don’t expect this to be resolved anytime soon.

 

So THAT’S Where Springfield Is: Matt Groening Reveals the Secret Origin of ‘The Simpsons’ Hometown

Posted on April 11, 2012

For twenty three years, longer than some of the readers of this site have been alive, one of the greatest mysteries on television has carried on with little to no hints as to the truth. Everyone knows who shot JR. Everyone found out the secret behind Twin Peaks.

The Cylons were revealed in Battlestar Galactica. We even all found out just where the survivors ended up in Lost. But no answer was harder to come by than which Springfield the Simpsons actually lived in.

For years, people tried to piece together the landmarks of Springfield and find out just where the Simpsons lived. Which city in the United States out of the 38 cities, towns and townships named Springfield had its own nuclear power plant, gorge, glacier and national forest that was also within driving distance to New York City? People quickly learned the answer is none, but that didn’t stop people from questioning where the Simpsons took place.

When talking to the Smithsonian Magazine, Groening was asked about the generic nature of the name Springfield. Groening replied that, “Springfield was named after Springfield, Oregon. The only reason is that when I was a kid, the TV show Father Knows Best took place in the town of Springfield, and I was thrilled because I imagined that it was the town next to Portland, my hometown.

When I grew up, I realized it was just a fictitious name. I also figured out that Springfield was one of the most common names for a city in the U.S. In anticipation of the success of the show, I thought, ‘This will be cool; everyone will think it’s their Springfield.’ And they do.”

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McConaughey and Harrelson to Star In ‘True Detective’ Cable Series

Posted on April 11, 2012

In what will surely be the most sought after new property on television, True Detective is being shopped to various cable networks.  The eight-part series already has Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson attached to star, which should help quite a bit.

True Detective is being described as a complicated narrative that will tell the story from multiple perspectives and utilizing multiple time frames. The story will follow two detectives, Rust Cohle (McConaughey) and Martin Hart (Harrelson), whose lives intertwine during a seventeen year search for a serial killer in Louisiana. The story will follow the events of a bizarre murder in 1995,  which will be told both using scenes from that time and the current day  testimony from the detectives in 2012.

The current idea is to utilize the 8-episode first season to resolve the mystery at hand, and have it be a stand alone story. Each of the  subsequent seasons would use a similar structure, but follow all new characters and a different mystery.

The first season will be written by Nic Pizzolatto, best known as the author of the collection Between Here and the Yellow Sea and the novel Galveston, as well as writing credits on AMC’s The Killing. Cary Fukunaga (Jane Eyre, Sin Nombre) is set to direct all 8 episodes.  In addition to having already signed on a writer, director and stars, True Detective is being pitched with two fully written episodes.

This is the first TV collaboration for the real life best friends McConaughey and Harrelson, who have starred in two features together, EdTV and Surfer, Dude. For McConaughey, this series would be the first regular TV series gig. Harrelson, on the other hand, got his big break on the classic TV show Cheers.

PAX East 2012 Photo Gallery

Posted on April 11, 2012

I probably will say this every year I attend, but this year’s PAX East was my favorite one yet. The showfloor was excellent, with an amazing selection of the latest titles from both big name developers and indie up and comers. The tabletop and freeplay areas were expanded upon, the panels were enjoyable and entertaining.

Throughout the weekend, and really every PAX East, there’s a feeling of respect and community that I’ve never felt at any other convention. I’ve never made more friends at any other expo or con as I have at PAX East, and year after year I manage to reunite with old friends while making new ones. All of us who attend owe a great debt to those who dedicate their time and energy to making PAX the best it can be year in and year out, including the Penny Arcade staff and the Enforcers, the most dedicated, helpful group of volunteers I’ve ever come across.

I always get a feeling of sadness when I pack my bags, wave goodbye to the BCEC, and leave Boston, and while the PAX experience on the East coast may be over, the memories, souvenirs, beta keys, freebies, new friends, and new favorite games are all things we can connect with and experience everyday. We really bring PAX home with us. And there’s always PAX Prime in the fall.

I hope that those of you attended the convention enjoyed yourself as much as I did. Check out some photos from my time at PAX East after the jump.

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The Villain in ‘Iron Man 3’ Might Have Just Been Found

Posted on April 10, 2012

The ‘first phase’ of the Marvel Studios shared universe comes to a climactic end on May 4th, but the ‘second phase’ continues to chug along and is set to begin one year later. On May 3rd, 2013 Iron Man 3 should be hitting theaters nation wide.

According to Variety, Marvel Studios might have finally found their foe in the Shane Black directed sequel:

Ben Kingsley is in final talks to play the villain in Marvel Studios and Disney’s “Iron Man 3,” but fans of the comicbook character will be disappointed to learn he won’t take on original Tony Stark archenemy the Mandarin.

Instead, Kingsley’s character is involved in the spread of a virus through nanobots, given that “Iron Man 3” is loosely based on Warren Ellis’ six-issue “Extremis” comicbook series first published in 2005. That arc — which also heavily influenced the first “Iron Man” pic — introduced a new origin story and focused heavily on nanotechnology.

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GameStop Takes Blow From California Courts, Might Have to Change Used Pricing Structure

Posted on April 10, 2012

Game Stop has always been an interesting force in the world of video game retailers. They are fabulous in the sense that they are major players in the used game market, really refining a trade-in infrastructure that allows people to get their hands on new games cheaper.

On the flip side of that coin is the seedy fact that they pay dirt cheap prices for games (I once got a quarter for a three year old Madden title!) and mark them up significantly. It is hard to truly be angry about this though, as they follow a pretty strait forward supply and demand model in their pricing.

Of course as Game Stop grew, so did the concept and popularity of used sales. Used sales is great for the gamer, but horrible for the game developers, as they don’t see a dime off of the used sale. In an effort to mitigate these losses, developers and publishers have begun supplying online pass codes into new games, effectively forcing those who buy used copies to shell out $15 bucks for the same content that would be free if purchased new.

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PAX East 2012 Hands-On: Borderlands 2

Posted on April 10, 2012

I think it’s safe to say that Borderlands 2 was the most popular game on the show floor last weekend at PAX East. Luckily, I got a chance to check out the game thanks to the people at 2K.

Partnered up with another player, I chose the Siren, assigned some talent points, and jumped into the game. I was thrown into a giant bunker which, when opened, revealed an industrial, barren landscape surrounded by green pools of slime. Our mission was to reach a locker, but it was by no means easy to maintain, as we were constantly barraged by enemies.

This particular level featured bug-like creatures- some that swarmed up above, others that burrowed underground and rushed us from below or behind- so I was constantly swinging my camera around to meet my next foe with a blast of gunfire. My character also had an ability to freeze enemies midair while my partner pelted them with bullets- just like Borderlands, co-op is well executed in Borderlands 2.

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Game Review: ‘Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack’ for PSN

Posted on April 10, 2012

The floor this year at PAX East included a section indie developers dubbed the Indie Megabooth- 16 independent developers showing off twenty of the latest and greatest indie games on all sorts of platforms. One of those titles was Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack, the follow up to PSN title Tales from Space: About a Blob, now available for the Playstation Vita. I decided to pick up the title to play during my free time at PAX East, and I’m really glad I did.

Much like the Katamari games, Mutant Blobs Attack  requires you to eat everything in sight to proceed through the level, as long as it’s not bigger than you. But, while Katamari is a 3rd person perspective three dimensional game, Mutant Blobs Attack is a 2D sidescrolling platformer, more like Loco Roco.  As a blob, you’ll also gain powerups to allow you to fly, float, and magnetize yourself to walls.

The game utilizes the Vita’s controls without overdoing it and becoming cumbersome to play. You control the blob throughout the levels using the analog stick, but there are also a few random levels that require you to tilt the Vita around like a ball maze to try to move the blob to the goal. The back touchscreen don’t come into play at all, but the front is used to manipulate the environment to proceed.

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