This series kicks off with the town reeling after the Astraeus and her crew mysteriously disappeared before launching on their voyage to Titan. When the Astraeus finally crash lands Allison and the crew find themselves back in Eureka – four years after they left. As the town copes with the shocking personal changes that have happened during their absence, Sheriff Carter and Henry try to uncover the truth about the forces behind the crew’s bizarre disappearance.

If you want a preview of the series, check out the promo reel on SyFi.co.uk. And don’t forget to tune into SyFy UK tonight, 9PM to find out more.

I’m lucky to have a friend who is very handy at DIY; as well as him doing so many things I am clueless about, I get to learn some hints and tips at the same time. If you think you have some tips to share, or want to show off your ninja DIY abilities, Wickes now have a Facebook app to let you do just that.

The idea is simple – upload photos, enter a brief description of what’s going on, and you can publish your own DIY project guide to your Timeline. It’s not just about DIY dunces showing off their new-found abilities, though; builders, decorators, interior designers, and so on can use the app to create an e-portfolio of projects so that potential customers can have a look at their previous work online.

It’s a clever idea – and there’s a certain voyeuristic pleasure in taking a look at some of the projects other people have undertaken! To try it yourself, visit Wickes Facebook page and click on “My Project”.

This is a guest post by William Judd

This week, Activision announced the latest version of their popular Call of Duty entertainment property.

This spin, we’ve landed back on the sub-series of the year before last: Black Ops! The first game was set in the 60s in the thick of the Cold War. The plot dealt with Alex Mason, a CIA special ops soldier who was being forced to relieve past operations whilst being held prisoner. The time-hopping plot was fun but a bit nonsensical, just like the Call of Duty franchise itself.

The multiplayer proved as popular as ever, with the inclusion of an in-game currency that could be used to unlock weapons and attachments somewhat nonlinearly. The game also included a well-crafted Zombies mode, where up to four players tried to survive a zombie horde.

The most obvious difference in the sequel is that Black Ops 2 takes place in the near future, 2025 to be exact. That’s when the ‘new Civil War’ has kicked off, with terrorist groups taking advantage of the United States’ increasing reliance on drone-based fighters by subverting them. You play as David Mason, the son of the first game’s protagonist Alex. You’ll also be able to step into Alex’s shoes for a few flashback missions in the 1980s. Both are fighting against Raul Menendez, a mysterious antagonist tied to the Regan-era conflict in Nicaragua.

The game’s singleplayer campaign will be for the first time changed by well how you do. You’ll be able to play Strike Force missions in order to change the outcome of the game, similar to how Mass Effect’s 3 multiplayer affects that game’s finale.

These Strike Force missions are non-linear campaign missions performed by groups of operatives across the world; each time you get to a choke point in the storyline you’ll be able to choose a mission to perform. That group’s success will affect the game’s story. The missions themselves allow you to switch between different members of the team – both drones and humans – in order to accomplish your goals.

Multiplayer has also been overhauled. On consoles, it’ll be at 60 FPS, but as a PC player this isn’t exactly an exciting development. The graphics have also been upgraded to allow for much more realistic details – that’s more like it. In terms of gameplay, there’s not been much yet revealed.

Zombies will make a reappearance as the cooperative mode of choice – Spec Ops and Survival will not. There’ll be new modes and worlds here, but nothing concrete than the fact that the mode runs in the multiplayer engine rather than a jury-rigged singleplayer engine. Woo?

Overall, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The setting looks intensely interesting and the Strike Force missions sound great, but the traditional favourite multiplayer mode doesn’t really sound that different to its predecessors – something that’s sorely needed in what is now the 7th ‘modern’ (i.e. starting from Call of Duty 4) title. Modern Warfare 3 was the first game to sell less copies than its predecessors, and Activision can’t just keep riding the coattails of games past.

Robots definitely sounds like a good start – but will they be balanced in multiplayer?  Will we be able to get a tablet in the game as a special weapon? Will we be able to get a cool iPad case as an upgrade for it? Only time will tell – it’s taken Activision seven titles to stop the grenade launcher from being overpowered, so I don’t fancy the balance team in trying to make giant robots fair and fun — or the art team for having to draw terrible iPad covers!

Time for Friday Fun again – and this Flash game should exercise your brain a bit. WereBoxes can turn from box to ball at the click of a mouse. The idea is to clear the screen of red boxes while retaining all the blue ones. Sounds simple enough, but once you get into it you’ll realise there’s a bit of logic to be used, and a lot of timing!

WereBox uses Flash and has sound, but sound is not vital to the gameplay.

–> Click to play <–

It’s been a long debate… are games entertainment? Well, yes, but are they also art? Are they, perhaps, bordering on literature? I would find it hard to classify a game like Oh Mummy as anything other than a bit of fun (although I did love it as a child), but as the technology has improved, so the game playing landscape has changed.

Games nowadays are capable of compelling story lines, realistic characters you connect with on an emotional level and, with online multiplayer, genuine social interaction. So what are games these days?

I think the most compelling games are those that suck you in. They involve you in the story and engage you mentally, emotionally and, dare I say it, spiritually. Sure, some games are still just fun… Hexic is a great puzzle game, and I don’t see a deeper meaning here, but others are much more about storytelling than gameplay. In fact, I think a top notch storyline can rescue mediocre gameplay, so long as the game mechanics aren’t so bad as to keep dragging your attention away from the story.

There have been times when games have genuinely caused deep emotions in me. Take that controversial airport scene from Modern Warfare 2  (spoilers coming, if you haven’t played it) – the one where you are caught up in a terrorist attack on a civilian airport. That was hard to play… not because of the difficulty level, but because it elicited deep emotions. I remember playing through that scene and, towards the end, letting out a breath of relief that it was nearly over. To then be betrayed and killed was a real shock.

I’ve read books that do the same thing to me. I’ve watched films that do the same thing. So I come back to the original question, “are games art?”.

I think, done properly, they can be. They can connect with us on an emotional level. I think, as Andy was speaking about at TEDx, they can help us explore what it means to be human. Or they can just be a bit of fun.

I’d love to know what you think – please share your thoughts in the comments. What are games to you?

Today we’ll be looking at five of the weirdest iPhone 4S cases I’ve ever seen – including some which are a bit creepy, some that look a bit appetizing, and others that just don’t make any sense. Let’s get right into it!

5. Retro Phone Case
It’s quite common for those who prefer older styles tend to choose a phone case that reflects this – perhaps a wooden case, or maybe a nice handmade iPhone 4S leather case. These are good choices because they use classic designs to wrap a modern invention, but there are also tackier solutions – cases that look like cameras or cassettes. These are a bit suspect, but at least they’re well made. Finally, we have this retro phone case: a traditional handset glued to the back of an iPhone case. That’s just weird.

4. Breakfast Food Cases
From a badly designed weird case to a rather nicely constructed one, we have these breakfast food cases from Japan. There’s a choice of noodles, hash browns, rice or – my favourite – bacon and eggs. Each case is distressingly realistically well made and could easily pass for what they’re imitating if they were face down resting on your desk.

3. Giant Ear Case
Food cases are cool, but I’ve heard of something better: this case that’ll really give you an earful. This lobe-ly case is just a giant silicone ear that’s quite amusing to bring out in public. Thanks to the massive size of the case, this should make your iPhone a lot harder to lose – and I guess that’s a good thing? Of all the cases on the list, this is the one I’d actually love to have.

2. Chocolate Bar Case
This is the only one on this list that I’ve actually seen in real life – as my girlfriend has it. She picked it up in Japan, where cute (and sometimes weird) phone cases are definitely the norm. Unlike some the other items on this list, the chocolate bar case looks quite realistic; something that came back to bite me when I noticed it early one morning. I can safely report that it does not taste like chocolate.

1. Creepy Hand Case
Our ‘winner’ this time is this creepy hand case from a Japanese manufacturer (indeed, the same firm behind the breakfast food cases earlier). Available in your choice of little kid or woman varieties, both cases feature a disembodied hand that affixes to the rear of the case. This means you can hold hands while on the phone, or even use it to hold pencils. It’s weird as hell, and for that reason it takes home the top spot.

Conclusion
And there we have it – five of the weirdest iPhone cases I’ve ever seen. Would you actually use any of these, or are they just too weird? Let me know in the comments down below!

It’s Friday – which must mean it’s time for Friday Fun.

This week’s is a simple little shooter called Boomstick. Shoot the targets, and collect fragments to use as ammo. The game is over when your ammo is gone.

Have fun! (You’ll need Flash to play, by the way).

–> Click to Play <–

What we need is one cable that will charge the majority of devices, and that’s exactly what the OneCable does. This extendable USB cable comes with three fittings: Apple, MicroUSB and MiniUSB. They all fit into each other, and a clever hinge system means the ones that aren’t in use stay attached to the cable… so you don’t lose them down the side of the seat (you know, where all those fluffy sweeties end up).

There’s not really too much you can say about a cable, is there, except that it works… and I do love the spring-loaded extension reel which keeps it tidy when you don’t need it at full length (70cm). It’s already reduced my stress levels in the car, as I’m not hunting around for another cable and wondering how it ended up in the back pocket of the passenger seat any more.

It’s a cable… but I’m impressed.

A free sample of the OneCable was provided for this review. The sample was provided by Mobile Fun, who sell all manner of mobile gadgets and iPhone accessories.

Diagram of geek culture - click for larger version

The word “geek” is thought to have originated from sideshows and circus performers, and its earliest meaning was very derogatory. It usually was used in reference to someone who was offensive, foolish or worthless. However, this word has gone through a long evolution, and it now commonly refers to computer programmers and technology buffs.

So, is this term still offensive? Honestly, it’s a little hard to say. Many geeks openly refer to themselves with this term, but there are also many that use it as an insult. It all really comes down to the use of the word and personal feelings on the matter.

Good Usage
As stated above, the usage of the word “geek” can be either good or bad. Self-professed geeks often use it as a glorifying term, because it shows that said person is often very intelligent and tends to have an obsession with technology or is able to create unusual objects.

In this light, geek is not an offensive term. Many geeks, and friends of geeks, tend to use it as an endearing term or a way to easily describe the geek’s interests. When used in this manner it can be playful and fun to use. It also gives a sense of camaraderie for fellow geeks, as they know they will fit into this group rather well.

There are also many establishments that use the word “geek” as a good term. For example, Best Buy’s “Geek Squad” is seen as a technologically life-saving team of professionals that are great with hardware, software and anything else technical. The website “WiseGEEK” is a huge article directory that lists thousands of articles, and it is seen as a very good resource for people looking for information.

In these ways, geek is a good term that is being used more and more often within social circles both between geeks and for people who associate with them.

Bad Usage
There are those that use it inappropriately. This usage was huge during the 70s and 80s, though it has largely died down as geek awareness and glorification became larger. However, you can still hear it in schools, movies and other walks of life.

The bad usage of “geek” paints geeks as people that are obsessed with the intellectual pursuits. This isn’t bad, and usually is the truth. However, it makes geeks appear enfeebled when it comes to living outside of textbooks and technology, which is very far from the truth.

Between the nerd and geek wars, geeks are more often social and tend to have a good amount of friends. While there are of course some that can be considered shut-ins, these people exist in all niches. Being a geek does not mean you are locked in your house, tinkering away with technology in your mom’s basement. In this way, it makes geeks seem unable to live outside of their small world of circuit boards, books and films.

Geek Chic
Another point of contention is geek chic. This is a style movement that focuses on the stereotypical aspects of being a geek. This includes the thick-rimmed glasses, pocket protectors and shirts with in-jokes.

To some, this is a way to openly express their geek identity. For others, it is a stereotypical market that picks up only a few characteristics that geeks are known for having—but do not necessarily apply to the whole spectrum—but leave the identity of the geek entirely devoid of its true personality.

This is similar to the entire usage of the word, which can be good or bad. Overall, many people have been positive to the geek chic culture, but there are those that find it offensive.

Conclusion
So, is the term “geek” still offensive? Some people definitely still use it this way, but the bad usage has been dying down in the last few decades. People commonly use this term in a favorable sense when talking about technology buffs, and fellow geeks now use the term to glorify their intellectual pursuits.

Overall, the meaning of this term has completely changed. It went from one that had an absolutely bad connotation to one that is used in a good sense. So, when someone calls you a geek, don’t feel bad about it. It’s usually a compliment, and should be taken that way.

The elephant forgot the rest of the levels, but luckily he still has one left! Help him beat it in all his forgetful glory. Use your keen knowledge of gaming and dexterity to manhandle your way through a variety of challenges. Get your mind out of the box for once! Take it outside for a walk, or maybe grab a bite to eat with it.

Oh, and beat the level! There’s only one.

“This is the only level” is an exercise in exploration and lateral thinking… all I’ll say is pay attention to the stage names, they might help.

–> Click to play <–

I beat the game in just under 11 minutes. Let us know how you get on in the comments.