Latest Games Tools

PRESS RELEASE

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 18 May 2010 00:24:00 +0000

AMD and Boys & Girls Clubs of America to Offer Game Technology Program to Hundreds of Youth Club Members

Innovative Club Tech: Game Tech Program Teaches How to Create Computer Games, While Encouraging the Development of Valuable STEM Skills

SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 17, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- AMD (AMD 8.84, -0.01, -0.11%) and Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) today announced that the AMD Foundation has awarded a $115,000 grant to BGCA to implement Club Tech: Game Tech, a digital game development program, in four new Boys & Girls Clubs across the country. AMD also will provide $60,000 to install four technology centers in these same Clubs in Washington, D.C.; Orlando, Fla.; Bellevue, Wash.; and Sunnyvale, Calif. The grant supports AMD's signature education initiative, AMD Changing the Game, a program that encourages teens to learn critical STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills and become more globally conscious citizens by developing digital games with social content. By the end of 2012, AMD and the BGCA plan to implement the Club Tech: Game Tech program at 14 Clubs, located primarily in AMD site communities in the United States.

BGCA enables young people, especially those who need Clubs most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, some 4,000 Boys & Girls Clubs serve more than 4.2 million children and teens through Club membership and community outreach. Through BGCA's Club Tech initiative, and the Game Tech program in particular, the organization provides Club members the opportunity to experience the digital arts and enhance their technology skills in order to develop creative and marketable workforce skills. Hundreds of Club members are expected to participate in the Game Tech program, and thousands of Club members will benefit from the technology center installations.

"Technology programming offers a unique opportunity to extend learning and encourages youth to be actively engaged in determining their successful futures. There are clear indications this occurred during our Game Tech pilots," said Judith J. Pickens, BGCA's senior vice president, Program & Youth Development Services. "It was only natural to seek to expand this gaming program to new Clubs, and we're grateful to AMD for helping us broaden this activity to reach more youth across the nation."

"Boys & Girls Clubs of America is a well-respected organization that positively impacts the lives of millions of children," said Allyson Peerman, president, AMD Foundation. "AMD is proud to expand our relationship with BGCA, helping them bring the Club Tech: Game Tech program to new Club sites. Not only will Game Tech help enhance educational and life skills for participating Club members, but it will also contribute further to BGCA's legacy of providing hope and opportunity to America's youth."

Game Tech is a multi-unit program that guides Club members through the design process of creating computer games, and is led by local Boys & Girls Club professionals using a platform called Scratch. Club members gain valuable STEM skills in the process. In addition to the Game Tech program implementation, the grant provides ongoing site support for Boys & Girls Clubs that previously piloted the Game Tech program in Boxborough, Mass., and Ft. Collins, Colo. AMD's grant also funds targeted training and technical assistance for Club professionals.

AMD Changing the Game

AMD Changing the Game is designed to take gaming beyond entertainment by inspiring teens to create digital games on important social issues, such as energy or the environment. As a result, they enrich their educational experience by learning critical science, technology, education and math (STEM) and life skills. The initiative is rooted in AMD's commitment to and experience in supporting education, and the company's passion and expertise in the graphics processor and gaming industries.

Since its launch in June 2008, AMD Changing the Game has funded 18 programs by organizations that enable youth game development, including:

-- Funded the development of a youth game development curriculum with PETLab and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA).

-- Funded the development of the World Wide Workshop Foundation's Globaloria game-design program for the Southwest Key's East Austin College Prep Academy in 2009 and 2010.

-- Co-sponsored the Malaysian Cybergames Festival 2010, including the "Dare to Create" digital game design and development workshop.

-- Funded the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers new video game design category for the 2010 and 2011 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

-- Funded Schmahl Science Workshop's program to develop a sustainable fishing video game to communicate "the danger of over fishing to long-term human survival."

-- Co-sponsored the 2008, 2009 and 2010 Games for Change Festival. The 2010 sponsorship includes a day-long workshop the AMD Foundation is sponsoring to teach educators about the various tools available for youth game development.

About the AMD Foundation

The AMD Foundation connects and empowers individuals with knowledge, thereby opening doors to opportunity. The Foundation's signature program, AMD Changing the Game, supports initiatives designed to help youth harness the power of digital games with social content, while learning critical Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) skills and life skills. The Foundation also funds the AMD Employee Giving Program which supports AMD employees' community interests by matching their personal donations of time and money to local organizations and schools.

Supporting Resources

-- AMD Changing the Game fan page on Facebook

-- AMD Changing the Game video

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America

For more than 100 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (www.bgca.org) has enabled young people, especially those who need Clubs most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, some 4,000 Boys & Girls Clubs serve more than 4.2 million children and teens through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs can be found throughout the country and on U.S. military installations worldwide, providing young people 6-18 years old with guidance-oriented character development programs conducted by trained, professional staff. Key programs emphasize leadership development; education and career exploration; community service; technology training; financial literacy; health and life skills; the arts; sports, fitness and recreation; and family outreach. In a Harris Survey of alumni, 57 percent said the Club saved their lives. National headquarters are located in Atlanta.

About AMD

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD 8.84, -0.01, -0.11%) is an innovative technology company dedicated to collaborating with customers and technology partners to ignite the next generation of computing and graphics solutions at work, home and play. For more information, visit http://www.amd.com.

AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Other names are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE: AMD

Adobe fights Apple with pro-Flash ad campaign

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 14 May 2010 17:59:00 +0000

Adobe Systems may not have a chief executive with Steve Jobs' high profile, but it does have money. And on Thursday it began spending some of it on an effort to rebut the Apple CEO's criticisms of Adobe's Flash technology.

The campaign includes a Web site promoting choice, an accompanying "truth about Flash" page rebutting some Apple criticisms, and a letter from Adobe co-founders Chuck Geschke and John Warnock that brings a personal answer to Jobs. They don't mention Jobs or or Apple by name, but there's no mistaking the target.

"The genius of the Internet is its almost infinite openness to innovation. New hardware. New software. New applications. New ideas. They all get their chance," the co-founders said in the letter. "In the end, we believe the question is really this: Who controls the World Wide Web? And we believe the answer is: nobody--and everybody, but certainly not a single company."

Adobe's public-relations response takes a much more genteel but less biting tone than Jobs' Flash-bashing letter, which characterized Flash as being being proprietary, a power hog, behind the times with multitouch interface support, insecure, unstable, and generally a relic.

Adobe's campaign, published in several daily newspapers and online news sites, also features an advertisement rebutting Apple. It starts with a large-type proclamation of love for Apple and concludes on a less amicable note.

"We love creativity. We love innovation. We love apps. We love the Web. We love Flash. We love our 3 million developers. We love healthy competition. We love touch screens. We love our Open Screen Project partners. We love HTML5. We love authoring code only once. We love all devices. We love all platforms," the ad reads. "What we don't love is anybody taking away your freedom to choose what you create, how you create it, and what you experience on the Web."

In a response, Apple directed attention to its support for Web standards that let some applications run in a browser, though not addressing the issue of applications that run natively on the iPhone.

"We believe in open Web standards too, like HTML5. Flash is not an open web standard like HTML. It is a proprietary Adobe product," said spokeswoman Trudy Muller. "Just ask the W3 consortium that controls web standards--they have chosen HTML5 as the open Web standard to move forward with."

Adobe is fighting back with technical arguments, too. Mike Chambers, Adobe's principal product manager for the Flash platform, has written blog posts focusing on Flash's support for touch and multitouch and its processing power requirements compared with other video, audio, and animation technologies.

Flash lets programmers create everything from video-streaming sites and games to stock charts and photo albums on the Web, and a big part of the sales pitch is that programmers can write a single program that will work on many computers regardless of differences among browsers and operating systems. But Apple long has denied Flash a place on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and most recently, the iPad.

Adobe tried to bypass the lock-out with the new CS5 version of its Flash Pro developer tool. But just as it emerged Apple blocked Flash and related tools in April through a change to its iPhone OS 4.0 software developer kit license language. Adobe scrapped further development of the Flash-to-iPhone tool but hasn't been happy to see the cross-platform promise of Flash curtailed by its absence on the iPhone.

Adobe Systems is fighting back against Apple's Flash-bashing with an ad campaign.

(Credit: Adobe)

It's too strong to say Adobe is fighting for Flash's life--it's very widely used, the alternatives are immature, and even if programmers were to abandon it tomorrow, countless Web pages already in existence still use it. But it is fair to say the current assault is probably the most significant threat in its existence.

Flash got its start as a tool for animated graphics on Web sites, but its popularity was cemented by its painless solution to the earlier difficulties of Web-based video. Now, however, a collection of Web technologies--including Hypertext Markup Language, Cascading Style Sheets, JavaScript, and Scalable Vector Graphics--is gradually maturing as an alternative to Flash. Among those allied behind those technologies are Apple, Google, Microsoft, Opera, and Mozilla, and they're tapping into some Web developer disgruntlement with the difficulties meshing Flash and the more neutral standards of the Web.

Developers aren't universally happy with Apple's approach either, though. One programmer, Jonathan "Wolf" Rentzsch, canceled his C4 Mac programming conference because of his distaste with the way Apple blocked Flash-derived applications on the iPhone.

Adobe is making sure all its eggs aren't in the Flash basket. Even as it promotes Flash, including the forthcoming Flash Player 10.1 due by the end of June, it's also embracing Web technologies in its Dreamweaver tool for Web development.

Last month, Adobe Chief Technology Officer Kevin Lynch declared, "We're going to try and make the best tools in the world for HTML5."

Google coding tool advances cloud computing

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 14 May 2010 17:58:00 +0000

Google has released a programming tool to help move its Native Client project--and more broadly, its cloud-computing ambitions--from abstract idea to practical reality.

The new Native Client software developer kit, though only a developer preview version, is designed to make it easier for programmers to use the Net giant's browser-boosting Native Client technology.

"The Native Client SDK preview...includes just the basics you need to get started writing an app in minutes," Google programmer David Springer said Wednesday in a blog post announcing the SDK, a week before the developer-oriented Google I/O conference. "We'll be updating the SDK rapidly in the next few months."

Henry Bridge, Google product manager for Native Client

(Credit: Google)

Native Client, or NaCl, is designed to let browsers run programs at nearly the speeds of those compiled to run natively on a computer system. It's fast enough to handle tasks such as video decompression and first-person shooter video games, and it's designed to handle adjusted versions of existing software, not just programs written from scratch.

Native Client is one of several efforts at Google to weave the Web deeply into the fabric of computing. That mission will be on center stage at the company's I/O conference, set for May 19 and 20 in San Francisco.

The conference will feature a host of related projects embodying Google's fervent belief in cloud computing: its Chrome browser, its Chrome browser-based operating system, its App Engine foundation for Python and Java programs on the Net, its higher-level Google Apps services for word processing and the like--even things as nitty-gritty as the Google Web Toolkit and Closure Tools for Web-based JavaScript programming. Another Google I/O centerpiece, the Android operating system, is designed to make mobile phones first-class citizens on the Net. NaCl has been re-engineered to support the ARM processors used widely in smartphones, although the SDK can't take advantage of that support yet.

To let people download Native Client modules from Web pages without security problems, NaCl prohibits various operations and confines NaCl program modules to a sandbox with restricted privileges. NaCl lets programmers write in a variety of languages, and a special compiler converts their work into the NaCl modules.

The ultimate promise of NaCl is that Web-based applications could run much faster than those of today that typically use JavaScript or Adobe Systems' Flash. If Google can attract developers, the Web and cloud computing could become a much more powerful foundation for programs.

Google argues that it profits by increased use of the Web, since that drives more search traffic and therefore search-ad revenue. But Google also has a growing Google Apps subscription business to support--a service that CEO Eric Schmidt calls Google's next billion-dollar opportunity. More powerful tools for Web-based word processing, presentations, spreadsheets, image editing, and the like could help that business grow.

Google has been working hard on fleshing out the NaCl promise. One step has been expanding from 32-bit modules for x86 chips only; NaCl now supports ARM processors and NaCl modules also can take advantage of 64-bit x86 processors. Some of this work has been through a project called PNaCl, or Portable Native Client.

Another move was adding NaCl support for OpenGL ES 2.0, a standard interface for tapping into hardware-accelerated graphics. That could help modules such as games that use 3D graphics.

A software developer kit could help NaCl become more useful, but only if there's a way to run the modules. Google early on released a Native Client browser plug-in, but potentially more interesting is its work to build Native Client into Chrome and into the browser-based Chrome OS it plans to release later this year on Netbooks.

Indeed, projects like NaCl illustrate why Google is so interested in Chrome. With its own browser, it can push its agenda much faster, even if it's only through projects such as Gears or O3D that didn't live beyond the experimental stage.

To use the NaCl developer kit, programmers need a browser with a new plug-in technology called NPAPI Pepper. (Nomenclature nuts will note that NaCl is the chemical symbol for sodium chloride, or salt. NPAPI stands for Netscape Plug-in Application Programming Interface.) Guess which browser is the only one to support Pepper? Chrome, of course, though Adobe and Mozilla are backing the project, too.

The NPAPI Pepper project and NaCl SDK show one of Google's biggest challenges in bringing its cloud-computing vision to reality, though: getting others to come along for the ride.

To make NaCl real, it must convince programmers to use the software, convince browser makers to include it or at least support it as a plug-in, and convince the general public to upgrade their browsers to use it.

With Chrome and Google Apps, Google can ensure its technology is used in the real world. But especially as Google's dominance brings it into competition with more computing companies, extending its ideas beyond its own products and services can become tougher.

ToySmith Garden Tote with Tools

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 13 May 2010 08:51:00 +0000

Our grand-daughter just loves her new tools. When our grand-daughter received her tool kit as a birthday present, she wnet wild over it. Cute but not for serious gardening. We moved to a house with quite a bit of property so I bought this for my kids. For younger gardeners. The item was smaller than expected, however it is a well made product and very suitable for the 5 years and younger group. Gardening Granddaughter. I haven't given this gift to my 7 year old grand daughter yet, it is for Christmas. Gardening for Little People. I purchased this garden tool kit and tote for a 6 year old who loves to work in the yard. Such a great toy, I will use it myself. This "toy" is the real thing. Eh. The picture make it look quite a bit bigger and like it has more stuff with it than it actually does. Chosen by a Montessori supply catalog. I don't own this yet, but thought I'd leave a note here saying that the "Child of the World" catalog of products for Montessori schools (I've just been perusing their latest catalog) lists this as their choice for an excellent gardening set for ages 3-6. Garden Tot. The item purchased was of superior quality to what I had found in my local Target, and the delivery was extremely fast. Perfect way to get your kids outside and have fun! I bought this for my friend's daughter as a gift.

For Budding Little Gardeners. My husband and I plant a vegetable garden every year and since our daughter was an infant she expressed an interest in helping Daddy in the garden.

Wittgenstein, Games, and Tools

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 13 May 2010 08:50:00 +0000

While attempting to defend his contention that 'game' is indefinable, Wittgenstein, at one point, entertains the objection that there must be some common characteristic possessed by all games. His response is an insistent "Don't think, look", thereby directing attention to what he believes is evidence that all activities called 'games' do not share something specific in common, but are merely linked by a system of loose resemblances. Now, as has been suggested here, a game is an activity performed for its own sake, but, to suspend that hypothesis, and to follow his instruction to instead "look", still leads to the conclusion that he fails to justify his use of Game as a metaphor for Language. For, looking at the main examples of 'language-games' presented in the Investigation, e. g. the interaction between a builder and an assistant, discovers nothing game-like about those activities. Instead, another metaphor, which he only briefly entertains, namely, words as tools, seems more suited to the examples that he presents. So, perhaps there is a case to be made for construing Language as a Game, but the Investigations is more coherent as a demonstration of an Instrumental theory of Language, and, as such, is no less an effective counter to the Logistic theory advanced by the Tractatus, Russell, etc.

THE BEST & TOP themes, games, tools for JAILBROKEN iPhones/Touch’s desc. I’ll help you!*

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 13 May 2010 08:46:00 +0000

MUST-HAVE & ESSENTIAL APPS… LIFE AFTER JAILBREAK. My iPod Touch (all works with iPhone too! Any versions): – gpSPhone – Game boy advanced for iPod Touch and get all the games for it for free! – Installous – Download any app for free! – Five Row Dock – Swin Flu :) – SBSettings – Allows you to edit more preferences, easy/fast access to turn Wifi on/off and more. UPDATE – Now has a ‘FREE UP MEMORY’ feature. – dTunes – Download music, videos and torrents. – WinterBoard – Change your themes, sound themes etc. – **I also forgot to add an essential app! It’s called MemoryInfo – Many people usually over power their iPod’s after jailbreaking them causing them to crash, close games unexpectingly and be slow sometimes. By opening up MemoryInfo and one simple click of a button every now and then will fix all of these! It also turns off all them apps running in the background. – **Another essential is also called iMobile Cinema – It’s the Flash Player plugin for safari therefore allowing you to watch YouTube and other websites on Safari! Themes: – WoodenREALIZE – ChocoMilk Sound Theme: – Light Saber Sounds – Car Security UISounds – RECOMMENDED! – BIG UPDATE – App called AppCake (available from Cydia) an installous replacement, works very well – it’slike a free AppStore. If there are any questions please ask! Please rate & comment NEW IPHONE VIDEO COMING SOON!

Skate 3 (Xbox 360)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 12 May 2010 21:37:00 +0000

Skate 3 doesn't reinvent the wheels. Nor does it reinvent the decks, the trucks, or any other aspect of the Skate series. This sequel is as noteworthy for the features that it cuts from Skate 2 as it is for those that it introduces, yet this is still a better game than its predecessor. Challenges are varied and cater to players of different abilities, you have more tricks in your repertoire, and longevity comes courtesy of robust park creation tools and impressive online features. There are some problems--mostly caused by the unpredictable AI of pedestrians and other skaters, as well as the inconsistent frame rate--but goofy or regular, there's plenty of fun to be found in the new, skater-friendly city of Port Carverton.

6262124NoneFilm challenges involve multiple objectives.

Having made a name for yourself as a pro skater in the previous game, the setup in Skate 3 now has you looking to establish your own team and skateboard business. The only noticeable effect that this has on gameplay is that your overall career score is measured in board sales and you now compete alongside teammates in both solo and online events. Those events are much the same as those in previous games and include races, street and vert competitions, film and photo shoots, games of 1-up (take it in turns to beat scores set by another skater), and "hall of meat" challenges in which you deliberately break bones. Though you can still choose to play them online, the frustrating S.K.A.T.E. challenges that require you to perfectly copy tricks performed by opponents are, thankfully, no longer included in single-player. That's definitely a good thing because even now that you're clearly shown what you need to do with the right analog stick to repeat a trick, the controls--which also incorporate numerous button presses--lack the necessary precision.

Also gone from the single-player game are the anti-skater clips and caps that rendered certain areas unskateable until you unlocked them, as well as the security guards who chased you away from company buildings in Skate 2. These omissions give you the freedom to skate wherever you like in the large and nicely detailed city, but they also make it a little less interesting because removing clips and caps gave a good sense of progression, and fleeing from security guards was fun sometimes. With its university campus, docks, memorial gardens, downtown area, residential neighborhood, and multiple skate parks, Port Carverton has a good number of varied locales to explore. The problem is that you're given very little incentive to do so. With the exception of "own the spot" challenges at locations you haven't discovered yet, you can access all of the challenges that you complete to sell more boards via the pause menu, so there's no need to skate between them. The number of boards that you're credited with selling after completing a challenge depends not only on the difficulty of the challenge, but also on whether you merely "own" the challenge or "kill" it outright. These two different levels of completion are a great addition to Skate 3 because, unlike previous games in which certain challenges were tough enough to halt your progress for a time, here you only need to own them to move forward, which is rarely difficult. To kill a challenge, which you can attempt at any time after owning it, you need to rack up significantly better scores and, often, perform specific types of tricks while doing so.

Regardless of whether you're attempting to own or kill a challenge, Skate 3's unpredictable and occasionally boneheaded AI can make succeeding a little trickier than necessary. For example, pros that you're challenged to follow will occasionally fall off their boards and then push themselves into walls for several seconds while you wait for them to get going again. And in team races and trick events, it's not unusual for teammates to drag you down with subpar performances that cause your team to lose even though you personally put in a great performance. You might even witness a teammate fail to score a single point in a trick event--meaning that even a simple ollie was too much to ask of him in 90 seconds of competition. Furthermore, skaters who are seemingly oblivious to your existence will regularly get in your way, and while punching opponents is a viable option during races, the same can't be said when you're in midair or mid-grind, or when the problem is a teammate.

Some of the Hall of Meat setups aren't so much falls as they are freefalls.

Cleveland Still Has 2 Games to Garner Some Magic

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 12 May 2010 21:36:00 +0000

When I first sat down to write this, I had a million ideas running through my mind -- most of it your typical agony of defeat that Cleveland has had to endure becoming accustomed to. I was going to ironically jest how the last time this city has seen a championship, "I Feel Fine" by the Beatles was the #1 song in the country and how the painfully overplayed "We Are the Champions" staple wasn't even written until 13 years later. Even more numbing is the (alleged) fact that Neil Armstrong pressed a firm boot-print into the surface of the moon more recently than a Cleveland athlete has hoisted a trophy.

And then I thought of Jose Mesa's barn-burning meltdown of the 1997 World Series. The game in-hand, all Mesa had to do was come out and secure the 2-1 margin over the Florida Marlins in the final game of the series. Instead, he allowed the game to tie and subsequently go into extra innings. And with one bounce off of the glove of Charlie Nagy, the Indians had put another feather into the cap of Cleveland misery.

So where am I going with this? That Tribe game was the pinnacle of the season. There would be no rounds to follow, there would be no game 8. That night in late October was a win-or-go-home situation. No second chances, no shot at redemption. This is the one luxury the Cavs have in this championship run -- there is the opportunity to bounce back.

History, however, does not side with the Cavs. Since the franchise's inception, they have been on the short end of a 3-2 lead in a playoff series 4 times -- and all 4 series ended with the Cavaliers being ousted. That having been said, this is a team that has the tools to overcome adversity, still boasts the best record in the NBA and (regardless of what the summer brings) still has the best all-around player in the league on its roster.

And, yes, in lieu of his game 5 no-show, Lebron is still the best all-around player in the league. Here's a guy who's taken a tremendous amount of heat from all over the country in the last 14 hours or so, and I am no one to say that he hasn't deserved every word of it. "King James" in all his glory, for now, has been demoted to that of a lowly grunt after a performance that was abysmal to say the least. Lebron's lack of aggression and overall inactivity has many people wondering whether he has become too complacent, or is simply going through the motions before jetting Northeast Ohio. That much is true.

Though whatever the case may be, a lot is to be said for what Lebron has done for this team since being drafted and is the only reason the Cavs have advanced this far to begin with. Or have we forgotten the dismal days of 2002 when the Cavs limped to a 17-65 finish? Hell, even Michael Jordan has had a lapse in judgement now and again. But down 3-2 against a very confident Celtics squad, this has to be Lebron's difinitive moment as a Cavalier. He has to be that guy who, once again, puts the team on his back in order to catapult them closer to the championship history books. And all this talk about whether or not he'll remain in a Cav uniform next year is no different from the same chatter we've heard for the last 3 years: pure speculation. None of these so-called experts know what Lebron is going to do any more than you or I. And frankly, I think most any basketball fan or analyst can agree that going to New York could be one of the dumbest decisions he could make as a competitor. Of course, whether or not there are more formidable suitors remains to be seen.

Even with that being said, I know Dan Gilbert did not buy this team to simply let Lebron walk away -- especially without having some hardware to show for it. After all, Gilbert is the one who stands to lose the most if Lebron does in fact leave. Forget the heart of the city, forget curses, forget the never-ending sports drought. James' departure will cost the franchise a boatload of dollars and cents, something to the tune of $100 million. I don't care who you are or how much dough you have -- that's a lot of money.

Lastly, as we all know every postseason exposes the offensive deficiencies of Mike Brown. For me, he is the weak link of this franchise. For years, I've demanded more of Danny Ferry and found many of his early moves to be questionable at best. In fact, before this last offseason, I would have ranked the acquisition of Flip Murray among the best moves he made. But then he added some key components in Anthony Parker and, before that, Delonte West. He also got some good value in drafting JJ Hickson and Daniel Gibson as well as getting Shaq and Antwan Jamison for not much more than a paycheck. But it has been Mike Brown's inability to properly utilize those players in matchup situations that has been the achilles heel of this team over the last several years. It is still possible, however, to still win this series and the title in spite of Mike Brown's coaching blunders.

Look, I know this team is in a bad spot and all indications are last night's loss was the end to not only a season, but to an era. But after having seen some pretty venomous fan and media reaction (myself included) over the last several hours, I decided to take the somewhat-optomistic viewpoint regarding the series and the season as a whole. Do I necessarily believe a lot of what I've written here? Some I do, some I don't. But I do know that there are still two games left and the offseason doesn't start until mid-June. Until then, the only thing that matters is winning games. So join me, if you will, in crossing fingers, toes, or any other good-luck appendages you might have. We're going to need all the help we can get.

I 'Like' stocks Connect to Facebook from MarketWatch's social networking tools

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 12 May 2010 21:33:00 +0000

MarketWatch Community members can now share their comments with friends on Facebook and show their Community pride in multiple ways.

Facebook icons and widgets have been appearing recently on MarketWatch. Now it's easier than ever to post stories, comments and Virtual Stock Exchange games to your Facebook home page and receive regular updates through Facebook's news feed on your favorite stocks.

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Show your pride and join the MarketWatch fan page. You can join on the page itself or you can click the "Like" button on the widget appearing on MarketWatch Community pages.

Visit the fan page to share your views with other MarketWatch friends and receive breaking market news everyday on your Facebook home page.

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Call Of Duty :Black Ops (Release on 9 November 2010)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 12 May 2010 21:27:00 +0000

Call of duty, black ops screen shot

AceReader Pro Deluxe (For Mac)

noreply@blogger.com (ahmz) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:42:00 +0000

Speed Reading, Reading Fluency, Vision Training, Reading Assessment and Online Reader Software for all ages. AceReader Pro provides you with three tools in one: (1) A training tool that will help you become a more proficient reader both online and offline. (2) An assessment tool to assess and track your reading level. (3) An online reading tool to help you read more efficiently while online. There are three ways to use the program: (1) Course Mode, (2) Menu Mode, and (3) Expert Mode. The Course Mode walks you through a self-adjusting automated course. The Menu Mode gives you more control by allowing you to pick and choose from a menu of training activities. The Expert Mode gives you full control by allowing you to load your own content (i.e. documents, Web pages ...) and letting you set the display mode and speed. The Expert Mode can be used for training purposes and/or as an Online Reader to help you read more efficiently while you are on your computer. The program uses Tachistoscope technology to pace eye movement, which can help you break bad reading habits such as sub-vocalization and regression. Training activities include: Timed Reading Comprehension Tests, Eye Pacing Drills and fun Eye Exercise Games. Includes 13 levels of reading material (grades 1-12 plus adult-level). Drills automatically adjust training speed relative to your personal reading ability. The program logs and graphs results for accountability. The software includes extensive administration and customization options. You can set font, colors, display modes, speeds, delays, bookmarks, column width, hotkeys... Deluxe versions allow you to customize the Tests, Drills and Games. VERSION INFORMATION: Four versions of this product are available: (1) AceReader Pro (single user home edition), (2) AceReader Pro Deluxe (multi-user/family edition), (3) AceReader Pro Deluxe Plus (single station school edition), and (4) AceReader Pro Deluxe Network (network school edition).

AceReader Pro Deluxe (For Mac) (Version 7.1.0 ) is Demo and is 5799759 bytes in size. Speed Reading, Assessment and Online Reader Software. For all grades and ages.

AceReader Pro Deluxe (For Mac) Requires: Mac OS X,Mac Other,Other

Download AceReader Pro Deluxe (For Mac) Download AceReader Pro Deluxe (For Mac)

Best iPad games for the casual gamer

noreply@blogger.com (ahmz) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:59:00 +0000

Great games for the non-gamers

So you've just taken in a shiny new iPad. Great, but you'll soon realise that on its own the iPad doesn't do that much.

We've scoured the 3,500 dedicated iPad apps to bring you what we think are the best apps available at the moment (early April) to get you started if you want to play games, but just don't want to be fussed with killing people, driving fast around a race track or generally having no real idea what you are doing from the moment you press start.

We've tried, tested and reviewed all the below ourselves rather than just guessing whether they are good or not. Yes these are games - but relax - they are nice and easy.

Free Easy To Use 3D Game Design Tool - Platinum Arts Sandbox Beta 2.1 Release

noreply@blogger.com (ahmz) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 02:34:00 +0000

Platinum Arts Sandbox Beta 2.1 has been released! Sandbox is a game design tool that allows users to quickly and easily create and edit their own worlds in game, even cooperatively. It is free, open source, and easy to use. In addition it now features cart mode where players can create their own race courses and drive on it with an ogre riding his hovercart! Also, it now features updated particle menus where players can easily create their own particle effects. Platinum Arts Sandbox is a great world/level creation tool for all levels of developers and ages! Be sure to check out the wiki if you need any help.

New Features:
* New eye candy map Village and lots of updates to other maps
* New md5 Player Model Robochimp!
* New fish model and improvements to old models
* Heavily updated source, now with rewritten physics
* PVS system (enables sandbox to work better on older computers) with an updated map format
* Many bugfixes
* Improved menu including the ability to easily tweak particle effects
* Many new textures and skyboxes
* Developer IRC channel irc.OFTC.net #Sandbox or Click here!

Download Platinum Arts Sandbox Beta 2.1

As a note we are very interested in any and all PR opportunities. If you are interested in any kind of promotion related to us please contact me!

We really hope you enjoy it! Take care.
-mike
http://Kids.PlatinumArts.Net
http://PlatinumArts.Net

Geforce GTX 480 and GTX 470 reviewed: Fermi performance benchmarks

noreply@blogger.com (ahmz) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 16:30:00 +0000

Nvidia's Geforce GTX 480 and GTX 470 have arrived. PC Games Hardware puts the new DirectX 11 graphics cards to the test.

With a delay of several months and after tons of rumors Nvidia's Fermi architecture has finally reached the retail market. The first cards of the new DirectX 11 generation are the Geforce GTX 480 and Geforce GTX 470. They are targeted for the high-end sector where they have to deal with AMD's Ati Radeon HD 5800 series. PC Games Hardware tests which of the factions can win this face-off.

Geforce GTX 480 and GTX 470 reviewed: The architecture

We have summarized the most important technical specifications of the Geforce GTX 400 series in order to give you a quick overview. All in all a Fermi chip consists of four CPCs - Graphics (or General) Processing Clusters -, six memory controllers including ROPs and Level 2 cache, the Host Interface for communication with the PC as well as a control center which is called Giga Thread Engine. The GF100 has three billion transistors - about 40 percent more than Ati's Cypress chips with 2.15 billion. Each GPC has its own Rasterizer, a geometry unit called Polymorph and four Shader multi processors with 32 ALUs/16 TMUs each. The memory interface is 384 bit wide.

For the launch of the Fermi architecture Nvidia releases the Geforce GTX 480 and the GTX 470 and a rumor that has been working circles on the Internet lately has been proven to be true: None of the two cards will have a fully-fledged GF100 chip with 512 ALUs. The GTX 480 has 480 Shader Units and 60 Texture Units while the GTX 470 offers 448 ALUs and 56 TMUs.

In matters of clock speeds Nvidia doesn't make big steps in comparison too the predecessor, the GT200. The GTX 480 is running with 700 MHz core frequency and the Shader ALUs are running at 1400 MHz. The GDDR5 video memory has been set to 1846 MHz. Given the fact that the 0.4 nanosecond VRAM used for the card is specified for 2500 MHz it almost seems like Nvidia wants to keep the maximal power consumption down.

Picture gallery

Latest Games

noreply@blogger.com (ahmz) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:15:00 +0000

Real Detectives – Murder In Miami (Final)

Real Detectives – Murder In Miami (Final)
Release: 2010 | English | PC | Developer: GameHouse | 102 MB
Genres: Hidden Object

Step into in the shoes of a homicide detective Dan Foible and his team of experts as a sudden wave of violence hits Miami. Search for evidence, unravel clues and solve puzzles while investigating a series of crimes in this gripping hidden object adventure.

A unique blend of point-and-click and hidden object adventure, Real Detectives gives you an opportunity to hunt for evidence and interrogate suspects. Mini-games and mind-bending puzzles help you uncover clues and lead you closer to the culprit.With a modern setting in Miami, Florida; a sensational, “pulled from the headlines” story, high production values and new-to-the-genre game mechanics, Real Detectives is poised to become a flagship crime drama series.

Features:
- Serve justice in this hidden object investigation!
- Investigate remarkable crime scenes and collect evidence!
- Follow tantalizing clues and interrogate suspects!
- Use forensic tools to solve key puzzles!

Information and power at your fingertips in a keyboard that’s ready for battle.

noreply@blogger.com (ahmz) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:03:00 +0000

Logitech G-series. The gear that gets you there.

A millimeter. A millisecond. A customizable control right where you need it. The smallest details can make all the difference. Never an ordinary device, everything in Logitech G-series is crafted to perform, to fit you, to feel real.

G-series is about customization. It’s about extreme performance. It’s about features nobody’s given you before. And understanding just what you want and need because we’re not only listening to the gaming community—we’re part of it.

Logitech G-series. It’s the gear that gets you there by getting out of your way. Victory is up to you.

Here’s a sampling of what you can expect from the G-series family:

* A weight-tuning system on the Logitech® G9x Laser Mouse
* Customizable color LEDs on the Logitech G-series keyboards
* 87 programmable macros on the G13 advanced gameboard
* Swappable headband pads on the Logitech® G35 Surround Sound Headset
* A fully featured HOTAS (Hands on Throttle-and-Stick) design with more than 250 programmable buttons on the Logitech® Flight System G940