[Images via Emily Shur]

There are few things sillier about the modern landscape than cell phone towers disguised as trees. Every now and then you see one by the side of the highway that's vaguely plausible at 70 miles an hour, but most of the time they're pretty hopeless. Now Photographer Emily Shur has cataloged some of the finer Southern California specimens as part of a project called "Nature Calls." She told the Atlantic Cities that the neighborhoods where she finds most of the tree towers "have largely been either industrial or pretty generic residential," but even a seasoned fake-tree-spotter like her gets fooled sometimes. "The worst is when we've driven great lengths to see if one was fake only to find out it's a real tree," she says. Judging by her totally excellent collection, the fake palm tree is the favored style in these parts, though the fake pine manufacturers needn't despair. Check out the rest at Shur's site.
· The Many Disguises of California's Cell Phone Towers [Atlantic Cities]

It’s that most wonderful time of the year, when hundreds of thousands of lil’ geeklings like you and me descend upon the magical place where Spanish settlers once banded together to form a colony of stout religious beliefs… and somehow that evolved into a city synonymous with comics, costumes & cash cow Hollywood franchises (basically, all the stuff that’s regularly attacked by groups with stout religious beliefs). It’s time for San Diego Comic-Con, y’all – WOO-HOO!

Now, before we get too deep into this city named after a whale’s vagina, I should warn you – this ISN’T your ordinary San Diego Comic-Con article; in fact, it’s not even your ordinary SDCC swag article. If you’re looking for Comic-Con exclusive merchandise (sometimes also referred to as “swag”), of which there is a LOT to spend your hard-earned dollars on, that stuff’s been covered by plenty of other high quality publications and blogs; I strongly recommend you start by tying on a lobster bib to catch the drool and then head over to Comic-Con’s official exclusives page by clicking HERE. Yep, it’s all gorgeous. (Tell me you DON’T want that awesome Black Series Boba Fett or the ultra-cool NECA Friday the 13th figure!)

But, as any longtime Swag Magnet reader (of which there are none, since we’re a very new blog) can tell you, we’re all about the FREE stuff – and that’s the stuff that gets too often overlooked by other sites. Here, we’re going to give you a complete run down on WHO’s giving away WHAT, WHERE to go and WHEN, and most importantly, HOW to get it! With a little simple planning, Comic-Con can be like Christmas for a fanboy swag hunter – and we’re going to make sure you don’t miss a single trophy!

To make things as simple as possible, we’ve broken down all of our information, rumors and ideas by day (and time, where appropriate); if you’re only planning on attending certain days of the convention, be sure to read not only your specific days, but also the “Tips” and “Throughout the Con” sections, as these include information that pertains to ALL DAYS OF THE CONVENTION.

(IMPORTANT NOTE: A lot of information on Comic-Con swag tends to be revealed in the last 2 weeks before the convention; we’ll be updating this article regularly as more information comes in, so be sure to bookmark this page and check back often!)

TIPS

• Make sure you have a fully-charged smartphone with internet access with you at ALL TIMES, and make sure it has the proper apps installed on it ahead of time. The Comic-Con app is handy, but for our purposes, the apps you’re absolutely going to need are Twitter and FourSquare:
  • Twitter is extremely important, as oftentimes companies will do some of their con giveaways via Twitter – yes, even if you’re there live. They may ask to see that you’ve tweeted out a certain message (which is why you need the smartphone available at all times), or they’ll tell you to follow a certain account and then tweet out critical information (such as when and where to obtain limited quantities of swag) to their followers. You may even want to consider installing TweetDeck, as this will allow you to set up multiple feeds following certain people or hashtags – you don’t want to risk that important swag tweet getting lost in tweets from hundreds of your friends.
  • FourSquare is less important, but it’s not unheard of for some companies to require you to “check in” at their booth or location on FourSquare to earn swag; it’s worth having an account ready to go, just in case.
  • Oh, and follow US on Twitter too – @ItsSwagMagnet; we’ll have updates on new swag finds throughout the con, and that’s usually the first place you’ll hear from us about ‘em.
• Internet access in the convention hall in particular can be spotty; there is free wifi provided, but it can oftentimes be quite slow. Be sure to compare both the wifi signal AND your phone service carrier’s data signal (3G, 4G, LTE, etc.) to see which will give you the best connection. Also, be aware that certain areas of the convention can be better or worse for different signals (the Indigo room at the Hilton Bayfront, for example, is notoriously bad for wifi unless you’re a hotel guest, but can sometimes get a great data signal).
• Have a battery power backup plan that doesn’t involve finding a power outlet to charge at. Power outlets can be very hard to come by in the convention center, and are often hoarded by other convention goers. You know how much power your particular set up consumes (and remember to shut down those background programs to conserve power through the day – I’m lookin’ at you, iPhone users!); if you’re worried that you won’t have enough juice to make it through the day, consider purchasing a portable power pack for your phone.
• People are going to try to hand you flyers – especially at the entrance to the Gaslamp District. Take them. Too many people ignore these, but the smart swag hunter will grab every flyer he or she can, and quickly scan them for any information on swag giveaways or Twitter handles. If there’s a Twitter handle, follow it – whatever company is handing out those flyers has already paid to have a presence at the con, and if they decide to do some sort of swag giveaway, there’s a good chance they’ll do it via Twitter if they’re trying to get you to follow their account.
• Be familiar with the Gaslamp Quarter – if you’ve never been before, then check it out here on Google Maps (it’s all laid out in a very grid-like pattern, making it quite easy to find your way around). Many events will take place in the Gaslamp Quarter, and some may occasionally require you to meet at a “secret location” very quickly, so you’re gonna want to know where you need to be – fast! (P.S. Don’t freak if you find out that a place you need to be is several blocks away – San Diego street blocks run much smaller than most other cities, so a “block” here is actually a pretty short distance.)
• Even if you don’t make it into the Gaslamp Quarter too much (and you should, because it makes for great swag hunting grounds), try to get over to the entrance to the Gaslamp Quarter at least once each day. A goodly number of promoters will all gather here, because there isn’t room on the convention center’s side of the street – which means you can often acquire several pieces of cool swag all within a few feet of each other.
• Don’t forget about the convention center’s bag check! This can be a lifesaver if your stock of swag gets a bit heavy – better to spend a couple of bucks checking the bag and free yourself up to get fresh stuff!
• Always be on the lookout for tickets. Many panels that have swag to give away but don’t want to / aren’t able to give it away at their panel will instead give out little paper tickets; they look a little like this style of raffle ticket:
  Every ticket will be a different combination of colors and designs (like a picture of a clown or a house, etc.) – that’s how they identify which panel the ticket came from. If you see one of these lying around, grab it! A surprising number of people toss these, not understanding what they’re for – and they’re paper gold, my friends! Comic-Con has a redemption room set up each year over in the Marriott Marquis & Marina where you can exchange these tickets for some of the best swag at the con (and yes, you can redeem multiple tickets – but DON’T be the asshat who tries to steal multiple tickets at a panel, as this may get you kicked out, and will most certainly draw the ire of your fellow con-goers; the only legitimate situation for redeeming multiple tickets is if you’re either picking up swag for friends, or if you luck out and find an extra discarded ticket laying around after the panel). Note: Not every ticket is for swag; some may be for raffles held on the convention floor – you can usually identify those by words being printed on them, rather than symbols. Also note: the redemption room stays open throughout the convention, and for about an hour after the con closes on Sunday – this is the perfect time to cash out! They only give out as many tickets as they have swag items, so you never have to worry about stuff running out, and by redeeming your tickets on Sunday, you can save yourself from having to make extra trips AND not miss any con time! (The only time I would recommend hitting the redemption room before Sunday is either if you’re leaving the con early, OR if you’re visiting the Nintendo Gaming area – more on that below).
• Collecting swag is awesome… but be reasonable about it. Don’t be that guy who grabs 12 copies of every comic at the DC booth; grab one for yourself, and leave the others to be enjoyed by your fellow attendees!

THROUGHOUT THE CON

• First up, the swag everybody gets – the cover image for the San Diego Comic-Con Souvenir Book has been released, featuring art from artist Dave McKean celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Sandman.
  (They’re also going to be featuring this same image on one of the popular Comic-Con t-shirts, which always sell out.)
• Longtime SDCC attendees who’ve been lucky enough to stay in the host hotels know that Warner Bros. Television has usually put images from some of their upcoming TV shows on the key cards for those hotels during the con, turning them into a nice little collectable. Those popular key cards will be returning this year – but this time, they’re only doing TWO key cards (not the larger variety they usually do)… and worse, they’re for the same show! Hope you’re a fan of Person of Interest on CBS; if you are, you’re going to want to get your hands on both of these:
  
• The popular FOX Fanfare poster tubes will be returning to the FOX booth again this year, complete with another series of collectable mini-posters! These are always a HOT swag item on the floor, and useful too (there’s a lot of posters given out, so having something to protect them is always a good idea), so be sure to try and grab one of these as soon as possible – they WILL run out!
• Summit Entertainment will once again be a VERY hot booth for swag hunters, as they’ve confirmed that they’ll be giving away mucho swag for the films Ender’s Game (in theaters November 1st) and Divergent (in theaters March 21st, 2014). In addition to the beautiful swag bags seen below, they’ll have a number of other items - Divergent fans will be able to collect 5 different temporary tattoos, 5 different iron-on patches, and 5 different lapel pins, all featuring the same 5 icons seen on the bag. Ender’s Game fans (of which we know there are many!) will have an even tougher time, as they’ll have a whopping 10 different static clings to collect and 10 different lapel pins! Better yet, we’ve also confirmed that Summit will be hosting the Ender’s Game Fan Experience across the street at the Hilton Gaslamp, where fans will be able to collect 9 different Ender’s Game dog tags!
  
• Unfortunately, you won’t be able to wear one of the hottest swag items on the con floor this year… but your pet will! PETCO will be hosting a booth this year - #2913 – to show off their new “Star Wars Pet Fans” collection of pet toys and accessories inspired by the films… and to do so, they’ll be giving away FREE sets of Yoda ears for your dog or cat! I’m guessing these will be extremely sought-after – so plan on spending a little time grabbing a pair before they run out!
  
• Cartoon Network has confirmed that they will be giving away a set of five Adventure Time buttons at the convention. They haven’t announced the where and when yet – but they did previously give out a similar set in the past (which proved to be VERY popular), so if history dictates, they’ll do the same thing this year and give out a different button each day at their booth. If we’re right, then this means you’ll have to visit the booth all five days to get the complete set, and that the “Preview Night” button will be particularly hard to come by! (There’s also a chance that they give these buttons away at the Adventure Time panel on Friday, or via street teams in the Gaslamp Quarter – as they often have street teams out in force each year – but we’re still willing to bet that our guess is the most likely scenario.)
• Shout! Factory over at booth #4248 will be promoting their new Scream! Factory DVD division by giving away a set of buttons promoting some of their new horror titles: The Amityville Horror Trilogy, Day of the Dead, Prince of Darkness, Psycho II & III and The Vincent Price Collection.
  But… is horror not quite your thing? Then how about a free My Little Pony Princess Twilight Sparkle Crown? Yeah – come & get your bling on, Bronies!
  
• Blizzard Entertainment, the video game powerhouse behind such juggernauts as World of Warcraft, Diablo and StarCraft is making its first-ever appearance on the Exhibit Hall floor – and they want to make a splash. Not only are they bringing out some sweet exclusives, but they’re also going to be giving away a World of Warcraft Epic Purple Lanyard, complete with custom-embroidered stat tag, four-color purple ribbon and rotating lobster claw clasp! Considering how rabid WoW fans tend to be, you can be assured that this will be one of the hot swag items on the con floor – and that means there’s a good chance they’ll run out early. Don’t miss ‘em!
• Disney Interactive has confirmed that they will have a presence in the Gaslamp Quarter promoting their upcoming video game Disney Infinity (no official word on where yet – but the Horton Plaza may be a safe bet, as this is where the studio was promoting Wreck-It Ralph last year). They will have some sort of “giveaways”, but haven’t revealed what those will be yet. Considering how high-profile this game is for them, and how sought-after Disney swag is, AND the fact that they’re doing this across the country… we’re expecting big things. NOTE: Whatever it is that Disney has on tap, they will NOT be doing it on Sunday; they’re planning on packing up early, so don’t wait until the last minute – make sure you’ve grabbed your Disney Infinity swag by Saturday!
• [RUMORED]: There’s sketchy details coming out about some exclusive Magic: The Gathering Planeswalker cards being made available at the Hasbro booth #3213, but reports seem to contradict each other on whether these are going to be a very limited giveaway, or an unannounced exclusive item for sale – it’s worth checking out if you’re headed over there to purchase exclusives…
• Bandai America has confirmed that they will be giving out a set of 7 different SDCC-exclusive cards from their Power Ranger Action Card Game. To collect the entire set, you’ll need to do a few different things; first, cards #1-#5 will be given away at the Bandai booth #2813 (it wouldn’t surprise us if they gave away a different card each day, meaning card #1 would ONLY be available on Preview Night – but this is NOT confirmed). Card #6, however, will ONLY be given away at the Bluefin Tamashii Nations USA booth #3545. Finally, a Saban street teem will be hanging out near the entrance to the Gaslamp Quarter from time to time – you’ll need to track one of these street team members down, as they’re the only people who can give you the final card in the set!
  
• Publisher Del Rey is giving away a Star Wars sampler book; you can find their booth at #2913.
• Publisher Harper-Voyager at booth #1029 will be giving away free e-book samplers of their work, as well as paperback copies of Dragon Keeper by author Robin Hobb.
  
• FUNimation is bringing the SyFy series Lost Girl to Comic-Con in a big way; not only will they be holding both a panel AND in-booth autograph sessions, but they’ll also be giving out Lost Girl character buttons and the Lost Girl Wanderer tarot card seen below at the Giant Ape booth #4135:
  These items are limited, and may only be available at specific times; your best bet to get ‘em is to follow Giant Ape on Twitter at @GiantApeMedia.
• Here’s a blast from the past… Penguin Group at booth #1028 is going to be handing con attendees an SDCC-exclusive Mad Libs book, featuring two Comic-Con-inspired stories, as well as Mad Libs from Adventure Time, Star Wars, Skylanders and more!
  
• Planning on pre-ordering those sweet SDCC-exclusive “vintage” Alien figures from Super7? When you do, be sure to sign up for their mailing list at booth #5245- do so, and they’ll also give you a figure base with foot pegs FREE! Better yet, they’ll also be giving away a limited amount of “vintage” action figure brochure replicas to go with your figures – so if you want your set to be complete, make sure you get over to their booth before those brochure replicas run out!
• The Diamond Select Toys booth #2607 is always good for an SDCC-exclusive Minimates figure giveaway each year, and this year is no different – they’ll be giving away the “Shadow Merk” figure seen below from IDW‘s Battle Beasts comic:
  
• The Prop Store at booth #3645 will be giving away 100 lanyards a day, as well as a “handful” of mugs; you’ll also want to let them scan your badge while you’re there, as they’ll be giving one lucky attendee an actual ampule from the movie Prometheus at the end of the con!
• Have you always wanted a Doctor Who sonic screwdriver of your very own? Well, Fanfare has your chance – over at booth #3947, they’ll be giving a replica of the 10th Doctor’s infamous tool to the first 20 people who make a purchase each day!
  
• Wanna see the Star Wars Course of the Force relay run? Well, there’s goodies in it for you too – Otter Pops will be giving out free limited-edition “lightsaber” pops!
• Fan of The Walking Dead? The first 8,000 people to sign up for The Walking Dead Escape event over at PETCO Park will be given a special collectable copy of the book The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor.
  Sign up between now and July 18th and you’ll also be entered in a drawing to win a two-pack of The Walking Dead Minimates from Diamond Select Toys - one set will be given away each day!
  
• PSA, the world’s largest third-party certification company for trading cards, will be giving away PSA-graded samples of trading cards from The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones (while supplies last), as well as copies of the August 2013 issue of SMR Magazine. Better yet, fans will also have a chance to enter a drawing to win the custom artwork shown below from The Walking Dead created by artist Arthur K. Miller and created for the magazine’s August 2013 cover, custom framed and valued at over $3,000:
  
• [NEW!]: Impractical Jokers, the hit hidden-camera comedy show on TruTV, has been renewed for a third season – and to celebrate, they’re crashing Comic-Con! The show will be taking over the Broken Yolk restaurant – 355 6th Ave. in the Gaslamp Quarter – and they’ll be giving away tons of swag, including buttons, t-shirts, keychains, and the special new comic book created by DC Comics shown below:
  Special note: If you show up at the Broken Yolk on Saturday (time TBA), the cast of the show will be appearing live in person to autograph that new comic!
• DC Entertainment has confirmed that they will have plenty of giveaways at their booth #1915 all convention long (no surprise there; they’re always good for lots of swag!), but no details yet on what those giveaways might be.
• The Nintendo Gaming Lounge has been confirmed to be returning to the Mariott Marquis & Marina hotel again this year; no details have been released yet, but this is always an excellent place to grab some great swag (especially t-shirts) – stay tuned for more details soon!
• Geek Magazine at booth #4014 will be giving away limited-edition SDCC-exclusive Red Star: Rapidfire posters from artist Christian Gossett.
• Each day, Insight Editions at booth #1134 will be giving away a copy of the book The Art of Blizzard.
• Dark’s Art Parlour at booth #M-01 will be giving away 25 copies of their Ghosts portfolio of Rochelle Heagh Phister paintings each day.
• Hannah Lynn Art & Design at booth #A-10 will be giving away SDCC-exclusive limited-edition “Masked Molly” character trading cards.
• iSmooth will have a street team in the Gaslamp Quarter, giving away free screen protectors for your mobile devices, as well as bags, pins, stickers & coupons – be on the lookout!
• Geek & Sundry, the YouTube channel from Felicia Day, has announced that they’ll be holding events and giving away swag all weekend at Jolt ‘n Joe at 4th and J – more details to follow!

WEDNESDAY (Preview Night)

• [NEW!]: Shout! Factory at booth #4248 will be offering its fans a Shout! 10th Anniversary canvas tote bag as a gift with purchase throughout the convention… but to help get the word out, if you show up at their booth during Preview Night only, you’ll get one of those limited-edition tote bags FREE - no purchase required!
• 7:00pm - Digital publisher GoComics will have a street team roaming San Diego and handing out oodles of free comics, t-shirts, and a bunch of other goodies for ONE HOUR (or until they run out of stuff!) starting at this time. The location where this mystery street team will be giving away stuff is a secret they will reveal only to their Twitter followers approximately 15 minutes before the event, so you’ll want to make sure you’re following them at @GoComics!
• 12:00am Midnight - USA is holding a very special screening of their upcoming special Psych: The Musical episode – see it nearly 5 months before all the other Psych fans! The screening will take place at Reading Cinemas at 701 5th Ave. in the Gaslamp Quarter, and they’re promising free concessions, cast appearances & giveaways for all their loyal viewers in attendance. USA has been really good about treating their SDCC fanbase well in previous years, and considering that this will likely be the big farewell for this longtime con favorite show, this will be one party you won’t want to miss! You can RSVP in advance for the screening by clicking HERE.
  

THURSDAY

• 10:00am-6:00pm – Adult Swim at booth #3721 will be handing out 1,500 sweepstakes entries on Thursday – 10 of which will win a State Farm VIP prize pack, which includes access to all of the Adult Swim panels, tickets to the Adult Swim Funhouse, Adult Swim swag, and 2 tickets to the Eric Andre Live! show at House of Blues on Saturday!
• [NEW!]: 11:30am-3:00pm – The Elder Scrolls Online, a new online game launching this year, will be setting up shop with a special food truck near PETCO Park. Not only will they have free food (and we hear their grilled cheese is pretty epic!), but they’ll also have some exclusive giveaways. No official word yet on what those giveaways will be – but we’re hearing rumors of a collectable cup as well as other items, and we do know that when this same promotion was done in 2011 to promote The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the food truck they toured with back then had some great swag that was handed out to fans, including drink coozies, bottle openers and even some crazy horned helms!
• 11:30am (Room 24ABC) - Movie theater chain AMC Theaters will be giving out free movie passes to everyone who attends the Masters of the Web panel – yay free movies!
• 11:45am (Room 6A) [RUMORED]: There’s gonna be a sweet set of buttons being given out from DreamWorks Animation, promoting the upcoming films Turbo, Mr. Peabody & Sherman and How To Train Your Dragon 2; we’re still not certain on WHERE these are going to be given out (the fact that the buttons exist has been confirmed, but not the distribution plans) – but the smart money is on this Dreamworks Animation Filmmaker Focus panel.
• 12:00pm (Room 23ABC) - Legendary animator/director Bill Plympton will be providing everyone who attends his Cheatin’ and Kickstarter Funding for Animation panel with a free sketch!
• 1:00pm - IGN will be hosting a “Fan Crawl” to promote the movie The World’s End (in theaters August 23rd) and they’re giving away free food, drinks & more! The crawl starts at The Commons, 901 4th Ave., and then will proceed to the Hotel Solamar and will then wrap up at the Hard Rock Hotel – not only will fans have a chance to answer trivia to win prizes, including tickets to a screening of The World’s End, but if you stick around for the whole crawl (you must make it to all 3 locations to be eligible!), you’ll be able to enter a drawing to win tickets to the exclusive IGN party that night!
• 1:30pm - The Mattel booth #3029 will be holding a signing with the creative team behind the Masters of the Universe mini-comics – and they’ll be handing out a free MOTUC mini-comic to the first 100 people in line!
• 2:00pm (Room 32AB) – Comic-Con’s own Toucan Blog will be holding it’s very first-ever live panel, and all con-goers in attendance will receive a free official Toucan collectable button!
• 2:30pm (Room 24ABC) - A free limited-edition poster is in the cards for everyone who attends the Captain Action: Where the Action Is panel!
• 3:00pm (Room 30CDE) - If you’re an Adobe Photoshop user, then the Adobe Photoshop Insights from the Photoshop Team and Pro Artists panel may be where you want to be, not only for the great info, but also because one lucky attendee will be going home with a free Adobe Creative Cloud membership.
• 3:30pm (Room 4) - Publisher IDW’s panel IDW: Focus on Artist’s Editions has promised “special giveaways”, but there has been no confirmation of what those giveaways might be yet.
• 3:50pm (Hall H) [RUMORED] - There has been no official announcement of swag being given away at this Summit Entertainment panel promoting the upcoming films Ender’s Game and Divergent, but considering the massive amount of swag being given away for both of these films at their booth (listed earlier in this post), it would be extremely likely that there will be some sort of giveaway at this panel as well.
• 4:30pm (Room 24ABC) - The Creepy and Eerie REBORN and UNDEAD panel has promised “extra-spooky giveaways” to their attendees, but we’re not sure what they’ll be yet…
• 5:00pm (Room 7AB) - You’ll want to attend the Bringing the Roman Empire to Life on XBox One: The Creation of Ryse: Son of Rome panel, as every fan in the audience will be going home with a limited-edition printed comic book from the game!
• 5:30pm (Room 24ABC) - Swag may be in the cards for attendees at the FUNimation Industry Panel; they’ve promised the chance to “win swag”, which suggests a trivia competition – but FUNimation is also bringing swag to their booth to promote Lost Girl (mentioned earlier in this post), so it wouldn’t surprise us to see some of it end up here.
• 5:30pm (Room 4) – Kodansha Comics has hinted at giveaways in their panel; no confirmation on what they might be, though…
• 6:00pm (Room 32AB) - “Exclusive giveaways” are on deck for people who attend the Behind the Music with CW3PR panel; no official word on what they might be, though perhaps a music sampler would be a good guess?
• 6:30pm - Digital publisher GoComics will have a street team roaming San Diego and handing out oodles of free comics, t-shirts, and a bunch of other goodies for ONE HOUR (or until they run out of stuff!) starting at this time. The location where this mystery street team will be giving away stuff is a secret they will reveal only to their Twitter followers approximately 15 minutes before the event, so you’ll want to make sure you’re following them at @GoComics!
• 7:00pm (Room 9) - Make a special note of this panel, as it’s one that could be easily overlooked, and you DEFINITELY won’t want to miss! Fans attending the Scoop at Simon and Schuster panel will receive a limited-edition t-shirt from the upcoming movie The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones!
• 7:00pm – Fans of BioWare’s Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG will definitely want to hit up their “Community Cantina Tour”, as not only will they be slingin’ free drinks and hosting giveaways, but every attendee will also receive a highly-coveted code to redeem for the “Tauntaun Fawn” in-game pet! The party will be taking place at The Commons Bar at 901 4th Avenue; you can also RSVP in advance for the party on Facebook by clicking here, but RSVPs are not necessary to attend.
• 8:30pm – Starz is giving away passes to a special early screening of their upcoming series Black Sails; you can RSVP for the screening by clicking HERE. The screening will be taking place at Reading Cinemas at 701 5th Ave., and it’s all first-come-first-served seating, so you’ll want to get there early… but in this case, you’ll want to get there EXTRA early, as they’re also giving away wristbands to the first 200 people in line that will grant you access to the VIP Starz party! (Those VIP parties are often great places to get some sweet unannounced swag, too!)

FRIDAY

• The Costumes Designers Guild Local 892 will have members roaming the convention on Friday, looking to award exclusive gift bags and autographed souvenirs to con attendees in the best costumes – follow them on Twitter at @Local892 for specific times and locations. They’ll also be giving away tickets to their exclusive invitation-only industry party to a few lucky followers!
  
• 10:00am-7:00pm – One of the hottest swag items at the con may not be on the floor at all… but rather, from the high seas behind the convention center! UbiSoft will be promoting Assassin’s Creed IV in style… with a real, full-size pirate ship! Fans who visit the ship – which will only be open on Friday and Saturday – will be able to receive inflatable cutlass swords, Assassin’s Creed art booklets from Titan, prizes and more! Better yet, legendary artist Todd McFarlane will be signing a limited-edition Assassin’s Creed poster giveaway from 4pm-7pm on Friday!
• 10:00am (Room 28DE) - Folks attending the Edgar Rice Burroughs: Tarzan, Carson of Venus, and the Next 100 Years of Adventure panel will all be eligible to enter a drawing to win signed original art at the panel’s conclusion.
• 10:30am - The Mattel booth #3029 will be holding a raffle and giving away free products from their new “Batman Classic TV Series” line!
• 10:30am (Room 8) - Planning on attending the Global Comics: Jinnrise and Beyond panel? Good news – publisher IDW will be awarding each attendee a signed copy of Jinnrise (and other swag!) for your troubles!
• 11:00am (Room 32AB) - Who doesn’t love free comics? You’ll be going home with plenty, as they’re being given away to everyone who attends the Oni Press RevolutiONIze Comics Panel!
• 11:15am (Room 6DE) - Take a crack at scoring some exclusive prizes from DC Entertainment if you can win the trivia competitions at the DC Entertainment Presents: DC Comics Too Tough Trivia panel!
• 12:00pm (Room 9) - Aspen Comics is always good about providing a bunch of free comics to attendees at pretty much all of their panels at every convention they go to, and considering that they’ve already promised a “free gift” to everyone at their Ten Years of Aspen Comics panel, I don’t expect them to break that streak!
• 12:15pm (Hall H) [RUMORED]: - It’s unconfirmed, but we’ve got a hunch that there may be an SDCC-exclusive new Riddick poster being given to attendees at the Universal Pictures panel in Hall H this year; according to actor Vin Diesel, it looks like this:
  Cool, no?
• 12:15pm (Hall H) [RUMORED]: - Also adding to the unconfirmed rumor above, but there’s a good chance that some Kick-Ass 2 swag is a definite possibility at the Universal Pictures panel in Hall H too… and we’re pretty sure it’ll be either a poster, a t-shirt, or possibly one of the cool silicone sport watches that they created for the Kick-Ass 2 giveaway over at WeAreJusticeForever.com.
• 12:30pm (Room 8) – Duane Swierczynski’s spotlight panel has promised “special prizes” to attendees – but that’s all the info we’ve got so far…
• 1:00pm (Room 25ABC) – Arcana’s SteamPunk Originals: All About SteamPunk! panel has also promised “giveaways galore!” – but no other info is currently available.
• 2:00pm (Room 9) - Head down to the Cyborg 009 and the Legacy of Shotaro Ishinomori panel and you’ll walk away with a free preview issue of Cyborg 009: Chapter 000!
• 3:00pm (Room 25ABC) – Mattel and DC Entertainment will be hosting the joint panel Mattel and DC Comics – A Celebration for Collectors of All Ages! and they’ve promised an “exciting toy giveaway” for everyone who attends! No word yet on what the toy might be (though something from the new “Batman Classic TV Series” or Man of Steel lines might be a good guess)!
• 3:00pm (Room 32AB) - Attendees at the Character of Music panel have been promised “fun giveaways”, but no other information has been made available yet…
• 3:30pm - Digital publisher GoComics will have a street team roaming San Diego and handing out oodles of free comics, t-shirts, and a bunch of other goodies for ONE HOUR (or until they run out of stuff!) starting at this time. The location where this mystery street team will be giving away stuff is a secret they will reveal only to their Twitter followers approximately 15 minutes before the event, so you’ll want to make sure you’re following them at @GoComics!
• 4:00pm - PETCO will be hosting a special “Yappy Hour” celebration in honor of their upcoming line of Star Wars pet toys and apparel over at the Hotel Indigo, 509 9th Ave. in the Gaslamp Quarter. Not only will there be giveaways (we’re betting this may be a great chance to get one of those awesome sets of doggie Yoda ears we mentioned earlier in this post!), but partygoers are welcome to bring their pets for a photo op, a free caricature, a chance to win items from the new “Star Wars Pet Fans” collection, and attendees in costume even get a complimentary “Wookie Juice” cocktail!
• 5:45pm (Room 5AB) - The Science Channel: Outrageous Acts of Science panel promises to give away “autographed prizes and exclusive giveaways” in a “way unlike any other panel at Comic-Con”! We have no idea what that means, but we like the sound of it – and considering that the Science Channel showed up in a big way last year with those cool orange swag bags that were being given away all around the Gaslamp Quarter, we have high hopes for this panel!
• [NEW!]: 6:30pm (Hall H) - Details are still very sketchy, but Metallica has announced that they will be playing a top-secret show in San Diego following their appearance at Comic-Con… and they’re going to give con attendees at this Hall H panel a shot at free tickets to the show! Word is that they’ll be awarding 500 tickets here; considering that the hall holds 6,500 people, we’re not sure how that’s going to go down, but if you’re lucky enough to score a ticket, it sounds like it could be some of the best swag at the con!
• 6:30pm (Room 26AB) - Con attendees at the Arcana Comics: HeadSmash’ing into Comics, Film and More panel will be excited, as they’ll be going home with both free comics AND free posters from legendary artist Tim Bradstreet!
• 6:30pm (Room 28DE) – The Yen Press Crew panel is promising “sweet giveaways”, but haven’t revealed yet just how sweet they’ll be…
• 7:00pm (Room 4) - Join legendary movie poster artist Drew Struzan in his spotlight panel, and not only will you receive free movie tickets for the upcoming documentary Drew: The Man Behind the Poster about his life, but there will also be poster giveaways (and this is from a man who knows posters – he’s the guy who created the classic movie posters for the Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Back to the Future trilogies, just to name a few)!
• 7:00pm (Room 9) - Go find out What’s Up With Penguin? and you’ll be walking away with free advance reading copies from Penguin Publishing!
• 7:30pm (Ballroom 20) - Planning on seeing the World Premiere of Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox? Well, you might just enjoy the film even more if you’re lucky, as a few con-goers in attendance who stick around for the panel after the screening will be going home with special autographed prizes!
• 8:45pm (Room 5AB) - Some sort of “gifts” have been hinted at in the Space Command: Bold Adventures in the Far Reaches of Space panel – what might they be?

SATURDAY

• The Costumes Designers Guild Local 892 will have members roaming the convention on Saturday, looking to award exclusive gift bags and autographed souvenirs to con attendees in the best costumes – follow them on Twitter at @Local892 for specific times and locations.
• 10:00am-7:00pm - One of the hottest swag items at the con may not be on the floor at all… but rather, from the high seas behind the convention center! UbiSoft will be promoting Assassin’s Creed IV in style… with a real, full-size pirate ship! Fans who visit the ship – which will only be open on Friday and Saturday – will be able to receive inflatable cutlass swords, Assassin’s Creed art booklets from Titan, prizes and more! Better yet, legendary artist Todd McFarlane will be signing a limited-edition Assassin’s Creed poster giveaway from 10:30am-1:30pm on Saturday!
• 11:00am (Room 25ABC) - Doing a bit of monster-themed cosplay? Then you might want to stop by the Mattel: Monster High 2013: Where SCREAMS Come True! panel, as they’ll be awarding prizes for the best outfits!
• 11:00am (Room 9) - Attendees to the Twenty-One Years of Top Cow panel will all be walking away with a special limited-edition mini-lithograph!
• 12:00pm - Digital publisher GoComics will have a street team roaming San Diego and handing out oodles of free comics, t-shirts, and a bunch of other goodies for ONE HOUR (or until they run out of stuff!) starting at this time. The location where this mystery street team will be giving away stuff is a secret they will reveal only to their Twitter followers approximately 15 minutes before the event, so you’ll want to make sure you’re following them at @GoComics! NOTE: They’ll also be holding a special GoComics ”tweet-up” at a location TBD at this same time on Saturday, with the chance to meet the creators of some of your favorite comics, get autographs, and even more giveaways!
• 12:00pm (Room 9) - Heading down to hear about the Riverdale gang is going to present plenty of surprises… and the biggest one might just be the “gift bag worth $100″ being promised to attendees at the Archie Comics: The Hottest Publisher in the Industry panel!
• 1:30pm (Room 24ABC) - “Prizes” are being promised from Dark Horse in the Star Wars vs. Serenity panel, but no other details have been made available…
• 2:00pm (Room 9) - “Prizes” have also been promised at the Mad about MAD panel – but considering how good these guys have been about providing free copies of MAD at panels in the past, we’re expecting more of the same here.
• 3:00pm (Room 25ABC) – Roddenberry Entertainment will be giving away an iPad Mini to one lucky attendee at this panel – fingers crossed!
• 3:00pm (Room 30CDE) - If you’re an aspiring artist, don’t miss the Supercharge Your Superhero with Prismacolor! panel, as samples and door prizes will be given away here!
• 3:30pm (Room 26AB) - “Giveaways” are on the schedule at the Fantagraphics / Drawn & Quarterly Preview panel – don’t miss out!
• 4:00pm (Room 28DE) - You’re getting a lot out of the con… how about giving a little? It’s not exactly “swag”, but we wanted to mention that the Power of Geek: Superfandom and Why Brands, Media and the World at Large Want In panel has promised to make a donation to the Hero Initiative for every person who attends this panel!
• 4:15pm (Room 6A) - As if you didn’t already have enough reason to celebrate the Big Blue Boy Scout over at the Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment: Superman’s 75th Anniversary Celebration panel, you’ll also be leaving the party with a special Superman Quick Shots figure as a parting gift! Sweet!
• 4:30pm (Room 8) - Fans attending the Archaia Entertainment: Announcements, Sneak Previews and What’s Next! panel will all be receiving a copy of Archaia’s 2012 Free Comic Book Day hardcover book!
• 5:00pm (Room 28DE) - Prizes have been promised for not only the 4 randomly-chosen contestants but also for the audience members in attendance at the Name That Movie game panel!
• 7:00pm (Room 5AB) - “Prizes” are promised at the Gaia Online panel, but no further details…
• 7:00pm (Room 25ABC) - The Science Channel: Unexplained Files panel is promising to give attendees “one-of-a-kind prizes” in celebration of the series’ premiere, but no word on what those prizes might be yet; as we said earlier in this post, though, the Science Channel has done some pretty good swag in the past, so expectations are high!
• 7:00pm (Room 6DE) - “Giveaways” are also being promised at the Strike Back panel from HBO & Cinemax - but we don’t know what they are yet!
• 8:00pm (Room 23ABC) - If you know the difference between a Stormtrooper and a Sandtrooper, you might just walk away with one of the prizes being given away to contestants at the Star Wars Trivia Game Show panel!
• 8:15pm (Room 6DE) - Attend the Femme Fatales Revealed: Looks Still Kill as the Hit TV Series Comes Home panel, and you’ll be cradling an exclusive Femme Fatales poster in your arms when you leave!

SUNDAY

• 10:00am (Room 23ABC) - The Emily the Strange Panel Experience is going to be “encouraging audience participation to get giveaways” – sounds “strange-ly encouraging”! (Sorry; I couldn’t help myself!)
• 11:00am (Room 4) – Free comics abound at the IDW Kids Comics: A Panel for All Ages! Ponies, Turtles and More! panel – yay more free comics!
• 11:00am (Room 32AB) - T-shirts and more will be given away to attendees at the 60 Years of Bazooka Joe panel… dare I say this sounds “sweet”?
• 12:00pm (Room 7AB) – Mattel Presents: Max Steel®: Rise of Elementor World Premiere Screening - See it before it airs on Disney XD this fall; better yet, all attendees will also receive a free toy giveaway!
• 12:00pm (Room 32AB) - And still more free comics - this time from Oni Press in the Build Your Own Monster with Oni Press and Friends! panel!
• 1:00pm (Room 28DE) - A “gift bag chock full of Archie Action Awesomeness” is promised to everybody attending the Archie Action Hour: Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man panel – sounds good to us!
• 2:00pm - Digital publisher GoComics will have a street team roaming San Diego and handing out oodles of free comics, t-shirts, and a bunch of other goodies for ONE HOUR (or until they run out of stuff!) starting at this time. The location where this mystery street team will be giving away stuff is a secret they will reveal only to their Twitter followers approximately 15 minutes before the event, so you’ll want to make sure you’re following them at @GoComics!
• 2:00pm (Room 4) - There’s a shiny new free poster in it for ya if ya decide to head down to the Keenspot 2013: Red Giant Expands to Consume the Earth panel!
• 2:00pm (Room 28DE) - A “special gift” is promised to all attendees at the Death Dealing Mechs, Comic Books and Video Games: The World of Hawken panel – but it’s still a surprise!
• 3:00pm (Room 28DE) - If you decide to be part of the action at the Archaia Entertaiment: The Year of the Mouse Guard panel, you’ll be going home with a Comic-Con exclusive print of an original David Petersen drawing… and better yet, one lucky attendee will win a free copy of the limited Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 Black and White Edition!

Whew! Made it all the way to the end of the post, huh? Well, there’s more than enough information here to keep you hunting all weekend long… so break out that spreadsheet, plan your strategy, charge your cell phone, and we’ll see you at Comic-Con!

Archive

Bang Saen in Chonburi is one of the closest beaches to Bangkok, but I don’t go there to swim, I go for the food.

Any Thai beachside feast should always include a plate of juicy grilled chicken!

For more juicy and delicious grilled chicken in Bangkok check out Sabai Jai Gai Yang.

Although these days Nokia spans the globe, it’s called Finland home ever since engineer Fredrik Idestam first launched the company in Tampere way back in 1865. It’s no surprising then that Finland (or Suomi in Finnish) and its culture has had such a important influence on the way the company crafts its smartphones. Take the Nokia Lumia 920, a smartphone jam packed with innovation all within a stunningly unique design. It’s the result of worldwide collaboration, but if you take a closer look you can see some distinctly Finnish touches.

Low light winters

In winter in the far north of Finland the sun doesn’t rise for three months. Imagine ninety long days of darkness. Even in Espoo, where Nokia’s headquartered, in mid-winter the days are only light for a few hours.  When you live for a quarter of the year in a state of semi darkness, you want a smartphone camera that can take great pictures in low light. Thankfully, the Nokia Lumia 920 and now the Nokia Lumia 925 have unique PureView technology with Carl Zeiss lens, which do just that…regardless of when the sun’s next up.

The chill factor

Finnish winters are not only very long and they’re also very cold. Minus twenty is nothing unusual. At that temperature your eye-lashes can freeze together and your hands get very numb very quickly. In weather like this the Nokia Lumia 920′s touch screen, which is so sensitive that you can use it with gloves, make a lot of sense. But that’s not the only way Finnish winter has been influential.  Historically, because of the harsh wintery conditions, the original basis for all design has been function. In the past, if a product’s design didn’t help you survive, it was no good. Use only what is needed, make its function clear and its form simple. You need simply hold the Nokia Lumia 920 to appreciate this philosophy.

Colour time

The flip side to the long dark winters is a summer time with days that just go on and on and on. In Lapland the sun doesn’t set for three months. Further south, in mid-summer, the sunshine lasts twenty hours a day. The contrast is intense and so are the colours. The sky is a lush blue. The forest a verdant green. Helsinki’s vibrantly building are breathtakingly colourful. A yellow Nokia Lumia 920 perfectly reflects the intensity of the sunshine. Spend a day in the capital on a hot summer day and you’ll see where inspiration for the Nokia Lumia’s glorious colour scheme came from.

The art of craft

Nokia mobile phones have a reputation for being incredibly hardy, popularized by the internet meme the Indestructible Nokia. The basis of this comes from the fact that Finland, along with the other Nordic countries, industrialized a lot later than most of Western Europe. Consequently, the mass production, which kicked off between the two World Wars was on a much smaller scale. Happily, this meant Finland was better able to preserve its traditions of craftsmanship and integrate it into commercial production. The result has been called industrial art. Whether it’s the slight curved bevel around the edge of the glass or the 4.5’’ PureMotion HD+ display, the craftsmanship in the Nokia Lumia 920 is easy to see.

Finland may be a small country of less than six million, but next time you marvel at your fantastic low light photos or the colour of your Nokia Lumia 920, remember it’s partly thanks to super Suomi!

Image credit: Wstryder + My Nokia Blog + Pete Birkinshaw

We've all been there - trying to take a photo or video of something at arm's stretch and it proves very tricky to keep the phone gripped properly - usually the result is a tumble onto the floor and possible disaster. Enter the MOBBO and HANDDO, seemingly a nicely designed smartphone grip combination that you can hold as securely as a pistol/handlebar/whatever. See the images below for an idea.

Softsub Hardsub Script Alas, there is no blu-ray release for the penultimate adventure with our Buster buddies. I missed these dorks. See y’all in Kyoryuger VS Go-Busters for the final farewell!

Here’s a thing people wanted with covers and the like. Thanks to Alkaid for providing the CD! p.s: akiba status: computer’s still fucked, might just \an8 shit, trim a couple long sentences and call it a day

Nokia's Lumia 928 is a rare breed of smartphone from the Finnish company. You can't miss that this is the 92x handset which has a Xenon flash, and for those who put a lot of emphasis on their evening or indoor photography, that makes the Lumia 928 a very attractive handset to consider. Let's take a closer at Verizon's flagship Windows Phone 8 handset in the second part of our review.

As part of our review coverage of the Nokia Lumia 928 over on All About Windows Phone, I've been testing the phone's camera, with Xenon flash, of course - Nokia's first Xenon-equipped smartphone in a year, since the Symbian-powered 808. With less than a fortnight to go until the unveiling of the 808's equivalent in the Windows Phone world (July 11th, In New York), I was still curious as to how the Xenon flash in the Lumia 928 would match up to that in the 808. 

I'm sure it wasn't for lack of trying by the assignment desk, but I had a slow day at work yesterday. Only left the lot for lunch (spicy tuna roll and udon noodle soup) and I guess I shouldn't complain, but slow days make for long days at work.



It used to drive me crazy to sit around while my fellow news people were out on assignments.

Honestly, it still does.

Since these slow days are a lot more rare than they used to be, it has been easier to just roll with it and try to find something productive to do.



Yeah, just not too productive.



With a wealth of on-air talent and even a few behind the scenes mostly willing co-workers to annoy, I decided to log some time shooting with my Canon EOS-M camera.

The EOS-M has largely taken over for my 5D-MKII as a day to day walk around camera.  The picture quality is good enough that I don't miss lugging the big camera around.



You have to realize that there was a certain amount of respect I got with the full size gear that I have to earn with the "M", but I kind of expect that the only way to make up for that by taking good photos.



Well, I'm doing the best I can.

I have to say, that's a lot easier when I'm out in the field and just documenting what's happening in front of me.



Still, you don't get better at taking still pictures if you don't know your gear.  I spent quite a few years snapping shots with the big camera.



I'm no expert, but I know how to make pictures with the 5D MkII and it's going to take me a minute to learn the quirks (and strengths) of my little camera.

So, while I'm doing that, I'll just keep doing what I've always done.



Annoy people while they're trying to do their job.

(just kidding, but, heh-heh, maybe a little)



Really, what I'll do is wait for something interesting to happen so I can go out and do my job as a news photographer.

In the weather we've been having lately, I shouldn't have to wait too long.

So I’m on a plane seated next to a recent college grad and he starts asking me some tech questions.  He’s curious about Android… Running a blackberry and considering his next phone purchase.  His perception is that phones update all the time and it’s a complex decision…  Obviously he’s a very mainstream user. 

In our conversation he shares how he has a laptop and is considering a tablet. His main uses seem to be email, news and text though that’s clearly shifting to whatsapp particularly with international contacts.  What really caught my ear was his use of rss (his word and prompt)  and how it is only happening in mobile.  He actually showed me his feeds which are all mainstream need sources…  Amazing that he has no desire for a desktop reader given the efficiency.  Google Reader was not something he knew anything about. 

On the desktop he’s mainly just doing msnbc and either nba.com or more directly the nba’s youtube channel to cut straight to the clips. 

As a final thought he was attracted to windows 8 for a tablet but it sounded like peer pressure might be steering him away – though for such casual use it actually seems like a great fit.

His online habits are surprisingly light and limited…  I really expected more. No twitter, limited facebook and no tumblr.

Foursquare has partnered with Samsung to deliver a really slick animation of your history on the service.  It’s really beautiful to watch and fun to consider the travel I’ve had over the past 4 years on the platform as well.  I particularly enjoyed the transitions when I traveled via plane or road to the various cities in which I’ve checked in.  Get yours here.

 

 

Last weekend, while I was putting together the list of Google Reader alternatives, I discovered more than a few projects and services that have died or entered a sort of zombie state, available but not updated for years. Dead links, home pages announcing end-of-service, or sites left just as they were years ago with unchanged blog updates last dated circa 2007. You may not realize it, but news readers are a wasteland of lost dreams.

Some had all the bells and whistles that someone looking for a Reader alternative today would be looking for. For example, I ran into this video of Streamy - which was launched in 2009 and gone only a year later - which shows a service that would probably be getting as much attention as Feedly is getting now if were still live. There are several others just like it. Bloglines came close to closing as well before it was sold, but then was never really updated or promoted. Those are just the web-based readers, the number of desktop clients and open source projects is even bigger.

I don't think it's unusual for technologies to have a definite lifespan - they become the next big thing, they get popular, then they fall by the wayside as other technologies take their place because of improvements or simply a change in taste. Instant messaging would be a great example of that: I used to be logged into at least three different services at all times, but it's been years since I've even had it running regularly. Various mobile technologies supplanted IM: First SMS, then services like WhatsApp and SnapChat. It didn't disappear entirely, but I wouldn't consider it an area with a lot of potential any more either.

But news readers seem different - they've never really gone away. Even the transition to the "Post PC" era over the past half-decade didn't fundamentally change the technology or people using it. There are dozens and dozens of Reader clients in the App store and on Android for mobile and tablets, and they all basically work the same way as a desktop reader from 2003. After the Google Reader announcement, the outcry over the loss of this seemingly innocuous service was deafening, and the stampede of developers racing to provide replacements has yet to stop. It is in fact an incredibly useful technology that millions of people use every day, and an area that still fires the imaginations of geeks everywhere (yours truly included).

And yet...It's very plain from looking at the past decade or so that the success of this technology has been limited at best, with more than its fair share of disappointments. What's the disconnect? Why haven't news readers ever been really successful, or at least profitable enough to keep more than just a handful of options alive at any one time?

Well, I have a guess: News readers simply don't seem to have any sort of viable business model - they never have, and I'm really not sure if they ever will. And if there's no real money to be made in a technology, it just can't survive, no matter how useful or worthwhile it might be.

I think Google's abandoning Reader is pretty compelling proof of this. Even taking into account their overall strategy of promoting Google+, and their general excuses about the focusing on bigger markets, if Reader was profitable (or had any real chance of becoming profitable), they would have kept it alive. If for no other reason than to shut up the Wall Street folk who are constantly bitching about diversifying income, or more recently, the lack of ROI from Android. Considering the paucity of resources - both man and machine - they needed to dedicate to it, the Google leadership must have really considered it to be a complete dead end.

And they're probably right.

(I've said lots of bad things about Google, but being stupid is not generally one of them. Well, except for the guys making the Android version of Chrome. They're truly idiots. But I digress...)

Basically, news readers as they are implemented today, are fundamentally broken for commercial purposes. There are a few reasons for this, both cultural and technological. Primarily, the core technology itself (polled or pushed RSS/Atom XML feeds) is brittle, bloated and bewildering, and to make matters worse, the benefits of using it are pretty unclear to just about anyone outside the most heads-down techie.

This hasn't been helped by the fact that the browser makers have done their absolute best to make news feeds as baffling as possible. Either by ignoring them, treating them as errors, displaying them in new windows or in a variety of random layouts, shunting them off to other applications that may or may not exist, or worse. And of course, no two browsers (or even two versions of the same browser) do the *same* confusing thing to feeds, so even after years there's not even a small fraction of normal web users who are comfortable with them.

For those on the other side of the pipe - content and service providers - the reasons to provide feeds has always been a bit uncertain, especially considering how little of their audience actually uses them at all. Feeds are generally a pain to set up and maintain, hard to track, almost impossible to monetize, and is ripe for abuse by spam sites or even more legitimate 'aggregators' like the Huffington Post and their ilk. I think this is what's finally leading to a general breakdown of the feed "ecosystem" with a growing number of sites not bothering with news feeds at all.

Amazingly, online news readers are somehow supposed to sit in between these two bewildered parties in hopes of providing a useful service! They end up serving a relatively small number of users, yet still have to gather, store, organize and deliver vast quantities of information, over which they have little control and even less rights. And the commercial services have to somehow do it while trying to make money (or at least not lose too much). Given all that, it's not a surprise there's been so many failures in the past, or that Google decided to just not bother with it any more.

Issues

Let me break the issues down a bit more - like I said, the problems are both cultural and technological, and many times the two intermingle in such a way as to make it somewhat hard to get a big picture.

Rights. News readers don't own the content that they're gathering, and the rights to redistribute that content (even in summary form) are murky at best. This means monetization options are limited (no direct advertising on aggregated content), and potential licensing costs from content providers could be high - see AP vs. Meltwater for more on that. This is probably the core reason news readers are broken, and the most likely reason Google decided to close, rather than expand, Reader. Given their legal problems around the world with Google News and Google Books, my guess is Google simply didn't want to wade into another content-rights quagmire had they decided to grow Reader in the future.

Access. Content providers are under pressure to find revenue and are increasingly walling off content behind pay-walls and custom magazine-style 'apps'. It won't be long before these sites stop providing news feeds completely, as the ROI for providing them has always been questionable at best. Web based news readers have always had the problem of not being able to access password protected content and Intranet content as well, reducing their potential functionality considerably. Finally, sites like Twitter, Facebook and Google+ have all shown clearly that access to their users and user generated content is going to be limited at best, or completely forbidden. Access issues already severely limit news readers today, and will continue to do so in the future, steadily degrading their overall usefulness.

Alternatives. In addition to the access problems stated above, social networks are constantly expanding their functionality. As their home streams have become more sophisticated (cards, apps, etc.) much of the utility of a news reader is being integrated into the big three's core services, and in fact, improved upon by the implicit relevancy of the shared content. As a result, social networks view news readers as direct competitors, have limited access as I talked about above, and will most definitely take actions (technical, legal) against any potential workarounds in the future. And, since content providers can see the traffic (both in quality and quantity) coming from social sources rather than news feeds, less effort naturally is given to providing feeds, which creates a sort of negative feedback loop for news readers.

Technology. Let's face it, RSS and Atom are really crappy formats to deliver web content updates. XML is brittle and bloated, parsing is painful, meta-data standardization is minimal (here's an example) and updates are all or nothing. Again, regular users have never, ever understood the concept of newsfeeds, and the browser makers have never agreed on how to handle them, leading to general chaos and confusion for everyone involved. Servers (or cloud services) are expensive, and RSS/Atom feeds are incredibly inefficient, making bandwidth and storage costs non-trivial (though, admittedly, a lot less expensive than it used to be).

Market: Finally, despite the millions of soon-to-be ex-Reader users, the total numbers are not overly impressive, especially compared with other potential markets like mobile apps or social services (both in the billions). My guess is that the only viable long-term business model would be recurring payments like the ones found at boutique web services like BaseCamp or DropBox. But with large players like Feedly already in the market - and other established/funded companies like Digg coming soon - there's going to be the same price pressures that were there during most of Google Reader's existence. Basically this means there won't be enough users who are unhappy enough with the free offerings to support for-pay ones, even with significant added value. This will lead to more churn as more services fail, leading to a general attrition of potential users who eventually give up on the whole idea.

Analysis

To me, all of the issues list above show pretty clearly why so many online news readers have come and gone over the past decade. They start up with a few innovations, attract a few users, eventually get hammered with traffic and storage costs, find out their hands are tied while trying to generate income and eventually give up. Rinse and repeat.

And yet, we persist. Why!? I guess it's because the fundamental idea is solid. Users who use news readers can't imagine *not* using them. I think it's a sort of an ingrained preference, honestly. The first delivery boy was hired in 1833 to deliver newspapers to subscribers at their homes, and I think since pretty much that moment, we've loved the idea of having news and information quickly brought to us in a convenient, condensed way. The Internet has only intensified that feeling. In fact, for the past week, I've been avoiding using my prototype news reader in an effort to spur me to get what will be my production code up and running in the cloud (which it's not yet). It's been driving me absolutely batshit crazy not having my reader to visit 200 times a day ("Hi My name is Russ and I'm an info junkie...").

So the problem definitely isn't the general idea - news readers provide what is a must-have service for many, many people. I can *feel* how valuable it is from a very visceral level. This is why I chose to do a news reader rather than other things in the first place. The problem, of course, is doing it while making a lasting business out of it.

Very shortly, you're going to see a lot of those free news reader 'startups' and one man dev teams I listed last weekend disappear. They're going to be shocked at the costs associated providing the service, and the time involved in maintaining it as well. This is already happening at Skimr - they pulled their service off of AWS and are now serving it off their own servers in Prague because it was so much cheaper. And they're one of the 'simplified' news readers that have launched - imagine what it'll be like for more full-featured ones?

News readers are similar to search engines, in that they have to constantly crawl the web for content, but with the added challenge of storing and serving all that content to users all day, every day. An average user might spend 10 minutes a day total on their favorite website, an average news reader user will spend 10 times that amount (or more). This is expensive. Just so you can understand real-world pricing, here's a typical AWS setup for a 'marketing' site that costs roughly $1,400/month: 1 Load Balancer, 2 Web Servers, 2 App Servers, 1 High Availability Database Server, 30 GB of Storage; 120 GB of Data Transfer. But if you want to crawl the web and be highly available, well, your infrastructure might end up looking a lot more like the bigger chunks in Obama for America's setup. If you can't figure out how to make money from each user from day one, then eventually you're just going to get sick of throwing money away and shut it down, as we've seen so many times before.

That said, NewsBlur did generate roughly $120,000 in signups the week after Google's announcement, and probably a lot more by now, which is huge. But then again, so are the costs of AWS. I'm still positive though - NewsBlur's model - having an open source version for the most advanced users, a very limited version (only 60 feeds) for free users and a nominal fee ($24 a year) for everyone else might actually work out well. We'll have to wait and see, but it could be the perfect model for a boutique service as long as they can keep costs in line and fees sufficient to cover them.

The big guys though, are going to have a lot of trouble in my opinion. I just don't understand how Feedly is going to work, honestly. I like Feedly a lot. I've loved their design aesthetic for a while now and I love that they were ready go when Google dropped the bomb and are willing to take a lead on an API in the future. They also seem to be the number one choice for most people who are switching from Reader. But unlike Google, Feedly doesn't have some other form of revenue that can support it while it provides free services for its ever-expanding number of users. It's going to have to figure out how to make money, and the options don't look good. From what I understand, they're going to try to offer a 'freemium' package, but I'm pretty pessimistic the economics are going to work out unless it's got some *serious* added value and a comparable price. This means Feedly will probably attempt to monetize the number of 'eyeballs' it has.

This generally never ends well - look at the continuing disaster that is Facebook as a perfect example. Facebook's News Feed may have started as just "the wall", but as time has gone by it's become much more like a regular news reader in many ways. Nowadays, it's just as much about what your friends are sharing (the same links as every other service), as it is about what your friends are doing. I can't guess at the balance between Facebook's user-generated content (posts, pictures, etc.) and the external content they're now pulling into their news feed, but I bet it's nearing 50-50 at this point.

The question for Facebook lately has been about how to monetize their News Feed. Because Facebook never pulls in the full articles from outside sources, and has lots of home-made user generated content, they can happily put advertising pretty much anywhere on their site - something that a news reader just won't be able to do easily. Good for Facebook, right? Wrong. The result is disastrous - maybe predictably so.

This is what I saw this morning when I happened to check out Facebook on my iPad. A majority of my home screen was dominated by sponsored content and ads. It was completely obnoxious.

Facebook should be the holy grail of targeted, relevant advertising, right? Yet, despite knowing just about everything about me you can possibly know (where and when I was born, who all my friends are, where I've worked, where all my friends have worked, the fact I'm a father, where I've travelled, and more), they've yet to figure out how to present me with advertising that's useful. In fact, the crap I saw today only 'works' in a sense because they're force-feeding it to me - distorting their user interface and perverting the user experience - basically holding the rest of the service hostage so that I'm forced to pay attention to the ads. Compare this way of using ads to the utility of Google AdWords - which are essentially win-win-win for all those involved - and you can see how much trouble Facebook is truly in.

So what's my point? Well, Facebook already has a massive customer base, infrastructure in place, advertisers salivating to get at their users and a great brand name - and yet even they are having trouble making money from the content in their News Feed. If this is the case for a company like Facebook, how is it possible that a general news reader - which has a self-limiting user base, a reliance on unpredictable third-party content from around the web, and less options when it comes to monetizing that content - will ever be able to create a viable business based on advertising? The answer is, they probably won't.

Changes

So, do I have some sort of magic solution to the plight of the news reader that will prevent the service I create from repeating the failures of the past? Nope. Not at all. I have some ideas, but no solid answers. What I do know is that repeating the same futile efforts of the past 10+ years is definitely a plan doomed to fail. There needs to be fundamental changes in how the problem is approached and the service is offered.

Like I said, the idea is great, the service is valuable and not only that, I think it's inevitable: In the future we'll all be relying on personal agents to collect information and data on our behalf, aggregate the results, and present them to us in a time and effort-saving manner. That will happen. But the path to that future definitely doesn't start with the road most of us are on now.

Here's where I see some obvious changes to get on the right path.

Technology. We need a better way to get content updates from websites in a way that's fast and inexpensive. Servers are either hammering away or getting hammered by thousands of bots every day for little reason. I tested over 50,000 feed URLs, and only about half the sites support any sort of ETag or Last Updated header support. Even for ones that that do, once a single update happens, an XML page of the last dozen or so posts is returned, and it's up to the feed parser to work out the deltas. It may 'work', but from just about every other measure it sucks.

The problem is that this topic brings in technology zealots. For example, those that bow to the god of REST will say that this is how it's Supposed To Work (TM). But dogmatic REST doesn't have any concept of lists, only individual pieces of content. This is why every API out there usually has some sort endpoint which provides a list of contents, with parameters to limit the size of the returned results, and paging as well. This stuff isn't in the zealot's REST vocabulary.

My best guess would be to replace polling RSS for updates with JSON API calls, but it doesn't necessarily have to be that radical. A model to look towards would be Facebook's Open Graph API. They came up with a good solution for summaries using Meta Tags on web pages, since duplicated by Twitter's new card tags and Google+ tags as well. This worked out extraordinarily well for just about everyone involved with that system. Users get thumbnails and summaries of the content before they click on links (or even as they are adding the link to their post), content providers get trackable traffic, and Facebook/Twitter provide good looking streams of rich content.

That's only good for the content though (replacing the bulk of RSS), there still needs to be a way to get updates in the quickest, lowest touch way possible. PubSubHubbub tried and pretty much failed (with only a handful of service providers) - so I'd love to see instead something based on the simplest solution that could possibly work based on JSON and delta updates.

Yes, lots of hand waving in the last couple paragraphs, but I'm not trying to define a new spec right here - only to point out the current tools we're using are fundamentally broken.

Clarity. Part of the reason I like the open graph stuff is because it's integrated with the page of content itself so it's clear to the content provider what is supposed to be there, and it's clear to the end user what's going on as well. Feeds have never been like that - clicking on a link has been a dangerous proposition for years and the blame goes 100% the browser makers.

It would be nice to create a new system and include the HTML5 web standards guys, so that any new specs that are defined have standard visual results, rather than being left up to chance or worse the browser makers themselves. I highly doubt this will ever happen, but that'd be the ideal in my opinion. Update: You can find very similar thoughts from Wikimedia's Luis Villa here: Why feed reading is an open web problem, and what browsers could do about it.

More likely, we have to create a system with the expectation that the browser will have zero part to play in the process. I think copying, or riding on, the success of OAuth would be the right option here. Users generally understand the process involved with giving access permissions to third party sites. What I envision is similar, but in reverse, where content providers approve access to users. What's clear is that the end user should probably never be dealing with 'feed' URLs any more than they pass around links to developer APIs.

Compensation. Content providers need to have incentive to provide access to their content. Whether it's a blog, news site, video site, or something like Twitter and Facebook, there needs to be a way to make it clear where the content came from and provide the content provider value for that content - either in way of traffic, ads or direct payments.

This is the route that FlipBoard took when it first launched. It didn't integrate with Google Reader until six months after its initial launch. Instead it did deals with big publishers, as well as Twitter (I think), to make sure content providers were part of their service from day one. This probably isn't a panacea in terms of making money for the news reader, as Flipboard is now trying to become a 'content curation' service for some reason, but in general I think the idea is sound.

The problem is that the rest of the world doesn't have a group of lawyers able to go flying around making deals with Time Warner and Conde Naste. If these guys are going to make their content available on the web, there's got to be a way for them to say, "Here's what we expect in terms of content usage" and display to the end user, giving rights to the news reader to gather that content on the user's behalf. Again, similar to how you approve what a service can do when you use OAuth.

Content owners aren't exactly known for their flexibility, but I can imagine some pretty neat scenarios. For example, a website could give your news reader the option to display only a title and summary for free, without ads, or but have some sort of ad link or code that could to be included in exchange for the full-text of the content. Even simply enabling the automatic ability for news readers to gather content for subscribers (like for the WSJ or NYT) would be great. This is the sort of win-win-win system I'm talking about - something that works for the news reader, the end user and the content provider.

Wrap up

The other day I tweeted that I had just written a blog post which could be summed up as, "We're all totally fucking doomed," and I guess everything I've written above could definitely be construed as such. But really, it's simply about paying attention to the mistakes of the past, to avoid repeating them in the future. I'm thinking really hard about this stuff right now, and a blog post like this helps me clarify my thoughts and set my direction. (It also helps remind me of what the hell I decided, as sometimes I forget that as well.)

It might appear like gloom and doom (actually, if it doesn't, you're not looking), but really it's a massive opportunity. Again, anyone who uses a news reader can't imagine having to live without one, yet I see the feed ecosystem slowly deteriorating with no replacement in sight. That's the opportunity, in my mind. It's not about simply mimicking Google Reader (which I would never do anyways, as I've never liked it), but about bootstrapping off the system we have today, in order to create a new type of news reader for tomorrow. The future of news readers, so to speak. ;-)

-Russ

Archive

Tom Cruise stars as Jack Harper in the movie “Oblivion,” set on a future Earth. (David James/Universal Pictures)

Excited to see Tom Cruise return to spectacle science fiction cinema in “Oblivion”? So are we.

The Hero Complex screening series is going bicoastal with our latest event, a sneak preview of the star’s new film “Oblivion,” which will take place at New York City’s AMC Loews 34^th Street on April 15. An interactive, live Q&A with Cruise and director Joseph Kosinski (“Tron: Legacy”) will follow the screening at 8 p.m.

The post-screening Q&A, moderated by Hero Complex contributor Rebecca Keegan, will be simulcast via satellite to nine IMAX theaters in Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego and Virginia Beach, Va. The discussion will also stream live on Hero Complex and at facebook.com/IMAX.

Audiences in all 10 cities as well as online viewers will be able to submit potential questions real time via Twitter by tweeting queries for Cruise and Kosinski at #Oblivion#(city name).

Tickets and additional details will be available beginning at noon ET on April 3 at www.OblivionHero.com.

Admission to the New York event is free and available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Based on a 2010 graphic novel Kosinski penned with comic book writer Arvid Nelson, “Oblivion” takes place on a future Earth left decimated by an alien invasion. Former Marine Jack Harper (Cruise) is one of a few people left on the planet to mop up after the war.

The movie, written by William Monahan, Karl Gajdusek and Michael Arndt, also stars Morgan Freeman as a 102-year-old insurgency leader, Melissa Leo as Jack’s authoritarian boss and Olga Kurylenko as a mysterious woman who stirs Jack’s memories.

In an interview earlier this spring, Kosinski told Keegan that by shooting “Oblivion” in Iceland in June — when there is near-continuous daylight and the warm, waning light known as magic hour lasts from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. — he sought to take his imagery into a bold and revolutionary place for sci-fi: the sunshine.

“My idea with this movie was bringing sci-fi out into the daylight,” Kosinski said, drawing a contrast to Ridley Scott’s seminal 1979 sci-fi film, “Alien.” “’Alien’ put sci-fi into the darkness — in the hulls of ships, dark planets, always seeming to be night. I was interested in inverting that, shooting a daylight film.”

To read Keegan’s complete interview with Kosinski, check out the spring issue of the Hero Complex magazine, available now.

“Oblivion” opens in theaters across the country April 19.

– Gina McIntyre | @LATHeroComplex

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If it’s available for sale, it must not only be edible, but also appetizing to someone.

That’s what I eat by, and that’s what I’ve subscribed to for years.

Sure, the bacteria and sanitary conditions differ from place to place, but BEYOND those concerns, the actual ingredients used in cooking should normally be humanly safe to consume regardless of location or culture.

When I lived in DR Congo the staple everyday vegetable was cassava leaves (known as pondu in Lingala), which I learned to really enjoy eating and my family ate nearly everyday.

Cassava leaves are toxic in raw form, but after a process of boiling and cooking, they become safe (and delicious) to eat – and millions of Congolese eat this vegetable daily.

Puffer fish, another big-wig when it comes to potential life-threatening delicacies, is lethal if not prepared in the correct manner. Nowadays however, the Japanese chefs that serve the fish, are trained and certified in their craft.

Wild, weird looking, mushrooms are not exactly something to experiment with either.

Khao Neow Kloi (ข้าวเหนียวกลอย)

Mango sticky rice, or the even better version with durian, is one of the most recognized and beloved Thai desserts.

But there’s another version known as Khao Neow Kloi (ข้าวเหนียวกลอย) that’s sweet and tempting, but poison to the stomach.

I had heard about this eerie Thai dessert a number of times, but had never sampled it. One Thai market vendor had warned me that she had fallen ill, vomiting and nauseas after eating some.

“But why would they sell it, if it’s such a hazard?” I had wondered.

Then finally the day came when I had a cute little plastic container full of khao neow kloi sitting right before me in my apartment purchased from a street vendor.

I took a bunch of photos, but started to get nervous about tasting it. Insects are bugs, and other weird things are fine, but something called an intoxicating yam?!

“Why would I want to take a bite of something known to make people throw-up,” I was battling in my mind – and yet I was still wildly curious as to the attraction.

I got my spoon and took a tiny bite, just enough to taste it, but far from a full mouthful.

It was good.

The same sweet sticky rice as other Thai desserts, the accent of tropical coconut in both fresh and cream states, and the kloi which was crispy like an apple and gently sweet like a yam.

Despite the pleasant flavor, I was honestly afraid to eat more.

Apart from a moment of placebo fostered dizziness (I think?), I didn’t throw up or suffer any side effects – but then again, I only took one bite, and I’m hopefully they had cooked it with the correct procedure.

Intoxicating Yam (Dioscorea Hispida)

At the time of eating, I knew just about nothing (apart from a few stories) about “kloi (กลอย),” and it wasn’t until researching out of curiosity that I learned a little more.

The scientific name is “dioscorea hispida,” while it’s commonly referred to as an “intoxicating yam.”

There’s very little information written in English about this mysterious tuber, but I did eventually find some solid information from a book called Root Crops.

The yam is indeed extremely toxic and has been known to be eaten as a famine food in the Philippines when the rice harvest fails.

Here are a few CRAZY things:

• Cooking process involves cutting it into pieces, burying the intoxicating yam in ashes for a day, soaking it in salt water for another few days, repeating this process a few times, and then boiling the life out of it.
• In the past (and perhaps still today), the yam after being cooked, is then fed to dogs to see if it’s safe to eat (WOW).
• It’s been used as an insecticide
• It’s also been used as poison on the tip of arrows for hunting!

(information referenced from Root Crops 2nd Edition)

Seriously? And it’s used in a Thai dessert too!

Glad I only took a tiny bite.

You’re wondering why this yam wasn’t discarded long ago as a non-edible, along with a host of other things that a human probably tried and died long ago, right?

I don’t have an answer – I honestly have no idea either.

Conclusion About Eating Poisonous Food

Khao neow kloi (sticky rice with intoxicating yam) is FAR from the beaten menu, and it would be quite a challenge to randomly stumble into this dessert while blindly taste testing delicious things in Thailand. There’s nothing to worry about!

Don’t fear, those street food pick-and-choose excursions will probably be 100% cooked with safe to consume ingredients.

To be honest, I consider us all to be quite fortunate to be on the end of a trial-and-error food research process that has spanned thousands of years.

Just think about all the humans throughout history that have lost their lives as a result of food cultivation experimentation.

So there you have my encounter with Thailand’s infamous rare dessert that happens to be poison.

What do you think? Would you try Khao Neow Kloi (ข้าวเหนียวกลอย) – though I can’t recommend it!?

Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in the season 3 finale of "The Walking Dead." (Gene Page/AMC)

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Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes and Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in the season 3 finale of "The Walking Dead." (Gene Page/AMC)

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A scene from the season 3 finale of "The Walking Dead." (Gene Page/AMC)

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Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes in the season 3 finale of "The Walking Dead." (Gene Page/AMC)

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Michonne (Danai Gurira), Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa Suzanne McBride) in the season 3 finale of "The Walking Dead." (Gene Page/AMC)

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Tyreese (Chad Coleman) and Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) in the season 3 finale of "The Walking Dead." (Gene Page/AMC)

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David Morrissey as the Governor in the season 3 finale of "The Walking Dead." (Gene Page/AMC)

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David Morrissey as the Governor in the season 3 finale of "The Walking Dead." (Gene Page/AMC)

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David Morrissey as the Governor in the season 3 finale of "The Walking Dead." (Gene Page/AMC)

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Tyreese (Chad Coleman) and Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) in the season 3 finale of "The Walking Dead." (Gene Page/AMC)

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Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon in the season 3 finale of "The Walking Dead." (Gene Page/AMC)

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Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes in the season 3 finale of "The Walking Dead." (Gene Page/AMC)

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David Morrissey as the Governor in the season 3 finale of "The Walking Dead." (Gene Page/AMC)

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Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in the season 3 finale of "The Walking Dead." (Gene Page/AMC)

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Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) in the season 3 finale of "The Walking Dead." (Gene Page/AMC)

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Tyreese (Chad Coleman), Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the Governor (David Morrissey) in the season 3 finale of "The Walking Dead." (Gene Page/AMC)

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Gale Anne Hurd , CEO of Valhalla Entertainment, poses for a portrait at Valhalla Entertainment in Los Angeles with a zombie from the AMC series' "The Walking Dead" for which Hurd is the executive producer on March 13, 2012. (Anne Cusack/Los Angeles Times)

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Season 3 of “The Walking Dead” concluded last night with one explosive finale that set an interesting stage for the characters left standing after the epic showdown with David Morrissey’s Governor. (Click through the gallery above to see scenes from the episode.)

All in all, it’s been a bristling, brutal season for Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes and his band of survivors — a number of whom, well, failed to survive. The executive producer of the hit AMC series, Gale Anne Hurd, is not spending a lot of time feeling overly sentimental about the characters who have departed, however.

Rather, she’s looking ahead to Season 4, which will see Scott Gimple replace Glen Mazzara at the helm of the show. Late last month, Hurd took time out to speak to Hero Complex about what audiences can expect to see when “The Walking Dead” returns for its fourth season, which will place a renewed emphasis on the threat posed by the zombies.

She also explained why Gimple is the right successor to Mazzara and how closely the series’ writers scrutinize the text of Robert Kirkman’s comic book to determine the way forward on the show.

Gale Anne Hurd , CEO of Valhalla Entertainment, is shown at Valhalla Entertainment in Los Angeles with a zombie from the AMC series “The Walking Dead,” for which Hurd is the executive producer. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times / March 13, 2012)

HC: So, now that Season 3 is concluded, where do we find ourselves narratively?

GAH: The world is certainly no safer. In fact it becomes a lot more complicated in the upcoming season. I think that our band of survivors might have become a little too complacent about the threat that the walkers pose. They’re a very serious threat. I think the complacency towards walkers has probably run its course.

HC: The ratings this year have been astonishing. Has it surprised you the success the series has enjoyed, the degree to which it’s become a pop culture touchpoint?

GAH: When we started out, we hoped it would appeal to fans of the comic book and genre fans, but I hear more and more people saying that they never thought they would ever become addicted to a show that features zombies — even though it’s not about the zombies. It’s only once they realized that “The Walking Dead” actually refers to the survivors that it all makes sense.

HC: There have been a number of interesting moments this season, the introduction of the Governor, Michonne, expanding the world beyond Rick’s core group.  What were you most concerned about executing and what are you most proud of achieving creatively this season?

GAH: The challenge this season is that we had to keep two completely separate story lines going. We had Woodbury, the Governor, obviously, Andrea’s there, for the longest time Merle’s there, for a while Michonne, as well as the prison. There are really a lot of characters and story to service. I think the writers did a fantastic job of walking that tightrope.

HC: A number of characters did not survive Season 3. I’ve asked this previously of Glen Mazzara, but I’d love to know your answer: Are there any characters you can’t kill?

GAH: Nope.

HC: Not even Daryl?

GAH: You don’t go, we need to do something shocking, let’s kill off a character. That’s not the way it’s approached at all. We don’t do it indiscriminately. There’s always a reason and the reason we do it is because of the impact it has on the surviving characters. The only way that anyone is going to die on the show is to see how the other characters, what that does to them. This season, Rick’s character has been in the aftermath of Lori dying, same with Carl. There are shows that do, “Let’s kill someone off, we want the ratings to go up,” but that’s not how we approach it.

Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon in the Season 3 finale of “The Walking Dead.” (Gene Page/AMC)

HC: Speaking of Daryl for just a minute, from your vantage point, why do you think he’s become such a fan favorite?

GAH: Because Norman Reedus is the consummate actor to bring Daryl to life. He is one of the nicest people on the planet. He is completely down to earth and accessible, Norman is, in a way that’s very different from Daryl, but he’s got a number of things going for him. He’s the perfect survivor of this kind of apocalypse because he’s got a skill set. He’s the damaged guy that most women feel that their love and attention will fix and he’s got a heart of gold.

HC: Moving behind the scenes, people were surprised by Glen Mazzara’s departure. Were you?

GAH: His contract was up. It was more about a renegotiation than anything else. It wasn’t like he was fired. I think that that has been misrepresented…  This wasn’t the execution that it’s been made out to be.

HC: What made Scott Gimple the right person to replace Glen as show runner?

GAH: The cast knows Scott Gimple as well as they know any writer. He’s been on since the beginning of the second season and all of our writers come to set to produce their episodes so it is a family. It’s not like we’re bringing in a new stepfather from the outside. There’s a great deal of continuity. I think he’s written some of our strongest episodes. He came to the show already a huge fan of the comic book, his love and his history as a writer is all in genre. He gets along with everyone and has everyone’s respect.

HC: Are there discussions at this point about hewing closely to Robert Kirkman’s comic? Or has the show now clearly embarked on its own path?

GAH: They are on two separate tracks and sometimes they intersect but more than likely there’s not going to be any sequence of panels from the comic book that’s going to be brought to life exactly the same way on the series. Since Robert Kirkman’s in the writers room, everything has his approval. He’s involved in every decision. When we do depart with characters, their fates or their interactions, he’s had his voice heard.

– Gina McIntyre

Follow us on Twitter: @LATHeroComplex

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Image via StupidDope

Headphones nowadays have been split into two camps — the ubiquitous white stuff that came with your device, simple and stylish, but with the output of a hamster; or the large, acoustically-pleasing but gaudy megaphones as promoted by gangster rappers. Where’s the Eames Chair for ears?

Why not rest your ears in the DS2012? The headphones, handmade from precious mahogany, is a project between Dolce & Gabbana and audiophiles Grado Labs. Stylish they are, but not without substance. The headphones are designed to leave a tiny space between speaker and ear and thereby maximize the audio experience. Finally a deep, full sound range is finally within reach, without having to look like a harried DJ.

Read more here.

Tweet We are delighted to announce a significant new extension to Nokia’s product offering with the Nokia 5AM-TH1N6 Constellation, a touch-screen microwave oven. The Constellation sets itself apart with a superfast, water-cooled 8-core high-voltage transformer, which brings a combined performance of 5,000 watts to end-users, letting them heat up turnkey meal solutions within seconds.

Update:

This post was, of course, an April Fools’ prank.

Nokia is not planning any immediate moves into the kitchen appliance space.

“Nokia has a proven track record and extensive IPR in working with microwave radios, so for us this was a logical next step. We can attack our competition in their core business,” says Olavi Huhtikuu, Nokia’s director of household innovation.

“That’s why we developed the highly innovative 5AM-TH1N6 Constellation, which will revolutionize everything from single households to canteen kitchens”

The new Nokia 5AM-TH1N6 has even more innovative features. The device comes with the latest eye-tracking technology, which stops the food from rotating when you look at it, and it automatically adjusts the temperature depending on how hungry you look.

Screen dream

In addition, the device has a highly sensitive touch display which can be operated with oven mitts, enabling you to conveniently select one of 25 different performance levels in order to heat up the 40-litre cooking chamber. Reflecting Nokia’s strong design heritage, the device comes in a variety of colors including blue cheese cyan, lemon yellow and liquorice black.

The product also comes with a selection of apps, sensors and a high-resolution PureFood camera that automatically shares pictures of ready meals with friends and family via social networks. People can also rate the food and comment immediately.

The Constellation will begin shipping in Q2 at a suggested retail price of €399 before taxes or subsidies. More models, including a mini variant targeted towards people with small appetites, and a 10-inch variant aimed at no one in particular, are also planned.

Submitted by: Unknown

Tagged: ISS , time lapse , Video , space , destination WIN! , g rated Share on Facebook

First off? We’re having internet issues in our house. This is why my presence here and everywhere else online has been a bit sporadic. I apologize for this. Without regular blogging my left eye starts to twitch and I acquire an unexplained limp. If I don’t solve these technological issues soon, I’ll be rotating around the “Free Wi-Fi” locations around here.

Secondly? Did you hear that they’re shutting down my favorite RSS feed reader in July? I mean – FIRST they took away the ability to share and comment on the thing – and now they’re getting rid of it? All together? Kim is not a happy camper.

For those of you who don’t know what RSS is or a feed reader, let me give you an easy summary. RSS is – literally – “Really Simple Syndication”. Basically, any website that creates regular content, creates RSS feeds of that content without any bells and whistles. Just the basic HTML of the content itself. Then, “Feed Readers” like Google Reader allow you to subscribe to those pages, and it funnels those RSS feeds all into one location. So, if you read a lot of blogs/news/magazines type sites, you can read all of their updates in one location. You don’t have to keep bookmarks or remember links.

Google Reader used to let you “share” out items you really liked. I loved this feature because my “shared” items also displayed on my blog. And then any of my friends in Reader could comment on those items. So, it gave us a little community to discuss articles and entries. And then? THEN? Google took that function away. And a small part of my soul died.

But now? NOW? They’re taking away the entire reader. Basically they want us all to use Google+, which we won’t do simply out of spite now. So…where do we all go? WHERE DO YOU GO?

On Twitter yesterday, some key peeps decided to start using The Old Reader. Evidently you can A) Share items and B) Comment on those shared items. Which I have already done with this entry.

What are you waiting for? GO JOIN! FOLLOW ME! I’LL FOLLOW YOU BACK! These type of communities ONLY work if we all go. We need to ALL go over there and start following each other and start sharing items and talking about them and creating what we used to have on Google Reader. PUH-LEASE? If you read more than 5 blogs or websites a day, you will love having a feed reader. It means you only have to make one stop every day to see all of your favorite websites. And their entries ONLY show up if they have new content. So, if they don’t update regularly you can still follow them without stopping by their site constantly for updates.

If you’ve never used an RSS reader before and have any questions/confusion – just post a comment here and I’ll help you out. If you have, then you may be like me and appreciate the excuse to start over with your subscriptions. Don’t you still have those blogs on your Google Reader that you don’t know why you still follow? You don’t ever comment or even read their entries anymore. Why are you still subscribed? Well, now you can just start over with the ones you actually want to read!

Or – if you want – you can import your subscriptions from Google Reader. I did not do that because I knew I needed to prune my list a bit, but if you like your list as is? Easy as pie!

Come join the party! We’re leaving Google Reader before they shut the place down, and we’re setting up at The Old Reader, I can’t wait to see you there!

Here's an interesting paradox for you: Despite the fact that there's a slow and steady pull away from RSS and Atom news feeds, it seems that there's more people than ever who are actually reading 'feeds' in one form or another. People who, just a few years ago, you'd never expect to be scrolling through a river of news, can't wait to log in to Twitter or Facebook, scrolling and clicking on links shared by their friends or pushed by custom news 'apps' right into their stream (which they then turn around and share with all their friends). Mobile apps like Flipboard or Pulse then collect all these social links, plus custom feeds from magazines and newspapers and create a good-looking booklet full of current news. It's all so seamless and amazing. Honestly, it's the most efficient way possible to see the latest amusing cat videos ever invented.

But here's the thing, what if you actually want to keep track of important information without relying on your social network to find it for you? What happens if you want to see EVERYTHING? It seems right now there's very few options - mostly just Google Reader, really, which relies on ever-harder-to-find RSS feeds to keep it going.

I mean, imagine you're at one of the analyst firms, or at Engadget, or in the marketing department of a large multinational corporation - technical or not - and your job is to keep track of all the news, all the conversations and anything else that happens in your particular area of interest, how do you do it? Flipboard, as pretty as it is, really isn't going to help a manager of a large dentist's office keep track of the latest amazing developments in the world of oral hygiene, and a business analyst isn't going to use Google Reader to keep track of the news concerning the various Fortune 500 companies in their watch list. Well, I hope not, anyways.

How do people keep track of everything? Are there any tools that I don't know about? Do they pay the thousands of dollars a month for those custom 'news tracking' services which send market summaries of every product or brand mention? Is there such a thing as a Bloomberg Terminal for tech and industry news? Is there something else I'm missing?

You know what I think? I think the vast majority of information workers out there are simply winging it. I think they browse the web randomly, read Yahoo's home page (in secret of course) or browse Google News, maybe check out a newspaper every other day, a magazine now and then, have 5,375 unread items in their Google Reader, and otherwise hope someone emails them interesting links, or pray they happen to be online at the right time when one of their Twitter contacts posts a relevant link to what they do for a living.

Because unless I'm missing something, and I'm pretty sure I'm not (as I do, in fact, read everything) they really don't have many other options.

Over the past several years, I've been continually developing and tweaking a personal news reader web app for exactly this reason. At first it was just hosted under /feeds on this site but eventually I decided to give it it's own domain, which was flip.io first (before Flipboard launched) and has wavered between xs.io, maven.io and the latest, magnet.io since. If you've ever seen one of those three domains in your server logs and wondered WTF it was, that was me.

Now this is one of those projects that is simply about scratching an itch. Though I'm always thinking about ways to transform it into some sort of money-making commercial effort, it really is simply an app that I want for my own use. I'm continually tweaking it and have a list of things I need to polish here and there, but even in it's continual work-in-progress state it's surprisingly effective at what it's supposed to do. At first, what I wanted a web-based news-reader that was cross platform, mobile-enabled and was not Google Reader for various reasons. But as soon as I had written the basic crawler, database and river of news pages, I immediately started adding features to help me deal with a deluge of information out there.

Here's just a few features:

24 hour expiration of news items. Why was I constantly going in and marking a huge list of backlogged items as 'read'? You know that massive number of articles and posts that you'll never, ever, ever get to? Why give myself an ulcer. If I'm not able to get to it, then they're just automatically out of my main feed. They're not deleted, or marked read, they just sort of fall off the end. I've adjusted the hours back and forth from 12 hours back to a week, but decided that, for me, 24 hours is good. It's not the exact number that's important, it's just the functionality.

Duplicate detection. Oh, I'd love to tell you I found some magic way of grouping and deleting items from multiple blogs that are basically the same summary of a news item in yet another site, but I haven't done that. I tried various ways, but none seemed to work for me. I know it's possible (look at Techmeme), but I haven't been able to get it yet. Some day. What I *did* do was stupid, basic and *incredibly* noticeable - which is simply look for the same exact damn item title and wack the second or third version in a day. You know how Engadget or TechCrunch have their mobile-focused sub-blogs? But then they end up linking to the same thing half the time? Well, they always use the same title, so I just filter that crap out. Simple, yet oh-so-effective.

Thumbnails. I've had this for years, and I'm starting to see that some of the iPad news reader apps are starting to get the idea. Every tech blog out there - including the best like Ars Technica - seems to REQUIRE that they have some obnoxious, huge, usually stolen, image accompanying every single item they post. I'd say 75% of the time, the image has absolutely nothing to do with the article and is usually nothing more than some stupid clip art, web meme, or upside-down brand logo (WHY?!??). It's very annoying. So the easiest thing to do is find the first image in every blog post and make a thumbnail out of it. If it's valuable, I'll be able to click and expand it, if not I can easily ignore it.

Summaries. Here's another one that some iPad readers are starting to grasp just now. Google Reader - like pretty much every other reader ever made - has two views: Titles or Full Posts. That's it. You either have to slog through every single massive image and lengthy text, or you get the bare information and usually a favicon (which I've decided are nothing but visual noise). What I do is detect the first paragraph (or a reasonable number of words) and use that in my main view - it allows you to fly through items, still grasping the main idea of each post, without having to slog forever. I also have the option of marking some feeds as 'default full', which I do for some link feeds like from Reddit, which don't have useful summaries. This is a no-brainer feature, that I don't understand why Readers don't have.

Visual Sparseness. There's no reason to have 'chrome', buttons, favicons, outlines, shading, colors, etc. bombarding your eyes as you're trying to work through a few thousand news items every day. As time has gone by, I've continually stripped down what my main stream shows me so that I can suck in as much information as possible without having to deal with a lot of crap. The side-benefit of this is there's nothing you have to worry about when you adapt the same interface to the phone, tablet or web, without a lot of extraneous crap in the middle of your feed, it makes an incredibly useful and light interface.

Logical and prioritized grouping. This isn't much of an innovation, just a note that after playing with various ways of sorting the items, I decided that having them organized into folders, and displayed in the by their published date, but within the order of the folders, was the most efficient. I keep the 'work' stuff up top, like my feeds for mobile-specific news items, and then I have the news, and link feeds like Y-Combinator down at the bottom. If I've made it down there, I'm most likely looking for novelty by that point. :-)

Integrated bookmarks. At one point I thought, "Why re-create the wheel? Use Delicious, or Pinboard to keep track of your links...", but the speed and efficiency of keeping stuff I want to read later in the same interface is worth the loss of the extra features a full-fledged link tracking app would give me. Also, to make sure I don't ignore the links I've saved, I automatically forward the main feed to the Links page once I'm done with my daily feeds. You know how it is, sometimes you save links that you think you should read, though you never seem to be in the mood to actually read it. Getting reminded of it every time you're jonesing for another good thing to read is quite useful.

Social Network Grouping. I subscribe to Twitter and Facebook by using their APIs in a different script than the main RSS crawler (which just uses SimplePie to grab the feed into my database before I process it). I don't just dump the entries from social feeds directly into my feeds though, as they'd overwhelm the rest of the links, or be so disorganized as to be incomprehensible. I'd say 90% of the people who post links and thoughts to Twitter or Facebook, do so in bursts. So, I run the scripts every hour, collect all the tweets, and then group them together by poster. Four or five tweets together looks, and reads, pretty much like a short blog post. It makes keeping track of everyone in your social network muuuuuch easier. Note, I used to actually keep appending tweets until I got around to reading them, but that was too much. The current system I have now means I still end up missing a few tweets now and then that hit the expiration limit, but chopping everything up is a bit more manageable - and can also lets me respond within a reasonable time as well.

Filters. This is a biggie, and not really finished yet. But the general idea is that I want to be able to 'mute' certain keywords for 24 hours if I've seen way too frigin' much of that topic that day. For example, today is E3 and it also seems to be a slow news day, so I've seen the same news about the XBox 30 times. If I thought this was going to continue (as it sometimes does when Apple launches something), I'd mute it. Also, I want to be able to auto-expand items that have keywords I want to keep track of.

But here's a lesson I learned from this so far about filtering - there's no magic. The corpus just isn't big enough. What I mean is, I've yet to find a way to train the news reader to highlight things I'm interested in. The total number of news items and the signals that you give the app (both positive and negative) never seem to make enough of a difference to actually hone future results. I absolutely *suck* at this sort of thing (aka 'math'), so I could be, and probably am incredibly wrong, but I've tried and tried again to get something working. In my reader, in addition to the links that I can explicitly mark with a star, *every* link I click on is recorded. So if I click on a link in the middle of an post, I record that URL, link title, and the parent item's full text in a history table. I've then used that and my explicit favorites to try and train a Bayesian filter, but even with thousands of clicks and hundreds of thousands of example items (which is about 6 months or so of feeds), I can't seem to get the damn thing to give any sort of reliable results. My goal was sort of a reverse SPAM filter - items that matched the Bayesian training would get marked - either displayed as a full post (instead of a summary) or getting a colored title bar, or whatever. But I've yet to get it working.

I suspect though, it might not be me. I think the amount of effort you'd need to make to mark items as like/dislike, and the amount of items you'd need to have as an example to compare against aren't practical. For SPAM, for which there are already massive examples of both, and highly tuned keyword filters, etc., it works (though for anyone who's managed their own SpamAssassin server, not always particularly well), but the meager numbers a personal news reader pulls in? I don't think it's going to happen. Then again, I visit Techmeme, and see all the automatically grouped, prioritized and filtered articles and I think I must be doing something wrong - even with the human editors, there's a lot of automated categorization as well. That's basically the same problem I'm trying to solve, so it must be possible with the same sort of inputs, or at least more feasible than I think.

Okay, so that's just some of the stuff. There's more: Full-text search, a JSON-based API and Javascript front-end with infinite scrolling which works on pretty much every smartphone I've tried it on, auto-marking read-items in batches, so when the iPad's Safari crashes (as it does quite often) or I'm on my phone and reading an item and get interrupted, I never actually lose those items as they're not marked read until they've scrolled well past that spot.

Anyways, the end result to all this is a custom-focused web application which allows me to keep track of hundreds of news feeds, social items, and even 'firehose' feeds without losing my mind or dedicating 20 hours a day to reading. My 24 hour timeout rarely gets used, as I'm able to zip through the feeds very efficiently - but I also don't have to fear opening up my reader after I spend a weekend out and about with my kid either. I can happily say it's the perfect news reader for me (because of course I made it for me.).

I think the next steps will probably be more focus on the filters - I imagine a full set of "If This, Then That" style item filters like you can create using an email client. Figuring out how to enable more intelligence - not necessarily magic, but at least automation - to the filtering process is key. Also, I see a time shortly when web scraping, rather than just feed parsing, will be something I'll need to add, as well as more API integration, as it's pretty obvious RSS is going away. (Though I'd love to see it replaced with something like a JSON version, that had added bits for requesting deltas - sort of like PubsubHubbub, but easier.).

Could this ever be a business? It depends - I'm not sure it'd be a consumer-level offering, but I bet there'd be a lot of info worker professionals who'd be willing to pay a few bucks - Pinboard.in style - to leave Google Reader behind for something more customizable and efficient. We might be coming full circle on a cycle of feed aggregators. It started with the original ones like Amphetameme and Radio Userland, then Newsgator and FeedDemon and Bloglines, then Google Reader came and seemed to suck the air out of the whole area. Now maybe after a break, there's another wave coming. Honestly, it doesn't seem like anyone has ever figured out how to make any real money from a feed reader though, which is probably why they all seem to fade away over time. This makes sense in a way, as the core focus of an aggregator is someone else's content. Even if you think of a feed reader as akin to a full web browser in its functionality, again, when's the last time anyone made any money making a web browser? Still, there's value there, you can feel it. It's just a matter of figuring out what it is.

So if you made it this far, now you know what I do in my spare time. I'm either reading everything I can, or figuring out ways I can read more. (Yes, I probably need help... Is there an info-junkie's anonymous? Sign me up.)

-Russ

Today, Google announced that it would be killing Google Reader as of July 1st, 2013. I really can’t believe I’m typing this. I’ve been an AVID Google Reader user for as long as I can remember. I’m still in shock.

When I built my own website, Symbian-Guru.com, it was because all of the sites IN MY GOOGLE READER weren’t reporting what I wanted them to. When Symbian-Guru.com rose to one of the top Symbian-related blogs on the Internet, it was because of my Google Reader – I had subscribed to feeds that my competitors didn’t, so I found out about news faster. I protected my OPML file as though it was a competitive advantage.

I still use Google Reader – it’s literally my homepage, and easily the most often-visited site on my browser history. It’s the first thing I look at in the morning and the last thing I look at before I go to sleep. In 2009, I had over 350 feeds, and developed a really efficient way to plow through those within a few minutes.

Today, I don’t run a tech blog, I manage Social Media at RadioShack, but my Google Reader is still my favorite place on the Internet. It’s crucial for me to keep up with the latest information across nearly 250 different news outlets, and as you can see, I engage heavily with this content.

I don’t know what’s worse – the fact that Google is killing it, or the terrible suggestions that people who don’t use it have. Let’s clear a few of those up real quick:

1. First and foremost, NO social network can replace Google Reader – I use Google Reader specifically because of how it is DESIGNED. Its literally a river of news. I don’t want to see your monstrous header image, nor do I want to see a bunch of hashtags around the headline. I want to see news, and I ONLY want to see the news that I haven’t seen yet. Twitter, Facebook, Google+, none of them do this. They all focus on big graphics, and none of them let me ‘mark as read’ to get it out of my view.

2. Second, it’s in the cloud, and it’s always in sync, no matter what platform I’m on. Desktop, mobile, app, browser, doesn’t matter – Google Reader was always there, and always in sync with me.

3. Third, don’t tell me that Google didn’t make any money off Google Reader. Google Reader gave Google EXACTLY what Facebook pretends to know about me – my *real* interests. Google Reader knows what I’m subscribed to, how long I’ve been subscribed to it, and how often I skim past that news source, or how often I stop to read it. It knows how often I star, or save for later, and article, and it knows if/when I share said article. That’s really powerful stuff, and it’s something that Facebook has thus far unsuccessfully tried to emulate.

I honestly don’t know what to do at this point. Obviously I’ll have to find another solution. But it still hurts. I’m still in shock.

In the meantime, go sign these petitions. I did.