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I’m a few weeks late linking to this, but I didn’t want to let it slide. Long-time iOS developer Justin Williams, on attending Microsoft’s Build developer conference:

One of the biggest differences I noticed between an event like Build and WWDC was in the subtle messaging. Both Apple and Microsoft are massive companies that make billions of dollars and answer to their shareholders. Both companies also offer development platforms for third-parties to integrate with.

What’s different though is that it feels like Microsoft is more interested in working with us as a partner whereas Apple has always given off a vibe of just sort of dealing with us because they have to. Maybe that’s a little sour grapes, but as a developer it was a nice change.

The differences from WWDC — especially since both were held in the same venue, Moscone West — were fascinating to me. Little things, like the keynote hall being arranged sideways (wide, rather than deep), to big things, like a press room that was open all conference long. At WWDC, press passes are good only for the Monday morning keynote; at Build, invited press can stay all conference long and attend sessions.

It’s not so much that Microsoft is friendlier, but rather that Apple is distant — cooler, in several senses of the word.

Sony will launch its sixth annual GT Academy event next week, giving superior Gran Turismo 6 players the chance to put their skills to the test on a real-world racetrack. As in previous years, GT Academy players compete to enroll in a three-month...

Not available in vegetarian.

Boston Pizza, the same chain which last year brought you a series of ads based on crude and grotesque rednecks, has outdone itself with this new campaign that ostensibly lets customers vote on 13 pizza "game-changers" ("Pizza Beardkin," "Pizza Cheese Clippers") that straddle the these-days-nonexistent line between fake, plastic novelty products and edible food. One of these will actually go into production; Brand Eating notes that the "pizza cake is leading the votes with over the double the votes of second-place pizza mints." Of course it is. [Brand Eating]

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Filed Under: pizza cake, boston pizza

Still golden.

Based on previous discussions between executives, the whole enchilada is likely going to increase between 3 and 5 percent, which isn't a lot to pay for all that sustainability, right? The changes, which the AP reports are the chain's first in three years, should begin hitting menu boards within the next month and will be in full effect by the summer. Hopefully by that time, the drug-cartel-induced lime shortage will have fizzled out and no one will even think of bringing up the "guacapocalypse." [AP, Related]

Read more posts by Hugh Merwin

Filed Under: the chain gang, avocados, chipotle, guacamole, guacanomics, menu prices

One of the tallest skyscrapers in New York doesn't look like it should be standing — and for a brief time, there was a chance that it wouldn't. 601 Lexington, formerly known as the Citigroup Center, stands on a pair of over 100-foot-high stilts that originally allowed it to be constructed around a church occupying the land. It's a striking and inventive design, but as 99% Invisible reports, it wasn't perfect: a year after its construction in 1977, engineers realized that just the right type of wind could make the entire building blow over, and there was a one in sixteen chance of that happening each year. Head over to 99% Invisible for details on how the building was repaired in secret, without anyone finding out about the potential...

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Nothing lasts forever in this transient land, especially not good things like tasty, super cheap falafel. Yes, those days are upon us, with word that legendary late-night eatery Mamoun's has raised the price of their falafel sandwich from $3 to $3.50. WHY GOD. [ more › ]

Like many classic video games, the development process of Bioshock was fraught with peril — just a few months before the game's release, developer Irrational Games invited people outside the company to try the game for the first time, and the feedback was entirely negative. The testers called the game too dark, confusing, tedious — and one player didn't even understand that Rapture was a city set underwater. And that came on the tail end of five years of arduous development, all of which is detailed in an in-depth profile by Eurogamer. It's a particularly good time to tell the story of Bioshock — Ken Levine just decided to shut down the studio behind the game a few months ago, so the piece also doubles as a bit of a eulogy for...

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For the second time in three years, one man's urine is forcing the city of Portland, Ore., to drain millions of gallons of treated water currently stored in an open reservoir. The first time someone was caught pissing in one of these open storage facilities back in 2011 the city ended up draining 7.5 million gallons of water, Fox News reports. But this time around, the urine made its way into an even larger reservoir, so the city is now planning to dump the entirety of the its contents — contents that amount to 38 million gallons of treated water — directly into the city's sewage system.

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Stand and taquito, my man. Stand and taquito.

Guy Fieri's got himself a brand-new restaurant in Las Vegas, where the General Tso's chicken arrives in lollipop form, fried onion rings are served threaded on lead pipe, and there's a separate bar that serves 20 kinds of chilled shots, no ice. Though Guy Fieri's Vegas Kitchen & Bar, which opens today, marks the beginning of a new chapter for the celebrity chef, the spike-headed Fieri is still seeming a little bristled by Pete Wells's brutal 2012 takedown of Guy's American Kitchen & Bar, his Times Square opus. The interesting thing now, however, is that as he maintains there was "nothing realistic about what was being said" in the paper's review, Fieri seems to have moved on and thrown that restaurant's cooks under the dragon-chili-cheese-fry-themed bus in the process.

When asked by Las Vegas Weekly if the now-famous negative review changed the way he approached the new project, Fieri said:

I only do things the best I can do them in the moment that I'm doing them. Have I learned from that experience? Yes. But I was doing the best I could do. Also, remember it's a licensing deal. I'm the chef, I make the recipes, I make the idea and I give it to a group. Let's be realistic about what this was. But there was nothing realistic about what was being said. You know, you take it; it hurts; it's a bummer. But whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

It's funny that Fieri, who has now licensed his name to everything from sugary barbecue sauces to brownie-themed K-cups, is now asking fans to "be realistic." By saying he's just the chef who writes recipes and has no command over the actual cooks in the kitchen — the ones presumably responsible for all that bad food — Fieri's adding a rare, party-pooper note to his perpetually festive enterprise. It's kind of strange.

While no one's likely to be shocked by Fieri's latest musings, it's an abrupt shift in tone from November 2012, when the chef jumped on a jet and flew all night so he could be interviewed about the situation on Today in a near-perfect, made-for-TV moment. Fieri sat in the partially dimmed 500-seat dining room with Savannah Guthrie and called it "the real deal," detailing the "painstaking" hours of hands-on training and in-person work that went into the opening. "This is more heart and soul," he said at the time. "This is not just a name stamp."

Talking big flavors and big Vegas openings with Guy Fieri [Las Vegas Weekly]
Related: Guy Fieri Really Outdoes Himself With New Vegas Menu

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Filed Under: who runs flavortown, flavortown, guy fieri, guy's american kitchen, new york times, pete wells

Why did the rooster cross the road?

From that giant "No tear gas made here" factory banner to statements like "I have had the bad luck to move into a city with a government that acts like a local king," it's clear to everyone that Sriracha owner David Tran is tired of — by way of his sauce, at least — being called a public nuisance. So clear, in fact, that offers coming in from around the country from would-be hot-sauce welcoming committees are just getting more and more comical.

First, there was the Philly council member in December, hoping to lure Tran cheesesteak-ward. There are at least nine more: Alabama, Louisiana, Kansas, Ohio, Georgia, Iowa, Arizona, New Mexico, and West Virginia have all offered asylum to the rooster sauce with the criminally "powerful, painful odor." Not to be outdone, a San Fernando Valley congressman sent out a relocation-shaming press release yesterday that wondered, "Why send Huy Fong Foods off thousands of miles away when they can stay in California and create jobs here?"

But the most serious overtures are Texas's. Having seen firsthand what would fill the Sriracha void, a Dallas state rep, Jason Villalba, has been trying to charm Huy Fong since January. Earlier this week, he Facebook-messaged Tran an offer — for the second time, at least — to fly in a delegation to discuss the Lone Star State. Actually, begged may be more appropriate: "I implore the Tran family: just meet with us. Let us tell you what is possible by moving your operations to Texas. You will not be disappointed."

Sriracha Sauce Maker Considers Relocation [LAT]
Earlier: City Declares Sriracha Factory Smell a Public Nuisance

Read more posts by Clint Rainey

Filed Under: srirachapocalypse, david tran, huy fong foods, sriracha

Hitman is about being cold-blooded. It's a series of stealth games about sneaking around so that you can murder people, and the new mobile spin-off Hitman Go manages to capture that satisfying feeling that comes from expertly plotting a route, maneuvering around guards, and quietly taking down your mark. This fact is surprising not just because it's a mobile game, and console titles rarely make a seamless transition to the small screen, but because Hitman Go completely reimagines the series as a strangely compelling board game. It doesn't look like any of the other five Hitman games, but it sure feels like it.

As always, the game puts you in the role of Agent 47, a cloned assassin with a barcode tattoo and a closet full of identical...

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Online weapon giveaways have become one of the fastest growing ways for Republican candidates to build up donor lists and expand support.

David Pogue reviews the Samsung Galaxy S5:

What is gunking up your screens is Samsung’s usual not-fully-thought-through assemblage of app flotsam. Why do you need one app for Gmail and another for other kinds of email accounts? Why do you need two photo apps — one from Samsung, one from Google? Two Settings apps? Two text-messaging apps? Two video players?

This is the dark side of the Android experience: One company makes the hardware, another makes the software. Now they’re becoming rivals, and we can already see who the loser will be: you.

My favorite part is the “one-handed mode”. And what’s the deal with all those inscrutable icons in the status bar?

Bartering and selling at conventions and online, the thousands of mostly teenage “sneakerheads” have perfected the art of trading up.

United Kingdom, 16 April 2014 – Canon today introduces a new white edition of the world’s smallest and lightest APS-C DSLR , the EOS 100D, as well as a new white version of its EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM zoom lens. Ideal for first time users looking to explore the world of DSLR photography, the new editions to the EOS range make it easy for anyone, whatever their skill level, to capture and relive special moments in stunning detail.

Measuring just 116.8 x 90.7 x 69.4mm, the EOS 100D is compact enough to always carry with you and features an 18 MP APS-C Hybrid CMOS AF II sensor and a range of simple controls and automatic shooting modes, making capturing stunning images and Full HD movies effortless. The incredibly lightweight and compact body provides a traditional DSLR shooting experience while the large 7.7cm (3.0”) ClearView II touch screen, makes it easy to adjust settings and review images straight after capture.

The white EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens is the perfect partner for the new EOS 100D, providing the flexibility to capture everyday subjects from sweeping landscapes to close-up portraits. An Optical Image Stabilizer ensures images are captured with impressive detail and clarity, while the near-silent STM technology also ensures noise is kept to a minimum whilst focusing in movies.

White EOS 100D – key features:
18.0 Megapixel Hybrid CMOS AF II sensor
Compact, portable design
Simple shooting with Scene Intelligent Auto
Optical viewfinder and large touch screen
Full-HD movies with Hybrid CMOS AF II
Creative Filters and Extra Effect Shot
Built-in Feature Guide
EOS System of lenses and accessories
White EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM – key features:

Versatile focal length range
Compact design
Four-stop optical Image Stabilizer
Smooth focusing with STM motor
0.25m closest focusing distance
Super Spectra Coating
Non-rotating front element
Manual focus ring
Circular seven-bladed aperture
Pricing and availability
The EOS 100D White will be available from May 2014 with an MSRP of £499/€599

cr
via TDP

Bloomberg reports that Apple is working on a music identification feature for iOS that will allow iPhone and iPad users to use their device's microphone to work out what song is playing. Sources familiar with the feature say that the company is partnering with Shazam Entertainment, which has its own song detection app, to build the software into iOS itself.

Shazam, which asks users to hold their device near a sound source while it matches the music against an extensive database, currently has more than 90 million monthly users across a range of devices and operating systems. But the app, which comes free with ad support, or for $5.99 without, necessitates a download from the relevant app store.

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Google has just launched its own Camera app in the Play Store. Simply called Google Camera, the app looks a bit different from the camera software currently shipping in Android 4.4 KitKat. Google has made a number of improvements and refinements here, introducing a much cleaner interface "that gets out of your way" with a prominent shutter button.  A brand new Lens Blur mode promises to achieve "SLR-like photos" offering a shallow depth of field.

"Lens Blur replaces the need for a large optical system with computer vision algorithms and optimization techniques that are run entirely on the mobile device, simulating a larger lens and aperture in order to creating a 3D model of the world," Google said. (The company has published a blog...

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The final piece of DLC for Borderlands 2 is now out—the base game was released over one and a half years ago, on September 18, 2012. Even ignoring the extra costumes, BL2 managed to amass quite the hefty amount of DLC packs during that time. I'm interested to see if the new game will get a similar treatment.

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Hearthstone, Blizzard's addictive online card game, is now available on iPad worldwide. New players get a free pack of cards.

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Developer Vlambeer is offering the option to purchase its latest game, Nuclear Throne, through Twitch, a first for the video game broadcast company. Purchasing Nuclear Throne through Twitch gives players access to the game via Steam Early Access,...

Is there trouble in Taco town?

Time was, Taco Bell introduced a new product and the world went crazy. Then Taco Bell would go on to sell hundreds of millions of units. But this week, some other chains have stolen the Bell's social-media thunder (such as Domino's and its questionable new chicken hunk "pizza" and the return of the KFC Double Down). How could this happen? And what's Taco Bell going to do about it? Here now is a look at what is most likely happening inside the chain's Irvine, California, headquarters right this second.

Taco Bell President Brian Niccol bursts into the company's test kitchen, flanked by the company's army of social media engineers, none of whom is more than 19 years old. Taco Bell's R&D team — tasked with creating the chain's new products — wipes Doritos dust off their hands and quickly scurries over toward Niccol.

Niccol: We've got a serious problem. It's about the new Doritos Locos taco.

R&D Member 1: Our Spicy Chicken Cool Ranch Doritos Locos tacos?

Social Engineer 1: Exactly. We've run the numbers and they're underperforming. And that thing where the Fritos chips are the dip? That hasn't gone over so well, either. In fact, our figures show that the biggest fast-food social media event of the entire week was from ... Domino's.

R&D Member 1: That seems impossible. All of our focus-group research shows consumers would literally rather eat garbage than Domino's pizza.

Social Engineer 2: That's the thing. Their new product isn't pizza.

Niccol: They put pizza toppings on fried chicken. It's simple. It's elegant. It's genius! And it's an idea we should have had first.

R&D Member 2: But we don't sell fried chicken... or pizza.

Niccol: We didn't sell waffles, either, but that didn't stop us from coming up with waffle tacos.

R&D Member 1: We could have called it the Fiesta Pizza ...

R&D Member 3: The Fiest-za?

R&D Member 1: Piesta!

Social Engineer 2: That's a pretty good hashtag.

Social Engineer 1: [Looking at his phone.] Uh-oh.

Social Engineer 2: [Also looking at her phone.] Oh no. Oh dear Lord, no.

Niccol: What? What is it?

Social Engineer 1: It's KFC, sir ... They're ... They're...

Niccol: Spit it out!

Social Engineer 1: They're bringing back the Double Down.

Three members of the R&D team immediately jump out the nearest window, screaming Noo! Nooooo! as they plummet to their deaths.

Social Engineer 1: [Flipping through every app on his phone.] The Double Down news is everywhere. This is going to be huge. I bet Good Morning America is already prepping a segment.

Niccol: I need ideas, people, and I need them now.

R&D Member 1: What if we call the Cronut guy and see if he'll let us make tacos out of those?

R&D Member 2: A Doritos breakfast sandwich?

R&D Member 3: Doritos Cronuts!

The phrase "Double Down" skyrockets to the top of Twitter trends.

Social Engineer 1: This can't be happening!

R&D Member 4: I have an idea! But it's a little ... out there. What if we start using high-quality ingredients? Fresh tortillas with real meat inside? What if we trump all these other fast-food mash-ups by selling ... actual food?

The room falls completely silent.

Niccol: What did you just say?

R&D Member 4: I said we could sell ... actual food.

Social Engineer 1: That would never work as a hashtag.

Niccol: Actual food? What would happen to this industry if we let ideas like that poison our business? You're fired. The rest of you, figure out how to sell Doritos for breakfast.

Read more posts by Alan Sytsma

Filed Under: the chain gang, double down, gut busters, kfc, taco bell

From Slice

VIEW SLIDESHOW: Snapshots From Pizza Town USA, 'America's Favorite Town' Since 1958

[Photographs: Robyn Lee]

Maybe you've had a layover at Newark Airport or driven through Jersey on your way to NYC, but you've never really experienced the Garden State.

Buzzfeed dealt me that disheartening blow after I took their "How Jersey Are You?" quiz. I checked off a paltry 14 out of 100 key traits that would make me Jersey.

By the way, I was born and mostly bred in New Jersey, if I am to trust my birth certificate and childhood memories.

To reacquaint myself with the home state I haven't lived in for nearly a decade, I've started seeking good, classic Jersey eats during weekend trips from my current home in Brooklyn. It's been a slow process because I like staying at home about as much as I loathe driving (that is, a lot). But thanks to the kindness of friends/obligation of family, there's always someone to eat with me or drive me somewhere in the Garden State.

My last New Jersey night of gluttony took place at Pizza Town USA. Pizza Town USA. It's as good as it sounds, assuming you think it sounds awesome. Slice founder Adam Kuban reviewed Pizza Town USA three years ago, and aside from the prices, his positive review still holds up. I can't beat Adam at reviewing pizzerias, so I'm not going to try. I'm just here to 1) point you towards Adam's review, in case you haven't read it before, 2) toss in another thumbs up for Pizza Town USA, and 3) share a bunch of photos that you might enjoy.

As "Crumbnuts" prepare to invade BJ's Wholesale Club shelves in the U.S., Osaka-based chain Mister Donut, which has more than 1,250 stores throughout Japan, has apparently finally figured out how to mass-produce their own version of Dominique Ansel's Cronut. Eataku notes that three flavors — including maple and "angel" whipped cream — are being sold through June 1, a longer offer period than the one Dunkin' Donuts Korea gave to its limited-edition "New York Pie Doughnuts" last year. This seems to be something of a sign that large chains will soon make fake Cronuts a permanent menu item.

It starts, as all commercials for knockoff pastries should, really, with a burst of saxophone and a (very New York) fashion model in a red dress, wind-machine wind rippling through her hair. "The newest craze from New York!" says an onscreen message.

Those Croissant-Doughnut fans are saying, "Crisp!" and "Crunchy!" and "Sticky!" One says, "Anyway, it's the texture," while another adds, "Really original," and the announcer caps it all off with a really enthusiastic "From New York to Mister Donuts!"

Mr. Croissant Doughnut hits Japan [Eataku]
Related: Crumbs Bake Shop’s Cronut Knockoffs Headed to BJ’s Wholesale Clubs

Read more posts by Hugh Merwin

Filed Under: video feed, croissant doughnuts, cronut, cronuts, dominique ansel, japan, mister donut

The Attorney General's Labor Bureau has reached an agreement with GrubHub Inc. in its investigation of tip collection with the company's restaurant clients that will ensure all workers receive their full tips from online orders. In February of last year, an Upper West Side restaurant was accused of stealing tips from its workers who delivered meals from online orders. The restaurant claimed it was merely withholding the tips as means to recoup fees charged by the delivery sites; one judge called hooey and the case moved up through the courts. The new settlement makes the language clear that restaurants are required to distribute tips in full to the workers who make deliveries. [ more › ]

Butter is BACK, baby, and melting its way into your cup of coffee. Sounds strange but it's an established tradition across the globe that's becoming more popular here—especially now that we're free to eat saturated fats with reckless abandon. The drink, dubbed Bulletproof Coffee, is said to have rejuvenating powers and also aid in weight loss as part of a high fat, low carb diet. Or it's just an excuse to put butter in all the things, whatever works. [ more › ]

In January 2014, longtime game designer Michael Molinari was testing a prototype of his studio's new multiplayer project. Choice Chamber, built for the massively popular streaming platform Twitch, promised a new kind of audience participation. Tens of thousands of people can watch a game on Twitch, but in an ordinary game, that's all they can do. In Choice Chamber, though, viewers could control the game's power-ups, weapons, and terrain, either helping or challenging the player as they jumped and slashed through it. "Of course, I'm not very popular, so I had maybe 10 people play it," he says. "Two weeks later, Twitch Plays Pokemon came out."

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Uh oh, Donald Rumsfeld and I agree on something. Each year, with his tax return, Rumsfeld sends a letter to the IRS explaining that neither he or his wife are sure of how accurate their taxes are because the forms and tax code are too complex. Here is this year's letter:

If only he had been less certain of his accuracy in an even more complex situation, like, say the whole WMD/Iraq War thing.

Tags: Donald Rumsfeld   IRS   taxes

But did it ever really leave?

Kentucky Fried Chicken is bringing back its sensational bun-less wonder, a.k.a. the Double Down, a.k.a. the OG fast-food mashup-scourge that deploys two planks of fried chicken in place of the bleach-white bread that might otherwise sandwich its bacon, Monterey and Pepper Jack cheeses, and special-glow sauce. As a bonus, maybe, the relaunch will be accompanied by something called the "Double Down Dare," perhaps because peer-pressure-based eating stunts are now essential to compete in an age when a new chain restaurant mashup food launches every 15 minutes. [Gothamist]

Read more posts by Hugh Merwin

Filed Under: eternal returns, double down, kfc, the chain gang

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