Bewarethewumpus

Gordon Hurd, a stock commercial model-for-hire who somehow became known as the de facto spokesperson of the Internet’s anime communities, brings a very important message on behalf of the thousands of pro-anarchy supporters in Twitch Plays Pokemon.

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In a landmark deal, Netflix has agreed to pay Comcast for direct access to the company's broadband system. The announcement comes after months of dispute between Netflix and broadband providers about who should pay for increasing bandwidth loads.

If you haven't been following the streaming wars, here's the basic gist: As Netflix has grown, an argument over who should pay for the increasing loads—the broadband provider or Netflix—has emerged. In the meantime, Netflix has been buying its bandwidth from a company called Cogent, which acts as the middle man between Netflix and Comcast or Verizon, which in turn deliver the stream to you. But that agreement hasn't worked out very well.

Under this new deal, Netflix will access Comcast's network directly—or, almost directly, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news this afternoon. "Under the deal, Netflix won't be able to place its servers inside Comcast's data centers, which Netflix had wanted," the paper explains. "Instead, Comcast will connect to Netflix's servers at data centers operated by other companies."

The deal was confirmed in a joint statement:

Comcast Corporation and Netflix, Inc. today announced a mutually beneficial interconnection agreement that will provide Comcast's U.S. broadband customers with a high-quality Netflix video experience for years to come. Working collaboratively over many months, the companies have established a more direct connection between Netflix and Comcast, similar to other networks, that's already delivering an even better user experience to consumers, while also allowing for future growth in Netflix traffic. Netflix receives no preferential network treatment under the multi-year agreement, terms of which are not being disclosed.

According to the WSJ, the deal was struck in January at CES, and that the details of the agreement were hammered out earlier this month.

What does this all mean for you? For one thing, Comcast customers are due to see some serious improvement when it comes to streaming video. But it's an ominous sign for the ongoing battle for net neutrality—a far more complex issue at stake here. In January, a federal court dealt a death blow to net neutrality when it struck down the FCC's open Internet rules, which demand, essentially, that all data be treated equal.

That decision opened up the possibility that broadband providers—like Comcast—could start giving specific companies—like Netflix—preferential treatment. But for now, it's still unclear what, if anything, this definitive agreement could mean for net neutrality.

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And on the 11th day, the lord of 'Twitch Plays Pokémon' was brought back to life.

After collecting six badges, after countless fan art tributes, after accidentally releasing over 12 Pokémon in a single day, after getting through any trees and ledges that stood in the way, and after successfully navigating the treacherous Safari Zone, thousands of players on 'Twitch Plays Pokemon' did it: they revived the Helix fossil by using the Pokémon lab in Cinnabar Island. It's amazing.

This development is significant because, funnily enough, a 'religion' of sorts formed around 'Twitch Plays Pokemon'—having thousands of players try to control a single character often meant that players found themselves accidentally delving into a menu that held a fossil. Players constructed a narrative around the mistake: Red, the main character must be looking to the Helix fossil for guidance, right? That's why players consult it so much, for guidance.

And because of that fixation, the Helix fossil started being regarded as a holy deity by players—a force so important that the real point of the game, some joked, was not to beat the Elite Four and beat the game, but rather to take the fossil to Cinnabar Island and turn it into a fossil Pokemon called "Omanyte" (pictured above). In doing so, players would show their devotion to the chaos that makes Twitch Plays Pokemon so special, since the Helix fossil is the god of anarchy...or something like that.

Now that 'Twitch Plays Pokemon' has revived the Helix fossil, the team line-up looks like this:

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(Image via the Google doc that monitors progress on 'Twitch Plays Pokemon')

Here's what this looks like in-game:

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(Side-note: isn't AAAAAAAA going into battle kind of the best thing?)

Omanyte is the only Pokemon that doesn't have a doofy nickname, which is appropriate, really. Omanyte's revival, along with the acquisition of powerful 'mon like Zapdos, means that players on Twitch have a pretty formidable team. The Pigeot alone is leveled high enough that it can destroy most opponents, and Zapdos is a "legendary"—which means its pretty powerful. Eventually, the Omanyte will evolve into an Omastar.

As of this writing, Twitch players are trying to acquire the "secret key"—an item which will allow them to face Blaine, the gym leader of Cinnabar Island. From there, players will need to acquire one last badge before being able to head into Victory Road—the grueling final portion of the game before the Elite Four. Whether or not they'll be able to do all of this remains to be seen—but somehow, they've made it this far, right? I wouldn't underestimate what Twitch players can accomplish, given enough time. We'll keep you updated on progress.

You can watch the livestream here, if you're curious:

Bets on how long until someone accidentally releases Lord Helix?

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Box art for the PVP Station Light 3000, a cheap Chinese knock-off console. [technabob]

Read more...

Adding zombies, ala DayZ, isn't the only way you can mod military shooter ArmA. You can also do the awesome thing, and add dinosaurs.

This clip is an animation test that McRuppertle is working on, with the ultimate aim of adding an enormous Tyrannosaurus to the game world.

Anyone who has played Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, or even Jurassic Park on the SNES, will know that if correctly implemented this will represent the pinnacle of modern game design.

Arma 3 - Trex Animation Test [YouTube]

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If you only saw this video - by Japanese voice actor and performer Sumire Uesaka - on YouTube, then boy are you missing out.

A rapid-fire tribute to the video games of yesteryear, the clip becomes something else when viewed as it was intended, on the record label's Tumblr. Click play there, and you'll be treated to something that should really be carrying an epilepsy warning.

Or maybe it already does, and I missed that bit when my eyes rolled back into my skull, bleeding.

Note: anime fans might recognise the tune: it's a cover of the ending theme to Hōzuki no Reitetsu.

Parallax View [Tumblr, via prosthetic knowledge]

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In the latest episode of Cyanide & Happiness, a man suddenly finds himself running for his life on the brink of death after falling into a hole on the sidewalk.

The Bernoulli effect, as explained by Cerulean Lunacy from the science side of Tumblr.

It's thunderstriking.

The post Best Video Ever of the Day: Two Cellists Slay AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” appeared first on MetalSucks.

In 2012 I reviewed Economix, a terrific cartoon history of economics by Michael Goodwin and illustrated by Dan E. Burr. (After reading it, I bought a few copies of the book to give as gifts.)

Today, Michael emailed to let me know that he and Dan have posted an excellent and free 27-page online comic called The Transpacific Partnership and "Free Trade," which describes how the negotiated-in-secret treaty is a "global coup that's disabling our democracies and replacing them with multinationals and Wall Street," and is making the US "police state more extensive, more restrictive, and global."

If you've ever wondered how to pronounce Admiral Ackbar's name properly, here's a fan giving a hard-boiled lecture to Conan, who accidentally mispronounced it. This is serious Star Wars business.

And no, this is not a trap.

Fan Correction: Admiral Ackbar Isn't Pronounced Like That! [Team Coco, YouTube]

To contact the author of this post, write to: gergovas@kotaku.com

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Author : Clint Wilson, Staff Writer

I have successfully synchronized myself with this system’s most evolved planet. As my physical form materializes in the nitrogen rich atmosphere I zero in on an artificially constructed dwelling. It is full of crude technology. Visual/audio and communication devices abound, along with appliances for both preserving and cooking organic food. Then there is basic waste removal plumbing and quasi-advanced temperature control. Overall these beings appear to be verging on the modern ways that I am used to and are probably on their way to interstellar integration.

There is one being home. Surprisingly my intelligence meter sends back a very low-end scan. I have seen their technology. I know that my scanner is missing something. As I appear in a common area the being spies me and launches into a tirade of unintelligible shouts and taunts. I immediately send out soothing, calming messages via telepathy. The quadruped responds quickly and ceases its verbal barrage. It obediently sits back on its haunches and seemingly awaits further communication.

Typically I can communicate quickly with just about any intelligent or quasi-intelligent species but with this one it takes a while. At first I think it is telling me that it has been enslaved here, but then I determine that it is actually quite satisfied with its living arrangement. “Tell me more,” I say in mind speak, as I continue to try and ascertain how this being manipulates all of the complicated devices in its home without opposable thumbs.

Meanwhile, the Johnsons enjoy their day at the beach, secure in the thought that their faithful mutt, Brutus, is safely guarding their home.

Journalist Glenn Greenwald after being reunited with his partner, David Miranda, in Rio de Janeiro's International Airport after British authorities used anti-terrorism powers to detain Miranda. RICARDO MORAES/REUTERS

In a disturbing ruling for democracy, a lower court in United Kingdom announced today that the detainment of journalist Glenn Greenwald’s partner David Miranda was lawful under the Terrorism Act, despite the fact that the UK government knew Miranda never was a terrorist. This disgraceful opinion equates acts of journalism with terrorism and puts the UK on par with some of the world’s most repressive regimes. Miranda has vowed to appeal the ruling.

Glenn Greenwald has much more on what this means for press freedom, but I’d like to expand on one particular point:

Over the past several years, the US State Department has publicly criticized several governments for using overly-broad terrorism laws against journalists and has even claimed its their policy to oppose “misus[ing] terrorism laws to prosecute and imprison journalists.” As we pointed out a couple months ago, they have criticized Turkey, Ethiopia, Morocco, and Burundi all within the past year.

Just last week, the State Department harshly criticized Egypt for detaining over twenty Al-Jazeera journalists and charging them under the regime’s terrorism statute. A State Department spokesman said, Egypt’s "targeting of journalists and others on spurious claims are wrong and demonstrates an egregious disregard for the protection of basic rights and freedoms.” She continued: "any journalist, regardless of affiliation, must not be targets of violence, intimidation or politicized legal action. They must be protected and permitted to freely do their jobs in Egypt."

Will the US State Department condemn very similar behavior by one of its closest allies, the United Kingdom? Sadly, in November when the UK first made its argument in court, the State Department refused to comment when asked about its stance by the Guardian's Paul Lewis. Now that a court has ruled in the UK’s government favor, it’s time for the State Department to speak out.

With the ruling, the UK government has vastly widened the definition of terrorism to include ensnare people who have not committed violence, who have no intention to commit violence, and who aren’t even associated with people who intend to commit violence. The lower court essentially agreed with the government’s warped definition it put forth in court documents in November:

"Additionally the disclosure, or threat of disclosure, is designed to influence a government and is made for the purpose of promoting a political or ideological cause. This therefore falls within the definition of terrorism..."

Under the UK government’s logic, several Guardian reporters and editors could also be guilty of engaging in “terrorism”, and as well as New York Times or Pro Publica journalists who have received the same news-worthy documents for publication. In fact, if publishing or threatening to publish information for the purpose “promoting a political or ideological cause” is "terrorism," than the UK government can lock up every major newspaper editorial board that dares write any opinion that strays from the official government line.

The UK already has draconian measures in place that prevents newspapers from reporting freely on government. Newspapers are under constant fear of being censored under the Official Secrets Act, the Guardian was forced to destroy harddrives containing the Snowden files last year, and they are reportedly under active criminal investigation as well.

But this ruling is more troubling than all of it, and quite seriously threatens democracy. If journalism can be equated with terrorism in the court of law, any press freedom that is left in the UK will quickly disappear.

Note: Glenn Greewald is a member of Freedom of the Press Foundation's board of directors.

The summer action film has action comedy, and a raccoon with a machine gun. Does the new trailer make you excited or nervous for the film?

mahramore:

shots fired

Author : Jae Miles, Staff Writer

It took me twenty years. I mortgaged everything I had, including family, friends and the love of my life. But G-Nano was worth it. A revolutionary method where leading-edge technology would restore the Earth’s damaged biosphere as a side effect of improving everyone’s lives. The adaptability of the code allowed scalability that ran from going one-on-one with disease organisms to cleaning the plastic islands at the ocean gyres. I submitted the patent request along with the gigabytes of proving data, then waited for the calls to start.

After a month, there was only one: “Professor David Adams? This is James Rufford of the Ministry of Defence. A car will be outside your block in two hours. It will bring you to discuss your patent application.”

The driver was courteous, as was everyone I met on the way to the nicely-appointed office where James Rufford waited. He looked up as I came in, his wall screens displaying the highlights of my work.

“Professor Adams. Firstly, may I compliment you on the genius of your work. Secondly, may I apologise for the fact that it is about to be classified beyond public scrutiny forever.”

I just stood there, my mouth hanging open. He gestured me to a chair.

“You cannot be serious.”

He smiled: “I am. Let me show you why.” The wall screen showed a grainy, scanned photograph of a group of bearded, top-hatted gentlemen standing next to a wooden frame that supported a tall, naked being with hourglass-shaped openings where its eyes should be.

“In 1754, a Dakerda scout crashed in the Lake District. While computers were unknown to the gentlemen of the time, the mechanicals salvaged from the wreckage were revelations to them. What the only survivor told them before he died was an epiphany. The Dakerda were looking for a new planet as theirs was ruined. Earth fitted the bill: clean with a primitive civilisation. At that time, the gentlemen involved rightly concluded that we could not withstand the Dakerda. So they came up with plan.”

I raised my hand. “The Industrial Revolution. Mechanisation to evolve the technologies we needed.”

He shook his head: “Nearly right. They decided to make Earth unappealing.”

I slammed my fist down on the table: “Surely it is time for that policy to be reversed. We have the technology now.”

“In 1947, another Dakerda scout came down in Roswell. Analysis of that vessel against what little remained of the 1754 wreck showed technological advances on par or exceeding our progress. Their computers took us thirty years to crack.”

Rufford looked at me: “The Dakerda remain so far beyond us that it is doubtful we would even slow their invasion of Earth down.”

I just stared at him. The implications were horrific.

“Professor Adams, we cannot ‘clean up’ Earth. The moment we succeed, the Dakerda will invade and wipe out humanity. We must keep the pollution while we work on expanding into space. Our only defence is to become a star faring race so we can flee. Of course, if we fail, the polluted Earth will eventually spell our doom anyway.”

Twenty years. I mulled over what he had told me to work out why I had been brought in. With a smile, I extended my hand: “How can I help?”

He looked relieved: “Your designs bear similarities to the architecture of some Dakerda systems. We’d like you to discover how they work.”

“I would be delighted.”

Prankster Jack Vale recently freaked strangers out at the beach by walking up to them and talking about personal information he gathered from their social media updates. Jack has tried this social media experiment out in the past, but this time he goes for more of a stalker vibe.

I stalked people at the beach by researching their social media profiles. How did I find them? They all posted public pictures of themselves on Instagram and Twitter! And so the quest began!

The UK National Health Service has initiated a plan to take the nation's private health records and sell them off to private companies in a process overseen by notorious multinational bumblewads ATOS. If you live in the UK England, your records -- mental health records, prescriptions, records of surgeries including abortions, and other sensitive personal information -- will be handed over to a wide-ranging group of companies all over the world.

Unless you opt out. And opting out isn't easy. There's no central place to opt out. Instead, you have to send a letter to your GP's surgery, which means you have to look up your GP's surgery's address, compose a legally sufficient letter, print it out, find an envelope and a stamp -- etc.

However! There's a better way. A group of volunteers whom I trust implicitly, including the astounding Stef Magdalinski (who made the Faxyourmp service that is the ancestor of Theyworkforyou) have created Fax Your GP, a dead-simple form that will look up your GP's fax number for you, create a form opt-out letter you can fill in in just a few easy steps, and then they'll fax that letter directly to your GP's surgery. I just opted out.

The NHS leaflet explaining care.data says you should ‘let your GP know’ if you want to opt out.

But GP surgeries are busy. If you ring up wanting to opt out they’ll ask you to write to them instead. That’s fair enough – their priority is treating the sick.

It’s 2014. The NHS really should have made it easy to opt out via the web.

So we thought we’d help out.

First, we found the fax numbers for every GP practice (sadly, very few let you email them). After you’ve entered your details, our clever computers automatically fax your letter asking to opt-out of the care.data database straight to your GP practice.

It’s free. It’s secure. And we don’t store any of your personal data once your opt-out fax has been received by your GP. So we won’t email trying to sign you up for other campaigns.

Fax Your GP (Thanks, Stef!)

larstheyeti:

Heart’s desire.

[theodd1sout]

Since its quiet launch on Saturday, more than 55,000 people have watched and tried to play the massively-multiplayer co-op version of Pokemon Red that is currently being hosted on Twitch.tv.