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09 Sep 17:55

Human urine contains more than 3,000 distinct chemicals

by George Dvorsky

Human urine contains more than 3,000 distinct chemicals

Researchers from the University of Alberta have shown that urine is a far more complex concoction than we ever imagined. The new comprehensive study chronicles the presence of over 3,000 chemicals in human urine — which is 30 times more than previously known.

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02 Sep 23:10

GT Countdown Top 5 PS3 Exclusives

by GameTrailers

Top 5 PS3 Exclusive - Thumb

Is it Snake or Drake? GameTrailers ranks the best of the best, with a dissenting opinion or two...
21 Aug 21:16

Coming September 4 to iOS and Android from Konami, Star Wars: Force Collection is a free-to-play col

by Mike Fahey

Coming September 4 to iOS and Android from Konami, Star Wars: Force Collection is a free-to-play collectible card battler featuring more than 230 people, places and things drawn from episodes I through VI of the Star Wars saga. Here's hoping it isn't completely evil.

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18 Aug 22:47

Star Trek Las Vegas: Deep Space Nine 20th Anniversary Reunion

by Nancy Garrett

It took two separate panels to accommodate the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 20th Anniversary Reunion at Creation Entertainment’s Las Vegas convention August 11. Creation assembled a nearly complete cast of 16 DS9 main cast members for the commemorative event. And in between panels, when writer-producer Ira Steven Behr walked on stage with the cast, the scene brought hundreds of camera flashes in Rio Resort and Casino’s main theater. You don’t have to be a die-hard DS9 fan to appreciate these increasingly rare convention reunion moments. Fans, actors — even sideline observers can’t help but get a little choked up. Who knows when, where or if an ensemble like this will be on the same stage together again?

After introductions and pleasantries, Creation’s panel moderator Adam Malin immediately got to the heart of the matter, quizzing DS9 actors about their characters’ interactions and development. Parallels between the relationships of actors and characters were explored — such as the father and son relationship between Sisko and Jake. For example, in real life, Cirroc Lofton, who played Jake, said Brooks served as his mentor. He said Avery Brooks wanted to sure he knew his lines: “Every day he’d ask me: ‘Are you ready for this. ‘”

cirroc_microphone

“Look at him now,” said Brooks of the 35-year-old Lofton. “He’s all grown up,” he remarked, as Lofton stood up beside him, comparing his height. “He’s taller than me now.” Armin Shimerman (DS9’s Quark) jumped off his chair to pose next to them on his knees, poking fun at his much taller fellow cast members.

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Exploratory Panel
In describing another kind of on-set relationship, second panel member Chase Masterson described her character’s (Leeta) romance with and eventual marriage to Rom, played by Max Grodenchik. She stressed in the late 90s, while so many TV shows were filled with dysfunctional couples, Leeta’s and Rom’s relationship was a normal and happy one.


Chase Masterson (Leeta)

One of the more complex relationships of the series was that of Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) and Odo (Rene Auberjonois), which developed from a connection of two co-workers to a close friendship — then from a romantic attraction to the ultimate unconditional love.

nana  rene
Nana Visitor (Kira)                                        Rene Auberjonois (Odo)

Michael Dorn and Terry Farrell explored the growth of their relationship as well, although Farrell wasn’t always comfortable with the sometimes mischaracterization of Jadzia Dax as a “gossipy” simbiont, exchanging trivialities with Quark. Dorn retold how his Worf character really developed with Deep Space Nine, especially as Dax’s love interest, even though he said “Worf was “still a bit of a cranky pants.”

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 Terry Farrell (Jadzia Dax)


Ira Steven Behr greets a packed room at Star Trek Las Vegas

Fan Value
Star Trek convention reunion panels always draw a wide range of questions. Fans dissect characters, analyze relationships, pour over the significance of events and story lines. Yet Star Trek fans never grow tired of hearing the stories. They lean on these anecdotes, hoping that some unknown tidbit of the series might pop out, some new twist or little snippet of a set scenario may still be uncovered. They know these cast member conversations are priceless souvenirs of every convention.

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Marc Alaimo (Gul Dukat)                Aron Eisenberg (Nog)

Happy to work
And although some panels may come off like the intro segments of late night talk shows, the Deep Space 9 cast acknowledged it was a serious bunch; they didn’t subscribe to many pranks on or off the set. Similarly both 20th anniversary DS9 reunion panels had a serious, subdued but sentimental tone. Each actor recollected about the development of their roles over the seven-year series run. Some said they felt just happy to be employed, adding they felt very much at ease with the group, no matter at what point they had joined the series. Others described their roles on the show as being “just like any other job,” at least at first, adding they did not expect their roles to continue past a few episodes or maybe one season. Also, at the time of filming, most agreed they did not get acquainted with each other off the set. DS9 cast members told fans, these Star Trek conventions also have been opportunities for them to get to know each other better, reconnect and catch up with each others’ career projects and personal lives. Almost every actor seemed to agree, they had no idea the show would “become this big” or “have such a major impact” on society.


The entire DS9 cast assembles for a photo op

Probably the least complex character was nightclub owner singer-emcee-hologram Vic Fontaine, played by James Darren, who joked his character was around in the last season to give love advice and entertain. At the end of their Deep Space Nine panel, Avery Brooks joined Darren for a reprise of Cy Coleman’s song they performed as Fontaine and Sisko in Season 7, episode 15, “Badda Bing, Badda Bang.” One can hope this song, “The Best is Yet to Come” could be a simple, but prophetic wisdom — both for the Star Trek franchise and convention reunions.


Avery Brooks and James Darren strike up a duet


Max Grodenchik (Rom), Chase Masterson (Leeta) listen to Casey Biggs (Damar)


Second DS9 panel answers fan questions


Armin Shimerman says Quark, like any human, was “just trying to make a buck”

13 Aug 22:23

The Unceasing Beauty Of Portal 2

by Kirk Hamilton

Aperture Science, man. The only abandoned, robot-infested lab I'd ever want to visit more than once.

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10 Aug 23:20

These Are The 13 Types Of People You Meet At Gamestop

by Patricia Hernandez

These Are The 13 Types Of People You Meet At Gamestop

Even though it's rare for me to go into a Gamestop nowadays thanks to digital downloads and online stores, this funny compendium of characters you'll likely see at the store by Dorkly seems spot-on, no?

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02 Aug 23:46

79 Words You Might Be Mispronouncing, From 'GIF' to 'Zooey Deschanel'

by Kirk Hamilton

At first, I was sure I'd know the correct pronunciation for all 79 of the words Mental Floss' John Green lays out in this video. But I gotta admit, once he got past the halfway point, he started getting to a few that I regularly mess up.

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31 Jul 14:42

NASA spots a massive hole near the Sun's north pole

by George Dvorsky

NASA spots a massive hole near the Sun's north pole

NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) has captured images of an unusually large coronal hole on the surface of the Sun. At one point, it was so large that it covered nearly a quarter of the Sun's visible disk — a distance equivalent to 50 Earths placed side-by-side.

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20 Jul 15:13

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Premiere Review

Going the classic route of introducing us to a team via a newcomer, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. -- which was shown as a surprise at San Diego Comic-Con -- begins with Agent Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), a S.H.I.E.L.D. badass used to working on his own. But Ward’s skill set has put him on the radar of Agent Maria Hill (guest star Cobie Smulders, reprising her Avengers role)… Oh, and a guy named Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg).

It seems Coulson -- whose miraculous resurrection is explained (in a way – more on that later) -- is putting together a squad to investigate the emerging world of superheroes and villains, and Ward is his latest recruit. Coulson has also brought in young specialists Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) and a veteran S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen), with a mysterious past of her own. Soon this new group, part of “Level 7,” are on the hunt for a man (J. August Richards) who used his superhuman abilities to save someone from a fire, with Coulson warning that other far more nefarious groups are no doubt seeking this person as well.

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20 Jul 03:42

We Have Experienced a Godzilla Attack!

Godzilla is back, that much is obvious at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend. As Legendary and Warner Bros. prepare to show off their return of the iconic giant monster tomorrow with a panel featuring the film's star Aaron Taylor-Johnson and director Gareth Edwards, fans have found there's another way to experience the Godzilla threat too.

The Godzilla Encounter is an interactive experience just down the block from the convention center. When you enter the exhibit, you're taken through a quick tour of Godzilla history, including smashed cars, an old-school Godzilla suit, a sushi bar complete with a Japanese businessman unaware of the fate that awaits him, and more.

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Continue reading…

19 Jul 21:14

This iconic scene from Children of Men was actually an accident

by Annalee Newitz

Director Alfonso Cuorón told a rapt Comic-Con audience yesterday how one of the most memorable scenes in his classic movie Children of Men was actually a mistake.

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18 Jul 14:28

July 18, 2013: Mackenzie Gray's Thoughts on Jax-Ur in "Man of Steel"

17 Jul 23:45

Listen to the insanity of Darth Winnie, the Dark Pooh of the Sith

by Rob Bricken

Jim Cummings, voice of Disney's Winnie the Pooh, was at Connecticon last weekend, where he performed the scene of Darth Vader boarding Princess Leia's ship from the beginning of Star Wars... in the voice of a certain tubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff. The results were, predictably, glorious.

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17 Jul 23:34

What would NYC would look like in the Grand Canyon, or Death Valley?

by Robert T. Gonzalez

What would NYC would look like in the Grand Canyon, or Death Valley?

We've seen how New York City might appear were it suddenly transported to another planet, but what would the Capital of the World look like if it were transplanted somewhere else right here on Earth – Death Valley, for instance, or the Grand Canyon? Well... it would look something like this.

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16 Jul 21:49

The Battlefield 3 Easter Egg Nobody Has Found

by Patricia Hernandez

Between the spaceships and dinosaurs, you'd think Battlefield players have found everything hidden in Battlefield 3 by now, right? I mean, Battlefield 3 has only been out for almost two years now. Still, there's one easter egg which nobody has found in-game (or, if they have, it hasn't been documented yet).

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16 Jul 03:50

A Redditor Has Been Leaking WWE Outcomes [Update: WWE Response]

by Barry Petchesky on Deadspin, shared by Owen Good to Kotaku

A Redditor Has Been Leaking WWE Outcomes [Update: WWE Response]

In February on r/SquaredCircle, Reddit's pro wrestling forum, one poster kicked off a "prediction series," asking users to pick who they expected to win at that week's Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event. The winner was a user named "Dolphins1925," who posted just minutes before the start of the event, and nailed the results of every single match. It was the first sign that WWE had sprung a leak.

"I will win this guaranteed," Dolphins1925 wrote as he made his picks. "I know all the winners."

That sort of confidence in itself isn't unusual; neither is someone scoring 100 percent on his predictions. Pro wrestling is fairly predictable. Pay attention to who's being pushed and who's being buried, combine that with dirtsheet rumors on what storylines are coming down the pipe, and you can get a pretty good sense of what's going to happen at any given event.

No, what's weird about Dolphins1925's perfect slate is that he made his picks for the next pay-per-view, and the next, all the way down to last night's Money in the Bank event, and he's been completely right, every single time. He's 38 for 38 in predicting the results of matches. He's not just some fan guessing. He knows WWE's plans.

He claims he doesn't work for WWE himself, but has a source who does. He claims he's revealing the results in order to embarrass the company, so it'll realize how leaky its ship is. "I am hoping that spreading the word will get WWE's attention," he wrote. "I am hoping that it will put a stop to spoilers from being leaked."

The Reddit community didn't realize what they had at first. After he went 5-for-5 in the Elimination Chamber, including predicting the winner of a six-man match, one user told him "Your predictions were very... sharp."

They caught on next month. No longer content to leave his picks in the replies to the "prediction series," he made his own post. These weren't guesses. These were, in his words, "spoilers."

[SPOILERS] WrestleMania RESULTS inside this thread. 100% accurate. Do NOT click until after watching if you don't want WM to be spoiled. [SPOILERS]

They were, of course, 100 percent accurate. In addition to the eight matches that aired, Dolphins1925 correctly predicted a dark match that was held before the show, and one that was scheduled but bumped until the following night's Raw.

He went 8 of 8 on his Extreme Rules picks, but not without some controversy. He had said John Cena would win and retain the WWE Championship against Ryback. Technically, the match ended in a no-contest, but Cena retained the belt.

In explaining his pick for that match, and clarifying that he doesn't know exactly how any given match is going to go down, Dolphins1925 wrote something of a manifesto, explaining why he's doing what he's doing.

I would like to clarify once again that I DO NOT work for WWE. I am not a WWE Superstar, I am not with; the lighting crew, the camera crew, the sound technicians, the stagehands, the prop guys, the merchandise sellers, nor the popcorn vendor in the 15th Row, “Congratulations, Louie!”

I am just a WWE fan like everyone else, and I am getting my information from a source who has VERY credible inside information regarding the outcomes (win/losses) of the matches themselves. Given that this information is out there, we both feel that I should continue to share this information until it garners the attention of WWE. Vince and upper management are not taking reasonable measures to prevent this information from being leaked. These people whom are leaking this information are profiting off it at the expense of the WWE, the fans, and the integrity of the product. It is for these reasons that I am hoping to put an end to WWE insiders leaking PPV outcomes.

Also, I feel that WWE owes the fans. They need to be more protective of the actual results as a fellow Redditor had stated in the thread. It is hurting the integrity of the product, and I should not have access to this information.

Despite his noble intentions, Dolphins1925's project hadn't yet come to success; we're told that WWE creative didn't know he existed before today.

He soldiered on, nailing seven of seven match results at the recent Payback event. Alberto Del Rio vs. Dolph Ziggler "sounds like a bizarre match," he wrote. There was a title change and a rare double-turn.

But it was last night's Money in the Bank that would prove to be one of his toughest tests. There was one match with six competitors, and another with seven. The field was wide open, stymieing handicappers. A few minutes before showtime, Dolphins1925 revealed his picks. In each of the mass ladder matches, his winners were neither expected nor popular. (It's fun to see r/SquaredCircle flip its shit when he tells them Randy Orton is going to win a title shot.)

He went eight for eight. I watched rapt as each pick came in, culminating in Randy Orton scaling the ladder to grab the dangling briefcase.

It's impossible to gather more information on Dolphins1925, who created his Reddit account in February and hasn't used it for anything but WWE spoilers. He has not replied to a message sent through the site, but I have no reason to believe he's anything other than what he says he is: a fan tired of WWE's failure of secrecy.

So what does it matter, beyond the embarrassment to WWE? Betting, for one. As I explored a few years ago, gambling on pro wrestling is a growing phenomenon, though maximum bets are capped low, specifically because of situations like this. The uncertainty surrounding the secrecy of WWE's plans extends even to those setting the lines. Adam Young, then the head oddsmaker at Bodog, told us

"It's always more tricky when it's not statistically based. The lines are iffy, you can't do a ton of research before making your wagers. but it's a lot of fun, and that's the purpose of it."

Curiously, the odds for Money in the Bank had all of the eventual winners installed as the favorites, leading Reddit users to speculate if bookmakers have access to the same information Dolphins1925 does.

It should surprise no one that WWE isn't Fort Knox, because it has never pretended to be. Writers have long put out information to build "organic" buzz for upcoming storylines, as well as leaked proposed angles that they hate, to be killed in utero by public opinion. Every factual leak is counteracted by three false ones, rendering most spoilers utterly worthless.

What is rare is for someone to have 100 percent correct information, and to have it for so long. For decades, WWE has done a fantastic job of keeping quiet the results of what's essentially a scripted show. It has done so by keeping the circle of people who know the outcomes small—the writers know, as do some of the technical crew; not even the wrestlers themselves know the plans for an entire card—and only sharing that information at the last possible moment. It's likely why Dolphins1925 posts his spoilers just a few minutes before showtime.

But though wrestling fans were among the early adopters of the internet, there's never been a community that offers the reach, the intimacy, the immediacy, and the anonymity of Reddit. It's possible that once-removed sources like Dolphins1925 always had this information; they just weren't able to share it with the world like he can.

This run is likely to be short-lived, and the upshot minimal. Once WWE realizes what information is out there, it's a matter of time before it changes its secrecy procedures and fires the leaker. But we had a good run, didn't we? At least we had time to prepare ourselves for another Randy Orton push.

Update, 8:20 p.m: WWE has given a statement:

"We may have a modern day Nostradamus on our hands. We might have to monitor these posts in advance of our next pay-per-view to see how good he or she really is."

16 Jul 03:47

Which formerly lovable hero became way too much of a jerk?

by Charlie Jane Anders

Which formerly lovable hero became way too much of a jerk?

It never fails: When a hero has been around too long, or the writers run out of ideas, they start playing up the hero's "dark side." And often, that means your favorite champion becomes kind of a dick. Who's your least favorite example of a hero who became so mean, or so antiheroic, that they weren't likable any more?

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12 Jul 22:58

A Synopsis of Tim Burton's Batman Based Only on the Prince Soundtrack

by Charlie Jane Anders

A Synopsis of Tim Burton's Batman Based Only on the Prince Soundtrack

Chances are most of us have seen the 1989 Batman movie at least once. But what if you'd only ever heard the soundtrack album by Prince? What would you think the plot of the movie was? Basically, it's the story of Batman's nemesis Partyman, and his ultimate weapon: the Lemon Crush.

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12 Jul 04:08

July 11, 2013: Alex McDowell on Creating Krypton for "Man of Steel"

11 Jul 04:39

The Birth Of The PS4 Is A Children's Story

by Luke Plunkett

The Birth Of The PS4 Is A Children's Story

So powerful has been Sony's messaging to date with the PlayStation 4 that, despite it not even being out yet, the console already has something of a story. And a lot of that has to do with development legend and lead architect of the PlayStation 4, Mark Cerny.

So reader Mark Hughes decided to get that down on paper, and made this wonderful children's story based on Cerny and the PS4. Being a children's book you kind of have to fill in the gaps yourself (use your imagination!), but if your kids need something to get them to sleep tonight, surely nothing will get the job done better than a tale of giant crabs and complex system architecture.

You can see the story in full - complete with narration - here, but below is just the book by itself, if you feel like ad-libbing in the details yourself.

The Birth Of The PS4 Is A Children's Story

09 Jul 23:52

Unreleased Chrome G1 Seekers

The Spacebridge facebook page has updated with more unique and rare Transformers items. This time around they give us a look at a few chrome seekers. Obviously we have Starscream pictured with the Megatron accessory which came with the Transformers Collection Starscream in 2003. The is also a regular chrome seeker. A blue and black chrome Thundercracker and an orange and black chrome Sunstorm.

The Spacebridge wrote:Not a bootleg, fake or "lunchtime special" These toys were made as samples by Takara for Hasbro. They would then be offered as exclusives or prizes to retailers if they wanted to run a promotion. So if Wal*Mart wanted to run a Transformers competition these would be offered to them by Hasbro as a possible prize. Most likely not used as Japanese size missiles so "unsafe" in the United States. These are original Hasbro internal pictures.


Re: Rare G1 Prototype Images

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09 Jul 20:50

The Most Insanely Fantastic Exclusive Toys and Collectibles at SDCC‘13

by Rob Bricken

The Most Insanely Fantastic Exclusive Toys and Collectibles at SDCC‘13

I hope you’ve been saving up, because this is going to be expensive. Here’s all the action figures, statues, and other merchandise you’ll be getting at this year’s San Diego Comic Con or nowhere else (…except maybe on eBay later for an exorbitant price).

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09 Jul 20:27

How Spontaneous Combustion Really Happens

by Esther Inglis-Arkell

How Spontaneous Combustion Really Happens

Piles of hay, charcoal, wood chips, cotton, and even paper will sometimes spontaneously burst into flame. This isn't because they're too dry. It's because they were stacked up when they were far too wet.

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08 Jul 17:42

100 Things You Might Not Know About Final Fantasy VII

by Jason Schreier

In honor of Final Fantasy VII's recent Steam re-release, here's a video by YouTuber NEroNeRoNerON exploring some trivia from Square's classic RPG.

Some of these factoids are a little silly—yes, if you park the airship on an island, fly a gold chocobo across the water, and then release the chocobo, you'll lose access to your airship. Many of them seem to be based on hacks or glitches, too.

But others are fascinating: that Sephiroth glove thing is going to bother me any time I replay the game now. And who knew you could skip all of the return to Midgar?

07 Jul 21:57

Destiny: E3 HD Gameplay Revealed

by DeeJ

Hey, PlayStation fans.

If you saw the PlayStation Press Conference at E3, or watched the live stream from the Sony booth, you may have witnessed the worldwide gameplay reveal for Destiny. If you missed it, we have no intentions of leaving you behind.

gameplay_demo_front

One thing that should be experienced first-hand is the first glimpse of Destiny gameplay that we shared with the world from that stage in Los Angeles. Now that we’ve had some time to unpack and settle in at home, we’ve recreated the show we put on in lovely HD. Settle in and scrutinize the adventure all over again, or for the first time.
 

Over on Bungie.net, we’ve released this video with as part of our week-long celebration of Bungie Day. Each year, on the seventh day of the seventh month, we take a moment to thank the members of our community for their passion and enthusiasm for our games. We’ll be releasing Destiny goodies all week long, and you’re invited to the party. If you intend to join us for Destiny, now is a great time to register.

We can’t wait to welcome PlayStation gamers into our Fireteams, and to show you more of Destiny. Tell us what you think, because we’re listening.