Pete Mecum

In the animated short “The Super Rope Solution,” a lazy man buys a system of ropes to perform everyday tasks for him, but ends up getting more than he bargained for. The short was created by Netherlands-based animator and motion designer Auke de Vries.

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips

I think that’s a giant squirrel in the screenshot. I could find out if it is, but to be told it’s not would only make me sad. And the cropping is odd because I refused to chop the tip off that magnificent sword the player is wielding. The two together can only mean one thing. Monster Hunter Online! It’s the newly announced MMO based the Capcom console game that everyone on my Twitter feed seems to scrabbling around in. It’s currently only planned as a Chinese free-to-play title, but we know such distinctions are meaningless and arbitrary in the world of PC gaming. If enough people want it, it will happen. Just ask publishers Tencent to run it through Google Translate.
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My arrival to Rogue-likes was a late and timid one. I’m a wimp, and fear the ASCII. But games like Spelunky and Dungeons Of Dredmor are my happy place, so the sight of Rogue Legacy has me biting at the screen to get to play. A 2D procedurally generated platformer, packed with dangers of death, but this time should you die, you pass on your knowledge to your children. Children who are… unique.

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Take that, Maslow.

Basic Human Needs Pyramid: Fixed [Pic]

UK-based music and video enthusiast Simon Panrucker edited a brilliant video that turns himself and his nieces, who are all amateurs when it comes to drumming, into seasoned professionals.

via Colossal

Far Cry 3 - Blood Dragon is Now Available for Pre-Purchase on Steam!

Pre-Purchase and receive the Far Cry 3 - Blood Dragon soundtrack when the game is released.

The year is 2007 and Earth has been ravaged by a nuclear war which erupted in the 90s. The east vs. west conflict has raged for generations, and humanity continues to struggle to progress after a disastrous decade. New paths for peace must be found, and the US cyborg army may have found a solution: a powerful bioweapon on a distant island. Your mission is to gather information and figure out what the hell is going on.

1.4.0 Patch Notes

General
• Added a new playthrough called Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode, unlocked for a character once they have completed the main story missions in True Vault Hunter Mode and reached level 50!
    • In this mode, you will always start in Southern Shelf at Cleaning Up the Berg and may reset your playthrough progress as often as you like without losing any items, levels, or stats. All enemies are significantly more difficult in this playthrough, but the loot quality has increased accordingly. Rumor has it there is an entirely new rarity of loot out there for high-level players.
• Added new items to the Black Market:
    • One additional ammo upgrade for each ammo type, at 50 Eridium each.
    • Two more backpack storage space upgrades, at 50 and 100 Eridium respectively.
    • Two more bank storage space upgrades, at 50 and 100 Eridium respectively.
• Increased the maximum amount of Eridium players can hold from 99 to 500.
• Fixed a bug that was causing some users to crash on startup or when loading into a level after choosing their character.
• Fixed a bug that could cause hosts to become invulnerable if they were being revived by a client who disconnected mid-revive.
• Fixed an issue that could cause players to crash or freeze when fighting BNK-3R.
• Fixed a bug that could cause Deathtrap's Robot Rampage audio to not stop playing after killing an enemy until Deathtrap despawned.
• Fixed a bug that could stop the Gunzerker's Keep It Piping Hot skill from functioning as intended.
• Covered an area of the world near Claptrap's ship where the player could fall in and be unable to get out.
• Fixed an issue where a Siren could revive a player and make another player invulnerable under specific circumstances.
• Addressed instances of audio distortion tied to Axton's turret and kill skills.
• (Mr. Torgue DLC) Critical hits against Midgets now register properly.
• (Mr. Torgue DLC) Rat Thief enemies are no longer allowed in Pete’s Bar due to patron concerns regarding excessive theft.
• (Captain Scarlett DLC) Fixed an issue with the "Shady Dealings" challenge where a purchase could sometimes not count toward its completion.

Missions
• Fixed an issue where players could be unable to interact with the menu when a mission that granted experience but not items was completed and not handled by the player before saving and quitting.
• Fixed an issue where players could cause the round to not fail in a Slaughter mission if a surviving player disconnects while all others are out.
• (Sir Hammerlock DLC) Thermitage is now friendlier and will no longer refuse to come play with some players.
• Fixed issues with the following missions that could cause players to get stuck or not be able to complete them:
    • Wildlife Preservation
    • Medical Mystery
    • (Captain Scarlett DLC) Let There Be Light
    • (Mr. Torgue DLC) Eat Cookies and Crap Thunder

Equipment
• Fixed a bug where players were able to do far more damage than intended by exploiting a buff from the Evil Smasher.
• Clients are now able to see explosions caused by Norfleets in multiplayer.
• Fixed an issue causing Relics to sometimes not show the Favorite indicator.
• Fixed an issue that caused E-tech weapons to not be able to hit the Mechromancer's 'One Two Boom' orb.
• Seraph Gear from Captain Scarlett and Mr. Torgue DLC re-balanced to be more powerful.
• Fixed class mods that increase the skill grade of Axton's Metal Storm, Onslaught and Quick Charge skills to function as intended.
• Fixed an exploit involving Vladof rocket launchers that could result in having infinite ammo for any weapon.
• Fixed an issue where weapon cards would sometimes not display how many bullets they consumed per shot.
• Mechromancer's Prodigy class mod now correctly increases reload speed.
• Fixed an issue causing impact sounds from users with The Bee shield to not be audible on clients.
• Adjusted Mechromancer’s Sweetheart class mod to correctly increase team health.
• Assassin’s “Slayer of Terramorphous” class mod no longer includes Gunzerker skill bonus.
• (Mr. Torgue DLC) Torgue vending machines can now stock legendary weapons above level 48.
• Chere-amie sniper rifle and transfusion grenades no longer cause audio distortion.
• Assigned price to Anshin 'Evolution' shield so that players can sell it for money if desired.

As a living, breathing contradiction, my greatest passions in life are combat and pacifism. Seriously, though, stripping away combat has yielded some of recent times’ most interesting games, and Wander‘s brand of collaboration-centric exploration could raise a leafy mutant branch hand in acceptance of that torch. On paper, it sounds serene on an almost primal level, reveling in “exploration and joy.” The main goal, then, is to “explore planets, discovering their history and beauty.” Conceptually, the whole thing almost strikes me as a greener, more freeform Journey. And so far, the first planet looks like it escaped from the explosions and dumbness factory in James Cameron’s brain with natural beauty full intact, so that’s promising. I want to explore! For now, though, both you and I will have to settle for pooling our vast cognitive and spiritual resources to adventure through a couple videos after the break.

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Jane Henson, the American puppeteer who partnered with her husband Jim Henson to create the Muppets died yesterday at the age of 78. In addition to her role in the creation of the Muppets, Henson founded The Jim Henson Legacy in 1993 to help preserve the work of her late husband. The Jim Henson Company has posted a tribute page for Jane Henson.

Jane Henson with Jim Henson and the cast of Sam and Friends, Washington, DC, c. 1960. Photo by Del Ankers

photos via The Jim Henson Company

I posted this in March 2011, but as Kottke says, "it's so good, here it is again." "How a differential gear works" is a short industrial film that does a better job of explaining how differentials work than any other materials I've seen -- a real "a-ha" generator.

How a differential gear works

I’ve only played poker twice! Yet here I am writing a post about a poker game! That’s the kind of consummate professional I am. I know enough about poker to get away with this, though – for instance, I know that if someone plays five Jacks at once it’s called a Belgian Tickle and everyone else in the game has to take their trousers off. I know that if anyone scores 21, they immediately have to give their car keys to a homeless person. And I know that Telltale’s first attempt at a poker-based game starring a selection of pop-cultural characters was disappointing. Given that, post-Walking Dead, the studio is presumably now aware of the critical and commercial benefits of making really good rather than merely adequate and formulaic games, hopefully that means they’re going to give Poker Night 2 their all.
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Word from Atlus is that Zeno Clash 2 will arrive at the end of the month. The sequel to the world’s craziest fantasy face-punching game will be an open-world sort of thing, which is a fact that makes me quite happy. For more clarification on what it takes to bring me cheer, check out the trailer below, or this interview.
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