GoldenEye Part Of Perfect Dark On XBLA

The dreaded Facility toilets from the 1997 GoldenEye

Forget GoldenEye mods, we’re about to get the best parts of one of the greatest multiplayer shooters in 1080p/60fps goodness via XBox LIVE Arcade. When Perfect Dark hits XBLA next month, it’ll be sporting additional multiplayer levels and weapons from the classic Bond game that preceded Dark on the N64.

Although the details of the levels and weapons in the port were not released, the Facility, Temple and Complex levels that originally found their way into Perfect Dark are already confirmed to be in the HD version coming in March.

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Happy 20th Birthday, Photoshop!

Now that you’re 20 years old, Adobe Photoshop, you’ll have to act responsible and move out of your parents’ basement. You can’t live with Mommy Illustrator and Daddy InDesign anymore.

The world’s favourite photo manipulation program turned 20 today. It’s in its 11th incarnation, known as Photoshop CS4. Let’s take a stroll down Memory Lane and see what we discover.

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Nintendo DS 2 to Have Tilt Sensor?

What surprises could Nintendo be hiding up its sleeve with the upcoming DS successor. Plenty of rumours have been leaking out over the past few weeks, the latest involving the addition of a tilt sensor.

Part of the iPhone’s popularity in gaming comes from the tilt sensor inside, letting you tilt your phone to move objects on the screen. Nintendo’s DS 2 is expected to have a sensor that is even better than the one inside the Jesus Phone.

Just a rumour, so take it for what it’s worth.

[Via Uber Gizmo]

Crayola Rockets Blast Off In Nevada Desert

For 12 years John Coker has been busy building rockets modeled after Crayola crayons. Now after all these years his rockets have finally been launched.

Coker sent the rockets skyward earlier this week. Only 4 of the rockets actually ignited launching 2,928 feet into the air. While he was trying to make the crayon rockets to scale, he did have to make them slightly larger to accommodate for the launch rods and fins of each crayon rocket.

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Steve Wiebe Reclaims Donkey Kong Jr. World Record

Steve Wiebe is once again the King of Donkey Kong Jr. Twin Galaxies, which is the official scorekeeper for video game records, is reporting Wiebe has reclaimed the world record with a score of 1,190,400 points.

Wiebe had claimed the title back in April but later lost it to Oklahoma-based gamer Mark Kiehl. While Wiebe has bragging rights over Donkey Kong Jr, he still can’t conquer Donkey Kong. Billy Mitchell currently holds the high score in that game with 1,050,200. Wiebe is No. 2, with his score of 1,049,100.

[Via National Post]

Broken Alien Facehuggers Plaguing Sega

You have to admire a company that stands behind its products. If there is a faulty part, you can bet they’ll fix it right away. I’m talking of course about Sega, not Toyota.

As part of the Hunter Edition upcoming Alien vs. Predator video game, Sega included a statue of the Alien Facehuggers. Sounds pretty sweet, right? Unfortunately the tails are falling off faster than a leper’s body parts. An organism that is able to suffocate its victim to death is unable to survive the mail system? Score one for the US Postal Service.

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Google Gets Sued Over Buzz

Google Buzz is definitely receiving a lot of buzz as of late, but not all of it has been good. The latest circles around a lawsuit filed by a Florida woman against Google itself. Eva Hibnick has instructed her lawyer to file a complaint against Google in San Jose’s federal court, alleging that the company had broken the law by using the networking tool to share her personal data without her consent.

The problem lies with how Google sets up an instant social network once you activate the service. Buzz combs through your Gmail contacts, sees who you correspond with most and automatically connects you as “friends”. Hibnick and many others say this is a violation of privacy since the list becomes public.

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Gird Yourself: Civ V Is Coming, And It’s Bringing Hexagons

Civ V: now with hexagonal play

A friend of mine recently destroyed his copy of Civilization IV in an effort to break his addiction to the game. And like any good dealer, 2K has just announced it’s working on Civilization V for an autumn 2010 release. My friend, it seems, is pooched.

With today’s announcement, 2K confirmed that the latest sequel will be more of the Civ strategy goodness that its legions of fans know and love, but there will also be a few changes that will likely cause a stir. One of the most significant tweaks is what 2K calls an “entirely new combat system” that will use a hexagonal playing field. The latest installment will also add ranged bombardment, world leaders speaking in their own languages, and an in-game community hub for exchanging scenarios and other content.

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Rarity Of Rare Earth Elements Could Hinder Innovation

Like your fancy big screen TV? How about your hybrid vehicle? Enjoy the clean energy generated by wind turbines? New technologies and innovations on existing technology could stop because we have less of the rare earth elements that are crucial to our technology.

It isn’t just that every new iPhone or laptop gobbles up these elements, it’s also about where we get our supply. While Canada, the United States, and other countries have deposits of europium, lanthanum, and neodymium, those countries don’t have a mining industry that recovers those resources. China does have the industry knowledge to mine but it also has a large need for those elements. China warned last year that it could stop exporting those elements.
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Tech Memory Lane: Fondness or Failure?

The Seiko Wrist Computer

Back in the day, it was only old folks who could say things like “why, back when I was a kid, we had to… (pick any number of activities outdated by progress)”. But, with the unprecedented speed of technological improvement, it only takes a few years to look fondly back on gadgets that are now unbelievably old fashioned.

Cassette tapes, rotary phones, and boom boxes… in less than a generation these gadgets seem lost from popular consciousness. Heck, most kids these days have no idea what it means to “dial” a telephone. Website Web Designer Depot has made a list of what it feels are the top 38 consumer electronics to have come and gone over the last 75-odd years. (Full list after the break.)

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