5 Tech Stories Worth Reading

1. Steve Jobs Confirms Discontinuation of iWeb in iCloud Transition
Since last week's unveiling of Apple's new iCloud service and the transitioning of the company's existing MobileMe service into iCloud, many users have been wondering about the fate of some of the MobileMe services that were not mentioned in the transition discussion. In particular, users have been concerned about iWeb, Apple's website creation software included with iLife that can be integrated with site hosting via MobileMe.

2. DIY U: The Future Of Learning [Video]
The future of learning is open--and it's in your hands. This video series, based in part on my book DIY U, explains that while the higher education bubble may be overblown, there is an explosion happening in the edu-world, with technology and openness transforming content, social learning, and accreditation all at once. Part One explains what's happening and why the old models no longer apply.

3. Bunchball raises $6.5M, doubles down on gamification
Bunchball, the social gaming software company, has raised $6.5 million in a new round of venture capital. The San Jose, Calif.-based startup plans to put the funds toward growth initiatives such as hiring, new product development, and international growth, CEO Jim Scullion told me in an interview last week.

4. Sony Knows Cross Game Chat is a Huge Thing
No, Sony is not talking about PlayStation LifeStyle’s podcast, “Cross Game Chat.” Andrew House of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe is talking about cross game chat for the PS3.

5. Apple iCloud Not Supporting Windows XP
We strongly suspect all the support Apple has shown the venerable Microsoft OS with iTunes and Mobile Me has mostly been a way of keeping people from buying shiny new copies of Windows 7, but that’s all coming to an end with Apple’s music-streaming iCloud, which won’t be featuring Windows XP support and will need either a Vista or Windows 7 PC to run.

BONUS

6. Use Binder Clips to Replace Broken Keyboard Feet [MacGyver Tip]
They make great cable organizers and phone stands, but the humble binder clip can also fix things that are actually broken, too. In this case, it's those little flip-out "feet" on the bottom of most keyboards. Just take the metal wings off two clips, and replace the feet by squeezing the those wings into their place. If nothing else, it's a lot cheaper than replacing the keyboard.

7. iOS 5 Allows For 1080p Video Exports, Confirms iPhone 5 8 Megapixel Camera
The iPhone 4 features a 5 megapixel camera, and it is capable of recording video in HD at a resolution of 720p, we have been hearing rumors that the iPhone 5 will feature an 8 megapixel camera, possibly a Sony CMOS sensor, which would mean it would be capable of Full HD Video in 1080p.

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5 Tech Stories Worth Reading

1. PlayStation Branded 3DTV Announced, Coming Bundled With A Copy Of Resistance 3
Do you like the idea of all this new-fangled 3D technology in games but can’t stump up the cash for a new TV and 3D glasses? It seems like you aren’t the only one, and Sony has been listening to your pleas.

2. Google Maps can now tell you when your bus or train is late
Google has offered travel information in Maps for quite some time, but now it’s going real-time – in a handful of cities, at least.

3. Square Raising New Round, Joining Billion Dollar Valuation Club
There are a bevy of startups in the process of raising big rounds of capital at billion dollar or higher valuations – something that was a rare occurrence even a few months ago. We’re tracking most of these deals (and have written about the ones we’ve confirmed). Now, we’ve confirmed via multiple sources, is payment startup Square’s turn.

4. Tribalfish may just change the way you have discussions online
Tribalfish wants to solve the difficulty involved in conversations on the Internet. Twitter has helped us to solve part of the problem by allowing us to reach a wide variety of people, but it’s still a one-to-many conversation. Internet forums have been the better answer for longer, deeper conversation but they require you to go to a different destination for nearly every topic.

[ I have a few Tibalfish invites if you woud like one ]

5. Snapseed for iPad: Photo editing at the swipe of a finger
The iPad is quickly transforming itself into the photographer’s smorgasbord for quick photo editing. The list of free and paid photo editing apps keeps getting longer and longer, and if you’re anything like me, you’re probably grateful that more developers are coming up with new and exciting apps to edit your photos on the go.

BONUS

6. The game theory of discovery and the birth of the free-gap
It all started because of the discovery problem.

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4 Hot Social Gaming Trends to Watch

Link to article.

More than 18,000 interactive gaming industry pros came to San Francisco for the Game Developers’ Conference this week, an annual event that draws programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals, business decision-makers and anyone else involved in the development of interactive games.

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Getting Your RPG Freak On

Recently Ethan Gisdorf wrote and interesting post on TOR.com about Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks. It's a great post that brings back a lot of memories. At the end of the post he asks a great question:

12. That random guy who introduced you to Tolkien or D&D

How did you first hear about fantasy books? Who gave you your first taste of role-playing games? Who led you into the Mines of Moria—those scary, thrilling dungeons of the teenage mind? In my case, it was my next door neighbor, a kid named JP, who taught me how to play D&D and inculcate a taste for slaying orcs and eating frozen pizza. I would later learn we all need an escape hatch, a place to blow off steam, and an arena to kill the baddie. We emerge into the light of day, victorious, and laden with treasure and, best of all, tales to tell.

For me, it was a Librarian at the Kearns Library. For some reason, the Librarian handed me a box with a new game in it, Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, 1st Edition, Starter Edition. In side were two books, some paper and some die. I was excited, mainly because it didn't cost me anything.

I spent the next few weeks reading all the books, and trying to get all the information I could about this awesome new game. Remember, in 1980, we didn't have the Internet to get information. And quiet honestly, I don't remember how we managed to make the game work. But thank goodness for the starter kit, which had a lot all the rules and examples to follow.

I spent the next several years playing D&D with my neighbors EB and WA. Eventually we started buying, painting and playing with miniatures, and ended up live role playing, before LARPing had even been thought of. We created swords out of 2x4's, wrapped in towels or carpet to help reduce the pain of a blow. We wore helmets, and shoulder pads, and what ever else we could think of to keep from killing ourselves.

We all moved on, but I'll never forget the fun times we had exploring the underworld that was Dungeons & Dragons.

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Hot New Star Trek MMOG On The Way

According to a CNN.com article, Cryptic Studios Inc. has purchased the license rights to create the game. There had previously been an attempt to create a Star Trek themed game but it seemed to have ended in failure.

Personally, I'm stoked to see this happen. Even the basic premiss of starting as "the captain of a small Starfleet or Klingon Empire ship", and then have to work your way up the chain sounds very fun.

My one hope for the game is there isn't an ending. Space is endless, and so the game should be. Allow users to create their own planets, solar systems and galaxies. This includes species and technology. Being able to extend the game will mean a longer life. Let's hope this happens.

My biggest fear is that CBS sticks their big fat nose into the production somehow. They really don't know how to manage the franchise and seem to screw things up more than they help. So please, CBS, stay out. Let these guys do what they do best. And listen to the fans.

Photo from the CNN.com article, and I originally saw the story on myextralife.com

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