How to Play World of Warcraft on Your IPod

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Media Blitz Planned for Modern Warfare 2

by Leon Rossiter

The advertising agency that will be responsible for the launch of Modern Warfare 2 expects it to be one of the biggest product launches of all time. TBWA, an advertising agency, very well respected and based in America, has the job of making the MW2 launch as successful as possible. With the last game selling over 14 million copies the agency will have a very tall order on their hands.

It has games such as Halo 3, Gran theft Auto 4 and GT 5 in its sites and is aiming to a appeal to a large audience outside the realm of normal (already addicted) gamers. The Chief Creative Officer at Activision was quoted as saying, "The strategic objective is not to just run advertising on day one and say 'Go to a retailer and buy the game,' but it is to really start building a movement and start broadening the audience for (Modern Warfare 2) beyond a core gamer audience."

Janco Partners' Mike Hickey had already said that Activision may not have much to worry about. According to them the sales of the game may hit 11 million units in just 2 months, amazing considering the first game has sold just over 14 million in 2 years. He said Modern Warfare 2 could potentially sell through 7.8 million units globally with an estimated retail value of more than $570 million in the first week.

Through various sources I have found out that the entire promotion campaign is still in the final planning stages. The company is planning to start an aggressive marketing campaign for the title in August, maybe we can expect to see smoke bombs being let of in down town New York or Laser dot sights being waved around in London! This campaign will hopefully drive consumers to purchase the game on pre-order from a variety of sources. Sources also report that many rewards and incentives will also be offered to get gamers to plunk down their deposit for Modern Warfare 2 early.

About the Author

Written by Leon Rossiter, Managing Director of ModernWarfare2Gamer.com. Check out Modern Warfare 2 Gamer for News, Reviews, Videos, Competitions and an info on our upcoming Modern Warfare 2 Guide.

Major Updates Appear in Assassin's Creed 2

by Aydan Corkern

2007's Assassin's Creed was one of the most popular early titles of the most recent generation of video game consoles. While the first game had received very positive reviews, it did not go without its criticisms. Many who played it thought that the game did not give the player quite enough freedom, but they did say that the control scheme was promising and that the setting of the Medieval Crusades were the definite high points.

The creators of the games are saying that they have taken note of the minor criticisms and are returning with the sequel, Assassin's Creed 2. This time around, the player will continue playing as kidnapped bartender and former assassin Desmond Miles as he attempts to find a way to escape the company that kidnapped him. However, a new assassin character is the main focus of the player's experiences in the Animus.

The player will take on the role of Italian nobleman turned assassin Ezio Auditore di Firenze. The game takes place in Renaissance era Italy, as Ezio seeks to take revenge against those who killed his family. The game, like the previous installment, takes place in a history heavy setting, however it seems that the sequel will take more liberties by having Ezio team up with the legendary artist, scientist, and inventor Leonardo Da Vinci who seems to be a partner of Ezio.

The game play is also being adjusted, with more options available to the gamer to be creative with in how they carry out each mission. New abilities are also given to the gamer, such as the ability to take weapons from an enemy and use them against them. Also available is the ability to control vehicles such as boats and even an ornithopter created by Da Vinci. The game will also feature a more immersive world, even more so than the first game. This time around gamers get to enjoy the robust city of Venice.

Other additions made to the game are abilities like being able to hide, and a more advanced version of the parkour system used in the first game. The combat system is also being improved, with more of a focus on being able to utilize both hands in combat to fight multiple enemies. The character Desmond Miles will also have more controllability beyond walking, although what he will be able to do has not yet been specified.

About the Author

Visit Aydan Corkern's sites: hdtv antenna and lcd mount.

Harry Potter and the Lost Youth

by Jessica Vandelay

The latest and sixth installment of the Harry Potter movies, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, is out in theaters this month. The highly-anticipated fantasy-adventure film, based on the novels of the same name by British author J.K. Rowling, was originally planned for theatrical release in November 2008. The three main stars of the Harry Potter movies-Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson-are now international celebrities. As the filming of the final two Harry Potter movies is underway, these young actors are currently transitioning from child actors to adult actors.

Daniel Radcliffe Radcliffe, the son of a literary agent and a casting agent, hails from West London. In December 1999, he made his acting debut in the BBC's televised two-part adaptation the novel David Copperfield. In August of that same year, after several auditions, he was selected to play the role of Harry Potter in the big-budget adaptation of the Harry Potter book series. The movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, was released in 2001 to phenomenal commercial success.

Radcliffe has also starred in the four subsequent Harry Potter film adaptations and is signed on for the remaining seventh and eighth films. In 2002, Daniel Radcliffe appeared as a guest in "The Play What I Wrote" directed by Kenneth Branagh, who appeared in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as Professor Lockhart. In 2006, Daniel Radcliffe began to make the transition from child to adult actor, appearing in the television series "Extras" as a parody of himself and the independent Australian drama December Boys.

In 2007 Daniel Radcliffe made celebrity magazine headlines for his portrayal of Alan Strang in the play Equus. The role generated significant pre-opening media interest because Daniel Radcliffe appeared nude in one scene in the play; he later received critical acclaim from many entertainment magazine writers. Aside from the two remaining Harry Potter films, Daniel Radcliffe is said to be starring in the upcoming movie, The Journey is the Destination. So far, Daniel Radcliffe has appeared on the covers of Entertainment Weekly and Details magazine.

Twenty-year-old Rupert Grint, from Hertfordshire, had not acted professionally before being cast as "Ron Weasley," in the Harry Potter movies. Since the Harry Potter movies, has appeared in a handful of movies including Driving Lessons with Laura Linney and has done voiceover work. In 2007, Forbes magazine ranked Rupert Grint #16 on a list of 20 earners under the age of 25; he reportedly had annual earnings of $4 million. In 2009, People magazine reported the Harry Potter star had contracted a mild case of H1N1 flu, also known as swine flu, but had recovered.

Emma Watson, from Oxfordshire, also spent time growing up in Paris. Before landing the part of know-it-all Hermione Granger, Emma Watson, like her co-star Rupert Grint, had only acted in school plays. Emma Watson has since participated in two non-Harry Potter movies: the made-for-television Ballet Shoes, also based on a popular children's book series and an animated film, The Tale of Despereaux. She has appeared on the covers of Teen Vogue, Interview and a Girls' Life magazine.

About the Author

For more, visit http://www.magazines.com/category/entertainment-tv.

Jessica Vandelay is a freelance writer in New York City.

Sonic the Hedgehog - Sega's Golden Boy

by Gen Wright

Back in the early 90's, Sega and Nintendo were already rivals who gave each other stiff competition. But Nintendo had one advantage that Sega did not and this was letting Nintendo get ahead in the race. This advantage was the lovable little Italian called Mario. Mario was iconic when it came to Nintendo and he became the character for Nintendo's flagship platformer. Mario was a very effective mascot for Nintendo because of his popularity.

The bosses at Sega of course did not like this and hence they assembled team Sonic to make a character that would rival Mario. This was the original motivation behind the creation of Sonic. Now, if it were up to some average game makers then they probably would've come up with a third-rate copy of Mario. Thankfully, that did not happen and team Sonic thought really hard to come up with something original.

During the creative process, a hedgehog wasn't the only option they considered. Before Sonic the hedgehog was born, team Sonic considered a rabbit, a dog and even an armadillo! I suppose the armadillo was much closer to a hedgehog but ultimately the hedgehog won. Initially, there was no name for the hedgehog and many of the initial sketches simply call him 'Mr. Hedgehog'. By and by, Sonic was developed in to a fully formed character.

The blue color was chosen in keeping with the cobalt blue of the Sega logo at that time. Then the name came from the obvious place - team 'Sonic'. Thus, Sonic the hedgehog was born. At the very beginning, our lovable blue hero was a tad bit out of shape. He is depicted as a cartoony figure with a fatter, more rounded figure. Then, he was probably made to look sharper to resemble sharp looking anime characters.

Thus he got taller, slimmer and got longer quills/hair. This is how the modern Sonic the Hedgehog was born. This was going to be the permanent image of Sonic the hedgehog.

When it came to powers, the only thing Sonic has in common with the hedgehog is his tendency fight the enemy by rolling himself in to a ball. By doing so, he becomes an impenetrable mass of spikes that takes down all enemies. So he basically prefers using his body as a projectile (real hedgehogs just lie their in defense). Other that, he hardly has anything in common with a hedgehog.

Sonic was not created to be alone and even the initial planning phase featured lots of characters around him as his friends. There was one character who has especially drawn a lot of attention but never made it to the final release. This was Madonna, probably a girl in love with Sonic. She was human and reminded a lot of people of Ms. Va Vavoom from the loony tunes. She and a lot of other characters were later scraped from the final version that was released in the U.S.

So except for Dr. Robotnik (Egghead), there are no recurring human characters.

About the Author

Find Sonic the Hedgehog activities, scene creators, hints, and flash Sonic Games at Blueblurzone.com.

BMW Hydrogen 7 Series to Revolutionize the Auto Industry

by John Sullivan

BMW is one of the world leading car manufacturers, this is due to all the years of experience, design, technology, and from some years till now, software that runs all over each car model, making it one of the most technological cars manufacturers too.

Each BMW has been using the usual fuel around the globe, but the global concerns, the climate change started years ago to make people start researching and developing other resources, the planet needs that, car manufacturers need to accomplish the transformation.

Hydrogen 7 is one of the BMW projects, the German car manufacturer has implemented all hydrogen technology inside is luxury vehicle, the BMW 7 Series, one of the most impressive cars not only because of the comfort, size, performance, but remember this car is also a heavyweight.

This means that in a world where hydrogen isn't available yet, at least as the usual car fuel, BMW couldn't send the car outside to the streets just using hydrogen, so this BMW Hydrogen 7 has also a combustion engine, nothing better for the driver than having that chance of deciding which fuel the car will burn, of course that the cheaper the better.

BMW Hydrogen 7 relies in a 7 Series with 12 cylinder, for those who care about speed the car will not reach all the speed that all that power car give has it's electronic limited to 230Km/h and it remains that way, whether the driver choses gasoline or hydrogen.

Fuel consumption is always a concern, this BMW can offer more than 200Km if the driver uses only hydrogen, that's probably not that much for most drivers around the globe but remember that this car must have place for a gasoline tank, which can deliver an additional 500Km, of regular driving of course.

Like the idea of driving a BMW Hydrogen car, maybe you do but the German car manufacturer isn't interested in the selling process, at least by now so this 7 Series model will not be available to the general public, BMW car will be leased to some costumers.

About the Author

BMW Hydrogen 7 Series, car development and specifications by John Sullivan

Green Lantern Movie In Theaters Summer of 2011

by Conan Saunders

Superheroes make great starring characters for action movies. Lately, movie theaters have been bombarded with movies based on comics. This is a good thing because the action scenes are indescribable, they keep us on the edge of our seats, and we fall in love with the characters that come alive off the pages and onto the movie screen. Another comic movie in the making, directed by Martin Campbell, is based on the Green Lantern series by DC Comics. It will be viewable in theatres during the summer of 2011.

The world of comic books readers and movie enthusiasts are pleased to know that actor Ryan Reynolds will be the star of the new Green Lantern movie. The role was up for grabs and three actors were trying to land it. Ryan Reynolds beat out Bradley Cooper and Justin Timberlake for the starring role. He is no stranger to comic movies because he recently had a role in Wolverine: X-Men Origins. You may remember he played the Deadpool character. He also starred in comedies such as Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Van Wilder, and Waiting. He captured our hearts in the romantic comedy Definitely, Maybe as a single father who tells his daughter about his life before marriage. Besides starring in comedies he has been in action films Blade: Trinity and Smokin' Aces. He has been nominated for two awards and has won two awards. One award was for The Amityville Horror, and the other was awarded to him as the next generation male actor of 2003.

In Ryan Reynold's new role as comic book superhero, he'll be playing pilot Hal Jordan who becomes a member of the Green Lanterns after an alien death makes him the successor of the lantern power. He is given the power ring which is considered one of the most powerful weapons in the world. The power ring can control physical elements in the world, and its power is based on the will power of the person wearing it. The stronger the will power, the stronger the control from the ring will be. Hal Jordan is one of several Green Lantern characters and appeared in volumes two, three, and four of the comic book series. The Green Lantern characters are a universal police force. Hal Jordan, like his father, is a test pilot. He was chosen to be a part of the Green Lantern police force because of his honesty and lack of fear for things. The movie will show how he became a part of the Green Lanterns and the action that followed his life after receiving the power ring.

About the Author

Conan Saunders is Chief Technology Officer for mycomicshop.com, one of the largest retailers of comic books in the world. Mycomicshop is the online presence of Lone Star Comics, a leading retailer of comic books with seven stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. For more information please visit: www.mycomicshop.com .

Video Games vs Real World Sports

by Brad Mullan

Why do I choose to play Counter-strike, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, hell even Pacman, over playing real sports? If you're like me then you strive for that adrenaline rush, a feeling of dominance, that feeling of, "Yeah, I'm better than you." To me, that's a real rush, I love it.

It's a bright sunny day and it has been for a couple of weeks and yet I find myself indoors, hunched over a keyboard or hugging an X-box controller, curtains drawn, windows wide open and a sweat on my forehead. My parents and relatives ask, "Why aren't you outside in this lovely weather?" Well two immediate answers spring to mind:

1. College has ended, I'm enjoying my freedom. No, not the freedom of not having to leave my house, but the freedom of not having to do anything, not having to meet deadlines, not having to worry about how late I'm staying up and how early I have to get out of bed, and not worrying about getting to college and exams on time.

And 2. My cars broke so...

But that aside, I have to say I genuinely prefer gaming. But why would I rather play say Counter-Strike than go and play, say a game of football? Well there's the availability of games, you just pick up and play, you've got a console or pc, got an internet connection and then you're set. There's an endless number of other people out there instantly accessible through the internet to pit yourself against, this, I believe is what appeals to online gamers at large. Compare this to football, I need a football, easy. But then I need people to play against or with, its not likeonline where I just log on and can choose from millions of players, with sport you have a select number, if any, of people that enjoy that sport, then each of these you have to contact, so if you've decided to play a football on a whim, then trying to find people that are both available and willing is a hell ofa lot easier said than done.

Online games also have the advantage of variety of players to play against, the lists are endless, even old games still have quite a wide selection of players. TakeAvP 2 as an example, I played this game for a few years, it was the first game I played online and it was about 5 or 6 years ago. I recently re-installed the game, went online and despite the server list taking forever to load I found there to still be well over 200 people playing the game. I'd be lucky to get 10 people out to play a game of football.

I could join a league, but again, this is a lot easier and more fun online. To join a football 5 a side or 11 a side league then to meet up and play requires a lot of effort, arrangement, transport and a place to play. I can join an online league at the click of a button, set a time me and my team are willing to play and the requests will come flooding in.

I played for a local football team, Hareclive Pumas, for 4 years, in 3 seasons. We had our ups and downs, the first season I played we did terribly and ended the season somewhere near the bottom, but I enjoyed playing, I actually enjoyed losing because I viewed it as a challenge. At the end of the first season we completely reformed the team, forming 2 new teams and we trained hard, hoping to beat the other half of the old team. And that we did, we played the next 2 seasons and I think we lost a total of 2 games in 2 seasons, but I didn't enjoy this. Don't get me wrong steamrolling people is fun for a while, everyone enjoys winning but after a while I didn't look forward to the weekend, to the game on Sunday. It was after this third season I turned to video games.

I started playing Counter-Strike with a few friends and in a couple of months we had a team together in ED. The adrenaline rush I got from playing 5 on 5 matches, and even a little in public servers, was something I just hadn't felt before and I loved it. This combined with the sense of achievement from moments where my team was dead and I'd go on to win a 3 or 4 on 1 and score the bomb defuse or the bomb plant felt incredible. The, "Well played." Or, "Good job"s from team mates were worth as much to me as winning the match itself. The level of challenge that I love is just not available in sport without loosing all chance of victory.

As any of my friends will tell you, I'm super competitive. Anything with leagues, levels, achievements or player on player action and I have to be the best, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. After a long time of nagging friends I finallysuccumbed to the pressure and joined Facebook, now all I find myself doing on there is playing Mafia Wars and Pirates, yet more competitiveness.

It's not just the playing though, watching professionals in e-sport cups and championships is much more entertaining than watching the FA cup orEuropean cups. I challenge anyone who's played Counter-Strike to watch one of the many frag videos on youtube or google videos and not want to play again, I recommend the eoLithic video as its my personal favourite. But just watching one of these videos gives a slight adrenaline rush.

I have since, moved onto WoW arena. This is all I find myself doing when I'm online. The 2 versus 2 or 3 versus 3 match setups make the competition here a hell of a lot more personal and the constant change of pace, player setups, maps, race, gear and of course skill level that you can come across in the space of an hour makes this even more challenging, to me, than the FPS games that I have played.

The challenge, variety and availability I think are all big factors in why some people choose games over sports, but for me the deciding factor isdefinitely the adrenaline rush. It's a perfectly legal rush, available in your own home. In the words of FPS Doug, " What can I say there's nothing like the rush of hunting people down and killing 'em!"

About the Author

A Student from Bristol with a gaming addiction and a healthy interest in film.

Military Blasts Drivers with Laser Beams

by Shane Ennerson

Laser dazzlers - or "optical distraction devices," as the military prefers to call them - have proven invaluable in Iraq as a way of warning drivers to stop at checkpoints. (A flash of bright light does tend to give people pause.) But as Danger Room reported, several U.S. troops have suffered serious eye injuries from laser "friendly fire" incidents. So the U.S. military's Joint Nonlethal Weapons Directorate is developing a new type of laser which aims to be both safer and more effective than existing dazzlers, I report in New Scientist. Whether it will work is still an open question.

Rather than a continuous beam, the Laser Windshield Obscuration project works by firing a short laser pulse, which is absorbed by the vehicle windscreen. That produces a brilliant white 're-radiation' flash (see photo, right), leading to cracking or hazing of the glass (photo, left).

Originally, the objective was to cause the maximum amount of the damage to the windscreen, making it impossible to see through. As the photograph shows, the laser is certainly capable of it. The concept is similar to the lens-destroying "laser crazer" project, proposed for knocking out cameras and other sensors. However, researchers found that the bright flash was enough to cause "optical incapacitation" or dazzling of the driver. Work is now concentrating on changing the output to produce a brilliant flash with minimum damage; ideally, the windscreen would not need to be repaired or replaced.

The laser flash should give a clear and unambiguous signal to stop. If the driver does not stop in spite of the warning, they may be assumed to be a suicide bomber and more lethal means will be used. (And a dazzled suicide bomber should be slightly less dangerous).

Existing laser dazzlers have the double problem of limited effectiveness in daylight and the potential to cause eye damage at short range. The JNLWD say that the Windshield Obscuration Laser will be equally effective in all lighting conditions. And, since the brilliant flash is generated at the windscreen, it should have the same effect at five meters or five hundred.

The concept is highly reminiscent of the more powerful Pulsed Energy Projectile. This fires a short laser pulse, which vaporizes a tiny spot on the surface of the target, producing a "flash bang" plasma explosion. It was intended as a non-lethal weapon, but after years of development was determined to be unsuitable for use against people and was taken up by an anti-drone program.

Laser Windshield Obscuration sounds fine if the laser pulse strikes a windshield. But what happens if someone gets it in the eye? The military knows a lot about this subject and have been exploring the effects of short laser pulses on eyeballs since 1998 with the specific aim of making sure their lasers are safe. "It is possible for the laser to generate the desired effects to be eye-safe," says Scott Griffiths of the JNLWD's Vehicle-Stopping Technology Office. "A human effects risk assessment is planned to characterize the potential hazards to humans."

Curiously enough, the effects may not be that bad. Unlike other lasers, which will go right through the eve and damage the retina, this laser will be stopped at the outer layers.

"Shorter wavelengths are not absorbed into the eye but can damage the surface - arc eye or snowblindness," Bruce Allan, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London tells Danger Room. "The corneal skin layer damaged in arc eye regenerates quickly, and although the condition is very painful, there should be no lasting damage."

So rather than causing retinal damage and blindness, the new laser should only cause temporary damage if it strikes someone in the eye. Of course this should not happen anyway; but, as we have seen with existing dazzlers, operators do not always follow the rules and accidents happen.

It's not yet known whether the Laser Windshield Obscuration system will be a handheld unit or a large vehicle-mounted system. The conceptual design will be completed by the end of 2009, and a prototype demonstrator will be built in 2010. Meanwhile the JNLWD are exploring other vehicle-stopping concepts, including a microwave device to stop engines.

About the Author

Dragonlasers - No 1 online store for green laser pointers, high power lasers & laser glasses

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Nintendo DS and Major League Baseball

by Tab Pierce

Take me out to the ballgame; buy me some peanuts and crackerjacks and let me do in on my Nintendo DS! At Seattle Mariner home games you can use your Nintendo DS to order food, beer, etc. and have it delivered right to your seat. No need to wait for the guy coming around with old sweaty open beer bottles or rubbery hotdogs. This service is being tested exclusively in Seattle, home of both the Mariners and Nintendo. It also helps that the Mariners are owned by the founder of Nintendo, so a direct line to research and development is just a drive across Lake Washington.

Along with ordering food and drinks you can also watch the local TV coverage of the game and see the balls and strikes much like a video game. The aptly named Nintendo Fan Network gives you all the feeling of being at the game. Of course you are actually at the game so some may question the value of sitting there looking at the screen when all you have to do is look up and see real life. But for the hi tech gadget techno geek in us it's an amazing addition to the game experience. And since the first year when it was $5 per game and fans obviously tired of paying for an overpriced experience to purchase overpriced food and drink they brought the price down to a respectable free.

However, for the geek meets baseball fan there really isn't anything like it. Interested in hitters statistics? You can access them right from your DS. This may seem like a small thing and maybe even a little to uber geeky but it's a fantastic feature. The Internet does lag some while watching a game from the DS, but honestly seeing the game on it isn't even the valuable part. It's all the other features offered by Nintendo on the DS.

Over time they should be able to expand the Nintendo DS out to other ball fields with even more services. Right now the service is fun and interesting for a time, but quickly takes a backseat to the actual game, which should be expected. However, it would be great if this hi tech gadget could be used in more functional and practical ways that would really enhance the user experience. Knowing Nintendo they will, it will move over to the Wii and you will be able to actually participate in the game!

About the Author

Tab Pierce is an executive sales leader and security professional who has spent years as a serial entrepreneur. He has owned successful companies within eLearning, data management, telecommunications and others. He has also successfully assisted companies integrate sound sales processes into their organization.

Famous Hacker Wreaks iPhone Security

by Fabio Cesali

Charlie Miller is a hacker that became famous for his participation at the event "Pwn2Own". Indeed, on this occasion he managed to surprise everyone, by taking full control of a Mac in just 2 seconds, using a security flaw in Safari.

This guy is back to make everybody talk about himself at the last Syscan conference in Singapore, announcing that he has discovered a new security flaw, but this time in the most cool ever mobile device: the iPhone. Cupertino 's smartphone, in fact, could have a problem in the management of SMS that allows hackers to send a malicious code, as a binary code divided into multiple messages, without the user having to intervene.

Charlie Miller also adds that if the iPhone is Jailbroken, is even less safe because the jailbreak process removes about 80% of security systems implemented by Apple and the program takes even the Administrator privileges. In addition, the jailbrak disables an integrated hardware protection that helps to protect all the data stored in the memory.

According to the hacker, Apple is already studying a solution to remedy the flaw that he has discovered, through a next update of the phone's software.

For more info: iWikiPhone