YouTube Takes On Twitch Livestreaming Service

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YouTube is said to be relaunching its livestreaming service with a change in focus from sporting events to video gaming, making it a challenge to the likes of Twitch.

The site started live broadcasts in 2010 but, although they still exist, they’ve been heavily downplayed in recent years. Events have largely been either public speeches that are also broadcasted on TV (such as the State of the Union address) or sports events such as cricket that have international appeal but are considered niche in countries such as the US.

Last year Google was said to be offering a billion dollars to buy out video game streaming site Twitch. Nothing came of the deal, which some sources suggested may have been because of possible antitrust issues. Amazon instead made the purchase for $970 million.

Now The Daily Dot reports that YouTube plans to recruit 50 people with specialist knowledge of live streaming to relaunch YouTube Live as a primarily gaming platform.

The inevitable YouTube-Twitch battle seems tough to call. YouTube has the obvious advantages of a big war chest, a large potential audience to target, and a rock-solid infrastructure (for recorded content at least.) On the other hand, Twitch has a four-year headstart, an established audience, and ongoing deals with professional gaming leagues.

Go Fund “Super Troopers 2” Right MEOW! [VIDEO]

In an onslaught of sequels, prequels, and reboots nobody asked for, the world is apparently demanding a Super Troopers sequel right meow!

(And thank goodness!)

In less than 2 days, the Super Trooper 2 Indiegogo campaign has already exceeded its goal of $2 million!

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Meow, based on the (hilarious) campaign details, $2 million is just the minimum amount needed to produce a ‘barebones’ version of Super Troopers 2. But the more money donated, the better it will be and the more people that donate, the better the chance it will get a wider release!

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There are about 30 whole days left to donate, so click here and do it MEOW!

Editor’s note: And here’s the indigogo trailer:

Warning: Language.


Jesse L. Martin Sings Gospel Version of “The Ballad of Serenity” [VIDEO]

Jesse L. Martin — formerly of Law & Order fame and currently on The Flash — is also a Broadway veteran (RENT, anyone?).

He’s also partnered with Rick Cosnett and Carlos Valdes, two of his Flash co-stars, for a Kickstarter project called “The Letter Carrier”. The musical short film would tell the story of a black family hiding from slavery in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the 1860s.

Joss Whedon reportedly donated a large sum of money to the $50,000 production and to show his appreciation, Martin, Cosnett, and Valdes sang an a cappella version of “The Ballad of Serenity.”

[via Boing Boing]

“Ready Player One” Lands Its Director!

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And it’s none other than Steven Speilberg, who has become a sci-fi-slash-nerd maestro in his own right over the past 50(!!) years.

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“Ready Player One,” penned by actor-writer-slam poet Ernest “Ernie” Cline (Fanboys), was published back in August 2011 and takes place in the “not-so-distant future.”

According to the book description on Amazon:

[T]he world has turned into a very bleak place, but luckily there is OASIS, a virtual reality world that is a vast online utopia. People can plug into OASIS to play, go to school, earn money, and even meet other people…and for protagonist Wade Watts it certainly beats passing the time in his grim, poverty-stricken real life. Along with millions of other world-wide citizens, Wade dreams of finding three keys left behind by James Halliday, the now-deceased creator of OASIS and the richest man to have ever lived. The keys are rumored to be hidden inside OASIS, and whoever finds them will inherit Halliday’s fortune. But Halliday has not made it easy. And there are real dangers in this virtual world.

Based on over 5,000 customer reviews, the novel has a 4.5-star rating and was a New York Times bestseller. Cline’s second book, “Armada,” drops July 14, 2015.

[via Ain’t It Cool]

Doctor Who was “Reborn” 10 Years Ago Today: A Decade of “Doctor Who” [VIDEO]

Ten years ago today, the Doctor was ‘reborn’ and we were introduced to a new incarnation of the beloved BBC character that first graced TV screens way back in 1963.

And of course, Rose.

YouTuber John Smith created a short video comprised of some of the most memorable moments of the last decade.

It’s ok to cry…even a Dalek would shed tears over this.

Are You Gonna Eat That: The Song [Video]

Just got that from Rhett & Link, one of my favorite comedy duos from the Internet!

Have you ever looked at a friend’s plate & wondered if they were going to finish their food, but never acted on it? In this music video we act on it… and take it to the extreme.

From crashing a Mexican grocery store and wreaking havoc in the checkout line, to drinking milk directly from a cow’s udder, to eating bread crumbs off of a homeless man’s hand – we’re gonna eat that.

[Rhett & Link]

Ford Car Automatically Sticks To Speed Limit

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Ford is launching a car that can read speed limit signs and automatically slow down if needed. It will go on sale in Europe but it might be trickier to make it work in the US.

The S-Max features ‘Intelligent Speed Limiter’, which will let drivers decide whether they want to automatically restrict their speed to the actual limit, or up to 5 mph faster. (It’s also possible to switch it off altogether.)

The feature combines two existing technologies used in Fords (and other cars): a camera with automatic sign recognition, and a variation on cruise control. If the S-Max detects it’s going too fast for the speed limit, it doesn’t apply the brakes, but rather limits the amount of fuel going to the engine, making for a more gradual reduction to the target speed.

There’ll be an audible alert when the slowdown starts, meaning the driver can also ease off on the accelerator. If the driver does push down on the accelerator again, it will override the slowdown, allowing them to overtake or avoid a collision.

Drivers can also choose to have the system use information about speed limits from navigation databases, for example in rural areas where signs may be sparser, less visible, or partially obscured by overgrown plants and trees.

While Ford is considering launches in Asia and the US later on, USA Today notes a key difference that could make it trickier to use the technology in the US. It says that European road signs tend to appear some distance before the point at which the speed limit actually changes, allowing drivers to slow down, while US signs take immediate effect.

Meanwhile ExtremeTech notes a cultural difference: while European traffic officials are more likely to be stringent about enforcing limits and issuing penalties, American drivers may be more likely to believe they have a bigger ‘cushion’ over the limit before they face a serious risk of being penalized.

It also notes that even those drivers who are happy in theory to stick to the limit this way may find themselves frustrated at consistently driving much slower than the surrounding traffic.