Should “Muslim Massacre” be banned?

By Mark O’Neill
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

If you’re a gamer, you’ll know from experience that PC shooters are very common and mostly very enjoyable.   Who doesn’t enjoy shooting opponents on the screen?   A lot of those games are also available free of charge and online, and one of them is currently causing a huge amount of controversy.

The game is called “Muslim Massacre” and as the name implies, it involves shooting Muslim characters – as many as possible.  The premise of the game is that the US has declared war on Islam and it’s your mission to kill as many Muslims as possible.   So pick up your high-powered weapons and go for it.  You can see right away the potential for an uproar.

The developer of the game is unapologetic and says he loves playing it.   Muslims are obviously outraged and are calling for the game to be banned and taken offline.   But how do you take a game offline?  The short answer is you obviously can’t.   If the developer wants the game kept online, he can move it around various online locations and make the download links freely available to anyone that wants them.

So what do you think, GAS gamers?  Is this a deeply offensive game or are Muslim people just overreacting?

Via – Guardian News Blog

Study to be a Jedi – lightsaber not included

By Mark O’Neill
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

Queen’s University in Belfast is starting Britain’s first Jedi course – but they are quick to stress that lightsabers are not provided.   That’s lame right away – what kind of a Jedi doesn’t have a lightsaber?   That’s like Dirty Harry without his .44 Magnum.

The course is called ‘Feel the Force: How to Train in the Jedi Way’ and it is a one day course costing 23 British pounds ($40).    For that money, you’ll be taught the following :

(OK, I made the last two up!)

The course leader, Allen Baird said :

“I suppose the parallel is with the Scout Movement’s use of Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book.

“It doesn’t mean that one has to believe that the stories are true, but they can be used as a teaching aid. I am trying to find a platform through popular culture to bring people back to learning.”

Star Wars Jedi Knights course offered by Queen’s University Belfast– Daily Telegraph


The Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates Show – Take Two!

While I thought the first ad was really disappointing, this one is pretty hilarious, even though once again, apparently pointless. But wasn’t Jerry’s original show supposed to be based around this kind of stuff, meaning nothing?

I guess that the message behind the ad must be about how Microsoft is a people company, and that their corporate philosophy is based on people, and how they connect between each others. Did you enjoy the ad? I know that this one is way better than everything Apple has ever come up with. The comments section is waiting for your critics!

How the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) Works… For Dummies

Since the LHC has been successfully powered up yesterday and a lot of confusion remains on what CERN’S Big Bang machine truly does, I thought that some of you might like getting some extra information on the subject.

Created by CERN employee Chris Mann, the following presentation explains in relatively simple terms the inner working of the Large Hadron Collider, from the injection process all the way up to the collision phase.

Haven’t got enough yet? The LHC Rap is another great way to learn more about the multi-billion dollar device.

[Picture Source]

Slim Chips: When you need to lose some weight

Have you ever looked at the nutritional information on the side of a bag of chips? 150 calories, 11 grams of fat… FOR 10 CHIPS!!!! Can anyone here truly stop at 10 chips, especially when lounging in front of a 2-hour movie?

Well, for the health-conscious geeks among you, Icelandic designer Hafsteinn Júlíusson has come up with the perfect solution, the 0-calorie, paper-based chip. Named “Slim Chip” for obvious reasons, the no-fat snack is made out of edible, non-toxic paper and comes in three varieties: peppermint, blueberry and sweet potato. And as far as taste is concerned, the designer puts it best: “It’s like eating tasty air.”

Since Slim Chips are only a concept for now, you’ll have to excuse me as I go soak a piece of letter-sized paper in some barbecue sauce. Got to find an alternative solution while Mr. Júlíusson commercializes his idea, right?

[Via Giz | Product Page]

Gotta have more cowbell!

By Mark O’Neill
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

I’m sure you’ll agree with me that one of the best SNL comedy sketches of all time is Christopher Walken and his “gotta have more cowbell!”.   Everytime I watch it, it just totally cracks me up.

Well today I came across a website called “More Cowbell” which enables you to upload a MP3 from your computer and then add cowbell and Christopher Walken to it!   I don’t know about you but James Brown’s “I Feel Good” doesn’t sound the same again once you add cowbell to it and Walken exclaiming “don’t fear the Reaper!”

If you’re in the mood to see the SNL sketch again, here it is.   Enjoy.

Soda Lingo from All Over America

An article in the Journal of English Linguistics (Soda or Pop?, #24, 1996) explores the way we address our favorite drink. Soda, which the average American drinks about 43 gallons of per year, has a lot of different names. Those names have been mapped by county so that the regions where different names are predominant light up like a Christmas tree. Check it out below (click to enlarge):

As it turns out there are three predominant terms that people use when asking for a soft drink.  The first is the most logical, “soda.”  It’s the most popular in New England, the Mid-Atlantic (where I’m from), and the Southwest.  The term comes from the original name for carbonated beverages.

The next one is “coke.”  This one is interesting because it’s the shortening of the world’s most popular soda, Coca-Cola.  Talk about brand association.  A friend of mine from Texas (the word is most popular in the South) actually asks for a “coke” in her home town, and then when prompted to specify what kind, she’ll say “Sprite.”  To me this is very counterintutive because Coke and Sprite are nothing alike, but that’s just how the lingo has evolved.

The last one, and the bane of my existance, is “pop.”  In terms of geographical area, this one is by far the most popular.  The parts of the North that aren’t in New England, the Midwest, and the Northwest all predominantly use the term “pop,” as in short for “soda pop.”  Personally, this one has always just bothered me because soda is just “soda.”  Everyone has their own way of doing things I guess though.

One thing that should be noted is that this is a map that gives a percentage of use to each county.  The counties are not all equally populated, so these numbers really don’t speak to the overall number of people in the country who use these terms, just regional approximations.  It would be interesting to see that data as well.

For more info on the paper and the derivation of soda nicknames, check out this article on Strange Maps.