The dragons have returned and only by harnessing the beast’s own power can the realm be saved. Sounds easy, right? There are many ways Skyrim could have ended. Here is one uncontrolled possibility.
[HISHE]
Fire Tennis in Super Slow Motion [Video]
In the spirit of all the sports happening right now, the Slowmo Guys come up with slightly more entertaining version of tennis. Check it out!
[Source: The SlowMo Guys | Via Buzzfeed]
Amazing Phantom of the Opera Interpretation by Lindsey Stirling [Video]
Your Options According to Yoda [Pie Chart]
Behold the Horror that is the Bacon Demon [Pic]
Is there such a thing as bacon hell, where all you eat is bacon and all you do is bathe all day in boiling bacon fat?
[Via Neatorama]
OOH-YAH: Indie Gaming Comes to TV Sets
An Android based games console has destroyed its targets to become the second best-funded project ever on Kickstarter. The makers of the OUYA console had bid for $950,000 of funding from the public but wound up with just short of $8.6 million.
The idea of the console is to combine the creativity and independent spirit of today’s smartphone and tablet games with the wow factor of playing on a TV screen. It’s designed to be an alternative to the major consoles where games often have high budgets and thus low creative risks.
Developers will be able to release games for OUYA without any restrictions, other than at least some of the gameplay must be free of charge, even if it’s just a demo. The developers are then open to charge a subscription fee, a one-off upgrade fee for the full game, or offer in-game purchases. As with most mobile game platforms, the developers take 70 percent of any revenue, with the other 30 percent kept by the console makers.
It’s already confirmed that Final Fantasy III and a prequel to Human Element will be available on the console, while Minecraft is also set to appear at some point.
Any existing Android apps can be ported to OUYA and can make use of a touchpad built into the controller. Users can root the console if they choose, as well as creating new peripherals for USB or Bluetooth connection. The software development toolkit for creating games will be available directly on the console itself.
The developers of OUYA haven’t explained the name, though it’s pronounced “ooh-yah” in the style of a Randy Savage impersonator from the deep south. The console might be a bit tricky to market in parts of Africa as the name reportedly sounds similar to the Swahili version of a particularly vulgar insult beginning with c.
The console is scheduled to be shipping next spring and will sell for $99 with one controller and $30 for an extra controller. Between the various Kickstarter options, 58,000 consoles have already been pre-ordered.
[OUYA]
For the Space Exploration Haters
Lots of people are critical of the money spent on space exploration, especially the Curiosity’s mission to Mars. Just to put it in perspective:
Of course, one could argue that the Olympics is worth spending money on because its philosophy is about uniting the world through sport instead of war, to foster peace and international relations.
It’s just funny how that argument can hardly hold up when someone smashes a record and wins an Olympic gold only to have the sore losers accuse them of doping. Or for an article to come out in the news entitled “The Shame of the Silver Medal”.
I would think that the International Space Station has resulted in more positive cooperation than this year’s Olympics, but that is just my opinion. After all, I wanted to be an Astrophysicist at some point in my life, so it might be just a little biased.
What’s the geek community’s opinion? Space exploration is worth the money or is it a waste of the taxpayer’s dollar?
[Via I f* love science]
Lose Weight While Working With the Fitdesk
In recent years, I’ve seen plenty of homemade solutions where enterprising geeks have tried combining the necessity of earning a living with the joy of having a great workout. There’s plenty of videos of people using treadmill/stationary bike/workdesk combos on YouTube with unfortunately inconsistent degrees of effectiveness.
Three weeks ago, after Googling about a “professional” solution I’ve heard about, I decided to make the jump and order myself a Fitdesk. Even though I started working from home full time on GAS last year, I’ve found myself with less and less spare time as the site grows. Sure, running outside, swimming, and hiking are all enjoyable activities, but sometimes, life has a way of stealing all your spare time, leaving you breathless at the end of the week. Those of you with kids will especially understand what I’m talking about.
So now, as I write this review, I’m currently pedalling away calories on my Fitdesk. I’ve been using it for a little more than a week now, and I’m REALLY happy with my new toy.
First, you should know that the Fitdesk comes flat-packed, but fortunately, all the required tools come shipped along with it. The instructions are short but well written, and within 10 minutes you’ll be ready to use your fat-burning joy machine. Here’s a picture of it dissasembled.
The Fitdesk is small, sturdy, and foldable. When you’re done using it, you just remove the pin that locks the device in position, fold it, and store it in the location of your choice.
Now for the important part: using the excersise bike itself. The fitdesk comes with everything you’d expect from such a device — a wide, comfortable seat, a resistance dial (from 1 to 8, but I’ve read in the instruction manual that the resistance can be increased further) and a foam pad that you need to slip over the front of the bike. The pad is covered by a washable cover, so if you drip sweat all over it, you can just throw it in the washing machine and install it back when it’s dry.
Once you start pedalling, you can use the Fitdesk to play games or work on your laptop. Just put your forearms on the pad, secure your laptop via one of the provided rubber straps, and start being more productive! Nothing makes you feel better than doing two things at the same time. So far, I’ve clocked in about 10 hours on the bike, and everything is still working great. And the best thing about it? It’s silent… really, really silent. It makes about as much noise as a spin bike. It also comes with a simple computer that calculates the time spent on the bike, the distance you travelled, and the amount of calories you burned.
I’ve had it checked by one of my friends who works selling professional fitness equipment, and he was surprised by the quality of the bike. The pedals are of excellent quality, and the frame is sturdily built.
To wrap this review up, I’d say that if you’re looking for a solution that will let you work while burning calories and improving your cardiovascular health, this is a perfect solution for you. If you’re looking for something to train on, then you should probably look for something a little more specialized.