Google Salutes Pac-Man!

The little yellow guy we all know and love is 30 years old! Launched on May 22nd, 1980 in Japan, the game Pac-Man swept the world within just a few months. The Guiness Book of World Records lists it as the most successful coin-operated game ever. To celebrate, Google has unveiled an interactive logo that is a playable Pac-Man game. Just click the “insert coin” button on the Google homepage, or wait ten seconds for the game to start automatically. Click the “insert coin” button twice, and Ms. Pac-Man will load (play using W A S and D). If you use iGoogle, you’ll need to go to Google’s classic homepage. The game will be available until 11AM US Eastern Time Sunday, or until midnight Saturday night in Japan.

[via YesButNoButYes]

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Social networks too friendly for advertisers

Several major social networks are reexamining their policies after the revelation of a loophole that could allow advertisers to access personal details of users more easily.

The problem is remarkably simple: when a user of a website (Facebook, Myspace, etc…) clicks on an advert, the advertiser is able to see the website address from which they clicked. The way several social networks are set up means that an identification number, or even simply the user name, is displayed as part of the web address when profile pages are accessed.

This means the advertiser could use the data to find out any details listed on the profile page. While that’s a laborious process to do manually, it wouldn’t be too hard to carry out automatically.

In most cases the usefulness of this technique would be limited as the advertiser could only know the profile page on which the advert was clicked, rather than exactly who clicked on it. (That said, the chances are most people are more likely to click on ads on their own profile page if targeting really works.) In Facebook’s case, the information in the specific web address showed which user had clicked on the ad.

The issue was covered in a research paper from AT&T Labs and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, then raised by the Wall Street Journal. As a result, Facebook has changed its system to remove the details of the person clicking the link, but will still display the profile details. MySpace says it will work on a method to “obfuscate” the user ID, while several other sites argued there wasn’t a problem as users don’t have to sign up with their real names.

It’s only fair to note that there’s no evidence any advertisers have taken advantage of the loophole. The problem seems to be that two situations have come together in an unexpected way. Most people will likely accept that any information they put on a publicly accessible profile page will be, well, publicly accessible. And most people will likely accept that advertisers should be able to know where their ads are getting clicks. But combining the two might be seen as a step too far, particularly given the existing skepticism about the privacy policies of major websites.

Geeks are Sexy + Neatorama’s Big Giveaway Contest

Last month, in partnership with Neatorama, we held a caption contest offering two $50 gift certificates to two lucky readers. This month, we’ll do things a little differently. We’re giving away one FREE item on the Neatorama shop (valued at under $20) to 10 random readers! Here’s how to participate.

  1. Head over to the neatorama shop
  2. Browse around and find something you’d like to have (valued at under $20)
  3. Come back here and let us know about the item you picked (in the comments section below.) Oh, and be sure to use your correct email address in the email field and to include the link to the item in your comment. (comments moderation is enabled, so don’t double post if yours doesn’t appear right away)
  4. Wait until we announce the grand winners (we’ll update this post early next week)

Good luck everyone!

Edit: All the winners have been contacted and given their prices. Thanks to everyone who participated!



8 Years in 103 Seconds [Video]

JK Keller took 1 picture of his face every single day for 8 years and lined them up one after another in this awesome video montage. Check it out:

Update (2024): Changed the video source because the vimeo version was not available anymore!

15 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs is a force of nature, a truly iconic man whose quirks are nearly as famous as the products he sells. Here are a few facts you may not have known about the enfant terrible of Silicon Valley.

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5 Epic Fantasy Book Series to Read This Summer

If you didn’t get enough ideas for summer reading from our list of science fiction series, take a crack at fantasy instead. Though before anyone starts to quibble over terminology, I’ll note that though “epic fantasy” is sometimes interchangeable with “high fantasy,” my definition here has more to do with scope than genre. These book series are epic in the sense that they’ll take you a while to read, and probably suck you right into the world while you’re doing it. Though rather than being too obvious by singing the praises of Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, here are some other book series to eat away at some of your summer free time.

The Chronicles of Amber, by Roger Zelazny

It’s been ages since I read these books, and I think it might be time for me to enjoy them again. This is one of the ultimate stories of parallel worlds, and you’ll find that it’s full of philosophical concepts – the nature of existence, and even more obviously, the tension between order and chaos. Oh, and if you’ve got a thing for Tarot cards or Shakespeare, you’ll probably find these particularly enjoyable. There are 10 books that were originally released over a period of 20 years, but in the grand tradition of the omnibus, you can just get the whole kit and kaboodle in one really really big paperback.Though the first book is Nine Princes in Amber, if you can find a copy of it.

The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King

These books are really Stephen King’s magnum opus, and I really did read all of them over a single summer a few years ago – which I highly recommend. From a magical world vaguely reminiscent of the Old West to modern day New York and a bunch of stuff in between, these books are apparently what you get when an author is simultaneously inspired by Lord of the Rings and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. The first book is The Gunslinger, and there are seven altogether (though there may soon be an eighth).  Even if you’re not a fan of King’s other works, this saga is worth picking up entirely on its own merits.

A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin

This is one of the most loved high fantasy series that is still ongoing, and definitely fits into the “epic” category. It’s just what you would think for these kinds of books – kingdoms and politics, swords and dragons. But they have also been considered the forerunners of a “grittier” sort of fantasy – Tolkien with an edge, so to speak. The first book in the series is A Game of Thrones, followed by three others. The upcoming installment does not yet have a release date. Also, keep in mind that now would be a great time to read these books, since HBO is making a much-anticipated television series based on them.

The Sword of Truth Series, by Terry Goodkind

I’ve found that this series of books tends to polarize people – either you love it or you hate it. I think I’m actually somewhere in between, but when I sat down and tried to decide whether I wanted to recommend these or Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time, I came down on Goodkind’s side of the fence. 11 novels in, these books are a long run of good-versus-evil and fantastic world building. I admit that I haven’t read all of them yet, but hey, something to look forward to. For those of you who might be picking them up because of the Legend of the Seeker TV series, be aware that like most adaptations there are differences – but I still think that if you like one you might like the other. The first book in the series is Wizard’s First Rule.

The Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher

Some of you might argue that “urban fantasy” is out of place on this list, but hey, I’m just telling you what you should read this summer, and I put these near the top of the list. Over the course of 12 books, Butcher’s tales of a smart-ass wizard private investigator indulge in some serious world building even if it’s based on our world. Plus if you’re a tabletop geek, there’s a roleplaying game coming out this summer. Something I like about these books is that you can tell that Butcher is a big geek himself; something about the way he writes the system of magic makes me think he’s rolling a D20 next to his keyboard. Also there was a short-lived by really very good TV series that’s worth picking up on DVD. As for the books – to get started, pick up Storm Front. (I’d also highly recommend the audio, which are read spectacularly by Buffy’s James Marsters.)

Again, five is a small number for this kind of list, especially since I can glance over at my bookshelf and see a number of series right now looking sadly neglected – like Wheel of Time and Kushiel’s Legacy and even Jim Butcher’s more traditional fantasy fare, Codex Alera. So what would you guys recommend? Leave your suggestions for fantasy series in the comments! And let us know what you plan to read this summer.

Awesome Alien vs. Predator Fanmade Movie

Produced as a one-man project with a total budget of $500, AVP Redemption truly is one of the best fan made movie we’ve seen online this year. Even if the movie’s visual effects aren’t that good, the whole thing is actually more entertaining than either of the big-time AVP productions that came out in the past.

Adobe Loves Apple… Or Do They?

A few weeks ago, Steve Jobs published a piece letting the world know about his thoughts on flash, and in response, Adobe started this ad campaign:

After the ad was released, a clever blogger then imagined Apple’s response to the commercial:

[Via Buzzfeed]