On Friday, Amazon made the pilots for eight sitcoms (and six kids shows) available to be streamed for free. After watching, viewers can opine and check boxes about the series in a survey, similar to a course evaluation form. Based on the responses, as well as focus group information and viewing data, Amazon will give some of these shows a 13-episode order. When ABC picks up a sitcom about two working class guys who start to dress in drag to secure jobs, one wonders what on earth ABC executives were thinking. If Amazon picks up a musical-comedy set at a faux-Huffington Post where Bebe Neuwirth plays Arianna Huffington and sings about how she is “someone with who not to fuck”, we will only have ourselves to applaud.Continue Reading… … Read More
Girl Scouts introduce game design and coding curriculum
A Los Angeles, Ca., chapter of the Girl Scouts has introduced a merit award for game design in an effort to encourage their members to get involved in science and technology, and help close the gender gap in both fields.The California-based chapter partnered with Women in Games International to design the requirements and curriculum for the patch. And while the new focus area isn’t recognized organization-wide yet, they hope that will change, soon: “Fostering interest in technology and video game development in females of all ages… is the main inspiration for working towards a national badge,” Sheri Rubin, president and CEO of Design, Direct, Deliver and a member of WIGI’s steering committee told NBC News in an email.”Our plan is to start by working with the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles to introduce a local patch and once successful open it up to other councils where game developers are prevalent,” she added. “We hope this can be accomplished over the next couple years.”In addition to designing their own games, scouts will also be learning to code them using a customized version of design program Gamestar Mechanic.Continue Reading… … Read More
Almost nobody is interested in a Facebook phone, says survey
Despite the fact that there hasn’t been much evidence until recently to support a Facebook phone, rumors on the subject have been brewing for a couple of years now. That’s all good and well but is anyone actually interested in buying a handset with a heavy social networking focus? … … Read More
J.J. Abrams on “Star Wars” vs. “Star Trek”: “The worlds could not be more different”
Now that legendary sci-fi director J.J. Abrams, along with stars of the franchise’s original cast, has joined Disney’s continuation of the “Star Wars” franchise, fans are getting hints of the direction Episode 7 is headed in. And there’s more to come as Abrams, whose “Star Trek Into Darkness” comes out this spring, is shifting focus to the Disney project.He recently told Empire that his expectations for the project are high:”There are infinitely more questions than answers right now, but to me, they’re [the two films] not that dissimilar. Though I came at these both from very different places, where they both meet is a place of ‘Ooh, that’s really exciting.’ And even though I was never a ‘Star Trek’ fan, I felt like there was a version of it that would make me excited, that I would think ‘that’s cool, that feels right, I actually would want to see that.”Continue Reading… … Read More
Investigators launch probe into price-fixing of German beer
German antitrust authorities said on Monday that they had opened an investigation against several brewers over the suspected price fixing of beer. The Federal Cartel Office “is investigating several breweries,” a spokeswoman for the office told AFP, confirming a report in Focus news…
Immortal Technique On Fire with Alex Jones – HD
http://www.youtube.com/v/SlipWDvS0RM?version=3&f=videos&app=youtube_gdata Original link - Immortal Technique On Fire with Alex Jones – HD
German conservatives point to supporting expanded rights for same sex couples
The German right appears more open to expanding gay rights, with several leaders of the governing Christian Democratic Union (CDU) speaking in weekend interviews of bridging the gap betwee same sex and heterosexual couples. Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told the weekly news magazine Focus the…
