http://kotaku.com/397395/blizzard-announces-diablo-iii

Well it’s official folks! You can all scream like little girls and then pass out from complete exhaustion as Blizzard officially announces Diablo III at the 2008 Worldwide Invitational. Mike Morhaime told the audience at the opening ceremonies that they had a special announcement to make, the lights dimmed, and a guitar player took the stage, playing the unmistakable opening strains of the Diablo overworld theme. A trailer played, and Jay Wilson, lead designer of the game took the stage…to demo the game.

Interesting… so now Blizzard has upcoming games based on their two other big franchises (other meaning “other than Warcraft“). I was already planning on picking up StarCraft II when it comes out; I guess I can add this one to the queue as well. No matter… knowing Blizzard, it’ll be a while before either game is released.

http://www.bingegamer.net/index.php/2008/200-patrons-walk-out-of-free-postal-screening

There is no kind, soft lead into this story, so I’m just going to say it: 200 people walked out of a free screening of Uwe Boll’s Postal, because the opening scenes of the film, which depict terrorists deciding to turn their planes towards the Bahamas rather than crash them into the World Trade Center, only to crash them into the World Trade Center after passengers storm the cockpit.

Let me reiterate so this doesn’t slip past anybody: Two hundred people… walked out of a free showing of Uwe Boll’s Postal… in the first ten minutes.

Wow.

…

Boll defended the film, saying that while he didn’t want to hurt anybody, he wanted Postal to break the rules, and bring into question what exactly is “taboo”.

All the same, two hundred people, give or take a handful… wow… however sad that this story may sound, it begs the question: Which is more pathetic? The fact that the film itself was already available for free showings, or that the audience still stormed out in droves?

Damnation. I knew Boll’s films were horrible, even going back to when Ain’t It Cool News savaged House of the Dead. His movies have been universally panned, and it amazes how he manages to get the casts he does. (His budgets, on the other hand, are no mystery: they come from German companies trying to exploit loopholes in German tax laws.) Still, this is probably rock bottom for him, and that says something about a man who hates his critics so much that he more or less tricks them into a boxing match where he promises to go easy and give free training, but reneges on the training and pounds them into a bloody pulp instead.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display…

LONDON — Hoping to cash in on the success of classic sci-fi revamps such as the BBC’s “Doctor Who” and “Battlestar Galactica,” Sky One is planning to remake cult ’80s space series “Blake’s Seven.”

Sky has commissioned two 60-minute scripts with the intention of creating a new sci-fi series of the hugely popular show, which followed the intergalactic tales of a small band of rebel fighters struggling to evade the dark forces of the Federation.

Memorable for its cardboard sets and leather-clad arch villainess Servalan, the show was the creation of sci-fi legend Terry Nation, himself responsible for Doctor Who’s arch-nemesis the Daleks.

Sky One commissioning editor Elaine Pike said “Seven” was “ripe” for a revival, which will be jointly exec produced by Andrew Mark Sewell at B7 Prods. Most recently the show was released as a successful series of audio books starring a modern cast including “This Life” star Daniela Nardini.

This should be interesting. Blake’s 7 was one of my favorite TV series in my teen years. On Saturday nights, I would watch PBS, where they would show Blake’s 7 at 8 PM before showing Doctor Who at 9 PM. The only thing I would be relatively apprehensive about is who will play Avon. Paul Darrow will definitely be an extremely hard act to follow, especially more so than Dirk Benedict as Starbuck.

We’ll see if this ends up being more like a Doctor Who or Battlestar Galactica revival or more like a Knight Rider or The Bionic Woman revival.

http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9900456-7.html?tag=nefd.top

Apple has started offering Windows users its Safari 3.1 Web browser through the same online updater it utilizes for iTunes and the QuickTime video player.

With the release of Safari 3.1 on Tuesday, Apple started giving Windows users the option of downloading Safari via the Apple Software Update pop-up.

“Safari for Windows is the fastest and easiest-to-use web browser for the PC. It displays web pages faster than any other browser and is filled with innovative features — all delivered in an efficient and elegant user interface,” states Apple’s message in the pop-up screen.

The move is a more aggressive play by Apple to snatch browser market share from Microsoft.

In February, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer had a 74.9 percent share of the browser market in terms of usage, while Firefox had 17.3 percent, and Safari had 5.7 percent, according to figures from Net Applications, which measures Web traffic and market share.

Now, granted, I don’t have a problem with Safari. Hell, on my PowerBook, it’s actually my web browser of choice. The thing is, I expect Apple Software Update to be providing updates to already-installed software, not trying to install NEW software and pass iit off as an update. That just comes off as too damn sneaky, in my opinion, not to mention slightly dishonest. I’ve even seen people notice it without seeing the news stories on CNet and Slashdot.

On the bright side, Apple Software Update gives one the option to opt-out (even though it should have been opt-in in the first place). I decided to opt-out; on Windows, my web browser of choice is still Firefox. It should be interesting to see if Apple Software Update tries to foist Safari on me again in the future, though.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5639212.html

LA JOYA — Authorities suspect a 2-year-old boy who died with a fractured skull was accidentally crushed by a morbidly obese relative.

Hidalgo County Justice of the Peace Bobby Contreras, who pronounced the child dead Tuesday night, said that investigators believe the woman fell on the child.

“It didn’t look like there was any foul play from what I saw,” he said.

Jesus… all I can think of to say is that it’s both sad and horrific at the same time.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5630362.html

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — An aide said science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke has died.

Rohan De Silva says Clarke died early Wednesday after suffering from breathing problems. He was 90.

Clarke is the author of more than 100 books, including 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Well… damn. I knew he was getting quite up there in age, but still this is something of a sad day. I’ve read a few of his books, including all four Space Odyssey books, Rendezvous With Rama, and The Songs of Distant Earth. What isn’t as well known is that he is credited for inventing the communications satellite. So, in several ways, the world owes quite a bit to Mr. Clarke.

Ah, well… may he rest well after such a long and productive life.

http://www.winknews.com/news/weird/16651076.html

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) - Two teenage boys are under arrest after they attempted to rob a police station.

Port St. Lucie police say the two boys - ages 12 and 14 - walked into the lobby of a regional station Wednesday afternoon and demanded money from an aide behind the glass enclosure.

Police say the 12-year-old hid one hand under his jacket as if he had a gun. Another aide ran into the back screaming for help.

Within minutes, a half dozen officers, some with guns drawn, burst into the lobby and arrested the boys. Both are charged with attempted armed robbery.

It’s stories like this that make me wish America’s Dumbest Criminals was still on the air.

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/film/2007/12/for_editors_the_view_why_fox_w.html

Your guess is as good as mine as to how far off the scale of the irony-o-meter the following is, but we should first establish a few facts. 1) Early last year, Mike Judge, creator of Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill, made Idiocracy - an erratic but often wildly funny account of the final triumph of the congenitally stupid, set in an all-too plausible future America. 2) Judge directed the film for Fox, despite previously having been badly scalded when the studio allowed his fine corporate satire Office Space to sink without trace, unpromoted and abandoned. 3) Late last year, Fox allowed Idiocracy to sink without trace, unpromoted and abandoned.

And now, let’s hurtle back to the present, pausing only to note that in Judge’s movie, the end of civilisation was hastened by energy drink Brawndo: The Thirst Mutilator - a toxic-green swill whose popularity eventually made water redundant, leading to the collapse of American agriculture. Because, while Idiocracy now languishes in unwatched semi-cultdom, Brawndo has become a reality - thanks to none other than Fox, which has joined forces with drinks retailer Redux Beverages to launch this lemon/lime flavoured confection of caffeine, guarana and electrolytes, the whole sorry process having been documented by pullquote and Spout Blog, with the website available here.

In summarising, I gladly defer to Spout Blog’s Karina Longworth: “So, to recap: Fox wouldn’t support a film about Brawndo, the energy drink that destroys plants, debases the human race, and makes those who drink it ‘win at yelling’, but they are now putting wholehearted support behind the actual drink.”

Words fail me.

Well, not really… there’d be no point in this post if they did. Seriously, though, I’m wondering what the hell went through the minds of the braintrusts at Fox who came up with this idea. It’s like they completely missed the point the movie when they decided to market this product. The only other thing that makes sense to me is the fact that they DID get the point of the movie, and are hoping that those who buy the real-life Brawndo DIDN’T get the point of the movie.

The thing that scares me is that it occurs to me that both scenarios are equally likely.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/34406

Fucking Yippee, Harry Here!!! Ok - I’m in. Simon Pegg as Scotty is as wonderful as an Asian Girl Sandwich night. I’m fucking deliriously happy. This is the first piece of STAR TREK casting that JJ has done that has made me drool with anticipation. The word is that the budget has gotten bigger and bigger and that for the first time in the history of the franchise, STAR TREK is being given a truly epic budget to recreate, conceive and explore Gene’s universe. That news and SIMON “fucking” PEGG - make this the happiest day in Trek geek life, other than the day STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN was released.

Oh man. Fucking awesome. So awesome. Ecstacy. Simon Pegg is Montgomery “Giving it all I got Capt’n” Scott. Blessed be to God. He is great and glorious to make this happen for the greater glory of geekdom. We are truly the blessed people!

My reaction to this news was decidedly far more lukewarm.

Don’t get me wrong. I like Simon Pegg. I thought Shaun of the Dead was a great movie, and his guest role in the first season of Doctor Who showed he had some variety. The problem is… he’s just not Scotty. On the other hand, I know Paul McGillion (Carson Beckett from Stargate Atlantis) auditioned for the role, and I think he would have been a much better choice. He looks more like James Doohan than Pegg does, has a flawless Scottish accent, and Doohan’s own son endorsed him for the role.

I don’t know. I’ll wait and see. However, I just think this was a bit of bad casting.

Some people might remember the building on the East Loop that was gutted by fire back in March. Said fire was set by a vocational nurse hoping to cover the fact that she didn’t do some needed paperwork. As a result, three people died, several businesses were destroyed, and she’s in jail on felony murder and arson charges.

Well, the building was demolished today. What was most interesting about it, in my opinion, was the fact that they actually got video of the demolition. In the end, all one backhoe had to do was grab one specific beam and the entire building came down like a house of cards.

Take a look… it’s rather interesting viewing.