Behold, the PlayStation Phone: full Xperia PLAY specs, details released

By Ben Kuchera

From  http://arstechnica.com/

 

While the iOS ecosystem may have evolved slowly into a gaming powerhouse, Sony is hoping to quickly push its gaming platform onto phones with the upcoming Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY. This the "PlayStation Phone" that has been rumored to exist for a very long time, and the details are finally here. The Xperia PLAY is coming to the United States this spring on the Verizon network first; the price remains unannounced.
Still, just look at it: a cell phone that plays games well and has actual buttons! Be still our beating hearts.

The hardware

The system features a four-inch capacitive multi-touch screen running at 480 by 854 resolution, and you'll be able to play 3D games for an estimated five and a half hours. There will be both black and white hardware at launch. Here are the rest of the specifications:

• Size: 119 x 62 x 16 mm
• Weight: 175 grams
• Phone memory: 400 MB
• Memory card support: microSD™, up to 32 GB
• Memory card included: 8GB microSD™
• Operating system: Google™ Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
• Processor: 1 GHz Scorpion ARMv7

Games will be delivered through the Android Marketplace, and the system will ship with Asphalt Adrenaline 6, Bruce Lee, Star Battalion, The Sims 3, and Tetris preloaded, along with a "legendary" PlayStation title. "More than 50 additional titles from top franchises at leading game publishers will be available for purchase at launch," the announcement states.

Sony is also very excited about the buttons on the device, calling them "dedicated gaming controls for real console quality gameplay, including four-way directional keys, recognizable ABCD keys with PlayStation iconography, left/right shoulder keys, and two analog touch inputs for joystick action."

Sony is promising 60fps playback of these games with the built-in Andreno 205 GPU, and over five hours of gameplay isn't bad. This is the phone that's really going to show off what Sony's PlayStation Suite is capable of, and may even make iPhone gamers jealous of those built-in buttons.

Seriously, have we noted that we like the idea of a phone with gaming controls?

This should give the Android platform a nice push into the world of gaming, and we're looking forward to getting our hands on a handset as soon as possible. Still, the pricing on games is going to be key, as iPhone games have carved out a strong niche with touch controls and low prices. Sony needs to be realistic about the cost of these titles, even on a new device.

Sheen: No On Crack, Yes On Chocolate Milk

by TMZ Staff 

Charlie Sheen got a standing ovation Thursday after delivering a stirring, anti-drug speech to the UCLA baseball team -- "Stay off the crack. Drink a chocolate milk."

6 Greatest Places on Earth to Buy Vinyl

Written by Jason Policastro

From:  http://matadornetwork.com/

Amoeba Records is sacred ground. Photo:  rick

Despite the odds, vinyl is making a comeback. Music stores are stocking records again, even Best Buy. But what are the true vinyl ‘institutions’?

Amoeba Records, San Francisco

Amoeba’s sheer scale might be unmatched on this list. Not only is their LP collection impressive, but it includes the nearly extinct 78 format, as well as freshly pressed 45s from all over the world. Every genre is represented and kept up to date with new releases and flushed with rarities. Truly impressive.

Gramaphone Records, Chicago

Photo:  vhf

Known as perhaps the greatest house music shop on earth, Gramaphone maintains and caters to professional DJs.
Their store stocks all sub-genres of dance, as well as DJ equipment like needles and turntables. Gramaphone is a landmark in the house music scene.

Wah Wah Records Barcelona

If you asked a vinyl freak to paint a picture of their ideal record shop, you’d get something that looked a whole lot like the awesomely named Wah Wah Records in Barcelona’s Raval neighborhood. They stock both classic LPs and the latest dance records, and the stock is continuously evolving.

Vinyl Junkies, London

Vinyl Junkies has the latest and rarest records. Professional DJs can often be found digging the stacks, but the store’s relaxed atmosphere makes all customers feel welcome and it enjoys a good reputation in dance music circles.

Fat Beats, New York

[edit, Feb. 2010: Apparently, Fat Beats is now closed.]

Photo (and feature photo):  pheezy

Fat Beats is legendary for east coast hip hop heads. Strangely, the shop is almost hidden from pedestrians, located on the second floor of a nondescript building on Sixth Avenue.
A flight of stairs leads up to one of the most impressive hip hop collections on earth, from new releases to old school tracks and battle records. When I stopped in there was a DJ cutting in the corner.

Hard to Find Records

Birmingham, UK
Hard to Find has broken down their collection into every possible sub genre, and has fully stocked listening stations with snacks, sodas, and couches near a wall of turntables. They also cater to the professional dj, and allow for in-store demos of their gear.

Speed Limit Enforced By.............. [Sign]

They don’t mess around in this place, do they?

Watch Topher Grace Re-Enact BTTF, Ghostbusters And More In This Take Me Home Tonight Video

Author: Josh Tyler
From: http://www.cinemablend.com/

Take Me Home Tonight is not a parody movie, in any sense. Instead it’s a period comedy set in 1988 starring Topher Grace, Anna Faris, Teresa Palmer, and Dan Fogler celebrating the last night of their youth. It’s definitely not a parody movie, but the following video may make you wish it was.

We’ve just gotten our hands on a Take Me Home Tonight music video, in which the cast hangs out in a club rocking out, only to decide that instead of dancing they should re-enact the most iconic moments of nearly all the most iconic movies of the 80s right there on the dance floor. The video is less than four minutes long but in that time they manage rather accurately to pull off all the most iconic and identifiable scenes from more than thirty movies. Include in the sequence is a pretty spot on Michael J. Fox impression by Topher Grace and cameos by ALF and Michael Biehn.

You’ve got to see this. Watch and see how many movies you can name: 



There's a chance this may end up in the end credits of Take Me Home Tonight when it shows up in theaters on March 4th. It's a good time, seems like a smart move to me.

In the meantime, how many movies being parodied did you recognize? Here’s a list of the film's I spotted while watching:

• Alien
• Say Anything
• Dirty Dancing
• Ghostbusters
• Weird Science
• Ghost
• 16 Candles
• Pee Wee’s Big Adventure
• The Karate Kid
• E.T.
• Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
• When Harry Met Sally
• Poltergeist
• Top Gun
• Splash
• Teen Wolf
• Back to the Future
• Risky Business
• Indiana Jones
• The Shining
• Weekend at Bernie’s
• Fast Times at Ridgemont High
• Rambo
• Big
• Cocktail
• Fletch
• Flashdance
• A Nightmare on Elm Street
• Friday the 13th
• Twins
• Terminator (guest starring Michael Biehn!)
• Little Shop of Horrors
• The Blues Brothers
• The Breakfast Club
• Fatal Attraction
• Caddyshack
• Norma Rae
• Ferris Bueller's Day Off
• Can't Buy Me Love

How To Choose The Right Glass For Your Beer

Much like how to change a flat tire or Captain Kirk’s middle name, knowing what kind of glass is best for your beer is something a guy should just know.

By Zack Zeigler

From http://www.modernman.com/

There are certain things guys should know. Like how to change a flat tire, who the reigning champions are in all four major sports, what the best quotes are in a wide range of guy movies, and how to deal with a hangover at work. Also on that list? Knowing which kinds of glass goes with which kind of beer.

Now, you’re not going to not have a beer if you don’t have the correct glass for it. And if a bartender serves one up in the wrong glass, you won’t haughtily send it back. And even though the kind of glass in which a beer is served can affect its taste, the fact is that you probably wouldn’t even notice. But let’s be honest — utility doesn’t always play a big role in guy knowledge.

So whether you drink Guinness, Bud Light, or absurdly expensive specialty beers, here’s what you need to know.



Pint glass: The classic. They’re cheap to produce, are great for number of beer styles — practically all of them — and come in a 16-ounce tumbler or 20-ounce Imperial. (Most bars feature the tumbler.)
Beers: Guinness, Heineken, Budweiser, Coors, Blue Moon Belgian White





Weizen (Wheat beer glass): The narrow bottom and flared top help produce a thick, fluffy head that emphasizes the aroma of the hops (hops are there for flavor and stability) in Wheat Ales, Weizenbocks, Belgian Whites, and German Hefeweizens.
Beers: Saranac Amber Wheat, Flying Dog in Heat Wheat, Sam Adams Cherry Wheat, Sierra Nevada Wheat Beer, Bud Light Golden Wheat


Pilsner glass: This tall, slender, tapered glass promotes head retention (heh heh) and highlights the beer’s color, clarity, and carbonation. Use it with Blonde ales, Belgians, Saisons, German Lagers, low-alcohol beers, and, oddly, Pilsners.
Beers: Pacifico, Heineken, Foster’s Lager, Labatt Blue, Tecate






Flute glass: If you like German Pilsners, Weizenbock, Vienna Lagers, American Wild Ale, or beers with a fruity flavor, this is your glass. The narrow shape preserves carbonation, highlights color, and brings out the aroma.
Beers: Sierra Nevada Summerfest Lager, Samuel Adams Noble Pil, Carlsberg, Dos Equis Amber Lager, Beck’s




Goblet or Chalice: They’re big, bowl-shaped, and perfect for downing thick, malty beer. (A goblet is a thinner, longer-stemmed version of the chalice.) Both have wide-mouth openings ideal for chugging Belgian IPA, Quad, Tripel, and Dubbel-style brews after you slay a dragon or crash a Harry Potter theme party.
Beers: Stone Cali-Belgique, Piraat Ale, Wild Devil, De Ranke XX Bitter,Raging Bitch Belgian-Style IPA

Mug or Stein: These hold a lot of volume, so consume your Belgian IPA, Weizenbock, or Dunkelweizen at a healthy pace to avoid warm beer. Mugs are thick, sometimes dimpled, and fun as hell to cheers since they won’t shatter in your hand. Steins are more ornate, have a lid, and are usually made from ceramics, earthenware, or stoneware.
Beers: Fat Tire Amber Ale, Yuengling, Brooklyn Lager, Killian’s Irish Red, Black & Tans


Tulip glass: Similar to a flute glass but with a thicker stem, the tulip has a flared mouth that makes for nice head formation while the bulbous body helps enhance volatiles (stuff in beer that creates its aroma). Tulips are most compatible with American Wild Ales, Belgian IPAs, and Belgian Pale Ales.
Beers: Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA, Stone Ruination IPA, Hop Wallop, 120 Minute IPA, Hop Stoopid

22 Scrumptious Cupcakes to Satiate the Techie Appetite

By Chip

From http://walyou.com/

Advertisement

Geeks are not always weird. Apart from endless hours sitting motionless in front of the computer and ridiculous faith in science-fiction, they are certified human beings with all humanly needs. When they combine their bizarre interests and human beings’ desires, let’s say cupcake, the results can be astonishingly delicious. Here is the list of 22 geekiest cupcakes for your appetite.

Star Wars Cupcakes

Star Wars cupcakes come in a set of 20 whereas each cupcake features a character or an item you either love or hate: the Dark Lord Darth Vader, young hero Luke Skywalker, beautiful Princess Leia, faithful R2-D2, powerful Yoda, the impressive space station and you name it.

Star Wars Cupcakes II

Image Source: two parts sugar
Baked by a Flickr user called two part sugars, this Star Wars cupcakes collection offers no less variety and geekiness.

Clone Wars Cupcakes

Image Source: Star Wars Blog
It’s no surprise that A Baked Creation‘s blogger Sylvia, the creator of Clone Wars cupcakes, is a Star Wars noob whose only knowledge about Star Wars is Darth Vader is the father of Luke Skywalker. Real fans would go for real Star Wars.

Darth Vader Cupcakes

Image Source: Kati Peck
Danger! Danger! The dark side of the Force is on the rise! There are so many Darth Vader cupcakes that it might take a large number of humans to finish them all.

Superhero Cupcakes

Baked by JustJenn, these awesome Superhero cupcakes feature logos of legendary superheroes: Superman, Batman, Fantastic Four, Flash, etc. that any true comic fan would have no difficulty identify.

Google Cupcake

Image Source: Bryan Gosline
The Google cupcake, characterized by the famous Google logo and homepage on top, is appropriately clicked with a Macbook Pro in the background.

iPod Touch Cupcakes

It must have taken The Cupcakelicious a lot of time and Apple frenzy to carefully bake and arrange these cute little cupcakes into the perfect replica iPod Touch’s homes creen.

iPhone Cupcakes

Image Source: Brian.Cornell.Com
These scrumptious cupcakes have been decorated to look like the various iPhone applications. Hopefully, you won’t have to wait three weeks for approval from the iTunes App Store before you can actually eat them.

Mac Cupcakes

Image Source: Shiny Shiny
It’d be inappropriate if iPhone and iPod cupcakes are here and Mac cupcakes are not. They come with white piped icing theme inspired by the signature white color of Mac.

Windows and Mac Cupcakes

Image Source: Krynsky
Windows and Mac joined hands together for the first time in a party where the host serves them side by side together with mouse cupcakes and CD/DVD cupcakes.

Ubuntu 10 Cupcake

Image Source: The Cupcake Blog
While open source Ubuntu is for everyone, this tiny Ubuntu 10 cupcake is only enough for the owner of the Macbook on the background.

Laptop Cupcakes

Image Source: Oh, Sugar!
Of course, we need these tiny laptop cupcakes to run all the operation systems cupcakes we have had above.

Lego Cupcakes

Image Source: FollaBackGrrl
Many people have used Lego pieces to build various things, but this FollaBackGrrl is probably the only one who uses Lego to make cupcakes.

Robot Cupcakes

Image Source: Gearfuse
An understanding Mom has made these delicious frosting robot cupcakes for her 3 year old kid, making him the luckiest boy in the world.

South Park Cupcakes

South Park series has been around since forever and its brilliant humor has been entertaining us for generations after generations. OK, I agree that I might be a little bit exaggerating, but those South Park cupcakes do look fun.

Blue Cookie Monster Cupcakes

Image Source: GadgetHer
Even if you are not a big fan of Sesame Street, these mouth-watering Cookie Monster cupcakes with all of his overly adorable facial expressions will make you scream out loud “Me want cookie!”, “Me eat cookie!”.

Angry Bird Cupcakes

If you have ever found yourself restlessly chasing the green pigs to have them pay for stealing your eggs, you will also find it impossible to resist those inviting Angry Bird cupcakes.

Domo Kun Cupcakes

Image Source: GadgetHer
Japan does not only have sushi and Hello KittyDomo, it only has these fearful sawtooth Domo Kum cupcakes. In case you have never heard of Domo, it is the mascot of NHK television station in Japan. In case you have never heard of NHK, google!

Hello Kitty Cupcakes

Image Source: GadgetHer
Talk about Hello Kitty, it would be inappropriate not to mention these ultra cute Hello Kitty cupcakes. Not recommended for upright straight guys, unless you want to give your girlfriends a surprise.

Periodic Table Cupcakes

Image Source: GadgetHim
The periodic table cupcakes are something that can actually make chemistry palatable. Created by a teenager called Kimmy, those cupcakes make up the entire periodic table with the information of different elements on each cup.

Brain Cupcakes

Image Source: Not So Humble Pie
Those imagination provoking brain cupcakes were made based on the creator’s reasoning that “human brains are filled with chocolate ganache”. As you expected, these cupcakes were made of a swiss meringue butter cream and a chocolate ganache filling.