How Guinness Picked the Top 50 Videogame Endings…And Why Endings Don’t Really Matter
Wednesday, 22nd February 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Gaming, Keeping it Real
Tags: black ops, ending, Gamer's Edition, Guinness, Ocarina of Time, top 50, videogame, World Records, Zelda
When we told you about The Top 50 videogame endings of all time included in the Guinness World Records 2012 Gamer’s Edition, there was clearly some backlash. Not just at the top pick– Call of Duty: Black Ops– but at the entire list.
We wanted to delve a little deeper into exactly what the gaming community thinks about the list, and moreover, exactly what game endings gamers really consider the best of all time.
Not surprisingly, a quick poll of everyone at JaceHallShow.com and our friends within the gaming community have allowed us to come up with a list of our own– Keep Reading
11-Year-Old Girl Programs Game, Puts All To Shame
Tuesday, 14th February 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real
Tags: award, girl gamer, young gamer
What were you doing at 11 years old? If you were like me, your parents were forcing you to put down the controller and then locking you outside and telling you to climb trees. Okay, maybe that was just me, but I’d wager none of us were programming video games like Hannah Wyman.
That’s right. Hannah, an 11-year-old Massachusetts girl, recently completed her work on “Toxic”, a game meant to educate people about the dangers of environmental pollution.
She programmed the game as Keep Reading
Rick Santorum Declares War On Heavy Metal? Not Quite (Yet?)
Monday, 13th February 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real, Offbeat
Tags: evil, metal, rick santorum, satan
Rick Santorum, the Republican Candidate accused of everything from gay-bashing to all out bigotry, is now apparently worried about something else. There’s another evil in America hiding in obscurity — far off the pop charts and in the iPods of calculating teenagers, soon to morph them into budding Columbine-ers. It’s called heavy metal, and it must be stopped.
At least that’s exactly what Tyranny of Tradition what’s you to think Keep Reading
Joss Whedon Defends ‘Buffy’ Abortion Comic
Thursday, 9th February 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real, Pop Culture
Tags: abortion, buffy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, comic, Comic Book, debate, issue, Joss Whedon, topic
No way around it — abortion’s one of those topics which elicits some insanely heated debate.
Everyone has an opinion on it, and from those Oxygen/Lifetime movies, to the big screen, lots of people have their agenda and love to shove it in the viewer’s face.
Except for Joss Whedon, apparently, who insists that his latest issue of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is neither pro-abortion/anti-abortion/anything in between Keep Reading
Is The Internet a RESOURCE or a PRODUCT…WHO Should Get To Use It?
Tuesday, 7th February 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real, Technology
Tags: access, americans, broadband, comparison, data, FCC, internet, National Broadband Plan, resource
Currently the internet accounts for 21 percent of economic growth in developed nations — that’s more than energy, mining, or agriculture.
Given that, many americans are unaware there are over 100 million US households still lacking broadband internet access, and 46 percent of the “poorest households” are without access to a basica computer.
In comparison, only 4 percent of the world’s richest choose to NOT have a computer. Keep Reading
Jocks Gone Wild? Checking in With The Post-Superbowl Riots at UMass
Monday, 6th February 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real, Pop Culture
Tags: amherst, Boston, giants, patriots, riots, Super Bowl, University of Massachusetts
It isn’t much of a surprise that following the Patriots’ loss to New York yesterday, some people in New England were going to react unhappily to the situation.
When you hear a female U.Mass student wonder aloud, “Why are people at our school so f*cking retarded?” from behind the camera, it’s probably not an unreasonable inquiry: over 1500 students piled into the quad following the game, with students yelling “F*ck the Giants,” throwing bottles, setting off fireworks, and participating in general tomfoolery.
That is, until riot cops showed up — then it was the classic “F*ck the police” and yet another ensuing melee, until the riot cops showed up to disperse the crowd. Keep Reading
New Bill Proposes Tax On Violent Video Games, Says It’s Necessary For “Public Peace”
Friday, 3rd February 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Gaming, Keeping it Real
Tags: Entertainment Software Association, esa, esrb, games, hb2696, oklahoma, tax, video, violent, will fourkiller
A proposed tax on violent video games known as HB2696 has been recently introduced by Oklahoma State rep Will Fourkiller, despite the Supreme Court’s decision to grant video games First Amendment protection in June 2011. Not only would the HB2696 tax extend to violent, Mature or Adult[s] Only titles, it would also impact anything carrying an ESRB rating of “Teen” or higher– even Guitar Hero or gambling games like Ultimate Card Games.
While Fourkiller wants the proceeds to be donated to bully prevention and promoting outdoor education for children, Ars Technica reported he cited unspecified studies to a local news station in Oklahoma claiming video games have been linked to bullying and obesity. Keep Reading
The Simpsons Arcade Game Lands On XBLA & PSN Just Like You Remember It
Friday, 3rd February 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Gaming, Keeping it Real
Tags: arcade, backbone, classic, game, Konami, microsoft, released, The Simpsons, XBLA, xbox
We told you back in November that a filing with the Australian government showed Backbone Entertainment was planning on bringing Konami’s classic The Simpsons Arcade Game to a number of platforms. Today Backbone has followed through with the release of the game on XBLA and PSN.
So how does it compare to the original?
Available for 800 Microsoft Points (free trial available) and free to PlayStation Plus subsribers, The Simpsons Arcade Game includes all 8 classic Springfield locations, includes a few new features, and by first impressions seems to be quite a faithful port. Keep Reading
‘BEFORE WATCHMEN’ – ARE THEY DOING A PREQUEL TO THE BIBLE NEXT?
Friday, 3rd February 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real, Pop Culture
Tags: Alan Moore, batman, prequel, sequel, watchmen
This could easily become the biggest controversy in the comic book world since Stan Lee gave a makeover to Jace Hall’s The Incredible Hulk # 1. The rumors have been true, DC Entertainment announced that they will publish 7 mini-series that are essentially one big prequel to Watchmen, possibly the most acclaimed comic book of all time….and this is where it gets tricky.
While in the film community every sequel is greeted with at least some suspicion, its worth noting that even superheroes like Batman or The Hulk have seen countless reinventions by different writers and artists.
But the perfection of Watchmen and the fact that it has been untouched for about 25 years would be reason enough for people to be outraged by the recent turn of events. Alan Moore, creator of Watchmen and recently in the news for bashing Frank Millers crude OWS statements, sure is pissed: Keep Reading
Why Capitalism Isn’t America’s Problem…Selfish People Are
Wednesday, 1st February 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real
Tags: americans, capitalism, controversy, equal rights, government, motivation, politics, united states, us
Justice for all...
- $16 trillion in debt
- 8.5% unemployment
- Rising cost of healthcare
Despite these broad range of issues, America’s problems have seemingly been codified into one topic of conversation: capitalism and the LACK of equality it seems to provide.
But has capitalism, an economic system that Keep Reading
Microsoft Working On “Avoid Ghetto” Feature– Is It Racist?
Friday, 27th January 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real, Technology
Tags: Avoid Ghetto, controversy, directions, GPS, map, microsoft, patent, Pedestrian Route Production, windows
A new feature being developed by Microsoft is stirring up a bit of controversy, not necessarily for its ability to help you avoid dangerous parts of town, but mainly for its nickname — “Avoid Ghetto”.
According to NPR, the technology is actually part of Microsoft’s “Pedestrian Route Production” patent, which would allow a user to receive the safest route possible to any given desitination based on violent crime statistics.
The idea sounds harmless enough — to help citizens, specifically those travelling by foot, to avoid dangerous areas. However Keep Reading
MegaUpload Users Want Their Files Back, Plan To Sue FBI
Thursday, 26th January 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real
Tags: FBI, files, hacking, lawsuit, megaupload, pirate, Pirate Parties, Pirates of Catalonia, racketeering, recover, Spain
It appears MegaUpload’s users aren’t ready to just back down to the feds with new reports claiming international pirate organizations are planning on suing the FBI on behalf of users over files that have been lost due to the shutdown.
If you’ve been following along with the MegaUpload case, you’d know that many of the company’s execs are now awaiting trial on charges of piracy, racketeering, and money laundering following the feds shutting down the massively popular file-sharing site Keep Reading
The Decline of the Global Superpower: Is the ‘United States’ Losing Supremacy?
Monday, 23rd January 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real
Tags: china, global power, horizontal lateral, India, Paddy Ashdown, politics, shift, TED, U.S., united states
In a recent speech at the TED conference in Brussels, renowned and outspoken British diplomat and politician Paddy Ashdown (who most famously helped negotiate the 1970s nuclear disarmament treaties in Geneva) gave a lengthy list of reasons as to why he thinks the United States’ power is fading fast.
According to Ashdown, specifically, the ‘empire’ that is America will likely last only a mere 10-15 more years. Here’s a list of reasons why.
THOSE WHO IGNORE THE PAST… Keep Reading
How Should You Really Feel About Booth Babes?
Thursday, 19th January 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Gaming, Keeping it Real
Tags: BBC, booth babes, ces, degrading, models, scantily-clad, show, tech, women, xbox
You may not be surprised to see “booth babes” in this BBC report from the show floor at CES 2012. However, the report doesn’t just show off the women, but instead the BBC’s Matt Danzico went to CES to find out how females working in the tech industry feel about booth babes.
The report starts out interviewing various female technology writers including Molly McHugh of Digital Trends who says “it’s sending this message of what my sex is here to do… I’d rather be learning about the products”. McHugh says the booth babes’ presence at the shows is “uncomfortable” but in her opinion not degrading. Keep Reading
NinjaVideo Founder “Rushed to Jail” After Facebook Messages
Tuesday, 17th January 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real, Offbeat
Tags: controversy, government, hacking, Hana Beshara, ninja video, phara, SOPA
With the debates surrounding SOPA, and the U.S. Government’s obvious mis-calculations in judging the reaction of the internet community, is it safe to say that the Feds are now AFRAID of its citizens communicating on the internet? You fear most what you don’t understand, perhaps the government is trying to ban something before they make an effort to combat it by understsanding its inner workings?
I pose these questions in reaction to the news that Hana Beshara, the founder of NinjaNet (one of the largest movie streaming sites on the net) has been rushed to jail after being sentenced to 22 months in jail. Keep Reading
Does Gaming Cause Depression? Telling Science from The Mainstream Media
Thursday, 12th January 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real
Tags: depression, headlines, media
Recently Daniel Loton, a psychologist at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia, presented preliminary findings of a study that paints a pretty dark picture in regards to the habits of gamers. It states that excessive gamers report 15% more stress and anxiety and 25% more depression than balanced gamers. (Read the press release of the Victoria University here)
Now, you don’t have to be a psychologist, or a psychic for that matter, to predict what kind of headlines such results will cause Keep Reading
SOPA for Dummies: A Simple Explanation of The Truth
Monday, 9th January 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real, Technology
Tags: artificial scarcity, controversy, Hollywood, lamar smith, movie industry, online piracy act, politics, SOPA
You’d think with 15 trillion dollars in debt the United States Government would find more important things to consider than websites who allegedly harbor people who share content. But like the man who aimlessly waters his window plants while his house is on fire, the Government mulls over the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) while Holllywood lobbyists whisper sweet nothings into their ears.
By now you’ve heard every reason why you should be against SOPA, and you know that the bill in a nutshell aims to stop copyright infringement by threatening to censor sites like Google, Facebook, and other web-sites that gross billions of dollars for the United States G.D.P. Keep Reading
12 Things We Should Expect to See in 2012 (Whether We Like It or Not)
Wednesday, 4th January 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real
Tags: 2012, ces, contrversy, list, politics, predictions, Warning
Happy New Year…that’s a wish not a welcome.
2011 has come and gone and left a slew of fantastic and tremendously profitable games in its wash, in addition to some shocking and very important news stories.
But what can we expect from 2012, aside from the usual disaster warnings? Here’s a breakdown of what to look out for, what we can look forward to, and what should cause us to brace for impact. Keep Reading
Voice of Reason: LZ Granderson Lets Readers Have Their Internet and Learn Something, Too
Tuesday, 3rd January 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real, Pop Culture
Tags: cnn sports writer, columnist, espn sports writer, lz gradnerson, writers
There are many who believe that the world is going to end this year, perhaps even more people than usual (yet, surprisingly, New Year’s resolutions to “lose weight” remain at an all-time high).
With apocalyptic predictions and numerous signs that seemingly point towards man-kinds intellectual demise, it’s imperative that we point out the individuals who motivate us to THINK, not to simply REACT. Given that I am an avid blogger, I can be as guilty as anyone of trying to perpetuate a reaction, especially in an age where Huffington Post, TMZ, and basically anything on Yahoo! are referred to as the canon of internet information and are “the competition.”
But there is a columnist named LZ Granderson who I’ve been paying a lot of attention to, and if you are an aspiring writer or someone that is tired of reading articles that are driven by their headlines and not their content, I would recommend following his columns as well. Keep Reading
Drake Vs. Common, Common Vs. Drake: Does It Ever End?
Wednesday, 21st December 2011Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real, NERDCORE, Pop Culture
Tags: Common, diss, drake, hip hop, MC, rap, So Far Gone
For those of you who missed it, Common was a guest on DJ Sway’s Sirius XM morning show yesterday on Shade 45 (http://www.siriusxm.com/shade45), and made a few points about a recurring theme in hip hop these days: MCs duking it out, exchanging disses, taunts and threats, and perhaps all in sacrifice of what some might see as the bigger picture — the music and lyrics.
After taking a few seconds to listen to “Sweet,” a new single from his new album The Dreamer/The Believer,Common even told Sway and his audience that he himself was fair game. “Any artist can be a target, especially when you get in and start saying ‘they’re dope’…for me, there’s some cats that are gonna come at me, but I’m a warrior so let’s go. That’s just what it is.” Keep Reading
SEASON 5 IS COMING…
More Music From Jace Hall
