Filed under: Downloads, Mods, FPS, Multiplayer

Sit down, dude and dudettes, because this will be a tad confusing. Tripwire Interactive has been busy today issuing a new update to their shooter game Killing Floor via Steam, putting their first game Red Orchestra on sale and updating two free mods, one for each game.

First, Killing Floor has been updated with four of the winning maps from their recent level making competion added to the main game. Also every owner of Killing Floor now has two Guest Passes that they can give to friends. They can play the game for free for up to three days. Finally, Killing Floor's free sci-fi based mod Defense Alliance 2 is now available to download via Steam.

Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45, Tripwire's WWII shooter, is now on sale via Steam for just $4.99 until Monday. There's also a major new update to the game's free mod Mare Nostrum which adds 12 new maps, 14 new weapons, over 20 vehicles and 26 Steam achievements.

Killing Floor updates, Red Orchestra on sale and mod updates originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The holiday slowdown is in full swing, with almost all regular shows off-air or in reruns, but don't think that gets you out of your television duties: There are Vampire Diaries and Doctor Whos to catch up on!

Monday

Get your day started off in the right way with Syfy's Highlander: The Raven marathon, from 8:30 in the morning until 3:30 in the afternoon. Wait, did I say "right"? I meant, "It's Highlander, surely you can find something better to watch on another channel."

The CW, meanwhile, takes advantage of everything else in primetime being on holiday break by starting a weeklong catch-up for The Vampire Diaries at 8pm, with two episodes running each night until Friday.

Tuesday

You know you're in trouble when a new episode of Syfy's Outer Space Astronauts is the highlight of the day (It's on at 9pm). Otherwise, it's an Early Edition marathon on the same channel from 8am through 3pm and another two hours of The Vampire Diaries on the CW at 8pm for you. Suddenly, NBC's Glee/American Idol mash-up The Sing-Off seems very tempting, doesn't it...?

Wednesday

Again, it's a Syfy marathon from 8am to 3pm (Today, Moonlight) and two hours of Vampire Diaries (from 8pm on the CW) to keep you busy today, although your sanity may be regained with the help of a brand new Mythbusters on Discovery at 9pm (It's called "Hidden Nasties," which can only bode well) and you can always wash your brain out at the end of the day with Eastwick's new episode, "Tea and Psycopathy":

After Jamie reveals to Roxie that Darryl is his father, she sets about having a dinner party where father and son can bond. However, Jamie has a secret, darker plan for the evening. Meanwhile, Kat embraces her newfound power by healing every patient she is exposed to, but her compassion leads to drastic physical consequences. Max asks a reluctant Joanna to help him crack a famous unsolved Eastwick murder, but their snooping leads them to a perilous situation with Eleanor.

Admittedly, after a plot description like that, I'm not sure anyone needs to actually watch the show.

Thursday

I don't remember Level 9, but Syfy definitely does; that's their 8am through 3pm marathon for the day. Aside from the CW's two hour Vampire Diaries block - 8pm until 10pm, remember - your night is both free and clear for you to tune into the special Christmas compilation of Saturday Night Live sketches on NBC at 8pm, just to see if "Dick In A Box" is still funny years later.

Friday

Finally, Syfy's daytime marathon comes through with the goods! It's Stargate SG-1 all day from 8am to 3pm.

As well as (an old) Christmas episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, you can be advance-grateful for Dollhouse's latest double bill ("Stop-Loss"/"The Attic", Fox 8pm) for giving you something new to watch instead of another couple of episodes of The Vampire Diaries on the CW at the same time. If you need any more reason to tune into the Whedon world, this double bill includes the episode where Victor's contract expires...

Saturday

Syfy put in a strong showing with a monster movie marathon (9:30am: Mutants, 11:30am: Lockjaw: Rise of The Kulev Serpent, 1pm: Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning, 3pm Ginger Snaps II: Unleashed, 5pm: Ice Spiders, 7pm: Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, 9pm: My Name Is Bruce, 11pm: Alien Apocalypse and finally at 1am, the infamous Mansquito).

But U.S. viewers who haven't already found a way to watch it will be much happier with BBC America's Doctor Who afternoon, which runs old episodes from 2:30 before the 8pm Inside The Tardis behind-the-scenes episode, and the 9pm premiere of the uncut The Waters Of Mars. Thank you for being so good to us, American Beeb.

Sunday

I think you might want to leave the house for the day. Do some last-minute holiday shopping or something, because there's not really a lot to keep you inside and in front of the television... Maybe you should TiVo all those Vampire Diaries and watch them...

Read More... [Source: io9: top]

Filed under: Energy, Company News, Technology, Exxon Mobil

Exxon Mobil (XOM) will buy XTO Energy (XTO) in an all-stock deal worth $31 billion as the oil giant moved aggressively Monday to capitalize on the growing supply of natural gas at home. The deal could signal a new rush to own natural gas assets by major integrated producers, and perhaps the start of a significant consolidation in the energy industry.

"Exxon is the group leader and it sets the trend. I would expect more acquisitions in the next three to six months," said Fadel Gheit, senior energy analyst for Oppenheimer. "Who that will be is the $64,000 question."

Continue reading Exxon Mobil will buy natural-gas producer XTO Energy for $31 billion

Exxon Mobil will buy natural-gas producer XTO Energy for $31 billion originally appeared on DailyFinance on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Now Playing: December 14-20, 2009

Now Playing: December 14-20, 2009 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For the sake of clarity and brevity in this week's Rock Band Weekly, let's split this info up:

• The Beatles: Rock Band will have the album Rubber Soul available next week. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road were previously released on November 17 and October 20, respectively.
• The standard Rock Band music store receives new tracks from All-American Rejects, 30 Seconds to Mars and even more Green Day.

As a reminder, Rock Band Unplugged DLC is going on holiday for an unspecified amount of time. Check out pricing and track details after the break.

Update: MTV Games/Harmonix has corrected the pricing for Rubber Soul.

Continue reading Rock Band Weekly: Green Day, 30 Seconds to Mars, All-American Rejects, Beatles: Rubber Soul album

Rock Band Weekly: Green Day, 30 Seconds to Mars, All-American Rejects, Beatles: Rubber Soul album originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Read More... [Source: Joystiq [PlayStation]]

Filed under: Audio/Video, Computers, Editor's Picks, Slideshows, Featured Stories

This silhouette wins the award for coolest thing we've seen all day -- and it's not just because the tiny dancer above is in the buff. This is a little test that will tell you whether the left or right hemisphere of your brain is more dominant.

Instead of concentrating on her chest, concentrate on the woman's movement. If you see her spinning clockwise, that means you're using the right side, or more creative side of your brain. If she appears to be moving counter-clockwise, then that means the left side, or more logical side of your think muscle is superior.

At the Switched office, some of us see her going clockwise, others see her spinning counter-clockwise. At least one of us claims to see both, while another one of us opened this animation in Adobe ImageReady in order to isolate the frames to see if there's any direction-changing funny business going on. There isn't.

Take the test for yourself. Then, if you have time for a 50-question survey, compare these instant results to a more thorough diagnosis.

From Gizmo Watch

But wait! We have more optical illusions for you!

The Trippiest Optical Illusions on the Net! originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While Heavy Rain attempts to welcome both serious and more casual players, it's clear that many will find the unique controls and the story's slow burn a bit too jarring, unconventional, and even boring. Sony has already released so much (arguably too much) footage of Quantic Dream's adventure, and chances are that you've already passed judgment on the title. Perhaps more than any other game before it, Heavy Rain hopes that you want to like the experience. Why? It is -- at its core -- a role-playing game.

When people find out I've been playing Heavy Rain, the first question that generally pops up is, "Is it anything but a series of Quick-Time Events?" The problem with that question is that it inherently assumes that a QTE necessitates a lack of player control. While it's true that the majority of player input is done via on-screen indicators, to simply call them quick-time events is a bit derogatory, ignoring the innovations that developer Quantic Dream has made. Not all actions require players to press buttons as quickly as they see them. In fact, most of the commands involve a very deliberate pace: you may need to move the analog stick slowly, or hold down two buttons while transitioning to a third. Some inputs use the PS3's built-in motion controls, while others will use a combination of various inputs. There are many ways of interfacing with the controller, with each QTE trying to simulate its corresponding, real-world action.

However, variety is not Heavy Rain's greatest innovation. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of the game to explain is its integration of inaction. You are often given the opportunity to do nothing -- and counter to your intuition, that can be the most satisfying option to pursue.

Continue reading Preview: Heavy Rain's first full chapter

Preview: Heavy Rain's first full chapter originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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European retailers have updated their pages for Heavy Rain, predicting the game will fall on European store shelves on February 26. For those of you keeping score at home, Famitsu said the game is releasing to Japan in February as well, lending some credibility to the proposed February 26 release in Europe.

We contacted SCEE -- who gave us the cold shoulder -- but we also sent word to SCEA, who said: "We haven't announced a release date for North America ... but stay tuned as we will have a release date soon."

Source - GAME
Source - Gamestation
Source - Play.com

Euro retailers point to Feb. 26 release for Heavy Rain originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Read More... [Source: Joystiq [PlayStation]]

Companies that aligned themselves with NASCAR in 2009 received $1.9 billion in exposure for their brands, up 12.5 percent over 2008, according to the results of an annual custom research effort conducted during the recently concluded ...
Read More... [Source: nascar - Google Blog Search]

After 17 months of misery, luxury home prices in London are finally up on an annual basis. Banking and hedge fund industry professionals are spending money again, largely because they're being paid again. Homes with values of above $1.6 million appreciated 1.6 percent in November compared to the same month last year. This was the first annual increase since June 2008. Nonetheless, prices remain 15 percent lower than the March 2008 peak. From October to November, prices grew 1.2 percent.

Liam Baily, head of residential research at Knight Frank, told Bloomberg News, "Anecdotal evidence from across our offices suggests that City money is becoming more apparent as we get closer to the end-of-year bonus season," continuing, "Demand from senior management is driving the market." Bonuses could wind up growing by 50 percent this year to 6 billion pounds in London's largest financial districts, and professionals in this industry are responsible for half the city's demand for luxury homes.

For homes at prices of more than $16 million, the price increases are even better: 1.9 percent from October to November this year. Residences in Chelsea, Kensington and Knightsbridge got the biggest boosts.

This has led to a bit of optimism. Luxury real estate could reach May 2008 levels by 2012, up to two years earlier than expected.

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

Bankers Buying in London: Luxury Home Prices on the Rise originally appeared on Luxist on Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Read More... [Source: Luxist]