Brandon Dimmel

Are 'great' game exclusives dead? According to a recent report from Reuters, that may very well be the case -- even as the game industry ramps up for what might be its most successful Christmas, ever. The article from Reuters focuses squarely on the ... impending release of long-time Sony fan favorite "Metal Gear Solid 4", one of the most anticipated titles for Sony's PlayStation 3. So, what does this have to do with the end of 'great' game exclusives? In a sense, Metal Gear Solid 4 (MGS4) is the last of one very unique type of game: the third-party exclusive. These are titles that are developed ... (view more)

The Cold War ended almost twenty years ago. After decades of tension between the two nuclear superpowers, the Russian people opted for democracy and economic change, taking a much different political stance than dictators like Stalin and Krushchev. ... Now, it seems something else is ready to replace the Soviets in threatening American -- and global -- national security. Some analysts now fear that the world is about to be crushed within the icy grasp of a "cyber cold war". The frightening concept comes after prominent security company McAfee released their annual report last week. According to ... (view more)

We all do dumb things. I once lost my house keys for days, only to find them placed neatly underneath a bowl of salad in the kitchen fridge. Now, there's a response to these "mental farts": fish. According to researchers at the University of Oxford ... in England, elderly men and women performed better when tested for memory, visual conception, motor skills, verbal fluency, general orientation, and even attention after they had consumed fish regularly over an extended period of time. According to Dr. A. David Smith, principal author of the Oxford study, "All six cognitive tests were performed ... (view more)

Scared off video game consoles because of their price? Many casual fans are, and until Microsoft and Sony can knock some buckaroos off the bottom line, many critics believe the industry will only play a tertiary media role. But, is that about to ... change? According to Activision executive Bobby Kotick, it just might. Kotick, a key player for one of the video game industry's most prominent and long-standing publishers, recently stated that he expects consoles to sell for under $200 before Christmas, 2009. (Source: gameinformer.com ) Why? To bring in the mass-market. Hey, it's worked for Nintendo ... (view more)

What were you doing at age 18? I was mired in a freshman flop, utilizing fantastic studying strategies like reading a history textbook while also trying to watch the latest episode of 'The Simpsons'. It didn't lead to great academic revelations ... (ahem, that year), and needless to say, nothing much worth reporting. However, in New Zealand an 18 year old has caught the attention of the entire world. Unnamed by the media for legal reasons, the teen is allegedly responsible for stealing millions from bank accounts spanning the entire globe, all from the comfort of his home hacking network. ... (view more)

Here's one that will make you think twice before dipping your fork into a moist fish fillet tonight at dinner time: according to Canadian researchers, some fish actually display personality traits. It provides new insight into a debate that has ... often dismissed the slippery creatures as completely different from livestock. Does this mean semi-vegetarians should take notice? Perhaps. The research was conducted on Canadian brook trout, regular, ordinary fish by all standards. According to University of Guelph scientists, the trout exhibited notable personalities; some were decidedly social, some ... (view more)

Like a middle-aged guy shopping for the newest hip-hop CD, it seems ABC News is completely out of its element. In a recent announcement, it will join with Facebook in an attempt to lure the young social community into a Web 2.0 twist on the 2008 ... presidential election. The new application -- which will stand next to "Booze Mail", "LOLcats", and "Simpsons Quotes" on people's app lists -- will be called "U.S. Politics". Although the name sounds like a bad (or 'bird') first year university course, it will be constructed using ABC News editorial content. (Source: news.com ) According to David ... (view more)

Although separated by just a small strip of water known as the English Channel, Britain and France have often shared very different political opinions. Though today the two are firm allies, culturally it appears that they each have very unique ... attitudes towards one major facet of modern technology and web use: illegal downloading. In a recent move, the French government announced it would be creating a specialized anti-piracy body with greater-than-average powers to weed out those suspected of illegally downloading music and movies. In a bold statement on the new policy, French President ... (view more)

Here's a new one for the copyright infringement crowd: Guitar Hero publisher and long-time video game staple Activision is being sued by 1980s one-hit wonders The Romantics for using a pseudo version of their song "What I Like About You". Needless ... to say, it isn't much of a 'rock and/or roll' attitude. The lawsuit was filed against Activision last Tuesday in a U.S. District Court in Detroit, Michigan. The California publisher is being sued for unspecified damages for the "What I like About You" version it uses in Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s, a stop-point between the more popular Guitar ... (view more)

Amidst all the worries over Black Friday security threats and the random phishing scheme, there's finally some good news for home and business software users. According to research firm Gartner, computer software should begin to decline ... significantly over the next decade. According to Gartner research vice president William Snyder, there are a number of reasons for the projected slip in costs. Collectively, they could drastically change the relationship between those producing the applications and those who need them. In the past, software buyers have had little say in the cost of the ... (view more)