Press release from Apple

Here's a nice article relating the experiences of a user who switched from iPhone to the HTC Thunderbolt.

I've updated a couple of things on the site. The Fold Forge and Retro Papers now live under the "Affiliated Sites" section on the right hand side. I've also added a third site, Cinemalleable, which I hope to get up and running soon.

I've also removed the search results box from the right side bar, above the menu, to the main section, so that menus would stop bouncing around. Enjoy!

Cinemassacre is releasing a collection of their older movies on DVD, for the first time! The first 100 folks that pre-order will have their copy signed by James Rolfe.

James has also announced:

Also AVGN DVD VOL 5 coming soon (By December at the latest)

And, as if that wasn't enough, there is also a new episode of Board James, fittingly titled Monster Madness. Check it out!

Netflix CEO, Reed Hastings, sent out what sounded like a heart-felt letter to his subscribers a couple of days back. He agonizied over the decision to split the DVD and streaming services.

His solution? Split the company into two, as if the already higher prices weren't an issue. So, now if you want streaming and disc delivery you'll have to sign up for two services, each with completely separate pricing structures. They probably won't talk to each other to keep those prices reasonable for the other.

The spinoff company, Qwikster (horrible name), will performing the old school disc delivery. They will also be offering games, as well. No word on whether or not the queue for the games will be same queue as the movies. Blockbuster had tried that and it was horrible. Games take a LOT longer to play than a movie, friends. Give it some thought, please.

This comic sums up how most feel about the split

The new Ace Combat: Assault Horizon, set to be release soon, will let you customize your fighter, including

... a pretty pink jet fighter (with pink missile smoke!)

Color me sold!

James and Mike review Face of the Screaming Werewolf over at Cinemassacre.

This is a tad old, but I love these lists of iPhone apps that didn't make the cut.

Top 10 banned iPhones apps

What else can I say?!

Watch it now!

Vampirism will run rampant, once again, in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim.

These aren't your little sister's vampires -- being a bloodsucker will completely transform how the game is played, and features progressive vampiric levels, damage taken from sunlight and the ability to feed on unsuspecting, sleeping victims.

Read the full article here

Bloomberg reports:

Sprint Nextel Corp. (S) will offer Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iPhone next month with unlimited data service plans to distinguish itself from rivals AT&T Inc. (T) and Verizon Wireless, according to people familiar with the matter.

Read the full article here.

Seems like everytime there's any news about Dead Island, it's bad. Recall all the issues reported with the game, and of course, Steam had their own problems. But now it seems that the patch has reset trophy progress on the PS3.

As I'm playing on the PS3, as well, I've noticed it as well. But one thing no one seems to mention is this: all trophies, for the most part, are cumulative. That means, if you're going to get the trophy for playing all four characters through Act 1, you'll get the trophies for most everything else, even if you start over.

Two Cornell University researchers, Jason Yosinski and Igor Labutov, put together a Chatbot system to allow two systems to talk to each other. Each system was represented by a virtual avatar. A Chatbot is a system designed to emulate natural conversations.

Humorously, it all breaks down pretty quick when God, insults, and lies start flying between the two:

One avatar claimed he was a unicorn, told his female counterpart she was a "meanie" and after criticising her for being mistaken, followed it up with the sarcastic line: "Which is odd, since memory shouldn't be a problem for you."

It's worth watching. I think I've met folks like this in chat rooms before. Read the article here.

One of my favorite, and quite proliferate, characters is the Angry Video Game Nerd, a character created by James Rolfe. His home base, Cinemassacre (I love that name), provides anyone caring to visit with hours of entertainment.

Board James is another series of videos he does, where he reviews some of the oft missed, and sometimes bizarre, board games out there.

Watch the review of Loopin' Louie, live at Pax 2011!

JD Powers (and Associates!) have released their Smart Phone Satisfaction Survey, detailing who's who of the smart phone world when social networking is on the line. Unsurprisingly, Apple leads the way: 2011 Wireless Smartphone and Traditional Mobile Phone Satisfaction Studies-Vol. 1