[Anime] Please, Do Not Tease Me with Such Eye-Candy

Before any of you will start asking where and when did this pop up, I'll tell you early that I was surprised as well when I saw this when I was bored and exploring the depths of Youtube  a few hours ago. 

And yeah, imagine my drop jaw moment when I watched this.

So, is this authentic? It would seem so. But the next question is, is Sunrise/Bandai planning to release a remake the original Macross TV series, complete with smooth CGI and animation? They have to, right? I mean, it IS their 30th anniversary, right?   

Right?

Unfortunately I don't have much information about it. The only two things that I suspect where this video came from is either from the new Macross game for the PS3 along with the remastered Do You Remember Love? or the intro cinematics for Japan's pachinko game of Macross.

But still: Shoji Kawamori, I am begging you, do not tease us fans with such beautiful modernized art of the original Macross series. 

Please. My personal workspace here at home is now slippery with drool.

Note: If the video doesn't load or it's disabled, you can check it out here. Timestamp 2:56 is worth looking at.

[Around the Web] Daredevil Performs Extreme (Near-space) Skydiving to Break Records

"One giant leap for mankind" indeed. 

If you ever heard (or even remember) the lines of a certain song, it went like this: "I believe I can fly/I believe I could touch the sky..." well, cheesy as it may sound, one man took an extreme dare to prove that man can accomplish anything by risking almost everything.

And that man? Felix Baumgartner, Austrian daredevil skydiver and BASE jumper. Under the Red Bull Stratos project, he jumped from a height of 24.261 miles (39.04488 kilometers) above New Mexico, and almost at the edge of outer space. Equipped with nothing else except for a pressurized suit and cameras to track him from there on, it totally was, a leap of faith. And Altair would've been so proud.

"That's my boy."

Post-landing, Felix was able to break three previously-held records:

• highest manned balloon flight (at 39.04488 kilometers)
• first human to break the sound barrier without assistance of a vehicle, and
• highest skydive

There was supposed to be a fourth (longest free fall), but that record, as it seems, still elusive to capture.


Sources:

Ars Technica

Red Bull Stratos project blog 

Felix Baumgartner Wikipedia entry 

[Diablo III] Meet the Spice Boys

ME BIGGER AXE!

Ahh yes, the Barbarian class. Raw strength, with hit points that could repel a hailstorm of bullets, and not to mention the old-man-macho-look badassery. That's Blizzard's Barbarian all right.

But what, say, you wanted a real challenge when facing foes in Sanctuary? Challenged as in a total disadvantage on your side, yet you go all out and carry on anyway? Sounds like you're going for Viking mode.

And four people just did that.

Meet Robert Pooner, and his three other friends, who called themselves the 'Spice Boys'. The challenge: defeat the Skeleton King with four Barbarians with nothing except their starting equipment. That's right; no weapon upgrades, no putting on of armor, nothing. They can use skills every time they level up, but the initial conditions remain.

And did I mention that it was on Hardcore?

Will they succeed on their quest, or will they go down in history as the four Barbarians who fought the Skeleton King, stark naked?

Four Barbarians, one Skeleton King, no additional equipment, Hardcore mode. Watch the hilarity ensue.

[Around the Web] Black Ops 2 is set in the....future?

Well, after several leaks and a day of rumors and stuff, Activition finally reveals Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. Though I'm kinda surprised that the setting is in the...not-too-distant future? As I recall the previous Black Ops was centered during the Cold War..., well, in particular the Vietnam War.

So what's the story this time? Mason never did shoot JFK? Or if he did, what were the possible repercussions that Activision engineered for the story?

Well, hopefully more will be revealed.

PS: There's supposed to be a Black Ops 2 YouTube trailer, but as of writing it's like a private viewing. Phoeey.

source: [Official Call of Duty website]
            [Kotaku]

[All Things 3DS] Fire Emblem Awakening release for the US and UK imminent?

Fire Emblem fans, think you're missing out because the latest iteration of the series is Japan and UK (sometime later this year) only? Well worry not, as the Fire Emblem Awakening domain has been registered by Nintendo of America. With the domain name secure, release of the game for America is very likely.

I haven't been able to play the latest Fire Emblem game, as the last time I played the title was this one. Yes, I did have trouble playing the game as it was imported from Japan and there were no English subtitles yet. I had to play with with a friend who was able to understand Japanese for me to enjoy the game and the story.

source: [My Nintendo News]

[Around the Web] Afraid of the lion?

A group of monks from the monastery of Sceta – among them the great Abbot Nicerius – were walking in the Egyptian desert when a lion appeared before them. Terrified, they all began to run.

Years later, when Nicerius was on his death bed, one of the monks remarked:

“Abbot, do you remember the day we met the lion? That was the only time I saw you afraid.”

“But I was not afraid of the lion.”

“Then why did you run like all the rest of us?”

“I thought it better to run away from a lion one afternoon than to spend the rest of my life running away from vanity.”

Original story by Paulo Coelho.

[Around the Web] In your (computer) 'hood

"This be the one, guv'nor?"

Fortunately, Task Manager is more like a click away hotline than these 'friend-of-a-friend' contacts.

source: [Logitech Australia]

[Tech RDX] Mozilla releases Firefox 12 into the wild, does away with the pesky UAC

Mozilla, the company behind Firefox, has just recently updated its flagship browser to its twelfth iteration. This release features minor, incremental improvements, fixes and bug squashing, and most importantly how it updates itself in a typical Windows environment.

Yep, you read that right people. Gone are the days that the irritating Windows UAC pop-up window that keeps asking us users whether we allow the updater/program to run or not. Seriously, that's why we downloaded and opened it in the first place, right? In any case, Mozilla is trying to keep on track on how to stealthily/quietly update their browser without rousing. Well, with Firefox 12, it's a work-in-progress that's looks so seamless and unintrusive.

For technical details, read on to this Ars Technica article. Grab your Firefox 12 from the Mozilla download site here.

[Around the Web] The Dragon-Slayer

Dragon-slaying level: in before Skyrim

I've almost forgotten about this. But thanks to reknowned author and poet Paulo Coelho, for highlighting this famous saint of all time. Join me as we continue the tale after the break.

[Around the Web] Zzzzzzzzzzzip!

"Dude, your fly's....no wait, t'was mine. My bad."

Today Google honors the innovator that made life easier. Hell, if it weren't for him we'd be stuck with buttons, belts and other stuff just to keep our pants shut. Among other things, that is.

So cheers to Gideon Sundback, the electrical engineer who helped developed and made the zipper a reality.

Just head to the Google start page, and watch and see the animation.