GeekwithEnvy

Richard Vincenti Jr

5 Cool Mac OSX Easter Eggs

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Easter EggIn almost any software application, game, or website, the developers usually incorporate some type of hidden feature or message somewhere . These hidden features are known as “easter eggs”. Here are 5 cool easter eggs for OSX.

Slow Motion 

This one is super easy, just hold down the shift key and then perform any UI action.

For example, Hold Shift and then try to minimize an application using the (yellow) minimize button. This will also work when you go to restore the window.

Tetris in Terminal

Open Finder -> Open Applications -> Open Utilities -> Open Terminal -> Type “emacs” ->Press enter -> Press ESC -> Press X -> Then Type “tetris” and Press Enter.

Snake in Terminal

Open Finder -> Open Applications -> Open Utilities -> Open Terminal -> Type “emacs” ->Press enter -> Press ESC -> Press X -> Then Type “snake” and Press Enter.

Weather for Nowhere

Go to the Dashboard and add the weather widget, if you haven’t already. Hold down the Option Key + Command and then click on the weather icon(sun,cloud,rain). You should see something interesting, you can continue to click to cycle through the available weather icons.

The Suck Effect (for minimizing)

Normally you only have two choices for your minimize effect, the Genie effect and Scale effect. There is however, a hidden third option called suck.

To use this third option simply, open the terminal and type the following. “defaults write com.apple.dock mineffect -string suck”.

Do not include the quotes when typing into the terminal.

You will need to restart the dock in order to see the new effect. You can restart the Dock by either restarting the computer or by going to Applications->Utillities-> Activity Monitor. Then force quit the Dock and it will automatically restart.

If you would like to change your effect back to one of the other options you just need to go to System Preferences->Dock and then choose an effect where it says “minimize windows using:”.

 

 

Diablo III Expansion Confirmed

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Yes, it is official a Diablo III expansion is in progress. Mike Morhaime of Blizzard Entertainment confirmed the expansion during an earnings call.diablo3logo

The details are limited at this time and we don’t have any hints towards how much progress has been made on the new expansion, but knowing Blizzard’s reputation for releasing games when they are “ready”, it’s probably safe to say it’s going to be a little while. Opinion of Diablo III is split down the middle as many fans were disappointed in some aspects of the game. The lack of an offline gameplay mode was disappointing  for long time Diablo fans who didn’t want to have to deal with server issues just to play the game by themselves.

The controversial real money auction house (RMAH), has some gamers claiming that is takes away one of the major incentives to keep playing the game, finding loot. Diablo III has seen some improvement through the release of patch 1.0.5, but something still feels likes it’s missing. I think that Blizzard should move their focus away from some of the previously mentioned features and really fine-tune the gameplay experience itself. Hopefully we will see this next expansion reinvigorate Diablo with not only new lands and lore to explore but adding or removing, some key features.

diablo screenshot 1

Regardless of how you feel about Diablo III, Activision has stated that the game is the #1 bestselling game in dollars and units on the PC in the U.S. and Europe since it’s launch. I had a feeling the game would sell well considering how many players still love Diablo II and it’s expansion, Lord of Destruction. The real question is whether or not those same people who originally bought the game will continue to stick with Diablo and purchase the new expansion.

As always we will keep you informed on the latest details surrounding the D3 expansion.

New HP Computers Not designed for Windows 7

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Looking to buy a new PC? Make sure you get one with the operating system you want, already pre-installed.

Windows_7_Horizontal_Logo_Web

HP support mentions that downgrading your new Windows 8 PC may cause hardware issues and you may ultimately have to return to Windows 8 to get things to work again. Besides having major hardware issues, reverting to Windows 7 could be a time consuming task that will require you to modify the BIOS in order to work with previous versions of Windows.

Here is the response from an HP Administrator when asked about downgrading:

“HP does not recommend downgrading on any HP consumer desktop and notebook products. After October 26, 2012, HP consumer desktop and notebook products will ship only with Windows 8. Windows 7 will not be supported on these new platforms, and no drivers, apps, or Windows 7 content will be available through HP. If users choose to downgrade their HP consumer desktop or notebook system, HP will continue to support the hardware but if there is an issue where HP diagnostics are required OR it is determined that the loaded software or upgrade operating system is causing the issue, HP may suggest returning the system to the original Windows 8 OS that shipped with the computer.”

As a Windows 8 user I don’t feel the urge to downgrade. In most cases I have actually spent very little time using the new tile UI, in fact I spend about 90% of my time on the “old desktop”. I don’t purposely avoid the new UI, it’s just that many of the apps I use are either not designed for Windows 8 or have one too many bugs at this point. Only time will tell if users start to drop Windows 8 and go back with Windows 7, but I don’t see why anyone would. Microsoft will obviously be continuing to patch the new OS to ensure things are running smoothly and there are even a few ways to make Windows 8 look and feel more like previous versions.

 

Halo 4 A Game Rich In Story

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The next chapter in the Halo universe is finally here and it’s just as good as we have expected, and more. Mankind’s greatest hero makes a return in this latest installment of the Halo franchise. Halo 4 is set about 5 years after the events of “Halo 3″. Master Chief and Cortana are back together and discover that an ancient evil is threatening to destroy all of mankind.

halo4_master-chief

We always expect the usual things from a big title like Halo, better graphics, better gameplay, new multiplayer maps and other various features, but the one thing that makes Halo so powerful is it’s story. I grew up playing many different types of games and 3D shooters were always fun to play.

I grew up in the pioneer days of 3D gaming and I spent many hours playing classic titles like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Duke Nukem 3D, Rise of the Triad, Quake, and many others. Each game had something a little different to offer over the years. The gaming systems that we used to play our favorite games on became more advanced and the games themselves started to look better, but one game in particular stood out.

 

I had just purchased a new Xbox and I remember being slightly less than optimistic about playing a new Microsoft shooter. I honestly wasn’t expecting Halo to be that good, I admit that now, it just didn’t look too impressive to me from what I had seen. I set everything up and popped in the disc, my journey into the Halo universe had begun.

halo4screenshot2

 

From the very start my opinion of the game had changed. Story telling in shooter style games had always seemed more of an afterthought but not with Halo. The story was right there, in your face, and with each cutscene you became more and more emotionally invested in your mission to save the world. The artificial intelligence in Halo was on a level that I hadn’t seen before, the way each foe reacted to my movements forced me to come up with a solid strategy, I was loving every minute of it. Now, fully immersed in this strange but awesome new world I played the game for hours. I actually beat the game in one sitting and it was early morning the next day when the credits had finally hit the screen. This was one of my favorite gaming experiences and I continued to enjoy Halo with friends in multiplayer almost every day during that summer.

halo4 screenshot 2

Halo 4 continues to deliver on all aspects of gameplay including a compelling story that’s built in a massive universe in which many stories can be told. 343 Industries has maintained the quality level that we expect from our Halo games.

 

Halo 4 is available in two editions, Standard Edition for $59.99 and Limited Edition for $99.99.

 

 

Xbox SmartGlass Now Available for iOS

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XboxSmartGlass LogoXbox SmartGlass creates a richer, more immersive experience for Xbox owners. This is definitely one of the best things that Microsoft has released for Xbox and now it’s available for iOS devices.

With Xbox SmartGlass you can use your phone, tablet, Windows 8/RT tablets, and PCs to control your Xbox. Basically, you will be able to use any of these devices as a remote control with the added benefit of being able to use gestures to navigate and control your Xbox. Extra content will appear on the device of your choice for games, TV shows,  and movies. You can imagine Xbox SmartGlass as a second screen that you can use to add another layer of content to anything you do on Xbox, this is the same direction Nintendo went with when designing the Wii U.

Some of the cool uses for Xbox SmartGlass include displaying extra content like commentary, map UI for games, and interactive strategy guides that integrate perfectly with your TV experience.

 

Get Xbox SmartGlass:

Windows

Windows Phone

Android

iOS