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BlizzCon 2013 Getting Closer

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BlizzconStage

This years Blizzcon is set to begin a little later this year then it has in the past with the first day of the convention beginning on Friday, November 8 and the second day on Saturday, November 9 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m on both days. Blizzcon 2013 will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center, 800 West Katella Avenue, Anaheim, CA 92802.

Tickets to attend the event in-person have long since sold out but you can still join in on the fun from home by purchasing a Blizzcon virtual ticket. The virtual tickets are being sold for $39.99 and will allow you to see the full event streamed live on the Blizzcon website with multiple channels so you can pick the content you want to see.

Here’s a list of what to expect from the live streaming event:

  • Developer Panels: Get the latest news and firsthand developer insight into the creation of your favorite Blizzard games.
  • Exclusive Interviews: Dig deeper into the Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo universes in exclusive interviews with Blizzard executives and developers.
  • Costume and Talent Contests: Get a great view of the creativity on display in the legendary BlizzCon Costume contest and the brand-new-for-2013 Talent Contest.
  • Closing Ceremony: Be there for the closing festivities on Saturday night, celebrating two full days of Blizzard gaming and eSports action.

When you buy a virtual ticket you will also receive some cool in-game goodies which for 2013 include:

  • World of Warcraft Pet: Murkalot
  • StarCraft II Portrait & Decal: Tearin’ Stitches & Stitches’ Hook
  • Diablo III Banner: Mark of Death (PC version only)
  • Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft Card: Mystery Minion

For complete details on the event and/or to purchase a virtual ticket, head to the official Blizzcon website.

 

 

Did you know, Firefox is not a “Fox” at all

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Red Panda

Fun Fact:

We all know Mozilla’s Firefox browser, and by the name and logo, you would probably assume that it is a Red Fox. However, Firefox is another name for the Red Panda and that’s exactly what Mozilla’s Firefox is! To learn more about the Red Panda check out National Geographic.

Google Scanning Your Gmail

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email security

Google has implemented some features into Gmail that scan your email. The company mentions that scanning you email is necessary in order to provide beneficial features like spam prevention, but not everyone is onboard with the idea.

A class-action lawsuit was brought against Google recently over the use of automated email scanning. Users felt that Google’s terms of service were unclear, at best, in explaining to users that their email would be scanned and what will happen with all of that information. Google immediately asked the U.S federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit stating that the automated email scanning process is fully disclosed to all Gmail users.

However, the judge did not dismiss the case and actually ruled yesterday that Google’s terms of service and privacy policies do not clearly state that they are intercepting user emails and profiling them. Google did try to defend it’s actions by stating that users are giving “implied consent” when signing up for an email service, but that defense didn’t hold. This is obviously going to be a problem for Google moving forward as they  implement more features that depend on scanning email content. Google will also need to draw up a more explicit version of their terms for Gmail users.

On the other side of ruling, we see a big win for online privacy, which is quickly disappearing in a more and more transparent digital world. While many understand the benefits of allowing such information to be collected, not every wants to consent, and even those who would  consent would still like to know how their information is being collected and used.

The ruling is available online in PDF format for you to read.

A TMNT Super Mario Bros. Mashup (Video)

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Have you ever wondered what a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles / Super Mario Bros. mashup would look like? Well, wonder no more as James Farr has put together an awesome video doing just that. James created his own popular web series XOMBIE and TRAINS-FORMERS. If you don’t know who James Farr is you can learn more about his work by visiting his website.

Real Life Super Mario Brothers

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Here’s an awesome for your Friday! With some clever camera work, amazing acrobatics (Parkour),slick special effects and an amazing soundtrack, this video of the Super Mario Bros. in real life is one of my favorites, it’s definitely fun to watch from start to finish.