The impact of Halo 3's September 25th launch has been reverberating for a month strong now, and besides record sales and sore thumbs, the game has also produced countless forum posts, blog entries, and other content from the online faithful. Our personal favorite is the Halo-3-inspired video, and there are plenty of robust genres available - we love a good pwnage (definition) or grenade toss clip, but we're especially partial to those that make Master Chief (the game's main character) dance. And sing. And generally become much more hilarious, despite certain incompatibilities (um, see above). So here are our picks for the best pop music spoofs of Halo 3 thus far, complete with music video evidence.Next >> Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Video GamesWe thought that the AARP catered to the elderly, not gorillas. But judging from this video on how to play video games, we were wrong. This is what you can learn from the AARP 'How to Play Video Games' Video:There are different "boxes" Then you have a controller "The controller actually controls..." Pushing the buttons on a controller while someone else holds it and you feign interest is "a lot of fun" Seniors watching this video have gotten a lesson, but in how to be patronizing, not hot to play video games. Perhaps they should have clarified what the "boxes" really are. Or shown you how to put a game in the "boxes." Perhaps explained how to hook up the "boxes." Or even just walk through a bit of game play as opposed to the three seconds of 'This is Sponge Bob. Pushing the controller makes him move. Isn't this fun Mary?'Your grandkids could do a better job of explaining. Our favorite part is the supposed transcript of the video. It's so far off we can only assume that the AARP employs some of its hard of hearing seniors to do the transcription.What do you think? Is this video game lesson too simplistic or are we being too harsh? Related Links:Nintendo Targets Women and Grandparents Scholarship Gives Cash to Teens Who Help Seniors  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Top Lists, iPod, iPhoneTrying to predict what Apple will do, or how its every product will affect the market place and how we use technology, is quite a sport.. Everyone needs to get in on the action, Engadget, Gizmodo, even we here at Switched aren't above reporting every tiny rumor concerning the "alternative" computer company.A side effect of all this Apple-prediction frenzy? Sometimes, people miss the mark. By quite a bit. Which is why Wired has compiled its list of the 15 dumbest Apple predictions.One big example is when Michael Dell (of Dell Computer) said Apple should merely "shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders," in 1997, a year before the return of Jobs and the release of the iMac that led to the company's slow painful climb back to relevance. To be fair, not all the predictions were dumb, at least in the most classic sense of the word.For example, Matthew Lynn of Bloomberg said that, "the iPhone is nothing more than a luxury bauble that will appeal to a few gadget freaks." The iPhone sure is popular, but it's only really had an impact at the upper end of the market place. People who normally spend $400 on a fancy smart phone are buying it, not the people who take whatever comes free with their plan. 'Time' magazine "Invention of the Year" or not, the iPhone still qualifies it as a "luxury bauble."Some of the prognosticating turned out to be outright absurd, however, like Robert Paul Leitlao's prediction that by the end of 1999 gamers would have flocked to the Mac. Or that the AppleTV would have a similar cultural impact as the iPod. Oh, and there's more. Check out the article on Wired for the full list.From WiredRelated Links:Does the Media Love Apple Too Much iPhone Nano: Is it Coming or What? New iMacs? New iPhone @Home Tablet? Rumor: Apple Navigation System for Cars?  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Computers, Video GamesWe're all familiar with force feedback at this point, a technology usually associated with video games that allows you to feel every bump, jerk, and hit in a video game through the vibrating joy stick or even vest. Now researchers at MIT are adopting the technology to help us learn and perfect motions based on a teacher's instruction.In an example explored by Wired, a boxing student could be learning to throw the perfect jab. The student's elbow keeps popping out as opposed to staying tucked in as it should. So the instructor dons a motion-capture suit and records himself throwing that desired punch. The teacher's correct movements are then "played back" on the force-feedback suit that the student then dons. Tiny vibrations on his arm indicate the correct movement for the punch and guides his elbow back in.One of the perks of this according to researchers is that the force feedback effects our motor functions unconsciously, so that replicating the jab requires no effort or thought once learned. The suit increased learning rates by 23 percent and reduced errors by 27 percent among its student subjects, but it still seems to have a long way to go before it becomes a practical teaching tool.From WiredRelated Links:Scientists Use 8 Playstation 3s to Study Gravity The Defense Department's New Robot Dogs A Scientific Formula for the Perfect Breasts  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: ComputersBack in August, we reported on a new form of spam that was sweeping inboxes around the world: the use of PDF attachments to hide product pitches from spam filters. That seeming flood of spammy attachments was apparently more of a wave, which passed quickly and seemed to be gone. But now the PDF spam scourge is back, with hundreds of thousands of these attachment e-mails being received over the past few weeks. And, troublingly, the PDF attachments in those e-mails are infected with viruses that can lead to trouble down the line for your computer (and your personal information).If opened, the PDFs use a flaw in the Acrobat Reader PDF viewer that enables the sender to install so-called malicious software, or malware. This malware actually goes out and downloads, then installs, other malware from other machines. Thankfully these programs don't appear to actually impact or corrupt the files on your machine, but they can be used to send that personal data to someone, and can also be used to turn your computer into a so-called zombie, which means it can be controlled remotely to participate in the sorts of attacks that were levied against Estonia in May.So, as always, watch those attachments. If you don't know what the PDF contains or who sent it, don't open it.From Network WorldRelated Links: Spammers' New Methods of Deception Uncovered Cyber Attacks in Eastern Europe The Top Five E-Mail Scams  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Scientists at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio have developed a breed of "super mice."These new mice are able to run 20 yards a minutes, for five hours, without stopping. They even have a metabolism that we're sure is the envy of all the chubby mice out there. They'll eat 60 percent more food than the average mouse, but weigh about half as much. They're also sexually active, especially later in life.The mice even breed at an absurd rate. The researchers created their first mouse four years ago and now have a colony of 500 super mice. The simple switch of a single metabolism gene, one that is shared with humans, caused this change.It looks like the goal of the experiment was not to create an army of super mice, or to find a way to genetically modify human beings for better athletic performance, but to maybe help heal human injuries faster. That said, the researchers said that creating drugs or treatments to "enhance" athletes' natural abilities was not out of the question.From CNN and Daily MailRelated Links:10 Most Bizarre Science Experiments Scientists Learn to Grow New Eyeballs In Lab Spider Man Super Powers for the Rest of Us  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Audio/Video, Cell Phones, Computers, iPhoneAhh, the iPhone. Winner of hearts, creator of long lines, and possible media brainwasher. If you don't believe that last point, takea look a this: 'Time Magazine' has made the iPhone its "Invention Of The Year". 'Time' claimed its number one reason for selecting the iconic touch-screen mobile was because "it's pretty," despite the iPhone really being nothing more than a muted black slab with a chrome back and a front typically covered in smudges. This apparently was enough to beat out other, seemingly more important inventions, like a deployable shield that could save the lives of helicopter pilots, and an inflatable antenna that could help bring connectivity to otherwise inaccessible places.But let's remember that 'Time' doesn't always make the most seemingly logical choices when naming its "Of The Year" awards, since the magazine seems to generally rely on the person or product that made the most noise in the media rather than the thing that actually had the most impact inour lives. And, when this award is looked at from that perspective, it's hard to think of any other invention that wooed the hearts of TV pundits and tech scribes everywhere -- whether rightly or wrongly.From CNET News.com and Time.Related Links: iPhone Reviews Are In, And They're Positive German Apple Store Overrun By iPhone Fans Does the Media Love Apple Too Much?  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Car TechThe Boeing 727 is still the jet many people imagine when they picture air travel, despite the model's retirement from the skies a few years ago. For decades it was the most popular aircraft in service, and one enterprising person decided to take one of those thousands of grounded craft and turned it into a 24,000-pound limousine. The ... uh ... car is currently based in Chicago, seats up to 50 people, and is street legal thanks to underpinnings from an old Mercedes bus. And, best of all, it can be yours.The owner has put the thing up on eBay. It has so far received 15 bids with the current price at $269,900, which includes free delivery anywhere in the world. The owner claims the thing rents out for $40,000 per week, so buying it seems like an economical choice. That is, of course, assuming you have a driveway bigger than most runways. Would you buy this thing?From TechEBlogRelated Links: In-Flight Cell Phone Use Moves Forward in Europe ATA Tries to Arrest Passenger for Using iPhone in "Airplane Mode" Grounded Concorde Parts Fly High at Auction  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Cell Phones, MySpaceLadies: if you thought random dudes sending you marriage proposals laced with spelling mistakes and little-to-no grammar on MySpace was freaky, just wait until mugr.com takes off -- the creepy quotient promises to be off the scales.Mugr is essentially a "face-based" search engine, linked to its own social-networking site (and offered to others through an API), connects images of people's faces to information about their identity.Want an example? Say a dude is at Trader Joe's and sees you shopping for asparagus, but can't muster the cojones to actually step his game up and say something to you. So what does he do? He takes your picture on his cell phone, uploads the shot to MUGR, and gets a message back telling him who you are. Creepy enough for you?The folks at Mugr have an answer to the obvious privacy questions: "The technology that powers mugr.com is not so terribly different as that possessed by many governments and law enforcement agencies. As such, there is no reason that the public should not have the ability to do what it will with such technology. In the end, the technology at mugr.com is only frightening if its users make it so."Yeah, um...they will. Let the anarchy begin (in a few years, at least, when the thing actually works. Maybe). From Rough TradeRelated Links:MySpace and Skype Join Forces Microsoft Buys a Chunk of Facebook  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Computers, Green TechOf all the retailers out there, Wal-Mart probably wouldn't rate high on environmentalists' lists of green retailers. But,that's where you're going to have to go if you want to get your hands on a new self-titled "green" PC that will cost just $199. The Everex TC2502 gPC is a low-powered and limited-spec desktop computer that runs a version of Linux called Ubuntu rather than the much more popular Windows or Mac operating system. Ubuntu is a free operating system that looks and feels much like the competition, but doesn't offer the compatibility that even a Macintosh can offer to the ubiquitous Windows PC.Linux has gained a lot of popularity over the past few years, finding itself installed in all sorts of devices. And, there are software applications out there for the operating system that will do everything you can do on a PC, including opening and reading files from most ofthe applications in Microsoft's Office suite. However, Office itself is not available, nor are most games. But given the seriously lightweight nature of the specs for this machine, you'd be hard-pressed to get any modern games to run anyway.Those lightweight specs lead to reduced power consumption -- hence the "g" in the gPC name -- which is obviously aimed at the eco-mindful consumer. As Engadget points out, however, this computer is rather wasteful in other regards. Internally, the system uses miniaturized components to help reduce power consumption and cost, but ironically the manufacturer throws them all into a big, plastic, non-biodegradeable full-sized case. Apparently this is due to Wal-Mart research that indicates its customers consider a larger PC to be a more powerful one, a notion that will make smart shoppers everywhere shake their heads. From Wired and EngadgetRelated Links: Five Percent of U.S. Electricity Wasted By "Vampire" Electronics Daylight Savings Wreaks Havoc On Gadgets, or Does It? First '$100 Laptops' Sold to Uruguay  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Top ListsWe may always think of scientists as serious guys doing the tough work to better our world. Curing diseases, building artificial body parts, developing stronger metals, but not all scientific endeavors are as productive.How much acid does it take to kill an elephant? Apparently 297 milligrams (about 3,000 times a normal human dose)does the trick. Ever wonder if pressure and anxiety causes a person to make mistakes? Well, the U.S. Army sent 10 soldiers up in a plane in the 1960s, and halfway through told them the plane was disabled and would be forced to crash-land in the ocean. They then asked the soldiers to fill out insurance forms. The result? The prospect of imminent death caused the soldiers to fill out the forms incorrectly. Who knew?Or what about the scientist who wanted to see if he could get people to fall asleep under extreme conditions. So what did he do? He taped open his subjects' eyes, got some lights flashing in their eyes, attached some electrodes to their legs tohit them with electric shocks, and played super-loud music in their ears. Surprisingly, every subject fell asleep, apparently because the stimuli, though loud and annoying, were consistent and monotonous.The most bizarre experiments on the list compiled by the Times of London involved the dismembering of animals. Soviet surgeon Vladimir Demikhov grafted the head of a puppy onto a full-grown German Shepherd. Why? We're not really sure. The puppy's head continued to drink milk, even though it could derive no nourishment from it, since its esophagus hung out and spilled the milk down the two-headed dog's neck. At least it continued to drink until the abomination died shortly after the surgery. Demikhov performed this bizarre procedure 19 more times. As odd as the rest of them are, we're pretty sure that last experiment violates some sort of law.Check out the rest here.From The TimesRelated links:10 Most Annoying Things on the InternetTop 11 Celebrity Messes OnlineThe 100 Oldest Internet Domains Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  We're ordering one for the Switched offices. That's all there is to it. AOL will just have to foot the bill for our out of control cholesterol levels. The Dough-Nu-Matic forms, fries and dispenses mini donuts automatically.This might the greatest invention since the wheel. Think about it. No more runs to Dunkin' Donuts to get your fill of deep fried sugary goodness. You can sit around and get fat with out the help of a drive-through window.This symbol of American ingenuity (or gluttony) can be had for $130 through the most appropriate of retailers, SkyMall.From Boing BoingRelated Links:Mousetrap Gases Rodents, Texts You When It's DoneDog Shaped Dog CookerAutomated Pet Feeder Also Talks Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Video Games Rockstar, maker of the ever popular 'Grand Theft Auto' series, got in on the Halloween action yesterday and released its new ultra violent and extremely controversial title 'Manhunt 2.' After being banned in Britain, twice, a greatly toned down version of the game is seeing the light of day in the US.In the game you play a patient in a mental institution with some, um... violent tendencies. Some are in fact claiming that 'Manhunt 2' is the most violent video game ever. The Wii version might be the most disturbing, requiring you to pantomime the deadly acts with the motion sensing controller.Feel a need to rip out a skull with a sickle? Beat a cop to death with a his own night stick? Or perhaps caving in a person's head with a fire extinguisher is more your style. If any of these three things sounds exciting to you, then you are a sick person.The title is rated 'M' for mature audiences, meaning that no one under the age of 17 can purchase it. However, these rules are easy to circumvent and rarely enforced. We normally don't buy into the dangers of video games mumbo-jumbo, but the idea of small children physically acting out acts of such brutal violence is a little shiver-inducing. Parents may want to be extra vigilant and keep their young away from this title.What do you think? Is this just over-hyped hysteria about what is essentially a fictional game? Or do you think 'Manhunt 2' has gone too far?From CBS.Related Links:'Manhunt2' Banned Again in UK Judge Strikes Down Violent Video Game Law Violent Video Games a Visual History  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Audio/VideoIn the war of Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD, each of the opposing camps seems to think that having an exclusivity deal is a powerful weapon. It started in June, with Blockbuster making a big deal about going exclusive for Blu-ray in its brick-and-mortar stores (despite still offering both formats in its Netflix-like online rental service). Most recently, it was Paramount going exclusive to HD-DVD, meaning that, at least for the moment, the only place to get 'Transformers' in high definition is with that format. Now comes an intriguing new twist. According to BetaNews, It looks like Kmart has chosen to stop selling Blu-ray players. The discount retailer cited the high cost of Blu-ray players (compared to HD-DVD players), which doesn't end up being a good value for its customers.As we reported earlier this week, you can currently buy an HD-DVD player for under $200, and before the end of the year, they should be available for under $170 (you can get one for $100 tomorrow only at select Wal-marts). By comparison, the cheapest Blu-ray player currently clocks in at around $375.Given that both formats offer the same video quality, Kmart is of the opinion that Blu-ray just doesn't make sense. Of course, given that this announcement is being made by the HD-DVD Promotion Group also suggests that some of this might be spin. Also, when it comes to influencing the minds of many shoppers, the name "Kmart" doesn't exactly have quite the ring it used to.What is clear is that this war, if it can be called that, is destined to rage on for quite some time yet. HD-DVD players are definitely taking the value route while Blu-ray advertising seems to be targeting higher-end customers. Still, with Blu-ray players finally adding the ability to have tricks like picture-in-picture and other next-gen extras, which HD-DVD players have long-since offered, it looks like these formats are only getting more alike. With that in mind, the question of cost may be the deciding factor for many in the long run.From BetaNewsRelated Links: HD-DVD Players Drop to Sub-$200 Price Tag Xbox 360 With Built-In HD-DVD Capability On Its Way? Headaches for Blu-ray Owners  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments