The iPad and its feisty little brother the iPhone are known the world over for being fantastic gaming machines. One genre that particularly shines on their glossy, fingerprint-laden screens? Endless runners. The best of the genre, like “Temple Run” and “Jetpack Joyride,” offer an addictive experience that is perfect for bite-sized gaming sessions. Here are a few new titles vying for “best of” status.

‘Robot Unicorn Attack 2’
Company: Adult Swim Games
System: iPad/iPhone
Cost: Free
Rating: 5 (out of 5) Globes

The first “Robot Unicorn Attack” was a joyous, cacophonous experience that could only come from the warped minds at Adult Swim. This sequel amps up just about everything you loved in the original. There are more power-ups for your unicorn, an even better synth-based soundtrack and a fantastic mission-based structure.

There’s also a unique online mode. You are assigned a team, good or evil, and everything you do works toward your team’s total score. The course you run changes daily, so you can’t cheat and memorize every nook and cranny. This is a “freemium” game, but RUA2 manages to avoid most of the associated pitfalls. It’ll ask for money every now and again, but the prompts are easy to ignore.

‘Worm Run’
Company: Golden Ruby Games
System: iPad/iPhone
Cost: $1
Rating: 5 (out of 5) Globes

“Worm Run” is a surreal mix of endless running and survival horror. The end result of this odd mash-up? A total adrenaline-fueled and frantic rush. The game tasks you as a spaceman who is being chased by a giant worm, “Tremors”-style. You have to run, climb and jump your way to freedom. Unfortunately, that danged worm never lets up, and freedom is short-lived at best. Maybe it’s an analogy for life, or my last marriage. Ba-dum-dum.

The controls are entirely swipe-based, which works marvelously. The precision required to avoid that giant, bloodthirsty worm makes the game a better fit for the iPad’s large screen, however. Even on the iPhone, though, it is totally worth a buck.

The post Sidescroller: Apps that make your thumbs do the running appeared first on Metro.us.

The first time Mario set his hefty foot atop a hapless Goomba, the 2-D sidescroller was born. With each passing generation, game designers find new and innovative ways to keep this ancient genre alive. Here are reviews of two brand new sidescrollers that merge the best parts of the last 30 years.

‘Guacamelee!’
Drinkbox Studios
PS3/Vita
4 (out of 5) Globes

This game technically falls into a category called “Metroidvania,” meaning that it owes great allegiance to both “Metroid” and “Castlevania.” This means an open world to explore, with plenty of side-scrolling action. Exploration is rewarded with new moves and abilities, which in turn let you explore new areas to find even more stuff. The perfect addictive cycle!

The hook with “Guacamelee!” is the world, which is set in Mexico and loosely based on the customs surrounding the country’s Day of the Dead celebration. It’s colorful, laugh-out-loud funny and features great controls.

One caveat though: The platforming in this title can be brutal. You may have to time travel and get your 9-year-old self to beat some of the more difficult segments.

“Terraria” plays like internet sensation “Minecraft” in 2-D.
Credit: 505 Games

‘Terraria’
PS3/Xbox/PC
505 Games
5 (out of 5) Globes

Unless you’ve been hiding under an Internet-disabled rock, you have no doubt heard of indie darling “Minecraft.” That game’s mix of action and literal world-building has made its creator one of the most influential, and wealthiest, men in the video game world. “Terraria” takes the randomized, build-anything tomfoolery of “Minecraft” and makes it 2-D. Yeah. It’s as good as it sounds.

“Terraria” is more a brutal, life-changing addiction than a video game (in a good way). Once you enter your randomized world, you’ll be able to explore every nook and cranny at your leisure. And we do mean every nook and cranny. You can dig all the way to Hell and build bridges all the way into space. There’s also plenty of treasure to find and enemies to fight, including some really cool bosses.

The post Sidescroller: 2-D games can still charm the 3-D world appeared first on Metro.us.

Mobile job search apps, which enable you to apply for a position from your phone, are popping up all over. Major search sites like Monster and Career Builder offer an app that lets you to browse postings, update your status and apply right from your phone. But is all this technology making the search for a new job easier, or is it just one more thing to keep track of?

According to Luis Salazar, more mobile application programs would mean a greater chance at job placement for many hourly workers. Salazar is co-founder and CEO of Jobaline, a mobile platform that connects job-seekers with companies. “The hourly workers, which are 59 percent of our economy, are especially left behind,” says Salazar.

“These important workers often either lack Internet access or only access the Web using mobile phones. When we bridge the gap by providing mobile recruitment tools that address job search needs, workers and employers alike will have the ability to find a better fit.”

Companies that create an app need to focus on keeping it concise and user-friendly. “A well-designed mobile recruitment system can reduce the amount of time and effort necessary for a candidate to apply, leading to higher application rates and fewer orphaned applications,” explains Mahe Bayireddy, CEO of iMomentous, a mobile talent recruiter.

“By integrating with DropBox, Google Drive, and social media such as Facebook and LinkedIn, applying for a job through mobile can be simple. Forms that once took upward of 20 minutes to complete can be automatically pulled from existing profiles,” Bayireddy says. Like so many other technological advances, if you’re not keeping up with the times, you’re falling behind.

“Five years from now, it’s impossible for us to imagine a world where most job searches and applications will not happen through a mobile device,” says Proven’s CEO, Pablo Fuentes. Proven is a job search app that lets users send résumés to job sites. “Today, people are doing banking, travel, and taxes on their phone. Tomorrow, mobile will be the standard for job searches.” Julia west

The post Put the ‘app’ in job application appeared first on Metro.us.

Take it seriously
Treat your online profile as a professional asset and determine if it positions you the way you want it to. Google yourself often and see what the world sees when they look for you.

Commit to a professional online persona
You will be judged by what you post and what others do, too. Select a professional voice and spell-check your postings. Don’t post or say anything online that you wouldn’t want your grandmother or boss to see.

Monitor
Sign up for free, no-obligation alerts on a site that manages online reputations. Enter your name or other keywords and be alerted when potentially damaging materials are posted about you. At Reputation Changer, the technology crawls the “deep Web” going beyond what search engines look at to see what dangers may exist.

Take proactive control
Commit to ensuring that the entire first page of Google’s search results for your name or your company bring up websites or pages that you control.

1. Even a site like Yelp or Wikipedia portrays you in a particular way, so make sure you control the message.
2. Set your Facebook privacy settings so that nobody can tag you in a picture without your approval. Review the privacy settings of all the social media sites you use.
3.  Create online assets using your exact personal and/or company name as the title (such as .com or .net). Use social media profiles and free blogs. Update and post to these pages consistently. The volume of activity required depends on how prominent you are. The more prominent you are, the more active you must be.

Prepare for the worst and react fast
Proactively build up some messages that you can release if a negative news story breaks. If you believe that people may post negative or embarrassing things about you, try to head it off, but expect that you cannot. Once it is out there you can only react to it. If you need to apologize, do that, but don’t debate online because it drags out the conversation. Shift the conversation to the things that you want people to focus on.

By the numbers
70 percent of U.S. companies say that they have disqualified candidates based on what they find online about them. By 2014, 53 percent of all retail sales (online and offline) will be influenced by the more than 1.6 trillion searches conducted per year.

— These tips were compiled by Michael Zammuto, president of Reputation Changer, a company that helps people manage their online personas.

The post 5 important tips for managing your online reputation appeared first on Metro.us.

With its rare apology, Apple went from pariah to praiseworthy in the eyes of China’s state-controlled media, a lesson for other foreign firms not to underestimate the speed and power of the government press.

After coming under near-daily media assault for the past two weeks and facing the threat of penalties from two Chinese government bureaus, Apple apologized to Chinese consumers on Monday for poor communication over its warranty policy and said it will change the terms for some of its iPhones sold in China.

Greater China is Apple’s second-biggest and fastest-growing market, with sales up almost 40 percent to $6.8 billion in the final quarter of 2012.

The Chinese newspapers that threw brickbats at Apple a few days ago have since changed their tune.

“The company’s apology letter has eased the situation, softening the tense relationship between Apple and the Chinese market … Its reaction is worth respect compared with other American companies,” wrote popular tabloid the Global Times, published by Communist Party mouthpiece the People’s Daily.

The Foreign Ministry praised Apple for “conscientiously” responding to consumers’ demands.

“We approve of what Apple said,” spokesman Hong Lei told a daily news briefing this morning.

Only last week, the People’s Daily issued a scathing editorial on Apple’s return policy saying the popular smartphone maker was filled with “unparalleled arrogance”.

Apple was first targeted in mid-March by state broadcaster CCTV during its annual consumer day segment. Volkswagen AG, which was also criticized on the same show, plans to recall vehicles to fix a gearbox problem.

“That Timothy Cook had to step up and respond from the CEO’s chair shows the importance of China and how critical it is as a market not just for Apple but for every multinational company here,” said Kent Kedl, Shanghai-based head of Greater China and North Asia for risk consultancy firm Control Risks.

Foreign companies who are adept at managing media crises at home find it much tougher to navigate China where state media outlets, pandering to different audiences, often have opaque agendas and intentions. Analysts also said that foreign companies need to remember that the bigger the brand, the bigger a target it will be, especially in China.

“What foreign companies need to pay attention to, is that nobody operates in a vacuum, nobody operates only on the good graces of a brand name … Five to ten years ago a report on CCTV would have rippled a little bit, now it goes viral and has a life of its own,” Kedl said.

Apple’s acquiescence in this setting, where the world’s largest technology company by market value was ironically the David going up against China’s Goliath state media machinations, shows its wisdom in not challenging a more powerful enemy.

Although popular opinion on the Internet swayed in Apple’s favor, against state media and the reported threats of penalties from China’s State Administration for Industry and Commerce as well as its quality and inspection bureau, it was not Apple’s fight to win, experts said.

Other foreign companies targeted by CCTV, such as fast food chain operator Yum Brands Inc, have also apologized and faced scrutiny from government agencies. Last December CCTV reported that two of Yum’s suppliers purchased chickens from farmers who used excessive levels of antibiotics in their animals. The report and subsequent investigations hurt sales at Yum’s KFC chain.

But Apple’s situation is somewhat different because CCTV’s claim was not completely new. Last July, a Chinese consumer rights group also slammed Apple for its after-sales policies. That time, however, Apple held its ground.

With the apology and warranty change, Apple’s mea culpa is significant not just because it comes from a tech firm that rarely apologizes, but also because Apple may be realizing that in China, it needs to be proactive.

“They’re out of the woods and into the weeds. Things will rarely be smooth for Apple in China – even if consumers love it there will always be factions in and out of government that are trying to take it down,” said Michael Clendenin, managing director of technology consultancy RedTech Advisors.

“Apple made it easy this time, but they have learned to be more proactive. The next time they stumble, it will be easier to recover,” he said.

The post Apple’s rare show of humility pleases China appeared first on Metro.us.

Nintendo’s 3DS has gone from a lackluster launch to being another popular entry in the company’s continued dominance of portable console gaming. Big titles hit store shelves on the regular and their digital marketplace is inching ever-so-close to Apple territory. Let’s review some games you can play on the toilet.

Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon
3DS
Nintendo
5 (out of 5) globes

Ah, good ole Luigi. Mario’s brother has gotten the short shrift for 30 years now. He’s the cowardly one, the klutzy one, the one who is constantly told, “Just be more like your brother!” In other words, he’s the everyman. Well, this regular Joe finally has a 3DS game to call his own and it is one of the system’s best titles.

It’s a spooky and hilarious ghost-hunting sim set inside a series of haunted mansions. It’s even more fun than it sounds. Every inch of this game oozes polish and charm, from the way Luigi hums along with the theme music to the mansions themselves, which are beautifully rendered and chock full of secrets. This is one game where it pays to have the 3D turned on.

HarmoKnight
3DS
Game Freak/Nintendo
4 (out of 5) globes

Game Freak is known to most people as the company that created Pikachu and the endless array of cute and bloodthirsty Pokemon. But occasionally, when the mood strikes, they develop games where you don’t have to catch ‘em all.

HarmoKnight is a unique take on music games, pairing the rhythm-based gameplay of something like PaRappa the Rapper with sidescrolling action. Essentially, it’s like a Mario title you control by pushing buttons along to the beat. The graphics are simple but the game boasts a striking amount of content. There are tons of hidden areas, boss battles and even, yes, guest appearances by Pokemon to keep you busy for hours.

The post Sidescrollers: On Luigi’s Mansion and HarmoKnight appeared first on Metro.us.

It’s April Fools’ Day soon – no, really, it’s Monday.

Fear not! Metro has some last-minute ideas. Whether you want to best your coworkers or dial up a friend or significant other, read on for some suggestions. No comment on whether we tested these on Metro colleagues first…

The whoopee cushion is old news, say the creators of the Fart O Gram. The prank-calling service allows you to enter digits to be pranked, then calls the person and lets the flatulence rip as they pick up. Take your time choosing from the Sexy Stall or the Costume Party, where a female recording pretends to have met the prankee before and then, well, you know.

For a prank you can set up on your phone, try the Fake Text app. It crafts a message that pops up on your screen, from, perhaps, Barack Obama. All you do is download and type in the celebrity you want to drop you a line. So show your friends a text of Barack Obama inviting you to the White House. Or perhaps you met Lady Gaga at a party the night before, and she texted you to come to her next concert. See who believes it.

Another app, Prank Me, logs recorded voices — from the stomach-dropping, like Timothy Warrenton calling from the IRS to say you owe $10,000 that will soon be drafted from your paycheck, to the celeb, like Regis Philbin calling about “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” The catch? The app calls your phone, so to prank someone with the recording, you have to hold your phone up to another receiver as you dial someone else.

To brainstorm, the Pranks app revolves through different plots, like hiding alarm clocks and setting them for different times or gluing a quarter to the floor and snickering as people try to pick it up.

Old-school style

If you’d rather get your hands dirty and do the prankwork yourself, get inspired by these small-screen scenarios:

We all know arriving at the office is a gift, but make it official by wrapping up an office computer and chair with that wrapping paper you bought at CVS two holiday seasons ago. This only requires beating a coworker to the office – or maybe some sneakiness when they run out for lunch. This is gem inspired by “The Office”: During their ongoing prank-off, Jim gift-wraps Dwight’s desk and everything on it.

In “New Girl,” Nick wants to prove that he’s the prank master. Although many of his shenanigans are too much work (reworking a wall so roommate Schmidt would think he was getting smaller), this one is office-effective: claim the TV (or some Pandora music) is blaring, and get your officemates in on the joke, nodding along, to make another think they are going deaf.

This prank may end in a cubemate punching a hole through the wall, if “The Office” is any indication. In one of the episodes, Jim tosses Andy’s phone through a ceiling panel, constantly calling it so it rings as Andy’s blood pressure rises while struggling to find it. For a less violent reaction, you may want to hide your coworker’s phone in an easier-to-find spot, like under a file pile in a drawer or wedged behind the water cooler. Just make sure you know the number to dial.

The post Last-minute pranks for April Fools’ Day appeared first on Metro.us.

A Dutch web hosting company has been accused of orchestrating the biggest-ever attack on the Internet that dramatically slowed web access around the world Tuesday.

The web hosting company Cyberbunker is said to be receiving support from criminal gangs in Russia and Eastern Europe to bombard servers with gigantic amounts of traffic in a bid to make the web inaccessible.

The allegations have been made by London-based Spamhaus, a company that attempts to block junk emails across the Internet.

Steve Linford, chief executive of Spamhaus, told the BBC that its servers had been hit by a denial of service attack at 300 gigabytes per second for the last week. He said attacks on the past that have blocked, for example, banking services, were only at 50Gb per second.

He said the attacks were being investigated by five national police services around the world.

The post Cyberbunker: Dutch web hosting company accused of biggest-ever attack on Internet appeared first on Metro.us.

T-Mobile is getting the iPhone 5 – finally.

The company announced Tuesday that it will offer the iPhone 5 for a $99.99 down payment and $20 each month for 24 months. T-Mobile is the last major carrier to sell the iPhone.

“This is an important day for people who love their iPhones but can’t stand the pain other carriers put them through to own one,” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile USA. “We feel their pain. I’ve felt the pain. So we’re rewriting the rules of wireless to provide a radically simple, affordable iPhone 5 experience – on an extremely powerful network.”

Customers can preorder the iPhone 5 through the pre-registration page here.

Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant

The post Finally, T-Mobile is getting the iPhone 5 appeared first on Metro.us.

Our baby is growing up so fast. And by baby, we mean Twitter.

Twitter turned seven today. To celebrate, it released a video recapping the history of Twitter from its humble beginnings to present day.

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  View Video

  Happy 7th birthday, Twitter

The site was launched on March 21, 2006 and today boasts 200 million monthly active users..

“As we’ve grown, Twitter has become a true global town square – a public place to hear the latest news, exchange ideas and connect with people in real time. This iw shwere you come to connect with the world at large,” wrote Twitter’s Editorial Director Karen Wickre in a blog post.

The video shows ways in which Twitter has helped change the way we get our news. From the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, to Tahrir Square and President Barack Obama’s re-election, users have become citizen journalists.

Twitter isn’t only used as a news service, though. Where would we be if our favorite celebrities weren’t tweeting? Here’s the list of the top seven (get it, in honor of Twitter’s seventh birthday) Twitter accounts with the most followers.

1. @JustinBieber: 36,011,871
2. @LadyGaga: 35,064,313
3. @KatyPerry: 33,617,790
4. @Rihanna: 28,806,073
5. @BarackObama: 28,377,249
6. @TaylorSwift: 24,961,927
7. @BritneySpears: 24,717,490

While the list consists of mainly pop stars – with the exception of President Obama – the tweets that have been re-tweeted the most vary from NFL players, to Wendy’s fast food choice.

Happy birthday, Twitter. We can’t wait to see what the next seven years will look like.

Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant

The post Happy 7th birthday, Twitter: The company through the years appeared first on Metro.us.

Twitter turned seven today. To celebrate, it released a video recapping the history of Twitter from its humble beginnings to present day.

The site was launched on March 21, 2006 and today boasts 200 million monthly active users..

“As we’ve grown, Twitter has become a true global town square – a public place to hear the latest news, exchange ideas and connect with people in real time. This iw shwere you come to connect with the world at large,” wrote Twitter’s Editorial Director Karen Wickre in a blog post.

The post Happy 7th birthday, Twitter appeared first on Metro.us.

Google Reader, one of the best-known RSS feeds, is shutting down come July 1.

The feature, which users used to pull together content from their favorite websites, will only be up for a few more months.

“While the product has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined,” said Google Vice President Urs Holzle in a post on the official Google blog about the closing of Reader.

For the next four months, users can port their current content to another RSS feed by using Google Takeout.

According to CNN the move is a part of a massive “spring cleaning” that Google began n 2011. Google has shut down 70 of its products in part of the “spring cleaning.”

“It’s been a long time since we have had this rate of change – it probably hasn’t happened since the birth of personal computing 40 years ago. To make the most of these opportunities, we need to focus – otherwise we spread ourselves too thin and lack impact,” Holzle wrote in his blog post.

Within hours of the announcement, there were multiple online petitions to save Google Reader.

As of Thursday afternoon more than 66,000 people have signed the “Google: Keep Google Reader Running” petition on Change.org.

“Our confidence in Google’s other products — Gmail, YouTube, and yes, even Plus — requires that we trust you in respecting how and why we use your other products,” wrote Dan Lewis, of New York City, who created the petition. “This isn’t just about our data in Reader. This is about us using your product because we love it, because it makes our lives better, and because we trust you not to nuke it.”

Other options:

There are other RSS feed options, some of which are recently launched. Feedly and Pulse offer web-based feeds but also have mobile apps for Apple’s iOS and Android.

Flipboard released a statement Thursday which said they will allow users to directly import their Google Reader content to their platform.

If you read your RSS Reader on multiple devices, you should probably opt for a could-based reader such as NetVibes.

Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant

The post Google Reader to shut down, other options available appeared first on Metro.us.

Online dating is a reality of the love game, whether you’re just looking around or on a serious quest for a lifelong partner. Sites like OkCupid, Match.com and eHarmony try to make finding someone simple, but they can be disappointing and frustrating. Now, one solution to the e-dating conundrum is gaining traction: consultants. These pros help clients strategize and punch up their profiles to stand out in the competitive world of digitalized courtship.

“Most people are not very good at online dating,” says Evan Marc Katz, dating coach and founder of  the e-dating consulting service eCyrano. “It’s like the gym. You don’t lose weight by signing up for the gym. That’s why people hire personal trainers — to show them how to use the equipment.”

eCyrano rewrites clients’ profiles based on a lengthy questionnaire and detailed phone call. Katz, who dated online for 10 years before meeting his wife offline at a party,  says his team of freelance writers promise profiles that are more authentic than what most users write for themselves.   He contends that the majority of online-dating fumbles involve unrealistic expectations: “Online dating gives people the illusion of choice, not actual choice.”

Then, of course, there are the photos. Companies like New York Image Consultant offer services like a Re-Imaging package, which  includes hairstyling and makeup for photos in a range of outfits and poses, plus Photoshopping, for $1,500. Consultant Amanda Sanders puts it bluntly: “The reality is, they choose your picture over someone else’s because it captures their eye. The text isn’t as important as the visual aspect.” Sanders works with clients who travel to New York for her firm’s services. Like Katz, Sanders asserts that her business vastly improves a client’s chances. As always, though, the face to face date is up to you.

The post Will an online dating consultant help you find love? appeared first on Metro.us.

It seems as if rumors start swirling about new Apple products as soon as previous models hit the market.

It might seem like you just got your new iPhone 5, but according to the latest rumors, a new iPhone 5S could be available in August. According to tech site iMore, the next-generation iPad could launch as soon as April.

iMore, is reporting that sources close to Apple say the company is giving “serious consideration” to launching its fifth edition iPad next month. We could possibly see the iPad Mini 2 next month as well.

As for the new version of the iPhone 5, it’s expected to have a faster processor and a better camera.

Keep in mind these are all rumors and speculations. Apple is known for trying to keep information about all new products a secret until the big unveil.

Other rumors circulating the web claim that the new iPhone will be available more colors and will have a bigger screen.

Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant

The post Apple rumors: iPhone 5s to launch in August, new iPad in April appeared first on Metro.us.

So you’ve spent the lion’s share of winter cooped up indoors, curled up in the fetal position and cursing your maker. Good news! Spring is almost here. Get out of that fetal position and, um, onto that couch. That’s right. There are a bunch of cool video games coming out in the next few months.

‘Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon’
3DS
Nintendo
March 24th

Mario might be an expert world saver and princess rescuer, but Luigi has his skills too. In short, he busts ghosts. He’s pretty much Bill Murray with a mustache. This new “Luigi’s Mansion” title sends our green hero into multiple haunted mansions, complete with an array of poltergeist pinching paraphernalia. It can also be played cooperatively online.

‘Bioshock Infinite’
PS3/360
2K Games
March 26th

The first Bioshock wowed gamers with its unique take on the FPS genre. Also, it had the dubious honor of being the first video game to make reference to Ayn Rand. “Bioshock Infinite,” the third game in the series, is a prequel of sorts. The action shifts to 1912 atop a utopian floating city. There is no way that is gonna end well.

‘The Last of Us’
PS3
Naughty Dog
June 14th

The PS3 is preparing to float off into that pixelated sunset. Help it go out with a bang with what could be its final exclusive blockbuster. “The Last of Us” is a haunting, beautiful and action-packed look into life after the apocalypse. Details on the plot are scarce, but the gameplay looks even tighter than the company’s massively successful “Uncharted” series.

The post Video games for spring appeared first on Metro.us.

The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI caught everyone by surprise, except his employer.

We caught up with God, aka David Javerbaum, the 11-time Emmy winning comedian who runs the popular @TheTweetOfGod account and author of ‘The Last Testament: A Memoir by God’.

Q: @TheTweetOfGod Popes don’t resign – has ex-Benedict incurred your wrath by doing this or did you fire him?

A: @Metro I’m not angry. In the end it came down to “creative differences”, in that I am infinitely creative and he is different.

@TheTweetOfGod In his final speech he said at tough times “it seemed the Lord was sleeping”. Were you ducking his calls?

@Metro No, he was right. I was sleeping. It was the seventh day of the week. How does he not know what I do on the seventh day? #genesis1bennyboy

@TheTweetOfGod What score would you give his reign?

@Metro I’d give it an IV out of X.

@TheTweetOfGod Are you concerned about the vacuum now he’s gone? Who will you speak through on earth now?

@Metro I will continue to speak through the mentally ill and/or con men, and by “and” I mean conservative Republicans.

@TheTweetOfGod How is recruitment for a replacement going – and who would be your ultimate fantasy pope?

@Metro No comment on who the new Pope might be. Obviously My fantasy would be ‘Poprah’. But she won’t return My calls.

@TheTweetOfGod The pope had a strong social media game – how will you bring the Vatican more in line with the digital era?

@Metro It’s pretty hard to bring the “digital era” to a place where, as the names of the Pope indicate, they don’t even have digits.

@TheTweetOfGod Will you be reclaiming the Popemobile?

@Metro Not reclaiming, but fixing up. I’m giving it racing stripes, lowriders, and an engine that runs on holy water and Jesus-body.

@TheTweetOfGod Off topic but who are you most keen to send to hell?

@Metro My bill collector. Satan owes me 500 years’ back rent.

The post Exclusive interview with ‘God’: ‘Pope was a IV out of X’ appeared first on Metro.us.

Mozilla, makers of the popular Firefox Internet browser, is preparing to challenge Google and Apple’s grip on smartphone software.

A new Firefox operating system for mobile devices is set for a July release after winning the backing of 13 wireless service providers around the globe, including Spain’s Telefonica, China Unicom and America Movil.

Mozilla is betting there’s room for a software developer-friendly mobile platform alongside Apple’s and Google’s Android, which together power the majority of mobile devices on the planet.

The new software is based on open Web standards and is capable of operating on devices with much lower hardware requirements than today’s existing crop of smarpthones, according to Mozilla.

Because the Firefox OS is open-source and Web-based, third-party developers will be free to sell mobile applications without needing to share revenue with Apple or Google.

“There’s a strategic imperative for the industry to have another OS that really is open and supports choice and competition,” said Mozilla’s Senior Vice President of Products, Jay Sullivan.

Mozilla will showcase some of the first hardware devices based on that software at the Mobile World Congress, taking place in Barcelona this week. Among the brands that have signed on to make devices based on Firefox OS are South Korea’s LG, China’s ZTE and Huawei.

Unlike Google and Apple’s operating systems, which are built from proprietary technology, Firefox OS uses the HTML5 standard that Web services are built with. That means anyone familiar with Web programming can create Firefox OS apps.

Whether a smartphone built on Web standards can deliver the kind of performance that consumers expect remains to be seen. Facebook famously stopped using HTML5 to develop its iPhone app last year, with Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg saying the technology couldn’t deliver acceptable quality and calling a decision to use HTML5 for its app one of Facebook’s “biggest mistakes.”

The post Firefox takes on smartphone powers Apple, Google appeared first on Metro.us.

Almost seven years after Playstation 3, Sony announced their next generation home video game console, the Playstation 4 but remained mum on a lot of the details — including what it looked like and how much it cost.
Is this a game changer, so to speak?
There will be some major changes in the digital and social gaming sphere, but only time will tell if the PS4 is exactly what the market needs to re-spark interest.
One thing is for sure: It will be fast. Sony is hoping to create the fastest-gaming network. This all aided by an 8-core CPU, enhanced PS GPU and 8GB of RAM, which will be on a newly designed console that we haven’t seen yet.
Can I stream games?
Sony is focusing on digital content. Users can “live stream” games, meaning they can play them while the rest is being downloaded. In addition, your PS4 can learn your likes and dislikes and suggest games that would be appealing to you.
You’ll also have all the traditional apps that are available on the PS Network including Netflix, Hulu Plus, Epix and Amazon.
What games do I have to look forward to?
Some titles that were previewed include “Killzone: Shadow Fall,” an MMO racing game called “Drive Club,” “inFamous Second Son,” a puzzle game by the makers of “Braid” called “The Witness,” and a new Capcom game called “Deep Down,” which will feature a new game engine codenamed Panta Rhei.
Blizzard also announced “Diablo III” for PS3 and PS4, and Bungee (the “Halo” creator) is returning back to Sony. They’ve partnered with Activision for a shooter game named “Destiny,” which will be available for PS3 and PS4.

Oh, and Square Enix will be debuting a “Final Fantasy” title at E3 this year. No big deal.
Will it still have the classic Playstation controller?
Nope! The PS4’s new controller has two notable additions: a touchpad like the PS Vita and a share button, which is explained in the social media features below.
So should I switch from Xbox?
That depends. There’s no doubt that the PS4 has made strides in the digital world both in speed and realistic gameplay. It’s quite advanced compared to the Xbox 360.
However, with Microsoft rumored to launch the next generation Xbox in time for Christmas 2013 as well, it might be worth waiting to make up your mind.
Can it play all my old PS3 games?
Sorry, PS3 games will not be supported on PS4. But, one upside is you should be able to play your PS4 games both on your TV and Vita screens. Eventually, all PS4 titles will have this capability.

Don’t mourn your PS3 games just yet: Sony hopes that cloud technology will make it possible to play Playstation, PS2 and PS3 hits on your PS4 in the future. They’re starting a cloud service that will be introduced in stages.

What are the social media features?
Sony is making a play to combine the multi-user gaming experience with social networking. You’ll be allowed to share screenshots, video clips and watch your friends play live. Friends can comment on your game play and join in on your game from a remote location.
When can I get my hands on one?
It will launch Holiday 2013.
How much will it cost?
No price yet!

The post Sony unveils new PlayStation4 console appeared first on Metro.us.

Your smartphone pictures will be automatically sharpened, adjusted for light and perfectly toned in a fraction of a second, thanks to a new lightweight chip designed by US researchers.

The device, set to be unveiled by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), works by compressing professional software applications into a user-friendly and instant technology for smartphones and tablets. The chip consumes little battery life and can provide the same enhancement for video.

“It’s simple and automatic, the user doesn’t need any photographic expertise,” lead researcher Rahul Rithe told Metro. “If you can point the camera in the right direction the chip will give you a good outcome.”

The ‘picture perfect’ chip is the latest device to offer post-shoot enhancement for amateurs. In 2012, the Lytro camera enabled users to change the focus of images after taking them, making it less important to get the first shot right.

But professional photographers are not panicking yet. “The chip will be great for photographers who don’t understand how to use light,” war photographer Ted Nieters told Metro. “And it won’t change the composition – having better exposure won’t automatically make your shots interesting.”

But that never stopped the legion of Instagram users and Rithe is already in talks with a number of smartphone producers to integrate the device, which should be available for purchase within two years.

The post Miracle chip for smartphones, tablets ‘makes any photo perfect’ appeared first on Metro.us.

Apple Inc computers were attacked by the same hackers who targeted Facebook Inc, but no data appeared to have been stolen, the company said on Tuesday in an unprecedented admission of a widespread cyber-security breach.

Facebook revealed on Friday that unidentified hackers traced to China had staged a sophisticated attack by infiltrating its employees’ laptops, but no user information was compromised.

Apple, which is working with law enforcement to track down the hackers, told Reuters that only a small number of its employees’ Macintosh computers were breached, but “there was no evidence that any data left Apple.”

The iPhone and iPad maker said it would release a software tool later on Tuesday to protect customers against the malicious software used in the attacks.

Cyber-security attacks have been on the rise. In last week’s State of the Union address, U.S. President Barack Obama issued an executive order seeking better protection of the country’s critical infrastructure from cyber attacks.

The post Apple hit by hackers who targeted Facebook last week appeared first on Metro.us.

Will Sony announce the new Playstation 4 on February 20, six years and counting since the Playstation 3 (an eternity in tech years)?
The official word from the company has yet to come down, but several things are “known.” If announced, a new system could feature a new control with touch pad capabilities, like the PS Vita. It could allow more than one user to log in at the same time. You should be able to stream games and content, It’s probable it will have a more advanced motion support system.
One thing is a fact: This is Sony’s attempt to bring interest back into the home gaming market and quash their competitors Nintendo and Microsoft once and for all, especially in the U.S.
“Playstation 4 could potentially help reignite some interest in the retail console gaming market and top systems, much of the thunder of which has been stolen by smartphones, tablets, and alternative gaming devices,” Scott Steinberg, a consultant for the gaming industry, tells us.
In order to reenergize the video game market, Sony needs to innovate more than the power and performance they have relied on in the past. Manufactures need to consider the online multiplayer experience, expand to include more free-to-play games, provide more digital downloads and think about what sort of signature franchise — games that won’t be available on any other console — they want to provide.
“It’s not like every system doesn’t deliver top notch experiences, but if you look at where Microsoft really scored it was by delivering premium multiplayer experiences, a variety of digital media — not just games — and top notch, premium what we call in the industry “triple A” franchises,” Steinberg explains.
“They are really angling for (the Playstation 4 to be) a piece of your living room, not only as a gaming device but a digital lifestyle hub,” he adds.

Going down
Video game retail sales numbers have been going down for quite some time. In the United States — the top video game market — the NPD Group reported that sales in December 2012 dropped 22 percent compared to sales at the same time in 2011. The downward trend continued in January 2013, which was 9 percent lower than the same time in 2012.

Still, there’s plenty of potential: DFC Intelligence predicted that the worldwide gaming industry — which includes video, PC and mobile games and devices — will grow from $67 billion in 2012 to $82 billion in 2017.

The post Will a new Playstation 4 be announced? appeared first on Metro.us.

The 5 miles per second rock shooting through the Eastern sky Friday could unlock vast wealth, or spell destruction. The 150-foot wide asteroid 2012 DA14 is the largest to ever be detected passing this close and will provide lessons for space exploration.

“This is a unique opportunity,” Dwayne Brown, a spokesman for Nasa’s science department, told Metro. “This can tell us about asteroid trajectories, how the Sun affects them, and their origin in nature.”

2012 DA14 will pass just 17,000 miles away – within communication satellite orbit – and although it is not considered a threat, it will influence disaster preparation. “If we can better understand the approach, that helps us with an asteroid on collision course,” says Brown, adding that a strategy already exists based on deflection. “You can nudge it onto another course with even a light touch.”

Nasa have made asteroid study a top priority, and an army of robotic telescopes and sky surveyors helped to spot 2012 DA14 in February 2012. It is significant progress given that many asteroids are only seen as, or after, they pass.

Citizen astronomers have key to the advance, and thousands of enthusiasts will be watching the skies Friday. “Some amateur astronomers have observatories that would make a university jealous,” said David Dickinson, editor of the Astroguyz website. “Websites allow you to calculate co-ordinates for accurate location, how to watch and monitor events – and we’re constantly exchanging information live on Twitter.”

Civil society groups are increasingly partners in asteroid exploration and have been heavily involved in the 2016 launch of the OSIRIS-REx satellite, the first mission to mine samples from moving asteroids. 2012 DA14 has an estimated value of $200 billion in precious metals, hinting at a lucrative future in asteroid mining.

Yet over half of all Near-Earth Objects (NEO) remain undetected and a threat. “We need to find objects down to at least 100m, the vast majority of which we haven’t found yet,” Richard Crowther, chief engineer at the UK Space Agency, told Metro. A sudden, catastrophic event remains a possibility.

How to watch

2012 DA14 will be closest at 1924 GMT Friday and will be visible from parts of Europe and Africa. David Dickinson recommends being somewhere as dark as possible with telescope or binoculars and a wide field of vision. Calculate its route beforehand and focus on one position, the asteroid will resemble a shooting star and will be clearest when passing in front of the Moon. Check out Astroguyz.com or b612foundation.org to find out more, or http://www.nasa.gov/ntv to watch live.

The post 150-foot asteroid passing by Earth is warning and goldmine appeared first on Metro.us.

It’s almost Valentine’s Day and love is in the air, folks, it’s everywhere.

One happy couple opened up to Mashable on how they found love on Instagram.

Mashable introduced the world to Santiago Perez Grovas and Taylor Dee, both of which are Instagram sensations with more than 70,000 and 18,000 followers respectively.

Grovas owns his own architecture firm in Mexico City, and Dee is a waitress in Colorado. With so many followers, both Grovas, 26, and Dee, 22, frequently had photos featured on the ‘most popular’ page of Instagram. That’s how Dee found Grovas. Mashable calls them the “Jay-Z and Beyonce of the social photo-sharing site.”

The funny thing is, though, when Dee first saw Grovas’ photos, she thought he was a girl. Many of his photos features other females, so she assumed the user was a girl.

“Wow, this girl’s amazing! I love her pictures,” Dee told Mashable. “And then he posted a picture of himself and I realized he was a guy.”

The two finally met in person after Dee won a photo competition Grovas posted on Instagram. Many instant messages and FaceTime sessions later, Grovas visited Dee in Denver.

They spent a week together, but then reality kicked in and Grovas flew back to Mexico.

The couple told Mashable they have been dating for about eight months now and Dee plans to take flight attendant lessons so they can save money on airfare.

Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant

The post Instalove: Here’s the couple that fell in love on Instagram appeared first on Metro.us.

It’s the quiet type but lives only for you. The new ‘Kissenger’ (kiss messenger) robot from the Lovotics company in Singapore will be the most romantic machine yet invented. “We are making progress with hugging functionality, so the robot can transmit kisses and hugs together,” CEO Hooman Samani told Metro.

The new Kissenger represents an advance on Lovotics designs that would allow users to transmit a kiss to a partner or a digital character online, using ultra-sensitive material for the lips. Samani will make an official announcement on the new bot on february 27, but cannot disclose a release date until “ethical tests” are passed to safeguard the user.

Lovotics have also pioneered imitation hormones in robots, so that it can share feelings of anger, passion and even jealousy with its human friend. The device is trained by observing love behavior in humans through a powerful network of cameras and sensors.

“You can deconstruct love into an abstract concept, and once you have that you can programme it,” said Professor Maarten Lamers of the LIACS computer science institute in Holland. “The momentum toward robot-human relationships is extremely high.”

Researchers believe there is a vast market for the love-bot should it pass tests. “The biggest application will be for people who find relationships difficult and will realize they can fill that void,” David Levy, artificial intelligence expert and author of ‘Love and Sex with Robots’, told Metro. “It’s only a matter of time before entrepreneurs produce a machine sophisticated enough to fall in love with – I predict this will happen in the next 30 years.” If Samani is right, it could be much quicker.

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  Lovotics robot can be your Valentine

The post Be my Valentine? Ultimate ‘Kissenger’ love robot wants you appeared first on Metro.us.

Best sneaker store disguised as a Chinese restaurant: Abakus Takeout

This blink-and-you’ll-miss-it streetwear emporium cleverly blends into the heart of Chinatown by putting a creative spin on classic takeout tropes — see the sneakers strung up in the window, a la roast duck breasts. Ground zero for one-off collectors’ kicks and limited-release collaborations from brands like Crooks and Castles, 10Deep and Married to the Mob, the store released its first collection of its house brand of clothing this fall. Owners have also tapped into the area’s growing creative scene, with First Friday open houses featuring art auctions and Tiberino Family paintings for sale. 227 N. 10th St.

215-351-7978 www.abakustakeout.com

Best terrarium porn: City Planter

Whether you’re a hardcore gardener or just dabble in window boxes, this NoLibs nursery has all of your green needs covered — including a badass selection of Venus fly traps. Don’t like to get your hands dirty? Check out its gorgeous pre-assembled terrariums, which require little more than a quick mist and a nurturing wink. 814 N. Fourth St. 215-627-6169 www.cityplanter.com

Best place to warm up for Eagles games: I. Goldberg Army & Navy

We’re not sure if Andy Reid is, but the hand-warmers here are environmentally friendly. Stock up for next year. 1300 Chestnut St. 215-925-9393 www.igoco.com



Best place to buy a gift for your not-quite-right-in-the-head great aunt: The Mutter Museum Store

Conjoined gingerbread twin cookie cutters? Cuddly stuffed toys in the shape of giant chlamydia, gangrene and syphilis microbes? The gift shop attached to the museum of medical curiosities is the go-to present place for the person who has everything — or nothing, depending on how you look at it.

19 S. 22nd St. 215-563-3737 www.muttermuseumstore.com

Best place to stock up on legal health supplements: GNC on Columbus Blvd.

It’s a rogue GNC! They stock the lean muscle-builders you can’t find anywhere else.

1100 S. Columbus Blvd. 215-334-2022 www.gnc.com

Best vintage Halloween costume: Retrospect

We’re pretty sure this is where John Travolta found that UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs T-shirt.

508 South St. 267-671-0116 www.retrospectvintage.com

Best thing to buy at a Phillies game: Phillie Phanatic Dangle Hat

It’s a Phillie Phanatic that you can wear on your face. Need we say more?

MVP of the Piazza at Schmidts: Jinxed

We knew and loved Jinxed in its original location just off South Street — but we’ve got to admit that its new incarnation at the Piazza is even more fun. They still have the designer toys and artsy tees, but this time they’re also packing a treasure chest of vintage oddities and ends. Wingback chairs, pope sculptures, outdated globes, teeth collections: It’s all here, and then some.

1050 N. Hancock St. 215-978-5469  www.jinxedphiladelphia.com

Dream sleepover venue: Anthropologie

Oh, like you’ve never played house at Anthropologie’s dreamy Rittenhouse store. What we wouldn’t give to take even a cat nap on one of their impossibly pretty beds.

1801 Walnut St. 215-568-2114 www.anthropologie.com

Best shopping for your best friend: Chic Petique

In addition to supplying Northern Liberties with top-of-the-line natural pet food and supplies, Chic Petique has long served as the place to go when you found a dog, lost a dog or needed advice about a dog in the neighborhood. Their new rescue focused on special needs pets, Street Tails, opened earlier this year, making their nook of Liberties Walk one of the cutest in the city.

1040 N. Second St. 215-238-0981

Best place to send your scrubby boyfriend: Sugarcube

There is, of course, plenty for ladies to love at this Old City mainstay. But send your jeans-and-tee boy here to really see the magic work. They do the staples, only softer and sharper, so he’ll barely realize that he’s been made over.

124 N. Third St. 215-238-0825 www.sugarcube.us

Best foot forward: Bus Stop

Because shoe shopping is about far more than shoes: Skip Zappos and treat yourself to this gem on Fabric Row, where the prettiest peep toes and best booties have been carefully curated by owner Elena Brennan.

727 S. Fourth St.215-627-2357 www.busstopboutique.com

Best news for hips: Bettie Page Clothing

With all due respect to those flowy frocks they’re pushing up the street at Free People, Walnut Street newcomer Bettie Page sells clothes you’ll actually look good in. Inspired by pin-ups, their retro party dresses will fit right in as you toast 2013.

1605 Walnut St.

267-909-9125 www.bettiepageclothing.com

The post The best of 2012: Retail and fashion appeared first on Metro.us.

Best place to learn about wine while drinking it: The Urban Grape

303 Columbus Ave., Boston

857-250-2509

www.theurbangrape.com

It’s not easy picking out a wine — that is, of course, unless you put yourself through the palate-101 process at the new South End outpost for everything grapey.

Best place to shop for a “Mad Men” costume: Artifaktori Vintage

22a College Ave., Somerville

617-776-3708

www.artifaktori.com

Love vintage but don’t have the patience to sift through flea market trunks? This small, artsy boutique is full of ’50s and ’60s frocks, plus other retro trinkets. If Davis Square is a hike for you, check out the new Beacon Hill location or the Artifaktori Etsy shop online.

Best shop for keeping your head covered in style: Salmagundi

765 Centre St., Jamaica Plain

617-522-5047

www.salmagundiboston.com

Right in the middle of oh-so-alternative J.P. sits this classic hat shop “for ladies and gents,” whose aesthetic is so contrary to the organic, DIY, thrift shop stereotype we just lazily associated with the neighborhood that it may actually be the hippest spot there. These hats, in such models as the standard fedora and 1920s flapper-girl, are custom-made for the shop, ensuring both classiness and uniqueness. The only problem may be that your new hat will be so slick you won’t have an outfit to justify it — but that isn’t Salmagudi’s problem.

Best place for a girlie day out:Louis/Salon Mario Russo/ Sam’s

60 Northern Ave., Boston

617-262-6100

www.louisboston.com

Call it a mini “Sex and the Ci-ty” vacation all under one roof. Hanging out at Louis in the har- bor means a day of shopping, indulging in a hairdo at Salon Mario Russo and following up with drinks and dinner upstairs at Sam’s, where you can raise a glass and propose a toast to a credit card that hopefully has a comfortably long line of credit.

Best store for smiles and service: Barneys

100 Huntington Ave., Boston

617-385-3300

www.barneys.com

Maybe the members of the staff just enjoy working in the Boston Barneys store. Whatever it is, please keep it up, be-cause it’s nice to be greeted with warm smile — even when we’re only browsing — not a blank stare. Maybe because the full name of the store is Barneys New York, the management has launched a kill-’em-with-kindness campaign to try to get us all to just quit it with that whole “Yankees Suck!” thing already. Not a bad idea!

Best British invasion since the Beatles: Ted Baker

201 Newbury St., Boston

617-450-8339

www.tedbaker-london.com

With apologies to Duran Duran, Oasis and now One Direction, those weren’t invasions. That happens every decade, and when it does, it’s really just an imposition. Kidding! What we love about Ted Baker, however, is that the store brings the best of Brit cheeky attitude and streetwise fashion and adds a personal Boston note in its Mad Hatter’s Tea Party decor.  

Best planet-friendly clothing (large scale): H&M

100 Newbury St., Boston

855-466-7467

www.hm.com

While we’re speaking British, let’s discuss H&M’s organic cotton knickers. Sorry, using that word might have been confusing. These panties aren’t the Bridget Jones granny variety. These are pretty, and they not only help the planet, but they don’t hurt the pocket either. This three-pack costs about the same most lingerie shops charge for one pair. So what if they’re a big chain? If all big chains were this eco-conscious, the world would be a better place.

Best planet-friendly clothing (smaller scale): Envi

134 Beach St., Boston

617-267-3684

www.shopenvi.com

Shopahalics can acquire more material possessions guilt-free at this eco-conscious boutique. Organic material and sweatshop-free manufacturing explain the higher-than-average prices, but bargain hunters can go green (and save some green) by skimming the sale rack.

 

Best place to dress up junior fashionistas: The Red Wagon

69 Charles St., Boston

617-523-9402

www.theredwagon.com

There are certain adorable things you can only pull off when you’re in the single digits, so wear them while you can, kids. Like cable-knit sweaters with puppies and trucks on them. This is also a go-to spot for baby shower gifts that will make everybody else at the shower look like horrible gift-givers. Do you really want to do that though?

Trendiest workout wear: Lululemon

337 Newbury St., Boston

617-867-6561

www.lululemon.com

Everybody knows it’s easier to get your butt to the gym when you have a closet full of cute racer-back tanks and moisture-wicking yoga pants. And this chain offers great perks: Dis-counts if you work in the health industry, and complimentary hemming for everyone.

Best mid-century mod knick-knack shopping: The Gropius House

68 Baker Bridge Rd., Lincoln

781-259-8098

www.historicnewengland.org

One of Massachusetts’ most stylish imports, Mrs. Gropius, wife of Bauhaus originator Walter, knew a thing or two about real style. The gift shop at the Gropius House has a selection of jewelry inspired by Mrs. G., and other cool mod stuff, too.

Best store to give a little Bahston: Newbury Comics

332 Newbury St., Boston

617-236-4930

www.newburycomics.com

When it comes to gifts that say Boston, Newbury Comics is the wicked-good-time-iest place to shop for friends. Oh, and they also sell music and comics and really any other new pop culture thing you could ever want.

Best four-season flea market: SoWa Vintage Market

460 Harrison Ave., Boston

800-403-8305

www.sowaopenmarket.com

The outdoor season is over until next summer, but you can still dig for retro treasures all winter long inside. This year the food trucks will be there too, in the restored power station next door at 540 Harrison Avenue every Sunday.

Best place to spoil Rover: Fish & Bone

217 Newbury St., Boston

blog.thefishandbone.com

This shop is one part Whole Foods, another part Brookstone for your furry, four-legged family members. There’s an entire wall devoted to colorful collars and leashes, and every treat a dog or cat could imagine. The staffers can also answer all of your pet nutrition questions.

Best chance to reunite with your beloved action figures of yore: Comicazi

407 Highland Ave., Somerville

617-666-2664

www.comicazi.com

Like most comic book shops, Comicazi has graphic novels, new issues of the week, geek gaming supplies, DVDs, etc., and a regular series of events, from game night to a 21+ “Drink and Draw” night (sounds hilarious). But what sets this place apart is the staggeringly comprehensive collection of mint-in-package action figures from the past three de-cades that sits in at the far end. Don’t worry if you’re rendered comatose with nostalgia — these guys are used to it here.

Best reason not to buy books from Amazon: Brookline Booksmith

279 Harvard St., Brookline

617-566-6660

www.brooklinebooksmith.com

This bookstore makes it easy to support a local business. Visit to see big-name authors at events, get a top-notch reading recommendation from a staf-fer and peruse the Booksmith’s huge collection of used books in the basement.  

Best bookstore for dabbling in the occult:Seven Stars

731 Mass. Ave., Cambridge

617-547-1317

This shop is loaded to the gills with books on dubious-but-engrossing subjects like astrology, UFOs, alternative medicine, history, psychology, conspiracy theories, witchcraft and paranormal phenomena, as well as more mainstream religious and spiritual fare. The staffers also do tarot readings and have a case full of crystals. If you do not know what crystals do aside from look pretty, Seven Stars has lots of books on that also.

Best shop for aspiring chefs: KitchenWares by Blackstone’s

215 Newbury St., Boston

857-366-4237

www.kitchenwaresboston.com

Don’t be deceived by this store’s tiny size. It’s well-organized and packed with kitchen essentials and fun gadgets, cookbooks and gourmet foodstuff. They offer classes, too.

Best record store for the hipper-than-hip: Weirdo Records

844 Mass. Ave., Cambridge

857-413-0154

www.weirdorecords.com

This record shop isn’t for the newly-minted college indie kid who just discovered Pavement — stay back kid, you haven’t even graduated from Newbury Comics yet. True to its name, this hole-in-the-wall specializes in the obscure, eccentric and outre. Looking for Brazilian fuzz-rock or Cambodian surf-pop from the ’60s? This is your joint. And by the way, col-lege indie kid, we were just ribbing — you should definitely check this place out. You’ll be totally over Pavement before you even know it.

Best store for creative gift-giving: Ward Maps

1735 Mass. Ave. Cambridge

617-497-0737

www.wardmaps.com

Skip the gift cards and visit this Porter Square shop when birthday and holiday shopping. A vintage map of your mother’s hometown? Check! A shower curtain with the MBTA routes? Check! Thoughtful, unique presents for all? Check. 



Best place to get dressed up in an outfit that might make people think you work at Saloon: Bobby from Boston

19 Thayer St., Boston

617-423-9299

The problem with a lot of vintage clothing shops is that they tend to cater more to women than men, which isn’t surprising — women tend to have more clothes to begin with. Fortunately for us Bean-dwelling dudes, there’s Bobby’s, a vin-tage shop where the gender ratio is reversed. Films like “Titanic” and shows like “Boardwalk Empire” have patronized Bobby for the authentic period look, so you’re sure to find what you need to become a fixture at the Davis Square bar Saloon, which we praised yesterday for its old-timey authenticity. You could also fashion yourself as a robber baron or perhaps just a restrained Nick Carraway.  Bobby from Boston is also old-fashioned in the sense that you will not find this store online. If you really need to find out more before visiting, on Yelp it has 69 positive reviews. One Yelper, Katie, wrote that visiting the store made her upset that she isn’t a man. Sorry, Katie.

Best bike-to-work motivator: Bikes Not Bombs

18 Bartlett Sq., Jamaica Plain

617-522-0222

www.bikesnotbombs.org

Zoom past all those cars lined up in rush hour traffic (but stop at red lights, please) and bike to work outfitted in gear from this haven for cyclists. Don’t stop there: Learn to fix your bike at one of the BNB mechanics classes, pick up some spare parts and support the shop’s mission for social change.   

The post The best of 2012: Retail and fashion appeared first on Metro.us.

Unlike Fashion Week in, say, New York, London, Paris or Milan, Boston’s version isn’t media- and buyer-oriented and doesn’t look several months ahead. Nordstrom, for instance, presented ready-to-wear now: fall through winter.

“Boston Fashion Week is different. The customers who shop for clothes are our main audience,” says BFW founder Jay Calderin, who is the director of creative marketing at Boston’s School of Fashion Design. “Media and buyers are here, but we’re mostly connecting directly with the consumer.”

Though Calderin started BFW in 1995 to galvanize and promote New England designers — in order to be bigger and more vital — its scope is now worldwide. The Emerging Trends show at Cyclorama on Saturday showed capsule collections from 11 diverse designers from the U.S., Poland, Ireland, the U.K. and Canada. 

Fun was the watchword as designs ranged from New York-based Christine Manthey’s elegant flowing silks, sultry black lace paneling, juxtaposed prints and harem pants to the urbane brutalism of Tamara G. at Poland’s Trash, whose trademark gorilla glared from punky micro-minis and bone-skimming lycra outfits covered in an op-art third-eye pattern.

The Launch show, which ended the opening weekend’s Tent events, is where Boston Fashion Week looks to the future and stays wholly local. It showcased five recent outstanding graduates from regional fashion design programs.

“What gets me excited is the new generation,” says Calderin. “They are really experimenting; they’re a year or two away from launching a collection. We get to see the new talent.”

What is Boston fashion?

“New York is sporty, all-American; London is rebellious and experimental; Paris is couture and classic,” Calderin says. “Boston is intellectual, academic, scientific. It’s preppy, but with an edge.”

If you go
   
BFW 2012 continues through Saturday. For more info, visit www.bostonfashionweek.com

The post Boston becomes Fashion-forward appeared first on Metro.us.

“We admire Joan’s store very much, we love the brands that are in her store, and I think there is an opportunity for designers who aren’t in Philadelphia already to introduce themselves,” says Accessories Council president Karen Giberson.

The cocktail reception will feature jewelry from the new initiative, which encourages designers to manufacture their products in the U.S. “Twenty five years ago, most fashion jewelry was made in the United States, and it kind of slipped away,” says Giberson. “But now, production overseas has gotten more expensive, and at the same time, quality expectations have gotten higher. When it comes to heavy metals and lead in jewelry, it seemed to make sense to start making jewelry in the United States again.”

Shopping list
For a full list of events in Philly tomorrow night, visit www.fashionsnightout.com. For now, we’ll get you started.

Nicole Miller
Where: 4249 Main St., Manayunk
What: Free drinks and snacks, DJs; RVSP to ssciolla@mkdandassociates.com to be added to the list.

SA VA
Where: 1700 Sansom St.
What: Get a new look with the help of a professional stylist and peep the new fall/winter collection.

South Moon Under
Where: 1731 Chestnut St.
What: Cupcakes, champagne cocktails, DJs and a chance to win a $100 South Moon Under gift card.
 
Third Street Habit
Where: 153 N. Third St.
What: Cocktails, free gifts, fall previews and a trunk show from Mother Denim.  

Egan Day
Where: 260 S. 16th St.
What: Fall line preview; hand-cut silhouette portraits by artist Zachary Murray.

Kembrel
Where: 1822 Chestnut St.
What: Drinks and fall collections from designers Kendra, ROCK’d by Abbe, Pretty Pretty Rebel and Duke & Winston.

Macy’s
Where: 1300 Market St.
What: Styling classes, trunk shows, manicures and a guy’s lounge complete with drinks and cheerleaders.

If you go
   
Accessories Council cocktail reception
Thursday, 6-11 p.m.
Free; jewelry $20 and up
Joan Shepp, 1616 Walnut St.
www.fashionsnightout.com

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“Amy died nearly a year ago — believe it or not. It’s been a strange 12 months,” says Richard Martin, Fred Perry’s head of global marketing. “She was very involved with the collection. We had meetings with the family after the tragedy, asking them what they wanted to do. They wanted the collection to continue, but we had to continue in a different way.”

Enter PPQ designer Amy Molyneux, who created much of Winehouse’s onstage war-drobe. Going forward, Moly-neux will design the Amy Winehouse Foundation Collection, interpreting Winehouse’s style just as Karl Lagerfeld interprets Coco Chanel for Chanel.

Royalties and fees from the collection’s sales, plus a seasonal donation from Fred Perry, will go to the Amy Winehouse Foundation, which supports charities aiding young people — especially those with financial disadvantage or addiction.  

“We felt that, morally, it was the only way to carry on,” says Martin. “Also, for future collections, the only way to continue was to work with someone who had worked with Amy and had a true sense of her style.”

Get the look

The Amy Winehouse Collection spring/summer 2012 features Winehouse’s Americana take on the classic Perry polo shirt and crosses it with a bowling shirt. “Amy wore Fred Perry as a kid and knew the importance of the polo shirt and it being part of that pop-culture history,” says Martin. There’s also a retro print (featuring a beehived brunette) micro-mini sundress, shirtwaist dress and scarf. It’s so very Winehouse.

Amy Winehouse Collection polo shirt, $95

Amy Winehouse Collection shirtwaist mini dress, $225

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Peter Vesterbacka’s title is Mighty Eagle. In human-speak, it means that he’s the guru behind the Angry Birds games. Metro met Vesterbacka, as usual clad in an Angry Birds hoodie, at the Finnish Embassy in London.

In which ways is the new Angry Birds game better than the previous one?
Of course, I’d say that all our games are good. But the new game has a different take on the Angry Birds universe. We take the birds to space, so there’s different gravity. You have to think about how to make the birds to around the planets and hit the pigs. There are some elements that are very familiar, but it’s also a whole new take on the classic Angry Birds game.

…and Angry Birds Space are more than a game, correct?
Yes. We’re about all forms of entertainment. With the launch of Angry Birds Space we’re also launching an Angry Birds toys, T-shirts, comics and candy, which will be available at Walmart. People will walk into a store and get the whole Angry Birds experience. You can’t avoid it. You can’t get in and out of a Walmart without seeing Angry Birds. For us, Angry Birds Space isn’t just about launching the game. It’s the launch of a completely new franchise.

Extremely busy people spend hours playing Angry Birds. What does that tell you about human psychology?
It’s a very easy game to pick up, but it’s also a pretty tough game to master. Many people who play golf also play Angry Birds: there’s strategy, different birds, different capabilities. It’s an intelligent game in that way. It doesn’t depend on having the fastest reflexes. It has even been proven that Angry Birds helps keep your brain fit; among other things, it’s useful for people with Alzheimer’s disease. If you look at busy people: everybody is busy nowadays. Angry Birds is a break that allows you to get away, even if it’s just for a few minutes, so they can then get back and focus on their task. It’s a very healthy habit. It’s like vacations: people in Nordic countries take long vacations, but when they work their productivity is very high. Angry Birds, and vacations, is like doing maintenance on yourself.

Recently The Atlantic magazine calculated that Angry Birds costs the US alone $1.5 billion in lost productivity each year. Do you feel guilty about that?
That’s bullshit. You can make these kinds of studies, but it’s not like people are always working. Look at the proportions. People play Angry Birds for perhaps two hours a month, they spend four hours watching videos on mobile devices, they spend 20-30 hours per month on their home computers – but they spend 158.5 hours per month watching TV. And when you watch TV you lean back and watch the screen. When you play Angry Birds you lean forward and engage your brain. You’re active, not passive.

So, what you’re saying is that Angry Birds is not a waste of time but a way of re-charging one’s brain?
Absolutely. Playing games is actually a very good thing to do. Do you know why in Finland boys speak better English than girls? Because they play more games, and the games are in English. It’s not that they decided to speak better English; it happened by accident. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t make learning fun, and games like Angry Birds do that. Incidentally, it’s the same reason we’re launching the Angry Birds activity parks: why not make physical activity fun? You can go for a five-kilometer run, which is fine, but not everyone thinks it’s fun. With our activity parks we want to make physical activity a fun thing to do. We want the Angry Birds activity parks to be all over cities, all over the planet so you can easily walk or ride your bike to one. They won’t be like traditional theme parks – one theme park on every continent, and you have to take a plane there. Then you waste even more time standing in line for a ride that lasts two minutes. We want to surprise and delight the fans, but also engage the fans in activity. Going to a theme park is passive, whereas in an Angry Birds park you’ll be part of the activity.

And how will the parks be connected to the game?
All Angry Birds parks will be called Angry Birds Magical Places. When you go to a park, you’ll earn power-ups in the game or have special capabilities only at the activity park. There’s an incentive that if you play the game, you should visit one of our activity parks because you’ll earn power-ups and capabilities. In a nice way, it motivates kids to go outside and play. And we don’t see anything wrong with them playing Angry Birds while at the same time learning about physics, as they will in our new game.

When did you know that you were onto something?
Angry Birds was our 52nd game. The first time we knew that we were onto something was when Niklas, one of our co-founders, went home to his parents for Christmas. He showed Angry Birds to his mother. Usually when we showed things to our parents they’d go, ‘ok, that’s nice’ and hand the mobile phone back. But this time, Niklas didn’t get his phone back. His mother played Angry Birds the whole Christmas. That was a very strong indication, because she never played games. But even if you create a great game, it’s a very competitive market, so you never know what will happen. There are lots of great games out there that never make it. If you’re serious about making games, you need to be serious about marketing. At Rovio we take our games very seriously, and we take our marketing very seriously. Now, with our new game being located in space, we did the launch from the International Space Station, together with NASA. That’s a way of making sure that everybody on the planet knows about it.

How much time do you spend playing Angry Birds every day?
It’s obviously very important to understand the business you’re in, so of course I play a lot. I’ve played through all the levels, which is important. But I also play a lot of other games, not only on the iPhone and iPad but also online and on consoles.

Speaking of branding: your wife gained worldwide attention when she wore an Angry Birds dress to a gala dinner at the palace of the President of Finland. Is she the real Angry Birds devotee in your household?
The whole family is in it, and we’re all fans. Our kids, who are six and eight, play it too. They’re a good test market! My wife’s dress went everywhere. I was in Japan the week after, and everybody had seen the dress, even people who’d never heard of Angry Birds. But it also shows the power of the brand. We’re now the most copied brand in China, which means we’re the most loved brand in China. That’s not too bad in two years!

So, a dress as viral marketing?
Yes. We believe in doing things differently. We don’t spend any money on traditional advertising. We’re all about doing special events, like launching Angry Birds Space in space with NASA. No other game has other been launched in space. We thought, “why not?” And, of course, working with NASA means that Angry Birds Space is also very educational, and that’s the reason we’ve teamed up with National Geographic as well. Angry Birds now has the best-selling physics book on Amazon. It shows that the brand goes from the game to animation to books. We only care about two things: the fans and the brand.

Where do you get your inspiration?
Everywhere. But the secret is that you have to be a bit crazy. We want to change the world, and you have to be a bit crazy to believe that you can. A lot of people thought we were crazy when we said we wanted to get 100 million downloads, but we now have 700 million downloads and are probably even crazier. But that’s the attitude of the whole team, asking “why not?” “Why can’t we launch a game in space? Of course we can.” We think big, and think about how we can surprise our fans. It can be my wife’s dress or the launch of the new game. And I think we’re changing marketing in the process.

So, no billboards?
Right. Many of the olds players say, “let’s take $100 million and throw it at TV and hope that it works”. Especially when you don’t have $100 million to throw at TV you have to be smarter. We’re a tiny company, 300 people from a tiny country. By necessity, we have to do things differently and smarter. In the end marketing is not about the money. And when I travel around the world I notice the change. For example, when I was in Indonesia I met a tiny startup. By watching us, they had decided that they didn’t have to be based in Silicon Valley to launch a technology company – or even in the US. So, they created a kind of Angry Birds in Jakarta. I said, “If we can do it, you can do it.”

In other words, thinking crazy is not crazy?
Exactly. You don’t have to be crazy, but it helps.

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