Metro - Tech

US – Thursday, March 18

The key to Kyoto

Kyoto’s temples and Geisha culture are legendary, but this city is no slouch when it comes to mixing in a large slice of contemporary, too.

Obama pushes loan fixes

The House and the Senate are expected to vote on the reconciliation legislation within the next week or so to resolve their differences over health care reform.

‘A fun night of music, a little shindig’ with STP

For the first time in nearly a decade, Stone Temple Pilots will be premiering material from a new album, kicking off a tour with a show tonight at the 3,000-capacity Austin Music Hall at the SXSW Music Conference in Texas. But as guitarist Dean DeLeo says, size doesn’t matter.

My Technology

Indulge in gaming

At its thriftiest, gaming is still a pretty expensive hobby. Consoles cost a few hundred bucks. Games cost about $60. But why stop there? Bust that wallet wide open with the best new accessories money can buy. Worry about rent later.

My Technology

Gamers’ flock of sequels

Game developers love sequels. They move units and make boardroom execs happy. They also, sometimes, make gamers happy. Here are reviews of two new sequels that’ll put smiles on your precious little faces.

My Technology

How to avoid getting hacked

Online phishing attacks are on the rise. Just weeks ago, Twitter was hit with three phishing scams in a week. Keep your accounts safe with these tips:

My Technology

Illegal file-sharing continues to rise globally

Recent reports state illegal file-sharing online has continued to rise throughout the globe, in spite of legal measures taken by many governments globally. BitTorrent traffic now exceeds 60 percent of the total bandwidth available online. The increase in music sharing has been significantly smaller than with other types of data, in part due to new legal music services online (like Lala and Pandora).

My Technology

It’s all about the narrative, stupid

REVIEW. Weak storytelling has long been the elephant in the room of gaming. It simply didn’t make that much fiscal sense for developers to focus on narrative when most players just wanted to jump right to the action. This generation, however, has seen significant leaps in raising that narrative bar to, say, the level of a bad TV show. Enter “Heavy Rain”: A game that seeks to raise that level to that of a decent TV show.

The March MMMpod features conversation and music from Surfer Blood and The Allman Brothers Band (There's a double-bill you're not too likely to see. However, Gregg Allman does mention Hannah Montana!). We also speak with Vampire Weekend and the Dropkick Murphys.

How to spend your tax refund like a pro

Spring is in the air: It’s time to hunt down the best deal on this season’s must-have sandals, indulge in one too many candy Easter eggs and, oh yeah, do your taxes.