Check out the first ever image to come out of Tron Legacy — it's full of passionate unitard stare downs, punk wigs and disc weapons. Plus Flynn Jr. takes the wheel, in the new light-cycle poster.

Wow, Disney is riding that cyberpunk idea fast and hard. Just look at Olivia Wilde on the left. Interesting how the new light-up suits look so much less like something I could make in my basement and more like actual battle suits. Are those built in muscles and SKIN we see? This helmet-free new life of a program has undergone one sexy upgrade.

[Images via MSN]

Read More... [Source: io9: top]

Filed under: MMO industry, Legal, Academic, Rumors

Whether it counts as one for the good guys or the bad guys depends on your personal tastes, but the ongoing saga of the Fallout MMO continues its relentless back-and-forth process. There was a rumor, back at the end of October, that Interplay had successfully denied Bethesda's preliminary injunction against their work on the franchise. According to Gamasutra, that rumor has finally proven to be true: a US District Court Judge has blocked the injunction, letting Interplay continue their work on the much-anticipated Fallout MMO, most commonly known as Project V13.

For those of you coming late to this ongoing legal battle, a quick recap. Interplay, in desperate need of money to develop the MMO, sold the rights to the propery to Bethesda, who went on to make Fallout 3 and in turn licensed the rights to the MMO back to Interplay. They are claiming that Interplay did not fulfill the terms of their contract for creating the game, which included clauses regarding timely development, and are trying to win back the rights. For now, however, their attempt at blocking further development has failed, and Interplay will continue their work on the game... although the future for this game seems to be fraught with a great deal of conflict. Ending the world is, apparently, very serious business.

Current Fallout tally board: Interplay 1, Bethesda 0 originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Columns, Economy, People

Perhaps you've heard the one about the guy who sent a single "tweet" and got a job? It's pretty entertaining, but it's no joke. Freelance graphic designer Hal Thomas did just that in response to an ad posted by BFG Communications. The ad requested job candidates apply for the position with one message posted to social media network Twitter. Thomas' winning submission, which included a mock-up of a Wired magazine cover he created to showcase his talent, landed him the job and created buzz within social media circles.

Continue reading People@Work: Social media's a boon for job seekers, but keep a sharp resume too

People@Work: Social media's a boon for job seekers, but keep a sharp resume too originally appeared on DailyFinance on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Call to mind Wii Sports' tennis, and you don't have to stretch your imagination too much further to arrive at Ubisoft's Racquet Sports. If you own a Wii, you already own this experience, to which Ubisoft has added some variety, including ping-pong, badminton, squash, and beach tennis, and a more fleshed-out art direction than Nintendo's pack-in or even its sequel, Wii Sports Resort. There's no Mii support, but Racquet Sports offers its own dollish avatars, customized with unlockable trinkets. There's a derivative multicultural vibe, too, as the characters and playing courts span the globe in classic and fantastic scenarios. Grandma vs. dashiki-clad boy in an aquarium squash court? Yes.

Of course, the experience you don't own is "tennis" played with a motion-tracking camera. No, not Natal -- not at all. Ubisoft's USB camera, first bundled with scarcely-reviewed Your Shape (featuring Jenny McCarthy), might be on the cutting edge of a revived and revamped gaming tech trend, but its implementation in Racquet Sports is painfully dull.

Continue reading Hands-free: Camera-controlled Racquet Sports

Hands-free: Camera-controlled Racquet Sports originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Read More... [Source: Joystiq [Nintendo]]

Filed under: Borrowing, Home, Mortgages

Someone recently sent WalletPop a press release detailing what claimed to be one of those "eliminate your debt" strategies.

This one hinges on something called a "mortgage checking account." It's similar to a mortgage elimination scheme that proliferated in Australia a few years back and hopped onto our shores under a different name.

In this 2007 article, the Boston Globe explored what was then being called a "line-of-credit" mortgage and concluded that the scheme was more about marketing than merit.

The plan pitched to us by a company called MoneyDesktop purports to let you pay off your mortgage via a home equity line of credit (HELOC). In theory, you take out a home equity line of credit, deposit your paychecks into that line of credit instead of a checking account, and write a check paying down your mortgage in the amount you've just deposited.

Continue reading Mortgage payoff pitch is no panacea

Mortgage payoff pitch is no panacea originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Let’s be honest, when the news first surfaced that acclaimed writer Aaron Sorkin was writing the script for a movie about Facebook, most of us laughed. Then we found out that it wasn’t a joke, and we groaned and prepared for the worst. Even with luminaries like Sorkin and director David Fincher on board, what were the chances that this wouldn’t be just a disaster waiting to happen?

The film, which is currently in production, is scheduled for release in October 2010. However, that hasn’t stopped the script for The Social Network from appearing near the top of 2009’s The Black List. The Black List is a compilation of the most-liked unproduced scripts of the year, as chosen by Hollywood insiders.

The Social Network, which is number two on the list, is unique for several reasons. First, it is a script from a high-profile writer (Sorkin), whereas the bulk of the list is made up of up-and-coming screenwriters. Second, as we’ve covered, the film’s production is well underway. This underscores just how well the script itself has been received.

This is how Entertainment Weekly describes the film:

The Social Network

By Aaron Sorkin

What it�s about: Chronicles Mark Zuckerberg�s complicated journey towards creating Facebook. Sorkin depicts both the founder�s motivations for starting the largest social network in the world and the human casualties that came with his profound success.

What it�s like: The fascinating biographical elements of�Shattered Glass meets the courtroom drama of�Kramer vs. Kramer, without the tears. Sorkin cuts between Zuckerberg�s heated depositions with his former Harvard colleagues who claimed he stole Facebook from them and the chronological retelling of the company�s trip to becoming a billion-dollar enterprise.

Status: In production for Sony Pictures. Jesse Eisenberg plays Zuckerberg while Justin Timberlake portrays Sean Parker, one of the founders of Napster and Zuckerberg�s idol. David Fincher is directing.

Having read an early draft of the script, as well as Ben Mezrich’s book, The Accidental Billionaires, I have to agree with the assessment: It’s an excellent script with the potential to be an excellent film. While I’ll hold back judgment until the film actually reaches theaters, at this point, it seems more likely than not that “the Facebook” movie won’t suck after all.

Reviews: Facebook

Tags: Aaron Sorkin, facebook, facebook movie, Movies, screenplays, the social network

Read More... [Source: Mashable!]

As promised, Spike's 2009 Video Game Awards delivered the first footage (in-game, 'natch) of Halo: Reach to the masses. More Spartans? Check! Female Spartans? Check check! A skullfaced Spartan? Wait ... what?! Since the show just aired, we've got a low-res version of the trailer for you after the break and will have a prettied up version as soon as it's available.

Halo: Reach gameplay premieres with multiple Spartans (and some ladies!) [update: now with hi-res] originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 22:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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