Continue reading Swarm gameplay trailer plays follow the leader
Swarm gameplay trailer plays follow the leader originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Continue reading Dungeon Siege 3 gameplay footage lays siege to your eyes
Dungeon Siege 3 gameplay footage lays siege to your eyes originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
When I signed up to attend Penny Arcade Expo 2010, the last thing I expected at the show was to be the recipient of virtual double fellatio. But I guess that's just because -- like the rest of the world -- I had no idea that I'd actually be playing a real, live demo of Duke Nukem Forever.
And hell, why would I? Supposedly the perpetually delayed game died (forever) last year under a fusillade of bankruptcy, legal maneuvers, and desperate bailouts by developer 3D Realms and publisher 2K Games. While there were rumors that Gearbox had been tasked with salvaging the game, I don't think anyone could have predicted that we'd see the fruits of their labors quite so soon. And, honestly, the name Duke Nukem Forever has become inextricably associated with failure and empty promises, so even if we'd been told that a playable demo of DNF would be showing up at PAX, I don't think most people would have believed it.
Continue reading Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit trailer challenges your relationships
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit trailer challenges your relationships originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
BBFC uncovers Activision's plans to hold a massive Blood Drive originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Campbell, Calif.-based FastPencil tries to democratize the book world with Web-based book creation and publishing tools. Now it’s trying to go up-market with a new publishing initiative that called FastPencil Premiere.
FastPencil new service is based on FastPencil’s basic technology, but it’s aimed at established authors and at successful FastPencil users who are ready for a bigger spotlight. Authors can use FastPencil’s collaborative writing tools, or they can just import their manuscript. The books can be published as e-books and also as paper editions through print-on-demand technology, and authors can share links to the books through social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter. The books will be sold in FastPencil’s store, but also on Amazon, Barnes & Noble’s website, and iBookstore. The company said it’s also working on deals to bring the books into physical stores.
So why would an established author (the company is looking for writers who have sold more than 100,000 copies of their books) sign up? FastPencil says its advantages include speed (you can have a book on-sale within weeks, compared to the traditional publishing process of months or years), simplicity (the contracts are supposed to be short and easy to understand), and economy (since FastPencil’s overhead is lower, it can offer higher royalties).
Other websites have already shown that some big name writers want to bypass the traditional publishing process. For example, Scribd launched an online bookstore last year with authors like Tamim Ansary and Tim O’Reilly. FastPencil Premiere’s launch author’s include children’s writer Angela Sage Larsen and cartoonist Guy Gilchrist (whose work includes the Nancy comic strip).
Of course, publishers do more than offer a book for sale. FastPencil also offers editing and book design — though unlike a traditional publisher, it charges for those services. Authors can also work with their own editors and designers through FastPencil’s collaborative tools.
Tags: publishing
Companies: FastPencil
People: Angela Sage Larsen, Guy Gilchrist
Enjoy your Labor Day weekend and remember not to get confused by the name of the holiday. You're supposed to not work (pictured)!
The staff of Fidgit won't be back until Wednesday, at which point we'll fill the truncated week with a write-up of the latest Bioshock 2 single player adventure, iPhone games that are smarter than you, hands-on impressions of why Fable III is unlike any other RPG, an exclusive-ish look at how Elemental will play in the future, and just about the last game diary you'd expect to lead into our Halo: Reach game diary. For a short week, it's going to be very busy, which will play us nicely into the beginning of the busy fall season. And it's going to be a doozie, so get to slacking while the slacking's good. We'll see you on Wednesday.
Tags: Top stories
Portal 2 multiplayer screens from PAX will win your heart originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
ClearCount Medical Solutions, a company that uses RFID chips to count and track surgical sponges, has raised $5 million in a second round of funding. Based in Pittsburgh, Penn., the company’s technology is used to prevent surgeons from leaving sponges in patients during surgical procedures. According to ClearCount, sponges are left behind in one out of every 1,000 to 1,500 intra-abdominal surgeries, and such incidents can lead to infections.
Existing investor Draper Triangle Ventures, a partner of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, participated in the round. ClearCount previously raised $4.1 million from Draper Triangle Ventures and angel investors in 2008.
PRESS RELEASE
ClearCount Medical Solutions, an innovator of patient safety solutions for the operating room, announced the close of its $5M Series B financing round. The company will use the funds to drive market penetration and research and development of its RFID-based solutions for hospital patient safety applications. ClearCount has developed the first FDA-cleared sponge counting and detection solution. The round was supported by both new and existing shareholders with participation by its leading shareholder, Draper Triangle Ventures, Midwestern-based Network Partner of Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ).
“Thanks to the strong backing of our investors, this past year ClearCount completed a valuable distribution deal, signed major new customers and introduced an important new product that is making surgical procedures safer every day,” said David Palmer, CEO of ClearCount Medical Solutions.
“ClearCount’s patented RFID technology and offerings are more relevant than ever,” said Mike Stubler, Managing Director of Draper Triangle. “As improving the quality of healthcare continues to be a national focus, solutions that can also impact the efficiency and value a hospital offers its patients are sure to be adopted. ClearCount has shown this is true with its track record of customer and partnership wins.”
Retained sponges are the most frequent and dangerous of retained surgical items, a “Never Event” resulting in non-payment to hospitals and significant risk to patients. A large multicenter trial recently demonstrated that as little as a 30 minute surgical delay can nearly double the risk of infectious complications – every minute counts. By eliminating preventable hospital costs and delays associated with RSIs, including additional surgery and infection costs, litigation, unnecessary X-rays and anesthesia, ClearCount’s products can provide hospitals an improved reputation at a rapid rate of return on investment.
Tags: medical device, RFID
Companies: ClearCount Medical Solutions, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Draper Triangle Ventures
Bad buzz over a faulty service can exact a price from an Internet giant. But what’s the real cost?
Google has settled with plaintiffs over the privacy concerns stirred up by its attempt at a Twitter-like social network, Buzz, to the tune of $8.5 million — only $2,500 of which will be paid out to the individual users that filed the lawsuit.
For a company with revenues of $25 billion a year, that payout is peanuts.
The rest will go to attorney’s fees and organizations that promote privacy for Internet users and education on privacy concerns. Google has also agreed to tweak its privacy policies.
Google Buzz launched in February this year, and was designed to integrate seamlessly with the inboxes of users of Google’s Gmail email service. The integration worked a bit too well, stirring up a hornet’s nest after users discovered any Buzz user could see their entire list of contacts.
While the privacy settings could be tightened contacts were visible by default — causing Buzz to be universally panned. About a month later, Google said it had misstepped and had designed the service without enough thought.
While the financial cost was relatively small, the episode caused many to ask if Google had lost its way in a world of social media dominated by Facebook and Twitter.
Tags: gmail, Google Buzz, privacy, Social networks
Companies: Google
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