 Bawls Guarana Exxtra 16oz.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Bawls' guarana beverages have been an underground favorite for LAN gamers for many years. Their highly-caffeinated beverages have been rather successful, despite their limited distribution channels. Previously you had to order a case online, but now Bawls is now starting to show up in convenience stores and major department stores like Target.
If you've read our other Bawls Guarana articles, then you know a little bit about the interesting taste of guarana, and how the ingredient is starting to show up in energy drinks targeted towards today's hip young whipper-snappers. Even gamers need to watch their figures (we don't just get the chicks with our M4D 5KiLL5), so there is increasing demand for a sugar-free energy drink that still lets you game all night.
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 Viking: Battle for Asgard Review (PS3, Xbox 360)
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Viking: Battle for Asgard is an interesting combination of a third-person Oblivion and God of War. As an avid fan of both of these games, Viking is a welcome alternative to all of the lame horror and action games released lately. Add into the mix a bit of Age of Empires, and woah….can I have a minute alone?
It’s hard for me not to be excited over Viking: Battle for Asgard. The story is great, graphics are amazing, battle system is awesome, and soundtrack is to die for. It is rare that I pick up a game and am this easily impressed. Viking takes place in Midgard, which is at the mercy of a fight between two Norse Gods: Odin and Hel. Hel has defied Odin, and as punishment, has been banished.
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 How to Recover Windows that Disappear
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
David Copperfield may be able to make an entire house disappear, but missing windows are an event that nearly everyone has encountered. This occurs more frequently with laptops, as they frequently change profiles that have different video outputs (especially if you use a docking station). Some programs save their last window positions, so if you opened a program when you were docked, then the program may open off-screen when you are undocked.
Your program windows are still on your desktop; but you just can't see them. Most people have gotten so dependant on their OS's graphic user interface, that they can't understand how to interact with something that cannot be seen. Never fear, because I am here to gift you with second sight: how to see what cannot be seen.
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 Condemned 2: BloodShot Review
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Condemned 2: Bloodshot is the sequel to a game commonly found for ten bucks in the game store sale bin. Many reviewers love Condemned 2, but to me, it is just another title that will eventually end up like its predecessor. Maybe I’m not interested in the story, or maybe the genre throws me off, but to me, Condemned 2 is a forgettable title.
You are Ethan Thomas, who after leaving his job as a SCU agent, has found his way into a state of continuously drunken stupor. Ethan has become a raging alcoholic, which has interesting ramifications, but not interesting enough to improve the bland story line. Ethan decides to go on a wild goose chase after his friend Van Horn. Along the way he fights both real and supernatural demons (that mostly look like meth addicts), generally as a result of his drunken state.
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 Novus Professional Scratch Remover
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Any consumer of computer gear, gadgets, or home theater equipment knows that their stuff starts to look a little worn after a while. It doesn't take long at all before your shiny new iPod gets a few unsightly scratches, diminishing its value and distracting from the gadget's coolness. PC enthusiasts can carve deep gouges in their cases during the course of system maintenance. Let us not forget that scratches can also destroy data on those new BluRay and DVD discs. All of these minor scrapes and scratches not only make your equipment look dated, but lowers its value.
There are a few plastic polish products out there (usually marketed as a CD restorer), but from my experience they just don't work. If you want to completely eliminate any trace of a scratch, then you need a professional product. Novus makes a 3-step plastic polish, which is sold direclty to plastic fabrication shops, and claims to restore plastic, lucite, plexiglass, acrylic, and just about any other plastic polymer to its original finish.
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More OCMS Articles and reviews >>
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Build Your Own Mac - Apple’s Key to the Future?
PC Mech ::
"I saw someone over at DailyTech ask a question about building a Mac and watched him take machine gun-like shots over and over from PC and Mac fanboys for asking a stupid question. You know it’s bad when you have both sides of the computer world bashing you. Of course you can’t build your own Mac. But, Why not?"
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Noctua NH-C12P CPU Cooler Review
Dragonsteel Mods ::
"Today for review I've got something special, something that no one on this side of the ocean has yet actually, the Noctua NH-C12P CPU cooler. Noctua has honored us with the privilege of being their US launch partner for their new CPU cooler. The C12P continues Noctua's tradition of striving for performance without sacrificing quality along the way. The C12P is like no other Noctua designed cooler to date, and not much like any other CPU cooler I've even seen actually. It incorporates six heatpipes into a short, fat style body that Noctua calls a 'C-Type' design with airflow gaps that allow cooling of the motherboard components as well. This design allows for a much higher compatibility with more motherboards and PC case configurations, where a tall CPU cooler won't fit the NH-C12P will fit easily. The NH-C12P uses Noctua's own NF-P12 120mm fan for cooling so you know it will be quiet as well. The Noctua NH-C12P is possibly the best cooler on the market today, from my testing and re-testing it beats all others I have for comparison, and that includes names like Thermalright, Scythe, Zalman, and OCZ. I was so surprised by the results of my testing that I re-did the testing all over again to be sure of my results, and they were the same, the NH-C12P is the new king of CPU coolers... "
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Being Cut Off From The Outside World
Tweak Town ::
After a two week hiatus thanks to a house move, I’m back with my editorials; and while everything has been pretty smooth with the move, the one thing that hasn’t has probably been the most important.
I’ve moved into a new place which hasn’t actually got a phone line running to it. That’s okay, but I assume the telco company I was dealing with knew what they were doing when they booked a tech to come out and hook my line up. On the first appointment, he decided not to show up. The same thing happened with the second one.
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Cooler Master Hyper Z600 Review
OCC ::
"When you take the Cooler Master Hyper Z600 out and get it alone, you are able to see how extremely large this piece of hardware actually is. Not only is it tall, it is also very wide. You can also see that the entire cooler is made out of aluminum, which is a very common choice between all manufactures to use for a cooler nowadays. All four sides of the Hyper Z600 look very similar; actually looking at only the fins, they are aligned the exact same on every side. This heatsink is setup very differently than any of the others that I have used before. There are two heatpipes that attach to the base and soar all the way up to the top of the heatsink and are positioned in each of the four corners of the unit."
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Noctua NH-U12P Heatpipe CPU Cooler
Benchmark Reviews ::
Noctua has always fascinated me with their cooling solutions. They take the concept of product refinement to a new level, and often times simply tweak key areas of an existing design rather than reinventing the wheel. A perfect example of their research and development is found in the NH-U12P CPU cooler. This new product replaces their older NH-U12F model, and now features a NF-P12 cooling fan. Through the use of four heat-pipe rods configured in a "U" design, the NH-U12P borrows from the well-established performance record of many top-level coolers. Additionally, Noctua emphasises the complete experience beyond simply cooling the processor, and optimizes their products to operate with very low noise levels.
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Coolit Pure Review
OCC ::
"CoolIT claims that installing the PURE cooler is quick and easy, but I found that installation into my case - a Lian-Li PC-P60 - was a little more trouble than I expected. The problem I encountered stemmed from the sizable depth of my case, and the PURE's tubing was too short to span the distance between the CPU and the radiator mounted on the hard drive cage. I ended up resting the PURE's main assembly on my RAM slots, so that I could mount the CPU block without stretching the hoses too far."
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Smooth Creations Broodling Monster PC Showcase
Hot Hardware ::
This is just something fun and light for a Friday. Swing on by and take a look at what has to be the most killer paint job on a system that we’ve seen here in a long time. It also has some kick-ass going on under the hood as well.
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Ultra X3 800w Modular Power Supply Review
Club Overclocker ::
Here at the Club we have looked at a lot of power supplies over the years so its nice to see a familiar face once in a while. The Ultra X3 800 Watt Modular power supply is the latest in a run of solid Ultra products from the X3 line. The X3 800W has all the great features we have come to expect from Ultras top power supplies like FlexForce cabling and 85% efficiency under a normal load. Combine this with Ultra's Limited Lifetime warranty and this power supply should be just what the doctor ordered
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OCZ ReaperX HPC DDR3-1333 2GB Memory Kit Review
Think Computers ::
“In a few short years, OCZ has really made its mark in the PC enthusiast world. They have branched out into power supplies, CPU coolers, thermal compound, peripherals, flash media, they even have a new phase-change cooler for those extreme overclockers that need sub-zero temps. But, OCZ's forte is still high-performance system memory. Today I will be looking at OCZ's latest offering in the ReaperX series, the ReaperX PC3-1066 (DDR3-1333) 2 gig kit. Will the DDR3 ReaperX prove to be the awesome overclocker that its DDR2 little brother is? Read on and see...”
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Tuniq Miniplant 950w Power Supply Review
Virtual Hideout ::
“Tuniq has recently come out with a new series of power supplies called the "Miniplant". This new line of power supply comes in three versions: 1200W, 1000W, and 950W. In this upcoming review, we will be going over the 950W Miniplant power supply.
So what exactly is the Miniplant, now that we know it isn't a nuclear device? It's a 950W powerhouse packed into a standard-sized PSU enclosure. With this type of power and small footprint, this power supply would be geared to the mobile gamer, who needs that extra bit of wattage for their SLI/CrossFire setups without the extra acreage. Some of the prominent features of the Miniplant are the high efficiency 80+ certification, multiple circuit protection, active PFC, and a plethora of cable connections to keep everyone happy.“
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Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm a PS3 Exclusive
Evolving the head-to-head fighting action of the Ultimate Ninja series, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm lets players battle in full 3D across massive environments. Players will unleash powerful jutsu attacks, perform acrobatic evasive manoeuvres and even run up walls and over water as they pursue their opponent for ninja supremacy. Players can customize their character’s fighting style and recruit up to two support characters to put their own stamp on the action. Each character in the game is capable of transforming into powerful Awakening forms under certain gameplay conditions, offering new traits and abilities to the game’s impressive ninja roster of 25 popular characters from the animated series. Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm supports head-to-head multiplayer fighting for up to two players.
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Xbox 360 version of GTA4 Outsells PS3
Gamers have voted with their wallets, and the results are in. The Xbox 360™ version of “Grand Theft Auto IV” has sold more than 100,000 copies, or 20%, more than the PLAYSTATION 3 version in the UK since the game’s release last Tuesday, 29th April. The groundbreaking latest instalment in the Grand Theft Auto franchise from Rockstar Games offers seamless multiplayer enhanced by Xbox LIVE® plus exclusive downloadable episodes coming this Autumn, making Xbox 360 the best way to experience this historic milestone in gaming.
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GTA IV Breaks Launch Records
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), said today that Grand Theft Auto IV has surpassed all-time entertainment records for day one and week one sales by dollar value. Released on Tuesday, April 29th, Grand Theft Auto IV, the critically acclaimed video game, has sold through to consumers approximately 6 million units globally with an estimated retail value of more than $500 million in the first week. Grand Theft Auto IV sold approximately 3.6 million units on its opening day with a retail value of approximately $310 million globally.
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Fallout 3 To Feature Original Soundtrack By Award-Winning Composer Inon Zur
Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company, announced today that Inon Zur has created the original musical score for Bethesda Softworks’ highly anticipated post-apocalyptic video game, Fallout® 3. Zur, an award-winning composer, has created numerous scores for films, television, and new media.
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World in Conflict Map-Making Contest
Sierra Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, has launched the official “World in Conflict™ Map Making Contest Sponsored by NVIDIA®” to challenge aspiring level designers and amateur game developers to create new multiplayer environments for World in Conflict. The competition offers World in Conflict map makers cash and prizes as well the opportunity to have their maps become “official” and included in a future World in Conflict product.
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Mass Effect PC - Is Piracy The Better Choice? 
Fast Silicon ::
"DRM Systems do not work. Name a system that hasn't been easily cracked by the stereotypical pimply nerd teen within days or weeks of an implementation. You can't. They inconvenience legitimate users. They turn product purchases into merely permission to use an asset. They are always (as in ALWAYS) defeated within a very brief timeframe of their implementation, turning a huge capital investment by a content producer into the cyber equivalent of that film "The Money Pit" . And, they can easily make legitimately purchased content become a "cyber brick".
Do you think this cannot happen? Microsoft's "Plays For Sure" anyone? "Plays For Sure" was an ironic choice of words for a system that has now left millions of people with content that, come September, will no longer play."
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Echocrome (PS3)
Gaming Heaven ::
Echochrome is a puzzle game, however it breaks the usual tried and tested mould by letting the gamer change and alter the in game perception to solve the puzzles. These optical illusions are rather unique within the puzzle world and the focus is entirely based on wireframe style graphics.
A series of platforms are presented mid air against a backdrop of pure white. In the midst of these platforms is a wire frame persona who continually walks along the current platform, accompanied by four shadowy echoes of that figure in various sections of that particular level.
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Gamasutra Opinion: Why Microsoft Loses MMOs
Xbox Scene ::
From gamasutra.com (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18450 ):
[QUOTE]
The cancellation of Marvel Universe Online was a blow to MMO and comic fans alike. Still, now that the pain has faded somewhat, I think it's clear that MUO's death may be a good thing after all.
Given the rumors of confusion on the dev team about what the game was going to be like at a fundamental level, pulling support from the project seems like a no-brainer. That said, I think MUO's death highlights Microsoft's sordid history with Massively Multiplayer games.
If you look down the big list of canceled or never-released massively multiplayer games, Microsoft's name comes up a suspicious number of times. The closure of Asheron's Call 2 is probably the most high-profile of these. Mythica, True Fantasy Online, Vanguard, and now Marvel Universe were all dented by the Redmond giant's deft touch.
On a fundamental corporate level, I think that the company just doesn't understand the whole MMO 'thing'. The Xbox Live service is a known quantity at this point, and it's probably one of the defining elements of this generation of consoles. That said, having the patience to see something like an MMO through to completion is a very different task.
Even more than that, I think Microsoft's short-sightedness when it comes to this genre has left a huge opening for Sony and the PlayStation 3. Though there are no firm plans in the public eye right now, the tide is rising for MMO experiences on Sony's console. I think it's possible that Microsoft has ceded this fight without even firing a shot.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: gamasutra.com (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18450 )
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The Dog Island
Sony Games ::
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uxrip360 0.1a
Xbox Scene ::
A linux based game rip software...
REMEMBER IT IS ALPHA!!!
after you got a 'final.iso' use Schtrom3.4=> to verify your files (works with wine) and its also sugested to use XBC and XDVDMulleter(info (http://www.xbox-scene.com/xbox360-tools/XDVDMulleter.php )) to verify it!! just to be sure (VirtualBox Share can be your friend!) best at this time is to use XDVDMulleter in virtualbox-osd and do a full CRC check against the online DB
Verified to Work on Samsung-D162C
1 => Samsung SH162C
2 => Samsung-H943A (not verified)
3 => Benq-VAD6038 (not verified)
4 => Samsung D163B
4 => Samsung D162D
SplitVid is not supported if you really need it (as if IX14 its not 'required'). boot your windows and use XBC2.x to "Convert to SplitVid" (Verifiy of most tools works with VMware/VirtualBox)
Anyone who wishes to make and contribute changes to the source can get in contact with the author @ #uxrip360 on efnet.
Official Site: n/a
Download: here (http://dwl.xbox-scene.com/iriez/uxrip360.tar.bz2 )
News-Source: xbins.org (http://www.xbins.org/nfo.php?file=xboxnfo1662.nfo )
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SteelSeries Introduces the 7G Professional Gaming Keyboard
The SteelSeries 7G keyboard sets a new industry standard for gaming keyboards by allowing users to perform at new levels with advanced key combinations. Utilizing a powerful PS/2 buffer-system created specifically for gaming, the SteelSeries 7G keyboard eliminates “anti-ghosting" by supporting as many simultaneous key press commands as there are keys on the keyboard. What this does, for example, is allow users in a first person shooter game to walk, crouch, aim, fire and check the scoreboard simultaneously. Traditional keyboards do not allow this much functionality all at once.
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Corsair Survivor 32GB
t-break ::
As flash memory prices keep lowering, we see higher capacity drives more readily available. We’ve already looked at the 32GB version of Corsair’s Voyager drive. Today, we look at the 32GB of the
Survivor. In case you missed our first article on Survivor, we would quickly like to say that its enclosure is one tough shell.
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Computrace LoJack for Laptops Review
Hardware Logic ::
Regardless of where you purchased your notebook, there's a pretty good chance you were given the option to purchase LoJack for Laptops. A yearly sub scri ption runs $49.99, or three years for $99.99. But can you really buy peace of mind against hardware theft in a software package? And what concessions in performance will you have to make to run LoJack? HardwareLogic sets out to tackle these questions and more, and the results may just surprise you...
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HP Jornada 728 Review 
RB Mods ::
Looking for something smaller than a laptop to fulfill your computing needs? Many have turned to handheld PCs as a substitute, but some lack all the features/applications needed. Geeks.com, popular online retailer of computer hardware, offers one such device, the HP Jornada 728, which comes loaded with applications in a compact size. Will this device offer the solution to your portable computing needs? Read on to find out.
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MacBook Pro Review - Quick Look
PC Mech ::
"I bought my MacBook Pro over a month ago now. I have been meaning to do a quick review of the unit here on PCMech. Well, finally, I’ll scratch that small to-do off my list. Two words: LOVE IT.
But, you want a little more detail, perhaps. Fine, I’ll provide it. Warning: don’t expect me to benchmark this machine. I’ll leave that to the countless others who have already done it. I’m a practical guy. I USE the machine to get work done and it is from that perspective that I review it now."
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MSI GeForce 9600GT 1GB OC Graphics Card
Tweak Town ::
"We saw MSI mix it up just the other week with the 9600GT by overclocking it and going down the aftermarket cooler route. Aesthetically speaking, the card really didn’t do a lot for us, but as we dived deeper into the testing of the card we became pleasantly surprised by the performance the cooler offered.
The latest 9600GT variant from MSI sports the same cooler along with an extra 512MB of GDDR3, giving us a grand total of 1GB. The card also carries with it the same overclock we saw on the 512MB model which should aid in getting some extra performance over stock clocked offerings."
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ECS GeForce 8800 GT 256MB Video Card Review - N8800GT-256MX
Legit Reviews ::
"The ECS N8800GT 256MB packs in double the memory with an available BIOS update giving you the performance of a true 8800 GT 512MB. The extra memory along with a nearly silent heat sink/fan combo and a $169 price tag assures it to be a great success!"
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VL System M-Play Blast LCD Case Display & Remote Control Review
Tweaknews ::
"I always enjoy being surprised by a product and the M-Play Blast was one such device. Not only did it exceed my expectations, it thoroughly impressed me. If you are looking for a remote setup for your media center and want something that looks at home with your VCR and other entertainment systems then the retro look of the M-play Blast should be right up your alley."
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Diamond's Viper Radeon HD 3650 1GB Graphics Card - Tested 
While the average PC enthusiast may gawk endlessly over pages of reviews of high-end power-hungry graphics cards, jaw-slackened by the frame rates and 3DMark score that he or she might find there, at the end of the month it is the low to mid-range card that is purchased more often than not in the retail sector. Price typically is a primary consideration, but it's not the only concern. Availability, compatibility, and other issues factor in to a buyers decision as well.
Today we take a look at Diamond's lower cost, mainstream Radeon HD 3650 that increases total on-board memory to 1GB, but in doing so, uses lower cost, slower GDDR2 chips. In the pages ahead, we'll aim to find out if additional on-board memory really impacts performance more so than a smaller footprint of faster GDDR3 memory. The answer may definitely surprise you...
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Foxconn 9800GTX Extreme OC
Bjorn 3d ::
Bjorn3D has previously reviewed the performance difference of the stock 9800GTX versus various high-end and mainstream graphic cards: namely the 8 series cards (review). We are fortunate to receive the Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX Extreme OC card which features clock speed of 780/1900/2360 (core/shader/memory) as opposed to the reference speed of 675/1688/2200. Today, we will put this card against other mid-range graphic cards ranging from the last generation G80 to current generation G92 cards and even the HD card from AMD.
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