metallic

Chips in 2009 will run faster but not necessarily hotter. That's the gist of what IBM, along with its joint development partners such as Samsung Electronics and Toshiba, announced Monday.

The IBM alliance is using "high-k/metal gate" technology to achieve this, the same category of process technology that Intel currently uses in its 45-nanometer processors. The alliance says it is seeing performance improvements of up to 35 percent over 45nm technology at the same "operating voltage" or power levels.

This allows alliance chipmakers such as Samsung, Toshiba, and Freescale Semiconductor (formerly an arm of … Read more

Vancouver's Black Mountain takes dirty heavy-metal guitar stylings that would do Tony Iommi proud and combines them with hypnotic pacing and lyrics that are more along the lines of intergalactic incantations. It all adds up to an intoxicating brew--the soundtrack to an alien abduction.

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Other than getting accosted by former reality stars, it's pretty much a regular day at The 404 ranch. George Clooney gets 2girls1cupped, MissBimbo scares Meridith Viera, Paramount is creating an awful studio to make low-budget horrible video games, and we talk about movies opening this weekend with special guest Karina Longworth.

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I don't know about you, but after playing through countless hours of video games saving the world in more worlds than I can count, I've grown tired of the same old thing. I can live with sword fights and looting, but more than anything else, I'm sick and tired of cutscenes that break up the action.

Can anyone give me one good reason for why cutscenes are really that necessary? Sure, they help move the story along and I can appreciate that, but I don't need fancy renderings of my pixelated heroes talking to each other when all I really want to do is slay some more beasts.

As far as I can tell, this idea of cutscenes, which was made brutally unbearable by Hideo Kojima in the Metal Gear series is nothing more than an attempt by game developers to display their graphical prowess and make a video game feel more like a movie.

I don't want a movie. I want a video game.… Read more

I have to admit, I know little about the current metal scene, black, death, or otherwise. Which is exactly why I was so blown away by the performances of two Norwegian metal bands during South By Southwest: Enslaved and 1349. They played back-to-back showcases at Red 7 last week, and while I didn't catch a full set of either band, it was enough to know I need to hear more. … Read more

CNET's Gamespot posted a news blurb today on a report that, "Microsoft has entered into talks with Sony to bring Blu-ray to the Xbox 360." The report comes from a Financial Times story that quotes an unnamed "senior executive," who says that Sony and Microsoft "are not simply discussing a successor to the Xbox 360's now discontinued, dirt-cheap external HD DVD drive," but that "there is also the possibility of an internal Blu-ray drive being incorporated into a new, more expensive 'premium' 360 model."

At the Consumer Electronics Show in … Read more

Is making machines more efficiently as simple as folding paper cranes? Industrial Origami is betting that its technologies for folding sheet metal will help manufacturers cut costs and waste on the factory floor.

Industrial Origami's metal forming techniques work with existing manufacturing equipment but slash costs by 70 percent, said president and CEO Rick Holman. It offers a software add-on for CAD design systems.

Industrial Origami focuses on car parts and home appliances as well as heating and air conditioning system. It licenses its fold-and-cut technologies to Whirlpool and Eaton Electric, which makes enclosures for electric equipment.

Key to … Read more

If you're waiting for Sony to finally release its new rumbling DualShock 3 wireless controller here in North America, you won't have much longer to go. Today, Sony announced that the wireless DualShock 3 will be available sometime in April with a somewhat hefty $54.99 price tag (the current nonrumble wireless controller has a list price of $5 less).

Sony also had a few other PlayStation-related announcements. To coincide with the much-anticipated North American launch of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots in late Q2 2008, Sony said it will introduce a PS3 bundle that … Read more

It's well known that the cult of the iPod has led to much design inspiration, but who would have thought the same of the Wiimote? Just today there are two new examples.

First is the Wedisk from SolarMemo, a USB flash drive with a maximum 8GB storage capacity. It can't be used to cook or bowl, but Engadget says it does have a functional button that releases the key from the USB port. Less interesting is the Wiimote Metal Tin from Fractalspin, though GeekAlerts notes that it can come in handy for storing cartridges. Neither, however, comes with … Read more