conventions

'Star Wars' and 'Doctor Who' fans in altercation at sci-fi convention

I had always imagined that attendees at sci-fi conventions were peaceable sorts.

I know they turn up waving lightsabers and other implements of war, but I imagined that these served no greater threat to society than an elongated ball-finder at a golf course.

And yet word reaches me that fans of "Star Wars" were embroiled in a confrontation with aficionados of "Doctor Who" at a sci-fi convention in the U.K.

Alright, that word initially came from my religious reading of the Sun. But it is supported by reports from august organizations like the BBC.

It … Read more

Obama DNC speech triggers record 52,757 tweets per minute

President Barack Obama has set a new record, at least on Twitter.

The president's speech at the Democratic National Convention yesterday lit up the Twittersphere with 52,757 tweets per minute, a new record for the micro-blogging site, Twitter has revealed.

Overall, the DNC has generated heavy traffic on Twitter. From the starting festivities on Tuesday to the closing events last night, more than 9.5 million tweets about the convention have made the rounds. The final day saw around 4 million tweets alone, according to Twitter, many of them sent during Obama's speech.

The 4 million one-day … Read more

DNC livestream on YouTube blocked on copyright grounds?

Those hoping to catch the livestream of First Lady Michelle Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention on YouTube or BarackObama.com can forget about it -- it appears to have been blocked.

The event's official stream was yanked due to copyright infringement concerns, according to a message that briefly appeared on YouTube:

This video contains content from WMG, SME, Associated Press (AP), UMG, Dow Jones, New York Times Digital, The Harry Fox Agency, Inc. (HFA), Warner Chappell, UMPG Publishing and EMI Music Publishing, one or more of whom have blocked it in your country on copyright grounds. … Read more

The 404 1,122: Where we make your day (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Clint Eastwood's RNC Obama chair gets own Twitter account.

- Behold: Eastwooding. Because, of course.

- Live taste-testing Savory Bacon Lollipops and Sriracha Lollipops. Thanks Thinkgeek!

- Nobody gives a _ _ _ _ about Honey Badger BBQ sauce. Except for 1,420 backers.

- Netflix video streaming accounts for 25 percent of all Internet data transmitted in North America.

- Fantasizing about ditching e-mail is like porn for techies.

Bathroom break video: How to make a towel horn.

Video voice mail: Josiah talks Neti Pots, ear wax, and dub step beatboxing.… Read more

Clint Eastwood's RNC Obama chair gets own Twitter account

You know that wooden chair Clint Eastwood was talking to during tonight's speech at the Republican National Convention? It already has its own Twitter account. At least two actually.

For those who might have missed it (but expect to hear plenty about it during upcoming RNC post-mortems), the iconic action actor spent part of his moment in the convention spotlight chatting (transcript) with an empty chair that was supposed to represent President Obama. And if presidents can have their own Twitter accounts, why can't chairs that are standing in as presidents?

Invisible Obama (bio: Stage left of Clint Eastwood) sent out its first Tweet at about 6:20 p.m. PT. It's been busy tweeting since: "The GOP built me." "When Mitt Romney says 'Mr. Chairman', do you think he's referring to me?" … Read more

YouTube debuts 'Elections Hub,' a one-stop campaign channel

YouTube launched "Elections Hub" today -- its one-stop shop for this year's election coverage.

The video service announced that with this specialized channel, all live speeches from the upcoming Democratic and Republican National Conventions will be streamed. Also, people can watch Google+ Hangouts and live streams of the official presidential and vice presidential debates. The channel debuted today and will available through Election Day.

"You won't need to go anywhere else for the must-watch moments of this election cycle," YouTube news manager Olivia Ma wrote in a blog post today, "they're all … Read more

Live on Google+: The 2012 Republican National Convention

Here's another sugar high for the political junkies out there: Google will be streaming live the 2012 Republican National Convention on Google+.

According to a post from Googleplex headquarters, Google will serve as the official social platform and live stream provider for the festivities. The Republican presidential nominating convention will be held August 27 to 30 in Tampa, Fla.

Google and YouTube viewers will get an exclusive backstage pass to connect with Republican leaders off the podium via Google+ Hangouts, bringing convention conversations directly to voters. We will also be livestreaming key events right into their living rooms.

Google+ … Read more

This is the delicious Stormtrooper cake you're looking for

While the consumer technology industry nursed its post-CES hangovers this weekend, 600 Star Wars fans in Boston were nursing something else: Stormtrooper cake!

Attendees at this year's Arisia sci-fi convention were treated to a "life-size" 6-foot Stormtrooper cake. Of course, if the second trilogy is to be believed and they're all clones of "Once Were Warriors" actor Temuera Morrison, they'd all be 5 foot 7 inches...but anyhoo.

This Stormtrooper, in a classic Mos Eisley "Stop!" pose, was created by Oakleaf Cakes and consists of 300 pounds of frosting, cake, and … Read more

Inaugural Call of Duty XP convention deploys in LA

LOS ANGELES--Thousands of devoted Call of Duty fans gathered here this weekend for the first Call of Duty XP, a convention devoted to the game's past, present, and future.

Activision secured the huge airplane hangars of Playa Del Rey in the shadow of Loyola Marymount University and a sniper's shot from Electronic Arts' Los Angeles headquarters. Howard Hughes used those hangars to build his concept aircraft, but they became multiplayer gaming centers and conference halls for Call of Duty XP 2011.

Activision used the event to unveil the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 to a hangar absolutely packed with fans eager for the game's November 8 launch.

Players could enjoy the multiplayer levels in preview play while David Vonderhaar, design director; Phil Tasker, senior level designer; Alex Conserva, lead programmer; and Dan Bunting, online director filled in on Q&A before unveiling special rollout trailers to foreshadow the missions to come.

The centerpiece of the event was the international Call of Duty 3: Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer tournament. The four-man team Optic Gaming (William "BigTymer" Johnson, Blake "Vengeance2T" Campbell, Joseph "Merc SD" DeLuca and Matthew "NaDeSHoT" Haag) will split the $400,000 grand prize. … Read more

2009 San Francisco International Auto Show: The Mix Tape

I finally made it out to the 52nd Annual International Auto Show at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco yesterday, and I'm sure glad that I made the trip. Today is the final day of the show that started over this last Thanksgiving weekend, and in case you can't or didn't make it out to the Moscone to see it all in person, here's an in depth highlight reel to show some of what you may have missed.

Yes, I know the soundtrack to this clip is kinda annoying, but this web video is quite … Read more