Gaming: Where Trolling Began

The phenomenon of online ‘trolling’ is a fairly new one, with its roots dating back to the early 2000s. The origin of Internet trolling can be found in the first instant messaging services, such as MSN Messenger, where – unfortunately – school playground bullies could now take their daily activities online and into the evenings and weekends as well.

But the real foundation of trolling can be found in technological advances such as faster Internet connections and Xbox Live, both of which facilitated online gaming and made it more accessible to a greater number of people. What started as a fun way to meet new friends online quickly became a bit of a nightmare.

Football: History of Violence Returns to Haunt Europe

History of violence returns to haunt Europe (via AFP)

Tear gas, stun grenades and knuckle-dusters provided a grim, bloody backdrop as hooliganism returned to haunt Europe's top leagues this weekend. From London's showpiece Wembley Stadium to Munich's glittering Allianz Arena and at the 2004 Olympic Stadium in Athens, fans fought hit-and-run battles with…

Hundreds join anti-Thatcher 'party' in London

Hundreds join anti-Thatcher 'party' in London (via AFP)

Hundreds of opponents of Margaret Thatcher filled London's Trafalgar Square on Saturday evening for a rain-soaked celebration of the former British prime minister's death earlier this week. Former coal miners involved in the year-long strike against the Iron Lady's government in the 1980s joined far…

Post-Meteorite Recovery

The whole world was amazed a few months ago when a meteorite crashed through the earth's atmosphere and crash landed in an until then little heard of part of Russia. The incredible images were shown all over the world, and while nobody was killed, a lot of people suffered injuries and a lot of damage was done by our unexpected visitor. In the aftermath of the shock, the town closest to the point where the meteorite hit, Chelyabinsk, is now looking to take advantage of their new found fame.

How Amazing Special Effects Were Produced for Hollywood’s Biggest Movies

"Forty percent of the movie 'Avatar' was live action and 60% was photo-generated..."

How Amazing Special Effects Were Produced for Hollywood’s biggest movies (via Film Industry Network)

Today’s computer-generated special effects, whether two dimensional or three dimensional, have become so advanced and sophisticated that complete digital characters are placed in movies, often substituting for actual actors. Adobe’s Photoshop is the main software program used to create these amazing…

5 Psychological Tricks Interrogators Use On Criminals

We've all watched the imaginary suspects on televisions hows get grilled. Usually there's a large, muscular cop with a bad temper yelling at the suspect, maybe breaking some furniture, maybe breaking the suspect himself. On the other side of the room is the more mild-mannered, polite officer who promptly removes their overly-enthusiastic partner as soon as the first chair (or nose) breaks. The good cop/bad cop routine, although a bit over played in TV police dramas, is a classic interrogation technique. However it is not the only, or even most commonly used, method.

5 Great Movies That Started As Theatre

The recent success of Les Miserables has many movie goers clamoring for more big screen drama that started in the theatre. Les Miserables raked in the awards and pushed the limit of ticket sales at the box office. This kind of critical acclaim is actually fairly common for theatre turned into film. Plays that do make it to the big screen often do so because of their success on the stage. There are thousands upon thousands of films that are based on plays and often, the audience is unaware of the fact. The following critically acclaimed movies all draw their inspiration from the stage. Success in this transition coupled with good ticket sales contribute to making these films classics which everyone must see.

Book Tour: 'The Jeweler' by Ken Murray [Giveaway Included]

We might have a gem of a Book Tour here with the stop we're hosting today... 
'The jeweler' by Ken Murray, is the story of Cole Hanson, an assassin for the CIA who learned the jewelry trade when he was younger. Nothing like a good old spy novel to start the week in a sparkling way (I know, we are not Monday today but, in my universe, weeks do tend to start on Tuesdays).

There are quite a bit of info about the book and its author as well as a Guest Post written by Ken Murray for us (where he seems to have described me perfectly, by the way) and one of those great Giveaways where some of you guys can win autographed copies of the book.

Definitely worth a look...

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

Book Tour: 'The Morning Star' by Tania Penn [Giveaway Included]

"Talking about the Devil..."
Well, okay, not Mr D himself, but his daughter as the Book Tour stop we're hosting today is about 'The Morning Star', a Young Adult Paranormal Fiction novel where the main character is... yep... Lucifer's daughter. 

Intrigued? Want to know more? 
Carry on reading and you'll find more information about the book itself (with an excerpt and all ) and its author Tania Penn in this post. 

Oh and, don't forget to check the Giveaway out... (You won't win if you're not in, you know)

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

Two women suspected of sorcery beheaded in Papua New Guinea

Two women suspected of sorcery beheaded in PNG (via AFP)

Two elderly women were beheaded in Papua New Guinea after being tortured for three days, a report said Monday, the latest in a string of sorcery-related crimes. The Post-Courier newspaper said police were present during the killings last week but were outnumbered by an angry mob and could do nothing…

NASA wants to tow an asteroid to the moon

NASA wants to tow an asteroid to the moon: senator (via AFP)

NASA wants to grab a small asteroid and tow it into orbit around the moon, as part of a long-range plan towards establishing permanent manned outposts in space, according to a US senator. To get the project off the ground, US President Barack Obama will propose around $100 million for the US space…

Game Planning For 'Doomsday'

So the trendy subject of movies and books these days is the end of the world.  To name a few examples I’m thinking of I am Legend and The Road.  But the thing of the matter is:  this is no joking matter to you.  It may be entertainment to some, but you recognize and want to plan for the actuality of the apocalypse.  Let’s go over some essential steps to take to ensure your survival when life as we know it ceases.