Happy New Year 2011!

Just wanna say Happy New Year guys!

Dota-Blog : DotA 2 is Announced! Coming in 2011

      Finally, after so many speculation and rumors, the DotA 2 is now officially announced! As the Game Informer mentioned, the game will be released next year on both PC and Mac platform.

       Looking back a bit, IceFrog (the current DotA map developer on Warcraft III) is hired by Valve in 2009. Since then, many people starts wondering what kind of game they are working on. And as the curtain revealed, it appears they are bringing the DotA map into a full game based on the Valve's Source engine. That's mean many of the game limitation on Warcraft III is lifted. And with that, some new features are also introduced on the DotA 2.

Let's check it out!

In-Game Voice Chat

      Ventrilo is no longer needed. Communication is the vital factor on the teamwork and typing sometime is not an option because our hand is already full controling the hero. The DotA 2 will cover that and have an integrated voice chat feature which will allow you to communicate during game easily.

Leaver AI Replacement

           Awesome features. You will have less problem with the leaver. The disconnected players hero will be automatically taken control by an AI bots. However, don't get too excited and you decide to played it on a single-player game. Erik Johnson (the Project Leader) says, "Our goal with the AI is just that their experience isn't destroyed just because one person couldn't finish the game."

Cool Heroes Voice

          The current DotA map is using the Warcraft III sound set which originally created for the Warcraft III campaign, not for DotA. The DotA 2 will have the heroes voice fit properly with the game. Amusing lines from heroes will coming out when you deny the enemy team last hits on creeps. Heroes who have related stories will trade quips when nearby. Maybe you will see Lina Inverse and Rylai teasing each other :p

Matchmaking System

Valve is using it's traditional Steamworks for the skill based matchmaking which will let you play comfortably. 

In-Game Rewards

Valve is introducing a new system which will rewards you for participating in community forums.

Coaching System

 

         Veteran players will be able to login as a coach and teach the newbies. The coach can see beginner's screen and can get private voice chat during the game. Still no words about how the trainer and trainee will be matched.

           Wow, lots of amusing stuff there. I hope Valve can meet with our expectation. But i'm pretty disappointed with the fact that there's no screenshots of the game itself :( But hey, why ruin the surprise? Tell us what you think about DotA 2 on the comment box guys :)

Source: Game Informer

Philippines hostage drama

              Philippine security forces stormed a bus full of Hong Kong tourists on Monday to end a dramatic hostage crisis that unfolded live on global television, leaving at least eight people and the gunman dead.

Hong Kong eventually issued its top-level black travel alert for the Philippines on Monday after Hong Kong tourists were killed in Manila in a bus hijack by an armed ex-policeman.

The Hong Kong government said it was “very disappointed” about the outcome of a dramatic hostage siege.

The day-long ordeal began when a disgruntled ex-policeman armed with an M-16 assault rifle hijacked the bus in Manila’s tourist district in a desperate bid to get his job back.

Negotiations broke down after nightfall when the gunman, a highly decorated former senior police inspector identified as Rolando Mendoza, began shooting the passengers, and commandos stormed the bus.

Police said Mendoza was shot dead by a sniper after he used his captives as “human shields” in the final moments of the 12-hour standoff.

“I shot two Chinese. I will finish them all if they do not stop,” Mendoza told a local radio station as the police assault was about to get underway.

“I can see a lot of SWAT (special weapons and tactics police) coming in. I know they will kill me. They should all leave because anytime I will do the same here.”

Eight of the Hong Kong tourists were confirmed killed, according to doctors at hospitals in Manila and the Hong Kong government, although exactly how they died was not immediately clear.

Seven tourists, including children, and two Filipinos were freed at various times throughout the day from the bus parked at Rizal Park, a popular tourist destination just a few blocks from police headquarters.

The Filipino bus driver jumped out of a window and escaped moments before police stormed the vehicle, with his escape and the rest of the crisis broadcast live on television.

Another four hostages were seen scrambling out of the bus after the siege ended, but the fate of the remaining Hong Kong tourists originally on board the bus remained unknown late on Monday.

The Hong Kong government issued its top-level black travel alert for the Philippines after the crisis ended, but said it was sending in two charter planes to Manila for the families of the hostages.

Police were unable to get inside the bus for more than an hour after negotiations broke down and they decided to storm it.

They encircled the bus, smashed its windows and fired at it, but Mendoza held them off by shooting back.

The crisis eventually ended when police threw tear gas inside the bus, and fired again.

“He used the tourists as human shields. But he panicked and retreated to the front of the bus. He was then met with a valley of gunfire,” the assault team’s leader, Superintendent Nelson Yabut told reporters afterwards.

“One of our snipers managed to shoot him in the head.”

Mendoza, 55, was honoured by police chiefs in 1986 as one of the top 10 officers in the country.

But he was discharged in 2008 for his alleged involvement in drug-related crimes and extortion, and he hijacked the bus in a desperate bid to clear his name, according to police.

“He wants to be reinstated in the service,” Manila district police chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay said early in the day.

Joseph Tung, executive director of the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, said the tourists on the bus were aged between four and 72.

They were on a three-day tour with Hong Thai Travel and were scheduled to return to Hong Kong late Monday.

“A serious kidnap incident happened in the Philippines. Hong Kong residents should avoid all travel to the country,” a Hong Kong government spokesman said in a statement.

“Those who are already there should attend to their personal safety and exercise caution.”

Monday’s bus hijack recalled a similar hostage-taking in 2007, when a troubled civil engineer armed with a grenade took over a bus and held 30 children but freed them after a 10-hour standoff with police.

The 2007 drama took place near Manila city hall, just off Rizal Park.

Monday’s tragedy also added to a fast-growing number of attacks of foreigners in the Philippines.

Gunmen shot dead a South Korean man in a separate attack on Monday morning in another section of Manila. Police said the incidents were not related.

Last month, an American, a South African, a Briton and their Filipina partners were killed in spate of murder-robberies in Angeles City north of Manila. The alleged killer was arrested.

J-Pop Anime Singing Contest 2010

J-Pop Anime Singing Contest 2010

July 4, 2010 (Sunday)

SM Event Center, SM City Cebu

1. Introduction

The J-Pop Anime Singing Contest is presented by the embassy of Japan in cooperation with the Japan Foundation Manila and in partnership with SM City Cebu. This event is organized to foster friendship between the Philippines and Japan through their love of anime and music. This is also in conjunction with the Philippine-Japan Friendship Month celebration.

2. Activities

2.1. J-Pop Contest. It is a competition among competing bands, performing J-POP/ Anime songs live.

Mechanics:

a) The contest is open to all Filipino amateur performers/singers of all ages who can sing their favorite J-Pop and/or anime songs in Japanese.

b) Previous top three winners of the contest and professional singers with recording and singing contracts are not allowed to join the competition.

c) Participants may form a singing group or band composed minimum of three (3) to maximum of five (5) members.

d) Groups will be allowed to have Japanese members as long as they will only play supporting roles in the group. For a group of three (3), one (1) Japanese member is allowed. For groups of four (4) of five (5), two (2) Japanese members are allowed.

e) Groups should submit the following requirements:

e.1. A CD demo of the group rendition of two Japanese songs.

e.2. A detailed description of the chosen songs (i.e. artist, title and lyrics)

e.3 A group photo with a short write up about the group. The submitted photo and write up will be used for PR purposes and in the video presentation on the contest date.

e.4 Duly accomplished official registration form which can be downloaded from the Japanese Embassy website: Embassy of Japan in the Philippines.

2.2. Sponsor’s Booth. Sponsor's, partners, supporters and benefactors will have the chance to set-up their booths in the event area. They may display their products and do some product demo.

The J-Pop Anime Singing Contest 2010 is organized by AMBOX Events, and is intended to become a yearly event. 

original post at: www.istorya.net

XOR win~! 

Photo source by: Donna Joy Yamada 

Why there's no PS4 or Xbox 720 yet

It has been a staple in the video game industry for generations now: roughly every five years, the major console manufacturers roll out new systems, packing graphics that are even more eye-popping and features we couldn’t have previously imagined. The core gaming world immediately goes crazy for early previews of next generation titles, scrutinizing every frame of released video. And the countdown begins for the next generation.

Not this time, though.

While it's been five years since Microsoft unveiled the Xbox 360 (and four since the Wii and PlayStation 3debuted), the game industry is letting things ride, offering updates and new play techniques to existing consoles, but not making enormous financial bets on true next-generation machines. And, for the most part, everyone seems okay with that.

Still the ones.

The lingering recession and rising game development costs are partially to blame for the lack of new machines. As game systems have matured, the cost of making triple-A games has soared. Tent pole titles now cost (on average) between $20 million and $40 million -- and there are some extreme examples, like Rockstar Games' blockbusters "Red Dead Redemption" and "GTA IV," that have reportedly sailed past the $100 million mark.

Next-gen games will cost even more. With publishers struggling to achieve a profit in the current economy, no one is in a hurry to add to their expense sheet.

Console manufacturers are no different. Developing a new system is phenomenally expensive. Worse yet, Sony and Microsoft typically sell them at a loss for the first two or three years, making their money back on royalties from game software systems. (Nintendo has always sold its hardware for a profit, which is part of the reason the company has so much money in the bank.)

Currently, all three manufacturers have lowered their costs to a point where they make money on each console sale – and while hardware sales are slipping somewhat, they're still relatively strong. Believe it or not, there are still some retailers who have trouble keeping the PS3 or Wii in stock.

So, with strong demand and lower costs, there's no incentive for Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo to roll out a next-generation console at this point. But there's another reason the next generation won’t emerge until 2013 or 2014, at least.

We've seen some graphically amazing games on the Xbox 360 and PS3 to date -- and some wildly creative titles for the Wii -- but no one in the industry truly believes they have come close to tapping the full potential of any machine.

Developers like to do that before moving on to the next system. Often, the defining games of a system come just before it is overshadowed by its successor. The PS2 favorite "God of War" hit stores just as rumbles about the PlayStation 3 were beginning to build. And smash shooter "Perfect Dark" was released for the N64 when many people were more curious about the forthcoming GameCube.

While the Wii isn't the sales powerhouse it once was, the system still outsells the competition by a healthy margin each month. And Nintendo’s games have long retail lives, giving them a steady stream of income with fewer titles.

For the Xbox 360 and the PS3, the launch of Kinect and Move will attempt to lure the casual audience while giving core gamers party games they're not embarrassed to play. (Granted, those titles are in short supply in the launch lineups.)

And since both companies are able to add new features to their systems via downloadable upgrades, users can get those previously unimaginable features without shelling out for a new system. For instance, no one thought they’d be able to stream Netflix through their game machine when these systems launched.

Make no mistake: While there have been some naysayers, a new generation of console systems will most definitely arrive sooner or later. Streaming cloud game services like OnLive are showing some potential, but won’t reach critical mass for many years. While no companies are talking directly about the next generation, there have been some hints from publishers that work is underway.

But it's going to be a while before anyone outside of the industry gets a look at 'em.

source from: yahoo

CCC Presents "Colors of Summer : Distant Stars"

Pre-event contests :

Logo Design - 900
Mascot Design - 900

Event day contests :

On the spot contests :

Clay Sculpting - 250

Drawing - a. Themed - 500
b. Open - 500

Poster - 750

Singing - 750, 500, 250

Tshirt Design - 900

To be submitted :

Cosphotoshoot contest - 1500, 750, 500

Cosplay Challenge cup

Individual cosplay - 750

Group cosplay - 2000

Picture source from: Hei Kuro Shinigami, Nicole Ingrid Hibionada, Jhon Ryan Estrella, June Justine Hizole, Marla So and Jack Hunt

Hubble catches planet being devoured by its star

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The Hubble space telescope has discovered a planet in our galaxy in the process of being devoured by the star that it orbits, according to a paper published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

The doomed planet, dubbed WASP-12b, has the highest known surface temperature of any planet in the Milky Way -- around 1,500 degrees Celsius (2,800 degrees Fahrenheit).

But it could be enveloped by its own parent star over the next ten million years, the paper's authors have concluded.

Using a new instrument called the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph that was installed on Hubble in 2009, the researchers observed how the planet was whipped into an elongated shape by gravitational forces.

"We see a huge cloud of material around the planet, which is escaping and will be captured by the star. We have identified chemical elements never before seen on planets outside our own solar system," team leader Carole Haswell of The Open University in Great Britain said.

Discovered in 2008, WASP-12b is located about 600 light-years from Earth in the Auriga Constellation and is more than 300 times the size of Earth.

It also has a mass 40-percent greater than that of Jupiter, the biggest planet in our solar system.

It is so close to its parent star that it orbits it in little more than 24 hours.

Astronomers already knew that stars will swallow a planet that comes too close to it, but this is the first time that the phenomenon has been observed so clearly.

The paper, which was published in the May 10 edition of The Astrophysical Journal Letters, confirms a theoretical paper published in the journal Nature last Friday by Shu-lin Li, an astronomer at Peking Universityin Beijing.

Shu-lin had predicted that the planet's surface would be distorted by the star's gravitational pull, and that gravitational tidal forces would make the interior so hot that it would greatly expand its outer atmosphere.

source: yahoo

Newfound Asteroid Will Fly Close by Earth Thursday

A newly discovered asteroid will zip close by Earth Thursday, but poses no threat of crashing into our planet even though it is passing within the orbit of the moon.
The asteroid, called 2010 GA6, is a relatively small space rock about 71 feet (22 meters) wide and was discovered by astronomers with the Catalina Sky Survey in Tucson, Az. The space rock will fly within the orbit of the moon when it passes Earth Thursday at 7:06 p.m. EDT (2306 GMT), but NASA astronomers said not to worry...the planet is safe.
"Fly bys of near-Earth objects within the moon's orbit occur every few weeks," said Don Yeomans of NASA's Near-Earth Object Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., in a statement.
At the time of its closest pass, asteroid 2010 GA6 will be about 223,000 miles (359,000 km) from the Earth. That's about nine-tenths the distance between Earth and the moon [more asteroid photos].
The space rock is not the first asteroid to swing close by Earth this year.
In January, the small asteroid 2010 AL30 passed within 80,000 miles (130,000 km) when it zipped by. Other space rocks have flown past Earth at more comfortable distances greater than several hundred thousand miles.
NASA routinely tracks asteroids and comets that may fly near the Earth with a network of telescopes on the ground and in space. The agency's Near-Earth Object Observations program, more commonly known as Spaceguard, is responsible for finding potentially dangerous asteroids and studying their orbits to determine if they pose a risk of hitting the Earth.
NASA's latest space telescope, the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) launched in December, has been given the task of hunting new asteroids that were previously undetectable because they shine only in the infrared range of the light spectrum.
So far, the WISE telescope has been discovering dozens of previously unknown asteroids every day. Some of those space rocks have been tagged for closer analysis since they may be potentially hazardous to Earth, WISE mission scientists have said.

source from: http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20100406/sc_space/newfoundasteroidwillflyclosebyearththursday

~~I'm Hoping to see this !!~~

Physics2A - Magnetic fields and forces

      The term magnetism is used to describe how materials respond on the microscopic level to an applied magnetic field; to categorize the magnetic phase of a material. For example, the most well known form of magnetism is ferromagnetism such that some ferromagnetic materials produce their own persistent magnetic field. However, all materials are influenced to greater or lesser degree by the presence of a magnetic field. Some are attracted to a magnetic field (paramagnetism); others are repulsed by a magnetic field (diamagnetism); others have a much more complex relationship with an applied magnetic field. Substances that are negligibly affected by magnetic fields are known as non-magnetic substances. They include copper, aluminium, water, gases, and plastic.

The phenomenon of magnetism is "mediated" by the magnetic field. An electric current or magnetic dipole creates a magnetic field, and that field, in turn, imparts magnetic forces on other particles that are in the fields.


Info source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetism