Friends. How many of us have them? / Online Gaming

I copped a PlayStation 4 earlier this year after not owning a system since the early days of the PS2 and the Xbox.  It's been roughly 8 years since I had played video games and a lot has changed.

Online gaming is the main thing.  I never did it before owning a PS4.  As much as I love meeting new people online, that's not really the case when it comes to online gaming.  I'm more interested in playing with people that I know to some degree or another.  It's the only way I'm used to playing.  It's funny enough not sitting next to someone.

PBS - The Rise of Webcomics

The internet has given birth to yet another new medium: webcomics. Moving beyond the restrictions of print, webcomic artists interact directly with audiences who share their own unique worldview, and create stories that are often embedded in innovative formats only possible online. Sometimes funny, sometimes personal, and almost always weird, web comic creators have taken the comic strip form to new, mature, and artistic heights.

GTA: Vice City - Commodore 64 Version

Dart Adams On Rap Radar, Hot 97 & Hip-Hop Opportunism

I'm a big fan of Peter Rosenberg.  I don't listen to his radio show much, but I do catch his podcast whenever he has a guest of interest.  So a few days ago I came across a discussion between Rosenberg and his program director.  The program director was feeling rather self-important that day, seeing as Sean Price has done a lot more for Hip-Hop than he ever has.  But anyway, I'm getting sidetracked.  That video led me to this article by one of my favorite follows on Twitter, Dart Adams aka Bastard Swordsman.  It's a bit of a long read, but it's a good one.

Bastard Swordsman, Execution Of A Chump © Gang Starr

Back on December 5th, I was on Twitter and I saw a tweet from Brian “B.Dot” Miller of Rap Radar run across my timeline via an RT that seemed extremely hypocritical to me so I decided to add my two cents to it and RT it myself. It ended up looking like this:

Ads Can Be Good For You

The earbuds I use for for my daily commute were originally for my 80 gig Zune.  Yes, I know.  Insert your Zune joke here.  They were, and still are, really great.  They have quality sound with a customizable fit for my ears.  The earbuds are still in fine working order, but the cord itself is frayed so I began to Google earbuds because I can't imagine a day without my podcasts or music.

Happy Birthday Bob Ross!

Google is always does great things with their home page!

Google's Newest #Android App: Field Trip

Field Trip is your guide to the cool, hidden, and unique things in the world around you. Field Trip runs in the background on your phone. When you get close to something interesting, it pops up a card with details about the location. No click is required. If you have a headset or bluetooth connected, it can even read the info to you.

Hulu Is Looking Brand New

I hadn't been on Hulu in a good minute so I figured it would be a nice time to clean up my queue.  Movie trailers can really clog that bad boy up, but I digress.  Anyway, I've always liked the site's layout, but it appears even cleaner, now.  Check it out:

Video Chatting In Gmail With Google+

Since the introduction of Gmail video chat back in 2008, many of you have told us that you love the direct, personal communication it provides. That's why we're excited to announce that video chat is being upgraded to a more modern video calling technology -- Google+ Hangouts. 

Unlike the old video chat, which was based on peer-to-peer technology, Hangouts utilize the power of Google’s network to deliver higher reliability and enhanced quality. You’ll be able to chat with all the same people you did before and, in fact, with Hangouts you’ll now be able to reach them not only when they are using Gmail but also if they are on Google+ in the browser or on their Android or iOS devices.

All Gmail users will benefit from this upgrade, but if you and the person you're chatting with also use Google+, you’ll get even more from the Hangouts experience. You'll be able to video chat with up to nine people at once, watch YouTube videos together, collaborate on Google documents and share your screen. Plus, Hangouts has a bunch of fun effects that you can try out...because any conversation is better when you're wearing a virtual mustache or pirate hat. 

We’ll be rolling out Hangouts in Gmail starting today and then gradually over the coming weeks. We hope you enjoy hanging out with your friends and family. Arrrgh!

Info courtesy of Official Gmail Blog.

Always On: Google Gone Wild

Molly Wood gives us some of the highlights from Google's I/O conference as well as unboxes the Nexus 7 and the Nexus Q before giving us a peek at a Chromebook focus group and more.

Web Series To Watch: Debt Collectors

Today while wasting time on Youtube, like I am known to do from time to time, I stumbled across Debt Collectors.  It's a comedy web series about a fictional government agency that throws debtors in jail.  Thankfully debtors' prisons are a thing of the past so you can breathe easy.  In the first video the creator Christina Martin and cast discuss the genesis of the series.

Season 2 Premier of Issa Rae's Awkward Black Girl

@Google: The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl

The Black Googler Network presents the creators and cast members from The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl in a conversation with Camille Hearst. We also screened some never-before-seen footage.

Stephen Colbert Thinks Google & Facebook Are Frying Our Brains

When I originally watched this segment I had feelings of ambivalence. On one hand is was hilariously brilliant, but on the other hand it hit way too close to home.

A New Android Market For Books & Movies

Yesterday Google announced a new Android Market for all phones running version 2.2 or higher of their Android operating system.  Here's what they had to say about the new market:

In the U.S., you’ll be able to rent thousands of movies, starting at $1.99, right from Android Market on your phone. With the Videos app, available in Android Market, there’s no more waiting for downloads, syncing, or worrying about storage space. Simply sign into Android Market with your Google account, and you can rent movies from anywhere – the web, or your Android phone or tablet – and start watching instantly. You can also download movies to your device so they’re available for viewing when you don’t have an internet connection.

Random Geekery: Burn Notice Graphic Novel

USA Network & DC Comics have joined forces to bring you Burn Notice in comic book form.

Hulu & Facebook Become Closer Friends

Interact. We are excited to announce a new feature that is the first-of-its-kind and one that we think will become a staple at Hulu going forward. One of the most exciting features we are launching today is the ability to comment on a specific moment in time while watching any video on Hulu, and with one click, instantly share those remarks — and the relevant video moment from the program — on Facebook for all your friends to see. When you comment on a Hulu video, that exact moment will appear on Facebook so your friends can jump in and react right away. And since friends can respond to your comments, you can have those water cooler conversations online at any time. We’ve been using this feature in test mode here at Hulu HQ for a bit…and we are officially addicted. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

@CNET's First Look At Google+

@Tekzilla Tip - Secret Amazon Price Drops!

Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) On The Death Of Osama bin Laden