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Past games from Rockstar have featured antiheroes as main characters. In this game, the protagonist is a cop. What level of moral ambiguity is written into the character and the game as a whole?
L.A. Noire is very different from our other games in a lot of ways, and one of them is that Cole Phelps is a by-the-book detective, and so the game is designed with that in mind. He can only draw his weapon when fired upon, or to fire a warning shot, for example. That said, it wouldn’t be noir if there wasn’t some complexity to the character, but that’s part of the story arc of the game. We have tried, in the past, to ensure that our anti-heroes have some redeeming qualities, and equally in this game we have tried to give Phelps a few weaknesses so he is far from the whiter-than-white hero he presents himself as at the start of the game.
Actors were recorded in an environment akin to a high-tech science-fiction setting. How were they directed to deliver believable, and relatable, performances while sitting alone in a chair and soundproof room?
The MotionScan room houses a rig of 32 high-definition 2D cameras that shoot an actor’s head—and only the head—from every angle, and actors would focus their performances on a main bank of cameras set in front of them. It was definitely an alien process at first, but we discovered a way to help humanize the process and help the actors emote just by placing a small print of the Mona Lisa in front of them to act toward and provide a sight line. Using an external monitor and microphone, Brendan McNamara, the game’s writer and director, would feed the actors their lines and direct individual performances.
Soon, the actors were accustomed to the rig and delivered incredible performances. It was practically a second home.
What limitations does the system have?
Right now, the system can only capture facial performances, but there’s a potential for it to capture a lot more in the future.
Do you feel that you’ve conquered the uncanny valley?
There’s always more work to be done, but the work in L.A. Noire is a huge leap forward—there has never been a greater level of emotion and realism in a videogame. What’s incredible about this is that we didn’t achieve this simply by using CG characters in non-interactive cutscenes. Every character in the game—some 400 in all—was created with this technology, and it is present in every scene, whether you’re talking to your partner during a shootout or searching a crime scene for clues.
The character bodies use existing motion-capture technology. There’s thus a disconnect between how their faces and their bodies have been realized. Is this an issue for the believability of the world?
For both facial and body animations we have used the best available technology. The facial tech is newer, but we feel this only brings it close to the level of motion capture. Faces were where the great leap in detail is really needed. For years, developers have been able design characters that move realistically. We used modern motion-capture techniques to obtain the information on the bodies, and then connected the heads to them. The difference is, motion capture assembles data on the skeleton of a character—MotionScan is the literal transfer of a real actor’s performance into the world of the game.
How explicit is the game’s connection between police procedurals and cinematic or literary noir?
The game is designed to play out a lot like a classic police procedural, but styled and themed in the traditions of noir. The game takes place across five “desks” of the LAPD—Patrol, Traffic, Homicide, Vice and Arson. Each desk consists of three to six self-contained cases, each with their own unique challenges. The game itself references classic noir and neo-noir both literally and obliquely, but the key thread here is that almost everyone you meet is hiding something—and the Cole Phelps we meet at the beginning of the game is a very different man than he is when you finally finish.
More on L.A. Noire:
Dropping Bodies Into Computer-Generated Films
Gamer As Gumshoe
Motorola atrix 2
The Motorola Atrix 2 is a powerful smartphone with a unique spin thanks to being able to alter its use through the accessories bundle and hi-res screen, and it's nice to review something that isn't identical to the rest of the market.
We liked
The Motorola Atrix 2 is certainly a top-end phone. There are several useful accessories such as a GPS car mount, a Lapdock for charging the phone and using a webtop operating system, and another docking station that enables you to connect to an HD TV using an HDMI cable.
The 8MP camera is outstanding - videos and photos turned out clear and colourful. The phone is light and portable, with a bright screen, good battery life and a fast processor.
We disliked
The Motorola Atrix 2 pales a bit in comparison to the lighter and thinner Samsung Galaxy S2, the faster Galaxy Nexus and the iPhone 4S (which runs a bit faster for games).
The Motorola Atrix 2 has an older 1GHz processor instead of a 1.2GHz processor, there's no NFC chip and the screen isn't as bright as the AMOLED screen on the Samsung Galaxy S2.
The chassis is also a little chunky too - with the slimline business of the iPhones and Galaxys of this world, we can't stand too much heft, although this may appeal to those looking for something other than a wafer thin device.
Final verdict
The Motorola Atrix 2 falls a bit short of the best Android phones, but is in the same league. The phone runs fast, has a bright screen and lasts all day. But if we had to pick an Android phone, we'd either choose the Samsung Galaxy S2 or wait for the Galaxy Nexus - and the Motorola Razr is probably the superior device coming from the Moto brand.
FORT MEADE, Md. --Bradley Manning, the Army private who sent hundreds of thousands ofsecret U.S. government documents to WikiLeaks, was found not guilty onTuesday of the most serious charge against him -- aiding the enemy --but guilty of several other charges at a military trial in Fort Meade,Md.
Col.Denise Lind, the military judge in the case, made the ruling. Manninghad requested that a judge, not a jury, determine the verdict againsthim.
Lind found Manning guilty of five counts of theft, fivecounts of espionage, a computer fraud charge and other militaryinfractions.
Manning's sentencing hearing is set to beginWednesday. He still faces a potential 128 years in prison if he receivesthe maximum sentence for the charges on which he was convicted.
Inhis closing argument last week, military prosecutor Maj. Ashden Fein,told the court Manning was a traitor who joined the Army to stealgovernment documents, turn them over to the anti-secrecy organizationand enjoy adulation as a whistle blower.
Manning's lawyer, DavidCoombs, portrayed him as a soldier troubled by what he saw whiledeployed to Iraq and struggling as a gay man to serve before the repealof Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the policy that resulted in more than 14,000gay troops being discharged.
Manning, 25, had faced 21 charges,including the most serious - aiding the enemy, which carries a possiblesentence of up to life in prison. Manning has acknowledged givingWikiLeaks some 700,000 battlefield reports, diplomatic cables andvideos. But he says he didn't believe the information would harm troopsin Afghanistan and Iraq or threaten national security.
Theprosecution argued that Manning knew a- Qaeda terrorists could benefitfrom the leaks. Some of the information turned up in the search of Osamabin Laden's compound in Pakistan, they said.
Manning pleadedguilty in February to charges that he had misused classifiedinformation. Those charges carry a maximum term of 20 years in prison.
Manningwas a low-level intelligence analyst, working at a forward operatingbase in Iraq when he gained access to the files. He used his computersavvy to gain access to sensitive government documents andcommunications.
The material he released included footage of aU.S. Army helicopter attack in Iraq in 2007 that killed at least ninemen, including a Reuters journalist. Other documents revealed tepid for the government in Tunisia. Manning's supporters say thathelped bring about the revolution there that sparked the Arab Springmovement.
The verdict and sentence will be reviewed by thecommander of the Military District of Washington. A hearing on hissentence is set to begin Wednesday.
MATHEMATICA BOHEMICA, Vol. 121, No. 1, pp. 41-54, 1996
Two solutions for a nonlinear Dirichlet problem with positive forcing
J. Matos, L. Sanchez
J. Matos, L. Sanchez, Universidade de Lisboa, Centro de Matematica e Aplicac oes Fundamentais, Avenida Professor Gama Pinto, 2, 1699 - Lisboa Codex, Portugal
Abstract: Given a semilinear elliptic boundary value problem having the zero solution and where the nonlinearity crosses the first eigenvalue, we perturb it by a positive forcing term; we show the existence of two solutions under certain conditions that can be weakened in the onedimensional case.
Keywords: semilinear elliptic equations, multiple solutions, shooting method, variational methods
Classification (MSC91): 34B15, 35J25
Full text of the article:
Officials of several religious organizations, including the Presbyterian, Lutheran and Episcopal churches, sent an open letter to Congress yesterday opposing the proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
''Although we have differing opinions on rights for same-sex couples, we believe the Federal Marriage Amendment reflects a fundamental disregard for individual civil rights and ignores differences among our nation's many religious traditions,'' the letter said. The United Church of Christ and the Unitarian Universalist Association, which recognize same-sex marriages, also signed the letter. So did representatives of the Anti-Defamation League, the Union for Reform Judaism, the liberal Alliance of Baptists and the Quakers.
The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, helped orchestrate the letter. As United Church of Christ minister, he said, ''I am disturbed that even though I can perform a religious ritual to unite a same-gender couple, the state won't recognize it because some different religious group thinks I am theologically wrong.''
But Diane L. Knippers, president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, a group that seeks to push the liberal Protestant denominations in a more conservative direction, called the letter ''a blatant attempt by left-leaning religious leaders to undercut and intimidate other religious voices.'' She said the amendment would define marriage in civil law, not religious ritual.
Frogger Decades
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Recent posts about Frogger Decades
Frogger Decades Review
Just like Pac-Man, Frogger is a game that’s been remade and rebooted countless times. There have been sequels and spin-offs, but few that match the simple joy of the original. Frogger Decades is an attempt to celebrate the game’s 30th anniversary, and it does so surprisingly well. Decades takes what was great about the original and expands on it, making for a much more substantial experience.
There’s actually a story in the game, though it’s really just there to provide an excuse for Frogger to go on his adventure. It works though, and is in keeping with the anniversary theme. A cartoony Frogger– who looks a lot like Kermit the frog– is off to find his birthday surprise when a villainous crocodile rearranges his map, forcing him to take the more scenic, and dangerous, route.
At its most basic, the gameplay is the same as in the original Frogger. You can move one space at a time and the goal is to reach the end of the stage while avoiding a host of obstacles. Unlike the original, which had you crossing just a road and a river, Decades spans a total of 10 levels spread across five differently themed worlds. That may not sound like a lot, but completing each stage will likely take some time because Decades is decidedly difficult. As the game so helpfully pointed out, we died more than 70 times in one stage alone.
To get to the other side.
This is because the number of obstacles thrown Frogger’s way have increased substantially. There are enemies prowling about and moving platforms to deal with, in addition to the steady stream of traffic to navigate. The levels are also quite large but, thankfully, checkpoints are placed rather liberally throughout each. Even still, getting from one red flag to the next is almost always a difficult challenge.
To deal with this extended range of obstacles, Frogger’s own abilities have been increased as well. He can jump across gaps, leap high into the air, and even use his tongue to move boxes and crates. These abilities make Decades feel somewhat like a cross between the original Frogger and a more traditional platform game like Super Mario.
Unfortunately, while in theory controlling Frogger is quite simple, he doesn’t always do exactly what you want. To jump across gaps, for instance, you need to hold your finger for a moment and then swipe in the direction you wish to move. But sometimes Frogger would leap before we even swiped and in a seemingly random direction. The level design can also make the game harder than it needs to be, as occasionally things like bridges or train tracks will obscure parts of the screen. It’s not so bad when it’s simply hiding a fly, but when an enemy lurks about unseen it can be quite frustrating.
With its modern presentation and expanded gameplay, Frogger Decades is a Frogger sequel that’s actually worth playing. But just be sure you’re ready for a challenge, as the titular frog will get squished many, many times before you manage to find his birthday surprise.
discussion by
Microsoft's $1 Billion Xbox 360 Recall Problems Caused By Chip Cheapness
Microsoft's red ring Xbox 360 problems have cost the company about a billion dollars in warranty repairs, but the research vice president and chief analyst at Gartner said that the hardware problems were caused because Microsoft wanted to be cheap. Instead of using an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) vender to make a graphics chip for the 360, Microsoft decided to design it themselves and have Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing create it. This saved "tens of millions of dollars" in design costs. Yes, only tens of millions.
The good news is that when Microsoft said that their red ring problems are fixed on newer units, they were probably right. They went to "an unnamed ASIC vendor based in the United States and redesigned the chip." Probably ATI, is what EETimes thinks. Moral of the story is to not skimp on chip design so you can save tens of millions, because that may come back and bite you in the ass down the road. [EETimes]
Air TV vol. 1
ADV Films // Unrated // $29.98 // August 14, 2007
Review by Todd Douglass Jr. \| posted September 3, 2007
E - M A I L
this review to a friend
Graphical Version
The Show:
Air is a show with a rich background which includes visual novel games and manga. Consisting of 13 episodes the series began air-ing (pun intended) in 2005 and went on to receive a movie around the same time. I heard about the show shortly after it was released but I do have to say I wasn't expecting to see the amount of hype surrounding it. It would seem that quite the fan base has been formed within the American audience and though I hadn't seen any of the show I had plenty of expectations when it came time to watch it.
Yukito Kunisaki doesn't have much in the way of possessions or wealth. He has the shirt on his back, the dirty puppet in his pocket, and a story about a girl with wings, as told to him by his dead mother. The series begins unsuspectingly enough with Yukito traveling from town to town attempting to make money with his bizarre puppet show. You see, he has a small-ish telekinetic ability that allows him to control inanimate objects and make them walk around or dance. You'd think he'd make a killing with this skill but more often than not he's scoffed at by onlookers. One day Yukito wanders into a seaside town and finds more than he bargained for.
While gazing blearily at the sky and bemoaning his lack of food a girl happens by and startles him out of a daydream. The girl's name is Misuzu and she takes a liking to Yukito rather quickly. She offers to buy him something to snack on and even brings him home so that he can sleep beneath a roof for the night. At first he's opposed to it but she seems so genuine and her mother eventually warms up to the idea so he decides to be a freeloader.
Misuzu is a strange duck indeed. She has a tendency to make dinosaur noises, behaves much younger than she is, and has virtually no relationship with her mother whatsoever. Through circumstances Yukito basically becomes Misuzu's babysitter and makes sure that she doesn't get into trouble. While she's in school he spends his time trying to earn money with his puppet show, which is less than successful to say the least. Fortunately he manages to meet another strange young girl, her dog Potato, and through these events lands a job with the local doctor.
It is quite obvious early on that some things are not all that they seem to be. The latest young girl he has met wears a ribbon on her wrist and merely says that it is there to keep her from using magic. When Yukito and Misuzu stumble upon her at the town's shrine enrobed in light with visions of grassy fields dancing around her we know right away that something is amiss. In between the daily insanity of Yukito's life this is merely another unsolved mystery that continues throughout this introductory volume.
As things progress we meet several other characters as well. More of Misuzu's classmates show up and some of the adults in town have their own way of doing things and rewarding people. Throughout the four episodes here you'll get the sensation that something is amiss in this seaside village. There is something beneath the surface that defies explanation and as Yukito spends more time with these people this becomes evident.
Air definitely skirts many issues as it tells its serene and somewhat bizarre tale. Things are peculiar, yet comforting, and the world surrounding Yukito is certainly robust enough to draw you in. So far some of the characters are fairly stereotypical but the story is intriguing enough to allow for that. Overall my expectations were met but not exceeded in the case of Air. I'm interested in seeing where the series goes from here since this volume was a great launching point but with such a limited perspective on the show it's hard to gauge the quality at this juncture.
The DVD:
Air originally aired in 2005 and features a very up to date presentation with pristine artwork and an impressive technical side to things. ADV has released the show on DVD with an anamorphic widescreen presentation and the image is practically flawless. This is one of the most vibrant shows I have ever seen with a color palette that titillates the senses. Quite honestly there are few shows out there as rich looking as Air and from the ground up the design here is marvelous. Technically speaking the video quality suffers slightly from some softness and grain here and there but neither really detracts from the experience.
Considering Air is a dialogue driven show devoid of action of any variety I was very surprised to see 5.1 surround sound being available for both English and Japanese. A show like this could have gotten by with a 2.0 stereo track just fine but it seems that the producers wanted to make this project a labor of love. The extra attention to the sound pays off with a well-crafted sound field that draws you in with ambient noise and keeps dialogue and music separated nicely. The sense of immersion isn't the greatest but it's certainly better than I was expecting when going into the show.
Clean animations and some trailers for other ADV products are all that you're going to find on the first volume of Air.
Final Thoughts:
Air is a highly unusual show that capitalizes on its detailed atmosphere and level of intrigue. So many aspects of the first four episodes are minimal in terms of how they are presented, yet somehow they all come together to craft an interesting and somewhat evasive story. The slow pacing and seeming lack of direction gives the world and characters the time they need to grow beyond their stereotypes but nothing satisfactory happens in this installment. I'm certain that every little detail is leading up to something much grander in scope by until we get there Air has the potential to merely string you along with a certain amount of frustration. For now this is a promising looking series with a strong start so we're going to recommend it.
Baptism By Lre
J.H. Patel's airbus ministry steadies after a turbulent take-off
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WHEN Chief Minister J.H. Patel announced his 45-member cabinet, he thought he had pulled off the ultimate balancing act. Every third party MLA was now a minister, and this was the biggest cabinet in Karnataka's history after Veerappa Moily's 46-member circus. But Patel couldn't have been more wrong.
Barely hours after the swearing-in on June 5, four dejected aspirants sent in their resignation letters to Speaker Ramesh Kumar.
Rebel MLAs may get plum state posts. Bigger carrots are being dangled in front of Manjunath and the Patils.
The next morning the number had swollen to 10. By evening, there were 17, including three incumbent ministers and three MLAs who were ministers under H.D. Deve Gowda. Crisis had struck the six-day-old Patel Government and the jubilation of having a Kannadiga prime minister paled.
"I'm not protesting because I wasn't reinducted. My grouse is: the party image has suffered because of the way the jumbo cabinet was constituted," says D. Manjunath, a Dalit leader who was minister for higher education under Gowda. Former ministers A.B. Patil and Vaijyanath Patil latched on to the ruse and said that they were unhappy about the severe regional imbalances caused by the unilateral choices Patel had made. "This council is the result of four paley -gars (chieftains)," quips Manjunath, who is not among those who resigned but is still their rallying point.
Though the number of rebellion-minded MLAs who took the cue was surprising, the reaction of Manjunath and Patil was predictable. For, goaded on by pressure groups in the party, Patel had turned things around a bit drastically—dropping nine ministers from Gowda's council of 31 and inducting 23 new faces.
Trouble had started brewing the morning before Patel was sworn in. A hurried debate was held to throw up some names to be sworn in alongside him, but in vain. Next morning, Patel and deputy Siddaramaiah flew to Delhi and returned with a list of 35 names, including nominees of Gowda and Hegde. At the swearing-in that evening, the list had swelled to 43.
The revolt was obviously unplanned. The rebels had neither a common platform nor an action plan. Even their resignation letters were flawed, leading to doubts about their seriousness. Says the Speaker: "I received 10 resignation letters and four others conveyed their resignation on the phone. But none has given a letter in the prescribed form. Technically, I haven't received a single resignation letter." Instead of a one-line saying that they were quitting their assembly seats, the MLAs had written a page or two about how they had been mistreated.
Patel, on his part, waxes belligerent: "Those who want to resign can resign. I won't succumb to blackmail." He even hints at disciplinary action. All this has left the rebels stumped. The Janata Dal, after all, has just a wafer-thin majority of 116 in a House of 224 and the rebels had expected Patel to go on the defensive.
Ramakrishna Hegde, still sulking over the 'snub' he received when arch-rival Gowda was elevated, chose to distance himself from the goings-on though Gowda's men accuse him of instigating the crisis to unsettle the prime minister. Says he: "It's a storm in a teacup, it will blow over." Gowda decided on a more hands-on approach. He contacted the Speaker and asked him not to act till he (Gowda) talked to the MLAs. Gowda then assured the rebels that he would hear their case after passing the June 11 vote of confidence in the Lok Sabha. Gowda, says a senior JD leader, offered Manjunath the state party chief's post, and even governorship. Though he declined both, he agreed to wait till June 11 and talk to Gowda.

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