Slashdot Mirror

Geoffrey writes "The recent movie Sunshine features a scene (echoing the famous scene in 2001: a Space Odyssey) in which two astronauts have to cross from one ship to another without spacesuits. But, can you survive in space without a spacesuit? Morgan Smith, writing in Slate, asks whether this is realistic, and concludes: "Yes, for a very short time.""

Space writes "The trailer for the upcoming movie Babylon 5: The Lost Tales — Voices in the Dark has been posted at the official Babylon 5 site. The movie's pre-production was mentioned in a previous discussion. For more on the creation of the film, the CG Society has an ongoing series of articles about the production's effects development."

Shakrai writes "CNN Money is running a story titled Icahn eyes Time Warner break-up. Carl Icahn is a fairly well known investor who is pushing to break the Time Warner empire into at least four different business units. While his motivation seems to stem from business interests -- he thinks it will work out better for Time Warner in the long run -- I thought it raised an interesting point of discussion. Will the vertically integrated media empires that control content creation, content distribution, internet access and the news media become the Ma Bells of the 21st century? What can be done to protect consumers without stifling the technological innovation that we all know is so important?"

This summer it seems like Massive games are the only good news going, and this week has been busy. R. Spencer writes "1UP explores MMO addiction and, in true confessional style, opens the floor to heavy users and recovered junkies. It's especially interesting how much the mechanisms of MMO addiction have in common with other forms of addiction. The primary source of addiction nowadays seems to be World of Warcraft. If you're jonesing right now, you might want to check out this Guide to the Creation of the Scarlet Monastery on the official site. Additionally, Mogg writes "For new players, GamerGod has a up part one of a guide to the game World of Warcraft." This is Tobold's first writerly foray at the new site. Luck to him. For something a little different, 1up explores the world of Sociolotron...a Sex MMOG. Speaking of sex, SOE has been busy lately. The end to the Quest for Antonia search is almost here. They've put up new details on future EQ2 content, and announced a dramatic downsizing of The Matrix Online. See, when no one plays, you don't need as many servers. The new content mob is rearing his head all over with Secrets of the Syren in the works on Star Wars Galaxies, CoH Issue 5 coming up soon, and screenshots from the next Guild Wars update available. MMORPG.com continues to put out interesting editorials, with a look at the stories in Massive Games. Finally, the highly respectable Nick Yee has published a new edition of The Daedalus Project. The seminal source of MMOG statistics on the web has articles on participation in games at the level cap, introductions to the genre, and the stress of loot. As always, participation in the survey helps ensure future issues have good data.

An anonymous reader writes "The V For Vendetta trailer has been posted on the film's official site. The film is written by Matrix creators Andy and Larry Wachowski and stars Hugo Weaving and fan favorite Star Wars star Natalie Portman."

bryan8m writes "The teaser trailer for the next installment of the Harry Potter series has hit the web. The clip begins with a bit of a flashback but quickly turns to the triwizard tournament with some amazing visuals. And there is new director (again): Mike Newell."

theodp writes "Defending his controversial Intellectual Ventures in a less-than-hard-hitting CNET interview, ex-Microsoft CTO Nathan Myhrvold finds it peculiar that some people get really wound up over patents. 'People generally don't have any problem with the patent system,' quipped Myhrvold, the inventor of Microsoft's patented Television scheduling system for displaying a grid representing scheduled layout and selecting a programming parameter for display or recording, which allows you to more efficiently select shows like Elimidate for viewing."

Another large, commercially built virtual world has launched. The MMORPG Matrix Online, based on the popular Matrix movie series, is now online and accepting red pills. From the launch announcement: "...a specialized role-playing live events team at Monolith will assume the roles of the actual Matrix characters and support the continuation of the game's storyline through choreographed interaction. Players will meet, battle and eventually team up with the familiar characters on high-profile missions or at player-organized events."

meltoast writes "The trailer for the Batman Begins is available on the Warner Brothers website. Also check out the pictures of the new Batmobile on the same site. All I can say is holy big tires, Batman!" The Batmobile design is reminiscent of the one from Dark Knight Returns, but I think I prefer it over the one Adam West used to cruise around in.

meltoast writes "The trailer for the Batman Begins is available on the Warner Brothers website. Also check out the pictures of the new Batmobile on the same site. All I can say is holy big tires, Batman!" The Batmobile design is reminiscent of the one from Dark Knight Returns, but I think I prefer it over the one Adam West used to cruise around in.

bot writes "A recent Slate article covers the onerous responsibilites of the Planetary Protection Officer. He is tasked with preventing contamination of earth by alien organisms, and 'forward contamination' (contamination of other planets with earth germs). There is also a published protocol (PDF link) for avoiding Martian bugs."

Thanks to Reuters for its report discussing America Online's embedding of AOL Instant Messenger in the forthcoming PC MMORPG, The Matrix Online. According to the story, which points out that "America Online and [game publisher] Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment [are] both units of Time Warner Inc", aliases will be created: "Players will be able to keep their in-game identities separate from their regular or instant-messenger personas, AOL said, by linking their in-game name to their instant-messenger screen name." It explains: "When players sign in to the messenger service, 'buddies' they have made from within the game will see their in-game name, rather than their regular AOL or AIM identity."

Thanks to GameSpy for its interview with the lead designer of The Matrix Online, featuring new details regarding the PC MMO which recently parted ways with original co-developer UbiSoft, meaning the newly rejuvenated Warner Bros. Interactive "...is now the sole publisher of the title." According to the article, the developers Monolith are utilizing a combat system called Interlock, where "...players have the opportunity to optimize their fighting technique by managing their move-by-move combat tactics, and performing combos and other special maneuvers. This is definitely not 'click and watch.'" There's more information at the official Matrix Online FAQ.

dark_lotus writes "The fine folks at The Matrix website, have re-encoded all 9 trailers from the original Matrix, bumped up the resolution and uploaded them for us to enjoy, including a never before released trailer. Also included, all the missing Reloaded and Revolutions Trailers and TV Spots - all now available to download."

dark_lotus writes "The fine folks at The Matrix website, have re-encoded all 9 trailers from the original Matrix, bumped up the resolution and uploaded them for us to enjoy, including a never before released trailer. Also included, all the missing Reloaded and Revolutions Trailers and TV Spots - all now available to download."

dark_lotus writes "The fine folks at The Matrix website, have re-encoded all 9 trailers from the original Matrix, bumped up the resolution and uploaded them for us to enjoy, including a never before released trailer. Also included, all the missing Reloaded and Revolutions Trailers and TV Spots - all now available to download."

Thanks to GameSpy for their feature discussing the large array of new MMORPGs due in 2004, as they suggest: "We're in the middle of an MMORPG gold rush, with companies hurtling headlong into the battle for your time, and more importantly, your monthly fee. The big question is whether there will be enough players to go around." Featured games include Everquest II (it's argued: "EverQuest players are a natural target audience that can't be ignored, but Sony obviously doesn't want players canceling their accounts to migrate to the sequel"), The Matrix Online ("When The Matrix Online actually goes online, how many people will still care?"), and World Of Warcraft ("Blizzard has never been known for innovation. Will this ultimately come across as just another MMO?")

shelleymonster writes "The Matrix Revolutions was released worldwide at 9 AM EST today. With a running time of 2 hr. 9 min., I'm expecting the /. reviews to start pouring in around 11:30. Since critics are saying things like, "Matrix finale could put you back in a coma," and, "The final episode is a slam-bang, dreary mess," I'm curious to hear some real fans' reactions." Many readers have pointed to the BBC's review; they were not amused. Were you? Update: 11/05 17:17 GMT by T : Read on for one reader's (spoiler-free) first impression. wickedweasel writes "Just came from one of the first showings of Matrix: Revolutions (Germany, don't know why, but it started 2:30 pm here) and came by to drop some comments (no spoilers). To cut it short: not even close to the first one, and honestly spoken way worse than the second one (which wasn't _that_ bad). The ones looking for cool action will hardly find any, neither will the ones who came for the story (like me) be satisfied. Only a few good scenes in and around Zion, some quite big plot holes and unfinished threads and, most important, an unsatisfying end, to say the least. I guess I'll be flamed for my opinion by the die-hard-fans, but hear this: I once considered myself one too until I saw this."

Thanks to GameSpy for their article discussing the realities of building MMOG world based on existing licenses. They point out: "The rush is on. Star Wars Galaxies, released this past summer, was only the beginning. Middle-Earth Online is gearing up to bring The Lord of the Rings to life... The Matrix Online, still secretive, is a real noodle bender: A virtual reality based on living life inside a virtual reality?" But, as Will Wright points out: "Books and movies are by definition very linear properties, as seen from a single protagonist's point of view. That's very hard to put into an online world." The article concludes: "Most agree that great licensed games have to be based on a sense of place, as opposed to character."

Escape Tangent writes "The full theatrical trailer for The Matrix: Revolutions was posted just moments ago at thematrix.com. Choose your poison, then oogle at the eyecandy. Here are links to the high, medium, and low resolutions. Sorry folks, Quicktime 6 only." This trailer is much longer than the earlier TV spots, but they're still available.

Escape Tangent writes "The full theatrical trailer for The Matrix: Revolutions was posted just moments ago at thematrix.com. Choose your poison, then oogle at the eyecandy. Here are links to the high, medium, and low resolutions. Sorry folks, Quicktime 6 only." This trailer is much longer than the earlier TV spots, but they're still available.

Escape Tangent writes "The full theatrical trailer for The Matrix: Revolutions was posted just moments ago at thematrix.com. Choose your poison, then oogle at the eyecandy. Here are links to the high, medium, and low resolutions. Sorry folks, Quicktime 6 only." This trailer is much longer than the earlier TV spots, but they're still available.

Escape Tangent writes "The full theatrical trailer for The Matrix: Revolutions was posted just moments ago at thematrix.com. Choose your poison, then oogle at the eyecandy. Here are links to the high, medium, and low resolutions. Sorry folks, Quicktime 6 only." This trailer is much longer than the earlier TV spots, but they're still available.

Malfourmed writes "The Sydney Morning Herald is running a story on web based comics and how the new medium can change the traditional "left-to-right in a rectangular frame" paradigm. Concentrating on the work of Scott McLoud it also mentions geek favourites Dilbert and The Matrix, among others. Micropayments are discussed, with the article claiming that after you pay your 25 cents "most of which goes straight to McCloud, cutting out the middlemen that make it difficult for comic artists to make a living from their work, and in the process doing justice to their talents." One of the more interesting sites discussed is the Oz Comics 24 Hour Gallery, the result of a competition in which artists had 24 hours to create an original, 24-page comic. So popular was the contest that the server suffered from a veritable slashdot effect."

aerojad writes "The new Matrix Revolutions trailer is now available for download (direct link) on the official site. If you have plugin/bandwidth issues, there are also BitTorrent links available. For those wondering, there is more to it than you saw at the end of Reloaded." In related news, an anonymous reader points to the BBC News report that: "The makers of the Matrix films are considering only promoting the third film, Matrix Revolutions, for next year's Oscars. Warners, which produced the films, had considered pushing for both of them to be nominated as a single entry because they were shot on the same 240-day shoot, but the academy refused."

aerojad writes "The new Matrix Revolutions trailer is now available for download (direct link) on the official site. If you have plugin/bandwidth issues, there are also BitTorrent links available. For those wondering, there is more to it than you saw at the end of Reloaded." In related news, an anonymous reader points to the BBC News report that: "The makers of the Matrix films are considering only promoting the third film, Matrix Revolutions, for next year's Oscars. Warners, which produced the films, had considered pushing for both of them to be nominated as a single entry because they were shot on the same 240-day shoot, but the academy refused."

An anonymous reader writes "As linked to in this post, Matrix: Online has been announced. The official site for the game describes it as a MMORPG of epic proportions as people will get to feel what it's like to be a part of the matrix realm. Although the details list lots of interesting information, the most important piece I found was in the FAQ section... where they state that the game takes place after Matrix Revolutions... Are they trying to hint at something?"

Thanks to Blue's News for pointing to the new official website for The Matrix Online. This massively multiplayer PC title, where you get to live, explore and fight within the machine construct of The Matrix, is courtesy Warner Brothers and Ubi Soft, and is being developed by Monolith (of No-One Lives Forever and Tron 2.0 fame) for a 2004 release. IGN.com has more details, and a healthy, if sensible, skepticism until they see the game playable. Finally, this project is completely separate from Shiny/Atari's Enter The Matrix game that we covered a little while back, and which is shipping into stores about now.

Devistater writes "The official Matrix page has word of the first officially released widescreen Anime episode of the Animatrix for download (in quicktime format). This is the first of 4 free episodes that will be released on the web. A total of 9 episodes will be availible for purchase on DVD within the next few months. The feature-quality anime shorts range in length from 6 minutes to 16 minutes. There's a trailer availible if you want to get a taste for what they will be like."

So, if you're a good, patriotic American, you're certainly watching the Superbowl right about now. The dot-com ads should be pretty much absent this year, but perhaps there will be something more interesting than ads for recycled movies. Maybe even the game will be worth watching. :) Update: 01/27 17:02 GMT by T : Chardish writes "If you didn't catch the trailer for The Matrix: Reloaded on the Superbowl last night, it's now available for download."

huh12312 writes "Illegal piraters have done it again. On Monday, the second movie in the acclaimed series of seven was leaked onto the internet to the horror of Warner Brothers. With so many blockbusters due out this holiday season this problem will only increase in the coming months." Also note that it will make millions and millions of dollars anyway. I'll probably be there opening night.

theefer writes "Harry Knowles from Ain't It Cool News has posted a link to the Harry Potter & Chamber of Secrets trailer. RealVideo, WindowsMedia and Quicktime versions available. Looks better than the first movie. Muggles, start your crossover plugins."

NeoCode writes "Like The Matrix? Like anime? Well, feast your eyes on this. The Matrix web site has released a preview trailer for Animatrix, a series of 9 anime stories set in the world of matrix, to be released on DVD. They are done rather beautifully, by the looks of the trailer, in both traditional anime and using computer graphics."

Staring at Nothing writes "In this ABC News story famed Hollywood director Steven Spielberg voices some concerns over the current state of privacy and paranoia in a post-9/11 world. Some of Spielberg's recent movies, like AI and Minority Report have brought us haunting views of the future, but the present may be just as scary. He mentions software being developed to monitor "abnormal behavior" and concerns about originality being misconstrued as dangerous behavior." The story has some minor plot spoilers about Minority Report.

cheinonen writes "Trying to steal away the thunder from the opening of Star Wars, the trailer for The Matrix Reloaded is online now in Quicktime format. Must say I'm looking forward to this far more than I'm looking forward to Episode 3."

divereigh writes: "The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that an Australian Federal court has decided this case in favour of the Australian Video Rental Association. The Association had taken Warner Home Video to court for trying to classify DVD's as software and thus double the price for those sold into the rental market."

rlsnow writes "Kubrick's (Spielberg's) upcoming movie AI has a promotional campaign to warm the hearts and blow the minds of puzzle-hungry science-fiction lovers everywhere; more than 3800 of them at last count, in fact. The group's latest accomplishment has been the development of a distributed computing client to brute force one of the more fiendish puzzles. The combined power of this group is pretty incredible -- the emergent phenomena of directed distributed cognition is startling. This may be the closest this many humans have come to developing a (somewhat focused) hive mind,, yet."

richardbowers writes: "An article released today on IGN claims that Microsoft has managed to get its hands on exclusive rights for Internet-based games using the Matrix license. According to the article, Microsoft lent Interplay five million dollars in exchange for this exclusivity and for a bunch of other contractual goodies - including characters, sound tracks, and other features that will not be included in other versions of the same game, thanks to the agreement. They also have to guarantee delivery of the game in the same time-frame as the release of the next sequel."