UMG10k - Black Ops II Tournament

Since I live fairly close to Downer's Grove, Illinois, I was fortunate enough to make an appearance at the $10,000 Black Ops II Tournament at Game Pazzo this past weekend. I was able to attend both on Saturday as well as on Sunday. I believe Friday they conducted some of the FFA matches due to such a large number of players entering the FFA portion of the Tournament.

It turned out to be a very large venue with 60+ teams (4 players each), a lot of 2 player teams for the 2v2 Tournament portion, and 40+ FFA players for the FFA Tournament portion. I myself entered the FFA Tournament but didn't do very well (I still had a blast entering). Some of the professional MLG teams that were in attendance included;
OpTic Gaming
compLexity
UNiTE.NA
Fariko
FeaR
EnvyUs
Obey
I can't list them all and to be honest I am not totally familiar with the competitive COD (Call of Duty) scene as this was my first appearance at a Tournament. This event wasn't sponsored by Major League Gaming (MLG), it was only a local LAN but with that said the turn out was enormous. You can check out the bracket for the tournament HERE.

In the 4v4 portion of the Tournament, Team OpTic Gaming ended up taking the prize. There team consisted of NadeShot, Scump, BigTymer, and Merk. They played Team compLexity late Sunday evening. CompLexity recently won the Frag Cup 4 and were expected to sweep through the winners bracket but took a loss on Saturday in the second round against an up an coming AM Team, SoaR, and had to fight their way back within the losers bracket.

In the 2v2 portion of the Tournament, Team Big Reindeer, who consisted of BrianSaintt and SoaRMethodz (twitter handles), pulled off the victory over Team New Breed who consisted of FolsomnV and nbShamRokz (twitter handles).

The winner of the FFA portion of the Tournament went to Ricky Stacy, @MLGRickyyy (twitter handle) according to a tweet I received from UMGGAMING. I also received a confirmation via twitter from Ricky.

You can check out all the pictures I was able to take at the event HERE. I also have plenty of YouTube videos I am working on of LIVE footage I took during the event.

-Ubu out

Skype offering FREE world calling for a month

Skype is offering 1 month of their best services for FREE.

This is includes FREE unlimited worldwide calling to anyone with a landline in over 40 countries and 7 countries for mobile phone numbers, including the United States and Canada. You can also get up to 10 people together within the same video group call. Another great feature included is screen sharing which allows for helping others with computer issues or showing locally stored photos to family and friends. Plus you'll get everything else included in Skype Premium, including one-to-one customer support.

There's even a Skype client for Linux, I am using it within Xubuntu 12.04 as we speak. So what are you waiting for, now is the time to take advantage of this FREE offer from Skype to finally try out all it's features.

-Ubu out

Gmail voice calls remain free for 2013

Were you even aware that if you have a Gmail email account that you can talk to other Gmail users via voice and video? You certainly can using Google's VOIP service within Gmail. See photo to the right, the little phone handset symbol toward the lower half of the picture allows for both voice and video chatting similar to Skype.

It will remain free of charge for calls within the United States and Canada in 2013. A note on the Gmail blog announced this on December 26, 2012.

There are several clients that can utilize the Google Talk feature on moble phones, for instance Vtok for iOS allows me to make a VOIP call to anyone in my Gmail address book. It would be considered data usage so be sure to check what your data plan limits are.

I am glad Google is continuing to provide this feature for free, it allows for calling long distance relatives much cheaper then using a long distance service provider.

-Ubu out

Why should you try Linux?

Many people use operating systems such as Windows or OS X merely because it came installed on the computer they purchased. Have you ever considered using Linux? There are many reasons to give Linux a try and below I will go over 5 of the main reasons I feel someone should at least try Linux at some point or another.

It works on old hardware. If you have an older computer that you're not quite sure what to do with, Linux can give it new life. You might for instance, use a Linux distribution to turn an older computer into a media file server to have a centralized location for all your media.

It's highly customizable. As with other operating systems, it's possible to customize Linux to look the way you would like it to look. If you don't like the desktop environment that came with the Linux distribution you installed then you can just install a different one without having to do a total new installation.

Tinkering with it provides an opportunity to learn. I will be the first to admit that the learning curve for Linux is pretty high BUT the community of the more popular Linux distributions are great and many are eager to help out newby usrs. For instance, Ubuntu has a great community over at their forums.

There's a wide variety of distributions available. If you downloaded one and didn't like the way it looked or for whatever reason, there are so many different Linux distributions out there that there will certainly be something for everyone. As I mentioned already, if you don't like just a few things within it you can customize it.

It's FREE to download and use. You can't really argue with FREE. All that one has to do is download the .iso file and write the image to a cd, dvd, or usb stick depending on the size of the .iso.

I hope that the reasons I have explained above convince you in at least trying a Linux distribution at some point and something I didn't mention is that you can just "try" them out from a live cd or a live usb without affecting your currently installed OS at all.

-Ubu out

EA using YouTube stars to promote BF3

The Examiner has just released a juicy post about how EA is using YouTube stars such as TmarTn, Woodysgamertag, and Whiteboy7thst to promote Battlefield 3 instead of their latest release, Medal of Honor: Warfighter.

I don't know where The Examiner has gotten their information from BUT I don't see any Battlefield 3 videos on neither Woody's nor TmarTn's channel. I do however see Whiteboy posting a lot of Battlefield 3 gameplay of their latest Expansion Pack entitled, "Aftermath".

To quote one of there comments on the post, "So for anyone wondering why commentators like Whiteboy7thst, Woodysgamertag, and Tmartn randomly obtained this incredible passion for "Battlefield 3", now you know why. I don't blame them though, as this is a lively hood for them, no matter how shameless it may seem."

These are some pretty serious accusations and hopefully the community finds out the truth sooner or later. I myself could care less one way or the other but it is a little alarming to know that it's "possible" that these YouTube stars tell you to play a game because it's good when in fact the only real reason is because they are told to promote the game.

-Ubu out

Dropbox 2.0 for iOS

Those that aren't familiar with Dropbox, it's a personal cloud storage location for any type of file you would like to store in the cloud. There are Dropbox clients for Windows, OS X, Linux, and mobile. Dropbox can keep all those devices in sync with each other.

They just released an updated version for iOS which now incorporates a dedicated Photos tab. The panel organizes photos by the time taken and offers a full-screen mode for showing photos off to friends. There is even a setting to have your photos taken auto-upload to a Dropbox folder if you so choose. The Android client with this feature is currently only in BETA form.

I use Dropbox to store files I may need with me out in the world so at any time I can log in to a web browser and retrieve my files if needed. And since I have it installed on my iPhone 4S I can always email or send any file from my iPhone to anyone I want. Example would be sending your resume and references to a potential employer. Dropbox has a referral program so if you do sign up for Dropbox mention that you were referred by me, ubuntuaddictedubu@gmail.com and I will receive extra free storage space I would be very grateful.

-Ubu out

Shank 2 - Let's Play

I had mentioned previously that I purchased the Humble Bundle 7 for $15 US dollars. I am really enjoying Shank 2, a side-scroller type game where you engage enemies along the way.

I have decided since I am enjoying it so much that I would capture my journey on video and upload to my YouTube channel so that you too can join in on the fun so to speak.

If you enjoy the Let's Play please be sure to LIKE the videos and share with your friends as it lets me know my subscribers interest.

-Ubu out

Humble Bundle 7 - Linux Games

Those who aren't familiar with what the Humble Bundle is, it's a series of collections of video games, music albums, ebooks, or videos that are sold and distributed online at a price determined by the purchaser. In lamens terms that means, YOU get to pay what you want for the bundle of items. They are generally cross platform as well meaning they are many times compatible with Windows, OS X, and Linux. You can divide up the money you pay between the developers, the EFF and Child’s Play Charity, and the Humble Indie Bundle operation itself.

Humble Bundle 7 was released on December 19, 2012. It has 6 games and 1 movie: Snapshot, The Binding of Isaac, Closure, and Shank 2 are the bundle’s core games, and Indie Game: The Movie is a full-length documentary about the process of making an indie game. You can pay what you want, but if you pay more than the average you’ll get Dungeon Defenders and Legend of Grimrock as well. You also get the game soundtracks.

I paid $15 for the bundle and tried out Snapshot, Shank 2, Closure, and Legend of Grimrock which makes my $15 investment well worth it. Closure opens but only displays a black screen so I am not sure of it's compatibility with Linux. The other games all worked within Xubuntu 12.04. I was able to easily install them by clicking on the link which then opens them up within the Ubuntu Software Center.

Unfortunately Dungeon Defenders is over Ubuntus current size limit and Binding of Isac declined to make the game available. Either way you get 3 games (that work in Xubuntu 12.04), an Indie Game movie, and the game soundtracks all for whatever you want to pay. Seems like a great deal to me. You can get your bundle as well HERE.

-Ubu out

Steam for Linux BETA now open to public

On December 13th I mentioned that the BETA Steam for Linux was going to be opening up to the public, well now it's official.

Steam for Linux BETA requires Ubuntu 12.04 or higher. Over time, the client will be available for other Linux distro's as well.

Current users will need to update their application, while new users can download from the Steam Linux website.

-Ubu out

#OSCEASEFIRE - Online Gamer Ceasfire?

Apparently some gamers have chosen to put the controller down on December 21, 2012 to show support for the Newtown, CT shooting victims.

Pearman, who is the CEO and Founder of GamerFitNation, is organizing an online cease fire for this coming Friday. He wants all gamers to stop firing virtual bullets to honor those whe were killed by real bullets last Friday. "I wanted to make a statement. I wanted gamers to come together to say we don't accept this. This doesn't say we blame video games. We just believe this is for us to do to show respect to the victims. It's a small sacrifice for a day," Pearman told ABC News.

I, myself, am not sure if I will be putting down the controller on Friday due only in part to the fact that I don't feel video games influence nutcases anymore then television does. The media is always quick to jump on an easy scape goat like the video game industry when something tragic happens. Violent video games are rated "M" for mature and only 17+ year olds can purchase it. Being 17 means that the person has the mental capacity to know right from wrong, to know what's real and fake within a video game. If an adult is mentally hanicap in some fashion and idolizes video game violence it's no different then seeing violence on our televisions. Someone is responsible to ensure that said mentally handicap'd person is taught correctly.

No matter what it's a very sad tragedy. My household has been burning candles and saying prayers for all those affected by this horrific incident. Will you join the #OSCEASEFIRE on Friday?

-Ubu out

YouTube Capture - Easily share video from iDevices

Google has released an app currently only available for iPhones and iPads. It's called YouTube Capture.

YouTube Capture allows you to record and easily share your recording straight from your iPhone or iPad to your YouTube channel. It has functions for color correction and stabilization in case you're shaky when you record what you want to share. It also allows you to trim off sections from the beginning or the end of the video right within the app.

This little app will allow blogs to be captured and shared more easily now. I think it's a neat little app!

-Ubu out

Raspberry Pi and an App Store?

Yes, the Raspberry Pi Foundation has unveiled the Pi Store with help from their partners IndieCity and Velocix. It will act as a one stop shop for users of the tiny computer. If you're not familiar with what a Raspberry Pi is then go read about it HERE.

The Pi Store will make it easier for developers to share their games, applications, tools and tutorials with the rest of the community. It's an easier way into the Raspberry Pi experience for total beginners, who will find everything they need to get going in one place, for FREE.

The store runs as an X application under Raspbian and will allow users to download content and to upload their own contect for moderation and release. If you're using the official operating system image, the Pi Store will already be installed on your Raspberry Pi, but if you need to reinstall it you can download it from the official repository. Open a terminal window and type in the following:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install pistore

You can also access the Pi Store HERE. They already have 23 free titles in the store, ranging from utilities like LibreOffice to classic games like Freeciv.

Almost all Operating Systems now days have location(s) to get software from and it's nice to see the Raspberry Pi gets it own store and a convienent client to access the store which will make it easier for users to get applications, games, and tutorials.

-Ubu out

Black Ops II - Dec 8th Patch Details

For those of you that aren't aware I have a YouTube channel where I put up either vidoe blogs or gameplay with commentaries, most times of the latest Call of Duty released. Well on December 8th, 2012 Treyarch released a very significant patch for their latest title Black Ops II. Among bug fixes they have "nerfed" (make less powerful) many guns that the community was claiming to be too powerful and make the game unfair for those using them. In this video I detail out every single patch that came to Xbox 360 on the 8th. Hope you enjoy and if so, leave a rating and share with your friends. 

-Ubu out

Steam for Linux finally opening up the BETA

Steam for Linux is finally opening up the BETA to the public next week after a short month+ long limited BETA.

Valve is stating that the stability of the client is allowing them to open up the BETA to more users. In a message they wrote to the closed Steam for Linux Mailing List they state, "The Open BETA will be available to the public and will increase the current population from 80K to a higher number."

System requirements for some Linux games are now being listed within the Steam Store.
Game developers are being encouraged to submit their "minimum" and "recommended" System Requirements to Valve for publishing 'ASAP'. Below is a list of just some of the titles that are available for Linux currently;
     -Amnesia
     -Dynamite Jack
     -Eversion
     -iBomber Attack
     -Killing Floor
     -Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45
     -Serious Sam 3: BFE (I already purchased this one for a mere $9.99)
     -Sword & Sworcery
     -The Book of Unwritten Tales: The Critter Chronicles
     -World of Goo

I am very excited to see Steam come to Linux which will only make Linux gaming increase as a whole

-Ubu out

Black Ops 2 - DOUBLE XP - 12/14 thru 12/17

It's hear again, David Vanderhaar has announced on twitter that this coming weekend will be DOUBLE XP on all platforms for Black Ops II. I emailed myself the tweet and here's the picture of the tweet;

Now PUSH THAT BUTTON again. I know I'll finally be pushing it.

-Ubu out

Founder of GNU shuns Ubuntu - Claims Spyware

The founding member of the Free Software Foundation, Richard Stallman, is advocating the rejection of the Ubuntu distribution, claiming the latest version contains dangerous surveillance code in his recent blog post.

When the user searches their own local files for a string using the Ubuntu desktop, Ubuntu sends that string to one of Canonical's servers. Canonical is the company that develops Ubuntu. Stallman states, "This is just like the first surveillance practice I learned about in Windows." Ubuntu uses the information about searches to show the user ads to buy various things from Amazon.

Stallman writes, "The ads are not the problem, the main issue is the spying. Canonical says it does not tell Amazon who searched for what. However, it is just as bad for Canonical to collect your personal information as it would be for Amazon to collect it. Free software is suppose to give the user a chance to protect themselves from malicious software behaviors."

Proprietary software is associated with malicious treatment of the user; surveillance code, digital handcuffs (DRM or Digital Rights Management) to restrict users, and back doors that can do nasty things under remote control. Widely used examples include Windows, the iDevices, and the Amazon "Kindle" product for virtual book burning, which do all three. Macintosh and the Playstation 3 which impose DRM; most portable phones, which do spying and have back doors; Adobe Flash Player, which does spying and enforces DRM; and plenty of apps for iDevices and Android, which are guilty of one or more of these nasty practices.

Canonical does offer a way to turn the Amazon search results off. In it's own defense, they claim the revenue received from Amazon for including products links in Ubuntu search results is an important source of funds, and that it benefits the Linux community because the money goes toward developing open source software. Stallman doesn't agree and states, "Any excuse Canonical offers is inadequate; even if it used all the money it gets from Amazon to develop free software, that can hardly overcome what free software will lose if it ceases to offer an effective way to avoid abuse of it's users."

Personally, I don't feel it's that big of a deal since I can turn it off. You can as well, go to System Settings > Privacy > Inlcude Online results in search > OFF. I have always been a proponent of FOSS (Free Open Source Software) and will always prefer it over commercially available titles. How do you feel about it, is it as big a deal as Stallman is making it out to be? This is big news in the Free Software world because Ubuntu is the most widely used Desktop Linux distribution and Stallman is making waves.
-Ubu out

iPhone 4S and 5 Now $50 cheaper

Best Buy has a $50.00 off discount on the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 now until January 5th, 2012. Unfortunately it only applies to sales when a 2 year contract is signed with Verizon or AT&T.

The deal brings the pricing down to as follows;
iPhone 5
64GB = $299.99
32GB = $249.99
16GB = $149.99

iPhone 4S
64GB =$199.99
32GB = $149.99
16GB = $49.99

For those Holiday shoppers looking for an iPhone on either Verizon or AT&T networks, Best Buy is the place to buy!

-Ubu out

Elgato Game Capture HD Software Update - Version 1.2

Elgato Game Capture HD software has been updated to version 1.2.

For those that are unfamiliar with what an Elgato Game Capture HD device is, it allows for recording of un-encrypted HDMI signals and also now for Live Streaming to Twitch.tv. It has a USB 2.0 interface which is compatible with Windows 7/8 and Mac OS X 10.7 or newer. Inputs include Xbox 360 (un-encrypted HDMI), Playstation 3 (A/V In), and Wii-U (un-encrypted HDMI). It outputs via an HDMI pass-through. Supported resolutions are 1080p (simultaneous 60 fps pass-through and 30 fps capture), 1080i, 720p (60 or 30 fps capture), and 576p.

The software has been updated to include live streaming straight to Twitch.tv as well as still allowing you to capture simultaneously. It now has a built in Live Commentary feature where it can record any microphone connected to your computer. You can find a balance with the game audio and even automatically lower the volume of the game when you speak.

Now you can also connect a standard definition gaming system to capture and even stream retro gaming systems. You can use the included component adapter to connect the composite output of your console, and still leave your TV connected via HDMI.

You can even capture your iPad or iPhone gameplay and even automatically crop the capture to the size of your app. With digital gain, you can now better control the volume of your game audio. There's a lot you can tweak, but with collapsible section and the new tabbed settings window, you'll see that finding options you want has never been easier.

Download the updated application HERE.

-Ubu out

iOS Youtube App Update - Finally......

Yesterday, December 4th 2012, YouTube rolled out an updated version of their App which is said to be optimized for the iPad and Iphone 5.

Per the description within the App update on my iPhone 4S the updates, version 1.1.0.4136, includes;
-Streaming video with AirPlay
-Tap logo to open your Guide of channels
-Add and remove videos from your playlists
-Clickable links in video descriptions (I know that's a welcome addition for me)
-Improved accessibility with VoiceOver

The YouTube app was pre-loaded by default on all iPhones since 2007 but recently with iOS 6.0 Apple dropped it and it made it's debut within the Apple Store in September of this year.

Having a standalone App allows YouTube to provide updates to it's App like it did with this one instead of having to wait for an iOS update like in the past.  The free updated App is available now in the App Store so what are you waiting for, go download that update!

-Ubu out

Ubuntu 17" Gaming Laptop - Bonobo Extreme

System76 has unveiled what their CEO, Carl Richell, is dubbing as the "Worlds Fastest Ubuntu Laptop" and it's called The Bonobo Extreme.

The laptop has a large full-HD 17.3" backlit display. The stock CPU is an Intel i7 @ 2.6Ghz, which is a Quad core, but you can upgrade to a i7-3940XM Extreme CPU @ 3.00Ghz for another $530.00 approximately. The big reason this is a gaming laptop is due to it's dedicated GPU where the base model has an nVidia GeForce GTX 670MX with 3GB of DDR5 RAM and 960 CUDA Cores. Again there is an upgrade option to a GeForce 680M with 4GB of DDR5 RAM and 1344 CUDA cores for about $134.00 more. There's a full-sized backlit keyboard which is a nice feature for dark room

The only downside I see to this laptop is the weight, it comes in at a whooping 8.6lbs. But for the amount of power this laptop has in it it's a small price to pay to be able to play those high frames per second games on the move. It currently costs $1499 and that's with System76's Christmas promotion so who knows how long it will last. Head on over to System76's website and pick yourself up one.

-Ubu out

Control Ubuntu remotely from iDevice or Android

Have you ever been far away from your Ubuntu Linux server and the only device you had on hand was your Android or Apple iOS device? Well, Splashtop is working on Splashtop Streamer for Linux.

The beta Splashtop Streamer, when used with Splashtop 2, a remote desktop applicaton for Android devices, iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch, will enable you to connect remotely to Ubuntu 12.04 systems. Unfortunately it does not currently cover other versions of Linux or Ubuntu.

Splashtop is claiming that for Ubuntu users, Splashtop Streamer offers a supercharged, high-performance alternative to VNC (Virtual Network Computing) and other remote desktop software. Due to it's efficient protocol, algorithms and optimaizations, Splashtop has been shown in performance benchmarks to deliver up to 15x higher video frame rates and up to 10x lower latency times then it's competition.

Splashtop Streamer for Ubuntu is designed to enable users to remotely connect to an Ubuntu computer and do the following:
-View and edit files remotely (no transferring or syncing)
-Run favorite programs
-Stream music collection
-Watch videos at up to 30 frames per second with low latency
-Perform on the fly trans-coding of various video and audio formats
-Play graphics intensive games
-Use input methods for typing characters in various languages

I can't wait to try this out with my iPhone 4S and my Sony Vaio laptop which runs 12.04. It would be hilarious if I randomly turned on some music while my girlfriend was sitting next to the laptop, it surely would scare her to death.

-Ubu out

Skype iOS Update - Signing in with MS Accounts

Microsoft-owned Skype updated it's iOS application today, November 28, 2012. With this update you can now sign into Skype using your Microsoft account credentials, ie Hotmail, Messenger, or Outlook.com.

Signing into Skype with a Microsoft account will transport a user's contacts over automatically. From the app, iOS users will be able to have instant message chats with their Messenger, Hotmail, and Outlook contacts.

Don't have a Skype account? Skype 4.2 is available for free in the App Store for both iPad as well as iPhone.

You can now tap and hold on instant messages to edit and delete them, choose emoticons while typing a message, and edit saved phone numbers right from the dial pad. The update also brings some bug fixes.

Seems like a natural addition for Microsoft to do this since they are phazing out Microsoft Messenger.

-Ubu out

Gmail users can now send 10GB Files

Google announced Tuesday (November 27, 2012) that it will be integrating Google Drive into Gmail. This will allow a Gmail user to send files up to a massive 10GB in size over email.
There's a new button in Gmail's compose window that will give the user the ability to attach a file from their Google Drive account rather then attaching the file directly, which we all know a lot of email services have very restrictive file size limits.
Once it's attached, Gmail will ensure that your recipient has permission to view the file in your Drive account or will prompt you to grant that permission and then it sends the message.
The feature works for links to items stored in your Google Drive account as well as the files you attach. Since this is essentially you sharing a link to the file in the cloud rather then the file itself, you can continue to update it and those updates will show up for your recipient as well.
Each Google Drive user is granted 5GB of free storage from Google. In order to store and send files larger then 5GB users will be required to purchase additional Google Drive storage space. You can purchase 25GB for $2.49/month or 100GB for $4.99/month. Do you use Google Drive? If not you should!

-Ubu out

Wii Mini - Leaked by Best Buy?

Seems strange that Nintendo would let Best Buy debut their product but they have a full blog post discussing the Wii Mini. It doesn’t have internet capability or play Gamecube games, but besides that, is a perfectly functional miniature Wii.
Best Buy will be carrying the Nintendo Wii Mini starting on December 7^th and will be taking pre-orders later today (November 27th.)
I find it very strange for Nintendo to release a mini of their Wii considering they just released a brand new console called the WiiU. This may cause confussion for non-gamer types during the holiday shopping season.
What about you, do you own a Wii? Would you consider buying the Wii Mini for a lower cost of only $99 versus the normal Wii Gaming Bundles costing anywhere from $125.00 to $250.00?

-Ubu out

XBOX 720 rumors

Xbox World, a U.K. based magazine, has an article on the upcoming next generation console from Microsoft. Microsoft's Xbox 720 will unveil a new version of Kinect, a Blu-ray drive, and an A/V port for watching and recording broadcast TV.

CREDIT: XBOX WORLD

The latest issue of Xbox World dug up several reported specs on Microsoft's next console.
-The Xbox 720 will introduce Kinect 2.0.
-The rumor of a Blu-ray drive has been touted for a few years now.
-To mention a few other thing it will include directional audio, an input and output for watching and recording TV shows, and an "innovative controller".
-Last February, Xbox World said that the redesigned controller would come with a built-in HD touch screen.
-Microsoft is also eyeing AR (augmented reality) glasses for the 720 at some future stage.

The new Xbox would be powered by a CPU with "four hardware cores, each divided into four logical cores" and 8GB of RAM.

The Xbox 360 has been out since around 2005 with no real new hardware specifications so I'm very excited the read news about Microsoft's newest upcoming console.

Black Op 2 - DOUBLE XP Nov. 16-18

Treyarch just announced that they started their Double XP launch weekend. Across all platforms including Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC. To be eligible however you needed to have pre-ordered Black Ops II and have redeemed your Nuketown 2025 code that came in the box.

Call of Duty official twitter account tweeted the following;

"Double XP Launch Weekend starts NOW! Pre-Ordered #BlackOps2? Download Nuketown 2025 to get 2XP on all playlists"

And it's a bit different than previously COD Double XP weekends, instead of getting 2X the score per kill, your XP will be doubled after match is over. This makes sense due to now getting XP for capping flags, defending flags, etc etc versus just for kills like previous COD's.

See you on the battlefield.

-Ubu out

This weekend, Midwest Gaming Classic

I hope that none of you missed my previous post about the Midwest Gaming Classic.
Officially it starts tomorrow morning at 10am, 3-24-12, and goes until 8pm. Admission is $20.
Sunday it goes from 10am until 5pm but admission is only $10 because it's family day.
It's no PAX as far as attendance but the 2 gentlemen that started it back in 2001 put their hear and sole into making it the best gaming show they can. It continues to grow in attendance numbers and new activities every year.
I look forward to seeing everyone there as there is something from everyone. From gaming vendors, free arcade games to try and play to tournaments.

More info here: http://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/

St. Patricks Day

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY. That is all.........

'_'
*

New YouTube layout should be OPTIONAL, petition

YouTube's "new" layout will be forced upon the entire YouTube community. Many don't like it merely because they are used to creating backgrounds for the "old" layout. Myself, I don't care. It will require many channels to have to go get a new background and I do YouTube backgrounds so it may be some work for UbuTech LLC so it's ok with me. Many YouTube channels are kids or people without the skill required to create GFX or even spend money so there's a petition to make the new YouTube layout be optional.

Go HERE and sign it IF it matters to you.

Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (Precise Pangolin) Beta 1 Released

I'm very excited about this new LTS (Long Term Support) version of my favorite operating system Ubuntu. There's many changes that are needed IMO from past versions of Ubuntu but most of all, it's finally another LTS release.
My home computer environment requires stability for many reasons but the main one is whats commonly referred to as the "WAC" factor. That stands for "Wife and Child" factor. Meaning as long as everything (media streaming wise as well as MythTV) is running good they're happy. So my home network must be stable and always online.

You can find the BETA for download at the normal locations so go get it and put it in a VM. Post comments on what you like and don't.

PS this is posted from my iPhone so I will post links later when at my workstation.

Your Privacy and Google, BEWARE

Starting March 1, Google unified its privacy polices to share the data it collects about users between all of its products.

How does this affect you? You can minimize it's impact if you follow a few simple tips to protect yourself from the web browsing information collecting vacuum that all Google services will be. Some services include Google+ and YouTube, among many others.

LifeHacker has already done a great write up on it and can be read HERE

Black Ops 2 - November 2012 Release - Fact or Rumor

Black Ops 2 will be the sequel to Treyarch's biggest selling Call of Duty release to date. In excited for another 3ARC release as its much slower game play and not die spawn die spawn die like the Infinity Ward Call of Duties.

I got my info HERE

Windows 8 consumer preview NOW AVAILABLE

You've been waiting and waiting. You may have even ran the developers version of Windows 8 in a VM. Well your wait is over. The consumer preview (MS is calling it a Pre-release version) is available for download.

More info HERE

Profit with Piracy - Shame Shame on you

"Don't copy that Floppy!" Who remembers that advertisement back when a 3.5" or 5.5" Floppy Disk was the only storage device for software and carrying around data? Here's the unofficial video that aired on Television I believe.

This is potentially a huge issue and no one really fully understands it. Does everyone realize how bad the piracy is in the world. Take Sony Vegas Pro, it's a Linear Video editing software package that "kids" (not even 13 yet) are pirating it so that they can use the best software out there to make YouTube videos which these kids make MONEY off of. So in a sense due to how contracts are and agreements with using copyrighted material (like video game play) within an illegal software package is NOT GOOD! People are making millions of dollars on their YouTube channels and "some" are most likely using pirated software only because the piracy blocking for keys is just not strong enough to deter people from using it for profit business's.

I know I am off topic but in a sense it's all tied together. The government wants to stop piracy for a reason, because hard working individuals at Sony are more or less getting screwed IF Sony can't make money on their software because people are in essence stealing it, which then makes them put pressure on the legislation and government to go after these piracy type torrent sites etc etc BUT that's a very tough debate to have as I am not aware of all the facts regarding megaupload.
So next time you're considering stealing software keep in mind the impact you're having on the larger picture. Thank you.

-Ubu out

Milwaukee, WI - You enjoy Gaming & Anime?

Milwaukee, WI has an Anime show that started yesterday (I know, I am LATE. Sorry :). It's being held at various buildings located between North Water Street and North 6th Street on East Kilbourn Avenue.
It will have many hobbies presented and showcased some of which are; Gaming, Anime, Panels, Video Rooms, Children's Programming, Tabletop Gaming (what, whahhhh? Table tennis? LOL - doubt it but you never know. :)  It's a very affordable event, it can be fun for all ages and could be a great bonding experience for the huge age division of parents and their children.
There's many other events and things to check out. It seem almost similar with The Midwest Gaming Classic Show coming this year on March 24 & 25 BUT Anime Milwaukee 2012 will be more driven towards Anime.

You can find all the info at AnimeMilwaukee

(Artwork taken from animemilwaukee.com website)

"Big Data" and the future Web Data

Does everyone really truly understand what is occurring right now? We're in a technological era where everything will be on the Internet. All data will go thru the Internet. YouTube is at the forefront of Online Entertainment without a doubt. When you have a single YouTube channel getting 20,000,000 views for 1 video which beats out most TV Stations we all need to realize that TV is NOT where you'll watch you're entertainment. You'll watch it on an UbuntuTV! Which will hopefully have Pandora, Facebook, Twitter, TwitchTV, YouTube, Grooveshark (music), Picasa Web (online photo sharing), and Video chatting. You won't have to leave your family room anymore, you can do everything for Entertainment in your most comfortable room in the house.

Jumping jalopies Ubu, an 8" iPad?

What would you say if there was a new iPad coming out that was only 8" versus 9.7", had a Retina Display and may run on LTE? Would you buy it?
Personally I am having a hard time getting into the tablet's due to missing a mouse or trackpad but I am sure I will grow into those missing features over time.

Read the full story at EnGadget

Business Decisions - Windows 7 or Ubuntu Business Desktop Remix

Windows 7 is compared with Ubuntu Business Desktop Remix in its interface and software capabilties from an end-user’s perspective, plus the ease of installation, security and maintenance considerations for administrators.
Microsoft Windows may be the de facto standard desktop operating system in business environments, but high costs, restrictive licences and constant security issues are leading an increasing number of companies to consider open source alternatives — as Kat Orphanides from ITPRO.co.uk explains. 

Read full review/comparison HERE

Check out the official Canonical Webpage HERE

Ubu's YouTube channel has something for everyone

I've been making YouTube videos since early 2010 on 1 channel. I have since abandoned that channel to start in a whole new direction. Only high effort videos of Ubuntu tutorials, Gaming Accessories Tutorials, Xbox 360 Tutorials, FPS Gameplay tips, tricks, and commentaries. I have so many to come I always have a tough decision to make on which one I should I upload next.

This is one regarding the usage of an analog Wireless RF Gaming Headset for headphones with any analog audio device (example: home entertainment system or computer) Enjoy and subscribe for more.

Midwest Gaming Classic, Ubu will be there

The Midwest Gaming Classic is back again this year and it's scheduled to take place in Brookfield, WI on March 24 and March 25 of 2012.
It's a great time for all ages. People older like I am who remember classic video arcade machines and people who are younger who only know Xbox 360 or PS3 or PC Gaming. There's something for everyone. I will be there in full force both days and I will be wearing my MW3 shirt OR a Team Ubu shirt with my custom company logo for UbuTech LLC.

Last year I saw an old Macintosh Plus which was converted into some sort of light thingamajigga. I  actually shed a tear due that being the first computer I ever used. My father still has it and I can't wait to showcase it one of these days.

All the info can be found at their website and I hope to see you there!

Ubu can tile as well......

I'd like to think of myself as more of a brains and fingers (keyboard) sort of guy but I have more then your average consumer's experience with almost all facets of building new as well as remodeling. I worked in custom cabinetry before I went into Design Engineering and was fortunate to have a boss that decided to build a brand new home which resulted in both of us learning many new things regarding the complete finishing of an entire basement home. One aspect of construction that I did learn was Tiling. With the right equipment it can accomplished.

Tile can be affordable and very durable. More durable then various other flooring which can be ripped, stained, and even lose it's adhesion after many years go by. 

I'd like to "show off" my latest job that I am in the middle of. The grout is going in today.

You can me at 414-502-8017 if interested in a FREE Estimate. Unfortunately I am not insured which I can understand "may" be a concern but I am aware of all safety procedures and am a careful person to begin with since tile can crack and break if not cut slowly. Enjoy the photos and comment if you'd like.

Sub-floor is in great shape which saves the customer money

 Mixing the mortar

Wet saw required for making cuts

 

Half way done with laying the tile

Sometimes cuts can be tricky but with knowledge it works. I used a tool to remove those remaining chips of tile from the cutout for the stair banister

Job finished minus the grout which is being done today

Grout complete pre-cleaning #1

Grout complete pre-cleaning #2

Linux Gaming, FREE open-source RTS 0 A.D.

I know many computer gamers will complain that they won't switch to Linux because the gaming support is just not up to speed compared to Windows and OS X. I just found out there is an RTS, "Real Time Strategy" game of ancient warfare which is FREE open-source and cross-platform. It's called 0 A.D..

I noticed it tweeted out earlier by @omgubuntu today and thought I should bring it to the attention of my supporters. Click the link below to see the overview webpage and the Wildfire Games link to see the home page.

Overview

Wildfire Games

OMGUbuntu Review of 0 A.D.

Jailbreaking Is Not A Crime

I have devices that I JailBreak (or "root them") to allow capabilities to be utilized which either software have not been written to do yet or manufactures and commercial software developers have restricted the use of a particular function.

This is a very touchy subject and my goal is NOT to argue whether it's legal or not. My goal with this post is to round up some troops to help me and others to renew an exemption (otherwise it will expire) that was enacted in 2010 by the Copyright Office which said that, "Jailbreaking smartphones doesn’t violate the DMCA."

You can find all the info here FREE YOUR DEVICES

Call of the Community

What is "Call of the Community"? Call of the Community is designed as a fun, good natured tournament that brings the whole YouTube Call of Duty community together for a day of entertainment and helping others. The main website is HERE.

COC was originally created by Eric Aka Aviator and Paul aka Pyropuncher; Eric has carried on the event as it’s host and organizer. This is a Community based event, any one in the community is encouraged to promote the event. Together, we ALL can make a real difference.

The best part of this gaming community tournament is that it's organized to collect money for and spread awareness around charities. 100% (yes, ALL OF THE DONATIONS) go towards a Charity.

Thirst Relief: Thirst Relief

The first COC was so successful it raised around $24,000 for 3 charities.

The second COC (#COC2) is now in progress as I write this. It's so successful it is crashing the donation site "chipin".

Go check out the LIVESTREAM

Ubu for King of the Web, why not?

There's actually an online contest to see who is the King of the Web for various categories.
I feel that my Video Blogs are very humorous and desirable to watch. I have tutorials on technological  area of gaming headsets and using for listening to them wirelessly on any audio/video devices, I also have Xbox 360 Call of Duty gameplay.
Supporters of my campaign can vote for me up to 10 times a day. I am way behind in the race as I just started a few days ago and the current leader ironically lives within the same city as me.
Unfortunately he has a huge following on YouTube (1,000,000 subscribers) and has funny videos to watch BUT I feel that I can take this guy on as Ubu can accomplish anything he puts his heart and soul into!

I am gonna give my best shot and if I don't this month then I will try again next month if I can. So please 1. Go to the website here King of the Web
2. Register (which only takes a few minutes)
3. Vote for Ubu here: Vote 4 Ubu

BLACKOUT to FIGHT SOPA and PIPA

I have hidden all my blog posts for the day to join others in "going black" for the day to fight the 2 bills in congress which plain and simply put will allow anyone, without due process, to claim copyright on anything and have your website or any website to be shut down.

I tried to put it in the most simplistic terms for all to understand. Please don't debate what I have written.

Thanks

-Ubu out

CES 2012 YouTube video to come....

I video recorded as well as took tons of photos of my entire Business trip to Las Vegas to attend CES 2012.

There are some funny moments using my iPhone video camera, photos galore, video footage from my hotel rooms, as well my return. Not much footage on my return travel to Milwaukee due to being so tired due to not getting any sleep from 1-12-12 to 1-13-12 but instead walking the Vegas strip and trolling The Venetian. (trolollloloo)

Just keep your eyes peeled for the YouTube video, it's going to be a lot of high quality effort BUT well worth it.

Ubu gambles, a Lil bit

I flew into Vegas last night around 11pm to go to CES 2012 because my main goal for 2012 is to increase Ubuntu's market share in the desktop environment. I didn't have a hotel or place to stay but I knew I could find a place within cab distance. I found a n excellent hotel called Imperial Palace. It is a very reasonable rate for 1 night. I told myself I could afford to lose $30 and that's what I lost. Lol it was on a game called Three Card Poker.

There's many ways to win and it's very fun needless to say. I really only have exposure to No-Limit Texas HoldEm and BlackJack from Potawatomi. I gave it a try and was up to double my money and should have quit but didn't.


Oh well, it's all about Ubu's first ever experience of what Vegas is all about.

On a side note I did not get business cards thrown in my face as I left the Airport as many said I would. I am all set for the show in 4 hours, video camera and all.

-Ubu out

Introducing Kona’s Korner Gamer of the Month

Please support me in this. Thank you to all my true supporters you won't ever regret it.

Introducing Kona’s Korner Gamer of the Month

Go check out my boy TheDeathofanEra on twitch.tv please

Jesse twitch.tv stream is BEAST!

www.twitch.tv/thedeathofanera

Ubuntu system wide PulseAudio EQ (Equalizer)

I have recently become much more excited about cleaning up my music library within Ubuntu (versus just using WinXP and iTunes) so I can eventually get rid of Windows once and for all. (iPhone user - iTunes dependent currently) The audio levels that came from the default sound card in my machine were just not adequate for how I wanted the sound system to sound from my 2.1 Logitech system.
Built in Sound Card specs per

sudo lspci -v

80:01.0 Audio device: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT1708/A [Azalia HDAC] (VIA High Definition Audio Controller) (rev 10)
Subsystem: ASRock Incorporation Device 0888
Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 17
Memory at feafc000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 2
Capabilities: [60] Message Signalled Interrupts: Mask- 64bit+ Queue=0/0 Enable-
Capabilities: [70] Express Root Complex Integrated Endpoint, MSI 00
Capabilities: [100] #1106
Kernel driver in use: HDA Intel
Kernel modules: snd-hda-intel

Off I went in search of an EQ application or addon to PulseAudio sound server system that was both easy to install and "just worked". I had come across a very interesting search result which was to enable a Personal Package Archive (PPA). Some Ubuntu users question the use of PPA's as they "can" pose a security risk but that's not what this post is about. I enabled the PPA and sure enough, "it just worked" and now I am able to click a preset such that the audio levels of various Hz and KHz ranges are affected and my audio files can be played back more accurately for those high highs and those low lows.

Here's the original "Explore Ubuntu" blog post CLICK ME

Here's a BIG THANK YOU to "Explore Ubuntu" and all those that are hard at work supporting the Ubuntu Community with Blogs like his! "THANK YOU". Over the past 5 years the Ubuntu Community has proven to be second to none!


UBU

Gaming with Subs - Where is ALL begins

This morning was a great time. I spent over an hour with 2 dedicated subs of mine that see the potential of what "Ubu the Tech Guru" can do with his all his technological knowledge. I am glad some do because many large YouTube COD Commentators won't entertain the thought of how #UBU can help them. Oh well, one day they will think back and realize they could have just spend 30 minutes with me on Skype and made a better more informed decision.

Shout out to my 2 new loyal dedicated subs, their XBLGT's

mEeUhMadness

UncannyThrower

They have chosen, among 200+ others, began to follow me on twitter (@UbuntuAddicted) and support the videos that I put up that they feel will be watched by others in the Xbox Community, XBMC Community, iPhone Community, Ubuntu Community, and Kdenlive Communities. THANKS SUBS

PSSSSSST she even won a FREE DVD movie, it's Before the Devil Knows you're dead http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0292963/

Ubu the Tech Guru and Pork Chop Platoon split ways - it's all gravy

To all those that knew of me as a Pork Chop Platoon member. PCP and I have decided to split ways as a mutual agreement due to my new found direction with going VIRAL and being an internet super star as "Ubu the Tech Guru". UbuntuAddicted is who I am online everywhere so that will remain my Xbox Live Gamertag.

PCP was and still is one of the Elite Adult Gaming Clans/Families online. Their 4 years history proves they know what they are doing. With over 380+ members I am sure someone will fill the shoes as far as helping out on the forums with the vast Technological knowledge that I contain. IF any members still want help you know how to reach me either via ubuntuaddictedubu@gmail.com OR the phone number that you have had these past 18+ months.

I wish the best for all PCP members and their families.

"Ubu the Tech Guru"

#UBUpromotes - New Series on my YouTube Channel

If you have a great game or killfeed in Call Of Duty Black Ops or Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 3 that you'd like to show off to your friends, I can capture it from your fileshare and upload to my channel. It will be part of a new series I just started.
You can contact me on so many ways it's impossible to not know how to contact me. ;-) Message me on YouTube, Yeousch, Facebook, Twitter DM, or however you can.
I look forward to getting a lot of great plays on my channel so it must be good and I don't have the time to view all submissions alone so please be selective about what you message me about.

Here's the first Episode to start it out and for you to get an idea of what your clip or game should be. I am not interested in trick shots and only players that play the objective of the game type you're in should be submitted. Thank you.

Ubu's Dazzle Hollywood DV Bridge (480p) Info

For those wondering how I get such great quality with a "Dazzle" can now sleep better at night because I will not divulge the information.
The product is from around the late 1990's. It's made by Dazzle. The product name is "Dazzle* Hollywood DV Bridge" (See pic). It takes composite input as a passthru and outputs DV video info thru firewire to my Ubuntu machine BUT also outputs composite if I wanted to watch it while I play. Fortunately I have the original Xbox 360 and not the new Slim so I can actually use the component cable out from the Xbox into my Philips HDTV Monitor (one of the first ever HD TV/Monitors - See pic). I use kino (Free Open Source Software) to capture it over the firewire bus on my Ubuntu machine. That file is an OpenDML AVI Type 2 digital video file. The media info results are:


Format                           : AVI
Format/Info                      : Audio Video Interleave
File size                        : 269 MiB
Duration                         : 1mn 14s
Overall bit rate                 : 30.4 Mbps

Video
Format                           : Digital Video
Codec ID                         : dvsd
Codec ID/Hint                    : Sony
Duration                         : 1mn 14s
Bit rate                         : 28.8 Mbps
Width                            : 720 pixels
Height                           : 480 pixels
Display aspect ratio             : 1.500
Original display aspect ratio    : 4/3
Frame rate mode                  : Constant
Frame rate                       : 29.970 fps
Standard                         : NTSC
Resolution                       : 24 bits
Colorimetry                      : 4:1:1
Scan type                        : Interlaced
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)               : 2.778
Stream size                      : 255 MiB (95%)

Audio
Format                           : PCM
Format settings, Endianness      : Little
Format settings, Sign            : Unsigned
Codec ID                         : 1
Codec ID/Hint                    : Microsoft
Duration                         : 1mn 14s
Bit rate mode                    : Constant
Bit rate                         : 1 536 Kbps
Channel(s)                       : 2 channels
Sampling rate                    : 48.0 KHz
Resolution                       : 16 bits
Stream size                      : 13.6 MiB (5%)
Interleave, duration             : 33 ms (1.00 video frame)
Interleave, preload duration     : 33 ms

I then take that file into kdenlive and do my video editing. I hope this was helpful to someone, if it was please follow me on Twitter to stay up to date on all of my technically advanced content that I will release daily.

Thank you for your continued support.