Watching the trailer for On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode Two–the Penny Arcade RPG video game featuring Gabe, Tyco, Fruit Fucker, and all your favorite PA antics. This game looks like some serious fun. It’s made for PC and costs $15. You’re able to create your own character and team up with Tyco and Gabe in this 1920’s alter-Penny-Arcade-universe. You can also track your high score and achievements at PlayGreenhouse.com. At $15, this game is a no-brainer!

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Apple has sent a notice to press members with a simple catchphrase: “Let’s Rock!”

But has Apple started to fizzle with their once unstoppable product-launch formula? According to CNET, they have become a little more than predictable over the years:

Chances are, the announcement made next Tuesday will go something like this: Steve Jobs will make a big fuss over how well the iPod sells and how many songs his company has been able to sell on iTunes. After that, someone will come on stage and bore us with minute details about things we don’t care about. Once that’s over, Steve will come out and announce a new lineup of iPods that will “be the most popular yet.” After that, in order to keep in line with the “rock” moniker, a band will perform to end the show.

So what will be Apple be bringing to the world on Tuesday? Currently, it is speculated that a longer, slimmer Nano with a larger memory capacity will be most likely. Some speculate the Nano will take on “iTouch” features with a touchscreen interface. Also likely to make a showing will be a second generation of the iTouch.

I wouldn’t be surprise if the new iTouch takes on a slightly different form factor to help further separate it as a product offering from the iPhone.

Also, what about GPS? With the Nano being used as a common exercise companion, and many apps that could theoretically run on a GPS enabled iTouch, this may actually be a reality.

And WiFi in the rest of the iPod lineup would give more users easier access to iTunes. Something that would make good business for Apple.

Other than that, I don’t see much exciting coming from Cupertino this week.

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In a world where more marriages fail than succeed, where faithfulness is missing and love affiars run rampant: one word, one box, one device holds the secrets to saving relationships and keeping married couples happy. Meet TiVo. (RIP Don, you’ll be missed).

It has been well known for years that the rate of divorce and separation in the US has been climbing steadily. But good news, dear geeky couples, you can have peace in your marriage.

All it took was an international study by NDS to determine the true cause of relationship decay. No, it isn’t faithfulness. And no it isn’t arguments about money. And for those who think they have the answer, it isn’t SEX either.

The answer is the TV.

Too many households rotate their schedules around the TV. And when you want to watch Sportscenter and your other wants to watch a crime drama marathon (yes there is such a thing as too much Law & Order), it can really rip a home apart.

The savior of most relationship issues is your basic DVR. The ability to record shows you enjoy to watch while your other sleeps is truly a miracle of modern technology!

So when changing a lifestyle to reduce the actual cause of the issue is out of the question, you can at least workaround the issue by scoring a new Tivo or two for your home.

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Google officially launched their new web browser today called Google Chrome. Some of the features it boasts is an all-in-one toolbar that allows search queries and URL entry (not too big of a deal, Firefox could handle this with a small customized setting), tabs that run on individual processes, and a lean and mean interface. There’s also this official video showcasing some additional features:

For a few years now, Google has denied they were working on a browser. This was probably a strategic move since they didn’t want to risk their deal with Mozilla to another competitor. Since it is official, they decided to give us the full history through this video:

If you are a PR agency with news today, you chose a bad day for launching a press release. The Google story is mainstream. Check out what USA Today, ABC News, and others are saying.

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Kid Rock never ceases to amaze me. He’s always, always reinventing himself. With his latest single, All Summer Long, he mashes up the piano arrangement from Warren Zevon’s Werewolves of London and the Guitars and drums from Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home Alabama. His lyrics bring back the nostalgia of summers in his youth, and really hit home to millions of people. The music video has seen over 15 million views to date on YouTube, and his single is top charts all around the world. A pop cover-band from Japan has even come out of semi-retirement to remake it, US lyrics and all. Ironically, their single hit iTunes before Kid’s did.

You can buy the CD of the single on Amazon, or the full album Rock N Roll Jesus. Neither are on iTunes as of yet, but you can check out the video above.

BONUS: If you have a hankering for Japanese N-Pop cover bands, here’s Southern All Star’s version of the song on iTunes (and it’s remarkably good):

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Everyones abuzz about Apple’s iPhone, especially after the release of their 3G version. While Apple receives all the hype and media for the release of their killer product, it’s tough to dismiss the rest of the market. Nokia has saturated over 40% of the mobile market. They may not have the iPhone, but the do have actual PHONES in every country and on every network. At the very top of their offering list is the Nokia N95.

Sure it’s not an iPhone. But that’s the beauty of it. Instead of adapting to a heard mentality, users have the option of getting a powerful phone that still looks sexy. It’s current version, the Nokia N95 8GB comes with a full 8GB of storage space, a 5 megapixel camera, and it’s 3G! It’s also EDGE, GPRS, and has Bluetooth. Plenty of media playback option, whether MP3 or Movies. And it has support for N-GAGE games.

But don’t take our word for it. And don’t take Nokia’s either. Instead go read a Nokia N95 8GB Review submitted from an actual user. If you are looking for an alternative to the iPhone, the Nokia N95 8GB is definitely a phone you should look into!

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I’ve been a long time fan of Bawls energy drinks. Always chilled. With a nice smooth vapor right before you drink it. The citrus is smooth, refreshing, and I don’t have a huge crash after the buzz.

Bawls Guarana is one of the few energy drinks I actually like. Most energy drinks taste like Centrum pills dissolved in piss water. My long time complaint about energy drinks is why doesn’t a company try to make an energy drink that actually tastes like a traditional soda flavor? Cola, Dew, Pepper, Root Beer, Cream Soda, Lemon Lime, etc. Something that didn’t remind me I was choking down an actual energy drink.

Enter BAWLS with their root beer flavored concoction G33k B33r!

Bawls G33k B33r! Photo stolen from GamerTell.com

I knew that Bawls had launched this drink a few months ago, but haven’t had the opportunity to try it. It happened I was at a convenience store tonight, and saw a Bawls display with all their offerings. I reached for a regular, but then I noticed the G33k B33r next to it. Having forgotten that Bawls was coming out with a root beer flavor, I first hoped this was an actual alcoholic beer product with the Bawls special lift added to it (like Spark+, but tastier). I saw it was root beer instead, remembered the product news from months earlier, and gave it a shot.

My first impressions…”Damn, this is good root beer!”

I had to take a second swig. This was not the Bawls flavor I was expecting. In fact, I couldn’t tell it was an energy drink at all.

Had I found my own personal holy grail of energy drinks? I really think I did!

This thing was awesome. I finished the bottle in a matter of minutes. It had a hint of an added fruity flavor to it, but it enhanced the root beer taste. I ended up watching an HBO comedy marathon tonight, and the Bawls g33k b33r absolutely helped me stay up for the David Cross routine (sorry David, I’m a big fan but it was an older performance and the material was outdated. Still very funny, but c’mon: John Elway? Columbine? Yeah I needed Bawls to get through it).

The only place I’ve seen G33K B33R was in that convenience store. I’m going to keep my eye open for it from now on, but I always know I can turn to ThinkGeek for a case when I need too. They can even schedule that shit to deliver to me on a monthly basis!

God, I love ThinkGeek (they have Bawls!)

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In the US, the closest thing we have to a rival country is Canada. We jest, they jest, but the sibling rivalry we have is tame compared to the Australia/New Zealand rivalry. Watch this hilarious propaganda produced by the Australian comedy show The Gruen Transfer:

InvadeNewZealand.com via The Inquisitr

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Don’t brush off us geeks when it comes to style. We’re sick of the stereotype of matted hair, days/weeks without showers, oily skin, and b.o. that would scare off our foes in our Dungeons & Dragons tournaments.

Welcome to the New Geek. This geek not only cares about how they are perceived for their knowledge of things but also for how they look, how they act, how they smell, and what they do.

Sure, we may sport a ThinkGeek t-shirt that talks about Fragging or sysadmin routines. But we wear it because we think it’s cool. However, don’t be surprised to be seeing us sporting faded jeans and a nice Diesel jacket (pictured on top) with that tee. We think that’s cool too.

In fact, Geeks are the ones setting many trends.

You know why? We’re earning more than ever. Those of us who were Geeks in the 80s and 90s discovered that the balance of the world is in our hands. The worlds largest financial institutions, business conglomerates, and international warrooms were all built by the hands of Geeks. But it wasn’t until recently that the geeks stopped hiding in the basements of the world and started becoming the Megarich.

We drive cars such as Mercedes and Cadillacs. We own penthouses in Soho or condos in Silicon Valley. We have more frequent flier miles than the Hawaiian House and Senate. We wear leather and gold. And we shop at places like Tobi (which is a kickass store I just discovered).

Never mind that we might enjoy a game or two on our PS3 instead of watching Gray’s Anatomy like the rest of America. We’ll still get up and work harder and smarter than you in the morning.

So get past the pasty white faces and pocket protectors. Geeks ARE sexy! Get used to it: we’re the future of America. No, the World!

And most importantly, we’re not all dudes. Maybe you can’t tell by the gamertags or IRC nicks, but a lot of Geeks have a different set of plumbing than the stereotype describes. And don’t try to spot a Lady Geek on the street. She’s just as likely to be wearing Paige jeans and Vince sweaters with her Busted Tee and Linux tattoo.

Yes, Geeks have arrived and we’re going to break your hearts.

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The Yamaha Tenori-On is the most amazing piece of hardware that I’ve seen this year. Don’t brush this off as just another synth toy for house music geeks. This musical gadget has so many options and configurations that it makes the Chromatone 312 feel like it’s made by Fisher Price.

Although, after looking at it, the Tenori-On kind does look like a toy.

However, in order to truly appreciate what this thing-a-majig is truly capable, you need to see what it can do in the hands of the masters. Yamaha provides a video of Robert Lippok taking the Tenori-On for a spin. There’s also Atom Heart who molds this device like play-doh with his house tracks. And Jim O’rourke from Sonic Youth fame (and a few others) demos how easy it is to just dive in and play.

If that’s not enough for you (it wasn’t for me), take a look at the tech demos found on YouTube. This first one gets really interesting around 4 mins into it:

This next video shows how simple it can be to build a sequence and loop it:

If the concept looks familiar, that’s because it really isn’t that new of a concept. Check out this guy uses the KORG Kaoss Pad KP3 touchpad as a MIDI Pad:

Remember Electroplankton, that crazy import “game” from Japan? It also had killer looping effects.

Combine the Kaoss Pad w/Electroplankton and it gets crazy:

Ever since the introduction of synthesizers and wah wah pedals, adjustable touch interfaces have truly advanced the music industry in the past couple of decades. The Tanori-On by Yamaha looks like it’s the musical device to take us into the next decade and well beyond. I’m anxious to see what other tricks this has up its sleeve as more and more artists start toying around with it.

It launches next week in Europe. Yamaha hopes its launch does well so it can open up other markets. But the Tenori-On is so damned cool that I’m thinking of jumping on the next Virgin America flight out of here to be there for the launch parties!

{Source is Gizmodo.}

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