The Nukezilla Sunday Supplement – July 18th 2010

Every Sunday we’re going to post links to articles we think are interesting from the last week. Sundays are usually very quiet around here, so this seems like the best day to do it. We’re going to link to articles on range of subjects, including videogames, technology, movies, geek culture and much, much more.

If you’ve got cool links to share with fellow NZers, please do chuck them in the comments below!

Technology

iPhone 4: The Consumer Reports fiasco – Fortune. The iPhone’s antenna issue is certainly this month’s shitstorm, but this article looks at the hypocrisy inside of Consumer Reports.

How your cell phone’s autocorrect software works, and why it’s getting better – Slate. An awesome article which looks at the history and workings of your phone’s keyboard and its predictive technology which “gets no respect” because you only ever remember its mistakes. Now duck off.

Apple’s Rotten Response - Newsweek. Dan Lyons gets Apple’s response spot on, in my opinion. He points out their insincerity that “the iPhone 4 doesn’t really have a problem—but that you can have a free bumper case anyway.”

Videogames

Digital Foundry Vs. OnLive – Eurogamer. The Digital Foundry goes into insane detail testing streaming gaming service OnLive, with videos and six pages of text. If you’re considering the service, this is worth a read.

Tragedy and Comedy, Starring Pac-Man – The New York Times. What if the characters and stories of classic videogames were reimagined and reinterpreted as live theater in front of you? Wardrox actually went this weekend, so expect a full NZ write-up soon.

Movies

Living the dream with the cast of Inception – The Guardian. A video talk to the actors of Inception - Christopher Nolan’s latest movie. Dream bending and usual Nolan weirdness. Can’t wait for this film.

Twilight’s sulky vampires are less frightening than a knitted cushion – The Guardian. Another hilarious Charlie Brooker column, this time deriding the totally- not-misogynistic tale of vampire/warewolf sex, saying: “Confronted with [...] visceral horror, Robert Pattinson wouldn’t make it through his asparagus and shaved parmesan starter.”

Hulk have problem. Who play Hulk? – The Guardian. Can a new Hulk film achieve the great feat of not being an awful movie? A look at the past performances and why Hulk films have been so crummy.

Science

A Scientist Takes On Gravity – The New York Times. A look at gravity and a new theory which “some of the best physicists in the world say they don’t understand”. Good luck then.

Human nature, a video exploration – The Guardian. A series of videos which looks at human nature. From the psychology of overcrowding to superpowers with comparisons to primates.

Internet

How-to: Effectively manage your Facebook privacy settings with three simple lists – Engadget. Facebook is a scary, privacy-free nightmare and I hate it. But this is a pretty useful way to organise your pics.

Reports of blogging’s death have been greatly exaggerated – The Guardian. Cory Doctorow reacts to the idea that blogging is being replaced by small, short-form services such as Twitter. He argues that they can co-exist.

What If I Only Use the Internet on Wednesdays? – Slate. This guy is having a four month break from using the internet. It’s an entire column so I suggest you read all of the entries.

Google’s Amit Singhal tells us about the dreams search engines are made of – Engadget. The future of Google’s search, and how personalised and semantic search could pave the way for something that knows where you are, what you’re doing and what you want.

Cool Stuff

The Big Picture: 2010 World Cup comes to a close – The Boston Globe. The first African World Cup in pictures.

British Grand Prix: A rare glimpse behind the McLaren-Mercedes F1 team – Engadget. A set of videos and images that goes behind the scenes of McClaren F1′s Silverstone weekend. A cool look at the pit lane, as well as a talk by Jenson Button.

Real World

Suffer These Crimes in Oakland? Don’t Call the Cops – NBC. As California suffers a huge deficit, the Oakland police department is reacting to potential layoffs by listing 44 crimes that the police will not respond to if the firings go ahead. What do you do if you’re burgled? Fill out a form online.

Now get posting links in the comments! See something that should be in next week’s edition? Email Tips@Nukezilla.com with a link.