The Nukezilla Sunday Supplement – August 7th 2011

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.

Videogames

Moving Forward On Race In Games: Manveer Heir Speaks – Gamasutra. ”BioWare Montreal designer Manveer Heir on how we should bring new types of characters into the medium, and how “it’s not video game affirmative action. It’s about actually pushing our medium to make better games, to tell better stories in our games.”

The end of the handheld? – Gamesindustry.biz Are handhelds starting to become less relevant with the rise of mobile gaming. With Nintendo selling fewer 3DS consoles that expected (and the subsequent price cut) Rob Fahey examines the life of handhelds.

Science

Scientists Find Signs Water Is Flowing on Mars – The New York Times. An interesting look at the possibility of water on mars, where small “fingers” of potential water have been spotted. Further research needs to be done, but the possibility of water- and thus life- is pretty exciting.

Nasa’s Juno lifts off to spy on Jupiter – The Guardian. ”The solar powered spacecraft has a successful launch to begin its five-year $1.1bn mission to the solar system’s largest planet.”

Culture

The Price of Typos – The New York Times. This article looks at the effect of typos, errors and mistakes in book publishing. With the changing way writers produce their copy, manuscripts are becoming longer and thus the mistakes are becoming more prevalent.

Supermarket Sweep – The Guardian. “In Britain a new Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s or Asda opens every other day. But across the country people are battling the relentless march of the ‘Big Four’. John Harris, who has taken up the fight himself, reports.”