Xbox 720 set for E3 2012

Xbox 720 set for E3 2012

According to a Crytek insider Microsoft was showing off the new machine in video form at the recently concluded E3 2011, with Microsoft again planning to release their new console before Sony.
Speaking to VideoGamer.com, the Crytek mole revealed that development on TimeSplitters 4 is based on Microsoft's existing DirectX 11 technology for the PC and uses a version of CryEngine 3 - which was last used for Crysis 2.

Apparently tessellation, multithreaded rendering, and compute shaders are all planned for the console, which would probably be very exciting if we knew what any of that meant.
A new TimeSplitters has been rumoured a number of times before, ever since Crytek bought creators Free Radical Design and renamed them Crtyek UK. According to these new rumours the new game will feature, 'branching paths and exploratory nature, with sandbox-style gameplay elements a big priority.'
Which doesn't sound much like the TimeSplitters we know and love, but as long as it's more like its inspiration GoldenEye 007 and less like Free Radical's awful Haze we're just happy to have more.
We would advise some caution here though, as it's not the first time Crytek has predicted an imminent reveal of next generation consoles, and it's not clear how much of the prediction is based on wishful thinking and how much on insider knowledge.
That said there seems little question that Microsoft (and Sony) are working on new consoles, with rumours prior to E3 suggesting that some developers already had development kits for the Xbox 720 - or whatever it ends up being called.
A reveal of the new system at E3 2012, or at least a hint as to its existence, has been widely predicted for some time. You might even hear something about it first at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in early March.
As for Crtyek they're already trying to expand their business onto smartphones, tablets and other formats, including the Wii U. Their ultimate goal seems to be to make CryEngine 3 as ubiquitous as the rival Unreal Engine 3 from Epic Games.

Read more: Metro

Stars who despised each other on set

Stars who despised each other on set

When egotistical actors are cooped up together for months on end on a movie set there’s always going to be friction. On the whole though, lavish trailers and massive paychecks help smooth over any niggles. Yet sometimes the angst gets too much for these pampered princes and princesses. They may be actors, but even the most experienced stars can’t hide their genuine dislike of fellow performers. 

 
Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett

The legendary Harrison Ford didn’t take too kindly to whippersnapper Josh Hartnett on the set of ‘Hollywood Homicide’. Ford reportedly referred to Harnett as a "punk", with the young actor retaliating by calling the veteran “an old fart”. As a result the pair barely made eye contact during filming and continuously picked on each other at press junkets. The film flopped.

Megan Fox and Michael Bay

Megan Fox shot herself in the foot when she slammed ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ director Michael Bay for focusing on special effects and not acting (probably for the best as it starred Shia LaBeouf and, well, Megan Fox). Bay responded with; “That’s Megan Fox for you. She says some very ridiculous things because she’s 23 years old and she still has a lot of growing to do. You roll your eyes when you see statements like that”. He then didn’t cast her in the next ‘Transformers’ film. Whoops.

Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey 

The two came to despise each other after a massive row on the set of ‘Red Dawn’. When Grey was informed that Swayze would play her on-screen romance in the iconic ‘Dirty Dancing’, she was so upset that she almost pulled out. Eventually though they had a deep heart-to-heart and made friends. Years later Grey broke down into tears on ‘Dancing With The Stars’ as she remembered her time with the late actor.

Bill Murray and Lucy Liu

Comedy actor Bill Murray couldn’t even raise a smile whilst filming ‘Charlie’s Angels’, as he took a serious dislike to Lucy Liu. It was rumored that Murray thought Liu had an out-of-control ego and he refused to make any appearances in support of the movie when it came out in 2000. He also turned down reprising the role in the sequel, ‘Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle’. In retrospect a good call.

Bette Davis and Joan Crawford

The granddaddy of Hollywood feuds - Bette Davis and Joan Crawford absolutely loathed one another. While filming ‘What Happened to Baby Jane?’, Davis actually kicked Crawford in the scene when she pushed her down the stairs. In return, when Bette had to drag Joan off her bed, Joan put on a weighted diver's belt underneath her costume, making her heavier to drag.  Naturally, the duo also pitched in with some a-grade bitching. Discussing Davis' hair, Crawfod said: “I don't understand these Poodle cuts on elderly women”. Davis retorted by saying Crawford was “single handedly responsible for the syphilis outbreak in America.” Meow.

Sir Anthony Hopkins and Shirley MacLaine

Anthony Hopkins thought the boisterous Shirley MacLaine was overbearing and was constantly annoyed with her while filming ‘A Change of Seasons’ in 1980.  When asked what she was like, he fumed “she was the most obnoxious actress I have ever worked with." Don’t sugarcoat it Ant!

Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe

Even though Curtis was rumoured to have had an affair with Marilyn Monroe during the making of ‘Some Like It Hot’ in 1959, he still managed to say that "kissing her was like kissing Hitler". She drove him crazy by continually arriving late for filming and always fluffing her lines. To make matter worse, director Billy Wilder would always use Monroe’s best takes while leaving Tony's choice deliveries on the cutting room floor.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes

Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes weren't didn’t exactly see eye to eye by the time ‘Romeo & Juliet’ finished filming. Danes grew tired of DiCaprio's onset pranks, branding him "immature", whilst he found her uptight and prudish. Not exactly star-crossed lovers.

Marlon Brando and Sophia Loren

Sophia Loren was cool and seductive while Marlon Brando was edgy and angry. Inevitably, when the two came together during the shooting of ‘A Countess from Hong Kong’ in 1966, the fur began to fly. A feud broke out after he asked her, right in the middle of shooting a love scene: "did you know you have hairs up your nostrils?" Smooth.

Val Kilmer and Tom Sizemore

This feud during filming of ‘Red Planet’ began when Kilmer got annoyed over a fancy exercise machine Sizemore demanded the production ship from England to the set in Australia. Eventually the two hated each other so much Kilmer would reportedly not come out of his trailer if Tom was on the set. Many of their scenes together were even filmed over shoulders of photo doubles, if we are to believe some reports. Also, Kilmer reportedly refused to say Sizemore's character's name, substituting it for things like "Hey, you!".
 

Source: Yahoo

Call of Duty Elite Adds Social Layer to Hit Gaming Series [PICS]

 

Video game company Activision has finally revealed Elite, a new social layer for its wildly popular Call of Duty games. Elite was designed to unite the massive community of Call of Duty players as well as provide tools to help gamers of all levels improve their skills.

Cross-platform services are becoming more popular as video game designers realize their community isn’t console-specific. Web players want to test their mettle against console players and vice versa. Elite goes beyond the game to include social networks like Facebook. Users can link up their Facebook accounts to Elite to pull in Likes and automatically find friends who are also using the service.

Elite also introduces groups and clans, which will play a much larger role in Modern Warfare 3, the next Call of Duty game. Groups are largely open and can be based on anything. Like eating lobster? You can join or create a “Lobster” group. Like playing with machine guns? There’s a group for that. Same with “Yankees” or “Los Angeles.” Groups operate similar to fan pages on Facebook. Users can track and compare themselves to these mini-communities of players. Users can join a total of 64 groups.
Clans are more limited. Users can only belong to one clan and there is a cap on how many players can be in a clan. The Call of Duty folks were tight-lipped about how clans will play into the next iteration but promised they would be key.
We recently sat down with the game’s designers for a demo of Elite. The room, a penthouse hotel room in Manhattan, featured rows of huge black computers with the Elite skull logo. There, they talked about their goals and plans for Elite.
The service is available on web browsers, consoles and mobile apps and will work with all future Call of Duty games, including Black Ops, the most recent game in the series. Elite features four main sections: Career, Connect, Compete and Improve.
The service will launch in full along with Modern Warfare 3 in November, but a beta is already open for use with Black Ops. Elite is largely free, though a premium membership is needed to get full functionality. That membership also includes all downloadable content released in the future, but it still might be a little pricey for the casual user.

 

Source: Mashable

Brain-tickling optical illusions ever

Brain-tickling optical illusions ever

Psychedelic Swirl

 One of the most amazing "fake motion" illusions. Believe it or not, this is a still image! (source)

Is It Green?

 The square in the center of this image by Professor Akiyoshi Kitaoka appears to have a green tint. But is that actually its color?  (source)

On The Beach

 This is a cycling image. Focus on the red dot and wait for the image to change to a shot of the beach. It's in black and white, but it will appear to be in color because of the after-image in your eyes!(source)

Wiggling Bugs

 These 'bugs' seem to be moving, but this is actually a static image. Note that whenever you focus on a particular 'bug,' it seems to stop moving.(source)

Lots of Legs

 This image by Shigeo Fukuda is a lovely essay in balance and contrast. Where do you think one set of legs ends, and the other begins?(source)

White Circles

 This image shows the brain's tendency to "fill in" negative space with shapes. Do you see a series of white circles between the black crosses? In reality, they don't exist.(source)

Pack of Wolves

How many wolves can you see in this illustration?(source)

See the answer here

Pointing Fingers

 Can you tell which of these two fingers is pointing at the exact center the vertical line? (source)
Click here for the answer.

Squirrels

 This isn't just a picture of two squirrels on a branch. Can you see the hidden image within?(source)

Broken Grid

Stare at the center of this grid for a while, and the outer edges will seem to "repair" themselves.(source)

Mysterious Forest

 How many tigers can you see in this landscape? (source)

Two Spheres

 Here's a perspective illusion. Which of these spheres appears to be bigger? Wait for the animation to remove them from their context. Now how do their sizes compare?(source)

Mysterious Landscape

 Can you spot the mythical creature hidden in this landscape?(source)

Click here for a little help.

Mount Rushmore

 We all know the four presidents carved into Mount Rushmore, but can you spot the fifth face?(source)

Turning the matter on its side may help.

Anamorphic Edgar

 Can you spot the distorted picture of Edgar Allen Poe hidden in this illustration inspired by 'The Raven'?(source)

A metal cylinder in the center reveals the hidden portrait.

Haunted

 Scan the negative space in this whimsical illusion by Culpeo. Can you see what's haunting this fox?(source)

Click here for a little help.

Best ever European finals

 Best ever European finals

Ahead of Saturday's Champions League final, here's a look back at some of the great finals the European football has produced.

1960 European Cup final

 Real Madrid 7 Eintracht Frankfurt 3

Any final with 10 goals in it deserves to be in this list and this match, played in front of 135,000 fans at Hampden Park is no exception. There were thoughts that Madrid's forward pairing of Alfredo Di Stéfano and Ferenc Puskás might be passed their prime and Frankfurt's semi-final saw them beat Rangers 12-4 on aggregate.

When Frankfurt took the lead in the 18th minute, there were thoughts that a shock could occur. Within 10 minutes Madrid equalised through Di Stéfano and three minutes later his second goal gave Madrid the lead. Any doubts about Madrid's forwards were completely lost by the 60th minute as Puskas completed a 15-minute hat-trick to give Madrid a 5-1 lead.
Puskas then netted his fourth goal in the 71st minute. That was the first goal of an astounding four minutes of play that saw four goals scored; two for each team. Di Stéfano completed his hat-trick, while Erwin Stein scored twice for Frankfurt, but it was not enough as Madrid lifted the trophy for the fifth time. (Source)

1962 European Cup final

Benfica 5 Real Madrid 3

Real Madrid won the first five European Cup competitions, but that run came to an end in 1961 after they were beaten by Barcelona in the first round. Benfica went on to win the trophy that year and the two teams met in the 1962 final, with Madrid favourites to reclaim their crown.
The game started well for Madrid who were 2-0 up by the 23rd minute after two goals from the legendary Ferenc Puskás. But Benfica suddenly found there form and by the 34th minute the scores were level. Puskas went on to grab a first-half hat-trick to give Madrid the lead at half-time.
Within six minutes of the second-half Benfica were level and the Portuguese side started to enforce themselves in the match. A young Eusébio then took centre stage with two goals in three minutes, just after the hour mark and Madrid were unable to respond and Benfica retained the trophy. (Source)

1962 European Cup final

 Celtic 2 Internazionale 1

Jock Stein's Celtic team were famously all born with 30 miles of Celtic Park and travelled to Lisbon to face the mighty Inter Milan. At this stage Europe's premier club competition had only been lifted by continental teams. Real Madrid, Benfica and both teams from Milan were the only teams to have been crowned European champions and most people believed that was unlikely to change.
But they had not counted on Stein and his band of 'Lisbon Lions'. Stein set about trying to confuse and upset Inter in the lead-up to the game and encouraging his players to believe they would become the first British team to lift the trophy. After seven minutes Inter were awarded a penalty, which Sandro Mazzola duly put away. Inter's tactics were to defend, they were comfortable with Celtic coming at them, at least they thought they were.
Stein realised that Inter were very strong at defending in their box, so he encouraged his players to try and beat them from outside the box. In the 62nd minute left-back Tommy Gemmell unleashed a ferocious shot from about 25-yards, which brought Celtic level. Celtic's fitness levels seemed to astound Inter and with just five minutes remaining Bobby Murdoch hit a shot across the goal, Stevie Chalmers got a foot on the ball and directed it home, giving Celtic their historic and unlikely win. (Source)

1968 European Cup final

 Manchester United 4 Benfica 1

This was Benfica's fifth appearance in eight years in the European Cup final, while this was the first time any English team had made it to the final. This came 10 years after the Munich air disaster had robbed United of the Busby Babes. It was thought to be the last chance the survivors of the crash, Matt Busby, Bobby Charlton and Bill Foulkes had to win the trophy.
The first-half was a hard fought affair, with both big threats George Best and Eusebio man-marked out of the game. Eight minutes into the second half Charlton put United in front with a rare headed goal, but the experienced Benfica team refused to panic. In the 75th minute Jaime Graça equalised for Benfica and at that point Benfica increased their efforts and showed the class that had led them those five finals.
Late on Eusebio had a great chance to win the game, but after breaking through United's defence he blasted his shot straight at goalkeeper Alex Stepney. That late push by Benfica cost them dearly on a hot and humid night in London and they looked tired throughout extra-time. The fact that George Best finally escaped his marker three minutes into extra-time and put United in front did not help Benfica. They lost it and two more extra-time goals saw United become the first English team to lift the famous trophy. (Source)

1988 Uefa Cup final

 Bayer Leverkusen 3 Espanyol 3

The Uefa Cup final used to be played over two legs and in 1988 Espanyol looked set to lift the trophy after a 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of the final. Almost one hour in to the second leg the score was still 0-0 and it looked very promising for Javier Clemente's side.
In the 57th minute of the second leg Brazilian striker Tita scored for Leverkusen and when Falko Götz added a second six minutes later the comeback was on. Espanyol tried to hold on to their lead but with just nine minutes remaining South Korean Cha Bum-Kun equalised for the German team.
With no goals in extra-time the final would be decided on penalties and incredibly Espanyol snatched defeat from the jaws of victory for the second time. They went 2-0 up in the penalty shoot-out, but Leverkusen, inspired by goalkeeper Rudiger Vollborn (pictured), fought back again as Espanyol missed their three remaining penalties. Leverkusen put their three away and were duly crowned Uefa Cup winners. (Source)

1994 Champions League final

 Milan 4 Barcelona 0

It is not often that such a one-sided final would be considered great, but it was such a dominant and unexpected performance by Milan that it could not be left out.
Barcelona's team included the likes of Ronald Koeman, Hristo Stoichkov and Romario, while Milan's team looked to be in turmoil. Marco van Basten and, the then most expensive player in the world, Gianluigi Lentini were missing through injury while influential captain Franco Baresi was suspended, along with fellow defender Alessandro Costacurta. Uefa regulations stated that a team could only play three foreign nationals so Milan coach Fabio Capello was forced to leave out more big names, including Jean-Pierre Papin and Brian Laudrup.
All these factors meant Barcelona were firm favourites for the match, but Milan did not listen to the script. Marcel Desailly inspired his team to victory, along with Daniele Massaro, who scored twice in the first half to give Milan a 2-0 lead at half-time. Barcelona had no response to Milan's football and when Dejan Savićević scored two minutes into the second half it was game over. Desailly capped his display with a goal on the hour mark and Milan's performance is considered one of the best by a team in the final of Europe's premier club competition. (Source)

1997 Champions League final

 Borussia Dortmund 3 Juventus 1

Juventus were the favourites for this final, despite Dortmund's impressive form throughout the competition. The Juventus line-up looked incredibly strong, containing the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Didier Deschamps and Christian Vieri; Alessandro Del Piero was on the substitutes' bench at the start of the match. The Dortmund side was captained by Matthias Sammer and also had Scotland's Paul Lambert in the starting line-up.
The Italians could not live up to the favourites tag and were outplayed by Dortmund in this incredible final. Two goals in five minutes from Karl-Heinz Riedle in the middle of the first half put Dortmund ahead and stunned Juventus. After a better start to the second, Del Piero, who had come on as a substitute, scored via a back-heel from a cross by Alen Bokšić to make the score 2-1. But it was a Dortmund substitute who wrapped up the game, Lars Ricken scored with his first touch just 16 seconds after coming off the bench. (Source)

1999 Champions League final

 Manchester United 2 Bayern Munich 1

This was the culmination of Manchester United's treble-winning season, but this match did not start well for Sir Alex Ferguson's men. Mario Basler's free-kick gave Bayern the lead in the sixth minute and the German's looked solid throughout the remainder of the first half.
United looked to be missing midfield stars Roy Keane and Paul Scholes who were suspended for the final. While they had lots of possession United couldn't really find any clear chances to equalise and Bayern started to look dangerous on the counter-attack. The second-half initially saw more of the same for United although Bayern came closest to scoring; the half did see Ferguson bring on Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Three minutes of injury time were indicated and Bayern's colours were actually put on the famous trophy.
In the first minute of injury time a Beckham corner found its way to Sheringham who fired home to equalise for United. Then after the subsequent kick-off United pressed again and forced another corner. This time Beckham's kick was headed on by Sheringham and Solskjaer stuck out his foot and connected to send the ball flying into the net. United's incredible comeback was complete, Bayern's players were completely devastated and Ferguson's side lifted their third major trophy of the season. (Source)

2001 Uefa Cup final

 Liverpool 5 Alaves 4

After beating Porto, Roma and Barcelona on route to the final, Liverpool faced Alaves who had proven themselves as an attacking and high-scoring force. The Spanish side beat Kaiserslautern 9-2 on aggregate in their semi-final. Markus Babbel headed Liverpool ahead in the fourth minute and Steven Gerrard added a second after 16 minutes.
Iván Alonso came on as a substitute in the 23rd minute and brought Alaves into the game by scoring just four minutes later. Liverpool added a third before half-time thanks to a Gary McAllister penalty. Javi Moreno led Alaves' fightback as they started the second-half in a much more positive fashion. Moreno scored twice in the first six minutes of the half to level the match. Robbie Fowler scored Liverpool's fourth in the 73rd minute and the Reds looked set to claim their third UEFA Cup, but Alaves refused to give up and Jordi Cruyff headed home a corner in the 89th minute to take the game into extra-time.
This incredible final was to be decided by a golden goal and Alaves thought they had won it but Alonso's strike was ruled out for offside. Magno Mocelin was sent off and then Fowler had a goal ruled out for offside. Alaves were down to nine men after their captain, Antonio Karmona, was sent off and from the resulting free-kick Delfí Geli headed into his own goal to give Liverpool the win. (Source)

2005 Champions League final

 Liverpool 3 AC Milan 3 (Liv win on pens)

After a thrilling win over Chelsea in the semi-final Liverpool headed to Istanbul to face the mighty AC Milan. It all went wrong for the Reds early on with Paolo Maldini scoring in the first minute. Hernan Crespo added two more goals before half-time and at 3-0 to Milan the game looked over before the second half had even began.
Liverpool started the second half in a much more positive frame and when Steven Gerrard scored less than 10 minutes into the half, there was a glimmer of hope. Six minutes later that glimmer had become a burning beacon after Vladimír Šmicer and Xabi Alonso added Liverpool's second and third respectively. Both teams had chances to win the game, notably Andriy Shevchenko who was denied by a double save from Jerzy Dudek.
The match went to penalties and when Dudek saved Shevchenko's spot kick Liverpool were crowned European champions for the fifth time and their incredible comeback was complete. (Source)

Women With Iconic Good Looks

Women With Iconic Good Looks

 Many women are beautiful, but not all have achieved icon status. Some women just have "it" -- the attitude, the allure and the enchanting looks that make them unforgettable and endlessly fascinating.

Source: MSN