Localoaf

Have a look at this incredible model jet video that just showed up on digg:

I’ve seen videos for remote control jets around for a while, but never really thought about the kinds of technology that these new breeds of models require to make them work… miniature jet engines!

Remembering back to my youthful obsession with remote controlled cars and the excessive cost associated with those, I could only guess how much these tiny jets must set the average enthusiast back. I decided to do a little bit of investigation and found this site.

These little suckers are not cheap! A single engine is $2,700 to $5,000 making the plane in the vid above cost anywhere up to around $20,000 just for the engines. Just imagine if the pilot (controller??) wrecked their plane in the forest (to be fair, the vid clearly shows some sort of mechanical malfunction, and kudos to them for being fully prepared with fire extinguishers):

Last weekend I attended >play, the digital media conference put on by the Haas School of Business. It was OK, but during the games panel, I heard some insulated gaming industry folk chit-chat. One of the more sinister phenomena talked about was “advergaming.” I’d heard of America’s Army, a shoot-em-up network game that’s designed to be a recruitment tool.

But I’m torn over “Sneak King.” The terrifying King of Burgers has a way of sidling up unnoticed (NOT a Seinfeld reference). In this game, you are supposed to sneak up to hungry people, and then jump them, giving them Burger King food. I just think that paying $4 to play a game in which you wear a mask and force-feed triple Whoppers to innocent strangers is horrifyingly (deliciously?) hilarious.

Is this just the natural progression from Joe Camel and Count Chocula? Advertisers know what kids want. Kids didn’t want to stop watching cartoons to learn about cereal, so Toucan Sam and Tony the Tiger were born. Is the media literacy and critical thinking of most kids (and some adults) too weak to withstand the wiles of advertisers anymore? Should we protect them? If tobacco suits caused Joe Camel to ride into the sunset, is there any case for censuring Ronald and the King?

I guess I should let the trailer do the talking:

Speaking of Count Chocula, some of us had speculated on his brothers, and Franken Berry was particularly easy to remember. Others in the bunch are Boo Berry, Fruit Brute, and Yummy Mummy.

without game genie…

click

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