Gaming and Tech Network

This Week in the Universe rounds up some of the best and most interesting stories from around the web you may have missed this week.

First up we have Rebellion, they have taken issue with Stardock over the naming of the latest expandalone for Sins of a Solar Empire. Subtitled Rebellion, it is about, well it is about a rebellion. Each of the three factions of the original game has been split in two sub-factions the loyalists and the rebels so it can hardly be said to have been named Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion for no reason… Rock, Paper, Shotgun have the full story.

Rebellion Suing Stardock Over The Word ‘Rebellion’

“To further their argument, the court document provides a few examples of why Rebellion believe they’ve been hard done by. Exhibit B claims the box art for the game showed the word “Rebellion” was much larger than “Sins of a Solar Empire”, which is true, and that people buying it might believe they are getting a game from the developers of Sniper Elite V2 and Aliens Vs. Predator, which I have a hard time believing. “

And this week the Apple Vs Samsung case continues, with the former claiming the later has infringed on numerous (and in my opinion vague) patents to produce the Galaxy range. It is possible one of the lawyers working on behalf of Apple may have gone a bit too far this week…

Apple lawyer: ‘I promise I am not smoking crack’

“Judge Lucy Koh has grown increasingly irritated with lawyers on both sides of the ongoing lawsuit between Apple and Samsung, but she hit a new boiling point on Thursday when Apple presented her a 75-page list of potential rebuttal witnesses for the four hours it has remaining in the trial.”

Valve have expanded their remit a lot since they released Half-Life 2, back then they were a game developer, they used an external publisher and Steam was little more than DRM. John Walker looked at just what might be next for Valve.

Here’s A Thought: What If Valve Were Making SteamOS?

“And it begins with Gabe’s very deliberate public discrediting of Windows 8. Now, he’s not exactly being a maverick with such an opinion – Windows 8 is looking likely to be awful for desktop PCs, forcing a tablet interface onto a system that doesn’t want or need it in any way. Worse, it’s seen by some as an attempt to close down the openness of the PC, with games bought through the operating system. (If the EU fined them billions for forcing their own web browser on customers, I’m bemused at their thinking it will be okay to force their own online store.) None of it bodes well, and it’s hard to imagine why any PC gamer would opt to upgrade from the pretty functional Windows 7.”

While we are on the subject of Steam, it may not be out of Beta yet so not everyone can play it but Dota 2 has just got a Spectator Client that is available to everyone just in time for The International.

Here’s blog in your eye!

“With The International around the corner we want everyone to have access to the best possible way of watching the matches, and that’s where the new Spectator Client comes in. You will be able to watch any Live or Recent matches plus all of the upcoming The International right inside the client. Every spectator feature is enabled, including Player Perspective, Commentators and Directed view.”

Perhaps Colm O’Regan has read one too many Sic-Fi novel, watched one too many post apocalyptic movie where the machines have taken over. It does make you wonder though, with computers getting more an more powerful, AI getting increasingly sophisticated…

From robot trader to computer overlord?

“If a computer glitch lost Knight Capital $440m, how long will it be before high-frequency trading computers threaten the stability of the civilised world?”

You may have noticed that the GTN twitter linked to a 38 Degrees petition last week. Well it seems that even before that is over Google may be made to answer for their tax avoidance.

Google may face grilling by MPs over ‘immoral’ tax avoidance

“Google could be hauled in front of MPs after the 2011 results for its UK subsidiary showed it paid £6m in corporation tax. John Mann, an MP and member of the Treasury Select Committee, suggested the advertising giant should explain itself for its “entirely improper and immoral” behaviour.”

Fed up with getting home and finding a “sorry we missed you” note through your letter box? or seeing the courier’s van drive right by your home on the day you were waiting in for that parcel only to find the tracking has mysteriously changed to “attempted to deliver, no one in” an hour later? No more! for those of us who can’t or don’t want to get something delivred at work but none the less will not be in to receive a parcel Amazon has started Click and Collect in the UK.

Amazon recruits 5000 UK cornershops to act as delivery depots

“Amazon UK has recruited 5,000 cornershops to act as pickup depots for people who order goods online. The Amazon shipments will be delivered to convenient shops with late opening hours for customer pickup, and will also accept returned merchandise.”

Video this week [via Geekologie] is a dog from the Ukraine that does Parkour. I’m sorry I just can’t do justice to it with any kind of introductory words, you will just have to watch it.

Have a good week!