The Geekcast

Today we begin our holiday episodes. Enjoy Aaron, Gozer and Allen's freestyling of holiday's past.

News: Nintendo’s Miyamoto Stepping Down, Working on Smaller Games The creator of Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda will step down from his current position at Nintendo but remain with the company to work on smaller, more personal projects, Wired.com has learned. In an exclusive interview with Wired.com on Wednesday, Shigeru Miyamoto, the 59-year-old head of Nintendo’s game design department, said that he will move away from supervising the development of massive games like this year’s Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and Super Mario 3D Land, passing the torch to the younger designers in the company and working on projects that won’t take as long to complete. “Inside our office, I’ve been recently declaring, ‘I’m going to retire, I’m going to retire,’” Miyamoto said through his interpreter. “I’m not saying that I’m going to retire from game development altogether. What I mean by retiring is, retiring from my current position.” “What I really want to do is be in the forefront of game development once again myself,” Miyamoto said. “Probably working on a smaller project with even younger developers. Or I might be interested in making something that I can make myself, by myself. Something really small.” Miyamoto said that he’s hoping to start work on a project in 2012, and hopefully show the game off publicly within the year. “In other words, I’m not intending to start from things that require a five-year development time,” he said. Miyamoto, whose creations propelled Nintendo to worldwide prominence beginning with 1981′s arcade game Donkey Kong and who is generally recognized as the world’s most influential and creative game designer, said he felt comfortable stepping away from supervising the Mario and Zelda games because his staff has done such a good job with this year’s critically acclaimed entries in both series. “I’m saying this because I have a solid reaction from the existing teams,” he said. “I was able to nurture the developers inside Nintendo who were able to create something like this or something like that,” he said, gesturing to banners in the interview room in Nintendo’s office that showed the logos of Skyward Sword and Mario 3D Land. The reason Miyamoto keeps telling the younger developers that he’s going to retire is to send the message that he won’t always be around for them to work with. “The reason why I’m stressing that is that unless I say that I’m retiring, I cannot nurture the young developers,” he said. “After all, if I’m there in my position as it is, then there’s always kind of a relationship. And the young guys are always kind of in a situation where they have to listen to my ideas. But I need some people who are growing up much more than today.” As for himself, Miyamoto seemed eager to get to work on his new ideas with a smaller, younger staff. “Anyway, I’m interested in doing a variety of many other things,” he said with his usual cryptic smile. http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/12/miyamoto-interview/ 2011 Spike VGA winners recap Game of the Year: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Best Action Adventure Game: Batman: Arkham City Best Xbox 360 Game: Batman: Arkham City Best Adapted Videogame: Batman: Arkham City Best PS3 Game: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deceptiont Best Graphics: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Best Wii Game: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Best Motion Game: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Best Fighting Game: Mortal Kombat Best Independent Game: Minecraft Best Handheld/Mobile Game: Super Mario 3D Land Best Song in a Game: Bastion Best Original Score: Bastion Best Downloadable Game: Bastion Best Individual Sports Game: Fight Night Champion Best PC Game: Portal 2 Best Multiplayer: Portal 2 Best DLC: Portal 2 Best Performance by a Human Male: Portal 2 Best Performance by a Human Female: Portal 2 Best Driving Game: Forza Motorsport 4 Best Shooter: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Character of the Year: The Joker

News: Microsoft's bid to rule your living room with the Xbox 360 begins tomorrow Microsoft laid out a grand plan to turn your Xbox 360 into an even stronger hub for everything from television shows and movies to music at E3 this year. That dashboard update launches tomorrow, bringing with it the ability to use your Kinect to search for content across every service you have connected to your system, as well as Microsoft's digital storefronts on Xbox Live and live television. Unfortunately, not all of Microsoft's content partners will be ready for the service's launch tomorrow. HBO Go won't be available until early 2012, nor will Comcast's Xfinity on-demand library. Here are the services that will be available tomorrow, along with which market they will be active: EPIX. United States ESPN on Xbox LIVE (ESPN). United States Hulu. Japan Hulu Plus. United States LOVEFiLM. United Kingdom Netflix. Canada, United States Premium Play by (MediaSet). Italy Sky Go (SkyDE). Austria, Germany Telefónica España - Movistar Imagenio. Spain TODAY (MSNBC). United States The search functionality that allows you to look for content across a variety of outlets and apps is fascinating, as is the ability to control the service by waving your arms if you own a Microsoft Kinect, but the real power of these deals is the emphasis they place on Microsoft's hardware. By bundling all our digital subscriptions and content through the Xbox 360, Microsoft wants to make sure your gaming console is at the heart of your entertainment center. Xbox Live subscribers and subscribers of these digital services won't have access to much in the way of new content, but it will all be centralized in one location. This is different than the Apple TV's strategy of offering content such as television shows and movies as discrete items and selling or renting them directly to consumers as well as streaming your existing content. Microsoft wants to be the box you turn on when you want to watch anything, whether it's live or streaming, no matter what content delivery service you're going to be enjoying. http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/12/microsofts-bid-to-rule-your-living-room-with-the-xbox-360-begins-tomorrow.ars Gowalla confirms move to Facebook, service to shut down in January Reports of an acquisition first surfaced on CNN Money late last week, and now Gowalla has confirmed that it has indeed been acquired by Facebook. According to the company, the Gowalla service itself will be winding down at the end of January, and the team will instead focus all of their attention on developing Facebook features (namely, Timeline). Gowalla's Josh Williams also assures users that their personal information isn't a part of the acquisition, although the company will be providing users with a way to export their Passport data and other information. You can find his full post announcing the deal at the source link below. http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/05/gowalla-confirms-move-to-facebook-service-to-shut-down-in-janua/ Grand Central Apple Store opening December 9th, giving New Yorkers eight billionth way to buy an iPad It's been a long time coming, but it looks like Apple's finally ready to take the wraps off its latest store. The company's latest New York City outpost is set to get its grand opening in landmark Grand Central Terminal on December 9th, leaving only a few weeks for some combative holiday shopping amidst tourists, fellow commuters and kids from the suburbs. According to an email sent to customers, the store will open its doors for the first time on Friday at 10AM, so you should probably start lining up in an hour or two -- after all, nothing beats claustrophobia, a little elbowing and that new Apple Store smell, right? http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/05/grand-central-apple-store-opening-december-9th-giving-new-yorke/ ************* Geek This Week: Aaron: Path for iOS,

News: Android triggering record levels in malware, says McAfee Malware targeted toward Android devices continues to surge, says a new report from McAfee, pushing 2011 to become the busiest year in history for both mobile and general malware. The amount of malware infecting Android devices during the third quarter grew almost 37 percent from the second quarter, according to McAfee's Third-Quarter Threats Report (PDF). Android's growing demand among consumers has made it an increasingly ripe and inviting target for cybercriminals. Among all mobile platforms, Nokia's Symbian OS is still seeing the greatest amount of malware. But almost all new mobile malware over the third quarter was aimed squarely at Android. One common scheme against Android is led by Trojans that collect personal information and steal money from the user by sending SMS messages. Another type of malware records phone conversations and sends them to the attacker. As a result of onslaught against Android and the growth in overall malware, McAfee now believes the industry will see 75 million unique pieces of malware by the end of the year, up from its previous forecast of 70 million. That number promises to make 2011 a record year for malware. "This has been a very steady quarter in terms of threats, as both general and mobile malware are more prevalent than ever," said Vincent Weafer, senior vice president of McAfee Labs, in a statement. "So far this year, we've seen many interesting yet challenging trends that are affecting the threat landscape, including heightened levels of sophistication and high-profile hacktivist attacks." Phony antivirus products, AutoRun malware, and password-stealing Trojans were among the most common types of malware in the quarter, staging a rebound from previous quarters. Malware aimed at the Mac also continues to grow as Apple computers experience greater demand among both consumers and businesses. The number of botnet infections inched down over the third quarter but staged some dramatic gains in countries such as Argentina, Indonesia, Russia, and Venezuela. Cutwail, Festi, andLethic proved to be the most dangerous and damaging botnets last quarter. And though spam has dropped in numbers since 2007, it's grown in sophistication, according to McAfee. Spearphishing, or targeted spam, is increasingly being adopted by more attackers and is proving to be a highly effective form of malware. "The noise tells us spam levels have dropped, yet the signal we need to hear is that the bad guys have changed their tactics," the report noted. "They are protecting their business models and are doing so with a sophistication that creates a more dangerous threat than before." http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57328575-83/android-triggering-record-levels-in-malware-says-mcafee/?tag=mncol;cnetRiver Week in gaming: Skyrim, Xbox turns 10, Saints Row 3 Skyrim sells a reported 3.5 million units in 2 days, shows demand for single-player gaming: Skyrim isn't just a critical hit, as the game's publisher estimates around 3.5 million copies of the game have been sold in two days. Gamers are happy to support big budget, lengthy single-player games. Saints Row 3 is the GTA-clone that worships at the altar of fun: Saints Row: The Third asks you to create a repugnant character in the deep character creation mode, and then explore a city where almost everything is possible. This is a game that wants you to have fun, and you will... especially in co-op. The Xbox turns ten: how Halo showed the industry the future of gaming: The first Xbox was a system that could have survived without Halo, but it wouldn't have been easy. Assassin's Creed Revelations review: the upside of yearly releases: Assassin's Creed: Revelations may not bring many new ideas to the franchise, but it executes everything it needs to very well. Nintendo under fire: why the 3DS could take off during the holidays: The 3DS is far from dead,

News: Modern Warfare 3: While Movie Industry Struggles, Gaming Thrives Aidan Joyce, a 20-year-old student at Georgia State, downloads "a lot of films" for free online. "Terabytes worth," he says. But he does pay for video games. Monday night, Joy...

News: Barnes & Noble launches Nook Tablet, lights a fire under Amazon The tablet offers up a seven-inch IPS display with full lamination, videos up to 1080p and 11.5 hours of battery life. The Nook has 16GB of built-in memory, which is further ex...

News: Interactive video turns Facebook fears into 2 minutes of horror Unfriend this man, now. "Take This Lollipop" combines horror movie tropes with online security fears. (CNN) -- A sweaty, wild-eyed man in a stained undershirt hunches over his computer in a shadowy basement. He's broken into your Facebook account and is reading your posts as his dirty, cracked fingernails paw at the keyboard. Rage (jealousy? hate?) builds as he flips through your photos and scrolls through your list of friends. He rocks back and forth, growing more agitated as the pages flash past. Then he consults a map of your city and heads to his car ... So why ... oh, why ... did you include so much personal information -- and your address -- in your profile? If that all sounds like the stuff of a digital-era horror movie, you're not far off. "Take This Lollipop" is an interactive short video that's been making its way around the Web as Halloween approaches. Visitors to the site are first presented with an image of a lollipop with a razor blade in it -- don't take candy from strangers, kids -- and asked to grant access to their Facebook account. Don't worry: The application claims it uses your data only once, then deletes it. But the creepy results just might make you think twice about who else gets access to your online information. The video uses the developer tool Facebook Connect and features actor Bill Oberst Jr. (whose credits range from "The Secret Life of Bees" to the inexplicably Oscarless "Nude Nuns With Big Guns") as the aforementioned grungy nutjob. As he stares at his computer, it's actual photos and other information from your page that he's scrolling through. (Note to parents: If you're tagged in pictures of your kids, be ready for those to pop up, too. It ups the ante on creepiness exponentially). In the weeks since the video went live, viewers have begun sharing it with friends and asking them to video-record themselves while watching it. (This one from YouTube has more than 18,000 views, not to mention a vaguely "Blair Witch Project" vibe.) Creator Jason Zada, a commercial and viral marketing director who was the brains behind the viral "Elf Yourself" online campaign for OfficeMax, told Porter Gale of Ad Age that he'd been kicking around Halloween ideas and "wanted to do something that messed with people." He said the clip is definitely meant to spur thought about how much information we share online. "Our privacy was dead a while back and will never be the same," he said. "Life as a whole has changed. If you look at the video, the scariest part is that your information is in the video. The piece is scary because a person is violating your privacy, not because it's bloody or there's anything jumping out." As of Thursday morning, nearly 2 million people had "liked" the page. How many of them are at Facebook's headquarters remains unclear. "I did hear the video project has been polarizing inside of Facebook, and I received a call from Facebook's Developer Relations Team, " Zada said. "They were very nice, respectable, and I explained I didn't want to cross any lines." http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/27/tech/social-media/take-this-lollipop/ RIM promo: Buy two Playbooks, get one free Maybe one PlayBook wasn't enough to get you interested in Research In Motion's tablet. But three? That's a whole different story. At least, that's what RIM is banking on in its latest promotion. Business customers who purchase two PlayBooks through a designated reseller get a bonus one for free. In addition, they get their choice of accessories for each tablet. It's the latest in a line of promotions offered by RIM and its retailer partners as it attempts to spruce up sales of its PlayBook tablet. After a bungled launch and a tepid response to the product, RIM is working aggressively to move the devices off the shelves. The latest promotion, of course, isn't directed at consumers,

News: Netflix to expand to U.K., Ireland in early 2012 Netflix is planning to expand the availability of its streaming service to the U.K. and Ireland in early 2012, the company announced today. Consumers who access Netflix will be able to str...

Today we cover NY ComicCon from the Javits Center and we also have a hands-on review of the iPhone 4S ************** Sponsors: Audible: Try Audible Now and Get 1 Free Audio Book Download with a 14 Day Trial. Choose from over 85,000 Titles. Continue your membership and receive 1 audio book credit a month for only $14.95 per month! Just visit AudiblePodcast.com/TheGeekcast

News: The Life of Steve Jobs 1955 - 2011 Three Acts: Apple in the 80's Next / Pixar in the 90's Return to Apple and saves it, the "iEra". Milestones: Apple // The mouse The Mac, GUI interface, "a computer for the rest of us" The Next workstation, first computer that was a web server Pixar iMac, the first widely successful all-in-one computer iPod iTunes Music Store, saving the music industry from piracy by providing a real alternative MacBook Air - One of the best introductions of a computer (interoffice envelope) iPhone - Hands-down the best Apple keynote ever. I still watch it every now and then. The excitement was palpable. iPod Touch - A natural progression from the iPhone. iPad - Everyone laughed, everyone bought it. Not-so-milestones: The Lisa Apple /// 'puck' mouse on the iMac OS X 10.0 G4 cube MobileMe iPhone 4 antenna - "Antennagate" iTunes Ping ************** Geek This Week: Aaron: Gozer: ************** The Geek's Choice: iPhone 4S pre-order experience and specs ************** Featured Segment: ************** Feedback & Items of Note: NY Comic Con 2011 @Javits Center this Saturday 10/15/11 ************** Sponsors: Audible: Try Audible Now and Get 1 Free Audio Book Download with a 14 Day Trial. Choose from over 85,000 Titles. Continue your membership and receive 1 audio book credit a month for only $14.95 per month! Just visit AudiblePodcast.com/TheGeekcast

News: Netflix DVD mailing service to split off and become Qwikster Netflix recently restructured its pricing model, splitting its DVD rental and Internet streaming services into separate plans. The controversial move, which effectively raised the...

News: Netflix launches streaming service in Latin America Netflix announced today that it had launched its movie-streaming service outside of North America. The service launched in Brazil today and is expected to be made available in 43 countries in Latin America, Mexico, and the Caribbean over the next week, Netflix said in a blog posting. The company said it has spent the past couple of months studying how Latin Americans think about movies and TV shows, as well as testing its delivery method. "We've been testing and figuring out the right Internet architecture to make sure the quality and speed of the Netflix streaming experience is the best it can be," Rochelle King, Netflix VP of user experience and design, wrote in a company blog. Subscribers will be able to access Netflix in Spanish, Portuguese, or English. Netflix said the streaming offering in Latin America and the Caribbean will work the same way it does in the United States. Customers will pay a monthly fee for unlimited access to the company's streaming-video library. Netflix subscribers will be able to access content on computers, Wii and PS3 game consoles, and smart TVs. However, it doesn't appear the program will include access to physical media. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20101731-93/netflix-launches-streaming-service-in-latin-america/#ixzz1XBbhgLu1 iPhone 5 launch date: Battle of the Best Buy leaks Depending on which of today's Best Buy-related iPhone 5 reports you want to give the most credence to, the highly anticipated gadget could launch during the first week of October, or a bit later, on October 21. Boy Genius Report's Jonathan Geller says a tipster handed the blog a leaked Best Buy document labeled "Promotional activity" and carrying a subheading of "Week 9/4." The document, real or otherwise, says, "iPhone 5 product introduction expected, pre-sales begin for expected week 1 launch / Sprint launches iPhone 5." It also says "(Apple product information/Launch dates subject to change)." On the other hand, This Is My Next's Chris Ziegler reports that TIMN received a tip about a mysterious "Apple fixture" that's scheduled to be installed at an unnamed Best Buy location October 21. The site displays a screenshot that shows what may or may not be an authentic online Best Buy "National Retail Calendar." http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-20101545-37/iphone-5-launch-date-battle-of-the-best-buy-leaks/#ixzz1XBc3BHlj Google+ Power Users Reject Suggested Users List You might expect social media superstars to be giving virtual high fives and tweeting with delight at the idea of a suggested users list on Google+. It’s a way to be surfaced for new users, meaning more followers, and that’s a good thing, right? Wrong — for some. Since Google released the list late last week, web personalities have been speaking out against it. Tech blogger and commentator Robert Scoble even asked to be removed from it, citing 13 reasons the move made sense for him. “I totally understand why Google did this list,” Scoble said. “It just isn’t a well curated list and so I don’t want my name associated with it.” Scoble pointed out that Paris Hilton made the list, further fortifying his reasoning. However, Google+ VP of Product Bradley Horowitz said deeper personalization functionality is on its way. For now, it lets users in different regions and languages get different recommendations — but the goal is for it to become more topic based. Elisa Camahort Page, co-founder of BlogHer, admits that lists are useful for the technorati. For average users, it makes less sense. http://mashable.com/2011/09/05/google-suggested-user-list/ Amazon's 7-Eleven lockers are very real, very gray, slated for Friday activation After an arduous expedition that must've lasted hours, an intrepid frontiersman in the Seattle area has finally unearthed the Holy Grail of convenience store cubbies -- Amazon's elusive delivery locker,

News: Steve Jobs Resigns As CEO Of Apple To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community: I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come. I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee. As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple. I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role. I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you. - Steve Update: Apple has confirmed that Apple COO Tim Cook will replace Jobs as CEO, following Jobs’ own recommendation. Considering that Cook has filled in for Jobs in the times of his medical leaves (including the one he has been on this year), this has been widely expected if and when it came time for Jobs to step down. Also as requested, Jobs has been elected as Chairman of the Board and will remain with the company in that capacity. Cook will join the Board as well. http://techcrunch.com/2011/08/24/steve-jobs-resigns-from-apple/ GameStop apologizes to Deus Ex PC customers GameStop really doesn’t like all this “lawsuit” talk that’s been buzzing around since they were caught with their hand in the cookie jar, ripping OnLive codes out of sealed copies of Deus Ex: Human Revolution for the PC. Now, in an email sent out to customers by GameStop CEO Paul Raines, they’re offering an olive branch to those affected. Customers who bought the PC game before the store decided to stop selling them altogether are eligible to receive a $50 GameStop gift card and a Buy 2 Get 1 Free coupon on used games. Considering GameStop’s history of completely ignoring customer outcry, offering a $50 gift card is sort of a big deal. Usually they just offer to show you the door, and ask if you want to pre-order Madden. If you purchased the PC version from GameStop, all you need to do is take the email and your receipt or order confirmation from GameStop.com to a retail store. Once there (after being hassled to reserve every game coming out from now until 2014 and talked down to by a 17-year-old), you’ll get some free money, effectively refunding the entire cost of Deus Ex: Human Revolution on PC, so we guess it’s worth it. We doubt anyone was that excited for the OnLive code. Honestly, it’s tough to blame GameStop for this entirely. No matter which way you slice it, Square-Enix did package a competitor’s coupon in a game without telling them. That’s a thing they did. While gutting the games and tearing out the offer wasn’t the most tasteful way to handle the situation, neither was sneaking in an OnLive code without mentioning it. Seriously, how did they think GameStop would react when they saw that? The email is below—what do you think? Water under the bridge? "Dear GameStop customer, Earlier this week, GameStop removed a competitor's coupon from standard edition PC versions of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, a recent release by Square Enix. We were not aware that the product box would contain this competitor's offer. We regret the events surrounding this title release and that our customers were put in the middle of this issue between GameStop and Square Enix, the publisher of this game. And for this, we are truly sorry. For your inconvenience, we would like to offer you a free $50 GameStop gift card and a Buy 2 Get 1 Free pre-owned purchase. We want to earn back your trust and confidence in the GameStop experience. Please bring in this email and your store receipt or order confirmation from GameStop.com and present it to a Game Advisor. Sincerely, Paul Raines CEO, GameStop" Aug 28,