Filed under: Gaming

Alright, things are starting to get really good with these hacks. Just after seeing a GameCube / Wii Tetris, Linux build, SNES emulator, and the first homebrew MP3 player for Nintendo’s money-maker, we’re getting a totally radical, native Genesis / Megadrive emulator for the console. Coder-extraordinaire Eke-Eke has created not only the first of its kind for the Wii (and GameCube), but it’s also the first ever that’s capable of playing Virtua Racing, a milestone in Genesis emulation. This latest feat utilizes the same backdoor Twilight Princess hack, which is proving to be the best thing that happened to Wii development since… well… ever. Hit the read link and check it out yourself.

[Thanks, Craig]

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Holy crap! Cosmopolitan Magazine—never mind why I was reading it—has just published an article saying the Apple Store is the hottest haunt to pick up dashing young chaps. That means hordes of the Cosmopolitan Magazine reading public are off to their local Apple Store to search for trendy geeks like you. It makes no sense to us either, but don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, lad. This may well blow your mind, but here’s the situation; you may get to talk to a hot girl. Shocking, we know. Checkout Cosmopolitan’s reasoning about the Apple Store after the jump.

“The draw: Most guys are natural gadget lovers, and with sales of iPods and MacBooks skyrocketing, more men than ever are stopping by Apple boutiques. The vibe at the stores is conducive to man meeting too: You can check your email among cuties, take a free workshop on anything from Photoshop to podcasting (a great opportunity to strike up a conversation), or just survey the, ahem, good-looking merchandise.”

Now, put your OS loyalty aside and skip on down to your local Apple Store, take a few good jokes with you, and you might just get a chance to show off your real Penryn processor…you know what I’m saying. (N.B. Avoid jokes like that.) [Cosmopolitan via androidapps; image via insanely great tees]

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The chaps over at Hot Hardware have put the Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 processor, which belongs to the (45nm) Wolfdale line, through its paces, and they sure were impressed. From their extensive testing, the processor did not seem to make any massive changes on an architectural level, however, small adjustments had a great overall effect on performance. The 6MB of L2 cache brought an impressive speed boost, while the power consumption and heat production levels both fell.

Indeed, the Core 2 Duo E8500 was comparable in performance to lower clocked quad-core chips, proving the viability of the Wolfdale architecture. The chip is likely to retail at the +$300 mark and that seems to be the only drawback—it is a little on the steep side. Regardless, the Hot Hardware fellows were still willing to give the Core 2 Duo E8500 the highly coveted “Recommended” badge, and if their test results ring true, we would not disagree. Hit the link to check out the extensive testing [Hot Hardware]

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Those spiffing fellows at the University of Plymouth, UK are undertaking a research project involving a baby-bot named iCub, which will see the robot actually learn how to speak. The three-foot high robot will help researchers deduce how language is taught, but the further reaching impact of the study include the prospect of developing humanoid robots that can learn, think and talk. Sure, Steven Speilberg has already envisioned such a future, but how far off was he?

Well, we can’t really say. The iCub will undergo pretty basic tests, such as shape analysis, nesting different sized cups and stacking wooden blocks, as well as speech development tasks, meaning iCub will be able to name actions it carries out, which will lead to a commentary of its routine. The overall goal was laid out by Angelo Cangelosi, Professor in Artificial Intelligence;

“The outcome of the research will define the scientific and technological requirements for the design of humanoid robots able to develop complex behavioral, thinking and communication skills through individual and social learning.”

It may well be a far cry from AI, but the project, which will begin next year, is costing around £4.7 ($9.34) million and if that kind of cash doesn’t lead to robots that can write our articles for us, we shall be really, really pissed. [BBC News]

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The guys at Pop Photo have managed to get their hands all over the much-hyped Sigma DP1. Apparently, the DP1 has a build quality comparable to the solid Canon PowerShot G9, and the mega sensor monster does away with any fuss with regards to shooting options; you’ll find Manual, Auto, Aperture-priority, Program, and Shutter-priority modes for image capture, as well as QVGA video mode (320 x 240 @ 30fps) and an audio capture mode, but beyond that, there are absolutely no ludicrous scene selections to choose from. The chaps at Pop Photo found this a refreshing turn to minimalism, and we would have to agree. All in all, the hype is looking to be well founded. Checkout the full tear down by hitting the link. [Pop Photo]

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Volkswagen has revealed its sleek Scirocco hatch, which is “powered by a 2.0L TSI engine.” No word yet on pricing. Click here for first picture in gallery.

Notable differences from the concept include the lack of the metal grille surround, which gave the original such great visual impact. Also different is most of the rest of the front fascia, with different air intakes, an altered hood line and different, though similar, headlights

[via Autoblog]

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Here’s a first: a “Growing Book” in which “people can plant whatever they like in the left side.” No word yet on price or availability. Click here for first picture in gallery.

During this process readers do not only learn the meaning of life but they create life themselves. 8 small LED lights are fixed on the bottom of the plants, in the evening the book can be turned on to become a lamp with the unique light reflect from the leaves

[via YankoDesign]

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If you’ve always wanted to learn how mechanics change jumbo jet tires, then check out this interesting “How do they do it?” segment. Video after the break.

Aircraft tires are usually inflated with nitrogen in order to minimize expansion and contraction from extreme changes in temperature experienced during flight. Dry nitrogen expands at the same rate as other dry atmospheric gases, but common compressed air sources may contain moisture, which increases the expansion rate with temperature

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Designed by Foster + Partners, the Beijing Airport is the “world’s largest and most advanced airport building - not only technologically, but also in terms of passenger experience, operational efficiency and sustainability.” Video after the break. Click here for first picture in gallery.

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In this The Real Hustle segment, the hustlers show just why luck is never on your side when you play street dice. Video after the break.

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