The Week's Funniest and Most Intriguing News (week starting May 9)
As the weekend gets closer and closer, your productivity simply goes out the window. You don’t feel like working and you’re not really willing to go over serious news about serious topics.
So just like the weeks before, I invite you to check out 10 news that will put a smile on your face, make you laugh, and probably even make you say wow or what the f...
1. No Boaty McBoatface, but say hello to Parsey McParseface
Remember how the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) asked the internet to help name its new, state-of-the-art £200million royal research ship? Even though the most popular name was Boaty McBoatface, NERC decided to go with the name Sir David Attenborough instead.
Well, that’s a bummer! But here’s something that might cheer you up.
Google has released SyntaxNet, “an open-source neural network framework for TensorFlow that provides a foundation for Natural Language Understanding (NLU) systems.” The release includes and English parser that can be used to analyze English text. Said parser is called… Parsey McParseface.
Learn more about Google’s SyntaxNet here.
2. Space suit tech keeps your undies stink-free
SilverTech, by Danish company OrganicBasics, is a line of underwear that uses silver and technology found in space suits. And by doing this, it can kill 99.9% of bacteria, get rid of odors, regulate temperatures, and reduce sweat. All without sacrificing comfort, of course.
OrganicBasics is currently raising money for the SilverTech odorless underwear via Kickstarter.
3. Enjoy this parody while you wait for the new Legend of Zelda
Nintendo is going to unveil the latest installment in The Legend of Zelda at E3 in June. But because the game needs more polish, Nintendo isn’t going to release it until 2017. That’s a long time to wait.
Here’s something to help with the long wait: a short film that puts Link in an unexpected role. Enjoy!
4. Rogue One trailer recreated with Lego
You’ve seen the official trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the movie that’s scheduled to be released this December. Get ready to see it again, but this time recreated with Lego.
And since we’re talking about Star Wars, you might want to check out this video as well. It’s from Britain’s Got Talent and it presents a troop of dancing Stormtroopers.
5. Play a cow-themed game, win a real-life cow
You’re probably not familiar with Bagra, a mobile game developed by Tunisian company Digital Mania and available for Android on Google Play. The goal in the game is to look after your herd of cows and steal cows from other players.
The game developer put up a rather unusual prize for the player who managed to get the highest score: a real-life cow named Pamela.
Now that a Tunisian couple won the prize and have taken delivery of the cow, the developer is offering a second bovine prize. This time, the cow’s name is Brigitte.
6. Speed test ALL the iPhones that Apple ever made
You’ve seen speed test videos before, but not like this one. This video from EverythingApplePro puts ALL the iPhones that Apple ever made to the test. That’s every iPhone from the 2G and 3G up to the 6S and SE.
7. The world Donkey Kong score record has been broken (for good)
What do you get if you play Donkey Kong for 3 hours and 17 minutes and clear the game’s 22 levels without losing a single Mario? You get to break the world record high score for the game.
That’s what Donkey Kong player Wes Copeland did by getting a score of 1,218,000. This is the second time that he breaks the record and he says that “I don’t believe I can put up a game any higher than this.”
8. Meet Claycat’s Doom and the Doom Indycar
The new Doom game launches today, May 13. It’s one of the many games that you can play as of this month. You've seen the official launch trailer, you are familiar with the system requirements, you know all there is to know about Doom. Here’s something that you may have missed: a brutal, gory yet utterly adorable clay animation video called “Claycat’s Doom.”
Moving on, have you heard about the Doom-inspired racing car that will make its debut at the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis on May 14? Here it is.
On May 29, the Doom car will take part in the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500, with Russian driver Mikhail Aleshin at the wheel.
“We couldn’t imagine a more perfect sponsorship fit,” said Pete Hines, Vice President of PR & Marketing for Bethesda Softworks. “DOOM is all about pushing forward with incredible speed. We’ll all be cheering on Mikhail and the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team as we celebrate the game’s launch.”
9. Sid Meier’s Civilization VI is coming this October
2K and Firaxis Games have recently announced that Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, the next entry in the award-winning turn-based strategy franchise, is going to be released on October 21, 2016.
“Sid Meier’s Civilization VI builds on the firm foundation of the Civilization franchise, and we’ve added many exciting new elements,” said Ed Beach, lead designer at Firaxis Games. “The visual presentation of the game is inspired by the maps and tools of the Age of Exploration, and we’ve made several key gameplay changes such as expansive cities and active research that makes Sid Meier’s Civilization VI an entirely unique experience while remaining true to what makes the Civilization series so special.”
10. It’s out, it’s out! The first Assassin’s Creed trailer!
Ubisoft won’t release a new Assassin’s Creed game this year, but they will release an Assassin’s Creed movie on December 21. Starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, the movie is set in the same universe as the video games. Callum Lynch discovers that his ancestor Aguilar was an Assassin. So he explores his memories to gain the skills needed to become a Master Assassin and confront the Templars.
Until now, we had no idea how the movie would look like. Now we do! The trailer has recently premiered, giving us a closer look at what to expect from the movie.
So just like the weeks before, I invite you to check out 10 news that will put a smile on your face, make you laugh, and probably even make you say wow or what the f...
1. No Boaty McBoatface, but say hello to Parsey McParseface
Remember how the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) asked the internet to help name its new, state-of-the-art £200million royal research ship? Even though the most popular name was Boaty McBoatface, NERC decided to go with the name Sir David Attenborough instead.
Well, that’s a bummer! But here’s something that might cheer you up.
Google has released SyntaxNet, “an open-source neural network framework for TensorFlow that provides a foundation for Natural Language Understanding (NLU) systems.” The release includes and English parser that can be used to analyze English text. Said parser is called… Parsey McParseface.
Learn more about Google’s SyntaxNet here.
2. Space suit tech keeps your undies stink-free
SilverTech, by Danish company OrganicBasics, is a line of underwear that uses silver and technology found in space suits. And by doing this, it can kill 99.9% of bacteria, get rid of odors, regulate temperatures, and reduce sweat. All without sacrificing comfort, of course.
OrganicBasics is currently raising money for the SilverTech odorless underwear via Kickstarter.
3. Enjoy this parody while you wait for the new Legend of Zelda
Nintendo is going to unveil the latest installment in The Legend of Zelda at E3 in June. But because the game needs more polish, Nintendo isn’t going to release it until 2017. That’s a long time to wait.
Here’s something to help with the long wait: a short film that puts Link in an unexpected role. Enjoy!
4. Rogue One trailer recreated with Lego
You’ve seen the official trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the movie that’s scheduled to be released this December. Get ready to see it again, but this time recreated with Lego.
And since we’re talking about Star Wars, you might want to check out this video as well. It’s from Britain’s Got Talent and it presents a troop of dancing Stormtroopers.
5. Play a cow-themed game, win a real-life cow
You’re probably not familiar with Bagra, a mobile game developed by Tunisian company Digital Mania and available for Android on Google Play. The goal in the game is to look after your herd of cows and steal cows from other players.
The game developer put up a rather unusual prize for the player who managed to get the highest score: a real-life cow named Pamela.
Now that a Tunisian couple won the prize and have taken delivery of the cow, the developer is offering a second bovine prize. This time, the cow’s name is Brigitte.
6. Speed test ALL the iPhones that Apple ever made
You’ve seen speed test videos before, but not like this one. This video from EverythingApplePro puts ALL the iPhones that Apple ever made to the test. That’s every iPhone from the 2G and 3G up to the 6S and SE.
7. The world Donkey Kong score record has been broken (for good)
What do you get if you play Donkey Kong for 3 hours and 17 minutes and clear the game’s 22 levels without losing a single Mario? You get to break the world record high score for the game.
That’s what Donkey Kong player Wes Copeland did by getting a score of 1,218,000. This is the second time that he breaks the record and he says that “I don’t believe I can put up a game any higher than this.”
8. Meet Claycat’s Doom and the Doom Indycar
The new Doom game launches today, May 13. It’s one of the many games that you can play as of this month. You've seen the official launch trailer, you are familiar with the system requirements, you know all there is to know about Doom. Here’s something that you may have missed: a brutal, gory yet utterly adorable clay animation video called “Claycat’s Doom.”
Moving on, have you heard about the Doom-inspired racing car that will make its debut at the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis on May 14? Here it is.
On May 29, the Doom car will take part in the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500, with Russian driver Mikhail Aleshin at the wheel.
“We couldn’t imagine a more perfect sponsorship fit,” said Pete Hines, Vice President of PR & Marketing for Bethesda Softworks. “DOOM is all about pushing forward with incredible speed. We’ll all be cheering on Mikhail and the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team as we celebrate the game’s launch.”
9. Sid Meier’s Civilization VI is coming this October
2K and Firaxis Games have recently announced that Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, the next entry in the award-winning turn-based strategy franchise, is going to be released on October 21, 2016.
“Sid Meier’s Civilization VI builds on the firm foundation of the Civilization franchise, and we’ve added many exciting new elements,” said Ed Beach, lead designer at Firaxis Games. “The visual presentation of the game is inspired by the maps and tools of the Age of Exploration, and we’ve made several key gameplay changes such as expansive cities and active research that makes Sid Meier’s Civilization VI an entirely unique experience while remaining true to what makes the Civilization series so special.”
10. It’s out, it’s out! The first Assassin’s Creed trailer!
Ubisoft won’t release a new Assassin’s Creed game this year, but they will release an Assassin’s Creed movie on December 21. Starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, the movie is set in the same universe as the video games. Callum Lynch discovers that his ancestor Aguilar was an Assassin. So he explores his memories to gain the skills needed to become a Master Assassin and confront the Templars.
Until now, we had no idea how the movie would look like. Now we do! The trailer has recently premiered, giving us a closer look at what to expect from the movie.
