Ensemble Studios is getting shut down :(

Ensemble Studios, the studios behind the successful Age of Empires series and games like Age of Mythology is apparently closing down. I just read about this earlier today and it was definitely a shocker. The age of empires series is one of the most popular RTS games and a very profitable one too. Currently, they are working on a RTS version of Halo called Halo Wars. It looks like Microsoft Game Studios (which owns Ensemble Studios) is shutting it down after the completion of Halo Wars

Check out the post here.

I just hope that they are just being absorbed into MSG and not really being shut down…

Nikon Digital Learning Center

I just came across Nikon Digital Learning Center . It has some photography tips and articles.

The articles are primarily grouped into 5 categories namely Action, Nature, People, Travel and Close Up. An “How Do I” section targets some basic stuff. There is also a section that is targetted on pros.

The site offers some nice selection of articles. Check it out.

The mobile phone is no longer just a phone…

We all know that mobile phones these days are no longer just phones. They do a whole lot of other stuff apart from making and receiving phone calls. CNet has an article on what the phones will do in 10 years… Some of these features are already available now, but some are in early stages of development.

A new technology standard called “near-field communications,” or NFC, will turn cell phones into credit or debit cards. A chip is embedded in a phone that allows you to make a payment by using a touch-sensitive interface or by bringing the phone within a few centimeters of an NFC reader. Your credit card account or bank account is charged accordingly.

10 things your phone will do in 10 years

Free Photography lessons

Just came across this site that has free photography lessons. There are about 12 in all with loads of sample photographs and tons of information. If you are into photography and stuff (even in a casual way), then you could have come across these information, but it worth it anyway.

http://www.morguefile.com/archive/classroom.php

There are several sites that offer photography tips etc, but this one has the infomation organized into categories (chapters) and has lots of sample photographs to explain the concepts.

Petals around the rose

Check this out… A simple, but intriguing puzzle. There is no solution there. See for yourself if you can figure it out.

I wasn’t able to and I had to google

Multicore gaming

Check this out if you are a gaming fan… I am sure several readers of this blog will be interested. 

http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/cpu/valve-multicore.ars

Warning: The article is more on the technical side.

Megapixels explained

How many megapixel camera do you need to print photo of a specific size? Check the link below.

http://design215.com/toolbox/megapixels.php

Is it time to reconsider Google?

Well… The article at CNET thinks so. The author comes up with a host of other sites/services that are better than that of Google.

The article mentions that Yahoo Maps, Microsoft’s Windows Live Local, Yahoo Desktop Search and searches from Ask.com are better than their Google counterparts. The article ends as follows.

“If you’re devoted to Google out of force of habit or some affinity to the brand, I submit that it’s time you re-examine your habits. Google is good, but it’s not worth unyielding devotion.”

I belong to the category of users mentioned above. I am used to Google so much that nothing else comes to my mind.

Windows Vista Build 5536

I have been following Windows Vista ever since it started out as Longhorn. I am keenly looking forward to this one even though Microsoft pulled out lot of features that it had initially promised.

Anyway, when I read the review of Vista’s latest build at Paul’s site, I was very happy. Paul has been criticising the previous builds of Vista especially the Beta 2 and the ones before that. I had actually downloaded Beta 2 (3.0+ gigs), but never installed it since it received very bad reviews all over the web. But Paul has given a thumbs up for this build and this is great.

I am waiting for RC1 to be released so that I can get my hands on Vista!!!

Some interesting links…

http://likebetter.com/ – The site displays pairs of images.Choose the one you like. After going over several pairs, you can check what the app predicts about you. Nice AI.

http://www.blogiseverything.com/interesting/cool-optical-illusion/ – A simple, but great optical illusion.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=2KrdBUFeFtY – A cool card trick… could be some special effects stuff, but check it out anyway.