noemi

Rocksmith Video Game Teaches You How to Play Guitar for Real!

October 10, 2011 by noemi

How many hours did you ~~waste~~ spend playing Guitar Hero, or one of its many versions? I know it is one of the video games that caught my attention – and held it – for a very long time. I had several versions of the game on the PlayStation 3 and the Wii, and even though I didn’t have a guitar controller for the latter, I still kept at it. And I am not alone in this, for sure. (I did have the special edition Aerosmith guitar controller for the PS3, though!)

While the games were a lot of fun, there was one big criticism about the game: it didn’t really teach players how to use a guitar in the real world. Sure, you still had keep the beat most of the time. And it was easy enough to pretend that you were a rock star. At the end of the day, however, you still couldn’t play real guitar for sh&t. [Read more…] about Rocksmith Video Game Teaches You How to Play Guitar for Real!

Do Suffer From Text Neck?

October 7, 2011 by noemi

Remember the hullaballoo about the Blackberry thumb, a condition that supposedly arose due to overusing Blackberry phones and mobile phones in general? That was many years ago, and now, there is some other medical condition that can be blamed on using mobile phones way too much.

Called text neck, the medical condition is supposed to be the result of spending too much time hunched over your mobile phone, presumably texting. While the name is limited to one activity, the text neck may actually result from other activities that you do on your mobile phone and/or tablet. Whatever it is that you like doing on those devices, the fact that you spend considerable time in a hunched over position can result in text neck. [Read more…] about Do Suffer From Text Neck?

Got Dyslexia? Learn Klingon

October 6, 2011 by noemi

Two days in a row, we have posts related to Star Trek. It’s not intentional, mind you, although I will not deny that I have a penchant for all things Star Trek. It just so happens that while browsing the Internet today, I came across an article describing how a guy with dyslexia improved his condition by studying Klingon.

Yes, Klingon is a language of the fictional Star Trek race. But yes, it is also a real language spoken on Earth today. The warrior race has aroused a wide variety of emotions from viewers and readers, but there is no doubt that the Klingons are very much a part of the franchise. In fact, it is safe to go as far as to say that Star Trek will not be the same without the Klingons. [Read more…] about Got Dyslexia? Learn Klingon

Spock Plays Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock

October 5, 2011 by noemi

Who remembers “The Lizard-Spock Expansion” episode of The Big Bang Theory? It was only when I watched that episode did I discover the alternative version of Rock, Paper, Scissors – Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock – and I am willing to bet I am not alone in this. And just in case you are still not aware of the Star Trek-inspired version (there is nothing wrong with that, really), let’s talk a little bit about the game.

Everyone knows how to play Rock, Paper, Scissors, yes? Rock beats scissors. Paper beats rock. Scissors beat paper. Now on to the alternative. This image says it all.

YArr2-D2 Shirt: Star Wars Goes Pirate

October 4, 2011 by noemi

Mashups have been done of practically everything you can think of. Some of them are awesome, some not so awesome. Here’s a mashup that will make you really happy if you like Star Wars (and are starting to hate Lucas, maybe), and you believe that you were a pirate in your previous life. The tee shirt is called YArr2-D2, definitely not the most imaginative name, but still catchy.

The YArr2-D2 tee shirt is designed by Glen O’Neill, who describes himself as a being “just a big geeky artist”. He is based in Victoria, Canada. His day job is Production Coordinator at a place called The Martlet, but what is really cool is that he designs tees and draws comics in his spare time. From the looks of this latest tee that he designed, we should all be thankful for his employer as it seems he gets the spare time to come up with awesome things that ordinary mortals like you and me can enjoy. [Read more…] about YArr2-D2 Shirt: Star Wars Goes Pirate

How Much Do You Rely on Coffee at Work?

October 3, 2011 by noemi

I have heard people say that coffee makes them more productive workers. I have said that myself more times than I can count, myself. You might have said it yourself. But how accurate is this statement? Is there any empirical evidence to support it?

I might just have stumbled into something that gives more weight to the idea that coffee makes happy and productive workers – an infographic providing the stats on how workers take their coffee and how they perceive their coffee consumption to help at work. ((Source)) [Read more…] about How Much Do You Rely on Coffee at Work?