Jun 16, 2014 04:50 PM (This post was last modified: Jun 20, 2014 03:53 PM by Oak.)
The edition you are currently reading is the 198th full edition. To read any older editions of HF News, please go here.
HFNT Expansion Incoming / Writers Admitting Members
The Hack Forums News Team (HFNT) is expanding in preparation for the 200th edition. We will be expanding the HF News and optimizing the Writers in the endeavor of obtaining perpetual simplicity. If you've ever been interested in getting into the HFNT / Writers, now's the best chance you will have for a long while. Head on over to the W4TCHL2ST and apply! The End of Official Groups Respawn & Republic
There have been a couple changes in the official groups this week. Respawn, owned by Astonish, has been changed into Enterprise, but keeps the same ownership, the group is described as "a group of selected individuals that will specialize in Business, Marketing and Monetizing. We strive to help the community of HackForums, with help desks, tutorials and giveaways." The Republic, owned by Assault, has also been changed, this time into Miners, which is "a group based on crypto currency. We, the members of Miners are dedicated to help in all fields of our expertise." If you would like to join these groups you can find the recruitment thread for Miners here and for Enterprise here. Tutorial Contest Voting Started Omniscient has started the voting process for his OMC Tutorial Contest. The rewards total out to be 25,000 Omnicoin. 10,000 OMC for the first place - 1 winner, 5,000 OMC runner-ups - 2 winners, 1,000 OMC honorable mentions - 5 winners. If you would like to check out the tutorials that made the cut or place your vote for the best visit the thread here.
Roger Waters was the last person to receive the Purple HackerCraft award, as it has now been discontinued.
* - As of the Monday prior to release.
The Republic Becomes Miners
The Republic, led by Assault has decided a new direction for his group. Soccer was added as a leader last week and the group officially changed into Miners tonight (June 6). According to the group description, Miners is a group based around crypto currencies. So far all we know about the group is that it is invite only until Soccer and Assault get a recruitment going. Here is the group's official thread. Important Group Threads
As Seen in Games
Omnicoin is becoming increasingly popular for use in simple computer games. The games Rolly Coin and OmniCatcher have been created to make the coin even more popular than it already is. Rolly Coin just entered it's beta and can now be played from a link in its thread. The game requires Unity, but does not require you to download it. OmniCatcher, on the other hand, has to be downloaded and can be found here. OmniPool.me Has Shut Down
OmniPool, once the most popular pool for mining Omnicoin, has shut down. While not necessarily a recent development, Xen0n reports that some users are still mining. Any users with coins still in OmniPool will not receive compensation, since the closure was repeatedly announced, and it's long since shut down official mining operations. Despite the shutdown, there are still multiple pools to choose from for your Omnicoin mining needs. Static OMC Ticker Example
[img]http://vps.brandonanzaldi.com/omc/price_t.png[/img]
Interview-Tibit(Click to View) Clique: Welcome to this weeks edition of the HF news! This time we're joined with Tibit, owner of The Empire. How are you doing? Any shoutouts before we begin? Tibit: I'm doing well, would like to shoutout to Adam, Tom, Eternal, Evangelist, and The Empire. Clique: That's great, hello to them! To start this interview off, how'd you even find this forum in the first place? Tibit: I was competing in cyber security competitions during highschool, notably USCyberPatriot, and was doing research. I ended up coming across HF, got into The RAT's Crew on my first day which got me to stay. Clique: Can you list all the groups that you've been apart of over your time spent on the site? What are your favorites? Tibit: I've been in almost every single HF group to date. RAT's Crew (First Group), PhilKer Crew, Red Lions (3+ years in), Black Knights, The Wraith, The Gamers Crew, The Informers, Minecrafters, Reverence, Haunter Gang, Eminence, Marketers, Rhythm (Purchased it & changed it a month or so later into The Corporation), Blackshades, Valor, Terror, Coders, The Empire (Started & Own it), Logic, The Creed, The Corporation (Started, Owned, Sold), Legion, Writ3rs, Respawn, 143, WiFi Gang, Root, The Angels, Void, Innovation, Complexity (leader), Blank, The Brotherhood, Skill, Instinct, Infamous (leader), and The Republic. My favorite of course is The Empire, it's always been extremely active and is where I spend most of my time on HF. I also enjoy 143 and Infamous still, but The RAT's Crew was my favorite group apart from the ones I've owned or led, it was a lot of fun and where I got started on HF. Clique: Wow, quite a list. Since we're talking about groups -- what did the whole 'fiction' thing mean, anyways? Tibit: Fiction was just that, a fiction. Every now and then the leaders and I come up with ideas to mess with the members of The Empire by doing some sort of prank or joke. Eternal and I decided to do something about changing the name and focus of the group and see how the members reacted. Many were extremely opposed to any change and fell for it. Clique: Interesting. What's the story about The Empire? It is one of the few original groups out there as of now. Tibit: It all started when I was approached in early August 2012 by several groups to fund their start. After hearing the ideas from each of the groups I choose to go with The Empire. Most of that is described in my feedback thread. It's had it's ups and downs, but over all it's maintained a high level of activity, more than any other group and is larger than most sections of the forum at the moment, while still keeping the member base around 60-70 members at any given time. Groups are very important on this site. It gives people more of a sense of community. It helps feed competition among members, activity around the site, etc. Hack Forums is like a high school. Groups are the teams and clubs, they play a big role in getting members together for a common goal and to just hang out. They help create bonds and friendships. I have heard it many times in Empire alone on how many friendships were made there. I have made several good friends directly through The Empire and other groups. I highly encourage everyone to get involved with a group. It is worth it. Clique: Glad that it's had such an impact on the community here. What do you do when you're offline? Are you in school currently? Tibit: I am currently a junior in college taking a double Major, Information Sciences and Management Information Systems. I also work for a local marketing company in my free time. I rarely get on HF as often as I used to as I have a very busy life off the PC, however I intend to be a bit more active in the near future when I relaunch the Empire product line. Clique: How has the stresser business been going? What other products do you plan on releasing? Tibit: I have no idea on the stresser business, the market there seems to have gone down hill a lot over the last 6 months or so. We are currently planning some new software products and service offerings along with some old products returning. Should be released over the next couple of weeks. Clique: Do you have any other plans for the future of The Empire? Tibit: For now we are focusing on inviting users from the SRPP and Innuendo sections to bring up more discussion and debates within the group forum. I plan for the group to remain for at least another 6+ months, probably longer. Clique: I hope the best for the group! Thanks for stickin' around throughout this interview. Any final words? Tibit: I'll end with the same line I said after my last HF news interview a year ago. Thank you and to the reader, remember to be yourself, if you wouldn't say it in person don't say it through a computer, don't take everything so seriously either, get out every once and awhile, enjoy your life while you can. Interview-Roytoy(Click to View) Alien: Welcome to 198th edition of the HF News, today we're here with Roytoy. Any shout-outs you'd like to make before we begin? Roytoy: Thanks for welcoming me! I've always wanted to be here. So many names come to my mind so I hope I don't forget anyone. I would like to make a shout-out to Arrow, Promethazine, Krew and Diiaz. Alien: Tell us about your name. Is it based on the childrens toy that's similar to Lincoln Logs?? Roytoy: Well, not really. Like many people, I've always wanted to have a unique name that everyone knows me by but I never really came up with anything that I would consider unique. I'm an Arab and I have more American friends than Arab friends, which made me think of a name that everyone could call me by and that was Roy. Roytoy just sounds really cool and fun to say, which made me stick with it. Alien: I understand you live in Syria. Were you born there and what is it like living there aside from the civil war? Roytoy: I was born in a city called Nancy in France because my parents were living there due to studies. Around 5 years after I was born, my parents and I moved back to Syria in a city called Aleppo. Aside from the civil war, Syria is a lovely place. I've always felt welcomed here and it has always felt like home. The people are friendly and the culture is amazing. It's definitely sad to see this place in such a bad circumstance. Alien: To date, more than 150,000 people have lost their lives in the civil war. What are your thoughts on the conflict? Roytoy: Well Alien, this is definitely a tough question to answer. Needless to say, what has happened to my country and to the people living in it is such a shame. It's a huge loss to the world and to humanity. Many things were taken from us, even our simplest human rights. I have lost many friends and relatives due to the circumstances and it has been nothing but devastating. Alien: I am very sorry to hear that and I hope it will all end soon. You've been on Hack Forums since 2009. What had initially brought you to join the community? Roytoy: Thank you for the kind wishes. I first came here because I wanted to learn how to "hack" people. I don't remember why exactly I wanted to, but I do remember that I was a huge noob when it came to these things. I didn't even know what a RAT was! I remember calling it a "password sending virus" and that's a reference taken from my very first thread on Hack Forums., feel free to check it out for a good laugh. Alien: Going on your fifth year of being a member here do you feel as though you have learned and expanded on your knowledge/abilities? Roytoy: Oh most certainly, yes. I have changed from someone who defines a RAT as a "password sending virus" to someone who has managed to get almost 2,000 slaves which was back in 2011. I've also went from someone who doesn't know a thing about making money online to someone who has managed to get the 60th top earner position on ShareCash, a very well known PPD network. Alien: You have developed your skills quite nicely over the years. I see you are also very actively involved with the game League of Legends. Do you play with a lot of other HF members? Roytoy: I used to play a lot of LoL with many HF members but lately I haven't had the time to play it as much. I feel like I'm moving on with my life and I'm now concentrating more on making money with LoL rather than spending countless hours playing the game. I still play it from time to time though, just not as much as I used to. Alien: Despite having joined Hack Forums in 2009, you did not upgrade to Ub3r until 2013. Was there a reason for this? Roytoy: I was denied Ub3r the first two times I applied for it. So I feel like that could be a big reason why I didn't get Ub3r. Another big reason is the fact that I did not start earning money online until late 2012. I was just too busy with studies and trying to RAT people that I never really got the chance to view other sections of HF. I quit RATing after I learned about making money online. Alien: Understood. Is there anything you'd like to talk about that we did not touch upon in this interview? Roytoy: Well, nothing specific. But I would just like to say that I know this might not mean a lot for other people and it may not mean as much to them as it does to me, but being interviewed after so much time spent on HF is definitely a huge milestone and a great accomplishment for me. So thank you greatly for that. Alien: You are very welcome. I thank you for your time and genuine feedback. Roytoy: You're definitely welcome. A big thank you to the whole HF News team as well. The president of The League of Extraordinary Maggots-- Roytoy. Interview-Vince(Click to View) 630: Welcome to 198th edition of the HF News, today we're here with Vince. Any shout-outs you'd like to make before we begin? Vince: Thanks, it's been an awesome year here so far on HackForums. I have really gotten to know a lot of people here on HackForums and have made a decent amount of friends during my time here. I'd like to a shoutout to Lovol. He is the man who got me to finally sign up on HackForums and has been a good friend of mine for the last 4 years. I'd also like to give a shoutout Lingo, you know who you are. Also to my friends Cade, Jarod and hou. 630: Those guys all sounds pretty familiar, I recognize them from Minecraft. How did you meet this interesting bunch? Vince: Well we had all started on a gaming site around 5 years ago. We would play on COD nightly and usually just chat away on the site. We ended up joining a minecraft server named Planet Beacon (which was run by Dan at the time), and this is where I met Lingo. We all were just goofballs back then, so it was easy for all of us to get along and remain friends. Now we all run/moderate our own minecraft server Treepun.ch. We still chat everyday (besides Cade, he seems to have disappeared) and remain the best of friends. 630: I'm buddies with Sox and play some BO2 with those guys, they're pretty outrageous. So you seem like a pretty big gamer are there any upcoming games you're looking forward to? If not what are you currently playing? Vince: Yes sir, we used to spawn trap all the time on BO2 domination. Sox is probably one of the better players I have had the chance to play. Sadly my PS3 YLOD'd and I ended up having to get rid of it. I do love to game though. From PC games to console gaming, I try to split time between both. Currently GMod, WoW and DayZ have my attention. As for new games coming out? I'd have to say I am pretty excited for Destiny. Bungee did a hell of a job with Halo and I am sure they are putting as much time and effort into Destiny as well. Also Order 1886 looks to be a game with a lot of hype as well. Hopefully both of these games live up to the hype they are getting. 630: I carry Sox all day in BO2 /sarcasm. Destiny looks like an interesting game, gonna be one I need to check out. So I see you're in both Instinct and Zero, how is it? How has your overall experience with groups been so far? Vince: Oh man, that will make for an interesting argument later haha. So far the groups have been amazing. They are exactly how they put themselves out there to be. Vinnie is an awesome leader/owner as well as Syrah and the other leaders of Zero. Instinct is probably my favorite out of all the groups here on HF. The group and it's members are lax, but if you get them going, oh man you better watch out. I haven't seen a more tight-knit group here on HackForums, in my year of being here anyways. Hopefully we can start to get some competition going here with Nexus or another groups gaming sector! 630: I really want to see some competition already. So how did you find the site? Or what made you finally join? Vince: So do I. Haven't really had any competition since Skill was sold. As to how I found the site, I was merely browsing. Google had actually brought me here to the Marketplace when I was looking for WoW accounts haha. I didnt really want to join the site at the time as I was active on a decent size gaming forum. A couple months down the road, Lovol had convinced me to finally sign up and become active. The site had become addicting to be on. The members were cool and the sections actually were full of content and conversations, so it had instantly sparked my interest. After that, I applied and was accepted into The Empire and have been on the site since. I don't imagine myself leaving any time soon, unless Omni decides to close down the site. 630: Well that's good to hear. What do you do outside of the forums in the real world? Vince:Outside of being active on a forum, I mainly work and support my 5 year old son and 5 month old daughter. They are my life. I also like to work on cars and motorcycles with my father, who is currently building a 1984 FXRT Sports Glide. It is proving to be a pain in the ass though, as we fix or upgrade one thing and another thing goes. I also like to build computers, when funds allow it. It's fun working and putting things together with my hands. I occasionally go out and have a few drinks with the friends as well. Basically leading a simple and normal life. 630: Well that's good to hear you're a responsible dad and you have passion. Here's an interesting question from one older member to another, do you ever feel too old for this site? Vince: You are never too old for anything, unless it's... well let's not go there. Seriously though, if you find something you love to do, you are never to old to do it. Even if that is being on HackForums or any other website. This goes with every facet of life. If you love something or have a passion for it, don't stop doing it or being apart of it. If you do, you will end up leading a very full life man. 630: Interesting answer. I sometimes feel I'm repeating high school. So what can we expect from treepun.ch in the future? I heard changes are coming. Vince: At this current moment in time, can't reveal too much. But we are shifting back to a singular focus so we can all focus our energies on that. Hopefully the players will like it though! 630: You guys seem pretty experienced with servers, how does the average person get into something like that? What would you say to someone looking to start up a server? Vince: Well at first it was just me wanting to have all that "power" on a minecraft server. After that it was just fun to learn the in's and outs of how a minecraft server works, the programming of the plugins, etc. It became a hobby after awhile. Something that was fun to learn and could be put to use outside of actually running a server. 630: How would you rate your overall Hack Forums experience on a scale of 1-10? Vince: 10. Definitely a 10. The forum is as advertised. The members are awesome. The forums have the content and the staff are some pretty cool people. Omni is really invested into the site and does what he can to better it every single day. From my conversations with him, he seems like a cool guy. Just don't piss him off haha. Just a great overall experience. 630: If you could change one thing on site what would it be? Vince: This is a hard question to answer, but in all honesty, I would not change a thing. In my time here on the forums, every rule or any action that has taken place was for the betterment of the forums. It may of pissed some people off, but you can't always please everyone. My opinion may not mean much to others, but my full faith in is Omni and the direction he is driving the forum. 630: Well that's all the time we have for this interview. Do you have any concluding remarks you'd like to make? Vince: Just like to thank you for interviewing me and to any of those reading this, check out the minecraft servers treepun.ch and play.pokeclash.com!
Right To Be Forgotten Stamp
After a court ruling declaring people have the "right to be forgotten" or their personal data removed from listings on Google, a new "stamp" of sorts have come to show. Almost as an act of defiance, since it is more or less blatant censorship, Google is planning on branding search entries with a stamp saying that personal data has been removed from the page. While this seems like a decent idea to many who made some mistakes when they were younger, it also opens a massive loophole where politicians, murderers, and other mis-doers can have their data expunged. It is quite a frightening thought, that such broad censorship can exist, and that people are willing to hide people's past. For clarification though, these pages will still exist, but won't be shown in a search. With the number of requests already over 50,000, it is becoming quite a notable topic, especially for security enthusiasts. While there are many people on both sides, with some valid arguments, no one can predict the future, or if America will join in on the "right to be forgotten" movement. Court Ruling on Phone Records
A US Court of Appeals has recently unanimously ruled that phone companies do not have to hand over location details or reports with a proper warrant. Essentially, this data would be a list of locations a person was or is. It is a vital tool for police to track down villains and catch criminals. Though, there should be a valid warrant for any of this information to be handed over. Information like this can be a true violation of a person's rights, and most people don't want the goverment tracking us like sheep. The American people have a right to privacy, and many people think the goverment needs to stop infringing upon it. This shows a major turn of tides, compared to the 2010 ruling which found exactly the opposite. If the controversy about the NSA has done one good thing, it was awaken the American people to their rights and what the goverment is doing. Security Tip of the Week
Many people think security comes at a price, while realistically there are amazing free tools for every paid tool. While sometimes you lose features, which tend to be useless, you can save your hard earned money. There are plenty of free tools, antivirus software, single file scanners, drive scanners, boot tools, etc. People just need to look for it. Often times the best product is actually the free one. Plus, some of them are even open source. So, if you're a developer looking to see what some serious programming is, take a look around the Internet and Github.
Expedia accepting Bitcoin for hotel bookings
The travel site Expedia has announced, that they will begin to accept Bitcoin for their hotel bookings, which will make it one of the best-known retailers to do so. Expedia decided to accept Bitcoin just for hotels, because they already have a flexible payment system in place to do so. If the experiment turns out successful they are planning to add Bitcoin support for flights and other types of bookings such as car rentals. Expedia chose hotel bookings as the first thing to accept Bitcoin on as that is the thing with the most demand. Expedia follows Overstock and DISH Network as the 3rd major company to accept Bitcoin. Bitcoin included on Yahoo! Finance
Access to Bitcoin price data has taken another big step. Following Bloomberg's recent addition of Bitcoin to it's trading terminals in late April, and it's inclusion on the computational knowledge engine WolframAlpha, Yahoo! Finance has followed their steps and now displays BTC/USD price along with it's many other listed fiat currencies. The inclusion of Bitcoin on Yahoo! Finance can potentially bring a new and sizeable audience to Bitcoin seeing as Yahoo Finance! was the top financial news and research website in the United States with more than 37.5 million unique visitors per month.
Weight Loss Surgery Also Safeguards Obese People Against Cancer
A review published in the journal Springer shows that surgery for the morbidly obese not only helps people lose extra weight, but also reduces their risk of cancer to that of people with normal weight. In the review, over 50,000 patients participated and it was found that almost every one that received a weight loss surgery, such as the bariatric surgery, had their risk decrease dramatically. Cases of cancer in obese people are 2.12 out of 1,000. After the surgery, risk of cancer fell to 1.06 out of 1,000, which is the risk of cancer in normal weight people. Entitlement predicts sexism, in both men and women
Those who are entitled when growing up are much more likely to be sexist later in life, according to a study from the Case Western Reserve University. A group of psychologists from the college interviewed more than 700 students and found out that those who are entitled tend to be more sexist. This was shown in both males and females. Entitled men were much more likely to share the views that women are deceptive, manipulative, and untrustworthy. Entitled women, on the other hand, thought that men should take care of them because they are weak and frail. This type of mindset was also found to deter the women from advancing through the education and their careers. New Shatterproof Screen Save Smartphones
Researchers at the University of Akron have created a new shatterproof screen for smartphones. This transparent layer of electrodes on a polymer surface has shown to be extraordinarily resistant to scratches, bend tests, and scotch tape peeling tests. This new screen is said to revolutionize the smartphone due to its resistance, durability, longevity, and cost efficiency. Not only is it much stronger than the current screen, it is also much cheaper. The researchers plan to have it released as soon as possible and expect it to be a top contender in the market. Sleep Apnea Tied To Diabetes
In the biggest study of its type, conducted by the American Thoracic Society, a link has been found between sleep apnea and diabetes. The study of over 8,500 showed a significant risk increase in those who suffer from sleep apnea. Over a long period of time, researchers followed the lives of over 8,500 patients without diabetes who were suffering from sleep apnea. Over the next 20 years, 1,017 developed diabetes. This number has shown a 23% increase of what the risk of diabetes typically is. This study not only has a much larger group to focus on, but it also had fewer limitations than the previous studies trying to link sleep apnea and diabetes.
Upcoming Android Feature Lets Nearby Devices Automatically Interact
There is much controversy between the rumors of a new feature being worked on by Google for Android Smartphones. This feature is reported to allow Android devices nearby to automatically connect. With this feature users will be able to share information with people near them, and even receive product information of stores near them. The reason there is controversy about this new feature is because of the way it works. In order to get all of this information in real-time it will automatically enable your Bluetooth, GPS, and microphone. People are concerned about how safe this feature will be. Tons of information will be uploaded to Google’s servers if this feature is enabled, and skeptics believe it is a cover to a government spying operation run by the NSA. As companies strive to make phones smarter, they will have to find a way to overcome the concerns. I am curious to see what new apps are developed around this new feature. MotionSavvy: A Tablet App That Understands Sign Language
A popular feature used on devices is voice control. There are many people who struggle with speech, however, and can’t use voice control. MotionSavvy is creating a tablet case that is able to translate American Sign Language into English text. MotionSavvy is able to accomplish this with Leap’s 3D motion recognition software. Many deaf and speech impaired people have signed up for the beta and MotionSavvy hopes the product will hit the shelves in 2015. Right now the development is limited to a windows tablet, and the price of the case is still undetermined. MotionSavvy is looking to raise over 1.5 million dollars to fund the project, and there is already tons of support from the disabled community. Apple Will Launch Curved iWatch in October
After much rumor and excitement, the new Apple iWatch is reported to be released in October. One of the most noticeable features will be the curved OLED touchscreen. The iWatch is supposedly going to be running a modified version of iOS 8, along with a built in health related application. Apple is expected to produce almost five million iWatches within the first month of release. Nike is rumored to be working with Apple on their health application, and Nike even abandoned their Fuelband team to work with Apple. Apple showed off a beta version of their health app at WWDC in San Francisco this week. HealthKit was released to developers to add extra features, and create separate software. Many wonder if Apple’s health application will be comparable to rival Samsung’s SHealth application. Scientists Use Lasers To Simulate Exploding Stars
While we are far off from being able to see a star go full on supernova first-hand, scientists have done the next best thing for us. Scientists at the University of Oxford have simulated the explosion of a star. They did this by using a thin carbon rod and blasting it with a very powerful laser. The blast as a result was equal to 1.8 million degrees Fahrenheit, and it acted much like a real star would when going supernova, only on a much much smaller scale. The team of scientists wanted to make it as real as possible so they also used a plastic grid to replicate interference from dust, gases and other debris. There isn’t much to be said about the experiment, other than we are one step closer to being able to view these events first-hand. Apple Reportedly Acquires Map App Spotsetter
Apple has been on the quest to make a better maps app, seeing as their own app failed miserably. They have snapped up quite a few map developers over the past year or so in an effort to do this. They could possibly have found a good one if what is being said is true. It is rumored that Apple bought the company Spotsetter, maker of the app by the same name. The acquisition is reported to have happened for two reasons, the technology and the founders. The technology is self-explanatory, while the founders require a bit more elaboration to see why they would do this. The two founders of Spotsetter are Stephen Tse, who is a former Google Maps Engineer, and Johnny Lee, who was a Siemens consultant. The app functioned similar to Foursquare, seeing as it was social. If Apple applies this new tech right, they could become a large competitor of Google Maps. Canon Makes Its Own Image Storing Service
Canon is, without question, one of the best camera companies in the world. They are now trying to expand their reach with an image hosting service, similar to Dropbox’s Carousel. The service is called irista, and it is great. The service has different tiers to it, with the free one having 10GB of storage, and the others being 50GB and 100GB for £4.49/€4.99 per month and £9.99/€10.99 per month, respectively. The service functions by using tags and search features to find the photos you want. Couple this with a customizable timeline and you got something powerful, which is exactly what Canon did. Details about each image can be changed, such as lens type, location, and various others to make it easier to find the photo you want to share with friends. To compare it to other service, Dropbox only has 2GB on the free tier, while Google Drive has 15GB. It is all up to the user what they want to use. If you want to try out irista, feel free to click here.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection Revealed
343 Industries took the stage last week to reveal that they have been working on re-releasing every numbered Halo game onto one disk titled 'Halo: The Master Chief Collection'. This collection includes Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2 Anniversary, Halo 3, and Halo 4. Every game will be accessible through one interface which will allow players to make playlists across each game to play their favorite moments in an order of their choosing. For those that miss the good old days of Halo 1 or Halo 2 multiplayer, they won't need to look any further as all games will be running on their original multiplayer engines, just like they did when they were first released. With Halo 2's 10 Anniversary coming up, it will be getting the anniversary treatment just like Combat Evolved did in 2011. 343 also announced that The Master Chief Collection will grant players access to the Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta late this year. Halo: The Master Chief Collection will be released on November 11th of this year.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection Reveal Spoiler (Click to View)
Lots of Exciting Indie Titles revealed by ID@Xbox
ID@Xbox's Chris Charla took the stage at E3 to discuss what has been going on at ID@Xbox, the program to aid independent developers release games on to the Xbox platform. The games announced and revealed at this time included: Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, #IDARB, Plague Inc. Evolved, Massive Chalice, Aztez, Knight Squad, White Night, Earthlock: Festival of Magic, Cuphead, Hyper Light Drifter, Lifeless Planet, Slash Dash, FRU, Mighty No. 9, Grave, Threes, FenixRage, Woolfe, Hellraid, and Below. Not much information was released for each game, but games were shown for a few seconds, revealing little game play.
Crackdown Reboot
Among the many surprising announcements that Microsoft made at E3, a trailer was released for the reboot of one of the most popular games of the console last generation. The CGI trailer for the New Crackdown game displayed the series' trademark art style and famous announcer along with some footage of agents displaying carnage all over the city, to take out a single gang leader. After a trailer was revealed, it was announced that the new title was simply called 'Crackdown' and that it would be made by the David Jones and many of the same developers that created the original Crackdown game. A video from the reveal can be found below.
Destiny PS4 Bundle and Timed Beta Exclusive
Sony started their press conference with a brand new trailer for Destiny, which showed three explorers which was said to be present-day Mars and later showed the universe being taken over. Good thing your character is there to fight anything and everything that is trying to take over your universe, right? Humanity is in your hands. The trailer also shows gameplay that focuses on how your player will encounter enemies, both big and large. The trailer reveals that the alpha will start this weekend, by the time you are reading this it has already started, and the beta for the game will begin on July 17. Both will be exclusive to PlayStation consoles, but the beta will only be a timed exclusive. In addition to the pre-release hype, a new white colored PlayStation console was revealed and will be released in a bundle with Destiny in September.
Grand Theft Auto V Coming to PS4 (and Xbox One, PC) this fall
Perhaps one of the best games of all-time is finally coming to next generation consoles. Before the game was released on previous generation consoles, fans anticipated a Next-Gen Grand Theft Auto game. After more than a year of waiting for an announcement to come, Rockstar revealed that Grand Theft Auto V would be coming to the PlayStation 4 (and later announced for Xbox One and PC via a trailer uploaded to their YouTube account) in the fall. The Next-Gen release is expected to have more details and effects on the graphics and game style, something that the upgraded hardware will definitely bring, as well as some extra content. Players will be able to port their GTA Online progress to other consoles, such as the Xbox 360 to Play Station 4 and the Play Station 3 to the Xbox One.
Little Big Planet 3 Announced
LittleBigPlanet is returning with its third title in the series. LittleBigPlanet 3 comes with new features, such as the ability for players to jump into the background and it's environment, the ability to use a pump-like gadget to change and manipulate objects, and allowing players to partner up with tons of new characters to play as. In the third title, you will be able to play as many characters, such as Oddsock, Toggle, and Swoop. The focus of LittleBigPlanet 3 is to use each different character's abilities to work together and solve puzzles. Oddsock allows the player to use a wall-jump ability, allowing the player to reach new heights. Toggle allows the player to shrink down, allowing the player to fit into almost any space. Swoop allows the player to go airborne and pick up other characters and objects. More features and gameplay is said to be coming soon.
Mario Maker Revealed
Nintendo released a trailer this week that was a totally amazing looking version of Super Mario Bros., but then turned into a whole new game. When the screen appeared to be paused in the trailer, a hand appears and makes edits to the current level. Mario Maker will allow players to play and create their own 2D Mario game in the classic Mario 8-Bit graphics and the visuals of the new Super Mario games. Mario Maker will be released for the Wii U and will use the Wii U Gamepad. The trailer shows a player dropping blocks down to various parts of the map, adjusting piranha-plant pipes, and adding springs to allow Mario to reach new heights on the map.
HackerCraft's Final Closure
HackerCraft, once a beloved and thriving server that excited and connected the Hack Forums community, has been shut down permanently. After being released in beta in 2012, HackerCraft garnered the interest of many throughout the forum. As the server began to grow and was officially opened to the public, Minecraft veterans and eager novices alike logged in and banded together to form highly coveted factions. These factions declared total war as members raced to build the biggest, baddest base and, of course, cover it in painstakingly earned layers of obsidian and lava. Terror built their monumental floating tower, Wolves created monoliths deeper than lava and higher than the clouds, and Chad sought to destroy and conquer it all. HackerCraft was the cause of both friendship and hostility, creativity and destruction; nobody could deny that it was a great server. Unfortunately, HackerCraft died when all of the biggest factions and dedicated players quit the server for a variety of reasons. During this time most of the HackerCraft community flocked to Planet Beacon, which essentially took HackerCraft's place. In due time, however, HackerCraft made a comeback with the introduction of farming and a brand new economy. It again gained popularity and brought back many of the old players, but eventually died yet again. Despite multiple attempts to revive the server, it never returned to the same level of activity it once was. Omniscient has decided that HackerCraft has run its course. It was great while it lasted, but many knew that it was on the verge of death. HackerCraft was the cause of new friendships, hostility, excitement, and drama -- at times it even interfered with and affected relationships and business on the forum -- but not a single player can deny that it was a hell of a time. You will be missed, HackerCraft. Thanks for the ride.
Featured Server of The Week:MineClash
MineClash (previously known as Tree Punch) is an old server receiving a complete revamp. Recently purchased by the member Lingo (AKA ProfessorMatt), MineClash shows lots of promise with brand new and completely fair server management. MineClash offers a variety of minigames and modes to fulfill any player's needs. With a great staff team, the new and improved MineClash has a bright future ahead! To join, log onto play.mineclash.com. Don't be discouraged if the server is down, as there's lots of preparation and setup required to get MineClash going again.
Student Disarms Killer Gunman
Jon Meis, 22, is a student at the University of Seattle Pacific and as the suspected gunman, Aaron Ybarra, 26, tried to reload, he overcame the gunman using pepper spray to subdue him. Many are praising his act of bravery as he potential stopped an even worse tragedy. Currently one man was killed and a woman is in serious condition while two others who are injured are in a stable condition. In a police statement, Ybarra told police after his arrest that he wanted to kill as many people as possible before killing himself. Thankfully, a brave student stopped him before his plans came to fruition.
Ukraine Presient Sets Out Plan
Ukraine President, Petro Poroshenko has been sworn and in his speech underlined a plan of peace for Ukraine and he wishes to also force his way into the European Union. The east of Ukraine has been war-torn ever since Russia invaded and Proshenko addressed how he wishes to create peace for the country but defiantly told Russia that Crimea would "always be Ukrainian". Many of the separatists dismissed the speech of peace with many saying they would "never surrender" and many will still fight no matter what peace is made between Russia and Ukraine. Poroshenko declared "I don't want war. I don't want revenge, despite the huge sacrifice of the Ukrainian people."
Students Held Hostage In Iraq University
In an overnight raid, many students have been help hostage by militants in Iraq. Officials who reported the incident had to hide their identity as they were not given permission to speak to media, but reports say the militants came in overnight after killing guards, then blew up the bridge leading to the university isolating the school from help. The militants then took over a dozen students from several of the buildings and are now using them as hostages. Currently, nothing else has been reported, but Ahmed al-Mehamdi who is a student at the university has said "for the rest of us, we are still trapped in our rooms and everybody is in panic."
Couple Leaves 5 Dead in NV Ambush
Two Las Vegas police officers were were shot and killed along with a civilian bystander late Sunday morning by a gun-toting duo declaring "revolution," authorities say.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police spokeswoman Laura Meltzer say the attackers -- one male and one female -- opened fire inside of a CiCi's Pizza location at 11:30 a.m, killing the officers as they ate lunch. Witnesses told police that the shooters said "this is a revolution." After killing the officers, police said the pair then went across the street and into a Walmart, where they killed a female at the store's entrance. As police converged on Walmart, police said the female suspect shot the male suspect before turning the gun on herself.
Navy Rescues 282 Migrants in Mediterranean
The U.S. Navy rescued 282 people from six small vessels in the Mediterranean Sea after one of the boats began to sink, the military said Saturday.
Five of the rescued were medically evacuated Friday to nearby Malta, and the remaining 277 people were transferred to an offshore patrol vessel belonging to Malta's military. The amphibious assault ship USS Bataan and the frigate USS Elrod received a call Friday from an Italian military marine patrol aircraft, which spotted the sinking boat and five others, the Navy said. The Bataan launched two helicopters, which found a sinking boat and deployed swimmers to extract people from the water, the Navy said. The Elrod sent two of its own smaller watercraft to assist. The 282 people were brought aboard the Bataan, and the Navy posted a YouTube video of the rescued people -- apparent African migrants -- looking tired or grateful as they stepped aboard the warship.
Assault on GA Courthouse
Dennis Marx wore body armor and a gas mask. He brandished an assault rifle, an assortment of grenades, "all kinds of ammunition" and even used his silver Nissan SUV as a weapon. The 48-year-old man toted his own water supply and flexible handcuffs, presumably to corral hostages once he got inside the north Georgia courthouse.
As Forsyth County Sheriff Duane Piper said, "He came prepared to do this." But Dennis Marx never even made it inside. After a nearly three-minute long gunfight, Friday ended with Marx dead, after being confronted by a swarm of law enforcement officers.
Drake to Host Celebration Commemorating Houston(06/05/14)
Artist Drake is heading to the Lone Star State to show his love for the city of Houston. The 4 day long event, starting June 12, is dubbed “Houston Appreciation Weekend," or HAW for short. The action starts on Thursday with a kickoff party and a hookah lounge; Friday features a concert from Drake and an after party with special guest, Lil Wayne. The fun continues on Saturday, with a pool party and the premiere of Kevin Hart's “Think Like A Man Too," followed by another after party featuring Hart himself. The celebration wraps up with a basketball tournament on Sunday and a farewell party.
Ariana Grande's Back in Action(06/05/14)
Pop sensation Ariana Grande has returned to the spotlight. After going silent for a few months following the release of her debut album, “Yours Truly," she's back at it. The official music video for “Problem," featuring Iggy Azalea and Grande, garnered over 11 million hits in less than a week after release. The song is hovering just below the top spot on Billboard's hot 100. The star is also scheduled to perform at the 2014 Macy's 4th of July parade.
50 Cent Drops New Album(06/05/14)
Titled “Animal Ambition," it marks the first new album released by 50 Cent in 5 years. Although it officially released on June 3rd, fans could preview the songs on his website. The album features 11 tracks, along with 3 bonus tracks on the deluxe version. During the hiatus, the superstar reverted to his fragrance collection, sneaker line, and other business ventures to make up for the flop in music. “Animal Ambition" is expected to have a positive reception and high sales following its release. Interestingly enough, fans can purchase the album with Bitcoins, making him one of the most famed artists to date to join in on the cryptocurrency craze.
Beastie boys claim success in $1.7m disput with Monster Energy
Late 90's Hip-Hop legends, the "Beastie Boys", won a dispute lasting almost two years with renowned energy drink providers Monster this week, following allegations of copyright infringement. Monster, known globally for their punk style advertising & involvement in modern culture uploaded a video to their YouTube channel in late 2012. The video featured a variety of Beastie Boy's music - used in remixes - and concluded with a tribute to deceased Beastie Boy Adam "MCA" Yaunch. The group filed for copyright abuse - and all though the claim was recognized as valid - were told by Monster that the case was "Illogical" and that an employee simply thought the company had rights to the music. It is reported that Beastie Boy member Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz was seen embracing his wife at the end of the trial.
Usher defends Bieber over racism scandal
It wouldn't be a proper start to the new season without some drama from the world's most notorious teen heart-throb, Justin Bieber, with yet another claim against him, this time over racial remarks featured by a British tabloid paper. The video, said to show a 14 - 15 year old Justin, features him using the words "n*****r" and other racial slurs as means to tell a joke. His business partner & personal friend, Usher, spoke out saying "he is unequivocally not a racist." Could this be the beginning of the end for Bieber? This is just another step on the incredibly stooping road he's walked down; following cases of assault, driving offences and more.
Monstercat unveils the "#MonstercatExperience"
Independent EDM label 'Monstercat' unveiled their latest in promotional events this week, offering the chance for anyone over the age of eighteen to be flown to 'Tomorrowland' - one of the world's largest electronic dance music festivals - and spend it's duration with both Monstercat artists & staff. This follows a number of promotional campaigns from the label, and could be a signal that they're becoming more and more relevant in the modern scene; already featuring B-List names such as Krewella and Pegboard Nerds. Regardless, to enter the pool you must submit an instagram photo or video explaining why you should be chosen. Full details can be found here.
Jun 16, 2014 04:51 PM (This post was last modified: Jun 18, 2014 05:15 PM by Oak.)
Thoughts, feelings, opinions, news, or information.
Everything is up in the air at the moment, so we're having great difficulty organizing ourselves prior to the expansion.
We'll do our best to stay the course, so I still believe 199 will come out later this week and 200 will come the following Tuesday.
I will be going through the W4TCHL2ST tonight and tomorrow to pick core individuals for our team.
"What kinds of topics would you like to see for Opinions?" "Opinions usually revolves around recent events on
HF, which I've always liked, and it's easy to form an
opinion on that. Usually the topic is something most
people can reply to. Opinions could have things like
rule changes, feelings on things, perhaps discussion
about Omnicoin too. Various aspects of HF. It could
go to things that aren't on HF but rather big events
that a lot of people can form an opinion on." -Robust
Private message Sir with your opinion on "What do you think of the new groups 'Enterprise' and 'Miners'?" and what you think the next topic should be!
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