zombies

Creative image projects and driving with zombies: iPhone apps of the week

The big news this week in the world of iOS devices is that we are drawing ever closer to iOS 4.2, the update that will add new features and bring the iPad up to speed with the feature set on the iPhone 4.

As noted by our own Josh Lowensohn a couple of days ago, iOS 4.2 for iPad has been seeded to developers so they can get started bringing their apps up to date. With iOS 4.2 on your iPad, you'll be able to multitask like the iPhone, make folders for your apps, get connected with Apple's Game Center, and get an updated interface for iPad e-mail. Josh also pointed out in another story this week that the 4.2 update will turn the iPad's rotation-lock switch into a volume-mute switch just like on the iPhone.

Even more exciting, both the iPhone and iPad will receive AirPrint, a service that automatically locates connected printers on a network and over Wi-Fi without additional driver software. iOS 4.2 will also bring AirPlay to all iOS devices, letting you stream all of your multimedia to multiple TVs, computers, and set-top boxes.

iOS 4.2 is set to be released in November, but you can bet that Apple will have more tweaks before then.

This week's apps include an image collage maker with a ton of features and a driving game where the undead try to make you crash.… Read more

Zombies to fill brains at University of Baltimore

When a nearby college, Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., started offering classes on Star Trek's place in popular culture years ago, the old guard shook their heads in confusion and disgust. Had I a starship and a wormhole, I'd perhaps go back and offer up a new course that will be available at the University of Baltimore: Zombies 101.

As part of the advanced English course, students will learn about zombies from Arnold Blumberg, a renaissance geek who already teaches about comic books at the University of Maryland and has written or co-written books on Doctor Who … Read more

Weird game swag: Plants vs. Zombies pottery

We're no strangers to unusual video game promotional items, but today's unexpected collection of pottery figures inspired by the hit casual game Plants vs. Zombiestakes the cake (at least for this week).

Although there was no explanatory note or press release included in the box (shipped directly from Moose Studios Pottery in Clovis, California), we assume this is to promote the $19.99 Limited Edition "Game of the Year" version of Plants vs. Zombies for PC. This new boxed retail version of the popular PC/iOS game includes a plastic zombie toy and an in-game tool, … Read more

Monsters? Run!

Monster Dash, from the makers of the hit iPhone game Fruit Ninja, challenges you to jump from building to building to go for the greatest distance, all while monsters try to thwart your mission. The game mechanics in Monster Dash are much like the popular Web game Canibalt (also available for iPhone and iPad), in which your character automatically runs while you carefully time your jumps from platform to platform. But with Monster Dash, you're also given a fire button so you can shoot monsters that get in your way while you struggle to stay alive.

Monster Dash is … Read more

Electric Datsun 1200 runs 10-second quarter mile

How do you make a drag racing, Nissan GT-R beating monster out of a 1970s vintage Datsun 1200? If you're John "Plasma Boy" Wayland, you start by yanking out the almost 40-year-old internal combustion engine and all of its support systems. In its place, Wayland installed a lithium ion battery pack that sends 355.2 volts to an electric motor with a 2,000-amp controller.

The end result is the White Zombie, an EV that makes 772 foot-pounds of instant-on torque, hits 60 mph in less than two seconds, and tears up the quarter mile in 10.… Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1279: Seven keys to rule us all (podcast)

If the Internet breaks, the Tribe of Seven's secret library cards will re-start it. Also: Running your fingers through Princess Leia's hair... mmmm. And: Toss your zombie cookies now! Special guest: Dr. Kiki!

Details sprout for Plants vs. Zombies for XBLA

Call of Duty: World at War has a zombie mode, as does upcoming content for Red Dead Redemption. However, the undead in those titles don't munch the life out of plants as they do in PopCap's Plants vs. Zombies. The tower defense game that debuted on PC and Mac last year will make its way to the Xbox Live Arcade in September the publisher said Monday.

The game's full achievement list leaked this weekend, but on Monday the game's publisher provided official, substantiated details on the game, including the aforementioned release window, as well as its … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1268: You've been served...a microcell (podcast)

We're hearing from more folks that AT&T is giving our free microcells to make up for its lousy service. Oh, and so is Verizon. Plus: Apple's Toyota moment, Windows XP gets a reprieve until 2020, and the undead crash their car.

Braaaains: 5 more iPhone games for zombie lovers/haters

Vampires are so damn serious. That's probably why there are so few iPhone games about them. Plus, they're usually loners. When you're in the mood for blasting, clubbing, eviscerating, and decapitating with soccer balls, you need hordes.

You need zombies.

If you've checked the App Store recently, you might think we're experiencing a zombie invasion. Look no further than these five new games, all of them are perfect for players who like nothing better than mowing down hordes of the undead.

Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies II I have a curious desire … Read more

New DoS attack uses Web servers as zombies

Researchers have uncovered a botnet that uses compromised Web servers instead of the usual personal computers to launch denial-of-service (DoS) attacks.

Security firm Imperva said on Wednesday it uncovered a botnet of about 300 Web servers after the company witnessed traffic coming from a compromised server and then searched for the attack code via Google. Web servers were commonly used in such attacks a decade ago but had been replaced by the more ubiquitous Windows-based PCs, said Amichai Shulman, chief technology officer at Imperva.

In the DoS attack Imperva observed, two Web servers were targeting an unnamed hosting provider based … Read more