It’s Robert Moog’s birthday! Who’s Robert Moog? He was the founder of Moog Music, and inventor of the Moog analog synthesiser. Moog synths are something of a revered item in the electronic music world… somewhat like a vintage Les Paul guitar or a Steinway piano are in their respective fields.

If you want to have a bit of synthesiser fun, check out today’s Google doodle – a fully functional HTML5 synth. You can record, play back, and muck about with the settings to change the sound.

If you want more Moog goodness, and have an iPhone, check out Animoog for iPhone.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of British Gas. Click here to find out what that means.

There's something I've always wondered: given that the gas meter is in a box outside my house, why does the meter man knock the door to tell me he's about to read it? Is it so that I don't think there's some ruffian in my garden and burst out the door brandishing an under-used golf club? The thing is, meter readers are likely to become a thing of the past, with the UK government planning to have a Smart Meter in every home in the UK by 2019.

Smart Meters are much like the ones we've had up to now – they live quietly under the stairs, or in their cupboard, but these ones are networked. Rather than having to be read by a man turning up at your door, or you doing it yourself, they transmit your energy usage back to your provider daily. Bad news for meter readers, but potentially very good news for the average consumer.

Why is this good news? The main benefit that comes to mind is that you will not receive any more estimated bills. Sometimes they work in your favour, like when your energy company thinks you used more gas and electricity than you really did and you end up in credit, but more often than not I find I haven't paid enough… with a more accurate picture, energy providers will be much less likely to drop a surprisingly large bill on you after a string of estimated readings. 

British Gas has committed to do their bit by providing free Smart Meters for their customers – take a look at the video below to find out more about their vision for smarter energy usage:

I like the idea that the British Gas Smart Meter can, as well as handling those automatic readings for you, be linked to a monitor to tell you exactly what your current energy usage is. We have something similar on our electricity meter at the moment, and I can tell you it changed the way we used the power in our house… for a start, I was much more likely to switch things off to try and keep the numbers as low as possible, and there has been at least one occasion when I've noticed a particularly high figure and discovered the immersion heater on when it shouldn't have been. 

One last benefit to Smart Meters, and up-to-date information, is that energy companies can better plan the demand on their services. I remember going on a tour of Hunterston B (nuclear power plant) when I was young, and being told that they tried to predict energy usage. The example the tour guide gave was that there's a surge in demand when Eastenders finishes as a slew of households put the kettle on. Smart technology will (and perhaps already can) enable companies to produce just the right amount of energy at the right time – doing away with the need to try and store any over-production, or experiencing shortages due to over-demand. 

What do you think of the Smart Meter idea? Is it going to make your life easier? Is it really the first step in greener energy production? Or is it a way of cutting costs by eliminating meter men? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. If you want to let British Gas know your thoughts directly, you can find them on Facebook and Twitter. 

Sponsored Post -  I will receive financial payment for posting this article. Please be aware that I will never accept offers of paid posts where I am required only to give a positive opinion – objectivity is important to me and you can be sure that what I write, even in paid posts, is what I really think.

I originally thought this was going to be some alternative version of the classic game Out Run, but no. The story is that nuclear war has broken out, and you have no way of responding. What do you do? Run, of course! Make your way through the level in your truck, using a variety of weapons to clear obstacles like crates, furniture, and nuclear-mutated zombies (there have to be zombies, don’t there?).

The higher your score, the more upgrades you can buy to make your journey that little bit easier. You will need Flash to play, and there is sound but you can turn it off and the game remains playable.

–> Click to Play <–

This series kicks off with the town reeling after the Astraeus and her crew mysteriously disappeared before launching on their voyage to Titan. When the Astraeus finally crash lands Allison and the crew find themselves back in Eureka – four years after they left. As the town copes with the shocking personal changes that have happened during their absence, Sheriff Carter and Henry try to uncover the truth about the forces behind the crew’s bizarre disappearance.

If you want a preview of the series, check out the promo reel on SyFi.co.uk. And don’t forget to tune into SyFy UK tonight, 9PM to find out more.

I’m lucky to have a friend who is very handy at DIY; as well as him doing so many things I am clueless about, I get to learn some hints and tips at the same time. If you think you have some tips to share, or want to show off your ninja DIY abilities, Wickes now have a Facebook app to let you do just that.

The idea is simple – upload photos, enter a brief description of what’s going on, and you can publish your own DIY project guide to your Timeline. It’s not just about DIY dunces showing off their new-found abilities, though; builders, decorators, interior designers, and so on can use the app to create an e-portfolio of projects so that potential customers can have a look at their previous work online.

It’s a clever idea – and there’s a certain voyeuristic pleasure in taking a look at some of the projects other people have undertaken! To try it yourself, visit Wickes Facebook page and click on “My Project”.

This is a guest post by William Judd

This week, Activision announced the latest version of their popular Call of Duty entertainment property.

This spin, we’ve landed back on the sub-series of the year before last: Black Ops! The first game was set in the 60s in the thick of the Cold War. The plot dealt with Alex Mason, a CIA special ops soldier who was being forced to relieve past operations whilst being held prisoner. The time-hopping plot was fun but a bit nonsensical, just like the Call of Duty franchise itself.

The multiplayer proved as popular as ever, with the inclusion of an in-game currency that could be used to unlock weapons and attachments somewhat nonlinearly. The game also included a well-crafted Zombies mode, where up to four players tried to survive a zombie horde.

The most obvious difference in the sequel is that Black Ops 2 takes place in the near future, 2025 to be exact. That’s when the ‘new Civil War’ has kicked off, with terrorist groups taking advantage of the United States’ increasing reliance on drone-based fighters by subverting them. You play as David Mason, the son of the first game’s protagonist Alex. You’ll also be able to step into Alex’s shoes for a few flashback missions in the 1980s. Both are fighting against Raul Menendez, a mysterious antagonist tied to the Regan-era conflict in Nicaragua.

The game’s singleplayer campaign will be for the first time changed by well how you do. You’ll be able to play Strike Force missions in order to change the outcome of the game, similar to how Mass Effect’s 3 multiplayer affects that game’s finale.

These Strike Force missions are non-linear campaign missions performed by groups of operatives across the world; each time you get to a choke point in the storyline you’ll be able to choose a mission to perform. That group’s success will affect the game’s story. The missions themselves allow you to switch between different members of the team – both drones and humans – in order to accomplish your goals.

Multiplayer has also been overhauled. On consoles, it’ll be at 60 FPS, but as a PC player this isn’t exactly an exciting development. The graphics have also been upgraded to allow for much more realistic details – that’s more like it. In terms of gameplay, there’s not been much yet revealed.

Zombies will make a reappearance as the cooperative mode of choice – Spec Ops and Survival will not. There’ll be new modes and worlds here, but nothing concrete than the fact that the mode runs in the multiplayer engine rather than a jury-rigged singleplayer engine. Woo?

Overall, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The setting looks intensely interesting and the Strike Force missions sound great, but the traditional favourite multiplayer mode doesn’t really sound that different to its predecessors – something that’s sorely needed in what is now the 7th ‘modern’ (i.e. starting from Call of Duty 4) title. Modern Warfare 3 was the first game to sell less copies than its predecessors, and Activision can’t just keep riding the coattails of games past.

Robots definitely sounds like a good start – but will they be balanced in multiplayer?  Will we be able to get a tablet in the game as a special weapon? Will we be able to get a cool iPad case as an upgrade for it? Only time will tell – it’s taken Activision seven titles to stop the grenade launcher from being overpowered, so I don’t fancy the balance team in trying to make giant robots fair and fun — or the art team for having to draw terrible iPad covers!

Time for Friday Fun again – and this Flash game should exercise your brain a bit. WereBoxes can turn from box to ball at the click of a mouse. The idea is to clear the screen of red boxes while retaining all the blue ones. Sounds simple enough, but once you get into it you’ll realise there’s a bit of logic to be used, and a lot of timing!

WereBox uses Flash and has sound, but sound is not vital to the gameplay.

–> Click to play <–

It’s been a long debate… are games entertainment? Well, yes, but are they also art? Are they, perhaps, bordering on literature? I would find it hard to classify a game like Oh Mummy as anything other than a bit of fun (although I did love it as a child), but as the technology has improved, so the game playing landscape has changed.

Games nowadays are capable of compelling story lines, realistic characters you connect with on an emotional level and, with online multiplayer, genuine social interaction. So what are games these days?

I think the most compelling games are those that suck you in. They involve you in the story and engage you mentally, emotionally and, dare I say it, spiritually. Sure, some games are still just fun… Hexic is a great puzzle game, and I don’t see a deeper meaning here, but others are much more about storytelling than gameplay. In fact, I think a top notch storyline can rescue mediocre gameplay, so long as the game mechanics aren’t so bad as to keep dragging your attention away from the story.

There have been times when games have genuinely caused deep emotions in me. Take that controversial airport scene from Modern Warfare 2  (spoilers coming, if you haven’t played it) – the one where you are caught up in a terrorist attack on a civilian airport. That was hard to play… not because of the difficulty level, but because it elicited deep emotions. I remember playing through that scene and, towards the end, letting out a breath of relief that it was nearly over. To then be betrayed and killed was a real shock.

I’ve read books that do the same thing to me. I’ve watched films that do the same thing. So I come back to the original question, “are games art?”.

I think, done properly, they can be. They can connect with us on an emotional level. I think, as Andy was speaking about at TEDx, they can help us explore what it means to be human. Or they can just be a bit of fun.

I’d love to know what you think – please share your thoughts in the comments. What are games to you?

Today we’ll be looking at five of the weirdest iPhone 4S cases I’ve ever seen – including some which are a bit creepy, some that look a bit appetizing, and others that just don’t make any sense. Let’s get right into it!

5. Retro Phone Case
It’s quite common for those who prefer older styles tend to choose a phone case that reflects this – perhaps a wooden case, or maybe a nice handmade iPhone 4S leather case. These are good choices because they use classic designs to wrap a modern invention, but there are also tackier solutions – cases that look like cameras or cassettes. These are a bit suspect, but at least they’re well made. Finally, we have this retro phone case: a traditional handset glued to the back of an iPhone case. That’s just weird.

4. Breakfast Food Cases
From a badly designed weird case to a rather nicely constructed one, we have these breakfast food cases from Japan. There’s a choice of noodles, hash browns, rice or – my favourite – bacon and eggs. Each case is distressingly realistically well made and could easily pass for what they’re imitating if they were face down resting on your desk.

3. Giant Ear Case
Food cases are cool, but I’ve heard of something better: this case that’ll really give you an earful. This lobe-ly case is just a giant silicone ear that’s quite amusing to bring out in public. Thanks to the massive size of the case, this should make your iPhone a lot harder to lose – and I guess that’s a good thing? Of all the cases on the list, this is the one I’d actually love to have.

2. Chocolate Bar Case
This is the only one on this list that I’ve actually seen in real life – as my girlfriend has it. She picked it up in Japan, where cute (and sometimes weird) phone cases are definitely the norm. Unlike some the other items on this list, the chocolate bar case looks quite realistic; something that came back to bite me when I noticed it early one morning. I can safely report that it does not taste like chocolate.

1. Creepy Hand Case
Our ‘winner’ this time is this creepy hand case from a Japanese manufacturer (indeed, the same firm behind the breakfast food cases earlier). Available in your choice of little kid or woman varieties, both cases feature a disembodied hand that affixes to the rear of the case. This means you can hold hands while on the phone, or even use it to hold pencils. It’s weird as hell, and for that reason it takes home the top spot.

Conclusion
And there we have it – five of the weirdest iPhone cases I’ve ever seen. Would you actually use any of these, or are they just too weird? Let me know in the comments down below!

It’s Friday – which must mean it’s time for Friday Fun.

This week’s is a simple little shooter called Boomstick. Shoot the targets, and collect fragments to use as ammo. The game is over when your ammo is gone.

Have fun! (You’ll need Flash to play, by the way).

–> Click to Play <–