Download Squad http://www.downloadsquad.com Download Squad http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/%SiteURL%/media/feedlogo.gif Download Squad http://www.downloadsquad.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Drawminos: domino knockdown simulator! - Time Waster]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/02/drawminos-domino-knockdown-simulator-time-waster/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/02/drawminos-domino-knockdown-simulator-time-waster/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/02/drawminos-domino-knockdown-simulator-time-waster/#commentsFiled under: , ,

If you're like me, you rarely played dominos properly as a kid. Instead, you just built elaborate chains and knocked them down, Domino Rally style. Drawminos is a site that lets you virtually relive those fun times, building and saving different domino setups, so you can watch them fall whenever you want. The best part? You don't have to set the dominos back up when you're done.

If I have a complaint about Drawminos, it's that it's tedious to pick up a new domino every time you want to place one. It would be fun to have a domino tool you could just hold down and drag. I guess that part of the simulation is a bit too realistic for me. On the other hand, you won't run out dominos like you would in real life.

Drawminos: domino knockdown simulator! - Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dominosdrawminosgameTue, 02 Dec 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[FluidTunes: when iTunes meets Minority Report]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/01/fluidtunes-when-itunes-meets-minority-report/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/01/fluidtunes-when-itunes-meets-minority-report/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/01/fluidtunes-when-itunes-meets-minority-report/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


FluidTunes is an app that lets you control iTunes from a webcam, using your hands, head or feet. The main screen looks like CoverFlow, with the image from your camera image lightly visible behind it. You can swipe across the album covers to navigate, or swipe the large forward and back buttons for finer control. Play is at the bottom of the screen, and stop is at the top. It reminds me a lot of the display from Minority Report.

FluidTunes can be a little bit difficult to control. It's quite responsive, but it's easy to hit a few buttons at once, or accidentally scroll past the song you wanted. Also, don't rock out too wildly in front of your camera, or you're liable to change songs with your head. For right now, Fluidtunes is an impressive showpiece, but it's not entirely practical for everyday music browsing.

FluidTunes: when iTunes meets Minority Report originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>coverflowfluidtunesisightiTunesminority-reportmusicwebcamMon, 01 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Akinator, the web genius - Time Waster]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/01/akinator-the-web-genius-time-waster/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/01/akinator-the-web-genius-time-waster/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/01/akinator-the-web-genius-time-waster/#commentsFiled under: ,

There's something of a minor craze about this thing called Akinator lately. It's been popping up on Delicious and it's all over my RSS feeds. But what the heck is it? Akinator is a guessing game. You think of a famous person, and it asks you questions and makes a guess about who you're thinking of.

There are plusses and minuses to Akinator's popularity. On the plus side, all the data it has collected makes it surprisingly good at guessing some pretty obscure celebrities. Akinator has successfully guessed everyone from Britney Spears to 80's prog-rocker John Petrucci to various literary characters and ... Pokémon? It's that good. The downside to Akinator's high traffic is that it's sometimes excruciatingly slow. To remedy this, Akinator currently only allows 1500 players at once, and it's almost always full.

Akinator, the web genius - Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AkinatorgameguessingMon, 01 Dec 2008 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Auditorium is a gorgeous musical puzzle - Time Waster]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/28/auditorium-is-a-gorgeous-musical-puzzle-time-waster/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/28/auditorium-is-a-gorgeous-musical-puzzle-time-waster/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/28/auditorium-is-a-gorgeous-musical-puzzle-time-waster/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Oops, there goes my entire day! I just discovered an addictive new musical puzzle game called Auditorium, and I'm trying to play though all of the demo levels. Gameplay in auditorium is centered on a flow of "audiovisual particles" that you can direct by moving and resizing different objects that are available to you. The object is to direct the flow across musical audio containers, using arrows, attract and repel symbols, and any other special tools that pop up.

The audio containers each represent a different piece of the music, and they get louder the more you fill them up with flow. To clear a level, you need to max out all of your containers, which brings the song together. There are multiple ways to solve each level -- right now, there are 3 acts, with 5+ levels each, and 20 total acts are being planned. Once you get into some of the more complex levels, you have to deal with multicolored flow, and even containers that need more than one color to fill up. It's challenging, but the freeform gameplay gives it good replay value.

Auditorium is a gorgeous musical puzzle - Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AuditoriumgamemusicmusicalFri, 28 Nov 2008 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Give the gift of music, e-books and more]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/27/give-the-gift-of-music-e-books-and-more/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/27/give-the-gift-of-music-e-books-and-more/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/27/give-the-gift-of-music-e-books-and-more/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Wondering what to get your less-than-tech-savvy friends? On a tight budget and can't buy them a PS3 or even a single Blu-ray title? Worry slightly less courtesy this cheapskates' guide to gifting content from the internet. Not everything is budget-friendly, but almost everything on the list is a terrific value.

MUSIC

Lee wrote up a lovely list of 35 places to download free, legal MP3's back in August. If you're still intent on forking over cash for tunes (and I don't blame you), here are a few other ideas:

Rhapsody
Possibly one of the best music-subscription services on the planet. Featuring a gigantic catalog (over 4 million tracks) and awesome search, Rhapsody is a full-featured subscription service. You can also shop for MP3's. There is a free trial account which limits you to 25 tracks per month, but you'll probably want to gift Unlimited (all music, browser-based playback only, $12.99/mo.) or To Go (all music, including portable music players, $14.99/mo.).

Other subscription contenders: eMusic and Lala
Streaming awesomeness: AOL Radio and Pandora
Downloadable win: Amazon music, offering songs and albums cheaper than iTunes and higher-quality tracks free of DRM restrictions.

Continue reading Give the gift of music, e-books and more

Give the gift of music, e-books and more originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 27 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ebookhggholidayholiday gift guideHolidayGiftGuidemusicvideoThu, 27 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The best apps to put on the iPhone you're giving - Holiday Gift Guide]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/26/the-best-apps-to-put-on-the-iphone-youre-giving-holiday-gift/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/26/the-best-apps-to-put-on-the-iphone-youre-giving-holiday-gift/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/26/the-best-apps-to-put-on-the-iphone-youre-giving-holiday-gift/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

If you're giving an iPhone or an iPod Touch as a gift, like thousands of other people this season, you might want to think about personalizing it with apps that your beloved giftee would enjoy. The iPod/iPhone has become a failsafe present: you don't have to know someone particularly well to know they'll enjoy it. Throwing some music and a few choice apps on there adds a personal touch and gives them something to play with as soon as they unwrap the gift. Here are a few of my favorite picks:

RjDj (iPhone only) is a reality-hacking music experience that you have to see and hear to believe. RJDJ takes different musical "scenes" and incorporates the sounds of your surroundings into a unique, immersive composition. The developers pride themselves on creating "a digital drug which causes a mind twisting hearing sensation," and artists are creating new scenes all the time. RjDj is a great way to show off the possibilities of that new iPhone to the person you're giving it to. ($2.99)

Continue reading The best apps to put on the iPhone you're giving - Holiday Gift Guide

The best apps to put on the iPhone you're giving - Holiday Gift Guide originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>hggholiday-gift-guideiphone-appsocarinarjdjsporeWed, 26 Nov 2008 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Color Infection - Time Waster]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/26/color-infection-time-waster/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/26/color-infection-time-waster/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/26/color-infection-time-waster/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Color InfectionI hope the genre of physics-based games on the web never dies, because they're just too damn fun. Color Infection is just such a game, where the object is to "infect" all of the yellow balls by turning them brown. Yellow balls are turned brown when they come in contact with brown balls, so the object of the game is to release the balls in such an order that every yellow ball is at some point touched by a brown ball.

Because much of the game relies on balls slowly rolling down slightly inclined planes, the game can become very slow. Luckily, the game designer anticipated that problem, and if you tap one of the number keys on your keyboard while you are playing, the game speed will multiply by the number you pressed. I found the game to be mostly playable at 5x regular speed, but there are moments requiring very careful timing where I had to slow it down to 2x or even 1x.

Color Infection - Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>color-infectiononline-gamephysics-gametime-wasterWed, 26 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[5 Fun, casual Steam games you can give for under $20]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/25/5-fun-casual-steam-games-you-can-give-for-under-20/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/25/5-fun-casual-steam-games-you-can-give-for-under-20/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/25/5-fun-casual-steam-games-you-can-give-for-under-20/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


If you're a gamer, chances are good you've bought something from Steam - Valve's "Nexus of PC Gaming." If not, it's a great place to purchase some inexpensive and extremely fun games. Steam, of course, offers a gift purchase option, making it an ideal spot to find a nice, cheap gift for that special someone on your list.

Steam has tons of casual, fun games in its library - here's my list of five titles under $20 that are sure to provide some maddeningly addictive fun. Hardware requirements for these are fairly light, so they should run on just about anyone's desktop or laptop (provided they're running Windows).

World of Goo ($19.99). Sure, its cartoonish 2d graphics are cute, but this is one seriously smart physics puzzle game. Stack the little goo balls to build structures and reach the goal - it sounds easy, but World of Goo is as challenging as it is whimsical. Finessing your structures into doing what you want takes patience and requires some serious thinking at times. This one's a great choice for anyone who enjoys a good challenge.

Continue reading 5 Fun, casual Steam games you can give for under $20

5 Fun, casual Steam games you can give for under $20 originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gamesgiftshggholiday-gift-guidesteamTue, 25 Nov 2008 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[World Golf Tour - Time Waster]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/25/world-golf-tour-time-waster/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/25/world-golf-tour-time-waster/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/25/world-golf-tour-time-waster/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

World Golf Tour
Just how far can you go with an online game? By some measures, World Golf Tour could be considered a Time Waster that is all grown up. It's trying to be a desktop-quality game provided online.

The game play is pretty much par for the course, as far as golf games go (sorry, I couldn't resist), and the course imagery is gorgeous, maybe a little too much so. As is typical in golf, there are only a few things that move: in this case the player, the ball, and the flag. Unfortunately, it's pretty obvious that these are rendered in 3D on top of a static image of the course, making them look out of place.

Worse, to achieve the beautiful effect of having photographic imagery for the game, you are confined to a set number of vantage points, many of which are fine when the ball lies in the center of them, but become very awkward when the ball is not. The terrain very obviously has undulations in it, and the ball seems to react fairly reasonably to the terrain, but you can tell that the ball's movement is somehow disconnected from the scene.

Although all of this seems like criticism, the truth is that these are compromises that are reasonable for such a beautiful free online game, if it wasn't for one fatal flaw: Flash. Unfortunately, on my reasonable speedy machine, Flash seemed to act up on every third shot, and would cause my shot meter to jump around sporadically, making it impossible to make a decent shot, never mind a good one. Now, I'm not very good at this as it is, but in one 9-hole round I had at least 8 shots completely ruined by a freezing display.

Now to be fair, World Golf Tour is still in beta, and hopefully they can iron out this very ugly divot in what is otherwise a fairly decent fairway.

You can play a skills game for free without signing up for an account, but to play a full round or to play with your friends, you'll need to sign up for an account and give away your email address and birthday. Is it worth it? I guess it depends on how much you like golf.

World Golf Tour - Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>golfonline-gametime-wasterworld-golf-tourTue, 25 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Jelly Towers - Time Waster]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/24/jelly-towers-time-waster/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/24/jelly-towers-time-waster/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/24/jelly-towers-time-waster/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Jelly TowersJelly Towers is a physics-based flash game in which the goal is to feed jelly blocks to monsters called Jydras. Too successfully complete a level, you must stack up the jelly blocks to get them to the point where one is near or covering the mouth of the Jydra.

You get variously colored and shaped blocks to deal with, and manipulating them can be challenging since you grab with your mouse pointer, and they can rotate around the axis of the point at which you grabbed them. Further, the tether that you have to grab with is elastic, so the jelly blocks tend to move around more than you might like.

I'm not sure what it is about this game that keeps me engaged; I find it frustrating at times, and the Jydra component is not very compelling, at least from my perspective. But it's a new and different physics-based game, and I can't seem to get enough of them.

Jelly Towers - Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>flashJelly-towersphysics-gametime-wasterMon, 24 Nov 2008 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Anyone can make animated digital clips with Xtranormal]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/24/anyone-can-make-animated-digital-clips-with-xtranormal/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/24/anyone-can-make-animated-digital-clips-with-xtranormal/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/24/anyone-can-make-animated-digital-clips-with-xtranormal/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

I can't remember how many times I've had a seemingly great idea for a skit with one of my coworkers. Sadly, most of us don't have the time or resources to produce our own animated shorts.

A beta web app by Xtranormal aims to level the playing field by making movie creation drag-and-drop simple. If you can write dialog that makes sense and click a mouse, you're well on your way to creating a digital masterpiece.

Choose a character, type in a block of text, and drag in facial expressions, actions, and sounds. The speech is surprisingly fluid, all things considered - no MS Sam here!

You're currently limited to one or two actors, but that's plenty for putting together a quick, fun clip. You can choose either Lego-style (my preference) or more life-like actors to play out your script.

When you're done piecing together elements, just click the action button and Xtranormal will render your clip. If you've registered for an account you can save your work for later. Finished clips can, of course, be shared for anyone to view.

Quite honestly, I don't have the time or skills to throw together 3d animations from scratch. Even if I did, I'm not certain the half-baked ideas I come up with would merit expending any serious effort.

Xtranormal is a great way to finally see your cinematic ideas in come to life with minimal fuss.

Anyone can make animated digital clips with Xtranormal originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>animationcartoonvideoMon, 24 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Friends asking you stupid questions? Let me Google that for you.]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/20/friends-asking-you-stupid-questions-let-me-google-that-for-you/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/20/friends-asking-you-stupid-questions-let-me-google-that-for-you/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/20/friends-asking-you-stupid-questions-let-me-google-that-for-you/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


We've all been there. You're working, and an instant message window pops up. It's your friend, who I'll call "Captain Obvious," and he wants to know what that new James Bond movie is called. Even if you know, why is he asking you? That's what Google is for. Instead of answering his question straight away, just say "Here, let me Google that for you."

Let Me Google That For You will give your friend a step-by-step reminder about how to Google. Step 1 (type In your question) shows the question being input into the Google search box. Step 2: click search. Step 3 is "Was that so hard?" and then your friend jumps to the relevant Google results page. That ought to be a strong enough hint for Captain Obvious, but it's funny enough not to feel too mean.

Friends asking you stupid questions? Let me Google that for you. originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>googlejokequestionThu, 20 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Lively from Google going the way of the dodo]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/20/lively-from-google-going-the-way-of-the-dodo/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/20/lively-from-google-going-the-way-of-the-dodo/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/20/lively-from-google-going-the-way-of-the-dodo/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Not that we were huge fans of Lively to begin with, but I'm sure someone out there loved it. Right? No? Perhaps that explains Google's announcement that, "despite all the virtual high fives and creative rooms everyone has enjoyed in the last four and a half months, we've decided to shut Lively down at the end of the year." So grab those screenies before 2009 and your avatars and rooms go dead.

One or two of you may cry out in anguish as a few million vertices are silenced with the click of a mouse: "why Google, why?" Well, I'm sure it wasn't the fact that it was PC-only (and Firefox or IE7-only). Or that it wasn't the most stable thing Google has produced. Or that it was, ya know, like Second Life Lite but for chat. Because, clearly, the world needs a few zillion more Second Life-style chat clients, right?

If you are to believe Google, it's because they want to focus on their core business. You know, search and ads and apps that don't look like Animal Crossing. Besides, they can always roll this into Sketchup, so you could have a virtual barn raising. We can dream, can't we?

Lively from Google going the way of the dodo originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dchatgooglelivelysecond lifeSecondLifeThu, 20 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Get the "Obama effect" in Photo Booth with the Obamafy plugin]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/20/get-the-obama-effect-in-photo-booth-with-the-obamafy-plugin/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/20/get-the-obama-effect-in-photo-booth-with-the-obamafy-plugin/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/20/get-the-obama-effect-in-photo-booth-with-the-obamafy-plugin/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Although the presidential election is over, Obama-inspired design seems to have made a lasting imprint on American culture. If you loved those Shepard-Fairey-designed HOPE posters that the whole Internet seemed to be making parodies of, you can have the effect for yourself in Apple's Photo Booth. Here's how to do it, using the Obamafy plugin.

Once you've downloaded the .qtz file, move it to Compositions in your Library folder. Once you've done that, open up Photo Booth and click effects. You might have to cycle through to the last page of your effects to find Obamafy, but it should be there. It took a little bit of experimenting for me to find the right lighting to get a result that looks like the posters, so don't give up without playing around a little bit.

Get the "Obama effect" in Photo Booth with the Obamafy plugin originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>barack-obamaObamafyPhoto-Boothshepard-faireyThu, 20 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Strewth! YouTube's Monty Python channel gets official]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/20/strewth-youtubes-monty-python-channel-gets-official/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/20/strewth-youtubes-monty-python-channel-gets-official/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/20/strewth-youtubes-monty-python-channel-gets-official/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Apparently fed up with horrid, low-quality ripoffs of their work being posted to YouTube, Monty Python has decided it's time to act. They're fighting back by uploading high-quality videos straight from their private vault.

Though there are currently only two dozen clips available, many have been uploaded recently. It's likely only a matter of time before favorites like the Cheese Shop, Fish Slapping Dance, and Nudge Nudge surface on the channel.

Don't fret - they quintessential Python clips are already there: the Black Knight, the Lumberjack Song, and even Pilate talking about his "vewwy good fweind in Wome," who shall remain nameless. Better yet, they've promised to upload HQ versions of the most popular clips.

Just what are they up to? The welcome message is honest enough: "None of your driveling, mindless comments. Instead, we want you to click on the links, buy our movies & TV shows and soften our pain and disgust at being ripped off all these years."

Works for me, I've been a supporter for ages (I think I still have my copy of the old Complete Waste of Time "game").

Official HQ Python on YouTube: the videos have been posted, and there was much rejoicing.
[ via gHacks ]

Strewth! YouTube's Monty Python channel gets official originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>funnyhumormonty-pythonvideoyoutubeThu, 20 Nov 2008 09:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Five awful sites built on the Twitter API]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/19/five-awful-sites-built-on-the-twitter-api/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/19/five-awful-sites-built-on-the-twitter-api/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/19/five-awful-sites-built-on-the-twitter-api/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Since Twitter decided to take care of the frequent outages that used to plague its servers, I've actually started using it here and there. It's a nice service, and definitely has useful applications. You've only got to look as far as sites like NowPublic and Twubble to see how the API can be put to good use.

However, there are a mountain of applications feeding off it and they're not all contenders for Best in Show. These five definitely are, but only if it's a show dedicated to sucking at Twitter API use.

Twitemperature
Finally, a service that can tell you how hot or cold you are on Twitter. Does anyone actually need this? I suppose there are people that think Twitter is like a web 2.0 popularity contest, but can't you look at your follower total and figure this out yourself?

I'd also like to know how their script works. Their "hottest" tweeter has 55 followers. The crowd has spoken, and 55 < hot. Also, his level of hotness is referred to as "volcanic" and features a picture of a guy holding Tabasco - arguably one of the least-hot hot sauces you can buy.

And no, I'm not just bitter because I'm only a few degrees above freezing.

Continue reading Five awful sites built on the Twitter API

Five awful sites built on the Twitter API originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>apifailuretwitterWed, 19 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Gyroball - Time Waster]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/18/gyroball-time-waster/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/18/gyroball-time-waster/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/18/gyroball-time-waster/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

GyroballRemember the classic arcade game Marble Madness? If you enjoyed the frustration that is trying to guide a ball along a 3D course using an isometric view, without falling off the arbitrary edges, just like in Marble Madness, you'll probably enjoy Gyroball.

As you might be able to tell, I find Gyroball frustrating. The first few levels are fairly straightforward, but on the third or fourth level, I was completely stymied. It started driving me nuts. I'm sure many of you long-time timewaster players will cruise right through that level without a second look, but for whatever reason I just couldn't get the right combination of direction, momentum and control.

The game controls are dead simple - use your direction arrows to push the ball in various directions. Of course, because the game is presented in an isometric 3D display, the arrow keys do not correspond with the direction that your ball will typically be traveling; the ball is mostly going in diagonals, requiring multiple button presses at the same time, or very quickly alternating between two.

If your frustration tolerance is high, this game could be played for an extended period. Otherwise, it makes a nice, short time waster between tasks.

Gyroball - Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>flashflash-gamegyroballmarble-madnesstime-wasterTue, 18 Nov 2008 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Sprint's Plug Into Now dashboard]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/17/sprints-plug-into-now-dashboard/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/17/sprints-plug-into-now-dashboard/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/17/sprints-plug-into-now-dashboard/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Plug into NowIf you're not a fan of Flash, you definitely don't want to check out Sprint's new Plug Into Now dashboard. If you dare to click through, you'll be treated with sensory overload, internet style. The page is a cornucopia of snippets of information, with one theme: Now. A computerized female voice periodically speaks, saying things like "13,628 letters are being mailed right now", or "8,971,000 workers are out sick right now".

The voice also invites you to click on the page, where you will find such treasures as a button that says Push Me, then when you push it, gleefully displays a message that the button doesn't do anything. The page has all sorts of running tallies, such as how many coffee cups are being manufactured at this instant, or the current population of the world.

As much as I feel like this dashboard is an abomination, it's hard not to explore it.

[via Daring Fireball]

Sprint's Plug Into Now dashboard originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adobe-flashdashboardflash-dashboardnowplug-into-nowSprintMon, 17 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Physics-based fun with Assembler - Time Waster]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/17/physics-based-fun-with-assembler-time-waster/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/17/physics-based-fun-with-assembler-time-waster/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/17/physics-based-fun-with-assembler-time-waster/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Assembler is a fun physics-based game where you get to toss around boxes, beams and other shapes, trying to get a box into a target somewhere in each level. It's difficult to write a review of Assembler without becoming distracted for an hour, playing Assembler. The puzzles become challenging in later levels, but a lot of the fun is in throwing boxes around, hitting them with beams, and making goofy little catapults.

Some levels have more than one target to reach, and a lot of them have metal bits that you have to work around. Solving the puzzles isn't conceptually difficult so much as tricky to actually execute. You can see the structure you need to build, but making it balance properly is another matter. The Assembler high scores are based on time, too, and it's even more challenging to complete some of the levels when you're trying to do it as quickly as possible.

Physics-based fun with Assembler - Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Assemblerflash-gamephysicstime-wasterMon, 17 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Lego Digital Designer: virtual brick-building fun - TimeWaster]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/13/lego-digital-designer-virtual-brick-building-fun-timewaster/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/13/lego-digital-designer-virtual-brick-building-fun-timewaster/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/13/lego-digital-designer-virtual-brick-building-fun-timewaster/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

I've always enjoyed assembling models and contraptions out of Lego, and my four-year-old son is becoming quite a fan, too. Unfortunately, dad's stash doesn't always have all the fancy bricks required to meet his design requirements.

Thankfully, the good folks at Lego offer the Digital Designer, a 22mb free download that offers a rich, 3D program for crafting creations on your Windows PC.

We've been using it for quite a while, and the latest version sports a more polished interface, wider selection of pieces and backdrops, and reduced CPU and memory loads. It runs beautifully on my Frankenlaptop, a Core2 T5200 with integrated Intel video.

The interface is easy to understand, and several "starter kits" are included. They're a good way to see Digital Designer's impressive capabilities at work.

Continue reading Lego Digital Designer: virtual brick-building fun - TimeWaster

Lego Digital Designer: virtual brick-building fun - TimeWaster originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cadfunlegotime-wasterThu, 13 Nov 2008 14:00:00 EST