IGN Live Presents: WWE '13

We're just days away from the release of WWE '13, so naturally the one question on the minds of most wrestling fans is when IGN will post its full review. We're now able to reveal that our full critique, in written and video form, of the game will go live this coming Monday, October 29 at 9am PT.

But we're not done there. Just after the review hits, be sure to tune in - on this very page - for a live stream of the full game, showcasing everything from the Attitude Era mode to Universe mode and more. Design Director Cory Ledesma and Designer Bryan Williams will join us starting at Noon PT - so bookmark this page and come back. You never know - we just might give away a few items while we're at it.

So there you go - by the end of Monday you'll not only know what we think about the game, but get an hour-long look for yourself. This will be the precise page where you'll find the live stream. You won't be able to miss the review.

See you then!

Rich is an Executive Editor of IGN.com and the leader of IGN's Nintendo team. He also watches over all things WWE, Resident Evil, Assassin's Creed and much more. Follow him on Twitter, if you dare!

Source : ign[dot]com

Marc Webb Confirmed to Direct Amazing Spider-Man 2

Sony announced today that Marc Webb will reprise his directing duties for The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Webb's involvement had been in question due to some outstanding commitments he had with 20th Century Fox, but those appear to have been hashed out for the sake of retaining him for the sequel.

Star Andrew Garfield was also confirmed as returning to play Spidey, while the studio says Emma Stone is in talks to reprise her role as Gwen Stacy.

The screenplay is by Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci and Jeff Pinkner based on a previous draft by James Vanderbilt. The film will be produced by Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach.

“We could not be more confident in the direction we are taking this new Spider-Man storyline and we are tremendously excited to be ramping up production again with Marc at the helm and Andrew continuing on as  Peter Parker. We can’t wait to share what we have in store for Peter and Spider-Man with audiences worldwide," said Doug Belgrad, president of Columbia Pictures, and Hannah Minghella, president of production for the studio, in a statement.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is slated for release in 3D on May 2, 2014.

Source : ign[dot]com

NYCC: Meet the Justice League's Mister Fix-It

It's kind of an obvious question, really, but who takes care of the Hall of Justice? I mean, Batman and Superman are busy saving the universe, so who's changing light bulbs and fixing leaky faucets? DC Comics is debuting a new free comic in a partnership with Craftsman at New York Comic-Con that aims to answer those questions.

Written by Joshua Williamson (Voodoo, Uncharted, Masks and Mobsters), this giveaway comic will feature a new character called the Technician, who is more or less the Justice League's Mr. Fix-It. We talked with Williamson about the development of this new character. If you're swinging by NYCC, be sure to stop by the Craftsman booth (#2046) on Saturday, October 13 at 11 AM to snag a signed copy from Williamson himself.

IGN Comics: First, I love the idea of a mister-fix-it guy that hangs around the Hall of Justice. Honestly, when hearing about a “Craftsman crossover” I scoffed a bit, but this is actually incredibly amusing. What’s the story behind that character?

Joshua Williamson: The Technician is a character that we created just for this story. From the very beginning when Craftsman contacted DC about this project, I knew that I wanted to tell a story about a guy who worked at the Hall of Justice. The place is huge and yet has never really had a caretaker. Sure, there was Snapper Carr but he got into more trouble than took care of things. The Justice Society had Ma Hunkel helping out for a bit… why doesn’t the Justice League have anyone?

But also, I always love those stories where a supporting character gets into their own crazy side adventure that the rest of the cast doesn’t know about. There was the amazing Booster Gold episode of Justice League Unlimited, or the classic Xander episode of Buffy where he saves the school from getting blown up while the rest of the cast saved the world. So we started thinking of having a guy who is proud to be working at the Hall of Justice as a respected partner, knowing that he is the best in his field (he’d have to be to get Batman’s approval!) that gets into a bit of trouble and has to save the day.

The Technician started out as an everyday man who knew his stuff and then transformed into a full-fledged hero. Because you know that that feeling you get when you finish a do-it-yourself project? It can make you feel like a superhero, and Craftsman wanted to bring that to life in a way that was fun and creative.

IGN: You also did the Subway comics that appeared a while back – are there any greater or different challenges in working in a sponsored story like this as opposed to a regular DCU tale?

Williamson: Yes and no. In some ways you get to cut loose and just tell a short story using the amazing DC characters. Something we rarely get to do or see now. But at the same time you have to keep in mind the whole reason the comic exists, which is to help promote product. In this case, it is to introduce the Craftsman brand and their new product, the Bolt On tool, to a new generation of tool user. You have to find that balance.. For me I try to always use a character that I love that I haven’t been able to write in the main DCU yet. So for this story it was Cyborg and The Key.

Honestly the biggest challenge with these things is trying to not take them too seriously and to just have fun with them. Working with Craftsman was great because they had an awesome sense of humor and wanted to have a good time with it. For Craftsman, they wanted to show that tools can be fun. It was all about showing the creative comic book reading community that tools can used to create amazing works.

IGN: As for the Justice League, who’s on the team here? Is this the New 52 incarnation?

Williamson: Yup, New 52 all the way. Couldn’t imagine doing it with any other version. It’s Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash and Cyborg for this short story. Mostly Cyborg takes the main stage. Cyborg because he’s the tech guy and Batman well, y’know… Batman’s the best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be. It’s always fun getting to write the Justice League and the rest of the new DCU.

IGN: Where can we get our hands on this book?

Williamson: Fans can pick up a complimentary copy of the comic book inside the Craftsman booth at New York Comic-Con. For those not attending the show, it can be downloaded as free digital download on the DC Comics app store or available at www.craftsmancomic.com.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He loves superhero pets so hard.

Source : ign[dot]com

HBO Set for Larry David Movie, but Will Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 9 Happen?

Larry David and HBO will continue to collaborate – the only question is whether that collaboration will include more Curb Your Enthusiasm.

At the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour yesterday, HBO executives Michael Lombardo and Richard Plepler confirmed they had signed a deal with David to write and star in a movie for the cable channel, with Greg Motolla (Superbad, Adventureland) directing. It has previously been reported that Jon Hamm and Michael Keaton will also star in the film, but HBO did not comment on that.

Lombardo and Plepler noted that this would not be a Curb Your Enthusiasm movie, but were a bit coy on whether David would be playing himself in any way, with Lombardo simply stating, “He's not playing the Larry David from Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

But as to how this movie affects future seasons of Curb, Plepler said that, per usual, the ball was in David’s court – that if he wants to make more, they will. “It means whatever Larry wants it to mean for future seasons of Curb. And we always say, he has essentially carte blanche with us. Don't quote us on that because he'll take it! But he does, and when he wants to come back and do Curb, we'd be thrilled. Right now, he wants to do the movie. So we are thrilled about that.”

The execs did say they were sure this movie would happen before a potential Curb: Season 9, with Lombardo remarking, I think, after the last season of Curb, Larry sat down and said, ‘What is it I want to do?’ And it was this film that he wanted to do. But I don't think he's closed the door to another season of Curb. I think he wants to do another season of Curb if he has a great idea for another season of Curb.”

Added Plepler, “He said to us, this is what he's feeling right now, and we said, "Fantastic."

Source : ign[dot]com

What is a smart switch?

I was looking at this question which mentions smart switches. What are they? What are there uses?

1 Answer

I believe those are switches that can be controlled remotely. The method varies - some can receive commands through power lines, some use radio, some need a separate cable.

You use these when you want to build a "smart house". That is, all the electrical devices can be controlled remotely. For example you could connect to your house from your work through the Internet and turn off the light in the kitchen that you left on. Or you could switch on the coffee maker before departing for home, so that you have fresh coffee when you arrive. Or maybe have your washing machine send you an SMS when the laundry is done. The possibilities are limitless.

The technology isn't anything new, but such devices are still a lot more expensive than traditional electrical networks. They are trying to make it cheaper of course, but it's nowhere near the point where it could be made ubiquitous.

Also they are not problem free. As always - the more stuff there is, the more something can go wrong. And both radio and power-line based communications suffer heavily from noise. Separate cables don't have this issue, but they are difficult to lay out, not to mention expensive. Naturally, progress has been made here as well over the last decades, so the latest types of devices are already quite reliable.

Last but not least - not only are there different methods for communication, but several different protocols as well for each method. So whichever you choose it will severely limit the devices available to you. Of course you could always use the traditional "dumb" devices, but then you'd loose all the benefits of a smart house.

Source : diy[dot]stackexchange[dot]com