Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Huk vs OneStar

EGHuk vs OneStarcast by Duckvillelol

Nerd News: Reddit "Free Internet Act"

See these links:

http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/p1qmo/the_free_internet_act_a_bold_plan_to_save_the/

http://www.reddit.com/r/ACTA/comments/p0zn2/the_free_internet_act_a_bold_plan_to_save_the/

They were posted RoyalWithCheese22, this snippet from first link above clearly explains RoyalWithCheese22's thoughts:
I say its time to change tactics. The MPAA knows very well how to play the game when demanding legeslation: Aim ridiculously high, when opposition builds up, negotiate, sacrifice some of your over the top demands. Force your opponents to sacrifice some of theirs. Voila you didn't get exactly what you wanted but you moved in the desired direction.

Minigun streaming

Go watch Minigun http://www.twitch.tv/colminigun

Nerd News: Lantastic Gaming hiring

http://lantasticgaming.net/

@TeamVWSPro Tweeted:

Lantastic Gaming is looking to hire more staff for our events in Sturgis, MI. Min age 15 w/parent consent. Pay $50-$100 a day. HMU
Lantastic Gaming is looking to hire more staff for our events in Fredericksburg, VA. Min age 15 w/parent consent. Pay $50-$100 a day. HMU

Nerd News: 'Eye of Tiger' composer sues Gingrich to stop campaign use of iconic song!

Full story at Chicago Tribune here,
"The composer of the Survivor hit "Eye of the Tiger" has sued Newt Gingrich to stop the Republican presidential candidate from using the "Rocky III" anthem at campaign events."

I swear it is sooo hard to tell real news from The Onion some days. Not to mention this seems to tie in with SOPA & PIPA if only because of the election and politicians maybe listening to more of the electorate.

Korean News: High School Sophomore signs with Orioles

Full story at Yonhap News Agency,
A South Korean high school sophomore has signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles in Major League Baseball (MLB).

From Britt's Bird Watch, an official affiliate of Orioles, though not official statements of the team, Os sign Galarraga, Neshek & Paulino as non-roster invitees, also sign Kim

Orioles official site here.

Nerd News: "No Xbox 720 or PS4 this year"

According to this story on TechSpot, while Nintendo will be shipping a new platform later this year, there appears to be no plans for Microsoft or Sony to do so.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Gretorp on Kings of Tin tonight

WackStevens Tweeted:
After much delay, we are finally having one of my favorite people on tonight - a Mr. Andre Hengchua ! Super excited! 

When:  01:00 CET/19:00 EST/Mon 16:00 PST

Nerd Gear: iPro Lens System for iPhone 4 & 4s

I think this could be real useful at events, basically it is a high end case for iPhone, with interchangeable lenses that snap into the case over the existing camera lens.  The lenses are stored in the metal tube that also funtions as a tripod mount.

Not as good as purpose built camera, but easier to tweet, blog, or email the picutres or video directly from the phone.  For more information http://www.iprolens.com/about.php

Also, if you weren't aware you can watch Twitch streams on iPad & iPhones with free app from twitchtv I have used this on my girlfriend's iPad, it works fine, though not as good of picture as my Blackberry Playbook tablet. 

An iPhone can be useful even if your at an event, so you can watch one stream via smartphone while viewing another in person.



Nerd News: Mrs. Violence gamertag hacked

I blog mainly RTS, but Kelly Kelley, aka Mrs. Violence, is one of the FPS pros I follow on twitter.

She had her gamertag hacked here is a snippet from http://www.analoghype.com/video-games/xbox-360-video-games/xbox-live-hackers-target-pro-gamers/ (click for full story):

How did Xbox try to help resolve the issue?
They claimed that due to the fact that someone hacked into my account, and actually stole money from me, I would have to wait at least 12 days for them to contact my bank and 100% guarantee my money back. I’m somewhat understanding about all of this, but the man says that there’s nothing he can do to get me my tag back until those 12 days were up. I even asked for something in return like a one month xbl Gold Card (which are free), and the man replied that there was nothing he could do in return. Now, even though the man knew exactly who I was in the gaming industry, I didn’t get any special treatment, knowing that this will effect my daily life of a pro gamer.

AFAIK nothing has been done about this yet.  I urge everyone to read the full story at AnalogHype and follow Mrs. Violence on Twitter for updates

More about the hacking in general http://www.analoghype.com/video-games/xbox-360-video-games/xbox-live-vulneribility-exposed-microsoft-ignored-the-truth/

Nerd News: Megaupload users losing data?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16787486:
"US prosecutors have said that data belonging to Megaupload users and stored by third parties could be deleted as soon as Thursday."

I don't understand that, I am not a lawyer and can't give legal opinion, but I thought that would be evidence.  And destroying evidence in a trial (for a trial?) is a big no no, it is even a crime I though.

I will probably post a few updates to this.

Goody Streaming

http://www.regame.tv/live/3396

I still find Goody to be a very interesting player to study, he seems to use higher level tactics than most other players. 

He frequently will use multiple layers of defense, and offense.

I can tell there is still more thought behind a lot of what he does than I comprehend.  Working on changing that.

One Nation of Gamers replay pack 2012

ONOG Replays

Replay packshttp://www.onenationofgamers.com/2012/01/replay-pack-for-pool-play-and-round-of-8/ and http://drop.sc/packs/487


Not sure if that is whole event or not yet, will post updates if I find more.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

One Nation of Gamers Invitational Day 2

Edited to add replay packshttp://www.onenationofgamers.com/2012/01/replay-pack-for-pool-play-and-round-of-8/ and http://drop.sc/packs/487

I missed Day 1 of ONOG, sounds like there was a really good series between Catz & Sase, two of my favorite players, I am going to have to see the replays when they come out.

Catz vs Kas; and Stephano vs Illusion are up next in the semi finals!

Streamhttp://www.twitch.tv/onenationofgamers

Caster: Mr. Bitter

When:  Sun 23:00 CET/17:00 EST/14:00 PST

16 Man Pool Play Invitational culminating in an 8 man single elimination brackets, cast by Mr. Bitter. The play on Day 2 is the Semifinals, Third place match and finals.


HwangSin Streaming

Go watch Hwangsin, he is Gosu and cheerful, watching him ladder always cheers me up!

http://www.twitch.tv/hwangsin

Friday, January 27, 2012

Nerd News: TTimo (the linux man at ID) has left ID

TTimo said, "I joined a small startup in Dallas, gaming related, but not fps or esports." Read his entire blog post at his blog http://ttimo.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/onwards-.html

I wish him well!

I was an ID fanboy before I found Blizzard games, they are still my favorite companies for games.

Nerd News: Steam Mobile, Steam for iPhone & Android

Hmm seems like it is just for chatting and browsing games, they don't seem to have added mobile games yet, Steam link here http://store.steampowered.com/mobile

According to TechSpot:
Although you can install the app, it's still in closed beta so you can't login if your account isn't approved. However, by attempting to log in, your account is entered into the pool of potential beta invites.

Starcraft 2 Thoughts: ZvT Beating Terran

I got thinking about this some time ago after hearing first Destiny's, and then later Grubby's comments about their showmatch vs each other.  Destiny was basically humbled, he was more overwhelmed by Grubby's play than Huk's.

Destiny said that Grubby was using Hallucination constantly, that it was like map hacks, and that all Protoss players should do it.

Grubby said something like Destiny doesn't even understand his own race.  Which struck me as true, though very incomplete.  And not entirely fair, I don't think any Zergs really understand their race yet.

I had been stumbling towards the more general idea that no Zerg seemed to really understand their Race's strong points (I think Stephano is something on an exception to this, and big part of the reason he has been so successful lately).  One quick example, Roaches are really strong early in the game, but except for all ins the only time I have ever seen Pro Zerg use Roaches much was when they played on the earlier versions of Metalopolis were they could get a close spawns by ground.  Or when they are forced to.

Thing is I noticed they usually won those timing attacks.  So Roach timing pushes are very strong early.

Couple of other things about standard Muta Ling, with or without Banes, vs Marine Tank struck me as really bad.

One Mutas are REALLY expensive, they cost 100 minerals/100 gas/2 food, and it seems like Pro Players need around 25 or so Mutas to do much with them.  That is 2500 Minerals/2500 Gas/50 Food!!!  Realize that is same, exact, cost as 20 DT's (with 10 Food left over)!  Or 16-17 Tanks (with gas left over)!!!

I like the DT comparison best, because Mutas have 120 HP vs the DT 40HP/80 Shield, hmm 120hp to 120 HP.  Mutas have 5.9 DPS (+ 0.7 per upgrade)(about 7.9 DPS if you count splash) vs DT's 26.6 DPS (+3 per upgrade).  I'll let others argue merits of flying vs cloak.

I think Roach Baneling Corrupter is a lot better, specially if Zerg gets burrow first over any other upgrade.  Roaches are just a little faster than Banelings if both have speed upgrades, and there is no reason to waste resources on armor upgrades in early game this way.


Roaches can burrow to heal, with Tunneling Claws they heal faster than Medivac heals, and Drones can burrow to evade Hellion run ins or drops, functionally using Burrow to defend workers cause some of the same problems for Terran as Toss using DT for drop defense.


Make 6 Corrupters for drop defense,  6 Corrupters will 2 Shot Medivacs, they also have a base 2 Armor so they can laugh at Marines and Thors.  So you can make a few more for effective scouting, and if you get an early Greater Spire you can make Terran build Vikings early if he scouts it, or fly some scouting Corrupters to back side of mineral lines and morph them into Broodlords for a harass.

Maybe if you want to be real cheeky you can even drop Nydus in mineral line with Broodlings raining down.
 
If your not wasting resources on ground armor, you can easily be getting Missile and Melee attack upgrades at the same time.


This also lets you tech switch between Broodlords, Ultras, or even Hydras easily if needed.


Think about +3 Attack Hydra's tech switch with drop or nydus. With a Nydus you can have units rallied straight to the Nydus, making it hard for Terran to see your unit comp.



The other problem I have was the huge Banks Zerg players would build. 

In RTS (Real Time Strategy) games that is something so wrong everyone knows it, yet I never see any Zerg Pros even attempt to address the issue! 

If nothing else make a bunch of Overseers and Contaminate like a Boss!

Though recently I have seen Stephano start to make a lot of spines, which I think is very good idea, I just wish he would add some Spores, at least vs Protoss, to deny Obs.

Stephano Streaming!

http://www.twitch.tv/mstephano

<3 Stephano

One of the upsides to Asthma ruining my sleep is I get to see more of the EU, Korean, & SEA players and events streaming.

Barcraft?

For those of you that do Barcraft, how do you find a Bar that does it?

Or is it usually a bunch of Starcraft 2 Nerds that already hang together just having a big enough crowd to watch SC2 at the Bar? 

How do you get bar to show SC2 instead of Soccer or NFL or whatever?

Thursday, January 26, 2012

CSN's The Rundown 8 with Rance Costa

Rundown #7 is in the book and it's another win for viOLet. This one was not as clear cut, with Destiny taking 2 maps from viOLet, being the first person to do so. Both viOLet and Destiny receive automatic invites to Rundown #8 and both have confirmed their participation. Look for even more new faces in Rundown #8 this week.

Due to the overwhelming amount of trolling that occurred following Rundown #7's championship and interview with Destiny, CSN has added a few feature to the show. Following this weeks championship, the phone lines will be open for the
'Troll Roll'. This segment is about the viewers and their likes and dislikes, their good and bad trolling. Viewers will have an opportunity to call in and rant to Rance and Gwin about anything. 

Full informationhttp://cyber-sports.net/event/rundown-8

When:  7:00 pm EST

Wherehttp://www.twitch.tv/cybersportsnetwork

Casters:  Rance Costa & Gwin

Call them! Caster's phone 310-929-5777 & Skype: rundownrance


Format:  Finals Bo5, all other series Bo3, single elimination, 8 players

Prize:  $100 to winner

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Duckvillelol streaming

http://www.twitch.tv/duckvillelol

Infinity Gaming vs WhiteRa

What: Showmatch WhiteRa vs Infinity Gaming

When:  Jan 25, 2012 20:00 CET/14:00 EST/ 11:00 PST

Bo7



Winner gets $100

Live streams:
http://www.twitch.tv/infgaming
http://www.twitch.tv/SpecialEndrey
http://www.twitch.tv/whitera

Site: http://infgaming.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3685

Thread: Infinity Gaming vs White-Ra (Showmatch)

Nerd News: No Blizzcon in 2012?!?

No Blizzcon till next year, according to Blizzard  "we’ve decided to hold the next BlizzCon in 2013."

Ars, sister company of Reddit, has a story and comments about this http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2012/01/blizzcon-2012-canceledbut-why.ars

I am disappointed and a bit shocked that Blizzard isn't having Blizzcon this year.

Stephano Streaming!

<3 Stephano

Streamhttp://fr.justin.tv/mstephano#/w/2508494832

TvZ Raven play

Couple of notes, this is from Korean sever, but the players are lower level on Korean server.  Whatever that means.

Two games, same players, loser demanded rematch, according to the Caster.

I think there is room for a lot of improvement by both players, and I don't think early Raven like this is really viable, this seems more like a trick play to me like a Mothership rush.  Still I found these games interesting.

Starcraft 2 Thoughts: Marine Medivac endgame Transitions

Many Terrans like to use Mass Marine with Medivac support as basic game play, there are many good reasons to do this. 

Marines are cheap, and good vs most things, so if you favor aggressive play, then Marine centered Unit Comp will fit your playstyle.

Couple of problems are common with Mass Marines though, one is unless you only take one or two Gas, you will have tons of Gas, while burning all your minerals on Marines.

Marines also have problems vs some higher Tier units.

So what to do?

I have three thoughts.

First, be very aggressive with upgrades, not only double Ebay for attack and armor upgrades, but think about 3rd one for Neosteel Frame (2 more marines fit in Bunker), Hi Sec Auto Tracking (+1 range for Turrets, Auto Turret, PDD, and PF's), and maybe even Building Armor (+2 Armor for buldings, includes Auto Turret, PDD, etc).

The Neosteel Frame upgrade is really a DPS upgrade, because of stacking! 

Second, get Ghosts and Nukes!  Get all the Ghost upgrades as well.  Make several Ghost Academies, Nukes don't cost Food!  A Ghost centered army in late game is scary, but having 20+ Nukes is even scarier IMO!


Third, get Ravens!  With an upgraded Bunker, or two, holding 6 Marines each, backed up by PF and some upgraded auto Turrets, range 7 that last for 240 SC2 seconds, you don't need to worry about drops, or run bys, or small backstab attacks crippling your base before you can respond.

So you can keep being aggressive with your Army.

The Ravens also work as a combat multiplier, just like the Medivacs do, multiplying the effect of the Marines and the Ghosts.

PDD stops all kinds of attacks, keeping the fragile marines alive longer so they do more damage before dieing. 

While the detection lets you kill Obs easy, and the Seeker Missile or HSM , which can't be out run by Overseer, will easily take out Overseer if your trying to land Nukes!!!!  Though it takes two missiles to kill one Overseer, though with splash you might do better than that if the Overseers are clumped.

Same goes for killing enemy Ravens with Seeker missile, Raven can't out run it, though again it takes 2 Missiles to kill Raven.  Don't forget you can EMP Orbitals to kill Scan energy.

GL HF,

Cliff

Gaming Jobs: Editors for DOTA 2 and CS1.6

D_eSports Tweeted:

We are currently looking for two new editors for the website, able to write aboout DOTA 2 and CS1.6 - Apply at contact@D-eSports.com RT RT

Their Website http://www.d-esports.com/

Epic PvP: KarmaXujhan vs McRib; Mothership, DT, HT not your typical PvP!

An exciting mirror matchup!  As a general rule mirror matchups are my least favorite, this game though was exciting change from that.

Good game, interesting play on both sides, and very Manner! 

Cast by DUCKVILLELOL


City Hunter Online Event #1

Grandfinals starting SEA event with Australian casters.

Streamhttp://www.twitch.tv/benjisc2

Casters:  Benji & Zepph


Twitter:


Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Nerd Gear: Radeon HD 7950

Some more information on the AMD Radeon HD 7950 graphics cards "the card scores 2385 marks and is faster than the GTX 580" source and rest of the article http://www.techspot.com/news/47162-more-details-emerge-on-radeon-hd-7950-ahead-of-launch.html

Kiwikaki is Streaming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.own3d.tv/live/211063/KiWiKaKi


<33333 Kiwikaki

Korean PvT: Sickness vs Ssanym

I am a big fan of Sickness, one note he is part of dtG now dtGSickness, click here to see all my posts on Sickness.

This is a really impressive game from both players!

This game cast by StarcraftInc

Grubby vs Sheth

Thanks to Starcraft2Vids for making it easy to find these great games.

Thanks to RageQuitTV for casting this game.

Drewbie Replay Pack Updated site

http://www.mediafire.com/?2fq18b3u7xp6ye9

Drewbie uploaded a replay pack around 1/18/2012 but that site got shut down, link above is to new site, I just tested it and it works.

Thanks Drewbie <3

Check out the Replays or Playlists I have here on my Blog.

I am adding more all the time, you can also click on the labels at bottom left of any post or in the Label Cloud at left side of Blog to find more posts of interest to you.

Drewbie streaming mornings now!

http://www.twitch.tv/coldrewbie

gogogogogogogogogogoogo

Monday, January 23, 2012

Kings of Tin tonight, LoL with Destiny & MiaRose

From TL Kings of Tin takes it's first trip out of StarCraft 2 and mixes things up with a little League of Legends. Can the talentless team of djWHEAT, Wacksteven, Destiny, MiaRose, and a secret 5th win a game?

Find out tonight! 


When:  Mon 19:00 EST/16:00 PST

Nerd News: Star Trek Tricoders one step closer to reality!

Source and full story:  http://www.extremetech.com/computing/114975-nano-scale-terahertz-antenna-created-hand-held-tricorders-incoming

This is just totally cool to a Nerd like me!  Terahertz frequencies can penetrate skin a short distance, additionally in the Terahertz freq range, molecules and atoms have an unique signature, or "fingerprint", which means it can not only image, but analyze things!

Someone may actually cash in on the X Prize Offers $10 million for a Real-Life Star Trek Medical Tricorder

The famous episode 21 of Live On Three, djWheat, SirScoots, Slasher

Note Mature language warning for this VOD.

djWHEAT 06/28/09 02:01PM


Starcraft 2 Siege Tank Exploit or Bug to be aware of

Thanks to Husky for the heads up.

Destiny vs Violet Game 1 of Bo5

This is Game 1 from finals in latest Rundown, the first event I have seen Destiny in since he got back from Korea. 

Destiny really impressed me in this series, he is looking like a much stronger player than the last show match I saw him in vs Incontrol before he went to Korea.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Streaming Software: Alternative to Xsplit

http://www.telestream.net/wire-cast/overview.htm


Totalbiscuit mentions it in a tweet, starts at $449.00 thought T_T

If anyone has any other suggestions, please post them, Xsplit causes lots of headaches.

I have seen events delayed, ended early, or rescheduled because of Xsplit problems more than once.

Streaming Tip from Totalbiscuit about Xsplit

Totalbiscuit Tweeted:

Alright, warning to anyone who uses Xsplit. It will break if you install the FormatFactory video converter. Codec conflict I believe

Nightend vs Stephano G2 Shoutcraft Invitational 4

One of my favorite games from Totalbiscuit's Shoutcraft Invitational 4

http://www.youtube.com/user/TotalBiscuit

Nightend vs Stephano G2 Shoutcraft Invitational 4


IEM Kiev with Rotterdam & Mr.Bitter

Watching Rotterdam & Mr. Bitter cast IEM http://www.twitch.tv/esltv_event2
 

Catz vs Kiwikaki Day 2 Bo31

Streamed live from CatZ' and KiWi's streams to celebrate KiWiKaKi's Stream opening. $1000 prize pool

Current score is 9-4 in favor of Kiwikaki


When:  This Saturday and Sunday starting at 6pm EST


Streams:  


Thread: [$1000] BO31 KiWiKaKi vs CatZ
*******************************************************************

I am really looking forward to the second day, in addition to the great games, they are providing a lot of commentary.

Catz and Kiwikaki are good friends, they are both streaming the game, so you can see either or both players view of the games.

But they are also on Skype together, with a lot of banter, jokes, manner, bad manner, etc.

Very entertaining!

This event is also a Grand Opening or Introduction of Kiwikaki's stream!

I am really excited about that, I want to see more Kiwikaki games!

I have been trying to get Kiwi to stream for a while, I even started a petition here http://cliffsesportcorner.blogspot.com/2011/11/petition-for-kiwikaki-to-stream.html
that didn't get many votes for some reason.

Thank you Kiwikaki for deciding to stream!! <333

Thanks to Catz & Kiwikaki for such a great Showmatch!!! <333

Haven't seen you two play long series of games vs each other since the old days of Root, watching this event brings back a lot of happy memories of Root!

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Kiwikaki vs Catz Bo31 yes!

Best of 31 

When:  This Saturday and Sunday starting at 6pm EST

Streamed live from CatZ' and KiWi's streams to celebrate KiWiKaKi's Stream opening. $1000 prize pool



Streams:  

Thread: [$1000] BO31 KiWiKaKi vs CatZ

Nerd News: viOLet Signed by Empire



Andrew Tomlinson, personal Manager of Donghwan and Founder of CSN, made the following statement:
"On behalf of Cyber Sports Network, I would like to congratulate Kim "viOLet" Donghwan on finally joining a very well-respected team both in Starcraft 2 and gaming in general. After being introduced to Donghwan by Rachel "Seltzer" Quirico at IPL3 and learning his story I decided to approach him about the CSN Training Camp opportunity. Joining our CSN Training Camp program in early November of 2011, viOLet has gone on to excel quickly and hone his skill in Starcraft 2, reaching Rank 1 Grandmaster on both the NA and EU server, winning over 30 online tournaments, and placing 4th in HSC4 within a few months of living here in the United States. We will continue to keep in close touch with viOLet, and treat him as family, not merely a friend, as that's what he is to everyone here at CSN. We wish him the very best in the future regarding his professional gaming career, and hope that he prospers under the Team Empire tags."

VA/MD/DC SC2 LAN #7 at Netolic

What: LAN in the Northern Virginia Area hosted by Torenhire at Netolic PC Cafe!
There will be an Open tournament, and a Diamond and Below tournament with cash prizes - depends on final signup amount, $350+ dollars right now!
Walk-ins and Spectators Welcome!! Come play SC2, BW, Hang out, we might have a mafia game as well!

Where:
Netolic PC Cafe
7409 Little River Turnpike #C
Annandale VA 22003

When:  Sat 18:00 CET/ 12:00 EST/09:00 PST

Notable Players: NrGLuckyFool, vileIllusion, avilo, and many more local clan/team players!

Casters: We currently have Nanman from LXG lined up to cast as much of the tournament as he can!

Stream: http://www.justin.tv/therealnanman

How do I sign up?: Easy! Post in the TL Thread with your Bnet ID, Character code, Race, and what tournament you'd like to play in! Or, Email me at dclansignups(at)gmail.com!
Thread: DC Lan #7 @ Netolic!

NanMan interviews Eternal Plague's Styx



Check out the thread for more info about the show match between ePStyx vs NemesysLXG.
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=...
You can also see links to the casted games in that thread or below...
Game 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFDiKaS_RYM
Game 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL5Q6sapB7I
Game 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmasJntD4IU
Game 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ_FYxDIY3A
Game 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKQRPy3lVr0

Cella Streaming!

http://www.twitch.tv/slayerscella

Gogogogogogogo

Stephano vs MarineKing from HSC

A Bo3 from Homestory Cup Cast by WyrdCast


Game 2   &  Game3


Long Game Destiny vs Drewbie

Epic Long Game between former Teammates Drewbie and Destiny.

Cast by c0mmissar1


Friday, January 20, 2012

ACL PRO: Australia's First National Gaming Circuit

Check out ACL PRO http://www.aclpro.com.au/

Australia's first national gaming circuit. 50+ live events planned for 2012 for Starcraft 2, Halo: Reach, CoD:Mw3, Fifa 12 & other competitive titles

Follow them on Twitter http://www.aclpro.com.au/

WP Mr. Bitter, Rotterdam, and crew! Casting two games on one IEM Kiev Stream

http://www.twitch.tv/esltv_event2

Go watch some Baller Casting and great games!!!!

Thundertoss Top 200 KOTH (King of the Hill)

Thundertoss' weekly Top 200 King of the Hill continues, showing the top players duking it out in a King of the Hill format.


When:  03:30 CET/21:30 EST/18:30 PST

CastersAscend & Thundertoss

Replays:  http://top200koth.blogspot.com/ (See Replay Packs on left side of that page)
 


Format:  Top 200 Players (Grandmaster priority, top Masters permitted)

Prizes:
  • $20 for each 5 wins.
  • $10 for dethroning a 5+ win player.
  • $10 for "Match of the Night"

Players: join the chat channel "top200koth" on the NA server, and send a message to Thundertoss.


Thread
: Top 200 KOTH (with prize $$!)

Nerd News: SOPA & PIPA

Statement from Chairman Smith on Senate Delay of Vote on PROTECT IP Act Smith is the author of SOPA.

And a Tweet from the author of PIPA, SenatorReid:  "In light of recent events, I have decided to postpone Tuesday's vote on the PROTECT IP Act

More on SOPA & PIPA being tabled at :
  1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16655272
  2. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2012/01/internet-wins-sopa-and-pipa-both-shelved.ars

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Nerd News: McAfee Turning PC's into Spam machines ?!?

Evidently McAfee's  SaaS Total Protection anti-malware service was allowing spammers to exploit PC's, seems rather ironic.  Full story http://www.techspot.com/news/47104-mcafee-turns-customers-pcs-into-spam-servers-patch-incoming.html

Nerd Gear: Self Healing Screen Cover

Originally developed by Nissan for car finishes, it has been adapted to iPhone cover now. This is really cool IMO, this will really add life to tablet computers like the iPad, Playbook, etc.

Full story at http://www.techspot.com/news/47097-nissan-announces-an-iphone-case-with-self-healing-paint.html


Intel Extreme Masters: Kiev covered by Apollo, Rotterdam, Mr.Bitter, and TLO

When:  12:00 CET/06:00 EST/03:00 PST


Where:  http://www.twitch.tv/dignitasapollo and http://www.twitch.tv/esltv_event2

Today will be the first half of group play casted by Rotterdam, Mr. Bitter, and Apollo!

Wooohooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Checkout Duckvillelol's latest Blog Post.

 Duckvillelol is one of the Starcraft 2 Blogger's I feature on the left side of my blog.  Check out his latest post below:

 

Spare flux capacitor?

 It is a constant problem for everyone in the human race. You could say it is the pursuit that creates the human “race”. Where do I find that extra bit of time? Sure, you’ll get folks who have so much time on their hands when they have a shower clocks get washed out of their belly-button – but for the average Joe, Andrea and Rose click for more

Drewbie Replay Pack!

Yay, Drewbie uploaded it to another site:  http://www.mediafire.com/?2fq18b3u7xp6ye9

Edited to add, Megaupload got shut down by the cops today full story here http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2012/01/before-shutdown-megaupload-ate-up-more-corporate-bandwidth-than-dropbox.ars


So no way to get replay pack from there now, I will post update if Drewbie puts them on another site.

coldrewbie just released a replay pack.  Thanks drewbie <333


http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3IKRBFPT

I have other replay packs and playlists on my blog.  Just click those links, or the labels in label cloud at left side of Blog.

You can also click on any label at bottom of posts to find similar blog posts.

Nerd News: Some Results From SOPA & PIPA Blackout

We are seeing a response to the Blackouts against SOPA/PIPA.  One of the most interesting to me, is that "up to 18 Senators, of which seven are former co-sponsors" of PIPA have now said they are against PIPA (PIPA is the Senate sister bill to the SOPA bill in the House).

To get seven of the Co Sponsors in the Senate to change position is a pretty big deal IMO.

Another item to note, is Rep. Darrell Issa announced a different bill, called OPEN Act, as a compromise or alternative to SOPA.  More information at http://issa.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=949&Itemid=28&Itemid=4

From what I have seen online Rep. Issa supported the blackout, but I don't enough yet to know if OPEN would be a real improvement over SOPA.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

CSN The Rundown Thursday at 7:30 pm EST

Violet is back!

Destiny will be playing in The Rundown for the first time this week!

Lot of other great players see http://cyber-sports.net/event/the-rundown-7 for full information.

When:  Thursdays at 7:30 pm EST

Pregame:  At 7:00 PM EST an interview with TheMista, a new player to the Rundown who hails from Greece and an interview with a 14 year old name xenocider.

Streamhttp://www.twitch.tv/cybersportsnetwork

Casters:  Gwin & Rance

Skype:  Call in with Rants or Compliments; RundownRance


General Tournament Information:
The Rundown is a weekly or bi-weekly 8 player invite tournament for SC2
Single Elimination, best of 3 (finals are best of 5)
Bracket placement is random, always.
$100 to the winner
The winner and 2nd place finishers are automatically invited back
Format:
Single elimination 8 player bracket: (Invite Only)
Ro8: Best of 3
Ro4: Best of 3
Finals: Best of 5

Stephano in LDLC Trophy 2v2 tournament semi finals

LDLC Trophy is a 2v2 tournament with at least one player of each team being French (or playing for a French team).

When:  Wed 20:30 CET/14:30 EST/ 11:30 AM PST (semi finals)

Players:  Stephano & Bling vs Indy & Tefel

Bo5

Stream : http://www.teamliquid.net/video/streams/burighan (french cast)

More Info: LDLC 2v2 Trophy

Site: http://www.team-ldlc.com/starcraft-2/ldlc-winter-trophy-2v2-premiers-resultats.html

Nerd News: SOPA Blackout & Protest Headlines

Updated to add this from Ars: A history of IP violence: how SOPA's and PIPA's sponsors have waged war on the Internet

******************************************************************************

List here at my favorite Nerd website Ars, which is a sister company to Reddit, be sure to read the comments section http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2012/01/sopa-blackout-spreads-across-the-internet.ars


djWheat: "Do your part to educate yourself and then reach out about - the Internet sucks when your eyes are closed!"

BBC Technology http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16604990 & http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16612628

LA Times:  "SOPA blackout: Bills lose three co-sponsors amid protests"

Reuters: "More than 1,000 people are expected to take to the New York City streets on Wednesday in protest of Congress' pending anti-piracy legislation"

CNN Money: "SOPA explained: What it is and why it matters"

Huffington Post:  "SOPA Forces Obama To Pick Sides Between Donors From Hollywood, Silicon Valley" 

CNET:  "How SOPA would affect you: FAQ"

PSA: Finding and Contacting Your Senator or US Representative about SOPA or anything

I posted this information in an earlier post, not directly related to SOPA, I am reposting this for the SOPA Blackout.

As I have stated before, I cover these issues because I feel they are relevant to Esports, and I hope to encourage people in the entire Esports Community to make their voice heard, in a respectful & mannered fashion, to the Politicians that make & enforce the laws that affect us.

If you want to find your Senator click here, for your US Representative (Congressman/Congresswoman) click here.

Nerd News: mTw sign, release SunCow in same day

Source and full story http://esfiworld.com/sc2/news/mtw-sign-release-suncow-same-day:
Soon after the announcement was made that SunCow was joining mTw, it was revealed that there is currently a warrant out for the Pole's arrest after allegedly being involved in a robbery

Nerd News: Totalbiscuits SOPA Blackout VOD

Totalbiscuit has joined the SOPA Blackout protest, this is his excellent VOD on SOPA

Edited to add:  To find your Congress person easily click here.

Nerd Gear: Samsung’s Transparent Smart Window (Monitor)

This is just totally cool.  I can see this in cars and maybe even planes, perhaps not full window, but it would allow for some awesome HUD's interaction!




Full story http://www.geek.com/articles/chips/samsung-reinvents-the-window-using-a-transparent-touchscreen-display-20120116/

Nerd News: SOPA Blackouts and Updates

As many of you know Reddit and Ars are connected, they share a parent company, so you can think of them as sister or brother companies.


If your looking for news during the SOPA blackout, or looking for ideas for what else you can do, then Ars is the place to go, here are a few words from their most recent article about SOPA: 
Many sites have chosen to go dark (i.e., offline) today, a stance we respect—but it's not the right path for us. Ars Technica has, for 14 years, tried to be an information resource, and the most appropriate response from Ars is to provide even more information on the legislation, how you can fight it, and what's really at stake.
Our normal publishing schedule has been frozen in carbonite. For a limited time, we're turning our attention to SOPA and its Senate cousin, the PROTECT IP Act. What remains in each bill after the managers' amendments and the removal of DNS blocking?
 Source and full story at http://arstechnica.com/staff/palatine/2012/01/sopa-resistance-day-begins-at-ars.ars

Like I have told many people about Ars, the comments sections are often the best part.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Violet Streaming!

Go Violet!

<333


http://www.twitch.tv/csntv

Nerd News: SOPA, removing DNS provisions

From Congressman Lamar Smith, author of SOPA:

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) today said he plans to remove a provision in the Stop Online Piracy Act (H.R. 3261) that requires Internet Service Providers to block access to certain foreign websites.
Chairman Smith: “After consultation with industry groups across the country, I feel we should remove Domain Name System blocking from the Stop Online Piracy Act so that the Committee can further examine the issues surrounding this provision. We will continue to look for ways to ensure that foreign websites cannot sell and distribute illegal content to U.S. consumers.

I am not sure what the point of that might be at this point.  Grasping at straws?

There is an article and comments here at Ars about it.

Nerd News: Wikipedia joins SOPA Blackout Protest

Tweeted by Jimmy Wales:

Student warning! Do your homework early. Wikipedia protesting bad law on Wednesday!
For more details on Wikipedia Blackout see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:SOPA_initiative#Summary_and_conclusion

For Wikipedia entry on SOPA itself see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOPA

Retro Gaming: ScummVM

What is ScummVM?  In their own words
ScummVM is a program which allows you to run certain classic graphical point-and-click adventure games, provided you already have their data files. The clever part about this: ScummVM just replaces the executables shipped with the games, allowing you to play them on systems for which they were never designed!


To see what games are supported see http://www.scummvm.org/compatibility/

If your curious about the history of ScummVM see this detailed story on Ars.

Dragon streaming fun

http://www.twitch.tv/slayersdragon

He just made Platinum!  lol

Shoutcraft Invitational #4 VOD

Want to find a particular game from Totalbiscuit's latest Invitational?

Then use Starcraft2vids http://www.starcraft2vids.com/events/shoutcraft-invitational they are my hands down favorite site for finding SC2 VOD's, before they got their site up I had to spend lots of time using google or hunting on one of the Caster's Youtube Channel to find the game(s) I wanted.

Now I can find them right away, it is a LOT faster, saves me a lot of time.

No disrespect intended to any casters, Starcraft2vids takes a lot of work from two very skilled people to make it run smoothly, and nether of them have the time to cast.  It takes a lot of work to organize data.

You can find the Invitational VOD's on Totalbiscuit's Youtube channel as well of course http://www.youtube.com/user/TotalBiscuit/featured and if you prefer that go ahead.

I still look at TB's channel on a regular basis, but if I am hunting for something specific then Starcraft2vids is my first stop.

GL HF,

Cliff

Stephano Replay Packs

 Edited 3/10/2012 latest Stephano replay pack, direct link, replay pack http://www.mediafire.com/?6p9vnsacje7dy19, or my blog post with link  http://cliffsesportcorner.blogspot.com/2012/03/stephano-replay-pack-march-5-2012.html
****
Finally got around to finding most of the Stephano replay Packs out there so far.

This should be in order from oldest to newest:
  1. http://www.mediafire.com/?citz8ekkuajc8nj
  2. http://www.mediafire.com/?i1qx98ffl136n79
  3. http://www.mediafire.com/?ihkyxfcggy75r1o
  4. the most recent that I already posted http://www.mediafire.com/?t72cziiga22oyo2
I have other replays click here to see them http://cliffsesportcorner.blogspot.com/search/label/replays for all of them, you can also click the labels at the bottom of each post to find similar content, or click on label cloud on the left side of the blog.

Please feel free to post comments or suggestions, or Tweet at me https://twitter.com/#!/CliffsEsport or @CliffsEsport

    Stephano Playlist Number 7

    Stephano's Playlist number 7  http://grooveshark.com/#!/playlist/Millstephano+s+Playlist+7/65376480

    <3 Stephano


    I have several playlists of Starcraft 2 Players here on my Blog, you can click on the "Playlist" Label at bottom left of the post to bring them all up, or click here (same link).


    I add more playlists as I find them, please feel free to tweet or post with information or requests for playlists.


    My Twitter is @CliffsEsport

    Nerd News: iHearteSports pro player stickers

    ihearteSports sponsers many events in SC2, below is list from their website:

    Current Partners & Sponsorships

    Here are just a few of the eSports events we, Grokium, have sponsored in the past



    They have collectible stickers out now, see link for their announcement.

    They started with compLexity, and I admit to being a Root/compLexity fanboy, you can order them here http://iheartesports.com/

    They also have WhiteRa and Violet stickers out so far, with more soon to come soon I am sure. 

    Check them out, the pictures are high quality, reminds me of baseball and other collectible cards, and they have been supporting Esports!

    CSN's The Rundown

    The Rundown, Thursdays at 7:30 pm EST

    Great Games, Rants, & Drama, or in other words Standard Starcraft 2

    Stream: http://www.twitch.tv/cybersportsnetwork

    This week's Rundown will feature several new faces and situations; including a 14 year old, a Greek, Destiny and the return of 4 time Champion, viOLet. The action starts at 7:00 PM EST with an interview with TheMista, a new player to the Rundown who hails from Greece and an interview with a 14 year old name xenocider.



    Full information at http://cyber-sports.net/event/the-rundown-7

    Nerd Gear: Keyboards that Switch between Devices

    http://www.techspot.com/news/47065-new-keyboards-toggle-between-your-computer-and-idevice.html

    I am not a big fan of Apple in general, but my girlfriend has iPad, and we are planning on getting her an iPhone this spring.

    I will probably be switching to Mac Mini Sever for my blogging machine and home office LAN, there are some things I really like about Thunderbolt, though I will be keeping gaming computer separate.

    I do use a Blackberry Playbook tablet though, and these keyboards should work fine with that as well.

    Nerd News: Thundertoss is now Offical Coach of Team Infinity Seven!

    Gratz Thundertoss!

    Good thing you don't need sleep ^_^

    Main source http://infinityseven.net/home/m/1831112/article/519366 reprinted at:

    Monday, January 16, 2012

    State of the Game leaving MLG

    SOTG and MLG are parting ways, full story here http://sotg-sc2.blogspot.com/2012/01/back-to-our-roots.html

    "When the show debut's next Thursday, January 19th, we will be going live at our new time, 7:00 p.m. EDT"

    I think he will be streaming SOTG at his twitch channel http://www.twitch.tv/itmejp but Tweeted him asking for conformation.  Lookes like the stream will be http://www.twitch.tv/stateofthegame

    JP will be posting VOD's of the show at http://www.youtube.com/user/itmeJP/featured

    I wish JP and the rest of the SOTG crew success on their new path.

    SEACL Xeria Gaming vs aLt

    Casters:  Benji & Zepph

    Stream  http://www.twitch.tv/benjisc2

    Twitter:


    More information http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=303117

    Looking at the Pros and Cons of TvP Mech play VOD's

    These are some older games, the VOD are bit over a year old, so this greatly predates Day9's comments on State of the Game # 59 about using Mech vs Protoss.

    There should be six VOD's total in this series, if they don't show up after the video finishes you can use this link or this link.

    Goody vs Haypro Epic TvZ

    An Epic game, cast by Duckvillelol, check out his Youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/DUCKVILLELOL

    Duckvillelol likes to cast long games, I suspect he is a secret Thorzain fan ^_^


    Sunday, January 15, 2012

    Go Watch Day9's Show, Special Episode #400

    http://www.twitch.tv/day9tv

    He is doing a special episode about clearing misconceptions!  Very Good!!

    <3 Day9

    Nerd News: It's Gosu looking for German & Russian to English translators

    Tweeted by It's Gosu:

    You are German or Russian and you can speak English fluently? You want to help It's Gosu translate interviews with progamers? Message us!

    Goswser vs Ostojiy

    Ostojiy vs Goswser, good game, I am a big fan of Goswser in part because he uses Nydus more than a lot of other Zergs.

    This game was from CyberSportsNetwork's event The Rundown.


    Starcraft 2 Skills: Learning and Intervals between Practice Sessions

    I have talked before about how important sleep and rest or recovery days are for improving skills.

    Here is a quote from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/memory-medic/201201/cram-or-not-cram-is-the-question:
    In most situations research has made it abundantly clear that spacing the learning over many shorter sessions is much more effective than trying to do it all in one big session. Surprisingly, longer intervals between learning sessions are more effective than shorter intervals.
    I plan to do a lot more posts on this topic, but the article linked above is good place to start if you not sure there is any Science or data to back up the idea that sometimes less can be more.

    That article is also good place to start to understand why I urge people to have a rotation of practice, watching replays/VOD, and non SC2 days like exercise & fun activities.  For more on my thoughts about that see http://cliffsesportcorner.blogspot.com/2011/11/starcraft-2-skills-planned-structured.html

    Some people have wondered how Stephano improved so much with "Only 3 hours" of practice.  This is part of the answer, I will cover other parts in future posts.

    To see more of my posts about this topic click http://cliffsesportcorner.blogspot.com/search/label/Starcraft%202%20Skills or any of the labels at the bottom of any post or the label cloud at left of blog.  The labels are a subject or Index list of topics.

    GL HF,

    Cliff

    Starcraft 2 Business: Starcraft 2 And Esports In The Business Insider

    http://www.businessinsider.com/will-esports-ever-become-as-popular-as-real-sports-2011-8

    In addition to the game itself, I am deeply interested in the business side of Starcraft 2, and Esports in general, I found this article interesting.

    Particularly this: "The challenge for esports is that the pool to make money off of it is way too shallow.  But there is hope."

    Not sure I agree with that, I think the problem is far more that of a brand new industry.  There isn't enough of a business history (not Gaming History) of success for businesses to look at and say "this is what we need to do" or "this is what could be improved."

    But that comment probably has some truth in it, one of the reasons businesses in general fail is that there is only so much business to go around in any particular field.

    I also liked some of the thoughts about differences and similarities between NFL teams and money vs Starcraft 2.

    Thundertoss updated the replay packs for Top 200 KOTH

    http://top200koth.blogspot.com/2012/01/sorry-for-lack-of-updates.html

    Lot of really good games in there, Thunder's Top 200 KOTH is primarily about top level play and improving skill at Startcraft 2, but there are plenty of games that are simply a joy to watch as well.

    Check them out.

    Nerd News: Obama and SOPA

    Offical White House Response https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petition-tool/response/combating-online-piracy-while-protecting-open-and-innovative-internet

    Ars story and comments http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2012/01/obama-administration-joins-the-ranks-of-sopa-skeptics.ars

    Short version is the White House is against SOPA, I encourage everyone to read the actual message.

    Saturday, January 14, 2012

    Nerd News: Magic: The Gathering stream

    http://www.twitch.tv/scglive

    Ah, I miss Magic, years ago the sister of one of my best friends worked at Wizards of the West Coast, it was nice to have a inside source ^_^

    Friday, January 13, 2012

    Fun: Cute Kitten Performance

    This has nothing to do with Starcraft 2, but is cute, so deal with it ^_^

    PSA: Backing up free email from Google, Yahoo, etc.

    A list of links with advice for this http://forums.cnet.com/7726-6638_102-3256597.html

    Please feel free to post other links or suggestions in comments.

    PSA: Email Security, Hacking, & Recovery

    A very well written story by journalist James Fallows, who is not a Computer Geek http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/11/hacked/8673/1/

    He details how his wife's gmail account was hacked, and what they went through to recover years of deleted emails from that account.

    Though not a Computer Nerd, James Fallows did have some advantages over most of the rest of us, he personally knew several people at Google, including "Eric Schmidt, the company’s longtime CEO and now executive chairman."

    Fallows tells his story very well, I think Computer Nerds/IT people can get a better understanding of non computer peoples thinking about IT security from this article.  Average people will have their eyes opened, and Fallows covers some of the basic things you can do to improve your security.

    So if your a total Noob for Computer security you can pick up some key pointers, and more importantly start thinking about the issue.

    I have been victim of identity theft twice now that I know of, once because computers from company that handled processing of student loan payments were stolen & once Credit Card number was hacked no idea how (can happen at grocery stores or gas pump now days).

    So I identified strongly with this story, I have also been working hard on improving my knowledge and skills for computer and ID security.

    Stay Safe,

    Cliff

    Edited to add:  resources for backing up Gmail or Yahoo email http://cliffsesportcorner.blogspot.com/2012/01/psa-backing-up-free-email-from-google.html

    Thunder's Top 200 King of the Hill

    Tonight's stream will be on http://www.twitch.tv/thundertoss

    When: 11:30 KST/03:30 CET/21:30 EST/18:30 PST

    Thundertoss' weekly Top 200 King of the Hill continues, showing the top players duking it out in a King of the Hill format.

    Top 200 Players (Grandmaster priority, top Masters permitted)
    $20 for each 5 wins.
    $10 for dethroning a 5+ win player.
    $10 for "Match of the Night"

    To play, join the chat channel "top200koth" on the NA server, and send a message to Thundertoss.

    Site: http://ascendtv.com  Ascend having ISP problems so goto http://www.twitch.tv/thundertoss

    Thread: Top 200 KOTH (with prize $$!)

    Nerd News: SOPA Protests Starting To Have An Impact

    http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2012/01/under-voter-pressure-members-of-congress-backpedal-on-sopa.ars

    US Congress is clearly starting to change their position, in response to the actions of everyone!

    Nerd Gear: From CES, Romo vs Lello :D

    This just looks like to much fun, I can see having Romo side events at LAN's, for more information or to buy go http://romotive.com/


    Romo vs Lello from Romotive on Vimeo.

    Wednesday, January 11, 2012

    KawaiiRice vs LiquidJinro

    I consider myself pretty hard core when it comes to Starcraft 2, I spend around 80 hours a week on it, but NanMan has a deeper knowledge about the players and teams than I ever will.

    I focus on strategy/gameplay, Players (but related to their gameplay), and Events. 

    NanMan is like a SC2 Wiki, he always includes information about the players in his cast, and more information on the players with links below the VOD, in the information section if viewed on Youtube or his channel, I can get it to show up with embed yet T_T so I cut and pasted some of those links below the embed VOD in this post.  So if you like NanMan's casting you can follow him on his youtube channel, link at top of post, or Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/TheRealNanMan



    Resources from NanMan:

    Be sure to check out KawaiiRice's Team website...
    http://www.lightesports.com/

    If you enjoy his play check out his stream...
    http://www.twitch.tv/KawaiiRice

    Jinro can be found on his team's website...
    http://www.teamliquidpro.com/
    For more info about Jinro specifically on his team's site...
    http://www.teamliquidpro.com/liquidjinro

    If you enjoy his play check out his stream...
    http://www.twitch.tv/LiquidJinro

    Apollo streaming Protoss lessons today

    Apollo is streaming some Protoss lessons today, I really liked the Zerg lessons that he has done, looking forward to his Toss lessons http://www.twitch.tv/dignitasapollo

    Totalbiscuit's Shoutcraft Invitational 4 "Colin Smith"

    VOD's are out on http://www.youtube.com/user/TotalBiscuit

    Edited to add time change for the 15th to 14:00 GMT

    Totalbiscuit's Invitationals are my favorite Starcraft 2 event, TB puts on a great show, and the Esport/SC2 fans massive, enthusiastic support of the event, funded completely by fans, shows that I am not the only one that thinks highly of it.

    Special Shoutout to Colin Smith, who has in Totalbiscuit's words "donated an outstanding amount of money to this series not once, but twice."



    When: January 14 2012 10:00 GMT & January 15 2012 12:00 GMT [Edited to add, I think TB changed start time for 15th to 14:00 GMT that is what it says on his Twitch channel now, unless typo or something]

    Streamhttp://www.twitch.tv/totalbiscuit

    [This is a 8 Person Invitational, but Totalbiscuit likes to annouce players a couple at a time, current announced invitees below]

    Players:
    • Thorzain
    • Grubby
    • Socke
    • DarKFoRcE
    • Liquid`Ret
    • ClouD 
    • Nightend
    • Stephano

    Full Informationhttp://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=301700

    Nerd News: SOPA Protest, "blacking out reddit on January 18th from 8am–8pm EST (1300–0100 UTC)"

    Reddit will be staging a Blackout in protest of SOPA on Jan 18, 2012 from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm EST
    full details at http://blog.reddit.com/2012/01/stopped-they-must-be-on-this-all.html

    Revival vs desRow Showmatch cast by Apollo

    Casthttp://www.twitch.tv/dignitasapollo

    Players view: http://twitch.tv/desrowfighting or http://twitch.tv/tslrevival

    Vods:  Apollo's youtube and desRow's First Person vods will be at http://youtube.com/desrowfighting

    Sponsorhttp://www.maxfrag.net/

    Full information: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=301711

    Nerd News: Theft Proof Credit/Debit Card!?!

    http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2012/01/the-credit-card-that-may-stop-or-at-least-hinder-on--and-offline-fraud.ars

    Yes!  I want one!!

    I had my Credit Card number stolen couple of months ago, my bank caught it right away but was still big PITA, since I don't use Credit much, I only have one Card. 

    So I couldn't order anything till I got my new card.  I also like the fact that this should work for debit cards, lot of people don't realize this but your pretty safe if your Credit Card gets stolen.

    Debit card though, and your SOL, you lose your money, and if your lucky you get some back.

    I had a co workers some years ago, that had her purse stolen, from her part time job.  They cleaned out her account.  Really sad, she got around half the money back IIRC.

    Nerd News: Facebook Hacker Cup 2012

    Little behind on news, but this should be of interest to a lot of Nerds.

    Source and full story: http://www.facebook.com/notes/facebook-engineering/announcing-facebooks-2012-hacker-cup/10150468260528920

    What: An annual algorithmic programming contest open to engineers from around the world.


    Where: Three online rounds with the finals at Facebook's headquarters in California.


    When: Registration opens January 4, 2012 with the three online rounds occurring throughout January 2012. World finals to follow.


    Finals: We'll pay to fly and accommodate the top 25 hackers from the third online round out to our campus.


    Prizes: Of course! $5,000 USD and title as world champion to the top hacker, $2,000 for second place, $1,000 for third, and $100 for fourth through 25th. Awesome t-shirts for the top 100 hackers coming out of the second online round.

    Starcraft 2 Skills: Endgame Zerg Stephano vs Polt

    I have been waiting and waiting for some Pros in SC2 to start actually playing for the endgame, by endgame I mean when resources are limited or completely gone.  End games require a lot better decision making, and severely punish mistakes.

    Since there are no resources left to rebuild if you mess up, like you can in the early or middle game as long as you don't over commit.

    This is one of the very few games that I have seen played with an End Game focus, and the race that has, what I believe, are the stronger end game units looses the game.  My comments below the VOD, ie spoiler alert.






    I am very impressed by this game, though I think Nydus and/or drop, would have made the game easier for Stephano.  Instead he uses creep for a mobility advantage over Bio/Tank army of Polk.

    Also note that by the time the last battle happens Stephano has 90 drones, so his army is actually pretty small.

    A lot of Zerg players in Stephano's situation vs turtleish Terran will tech switch to Broodlords, fact is Polt is expecting that since he starts making Vikings to counter Broodlords that never come.

    Broodlords are very strong, but they require a very specific support unit composition to be effective. So if you have a strong Ultralisk centered army your not going to be able to support Broodlords well.

    Broodlords are similar to a meching Terran, only slower!  Ideally if your going Broodlords vs Terran you need to have a strong defense vs Ghost, Vikings, and if facing a smart Terran Ravens as well (think multiple HSM).  That is what you need to be sure the Broodlords can stay alive long enough to do any damage.

    For more on Broodlords specific Unit comp see this post  http://cliffsesportcorner.blogspot.com/2012/01/starcraft-2-thoughts-broodlords-support.html

    I really think Terran has the strongest endgame units: Medivac, Orbitals (mules/scan), Ghost, & Raven, since they all have Mana.  Magic units in SC2 have a real edge in the late game IMO.  As long as you can keep them alive they can just trade Mana for enemy structures or units/workers.

    Zerg only have Queens, Infestors, and to a limited extent Overseers.  Overseers, only really useful to limited production in ZvP

    Starcraft 2 Thoughts: Broodlords Support units Part 1

    I have a very different perspective on Broodlords than most.  I think they should be played like a Meching Terran.  Slow pushing towards the enemy, with aggressive Creep spread, high Queen count, and expansions towards enemy.  Even Proxy Hatches like Stephanos, with spine, spore, and Queen support.

    I have mentioned this build to others before, but now that Stephano is using some similar concepts, I thought people might actually think about it, instead of dismissing it out of hand.

    Broodlords are very strong, but they require a very specific support unit composition to be effective. So if you have a strong Ultralisk centered army your not going to be able to support Broodlords well.


    Broodlords are similar to a meching Terran, only slower!  Ideally if your going Broodlords vs Terran you need to have a strong defense vs Ghost, Vikings, and if facing a smart Terran Ravens as well (think multiple HSM).  That is what you need to be sure the Broodlords can stay alive long enough to do any damage.
     
    Ghosts are the easiest to deal with, since the Broodlords can kill them all by themselves as long as they can see them.  So you need, from worst to Overseer (worst choice, cause of snipe), Infestor, or Spores (best choice, only costs minerals, hardest to kill, and also works vs other threats to Broodlords).


    Vikings can be countered from worst to best by Corrupters (horrible choice since Vikings counter them!), Infestors (Fungal/Infested Terran), Mutas, Hydras, Queens, or Spores.  Now if you want the best counter Mutas are the choice, but they take a lot of gas that you need for the Corrupters, and for morph to Broodlords, so considering the gas cost they are not a good choice economically speaking.

    Infestors are not cost effective vs Vikings, unless your massing Infestors, which you can't do if your going Broodlords.  Infestors can work, but a not vs a good player that knows how to deal with them.

    Same to lesser extent with the Hydras, so Spores are the best with DPS, HP, & Detection. Combined with Queens for Transfuses for Broodlords,  and for Creep Tumors for Creep pushing. 


    So with Spores that do 17.4 DPS vs Air, and detect Ghost at range of 11, vs Snipe range of 10, and your dealing with the two main threats at once.  Add some Spines, and the Queens can switch hit between Air attack or Ground attack as needed, not to mention healing 125 hp per Transfuse on the 225 hp Broodlords, or if really needed on a Spore or Spine.


    I like Overseers, but they work poorly vs Terran with Ghosts for detection, I think they should be used offensively to Contaminate critical production structures!  Mass Overseers in the late game should be very strong.

    Couple of other key points, is having at least one group of 6 Corrupters patrolling for Medivac drops, since 6 Corrupters will two shot medivacs. Get Air Armor upgrades first, and ground attack upgrades, both Missile and Melee.  Melee attack upgrades help Broodlings, and Missile attack helps Queens, and Hydras. 

    Also, having Nydus for additional defensive response would be key.  Not sure what best ground unit to make would be, I want to say Hydras, but in small numbers, and lots of Queens.  With this build you would always be on creep, and would use Nydus for fast ground unit movement.

    Strongest Terran response to this play style would be Ghost with Nuke, Mass Vikings (to delay, and also to counter attack by dropping into ground mode in Main or Expos), & Ravens for PDD.

    But you can counter the PDD, with more Spores, since they don't take supply or gas!!

    Tuesday, January 10, 2012

    Learning Starcraft 2: Apollo's Youtube lessons

    Apollo is one of my favorite casters, but after seeing some of his Zerg lessons I have to add him to the top of the list for coaching as well, I haven't seen his VOD's for other races yet.  But he is top notch for Zerg coaching, beyond a doubt.

    The VOD below is the most recent in his Zerg series, though I think it is worthwhile for everyone to start at the beginning, as some of the best instructors in the world say: "A Master is just someone who does the Basics very well."


    Nerd News: Cool Tablet For Bringing Computers To Developing Countries

    The XO 3.0 tablet from One Laptop Per Child looks really cool to me.

    Full story at http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2012/01/charging-by-crank-bicycle-waterwheel-hands-on-with-the-olpc-xo-30-tablet.ars the ars link has pictures and information.

    But in short, it is a robust Tablet designed to be charged by a Solar Cell Cover, or a separate hand crank.  Or other varied power sources, the Tablet can charge on "variable voltages between 10 and 25 volts," that is amazing to me.

    It can handling changing voltage and still charge, I assume that it has over voltage protection as well, so there are countless ways you could charge it.

    Personally I would like to see these types of devices sold on open market, in addition to the ones provided as Charity.

    I think selling them could be a fund raising source, it would also make it easier to make people aware of them, perhaps encouraging more people to support the Charity with contributions of time or money.

    If your interested in Charities like this in addition to http://one.laptop.org/ there is also http://www.hackersforcharity.org/ that I follow. 

    If your curious about how much One Laptop Per Child can acomplish look at this http://one.laptop.org/about/countries to see some of what they have already accomplished.

    Remember if you would like to support a Charity you don't have to have money, you can donate time.  You can help by answering calls, stuffing envelopes, providing expertise that a charity needs for free (ie donating skilled labor). Or even talk place you work at into providing food for Charity workers during a fund drive at cost or free.

    Please feel free to comment, especially if you have a favorite Charity or cause.

    GL HF,

    Cliff

    Monday, January 9, 2012

    Drewbie TriMaster and QXC streaming TvT practice

    Well drewbie and Trimaster are streaming, but all three playing.

    http://www.twitch.tv/coldrewbie/

    http://www.twitch.tv/colTriMaster

    Nerd News: SOPA thoughts BitTorrent vs Netflix

    As my regular readers know I am a big fan of ars, and perhaps even bigger fan of the comments section of ars, they cover a lot of Nerd News, and I have learned a lot from reading them.

    Today I read an ars article that covers an arguement I have heard before, that a lot of Pirating is because it is hard to buy legit products, I think that vastly oversimplifies the issue.  But there is some truth to the argument.

    I know from book industry that Baen publishing, one of the first if not the first Book Publisher of any size to do Ebooks has been very successful with their plan.

    Baen has never used DRM, heck in certain Hardcover books every year they include a CD with a whole bunch of free Ebooks.  They even offer a free Ebook library http://www.baen.com/library/
     
    I found the ars article worth reading, they actually provided some numbers on Netflix vs BitTorrent and others http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2012/01/forget-sopa-copyright-owners-must-build-a-better-bittorrent.ars

    And as always the comment section was worth reading  http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2012/01/forget-sopa-copyright-owners-must-build-a-better-bittorrent.ars?comments=1#comments-bar

    TLO Streaming like a Boss!

    TLO's creep spread is something else, LMAO

    http://www.twitch.tv/liquidtlo

    Some Korean to English words from SC2trans

    SC2 K-E Translations from http://sc2trans.tumblr.com/helpfullist you should follow them on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/SC2trans

    below from SC2trans, with permission, <333:

    What Does That Mean?

    * Hyung (형) - older brother. This is what guys call guys who are older than they are.
    * Nuna (누나) - older sister. This is what guys call women who are older than they are.
    * Dongsaeng (동생) - little brother/little sister. Sometimes older people will refer to younger people like this, but not always.
    * keke (ㅋㅋ) - this is a laughing sound, kind of like hehe or lol. Another variation is ㅎㅎ, like haha or lol.
    * name-ie (ㅇㅇㅇ이) - just a cuter way of saying someone’s name, like Junghoon would become Junghoonie, or Jaedeok hyung would become Jaedokkie hyung.
    * name-ah (ㅇㅇㅇ아) - similar to the above, this is how friends call each other, or older people call younger people. In a way it’s kind of like “Hey, (name).” - Minchul-ah is kind of like “Hey, Minchul”. Younger people wouldn’t say this to older people.
    * title-nim (ㅇㅇㅇ님) - adding “nim” onto the end of a title, like Yohwan hyung-nim, makes it more respectful.
    * Fighting (화이팅) - Koreans often use the term “Fighting” to mean like “good luck” or “you/we can do it!”

    Apollo streaming and commentating

    On of my favorite casters, and one of the best coaches IMO, d.Apollo http://www.twitch.tv/dignitasapollo

    Saturday, January 7, 2012

    Playhem Showmatch: TLO vs WhiteRa Bo11

    TLO vs WhiteRa Showmatch Bo11


    When: Monday January 9th


    Time: 12:00pm PST/3:00pm EST/8:00pm BST/ 9:00pm CET

    Casters: English: Frodan and Robin
    German: Special Endrey
    Polish: EmSc
    French: Growiel
    Russian: Hireling

    Streams: English: PlayhemTV
    German: Special Endrey
    Polish: EmSc
    French: Growiel
    Russian: Hireling


    More info: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=301139

    Prizes: 1st - $100 2nd - $50

    Format: Best of 11 Showmatch (first to 6 wins takes it home). Game 1 will be on Shattered Temple, loser picks the next map.