Call of Duty Elite Adds Social Layer to Hit Gaming Series [PICS]

 

Video game company Activision has finally revealed Elite, a new social layer for its wildly popular Call of Duty games. Elite was designed to unite the massive community of Call of Duty players as well as provide tools to help gamers of all levels improve their skills.

Cross-platform services are becoming more popular as video game designers realize their community isn’t console-specific. Web players want to test their mettle against console players and vice versa. Elite goes beyond the game to include social networks like Facebook. Users can link up their Facebook accounts to Elite to pull in Likes and automatically find friends who are also using the service.

Elite also introduces groups and clans, which will play a much larger role in Modern Warfare 3, the next Call of Duty game. Groups are largely open and can be based on anything. Like eating lobster? You can join or create a “Lobster” group. Like playing with machine guns? There’s a group for that. Same with “Yankees” or “Los Angeles.” Groups operate similar to fan pages on Facebook. Users can track and compare themselves to these mini-communities of players. Users can join a total of 64 groups.
Clans are more limited. Users can only belong to one clan and there is a cap on how many players can be in a clan. The Call of Duty folks were tight-lipped about how clans will play into the next iteration but promised they would be key.
We recently sat down with the game’s designers for a demo of Elite. The room, a penthouse hotel room in Manhattan, featured rows of huge black computers with the Elite skull logo. There, they talked about their goals and plans for Elite.
The service is available on web browsers, consoles and mobile apps and will work with all future Call of Duty games, including Black Ops, the most recent game in the series. Elite features four main sections: Career, Connect, Compete and Improve.
The service will launch in full along with Modern Warfare 3 in November, but a beta is already open for use with Black Ops. Elite is largely free, though a premium membership is needed to get full functionality. That membership also includes all downloadable content released in the future, but it still might be a little pricey for the casual user.

 

Source: Mashable

Top 10 Goal of the season 2010/11

Top 10 Goal of the season 2010/11

10 - Raul Meireles

 Raul Meireles has been Liverpool's best player this season but it was his brace, and in particular, his second goal at Molineux that will stick in the memory. A long ball was played up from left-back and knocked down to the Portuguese midfielder. In an audacious attempt, the 28-year-old let fly with from 30 yards with a dipping shot which looped over the powerless Wayne Hennessey in the Wolves goal.  

9 - Carlos Tevez

 Carlos Tevez makes it into this list with the only free-kick. His wonder strike this week in the replay of the FA Cup final against Stoke was simply sensational. The combination of power (60mph) and more than 8ft of bend was unrivalled this season. 

8 - Cheik Tiote

 Number eight in this list is here as much for the clean strike as it was for what it signified - a Newcastle comeback against Arsenal from 4-0, back to 4-4. Cheik Tiote's dipping left-foot volley was the last of the four and fittingly completed the turnaround. 

7 - Dimitar Berbatov

 Dimitar Berbatov was prolific in front of goal before Christmas, and in no game was this epitomized better than against Liverpool at Old Trafford. The Bulgarian scored a hat-trick in the 3-2 win, but his second was the pick of the bunch. With his back to goal the United striker controled a Nani cross with his knee before acrobatically overhead kicking it off the bar and into the net.

6 - Gareth Bale

 PFA Player of the Year Gareth Bale scored some wonderful goals both in Europe and domestically. His effort back in September at Stoke was arguably the best of them all. After a typically mazy run Aaron Lennon stood a ball up at the far post for the Welsh international who emphatically caught a high volley, which swerved into the far top corner.

 5 - Javier Hernndez

 Javier Hernandez has been a revelation this season. The Mexican scored countless important and late goals for Manchester United, which eventually helped them secure their 19th league title. With the only header is this list Chicarito inventively managed to direct the ball into the Stoke net with the ball behind him.

4 - Samir Nasri

 Samir Nasri is renowned for his clever footwork and the Frenchman demonstrated this with a superb brace against Fulham at the Emirates. Both goals could have featured in this list, but it is his second we have picked out as the superior effort. The 23-year-old skipped past three defenders, before rounding the on-rushing Mark Schwarzer. With his angle narrowing Nasri swiveled nearly full circle and scored from an improbable angle.

 3 - Luke Varney

 Luke Varney scored an absolute screamer in the third minute of Blackpool's match against Wolves. The striker found himself out wide on the left, chested the ball down and let fly with a thunderbolt into the far top corner. Wolves keeper Marcus Hahnemann could only watch the ball dip over him and under the bar.

2 - Johan Elmander

 Bolton's Johan Elmander showed his class with his neat close control at Molineux. The burly Swedish forward twisted and turned in the box mesmerising the Wolves defence before opening up his body and passing the ball off the inside of the far post.

1 - Wayne Rooney

 There could only be one Goal of the Season and there are no surprises as to which it is. Wayne Rooney's overhead kick against rivals Manchester City was by far the most athletic and pure strike of all the 1031 goals this season. At this point the England forward was supposedly out of form and hapless in front of goal. With the match all square at 1-1, Nani's deflected cross from the right looped into the City box and Rooney, with his back to goal, leapt into the air and scored a goal that Pele in Escape To Victory would have been proud of. Simply superb.

Source: MSN

Gaga struggles with exhaustion

Gaga struggles with exhaustion

Lady Gaga is constantly struggling to overcome a "fog" of exhaustion which "hovers over" her during her gruelling touring schedule.

The Poker Face hitmaker has been touring non-stop over the last 18 months with her Monster Ball shows and in early 2010, she sparked fears for her health by cancelling a number of concerts due to fatigue.

Gaga admits her constant tiredness is a serious concern, but she is determined to continue her punishing work routine for the sake of her fans.

In an interview with Sir Elton John for V magazine, she says, "At a certain point exhaustion becomes a state of being, and mentally I have to be strong and overcome it. It's like a cloud, a fog really that hovers over me. But in a way I will never ever escape it. Art is my whole life.

"The monsters (fans) are my medicine. They heal me, physically and emotionally, every night at the show. I feel God through their love. I worship little monsters. They're my religion."

Source: MSN

Justin Bieber shocks his fans cut off his hair

 Justin Bieber shave off his signature shag? The singer stopped by “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for a trim, and ended up … bald? “Yeah it’s great, [the girls] will just focus on my beautiful silky smooth lyrics,” Justin joked after his new look had been revealed. Calm down Beliebers. Turns out the close shave was all a stunt — JBiebs beautiful hair is still fully intact!
Source : Yahoo 

Justin Bieber was spotted strolling hand in hand with his maybe-girlfriend Selena Gomez in Santa Monica, California. Though Gomez attended Biebs’ premiere on Tuesday evening, the two kept their distance on the red carpet. When asked why by E! Online, Justin replied that he was riding solo because he “wanted [tonight] to be about me and my movie.”
Source : Yahoo 

10 Facts About Justin Bieber

Even though he's a mere 16 years old, Justin Bieber has accomplished a startling amount in his young life. He has conquered the record charts, become an unparalleled Internet sensation, and claimed the hearts of seemingly every pre-teen girl on the planet. This weekend, the pop wunderkind and his perfectly coiffed hair seems set on conquering the box office as well with his 3-D concert movie “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never.” To mark the occasion of his possible total world domination, we’ve put together some facts you might not know about the Bieb.

-- Bieber was born on March 1, 1994. He shares a birthday with composer Ke$ha, Roger Daltry, Frederic Chopin, Harry Belafonte, and Lorenzo de’Medici.

-- In 2007, Justin Bieber entered a talent show in his hometown of Stratford, Ontario, and came in second. When his mom posted his performance on YouTube, he got the attention of producer Scooter Braun. Soon fame and fortune followed. No word on what happened to the guy who actually won the talent show.


-- Justin Bieber's music video "Baby" is the most viewed video on YouTube, clocking in, as of this writing, at 457, 701,649 views. That’s more than the population of the United States and Russia combined. At 914,000, it’s also the most "disliked" video on YouTube.

-- Justin Bieber’s net worth is about $65.5 million (and that’s bound go to up in the coming months). With that much money, he could buy approximately seven Faberge eggs, six 24-karat solid gold toilets, or a 29-year stay in the most expensive room at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.

-- Justin’s signature hair style, which has been called The Swoop, The Shag, The Fringe, or simply, The Bieber, has inspired a generation of teenaged boys to obscure their eyes with their bangs. Vanessa Price, the stylist who invented his signature ‘do, claims that the teenaged pop star’s hair is “like silk.”

-- Justin Bieber reportedly uses up to 3% of Twitter’s traffic at any given moment. According to Klout.com, which measures these sorts of things, the Biebster has greater online influence than President Obama and the Dalai Lama.

-- The Biebster has hobnobbed with President Obama three times in the past year and a half. He sang his mega-hit "Christmas in Washington" special, and was invited to the White House Correspondents Dinner along with his date Kim Kardashian.

-- Justin Bieber sells his own brand of nail polish for Nicole by OPI. The line, called the "One Less Lonely Girl" collection, was inspired by hits by the pop idol. Shades include Prized Possession Purple, Me + Blue, and Step 2 Beat of My Heart (which features heart-shaped glitter).

-- Bieber is reportedly terrified of elevators.

-- Justin Bieber currently stands at 5’ 3” tall. You would need 240,252 Justin Biebers stacked on top of each other to reach the moon. But it only takes one to reach the stars.

Justin Bieber also shaves. Really. In the video below, exclusive to Yahoo!, he talks about shaving, losing that talent show, and his upcoming concert movie.

Source : Yahoo

Shahid Kapoor's Rare Pic

 Shahid kapoor rare pictures when he was child.

America's Most Miserable Cities 2011

 America's Most Miserable Cities 2011

Arnold Schwarzenegger was sworn in as the governor of California at the end of 2003 amid a wave of optimism that his independent thinking and fresh ideas would revive a state stumbling after the recall of Gov. Gray Davis.
The good vibes are a distant memory: The Governator exited office last month with the state facing a crippling checklist of problems including massive budget deficits, high unemployment, plunging home prices, rampant crime and sky-high taxes. Schwarzenegger's approval ratings hit 22% last year, a record low for any sitting California governor.
California's troubles helped it land eight of the 20 spots on our annual list of America's Most Miserable Cities, with Stockton ranking first for the second time in three years.

 No. 5: Sacramento, Calif.
No state taxes $50,000 of income like California, with a rate of 9.55% for that middle-class tax bracket. Sacramento is a one-team sports town, and that team has been awful in recent years. The NBA's Kings have won just 26% of their games the past two-plus seasons.

 No. 4: Modesto, Calif.
The median home was valued at $275,000 in 2006; today it is $95,000. And don't leave your car on the street in Modesto, where 3,712 vehicles were stolen in 2009, making for the second-highest auto theft rate in the country. It ranked first in four of the previous five years.

 No. 3: Merced, Calif.
The economic downturn and busted housing market hit Merced harder than any other area in the country. Average unemployment of 16.2% since 2008 is the highest in the U.S., as is the city's 64% drop in median home prices

 No. 2: Miami, Fla.
The sun and lack of a state income tax are the only things keeping Miami out of the top spot. Foreclosures hit one in 14 homes last year. Corruption is also off the charts, with 404 government officials convicted of crimes this decade in South Florida.

No. 1: Stockton, Calif.
Unemployment has averaged 14.3% the past three years, which is third worst in the country among the 200 largest metro areas. The housing market collapsed as well, with home prices down 58% over the same time. All the California cities on the list are struggling with the inherent problems the state is facing, including high sales and income taxes and service cuts to help close massive budget shortfalls.

Source : Yahoo 

Rihanna Welcoming Katy Perry To The Illuminati

“Illuminati want my mind, soul and body Secret society, tryin’ to keep they eye on me” – Illuminati Prodigy
“Make me King, as we move forward to a new world order” – Lose Yourself Eminem
All of these conspiracy theories really started with Robert Johnson, a blues musician back in the 30s who believed to have sold his soul to the Devil in order to become a famous star. Since then some people started believeing that there was some kind of evil deity involved in the music industry.

This commercial intended for German television has it all: checkerboard patterns everywhere, transhumanism, deshumanization, mind control, alter-personalities, Marilyn Monroe (the original Monarch sex kitten), the colors white, black and red, etc.
“We love to entertain you”. In other words, this is the kind the stuff that is supposed to entertain you.







MTV.com published an article about the ad and here’s an excerpt:

“Katy Perry comes to life, channeling a futuristic Marilyn Monroe in a red dress that mimics the iconic white one in “The Seven Year Itch.” The singer then transforms into a 1960s housewife with a polka-dot geometric dress. But with a blink of an eye, that look is gone in favor of a superhero-gone-sex-kitten look. Riding a flaring rocket that floats before a building window, Perry shoots into the city lights before doing her spokesperson drop: “We love to entertain you.”

Miss America Then and Now

A Brief History of "Miss America" from the distant 1921.

1. The first contest of "Miss America" was held in 1921 in part in activities to attract tourists to Atlantic City. Nine states were cities, not states. Winner was 16-year-old Margaret Gorman (second from left) from Washington.

Horma Smallwood won the competition in 1926. She became the first indigenous American to win the title of "Miss America" (she was from the Cherokee Indian tribe). For a year in office, "Miss America, she earned more than 100 thousand dollars through advertising and participating in various activities. Then it was more than the wages paid to the U.S. president.

Contest 1937 in sombreros, who handed over the Miss Puerto Rico.

Miss Michigan Patricia Donnelly became the first representative of a separate state, which has won the title. In this photo it with the trophy after winning the competition in 1939. This year has also been selected the first "Miss Congeniality".

Myerson became the first Jew to win the "Miss America" in 1945. In the 40th years of the competition to provide fellowships to help the organization become one of the leading sources of scholarships for women.

Two participants help each other with the swimwear contest in 1955, the year after the first contest, televised

1950 contestants pose for the magazine «Life Magazine» in white evening gowns in honor of 30 anniversary of the competition in 1956. Although the first competition was held in 1921 during the Great Depression of the contests have been conducted.

Participants in the competition in 1958 are preparing to go on stage.

Bert Parks communicates with a contestant during a demonstration of talent in 1955. Parks led the competition "Miss America" from 1955 to 1979.

Participating in bathing suits before the contest.

Future film star

Yul Brynner kisses the hand of Miss America 1984 Vanessa Williams. And, yes, it's Eddie Murphy in the center.

Participants in the contest of 1997, when for the first time were allowed separate bathing suits.

Leading the competition Tom Bergeron & Miss America 2004 Erika Dunlap.

In 2010, the "Miss America" was named Miss Virginia Karessu Cameron. In 2006, the competition is carried out in «Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino» Las Vegas, Nevada.

Pay by app at Starbucks

Starbucks customers can now use an app to pay for their coffee at thousands of locations nationwide. With a smartphone, an app and a Starbucks card, users can get a barcode they can use to pay. An Android app reportedly is in the works

NASA Photos from Outer Space

 A new book of photographs of one of the astronauts, who runs his blog directly from space. At this time the shots were made before 25 November 2010, just before returning to earth.