‘XCOM’ Reboot Will Thrill Die-Hard Fans and Noobs


If you're a fan of high-level strategy games and want to kick alien butt Will Smith-style, you'll be excited to play XCOM: Enemy Unknown. The game, out in two weeks for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, is a reboot of X-COM: UFO Defense, a 1994 strategy classic gamers still reminisce about. The new game, like the original, is made by Firaxis, and will be published by 2K Games.

Aliens have invaded Earth, and a shadowy council has organized the world's major powers into XCOM (Extraterrestrial Combat Unit) to fight the global siege. If you fail, the planet is toast, so you'd better put your strategizing hat on.

Mashable spent some quality time with Enemy Unknown on the Xbox 360, and it…
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More About: 2k games, Gaming, features, review, xcom enemy unknown


from Mashable! http://mashable.com/2012/09/25/xcom-enemy-unknown/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_...

20 TV Shows With the Most Social Media Buzz This Week


Last week, The X Factor topped the chart as the most watched weekly broadcast, and even the 64th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards couldn't dethrone its popularity this week.

But the award show did come in second place, managing to aggregate almost 1.6 million social interactions — across Twitter, Facebook, GetGlue and Viggle — an increase of approximately 459,000 from last year. Women comprised 61% of social activity, and men swooped up the remaining 39%.

SEE ALSO: Parker Posey Teaches You How to Accept an Emmy [VIDEO]

Even with plenty of chatter about Amy Poehler's $2 accessory and Sofia Vergara's zipper popping, the most social moment happened when Tracy Morgan faked fainting on s…
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More About: Entertainment, TV, Trendrr, infographics, social tv, social tv charts

from Mashable! http://mashable.com/2012/09/25/social-media-tv-chart-9-25/?utm_source=feedbur...

Social TV Data for the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards [Infographic]

Last night’s Emmy Awards garnered 1.0 million social media comments – a 148% year-over-year growth from the 2011 awards, but not enough to break into the list of top social TV events.

The biggest spike in social TV conversation occurred during Tracy Morgan’s stunt. During the ceremony, host Jimmy Kimmel had Tracy lie down onstage and then asked audience members to Tweet and post to Facebook ”OMG Tracy Morgan just passed out onstage at the #Emmys. Turn on ABC now.” In the 2 minutes after, there were 27,864 comments posted!

Omg Tracey Morgan just passed out on stage at the Emmy’s! Look on abc now!! #Jimmytoldmeto #emmys2012

— Sarah Sherman (@SSherman108) September 24, 2012

I would love to see if the Emmy’s got a ratings bump cause of that Jimmy Kimmel/ Tracey Morgan stunt.

— Charlamagne Tha God (@cthagod) September 24, 2012

 

Here’s our social TV infographic for the 64th Primetime Emmys:

 

from BostInno http://bostinno.com/channels/social-tv-data-for-the-64th-primetime-emmy-award...

If Social Sharing Determined Emmy Winners [INFOGRAPHIC]


Sunday night's Emmy results disappointed Breaking Bad and Mad Men fans everywhere. But how would the shows fare if social media determined television's biggest winners instead?

The infographic, created by social advertising company RadiumOne, details the number of social shares about popular Emmy shows, including award recipients Modern Family and Homeland.

Among the victors of "Outstanding Shares": Game of Thrones for the Drama series category, Girls for Comedy Series and The Voice for Reality Series.

SEE ALSO: 10 Emmy-Nominated Shows You Can Watch Online

Old standby The Simpsons gets the distinction of being the nominated show with most Facebook likes, clocking in at 54.8 milli…
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More About: Emmys, Emmys 2012, emmy awards 2012


from Mashable! http://mashable.com/2012/09/25/social-sharing-emmy/?utm_source=feedburner&utm...

Twitter CEO reveals plans for interactive tweets, content curation, reinforces belief in syndication

Twitter CEO reveals plans for interactive tweets, content curation, reinforces belief in syndication

Twitter has ruffled a few feathers recently, so when CEO Dick Costolo took the stage at the Online News Association conference in San Francisco, he took the opportunity to put some minds at rest. First he dismissed the idea that the service would become a media company by forcing users to the site or official app for content, before reasserting his belief in syndication. Costolo then went on to imply that the reason behind the tighter (and unpopular) API controls was ensuring quality -- stating that Twitter would reach its full potential now there's more control over how tweets are delivered. With boots strapped, we can look forward to some new features, such as the option to curate messages that are published (such as during live events) plus tweets with interactive features like polls during live sports games. The famous 140 character limit is to remain, but will also serve as a "caption for additional functionality." Perhaps of most interest to disenfranchised developers, however, was the mention of application functionality in tweets, where short messages could contain small interactive apps. Something for devs to get potentially get back on board with? We hope so. But until further details unfold, we're still left considering our options.

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from Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/22/twitter-ceo-reveals-plans-for-interactive-...

Twitter CEO wish list — curation tools, tweet downloads, Tom Brady?

Perhaps reacting to the growing tension in its relationship with journalists, Twitter will offer free tweet curation tools that newsrooms will be able to use to better depict the flavor or “the roar of the crowd” at live events, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo said at the Online News Association conference on Friday.

According to the Poynter.org blog, Costolo said:

We have known for a long time that when events happen in the real world, the shared experience is on Twitter and we want to create an ability to curate events.

In theory this tool could be used to add more context and allow the aggregated tweets to paint a better picture of what’s really going on, focusing on the narrative rather than the noise. Think Storify or Tweetmeme only without leaving Twitter itself. (The ONA conversation is here.)

Twitter and journalists: a love-hate affair

Costolo also promised that people will be able to download their full tweet stream by year’s end, a claim that took blogging pioneer Dave Winer by surprise since Twitter has started to exercise more control over the content that runs on its service. Winer wrote:

I was amazed by this. And I don’t believe it will ever happen, or if it does it will be in GIF format or PDF, some format that makes it virtually impossible to move the data somewhere else. It would be completely inconsistent for Twitter to offer freedom to its users when it’s paying such a high price in goodwill to take away that freedom.

As Winer’s words make clear, the relationship between journalists (and other users) that rely on Twitter and Twitter itself is getting complicated.  Some of Twitter’s actions raise questions about who owns the tweetstream, the people who create and post it or Twitter itself. And, the company ‘s new API, which initially affects third-party developers could end up impacting newspapers and blogs that use it to build Twitter-based features or services. As GigaOM’s Mathew Ingram put it:

[Twitter] moves to lock down its network and control more of the content have raised some hackles in the journalism community, however, even as Twitter expands on its partnerships with select media entities such as NBC and MTV — and those stress points are only going to increase as the company’s ambitions and desire for revenue continue to grow.

Twitter wants Brady

Twitter has also been a huge platform for celebrities or would-be celebrities to build their brand and connect with fans. (As an example, Lady Gaga has more than 29 million followers.

On a lighter note at the conference, Costolo was asked what celebrity he would most like to see on Twitter. He didn’t hesitate: It’s Tom Brady. It turns out that the New England Patriots quarterback and Costolo are both University of Michigan alums. (For what it’s worth, Brady’s supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen has been tweeting for some time.)

Tom Brady photo courtey of Keith Allison

from GigaOM http://gigaom.com/2012/09/22/twitter-ceo-wish-list-curation-tools-tweet-downl...

Top 10 Brands With Highest Social Media Engagement This Week [INFOGRAPHIC]


Samsung topped this week's chart for brands with the highest social media engagement.

The Korean electronics maker continues to dominate the social landscape, thanks to its recent product launches of the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note 10.1, according to Starcount. The data aggregator, which tracks metrics from 11 networks to measure social popularity, compiled a top 10 list for this week.

Samsung's new video for its Galaxy Note tablet garnered 2.5 million hits in a little more than seven days, helping push the company's total YouTube views to nearly 8 million this week.

In other findings, ecommerce retailer Amazon's activity surged on Facebook this month, while Red Bull broke 30 mil…
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More About: Social Media, Starcount, brands

from Mashable! http://mashable.com/2012/09/22/top-10-brands-social-media/?utm_source=feedbur...

Translating Trends – Fall Menswear 2012

Curious about this season’s trends?

Here’s a rundown of the 9 most popular themes in menswear this fall and sage advice on how to incorporate them into your look. Perhaps more importantly pointers for how not to be the painfully trendy guy whose clothing screams “I’m trying too hard”.

When interpreting trends into reality it’s a good idea to remember that looks coming down the runway are styled deliberately to have the focus be on the clothes, the model is the backdrop. In real life, you’re the focus, not the backdrop for your clothes.

Leather – Call it Matrix nostalgia. Black leather with a fighting feel, prominently inserted as panels into wool coats or at times worn head to toe, was part of more collections than not.

Do: A classic motorcycle cut leather jacket, sans mega heavy metal hardware and in a low shine or distressed finish will look masculine, and remain of the moment, long after the all leather trend has passed.

Don’t: Go for a full length leather flasher trench coat. Sure, you may attract attention, but it’s mostly gonna be from security.

Tweed – Perhaps no other fabric has a more autumnal feel than tweed, this rough surfaced wool is a chilly weather staple perfect for transitioning from summer to fall.

Do: Put a tweed vest or sport coat over an oxford button down and knit tie and pair with a great fitting jeans.

Don’t: When incorporating a texture like tweed, best to combine it with contrasting fabrics like denim, thin wale cord, or smooth wool rather than another tweed.

Turtlenecks – If designer collections are any indication, the fashion forces that be seemly want the turtleneck to become the new dress shirt. Placed underneath vests, blazers, tuxes, and jackets, designers left no neck exposed. But be forewarned this is a garment that should be worn with care.

Do: Wear a rugged cable knit turtleneck underneath a structured jacket to strike a balance between soft and hard.

Don’t: Wear a thin body clinging turtleneck by itself or worse don it with a chain.

Murses – The man bag was once a controversial little item, now it seems no look is complete without one. Designers showed carry-alls in every color and shape so even the die-hard Jansport carrier can find something he likes.

Do: Try something other than black, especially if you wear a lot of neutrals. Whether it’s olive, crimson, or eggplant. A bag is one of the safest ways to add color and edge to your style.

Don’t: Purchase something you’re not 100% confident carrying.

Saturated Colors & Unique Textures – The runways were filled with in your face colors like, mustard, electric blue, and dark burgundy and also a fair amount of brocade, embossed, and embellished fabrics.

Do: If you’re starting out with bright colors or ‘blingy’ fabrics, incorporate them into your accessories like a belt, socks, and shoe laces.

Don’t: Choose a bright shade purely because it’s your favorite without regard to how it will look with your skin tone and coloring. Bright red looks hot on a Maserati, not so much on a pale white guy. Also, pants are an easier way to wear a bolder color or fabric because it won’t be fighting with your face for attention.

Statement Shoes - All of the trends we’ve been seeing in clothes the past few seasons like mixed materials, metallic finishes, prints and bold colors, have finally made it below the ankle.

Do: Break out of your black and brown rut by adding a differently hued or even pattern shoe to a plain white button and jean look.

Don’t: Have a ton of other colors and stuff going on and then add crazy shoes into the mix.

Bold Prints: Stripped of stripes, painterly prints (think Monet using an overcoat for his canvas), literal animal prints like owls and flocks of birds, abstract art and cartoon sketches ruled the runways.

Do: Wear underneath a simple sweater or sport coat for some added visual interest and uniqueness.

Don’t: Let the print overtake you by showing it off in it’s entirety. You should be the focus, not the print.

Double Breasted Jackets – After being abused and abandoned by the oversized 80′s a new trim tailored double breasted jacket is back.

Do: The double breasted cut widens a man’s silhouette, so wear it if you have a lean or slender frame.

Don’t: Pull out 30 year old suits from storage and think they’re finally back in. The wide lapels, giant shoulder pads and wide armholes instantly show that it expired decades ago.

Velvet: Traditionally worn for holiday parties, designers tried showing velvet isn’t a one trick pony by incorporating it into everything from casual pants to sneakers.

Do: Pick one item to go velvet, like a trim blazer, well cut pant, or shoes.

Don’t: Go fuzzy head to toe Velveteen rabbit style.

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from Emmi's World http://amansworldco.com/wordpress/translating-trends-fall-menswear-2012

Fall TV Goes Social: 6 CW Shows to Watch


The fall 2012 television slate comes with improved digital strategies from all TV networks. This week, we've already looked at the online arsenals from NBC and Fox. Today, let's check in on the CW, which has amped up its offering on social, second screen and streaming to appease its young, digitally savvy audience.

Here are six trailers for new and returning CW shows; below the gallery check out CW's digital onslaught.

CW Looks to Tap Into Pinterest and GetGlue Audiences
How serious is the CW about social? Very. They even orchestrated a "social media boot camp" this summer to educate show producers about the network's strategy.

"This year, we see Pinterest and GetGlue as…
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More About: Entertainment, Fall TV Goes Social, TV, cw

from Mashable! http://mashable.com/2012/09/21/fall-tv-goes-social-cw-shows/?utm_source=feedb...