BY BEN POTTER

At some point during your grade school years you may recall a simple game that happily consumed your time during English classes. The teacher would begin by writing a sentence on the chalkboard and then pointing to a student at random. This student, perhaps it was you, would then recover from the shock of being called upon in class and come up with the next portion of the sentence to compliment the preceding teaser of “One day, I stumbled upon a green giraffe…”
Liners, a free new app developed by ZOOTOWN INTERACTIVE has hit the app store; hoping to return us all to our childhood, one poorly structured non-sequitur at a time.
The app is currently only available for iOS devices via the iTunes app store but ZOOTOWN INTERACTIVE plans to develop the app for Android devices in the near future. The app is very simple to use and provides immediate enjoyment to its users.
Once you have downloaded and installed the app, you are ready to either start playing, or to start reading. I began by reading a few stories other users had concocted. One story began like so: “It appears to me that you can only extinguish fires with h2o…”, then a friend chimed in with “…but the jury is still out. In fact my grandpa’s Asian friend…”, “…has a problem with coconut flavored undergarments.”
Now I know by this point you’re already digging out your iPhones and iPads to download and play this amazing game - however, if you’re not quite sure, read on and let me attempt to persuade you with some fantastic reasons to install this app and give it a whirl.

Reason 1: It’s FREE
How can you put a price tag on all the enjoyment you will derive from this game? Thankfully, you won’t have to! Versus putting a price tag on this app, ZOOTOWN INTERACTIVE has instead opted to release the app for free. The only problem with this is the banner ads that run along the bottom of the app, but hey, they have to make money somehow.

Reason 2: Do you need a reason 2?
This app has a lot of amusement to offer, as well as many enjoyable moments with friends. At a price tag of $0.00 dollars, it’s hard to resist the urge to give it a shot. I hope you can derive as much enjoyment as I did with this app, and I close with this: “…the giraffe was wearing a purple…”

Ben Potter occasionally returns from Azeroth long enough to be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

by MIKE LAKE

Google released another ultra portable device this past October. I felt it worthy of a write-up since we live in a college town and said town is full to the brim of tech savvy, 20-somethings without any money. The new Chromebook is a laptop. But this laptop functions more like a tablet.
Since it runs on Google OS – which is essentially a web browser on steroids – the normal overhead of a traditional operating system (OS) is gone. So power-up-times are dramatically reduced. Like, sub 20 seconds, which is similar to a tablet, in that you push a button, and ‘presto’, you have a computer ready to deliver.
Here’s the kicker though, the Google Chromebook starts at $199. For you starving college kids, and even you “expendable cash” teenagers, this is a steal. By comparison, an iPad 2 runs from $399 to $549. Similarly, an Apple Macbook Air laptop can cost well over a $1000. If you’re paying attention here, you could be on to a fantastic holiday gift idea.
But it’s a gift that can keep on giving. It’s perfect for school. Repeat – a little louder for those parents out there – it’s perfect for school. It’s near weightless at 3 pounds. It’s about the dimensions of a sheet of paper, perfect for a backpack.
And it’s less than an inch thick. It’s nearly trouble free - gone are the days of worrying about virus attacks, since there’s no pesky operating system getting in the way. It can handle online research like a champ with a built in dual band Wi-Fi. And it can support multiple users in the event you have more than one student in the house.
If you are worried about simple word processing, or power-point creation, or any other multitude of MS Office tools that an eager student might need, worry not. Google Docs has all of that covered. Which is convenient since Google is responsible for the OS anyways. Need email? Gmail. Need an instant messenger or video conferencing? Google Chat. How about GooglePlus, or Hangouts?
If it’s on the internet, Google’s got it covered and brilliantly integrated into the operating system. For those music enthusiasts you can enjoy a wide selection of your favorite songs, videos, and movies on a new Chromebook. You can stream music with Pandora or organize your music and/or movie collection with Google Play Music and Google Play Movies.
There are a few downsides, however. Battery life – a whopping 3.5 hours. Best to keep that sucker plugged in, forever. Horsepower. Not that this machine is meant to have a ton of horsepower, or that you’ll even notice the lack of oomph when playing an FPS, which you probably won’t. Which brings us to another downside. The $199 version has no DVD/CD drive which is par for a laptop of similar design. Again, not that you’ll need it. Most everything you need is on the internet anyways.
If you are interested in buying this lovely device, like I am, check out this link. http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/
And if you’re interested in learning more about the Google OS, start here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QRO3gKj3qw
Happy holiday shopping, and remember this gift idea if you plan on buying me anything.  
Cheers.

Michael Lake is the art director for the Corridor. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

by MIKE LAKE

photo from CBS INTERACTIVE

Since its debut in November of 2006, the ultra-capable Sony Playstation 3 has grown-up, or slimmed down, or if you like, gone with the trend and went all ‘skinny jeans’ on us.
Not that I’m complaining about the maturation of PS3, but I still think the original design –save for the beefed up hard drive- was the best design. I didn’t mind a 20 lb behemoth as the centerpiece of my home entertainment system. Truth be told, I liked that because it was symbolic of how powerful it was, and still is.
Three years after Sony dropped an atom bomb on the console wars, 2009 witnessed Sony unveiling the PS3 Slim, boasting an upgraded hard drive and a number of minor tweaks such as a reduction in USB ports and a few interconnectivity changes. The “slim” was a welcome change at the time and was shortly thereafter copied by other console developers such as Xbox and Nintendo, who also debuted ‘slim’ models.
Fast forward another three years, November of 2012, Sony is unveiling its next size reduced console, The PS3 Super Slim. I like to call it the Skinny Jeans PS3. Why you ask? In a world dominated by trends and worn out fads, Sony has decided to follow suit. Now sporting skinny jeans and a flip-top lid.
But I digress. Let’s talk about the new Skinny Jeans PS3.
What’s new? Three things that you need to know about the Skinny Jeans PS3, are this:
1. The HDD, which comes in a 500GB model, can be swapped out very easily with a quick access panel. For those hackers and modders out there this is a welcome addition. Swapping the hard drive has always been an option since the original, but it was difficult to say the lease. With this model, Sony has made it way easier to upgrade to a store bought –take note Xbox people- non-proprietary hard drive. Kudos PS3.
2. Say goodbye to the motorized CD/DVD/BD tray. Sony has opted – in the name of cost cutting – to go with a non-motorized sliding disc cover – the flip top returns reminding me of the PS1 and PS2- instead of the super convenient slot-loading disc tray. You may think this is trivial, but to those of who have limited space for home entertainment devices, this is a big deal. And to add salt to that wound, the new drive bay, comes complete with a louder, more annoying spindle motor. Bah.
3. Cost cutting. I’ve said this a number of times throughout this article, and here’s why. The price of the Ultra Super Skinny jeans PS3 did change, only it went in the wrong direction. An increase of $20. $270, and $300 for the 250GB model and 500GB model, respectively. Not gonna lie, that just plain stings Sony. I get the need to make money, in fact 99% of Americans live that mantra, but in times such as this couldn’t you cut the price just a tiny bit? I imagine the price of making the newer model cut costs in half. So why not give consumers a price reduction on your skinny jeans model at the register? Sony’s marketing team seems to imply that there is more value in a 25% smaller package. Really? That makes about as much sense as the economic policies of our upcoming election.
At the time of this writing, the new PS3 bundle which includes Assassin’s Creed III, is set to ship starting October 30.
In reality I have zero intention of spending hard earned coin on the new model – still rocking the original model- I’m still anxiously awaiting, and saving my pennies, for the next “10 Year model” which supposedly won’t be ready until 2016. Until then I suppose we’ll just have to make do with skinny jeans makeovers, and if you are like me, sit back and laugh at how ridiculous it looks.

by MIKE LAKE

Like butter, rumors need some churning. And there are rumors galore about Apple’s latest device. No, not the iPhone 5, the iPad Mini. The device been coined the “iPhablet” by the Internet fan boy population because it’s a mashup of the iPad tablet and the iPhone. Thus, Phablet.
A 7-inch mini version of the iPad may hit stores as early as Christmas, but most likely not until next spring. The Mini is Apple’s pushback at the Kindle Fire and the Google Nexus 7 markets. Presumably, the Mini will offer a book reading experience like the Kindle Fire sports. Which is cool, if you read books by backlit screens–I still prefer the real deal, printed paper–but if that’s your cup-o-tea, more power to you.
Insider experts are expecting the new device to run anywhere from $249 to $399. That is still double the price of the Kindle Fire, which retails at $159, or the HD version at $199. Google Nexus 7 retails at $199.
If Apple decides to price the Mini at $399, it could be both a genius move, and a shot in the foot. Kindle Fire’s selling point is just that, its selling point. Jumping into the tablet market for only $149 is way easier to justify than $399. Most consumers in the market for a tablet that size would still prefer the lower price point.
On the other hand, Apple has more to offer–arguably–from its app market. Tested, verified apps that go through a submission process as opposed to the Android market with is open source. Both markets have their pros and cons, but Apple’s apps are a bit more polished, which could offset the higher cost of the new mini.
By leaving the price of the Mini comparable to the iPad 2, Apple could be setting itself up for huge sales. People in the market for such a device may be willing to pony up the extra dough for the Apple brand and the app market that goes along with it.
If, in fact, Apple is planning on delivering the iPad Mini before Christmas, you can bet this tech nerd will be pre-ordering that slice of happiness.
 
Mike Lake is art director for the Corridor. He’s currently in the middle of a home renovation and his sanity may be compromised. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

by MIKE LAKE

Recently, I took the plunge, both literally and figuratively, into the outdoors. I took a week’s vacation at a lake that denied my access to anything digital. I was at once overjoyed and distraught. I live my life attached at the hip to the digital world: Facebook, Twitter, Google, Apple, Adobe, Windows, Mac, iPad, iTunes, and more.

Occasionally, I wish they’d all disappear so I could live my life free of their virtual shackles. Occasionally, I wish there was an ethernet cable attached to my skull so I could be plugged in constantly. Very rarely the latter, though.

On this recent camping trip, I wished that I had a few digital conveniences that would have made the trip easier.

So I’ve compiled a list of apps that, frankly, I’m appalled haven’t been developed yet — so that on your next camping trip you don’t snare yourself in the same traps I did.

1 - Find my keys, iPhone app.
So I know there’s a few of these apps out there, but when you leave your keys at the campground, or rather at the bottom of a lake, your iPhone should be able to say you’re an idiot or tell you they’re tucked safely in the side pocket of the duffle bag. Of course, my keys are still lost. I swear I left them somewhere safe. But in the end, after tearing the camp to pieces like a deranged bear, I had to hitch a ride to the nearest dealership to have a new key made. Miraculously, I left my truck unlocked, and had easy access to my license, registration, and VIN number. The gods work in mysterious ways. I did, on the bright side, have an excellent conversation about Kiss, and campfire foods on the way to and from the camp site with a new buddy.

Which brings me to my second proposed app.
2 - How many marshmellows is that really app ...
No really, how many did I just eat? I know that camping is an excellent excuse to pig out. But why do they make 16 oz. marshmellows that could choke a donkey. If I cut that thing in eighths it would still dwarf a normal, s’more-sized marshmellow. That however, did not stop me from consuming an entire bag. I am both fatter, and slightly ashamed. Slightly.

3 - Fly popper app, with bonus app, Deet ain’t doin’ jack against these killer mutant biting flies.
This one is more of a game than anything that actually serves a constructive purpose. I would like to know how many killer mutant flies I killed, though. I’ll bet my high score was pitifully inadequate compared to that of my two dogs.

4 - Watch out for that low-hanging branch app.
Definitely a location-aware app. I swear I hit my head a dozen times on one very specific branch. Normally I would have taken a hatchet to the bugger, but I thought better of it in the company of my daughters. Not a very good example I’d be setting; lashing out at tree branch that did nothing but grow to exactly 6-feet-2 inches off the ground over the past 50 years just so I could grace my forehead on its bow.

5 - Where’s the fish, and why don’t they like this hideous lure I’ve chosen app.
Picture this: Sunrise peeks over the mountainous horizon to dimly illuminate a lake rippling with hungry trout. Everywhere I turn, the fish break through the water surface in a glorious display of athleticism. I cast my line with a carefully chosen lure, and wait. I find it necessary at this point to mention our boat, which had a total of four children ... two under the age of 10, and two more just barely 14, and three adults. If the noise didn’t scare the fish, the awful choice in trolling lure did. Next time I’ll make sure to research the proper fishing techniques before I go fishing. And then, I’ll ponder how a 14-year-old fish whisperer managed to snag a 14-inch rainbow trout with the pole I just handed her. The app could have warned me that a fish was about to bite.

Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, save for a few key moments of panic. Pun intended. I’ll bark up the Apple tree to see if any of my app ideas have merit. Cheers.

Mike Lake is the art director for Corridor and new member of Gamers Addiction Anonymous, if there is such a thing. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .