Viral Friday: Telekinetic Pranks and Ultimate Dog Shaming

Telekinetic Coffee

With a new "Carrie" movie on the way a telekinetic prank was pulled on unsuspecting coffee shop customers as an attempt at viral marketing. Being that the video was posted on October 7th and has since received almost 30 million views... I'd say it worked.

The video begs the question. If you were in a coffee shop and witnessed someone seemingly holding someone to the wall using nothing but their brain, how would you react?

I noticed that through the clips no one ran away. Sure, almost everyone took a few steps back with every new development, but no one actually left. They were all way to curious on how the event would unfold. One woman was even recording it with her phone. I guess our curiosity has no limits... Even if we're in a room with a raging telekinetic woman.

Ultimate Dog Shaming

This next video is dog shaming like you've never seen it before.

Pet owner of Maymo and Penny posted this video on October 8th. It hs since been watched by pet shaming lovers everywhere over 100,000 times.

If it weren't so damn funny, I'd suggest investing in some dog training... But c'mon, who doesn't love any reason to dress their dogs up as Yoda and tiny Darth Vader?

Part one can be found here.

@lamron_eb_yhw

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Bitten: The First Nibble of the Series

The teaser video for a new 13-episode Syfy series was released and we have all the gory details and first reactions here.

Bitten is based off the "Otherworld" series written by Kelley Armstrong and centers on Elena Michaels (Laura Vandervoort) who is the worlds only female werewolf.

Elena  thought she had left the furry world, and ex boyfriend Clayton Danvers (Greyston Holt), behind when she left Stonehaven to be a "normal" photographer in Toronto - a life she has longed to live. Hiding her secret from new boyfriend Phillip McAdams (Paul Greene), Elena learns of mysterious bodies that are showing up at the packs mansion, Stonehaven.

Now, after years of working to get the "protect the pack and man" out of her system, she finds herself dragged right back in the middle of the life she fought so hard to escape. She quickly learns that nothing can stop her from defending her pack.

Initial reactions on social media seem mixed with some saying it's a show worth howling over, some noting it seems like Twilight meets Smallville, and others still say it seems like any other romantic/drama with model-esque type characters and no real meat. Although, no matter the opinion, it seems many are willing to watch the series for themselves before placing final judgement.

The series will also star Greg Bryk as pack leader Jeremy Danvers and is set to air in 2014 on Syfy and Space. Until then, lets take a look at the trailer and some production photos below.

By: Britt Turkington

@lamron_eb_yhw

Source: Comingsoon.net

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Game Night: Sour Apples to Apples

Sour Apples to Apples is a varient of the game Apples to Apples (reviewed here) with a twist.

Sour Apples to Apples is a card game for 4-8 players with the same basic rules as it's predecessor. As you might recall, the player that is the judge for that turn will draw and play an adjective card while each other player will play a noun that best suits the card drawn. The judge then picks one of the players as the winner and they gain a point.

In Sour Apples to Apples the judge must also pick a loser for the round. The loser then has to spin a special apple spinner that will decide their punishment. The punishments are as follows:

Can't talk your next turn
For the next turn the player is unable to say anything. This could cause the player to miss out on some serious lobbying time and may cause them to lose the point.

Play red before green
For this punishment you must play your noun card before the adjective card is even revealed. As bad as this sounds, sometimes it causes some pretty hilarious results.

Pass the sour apple
Phew! That was close. When you land on this you must pass the sour apple to any other player and they have to spin the apple and except the punishment on your behalf. That was nice of them.

Double play
The next time you play a noun card you get to play two instead of one. Okay, so this one is not quite a punishment. Double the play, double the chances to win!

Lose a card
This is probably the ultimate downer. When you land on this you must discard 1 card from your hand. For the rest of the game you will be down 1 card. The only saving grace here is that if you land on this again, it has no effect. You cannot have any less than 4 cards in your hand at the beginning of each turn.

Another difference between this version and the original is that the decks are simplified by having the adjective and nouns all on the same card. You just flip your card to the correct orientation depending on what you are using it for.

My only issue with this is that sometimes you toss out really great words because the card is being used for the other side. That being said, there is still plenty of hilarious combinations to be made.

Again, Sour Apples to Apples recommends the player be 12 or up, but it really can be played with younger players. The cards are not mature in theme and the rules are simple enough to be understood by a child younger than 12. 

Sour Apples to Apples is every bit as great of a game as the original. I personally have both versions and they get busted out at family gatherings all the time. The kids especially love this version as the threat of a punishment adds a certain level of excitement to the game. It can also be considered a deterrent to use a turn as a "throw away" when you feel like you have nothing else to play.

If you're board of Apples to Apples and want to mix it up a bit, I would definitely recommend picking up a copy of Sour Apples to Apples. It is sold exclusively at Target, but doing a quick Google search shows there may be some re-sellers out there if you're looking to pick it up online. 

I give this game 7 sour apples out of 10.

@lamron_eb_yhw

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Gamer Equality: The life of a gamer girl

I think at this point it is pretty clear to anyone who pays any attention that girl gamers exist, and that our population is on the rise. But what doesn't seem so clear to all is the way in which we are treated within the gaming community.

First, I should say, back when I decided to make my own Xbox Live Gamertag I had no real intention of playing any games online. The Gamertag I originally wanted was taken and I didn't want to add numbers to it so I added "Miss" to the begging. Little did I know this was going to cause me issues in the future.

After years of owning an Xbox I was introduced to Call Of Duty and I was instantly hooked. Once I became familiar with the game I started to play online matches. This is where my understanding of how gamers, that just so happen to have a vagina, are treated in the online world.

What I found was that my interaction with others fell into one of three categories: either I was hit on, talked down to, or embraced. The last of the three happened infrequently but I found it's frequency also depended on the game I was playing at the time. If I happened to be playing COD, I was more than likely going to fall into the first two categories. In Left 4 Dead, on the other hand, I found I was more excepted by my male counterparts. Some of them even saying that they come across many females in the game and found it refreshing. But, even with that glimmer of hope on the distant horizon, I still had issues with falling into the first two categories.

In my nativity, I tended to brush off any of the comments, break out the AK47, and proceed to kick some ass thinking they would stop once I proved myself a worthy competitor. Some of the time I was right and they would welcome me to the team (although never once apologizing or even acknowledging any mistreatment). Other times any talent would only worsen the ridicule.

It was only recently that I began to see this as a problem. You see, as someone who doesn't make a terrible amount of money, my boyfriend and I decided there was no reason to have a second Xbox Live account and that he would, when he felt so inclined, just use my account to play things like NHL with his buddies. Basically, we didn't see the point in purchasing a whole new account when he normally plays the Playstation anyways. Perfectly harmless, right? Maybe not. Apparently there are just some games women aren't invited to play.

Recently I logged on to my account to see I had a bunch of new messages. Not having had time to play anything recently I wondered who they were from. When I read them I found that 90% were messages my boyfriend had received while playing NHL from guys either trying to pick him up; thinking he was me, or some form of obscenity, again, thinking he was me.

The above are just the messages that I haven't already deleted. I should also mention that none of these have been replied to and yet sometimes, as you can see, the original sender will continue to express their opinion over several messages. The examples above were both sent while my boyfriend was playing NHL13. Sure, maybe more men play NHL than women, but does that mean you can put a stake in it and claim it for your own? Your entire gender now owns NHL games and women aren't invited? What is this, the fourth grade? 

I am for sure not the only one out there who experiences this. A simple Google search will yield many screen shots of messages very similar to the ones listed above. In fact, to my astonishment, there is even an entire website dedicated to it. And these are just the text messages. You should hear the things that get sent in the form of voice messages. 

Now, you may be thinking why I don't just make a new account or pay to change my existing Gamertag to something else. When this gets suggested to me a little part of me dies inside. Why should I have to? Why should I go out of my way to change my Gamertag, my avatar, and refrain from using my mic to make sure everyone online thinks I have a penis. This should not be the only way to gain any sort of respect from fellow gamers.

A common misconception is that this abuse is coming from the younger demographic of gamers, and that we should just ignore the immaturity and move on. I can tell you first hand that this is not correct. While some of the comments directed at me and my girl gamer friends are indeed from youngsters, the majority are from grown men. How are we going to teach these young teens and preteens that this isn't okay when the adults of our community are the biggest offenders?

Don't get me wrong, I know it isn't all male gamers that act like this. I'm merely calling attention to the ones that do. And I know this isn't the only problem with online gaming. This it just the issue of focus for this particular article. So what are we going to do about it? Well one thing is for sure, ignoring the problem won't make it go away. "Don't feed the trolls" does not apply here. Nobody got anywhere in fighting for equality by sitting down and hoping that it would pass. We need to keep the conversation flowing.

Listen, it boils down to this, we're all in this for the same reason - we love video games! So lets all just relax, take a step back, and look at it for what it is. We're all equals here. Let us start acting like it. 

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Viral Friday: Dancing your way into and out of a job

I Quit

On September 28th Marina Shifrin let her bosses, and 12 million other people, know that she quit with a video that quickly went viral.

In the video Shifrin says that her boss would prefer quantity over quality, and that she has sacrificed her time and relationships for the company.

In an interview with The Huffington Post, the young, newly unemployed woman responds to her critics.

"I understood that it was a risk, but I never named the company or my boss and I mean, have you seen my dancing? How could anyone take that seriously [?]"

Marina also says in the future she hopes to find a job where she can be a little more creative.

We're Hiring

After Shifrin danced her way out of a job, the company she worked for made a parody of her video replacing the words "I quit" with "we're hiring".

The video has received nearly 3 million hits since it was first posted on  October 1st.

The response to the video stirred up skeptics that claimed both videos were an elaborate publicity stunt. NMA director Mark Simon responded by sending a statement to Gawker, who originally posted Marinas video.

"I don't think she meant for it to be seen as so harsh, but we're getting some nasty attacks on our managers, who she says she respects."

I wonder how many video parody applications they are going to receive.


@lamron_eb_yhw

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Rainmaker Relaunches Reboot

Bust out your Tamagotchis and your high-wasted jeans because we're headed back in time with the announcement of a new Reboot series.

Rainmaker Entertainment inc. disclosed the news in a press release that coincided with the 20th anniversary of the debut in 1994... 1994? Does anyone else feel as old as I do?

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the series, it is a Canadian CGI-animated cartoon that
was set in the inner world of a computer system known as Mainframe. The city was populated almost entirely by binomes, little creatures that represent either 1's or 0's, and some Sprites, such as Bob and Dot. The series consisted of adventures focused on fighting computer viruses, such as Megabyte, and defending the city from Game Cubes sent by the User.

Although there seems to be a lot of excitement around the mews, fans may have some reason to be weary. Back in 2008 Rainmaker announced it was working on a Reboot film trilogy. There was even a trailer released in 2009. Sadly, 5 years later, we have no such luck. Also, while heartbroken fans look forward to a new future, the show is still looking for a network to air on... I'm looking at you, YTV.

Maybe I'm the overly optimistic type, but the talk seems sincere. The company is even utilizing social media to gauge interest in the show. As for the fans, unless we want this news to be reformatted with the rest of the Reboot announcements, my suggestion would be to show your support on the official site.

There is of course the question of how the show will be restructured to fit the world today. While the original show focused on Bob defending Mainframe from the 1994 world of computer technology, with all of the advances, there is no telling where they can take a new series in 2013. Maybe Megabyte has been overpowered by his older, much larger cousin... Terabyte?

@lamron_eb_yhw

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Game Night: Apples to Apples

If you're looking for a fun, family card game that will allow you to make absolutely bananas comparisons, Apples to Apples might just tickle your fancy.

The box consists of to separate decks of cards: Things (the noun cards) and Descriptions (the adjective cards). The noun cards are red, and the adjective cards are green.

On each turn there will be one judge. The judge will draw an adjective card and read it out loud. They will then place the adjective card in the middle of the table for all players to see. Each other player then takes a noun card from their hand that best suits the description. The noun cards are placed face down. After all players have played their card the judge will shuffle them, read them out loud one by one, and pick the card they like the most. The winning player then receives one point. To make for easy scoring, the winning player can just keep the adjective card in front of them as a score keeper.

As the judge you can decide if you want to pick the card that is the funniest to you, the card that is the complete opposite, or something that fits the description completely. As this decision is completely up to the judge you will find each player will learn to adapt to their audience.

Apples to Apples is meant to be played with anywhere from 4 - 10 players. As always with these types of games, the more players usually means makes for a more diverse game. However, my friends and I found it was possible to play with as little as 3 players if each player (aside from the judge) played two noun cards to give the judge more options.

Although the game recommends ages 12 and up, it really is possible to be played with a younger crowd. While there is some cards that a younger audience may not understand, for example the names of older actors or politicians, the cards are all clean and appropriate. It can also provide a learning opportunity as each card does have a small description at the bottom.

Each game lasts anywhere from 30 mins to an hour but can really be customized to meet your gaming needs. If you only have a short time to play, you could have a game where the first to 5 points wins. On the flip side, if you want a longer game, you can make the goal higher.

The great thing about this game is that you really don't have to be a complex gamer to understand and have fun. The rules are simple enough for anyone to understand and yet the game play packs enough punch to keep everyone entertained. It is so rare to find a game that will both keep adults and children entertained for hours on end and Apples to Apples definitely does just that. When playing with children it's easy to keep things clean but if your game is strictly adults it's possible to slip the odd inappropriate joke in there.

Whether you have a young family or just want to play while having a few drinks with your friends, the diversity of the crowd it speaks to alone is worth picking up a copy of Apples to Apples. I give it 7 out of 10 apples.

@lamron_eb_yhw

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Viral Friday: Firefighters, Flatulent Singers, and Fatherhood

Firefighter
In the event of an emergency I'm sure all of us would want our pets to be taken care of with as much consideration as we would receive. Well, that's exactly what happened in this video. 

A Fresno Firefighter, Cory Kalanick, was caught on tape with a GoPro saving a small kitten from a burning apartment. The video was posted in an ad-type fashion by GoPro on September 25th and has since warmed the hearts of pet lovers everywhere close to 5 million times. The original video was posted on June 15th and has 1.5 million views. 

Unfortunately, in this case, Kalanicks efforts did not save the kittens life in the end. Since the owners weren't around the kitten was taken to a vet where it succumbed to its internal injuries overnight. 

“It's a very sad loss.  The kitten, however, was in very loving hands to get taken care of,” said Beth Caffrey, of Central California S.P.C.A.

Kalanick was sad to hear that the kitten did not make it through the ordeal. I don't know about you but for me, whether or not the animal survives, I am overjoyed that people like this exist in the world.

Flatulent Singer
This bass singers video was uploaded on September 12th and has almost 200,000 views. Okay, maybe not quite viral but too insane to not talk about.

So obviously this man is not actually flatulent, but he sings a C note so low it honestly sounds like it. I mean really, did he swallow a saxophone?

As if that isn't entertaining enough just look at the faces he makes when he does it. It almost looks like he's possessed and if you play the video backwards you would hear some sort of demonic message.

But seriously, with all playing aside, how insane is that note at 0:41?

Fatherhood
What would you do if you had four kids and a batman mask? Well for one father he has made it is crime stopping mission to teach his kids valuable lessons... well... mostly.

BatDad, A.K.A Blake Wilson, first became an internet sensation with his Vine account. He has since posted a compilation of his Vine videos to YouTube in this 3 minute video on September 19th. The video has since reached over 6 million Batman lovers.

Wilson says he knows he knows he can bother his four kids sometimes with the act but he also knows he can make them laugh and have a good time. Don't worry Blake, I'm sure your kids will appreciate having The Dark Knight on their side.

Looking for more reasons to love Batman? You're in luck. I just so happen to have such a list right here.

@lamron_eb_yhw

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Viral Friday: Dancing, Dead Paper, and Doggies

Dancing Queen
If you're one to follow viral videos you may have seen this one already but bare with me as there is an interesting development. In April this video of a woman dancing at a bus stop was uploaded to YouTube. It quickly received over 700,000 views. It has also been re-posted many times with equally impressive hits.

The woman, now known to be 35 year old Ellie Cole, was actually offered a job after the video fell into the lap of playwright Lynne Paris. The gig is said to be a role in the opening dance scene of 'Ah Men' at The Point Theatre.

Cole, who actually studied the performing arts but couldn't afford to keep going to class, says "it's very flattering and humbling. There is no doubt it's very exciting."

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, Cole says she was listening to the song Knock Down by Alesha Dixon. Perhaps that explains 0:49.



Ginger Cat
This next video is a short that was posted September 16th and has been watched over 1 million times.

Complete with epic soundtrack and plenty of explosions the video is the utterly adorable tale of the Paper Army attacking the Ginger Cat.

This one is otherwise pretty self explanatory but a definite must watch nonetheless.

Dog Escape Artist
The last video of the day was posted on September 17th and has since been displayed on screens all over the world over 2 million times.

The YouTuber that posted the video describes the dog, Bandit, as an extremely anxious dog with separation anxiety.

Bandit was locked in the kitchen while the owner was out to keep him from hurting himself or household items with his nervousness. The owner found the dog was still managing to escape so he set up his laptop to figure out how he was doing it.

I wonder if the name was an afterthought... or foreshadowing.

By: Britt Turkington

@lamron_eb_yhw

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Game Night: Star Fluxx

Are you the type to get board of the same old rules to the same old game? Maybe you're just a fan of Star Wars, Star Trek, Dr Who, or Firefly. If any of the above are true for you then grab you're Intergalactic Travel Guide because it's time to explore Star Fluxx by Looney Labs. But watch out... It's a trap!

Star Fluxx is a card game that is both beautifully simple and intriguingly complex. It's simplicity really comes down to reading what it says on the card you want to play, and then doing that thing. The complexity is a result of the games ever changing rules.

The game can be played in anywhere from 5-30 minutes with 2-6 players, but as most card games, the more players you have, the more interesting things get.

To start you will place the Basic Rules card in the middle of the table. You will then shuffle the deck and deal each player 3 cards. The remainder of the deck will be placed beside the Basic Rules to form the Draw pile.

The deck contains six different types of cards:

Keepers - Played in front of you to show possession. 

Goals - Set the criteria for winning the game. Usually this will be a combination of two keepers you need to have in front of you in order to win.

Creepers - Are immediately thrown into play when drawn. They are the 'evil' versions of the Keeper cards and usually prevent a player from winning. Although there are a few Goals in which you need a Creeper to win.

Surprise - Can be played out of turn to interrupt another players move.

Actions - Are one-time cards that are used by the player to perform actions such as stealing another players keeper or bringing back an already played card from the discard pile.

New Rules - Are played in the middle of the table and sometimes can modify the Basic Rules. The New Rules can be anything from changing the draw or play amount, instating a keep or hand limit, or even allowing you to draw extra cards.

On your turn you will draw and play the number of cards that is currently required, discard down to the current hand limit (if any), and comply with the current keeper limit (if any). The game continues until one player meets the conditions of the current goal.

This game is awesome for a great deal of reasons but if you're any kind of sci-fi fan, you're going to love the thought that was put in to some of these cards. For example, the Expendable Crewman card (complete with red shirt) in the picture above which allows you to protect your other Keepers through it's sacrifice. 

The greatest part of the game is that the instructions are printed on each card. You are never left with one card in your hand the entire game because you don't know what to do with it but you don't wan to ask to give away your hand.

 For all of these reasons and more Star Fluxx is a perfect game for introducing newcomers, satisfying your want to endlessly quote your favorite science fiction characters, or just breaking up the longer games of the night. I give it nine Holographic Projections out of ten.

Live long and prosper.

By: Britt Turkington

@lamron_eb_yhw

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Viral Friday: Confessions, Congregations, and Catching Fire

Confessions
When you think of a confessional video your mind may not automatically go to YouTube, but for one 22 year old man the same was not true.

Matthew Cordle's confession was posted to YouTube on September 3rd and has since reached over 2 million views.

Cordle starts his video by admitting he 'made a mistake' when he decided to drive home after 'drinking really heavily' and hit 61 year old Canzani's car -- killing him.

Prosecutors say they had enough evidence without the video but some are asking themselves if it is a ploy to  receive a lighter sentence. Whatever the reasoning, on Monday Cordle was indicted on charges of aggravated vehicular manslaughter. If convicted he could face as many as 8 and a half years in prison.

Congregation
On May 19th 2013 pastor Jim Standridge was caught on video calling out the flaws of the members of Immanuel Baptist Church. The video was posted 2 months ago but has recently been picking up steam. It now has over 700,000 hits on YouTube with several reposts also gathering views.

The video starts off with Strandridge going off on a church member for falling asleep. 

"Son, don't go to sleep while I'm talking," Standridge says. "I'm important. I'm somebody. Now, you might do your English teacher that way, but I'm not teaching English here, I'm teaching eternal life."

The pastor goes on to attack several other members of the church including the man in the video room recording it all. 

"You can't get this in any other church in town" Standridge says. Well, maybe there's a reason for that. Just a suggestion for next time, maybe don't piss off the guy filming your outburst.

Catching Fire
What could go wrong with twerking upside down in front of a glass coffee table containing booze and lit candles? Well, apparently not a lot if your a stunt woman.

This video was uploaded to YouTube on September 3rd and has since been watched almost 12 million times! The only problem? It was staged. But apparently, that didn't stop the media from making report after report on the impact twerking has had on today's youth. One news station even blamed Miley Cyrus for the issue. C'mon, I really don't see how that's fair... right guys?... guys?

Jimmy Kimmel has since revealed the video was a prank but you have to admit, it had you going right?

@lamron_eb_yhw

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Zombie Fitness Part 2: Zombies, Run!

By: Britt Turkington

So now that we can all run a 5K (just kidding), it's time to start looking at how you can maintain your stamina and interest at the same time.

'Zombies, Run!' is very similar to the 'Zombies, Run! 5K Training' (which I talked about in Part 1 of this story) but now you're a full time runner for a struggling civilization. Your nickname is 'Runner 5' and your job is to run out of the base to collect supplies for the survivors living within.

While you are out on your run you will encounter zombies, pick up items, and learn the background of the base and characters. The characters will tell you when you need to go faster or when you can slow down based on the zombie mobs around you. This is the same as the 5K training App in the sense that all of the information will be played in between listening to your own playlist directly from your device. You can also share your runs and track your progress just as you can in the 5K training.

The great thing about this App is that the entertainment doesn't stop just because you're not running. After you return you can actually use the supplies you gathered on your run to build up the base. This is just one more way that 'Zombies, Run!' helps keep you involved and wanting more.

For me, I needed something to help overcome the three problems I encountered while trying to stay in shape by running: breathing, strength, and overcoming the overwhelming thoughts I had that I couldn't do it and needed to stop. And as crazy as it may sound, apparently running from imaginary zombies is just what I needed to do so. So, as promised, here is how it helped me get over these 3 insanely large obstacles:

1. Breathing.

It is really true what they say, breathing is really everything when it comes to working out. If you're not breathing right, you won't be able to go for as long. If you can't go for as long, you're not going to get the burn you need to in order to meet your fitness goals. During the 5K training you will start doing short intervals of running which really helps you keep your breath. But if you're looking for an extra tip, trying breathing in for 3-5 steps and then out for 3-5 steps (depending on how fast you're going). Also, if you're on a treadmill at home, try singing. Singing forces you to breathe... and who doesn't love to belt out a song every now and then? I know I can often be found singing (and even busting the odd move) while on my treadmill.

2. Strength. 

Once I got my breathing down it was my leg muscles holding me back. I could run for much longer as far as my breathing was concerned but the burn in my legs had me stopping much more than I wanted. This is where the strength training instructions come in to play. During some of your runs you will stop and do half squats and toe lifts to help build up your leg muscles. 

3. 'I can't. I need to stop'

This was the hardest thing for me to overcome. While I know I won't actually be eaten by zombies if I stop during a chase, there is a sense of pride when you can make it through the entire mob without stopping. This is definitely a good start to changing your thinking. It really is all about changing your thinking from negatives to positives. Which, I'll admit, is easier said than done. But if you can master this you may just fall in love with running as much as I have.

I first weighed myself on June 26th (I was too afraid to do so before) and as of this morning I have lost 30lbs in total. Now, of course, I am also counting calories. I would to put in all that work and then just eat it away. That being said, it's really not just about the weight. In the span of 5 months (since I first downloaded 'Zombies, Run! 5K Training') I have gone from loathing running, to running 3-5K 6 days a week and loving ever minute of it. But alas, the proof is in the pudding... erm... so to speak...

These pants would barely button when I started.

So as you can see, both of these Apps helped me tremendously with my personal fitness goals. I really can't recommend them enough if you're like me and need something entertaining to keep you interested. 'Zombies, Run!' is available for iOS, Windows Phone and Andriod at the current price of $1.99 so there really isn't a better time than now to become part of these statistics... 

...Well, maybe not all of these statistics.

@lamron_eb_yhw

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Gamer Gab: Monopoly Gets New Cat Token. Me-ow!

By: Britt Turkington

Some of you may have read earlier this year that Monopoly was taking a vote to ax one of the existing tokens to make room for a new one. Well, the results are in and Hasbro has started to roll out the new piece.

In case you missed it, the options for the new token were a robot, guitar, helicopter, diamond ring, or a cat. The internet voted and, of course, selected the cat to replace the iron -- I'm looking at you, Reddit.

When it comes to the iron ending it's 78 year run, I don't think it was much of a surprise. Although the boot and wheelbarrow definitely had a run for their money, the time as come for the iron to go sit in the token jail with the stack of money and the cannon.

Not everyone is happy with the new cat token, however. All of the previous pieces have had something to do with industry which makes the cat seem somewhat out of place. On top of that, some feel there was no clear reason why the iron had to die for the cat to live. That being said, maybe with it's nine lives it will outlast the iron and live long (and prosper?) in the future of Monopoly editions.


@lamron_eb_yhw

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Mars one: More Than 200,000 Apply!

Who wouldn't want to go to Mars? But, what if you knew you wouldn't return? Apparently for more than 200,000 people, that's not a problem.

By now you have probably heard of the Mars One project that is being organized by the Mars One Foundation, but in case you haven't, here is a run down of the specifics.

The group will select 6 teams of 4 people by 2015, train them, then send the first group by 2023. They will then send the following groups every 2 years there after, eventually setting up a small community on the red planet. The plan is to pay for the expenses, which could be upwards of 6 billion, with registration fees and a reality-type show that will document the whole journey.

Mars One says they have received applications from more then 140 countries, U.S. in the lead, followed by India and China.

The spike in applicants should also be noted. Just in May the number was reportedly at 78,000 people looking for spots.

As a lover of astronomy, I can honestly say part of me wanted to put in an application myself. what about you? Are you one of the 200,000?

@lamron_eb_yhw

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Gamer Gab: Batman, Ben Affleck, and Board Games

By: Britt Turkington


With many people asking themselves if Ben Affleck will ruin the Batman character in the upcoming Batman Vs. Superman movie, one Reddit user, icouldeatapeach4hrs, found something he has already ruined with his new role.

icouldeatapeach4hrs recently purchased a brand new copy of the game 'Cranium' only to find one of the trivia cards included was already rendered inaccurate with the news that Affleck will be stepping into the Batman suit.

This card was almost certainly written when Tobey Maguire was still Spider-Man and Ben Affleck was still Dare Devil. Maybe they didn't figure he would land a second superhero role is his career?

Does this mean we could see Maguire don the bat suit in the future? I, for one, hope not.

@lamron_eb_yhw

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Game Night: Zombie Dice

By: Britt Turkington

Eat brains and don't get shot. The life of a zombie is pretty basic. Luckily for 'Zombie Dice', that doesn't mean it can't be fun!

Zombie Dice is a dice game (surprising, huh?) where you play a zombie that's is on the hunt for brains and the dice are your victims. The game comes with 13 beautifully simplistic and brightly coloured dice -- 3 red, 4 yellow, and 6 green. The red dice have more 'shotgun' sides, the green have more 'brain' sides, and the yellow have equal amounts of 'brain', 'shotgun', and 'footprints'.

To start you put all of the victims... I mean dice in the cup and shake them around. You then pull three at random and roll them. If you get a brain that means you've eaten your victims brain. If you get a shotgun that means your victim fought back. If you get footprints that means your victim has escaped.

If you roll three shotguns, your turn is over. If you roll any other combination of things, you can choose to stop and score your brains, or continue.

If you decide to stop and score you will score one point for every brain you have rolled this turn. You would then put all the dice back in the cup and pass it to the next player to have them start their turn.

If you decide to continue, you would keep all of your footprint rolls in your hand and take random new dice from the cup bringing your total up to three dice to roll. Keep your brain and shotgun rolls on the table to keep track.

If you keep going, your turn is over when decide to stop or when you roll a total of three shotguns in total. IF you 'shotgun out' you don't get to keep any of the brain points you have rolled during your turn. So if you know you have a lot of red dice left in the cup, maybe you want to think about ending your turn and scoring your brains. The first to 13 brains wins. Simple, huh?

This game is great for a game night to break up the longer games. It really doesn't take a lot of strategy and each game tends to be nice and short.

It also works really well as an introductory game. If you have some friends that seem interested in board games but are intimidated thinking they have to spend 6 hours learning the rules and then another 6 just to get to the point where they can play their turn without you helping them, this is a perfect game to ease them into the scene.

The "press your luck" aspect of the game tends to keep things interesting. Some players will stop at two or even 1 shotgun, others may be a bit more risky and roll with pretty much anything.

If you're not sure about Zombie Dice you can always test it out by downloading the App that is currently available on Windows Phone and iOS for $.99.

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