Dead Space 3 Leaked! [News]

While this news is not current, many people are still unaware of the leaked details of the Dead Space franchise's current project.  There has been a huge leak from Visceral, including story details and a poster.

So what do we know?  Isaac has crash landed on a blizzard planet (maybe Hoth from Star Wars? Or it could be Lost Planet...).  He eventually meets up with Ellie, and learns that there are other survivors.  We don't know much past that, aside from the enemy you'll be facing has been referred to as the "hive mind".  Oh, and Isaac is still wanted, and there's a character called "Shadow Isaac".

Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows (D.R.U.G.S.) [Promo]

The post-hardcore and metalcore genres have become very popular over the past couple of years, making it harder for a band to rise above the average sound. A few bands (such as We Came As Romans, Asking Alexandria, and Get Scared) have been able to establish a different and exciting sound. One of these is Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows, or D.R.U.G.S.

While they sound somewhat similar to Get Scared, D.R.U.G.S. uses more techno (including some dubstep) in their songs. Their debut self-titled album was released February 22, 2011.

[Opinion] - I really like this album, but at points it can be pretty disturbing. I recommend the music, but the messages can be a little rough.

Information Anxiety (Book) [Feature]/[Promo]

Richard Saul Wurman calls himself an "information architect."  He has led most of his career by reorganizing information, and interpreting it differently.  He explains a lot of this in his book, Information Anxiety.  While the book is outdated (1989), the concepts he shares are still applicable to today's society.

He explains the difference between and conversion of facts and/to information.  He also talks about ways to solve problems, look at the world differently, and handle the tsunami of information available in today's Information Age.

While the book tends to be very boring, repetitive, and sometimes a resume of the author, the main themes are good and can really help those who read it, if they can weed through the garbage.

Alabama to over-fill Arizona's shoes. [News]

 

Alabama has decided to one-up Arizona in the “scare illegal immigrants” department.  A new law passed in Alabama has frightened immigrants there into a mass exodus.  The law, allowing police to “question people suspected of being in the country illegally and hold them without bond, and let officials check the immigration status of students in public schools” obviously directly affects the lives of all immigrants in Alabama.  The minute the Hispanic migration crossed state lines, the law became a national issue.  Because these Hispanic families are more likely to have school-age children, this law will put stress on the primary and secondary education systems of the states surrounding Alabama.  

If those moving into the other states really are illegal, then they will be inflating the unemployment rate.  However, Alabama’s new law could in fact hinder them, and help surrounding states.  With new people moving into a state comes more people buying groceries and other goods, thus boosting the economy and revenue for those states (especially Arkansas, because that's where it's been reported many of these people are moving).

Original article: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2096488,00.html

Super Smash Bros. U-niverse leaked! [News]

Any Smash Bros. fan would probably flip out right now.  Now, because this fact-sheet is in Japanese, we don't get any real depth of information out of it.  What we do get is the name of the next Super Smash Bros. game.  I'm not too thrilled with it, but I am a huge fan of the franchise, and have owned the previous three.  I can't guarantee that this isn't a fake, but it looks pretty legitimate, considering the multiple logos and whatnot.

Wanna make a successful iPhone game? Make it about birds! [Feature]

Let's face it, some of the most popular games for iOS are directly involved with avian affairs.  Especially those who can't fly (I don't know why Americans love defective birds, but they do!).  Arguably one of the most famous games of our decade (possibly up there with Pong and Pac-Man), Angry Birds, would be the most obvious app on that list.  This may be unfair, because it also has Angry Birds Rio and Angry Birds Seasons.  Either way, it's sold over 6.5 million copies.  This puzzler, for those unfamiliar with it, involves launching birds of different species out of a slingshot.  The goal is simple, kill all of the pigs on the level.

Get Scared. This is a band too. [Promo]

Soon after discovering Falling In Reverse, we found Get Scared.  It's quite the band, to be honest.  Again, there's not much information on this band.  They have a music video out, for the song "Sarcasm".  The single itself has a unique style.  The pauses between screaming and heavy guitar provide a carnival-like sensation to the music.  This, paired with fun lyrics, doesn't just occur in the single, but across the entire album.  "Best Kind of Mess" was released this year, and again, no one has hard of it yet.  There isn't even a Wikipedia page on these guys.  Please check them out and support them, because they deserve it.

Broadway. The band, not theater. [Promo]

Finding information on this band can be nigh impossible.  They're so unheard-of, they don't have a Wikipedia page.  What I do know is that they're pretty good, but their singles are phenomenal.   While listening to the album, you'll find yourself smiling because of how good some songs are, but the other songs are so-so.  It's a shame how many bands nowadays have "diamond in the rough" songs.  The songs you should definitely check out are "The Last Saturday", and "Same Thing We Do Everyday Pinky".  Both of these can be found on their most recent album, "Kingdoms".  Give them a chance!  Unless, of course, you don't like the post-hardcore genre.  Then you should listen to Cat Stevens.

Chibi-Robo [Promo]

I'll just start out being honest.  When I was a kid, this is the game I wanted.  I know, a little strange, a kid wanting a game where the point was the clean.  But once I finally got it, Chibi-Robo proved to be a lot more than just scrubbing stains.

Literally translated as "Little Robot", this GameCube game had quite a few surprises for players.  Although, it was developed by "Skip Ltd.", who hasn't done anything else worth mention.  Playing as a tiny robot, you navigate your owner's house and earn "Happy Points", usually through doing chores.  This can include picking up trash (which also earns you Moolah, the game's currency), scrubbing out stains, helping a family member, or taking care of the garden.

Read it Later, the article storage service. [Promo]/[Feature]

The information age gives us a lot of information to keep up with.  But sometimes we find a good-looking article and we don't have time to read it at that moment.  So, if we can't read it now, we can always... "Read it Later".  While it's a simple system, it's pretty handy.  You create an account, and then input the web addresses of the articles you want to put on a "reading list".  You can even put a link in your bookmarks or favorites list that, when clicked, saves that current page to your list.  When finished, you can mark it as read and keep it for later, or just delete it.  Perhaps the most useful part of Read it Later is accessibility.  Not only can you get to your list ( and your articles) on any computer with Internet, but you can also download the app for iPhone or iPad.

Any Man in America - Blue October [Promo]/[Feature]

Music's first developments took root in communication.  Some believe music is the only option they have to convey certain emotions, thoughts, or ideas.  Few artists, however, can do it as successfully as Justin Furstenfeld.  Hopefully you've heard of Blue October (I'm not sure how popular they are, hence the [Promo] and [Feature]).  Lead singer Justin really started expressing himself in their 2000 release, "Consent to Treatment".  However, after experiencing their newest album "Any Man in America", my entire view of the band has changed.

[Opinion] - I'll be honest when I say this new album is definitely Furstenfeld's best work.  The emotions in the music wash over you like a tsunami.  You get angry and upset alongside the lead singer.  I've never heard any album that had that kind of effect on me.  You definitely need to go out and get it.

Taking Requests and Suggestions

Here at The Spandrel, we understand that no one person can find every awesome band, movie, video game, political theory, or pen-making news by oneself.  Even the best researcher can do better by using more than just the internet.

So, we are always open to suggestions for articles.  Have you found a band you think should be promoted?  Do you think a Presidential candidate isn't being covered like they should be?  Email us your thoughts, and if we like it, we'll write an article about it!

Email us at axemonster1@gmail.com.  You can also post it on Our Facebook Page or mention us on Twitter (@TheSpandrel) to contact us.  Hope to hear from you soon!

Borderlands 2 announced, details follow [News]

[Fact] - For those of lucky enough to have a subscription to Game Informer (I am not among those ranks), you know a few details about the upcoming Borderlands sequel.  With a release date in 2012 (some speculate as early as April), Borderlands 2 has already had plenty of juicy new details to satiate our curiosity.

One of the first details we got our hands on was the new class.  We quickly learned that the Berserker class from the first game has undergone a huge transformation.  Salvador, the new representative of this new class, is a Gunserker.  The first game allowed a Berserker to get angry, Hulk style, and beat the life out of any baddies you wanted with your bare hands.  Salvador, literally on the other hand, is allowed to dual wield any weapons the player chooses during this time.  The whole idea is that he gets so angry he can hold two rocket launchers and fire them at the same time.  The other revealed character is a siren named Maya.  All four original characters from Borderlands will have cameos as non-playable characters in the sequel, along with Claptrap and the Guardian Angel.

The World of Portal [Promo]/[Feature]/[News]

     

[Fact] - Portal was presumably released by Valve to make up for the long wait for Half-Life 2.  It was packaged alongside Half Life 2, Episodes 1 and 2, and Team Fortress 2.  What was expected to be a little extra nugget of a game turned into a one of the largest MEMEs (internet fad) the world has ever seen.  What with the twisted and dark humor, the innovative puzzling, the companion cube, and the ever present "cake", Portal became one of the best games of the year.  Even the credits song ("Still Alive" by Jonathan Coulton) was a big hit.

Falling In Reverse [Promo]/[News]

[Fact] - Many of you may (or may not) be familiar with the post-hardcore band Escape the Fate. Those of you who have heard specially their notorious of them may also know their first lead singer, the notorious "bad boy" (I hate using that phrase) Ronnie Radke.  Well, long story short, Radke wound up in some deep trouble with the law, and spent some time in prison.  During this sentence, Escape the Fate kicked Ronnie out of the band.  When he got out, Radke started a new band, and some songs even tell the story of what happened to Ronnie.

The Queenston's "Figurehead" [Promo]

Dave Remmler, better known as his online alias "Renard Queenston", is an electronic musician.  He develops techno using software such as ModPlug Tracker and Sony's ACID Pro.  "Renard" founded LapFox Trax, the record label, and releases all of his music under it.  He is also involved in game and graphic design.

One of Renard's
 aliases: Klippa

Now since we're past that little intro, this article's main focus is to promote one of Queenston's many albums:  Figurehead (particularly the Remastered edition).

[Opinion] - This is one of my favorite albums of his.  He experiments in many different areas of techno, and it all sounds good.  Queenston is not only a great music producer, but he is also a great lyricist.  In fact, one of my favorite songs of all time is on this album.  The song, "Break Away", features a simple but catchy riff, and thought-provoking lyrics.

[Fact] - Figurehead was one of Queenston's biggest releases, and as he noted on the album's Bandcamp page, "I was unfortunate enough to discover a lot of new mastering applications and techniques very shortly after Figurehead's original release, and i feel it is very deserving of a good do-over."  This is why we have the Remastered edition, which features new songs with more artists.  The album is on a name-your-price basis, and you can (and I suggest you do) pick it up here.

     

TDWP's new album, "Dead Throne" [News]

After their release "With Roots Above and Branches Below" in 2009, and the "Zombie EP" in 2010, The Devil Wears Prada is showing no signs of slowing with their music production.  Their newest album, "Dead Throne", is set to be released on September 13th, 2011.  You can stream the whole album here:  http://www.deadthrone.com/.

Help!

Welcome to The Spandrel. "Articles you didn't know you wanted". This is a blog that covers information that people should hear about.  Articles in "The Spandrel" come in three types:  [Features], [Promos], and [News].

[Features] are articles on a topic that's already relatively famous (i.e. Bioshock).  They're just a cover story on the topic.  They can also be editorials, if I so choose to share my opinion on something other than media.

[Promos] are articles on a topic that isn't famous, but I believe deserves to be (i.e. After Midnight Project).

[News] articles are simply articles about something that at the time is news (i.e. TDWP's new album, Dead Throne).

Any questions?  Shoot me an email at axemonster1@gmail.com.

Bioshock Review [Feature]

A Big Daddy

This has got to be, without a doubt, my favorite game of all time.  Sure, everyone’s got opinions, but this is my review.  So, let’s just start with it already.

6 Freeware Programs Every PC Needs [Feature]

Malware Bytes

This is a simple “search-and-remove malicious software” program. It’s a must have for anyone who surfs the web, and may occasionally pick up a virus. It will find and delete the virus when you or other programs can’t.

http://www.malwarebytes.org/

CCleaner

This useful little tool synchronizes itself to your hard-drive, and lets you perform very useful tasks, all from one interface. You can clean up cookies, fix registries, uninstall programs, do system restores, and even determine which programs open on start-up.

http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner

After Midnight Project [Promo]

Let me start off by saying this is one of my favorite bands of all time.  Starting in 2004, After Midnight Project has developed the beautifully blended sound of synthesized techno and immersive rock and roll.
Because I’m a huge fan and love many of their songs, I couldn’t decide which one to include in this article.  So I chose their hit:  Take Me Home, from the “Let’s Build Something to Break” album.  Some other favorites from this album include:  The Becoming, More to Live For, Gone Too Long, and The Criminal.

Their most recent work, the “You Belong” EP, was released in April of 2011.  The hit from this release is “Hourglass”.  My favorites are “Let Go”, “Open Door”, and “Beautiful World”.

How to effectively do a factory reset/restore on your computer [Feature]

So here’s the deal.  Most people say that a computer can only last about five years before files begin to gunk up the system.  This is true, however they also say it can’t really be fixed.  False.

I’ve owned two laptops so far.  The only reason I had to get a second was because the first one literally fell apart.  Software on a computer can run practically forever, if you know how to fix it.  The only thing that hinders the longevity of a computer is, in fact, the physical hardware.  So, here’s how you get your computer to run just like it did the day they shipped it from the factory, and you pulled it out of the box.  WARNING: DOING A FACTORY RESTORE WILL DELETE ALL FILES AND PROGRAMS YOU PREVIOUSLY HAD ON YOUR COMPUTER.

1.  Before you even think about resetting your computer, you have to back up everything.  Be sure to back them up to an external hard drive, or a good computer. Start with your personal files.  This includes:

• Desktop
• Documents
• Downloads
• Music
• Pictures
• Videos
• Steam/Game Saves