Hasta La Gadget!

Mario Kart 8 is a game that is worth checking out, and is considered to be a killer title for the Nintendo Wii U. This is one example on how a piece of software is able to push hardware sales, and just in case you think that you have already mastered Mario Kart 8, here comes a new DLC that will introduce new drivers and karts, not to mention another 16 more courses that ought to set your pulses racing as you try to discover the shortest way to complete the entire course while picking up all the relevant weapons along the way to help you out in your quest to come out tops.

These two DLC packs will launch later this fall and in spring of 2015, where one can make an advance purchase from August 27 at $7.99 each (or if you would like to pick up both, it would mean forking out $11.99), allowing you to enjoy a slew of new content, and this would also include first-time crossover characters such as Link from The Legend of Zelda franchise and both Isabelle and the Villager from the Animal Crossing series. How will Link fare in a kart, considering he is more of a seafaring creature? Only you as the player will be able to determine the outcome.

In order to entice buyers, there will be a bonus thrown into each purchase, where you will be on the receiving end of eight new colors for Yoshi and Shy Guy, while those who pick up an advance purchase both packs have the advantage of using the Yoshi and Shy Guy characters right away.

Mario Kart 8 DLC Is A Heavyweight With 16 New Courses

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I have always questioned the reason behind the claim that use of personal electronic devices during flight might interfere with the flight controls and communications itself, but surely them engineers know what they are doing prior to issuing such a command, right? Having said that, it is a pleasant surprise to hear that those who are traveling on Qantas and Virgin Australia are given the green light to be able to use their personal electronic devices in mid-flight, and this would include smartphones.

The new rule is applicable not only for domestic flights, but also for international flights where these two Australian airlines are concerned. Needless to say, the kind of devices that fall under such a category would include tablets, e-book readers, portable game consoles like the PS Vita and the Nintendo 3DS, and of course, the smartphone that we mentioned earlier on.

Apparently, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) had given their nod of approval for the applications sent from both Australian airlines. There is a precedent to this as select airlines in the US, Europe and even New Zealand do give permission for passengers to keep their handsets turned on during flights. Chances are these electronic devices will have to be on flight mode for certain parts of the flight before being given the green light to turn them on later.

Qantas And Virgin Australia Approve Use Of Phones On Flights

, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

When it comes to modern day electronics and appliances, I am quite sure we have heard the older generation comment on how they do not seem to make things to last as long as they used to before, reminiscing about the good old days when a phone could last you for a good 5 or 6 years before you actually made an upgrade to replace your aged device – which was still working as well as it did on the first day you removed it from the box, but simply for the fact that it runs on an antiquated operating system that is no longer relevant to your existing needs. However, with NVIDIA’s Shield tablet, this device was positioned to be the “ultimate tablet for gamers”, which translates to a solid build. Unfortunately, some users of the Shield tablet have started to notice that the case has begun to crack, which is not a good sign where a premium device is concerned.

Users on the official Shield forums have shared some of their experiences about cracks starting to appear after using the device, although there were even others who can be said to be more “unfortunate” as the cracks appeared right after the unboxing. Most of the cracks happen on the four corners of the device, although this does not mean that the cracks are exempt from making an appearance elsewhere around the frame.

There has been no official statement released concerning the reason for such cracks, and some have cited overheating to be the most likely culprit here. How about the perception that a cheap chassis was used instead?

NVIDIA Shield Tablet Sees Cracked Edges

, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

The Obama administration is working to forge a sweeping international climate change agreement to compel nations to cut their planet-warming fossil fuel emissions, but without ratification from Congress.

The outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa is ugly. It has claimed over a 1,400 lives, tampering with the safety of communities and diminishing the number of health workers in already weakened health care systems in the three West African Ebola affected countries. The Ebola epidemic has seen a wave of media frenzy, analyzing and scrutinizing the determinants and effects of the virus on society from every angle, portrayed in every media format for the world to see, to bare witness only. Ebola is ugly, not only is it commanding a massive budget from international agencies like the World Health Organization (WHO) and sourcing generous local private sector support; it is simultaneously affecting local commerce determinately and economically draining the struggling economies of Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.

The very ugly side of the Ebola outbreak is the African region and international response to it. The disappointing response by other African nations to converge in collaborative efforts to support affected countries is shattering. Shutting down borders does not necessarily protect nations like Senegal and Ivory Coast, who recently locked all or some of its borders air, land and sea to Ebola affected Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea over fears of the virus spreading. What decisions like that render is fear, paranoia and hamper relief efforts in what is suppose to be an interconnected continent. In one example, a high level U.S medical delegation was nearly blocked from entering Liberia because of cancelled flights. Brussels Airlines, one of the few airlines still serving West Africa, had to halt its flight to the region because Senegal refused to let its planes land in Dakar for crew changes. The extent of mistrust and lack of solidarity stretches to high-level diplomacy amongst African nation states — the response often being, we will stop our flights, we will shut our borders and constructive solutions are not sought.

What the Ebola Virus outbreak has shown us, those of us living in the heavily affected countries, is we face the same stigmatization and ostracization by the global community, particularly African nations, as do Ebola survival victims within our own borders. No nation wants to deal with Ebola on their soil and fairly so, yet isolation of affected countries is not the solution and only highlights the deficiencies in African nation states ability to maintain a united front in the face of crisis. The African Union’s (AU) response too has being snail pace. It was only in the month of August that a statement given by the Chairperson of Peace and Security Council Ambassador Alain Asime Nyamitwe of Burundi in which he stated that “it is important that African States and partners work together as a matter of urgency to provide a common and effective response to curb the Ebola Epidemic and think about sustainable mechanisms to help manage more effectively health disasters in Africa”

What connects most of Africa is the undeniable cultural thread visible in almost every community across the continent. We are inherently a communal culture. You cannot see a sick family member without going to their aid, you cannot abandon your wife, or husband, or child or niece when they are at their worse, naturally you will attempt to help. It is that natural cultural instinct that will continue to perpetuate a virus like Ebola because no matter the situation, family is family and intrinsically it is our responsibility to offer support and ease. The ugly side of Ebola lives beyond the lives it claims, it is in the loss of human trust and touch. This is what Ebola has taken away from us. The “Ebola handshake” evokes laughter, thereby making light of our predicament, but it also holds testimony to the inherent fear many of us live with as a plethora of information and misinformation proliferates radio airwaves, media platforms and chatter on the streets.

But who do we begin to blame? Where do we begin to look for swift tangible assistance? How do we begin to balance fear of being infected with Ebola and fear of dying due to starvation or the degradation of income? How does Africa begin to rise when Ebola threatens at a very micro level the very fabric of communal support and trust, and at a macro level what will diplomacy look like six to twelve months from now? What lessons will be drawn from this devastating epidemic? The message is clear, Africa is not rising, as the popularized term often indicates a consolidated unified upward movement from the continent, rather each African nation is grabbing life jackets to remain above water.

Another ugly side of the Ebola outbreak is the lack of leadership in the fight to contain the disease, the lack of immediate tangible support and the consistent fear the outbreak nurtures across all levels. We can document the human stories of courage and survival in light of the Ebola outbreak — these stories will always prevail on a continent like Africa, just look at our collective history. Yet, let us not forget to also draw on the lessons of division and fear, breakage of weakened institutional systems and the lack of Pan-African support rendered at a time needed the most. Lest we forget the virus that ravishes lives, spares a lucky few, we must also revisit the term Africa Rising, Ebola’s ugly face has shown us that Africa and Africans have yet to rise when and where it really matters.