Web Development RPG Skill Tree: Dungeons & Developers

If you love playing RPGs, perhaps you’ve imagined what skills and prerequisites you’d need to have in the real world to reach your desired job or level of success. The folks at web development agency 352 Media thought of doing the same thing to their profession and created Dungeons & Developers, an RPG-style skill tree that outlines what you need to learn to become a master web developer.

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As with a typical RPG, each icon in the tree represents a skill. The skills involve learning about things like CSS, AJAX & APIs and Advanced DB Management. When you learn a skill, your character gains stats and unlocks more advanced skills. But 352 Media took their geeky project a step further and made it possible so you could actually use the skill tree to help you learn about web development and keep track of your progress while you’re learning. Each skill contains a link to an educational resource such as a tutorial. Your skill tree is tied to a unique URL, so you can bookmark it to save your progress, then check back to see if you’re bound to level up.

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Once you’ve learned a skill, simply left click its icon to add a point into it. Right-click on a learned skill to subtract a point. You cheater. Speaking of cheating, Dungeons & Developers also has a god mode. 352 Media says you can unlock 100% completion if you “go old school.”

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Head to Dungeons & Developers to check out the skill tree. As a fan of RPGs I can’t help but point out that the tree is misleading. It’s missing a few arrows for the other prerequisites needed to unlock the ultimate skill. It’s no biggie though, just know that all of the skills at the second to the last row need to be learned before you can unlock Web Development Mastery. The earliest you can do that is at level 26, so get grinding!

[via Boing Boing]

Next Pirates of the Caribbean Movie Delayed: Yo-Ho, Oh-No

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and his cohorts have been working on the next film in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The fifth film in the franchise will reportedly be called Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. The film was expected to hit theaters in the summer of 2015, but that release date has now been pushed back.

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Bruckheimer recently said that they were supposed to start filming in March, but the script has now been sent back for rework. The studio reportedly said that the existing script was hard to follow and would cost too much to make. Bruckheimer says that the outline for the film was well received and the script has been returned to screenwriter Jeff Nathanson for a rework. He’s hopeful they can still be in a position to release the movie in the Summer of 2016.

Considering the film is being made by the producer behind the $250 million summer bomb The Lone Ranger, I’m sure Disney wants assurances that the next Pirates movie doesn’t suck.

[via Hollywood Reporter]

Want to Be a Mermaid? There’s a School For That

I’m sure a lot of little girls wanted to become mermaids at some point in their lives. I’m guessing probably after they watched The Little Mermaid or some other movie which featured the mythical creatures.

There’s no way you can actually become a mermaid, but now you can learn how to be one (or at least, swim like one) at an actual school located in Manila, Philippines.

Mermaid SchoolThe school is called the Philippine Mermaid Swimming Academy and they’ll basically teach you how to swim like a mermaid. Students will be outfitted with “mono-tails” and will be taught basic mermaid moves like dolphin kicks and handstands.

The classes are being taught by professional divers and swimmers, with each 2-hour lesson costing approximately $62.

Through the lessons, instructor Annabelle Jimenez hopes to impart the playfulness and beauty that’s often associated with mermaids to her wards.

[via The Telegraph via TAXI]

Asteroid Upstages Mumford & Sons during Outdoor Concert

A bunch of music fans at an outdoor concert for the group Mumford & Sons were treated to quite a sight earlier this week. The concert was being held at an outdoor amphitheater in Pelham, Alabama – about 20 miles south of Birmingham. NASA says that at about 8:18 PM central time on Monday a giant meteor entered the Earth’s atmosphere above the state.

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According to NASA, the meteor was traveling at 76,000 mph and 3 seconds after hitting the atmosphere it disintegrated at an altitude about 25 miles above Woodstock, Alabama. Because of the speed the meteor was traveling at, it created sonic booms that were heard by witnesses on the ground.

Witnesses at the concert also report seeing a really bright flash of light in the sky. Astronomers say that the flashes were bright enough to be 15 times brighter than Venus in the nighttime sky. The fireball was reportedly as bright as the crescent moon on Monday night.

[via Washington Post]

Ostrich Pillow Junior: Bury Your Head on Your Desk, Kids!

Remember the Ostrich? It’s kind of like a pillow that you can wear over your head so you can take a nap or get some rest, anytime and anywhere you feel like taking a breather. It looks like a cushy helmet with a huge opening in front for your face.

It started out as a concept that quickly went viral because it was just so unusual. Now kids can’t get in on the action and grab some shut-eye whenever they’re tired because the folks behind Ostrich just unveiled the Ostrich Junior.

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As the name implies, Ostrich Junior is a smaller-sized version of the Ostrich. It’s intended for kids who are 6 years old and above. It makes sense for them to make one in this size, since kids are napping all the time, regardless where they currently are. At least with the Ostrich Junior, nap time is infinitely more comfortable.

The Ostrich Junior pillow comes in two designs: Berry Snooze and Dreamy Waves. It retails for $75(USD). You can find out more about it on Studio Banana’s website.

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Salty Bet Lets You Place Friendly Bets on CPU Controlled Fighting Games

Got a few minutes to spare? Then don’t check out Salty Bet, because it will take those minutes and turn them into hours of lost time. Salty Bet runs an endless livestream of computer-controlled matches on M.U.G.E.N., a free and highly customizable fighting game. It has a massive stable of characters from various fighting franchises and then some. Seriously I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw a match between a Betamax tape and my neighbor’s dog.

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Yep, that’s Son Gohan from Dragon Ball Z, and he’s up against Shadowcat from Marvel Comics. So far I’ve seen Kuchiki Byakuya of Bleach, Rikuo of Darkstalkers, Jill Valentine and some robot that just turned into a rocket ship and flew away.  And it didn’t come back. Seriously this game is nuts. Don’t believe me? Here you go:

Salty Bet is free to join. If you sign up, you get virtual currency, which can only be used to bet on the matches. It has no other value or purpose. The real benefit of becoming a member is that you can join the website’s chat, which is half of what makes Salty Bet such an addictive time waster because the folks there are as freaked out about the matches as you are.

Salty Bet also has a paid membership with a few fringe perks, but trust me you can lose hours just lurking on the site. The game is hilariously bizarre and unbalanced and the folks on the chat are funny, although their language is indeed salty. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to watch Shuma-Gorath lay the smack down on Link.

[via Pocket Tactics]

A Stud on a Stud: Ryan Gosling Earrings

Ryan Gosling’s a good actor. That and the fact that he looks better than average means he’s got legions of women and even men swooning over him. Ryan’s also has a huge presence on the Internet. He was the subject of a meme recently – remember the Ryan Gosling won’t eat his cereal meme?

Then there was the Chrome extension called “Hey Girl”, which basically replaces every image on a web page with one of Ryan Gosling when it’s installed. Back in the real world, Ryan is still as popular as ever. Why, he’s even inspired some people to create earrings featuring his mug with his trademark smirk on them.

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The Ryan Gosling stud earrings are available from Fred Flare for $16(USD). They’re relatively simple, so if you’re not willing to fork over the cash, then I’m sure you can make your own easily.

Ryan Gosling Earrings

[via Incredible Things via LikeCool via Oh Gizmo!]

Updated Iron Man 3 Gaming Mouse: Iron Mouse Mark II

Back in April, we saw the first Iron Man 3 computer mouse turn up for gaming geeks who also happen to be comic book geeks. The mouse is made by a company in a Hong Kong called E-Blue. That company is at it again with an updated version of the computer mouse with a few changes .

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Under the red and gold Iron Man armor exterior, the mouse has the heart of an optical gaming peripheral. It has onboard sensitivity switching ranging from 500 dpi up to 4000 dpi. It also has six buttons that use mechanical switches. Gamers can also choose their own polling rate using a switch on the bottom of the mouse.

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The polling rate can be switched from 125 Hz all the way up to 1000 Hz. Keep in mind that this mouse does use a USB cable rather than being wireless – which is best for gaming. If that wire isn’t a deal breaker for you the mouse is available now for $73 over at Brando.

Let’s hope the mouse has better quality control than the bad translations and typos in the descriptions above.

Breaking Bad Complete Series Blu-ray to Come in a Money Barrel

If you decide that you want the complete Breaking Bad series on Blu-ray, check this out. It will arrive in a money barrel – just like the ones Walt hid his money in. Instead of burying it, you can just buy it. Instead of hiding your money in it, it will take your money and give you Blu-ray discs and other goodies instead.

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The box set barrel set?) will be offer more than 55 hours of special features, a new two-hour documentary, a Los Pollos Hermanos apron, a collectible booklet with a letter from creator Gilligan, and a commemorative Breaking Bad challenge coin designed and created by Gilligan for the set. No GPS tracking device included, though.

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It also includes a special Breaking Bad: Final Season Blu-ray set with an additional 390 minutes of commentary, features, and behind-the-scenes interviews. So cook up some blue, and use your profits to order the set for $224.99(USD) over on Amazon.

[via Slashfilm via Nerd Approved]

Star Wars Pinball: Balance of the Force Hits Consoles and Smartphones

I can remember growing up back in the 80s, there were plenty of pinball machines in arcades alongside the video games. I was always more interested in video games, but there’s no denying that a noisy pinball machine with flippers and giant ball bearings rolling around is tons of fun. It’s hard to find pinball machines these days, but there are plenty of digital versions of pinball machines available.

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If you’re a digital pinball wizard and like Star Wars, a new pack of pinball tables called Star Wars Pinball: Balance of the Force is coming for a number of gaming systems. The game offers three new Star Wars themed pinball tables to play through. Players will aid Star Wars characters including Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewbacca Lando Calrissian, and more. There are also tables themed for bad guys such as Darth Vader.

The new tables will be available for the Xbox, PS3, PS Vita, Nintendo Wii U, iOS, Android, Windows 8, Mac OS, and the Kindle Fire HD later this fall.