#2014's

"Tusk" (2014) by kevin smith

“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” brings to an epic conclusion the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield and the Company of Dwarves. Having reclaimed their homeland from the Dragon Smaug, the Company has unwittingly unleashed a deadly force into the world. Enraged, Smaug rains his fiery wrath down upon the defenseless men, women and children of Lake-town.

Obsessed above all else with his reclaimed treasure, Thorin sacrifices friendship and honor to hoard it as Bilbo’s frantic attempts to make him see reason drive the Hobbit towards a desperate and dangerous choice. But there are even greater dangers ahead. Unseen by any but the Wizard Gandalf, the great enemy Sauron has sent forth legions of Orcs in a stealth attack upon the Lonely Mountain.

As darkness converges on their escalating conflict, the races of Dwarves, Elves and Men must decide – unite or be destroyed. Bilbo finds himself fighting for his life and the lives of his friends in the epic Battle of the Five Armies, as the future of Middle-earth hangs in the balance.

http://billgatesfeed.nonissue.com/2015/01/18/bill-gates-goldie-hawn-discuss-the-importance-of-thriving-at-2014s-world-economic-forum/ - #BillGates #Microsoft

Bill Gates, Goldie Hawn Discuss The Importance Of Thriving At 2014's World Economic Forum

New Post has been published on https://www.acgamer.com/2014s-box-art-the-year-in-review/

2014's Box Art: The Year in Review

Gaming is as deeply entrenched in the online age as it’s ever been, with more downloadable games hitting storefronts than ever before. So there’s no better time than now, while we still can, to commemorate the year through the lens of box art.

So many hours and so much thought goes into creating box art, with designers working their utmost to grab consumer attention at ground level. That makes for a curious mix of designs, turning the average store shelf into a kaleidoscope of logos, familiar faces, and occasionally glittering artwork. That very much remain the case this year.

We’ve taken 50 of 2014’s retail releases – we’ve restricted it to games that hit physical store shelves (sorry, Shovel Knight) – and compiled them into a gallery to chronicle the year. As for which box art stood out from the rest, we welcome you to illuminate us in the comments.

What was your favorite video game box art of 2014? Which of the covers we didn’t include were ones you really liked? And what about the coulda-shoulda-done-betters? Let us know!

>>The Year in Box Art<<

2014’s Box Art: The Year in Review originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 22 Dec 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

http://nickjonasfeed.nonissue.com/2014/11/27/nick-jonas-lucy-hale-and-sting-take-over-the-macys-thanksgiving-day-parade/ - #NickJonas #Jonas

Nick Jonas, Lucy Hale And Sting Take Over The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

New Post has been published on https://www.acgamer.com/activisions-q1-2014-is-so-good-its-raising-2014s-outlook/

Activision's Q1 2014 is so good it's raising 2014's outlook

Activision’s net revenue in Q1 2014 was $ 1.11 billion, higher than its expected $ 885 million, but lower than Q1 2013’s $ 1.32 billion. Activision is raising its net revenue outlook for calendar year 2014 from $ 4 billion to $ 4.22 billion.

“The increase in Activision Blizzard’s GAAP outlook for 2014 is a result of the company’s actual Q1 GAAP performance (which was higher than its prior Q1 GAAP outlook for the reasons cited on the first page of this press release), as well as the company’s current expectations for the remainder of the year,” the report says.

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick attributed the better-than-expected performance to Blizzard franchises World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, and Activision’s Skylanders and Call of Duty franchises. Blizzard brought in 60 percent of the company’s net revenue, while Activision accounted for 31 percent and distribution brought in 9 percent.

Activision’s net income in Q1 2014 was down from last year, falling from $ 456 million to $ 293 million. Next-gen sales (PS4, Xbox One and Wii U) brought in $ 108 million net revenue in Q1, while current-gen sales (PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii) brought in $ 546 million, for a console total of $ 654 million. That’s 59 percent of Activision’s total net revenue for the quarter. PC accounted for $ 100 million (9 percent), online did $ 201 million (18 percent), and mobile made $ 83 million (7 percent).

Activision is spending $ 500 million on its console MMO Destiny, and Kotick reiterated his high hopes for the game in today’s report: “We have a strong product pipeline for the balance of the year, beginning with the September 9 planned launch of Destiny, which we believe could become our next billion dollar franchise and the largest new videogame IP launch in history.”

[Image: Activision]

Activision’s Q1 2014 is so good it’s raising 2014’s outlook originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 06 May 2014 17:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

New Post has been published on http://newsworldtoday.net/this-is-what-2014s-social-networks-would-have-looked-like-in-1997/

This Is What 2014's Social Networks Would Have Looked Like In 1997

It was a simpler time. Moviegoers lined up to see “Titanic.” Radios blared Hansen’s “MMMBop.” This fall’s incoming high school seniors were probably just born.

So much of life in 1997 was good. The internet was hardly a part of that. Five years before the advent of Friendster, social networking as we know it was just a twinkle in a 16-year-old Mark Zuckerberg’s eye.

But if you’re curious as to what it would have looked like to stalk friends, pin DIY crafts, and share cat videos in 1997 look no further. Artists and husband and wife duo Dragan Espenschied and Olia Lialina dialed back the clocks on some of 2014′s most popular social sites.

The project, called “Once Upon,” even features a link to download Netscape Navigator 4.03. No matter what, the site is set to load no faster than 8Kbps, or “dial-up” speed.

The world’s most famous social network, Facebook, seems like it would be perfect to update your 1997 friends with your 1997 status.

Espenschied and Lialina’s version is also a little more customizable than Zuckerberg’s thanks to some old-school draggable borders.

A classic curtain backdrop for a site that’s all about watching videos. Get it?  Once Upon’s version of the video-sharing site allows users to upload their own videos through FTP. The longest video on 1997 YouTube is 24 seconds long.

Considering Google+ is hardly popular in 2014, the 1997 version looks comparably appealing.

While modern-day Google+ revolves around “Circles,” 1997 Google+ is seemingly built on squares.

Espenschied and Lialina describe their version of Pinterest like this: “This is a great place where you can collect images you found on the World Wide Web. It is like your own home page, but on Pinterest your every picture will have beautiful borders.”

And wow, look at those borders. This pre-Y2K build of the popular social pinning site lets users register a profile and upload photos from around the web, not unlike the real thing.

SEE ALSO: 7 memes that make mega money

Join the conversation about this story »

New Post has been published on http://newsworldtoday.net/this-is-what-2014s-social-networks-would-have-looked-like-in-1997-2/

This Is What 2014's Social Networks Would Have Looked Like In 1997

It was a simpler time. Moviegoers lined up to see “Titanic.” Radios blared Hansen’s “MMMBop.” This fall’s incoming high school seniors had been probably just born.

So considerably of life in 1997 was very good. The internet was hardly a portion of that. 5 years ahead of the advent of Friendster, social networking as we know it was just a twinkle in a 16-year-old Mark Zuckerberg’s eye.

But if you’re curious as to what it would have looked like to stalk buddies, pin DIY crafts, and share cat videos in 1997 look no further. Artists and husband and wife duo Dragan Espenschied and Olia Lialina dialed back the clocks on some of 2014′s most popular social sites.

The project, known as “When Upon,” even functions a link to download Netscape Navigator 4.03. No matter what, the web site is set to load no more quickly than 8Kbps, or “dial-up” speed.

The world’s most famous social network, Facebook, appears like it would be excellent to update your 1997 pals with your 1997 status.

Espenschied and Lialina’s version is also a little more customizable than Zuckerberg’s thanks to some old-college draggable borders.

A classic curtain backdrop for a internet site that’s all about watching videos. Get it? &nbspOnce Upon’s version of the video-sharing website makes it possible for customers to upload their own videos via FTP. The longest video on 1997 YouTube is 24 seconds long.

Thinking about Google+ is hardly well-liked in 2014, the 1997 version appears comparably appealing.

While modern-day Google+ revolves about “Circles,” 1997 Google+ is seemingly constructed on squares.

Espenschied and Lialina describe their version of Pinterest like this: “This is a wonderful spot where you can collect images you discovered on the Globe Wide Internet. It is like your personal home web page, but on Pinterest your every single picture will have beautiful borders.”

And wow, appear at those borders. This pre-Y2K construct of the well-known social pinning website lets customers register a profile and upload pictures from around the net, not as opposed to the genuine point.

SEE ALSO:&nbsp7 memes that make mega cash

Join the conversation about this story »