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Fredrik Liljegren, the DICE founder has his eyes set on free-to-play games, as he's revealed (via Gamasutra) his new studio, Antic Entertainment. He and other Digital Extremes alum Mark Mikulec and Jeff Evans at the London has a project with a title underway called Junk: Battles. This is a bit controversial as that the name itself is not so lovable to would be gamers. Would you love to play this? Let's try! Battle for FREE by clicking here

Astronomers have found the very best place on Earth to observe the heavens. Now all they have to do is get there. Ridge A, as the spot is known, is located in Antarctica, six hundred miles from the South Pole and 13,297 feet above sea level. All things considered, it’s probably the very worst place on the surface of the planet for humans. As far as anyone knows, no person has ever even set foot there. But thanks to satellite data, scientists now know that Ridge A surpasses all other sites based on eight factors that impact the sharpness of observations, like cloud cover and atmospheric turbulence. “The astronomical images taken at Ridge A should be at least three times sharper than at the best sites currently used by astronomers,” said Will Saunders, an astronomer at the Anglo-Australian Observatory and visiting professor to UNSW, in a press release. “Because the sky there is so much darker and drier, it means that a modestly-sized telescope there would be as powerful as the largest te

When our feet are heavily dog tired, we would like to give them a cool Rub down. This little ball, just under two inches in diameter, gives the perfect foot massage to all of us. Here's the tip, while standing, place your foot on the ball and roll; the 172 "stimulating fingers" work the soles of your feet. If you want more pressure, you simply put more of your body weight onto the ball. My feet crave a little rub after a long hike or run. Giving your feet a little love can help prevent plantar fasciitis, an overuse foot injury that can sideline runners. The massage brings blood to the stiff fascia, making it more pliable and responsive to preventative stretching. You can pick up a Rubz at REI for $5. A cheap and easy foot rub, however, is truly priceless. Try it! Its fun!

Profiled on the website of money magazine Barron's, Activision-Blizzard boss Bobby "Guitar-Toting" Kotick reckons that film and television are living on borrowed time as the most prolific forms of entertainment. Speaking on gaming's (near) future, he said, "I view the medium as having the potential to eclipse film and television," going on to tell the article's author that it could happen within five years. According to the piece, the one element Kotick sees as being crucial to this is rendering believable human characters in real time, something he thinks the next round of consoles will be capable of. (You have to wonder what sort of sneak peeks he's been privy to in his position.) BTW, it's probably best not to inform David Cage that all the work he's putting into creating characters you can care about in Heavy Rain is for naught, since it's just not possible this gen. From this link by Randy Nelson

I've always thought Selena Gomez was cute as a button, and apparently she's a ratings powerhouse as well. Her Wizards of Waverly Place Movie hit a grand slam for the Disney Channel on Friday night, premiering to a record-breaking 11.4 million viewers. It now ranks as the most-watched cable program of 2009. Most of the viewers are probably young fans of the TV show, but there have to be a few adults who tuned in as well. I've admittedly found myself landing on the Disney Channel or Nickelodeon for an episode or two of SpongeBob SquarePants or Lizzie McGuire (OK, and maybe JONAS once). Even if you didn't catch Wizards over the weekend, do you tune in to kid networks? from this link

AT AN EVENT to show off upcoming Christmas goodies, Microsoft let slip to the INQ that Windows Mobile 6.5 is to be re-christened Windows Phone. This, says Vole, is an effort to unboggle the minds of the consumer with all the "6.1" and "6.5" business that exists now, and which they're afraid will get even worse when Windows Mobile 7 arrives. The name change also "reflects the upcoming desktop operating system release where people away from their PC can have the same experience everywhere," says Microsoft. Are you suitably un-boggled? The name Windows Phone applies to Windows Mobile 6.1, 6.5 and multitouch Windows Mobile 7. At least something in the Windows universe is forwards and backwards compatible. Features of the new platform (that is WM 6.5, aka Windows Phone) include back-up of all SMS and email content into Vole's cloud, remote disabling of the handset and inclusion of an Itunes-alike Windows Mobile software repository called Market Place. I

Finally, a carmaker is trying to promote diesel in a meaningful way. BMW said this week that the company will offer $4,500 in “eco credits” for anyone who buys a 335d or X5 diesel. Eco credit is basically a euphemism for a rebate since a customer can use it like cash towards a purchase of the diesel Bimmer. European automakers have been selling diesel cars in the U.S. for quite some time. But they haven’t marketed them really aggressively. But with new tougher fuel economy rules, called Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFÉ, set to kick in starting in 2011, they’ll need a play to meet them, especially BMW and Mercedes. European luxury carmakers have long seen CAFE fines as a cost of doing business since they don’t sell enough small cars to balance out the lower fuel economy of their big sporty vehicles and suvs. In BMW’s case, the company has paid some $90 million in fines since 2000, according to documents from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration. Mini’s rise in r