Europe – NerdBeach

Cody’s Gaming Hints – Super Smash Bros 64 Unlockable Characters

Super Smash Bros 64 Opening Screen

This is Cody, and I have some cool video game hints for you. Today I want to share some hints on that wonderful classic fighter, Super Smash Bros 64. The good news is that I usually play the game on my Wii. This means that you can find the game on the Nintendo Wii Store inserted of trying to track down a working Nintendo 64. Now, on with the hints.

Mario versus Link, just one of the many matchups you will find in Super Smash Bros 64

JigglyPuff

To unlock JigglyPuff, complete the classic mode, then beat JigglyPuff. He will then be yours for the playing.

Luigi

If you want to play with Luigi, you have to complete the target smash with the 8 starting characters, then take on the man in green himself. If you can beat him, Luigi becomes unlocked.

Captain Falcon

Captain Falcon has a great custom attack, but you have to unlock him before you can try it out. To unlock Captain Falcon, first complete the game's classic mode in under 20 minutes with NO CONTINUES. Then you get chance to beat the Captain himself. As you would expect, beating Captain Falcon at this point unlocks him.

Ness

Who doesn't like the character from Earthbound? He can be yours for the playing, but first you have to complete the classic game on normal difficulty with only 3 lives and NO CONTINUES. Now it's time to tackle Ness, and if you come out victorious, well, you know.

That's all I have for you today. I'll return next time with some new hints to share with my fellow gamers. Until then, game on.

Special Anniversary Edition Legend of Zelda Triforce 3DS

Greg Chaffins

Can you think back to what you were doing 25 years ago? Well, if you are a long term gamer, there stands a good chance that you were playing The Legend of Zelda back then. Nintendo isn’t about to let the quarter century mark go by for one of its most popular game franchises and not do something to celebrate, so we have this – a special edition glossy black Nintendo 3DS adorned with a golden Triforce emblems and gold designs.

Of course, that is not the only thing Nintendo is doing to mark the achievement. You will also find a new Zelda title, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword as well as gold Wii remotes and special Zelda concerts. But the black and gold 3DS is certainly a sharp unit.

Now, the fact that 3DS sales are not up to the level Nintendo would like them to be may be a factor in the special edition model as well, and it plays nicely into the anniversary. No word yet on pricing, but the unit will come bundled with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D and launch in Europe on November 25.

Philadelphia Installing Solar Powered Trash Cans

Greg Chaffins

Philadelphia is making a move to save money, and it is coming through the help of inventive solar power. Their aim is to install 500 solar powered Big Belly self compacting garbage cans over the next couple months, saving the city about 12.9 million over the next 10 years.

How does it save money? Well, a typical public garbage can needs to be emptied about 19 times a week (I had no ideal), the Big Belly can go with needing emptying only about 5 times a week. On top of that, the intelligent trash can will phone the Street Department HQ when it needs to be emptied, saving any false runs. This ends up saving the city by cutting down the garbage workers needed to service the trash cans to 8 from the current staff of 33.

While the ideal is cool, it is a bit sad about people losing their jobs to a solar powered compacting trash can. You do have to take into account the jobs created by the creation of the garbage cans themselves (I would imagine they are a bit more complex to manufacture than your standard trash can, to say the least). Also these trash cans will require service, since mechanical things break down and power cells to hold a charge go flat. Will it offset all the jobs? Probably not, otherwise it would not be a cost saving gesture in the big picture. But in the long run it could provide for higher paying jobs that allows for high end training that could be used for more technical placement in other places. Hopefully.

via

The Dangers of Litter

From ancient Greece to the present day Western hemisphere, humans have thrown unwanted refuse onto streets, countrysides and remote places, unpunished. Prior to reforms within cities in the mid to late 1800s, sanitation was not a priority on governments' lists of things to do. Waste was disposed of by the roadside or in small local dumps. It was unsanitary for local inhabitants and the growing piles of waste led to the spread of disease. The only known pre-modern exception, however, was the Arab Empire, especially in Cordoba, al-Andalus, which had facilities for litter collection.

In the 14th century, the rise of waste in Europe helped contribute to the bubonic plague. Black rats, carrying the fleas which were the vectors for the plague, fed off biodegradable waste discarded by the public.

source: wikipedia

Halloween Optical Illusions

Greg Chaffins

At Nerd Beach we like Halloween, the fall, and everything else about this time of year. There is something in the air that feels like a relaxing evening after a good day, and the colors of the foliage gives the view something dynamic to visually feast upon. (That is, if you are in a part of the world that has fall colors ).

The flash file here is a Halloween themed set of 10 optical illusions, built with a very simplistic interface. After it loads, simply click on the forward or back navigation buttons to view the illusions. This is NOT one of those annoying scary pop ups, just the illusions themselves. But don't worry, perhaps the music alone is sufficiently annoying.

Flash 9 is required for proper operation, so those of you who do not have it installed may find it less than functional (but if you can play YouTube videos okay you should be good to go).

And, as a note, the optical illusions have been verified to be correct. The first illusion is particularly good, but the square colors do match. Check out the flash to see what I am talking about.

Jack O' Turnip?

The carved pumpkin, lit by a candle inside, is one of Halloween's most prominent symbols in America, and is commonly called a jack-o'-lantern. Originating in Europe, these lanterns were first carved from a turnip or rutabaga. Believing that the head was the most powerful part of the body containing the spirit and the knowledge, the Celts used the "head" of the vegetable to frighten off any superstitions.

source:wikipedia