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Composition: From Snapshots to Great Shots
by Laurie Excell, John Batdorff, David Brommer, Rick Rickman, Steve Simon
Publication Date: November 27, 2010

Buy new: $24.99 $16.43
12 used & new from $14.37

(Visit the Hot New Releases in Photography list for authoritative information on this product’s current rank.) Details

Product Description
Now that you’ve bought that amazing new DSLR, you need a book that goes beyond the camera manual to teach you how to take those great shots. One key element is composition—the creative arrangement of components in the shot, and the way a viewer’s eye travels through an image.

With Composition: From Snapshots to Great Shots, author and photographer Laurie Excell starts with the basics of composition and explores how the elements of color, shape, angles, and contrast work to create compelling images. Contributing photographers, John Batdorff, David Brommer, Rick Rickman, and Steve Simon, provide unique perspectives on black and white, sports, art history, and other subjects related to composition. Beautifully illustrated with large, vibrant photos, this book teaches you how to take control of your photography to get the image you want every time you pick up the camera.

Follow along with your friendly and knowledgeable guides, and you will learn about:

• Key camera features that affect composition, including the exposure triangle (ISO, aperture, and shutter speed)
• Shadow and light and how to direct the viewer’s eye to your subject
• Lines and shapes that create visual paths to points of interest in your image
• The role of color—using complementary or contrasting colors—to add your own unique artistic expression
• Spatial relationship and placing your subject within the frame for portraits, action shots, or landscapes

And once you’ve got the shot, show it off! Join the book’s Flickr group, share your photos, and discuss how you use your camera to get great shots at flickr.com/groups/composition_fromsnapshotstogreatshots.

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Popularity: 1% [?]

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Monica Bellucci
by Monica Bellucci, Giuseppe Tornatore
(1)
Release Date: November 30, 2010

Buy new: $60.00 $37.80
4 used & new from $37.80

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Product Description
An exquisite tribute to Italy’s most important contemporary model and actress. As a model, Monica Bellucci graced the covers of magazines such as Elle and Esquire before achieving success as an actress whose notable appearances include roles in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Matrix Reloaded, The Passion of the Christ, and The Matrix Revolutions. This glamorous volume features 150 of the most exquisite, sensual photographs of Bellucci throughout her twenty-year career taken by the world’s most important photographers, including Peter Lindbergh, Helmut Newton, Fabrizio Ferri, Richard Avedon, and Ellen von Unwerth. Monica Bellucci will appear in the 2010 Disney film The Sorcerer’s Apprentice with Nicolas Cage.

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Popularity: 2% [?]

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Layers: The Complete Guide to Photoshop’s Most Powerful Feature (2nd Edition)
by Matt Kloskowski
(2)
Publication Date: November 8, 2010

Buy new: $44.99 $29.58
42 used & new from $24.98

(Visit the Hot New Releases in Photography list for authoritative information on this product’s current rank.) Details

Technical Details
- Working with and managing multiple layers
- Building multiple-layer images
- Blending layers together
- Layer masking and just how easy it is
- Which of the 25+ layer blend modes you really need to know (there are just a few)

Product Description
In 2008, Adobe Photoshop pro and best-selling author Matt Kloskowski broke new ground teaching Photoshop by focusing on the one thing that makes Photoshop the amazing (and sometimes difficult to understand) program it is: layers. Now, Matt returns with a major update to the book that explains “the key to understanding Photoshop”  in the same concise, easy to understand way that’s made him so well known in the field of Photoshop training.

When asked about the original version of this book, Matt said, “I wanted it to be the Photoshop book that I wish was around when I was first learning.” This update improves upon that concept. Within these pages, you’ll learn about:

• Working with and managing multiple layers
• Building multiple-layer images
• Blending layers together
• Layer masking and just how easy it is
• Which of the 25+ layer blend modes you really need to know (there are just a few)
• Using layers to enhance and retouch your photos
• All of the tips and tricks that make using layers a breeze
• Plus, a new chapter on advanced layer techniques and compositing to help take your work to the next level

If you want to fully understand layers in Photoshop, this book is the one you’ve been waiting for.

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Popularity: 2% [?]

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Apple iPod touch 64 GB (4th Generation) NEWEST MODEL
by Apple
(277)
Date first available at Amazon.com: September 1, 2010

Buy new: $399.00 $382.54
25 used & new from $375.00

(Ranking is updated hourly. Visit the Hot New Releases in Electronics list for authoritative information on this product’s current rank.) More info

Technical Details
- 64 GB capacity for about 16,000 songs, 80,000 photos, or 80 hours of video
- Up to 40 hours of audio playback or 7 hours of video playback on a single charge
- 3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display with 960-by-640-pixel resolution (326 pixels per inch)
- Support for AAC, Protected AAC (iTunes Store), MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible, Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV audio formats; H.264, MPEG-4, and Motion JPEG video codecs in M4V, MP4, MOV, and AVI formats
- One-year limited warranty

Product Description

See friends while you talk to them with FaceTime. Shoot, edit, and share stunning HD video. Play games against friends, or unknown foes, with the new Game Center. And do it all on the Retina display–the highest-resolution screen on any mobile device. It makes graphics and text look even more amazing. The new iPod touch. It’s state-of-the-art fun.

Introducing the new iPod touch. Now with FaceTime, Retina display, HD video recording, and Game Center. Click to enlarge. Advanced engineering at play.

Pioneering technology built into iPod touch is how you’re able to flick, tap, and pinch. It’s what makes a racing game feel so real. It’s why you’re able to see a friend crack up at your jokes from across the globe. And it’s the reason iPod touch is the most incredible iPod you’ll ever own.

Looks can be amazing.
iPod touch has an all-new design that makes it the thinnest, lightest, most amazing iPod touch ever. Holding one is all the proof you need. With its curved design, iPod touch is now a mere 7.2 millimeters thin. Its engineered-glass front and stainless steel back feel sleek and smooth in your hand. Turn it on, and you’re instantly blown away by the brilliant Retina display. iPod touch is the perfect combination of stunning design and revolutionary technology–brilliant from the outside in.

Retina display. A blast from the future.
There are lots of reasons you won’t want to take your eyes off the new iPod touch. The 960-by-640 backlit LCD display, for one. It packs 326 pixels per inch, making it the highest-resolution iPod screen ever. To achieve this, Apple engineers developed pixels so small–a mere 78 micrometers across–that the human eye can’t distinguish individual pixels. Even though you can’t see them, you’ll definitely notice the difference. Text is remarkably sharp, and graphics are incredibly vivid.

Apple A4 processor. More power to you.
The Apple A4 chip is behind, or rather underneath, all the fun you can have on iPod touch. Apple engineers designed the A4 chip to be a remarkably powerful yet remarkably power-efficient mobile processor. With it, iPod touch can easily perform complex jobs such as multitasking, editing video, and placing FaceTime calls. All while maximizing battery life. And fun.

Gyro + Accelerometer. Smooth moves.
iPod touch just learned some new moves. It now includes a built-in three-axis gyroscope. When paired with the accelerometer, the gyro makes iPod touch capable of advanced motion sensing such as user acceleration, full 3D attitude, and rotation rate. Translation: more motion gestures and greater precision for an even better gaming experience.

Two cameras. Double the fun.
iPod touch captures video with two built-in cameras. It shoots amazing HD 720p video from the back camera. And with its advanced backside illumination sensor, it captures beautiful footage even in low-light settings. All while the built-in microphone records conversations, music, or any audio at the same time. And on the front of the iPod touch, the built-in camera is perfect for making FaceTime calls and shooting self-portraits. It’s surprising how much fun can fit into something so small.

Multi-Touch. Control at your fingertips.
When you put your finger on the iPod touch, how does it just start doing what you want it to do? It’s a chain reaction, really. The Multi-Touch display layers a protective shield over a capacitive panel that senses your touch using electrical fields. It then transmits that information to the Retina display below it. So you can glide through albums with Cover Flow, flick through photos and enlarge them with a pinch, zoom in and out on a section of a web page, and control game elements precisely.

FaceTime comes to iPod touch. Don’t just say hello. Smile.

Tap for a more instant instant message.
Take “LOL” to the next level and actually see friends laughing out loud. Or bring “XOXO” to life when you blow someone a kiss from miles away. FaceTime on iPod touch makes it possible. FaceTime works right out of the box–just enter your Apple ID and email address. Or create a new email account just for FaceTime. Using FaceTime is as easy as it gets. Say you want to start a video call with your best friend over Wi-Fi. Just tap the FaceTime app and find her entry to start the call. An invitation pops up on her iPod touch or iPhone 4 screen asking if she wants to join you. When she accepts, FaceTime begins. It’s all perfectly seamless. And it works in both portrait and landscape. See how much fun you can have.

See friends while you talk with FaceTime, or play games against friends or unknown foes with Game Center.

Two cameras make either side its fun side.
iPod touch has two built-in cameras, one on the front above the display and one on the back. The front camera has been tuned for FaceTime. It has just the right field of view and focal length to focus on your face at arm’s length. So it always presents you in the best possible light. Which is particularly handy when you’re talking to someone who’s more than just a friend.

The back camera. See and share.
So your roommate had to work late and couldn’t make it to the concert. You can share the encore with a FaceTime call. As the band takes the stage and starts playing one of her all-time favorite songs, just tap a button. And before the lead singer can belt out his first note, iPod touch switches to the back camera and to the sure-to-be-legendary performance. Another tap switches to the front camera and to you. Simple, fast, and fun.

HD video recording comes to iPod touch. Ready, and action.

Built-in editing gives video a fun-tuning.
No need to wait until you’re back at your computer to edit video. With basic editing built into iPod touch, you can get right down to business. Just drag to select start and end points on a filmstrip. Keep only the parts of the video you want, and turn it into something you and your friends will watch again and again.

Make mini blockbusters in just a few taps with iMovie on iPod touch. Say you’re on an amazing road trip, and you want to create a video postcard of everything you’ve seen and done. Just use the iMovie app–pick it up in the App Store for just $4.99. Built for iPod touch, iMovie lets you combine and edit video clips, give them that extra something with dynamic themes and transitions, add music and photos, and share your finished movies with the world.

Make a movie. Starring you.
The next time you venture out on, say, an amazing hike, don’t just tell your friends about it. Show them. In addition to the high-definition camera on the back, iPod touch has a VGA-quality camera on the front–above the display–that lets you see yourself on the display while you record. It’s perfect for turning the camera on yourself. No more guessing if you’re in the frame or accidentally cropping yourself out altogether. So get ready for your close-up.

Shoot what you want. Share where you want. Ever find yourself in the middle of typing an email when you see something that words just can’t describe? Just launch the camera and record on the fly. Then upload your HD movie directly to YouTube. Or select some video from the Camera Roll and attach it to a new email message, ready to send. Posting to your Facebook page or blog is also just a tap away. And you can easily sync all the video you shoot on iPod touch back to your Mac or PC.

Point and shoot.
An awesome view. A decked-out cupcake. Your dog looking unbearably cute. If you want to take a quick photo to upload to your Facebook page, either camera on iPod touch can also capture stills. Just tap on the screen to adjust exposure. Then post to Facebook and let the comments begin.

The new Game Center app on iPod touch lets you expand your social gaming network–exponentially. Game Center. Way more than two can play that game.

Gamers rejoice. Game Center is here.
The new Game Center app on iPod touch lets you expand your social gaming network. Exponentially. All anyone needs to play is an iPod touch or iPhone running iOS 4.1. With iOS 4.1, you’ll see a Game Center app on your Home screen. Just tap it and sign in with your Apple ID, and you’re good to go. You can create a different nickname that will be visible to friends and the gaming community. You can also assign several email addresses to the Game Center app, making it easy for more friends to find you. Download any games you see by tapping links in Game Center. Games can be started right in the Game Center app. And the best part: Once you sign in to Game Center, you’re always connected. Until you decide to sign out.

Friends. Soon to be opponents.
Bring your friends along for the ride. Or match. Or mission. Once you’re signed in to the Game Center app, you can invite someone by sending a friend request using their nickname or email address. Your friends show up in a separate Friends list in the Game Center app. Tap on a friend’s name, and you can see what games they’ve been playing. You can also check out pending friend requests you receive, and add as you see fit.

Leaderboards and achievements. Score some bragging rights.
Take a look at leaderboards and see how your score ranks against your friends, as well as all players of each game. You can also compare game achievements with your friends. Check out leaderboards and achievements in the Game Center app and in each individual game app. Let the smack talk begin.

Meet your match.
Say you want to get a multiplayer game going. Auto-match will prioritize your friends if they happen to be looking for an auto-match, too. Otherwise, it will set you up with a soon-to-be-friend from anywhere around the world. You can also choose to invite friends and have auto-match fill the number of players needed for a game.

Music. Let your fingers do the rocking.

Cover Flow. A work of album art.
What a song does for your ears, Cover Flow on iPod touch does for your eyes and fingers. Turn iPod touch on its side and glide through your music by album art with the flick of your finger. Tap an album cover to flip it over and display a track list. Tap again to start the music.

Genius playlists. From one great song comes an even greater playlist.
Say you’re listening to a song you really love and want to hear other tracks that go great with it. Genius uses that song to find other songs in your library and makes a Genius playlist for you. Listen to the playlist right away, save it for later, or even refresh it and give it another go. Count on Genius to create a playlist you wouldn’t have thought of yourself.

Genius Mixes. The ultimate mix-master.
Genius acts as your personal DJ. All you do is sync iPod touch to iTunes, and Genius automatically searches your library to find songs that sound great together. Then it creates multiple mixes you’ll love. These mixes are like channels programmed entirely with your music. It’s a great way to rediscover songs you haven’t heard in forever–and some you even forgot you had.

Let your fingers do the rocking.

Shake to Shuffle. And rock ‘n’ roll with it.
Shake things up a bit. Musically speaking, that is. The next time you’re listening to your tunes, turn on Shake to Shuffle, then give iPod touch a shake to shuffle to a different song in your music library. It’s just another way iPod touch keeps your music feeling fresh.

iTunes. That’s entertainment.
Feed your iPod touch songs and music videos from your iTunes library on your computer. Or buy and download new music on your iPod touch when you access iTunes over Wi-Fi. Songs you purchase on iPod touch transfer to your Mac or PC the next time you connect iPod touch to your computer. And now with iTunes Ping, you can follow friends to find out what music they’re listening to, buying, and recommending. Or catch up with your favorite artists and see if they’re playing near you.

Bluetooth. No strings attached.
iPod touch includes support for Bluetooth wireless technology. So you can pair wireless stereo headphones with it. Keep your iPod in your bag or charging on your desk across the room and still listen to your music.

Movies + TV shows. Take the show, or movie, on the road.

The big screen. On the small screen.
With iPod touch, movie nights can happen anytime of day, anywhere you are. Carry hours of video with you and watch them on the amazing 3.5-inch color widescreen Retina display. Shop the iTunes Store and choose from thousands of movies, TV shows, and video podcasts to fill your iPod touch. From Hollywood blockbusters to indie favorites, there’s something for everyone. Download and watch movies with a few taps. Prefer TV shows? Get a single episode or an entire season’s worth all at once. With iPod touch, you can travel far and widescreen.

Control how you watch.
While watching your video, tap the display to bring up onscreen controls. You can play or pause, view by chapter, and adjust the volume. Or use the volume controls on the left side of the iPod touch. Want to switch between widescreen and full screen? Simply tap the display twice. It’s just like your TV remote. Except you never have to fight over it.

iTunes. Keep yourself entertained.
Need some entertainment for your next flight or road trip? With iTunes on your iPod touch and a Wi-Fi connection, you can buy movies and TV shows on the fly. You can also rent shows for just $0.99 an episode, in case you’re not sure if one is a keeper. And of course, you can also purchase movies and TV shows on your Mac or PC, then sync them to your iPod touch. Popcorn not included.

Visit your favorite websites. All you need is your iPod touch and Wi-Fi.

Available as a free download, iBooks is an amazing eBook reader and a great place to buy books. And plenty more …

• App Store
  Download apps directly to iPod touch.

• iTunes
  Create an iTunes Store account and shop over Wi-Fi anytime.
• iBooks
  Available as a free download, iBooks is an amazing eBook reader and a great place to buy books.
• iMovie
  Edit video, add themes and music, and share your movies. Available in the App Store for just $4.99.
• Mail
  Send email and view attachments from your Gmail, MobileMe, or other email account.
• Safari Web Browser
  Visit your favorite websites. All you need is your iPod touch and Wi-Fi.
• Photos
  Take your photos with you. Share them in an email. Make your favorite your wallpaper.
• Home Screen
  Customize the arrangement of your apps across multiple Home screens in iTunes.
• Voice Control
  Control music playback on iPod touch using spoken commands.
• Maps
  Find restaurants, concert venues, or any place you need to go, and see how to get there with Maps.
• YouTube
  Watch the latest viral video sensation and access your favorite videos.
• Nike + iPod
  Achieve your fitness goals with built-in Nike + iPod support on iPod touch.
• Voice Memos
  Record notes, random thoughts, a friend’s impersonation, or any audio you want.
• Accessibility
  iPod touch comes with screen-reading technology and other accessibility features.

What’s in the Box

64 GB iPod touch, earphones, dock connector to USB cable, and quick start guide.

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Popularity: 3% [?]

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Photographic Composition: A Visual Guide
by Richard D. Zakia, David Page
(1)
Publication Date: October 25, 2010

Buy new: $29.95 $19.77
16 used & new from $19.75

(Ranking is updated hourly. Visit the Hot New Releases in Photography list for authoritative information on this product’s current rank.) Read more

Product Description

However amazing the subject or technically excellent the photography, the single biggest factor in deciding whether a photograph is good or bad is how well it is composed.

Photographic Composition Visualized offers a unique take on this fundamental issue by offering instruction in a visual format – the book is laid out in a unique spread format of a beautiful image on one page, with an in-depth break down of why the rule of composition works in the image, but also how a photographer can apply it to their own photography.

Inspirational, instructive, and, most importantly, visually stunning and beautiful, photography master Richard Zakia teaches the lessons he has learned from over 40 years as a photographer. This is the book every photographer needs to own in order to create the outstanding images they always wanted to - but didn’t know how.

*Learn the rules of photographic composition direct from a master photographer

*Unique format SHOWS the reader specific rules of composition with inspirational images and then TELLS them exactly how to apply it to their own photography

*Covers the full range of compositional considerations, from pre-capture to post-processing

[ Product Details | Technical Details | All Customer Reviews | All Offers ]

Popularity: 1% [?]

Microsoft isn’t the only tech company setting records this month. Despite the global recession, Intel beat the street with its third-quarter earnings report that has investors watching. The chipmaker’s revenue exceeded $11 billion for the first time ever. Up 18 percent year over year, Intel posted $11.1 billion in revenues, operating income of $4.1 billion, and net income of $3 billion, or 52 cents per share.

Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO, said the record-breaking results were driven by solid demand from corporate customers, sales of its leadership products, and continued growth in emerging markets.

“Looking forward, we continue to see healthy worldwide demand for computing products of all types,” he said, “and are particularly excited about our next-generation processor, code-named Sandy Bridge, and the many new designs around our Intel Atom processors in everything from the new Google TV products to a wide array of tablets based on Windows, Android and MeeGo operating systems.”

Across-the-Board Growth

Intel posted nearly across-the-board growth in the third quarter. PC client group revenue was up three percent, with record mobile microprocessor revenue. The data-center group revenue was also up three percent, with record server microprocessor revenue.

One area of weakness was Atom. Intel saw Atom microprocessor and chipset revenue of $396 million, down four percent from the second quarter. The average selling price for microprocessors was flat, but still up significantly year over year. The gross margin was 66 percent.

Intel continued to invest heavily in research and development, spending $3.2 billion in the quarter. However, Intel’s net gain from equity investments and interest was $115 million, lower than the company’s revised expectation of $175 million.

An IT Industry Win

Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT, expects to see Intel continue this momentum. Indeed, Intel’s outlook for the fourth quarter sees revenue at $11.4 billion, plus or minus… Read more

Popularity: 4% [?]

IBM is taking its storage systems to a new level. Indeed, Big Blue’s $6 billion annual research and development investment, along with recent acquisitions, are bearing fruit with the IBM Storwize V7000.

The Storwize 7000 is optimized for workloads like transaction processing and real-time analytics. This midrange disk-storage system is designed to manage the flood of data so it can be delivered for tasks such as processing transactions from web, mobile and embedded devices.

“Organizations are struggling with the volume and evolving nature of the data they’re already collecting,” said Brian Truskowski, general manager of IBM storage. “The IBM Storwize V7000 will deliver clients a new level of storage efficiency that can help them better store and secure their data.”

Increasing Storage Demands

Big Blue pointed to IDC research that reveals the demand for storage capacity worldwide will continue to grow at a compound annual rate of 49.8 percent from 2009-2014. Social-networking sites, digital multimedia, and e-commerce are key data drivers.

IBM promises its solutions help companies categorize data in new ways. The Storwize V7000, for example, could be used to deliver electronic medical records to patients within minutes instead of days.

The Storwize V7000 system also works to simplify administrative tasks such as setup and management. IBM said its system can reduce storage rack space by up to 67 percent when compared with competitive offerings. The new solution, which relies on technology acquired from the July 2010 acquisition of Storwize, also comes packed with software for storage.

With Storwize, IBM acquired storage technology that can compress primary data, or data that clients are actively using, of multiple types — from files to virtualization images to databases — in real time, while still maintaining high levels of performance.

Storage Strategy Shift

The Storwize V7000 is a shift in IBM’s strategy. For many years, IBM largely depended… Details

Popularity: 5% [?]

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski told attendees at the Center for American Progress on Wednesday that the FCC intends to take proactive steps to empower consumers with mandated alerts and other tools to avoid cell-phone billing shocks. According to a recent FCC survey, more than 30 million American adults with a personal cell phone said their bill increased suddenly from one month to the next — even though they had not changed their calling or texting plans.

More than half of those consumers saw an increase of $50 or more, but few were alerted by their provider — either before or after the bill arrived, the survey found. Moreover, unexpected overcharges can be devastating for retired Americans like Robert St. Germain of Dover, Mass., who received an $18,000 bill after his free data downloads expired without warning.

“You’ve got people receiving 300-page phone bills,” which “gives you a pretty good sense of how consumers are entering uncharted waters as the digital revolution gathers steam,” Genachowski said Wednesday. “The FCC role here is to be a cop on the beat protecting and representing American consumers, giving them a voice in the process.”

Alerting Customers

Bill shock typically happens when a subscriber is charged for unknowingly exceeding his or her allotments for voice, text or data, or gets hit with unexpected roaming charges, Genachowski noted. In response, the FCC intends to hold an open meeting Thursday to consider new rules requiring U.S. mobile carriers to notify their subscribers when approaching — or reaching — any monthly limits that would result in additional charges.

“I expect that we will be moving forward on ways to prevent bill shock in a simple, practical, non-prescriptive manner, using technology widely available today, and in a way that encourages innovation in informing consumers,” Genachowski said.

The CTIA trade association representing… Details

Popularity: 5% [?]

As if the gun-toting action in “Call of Duty: Black Ops” wasn’t expected to feel real enough in high definition, Activision Blizzard Inc. announced Tuesday that the latest entry in its successful first-person-shooter video game franchise would be released in 3-D, yet another addition to the 3-D revolution’s growing arsenal.

Mark Lamia, studio head at developer Treyarch, said “Black Ops” would be available in 3-D as an option for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC editions of the game when it is released Nov. 9. He said the game would be the same if played in 2-D or 3-D and that no content was created especially for the 3-D version, though it looks much more immersive.

“When you’re looking at the game in 3-D, the space you’re looking at feels real,” said Lamia. “When I’ve got a weapon, and I’m painting a red dot on an enemy target, I’m painting a red dot on an enemy target. When I’m aiming down the sights, I’m aiming down the sights. When someone’s down the corridor, it feels like somebody’s down that corridor — for real.”

“Black Ops,” the seventh installment in the “Call of Duty” shoot-’em-up saga, will take aim at the Cold War, thrusting players into a time-hopping adventure that involves military cover-ups and shoot-outs in locales such as Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cuba and Russia. The game will also include extensive online multiplayer and cooperative “zombie” modes.

“We haven’t actually changed any art in the game as a result of 3-D,” Lamia said. “It’s the same high-quality, high-fidelity art in both experiences. It’s all engineering that’s gone into that. I think people are going to be shocked when they see it because they’re going to think that we crafted art or experiences for 3-D because it looks so good in 3-D.”

The gaming medium is… Read more

Popularity: 3% [?]

Twitter Inc., the Internet service for short messages, is developing a penchant for keeping its CEOs’ tenures relatively brief, too.

Evan Williams on Monday became the second Twitter co-founder to step aside after a two-year stint, making way for a colleague considered to be better suited for steering the next phase of the company’s rapid growth.

Known simply as (at)Ev on Twitter, Williams intends to focus on product development while continuing to work for the company.

The change in command at the privately held company turns over Twitter’s leadership to Dick Costolo, an early investor who was hired as chief operating officer a year ago.

Since Costolo’s arrival, Twitter has moved into larger offices in San Francisco to accommodate a payroll that has swelled from a few dozen people to about 300 employees.

Costolo, 47, also has played a key role in devising an advertising for Twitter as it tries to make money from an online audience that ballooned from 3 million registered users when Williams became CEO in 2008 to 160 million now.

A recent redesign of the Twitter Web site opened up more opportunities to sell ads without disrupting the stream of messages by creating a new pane for photos, video and other information, including marketing messages. Williams oversaw the Web site’s new look.

In a joint interview Monday, Williams and Costolo said they believed Twitter had reached another critical juncture that called for different leadership skills.

“I have always been more of a product guy and we are entering a new phase of the company where we require a CEO who is more into operations, sales, finance and operations,” Williams said. “And Dick is better at those things than I am.”

Williams, 38, took on the CEO job in 2008 because the company’s board felt he could do a better job expanding Twitter at that stage… Details

Popularity: 1% [?]