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Posts with tag pirates

Filed under: Fun, Google, Search

Google like a pirate (and other useful language tools)


There's a nondescript little link on the Google front page that might have escaped your notice, even if you search Google every day. If you've ever clicked "language tools," though, you know how many languages Google supports. The relevant one for our Download Like a Pirate Day here at Download Squad is, of course, "pirate."

When you set Google's language to pirate, you can "searrrch," look at some nice "engravin's," or set "me likes an' dislikes." This is all pretty silly, of course, but I thought it would be a good opportunity to point out the language features of Google, which can actually be quite useful. Except for this one day of the year, not too many people still speak pirate, but I hear Chinese, French and Arabic are pretty popular.

Filed under: News, Windows, Microsoft

Hong Kong likes Windows Vista

Sure, Vista sales might not be the greatest so far, and Microsoft has already made the bizarre announcement of "Vienna" to follow in 2009, but things aren't all bad for Microsoft's bouncing baby OS. While SFGate reports on Microsoft's efforts to squash rampant piracy in China, ButterBoom has some choice quotes from a South China Morning Post report that says Vista says are doing pretty darn well in Hong Kong. To quote Adam Anger, director of Microsoft's Hong Kong business marketing organization:

"Some retail shops have told us that they have been selling 30 times more than what they usually sell, especially during the launch weekend on February 3 and 4. Some even said that their sales were comparable to high-selling holiday seasons like Christmas."

However, in this blogger's opinion, those numbers might be somewhat skewed both from Microsoft's efforts to 'inspire' Chinese citizens away from their pirating ways, as well as the fact that Windows XP has been around long enough for nearly everyone who wants a copy to get one - legitimately or otherwise.

Featured Time Waster

Forumwarz - a potentially offensive time waster

I pwn UAfter spending the better part of an hour on Forumwarz I still can't decide if it's just sick or if it's kind of fun. It's a bit like a car wreck on the highway. I know I shouldn't be looking but I can't quite turn away.

It's sick, it's twisted, it's the internet on it's worst level and darn it, it's kind of fun. At least for a little while.

Forumwarz is a parody role-playing game that takes place on the internet - or at least the Forumwarz version of it. Your goal is to complete missions that are given to you through a mock up of GoogleTalk called Sentrillion.

Your first "friend" is ShallowEsophagus who begins giving you missions to pwn various forums by being a troll. Depending on the character type you are assigned at start up, you have tools like drooling on the keyboard or bashing your head on the keyboard that you can use to destroy forum threads and eventually, pwn a forum.

Future missions involve buying illegal software from the Russians, pwning more difficult forums and other internet oddness.

Completing missions gives you cash, called Flezz in game, and items that you can pawn or use in other missions. The game is NOT for those easily offended. It's crass, coarse and there are frequent f-bombs in the fake chat sessions.

This is also a game for a more mature audience as it requires you to shop at the Drugs R Fun store to get various concoctions to improve your playing, engage in certain cyber activities to get more Flezz and just generally use a more adult perspective.

If you can get past that, here are the more enjoyable and time-wasting aspects.

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