Hello, I'm Evan. I write about tech from my perspective – that of the average tech geek, sometimes with my lawyer glasses on. You can also find me on Twitter and at my real-life job as a lawyer. MORE ABOUT ME.
Just about everybody I know has gotten a laugh out of Damn You Auto Correct, the website that collects embarrassing iPhone messages, thanks to goofy and unintended automatic corrections by the iOS engine. If that is your cup of tea, then you might enjoy Literally Unbelievable, a site that collects Facebook updates from users who think articles from the Onion are true.
The folks in Anonymous, the amorphous group of hackers, must be steaming right now. While Anonymous arguably has justifiable reasons for its hacking, Anonymous probably feels that another group of hackers is making a mockery of hackers everywhere. The self-proclaimed hacker group LulzSec will seemingly target any site at all, stealing user data and going so far as to set up a hotline to take hacking requests. Gizmodo has made it possible for you to check to see if your email has been hacked.
We’ve previously talked about a few ways to make web pages more readable, and we’ve also covered an extension to do the same in Chrome and Firefox . That’s on the PC, though. How about on the Kindle? The Kindle has an experimental web browser that can do the trick in a pinch, but it isn’t the most pleasant experience, given the Kindle’s limitations. There is a trick, though, to making web pages a bit easier to read on the Kindle.
If you grew up in the 80’s, do you remember games like Space Quest, Leisure Suit Larry, and perhaps the best of them all, King’s Quest? They were games from the legendary, and now defunct, Sierra Entertainment. If you long for the fun of yesteryear, then you’re in luck. You can now play the first three King’s Quest Games if you own a Mac or PC. The best part? They’re free.
AGD Interactive is a non-profit fan company that was given a fan license to remake the King’s Quest series. King’s Quest I was released back in 2001, and has seen a few revamps since then, mostly recently in September 2010. King’s Quest II followed in 2002.
The games aren’t just conversions of the originals to support modern operating systems, but rather are complete overhauls of the games. Compare the type of graphics, below, from the original (left) and the remake (right), and you’ll see what I mean. Also, the remakes include additions to the storyline, deeper plots, enhanced puzzles, and fleshed out characters.
In February 2011, the King’s Quest III remake was completed. This one included a digital music score, as well as voice acting. I’ve only just started playing the King’s Quest I remake, but I was very tempted to jump to the third in the series, as it looks to be the most refined. Of course, half the charm of these older games is that they feel unrefined and retro.
Have you gotten through all three? Do you know of any other retro adventure games that are available for true geeks at heart?
King’s Quest I: Quest for the Crown
King’s Quest 2: Romancing the Stones
King’s Quest 3: To Heir Is Human
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Original King’s Quest screenshot from Wikipedia.
Thanks to OS X Daily for helping me find these games.
Every now and then, a web site comes along that defies categorization, but is amazingly cool nonetheless. One such site made the rounds lately, spreading virally. The site is by Intel, and takes the content of your Facebook account, and puts it together in one mind-blowing online “museum.” I was late to the game, only recently visiting the site. If you haven’t paid the site a visit yet, check it out.
