[Software] Paint.net

This is a new weekly article where I pick an application that I feel is worth at least checking out.  The first merges the simplicity of Microsoft Paint and power of The Gimp into one handy little app that makes you wonder why Microsoft doesn't package this into Windows themselves.  It goes by the name Paint.Net and is great for doing any type of pictures that requires graphic manipulation which is something that paint just lacks in.  But if you've ever sat down to Photoshop or Gimp, you'll know those two programs are not easy to pickup or intuitive to the new user.

Paint.net has enough features to get the job done.

I love this program for its many features that normally you would have to pay for which makes this app even better.  This app comes in at the low great price of free.  Really can't beat that.  It also has a plugin and add-on feature that you should be able to find on their community but I can't comment on that because I really haven't needed them yet.

If you like to do quick little image edits and often find that MS Paint lacks some key features and the image editing suites or either to expensive or hard to use I highly recommend this app.  Go see for yourself at Download Paint Net.

Edit: In case you didn't figure it out, I forgot to mention this is a Windows only app.

[News] Video Games Recognized As American History

Video games have been accepted and archived into the Library of Congress.  According to the library, its mission is to "support the Congress in fulfilling its constitutional duties and to further the progress of knowledge and creativity for the benefit of the American people".  With the importance that video games have played in the last 40 years or so I think its past due time.

There's no doubt that video games have always had a certain negative stigma in mainstream culture.  They make kids dumb and they drive people to murder are two catch phrases of a moment that has been tied to video gaming.  But it seems with the commercial success of the gaming industry, it can no longer be denied its position in society and history.  To put it in perspective, a quick search shows that the United States movie industry generated about $72 billion dollars in revenue for 2011.  But the gaming industry generated $130 billion in revenue for the same year.  (Keep in mind these are U.S. figures only.  Globally the numbers come out about the opposite with the movie industry on top.)  That is impressive no matter what kind of old man lenses you look through.

As of now, the collection consists of over 3,000 games (every platform invented) and 1,500 strategy guides says David Gibson while being interviewed by Trevor Owens on the Library of Congress website.  They also will archive the actual system platforms themselves in the future.

I constantly tell my kids about the good old days of gaming but now I feel like the historical value is validated in a certain way.  It's not just me ranting anymore but an authority of sorts confirming what I've thought all along.  This can be nothing but good for the industry, the consumer, and the gaming culture alike.  What does all this mean plain and simple?  Video games can be recognized for their creative value.  Why is any particular movie considered a work of art but a great immersive video game is not?

Techni-LOL: iPhone 5 First Look

Jimmy Kimmel the late night talk show host shows us exactly how dumb we are as a society and how corporations have us in their hip pocket.  Basically Kimmel went out on the streets with an iPhone 4S and told people that it was the new iPhone 5.  Here's the gotcha.  No one has the iPhone 5 yet.  This video is proof that we as a society are completely lost.  I propose that high schools make "common sense 101" a mandatory class that you take every year.  And that consumer products are not your friends, just tools.  Jeez.

First Look: iPhone 5

DROID RAZR M BY Motorola w/o plan in White - Android Smartphone (Google Affiliate Ad)

[News] The Best Video Game Deal Ever: THQ Humble Bundle

I came across this deal while using Reddit and almost shed a tear.  Anyone that enjoys PC gaming at all should be checking this out.  Checking what out you say?  (Long and very dramatic drum roll here) The guys over at Humble Bundle have bundled together six triple A titles for your gaming enjoyment.  Here's the catcher though.  You pay what you want!  Here are the games you get for whatever price you want:

1. Darksiders
2. Metro 2033
3. Red Faction: Armageddon
4. Company of Heroes
5. Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts
6. Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor
7. Saints Row: The Third (if you spend the average of $5.70 or more)

This deal is ridiculous.  Your getting 6 great games for $1 or whatever you feel like paying.  You may have noticed that there's a 7th game listed above.  The reason for that is if you spend $5.70 or more (which is the average pay out) then you get it added for free.  Seriously, this is the only thing on Earth better than a Steam sale.

If that wasn't enough, Humble Bundle and THQ also will throw in the soundtracks to 5 of the 7 games.  With all this content for almost next to nothing, I really encourage you guys to dig deep and pay what you think is fair and add a little on top of that.  I normally wouldn't tell anyone to give away their money to the man for no good reason but this is for a great reason.  Humble Bundle allows you to to pick and choose exactly where your money goes when you make your purchase. 

If you look at the picture above, you can see that you can choose a preset amount or a custom amount.  Next you can split your payment between the developer, which is THQ this time, charity, and the humble guys.  What does that mean?  Not only do you get 7 great games for free but you also get to sleep better knowing that your hard earned dollars are going to the people that matter.  A lot of times through more conventional ways of buying games, developers see a very small percentage of total games sales.  Being able to make sure the developer gets his cut is great in so many ways and lets the actual creators of the game know that we appreciate their efforts.  Plus more importantly for paying to play, a charitable organization will benefit.  Last but not least you can tip Humble for bringing us such great content.

I won't waste anymore of your time.  You need to get over their NOW because this deal ends in 11 days.  As usual, questions, comments, and concerns are welcome and can be posted below.

THQ HUMBLE BUNDLE HERE

Update 12/07/2012:  Humble Bundle added two new games to the THQ Humble Bundle.  Titan Quest and Red Faction: Armageddon.  If you've already purchased the bundle before the new games were added you still get them for free.  All I did was log into my Humble account and navigated to my purchases.  The button to redeem and get the Steam key will be there now and should look like the picture below.