nom

The next Internet landgrab: dot-orgs

The domain extension long associated with non-profits -- .org -- is about to ring up some big bucks.

Public Interest Registry (PIR), the not-for-profit operator of the .org domain extension, has teamed up with registrars Go Daddy and eNom to auction off 94 perviously unregistered one- and two-character .org addresses. PIR CEO Brian Cute says that the proceeds from the initiative -- called Project94 -- will go "to enhance the open development and security of the Internet, particularly in technologically underserved regions of the world."

Where exactly the money will go, he said, will be determined by how … Read more

The 404 1,012: Where we bring our Ella, Ella (podcast)

There's so much to talk about with our guest today, Ella Morton. She's a former editor from CNET Australia, so we'll talk to her about her appearances on Planet CNET, a book she co-wrote with the founders of RecordSetter.com, and her visit to Sesame Street with RocketBoom.

Ella is currently working on a guide book to the world's hidden wonders with the team from Atlas Obscura, so she'll also tell us a few of her favorite stories from her research. We'll finish out the show with a chat about Ella's other love: burlesque!

With so much to talk about, we'll definitely have Ella back on the show, but in the meantime be sure to follow her on Twitter and check out her own podcast, Ellipsis.… Read more

Cut the Rope in HD on your BlackBerry PlayBook

LAS VEGAS--Moscow-based game developer ZeptoLab has today announced Cut the Rope HD for BlackBerry PlayBook.

Om Nom came out swinging here at CES with a demo of the new HTML5 version of the game for IE, followed by the announcement of a licensing division to bring Cut the Rope plush toys to the consumer market. And now, at the tail end of the week, fans of the popular physics-based puzzler get yet another juicy bit of news.

Cut the Rope HD is now available for download in BlackBerry App World for $2.99.

Cut the Rope: Holiday Gift 2011 is here

Cut the Rope, one of the hottest smartphone games, just got an update to the free standalone holiday version for both the iPhone and iPad (universal) featuring new challenges and holiday-themed levels.

Certain apps have staying power on the top-10 list at the iTunes App Store and Cut The Rope offers just the right mix of challenging physics-based gameplay, family-friendly graphics, and tons of levels to explore to keep it near the top.… Read more

Cut the Rope enters the lab

Cut the Rope: Experiments is a fun follow-up to the arcade puzzler Cut the Rope, with a few new elements but the same core concept centered on inventive physics challenges, well-designed and replayable levels, and a cute little candy-loving monster named Om Nom.

The interface is the same: you swipe your finger to cut a rope (occasionally more than one, with multitouch) to drop an attached piece of candy into Om Nom's mouth, a task that becomes increasingly complex with the addition of floating bubbles, dangerous spikes, movable anchors, elastic ropes, and so on. As before, you're also … Read more

Om Nom returns in Cut the Rope: Experiments

I have a lot in common with Om Nom, star of ZeptoLab's Cut the Rope. I'm cute as the dickens. I don't say much. And I love candy.

I'm also willing to be studied in the name of science, which is the theme of Om Nom's new game: Cut the Rope: Experiments. In it, our beloved little monster finds himself under the microscope of the Professor, who's apparently trying to get to the bottom of Om Nom's sweet tooth.

Yeah, it's a pretty flimsy backdrop to what is essentially a Cut the … Read more

Cut the Rope goes to comics

About 19 percent of respondents to a recent study say they have dropped their phones in the toilet, the Facebook for iPad app is hidden inside of the iPhone app version 3.4.4, and the popular iOS and Android game Cut the Rope makes its way to comic books.

Links from Monday's episode of Loaded:

Cut the Rope goes to comics Netflix and Dreamsworks deal in the works 19% of people drop phone into toilet Facebook iPad app in iPhone app Dolby rolls out consumer 7.1 Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (HD) | … Read more

Cut the Rope holiday freebie: 25 Xmas levels!

Not to be outdone by Rovio's Halloween- and Christmas-themed Angry Birds Seasons, Chillingo just took the wraps off Cut the Rope: Holiday Gift.

That's right: Om Nom is back, still hungry for candy, and still adorable as can be. The game serves up 75 25 new levels and immediately lives up to its name. Holiday Gift is absolutely free. You don't even have to own the original.

Update: My bad. The game has 25 new levels, not 75.

Just in case you don't, Cut the Rope works like this: Little green monster Om Nom has a sweet tooth that rivals, well, mine. In each level, a piece of candy is attached to a series of ropes you slice with your finger.

To complete a level, you need to figure out which ropes to cut, and when, to swing the candy into his mouth--collecting as many stars as possible in the process.

Holiday Gift is packed with Christmassy touches, like stockings that teleport the candy from one spot to another (I won't spoil any of the others). It probably goes without saying that if you liked the first Cut the Rope, you'll love Holiday Gift.… Read more

Microsoft's Bing Maps gets a food cart finder

Looking for a food cart in Portland, Ore.? There's probably one right in front of you. But maybe there's one up the street that's better. Now you can find out such things with a new mapping layer from Microsoft for its Bing Maps service.

Having grown up in Portland, I can tell you that most locals know where the best carts are, along with the food item to get at those places. But one thing the locals won't always be able to tell you is the location of the traveling food carts--the ones that are not … Read more

Guitar Hero E3 attempt cheapens Guinness World Records

With E3 just two days away, I got a press release this morning announcing that some hot-shot, young gamer known as Ph3nom will be attempting a world record at the huge convention with the hit game Guitar Hero.

This isn't just any record attempt. Ph3nom, otherwise known as Danny Johnson, is going to boot up an Xbox 360 and try to break the Guinness World Record for the game.

To which I say: Who cares?

I mean, sure, maybe Johnson will top the current record--the release doesn't say what it is or who holds it--but I find it … Read more