Inform Hobbies

Indian student named world's shortest living woman

2011-12-16T07:31:36Z

An Indian student measuring just 62.8 centimetres (less than two foot, one inch) was on Friday confirmed as the world's shortest living woman, Guinness World Records said on Friday.

Jyoti Amge took the title as she celebrated her 18th birthday with family and friends in the city of Nagpur, some 520 kilometres (320 miles)...

Indian student named world's shortest woman

2011-12-16T06:30:30Z

An Indian student measuring just 62.8 centimetres (less than two foot, one inch) was on Friday confirmed as the world's shortest living woman, Guinness World Records said on Friday.

Jyoti Amge took the title as she celebrated her 18th birthday with family and friends in the city of Nagpur, some 520 kilometres (320 miles)...

Nintendo denies report games designer Miyamoto to retire

2011-12-08T01:00:12Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - Nintendo Co Ltd on Thursday denied a report that Shigeru Miyamoto, widely seen as the world's most influential games designer, would step down from his current position and take a smaller role in t...

Rare Greek coin could sell for $2.5 million at auction

2011-12-06T11:30:21Z

(Reuters) - Greece's financial crisis could certainly use the help of a drachma -- provided it's the 2400-year-old coin that is poised to fetch $2.5 million when it is auctioned next month.

The Dekadrachm of Akragas, which was minted in Sicily and dates to 409-406 B.C., will be sold at auctio...

Nintendo wants to keep up Black Friday momentum

2011-11-29T16:00:20Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - After a strong Black Friday showing, Nintendo now has to focus on maintaining the momentum for its products over the next five weeks of the crucial holiday season, the company's U.S. president told the Reuters) - French film and stage actor Alain Delon sold a thousand bottles of his wine collection on Saturday with a big Chinese buyer pushing the auction results well above pre-sale estimates.

Delon, once called "the male Brigitte Bardot" for h...

Activision CEO taunts EA, talks up "Skylanders"

2011-11-28T16:30:12Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Activision Blizzard Chief Executive Bobby Kotick told Reuters that stores may face a shortage of its new children's game this holiday season and tried to cast doubt on a rival's upcoming game that analysts ...

Anand to play Gelfand for 2012 chess title

2011-11-26T10:30:16Z

Indian chess champion Viswanathan Anand and his Israeli rival Boris Gelfand agreed Saturday to play a $2.5-million series of matches in a historic Moscow art gallery for the 2012 world crown.

The May 10-21 series will be played inside Moscow's Tretyakov State Gallery across the Moscow River from Reuters) - When gamers take the wraps off the new "BioShock" video game next year, they should not be surprised if parts of the game remind them of the Occupy Wall Street protests.

Ken Lev...

French blogger needles the elite with knitted news

2011-11-20T18:30:34Z

From a randy Dominique Strauss-Kahn to a diminutive Nicolas Sarkozy, a French blogger has become an Internet hit by needling the rich and powerful with knitted dolls in sly recreations of the news.

Inspired by the sex scandal around former IMF director Strauss-Kahn, knitting fan Anna launched the blog in the northern city of Li...

French blogger needle the elite with knitted news

2011-11-20T02:30:24Z

From a randy Dominique Strauss-Kahn to a diminutive Nicolas Sarkozy, a French blogger has become an Internet hit by needling the rich and powerful with knitted dolls in sly recreations of the news.

Inspired by the sex scandal around former IMF director Strauss-Kahn, knitting fan Anna launched the blog in the northern city of Li...

Activision's Warcraft loses steam, Call of duty shines

2011-11-08T16:30:21Z

(Reuters) - Activision Blizzard revealed it has lost almost a million users for its "World of Warcraft" cash cow, dampening enthusiasm for its blockbuster "

Hulu shows heading for Nintendo Wii and 3DS

2011-10-21T15:30:26Z

Nintendo said Friday that online video service Hulu Plus will stream movies and television shows to Wii and 3DS videogame systems by the end of the year.

The Japanese videogame giant also planned to release in November a software update that will let people re...

T. rex was bigger than thought: study

2011-10-12T18:30:40Z

The iconic T. rex dinosaur grew bigger and faster than previously estimated, according to new methods based on actual skeletons instead of scale models, British and US scientists said Wednesday.

Scientists digitally modeled flesh on five mounted T. rex skeletons and showed that the meat-eating lizard kings were up to a third bigger and grew two times as fast into adults than previous research had suggested.

The finding...

The Amazon Trail: The Butch Sewing Kit

2011-10-12T07:30:09Z

Lee Lynch in a unique look at sewing

I don’t know about butch guys, but butch women are a mass of incongruities. I used to know a butch who drove cement trucks for a living and was a minister in her free time. You don’t just drive a cement truck, you’re out there with the boys using your rake and shovel. You don’t just preach from a pulpit, you have the delicate task of counseling the hum...

Playboy Party Pit hops onto Palms casino floor

2011-10-06T02:30:28Z

The party pit casino floor concept in Las Vegas has expanded to the Palms, which Monday said it has created the Playboy Party Pit.

It's described as "an energetic, devoted space on the casino floor featuring Playboy bunny dealers, giving blackjack players an amped up gaming experience.''

The Palms is already known for its Harry Potter fans mourning the end of the boy wizard movies will have their spirits lifted by a new British attraction offering "muggles" a peek at the magic behind the films.

The cameras have stopped rolling in the cavernous Great Hall, at the Quidditch pitches and inside the Gryffindor dormitory of Hogwarts

TOY STORE SHOOTS FOR THE STARS

2011-09-28T02:30:41Z

The young Johnny Jimenez was different from most children. Instead of getting a dollar when he lost a tooth, he would often find a silver certificate or a Morgan dollar under his pillow.His father, a garbage man in Bakersfield, Calif., was an avid collector of antique money, and from a young age Jimenez knew the value of an old piece.

"I a...

Nintendo unveils raft of software in bid to rescue 3DS

2011-09-12T21:30:07Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - Nintendo on Tuesday announced a raft of new software in a bid to prop up disappointing sales of its latest handheld games gadget, the 3DS, but there was no sign of the add-...

Knitter cozies up to yarnstorming

2011-09-08T02:30:39Z

Artist Diane Bush has a long history as a radical hippie, fighting the man, the war, the media and politics. If a movement appeals to her philosophy and aesthetic, she dives in full throttle. No surprise then that she's formed a not-so-rogue group of senior crafters: West Flamingo Yarnstorming Group.

Yarnstorming — also called yarn bombing or guerilla knitting — is the movement where knitters "tag" trees, parking meter...

Sony unveils 'world's first' 3D 'visor'

2011-08-31T12:30:39Z

Sony on Wednesday unveiled what it calls the world's first three-dimensional head mounted display, a device that enables its wearer to experience cinema-like virtual screen viewing.

The "Personal 3D Viewer (HMZ-T1)", is a visor-like gadget weighing only 420 grammes (14.7 ounces) that wraps around the head and enables its wearer to view high definition 3D images using two panels mounted in front of each eye.

The device is tethered to a processor unit and boasts surround-sound ...

Nintendo shares leap on 3DS optimism

2011-08-23T06:30:22Z

Nintendo shares surged on Tuesday amid hopes that its struggling 3DS console would finally take off following a price cut and on expectations of new game titles for the upcoming Christmas season.

The jump came after the Japanese videogame giant announced its dedicated trade show for September, which is typically holds annually.

The company last month said ...

Brains and beauty on show at naked readings

2011-08-21T02:30:13Z

Sit back and enjoy readings of Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde or Henrik Ibsen, sip a glass of wine -- oh, and gaze upon the readers themselves: they're naked.

That combination of delights is on offer once a month in New York thanks to the enterprising group Naked Girls Reading.

At a recent se...

Electronic Arts upbeat about holiday season sales

2011-08-14T22:30:07Z

FRANKFURT, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Video games publisher Electronic Arts (EA) is upbeat about Christmas holiday sales as it expects to release top titles and prepares its most high profile launch ever: "Europe. His shows fill stadiums. Fans stop him for autographs at grocery stores and malls. Camera crews follow him around filming reality TV shows.

But his fame hasn't carried across the Atlantic. In Las Vegas, Rouven is an unknown. He blends in with tourists on the Strip. He has to introduce himself ...

Activision Blizzard raises outlook

2011-08-03T14:00:30Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Activision Blizzard, the biggest video game publisher, raised its earnings outlook for the year and said its quarterly profit rose as more gamers bought content over the Internet for its biggest franchise, "Sony Computer Entertainment announced Tuesday that it has bought the studio behind hit videogames "inFamous" and "Sly Cooper."

Sucker Punch Productions will be par...

Could skittles save the great British pub?

2011-08-02T06:30:08Z

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - British pubs -- closing at record rates in a harsh economic climate -- could be saved by reviving traditional games like skittles and darts, according to a report on Tuesday.

Such games have disappeared from many pubs in recent years in favor of gaming machines which charge customers to play, and from which landlords can take a cut, the report said.

But bringin...

Chess-mad Armenia's heroes return in triumph

2011-07-29T09:30:36Z

Armenia's top chess players, lauded as heroes after winning the 2011 World Team Chess Championship this week, vowed on Friday to boost the small chess-mad country's status in the game even further.

The team's head coach said that future successes will be secured through official support and an unusual new scheme to promote the game among schoolchildren initiated by Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian, a keen player who also ...

Nintendo shares dive on 3DS price cut, earnings

2011-07-29T05:30:18Z

Shares in Japan's Nintendo fell 12.2 percent Friday after it posted a first-quarter loss, cut forecasts and slashed the price of its 3DS handheld console by 40 percent, less than six months after its launch.

The gaming giant tumbled to a close of 12,290 yen at the Osaka Stock Exchange.

At one point the...

Nintendo shares tumble 20% on weak earnings

2011-07-28T19:30:22Z

Shares in Japan's Nintendo tumbled more than 20 percent Friday after it posted a first-quarter loss, cut forecasts and slashed the price of its 3DS handheld console less than six months after its launch.

Shares tumbled to 11,170 yen at 0120 GMT on the Osaka Stock Exchange to hit six-year lows, the day after ...

Struggling Nintendo books loss, slashes 3DS price

2011-07-28T09:31:01Z

Japan's Nintendo Thursday reported a first-quarter loss, lowered its annual forecast and slashed the price of its 3DS handheld console by 40 percent less than six months after its launch.

The gaming giant booked a net loss of 25.5 billion yen ($327.9 million) for the April-June quarter and cut its forecast for the year t...

Nintendo posts first ever quarterly loss, slashes 3DS prices

2011-07-28T04:00:08Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nintendo Co posted its first ever quarterly operating loss, cut the price of its 3DS handheld game player and slashed its full-year pro...

Greek canary sings a golden tune

2011-07-25T19:30:15Z

Investors should not be surprised if precious metals and miners consolidate after such an impressive reversal over the past few weeks.

The market wires are ablaze recently with news that all is well in the relationship between Athens and the elites of the Euro-Zone.
The Greek bailout is a fait accompli.
The markets are responding with a relief rally that has taken the pressure ...

Chinese rhino cups set "Antiques Roadshow" record

2011-07-25T13:00:22Z

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A collection of Chinese cups carved from rhinoceros horns has become the most valuable find in the 16-year history of the television program "Antiques Roadshow" in the United States.

Microsoft profit soars on record revenue

2011-07-21T18:30:24Z

US technology giant Microsoft said Thursday its annual profit soared on record revenue thanks in part to hot demand for its Xbox 360 videogame console gear and online network.

Microsoft reported its net income surged 23 percent to $23.15 billion on record high revenue of $69.94 billion in the fiscal year that ended June 30.

The annual r...

THE REAL DEAL AT WSOP

2011-07-19T02:30:25Z

Playing poker looks easy on television.You are dealt two cards, place a wager or fold your hand, engage in friendly small talk with the stranger sitting next to you and hope to catch a miraculous hot streak.

That, however, is only half the battle.

That's something I learned Wednesday at the Rio while playing in event No. 337 of the World Series of Poker

Sharon Stone ordered to compensate yard worker

2011-07-13T20:30:10Z

US actress Sharon Stone has been ordered to pay $232,000 in compensation to a worker who injured his knee after slipping and falling in her back yard.

Peter Krause, who injured his right knee while installing a sound system in the star's yard in August 2006, had been seeking up to $1.5 million for pain, suffering and loss of earnings.

A jury at the

Ubisoft buys free online game startup Owlient

2011-07-12T19:30:36Z

Videogame publishing titan Ubisoft announced Tuesday that it is buying a French developer specializing in games played free on the Internet.

The purchase of Owlient comes as part of a strategy by Ubisoft to follow players onto the Internet, social networks, smartphones, tablet computers and other venues while still serving up blockbuster titles for consoles.

"We are thrilled to welcome the talente...

Texas artist's work hurtling through space with Atlantis

2011-07-12T16:30:10Z

HOUSTON (Reuters) - It's a rare person who can say that her artwork is hurtling through space.

But Rachel Hobson, a self-proclaimed space geek and crafts blogger, can certainly claim those bragging rights.

As millions watched the launch of the final U.S. shuttle mission, Atlantis, Hobs...

EA Scrabble lets iPhone play with Android

2011-07-11T17:30:08Z

US videogame titan Electronic Arts (EA) on Monday released a version of word game Scrabble that people can play together whether they are using Apple devices, Android gadgets, or Facebook.

Scrabble Free broke from the pattern of limiting adversaries to folks using similar operating platforms, such as

Social gaming firm DeNA to seek acquisitions in Europe, Asia

2011-07-11T00:00:07Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese mobile social gaming firm DeNA will seek to expand by buying more game developers, its new chief executive, Isao Moriyasu, said in an interview on Monday.

In a bid to take its highly profitable business model global, the company is set to launch a global Android version of Mobage, its successful social networki...

Heirs, US govt battle in court over rare coins

2011-07-09T14:30:24Z

The heirs to a renowned Philadelphia jeweler are locked in a court battle with the US government over the ownership of 10 rare gold coins from 1933 worth an estimated $75 million.

The government contends the coins were stolen because the 1933 Double Eagles, worth $20 when they were minted, were never authorized for circulation.

But lawyers for the descendants of Tommy Sheridan leaves at Glasgow High Court. It was a case that gripped Scotland, a firebrand leftist lawmaker who claimed he spent nights at home playing Scrabble versus a tabloid that claimed he took part in wild parties at a sex club. The first jury ruled for Sc...

Gulf Oil Spill-Counting Birds

2010-12-24T03:31:49Z

Hans Holbrook, of LaPlace, Louisiana looks though a monocular as he scans the coast of for birds during the National Audubon Society's annual Christmas bird count on the Gulf Coast in Grand Isle, La., Saturday, Dec. 22, 2010. 60,000 bird watchers fanned out ac...

Jo Ann Acquisition

2010-12-23T11:01:31Z

In this logo provided by Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores, the leading fabric and craft specialty retailer's logo is displayed. Fabric and craft store chain Jo-Ann Stores Inc. is being taken private by investment firm Leonard Green & Partners LP for about $1.6 billion, the latest in a series of billion-dollar retail ...

TV Cash Cab

2010-12-21T06:02:09Z

In this 2007 publicity image released by Discovery, Ben Bailey, host of the mobile game show, "Cash Cab," is shown. (AP Photo/Discovery Channel, Todd Plitt)

Driving Sim Controllers

2010-12-16T13:02:10Z

Shown Thursday, Dec. 16, 2010 in Atlanta, is the Logitech GT Force racing wheel ($149.95) and the Thrustmaster Ferrari F60 limited edition wireless gamepad controller ($49.99). Both controllers work for PlayStation 3 and PC and provide adde...