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Morning Xtra: Beatles 'Rock Band' Harmonies, Soldiers Training on Wii

by Chad Mumm on April 16, 2009 at 11:57 AM



Beatles 'Rock Band' to Allow Harmonizin' With Multiple Mics?
What would a Beatles' 'Rock Band' game be without enabling gamers to sing the Fab Four's harmony parts? According to Game Informer, rumor has it that the game (which comes out in September) will support up to three mics and even include a new harmony training mode to help you tune up your pipes. Here's hoping this is true. [From: Joystiq, Via: Engadget]

University Course Will Show You How to Go Viral
Northwestern University near Chicago is now offering a course on viral videos, but students aren't studying them. They're making them. The class teaches everything from video creation to "astroturfing," the practice of setting up several different accounts to show the same video and, thus, making it appear more popular. No word yet if they offer a section on Rickrolling. [From: WalletPop]

Everyday Words Born from Science Fiction
Some might think that the word 'robotics' comes from science, but did you know it actually comes from science-fiction? Check out these eight other common words that were born not in textbooks, but in the creative minds of sci-fi writers. Courtesy of Oxford English Dictionary editor Jeff Prucher. [From: UEP, Via: Kottke]


Military Tests Soldiers Using Nintendo Wii
As part of a new military program to diagnose and treat brain injuries from combat experience, soldiers at Fort Campbell in Kentucky are now being subjected to a round of tests before and after deployment that includes playing games on a Nintendo Wii. With Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-makers turning to video games for inspiration, as well, it looks like we're getting closer and closer to our Last Starfighter fantasy becoming reality. We wonder what Bill O'Reilly would say about this? [From: Dvice]

Next Microsoft Office Version to Rock 'the Cloud' in 2010
If you're craving an update to your Microsoft Office suite, you'll have to wait until next year; the AP reports that the next version of Microsoft Office will be released early in 2010. The new suite will include slimmed-down versions of Word, Excel, and Powerpoint that run in a Web browser, allowing users to take office work online to "the cloud." According to the report, an ad-supported version of Office 2010 will be available for free on the Web. In the meantime, if you like the sound of cloud computing, check out Google's online office suite, Google Docs. [From: CTV]

Tags: breaking news, BreakingNews, morningxtra, top

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