When 6-year-old Brevin Hunter heard the tornado siren begin to wail out its warnings, he knew exactly what to do: Put his video game down and head to the basement.
More challenging was convincing his family that he was right.
Fortunately Brevin kept on bugging, and mom eventually listened. She, Brevin, 11-year-old Brody and an aunt went down to the basement with a futon mattress to play it safe. Roughly 10 minutes later, the tornado hit the family's home.
In the tornado's aftermath, Lisa Hunter praised her son for saving their lives. "There's no way I would have gone if he hadn't kept nagging me," she told the Chicago Tribune.
The family is staying at an emergency shelter at the Crossroads Methodist Church in Washington, Ill.
Lucinda Gresham, a nurse volunteering at the church, praised Brevin's actions. "They are alive today because of that boy," she told the Chicago Tribune.In the tornado's aftermath, Lisa Hunter praised her son for saving their lives. "There's no way I would have gone if he hadn't kept nagging me," she told the Chicago Tribune.
The family is staying at an emergency shelter at the Crossroads Methodist Church in Washington, Ill.
The Weather Channel has reported that the tornado that hit Washington is believed to have had winds between 166 and 200 miles per hour.
Brevin will be honored for his quick thinking by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, according to WGN.
Extreme Water Slide
Schlitterbahn is world famous for its innovative water parks. The flag ship location in New Braunfels, Texas made headlines last decade when it unveiled the “Master Blaster,” the world’s first uphill water coaster.
But Schlitterbahn’s latest project may be its most ambitious yet. The Verrückt, which appropriately enough means “insane,” is a 17-story water slide that designer Jeff Henry promises will be the tallest, fastest and steepest water slide in the world.
“This new Meg-A-Blaster speed slide is going to wow our guests and is going to be a game changer for our industry,” Henry said in a statement. “Our greatest challenge will be to find thrill seekers brave enough to ride.”
The Verrückt is scheduled to open to the public at Schlitterbahn’s Kansas City location in May, 2014.
Henry won't specify exactly how tall, or how fast, the slide will be until it's officially completed. But he has promised it will be taller than the current record holder, Brazil’s "Insano.” That slide is more than 14 stories tall and reportedly carries riders at more than 60 miles per hour.
Assuming the Verrückt goes at least as fast, it would technically mean that riders on the slide would be exceeding the speed limit imposed on Kansas City drivers.
Verrückt will be different from the Insano in at least one other major detail: riders will travel on the slide in a four-person raft. Along with the shared experience of terror/delight, the raft will hopefully keep riders from experiencing any unpleasant skin burns during their rapid descent.
No Live-Stream Till 2014
One of the defining features of both next-gen consoles is their ability to stream live gameplay. Although Sony has had issues with several elements of the PlayStation 4 launch, Twitch and Ustream have been running smoothly right out of the box. This isn’t going to be the case for the Xbox One, however. Microsoft’s latest post on the Xbox Wire states that “[Twitch streaming] won’t be available right away” but the team will be looking to “deliver it during the first part of 2014.” Instead, Xbox Live Gold members will be limited to viewing broadcasts until Xbox One streaming is ready for primetime.
Microsoft has tried to balance out this piece of bad news with some details of the Xbox One’s exclusive Twitch features. First up is Snap mode, which allows you to watch a live gameplay stream on one side of the screen while playing games, watching TV or using an entertainment app on the other. Instant switch is another unique feature that gives you the ability to say “Xbox, go to Twitch” out loud to the Kinect sensor to quickly access the app. Microsoft is even offering 10 achievements for watching streams over the Twitch app, but you’ll have to watch a lot of gaming if you want to add those points to your profile.
Streaming has become a phenomenon that stretches beyond the hardcore gaming crowd, and hundreds if not thousands of gamers are giving it a try for the first time with the release of the PlayStation 4. Microsoft is missing out on the uninitiated streamers by failing to prepare Twitch for launch, but it’s just as important that the app works as advertised before it’s released on the Xbox One.
PlayStation 4's Direct Hit
In its first 24 hours of availability, the PlayStation 4 sold more than 1 million units in North America. That's nearly five times the number of PlayStation 3 units the company sold in that system's first two weeks on shelves.
"PS4 was designed with an unwavering commitment to gamers, and we are thrilled that consumer reaction has been so phenomenal," said Andrew House, President and Group CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. "Sales remain very strong in North America, and we expect continued enthusiasm as we launch the PlayStation 4 in Europe and Latin America on November 29. We are extremely grateful for the passion of PlayStation fans and thank them for their continued support."
The fast adoption by consumers makes the PS4 Sony's fastest selling console, even topping the initial numbers of the PlayStation 2 in Japan.
It's a far cry from the early days of the PS3. It took more than a month-and-a-half for the company to ship 1 million units to its retail partners in 2006. And sales of the system in its first two weeks came in at just 197,000 units, according to The NPD Group, far short of the company's goal of 400,000
Parts shortages at the time were the chief reason for the PS3's early sales shortages, though the system's high price tag was also cited.
Sony will have a chance to further increase the PS4's sales totals in two weeks, when the system hits the U.K. and Europe on November 29. Demand is just as strong in that region, with Amazon telling U.K. customers that any orders at this point will arrive after Christmas.
Japan will get the system next February.
Sony has been very optimistic about the sales prospects for the PS4. Last week, SCEA president Jack Tretton predicted the company would sell 3 million PS4s by the end of the year. By the end of next March, Sony expects sales to top 5 million.
The launch isn't entirely smooth, though. Sony began investigating reports of hardware failure even before the PS4 hit shelves - and while the company says fewer than 1 percent of the units were affected, customer reviews on Amazon.com are full of complaints for people saying their system has died. Nearly 500 of the 1,600 customer reviews rank the system at one star.
But,there's a problem.The 'Blue Ring Of Death'.
If stories about hardware failures are scaring you away from buying a PlayStation 4, don’t worry too much. There’s a 99% chance that you’ll be OK. Per The Washington Post, Sony on Tuesday addressed reports of early hardware problems with the PS4 and said that only 1% of consoles are experiencing the “blue light of death” failure where “users are seeing the console’s blue light illuminate to indicate the device is powered on, but still face blank television screens.” Xbox 360 gamers know what it’s like to live under the constant fear of a hardware failure after early versions of the console were plagued by the “red ring of death” that became a major public relations headache for Microsoft. Sony is insisting that any PS4 hardware problems are isolated, however, and that gamers shouldn’t panic.
48 Years Later
The jugglers and the clowns are out in full force for this one. It's probably not exactly what Bob Dylan was envisioning when he penned "Like a Rolling Stone" lo so many decades ago, but it's a pretty terrific tribute to the folk-rock classic directed by YouTube hero Vania Heymann. You can flip through several stations featuring the likes of Marc Maron, Drew Carey, Danny Brown and the Pawn Starssynced masterfully with the track. The video commemorates the recent release of the 47-disc set The Complete Album Collection, Vol. 1.
Why Bill Goldberg Should Not Be In WrestleMania 30
The former WWE and WCW champion has been rumored for a return to the WWE for years and the rumors usually start each year around this time. But while Hogan is a must have at WrestleMania, Goldberg has no business stepping foot in the ring next April.
One of the most popular names coming out of the wrestling boom in the late 90s, Goldberg is a recognizable name in the wrestling industry. Despite his name recognition, Goldberg's only run in the WWE was a colossal failure for many reasons, not all of which are his fault.
Still, the majority of Goldberg's successes are based in WCW and while the WWE isn't shy about honoring the legacy of WCW, Goldberg isn't deserving of having a spot at WrestleMania.
For one he is a guy who made a lot of money, thanks to fans getting behind him and supporting him early on in WCW only to bail on them. When WWE purchased WCW, Goldberg sat on the sidelines and collected a check instead of coming in and being a part of the failed WCW invasion.
After finally coming to the WWE in 2003, Goldberg spent one year with the company before he left again and hasn't returned since. Over the years he's hinted at possibly returning to the ring one day, but only for the right price.
Simply put, Goldberg wouldn't be coming back because he loves wrestling or his fans; he would be coming back for the money associated with being at WrestleMania. I get that it's a business, but Goldberg has never been about entertaining the fans and I have hard time believing a guy who hasn't wrestled a major program in almost a decade is going to be worth the money he thinks he's worth.
Goldberg was never a solid wrestler to begin with as he basically did six or seven moves and that was it. Fans who tune in to WrestleMania and drop $70 on a pay-per-view want more than a guy who will be in the ring for less than 10 minutes before hitting the showers. Say what you want about John Cena and his alleged "fives moves of doom," but at least he can go for 25 minutes plus if needed.
But even if he did decide to work at Mania, there is only one guy on the roster it makes sense to have face him and that is Ryback. Sure the similarities are there and Ryback has dealt with the comparisons since his debut, but can you imagine how awful that match would be? Not to mention Ryback has spent the better part of the last year losing to everyone on the roster not named Zack Ryder.
It would be hard to believe that Ryback who has become a middle of the road name is on a level even close enough to warrant a match with Goldberg. Some fans have said Goldberg facing The Undertaker would be of interest, but again, I don't think the match would be very good and obviously Taker would be winning that match which ruins the impact of Goldberg's return.
Finally, the WWE needs to start looking towards the future and turning some of the guys on the roster into stars and launching their careers at Mania. Giving another top spot and large payday to a guy who won't be around after April is insanity. Last year four of the six top spots at Mania were given to guys who've wrestled less than 5 matches this year.
Doing so again would continue to kill the product as fans get the idea in their head that they only have to tune in eight or nine times a year to see the "stars" because the other talent on the roster never gets a chance to shine on the brightest stages. For a company that runs three TV shows a week and 13 PPVs a year, they need to invest in the lesser-known talent and bringing in Goldberg defeats that idea.
Goldberg was a phenomenal success in his day, there is no doubt about that. But WrestleMania is a special event where the the most deserving of wrestlers get their chance to shine and make names for themselves. Goldberg hasn't been a factor in pro wrestling for decade and if the WWE is smart, it'll stay that way.
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