Robot Border Patrol

Source: Popular Science

No it isn't US/Mexico, hell it isn't even the US/Canada border we are talking about here! It is in a little place between South Korea and its neighbor to the North (North Korea, FYI) known as the DMZ.

South Korea has recently unleashed not one, but two killer sentry robots to patrol the area between the two countries Korea. Each robot cost $334,000 but they have some serious hardware, just looking for an excuse to decimate some commies, such as fully automatic weapons and 40-millimeter grenade launchers.

Before you run to the hills and barricade yourself in for the Robocalypse these robots are not fully autonomous, and when a potential threat is encountered a real live operator makes the final kill/let live call.

I would try to do the humane thing and warn the North Koreans about the robo-twins of death, but they are a simple people who don't have fancy things like the internet ... or electricity.

ESPN 3D

Source: Wired

The 3D World Cup broadcasts spread out the over past couple of weeks were only the beggining of a much larger 3D push into the wide world of sports.

And now the biggest name in sports, ESPN, has made a year long commitment to this booming technology by starting its very own 3D production unit. Expect to see various 3D sports events over the coming months.

Initially the events featured will be ones that will be easier to shoot in 3D, such as golf and baseball (The Home Run Derby was already shot using 3D cameras) but if these are successful expect more variety soon.

If you are wondering how serious ESPN is about its new 3D mission just look at the camera setup for just the initial 3D Home Run Derby broadcast:

• One 3D camera suspended behind the pitchers mound 15 feet in the air.
• Dual 3D rigs, set up 5 feet away on both sides of of the batters box.

That is a lot of new hardware, and it should make for a very unique viewing experience. I feel if 3D can be at home anywhere, it would be in sports. I would love the rush of sitting on my couch staring down a pitcher who is about to throw a 102 mph pitch right into my living room, I would probably flinch like a little girl and that would be awesome.

There are some obvious limitations to ESPNs ambitions 3D programming as most viewers do not yet have the new 3D TVs, but ESPN VP Anthony Baily has a simple game plan to combat that initial problem, "The more 3-D content we give the viewers, the more people will want to watch it."

I am inclined to agree with that logic.

Deal: WB Blu-ray Sale

Source: Warner Bros

Warner Bros wants you to have a decent Blu-ray library, so yet again they are having an excellent sale over at WBShop.com.

For the remainder of this week (ending Monday, July 19th) you have the opportunity to get 5 Blu-ray discs for $45. Some of the titles do cost a little bit more, so it may take some shuffling and mathmagic to get yourself the optimum deal for the movies you want.

There are over 50 Blu-rays to choose from included in this deal, so I figure you need all the time you can get to make an educated decision by Monday.

The Usually $9.95 Blus Include:

• Every Which Way But Loose
• A History of Violence
• Letters From Iwo Jima
• Natural Born Killers: Director’s Cut
• Observe and Report
• Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Extended Cut
• Bullitt: Special Edition
• Blazing Saddles
• Speed Racer
• Grumpy Old Men

The Usually $14.95 Blus Include:

• The Hangover
• All 6 of the Harry Potter films
• The Invention of Lying
• Terminator Salvation
• Watchmen

The Experiment in September

Source: MovieWeb

If you didn't get enough Adrian Brody this last weekend in Predators, come September 21st you will get a second chance.

The Experiment is based off of a 2001 German film by the same name (Das Experiment in case you were wondering.) which is an interesting psychological thriller very loosely based off a real Stanford experiment. With the promise of $1,000 a day 24 men sign up for a social experiment. Said experiment breaks the men into two groups; prisoners (led by Adrian Brody) and guards (with Forrest Whitaker carrying the big nightstick) in what is meant to be a realistic prison simulation. But as the old adage goes; power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, and before you know it the relationship between the captives and the guards goes from tense to ... well, prison rules.

Although The Experiment boasts two Academy Award winning actors it is slated for a direct to DVD/Blu-ray release September 21st. No extras have been announced as of yet, but stay posted!

To sate your curiosity, here is a trailer for The Experiment:

Free Amazon Prime Account

Source: TechCrunch

Amazon Prime is a special type of account that gets you special perks, such as free two-day delivery,exclusive promotions and other goodies that costs $79 annually. While 80 bucks may be a bit steep if you don't regularly use Amazon for your online shopping they have a special offer for all college students. Now if you have a valid email ending in ".edu" and are currently enrolled in college you can get one year of Amazon Prime for free!

By joining Amazon Student, and verifying your college enrollment, you will automatically be given all of the perks Amazon Prime has to offer. For specific guidelines, and to see if you qualify check here.

Don't worry everyone else, even if you aren't a currently enrolled college student you may still be eligible for a 1-month free trial of Amazon Prime.

Speaking as a college dude, who occasionally buys movies online, the free 2-day delivery is enough to convince me to give this a try. I knew getting a higher education would pay off in the long run!

The Peacemaker Blu in September

Source: HighDef Disc News

Anybody has the potential to be a nuclear terrorist, even a piano teacher!

The 1997 action/thriller The Peacemaker is getting a Blu-ray release. The film stars Nicole Kidman as a nuclear weapons specialist and George Clooney as an special forces officer who have been tasked with finding missing Russian nuke (It is not in a vending machine, that is soooo Sum of all Fears.) before it falls into the hands of terrorists. But when they fail to get the warhead first they have a nearly impossible challenge; stop a terrorist who has absolutely no demands and intends on detonating the nuclear device somewhere in New York.

Extras Include:

• Stunt Footage
• Deleted Scenes
• Theatrical Trailer