Mom's Minute

Stone of Hope at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial at the National Mall in Washington, DC

There are numerous events, memorials, statues, and gardens throughout honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

To celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life, dream and legacy, people are being called to and are volunteering to help those who are less fortunate, or in need of help.

On this Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, it is fitting to review what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood for.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 and was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennesee.  He dedicated his life to civil rights.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led the Civil Rights Movement advocating boycotts, sit-ins, marches and demonstrations as opposed to violence in seeking civil rights for all. 

It was during his iconic march on Washington, DC in 1963 where he made his famous "I Have A Dream" speech.

A view of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Memorial in Washington, DC showing the Washington Monument

In 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. became the youngest person in history to ever receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was awarded posthumously the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers his  famous I Have a Dream Speech in 1963

A dedication service was held at the site of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC and a wreath was laid at its base on the day the nation celebrates his birthday.

There are information and knowledge quizzes including games online where people are reminded of all the good that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did as well as his notable accomplishments, not only as a civil rights leader but as a humanitarian as well. 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is honored in Washington, DC  by President Barack Obama and others at his memorial site on January 16, 2012.

The words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. where he dreams of a time when people will be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character will live on in infinity.

Happy Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday -- May it be a day on instead of a day off.

 Helicopter from Battlefield 3 

Looks like there may be legalities to protect bringing video game players realistic helicopters for war fighting action.  Especially if the manufacturer's name is prominent on the helicopters. 

When talks broke down between Textron, the parent company of the Bell helicopters, EA proceeded to file a motion in a California court. 

The motion cites first amendment rights to use the actual name of the helicopters in the popular Battlefield 3 video game as a way of artistic expression.

Here is another helicopter from Battlefield 3.

Another helicopter is below.

The specific names of helicopters in the lawsuit are the Bell AH-1Z Viper Attack helicopter, the Bell UH-1Y Venom (Super Huey) helicopter, and the V-22 Osprey transport aircraft.

If this case pans out like a similar case, EA will come out on the winning side.

A similar suit was for EA's use of the name "Derringer" in its Godfather video game.  The court ruled that creative expression trumped over trademark. 

In yet another case, EA won the right to use the likeness of a football player in one of its other video games.

The inclusion of real names on helicopters lends more realism to a video game that has quite realistic game play. EA made a point that the helicopters are not given special video treatment, and is just part of the game. There is also a disclaimer regarding use of the manufacturer's name.

The suit was recently filed, so it's pending if EA's lawsuit will prevail or be overturned.

In the meantime, enjoy playing Battlefield 3, with the real-life named helicopters and all. 

Mass Effect 3 - Available March 12, 2012

Are you tired of twiddling your thumbs, waiting for one of the most anticipated video games of 2012 to be released?

Even though the release date is set in stone and will not change, did you know you can feel closer to having your video game by pre-ordering it now?

Mass Effect 3 Release date is just around the corner and will be  playable on the Xbox 360, the PS3 and PC.

Pre-order now so you can be the first, or close to the first person to get your very own game.

To counter your wait for Mass Effect 3, the video game company is sweetening the pie by adding lots of extras as pre-order bonuses.

Just what are these pre-order bonuses?  Here's a graphic showing the pre-order bonuses you can expect.

You will get lots of bonuses if you preorder Mass Effect 3.

Above is an additional graphic showing the bonuses you will receive by pre-ordering Mass Effect 3.

The  bonuses will vary based upon where you pre-order Mass Effect 3.

Here's the details:

Purchase Location      Preorder Bonus

Anywhere                 M55 Argus Assault Rifle

GameStop & EB        N7 Warfare Gear which includes N7 Valkyrie Assault Rife and N7 Defend

                               armor.

EA Origin                 M55 Argus Assault Rifle and AT-12 Raider Shotgun for PC players

What about DLC?  No specifics on DLC yet, but downloadable characters and races for the multiplayer co-op mode have been hinted at.

If you want to spring for more money to pay for this video game, you can get additional pre-order bonuses by purchasing the N7 Collector's Edition or the Digital Deluxe Edition.  

Here's the pre-order bonuses for these editions.

     N7 Warfare Gear

     Robotic Dog

     Squadmate alternatie outfit pack

     N7 Hoodle

     Bonus mission and character

Gentlemen and Gentle ladies-- Pre-order Mass Effect 3 now and these bonuses can be yours.                                           

Street Fighter X Tekken

The eagerly anticipated video game, Street Fighter X Tekken will be launched on  March 9, 2012. The game results from the creative collaboration between Capcom and Namco.

There are three contests leading up to the release date.  The first will occur in the second week of January, 2012 and will be a music contest.  The second contest will be a dance off, followed by a charity auction during the last week in January, 2012 for original art by the producers of Street Fighter and Tekken.

Here is a scene from Street Fighter X Tekken.

The game will have a mix of Street Fighter and Tekken characters as shown here. Tekken characters will be re-imagined in Capcom's art style.

Street Fighter X Tekken will be available for play on the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3 and the PC.

Here is cover art for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

With Street Fighter and Tekken characters being pitted against each other for the first time -- get ready for the fight of the century.

L.A. Noire video game will be playable on Google TV

Would you like to play your video games via an app on Google TV?

It has just been announced that Google TV is on the verge of launching an OnLive video game streaming app. A specific date was not given.

Using this app, you will be able to play such top tier games as L.A. Noire (pictured above),

Dues: Human Revolution and Batman Arkham City.

OnLive CEO Steve Perlman has been working closely with Google TV to bring top notch console video games to Google TV boxes and Google TV enabled devices such as Vizio, Samsung, LG and Sony's new TVs.

Batman Arkham City will be playable on Google TV via OnLive

Here is a graphic for Google TV.

Besides the TV, what will you need to play video games on Google TV.   You will need an OnLive account as well as an internet connection.

The OnLive service works by streaming video games to you over the internet via remote servers.

As an aside, Google TV will do more than stream video games.  It will  also allow you to access online videos and websites.

Google TV is built into some Sony TVs, and  Samsung is working to bring Google TV to the market.  Also LG just announced it will be introducing its Google TV soon.

Google TV and its partners will be going against the tide in this venture.  The TV market is only expected to grow about 2% in 2012, after realizing no growth in 2011 due a weak global economy.

Maybe the streaming video game app will be Google TV's magic potion.  For now, we will just have to wait and see.