World Cup Archive

  • Google celebrates the World Cup with a goooooaaaaalllll

    Google celebrates the World Cup with a goooooaaaaalllll

    Ha! How did I miss this? Go ahead and search for something on Google, then scroll to the bottom of the page. Notice anything? And now we can all celebrate Italy’s elimination from the World Cup! (Thanks, Carlos!)

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  • Elgato’s EyeTV now blocks the World Cup’s vuvuzela

    Elgato’s EyeTV now blocks the World Cup’s vuvuzela

    How can you hate on the vuvuzela? Here’s another option if you’re one of those people who hate the sound of the vuvuzela during the World Cup. Elgato, makers of EyeTV 3, have developed a filter that blocks out the sound of the horns. You’ll need the latest version of EyeTV, mind you. My advice? [...]

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  • Nike’s giant LED screen in Johanesburg has people Tweeting support for their favorite World Cup stars

    Nike’s giant LED screen in Johanesburg has people Tweeting support for their favorite World Cup stars

    Looks like Nike is up to quite a bit more in South Africa than making sure Landon Donovan (and the rest of Team USA) is well-dressed while taking first place in Group C. (Fingers crossed!) I just got word that the company has constructed the biggest interactive LED screen in the whole of Africa. It's on the Life Centre skyscraper that's in Johannesburg. Now, what would you want to do with an giant interactive LED screen in the middle of a major city?

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  • Amazing Twitter World Cup mash-up needs to be seen right now

    Amazing Twitter World Cup mash-up needs to be seen right now

    Whew! Day One of the World Cup is now behind us, and I wanted to take a moment to point y'all in a particularly awesome direction. The Guardian, one of my recommend sites from yesterday's catch-all post, has a truly amazing Twitter mash-up that needs to be seen to be believed. What it does is analyze tweets that occur during a game, then it creates a dynamic chart that corresponds to said tweets.

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  • Kudos to ESPN’s World Cup live stream

    Kudos to ESPN’s World Cup live stream

    Here's a slight update to my World Cup "all you need to know" post from yesterday. I completely forgot to mention that ESPN3.com is streaming all the games live and totally for free. No need to mess around with shady P2P streams.

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  • How to make the most of the World Cup: Apps, Web sites, podcasts and more!

    How to make the most of the World Cup: Apps, Web sites, podcasts and more!

    Let's get down to business. The World Cup begins tomorrow, June 11, 2010. The tournament kicks off with hosts South Africa against Mexico at 9:30am ET/6:30am PT on ESPN in the U.S. (International readers: you'll have to consult your local listings.) Consider this post a general how-to on making the most of the tournament. Mobile Apps, helpful Web sites, podcasts, etc. Woo~!

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  • FIFA Soccer 11, Pro Evolution Soccer 11 first details

    FIFA Soccer 11, Pro Evolution Soccer 11 first details

    Both EA and Konami have revealed details regarding the next FIFA, called FIFA Soccer 10 in the U.S., and Pro Evolution Soccer, called Pro Evolution Soccer 11, games, respectively. The first detail: they exist. There was approximately a zero percent chance that EA and Konami wouldn't continue with the franchises, but you and I know that big corporations make terrible decisions all the time. EA's big new feature is called Personality+, and it aims to make each player in the game as much like the player in real life. That is, Messi should be able to waltz pass defenders in-game as he does for Barcelona week in, week out, while Michael Carrick should be able to complete one pass in 50 as he does for Manchester United. (Exaggerated for effect. folks, so calm down.)

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  • Spain’s David Villa: That second goal against Poland was something out of a video game

    Spain’s David Villa: That second goal against Poland was something out of a video game

    Continuing with our (well, my) nearly non-stop World Cup coverage! Spain beat Poland yesterday 6-0 in Murcia. It was an awesome display, and an illustration of why Spain are the favorites to win the tournament. And yes, there is a tech connection~! That second goal, my word...

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  • Video: Snoop Dogg, David Beckham re-create Star Wars cantina scene for World Cup funsies

    Video: Snoop Dogg, David Beckham re-create Star Wars cantina scene for World Cup funsies

    In the interest of killing two minutes of your time: the famous Star Wars cantina scene, as remixed by Adidas. Yes, that's Snoop Dogg wielding a lightsaber. You youngsters may not know this, but Snoop Dogg used to be a legit gangsta. Now? /me whistles cantina song

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  • Jabulani designer defends World Cup ball, says players just not used to playing at altitiude

    Jabulani designer defends World Cup ball, says players just not used to playing at altitiude

    The lead developer of the Jabulani, the ball that will be used in the World Cup, has hit back at his noisy critics. Dr. Andy Harland, who helped design the ball at England's Loughborough University's Sports Technology Institute, says that what many players are complaining about now, that the ball "moves strangely" or whatever, can be attributed to using the ball at altitude. The ball has been around since December, and he has heard zero complaints until now. So what gives?

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  • How has the exciting world of technology changed since the last World Cup? Let us count the ways!

    How has the exciting world of technology changed since the last World Cup? Let us count the ways!

    A little birdie told me that the World Cup begins in just a few weeks, on June 11, 2010, in South Africa. Four years prior saw Italy lift the trophy in Germany, beating France on penalties. Zinedine Zidane also headbutted Marco Materazzi that day—an immense event in Internet history. A lot of things have changed since that day in Berlin, a lot of things that will shock and amaze you. For example, did you know that Facebook was still only open to college and high school students the moment Fabio Grosso smashed the ball past Fabien Barthez? So, what else has changed between then and now?

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  • It starts: Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas complains about Adidas Jabulani ball ahead of World Cup

    It starts: Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas complains about Adidas Jabulani ball ahead of World Cup

    Right on cue, then. 'Twas only a few days ago that I had mentioned the grand tradition of World Cup goalkeepers complaining about the ball used in the tournament, and we now have our very first complaints (at least I think it's the first). Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who's probably the best goalkeeper going into the tournament (it's either him or Júlio César, of Brazil), said after Spain's 3-2 win over Saudi Arabia in a pre-tournament friendly about an hour ago: "It's a little sad that in a competition as big as the World Cup to have such a poor ball [the Jabulani]. It's not just the goalkeepers complaining, but the outfield players as well." Here we go~!

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  • Will the fancy-pants Jabulani perform at altitude at the World Cup?

    Will the fancy-pants Jabulani perform at altitude at the World Cup?

    Football (soccer) writers are typically terribly serious about what they do. Relax, buddy, it's just a game. A fun game, yeah, but just a game. The Guardian's Barry Glendenning does things a little bit differently: he's actually good! In a column today, Glendenning prepares us all for the inevitable complaints that will surround the Jabulani's performance at the World Cup. It's a time-honored tradition, complaining about the new ball: the ball is too heavy, the ball is too light, the ball swerves too much, the ball swerves too little, etc. Most accurate ball ever created? Obviously you haven't seen a Michael Carrick pass.

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  • UK misses out on Nike World Cup ad, Rooney red-hot with anger (maybe)

    UK misses out on Nike World Cup ad, Rooney red-hot with anger (maybe)

    That Nike World Cup ad I mentioned the other day has aired, I think, 800 million times over the past few days on TV. I know I saw it at least once during the Champions League final at the weekend (which Inter thoroughly deserved to win). But get this: the very first time the ad aired in the UK the final six seconds of the ad never made it on the air! Someone's getting fired...

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  • Video: Nike proves once and for all the world needs a bearded Rooney

    Video: Nike proves once and for all the world needs a bearded Rooney

    We’re about three weeks away from the beginning of the World Cup. You know this because I’ve mentioned it over and over again since 2008. Fancy Adidas this, super-advanced Nike that. And so on. Today’s edition: a three-minute Nike advert that was directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu (of “Babel” fame). Even if you have no [...]

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