If you are one of those backers still waiting on your OUYA and haven’t received your tracking number, don’t fret. According to OUYA, “it’s on its way we promise — although every early backer order has been shipped out of Hong Kong, not every backer will immediately receive an email alert and/or tracking number notification since — as the past couple of weeks have taught us — it could take up to one week for the shipments to be scanned by our distribution partners (thus triggering a user email alert).” The company also stated that email delays may incur due to the upcoming Memorial Day holiday this weekend, and some backers may not receive their tracking number until Wednesday of next week.

OUYA needs to get these consoles out ASAP, as all the hype has subsided quite a bit due to the ongoing delays, as well as the announcements of the Xbox One and Playstation 4. Check back with Mind Of The Geek soon, as our full review of the console will come as soon as ours arrives!

See below for the entire release from OUYA:

Project Update #28: OUYA: A New Kind of Video Game Console by OUYA

Project Update #28: Level one completed. [Many] more to go.

Drumroll … the day has arrived.

Yep, 100 percent of all early backer orders have successfully shipped this week from our warehouse in Hong Kong and are en route to all of you still waiting patiently for your OUYA.

And yes … that means ALL early backer orders — regardless of your geographical location, standard edition or limited edition, extra controllers, etc. — if you are an early backer, your OUYA is on the way!

Below are a few answers to questions we’re anticipating you may have — and — if we haven’t answered your questions, please drop us a line at support@ouya.tv or hit us up @OUYAsupport and we’ll do our best to get back to you quickly with answers (and thank you in advance for your patience as we continue to do our best to respond to everyone!).

Q: I haven’t yet received a confirmation email — should I be concerned?

A: Nope, it’s on its way we promise — although every early backer order has been shipped out of Hong Kong, not every backer will immediately receive an email alert and/or tracking number notification since — as the past couple of weeks have taught us — it could take up to one week for the shipments to be scanned by our distribution partners (thus triggering a user email alert). Please be patient as this timetable should be consistent with this week’s final mailings and we will keep everyone posted if we hit any unforeseen snags.

UPDATE: Knowing that this weekend is a Holiday in the U.S., we contacted our shipping services partner (DHL Global) to get clarity on if/how this would impact our shipping process — they’ve told us that, in fact, scanning all shipments (which trigger the confirmation emails) may be delayed until next Wednesday (5/29) at the latest. If for whatever reason you haven’t received a notification by then, please hit us up at support@ouya.tv or @OUYASupport and we can do our best to help track it down for you.

Q: I received a shipping email but when I click on the link it says it’s not yet in the DHL Global system — is this normal?

A: Yes, this can happen and is normal in some cases (see the answer above); we’ve learned through trial and error that it sometimes takes more time than we’d like for shipments to be scanned and become trackable for our customers. That said, the orders are still moving in your direction and the ability to track a package doesn’t restrict the delivery schedule.

Q: Now that all early backer orders have shipped, how long before I receive my OUYA?

A: The short answer is — it depends — on your location, on your order type, on extra controllers … wish it was easier for us to answer! But as we mentioned above, the consistent trend so far indicates all orders will be received in no more than 3 weeks after receiving your initial shipping notification. Again, please hit us up at support@ouya.tv or @OUYAsupport if this doesn’t apply to your order — we’re here to help!

Q: I received my OUYA but my etched controller faceplates weren’t included. What’s up with that?

A: Here’s what’s up — because this etching process has taken twice the time and effort we had initially planned for, we’re sending you the remaining components of your order FIRST (console + controller bundle, etc.) — and will then send your customized faceplates in a separate mailing. Again, not as we had initially planned for, but we wanted to get everyone their console ASAP and feel this was the best compromise. We don’t yet have the exact timing of when these etched faceplates will land in your hands, but we’re aiming to have them in the mail within 2 to 3 weeks at the latest. You will receive a separate shipping confirmation email once the order has been processed.

And a few other things I want to mention for those backers living in the EU and Australia:

If you live in the EU — please be sure to check the package thoroughly as the included power adapter was packed separately from the product’s packaging for these early backer shipments (again, an adjustment we made in real-time to expedite the delivery of these orders).

If you live in Australia — because your orders are being scanned and processed by our shipping partner only after they arrive in your country (and not when they leave Hong Kong like other territories), you likely won’t receive a shipping notification until early / mid-next week so please be patient. Your orders are on the way!

This rumor comes on the heels of the recent executive turmoil at the handset maker, along with disappointing sales numbers relative to the HTC One’s biggest competitor the Samsung Galaxy S 4. No launch date or price has been released or rumored, so HTC fans will need to keep a close eye out on this one.

Source: Geek.com

The updated gMusic app fully supports the service, including on-the-go play list and radio station creation. gMusic’s user interface is very well done, and is a breeze to use. gMusic also supports playback via Bluetooth, USB, or any dock or accessory that has an iPod/iPhone port built-in. gMusic was hands-down our favorite iOS app for Google Music before the update, and many users will quickly replace Apple’s iPod app as their music app of choice.

Google Play All Access Music through gMusic requires a valid subscription, but Google is offering the service at a discounted rate of only $7.99 per month, $2 less than Spotify’s monthly premium service, if you sign up before June 30 and keep your account active. Furthermore, Google is offering a free 30-day trial to all new customers now who sign up, so if you’re unsure, there’s never been a better time to give Google’s new music service a shot. I have, and since then have canceled my Spotify account, as I’m getting the same music at a lower price per month.

Google Play All Access Music requires a valid Google account (Gmail address or Google Apps account), and users can sign up for their 30-day free trial over at the Google Play Music Store now. Check out the screen shots below of gMusic streaming music from Google Play All Access Music on my iPhone 5.

Header Image Courtesy of Macgasm.net

Verizon customers wishing for more storage than 500 MB can upgrade to 25GB, 75GB, or 125GB of storage for an extra $2.99, $5.99, or $9.99 per month respectively. Verizon’s Cloud currently does not support the iPad natively (users will have to download the iPhone/iPod Touch app and scale it), according to their web page, although we wouldn’t be surprised to see it added sooner than later. Verizon customers will need to activate the free 500MB of storage on their accounts to use the Verizon Cloud app.

The Verizon Cloud app for iPhone is available now on the App Store for free, and requires iOS 5.0 or later.

With the announcement of J.J. Abrams helming the forthcoming Episode VII, speculation is once again running rampant, with many leaning on the material from the vast “Expanded Universe” to continue telling the Star Wars story on the big screen. However, there remains the possibility that Lucas had more in mind that had little to do with the Expanded Universe, and was more in-line with the serial-inspired adventure of the original Star Wars trilogy.

To celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the release of Return of the Jedi May 25, The Huffington Post published an exclusive sneak peek at J.W. Rinzler’s The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, due for release October 1. This included a transcript of a 1981 conversation between Lucas, screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan (again tapped to pen Episode VIII), director Richard Marquand and producer Howard Kazanjian. This gives fans a hint at what all Lucas did have in mind – and what changed (sometimes very substantially) – between the release of Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace nearly two decades later.

Taking a look at that transcript, there are some interesting things to consider…

“Anakin Skywalker [started] hanging out with the Emperor, who at this point nobody knew was that bad, because he was an elected official,” Lucas says.

“Was he a Jedi?” Kasdan asks.

“No, he was a politician,” Lucas replies. “Richard M. Nixon was his name. He subverted the senate and finally took over and became an imperial guy and he was really evil. But he pretended to be a really nice guy. He sucked Luke’s father into the dark side.”

Whatever political commentary Lucas was looking to make was definitely rooted in Vietnam-era rebellion. Remember: Lucas was the guy who almost directed Apocalypse Now.

“The Force was available to anyone who could hook into it?” Kasdan asks.

“Yes, everybody can do it,” Lucas replies.

“Not just the Jedi?” Kasdan says.

“It’s just the Jedi who take the time to do it,” Lucas clarifies.

“Like yoga,” Lucas continues. “If you want to take the time to do it, you can do it; but the ones that really want to do it are the ones who are into that kind of thing. Also like karate.”

Somewhere between Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace, the Force as a metaphysical concept lost some of its luster. Instead of being a spiritual discipline that would reward anyone willing to take the time to study it, it became a biological stroke of luck only available to a few. Lucas has mentioned in the past that the midi-chlorians were “always there”; and Qui-Gon Jinn mentions in Episode I they exist within all living cells. Perhaps even those with lower midi-chlorian counts could still learn the ways of the Force, or maybe it was a simple explanation to a spiritual pursuit Lucas had since lost interest in?

“Also another misconception is that Yoda teaches Jedi, but he is like a guru; he doesn’t go out and fight anybody,” Lucas tells them.

“A Jedi Master is a Jedi isn’t he?” Kasdan asks.

“Well, he is a teacher, not a real Jedi. Understand that?” Lucas says.

“I understand what you’re saying,” Kasdan replies. “But I can’t believe it; I am in shock.”

“It’s true, absolutely true,” Lucas tells him. “Not that it makes any difference to the story.”

“You mean he wouldn’t be any good in a fight?” Kasdan asks.

“Not with Darth Vader he wouldn’t,” Lucas says.

“I accept it,” Kasdan replies. “But I don’t like it.”

At some point, Lucas’ mind was changed, and it became very integral to the story that Yoda could – indeed – fight. Again, though, Yoda wielding a lightsaber again subverts the idea that a master wouldn’t necessarily need to fight; that they’ve risen above that as part of their spiritual discipline. It’s almost more interesting that Yoda preaches a path of peace without having to fight; the Emperor or Vader attacking – or even slaughtering – a helpless (but fearless) creature preaching pacifism could’ve been devastating. And amazing.

“Well, anyway,” Lucas continues (I imagine quite bluntly), “Luke’s father gets subverted by the Emperor. He gets a little weird at home and his wife begins to figure out that things are going wrong and she confides in Ben, who is his mentor,” he says.

That much never changed, but introducing Obi-Wan Kenobi subservient to another master besides Yoda cast him in a position of weakness. Did audiences ever trust Kenobi as a mentor when, at the time he met Anakin, he needed a mentor himself?

“On his missions through the galaxies, Anakin has been going off doing his Jedi thing and a lot of Jedi have been getting killed – and it’s because they turn their back on him and he cuts them down.” Lucas continues. “The president is turning into an Emperor…”

This is the first mention of Palpatine as a president (not a chancellor), but the second mention of a corrupt president.

“… And Luke’s mother suspects that something has happened to her husband. She is pregnant. Anakin gets worse and worse, and finally Ben has to fight him and he throws him down into a volcano and Vader is all beat up.”

Not particularly eloquent, but truthful, to a degree. When technology only allowed for stoic fencing and less acrobatics, a fight at the ledge of a volcano would’ve likely been more effectively dramatic than the half-hour slog that closes Revenge of the Sith.

“Now, when he falls into the pit, his other arm goes and his leg and there is hardly anything left of him by the time the Emperor’s troops fish him out of the drink,” Lucas says. “Then, when Ben finds out that Vader has been fished out and is in the hands of the Empire, he is worried about it. He goes back to Vader’s wife and explains that Anakin is the bad guy, the one killing all the Jedi.”

“More machine, now, than man,” Kenobi once told Luke. Again, the machine replaces the body and destroys the spirit. But, help me out: Was there a time when Anakin referred to Obi-Wan as “Ben” Kenobi? I always admired that: A war hero going by such a simple name.

“When he goes back his wife,” Lucas says. “Mrs. Skywalker has had the kids, the twins, so she has these two little babies who are six months old or so. So everybody has to go into hiding.”

WHA?! Not fleeting away to a moon so Padmé could die during childbirth? This sounds interesting…

“The Skywalker line is very strong with the Force, so Ben says, ‘I think we should protect the kids, because they may be able to help us right the wrong that your husband has created in the universe,’” Lucas says. “And so Ben takes one and gives him to a couple out there on Tatooine and he gets his little hideout in the hills and he watches him grow.”

Was this the “Balance of the Force”? Anakin has created a “wrong” in the universe, and Ben knows his children might be able to “right” it? That, again, is a very spiritual notion that seems to have gotten lost somewhere. Also, there isn’t any mention here that Tatooine was Anakin Skywalker’s home planet, which seems like the first place he’d eliminate (both literally and figuratively) as an option of where his kids might be. Anakin knew Padmé was with child – and was terrified he’d lose his family – so why did he never really make the effort to find them?

“Ben can’t raise Luke himself, because he’s a wanted man,” Lucas continues. “Leia and Luke’s mother [goes] to Alderaan and are taken in by the king there, who is a friend of Ben’s. She dies shortly thereafter and Leia is brought up by her foster parents. She knows that her real mother died.”

“She does know that?” Kasdan clarifies.

“Yes, so we can bring that out when Luke is talking to her,” Lucas says. “She can say that her mother died when ‘I was two years old.’”

Interestingly, the character of Bail Organa is tossed off in this conversation almost as much as he was in the prequels. Why wasn’t a character important enough to potentially raise one of the saviors of the universe not fleshed out? And why did Padmé have to die (especially of a broken heart)? There’s a sad story in there somewhere about Padmé picking her life up just long enough for her daughter to remember her, only to die. It’s heavy stuff, but was she destined for suicide? Ben Kenobi, Jedi Knight and war hero, might’ve been strong enough to help restore balance after Anakin’s turn to the Dark Side, but a senator in love might not have been.

The glaring mistake of the prequels is that there is never an established protagonist. Is it Obi-Wan’s story? Is it Anakin’s? Just as the first trilogy was Luke’s heroic journey – and better understanding his father by redeeming him – the prequels would’ve been amazing had it been Obi-Wan’s story, and understanding his friend and surrogate child by utterly failing him. But it’s hard to write about failure once you’ve become a billionaire, I’d imagine. And, just as it’s difficult to relate to failure after wanton success, spirituality, too, becomes a more difficult pursuit. It’s sad to say, but there was a better story, here. More about faith and the structure of the universe and family, but it got away from George. Things became material, with a reason behind all things. Perhaps this new trilogy will redeem Star Wars the way Luke – finally – redeemed his father.

(The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi by J.W. Rinzler ©2013 Lucasfilm, Ltd. Image ©1980 Lucasfilm, Ltd.)

According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Big Bang Theory executive producer Bill Prady, original Star Trek crewmember Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine star Chase Masterson, and former Starlog publisher Kerry O’Quinn have endorsed The Star Wolf, based on Gerrold’s book best-selling book series. Nichols, even, has signed on in the recurring role of Admiral O’Hara.

“We’re finally going to make the show I’ve been dreaming about for years,” Gerrold said. “A show that is compelling, thought-provoking and bold enough to take on the real emotional issues of war.”

“David Gerrold and Dorothy Fontana gave us some of the best writing we ever had on the original Star Trek series,” Nimoy wrote. “I, for one, will be eagerly looking forward to see what their creativity will offer us on The Star Wolf.”

As of this writing, Gerrold, Fontana, and producer David C. Fein have raised just over $52,000 of their $650,000 goal.

“When I began my career, everything I knew about how television was written and produced came from David Gerrold’s books,” Prady said. “I can think of no one more deserving of the chance to pilot a TV series.”

Star Wolf Kickstarter pledge prizes range from an opportunity to name a character in the series, a digital copy of the finished pilot, a screening of the work-in-progress version and set visits during filming.

(Image via Kickstarter)

“Before he was an #Avenger, he was just a REALLY fast kid,” Singer wrote.

Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch – also known as Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, the children of Magneto – fall into a kind of legal gray area: While Marvel Entertainment, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, owns the majority of Marvel’s comic characters, Fox retained the movie rights to the X-Men by hastily completing X-Men: First Class. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are heavily associated with both teams.

“It’s a little complicated,” Marvel über-producer Kevin Feige said last year. “If they want to use them in an X-Men movie, they could. If we want to use them in an Avengers movie, we could.”

Earlier this year, The Avengers director and co-writer Joss Whedon said Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch would be a part of Avengers 2.

“You know, they had a rough beginning,” Whedon said of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. “They’re interesting to me because they [represent] the part of the world that wouldn’t necessarily agree with the Avengers. So they’re not there to make things easier,” he said. “I’m not putting any characters in the movie that will make things easier.”

It remains to be seen whether Peters will play Quicksilver in both projects, resulting in a rare studio crossover. Though it remains highly unlikely Fox would allow Marvel Studios to license more characters from their lucrative X-Men franchise to appear in the “Marvel Cinematic Universe”, the two properties sharing characters only increases the possibility audiences might someday see Hugh Jackman trading quips with Robert Downey, Jr.’s Tony Stark on the silver screen. For several years, Wolverine was a member in good standing of the Avengers, as was (Sony’s) Spider-Man.

X-Men: Days of Future Past, scheduled for release July 18, 2014, reunites First Class cast members Michael Fassbender and Nicholas Hoult alongside original franchise stars Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Anna Paquin, Ellen Page and Shawn Ashmore. Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) has also been cast.

The Avengers sequel is scheduled for release May 1, 2015.

(Image via Collider, Marvel Entertainment)

Rather than including the stock Android OS like the Google Edition, the Developer Edition ships with an unlocked bootloader and all the S-branded features off by default. This allows users access to the core of the operating system, giving them full access at the root level to change the Android kernel. The Galaxy S 4 Developer Edition will include all the camera software tricks included in the consumer edition, however, since root access is allowed, users are free to wipe Samsung’s software completely and replace it with another kernel such as the Cyanogen Galaxy S 4 Android OS.

The Galaxy S 4 Developer Edition will also be available for AT&T customers, and the phone will work with T-Mobile’s Micro SIM cards. Pricing and exact availability has not been announced, but interested users will have to buy the device from Samsung. It’s a safe bet that the Developer Edition, like the Google Edition, of the Galaxy S 4 will cost $649 as an unlocked, contract-free device. Check out our full review of the Galaxy S 4, the best Samsung Android device to date in our opinion, and Samsung’s page for the Galaxy S 4 Developer Edition here.

The reason why I love animated films is because not only are they a gateway to a new world of wonders from a creative person and to escape reality: they are the memories, inspirations and hopes for all who want to keep magic alive. Sometimes I look at all that has happened to me long ago and today, how I always love to read fictional books, watch my favourite shows and movies from years long past. Even using those imaginations to help me draw and create beings or worlds of my own that I can cherish and someday share it with the world. Now that I’m grown up, I’m trying my very best to keep hold of that magic and not let the reality take away my innocence and imagination. Now I look at those who will experience that moment as children, not knowing how lucky they are to believe in magic or anything that’s impossible can be possible in their age. In a few years, they’re all going to be grownups, like me, face the hardship of what dreams to follow and what dreams to leave behind and those memories will disappear into nothing and all those good times will just be memories for them too. So what if I am an adult who still feels like a child?, what if I don’t like the world now and not adapt to it? Let the world challenge me and make my adult life nothingness. But DON’T let the world EVER say that there is no such thing as magic to me or to anyone else, because those are the most PRECIOUS and perhaps the last part of childhood memories I’ve got left to become a great illustrator for the world of creativity and to keep me alive and always believe in magic for not just myself, but for everyone on earth.”

Congratulations Tai! We’ll be contacting you regarding shipping details soon!

‘The Art of Epic’ cover

This latest book, written by Tim Waggoner (Nekropolis and The Nekropolis Archives), is set in season 7 of the show, chronologically sandwiched between episodes 12 (“Time After Time”) and 13 (“The Slice Girls”). Elsewhere in the season, Sam and Dean Winchester are on the quest to avenge the death of their friend and father-figure, Bobby Singer, and to stop wealthy businessman Dick Roman from his goal of subjugating humanity. In this newest installment from Titan Books, the brothers put aside their quest in order to check out strange rumors of a mysterious canine and several strangely desiccated corpses in Brennan, Ohio.

Without giving away the few interesting details, the plot invokes elements of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles, along with concern for Sam’s health and the brothers’ ongoing guilt over a childhood trauma.  Added to the mix are a despondent doctor, several mad scientists, a dash of alchemy, a domination-intent goddess, and a sympathetic appearance by a Reaper. The boys quickly have a literal and supernatural mess on their hands.

The Final Verdict: C

With a predictable plot and tepid humor, the book is middling at best. There’s enough back-story provided so that new readers aren’t lost, but not enough to really feel engaged in the series. It’s a book best-suited to its target audience: devoted fans of the television series. For anyone else, pass on this and head toward some of this summer’s better options.

Image: Titan Books

• ISBN-13: 9781781161135
• Publisher: Titan
• Publication date: 4/16/2013
• Format: Mass Market Paperback and ebook
• Pages: 304
• Product dimensions: 4.20 (w) x 6.80 (h) x 1.00 (d)