Here's a Couple Screens from the New 'True Skate' Skatepark, Called The Warehouse

<Promotional Codep>One of my favorite pastimes is spending hours skating around the virtual world of True Skate [$1.99] from True Axis. While contains missions to complete and a scoring mechanic that put it squarely in "game" territory, myself and many others enjoy it simply as a virtual skateboarding toy. The physics engine and numerous skateable objects in True Skate mean you're only limited by your own imagination when it comes to things to do in the game.

True Axis has been great about updating the game too. Since its initial release in October of 2012, True Skate has gained numerous new features, tweaks, and even brand new parks. The first of those new parks came just over a year ago, an indoor skatepark named Inbound, with its second new park hitting just last month, a street-style level named Schoolyard. The Schoolyard level was just the first of four new skateparks planned for the game, and today True Axis has sent over the first images of the next upcoming park, dubbed The Warehouse.

As you can see, The Warehouse is a similar indoor park like Inbound, but much more spacious. I love Inbound, but some of its elements do feel sort of cramped, so I'm looking forward to trying out this roomier indoor park. The update with the new Warehouse level is already submitted to Apple and pending approval, and tentatively has a release date of this Thursday should everything go smoothly with said approval. If not, well, at least it won't be long to wait until we can get our hands on some tasty new virtual skating terrain in True Skate.

Man Uses 17-Year-Old Coupon for Frozen Pizza Bundled With PC Game

The man known as the Lazy Game Reviewer was given by a viewer an old copy of the 1997 combat flight sim Red Baron 2 for the PC, and inside was a Price Compare for 75 cents off a Red Baron frozen pizza.

The coupon did not have an expiration date, however, and so our lazy friend took it to a grocery store to try to use it. Lo and behold, it actually worked.

The moral of this story, of course, is that you definitely need to buy a bunch of old PC games off eBay or Amazon Marketplace like right now. The other moral is that there should be more coupons in boxed games.

Early Offer: One of KC's best taking it slow

The Early Offer is RecruitingNation's regular feature, giving you a daily dose of recruiting in the mornings. Today's offerings: One of the Promo Code 2015 prospects in Kansas City learned a lesson about how to handle the recruiting process by watching his teammate go through it this past fall; Iowa picked up commitments earlier this week from twin offensive linemen, helping the Hawkeyes make recruiting waves in the Big Ten; and a West Coast running back is starting to move up the charts with coaches.

Moore savvy about process

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The TouchArcade Show - 145 - Consistently Mediocre

<Deal Nowp>We've got a super XXL sized podcast today that was... surprisingly on topic. It begins with an email from a concerned listener asking us to stop talking about which inexplicably lead into a discussion about Flappy Bird. We're trying to stop, I swear. From there, we get on to talking about the hottest games of the week (of which there were many) and then we discuss the parallels between people who get mad about IAP and our childhood when we thought the people who ran pizza places with arcade machines were jerks. It's an oddly identical comparison, weirdly enough.

Don't forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read 'em all, even if they don't make it into the podcast.

As always, you can listen to us with the links below... And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated!

iTunes Link: The TouchArcade Show
Zune Marketplace: TouchArcade.com Podcasts
RSS Feed: The TouchArcade Show
Direct Link: TouchArcadeShow-145.mp3, 90.5MB

GAMES NEWS

Milk price, production comparison tool

Dairy producers are often exposed to not only the highly variable nature of milk Super Sale, but also the highly variable costs of the feeds they supply to their herds. This variability often creates a situation where dairy farmers are tasked with making many choices affecting milk production and feed costs without being able to visualize the outcome.

Milk price is affected by several factors including milk volume, milk components (fat, protein, and other solids), and any bonuses or deductions applicable to the producer. While milk volume is important, many of the performance indicators of today's industry overlook the value of a herd with slightly lower milk volume and higher solids. Additionally, feed choice may have an impact on milk volume or solids. The effect of using different feeds to boost milk volume or milk solids is not only hard to calculate, but also to compare and contrast.

An example of this situation would be a farmer making the decision to spend more money on new feeds to boost component production. If this feed were to increase the production of milk solids, it may be more economically justifiable than the current feed, even if it costs more. This new feed could be more economically justifiable if it increased milk components, milk pay price, and income over feed cost values.

In order to visualize and quantify the economic impact of changes to milk volume, milk composition, milk price, and feed costs to dairy farm profitability, the University of Kentucky and DFA have developed a dashboard tool. This tool can be found at: http://afsdairy.ca.uky.edu/productioncomparison.

This tool allows farmers to quantify the difference slight changes in milk production and component levels could have on milk price. An additional feature of this tool is to compare feed costs, and their impact on milk income. Within this tool, you will find places to input production values, milk check values, and feed costs. From these inputs, economic values are computed, giving a better picture of the viability of herds with varying milk prices and feed costs.

In short, this tool will then allow you to:

• Calculate your milk price
• Compare possible production scenarios and their effects on milk price
• Compare income over feed costs between different production and feed cost situations

Instructions

The arrows on the following pages will help to direct you in using the actual Milk Price and Production Comparison Tool. While the arrows in the following pages will not appear on the actual tool, using these pages as a guide will assist you in utilizing each element of the tool to its fullest potential.

Softbank CEO's merger plans for Sprint, T-Mobile face long odds

Credit: Reuters/Issei Kato

Softbank Corp President Masayoshi Son speaks during a news conference in Tokyo July 30, 2013.

It is no secret that Son, known to have threatened self-immolation to get his way in the past, wants to combine sprint plans Corp (S.N), which Softbank acquired last year, with T-Mobile US Inc (TMUS.N) as part of his vision to create a global industry leader.

Son plans to lay out his broader vision for the U.S. wireless communications industry at the Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. next Tuesday. Speculation is rife that he will talk about a bid for T-Mobile, although a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday that was not the plan.

Anticipation about a merger has already pushed up shares of Sprint and T-Mobile 15.6 percent and 18.3 percent, respectively, since December 13, when media reports first emerged about Softbank's interest in pursuing a deal as soon as the first half of 2014.

Three sources familiar with the undertakings of the companies involved spoke on condition of anonymity for this article because they are not authorized to speak publicly about them.

Son's advisors are telling him to cool his heels for the time being, given the low odds of gaining antitrust approval, after they met lawmakers and regulators over the past several weeks in Washington and consulted with T-Mobile's parent company, Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE).

Son, who has eyed T-Mobile for years, would rather move sooner than later, before T-Mobile gets stronger and more expensive. He reiterated his interest in a deal just last week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, according to the people familiar with the matter.

"Everyone wants to do this deal; Sprint does, DT does, Softbank does, the investors want it, the customers want it; only the regulators don't want it," one of the sources said.

Whether customers actually want or would benefit from a merger is debatable. Some consumer advocacy groups have warned it could result in higher prices, job losses and fewer choices for consumers.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler also expressed his skepticism about a potential merger in meetings with Son and Sprint Chief Executive Dan Hesse on February 3, according to an FCC official briefed on the matter.

His viewpoint echoed earlier comments from William Baer, assistant attorney general for the antitrust division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Baer, at a meeting of the New York State Bar Association on January 30, gave long odds to a regulatory approval of mergers between any two of the top four wireless phone companies.

U.S. regulators previously rejected AT&T Inc's (T.N) $39 billion takeover bid for T-Mobile US in 2011. They have since argued that T-Mobile US has grown stronger, proving that the market can sustain four companies.

Additionally, the FCC is under pressure to maximize revenue from a spectrum auction scheduled for mid-2015. Proceeds from the auction will be used to compensate broadcasters and to contribute toward the building of a $7 billion national public safety communications network.

For the auction, TV stations will voluntarily relinquish their low-frequency airwaves but their willingness to sell depends on the prices they can get, a reason for regulators to seek as many bidders as possible.

Such airwaves can cover greater distances and penetrate walls and buildings more easily than high frequency spectrum, which makes them highly coveted, especially by wireless carriers Sprint and T-Mobile, which have less low-frequency spectrum than AT&T and Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N).

Deutsche Telekom would like to sell T-Mobile because it sees its fourth position in the United States, behind Verizon, AT&T and Sprint, as limiting long-term profitability. It does not want a repeat performance of its failed attempt to sell the unit to AT&T.

Deutsche Telekom's new CEO Timotheus Hoettges was a key negotiator in that deal and knows the risks and costs involved in a failure better than anyone. He negotiated a breakup fee of cash and spectrum that amounted to $6 billion, but the company had to contend with an exodus of customers amid the uncertainty of waiting for regulatory approval that in the end never came.

CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

To be sure, Son, who once threatened to set himself on fire as he pushed Japanese regulators to let him set up a high speed Internet service, has shown he does not give up easily. That is why people close to Son still have not ruled out the possibility he will try a merger anyway this year.

One of the sources, who has worked with Son, said he is learning how U.S. politics work and is still working on making his case despite the odds.

"He's learning to deal with politics," the person said. "His English is good but it's not nuanced so he says exactly what he thinks and that can be challenging in D.C. politics," the person added.

Softbank's arguments are that a combination of the third and fourth mobile operators would create a strong competitor to AT&T and Verizon, the industry leaders.

Looking outside the United States, Son can point to Britain and Australia as well as his home turf of Japan where regulators approved mergers between third- and fourth-ranking mobile players.

Son has also argued that to build the super-fast network he envisions for the United States, it would only be economically viable were it to serve a larger subscriber base.

Representatives for Softbank and Sprint have declined to comment on any potential deal with T-Mobile.

(Reporting by Nicola Leske in New York; Editing by Richard Chang)

Some residents feel Dollar General a 'golden opportunity'

BY STEPHANIE GROVES

Staff Writer

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OTTOVILLE - A number of residents attended the Ottoville Village Council meeting Monday night to voice their concerns regarding the possibility of a Dollar General Store being constructed across from the high school on US 224, as well as to learn first-hand the reason behind the Auglaize Street water lines freezing.

A few residents spoke on the positive impact having a Dollar General Store would have on the community.

Jerry Hohlbein said prior articles in the newspaper have reflected a negative point of view, something that is not a good reflection left on the town "that we call home."

"There is always two sides to every story," Hohlbein said. "Equal time could be given where citizens can express their positive views and desires before the administration [village council] makes the final decision."

Hohlbein feels it [Dollar General Store] is a golden opportunity that seldom comes along to villages with a population of less than 1,000. He feels the new adventure could open the door for commercial growth which everyone will benefit from. In addition, Hohlbein feels closing the door on this opportunity could have a lasting negative impact on the community for generations.

Owner of Subway Jim Rhodes said there are rumors that people who enter or shop at Dollar General are low-income.

"I shop there," Rhodes said.

Rhodes also addressed the potential safety concern for the students wanting to cross over US 224 and go to the Dollar General.

"The kids will be at the junior high level or older," he said. "Kids should have been taught how to cross a road safely by that age."

Rhodes said Dollar General is an expanding business.

"Why stop them from coming into this town?" he asked. "What will happen to this town and our future?"

Councilman Tony Langhals said the location is the issue.

"There are a fair amount of people in favor," Langhals said. "I hate to get aggressive at this time."

Langhals voted against John Schimmoeller's request to tap into the forced water main across from the high school.

Councilman Randy Altenburger feels Dollar General is a necessity.

"With all things considered - Schimmoeller tapping in and annexing the property - we should continue to pursue speed limit reduction," Altenburger said. "I vote we continue to allow Schimmoeller to proceed."

Council voted to allow Schimmoeller to tap in.

Mayor Ron Miller said the tap-in is allowed and the village will draft a letter to propose the speed reduction - 35 miles per hour on both sides - from the edge of the bridge to the corporation limit.

Miller Contracting representative Josh Clay and Brian Goubeaux of Choice One Engineering were on hand and spoke with council and discussed the frozen water lines on Auglaize Street.

Last week, council held a special meeting to address the situation where Miller reported that the majority of the houses on the south side of the street were being affected. He said there were eight or nine houses that had frozen water lines and the village started getting reports of frozen pipes the second week of January.

Clay and Goubeaux explained that after the water system was installed, the excavation was backfilled with the compaction gravel and water was used to aid the process.

"The moisture in the stone back fill has traveled down and deepened the frost line," Clay said.

"We need information. Is this going to be an ongoing situation or is it due to the extreme weather conditions?" Miller asked. "We don't want to tear up the road and we want to fix the problem."

"It's the sixth coldest winter in the history of documenting the weather," Clay said. "It could be freezing at the road, we don't know."

"Are service lines at specification depth?" Altenburger asked. "Why doesn't the east side of the street have the same problems?"

"Some service lines went over the storm sewer and some run under," Clay said. "We had to come up to meet the customer's line from the houses."

Clay said he did not know if the village would find out of the furnace trailer until they went through another winter. He emphasized that everybody involved in the decision-making processes used their best judgement.

So far the village has spent $4,000 to repair three lines on Auglaize and another by the hardware store.

Miller suggested an extension of the warranty, which would give the village close to an extra six months after the original warranty was up and give the village one more winter to be sure the system is OK.

"If you followed the plans, then we'll have to fix it [frozen lines]," Miller said. "We can work on an agreement if you [Clay] get more information on an extended warranty."

Council approved the purchase of a new 500-gallon double-wall diesel tank at approximately $2,900 which will be located at the sewer plant to service the diesel generator, equipment and vehicles. Street Supervisor Barry Koester suggested pouring a concrete pad to place the tank on.

Board of Public Affairs members Phil Hilvers and Dan Honigford reported the new water meter reader ordered in October is in. Hilvers suggested Fiscal Officer Jeanne Wannemacher and Water and Sewage Treatment Plant Manager Steve Wittler and employee Chad Knippen take the training session on use of the meter.

Fire Chief Dan Honigford reported that the fire department has been looking into remodeling the exterior of the fire station. He said they have an architect that will produce color renderings - at $1,000 - of a variety of facades and changes in the structure.

"We would be looking at changing windows and doors," Honigford said. "I'd like to start on it this summer."

After a brief discussion, council recommended looking into the furnace and air conditioning before putting any money into remodeling the exterior.

Koester requested funds for a trailer to use to keep the department's cold mix on, which would lead to less waste - since it is kept on the floor of their building - and expedite the street repair process.

"M&W is doing the metal work and welding the axle," Koester said. "The rest we are doing in-house and it will cost close to $3,500."

Council also discussed implementing sidewalks on State Route 66 west on Sunset Drive. They all agree not having sidewalks is a safety issue.

"Residents have the option of having it put in by their own contractor or we will have our contractor install it," Miller said. "Their contractors will have to follow the same specifications."

Residents will pay 70 percent of the cost and the village will pick up the remaining 30 percent.

The next village meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on March 24.