Minecraft beta 1.2 update adds new recipes, squid and cake

As if we needed more reasons to love Minecraft, along comes update 1.2 which manages to somehow set the bar even higher. Not only does the update add note blocks with which players can create full musical instruments -- we're excited for the impending video of Dexys Midnight Runners' "Come On, Eileen" recreated in the game -- but there are also dyes you can harvest from flowers and a new Lapus Lazuli stone, plus additional crafting recipes including dessert-time staple, cake. We're less excited for the impending Portal jokes. Give it up, already!

The update also adds squids (to harvest black ink from as part of the new dye mechanic) and squashes several bugs, including better multiplayer synching and crashing when loading levels. There is a lot about this update that is still uncovered and if you want to join in on the hunt, we suggest you start with this thread on the official forums. Happy crafting!
Source: Notch, Minecraft forums

Minecraft, FarmVille, What's The Difference?

 

Colorfully named Kotaku commenter BubbleF**kingBuddy keeps it short and sweet in today's Speak-Up on Kotaku, asking why our readers love Minecraft but hate FarmVille.

Does it seem fair that Kotakuites often shit on Farmville for being "casual" or "pointless", and then go on to play Minecraft all day? Why the double standard?

About Speak-Up on Kotaku: Our readers have a lot to say, and sometimes what they have to say has nothing to do with the stories we run. That's why we have that little box on the front page of Kotaku. You know, the one with "Got something to say?" written in it? That's the place to post anecdotes, photos, game tips and hints, and anything you want to share with Kotaku at large. Just make sure to include #speakup in your comment so we can find it. Every weekday we'll pull one of the best #speakup posts we can find and highlight it here.

Send an email to Michael Fahey, the author of this post, at fahey@kotaku.com.

Kinect Hacks: Build a monument to yourself in Minecraft

Behold, a singularity of internet phenomena! Nathan Viniconis has modded Kinect to capture images that are imported into Minecraft, creating gigantic monuments out of household objects. "Household objects?" Who are we kidding -- you're going to turn yourself into Mount Rushmore.

For a full breakdown of this super technical process, check out Viniconis' explanation on his website, Order of Events. Even if you don't grok the jargon, there's plenty of delightful images to take in, such as these: