Wednesday, December 31, 2003

Wizards to Close Gameskeeper Stores

And a Happy New Year to all the people working at GamesKeeper stores!

Seattle Post-Intelligencer: AP - Business

"RENTON, Wash. -- Wizards of the Coast Inc., the manufacturer of trading card games and role-playing games, will close its chain of 64 retail stores in 15 states.

"Wizards, a subsidiary of Hasbro Inc., announced Sunday that the closure of its Wizards of the Coast and The Game Keeper stores will allow it to focus on its core business of game design.

"Wizards' games, which include 'Magic: The Gathering' and 'Dungeons & Dragons,' are among the biggest brands in the hobby game industry.

"The company has retained Gordon Brothers Group LLC of Boston to assist with the closures, which should be completed in about 60 days.

"Wizards was founded in Renton in 1990 and acquired by Hasbro in 1999."

Monday, December 29, 2003

The Who's Townshend Mulled Suicide Over Child Porn

Pete Townshend Mulled Suicide Over Child Porn

"LONDON (Reuters) - British rock legend Pete Townshend (news) contemplated suicide during a police inquiry into his use of child pornography, he said in an interview published on Sunday.

"The 58-year-old guitarist from the Who was arrested in January during a high-profile crackdown on Internet child porn and was formally cautioned in May after a four-month investigation. "

Tuesday, December 23, 2003

Neil Gaiman's Christmas Discovery

Neil Gaiman

"Spent much of this afternoon playing with a small child and her nativity set. Present at the Virgin Birth, I learned, in addition to a mummy a daddy and a baby, were some cattle, three wise men (one of whom was, I was confidently informed, carrying chicken salad back from the shops), a one-eyed polystyrene snowman, and Cruella DeVille.

"I had not known this previously."

Open Minded: Bare Naked Ladies

The Smoking Gun: Backstage Pass

"Do we think Barenaked Ladies are open-minded? Sure! Do they get what they ask for backstage? Absolutely!!!! If they ask, would we join them for some single malt scotch? You bet!!!!!!! (1 page)"

U2: Guiness In A Bottle?

The Smoking Gun: Backstage Pass

"U2 once demanded Guinness in bottles and not on tap? Well, so much for the beatification of Bono. (1 page)"

The Bowels of NIN?

The Smoking Gun: Backstage Pass

"While possibly a typo, might freaky Trent Reznor & Co. actually enjoy some bowels pre-show? Also, who knew that industrial/goth rockers like NIN were part of that pernicious juicing cult? And as for those boxes of corn starch, well, we're not sure why they are so 'VERY IMPORTANT!' (2 pages)"

Moby: Boxers?

The Smoking Gun: Backstage Pass

"Sorry, but Moby has long creeped TSG out (perhaps it is his resemblance to Ray Walston). Though now that we've learned he has concert promoters buy his underwear, we have a new appreciation for the guy. (1 page) "

Old School HERO materials...

Here's an archive of files for HERO system. This archive is from the BBS days of the "internet" but it has some interesting campaign stuff, including Scott Bennie's Gestalt Earth stuff. A great setting and some cool ideas for super-hero gaming. Its really a pity that it never got published like it was supposed to.

Red October: Hero Roleplaying: Files

Monday, December 22, 2003

Warren Zevon Special to Come Out on DVD

Warren Zevon Special to Come Out on DVD

"LOS ANGELES - The story of Warren Zevon's last album will expand when it hits DVD in March.

"A VH1 special about the making of 'The Wind' that aired in August will be released by Artemis Records on DVD with extra footage, Jordan Zevon, Warren Zevon's son, told The Associated Press on Monday."

Cat Rides 150 Miles in Car's Engine, OK

I can see a cat of mine doing something this stupid...

Cat Officially Loses One, Perhaps Two, of Nine Lives

"ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. - For Tracker, the car ride from the Kalamazoo area to Rochester Hills was long, and could have cost him a life or two.

"The long-haired gray cat rode unseen in the engine compartment of a female college student's car as she drove home for the holidays. Officials at Pontiac's Michigan Animal Rescue League, the feline's current home, say he probably survived the 150 mile-trip in the Chevrolet Tracker because the woman did not stop."

Friday, December 19, 2003

Apple, Reprise to offer blank, collectible LOTR CDs

Now this, this is dorky.

Apple, Reprise to offer blank, collectible LOTR CDs

"Apple and Time Warner's Reprise Records label today will begin marketing blank 'Lord of the Rings'-themed CDs designed for fans to purchase the CD and use it to store a digital copy of the film soundtrack bought online, according to The LA Times: 'As part of the promotion, the label will sell three different blank CDs outfitted with images from Time Warner's 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' film. Apple's iTunes Music Store will offer the recordable CDs, which will sell for $5, exclusively today through Jan. 5....Label executives are pitching the blank CD as a collectible item. Reprise will press 1,000 copies of each of the three discs, and each will be numbered.'"

Court Rejects Music Industry Subpoenas

It's about damn time...

Court Rejects Music Industry Subpoenas

"The recording industry's effort to curtail online piracy was dealt a significant blow today when a federal appeals court ruled that Internet service providers cannot be compelled to disclose the identities of customers suspected of illegally sharing copyrighted songs."

Gold Rush Games

I've entered the new affliate program for Gold Rush games. If you look to the right, you will see links for some of their products, just click on the links and buy away. Yes, I do get a very small amount for it. Just enough (probably) to buy some of their stuff. Trying to make it self-supporting, I guess. Check it out, I wouldn't huck the stuff if I didnt' like it.

Thursday, December 18, 2003

Free Roleplaying Games

Free Roleplaying Games

Callgirl of Cthulhu

I am faintly disturbed by this.

Callgirl of Cthulhu

"This piece was inspired by H.P. Lovecraft with an extra healthy dose of squid and crab thrown in for good measure. She is painted with an iridescent 3 tone paint job, with clear urethane tentacles and spines. "

Wizard Entertainment


I can't decide if this is good or bad.
Wizard Entertainment
"X MARKS THE SPOT FOR JLA

"Claremont and Byrne to collaborate on six-issue JLA tale for DC"

StrataCafe


StrataCafe: "Name: John Byrne

Location: Center of the Universe

Self Description:
God Among Men

Full-Time Job:
Evil Genius

Hobbies:
Writing and drawing comics."

Tuesday, December 16, 2003

What Is Under The Red Box?


The Smoking Gun: Contest: "All you have to do is examine the following document and guess what we've hidden beneath the red box. "

When Indie Rockers Rumble


Yahoo! News - White Stripes, Von Bondies Singers Rumble:

"The fight between Jack White of the White Stripes and Jason Stollsteimer of the Von Bondies broke out Saturday night at the Majestic Theatre Center, police said.

"Stollsteimer, 25, told police that White punched him seven times in the face. Police said Stollsteimer's right eye was bruised and swollen, and he was bleeding from his nose. He was treated and released from a Detroit hospital."

Tuesday, December 09, 2003

"Ok, I'm Not Reading Megatokyo to you anymore..."

The Smoking Gun: Meet John Huffman


Please make sure you click the link for the pic...

"DECEMBER 5--Meet John Huffman. Here's what we know: On the night of October 29, while driving with a child in the passenger seat of his station wagon, the Tampa man rear-ended another vehicle at an intersection. We also know that after cops found Huffman, 34, unsteady on his feet, with alcohol on his breath, and in possession of three bags of pot, they charged him with driving under the influence, marijuana possession, and child neglect. What we're not sure about, however, is how that lousy makeup job and those words--immortalized in this Hillsborough County Sheriff's booking photo--got on Huffman's face. The TSG fan who tipped us off contends that the tipsy driver was marked up after passing out at a Halloween party earlier that evening. And we thought he just had a low opinion of himself."

The Smoking Gun: Michael Jackson Bombshell

Wow...this certainly was unexpected.

"DECEMBER 9--A confidential investigation by Los Angeles police and child welfare officials concluded earlier this year that allegations Michael Jackson sexually abused a cancer-stricken boy were 'unfounded,' according to an internal government memo obtained by The Smoking Gun.

"The probe's findings were based, in large part, on interviews with the alleged victim, his two siblings, and the boy's mother. According to the memo, when the child was questioned in February by a social worker assigned to the Sensitive Case Unit of L.A.'s Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS), he 'denied any form of sexual abuse' by Jackson and said that he never 'slept in the same bed as the entertainer.' While not specifically named in the DCFS memo, the 45-year-old Jackson is referred to repeatedly as 'the entertainer.'"

More fun with FTPs

Fun With FTP

Once upon a time, the only real way to download gaming material on the internet (if you even knew where to look for it) was through FTP (or File Transfer Protocol). Journey back through the olden days now...when you were never quite sure what was at the other end of that dowload.

Mental State of the Union

Again from John Shirley's website....something that is of relevence to myself and might be to other perusers of this blog. Click on the links above or below for the full text of the piece.

Mental State of the Union

"1. I'm Okay, If You Say So

I'm sane, no, really, I am.

I'm not insane. No, really, I'm not.

Except...I've struggled with clinical depression and drug addiction, and these are both diseases of the brain. For a long time I made the same mistakes in life over and over, knowing better each time -- but doing it anyway. I was married and divorced four times before I figured out that I was giving in to relationship-wrecking compulsive behavior.

But since I don't rave on the street, I don't stalk people or have delusions of grandeur or hallucinate or hear voices, let's pretend I'm not crazy.

When I was young, I was in a mental hospital because of an overdose of a powerful street drug. "

John Shirley

The homepage of former cyberpunk author and (not former)musician, John Shirley. Mind you, he's not a former writer either...his novella Demons was great, and very twisted. Check him out. There are .mp3s of his various bands to check out (and there used to be a link to buy his CD from MP3.com....but all of that is gone until the site is relaunched as whatever it will become) as well.

RingSurf: FreeRPG Ring

FREE RPGs!!!

Monday, December 08, 2003

Now With Cyborgs!

GURPS Vampire....now with Cyborgs!

something positive - break a leg, mercy!



"'I truly am humbled to achieve this great award. Not many whiners get their efforts in whinery recognized, and even fewer get their efforts recognized with a picture of a golden Stalin represented in a webcomic of medium popularity. And even more remarkable is that I achieved this award with the first whine I've ever sent anywhere, or at least almost the first. Thank you! Thank you!

(At this point I'd like to remark that this in no way diminished my respect for Something Positive, which continues to be funny and insightful webcomic that doesn't suffer fools like me gladly)

Whining. The oldest profession. Of course, some may claim that prostitution was the oldest profession, but we all know what must have been the first conversation had before prostitution was invented.

'Og want sex.'

'Og not get sex.'

'Og want sex.'

'Og not get sex.'

'Og waaaaaaaaaant seeeeeeeeeex.'

'Ogma give Og sex if Og give Ogma great cat pelt.'

'Woo hoo!' "

Cthulhu Chick Tract


Just click on it....you know you want to!

www.Danish-Techno.com [The Music]

Google Directory - Arts > Music > Sound Files > MP3 > Downloads

Vicar Distributes Porn Films by Mistake

"BERLIN (Reuters) - A German vicar inadvertently supplied his parish with dozens of hard core porn films in an unsuccessful bid to teach people about the life of Christ.

Frithjof Schwesig, vicar in the southwestern town of Lampoldshausen, had ordered 300 copies of a video film portraying the life of Christ as told by the gospel according to Luke.
'In a first batch 20 to 30 videos were distributed and we immediately got a reaction from five to seven people saying we must have given them the wrong film,' he said.
'It was a real porn film. Within an hour our staff had collected all the videos. Really, all were withdrawn.' "

Supreme Court Allows Rosa Parks to Sue Rap Duo


"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way on Monday for civil rights icon Rosa Parks to proceed with her lawsuit against OutKast and others over the rap music duo's hit song with her name as its title."

click link above for more...

Commonwealth Club Speech

Michael Crichton Speaks

"I have been asked to talk about what I consider the most important challenge facing mankind, and I have a fundamental answer. The greatest challenge facing mankind is the challenge of distinguishing reality from fantasy, truth from propaganda. Perceiving the truth has always been a challenge to mankind, but in the information age (or as I think of it, the disinformation age) it takes on a special urgency and importance. "

Friday, December 05, 2003

Florida State Parks - KORESHAN STATE HISTORIC SITE


"The remains of an unusual pioneer settlement are preserved on the banks of the Estero River. In 1894, a religious visionary named Cyrus Reed Teed brought his followers from Chicago to Estero to construct a 'New Jerusalem.' Teed hoped it would become a city of 10 million people practicing the religion of Koreshanity. "

Loompanics Unlimited


A very, very cool catalog and website. Tons of great books to order from these guys. Once I have money again, I am going to start getting their catalog again.

The Time Travel Tale of John Titor

Time travel!

Kaiju Big Battel

Guys who conduct amateur wrestling matches dressed in Kaiju costumes. Strange, I will admit...

Thursday, December 04, 2003

Vector

Nifty keeno art, plus potential (eventual?) variants for the d20 Logo.

Vector

HINIRANG


Came across a link to this site from a gaming mailing list that I'm a member of. A Phillipino gamer and friends are developing a game for the Action! System using this material...and I thought it looked interesting. [Don't worry....its in English...at least the parts I saw]

HINIRANG, Duyan ng Magiting, Alab ng Puso

Monday, December 01, 2003

RollingStone.com

I don't see how I even have to comment...

"What you think of Paris Hilton, what she thinks of herself and what she's really like are three entities so separate and distinct that if they were people they wouldn't end up in the same room. You think -- if you think of her at all -- that Hilton, 22, is a stupid, spoiled, superficial socialite who dresses like a high-class escort and, given the recently disclosed pornographic video she made with an ex-boyfriend, probably acts like one, too. She thinks she's a pet lover who donates to charity, does not drink or do drugs and hardly ever goes out. 'I am not a party person,' says Hilton, blinking her catlike royal-blue eyes. 'Mostly I like to spend time with my dogs.'"

Celebrity

As all eyes turn to Michael Eisner...


"LOS ANGELES (AP) - In a sign of simmering tension at the top of one of the nation's largest media giants, Walt Disney Co. vice chairman Roy E. Disney stepped down from the board of directors and called on chairman and chief executive Michael Eisner to resign in a scathing letter."

Celebrity


"Kato Kaelin, Paris Hilton and Vanna White might not seem anything alike, but the three belong to the same dubious brotherhood. They are famous without having done a darn thing to deserve it. O.J.'s houseguest, the spoiled party girl, and the 'Wheel of Fortune' letter turner are famous for being famous.

"Never has the American pop culture scene been more crowded with people who have hardly a thing special going for them except having been thrust into the public eye. Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter, the 'Bachelor' reject turned-'Bachelorette' and her man, have been living the high-profile life. They were at this year's White House Correspondents Dinner. They were followed around by a phalanx of photographers when they went to register for wedding gifts in L.A.'s Century City. They're discussed on web sites. And why? The reason is simply because they have a relationship, the same as millions of non-famous folk every day.There's lots of reality show flotsam swimming around the celebrity pool these days, as instantly well-known faces scramble to extend their fame beyond their limited series."

Disinfopedia Main Page - Disinfopedia