Saturday, December 27, 2008

Dorkland! on Facebook

I've added Dorkland! to a blog network on Facebook. If any of you readers are on there and would like to follow this blog via Facebook then click through on this link.

Send me a message through there if you're a reader and on Facebook and would like an add on there.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Game Geeks #86 Ghosts of Albion RPG by Eden Studios

The latest Cinematic Unisystem game, set in a Victorian world created by Amber Benson and Christopher Golden. Can't wait for the the print version to come out.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Bettie Page dies at 85

Bettie Page, the brunet pinup queen with a shoulder-length pageboy hairdo and kitschy bangs whose saucy photos helped usher in the sexual revolution of the 1960s, has died. She was 85.

Page, whose later life was marked by depression, violent mood swings and several years in a state mental institution, died Thursday night at Kindred Hospital in Los Angeles, where she had been on life support since suffering a heart attack Dec. 2, according to her agent, Mark Roesler.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Super Surfer Girl

Green Ronin Announces 3rd Era (Green Ronin Publishing)

An interesting decision and I am going to be watching this closely. To me one of the more interesting parts is the fact that a major player like Green Ronin is going to be pursuing having any of their product that is available through Lulu rather than traditional distribution channels.

Green Ronin Publishing announced today that it would keep its classic d20 System titles available under its new 3rd Era brand name. The process began this week with the re-release of six books in PDF format and will continue on a regular basis until all the titles are updated.

'The status of the old d20 logo is now unclear,' said Green Ronin President Chris Pramas, 'so we created a new logo to replace it. This will keep PDFs of our back catalog available. We're also going to offer Print on Demand editions through Lulu, so gamers who want hard copies of difficult to find products like the Book of Fiends will be able to get them.'

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Twitterspeak: 66 Twitter Terms You Don’t Need to Know

Never read a twiller? Having twissues with your twerminology? Welcome, then, to the unforgivable abuse of the English language that some call Twitterspeak.

Tennant out of Hamlet for surgery

Actor David Tennant will not be returning to play Hamlet 'before Christmas' because of a back injury, the Royal Shakespeare Company says.

The 37-year-old, who is scheduled to have an operation on Thursday for a slipped disc, said: 'It is hugely disappointing for me.'

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Chicago Tribune Bankruptcy means bloggers beware

Today in news, the Chicago Tribune filed for bankruptcy in order to 'restructure it’s debt'. They also own properties like the Los Angeles Times, Baltimore Sun, and many others. Any marketer worth their weight knows that traditional media is on a slow decline, and some time in the future there will be a influx of job loss. This industry has many, many well trained, talented individuals in their employ.

So what is going to happen to all these people who are out of a job when the new media revolution completely comes full circle ? I’m sure the majority of the will bounce back, and be scooped up (quickly) by other areas of industry who have similar needs. So ... what about the journalists?

Red Circle

Sunday, December 07, 2008

I'm Thinking About My Doorbell

Bettie Page 'Critically Ill' After Heart Attack

Bettie Page, a 1950s pinup known for her raven-haired bangs and saucy come-hither looks, was hospitalized in intensive care after suffering a heart attack, her agent said Friday.

'She's critically ill,' Mark Roesler of CMG Worldwide told The Associated Press.

Friday, December 05, 2008

Hipster, please!: Nerd News in Brief

It's been another huge week for geeky news, but before we get into this veritable wealth of nerdstuff I'd like to comment on recent developments at The Wizrocklopedia. You see, Lizz just announced her retirement. After years at the helm, she is passing the mantle of editor on to Freya and Dinah so that she can pursue other avenues. Lizz will still be acting webmistress, but other than that her 'Pedia-related activities will be limited.

I've got an enormous amount of respect and appreciation for Lizz because of all the work she does for the WRock community and, moreover, simply because of the really genuine person that she is. She's a class act, and I am thankful to count her, along with folks like Ant, Matt, Church, and Jason, as a like-minded cyber-sibling. So while I'll miss having her around ye olde Internets, I wish her the best in all her endeavors.

Sad Kermit

We have all seen stars rocket to dizzying heights in the prime of their careers, heights that baffle and amaze the likes of us. But many of the same stars that we point at in awe are only to be dragged off of their trajectory by tragedy into a gold dusted tailspin downward, finally to be burned up alive by the same velocity that once took them skyward.

We have all seen stars rocket to dizzying heights in the prime of their careers, heights that baffle and amaze the likes of us. But many of the same stars that we point at in awe are only to be dragged off of their trajectory by tragedy into a gold dusted tailspin downward, finally to be burned up alive by the same velocity that once took them skyward.

We all remember the joy we shared with our families when we were kids. Wrapped in blankets in front of the television; we inched ourselves as undetectable as possible towards the screen in a vain attempt to avoid the inevitable warning issued as the question: "Move back! Do you WANT TO GO BLIND?". It was all an effort to ensconce ourselves in the palpably magical world that was crafted through the collaboration of Jim Henson and a huge cast of Muppets more than fifty years ago.

Although it would have been impossible without the Muppets, Jim was the mortar that bound this disparate cast together and kept them on a true course. When Jim Henson passed away worlds were lost. And Kermit, who Jim had mentored in the art of vaudville since his creation, who Jim had treated as a son, was lost as well...

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Major Reorganization at Random House

After months of speculation, Random House, the world’s largest publisher of consumer books, announced a sweeping reorganization of its publishing divisions, including the resignations of the heads of two of its largest groups.

Irwyn Applebaum, publisher of Bantam Dell, an imprint that publishes authors including Dean Koontz and Danielle Steel, and Steve Rubin, publisher of Doubleday Publishing Group, which represents authors including John Grisham and Dan Brown, are stepping down from their posts.

Linden Lab doubles-back on approved skins

Linden Lab's governance team has started removing vendors for Second Life skins (that is, avatar textures) that are intended to portray teens and juveniles. It is not exactly clear why the action is suddenly being taken, as Linden Lab themselves approved the skins which have underwear 'baked in' to avoid any licentiousness. All in all, the affected skins are less lewd than a K-Mart kidswear catalog.

However, since the vendors depicted the skins 'as is' (that is not completely clothed, so that you would be unable to see what you were trying to purchase), Linden Lab has unexpectedly reneged on previously granted approval and is now acting to remove them. The removals that we are aware of have been appealed, and those appeals have been rejected.

The only comment available from Linden Lab about the removals is 'Real-life images, avatar portrayals, and other depictions of sexual or lewd acts involving or appearing to involve children or minors are never allowed within Second Life.' -- which does not appear to describe any of the materials removed. The Lab declines to discuss anything related to enforcement actions or content takedowns, as a rule.