How Do YOU Run Delta Green?

From the blog of Delta Green co-creator Dennis Detwiller...

For thirteen years, tens of thousands of intrepid Agents have ventured into the unknown world of Delta Green. We’ve watched with paternal enjoyment from the sidelines, eager to see what groups around the world with different play styles made of our creation. Our responses have run the gamut of human emotion. We’ve been pleased, frightened, stunned and just plain confused and what we’ve seen come back.

Before we get into the meat and bones, let me say upfront, the following is not a judgment on your play style, only an attempt to set straight some rather strange misconceptions which have arisen around the game over time. It comes from the question all of the creators have been asked many, many times: how do YOU run Delta Green?

Eden Tampa goes clothing-optional as residents wait for condo management to tell the naked truth

File this under interesting living conditions.

First off, Jon Rosenstadt and Sam Christian want you to know they aren't prudes. The tattooed and pierced Hillsborough Community College students get naked just like the rest of us -- showers, sex, what have you. Hell, the 20-somethings have even skinny-dipped once or twice in their lives.

And another thing: They like their apartment complex, and they like their neighbors.

They just don't want to see them naked.

That seems to be the prevailing opinion of the young apartment dwellers I talked to while visiting Eden, the newly renamed and much-buzzed-about condominium complex near Westchase. Formerly the Arbors at Branch Creek, the complex is morphing from family-oriented apartment units into a 'South Beach-style' condominium with a nude pool. The current residents are sure of that much, but the rest of their questions -- Will we have to move? When will the pool open? Can we break our lease? -- remain unanswered.

RPG Review

An interesting new online RPG zine.

RPGReview is a resource for role playing and simulation gamers, covering table-top, live-action and computer moderated games.

We offer a free journal every quarter, a club listing, mailing lists. We also have a number of second-hand RPGs available for sale.

Priest stabber inspired by Da Vinci Code

A 25-year-old man who tried to kill a priest by stabbing him in a Rome church has told police that he did so after the watching the film 'The Da Vinci Code' and believing himself to be the anti-Christ.

A Dark Secret Revealed in Astonishing X-Men

Daredevil: Enter Lady Bullseye

While Matt Murdock has spent much of his career as Daredevil being something of a romantic ladykiller, this month he's going to meet one lady who's actually out to kill him.

On September 24, DAREDEVIL #111 introduces Lady Bullseye into the Man Without Fear's rogues gallery, but while the assassin may share a name with DD's most infamous foe, her origins stretch beyond simple villain worship to the sai-slinging psycho.

Saving money on coffee just like Grandpa: Folgers targets broke coffee drinkers - WalletPop Blog

If anything is the fuel that runs the dorky machine it woulc be caffeine. And for many, that caffeine comes as coffee. So, what's a coffee drinker on a budget (or one who doesn't like Starbucks over-roasted beans) to do? Simple, Folgers wants you to drink the coffee that your grandfather drank. Theirs obviously.

The best part of waking up hasn't been Folgers for a decade or more. With Starbucks making gourmet coffee ubiquitous and boutique coffee roasters brewing ever-more-delightful java, Folgers is stuck in grandpa's mug. My brother-in-law and I give each other grimaces behind my dad's back when we drink the home brew at his house, and I've been known to bring my own beans when I'm visiting.

But grandpa is getting on now, and consumers looking for ways to save cash turn to their daily coffee beverage so often that saving $4 a day has a name: The Starbucks Factor, or the Latte Factor, depending on your brand loyalty (or lack thereof). But Folgers, Maxwell House and the even lesser-known competitors make their coffee from the ultra-cheap and inferior 'Robusta' beans, in contrast to the 'Arabica' beans used by upscale coffees. Robusta beans thrive at lower altitudes and produce far more beans per plant, and have twice the caffeine of Arabica beans; but their flavor, according to coffee connoisseurs, is extremely inadequate. How could a discriminating coffee drinker be persuaded to switch to Folgers, without creating a price disadvantage?

Dan Le Sac VS Scroobius Pip - Though Shalt Always Kill (Raiders Of The Lost Ark Remix)

I love this song. Here's a nice free (and legal) download of a remix of it. Enjoy.

Dorkland...Now WIth More Teabagging

GameStop Guitar Hero Contest Seeks Hot Moms

Nope, nothing creepy to be found here (particularly in the bolded part)

In celebration of the impending release of Guitar Hero World Tour, GameStop wants you to send them hot pictures of your mother. Dress her up in some fishnets, tease up her hair, and for god sakes show a little cleavage, and she could be well on her way to winning a $1,000 gift card for Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spas and a copy of the game in their Ultimate Guitar Hero contest. There are also prizes up from grabs for Families Who Rock! (Six Flags tickets, a $500 gas card and the game) and Guitar Gods and Goddesses (guitar lessons, $800 Guitar Centerjavascript:void(0)
Publish Post gift card and the game), and several smaller prizes, but it's all a front. They want to see your mom dressed up like Lita Ford.

[via HipsterPlease]

And We're Back

The move has occurred and things are relatively stable. With any luck posting will recommence soonest.

CIA, FBI push 'Facebook for spies'

When you see people at the office using such Internet sites as Facebook and MySpace, you might suspect those workers are slacking off.

But that's not the case at the CIA, the FBI and the National Security Agency, where bosses are encouraging their staff members to use a new social-networking site designed for the super-secret world of spying.

'It's every bit Facebook and YouTube for spies, but it's much, much more,' said Michael Wertheimer, assistant deputy director of national intelligence for analysis

Your Miles May Vary: Nerd Girls

What is the allure of the nerd girl?

Purely for scientific reasons, because I think that the readers of this blog would be interested in knowing the answer. I know that I agree with some (just some) of the answers...

Lykke Li - Breaking It Up

Nagraj Vs. Shakoora The Magician

Because you know that you have to see it now...

Comic Art - a set on Flickr

Eric Reynolds has posted scans of drawing made in his convention sketchbook by a variety of comic artists. (Hint: Click on the link above to see the Flickr set)

Alex Ross on The Black Terror

He was a popular comic book character throughout the bulk of the 1940s, and if Alex Ross, Jim Krueger and Mike Lily have their way, the Black Terror will be again.

As we’ve reported, Dynamite’s Project Superpowers universe will grow beginning in October as the Black Terror spins out of the main story into his own series, plotted by Alex Ross and Jim Krueger with pencils by Mike Lily , and covers and art direction by Ross.

As readers of Project Superpowers know, the Black Terror has been quite active...well, quite active since bring released from the magical urn that the Fighting Yank was tricked into trapping his allies in decades ago. Since his release, Terror has been shown to be more powerful than he ever was, and...edgy. He’s angry and confused both at what happened and the modern world he’s found himself in, and also, is desperate to find any hint of his sidekick Tim.

Torchwood Begins Season 3 Fliming

Filming for the third season of BBC AMERICA’s highest rated series ever, Torchwood, has begun in Cardiff, Wales. From creator Russell T Davis (writer of Doctor Who, Queer as Folk), the hit sci-fi series is scheduled to return in 2009 with the third installment titled Torchwood: Children of Earth.

The new season sees the Torchwood team embarking on a single action-packed adventure as they battle for the future of the human race against the fiercest force they have encountered.

The highly-motivated team is John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness, Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper and Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto Jones. Other regular cast involved in their high-octane adventure are Kai Owen as Rhys Williams, Gwen's husband, and Tom Price as PC Andy.

Special guests in the five part series are Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who, The Thick Of It, Skins), who plays the role of Mr. Frobisher – a civil servant who is hiding a terrible secret, Paul Copely (Coronation Street, The Bill) as Clem – the survivor still haunted by his past, and Liz May Brice (Bad Girls, The Bill) as Johnson – the cynical covert government agent determined to expose Torchwood.

Russell T Davies said, 'The new series of Torchwood is hugely bold and promises to be bigger and better than ever – the audience is in for an amazing ride. This series is one big serial and the most ambitious story we've ever made, and we've got plenty of surprises in store.'

Julie Gardner, Head of Drama, BBC Wales, said, 'We hope to make Torchwood a gripping and surprising TV event with storylines that push our team into greater danger and sacrifice. Joining our main cast are some fantastic guest artists who will only add to making this unmissable TV.'

On September 16, 2008, BBC Video unleashes to U.S. stores, Torchwood: The Complete Second Season, a fully-loaded 5-disc DVD set with over three hours of bonus features ranging from deleted scenes and outtakes to Torchwood Declassified featurettes and more.

This past April, both Seasons One and Two of Torchwood debuted in the Top 10 for 'Top TV Seasons' on the iTunes Store and continue to be a hit for the online digital store.

Digital Savant: A different perspective

Because my job is to pay attention to Twitter, to blog regularly and to try to figure out when online trends are important enough to write about, I sometimes forget that there are people who see the bulk of what I do as a waste of mine and everybody else’s time.

Texans should be watching Gustav, forecaster says

Hopefully we will be further North at the time and miss the worst of this storm. Isn't moving fun?

Tropical Storm Gustav, which has been slow to leave Haiti, has a chance to hit some southeastern counties in Texas as a powerful hurricane as early as Monday.

Virgin Comics Shuts NYC Offices

NEW YORK, NY, August 26, 2008 Virgin Comics announced today that it will be reorganizing its operations and closing its New York office to consolidate in an LA base.

The Company is currently working with management to restructure the business and will release its future plans in the next few weeks.

Sharad Devarajan, CEO, said, 'We remain excited about the business and partnerships we have built through Virgin Comics and are working towards a restructuring that properly takes the business forward. The decision to scale down the New York operations and concentrate on core activities is due to the current macro-economic downturn and is in no way a reflection on the dedicated and valuable employees we have had the privilege to work with.'

Heavy Gear to Return to Roleplaying

Dream Pod 9 and Steve Jackson Games announced an agreement today for a new line of roleplaying products based on DP9's best-selling Heavy Gear.

'The world of Heavy Gear was always intended to support multiple gaming formats,' said Robert Dubois, Licensing Manager for Dream Pod 9. 'We've focused our efforts on the miniatures line, with Heavy Gear Blitz! We are overjoyed that a publisher with the experience of Steve Jackson Games is interested in continuing the RPG material.'

The line will launch with a new edition of Heavy Gear, bringing the Silhouette mechanics to their fourth edition. This core game will contain everything needed to create characters and roleplay in the world of Heavy Gear. Further releases will update Heavy Gear's best-known places and personalities, bringing the story up to date with the miniatures line. New releases will explore military hardware, locations, factions, and the whole universe in greater detail than ever before. The line will primarily be released in PDF via e23.

Paul Levitz: DC Comics and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative

Indicia fans will have noticed a new symbol popping up in the fine print of some DC comics in recent weeks, a green emblem proclaiming compliance with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. (Okay, I concede that it may be overstating things to call anyone an indicia fan, but we know some of our readers pay attention to every aspect of our publications.) It’s a good thing, and a useful example of how one person’s focus on an issue can move a large company.

Alison Gill, DC’s Vice President-Manufacturing, is a woman of strong passions: her love of comics led her from the tiny London offices of Marvel U.K. in the 1980s to running production for Marvel Comics in New York, and then uptown to our digs almost a decade ago. Along the way she had to relegate her passion for soccer and find an American sport that could give her a comparable outlet. It’s only a rumor that she personally ripped the seats out of the Montreal Canadians arena that now decorate her office, but however they got there, it’s evidence of serious hockey fandom. She picked up a husband from her Marvel service (like so many of us who found our spouses at the office), and a pack of friends who gathered recently to toast her birthday in the Village. As our manufacturing has grown steadily more complex, with increasingly varied print formats, more rapid turnaround requirements to keep titles in print, overseas plants put to work on DC Direct and some hardcover titles, and rapid cost escalation of raw materials, she’s had plenty to do. But Alison can always find time to talk about paper.

In the past year, she’s had major victories in improving the karma of our company. After years of investigation, negotiation and experimentation, she was able to switch a number of our kids’ titles to a recycled newsprint paper stock, made from 85% post consumer waste and most of the Vertigo line to a recycled hibrite paper that is made from 40% post-consumer waste. And now, she’s in the process of getting our titles to conform to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, a program that ensures that participating forest harvesters, paper manufacturers, printers and publishers are using paper which comes from forests that are being managed in a sustainable way -that is, harvested and replanted in a way that ensures they will be there for the future, without damage to the forest’s ecological balance (at least as best it’s currently understood). While many people at DC and our parent companies are committed to environmental issues, this progress is largely Alison’s own. She reacted to concerns raised by environmental activists, did the homework, and found the way to move DC to a better standard of behavior. We still have a long way to go, but she’s working on it…

Superman to Return Again, But Eviler

A darker Superman. Yes, that is the recipe for success that eluded "Superman Returns."

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Warner Bros. Pictures Group President Jeff Robinov indicated the studio intends to explore the darker side of superheroes in future films based on DC Comics properties, also owned by Time Warner. Prompted by the success of Christopher Nolan’s Batman sequel 'The Dark Knight,' which he credits to the profoundly grim tone of the film, Robinov told WSJ’s Lauren A.E. Schucker, 'We're going to try to go dark to the extent that the characters allow it. That goes for the company's Superman franchise as well.'

The Ultimate Mashup Link Collection

Compiled by Simon Iddol, this page is nothing but links to mashups sites, artists and other general information you might (or might not) need. A great starting point for those interested in learning more about this musical style.