Wednesday, May 18, 2005

'The Riddler' Frank Gorshin Dies at 72

He will be missed. He is already missed I am sure.

'The Riddler' Frank Gorshin Dies at 72

"Frank Gorshin, the impressionist with 100 faces best known for his Emmy-nominated role as the Riddler on the 'Batman' TV series, has died. He was 72."

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

The Burger King In Yellow


And you should ask yourself, is this new concept of Burger King an avatar of the King in Yellow? Posted by Hello

Sunday, May 15, 2005

Three killed over role-playing game in Brazil

Wow. That's player immersion.

Three killed over role-playing game in Brazil

"A 21-year-old man and his parents were killed after the man agreed to be murdered along with his family if he lost a murder-mystery role-playing game, local media reported Saturday."

There's also that little voice saying, "You're a psycho" to pretty much everyone involved in this little senario.

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Stone the crows! Exploding toad case solved

Stone the crows! Exploding toad case solved

"After weeks of flummoxing scientists, Germany's great exploding toads mystery has been solved. They were gruesomely murdered by crows with a taste for foie gras."

Sunday, May 08, 2005

TOP SECRET: Unit

TOP SECRET: Unit

"Any threat. Any location. Protecting humanity no matter how far it takes us."

This is not, however, apparently connected to the UNIT that appeared in Doctor Who. I could be wrong though.

Saturday, May 07, 2005

The FATE Interview

RPG Blog: The FATE Interview

The owner of the RPG Blog interviews Fred Hicks and Rob Donoghue, the creators of FATE, one of the more interesting versions of the Fudge rules available out there currently.

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

Alan Moore’s Twilight of the Superheroes

I come across this online from time to time, and thought that I might look it over for ideas for my Challengers: Beyond The Unknown campaign that is percolating in my head right now. If you haven't read this before, I whole-heartedly reccomend it. It is interesting how pieces have ended up in various stories anyway.

Alan Moore’s Twilight of the Superheroes

"Some time circa 1987, after Swamp Thing and Watchmen, and before his falling out with DC, comics legend Alan Moore submitted a proposal for a series that was never published. Twilight. Plunging the DC Universe into Ragnarok, Goetterdammerung, the Twilight of the Gods, it was never brought to fruition.

"This document surfaced later in an un-named Science Fiction fanzine and was transferred to the web by un-named fans. I cleaned up some of the obvious scanning errors (after a year scanning the work of Freud, I’ve come to recognize the difference between computer error and human error). Originally there was some question as to its validity. That is, was it really Alan Moore’s proposal, or a well-written hoax? Pros across the net all agreed that it was real. The stories they tell make this script into some sort of holy grail, a magical creation passing from hero to hero. The comments are worth reading. The authorship, however, is no longer in doubt. Both Alan Moore (to others) and DC Comics (to me) have said that this is in fact Moore’s proposal."

Friday, April 29, 2005

"Tomorrow Is The World We Are Living In Right Now!"


The exoskeleton, bringing you greater strength and greater mobility. Doesn't it remind you of the one worn by Batman in Kingdom Come? This is, however, allegedly an actual working model, developed by a Japanese company. Posted by Hello

I know that this probably isn't new, but I like the picture. Bonus points if you can name who said the quote that I used as a subject for this posting.

Thursday, April 28, 2005

Mystery of German exploding toads

Maybe this wouldn't happen if they were Infinite Frogs.

Mystery of German exploding toads

"Toads in an area of northern Germany are being killed off by a mysterious disease - they are exploding."

Ultimate Flash Face v0.42b

Build your own mugshots. Hours of fun for the entire family.

Ultimate Flash Face v0.42b

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Da Vinci Code bestseller is plagiarism, Holy Blood Holy Grail authors claim

Da Vinci Code bestseller is plagiarism, Holy Blood Holy Grail authors claim

"Jesus conspiracy novel has earned £140 million, but now two academic writers say that their historical work preceded it by 20 years, reports Elizabeth Day

"It is the biggest-selling adult fiction book of all time and has earned its author a reputed £140 million with its plot about a global conspiracy to suppress Christ's marriage.

"The Da Vinci Code has sold more than 12 million copies and has been translated into 42 languages. But now two writers are suing its publishers, claiming that it was copied from their bestseller that first appeared more than 20 years ago.

"Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh claim that Dan Brown, the 39-year-old former English teacher from New Hampshire, has 'lifted the whole architecture' of the research that they carried out for their non-fiction work The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, which they co-wrote with Henry Lincoln.

"They claim that the similarities between the two books are such that they have no choice but to sue Random House, whose imprint Doubleday is the publisher of Brown's novel."

Monday, April 25, 2005

Superman Costume Revealed


Look, up in the sky...it's the fist look at the Superman costume from the upcoming movie. Posted by Hello

Dueling Theater Managers

The rest is just strange. Ah....how I miss living in a small town sometimes. Sometimes...

Dueling Theater Managers

"The Bozeman Police reports for Tuesday included the following:

"Two managers from competing theaters got into a fight Monday over who was going to host the new Star Wars movie."

Friday, April 22, 2005

Mevlana Jelalu'ddin Rumi on Death

Mevlana Jelalu'ddin Rumi on Death

"I died from minerality and became vegetable;
And from vegatativeness I died and became animal,
I died from animality and became man.
Why, then, fear disappearance through death?
Next time I shall die
Bringing forth wings and feathers like angels;
After that, soaring higher than angels --
What you cannot imagine,
I shall be that."

Thursday, April 21, 2005

Bionic suit offers wearers super-strength

Bionic suit offers wearers super-strength

"A ROBOT suit has been developed that could help older people or those with disabilities to walk or lift heavy objects.

Dubbed HAL, or hybrid assistive limb, the latest versions of the suit will be unveiled this June at the 2005 World Expo in Aichi, Japan, which opened last month. A commercial product is slated for release by the end of the year.

HAL is the result of 10 years' work by Yoshiyuki Sankai of the University of Tsukuba in Japan, and integrates mechanics, electronics, bionics and robotics in a new field known as cybernics. The most fully developed prototype, HAL 3, is a motor-driven metal 'exoskeleton' that you strap onto your legs to power-assist leg movements. A backpack holds a computer with a wireless network connection, and the batteries are on a belt."

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Hasbro Reports First Quarter Results

Hasbro Reports First Quarter Results

"Highlights

"-- Net revenues were down 4%, to $454.9 million compared to $474.2 million a year ago;

"-- Net loss of ($3.7) million, or ($0.02) per diluted share, compared to net earnings of $6.5 million, or $0.03 per diluted share in 2004;

"-- Toy segment net revenues were up 9%, reflecting the initial shipment of STAR WARS products in advance of the May 19th movie release;

"-- Balance sheet continues to be strong, ending the quarter with cash, net of debt of $237.9 million.

"Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS) today reported first quarter results. Worldwide net revenues for the quarter were $454.9 million compared to $474.2 million a year ago and included a $7.0 million positive impact from foreign exchange. The Company reported a net loss for the quarter of ($3.7) million or ($0.02) per diluted share, compared to net earnings of $6.5 million or $0.03 per diluted share in 2004."

Monday, April 18, 2005

It's not easy living on Dork Street

And last but not least....

It's not easy living on Dork Street

"It's not easy living on Dork Street -- just ask Mario Saucedo.

"'I had a resume kicked back because someone thought I was kidding,' said Saucedo, who has lived on the street in this suburb about a dozen miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles for eight years.

"Ester Avetisian, who moved there 18 years ago, said she might have thought twice if there had been a sign in those days marking the road tucked into what is still a semi-rural section of town where people keep goats and chickens in their back yards.

"'I didn't know the name until my husband and I were signing (mortgage) papers,' Avetisian recalled. 'I was pretty shocked when I found out.'

"Still, most residents have learned to grin and bear the jokes." [via Jonny]

Where imagination is the key

Where imagination is the key

"'Halt! Who are you and why are you here?'

"The deep-voiced shout echoed through the rocky passage and the adventurers froze. Before anyone could answer, the owner of the deep voice stepped out of his hiding place and turned out to be ... Nancy Montano, a 39-year-old bill collector from Pendleton, Ind.

"Not quite a scene from 'The Lord of the Rings,' this was the start of another round of 'Dungeons & Dragons' at this weekend's Game Con South Bend. At the Century Center Saturday and today, Game Con offers the chance for fans and newcomers to play dozens of board, card and miniatures games, as well as some X-Box.

"Also popular are roleplaying games like 'Dungeons & Dragons,' in which players like Nancy assume the identities of fantasy-themed characters and play out elaborate missions. The healthy imagination and sense of community these games require and foster are the foundation of Game Con's popularity."

The Agony Column

The Agony Column edited by Rick Kleffel

Original fiction, commentary, reviews and interviews with the many faces of SF and fantastic fiction. Well worth checking out.

The Infinite Matrix

The Infinite Matrix

A great SF/Fantastic Fiction website. An upcoming "issue" will have a new short story by Rudy Rucker and an essay from William Gibson. Well worth checking out if you are interested in the non-mainstream for your fantastic fiction.

Crisis Counseling

Crisis Counseling

The official site at the DC Comics website with previews, updates and spoilers for the upcoming Infinite Crisis. Will they really undo the Crisis on Infinite Earths and return to DC Universe to the Multiverse of the pre-Crisis days? Does this mean that Zero Hour will have never happened? What about Identity Crisis? If the company has a gigantic company crossover will anyone really, really care?

Check back every Monday for more details.

Sunday, April 17, 2005

Cleveland Gamers!

One thing that gamers are always complaining about is the fact that they can't find other gamers. This is something that I hear again and again. So, I decided to put together a way for gamers in the Cleveland area to network and meet with each other. This is, I think, particularly relevant because Meetup.com has announced that they are going to start charging each local Meetup organizer a month fee for the priviledge of using Meetup.com. Gee thanks.

Anyway, because of that, I am attempting to organize any Cleveland area gamers who are interested in meeting other people in their area with common interests. If you would like to keep up with things send an email to the group if you are interested.

The first gathering of Cleveland Gamers is set for Saturday, May 7th at 8:00pm. It will be at the University Circle Arabica. Come by and say hello.

The Unofficial DC Heroes JLA Source Page

The Unofficial DC Heroes JLA Source Page

This is an excellent resource dealing with the Grant Morrison-era JLA and converting them to the DC Heroes/Blood of Heroes RPGs based on the Mayfair Exponential Gaming system. Good stuff, and well done write-ups.

Friday, April 08, 2005

The Art of Making Wolves From Human Skulls

I don't really know if I can actually describe this. Kookiness ensues.

The Art of Making Wolves From Human Skulls

A note to regular readers (if there are any): Apparently Blogger made some changes lately that have been causing me some posting problems. Hopefully this post means that I have things working again. Sorry about the delays in getting the strangeness to you.