Open source hardware

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/12/open_source_hardware_2009_-_the_def.html

Includes many different projects, including games.

Avatar

I saw the movie Avatar with Andrew & Morgan over Christmas break.

Great action scenes and awesome special effects.

Preachy and shamelessly manipulative.

Anti-corporation and anti-military.

I thought Sigourney Weaver was particularly good.

Oberin

http://www.oberin.com/index.php

Fantasy MMORPG for Mac.

Avatar

http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/12/18/movies/18avatar.html?th&emc=th

Gushy preview of the James Cameron film.

Pocket Items for Warhammer Online

http://war.allakhazam.com/wiki/Tier_1_(Bestiary_Unlock_Guide)

A place to start, at least.

I am continually impressed with how deep this game is.

Warhammer Alliance

http://www.warhammeralliance.com/

Allakhazam Warhammer Online

http://war.allakhazam.com/

WAR Tract

http://gaarawarrgabs.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/want-a-free-level-a-guide-to-the-war-tract/

Always something new to learn about in Warhammer Online.

The Path Ahead

http://www.mmorpg.com/blogs/staffblog/122009/5286_Community-Spotlight-Seeking-Adventure-Join-The-Path-Ahead

Describes a desperate attempt to find community in modern MMOs.

I think they are missing the point but I wish them all the best.

MMO Expansions

http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cfm/loadFeature/3791/page/1

Interesting essay on MMO expansions.

Warhammer 40k MMO

http://kotaku.com/5415951/an-early-look-at-the-warhammer-40k-mmo/gallery/

Early concept art, but no screenshots.

I want to ba a chaos cultist.

Failed MMOs

http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cfm/loadFeature/3767/page/1

Interesting essay on failed MMOs.

It does not mention Earth & Beyond, which was such a failure that it does not even merit notice.

Gold Farmers

http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cfm/loadFeature/3740/page/1

Interesting article on the ongoing battle between MMO providers and gold farmers.

MMO Industry Layoffs

http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cfm/loadFeature/3726/page/1

Interesting article on player perspectives of MMO industry layoffs.

DJ Hero

Gushy review from The New York Times (link here).

Available for both PS3 and Wii.

Five Worst MMO Launches

http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cfm/feature/3679/page/1

Interesting that I played two of the five worst MMO launches:

Star Wars Galaxies
Anarchy Online

And, yes, I played them at launch.

Audrey's Door

http://www.lvrj.com/blogs/booknook/Audreys_Door_an_entertaining_ghost_story.html

More than just another King knockoff?

MMO bans players

As of a month ago, a Chinese MMO company has started banning accounts of male players that play female characters in their game. Only a few news sites outside of China have picked up on the ruling.

- GamePolitics.com (link here)

Stupid does not even begin to describe this.

Tropico 3

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/23/AR2009102304323.html?wpisrc=newsletter

Gushy review of video-game start-up Kalypso.

Offices in Baltimore.

Kalypso purchased the rights to the Tropico franchise.

Top 10 MMOs Since World of Warcraft

http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cfm/feature/3615/page/1

Warhammer Online did not make the list.

Rogue Trader

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_minisite.asp?eidm=78&enmi=Rogue%20Trader

The core rule book is available, but $59.95 seems a little steep.

Apollo

Yesterday, we attended the Milwaukee Rep production of 'Soultime: At the Apollo" at the Stackner Cabaret (we have season tickets).

It featured the history and music of the Apollo Theater in Harlem.

Talented cast, some great music.

I was selected for an audience participation skit were I sang and danced on stage.

Tons of fun and well worth attending.

Lost Symbol

http://www.lvrj.com/blogs/booknook/Browns_Lost_Symbol_worth_wait.html

Gushy review of the new Dan Brown novel.

A New Star Wars MMO game?

http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/73904

Interesting rumor about a casual browser-based game.

Star Wars Galaxies

Re-review of Star Wars Galaxies at mmorpg.com (link here).

I played at launch for a year, and put up with a ton of bullshit, so I do not have the "good old days" mental illness that a lot of the other older players have.

I was particularly interested to note the reviewers "only a matter of time" prediction.

RIH.

Rubyist

http://www.manning.com/black2/

The Well-Grounded Rubyist

David A. Black

Something Missing

http://www.lvrj.com/blogs/booknook/Something_Missing_offers_quirky_charm.html

Sounds like something beyond quirky.

Quickhit Football

Free online football game.

http://www.quickhit.com/

War of Dragons

Free fantasy browser-based game.

http://www.warofdragons.com/

China Mieville

In the cleverly altered present-day of China Miéville's "The City & the City" (Del Rey, $26), Inspector Tyador Borlú is tracking a murder case that takes him from his home town of Beszel to the city of Ul Qoma.

- Washington Post (link here)

I really enjoyed some of his other novels so I should try this one.

Shaiya

http://shaiya.aeriagames.com/

Yet another fantasy MMORPG.

If I had a Windows machine, I would try it.

Top MMOs of 2012

http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cfm/feature/3383/page/1

The prediction is that World of Warcraft will still be #1.

Warhammer Online

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning

Coming to the Mac this fall according to mmorpg.com (link here)

I might have to try it.

The Sheriff of Yrnameer

http://www.lvrj.com/blogs/booknook/The_Sheriff_of_Yrnameer_farging_funny.html

The reviewer convinced me.

I want to read this book.

The Forge of Christendom

http://www.tom-holland.org/books/the-forge-of-christendom.html

Non-fiction.

Why Socrates Died

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/feb/28/why-socrates-died-robin-waterfield

Non-fiction.

Ghost Ship

http://www.lvrj.com/blogs/booknook/Ghost_Ship_a_tale_with_substance.html

It was an X-Files case?

1491

http://www.lvrj.com/blogs/booknook/1491_looks_deeper_into_early_Indian_life.html

Non-fiction.

I read it and liked it.

Rock Band Network

Starting this fall, Rock Band Network will let aspiring musicians upload their songs as tracks that others can buy and download.

- Washington Post (link here)

What happens when your hard drive gets full?

The Girl Who Played With Fire

Gushy Washington Post review of the book by deceased author Stieg Larrson (link here).

Warhammer Invasion card game

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=652

Looks like it could be fun.

Fragment

http://www.lvrj.com/blogs/booknook/Fragment_just_plain_fun.html

Fragment by Warren Fahy

Sounds interesting.

Vanguard

http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/147/feature/3236/page/1

It took two years to get it to where it should have been at launch.

Dillinger

“Public Enemies” doesn’t look like the usual gangster picture, not only because it’s been shot in digital, but also because Mr. Mann is searching for a new kind of gangster story to fit the times, one that makes room for greater ambivalence, and lawmen and outlaws who are closer to one another in temperament and deed. If he doesn’t fully succeed, it’s because he knows that the gangster’s rakish smile is at once a fiction of cinema and one of its great, irresistible lies.

- NY Times (link here)

I want to see it.

The Conduit

Playing on the Wii's unique strengths, The Conduit's controls were designed to be intuitive. To toss a grenade, you flick your wrist in a throwing motion. Run out of ammunition, and you can make a quick jabbing motion to strike a bad guy in the face. When your character's health is low, the Wii controller throbs in your hand like a heartbeat.

- Mike Musgrove, Washington Post (link here)

Might be worth a try.

Rogue Trader

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_minisite.asp?eidm=78&enmi=Rogue%20Trader

It almost makes me wish I was going to Gen Con 2009.

Almost.

Year One

http://www.miamiherald.com/living/story/1102708.html

A lukewarm movie review.

But how bad can the film really be if it features Jack Black eating human droppings?

Cthulego

(Thanks to Andrew for calling this to my attention.)

http://www.brothers-brick.com/2009/06/15/mark-conjures-monsters-from-the-beyond/

Spooky.

Up

On Saturday, we saw the 3D version of the Disney movie "Up."

I saw the 2D version in Baltimore.

The 3D added something to the movie, particularly the South American vistas.

Even the buttons in the credits were obviously 3D.

However, the story remains uneven, preachy, and shamelessly manipulative.

An Honorable German

http://www.lvrj.com/blogs/booknook/An_Honorable_German_military_fiction.html

Sounds like an interesting book.

Middle-Earth Quest

Middle-Earth Quest from Fantasy Flight Games (link here).

I want to be Sauron.

Board Game Beast

http://www.boardgamebeast.com/

Reviews and free downloads.

Empire of the Sun

http://www.lvrj.com/blogs/booknook/Remembering_JG_Ballard_and_his_Empire_of_the_Sun.html

Yet another gushy review.

Star Trek

I saw the new Star Trek movie on Memorial Day.

Good movie, lots of action.

Winona Ryder was Amanda Grayson (Spock's human mother).

Some weird aspects with a black hole, time travel, and alternate reality.

Patricia McKilip

http://www.lvrj.com/blogs/booknook/The_Forgotten_Beasts_of_Eld_magical.html

Review of The Forgotten Beasts of Eld.

The book won a World Fantasy Award in 1975.

Boone

http://www.lvrj.com/blogs/booknook/Boone_A_Biography.html

Review of biography of Daniel Boone.

Sounds like an interesting book.

I Just Stopped by to See the Man

http://www.milwaukeerep.com/season/performancedetails.php?ID=139

This afternoon, we attended the Milwaukee Rep performance of I Just Stopped by to See the Man at the Stiemke Theater.

Powerful story, talented cast, and awesome music.

Turn Coat

Butcher proves himself a master of urban fantasy in this tightly plotted, fast-moving story that plunges his main character into a dire series of choice and consequence.

- reviewjournal.com (link here)

I have not read all the Dresden novels, but I have enjoyed every one I did read.

A nautical mystery

Clyde Ford’s nautical mystery novel, “Precious Cargo,” takes the reader on a journey into the Inside Passage, the waterway between western Canada-southern Alaska and a series of islands.

- reviewjournal.com (link here)

Might be an interesting book.

Freesky Online

http://www.gamezone.com/news/03_30_09_06_32AM.htm

Browser-based.

Interesting experiment.

Gaming the Recession

Gaming should be included among the entrepreneurial ideas that can be pursued on a shoestring budget. Yes, games can be developed for little money in a garage or out of a small apartment. The genre has a low barrier to entry but also requires high creativity--a perfect mix for these recessionary times.

- Sramana Mitra, Forbes.com (link here)

Very optimistic.

Stardust

http://www.lvrj.com/blogs/booknook/Stardust_by_Neil_Gaiman.html

I should go back and re-read some of the Gaiman's earlier books.

Blithe Spirit

http://theater2.nytimes.com/2009/03/16/theater/reviews/16blit.html?th&emc=th

Gushy review of Angela Lansbury as Madame Arcati.

Conan boardgame

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_minisite_sec.asp?eidm=70&esem=2

Looks like a cool game but the $80 price tag seems a bit steep.

I guess it depends on the quality of the 160+ figures.

Fire on the Bayou

Today we attended the Milwaukee Rep performance of Fire on the Bayou at the Stackner Cabaret.

It was a musical history of New Orleans, with special emphasis on the destruction wrought by Katrina.

Preachy, and shamelessly manipulative.

Talented cast, and awesome music.

Excellent Sprecher Black Bavarian on tap.

McKillip

http://www.lvrj.com/blogs/booknook/The_Book_of_Atrix_Wolfe_by_Patricia_A_McKillip.html

Interesting review of the new fantasy novel.

Tragic story

Ask the most hard-core baseball fan about John C. Odom and most likely you'll get a blank stare. Yet millions of people have heard of the slender right-hander.

He was the minor league player traded for 10 maple bats.

- AP/azcentral (link here)

A tragedy of Greek proportions.

Open source FPS

http://apps.sourceforge.net/mediawiki/bloodfrontier/index.php?title=Home

Realms of Fantasy

Just finished the April 2009 copy of Realms of Fantasy magazine.

Yet another issue from the Rosie Lyons/Octavia Butler School of Literature.

No protagonists, only victims.

It was somewhat mitigated by good book, movie, and game reviews.

Martha Grimes

http://www.lvrj.com/blogs/booknook/Dakota_by_Martha_Grimes.html

Thumbnail sketch of the book "Dakota" by Martha Grimes, a sequel to "Biting the Moon."

Free games

http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/10-best-free-game-sites.htm

Abandonia Reloaded

http://www.reloaded.org/

Old DOS and console games as retro remakes.

Cheap publicity stunt

Michael Irvin will host a cable television reality show this spring during which 12 “football neophytes” will compete for a spot on the Dallas Cowboys’ opening 80-player training camp roster.

- Dallas Morning News (link here)

Out of the Box game blog

http://www.otb-games.blogspot.com/

The game that time forgot

http://www.teamteabag.com/2008/04/14/games-that-time-forgot-master-of-magic-pc/

Master of Magic cheats

http://www.cheatscodesguides.com/pc-cheats/master-of-magic/

http://faqs.ign.com/articles/372/372466p1.html

http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/file/564960/2059

2029

http://forum.2029.igg.com/

Sci-fi MMO game.

System Builder Marathon

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i7-overclock,2117.html

Four articles on home-brew gaming rigs.

Rock Band 2 cheats

http://www.gamesradar.com/ps3/rock-band-2/cheats-guides-faqs/g-20080630153356981058

PS3 Rock Band guitars

http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2008/04/13/ps3-fanboy-hands-on-nykos-frontman-guitar/

Rock Band 2 bonus tracks

http://news.absolute-playstation.com/sony/news/ps3-rock-band-2-bonus-tracks-revealed

Abandonia

http://www.abandonia.com/

Dedicated to classic DOS games.

Hazel Heald

http://authors.wizards.pro/authors/writers/hazel-heald

One of my favorite authors turns out to be a pseudonym.

I was confused by the discrepancy in the dates of death.

The Battle for Wesnoth

(Recommended by PCMech)

http://www.wesnoth.org/

Looks like an interesting game for several OSes.

Free turn-based fantasy strategy game.