/theresa

Reading Rainbow
Jun 5, 2005 12:32am

I've been traveling a lot lately. The PSP fries out my eyes (646k Lumines!) so I decided to pick up the Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell book at the airport. Needless to say I was so not disappointed.

Before I get to the book I'm going to give you this nugget of goodness that's from a person I know in WoW as ctidalwave who died in this tragedy of Leeroy that will entertain us all.

Also something you need to see: http://cryingwhileeating.com/

Okay, so back to the book. I'm totally going to spoil it for you and it wont ruin a thing because it's the best-worst book I've ever read. If you're really into it, do not read past this sentence.

The plot is crazy. His name is SAM FISHER. He is a Splinter Cell. He's basically a manly man of the universe that goes out on missions that require him to use his fancy spy moves and save the world. But wait, his daughter gets kidnapped by her boyfriend who gives her to two Russian thugs named Vlad and Yuri who are hiding out in a warehouse in Jeruselem. They, of course, want to kill all the Splinter Cells and Sam is next on the list with his daughter as bait.
Sam doesn't know his daughter is kidnapped so he's still doing his mission of taking out this plane and neutralizing a terrorist target whos base is cleverly hidden under a diaper factory (for reals).

He finally finds out later on a new mission that his daughter is kidnapped and gets pissed - but he stays on target with his mission - even though there's little time until the kidnappers kill her! So now he's on his way to blow up this gigantic super weapon of a missile and he's got anger on the brain. He plants grenades everywhere timed to go off after 45 minutes. While he's there there's an uprising in the ranks and the terrorists have a new leader after they killed Sam's man. Not only that but ally planes are flying in to bomb the place.

Sam is then taken captive. To make a statement of terror and because they really don't like the people there... the terrorists reset the missile's course for... JERUSALEM!

OH NOES! SAM YOU HAVE TO RESCUE YOUR DAUGHTER AND GET OUT OF THERE OR YOU'LL BOTH DIE!

He escapes of course, saves the day and the missile is shot out of the sky by some sidewinders. Those men were damn heroes.

I really can't describe how cheesy this book was... So I will give you some little clips from it so you can see yourself. It's definitely worth picking up, though people are going to look at you really funny for laughing all the time while reading a book with the cover of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell.


But don't take my word for it... do do DO!

Some snippets from the book:

"I quickly stand, reach into my jacket pocket, and remove three miniature sticky bugs. They're a lot like the sticky cameras I use except that they're audio-only. I move to Basaran's desk and quickly stick one bug underneath, attaching it to one of the legs up high where it won't be noticed."
Is it just me or do these "Sticky Bugs" sound nothing like Sticky Cams? haha SO ORIGINAL. STICKY.. BUGS!


"Open your mouth," Petlow ordered the prisoner. When the man did so, Petlow saw he was missing some teeth. He was the man Fisher called "No-Tooth."



"As I swim away from the sore, bullets chop through the water, producing that otherworldy slow-motion effect you get when you fire a gun into water."
It's like you're THERE. The detail in this book is incredible.



"With my helmet and goggles on, I'm hoping he doesn't recognize me. Besides, I'm pretty high above him. I hear him grunt at me, motioning me to come down. He expects me to comb down and take my punishment like a man. So what do I do? I let go of the pipe and drop the forty or fifty feet directly on top of him."
I've totally done that in Warehouse.



"I'm surprised to see that the building is a diaper factory and warehouse. Who are they kidding? I've heard of deadly weapons of mass destruction, but this is ridiculous. "
As it turns out.. that fifty foot jump was in a Warehouse.



"Two warning alarms went off at once. The fighters had launched two AIM-9X Sidewinders. Evasive action! Evasive action! Mazur struggled to keep calm..."
I wonder of Mazur is thinking the "Evasive action!" or if the book was simulating an "OH CRAPS" blink from some imaginary HUD.



"One e-mail stood out, however. It was from "A Friend."
Tarighaian opened it, expecting a piece of spam advertising how to get a bigger penis or the latest deal in obtaining prescription drugs."
Who puts this in an action novel? hahaha



"The cart rolls past me, headed for the department store wing. It's now or never, so I make my move. I run and chase the back of the cart, jump onto the back end, and surprise the two guards. Before they can react and say "Hey!" I slam their heads together. "
Sam Fisher sneaks into shopping malls by latching onto rolling carts and bashing security guards' heads together.



"I bring my knee up in a classic Krav Maga below-the-belt crotch crunch. This causes my opponent to freeze with shock and pain. "
Shock.. and pain.



Four armed guards are standing there, and I'm caught with my thumb up my ***.
One of them sees me-and my strange alien uniform-and shouts. Before they can react, I bolt through them, shoving the two inner guys apart. They fall into the outer guys, knocking them to the floor. I run like a madman as I hear more shouting behind me. A gun fires and a bullet whistles past my head. I begin countermaneuvers of zigzagging and bouncing off the walls like a pinball to make myself less of a target.
LESS of a target... in a hallway.



"You're evil", I mutter. Tarighian's eyes flare and he approaches me. He turns his head slightly, as if he's preparing to strike me, but instead he spits a glob of phlegm at me. It hits me in the face and dribbles down my cheek.
"That's what I think of America," he says. He moves away and addresses Mertens. "Begin the calibration. It's time."
Mertends nods and picks up a phone. After a moment he says, "Begin calibration. Raise the Phoenix."
The bad guys are awesomely typical.



"Now's my chance. I hip-check Abbott- I ram my hipbone as hard as I can into his, knocking him sideways. At the same time I lodge my right boot on the inside of his left leg, causing him to fall to the floor. Before Costello can react, I raise my left boot, run it down his right shin, and stomp hard on his foot. I take a step to my right, turn, and then kick the ever-living shit out of his right knee. I hear the bones snap as he screams and falls to the ground.
By now Abbott is scrambling to his feet and trying to level his AK-47 at me. I turn to him and kick him hard in the face with my right boot. He falls onto his back, dropping the rifle.

Part of my training included perfecting a maneuver that allows me to roll my legs through my tied arms-like jumping rope backwards. You have to be really limber to do it, and I spent weeks getting to where I could just manage it. It's possible to execute the move while doing a forward roll - you just have to throw your arms around your body in the opposite direction from the way legs are going. Scrunching yourself up into a ball beforehand makes it easier. So,very quickly, I squat, form my body into a ball, and perform that forward roll, bringing my arms over and around my body. Perfect. I jump to my feet and now my tied hands are in front of me.

Abbott is on his knees now, trying to get up for a second time. Another kick to the face sends him to Neverland. For good measure I shoot the AK-47 across the floor out of his reach. TI then turn my attention to Costello, who's writhing in agony on the floor. I raise my left boot above his head and bring it down as hard as I can. No more pain for him.
All this occurred in five point four seconds."
FIVE POINT FOUR SECONDS. Man. He's a badass.

"I don't care how many ***holes are in there," I say. "I'm going to wipe them clean."
...



So yeah, the entire book is full of this stuff. It's great. He's constantly checking himself that he's manly enough and brags about his skills. I mean.. yeah, girls like guys with skills. His heterosexuality actually comes up in the book and he's totally not gay.



And the ending? Here it is:

As the plane lifts off, she says, quietly, "I love you, Dad."
I answer, "I love you, too, kid," but she's already asleep.

Found on a message board:

Watchmen. A producer's perspective.

An open letter.

Who is right? In the Watchmen dispute between Warner Brothers and Fox that question is being discussed, analyzed, argued, tried and ruled on in a court of law. That's one way to answer the question - It is a fallback position in our society for parties in conflict to resolve disputes. And there are teams of lawyers and a highly regarded Federal Judge trying to do just that, which obviates any contribution I could make towards answering the "who is right" question within a legal context. But after 15 plus years of involvement in the project, and a decade more than that working in the movie business, I have another perspective, a personal perspective that I believe important to have on the public record.

No one is more keenly aware of the irony of this dispute than Larry Gordon and I who have been trying to get this movie made for many years. There's a list of people who have rejected the viability of a movie based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon's classic graphic novel that reads like a who's who of Hollywood.

We've been told the graphic novel is unfilmable.

After 9/11 some felt the story's themes were too close to reality ever to be palatable to a mainstream audience.

There were those who considered the project but who wished it were somehow different: Could it be a buddy movie, or a team-up movie or could it focus on one main character; did it have to be so dark; did so many people have to die; could it be stripped of its flashback structure; could storylines be eliminated; could new storylines be invented; did it have to be so long; could the blue guy put clothes on... The list of dissatisfactions for what Watchmen is was as endless as the list of suggestions to make it something it never was.

Also endless are the list of studio rejections we accrued over the years. Larry and I developed screenplays at five different studios. We had two false starts in production on the movie. We were involved with prominent and commercial directors. Big name stars were interested. In one instance hundreds of people were employed, sets were being built - An A-list director and top artists in the industry were given their walking papers when the studio financing the movie lost faith.

After all these years of rejection, this is the same project, the same movie, over which two studios are now spending millions of dollars contesting ownership. Irony indeed, and then some.

Through the years, inverse of the lack of studio faith has been the passionate belief by many many individuals - movie professionals who were also passionate fans of the graphic novel - who, yes, wanted to work on the film, but more for reasons of just wanting to see the movie get made, to see this movie get made and made right, donated their time and talent to help push the film forward: Writers gave us free screenplay drafts; conceptual art was supplied by illustrators, tests were performed gratis by highly respected actors and helped along and put together by editors, designers, prop makers and vfx artists; we were the recipients of donated studio and work space, lighting and camera equipment. Another irony, given the commercial stakes implied by the pitched legal dispute between Fox and Warners, is that for years Watchmen has been a project that has survived on the fumes of whatever could be begged, borrowed and stolen - A charity case for all intents and purposes. None of that effort, none of that passion and emotional involvement, is considered in the framework of this legal dispute.

From my point of view, the flashpoint of this dispute, came in late spring of 2005. Both Fox and Warner Brothers were offered the chance to make Watchmen. They were submitted the same package, at the same time. It included a cover letter describing the project and its history, budget information, a screenplay, the graphic novel, and it made mention that a top director was involved.

And it's at this point, where the response from both parties could not have been more radically different.

The response we got from Fox was a flat "pass." That's it. An internal Fox email documents that executives there felt the script was one of the most unintelligible pieces of shit they had read in years. Conversely, Warner Brothers called us after having read the script and said they were interested in the movie - yes, they were unsure of the screenplay, and had many questions, but wanted to set a meeting to discuss the project, which they promptly did. Did anyone at Fox ask to meet on the movie? No. Did anyone at Fox express any interest in the movie? No. Express even the slightest interest in the movie? Or the graphic novel? No.

From there, the executives at Warner Brothers, who weren't yet completely comfortable with the movie, made a deal to acquire the movie rights and we all started to creatively explore the possibility of making Watchmen. We discussed creative approaches and started offering the movie to directors, our former director having moved on by then. After a few director submissions, Zack Snyder came onboard, well before the release of his movie 300. In fact, well before its completion. This was a gut, creative call by Larry, me and the studio... Zack didn't have a huge commercial track record, yet we all felt he was the right guy for the movie.

Warner Brothers continued to support, both financially and creatively, the development of the movie. And eventually, after over a year of work, they agreed to make the film, based on a script that, for what it's worth, was by and large very similar to the one Fox initially read and deemed an unintelligible piece of shit.

Now here's the part that has to be fully appreciated, if for nothing more than providing insight into producing movies in Hollywood: The Watchmen script was way above the norm in length, near 150 pages, meaning the film could clock in at close to 3 hours, the movie would not only be R rated but a hard R - for graphic violence and explicit sex - would feature no stars, and had a budget north of $100M. We also asked Warner Brothers to support an additional 1 to 1.5 hours of content incurring additional cost that would tie in with the movie but only be featured in DVD iterations of the film. Warners supported the whole package and I cannot begin to emphasize how ballsy and unprecedented a move this was on the part of a major Hollywood studio. Unheard of. And would another studio in Hollywood, let alone a studio that didn't show one shred of interest in the movie, not one, have taken such a risk? Would they ever have made such a commitment, a commitment to a film that defied all conventional wisdom?

Only the executives at Fox can answer that question. But if they were to be honest, their answer would have to be "No."

Shouldn't Warner Brothers be entitled to the spoils - if any -- of the risk they took in supporting and making Watchmen? Should Fox have any claim on something they could have had but chose to neither support nor show any interest in?

Look at it another way... One reason the movie was made was because Warner Brothers spent the time, effort and money to engage with and develop the project. If Watchmen was at Fox the decision to make the movie would never have been made because there was no interest in moving forward with the project.

Does a film studio have the right to stand in the way of an artistic endeavor and determine that it shouldn't exist? If the project had been sequestered at Fox, if Fox had any say in the matter, Watchmen simply wouldn't exist today, and there would be no film for Fox to lay claim on. It seems beyond cynical for the studio to claim ownership at this point.

By his own admission, Judge Feess is faced with an extremely complex legal case, with a contradictory contractual history, making it difficult to ascertain what is legally right. Are there circumstances here that are more meaningful, which shed light on what is ultimately just, to be taken into account when assessing who is right? In this case, what is morally right, beyond the minutiae of decades-old contractual semantics, seems clear cut.

For the sake of the artists involved, for the hundreds of people, executives and filmmakers, actors and crew, who invested their time, their money, and dedicated a good portion of their lives in order to bring this extraordinary project to life, the question of what is right is clear and unambiguous - Fox should stand down with its claim.

My father, who was a lawyer and a stickler for the minutiae of the law, was always quick to teach me that the determination of what is right and wrong was not the sole purview of the courts. I bet someone at Fox had a parent like mine who instilled the same sense of fairness and justice in them.

Lloyd Levin

I love biking / cycling. It's the one thing I could do forever without getting sick of it - no matter what the conditions. I wish I could say that I bike to save the environment or because I care so much about my carbon neutrality, but I just like doing it. Every time I get to my destination, no matter how tired I am, I never really want to stop. Even in wet snow I find it super fun. I totally remember my dad helping me when I was young (6? 7?) with training wheels on a bike that was still too big for me and then the first time when I didn't need them. I had dreams about biking as a kid all the time and would take whole days to explore random trails as I grew up in Iowa, went to Ohio and then California. I still get honestly excited whenever I start out a trip (even down the street) or see a hill coming up.

I was biking about 22 miles a day, but that ended a few months ago with work and personal life changes. Since then, I've biked to the east side and back (45ish miles) and to my old job and back (Around 10 miles total with some detours) but unfortunately I haven't biked as much recently. A month ago I've changed jobs to work in a location that's about 18 miles away (by bike) and I've been taking the bus. This will change soon! Toss in any tips you have; I really don't know if any of my friends bike. Since I'm pretty sure I'll always love biking, I'm thinking there are a few things I should learn and do.

Here are my latest statuses and biking-related thoughts:

*Breaks - You know how you tighten / loosen the screw on your handlebars to adjust the breaks when they start to wear down? Mine are falling out and I have no breaks anymore on the front! I'm hoping to fix this this weekend. I want to learn how to put break pads on myself. :D That also makes me want to learn how to change my tires myself. I'm probably going to rely on the local bike shop and then learn it on YouTube so I can do it next time.

*Pants - Jeans are good for keeping you warm in the winter, but not so flexible or comfortable when biking in the snow / rain. The main problem I run into is bending my knees easy when they're soaking wet. I think I've exhausted this situation to the point where it's ridiculous if I do wear jeans in the rain / snow while biking. I'm starting to bike enough that I should think about what I'm wearing instead of thinking, "Base layers? HA! I'm from Iowa!"

*Jerseys - I need them. I'm using under armor and that works too.

*Tires - DID YOU KNOW THERE ARE STUDDED TIRES FOR YOUR BIKE? Holy shit. *drool*

*Bag - My bag is made of cotton. I need a waterproof bag just in case I'm in the rain and do need to carry something somewhere.

*Chain Lube - I never knew or even thought about lubing the bike chain until my last chain broke while heading up a steep hill. It makes sense though, just never thought about it. Time to create a habit! :D

*ICEBIKE - I just stumbled onto http://www.icebike.org/ and subscribed to their mailing list. The sites that I went through to find ICEBIKE say that it's a good resource to learn about biking in the winter.

*Pedals - I use the standard pedals that you press down to move forward. I still need to get clips / shoes so I also pedal when I'm bringing my foot up. I hear it's amazing.

*Fitness - I can't wait to start biking again - I was losing weight and gaining muscle, now I have different eating habits and no exercise during the day due to time constraints. It's only been about a month!

*Gloves - The fingers get cold when it's windy and you're going fast through cold weather. I should get gloves!

*Goggles - Do I need these? I remember thinking this last year because crap (snow) kept getting in my eyes. I think goggles will make me feel like a dork poser though, I don't ride THAT much... yet.


So yeah, those are thoughts running through my head. The main issues are the brakes, lube, gloves and pants. Thoughts?

As you all know, I’ve been a fan of this topic for a while; I recently read this article on Next-Gen:
http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10955&Itemid=2

I think missing key points that come up in discussions like this one.

Getting technology into the hands of young girls is important if we want to grow the role of women in gaming. If people take away one thing from articles relating to women in gaming, it should be that. It’s no mystery why there aren’t many women in the industry or playing games. Historically, boys get the technology and funky gadgets and girls get dolls or clothes. The women I know who are in the industry today are there because they didn’t get the doll, they got the NES. They now have a lifetime interest in games, technology, science and math. It sounds cheesy, but it makes sense. Sure, some casual games now and then, but generally, they’re too busy with WoW or Halo 3.

"I think there are certainly genres that appeal to women more than men, like puzzle games, strategy games, match-three games, which generally appeal to women more than first-person shooters, for example."

Says Rovello, "You take [those backgrounds] into account, then think about what games historically have fared best with that demographic."

These quotes are strange because historically, no one has really tried making a game that’s not casual, for women and truly marketed it that way. It’s no wonder women think games are for kids. All the “games for women” are kids' games. Even three years ago I was in a Toys R Us and saw signs with “Games for Boys” and “Games for Girls” written on them. Boys had games for all ages, from childish (Rated E) and cute to full of action and suspense (Rated M). The Girls’ section had games with ponies and Barbies. This is the background that marketers are taking into account, and it’s what needs to be changed if we want more women playing games and getting into the industry. No publisher or marketer wants to go out on a limb with a few million dollars and leave their future in the hands of so many unknown factors. Until things change, the easy solution is to give your kid a DS.

If you've ever searched the web for a comprehensive list of the biggest and the best in the MMO industry, Beckett Massive Online Gamer magazine has done it for you in a recent article entitled "Top 20 Influential People in Massively Multiplayer Video Games of 2007". The top half of this list should reveal no surprises for you, including such. . .

read more | digg story

Did you guys see the Stop Uwe Boll petition?

http://kotaku.com/388018/uwe-boll-vs-stride-gum

Uwe Boll said that if this petition reaches 1 million signatures, he'll stop making video game movies. He seems to be sticking to that statement.

After saying "I'm the only genius in the whole f*cking business." He challenged Michael Bay to a boxing match in September.

Today the petition was sponsored by Stride gum. Whoever signs the petition gets a pack of Stride. (which is delicious by the way - and their PR department is genius)

The crazy part? I work with the person who started the petition! It's really exciting to see it cause such a stir. Sign up, if you are sick of seeing bad video game movies - If you need to contact Bert, let me know! :)

I learned about hemorrhoids today from Google Image Search. If you don't know what happens when someone has hemorrhoids, and think it's some kind of rash, please keep that innocent ignorance. It is bliss indeed.

All I wanted to find was a specific picture of Hillary Clinton with a beard. On page 12 on my Google Image Search for "hillary clinton beard" I found something that hurt my soul. I was shocked, stunned and unbelieving. I had to share this with #fragdolls.


[eekabeep] *censored link here*
* eekabeep weeps
[Mr_Nutty] I think I found it
[ERRR] holy shit
[eekabeep] I KNOW HOW GROSS IS THAT UGHH
[Mr_Nutty] I am no doctor
[Mr_Nutty] but that does appear to be a rectal prolapse


I WAS DEVASTATED.
For some reason, when my eyes saw "rectal prolapse," I read "rectalpocolypse."



I took a look at the file name of the image and saw the word "hemorrhoids." I thought it was just a rash or something. I never realized the random conversations of people joking about hemorrhoids was about THIS. My curiosity took hold and I'd like to say I didn't do this, but out of that curiosity I searched for hemorrhoids in Google Image Search.

I've never closed a computer window faster than I did then in my entire life.


I eventually found the image. haha BUT WHAT THE COST? *weep*

Oh, internet.

On the way to work today I took my bus route to Seattle as usual. That route takes me downtown to my next connection and ultimately puts me in a melting pot of all kinds of people. At my first stop, I got off and waited for my next bus.

Some loud, rambling guy with what had to be Tourette Syndrome came up to me at this bus stop with his left hand out like he wanted to shake my hand. While holding his hand out, he was mumbling and yelling about how he fights people and beats them up because he has to. I glanced at his hand and it was covered in fresh blood from what looked like puncture wounds all over his hands. "I shake with my right," I told him. When he put out his right hand, it was just as bloody as his left. Well shit.

Since I noticed this only after I put my hand out, and was stunned with OMG-NO-WAY, he took this time to be forward and give me an outright hug. I tried to push out of the hug (blue hoodies are scary when dirt / blood covered, by the way), telling him I didn't want a hug while he resisted and tried to keep hugging me. Gah.



He then started physically acting out fighting someone with his elbows and fists by slamming them into the cement sidewalk. And asking me for attention, telling me he's a black belt in boxing, reading my book with me, and asking for hand shakes and hugs. I kept asking myself, "How do I get myself in these situations?"

I'd like to share this link with you all, as I intend to get an electrified shield jacket to guard me from the crazies.

http://www.cracked.com/article_16074_13-most-irresponsible-self-defense-gadgets-money-can-buy.html

Yeah. Want to ruin Battlestar Galactica for yourself, or just don't have the time to watch Battlestar Galactica before the 4th Season starts tonight? Or maybe you just want to watch this awesome video that will tell you everything about the last three seasons.

It's great stuff. Careful, this contains all spoilers! :)
http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/video/index.php?clip=1&sub=specials

I caught up on Season 3 this morning before watching this video, thanks to Jason for all the episodes. Thanks!

Happy Easter!



Roy and I made eggs and wandered around UW looking at flower trees while being silly. My favorite flower is the cherry blossum, and they are out in full force right now. :)

I have the pictures from this weekend up on my facebook and myspace:

http://www.myspace.com/theresabeep
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=509756823

They're pretty cute. ^__^

Top YouTube Links

Return of the Harp Seal Pup
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R9EE-qwOHI
Thanks to Jon

Putting lots of treats on drooling dogs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noRyPlDo2WI

New Sophie Merry Dance Video - To Squarepusher!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBnjApEU0co
Thanks to Mr_Nutty

"Ooh Girl!" - An Honest R&B Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc8tPTVBRSc

Left Handed Discrimination
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcaHgdRDv9Q
Thanks to jinx


Top YTMND Links


http://www.carmina.ytmnd.com/
Thanks to Squidd



http://patience-king4.ytmnd.com/
Thanks to Koolaider



http://foreverlump.ytmnd.com/
Thanks to Koolaider


Images

Whopper: Texas Ranger

Thanks to FiSHBoY

I don't even know what to call these.


[[FLS]Danicia] If I ever see any of you wearing these, I will slay you in 18 different ways: http://pics.livejournal.com/carrieherself/pic/0001ghzb
[FiSHBoY] lol, wtf
[[FLS]Theresa] ...
[DocSavag] Umm
[Adythiel] HOLY CARP Keep those away from our 12 year old girls
[[FLS]Theresa] mighty morphin muffin top
[FiSHBoY] I mean, there's low-rise... and then there's no-rise.




"I saw this and thought of you" - Tom AE Rhaegar



Thanks to jinx

Misc

Jon showed me this cute stationary set:
http://fc02.deviantart.com/fs11/i/2006/235/4/e/Munch_Memo_Sheet_by_riaherod.jpg
http://fc02.deviantart.com/fs11/i/2006/235/d/9/Munch_Envelope_by_riaherod.jpg

Rhaegarms showed me these cool nerdy tattoos:
http://carlzimmer.typepad.com/sciencetattoo/

Troy sent me this awesome Photoshop tutorial:
http://ballookey.com/?p=69

Danicia found this recipe for Bacon Baklava
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/bacon-baklava

DATE: Saturday March 29th RAIN OR SHINE.
TIME: 3:15pm
PLACE: Pike Place Market, corner of Pike and Pine. In the street, in front of the place that throws the fish.

A car will be blocking traffic so that we can safely fight in the street. Because we'll be stopping traffic the fight will be 3 minutes.

THE WAY IT WORKS-

- TELL EVERYONE ABOUT THE FIGHT. Bring as many people as you possibly can. A big fight is a GREAT fight!

- CONCEAL YOUR PILLOW! Hide it in a backpack, a shopping bag, under your coat, etc. DO NOT go to the fight location and hang out with a pillow in your hand. Look busy: Pretend to shop, chat on the phone or with a friend, whatever, just don't be obvious. (If you see someone hanging out, with pillow in hand, discreetly suggest that they look busy and try to hide the pillow)

- LISTEN FOR THE WHISTLE. There will be a diversion in the street to allow the car to stop for us and give the cars that were in front of it time to move down the street to give us enough room to have the fight. Don't just start fighting because you see someone in the street.

- After 3 minutes, The whistle will blow again to stop the fight. STOP FIGHTING IMMEDIATELY AND WALK AWAY. Just like nothing ever happened ;-)

**AFTERMATH GATHERING at The Whiskey Bar (just in time for happy hour!) 2000 Second Ave. (206) 443-4490 Bring cash if you want to drink, because they don't accept credit cards.

REMEMBER-
Bring Friends, Tell people
Conceal Your Pillow
Don't Hit Anyone without a Pillow (Very important!!!)
Watch Out for Cameras

--If you come with a group, it's helpful to spread out before the fight and come running from different directions--

GameSpot: PAX '07: Overcoming the online griefer


"However, as noted by Pudenz, anonymity isn't inherently bad. In fact, it can have a safe-haven effect for certain subsets of the gaming population, namely girl gamers. "It's about creating a place where people feel safe and have a reasonable expectation of not being harassed," she said.

The pseudo-privy knowledge gives them the feeling that they're involved, and helps to convert that vocal member of the community to the side of the company. Pudenz followed that up, saying that giving these people fan site kits is a great way to focus their energy into constructive means. "

This could be the best video on the internet right now.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VDHHYTCoLQU

I just grabbed this from the Frag Dolls forum after being reminded of spilling stuff on pants.

It's two years old:

"Right in the middle of making this topic I reached for my Cherry Coke which soon thereafter fell into my lap. Rather than looking very strange and having sugarpants I decided to soak the jeans entirely in the women's bathroom (yeah it was quite empty in there) and had soaking wet pants until approximately 7AM. Just so you all know. It takes a long long time to wring out water out of jeans."

And the response that I still hear about now and then:
------------------------------------------------------------
hmmmm .... Spongebob Squarepants.... Eeekabeep Sugarpants....

*drifts*

"Are ya ready gamers?

Aye, Aye capitain!

I can't heeeaaar yooouuu!

AYE, AYE CAPiTAIN!

oooooooooooo.........

Who lives in an xbox under the sea?
Eeka Beep Sugar Pants!
Absorbent and reddish her cherry jeans be.
Eeka Beep Sugar Pants!
If gaming and nonsense be somethin' ya wish.
Eeka Beep Sugar Pants!
Then knock of the juice and be wet like a fish.
Eeka Beep Sugar Pants!

Ready?
Eeka Beep Sugar Pants,
Eeka Beep Sugar Pants,
Eeka Beep Sugar Pants,
Eeka Beep Sugar Paaaaaants!"

My Piscean horoscope for today:

"You are focused on work, but as the day progresses, you are drawn to spend time with friends who can give you the reality check you need. It's not that you are overly confused. You have a lot on your plate and you are likely doing just what you must do. But if you sense a problem coming down the road, it's a good idea to be fully prepared by being proactive."

Wow, this is so me right now.

I miss my interweb friends. You know who you are. I have to keep being proactive about work! Study, study, study. Someday this will pay off.

I am going to be at two panels during this upcoming Penny Arcade Expo! PAX is August 24th - 26th, 2007 at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center in Seattle, Washington.

These are my first gaming-related, industry panels, and I am definitely excited. Thank you, Penny Arcade for making this happen and allowing me to post this to my blog so early as well. :) I will deliver my best!

The Social Component of Gaming Today
[Saturday, Theater C, 10:30am - 11:30am]
The easy communication of Xbox Live and VOIP turns even action games into social events. And outside any one game, publishers must contend with the organism that is the gamer community; the massive social network that roots out and castigates fake blogs, and elevates obscure niche titles like Guitar Hero or Puzzle Quest to stardom. How do publishers address such an inter-connected consumer society? How do gamers (and developers) deal with John Gabriel's equation, "Normal Person + Anonymity + Audience = Total Fuckwad"?



Girls and Games, the Growing Role of Women in the Game Industry
Friday, 7-8
According to the ESA, more than 43% of video gamers are female, making women the single largest untapped market segment in the gaming industry. Look at the milestones crossed and the hurdles to come as developers and publishers reach out to this previously overlooked demographic. Are current strategies effective? What does this mean for the game industry as a whole?

I recently heard from one of my friends, Huddson, that apples eaten within 15 minutes of waking up have a similar effect to your body as drinking a cup of coffee would. I'm not sure if that's true, but it definitely helped wake me up!



Last night, I set a red, Gala apple on my nightstand next to my lamp, and "The New Rules of PR." I then fell asleep. As soon as the alarm on my phone started going off at 6:30 AM this morning, I reached for the phone to shut it off, and pulled the apple in. By the time I got through the apple, I was awake.

Eating + Time Spent Awake = Staying Awake + Breakfast

It really is pretty cool. I haven't woken up at 6:30AM in ages. So far, this strategy has worked 1 out of 1 times. As Vance would say, "That's a 100% success ratio!"

http://www.killerbetties.com/killer_women_theresa_pudenz

Click the link above for a bunch of information on me. Can you find the missing word? Can you spot the game that was announced twice in the same list?

*sigh* Editing never ends. They are wonderful for putting it up, and big thanks go to my boss for the help and direction of where I need to go with this interview as well as my career.

I miss my job, I've been away for a few days, though I did make it in yesterday morning for a few hours. I've somehow gotten myself into a neverending sickness where the porcelain piece of furniture in the bathroom is my new best friend. I woke up to the grossest thing yesterday. I told a few people on IRC and here's what they had to say after I told them:

[jaweis] that's too hot
[eekabeep] now everytime someone says spit i get grossed out
[jaweis] you gotta stop now
[jaweis] spit spit spit
[jack`] thats the freaking worst ever
[eekabeep] it's the most acidic, grossest experience ever
[jack`] it really is.. lets stop talking about it now thx.


Anyway, tell me what you think about the interview! :)