Daily Illuminator Archive for December 2006

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December 1, 2006:
After innumerable delays, GURPS Mysteries is at the printer. Warehouse 23 will have copies mid-December . . . read article

December 2, 2006:
The lines between fantasy and reality, history and legend, blur in Beowulf: Fiction or History? Was the epic hero a Biblical construction, or a poetic representation of a historical figure? . . . read article

December 3, 2006:
I really, really want to see a model of this on a miniatures table, advancing relentlessly - very, very slowly, but relentlessly - on the besieged city . . . read article

December 4, 2006:
We've updated our online policy to address the use of our art in avatars for various online communities. The relevant section is: Fans are welcome to use graphic images from SJ Games releases as avatars for online communities, with one limitation: Please do not use any trademarked images . . . read article

December 5, 2006:
The 5th of December marks the fourth Day of the Ninja, the holiday that encourages you to don your mask, strap on your weapons, and engage in all sorts of ninja-related activities. Not feeling up to climbing sheer walls or engaging in a duel? . . . read article

December 6, 2006:
Just released - Transhuman Space: Changing Times for GURPS, Fourth Edition on e23! (Actually, it was released last night - a record-breaking number of sharp-eyed vigilants have already noticed and purchased their copy - but roll with me on this one.) Changing Times is a GM guide, campaign book, and GURPS Fourth Edition conversion for Transhuman Space, written by Phil Masters (author of GURPS Discworld, Transhuman Space: High Frontier, GURPS Arabian Nights, and many other favorites of mine) . . . read article

December 7, 2006:
Yep, Episode Five of the Fnordcast is ready to download here. SJ talks about Lucca, the convention he attended in Italy, and we gloat about the games we played in the office on Halloween . . . read article

December 8, 2006:
Transhuman Space: Changing Times has exceeded all sales expectations, and has blown through the entire . . . . Wait a minute! Changing Times is an e23 product -- it is never sold out! . . . read article

December 9, 2006:
If you find yourself somewhere that doesn't exist, do you still count as being lost? Strange Maps shows that the map is not the territory - in some cases it couldn't possibly be - but that the trip is still worth taking . . . read article

December 10, 2006:
Last week we showed you a giant whirling spiky bucket machine. Thanks to a tip from Tom Smith (yes, that one), we can bring you . . . the Lego giant whirling spiky bucket machine. (2) NASA now says that manned flights to the moon will resume by 2020 . . . read article

December 11, 2006:
I had the pleasure, only a week or so ago, of being interviewed on the geek-culture podcast Otaku Generation. An unexpected surprise was that one of the hosts was Jon Kilgannon, who writes A Miracle of Science . . . read article

December 12, 2006:
We decorated the new offices inside and out for the holidays . . . the hanging decorations at the front corners are big clunky things when you pick them up, but in scale to the building they're perfect. In my younger days I was intolerant of metal Christmas trees, but in the right setting, I now think they're sort of spiffy . . . read article

December 13, 2006:
We recently got a BIG box of stuff from Pegasus Spiele, the publisher that has translated most of our main products into German over the years. So we filled, and I mean FILLED, one shelf in our lobby "trophy case." Here you see their new huge-box edition of Deluxe Illuminati, some Chez Geek, and lots and lots of Munchkin, including the wooden "Sammlerbox," or "Collector's Box," that they released at Essen . . . read article

December 14, 2006:
Forbes Magazine's website is currently featuring a long, multifaceted special report on games . . . including a short interview with Steve. Here's a direct link . . . but there are a lot of interesting articles in that feature, so take a look at them . . . read article

December 15, 2006:
Yesterday, Warehouse 23 had a pile of GURPS Mysteries phase into the warehouse. After removing the leftover radiation, they promptly dove right in, and started shipping the preorders . . . read article

December 16, 2006:
If you need radioactive substances at discount prices (and discount sizes), contact United Nuclear - Radioactive Isotopes. They sell small slivers of the stuff to the public . . . read article

December 17, 2006:
In the grand tradition of radio and television shows throughout the ages, the Fnordcast presents its First Annual Holiday Shopping Special. Basically, we all tell you what we think you should be buying for Christmas . . . read article

December 18, 2006:
CNN headline: "Leahy wants FBI to help corrupt Iraqi police force." No, Senator Leahy! That's not how it works . . . read article

December 19, 2006:
I'd like to do someday . . . not with hobbitses as such. Just . . . nice people in a village, who resist when the forces of Vulgar, Stupid Greed come calling . . . read article

December 20, 2006:
Most of you have finished your holiday shopping, but for those with a last-minute need, don't forget that Warehouse 23 offers expedited shipping. That's right - if you select a Next Day Air method, even orders that are shipped on Thursday, December 21st will arrive in time for Christmas . . . read article

December 21, 2006:
My proposal for a GDC presentation has been accepted. Woot! . . . read article

December 22, 2006:
Who knows how the brain works, or what sort of misfires are necessary for it to recognize things that aren't there? Optical Illusions & Visual Phenomena is willing to take a crack at deciphering some of these mysteries . . . read article

December 23, 2006:
As is tradition around the office, we'll be avoiding work more often than normal next week. We'll be Officially Closed December 25 through January 1, returning to normal on January 2, 2007 . . . read article

December 24, 2006:
As you may have noticed, the forum formerly known as "GURPS Character Assistant and Vehicle Builder" has changed its name to just "GURPS Character Assistant." There are now separate support forums for GURPS Vehicle Builder and GURPS Character Builder. All three forums will serve the same purpose -- to provide support for their respective software packages, and to allow users to trade tips and templates -- but now the information will be much easier to find.-- Paul Chapman . . . read article

December 25, 2006:
We've been sneaking pages out of the upcoming GURPS Ultra-Tech and posting them on the book's web page. Right now, you can see the complete table of contents, index, and introduction chapter -- a great way to check out what Ultra-Tech will cover, long before it hits the shelves . . . read article

December 26, 2006:
We are sorry to have to tell you that this book does not actually exist. Not . . . quite . . . read article

December 27, 2006:
At an airport newsstand, I bought Douglas Preston's Tyrannosaur Canyon to read on the plane. You will note that the title is not a link . . . read article

December 28, 2006:
The reprint of the Campaigns book of the GURPS Basic Set is on the boat . . . and the bill of lading even told us WHICH boat. Well, ship, actually . . . read article

December 29, 2006:
LEGO is always good for a clever site, and Andrew Lipson's LEGO Page is nothing if not clever. With everything from devices to impossible Escher-inspired sculptures to Dilbert statues, you'd think he was trying to build a brand new career . . . read article

December 30, 2006:
I was given a copy of this incredibly neat book for Christmas (thank you, thank you, you know who you are!). The full title is Encyclopedia Prehistorica Dinosaurs: The Definitive Pop-Up . . . read article

December 31, 2006:
Our offices are fairly empty right now. But not completely . . . read article

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