You Play Like A Girl

I was playing a little COD4 the other day on Vacant when all a sudden some heated bitching about a noobtuber scrolls up on my screen:

"You fuckin' noobtubing pussy."

To those familiar with FPSes, pillow talk like that is pretty normal and actually, pretty tame faire, especially for the COD4 crowd. But for those of you who prefer MMOs and aren't familiar with FPS terminology, a noobtube is usually an over powered but easily accessible weapon that takes little to no skill to use (for example, a rocket launcher or grenade launcher with sexy splash damage that you kinda' sorta' mabbe' aim in a general direction and rack up kills with.)

I don't think much about it, since I've heard much better and much more original insults with that one, usually involving someone's mother, a donkey and some cheese.

"You can't aim so you gotta' fuckin' use the noobtube, you fuckin' noob?"

I check the score. The noobtuber's only rank 14/55. He probably hasn't been playing very long, and when you start, you pretty much got the noobtube and nothing else perk wise.

I continue playing, hear some more bitching and drop an Airstrike on B since lots of idiots like to hide there in them weeds. Score! Here comes my Chopper.

And then, something that catches my attention.

"You play like a fuckin' girl."

Whoa whoa whoa whoa.

I check the leader boards.

I'm second. Where are they? Ohhh, both somewhere on the bottom on a 32 man server.

And oddly enough, I get ticked. Ticked enough to speak out.

At the end of the game I type, "You just lost to a "shitty" girl, moron."

(I know I know, not the wittiest come back, but you don't have a lot of time to type between rounds!)

* * *

Some believe that women gamers simply don't exist, a myth like the mighty Chupacabra. But in truth, WE ARE OUT THERE--we're simply stealthy and elusive. Like a Ninja (or should I say Kunoichi), or better yet, the magnificent Jackalope.

You see, the majority of competent female players tend to keep quiet, going about our business whether it be topping the DPS charts, dropping air strikes on vital choke points or "melting your face" without ramming our gender down your throat. We are "gamers" just like anyone else as opposed to "ZOMGZ TEE HEE grrl gamers," and the few that you do encounter telling people to "LOL Stop shoting, I'm a girl," or "My DPS is low because I'm PMSing ^^" are the vocal minority that give us all a bad name.

We are confident in our skills and don't need to use gender as a crutch, we can get our own Epics, and we aren't just cannon fodder for your AK-74u.

So the next time you're online someone calls you a "girl" think about it.

Is it really THAT bad to play like a winner?

XD

Stallone readies for fifth 'Rambo'

Source: Variety

John Rambo's officially readying for a fifth mission.

Nu Image/Millennium Films has greenlit the franchise's fifth installment, with Sylvester Stallone starring and directing, repeating his duties from 2008's "Rambo."

The upcoming project's storyline revolves around Rambo fighting his way through human traffickers and drug lords to rescue a young girl abducted near the U.S.-Mexico border. Production will start in the spring.

The film will be produced by Avi Lerner, Kevin King Templeton and John Thompson. Danny Dimbort, Trevor Short and Boaz Davidson will exec produce.

Stallone had indicated in interviews that a fifth Rambo was in the works. He teamed with Nu Image/Millennium on the 2008 project, which grossed $42 million domestically and $113 million overseas.

Nu Image/Millennium is in post-production on "Expendables," starring Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li and Mickey Rourke. The actioner's set for release on April 23 through Lionsgate.

Rambo first appeared in the 1982 pic "First Blood," followed in 1985 by "First Blood II" and in 1988 by "Rambo III."

WTS Wheelchair sporting a .50 Cal.

Blizzcon: WoW Cosplay At Its Best

Video Games | BlizzCon 2009 | BlizzCon 09: WoW Costume Contest

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

I'm going to order me a Meeting Stone costume for Halloween fer shure!!

Little Title Change

The old name was kinda' weak but I couldn't think of anything better...so ta da, a new name for the same old shitty ass blog. Yay?

I tried to make it SEKSI so I can get free epix in games. Send them nao!

PUG Life: Why I PUG

Definition:

1. "In RL, a pug is a small, wheezy dog that looks like it had its face smashed in by brick wall."
2. "In online gaming, the acronym PUG stands for "Pick-Up Group," which is a group of players who've gotten together (or been thrown together) in order to accomplish a goal, a quest, or whatever. PUGs are oftentimes mix-and-match, hit-or-miss groups that are less than optimum for achieving a goal." (Courtesy of LagKills, A Glossary of Online Gaming Acronyms.)

Usage:

• As a noun: "Hmm, no one's on. I guess I'll just catch a PUG."
• As a verb: "Why don't I tank, and we can PUG a Healer."
• As an adjective: "No, it's not a Guild group, it's a PUG group."

Signature Examples:

• WoW: The group successfully rolls through the first 2/3s of a Heroic Dungeon. On a trash pull, the healer loses power, disconnects and the group wipes. A minute later, the healer returns, explains the situation, GETS CALLED A "NUB," by the Rogue pulling 800 DPS and the entire group disbands.
• FFXI: The RDM in the group doesn't have Refresh because he wants to be "unique," and not follow the crowd. The WHM decides to teach him a lesson by only using Hexa Strike, you wipe, delevel and the group disbands.
• DDO: You enter the Vault of the Night and notice the Rogue you've picked up to disable the traps is wearing Plate and wielding a Two-Hander. (Because she's also got 5 levels of PALADIN in case someone needs her to Tank--and 1 Level of Cleric for Cure Light Wounds.) The trap kills all the healers, a single, stray kobold kills everyone else and the raid disbands.

**NOTE** You may be thinking, "FFS JOIN A HARD CORE RAIDING GUILD SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO PUG, R-TARD" as you read through. But I'm done with 48/7 raiding dramz and am currently very very happy in a smaller guild of friends and family. Since we're older and work, not everyone can play every hour of every day, and while we can do 10/12 mans no problem, for bigger raids or off nights, I choose to PUG.**

PUGs get a lot of bad press. There are pages and pages of horror stories littering the Interwebz or announced over Global chat, and surely as a gamer, you have one or two of your own. Hell, you may even have been the culprit of a "fail" PUG when you were first learning. And though the worst possible PUGs can make you tear your hair out and never want to log in again, PUGging, really isn't all snakes and snails and puppy dog tails. It can be suger and spice and everything nice as well with a little bit of skill I call, "luck".

After all, in a group of competent people who know what their doing and are all on the same page, how often do you get in "trouble?" How often are you thinking on your feet rather than following the rote? And how often are you forced into doing something you'd never think of doing before in order to help your group survive? Oh yes, it's easy to be a "good player" when everyone else around you is good. But it's when you're standing at the very edge of the cliff that you either learn to sink or swim and hold your own.

And then there's the the flip side where you end up the low man on the DPS pole. Perhaps you're trying out a new spec, or new Job. PUGs are a great way to meet other folks who can help you with your rotation or guide you through a dungeon you've never visited before. PUGs can teach you new boss strategeries and give you great tips as well about gearing or what not (yes, I have a Warrior and Shadow Priest crush--you know who you are <3).>

Ah yes, no pain, no gain, and sometimes, lots and lots of pain and still no gain. But whether you're in a "WIN" or "FAIL" raid, one things for sure, a PUG can get the adrenalin flowing and the blood pumping...and hopefully not just because you chucked your screen out the window.

As Seen on TV: Billy Mays Coke Death

So...yeah:

Autopsy: Cocaine a Factor in Billy Mays' Death

Posted Aug 7th 2009 4:33PM by TMZ Staff

A mighty shocking autopsy report concludes cocaine contributed to the sudden death of pitchman Billy Mays back in June.

The report, which was released today, lists "cocaine use" as a contributing cause of death -- along with hypertensive and arteriosclerotic heart disease.

A Hillsborough County press release says "from the presence of metabolites of cocaine and the absence of cocaine itself, it was concluded that Mr. Mays used cocaine in the few days prior to his death but not immediately prior to death."

Mays died in his sleep on June 28 at his home in Florida.

UPDATE: Official documents show the following drugs were in Mays' system -- hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (painkiller), alprazolam (Xanax), nordiazepam (Valium), benzoylecgonine (byproduct of cocaine) and temazepam (anti-anxiety). Ethanol -- alcohol -- was also in Mays' system.

I understand that coke was a "factor" but I don't know, all the OTHER shit might have had something to do with it too. But I'm not a doctor.

NSFW: Not Even Safe for Slacking! The Mario Sex Tape

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Comic Con: Cosplay On Parade!

Most Cosplay is like a train wreck. Try as you might, you just can't stop looking at it, and most of the time, you see things (and folds) you don't want to see. For example, did you know Spider Man wears a FANNY PACK when fighting crime? I didn't either, until I checked out MaximumPC's Comic Con Cosplay Extravaganza!

But at any rate, definitely click the link above for some highs and lows from this year's Comic Con.

My personal fave:


Because no convention would be complete without a visit from Pedo Bear. He's my, an hero.

Star Wars in Concert Coming to A Galaxy Not that Far Far Away From You

XD



Hope it comes to the Midwest! I would love to see Jabba's hotness on one of those big screens with the orchestra going!

http://www.cbs8.com/global/story.asp?s=10784820

Mountain Dew Game Fuel: The WoW Edition

Okies, let me preface by saying, "I don't like Mountain Dew." That being said, my mom of all peeps was hanging around one day and caught this commercial:



So as most old Asian women do, she started to bug me about whether I was an "angel or a demon," which I'm gonna' assume she meant, "Alliance or Horde." I wasn't gonna' try them because I tend not to drink things that are brighter than anime hair, but since my MOM of all folks was really into the ad, we picked some up to do the obligatory taste test.

Lemme tell you, I am Horde through and through, so I was like, fuck you orange/red Mountain Dew, I spit on you. But holy shit, that stuff tastes like medicine. It was bad enough to make me hate WoW (oh wait, not like it was that far of a leap since I opted for FFXI vs WoW back in the day). My friend told me that the Horde stuff was better but guess who ended up in the hospital a few days later with a stomach irritation? That's right, NO HORDE DEW FOR YOU!

To wash the taste out of my mouth, I did try the Alliance Dew and sadly, though vile, it wasn't as vile as the Horde Dew. A little piece of me died as I eyed the NElf on the bottle, and then I pulled up my NCSoft screen and saw I had the AION Collector's Edition ordered and suddenly I didn't feel as sorry.

p.s. My mom said, after drinking the Horde Dew, "My Listerine tastes better than this." Listerine which can burn holes into your throat. I rest my case.

Anyhow, you Dew Heads ought to try some Diet Pepsi (fountain soda version). So dericious.

APPLE IIE...to the FACE!!

So, my buddy and I were kinda' dicking around on the fabulos Interwebs looking for something to do when DDO went down for maintenance. For some worthless reason, we decided, wouldn't it be awesome to play "Oregon Trail" again...you know, that stupid ass game where you take a left and you and your entire party die from desentary?

Well, if idiots like us wanted to play it, I know someone else out there does too...so check out this awesome Apple Emulator! Play Zork, Lemonade Stand and all the other classics. It's a fuckin' blast from the past...and the midi music, oh yes...the midi music...

http://www.virtualapple.org

p.s. Please insert disc 2.

Blizzard Being Suspected of Illegal Joint Venture, WOW Facing Suspension Forever in China

Oh please, oh please, let this be true, Ernie!

Sauce: http://news.mmosite.com/content/2009-07-14/20090714054025804.shtml

According to a source, the General Administration of Press and Publication of PRC has assigned Shanghai News and Publication Bureau to make a thorough investigation into the issue relating to the joint venture established by Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase. If it is proved that this joint venture is established to operate games, NetEase and Blizzard will be punished for violating the relevant regulations of China.

The US-based Blizzard Entertainment (a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard Inc, NASDAQ:ATVI, hereinafter referred to as "Blizzard"), renowned for the successful launch of World of Warcraft in China, is now trying to play "edge ball" against China's regulatory policy. As for the operation of World of Warcraft and other games in China, Blizzard is no longer content with the role of game provider any more, instead, it's trying to achieve "absolute control" through various methods.

Several Chinese online game operators analyzed, "The licensing mode grants foreign game developers little control over channels and clients, and they consequently receive drastically less revenue from the game." In such situation, how to effectively evade policy supervision so as to actually control the operation of their online game products in China has become one of the important strategic concerns of some foreign online game developers.

The Chinese law stipulates that, foreign enterprises are not allowed to operate online games in the Chinese market in the form of wholly owned company or joint venture. On April 16, 2009, Blizzard and NetEase jointly announced that the operating right of World of Warcraft in China Mainland would be handed over to NetEase after the contract with The9 expired. Since then, there have been many rumors about how NetEase had obtained the operating right of the "No. 1 online game in the world" in China. There are two issues most concerned by the people. One is NetEase paid a sky-high revenue share to Blizzard, which will quadruple the gains of Blizzard compared to the gains obtained from the cooperation with The9. And the other is Blizzard and NetEase established a joint venture to operate World of Warcraft and other games in the name of providing technical support. And particularly, recently some medias analyzed the relevant information disclosed in the financial statements (20-F) of 2008 submitted by NetEase, which attracted the attention of the game industry and the relevant competent authorities. It's learned that the government authority in charge of investigating this case has obtained a great deal of relevant information.

Because recently, many game medias and players are paying close attention to World of Warcraf's operating right transition, and because it relates to the key question whether joint venture companies can operate games in China, the General Administration of Press and Publication of PRC has specially assigned Shanghai News and Publication Bureau to investigate deep into this case. Industry analysts pointed out that, because the case involves some major regulations and policies, it's highly likely that the approval of World of Warcraft operating right transition will have been suspended before the investigation results come out.

Mechwarrior 4: Re-Released...and F2P!

MechWarrior 4 To Be Re-Released
Free release of game and expansions to be distributed soon.

by Jeff Haynes

July 9, 2009 - The MechWarrior floodgates seem to have completely flung open after years of silence. After our exclusive reveal of the latest chapter of the MechWarrior universe, Smith & Tinker added its own special way of commemorating BattleTech's 25th anniversary. In a small news post on its website, Smith & Tinker stated that it had "authorized MekTek.net and MekTek Studios to distribute MechWarrior 4 (along with its expansion packs) completely free." The announcement did not state a particular date that the game and its packs would be released, however.

MekTek had two posts of its own on its site, claiming, "MekTek views this partnership as a hallmark moment for the global MechWarrior 4 community. We welcome the opportunity for the MekTek team to officially take a leadership role in the cultivation and development of the on-line MechWarrior 4 communities in support and anticipation of the recently announced MechWarrior game by Smith & Tinker and Piranha games."

Mechwarrior 4 was released in 2000, and its last expansion pack was released in 2002. The announcement is gigantic news for players that are seeking to re-discover the game which they might not have played in years, or for fans that haven't ever played a MechWarrior game before. MekTek is well known in the MechWarrior fan community for having released its own expansion packs. Three packs in all have been released, and the community is currently working on its fourth. The announcement did not explicitly state whether the expansions would solely be MekTek's, or would also include Mercenaries, Black Knight, Clan Mech Pak or Inner Sphere Mech Pak, all of which were developed by Cyberlore Studios. We've contacted Smith & Tinker, but received no comment as of the publishing of this news. As soon as any additional details are released, we'll make them available.

This is fuckin' sick because I can't find my CDs. Ahh, so much good news in so little time. Does this mean Horde is going to finally win an AV? ZOMGZ!

Gamer Mama Drama & Aion CN How To!

I look at the last time I posted and it's almost sad. I'm one of the most useless people evah and yet, I can't find the free time to post between the diapers and falling deaths? (Curse you fat War Mammoth that can't fit on the little suspension bridges in Org!) Then again, I guess the proper order would be, "Baby > Phat Lewtz > Blog?" At least I'd hope it would be.

But time sure flies, doesn't it? My daughter is now 6 months old and a little fire cracker and gamer girl in the making (she dances to the Big Goron song from Ocarina of Time.) Despite my love for FPSes, she doesn't like the sound effect for Airstrikes though she'll tolerate small arms fire. (Don't worry though, just have to force it on her moar!)

Anyhow, I haven't stopped gaming (for those that asked), and have been busting up the monotony of achievement farming in WoW by playing me some Aion CN with some friends. I can't wait for it to come to the States, but dates have it showing up September the earliest and November the latest (for the whole story, read this Letter to the Fans from NCSoft.) It definitely isn't anything new, but what elements that it does take, it perfects, and it's gorgeous as hell to look at.


Gorgeous gorgeous! Oh wait, that's just me. Wahahah. The cut scenes beat FFXI with a baby seal clubbing stick fo shizzle! For those who want to try it, server clusters 7 & 8 are still free to play at the moment. You can check out this thread at OnRPG.com for a how to guide to playing! I ain't gonna' lie, it does take a bit of set up but it's definitely worth it in my opinion, but I've got a mini review to come! Fo fo fo. All I can say is, "DIBS, CHANTER LIZOOTZ!"

And if you do want to try Aion out, and you've followed the instructions in the link above and still fail, feel free to leave me a note here!

Happy July 4th! Fireworks Safety Tips from Red Vs. Blue

Happy July 4th everybady!

Watch and learn!

Though in my neighbours' cases, I hope they blow themselves up. *giggles*

Movies: Wiseman suits up for 'Gears of War'

It was only a matter of time! According to Variety:

Wiseman suits up for 'Gears of War'

Director set for videogame adaptation

By MARC GRASER

Wiseman

Len Wiseman is suiting up to direct New Line's "Gears of War," based on Microsoft and Epic Games' hit vidgame.

Chris Morgan is penning a new draft of the actioner that Stuart Beattie originally tackled. Scribe's credits include Universal's upcoming "Wanted" and "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift."

Fanboys have been speculating for nearly a year that Wiseman may helm the project; the game was featured in his most recent pic, "Live Free or Die Hard." But talks with New Line took place only over the last several months.

Wiseman will develop the story with Morgan. The two are also collaborating on the sci-fi action thriller "Shell Game" at Lakeshore Entertainment and Columbia Pictures. Wiseman, who established himself in the biz as an art director on pics like "Godzilla" and "Independence Day," is also producing the third installment of Screen Gems' "Underworld" franchise after having helmed the first two.

"Gears" revolves around a world reeling from an invasion by aliens known as the Locust, and a small team of elite soldiers who fight to retake the planet Sera and save its human inhabitants.

New Line landed the rights to create a bigscreen version of the game last year, with Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey producing via their Temple Hill banner. "Gears" lead designer Cliff Bleszinski will exec produce the film and consult on its development for Epic.

"Gears" is Microsoft's second-biggest seller after the "Halo" franchise, and gamemaker Epic always intended to branch out the property into various media, such as films and novels, with an extensive backstory it developed.

A sequel game to "Gears'" first outing in late 2006, which was available for the Xbox 360 only, will ship in November. The game has sold more than 5 million copies.

New Line had initially aimed for a summer 2009 release for the pic, but further development on the project now will likely delay that plan.

"It's like with our games, you can have it right or have it right now," said Epic Games topper Mark Rein. "We want to get it right. There's no timetable for us. We just want to make as good a movie as we can, and we think (Wiseman's) the guy who will do it."

The Fat Police! They're Coming to Take You Away!

First Airlines threatening to charge by the pound and now a Fat Tax! Hide the bacon because the Fat Police are incoming!

According to a snippet from the NY Times:

Under a national law that came into effect two months ago, companies and local governments must now measure the waistlines of Japanese people between the ages of 40 and 74 as part of their annual checkups. That represents more than 56 million waistlines, or about 44 percent of the entire population.

Those exceeding government limits — 33.5 inches for men and 35.4 inches for women, which are identical to thresholds established in 2005 for Japan by the International Diabetes Federation as an easy guideline for identifying health risks — and having a weight-related ailment will be given dieting guidance if after three months they do not lose weight. If necessary, those people will be steered toward further re-education after six more months.

To reach its goals of shrinking the overweight population by 10 percent over the next four years and 25 percent over the next seven years, the government will impose financial penalties on companies and local governments that fail to meet specific targets. The country’s Ministry of Health argues that the campaign will keep the spread of diseases like diabetes and strokes in check.

And then further along, the thing that blew my mind:

Mr. Ogushi was actually a little harder on Americans than they deserved. A survey by the National Center for Health Statistics found that the average waist size for Caucasian American men was 39 inches, a full inch lower than the 40-inch threshold established by the International Diabetes Federation. American women did not fare as well, with an average waist size of 36.5 inches, about two inches above their threshold of 34.6 inches. The differences in thresholds reflected variations in height and body type from Japanese men and women.

36.5!! 36.5!!!!!!!!!

And then I remembered this morning I had a Quarter Pounder. MmMMmmm. And the Fat Tax was forgotten.

Movies: Flash Gordon Remake INC!!

Ah-ahhh! But why? Some things are just better left alone. Like spoiled pork, or anything with green stuff growing on it that isn't a plant.

But the scariest thing is that if you read a little ways down, there's the possibility of a "Red Dawn"!! Head for ze hills!

#1 FLASH, AHH-AHH, HE'LL SAVE EVERYONE OF US!

With Iron Man showing that a movie can prominently feature a man being propelled into the heavens on a rocket, and make a bajillion dollars, it's apparently okay again to show a man inside a rocket being propelled into the heavens as well. As the winners of a studio bidding war, Sony Pictures announced this week their plans to revive Flash Gordon as a feature film franchise, bringing back the football star who travels to the planet Mongo, and helps a variety of exotic races fight against the evil Ming the Merciless. Flash Gordon started off in the 1930s as the star of comic strips and a series of extremely popular serials (basically a movie broken up into parts, shown before other movies back then), and was then being remade as a flamboyantly campy Queen-soundtrack-driven adventure (and box office flop) in 1980.

This time around, Breck Eisner (director of Sahara; and son of Disney's famous former boss), who is also remaking The Creature from the Black Lagoon and George A. Romero's The Crazies, has been given the enviable challenge of bringing Flash's fantastic adventures to life. I'm not terribly excited by just how rampant the current remake trend is becoming, but Flash Gordon is definitely a pretty awesome candidate, I think. More interesting than Flash himself, I think, is the prospect of seeing Ming the Merciless return as a movie icon. Absence from popular culture for 25+ years has hurt his legacy a bit, but Ming easily deserves a place on any top 10 list of the most classic movie villains ever. "Pathetic Earthlings!"

Video Gaming Industry to Go Green?

Greenpeace has launched a campaign to force industry gaming giants to go green (or greener!) according to this article from BBC Tech. With exception of EVIL Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft seem to be polishing up their act:

Greenpeace takes on gaming giants

Greenpeace is hoping to speak to manufacturers via gamers

Greenpeace has called on gamers to persuade Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo to make their consoles greener.

According to the environmental campaign group, game console makers have so far "failed to reduce the toxic burden of their products".

It accuses Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony of lagging behind mobile phone and PC manufacturers.

The initiative is part of Greenpeace's campaign to persuade the electronics industry to be greener.

"Game console manufacturers are lagging way behind the makers of mobile phones and PCs who have been reducing the toxic load of the products over the past year," said Zenia Al Hajj, Greenpeace International's toxics campaigner.

"Game consoles contain many of the same components as PCs so manufacturers can do a lot more," she added.

Workers "at risk"

As part of its campaign, Greenpeace has launched a 90-second video featuring some of the iconic games console characters - Microsoft's Master Chief, Nintendo's Mario and Sony's Kratos - competing for the prize of a greener games console.

Gamers can compare how each console meaures up on toxic materials, recycling and energy efficiency, as well as logging their support for the campaign.

The campaign is aimed at the big three game console manufacturers - Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft.

Nintendo said that it is looking to establish a dialogue with Greenpeace but that it adhered to all European standards.

It is signed up to the European WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) directive - which makes manufacturers responsible for recycling their goods.

"We make sure that all of our products comply with European standards which we understand are the highest in the world," said a spokesman.

Greenpeace is engaged in a wider campaign to persuade the whole electronics industry to eliminate hazardous chemicals across the board.

It does not believe that current legislation goes far enough and on its hazard hit list are brominated fire retardants and PVC, the use of which it claims can lead to dangerous chemicals building up in the environment and in human and animal tissue.

It said that Chinese and Indian workers in production facilities and scrap yards where goods are dismantled could be at risk.

Nintendo's spokesman said that no PVC was used in the production of its consoles, although he couldn't confirm whether brominated fire retardants were banned.

Leading mobile phone makers, including Motorola, LG, Sony Ericsson and Philips, have all implemented eco-design aspects into their production lines, including reducing the amount of hazardous substances used in their products.

Global warming

Global warming campaign launched in the virtual world

Nokia, the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer, produces a handset every nine seconds. It has decided to implement requirements set out in the EU Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive in all 10 of its factories around the globe.

The RoHS Directive bans six substances (lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, PBB and PDBE) from products that are either made or sold in the EU.

Greenpeace has been busy garnering support for its various initiatives from the web community. Earlier this month it teamed up with teenage social networking site Habbo to find out more about youngsters attitudes to global warming.

50,000 teenagers responded to the survey, with 74% rating global warming over drugs, violence and war as the issue they were most concerned about.

According to this follow up article, the evil Mario empire of Nintendo is at the bottom of Greenpeace's list! I told you Mario was a son of bitch!

Mr. Sulu To Tie the Knot

Awwww. So cute.

Saw this on Perez about George Takei getting hitched in Cali. Yay!

Here's his wedding announcment:

Our California dream is reality. Brad Altman and I can now marry. We are overjoyed! At long last, the barrier to full marriage rights for same-sex couples has been torn down. We are equal with all citizens of our state!

The California Supreme Court has ruled that all Californians have a fundamental right to marry the person he or she loves. Brad and I have shared our lives together for over 21 years. We've worked in partnership; he manages the business side of my career and I do the performing. We've traveled the world together from Europe to Asia to Australia. We've shared the good times as well as struggled through the bad. He helped me care for my ailing mother who lived with us for the last years of her life. He is my love and I can't imagine life without him. Now, we can have the dignity, as well as all the responsibilities, of marriage. We embrace it all heartily…For now, Brad and I are enjoying the delicious dilemma of deciding where, when, and how we will be married. Marriage equality took a long time, but, like fine wine, its bouquet is simply exquisite.

Live long and prosper!