Scalzi posted that his book Zoe's Tale is currently the number one Kindle sci-fi book on Amazon, beating out Stephenie Meyer's The Host! w00t!

• Virus Infects Space Station Laptops (Again)
• Google Earth Reveals Sixth Sense of Cattle, Deer
• iPhone: iLive dev iPwnd for 'stealing' rival's data

WebMonkey reports on an excellent sounding plugin for Firefox called Ubiquity. Using everyday English input, users can perform specific tasks on the web. For example, typing the word "twitter" followed by any other text will post that text on your twitter. This should eventually allow everyday users do complex things on the web, even mashing together multiple web applications.

I found a funny commentary about the effect of the iPhone on everyday life over on Wired. It's an entertaining read.

It's no secret that I'm totally looking forward to Samba de Amigo. I really enjoy rhythm games, this has a bunch of cool songs I haven't seen in other games, and I also really like Sega mascot characters. It's nice to see this game coming out! Joystiq has some information about the maracas, which are gorgeous, and a full song list. Looks good!

In an article titled Counting Rupees: Sustainable Indies, Joystiq examines the cost of Braid to Blow, how much he made, and how much he needs to make. He has sold 55K copies of the game, yielding $825K. After Microsoft's cut, that's $578K. The article suggests that he invested $180K of his own money and that the cost of the game was probably near $400K. That means he's just breaking even now. For Blow to have enough money to make another game without having to take out loans, Braid would need to sell one million copies.

Penny Arcade has an entertaining strip involving Storm Troopers. It's especially appropriate given the recent demo of The Force Unleashed.

Exploits of a Mom has to be the best one.

• European deaths may outnumber births from 2015
• Samueli says family, friends told him to plead guilty
• Residents can shout out 'quiet' to loud house colors

Wired reports on photographer Nick Veasey who takes x-ray photographs. He takes photographs of everyday autographs as well as life scenes using cadavers or skeletons in rubber suits because x-rays would of course be harmful to humans. He photoshops photos together because he can't take everything in one photograph. They're really awesome shots. Check out the bus on page four!

Zoe's Tale was very good but not as good as Scalzi's previous works in the Old Man's War series. Because this is aimed at young adults as well, that's to be expected. It was very good at giving more details about the universe though. The book is told through the perspective of teenager Zoe. While I really love Scalzi, I have to honestly say that the sarcastic, teenage girl voice in Zoe did seem a bit unrealistic at times, but I know I certainly couldn't do any better! She also made friends very quickly with her best friend. What I love most about this book is getting a closer look at the Obin, most specifically Hickory and Dickory, General Gau, and the Conclave. I do really hope that John Scalzi continues to write in this universe in the future. The Conclave is an exciting concept, and I look forward to hearing more!

This past week I spent a lot of time on WoW again. The three of us did one final round in the 30-39 PVP bracket at level 40. Shadowform is nice! We also ran all four instances of Scarlet Monastery. I played some Pacman C.E. and beat Guitar Hero 3 in co-op as lead guitar. I've been playing some more of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games as well and just a little bit of Rhythm Tengoku Gold!

Kepler.
T-Shirts.
Hitler.
Donner.
Pillar.
Hyphen.
Old Drawing.
Love.
Schrodinger.
Want.
Hobby.
Why do you love me?
Graduation.
Valentine - Heart.

So funny.

Wired reports that artists Fernanda Viégas and Martin Wattenberg have created a visual representation of how much each musical genre incorporates each body part into their lyrics. The eyes are sung about most with blues and gospel singing most about hands and hip-hop singing about, no surprises here, asses.

• Rights Group Suing AT&T for Spying Will Sue Government Too
• FBI: Couple offered sex with girl, 5, for used car
• Olympics: Cuban fighter banned for life after attacking judge

Scalzi is offering free, digital copies of some of his works on Whatever, his blog, including The Sagan Diary and After the Coup, both of which take place in the Old Man's War universe.

John Scalzi has posted a chapter from a previous draft of The Last Colony that didn't make it into the final print. Obviously it's no longer canon, but it does give some interesting information about the Universe, most notably about General Gau.

There's a superb thread at my favorite forum, SelectButton, in which people post their terrible Sonic the Hedgehog drawings. Some of them are so terrible that they're amazing. I really think there's a lot of quality art here. It takes a devout Internetatarian to consider MS Paint art a viable style of art.

Nintendo Wii Fanboy put a great gallery up of fan made box art for fictitious Mario games. Some of them are really great. Super Mario Streakers? Mario & Sonic Training for the Olympic Games? That game deserves a gold itself!

Joystiq has a piece up about a game made as artistic commentary on the events of 9/11 and America's response. The game is based on Space Invaders with the aliens attacking the World Trade Center buildings.

Taito has since responded by saying that the work was unauthorized and threatened legal action.

God, more WoW news. Wowinsider also had an article today about a 13-hour arena match. That's a long fucking time, but it doesn't compare to that 18-hour long battle against a boss in FFXI that caused players to give up.

Today Wowinsider talked about a dagger called Blade of Eternal Darkness. The article wasn't terribly interesting, but it does mention that this weapon that requires a minimum level of 49 "[s]ells to vendors for 4g 67s 96c (which isn't a lot at 70, but is a whole lot of money at level 49)". Excuse me, but 4.68g is definitely not a lot at level 49. What the fuck? Has it just been so long since these fuckers have actually played the game (because they obviously spend more time on forums and blogs) that they thing 4.68 gold is a lot? And the excuse that they're already at level 70 doesn't hold. Level 70s need alts.

A shirt from a cruise ship was found in Croatia with an interesting symbol on it according to Wowinsider. I wonder if it's a fake or not.

• UCI again cracks top 50 in US News school rankings
• Priest tried to order porn movie, lied to victim's parents
• Philippine peace on shaky ground after attacks

And it was so awesome!

...Read more

I recently read a Wired article titled Analyst: Palm Needs a Savior, and Treo Pro Won't Cut It in which Palm's demise is discussed. They go in to what makes a great handheld device and where Palm went wrong. In my article, I'll discuss where Palm actually went wrong and why the Wired article is incorrect. Palm screwed up first by going to Windows Mobile, second by not making the Treo widescreen, and third by keeping prices too high.

...Read more

• Facebook's New Social Ads Turn Your Friends Into MarketersCertain things your friends do involving products that have paid Facebook will appear more frequently in your feed.
• 61-year-old woman gives birth in Japan - She gave birth to her own grandchild!
• Iran's space agency says it will send man to space
• Mexico outraged over corrupt police, kidnappings
• Employer to illegal immigrants: use eHarmony to find U.S. spouses
• Saudi ban on woman drivers may be eroding
• Face transplant patient can smile, blink again - At least look at the picture in this story!

There's a hilarious article titled JUST ASKING: Is Michael Phelps A Douche? While I definitely respect Phelps, the article is pretty great.

Happy birthday to them! Yay!

• The Space Tourist Who Wasn't
• John McCain Campaign Takes a +3 Vorpal Blade to Dungeons & Dragons Players
• Wearable Motorbike Makes Batman's Toys Look Pedestrian
• Mourning gorilla holds on to body of her baby
• Monkey eludes dragnet at Tokyo train station
• NKorea vows to boost 'war deterrent'
• Fla. town backs ex-principal in gay student case
• Top Greek fugitive arrested in kidnapping probe

Scalzi has put up a nice entry on his blog, The Whatever. It's the chronology of the stories in the Old Man's War universe.

His new book also came out today, Zoe's Tale.

• China's Olympic ceremony features sacrifices
• Puerto Rico corpse kept upright for 3-day wake
• New Zealand kiddie disco forced to turn down noise
• Why are Irvine parking lots stripped in dark green?
• Mexico church assailed for maligning miniskirt
• Scientists Create Blood From Stem Cells
• Rocket Scientists Say We'll Never Reach the Stars

This week I finished up Braid and Guitar Hero Aerosmith by playing through every song. I've also been playing through Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games on my DS, which is surprisingly fun. We've been PVPing of course, and this week we plan on finally hitting 40. I purchased Pacman C.E. (I know; I'm late), and I'm enjoying that as well. Amazing that they could reinvigorate such a classic title. Lastly, I started playing Rhythm Tengoku Gold last night, and it's awesome! It's a rhythm game that's really about sound. I could close my eyes and continue to play. It's a blast! Hopefully it gets localized.

Wired did a nice interview with Suda51 about his new game, produced by Shinji Mikami. Suda51 was director and writer for killer7 and No More Heroes, while Shinji Mikami was the director of God Hand, executive producer of killer7, director or producer of each Resident Evil title, executive producer of Devil May Cry, and most importantly, director of P.N. 03 and game designer of Goof Troop.

The article doesn't say anything about the new title itself but talks a little of this new partnership.

To promote Mega Man 9, people who can manage to get to Japan can now buy E-Tanks, the energy drinks that Mega Man himself uses when he needs energy! They're 137 yen each and look awesome! Hopefully they'll get imported easily.

A sports drink for hard-working robots

Suda51 has a new survival horror game announced with Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami if Joystiq is to be believed. While I do like Suda51, I'm not sure I'm hot on this. Resident Evil, eh?

According to a post on Joystiq, there's a new boss in FFXI that a guild couldn't take down after 18 hours! Seriously, wtf?

I decided to give this one its own entry.

Army pays UCI to try to read people’s minds, OC Register, 8/14/08

The US Army has given $4 million to UCI to attempt to make a machine that can render a person's thoughts as sound.

• Tribes object to fighting fire in sacred places, OC Register, 8/14/08
• British recycling leaflets show wrong Birmingham, OC Register, 8/14/08
• Vietnam to deport glam rocker Glitter to Britain, OC Register, 8/14/08
• Man banned from girlfriend's home after noisy sex, OC Register, 8/14/08
• After war in Georgia, what does Russia want?, OC Register, 8/14/08
• Russian tanks deter Georgian entry to Gori, OC Register, 8/14/08
• Baby found in Mich. with pacifier taped in mouth, OC Register, 8/14/08

Wired has an interesting article, True Dungeon Lures Would-Be Dragon Slayers, talking about a LARP called True Dungeon. It sounds really interesting. In a convention hall a dungeon is constructed, complete with monsters, treasure and traps. Fighting monsters physically involves a game similar to shuffleboard, mages must memorize things, and rogues must solve puzzles to disarm traps. You actually gain experience for things as well, making you more powerful the next time you come through. For very powerful players, there is a "nightmare" version. Take a look at True Dungeon's site for more information!

Sonic and Tails comic on Slackerz.

http://failblog.org/2008/04/11/failcow/
http://failblog.org/2008/07/05/understanding-english-fail/
http://failblog.org/2008/06/04/book-rental-fail/
http://failblog.org/2008/08/07/straw-fail/
http://failblog.org/2008/07/16/transportation-fail-2/

• Memory Disruption Could Aid Addicts, Wired, 8/12/08
• Wednesday highlights at Beijing Games, OC Register, 8/13/08
• Maine toddler uninjured after three-story fall, OC Register, 8/13/08
• Feeling green? Try the EcoJohn, OC Register, 8/13/08
• Abkhazian fighters plant flag inside Georgia, OC Register, 8/13/08
• Fire burns building at Apple HQ in California, OC Register, 8/13/08
• Ohio Burger King worker fired for bathing in sink, OC Register, 8/13/08
• Officials: Missile strike kills 9 in Pakistan, OC Register, 8/13/08
• Russia compares conflict to US response to 9/11, OC Register, 8/13/08
• West warns Russia over military push into Georgia, OC Register, 8/13/08
• Russian feint toward Tbilisi shows truce fragile, OC Register, 8/13/08
• Experts Accuse Bush Administration of Foot-Dragging on DNS Security Hole, Wired, 8/13/08

Big Download reports that Heavy Fortress, a.k.a. the Heavy patch for Team Fortress 2, rolls out one week from today! I can't wait for some epic boxing matches!

According to Xbox 360 Fanboy today, Mega Man 9 will have very difficult achievements. They list defeating all bosses with only the buster, beating the game five times in a single day, and beating the game without losing a life.

Braid: tearing up Metacritic; one of the top XBLA launches, Joystiq, 8/12/08

Braid, the terrific and beautiful puzzle platformer, sold over 28,000 copies in the first three days of its launch, over 3000 more than the previous leader, Rez HD. The puzzles are very inherent in the game, much more like Portal than jumping puzzles in Mega Man or simply "solve this puzzle before continuing."

I can't wait to finish it!

• Distraction 2008: Freedom of choice _ or from it?, OC Register, 8/12/08
• Olympic opening uses girl's voice, not face, OC Register, 8/12/08
• US human rights envoy cancels SKorea trip, OC Register, 8/12/08
• Lezak now a highlight in Olympic history, OC Register, 8/11/08
• Phelps typical 23-year-old _ 'til he hits water, OC Register, 8/12/08
• John Lennon's killer denied parole for 5th time, OC Register, 8/12/08
• Swimming for his life, OC Register, 8/12/08
• Mario pushes Olympic gold medalist to victory, Nintendo Wii Fanboy, 8/12/08
• Russians move toward gorge despite cease-fire, OC Reigster, 8/12/08
• BEIJING BEAT: Empty seats, lack of buzz, OC Register, 8/12/08
• Egypt bans reports on killing of Lebanese singer, OC Register, 8/12/08
• Heavy damage in Tskhinvali, mostly at gov't center, OC Register, 8/12/08
• Georgian president accepts EU cease-fire plan, OC Register, 8/12/08
• Puerto Rican statehood party seeks English ballots, OC Register, 8/12/08
• Relief supplies arrive for Georgian, other victims, OC Register, 8/12/08
• Dry ice left woman 'moderately decomposed', OC Register, 8/12/08
• Georgian conflict shows Russia calling the shots, OC Register, 8/12/08
• Police: Ga. man held wife, kids captive 3 years, OC Register, 8/12/08
• Cooperative burglar gets 7 1/2-year prison term, OC Register, 8/12/08
• More than 360 animals found at filthy Mo. property, OC Register, 8/12/08

Most of my time has still been devoted towards PVPing in World of Warcraft. We're having a good time just staying at 39. I also picked up Guitar Hero: Aerosmith and finished the single player on medium. It's really cool because it follows this history of the band and includes interviews with the members. Braid came out this week on XBLA, and it's truly amazing. The art style and music are superb, the puzzle-solving time-manipulating platforming is awesome, the story is intriguing so far, and the nods to other games are nice. I think this game will be really memorable when I finish it. I've been playing Baldur's Gate a little bit too but haven't progressed too much.

And that's it for this week!

• Bombing of Georgia town tears into family's heart, OC Register, 8/11/08
• Easy-listening West Bank station goes off air, OC Register, 8/11/08
• Bush says Olympics exceeded expectations, OC Register, 8/11/08
• Comparative size of Russian, Georgian armed forces, OC Register, 8/11/08
• South Ossetians describe fleeing from the fighting, OC Register, 8/10/08
• US begins flying Georgian troops home from Iraq, OC Register, 8/10/08
• Ukraine says it reserves right to bar Russian navy, OC Register, 8/10/08
• L.A. bullying fast-food, again, OC Register, 8/11/08
• $200,000 buys O.C. man trip into space, OC Register, 8/10/08
• Scientists closer to developing invisibility cloak, Wired, 8/11/08
• Georgia Under Online Assault, Wired, 8/10/08
• France sending aid to Georgia, UN feeds displaced, OC Register, 8/11/08
• Swedish nurse put surgery photos on Facebook, OC Register, 8/11/08
• UN council to reconvene Monday on Georgia fighting, OC Register, 8/11/08
• Amid war, contrasts line the coast of Georgia, OC Register, 8/11/08

Did the U.S. Prep Georgia for War with Russia?, Wired, 8/8/08
Russia and Georgia Clash Over Separatist Region , NY Times, 8/8/08

The United States has been training and arming Georgia, which is in a conflict with separatists. Russia is backing the separatists, having already performed an airstrike and sending in ground troops.