August 1 - 15, 2001

Wednesday 15 August 2001

Well I have some strange things in store for you today, my fellow wanderers! Just check out the stuff below!

We'll start with some fairly orthodox news and then finish it off with the strange stuff!

It seems that there is a new form of virus around that attacks users MSN Messenger ! This virus sends a large number of emoticons, those little graphics that convey emotions across the chat line, to any and all users in the infected persons "buddy list". It then tries to propagate itself by file transfer to any one stupid enough to accept it! Great, now you can't even chat in peace without worrying about catching some virus! Read the full story here.

Now here is a strange and disturbing trend on the net! Young girls are begging for presents from strangers through their personal websites! I really don't know what to think, but I think that it disturbs me some what! Let me know what you think!

Now this story could only happen in the US! It is about a lost dog who is now a famous internet celebrity! Great, just what I need! A dog that gets more hits than me!

Just came across a really strange link to a story about a rabbit skinning contest in Australia that may have to stop due to insurance costs! Today is a strange day for the news! Go check it out!

Well now I have heard everything! Some artist wants everyone with a laser pointer to point it at the darkside of the moon at a specific time so that we might be able to see the red dot from here on earth. Now that would make a really great use of energy, wouldn't it! What a waste. Some artists just go about rolling in the excesses of our society and don't care about real issues. Now would this be a lasting tribute to the arts? Or just another flash in the pan trick to gain publicity for a struggling artist, so that he/she might be able to live out the rest of their lives with out working? I don't know but it sure sounds dumb to me! Check the story out here!

Now I just find this strategy a bit hard to agree with! It seems that some women over in a village in Turkey are refusing to have sex with their husbands until they fix the town's water supply! It might get some result but I think it is a little drastic. Particularly as married men only get it once a week if they are lucky! Anyway, check it out!

Now in a complete balls up, Police in Canada are chasing the culprits in the theft of numerous pairs of replica Bison balls! It seems that they were severed from the mascots for the recent World Athletic Championships! Police are making a public appeal to catch the culprits! Check out the full story here.

Now here is a useful watch dog! It seems that Ping, the llama is eternally vigilant around his masters house and has scared off many an evil-doer from the yard! Check him out here!

Now this guy is a bit on the strange side! He has this fetish about cartoon females. Enough said, go check it out if you like cartoons. He actually refers to some classics and it is good for a walk down memory lane (at least for us oldies!).

Here is an article that leads to a rather strange little film site! If you click on the link in the second paragraph it will take you to the film. Before you do that, you might just want to peruse the remainder of the article to find out what the hell is going on! Enjoy, I had a good laugh!

And finally today, here is a link to the Mad Magazine site, and their interesting bloopers from two forthcoming movies! Those movies are American Pie 2, and Rush Hour 2! Check the site out here and then click on the main banner! (Thanks Rob the Loon!)

Well that's it for another day!

Tuesday 14 August 2001

I have just been sent a link to a great website called Real Life, by my friend, the_Mystic_Goat! This site hosts a comic called, what else but, Real Life. This comic deals with some interesting problems and throws them into a spin! Check it out, cause I know you will bookmark it and go visit every day!

And another strange site has been sent to me by KiM. It is called NEWS of the WEIRD. My kind of site! Go check it out. And for those who don't want to follow the link here is a snippet:-
July marked the appearance of a glossy, 32-page publication, Mainline Lady, funded by the Health Ministry in the Netherlands and designed to resemble a newsstand fashion magazine, for the purpose of helping drug-addicted women feel better about their health and appearance. Included are articles on rejuvenating heroin-ravaged dry skin, putting on weight, and disguising needle marks with makeup, as well as an upbeat horoscope column tailored to the everyday problems of drug addicts. [Fox News-The Times (London), 7-30-01

Well it is official......software developer Dynamix has closed! It is a sad day indeed! Along with that news is the sad news that LINUX game developer Loki has also filed for a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy! Why do these companies collapse? I don't know but if you have any ideas on the subject let me know and I'll post them. I'm sure that everyone would like to know why!

The guy's and gal's over at 3DActionPlanet have released an article on that ephemeral question, are the increasing system requirements alienating gamers? It is a really good read and brings up some very valid points about the requirements of new release games and what we, the gamer, have to fork out to keep up! Go check it out here.

Now here is a really interesting article! This article is interesting more for what it doesn't say than what it does! The article is on temporary impotence and house music. Check it out here and then come back! Well, I hope you enjoyed it! Now, did you work out what the missing ingredient was? Of course it was the drugs! Now why would you feel impotent if you had just taken a heap of happy drugs? And why wasn't this variable accounted for?

And another candidate for the Darwin Awards! This man was killed after he chased his hat onto a busy highway! The resulting crash closed the highway for over 2 hours. Check out the full stupid story here.

Well that's all folks!

Sunday 12 August 2001

Well not that much has been happening about the place at present. Hence the lack of postings. But I will try to keep it up to date!

It seems that the new Intel Itanium chip is pretty hot! Unfortunately that is not a cool thing for the server community! This new chip runs too hot to be put into the server farms that it is designed for! Check out the full story here!

Apparently the newer games lack the soul of the old classic games! Despite their simplicity, the classic games had a story and a plot, and a lot of fun built into them. Now most games rely heavily on glitzy graphics and cool sounds than interesting gameplay. There is a move a foot to combine the old and the new for the benefit of the gaming community. Read about it at Wired News.

There is an interesting article over at Stomped about the shameful display of journalism by the reporter for the Herald Sun. The Colonel's Barracks makes the suggestion that the current scapegoating of the gaming community is ageist behaviour! Now while I don't really agree with this sentiment, mainly because I am not a young person and would be considered to be part of the establishment, the article raises some very valid points. Read it and see what you think!

Just a short rambling! I wonder what is going to happen to the veritable Team Fortress 2 now that it seems that Sierra are closing down Dynamix? Although Dynamix are not responsible for coding TF2, it will place great pressure on the parent companies to absorb all of the projects that the Dynamix team were working on! They may just trash the lot but that would leave a huge hole for other developers to crawl into, and we know that it is not about the games but about the market share and the profits! I just wonder???

Well it continues to be a slow time on the news front, so enjoy the tiny morsels and I hope you had a good weekend!

Friday 10 August 2001

Well It is the end of the working week already! Wow that has gone fast, and I still haven't finished everything that I have to do for the week! Oh well, that's life, so let's get on with it.

Well, it looks like there may be a few more delays for that evergreen "title in development" Duke Nukem Forever! GoD Games has been taken over by Take Two Interactive and almost all of the original developers have jumped ship! They have gone to a new DVD magazine titled Substance TV, a subscription based effort. Take Two assure us that all the games currently under development will be published, but the real question is when. Take Two will have to find new staff to fill out the projects and that usually takes time. Thanks to Blue's News for this snippet!

In another amazing example of why stupid people should not be protected, for the good of our species, of course, A New York man has stripped down to his boxer shorts, climbed in to a zoo gorilla compound, and tried to be "one with the gorillas". Fortunately quick thinking staff herded the gorillas away from the idiot before they had to endure this insult to their intelligence! The man was later formally declared an idiot by the authorities! Check out the full story here.

They always say that crime fact is way stranger than fiction! Here are three stories that prove the maxim! Check them out here! One involves ignorance, one involves butter and the other involved pigs!

Well, I've heard it all now! THe Japanese have invented a dog bark translator! I'm stunned! Check it out here.

A Boston swim for the environment was cancelled the other day! Why do you ask? Because of the pollution in the water! Now that's irony! Catch the full story here.

Don't you hate it when people tell you to "grow up!"? Well this guy just doesn't listen to them! I honestly believe that he should seek some form of real help, but if he's happy and not hurting anyone then that's probably fine! Anyway, check out the modern day version of a real life "Peter Pan" here.

In the rumor mill, word is that the company that produced the classics of the "Tribes" gaming universe, is going to be closed! Yep it is believed that as of next week, Dynamix will be closed by Sierra! Wow! Sierra is refusing to confirm or deny this but several indicators suggest that this may well be true. I'll keep you posted as I find things out.

It seems that the new kid on the gaming block, Max Payne, is going to Hollywood! He may also be coming to a TV screen near you. Also further adventures are being considered for games as well. Check out the full story here.

Well that's it for today. Hope you have a good weekend! Ciao!

Thursday 9 August 2001

Well just a short post today to start with. Maybe more after work later this evening.

The first upgrade for Operation Flashpoint is now available from the Codemasters website. This update adds 3 vehicles, 1 weapon, 2 single player missions, and 4 multiplayer missions. Grab it now and enjoy the extras for this great game. And if you don't know what Operation Flashpoint is, check out this review of the game.

A couple of Microsoft things today. First, it seems as if Micro$oft are not making quite enough money and are putting up their Australian prices as of October 1. Yep, it includes the prices of operating systems, and yep, it is just before the planned release of Windows XP. No prizes for guessing this move! They blame it on the poor Aussie dollar, but we all know differently! Second, the Code Red Worm, version 2?, is affecting anyone who is using Microsoft IIS Server 4.0 and 5.0. Microsoft are urging all users to install the updated patch for this virus/worm. If you are a user of this MS Server program then I recommend that you patch it. You can access the patch from here. (thanks Rob the Loon)

Happy Birthday to the PC! I think it is 20 years old today! I know it is sometime this week!

It seems that rival companies are cashing in on their competitors web sites and advertising in Pop Ups that are triggered when you visit the vendor you are looking for. They are calling it "getting Gatored"! You can find all the details here on this low stunt!

Finally the Russian programmer, Dmitry Sklyarov, has been released from custody. He is required to laze around California until the trial date, but he is out of gaol! Catch the full story here or here.

In a strange twist of fate that may just clear the air in relation to music swapping over the internet, it seems that the US anti-trust investigators are now going after the record companies. They are investigating claims of unfair practices in the online music sales area! Go you good things! It seems that they are fixing prices and stopping competition! Sounds like the normal marketplace, doesn't it? Catch the story here!

The final in the Medal of Honour:Allied Assault movies has been released ahead of schedule! You can view all the movies of the up coming game here! Check them out, they're worth the download!

Well that's it for the moment. Enjoy!

Tuesday 7 August 2001

This is a really quick post today.

Firstly, the Skase Family are upset because the Australian Government are still going to attempt the recovery of millions of dollars of unpaid taxes and fines form the estate! That could tie up their inheritance for years! Poor things! They are also upset at the bad press he has received here in Australia. Well wouldn't you want to be revered as a national hero for stalling that much money from the public??

I have also stumbled over a very interesting little site all about computer viruses and other security issues. This site, vMyths debunks those hysterical virus myths and security scares that circulate round the internet. It also addresses the hysterical claims regular journalists (those who are not computer literate) make about the so called security dangers. Makes for exceptionally interesting reading. I for one am sick of idiots sending me these e-mails that "warn" of the latest virus that will trash your computer and ruin your sex drive, and have absolutely no substantive information on them at all! I receive several of them a week, most of which I have seen more than once over the past year. Unfortunately, the people who send them are well meaning but ignorant of the truth about these scams. This site helps to debunk the guff that these virus warning letters circulate! So stop being party to spreading the fear and paranoia, and check this site out. Book mark it and go there often. You will learn something about what is going on! And what's more, the site is in dependant and has no affiliation with any anti-virus company at all!

The latest addon for Black & white has now been released and you can get it from here. This addon allows you create a soccer field so that your villagers can play against each other! Cool to watch.

Here we have another fine example of how incredibly STUPID some people really can be! This dick nearly killed himself trying to recover his $5.00 cap! Can you believe it? And he is defending the US! Read the full, sad story here. You will be even more shocked when you find out where it happened!

Do you think the name for the new Star Wars movie sucks? I do! It has just been announced that the next episode in the Star Wars Saga will be henceforth known as.....
Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones!
Sounds like some 70's B-grade horror flick! Oh well, they are the experts, they must know what they are doing!

If you are still worried about catching a computer virus after checking out the above story and link, then check out this article which claims to test and rate many of the worlds most popular anti-virus programs. Go here, and then go back to vMyths and just check to see just how much the testers seem to have been influenced. Then make your decision and go purchase the product! You will thank me if you do it this way!

Well that's it for now!

Monday 6 August 2001

Hello from the land of Odd! We have some good news coming today! There is an article about being a wanker, news that Christopher Skase is dead, and lots more! So let's get on with it!

Our first story comes from the pages of 3DActionPlanet. This story looks at what it takes to be a first class, loud, obnoxious wanker! You know who they are, and if you want to be one of the gang then this is the article for you! Really! We all should try to live up to their shining example! Click the link and prepare to be amused! Once you have mastered this art, it is then time to start a clan of like minded wankers! For tips, laughs and general mayhem, check out this site and you'll soon be advertising for members!! On that subject, it seems like it would be a good time to create a clan web page! Click here to find more useful tips. Once you have decided to create a clan, you need a name! Why leave anything to chance, try the Wankermatic 5000! This automated clan name generator also chooses a mascot and provides that catchy [Clan] name in all of it's 3l33t specialty! Now you are armed with the knowledge to rise to greatness!

I must thank Thrrrpptt!, from 3DActionPlanet for the effort he has put into the above articles! I must say that I laughed lots when I read them. Some cut close to home in a few areas (like this website!) but generally I can name dozens and dozens of these people from my small experiences in online gaming! In fact, they are the main reason I surf the net! I become so annoyed at the garbage that they go on with that I just leave, and go look at a few websites, or go play games in single player mode. It is sad that these people exist, but at least they provide a glowing example of how not to be in the online community!

After the shooting of a security guard in Melbourne recently, the Sun Herald printed an article which blamed the Half-Life series of games for the murder and other unrelated violence. This report merely shows how uninformed opinion like that can seriously affect peoples judgement. "BuzzMoo" from CFGN, has posted an article highlighting the errors and omissions of the original. Go check it out and see what they have to say!

News for all Australians - The government no longer has to pursue Christopher Skase! Yep, the ex-aussie billionaire, has finally kicked the bucket. He has died. Even better news is that the Australian Government is still going to pursue the millions of dollars he, and his family, owe in unpaid taxes! I think that the government investigators still have about 20 years before the returns diminish to even!

Good news for all the Logitech peripheral users out there! Logitech have released a new version of their mouse and trackball drivers. This brings it up to ver 9.29.3 build 100, and you can get them from here.

Found on ShackNews was a link to this fascinating little article. It seems that farmers in the US are suffering again this year from every green keepers nightmare! Yep that furry little critter has left the "Caddy Shack" and is haunting Mid Western farmers. With gun control laws being so strict, Bill Murray's sniper rifle is out of the question. So what is a poor farmer to do? That's right, call the Gophinator! Alas, it has been sidelined by bureaucratic red-tape for the past 3 years and is presently unable to kill the pesky rodents in their homes. While the crops are slowly eaten from below, farmers are powerless to defend their livelihood! Now I wonder what my Environmental Sociology lecturer would have to say about this? Check out the full story here.

Bangkok, Thailand:- Police are investigating the disappearance of a male person after finding his severed penis in a rubbish bin! So far attempts to locate the man have failed. Perhaps they should try the transvestite community! Check the full story out here before I make any more poor penis jokes!

Well that's it! Fun games and missing body parts! Just as promised. Ciao!

Sunday 5 August 2001

Well, I was a bit busy yesterday, so I didn't get a chance to post anything, sorry! Had to work and go out to an engagement party, and also try to help my parents with a networking problem that they have! But now I'm back, so it's on with the show.

Bad news for Rob and all the others who are hanging out waiting for Commandos 2! Unfortunately, the game is not finished yet. A representative from Eidos states that the misinformation stems from a poor translation of an interview conducted by GameSpot Spain. Sorry guys, there still is no firm release date.

For those of us who are concerned about the environment and life, check this story out! Apparently the US Government are refusing to provide documents about the Energy Commission talks! The US Government are hiding behind a wall of secrecy and underhanded dealings. There are many allegations that there has been improper corporate influence behind the recent rejection of the global reduction of pollution levels! That would never happen in the US, would it? They would never allow huge companies to influence policy! Not the free society of the US! Of course they would, and we would have to be stupid to believe that politicians act in the interest of anyone but themselves! But documents should be made available and the public should know what is going on! After all they elected them!

Well here is something strange! Green Peace are going to hold an "environmentally friendly" 4 day dance party in the Amazon! Yep, b.y.o. drugs, clean water and a pillow! They are expecting some 7,000 people to attend from all over the world, and proceeds from the money raised will go to Green Peace. Check the full story out here!

In the mother of all billing mistakes, a Canadian Coffee Shop owner has been given a bill for $2.4 Billion Canadian! It turns out that he bill was an error! Canada's Postal Service were the offenders in this case, and have apparently corrected the error! Check out the full story here!

The TV series was the first to feature a talking car. It was also the first where a prop acted better than the lead actor! Now, some 15 years after we got rid of that crappy Knight Rider show, it may be coming back to haunt us on the big screen! Be very afraid! David Hasselhoff, has announced he is working on a new movie featuring himself as the hapless sidekick and KITT as the lead! Check out the disturbing news at Carlton.com.

I found this little article whist surfing the pages of ShackNews. It seems that the G-string, or Thong, is now 20 years old! The article traces the origins and casts some light into the undergarments increasing popularity! Yay, I say, for the brain who invented it, and hip hip hooray for the ladies who wear it! Check the story out here!

Well that's about it for this week end. I'd just like to thank all of my visitors, both new and old, for supporting this site. I welcome your feedback, and if you have any suggestions, stories, original works that you would like me to post, let me know and I will post them for you. Any help you may be able to provide will be gratefully accepted! Cheers, and enjoy what's left of the weekend!

Friday 3 August 2001

Just a quick early morning update to start with.

Every year, the best minds in the world of robotics get together to play soccer. Not with each other but with the robots they have created. Their goal is to create a team of robotic soccer players that can beat the World Cup winning team, by the year 2050! Ambitious, but they believe it is achievable! Good luck to them! This year the competition is in the US somewhere. Last years competition was held here in Rockhampton at my Uni, and to all reports was a great success. This year should be no different. Check the full story out here.

It looks like Microsoft have lost their battle as the Appeal Court rejects the application to reconsider the earlier judgement. They have won some small ground against the Government though. They have managed to have ratified, the normal time period between the appeal and the retrial! Now we can see another court battle drawing out over 5 more years before a result! Check the full story out here.

It seems that the latest corporate security threat scare is coming from the home computer! How so, you may ask? Well it seems that hackers are attacking home computers and then using any information gleaned from them to gain access to the corporate networks. Sounds like scare mongering to me! It also looks like most paranoid corporations will stop employees either working from home or taking work there, for fear of exposure! Looks like a few more late nights at the office Dear! Check it out here for information and a link that will show you how to make your home PC a little safer!

Thursday 2 August 2001

Quick update for today. Not that much happening but I thought I'd try a short day instead of two long ones! Here goes......

It seems that Hackers have earned the wrath of the US Congress! Not only did they refuse to support the release of the Russian Hacker, they are prosecuting that chap for using school computers to crunch data for a distributed computing project, and now they want people who hack into school computers to be jailed for a long time! Most critics say that his is a little over the top (ya think??) and add to that the fact that most of them would be juveniles anyway, kinda defeats the purpose! Anyway, here is the article which describes the Senator blowing his uninformed mouth off!

For all those who have thought about a divorce, but haven't had the money. Here is an article about a man who almost got away for the princely sum of 2 Rupees! Unfortunately it all went wrong! Check it out here.

Well I told you it would be short! Tomorrow I may have some more info on a security guard shooting that occurred recently in Melbourne! It seems some big wig is blowing off that the game Half-Life is responsible! You can guarantee that I'll give you more when I get to the bottom of this! Goodnight!

Wednesday 1 August 2001

Well the news hounds have been out over the last couple of days and I should have some interesting things to report to you! Now on with the show.....

I have been interested in the concept of a massive online game that was set in the old Privateer Universe for a long time. I was quite excited when Microsoft announced their plans for the Freelancer game. But then they changed it all. They took away multiplayer and changed the whole concept. That was where I last left it, but now..... I am interested in the game again! It seems that MS may be going back to their original concepts with the game, and the in game graphics look great! If you want some screenies then look no further than The Lancer's Reactor. They have an amazing assortment of shots and add to it as often as possible. It is amazing, they actually make me feel like getting the game when it comes out, just to see the graphics. Hopefully there will be much more available soon in terms of what the gameplay and everything else is like! When there is I'll post it!

It seems that there is an explosion of personal news sites on the net! Who would have guessed? Anyway, there is a new index called Blogdex which aims to assist "real" journalists in locating items of news to assist them in writing their own stories! I hope they properly acknowledge their sources. Anyway, if you want to know more click this link!

Taiwanese researchers have developed a new air filter that uses traditional Chinese herbs and spices to kill airborne bacteria and make the air smell good! This could revolutionize air filter technology! Check it out at Wired News.

For those of you who are struggling with the supplied software and drivers for the Telstra ADSL broadband network, there is help at hand! Just call the CableGuy! The CableGuy's site has tips, tweaks and alternate versions of the drivers and access software available for downloading! If you have any sort of network or internet connection, check the site out. You will definitely find stuff there to help you out of any predicament!

Do you have trouble with SPAM??? Well then, this article is just for you! They people over a CNET have compiled a story about the most spam inducing net behaviours that people do! It is well worth the read as you may find that it is your behaviour on sites that causes them to send you spam! Check the link here!

Happy Birthday to the PC!! Well at least for August 12! It seems that the PC has not had all that smooth a childhood, and the future is not that certain either. Check out the full story here.

Fresh from the presses! The first patch for that amazing game, Operation Flashpoint, has been released! You can find a server near you to download it from, from here! It fixes several problems and there is another patch due out very soon that adds new vehicles and missions!

There is a demo available now for Mech Commander 2. You can get it from 3DFiles. It weighs in at a hefty 98 Megs!

After such a long wait, and many rumours that it had been canned, we finally get to see some of the shots from the long awaited Team Fortress 2!!!! There is still no release date on the horizon but this article may mean that it is sooner rather than later! Check this site out for the latest and some screenies.

Well in a strange offshoot of the sex sells saga, some US men have started their own sex stories web site. The site is called The Perfect Gentleman, and aims to make money for charity by men posting stories of their sexual exploits to the site! Yeah right! Sounds interesting in concept but in reality????? Well you can find out more about it from this site.

Do you shudder at the sheer stupidity of all the language crap that goes on! You can't say this, or that, or that person is offended or subjugated! Well here are some short takes on the problem and some of the legal solutions that the complainers have taken! Now I don't believe that it is right to belittle your fellow man but this is taking it to the extreme! Check the stories out here!

If you want a bit of a laugh, then check out this article that's written from the game characters perspective! Read it Here!

In a follow up to an incredible display of stupidity story from last week about the tourists who were climbing over a dead whale whilst great white sharks were gnawing at it's flesh, the South Australian Government have ended the potentially fatal attraction! They have blown the whale up and sent it to the bottom of the ocean! I think they should have left the whale there and just fed the idiots to the sharks in the interest of mankind as a whole! But that's just me! Check out the story here.

There is a new update for Day of Defeat, the Half-Life WW2 Mod. It is due out tomorrow and as soon as it is available I will post news! It should be good and will account for all the new voice chat technology in the next Half-Life patch!

Here's one for you Rob! It has just been announced that Commando's 2 has gone GOLD! There is, however, no word yet of a release date any closer than September!

Well, that is all for today. I think you will enjoy all the stories and stuff! I would like to thank Rob the Loon for helping me track down some of the news articles, he has done a stirling job, Thank you! If you ever find something that you think others would like to read on this site, please send me an e-mail and let me know. As you can see I do appreciate any help and will let every one know that you are a legend for giving me a hand! Thanks to all for visiting my site and keeping it's popularity growing! Good night!