What is this, 1999?

"The Xbox LIVE Terms of Use and Code of Conduct are designed to create a place where people can..."

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:10:31 -0800

“

The Xbox LIVE Terms of Use and Code of Conduct are designed to create a place where people can safely enjoy all of the ways to interact on our service[…] without fear of discrimination or harassment. As the service evolves and our customers provide us with feedback, these rules evolve to incorporate new features or changes in how people wish to interact.

With that in mind, I’d like to announce an update to the Xbox LIVE Terms of Use and Code of Conduct which will allow our members to more freely express their race, nationality, religion and sexual orientation in Gamertags and profiles. Under our previous policy, some of these expressions of self-identification were not allowed in Gamertags or profiles to prevent the use of these terms as insults or slurs. However we have since heard feedback from our customers that while the spirit of this approach was genuine, it inadvertently excluded a part of our Xbox LIVE community. This update also comes hand-in-hand with increased stringency and enforcement to prevent the misuse of these terms.

I truly believe that our diversity is what makes us strong: diversity in gaming and entertainment options, and diversity in the people that make up this amazing community. I look forward to seeing you on LIVE soon.

”

- A Letter from Marc Whitten: Update to Xbox LIVE Code of Conduct - via Slashdot via Crystaltips/Wonderlandblog. Cheers.

The Runner

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:06:00 -0800

The Runner:

Interesting single-topic, short-run weblog about the game Mirror’s Edge, which is one of the few games I’ll pop in again a year after finishing it. This touches on a lot of the things I like about it. The author also recently had this article about the game’s shortcomings published, and I agree somewhat with it, too, especially regarding combat. But on that note, I agree with forum-poster BobisOnlyBob, who said, “At no point did I disarm anyone else, or use a single firearm against a human. I did, however, kick about a hundred men in the balls. And I enjoyed it a lot!” Me too, BobisOnlyBob, me too.

Trap doors and hatches all around: Jeff Hull on infusing variability and play into the workaday world

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:53:00 -0800

Trap doors and hatches all around: Jeff Hull on infusing variability and play into the workaday world :

An interview with one of the producers behind that thing that I keep bringing up to you if you live in the Bay Area as something you must check out if you have any sense of play, of adventure, or a love of weirdness, whatsoever.

katierosepipkin: new poster design. if you play a certain...

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:40:00 -0800

katierosepipkin:

new poster design. if you play a certain ‘dungeons and dragons’, or have ever wanted to, you should come to this. location may change. but seriously.

I just like this poster, the name and the idea. Also, two notes.

One: predictably, I’m not going to SxSW this year, but if you want to get away from whatever, here’s another option on Monday night.

Two: Yes, it says 2009, but March 15 is a Monday this year, ~~so I’m assuming it’s the year that’s wrong. So there you go. Then again, there’s no contact info, so make sure to have your party’s rogue check for traps~~ I am a dolt, and Nik has pointed out that that’s the address, not the year. Good morning.

turkeydinner:giugiu:genderqueer:tiredofbeingignored:definatalie:g...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:02:29 -0800

turkeydinner:giugiu:genderqueer:tiredofbeingignored:definatalie:gooseppie:imsvsims:

Husbands and Husbands

This video is only a minute long. You won’t regret watching it.

Watch what happens when a little boy named Calen meets a pair of husbands for the first time. He talked things out, asked a few questions, and things just seemed to click in his head for him.

Let’s quit with the ignorance and fear and play ping pong. (rb)

(This little piggy)(9.93)(10^27)

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:05:00 -0800

Jason: Okay, tangent
Jason: apparently my D&D DM can't stand the word "shrimping" and the meaning thereof
Jason: which didn't stop us from turning "shrimp" into a Pee-wee's Playhouse style secret word, or from bringing it into conversation during the game last night
Heidi: wtf is shrimping
Jason: sucking on somebody's toes
Heidi: OMG OMG OMG
Heidi: that has a NAME?
Jason: uh
Jason: we are living in the era of naming everything
Heidi: wow, you maybe have ruined the act for me with that name
Heidi: be careful what you teach me obiwan!
Jason: so Scott, another player, just gave a one-word response to the list: "Shrimping"
Jason: to which I'm replying:
Jason: "Hellashrimping: That's 10^27 shrimpings."
Heidi: wow
Heidi: the sick thing is
Heidi: I am now wondering how many toes there are in the world
Heidi: or for all time
Heidi: and if that's even possible
Jason: Well
Jason: ...
Jason: wait, I don't have an appropriate response to that
Heidi: I realize it's just X*10
Heidi: which X = everyone ever
Jason: more like X*9.3, or whatever the average is
Heidi: WTF
Jason: well
Heidi: 9.3?
Jason: missing toes, extra toes
Heidi: EXTRA TOES
Heidi: WHERE ARE YOU SHRIMPING
Jason: I'm guessing it trends more towards missing
Heidi: no way it's 9.3
Jason: 9.93 then
Jason: I don't know
Heidi: I mean, I'll give you a decimal place
Heidi: I am *happy* you don't have that statistic
Heidi: because if you did I would be, um, a little weirder out. or maybe just impressed
Jason: What's giving me pause is that someone, somewhere, has this info
Heidi: you know, this conversation has unintentionally spawned way too much thought for my tastes this late in the day

Youtube playlist: client1

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:43:04 -0800

Youtube playlist: client1:

I was rather pleased listening to this playlist last night and this morning. Bands included: Client, Ladytron, Miss Kittin and the Hacker, Broadcast, Creme Blush, Fischerspooner.

'Hella Big': Soon To Be A Scientific Measurement?

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:57:00 -0800

'Hella Big': Soon To Be A Scientific Measurement?:

ernie:

Unless you grew up in the church in the Bay Area when you were a kid and couldn’t say “hell.” Then, of course, you would say “hecka.”

“Planet Ohsnap is 150 heckameters away.” Boom, sold.

That headline is misleading, unfortunately. What’s going on is a UC Davis physics major has started a petition to make “hella” the prefix denoting 10^27 in units of measurement, but by “petition” I mean “Facebook fan page,” which is the exact opposite of a petition, really. (Nik gets credit for pointing me to this BoingBoing post on the petition.) But I’m all for it, and would sign if I could sign something real.

I would like to point to my first post on Tumblr from three years ago—a conversation with Ernie, even—which addressed this.

When I read that Max Headroom is on its way to being released on...

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:31:20 -0800

When I read that Max Headroom is on its way to being released on DVD—which incidentally makes me incredibly happy—I thought of this 1987 hijacking of WTTW-11’s signal by some pranksters. Kind of NSFW because of the rather-tame bare-ass crop-whipping at the end, but I have to give the hijackers (signal zippers?) props for the moving backdrop they made.

I had an unplanned detour yesterday, but I was okay with that in...

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:05:34 -0800

I had an unplanned detour yesterday, but I was okay with that in this case.

LIVING IT UP IT’S A BIG KICK IT’S GOOD FOR YOUWATCH...

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:56:17 -0800

LIVING IT UP IT’S A BIG KICK IT’S GOOD FOR YOU
WATCH THE BIG FREEZE SLIP CRACK THE JACKPOT GET OUT OF CONTROL
IF YOU PUT YOURSELF DOWN YOU’LL NEVER WIN, GET OUT OF THAT HOLE
KEEP YOUR MIND OPEN, YOUR HEAD UP YOU’LL NEVER EVER GET OLD
YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYA

misterjt: Unsung Heroes of Black History: Panthro “And despite...

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:17:00 -0800

misterjt:

Unsung Heroes of Black History: Panthro

“And despite the fact that Panthro, a black man of exceptional scientific expertise that far exceeds that of even the famed George Washington Carver, built the Thundertank with simple junk parts, the rest of the Thundereans made Panthro be the DRIVER OF THE FUCKING THUNDERTANK! They made him a fucking chauffeur! What kind of shit is that? Where else in history do you see this kind of hypocrisy? Did you ever see Lee Iacocca drive Chrysler car plant workers around? Does Wolfgang Puck ever bus tables? Did either one of those contemptible George Bushes ever offer to even so much as light a White House page’s cigarette? How many times must black men be the “Hokes” to countless Miss Daisies?”

(via waxandmilk:maddecent)

Seriously, Panthro was a fucking genius.

jonnodotcom: “Fantastic slice of queer history in this clip...

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:53:55 -0800

jonnodotcom:

“Fantastic slice of queer history in this clip from the 1967 documentary, ‘The Homosexuals’ produced by CBS with Mike Wallace.” (via bobster855)

Photo

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:36:34 -0800

Photo

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:33:41 -0800

I mean, seriously.

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:25:00 -0800

I mean, seriously.

I'm getting in the mood

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:06:55 -0800

to start building my own shit again. Nobody jinx it!

Hey Okay » Brilliant

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:46:41 -0800

Hey Okay » Brilliant

One thing I have learned from a month or so of watching Tumblr for tags/mentions of "Dungeons & Dragons"

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:32:00 -0800

For every teenaged or twenty-something straight boy making disparaging remarks about D&D players based on the prevailing stereotypes, there is at least one super-cute teenaged or twenty-something straight indie girl who is quite excited about her new character, or about the game session she just got out of.

Misa Digital Guitar, via Kristin - BADASS.

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:09:00 -0800

Misa Digital Guitar, via Kristin - BADASS.