If you missed the interview, don’t worry. The interview is available below for your downloading and listening pleasure. But first, the show notes.

• Things we discussed during the interview include: GeekMom and GeekDad‘s move from Wired.com; The events of the last week, with a special focus on Boston; The rapidly changing face of journalism in the social media age; Parenting and politics, and more.
• There is some NSFW language
• At the beginning of the interview, you’ll hear the Geeky Pleasures Radio Show theme song by Chris Cogott (@chriscogott)
• The length of the interview is 3 hours 22 minutes 11 seconds
• The size is 185 MB
• The format is mp3, 128 kbps, 44.1 kHz, stereo
• To download the interview, right click save as this link.

Alternatively, you can stream it below. If you are viewing this in an RSS reader, you may need to visit the site in order to stream it.

You can listen to and download my first conversion with Corrina, here.

You can get the Whisper Sync-ready audiobook version of Corrina’s book recommendation, The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, for free when you sign up for a 30-day free trial of Audible.

If you missed the interview, don’t worry. The interview is available below for your downloading and listening pleasure. But first, the show notes.

• There is some mic crackling about 1 hr and 6 minutes in. It got sorted fairly quickly.
• Things we discussed during the interview include: What John does and his upcoming game; Sport, Canadian stereotypes, and prostitutes; A brief history of Apples to Apples — expanded on later — and Kobolds Ate My Baby; John’s start, having a career and being successful in a creative profession; Using conventions to network; Attempting to avoid fanboy moments when one works in the industry; The changing face of geekdom; Some turnabout on FASA Star Trek: The Role Playing Game designer Guy McLimore, with some news about another Dork Tower book; Crowdfunding and what makes a good campaign; Using Dork Tower to make social commentary and tackle issues; Time management when working in the geek entertainment world, learning how to say “no,” and the importance of making time for a non-work-related hobby; Munchkin and TableTop; Being a geeky parent; Creativity and mental health/ mental illness; Dream project; Conventions at which you can bump into John this year; and secret project teasers.
• There is some NSFW language
• At the beginning of the interview, you’ll hear the Geeky Pleasures Radio Show theme song by Chris Cogott (@chriscogott)
• The length of the interview is 2 hours 29 minutes 30 seconds
• The size is 136 MB
• The format is mp3, 128 kbps, 44.1 kHz, stereo
• To download the interview, right click save as this link.

Here is that John doodled and mentions in the conversation:

Red Mantis Assassin Flasher by John Kovalic

Alternatively, you can stream it below. If you are viewing this in an RSS reader, you may need to visit the site in order to stream it.

You can get the Whisper Sync-ready audiobook version of John’s book recommendation, American Gods by Neil Gaimon, for free when you sign up for a 30-day free trial of Audible.

Game: Alien Spidy
Developer: Enigma Software
Platform: Xbox 360
Achievements:  5/25, 25/400 points

I can only imagine that there is a pile of dead alien spider bodies the size of Mt. Everest hiding offscreen in Alien Spidy, developed by Enigma Software. Let’s not sugarcoat it. There is lots and lots of death in Alien Spidy.

Lots.

Alien Spidy is a 2D side-scrolling platformer that has refined and distilled the coin collecting essence of the Super Mario Bros and Sonic games into a fine, potent liquor. In Alien Spidy, you are a lovelorn alien that shockingly resembles an Earth spider (convergent evolution, anyone?). Your minuscule spaceship has crash landed on Earth and to be reunited with your alien spider love, you must collect energy orbs to repair and refuel your ship.

Your spider can crawl, jump, and shoot silky alien thread from its rear. The left stick is used to control the spider while the right stick is used to aim and shoot your sticky web. It took me a few minutes to get used to moving the spider and flick thread in the right direction, both because the spider moves with a nimbleness that makes avoiding the one touch death traps a challenge and because I lack coordination. Once you’ve gotten the general feel of moving this arachnid Romeo, you’ll start tackling the real levels.

The levels in Alien Spidy are short and if getting from the beginning to the end was the only goal, you could potentially finish each level within a minute or less. To put it simply though, each level is filled with death and widgets. You will encounter both with a high level of frequency. You are set with a challenge of collecting X widgets in a level. As you move across the level, you’ll gain bonuses for grabbing chains of widgets and you will lose points the longer you take to complete the level, for touching red point subtracters, and for dying. Complete a level quickly, without dying, and by grabbing all the widgets in a row and you’ll score massive points in order to score massive points with your alien lover! Sound easy?

[Show as slideshow]

It isn’t.

Alien Spidy is unforgiving to the player in terms of precision. Death awaits at every single misstep. Did your spider slightly move left and touch a thorny patch? DEATH. Did your spider get grazed by a rolling ball of pins? DEATH. Did your spider walk underneath a bat and get eaten? Well, DEATH, obviously. The developers though, understand that they’re making you commit grisly spider murder over and over again. In fact, while the levels are unforgiving, the developers have included a “Respawn” button for the player. That’s right. Are you stuck? Just commit seppuku and restart at one of the many respawn points littered throughout the short levels. Because while the levels are short, you will be repeating sections multiple times because you’re a Hannibal Lecter to spiders or because you weren’t able to collect enough widgets to complete your challenge. It’s equally frustrating and rewarding.

To play this game well is to learn the unique rhythm of each level. Fans of bullet hell shmups will understand this immediately. As you play and die, each death teaches you a little more about the timing needed to survive and collect those widgets. Each spider corpse is a testament to the tiny piece of knowledge that you’ve gained and each small step you’ve taken to reunite with your spider love. Once you’ve played (and died) through a level enough you will be able to swing and fly through easily.

If you’re looking for an old school platformer that will reward you for your skill and patience, I would highly recommend Alien Spidy.

(Note: I’ve gone back and forth trying to figure out if it should be Spidy or Spidey. I will admit that I was tempted to knock the developers for misspelling the word, but I can’t find enough evidence either way. Enigma Software – you get a pass!)

If have any questions for Corrina, and are unable to tune-in live, then you can e-mail your questions to jules@thelook247.com. Please e-mail them by 12 pm PT/ 3 pm ET/ 8 pm UK time on Friday, April 19, 2013. If you are able to join us live, then tune-in here and join us in chat here, so that you can participate in the conversation.

And now a little bit about Corrina:

Corrina is former newspaper reporter with a degree in journalism from Boston University. She turned to writing fiction after her twins were born (they were kids three and four) to save her sanity.

Corrina is currently senior editor of GeekMom and a core contributor to its brother site, Geek Dad. Often you can find her hanging out on comic book writer Gail Simone’s forum on Jinxworld.

She has been a finalist in the national Golden Heart contest sponsored by the Romance Writers of America and is the winner of several regional RWA contests.

She is the author of three stories in the alternate history Seneca series, Freya’s Gift, Dinah of Seneca and Eagle of Seneca, and three stories in her superhero romance stories from Samhain, Phoenix Rising, Luminous and Phoenix Legacy.

She is the co-writer of The GeekMom Book, was published by the Potter Craft division of Crown Publishing in October 2012.

We hope to see you there.

You can listen to/download Corrina’s previous appearance on the Geeky Pleasures Radio Show here.

For those of you unfamiliar with John Scalzi’s latest novel, published by Tor, The Human Division is being released as 13 episodes. The hardcover version, which will include all 13 episodes, will be published on May 14, 2013. It is the latest book in Scalzi’s Old Man’s War series.

The official synopsis of Episode #13 – Earth Below, Sky Above reads:

At last, the Earth and the Colonial Union have begun formal discussions about their relationship in the future—a chance for the divisions in humanity to be repaired. The diplomats and crew of the Clarke are on hand to help with the process, including Ambassador Ode Abumwe and CDF Lieutenant Harry Wilson, both of whom were born on Earth. But not everyone wants The Human Division to be repaired…and they will go to great length to make sure it isn’t.

I can’t say too much about this episode because it would be holy spoilers, Batman. Though, what follows is a little spoiler-y. Proceed with caution.

What I feel safe saying is, Episode #13 – Earth Below, Sky Above starts of at a nice, slow pace and then BLAMO! Shit gets real. So much action. So much tension. So much, “WTF BUTTERCUP!” So much nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat, scream-like-a-child-as-you-race-down-some-scary-amusement-park-ride, holy-UGHARGHGROWL, heart-stopping action and suspense. Some may also find this latest episode to be a wee bit emotional. Personally, I didn’t. But, I think I can see some people experiencing some sort of sad or distress over the events of this final episode.

Then, it just ends.

For an entire week — I had to finish reading this book way ahead of the release of the final episode — I was worried that The Human Division would be unexpectedly cancelled, much like Firefly, causing some sort of greenskin movement that will last a decade, involving many false-hope rumours that it will be renewed, cease and desist orders from Tor over fan-made items, letter writing campaigns… maybe I’m being a bit dramatic.

But, there is a reason for my hysterics. As much as I loved the ride of The Human Division, as much as I loved the bang that was Episode #13 – Earth Below, Sky Above, I’ll admit that I was a little bit put off over the appearance that this was the end. I wanted to be wrong about one of my predictions, and it appeared I was right on the money, and Scalzi had indeed let me, as a reader, down for the first time.

It left me with more questions than answers. The biggest question that is causing me the most frustration is, “What the hell does Episode #10 – This Must Be The Place have to do with any of this? I don’t like feeling as if I’ve wasted my time with an episode. I’m feeling that way about Episode #10. I hope one day this does get resolved.”

Then, I read the news that there will be a season two of The Human Division, the clouds parted, and unicorns began to spray rainbows while singing to the wildlife, calming the beast brewing within those who have thoroughly enjoyed this latest offering from Scalzi.

Also, I’ve been asking myself, “Now what?” The Human Division filled a huge hole in my life; a hole that was formed as the result of the crap TV and lack of good science-fiction on my screens. While I had some issues with the episodic format — mostly with trying to recall previous events and how they fit into the current story — for the most part, it worked. It was extremely nice that I could count on receiving high-quality entertainment, once a week.

The people who are holding out for the whole book will be treated to two extra mini-stories at the end of the book. The first one was previously published. It involves Wilson and Schmidt. It caused me to guffaw a few times. The second one involves the delicious Sorvalh and, perhaps equally delicious, churros. I would also describe this second story as delicious because it hit the spot in my brain that causes me sigh contently whenever it is triggered into thoughts about certain aspects of humanity.

To stress, one final time, you do not need to have read any of the other books in the Old Man’s War series. Not only is each episode self-contained, so is this story. Scalzi also manages to seamlessly weave in what we need to know from the previous books, while balancing the need to not alienate longtime readers by heavy doses of information with which they are well-familiar. Also, Scalzi masterfully teases new readers with bare minimum information, sucking them into this universe, leaving the reader to want to immediately catch up with the rest of this series.

I will be reading The Human Division, again, once it is in hardcover. I want to see how different the experience is reading all 13 self-contained stories in one sitting, compared to reading them over 11 weeks — I had to “cheat” at the end. My recommendation for waiting to read the book as a whole? The jury is still out.

That being said, I definitely recommend reading The Human Division in episodic format. While I don’t necessarily recommend you wait a week between episodes, I will recommend that you wait at least one or two days between each episode, to give yourself that experience. Then, and only then, can you binge-read it like you would binge-watch your favourite television series on Netflix.

If I didn’t have questions about the relevance of Episode #10 – This Must Be the Place, I’d be completely content with this first season of The Human Division, cliffhanger and all. As far as serious science-fiction goes, this is my favourite book. Redshirts is still my favourite Scalzi book, but it isn’t a serious book, so I cannot truly pit them against each other.

Action-packed, thought-provoking, emotional, intelligent, relevant, filled with humour, and causing me to want to flip kick spring bang KAPOW around the room world, Scalzi has produced a near-perfect piece of science-fiction with The Human Division. Once you begin this ride, you’ll never want to it to end.

Bring on season two!

You can read my review of Episode #1 – The B-Team here, my review of Episode #2 – Walk the Plank here, my review of Episode #3 – We Only Need the Heads here, my review of Episode #4 – A Voice in the Wilderness here, my review of Episode #5 – Tales from the Clarke here, my review of Episode #6 – The Back Channel here, my review of Episode #7 – The Dog King here, my review of Episode #8 – The Sound of Rebellion here, my review of Episode #9 – The Observers here, my review of Episode #10 – This Must Be the Place here, my review of Episode #11 – A Problem of Proportion here, and my review of Episode #12 – The Gentle Art of Cracking Heads here.

You can purchase The Human Division Episode #13 – Earth Below, Sky Above DRM-Free on Amazon.com, Kobo Books, and Barnes & Noble.

A copy of this book was provided for the purposes of this review.

For those of you unfamiliar with John Scalzi’s latest novel, published by Tor, The Human Division is being released as 13 episodes. The hardcover version, which will include all 13 episodes, will be published on May 14, 2013. It is the latest book in Scalzi’s Old Man’s War series.

The official synopsis of Episode #12 – The Gentle Art of Cracking Heads reads:

United States Diplomat Danielle Lowen was there when one of her fellow diplomats committed an unthinkable act, which had consequences for the entire planet. Now she’s trying to figure out how it happened before it can happen again. Putting the puzzle pieces together could solve the mystery—or it could threaten her own life.

I enjoyed meeting Dani in Episode #9 – The Observers. It was very nice to see her have more page time.

This episodes is filled with bureaucracy,  a cover-up, explosions, deaths, humour, and a very nice nod to Star Trek in the way of a Leonard “Bones” McCoy nod. I appreciated the Star Trek nod, especially as there have been a number of things within The Human Division that remind me of the one thing of which I consider myself a fan.

I enjoyed Episode #12 – The Gentle Art of Crack Heads quite a bit. If Scalzi had not mentioned on his blog that this episode is a mere 6,000 words, I would have no idea that it is the shortest episode in the series. This episode is so jammed packed with action and intrigue that it didn’t feel breezy in the empty sense, but rather it was breezy in the way that well-written prose will sweep you through a wild ride.

I think now would be a good time to state that Scalzi is the first author who has produced books that I consistently enjoy. I’ve only read just over a handful of his novels. I’ve never had a favourite author, because I’ll go to read the second or third novel from them, and never finish it because they have failed to capture my attention for a second or third time, for whatever reason. Despite always being trepidatious at the beginning of a Scalzi novel, after reading eight of his novels and enjoying all of them, I think I may now be able to truly trust him as an author.

Despite enjoying it quite a bit, when I was finished I came to the realization that there is no way this story will be resolved with only one episode remaining.

While the overall events of Episode #12 – The Gentle Art of Cracking Heads add further depth to the overall plot to cause conflict between Earth and the Colonial Union, and the Colonial Union and the Conclave, it also adds many more questions.

Unless Scalzi pulls out the old “magic box” — which I cannot imagine he would ever do in a story like this — there is simply no way he can wrap it all up in the final episode. Well, he could, but I can only think that if he does manage this, I’d find it sloppy and not enjoy it.

Will I be right, or will Scalzi manage to neatly tie up all these loose threads without having to employ the “magic box?”

Tune in next week for the answer to that question.

You can read my review of Episode #1 – The B-Team here, my review of Episode #2 – Walk the Plank here, my review of Episode #3 – We Only Need the Heads here, my review of Episode #4 – A Voice in the Wilderness here, my review of Episode #5 – Tales from the Clarke here, my review of Episode #6 – The Back Channel here, my review of Episode #7 – The Dog King here, my review of Episode #8 – The Sound of Rebellion here, my review of Episode #9 – The Observers here, my review of Episode #10 – This Must Be the Place here, and my review of Episode #11 – A Problem of Proportion here.

You can purchase The Human Division Episode #12 – The Gentle Art of Cracking Heads DRM-Free on Amazon.com, Kobo Books, and Barnes & Noble.

A copy of this book was provided for the purposes of this review.

The Atmospheric Action-Adventure Platformer Makes its Debut on all iOS Devices

HELSINKI, FINLAND – APRIL 4, 2013 – Developer Frogmind Games is pleased to announce that the award-winning BADLAND is now available in the iTunes App Store for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. BADLAND is an atmospheric side-scrolling action-adventure platformer that takes place within a gorgeous world with breathtaking environments and demonstrates innovative physics-based gameplay.

“We have totally fell in love with the world of BADLAND and think the atmosphere is perfect, so we are excited for our fans to finally play what we have put our hearts and souls into,” said Johannes Vuorinen of Frogmind Games.

Watch the launch trailer HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nkxyKo09Qs

Winner of ‘Best Project 2012’ for both the Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) Game Connection Award and Game Connection Europe, BADLAND is located in a gorgeous forest full of various inhabitants, trees and flowers. Although the forest looks like it’s from some beautiful fairytale, there seems to be something terribly wrong. The player controls one of the forest’s inhabitants to discover what’s going on. Through his journey he discovers an astonishing amount of imaginative traps and obstacles.

BADLAND also features highly original local multiplayer for up to four people playing with the same device. The multiplayer is all about survival of the fittest with no rules in the BADLAND forest. It’s completely OK to push rivals into spinning circular saws in order to survive.

KEY FEATURES:

•          Single-player campaign with 40 truly unique levels and more coming in updates
•          Multiplayer mode for up to four players playing with the same device in 12 levels
•          Intuitive one-touch controls combined with innovative level design
•          Highly immersive audio-visual gaming experience
•          100 percent indie game (no publisher, no funding)
•          Universal app with no IAP (one purchase will work for all of your iOS devices)
•          iCloud support (game progress is synced between all linked iOS devices)

“This game is looking good in just every way possible.” — TouchArcade.com

“BADLAND has an amazing ambience.” — PocketGamer.com

For more information on BADLAND, please visit: www.badlandgame.com. For the latest news and updates, please ‘Like’ the game on Facebook.

ABOUT FROGMIND GAMES
Frogmind Games is a new independent two-man game studio located in Helsinki, Finland. Founded in April 2012, Frogmind Games is led by Johannes Vuorinen and Juhana Myllys, two ex-RedLynx developers who worked on Trials Evolution. Before cofounding Frogmind, Vuorinen was the lead programmer of the Trials Evolution level editor and Myllys worked as the lead artist and level designer on MotoHeroz, along with being a concept artist on Trials Evolution. Together, both are creating the award-winning atmospheric side-scrolling action-adventure platformer BADLAND with their unique indie style for iOS devices.

If have any questions for John, and are unable to tune-in live, then you can e-mail your questions to jules@thelook247.com. Please e-mail them by 12 pm PT/ 3 pm ET/ 8 pm UK time on Friday, April 12, 2013. If you are able to join us live, then tune-in here and join us in chat here, so that you can participate in the conversation.

And now a little bit about John:

John Kovalic’s cartoons have appeared everywhere from his hometown WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL (Madison, WI) to the NEW YORK TIMES and DRAGON MAGAZINE. His creations include the sell-out comic book sensation DORK TOWER and “DR. BLINK: SUPERHERO SHRINK,” as well as SNAPDRAGONS, NEWBIES, WILD LIFE, BEACHED, and panel cartoons including MURPHY’S RULES, THE UNSPEAKABLE OAF and others.

A co-founder and co-owner of Out of the Box Games, and a cartoonist for Steve Jackson Games, John has illustrated over 100 games and game supplements, and is at least in part responsible for best-sellers like APPLES TO APPLES (A GAMES Magazine Hall of Fame inductee) , MUNCHKIN, CHEZ GEEK and BLINK. He is closing in on 4,000 MUNCHKIN cards drawn, and boy, are his arms tired.

He was the first cartoonist inducted into the Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) Hall of fame. In his spare time, John searches for spare time.

We hope to see you there.

Starting today, Monday, April 1st, 2013, get Free Shipping on $25+ at ThinkGeek when you use the code FIREFLOWER.

Offer ends April 4, 2013.

This offer is good only for Economy shipping to the contiguous US.

This offer may not be combined with other offers, coupons, or discounts.

That’s it. That’s all. It is as simple as that.

Google has a history of creating amusing, sugar-inspired names for their mobile operating system updates. From the earliest-named version known as Cupcake, through Donut, Éclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich, the list looks more like the contents of a fraternity house fridge than serious software.

There’s no doubt that serious software is what Google is about, though, especially in the mobile operating system arena.

Welcome Jelly Bean 4.2

The newest and shiniest Android platform features the new Android Jelly Bean. Also known as Android 4.2, this Jelly Bean upgrade features, according to Google, improved speed and better  features from Android 4.1. This is some pretty big news for Android users, who make up 75 percent of the worldwide smartphone market, according to a report from the analyst firm IDC. We will see if the features below could prompt Windows phone 8 operating system users to finally make the switch to the ever popular Android.”

If you are in the market for a new Android device and want this latest OS installed, then you’re currently limited to the Nexus family of devices (Galaxy Nexus 4 for smartphones and the Asus Galaxy 7 for tablets). Jelly Bean is being rolled out for other devices, but availability is sporadic and unpredictable; Gottabemobile has a fairly extensive list of predictions of which devices can expect Jelly Bean when, but you may have to play the wait-and-see game.

New Update Features

Swype. Gesture-based typing isn’t new, but Google has reportedly improved this function, which enables users to type without lifting their finger from the keyboard. Predictive text and the dictionaries that support it have been improved upon, too.

Photo Sphere. The picture-sharing service Instagram boasts 90 million users who share 40 million pictures a day, the Wall Street Journal reports. Obviously, a device’s camera and the software supporting it are of great importance to users.

Jelly Bean 4.2 expands on the panoramic feature introduced in Jelly Bean 4.1. Also known as Photo Sphere, it includes 360-degree photo capturing and direct sharing to Google Maps and Google +. According to user reports, this feature is less of a giant leap forward and more of an incremental step up on a previously popular feature.

Daydream. This isn’t exactly a feature, as much as it is a cool effect, and, you may have already  achieved it with third party apps that do the same thing. With Daydream enabled, your device will randomly display images from your photo albums when it sits idle for a spell. Of course, you might want to check exactly what pictures are on your device before you enable Daydream; according to TechCrunch, a recent study by the software security company AVG revealed that one in four mobile users stores sexually suggestive pictures on their mobile devices.

Device Sharing. Google recognized that some devices, in particular tablets, often have multiple users in a household. Desktop users have long had the ability to create different, customized user accounts for a single computer, and now this ability comes with the Jelly Bean 4.2 update.

Wireless integration. This one has the potential to be a game-changer in the mobile device arena. It’s been possible to route content from a mobile device to larger displays (such as TVs) for years now, but always via an HDMI cable. As any mobile user knows, cables are the bane of a mobile device user’s existence, so removing the need for one is a great step forward. Being able to see video, pictures and other content from your mobile device on a large screen has great appeal – no more crowding around a tiny screen or passing your device around the room.

Google Now. Google Now, the information card system that was introduced in Jelly Bean 4.1, also gets an upgrade with 4.2. The number and type of information cards has been increased to include real-time flight information, recommendations for nearby places to take pictures, event reminders and better integration with email and calendars.

Are you operating on Jelly Bean 4.2? Or anxiously awaiting it? Finally, keep this in mind: Rumor has it, another Android update—allegedly called Key Lime Pie—is due later this year.

Simon Salt: Simon Salt (@incslinger) is an Author, Writer and Speaker (Creativity, Mobile & Digital Marketing). He has published two books – Social Location Marketing and the Amazon bestseller, The Shorty Guide to Mobile Marketing. When he isn’t working he is usually out on his Harley Davidson taking photos.

Warning: This review will have language.

Also, this review will be brief to avoid spoilers.

For those of you unfamiliar with John Scalzi’s latest novel, published by Tor, The Human Division is being released as 13 episodes. The hardcover version, which will include all 13 episodes, will be published on May 14, 2013. It is the latest book in Scalzi’s Old Man’s War series.

The official synopsis for Episode #11 – A Problem of Proportion reads:

A secret backdoor meeting between Ambassador Ode Abumwe and the Conclave’s Hafte Sorvalh turns out to be less than secret as both of their ships are attacked. It’s a surprise to both teams—but it’s the identity of the attacker that is the real surprise, and suggests a threat to both humanity and The Conclave.

About the whole crying thing. Some may consider that in and of itself a spoiler. I’m not sure that it is. The reason being, I don’t cry over things that cause most people to cry. I’m often baffled by people’s emotional reactions to situations — one example off of the top of my head is a certain death in the sixth Harry Potter book.

The reverse is also true. Things that cause me to cry often baffle other people.

As with everything, there are a few exceptions to this. I am extremely curious to know who else, if anyone, cried as a result of Episode #11 – A Problem of Proportion.

It is extremely rare that something causes me to emote genuine emotions, especially to the point of tears. It is even more rare as the result of reading a book. I can think of only three other times that a book has caused me to cry.

Two of those cases, it took many books in a series to get me to a place where I genuinely cared for the characters. In the other situation, just like in Episode #11 – A Problem of Proportion, it was also completely unexpected, leaving me feeling extremely surprised about my emotional reaction.

There is some great action in this episode. I love good action. There are nice doses of humour in this episode. I love humour. There is excellent dialogue. More bonus points. We see the return of Hafte Sorvalh, who is delicious. The situation is some pretty fucked up shit! — There’s the language. There is no clean way of expressing my thoughts on that part. — Some of my favourite books, movies, and television series involve some pretty fucked up situations.

But, the very unexpected reaction of feeling a genuine sense of tristesse — the English equivalent of that word doesn’t quite have the same meaning and I can’t think of a proper English equivalent — that caused tears, makes Episode #11 – A Problem of Proportion my favourite episode.

As much as I love humour mixed with CRASH BANG BOOM MURDER INTRIGUE EXPLOSION, whenever something makes me cry that means magic just happened. I am always very thankful for the tears, as that type of emoting doesn’t come easily or naturally to me.

Immediately after I finished reading it last night, I had to read it again. It was difficult to not read it for a third time.

Thanks for the magic, John. I am very grateful that you were able to cause me to genuinely emote, and not feel as if I was being manipulated into doing so.

Only two more episodes remaining, and still so many unanswered questions. While I will have a bit of an empty feeling when this ride is over, I cannot wait to see how everything is resolved.

You can read my review of Episode #1 – The B-Team here, my review of Episode #2 – Walk the Plank here, my review of Episode #3 – We Only Need the Heads here, my review of Episode #4 – A Voice in the Wilderness here, my review of Episode #5 – Tales from the Clarke here, my review of Episode #6 – The Back Channel here, my review of Episode #7 – The Dog King here, my review of Episode #8 – The Sound of Rebellion here, my review of Episode #9 – The Observers here, and my review of Episode #10 – This Must Be the Place here.

You can purchase The Human Division Episode #11 – A Problem of Proportion DRM-Free on Amazon.com, Kobo Books, and Barnes & Noble.

A copy of this book was provided for the purposes of this review.

What is this new song? It is called Wine & Twitter.

If you’ve spent evenings reading Twitter, while drinking your alcoholic beverage of choice, you’ll dig this song.

You can listen to it and download it below. If you are viewing this post in a RSS feeder and do not see the player, you can listen and download it here.

I had a bad day at work, my boss is a jerk
and I’m tired.
So I thumb through the DSM-IV to find his disorder
so I won’t get fired.
I drive my Chevy Celebrity and I hear Geddy Lee
sing the “Working Man”.
I get home to my apartment, I can’t pay the rent
But I’ve got a plan

There’s just one thing that will make me feel okay

And that’s drinking wine and farting around on Twitter
All I need is a laptop and some Chardonnay
Drinking wine and farting around on Twitter
And now I’ve tweeted all my cares away

I pour myself a second glass, then I start to laugh
as I scan the stream.
I click a link to a new mash-up that blends 2 Girls 1 Cup
with J.R.R. Tolkien

It’s getting late, but before I sleep I’ll take another peek
at my mentions
A man with a Spock Avatar, asks if I’ll play guitar
at his Trek convention.

There’s just one thing that will make me feel okay

And that’s drinking wine and farting around on Twitter
All I need is a laptop and some Chardonnay
Drinking wine and farting around on Twitter
And now I’ve tweeted all my cares away

INSURGENCY SHOOTS FOR THE KILL WITH A BEVY OF NEW FEATURES

After the successful launch of its groundbreaking “Early Access” campaign, giving gamers a chance to be part of the development process with INSURGENCY, New World Interactive announced today new updates and screenshots illuminating the team’s progress tailoring its tactical first-person shooter to its fan base.

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Following up with community feedback, new additions include:

• Realism Mode: Players can filter the server browser to find matches with Realism mode, enabling gameplay settings that include friendly fire and exclude death messages and the killcam.
• Co-operative Mode: Player-controlled security forces can hunt for AI insurgents in specially designed maps.
• Expanded Maps: By popular demand, “Heights” is being experimented with to create a more expansive environment. Players will also see a new night version of the Siege map named “Contact.”

INSURGENCY is a first-person team-based shooter for up to 32-plus players designed for Windows® PC and Mac OS X (and later on Linux), using Valve’s Source Engine and distributed through the Steam platform. If the name INSURGENCY sounds familiar, that’s because it’s based on the popular total conversion for Half-Life 2 — Insurgency: Modern Infantry Combat –that saw more than a million free downloads and was awarded the ModDB “Player’s Choice Mod of the Year” in 2007.

Players can join the “Early Access” by going to the INSURGENCY site at: www.playinsurgency.com.

For more on INSURGENCY, check New World Interactive’s forums at: www.playinsurgency.com/forums/ and ‘Like’ us on Facebook.

Jon-Paul LaFerriere is a an artist who wants to turn you into a robot! This Kickstarter project is really as simple as that.

For a very reasonable price, Jon-Paul will create a realistic portrait of you as a robot. By realistic, I mean the robot will resemble your likeness.

There are a variety of rewards from which to choose. For a low price, you will receive a line drawing of your portrait, which you are free to colour in yourself. The medium-priced rewards include coloured portraits, both in electronic and high-quality print format. The high-end perk includes an amazing 8.5 x 11 inch intricately carved Krylon ladened copper plate with you as a robot. You can see a few samples of Jon-Paul’s work on the Kickstarter page.

There is one thing you should know about this Kickstarter. It is the first step in a larger project. Eventually, Jon-Paul would like to create a book of robot portraits. This first step will cover the cost of creating these images. It also means that your portrait will be used in the book. So, when you purchase on of the rewards, you are agreeing to allow your portrait to be used in the book.

The total funds Jon-Paul was hoping to raise was a mere $500.00 USD. In the first three days of his Kickstarter campaign, he has already doubled his goal. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get your robot portrait:

1. They are awesome!
2. The more portraits Jon-Paul is able to create, the closer he will come to his ultimate goal of creating his book.

You can find out more about this campaign on Kickstarter.

KALYPSO DELIVERS THE ULTIMATE ACTION-PLATFORMER WITH ALIEN SPIDY

Alien Spidy Weaves a Web of Charming Fun, Instant Accessibility and Deep Challenges

Leicester, UK – March 20, 2013 – Kalypso Media Digital Ltd. is proud to announce its highly anticipated action-platformer Alien Spidy is available now on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 800 Microsoft Points, and the Apple Mac and Windows® PC via Steam and other digital platforms for $9.99. The PlayStation®Network version will launch soon thereafter.

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Download (DOCX, 281KB)

Developed by Enigma Software, Alien Spidy is a single-player action-platformer that delves deep into the world of a technologically advanced alien spider whose space ship crashes on earth while searching for his lost friend Virgi. Alone on the alien planet, our hero, “Spidy”, sets out to find his friend, but also needs to collect the lost parts of his crashed space ship. Spidy must overcome the many obstacles he encounters by using clever web-swinging mechanics as he explores wildly interactive and colorful environments brought to life with beautifully smooth animations.

“Alien Spidy is the quintessential platformer for the modern gamer,” said Jonathan Hales, managing director, Kalypso Media Digital Ltd. “Gamers of all ages and skill levels can jump in and will instantly feel its charm and appeal, while hardcore gamers and perfectionists will be delighted with the challenges designed within each level, offering progressive difficulty.”

Alien Spidy’s robust feature list includes:

• Great Controls: Intuitive controls enable players to walk, run, jump, push, swing, and swim.
• Simple Training: Learn the ropes in five training levels.
• 69 Levels, Three Stages: Explore 69 levels across three vast stages (Forest, Pond, Caves).
• Leaderboards: Compete with friends by comparing level-specific and global scores on the online leaderboards.
• Non-Linear Level Structure: After the five Training levels, each stage enables players to choose the levels they want, and in which order they want to play them in.
• Lots of NPCs: Experience a broad, evolving cast of non-playable characters and diverse enemies — from lazy sloths, needle-shooting hedgehogs, ravenous fish, pesky mosquitos, and lots more — in each level and setting.
• Collect Orbs and Power-ups: Collect energy orbs and power-ups to progress and defeat enemies.
• Secret Levels: Earn stars to unlock special secret levels.
• Unity3D: Alien Spidy is built on the Unity3D Engine.

Alien Spidy is now available on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for Xbox 360® for 800 Microsoft Points and the Mac and Windows® PC for $9.99. The PlayStation®Network version will launch soon thereafter for $9.99.

For more information on Alien Spidy, please visit: www.alienspidy-game.com. For the latest news and updates please ‘Like’ us on Facebook.

ABOUT THE KALYPSO MEDIA GROUP
Founded in 2006 in Germany by industry veterans Simon Hellwig and Stefan Marcinek, Kalypso Media is a global, independent developer, marketer and publisher of interactive entertainment software with 120 employees world-wide.

Along with Headquarters in Worms, Germany, the company has offices in the United Kingdom and the United States.  Kalypso Media also enjoys very strong global digital distribution through its Kalypso Media Digital Ltd. Subsidiary, and owns three development studios – Realmforge Studios GmbH, Gaming Minds Studios GmbH and Noumena Studios GmbH – and works with multiple leading independent developers.

Kalypso Media’s titles include the critically acclaimed Omerta – City of Gangsters, Port Royale 3, Tropico 4, Sins of a Solar Empire, and Dungeons. Upcoming multi-platform titles include DARK and The Dark Eye – Demonicon. Further information about Kalypso Media is available at www.kalypsomedia.com.

ABOUT ENIGMA SOFTWARE PRODUCTIONS
ENIGMA Software Productions is a talented and experienced videogame production studio based in Madrid. With 15 years of experience, ENIGMA is one of the most veteran and reliable companies of the game industry in Spain. With a large track record of releases proving its high versatility in creating original and fresh concepts in different game genres on all major platforms.

Recently the company released the award-winning Legends of War: Patton’s Campaign, a thrilling turn-based strategy war game set in the WWII for PSP^TM, and currently being ported to Xbox 360, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, and Windows PC. For more information about Enigma SP, please visit www.enigmasp.com.

Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

“PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

For those of you unfamiliar with John Scalzi’s latest novel, published by Tor, The Human Division is being released as 13 episodes. The hardcover version, which will include all 13 episodes, will be published on May 14, 2013. It is the latest book in Scalzi’s Old Man’s War series.

The official synopsis for Episode #10 – This Must Be the Place reads:

Colonial Union diplomat Hart Schmidt is back home for Harvest Day celebrations—to a family whose members wonder whether its youngest son isn’t wasting his life clinging to the lowest rung of the CU’s diplomatic ladder. When his father, a legendarily powerful politician, presents him with a compelling offer, Schmidt has to take stock of his life and career.

Like with every episode release day, Scalzi has some words to say about Episode #10 – This Must Be the Place on his blog. If you haven’t read them, I suggest you do so now, before you read the rest of this review.

Last night, while I was reading Episode #10 – This Must Be the Place, I had the following reoccurring thoughts:

What does this episode have to do with the overall story? While I’m enjoying learning more about Hart Schmidt, I fail to see how this is advancing the plot. With only three episodes remaining, I worry whether or not my concern about this episode will be resolved. Will this be the first time Scalzi’s writing lets me down as a reader?

Also, because of the events in Episode #9 – The Observers, I am extremely suspicious of the offer made by Schmidt’s father. Does Schmidt’s father have a major role to play in these problems between Earth and the Colonial Union? Is that why he made the offer? Hell, maybe the whole entire Schmidt family has a hand in this conflict. Did Scalzi intentionally place this episode here so that I will question Schmidt’s father’s intentions, and the character of the family as a whole?

I don’t care that this is the first episode without some type of crisis. Not everything has to be about tension as the result of CRASH BANG BOOM MURDER INTRIGUE EXPLOSION. The type of inter-personal tension within this episode is good enough for me, even if it is the same sort of tension all families face, to some degree.

I don’t care that this episode isn’t all that science-fiction-y.

I like Schmidt. But my issue is — and this is completely a personal preference thing — I don’t really care too much about characters on a personal level. Mostly, this has to do with how I’m built as a person. It takes me years to become attached to people, whether in real life or in a story. Now, when it comes to characters in a story, I do have an exception. If the person’s history has a direct impact on the plot — either because it helps to inform the reader as to why a specific crucial decision was made; or because, say, someone in the character’s personal life does end up being a key player in the story’s major conflict and they need some sort of introduction — then, yes, I want to know about it.

So, while on one hand I have concerns about this episode and whether or not it is truly important — keep in mind these thoughts were formed prior to reading Scalzi’s post on this episode — on the other hand, I trust Scalzi as a writer.

When I was reading Fuzzy Nation, I had an issue with Scalzi drawing my attention to a stereo system. Later, that issue was resolved. When I was reading Episode #1 – The B-Team, I had an issue that involved Boyle’s Law. Scazli told me that my issues would be resolved. Indeed, in Episode #5 – Tales from the Clarke, they were. Scazli’s writing has yet to let me down as a reader. But, there is a first time for everything. With only three episodes remaining, I am concerned that this may be the first time.

All this being said, the more I pondered this episode, I came to the realization that had this episode been Episode #8 — which would have worked for prior events mentioned in Episode #10 – This Must Be the Place — I wouldn’t have had any initial worries about whether or not this episode has any real implications on the overall plot. In the past, any issues I may have had were introduced early enough in the story where I was able to mostly let them go because Scalzi had plenty of time to have these things make sense. Even though my current issue would have been introduced much later than previous examples, five episodes is more than enough time to weave it all together.

Also, had this episode come earlier, I wouldn’t be looking at Schmidt’s family with such suspicion. But, again, maybe that is intentional. Scalzi is an intelligent writer, who probably had good reasons for placing this episode where it is. Scalzi has yet to let me down. I need to trust in this and stop over-analyzing.

Despite all my questions, I did enjoy this episode, even if character histories are of no importance to me — above exceptions noted. I really wanted to continue reading so that all of my doubts would gain closure, regardless if I would later become disappointed or pleased with the results.

Today, Scalzi’s post has reassured me that, yes, it does play an important role in events to come. This is good. He could have easily gone a different route with this. Scalzi could have inserted these events as sort of flashbacks when the information became relevant. I would have hated that. I much rather enjoy having many thoughts and questions about something, than have to endure a flashback scene.

Having thoughts and questions means that Scalzi is engaging me as a reader. He is making me think. It means that I am fully invested in this story. Maybe I’m over-thinking, but I greatly enjoy when things cause me to think.

If you have a brain that works similar to mine, you may want to wait until the remaining three episodes are available before reading Episode #10 – This Must Be the Place. If you decide not to wait, be prepared to have thoughts, none of which will take away from the base enjoyment of this episode. If you don’t care about anything I’ve mentioned, you are golden.

Hart Schmidt has played a non-insignificant role since the beginning of The Human Division. The bottom line is that I did enjoy seeing a chapter completely dedicated to him.

I am extremely curious to see how Episode #10 – This Must Be the Place fits into the bigger puzzle.

You can read my review of Episode #1 – The B-Team here, my review of Episode #2 – Walk the Plank here, my review of Episode #3 – We Only Need the Heads here, my review of Episode #4 – A Voice in the Wilderness here, my review of Episode #5 – Tales from the Clarke here, my review of Episode #6 – The Back Channel here, my review of Episode #7 – The Dog King here, my review of Episode #8 – The Sound of Rebellion here, and my review of Episode #9 – The Observers here.

You can purchase The Human Division Episode #10 – This Must Be the Place DRM-Free on Amazon.com, Kobo Books, and Barnes & Noble.

A copy of this book was provided for the purposes of this review.

THE TIME TRIBE AND THE HARRY POTTER ALLIANCE JOIN FORCES TO HARNESS THE POWER OF STORY TO INSPIRE REAL-WORLD CHANGE

Innovative In-Game Charity Portal Delivers Real-World Aid

Boston, MA — March 19, 2013 — Thundersnow Media Inc. announced today its partnership with The Harry Potter Alliance (HPA), a non-profit organization that draws parallels with the Harry Potter fiction series to educate and to mobilize young people to civic action in the real world. The partnership will funnel in-game charitable donations made by players of ThunderSnow’s initial game offering, The Time Tribe, to the HPA’s global programs promoting human rights and equality, on topics such as literacy, climate change, and children’s health and welfare.

The Time Tribe is a free-to-play, online time travel adventure game series based on real history and archaeology, created for kids 8-13. As the game unfolds, it tells an epic story of everyday life in different cultures, around the world, and through time. Player choices directly shape the opportunities and conflicts they face, and ultimately alter the fates of characters they meet in the past. The integrated Charity Portal empowers players to make current, real-world impact on the complex issues they encounter in the game world, and highlights age-old roots for some of today’s most pressing global problems.

“This partnership is a natural extension of our mission,” said ThunderSnow founder, Dr. Karen Wehner. “The HPA does an incredible job of mobilizing fans of a fictional world to heroic actions in the real world. Beyond delighting kids with a fun game and a great story, we want to get our players thinking about the world around them, and their place within it. Our integrated Charity Portal empowers players to channel connections they make with characters and events in our story world into concrete help for those in similar circumstances today, all without leaving the world of The Time Tribe.’’

HPA Executive Director Andrew Slack praises The Time Tribe, noting it is “revolutionizing how our kids use gaming to learn about history, other cultures, and empathy … what an incredible and innovative endeavor!” Dr. Julie Barton, HPA Development Director, shares similar sentiment regarding the new partnership between the HPA and ThunderSnow Media. “With the creation of The Charity Portal as an intrinsic part of The Time Tribe game, Thundersnow Media is forging new ground with the intersection of gaming and philanthropy. We at the HPA are so excited to join in this venture, which furthers our mission to get young people both engaged in civic action and empowered to know that their actions can make a difference.”

The Harry Potter Alliance joins World Leadership Foundation as a Keystone Partner in The Time Tribe’s Charity Portal.  Donations are made using game currency, so no separate credit card transaction is required.  Players receive in-game rewards for their Charity Portal donations.  The full value of each donation passes directly to the chosen charity. www.TheTimeTribe.com

ABOUT THUNDERSNOW MEDIA, INC.
ThunderSnow Media (www.thundersnowmedia.com) is an independent game development and transmedia storytelling company dedicated to creating inspired, family-friendly entertainment. We leverage the power of diverse media platforms to craft unique and fun experiences both kids and parents can love.

KAREN BELLINGER WEHNER, THUNDERSNOW FOUNDER AND CEO
Karen is an archaeologist, historian, and storyteller with a PhD in Anthropology and 15 years of experience as an educator and researcher in US and UK museums and universities. She’s the proud parent of three tween-age gamers, readers, and world explorers.

THE HARRY POTTER ALLIANCE
The Harry Potter Alliance (www.thehpalliance.org) is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit that uses parallels from the Harry Potter books to educate and mobilize young people around the world in issues of literacy, equality, and human rights. With over 140 active chapters and 60 volunteer staff, the HPA has had a number of successes: we have donated five cargo planes of supplies to Haiti, donated over 85,000 books, mobilized over 60,000 fans to call on Warner Brothers to be transparent in their cocoa sourcing, and made huge strides for the anti-genocide movement, LGBTQ rights, media reform advocacy and more. The HPA has been covered in hundreds of major publications and praised by JK Rowling, Paul Farmer, Professor Henry Jenkins, and many NGOs.

In the Harry Potter Alliance, we empower our members to become the heroes that they read about. We have over 140 local chapters in schools and communities throughout the world, and our online network allows the HPA to educate thousands of new activists on important social issues and engage them in creating change.

ANDREW SLACK, HARRY POTTER ALLIANCE CO-FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Andrew is a teacher, social organizer and human rights activist, comedian, actor, and writer. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Brandeis University, Andrew is dedicated to learning and extrapolating how modern myth, new media, and expressive therapy can transform our lives both personally and collectively.

JULIE BARTON, PH.D., HARRY POTTER ALLIANCE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Julie received her PhD in Literature from the University of East Anglia (UK). She has years of development and non-profit management experience, and has always believed that academic research and popular culture can come together to positively influence the world.

Behold! One of the most amazing drumlines you will ever see: Top Secret Drum Corps, based in Basel, Switzerland.  Just watch the above video, and you should know what I mean.

Apparently, these guys are very well-known. At least, in the United Kingdom and Europe they are very well-known, having made multiple appearances in Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

When learning more about Top Secret Drum Corps, I found it very fascinating that there was a fair amount of controversy surrounding their drumming style.

I came across Top Secret Drum Corps because of this poor quality video on Facebook, which I later found, with great difficulty, on YouTube. The person who uploaded it on Facebook gave no mention of their name, and the person who uploaded that same video to YouTube titled them a brass band.

I tweeted about this drumline video late last night, because I wanted more information about them. Thankfully, I have great Twitter followers. @RedHillian came to my aid, being familiar with Top Secret Drum Corps because of their performances at Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo — which you should search on YouTube, because that is also all kinds of amazing!

Now, I want to re-watch Drumline over and over again.

Have a great weekend!

Game: Dollar Dash
Developer: Candygun Games
Platform: Xbox 360
Achievements:  4/20, 70/400 points

Dollar Dash, developed by Candygun Games, makes me want to smash my controller into the ground. Not because it isn’t fun, but because I can’t seem to win. Admittedly, that has more to do with my lack of skill rather than any deficit in the game. The fact that I keep jumping back into the fray is a testament to how fun Dollar Dash is.

Dollar Dash is the unholy offspring of Bomberman and Smash TV. Similar to Bomberman, the player is thrown into an arena where they are tasked with running around and wreaking havoc on the other players. In the main mode of Dollar Dash, you are one of four thieves, racing about grabbing cash from specific spawn locations and then running it to the getaway van. The arena is littered with offensive, defensive, and power-up drops. These will give you the ability to fire rocket launchers, drop bombs (of course!), and run faster, among many other options. The game controls similar to Smash TV and other dual stick shooters. One stick controls movement while the other controls the direction you’re aiming your weapon of destruction.

The arenas in Dollar Dash are also more akin to Smash TV than Bomberman. There aren’t crowded corridors filled with bomb death here. No, these are open 2D killing affairs with environmental dangers such roaming security guards than can knock you back to your starting position with one hit, snipers hanging out of windows that can shoot you and your loot to the ground, and bridges that disappear from underneath your feet dropping you to the water below your marina.

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Thrown all together, the design mostly works. In the titular game mode, Dollar Dash, I was screaming at the screen urging my thief, customized with cowboy hat and an XXL loot bag to increase the amount of loot I could carry, to the getaway van to seal victory. Mere moments away from securing my first win in multiplayer, a cactus hit my head, I dropped my loot, and another thief swept into the van, and won the game.

The games I played were competitive affairs with multiple lead swings throughout. It made each match thrilling and enticed me to come back for more. I didn’t have as much fun in the other two game modes, Hit’n’Run and Save the Safe. Hit’n’Run is the equivalent of deathmatch where you knock the opponents down for cash. Save the Safe is their take on Tag or King of the Hill. While, conceptually, I can see that these could be fun, I got the most bang for my buck in Dollar Dash.

As I played more though, I kept wishing for a little more streamlining in the structure of the game. When playing, your power-ups are mapped to three buttons on the controller. You have a primary fire button, secondary offensive weapon, and then a buff button. Let’s recap.

• One (1) stick for movement
• One (1) stick for aiming
• One (1) button for firing primary weapon
• One (1) button for using secondary weapon
• One (1) button for using buff power-up
• Up to three (3) opponents running around trying to shoot you and steal your hard stolen cash

And let’s not forget the aforementioned environmental hazards in the arena. It’s a lot to keep track of and makes each match a frantic, fun mess. There were many times when I completely forgot to use either my buff, my secondary weapon, or that I could aim in a direction other than the one I was running. These are probably skills that will separate the experts from the beginners (like me!) in this game. On the other hand, a slightly different design could have added to the fun factor without detracting from the frantic pace of the game.

In both Bomberman and Smash TV power-ups are, mostly, passive. In Bomberman, speed boosts accumulate as you collect that power-up and dissipate when you’ve been bombed. In Smash TV, weapon upgrades activate immediately and then run out after a specific amount of time. A hybrid control scheme that allowed for passive power-ups with one extra button for defensive mechanic might have simplified things enough for me while enhancing the strategic game play. It’s not much to ask for, right?

Overall, Dollar Dash is a frenetic, fun game that will keep you entertained for several rounds. If you’re looking for a quick, competitive game to play with a bunch of friends, I’d recommend it.

Yesterday, Geek & Sundry unveiled a brand new web series:  Arcade Arms. If the above first episode — Kratos’ Blades of Chaos – Arcade Arms: God of War Ascension –  is a nice indicator, I’m really going to enjoy this series. (If you are viewing this in certain RSS readers, you may need to click through to watch the video.)

Let’s ignore the fact that God Of War Ascension has a very special place in my family’s home. My youngest loved this game. It is a result of this game that he was absolutely convinced that I had sex with Aries, and that he was a demi-god. True story. So, there is a nostalgia factor that is attached to this first video in the series.

Outside of the nostalgia factor… Dudes! It is a documentary that takes the weapons found in video games and brings them into real life! We get to see them made in a real life setting, used in a real life setting with weapons experts, plus learn more about the inspiration for these weapons from the video game production standpoint. Seriously, how cool is that?

Then, there are the fight scenes!

Arcade Arms is created and produced by Adam Lawson — also one of the producers of TableTop. Felicia Day, Sheri Bryant and Ari Ben Weiner are also producers. A full list of the cast and crew from Kratos’ Blades of Chaos – Arcade Arms: God of War Ascension can be found in the information on YouTube.

Never miss an episode by subscribing to Geek & Sundry’s YouTube channel.

KALYPSO MEDIA’S DOLLAR DASH TO HIT PlayStation®Network MARCH 19

Kalypso Media Digital Ltd., an acclaimed video game publisher, announced today that Dollar Dash will be arrive Tuesday, March 19 in North America on PlayStation®Network for $9.99.

“If there was a Bomberman killer, this would be it!” – GameZone

Dollar Dash is a fast-paced free-for-all multiplayer game that enables up to four players to battle it out as cartoon thieves who must make use of extravagant weapons to grab bags of cash and deposit it in a getaway vehicle before it disappears. Developed by Candygun Games, it offers 18 multiplayer maps, countless weapons, deep player customization, and comedic tactics for players to achieve victory.

For more information on Dollar Dash, please visit: www.dollardashgame.com. For the latest news and updates, please ‘Like’ us on Facebook.

Dollar Dash is rated EVERYONE 10+ Cartoon Violence & Use of Tobacco. For more information about the ESRB visit www.esrb.org.

“PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Developer Frogmind, winner of the ‘Best Project’ at 2012’s Game Connection, is excited to announce that BADLAND will release April 4 for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. In addition, Frogmind has released the latest gameplay trailer that demonstrates new innovative gameplay elements such as the ability to slow down and fast forward time.

BADLAND is an atmospheric side-scrolling action-adventure that has received critical praise including winning “Best Project” award at the recent Game Connection Europe in Paris, France. Players set on a journey through a gorgeous forest that is akin to a fairytale, although not everything is as magical as it seems — something is amiss within the beautiful world. BADLAND is full of deadly traps to evade and stunning environments to behold.

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Designed specifically for iOS devices, BADLAND is an immersive audio-visual gaming experience that utilizes one-touch controls and Retina Display throughout the 40 single-player levels. For more information on BADLAND, please visit: www.badlandgame.com. For the latest news and updates, please ‘Like’ us on Facebook.

The Highest Reviewed Dinosaur Game of All-Time Releases Two Free Additional “Get to the Chopper” Game Mode Maps and Waves Goodbye to Beta

March 6, 2013 – In Primal Carnage, the eternal struggle between Man and Dinosaur rages on endlessly from the deepest chasms to the tallest mountain peaks. In the ongoing Philosophy to bring game expansions to all players for free, Lukewarm Media and Reverb Publishing are pleased to announce the release of two new maps for the recent objective-based scramble-for-survival game mode entitled “Get to the Chopper.” The first map comes in the form of a conversion of “The Falls” (A fan favorite Team Deathmatch map) into an all new Get to the Chopper themed adventure. The other map, “Ruthless” is a new Get to the Chopper exclusive map set high up in the foreboding mountainous peaks of the Island, remember to dress warmly, it’s set to get cold blooded up there. With this new expansion, Primal Carnage now boasts nine playable maps including two recently added objective based maps for “Get to the Chopper,” bringing the total to four.

The release of these two new maps also marks the end of the “Get to the Chopper” game mode’s Beta period, so get in game, grab yourself a mighty Spinosaurus and prepare to turn the pristine snowy white landscape of “Ruthless” blood red in the aftermath of your very own personal rampage of primal themed carnage.

To celebrate the ritualistic tearing down of the Get to the Chopper Modes’ BETA sign, Lukewarm Media has patched in a brand new free skin, the Battle-Scarred T-rex.

Lukewarm Media has also teamed up with artist, Infected Mushroom, and released a new gameplay trailer showcasing the myriad of action, awe and terror to be expected in the Get to the Chopper game mode, which is set to the heart pumping track, “Nation of Wusses,” from the album Army of Mushrooms.  

So are you hungry for prehistoric action? Do you yearn to stand shoulder to shoulder to you fellow man and hold back the tide of the ancient world? Do you itch to take control of the mightiest beasts ever to have existed and rain down extinction on your human foes? Or are you just looking for an action packed video featuring dinosaurs set to an awesome beat?  Whichever the case, Primal Carnage is most certainly for you. What are you waiting for? Get on board, because things are about to get… Primal.

Primal Carnage is available now through Steam and is currently the highest-reviewed dinosaur title of all time.

Like us at www.facebook.com/primalcarnage

Follow the game development team on Twitter at https://twitter.com/PrimalCarnage

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Primal Carnage is the dinosaur game for which the world has been waiting. Dinosaurs take center stage in this class-based online multiplayer shooter featuring fast-paced combat between a team of humans brave enough to stand toe-to-toe with hordes of some of the most vicious beasts ever to walk the face of the earth. Players can choose to take on both sides of the battle as either the human classes utilizing an arsenal of distinct and unique weaponry or inhabit the body of one of these menacing and powerful dinosaurs intent on leaving a trail of blood and destruction in their wake.

For more information on Primal Carnage, please visit http://primalcarnage.com.

In anticipation of Kalypso Media Digital Ltd.’s upcoming action-platformer Alien Spidy, the Leicester, UK-based publisher today released an extraordinary speed run video of Alien Spidy himself blazing though six levels in flawless form.

Developed by Enigma Software, Alien Spidy was selected as one of XBLAFans’ most anticipated games of 2013 and follows the exploits of “Spidy,” an alien spider who has crash landed on Earth in search of his friend Virgi and the lost parts of his scattered spaceship.

Alien Spidy features 69 levels, three settings (Forest, Pond, Caves), and more than 300 collectibles and achievements.  Players will find a mixture of side-scrolling action artistically crafted with bright landscapes and constantly evolving physical puzzles.

Alien Spidy will be available March 20 on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 800 Microsoft Points and the Mac and Windows® PC for $9.99. The PlayStation®Network version will launch soon thereafter for $9.99.

For more information on Alien Spidy, please visit: www.alienspidy-game.com. For the latest news and updates please ‘Like’ us on Facebook.

Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

“PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Episode #10 was sitting there, calling me. Telling me, “Resistance is futile!” Then I made more growling noises as I tucked away my Kobo, while cursing Scalzi for writing such an interesting and compelling story. But I won! Resistance is almost futile.

For those of you unfamiliar with John Scalzi’s latest novel, published by Tor, The Human Division is being released as 13 episodes. The hardcover version, which will include all 13 episodes, will be published on May 14, 2013. It is the latest book in Scalzi’s Old Man’s War series.

The official synopsis for Episode #9– The Observers reads:

In an effort to improve relations with the Earth, the Colonial Union has invited a contingent of diplomats from that planet to observe Ambassador Abumwe negotiate a trade deal with an alien species. Then something very bad happens to one of the Earthings, and with that, the relationship between humanity’s two factions is on the cusp of disruption once more. It’s a race to find out what really happened, and who is to blame.

Someone really has it in for the Colonial Union. They really can’t catch a break.

That thing that I wanted in Episode #8 – The Sound of Rebellion – can’t say what, because it is a little spoiler-y — yeah, I think I changed my mind. I still think it is really cool. But after how it was used in this episode, I need a lot of time to rethink the implications and possible consequences. Also, in this episode — thanks to becoming more aware of how it works — it reminds me too much of something in Star Trek that I cannot name because possible spoiler. While that thing in Star Trek also had beneficial uses — just like the previous two episodes of The Human Division – Episode #9 – The Observers reminded me that people can really suck and, if given the chance, will find a way to use it for not so good means.

In case it isn’t implicate, something reminding of Star Trek is a good thing, even if the thing appears to be “bad.” It isn’t. The thing I’m reminded of was the cause of many great moments in Star Trek.

We have a new character in Episode #9– The Observers: Danielle Lowen. I like her, to a point. I’m not sure how much I want to say about her because I don’t want to ruin anything for you. But I will explain why I only like her to a point.

I don’t trust her. There is nothing explicit in the narrative for me to not trust her. But, she is an Earthling. Earth and the Colonial Union are not getting along — understatement. There has been so much intrigue and this huge plot to take down the Colonial Union, that I no longer trust anyone. I now hold everyone under suspicion, and don’t believe anything is as it appears. Thanks for making me paranoid, Scalzi! No sarcasm. I’m enjoying the fact that I am now questioning everything, whether that was intended or not.

Even though I had already planned to go back and read the rest of the books in the Old Man’s War series, this episode clinched it even more. For those of us who are new to this universe, we learned a little bit more about John Perry. The information we are given is just enough that we have some concept of his importance, without boring everyone with a complete summary. It was also just enough information to confirm that I will greatly enjoy the first books in this series.

We are almost at the end, folks. Only four episodes remaining. This ride is about to get insane! Or maybe, more accurately, it is about to reach a whole new level of insanity and CRASH BANG BOOM MURDER INTRIGUE EXPLOSION.

With only four episodes remaining, I find myself becoming a little down because it is almost over. I’ve enjoyed this ride tremendously. Even though the serialized format hasn’t been completely working for me because I like to read books in one sitting, Monday nights have become something that I look forward to with much anticipation. Much like when Star Trek  was on television, and I couldn’t wait to see what was in store next for the crew of the Enterprise.

There will be hole to fill and I have no idea what is going to fill it.

Whenever I have to read a novel, there is a little bit of trepidation because it is work. When reading, I also need to keep my reviewing brain on. After an entire day looking at words, and writing words, reading more words is not on my list of things I want to do in order to relax. But Monday nights are different. Even though it is more words for my brain to process, I know that it is going to be a fun and wild ride, and not actually feel like work.

Yes, I am going to miss these Monday night breaks.

The intrigue is back and things are about to reach a whole new level of insanity! The Human Division Episode #9 – The Observers will, once again, leave your brain screaming for more. You may feel like you are going to explode while you wait for the next episode.

You can read my review of Episode #1 – The B-Team here, my review of Episode #2 – Walk the Plank here, my review of Episode #3 – We Only Need the Heads here, my review of Episode #4 – A Voice in the Wilderness here, my review of Episode #5 – Tales from the Clarke here, my review of Episode #6 – The Back Channel here, my review of Episode #7 – The Dog King here, and my review of Episode #8 – The Sound of Rebellion here.

You can purchase The Human Division Episode #9 – The Observers DRM-Free on Amazon.com, Kobo Books, and Barnes & Noble.

A copy of this book was provided for the purposes of this review.

It was a real pleasure talking with Bob. If you missed the interview, have no fears. The interview is available below for your downloading and listening pleasure. But first, the show notes.

• There was a slight connection issue about 17 minutes into the interview. It gets corrected shortly thereafter.
• There is a Star Wars spoiler right at the beginning, and is discussed more in depth later in the interview.
• Things we discussed during the interview include: Starting out as a writer and being hired to write The Forgotten Realms books; Being a D&D player; Having his worlds turned into video games; All about Drizzt, All about the Neverwinter Saga; What’s next for the Forgotten Realms books; On writing and avoiding burn-out as a writer; The characters in The Last Threshold, and specifics about The Last Threshold; Questions from email; and more.
• At the beginning of the interview, you’ll hear the Geeky Pleasures Radio Show theme song by Chris Cogott (@chriscogott)
• The length of the interview is 1 hours 13 minutes 40 seconds
• The size is 67.4 MB
• The format is mp3, 128 kbps, 44.1 kHz, stereo
• To download the interview, right click save as this link.

Alternatively, you can stream it below. If you are viewing this in an RSS reader, you may need to visit the site in order to stream it.

You can read my review of The Last Threshold on Wired’s GeekMom. You can get the Whisper Sync-ready audiobook version of The Last Threshold for free when you sign up for a 30-day free trial of Audible.

Five people entered.

Using a random number generator, I drew one numbers. The numbers was five.

The winner is Katharine!

Katharine has already been notified by email, and she should receive her DVD by the end of the week.

You can read my review of Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files – Animal Agents here.

You can purchase this DVD, filled with great bonuses, at Amazon, Indigo Books & Music, or wherever DVDs are sold.

How well do you really know your pet…or ANY animal? Behind a cute and/or cuddly exterior there may lurk a cunning crime-fighter with a brown fedora, a top-secret identity and a license to thrill! Meet the heroic Animal Agents of the O.W.C.A. (Organization Without A Cool Acronym)

Join Perry the Platypus – a.k.a. Agent P – and his fellow operatives as they team up to thwart Dr. Doofenshmirtz and his dastardly “Inators.” Be they furry or feathered, scaly or slimy, these fearless agents roll over for nobody when it comes to crushing evil in the Tri-State Area and beyond. Fully loaded with over two hours of animal-themed adventures, including the exciting, two-part Phineas And Ferb cliffhanger “Where’s Perry?”, this fun-filled, action-packed laughfest will drive you wild!

The episodes included on this one-disc DVD are:

• Journey To The Center Of Candace
  
• Traffic Cam Caper
• Bowl-R-Drama
• Vanessasary Roughness
• Isabella And The Temple Of Sap
• Cheer Up Candace
• Robot Rodeo
• Lotas Latkes
• Agent Doof
• Where’s Perry? Part 1
• Where’s Perry? Part 2
• What’d I Miss?

The Bonus material is Take Two With Phineas And Ferb - Cameos From Real-Life Celebrities.

The total approximate time of all of the episodes and bonus material is 168 minutes. The Canadian version includes the episodes in French.

Missing from this DVD, something that was included in the Phineas And Ferb: The Perry Files DVD, is the digital copy.

However, that is more than made up with the included bonus activities. Included in Phineas And Ferb: The Perry Files – Animal Agents are collapsible working binoculars,  and an awesome spy kit.

Included in the spy kit are O.W.C.A. member cards for Agent Kitty, Agent D, Agent P, Agent C, Peter The Panda, and Agent Pinky. Each card contains the following information:

• Owner;
• Nemesis;
• Most Effective Skills;
• Notable Characteristics;
• Seen Spying In…

If that wasn’t enough, there is an extra card that makes your child an Honorary O.W.C.A. member, which included a place to affix your child’s photo, thumb prints, agent number, name, address, phone, eye colour, weight, height. At the bottom of the card, is a Code of Conduct.

And there is so much more!

There is also a nine-step instruction on how to build your own spy kit, including instructions on how to make a megaphone out of an old cereal box. The bonus activities also includes two pages of O.W.C.A. paper to take spy note. As a bonus, there are instructions on how to create your own fingerprints, how to create your own invisible ink, and a reminder that states, “Remember, this kit is for play only. You’ll have the most fun if you only spy on family and friends who are O.K. with being spied on and want to join in on the game.

As yet another bonus, there is a “Find these items” game on the inside cover of the DVD case.

Aside from nearly three hours of television entertainment, Phineas And Ferb: The Perry Files – Animal Agents will encourage your child to use their imaginations, build spy kits, and spend hours playing.

You can purchase this DVD, filled with great bonuses, at Amazon, Indigo Books & Music, or wherever DVDs are sold.

Canadian Residents: Don’t forget, I’m giving away 1 copy of this DVD, courtesy of Walt Disney Motion Pictures Canada. The giveaway ends tomorrow, Friday, March 8, 2013, at 11:59 pm PDT.

A copy of this DVD was provided for the purposes of this review.

RAIN DIGITAL GAMES ANNOUNCES NEW TITLE RELEASES INCLUDING DOLLAR DASH AND FESTER MUD: CURSE OF THE GOLD

Twain Harte, CA – March 7, 2013 – Rain Digital Games, a digital games portal for independent video game content, announced today a ton of content coming for game lovers, including two titles that launched this week, Replay Games’ comedic western adventure Fester Mudd: Curse of the Gold and Kalypso Media Digital’s competitive free-for-all Dollar Dash.

Rain has also signed a distribution deal with Iceberg Interactive to bring its immense back catalogue of PC games to the Rain platform. Iceberg games available today include Endless Space, Killing Floor, Blades of Time, Nuclear Dawn, Gemini Wars and many more.

HOT NEW RAIN RELEASES:
Dollar Dash ($9.99) from Kalypso Media is a chaotic free-for-all multiplayer game that enables up to four players to battle it out as cartoon thieves who must make use of extravagant weapons to grab bags of cash and deposit them in a getaway vehicle before it disappears. Developed by Candygun Games, it offers 18 multiplayer maps, countless weapons, deep player customization, and comedic tactics for players to achieve victory.

With a western theme and strong comedic elements, Fester Mudd: Curse of the Gold ($9.99) is Replay’s first original intellectual property adventure title. Set in the Wild West, Fester Mudd is a three-part comic saga of exploration, reunion, and redemption…and a love letter to the classic adventure games of the 90s! In Episode 1, Fester hits the trail to join his brother, Bud, in the downtrodden town of Loamsmouth. But when Bud is found to have mysteriously vanished, Fester realizes that the journey will be far longer and more treacherous than he bargained for…

For more information about Rain Digital Games, please visit http://raindg.com/

ABOUT RAIN DIGITAL GAMES
Rain Digital Games was created for publishers and developers to swiftly and effectively deliver independent video game content directly to consumers. The site provides its partners with the tools necessary to distribute, market, and aggregate news and assets directly to the video game industry while providing an easy, reliable and secure method for downloading gaming content. For more information, please visit www.raindg.com/about.

FREE BETA WEEKEND FOR EDGE OF SPACE MARCH 8, 9 AND 10

This weekend, starting on 7 pm EST, Friday, March 8 through 7 pm EST, Sunday, March 10, players can join in a free beta experience for the spacefaring adventure title Edge of Space. Edge of Space challenges players to build, create, mold, and fight to survive in the deepest, darkest, weirdest, and possibly most interesting part of the universe. With thousands of players already taking part in the on-going beta, now is the perfect time to explore the unknown thrills and dangers found in Edge of Space.

Interested? Follow this link to download an Edge of Space beta code: www.playedgeofspace.com/

See the new gameplay trailer

Playable now in beta, players can purchase Edge of Space for a discounted pre-order price of $9.99 before it shifts to the $14.99 launch price. Get into the action now at Desura and at Rain Digital Games.

Edge of Space is on Valve’s Steam Greenlight project (steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92913728), enabling members of the Steam community to vote for games that they would like to see available. If players help get Edge of Space Greenlight approved, Handyman Studios’ lead designer Jacob “Lord Shaggy” Crane will shave off the hair on his head including facial hair, so help us get Greenlight approved!

For more information on Edge of Space, visit the game’s official website: www.playedgeofspace.com/

ARACHNID LOVERS REJOICE AS ALIEN SPIDY INVADES EARTH ON MARCH 20

Kalypso’s Charming Action-Platformer Hits Xbox LIVE Arcade, Windows PC, and Mac on March 20

Leicester, UK – March 7, 2013 – Kalypso Media Digital Ltd. announced today its long-awaited action-platformer Alien Spidy will hit Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 800 Microsoft Points, and the Apple Mac and Windows® PC for $9.99 Wednesday, March 20. The PlayStation® Network version will launch soon thereafter.

[Show as slideshow]

Developed by Enigma Software, Alien Spidy is a single-player action-platformer packed with dozens of challenging levels, boss fights, and a colorful array of insectoid, mammalian, and amphibious enemies that are as cute as they are deadly.

“Alien Spidy is a new take on the classic sider-scroller, but with all sorts of modern twists,” said Jonathan Hales, managing director, Kalypso Media. “The game is filled with colorful characters, beautiful animations, and just the right balance of pick-up-and-play accessibility and ramps up the challenge in later levels, making it perfect for all types of gamers.”

Alien Spidy, selected as one of XBLAFans’ most anticipated games of 2013, follows the exploits of “Spidy,” an alien spider who has crash landed on Earth in search of his friend Virgi and the lost parts of his scattered spaceship. The game features 69 levels, three settings (Forest, Pond, Caves), and more than 350 collectibles and achievements.  Players will find a mixture of side-scrolling action artistically crafted with bright landscapes and constantly evolving physical puzzles.

Alien Spidy will be available March 20 on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 800 Microsoft Points and the Mac and Windows® PC for $9.99. The PlayStation® Network version will launch soon thereafter for $9.99.

For more information on Alien Spidy, please visit: www.alienspidy-game.com. For the latest news and updates please ‘Like’ us on Facebook.

ABOUT THE KALYPSO MEDIA GROUP
Founded in 2006 in Germany by industry veterans Simon Hellwig and Stefan Marcinek, Kalypso Media is a global, independent developer, marketer and publisher of interactive entertainment software with 120 employees world-wide. Along with Headquarters in Worms, Germany, the company has offices in the United Kingdom and the United States.  Kalypso Media also enjoys very strong global digital distribution through its Kalypso Media Digital Ltd. office and owns three development studios – Realmforge Studios GmbH, Gaming Minds Studios GmbH and Noumena Studios GmbH – and works with multiple leading independent developers.

Kalypso Media‘s titles include the critically acclaimed Tropico 4, Sins of a Solar Empire, and Dungeons. Upcoming multi-platform titles include Port Royale 3, Omerta – City of Gangsters, DARK and The Dark Eye – Demonicon along with Legends of Pegasus for PC. Further information about Kalypso Media is available at www.kalypsomedia.com.

ABOUT ENIGMA SOFTWARE PRODUCTIONS
ENIGMA Software Productions is a talented and experienced videogame production studio based in Madrid. With 15 years of experience, ENIGMA is one of the most veteran and reliable companies of the game industry in Spain. With a large track record of releases proving its high versatility in creating original and fresh concepts in different game genres on all major platforms.

Recently the company released the award-winning Legends of War: Patton’s Campaign, a thrilling turn-based strategy war game set in the WWII for PSPTM, and currently being ported to Xbox 360, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, and Windows PC. For more information about Enigma SP, please visit www.enigmasp.com.

Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

“PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Last month Funcom announced a unique competition where the community could send in their own self-made music. The winning tunes would be implemented into The Secret World where they could be enjoyed by all the players in the game.

Funcom is excited to announce that The ‘Get your Music in the Game’ competition has been a great success, all thanks to the combined creative power of the games’ wonderful community. Funcom has received more than three hundred submissions, many of them containing several songs.

– “It has been very hard to choose the best music in this competition,” says Audio Director Simon Poole, “because we have received tons and tons of great stuff. I knew The Secret World had an awesome community, but this response has surpassed my wildest expectations. Since we have gotten so much great music we will put more new songs into the game than I first had planned, to share these treasures with the everyone who plays The Secret World.”

The winning songs will be heard on radios in The Secret World where their theme and genre fit with the surroundings.

However we wish to let everybody hear the winning songs right now. So check out the new article with the list of all the winners and their winning songs. Click the song titles to listen to them now.

Check out the News Story with the winning songs here

But first, to recap, John Scalzi’s latest novel, published by Tor, The Human Division is being released as 13 episodes. The hardcover version, which will include all 13 episodes, will be published on May 14, 2013. It is the latest book in Scalzi’s Old Man’s War series.

The official synopsis for Episode #8 – The Sound of Rebellion reads:

The Colonial Defense Forces usually protect humanity from alien attack, but now the stability of the Colonial Union has been threatened, and Lieutenant Heather Lee and her squad are called to squash a rebellion on a colony world. It seems simple enough—but there’s a second act to the rebellion that finds Lee captive, alone, and armed with only her brains to survive.

How to discuss this latest episode without giving away spoilers? That is the question I’ve been asking myself since I read Episode #8 – The Sound of Rebellion last night. I’m going to try my best to remain as cryptic as possible, walking a fine line between not spoiling for those who have not been reading along, and allowing those who have been following The Human Division to nod knowingly.

The action has returned in Episode #8 – The Sound of Rebellion. While it may not be the CRASH BANG BOOM MURDER INTRIGUE EXPLOSION type of action found in some previous chapters, I do have to say, “Man! That was fun! Can we do that again?” Not only did I find myself wanting to be Lieutenant Heather Lee as she used her brains to escape her predicament, but I laughed despite the dire situation. I always appreciate it when there is humour found in a situation that really is not funny.

But, let’s get back to Lee. This is the part where I have to tread carefully.

I love action, especially good action. Have you watched Gladiator? Do you remember the face that Commodus makes when the Gladiators are fighting in the area? The one where he may be enjoying the blood-sport just wee bit too much? That’s me when I’m enjoying a good action scene. That was me while reading Episode #8 – The Sound of Rebellion, but not because of any gore, or anything like that.

There is more. Aside from making those faces, when I’m watching a good action movie, or well done action scene, especially ones with really awesome “toys,” you will often hear me exclaiming, “I WANT THAT! CAN I HAVE THAT?! PLEASE!” as I imagine myself kicking and flipping around the room, being the most badass of badass action/superheroes alive! HUZZAH! To which my partner normally responds, “Yeah… no. You can’t have that Samurai sword [as example]. You’ll take off your own head, and not your enemies.” Then, there is some sort of “argument” about how he is behaving like a ninny and how I can be the most badass of action heroes, only for me to get up, go to the washroom, and somehow hurt myself on the journey down the hall… No, that never happens. I am badass and I can so do this! Give me my toys! Let me fight the world of injustice! I will crush you, you puny human! – flip kick spring bang KAPOW!

So, that. Amplified just a wee bit — by a wee bit, I mean a lot — was my reaction to Episode #8 – The Sound of Rebellion. Not only because Lee is BADASS. Until this chapter, I never really wanted to be a member of the CDF.

Sure, they have a BrainPal that allows them do to all sorts of nifty things. It certainly came in handy in this episode. For ages, I wish I had some way to plug my brain into a computer. It would make writing, among other things, so much easier. But, I wanted that long before my introduction to the Old Man’s War universe.

Sure, CDF members have a fancy leotard that gives them protection from pain, increases their physical strength, and all sorts of other benefits. I suppose that would be cool. That would mean these mysterious bruises would be a thing of the past, and I’d finally be allowed that Samurai sword I’ve always wanted.

The thing that caused me to exclaim, “I want that!” was something featured near the end of Episode #7 – The Dog King, the thing that helped get the dog out of its situation. Yes, I want that. I promise I’ll only make us of it under the most dire of situation. Honestly.

Until now, I didn’t think the benefits of joining the CDF outweighed what I consider to be a huge drawback: I don’t want to live to an extremely old age, even if it meant having really cool green skin, and nifty toys, plus being kickass. I have changed my mind. Give me my [REDACTED]! I’m ready to take on the world!

So, there is all the above, plus the story moves forward, and we learn more about the conflicts between Earth and the Colonial Union. Things are not looking good for the Colonial Union.

High energy, great action, excellent fight scenes, and humour. These are just a few of the things you will find in The Human Division Episode #8: The Sound of Rebellion.

Now, please excuse me while I pretend that I’m a badass action hero.

You can read my review of Episode #1 – The B-Team here, my review of Episode #2 – Walk the Plank here, my review of Episode #3 – We Only Need the Heads here, my review of Episode #4 – A Voice in the Wilderness here, my review of Episode #5 – Tales from the Clarke here, my review of Episode #6 – The Back Channel here, and my review of Episode #7 – The Dog King here.

You can purchase The Human Division Episode #8 – The Sound of Rebellion DRM-Free on Amazon.com, Kobo Books, and Barnes & Noble.

A copy of this book was provided for the purposes of this review.

Released today, and published by Quirk Books, Swissted by Mike Joyce is filled with 200 ready-to-frame re-imagined punk rock concert posters, but with a twist.

In a few words, it is a typography nerds dream come true. It will also appeal to modern art lovers, and people who like clean lines and vibrant colours. There are also some posters that have a retro feel to them, like the Dead Kennedys with Butthole Surfers and Rites of Spring  in Washington, D.C. (1985), David Bowie and the Spiders from Mars in Cleveland, OH (1972), and Television in New York, NY (1975) posters, just to name three.

Intrigued? Look through the preview below.

Honestly, I do not think the preview does the book justice. So, I suggest you visit swissted.com to see even more stunning posters.

As I mentioned above, the posters are ready-t0-frame. Each poster has a perforated edge, allowing you to tear out the 11×14 poster. But, there is one slight criticism I have of this book.

Unlike the Gig Posters books that contain a little bit about the artist, including education, location, information about their influences, preferred medium/methods, when and why they started to design gig posters, remarks and more, on the back of each poster, in Swissted each page is double-sided. So, if you wanted to frame each poster, you can’t. You’d have to choose your favourite 100 posters. Though, if you wanted to quickly change the art in your room, then I suppose you could just remove the poster from the frame, flip it around, and you’re done.

I realize that there is only one artist’s work in Swissted, but I would have preferred it if there was some information attached to each poster. For example: information about the band featured, why Mike Joyce chose this particular show, the inspiration for the art, and, perhaps, a small image of the original poster. However, I’m certain there would have been some copyright issues to sort out in order to display the original poster, so I can let that last example go.

Despite my one criticism, I’m not sure many people will decide to frame the posters in Swissted. Personally, I enjoy flipped through the book and drooling over all the gorgeous art. I’d also be afraid that if I did frame and hang the posters, in time, they would fade. If I were to decide to frame the posters, I’d purchase another copy, leaving one copy “unharmed.”

If you have nerdgasms over graphics and typography, or you if enjoy clean, vibrant, and delicious art, then Swissted will make an excellent addition to your library.

You can purchase Swissted via Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Indigo Books and Music, or wherever books are sold.

A copy of this book was provided for the purposes of this review.

BRAND NEW GAMEPLAY TRAILER HIGHLIGHTS COOL FEATURES OF EDGE OF SPACE

Reverb Publishing and HandyMan Studios are proud to share with you a brand new trailer for Edge of Space, the spacefaring adventure game that challenges players to survive and ultimately terraform a distant planet. Thousands of players have already taken part in the on-going beta, but now is the time for players to join in and blast off. This video showcases some of the most compelling thrills and dangers found in the Edge of Space universe.

Check out this brand new trailer highlighting some of the coolest features of Edge of Space. Watch it here:

Available now in beta, players can purchase Edge of Space for a discounted pre-order price of $9.99 before it shifts to $14.99 at the game’s launch on Desura and at Rain Digital Games.

Edge of Space is on Valve’s Steam Greenlight project (steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92913728), enabling members of the Steam community to vote for games that they’d like to see available on the service. If players help get Edge of Space Greenlight approved, lead designer Jacob “Lord Shaggy” Crane will shave off the hair on his head including all facial hair in celebration of a successful campaign, so help us get Greenlight approved!

For more information on Edge of Space, visit the game’s official Website: www.playedgeofspace.com

Fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000 will love this hilarious romp, a knowing throwback to the heyday of low-budget Sci-Fi cinema! Trundling through the 1950s British countryside, unthinkingly misogynistic space scientist, Dr. Boy Brett and the suitably chaperoned Doris Night pop into a quaint village pub for a cheese ploughman’s… But waiting for them outside is a most unwelcome visitor: Grurk, an indestructible, rampaging robot from outer space, on a mission to harvest the British Blitz spirit for energy!

IT CAME! #1 will hit comic stores on Aug 7, 2013. The series will also be available to read day and date on the iPad, iPhone, Web, Android and Kindle Fire, exclusively through the comiXology app and comiXology.com

Read more about IT CAME! here.

Full Control today released the first screens from Space Hulk, its 3D digital turn based strategy game based on the best-selling board game and set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Revealing a claustrophobic look, classic to the board game, these first screens show off the isolated corridors and tomb-like chambers of an ancient vessel lost in the graveyard of space as a small force of fearless Space Marine Terminators battle in a ferocious fight for survival against hordes of predatory alien Genestealers.

[Show as slideshow]

About Space Hulk (PC, Mac and iOS)
Based on the “Sin of Damnation” campaign from the 3rd edition board game, Space Hulk includes a robust 12-mission single-player and co-operative campaign. Recreating the tense battles of the board game, multiplayer mode will allow players to go head-to-head as one player controls the Space Marines and their opponent the Genestealers, in the ultimate fight for domination. Cross platform functionality in multiplayer mode allows players to compete against friends whether they play on PC, Mac or mobile. The Space Hulk level editor will enable players to design their own levels, share them with others online and in a central hub explore creations of the community. Please visit the official Space Hulks site at: www.spacehulk-game.com

I had a lot of fun talking with Peter. If you missed the interview, have no fears. The interview is available below for your downloading and listening pleasure. But first, the show notes.

Peter Clines photo credit Colleen Cooper

• Things we discussed during the interview include: Working in Hollywood; All about Ex-Heroes, including a couple of spoilers but there are audio warning prior to them; Influence growing up, including Star Wars, Star Trek, science fiction, and growing up Stephen King’s backyard; Working on your craft – 10,000 hours; What’s coming up in the Ex world; Things Peter geeks out over and things that terrify us; Why write the things he does and the future of superhero movies.
• There is some NSFW language.
• At the beginning of the interview, you’ll hear the Geeky Pleasures Radio Show theme song by Chris Cogott (@chriscogott)
• The length of the interview is 1 hours 53 minutes 03 seconds
• The size is 103 MB
• The format is mp3, 128 kbps, 44.1 kHz, stereo
• To download the interview, right click save as this link.

Alternatively, you can stream it below. If you are viewing this in an RSS reader, you may need to visit the site in order to stream it.

You can read my review, download an exclusive excerpt, and enter to win an autographed copy of Ex-Heroes on Wired’s GeekMom. The giveaway closed tomorrow night (March 5, 2013) at 23:59 PST. You can get the Whisper Sync-ready audiobook version of Ex-Heroes for free when you sign up for a 30-day free trial of Audible.

IEDS’S CITY CONQUEST, THE NEXT GENERATION OF MOBILE STRATEGY GAMES, NOW AVAILABLE ON ANDROID DEVICES

Real-Time Strategy and Tower Defense Combine for the Ultimate Online Multiplayer Experience

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC – March 04, 2013 – Intelligence Engine Design Systems (IEDS), a developer with a focus on gameplay innovation, today announced that City Conquest is now available for free download on Android devices. City Conquest, a first-of-its-kind in the mobile space combines a unique blend of real-time strategy and tower defense, is also available in the App Store® for Apple®iPad™ and Apple®iPhone™.

City Conquest is a highly accessible mobile strategy game that builds on core tower defense mechanics by adding an offensive gameplay element and territorial expansion mechanics. Providing competitive real-time online multiplayer, City Conquest is a first-of-its-kind in the mobile space with a unique blend of real-time strategy and tower defense.

Featuring 20 sophisticated single-player missions with expert-level scenarios, head-to-head lobby-based online multiplayer, and hotseat multiplayer for players to duke it out on the comfort of their own couch, City Conquest is available for HD-capable Android devices and iOS platforms, including: iPad 2/3, iPhone 4/4S/5, and iPod Touch 4/5.

Intelligence Engine Design Systems was founded by Paul Tozour, an 18-year industry veteran who was the third founding member of Gas Powered Games. Known for his work on characters and bosses for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Tozour has also had his name credited to Deus Ex: Invisible War, MechWarrior 4:Vengeance, and Thief: Deadly Shadows.

City Conquest is available now for free download on Android devices and in the App Store® for Apple®iPad™ and Apple®iPhone™.  For more information on City Conquest, please visit: www.facebook.com/CityConquestGame.

ABOUT INTELLIGENCE ENGINE DESIGN SYSTEMS
Intelligence Engine Design Systems is a South Carolina-based game studio specializing in the application of artificial intelligence and decision modeling techniques to game design.  It was founded in 2011 by Paul Tozour, a recognized industry veteran game designer and artificial intelligence expert well-known for his work on Nintendo’s Metroid Prime series.

The Minister of Chance (@MinisterChance) is a BBC Audio Drama Awards nominated radiophonic science-fiction fantasy series set in the Doctor Who universe. It is a spin-off, of sorts, of the BBC radiophonic series Death Comes to Time starring Stephen Fry as The Minister. The Minister of Chance was one of only five Time Lords who survived the Second War in Heaven and the destruction of Gallifrey.

The character of The Minister was created by Dan Freeman (@SageofTheWaves), who is the writer, director and producer of The Minister of Chance. Julian Wadham plays this incarnation of The Minister. The Minister of Chance also stars the voices of Jenny Agutter, Gethin Anthony, Lauren Crace, Paul Darrow, Tamsin Greig, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Jed Brophy, Philip Glenister, and more.

In Episode 4 – The Tiger, The Horseman finally catches up with The Minister and an injured Kitty on the Plain of Tombs in Paludin Fields. Meanwhile in Tanto, Professor Cantha and Sunflower spread the ancient knowledge of Science amongst the people of Tanto. In Sezuan, Durian’s ambitions are realized with the help of the vicious Lord Rathen.

Something pretty major happens in this episode! So please, no spoilers! If you’d like to discuss the thing that happens in this episode, then join the private spoiler chat group on Facebook.

The final episode of the first series is currently in production. Earlier today, we managed to raise the necessary $10,000 to complete Episode 5. If you’d like, you can still contribute to the fundraiser, and receive some nice perks for doing so.

You can subscribe to The Minister of Chance on iTunes. You can download the episodes on The Minister of Chance‘s website. Linux users using podcatchers can subscribe to The Minister of Chance via the RSS feed. Remember, this is all FREE thanks to the wonderful Moguls of The Minister of Chance.

Now, for the giveaway! Three lucky Geeky Pleasures readers will receive a very limited edition The Minister of Chance Trucker/Baseball cap; the same cap that is part of the, “I’ve come to talk to The Ambassador, truck off,” perk.

Contest details:

1. Leave a comment telling me who is your favourite Time Lord, and why.
2. Only one comment per person. Leaving multiple comments will disqualify you. When leaving a comment, please use a valid e-mail address so that I can notify you if you win.
3. You have until Monday, March 11, 2013 at 23:59 PDT to leave a comment. At that time, I’ll use a random number generator to select two winners. Winners will be notified by e-mail on Tuesday, March 12, 2013. Winners will be announced on this website on Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at 16:00 PDT.
4. If you have any questions, please e-mail me.

 *I say “we” because by some bizarre and wonderful twist in the fabric of this universe, since I first started to cover The Minister Of Chance two years ago, I’ve somehow become a member of the Minister of Chance crew. In the interest of full disclosure, not only was a character named after me in Episode 3, I also provide online tech support for the production, make the podcast available via iTunes, and provide hosting for the website. Even if Dan and I hadn’t become friends over the last couple years, even if I didn’t work with the production in some way, I’d still be telling you to support this production, just as I have since early 2011.

NEW WORLD INTERACTIVE PROVIDES “EARLY ACCESS” TO INSURGENCY ON MARCH 1

Join the Dev Team and Play Insurgency in This Unprecedented Open Development Invitation

Denver, Colorado – March 1, 2013 – New World Interactive announced today it is opening its doors to the gaming community with “Early Access” to play INSURGENCY, its tactical first-person shooter, currently in development. Through its “Early Access” program, NWI will make INSURGENCY available to the public at 6 pm PST, Friday, March 1 — and livestream it to the world via Destructoid’s TwitchTV show Mashtactics, www.twitch.tv/destructoid at 4 pm PST.

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INSURGENCY’s “Early Access” invitation is an example of an indie development team working directly with its community to create a compelling combat experience, while distinguishing itself from mainstream shooters. The game moves away from a release-package publishing model to a persistent development process that adapts an established genre with the future of social gaming.

“Early Access,” a pre-beta look at the development of INSURGENCY, enables participants to talk and play with the developers, for the price of $19.99. This will provide players with the Early Access build, the subsequent Beta, and the final game when it ships later this year. To Join “Early Access,” go to the INSURGENCY site at: www.playinsurgency.com.

INSURGENCY is a first-person team-based shooter for up to 32-plus players designed for Windows® PC and Mac OS X (and in the future, Linux), using Valve’s Source Engine and distributed through the Steam platform. If the name INSURGENCY sounds familiar, that’s because it is based on the popular total conversion for Half-Life 2 — Insurgency: Modern Infantry Combat – that saw more than a million free downloads and was awarded the ModDB “Player’s Choice Mod of the Year” in 2007.

Key features to INSURGENCY include:

• Intense 32-plus player online action with a focus on teamwork
• Customizing the game’s arsenal to player’s preferred style
• Choosing from three unique classes that affect movement on the battlefield
• Highly immersive audio with 3D VOIP to coordinate with and track other players
• Playing the most popular maps and game modes, and helping the development team prototype new ones

For more on INSURGENCY, check New World Interactive’s forums www.playinsurgency.com/forums/ and ‘Like’ us on Facebook.

ABOUT NEW WORLD INTERACTIVE
New World Interactive (“NWI”) is a startup game developer and publisher based in Denver, Colorado. The team consists of seven onsite and six off-site personnel with experience working on a range of AAA titles and independent releases. The original developers of Insurgency: Modern Infantry Combat have reunited to revive INSURGENCY as a passion project for NWI’s debut.

GEAR UP FOR CHAOS WITH DOLLAR DASH “GAME MODES” TRAILER

Kalypso Media Digital, Ltd. revealed today the Dollar Dash “Game Modes” trailer that demonstrates the chaotic game modes: Save the Safe, Hit’ n’ Run, and Dollar Dash. Save the Safe has players vying to hold a safe for a set amount of time while their opponents try to cleverly steal it away to achieve victory. Hit’ n’ Run plays into an all-out offensive strategy as players attempt to knock each other out. As for Dollar Dash, players must make use of outrageous weapons to grab bags of cash and deposit them in a getaway vehicle before it disappears.

Developed by Candygun Games, Dollar Dash offers a huge amount of customization and personalization as players attack, defend, and outrun their fellow thieves with comedic tactics to achieve victory.

Dollar Dash will be available March 6 on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 800 Microsoft Points and Windows® PC for $9.99. The PlayStation®Network version will launch soon thereafter for $9.99.

For more information on Dollar Dash, please visit: www.dollardashgame.com. For the latest news and updates, please ‘Like’ us on Facebook.

Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

“PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

The song is a tribute to Einstein and the Theory of Relativity. It features Michio Kaku, Brian Cox, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Brian Greene and Lisa Randall.

It included footage from the following sources:

- Through the Wormhole
- Einstein’s Big Idea (NOVA)
- The Elegant Universe (NOVA)
- Wonders of the Solar System (BBC)
- Einstein’s Equation of Life and Death (BBC)
- What Time Is It (BBC)
- Einstein (History)
- The Universe in a Nutshell
- Relativity and the Twin Paradox
- What Lies Beyond Our Own Space-Time Continuum
- The Universe – Brian Cox lecture

As always, you can download the song for the price of free! The best way for you to do that is to visit their Bandcamp page, where you can download it in a variety of formats and, even though it is free, optionally pay a bit of money for the track.

On Bandcamp, you can find all new albums: Best of Symphony of Science and Symphony of Science Collector’s Edition that includes three bonus tracks..

You can also visit the Symphony of Science website to download the video, instrumentals, and remix packs.

Lyrics:

Say, do you like mystery stories?
Well we have one for you.
The concept: relativity. That strange fantastic relationship between time, distance, and mass.
Before we’re finished, I think you’ll agree that truth is stranger than the strangest fiction.

Why do the stars shine?
Why does the galaxy light up?

E equals MC squared
That is the engine that lights up the stars
Energy turns into mass
E equals MC squared -
That is the secret of the stars

Now listen carefully:
The faster you move
THe heavier you get
The energy of motion turns into M, your mass
Energy of motion

Energy equals Mass times the speed of light squared
An awful lot of energy
For a tiny amount of mass

Light travels at the same speed
No matter how you look at it
No matter how I move, relative to you,
Light travels at the same speed

No matter who is doing the measurement
And no matter what direction you are moving
The speed of light is the same
No matter what direction, or how fast

As you travel faster
Time slows down
Everything slows down

Time slows down when you move
Time passes at a different rate
Clocks run slow
It’s a monumental shift in how we see the world

The beauty, the majesty,
The power of the universe
Into a single equation

(refrain)

It’s a beautiful piece of science
It’s a beautifuly elegant theory
It’s a beautiful piece of science

A planet like the Earth is kept in orbit
Because it follows curves
In the spatial fabric caused
By the sun’s presence

Space and time are bent by stars and planets
As things move through this curved space, they bend

Now all of this is illustration of the fact
that time and space are linked together.

As you’re moving through bent and curved space and time,
You feel like you feel a force (x2)
That force is gravity

(refrain)

That is the secret of the stars

 Discover the truth behind the Myth of Atlantis in Ironsun Studios’Beautiful Steampunk Adventure

Lichfield, United Kingdom – February 28^th, 2013 – Indie micro studio Ironsun Studios  today announced the launch of the Kickstarter campaign for Fathom, a 2.5D action adventure game that combines puzzle solving with combat and exploration in a beautiful neo-gothic Steampunk adventure. The official Kickstarter campaign for Fathom has now gone live at www.kickstarter.com until March 29^th and is targeting a funding goal of £120,000.00.

“At Ironsun, we are massive fans of Steampunk and feel that this sub-genre has been completely underused in today’s world of interactive entertainment” said Managing Director, Paul Kelly of Ironsun Studios, “Fathom mixes the myth of the lost city of Atlantis, the worlds of underwater exploration and combat with puzzle solving as players journey deep in the waters of the Caribbean sea, visiting ancient ruins and beautiful caverns in an awe-inspiring beautiful 2.5D world”.

In Fathom you play as Nathaniel Lockhart, a shipwrecked Victorian adventurer of the 1870’s who is lost at sea in the Caribbean. Lockhart has no memories of the events surrounding the shipwreck, but has visions of a mysterious design for an underwater craft called the Bathysphere and recurring nightmares of a violent attack on the vessel that led to the shipwreck.

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Obsessed with the idea that this is the only way to find answers to the mystery, Lockhart pools his resources to build the machine and mounts an expedition back to the murky waters that haunt his every thought. Lockhart must build and master the mysterious underwater craft and ultimately take control of Atlantis, repairing the broken machines of the Atlanteans and solve their ancient puzzles to uncover the mystery.

Backers of the Fathom Kickstarter campaign will be rewarded with goods ranging from digital gifts, such as an exclusive in-game relic, to an ancient head stone rendered with the backers’ face, to a gameplay demo and awesome limited edition T-shirts and hoodies designed by the Fathom artists for a truly unique steam punk look.

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About Ironsun Studios
Fathom is brought to you from exciting UK-based start-up, Ironsun Studios. Specialising in cutting-edge, fun and approachable games for mobile, console and the global web, Ironsun Studios developed unique gaming experiences from the ground-up, which take advantage of the latest development technologies.

For those of you unfamiliar with John Scalzi’s latest novel, published by Tor, The Human Division is being released as 13 episodes. The hardcover version, which will include all 13 episodes, will be published on May 14, 2013. It is the latest book in Scalzi’s Old Man’s War series.

The official synopsis for Episode #7 – The Dog King reads:

CDF Lieutenant Harry Wilson has one simple task: Watch an ambassador’s dog while the diplomat is conducting sensitive negotiations with an alien race. But you know dogs—always getting into something. And when this dog gets into something that could launch an alien civil war, Wilson has to find a way to solve the conflict, fast, or be the one in the Colonial Union’s doghouse.

Here’s the deal. I did not read the synopsis before reading this episode. Also, I did not read Scalzi’s blog post warning readers that this episode was a funny one. I was completely unprepared for the hilarity that ensued. After my busy last few days — reason for this review being late – Episode #7 – The Dog King was exactly what I needed.

Because the synopsis lets the reader know that there is a dog in this episode, a dog accompanying an “away mission” no less, I don’t feel bad talking about my initial thoughts when I read the beginning of this episode. Initially, I was worried that it would lead to spoilers.

You may or may not be aware that if I can relate something to that one time on Star Trek, that is exactly where my brain will go. The moment I became aware that a dog was going on an away mission, I stopped reading and said, “Didn’t these people learn anything from Captain Jonathan Archer? You never take a dog on an away mission! Especially on a diplomatic away mission! What is going to happen when the dog decides to do what dogs do, and relieve itself on some important plant! After the problems on your last few missions, don’t you know it is probably a good idea to leave the dog at home! Seriously!”

Thankfully, the dog didn’t pee on any important plants. Of course, Scalzi isn’t going to rip off Star Trek: Enterprise, even if the premise is similar. The events that follow are ridiculous, absurd, and over-the-top; leaving tears in my eyes as I laughed the hardest I’ve laughed in some time. I’ve been trying to decide if I laughed that hard while reading Redshirts, which is my favourite Scalzi book, and one of my favourite books of all time. I’m not sure that I did. If I did laugh that hard while reading Redshirts, I probably don’t remember because it has been quite a while since I laughed until there were tears in my eyes.

I really do not know how William Dufris, the person who is narrating the Audible version of this book, managed. I’ve been reading the episodes out loud to my partner. Reading Episode #7 – The Dog King, while trying to remain understood, was a challenge.

I’ve always enjoyed Scalzi’s sense of humour. He does sarcastic humour exceptionally well. Even though there is a good dose of his signature sarcastic humour in this episode, the situational humour is the real kicker. He also inserts a little bit of humour that some may say is just plain wrong. I don’t know what it says about my warped brain, but that made me laugh the hardest.

Aside from being laugh-out-loud funny, the thing I love the most about Episode #7 – The Dog King is that you can read it completely on its own, without reading anything else from The Human Division, and enjoy it.

Yes, each episode is self-contained, telling a complete story, and does stand on its own. Yes, Episode #7 – The Dog King does serve to move the overall story forward. But, to fully enjoy previous episodes of The Human Division, the reader does need to be aware of the events from previous episodes. Every thing you need to know in order to enjoy Episode #7 – The Dog King is found within the episode.

If you decide to never read anything else from The Human Division, or if you’ve decided you are going to wait until the full release in May because the episodic nature is not working for you, or if you’ve read the first few episodes and have decided that it just isn’t your thing, I implore you to read The Human Division Episode #7 – The Dog King. Do it for your mental health! It will only cost you $0.99 USD/CAD!

Now that we’ve had a nice breather over the last three episodes, complete with rib-cracking laughter, I’m nice and rested, and looking forward to getting back to the CRASH BANG BOOM MURDER INTRIGUE EXPLOSION ride that has been The Human Division.

You can read my review of Episode #1 – The B-Team here, my review of Episode #2 – Walk the Plank here, my review of Episode #3 – We Only Need the Heads here, my review of Episode #4 – A Voice in the Wilderness here, my review of Episode #5 – Tales from the Clarke here, and my review of Episode #6 – The Back Channel here.

You can purchase The Human Division Episode #7 – The Dog King DRM-Free on Amazon.com, Kobo Books, and Barnes & Noble.

A copy of this book was provided for the purposes of this review.

International Table Top Day will be an annual event, beginning on Saturday, March 30, 2013.

From the press release:

“Gaming is a huge passion of mine, and I’m thrilled to help launch this event that will allow gamers all over the world to celebrate their passions together in real life.” Felicia Day, Creator and Founder of Geek & Sundry said. “The response we’ve received around our show, TableTop, has shown us that tabletop gaming brings people together in a unique and powerful way. We want to celebrate this on a larger scale and give back to our wonderful community.”

Some of the sponsors for this event include: Asmodee Editions, Days of Wonder, Mayfair Games, Steve Jackson Games, and Wizards of the Coast. In the near future, you will be able to head on over to http://www.tabletopday.com and find an event in over 1,000 locations around the globe. If you don’t find an event in your location, create one!

If you want to host an event at your business, group, or host a private event in your home, you can register your event here. If you register your private event, you can enter a raffle to receive free promotional products, and receive free digital downloads. I’m going to be phoning my local gaming store and ask them to host an event. If you have a local gaming store, you can do that, too, if you don’t feel like hosting your own event.

Even if you do not want to do any of those things, you can join Geek & Sundry on March 30 for their live-stream, and watch Wil Wheaton, Felicia Day, and more talk trash with each other while they game.

Don’t forget to share your stories via Twitter using the hashtag #TableTopDay. Not only does it help raise awareness about this event, but Felicia and the crew at Geek & Sundry will be keeping an eye on that hashtag, and may end up sharing your stories, pictures, blogs, and events.

Head on over to http://www.tabletopday.com now to download free stuff, see if an event has already been created near your location, read blogs, watch videos, and more. Most importantly, don’t forget to game!

Happy gaming!

Today is the release of Phineas & Ferb: The Perry Files – Animal Agents on DVD. To mark this occasion, Walt Disney Motion Pictures Canada is giving a copy of the DVD to one Canadian Geeky Pleasures readers. The DVD includes a spy kit plus binoculars.

Before I get to the giveaway details, here is a little bit about the DVD:

How well do you really know your pet…or ANY animal? Behind a cute and/or cuddly exterior there may lurk a cunning crime-fighter with a brown fedora, a top-secret identity and a license to thrill! Meet the heroic Animal Agents of the O.W.C.A. (Organization Without A Cool Acronym)

Join Perry the Platypus – a.k.a. Agent P – and his fellow operatives as they team up to thwart Dr. Doofenshmirtz and his dastardly “Inators.” Be they furry or feathered, scaly or slimy, these fearless agents roll over for nobody when it comes to crushing evil in the Tri-State Area and beyond. Fully loaded with over two hours of animal-themed adventures, including the exciting, two-part Phineas And Ferb cliffhanger “Where’s Perry?”, this fun-filled, action-packed laughfest will drive you wild!

Giveaway Details:

1. This giveaway is only open to Canadian residents, with the exception of Quebec.
2. Leave a comment telling me about your favourite episode of Phineas & Ferb. OR, leave a comment telling me why you enjoy Phineas & Ferb.
3. Only one comment per person. Leaving multiple comments will disqualify you. When leaving a comment, please use a valid e-mail address so that I can notify you if you win.
4. You have until Friday, March 8, 2013 at 23:59 PST to leave a comment. At that time, I’ll use a random number generator to select one winner. Winners will be notified by e-mail on Saturday, March 9, 2013. Winners will be announced on this website on Monday, March 11, 2013 at 14:00 PST.
5. If you have any questions, please e-mail me.

Next week, there will be a review of Phineas & Ferb: Animal Agents on Geeky Pleasures.

2 DAWN GAMES LIGHTS UP RAVAGED WITH SECOND FREE DLC PACK, AVAILABLE NOW

Reverb Publishing and 2 Dawn Games are proud to reveal that the second DLC Pack for Ravaged is now available for free. The new pack adds a monstrous arsenal of weapons, vehicles, and game modes to the popular 32-player, post-apocalyptic PC shooter, including the violent new chainsaw and flamethrower, the massive, moveable dump truck, and two new game modes, Team Deathmatch and Hijack, providing extra depth to the already deep experience.

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The second Ravaged DLC Pack includes:

• Two New Game Modes: Team Deathmatch and Highjack Mode
  • Team Deathmatch: Team Deathmatch enables 32 players to join teams of up to 16 with no resources to battle in the classic winner-take-all format gamers have loved for years.
  • Highjack Mode: Hijack Mode offers players the chance to fight for control over the all-powerful Dump Truck, a massive mobile fortress.
• One New Vehicle: Available only in Highjack Mode, the Dump Truck becomes the ultimate power target, pitting players against each other as they scramble to control the monster power vehicle.
• Two New Weapons: The Chainsaw and Flamethrower
  • The Chainsaw: Definitively rip enemies apart in close-quarter combat with the newly implemented chainsaw.
  • The Flamethrower: Players blanket the immediate area with powerful flames, enabling them to decimate multiple enemies in their path
• Improved XP: Ravaged now displays accumulative Experience Points when they are awarded.
• Reduced Ammo: Reduced access to ammunition encourages players to scavenge for weapons and ammo to stay alive.

Ravaged is available now on Steam for $9.99.  If purchased now, gamers will get the first “Apocalypse DLC Pack” — including the tractor tank, mini-chopper, nail gun, Dust Bowl map, and more — in addition to the second DLC Pack, for free.

Ravaged, also buyable at Rain Digital Games, 2DawnGames, GameStop, GamersGate, Origin, Green Man Gaming, and GameFly, is rated M for mature due to violent subject matter, and is not intended for younger audiences. For more details on DLC and community events such as “Hunt the Devs,” listen to the development team’s regular podcasts on 2dawn.com and be sure to follow 2 Dawn Games on Twitter and Facebook.

– Funcom veteran Joel Bylos steps up to lead the company’s new, centralized live team as Creative Director for ‘The Secret World’, ‘Age of Conan’ and ‘Anarchy Online’ –

Durham, USA – February 26^th, 2013 – Funcom is excited to announce that ‘Age of Conan’ and ‘The Secret World’ veteran designer Joel Bylos has stepped up to take the creative leadership of the company’s newly formed, centralized live team. The dedicated live team is made up by some of the most skilled and experienced developers working at Funcom and is entirely focused on expanding, enhancing and supporting company’s three live games, ‘The Secret World’, ‘Age of Conan’ and‘Anarchy Online’.

The establishment of a joint, centralized live team comes as a result of the organizational restructuring process Funcom recently went through following the launch of ‘The Secret World’. It is the company’s ambition that each of the three live games will benefit greatly from a shared pool of the incredible skill, competence and creativity that makes up this highly experienced group of developers. The centralized live team is situated in Funcom’s North Carolina studio, which gives the developers the advantage of working closely with the company’s quality assurance, community, customer service and billing teams which are located at the same studio.

Joel Bylos is an accomplished developer at Funcom, having been an instrumental part of creating the company’s two biggest online games ‘Age of Conan’ and ‘The Secret World’. After serving as Lead Designer on the very successful ‘Age of Conan’ expansion ‘Rise of the Godslayer’, Bylos went on to become Lead Content Designer on ‘The Secret World’ where he is responsible for creating some of the game’s most critically acclaimed features such as the investigation gameplay and the unique missions. Last year he took on the role of Game Director for ‘The Secret World’ and led the work of bringing it over to a buy-to-play business model which proved very successful with hordes of new players joining in.

“Having one centralized live team responsible for both the health and the future of each online game means there will always be fresh ideas, years of design know-how and invaluable skill with our tools flow freely between each project,” says Creative Director Joel Bylos. “I am very excited to have been given the opportunity to lead this team going forward and we have already started mapping out a very exciting future for ‘Anarchy Online’, ‘The Secret World’ and ‘Age of Conan’. Stay tuned, great things are coming!”

Joel Bylos is also releasing three letters today – one for each community – talking about the change and what opportunities it will bring to each game. You will find these letters on www.ageofconan.com, www.thesecretworld.com and www.anarchy-online.com (forums). In the letters, Bylos give fans a glimpse at some of the team’s plans, including the new graphics engine for ‘Anarchy Online’ which the team hopes to get onto test servers soon, an outline of the coming updates for ‘The Secret World’including the Tokyo update and the soon to hit Issue #6: ‘The Last Train to Cairo’, as well as what impact the upcoming Conan movie might have on ‘Age of Conan’.

ABOUT FUNCOM - Funcom is an independent developer and publisher of online games for PC, mobile, tablet and consoles. Funcom has provided outstanding entertainment since 1993 and continues to expand its track-record of more than twenty released games. Recent titles include ‘Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures’, ‘The Longest Journey’, ‘Anarchy Online’ and ‘Dreamfall: The Longest Journey’. For corporate information please visit www.funcom.com. For information about Funcom games visit www.anarchy-online.com, www.dreamfall.com, www.thesecretworld.com or www.ageofconan.com.

I’ve been meaning to make the following video Geek of the Week since the beginning of January when it was first brought to my attention in my Star Trek community on G+. It was created by one of our young members, and it is brilliant! Seeing Star Trek continue to inspire fans to get excited about science and how things work satisfies me beyond words. If Seb is any indicator of the next generation of fans — no pun intended — then the franchise is in excellent hands.

Without further ado, I present to you Science View – Explaining Trek Science.

Seb has recently posted that he is in the process of making more. I cannot wait to see them!

I want to adopt Seb as my very own. Honestly, people, isn’t he awesome?

Have a great weekend!

–Travel through time and visit ancient Egypt, fight on top of moving trains and battle enemies with your new whip in the latest content update for ‘The Secret World’ –

Durham, USA – February 22^nd, 2013 – Funcom is exited to reveal an exclusive preview of the next upcoming update for ‘The Secret World’ – Issue #6; The Last Train to Cairo. In this action filled update which is set to launch in early March, players will get to fight atop moving trains, travel back in time to ancient Egypt to secure powerful artifacts, fight with the awesome new Whip Auxiliary Weapon, reap great new rewards for Veterans and Recruiters and face down a new and terrible monster from another dimension in an epic raid size encounter!

You know what they say: only in ‘The Secret World’, right?

We have put together a juicy preview article divulging some of the details on all the good stuff players will get to experience in Issue #6, and we have also released the inspiring cover for the issue! In addition the article includes fresh screenshots and goes into detail on several new and important features.

Catch the Preview Article on Issue #6 here

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Issue #6; The Last Train to Cairo is scheduled for release in early March. Its focus is a new, deep and revealing story in The Scorched Desert in Egypt, containing many missions and several side missions. The players are facing off against the crazed cultists of the dark god Aten. The Atenists and their prophet are hatching a scheme which threatens the entire world. Everything hinges on stopping the Last Train to Cairo. The update contains many other features and new content as well, read the new article for a Preview and stay tuned for the upcoming release.

In December last year, ‘The Secret World’ moved to a buy-to-play business model, completely doing away with the subscription requirement. Visit www.thesecretworld.com for more information.

ABOUT FUNCOM - Funcom is an independent developer and publisher of online games for PC and consoles. Funcom has provided outstanding entertainment since 1993 and continues to expand its track-record of more than twenty released games. Recent titles include ‘Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures’, ‘The Longest Journey’, ‘Anarchy Online’ and ‘Dreamfall: The Longest Journey’. For corporate information please visit www.funcom.com. For information about Funcom games visit www.anarchy-online.com, www.dreamfall.com, www.thesecretworld.com or www.ageofconan.com. Funcom is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker FUNCOM.

An industry has been built around celebrity watching and entertainment news. Nowhere is this most evident than when you watch awards shows; you devote around three hours of your evening to watching your favorite actor, singer, or personality, seeing how everyone’s dressed and listening to whatever very cool music is featured. But as you might expect, there is a lot more behind the scenes action in order to make the pomp and circumstance of what you see on television actually happen. Not only do these awards shows cost a lot of money to produce and air, there are many teams of people required to make them happen.

Show Me the Money!

While it certainly depends which awards show is being produced, it’s safe to say that there is a lot of money involved in any given awards show. For instance, with the Oscars, it costs $500 to produce one golden statuette. At 24 categories, that means it costs $12,000 just to produce the statues. It costs $5,000,000 for the voting campaigns.

These basic numbers are all well and good, but we haven’t even considered the cost of hiring the technicians, the fashion designers, the producers or the director(s) behind an awards show. According to www.payscale.com, the set designer could make around $96,000; the show director, $143,000. By comparison, the lighting technicians only make $26 per hour. All told, the salary payouts alone could cost as much as $782,000. That doesn’t include the payout to television stations for the privilege of air time.

Who’s Involved?

While not every awards show will have the exact same crew working on it, the awards shows – whether the Oscars, the People’s Choice Awards, or the American Music Awards – will have certain crew members which will be consistent across the board. Obviously, the shows will require both a show director and a music director; that just goes without saying. However, there also needs to be lighting technicians and camera operators that will obviously help the show actually appear on television.

Of course, the magazine and news reporters will want to have pictures of both the potential awards winners and the winners themselves, as well as sound bites and quotes from them. That means photographers and reporters will have to be on the red carpet, ready to interview the big stars – and their significant others, if they are also famous – and get the hottest shots for the evening. There will have to be reporters working in the press booth; that costs $500 to access the wireless Internet hookup as well. There also has to be technicians on hand to ensure that the upload to the television stations for the live feed of both the red carpet and the ceremony itself actually works flawlessly.

You can see when you consider the money and the personnel involved in mounting any Hollywood awards show that there is a lot of work, effort and money involved. That means there has to be a wide range of advertisers to help support the financial figures involved in the show and a great number of people busy working to make the celebrities look as good as they do. While the awards shows may run up to four hours on television, keep in mind, it’s all for our entertainment.

Eric Halberg is a part-time blogger who likes to write about TV shows and celebs, offering his thoughts and opinions on a range of entertainment blogs. Visit www.cablenet.net for information on getting Cable TV.

PREPARE FOR EXTENSIVE CUSTOMIZATION IN THE LATEST DOLLAR DASH TRAILER

Kalypso Media Digital revealed today the Dollar Dash “Customization” trailer that showcases a variety of elaborate character outfits and costumes such as a king, pirate, yoga instructor, punk rocker, and even a pig that sports a bucket for a hat. Whether it is a Viking helmet or a bandana to hide a scowl, the game’s deep customization options pave the way for hilarious hijinks and surprising encounters with opponents.

Dollar Dash is a one-of-a-kind multiplayer digital game that has players in the role of a cartoon thief who must make use of outrageous weapons to grab bags of cash and deposit them in a getaway vehicle before it disappears. Developed by Candygun Games, Dollar Dash offers a huge amount of customization and personalization as players attack, defend, and outrun their fellow thieves with comedic tactics to achieve victory.

Dollar Dash will be available March 6 on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 800 Microsoft Points and Windows®PC for $9.99. The PlayStation®Network version will launch soon thereafter for $9.99.

For more information on Dollar Dash, please visit: www.dollardashgame.com. For the latest news and updates, please ‘Like’ us on Facebook.

Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

“PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

It is Tuesday. That means it is time for another look at The Human Division by John Scalzi, with the release of Episode #6 – The Back Channel.

As we are now on week six, I am going to bet that you know all about this latest addition of the Old Man’s War series. If you are still not familiar with Scalzi’s latest offering, and the unique format in which it is being published, take a moment to read the first couple paragraphs of the review for Episode #5 – Tales from the Clarke.

The synopsis for The Human Division Episode #6 – The Back Channel reads:

The Conclave is a confederation of four hundred alien races—many of whom would like to see the Colonial Union, and the humans inside of it, blasted to extinction. To avoid a conflict that neither side can afford, Conclave leader General Tarsem Gau appoints Hafte Sorvalh to resolve an emerging diplomatic crisis with the humans, before the only acceptable solution is war.

Like last week’s episode, we are still enjoying a nice cool glass of water. You are able to sit back, enjoy your churros, pet your goat — you do have a goat, don’t you? — and take in the scenery.

Also, like last week, this does not mean this week’s episode is without action. Boy howdy! There is all sort of deliciously delightful intrigue found within this episode. There are a number of wonderful comedic beats. Also, I kind of fell in lust with Hafte Sorvalh. She is a fabulicious character. I want to devour more of her.

Because I like to keep reviews spoiler free, and because we are almost at the halfway point, let’s talk about a couple things.

First, I think you need to make sure your safety belts are firmly secured and all limbs are tucked well inside the compartment. I have a feeling we are nearing the end of our reprieve from the fast-paced action of this ride, and we are about to start screaming down the biggest hill on this roller coaster. We may get a moment here and there to catch our breath, but in Episode #6 – The Back Channel, a number of things were put into place that have me thinking we are about to embark on an extremely wild ride. The tension between the Conclave and the Colonial Union is about to come to a head, with humans stuck in the middle.

If I was a betting person, I’d say we have, at most, two more episodes before we are begging to be let off, all the while completely enjoying this crazy ride called The Human Division.

Second, I am quite pleased with how Scalzi is managing to introduce information from previous Old Man’s War books, without weighing the story down with repetitive information.

There are a number of things that come up in Episode #6 – The Back Channel that reference prior events. Scalzi doesn’t give a lot of details. He only gives a sentence or two, when necessary, to tie the story into what has already happened.

I have not read any of the previous Old Man’s War books. Scalzi gives uninitiated readers, such as myself, a decent amount of information to know that there is a lot of pre-existing tension between the different factions. I know that John Perry is a very important figure, even if I’m not completely aware of how and why. I know what purpose is served by humans. I know how someone becomes a member of the Colonial Union Forces. I know just enough to get by and not feel like I’m missing some important piece of information.

That said, I know that my enjoyment would be much greater if I had read the previous books. However, that does not take away from my enjoyment. Most importantly, it does not impede my ability to follow the story and not feel completely lost in this universe.

Scalzi manages to balance a need to keep the uninitiated from losing their path with the need to not bury the initiated with horribly repetitive information.

When reading a series, there are few things that frustrate me more than when a good portion of subsequent books is devoted to flashback scenes, recaps, etc. Because there are only a handful of sentences, spread out within this episode, that serve to tie this book with previous books, they expertly serve the triple purpose of refreshing the memory of those who have read all the books, bringing the uninitiated into the loop, and tying the series together.

Now, excuse me while I take this time to drink plenty of water and prepare for the ride that is to come.

You can read my review of Episode #1 – The B-Team here, my review of Episode #2 – Walk the Plank here, my review of Episode #3 – We Only Need the Heads here, my review of Episode #4 – A Voice in the Wilderness here, and my review of Episode #5 – Tales from the Clarke here.

You can purchase The Human Division Episode #6 – The Back Channel DRM-Free on Amazon.com, Kobo Books, and Barnes & Noble.

A copy of this book was provided for the purposes of this review.

If you have any questions for R.A. Salvatore, please email them to me at jules@thelook247.com, no later than Monday, February 25, 2013, Noon PT/ 3 pm ET/ 8 pm UK time.

About R.A. Salvatore

As one of the fantasy genre’s most successful authors, R.A. Salvatore enjoys an ever-expanding and tremendously loyal following.

His books regularly appear on The New York Times best-seller lists and have sold more than 10,000,000 copies. Salvatore’s most recent original hardcover, The Two Swords, Book III of The Hunter’s Blade Trilogy (October 2004) debuted at # 1 on The Wall Street Journal best-seller list and at # 4 on The New York Times best-seller list. His books have been translated into numerous foreign languages including German, Italian, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Turkish, Croatian, Bulgarian, Yiddish, Spanish, Russian, Polish, Czech, and French.

Salvatore’s first published novel, The Crystal Shard from TSR in 1988, became the first volume of the acclaimed Icewind Dale Trilogy and introduced an enormously popular character, the dark elf Drizzt Do’Urden. Since that time, Salvatore has published numerous novels for each of his signature multi-volume series including The Dark Elf Trilogy, Paths of Darkness, The Hunter’s Blades Trilogy, and The Cleric Quintet.

His love affair with fantasy, and with literature in general, began during his sophomore year of college when he was given a copy of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings as a Christmas gift. He promptly changed his major from computer science to journalism. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications from Fitchburg State College in 1981, then returned for the degree he always cherished, the Bachelor of Arts in English. He began writing seriously in 1982, penning the manuscript that would become Echoes of the Fourth Magic. Salvatore held many jobs during those first years as a writer, finally settling in (much to our delight) to write full time in 1990.

The R.A. Salvatore Collection has been established at his alma mater, Fitchburg State College in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, containing the writer’s letters, manuscripts, and other professional papers. He is in good company, as The Salvatore Collection is situated alongside The Robert Cormier Library, which celebrates the writing career of the co-alum and esteemed author of young adult books.

Salvatore is an active member of his community and is on the board of trustees at the local library in Leominster, Massachusetts. He has participated in several American Library Association regional conferences, giving talks on themes including “Adventure fantasy” and “Why young adults read fantasy.” Salvatore himself enjoys a broad range of literary writers including James Joyce, Mark Twain, Geoffrey Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dante, and Sartre. He counts among his favorite genre literary influences Ian Fleming, Arthur Conan Doyle, Fritz Leiber, and of course, J.R.R. Tolkien.

Born in 1959, Salvatore is a native of Massachusetts and resides there with his wife Diane, and their three children, Bryan, Geno, and Caitlin. The family pets include three Japanese Chins, Oliver, Artemis and Ivan, and four cats including Guenhwyvar.

When he isn’t writing, Salvatore chases after his three Japanese Chins, takes long walks, hits the gym, and coaches/plays on a fun-league softball team that includes most of his family. His gaming group still meets on Sundays to play.