Happy birthday DOOM, as it was on this day in 1993 that id Software's seminal first-person shooter was first released, and I will definitely be playing some of the grand old game today to celebrate. Out of curiosity, I installed the original shareware version on a Vista machine, which doesn't run, though it may be able be coaxed into action with a little work. That installation process also served as a startling reminder of the good old days of DOS gaming, as the installer asks for your music card, its port address, your sound FX device, its port address, its (shudder) IRQ, and its DMA channel, and of course you must configure your controls before launching the game. The only thing that could make that trip down 640K memory lane more complete would be to install a modem and start messing with init strings.

Links:	Thanks Ant and Mike Martinez and Acleacius.
Play:	Spectromancer: League of Heroes. Tiny Hawk. Mass Mayhem 2.
Links:	Outlawry, Supervillians, and Modern Law. Thanks Neatorama.
Story:	Briton booked for speeding in London and New Zealand by same policeman. Thanks Neatorama.
Science:	Geminid Meteor Shower Defies Explanation. Scientists Say Iron-Eating Bacteria Are Gobbling Up the Titanic. Thanks Slashdot.
Images:	Nintendo Guitar. What? I Can’t Pick 4C?
Auction:	Watch listed for $9.95 on eBay turns out to be classic 007 "Dr. No" watch, fetches $66k.
The Funnies:	xkcd- Tic-Tac-Toe. UserFriendly.