A technical SNAFU has my mail all backed up at the BlueTower among other problems, which may take a couple of hours or more to clear up, so I'm going to take MrsBlue for her birthday dinner and see if the situation has rectified itself enough to salvage an update this evening, otherwise I'll have to catch up tomorrow. My apologies.

The Pro Cycling Manager 2006 Website now offers a playable demo for the sports management simulation. Word is: "In the demo you will have the opportuny [sic] to manage one of the current top team, the T-MOBILE team, oduring [sic] the 16th stage of the Tour de France between Bourg d’Oisans and La Toussuire Les Sybelles. A tutorial is also available in this demo to help you to get the best from your team during the race !" The download is mirrored on 3D Downloads, 3D Gamers, Gamer's Hell, and Worthplaying.

The Birth of America Forums (thanks Frans) offers a new patch for Birth of America, updating the turn-based strategy game to version 1.08. The update offers some scenario fixes, unit fixes, and more.

The Wings of Honour: Battles of the Red Baron Product Section has taken off, and offers an aerodrome for the upcoming World War I aerial combat game. the site offers info and screenshots from the game. Thanks Frans.

• SiN Episodes
  There's a SiN Episodes Q&A on RITUALISTIC talking with Ritual's Ken Harward and Levelord about their episodic shooter sequel: "We're hoping to release a mini-SDK very soon, which allows for all types of content-making (maps, models, materials, etc.) for both traditional single-player and arena-mode maps. Once we have merged with the latest version of the Source engine from Valve, we intend to release an SDK that allows for mods to be made of the game. This will have all the functionality of the HL2 SDK. We're hoping to release this later this summer." Also, the Hollywood Reporter has an article on Episodic gaming that offers further quotes from the Levelord.
• WarPath
  The WarPath Q&A on FiringSquad hits the Warpath with Digital Extremes to discuss their imminent first-person shooter: "Warpath is a guilty pleasure; a no non-sense, straight up high adrenaline shooter with elements of strategy and customization, allowing players to incorporate an amazing range of play styles. At its core this game is just like the FPS of old that made you fall in love with shooters, but once you get into it, you’ll see there is so much more here for players to tap into and enjoy."
• EverQuest II
  There's a Dynamic Design Q&A on TenTonHammer talking with Jason Roberts, lead content designer on EverQuest II: "There is a lot to draw upon from 'Old Norrath' and several stories that were never told, and a lot can happen in 500 years. So to answer the first part of the question, yes, you will certainly see more of the familiar Norrath resurface, though likely with some notable changes. The new zones, or new looks at old zones, give us something that is uniquely EverQuest 2 and a mix of the two seems to work well for us. It's fun to surprise players with something initially recognizable but slightly twisted over time to now be what it is."
• Da Vinci Code
  Breaking the “Code” Winifred Phillips Q&A Part 2 on GameZone continues this conversation about the soundtrack for the Da Vinci Code game: "As I write this, I am intermittently looking at web bulletin boards where people playing The Da Vinci Code are asking each other for clues to the puzzles, arguing passionately about the significance of the story, and bragging about how far along they are in the game. It is a fun read. I’m proud to have been a part of this experience they’re all sharing as a community."

• S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl on GameSpot and IGN.

• Swashbucklers: Blue vs Grey on the Official Product Section. Thanks Frans.

• Yahoo Sued Over Its Google Ads (Yes, You Read That Right).

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Europe 'key' for Xbox 360.
• Sega Announces Chromehounds Has Gone Gold.
• Michael Crichton Dreams Up Concept For SEGA.
• Stranglehold Targets Launch.
• Nintendo's new remote: How do Wii do it.
• Sony PlayStation 3 on sale for £550.
• Quake 4 to Shake XBox 360 on Nov. 18.
• The Fast and the Furious Preview.
• FF7 Remake Preorders?

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Microsoft transformation falls to Steve Ballmer and (wait for it)… DEVELOPERS!
• Microsoft Shuts Off Vista Torrent.
• Microsoft's Culture Guaranteed Vista Delays.
• Computex 2006 on The Tech Report.
• Nielsen's new plan measure video consumption, not TV watching.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Tomb Raider PSP Remake Cancelled.
• 136,000+ Nintendo DS Lites Sold in 2 Days.
• Mobile technology companies plan joint Linux platform.
• Lose your marbles playing Nintendo DS puzzler.
• The Legend of Heroes II Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch Preview.
• Pokemon Update.
• Nacho Libre Game Coming to Nintendo DS.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Yahoo 'Strictest' Censor in China.
• Google tests Web buying system.
• Web firm tries to create safe haven for tweens.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Porn-surfing Oregon Worker Exposes 2,200 Taxpayer IDs.
• Why Apple is to blame for iTunes DRM.
• Is RIAA nastygramming YouTubers over vids of kids singing and dancing?
• U.S. Joins Hollywood in War on Piracy.

World Series of Unprofessionalism on ThinkComputers.

The Ritual Entertainment Jobs Page is now accepting applications for a level design position "for a multi-platform next-generation AAA action title." Details can be found in this listing.

• Auto Assault on Game Chronicles.
• Battlefield 2: Armored Fury on Computer Games Online.
• Black & White 2: Battle of the Gods on The Gamers Temple.
• City Life on Yahoo Video Games.
• Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter on The Armchair Empire.
• Half-Life 2: Episode One on GameZone and Gameplay Monthly.
• Heroes of Might and Magic V on Gameplay Monthly.
• KnightShift Director's Cut on GameZone.
• Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War on GameSpy.
• Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends on GameMethod.
• Rush for Berlin on Game Chronicles.
• The Secrets of Da Vinci: The Forbidden Manuscript on Adventure Gamers.
• Stacked with Daniel Negreanu on GameDaily.
• ToCA Race Driver 3 on DriverHeaven.net.
• World Racing 2 on Worthplaying.

• AOpen miniPC MP915-B Super Multi System on PCStats.
• ASUS EAX1300PRO 256MB Video Card on Virtual-Hideout.
• Casion Exilim EX-Z60 Digital Camera on Digital Trends.
• Cooler Master iGreen 500W PSU on Modders-Inc.
• Cooler Master Mystique 631 ATX Case on PCApex.
• Corsair XMS2 8500 DDR2 RAM on PC Perspective.
• FujiFilm FinePix F470 Digital Camera on Bytesector.
• Intel Core2 Duo CPU on t-break.
• OCZ 1GB Mini-Kart USB Thumb Drive on Techgage.
• Seagate Barracuda 750GB 7200.10 Hard Drive on ViperLair.
• Thermaltake Eureka Aluminum Full Tower Case on Big Bruin.
• Xtrac Ripper XXL, Pro HS and Mouse Tape on XSreviews.co.uk.
• Zalman VF900-Cu Heatpipe Graphics Card Cooler on Adrian's Rojak Pot.

• The WWII Online Promotions Page has their "Welcome Back Soldier- 5 Year Anniversary" offer where old accounts have been reactivated for free as well as a 14 day free trial to the WW2 MMORPG…
• The Romanians in Space Website is now accepting sign-ups for open beta testing of the upcoming space simulator…
• A Bug's Life reproduces a print article from Edge Magazine on the life of a QA tester and the fine (lost?) art of tracking down bugs in games. Thanks Slashdot and Ant…
• Codemasters announces they are accepting Click&Buy as a payment method for D&D Online, allowing subscriptions to the MMORPG with no credit card…
• Advertisers Taking On Video Games…

Happy Birthday to MrsBlue! Since she is my better half, I suppose this theoretically makes this half my birthday too, but I'm not expecting any presents. On the other hand, we'll go out to dinner to celebrate, and it's not like I won't get to order anything, so I guess we're sharing a bit after all.

Birthday Links!	Thanks Mike Martinez and Ant.
Link:	The Killer List of Videogames. Thanks Kxmode.
Science!:	Study Finds Aquatic Roots for Today's Birds. Dry ice creates toughened glass.
Images:	Gamer product marketing gone bad.
Media:	Tekken with Actual Humans. Thanks David. Chris Angel with amazing trick! Thanks Malig. Powers of ten (Simpsons' version).
Teh Funny:	FoxTrot.