ESA to downsize E3? on GameSpot (thanks Frans) quotes "informed industry sources" (IIS) in reporting that the ESA is planning drastic changes to the structure and scope of the Electronic Entertainment Expo. According to their IIS, the annual show will move from the LA Convention Center to a smaller venue, and will serve a smaller group of attendees in a series of meeting room conferences, rather than the open floor event it has been. GameSpot notes that one of their IIS thinks the changes will result in a more productive environment, which is hard to disagree with, though I always enjoyed the chaos of the show floor. They also point out that there is a financial motivation to cutting down on the showy part of the show, which has indeed always been strikingly extravagant, but they also speculate it may force smaller companies to seek alternate promotional opportunities. They say an official announcement about this will come tomorrow. In a more drastic take on the rumors, Next Generation has busted out the caps lock in declaring "EXCLUSIVE: E3 FINISHED" (thanks StrategyCore) saying any coming announcement of a smaller event is damage control, but that the real story here is that E3 is ostensibly dead. They say an official announcement is likely over the next 48 hours.

This must be K-Billy's Super Sounds of the Seventies Weekend, because a Reservoir Dogs Product Section is live, as well as a new Flash Reservoir Dogs Website as a pair of homes to the upcoming game based on the classic crime drama (thanks Frans). Included in the festivities is the first movie from the project.

• Maelstrom
  The Maelstrom Q&A on JustPressPlay talks with designer Carl Johnson about Maelstrom, Codemaster's upcoming RTS game: "The Remnants are survivors of the Maelstrom that have come to be led by a former Navy SEAL James Buchanan. They’re a real rag-tag group of normal people who’ve scavenged and scraped together an army to fight the oppressive Ascension. The best way to describe their force is imagine the military vehicles of today, then add on 50 years of rust and wear – that is the Remnants. They are a fighting force that mainly utilizes guerilla tactics."
• Officers
  The Officers Q&A on 39-45stratégie is the English version of a conversation with Nikolay Demchenko that's also available in French, discussing Game Factory Interactive's upcoming world War II RTS game: "Initially, it was a long work collecting materials regarding Allied campaign. When came up with a pile of works on the subject, we picked several locations that are connected in terms of allied troops movement and adopted them for game purposes. So, it is legitimate to say the game missions are based on events and locations that are not invented. Of course, we didn’t even try to create locations that would be absolutely identical to their real-life counterparts. We simply took main landscape features, selected key settlements and made up the rest."

• World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade on Hooked on Games.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• S.E.C. Seeks Option Data From Activision (registration required).
• Torrentspy Asks Why Hollywood Isn't Suing Google Too.
• Paul Thurrott's WGA Woes Solved.
• The Big Karaoke Crackdown.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• ATI to release power-hungry external video card?
• A Counselor Pulled From the Shadows (registration required).
• The rise of the cyber-children.
• At 60, Sony Focuses on Rebuilding Brand.
• Microsoft turns photo collections into 3D walkthroughs.
• Time Warner does / doesn't support CableCARD TiVos - Engadget

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Microsoft Preps “Surprises” to Steal Attention from PlayStation 3, Wii.
• Ninety-Nine Nights Demo Now on XBL.
• Star Trek: Battlestations For PS2 Revealed?
• How to Make an Xbox Live Arcade Game.
• THQ whacks 360 Sopranos.
• Scarface joins next-gen cancellation list.
• Blood+ Souyoku no Battle Rondo Preview.
• Free Radical: Wii Can't Handle Our Game.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Apple Sez iPod has 4 Year Lifespan.
• Cell Phone Picture Called Obstruction Of Justice.
• NVIDIA Handheld Technology Scoops Two 'Best of Show' Awards at Premier Developer Conference.
• Delayed digital releases annoy iTunes users.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Opera Browser, Still Perfecting Its Pitch (registration required).
• PCs dream of electric sheep. Thanks medusa.
• Victor Ireland Confirms Gaijinworks Affiliation.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• JavaScript opens doors to browser-based attacks.

A new Distant Guns FAQ (thanks Frans) is online for Storm Eagle Studios' new release.

• How to Become a Better Videogame Journalist.

• Dungeon & Dragons Online: Stormreach on GamingGroove.
• Half-Life 2: Episode One on Legion PC Gamers.
• Hitman: Blood Money on GamersInfo.net and BytePress.
• The Secrets of Da Vinci: The Forbidden Manuscript on GameSpot.
• Titan Quest on JustPressPlay.

• A-Data 2 GB Fingerprint Drive on Overclockers Online.
• ASUS P5W DH Deluxe Motherboard on Maxit Mag.
• CoolerMaster RealPower 550W SLI PSU on PCApex.
• Crucial Ballistix Tracer Memory on Extensive Mods.
• Forsa Geforce 7900GT Video Card on Overclocker's Club.
• Intel Core 2 Duo CPU on DriverHeaven.net.
• Samsung HP-S5053 Monitor on Windows A to Z.
• SanDisk Cruzer Titanium U3 Thumb Drive on APH Networks.
• Sansun Group Galaxy ATX Mid-Tower Case on 3DXtreme.
• Zalman Super Thermal Grease on ThinkComputers.

• Playing reality in virtual games. Thanks Mike Martinez…
• MAME32b version 107.1 is now available. Thanks Ant…

We had lots of fun catching up with the family yesterday. The surprising number of birthday gifts and such that we had to distribute in addition to presents for the birthday girl, however, were a shocking indicator of how long it had been since some of us had gotten together, so we will have to make sure that this doesn't become a trend.

Trendy Links!	Thanks Mike Martinez and Ant.
Play:	Phosphor. New and improved. Storm the House 2. Ditto.
Link:	Hellboy Animated. Thanks Dashcan.
Stories:	Police nab smurfs for trampoline theft. Thanks Nemo. Owen Wilson Says 'Dupree' Is No Rip-Off.
Science!:	Eye Transmits to Brain at Ethernet Speed.
Media:	Half-Life 2 Garrys Mod Huge Walking Fortress.
Follow-up:	Mel Gibson apologises for drunk driving.