Crytek Across the World on Develop is an article from about a week ago profiling the various arms of Crytek (thanks Joystiq via GoGamingGiant). The profile of Crytek UK (formerly Free Radical Design) describes a new IP they are currently "concepting" in remarks that also mention the FPS genre, though it's not clear if the new IP is a shooter. Here's word:

"We are currently concepting up an original IP that we hope will become a defining game series for the UK studio,” reveals Karl Hilton, studio manager. “However, in reality, the opportunity to make any kind of original FPS genre game where we get to focus on the quality of both the multiplayer and single player experience is what drives people at the studio. We have a strong history of creativity here, and we want to take that forward with Crytek and the CryENGINE 3."

The Company of Heroes Website announces development of a version 2.601 hotfix for Relic's World War II RTS game that they hope will go live soon. The new version will address a bug that could prevent destroyed tanks from respawning, and will also enhance the game's modification support. The update has further details on the bug and what they are doing to help modders.

The Zeno Clash Postmortem on Gamasutra looks back at the ups and downs of ACE Team's first-person fighting game. They start off describing a failed Lithtech-engine game that preceded this project, how that scaled back their ambitions for its follow-up, and how they developed Zeno Clash in a living room to save on office expenses. Moving on to the game, they discuss things that went right, including creating the visual impression of a large universe, sticking with their aggressive artistic vision, choosing the Source engine to go with their digital distribution, and their unusual reaction to the game being pirated. Among the things they felt went wrong were the creation of too much art to prototype, problems getting the lighting right, an unpredictable development process with no design document, lack of multiplayer support, and more.

The Champions Online Website announces the addition of a Comic Strip Creator for players of Cryptic's superhero MMORPG. Strips can be created using supplied artwork or screenshots from the game or both, and completed strips can be uploaded for all to see, provided they meet the game's Usage Guidelines.

GameShark offers three new Dragon Age: Origins interviews, speaking with Executive Producer Mark Darrah and Lead Designer Mike Laidlaw on BioWare's upcoming RPG, as well as BioWare co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, and there's also an interview with Mike Laidlaw on GameZone discussing choices within the game. Also, a new trailer is now available to introduce the Broodmother, one of the threats to be encountered in the game. Word is: "No one knows how the Darkspawn truly live in their tainted warrens beneath the earth, although a few Grey Wardens have, on occasion, delved deep into the old Dwarven tunnels in an effort to find the heart of the Darkspawn corruption and scour it clean. Those who ever returned, did so with ashen faces and spoke only of a creature called a 'Broodmother' that haunted their dreams for the rest of their short existence. What the Broodmother truly is, only the Grey Wardens know for certain." The Broodmother introductory trailer is available on FileFront, Gamer's Hell, GameTrailers, and GameVideos. Finally, there's also a trailer showing off the Blood Dragon bonus Dragon Age/Mass Effect 2 armor from the game, which can be found on ActionTrip and AtomicGamer.

A video diary is now available for Torchlight, the upcoming RPG from Runic Games. The clip harkens back to the prior experiences of the development team and how the game emphasizes fast and fun action/RPG gameplay and supports short gaming sessions (though they also tout its addictiveness). The clip is primarily developer narration, though plenty of gameplay is displayed along the way (unfortunately someone was too aggressive with their audio compression, and the sound is pretty awful, though everything said can still be understood). The clip is available on the YouTube and mirrored on FileFront and Gamer's Hell. On the same topic, Gamer's Hell also has three movies show off the game's editor, which will be included with its release.

There's a Nexon Games interview on The MMO Gamer chatting with Nexon America's Min Kim about their subscription-free MMOGs. Topics include the difficulty in getting western gamers and media to consider their offerings "real" MMOGs, what defines the "casual" experience, the differences between eastern and western players, grinding, how a moratorium on Japanese consoles in Korea has shaped the Korean gaming market, and more.

Mod DB now features a new version 1.01 of the Multi Theft Auto: San Andreas Mod for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the open world action game. The new version fixes some client and server crashes, resolves compatibility issues, improves cross-platform compatibility for the dedicated server, and fixes various "major" bugs. Word is the new client can still connect to old servers, but server operators are encouraged to update to the latest version. Thanks Ant.

• Cellblock Squadrons on Impulse. Save 50%.
• Defense Grid: The Awakening on Steam. Save 50% (this is a price drop, not a sale).
• Gratuitous Space Battles on Impulse. Save 13% on preorders.
• Hitman series on Steam. Save 50%.
• Metal Drift on Steam. Save 20% on pre-purchase and get beta access.
• Red Faction: Guerrilla on Amazon.com. Save 10% on the Xbox 360 edition. Thanks nin.
• Restaurant Empire 2 on Impulse. Save 30%.
• Sins of a Solar Empire on Impulse. Save 33%.
• Sins of a Solar Empire Bundle on Impulse. Save 14%.
• THQ Classic FPS Bundle on Impulse. Save 25%.
  
  Still on sale (previously reported)
   
• AudioSurf on Steam. Save 50%.
• Arx Fatalis on GOG.com. Save $1.00.
• Battlestations: Pacific on Direct2Drive. Only $5.00.
• Borderlands on Direct2Drive. Save 10% on preorders.
• Brothers In Arms: Road to Hill 30 Download on Direct2Drive. Only $5.00.
• Cities XL: Pre-Purchase on Steam. Limited Edition for the standard edition price plus in-game bonus items.
• Codename: Panzers - Cold War on Direct2Drive. Only $5.00.
• Company of Heroes Gold on Direct2Drive. Only $5.00.
• Dark Void Preorders on GameStop. Outlines the preorder bonus.
• Dark Void Preorders on Game Crazy. Get a limited edition Trexi.
• Delta Force: Land Warrior on Direct2Drive. Only $5.00.
• Delta Force: Task Force Dagger on Direct2Drive. Only $5.00.
• Dreamkiller on Steam. Pre-purchase and save 10%.
• Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion on GoGamer. Save 86%.
• Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Shivering Isles Expansion on GoGamer. Save 84%.
• Empire: Total War on Steam. Save 50%.
• Hearts Of Iron II Collection on Direct2Drive. Only $5.00.
• Mercenaries 2: World in Flames on GoGamer. Save 51%.
• Nemesis of the Roman Empire on Impulse. Save 47%.
• Neverend on GoGamer. Save 29%.
• Oddworld Games on Steam. Save 66%.
• Prey on GoGamer. Save 90%.
• Prince of Persia on GoGamer. Save 87%.
• Prototype on GoGamer. Save 44%.
• Raven Squad on Steam. Includes a free copy of Legendary.
• Raven Squad: Hidden Dagger on GoGamer. Save 38%.
• Shadowrun on GoGamer. Save 90%.
• SFI Mission 4-Pack on the Strategy First Website. Four games for $19.99.
• Spiderweb Software Store. All games 10% off through October.
• Supreme Commander Gold on Direct2Drive. Only $5.00.
• Tex Murphy Series on GOG.com. Save 30%.
• Tropico 3 Pre-purchase on Steam. Save 10%.
• Tropico 3 on Direct2Drive. Preorders save 10%.
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade on Direct2Drive. Only $5.00.
• Warlords Battlecry III on Impulse. Save 47%.
• Wolfenstein on Amazon. Save 44%.
• World in Conflict Gold Edition on Direct2Drive. Only $5.00.

• Love on Rock, Paper, Shotgun.
• Star Trek Online on the Official Website. Crew details and how Bridge Officers affect gameplay. Thanks Massively.

• Final Fantasy XIV on GameInfoWire.

• PS3 to Dominate as September Game Sales Expected to See Double Digit Growth.
• Avatar Items: NFL Jerseys on Xbox LIVE. Bend over, they're 320 points.
• Guitar Hero 5 DLC: Billy Squier on Xbox LIVE.
• GameStop to introduce at midnight new video games at 800 stores in US. Brutal Legend and Uncharted 2 madness.
• All 400+ Cars Of Forza Motorsport 3. Thanks Mike Martinez.
• Halo 3: ODST sells 2.5 million units.
• DJ Hero Pre-Orders are now underway, offering different bonuses from different retailers.
• Epic Mickey is definitely a Wii exclusive. Unless it definitely isn't.
• Opinion: What If Nintendo Never Launched the Wii?
• Demo: BAYONETTA (Japan Only) on Xbox LIVE.
• Bayonetta gets nekked in these NSFW screens.
• Sony event puts hardware in back seat, shows off games.

• Is AT&T about to clamp down on heaviest iPhone data users?
• Capcom Brings Some Explosive Fun To iPhone.
• Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars PSP Screenshots.

• Microsoft leaks details of Windows 8 and Windows 9. 128-bit OS? Thanks Slashdot.
• NVIDIA Halts Development Of New Intel Chipsets. Thanks ^Drag0n^.
• Case in Point- The Best CPU under $300.
• PC Perspective - Podcast #77 - The State of NVIDIA, PhysX, GlobalFoundries with ARM and more.
• Greenpeace Statement on Apple Leaving The Chamber of Commerce.

• Industry bounced back in September…
• Digital Extremes Named One of Canada’s Top 100 Employers…
• Eliza Dushku May Work On Live Action ‘WET’ Movie…

Tomorrow morning is when NASA will blow up the moon, or attempt to measure the amount of water on the moon, or both. For the early-rising voyeur, Wired (thanks brother19) outlines a few ways to view the festivities. Here's hoping they don't go all Space 1999 on us.

GameTap announces that Trine is the newest game on their subscription gaming service, saying this is their first 64-bit compatible PC game based on some new technology they've implemented. They also say they will be converting several games per week from their existing library to include this 64-bit compatibility. GameTap also announces the return of save states to all 543 of their in-browser games, which even encompasses games that did not originally support saved games in the first place. Finally, they also announce that Total Overdose will be spending the next two weeks slumming in their subscription-free area with the cheapskates.

A playable demo for RACE On is now available, offering a test drive of SimBin's motorsports game that simulates the WTCC season as well as other racy endeavors. The demo includes the Dodge Challenger SRT8 and the Seat Leon TDI, two game modes, and two racetracks. Word is: "The RACE On demo has two game modes: 'Racing Event' and 'Time Attack.' While in 'Racing Event' mode, players can try their hand at a whole weekend of racing, including training, qualifiers and the race itself. In 'Time Attack' mode, they must achieve the fastest lap around a circuit. The mouthwatering demo is designed to give players a taste of the excitement and thrill of the most realistic racing simulation ever." The 665 MB download is available on AtomicGamer, ComputerGames.ro, FanGaming, FileFront, and Gamer's Hell.

Frogster Interactive announces a new version 2.1 patch is now live in Runes of Magic, the subscription-free MMORPG from Runewaker Entertainment. As described here, the new version adds a volcano and a dragon for your marshmallow toasting pleasure: "What does [sic] a volcano and a dragon have in common, apart from their ability to spew fire? Both of them appeared yesterday for the very first time in Taborea, the game world of Runes of Magic, courtesy of Patch 2.1. Just a few weeks following the release of the second chapter of Runes of Magic, the ‘Aotulia Volcano’, the hellish heart of the evil Naga empire, is now open for all gamers. The recently announced six-player dungeon, ‘Cave of the Water Dragon’, is also now live as player groups prepare to conquer the deranged dragon Lytfir."

NAMCO BANDAI Partners announces that Monte Cristo's urban planning simulation Cities XL is now available in the UK, Scandinavia, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Australia, and New Zealand. Here's a bit on the game:

In the solo mode, you can build from a selection of 500 buildings on varied landscape maps. In the online mode – subject to a monthly subscription - you can collaborate to build famous landmarks, trade resources with other players, and get monthly new content such as new building packs. The game has an RRP of £29.99.

In Cities XL, you build up your city in resplendent 3D from a selection of 500 buildings, whilst trying to keep your population happy – in the beta, players have managed to get up to 17,000,000 inhabitants in one city! You have to take account pollution, traffic, trade and class to build that perfect city.

Cities are built on amazing 3D maps (such as Mount St Helens), and the game really reflects that impressive scale, letting you zoom out to a Google Earth perspective or right into street level to watch your inhabitants going about their day.

If you want, you can go online and build your city on a planet with up to 10,000 other cities per planet. Here you can trade excess resources, chat with friends, specialize your city to corner your local market, or build Megastructures that aren’t available in the single-player game.

A hotfix patch for Risen updates Piranha Byte's recently released RPG to version 1.01, addressing a bug that caused a grey veil for owners of NVIDIA GeForce 6 and 7-series graphics cards. The patch is available from AtomicGamer, FileFront, Gamer's Hell, and The Patches Scrolls.

An Archon Classic DEVblog has word that a PC remake of Archon is nearing release from React! Games, developer of the current iPhone remake of the old school strategy game as well as another upcoming Archon-based iPhone game (thanks Kotaku). Presales of the new PC version will begin on October 15, and its release will be "soon." The new version is based on the original (which was based on Chess), but adds enhancements, including four-player multiplayer support. Word is: "There are many other surprises in store for the PC, such as various new boards, new abilities, etc. I don’t have any screenshots yet, mainly because the TEMP art is so ugly…but that will change soon."

Planet Alien Arena now offers a new versions 7.31 of Alien Arena for Windows and Linux, updating the freeware first-person shooter built using the CRX Engine, which is their OpenSource engine based on id's OpenSource Tech 2 engine (QUAKE II). There are a number of changes in the new version, including engine improvements, optimizations, and gameplay enhancements, all neatly summarized in this change log.

Mount&Blade: Warband is now scheduled for release on March 19, 2010, reports Gamer's Hell, a delay from the add-on's originally announced Q3 2009 release window. This expansion adds multiplayer support to TaleWorlds Entertainment's medieval role-playing game, along with various other improvements.

GOG.com announces the release of the Red Baron Pack on their DRM-free marketplace, offering the highly regarded original Red Baron World War I combat flight simulation, as well as Red Baron 3D, the version of Red Baron II that adds three dimensional graphics to the sequel. Also included is the Red Baron: Mission Builder. As always, the Good Old Gamers have added modern Windows support to both games (originally for DOS and Windows 95, respectively).

There's a Left 4 Dead 2 Preview on 1UP.com with another look at the just-announced Scavenge mode for the multiplayer shooter. At the end of the article they mention a menu option called "Realism Mode," which Valve's Chet Faliszek said was "a special modifier that we forgot to hide for this demo." They asked Doug Lombardi about this, explained this was for super hardcore players, saying: "Take Portal for example: We had our best internal players who could blow through that game in about 30 minutes, but within weeks of launching it we had people on YouTube beating [the testers'] times by 10 minutes or more. Realism is for those players." Thanks VG247.

Guild Wars 2 RTS on Kill Ten Rats reports on the translation of a Dutch magazine article about ArenaNet's upcoming online RPG sequel. The RTS in the title refers to new details on the game's World PvP mode that add elements of real-time strategy to the game. They describe the role of supply lines in this mode, using the example of conquering stone mines (those would be mountains, right?) to supply catapults with ammunition, or cutting off enemy caravans to prevent them doing the same. They hash through the possibilities, both good and bad, for such a complex system, which may involve hundreds of players per side. Thanks Massively.

Valve announces Scavenge mode is the fourth game mode in Left 4 Dead 2, offering a couple of screenshots and details on how it will work. There are hands-on previews on G4tv.com and IGN, a Scavenge Victory gameplay video and a Scavenge Sword Gameplay Video on GameVideos (as well as a Jockey gameplay video), and here's word:

Oct 8, 2009 - Valve, creator of best-selling game franchises (such as Half-Life and Counter-Strike) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced Scavenge, the fourth game mode to be included in its upcoming zombie thriller, Left 4 Dead 2.

Scavenge mode challenges players to compete in round-based games of up to 8 players (Survivors vs. Infected). The Survivors must battle both the Infected and the clock as they collect gas cans to refuel a generator located in each map. Every can the Survivors pour into the generator scores their team a point and adds time to the clock.

On defense, the Infected team plays as the boss Infected (including the new Spitter, Jockey, and Charger). They must keep the Survivors from fueling the generator by attacking them, destroying the gas cans, or running out the clock. During a round, each team gets an opportunity to play both sides, with the round going to whichever team successfully delivers the most cans.

Games On Net has news the censored version of Left 4 Dead 2 has passed the Australian ratings board, following up on yesterday's news that a cut version of the co-op zombie shooter was submitted in case the appeal of the game's down-under ban fails. The decision on that appeal is expected on October 22, which is when Australian gamers will find out if they are getting a censored version of the game, or the uncut version being released everywhere else. News.com.au has details on what was cut, saying the melee weapons remain, but that: "The board notes that the game no longer contains depictions of decapitation, dismemberment, wound detail or piles of dead bodies lying about the environment," according to the report (Adobe Acrobat-format). "No wound detail is shown and the implicitly dead bodies and blood splatter disappear as they touch the ground."

Matrix Games (and Slitherine Strategies) announce the release of another new playable demo for Conquest! Medieval Realms, also announcing the version 1.8 patch for the real-time strategy game that was reported here last week. They say: "the new demo includes all of the improvements that come with the latest update and adds two additional scenarios over and above what is already available from the older demo version. Overall, this new demo gives gamers a much more accurate picture of the addicting puzzle-style gameplay found in the new Matrix Games release of Conquest! Medieval Realms. Newcomers as well as customers who already tried the old demo should check out this new version!"

Activision has closed San Francisco-based developer Shaba Games, reports Kotaku, attributing this news to a pair of anonymous "tipsters." According to the report some 30 jobs were lost by the demise of the developer of Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, and sluggish sales of Guitar Hero 5 are mentioned as one of the possible reasons for the move. Shaba Games was formed in 1997, and was acquired by Activision in 2002. Just yesterday it was announced that Activision laid off 30 employees at Scratches developer 7 Studios. Update: Corrected the mistaken reference to 7 Studios being closed (thanks Parallax Abstraction).

VentureBeat reports that Will Wright's startup developer Stupid Fun Club is currently "pursuing" three games, saying: "Right now we are pursuing three pretty aggressively. We might get up to four or five. I want to stay pretty focused. We have a lot of ideas that we want to do. But it’s just three now." The article is a Q&A with the Spore/Sims creator also going into his plans for toy and web-based development as well as games. Thanks Develop.

The Diablo III Interview, part 2 on Diii.net continues their conversation with Jay Wilson about Blizzard's highly anticipated action/RPG sequel. The main focus of today's installment is the Monk class, and they discuss the possibility this will be the class that gets party support skills such as auras, the character's mythology, combat skills, combo attacks, the reasons the Monk will wear armor, and more.

Collect - Yes, Video Games are political. Thanks Mike Martinez via Slashdot.
Perhaps the most profound shift in the games industry in the last few years has been the explosion of co-op. Not only are developers dedicating more and more time to providing co-op experiences in their games, they are also finding new ways of exploring the dynamic within it. Perhaps the best example of this is the work by Valve in the Left 4 Dead series. Here, rather than just providing a space for a team of individuals to progress through the game, they are explicitly designing them to punish those who do not co-ordinate their efforts.

IncGamers - MMO Weekly- A Flatter, Funner MMO.
This tepid realization actually caused a bit of discussion. Are the levels really necessary? Is this meaningless sojourn through sub-80 (again) really needed? Is a level-free MMO possible?

It seems that the answer is yes. Unfortunately, this is something of an anathema. Since D&D introduced the leveling concept waaaaaaay back in the 70s, role players have been leveling up character after character. There are very few examples of level-free MMOs to point to, and some folks don't want to give up the leveling mechanic we've all grown so accustomed to. (Story would be lost! Players would have no opportunity to build their skills! Players should have to *earn* their status! So, the noobs would basically start out the same as level 80s? Unthinkable!) You'd think the “level up – gear up – skill up” triad was a law of some kind.

One Last Continue - Don’t Ask About Rock Band On IGN’s Music Hub – UPDATE.
Instead of covering each title in the plastic-instrument genre, MusicHub focuses on pumping out story after story in Activision’s Hero series. Wanna know who’s going to be in Band Hero? They have that info. Did you hear about the DJ Hero Special Edition? They have that too. But don’t ask about this week’s Rock Band or SingStar DLC releases – that info just doesn’t exist. In fact, the only mentions of Harmonix on the site muck this up even more. For example, a revisionist history wiki page seems the suggest that Harmonix got out of the music game biz when they moved to MTV/EA. And the only mention of Rock Band on the site’s Twitter account states simply “Guitar Hero 5 to Outsell The Beatles: Rock Band by 2-to1.” Thanks, IGN MusicHub! You fulfill all of my rhythm action game news needs. So, what’s going on here?

• Last chance for cheap Develop Liverpool tickets.
• GDC social network shut down.

• Halo planned out for next six years.
• IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds Of Prey DLC out now.
• Episodes from Liberty City Trailer #2: "There's Always a Girl".
• Flight of the Conchords Want You. To help pick songs for Rock Band.
• Wii Dumbbells Launched.

• U.S. Begins Antitrust Inquiry of I.B.M. in Mainframes. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• NVIDIA DirectX 11 Questionnaire – A Response to AMD’s Views.
• The Evolution of 3D Gaming.
• DRAM study turns assumptions about errors upside down.
• MSI Big Bang Fuzion motherboard to offer THX TruStudio, EAS Advanced 5.0.
• ClamAV 0.94.x end of life - with prejudice. Thanks Ant via Linux Today.

• Rock Band coming to iPhone.
• FCC boss: mobile wireless in peril from spectrum shortage.
• Laptop theft gives 850,000 doctors the blues.

Thanks Ant.

• Google Updates US Map Tiles.
• Pro-telecom group misses out on first broadband stimulus $$$.
• OkTrends. Data mining in an online dating service.
• Edwyn Collins stopped from sharing his music online. Thanks Slashdot.
• Earthlink Tries, Fails To Make Dial-Up Interesting.

• Q&A: Worldwide surveillance and filtering. Thanks Slashdot.
• Most Common Hotmail Password Revealed. Thanks Ant via Digg.
• Jail chaos as lag hacker is left in charge of computer system. Thanks Slashdot.

• Citing cybercrime, FBI director doesn't bank online. Thanks Slashdot.
• EDGE dev ‘happy to see EA fight Langdell’.

• Jack Toresal and The Secret Letter on Adventure Classic Gaming.
• Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising on Big Download and bit-tech.net. Thanks dyze.
• Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes on G4tv.com.
• Warrior Epic on GameZone.

• AMD Phenom II X4 955 CPU on t-break.
• Antec Sonata Elite Case on Hardware Secrets.
• Arctic Cooling ARCTIC MX-2 & MX-3 Thermal Paste on Verdis Reviews.
• ASROCK P55M Pro Motherboard on PCShopTalk Forum.
• Asus Maximus III Formula Motherboard on Neoseeker.
• Callpod Fuel Tank on OverclockersHQ.com.
• Cooler Master LGA1156 Heatsinks- Hyper 212 Plus & Hyper TX3 on PureOC.
• Coolmax PS228 Power Supply Tester on ProClockers.
• CyberPower Gamer Extreme 3000 Core i7 860 System on HotHardware.
• ECS A790GXM-AD3 Motherboard on Hardware Secrets.
• Evercool HPK-10025EA Intel Heatsink on FrostyTech.com.
• Fujifilm FinePix S200EXR Digital Camera on Digital Trends.
• GSKILL Rip Jaw 2000MHz RAM on Bjorn3D.com.
• GIGABYTE GA-EX58-Extreme LGA 1366 i7 Motherboard on PC Perspective.
• GIGABYTE Odin PLUS 700W PSU on Guru3D.
• Gunnar Optiks Gaming Glasses on Ars Technica.
• IN-WIN Maelstrom Full Tower Case on Legit Reviews.
• Laptop Lifts on DarkVision Hardware.
• Mionix Saiph 1800 Gaming Mouse on ProClockers.
• MSI U210 12.1-inch Netbook on TweakTown.
• nMediaPC 6000B HTPC Computer Case on Benchmark Reviews.
• Sony Walkman NWZ-S544 8GB Media Player on TrustedReviews.
• Thermaltake Element G VL10001W2Z Case on Motherboards.org and ThinkComputers.org.
• Thermaltake SpinQ Heatsink on FrostyTech.com.
• Thermaltake TR2 1000W PSU on Bjorn3D.com.
• XFX HD 5870 Graphics Card on Overclockers Club.
• Zotac MAG ION Nettop on techPowerUp.

• Top Five Left 4 Dead Campaigns and Maps on Games On Net…
• Researchers Mod Unreal Tournament to Teach Science. Thanks Ant via Digg…
• Today marks the one-year anniversary of superannuation. "Celebrate and rejoice."…

There was a weather advisory for the past two days in these parts that was for windy conditions that seemed to apply to pilots and sailors more than the rest of us. That was until I drove to get the pups some food yesterday, and encountered delays getting around as downed trees and such were cleared. Then I hit an area where the dying autumn leaves were falling like a blizzard from being blown across the road straight from the trees, and as I passed through, my car was pelted by acorns being carried by the wind that sounded like bullets. Wind warning indeed. Wow!

Windy Links:	Thanks Ant and Mike Martinez.
Play:	Borderlands. Uncharted 2 Among Thieves. Red Ball 2.
Links:	10 Doomsday Cults.
Stories:	'Whatever' so totally tops most annoying word poll. Works for me. Pirates hit navy ship 'in error'. Thanks Adam.
Science:	Targeting Cancer Cells with Nanoparticles. NASA says 200-yard long asteroid will miss Earth. Harvard's robotic bees generate high-tech buzz.
Media:	I Can't Believe It's Not Beatles: Rock Band. Live Action Tekken trailer is beyond Epic. Nicole Eggert is BACK IN BAYWATCH. Thanks Digg.