Dumpshock.com

A virus to fight viruses? Could this be the first big step towards Black ICE?

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120102002799.htm

Perhaps a little more expensive than coffin motels as we know them, but price will drop as adoption increases.

a portable sleep pod that allows you and your gadgets to be recharged at a rate of about $10 per hour

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2011/09/25/sleep-pods-dream-come-true/?test=faces

If fake IDs are  in jeopardy, then Shadowrunning in the the future is in jeopardy too… Perhaps they should just get a good fixer who can get them a high quality fake ID..

http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/26/0958209/Social-Media-a-Threat-To-Undercover-Cops

Sound like something taken right out of the wireless matrix. Vulnerability discover: Hacker rejoice. Vulnerability mitigated: Hackers go back to work looking for new vulnerability.

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/082411-mit-tep-250077.html?hpg1=bn

Apple has more money than the US government.

http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-has-more-cash-on-hand-than-the-us-government-2011-7

The saddest part? It’s #47…

http://www.forbes.com/global2000/list

Or a case of UGE to the rest of us…

“Huang Yuanfan, 84, of Ziyuan, China, is the latest person to report an unusual growth protruding from the head. His horn began growing two years ago and has reached a length of 3 inches”

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/10/chinas-huang-yuanfan-sprouts-3-inch-horn-from-head/?test=latestnews

“Calgary researchers have created a microchip that “communicates” with brain cells”

An important step in the technology required for a fully functional biomonitor.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/08/10/calgary-neurochip-brain-cells-syed-alzheimers-parkinsons.html

Hello all !

We are now heading into the 2010 Convention season and we need to start getting our volunteers lists into order. We will have a need for 12 GMs for Origins and 40 GMs for Gencon (This number includes GMs for BT:RPG, Eclipse Phase, CthulhuTech, and Shadowrun)

I have been assured that the benefits for GMing will be increased over what was given last year. Details on GM comp to follow (as I get the info).

So….What say you? Are you up for a challenge? Contact me at

Cburhanna001@hotmail.com

and volunteer for one or both conventions. I will be putting out the proposed game session schedule in early Feb. so stay tuned. Feel free to contact your friends and ask if they might be willing to help us out in running these games.

As an aside, what would you like to see as additional GM comp? Let me know and I’ll see what we can do.

…Chuck

The Retired Mage

A.K.A. Nim-Nu

Catalyst Game Labs Price Reduction On All Core Rulebook PDFs

Effective immediately, Catalyst Game Labs is lowering the prices for its core rulebook PDFs for all game lines. This includes:

SHADOWRUN

Shadowrun 20^th Anniversary Edition: $15

Runner’s Companion: $12

Arsenal: $12

Augmentation: $12

Unwired: $12

Street Magic: $12

BATTLETECH

Total Warfare: $15

TechManual: $15

Tactical Operation: $15

Strategic Operations: $15

CTHULHUTECH

CthulhuTech Core Rulebook: $15

Catalyst Game Labs has embraced electronic publishing as a vital medium for expanding a community’s enjoyment of a game line. This is readily apparent with the launch of Eclipse Phase under the Creative Commons license and at a $15 price point, simultaneously with the release of the print rulebook into standard distribution. Catalyst Game Labs continues to follow this pattern with the recent publication of Leviathans’ Lieutenant’s Manual, the first major miniatures game release also utilizing the Creative Commons license, embracing the open-minded nature of the electronic medium.

At the same time Catalyst Game Labs is dedicated to supporting brick-and-mortar hobby stores, still the life’s blood of our hobby and the greatest avenue for new players to be exposed to new games. The Catalyst RED (Retailer Electronic Distribution) combines Catalyst embracing of electronic distribution and retailer support into a single system that allows retailers to sell our PDFs directly to customers.

The release of both Eclipse Phase Core Rulebook and Leviathans’ Lieutenant’s Manual PDFs at a reduced price showcased the willingness of gamers to “check out a new game” if the price is reasonable; especially combined with the willingness of a publisher to stand by the quality and strength of their game line. With two of the most icon universes in our industry (and a fabulous up-and-coming game line) Catalyst Game Labs is standing by the strength and quality of its game lines, lowering the price of its introductory products for the entire gaming community.

If you’ve always wanted to check out Shadowrun or BattleTech (or would like to return after a long hiatus), there’s never been a better chance to grab a PDF and see what the excitement is all about!

As seen here: http://catalystgamelabs.com/2009/09/25/catalyst-red/

It seems that, historically, the only place to buy a PDF was from the manufacturer (or a select few online websites). If you wanted both a PDF and physical book, you were limited to what was available from the manufacturer. Retail stores that serve the player with play space, selection, and knowledge just could not offer a player a PDF and a book. We at Catalyst Game Labs have been working hard to change that.

Therefore we’re proud to announce the creation of Catalyst RED, our new Retailer Electronic Delivery system. With RED, retailers will be able to sell you copies of the core book PDFs along with your hard copies right at the store simply by providing your email address. And should you for some reason lose your PDF, you can easily request another download of the file, just like a online customer. We feel that Catalyst RED will finally allow that next step in customer satisfaction that you and the owners of your friendly local game store have been asking for.

Currently the system is in Alpha testing at select game stores across the country, and we plan to have the system available at more retailers later this year. For a list of retailers who currently offer Catalyst RED purchases see below:

Adventure Game Store
6967 Stirling Rd
Davie, FL 33314

Black Diamond Games
1950 Market St Suite E
Concord, CA 94520

Castle Perilous
207 West Main Street
Carbondale, IL 62901

EndGame
921 Washington
Oakland, CA 94607

Le Valet d’Coeur
4408 St-Denis, Montreal
P.Que, Canada, H2J 2L1

Modern Myths
34 Bridge St #4
Northampton, MA 01060

Myriad Games
8 Stiles Rd.
Salem, NH 03079

Rainy Day Games
18105 SW TV HWY
Aloha, OR 97006

The Danger Room
2213 S. Scatterfield Rd
Anderson, IN 46016