This was so sad to wake up to this morning. My condolences to the families
and friends of the astronauts.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,77253,00.html
Space Shuttle Disintegrates; Seven Astronauts Killed
Saturday, February 01, 2003
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Space Shuttle Columbia blew up and disintegrated in
flames over Texas Saturday morning, killing all seven astronauts aboard and
scattering debris over four states and the Gulf of Mexico.
The seven crew members -- six Americans and the first Israeli to go into
space -- were just 16 minutes from landing at Cape Canaveral, Fla., when the
shuttle broke up at 207,000 feet. They astronauts had been orbiting the
Earth for 16 days.
"This is indeed a tragic day for the NASA family, for the families of the
astronauts, and likewise for the nation," NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe
said. He said President Bush was speaking to the families of the astronauts.
NASA lowered its flags at Cape Canaveral at 11 a.m. EST. Flags also were
lowered at the White House and the Capitol in Washington.
White House officials said there were no indications that terrorism was
involved. A senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said
no threat was made and the shuttle was out of range of a surface-to-air
missile.
O'Keefe said there was "no indication that the mishap was caused by anything
or anyone on the ground."
Bush was alerted to the disaster at Camp David and then was taken to
Washington in a motorcade. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge went to the
White House to monitor the situation.
Columbia was at an altitude of 207,000 feet over north-central Texas at a 9
a.m., traveling at 12,500 mph, when Mission Control lost all contact and
tracking data. The shuttle was aiming for a Florida landing at 9:16 a.m.
Television footage showed a bright light followed by smoke plumes streaking
diagonally through the sky. Debris appeared to break off into separate balls
of light as it continued downward.
Residents of Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana said they saw flames and heard a
window-rattling boom at about 9 a.m., the same time all radio and data
communication with the shuttle and its crew was lost.
Gary Hunziker in Plano, Texas, said he saw the shuttle flying overhead.
"I could see two bright objects flying off each side of it," he said. "I
just assumed they were chase jets."
"The barn started shaking and we ran out and started looking around," said
Benjamin Laster of Kemp, Texas. "I saw a puff of vapor and smoke and saw big
chunk of material fall."
There were reports that debris had fallen in New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas,
Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico. NASA officials warned people not to pick
up any debris, which was described as potentially dangerous.
Residents of Nacogdoches, Texas, said debris, including bits of machinery
and pieces of metal, were found strewn across the city.
"It's all over Nacogdoches," said James Milford, owner of Milford Barber
shop in downtown Nacogdoches. "There are several little pieces, some parts
of machinery ... there's been a lot of pieces about 3 feet wide."
"It was like a car hitting the house or an explosion. It shook that much,"
said John Ferolito, 60, of Carrolton, Texas.
"I was getting ready to go out, and I heard a big bang and the windows shook
in the house," Ferolito said. "I thought it was a sonic boom."
It was the 113th flight in the shuttle program's 22 years and the 28th
flight for Columbia, NASA oldest shuttle.
Inside Mission Control, flight controllers hovered in front of their
computers, staring at the screens after contact was lost. The wives,
husbands and children of the astronauts who had been waiting at the landing
strip were gathered together by NASA and taken to a secluded place.
"A contingency for the space shuttle has been declared," Mission Control
somberly repeated over and over as no word or any data came from Columbia.
In 42 years of U.S. human space flight, there had never been an accident
during the descent or landing phase of a mission. On Jan. 28, 1986, space
shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff.
Shortly after Columbia lifted off Jan. 16, a piece of insulating foam on its
external fuel tank came off and was believed to have hit the left wing of
the shuttle. Leroy Cain, the lead flight director in Mission Control,
assured reporters Friday that engineers had concluded that any damage to the
wing was considered minor and posed no safety hazard.
Security had been extraordinarily tight for Columbia's 16-day scientific
research mission because of the presence of Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli
astronaut.
Ramon, 48, a colonel in Israel's air force and former fighter pilot, had
survived two wars. He became the first man from his country to fly in space,
and his presence resulted in an increase in security, not only for
Columbia's launch, but also for its planned landing. Space agency officials
feared his presence might make the shuttle more of a terrorist target.
A senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Saturday
there was no threat made against the flight and that the shuttle was out of
range of a surface-to-air missile.
"The government of Israel and the people of Israel are praying together with
the entire world for the safety of the astronauts on the shuttle Columbia,"
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office said in a statement.
Columbia's crew had completed 80-plus scientific research experiments during
their time in orbit.
Only two of the seven astronauts had flown in space before, the shuttle's
commander, Rick Husband, and Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian-born woman in
space. The other five were rookies: pilot William McCool and Michael
Anderson, David Brown, Laurel Clark and Ramon.
Just in the past week, NASA observed the anniversary of its only two other
space tragedies, the Challenger explosion, which killed all seven astronauts
on board, and the Apollo spacecraft fire that killed three on Jan. 27, 1967.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
_________________________________________________________________
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This may be bad news for some but the model is still
good and there are other things out there. The big
question is whether or not a new subscription game can
survive. For such a vehicle to be ready to drive for
adults who have traded up from video games you need a
lot more intelligence and a little less bravado.
During the last year we saw Push Nevada evaporate
after hype and a hefty $12,000,000 investment by ABC.
Those of us on the sidelines can only see pain ahead.
Meanwhile there are some smaller startup games quietly
growing. If the numbers become worthy, perhaps
subcription can be added later. What do viewers think?
CJ
--- Dan Hon <lists@...> wrote:
>
http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/0301/17.terraquest.php
>
> Grown ups not ready after all: TerraQuest game axed
> by Peter Cohen, pcohen@...
> January 17, 2003 4:15 pm ET
>
> Last November MindQuest Entertainment founder and
> CEO Keith Griffin
> triumphantly declared that his company's online spy
> game TerraQuest was the
> kind of game "adults play when they grow up." Alas,
> not enough of them did,
> because MindQuest today announced that the game had
> been stopped.
>
> Designed for Mac OS X and Windows using Shockwave
> and other technology,
> TerraQuest encouraged players to search for clues
> for a US$25,000 payout. In
> fact, a quarter of a million dollars was to be
> awarded to players by the end
> of six play periods. Players paid a one-time
> registration fee for the
> privilege.
>
> Although MindQuest made it clear at the outset in an
> interview with
> MacCentral that the prize money was funded from
> sources other than direct
> registration fees, they couldn't keep the ball
> rolling long enough to make
> it work.
>
> "There is simply not enough participation in the
> experience to keep this
> version of TerraQuest going," said the company in a
> statement.
>
> MindQuest plans to take the feedback of users and
> editors who reviewed the
> game to modify its "structural part," and hopes to
> revisit the concept in
> the future.
>
> Players who participated in TerraQuest won't be out
> a dime, however:
> MindQuest Entertainment noted that all registration
> fees and charges for
> "express clues" will be refunded in full to each
> player. The winner of the
> first game period -- Roland Spencer -- will get his
> $25,000 payout as
> promised.
>
>
__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now.
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Anybody have a telescope?
Any recomendation?
I am looking to pick one up in the $100 to $300 range.
Thanx,
Doug "johndou1" Johnson
"I'm on the Poster!"
http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/0301/17.terraquest.php
Grown ups not ready after all: TerraQuest game axed
by Peter Cohen, pcohen@...
January 17, 2003 4:15 pm ET
Last November MindQuest Entertainment founder and CEO Keith Griffin
triumphantly declared that his company's online spy game TerraQuest was the
kind of game "adults play when they grow up." Alas, not enough of them did,
because MindQuest today announced that the game had been stopped.
Designed for Mac OS X and Windows using Shockwave and other technology,
TerraQuest encouraged players to search for clues for a US$25,000 payout. In
fact, a quarter of a million dollars was to be awarded to players by the end
of six play periods. Players paid a one-time registration fee for the
privilege.
Although MindQuest made it clear at the outset in an interview with
MacCentral that the prize money was funded from sources other than direct
registration fees, they couldn't keep the ball rolling long enough to make
it work.
"There is simply not enough participation in the experience to keep this
version of TerraQuest going," said the company in a statement.
MindQuest plans to take the feedback of users and editors who reviewed the
game to modify its "structural part," and hopes to revisit the concept in
the future.
Players who participated in TerraQuest won't be out a dime, however:
MindQuest Entertainment noted that all registration fees and charges for
"express clues" will be refunded in full to each player. The winner of the
first game period -- Roland Spencer -- will get his $25,000 payout as
promised.
There's a yahoo group set up, but it hasn't been very active:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tron2circuitboard/
There's also a thread for it at the unforums of unfiction (in the
news & rumors forum).:
http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=14
Chasing the Wish should also be starting soon
(www.chasingthewish.com). It should be quite the experience, so if
you haven't registered, you may want to. It's free, the registration
is just to give them your contact information and such. There is a
forum set up for it on unfiction as well:
http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=54
Brooke
--- In cloudmakers@yahoogroups.com, "kevinst434 <kevinst434@y...>"
<kevinst434@y...> wrote:
> Cool. Where will we be discussing and disecting this? Here, or
> on some other group? Is there a Tron game Group yet?
------ Forwarded Message
> From: "Avro m <RPGgame@...>" <RPGgame@...>
> Date: Wed, 01 Jan 2003 08:03:59 -0000
> To: cloudmakers-owner@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: TRONKILLERAPP.COM STARTS!
>
> I have been reading all the posts and it seems like this is really an
> internet game. I will tell you everything I know so far. By the ways
> happy NEW YEARS everyone. Now when you go on the website you see a
> picture of Tron 2.0. There are 3 links to choose from. Link 1 is a
> trailer that can only be viewed by windows. Option 2 is ABOUT FCON
> Option 3 is DOWNLOAD SCREENAPP and option 4 is REGISTER. All right
> we all know now that register is to give up your info so that they
> can eventually send things but that has no indication of a game. The
> link that I find interesting is the ABOUT FCON. Clicking on that
> brings you to http://www.tron20.net/fcon.html . A box then comes up
> and says that the user wishes to make a connection causing you to
> click yes or no. In the left hand corner is a smiling face and when
> you put your mouse over it your arrow becomes the same light blue
> color as the smiley face. If you click no then you can explore the
> other buttons there is FCON INFO, PRESS, and REGISTER. Now if you
> clike the USER WANTS TO MAKE A DIRECT CONNECTION and you click yes it
> will let you download a special app. Now from what I understand all
> of this has been discovered. What I have yet to hear about is when
> you click the right hand corner with the smiley face on it what
> happens. This is what I can tell you. Clicking on the smiley face
> causes the arrow to multiply and the screen to become fuzzy. A
> computer box comes up checking certain ports showing that 3 of them
> are considered open. It then allwows you to choose from the list of
> 3. [A] is Port 35 [B]is Port 82 [C] is Port 1039. Choosing [A]or[C]
> causes an error message to show up saying "We're sorry for the
> inconvenience but this port is highly secured due to recent hacking
> activity on our network". When you click on [B] 4 pictures are show
> with a message that says welcome user and then there is tons of
> random code ending in very large N's in a row. The site then
> redirects you to an area with directs you to the FCON network. On
> the side you learn that there is NEWLY DISCOVERED INFORMATION. The
> first is SCREEN APP= it tells you to check out terminal 1 to download
> a screen app. HUB #2 has access denied = it mentions that the team
> finally hacked into the system. FCON SERVER= its been hacked yet
> there is still some trouble with ROUTER #2 still being inaccessible.
> Now under tron 2.0 it say FCON Network Map. If you follow the line
> there is a chip at the end. If you put your mouse over that symbol
> it mentions that ROUTER #1 has been hacked. Click on that chip
> icon. 6 boxes appear TERMINAL 1, TERMINAL 2, TERMINAL 3, CELL PHONE,
> PDA, and one last icon that looks like the one you clicked to get all
> 6 of these icons. I'll start with the least important one which is
> TERMINAL 2. When click on that terminal you get all these system
> errors that are currently a waste of time. Next when you click PDA
> you get a special message from a friend. It lets you know that you
> should download the screen app and that they are doing the best they
> can. In addition, and this is the part that is screaming beast is
> that, "AS WE REACH OTHER SECTORS OF THE NETWORK, WE'LL OPEN THEM FOR
> YOU" Now back to the main screen we have TERMINAL 1 which gives us
> three choices.
> SCREEN APP, UNKOWN and UNKOWN. SCREEN APP lets you download the
> screen app. One Unkown works while the other is shaded gray not
> allowing you to click it. When clicking on unkown you get an enter
> access code screen. This looks like a game thing to me. Maybe we
> can crack this code. Now back to the main menu with the 6 images.
> TERMINAL 3 gives you screen shots of the upcomming game. Back to the
> 6 images CELL PHONE gives some voice recordings of different people
> finding out about some hacking or talkind about hacking, if someone
> has time maybe they will type it out but for now listen to it
> yourself. Now the final icon of the list of 6 the one that looks
> like the first one you pushed has a login and password for
> administration. Those two logins that are in the site are making me
> hope that we can crack them cause why else are they there unless it
> was possible to crack :) Allright I hope this helped all out. I so
> hope that this is a game cause I love TRON and we had so much fun
> with the BEAST that it would be great to get an intellegent game
> again.
>
> PEACE ALL
>
> -RPG
>
>
> --- In cloudmakers@yahoogroups.com, "reality454" <reality454@e...>
> wrote:
>> Well everyone.. finally it has changed. Tronkillerapp has begun.
>> www.tronkillerapp.com
>>
>> tron2circuitboard - yahoo group
>>
>> #tron2 -IRC channel
>>
>> Check it out.
>>
>> -plex-
>
>
>
------ End of Forwarded Message
Making Robots, With Dreams of Henry Ford
By SCOTT KIRSNER
OMERVILLE, Mass. - ONE robot was tossed into an abandoned building in
Afghanistan by soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division. Another
shimmied through a thin air shaft in the Great Pyramid of Giza. A
third hunted dust bunnies under Helen Greiner's bed.
Field testing for products made by the iRobot Corporation takes place
in settings both exotic and mundane. "When you put robots into
situations where there haven't been robots before," said Ms. Greiner,
the company's president, "you very quickly find out whether they're
up to the job, and what design changes you might need to make."
Ms. Greiner and her co-founders, Colin Angle and Rodney Brooks, who
met at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have spent 12 years
introducing their robot prototypes into new environments and then
working to make them better. Ms. Greiner envisions a world in which
robots handle tasks that are too difficult, dangerous, or time-
consuming for humans. She describes iRobot's goal as "doing for
robots what Apple did for computers, making them available to anyone
who wants to use one."
IRobot is perhaps the only company in the world that develops and
sells robots to the military, researchers, large corporations, and
consumers. Most robotics makers focus on just one segment, and 2002
has been a busy year for the company.
Four of its rugged PackBots were shipped to Bagram Air Base in
Afghanistan to help soldiers clear caves and compounds that had been
occupied by the Taliban; one of them discovered a buried
antipersonnel mine. A custom-built robot called the Pyramid Rover
starred in a National Geographic program called "Pyramids Live:
Secret Chambers Revealed," poking its fiber-optic camera into long-
forgotten spaces. And retailers report that the company's Roomba
Intelligent FloorVac, the autonomous cleaning machine that was put
through its paces beneath Ms. Greiner's bed, sold briskly during the
holiday shopping season.
But as iRobot has tried to nudge robots out of the domain of tech-
savvy hobbyists and into the mainstream, it has occasionally
struggled as a business. Developing first-of-a-kind robots is
expensive, and the executives at iRobot have long sought to put one
of their inventions into profitable high-volume production, like the
original Apple II computer. "When we left M.I.T., we wanted to create
robotic products that would touch people's lives on a daily basis,"
said Mr. Angle, who studied at the university's Artificial
Intelligence Laboratory with Ms. Greiner. "We were just profoundly
naïve, and had no idea how hard it would be to get there."
As a child growing up in London, Ms. Greiner dreamed of building
robot companions like R2-D2, the dome-headed droid from the "Star
Wars" series. And indeed, on a visit to iRobot's headquarters in this
city just north of Boston, the cluttered office resembled a prop
warehouse for those films. (The company was about to move to more
spacious quarters in Burlington, Mass.) Several small treaded tank-
bots were parked in the reception area. A "No Pictures Allowed" sign
shielded the company's sensitive development work for the military.
Inside, a visitor often had to step over robots in various stages of
construction or deconstruction.
The robots rely on human guidance by remote control, as the PackBot
does, or have a low-level ability to respond to stimuli in their
environment, as the Roomba does when its downward-facing infrared
sensor notices a staircase and signals the device to steer away from
it.
When the company was founded in 1990, "we didn't know what we were
doing," said Mr. Brooks, who serves as iRobot's chairman and as co-
director of the Artificial Intelligence Lab at M.I.T. "We just knew
that robotics was interesting and exciting." Back then, the company
was based in Mr. Angle's living room. Its first contract was to build
a six-legged insectlike robot named Attila for NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory. NASA was trying to decide whether robots for Mars
exploration should have wheels or legs. The agency eventually settled
on wheels, but it still buys equipment from iRobot for research
purposes.
Too soon, too many ? Still not too smart.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-512054,00.html
December 13, 2002
German cannibal found willing victims on net
By Roger Boyes
Our correspondent reports from Berlin on case of a real-life Hannibal Lecter
that has horrified a nation and revived memories of the darkest days of war
GERMANY was transfixed in horror yesterday by a case of cannibalism in which
an apparently respectable software specialist mutilated and ate a microchip
engineer.
The cannibal says his victim volunteered to be slaughtered. The man
confessed after police thwarted his attempt to find a new victim over the
internet: at least five men had already declared their willingness to be
eaten.
The tabloid daily Bild expressed concern that cannibals could be roaming
German streets. “They are invisible behind their glasses, their hairstyles,
their families, their work, their seemingly unblemished innocence,” wrote
Franz Josef Wagner, a columnist for the paper. “These sick people are hiding
among us, they are in our very midst.”
Cannibalism not only breaches moral and social taboos, it hits a nerve for a
whole generation of Germans who remember the desperate eating of human
organs during the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union.
Bodies of fallen soldiers frozen in the snow sometimes had to provide meat
for the half-starved Wehrmacht in retreat.
The three months of hand-to-hand fighting in the icy ruins of Stalingrad
during the winter of 1942-3 saw — as German veterans now admit — a frenzied
resort to human flesh. After the war, when the soldiers started to trickle
back from Soviet captivity, some of the horrific stories were passed on to
families.
For German literature however wartime cannibalism remained a forbidden
subject. This latest case of cannibalism plainly stems from sexual
perversion. But the ghost of wartime hunger and the buried secrets of a
generation hung over the public debate yesterday.
The victim of the ritualistic killing was a 42-year-old leading microchip
designer at the electronics giant Siemens, one of the best according to his
colleagues. Bernd Jürgen B (his surname has been withheld) was a slim,
athletic chainsmoker who lived in a luxurious penthouse suite decked out
with £30,000-worth of cutting-edge computer equipment. He disappeared in the
spring of 2000 after having first sold his Mitsubishi car and some other
valuables.
Police now know that he responded to an internet advertisement announcing:
“Wanted: young, well-built 18-30-year-old for slaughter.”
The man who placed the advertisement — and who started to advertise again
this year — was Armin M (surname withheld) from the charming half-timbered
town of Rotenburg in the western state of Hesse.
The 41-year-old computer technician was entirely serious: investigators this
week found a slaughtering room, complete with meat hooks, in his apartment.
Herr M, a former sergeant major in the German army who later worked for the
council in Mainz, video-recorded his butchery.
Police have confiscated 50 videos which are said to be worth thousands on
the very specialised market for cannibal acts. Details from the confessions
of Armin M were published in all German newspapers yesterday.
He says that he and the victim fried and ate part of the victim’s body
before leaving the kitchen for the slaughtering room, where Herr M switched
on the camera and then stabbed Herr B to death. He hung the body upside down
on a meat hook to allow the blood to drain and later sliced it into small
chunks, which he wrapped and stored in the deep-freeze.
Herr M has been eating Herr B ever since; some pieces were found in the
freezer this week. He buried inedible body parts and bones in a garden.
These too have been recovered by the police.
Germany is struggling to understand the act. The head of the Criminological
Institute in Wiesbaden, Dr Rudolf Egg, said that modern cannibals use
deep-freezing to extend and ration out their pleasure. Primitive cannibals
used to eat their victims all at one go soon after killing.
“If he really derived pleasure from eating a man,” he said, “then he could
not possibly eat everything in a single day. And he obviously did not want
to eat rotten meat. So he froze the body parts; the act of eating then took
on the aspect of a ritual and could be drawn into his sexual fantasies.”
Franz Josef Wagner blamed the case on the film The Silence of the Lambs and
its prequel, Red Dragon, released this year. “The cult star of the film
world in 2002 was Hannibal Lecter, who ate a human brain to the music of
Vivaldi.”
Since the information about the case comes solely from the confessing
killer, police are unsure whether Herr B really did co-operate in his own
consumption. The cannibal has been charged with murder.
In recent months Herr M has placed 80 advertisements calling for new
victims. The five men who replied appear to have been genuine volunteers but
police were unwilling to disclose details yesterday.
As far as the investigators can work out, Herr M has so far committed only
one act of cannibalism but inquiries are being extended to other places
where he lived and worked.
“This is going to take a while,” said the state prosecutor of Cassel,
Hans-Manfred Jung.
The savages
March 1998: 30-year-old man in Italy eats two-year-old daughter
February 1999: Venezuelan confesses to eating ten men and says: “I never eat
women because they have not done anything wrong”
March 1999: three Finnish men and a woman eat fellow member of Satanist cult
October 2001: two Kazakhstanis sentenced to death for killing seven
prostitutes and making kebabs out of them. The meat was shared with
neighbours
October 2001: Six Belarusians arrested for eating a man’s raw liver
_________________________________________________________________
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--- In cloudmakers@yahoogroups.com, "Doug Johnson <johndou1@t...>"
<johndou1@t...> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I have 2 extra tickets for the Ultra Screen showing of The Two
Towers.
> Show time 2:15 pm on 12/18/2002
>
> Any takers?
> I will charge what the tickets cost.
>
> Doug
Correct e-mail address : doug @ protocallonline.com
Hi all,
I have 2 extra tickets for the Ultra Screen showing of The Two Towers.
Show time 2:15 pm on 12/18/2002
Any takers?
I will charge what the tickets cost.
Doug
saludos a todos!
Andres Puente
(ANDY)
!!!! CHIAO !!!!
_________________________________________________________________
Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*.
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail
Due to connectivity issues with Doug, this chat needed to be
rescheduled.
It's now this Sunday, Dec. 8th, at 4pm Eastern/1pm Pacific.
--- In cloudmakers@y..., "SpaceBass" <cloudmaker@m...> wrote:
> For any Cloudmakers who played along with the recent Push, Nevada,
game,
> we've managed to schedule a chat with the consulting producer
and "Push
> Puzzle Kingpin" Doug TenNapel for Sunday, December 1, 2002, at 5:00
p.m. PST
> (8:00 p.m. EST). The chat will be held in #unfiction on the Chat-
Solutions
> network (irc.chat-solutions.org)and will be moderated. Chat and
question
> guidelines will be posted shortly at Unfiction.com.
>
> Before working on Push, NV, Doug TenNapel got his start in
television as an
> animator for the cartoon version of "Attack of the Killer
Tomatoes." Later,
> he got interested in video games and created both the "Earthworm
Jim" game
> and subsequent television show. His upcoming TV effort,
entitled "Gear," is
> based on his graphic novel of the same name, published by Fireman
Press. Mr.
> TenNapel has dozens of comic book, video game, animation, and
television
> credits, and he also wrote, directed, and played a part in the 2000
movie
> Mothman. His personal website is located at
<http://www.tennapel.com/>
>
> Cheers,
> SpaceBass
Happy Holidays!!
Here's the latest on the genre and community from your friends at
Collective Detective:
============================================================
LAST CHANCE THIS YEAR TO IMPROVE YOUR KARMA
Need to get a good deed in before the year is out. Collective
Detective has just the thing for you. We've launched our first annual
charity fund raiser to help collect donations for Doctors without
Borders and Toys for Tots.
Doctors without Borders delivers emergency aid to victims of armed
conflict, epidemics, and natural and man-made disasters, and to others
who lack health care due to social or geographical isolation. They are
also a relief organization providing free medical care to
underprivileged areas.
Toys for Tots is organized by the U.S. Marine Toys for Tots Foundation
to collect and distribute toys for underprivileged kids.
For U.S. members, we encourage you to drop of a new, unwrapped toy to
any Toys for Tots collection point. We will also be auctioning off
items donated by Collective Detective Members and other organizations,
with all proceeds going to Doctors without Borders.
For additional Doctors without Borders information visit:
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org
or to make an online donation visit:
https://www.doctorswithoutbordersdonations.org/default.asp
For additional Toys for Tots information and to find drop box in your
community visit:
http://www.toysfortots.org/2002/index.html
to make an online donation visit:
http://www.toysfortots.org/2002/donate.html
If you have something you'd like to donate for auction, please contact
us at: http://www.collectivedetective.org/pages/contact.php
============================================================
WHAT'S NEW IN THE GENRE
Mysterious Stranger:
Magician David Blaine has written a book exploring the history of
magic and stunts, optical illusions, magic effects, number magic,
memory techniques, how to read someone, explanations of witchcraft,
voodoo and the occult, and other aspects of the magical world. Clues
in the text of the books can lead you to a treasure of about $100,000
in gold.
The only cost to playing this very intricate quest is to buy a copy of
the book. You can get it for $14.97 at Amazon.com. Of course if you
borrow it from a library, there's actually NO cost.
For clues, listings of found puzzles and clues, and discussion, check
out the Mysterious Stranger case at:
http://www.collectivedetective.org/campaign/mysterious
TerraQuest:
TerraQuest is a new online game for people over 18 years old in which
the "Best mind will win." It is a cross between a mystery and a
scavenger hunt, based on an espionage/spy theme. The game offers you
the chance to win cash from a secret bank account containing $250,000
USD and will increase as more players register. The game is to run for
around six months with six periods of play lasting from around 30-45
days at a time! Within these six periods of play, a challenge shall be
set and the first person to solve the challenge and successfully
submit the correct answer for that period will win $25,000!
TerraQuest is a subscription campaign with a flat entry fee starting
at $25.00 USD for the first game period. The fee increases each
additional game period.
For more information visit the TerraQuest case at:
http://www.collectivedetective.org/campaign/terraquest
To sign-up visit: http://www.terraquest1.com/
Chasing the Wish:
The first grass-root effort to get a case on Collective Detective, all
we have to go on is the statement at http://www.chasingthewish.com:
"There is a legend, a secret whispered between confidants and passed
down through the years. A mystery, hidden in folktales and myths, and
echoing in our dreams and fantasies throughout the world."
There was a popular mini-event this past weekend, and registration for
the game begins on Tuesday, December 3rd. To find other Wish Chasers
check out the case at: http://www.collectivedetect
ive.org/campaign/wish/
The Sims Online:
Now you can be a Sim-sized PM. While this isn't an adventure of phone
calls, web sites, and faxes, The Sims Online is an immersive world
that is full of potential and fun. Familiar faces are already setting
up online Collective Adventures, Scavenger Hunts, and Puzzles. Gaming
within gaming, nice.
The Sims Online is currently in beta, but is pretty fully functional.
You can currently download and play for free by visiting:
http://www.thesimsonline.com
Be warned the initial download is 1.2GB, so make sure you have
broadband and a lot of free space on your drive. You can also have a
CD mailed to you for no charge.
Upon release, the game will be about $50.00 USD, with a monthly
subscription of about $10.00. That's not expected until next year, so
you have plenty of time to test drive the game first.
To find all the hot spots, visit the Sims Online case at Collective
Detective: http://www.collectivedetective.org/campaign/simsonline
PuzzyCaching:
Because you badly need to get out of the house/office more, we have
now have our own take on Geocaching, the fastest growing sport on the
planet. The concept is simple, hide a container or "cache" containing
trinkets, guest books, stickers, puzzles, or whatever. Then post GPS
coordinates and/or step-by-step directions (called letterboxing) in
our PuzzyCaching case. Then others will have the opportunity to find
your cache, and leave a note or additional trinket themselves. You
can even place multiple caches with puzzles leading you from one to
the next.
While having a GPS device is helpful, many caches can be found without
one. For more information check out the PuzzyCaching case at:
http://www.collectivedetective.org/campaign/puzzycaching
============================================================
ONGOING CAMPAIGNS
:k: :
Follow the mysterious :k: as he guides us in this story of intrigue
and murder. Follow the film shorts involving the missions of the
"Driver" (Clive Owen), and his passengers. Then piece together the
clues among a wide range of seemingly unconnected web sites, photo
albums, and phone numbers. Send a letter to Dr. Reinhart asking him
what's in the case, he'll send you a back a shirt button. Follow the
communications of the Driver and "J" who seems to contract the
missions. Photo albums, patent numbers, voice mails, web sites. Who
knows where the next clue will lead?
The Immersive effort acts as a subplot to the promotion for BMW Films
series and speculation is that it will conclude at the end of the
month. What we DO know is that you only have until the end of
December to register to win a BMW Z4. Follow the clues along a wide
range of phone numbers, clues, and websites ranging from Starbucks.com
and Apple.com, to small sites for local music. Of course the easiest
way to get caught up is to check the Evidence Trail and posts in the
:k: Case at: http://www.collectivedetective.org/campaign/k
You can watch all the films at http://www.bmwfilms.com, and check out
the trailhead at http://www.uncaptheride.com.
Also, if you get TechTV in you area, they are showing a special called
"TechTV Under The Hood Of BMW Films." It will premiere on December
6th, check your local listings. It is believed they will be showing
the season one films.
Time Hunt:
Awarded Macromedia's Site of the Day for November 22nd for good reason
( http://www.macromedia.com/showcase/archive/ ), the journey through
time and space continues. Time Hunt is a work of art and a series of
complex puzzles combined. Join the Hunt at : http://www.timehunt.com,
join the case at: http://www.collectivedetective.org/campaign/timehunt
Aspen Treasure Hunt:
The Aspen Hunt is an episodic Flash treasure hunt game created
virtually "on-location" in beautiful Aspen, Colorado (the interactive
elements are overlayed on actual photographs of the resort and its
surroundings). Your goal is to discover where $10,000 worth of gold is
hidden within the game by picking up clues & items and interacting
with the environment & many puzzles found within it. On your journeys
through the digital landscapes, many other smaller treasures may be
found (bottles of cologne, clothing, CD's, and Columbia sporting
gear). A new episode begins every Wednesday until January 15.
While up to episode 6, it's easy to get caught up in this entertaining
Flash based adventure. If you haven't signed up and are looking for a
partner to play with (you can play as a team), or want to get quickly
caught up visit: http://www.collectivedetective.org/campaign/aspenhunt
To register and play visit: http://www.aspencolog
ne.com/game/index.jsp
Search4e:
Ed Sobian is missing and $666,000 has been stolen from a mysterious
online bank. Help us find E.S. and uncover a secret organization that
has its roots in Templar history. You can win prizes in the form of
valuable antique items along the way. Search4e is an Immersive Mystery
from Second State which started Nov. 1 and will continue till Sept
2003. It costs $10 per month to play.
To investigate further check out:
http://www.collectivedetective.org/campaign/secondstate
Alias:
The CIA needs your help. Talk to a recruiting agent to get your
assignments. Each operation has missions designated with codewords.
Report to Agent Weiss to receive your assignments. The CIA is
interested in seeing what you've got, so expect the missions to get
progressively more difficult.
To get an assignment, check out :
http://abc.abcnews.go.com/primetime/alias/adv.html
To file a report, check out the Alias Case at:
http://www.collectivedetective.org/campaign/alias
============================================================
GET YOUR NEWS DAILY
Check out the Immersive Lounge News daily for the latest genre
happenings at : http://www.immersivelounge.com
============================================================
- Josh
"taxicafe"
I've seen these things all over the web. I use
Bugnosis to detect them and programs like AdSubtract,
Guidescope, or WebWasher to block them. There are
probably more advanced programs to do this, but these
work fine for me.
Aloha, Greg
www.bugnosis.com
www.adsubtract.com
www.guidescope.com
www.webwasher.com
--- i_m0nk <infinite_monkey@...> wrote:
> Click here:
>
>
http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy/us/pixels/details.html
>
> to read about Yahoo's "web beacons" (aka those one
> pixel gifs that
> plant cookies on your machine) and how they're used
> to track you on
> and off Yahoo!Groups pages and in email.
>
> Pass this link on to other groups.
>
> i_monk
>
>
__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now.
http://mailplus.yahoo.com
Click here:
http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy/us/pixels/details.html
to read about Yahoo's "web beacons" (aka those one pixel gifs that
plant cookies on your machine) and how they're used to track you on
and off Yahoo!Groups pages and in email.
Pass this link on to other groups.
i_monk
For any Cloudmakers who played along with the recent Push, Nevada, game,
we've managed to schedule a chat with the consulting producer and "Push
Puzzle Kingpin" Doug TenNapel for Sunday, December 1, 2002, at 5:00 p.m. PST
(8:00 p.m. EST). The chat will be held in #unfiction on the Chat-Solutions
network (irc.chat-solutions.org)and will be moderated. Chat and question
guidelines will be posted shortly at Unfiction.com.
Before working on Push, NV, Doug TenNapel got his start in television as an
animator for the cartoon version of "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes." Later,
he got interested in video games and created both the "Earthworm Jim" game
and subsequent television show. His upcoming TV effort, entitled "Gear," is
based on his graphic novel of the same name, published by Fireman Press. Mr.
TenNapel has dozens of comic book, video game, animation, and television
credits, and he also wrote, directed, and played a part in the 2000 movie
Mothman. His personal website is located at <http://www.tennapel.com/>
Cheers,
SpaceBass
One important thing about TQ that wasn't mentioned.
Terraquest is pay-to-play: $25 for the full 6 months if you join
now, during the first play period. The price goes *up* incrementally
after that.
--- In cloudmakers@y..., "Paul Taylor" <ptay158@y...> wrote:
> Hi just a quick message to announcethe Launch of Terraquest! a new
> game which maybe of interest to the community!
>
><snip>
Hi just a quick message to announcethe Launch of Terraquest! a new
game which maybe of interest to the community!
The Game is been Covered by the http://www.collectivedetective.org
community we already have a great active case opened and if you want
to be part of a good team! to beat the challenge of the game
collectively or just need a little help with the game! Collective
Detective is the best place for you! We also Cover other games which
maybe of interest so at least come and take a look!!
Below is a brief overview of the game
Terraquest! is a new online game for people over 18 years old in
which the "Best mind will win." It is a cross between a mystery and
a scavenger hunt. based on an espionage/spy theme.
The Game which offers you the chance to win cash from a secret bank
account containing $250,000 USD and will increase as more players
register. The game is to run for around Six Months with Six periods
of play lasting from around 30-45 days at a time! Within these
periods of play a challenge shall be set and the first person to
solve the challenge and successfully submit the correct answer for
that period will win $25,000!
*IN PERIODS ONE THROUGH FOUR BE THE FIRST TO SUBMIT THE CORRECT
SOLUTION FOR THAT PLAY PERIOD!
*Be one of the first ten players in the fifth game period to
discover the first part of a bank account number, and identify the
person who possesses the key to a safe deposit box.
*As a finalist, you will need to be the first to determine the exact
date, time and location where you can find the holder of the key. If
you are the first, you will possess the key! You will unlock the
safe deposit box and obtain the rest of the bank account number! And
win $125.000+ all other finalists will recive 5% of the prize fund!
Visit http://www.Terraquest1.com and then
Join us at http://www.collectivedetective.org for the best
Terraquest community exprience :)
Paul Taylor
Assistant Director
Terrraquest Case @ Collective Detective.org
http://www.collectivedetective.org
....I just got Klez a while back. It sucks. Go to pandasoftware.com if you
get any of those strange viruses. It's awesome. Has big lists and exact
explanations for everything.
In a message dated 11/21/2002 10:54:23 PM Eastern Standard Time,
infinite_monkey@... writes:
<< I never thought it would happen to me, and there it was...:
---
From : SAVAGE1117 <SAVAGE1117@a...>
To : infinite_monkey@h...
Subject : A special new game
Date : Thu, 21 Nov 2002 17:04:16 -0500
Hello,This is a new game
This game is my first work.
You're the first player.
I expect you would like it.
---
The From address is SAVAGE1117 [at] aol.com
Anyone else get one of these? No attachments or links, and other than
the missing space between "Hello," and "This", and the missing period
after "game" it doesn't look like it could even *contain* anything hidden.
Oh, and the email is somehow 130k, but there are no attachments
detected by Hotmail.
i_monk
>>
Good thing there wasn't any attachment, because it probably would've been a
virus. I've been getting those too. Evil Klez.
I never thought it would happen to me, and there it was...:
---
From : SAVAGE1117 <SAVAGE1117@a...>
To : infinite_monkey@h...
Subject : A special new game
Date : Thu, 21 Nov 2002 17:04:16 -0500
Hello,This is a new game
This game is my first work.
You're the first player.
I expect you would like it.
---
The From address is SAVAGE1117 [at] aol.com
Anyone else get one of these? No attachments or links, and other than
the missing space between "Hello," and "This", and the missing period
after "game" it doesn't look like it could even *contain* anything hidden.
Oh, and the email is somehow 130k, but there are no attachments
detected by Hotmail.
i_monk
GameSpy: Give us a basic overview of TerraQuest. What's the overall
goal of the game, and how are players rewarded for playing?
Keith: TerraQuest is a six-month long internet game that's kind of a
cross between a mystery and a scavenger hunt. It's an espionage/spy
type of theme. IT will be played out in 18 nations around the world
and one of the things we want to make clear about our game is that it
is not a reaction or coordination game - it's a game of the mind. The
way that the prizes break down is that each game period (a normal game
period is 30 - 45 days) we will give players a challenge, and they'll
know right from the very beginning that the first person to solve that
challenge and submit the correct answers wins $25,000 - and that's for
game periods one through five. We have also already funded a bank
account at has $250,000, and that money plus ten percent of the
registration revenues is the final prize fund. The ultimate winner of
the game who solves all the game questions first will win his or her
share of that prize money.
more at http://www.gamespydaily.com/news/fullstory.asp?id=4343
Dan
----- Original Message -----
From: "Debra Lyn Walters" <deb1325@...>
To: <cloudmakers@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2002 8:52 AM
Subject: [cloudmakers] Re: Well Now Isn't That Interesting
> Hi, this is my first post. I want to get into a new game but I'm
> not sure this is it:
>
> I checked out the morgan ranch site. If this is a game instead of
> advertising only, then why doesn't the email work?
...
<snip>
...
> Please help...am I taking too much time with a site that isn't going
> anywhere?
>
Unfortunately, yes, if you are interested in them only for the purpose of
getting into a new game. The Ring websites were a viral marketing promotion
only, the sites being basically static (with small tweaks every once in a
while) and the only interactive element being shills going to message boards
and posting about how they'd seen the videotape in the movie. The websites
do help to add to the atmosphere of the movie if you plan to see it,
however. Check out the forum archive at ARGN if you want to laugh at a
bunch of other people who thought it was a game for a while -
http://www.argn.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=34
Some currently running games that I am aware of are (warning, mostly
self-links to resource pages):
Search4e - http://www.unfiction.com/compendi/games/search4e/
Alias v2.0 - http://www.unfiction.com/compendi/games/alias/
NoahBoddy - http://www.unfiction.com/compendi/games/nb/
TimeHunt (online treasure hunt) -
http://www.unfiction.com/compendi/games/timehunt/
There's also the Uncap the Ride game (a.k.a. :K:) related to the BMW Film
Shorts - http://www.deciphernaut-hq.com/
If you'd like to get in on the ground floor of a game, I'd recommend waiting
for Chasing The Wish to begin later this year. The lead puppetmaster has a
history of producing stellar work and a very personalized, interactive
gaming experience - http://www.unfiction.com/compendi/games/ctw/
Cheers,
SpaceBass
There is currently a very good FREE, no advertising, technically and mentally
challenging ARG going on right now, for which there MAY be prizes. The game is
in it's third week, and has attracted approx. 200 people at this time.
Trailhead: noahboddy.com
Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/noahboddy/
This site was set up and is loosely managed by the PMs, but several other groups
are also working on this one -- unfiction and Delphi to name a couple.
Announce Group (just started, not caught up):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/noahboddy-announce/
Here is a limited trail of what we have discovered so far at:
http://www.unfiction.com/~tienle/nb/nbguide.html
We are currently working on a puzzle that is giving us fits. Come show us how
smart you are, or at least give us another direction to think in.
Get in on the beginning of a great game that promises to last six months.
--
Ken
Phoenix, AZ
No, I'm not a PM, or associated with them. I'm just a player looking for help.
Hi, this is my first post. I want to get into a new game but I'm
not sure this is it:
I checked out the morgan ranch site. If this is a game instead of
advertising only, then why doesn't the email work? Has anyone
gotten a reply? Also, did you notice that in Samara's psychiatric
report they used the (unprofessional) term "screwed up brain"? I
don't know if that is a hint that the hospital was responsible for
subsequent events; but if it is a clue, then there should be a link
to a hospital site or the doctors.
Please help...am I taking too much time with a site that isn't going
anywhere?
Deb
--- In cloudmakers@y..., "anton_sirius" <anton_sirius@y...> wrote:
> My digest of the CM emails showed up today with the following:
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Sat, 02 Nov 2002 22:49:48 -0000
> From: "cynewulfsmh" <hoovers@h...>
> Subject: New Game?
>
> Has anyone else here taken a look at the web site for The Ring
> movie? I havent really focused too much attention on it, but as
soon
> as I laid eyes on the site and started navigating around it just
> screamed 'Game!' at me. Check them out guys, see what you think:
>
> Official movie site:
> http://www.ring-themovie.com
> Supposed site for the "real" Morgan Ranch:
> http://www.themorganranch.com
>
> For one thing, it seems odd to see images on themorganranch.com
that
> are picked straight off of ring-themovie.com. And It also seems
odd
> that the autoher of the Morgan Ranch site supposedly wants to 'set
> things straight', then puts a big old banner ad for ring-
themovie.com
> at the bottom of the page.
>
> ************************************************
>
> I check out the sites and sure enough, there seems to be something
> going on, especially on the ring-themovie site, concerning the
death
> of Dr. Scott (you'll see what I meanwhen you start poking
around). I
> hop over here to post a reply to cynewulfsmh's message, or find
out
> if it's trout or what... and the message is gone from the
archive.
> Poof. (It was 47736 if you were wondering.)
>
> Huh.
>
> If this one vanishes into the aether too I think I'm going to
unplug
> my phone, just in case. I wonder if Samara has email access
wherever
> she is? Eeek.
>
>
> Anton
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