Daily Illuminator Archive for May 2009

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May 1, 2009:
It's mind control . . . if you call what a bug has a "mind." As if the oversized flower beetle wasn't imposing enough in its own right, it now frightens the world with a cybernetic hookup from the University of California and DARPA. Sure, they can "only" manage to make it go left, right, start, and stop, but with the potential to carry cameras and heat sensors, it's already in danger of becoming a bad "bug" pun in intelligence circles . . . read article

May 2, 2009:
The swine flu (or H1N1 as the kids are calling it) is sending terror into the hearts of millions. One man, however, saw the potential for music . . . read article

May 3, 2009:
Next week, John Kovalic will be visiting us in Austin. Barbecue will be eaten, Munchkin played, new Munchkin stuff discussed, and upcoming Munchkin stuff* will be gloated over in a most unseemly way . . . read article

May 4, 2009:
Ours is cooler, anyway. It has robots with grandpa's brains floating around inside 'em. Transhuman Space . . . read article

May 5, 2009:
This week, Alex has been with Steve Jackson Games for a full decade. In the gaming industry, where talented people like Alex usually move on, lured away by bigger dollars at more mundane companies, this is a milestone to celebrate . . . read article

May 6, 2009:
Last month was a good one for e23 releases. Here's the ten items you voted -- with your dollars -- as the best of the bunch! #1: GURPS Spaceships 3: Warships and Space Pirates Honestly, this one is no surprise . . . read article

May 7, 2009:
GURPS Low-Tech will be taking players and GMs on a guided tour of past technology. If you're well informed about tools, weapons, armor, vehicles, and other technologies, in any era from the Stone Age to the Age of Sail, come join the expedition . . . read article

May 8, 2009:
The largest growing target market for video games is not teens -- they all have their favorite platforms already, and there's rarely anyone under the age of 20 who can't handle a controller. No, the population that's picking up video games for the first time is adult professional women -- in other words, your mom . . . read article

May 9, 2009:
Bad enough the economy is in the dumps; now we're having to import our news of weird happenings from overseas. The British Psychological Society's Research Digest blog tracks stories of just how amazing the human brain can be, especially when there's a screw or two rolling around loose . . . read article

May 10, 2009:
Deluxe Illuminati has been the dreaded "OOP" (Out Of Print) for a couple months now. But fear not! . . . read article

May 11, 2009:
It's been a while coming, but we have finally woken GURPS Dragons from its thousand-year slumber and pushed it out onto the e23 stage. It wasn't easy . . . read article

May 12, 2009:
For years, I've watched the various forms of demolition derby, and wondered why no one put guns or rockets on the vehicles? Playing Car Wars was great, but watching real live cars blow each other up would have been better . . . read article

May 13, 2009:
Sometimes talented people leave us. Sometimes they come back . . . read article

May 14, 2009:
Holy cats! Are we in the middle of May already? . . . read article

May 15, 2009:
If the purpose of art is to hold the mirror up to nature, the world must be one freaky-deaky place . . . at least according to artist Elisabeth Buecher. Most of her work is done with the intention of sparking environmental discussions . . . read article

May 16, 2009:
The Geekdad blog, published by Wired, published a list of 100 Geeks You Should Be Following On Twitter, and we're following three of them: Writer, blogger, and occasional actor Wil Wheaton.  Munchkin and Chez Geek artist John Kovalic. Bad Astronomy writer (and foe of ignorance) Phil Plait . . . read article

May 17, 2009:
Over the years, we've published quite a few GURPS titles -- well over 300. Some had broad appeal; some were firmly "niche." Blogger siskoid had created a Top Ten list of what he considers the "strangest" supplements we've ever released . . . read article

May 18, 2009:
Or at your computer. Or at the dinner table . . . read article

May 19, 2009:
On Wednesday, May 20, at approximately 10:30am CDT (GMT -5) the Steve Jackson Games Forums will be shut down for maintenance. We expect the upgrade to take most of the day, and the forums should return by 7:00pm CDT . . . read article

May 20, 2009:
I just finished a massive overhaul of our FAQ file. Old cruft was swept out, and new items (hopefully not just new cruft) were added . . . read article

May 21, 2009:
Stilts are cool. Stilts that give your legs the "backwards knee" look are very cool . . . read article

May 22, 2009:
We know what you're thinking: Everything is a conspiracy. We know this because our spies report it back to us . . . read article

May 23, 2009:
With the release of Pyramid #3/6: Space Colony Alpha, we come to a milestone in the life of Pyramid. As we announced back in November, customers with a current (at that time) Pyramid subscription were given a six-month subscription to the new version . . . read article

May 24, 2009:
We've known how useful shipping containers can be for years. Before moving into our new office space back in 2005, we used them as additional warehouse space . . . read article

May 25, 2009:
Here in the States, it's Memorial Day, the day dedicated to the memory of the men and women who have fallen defending this country. We're not in the office . . . read article

May 26, 2009:
Yup, that's us. Classy . . . read article

May 27, 2009:
It's time for the quarterly round-up of e23 releases. (Well past time, actually . . . read article

May 28, 2009:
Chez Goth Angst. Nookie . . . read article

May 29, 2009:
After many weeks of work, the new shipping area is finally ready! The walls are up and painted (and insulated!), the lights are on, and the AC is working . . . read article

May 30, 2009:
Earlier this month, our offices were graced with the humble prescence of John Kovalic. I say "humble" because, frankly, the guy's a rock star, but you'd never know it to look at him . . . read article

May 31, 2009:
We've been working on Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga Sourcebook and Roleplaying Game for a long, long time. (For those with long memories: As long as In Nomine? . . . read article

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