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Tour a Fashion Designer's Playfully Posh San Francisco Family Home
Filed Under: FashionHome Tours
"I have a really feminine style, which is ironic because my house is filled with boys," says Kim Bachmann. The fashion designer—who's rapidly making a name for herself with Kim and Proper, her line of chic, figure-flattering dresses—lives with her husband and three sons in a 1920s Beaux Arts home in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco. "It was a precious, preserved gem, and I fell in love with it at first sight when I walked in 18 years ago," she says.
Fortunately the men of the family were happy to have the lady of the house lead the decorating charge. "They absolutely left it 100% to me," says Bachmann. "They're appreciative of what I've done—except when they want to put sports-themed duvets on their beds," she laughs. "I nix that, so they have them tucked away in their closets with their Fathead football players. I hope that doesn't make me a bad mom!"
If the boys ever revolt, the mom/entrepreneur is sure to have at least one family member on her side. "Gigi is our Havanese," says Bachmann. "She's supergirly with a bow in her hair—she's my ally."
The room's traditional, clubby feel was designed with the men of the family in mind.
Family-First Design
When devising the home's overall decor scheme, Bachmann's main criterion was that it be truly functional for the spirited family of five. "We use every single room," she says. "The boys are sporty and rambunctious, so there's nothing in my home that's so precious that I couldn't live without it. It's a happy, lived-in home."
Her carefree attitude is a critical asset. In the cozy room just off the kitchen (the family's main gathering place and the most masculine area in the house, with its taupe walls and heavy wood table), an eagle-eyed guest might notice that one of the bronze jacket hangers topping the leather-upholstered chairs is askew. "It's off to the side because it was hit with a lacrosse stick," sighs Bachmann, who bought the chairs from a gentleman's club.
The eye-popping paint choice, coupled with the room's abundance of natural light, allowed Bachmann to use mostly neutral furnishings but still achieve a cheery effect.
Bachmann's decision to choose bright yellow for the living room walls was not one she took casually. "I had a lot of fear," she admits. "I thought it might be really awful!" Inspired by late interiors icon Nancy Lancaster's famous yellow room at Avery Row, she took the leap. Rather than go with a store-bought yellow, though, Bachmann decided to layer various sunny shades atop a brown base. "I knew if I used just one color, it would look harsh. If you see it in person, it has texture to it—the color is really sort of mellow while still being superbright."
The bold paint choice is balanced by the relatively sedate palette of the furnishings. "The rest of the room is basically dark plum—and only the two midcentury chairs have a print, so it all integrates," she says. She made a point of reupholstering the formerly patterned sofa in a simple warm white fabric. "Since the furniture is not much of a statement, I was able to be more colorful with the styling," she adds, noting the collection of blue glasses displayed on the shelves.
Bachmann's taste in artwork is all over the map, ensuring that her living spaces are anything but stuffy. Her mix-and-match approach to framing helps heighten the room's casually eclectic vibe.
The piece in the left corner—which one might reasonably mistake for a lamp—is a twine-covered ball placed atop a jardiniere.
The chair, a French fauteuil in Louis XV style that Bachmann bought in London, is paired with a shell sconce from Past Perfect, a local vintage boutique.
The intricately crafted table, purchased from a London antiques dealer, is among Bachmann's most prized pieces.
Tradition, with a Twist
"My taste tends to be eclectic," says Bachmann—an understatement if there ever was one. The foyer is home to one of her most distinctive pieces: a hand-carved Italian rococo entryway table that she bought out from under one of interior design's boldest boldface names. "Bunny Williams had a hold on it, but I waited and waited until I could snatch it. I felt like it was an even better buy because she wanted it." In the dining room, a hand-painted de Gournay silk wallpaper lends an air of crisp formality. "I'm not a wallpaper person," Bachman says, "but I think this print is a work of art. It's classic and timeless, and it has a great textural feeling."
The bespoke wallpaper is the main statement here—all of Bachmann's other choices (the room's pale palette, the elegantly timeworn chairs) allow it catch the eye.
Bachmann's way with whimsical combinations is evident in her placement of a minimalist Hugo Guinness bird print above an ornate vintage chinoiserie chest.
A Bit of Palm Beach
Though Bachmann's decor is most obviously imbued with a European sensibility, if you look closely, you'll find traces of her Florida roots. "I grew up in Melbourne, near Vero Beach, and I still love that sort of corny Florida look—the bamboo, the mirrored furniture," she admits. Case in point? The gilt pieces in her kitchen. "That shiny brass, I love it," she says referring to the statement-making starburst clock and the can't-miss chandelier. "Even though I don't have a midcentury home, that feeling comes through there."
I'm not a wallpaper person, but I think this print is a work of art.
— Kim Bachmann
Bachmann has never met a monogram she didn't love. "I have multiple sets of napkins and monogrammed shades in two bedrooms," she says. "I think it must be a Southern thing."
"I cook a lot—not necessarily because I want to," jokes Bachmann, who's always entertaining guests, be it casually or formally. Her staple? A lamb Bolognese cribbed from The New York Times.
Despite the dents and dings that come with family life, the home's overall look is admirably pulled-together. You'd be forgiven for thinking the cohesion is evidence of an interior designer's expert hand, but Bachmann, who decorated the home herself, shudders at the suggestion. While she doesn't believe in decorating dos and don'ts, she does confess that she didn't want her home "to look like a decorator did it"—before quickly adding that some of her best friends are decorators. "I just didn't want the decor to look too contrived," she clarifies.
Bachmann attributes her affinity for effortless elegance to her time spent in London (she lived there in her mid-20s when her husband, who works in technology, was transferred there). "I was struck by the places of friends that we would visit," she recalls. "They were so comfortable. The homes could be simple or grand—or anywhere in between—but people really lived in them. They never looked like someone came in and fixed all the pillows and constructed this picture-perfect world."
Bachmann's girly-glam side is given free rein in her home office, where her designs for Kim and Proper take flight.
Signature Style
Most afternoons, Bachmann can be found working on her locally produced designs in her home office, which is vintage and ladylike enough that it's easy to imagine Audrey Hepburn circa Breakfast at Tiffany's popping by for a glass of champagne. Pink paint (once again a custom, layered concoction), a mirrored desk ("It's not superpractical, but I fell in love with it"), and a funky '70s-era Lucite ceiling lamp create a fanciful vibe. "This is my little space, and I felt like I could do whatever I wanted in here," says Bachmann. "My office is bright and shiny and colorful and always messy."
Whether it's in her home decor or her year-old dress line, Bachmann's feminine aesthetic shines through. "I like things to be simple but glamorous," she says. "My house is that, and Kim and Proper is definitely that." Indeed: Her classic yet modern dresses (all priced at $195) are timeless and wearable. "They're sexy, but they're not overt. I don't want to be wearing the same outfit as my son's girlfriend!"
Perhaps best of all, the designer has more than enough space to store her own dresses (along with her many pairs of Seafarer jeans—"the original sailor jean that Jane Birkin wore," she notes) in her custom closet. "I have one side and my husband has the other," she says, "but I definitely got the bigger side."
My friends tease me, but l think leopard is almost a neutral. It goes with everything!
Layered bedding (and a little more leopard, of course) give the room its luxurious feel. "Living with lots of layers makes a space feel like a home rather than a showplace," says Bachmann.
A leopard-print chair and the lovely watercolor Bachmann lucked upon at a secondhand store add interest to the soothing, sedate space.
Relax and Retreat
At the end of a long day, you'll likely find Kim Bachmann curled up in her bedroom, with a cup of tea in hand and the fire lit. The room is intentionally more monochromatic than her playful living spaces, allowing her to let go of the stress of the day and settle down. "I love my bedroom because it's the one place the boys aren't allowed in," she says. "I feel perfectly comfortable locking the door and saying, 'Everybody out!'"
Subtle splashes of pattern—in the form of the lilac window shade and the blue footstool—enliven a purposefully pale palette.
The Casual Collector
When it comes to acquiring art, Bachmann is motivated by point of view rather than pedigree. Though she studied art history at Christie's during her time across the pond (and owns works by sculptor Eric Goulder and painter Caio Fonseca), the fine and the fun mingle freely in her home. "We do have some more-serious pieces from our time in London," she says, "but I mix them with pieces we've picked up throughout the years from little secondhand stores and vintage boutiques."
One of those great scores is the lovely abstract watercolor that rests above the writing desk in her bedroom, bought on a whim from a vintage-clothing boutique. "I literally drove by the shop for a year," recalls Bachmann. "It was one of those places that is open from like 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on a Tuesday and 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on a Thursday. But I finally got in." When she did, she immediately fell for the piece, despite not having a clue as to the artist or the provenance. "It's not like we have a great collection, but we have what we love."
Bachmann favors vintage jewelry. "My style is not supergrand," she says. She'll often wear one big piece to amp up a simple outfit—be it one of her own dresses or a pair of jeans and a white button-down shirt.
Just for the Fun of It
The home's Old World elements are balanced by bursts of whimsy. A curvy chair, set in a hallway against a hot-pink wall, looks like it could have come straight from Alice's Wonderland. (Actually, it's was a shabby outdoor seat that Bachmann had reupholstered and painted bronze.) And the designer has never seen a leopard print she didn't love—note the throw and the chair in her otherwise sedate pale-blue bedroom. "My friends tease me about it," she says, "But I think leopard is almost a neutral. It goes with everything—I have to stop myself from using it!"
Given the far-ranging mix of design eras represented in her home, you might assume hours of planning and massive mood boards were necessary to achieve the perfect mix. Think again. "I just threw it all in there!" says Bachmann. "I go for it, and then I make adjustments. I don't like an overly planned feeling, and because I have a specific aesthetic, it all comes together."
A fairy-tale-like combination is achieved by way of the pink walls and the flower-burst clock—an impulse buy from Bachmann's London days.
Staying organized is a cinch, courtesy of this to-die-for custom closet.
Bachmann designed her youngest son's room when he was 8. It's still sweet, but not so much so that the now 11-year-old can't hang out there with his friends.
I don't like an overly planned feeling, and because I have a specific aesthetic, it all comes together.
Perhaps one reason Bachmann's home is so inviting is that it wasn't put together in a hurry. Even before she moved in nearly two decades ago, Bachmann had accumulated enough pieces to give the place a supremely stylish start. While living in London, she frequented Kings Road and Wandsworth Bridge Road, picking up pieces as inspiration struck. Those came back to the States with her when her husband transferred to San Francisco, as did her finds from across the English Channel. The chandeliers in the living room, for instance, are rock crystal and gilt tole circa 1780 from the estate of the late Italian collector Giuseppe Rossi; Bachmann bought them in Paris. "I also often went to the Marché aux Puces," she remembers. "It's still possible to get good pieces at good prices there."
Bachmann's canvas is ever-evolving: "There are always new things coming in and out of the house." And even if if she didn't buy another settee for the rest of her life, Bachmann would be set. "I have three containers in South San Francisco full of stuff. I find it very hard to part with things; I always think I'll need it for another house." Her oldest son, who is set to graduate from college this year and plans to move to the East Coast, is about to become the biggest beneficiary of her smartly curated stockpile. "In my mind, he'll have the best apartment ever," she says.
Tour more designer homes →
Written By	Laura Morgan
Photos By	Nicole LaMotte
Styled By	Kelly Allen
FashionHome Tours
3 Responses to "Tour a Fashion Designer's Playfully Posh San Francisco Family Home"
Michele Warner says:
I am a huge fan of saturated color but I'd last less than a minute in that yellow living room. It's garish.
Tracy Glesby says:
eastedie33510 says:
Yellow walls are too bright. Should be softer shade of yellow. Too much cluttered decor. On the whole, this place lacks cohesiveness and tranquility. The owner is just trying to hard to impress.
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For as successful as College of the Sequoias' baseball team was on the field this past season, the Giants were a big hit in the classroom, too.
COS placed six sophomores -- pitcher Anthony Torres (Exeter High), catcher Davis Beavers (Redwood), infielder Payton Allen (Golden West) and outfielders Cade Sakamoto (Highland-Bakersfield), Donte Valdez (Redwood) and Derek Harris (Porterville) -- on the Academic All-State team.
All six achieved grade-point averages above 3.5 during the Spring 2019 and Fall 2019 semesters.
"That's one of our big goals, to do well in the classroom," said COS coach Jody Allen, who praised assistant Scott Laird's efforts in holding players accountable academically. "So it was nice to have a lot of our guys achieve that."
The Giants were 18-4 overall (tied for the third most wins in the state) and ranked No. 5 in Northern California when all spring sports were canceled by the California Community College Athletic Association as a safety precaution because of the worldwide novel coronavirus pandemic.
Valdez, who hit .261 with nine doubles and 12 RBIs, led the honorees with a 3.96 GPA.
Sakamoto, who had a 3.86 GPA, hit.306 with four doubles, three triples, a homer and 10 RBIs. As a pitcher, the left-hander went 3-2 with a 4.81 earned-run average over 39 ⅓ innings.
Beavers sported a 3.85 GPA while hitting .267 with nine RBIs. He also threw out five of nine attempted base stealers.
Harris earned a .380 GPA as he hit a team second-best .348 with one RBI.
Allen, who had a 3.75 GPA, hit .295 with seven doubles, two triples and a team-best 22 RBIs.
And Torres, who achieved a 3.54 GPA, went 1-0 with a 3.55 ERA in 12 ⅔ innings as a right-handed reliever.
Sakamoto is one of three Giants who have signed to continue their academic and athletic careers at four-year universities next season. Sakamoto is headed to Bellevue, an NAIA university based in Bellevue, Neb.
"Bellevue has had numerous former COS players, and they have all been major contributors to our program," Bruins coach Duane Monlux told the university's official website. "We expect Cade to come in and continue that tradition. He has excellent command on the mound, and has the ability to swing the bat. He is a tremendous student as well. We are thrilled that he has decided to be a part of the Bruin family."
Infielder Isaac Gonzalez (Redwood) and right-handed pitcher Samuel Bower (Redwood) have signed with NCAA Division II Fresno Pacific and Division I Saint Mary's of Moraga, respectively.
Gonzalez, a sophomore, hit a team-leading .413 and had a team-best six stolen bases to go along with four doubles and 19 RBIs.
Bower, a freshman, went 4-1 (tied for the team lead in wins) with a .344 ERA over five starts and three relief appearances. He struck out 22 in 34 innings.
The CCCAA's Board of Directors voted in March to restore the spring season for the state's approximately 9,500 student athletes, and Jody Allen said he expects some of his 15 sophomores to take advantage of this option and return to COS.
"We had a great season going and you end up with what ifs, so you feel bad for the situation," Allen said. "But life happened and people have to move on. We're excited at some point to get the guys back involved when the time is right and we can do it safely."
January 4, 2021 2021 Baseball Golf Benefit
May 29, 2020 Giants place 6 on Academic All-State team, send 3 on to four-year universities
May 12, 2020 2020 Academic All-State
March 12, 2020 Season Postponded
March 10, 2020 Giants drop series to Reedley; idle for a week before facing FCC
March 1, 2020 Giants sweep Taft behind Pedersen's perfect game
February 28, 2020 CVC co-leading Giants wrap Taft series on the road Feb. 29
February 24, 2020 CVC co-leading Giants to face Taft this week
February 20, 2020 Giants continue series with Merced after rolling in opener
February 18, 2020 Giants set to open CVC play at home vs. Merced
February 13, 2020 Giants run season-opening streak to 10 ahead of weekend home series vs. Cosumnes River
February 10, 2020 Giants travel to Bakersfield College 2/11 - Game time 2PM
February 10, 2020 Streaking Giants headed to Bakersfield, host Cosumnes River in weekend series
February 7, 2020 Giants roll to seventh straight win; host 2 games this weekend
February 3, 2020 Giant roll to 5-0 start; host 4 games this week
January 31, 2020 Giants continue weekend home series with Marin
January 28, 2020 Giants open with win, head to Allan Hancock on Jan. 28
January 24, 2020 Giants open season Jan. 25 at home vs. Allan Hancock
October 12, 2019 2019 Alumni Game Results

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


ENRD: Seminario LEADER "Acting locally in a changing world"
Sei in Home | ENRD: Seminario LEADER "Acting locally in a changing world"
The ENRD Contact Point in partnership with the Austrian Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism, the Austrian National Rural Network and LAG nordburgenland plus is jointly hosting a seminar for LEADER LAGs, Managing Authorities and National Rural Networks.
This seminar will focus on the role of LEADER, where and how it is adding value and delivering something distinctive. The event will consider how the LEADER approach can be used to address new challenges and opportunities, both currently and within post 2020 policy. It will demonstrate how LAGs acting locally are contributing towards various wider societal challenges and priorities such as climate change, the potential of the bioeconomy, rural urban links, social enterprise, youth participation etc.
The seminar will take place in Rust, North East Austria between the 15th and 17th October 2018, the programme will involve study trips, the presentation of practical examples, keynote presentations and working groups. Participation will be limited to 150 delegates and will therefore involve a selection process.
An invitation to apply on-line will follow by email in early August. In the meantime please save the date.


Diagnosis of the etiology of vision loss requires a step-wise systematic approach. The vision loss may be sudden or gradual, painful or painless, unilateral or bilateral, etc. One needs to take a detailed ocular history and examination.
Step 1: Sudden or gradual vision loss?
a. Sudden: vascular occlusion (e.g., AION, CRAO, CRVO) or bleeding (e.g., vitreous hemorrhage, "wet" macular degeneration).
b. Gradual: degenerations or depositions (e.g., cataract, macular dystrophies or "dry" macular degeneration, corneal dystrophies).
Step 2: Associated with pain?
Step 3: Transient or persistent vision loss?
b. Persistent: structural or irreversible damage (e.g., vitreous hemorrhage, macular degeneration).
Step 4: Unilateral or Bilateral vision loss?
Step 5: Blurred, dimmed or distorted vision (What)?
a. Blurring or dimming: pathology anywhere in the visual pathway from cornea to cortex; common problems include refractive error, cataract, and macular disease.
b. Distortion: macular pathology, high refractive error (high ametropia/astigmatism) or other ocular disease.
Step 6: Where is the vision loss?
c. Central blurring of vision: diseases of the macula (positive scotoma: a "seen" spot) or optic nerve (negative scotoma: an unseen defect).
Step 7: When is the vision loss ?
Further investigations is based upon the disease suspected from history and ophthalmic examination.
1 Step 1: Sudden or gradual vision loss?
2 Step 2: Associated with pain?
3 Step 3: Transient or persistent vision loss?
4 Step 4: Unilateral or Bilateral vision loss?
5 Step 5: Blurred, dimmed or distorted vision (What)?
6 Step 6: Where is the vision loss?
7 Step 7: When is the vision loss ?


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Q: Div margin to equal another div's height - JS So my content div is basically hidden behind the header and footer, and has 100% height.
On some pages I want to have a JS script to tell the content div move below the header and I tried it like so but it's not working:
document.getElementById('content').style.marginTop = document.getElementById('header').height + 55;
}

Any ideas?

A: var height = document.getElementById('header').offsetHeight;
document.getElementById('content').style.marginTop = height + "px";

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
John D. HeadCONSULTANT | RAINMAKER | COLLABORATION & INTEGRATION EXPERT
Archive for Computer Games
E3 Wrap-up
So here is an E3 wrap-up linkfest: Microsoft Live Project Natal Demos and Lionhead's Virtual Child Sony Gran Turismo PSP Trailer Promotes PSP Go Gran Turismo 5 Trailer: Zooming Lovely Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Screenshots: Big Boss's Box Nintendo Red Steel 2 Gameplay Walkthrough New Super Mario Bros. Wii Hands-on Preview Other Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Smash Up Trailer, Turtles in Time Screenshot Assassin's Creed 2 Trailer Shows Gameplay A Tekken 6 Trio of Trailers Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 Trailer Mixes It Up Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Trailer Makes It So Metal Gear Solid: Rising Trailer: Lightning Bolt Action Saboteur Screenshots Sneak up, Shoot out Homefront Media Shows You The Action Most people would tell you that this is the best E3 in many years. Lots of great news, announcements, and buzz going on.
Posted in E3 Computer Games | 0 Babble
E3 Day 0 - Highlights
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Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) Starts Tuesday - Gaming News Galore On It's Way
So for those who do not know by now, my second love around technology is computer gaming. Not just playing of said games, but of the design and development of them. So one of my favorite times of the year is during E3. Basically the largest computer game conference of the year, we will get game announcements from all of the console companies - Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo. We will also see all of the publishers announce their slate for this coming holiday season and into 2010. I am expecting a bigger E3 this year in terms of announcements than last year - last year was mostly a bust. If you want to keep up with what I am reading about next week, I am going to use my twitter account to publish the stories that interest me. I have a great firefox plug-in that allows me to highlight any headline on a page - and with a single click, post that headline and tinyurl. Very easy to use. I will probably do one wrap-up blog next Friday to cover the highlights. Some predictions: 1. Microsoft w
Posted in Computer Games | 0 Babble
Time for another review ... Puzzle Quest: The Challenge of the Warlords
I have not done a review in a while, so I figured I would talk about my favorite new game. Puzzle Quest: The Challenge of the Warlords might be the best game I have played in years. Here is something about the game, how you can play it, and why it rocks: About Puzzle Quest: Here is the official word on the game: Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords is a brand new, genre-bending title that ups the ante on traditional puzzle games by incorporating strategy, role-playing elements and a persistent storyline. Set in the Warlords universe, the game challenges players to save the land of Etheria from evil Lord Bane as gamers engage in battles fought by means of competitive, head-to-head "match-three" style puzzle games in one of three gameplay modes: Single-player, Instant Action or Multiplayer. Victory will advance a player's customisable hero, magical arsenal, creature companions and more—ultimately rewarding gamers at nearly every turn and deepening their immersion into the richly
Posted in Computer Games Puzzle Quest XBox 360 Live Nintendo DS PSP Nintendo Wii PC | 0 Babble
Blizzard Entertainment is worth a billion or so ...
Not sure what more to say except this ... Vivendi Entertainment annouced their numbers today. Blizzard Entertainment, just one of the subsidiaries of Vivendi, made $814 Euros (1.2 Billion US) in 2007. We are all in the wrong business. Damn.
Posted in Computer Games Blizzard Entertainment World of Warcraft | 0 Babble
Happy 14th Birthday DOOM
Man, just reading that headline makes me feel old ... Doomworld has a mini celebration going on. I so want to go kick some Cacodemon butt tonight.
Posted in DOOM Computer Games | 0 Babble
I will never buy another Eidos game again ...
Here is the story from Shack News: Report: GameSpot's Gerstmann Fired Due to Negative Kane & Lynch Review by Chris Remo Nov 29, 2007 9:14pm CST Rumors have been swirling today that Jeff Gerstmann, executive editor at CNET-owned major video game site GameSpot, was fired after giving a generally unimpressed review of Io Interactive's Kane & Lynch: Dead Men. Gerstmann awarded the game a 6.0. (Though Shacknews does not score its reviews, our own Kane & Lynch review was similar in its verdict.) According to the reports, the layoff came after Kane & Lynch publisher Eidos took issue with the review and threatened to pull its considerable ad contract. GameSpot's front page is currently almost entirely re-skinned with Kane & Lynch imagery. The rumor began bouncing around various industry circles over the past day, and this evening was reported by Kotaku. Popular webcomic Penny Arcade posted a strip about the alleged incident tonight, outside of its normal publishing sched
Halo3 Sells in September ... in Truckloads!
So, here are the Computer Game sales for September 2007: 1. Halo 3 (Bungie, Microsoft Game Studios, X360) - 3,256,082 2. Wii Play with Wii Remote (Nintendo, Wii) - 282,000 3. The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo, NDS) - 224,000 4. Madden NFL 08 (EA Tiburon, EA Sports, PS2) - 205,000 5. Skate (EA Black Box, EA Games, X360) - 175,000 6. Madden NFL 08 (EA Tiburon, EA Sports, X360) - 173,000 7. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Retro Studios, Nintendo, Wii) - 167,000 8. BioShock (2K Boston/2K Australia, 2K Games, X360) - 150,000 9. Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day (Nintendo, NDS) - 141,000 10. Heavenly Sword (Ninja Theory, SCEE, PS3) - 139,000 Holy crap! So more info: Each version actually sold more on its own that any game in September, with the standard $59.99 edition's 2,367,795 leading, followed by the $69.99 collector's edition with 511,437, and the $129.99 Spartan helmet-incl
Who wants a free copy of Half-Life 2 and HL2: Episode One?
So, here is the offer ... when I purchased The Orange Box, which includes Half-Life 2 Episode 2, Team Fortress 2, and Portal, Steam automatically noticed that I already purchased Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2 Episode 1. So, Valve let's me gift both of these. So, the first person to contact me (and get hold of me) who wants them, can have them for free. Here are the details: 1. You have to install Steam and register an account. Their rules, not mine. 2. That Steam account has to be a US account. If you can register a US account outside the country, go for it. Otherwise it is your issue 3. Windows only 4. You do not get the rest of the Orange Box ... just HL2 and HL2 Episode 1. Who wants it?
Halo 3 arrives ... Master Chief is ready to take over the world
Today marks the release of what will be the best selling game for this holiday season ... even if the game was released well before Thanksgiving. Halo 3, the third and 'final' chapter of the struggle of Master Chief vs. the Covenant, hit stores today. With over 1 million pre orders, expect everyone to be playing this. There is so much press today on Halo 3 over at IGN and Shacknews, so I am gonna give my initial review. First off, this might be the most polished FPS I have ever played. Not the most innovative, or the hardest, or the prettiest, or the longest. But damn is everything there. The story is great, the graphics look killer on a HDTV, and one of the best soundtracks ever make Halo 3 a great experience. Add in 4 player co-op thru the single player campaign, and that just gets it a bonus point. The multi-player game feels great ... finally a native Xbox 360 version of the best multi-player FPS on a console. The matchmaking lounge might be the best in the industry today. They do
Preorder The Orange Box, play Team Fortress 2 ... RIGHT NOW!
Well, it had to be the day before a business trip ... talk about offering crack to an addict and then telling him he has to leave for a few days. Yes, if you pre purchase The Orange Box on Steam today, you can immediately download Team Fortress 2. OMG ... TF2 is so fun. It is different than TF1 or TFC, but different is not bad. I love it! The polish of the game is out of this world. And the on-line play is super fast. Having played an earlier beta before, this feels more like a release candidate than beta. Nathan, do not even come near this. You will self combust within 60 seconds of playing the spy.
WoW Hacking in Book form
Curt Stone sent this to me and I thought I would share ... Cool that they are really taking the WoW mod scene seriously .. I have seen mods done in WoW that allow you to do all sorts of cool things, such as organize a raid and play chess. Very cool stuff. Curt, hope you get back your mac :-)
The other side of gaming ... WoW Widows and GamingSucks.com
Since today is a holiday for many in the US, it makes sense that there is quite a bit of computer gaming going on today. Be it on a computer, a console, a PDA or cell phone ... people are enjoying the time away from work. As a lifetime gamer and a person connected to many developers of games, I tend to ignore most of the anti-gaming stuff that happens. There are always people for and against anything. For every person that says computer game violence is bad, there are those that will say it is not and claim free speech. For every person who says gaming can help in the workforce, there are counterparts who say it is a waste of time. It is an interesting debate no matter what the specific issue, but computer games seems to polarize people ... I do not talk with very few people who are in the grey space in between. Since the popularization of on-line gaming, and the explosion of games like Everquest a.k.a Evercrack, and World of Warcraft, I have seen more backlash. Not by players .. but
Best Fan Movie Ever ... Halo 3
I think I found the greatest fan-made movie for a video game. Check out this gritty Halo 3 video ... Silverlight HD version and normal version.
Posted in Computer Games Movies/DVDs | 0 Babble
DirectX 10 .. Microsoft has a real problem
Microsoft has a real problem with DirectX 10. The problem is that the core audience for DirectX 10, gamers, are not upgrading to Microsoft Windows Vista. Since DirectX 10 only works on Vista, games with all the DirectX 10 goodies are not being played, or bought. Gabe Newell, President of Valve (makers of Half-Life, Half-Life 2, and the upcoming Orange Box) discussed this with Heise: According to an online survey by Valve Software, only one in fifty players who access download service Steam has a DirectX 10-compatible graphics card and Windows Vista installed. In an interview with heise online, Gabe Newell, president of Valve Software, said that Microsoft made a terrible mistake releasing DirectX 10 for Vista only and excluding Windows XP. He said this decision affected the whole industry as so far only a very small percentage of players can use DirectX 10. I think it is time for Microsoft to backport DirectX 10 to Windows XP. I feel bad for all my friends in the gaming development w
Posted in Microsoft Computer Games | 3 Babble
5 most addicitive computer games of all time
So MSNBC has an article about the 5 most addicitive computer games ... World of Warcraft Everquest Peggle Doom Tetris I was so addicted to Doom (and Quake) that I basically blew off college. WoW, well, I think readers here already know about my self exile to detox from what is known best as World of CrackCraft.
Casual Gaming done Right!
I have previously wrote about Casual Gaming and Tower Defense Games, but I am happy to report that I have seen the future of casual gaming! Casual Collective, being built by Paul and Dave, who built so many of those TD games, is a great concept that is being executed very well. Take the basic idea of Tower Defense, add in some scoring and basic matchmaking, and you have an addictive game. As you can see, there are some fun options to the multi-player games. You pick what you want and then start the game. While you still play against the 'creeps' coming across the screen by yourself, you are playing against other plays. Racing to kill the bad guys as fast as you can to get the most points and win. So far, the 'beta' site seems to be playing very well. No issues for me. Nice job guys ... look forward to the next step and more games!
id Software brings on the Rage at QuakeCon
Lots of news coming out of Quakecon down in Texas this weekend: id's new game is entitled Rage, based on id Tech 5. The game is a new IP with a game world much like Mad Max. Both first-person shooter (FPS) and driving gameplay will be part of the game. You can watch the game trailer here or download the HD version here. Rage current does not have a publisher Rage will come out for PC, Mac, XBox 360, and PS3 Raven Software is working on a new Wolfenstein game Enemy Territory: Quake Wars will be in stores on 10/2/2007 The movies based on the game Return to Castle Wolfenstein Roger Avary (Pulp Fiction, Silent Hill, Beowolf) will direct and write, with production handled by Samual Hadida (Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Good Night and Good Luck) id annouced Quake Arena Arcade for the Xbox 360. This will be a new version of Quake 3 Arena built for play on-line via Xbox Live. No ship date was annouced For the first time ever, id Software will be working on two games at once. They are building
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Witch King annouced
There it is .. Blizzard has officially annouced the next World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Witch King. Expect to spend lots of time on a new continent, Northend, and fight lots of baddies in the cold. The zone will allow you to level to 80 and should pit you against Arthas, the Witch King, in the biggest raid of the zone. There is also the first Hero Class, the Death Knight. Check out the site here for more info and to watch the trailer. Man, this might get me excited to get back into WoW full time. Nathan Freeman is right ... they should rename WoW "black tar heroin" ... or just call it WoW: Crack!
oday is Monday, July 30, the 211th day of 2007. There are 154 days left in the year.
There Are: 1 day until Babylon 5: Lost Tales - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon_5:_The_Lost_Tales 1 day until 300 on HD-DVD / Blueray - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/300_(film) 1 day until Shaun of the Dead on HD-DVD - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaun_of_the_Dead 1 day until Hot Fuzz on DVD - http://hotfuzz.com/ 3 days until Quakecon 2007 - http://www.quakecon.org/ 4 days until The Bourne Ultimatum - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bourne_Ultimatum_(film) 5 days until SIGGRAPH - http://www.siggraph.org/s2007/ 11 days until Survivor Man Season 2 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorman 15 days until Lair for the PS3 - http://www.us.playstation.com/Lair/ 20 days until Brain Age 2 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_Age_2:_More_Training_in_Minutes_a_Day 22 days until BioShock - http://www.2kgames.com/bioshock/ 23 days until Games Convention - http://www.gc-germany.com/gcinfo_e.shtml 25 days until PAX - http://www.pennyarcadeexpo.com/ 28 days until Metroid Prime 3:
Posted in Computer Games General/Site News Music/Bands/Concerts | 0 Babble
IBM takes gaming seriously
As most people who read this blog know, I spend a fair amount of time writing about games. Games I like to play, game news, game info, game pictures, etc. I love the ability to do something or be someone that you can not do or be. Gaming allows you to experience things that are not possible in the real world. Both positive and negative. As many of you know, I am slowly 'unplugging' myself from the raiding guild lifestyle of World of Warcraft, but I have not stopped playing altogether. I love the game too much. What I could not do any more was the scheduled raiding of 5 or 6 hours a night for multiple nights a week. Too much effort, planning, and coordination mixed with real people's personality and drama just wore me down. It felt more like a job or school than a game. What I find interesting is at the same time I am walking away from my second job, IBM is taking gaming seriously. Not just about hardware (IBM does make the processors for all 3 gaming consoles) or software, but how g
Posted in Computer Games IBM | 1 Babble
The world of TD Games
As I slowly unjack myself from the gaming of World of Warcraft ... yes, I need to not plan my life around the raiding schedule of a game ... I find myself looking for games that can play in short moments or while watching TV. Enter the world of the games of TD. Tower Defense, otherwise known as TD, is a gaming style that is as much strategy as shooter. The TD gaming style started with a custom map in Warcraft 3 and Starcraft. The map is designed to send waves of baddies (or creeps) down a fixed path. The waves get progressively harder. If the creeps get to the end, they do damage to your base/castle/etc. When you base hits 0 the game is over. To stop the creeps, you build towers or people. They are in a fixed position and do different things. They can be upgraded over time to be stronger. You get a certain amount of money at the start. For every creep you kill, you get money, and for each successful wave you survive. So what you have is part strategy ... how do I build a mix of tow
Apple WWDC 2007 - Games Invade!
So today Apple kicked off WWDC07, otherwise known as the World Wide Developers Conference. As usual, Steve kicked it off with one of his presentations. Yes, he introduced the feature set for 10.5 aka Leopard. He also talked about Web 2.0 on the iPhone. We also go Safari for Windows. But more importantly, Steve was joined by lots of gaming news! EA recommitted to the Mac platform and talked about games coming to the Mac. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Madden 08, and Battlefield. John Carmack was on stage to talk about the new id Software engine technology, called id Tech 5, and give a demo. WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW I can not find any screenshots, but rumor is that Spaces, the virtual screen feature, was shown with World of Warcraft in one of the screens. I wonder if Steve plays a mage :-) My two favorite images: Read more at Engadget here. Interesting times over at Apple. And I can not wait for E3 to hear about the new id game and engine!
Posted in Apple/Mac Computer Games | 0 Babble
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade - The Black Temple - Patch 2.1.0 is out!
The first big content patch for World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade is out! The Black Template Patch - 2.1.0 is Live! Lots and lots of content: The Black Temple patch comprises an astounding array of new content and features, making it the single largest addition to World of Warcraft of any patch to date. The most visible of these new offerings is the eponymous Black Temple, home to Illidan the Betrayer and his minions. The foes within its walls offer a new pinnacle of challenges - and rewards - to dedicated 25-person raid groups. This patch also includes a host of solo and small-group content, with several new quest hubs and associated reputations, each with their own rewards - one of which is the new Netherdrake epic flying mount! In the Black Temple patch you will also find a new arena, Ruins of Lordaeron, as well as access to the new druid epic flight form. Hundreds of balance and bug fixes, including class, item, and profession changes, have also been introduced with the p
Starcraft2: Hell, its about time
Blizzard announced a new game today, and as many predicted, it is Starcraft2. One of the most popular computer games of all time (it has sold over 9 million copies, with 4 million of those in Korea alone), many fans have been awaiting this game for a long time. I know that I still play the game and the expansion, Brood War, with friends on-line. One of the first games to take Real-Time Strategy and mix a complex story and 3 different races to play, Starcraft2 looks to continue in the vein. From what I can read, this does not look like a revolution but a continuation. No mixture of Massive On-line play like World of Warcraft. This is a continuation of the story and themes. Don't get me wrong, that's amazing ... I just thought Blizzard would use some of that WoW money to innovate. It looks amazing. Check it out at the Starcraft2 home page.
Catan comes to XBox Live!
One of the best board games of all time, Settlers of Catan, is finally coming to electronic play via XBox Live! Big Huge Games has taken the killer board game created by Klaus Teuber and made a killer on-line version, Catan. You can play with up to 4 people, including over XBox Live. Here is what the game looks like: I can not wait to play this. I hope it does well ... I would love to see some of the expansions added in the future. Here comes on-line play and some achievements! You can purchase it for 800 XBox points ($10). Here is a great interview with BHG as well.
What would you do for an epic flying mount in World of Warcraft?
I am not sure what to say here ... except it was only a matter of time. If you can buy WoW gold online using cash, this was bound to happen: Yeah, scary world we live in
"I'd would rather game than read a book (and here is why)"
Yes, I know that title is designed to spark reaction, but it is also the title of a great piece by Vincent King at the Escapist (a great digital magazine that focuses on the gaming industry). It is a great read on why the computer game industry is taking a piece of the pie of entertainment, stealing share from movies, music, and books. Vincent talks about how the immersiveness of a computer game can tell more than book because the user is part of the action. Here is a great piece from the article: The stories in both Heir to the Empire and Knights of the Old Republic are both well-crafted, with clever twists and turns to keep the user on his toes. Yet I find the game more satisfying. Books are limited by what the reader has to draw upon in imagining scenes. Adjectives are subject to diminishing returns. Timothy Zahn, the author of Heir to the Empire, could write 100 adjectives in 100 sentences, and he still wouldn't be able to describe every last pixel in every last corner of a single
Beyond the Red Line - BSG Gaming Demo Release
This is for fans of Battlestar Galatica, FreeSpace-like flight action games, or anyone who appreicates great work ... The Beyond the Red Line demo has finally be released. What is Beyond the Red Line? It is a free game built on the Freespace 2 engine that pits you into the world of the current BSG tv show on SciFi. Wait, did you say free? Yep. Here is what "free" gets you these days ... Drool!!!! Released for Windows, Mac, and Linux ... yes folks, its multi-platform (like the Notes client :-) ) Here are the details: THE BEYOND THE RED LINE TEAM IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE RELEASE OF THE BEYOND THE RED LINE DEMO, AVAILABLE NOW! SPOILER WARNING: The following readme and the game itself contain spoilers for Battlestar Galactica Season 2. If you have not seen the series as far as the the episode "Scar", you might want to avoid playing for the time being. 1 INTRODUCTION We thought we were saved. A week after the Nuclear Holocaust our rag-tag fleet of civilian ships, led by the captai
Lunaris beats Magtheridon
Another raid boss has been defeated by Lunaris! Sinzar, the Lunaris Raid Commander, writes his thoughts on the fight ... The Magtheridon fight in it's hotfixed state is very enjoyable. It's a bit of a headache to coordinate beforehand as a raid leader with so many things going on at once, but actually doing the fight is a great rush. The tuning I think is right on track. Magtheridon is definitely a step up from current day Gruul, but only a small one. The only problem with Magtheridon is that the fight is so much easier if you stack the raid and pot out with DPS buffs, but the latest update from Tigole tells us that won't be an issue either in the next patch. So what does all the chatter mean? Lunaris is beating content in the BC expansion BEFORE it is considered fixed (for the most part). Some people call that hardcore, some people call that stupid ... to each their own :-)
WoW Patch Day - 2.0.12
For those that care, today is a patch day for World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. While not the patch Tigole talks about, it fixes a bunch of minor things: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - World of Warcraft Client Patch 2.0.12 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The latest patch notes can always be found at http://worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/ Mac - Improved memory usage and stability under Mac OS X 10.4.9 using multi-threaded OpenGL Bug Fixes - Attempting to turn in a guild charter with a signature from a player that formed his own guild will no longer result in an inappropriate error message. - Using the customer support "Auto-Unstuck" will now trigger the one-hour cooldown on the player's hearthstone. - Arenas Players will no longer be able to see their opponents in the Combat Log of an Arena match-up before the game starts. - Battlegrounds Eye of the Storm: P
Team Fortress 2 Interview
One of the games I am most looking forward to this year (well, I thought I would be playing now, but such is the world of computer game release dates) is Team Fortress 2. It will be included with Half Life 2: Episode 2 later this year ... and bring a breathe of fresh air to the Half Life 2 multiplayer community (sorry folks, but CounterStrike sucks). Not only is TF2 going for an look ... very cartoon like, but they are changing much of the gameplay from Team Fortress (for Quake 1) and Team Fortress Classic (for Half Life). They are removing all grenades from the game except for the Demoman (no more Medic conj jumps) and really modifying the class roles to be much more specific. Overall, I am looking forward to the game. Here is the interview and below is a great picture of what to expect .. that is the new Sniper and the new Spy.
Another story of someone getting worked up over a computer game
So, it seems that people are taking computer games a bit to seriously these days. We had the story about Mercenaries 2 and Venezuela last week, and now we have this The government of Mexican state Chihuahua will be seizing all available copies of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (GRAW2) from distributors within the state, El Diario reports. Developed by Ubisoft Paris and Red Storm Studios, the game was released on Xbox 360 earlier this month, with PlayStation 3, PSP, and PC versions following later in the year. Chihuahua governor Jose Reyes Baeza Terraces, who issued the order for seizure, explained the game's setting defames the country of Mexico. According to a press release provided by publisher Ubisoft, GRAW2 depicts a "full-scale civil war" between "Mexican loyalists and insurgent rebel forces." This poses an "imminent threat to the United States," requiring the U.S. government to deploy the Ghosts, a military team "equipped with the most cutting-edge weaponry and t
Bono, Computer Games, and Venezuela ... imagine how they all connect
This is just so absurd it is funny Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and his supporters have been quite vocal in their dissatisfaction that the events of Pandemic Studios' free-roaming destruct-a-thon Mercenaries 2: World in Flames--set for release this fall on PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC--take place in a virtual recreation of Venezuela. With those past complaints having little tangible effect, the Venezuela Solidarity Network is now asking religious leaders and secular-minded individuals to petition a seemingly unlikely target: U2 lead singer Bono. Why Bono? The singer is a partner in Elevation Partners, the firm that acquired Bioware and Pandemic Studios in 2005, meaning Bono is in part funding development of the game. The VSN hopes that Bono's connection to Pandemic and his "efforts to erase the plagues of debt and famine from our planet" will give them the edge in their goal to "to see that 'Mercenaries 2' is pulled from stores and not sold anywhere." Citing that
Why the PS3 Sucks
If you hate what Sony has done to the Playstation brand, you have to watch this ... Why PS3 Sucks
Posted in Computer Games | 22 Babble
Sony is thinking about shooting themselves in the PS3 feet ...
So according to sources, Sony is looking to find ways to save money on the production costs of the Playstation 3. One of the ways would be to do what they did in Europe and remove the PS2 hardware including in the PS3 for backwards compatibility with games. This would mean that you would need software emulation to play PS2 games ... which does not exist today for 99% of the PS2 game catalog. Now, I know that the Xbox 360 uses software emulation, but they support over 150 Xbox games today. And they keep adding games every month .. they just added one of the Mortal Kombat games my friend Al helped build .. and its 4 years old. Sony, wake the hell up. You are just going to piss off more of your customers. Microsoft, please take advantage of this ... Sony to bring 'PS2-less' PS3 to US, Japan? from Gizmodo
Lunaris roars to life in WoW:BC
With the release of World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade expansion, the 40 man raiding style of end game play that was around for two years has totally changed. Raids are now designed for 25 players and most of the instances are 5 player (standard and Heroic) and 10 player raids (such as Karahazan). Only the outdoor raid bosses allow for 40 players to participate. These changes were made to make raids easier to form and manage .. but what about guilds like Lunaris? We had a 40 raid person schedule down like clockwork ... what about the other 15 people? Reality is that we lost a few of our raiders, and others left for different guilds and servers. Lunaris currently does two nights of 25 player raiding and three nights of 10 player raiding .. but we run multiple teams in Karahazan. And so far we are kicking major butt ... We have cleared Karahazan with Nightbane down We have killed Doom Lord Kazzak and we have killed Doomwalker, who just happens to think its fun to squish ma
Massively Addictive
I have gotten this article forwarded to me a by a couple folks (thanks to Sarah for being the first) ... I guess people associate me with World of Warcraft as much as with anything else these days. :-) As millions continue to spend large quantities of time in virtual worlds, what effect is this having on the real one? By Mike Smith 15 Feb 2007 The eight million players of massively multiplayer on-line game World of Warcraft don't really change the game's world. Even if you spend all night slaying an epic dragon, it'll still be alive again in time for the next team of intrepid adventurers. But in some cases, the compelling, addictive gameplay characteristic of many massively multiplayer games can have devastating impacts on the real worlds of their players. After World of Warcraft's first expansion pack The Burning Crusade released last month, adding a new continent to the world and a sizable stack of new adventures for players to tackle, we were inundated with tales of Warcraft w
The real way to solve our space junk problems
So the NYTimes is reporting that we are having real space junk problems ... In the last decade or so, as scientists came to agree that the number of objects in orbit had surpassed a critical mass — or, in their terms, the critical spatial density, the point at which a chain reaction becomes inevitable — they grew more anxious. Early this year, after a half-century of growth, the federal list of detectable objects (four inches wide or larger) reached 10,000, including dead satellites, spent rocket stages, a camera, a hand tool and junkyards of whirling debris left over from chance explosions and destructive tests. I think a Slashdotter hit the nail on the head with the way to solve this.. NASA needs to cut a deal with Blizzard. Make each of the pieces of "space junk" an ultra-rare item in World of Warcraft that the players have to go and collect themselves. The problem will be solved in 3 months. So true! (thanks Nathan for pinging me about this)
The battle of the avatars
So we heard a lot about Second Life last week at Lotusphere, and even some about World of Warcraft. I thought it would be interesting to compare my avatars in each. So here is Starfish Hennah ... and here is Starfish of Garona, Knight Commander, Elite of Lunaris ... Hmmmm ... which one would win in a fight :-)
World of Warcraft .. the end of Raiding as we know it
As I write this, people all over the US are getting ready for the release of World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade expansion. This release is huge ... with over 8 million ACTIVE subscribers to the game, this might be the biggest game release (in terms of release day shipments) ever. But many on the outside do no not realize what this means to the community. The character limit was 60 in the original game release. I have been level 60 since 2 years ago ... which means I have been playing end game content all this time. Most of this content is in the form of Raiding, either in 20 or 40 man groups. The BC expansion will bump the level cap to 70, increase all of the skills to another level, and present 6 zones of new content. But it also is the end of the 40 man raids. Blizzard decided to drop the max raid size to 25. They did this for many reasons, but I think the biggest reason is the level of effort it takes to organize 40 people. Lunaris, my guild, will continue into the expansio
The real reason Lord Kazzak opens the Dark Portal (WoW:BC Story)
Here, the (Un)Official lore on the opening of the Dark Portal. (Scene: Kazzak's Patrol Path) Kazzak: This sucks. All I do is get grinded by level 60s. Generic Demon: You could go to Outland! I hear that area is controlled by the Legion! ::Kazzak crushes Generic Demon:: Kazzak: Ill do it! Ill go to Outland! (Cue: Kazzak Theme Song) Here he comes! That Demon Man! Crushing his foes! With his bare hands! Hes havin' troubles! So hes movin'! To where he can live free! From Players like you or me! (Kazzak! Kazzak!) Lord of the Demons! King of Evil! Bringer of Death! Destroyer of All Things Civil! (Kazzak! Kazzak!) Hes got the plan! Hes got the power! Hes getting stronger! By the hour! (Kazzak: RAWRRR!) Kazzak! (End song) (Scene: Random Swamp) Other Demon: Are you sure it is here master? Kazzak: Of course I am! It should be just over THERE! (A large Temple comes into view) Other Demon: Wow. Kazzak: Behold my minions! The Temple of Wal Mar't! ::Kazz
Xbox 360 Statistics from CES
Today, as part of Microsoft's CES keynote, Peter Moore sent an email to members of the press in which he shared his excitement about what they have accomplished so far. The following are stats and figures provided by Mr. Moore: Over 10.4 million Xbox 360 consoles sold in more than 37 countries. On track for 13-15 million units shipped by the end of FY07. Record-breaking attach rate of 5.3 games sold per console. Gears of War sold more than 2.7 million copies after only 8 weeks on the market. Xbox Live community has eclipsed 5 million members, with over half of all consoles connected. Goal: 6 million Xbox Live members by June 2007. The average Xbox Live Gold subscriber has more than 21 friends. Every day there are 2 million messages (text/voice/picture) sent across the Xbox Live network. Over 100 million pieces of standard and high definition content have been downloaded from Xbox Live Marketplace. Over 70% of Xbox Live members are downloading content from Xbox Live Marketpl
Posted in Computer Games Hardware/Gadgets | 1 Babble
Lunaris drops Loatheb and Gothik (the Harvester)
My time outside of work has been pretty minimal these past two weeks (two projects coming to fruition at the same time, go go scheduling), but there has been some WoW time. Lunaris defeated two of the more difficult bosses in Naxxramas . Loatheb is the last boss in the Plague wing, requiring lots of world buffs and perfect execution. Gothik is one of the most intensive battles we have ever had ... with 30 waves of trash and then a boss ... with the raid split in half and everyone having to be on the ball. So that means we have 12 bosses down ... 3 to go. We are currently working on the Four Horsemen ... the hardest fight in the game currently. Four very difficult bosses mounted on horses that you have to have at least 6 warriors for. Once we get thru them, we expect to roll thru Sapphrion (the Frostwrym) and Kel'Thuzad ... the undead Lich and head boss of the raid instance. Loatheb Gothik (the Harvester)
Lunaris drops Patchwerk and Grobbulus
After many weeks of work, the first boss in Naxxaramas' Abomination Wing Patchwerk is dead. He has over 2.4 million hit points and is just a tank. He requires 7 minutes of amazing, no mistake healing and damage. Last night, we finally got him down. Once we celebrated, we took down the next boss in that wing as well, Grobbulus. Nice work Lunaris!
Coke goes GTA?
It seems that Coke has decided to take on the Grand Theft Auto universe and make a commercial. From YouTube.com: Interesting. Not sure if this is real of fan-made, but its a great parody of the GTA world ... with a positive twist.
Is World of Warcraft killing the PC Gaming Industry?
Last week, Brian Sullivan (Age of Empires co-creator and Iron Lore, makers of Titan Quest, co-founder) made the following statement in an interview on Gamasutra: "The game marketplace is currently undergoing a lot of change, with the success of World of Warcraft and other MMOs, the rise of console gaming and what looks like a very long transition to next-generation, the rise of handheld gaming (especially with the DS), and the huge increase in development costs," Sullivan said. "It is harder than ever to figure out how to be successful in this market." I find this to be an interesting comment. Yes, budgets for games these days dictate a 200,000 break even selling point. Yes, World of Warcraft is the biggest game out there, still #1 on the Game charts after almost 2 years. Let's face it ... when you have 6.5 million subscribers, and the next most successful MMO over time had 2 million, this is going to change the marketplace. I know my purchasing of computer games is down the past two
For the WoW fans ... a lesson in Agro
I know a lot of rogues and mages who should heed this cartoon :-)
Geek Fest Weekend
One of my close friends is getting married this summer. He happens to be a physics teacher in the Chicago suburbs. He is part of a group of my friends that fall into the Computer Game/D&D/Board Games group. So, for his bachelor party, he decided to have a gamer's weekend. The party is starting out with an D&D Arena of Death (D&D with 2 teams fighting it out), followed by BattleTech, SpaceHulk, and various board games like Risk and Shogun. Add in food from the best Deli in Chicago (Augustino's) and a Mexican Fiesta of Fajiitas and Nachos, equals a great time. Not sure what time I will go to bed tonight ... Sarah gets back from her parents tomorrow, so I have to be 'normal' by then. Yes, you can call me geek :)
Posted in Computer Games General/Site News | 0 Babble
Lunaris kills C'Thun
While working my butt off the past couple months, my free time has been taken up by a couple of things. As I need a destresser, WoW and exercise are the two things that help me relax. Lunaris has been working at the final boss for Temple of Ahn'Qiraj, the latest 40 man raid. C'Thun, one of the old gods beat down by the Titans, provides a very difficult challenge. There are two stages to the fight. The first stage has the boss as a giant eye. The raid has to spread out around him. It is not a traditional fight. Each group of 5 players has to be self sufficient. You can not stand within 5 game feet or a chain lightning effect will destroy the party. You can not be too far apart as you still need to heal and deal with the 8 eye stalk spawns. Every 45 seconds or so the Eye puts out a red laser been that sweeps clockwise or counter clockwise. The entire raid has to move, in the 5 man groups, and position themselves properly. This is not a fight about tanking or healing, its a fight about 4
Lazy Gamers get taken care of
So, Ben sent me this link. How sad is this ... Now, I love to play games ... and have a great setup at my desk ... but this is sad! Click the picture for more info
What happened when the squirrel dropped the feather and the ball ...
One of my good friends Brian "Squirrel" Eiserloh, Senior Programmer for Ritual (maker's of Sin, Heavy Metal FAKK 2, Star Trek Elite Force 2, and the upcoming Sin: Episodes, is going to be speaking at the Computer Developer's Conference. He is on a panel talking about Physics for Game Programmers. Ritual will also be showing off their new game engine. Its all fancy using DirectX 10 and will power Windows Vista games. He has been down in Dallas working away at this engine for a long time, so good to see it is going to be shown. Hope March 20th doesn't come to soon for ya man! Any chance of getting a Notes project out there so I can come? :)
Lunaris drops Thunderaan
With everything going on in my life, its a wonder how I still get to do things like play World of Warcraft. I do carve out some time, and last night was on for just a short while. Why? Because Lunaris (my guild) was about to trigger the first Legendary event on our server (Garona). This is a big quest line that requires 2 legendary loot drops in Molten Core, 100 Arcanite, 10 Elementium Ore from Black Wing Lair, and then this fight. The end result is the first legendary item in the game. Congrats to Sinzar, our raid commander, for his new sword! Prince Thunderaan Dead Prince Thunderaan Sinzar with the sword Thunderfury
Nintendo takes a risk ... the Revolution Controller has been demoed
Well, this past week Nintendo introduced the long rumored controller for the Revolution, their next gaming console. The controller, which looks like a remote control, allows additional devices to be plugged in. Check out the analog controller below: Multiplayer games should be easy with multiple controllers. I have to give Nintendo credit for taking a risk and doing something different. So called "hard core" gamers are going to sneer at this. They want the controller that Microsoft and Sony use. Funny thing about those ... Nintendo revolutionized those with the NES. I can not wait to see what games come out for this. Get more info at the following places: - IGN - Gamespot - Gamespot Hardware (lots of details) My reaction is that this is either going to produce great games and a great experience or just be a horrible gamble on Nintendo's part. I hope it works out.
Ragnaros 3.0 dead
Lunaris killed Ragnaros 3.0 tonight
Onyxia Head goes to Starfish
Lunaris killed Onxiya as part of our weekly raiding, and I got the head! This is part of a turn in quest in Stormwind which gets the person a great ring!
Case Modding Goes 'Doom'
For those of you not aware, one of the big things with the gaming community is to modify one's computer case. Called "case moding," people go to extremes to make their computer look like anything but a computer. One of the coolest ones I have seen is the Doom 3 case mod. Still in progress, the modder has a picture blog of his progress. Its a great read/view and interesting to see how it is done. I can not wait to see what it looks like in the end. Check it out here
Billy "Wicked" Wilson Dead at 33
Wow ... I do not know what to say here. Bill "Wicked" Wilson, the founder of GamingGroove.com and the Original founder of VoodooExtreme (now part of IGN Insider) passed away this morning. He leaves behind his son, Dax, and ex-wife Aimee. Billy was one of the originals in the world of computer and console game news on the web. VoodooExtreme was brash, over the top, and rubbed many people the wrong way. But Billy did it with style and class, and helped turn the gaming web sites into legitimate journalism. I met Billy once, but he would not remember me. I can not call him a friend, but I watched his sites and career over the past few years. He was 33, just a few years older than I am. Just hits you hard. You can read some other stories about Billy here and here. Billy, you are in a better place. Rest in Peace.
What keeps you busy John?
As many people have realized, I have been way to busy the past 6 months. Last fall, it was politics and school. With the election in Nov and finishing school in Dec, neither of those can be used as excuses. In January, it was Lotusphere planning. Between a Jump Start, a Session, and planning the PSC booth, things were nuts. As Lotusphere ended, PSC had its internal training event. I have also closed 4 projects since the new year. Mix that with being sick and there goes all the free time. Well, I need to do a full review of this, but I have been playing World of Warcraft. Its one of the multi-player on-line all the time games. A fantasy world with depth I have never seen before. So if you are playing WoW, what are your experiences? If you are playing on the Garona server and are part of the Alliance, say hi to Starfish ... original, i know :)
Doom 3 Expansion Detailed
Gamespy and IGN have articles giving detailed previews of the Doom 3 Expansion, titled Resurrection of Evil, that I have seen. More baddies, more Hell, and some mini bosses sounds like it will be a great addon to Doom 3, which I still play. The double barrel shotgun returns from Doom2, and we get some soft of gravity weapon, ala the Halflife 2. For multiplayer, we get up to 8 players officially supported and the return of Threewave Capture the Flag. Not official date, but expect it this year. Only things better than this would be more news on Quake IV :) Some Screenshots for eyecandy:
Halo 2 is out!
Well, this little game called Halo 2 is coming out for the XBox today. Now, being an old school Doom and Quake person, I still can not get into a first-person shooter without a mouse and keyboard. But I did enjoy Halo and Halo 2 looks great. And look how big a deal this is ... go to microsoft.com and see. Anyone get it yet?
Half Life 2 is GOLD, Shipping Nov 16th
Half Life 2, the sequel to the award winning first chapter from Valve Software has gone Gold (which means the game is done and just being manufactured and shipped). You can get it on November 16th at various retail outlets or via Steam. Even CNN is talking about this. And yes, for those that notice a even tone here, I am on edge about this game. Yes, Half Life was amazing. But the multiplayer is just CounterStrike Source, not even CounterStrike2 (meaning they just rebuild the existing game using the new engine and physics). The engine is not even a complete port, they started with the HL1 engine. I will buy this (already have) and really hope its a fun game, but man ... way too much hype on this one.
Nintendo DS Official News
Finally, information on the Nintendo DS handheld is coming out in some official form straight from Nintendo. The new 2 screen handheld will be releases November 21st for a MSRP of US $149.99. It will ship with Metroid Prime Hunter: First Hunt, which is a multiplayer demo of the Hunter game to come out later. This is to showcase the wireless multiplayer features of the device. It will also shop with PictoChat as part of the system, which is a whiteboard chat software that works wireless with other devices. Go here to read the official press release.
Duke Nuken Forever Timeline
Oh, this is priceless. This was a timeline that someone on a Duke Nukem Forever website put together, and now that post has disappeared. Read thru this and just laugh at how long this has taken. It gets better as your read, especially the end - John -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Janurary 1997: Work on DNF started.* April 1997: Quake 2 engine purchase announced. (they got it in mid-late 1997 before Quake 2 was released). Scott Miller states that he is confident that DNF will be released by mid 1998 and prey in late 1998 making 1998 a bit year for 3DR. He also mentions that his confidence is not misplaced. August and September 1997: First screenshots in PC gamer (hummer, farmer i think). May 1998: First DNF E3 video shown. You can see that a lot of work has been done. Late 1998: 3DR announces switch to Unreal tech. It is expected to take no longer than 6 weeks and 3DRealms says "DNF is a 1999 game." Mid 19
Official Doom3 Trailer
With 4 days until the official release here in the states, id Software released the official trailer for Doom3. Folks, if you have not checked out any of the info I have shared, please check this out. Even just to see the new level that computer games have reached. Turn off the lights, crank up the volume ... cause you will need to listen to see why this game is going to be so damn scary. Oh, and a warning ... EVIL is the only way to describe this game.
Doom3 Hardware Guide
HardOCP has the offical Doom3 Hardware Guide. If you want to know what you video card will look like with Doom3, head on over. Very detailed descriptions and screenshots await you. I can not wait to see what my new 512 meg PCI Express Video card does :)
Doom3 News
Two items of new today on the Doom3 front: First, G4 TechTV's Icons show had a feature on Doom3. Shows the history of Doom3 and a bunch of new footage. Including the first image of the Cacodemon that I have seen. Download the video here. Second, id and Creative Labs today announced that future versions of the Doom3 engine will support EAX ADVANCED HD Audio. Turns out the reason for this is Creative has a patent on a certain algorithm, which technique is used to do the shadowing in Doom3. id decided to make the deal instead of having to delay the game or go with new tech. Man, patents for things like algorithms is just wrong.
Robert Duffy on Doom3
Robert Duffy updated his .plan file with some info about the rendering technology of Doom3, as well as some other info. What I love about this is that Robert revealed that if you have 512 Megs of ram on your Graphics Card, then Doom3 can run with uncompressed textures ... how many 512 Meg video cards are they today (answer is none at the mainstream level). I just ordered a new Dell and the top of the line video card I could get was 256 megs of ram. What this means is that the life cycle of the Doom3 engine is HUGE ... August 3rd is only 8 days away!
Doom3 Update
Even more Doom3 Goodies for all you ... New interviews (they cover the same material) at Gamespy, Gamespot, and PC.IGN Doom3 Benchmarks ... ATI is getting their butt kicked! Oh, and now Half-Life 2 is almost done ... how conveinant ... I will believe Valve again when I can install the game on my computer
More Doom3 Info
So a bunch of Doom3 and id Software news today: Read about the Doom boardgame Read about the "Making of Doom3' book Watch a G4TechTV video about Doom3 with interviews. Cool footage. The Software Development Kit will ship shortly after the game ships, but the map editor is built right into the game Linux files should be available when the game ships (but not on the CD) and the Mac OS X version is still being worked on Return to Castle Wolfenstein 2 is being made, by another developer. Rumor is that Splash Damage, who did the RTCW:Enemy Terriory addon, is doing it. The other rumor is that it will be powered by the Doom3 engine RUMOR - QuakeV, the continuation of the Quake2 story being developed by Raven Software using the Doom3 engine, will be shown at Quakecon in August id's next game will be a brand new property Thats it for today on Doom3
DOOM3 HAS GONE GOLD!
Yes, you read that right ... DOOM3 is done! here is a quote from Todd Hollenshead's (CEO of id Software) plan file: 7-14-2004 11:52 AM CDT IT'S DONE!!!!!!! Yes, this is the official word that DOOM 3 has been code released and has been approved for manufacturing! It won't be long now until the anticipation ends and the PH34R begins ;-) We literally just hung up with Activision and have confirmed that our latest release candidate has been mutually approved and is finally GOLD. Thanks to everyone for their patience (yeah right! =) and for everyone at id, Activision and our numerous partners for helping us create what I believe is absolutely the best game we have ever made. August 3rd is the release date here in the US, with worldwide releases by August 13th. Time to buy those new computers!
Fallout 3 announced
One of my favorite computer game series of all time, Fallout, is getting a third game! Bestheda Softworks, the folks behind Morrowind, sent out a press release saying that they are going to make Fallout 3. The series was in jeopardy due to the fact it is owned by Interplay, which is having financial issues. Here is some info from the press release: "We're extremely excited about this opportunity and what it means both for Bethesda and for Fallout fans around the world," said Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda Softworks. "Fallout is one of the great RPG franchises. Millions of Fallout games have been sold worldwide, and fans have been eagerly awaiting the release of a Fallout 3 title. Bethesda's proven expertise in this genre, building on our experience and the tremendous success we have enjoyed with our cutting-edge Elder Scrolls series, will enable us to create the next chapter of Fallout that is worthy of the franchise." Now, I loved Fallout 1 and Fallout 2.
Doom3 is just around the bend
With the acknowledged status of Doom3 in beta testing, and the rumored release date of August 5th, talk about the release of Doom3 is abuzz. It seems that it will ship before Half-Life2. But now we know for sure that the release is upon us, as QuakeCon announced that one of the official tournaments will be a Doom3 Deathmatch! MESQUITE, Texas – July 6, 2004 - The battleground is set - the 9th annual QuakeCon 2004 video game festival and tournament at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas on August 12-15 will host the first DOOM 3™ deathmatch championship ever. Be there to game, hang out with 5,000 of your closest friends, and compete for $150,000 in cash and prizes in the NVIDIA QuakeCon 2004 Championship Tournaments. First-come, first-serve online registration for QuakeCon 2004 has begun at www.quakecon.org. The must-attend event for gamers is free to all attendees. "We're having a DOOM 3 party this year, and w
E3 - No, I am not ignoring it
People have asked me why I am not covering all of the E3 news, such as the Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, and all of the game news. Frankly, I can not do a better job than sites like Shacknews. So go read that for the next few days and I will then come back with some thoughts this weekend ... I even have a spy on the show floor for some first hand reports! But one piece of news I will mention, id Software and Activision stated that Doom3 will ship this summer. Now, this is the first ACTUAL date from id, who coined the phrase 'when its done', so hopefully we will see Doom3 hit soon. And, here is a new image for you ... yes, the motion blur is IN GAME, REAL-TIME!
Doom - the board game?
I got a IM telling me to check out this link, and its just a precursor of the marketing blitz that is to come with the upcoming Doom3 release. Just as the Age of Mythology board game, the Doom boardgame will follow the basic story. The problem is that the details of the story are still not known! Anyways, here is a preview.
Some Doom3 goodies ...
Doom3 interview with lots of info!
Unreal Tournament 2004 goes GOLD
I just learned from Shacknews that UT 2004 has gone GOLD! For those of you that do not know what the means, "Gold" refers to the master version that gets manufactured and shipped. So the game is 'done' and should be in the stores by March 15th. If you are like me, and are getting bored with the military tactical 'one hit and your dead' games, UT 04 is a great mix of the old free for all shooter games (like Quake ][ and Quake3Arena) with enough team play and vehicles (Battlefield 1942 and Halo) to keep everyone happy. And its all purty :) Anyone of for a fragging?
The Movie and Computer Game Alphabet Games!
So for those of you that love trivia and puzzles, check out the Movie Alphabet Game. And for those of you that know your computer games, check out the Computer Game Alphabet Game. How many can you get? L is the hardest in the Computer Game version by far.
Doom3 getting closer ...
The computer game industry has been waiting for Doom3 for a few years, and it looks like they will finally get their hands on the game this year. /. (of Slashdot) has an article reporting that BestBuy.com is reporting that Doom3 will be shipping 4.1.2004. They also mention that Doom3.com has a preorder section. Two sites are listed, EBGames and Gamestop. Now, EBGames has a shipping date of 7.14.2004 and Gamestop had (page has since been removed) a shipping date of 5.24.2004. Lots of room for slip there, and not one is close to any of the others. My gut is that these sites need to have a ship date to get people to preorder. I have seen boxes at EB and Best Buy, but I do not think anyone but id knows when we will get the game.
10 Years Ago today ... Doom invaded computers
Doom3 Website Updated
While its not news about the game shipping, it sure does seem that Doom3 is getting close to that point. Yesterday, I was at Best Buy looking for a new SVideo VCR (I only use my VCR to watch a few movies that arent on DVD yet), and found the Doom3 box for preorder on the shelves. And then, the Official Doom3 website was updated. A few new screenshots, 3 wallpapers, and of course the Doom3 Trailer. If you havent checked out the trailer, go now. It will make you anticipate this game like no other :)
New Blog on the Blogroll - Scott Miller of 3DRealms
I added a new blog to the left today, and its not one that will find its way to the normal Domino blogroll list. Its Game Matters, by Scott Miller. Scott is the CEO of 3D Realms, and was founder of Apogee. Considered to be one of the father's of shareware games, Scott helped publish the id games of Wolfenstein 3D and Doom, and his company is the developer of the Duke Nukem series. What I really like about Scott's blog so far is that he is not just covering gaming development, but the business side as well. If you are into the gaming world, and want another perspective, go over and read. Can not wait to see what comments he gets :)
Doom3 Release Date ... sorta
Today, Activision had a conference call with some annoucments. Along with the typical revenue and projects, they stated that Doom3 has been moved to its next fiscal year. That means we should see Doom3 no earlier than April, but maybe much later. Other news from the call says that Trinity, the new game from Gray Matter Studios (who did Return to Castle Wolfenstein) has been cancelled.
New Doom3 Interview
Just an early morning to post to make sure everyone saw the new interview with John "The" Carmack over at Computer And Video Games.com. John is a minimalist when it comes to games and gameplay, so some interesting info coming to light about Doom3.
Half Life 2 Update - Delayed
All of this Half Life 2 news about the source code theft has finally caused a statement about its release date. You can read this press release on Yahoo. A quote from that release: The theft of part of its source code has delayed until April 2004 the launch of "Half Life II", the hotly anticipated alien-hunting game of Vivendi Universal Games, a company official said. "A third of the source code was stolen. It's serious because it forces us to delay the launch of the game by at least four months, that is to April 2004. Just the time to rewrite parts of the game," VU Games president of international operations Christophe Ramboz told daily Les Echos in its Tuesday edition. This has turned out to be a huge deal. Vivendi had to cancel a major marketing campaign, as did ATI. ATI put up a large sum of money (the rumor is 6 million) to market that the 9800 series Video Card ran Half Life 2 better than anyone else. This just proves that security has to be a concern at
Half Life 2 Source Code Update
Hi everyone ... I took Friday off for some Doctor Appointments, so sorry for the lack of updates. Some updated info from Gabe Newell of Valve: 1) We've taken our network connection down to pretty much a minimum. We're still finding machines internally that have been compromised. 2) The suite of tools that the attacker was using included the modified version of RemotelyAnywhere (basically a Remote Desktop-style remote admin tool), Haxker Defender (a process, registry key and file hiding tool), the key logger, and various networking utilities that allowed them to transfer files (compressors, NetCat, and FTP). We also are pretty sure they were sniffing our network to gather passwords and other information. Haxker Defender includes a file system driver that allows an attacker to have stuff on your machine that is invisible, unless you do something like mount the drive under another OS that has NTFS support. We have determined one way of detecting som
Half-Life 2 Source Code Stolen
I did't believe this when I heard the rumors, but this is straight from Gabe Newell, founder and President of Valve: Yes, the source code that has been posted is the HL-2 source code. Here is what we know: 1) Starting around 9/11 of this year, someone other than me was accessing my email account. This has been determined by looking at traffic on our email server versus my travel schedule. 2) Shortly afterwards my machine started acting weird (right-clicking on executables would crash explorer). I was unable to find a virus or trojan on my machine, I reformatted my hard drive, and reinstalled. 3) For the next week, there appears to have been suspicious activity on my webmail account. 4) Around 9/19 someone made a copy of the HL-2 source tree. 5) At some point, keystroke recorders got installed on several machines at Valve. Our speculation is that these were done via a buffer overflow in Outlook's preview pane. This recorder is apparently a customized version
Battlefield 1942 Community Update
EA just put out the latest Battlefield 1942 Community update. Here is a short list of what is coming in the 1.5 patch: Pacific Theater Content, included a US Marine skin, and 2 Japanese vehicles a new map "Invasion of the Philippens" fix of the CD swapping bug If you like multiplayer games and are not playing Battlefield 1942, you should be. Plus, with mods like Desert Combat and Galactic Conquest (which is a Star Wars mod ... with the first map being Hoth!), its just a killer experience.
Breaking News: Half-Life 2 Delayed
As ShackNews.com is reporting, it looks like Half-Life 2 is not coming out next week, but is being delayed. He is a quote that ShackNews got from Valve: The previously announced September 30th release date for Half-Life 2 is being pushed back. We are currently targeting a holiday release, but do not have a specific "in-store" date to share at this time. We will release that information as soon as we have confirmed a new date. All I can say is that you should never commit to a release date until the CD is burnt! Do you really think that they just decided this week that they couldn't ship the game next week ... cause manufacturing is such a quick process!
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text:
Cypripedium passerinum — травянистое растение; вид секции Obtusiflora рода Башмачок семейства Орхидные.

Относится к числу охраняемых видов (II приложение CITES).

Распространение и экология
Северная Америка. Сырые хвойные леса, заросли, тундры на высотах 0—2200 метров над уровнем моря.

Ботаническое описание
Травянистый многолетник 12—38 (—50) см.

Листья в количестве 3—7. Листовые пластинки эллиптические к эллиптически-ланцетным или яйцевидно-ланцетные, 5—19 × 1,5—6 см.

Цветки 1 (—2); чашелистики белые или зелёные; спинные чашелистики обратнояйцевидные, редко эллиптические, 11—20 × (7) 9—15 мм; боковые чашелистики сросшиеся, 6—12 мм, парус 6—15 мм шириной; лепестки распростёртые, белые, продолговатые до линейно-эллиптических, плоские, 12—20 × 3—6 мм; губа белая, реже розоватая, обратнояйцевидная, 11—20 мм; отверстие 9—13 мм; стаминодий сердцевидно-яйцевиднй до яйцевидно-продолговатого.

Кариотип: 2n = 20.

Цветение в июне - июле.

В культуре
Коллекционеры в западной части Канады сообщают, что Cypripedium passerinum при наличии хорошего дренажа легко выращивается в любой почве, в условиях обычного сада. Вид легко выращивается только в холодном климате. В широкой продаже отсутствует, но его можно найти в коллекциях в Северной Америке и Европе.

Зоны морозостойкости: 2—4.

Примечания

Литература
 Phillip Cribb. .

Ссылки

Орхидные
Приложения СИТЕС

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Final Report, JFSP Project 06-3-3-14. U.S. Department of Agriculture/U.S. Department of the Interior, Joint Fire Science Program. 33p.
Forest Ecology and Management. 259: 1427-1435.
Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-141. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 32 p.
Fire Science Brief. 138: 1-7.
International Journal of Wildland Fire. 16: 673-678.
Guide to fuel treatments in dry forests of the Western United States: assessing forest structure and fire hazard.
Forest Ecology and Management. 256: 1997-2006.
An evaluation of the Forest Service Hazardous Fuels Treatment Program—Are we treating enough to promote resiliency or reduce hazard?
LANDFIRE, mechanical treatment, prescribed fire, resiliency, wildfire hazard.
Journal of Forestry. 115(4): 300-308.
In: Elliot, William J.; Miller, Ina Sue; Audin, Lisa, eds. Cumulative watershed effects of fuel management in the western United States. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-231. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 101-125.
Res. Pap. RMRS-RP-103WWW. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 38 p.


Working on yourself is extremely important. The truth is that you must first love yourself before you can love another.
Us women can be so hard on ourselves, doubting ourselves on so many things "too fat", "not clever enough", "too small" how about lets cut all off that out and start embracing our individuality!! Focusing on what we love about ourselves rather than what we don't!
I promise you, once you start embracing the things you love, you will start to love yourself even more!
Stand in front of a mirror and start saying all the things you love about your body, if you find this uncomfortable at first, keep doing it, the more you do it the more you will start to feel confident and rock it!


text:
Q: How to Change Summation Expression $\sum_{i=1}^N \mathbf{X}_i^{\top}\mathbf{\Omega}^{-1}\mathbf{X}_i$ into Matrix Expression Let $\mathbf{X}_i$ be a $G \times K$ matrix, and suppose are $i=1,...,N$ of these matrices. Note that
\begin{align}
\sum_{i=1}^N \mathbf{X}_i^{\top}\mathbf{X}_i
&=
\begin{bmatrix}
\mathbf{X}_1^{\top} & \mathbf{X}_2^{\top} & \cdots & \mathbf{X}_N^{\top}
\end{bmatrix}
\begin{bmatrix}
\mathbf{X}_1 \\
\mathbf{X}_2 \\
\vdots \\
\mathbf{X}_N
\end{bmatrix} \\
&=\begin{bmatrix}
\mathbf{X}_1 \\
\mathbf{X}_2 \\
\vdots \\
\mathbf{X}_N
\end{bmatrix}^{\top}
\begin{bmatrix}
\mathbf{X}_1 \\
\mathbf{X}_2 \\
\vdots \\
\mathbf{X}_N
\end{bmatrix} \\
&=\mathbf{X}_{\bullet}^{\top}\mathbf{X}_{\bullet}
\end{align}
where $\mathbf{X}_{\bullet}$ is an $NG \times K$ matrix whose $i^{th}$ row is $\mathbf{X}_i$.
I'd like to do something similar with this summation:
\begin{equation}
\sum_{i=1}^N \mathbf{X}_i^{\top}\mathbf{\Omega}^{-1}\mathbf{X}_i
\end{equation}
where $\mathbf{\Omega}$ is some arbitrary symmetric $G \times G$ matrix, say for illustration
\begin{equation}
\mathbf{\Omega}
=\begin{bmatrix}
g_{11} & g_{12} & \cdots & g_{1G} \\
g_{12} & g_{22} & \cdots & g_{2G} \\
\vdots & \vdots & \ddots & \vdots \\
g_{1G} & g_{2G} & \cdots & g_{GG}
\end{bmatrix}
\end{equation}
This problem is not so simple as the first one, because now I have some $\mathbf{\Omega}^{-1}$ matrix in the middle of the sum. However, I think it can still be expressed in matrix notation.
For those curious, this matrix algebra is behind the theory of Generalized Least Squares. Thanks very much for your help!
Edit I think I have figured it out. I have posted an answer below -- please let me know if you think it's correct!

A: Let's try this.
\begin{align}
\sum_{i=1}^N \mathbf{X}_i^{\top}\mathbf{\Omega}^{-1}\mathbf{X}_i&=\mathbf{X}_1\mathbf{\Omega}^{-1}\mathbf{X}_1+\mathbf{X}_2\mathbf{\Omega}^{-1}\mathbf{X}_2+\cdots+\mathbf{X}_N\mathbf{\Omega}^{-1}\mathbf{X}_N \\
&=\begin{bmatrix}
\mathbf{X}_1^{\top} & \mathbf{X}_2^{\top} & \cdots & \mathbf{X}_N^{\top}
\end{bmatrix}
\begin{bmatrix}
\mathbf{\Omega}^{-1}\mathbf{X}_1 \\
\mathbf{\Omega}^{-1}\mathbf{X}_2 \\
\vdots \\
\mathbf{\Omega}^{-1}\mathbf{X}_N
\end{bmatrix} \\
&=\begin{bmatrix}
\mathbf{X}_1^{\top} & \mathbf{X}_2^{\top} & \cdots & \mathbf{X}_N^{\top}
\end{bmatrix}
\begin{bmatrix}
\mathbf{\Omega}^{-1} & \mathbf{0} & \cdots & \mathbf{0} \\
\mathbf{0} & \mathbf{\Omega}^{-1} & \cdots & \mathbf{0} \\
\vdots & \vdots & \ddots & \vdots \\
\mathbf{0} & \mathbf{0} & \cdots & \mathbf{\Omega}^{-1}
\end{bmatrix}
\begin{bmatrix}
\mathbf{X}_1 \\
\mathbf{X}_2 \\
\vdots \\
\mathbf{X}_N
\end{bmatrix} \\
&=\begin{bmatrix}
\mathbf{X}_1 \\
\mathbf{X}_2 \\
\vdots \\
\mathbf{X}_N
\end{bmatrix}^{\top}
\begin{bmatrix}
\mathbf{\Omega}^{-1} & \mathbf{0} & \cdots & \mathbf{0} \\
\mathbf{0} & \mathbf{\Omega}^{-1} & \cdots & \mathbf{0} \\
\vdots & \vdots & \ddots & \vdots \\
\mathbf{0} & \mathbf{0} & \cdots & \mathbf{\Omega}^{-1}
\end{bmatrix}
\begin{bmatrix}
\mathbf{X}_1 \\
\mathbf{X}_2 \\
\vdots \\
\mathbf{X}_N
\end{bmatrix} \\
&=\mathbf{X}_\bullet^{\top}\left(\mathbf{I}_N \otimes \mathbf{\Omega}^{-1}\right)\mathbf{X}_\bullet
\end{align}
where "$\otimes$" denotes the Kronecker Product.

A: Put  $\mathbf{X}_i$'s next to each other to form a matrix. Oh, in fact you did. Yes, it is $X$.
Notice that
$$\mathbf{X}_i^{\top}\mathbf{\Omega}^{-1}\mathbf{X}_i$$
is the $i$'th element on the diagonal of
$$\mathbf{X}^{\top}\mathbf{\Omega}^{-1}\mathbf{X}$$
So, since you're summing these up,
$$\begin{equation}
\sum_{i=1}^N \mathbf{X}_i^{\top}\mathbf{\Omega}^{-1}\mathbf{X}_i
\end{equation} = trace(\mathbf{X}^{\top}\mathbf{\Omega}^{-1}\mathbf{X}).$$
Done!