In other RPG news, Palladium Games may be going out of business!

Apparently many truckloads of money were lost when they tried to get into video games with Nokia's nGage, which fell miserably flat.

Here's Kevin Siembada's appeal for people to buy $50 prints and become a Friend Of Palladium, and here's the Slashdot thread.

I'm not a huge fan of Palladium's games, they're just D&D warmed over, and I've heard that Kevin can be a major PITA if someone publishes a review of one of his products that is in the least bit negative. I did like the massive background systems that he had in place and I wrote more than one program to generate said backgrounds just because I thought they were cool.

I doubt people realize how frail game companies are, even the biggies like SPI and Avalon Hill eventually died. I imagine Wiz Kids and WotC have enough size, momentum, and professional business management behind them to survive for a long time, but that's speculation on my part and ya never know.

11th Star Trek movie in 2008?

Back to the Academy, with the early kegger parties of Kirk & Spock (part of this sentance was not true). They've tapped JJ Abrams and his team from Lost to make it. At this time it doesn't look like Rick Berman will be directly involved, we'll see how this plays out.

The Variety article and the Slashdot thread.

I didn't see the last one with Picard's child, or whatever it was. I really don't remember why, I heard it pretty well stank. This one? We'll have to see.

Proposed titles for the next Star Trek flic, from Slashdot

Dude, Where's my Starship?
JT and Spock go to White Castle IV in the Delta Quadrant
Starfleet Police Academy MMDCCCXIII
Extraterrestrial House
Phillips Insists You Watch This Long Commercial From Our Sponsors Without Skipping To The Part Where You Get To See The Title Of This Movie Don't Touch That Remote It Won't Work Anyway Stay Seated Do Not Go Get A Soda Or Unit Will Pause Playback Until Your Uniq Embedded RFID-Chip and Infrared Signatures Are Detected By Sensors Trek - The DCMA Mandatory Voyage

Ben & Jerry's insult the Irish!

Whee!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060421/od_nm/benjerrys_dc

Ben & Jerry's sorry for Irish "Black & Tan" upset

Fri Apr 21, 2:39 PM ET

Ice cream makers Ben & Jerry's have apologized for causing offence by calling a new flavor "Black & Tan" -- the nickname of a notoriously violent British militia that operated during Ireland's war of independence.

The ice cream, available only in the United States, is based on an ale and stout drink of the same name.

"Any reference on our part to the British Army unit was absolutely unintentional and no ill-will was ever intended," said a Ben & Jerry's spokesman.

"Ben & Jerry's was built on the philosophies of peace and love," he added.

The Black and Tans, so-called because of their two-tone uniforms, were recruited in the early 1920s to bolster the ranks of the police force in Ireland as anti-British sentiment grew.

They quickly gained a reputation for brutality and mention of the militia still arouses strong feelings in Ireland.

"I can't believe that Ben & Jerry's would be so insensitive to call an ice cream such a name and to launch it as a celebration of Irishness ... it's an insult!" wrote one blogger on www.junkfoodblog.com.

"I hope they don't try to launch it here in Ireland or I imagine they'll lose a lot of their fans."

Ben & Jerry's, a unit of Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant Unilever Plc, prides itself on its commitment to friendly business. Its mission statement includes a pledge to show "a deep respect for human beings inside and outside our company and for the communities in which they live."

We're getting a Renaissance Festival!

It's only two days long, June 10th and 11th, so I'm not expecting much. But since we got rained out of the one in Phoenix, it's better than nothing.

http://skylinecyberworld.com/Specialevent.htm

I still have hopes of maybe getting to the Colorado Ren Fest in June, we shall see what happens.