Wrestlevania

Gash, you're right. Looks like the URL vars (i.e. everything after the & char) need to go into the Flash embed markup as well and aren't doing so. More than that, it looks like YouTube/Google have recently disabled this workaround anyway. It still works for directly quoting the full URL to a clip on YouTube e.g. in an email, but just not when played back via an external site it seems. Example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHihFA8q8xI&fmt=18

You can embed the HD version of a clip (if available on YouTube) by adding &fmt=18 after the clip ID number inside the [YouTube] tags. Lies, damnable lies!!!

Has anyone seen District 9[/url] yet? Probably a redundant question, but some thoughts and impressions would be good plz--it certainly looks pretty good: ZSgLOvH_MMk&fmt=18

Quaintly enough, I was just checking release dates and adding them to my phone's calendar. I was tapping L4D2 in when I thought to check in on Thumbs. I'm planning to get it because the more I hear about the mechanics, the more satisfying and balanced it sounds. I have just a couple of real irks with L4D's gameplay at the moment, but these are solved with the new Specials - and greater weapon variety - in the sequel. However, I'll have to see how my ever-strained bank account's fairing around mid-November. Like Dan, I may well wait for the sale--though Valve may be more coy about doing one this time. They've got a mountain of interest this time around, making the first game's hype look like a blip by comparison.

Yes, you lucky people get the pleasure of my company once again this evening, seeing as Microsoft have nailed my Xbox back together double-quick. Usually dit: we'll begin around 2pm MT / 4pm EST / 9pm BST / 10pm CET and proceed from there. But wait! You'll need to get the dashboard update before we can begin, so get on a bit earlier I reckon. Also, it could be that LIVE is more choked than normal because of the update. So brace for turbulence!

Gremlin stock some superb pieces of kit on their site. I was researching how to build your own arcade stick from a wired Xbox 360 controller and had compiled a little shopping list of parts from the Gremlin site. It's finding the time, though, and having the right tools.

“You can’t handle the truth!” 9.4/10 –IGN.com Apologies if that's been done already...

I'm a bit sensitive like that, too. So here's a nice Wolfenstein RPG review on Pocket Gamer wot I found instead.

HB, Rodi-san!

I'm loathed to try it again. Last time I played, I unintentionally plummeted into Whineycuntsville by dismantling what I loved about the franchise - and this latest iteration - and what I hated about the Xbox 360's controller hobbling my enjoyment. See? Done it again.

This is how real grown-ups talk when the legal gloves come off. Good luck, Mobigame!

Oh please, please, Tim! We'd all love to see you go up against Bono & Friends over that one!

"Like receiving oral sex, but without the bleach and nailbrush beforehand!" -IGN.com

Only real men have two hyphens in their URLs. I've been online since 1994, and have never seen any prick stupid, bloody-minded or flat out desperate enough to use two dashes in their web address. Until now. Why don't you just sue someone with a better edge-related URL, Tim? Even I'd be embarrassed enough to do that, if I were you.

Indeed, though I will miss Grippage - he was tricksy and sly and always kept me on my toes. Or off them, which is probably more accurate. Like Grippage. (...than me.)

This evening, I would like: An interesting/unusual vehicular race A rocket match A "far blips only" sniper match (probably in the prison) That is my decree.

~sheepishly raises hand~ Not that I'm into Rock - or even most band music of any sort - myself, but I do like Foo Fighters, and slavishly listened to everything Curt Kobain uttered into a microphone during my teens.

If it's any consolation, castorp, the two times I got to be the Tank this time were easily both my most successful. And even then I had a pretty shit run outside the factory, bashing the forklift around at you guys. That's the first time I've ever been able to use an object well as the Tank, too. Still, even though you fairly trounced us overall, I had great fun in the finale. Repeatedly respawning as the Boomer - my favourite special - and sneaking right up to the truck and then leaping on top of you. Ace! Finishing you off as the Tank shortly after was great fun too, though I wasn't very sporting.

That's somewhat encouraging. I would guess that it'll pick up when I'm planning to finish the series this month at any rate.

I was indeed; sorry for any confusion caused.

...which be 9pm BST. I'll definitely be online later--let's kill dead stuff! Edit: Actually, isn't 4pm EST more like 11pm BST? We've finished by then normally, n0wak.

As part of my day job, I study information patterns and human-computer interaction. One of the more recent blogs I discovered on this topic is the excellent Information is Beautiful. Today's blog post looks at Google Insights and how it can be used to analyse one or more specific search terms and see what patterns emerge. The author's first test term? "violent video games" I suppose it's obvious when put this plainly, but seeing the same peaks - albeit reduced year-on-year - is stark and arresting, and raises some questions about how exactly the media serves the public at large. Really incredible stuff... or maybe I'm just a shameless informatics nerd.

Really good counter-points; to my shame, I didn't think to see if there were correlating nodal points for other franchises that have generated outrage in the past. The thing is, Columbine does seem to remain the apparent textbook case when it come to citing reasons for the banning of violence in video games. Speaking purely from a data and analysis point of view, the correlation between the two is routinely enforced - regardless of graphing, you see read about it too often even today - that the pairing may simply overwhelm every other Video game franchise in question. Edit: I've just graphed "violent video games" and "columbine video games" which has some interesting shadowing. Though the result for the Columbine-related search is much lower, the peaks do appear to mimic - albeit in shallow fashion - those of the overarching "violent video games" search.

It's unfortunate that the author(s) saw fit to spoof the originating email address. Given the nature of the email's content, it's a pretty fucking stupid idea if you ask me.

For small, comfortable 'phones, have a look at Sennheiser's excellent - and cheap! - PX200s: That little case they fold up into is about the size of a glasses case, which is extra handy.