R2D2 DVD Projector

This absolutely rocks! At US$2900 it is a touch out of my budget though ...

More information at the Nikko America website.

Gary Gygax dies

Gary Gygax, a co-creator of the original Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game (and afterwards his own series of games, Lejendary Adventures) died yesterday. NEWS.com.au has more details and there are tributes from Wizards of the Coast and Penny Arcade, amongst others.

It is a shame he has died so young (69), when many of his contemporaries have another 10, 20 or 30 years of gaming ahead of them. My commiserations go to his family, as well as my thanks for his contribution to my many days and night of fun gaming.

Dawn over the Northern Beaches

And now, for some poetry ...

Incandescent blazed the Sun,
Gently hot, still wreathed in clouds.
Brazenly the Moon, sat high and opposite,
Gloriously pale, unafraid of being found.
Beautiful the Beaches, long and low,
Gladly awake, justifiably proud.

by Angus McDonald

It's nice to be living somewhere that stirs up the poet in me. The words do not do justice to the beauty of the moment, fleeting as it is, when the Sun first breaches the wall of clouds in the morning and rises over the Pacific Ocean.

Bill Gates’ last day at Microsoft

This is great, it's a the funny part of the CES 2008 keynote by Bill Gates.

What Sumo wrestling should really look like

Here is a great little clip of what Sumo wrestling could look like after some judicious (actually more exuberant) application of special effects.

Do it with a fireball ...

Quote of the day from Real Men Don't Play GURPS:

If you can't do it with a sword, do it with a fireball. If you can't do it with a fireball, it isn't worth doing.

3D Display in 360 degrees

My colleague Anthony Milner really wants a Microsoft Surface wall display, but I'd prefer to be able to call up 3D images and check them out on my coffee table - although that spinning mirror looks pretty dangerous!

via Engadget