Peter Molyneux confirmou hoje, extra-oficialmente, que Fable 2 terá conteúdo de download. Certo, sem contar o modo multiplayer que será baixado da LIVE uma semana depois do lançamento.

"Sem nenhum anúncio oficial, diria que nós seríamos estúpidos se não o fizessemos (DLC)" disse Molyneux, completando ainda dizendo que "Eu não gostaria que fosse apenas novas armas ou equipamentos, mas sim algo grande, que o público não esperasse meses e meses para conseguir."

Fable II é um RPG onde o jogador começa como uma criança e envelhece durante a trajetória, realizando escolhas que influenciarão seu desenvolvimentom e de todo o mundo ao seu redor. O jogo sai exclusivamente para Xbox 360 no dia 21 deste mês.

Yesterday afternoon I was dorking around on the Internet, my favorite time-waster, when I heard the breadmaker hollering "beeeep beeeeep beeeeeeeep," signifying the dough was kneaded and risen, so I should retrieve the stuff, put it in a pan, and preheat the oven while the bread made its second rise. Did I get off my duff? Ohhh noooo. As I recall, what I did was mutter "please. shut. up." Then forgot all about it.

Forgot it, that is, until I walked into the kitchen and found the stuff had continued to bubble up, overflowed the container, run down into the breadmaker's innards, and then, its yeasties exhausted, collapsed back on itself. 

That was a fine mess to clean up.

Determined not to lose five cups of flour plus the ancillary ingredients, I had the bright idea of adding a little more yeast, turning the stuff back into the freshly cleaned breadmaker, and letting it knead and rise again.

Sounds good, doesn't it?

Lemme tellya: it doesn't taste good! The result was a large blob of bread dough with a strangely rancid, bitter flavor. 

At first I thought I could pass it off as sourdough. On second taste...well, no. 

Into the garbage with it. 

So, I had to mix and bake a whole new batch of bread dough. This occupied my attention until about 9:00 p.m., annoyingly enough. Dumb tax!

Isn't it interesting how many of the stupid things that happen TO us are actually stupid things that happen BECAUSE of us? Consider how much of the present financial chaos falls into that category.

Now, I will say: I didn't vote for our present national leadership and thought anyone who did was nuts; I did not get myself into debt over my head; I do not even run a balance on a credit card. BUT...yes, but: stupidly I left the bulk of my retirement money in the stock market, even as I could see the out-of-control train racing up the tracks. If I was smart enough to think of investing monthly savings (meant to pay off a small loan) in the money market, howcum I wasn't smart enough to think of transferring at least some of my stock holdings out of Vanguard's Wellington and Windsor II funds into the same Vanguard Premier Money Market fund? 

Right now that moron Bush is on the air saying sure, he knows people are losing their retirement savings, "but I think in the long run they're gunna be fine." Long run? That illiterate, bird-brained idiot. When you're 65, 75, 85 and retired, there IS NO LONG RUN!

We appear to be a nation of morons who have followed a moron into predictable disaster. I will not disown my personal contribution to the national dumb tax fund, nor, I suppose, can any of us. The breadmaker alarm has been binging for a long time, and we have muttered "please. shut. up."

Yeah, this rule 34, it angers/shocks/annoys me immensely. I think it all started way back in like 2003 or so, when I was foolish enough to image google for like "taru taru" or something in school, and despite safe search being on.. ugh.. you don't wanna know. Yeah, these sorts of things really don't amuse me - I'm not really sure why but I really get disgusted by them, and they make me angry. I think, it's the same thing if something like that ever happened with a character I'd created, I'd not really be very happy about it. At all.

So yeah, for someone who hates that so much, I really shouldn't look at 4chan as much as I do, but well, I generally stick to /v/ with the occasional glance at /a/ to see if there's subs for a show I watch etc. (Speaking of which, Corpse Princess/Raoh Gaiden subs, fucking where?) Generally, stuff like that should remain in like.. I dunno /e/ or /h/ or /b/, aka the boards I don't look at. It's a shame the mods don't seem to care about stuff like that, and of course, a huge % of 4chan users are the same faggots from places like animesuki and gaia, only because they are anonymous they think they can be massive faggots about it. Shrug, it's not really a huge issue, I suppose. I just get annoyed when I see things like that.

It's not even fanart.. it's.. wrong.

In other news I'm hating this fucking weather so much, literally every day this week involves surveys in the morning, what does that mean? Essentially I have to stand on a fucking ladder outside, in the rain/wind, smashing stuff with rulers whilst my mp3 player plays music at 90000% volume into my brain. FUN. I mean, why could it not be in the afternoon or something? Morning always has the worst weather asjfhsdfjhasgh bah. See, I try to avoid ranting about work, as I can't imagine it's even funny to read, as opposed to my rants where I backflip off my chair, break my spine and then set my house on fire. Add to that, once I begin ranting I find it hard to stop, and it escalates horribly, hence, I'm going to nip it in the bud.

So...Warriors Orochi 2 got patched, hence, review will be soon. I picked up an anime from some time in like 2003 called Scrapped Princess (or Scra-Prin, apparently) 'cos I was wondering what to waste time watching. As for why I picked it up, well, a) it's by BONES. b) It's fantasy.                                                                          

I love me some fantasy, and sadly it's an under-used genre in anime I would have to say. That is, you know.. high fantasy, swords/knights/dragons and all that stuff. So yeah, Scra-prin has swords, knights AND dragons, and supposedly later on it has sci-fi elements or something, which is also good. I'm 12 episodes in and it's not really amazing, but it's original to a degree, animation is fairly nice, especially in fight scenes, music is fine.. so yeah, it's fine. RahXephon is also on my list of stuff to watch (another BONES series) and uh.. aside from that, I recently read FMA the manga, despite my plan to not read it until it was finished.. but that plan failed. I liked it, I guess. Bleach is off filler soon, so I'll pick it up again then and see if it's any better (please don't screw up the Noitora/Kenpachi fight, Pierrot or whatever your name is, dumb studio). Hmm, Raoh gaiden and Corpse Princess (Shikibane Hime or something) both really need subs.. so I have more to follow other than Bleach, Soul Eater and Xam'd. Speaking of Xam'd.. I wonder when GGR's 13 will be out.

In summary, not much has happened. Not much ever happens. Fable 2's out in 17 days.. should I do a fable themed blog overhaul..? No. Fable is good and all but it's not DW week.. even if it's a better game.. it's just Fable. Speaking of which, Adam give me my Fable one back you've had it for like 5 fucking years. Sheesh..anyway.. yeah. Fable II coming soon, SR2 (which I may or may not get) coming later, and then Gears of War 2, Far Cry 2, Fallout 3, COD5.. whueh, I no doubt forgot something, but there's a killer lineup which I've not seen the likes of in a while. No, last year doesn't count, Assman's Creed is shit and Mass Effect is too DEEP for me.

Hmm.. did I mention my E7 DVDs that are fucking weird? Well, I bought E7 the complete series as I tend to do for stuff I think is real awesome (Cowboy Bebop, Akira, et all) and uh.. I got the whole thing for £27 which seemed oddly cheap, considering it was down from £50-something. Whatever, I thought, so then when it arrived the other day, I found myself staring at the box.. which had pictures of Xam'd on it, for some reason. Also had a type, but whatever. So I open it up, one of the DVDs has.. artwork of Xam'd on it! Maybe it was some promotional thing, I don't know. Well, I do know. Turns out it was a misprinted copy or something, hence the very low price, quality of the episodes is inferior to the episodes on my HDD (which are TV rips, so having DVD quality worse than that.. is a tad depressing) but hey, I guess that's what happens when you compress a 50 episodes series onto 5 disks. Again, I don't really mind. I'll probably never really watch it, maybe once for the dub but shrug. I supported the production by buying a copy, that's enough for me. Maybe I'll give it to one of my friends who likes anime.. or indeed, my sister. (Who likes Naruto, wtf?)

Well, games/anime/hatred of rule34 all covered, I guess that's enough?

OH, of course, I doubt anybody really cares, but.. remember this?

"No I don't remember that huge fucking .png"

Well, understandable.

Anyway yeah I just figured I'd mention.. it's not dead, I'm still doing it, I was planning to do 10 chapters before I even start uploading, but I figure, 5'll be enough, they are somewhat longer than previous chapters I'ev done so.. yeah. One chapter a month, starting from.. I dunno, whenever I finish chapter 5.

Yeah, I hope it's enjoyable to read, I could care less about bad grammar and so forth so don't go in expecting an amazing piece of literature, I'm terrible at writing, I'm more of a movie person. (Which is why some of my stuff reads like a script of a film, I don't describe ANYTHING) Although, one advantage of writing in the WC universe is that well - you all know what I'm talking about. You can picture for yourself what the scene looks like if I say "Walking through Elwynn forest at night". Mmhmm.

Oh right, I hope a certain person gets his uni XBL stuff working. That'd dampen the fury of Fable II joy if it doesn't. =(

BYE.

Mirror's Edge - it looks fresh, different, and fun.

Fable II - I'm a sucker for open-ended games, especially fantasy ones.

Dead Space - It just plain looks cool.

Mass Effect - Sheer awesomeness.

Fallout 3 - Just plain excited.

Also, I'd like to play, but haven't bought yet:

Halo 3 - Because you can't have a 360 and not play it.

Bioshock - It looks pretty cool.

Assassin's Creed - I like killing people, okay?

Portal - A really different approach, and I like puzzle games.

Does anyone have any opinions on any of the above games? I'd be glad to hear them.

10. Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix

09. Pure

08. Dead Space

07. FIFA 09

06. Fable II

05. Prince of Persia

04. Fallout 3

03. Call of Duty: World At War

02. Guitar Hero: World Tour

01. Gears of War 2

No post sobre a Fable II Limited Collectors Edition, comentei sobre um album com algumas músicas de Fable e Fable II que logo estaria disponível para download:

As previously stated, we have created a special Fable album for free download for a limited time. This includes a wonderful selection of Fable 1 music and 3 brand new tracks from the upcoming Fable II soundtrack. This was never intended to be on the bonus DVD. Fans can go to http://www.sumthingdigital.com, and enter “FableCollection” promotion code. This will be available beginning October 6, 2008 @ 9am PST.

Nunca sei direito essa diferença de fuso horário, mas o que sei é que consegui colocar para baixar agora =] Para isso, acesse o site http://www.sumthingdigital.com/ e clique na imagem acima, que aparece do lado direito, e já aparece o link para salvar (ou tente colocar em ENTER PROMOTION CODE o código “FableCollection”, mas aqui não funcionou). Sabe como é, de graça, até injeção na testa!

“Daddy, Daddy when you‘ll be back” his daughter asked.
“Soon Aisha. Very soon.” he replied.
“you know daddy I have drawn our house and mommy and myself but I am confused how you‘d be looking right now.” innocently she asked.
He smiled and said “I am in front of you, see me ,how I am looking?.”
“you‘re not here daddy, you‘re far away from home” she replied with broad sad eyes.
He woke up and look around. Soon he realized it was a dream like every other time. He wants to hold her daughter in his hand. He wants to see her playing around him. He hasn’t seen her from last two years. The last time he saw her daughter when she was 6 months old. He is sailing from coast to coast for living from last two years and all he has is memory of her own daughter and beautiful wife.
“captain, Wind is blowing very fast. I guess it will rain again.” his assistant screamed
“keep moving laddie. This time we‘ll sail against the weather. Lets see. Who‘s mighty?” he said it without even thinking that he is risking life of thousand innocents people to see his family as soon as he can.

“okay! captain” cadet said and went back.
Looking at this wide, wild ocean he realized that they’re trapped in middle but there is no going back. They’ve to move on but this will be like walking on fire. “Never be easy. Always worthy” he murmured

“papphaa, papphaa.”
He heard this voice and before he could turn back someone grabbed his leg. He turned back and saw that little  crying baby is holding his leg. He smiled and took a look at her.
“awww….little angel. How you came here?. Where‘s your mommy?” he asked so many questions as if she is going to reply. She put her head on his big shoulder and for a moment he felt like it’s his own baby.
“Aisha,……………Aisha………..where are you?” a lady was screaming in worry far away.
“oh lord where is she. I left her only for few minutes. Baby where are you, look mommy is here. Baby………baby” she continued.
The captain could easily hear the screaming but is not able to track back the voice because of noisy wind and water.
He move ahead in hope of finding her mother but he has to be careful cause the ship is not stable.
He move ahead and trying to make the grip to the deck as much as he can and soon he found the lady crying for her little baby and sitting beside the pole.
“is she yours?. I found her at the end of the ship”.
As soon as she saw her an ounce of energy runs through her body and within a second she stand up to hold her baby like she was missing her from ages.
She holds her tight to her heart and the baby started screaming in joy cause the only touch she knows is her mother’s.
“I don‘t know how I would pay you back. Bunches of thanks.” she said it with an energetic voice and shine on her face.
He was happy deep inside that he saved a little and precious life and was staring continuously to the baby, thinking about his own baby and wondering how her little daughter would look like now.
“Who are you by the way” she asked
“I am your captain, Dannie Jackson” and throws his hand in front of her to shake
“ hi. I am Diana and I really apologize for the trouble ” and she replied.
And they handshake but the captain won’t let her hand go cause it’s been ages he has felt the lady touch or he felt something familiar.
She forcefully moved her hand back and asked him to come inside to hide from the rain but he denied said it’s his job and he has to carry on.
She went back inside and once again all that captain has is memory of her own daughter and wife.

After half and hour it started raining heavily and  the mighty wind which was already blowing against them is now trying to drown the ship.
“oh lord! Is it wrong to love someone. Is it wrong if I want to see my daughter as soon as I can . Why this rain and mighty wind. Are you trying to prove something?. Are you trying to stop me?. But I’ll stay on my words. I won‘t stop. I will move on. Let‘s see who‘s mighty.” he was screaming alone cause everyone else were hiding inside the ship and were praying  to make the weather fine. But there is one man who don’t believe in prays. He believe in work and taking worthy risk but first time in his life he was little afraid but his love for his daughter and wife is calling from thousand miles away.

All he has is few memories and the locket his wife gave him when last time he left the home. He squeezed it in his hand and scream.
“Cadet. Move fast as fast as we can. Tear these bloody waves. Hold tight and move ahead” he scream and smile in a strange way as if he can controls the world through that tiny locket.

Suddenly he walk to the door that will take him to the passengers.
Everyone was worrying and some were lighting candles in front of god in hope to reach safe. He found the room very noisy and some of small kids were crying but suddenly he saw that the  baby he saved couple of hours ago. She was playing in her mommy’s lap, like she doesn’t care and her mother was silent as if she know that everything would be alright. He scream
“Silence.” but no body would listen
“silenceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee” this time he scream louder.
In an instance it was pin drop silence. And he started saying
“We‘ll be fine ladies and gentlemen. Those who don’t know me I am your captain, Dannie Jackson. I have been serving this country from last 15 years and we‘ve been to these kinds of situations many times. I want you to stay silent and be careful. Those who have sharp objects please throw them in a bucket. if someone is either doctor or studying medical please help those who are suffering from sea sickness. Ladies hold your babies tight and don’t eat too much of food at a time or else you’ll throw up. I am your captain and I assure soon we’ll be safe with our family and beloved ones. Those who believe me stay silent. Those who don’t “shut up”.”

Before he left he caught his eyes on the lady and her daughter. They’re smiling at him like they really believe me. He went back to deck  with lots of questions not to be answered rite now.

“Captain. We‘re heading to the north and wind is blowing to the east. I am sorry but if we‘ll keep going like this the ship will broke down.” his assistant said in worry.
“in your whole life would you ever tell me a good news that I would appreciate. Keep moving until and unless I say something.” the pride of captain was speaking but inside he was scared like everyone else.

He grabs his telescope  and put in front oh his eyes to analyze the way ahead.
“laddie we‘re half day far from the coast. I can almost smell the sand.” captain said.
“but sir…” he murmured
“what? Don‘t even dare to tell me another bad news” he replied with anger.
“no sir I was saying that…..we……..we‘re heading to the north and wind is blowing from west to east. How possibly you can smell the sand” he said and smiled at the captain
“hahahahahahahahahaha. Good job laddie.” he laughed and said.
“I really don‘t have any idea how far we have to go. All I can smell is my sweat and this huge ocean and…..a danger” he said to himself.
Once again he pick his telescope in hope to see something worthy, that will give courage to sail ahead.
“ohhhhh shit.” he screamed. He saw something horrifying
“sink the anchor now………….sink the fucking anchor now” he screamed.
“what happened captain” cadet asked anxiously.
“I said sink the anchor now. It‘s not the time for questions and answers. Sink the anchor” he screamed with a sense of huge danger.
“o…..oooo…k………kkk captain as you say” cadet replied.
“dear lord save us. forgive my sins. Save us lord.” captain prayed like in a second he can see the end of his pride and world.
But it was written in destiny…………. to be cont.

Apparently now the developer's diary and soundtrack are no longer going to be on the "bonus" DVD. No further price cuts, though. Enjoy paying $70 for a making of featurette an extra dungeon of indeterminate length, and some completely out of place (if cool) Spartan armor and energy sword. Or so they tell us this week. We've still got seventeen days till the North American release. I'm sure they can trim some more of that fat before then.

Holding Up the Sky...a fable from China

One day an elephant saw a hummingbird lying flat on its back on the ground.

The bird's tiny feet were raised up into the air.

"What on earth are you doing, Hummingbird?" asked the elephant.

The hummingbird replied, "I have heard that the sky might fall today. If that should happen,
I am ready to do my bit in holding it up."

The elephant laughed and mocked the tiny bird.

"Do you think those little feet could hold up the sky?"

"Not alone," admitted the hummingbird.
"But each must do what he can. And this is what I can do."

From Three Minute Tales by Margaret Read MacDonald

THE PENNY-WISE MONKEY
A Jataka Tale

Once upon a time the king of a large and rich country gathered together his army to take a faraway little country. The king and his soldiers marched all morning long and then went into camp in the forest.

When they fed the horses they gave them some peas to eat. One of the Monkeys living in the forest saw the peas and jumped down to get some of them. He filled his mouth and hands with them, and up into the tree he went again, and sat down to eat the peas.

As he sat there eating the peas, one pea fell from his hand to the ground. At once the greedy Monkey dropped all the peas he had in his hands, and ran down to hunt for the lost pea. But he could not find that one pea. He climbed up into his tree again, and sat still looking very glum.
"To get more, I threw away what I had," he said to himself.

The king had watched the Monkey, and he said to himself:

"I will not be like this foolish Monkey, who lost much to gain a little. I will goback to my own country and enjoy what I now have."

So he and his men marched back home.

The Man Who Had Two Wives, an Aesop Fable

A middle-aged man had two wives (you can see the trouble coming, can't you ).

His first wife was quite a bit older than him.
His second wife was younger than him by at least 10 years.

Each was jealous of the other and chose to see her husband as closer to her own age.

Now the man's hair was turning gray (can't imagine why ), which the young wife did not like, as it made him look too old for her husband.
So every night she used to comb his hair and pull out the white ones.
But the elder wife saw her husband growing gray with great pleasure, for she did not like to be mistaken for his mother.

So every morning she used to arrange his hair and pull out as many of the black ones as she could.
Soon the man soon found himself entirely bald.

Moral: Yield to all and you will soon have nothing to yield

A tale from Aesop retold by LaurenLanita

One day as Mithrummir, the god of fish, was swimming along, he came upon a strange kind of fish. He had never seen it before and was not sure what it was. He named it the tiger fish because of its stripes and ferocious teeth. He went to another part of the ocean and soon forgot about the fish.

The next morning Mithrummir noticed a great commotion down in the sea. He turned himself into a fish to avoid attention and went down to see what all the fuss was about. He swam down through a cloud of bubbles and soon found himself in a feeding frenzy. Fifteen tiger fish were attacking a clown fish. The clown fish happened to be Mithrummir’s favorite fish so he dashed in to save it.

All of a sudden, a tiger fish bit him on the back. Mithrummir flew into a rage and swam around the ocean destroying all the tiger fish in the world. He was so proud of his accomplishment that he went to Mount Olympus to tell the other gods what he had done. Zeus was angry that he had not consulted him first and sentenced him to one million years on a little island just above the sea. Mithrummir was so sad that he let a tear fall into the sea every minute of his punishment. That is why the oceans are so salty.

“Give back. Give back.”

Their chant went on as they began to pull random components from their bodies. Gadgets and their associated odds and ends grew in two piles.

To everyone’s astonishment, one pile—consisting of plastic, glass, metal, and wood—turned to streams of mist. The streams went in several directions. One vaporous trail went no further than the edge of the meadow. While the other mist streams disappeared over the horizons, this one flowed toward a grove of trees.

At first, there was nothing to see. Gradually, the grove thickened into a small forest. Trees shot into the sky—evergreen, old growth hardwoods, even a spattering of new growth. Murmurs passed through the Gathered beings. Silence—heavy, yet buoyant—fell across the meadow.

The Technicals shrank as they shed phones, DVD players, stereos, and more.

The second pile released green and violet streams that collected into clear barrels. These were the hazardous materials used to make many of the devices work. In the barrels, the poisons swirled faster and faster until they lost their color. A layer of water pooled beneath a mist that now resembled the same mist that returned resources from the recycling pile. Water and Air confirmed the remains truly were purified elements.

Mist soon filled the area, obscuring the Technicals. The Gathering held still, much to Wisdom’s amusement. Many of the beings were not given to stillness on the most solemn of occasions.

At long last, the Technicals went as quiet as their audience. A soft breeze not of Air’s making ruffled, then separated the mist. Everyone leaned closer to see.

The mechanical monstrosities were gone. In their place stood a pair of children. Wearing simple white shifts, their bodies had skin that glowed black as a computer monitor. Zeroes and ones scrolled in vertical lines, some going up, some down. The boy child held the girl-child’s hand. His hair was a rowdy, alabaster mess. Hers, of a matching shade, was long and pulled back into a low ponytail.

The boy approached the Gathering with his little sister in tow. She hid behind him until he pulled her to his side.

“We’re sorry for what we did,” he said. His voice was warm and more natural than before, although he retained an electronic hum that was not unpleasant. “I’m Mech, and she’s Tech.”

Tech darted behind her brother again. Now that beings had begun to relax, some chuckled at Tech’s shyness.

Mouse whispered into Wisdom’s ear. The Conceptual nodded. She walked up to the children before Elephant could make a move.

“You have gone a long way toward making amends,” she said. Somewhere behind her, Elephant made a noise and was promptly hushed. “I was but a child at my first Gathering. This is true of everyone here.”

Mech smiled an infectious grin.

“Tech an’ me are gonna be good from now on!” he boasted.

“Don’t be too good,” Trickster grumbled.

The remaining tension evaporated and was followed by laughter and welcoming hugs.

Satisfied, Wisdom slipped away from the crowd. The spotlight belonged to other, more extroverted individuals.

“They’ll be fine,” Mouse said. “I remember the turmoil you Conceptuals caused, and these children were no worse.”

“Ah, but there are only two of them. You do recall our numbers, do you not?”

Mouse giggled. “Point, my friend, point.”

Something pulled on Wisdom’s robe, startling her. She looked down to find little Tech holding tight, thumb in her mouth.

“Tell me story?” she asked around her hand. “Techie like Gramma Wizzum an’ Auntie Mousie.”

“Why, I’ll be,” Mouse breathed.

Hope—the emotion, not the Conceptual—swelled in Wisdom’s chest. Few opportunities arose for Wisdom to influence anyone, let alone youth.

“I’d love to tell you a story,” she told Tech. She scooped the girl into her arms and snuggled her close. “I’ll tell you as many stories as you want.”

☼

This story may not be reproduced in any form without express written permission from MJ Twain.

A traveler hired a Donkey to convey him to a distant place. The day being intensely hot, and the sun shining in its strength, the Traveler stopped to rest, and sought shelter from the heat under the Shadow of the Donkey. As this afforded only protection for one, and as the Traveler and the owner of the Donkey both claimed it, a violent dispute arose between them as to which of them had the right to the Shadow. The owner maintained that he had let the Donkey only, and not his Shadow. The Traveler asserted that he had, with the hire of the Donkey, hired his Shadow also. The quarrel proceeded from words to blows, and while the men fought, the Donkey galloped off.

Moral: In quarreling about the shadow we often lose the substance.

The donkey is running off you guys.  We can  argue that the Demcratic Party was as sainted as some want to make it out to be, and accuse all those who dissent as Republican, and hence evil, racist, etc.  We can also argue that it is a deeply flawed political party just like the Republicans.  OR we can move forward to create a new Democratic Party that reflects the values and principles that we all agree on.  If that is the case there is no room for name calling and empty accusations.

My sincere apologies if, in my anger and haste, I may have offended anyone in previous threads.  Thank you for all who have contributed to this site.

“Are they finished?” Mouse peeped from a fold in Wisdom’s cloak.

“Quite nearly. The area must be barren.”

Through her tenure of history, nothing had been as painful as watching complete destruction. Yet, it was necessary to the solution.

The Technicals lumbered across the land, inhaling and spraying what they didn’t absorb. Resources fed the monsters so they grew and consumed more. As the sun set far to the west, they began to slow.

“They’ll be out of fuel and materials soon,” Wisdom said. “They are too engorged to move on for long.”

Mouse shivered on Wisdom’s shoulder. If not for the Conceptual’s protection, she would have been with all the others, taken in by the grabbing youths.

“Look!” she suddenly squeaked.

On the far side of a now-bare plain, the Technicals slowed to a stop.

“It’s time,” Wisdom said.

“Yes,” Mouse agreed.

The Technicals were twice their original height. They stood, side by side, at the edge of a cliff.

“You’ve run out,” Wisdom said to them. “What do you plan to do now?”

“Resources.” The Sprayer pointed its nozzle beyond the cliff. “Access more resources. Want more.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Wisdom murmured. “When those are gone, what will you do?”

“Obtain more,” the other one droned. “Consume more. More is good.”

“Yet, you did not consume me. I would be more.”

“You did not fit our parameters.”

Wisdom waved a hand. She rarely used her gifts, but she deemed it necessary to create the illusion.

A globe appeared in the air past the cliff, over a valley. It glowed blue, green, brown, and white. Clouds raced across its face.

“There are resources all over the world,” Wisdom said. “All that you see is usable. Metals and plastics are your components. Everything else turns to informative resources.”

“Absorb data. Yes. Grow. More.” The Technicals were too bulky to nod, but they seemed to do just that.

Wisdom waved her other hand. The globe expanded until the view of the surface held a great deal of detail. Lush forests bordered clear lakes bordered mountain ranges bordered deserts.

“Resources. Data,” the Technicals chanted.

The view settled on the cliff where they stood. Then it showed the Technicals continuing their consumption. The valley’s greenery turned to bare soil, and the distant hills gave up their riches down to the bedrock. Wisdom had the view pan out to show the obliteration of resources. She did not spare them how humans would suffer. Humans created the Technicals and were like gods to them. Let the greedy beasts see how their creators would suffer.

When she finished, Wisdom showed a barren world with the grotesquely bloated Technicals stalled in the dry Atlantic Trench. They had nothing left to feed upon. Nothing left to absorb.

“Resources?” Sprayer queried. “More?”

“No,” Wisdom said. “There will be no more resources to consume. Once you take it all, it will be gone forever.”

“No more?” They responded in tandem. “Done?”

“This will be the future if you do not curtail your consumption.”

Wisdom waved the image away.

“Need resources,” the larger one stated. “Must consume or go offline.”

“Is that so?” Wisdom asked.

Mouse scampered back and forth across Wisdom’s shoulders.

“Children for sure,” she squeaked. “They can learn. I feel it.”

“Must stay online,” Sprayer said. Its voice wavered for the first time. “But must leave resources.”

The other Technical screech in metallic frustration. Wisdom smelled ozone and hoped.

“Surely you may find a way to exist without exhausting everything around you.”

They leaned toward each other. A series of high- and low-pitched sounds passed between them. Wisdom stepped back, sensing a critical moment. They looked to be arguing.

Then the noise ended.

The Techincals looked to Wisdom. She waited. She worried. She hoped.

“No solution,” they reported. “Assist?”

Wisdom nearly melted with relief. Mouse quivered beneath Wisdom’s ear.

“Perhaps…” Wisdom drew the word out to give the impression of thinking on her feet. “Perhaps you do not have need of so many resources. Why not use what you need and no more?”

“No more?” they echoed.

Wisdom slowly nodded. “Give back what you no longer need and take only what you can use. Conserve.”

“Conserve,” they chimed.

They huddled—in as much as two monstrosities could—and began their odd chattering. They were more animated than ever.

“Give back!” Sprayer trumpeted. The mechanical voice held excitement, as it turned its nozzle toward Wisdom.

Wisdom fought the impulse to cringe. It would not do to undermine the tenuous rapport with the Technicals. She trembled as the nozzle swung toward her. Then it passed.

Sprayer’s nozzle opened, releasing all that it had collected that afternoon. A fine mist shot over the plain and coalesced as Animals and Florals. The other Technical followed. It opened something like a mouth to issue another mist. Conceptuals and Elementals reformed among the rest of the Gathering.

The Technicals shrank as they returned resources. Once the meadow reappeared, the Technicals paused. Their chattering speech resumed, and they cast several glances at Wisdom.

Around the meadow, Gathering attendees shook the startlement off. Wisdom saw anger and confusion grow throughout the multitude of beings.

“We cannot allow the Technicals to be overwhelmed by the others,” Mouse said. “Look at Fire and Elephant. They’re ready to cause trouble.”

Wisdom agreed. Sadly, she was often ignored, else she would stop the nervous buildup.

The Technicals quieted. Wisdom hoped the plan was good enough to survive the imminent furor.

“Who do you think you are?” Elephant bellowed at the Technicals. Her little voice was no less impressive than the roar of a lion.

Wisdom surged forward.

“Stop!” She placed a hand on Elephant’s shoulder. “Let them speak.” Now it was Wisdom’s turn to go under Elephant’s scrutiny.

“I never!” the pachyderm cried.

“You will now,” Wisdom grumbled.

“Come now,” Mouse squeaked to all who would hear. “The Technicals will speak.”

They didn’t have to. Their next act began with a surprise.

☼

This story may not be reproduced in any form without express written permission from MJ Twain.

There were two of them. They stood as tall as a two-story building, and each bore a humanoid resemblance, if only in shape.

The first Technical crashed into the meadow, dropping components and dragging wires in its wake. Its body was composed of computer innards, televisions, cell phones, countless other electronics, and even a car or two.

Not far behind, the second Technical stepped with more care. It contained many of the same kinds of materials, but it also featured a spray nozzle on its left arm. For each step forward, it scanned the ground and sprayed. Everything touched by the spray wilted, much to the horror of the Gathering.

Air gusted to the trailing Technical, hovered before its expressionless electronic face.

“Stop!” Air howled. “You’re killing everything in your path!”

The Technical did stop. Monitors that served as eyes glittered and glowed. Air read the word “Processing” as it flashed across the screens. Then it spoke in a monotone.

“No lives lost. Must disinfect. Bacteria, viruses, fungi detected.”

“No lives lost?!”

Air flowed around the foul monstrosity.

“There are thousands of lives in every step you take. Insects, field mice, worms, not to mention the grasses you just destroyed.”

“Insignificant. Elimination of infectious agents takes priority.”

Air couldn’t think of a response. Neither, apparently, could anyone else from the Gathering.

The lead Technical came to a clodding halt before the Gathering. Its head rotated one full turn as though assessing.

When she saw that no other being was willing to face them, Wisdom, of the Conceptuals, drew back her hood. She had the appearance of an elderly woman, her face lined and hair the shade of an overcast morning.

“Welcome,” she said. The Sprayer now joined the first Technical. “Thank you for heeding our call.”

High-pitched chattering passed between the two. They seemed to be discussing a heated point, then they seemed to resolve it.

It was the first arrival, the larger of the two, that spoke.

“We will accept your resources,” it hummed. “There is more to manufacture. Be ready for assimilation.”

Wisdom’s eyebrows climbed her forehead. She spun to question her compatriots, but they were in a frenzy to escape.

The Elementals were the first to be taken. Air was sucked in an unstoppable vacuum. Water tried to flee, but she fell to Sprayer’s reversed nozzle. The other factions were vulnerable. Animals and Florals were inhaled by the ravenous machines, and the Conceptuals were absorbed—except for Wisdom. She witnessed the disappearance of Love, Hate, Happiness, Giving, and all the rest, but not her. Clearly, she realized, the Technicals had no room for her.

She felt something scamper up her cloak. It squeaked into her ear.

“Mouse!” Wisdom exclaimed. “You have insight?”

The two were old friends. Mouse was a quiet individual, overlooked by many. Wisdom knew better. So, as others from the Gathering were taken, Wisdom listened to her tiny friend.

“When the Conceptuals joined the Gathering, you were children. Pandora made a mess when she let you loose.”

“Ah…” The tales of Pandora’s Box had been skewed over the millennia, but the core of truth remained. “Yes, it was a difficult time. Some of us then grew up without maturing.” War and the Trickster came to mind.

“Would it not help to treat this situation the same?” Mouse asked. “They are little more than children run amok.”

Wisdom nodded. “Somehow, we must. Else all is lost.”

☼

This story may not be reproduced in any form without express written permission from MJ Twain.

As per Kotaku, the Fable II Collector's Edition will no longer include the shiny box, the five Fate cards, or the figure of Hobbe. This is allegedly due to "supply chain problems" that Lionhead could never have anticipated prior to three weeks until release. My thoughts are that either not enough people pre-ordered the CE or a ton cancelled their pre-orders after last week's ridiculousness.

At any rate, those folks who still want to give Lionhead more of their money will now pay USD $70 for the Fable II game disc (possibly minus multiplayer co-op!), a ‘Making-of’ DVD, TBA Bonus in-game content via XBox live, ‘The Hall of the Dead’ Dungeon, ‘The Wreckager’ Legendary Cutlass Weapon, and the Halo Spartan armor and energy sword.

We all have to tend our own virtual gardens on this one, but I think I've made my opinion gnome.

The Fable II Collector's Edition will see a few changes which will lead to a price change. Because of problems with the supply chain, the following items won't be available in this edition: the premium box, 5 printed fate cards, and the Hobbe figure. The new price will be $69 instead of the original $79 one. To make sure no fans feel at a loss, a new Fable album will be available for free download.  Click on the PR link for more information.

En español | In English || Press Release/Comunicado de Prensa (en inglés)

La edición coleccionista de Fable II tendrá unos pequeños cambios que lo llevará a un cambio en precio. Por problemas con la cadena de distribución, las siguientes piezas no estarán disponibles en esta edición: la caja especial, 5 tarjetas del destino impresas, y el figurín de Hobbe. El nuevo precio será $69 en vez del original de $79. Para estar seguros de que los aficionados no se sientan que van a perder algo, un nuevo álbum de Fable estará disponible para bajarlo gratis. Hagan clic en el enlace de comunicado de prensa para más información.

Microsoft Adjusts Contents & Pricing for Fable II Collector’s Edition

We are happy to announce the Fable II game is in manufacturing and confirmed for Oct-21 in North America and Asia, Oct-24 for Europe.

However, due to supply chain issues, we are revising the Fable II Limited Collector’s Edition and the estimated retail price will be reduced from $79.99 to $69.99* USD in North America or as applicable in your market. *These are estimated retail prices; actual retail prices may vary worldwide.

The premium box, five printed fate cards, and Hobbe figure will not be available as part of the Limited Collector’s Edition. We apologize for any inconvenience.

The Fable II Limited Collector’s Edition will now include the following content at this discounted price:

* - Fable II game disc
* - Bonus DVD with new ‘Making-of’ Feature
* - Bonus in-game content (requires Xbox LIVE®)
o ‘The Hall of the Dead’ Dungeon
o ‘The Wreckager’ Legendary Cutlass Weapon
o Spartan armor and energy sword

To further show our commitment to the faithful fans, we have created a special Fable album for free download for a limited time! This includes a wonderful selection of Fable 1 music and 3 brand new tracks from the upcoming Fable II soundtrack.

Go to http://www.sumthingdigital.com, and enter “FableCollection” promotion code. This will be available beginning October 6, 2008 @ 9am PST.

The Elementals were joined in a quiet meadow by representatives of the Animals, the Florals, and the youngest of the beings, the Conceptuals. Members of each group settled in to their places around a deadwood table.

“I believe it is understood why we are here today,” Water burbled. She was a lovely young-looking thing in her humanoid form.

Everyone murmured agreement, even the Cactus, who was prickly by nature. He folded his spiny arms and scowled.

“The Technicals,” the Elephant answered. Her voice was oddly high pitched for a beast of her girth. “They are everywhere, running this way and that.”

“They’re out of control!” the Coyote shouted. Everyone stared at the known trickster. He shrugged. “I know ‘out of control’ even when I don’t cause it.”

Fire paced the perimeter of the Gathering. Grass and tiny wildflowers hissed beneath his feet. A circle of charred vegetation grew trailed in his wake.

“Something must be done,” he snapped. “Creatures are being forced to flee their homes when the Technicals arrive.”

“The humans have lost control of their creations,” Elephant said. “It is poetic, if you think about it.”

A goldfish poked its head from Water’s arm.

“While we don’t deny a point of satisfaction in the humans’ predicament, I and my fellows are forced to concede the necessity of intervention.”

Muffled “ayes” signaled agreement from the goldfish school, which swam around within Water’s form.

“Maybe the problem will blow itself away, but we must prepare for not.”

Each word was chirped by a different member of the Flock Sparrow. All those Gathered were silenced by the flock’s boldness. Sparrows rarely contributed more than their droppings. Once the agitated birds settled among Oak’s branches, the many attendees broke into boisterous debates, accusations, and all other manner of discussion, save for that of a solution.

“Ahem.”

The tiny voice was lost beneath the cacophony. An equally tiny body flitted from beast to tree to rocky pile. No one took note.

“I say we meet head on to show them how the world operates,” Grizzly roared. He rose to tower above much of the crowd. “Put the cretins in their place.”

“Excuse me!” the little one squeaked, but the bear’s pronouncement had rattled everyone’s ears.

The impish figure shook her head. Without a thunderous call or the benefit of numbers, she was unnoticed. She had something important to say. There was only one way left to capture the Gathering’s attention. She scampered, nose and tail twitching, between feet, roots, hooves, and such until she sat near Elephant.

Now, it is said that elephants are frightened by mice. As with other myths, this is largely untrue. The elephant present that day, however, had an unfortunate, traumatically embarrassing encounter with a family of mice when she was little more than a calf.

The little speaker knew of it well, as she was part of the dreaded event. She also knew that Elephant never overcame the terror of that long-ago night. The time had come for Mouse to use the ignominy for something worthwhile—if she wasn’t stamped to death first.

Mouse skittered up Elephant’s thick, wrinkled hide. Before she could give it another thought, she ran down the face and to the end of Elephant’s trunk…

…and bit. Hard.

Elephant’s shrill scream halted the furious arguing. Mouse was quite certain everyone present stopped breathing—she certainly had.

“Aiyee! It’s a mouse! Save me!”

Elephant careened to and fro, nearly trampling tender young saplings and knocking others out of her path. Mouse clung to her position, teeth clamped on for dear life.

Finally, Elephant stopped. Her wide body heaved for air in massive pants.

“Why do you terrorize me so?” she shrieked. “Why the torment?”

Mouse was suddenly afraid to speak, as she didn’t want to fall and be crushed. So it was that her morsel of wisdom was lost to the chaotic arrival of the Technicals.

☼

Studio head Peter Molyneux previously reviewed his own game and drew ire from gamers for giving Fable 2 a score of 9 out of 10, but anticipation has remained strong for the sequel to one of the best casual RPGs on the original Xbox.

"We just got word that while we will be able to play the single-player and local co-op on day one, they are still making tweaks to the online co-op," Microsoft said on Gamerscoreblog.

"Seriously, as a gamer I'm glad they're taking the time to make it right instead of just rushing it out the door," the poster added.

Fortunately, the co-op mode will be added in as part of a patch that should be available within a week of the North American launch, which is three days ahead of the European launch on the 24th of October.

The co-op mode is a drop-in drop-out affair where players can play a hero each and share contracts and divide riches and while this function will be missing Lionhead says that some of the multiplayer features will be ready at launch still.

"As you are playing through the game, you will still be able to see your friends as glowing orbs as well as chat and trade with them," they said.

Looking forward to Fable 2? Let us know in the forums.

Fable 2 releases on the 21st of October and I'll definitley have a review of that a few days after it comes out.

Fallout 3 releases on the 28th of October and it'll get it's own review as well.

Other than that, not much. I might get Sonic Chronicles: Dark Brotherhood if i get into town soon, I'll let you know on that.

oh and Forgetting Sarah Marshall comes out today on DVD. Get it. Get it now!

The Carrot, the Egg and the Coffee Bean

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.

Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what you see.”

“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma The daughter then asked, “What does it mean, mother?”

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water , they had changed the water.

“Which are you?” she asked her daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can’t go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you’re the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

---

If you have difficulty understanding the current world financial situation, the following should help...

Once upon a time in a village in India, a man announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for $10.
The villagers seeing there were many monkeys around, went out to the forest and started catching them.

The man bought thousands at $10, but, as the supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their efforts.

The man further announced that he would now buy at $20. This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again.

Soon the supply diminished even further and people started going back to their farms.

The offer rate increased to $25 and the supply of monkeys became so little that it was an effort to even see a monkey, let alone catch it!

The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at $50! However, since he had to go to the city on some business, his assistant would now act as buyer, on his behalf.

In the absence of the man, the assistant told the villagers: 'Look at all these monkeys in the big cage that the man has collected. I will sell them to you at $35 and when he returns from the city, you can sell them back to him for $50.'

The villagers squeezed together their savings and bought all the monkeys.

Welcome to WALL STREET!