Woah.

http://homepage3.nifty.com/nura/images/moSMB3.wmv

Post your collections (however large).

Do it! I'll put mine up later.

We all hate them. Express why, or just make stupid childish jokes that we can all laugh at, or post pictures of penguins. It's up to you. I'll start.

Did you know that if you play a Microsoft cd backwards it has satanic sound clips? But that's nothing- if you play it forwards it installs Windows!

The "captain of the killing team" of snipers in the Washington area, John Muhammad, got sentenced to death yesterday. Can't say how happy I am to hear that.

Quote:Jury: Sniper Mastermind Should Get Death

By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press Writer

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - A jury decided Monday that John Allen Muhammad should be executed for taking it upon himself to choose who should live and who should die during the sniper attacks that gripped the Washington area for three terrifying weeks last fall.


The enigmatic Muhammad reacted with the same flinty look he had through most of the trial.


The jury deliberated more than five hours over two days before deciding the fate of Muhammad, a 42-year-old Gulf War (news - web sites) veteran who masterminded the attacks and asked police to "Call me God" during the reign of terror.


The jury's recommendation is not final. Judge Leroy F. Millette Jr. can reduce the punishment to life in prison without parole when Muhammad is formally sentenced on Feb. 12, but Virginia judges rarely take such action.


Some jurors said the lack of any emotion or remorse from Muhammad, combined with the broad scope and violence of the shootings, convinced them that the death penalty was the only option.


"I looked for something in him that might have shown remorse," said juror Robert Elliott. "And I never saw it the whole time."


The jury concluded that prosecutors proved both aggravating factors necessary to impose the death penalty: that Muhammad would pose a danger and that his crimes were wantonly vile. Muhammad was sentenced to death on both counts he was convicted of last Monday: committing multiple murders within three years and committing murder as part of a plot to terrorize the public.


"They took pleasure in terrorizing people," prosecutor Paul Ebert said Monday of Muhammad and fellow suspect Lee Boyd Malvo. "They took pleasure in killing people. That's the kind of man that doesn't deserve to be in society."


The jurors looked solemn as they came back with their decision; Muhammad stood ramrod straight as he listened. The courtroom was silent; the judge had warned against any outbursts before the jury's decision was announced.


Prosecutors had depicted Muhammad as a ruthless murderer who was "captain of a killing team," and they presented evidence of 16 shootings, including 10 deaths, in Maryland, Virginia, Alabama, Louisiana and Washington, D.C. Muhammad could be prosecuted in those jurisdictions as well.


When he and 18-year-old Malvo were arrested on Oct. 24, 2002, various jurisdictions scrambled to prosecute them. Ultimately, Attorney General John Ashcroft (news - web sites) sent the two to Virginia, citing the state's ability to impose "the ultimate sanction."


Only Texas has executed more people than Virginia since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976 — 310 to 89. Virginia is also one of 21 states that allow the execution of killers who committed their crimes at 16 or 17. Malvo was 17 at the time of the shootings.


Virginia uses lethal injection for executions unless the prisoner requests the electric chair.


Defense attorney Peter Greenspun suggested that the Justice Department (news - web sites) had essentially shopped around for a jurisdiction willing to impose death.


"What is more unseemly than the attorney general of the United States saying we're going to go to Virginia where Mr. Muhammad is going to be killed?" Greenspun asked.


Greenspun indicated he sees several major issues for appeal, including whether Virginia's post-Sept. 11 terrorism law applied in the sniper case. Muhammad became the first person convicted under the law. Greenspun also argued that Virginia law does not allow the death penalty for Muhammad because there was no evidence he was the triggerman.


Muhammad was found guilty of murder in the slaying of Dean Harold Meyers, a 53-year-old Vietnam veteran who was cut down by a bullet that hit him in the head on Oct. 9, 2002, as he filled his tank at a Manassas-area gas station.





Prosecutors said the killings were in part a plot to extort $10 million from the government. Prosecutors also suggested that Muhammad planned to kill his ex-wife — and make it look like a purely random attack — so that he could regain custody of his three children.

At the height of the killings, the area was so terrified that sports teams were forced to practice indoors, people kept their heads down as they gassed up their cars, and teachers locked their classroom doors and drew the blinds.

Some schools in Virginia closed for several days after police found a note tacked to a tree at one shooting scene: "Your children are not safe anywhere, at any time." A tarot card found at the scene of a Maryland shooting had a handwritten message that said, "For you Mr. police call me God."

During the sentencing phase, prosecutors presented evidence that Muhammad may have planned to extend the wave of killings over a wide swath of the East Coast. A map found on the laptop showed more than two dozen locations, stretching to Raleigh, N.C., many with notations such as "good spot."

Marion Lewis, whose 25-year-old daughter was killed as she vacuumed her van at a gas station, said a death sentence is the only acceptable fate for Muhammad.

"If he's allowed to live his life in prison, he's drawing breath, he's watching TV, he's getting three meals a day," Lewis said. "The fact that he has been sentenced to death, I do feel some relief. They came to the same conclusion I had, that the man needs to be removed completely."

The defense sought to convince the jury that Muhammad's life was worth sparing, presenting evidence of his loving relationship with his children. That included a 15-minute home movie showing Muhammad laughing and playing with his kids, and letters from each of the children, ages 10 to 13, in which they expressed their love for their father.

Meanwhile, the defense opened its case in Malvo's trial with testimony from the teenager's father, Leslie Malvo of Kingston, Jamaica. Leslie Malvo said he had a "loving" relationship with his son and described him as "manageable" and obedient.

The defendant's father cried, sniffled and took long pauses as he recounted how he taught Lee to ride a bicycle and play catch and would buy him ice cream almost every night. The defendant laughed as his father described how the ice cream dripped down the 3-year-old Lee's hand and arm.

Malvo said he never saw Lee with a gun and never trained him to use one.

The testimony came after the prosecution played the remainder of a recorded police interview in which the teenager bragged about his marksmanship and admitted pulling the trigger in all the shootings.

Much of the hiss-filled audiotape was inaudible. According to a transcript, Malvo said he thought he would be executed.

"I think they're gonna kill me," Malvo said. He later added: "Between Alabama, Louisiana and Virginia, Alabama, good as gold."

Asked whether that scared him, Malvo replied: "You want to hang me, OK, poke me, shock me, just gonna last for 3 minutes, 2 minutes, then you're dead."

Malvo also said he thought "my dad," meaning Muhammad, would be executed. "They're gonna get rid of him as fast as possible," he said.

Still MOST HILARIOUS SHOW. Now then, why did those hams let their desire to do a Shakespear parody control them? It was TOO funny!

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...337D81.DTL

Quote:The iQue Player (or in Chinese "Gods Playing Machine") is a new Nintendo console that has been released in Shanghai this week. The controller-style console plugs directly into the TV and comes with a 64 Mega Bytes Flash Memory Card to store the games. Games are not available in the traditional way, but can be downloaded via Download Stations to the Flash Memory Card in Nintendo-affiliated retail, compact disc and bookstores throughout China. There are also plans to sell games online.

After receiving the units we decided to open one up and take a closer look. At the end of this article you will also find a few links to videos, provided by our chinese friends in form of 500 Mega Bytes (!) XVID format files. We don't mind you playing around with your brand new broadband ADSL lines, but we have recompressed two of them into much smaller Windows Media now ;-)

The packaging and presentation

The iQue is packaged similar to the GameCube console and contains the following items.

# iQue (with 64MByte Memory Card inside)

# A pack including the warranty card and a money card which can be used to purchase game downloads

# A 10-page instruction manual

# Power Adapter

# AV/power cord

The console is packed with styrofoam packing to avoid damage during transit and is of high-quality. The instruction manual that comes with the unit is very easy to read and is filled with easy to follow instructions to use the console.

The money card included in the console is to be used for future game updates and allows you to download new games from authorised resellers to the included memory card.

A prototype of the KIOSK terminal.

The controller design

First looking at the controller, it appears very similar to the original Dreamcast controller, only thinner and looking somewhat like a UFO. Our first impression was "wow, this is huge", however we found when holding it, the controller was very comfortable in our hands and all buttons could be used at ease.

The controller has the power and start buttons in the centre of the controller. On the left side is the analogue controller and on the right side, the A + B buttons and a digital "C-stick" similar to the Gamecube's C-stick but with only 4 directions.

Below are shots of the controller and its comparison to a standard GameCube controller, a GP32 and a GBA SP.

The iQue Memory Cartridge

The memory cartridge that came with the iQue looks at first very similar to a GameCube memory card and contains a 64Byte of flash memory.

After opening the cart, we found it contains a 64MByte 48pin TSOP from Samsung.

Inside the iQue

Next was to open the iQue itself and take a look inside. After taking the 8 standard screws off the back of the controller, we popped the top off and could see the board.

At first there was not much to see with a metal plating covering most of the main board. Of course this was only a small obstacle and a few seconds later the plate was removed.

Inside we could finally see the main processor, a CPU made by NEC and the video memory chip made by Samsung.

As usual, the quality of both the components and the packaging of the iQue is of great quality and contains the Nintendo High Quality Seal.

In the next few days we will have a review of the games and use of the console including new screens and videos for you to enjoy.

Quote:Nintendo Dream, a Nintendo magazine from the land of the rising sun, claim in their latest issue that a new Kirby title is being produced by HAL Laboratory and Nintendo. The publication explains that it is unknown whether the title will be a previously canned project revived for GameCube-or a completely new idea. The magazine also tells that the game is set to be unveiled soon- partly due to the fact that the two companies want to show that Kirby is in no way dead- despite the recent departure of the pink ball o' gum's father- Masahiro Sukurai- from HAL Laboratory.

Interestingly, the publication also states that The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords on GameCube is going well- and that we should expect more collaboration-induced titles- such as Pac-Man and Metal Gear Solid- in the near future.

Whether this will turn out be to true or not is unknown, but you can rest assured that Cube-Europe will have the scoop.