December 2002

Hardware Reviews....
Posted by [luckee] @ 9:21 AM MST Tuesday, December 31, 2002 [Comment on news]
Today?s Tech reviews:

- Dukgamers reviews the Gigabyte Maya II Radeon 9700 Pro graphics card.
- TA reviews the Fujifilm 128MB USB drive.
- DirectX 9 screw your system up? then then try this uninstaller thanks to 3DCenter.
- OCOnline reviews the Lian Li PC-9300 desktop aluminium case.
- PCStats reviews the Albatron PX845PE Pro II Motherboard.
- Hexus have a 'WaterCooling - Here to Stay or Passing Fad?' article.
- EnvyNews reviews the Seagate Barracuda V ATA 120GB HDD.
- FrostyTech reviews the Globalwin CAK4-86 Copper Heatsink.
- OCPrices reviews the Swiftech MCX-4000 heatsink.
- OCIA reviews the X-pider TM2000 Thermal Monitor.
- IANAG reviews the Samsung SM-348 CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive.
- TweakTown reviews the Antec PlusView 1000 AMG Enclosure



Counter-Strike: Condition Zero Preview....
Posted by [luckee] @ 9:11 AM MST Tuesday, December 31, 2002 [Comment on news]
Shacknews has posted up a good preview of Counter-Strike: Condition Zero. It talks about the passing off of the game to a new developer and more. Here?s a snip

Counter-Strike: Condition Zero was first announced back in May of 2001 as a cover story in Computer Gaming World. What was kind of funny at the time as just as that issue was coming out, the project was in the middle of being pulled away from Rogue Entertainment and handed over to Gearbox Software. Valve made the decision to pull the project from Rogue after the departure of employees from Rogue that Valve felt were key to the success and quality of the project.

Gearbox Software entered the picture as the obvious choice, having the highly acclaimed Half-Life mission packs under their belt they obviously had the knowledge of the technology and the talent. The project went smoothly from around mid 2001 until mid 2002. In fact Valve and Gearbox both seemed confident enough in the project nearing completion that we showed up and did a hands-on preview at the end of February. Not very long after that though things get a little bit strange.

From what can be gathered, the decision to change the direction of the project was made. The arcade/multiple challenges type approach that Gearbox had come up with for the project was not, or at least was no longer the direction that Valve felt the game should be taken. It's a pretty safe assumption that at least at one point Valve was happy with the direction of the project since things had progressed so far. Common practice for projects like this is for developers to submit 'milestones' to the owner of the property or publisher every few months. This could have been as simple as just some miscommunication, or as compleas analysis of the directions of the market and what the smart folks felt would begreeted with the most success

You can read the rest here.

Monday, December 30, 2002

DOOM 3 PREVIEW....
Posted by [luckee] @ 9:10 AM MST Monday, December 30, 2002 [Comment on news]
UGO.com has posted up a good preview of the upcoming game Doom3. Here’s snip

Regarding the much-lauded graphics, let's face it: There's has never been a better looking game on the horizon, ever. Period. Doom III makes Halo look like it was rendered on a dot-matrix printer. The visuals are mind-boggling. Everything looks like it has come straight from a CGI flick like Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within instead of from a videogame. Characters cast shadows on walls, floors, and even themselves. Spinning fans in front of lamps give the title a sense of depth that has never been seen before. Titles like Resident Evil birthed the notion of creating a "horror game" with the use of mood lighting, creepy music and grotesque monsters, but it was always limited (some would say held back) by a fixed camera point of view. Doom III plans to change all of that. Think other first person shooters have scared you in the past? Think again. Imagine running down a corridor, being chased by zombies, only to turn a corner and see a pack of Hellhounds staring you in the face, dripping saliva. Or not learning of a giant monster by hearing him approach, but by seeing his shadow on the wall looming larger and larger as he shambles toward you. Or a shadow that's being cut by a spinning fan. With the power of the technology under the hood of Doom III, the developers at id have only their own imaginations to limit them.

Trent Reznor, the lead singer for the band Nine Inch Nails, was brought in by id to create the soundtrack for Quake. Fans of the game's score and the title's, "Oh my god, it's right behind me" sound effects probably already know that Reznor has been asked to work on Doom III. As Reznor himself puts it, "We want [the world of Doom III] to sound like an unpleasant place to be." The game will feature Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound, so while you're at the store upgrading your computer, you might want to buy a new set of speakers.

While running around and giving demons a faceful of chainsaw sufficed for gleeful fun in 1993, a lot has changed in the decade between Doom and the expected release date of Doom III. As id software CEO Todd Hollenshead puts it, "Doom III is about fear instead of action." Gone are the days when players will simply hose down a room full of enemies, move to a narrow corridor, and repeat until total annihilation has been achieved. Doom III is more along the lines of a horror movie that's taking place on your PC, with you as the hapless hero. In other words, expect anyone watching to shout, "Don't go in there!" for ninety percent of the game.


You can read the rest here.



Hardware News....
Posted by [luckee] @ 8:51 AM MST Monday, December 30, 2002 [Comment on news]
Today’s Tech reviews:


- B3D reviews the Powercolor 128MB Xabre 400.
- OCIA reviews the Xoxide 6-Port Variable Speed Fan Controller.
- ClubOC reviews the MSI K7N2-L nForce2 Motherboard.
- T-A have updated their Windows XP Detonator Database.
- IPKonfig reviews the Starfish Ray Lights.
- Viperlair has posted a gamers mouse pad roundup.
- HotHW reviews the Intel D845PEBT2 Blue Mountain i845PE Motherboard.




Sunday, December 29, 2002

New IGI2 Preview....
Posted by [luckee] @ 1:17 PM MST Sunday, December 29, 2002 [Comment on news]
There's a new IGI 2: Covert Strike preview on GameSpy, cant wait till the demo is out. Here’s a snip

IGI had its strengths, like unusually large indoor / outdoor levels. It also had its problems, like no way to save the game during a mission and phenomenally stupid enemies that continually respawned out of thin air. IGI also lacked any multiplayer component, even though it could have really benefited from one; there were so many exciting but untapped possibilities with those huge maps. With the upcoming IGI 2: Covert Strike, developer Innerloop Studios is going to be exploring those possibilities.

The multiplayer beta test that we got to play was a limited version of what you can expect in the full game (tentatively scheduled for a February 2003 release). Along with a full single-player campaign, IGI 2 will ship with about five massive maps that blend expansive outdoor terrain with detailed building interiors for brutal close combat. From what we've seen so far of the game's multiplayer component, the results could be both predictable and unexpected.

You can read the rest here.



NVIDIA New Fx Cards....
Posted by [luckee] @ 1:11 PM MST Sunday, December 29, 2002 [Comment on news]
Checkout this very informative preview on NVIDIA's next generation graphics chip code-named NV30. Here’s a snip

With 125 million transistors and copper interconnects, the die size of the GeForce FX is 25% smaller than a comparable 0.15-micron part and offers performance improvements of 25-30%. Compared to the 0.15-micron GeForce4 Ti 4600's 300MHz clock speed, NVIDIA is looking for the high-end GeForce FX core to operate at 500MHz. But even at a 0.13-micron process, a 500MHz clock speed required special attention in keeping the GPU's temperature in check. Pictured below, NVIDIA's FX Flow Thermal Management consists of a copper heat spreader, heat pipes, and an air flow system.
Outside air is pulled inward and is cooled as it passes over the heat pipe and circulates over the heat spreader. The heated air is eventually blown out of the case. The temperature of the GPU is monitored and adjustments are made to the amount of air flow as needed. The GeForce FX contains an auxiliary Molex four-pin power connector on the right side of the graphics card and is used to supply the additional power needed to operate at maximum processor clock speeds. The combination of the cooling and power features takes up enough space to occupy two PCI slots. It's not certain if lower clocked GeForce FX processors require either of these solutions, and it will be left to add-in manufacturers to determine the best cooling solution for their add-in cards.

You can read the rest here.

Friday, December 27, 2002

Hardware News....
Posted by [luckee] @ 9:35 AM MST Friday, December 27, 2002 [Comment on news]
Today’s Tech reviews:



• Cooler Master ATC-201a-SX1 Case on Systemcooling.


• Jetway V266B Motherboard on RipNet-UK.com.


• pcToys DDRMAXX Heatspreaders on WinHQ.Net.


• Swiftech MCX462+ Heatsink on Overclocker Warehouse.


• EPoX 8K9A2+ Motherboard on Legion Hardware.


• Lamps Electronics Cold Cathodes on DarkVision Hardware.


• Leadtek Winfast K7nCR18D-Pro nForce2 Motherboard on bit-tech.


• TwinMOS PC3200 DDR SDRAM on The DDRZone.


• Vantec VP4-C7040 and VA4-C7040 Coolers on OCAddiction.


• Zalman CNPS 6500B-Cu Cooler on Overclockers Online.


• Abit KD7-RAID Motherboard on The Tech Zone.


• Albatron KX400-8X Motherboard on SubZeroTech.


• Asus A7N8X Deluxe nForce2 Motherboard on Amdmb.com.


• ATI RADEON Series vs. NVIDIA GeForce4 Series Video Cards on x-bit labs.


• Chaintech GeForce 4 MX 440 Video Card on Nexus Hardware.





KENN HOEKSTRA INTERVIEW....
Posted by [luckee] @ 9:28 AM MST Friday, December 27, 2002 [Comment on news]
Raven Software's Director of Support Services gives us the lowdown on the evolution of the first-person shooter. Here’s a snip:

Which first-person shooters released over the last year would you say have pushed the boundaries of the genre?

Hoekstra: Battlefield 1942 is the first game that comes to mind. The multiplayer in BF1942 has everyone at Raven hopelessly addicted. There's so much you can do in that game, it's mind-boggling. The class system combined with the WWII theme and all those weapons and drivable vehicles really make it an impressive title.
Doom III stunned at E3 2002, displaying the capabilities of next-generation technology. With this technology in mind, how do you see the first-person shooter genre evolving over the next couple of years?

Hoekstra: Technologically, I see the FPS genre continuing to be the frontrunner in pushing the technology and hardware envelope. FPS games are the biggest motivator out there for PC improvements in processor and graphics hardware speed as well as sound. I don't see that changing anytime soon.

What about gameplay? Do you think there are fresh first-person shooter gameplay ideas still out there, or is it now a case of progression coming via the immersion aspects of storyline and atmosphere, and the increasing levels of realism made possible by technology?

Hoekstra: I think there are definitely new gameplay ideas to be had out there. I think a lot of them will come in the form of blending genres together. I believe FPS games can be blended with many other genres, including simulation games, RPGs, RTS games and even flight sims. I also think there are many new things yet to be tried inside of the straight FPS game. I think it's just a matter of time before developers and publishers start straying away from the established formula to push the boundaries more than they have been. Such innovation revolves around the willingness to take risks.

What's your opinion of the amalgamation of genres? For example, do you think that introducing light RPG elements into first-person shooters is a good idea, and do you think we'll see more of this sort of thing in the coming months and years? Could you give a reason for your answer?

Hoekstra: I think it's great and I applaud the amalgamation of genres as a way to breathe new life into FPS games. If for no other reason, such blending of genres breaks down the barriers that gamers put up when they say things like "I only play tactical shooters," or "I don't like the third-person perspective," or "I only play RPGs."


You can read the rest here

Thursday, December 26, 2002

A Geek's Night Before Christmas....
Posted by [luckee] @ 11:32 PM MST Thursday, December 26, 2002 [Comment on news]
Checkout this funny little twist on the nite before Christmas story:


Twas the night before Christmas,
and all through the house . . .
my keyboard was clacking
as I flourished my mouse.

My opponent was moaning on the ground over there,
in hopes that a medic soon would be there.
He’d soon wish he’d just stayed in his bed
As my railgun slowly took aim at his head.

As I sat in my bathrobe and went for their flag
I Was all settled in for a night full of frag.
When up from the roof there arose such a clatter
I switched to "observer," and went to see what was the matter.

The lights of the Christmas Tree gave an eerie glow,
As my front door flew open and let in the snow!
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But a crazy old man and eight little geeks!

With a crazy-eyed look and a bottle of Fanta,
I knew in a moment this must be Geek Santa!
More rapid than fiber optics, his little geeks came, then he
Burped and he farted, and called them by name!

Now Dexter, now Freddy, now Lewis, and Jasper!
On Arnie, On Sammy, on Poindexter, and Casper!
From the front of the porch to the back of the hall,
Get inside! Get inside! Get inside all!

And then, in a twinkling, I heard in the kitchen,
A lot of noise, and even some bitchin.
As they raided my fridge, and took my last beer,
I wanted to ask why the hell they were here!

Then to work they began, as I stared there in awe.
Cut open my walls with a tiny old saw.
Strung in the cables, (it sort of looked fun)
And I knew in an instant, "I’m getting a T1!"

Before I could know they were done with their job,
Then they kicked the old man, (who’d passed out like a slob.)
Out the door they all went, The old man went out last,
He smiled, and he grunted, then passed some more gas.

And I heard in the distance,
As he faded from sight,
"Merry Christmas you Geek! Now go frag all night!"




Thursday, December 19, 2002

[Afternoon Mocha]....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 12:47 PM MST Thursday, December 19, 2002 [Comment on news]

Howdy. Not much going on today... finally starting to look a bit more Christmasy around here. Had a little bit of snow the past couple of days and more is expected through the end of the week. So we'll see if we can get a white Christmas (freshly fallen snow would be best) this year. Enjoy your day!




Kreed Preview....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 12:43 PM MST Thursday, December 19, 2002 [Comment on news]

ActionTrip has posted a new preview of Kreed, offering their impressions of the sci-fi shooter. They have also included some new shots. Check it out!




RtCW: Enemy Territory MP Preview....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 12:41 PM MST Thursday, December 19, 2002 [Comment on news]

Computer and Video Games has posted up a new hands-on preview of the multiplayer portion of Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, the upcoming stand-alone expansion that's being developed by Mad Doc Sofware and Splash Damage.





National Institude on Media and the Family's Annual Report Card....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 12:38 PM MST Thursday, December 19, 2002 [Comment on news]

The National Institude on Media and the Family has issued its annual report card on video games giving the industry an overall grade of "F" for what they called "very disturbing trends that accelerated during 2002." The report discusses the increased amount of violence and treatment of women in games like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and BMX XXX and states that enforcement of the game industry's ratings is "dismal."




Valve Software Interview ....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 12:28 PM MST Thursday, December 19, 2002 [Comment on news]

HomeLAN has posted an interview with Erik Johnson of Valve Software where they get an update on the progress of Condition Zero, their single player team based shooter.

Erik Johnson - We're in alpha of the game right now, which means that most of the missions have been roughed out and need a number of passes on them to get gameplay perfect. The target gold date is in May.


Wednesday, December 18, 2002

New World Order Patch....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 1:04 PM MST Wednesday, December 18, 2002 [Comment on news]

Looks like Project 3 Interactive has released a v. 1.3 patch for New World Order. You can grab the file at Project 3 Interactive's ftp server, 3D Gamers, and GameCenter




Shacknews' Game of the Year 2002....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 1:01 PM MST Wednesday, December 18, 2002 [Comment on news]

Shacknews has posted their picks for Game of the Year 2002, with the reader's choice honors going to Battlefield 1942. Check out who else made the list!




PunkBuster ....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 12:58 PM MST Wednesday, December 18, 2002 [Comment on news]

Even Balance's Tony Ray has made a post in the PunkBuster Forum regarding concerns of PB guid hacks. Here's more:

We are working on a new set of master PB servers that work with id's auth server in validating that players on PB servers are in fact using a valid cdkey and the correct actual guid computed for that cdkey and that these are being used from the same IP address validated by id's auth server when the player joined the server.

You can read the full post here.



Chrome Q&A....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 12:51 PM MST Wednesday, December 18, 2002 [Comment on news]

Computer and Video Games has posted up a new Q&A with Pawel Marchewka of Techland as he talks about their upcoming first person shooter Chrome.




Breed In-game Movie ....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 12:41 PM MST Wednesday, December 18, 2002 [Comment on news]

CDV has released a new Breed in-game movie showing off just under three minutes of footage from the first mission in this upcoming first-person shooter in the works at Brat designs. The 36 MB file is available from 3D Gamers, FilePlanet (registration required), FileShack (registration required), and Computer and Video Games. Check it out!




[Mornin' Mocha]....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:49 AM MST Wednesday, December 18, 2002 [Comment on news]

Well I'm back... two weeks in Hawaii and it still wasn't enough! Things have been dead around here since I've been gone, so let's see if I can find some newsworthy items to post for ya!

Cold and snow vs. bright warm sunshine.... I ask you what you'd prefer? Think you already know my answer... LOL :D




Thursday, December 12, 2002

Mobile Forces Press Release....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 5:59 PM MST Thursday, December 12, 2002 [Comment on news]

Hi everyone... just got a press release from my pal Natcher00 at mobileforces.org.... here it is:

My name is Natcher00 (well you know what I mean) and I'm the admin over at www.mobileforces.org. This site is the official community site for Mobile Forces which was released in Europe in July of this year by Rage and in the US in early October by Majesco.

The founder of MobileForces.org, XEON, has decided that his time of running MobileForces.org needs to come to an end for his sanity and due to recent troubles caused to him personally due to his work on the site. I am taking over the running of the site, and will endeavour to take good care of his "baby" - and all the people who enjoy the community vibe we have @ MoFo.org.

The site will continue operating and growing. Our forum has over 400 members, and as such is not the busiest place on the net, but the game has such re-playability value - easily comparable to Starcraft and (dare I say it) Duke Nukem 3D! - that the only real reason why it is not more well known than it currently is is down to not enough publicity in the US of A and a sad lack of public servers in the Master Browselist ... (plus it's an FPS which arrived on shelves in the US just before UT2003 *shrugs* what can ya do?)

Another possible reason for a lack of servers is that there is no *official* Linux server offered for Mobile Forces. However, a long-time forum member and Moderator, Walker, devised a workaround for this lack - this is documented fully and in great detail on this page - How to run a Mobile Forces Linux server - and has run stably on the FridayNightGaming server for the last 6 months!

What we're gonna do to try and revive interest in the Game is to create a Mobile Forces mod for UT2K3 - MF2K3 is to be a mod for UT2K3. We have full approval from RtW ( RealTime Worlds - www.realtimeworlds.com - ) who own the rights to the Mobile Forces name. The plans for the mod are wide ranging and include converting some of the fantastic maps from the retail Mobile Forces, making a range of brand new maps, as well as bringing over some of the awesome gametypes from MoFo and creating at least one (maybe more) new gametypes. The new UT2K3 engine has some vehicle support - we will be drawing on that but developing it to it's fullest potential to create the epitome of Vehicular FPS - if you have not seen and enjoyed Vehicle Based FPS gaming AT ITS BEST then go and buy Mobile Forces (you could wait for the mod, but the game is well worth the $$$).

As far as interest in this site is concerned its basically a community site with a small fanbase and that's pretty much the way it is - for the moment! It's not run by any of companies involved in the original game and that means its run on a part time basis by a bunch of cool people.

Main Site - www.mobileforces.org -
Discussion Forums - forums.mobileforces.org -
Fansite - mofodebrief.mobileforces.org -
Cheers,

Natcher00, (new) Admin @ MobileForces.org



So come on over for a visit! You'll find me over there a lot of the time as well as I'm a mod on the site. :)

Wednesday, December 11, 2002

Allied Assault Spearhead Review....
Posted by [luckee] @ 6:16 PM MST Wednesday, December 11, 2002 [Comment on news]
Checkout this good review posted up over at Eurogamer on Medal of Honor: Allied Assault Spearhead. Other than these relevant FPS gaming items, gaming news has been slow these past few days, however the babe of the day over at actiontrip will get you in the mood to game that’s for sure. Anyways Here’s the snip

One of our chief concerns with Spearhead is the peculiarly heightened system requirements. If Allied Assault and Spearhead’s respective manuals are to be believed, then nothing has changed, but even a cursory visual comparison is enough to convince you otherwise. Playing on a regularly watered 1.2GHz Athlon system with a 32MB GeForce3, a system Allied Assault was quite comfortable with, Spearhead shudders and heaves whenever smoke billows or soldiers congregate. Drop the detail and it’s still no good – there’s something fundamentally chuggy about it. This quickly interferes with your fun, too, especially when you realise that each set piece is preceded by the whole rig lurching violently, and as a result you work out how to spot them...
It isn’t just the engine that needs tuning though; it’s grey matter on both sides of the conflict. Your squad mates are still totally useless, killing a token German for each situation and leaving you to trawl through houses with a full magazine, but as long as you can keep them alive you’re happy. (Don’t you just hate it when the game auto-saves three seconds before your squad is wiped out, thus automatically failing the mission for you?


You can read the rest here.



PC Games of the Year....
Posted by [luckee] @ 5:58 PM MST Wednesday, December 11, 2002 [Comment on news]
Top-selling PC Games of the Year, Here’s the list

1. The Sims: Vacation Expansion
2. Warcraft III
3. The Sims
4. Medal of Honor: Allied Assault
5. The Sims: Hot Date Expansion
6. Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone
7. Roller Coaster Tycoon
8. The Sims: Unleashed Expansion
9. Neverwinter Nights
10. Zoo Tycoon


I’m dumbfounded why MOH Isn’t #1



Devastation preview WOW....
Posted by [luckee] @ 5:53 PM MST Wednesday, December 11, 2002 [Comment on news]
Checkout this awesome Devastation preview or at Gamespot. Here’s snip

At a glance, Devastation's gritty urban environments may not seem to take full advantage of the game engine that powers them, but from what we've seen, the game will have some intriguing technical features, like enhanced particle effects for water, smoke, and fire. Devastation's brutal firefights in ruined streets and in laboratories full of flammable chemicals can result in many smoky fires onscreen at once. The game will also feature Karma Math Engine physics, which not only allows for the rag-doll character animation featured in Unreal Tournament 2003, but also gives you more opportunities to interact with your environments than you might expect from a standard shooter. Most of Devastation's environmental objects will have real mass and weight, so a pile of boxes may provide cover for only so long until they give way to enemy fire. You'll even be able to use vending machines to procure cans of soda, which will pile up on the ground. That may not sound very exciting, but the cans themselves have mass and inertia and make noise when they're moved, so if you're expecting an surprise attack, you can line a hallway with cans and other debris and actually use them as an alarm if some careless enemies try to storm the area. If you don't care to scatter cans on the floor, you can grab a smashed bottle and use it as an improvised weapon, instead.


You can read the rest here.

Monday, December 9, 2002

James Bond 007 Review....
Posted by [luckee] @ 10:50 PM MST Monday, December 9, 2002 [Comment on news]
Checkout this cool new review of 007 NightFire over at 3davenue.com. Here’s a snip:

Being that Nightfire is based off the Half-Life engine (as heavily modified as it is), the visual experience is actually very surprising. Textures are high quality, models are detailed and the special effects go hand-in-hand with the Bond style gameplay. Although we ran this game off a rather high spec computer (see top of review for specs), which allowed for highest details at great speed, almost every setting is impressive enough.
Gearbox Software, who were responsible for many of the official Half-Life addons, did a great job on the engine, specifically the graphics. These guys will also see to it that Halo finally makes its way to the PC, which shouldn't be a problem with the performance shown on the engine here in Nightfire.

You can read the rest here.




The Future of Gaming According to Chris Taylor....
Posted by [luckee] @ 10:40 PM MST Monday, December 9, 2002 [Comment on news]
Gamespy continues their "Future of Gaming" series of interviews by asking Chris Taylor Here’s a snip:

Chris Taylor: More processing power will impact game play at many different levels. The single largest thing will likely be AI (artificial intelligence). Traditionally, whenever we look at AI that is substantially smarter than the simple stuff we did years ago, we see that the amount of processing power required is far beyond what we imagined. Now, for the first time, we are able to start looking at sophisticated AI that does more than what anyone has experienced before. Not to say that the entire gaming experience won't improve across the board, but that AI will be where we see the greatest change.

You can read the rest here.

Sunday, December 1, 2002

[Evening Mocha]....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 5:19 PM MST Sunday, December 1, 2002 [Comment on news]

Hello everyone! Sorry for the hiatus on the posting this week. I've been beyond busy with the Thanksgiving holiday and getting ready to go out of town. Luckee will be taking care of you all for the next couple of weeks while I bask in the warm Hawaiian sun! :D

If I manage to get online, I'll stop in and say hello... until then take care and Aloha! :)