Our hardcopy version of the Silicon Valley Tarot will be a real 70-card deck, with both major and minor arcana, and will include a 44-page guidebook with Scoville's oracular interpretations.
This is the Tarot for the new millennium . . . and on January 1, 2000, it WILL still work.
Stock #1324, ISBN 1-55634-362-0. $19.95.
Stock #3312, ISBN 1-55634-354-X. $19.95.
Stock #6087, ISBN 1-55634-359-0. $19.95.
The last time we published a Murphy's compilation was in 1988. This new book includes everything from that edition, plus all the Murphys that have come out in the last ten years . . . and more . . .
Stock #9006, ISBN 1-55634-363-9. $14.95.
Kevin Kelm's Site, "The Dark Prince of HTML", features two interesting photo tours, one of a decommissioned Titan I missile complex somewhere in the Midwest, and the other of the Catacombs of Paris. It also contains "My Plans for World Domination", the Church of the Quivering Otter, Phrenology, "How to Serve Ewoks" and more. Amusing and worth a click or ten.
Visit the Pyramid chat page for the current chat schedule and info on how to login. You must be a Pyramid subscriber to join the chats!
-- Kira
While Tribes was actually already at the top of our pre-contest name list, fair is fair . . . LOTS of people suggested that name in the contest (43 of them, in fact). The first one was Jason T.A. Hogue, so he gets the $100 certificate and the free copies.
Our online suggestion form produced some less-than-serious entries, as well. Should we tell? Oh, why not? OK, some of the best were . . .
From Bradley Beth:
Lamarcklywinks
From Mike McGarel:
GeneTic-Tac-Toe
From Anthony Salter:
Life, What A Beautiful Thing (If The Kids Don't Get Eaten)
Don't Feed The Hyenas
Ugg Love Trouble
Crossbreed Doctor Lucky
Bug Eyed Monsters Alpha: They Came To Get Our Women But Went Home Empty-Handed Because Cave Women Are UGLY!
From Jeffrey Kessler:
Stop Dragging My Kid Around
Birth or Consequences
From Jim Bryant:
Breeding & Feeding
(SJ note: This is a cleaned-up version of one of our in-house names, “Food and Sex,” which is itself a cleaned-up version of a name that we not only couldn’t use, but won’t print here.)
From Michael Sarno:
Quest for Sire
It Takes a Village
It Takes a Village Idiot
Making Babies
Circle the Wagons, Once We Invent the Wheel
From Scott Haring:
Better Caves & Gardens
Social Contract: The First Draft
From David Simpson:
Tribal Pursuit
Axes & Allies
From Colin Clark:
Clan of the Day Care
From Shawn Metcalf:
Caveman: the Foraging
Look What Thag Do
Car Wars (not a very accurate title, but great name recognition)
Wooden Clubs and Iron Stomachs
From John Sanders:
Got Rocks?
-- Steve Jackson
The Silicon Valley Tarot segment of Ziff-Davis' "Internet Tonight" show is now scheduled for Wednesday the 28th. Check it out, if you have cable! It's on the ZD-TV channel. Consult your local oracle for the exact air time.
We'll release the Tarot in December, and we are taking orders now . . . if you haven't seen the web page yet, come by for a visit. You can even have your fortune told online.
-- Steve Jackson
Alien Races 1, the second GURPS Traveller supplement, has gone to the printers. It covers the Zhodani, the Vargr, and three new minor races in Vargr and Zho territory, and will be in stores in November.
Here's the deal:
Order $50 or less: shipping is 10% of retail, with a minimum of $3.
$50.01 to $80: shipping is a flat $2.50.
Over $80 - shipping is free.
We are currently using FedEx 3-day service, but they just hiked their rates WAY up and we'll probably move to another service the day the FedEx gouge becomes effective. If not before.
Why offer free shipping? Simple. To encourage you to place bigger orders. We're much better off if you order five books at once rather than in several little orders. And if you want to get together with your friends to place an order . . . cool. Whatever. At any rate, now, more than ever, check out our catalog . . .
-- Steve Jackson
Last week, he quit the talk radio business. Now, rumors are floating around that he might be back on the air as soon as October 30th for his annual ghost show.
I'm talking about Art Bell, the king of High Weirdness by radio, broadcasting two shows (Coast to Coast on weeknights from 10pm to 3am PDT and Dreamlands on Sunday night from 6pm to 9pm PDT) from his remote home studio in the Southwest. His show covers conspiracies, UFOs, Ultra-Tech, time travel, Atlanteans, cattle mutilations, black helicopters, and more.
This site has the schedule for the show, an art gallery, feature articles, a local station search function, and tons of links to relevant web sites. The truth is way out there.
- Brett Slocum
Ziff-Davis' "Internet Tonight" show, on Wednesday the 21st, will talk about the Silicon Valley Tarot . . . which WE will be releasing in December. Ta-daaa! Check it out, if you have cable! It's on the ZD-TV channel. Consult your local oracle for the exact air time.
Pyramid issues #1 and 2 are now online in our archives, and more are coming soon! The back-issues are being converted from Quark files to HTML by our volunteer archivist Brian Cook.And another change in the works: David E. Brooks, Jr., has modified the INN news server software to authenticate with our Pyramid user database, so soon the Pyramid message boards will be readable via your favorite newsreader (for Pyramid subscribers only). This is a feature that many of our subscribers have requested, and we're glad to finally be able to offer it. Of course, the web-based boards will still be available too.
We'd like to say thanks to Brian and David for helping us bring these new features to you.
If you're not already a Pyramid subscriber, subscribe today!
The office is all right, and – as far as I know – none of our staff was in any danger, though the last communication from Melissa Brunson indicated that her apartment was taking on water. All in all, an exciting day.
The best part is, the weather pattern that caused this is expected to persist until Wednesday or Thursday. So we could get another ten inches any time. Stay tuned . . .
-- Steve Jackson
But, as fate would have it, Number One Million apparently wanted to maintain a secure identity. The page was returned empty. So we can tell you that we've had our millionth guest . . . but as to who it was, you're not cleared for that and neither, apparently, are we. So it goes.
-- Steve Jackson
So I need a name. And I need it now, because we want to release this sucker in November. We've got some ideas, but I'd like more. If you want to help, look at the page describing the currently nameless game, and then go here to enter your suggestions.
All entries become our property, none can be acknowledged, do not pass GO, do not collect $200, close cover before striking . . .
If we choose your entry, I'll send you a half-dozen copies of the game and a $100 gift certificate. In case of duplicate entries, the earliest one wins fnord.
-- Steve Jackson
The folks at the Harvest Trust have a whole lot on their plate. They track events in a variety of conspiracy stories, including Majesty 12, Mossad involvement in the OKC bombing, the Intelligence Community, the Global Surveillance System, Waco, and more. Lots of bold, all-caps, and exclamation points.
-- Submitted by Patrick Anders
So? So go get a flu shot. Vaccination isn't a guarantee . . . you might just luck into a flu bug that's resistant . . . but it really improves your odds. And if you don't catch the flu, not only do you spare yourself a week of misery (or worse) . . . but you won't be passing it on to others. And the flu DOES kill some people, especially the very young, very old and those who already have another health problem. So if you can avoid passing the flu around, you might actually save some lives.
A carload of us from the office went down today and got shot. Why not go do the same?
-- Steve Jackson
Hooray.
If you have never picked up this game, and you have dino-crazy kids anywhere in your extended family, check it out. Don't take my word for it . . . look at the What They're Saying page. This has been a commercial plea . . . :-)
-- Steve Jackson
We ordered only 2,000 each of the GURPS Basic Set and GURPS Traveller hardcovers. Apparently the printers gave us some extra. A good thing, too, because we came very close to selling out of the GURPS Basic Set just on pre-orders . . . I expect to run out this week, except for the ones we have reserved for direct mail sales . . . and GURPS Traveller won't be far behind.So if you want one of these, go bug your local retailer right now, and beat out those people who don't read the Illuminator . . .
The most amazing thing here is the music. (When was the last time you walked down the hall at a con and passed three people singing - to a flute, a guitar and a standing harp?)
The second most amazing thing: I brought the #1 copies of GURPS Undead and the GURPS Traveller hardback as donations to the Interfilk auction (Interfilk is a nonprofit group that sends good filkers to different parts of the country to spread the music.) And . . . wow. The set brought $425, which was (though only by a whisker) the most of any lot. Moral: There should be more of this kind of memorabilia donated to charity auctions at conventions. My friends and competitors, take note . . .
-- Steve Jackson
When working for the Illuminati, you can't always afford expensive, high-tech protection from Orbital Mind Control Lasers, psychic mind-reading, and other forms of intrusive mind control. Enter the Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie home page. This site provides all the information needed to protect your brain.
-- Submitted by Lyle Zapato
"The rapidly approaching millennium offers a unique cultural opportunity. After many years of cut-and-paste, appropriation, detournement and neo-retro ahistoricality, postmodernity is about to end. Immediately after the end of the fin de siecle, there will be a sudden and intense demand for genuine novelty.
"Any new year offers a chance for sweeping resolutions and brave efforts at self-reform. But the end of a millennium offers a rare and vital opportunity to bury all that is dead within us and issue proclamations of particular scope and ambition.
"I suspect that a group that can offer a coherent, thoughtful and novel cultural manifesto on the target date of January 3, 2000 has a profound opportunity to affect the zeitgeist. (On January 1, everyone will be too hung over to read manifestos; on January 2, nobody's computers will work. So naturally the target date must be January 3.) In this preliminary document, I would like to offer a few thoughts on the possible contents of such a manifesto..."
But then he gets serious. Read it.
-- Steve Jackson
Traveller fans should not need to be reminded that Rob's work is seminal to the look and feel of the Traveller universe. Rob has received our apologies already, and rest assured we will correct things in the book's second printing.
-- Loren Wiseman
Miskatonic University has quite the reputation. Nestled in the town of Arkham, Massachusetts, it offers what no other school can offer . . . tentacled visitors in the night and human sacrifice.
This site has staff lists, admissions forms, course offerings, etc... everything you need to decide whether Miskatonic is for you.
-- Submitted by Richard Grinnell
Our new online editor for Car Wars is Robert Deis (rdeis@io.com). Welcome, Robert!
-- Steve Jackson
