I waited in line last year at GenCon for an autograph and a quick, thanks for being cool comment and that was great. It was worth every minute for me, and hopefully you get an xp point or two every time someone tells you what a great job you do representing our community/hobbies/geekdom. But for the life of me I cannot fathom what drives people to be such entitled pricks in the situation you describe. Here's what I'm suggesting regarding your post today. We as a community (and don't let anyone say geeks aren't a community) need to stand up when we see this crap happening and tell people to back off, work with the Con security, and otherwise just set a good example. Until these types of situations are so taboo that people who otherwise have no shame feel shamed, then they'll continue to happen. Then again, maybe I'm just being naieve and there will always be enough greedy asshats around no matter what other people do. But I'd like to dream....

The picture is cropped perfectly to give that illusion however. I had the same thought initially. Now I'm all jazzed for GenCon next week. Considerably less star power, but IMHO enough geekdom to go around.

I'll be taking some to GenCon in a couple weeks.

Been reading since before typepad. I love the quick break at work. "Gamer-Thane" sometimes gets pushed to the back burner these days (we're the same age) and your blog often helps keep me in touch with that part of my life...and when it doesn't (as in this 4th of July story) it does a tremendous job of reminding me of the important things that happen outside of that part of my life. So, thanks Wil.

I'd like to officially put my resume in for a few shifts a week at the Chicago branch of Wil's Fuck You Arcade. As long as I can get one of those pouches to carry tokens around to change people's dollars when the token machine isn't working. As great as PC and console games have gotten, I still really miss the tactile nature of standing in front of a machine with the joysticks and buttons. No matter what happens with controller technology, or how in depth games get that require keyboards with numerous hotkeys and macros, not to mention multi-button programmable mice...that old gaming feel is something I miss.

Literally 100% of the deliveries I've tried to receive from UPS over the past 10 years have been messed up. Most often after one failed delivery attempt. In nearly every case they give the same line "we can't tell you where it is". I will say this...the customer service reps in each case sound like they're really wanting to help. They just can't. It's aggravating for everyone involved. I don't use UPS any more. I encourage ANYONE sending me ANYTHING to use any option other than UPS. Maybe it's a Chicago thing. Maybe it's something inherant in their tracking system. But I've yet to have a smooth experience with them in many many years. I could start a whole huge rant, but I'll leave it at that. Glad you got it sorted out.

I give precicely 0% credit to review scores when it comes to my purchasing decisions. I use: a> personal knowledge based on previous games by the same developer b> personal experience with betas c> comments/reviews by people I know in real life. C by far the least mainly because I don't always share similar tastes with my friends. But I have bought things just to play with them, even when I know I'm unlikely to dig it as much as they do. I'm also a crotchety old man of 38 who doesn't just buy every thing that hits the market. I'm far more likely to buy 1-2 titles a year and play the heck out of them for several months if not years rather than change up my gaming often. (MMOs being the best example of this...I tend to stick with those from 2-5 years depending on which one) Non-PC games on the other hand, I wish I had more people locally to play with. I tend to learn about the new ones and get a chance to play them each year at GenCon.

I break this whole issue down into 2 logical statements. 1> Is it invasive and unacceptable? Yes. This is opinion based on the second statement. 2> Is the cost (the assault on us) worth the benefit (safety for all)? This is where the TSA COMPLETELY fails. There is NO safety benefit. None to people flying, None to innocents throughout the country. No benefit at all. Why? People who are willing to die to kill others can easily do so. With or without a plane. And I can only assume people willing to blow up a plane would be willing to insert any of the high explosives currently avaiable into their body cavities with a detonating device configured to be activated with their trusty iphone. No pat down would catch these people. None. If there's a gap, then there's NO safety. So it's all just "safety theater" to appease the masses and make us feel safe. You know what? I don't feel safe. I don't feel safe from my own government. What's the cost of a human life? Starving people on the streets (and yeah, we have plenty in this country) would suggest a pretty low $ amount that would save their lives. Or people in need of an expensive surgery, or expensive medications. Now how much are we spending on this "security" theater? How many lives could be SAVED with that money spent elsewhere? This, IMHO, is the biggest societal failure of our generation.

Those are some peaty choices. Might I suggest Aberfeldy 12 for a nice change up. Great with wings/ribs anything saucy. The 21 is a thing of perfection, but at 3Xs the price, the 12 is my go-to Scotch at home. Harder to find out and about, where Glenfiddich is my "I know they'll have it and I like drinking it" stand-by. I'm not a fan of Dewer's blends at all but the single malt Alerfeldy is tasty stuff.

I love Highlights for Children. Love. My grandma worked for them back many years before I was born. --- Now for bonus points: Do you remember Cricket magazine? That was truly one of my favorites as a kid.

Bell curve distributions aside, when I read 419 entries I was having fun imagining you rolling 21d20 and throwing out the perfect mega crit roll if it happened. But I'm glad you applied real math and despite my continued bad luck used a fair method.

Sign me up. Just use my username at ameritech(dot)net. Let those autoemail grabbers grab on that.

Hoodie and slippers for "cold out"....sigh. It was about 9 degrees when I walked my dog this morning. Fahrenheit. 9. -jealous- Add in the light pollution of Chicago and I'm lucky to see the moon...sometimes Venus. --2Xs jealous--

Rue needs to back off, she's all up in the DMs screen. That definitely wouldn't fly at my game table.

Wil, I've recently begun listening to RFB in the car rather than my dumpy little earbuds and I've noticed something that didn't seem like such a big deal before. The volume between your spoken sections and the other items in your podcast seems to vary greatly. I was finding myself turning you up to hear what you were saying only to be blasted when you'd cut to music or some other piece. I'm not sure if this is on my end, or part of your production, but I thought I'd mention it. Otherwise I savor these on the bi-weekly drives from Chicago-Columbus and back. I'm saving 31 for next weeks trip. Keep up the good work!

YAY! I can now have a 2.0 version to wear for everyday geekyness and preserve my 1.0 for special nerd days.

Wil, I'm not going to get into this specific instance, research it etc... But I do want to make a couple comments. 1> When we're passionate about something, sometimes we go overboard, and that's just the cost of really genuinely caring about something. So IMHO...no harm no foul here. 2> What you do, for gamers, and for people who know gamers is FAR more important than ANY organization can do. Don't forget it. Seriously. I don't care about political lobying. I do care about having an advocate for something that is personally very important to me that I can point to and say "Here read his book, maybe you'll understand ME a little better for it." or "Hey, watch this you tube clip of a speech that really says some things that are important to me, maybe my hobbies and things I enjoy won't seem so mystical and hazy to you" 3> I'd like to propose a corollary to your "Don't be a dick" rule. When someone else is a dick, don't sweat it. --- As someone who lived through the viscious anti-D&D years where I was called all kinds of names and made to feel wrong and less for my hobby your efforts mean more than you likely know. Anyone who suggests, directly or indirectly, that you haven't been an important force in the industry is either ignorant, or baiting you. So I say see #3 above. Keep fighting the good fight, even if that includes an occasional "you wouldn't like me when I'm angry" moment.

I had a "I'm really meeting Wil Wheaton" moment, and forgot so many things I had intended to say. I think I managed a quick, thank you for what you do for gaming which is so important to me." Which I guess is really the real point. I noticed those LONG hours you guys were signing, I hope you had a chance to really enjoy GenCon. There's more than I can cram into 4 days and I'm not sitting there signing for those hours. Anyhow, great speech, and it was really nice to meet you.

There are very few things that can make me more excited about GenCon. Your attendance this year is one of them. It should be a great weekend!

I saw this in the newsletter the other day and I'm so happy it's now confirmed. This was one of the very few things that could actually make me look forward to GenCon this year more than I already was.

I'm so jazzed (oh yeah I went there...jazzed) for Season 4. Honestly, I can't wait. I mean, not in a creepy 'I'm going to break into someone's house for the masters' kinda way, but in a hyperbole 'this is the best pie in the universe that anyone has ever had' kinda way. OH to have my time travel device completed!!!

I am incredibly sad that I missed you guys in Chicago. It was literally less than a mile from where I live. Unfortunately I had plans already out of state for the weekend. :( So be sure to +1 (+2 if I can drag my wife) to your draw in the Chicagoland area. Under any normal circumstances I would've been there Next time!!

I remember the children's book you're talking about: http://www.amazon.com/Caps-Sale-Peddler-Monkeys-Business/dp/0064431436#noop

"but now I just feel like I've wasted time I should have spent working." Ahh, but you were working Wil. You most certainly were. Your ability to convey the feelings we all have is why I, and I hazzard to guess many others, are your fans. If you were some sort of unrelatable automaton I think you'd be infinitely less....well, less. Keep up the good "work".

Great stuff! Tuba-bot RULES.