Emoticon tee-shirt via CoolBuzz

Remember how, earlier in the week, I mentioned how big the combination of social networking and online gaming was getting, and how some people are finding jobs because of their mad MMORPG skills?  Well, those Facebook games are getting to be serious business, with companies like PopCap and Zynga racking up user numbers in the tens of millions.  In fact, most of the people I know that use Facebook religiously say they’re only there because of the games.  Odds are they’re playing one of these games, the 10 most popular games on Facebook.

People are crazy about these things.  Before I basically turned them all on ignore, I was getting dozens of these game requests per day, usually from the same three or four people.  It was INCREDIBLY annoying.  Sorry guys, I have my games of choice; I have absolutely no desire to play Farmville or join your Mafia or anything like that.  The only reason I haven’t deleted my Facebook account is because of peer pressure.

Okay, I’ll admit it.  I’m getting excited about Tron Legacy.  It took YEARS for the original Tron to grow on me, but now I’ll kind of see anything with Jeff Bridges in it.

Everyone plays online games these days.  Well, everyone that has a computer.  whether it’s some browser-based game on Facebook and World of Warcraft or fantasy football and Halo via Xbox Live, you’ll be hard pressed to find someone that doesn’t kill a few hours in the course of the week playing some kind of game or another.  Online gaming is so pervasive that it’s infiltrating every aspect of your life, from the hunt for love to the hunt for employment.

I know someone who finds more boyfriends via online games than most people find via actual dating services, but I’ve never known anyone who has found a job while playing games online (unless they get recruited to work for online gaming companies).  However, as gamers age and move up the corporate ladder, you know it’s going to start happening.  Gaming affects all aspects of life now, and if you’re not with it, then you’re going to be left behind.

It’s just a shame that nothing is left for pure fun purposes these days.  Everything has to serve some end, or can be perverted to serve some social networking marketer’s whim.  Or that you must carefully monitor your online conduct for fear of current/future employers firing you over Facebook updates.

Throughout most of this week, I’ve spent a lot of my time talking to friends about what has to be one of the weirdest thing I’ve ever talked to anyone about:  pens and paper.  Specifically, the pen-retaining qualities of Moleskine notebooks.  I always kind of thought I was weird for having a favorite pen, but apparently all the other English major/writer types I know are also equally picky about pens and paper!

Now personally, I’m a Uniball fan, but I’ve heard great words about the Zebra Saransa and the Sharpie pen.  There’s just something about the ink flow from the Uniball that I really like, but I’m always open to trying a new pen experience.  All this reminds me that it’s time to go out and pick up some new pens, and maybe finally splurge on a nice new notebook for writing notes to myself about future blog posts and the like.

So tell me, do you have a preference for a particular pen type, or are you an any stick in a storm sort?  If you like pencils, that’s okay too; personally, I can’t stand writing in pencil, but it has its uses.

Full Sized Image via Neatorama.

For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past few weeks, Google’s little homepage doodle (you know, the one that reads Google?) has been changing.  It’s had UFOs, crop circles, and any manner of weird alien-related image on it.  The speculation has been rampant as to what it meant, and now the secret is out.  Google was merely commemorating the birthday of H.G. Wells, the father of science fiction.  Happy 143rd birthday, Herbert George!

To celebrate the sci-fi author’s birth, I figured why not share the most famous adaptation of his most famous work, The War of the Worlds?  No, not the Spielberg big-budget blockbuster with Tom Cruise.  I’m talking about the 1938 radio performance by Orson Welles that drove a nation into hysterics.

Imagine trying something like that today!  Mercury Theater got censured by CBS Radio back then, and today I can only imagine how much trouble a television network would get into for frightening the pants off the American people!

See that picture up there?  That’s the brand-spanking new Windows 7.  Looks good, doesn’t it?  All shiny and bright and fun?  But it’s going to be expensive.  Unless you’re a student; if you’ve got a valid .edu email, it’ll only be $29.99.

Microsoft is cutting you hard-working education types a break.  All you have to do is head over to the win741 website and check out the official details.  The deal started today and is slated to run all the way until January 3, 2010.  You have a little time to think it over, but considering all the positive press Windows 7 has been getting, I don’t think you’ll have too much difficulty making a decision.

Kind of makes me wish I was back in school!

So you’ve got a big day of playing your PS3 ahead of you, but you’re hungry.  Sure you could pick up the phone and call the pizza place, or use your computer to order a pizza online.  You could even use your PS3’s browser to order pizza via Papa John’s website, but why would you do that when you can be extra lazy and just use the PS3’s new Papa John’s button.  That’s right, instead of having to type in the URL, you can just click with your controller and boom, pizza time.

Unlike Joystiq, I don’t think this is the atomic bomb of the console wars.  Far from it.  However, I guarantee that you’ll see a lot more of this sort of cross-promotional effort.  It’s kind of like Mountain Dew Game Fuel mixed with Everquest 2’s /pizza command.  It’s just a neat little add-on to get some attention for the product and maybe send a little business Papa John’s way.

View full size, via Wonderland.