AltWeeklies Wire
Fantasy, Firepower and Fretwork for Xmas: A Gift Guide for Gamersnew

It's a great year to be a gamer. I've already written about some of the big games of the fall, including Guitar Hero World Tour, Rock Band 2, Gears of War 2 and Resistance 2. Here are some other great titles to consider gifting to the gamer on your list.
Fast Forward Weekly |
Blaine Kyllo |
12-11-2008 |
Video Games
How I Ended Up Taking My Cat in for Acupuncturenew

I've long been someone who sings popular songs to his cat, rewriting the lyrics around "kitty." But now I'm someone whose cat gets acupuncture, which I feel is an order of magnitude more ridiculous.
Willamette Week |
Ethan Smith |
12-10-2008 |
Culture
Great Lakes Surfers Pay No Mind to Frigid Tempsnew

We go to Duluth, Minn., to see what kind of brave souls partake of winter boarding.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Bradley Campbell |
12-10-2008 |
Sports
Eco Geeks & Safety Nerds Team Up to Help Consumers Shop Their Valuesnew
GoodGuide.com -- the brainchild of Dara O'Rourke, an associate professor of Environmental and Labor Policy at UC Berkeley -- offers independent safety, toxicity, environmental, and social benefit evaluations on 63,249 personal care, makeup, medical, and household chemical products and the companies that make those products.
East Bay Express |
Tim Kingston |
12-10-2008 |
Shopping
Lee Jeans is a Proud Maker of 'Mom Jeans'new
In the United States, Lee markets jeans worthy of mockery on Saturday Night Live. But in Europe, its products are considered stylish and high-end.
High-Class Heists: Art Crime is on the Risenew

South Florida is a global center in the international art crime circuit -- an enterprise that accounts for more than $6 billion a year, more than the cross-border trade of diamonds, sex, or hot cars.
New Times Broward-Palm Beach |
Tim Elfrink |
12-09-2008 |
Art
Mobile Gamers Make iPhone a New Messiahnew

It's clear that many people expect the iPhone to do everything from managing their hectic schedule to making them the coolest kid on the block. Although the device can't meet all of these expectations, it's proving to be a major contender in an unanticipated field: mobile gaming.
The Georgia Straight |
Christopher Poon |
12-09-2008 |
Tech
Mystery Shopper Marc Kravitz Keeps Philly's Servers on Pointnew
Blindly feared by servers the same way your gram fears The Reckoning, Kravitz absorbs everything he sees, hears, tastes and sometimes even smells.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Drew Lazor |
12-09-2008 |
Food+Drink
Casual Video-Game Company Big Fish Catches Record Revenues During Recessionnew
It's no surprise the gift-sales-dependent retail industry is hurting, and the big video-game giants are no exception. But over at Big Fish Games, a Seattle studio that creates casual games involving jewel hunts or word puzzles, things are rosy.
Seattle Weekly |
Laura Onstot |
12-08-2008 |
Video Games
Geek Glasses Transform Sexy Superstars into Really Sexy Superstarsnew
Through a thoroughly scientific study of entirely anecdotal evidence, I am here to prove that oversized, plastic–frame glasses have the power to transform the lamest of losers into the coolest, smartest, funniest, prettiest, best–smelling people who ever did exist.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Caralyn Green |
12-08-2008 |
Commentary
Angela Crafton Brings Unusual Cred to Philly's Prison Arts Programnew
Crafton has taught mural painting to Philadelphia prison system inmates for the past five years. But a decade ago, she was incarcerated herself.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Frank Rubino |
12-08-2008 |
Art
Black Gold: West Coast Trufflesnew

With European truffles on the decline, a new breed of truffle hunters and growers comes to the fore on the West Coast.
North Bay Bohemian |
Alastair Bland |
12-04-2008 |
Food+Drink
Post-Election Competition Heats Up the Video Game Worldnew
In the gaming world, the election very much continues, as the annual holiday onslaught of games competing for your hearts, votes and dollars is heating up to a level that might make even a CNN hologram -- and Wolf Blitzer, too -- burst into flames.
Orlando Weekly |
Aaron R. Conklin |
12-04-2008 |
Video Games
A Guide to Inauguration Datingnew
G. Keith Harris wants a date, and he's got the bait: two tickets to Obama's inauguration, and an all-access pass to the night's balls and off-shoot parties. Packages like that are being auctioned on eBay for upward of $7,000. A date with Harris is free -- and hard to come by.
Washington City Paper |
Amanda Hess |
12-04-2008 |
Culture
Spam: It's Not Just for Inboxes Anymorenew

Just in time for the recession, let's take a look at all the wondrous ways to eat Spam.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Rachel Hutton |
12-03-2008 |
Food+Drink