[Guest]

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- A rat released on a deserted island off New Zealand outsmarted scientists and evaded traps, baits and sniffer dogs before being captured four months later on a neighboring island, researchers have said.

Scientists from the University of Auckland in New Zealand released the Norway rat on the 23.5-acre island of Motuhoropapa to find out why rats are so difficult to eradicate.

They got more than they bargained for.

"Our findings confirm that eliminating a single invading rat is disproportionately difficult," James Russell and his colleagues said in a report in the science journal Nature.

Despite all their efforts, including fitting the rat with a radio collar, they couldn't catch the crafty creature.

After 10 weeks on the island the rodent decided it had had enough. It swam 400 meters, the longest distance recorded for a rat across open sea, to another rat-free island where it was eventually captured in a trap baited with penguin meat several weeks later.

The Norway rat, which is also called the brown or sewer rat, is a husky rodent that weighs about 11 ounces and has a long tail.

Invading rats on remote islands off the coast of New Zealand have been a recurring problem. Norway rats have invaded the uninhabited Noises Islands at least six times between 1981 and 2002.

"Our results may help in the design of conservation strategies to keep islands free of invasive rodents," Russell and team added.

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Smart rodent.

My brother wants to get this game right away, but he's not willing to spent $40 on it, he's waiting for a price drop since he also wants to get Xenosaga Episode 2 since it's finally $20 (He didn't want to pay $50 for it because he told me Episode 2 was actually a short game)

Anyway, Shadow of the Colosus so far sounds interesting, you're supposed to kill giants by climbing on to them and finding a soft spot so you can use it for victory. That sounds very neat.

Current games: Digital Devil Saga 2, Farcry: Instincts (Xbox), and World of Warcraft for the PC, very hard to shuffle between all 3 of them while dealing with school.

Current Music: Old Metallica songs I've saved on my PC.

Edit by Tony: Link won't work and GameFAQs doesn't appreciate direct links. I just linked to the main page instead. You can see the grid link there.

Then you might want to fix the hyperlink as well, whenever I click on the link on Naomi's post I still get the famous error page from GameFAQs.

Is ep. III the last episode?

I believe I read somewhere there might be up to 6 episodes, but I could be wrong.

Very nice indeed. That's the game I'm going to get when I buy the PSP for the first time.

I bought the game today, and they even gave me the soundtrack (And I was also the only one who reserved it in my area).

Anyway, after playing it for a few hours I can safely say this game was well worth the wait, I have been enjoying it so far, some of the new things include Karma rings you can equip on your characters, even though one karma ring can be equiped at the time for each character at least you can customize them by using jewels like Sapphires, and Diamonds to give your rings special bonuses. The Berserk mode is also good, while I don't like the loss of accuracy, at least you can strike critical bonuses with each succesful hit, too bad you can't use magic in Berserk mode, but you get double the Karma points after battle.

In the first game there were cells you can exchange for cash, now there are "Plants" instead, but unlike the cells, the price for selling plants doesn't seem to change with the Solar Cycle.

Good story, too. Even early in the game the story gets very interesting.

It looks very cool so far.

I bought the game today, and they even gave me the soundtrack (And I was also the only one who reserved it in my area).

I'll play DDS2 in a few moments, I can't wait.

Universal Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox announced today that triple-Academy Award® winners Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh will serve as the executive producers of HALO®, the upcoming feature film based on Microsoft’s phenomenally popular video game from Bungie Studios.  Jackson and Walsh will provide creative counsel on all aspects of the film via their WingNut Films banner, and Jackson’s award-winning companies Weta Digital Ltd. and Weta Workshop Ltd. will provide creatures, miniatures and visual effects for the production.  The HALO agreement marks the first time that Jackson and Walsh have performed these services on a major studio film that Jackson is not directing.
 
Mary Parent and Scott Stuber will produce HALO with Peter Schlessel.  After Fox, led by President Hutch Parker and Universal, led by Production President Donna Langley, acquired the feature film rights to HALO, the studios worked in conjunction with Schlessel in reaching out to a number of producers who auditioned for Microsoft/Bungie.  The film is currently targeted for a Summer 2007 worldwide release.  Universal will handle domestic distribution of the film, and Fox will handle the international release.

This unique alliance among Fox, Universal, Microsoft, and Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh promises a step forward in motion picture production.  HALO will benefit from the experience and resources of the film studios, from Bungie Studios’ groundbreaking vision, and from Jackson and Walsh’s creative sensibilities and expertise in both traditional filmmaking and the world of emerging digital technologies.

HALO will be shot in its entirety in Wellington, New Zealand and will make use of the full range of Jackson’s state-of-the-art production and post-production facilities, including Weta Digital Ltd., Weta Workshop Ltd., Stone Street Studios and Park Road Post.

“As a gaming fan, I’m excited to bring HALO's premise, action and settings to the screen with all the specificity and reality today’s technology can provide,” said Jackson.  “Fran and I are intrigued by the unique challenges this project offers, and we’re delighted to be working again with our friends at Universal, and with our new ones at Fox and Microsoft.  I’m a huge fan of the game and look forward to helping it come alive on the cinema screen.”

Tom Rothman and Jim Gianopulos, Co-Chairmen of Fox Filmed Entertainment remarked, “HALO, Peter Jackson & Fran Walsh, Fox, Universal and Microsoft.  That is one hell of a starting five, and we can't wait to play.”

“I couldn’t be more pleased, or proud, to continue our relationship with Peter and Fran on this film,” said Stacey Snider, Chairman of Universal Pictures.  “There are no filmmakers who better understand the delicate balance between technology and drama, and how the best use of today’s astonishing digital tools is in the service of not only spectacle but also a solid story.  We are confident that the HALO feature film can be most fully realized under the creative direction of Peter, Fran and Weta.”

“Peter Jackson is one of Hollywood’s most exciting innovators, and our partnership with him will greatly broaden the appeal of the HALO franchise,” said Bill Gates, Microsoft’s Chairman and Chief Software Architect.  “We’re confident he’ll create an epic that not only thrills existing HALO fans, but also introduces millions of moviegoers around the world to this amazing saga.”

Source

For as long as Uwe Boll doesn't touch this movie, then all the better.

Those videos looks good, too bad I don't understand Japanese.

Even Ebay has reasonable starting prices when it comes to bid Persona 2, but I expect those prices to increase in the future.

SEATTLE - An Oregon woman whose doctor convinced her that he could cure her lower back pain by having sex with her is suing him and his medical clinic for $4 million, according to legal documents obtained Monday.

The doctor, Randall Smith, who was 50 at the time, was stripped of his license and sent to jail for 60 days last year for charging the state’s Oregon Health Plan $5,000 for his 45-minute “treatments” involving the woman.

“Dr. Smith’s medical treatment included intercourse in which he told plaintiff was needed to help alleviate plaintiff’s lower back and lower extremity pain,” the former patient said in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit, which charges battery, negligence and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, was filed Friday in Multnomah County court.

“We never comment on lawsuits,” said a spokesman for the Adventist Medical Group clinic in Gresham, Ore., where Smith worked. Smith could not be located for comment.

Though he pleaded guilty to submitting false health care claims, a felony, Smith maintained the sex with the 47-year-old woman was consensual.

Source

Dumb broad, how could she fall for that?

 LOL

Game: Farcry Instincs, this game rules on Xbox Live

Music: Bender by Sevendust

Nocturne is a great game, very hard, but very cool. One of my toughest challenge was to fill the Demon Conpemdum to 100% on my first try, and I was able to achive my goal. I have played a lot of RPGs in the past, and I was able to beat each, and every one of them after 50 hours when I play them the first time, but I have never spent more than 130 hours during my first try on Nocturne.