Nikon throws down the gauntlet at PMA 2002 with the 6.1-megapixel D100 -- an F100-based "prosumer" digital SLR camera. This is Nikon's first venture into the class, heretofore occupied by the Canon D30 and Olympus' E-10/20. I suspect the D100 will list at about $3,000 for the body, but no price has been announced yet.

Canon supposedly has released its own entry -- the D60, a 6.3 megapixel CMOS-equipped digital SLR capable of 3fps up to 8 frames, but the page I saw it on was apparently a "leak" and it's not sure whether it was for real or not, although it really looked like it was. The date of the release was 2/23, so if it is real, we'll see it announced soon ...

Update: Here's the D60!

In a major dumbshit maneuver, Internet.com, morons who bought out the Sysopt.com network of sites, shut down perhaps the single most useful site on the Web -- Resellerratings.com. It WAS the de facto standard for finding out if a site you are buying from is trustowrthy or not -- Bizrate is full of shit. But never fear ... the original creator of Resellerratings has another project -- Techimo.com, and he's going to be launching a replacement for RR. Read about it here.

So if you're completely bewildered by all the place-names and Elvish-tongue in J.R.R. Tolkien's works (Lord of the Rings et. al. for you cave-dwellers), or if you're just really, really into it -- check out the Encyclopedia of Arda, which tells you more than you really need to know about well, everything Tolkien-esque. From Jui. Be sure to check out the Movie-goer's Guide if you're come to the books after seeing the movie first.

Not your average NOS bottle, that. The "secret" is in that lengthwise "hump" on the bottom. That's right ... it's a Bazooka "bass tube" camouflaged as a famous blue bottle. Check it out here. Subtle, yet annoying. From Tef.

THURSDAY, 2/21/2002, 7:Ish am HST by Penfold

Up early in the morning, dressed in black

Ever wanted to lean Klingonese (yes those Klingons), try it here.

A site devoted to the humor that is the practice of law. Yes, it gets pretty silly sometimes.

Kind of a strange little flash site desigend to promote an alternative style of learning. While aimed at kids, still a fun site to try for adults.

Submitted by Mei Li

WEDNESDAY, 2/20/2002, 12:00pm HST by Raul

It's a very cold day "down under" today ... in one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history, Team Belarus beat first-seeded Team Sweden 4-3 today on the solid goaltending of Andrei Mezin who saved 44 of 47 shots. Amazing. Sweden was the only undefeated team in the medal round.

In other news, defending gold medalists Team Czech republic were eliminated by Team Russia in a 1-0 game. Another goalie-won game. Khabibulin kept it out.

And as of right now, Team USA is up 3-0 on Team Germany, on a sweet give-and-go from Jeremy Roenick to Tony Amonte. Ooops, make that 4-0 now on a sweet goal by John Leclair. I don't think the US is going to lose this one unless they completely pack it up in the third period. That means it's USA vs Russia in the start of the medal round.

Darnit! Make that 5-0 on a goal by Brett Hull on a between-the-legs backhander!

So while the Olympics were going on, the San Jose Sharks won the Stanley Cup in my season in a 4-1 series over the Washington Capitals. Incidentally, they are my hope to win this years' cup for real ... if they do, you heard it here first!

The Ghost Recon mod-making community is in full swing these days. There are some good maps and mod packs out. One of the big-name mods, Nishi's Model Mod, however, got a thumbs-down from me. The mod adds many new guns typical of a R6/RS-series mod pack. However the sounds are not up to the quality of the game, and that IMHO takes a lot away from the game, as the stock sounds are so excellent. Mafioso reports that the New Cold War mod is pretty good. I'm going to give it a shot later tonight.

TUESDAY, 2/19/2002, 7:Ish am HST by Penfold

In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.9 but installed undesirable programs such as NFL 5.0 and NBA 3.0

-Submitted by Laura

While not the best snow pr0n, still worth a look.

Like men in armor, read about this guy who build a grizzly proof suit. Even a little video clip of it.

Crime news

Things not to try when contemplating illegal activity.

• Don't kill people for saying your kareoke of "My Way" sucks.
• Don't fake your own robbery because you can't afford the wedding reception.
• Don't beat someone down for bringing 13 items into the 12 item express lane.

Believe the hype

This is your exclusive opportunity to be one of the very first consumers to own a Segway Human Transporter (HT). The first-ever consumer models of the Segway HT are now available in this exclusive Amazon.com auction.

MONDAY, 2/18/2002, 11:59pm HST by Raul

There's just something about GM A-bodies. Own one and you'll know. Here's a page dedicated to dead A-bodies, may they rust in pieces. From Lankus

Well Monday had several games, and the US secured top-seeding in its group with an 8-1 pounding of Belarus. It took 40 minutes, but in the 3rd, the floodgates really opened up for the US. Team USA will be facing Germany in the first game of the medal round.

In other news, Team Canada tied Team Czech Republic 2-2, which leaves them seeded just third of four in their division. But because of an upset 3-1 victory by team Finland over Russia, Canada pulls the Finns while the Czechs pull the Russians in the next round. The Finns are considered to have less talent depth than the Russians, effectively meaning that the Canada didn't really want that #2 seed anyway. Strange, eh?

The interesting matchup of the next round is Russia-Czech Republic ... two powerhouse teams that are in contention for gold -- one of them is going to go home without a medal after Wednesday's game.

Tell me ... am I rice or not? I thought this might have been posted before but I couldn't find it.

Where's Abe Lincoln when you need him? Right here. What an odd enthusiasm. From Dr. Mikee.

SUNDAY, 2/17/2002, 11:Ish pm HST by Penfold

It's all about the pacing.

Keeping up with the lego content, the Lego loom.

Pretty interesting concept, lease a sheep and get some wool at the end of the lease.

TV action

The local Fox affiliate presented some rather intimate Valentine's Day programming: hard-core porn.

Because of an engineering error, KXRM/Channel 21 aired two or three seconds of graphic sex at 7 p.m. Thursday, right before the start of the animated "Family Guy."

US vs. Russia end in a tie and the Czech defeated by Sweden, this Olympics looks good.