ORIGINALLY AIRED: 9/9/2004

Mike Mignola, SFF gaming, LAN Party

Episode #2404

Tech Topics

Microsoft's Longhorn OS to put the squeeze on gadgets.

Free iPods For All?
It sounds like it ought to be filed in the “Too Good to Be True” bin, but that offer on freeipods.com might actually work. Not to be daunted by the spammy nature of a promised free iPod on the Internet, Alex and Kevin both signed up for the deal. They were required to enroll in an affiliate program offer (such as Blockbuster’s online rental service), and then each get five of their friends to sign up for freeipods.com. But, amazingly enough, Kevin did indeed receive his $250 worth of gift certificates. (Alex, sadly, is still “pending.”) So can this be the one craaazy Internet deal that actually works? “We’ll wait and see, but so far so good,” said Alex.

TSS Live Calls
Sean from California wonders what the advantages would be to using the Firefox Web browser instead of Internet Explorer.

According to Kevin and Alex, the answer can be summed up in one word: security. IE has had a number of infamously exploitable holes, some that can even allow programs to be installed on your PC by a Website. While XP Service Pack 2 has added safety measures and Firefox features like pop-up blockers, Firefox is still worth checking out. The browser (a beta for AOL’s Mozilla) is loaded with features and is very speedy. “Why not try it”? said Kevin. “It’s free!”

Duff from Beloit, Kansas has loaded the Windows XP SP2 onto his PC, and he noticed it came with its own firewall. He wants to know whether he should disable the Norton Internet Security 2004 firewall he previously installed and go with SP2’s instead.

Kevin said he wasn’t a big fan of Norton’s firewall, but that if Duff was already happy with it then he should just continue using it. Alex said he uses the SP2 firewall with no problems, but cautioned Duff not to use more than one firewall at the same time, which could lead to some confusion when it comes to opening and closing ports.

Hell Yeah!
Mike Mignola, creator of the Hellboy comic book, came by to discuss everybody's favorite demon super hero.

Alex started out by asking him whether he had ever met The Screen Savers’ guest from the previous day’s show, Stan Lee. In fact, Mike had just met him at a panel discussion at the last Comic-Con in San Diego. “There I was, sitting next to the guy who’s the entire reason why I got into the comics business,” Mike said. He also revealed another brush with fame he experienced when he was invited to talk with Francis Ford Coppola while the legendary director was making Bram Stoker’s Dracula. He arrived to see a table set up for three. “I distinctly remember thinking, ‘Who the hell is the third guy?’” It turned out to be George Lucas. “That ranks as one of my weirdest experiences,” he said.

Alex then asked Mike about the origins of Hellboy (“After 10 years in the comics business, I wanted to make something about everything I like.”) and if there would be a Hellboy movie sequel. Mike reported that he had indeed written a new storyline with director Guillermo del Toro and that the studio was pleased with it. While he wouldn’t reveal the plot, Mike did say that the sequel would be closer to the comic books in spirit, dealing more with mythology and folklore. “Hopefully, this will be Guillermo’s next movie after the one he’s currently working on in Spain,” Mike said.

For more Hellboy info:

http://hellboy.com/

http://www.darkhorse.com/zones/hellboy/index.php

LAN Party Mayhem
The new season of The Screen Savers’ LAN Party (sponsored by nVidia) kicked off in high style with Unreal Tournament 2004 and special guest Jeff Timmons of 98 Degrees. “I’m big on the sports games, like Madden, so this is a new experience for me,” said Jeff. “I think I’ve played 20 matches, and I’ve had about two kills.” (Jeff is a singer, not a killer. Check out his new solo album at jefftimmons.com.)

Next Thursday, we’ll be playing another round of Unreal Tournament. Just click here to learn more about the LAN Party and how to sign up.

Smaller Can Sometimes Be Better
Do Small Form Factor (SFF) PCs mean you have to put up with wimpy gameplay on graphically demanding video games? Not necessarily. Kevin and Alex showed us three SFF systems that can still kick digital ass with good frame rates.

For complete details, our own Lawson Wong from The Screen Savers’ Lab pits the three contenders against each other: the Monarch Hornet Pro, the Voodoo Doll AMD FX, and the Falcon Northwest Fragbox 2. Which will win the frames-per-second derby playing Far Cry, Doom 3, and Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory? Click here to read our full report

Sarah’s Download of the Day: Delete All Data!
Need to clean up your hard drive in a hurry? Sarah’s found a program that does the job handily. And it can even fit on ye olde Floppy Disk of Death!

Online Question of the Day

Michael in New York is in a shopping mood, so he wanted to know what the best Websites are for checking the prices on electronics.

Kevin and Alex had these recommendations:

Pricewatch.com

Zipzoomfly.com