In more fun cyberpunk-is-now news...

April 1, 2005 | BEIJING -- When Qiu Chengwei reported the theft of his "dragon saber," he was laughed out of the police station. So the 41-year-old online game player decided to take matters into his own hands. Swapping virtual weapons for a real knife, he tracked down the man who had robbed him of his prized fantasy possession and stabbed him to death.

Qiu is now facing a possible death sentence in a Shanghai court case that has highlighted concern about the social, psychological and economic impact of one of China's fastest-growing industries. A spate of suicides, deaths by exhaustion and legal disputes about virtual possessions have been blamed on Internet role-play games, which are estimated to have more than 40 million players in China.

Qiu's favorite game was "Legend of Mir III," a South Korean game that is a huge hit throughout Asia. It took him hours in front of a computer to win the dragon saber, one of the game's most valuable weapons.

He used a feature of the game to lend it to Zhu Caoyuan, who reportedly sold it on without his permission for 7,200 yuan (about $870). Although this is considerably more than the average monthly wage, the police told Qui that they could do nothing because the law does not recognize virtual property. He has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Zhu, a crime that can carry the death penalty.

Remember, betting on the next pope is an excommunicable offence:

Ha! I'm not Catholic. They can excommunicate me all they want.

OKay, now they're announcing it live.

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Sean, you're sposed to flip to a random page.

The real question is whether the book is now available in digital format.

Thanks! He's ok generally, but still very fussy at night. I'm working on another 4 hours of sleep again today after a 2 am crying jag. Anyone know a good exorcist?

4 hours? You guys aren't doing it right. See, you sleep in shifts. Mom goes to bed at 9 and you have baby-patrol until 2am. Then she's on duty from 2-7. That guarantees each of you 5 hours plus. The plus being anytime you have the baby sleeping on your shift.

From Reuters:

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Italian media gave contradictory reports about Pope John Paul's vital signs on Friday, first saying his heart and brain activity had stopped and then reporting this was not true.

There was no official comment from the Vatican.

The first reports, picked up by the state broadcaster RAI, said his electrocardiogram had gone flat. The ADNkronos news agency said monitoring showed his brain activity had halted.

But Sky Italia television later quoted Vatican sources saying both his brain and heart were still functioning.

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What happens after the Pope dies?

I find the part where the cardinal calls his baptismal name three times and then strikes him with a hammer (which has the papal seal on it) on the forehead, just to make sure he's really, really dead.

CNN reports that the AP reports that the Vatican denies the Pope has died.

Well, I think his real name is Pope John Paul, just as Elizabeth HP is my real name now, although I was born Elizabeth H.

I wonder what his drivers license says?

t blasphemous

"There's a dead bishop on the landing!"

t /blasphemous