Pure Geekery
It’s over – December has come, Movember has ended. I promised you photos, and hopefully you have been keeping up with them on the Geek-Speak Facebook page. But in case you haven’t, here they are, including my “bald face” photo from today.
Of course, there’s still time to make a donation. Why not make a donation online now? Money raised goes to The Prostate Cancer Charity, The Institute of Cancer Research, and The Movember Foundation.
Good morning all, and happy Halloween. I can’t believe we’re at the end of October already, and that we’ll be starting November tomorrow! Where did the year go?
But I digress. I actually want to ask for your help today. This year I will be taking part in Movember to raise funds for The Prostate Cancer Charity and the Institute of Cancer Research by growing a moustache.
Where do you come in? Quite simple, really – I would really appreciate it if you were to head over to my Movember page and donate some of your hard-earned money to this good cause. Men are notoriously bad at dealing with health issues, so I think it’s worth helping towards research while raising awareness at the same time.
And, yes, I’ll even post photos of my “mo” as it attempts to develop over the month :)
Visit my Movember page to donate.
Post image used under Creative Commons – originally by Style & Quality.
If you’re a fan of the Gears of War franchise on Xbox 360, you’ll probably know about the Carmine brothers. We’ve met one in each of the games so far and, well, they don’t last long. If this were the original Star Trek they’d have red shirts on and wouldn’t even be listed in the episode credits. Poor Anthony and Ben.
Well, we’re going to meet Clayton Carmine in Gears of War 3 and things might be a bit different this time. For a start, you get to decide whether he meets a similar fate to his brothers or survives.
You can help decide what happens to the last Carmine brother by casting your vote as to whether he should die or be saved. The way to do it is to buy a t-shirt for your Xbox LIVE avatar… either “Carmine must die” or “Save Carmine”. Depending on which t-shirt sells more, the game will follow the relevant storyline.
Now, I’m a cynic, and I would look at this and think, “Yeh right – that’s just a way to make money dressed up as a vote”. You’d be right; getting the t-shirts will cost you Microsoft Points which, in turn, cost you money. But Microsoft are donating the proceeds of this vote to the charity Child’s Play, a community-based games industry charity dedicated to improving the lives of children around the world. Child’s Play currently work with over sixty hospitals worldwide and raise millions of dollars each year to donate games, consoles and toys to sick children.
So you can have a say in how the last Carmine brother fares, influence the outcome of an epic trilogy of games, and donate to charity all at the same time. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? So what are you waiting for? Fire up your Xbox LIVE account and make your choice!
Gears of War 3 will release on April 5, 2011, only on Xbox 360. It can be pre-ordered from Amazon.co.uk
Firstly a few apologies: 1 – that there was no post on Wednesday because my Internet connection had died and I hadn’t remembered to schedule one in advance. 2 – this isn’t the normal geekery that you’ve come to expect here, but I think it is important.
No doubt you’ve seen on the news the horrific ordeals being endured by people caught up in bushfires in Victoria, Australia. The loss of life and property is huge, and various aid agencies are working hard to make a difference in the middle of all this.
One group that’s involved is The Salvation Army, or the Salvos as they’re more commonly known in Australia. Their own press release says everything I wanted to, so have a read of this and then consider popping over to their site and donating to help with their work:
– Press Release Begins –
The Salvation Army has today launched an appeal to assist the victims of the bushfires which have been raging across the state and to help fund the Salvos’ emergency response to this disaster. With hundreds of families impacted severely by the loss of lives and homes, the needs for immediate support, counselling and practical assistance will be enormous.
The Salvation Army provides material and financial assistance in times of emergency and will be doing so again in this instance. Individuals and families who have lost homes can contact The Salvation Army personnel at the various relief centres across the state to receive emergency financial assistance. These immediate grants are to complement any State and Federal assistance which may be made available, and are designed to enable people to purchase clothing and personal items for themselves and their families.
The Salvation Army recognises that many families and individuals are doing it tough in terms of the financial crisis, but calls upon those who are able to make financial donations to support this Appeal as a very practical means of assisting those in our community who have lost so much.
Cash donations are the preferred method of supporting bushfire victims. It enables people the flexibility to purchase what they need in the first instance. Donations can be made to The Salvation Army’s Victorian Bushfire Appeal by calling 13 SALVOS (137258) or by going online to www.salvationarmy.org.au/donations. Donations are tax deductible.
The Salvation Army is also at the front line at bushfire locations across the state helping the enormous number of men and women who are fighting the fires. Working in partnership with CFA and the Emergency Services, volunteer Salvo teams are providing food and drink refreshments to thousands of fire fighters. They are also providing immediate counsel and practical support to victims who are congregating at relief centres across the state.
– Ends –
You can find plenty of statistics, images, and other material at The Salvation Army’s website. Please do head on over and donate even just a little cash to help them continue helping others. Please also help to spread the word by promoting this in StumbleUpon, Tweeting about it on Twitter, or mention it on your blog.
Thanks.
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