The Pittsburgh LAN Coalition

“WIN A TRIP TO FASHION WEEK WITH THE BAWLS GUARANA ULTIMATE FASHION EXPERIENCE CONTEST!”
Miami, FL - June 16, 2008 - Win a chance to be at the most glamorous event of the year! BAWLS Guarana today announced the launch of the 2008 Ultimate Fashion Experience Contest! The Energy Drink of Fashion will send one lucky Grand Prize Winner on a trip for two to New York for the largest, most glamorous fashion event of the year - Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week!

BAWLS will give one Grand Prize Winner the ultimate fashion VIP treatment. The winner will have access to a weekend of the hottest invite-only shows and sip plenty of BAWLS Guarana to keep them fashionably buzzing under the tents! Five Runners-Up will win an Ultimate Fashion Prize Pack, a couture BAWLS bottle tote by designer Bacca da Silva and plenty of BAWLS Guarana drinks!

Enter to win at www.BAWLS.com/fashion. No purchase necessary to enter and winners will be announced in August 2008.

About BAWLS
BAWLS is the brainchild of entrepreneur Hoby Buppert, CEO of Hobarama, LLC, who named the beverage for the caffeinated “bounce” the drink packs. Widely distributed to local supermarkets, convenience stores (7-Eleven, Speedway/SuperAmerica), Target, Microcenter stores and gaming venues; BAWLS is a premium, non-alcoholic, carbonated beverage made from the guarana berry harvested in the Amazonian Rainforest. The caffeine found in BAWLS Guarana contains the same amount of caffeine as coffee and nearly three times that of traditional sodas due to a naturally occurring form of the stimulant found in the guarana berry. BAWLS’ unique refreshing flavor tastes like a citrus infused cream soda and its popularity continues to grow among caffeine-deprived, refreshment-seeking fashionistas, students, professionals and athletes in need of a Bounce. For more information, visit www.BAWLS.com.

Copenhagen, Denmark - June 12th, 2008 — SteelSeries, a leading manufacturer of innovative professional gaming gear, today announced a partnership with the world’s largest LAN event and computer festival, DreamHack, based in Jonkoping Sweden.

DreamHack is a brand recognised worldwide for holding the world’s largest LAN-party, demo-party and computer festival. DreamHack events are drug and alcohol free, which allows all ages to participate - attracting people who have an interest in computers, gaming, designing, music composition and competitions.

In the winter of 2007, DreamHack officially broke the record* for holding the largest LAN party in the world, successfully attaining 10,544 computers adjoined via a network. Their bi-yearly event includes activities that range from concerts, educational lectures, Go Carting, Bungee jumping to major qualifiers for diverse gaming events that are held around the world.

With the new partnership, SteelSeries will supply the latest products within the SteelSeries portfolio, for both major DreamHack events, plus support the DreamHack LAN Qualifiers which span across the Nordic countries.

“We are happy to be working closely with SteelSeries and using their cool products as prizes in our competitions. We feel that this is great value for our visitors and e-sport gamers at DreamHack,” says David Garpenstahl, Chairman of the Board, DreamHack.

“SteelSeries are extremely proud to become the gaming gear provider for all DreamHack events within the Nordic countries,” says Louise Thomsen, Marketing Manager for SteelSeries. “Being present at all the DreamHackevents allows us to showcase our latest products within gaming and at the same time gain valuable feedback on existing and future products.”

*Guinness World Records

About SteelSeries

SteelSeries is a leading manufacturer of gaming peripherals and accessories, including headsets, keyboards, mice, software and gaming surfaces, available in more than 75 countries. SteelSeries, whose motto is “winning is everything,” has been on the forefront of professional gaming gear since its inception in 2001. The company has set a new benchmark for gaming accessories around the world thanks to continued innovation and product development in cooperation with leading professional gamers, the world’s most demanding IT consumers, who actually make a living based on the quality of SteelSeries products. SteelSeries’ development strategy is simple: Only products that take performance to the next level will be introduced. This ensures optimum performance and durability across a variety of gaming and other demanding applications. For more information, please visit www.SteelSeries.com.

About DreamHack

DreamHack started out as a small get-together for computer enthusiasts in 1995 and is today the world’s largest computer festival. The visitors bring their own computers and all connect to a massive local network and to the Internet. The event runs for four days and is hosted twice a year. DreamHack Summer and DreamHack Winter have the official world record and are noted in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest LAN party in the world. For additional information, visit http://www.dreamhack.se.

Whenever we’re asked “when is Firefox going to be released” we endeavor to answer to the best of our abilities, but the truth of the matter is that we’ll only ever ship “when it’s ready”. We have a lot of indicators that help us understand when the product is ready for release: feedback from our pre-release milestones, excitement in the community and the press, availability of compatible Add-Ons, and a large active beta community helping us ensure that the release is compatible with all the various sites on the Internet.

After more than 34 months of active development, and with the contributions of thousands, we’re proud to announce that we’re ready. It is our expectation to ship Firefox 3 this upcoming Tuesday, June 17th. Put on your party hats and get ready to download Firefox 3 — the best web browser, period.

Source: Mozilla

The New York Times ad…Firefox Flicks…the Firefox crop circle…Operation Firefox…you name it! The Firefox community is always up to some cool, collaborative way to declare their passion for Firefox. What better way to do this than band together to set a Guinness World Record for the most software downloaded in 24 hours?!

It’s a whole lot easier and safer than donning a beard of bees or underwater jump roping. All you have to do is download Firefox 3 when it goes live on Download Day — some time in June. In the meantime check out Download Day Headquarters and pledge to download Firefox 3. We’ll let you know when Firefox 3 goes out the door, kicking off our 24-hour attempt.

Here are some other ways you can help in the run up to Download Day:

* Get the word out; tell your friends, your neighbors, your grandma, anyone and everyone to participate in Download Day.
* Host a party to download Firefox; you provide the people and we’ll provide the party favors.
* Put a Download Day badge on your blog, profile or website.

With your help the Firefox community can go down in history! If you have any questions or ideas please drop us a line at worldrecord @ mozilla.com.

H.R. 5990, the “Video Games Ratings Enforcement Act”, was recently introduced by Rep. Jim Matheson [D-UT]. The bill would do the following:

• Mandate for all video games the display of an age-based content rating determined by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB)
• Direct the Federal Trade Commission to require that all video game retailers display information about the ESRB rating system
• Prohibit the sale of ESRB-rated “Adults Only” games to minors
• Prohibit the sale of ESRB-rated “Mature” games to minors under 17 years of age
• Declares a violation of the any of above to be an “Unfair or Deceptive Act or Practice” and establishes a $5,000 civil fine for each violation

If you disagree with this legislation, and I’ll bet that most Pittco attendees would, please write to your Congressman, urging him or her to argue and vote against it. If you need inspiration for a letter, read the one which Colin Dean wrote to Congressman Altmire to urge him to vote against H.R. 5990.

Chicago, U.S.A. — May 5, 2008 — The leading manufacturer of innovative professional gaming gear, SteelSeries, today announced the U.S. release of its new gaming keyboard, the SteelSeries 7G. The keyboard, designed with 18-karat gold-plated mechanical switches, sets new industry standards for advanced key combinations and Actions-Per-Minute (APM). This translates into quicker reaction times and stronger results.

The SteelSeries 7G keyboard sets a new industry standard for gaming keyboards by allowing users to perform at new levels with advanced key combinations. Utilizing a powerful PS/2 buffer-system created specifically for gaming, the SteelSeries 7G keyboard eliminates “anti-ghosting” by supporting as many simultaneous key press commands as there are keys on the keyboard. What this does, for example, is allow users in a first person shooter game to walk, crouch, aim, fire and check the scoreboard simultaneously. Traditional keyboards do not allow this much functionality all at once.

The keyboard was built specifically to offer gaming-grade response times as well as an unmatched durability with a switch lifetime of 50 million operations, which is 10 or more times the lifespan of a typical “membrane” keyboard which has a maximum of 1-5 million total keystrokes in a lifetime.

“Professional gamers demand top quality equipment that provides durability and quicker response times,” said Bruce Hawver, CEO of SteelSeries. “The time that we’ve invested into working with literally hundreds of gamers to design the SteelSeries 7G keyboard has resulted in a device that will truly change the way you play, limiting gamers only by their skill level - not their equipment.”

The SteelSeries 7G keyboard is equipped with audio ports for headphone-out and microphone-in and includes a two port USB hub. With both PS/2 and USB connectors, the keyboard features the compact SteelSeries Media Controls, an essential gaming element that allows the user quick access to volume, muting and other audio controls.

Recognizing the importance of high-performance PC gaming equipment, professional Counter-Strike player, Franz “mouz/gore” Burghardt, said that,

“SteelSeries creates top quality gaming gear that helps players perform at their best. The 7G has taken gaming keyboards to a whole new level by eliminating anti-ghosting and increasing the response time, which is so important for first-person shooter games. It’s a tool I can rely on even on a professional level.”

Franz Burghardt and his teammates from mousesports recently won the ESL Masters championship at CeBIT in Germany, beating the best teams in the world and winning $50,000 USD.

The mechanical tactile system is ergonomically designed to ensure ease-of-use, and the no-click switches and iron-infused plastic make the SteelSeries 7G keyboard both comfortable and durable for professional or competitive gamers.

The new SteelSeries 7G keyboard, with an MSRP of $149.99 USD, is available for purchase at Dell.com, AlienWare.com, NewEgg.com, Amazon.com and on the SteelSeries Web site at http://www.SteelSeries.com.

7G no handrest

More pictures of the 7G can be found on the SteelSeries Website

Recoil Gaming will be holding it 5th Recoil LAN on May 23rd. (This is our third year and most likely our last LAN Please help us make it the best and biggest we can.) More information can be found on the Recoil Website www.rec0ilgaming.com there are a limited amount of seats for 250 people. Please read all about registration under the Registration Tab on the site

Event Information

When: Friday May 23rd
Where: Crowne Plaza, 164 Fort Couch Road, Pittsburgh PA 15241
How much: $15 for pre-registration
$25 for at the door registration
$5 for non-electronic gaming

The doors open at 6:30pm and we don’t have to be out until 1pm on the 24th.

PC Games

• Counter Strike: Source
• Unreal Tournament
• WarCraft 3
• World of Warcraft
• Team Fortress
• And we expect many people to be playing Call of Duty 4 at this lan party.

Tournaments

• Halo 3
• Guitar Hero 3
• DDR
• Rock Band
• Super Smash Brothers: Brawl
• Magic: The Gathering

Hey there BAWLS fans. We need your help! We know that BAWLS and Starbucks Coffee would be a perfect combination for every BAWLS fan. Starbucks is looking for energy drinks to sell and they’re taking your suggestions on MyStarbucksIdea.com. This is where you come in!
Go to http://mystarbucksidea.force.com/ideas/viewIdea.apexp?id=087500000004c2s and click on the green “Vote” check mark to cast your vote for BAWLS. Each vote adds ten points and the highest numbers actually get reviewed by Starbucks! Don’t forget to leave comments to let everyone know how much you love BAWLS and why you would like to see it at Starbucks. It’s that simple. Let’s work together to get BAWLS at a Starbucks near you!

Carlsbad, CA – April 18, 2008 – Razer™, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-end precision gaming and lifestyle electronics peripherals, today announced the news that XiaoFeng “Sky” Li and Jaeho “Moon” Jang of MYM have been chosen by the BOCOG (Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad) to bear the Olympic torch as it travels through China.

10 pro gamers were selected by the BOCOG, of whom, 2 of them, “Sky,” and “Moon” are part of Team Razer, which is an umbrella for all the pro gamers Razer sponsors globally.

“Team Razer extends hearty congratulations to Sky and Moon, and we are just as excited as they are. Being a torch bearer at the Olympics is a momentous event, and this is a historic moment which will remain etched in their memories,” said Robert “Razerguy” Krakoff, president of Razer. “This is symbolic of how much e-sports has grown and is great for the advancement of e-sports not only in China, but around the world.”

“It’s a great honor for me to be part of something so special. Bearing the Olympic flame is a once in a lifetime opportunity and one I will treasure, not only because I’m from China, but also because I represent e-sports, which is a discipline growing in popularity,” said XiaoFeng “Sky” Li.

Fellow torch bearer, Jaeho “Moon” Jang commented, “It will be amazing being part of the contingent bearing the Olympic torch. The Olympics comes around once every four years, and this is an opportunity for me, and everyone to embody the Olympic spirit and bring greater awareness to e-sports. ”

Carlsbad, Calif. – April 15, 2008 – Razer™, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-end precision gaming and lifestyle electronics peripherals, is the pioneer of the 3rd Generation (3G) sensor technology for gaming mice.

To date, the 3G Infrared Sensor, maxing out at 1,800 DPI, has been incorporated into the Razer DeathAdder, the Razer Diamondback 3G, the Boomslang Collector’s Edition and the Razer Salmosa. The Razer Lachesis is the first mouse to sport the 3G Laser Sensor, which maxes out at 4,000 DPI.

The 3G Infrared Sensor technology offers a compelling alternative for many gamers, especially those who play at low sensitivity settings and move the mouse at high speeds. Two key advancements in technology with the 3G Infrared Sensor is the increase in Inches Per Second (IPS) and the minimized lift-off distance. With the 3G Infrared Sensor Technology, gamers can experience improved tracking with 120 IPS on majority of surfaces, and even higher in optimal conditions. Currently, this is the best-in-class performance among all sensor types.

Gamers who move the mouse rapidly across a smaller distance, physically lift the mouse back to its original position on the pad and repeat the movement will experience small erratic movements of the curser at the moment of lift-off. All sensors will continue tracking for a short distance after being lifted from the surface. The 3G Infrared Sensor technology offers improved lift-off performance by minimizing this
distance, achieving lift-off distances as low as 2.1 mm before the sensor ceases tracking on many surface colors, an improvement of the 2.4 mm minimum of the previous generation optical sensors.

With the introduction of the Razer 3G Laser Sensor, Razer unveils the first mousing sensor to offer true Dots Per Inch (DPI) increments modified by hardware, as opposed to other sensors that use smoke and mirrors via software interpolation to estimate the user’s defined DPI. The 3G Laser Sensor makes a quantum leap by being able to achieve specific DPI figures (in multiples of 125dpi) falling in between preset values, by means of hardware instead of interpolation.

Some manufacturers apply software interpolation to artificially inflate the DPI specifications of their mice. However, when software interpolation is applied to the mouse sensor, the image capture, and accordingly the movement in a mouse, becomes exaggerated, but does not improve the accuracy of the sensor.

To enhance the gaming experience, Razer’s scientists and engineers are continually researching new technologies and listening to gamers to find out what they need in their gear. Any new advances in technology or product announcement will be uploaded to press.razerzone.com . For additional information on each of the 3G sensor technologies please log on to www.razerzone.com/3G .

Quote from Razer’s president
“We always have an ear to the ground to innovate gaming peripherals which truly enhance the gaming experience,” said Robert “Razerguy” Krakoff, president of Razer. “Razer’s 3G Sensor technologies have established the benchmark for gaming mice sensors, with true DPI increments, 120 IPS and minimized lift-off distance. We are excited at some of the technologies we have been researching and hope to bring them to market very soon.”