Wanted to tip you guys off to some good links worth checking out.

First, be sure to visit our newest sponsor Chuck & Elmo. It’s a fun comic and features characters who can talk to squirrels! How can it fail?

Also be sure to check out Taking the Bi-Pass. My good friend Dave is helping to do some coding work on the site right now and I wanted to repay him with some advertising. It was an easy decision to make since I’ve been a fan of Dave’s comic since he started. It’s very good. ENJOY IT!

Lastly, if you’re a gamer, you’re probably familiar with the whole debacle that has pitted Florida lawyer Jack Thompson against seminal gaming web comic Penny Arcade. If you are unfamiliar, the story is probably way to long to go into here.

But at any rate, if you’re following along, my good friend Monk over at Digital Entertainment News scored quite the "get" and was able to sit down with Mr. Thompson for an extended interview.

The interview doesn’t cover the controversy with Penny Arcade, but covers some of the finer details of Jack’s arguments against the gaming industry and it’s marketing practices. Typically Thompson’s bombastic tactics and palpable contempt for his adversaries obscure the work he’s actually trying to accomplish. This interview does a good job of pulling back the veneer and gets to the heart of what motivates this guy to tackle the billion dollar gaming industry head-on.

So it’s clear, I’m not a fan of Jack Thompson. I think he’s a huckster of the highest order. An ambulance chaser building notoriety for himself by standing a top the corpses of violence and somehow trying to tie it to the gaming industry.

But at the same time, I am very much interested in understanding the mechanics of my enemy. I think too many people see Jack’s action as an assault against their pastime – and it is! But instead of shouting the guy down or making fun of him outright, try for a minute to crawl inside his head space. Figure out what makes him tick. What are his motivations?

An interview like this helps to do that.

If you’re a gamer and this issue is of interest to you, please read. If motivated to do so, please share it with others. Thanks.