Derik's been spending too much of free time lately on the Transformers Battle for the Allspark game, where players battle as Autobots and Decepticons for the fate of the Earth. The game statistics sucked though, so Derik created a mash-up that better shows off who holds control of the zones.
Chris notes: The Decepticons appear to be winning...
Derik scoffs: 70% of players sign up as Autobots, but they're still losing.
Jarod notes: The game is based on experience-points, so the relative scarcity of Decepticons means 'con players see more action, and thus level-up more quickly. The leaderboard bears this out.
Derik notes: One word of warning: Don't use one of your common passwords. I had Cyro sign up as a test, and I was able to pull out his full name, e-mail address, birth date and the password he used with no help from him.
Jarod notes: ...they're not hashing (encrypting) the passwords?
Derik complains: Now Cyro wants me to create a list of robot-loving girls with brazilian e-mail addresses, sorted by age. I am not a dating service!
Chris sighs: Derik, why are you using my site to announce Activision's security problems?
Derik notes: They don't have any means of contacting them on the website. I hate that.
Chris notes: So basically... you're punishing them for a customer-unfriendly business practice. Fair enough. How many people's user information is exposed this way?
Derik notes: 25,000 people have signed up in the last week.
Jarod notes: (They should hash their passwords.)

HJU gave the fandom a heads-up on Power Rangers Jungle Fury, next year's PR installment.
Chris notes: HJU... do I know that name?
Derik notes: This comes via Rangerboard, so probably not. What happened to PR animated?
Chris notes: Beasts me. Maybe The Mighty RAW was commissioned to do the song for a pitch that didn't get picked up.
Derik notes: You're the one e-mailing Wasserman, you didn't think to ask?
Chris notes: It slipped my mind. I've been in the hospital!
Derik notes: That's always your excuse.

Since MM-Corp has been a bit lackadaisical in announcing Morphicon attendees, I took it upon myself to ask the big question: will Mighty RAW be there? After dropping a quick e-mail, Ron Wasserman has confirmed he will not be attending the 'con. Aww.
Derik notes: Man- that blows. No PR music at the PR con, but Christian rock instead.
Jesse notes: Almost like we're getting a show-sponsored faith initiative.
Derik notes: Like Fun Publications' conventions!
Chris notes: I enjoy the era in which we now live. It's infinitely easier to get in touch with just about everybody. Newsfeeds, Myspaces, celebrity blogging... Everybody is just so much more INTERCONNECTED than a few years ago in our heyday.
Derik notes: Thus your theory anyone COULD run the Funaroverse if they just made the effort to pool resources every single day.
Chris notes: I wonder why no one does.
Derik notes: I wonder why WE don't.
Chris notes: ONE OF US JUST GOT OUT OF THE HOSPITAL.

In celebration of its tenth anniversary and for a limited time only, we humbly present to you Scorpion Rain in its entirety and without commercial interruption.
EDIT: NOT ANYMORE.
Jesse notes: Hey, this is missing some dialogue!
Chris notes: This was the only copy any of us had left.
Derik notes: Ack, 10 year old working copy! Don't make me look at it!
Jesse notes a day later: Wha happa?
Chris notes: The day passed.

Jetix.tv has been putting the PROO episodes up a couple days early. But this week... someone screwed up and left the third act out, so if you want to get your PR fix online, it looks like you'll have to wait for YouTube on Monday.

Chris is getting antsy because we haven't updated with news of the Paul Schrier Chat. There's some fun stuff if you can wade through all the comments, like Paul harassing Hiam Saban in a restaurant.
Paul revealed that the original version of Doomsday as the Series Finale was actually filmed, and Soga Machiko (Rita's Japanese actress) was flown in to play the part.
Chris notes: Damnit Derik, I hate when the 'verse trickles down to nothing, we didn't even mention the Mercury Ranger casting.
Derik notes: Relax Chris, you're just tense about the doctor. Hwo did things go? Are you going to lose the eye?
Chris notes: You know damn well you're writing this without me here, how should I know?
Derik notes: Also, we got hacked again.
Chris notes: What, again?

Seriously, there's almost no place left to go for Battlizers anymore that won't involve killing and wearing that season's mentor. Credit to Tober.
Derik notes: Credit to To- really, Chris?
Chris notes: Well, presumably Tober found it somewhere else, but within our purview...
Derik notes: You're like a child, you know that? Have somebody check Rangerboard and get the proper source for the scan. Then we can berate them for not scanning the entire page, which would no doubt spoil future generals, US footsoldiers, and all six team members.

Though it's hard to tell without repeated viewings, the infamous Brandeis-Bardin Institute (the Command Center building) pops up for an appearance in the Jack Black magnum opus Tenacious D in: the Pick of Destiny. I'm actually kind of impressed by the angles at which they choose to shoot it -- it's subbing for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum, and redressed extensively. The abstract shapes along the central column (and perhaps surprisingly, the roof as seen in Chase into Space) are what tipped me off.
Derik notes: hhh. Surprising, since the Brandeis-Bardin building is almost always shot from the same sorts of angles as MMPR used. Its alien design is a big appeal for location shoots.

This month, our own Jesse Herndon got his first fan letter published in a comic, Marvel's Blade #6. However, at present he's completely forgotten what he wrote and is scared to read it. What brave soul dare venture into the wretched hive of scum and villainy that is his local comics den to purchase yon pamphlet?
Chris notes: Man, my first fan letter was in Ultraforce. They totally edited down what I said to make me look like a tool.
Quispy notes: As opposed to?
Derik notes: Hey Jesse, what volume is this Blade series?
Jesse notes: 3. Well, sort of. It's also really good, despite crap sales-
Derik notes: Aaaaand our bytes are running too long, so we're out of time!

When a YouTube video of the assault on a 17 year old girl surfaced, Australian school officials were swift to respond by blocking YouTube.
Derik notes: I don't understand- why is YouTube at fault here? Doesn't the video being posted make persecuting the parties at fault much easier?
Chris notes: Everyone knows this kind of bullying goes on but everybody pretends it doesn't. The video highlights the failure of the school system, therefore they must stop the videos.
Jesse notes: Does it really even make them look bad? Violent bullying happens worldwide, in every school, everywhere. Why does the existence of a video somehow make this school more 'at fault?'
Chris notes: No one can fix it, so pretend it's not there. Confronted with evidence, we pretend it's just a local problem.