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 Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 7:42 pm
Gaian Record International, Summer 2006, Editor-in-Chief: Gear-Richie
Site redesign receives mixed reviews
Gaian citizens respond with mostly negative feedback
On 20 June 2006 at 1000 hours (Pacific Coast Time), Gaia launched the new design for Gaia. The look and functionality was all changed. The color scheme was lightened, and the site features a list at the bottom of the screen. More whitespace was added to give the site a "lot more open," as put by Gaian administrator Jakobo in an announcement. The new look also sports a new logo, and a new image-based rollover bar that links to the avatar editing page, the forums, the guild center, the user's subscribed threads, the marketplace, and the world map, all under the arrow icon. Alongside it, there is a shortcut to the announcements, a link to active trades, friend requests, mail, and an exclamation mark subtitled only as "..." that would presumably have to do with special events, such as giftboxes, pink links, and trunks.
In an interview thread, Gaian citizens gave mixed feedback regarding the new site design.
Bluntly stated by [flour!de], "If you haven't noticed, everyone hates it."
"I don't see why so many people complain about the way it looks," says user Jent-sama. "I think some things are a little irritating...but all in all, it's okay." She goes on to explain that Gaia Towns never works for her, and a problem "trying to get back to the main part of the site from someone's profile."
According to SandNinja89, he no longer feels shame in surfing the site at school, thanks to the new design. "They erased the pink! which makes it far less girly. Now it looks like its for all sexes. I dont have to hide this website everytime a person passes by at school! "
User Instantanious Fart states that, "There are some things that are good, but most just sucks cheeseballs." The user goes on to state that the colors of the site are "way too bright and really hurts our eyes," and that she hates the new logo, stating that "it was way better before, now it's just like what you would get from a little kids' toy."
Another outlook from user ZeldaDragon states, "I think it's okay, but it might be straying for Gaia's anime roots."
"I wanted to kill myself when I first saw the new layout," says user superspork97, "but now I really don't mind it. The quick A to Z thing at the bottom is pretty helpful, and I love having the quick links to mail, trades, and friend requests...Generally less clicking is better, especially for a site as big as Gaia."
When asked about the overall feel of the new layout, No User Found states, "It's hard to say, but I'd have to say probably not [the change was not a good one]. Although a few features were improved for the better, more were 'improved' for the worse. Overall, I think the old layout was formatted better and represented the true nature and feel of Gaia better."
The overall poll results for this topic are as follows:
The views and opinions stated in this article belong solely to those to whom they are directly attributed, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Gaian Record International staff or its affiliates.
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Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 8:58 am
Is Gaia on questionable ground regarding E-Bay rules?
Gaia makes rule regarding E-Bay, but will it hold up in court?
Story by: woroni
Guest Writer
I just finished law school and have done a little research on the subject.
Gaia is probably okay banning accounts related to botting. It's in the TOS, and there's not much conflict I can see with property rights. However, banning accounts associated with selling or buying on ebay is much more uncertain. Other games have tried this and backed off when threatened with lawsuits. The legal scholarship on the subject is rare, but what's out there indicates a real conflict between contract and property law. I have read at least one law review article on the subject, which argued in favor of the existence of certain property rights of users of online games. Yes, users don't "own" gold or items (Gaia has the copyright, etc.), but Gaia does give them a license to use the gold and items. There is a strong argument to be made that users have a right to trade their gold and items outside the system. Gaia does have a reasonable contract argument in response.
I don't know how an actual lawsuit would turn out (and I'm certainly not arguing in favor of one), but I haven't yet heard of a game company successfully defending a policy against ebay sales.
(Note smile For clarification, Gaia can ban these people, the legal question is whether or not those people would win in a suit for damages.
This article is the property of the aforementioned guest writer, and no staff member of the GRI takes credit. This article has been edited from its original format for grammatical and journalistic reasons. The original intention of the article written by the author has not changed.
You can find the discussion thread from which this article originally was taken at: ]http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16022155
A solemn memorial service
A memorial service is being held in the Gaia forums for the lost layering system following the recent updating of the site. Please pay your respects and express your grief here for the lost layering functions, as well as talking about what you have lost personally in this tragedy.
The views and opinions stated in this article belong solely to those to whom they are directly attributed, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Gaian Record International staff or its affiliates.
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Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 9:02 am
Thread of the Quarter Each issue, the Gaian Record International spotlights a certain thread that proves to be original, interesting, and attracts the attention of other Gaian citizens. The thread of this quarter is What is a noob? by Sange. The thread, having a past incarnation, is a very old, successful thread detailing the exact definition of a noob, backed up by months of research and checking facts. It states the natural habitat of the noob, common actions and reactions, and how to differentiate between the ever-present "newb", and the horribly annoying "noob." The thread also does not fail to include humorous references and information, making it a very entertaining work. TheNoobProfessor Many people, when encountering one of these strange creatures, are confused, awed, and many times frightened. What are we supposed to do with these little monsters when encountered? Well, there are several options which include... -Run like your being chased by a cheatah -Flame them. Attention - As this method is against the ToS, it is strongly suggested that you do not participate in it as it has the potential to get you banned, but it is a workable method none-the-less. -Back away slowly -Back away quickly -Ignore them -Find a different thread yourself -Grab a large heavy hunting net, gut the creature, and hang its head on your wall as a trophy. Those of you who have a difficult time dealing with these oddities, may feel many strange side effects such as... -Anger -Diahreah -Nausea -Constipation -Hatred -Annoyance -Nightmares -The desire to grab a large heavy hunting net, gut the creature, and hang its head on your wall as a trophy. If there are anymore questions involving the species known as "Noobius-Annoyance-Etceterous", or the 'Noob' as it is more commonly known as, you can purchase a copy of my book entitled, "The missing link: May it ever stay missing" All in all, the thread serves as a quotable reference, a guide to how to handle these creatures that live in the underbelly of Gaia, and a source of entertainment when you need a good laugh. http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6226621Art Shop of the Quarter Riftwing's Art Shop, which has been open for a very long time now, serves Gaia with fine avatar art at a reasonable price. The owner of the shop, Riftwing, is questing for a halo, known to be one of the most expensive items on Gaia today. Whether you want colored or black and white sketches, you'll get an awesome pic of your avatar from Riftwing.  For rates and more samples, visit http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9047783If you're interested in winning the art shop of the quarter award, PM Gear-Richie with a link to your shop. Each quarter, one shop will get an exclusive article and advertisement (not to mention bragging rights) courtesy of the Gaian Record International.The Inadequate Soldier
[EDITORIAL] I was scrolling through my phone list about a week ago, when I came across a few names of people I hadn't talked to for a while. One such name I ran into was a kid named Micah. Okay, he was only a year younger, but I still called him kid, and he didn't mind. Anyway, he was a Christian who attended the same church at which I sang for the choir. Being in charge of the computer, I would select a random verse on the screen each week from the Bible. Unbeknownst to me, he would write those down, not knowing I just picked them out at random. He laughed about it later, and told me it didn't matter who came chose the verses because God decided ultimately which ones they would be. But that's not the point of this story. Back on track, I saw Micah's name in my sorted, last-name alphabatized list and thought I'd give him a call, as we hadn't seen each other since graduation day from Combat Medic school. "Hello?" the voice from the other end said. "Hi, is Micah there?" I inquired, not recognizing the voice as his. "Who?" the man asked. Maybe I had the wrong number. Nah, can't be, it was in my address book. Maybe he changed his number. "Micah ______," I said, saying the kid's last name. There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, then, "He's in Iraq." Up until that point, I had been pacing back and forth outside, a nervous habit I have whenever I'm talking on the phone to somebody. But I stopped short, temporarily unaware of the sprinklers spraying my feet. "Oh," I said, dumbfounded. "Okay, thank you." "Uh-huh," came the response on the other end as he hung up. I thought about it as I closed up my cell phone. Micah was in Iraq? I was confused at first. My training had kept me out of Iraq. That, and the fact that Micah is active duty, and I'm a reservist. So I went onto the Army Knowledge Online site and looked some stuff up on him and my memory was jogged: a couple days prior to graduation, Micah had been excited that he had received his orders: the 101st Airborne division. To those readers unfamiliar to the unit, the 101st airborne is one of the most famous units in the Army. They're the Airborne troops that jump from planes, and are pretty much all around "hardcore." Then I remembered a few months ago hearing about the 101st Airborne Division pulling off the largest bombing campaign in Iraq since the beginning of the war. For days, I've thought about the people I met in Combat Medic school, and how many of them were active duty. Several of them were assigned to the 101st as well, and I can't doubt that they're over there right now, risking their lives while I sit on my butt typing myspace bulletins in a remote health clinic on the White Sands Proving Grounds in the Middle of Nowhere, NM. People congratulate me left and right for making it through Basic Training or whatever, but I've never felt I truly deserved it. This, I feel, confirms it. As those with less training than I go out and risk their lives in Iraq, while I have to wait my turn. The total purpose of this message...well there's a few. It's a standard "pray for our troops" kind of message, but it's also something that I want to have hit home a little harder than that. When you have a close friend over there, and you think about what they're doing, how they're doing, and whatever else, well...it makes me feel a little sad that I'm not doing what they are. But each day I think of Micah and the others, and pray not only for his safety, but also that maybe one day, I'll be like Micah, my "kid brother," who spends each day fighting for what's right over there, with disregard to his own personal safety. Think about someone you know you has been, is in, or will go over to the middle east, and pray for their well being, safety, and their potential. I'm not sure I'm expressing my point correctly. The best I can put it is... the entire war, the training, everything...it feels different to you if you've actually got someone over there that you know and care about. So take nothing for granted, and never pass up an opportunity to remind that person that you're there for them, no matter what. The views and opinions expressed in this article are soley of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of The GRI staff.
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Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 9:04 am
A summer of movies
The summer of 2006 in the USA has been a season of continuous movie releases that have been hitting high in the charts. From superheroes to old-time rogues, Hollywood has been pumping out movie after movie to satisfy the audiences with any genre preferences.
According to Yahoo! movies, the top box office hits as of 09 July 2006 and their Cumulative Gross numbers (total earnings) were as follows:
1. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($132,028,000)
2. Superman Returns ($141,677,000)
3. The Devil Wears Prada ($63,696,000)
4. Click (105,921,000)
5. Cars (205,504,000)
6. Nacho Libre (73,813,000)
7. The Lake House (45,621,000)
8. The fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (57,369,000)
9. Waist Deep (19,167,000)
10. The Break-Up (114,304,000)
The Da Vinci Code fell short of the top ten, sitting in the number eleven slot from being in the tenth slot last week, with a cumulative gross of 213,289,000.
Please note that while the cumulative numbers may not match the rank of the movie, that some of the movies have been in theatres longer than others, and have had more time to accumulate money. This is why The Da Vinci Code, while having the highest cumulative gross, is only at the number eleven slot for this particular weekend.
One of the most anticipated movies yet to be released is Spider-Man 3, starring Tobey McGuire, Kirsten Dunst, and Thomas Haden Church, set to be released in 2007.
As of July 8, the most searched for movie on the Yahoo! search engine was Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and the most searched for actor/actress was Johnny Depp, followed by Keira Knightley in second place.
These numbers are strictly from the cited source, Yahoo! Movies.
Summer Movie Reviews
X-men: The Last Stand –
Seen: 5/26/06 & 5/30/06
Starred: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, and Famke Janssen.
Review: Thankfully, this last X-men movie stuck with the other two before it and the marvel comics we grew up reading, or Saturday morning cartoons that we grew up watching. Most of the same characters continued on with this picture while there were a few additional, new, faces. As usual, Magneto, played by Ian McKellen, was trying to get the mutants to understand that the humans were trying to destroy them. In truth, a doctor had found a special mutant that could “cure” the mutated genes that created mutants and was willingly giving it to those that wanted it. Magneto felt that for the moment they were willingly giving it, but sooner or later it was going to be forced upon all and he didn’t want to take the chance of that happening. Back at the Xavier Institute, classes were still being giving and most had gotten over the lost of one Jean Grey. For the most part, cameras focused on Scott Summers, a.k.a. Cyclops, played by James Marsden, as he traveled away from the institute looking for a means to relieve the pain he felt after losing the one he loved. Voices in his head lead him to his once beloved Jean and the two shared but a moment before it was taken away and Scott was seen no more through out the movie. Of course I could go on about certain events, but for the most part, I liked the movie. It was good and it was constant. It kept you watching and remembering the old times.
Rating: Two Thumbs up, 4 stars.
Click –
Seen: 6/23/06
Starred: Adam Sandler, Kate Beckinsald, Christopher Walken, David Hasselhoff, and Sean Astin.
Review: When you think of a universal remote, you think of the remote that will control all the basics. The TV, the VCR, the DVD player, maybe the CD player, and a few other electronic devises once you program it. Well, in this movie, Adam Sandler had the ultimate universal remote. He could control the past, the present and the future with just a touch of a few buttons. With great power comes great responsibility and of course, Sandler nearly forgot that and nearly lost all he had. Thankfully he had time enough to learn from his mistakes and did something about it. As hilarious as the movie was, it could’ve been done differently I think, maybe without all the language.
Rating: Two Thumbs up, 3 stars.
Superman Returns –
Seen: 6/30/06
Starred: Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, James Marsden, Kevin Spacey, and Parker Posey.
Review: Superman’s back! Wait, he left? Where was that? Yes, the man of steel left Earth to go search what scientist thought were the last fragments of Krypton. Not finding anything, Superman returned to Metropolis and to the life he once had, almost. Turns out Lois Lane didn’t wait for him and was engaged to Perry White’s nephew and also had a son. Yes, the oh so busy Lois Lane has a son. Anyways, Lex Luthor had been placed in jail for a while, but seeing as Superman needed to be there to testify and wasn’t, well….you can guess he got out earlier than expected. Certain twists, or plots, were very interesting and surprising, but you’ll have to see the movie for yourself to see what I’m talking about.
Rating: One and a half thumbs up, 3 stars.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest –
Seen: 7/7/06
Starred: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Stellan Skarsgard, and Bill Nighy.
Review: What could be hotter than one pirate movie with Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp? Two pirate movies with Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp! I will firstly admit that I believe the first was better than the second, but the second was good none the less. Most of the first characters came back and we got to love on them all over again. Anyways, the forever loved Captain Jack Sparrow last left us on his way to who knows where on his ship, the Black Pearl. We come back to find, thankfully, he is still captain of the ship and this time has somewhere to go. His mission, to save his life, and get away from becoming one of the half dead a board with Davy Jones. Being a marked man however, you can only get so far. William Turner and Elizabeth Swann were to be wed, but were interrupted by another of Captain Sparrow’s debts. Will goes off in search for Jack, who in turn, turns him over to Davy Jones as one payment towards his misfortune. Elizabeth then goes off in search of Will and she finds herself aboard the Black Pearl with Sparrow who uses her to find what he wants. Lots of action, loads of laughs, a must see, whether you like the two hot stars or not.
Rating: Two Thumbs up, 4 stars.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely of the reporter and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of The GRI staff.
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 10:20 am
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Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 1:39 pm
 The GRI Staff and Credits Gear-Richie Managing Editor:
News Editor:
Features Editor:Submissions Editor: Entertainment Editor: T.A.C. Digital Image Editor:
Staff Writers: FoxcoonPanda PuppetStaff Photographers/Cartoonists: General Zephyr (cartoonist) Flypipe (cartoonist)Do you see a blank spot? Apply for the position! PM Gear-Richie with a sample of the type of work you're applying for! If you're applying for managing editor, you're essentially applying to be in charge of logistical stuff, so there's no need to write anything. A name in red means the member was added to the staff list following the release of the paper.
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Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 1:53 pm
Donations Accepted...
...and needed. Yes, please donate to us so we can keep the paper running. OR, PM Gear-Richie to place an advertizement in the paper for a low, low, not to mention negotiable, and very low, affordable and low price! Did I mention it was low? If you do wish to donate, however, we will post your name in the permanent hall of fame here in the guild. The style in which your name is posted will change when you hit secret levels of gold donations...so help us out! Just make sure you DON'T donate to the guild, but rather directly to Gear-Richie. Maybe you want to advertise? Find a spot to stick this banner, and we'll be ever indebted to you. [url=http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/index.php?guild_id=8152][img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/LDDavid16/GaianRecord.jpg[/img][/url]
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