<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss" xmlns:geo="http://www.w3.org/2003/01/geo/wgs84_pos#" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Tech &#187; Wil Wheaton &#124; TIME.com</title>
	<atom:link href="http://techland.time.com/author/wwheaton566/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://techland.time.com</link>
	<description>News and reviews from the world of gadgets, gear, apps and the web</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Sat, 25 May 2013 00:23:32 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.com/</generator>
<cloud domain='techland.time.com' port='80' path='/?rsscloud=notify' registerProcedure='' protocol='http-post' />
<image>
		<url>http://0.gravatar.com/blavatar/8e491cfd8b726ddb4ef11517aea44032?s=96&#038;d=http%3A%2F%2Fs2.wp.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.png</url>
		<title>Tech &#187; Wil Wheaton &#124; TIME.com</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com</link>
	</image>
	<atom:link rel="search" type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" href="http://techland.time.com/osd.xml" title="Tech" />
	<atom:link rel='hub' href='http://techland.time.com/?pushpress=hub'/>
		<item>
		<title>The Evolution of E-mail Spam</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2010/09/02/the-evolution-of-e-mail-spam/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2010/09/02/the-evolution-of-e-mail-spam/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:37:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Wil Wheaton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gadgets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[email]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[internet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online scams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spam]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.com/?p=43200</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Every now and then, just for laughs, I go through my spam folder and see what the idiot scammers are currently trying out on their intended victims. While the specific language varies, the scams are largely unchanged since I began paying attention about ten years ago: help me get money out of my country, I’ve been robbed and need your help, I bet you’d like to have the biggest one in four counties, I’m the girl of your dreams and can’t wait to have sex with you. Basic economics tells us that spammers and scammers wouldn’t bother with this sort of thing if it wasn’t successful at least some of the time, which also tells us that there are some spectacularly stupid people in the world. (More on Techland: Two Minute Video: 10 Simple Gmail Tricks) This morning, while reading my tech news, I came upon this post at Torrentfreak which, if correct, tells us that sometimes, the only difference between a spammer douchebag and a scammer douchebag is the way they’re trying to take your money. This time, it’s Zaptunes, the latest too-good-to-be-true DRM-free music scam: “A few days ago various news outlets reported on the existence of Zaptunes, a new site offering DRM-free MP3 downloads for $25. Zaptunes claimed to have 8 million tracks available from the Big Four labels and untold others. As a nice introductory offer, Zaptunes offered their services free for 30 days. Nice.” Torrentfreak did some nice investigative journalism, and uncovered 13 reasons Zaptunes is, in their words, “bullshit” among them: 12. Another URL that redirects to Zaptunes is www.24hfunds.com. Readers of this discussion thread on TalkGold will see that by page 6, the scheme promoted by its owner was deemed to be a scam. A search on Google for ’24hfunds and scam’ turned up 5,000 results. For a long time, scammers who hoped to rip people off set themselves up with something related to porn, because getting porn online wasn’t always as simple and free as it is now, and when the victim<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=43200&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://techland.time.com/2010/09/02/the-evolution-of-e-mail-spam/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Gadgets</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/gadgets/</primary_category_link>
		<media:content url="http://2.gravatar.com/avatar/225817c1492f7a25dfe335970b480d42?s=96&#38;d=http%3A%2F%2F2.gravatar.com%2Favatar%2Fad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536%3Fs%3D96&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">wwheaton566</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Pardon the Brain Matter, My Mind is Blown</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2010/08/09/pardon-the-brain-matter-my-mind-is-blown/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2010/08/09/pardon-the-brain-matter-my-mind-is-blown/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 10 Aug 2010 03:21:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Wil Wheaton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[miscellany]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.com/?p=39279</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In this age of beautiful Dwarven Forge terrain, full color Dungeon Tiles, and more game-ready combat maps than you can shake a +1 Staff of Map Shaking at, sitting down to draw out a dungeon on graph paper may seem like a throwback to a bygone era, but it’s how I roll. Er, well, it’s how I prepare to roll, anyway. While it’s possible to build maps and dungeons and Keeps and fortresses by simply putting together tiles and pre-built terrain &#8211; and I frequently use these things when I run my games &#8211; I cling to the old ways. Every encounter I design starts out by putting pencil against graph paper, and seeing what my imagination serves up. As I once told my friend Scott, the lack of computer-generated map-making software today isn’t a bug, it’s a feature. (More on Techland: See what thrilled us at this year&#8217;s E3) I am from a generation of gamers who carried characters, NPCs, monsters, and entire dungeons around in Pee-Chee folders and Trapper Keepers. I was drawn to RPGs because they engaged my imagination, and gave me escape from the crucible of the playground and the cool kids who ran it. I learned how to make it look like I was doing homework, when I was actually drawing out a castle or a system of caves on graph paper, so people would just pass me by, and when I come across those maps today, it’s like I’ve discovered a long lost friend, or a hundred dollars in my pocket. Whenever I go to game cons (I just got back from GenCon) and game shops, I always look for classic D&#38;D modules to bring home. When I do, I always find some child’s printing, in number 2 pencil, in the margins or on the maps, and more often than not, that kid’s name will be written inside the front cover, with his phone number beneath it. Today, when I hit Techland during my breakfast reading, I saw this, and it blew my mind right<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=39279&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://techland.time.com/2010/08/09/pardon-the-brain-matter-my-mind-is-blown/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>11</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Gaming &amp; Culture</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/apps-web/gaming-%c2%a0culture/</primary_category_link>
		<media:content url="http://2.gravatar.com/avatar/225817c1492f7a25dfe335970b480d42?s=96&#38;d=http%3A%2F%2F2.gravatar.com%2Favatar%2Fad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536%3Fs%3D96&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">wwheaton566</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Is Comic-Con Really Hurting Nerd Culture?</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2010/07/28/is-comic-con-really-hurting-nerd-culture/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2010/07/28/is-comic-con-really-hurting-nerd-culture/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:17:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Wil Wheaton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Comic-Con 2010]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.com/?p=37578</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The first time I went to Comic-Con, the entire thing fit in about one half of what is currently the exhibitor’s hall. It wasn’t quite a longbox show, but it wasn’t that far removed from it, either. There was no viral marketing, no multi-story booths, no Hollywood presence at all, and though it was a lot of fun, it didn’t feel like the event it has become. Over the years, the con grew. I remember the first year we expanded to the second floor, and how huge the whole thing seemed. I remember the first time I saw a Games Workshop booth that wasn’t promoting 40K or Warhammer Fantasy Battle, but was promoting the then-unreleased Lord of the Rings minis game. I clearly recall telling my friend who was with me, “this is cool, because I love GW games, but what does this have to do with comic books?” (More on Techland: Top 10 Must-See Trailers Out of Comic-Con) I’m not entirely sure if that was 2001 or 2002, but it was the first time I was keenly aware of Comic-Con changing. “I really don’t like how the entertainment industry is co-opting our culture,” I said, later that day. Since that con, eight or nine years ago (!), I hear the same lament from my friends every single year: Comic-Con sucks. Comic-Con is too big. Comic-Con has been taken over by Hollywood. Comic-Con isn’t about comics, anymore. When do passes go on sale for the next Comic-Con? Yesterday, I was talking on Twitter with Scott Kurtz (creator of PVP, and one of my very good friends) about Comic-Con. Scott quoted @leverus: &#8220;Comic-Con is hurting nerd culture, in a broad and systemic and probably permanent way.&#8220; I replied: @pvponline Disagree. Nerd Culture has survived and endured for decades. Comic-con doesn&#8217;t define us; we make it possible. Scott said: @wilw I disagree. The people who make it possible are being shoved into corners and trampled by lines for hall H. #nerdfight And I said: @pvponline Oh, I agree. What I mean is<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=37578&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://techland.time.com/2010/07/28/is-comic-con-really-hurting-nerd-culture/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>22</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Gaming &amp; Culture</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/apps-web/gaming-%c2%a0culture/</primary_category_link>
		<media:content url="http://2.gravatar.com/avatar/225817c1492f7a25dfe335970b480d42?s=96&#38;d=http%3A%2F%2F2.gravatar.com%2Favatar%2Fad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536%3Fs%3D96&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">wwheaton566</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Why I Hate DRM (Example 147,000,000)</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2010/06/24/why-i-hate-drm-example-147000000/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2010/06/24/why-i-hate-drm-example-147000000/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:17:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Wil Wheaton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gadgets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DVR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iMac]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ipod]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iTunes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tv]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.com/?p=32774</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I am really late to the party, but since I saw my first series in 2007, I’ve been crazy about Doctor Who. My Netflix queue is almost entirely old Tom Baker stories, and all four New Who series. (The remainder is mostly MST3K, if anyone was wondering what kind of stuff I like to watch in my spare time.) I’m still working my way through the New Who, and since I don’t have nearly as much free time as I’d like, I’m only up to Gridlock in Series Three, which I’ve been watching through my Roku whenever I get the chance. Because I knew it would be a few weeks or even months until I was ready to watch them, I programmed my DVR to catch and record all the new episodes of the Fifth Series, set it to hold them until I deleted them … and then accidentally deleted them. (More on Techland: BioWare Details PC Requirements and Something About DRM) “No worries,” I thought, “I’ll just buy the season pass on iTunes and watch them that way.” So that’s what I did. Now, usually, I watch a show in chronological order, especially modern series that have story arcs that unfold over the course of an entire season, but I love how you don’t have to watch things in order to enjoy Doctor Who. I know from experience that the writers reward you if you do, but everyone on Reddit has been talking about how great Matt Smith is, so last night, I decided to meet him. I felt a surge of excited anticipation as I woke up my iMac, made sure Rivet could see the /iTunes/TV Shows/ directory, and turned on my Xbox. I browsed to The Eleventh Hour, hit play … and got an error message that the Xbox couldn’t play back the protected format. Son. Of. A. Bitch. F**ked by DRM, again. So listen, I know that a non-zero number of you are laughing at me, and I realize that I should have thought about this<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=32774&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://techland.time.com/2010/06/24/why-i-hate-drm-example-147000000/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>31</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Gaming &amp; Culture</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/apps-web/gaming-%c2%a0culture/</primary_category_link>
		<media:content url="http://2.gravatar.com/avatar/225817c1492f7a25dfe335970b480d42?s=96&#38;d=http%3A%2F%2F2.gravatar.com%2Favatar%2Fad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536%3Fs%3D96&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">wwheaton566</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Recovering from w00tstock</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2010/06/14/recovering-from-w00tstock/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2010/06/14/recovering-from-w00tstock/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:34:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Wil Wheaton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[comic-con]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.com/?p=30809</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I just got home from performing two w00tstock shows in Chicago and Minneapolis. w00tstock is a sort of nerd variety show that I produce with Paul and Storm, and Adam Savage. We and an ever-changing lineup of invited guests perform geek-related material for people who are just like us, in an environment we hope feels like the This American Life stage show meets Coachella. (On these last two shows, we had Bill Amend, the creator of Foxtrot, join us in Chicago, and Professor James Kakalios of The Physics of Superheroes joined us in Minneapolis.) As I sit here today, my voice almost completely gone, every muscle in my body aching, and so tired I don’t want to do much more than grab a bunch of comics and spend the day with my feet up, I am once again grateful to live in The Future. As recently as five years ago, w00tstock could not have existed the way it does today, and we owe a lot of that to our audiences, who have promoted and supported us, and helped us grow so fast, we just announced a show at Comic-Con. (More on Techland: E3 2010: What We&#8217;re Looking Forward To) Cory Doctorow famously wrote about the implied endorsement when a friend hands you a book, or a movie, or a CD. There is tremendous value there, that we artists simply can’t get from publicists and interviews. I know that w00tstock wouldn’t be nearly as successful as it is if we didn’t make it easy for our audiences to share our shows however they want, and that’s what I wanted to write a little bit about today. * Twitter. There’s no getting around it: Twitter has fundamentally changed the way we communicate with friends and strangers. For performers, this means that we can share glimpses of the show from backstage, which is awesome for a show like ours with so many interesting and Twitter-connected people in it. For the audience, this means that they get to tell their friends what they’re missing,<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=30809&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://techland.time.com/2010/06/14/recovering-from-w00tstock/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Gaming &amp; Culture</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/apps-web/gaming-%c2%a0culture/</primary_category_link>
		<media:content url="http://2.gravatar.com/avatar/225817c1492f7a25dfe335970b480d42?s=96&#38;d=http%3A%2F%2F2.gravatar.com%2Favatar%2Fad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536%3Fs%3D96&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">wwheaton566</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
