Rap with Big Swords, Blood

5Cap's lyrics are sometimes hard to hear but the beat and machinima very good.
http://myndflame.gameriot.com/videos/5Cap-Abandonation#play

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How Instances Work

WOW Insider's "WOW Rookie" column talks about how 5 man instances work. Next week they promise to talk about the 10+ man instances.
http://www.wow.com/2009/07/15/wow-rookie-the-inner-workings-of-instances/#continued

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Headsets for Raiding

I've been researching headsets for Macs. Here are two which are highly rated. Note that Macs need an adapter to use a headset microphone in many cases. This is explained in the first link. http://www.macworld.com/article/133360/2008/05/beyerdynamic_mmx2.html http://www.cnet.com.au/logitech-premium-usb-headset-350-240064145.htm

This website explains how to set up a Mac client for Ventrilo. Ventrilo (also called Vent) is one of the two most used programs that allow in-raid chat. Teamspeak is the other. Note that your guild's server may need tweeking of its Ventrilo codec.
http://mdpull.blogspot.com/2008/06/ventrilo-on-mac-setting-it-up.html

This site compares Teamspeak and Ventrilo. http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies-archive.cfm/963538.html

Many thanks to CD and King J for help.

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Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

Guildwatch Wednesday Set to Music

The horde guild Fail is recruiting via a song. With banjo music. "Looking for the best [musical] players in the world...."
http://failguild.net/songs/failsong.mp3

This week there are lots of temper tantrums over bad loot rolls, guild officers who lose their mind over a bit of insubordination, and of course guild officers claiming loot someone else won in the raid. Guilds are dissolving, reassembling and then vanishing again at record speed. Good times for the soap opera fan!
http://www.wow.com/2009/07/14/guildwatch-that-little-extra-something/

As usual there is a lot of recruiting and instance running, none of which happended on the Solo MMO Player's realm. As usual.

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Hunter DPS Spreadsheet Now in Mac Version

Zeherah took the PC Hunter DPS spreadsheets and made them Mac-friendly. Here's a description of what she did (also with links to the PC versions she based her new spreadsheet on).

http://www.wow.com/2009/07/14/hunter-dps-analyzer-now-online/

Other links to other versions of hunter DPS spreadsheets that don't require Excel.

http://www.aspectofthehare.net/2009/07/shandaras-hunter-dps-spreadsheet-online.html

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The Onion Parody of Raid Behavior

The Onion (online news and parody site) discusses raiding in WOW.

http://www.theonion.com/content/columnists/im_not_questing_with_you?utm_source=b-section

WOW Insider, which pointed me to the laughs, says this isn't the first WOW behavior Onion writers have skewered.  

http://www.wow.com/2009/07/11/the-onion-takes-on-raiding/

Here is The Onion's Ode to Love in WOW.  "You take my breath bar away."

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/47492&rss=1

And here is their World of World of Warcraft video, done in their trademark network news style.

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/warcraft_sequel_lets_gamers_play

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The SWAPS Loot Distribution System

Description of how the SWAPS loot distribution system works by WOW Insider. There is a link to OutDPS' original description.
http://www.wow.com/2009/07/09/swaps-loot-system-offers-another-dkp-option/

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Identifying Named Mobs, Elites and Rare Mobs

Help identifying especially dangerous mobs for rookies trying to stay alive.
http://www.wow.com/2009/07/08/wow-rookie-rares-elites-and-nameds/

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Don't Go Fishing If You Are A Gnome

http://www.wow.com/2009/07/09/wow-moviewatch-gnome-overboard/

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Guildwatch Wednesday--A Photo's Worth 1,000 Words

I grabbed this photo from Mike's column as it pretty much speaks for itself.

http://www.wow.com/2009/07/08/guildwatch-dodge-this/

This week's Guildwatch is full of guilds using exploits to cheat their way through instances and getting caught. Fortunately Joelol has enlivened the drama this week by stealing his guild's bank contents. His brother turns up on the guild's forum later on, apologizes and states that Joelol will have to find someone else to pay his monthly fee. Piss off your guildmates, steal everything that's not nailed down, but don't aggravate the big brother who pays for your WOW time!

I can't summarize this story any better than Mike Schramm, the regular Guild Watch columnist does here, "This recruiting thread for Grief on Whisperwind devolves super fast, especially when accusations of previous ninja'ing on OS25 shows up. But Janefonda takes it to a Jerry Springer level when she starts talking about her "boob card." Also, points to Aybebe for trying to play off his nonsense as "roleplay[ing] a bad guy on the server." Especially since a) it's not a roleplaying server, and b) ninja'ing gear is grounds for a suspension, not roleplay material, buddy."

There's lots more recruiting and instance-downing (minus using exploits to do so) but naturally none on the Solo MMO Player's server.

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