Wednesdays always feel like a scene from the 80's - that is, if you hang out on Xbox Live Arcade. Wednesday is the day when classic arcade games peek their way in the XBLA. And with Frogger, Cloning Clyde, Galaga, Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting, and Pac-Man all gracing XBLA this summer, I'm pretty sure some of you are feeling nostalgic and are itching to invite your friends over and reminisce the good ol' times. Or are wondering what the hype on these games are and you'd want to discover it together with your friends. Whatever your reasons are, why not throw a Wednesday Night Arcade Party courtesy of Microsoft?

Microsoft is giving away a Party in a Box, which will give you one free piza from Papa John's (aaw, just one?!), 1000 Microsoft points that you can use to download those Arcade titles, and free digital music download. There is, of course, something that Microsoft asks in return: send them an e-mail at xlmail@microsoft.com with your gamertag and pictures plus stories of your Wednesday Night Arcade Party. Not bad, huh?

Ready to throw your own party and get in to that arcade mode with your friends? Then go ahead and send that e-mail..."This offer is only good while supplies last".

Only 4 days after Ricoh announced the world's first hybrid HD-DVD and Blu-ray lens comes another ground-braking announcement from the Japanese company. Ricoh are going to release their own HD-DVD and Blu-ray hybrid player by late 2007/early 2008 onto the electronics market instead of selling their lens to larger manufacturers.

Ricoh's optical reader/writer that will be installed in the hybrid player works by using a new diffraction plate. The diffraction component adjusts the laser beam with its diffraction grating for each format and passes it to the objective lens. The lens then forms a beam spot at the appropriate depth for each disk format.

Before the announcement of their hybrid optical lens, I didn't even know who Ricoh were, but now it seems they may become a big player in the digital media market. Originally I thought their optical lens would be sold to established manufacturers such as Sony, Samsung etc and they would make money this way. However, it appears that Ricoh are taking their idea and going for the win by making their own player. They'll probably sell on the optical lens after the release of their own player to the big guns, giving their own player a head start. Good for them!

Computer pioneer and inventor Allan Kotok, has died of a heart attack at age 64 in his home in Cambridge Massachusetts. A native of Philadelphia, Kotok is an MIT alum and a W3C associate chairman.

Known for being "technically adept well beyond the norm," Kotok worked for a variety of high tech firms. While working at Digital Equipment Corp (DEC) Kotok designed a family of computers, did some consulting and went on to fulfill various leadership roles.

His background in creating the AI for chess computers was subsequently found to be indispensable in his capacity as a tech researcher and game inventor. Mr. Kotok's life was a catalyst for growth in the fledgling gaming and computing industries of his time, and he is someone all gamers should know about.

Credited with creating the first videogame, along with the joysticks used to play them, his role in the history of gaming and computing in general cannot be overstated. Who knows, without his contributions to the history of gaming, the gaming industry we see today could be drastically different.

Mr. Kotok is survived by two daughters, a son and two grandsons. Everyone who uses computers or enjoys gaming today should recognize Alan Kotok as an integral figure in the evolution of the videogame industry.

We heard the rumor and the counter-rumor on whether or not future Xbox 360 will come with built-in HDMI port. So why the fuss about HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface)? HDMI provides an interface between any compatible digital audio/video source, such as a set-top box, a DVD player, or an A/V receiver and a compatible digital audio and/or video monitor, such as a digital television (DTV). If Xbox 360 supports HDMI, gamers can expect high-definition video (if they have HDTV) and digital audio.

Unfortunately, we cannot deny or confirm if the new Xbox 360s will ship with HDMI port but we can show you a mysterious photo taken by an even more mysterious person. It is supposedly an Xbox 360 motherboard with a HDMI-port. The source claims to have seen with his own eyes three HDMI motherboards which, if true, could mean MS might be working on a new Xbox 360 version that matches the PS3's HDMI capability.