Another Year, Another Massive LAN Event!
Every year in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, a fun little event happens. It attracts men (and some women) young and old to a city that will only see summer for another couple months. But these people aren’t concerned about the weather, because they’ll be spending most of their time inside. The reason for that is that this fun little event also happens to be the largest LAN party in Canada. With almost 1,000 participants and a history spanning back more then a decade, Fragapalooza has become a staple of the Edmonton gaming scene and has made quite a name for itself across Canada and some parts of the US.
Taking place this year at the Northlands Sportex from August 7 to 10, this huge LAN will be host to over 65,000 square feet of BYOC goodness. There will also be competitive tournaments, fun contests, and the self-imposed challenge of staying up as much as possible during the entire four days so you don’t miss a single thing.
I know I’m rather excited to be attending as this is my 6th year, and it never gets boring. I did write a huge article outlining the day to day goings-on for The Tech Zone in 2006. This year is going to be different, as I’ll be shooting for daily updates on this blog and one final review over at Futurelooks. I also get to take on the role of tech philanthropist, as I will be giving away many Futurelooks sponsored prizes at random an in some fun contests. Overall, this is going to be my best year at Fraga yet.
As for the gear I’ll be using at this year’s Fragapalooza, I though I give a quick preview here. This isn’t just a hardware showcase though, as this should serve as a decent guide to what to take to any LAN.
Bunch of Rowdy Drunks
Bill C-61 is Canada’s dark answer to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act used to cut a swath of destruction through fair use rights in America. It goes even further to impinge on the freedoms of Canadians then the DMCA could ever hope to pull off with the citizens of the US. The bill is self-contradictory, broad-sweeping, and really just a mess. This wonderful piece of work is the demon hell-spawn of Jim Prentice, who is currently Minister of Industry for the minority Conservative Party. But with all that being said, this post isn’t really about the horrors of Bill C-61. Every Canadian should be very afraid of this bill, and should write their MP to voice their concerns. If you need some info on why it’s a horrible piece of legislation, I suggest heading over to Michael Geist’s blog. He is essentially Canada’s closest thing to an expert on legal issues on the internet, and how they affect regular Canadians. There’s also a couple other blog posts outlining why this Bill doesn’t help Canadian artists. This whole issue is only the back drop for this post.
In this space I simply want to show my friends in America (OK I know only 5 people read this blog, but I can dream big) how lively the Canadian Parliament can be. By way of blogger Graham Williams, I have a video of NDP MP Charlie Angus essentially taking Jim Prentice to school over the issue of Bill C-61. This lively little piece of video shows the type of mud-slinging and sarcasm thrown across the floor on a regular basis. Let’s watch.
That’s way better than anything shown on CPAC in the US. That stuff could put a two year old hopped up on double-chocolate cappuccino ice cream to sleep. Man that’s why I love watching Canadian parliament. It’s like the US House of Representatives with a 2 drink minimum.
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