I just wanted to post a note and let you know that I have updated the RSS feed here, so you might want to check and make sure you have the right feed.

http://feedproxy.google.com/IslandDogspencerScott

design.  I personally really enjoy darker skins, and this one is also very easy to work with.  JJ Ying also includes a wallpaper, rainlender skin, and CursorFX theme with this Master Skin. 

The Zing! WindowBlinds Master skin is for both Windows XP and Vista, so there’s no reason not to grab it.  WinCustomize Subscribers get a 20% discount, and can be purchased for $5.95.

Link: Zing! by JJ Ying

NeXuS is a multi-dock system, which as well as holding traditional bookmarked icons can also hold any combination of widgets, clocks, mail checkers, weather indicators and system performance meters within multiple levels of sub-docks. WorkShelf is a tabbed dock, better suited for complex organizational duties like organizing documents, URLs, movies, work projects, applications, etc… NextSTART is the menu system - and takes care of all your task management needs as well. Winstep Start Menu Organizer cleans and organizes your Windows Start Menu. FontBrowser is a bare-bones font browsing utility.

Winstep Xtreme also includes a pack of popular desktop widgets which can be displayed on the desktop, featured within the docks, placed within shelves or merged into the taskbar. Featured widgets include a speaking Atomic Clock, Recycle Bin, SSL POP3/IMAP Email Checker, Weather Monitor with 5 day forecast, CPU, Net and RAM Meters, and Wanda, the amazing ‘fortune cookie’ reader. New modules are constantly under development, add a widget request HERE.

Winstep Xtreme is supported by an active community of themers with hundreds of resolution independent themes readily available for download. Check out the Winstep gallery right here at Wincustomize.

Check out the demo video!

You can download Winstep Xtreme 8.9 from HERE

(16.2 MB - Includes WorkShelf/NeXuS v8.9, NextSTART v8.9, Winstep Start Menu Organizer Pro v1.1 and FontBrowser v1.0).

Winstep Xtreme runs under Win9x, ME, NT4, 2000, XP 32/64 bit, 2003 Server, Vista 32/64 bit and is fully compatible with all Stardock applications.

Winstep Xtreme is available for purchase with prices starting at $28.45.

Winstep Xtreme Website: http://www.winstep.net

The latest update in the Demigod blog at IGN comes from Dru Staltman and NateSimpson from Gas Powered Games.  They talk about the process of creating the characters featured in Demigod.

"Imagine Hercules and Achilles locked in combat. The two heroes trading blow for blow in an epic melee. The heroes tossing each other through buildings, chasing each other across the fields of antiquity, and eventually a crushing defeat and valiant victory. This epic combat is something that would be fantastic to behold."

Read the full blog at IGN.

The 2008 GUI Championships start in just a few weeks, and we have been working hard getting everything ready, and I think it’s safe to say, this will be the biggest one yet.  The new website is just about done, and today we unveil the splash page for the GUI Champs website.  You can now go to www.guichamps.com and see all the details about the contest, including sponsors and official rules for entry.

Just a quick competition recap:

The 2008 GUI Championships is an international skinning competition held every two years.  Skinners from around the globe are invited to participate in several Windows GUI skinning categories to compete for great prizes and the recognition of their peers.

This year we’re focusing on three main areas of Windows UI skinning:

1. WindowBlinds Skins
2. Icon Packages
3. Animated Wallpapers

Prizes include:

• Wacom Cintiq 12WX
• Sapphire HD 4850 Video Cards
• SnagIt & Camtasia Studio
• DeviantArt Subsciptions
• Object Desktop Subscriptions
• Cash

I’d like to take a minute and thank all our current sponsors we have so far.  A big thanks to TechSmith, AMD, DeviantART, Stardock, and our newest sponsor, Wacom.  We also have more in the works, and more exciting news coming up.

So now, tell your friends and spread the link around to the GUI Champs ‘08!

www.guichamps.com

I just wanted to put out a reminder that tonight is our first ‘Super Tuesday” where Stardock staff will be online waiting to smash….I mean play some rounds of The Political Machine 2008.

From Boogiebac’s post:

Get your fancy shoes shined up and your speeches practiced…it’s time to take your game to the big leagues with PM2008: Super Tuesdays!

Starting Tuesday, September 23rd, the team at Stardock will be online for some 1 on 1 presidential campaigning. Join us us until the election from 6pm - 8pm EST to test your political metal.

You thought Washington was tough?!  He’s go nothing on the guys that actually programmed the game. They’ll be bringing the votes AND the hurt.

See you there!

• www.politicalmachine.com
• www.politicalmachine.com/express

Check out Stardock CEO, Brad Wardell, introduces and explains the “Gamer’s Bill of Rights” to G4TV.

The pirate speaks,"Today be t’ International Talk like a Pirate Day. For some strange reason this be very popular here on WinCustomize. Complete t’ day by changin’ your desktop into t’ ultimate pirate experience with t’ Pirate Desktop powered by MyColors. This be one o’ me all-time favorite themes with a Pirate visual style, wallpapers, icons, and more!

Yesterday, Stardock put out The Political Machine 2008 Express which is a free strategy game for the political season. 

“Players play on the electoral map of the United States with the goal to gain the 270 electoral votes necessary to win the election. Players get 21 weeks (approximately the time candidates have between the primary season and the general election) to make speeches, raise money, buy advertisements, hire political operatives, appear on cable TV shows in order to woo voters to their side.

Political Machine Express also includes a print shop which allows players to create their own bobble heads, campaign pins and bumper stickers and print them out on their home printer. “

User can download the game from www.politicalmachine.com/express, or from the My Games tab in Impulse.

Well folks, now is the time to start the real countdown to this years GUI Championships, the largest GUI customization competition around,  and to give some more details about the competition.  Let me first start off by thanking all our sponsors for this years event, I have no doubt this will be the best one yet!

The GUI Champs ‘08 will officially start on Monday, October 13th. 

The judging and more detailed schedule will be posted soon, but this is when we will start accepting entries.

Prizes (as of 9-15-08)

• Video Cards from AMD
• Camtasia Studio 5, and SnagIt 9 from TechSmith
• Subscriptions to WinCustomize.com and DeviantART.com
• 32GB iPod Touch
• Subscriptions to Object Desktop from Stardock
• Cash $$$
• Autodesk is sponsoring a copy of either Maya or 3DS Max (to be determined)
• and more!

As it stands now, we have well over $10,000 in cash and prizes for this years event so far.  I say “so far” because we are still talking to a few great folks about additional prizes, and I will post more info as it comes in.  More details about prize distribution for categories will also come later.  Just be assured we have a great prize lineup already.

The current GUI Champs ‘08 categories are:

1. WindowBlinds Skins
   1. Most Original
   2. Most Usable
   3. Best Overall
2. IconPackager Sets
   1. Most Original
   2. Most Usable
   3. Best Overall
3. Animated Wallpapers (.Dreams)
   1. Most Original
   2. Most Usable
   3. Best Overall

So that is the Pre-Kickoff, and more info will be along shortly.  There’s plenty of time to get the skins going before the official start, so get to work if you haven’t already.  Also, be sure to visit this post that details more of the rules for this years event.