With less than two weeks to go until Digital Overload, it’s time to kick it into high gear.

First of all, if you are registered and paid, you need to log into your account and make sure all of your information is up to date. Most importantly, if you are planning to bring a PC, you need to make sure that you have selected BYOC spot under your account, so that we know to have a seat for you. If you do not mark your account for the BYOC, and show up with a computer, you may be forced to wait to set up. We are at capacity this year, and seating and power layouts are meticulously planned out.

I hope you’re working on your computer mods for our first Digital Overload Mod Contest, sponsored by CPU. The winner will have a write-up in CPU magazine along with a picture of his mod, as well as some great prizes. The criteria the mods will be judged on are:

• Technical merit: Creative placement of parts and “outside-the-box”
  changes made to existing components of the case that are likely to have a
  positive effect on performance and/or that make for more efficient use of the
  space.
• 
  

  Artistic merit: Does the case have a cohesive theme or a distinctive
  look, or is it simply a collection of parts thrown together behind a window and
  lighted fans.

• 
  

  Polish: The fit-and-finish portion of the work. This includes clean,
  smooth paint; solid cable management and sleeving/hiding; tight, smooth seams;
  the functionality of the mods (i.e. custom doors and mechanisms); and effective
  use of lighting.

• 
  

  “Wow” factor: Judges’ overall reaction to the mod.

If you’ve signed up for tournaments, head on over to the Tournament Page where we’ve listed the rules and settings for our events this year.

I’m also going to be giving away a copy of  Valkyrie Profile for the DS courtest of Square-Enix, so stay tuned later in the week for details on that contest!