While normally we shy away from posting about discounts and other deals, since our latest book, Wii Fitness for Dummies, is part of Dummies Month 2010 (all of March), we couldn't pass up sharing this information. Save $5 via mail-in rebate on any Dummies purchase of $6.99 and above, valid in the US and Canada. In addition, a wide range of stores are running various discount programs, listed here. Been holding off on that purchase of Wii Fitness for Dummies or other Dummies book? Now is your chance to stop waiting and save some extra money in the process!

Wii Fitness for Dummies, available from booksellers everywhere, as well as online discounters like Amazon.com, focuses on three of the top Wii fitness programs, Wii Fit Plus, EA Sports Active: Personal Trainer, and Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2010, as well as provides additional coverage of the entire Wii fitness phenomena and general exercise theory. As is always the case when writing a book, there is inevitably content that doesn't fit either due to subject matter, cost, or space constraints, which is where this regularly published bonus tips and content comes in. Each week, for an indeterminate number of weeks, Christina and I will be posting items that will both add to your enjoyment of the book and provide good fitness information in general.

This week, we're running the third in an eight part series of Classic Body Weight Exercises You Can Perform When You're Away From Your Wii* (*also great for warming up or cooling down, as discussed in book Chapter 1):

Our book, Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the Most Influential Games of All Time, has been spotted on Italian TV. Claudio Todeschini and Stefano Gaburri, who translated our work to Italian, were featured on a Rai.TV program. Check out their original blog post about it, then check out the video. It's a great feature on them and the book (even for those of us who don't speak Italian) and it starts at approximately the 06:25 mark. Cool stuff! (Matt and I should be receiving our copies of the Italian edition any day now as well)

Wii Fitness for Dummies (2010), by Christina and Bill Loguidice, through

Wii Fitness for Dummies (2010), by Christina and Bill Loguidice, through Wiley.

We just finished primary author review on the book, so it's now considered at 100%, though there are still a few minor things to do. Since it's at that point, I'm now able to release what should be the final Table of Contents. Check it out here: http://www.armchairarcade.com/neo/node/3046 . As always, any questions, ask away. We're still looking at a February/March 2010 release.

Wii Fitness for Dummies, available from retailers worldwide, is THE book on the Nintendo Wii fitness revolution. Part 1 covers Nintendo's Wii Fit Plus, Part 2 covers EA Sports Active: Personal Trainer from Electronic Arts, and Part 3 covers Majesco's Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2010. There are two parts of ten at the back of book, as well, which cover ten Wii fitness accessories, and ten other Wii fitness games, respectively. You'll not only get to know all of the games inside and out, but also learn proper exercise form, theory and methodology to maximize your fitness experience, all in the inimitable friendly and approachable for Dummies style.

The APF M1000 (MP1000) is a game console first released in 1978. Less than a year later, the Imagination Machine computer add-on was released for the console. By 1980, just as the positive reviews were starting to roll in, APF, who made a name for itself with calculators and home Pong clones, went into a rapid decline and the systems onto the clearance circuit. (Some photos below the video... Note that the video had to go to Vimeo because of a YouTube incompatibility. If you want the HD version of the video, head to Vimeo.)

Armchair Arcade: Quick and Casual Look at the APF M/MP1000 and Imagination Machine from Bill Loguidice on Vimeo.

The official Website.

We've been getting asked quite a bit lately to reveal more information about our forthcoming feature film documentary, so I thought I would share the current promotional description making the rounds. While we're still tweaking things here and there, what follows should be pretty close to the release version of the film:

Gameplay: The Story of the Videogame Revolution, is a feature film documentary that celebrates the amazing story of videogames, focusing on the industry's most decisive moments throughout its history. Comprehensive in scope, the film covers games from all genres and platforms, from the late 1950s into modern times. Featuring interviews with industry greats such as John Romero (Doom), David Crane (Pitfall!), Steve Meretzky (Planetfall), Todd Howard (Fallout 3), and John Smedley (EverQuest) - plus many others - Gameplay offers an in-depth look at the industry that has redefined popular entertainment. The film explores the impact of mega-hits such as Atari's Pong, Nintendo's Super Mario Bros., and Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, as well as the role played by revolutionary technologies like the CD-ROM and the Internet. Loaded with high-quality clips from hundreds of vintage and modern games, Gameplay is a film no gamer can resist.

The film is being written and produced for Lux Digital Pictures by Bill Loguidice and Matt Barton, authors of Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the Most Influential Games of All Time (Focal Press, 2009), Dungeons & Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games (A.K. Peters, 2008), and Wii Fitness for Dummies (Wiley, 2010). Matt and Bill are also the founders of Armchair Arcade, recognized by PC Magazine as one if its Top 100 Websites. Lux Digital Pictures has produced several recent, critically acclaimed documentaries, including Nightmares in Red, White, and Blue and American Grindhouse, which covers the history of horror and exploitation films, respectively. While Gameplay naturally touches upon controversial topics such as violence and sex in games, the overall tone is overwhelmingly positive. Lifelong, passionate gamers themselves, Barton and Loguidice are committed to ensuring accuracy, fairness, and integrity in all the topics covered in the film.