Child's Play

Jerry Holkins ("Tycho"; one of the two creators of Penny Arcade) is now a father, and has written a neat summary of the experience in his regular news post.

This is also a good time to point out Penny Arcade's annual Child's Play charity, which encourages "gamers and geeks" to donate games and toys to children's hospitals. Here's their description:

For the past three years, gamers and geeks around the world have raised nearly a million dollars in toys, games and cash for sick kids in Children's Hospitals across the globe through a grassroots charity called Child's Play.

Created by Penny Arcade, no "Administrative Fees" or other nonsense is collected; all gifts and donations go directly to the hospitals for distribution to sick kids."

To donate items, select the hospital to which you'd like to donate, and then you'll be directed to that hospital's Amazon.com wishlist (from which you can order as much or as little as you'd like; items go directly to the hospital).

Child's Play's main page has a list of participating hospitals, and they've got even more information (including a FAQ) on their about page.