For those of you who administrate a 7th Column Group at Bungie.net, you'll notice a new set of links there now that allow you to link up to seven (appropriate number, no?) different clans to your Group. It can be a clan that includes your members, or an allied clan, or even a rival clan. Links to those clans' statistics pages will appear on your Group's pages.

In order to link a clan, you have to be a member of at least one clan (which you need to do in Halo 2, not on Bungie.net) and have your Gamertag linked to your Bungie.net login. Once you've done so, Halo 2 will display a Bungie.net logo behind your gamertag during matchmaking.

Thanks rapture for the heads-up on cookedgamers.

Bungie.net is back up, but Halo 2 stats are, understandably, not yet available. Here's what Bungie.net is displaying right now on the Stats page:

Halo 2 Xbox Live game statistics are not currently available to you or your mom. We hope to have them available soon.

We hope your mom is available soon, too.

Verdafolio reminds us that HBO-COERCE is going down. Really.

Ding from Bungie Sightings was in on the Cold Pizza event at ESPNZone in Times Square, New York, playing Halo 2 multiplayer. He's written up an account of the event over at BS.

Twenty lucky Xbox Live subscribers are going to get a change to play Halo 2 this week, as well as get a tour of Bungie Studios and lunch with Pete Parsons this Thursday, November 4. Xbox.com has the complete list of winners.

You all asked for it-- you sent questions to Mat "Shunji" Noguchi, Bungie Tools Programmer. And now you get what you deserve-- his answers.

Our favorite answer? Well, it's a tie between:

What the hell is I LOVE BEES?

and

[Shishka's] like a cross between Tron and the Lawnmower Man.

Editor's Note: We're not sure if that's good or bad... Frankie comes off much better. While some answers are flip, there are some good bits in there, so it pays to keep reading.

If you live in the Seattle area and qualify, you could win a pass to play Halo 2 on Thursday, November 4. Check Major Nelson's blog, Random Thoughts for details.

SketchFactor has posted an update to the Bungie FanFest info at Bungie.net The Fest will be held at Experience Music Project in Seattle. Admission is free, but you have to bring your invitation and be over 17 or accompanied by a parent or guardian.

We missed it, but awhile back Bungie.net had an article on the new Theme Builder for the recently-revised 7th Column community site. The theme builder had been absent from the newly-launched site, but now it's back. Now, Rip-Saw has produced a multilayered Photoshop document to help people work on the visual design of their site before using the Theme Builder. Thanks HBO for the news item and hosting Rip-Saw's file.

xblgames has interviewed Bungie's "sorta" #1 fan, Miguel "Freewill" Chavez, talking about Bungie and the Bungie community's past, present and future. Thanks again HBO.