It's interesting to think about, for sure. There's certainly a separation for most people in that obtaining currency outside of the game, and obtaining items worth currency within the game are exclusive concepts. That if you're playing the game and obtaining items, they are of a higher value than having a job and being paid for it. Which is kind of strange as real world currency is by far more widely valuable and usable than an in-game item. Obviously there's an exchange rate of sorts that will be worked out by players to match the two, but I think it's interesting that conceptually someone who works to obtain currency in their job and buy an item is perceived of as less than someone who was able to obtain it by playing the game. Logically it's backwards as a real world job is not the fun and enjoyment of playing a video game, but that gets turned around within the context of wanting to compare skill and aptitude.

I still think drop chance puts so much randomization into someone's acquisition of items that there's no true test of aptitude to be had, just luck and time. What's to say working to earn money to buy an item is easier than launching the game and getting that same item on your first kill? Also, I love my job, but it's still not as awesome as just playing Diablo III.

I don't even know how someone can attempt to place value on the way someone obtained their items, at what cost, in what Act and difficulty was it found, what their magic find was, are they more skilled than me, are they using a 'cheesy build' etc. There's too many variables that throw off comparison of 'skill' before currency even enters the picture.

In regards to PvP, that gear didn't just appear out of nowhere. If my opponent bought his gear that doesn't change the fact that it dropped for someone else somewhere. That gear was going to make someone beefy in PvP regardless of whether it was sold or not so what's the point? Is it really worse that I fight someone in PvP whom bought all their gear versus fighting the player for whom that gear originally dropped before they sell it? If anything, the person that bought their gear is more likely to be at a disadvantage because they haven't invested the time to get really good at their skills. Overall I think it's a moot point.

I like the way this all makes sense inside my brain.

It's intentional. We don't want a game where the most effective way to play is to dodge in and out of enemy attacks. It's not that difficult to do, and it's just not a very fun way to play. "Most effective" and "not fun" just can't be in the same sentence when describing part of the game. We want combat to be based on use of abilities, putting thought into builds, building up offensive and defensive stats, etc. Skill is absolutely a part of all of the systems you'll use, and kiting can be too, but it'd be ridiculous if you could avoid all of the systems that make the game the game because you can time dodges of enemy attacks and negate every other factor.

Also think about just running past enemies to rush through an area and never being hit. Anyone looking to rush would love it! Which is why it's not a good idea from a design perspective. :) It's not something we'll be changing.

Tuning for 1.5 years?
Obviously back then we didn't know that our testing and polishing would reveal that we were unhappy with some of game systems, which were either removed for redundancy (or being sucky), reworked for various improvements, or we needed to add completely new ones. But I dont think anyone was surprised. We test, we iterate and refine, we test some more, etc.

But yes. Along with continued development and iteration on the game as a whole we're constantly and continually tuning and testing.

I recommend enjoying these as in-progress looks into the development process, and yes, even at our silliness in thinking we were anywhere close to finishing the game. :)
(Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

+X-XDmg mod
This is not a bug. The + damage affixes are rolled into the weapon's damage range. If you weapon originally had 2-4 damage, and you had +2 max damage, your weapon range would change to 2-6.

Those giant DPS numbers show you your estimated damage after all affixes are rolled into the item.
Our website will be out of date until the game comes out, and even then every item has unique stats. I would advise against comparing in-game items to items on the website right now.
(Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Submitting  Media to Diablo III's Community Site
Many of the best updates found on our website each week were created by you! Fan Art, Screenshots, and Wallpapers all come from player submissions, and we want to thank you for your wonderful contributions.

Pieces that we post to our websites are often featured for several years . . . sometimes permanently! We've even displayed your artwork at BlizzCon and in museum exhibits alongside our own creations. Whether you're a longtime contributor or a first time hopeful, please feel free to submit your art or comics. While we can't post everything we receive, we're always on the lookout for an opportunity to share your creations with the rest of the community.
To find our submission forms, go to the Community Section, scroll down, and you'll find submission links under each category.

We're looking forward to seeing your work! (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Art Contest Submission Issues
We’re excited that you’re putting pencil to paper for our “Darkness Falls, Heroes Rise” promotion, Zherg!

If you’re having difficulties uploading your entry, make sure you’re using the latest versions of your browser, as well as your Flash and Java plug-ins. You can also try another browser or check your ad block settings, but if your problem persists, you should consider browsing the Website Bug Report forum as some of the other posters there have been able to find some workarounds for common issues.

But if you submitted your drawing successfully to the site and are concerned because you still don’t see it in the gallery, don’t fret. They aren’t automatically uploaded, and since we have to go through each submission individually, it can take a little while for them to show up on the website’s Art Contest Gallery. So keep checking back and pouring through the other exclusive content and submissions throughout the site in the meantime, and hopefully you’ll see your own art piece show up sometime soon. :) (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Launch Event
Talked about the launch event plans today. Nothing to announce, but it was super exciting. It's becoming more real! (Source)