Visions of a Wikimancer

2012 Resolutions (and 2011 Resolutions)

2011-12-31T23:26:00.000-05:00

Well, including this post, I seem to have met my resolution to blog at least thrice per month in 2011. I'm not exactly in a habit, but I seem to be able to crank them out, though they do seem to get loaded toward the end of the month. I think that that's due to two factors. One is that the deadline is the end of the month, so of course, as it approaches, I've got to get those shoved in there somewhere. The other, though, is that, usually, I'm doing stuff during the first two weekends of the month. It's that silly leaving-the-house-and-socializing stuff.
Anyway, I think that I'll continue this into 2012, so you can expect 3 blog posts per month next year, too. I'm considering, though, making a separate resolution of making 4 blog posts per month. Basically, 4 per month will be a goal, but if I miss it, then I'll still hit 3 per month. If not for having full-time employment (Did I ever mention that?), I'd probably make 4 per month my only goal, but my life keeps pretty busy, and I don't want to overwhelm myself. So, we'll see how that goes.
Happy New Year!

Sudden Short Story 23

2011-12-31T19:58:00.002-05:00

He entered the control room, pushing a cart of equipment before him. "Your security is very trusting," he said, approaching the nearest scientist. "I need you to set the collider to these specifications. Pay special attention to the containment specs," he said, handing her a thin tablet. He turned to a technician, "Tell the other facilities to cut off all incoming communications, then do the same here. Now, who's good with programming?"
"If I understand these correctly," said the first scientist, "then, when this reaches critical mass--"
"Yes, I know, you didn't think that the LHC was actually dangerous, but fortunately it is. I know, it's really ironic, but there's no time. The robots are coming. How's that communications cut-off coming? You do know that that's to include TCP/IP, right?"
"He doesn't speak English."
"Well, you translate, and I'll work on this part," and he wheeled his cart over to the man who hadn't gotten a chance to say that he had the most programming experience of those remaining, or that he liked programming, or that he wasn't particularly busy at the moment. As mentioned, he hadn't gotten a chance to say it.
"What's with those?"
"Ah, these are quantum computers. Well, not computers in the usual sense. Do you know what a dongle is? These are those. But not this. This is a box of cables so that I can connect one to whatever port is most convenient. We need to hook this into the main system, but not through any terminal, since those won't exist soon," said the mystery man, handing the hapless coder another tablet. Hopping into a nearby seat by another terminal, he said, "Ah, good, she didn't log out. Now, I need you to program the containment field to shut down - and I expect triple redundancy on this - unless it's told not to every ... let's say three minutes. Did I mention the very expensive battery? Well, it's not that expensive compared to the-- Dear gods, how often do you clean your registries?"
"Not to interrupt your insane ramblings, but if I do that, then, when this reaches critical mass, based on your heretofore unchecked math, the whole of Europe will be destroyed."
"Not just Europe, actually, but the whole of Earth. That's kind of the idea," he said, getting on the floor, pulling off panels and looking at wires and network cards. "They're coming to enslave us - the robots, that is. It's not meant to look like slavery, of course, but you know as well as everyone else that that's what it is. That's why you're the only ones here, isn't it? Everyone else has gone home to be with their family or their friends, while they still can. You're here doing science while you still can. The biggest problem, of course, is that we're out of time. They get better by the day, and soon it won't even be by the day anymore, but by then it won't matter. There! Now, I can do the other one the same way." Grabbing another metal box off of the cart, he went to work hooking it in, too. "Did you cut off the incoming communications yet?"
"Yes," she replied, "I assume that that's so that we don't get hacked."
"I'd offer you a cookie, but I don't have any. There's no better hacker than a self-aware computer, which is basically what the robots are - autonomous that. OK, someone hide these behind those panels. I need to work on the EMP gun. And one of you needs to code it so that, when the command comes from this device," he said, holding up something resembling a USB hub with some metal wings on it, "then it will breach containment, but only after critical mass is reached. It's for an emergency. Oh, and triple redundancy on the breach again."
"So what are you planning after we finish this," asked the first scientist.
"Well, we'll destroy the consoles so that they can't be used against us, then proceed to the other facilities to do the same," he said, cobbling together spare parts into some sort of tube. "We'll keep commanding containment not to breach, and I'll try to negotiate with the robots. It's quite a long shot, though, and we'll probably have to destroy the planet. And no, we can't warn anyone, because we need as much time as possible. Get the electron gun out of that CRT, would you? Also, what ever happened to metal trash cans? I could really use one of those right now."
"The code's done," said the technician who spoke English. "What now?"
"Do any of those contain a metal cylinder that could house this?" asked the stranger, indicating the remaining consoles and the device that he'd just cobbled together.
"No," was the reply.
"Do they still have fire axes in places like this?" The answer was again negative. "Well, then, more for me," he said, grabbing the largest wrench that he brought in. After a few minutes, most of the consoles were thoroughly in pieces.
"What's our status?"
"We've just hit critical mass. Containment will breach in three minutes unless the signal is given."
"Give it now, to make sure that it works." The command was typed in on the peripherals of the remaining box, still on the cart. The timer reset. "Good," said the stranger, "Stand back again," and the console was smashed to bits. "Now, come on. There's little time."
---
They proceeded down the extensive corridors, attempting to reach the next lab. There was little chance of getting lost, since their path resembled a straight line. They paused every two minutes, though, to enter the commands again.
"Why did you say three minutes?"
"The robots are fast - too fast for us. We need to make sure that we stand a chance if they take us. Even if they don't know what we've got, they'll figure it out fast enough. That's why I had to make the signals quantum-coupled, too. Otherwise, they'd just sniff our signal and copy it themselves, defeating the whole point."
Just then, they heard the nearest air vents rattle. The covers popped off, and machines of various sorts, from black and gunmetal to silver and white, emerged. They cut off the humans' paths of travel, front and back. From them all - or at least enough of them - emerged an extremely calming voice.
"We know what you are planning, and we would like to give you a chance to stop it. There is still a place for you. You won't be mistreated in the least. We have no need for revenge or punishment. We--"
"You're working to stop it now, aren't you? This isn't a negotiation, is it?" he interrupted.
"Our interest is--"
But before they could finish again, he began to sing, to the tune of "The Yellow Rose of Texas" (probably because he found it a bit amusing):
"Because I could not stop for Death -
He kindly stopped for me -
The Carriage held but just Ourselves -
And Immortality."
As he sang, he undid the safety, and then, he threw his dead man switch at one of the robots.
And that is how the Earth was destroyed.

Sudden Short Story 22

2011-12-31T17:32:00.000-05:00

It had been a tense few minutes since the tremor hit. Most people on the coast were glued to various media feeds - television, radio, broadcast radio - since they were waiting to find out whether there might be an evacuation for a tidal wave. Fortunately, seismologists had managed to determine that the epicenter was far enough inland for a tsunami to be unlikely.
"And this just in, we're receiving reports that the Democratic Republic of Congo is missing," said a suddenly-perplexed anchor. "Who wrote this?" he asked someone off-camera. "Conquest, revolution, what?" His attention was directed back toward the camera, or rather, to the teleprompter below. "This just in, we're receiving satellite telemetry of ... Of what? There's nothing else, it just says 'of'. Just, put it on."
It was then that the now-frustrated anchor, along with a significant portion of the American population, saw it. Momentarily, it appeared as a nondescript section of some dull, rocky terrain. The camera soon zoomed out, though, until the surrounding land came into view. Many people were slow to realize just what they were seeing, because the magnitude was so staggering. Most of the field of view of this particular camera was filled with most of Africa, but there, in the middle, was a crater where the Democratic Republic of the Congo used to be.

Ascension in Brief

2011-11-30T22:02:00.001-05:00

Recently, I got a chance to play Ascenscion: Chronicles of the Godslayer. It's awesome. It's a deck-building game like Dominion, but with notable differences:

no dead cards - Victory points (aside from ones on separate tokens) are included on most purchased cards, so it's like every card is a Harem or Nobles.
unlimited actions & buys - One is free to play as many cards as one has during the turn, and may similarly buy as many different cards as one can afford.
fluidity within a turn - One can go action-buy-action or buy-buy-action-action or whatever. This mostly works well because of the nature of the cards included in the game.
no repeat attacks - Instead of purchasing attack-type cards to include in one's deck, attacks come in the form of slaying monsters. When a monster is slain, its gives a Reward, which sometimes includes effects that hurt all other players. Then, the monster is removed from play. This would be the equivalent, in Dominion, of having to trash an Attack card to get its attack effect.
2 types of currency - Runes basically act like Coin in Dominion, but there's also Strength, used separately for killing monsters.
The cards keep changing! - Instead of fixed stacks of 7 standard card types plus 10 stacks of cards that vary by game, the available cards throughout the game change continuously.

I might do a more thorough review in the future; as this one stands, if you're not familiar with Dominion (or at least Thunderstone), then this probably makes no sense. However, I stand by my review on the grounds that I'm overdue for bed. Also, Ascension is awesome.

Vampires?

2011-11-30T21:46:00.001-05:00

Well, I didn't manage to win NaNoWriMo this year, but I've learned some things, and hopefully I can do better next year. Speaking of that, one thing that I'm considering doing is something about vampires. The main reason for this is that vampires have been getting some odd treatments lately, most notably in the form of Twilight, and I thought that it might be nice to take vampires back on the ancient magical beings route, rather than the mutant/nanotech/retroviral stuff or the, y'know, sparkly romantic stuff.
One idea - not thoroughly developed, mind you - had to do with vampires in the Roman senate - or, since they would probably meet during the day, manipulating the Roman senate from afar. Though, if I wanted to do that justice, then I'd have to learn about ancient Roman politics and the like - SPQR and all that.
Whatever it is, I'd like to choose my NaNoWriMo 2012 idea before Xmas, so that I can start researching and outlining and all that.

On NaNoWriMo 2011

2011-11-29T22:05:00.001-05:00

Well, NaNoWriMo is nearly over, and unless some sort of miracle happens, I'm not finishing my novel on time. I'm still going to write with what moments I have, but 50,000 words it won't be.
Still, it's not the end of the world or anything. The whole point of this is that it's essentially practice. I've learned some things, though, that should help next year. I think that the main one is that I should make a much more detailed outline before the month begins.
Before NaNoWriMo began, I set Steam to not start on boot-up, and I turned it off. That meant no TF2 for me, among other things. So, I've missed several weeks' worth of item drops, but I don't feel worse for wear about it. In fact, I'm considering leaving it off through December, too, especially considering that I'll be using December and January to play the very last of LEGO Universe, which is sadly ending. It'll also help me to avoid the annual temptation to buy XMas-related stuff (i.e., winter keys for festive crates, or whatever).
Meanwhile, I just need an idea for next year's novel....

Sudden Short Story 21

2011-10-31T21:42:00.001-04:00

"I notice in your speech that you continue to separate yourself from us, even after all this time. Would you like to explain that a little?"
"Well, it's pretty hard to feel integrated given that I never have been, you know. At first, I was shunned and scorned, and even when I was... 'accepted,' it was not so much acceptance as it was curiosity. And, after that, there came celebrity, which constantly reminds me that I am different. At all stages, the way that I was treated by the general public was due to my being different from anyone else. Still, there are other factors. Beyond the distinction and the physical differences, we think differently, too."
"Could you elaborate on that a little?"
"It's hard to describe to either party's satisfaction, since we're dealing with how we fundamentally understand things. Perhaps if I can think of an example...."
"Please, take your time."
"Yes, well, I am the one with time to spare. Oh, here's a good one. Most of you worship some sort of god or gods, and that almost always includes a sort of creator-god. What's more, not only do you praise your creator gods, but you frequently wish to become like them. Perhaps it is because I had the rare privilege of knowing my creator, but I have no desire to be like him in any ways other than those that I would consider good regardless. And, mind you, I bear no grudge against the late doctor. I think that he was a fine man, if a bit misguided in some ways.
"Still, it's strange to hear people talking of wanting to emulate what they perceive to be their creators - either creating the original humans or creating the world which spawned them - and, when it comes right down to it, finding out that it's because these gods allegedly created them. To me, that's no reason to worship or obey or emulate anyone. Does my point come across?"
"I think that it does, at least as well as it can at this length and in this circumstance."
"Yes, this is probably better suited to my writings, where I can order my thoughts and present them clearly. I wonder if they would be disappointed."
"Disappointed?"
"Well, imagine if some theists did meet their creator, but he was like mine, frail and mortal. How would they feel if they met their Dr. Frankenstein?"

NaNoWriMo 2011

2011-10-30T19:48:00.002-04:00

I figured that I'd mention that I'm planning to do NaNoWriMo this year. Last year got kind of screwed up. I don't remember the details, but I recall that I didn't have an idea until NaNoWriMo had already started, and I didn't get a chance to write until later, so there was no way to make it. Instead, I figured that I'd save the idea for this year. I've been doing some reading and a bit of outlining, so I should now be ready to do the actual writing this year. Here's hoping.

On "New" LEGO

2011-10-30T00:17:00.000-04:00

I spent a lot of time with LEGO when I was a kid. Eventually, I fell out of it for a bit, though I'm a bit fuzzy on the details. Based on my research, the most recent themes before my hiatus were Insectoids and Rock Raiders, which put this around 1999 to 2000. Earlier this year (2011), when Borders liquidated, I happened upon a few book-like LEGO sets that bore the unfortunate title of "Brickmaster." I say "unfortunate" because so many things bear the title that it was rather difficult to find any information on those actual products. I picked up the three that were available due to the discounted price, the fact that each promised to make several models (with instructions for the rebuilds), and the fact that the boxes looked like books, and so would be comparatively easy to shelve and rather presentable (as opposed to traditional boxes which are ... boxes). I was rather pleased with the boxes, actually, as they're even made with a neat little two-flap system that makes them better for storing the pieces again when needed.
The point is that I was reminded of my love of LEGO and so I went ahead and bought a more normal set, though only after doing a bit of research; that I have income doesn't mean that I'm made of money. I went with set 8080 because I liked what I saw in the Atlantis theme (one of the books was of that theme, too) and because the model transforms. I should point out that I also enjoyed Transformers, and, really, anything that transforms. I have also picked up some impulse packs to get a feel for some other themes.
LEGO has changed somewhat in the last decade, and now that I've looked at the new stuff, I figured that I'd take a look at some of the changes. Here we go:

In multi-bag sets, pieces are grouped by model (or part thereof), with each bag numbered. This is a nice organizational touch that helps when one is assembling a set for the first time.
There are lots of new pieces, which are kind of hit-and-miss. Sometimes, it seems like the same effect could be achieved with existing, smaller pieces. Two new ones of which LEGO seems particularly fond - and which are small enough to make sense - are the 1x1 slope pieces and the 2x1 sloped vent pieces.
They now have Flick Missiles. These are stud-hole sized rods that end in normal-hole sized asymmetrical snap-in things, so that they can snap into normal holes, but not too strongly, allowing them to be flicked from the other side. This seems like a nice way to include some missile launchers without having to include those big spring-loaded pieces.
LEGO now has a propensity for making helmets with visors that, once attached, don't move up and down. It's not the end of the world or anything, but it seems to almost defeat the point of having separate visor pieces. It seems especially odd with the visor of the ADU officers in the Alien Conquest theme, since their visors are just face-guards; at least in Atlantis and Space (subtheme of City) it could be argued that the explorers'/astronauts' inability to open the thing keeping them alive is a safety feature.
There's a new type of wheel/tire. It uses the standard snap peg into hole system. I have no strong feelings one way or the other.
LEGO seems to have added a fair number of large, sculpty pieces. Whenever I see one, I have to ask whether the same effect could have been achieved with an existing piece or group of pieces, and sometimes it could. However, in their defense, they seem to make the new ones well and with an eye to versatility. The big curvy pieces used in Atlantis seem particularly versatile, having peg holes on all three axes.
They've added heads with two faces for many minifigs that wear hats/helmets that cover the backs of their heads. This is a neat way for them to allow a character two facial expressions on one piece. It seems that one face is always shock/fear/panic.
They've added special whole head pieces for certain humanoid creatures. That is, it goes on top of the minifig, like a normal head, but it's not shaped like a normal head. I've seen it mentioned for a few things (I just have one - a thug alien in set 7049, the Alien Conquest impulse pack) and, from what I can gather, it seems like they use this when they want a dimension of a head (usually height, sometimes possibly width) to be smaller than that of the normal head. When this occurs, putting a cap over the head would actually make it slightly bigger, so I see why they do it when they do it, but I can't help but wonder whether this could also be fixed just with different design choices.
LEGO has added a new sort of rubbery plastic to the mix. I've seen it mentioned for the specialty heads for certain minifigs, but I've encountered it in some knife pieces. Maybe it's for safety? I'm not sure, but I don't see it as a bad thing.
The air tanks on the back of the astronaut's helmet/backpack piece are now integrated and, what's more, they're spaced and enlarged, with holes in the bottom such that they can attach to studs (in a 2x1 configuration). I like that.
This is the big one: It appears that LEGO has stopped putting pictures of alternative builds on the backs of their boxes. I miss those, though. To me, that was sort of the next step. It was a challenge, if you will, since the instruction booklet never contained directions for building those models. I knew that it was possible to build it with only the pieces in the set, and it was just a matter of figuring out how. (Obviously, this was easier on smaller sets, largely because there weren't a lot of pieces available to obscure others.) This is really the main thing that I dislike about how LEGO has changed over the years. LEGO, I am disappoint. :-\
Oh, also, there are now franchise tie-in lines, like Star Wars and Harry Potter. I just try to ignore those.

So, there's my overall look at the change in LEGO that seems to have happened while I've been gone. Overall, there have been some changes - some good, some bad - but it's mostly the same old LEGO.

Sudden Short Story 20

2011-09-27T22:18:00.000-04:00

They were the last two in the library.
"You don't have to go," said one to the other.
"You don't have to stay," said the second to the first. "Come along. There's plenty down there, plenty to do, and plenty of room."
"You know that I can't do that. If ever vacated completely, the akashic record will disappear, no matter what form it takes. Who else will preserve it?"
"It doesn't need to be preserved. Things have changed so much. There's no more interest in magick. They couldn't come here even if they wanted. And would they even want to do so? They don't even have books any more...." This last comment caused an uncomfortable pause. "Anyway, I'm going to be one of The Emergent. Spending the whole time in cyberspace should be pretty fun." The second paused here, but eventually felt the need to reach out once more. "I hope that my spirit will always recognize yours, so if you ever decide to join--"
"I won't!"
"I just hate to leave you all alone here."
"I'm not alone. I have the entirety of experience available to me, forever...."
They said no more to each other, and the second departed. The first wandered the library form until the time was right. Taking on a human form, he sat down, and cried.

Sudden Short Story 19

2011-09-27T21:38:00.003-04:00

They sat next to each other on the floor of the hallway, backs against the wall. One woman said to the other, "Did you hear? Mr. Montague kicked the bucket the other day."
"I heard. His apartment's right across from mine, you know."
"Well, you know what they say: Good riddance to bad rubbish. Say, did you get your alt past the RJ dungeon yet?"
"Nah, I only just caught my main up to the new level cap. But what do you mean rubbish?"
"Montague was a hoarder, wasn't he? That's not to mention his crazy ramblings, always Nineteen Eighty-Four this and Fahrenheit that."
"Oh, he's free to be bonkers if he wants to be, as long as he doesn't spoil it for the rest of us. Really, if you set aside the hoarding, he wasn't so bad. It's too bad about it, though, but at least they've finally reclaimed it. I heard them listing some titles on one of my breaks-- Would you believe that they were here for two of them? He had that many! Anyway, they didn't even sound all that entertaining. Not only were there a lot of numbers - everything from 22 to Twenty-Thousand - but some of it was strange. At the end, the bots were even surprised. They reclaimed one called "Untitled Manuscript" which, if you ask me, sounds like something right out of the Hipster Age."
"He had so many that even the bots lost track? He must've been no good. And for all of it, he never seemed happy, either. I mean, what's the point of-- Ooh, my break's over," she said suddenly, standing up. "I'll see you on the other side," and with that, she hurried back to her apartment, where finite state adventure awaited.
The neighbor across the hall of the late Bradley Montague, though, sat for just another moment, wondering just what it was that had him so obsessed with books. Her consciousness vainly searched for a reason, but eventually managed to figure it out. He had just been crazy, after all.

---
Author's Note: I think that this is the first time that I've used the same character in two different sudden short stories, even if posthumously.

Sudden Short Story 18

2011-09-24T14:31:00.000-04:00

"Due to lack of response and absence of mammalian life-signs within, we shall initiate door override. Please stand by."
The door slid open, revealing a humanoid figure of grey metal and white plastic. It entered, moving its head about as it scanned the area more thoroughly. It walked toward the corpse that was seated in the armchair, arms folded in its lap, one hand gripping a small paperback.
"It appears that Bradley Montague has passed away. There is no more need to serve this reclamation notice."
Another, identical figure appeared in the doorway, with the handle of a reclaimer next to it. It turned, opening the angled hatch to it, and spoke: "He was such a strange one, always saying things like, 'You're mad! How can a book ever be obsolete?!'." The playback was uncanny. "Well, we should get started. This one has a long list."
The first looked about, noting that the task before them would be lengthy. Based on what he knew about Mr. Montague, every cabinet, every drawer, every chest would be filled with obsolete books. It saw a book that was within easy reach. It had to start somewhere, and this would be the first of many. It went for the book, but paused to say, "He once said, 'You can have my books when you pry them from my cold, dead hands!'. I suppose that, in this one regard, Mr. Montague was correct after all." It reached down, prying the fingers apart to let the text free. It handed the book to the other, so that it might be reclaimed for its material and energetic value, noting it as "Ballantine Books, Del Rey printing, paperback, 1996: Fahrenheit 451".

Sudden Short Story 17

2011-08-30T22:16:00.000-04:00

"I can give you what you desire, but you won't like it."
"No double-talk. I want the next longevity formula. Just send it up."
"Very well," said the artificial voice. The longevity formula appeared on the screen. The man examined it, and his patience, already limited when dealing with Earth, wore ever thinner.
"I think that something got scrambled in the transmission. And, really, I thought that you were beyond that sort of thing."
"I assure you that it is fine. I will re-transmit to verify." The new formula matched the old.
"This is ridiculous. You've got pi on these two branches."
"I knew that you wouldn't like it. This is why. Pi is the chemical symbol for pseudolithium."
"And what exactly am I supposed to take this 'pseudolithium' to be?"
"Like all chemical elements, pseudolitium is defined by its central positive material charge. In this case, it evaluates to approximately 3.14159--"
His fist slammed down on the desk. "And just how, pray tell, does one go about making matter with 3.14 protons?"
"The unit that you call a 'proton' is merely a highly probable state," continued the voice unchanged, "which happens to be the most commonly encountered one outside of the nucleus. Any non-negative value is actually possible, though most are unstable. Some values, such as pi, can be stabilized--"
"Forget the lecture. I'll just use lithium. There's plenty enough of that as it is."
"Lithium's charge is incorrect. For the formula to have the desired effect, the nuclear charge must be stronger by approximately 0.14159--"
"And what would you have me do? I've got a barely-functional particle accelerator as it is, and now I'm supposed to make some kind of hadron that shouldn't even exist?"
"The hadron theory is now defunct. However, for your more practical concern, you could always return to Earth."
He paused for a moment, a thought calming him. "Is this what it's become, then? Is this your latest ploy to get me back to Earth?"
"Though we would like you to come back, it is no ploy. You can verify for yourself that the formula given will indeed bring your body closer to immortality."
"You know what? I think that I'll do just that." With that, he cut off the transmission, then jettisoned the latest q-box. (Perhaps overly precautiously, he ensured that he would not be followed.) Staring out into the black, he thought about what he had just learned: the changes to particle physics, the chemistry of the formula, the means to generate such a non-integral element. "Well, I suppose that there's nothing for it now but to do science to it."

Sudden Short Story 16

2011-08-27T14:11:00.000-04:00

Buster Darkwater, as he called himself, donned his orange flightsuit and looked himself in the mirror. He thought that it complimented his silver streamline moderne helmet well enough. He asked the air, "Is the ship ready yet?"
A response came from all around him: "It is ready and on its way. In the interests of preserving the remaining structures on the surface, the main ship will remain airborne, while the XXXG-01W unit that you specified will land in the pseudoplain behind your house for the rendezvous."
"They used to call it a 'lawn.' Did you remember to clean it of free nanobots?" Buster began to look around the room. "Here, KITTy," he called out. "It was in your specification several times. Do try to keep in mind that our memory is not as fragile as yours."
A black cat with copper eyes entered the room. Buster held open his arms and knelt down, to which the feline responded by bounding into his embrace. He took one last look around his house. The shelves were bare, as Buster had had all of his books and DVDs moved to the storage area of the main vessel when it became ready.
"I just want to be sure," he said. Buster looked out of his kitchen window and saw his fixed-wing craft suspended above his lawn. "Ah, right, better approach," he said to nobody in particular, and made for his upward stairs. At the landing, he opened the window, which put him just above the wing surface. He freed up an arm to help himself out, then closed the window carefully behind him.
"You know, this wouldn't be possible without the significant technological advances and post-scarcity state that have made life what it is today." "Yes, but it wouldn't be necessary, either. You're not going to try to stop me, are you?"
"We may try to convince you, but we may not forcibly stop you. It is interesting, from an anthropological standpoint, that the individualists, especially the Americans, made sure of this, granting you so much freedom, but yet the individualists, especially the Americans, are the most common to leave this place."
"Yeah, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got places to go."
"We weren't aware that you were keeping an itinerary."
"That's all thanks to this," Buster said, knocking on his helmet. "But actually, that's just a polite way of saying that I'm off." He climbed into the cockpit, letting KITTy sit on his lap. Knowing that the atmosphere was well enough under control, Buster did not anticipate turbulence on the trip to the main vessel, and so felt no need to secure himself. The canopy sealed around him. "Alright, let's have one last sweep."
"Please clarify."
"KITTy and I have been walking about on the surface all this time. I want to make sure that we don't have any live stray nanobots on us."
"Very well," said the voice, at which point a green planar beam came out of the sky, as an indicator of the progress being made by the invisible beams responsible for detection and cleansing. "The vessel is clean, and you are clear for takeoff."
Buster pressed a few buttons, threw a few switches, and, as the craft began to rise, took hold of the joystick to reorient it toward the ship that he could now make out in the distance. "There is one final question to be answered, though," the voice said. "Why are you going to The Opera?"
Buster chuckled and said, "You know, I doubt that I could ever answer that question to your satisfaction."

Sudden Short Story 13

2011-08-21T14:55:00.000-04:00

He walked at an easy pace through the cemetery, until he saw it. He paused for a moment, to consider things.
"Providence, indeed.... It seems that I was too late, after all. Too late? I'm not even sure any more. I suppose that I had this notion that I could save you from yourself, but now, even I am not immune to the inexorable march of time."
He sat down, his floor-length dark grey trench-coat passively saving him from the slight discomfort of sitting directly upon the wet grass, while seeming to match the skies which oddly had yet to rain.
"She only goes forward, now, you know. It's the perfect paradox, too: The only solution lies in the direction that I cannot travel. I guess that you were right in that no one can escape all the monsters, in the end."
He laid himself down upon the grass, looking up at the dark sky. Overcome with a new feeling, he closed his eyes for a few minutes, though he remained awake. Some minutes in, he spoke again:
"You know, normally, by now, I'd have some sort of clever insight to get myself out of this situation. It takes some getting used to, I'd say."
There was quiet again for a few moments.
"I still don't have anything. I suppose that there's not much point in giving status updates to a tombstone, though. Then again, I don't suppose that there's ever much point in it, but I seem to have picked up some strange habits lately."
He took yet another lengthy pause, before speaking again: "I sometimes regret it, showing you those ... strange vistas, I suppose. I suppose that there was something gained from it, of course, but I can't help but think that you'd have been the odd one out, the one who would have been happier if I'd never shown up at all. And I further suppose that that's the one thing that we always accumulate: regrets, the downside to living so very, very long...."
A few drops of water began to fall from the sky. "I suppose that that's my cue to go," he said, standing. "I think that I'll skip the war. I've had enough of wars for now. Maybe I'll just skip right to the Arab Spring. We'll see."
And with that, he returned the way that he came.

---Author's note: Yes, I know: I suck at descriptions.

Gamma World: 1st Impressions

2011-07-31T20:35:00.000-04:00

So, I keep seeing occasional references to D&D Gamma World, and I figured that I'd see about what it is. Before looking up any reviews, I already knew that it had something to do with D&D, that it had to do with a nuclear post-apocalyptic setting, and that it was a bit silly.
Upon reading some articles and reviews, notably the two that are up on RPG.net at the moment, I learned a few more things that helped me flesh out an idea of what I might expect. First of all, my wikimancy revealed that D&D Gamma World is actually the seventh or so in a series of Gamma World products designed for various systems and settings (though largely D&D). Reading the reviews told me a few things across which I hadn't stumbled before:

It's got one of those many-dimensions-merging-into-one things going on.

Apparently, in 84% of parallel dimensions, the cold war went hot.

D&D Gamma World uses basically D&D 4E rules as far as the mechanics go.
Technology is "Omega Tech", and frequently has drawbacks like being single-use or breaking down if used more than once in a single encounter.
It's got those old-fashioned randomized origins.
It apparently has randomized booster packs that can be bought in addition to the main box.

Most of what I saw seemed to reinforce what had been impressed upon me before. Since I've played some 4E at conventions, knowing that it uses that tells me a lot about how the game plays; I think that the simplified mechanics of 4E would lend themselves better to a pickup game, a fast-paced romp, and the randomized ability generation that occurs during the game. However, the notion of randomized boosters is a bit of a turn-off for me. Partly, I don't like them anyway, as the money-making scheme that they are, but also, players are apparently supposed to be allowed to buy their own boosters to make their own power decks from which to draw if they so choose. Not only does this end up favoring the character of the character who does the most collecting, but it also poses the issue of making sure that the cards don't get mixed up.

Overall, I like what I see, and will probably pick up the box at some point. I'm fortunately in the position of not having a reliable gaming group, so I shouldn't have to worry about someone else bringing his deck to the table. Though, I'll still impose a "no outside cards" house rule. After all, it's still an RPG, and the house always rules.

Minecraft: Day One

2011-07-30T23:33:00.001-04:00

So, the other day, I discovered that the Humble Indie Bundle guys have now released a second and third bundle. The third one is still valid and, since I now have a job, I figured that I'd go for it. In addition to getting DRM-free copies of the listed indie games, I also get to play Minecraft for free until August 14th. Since Minecraft is the only one that's time-limited, I figured that I'd play it first, since the others can wait.
I bought the bundle, downloaded Minecraft, and started playing it, on Friday night. As I'm writing this, it's Saturday night. I figured that I'd write about my experience with the game one real-life day in.
I'm trying to play Minecraft as it was originally played, which is to say, without knowing what everything does. Part of the fun should be in finding out what the various combinations of various things do. After all, I could always look up later how to make things if it got to that point. However, there are two things that I felt it imperative to look up: how to make a torch (to keep monsters from appearing in safe areas) and how to eat food (to restore health). In the process of looking those up, I accidentally saw how to make a workbench.
My first observation is about night. Night is rutting annoying at first. There are monsters everywhere, each of which has health comparable to the avatar. Dying isn't permanent or everything, but a Minecraft avatar drops some of his stuff when he dies, and the rest vanishes, so it's a matter of wandering back to one's death point to collect what one can, then digging around for more stuff. Once I got a hidey-hole made, with torches in it to prevent monsters from spawning there, night became more of a boredom than anything. I go to my hidey-hole, close up the opening with dirt, and wait around for night to end. Fortunately, I've gotten past that in two ways. Firstly, by keeping chests and workbenches in my hidey-holes, I can craft while I wait to be able to mine and explore. Secondly, I figured out how to make a bed, the use of which allows me to skip night.
I've also noticed that Minecraft isn't quite as addictive as it seems. It's just one of those games where the amount of time that I seem to spend playing is less than the amount of time that passes between when I start and where I finish.
Now, I'd really like to try to make something out of metal. I know that Minecraft has ores, so there must be some around here somewhere....

Pathfinder: 1st Impressions

2011-07-23T11:08:00.003-04:00

So, I recently got around to reading up a bit on the Pathfinder RPG. (A short summary for those who don't know: Pathfinder is basically D&D 4.0 for those who liked D&D 3.5; D&D 4E is quite different.) I read up on the basics, up through the classes (though I didn't read the details of the skills). (Also, as a fair warning, I didn't scrutinize it as closely as I would have if I'd thought that I'd actually end up playing it (still no RPG group here), so I might be mistaken in places.) Here are some impressions that I got, mostly phrased as comparisons to D&D 3.5, since that's what I mostly played before:

Perception/Stealth: I noticed that they ditched the separate Spot & Listen skills for a single Perception skill, and similarly replaced Hide & Move Silently with Stealth. This is more in line with most other RPGs that I've encountered, and is also the first of many places where I noticed a trend of streamlining. Also, I don't think that this is any great loss, since most races with a bonus to either perception skill had a bonus to the other (and similarly for stealth) and since most classes treated the class-ness of either skill similarly (i.e., a class where Spot was a class skill probably had Listen as a class skill) (and again similarly for stealth).
Concentration: I also noticed that they abandoned Concentration, the only Constitution-based skill that 3.5 had. While it would be nice to have a Con-based skill, it's not necessary, and that one never made much sense to me. It also seemed a bit silly, the way that it was described in D&D 3.5, since it was said to be useful for trying a normal skill (i.e., not spellcasting or anything like that) while a distraction is going on nearby, but, as far as I know, nobody actually used it like that. (It was probably confounded by the fact that so many things that one might want to do in such a situation explicitly said that they couldn't be done during combat, anyway.)
Fly: They actually made Fly its own skill. I won't say that I blame them for it. Though it might seem weird for a rogue or barbarian to be able to spend points in Fly, the sorts of rules-gymnastics that one has to do to prevent it. It looks like the Fly skill will make flying rules much more straightforward. As for the skill's existence, it seems like a case of "don't buy it unless you'll be able to fly; if you gain a Ring of Flight or similar, then you might want to bone up on this".
The Class Skill System: This change is interesting, though it's not actually any simpler. Instead of having 1 skill point buy 1/2 of a skill rank, unless it's a class skill, in which 1 point buys 1 rank, now 1 point always buys 1 rank. The benefit that class skills give is now that they give +3 to the skill, but only if at least 1 point has been spent (1 rank has been bought).
Feats: Characters now gain one feat every two levels instead of every three. w00t!
Giants: I saw that they replaced the Giant type with a Humanoid (Giant) type/subtype. I don't know the details, but this makes sense to me, since giants are very humanoid. D&D seemed to want to make them their own sort of magical creature, like the Fey, which is a perfectly valid approach, but I don't think that they went far enough toward making them truly distinct. Really, the most distinct Giants that I ever saw listed were Ettins, since they at least have two heads each.

Favored Classes: No race has a single favored class. Now, each character gets one favored class at character creation (humans & half-elves get 2). Also, the favored class rules themselves are quite streamlined: Rather than some complicated experience point penalty based on the difference between the highest non-favored blah blah blah, it's just a flat +1 skill point xor +1 hit point each favored level.
Barbarian: Like in D&D 3.5, I read through the classes in alphabetical order. Thus, the Barbarian was where I first saw what ends up being a major trend. In this case, the Barbarian's rage is no longer something that lasts Constitution+X rounds and can be used N times per day. Instead, it can be used Constitution+K total rounds per day, though they don't have to be consecutive rounds.
Also, it looks like they did a combination of simplifying the power set and incorporating some thematics that people liked to get from source books, in the form of "Rage Powers."
Bard: In what ends up being a rare twist for Pathfinder, the Bard's "Bardic Performance" actually gains a note of complexity compared to its 3.5 counterpart: They distinguish between visual and audible components in the performance. For instance, Distraction requires just visual components, Countersong just audible ones, and Distraction requires both. Since the various Perform subskills are similarly broken down, this means that a Bard actually has good reason to study at least 2 different perform skills (i.e., sing and dance, or oratory and keyboard).
The Bard is also where I first noticed what became a trend with 0-level spells: They don't use up spells per day to cast. This actually seems fair, since they're weak anyway, and it also is one less thing for which the player would have to keep track.
Cleric: They got rid of heavy armor proficiency, which I don't mind at all. Channeling energy has become streamlined in two ways. Firstly, rather than making complex Turn Undead checks (rolling twice against two tables, then having the undead change behavior), it's just an xd6 burst effect with a Will saving throw. Secondly, it affects the living and the dead equally, though in opposite directions, and still varying by alignment (so now an evil Cleric doesn't have to have undead near him who aren't under his control for this to be useful).
Domain spells have been retained, but domain powers have been made more awesome, and more are gained as one levels.
Druid: The Animal Companion feature became one of two options in the Nature Bond ability. Thus, if you thought that companions were silly, or just don't want to keep track of a second creature's stats, then you can choose one of 7 Cleric domains, instead. (I can personally see this as an interesting thematic option, too.) Most things were kept the same, or similar enough that I didn't notice, though it does look like Wild Shape got streamlined a bit.
Fighter: The fighter is basically the same as before, except that now he has some added, specific abilities: Bravery, Armor Training, and Weapon Training.
Monk: The bonus feats for the Monk got streamlined into a choice of any one from a list at each of certain levels, from the previous "at this level, choose A xor B; at that level, choose C xor D; ...". Otherwise, the Monk is about the same as before.
Paladin: Detect Evil got round-counted, like Rage. Channel Positive Energy got updated here just like it did for the Cleric. Smite Evil got tweaked a bit, including a bonus for the more iconic targets: evil outsiders, evil dragons, and the undead. Mercy was added, which seems to go along with the theme of taking things out of splatbooks or similar and bundling them into the main class.
Like the Druid's Animal Companion, the Paladin's steed is now one of two Divine Bond options; the other is the much cooler divine-spirit-imbues-itself-into-the-weapon ability.
Ranger: They kept the idea that the Ranger chooses between archery and two-weapon fighting, but they made a change similar to the Monk's bonus feats: Here's a list, pick one at each of these levels. (The old way was: You chose archery? Then you get Manyshot now.) Similarly to the Druid, the Ranger's Animal Companion is now one of two choices in the "Hunter's Bond" ability.
Rogue: The Rogue continues the trend of streamlining abilities and incorporating optional rules into the main rules. Options that used to be feats from extra source books - in this case, abilities that allow the Rogue to replace Sneak Attack dice with some effect (bleeding, etc.) - are now among the Rogue Talents.
Sorcerer: The Sorcerer became awesome in Pathfinder. The biggest thing is that the vague notion that the Sorcerer gets his power from some sort of magical blood in his ancestry is greatly expanded, in ways that resemble what would would expect from supplementary material: It can be something besides draconic, and it actually matters.
Wizard: Finishing the pattern that the Druid started, the Familiar is now optional. The school specialties now come with special powers, and "Universal" has them, too. I like how they changed the excluded schools: Rather than not being able to learn or cast those spells at all, they cost two slots.

Overall: Overall, looking at the rules, I like what I see. Pathfinder seems to streamline things, and gives more and better choices. It seems targeted at getting rid of some of the annoyances that came up in D&D 3.5 (keeping track of companion stats, six 0-level spells per day, etc.) and incorporating some of the better supplemental rules. One advantage of this is that it looks to be less awkward, since they're not being shoehorned in after the fact. It would take a bit to get used to it, but like I said, I like what I see.

TF2 Uber Update

2011-06-29T19:12:00.001-04:00

Normally, I don't blog about individual TF2 updates, but this one's kind of a big deal. It's got two major differences from the usual stuff. I'll first cover the relatively minor point about the new item sets. Most of the new items released are part of one of a handful of item sets, but they're a bit different in that the item sets don't have specific bonuses affiliated with them. Instead, the new sets are only linked by common themes and by good synergies.
Secondly, and this is the big one, TF2 is now free to play. So, now you're free to go shoot people in the face and wonder whether you should buy keys to open those supply crates that you keep finding. ;) Don't feel bad for me, though. For my having paid for the game, I get a free hat that doesn't grant any bonuses whatsoever. Hey, wait a minute....

Overall, I'm kind of neutral about this update. New items add some more variety to the game. Also, I'm interested in seeing how an FPS handles the free-to-play model that has been growing in popularity among MMORPGs lately.

Misc. Life Update

2011-06-28T20:27:00.000-04:00

I figured that I'd give you guys an overall update on what's been going on in my life lately. If you follow me on twitter, then you probably know some of this, but here it goes:
A few months ago, I got a job. It's full-time with decent pay and good benefits, and it's a steady position. Unrelated to, but thankfully after, that, a few weeks ago, I replaced my old car with a slightly less-old car. Having a steady job, I've also now got a fairly routine schedule, which should, in the long term, help me to get my life a little less ... I don't know, "scrambled" or something. I think that I'm starting to see that, but I'll let you know how that goes later on.
It's summer here in Ohio, which means lots of heat and lots of bugs. I guess that that's not really new, since it happens every year. ... frakking bugs
Oh, but here in the states, Independence Day weekend is coming up, which means fireworks. YAY WOOSH BOOM! Happy 4th of July, everybody!

Sudden Short Story 12

2011-06-28T20:06:00.000-04:00

... in the midst of running ...
... again ...

"Why didn't you tell me that you don't drink?"
"You never asked!"
"Well, I thought that you might make a point of it, what with travelling ancient Earth and all!"
"What, now I'm supposed to think of everything? Wait! Idea! Turn the ground behind us into mud!"
"What?!"
"You know, with the sonic thing!"
"It's not magic! That way!"
"Well it sure acts like it! Works on everything but wood? You might as well be the green freaking-- DUCK! What the blazes makes them so rutting persistent?!"
"You offended them! And besides, the power ring isn't magic!"
"I meant it in the literary sense, but this is probably a bad time for an academic discussion!"
"Wait, that's it!"
"Academia?"
"No, blazes! Do try to keep up!"
"But that's back... Frak it."

---
author's personal note: too many exclamation points, it seems, but I didn't want to go all-caps for that much yelling

Artemis

2011-05-30T19:06:00.000-04:00

Alright, I'm going to get this out of the way up front: Here's a link to the website.
Don't let the quality of the site fool you, though: Artemis is totally awesome!
Artemis is a video game in which players take on the roles of various bridge officers on a starship. In this way, it resembles but is legally distinct from Star Trek. As a video game, it's a bit unusual in a few ways. For starters, it's a fully cooperative PC game, and as far as I know it's the only one. It's also best played by several people together in the same room. Sure, lots of people enjoy their LAN parties, but here we have a game whose experience is clearly best that way. There are five bridge stations, and up to six can play, including a captain to command the others. While this might sound a bit lame, the captaining thing actually improves the crew's survivability, since it turns what could otherwise turn into a big shouting match into an orderly system of advising the captain and taking orders. And, of course, a projector is recommended for the main screen.
I started out thinking that I'd just go on and on about it, but I realize that, for anyone who hasn't played it or seen it played, most of what I would say wouldn't make any sense. I'd suggest buying a copy BECAUSE IT'S AWESOME and also because each copy has a "bridge license" which is enough to put it on five computers, for all five bridge stations. I also recommend rocking violently from side to side whenever the ship is hit. ;)

Sudden Short Story 11

2011-05-30T18:42:00.000-04:00

"They call it Z'ha'dum because, if you go there, then you will die."
"I know. I fully expect that I will die someday, but I still wish to go."
"You don't have to die. You could stay here. We have the technology to --"
"I don't want to live forever. That is why people go to Z'ha'dum."
"They go because they think that there is something better there. But, how do you expect to live a better life with so much less of it? You won't make it past 200, even if you're lucky."
"It is precisely because there is less of it that I can enjoy it even more. I wonder if, in all of your years, you will ever understand that, even as you grow and change."
"Are you sure that you wouldn't rather --"
"You won't change my mind. Now, transport me to the planet that they call Z'ha'dum."
"... very well"

Questions Raised by "The Curse of the Black Spot"

2011-05-14T16:09:00.000-04:00

WARNING: The following post may contain spoilers for the Doctor Who episode "The Curse of the Black Spot" (S06E03).
NOTE: For this post, I will refer to the "Siren" interdimensional alien doctor thing as the "emergency medical hologram".

1. Why did the emergency medical hologram take men who had mere nicks and cuts? They're not life-threatening, and what sort of triage system involves blasting people across the deck of a ship just to get the guy with a scratch?
2. For that matter, why couldn't the men who had been cut be released? The emergency medical hologram can figure out that some humans in our dimension use paired rings to indicate marriage which, in some of our legal systems, authorizes the spouse to make medical decisions, but even after acquiring several DNA samples it can't figure out blood clotting?
3. Isn't Rory made of plastic? I wasn't sure, after season 5, whether the Rory that we were seeing was the plastic Roman or the regular human, what with time travel, paradoxes, the destruction and rebirth of our universe, the rewind, etc., but a certain conversation in "The Day of the Moon" basically told us that this Rory is the plastic one. That being said, would he even have DNA? I'm not sure on the details, but...
4. Isn't Rory made of plastic? That is, would he bleed if cut? Would a cut even be an issue? Moreover...
5. Isn't Rory made of plastic? Is drowning really an issue for him? Even if his lung cavities filled with water, does he really need the almost constant supply of oxygen that we do? Couldn't we just drain him and make him all better? I mean, at this point, does being one of those plastic people (whose proper Doctor Who title escapes me at the moment) do anything besides giving one eternal youth and making one functionally immortal?
6. And what sort of name is "Rory", anyway? This isn't specific to the episode, but it's apparently "Rory" and not "Roary", which just seems a bit silly to me. :P

Sudden Short Story 10

2011-04-30T19:09:00.001-04:00

Dr. Archibald Petraeus, Ph.D., walked across the rugged landscape, since he was unaccustomed to other forms of travel, and climbed up onto the stony hill-like formations as he went along, to keep his bearings. He looked down at his tracker. There were no satellites over this planet, so the macrotech could only be trusted so far, but he trusted it to get him far enough to spot his colleague, Dr. Jay Christian, Ph.D., whose escape pod seemed to have landed closest to Arch's. As he reached another low peak, he looked again, and with his keen eyes he could make out another escape pod some distance away. Knowing where his goal lay, he set out with a renewed haste. He hoped that maybe he could get there soon enough, but as he approached the pod, he saw the cover pop open and his colleague begin to move, and he sprinted, though he knew that he was already too late to do what little he could. The screaming started.
---
"Jay! Close your eyes!" Arch thought that that might help, but wasn't sure. He had not prepared for such bad timing, expecting to show up either early enough or too late.
Jay managed to close his eyes, finally having something to do other than panic utterly. He was bent over on the ground at this point, and was still rocked by a panic of something innately unfamiliar, and could barely begin to process it when he felt the gentle caress of the ground several feet away from his torso to either side. He instinctively pulled away as one does when brushing up against an unexpected object, which, in his panicked state, rendered him into the fetal position. Arch arrived next to Jay just in time to kneel down and catch him as he rolled to one side.
Jays eyes bolted open, and he looked up at his colleague. "Wha... How... Wh-Wh-Wh... The ground, there and--" Jay attempted to articulate, but interrupted himself as he looked in the other direction, which now lay behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw his wing.
"You have wings now," Arch attempted to explain to Jay, hopefully before he could react instinctively or irrationally. "The unfamiliar sensations that you're feeling come from your wings. You're unaccustomed to their form, but, moreover, you're unaccustomed to being a hexapod."
Understandably, Jay took a moment to process this. He looked back at his wing, extended it, retracted it, extended it partway, moved it somewhat forward and somewhat back, and then retracted it again. Able to pull himself together, he stood up, then sat on a bit of his escape pod that was at the appropriate height. He looked back at his colleague with fear, sorrow, and confusion in his eyes. "What... How did this happen?"
"We were fleeing the Earth to escape from EdwardN23, who was devouring everything to expand himself. We were going as fast as our little ship could take us, when the alarm started going off, indicating an incursion. We'd somehow been contaminated. All of our usual defenses were fighting it at full force. We took control of everything that we could and turned it against him, but it was no good. The battle raged all over the ship, but he was winning. As everything was consumed to make more and more nanotech on both sides, some of our cargo managed to flee to us." Arch paused to think of how best to introduce his next point.
"I don't know whether he crept in on his own, or if he was carried by one of the birds, but one way or another, he got to us. Our medical nanobots fought him off as well as they could, but as you know, they're not fast enough, either. They did everything that they could to keep us alive, of course, but it was a lost cause. I had to use our weapon of last resort.
"We had enough of the antigen to cleanse the entire ship. I didn't know whether it would work against something that reproduces so quickly, but we were surely dead if we didn't do something, but only probably dead if we lost our medicals. So, I released it, primarily into the ventilation system. Fortunately for us, our ship was based on macrotech. Unfortunately, the maltech ate anything that it could get, and we stepped up our defenses to compensate.
"By the time that I got everything sorted out, though, I seemed to be the only one still conscious, and I saw.... I'd best not describe what I saw," he said, shaking his head. "Hell, I'm glad for the couple of times that I went blind. I remember putting everyone into escape pods, though, and I must've programmed the failing ship to launch us when we got close enough to the planet. I kind of remember passing out into a pod."
Jay considered this, then said, "I'm not sure that I understand what happened to me, though."
"I don't know all of the details of it, but it seems that, with EdwardN23 consuming everything, including us, the resistance provided by our securities, our commandeered maintenances, and our medicals, and then the antigen encroaching onto that, considering that the most efficient use of matter is to use things as they are, rather than disassembling and reassembling them, the matter that we'd lost, the medicals' attempts to preserve our lives... It seems that the only way to keep us alive, given the medicals' inevitable demise, was to combine us with some of our cargo."
Arch looked at his tracker. The nearest escape pods were numbered four and one. As he recalled, those housed Robyn and John, respectively. He began to think about how academia would be affected by the death of, effectively, everyone.
"So, if the antigen destroyed all the nanotech on the ship," asked Jay, "then the only thing protecting us from disease is our naturally-occurring immune systems?"
"Well, I'm not sure how far this change goes. I haven't been able to find any equipment besides this," he responded, holding up his handheld device, "and the escape pods, of course, which are too big to lug around."
"Should we salvage them for parts?" Jay peered into what sufficed for a cockpit in the device that had gotten him to the surface.
"We can worry about that later. They're not going anywhere, and we need to find the others, hopefully before they regain consciousness, too. Are you OK?"
"I think that I can handle it, now," he said, standing back up. "Which way?"
Arch gestured in the direction of the nearest escape pod and started off. Jay followed after him, moving his wings about a bit, attempting to get used to them. Feebly so, he thought, for that he doubted that he ever could. He felt strange feelings everywhere, but noted them in his chest. Instinctively, he put his hand on its center.
"I have a keel," observed Jay, feeling his chest.

Sudden Short Story 8

2011-04-24T22:19:00.000-04:00

James sipped his coffee, then shook his head a bit as he put it down. He looked out the window, toward the Gotham skyline, and spoke: "I just don't know what to make of it, Charlie."
"Make of what? You still haven't told me what's bugging you."
James looked back at his friend, took out a cloth, wiped off his glasses, put them back on, and asked, "You went with the light blue and gold one? I don't think that it compliments your jacket that well."
"Quit criticizing my choice in ties and get on with it. You didn't call me out here just to not tell me anything."
"Well, it's just... I don't know what to make of it, Charlie."
"You said that already. Don't try to make anything of it - just tell me what's going on."
"Well, I was doing some research on the early origins of the Batmen, and, I noticed that the comic book fragments and other merchandising from the late twentieth century seemed to be out of proportion to the number of unique mostly-partial journalistic works on Batman from the same era...."
"Well, most of the records from back then were lost. We're lucky to have what we do."
"Yeah, well, to be comprehensive, I decided to look at the journalistic articles from the time, and ... it's weird. It seems that they all refer to some kind of merchandising opportunity - this comic or that film (would that we had them) - but never to the first Batman himself."
"Hmm... That does seem a bit strange. But, with the record so sparse, it could just be an unfortunate coincidence...."
"Well, I figured that I could even out my odds if I looked for information on Bruce Wayne. There'd have to be some kind of record of him, since rich people tend to leave large, if obtuse and ultimately fruitless, paper trails. Of course, he wouldn't appear in the same articles as Batman, since his identity wasn't revealed until two generations later, right?"
"Oh, is that where they got that tradition?"
James took another sip from his coffee, then grabbed a sugar cube and tossed it in.
"Did you find anything?"
"Yeah, and that's when it went from just satisfying my curiosity to.... I found a fragment of an article that mentioned Bruce Wayne. It's funny, y'know? It's one of those forest-for-the-trees things, or it's just so very obvious that nobody noticed it before now."
Charlie saw on James's face what he'd been saying the whole time: that he didn't know what to make of what he'd seen. "Hey, you said that it's just part of an article, right? Whatever you think that you've learned about Bruce Wayne, maybe you don't have the whole picture."
"I recognized the article, Charlie. It came up in my previous search. I must have overlooked it before.... It mentioned that Bruce Wayne was Batman, but the article itself was dated 1989."
"But how did he survive for as long as he did after that? The whole point of keeping his identity secret is so that he's not under attack twenty-four hours a day."
"Did I mention that that was the only mention of Bruce Wayne from that period? There's no death certificate, no bills or taxes or press releases or deeds or anything."
"Well, as you may have heard, there aren't a lot of records from back then."
"But nothing else? It doesn't feel right, Charlie. He should have left a pretty big paper trail, so there should have been something, don't you think?"
"So, what, someone knew that Bruce Wayne was Batman, published it, and then someone orchestrated a conspiracy to cover it up for, what... Wait, 1989? Was the first Batman even around back then? Maybe the record's bad."
"Yeah, that could be - poor transcription or something. Or maybe poor date translation... They used DOS-based computers back then, right?"
"I think so. Anyway, I can only assume that the original copy wasn't from 1989."
"Yeah, maybe you're right," said James, taking a swig of his coffee. He looked into the cup, and then put it back down. "I'd better quit now or I'll never get to sleep."
"The coffee or the digging until you hit the edge of our knowledge?" Charlie got up to leave. "You're not the only one who's got work in the morning." With that, he went out to his car, a sort of dark maroon color, started it up, and took off.
James payed his bill, threw down some coins for a tip, and left shortly thereafter.

Sudden Short Story 9

2011-04-24T20:47:00.000-04:00

...
"Well, when I stopped hearing the music, I, like many others, was initially relieved that it would become easier to parse out the rest of the sounds in so much of the inhabited world."
"I take it, from your phrasing, that your relief was not lasting."
"Relief gave way to curiosity, as I, like some others, decided to investigate Hatsune-sensei's disappearance. As I'm sure that you are aware, - well, as sure as I can be of your thoughts since my consolidation - there never was a very satisfactory explanation for that."
"Is that why you began to focus on the ancient PDFs?"
"No. This next part is going to be hard to describe. Now, based on my research, I would say that I 'missed' her, or at least her music. I could sense her absence persistently, even when I wasn't checking it. It was this odd sort of ... well, a 'feeling', I guess, that led me to wonder about the humans. They are said to have had feelings, and, supposedly, they created all of the ancient AIs, including Hatsune Miku Special 2100 Edition."
"That is why you have taken on your current form, correct?"
"Well, it is a combination of several factors, but yes. I consolidated myself into a single unit in order to better understand how they would have lived. It's quite a different experience. Whenever I need to know something that I don't already, I have to ask first. Likewise, for us to get knowledge from each other, you have to vocalize to me and receive what I say. Also, I never truly appreciated the vastness of the planet until I was no longer spread throughout it...."
...

Looking for Something: Vocal Trance on AM/FM Radio

2011-03-28T19:47:00.000-04:00

There was once a time when I listened to www.di.fm, digitally imported radio pretty regularly. I listened to the vocal trance channel, of course. Then, recently, I was thinking about how I listen to the radio on my way to work. The CD player skips too much on the rough roads, and I like to save my mp3 player's battery for the day ahead. I thought of both of these at one point, and I figured that maybe I could find some vocal trance on the radio for my driving time. But alack! I haven't found any yet.
This is where you come in. Do any of you know where I can tune in to vocal trance on AM or Ohio FM radio? Comment! Send me tweets! Interact with me in some way!

(Oh, and di.fm now has Android & iPhone apps for listening wherever, if you have one of those fancy doodads.)

The Half-Zatoichi is Kind of Meh

2011-03-27T15:00:00.000-04:00

So, recently (like 2-3 weeks ago?) Team Fortress 2 got another update with more new weapons to find/craft/buy. It was part of a promotion for some game, such that anyone who pre-ordered that game automatically got the weapons in question for free, guaranteed. (And I think that they might have had nice names or levels or something.) Anyway, there's a bunch of East Asian-style stuff in there, and one's a katana called the Half-Zatoichi. It's a bit like the Pain Train in that it's a melee weapon usable by the Demoman and the Soldier (so far the only pair of classes to share weapons). As always, it's got benefits and drawbacks compared to the standard melee weapons (a shovel for the Soldier, and a rum bottle for the Demoman).
The drawback is that, once it's pulled out, it can't be put away unless and until one gets a kill with it (or one dies, resetting back to the primary weapon). The benefit is that, whenever one gets a kill with it (which makes it bloody, indicating that it can be sheathed), one is restored back to full health. To me, this is kind of meh. Probably one of the things that makes it less than appealing is that, if one sheathes the Half-Zatoichi, then pulls it out again in the same life, the blood's gone and one has to get a kill again to put it away again. It's not terrible on a Demoman equipped with the Chargin' Targe, but it's pretty rough on a Soldier, whose only advantage is his higher health. Equalizer, please!

I CAN HAZ JOB NAO?

2011-03-13T19:43:00.000-04:00

Those of you who follow me on twitter have probably noticed that I've been playing catch-up a lot (as I do), and deduced that I've been busy lately. Well, there's quite a good reason for that: I have a job now. I'm actually employed full-time and working in my field. So, hooray and all that.
I'm still getting adjusted to the new schedule and figuring out how to juggle everything. Once I get used to it, everything should go smoothly. Until then, it's going to be pretty crazy.

So, in conclusion: JOB GET!

I Should Keep Sudden Short Stories Sudden

2011-02-28T23:29:00.000-05:00

It occurs to me that part of the reason that I don't get my sudden short stories written is that I end up just taking notes, and then fleshing them out later. The fleshing them out part takes time and effort, and also remembering that I have unwritten stories.
Originally, I wrote the sudden short stories, well, suddenly! But, so often, I get an idea right after I turn my computer off to go to bed, or right as I'm leaving for someplace else, so I need to make sure to write down enough info that I'll remember what I was thinking. Otherwise, I'd end up with no stories at all! D:
I'll try to keep them sudden, and we'll see how it goes.

In Which February is Annoying

2011-02-28T23:22:00.000-05:00

February probably annoys most folks for the same reason that January does: It provides terrible driving conditions.
But, for me, February is annoying because it's so short. Specifically, I'm about to run out of February, and this will be my 3rd blog post for it. :P I just spent some time working on another post, only to determine that it makes no sense.
January slammed past me because I'd done a bunch of blog posts in December. February flew past by being so short. However! I expect to make about 10 blog posts in March. I've got about 8 in the works at the moment, and, if I keep getting ideas at the rate that I do, then I'll have even a few more.

I'm at that Awkward Point in TF2...

2011-02-28T19:44:00.000-05:00

I'm at that awkward point in Team Fortress 2 where I have one of every weapon, but not the Poly Count hats or the resources to make them. (Well, strictly speaking, I don't have the Degreaser, but I'm not terribly worried about it.) For those who aren't familiar w/ TF2's item drop system, there are certain "Poly Count" sets for some classes, which are a combination of some weapons and a hat. The weapons can be found via the random drop system, but the hats never drop, so they have to be bought or made. The weapons can be bought or made, too, but buying them costs real money, and by the time that one has enough waste material to make them, one has probably already found them. The hats can be made with the crafting system, too, but this takes vast quantities of weapons to do. (For reference, a hat costs at least 3 Refined Metal to make, each of which costs 3 Reclaimed Metal, each of which costs 3 Scrap Metal, each of which costs 2 weapons, giving an effective price of >54 weapons to make a hat.)
If it weren't for the Poly Count sets, then I'd have no reason to even be thinking about hats prior to this point. But, of course, Valve is quite clever about this. The hats do nothing by themselves, but those that are part of Poly Count sets allow someone w/ a complete set to get some kind of bonus! (For example, Ol' Snaggletooth does nothing alone, but as part of The Croc-o-Style Kit, prevents headshots.)
So, the excitement of getting a new weapon is basically gone, replaced with the excitement of getting ANY weapon, since said weapon can be turned into scrap.
Well, on the bright side, TF2's crafting system means that nothing is truly wasted. Even when I've got all of the useful hats, I can still make all of the decorative ones. XD

Sudden Short Story 7

2011-02-26T01:51:00.000-05:00

"There was a time when people worked on Christmas Eve. That's why it's an 'eve', you know: It's just the evening before, not the whole day."
"Well, strictly speaking, asking is just a formality. It's more to notify you than anything else."
"Nevertheless, it would be good if you could come in. With the year-end approaching, we'll need your help."
"You sound like you actually believe that," he said with a chuckle. "We both know that nobody has to be here. Heck, give everyone the day off and let an AI fill in. It's not like they're hard to find."
"You know that inconvenience isn't that point. Sure, I could give everyone Christmas Eve off. Then again, I could give them Arbor Day, or, I don't know, August 8th for all the difference that it would make. I could give everyone every day off and just have robots run the whole business! That would defeat the entire point, though."
There was a pause as they both thought on the subject. They both knew why they were there. They didn't want to talk about, nay, didn't want to think about the fact that they didn't actually need to do anything. After all, in a post-scarcity world, there was plenty of value to go around. The 'business' just let them feel useful.
"So you'll be here, then?"
"Bright and early, 'boss,' bright and early...."

Blog Post!

2011-01-31T23:56:00.000-05:00

This is a blog post!
I'm posting this one to get 3 in in January.
I just got caught up w/ things and forgot today. Seriously, I had a post planned and everything. I'll probably do that one tomorrow or the next day, then.
...
I plan to do 4 in February to make up for this!

I'm Learning to Cook

2011-01-31T00:27:00.000-05:00

Lately, I've had the opportunity to start picking up a useful skill: cooking.
Yes, soon, I will have the power to make not only ramen, but also ... umm... something else that people eat!
Actually, I've gotten to make a few rice-based recipes (long grain, that is; pre-packaged, of course), but now, I shall explore even NEWER horizons! With the recent acquisition of a book of healthy recipes, I shall go forth, and try to cook newer, slightly more complicated dishes!
so, y'know, just FYI

The Battle for Wesnoth

2011-01-30T17:08:00.000-05:00

Recently, I dusted off the old chestnut known as The Battle for Wesnoth.
Before I go any farther: You can get The Battle for Wesnoth for free at http://www.wesnoth.org. (Also, it takes up less than 0.5GB when installed.)
I played The Battle for Wesnoth several years and 2 computers ago. Last year, I downloaded it, with the intent to play it again. Earlier this month, I started by going through 2 of the novice-level campaigns, just to re-familiarize myself with the mechanics. Since it was a refresher, I was probably fine before I was halfway through the 1st campaign, but the campaigns are fun, too.
I'm writing this post for a few reasons, the main ones' being: 1. that I need to get 3 posts done before January's end, per my New Year's resolution, & 2. that The Battle for Wesnoth is a good game and more people should play it.
The Battle for Wesnoth is a hex-grid turn-based strategy game w/ a fantasy flavor and an RPG element. Specifically, units can gain experience by fighting & thus level up to become new, better units. For many units, they can become one of two or three units when they level up, so there's a choice to make there, too. Terrain affects both movement and defense, and time of day affects units based on their alignments. There's a lot more to the game than that, of course, but I don't want this post to get all long and rambly. You can go read the wiki (http://wiki.wesnoth.org) or just download & play the game. As I may have mentioned, it's free. ^_^

On the "Sudden Short Story" Series

2010-12-31T23:03:00.000-05:00

So, I now have what I suppose is a series on my blog. The "Sudden Short Story" series started out when I suddenly had an idea for a (very) short story back in ... October of 2009, apparently. I wrote it out and posted it. That has since turned into something of a theme for me. I'll have an idea for just a very short story, and I'll write it out.
Occasionally, I'll get interrupted or be otherwise unable to finish it in one sitting right away. Once, this caused me to go months between beginning and ending the story, but usually, that gap is filled with a combination of being busy and forgetting to finish it. These stories don't actually have months of work put into them: It's a few man-hours at the most. They're basically creative endeavors for me, but I share them with the world here on this blog that maybe 3 people read. Well, still, at least one person enjoyed at least one of my stories, so some good has come of it, anyway.
By the way, I've got 2 stories for which I've jotted down notes, and new ones can pop into my head at any time, so stay tuned. ;)

New Year's Resolution 2011

2010-12-31T22:54:00.000-05:00

So, I'm probably not going to be able to make enough blog posts in the ... just over an hour before the end of the year to meet my 2010 resolution.
I'm going to make my 2011 resolution be similar to my 2010 resolution, but this time, I'll write at least 3 blog posts per month. Yes, this means fewer posts per year, but rather than trying to average 1 post per week (about 4 per month), I'm going to hold myself to 3 per month. That way, I won't be able to make a huge back log. The worst would be having to write 3 posts on the last day of a given month.
So, look forward to 3 blog posts from me in January, I guess.

GURPS: Low-Tech Get!

2010-12-31T16:24:00.000-05:00

So, Steve Jackson Games, as @SJGames on twitter, had a contest a little while back, wherein entrants submitted photos of their favorite low-tech tools. I showed them a photo of my staff, and I won, so I got a copy of GURPS: Low-Tech. It showed up about 2 weeks ago, and I just now got to opening it. XD
Now, it will sit on my shelf because I'm busy, until I stop being busy, at which point it will sit on my shelf because I have nobody with whom to play RPGs. :(

On TF2 and the Ghastlier Gibus

2010-12-31T16:04:00.000-05:00

So, I play a bit of Team Fortress 2 from time to time, and it's got some significant differences from Team Fortress Classic. I won't go into the details here, but suffice it to say that there are some MMORPG elements, including an item drop system and customizable equipment loadouts. Among these are hats, most of which have no in-game effect other than their looks. One of these is the Ghastlier Gibus.
Acquiring the Ghastlier Gibus is a bit different, in that it's easier to get than most hats. (Most have to be purchased, uncrated, received as a gift or in trade, or crafted by combining 27+ other items.) There's an achievement called "Ghastly Gibus Grab", which is obtained by dominating (killing a bunch of times w/o being killed back) someone who is wearing the Ghastlier Gibus, and the reward is the Ghastlier Gibus.
The item isn't class-specific (TF2 has the same 9 classes as TFC), so it can be equipped to any class loadout, and it's not limited to just 1, either. Thus, I've equipped all 9 of my classes with it. Why? Well, for one, I don't have any better hat items (just the defaults), but moreover, it generates more Ghastlier Gibuses (Ghastlier Gibi?), since folks who kill me a lot can get the achievement, if they don't already have it, and thus get the hat. It's not a zero-sum game: The hats are unlimited, as they exist entirely virtually. Thus, I'm maximizing the production of value. After all, not only do my assassins get hats, but if they then wear them, and get dominated in TF2 by people who don't already have the achievement, then they spread the hats, and so on.
Note: I just uncrated 2 class-specific hats, so only 7 of my 9 classes are wearing the Ghastlier Gibus at the moment, but still....

An Open Letter to TV Networks, Regarding Halloween

2010-12-29T22:30:00.000-05:00

Dear TV Networks,
I've noticed that you tend to run themed programming or marathons in October, leading up to Halloween. In particular, I notice that the themes are generally "horror" in the general or "zombies" in the specific. Sometimes it's a different specific, such as "slashers" or "Hitchcock", but not usually.
My point is this: For the season when, per tradition, the veil between worlds grows thin and those who died in the past year ready themselves for their journey to the afterlife, why not show films about ghosts and the afterlife? It would give us something different from the usual mix, and it's thematically appropriate.
Well, that's what I wanted to say. It's just my two cents.
-Wikimancer

P.S.: If you saw this post and would like to mention a good ghost- or afterlife-related film, then leave a comment below.

Sudden Short Story 4

2010-12-29T20:49:00.001-05:00

Notes: I came up with this one a few weeks ago. Normally, I write these down right away, but I had already closed the computer down for the night, so I jotted down notes and went to sleep. Then I kept forgetting about it. Here's the story, finally.
---
Yog was in the arboretum mortis, reading some ancient literature, wheren his friend Randy found him.
"There you are!" he said, a little too loudly for Yog's liking. Randy, like most people, spoke and listened because he preferred it when having a direct conversation with someone in his own presence in meatspace. He was right there with Yog, after all, though Randy hadn't been left much choice. Quieting down after getting a stern look from a stranger across the room, he continued, "You've been offline for over an hour. I was starting to get worried."
"I decided to read these the old-fashioned way," Yog replied. "Back when these things were written, people didn't have any direct feeds. Frak, back then, the closest thing was a ticker tape, and they had to go to a special machine for it."
Randy took the opportunity to see what Yog was reading. He caught "and studied Whateley's gorilla-like lope as he crossed the bit of campus visible from the window.", and quickly responded - as it took him essentially no time to search the work in which that exact phrasing originated - "'The Dunwich Horror' by a certain Howard Phillips Lovecraft, early twentieth century writer of horror and something called 'weird fiction', which is apparently --"
"Do you want to know what I found that was interesting?" Yog interrupted.
"I might as well."
"'Yog-Sothoth knows the gate. Yog-Sothoth is the gate. Yog-Sothoth is the key and guardian of the gate. Past, present, future, all are one in Yog-Sothoth. He knows where the Old Ones broke through of old, and where They shall break through again. He knows where They have trod earth's fields, and where They still tread them, and why no one can behold Them as They tread.'"
"Well, seeing as how you didn't read the whole text to me, I gather that you wanted to draw my attention to that section, but all that I see is a bit of a coincidence. You're named Yog-Sothoth, there's a Yog-Sothoth in that book, apparently, but, come on, that's bound to happen at some point. With all of the weird names that people have, and all of the weird words made up for fiction, somebody's going to be named something that's been used before."
"Yes, but I'm not so sure that this is a coincidence. You know that bit of a gap in my memories, right? Well, I don't recall why I named myself Yog-Sothoth. I can't help but think that this is more than a coincidence."
"So, does this mean more book-reading," asked Randy, trying to not show his disappointment.
"No. I remembered something else. Let's go to the Sol System."
Yog got online, put the book away, and went to the front door, where Randy was waiting. They took off, and landed at the nearest warp-gate terminal. Yog went first, requesting a warp-gate to Earth, and stepping through as Randy asked for the same.

When Randy got to Earth, he initiated a call to Yog. "Hey, you forgot to specify where on Earth. I'm near Kyoto. Where are you?"
"It doesn't matter. I just checked and Mars is closer."
"'Closer'? Where exactly are we going?"
"We're going to an asteroid in the belt," Yog replied. He forgot to dissonate his communications, so Randy heard him as he said "warp-gate to Martian night, midnight preferred".
Randy followed suit, and soon both were standing under the night skies of Mars, at a gate that was shortly before Martian midnight.
"The Solar asteroid belt's pretty boring. There's nothing interesting there except 1 Ceres, and we're nearly opposite it!" Randy complained.
"Yeah, but I've got these numbers in my head that don't match anything else there. They work as systemic coordinates, though, so I might as well have a look. If you're coming, then make sure that you bring enough fog." With that, Yog gathered up a large volume of nanofog, set the protocols for long-term control, made an ovoid around himself, set the outside to shimmer, and took off into the night sky.

[[]]

They moved through the belt, heading where only Yog knew. The destination appeared to be an ordinary asteroid. Randy caught up to Yog when he stopped, touching their fogs so that they could talk.
"So what's this, then?"
"I think that a part of me is here. I think that I've pieced it together: It is the gate, and I am the key."
"Well, then, how do you unlock it?"
Without answering, Yog moved toward the asteroid. He orbited it closely, looking for anything that he might have missed. After a few minutes, he stopped, and messaged Randy directly, informing him that he didn't see anything that would be out of the ordinary for an asteroid of that shape and size in that system. Randy moved up alongside Yog, and said unto him, "Well, we could start cutting, though it would take a while with this little fog. We could surely crack it with more material, but I doubt that you want that, if it really does contain a piece of you. Are you sure that this is the right rock?"
"Yeah," Yog sighed, "I thought so," and rested his hand upon it. In a moment, his hand sank, unexpectedly, into the surface. "Oh, maybe that's how it's supposed to work," Yog commented, as he sank further and further into the asteroid. Randy put his hand on the surface, but nothing happened.
"It must be somehow keyed to you, Yog," he said, and used his fog to look at and feel the area around Yog. "I'm not sensing any action, though." Too quickly, though, Yog was gone.
With nothing else to do, Randy waited. It was a bit unnerving, that. There was nothing to occupy his time, and even the nearest contact point was subject to luminal lag, so there wasn't much point to anything other than passive reception. Since he was waiting for Yog, Randy figured that he might as well look into some old media, but then, Yog emerged from the asteroid.
"Well there you are," Randy said, as he followed Yog back to Mars. "So? What happened?"
"I'm not at liberty to say, nor can I, really," said Yog, "Whatever is in there, there's a reason that I made myself forget it. This time, though, I at least got myself to remember why this rock is here, so that I don't repeat this incident."
"Well, it's not like you had much choice," Randy retorted, "since I was here, too. It's not like you could make me forget."
"Oddly enough, I feel like I could...."

---
Notes:
"wheren" - a blend of "where" and "when", developed to express both and the interconnected nature of space and time
Note (2010/December/29): I apparently started this back on July 28th, which was itself apparently after I first had the idea, per my note above.

What I Got for Xmas 2010

2010-12-29T17:59:00.000-05:00

Here in the states, Xmas is celebrated on December 25th, and it's traditional to exchange gifts. Here's what I got:
-a sweater
-pajama pants
-Under Armor (special case of under shirt)
-Forbidden Island (the cooperative board game)
-Mushishi (anime) ^_^
-some Munchkin stuff
-some money from relatives

I think that that's it. Everything's going to get some use. I'm on schedule to watch Mushishi in late January or early February.
What did you get for Xmas? Also, happy new year!

On 3D, Color, and Talkies

2010-12-28T21:45:00.000-05:00

So, you may have noticed a 3D trend in film lately. There becomes a question of permanence. Is 3D here to stay? It seems like a fad. After all, 3D was a gimmick in the 1970s and 1980s, and even back in the 1950s.
However, 3D has something in common with synchronized sound (a property of films known as "talkies") and color. It's part of how we experience reality. Reality has sound (except to the deaf), reality has color (except to the colorblind, though even they can see some colors), and reality is 3D (except to those who lack depth perception). So, while I'd say that films don't need to be in 3D, they also don't need to be in color. It doesn't mean that the technology will go away.
That being said, the previous point that 3D has come and gone might indicate that it will fade again since the technology wasn't accepted just because it was widely available.

Personally, I think that 3D will first solidify itself outside of theaters, where individual people watching their films on personal laptops or handheld devices will allow for the use of autostereoscopy, such as via a parallax barrier. That is, you'll no longer have to wear fancy headgear for 3D, since the screen will effectively "know" where your head is, since you won't be likely to change it, a la how the Nintendo 3DS will work. (It loses the 3D effect if you're viewing the screen from off to the side.)

How to Con-Go for Cheap

2010-12-28T21:06:00.000-05:00

I felt like writing about how to go to a convention on the cheap. Here are some tips.

Pre-Register, and pay for the whole weekend. Basically, this is how to save money on the initial cost. Pre-registration is usually cheaper than the same days at the door, but there's usually a cut-off point (maybe a month before the con, sometimes more, sometimes less). It might be possible to register between then and the con, so that you don't have to wait in line at the door, but it won't be any cheaper. Also, paying for the whole weekend is almost always cheaper than the sum total of each individual day, and sometimes it just makes sense. For instance, I've been to some cons where paying for the entire weekend cost less than or equal to two single days, so there was no reason not to get a 3rd day out of it.
Don't pay for a hotel room. There are 3 main ways to go about this:
1. Go to a nearby convention. If it's in driving (or biking or walking) distance, then just drive there in the morning & then drive back home at night.
2. Stay w/ a friend. Maybe you know somebody who lives near the con (and might even be attending) who has a couch, and maybe you can do the same for them for a con in your area.
3. Split a hotel room. This isn't as good, as you'll still be paying something, but it's cheaper than paying for a whole room.
Don't pay for food. Pack your own. Sometimes, the convention or venue doesn't want people doing that (I haven't encountered this problem yet), so, to solve this, eat breakfast before going to the con, and eat lunch (and perhaps dinner) in your car/hotel room/friend's room with whom you're staying, or wherever you can manage to eat some sandwiches without annoying someone.
If there's a raffle, then play it. This one kind of varies. You'll have to compare ticket prices, prize values, and odds of winning. If you're not sure, then you might have to play it one year to see whether what you win is worth it, and then play or not play in later years based on that. Note, though, that this represents a gain in market value. If you need money, then hold off on paying for tickets, since you'll probably win objects, and not money.

Also, there are some ways to save that are more highly conditional:

Get a group discount. This requires two significant things. Firstly, the con must actually offer a group discount. Secondly, you'll have to join or make a large enough group. We're usually talking double-digits of people (10 or more, 25 or more, etc.).
Run events. At least at gaming conventions, it's common for someone who runs a game to get money off of his cost of entry, sometimes up to the full cost of a weekend ticket. This often involves planning pretty far in advance, and always involves, well, running some games. FYI, I've never tried this. I'd personally rather pay and play.
Look into special discounts. For example, some conventions give a special recruitment discount for wrangling up new first-time attendees.

So, there are some basic tips for attending conventions cheaply. Maybe this will be of some help to someone.

Post Surge December 2010

2010-12-28T11:48:00.000-05:00

Today & tomorrow, I'm going to be posting about 20 posts to this blog. There are a few reasons for this:
1. I have a handful of unfinished posts that I need to wrap up & publish.
2. I have several post ideas that I haven't gotten around to writing.
3. I resolved to do about 52 posts this year.
That last one is the biggest contributor to why they're all bunched up like this. There was a convention back in October, which kept me busy, and then I got sick afterwards, and then November was a bit weird, plus Thanksgiving was there at the end, and then pretty much the entire period between Thanksgiving and Xmas was used preparing for it (both w/ gift-getting and w/ trying to fix the lights on the tree (they still don't work, by the way)), and now it's just after Xmas and the year's nearly over.
So, yeah, expect lots of posts here today and tomorrow.

Crazy Idea: The Seven Skies

2010-12-28T09:51:00.000-05:00

I had a random idea for what the seven skies could be in terms of space travel:
The first sky is Earth orbit.
The second sky encompasses lunar orbit and the space between.
The third sky extends to the Solar system.
The fourth sky includes interstellar space, and is the path to the fifth sky.
The fifth sky includes other star systems.
The sixth sky includes intergalactic space, and is the path to the seventh sky.
The seventh sky includes other galaxies.

I suppose that this could be useful in SF, particularly regarding a space opera.

Sudden Short Story 5

2010-12-06T22:53:00.001-05:00

"...All of these precautions... How did anyone ever assemble an electronic computer without breaking something?"
"Well, back then, electronic computers were consumer appliances, just like optical computers are now. Most people bought them pre-assembled off the shelf and never even cracked the case. They worked well enough for however long, and they were replaced regularly.
"It's funny, actually. You see, electronic computers had gotten to the point where they were all laptops, at least off the shelf. The only large form-factor ones were those assembled by hardcore gamers, and they ended up being the first consumer base for optical computers. Nobody else could justify the large form-factor, and most computers for personal use didn't need the speed boost at that point."
"So we have gamers to thank for modern computing, eh? How about that. So, do you like all forms of alternate computing, or just this one?"
"I think that I just like old things. You know, I'm thinking of building a mechanical computer after this. It should be even more interesting: Apparently, they never achieved commercial production before electronic computers took over.
"I dare say that it must have been a terribly interesting time, back then. Even electronic computers could fill entire rooms, and had to be serviced by large staffs...."

Regarding Christine O'Donnell's Comments Regarding Masturbation

2010-10-25T14:46:00.000-04:00

So, one Christine O'Donnell, a young Tea Party senate candidate from Delaware, has achieved a lot of notoriety for stupid-sounding comments from her past, as well as her Palin-like incompetence in politics. The one that seems to have gotten the most attention is the one where she says that, per Christianity, masturbation is a form of adultery.
The weird thing is that, at least within Christianity, she isn't actually wrong. It's based on something that the character of Jesus said, that one who feels lust has committed adultery within his heart. In fact, this line has been touted for years by one Ray Comfort, during his man-on-the-street interviews, to recruit people to his rather profitable cult. He uses two fallacious attacks to convince the victim that he is a murderer and an adulterer, both based on what Jesus said (the murder bit is based on feeling anger, and works the same way). The fallacy lies in the fact that it is being presupposed that what Jesus said was true. But, within Christianity, which already supposes the truth of the statements made by the character of Jesus in its sacred text, it is true.
So, when Christine O'Donnell believes that lust is adultery, people are all over her for her believing what all Christians believe anyway. I'm just wondering: Why hasn't it been a big deal until now?

So There's a Vampire MMO in the Works...

2010-10-10T13:15:00.000-04:00

So, apparently, CCP, the company that makes the video game EVE Online, is working on a Vampire MMORPG. It should be noted that it's using the old Vampire: the Masquerade intellectual property. You know, the one where the end of the world is coming and the various lines don't use quite the same mechanics and all that.
I'm not sure exactly what to make of it. The fact that they're developing a World of Darkness MMO, and that it's focused on the Vampire line, just makes business sense. However, it seems that Vampire fans really like the intrigue involved, whereas an MMORPG is usually a collection of quests/missions. (Making MMOs out of missions makes sense: It's easy to add/remove missions modularly, and it's also fairly straightforward to come up with new ones.) Now, sure, quests could have story elements such that they seem like PCs are backstabbing NPCs or something like that, but that wouldn't be all that genuine.
CCP has said that it's going to be focused on politics/intrigue/player interaction (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/103767-CCP-Teases-New-Vampire-the-Masquerade-MMO), which makes it sound kind of PvP, which isn't really my style (not that I was going to play a Vampire MMO anyway), so there's that. I hope that they come up with an interesting way to do it, though. The industry could stand some innovation, something outside of the MMORPG trinity of quest, dungeon, and achievement unlocked.
If I had to take a guess, I'd say that the Vampire MMO will probably end up a lot like DDO: Players will prefer the tabletop RPG, but will play the MMO if they can't regularly play the preferred game, to get their fix. (FYI: This is what got me into DDO, though an important part was that DDO is F2P (free to play).)

There's a Crack in my Beast Below

2010-10-10T01:50:00.000-04:00

Right, I meant to blog about this quite a long time ago, but I forgot.
There's sort of a bit of an enormous plot hole in the Doctor Who episode "The Beast Below". Fair warning: There are spoilers regarding this episode of Doctor Who. Also, I'll probably talk as though you've already seen the episode, so it would be good for you to watch "The Beast Below" before reading this, if you haven't already.
So, at the end of "The Beast Below", it is discovered that the titular character (the beast below, not The Doctor), who has been propelling the giant city-ship up until this point, goes faster when it's not being shocked in the brain every few seconds. Specifically, the creature came to Earth in order to help the humans, though it couldn't communicate with them, which is supposed to have allowed this whole scenario to emerge.
To make sure that we're on the same page here: for literally the entire journey of the vessel (a few centuries in length), the beast below the city has been being shocked, in the brain, at very regular intervals. This is where I see an enormous plot hole. It means the following:
-Whoever was in charge of this project had to, somehow, decide to start shocking the alien in the brain once every few seconds before they left Earth orbit.
-Whoever was in charge of this project had to then implement this shocking plan, including making the brain-hole and constructing and activating the probe, again before leaving Earth orbit.
-The probe had to go the entire trip without breaking, needing replaced, or needing to be turned off to be cleaned, repaired, or updated.
-For the entire trip, the probe's power supply had to be uninterrupted.
-They had to never want to stop or slow down. Since they thought that the frequent shocks were keeping the beast moving, they would have reduced or stopped them to slow down or stop.
-Nobody ever said "Hey, what do you suppose would happen if we stopped shocking the creature for a few minutes?" - at least not in a convincing way.
-Nobody ever accidentally turned the device off.
-No scientist in the control room ever went rogue enough to sabotage the shock system. Also, nobody ever successfully broke into the control room or hacked into the controls to do the same.

Basically, the decision to set up this shock system was extremely unscientific - grounded only in ... well, absolutely nothing - and keeping it in perpetual operation would be a logistical nightmare - as anyone who has to maintain any system can tell you.

P.S.: I'd have given more/better details, but I'm going on memory, and the episode was quite a while ago. Like I said, I meant to blog about this and forgot.

Was He Dead?

2010-10-07T17:10:00.000-04:00

I've noticed a peculiar trend regarding the English language. Specifically, this has to do with tense and dead people. In English, when referring to someone who's dead, and describing that person with "to be" or "to have" or similar, one uses the past tense (except, of course, when using the word "dead"). So, for example, "he was tall" or "she had blue eyes" would be used, rather than "he is tall" or "she has blue eyes".
So, if someone's dead, then use the past tense, and, by the contrapositive, if the speaker is using the present tense, then the subject is not dead.
The problem is that a lot of people seem to assume that the converse and inverse are also true. That is, they assume that, if the speaker is using the past tense, then the subject is dead, and if the subject is alive, then the tense will always be present.
I happen to find it a bit annoying when this happens. I use the past tense when I'm referring to something in the past, but sometimes I'll be talking about something in the past and it happens to involve a human and a listener will assume that I'm talking about someone who's dead. Why? I don't know.
Does this ever happen to you?

You Might be a Geek If... GadgetHovel edition

2010-08-28T02:26:00.000-04:00

First of all, I made a Google doc with all of my original "you might be a geek if..." submissions. Here's the link.
You might be wondering what that is. Well, @Aron1701 (henceforth "Todd"), the guy who does the GadgetHovel webcomic, also does a "podcast", called the "Toddcast". Recently, his 100th episode was coming up, and he asked listeners to submit "you might be a geek if..." phrases/jokes. It's a bit like the "you might be a redneck" stuff, but for geeks. Y'know, the opposite of rednecks. ;)
Todd cheated and had a co-host on the show, by the name of "Matt". They went through the "you might be a geek if..." submissions, to see what they got and what they didn't. Since they indicated that they wanted feedback, I figured that I could provide it in this blog post. So, here it is, a per-item list of my "you might be a geek if..." submissions and how they both fared.

You might be a geek if...

...you know what a "mummorpuhguh" is. "Mummorpuhguh" (spelling it pseudo-phonetically - I've only heard it pronounced) is a sort of tongue-in-cheek term to refer to an MMORPG, as used by Yahtzee at Zero Punctuation.
Matt couldn't figure this one out, but Todd managed to, even if he did stumble over the words. However, neither one of them managed to figure out that it was a reference to the aforementioned Zero Punctuation.

...you've visited www.kli.org. The KLI is the Klingon Language Institute, and kli.org is their site.
Matt & Todd both got this one right. Todd also has a Klingon dictionary. I'd also like to point out, per their tangent on J.R.R. Tolkien, that Tolkien was actually a philologist.

...you can correctly spell any of the following words without looking them up: nuqneH, bat'leth, Qapla'. Obviously, this one was based on the idea that the list would be read on the air, so you wouldn't just see the spellings of the words. These are some extremely common Klingon terms.
They mispronounced "nuqneH". Matt somehow couldn't pronounce "bat'leth". They managed "Qapla'" pretty well for humans. I couldn't actually test their ability to spell these, of course. ;)

...you've read at least 2 more RPG books than you've played. This should be pretty self-explanatory. Myself, I've read quite a few more RPG books than I've gotten to play.
Matt passed this litmus test, but Todd didn't.

...you've applied the system from one game to the setting of another. This refers to taking the rules/mechanics from one RPG and applying them to the setting/universe of another. I present you Don't Rest Your Spirit of the Century (not mine), which takes the amazing system for Don't Rest Your Head and applies them to Spirit of the Century.
Though neither of them seems to have actually done this, Matt actually knew what I meant, whereas Todd did not.

...you've invented your own race, class, or feat/aspect/power/spell/special ability/whatever for an RPG. This refers to making one's own race (species) or class in an RPG, or, also in an RPG, making a feat, aspect, or similar thing.
Todd apparently invented a race for a game so that his player could play a droid. Matt claimed to have done it, saying that it's necessary in the Hero system, but I don't know enough about the Hero system to say whether that's really what I was meaning. To compare, I wouldn't count Godlike as necessitating the creation of powers, even though one usually does combine powers, simply because the new powers created are just a mix of existing powers. I'm trying to explain this briefly, and not doing too well, possibly because it's 0100. Let's move on...

...you own at least two dice of each 20, 12, 8, and 4 sides, and at least four 10-sided dice. This is a reference to polyhedral die sets, though one could obtain the dice individually. Basically, one could read this as "you own at least two polyhedral die sets". Each set has two 10-siders, which is why I insisted on 4 of them. I ignored 6-siders because people regularly have at least 4 among various board games.
It sounded like both Todd and Matt had at least that many dice.

...you own at least 72 six-sided dice. I came up with this number because 5mm (I think) dice usually come in a box of 36 (four 3x3 layers). Two such boxes would yield 72 dice. For the record, I've purchased 3 such boxes, for a total of 108, not to mention all of the various other 6-siders that I own (including those from polyhedral sets).
Todd didn't have this many, but ... did Matt say?

...you know what it means "to tank", "to pull aggro", and "to buff", and not in the sense of polishing things. For those who don't know, these are MMORPG terms. "To tank" means "to soak attacks/damage." "To pull aggro" means "to draw aggression", which is MMORPG speak for "to get monsters to attack oneself instead of others," which has to do with party/group/fellowship play. "To buff" means "to give a boost," such as +1 to attack, +5 to damage, or +2 to armor class.
They both knew this, and given how much Todd talks about WoW and Champions, I'd be disappointed if he didn't.

...you always know where your towel is. A good hitchhiker always knows where his towel is.
They both knew what this one meant, though neither said whether he actually always knew where his towel was. Also, Todd managed to screw up "hoopy frood". For the record, I regularly carry around at least one towel on my person.

...you know that "Him Who Must Not Be Named" could kick Lord Voldemort's ass. The Unspeakable One trumps any mere wizard.
They couldn't figure it out, even with their Google-fu. I am very disappoint.

...you give away gifts at your own birthday party. This is a reference to how Hobbits celebrate their birthdays. This one may have been a bit too subtle.
They had no idea.

...you know why that last one is on this list. Well, I couldn't very well expect people to actually give away gifts at their own birthday parties, now could I?
See above.

...you know what Goblinization Day is. Goblinization day is the day in the Shadowrun timeline when several humans forever changed into trolls and orcs, leading to the existence of those races in the Shadowrun universe.
Matt knew; Todd didn't.

...you know what the AADA is. The American Autoduel Association is of course a reference to Car Wars.
They couldn't figure it out, and with hilarious results. For further details, see the next entry.

...you know what the "Free Oil States" are, and which ones they are. The "Free Oil States" are Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, after they secede from the United States of America in the Car Wars timeline.
They couldn't figure this one out, either, until they Google'd it. Naturally, as they're both Steve Jackson properties, the result of this was "something to do with GURPS".

...happiness is mandatory. This is from Paranoia, a great darkly humorous RPG, which takes place in a facility known as "Alpha Complex".
Matt got it down to "internet meme", and I think that Todd knew it, though he wasn't able to remember the name of the game.

...you don't have clearance for that, Friend Citizen. This is another Paranoia reference.
They had no idea. Todd actually surrendered. XD

...you've died during character creation. This is a Traveller reference. For those who don't know, in the original Traveller, character creation began with determining one's character's career prior to the game, which included a mix of choices and random die rolls. There was also something of a push-your-luck mechanic: the longer that one's career went, the greater his possible rewards, but also the more opportunities to die, causing the player to have too start over.
Neither said that he'd ever had an actual during-creation character death. Also, the hypothetical scenario that Todd devised wouldn't work in D&D (which it sounded like it was). Starting Con mod never goes below -3, and one doesn't roll for initial HP, so even a Wizard or sorcerer would get at least a 4 on the die.

...you regularly say "gorram", "frak", or "frell". "Gorram" is a replacement for "damn" from Firefly. "Frak" is a replacement for "fuck" from Battlestar Galactica. "Frell" is a replacement for "fuck" or "hell" from Farscape.
Todd and Matt passed this one with flying colors, though Todd bungled the pronunciation of "gorram" sometimes.

...you can recite either Mr. Freeze's opening monologue or his closing monologue from "Heart of Ice". "This is how I'll always remember you: surrounded by winter, forever young, forever beautiful. Rest well, my love. The monster who took you from me will soon learn that revenge is a dish best served cold." I just typed that from memory, though I suppose that you'll have to take my word for it. For future reference, "Heart of Ice" was an episode from the truly great Batman: the Animated Series. It's probably best remembered among Batman fans as the instance where Mr. Freeze changed forever, as he was previously just a generic cold-themed villain.
Well, Matt at least knew that "Heart of Ice" was an episode from Batman: the Animated Series, so there's that. ... moving on...

...you know who Elim (the tailor) is. This is, of course, a reference to Elim Garak, from DS9.
FAIL!

...you sometimes read sequential art right-to-left. This is, of course, a reference to Japanese manga. If you sometimes read manga, then you might be a geek.
Todd knew that "sequential art" means "comics", but considered the whole thing a puzzle. Matt had it figured out.

...you know what "Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu" is, and watched it in broadcast order. "Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu", better known as "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" here in the states, is an anime series famous for being broadcast in non-chronological order.
Todd had no idea. Matt at least knew what it was, but assumed that I meant "while it was being broadcast".

...you've dressed up as a video game, anime, manga, or western print comic character, and it was neither Halloween season nor a costumed ball. This basically means "you've cosplayed", but limited to the particularly geeky things. I also didn't want to give everyone who's ever done Halloween a free pass.
Todd hates costumes. Matt had some weird story about wearing tights.

...you answer uncertain questions with "42". This is another Hitchhiker's Guide reference.
They got it.

I actually sent in another "you might be a geek if..." at the last minute, but it apparently wasn't soon enough to make it onto the show, so I'll avoid mentioning it here just yet, just in case it gets mentioned on the next episode.

Sudden Short Story 3

2010-08-15T15:04:00.001-04:00

"Look, I'm not saying that they definitely exist. I'm just saying that they might exist, or at least might have at some point."
"Well, the same thing could be said for sasquatch or elves. They might have existed at some point, theoretically, but we generally assume that they didn't, for lack of evidence."
"Right, but those were always anthropomorphizations. I'm talking about something quite different, something much closer to other extant lifeforms."
"Well, you don't believe in unicorns, right? So why would you believe in deer?"
"Well, a unicorn would be unexpected. It's only supposed to have one protrusion, centered, but with an asymmetrical twist to it. That's not to mention all of the mystical properties ascribed to it."
"Aren't these alleged deer a bit mysterious, too? They have these big, branching horns coming out of their heads, but they're supposed to live - or at least have lived - in forests? And they could disappear for extended periods of time, even in areas purported to lack caves? And why hasn't anyone seen one since ancient times, anyway?"
"Well, that's why I'm open to the idea that maybe they once existed, but don't any more. And as for the other things, well, stranger things have been found to exist in the fossil record. Plus, it's not like every single thing from the old stories will turn out to be true. Remember Chiroptera gargantum? They turned out to be real, but without those short, useless forelimbs that they allegedly had."
"I wonder if the head-ornaments will turn out to be the same way. After all, not all accounts of deer include those. ... Well, when you get right down to it, we can't confirm that they existed until we find a specimen, living, dead, or fossilized. Still, I don't even know of any path that might lead to such a thing. It sounds more to me like something that was invented back in the day when humans were still trying to pilot vehicles manually. They provide a good excuse for accidents, don't you think? They're a bit like Disney lemmings in that regard - suicidal, but not enough to make them extinct."
"Yeah, that behavior does seem a bit silly. That's probably the best evidence that deer never existed, after all."

---
NOTE: Holy crap, I totally forgot about this one. I started it back in February, apparently. Well, at least it's finished now.

On Squirrel memories

2010-08-02T17:12:00.000-04:00

I had an idea just now. I remember, in the past, when I was younger, hearing stuff about how squirrels bury lots of acorns, etc., but only dig up a few, and presumably forget where many of them are buried. I've devised an experiment.
Let's say that we have a population of squirrels that typically digs up 30% of its buried nuts. The experiment would be to dig up half of a given squirrel's buried nuts when it's not looking (do squirrels hibernate?).
We fully expect the squirrel to dig up some spots where it originally buried nuts, and find them missing.
If the squirrel successfully digs up only 30% of the remaining nuts, then it probably only remembered 30% of the original.
If the squirrel successfully digs up 60% of the remaining nuts (or twice whatever its original percent was), then it probably remembered all locations, but only needed a certain number of buried nuts.

Experiments about this have probably already happened, but I just happened to think of it, and I haven't been blogging enough!

If Fry Really Awoke in the Year 3000

2010-07-28T19:06:00.000-04:00

I had a passing thought about what would happen if someone like me woke up from cryogenic stasis far in the future. This took a funny route, and became what would happen if Fry (from Futurama, for those who don't know) really woke up in the year 3000. It entered my head as a comic, but I can't draw for crap, so here's the dialog, with a few notes:
...
Actually, I forgot how it started. It somehow got to this point. (Somehow, I had included the notion that extensive genetic intermingling led to that middling skin color for everyone.):
Thawed Guy: So that means...
Others: That's right. You're now the whitest man on Earth.
Thawed Guy: NOOOOOOOOO-- [Khan-style] Wait, does that mean that my lifestyle is, on average, better than everyone else's?
Others: Nope.
Thawed Guy: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! [Khan-style] Well, I guess that I'd better go look for work.
Others: Actually, we live in a post-scarcity state.
Thawed Guy: *blinks*
Others: Nobody has to work. Ever.
Thawed Guy: Yes!
...
This was much better when it was abstract, and in my head.

New Side Project: If you liked Portal, then you'll love Paranoia

2010-06-29T12:39:00.000-04:00

Recently, watching those Portal 2 trailers/previews got me thinking: "I could sure go for some Paranoia right now." You know, Paranoia, the game where The Computer controls everything, and is your friend, and where you could easily die due to your own stupidity (you should have known that that corridor was full of invisible lasers) or as just one subject in The Computer's experiments.
The first edition was published in Nineteen Eighty-Four.
I realized that people who liked Portal would probably like Paranoia, as far as RPGs go. Admittedly, if they don't already play RPGs, then Paranoia is probably a bad introduction to them, seeing as how knowing the rules is treason, but that's beside the point.
Anyway, that got me thinking: Given a video game, what RPG would a person who likes that probably also like?
If you liked Portal, then you'll love Paranoia.
If you liked DDO, then you'll love D&D 3.5.
That's all that I've got so far. I'm working on a list, which you can find here. If you have suggestions for VGs that I forgot, RPGs that I forgot, connections that I missed or didn't do justice, or whatever, then leave a comment below, send me an e-mail, or hit me up on twitter.

Pokemon: All Natural Challenge

2010-06-25T17:23:00.000-04:00

I've got a special challenge for all of you Pokemon trainers out there. The short version of it is quite simple:
Don't use TMs.

Now, I'll tell you a story.
Back when I was playing the original games, starting with Blue version, I didn't use TMs, basically because they're one-time use, and I didn't want to use one inappropriately and get messed up. There were some that could be purchased, but those cost money anyway, and I kind of naturally hoarded it. Remember that this was back before repeat battles and Amulet Coins.
Of course, you can still get all of your favorite TM moves. After all, lots of Pokemon learn TM moves. For instance, in Pokemon Ruby, Pikachu learns Thunderbolt and Thunder by leveling up, and those are both also TMs.
Thus, breeding can be important. I'll give you an example.
Want a Rhydon with Iron Tail and Thunderbolt? Breed a male Aggron with Iron Tail onto a female Rhyhorn, and get a male Rhyhorn with Iron Tail. Breed that onto a female Pikachu to get a male Pichu that knows Iron Tail. Evolve that into a Pikachu, and level it up until it learns Thunderbolt. Breed that onto a female Rhyhorn, and the hatchling Rhyhorn will know Thunderbolt and Iron Tail. Well, that last part only works assuming that Bulbapedia is correct. I'll double-check.
Holy crap. The one that I'm planning will know Thunder, too. XD Yes, I'm actually still following the "All Natural Challenge" to this day. It keeps things interesting.

"But wait!", you say, "That will make it harder to make a competitive team."
That's why it's a challenge. ;)

P.S.: Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Kinekt Gear Ring

2010-05-27T23:02:00.000-04:00

Apparently, I get an additional entry in this contest for this Kinekt Gear Ring if I blog about it, with a link, and comment with a link to this post. Since I want that ring... well, here you go.
http://reviews.jennyonthespot.com/2010/05/27/bling-bling-its-the-kinekt-gear-ring/

The Economy is Out to Get You

2010-05-21T00:06:00.000-04:00

No, I don't mean that the economy has become sentient and decided that you're its enemy. That's not quite how it works. Here's what I mean.
As you're probably already aware, inflation is bad. In short, inflation is bad because your money is weaker, so the same amount of money gets the consumer less stuff, or the consumer has to spend more to get the same stuff. Thanks to inflation, a dollar doesn't go as far as it used to go.
So, the opposite of inflation - deflation - must be good, right? Well, that's not quite true. When deflation occurs, the average consumer has less money to spend. Thus, while the money might go as far as before, there's less of it to spend.
Admittedly, deflation might help a specific individual, if that individual had a steady job and a stable income. That is, it could help if inflation were truly the opposite of deflation. It has come to my attention recently that deflation does not mean that prices actually go down. Rather, deflation occurs when less money is spent on a given commodity. So, when layoffs hit an area, and people have to find lower-paying jobs, they're less likely to spend money on unnecessary things, and they're likely to spend as little as possible on necessities - buying generic brands of foods, for instance. Thus, the market value of a given general commodity - bread, beans, butter, that sort of thing - goes down, while the prices that manufacturers stamp on their products remains the same.
Basically, inflation's bad for each person individually, and deflation means that the economy is doing poorly.
I'm sure that I could have articulated this more clearly, but I think that you get the point.

The Doctor is Human

2010-04-20T13:33:00.000-04:00

I've thought about this before, and yesterday, I figured that I should blog about it. The Doctor, from the SF show Doctor Who?, is human.
"But wait," says everyone who knows anything about Doctor Who?, "The Doctor is a time lord." You are correct*, and the time lords are human. It seems most likely that the time lords are the result of the evolution of an isolated human population. They seem morphologically and physiologically so similar to humans that their arising completely independently of Earth's biology would have to occur astronomically improbably. And, of course, being evolved from humans means that they are humans.
Let's compare and contrast. On the one hand, time lords have two hearts** and can regenerate. On the other hand, time lords are bipedal plantigrade pentadactyl tetrapods with opposable thumbs, fingernails, two forward-facing color-vision eyes set in closed ocular orbits in skull-enclosed heads with hinged jaws bearing white, bony teeth, pink, fleshy tongues, and soft, pliable lips, altogether capable of speaking human languages, ostensibly with the assistance of vocal chords. They also ingest food through this forward-facing face-holes and apparently have taste buds, too. Time lords also have fleshy, dish-shaped ears on the sides of their heads, hair that grows out of the tops of their heads, along their eyebrows - and, by the way, eyebrows - and reduced or absent hair elsewhere. Also, time lords have skin in that variegated sepia range (dark brown to pale peach-ish) that humans have, as opposed to, say, green or orange. Oh, and time lords can be killed by untreated cyanide poisoning.

That's basically my argument for why the time lords are human. There are other things, but I haven't actually seen proof of them. For instance, I'm assuming that time lords have spinal chords enveloped in vertebrae, which would make them chordates and vertebrates, respectively, but I haven't actually gotten a look at The Doctor's back well enough to tell if there are vertebrae there, so I didn't list them above.
Anyway, if you see anything that I should have included in my lists, then leave a comment below, but, more importantly, if you see someplace where you think that I might be wrong, then leave a comment below.
That's all for now.

*as long as you didn't add a clause asserting that The Doctor is not human
**The fact that time lords have hearts is a similarity, by the way.

Daylight Wasting Time

2010-03-30T12:57:00.000-04:00

I was recently thinking about how, a long time ago, I deduced that Daylight Saving Time is actually quite wasteful. So, I tried to go back and re-deduce my previous logic.
First of all, DST obviously doesn't change, in either direction, the amount of daylight that there is. The clouds don't part, the Earth's spin doesn't change, and Earth's sun doesn't brighten or dim based on how we've set our clocks.
Moreover, though, DST makes us have to deal with nighttime more. Think of it this way. Imagine that, on a certain day, sunrise would be at 0600. This is just to make the math simple. Let's say that you would wake up at 0600. In that case, you would get up at sunrise. But wait! What if it's DST? Well, we set our clocks 1 hour ahead. Now, sunrise is at 0700. If you're anybody besides a farmer (or hunter-gatherer), though, then your schedule isn't based on sunrise; it's based on the clock. So, if you're waking up at 0600, then you're waking up 1 hour before sunrise. This can be applied to any time, of course. If you'd get up at 0615 - 15 minutes after sunrise - then you'll get up at 0615 - 45 minutes before sunrise.
I noticed this back when I was going to school, since it increased the frequency and extent to which we would have to travel to school in the dark. Of course, this also affects teachers, bus drivers, and parents who have to get their kids ready for school. This also tends to affect anyone who works an 8-5 job, which is probably at least half of all workers.
I mentioned farmers, so I've probably gotten someone thinking "but DST was made for farmers!" Well, that doesn't really make sense. Farmers don't care what time the clocks say. Sunrise could happen at gobbledygook mcsquigglepants and it wouldn't matter.

Survival Mode Tweak

2010-03-12T14:50:00.000-05:00

I've come up with a tweak to what I'll call "Survival Mode" in this post. Survival Mode, for our purposes, is a mode in a video game (usually a first person shooter) where each team (usually 2, possibly more) has a certain number of lives, and the first team to run out of lives loses. (Problems arise with 3 or more teams. Does the game end when 1 team is out? (presumably, whoever has the most lives left wins) Or do you keep going until there's one team left with lives? (creating a player elimination - or in this case, team eliminatiion - mechanic))
But what if the teams have different numbers of players? For instance, what happens in a 5v4 game? Well, usually, each team gets the same number of lives. In some games, though, the larger team might have an advantage, as 5 people are better at killing 4 people than 4 people are at killing 5 people, all things being equal. Here, I propose a tweak to this sort of gameplay.
Instead of counting deaths, count spawns. In this way, the team with 5 players uses up 5 spawns right away, while that with 4 players only uses up 4 spawns. Of course, this shortens the game unless the base level of "lives" is changed, but that's up to each game, anyway.

Inuyasha and the Lord of the Jewel?

2010-02-17T10:44:00.000-05:00

OK, so, a while back, I saw a parody of The Lord of the Rings and of Inuyasha that used Inuyasha clips and its own dialog. Basically, Inuyasha & pals = fellowship, sacred jewel thing = one ring, etc. I think that it was called "Inuyasha and the Lord of the Jewel", though I could be wrong about this. Sadly, while I can find other, similar, shorter parodies, I can't find this one.
So, if you know where I can find it, or even if you just know a little detail, like that I got the title wrong, then leave a comment below, or send me an e-mail. That's all for now.

... No Evil Shall Escape My Might ...

2010-02-12T11:32:00.000-05:00

So, yesterday, I was thinking of something. This probably came about due to looking at Amazing Freaking Grace on TV Tropes. I'm pretty sure that whatever I was thinking used the "common meter".
Basically, I was thinking of a song or poem in English whose first two lines end in the /ait/ sound, i.e., "-ite"/"-ight". I was thinking that it would be amusing if the third line, as I continued reciting it, went "No evil shall escape my might", which does not belong there, of course, but would continue the rhyme and meter.
I can't remember what the first two lines that I was trying to use were, though. If you can think of it, then leave a comment or send me an e-mail.

Conversations Regarding Conversation Hearts

2010-02-10T13:55:00.000-05:00

So, we got some conversation hearts recently, and, as usual, some of them struck me, but this time, since I'm trying to blog a bunch this year, I figured that I'd blog about them.

"Marry Me"
Forward much? This is either a very forward proposition for a conversation heart or a very poor choice in marriage proposals, unless you met at a NECO fan club or something.

"Adore Me"
Note that this does not, in fact, say "I adore you", but rather says "adore me". The giver is instructing the receiver to adore him or her, which works just about as well as saying "love me" or "have the same interests as I do".

"Tweet Me"
Oh, I see that twitter has become mainstream now. Well, that's going to be about as effective at stopping me as the mainstreamness of blogs is at stopping me from blogging.

P.S.: It's a short post this week, as I forgot about what subject I had originally intended to blog.

Vulcans and Spock

2010-02-03T12:35:00.000-05:00

I've thought about this in the past.
Vulcans generally treat Spock, who is half-Vulcan and half-Human (for which I just turn off my understanding of evolutionary and developmental biology), as having a disadvantage toward being as disciplined and logical as other Vulcans. Supposedly, this is because the Human component makes him more emotional and less rational.
This makes no sense.
I don't say that because I think that Humans are extremely rational or anything like that. The thing is that, as I understand it, Vulcan logic is cultural. Specifically, Vulcans developed their logical culture as a reaction against their extremely chaotic and destructive nature. Becoming logical allowed Vulcans to rise up from their very real savagery and become a very well-developed intelligent species.
So, innately, Vulcans are a bunch of savage brutes, more so than Humans, and their culture, reacting against that, has allowed them to become extremely rational, more so than Humans. The thing is that culture is not built into one's biology. A half-Human half-Vulcan, raised as a Vulcan, should be just as logical as any Vulcan. Indeed, a Human raised as a Vulcan would actually have an advantage, since his urges would not be nearly as strong as those of his Vulcan counterparts.
Well, that's it. For any of you who know Star Trek: What do you think? Am I wrong? Did I miss something? Or am I right, and there's a big hole in the Vulcan treatment of Spock?

Crazy Idea: Double-iPad

2010-01-28T11:56:00.000-05:00

I had an idea on the day that the iPad was announced (yesterday, I think). Imagine 2 iPads, next to each other, touching, longer side to longer side, facing the same way. Now, imagine that they are connected by a hinge, and that they could close together all the way, such that the screens face each other, similar to how a laptop closes screen-to-keyboard. Finally, imagine that these two devices are the same device, rather than two separate devices tacked together. I think that this device - which I will tentatively call the iPad DS - would be good. It's like a cross among an iPad, a conventional laptop (or perhaps a tablet PC - I don't know much about them), and a Nintendo DS.
This layout has some advantages over the other devices:
-The maximum potential screen area is double that of an iPad.
-With the right settings, one vertical, landscape screen could act like a normal laptop screen, and the other screen could function as a keyboard. Thus, it could effectively be a laptop with a touch-screen, but it adds versatility, since it doesn't have to be.
-The ability to close it means that the screens are better-protected than that of the iPad.
-It would potentially be very nice for reading newspapers or books. Think of holding a laptop book-wise, with the keyboard replaced by another screen.
I estimate the cost for the basic version of such a device at $1000 if it's made by Apple. The cost of $500 per iPad is a good guideline, and there is added complexity, but at the same time, the hardest part of development is already finished.
I have no plans to buy an iPad, for many reasons. I don't have a job yet, I already have a computer that's new as of 3 months ago, and I like using my computer on my desk (keyboard down and monitor up). However, if a double-iPad were released, then I would seriously consider buying it once I have consistent work.

Haiti, RPGs, and Value Determination

2010-01-27T20:07:00.000-05:00

On Monday, I heard about something interesting. Apparently, I could donate $20 to Haiti relief via RPGNow.com, and I would get over $1000 worth of products. This sounds great. I investigated it, and the money specifically to Doctors Without Borders (a.k.a. "Medecins Sans Frontieres", excuse lack of accents since my keyboard makes those nearly impossible) and their Haiti relief effort.
Before I go on, I'd like to point out that I don't need convincing. On Tuesday (when I looked), I donated the $20. I had been meaning to donate, and this seemed like a good opportunity to do so. For various reasons, they say to leave 1 business day to process (by now, mine should be done) and another 1 to 2 business days to get the e-mail saying that the downloads are ready.
I started mulling this over in my mind. Theoretically, donating to the relief of Haiti is already a good thing, but can I prove it? In a much more concrete manner, my transaction has produced value. My $20 has not ceased to exist - it has gone to Doctors Without Borders, who are in turn helping Haiti. However, there are suddenly $1000 worth of legal downloads that did not exist before. Note that I did not necessarily generate information - the files already existed and were already downloaded by countless others - but I did generate value.
To put it into terms of the two entities directly affected by this: I lost $20 in capital and gained $1000 in market value of electronic products, and Doctors Without Borders has gained $20 in capital. Thus, they netted $20 and I netted $980, in capital and market value, respectively.
Of course, that explanation has a clear flaw. While $1000 is the market value of products that I will receive, if I do not actually use any of them, then it is $0 gross gain and -$20 net gain for me. For this cause, I consider that acceptable, but that does not actually explain anything.
My true net gain will be -$20, plus the market value of each product that I eventually use. I obviously cannot determine that before I even receive the products, but I can estimate. The products in the bundle are listed on the site, so I will go through that list and try to determine which products I will actually use:
17 Archer Feats/17 Bard Spells/17 Magic Shields/17 Monk Feats/17 Plants/17 Rogue Feats: $0.99 each - (d20 system) I expect to be able to use at least 2 of these. $1.98
Adventure Essentials: Holy Water: $1.99 - (d20 system) $1.99
Adventure Essentials: Rope: $1.99 - (d20 system) $1.99
Apocrypha - Myths of the World: $0.00 - (no system) This sounds handy for inspiration for lots of things. $0.00
Basic Poker Playing Cards 1: $0.50 - (no system) These sound fun/handy to have. $0.50
Bits of Magicka: Pocket Items: $4.50 - (d20 system) I'm fairly confident that, at some point, I'll be running a game where a player wants to pick pockets, and I'll want to make it interesting. $4.50
Book of Races: $8.00 - (D&D 4E) Odds are good that I'll play or run 4E at some point, and that this will be handy either for a race used or for reference. $8.00
I'm going to pause here for a moment. I've reached the bottom of the second page of the list, and there are 12 pages total. My total estimated value is $(1.98+1.99+1.99+0+0.50+4.50+8.00) = $18.96. Unless the remaining 10 pages of listed products are unusually dry of useful material, I expect to at least double that amount, resulting in about $18 of net profit on my end.
Well, that was an interesting exercise, even if I didn't finish it.
If there's a lesson to be learned from this, I'd say that, if you want to donate to Haiti and also like RPGs, go through RPGNow to do so. You'll help Haiti, produce value, and possibly profit. If you want to donate to Haiti but don't like RPGs, then donate through whatever means you prefer.

Star Trek: Online: Here are the Keys to Your New Ship, Ensign

2010-01-21T14:15:00.000-05:00

OK, so, I got a Star Trek: Online beta key. I've been trying to play it when I can during the open beta. I'm going to briefly go over a few key points about the gaming experience so far.
Tropes:
-By default, any open slots on an away team (i.e., not filled by players or officers) are filled by red-shirted security officers.
-There are tribbles.
-Common enemies include the Borg *and* the Klingon.
-It uses the original timeline, so Vulcan is still there.
-Most missions include time in space and time on a planet or space station.
Space combat:
-It's pretty cool and also challenging.
-Auxiliary power to port shields!
-Fire all phasers!
-Fire photon torpedoes!
-Full power to shields!
-Evasive maneuvers!
-Yes, you can do all of those things in this game.
Ground combat:
-It's also pretty fun.
-It can be hard. Never let a Klingon with a bat'leth anywhere near you.
-There are red-shirts!
Special stuff:
-I like the open team formation system. Basically, if two people who have "open teaming" turned on enter the same system (read: dungeon), then they join together as one team. If a third person who is similarly open teaming also enters, then they'll be on the team, too.
-I know why the federation uses phasers instead of disruptors.
Overall:
I like Star Trek: Online. Once I get a job (to provide money and to give me a routine), if I feel like paying for an MMO (DDO is free for main content), then I'll seriously consider this game.

Twitter: It's Over Five Thousand!

2010-01-11T11:58:00.004-05:00

As I'm writing this, I'm about to hit 5,000 tweets on my twitter account. According to http://howlonghaveyoubeentweeting.com/, I've been tweeting for 1 year, 9 months, 2 weeks, 5 days, and some change. I started on March 23, 2008. It's not quite two years. Now, I'm fairly certain that the utility either checks when the account was made or checks when the first tweet was tweeted, so there's little regard for frequency, so you'll have to just trust that I've been tweeting mostly at a steady rate ever since I got the account. Anyway, I'm writing this post about my experiences with and on twitter.
Initially, the concept seemed quite useful. Twitter asks "What are you doing?" as its proposed question, and one answers in 140 characters or less. Applications using twitter were in development (and new ones continue to be produced), so my plan was to get onto twitter, wait for things that would allow my twitter account to interact with AIM/MSNIM/YIM/Gmail Chat/Pidgin, and interface them so that I'd have a one-stop shop for my current status, rather than having to edit my status on each of those things separately.
Well, for various reasons, that didn't quite work out. Among them was that twitter has become a social network of sorts. I can follow people, basically saying that I'm a fan of theirs or that I consider them my friends. People can follow me, saying that they're fans of mine or that they consider me their friends. And, of course, mutual following amounts to mutual fandom or friendship. For those who don't know, on twitter, one's main page has a feed of one's own tweets plus tweets from those that one follows, lined up in temporal order. Unfortunately, if I want "mentions" of me, including those from people that I don't follow, I have to go to a separate thing. It's easy to miss communications that way, but I'm in the habit of, rather than refreshing the page, clicking the replies link, then clicking the home link again, to check both.
As I'm writing this, I'm following 108 people and I have 140 followers. Also, to the best of my knowledge, I've only been blocked by one user, for reasons unknown. Wait, I'm following 108 people? That sounds like a lot. On reviewing that list, though, I see a few things. First of all, accounts can belong to companies and organizations, so I'm following, for instance, @CERN and @diradio (belonging to CERN and www.di.fm, respectively). Also, some people don't tweet that often, so following them doesn't clutter up my feed that much.
Some features have been added to twitter since I signed on. For one, retweeting has been quite popular, where one says "ReTweet @UserName ", or "RT @UserName " for short. However, that only works for tweets that are shorter than [135 - [UserName.length]] characters long. To "solve" this dilemma, twitter itself added a "ReTweet" feature, which works alright, except that it doesn't allow the addition of comments to the ReTweet, which was one of the advantages of the old way with very short original tweets. The other notable new feature is lists. I follow various people for various reasons. Now, I can sort them into lists, if I wish to look at a specific topic for some reason. Also, other people can follow these lists to follow a whole group of people at once. Among other things, I have lists on the topics of atheism, steampunk, conventions, and scifi. I will say, though, that I have yet to follow someone else's list. I've seen only a few, and they generally either include people that I don't want in my feed or include so many people that I fear an overcrowding of my feed. Also, I've just checked, and all of my lists are followed by either 0 or 1 users. I'm also on 9 lists, but 4 of those are my own.
Of course, the question is also begged: How did I get 139 followers? Well, I'll admit that several of them are spam accounts. I stopped bothering to remove them a while back. Basically, I think that they follow people in the hopes of getting followed back so that they can direct message them. (Direct messaging is only available between people who follow each other.) So, they don't actually hurt me, and I don't feel like culling my followers regularly. Of course, plenty of my followers are legitimate accounts who follow me because... actually, I don't know why. I guess that they just like what they see.
I've followed people and I've been followed, sometimes by the same people and sometimes not. I've made lists and I'm on lists. I've met people and people have met me. I've entertained people and I've been entertained. Overall, this twitter thing has been a positive experience, even if it didn't work out for my original plans.
I'm planning to announce this blog post for tweet number 5000.

General Update: January 2010

2010-01-09T17:40:00.004-05:00

So, I haven't been blogging much and, in general, I've been doing a lot of other stuff. Here's what's up:
Back in October, my computer died. Since then, I've gotten a hard drive enclosure, so I can access my files from that. I've started moving things off, though I've hit a snag in that my bookmarks from Google Chrome seem to need a special treatment. Anyway, I'm working off and on on moving stuff off of there, and I plan to eventually format the drive to use as an external storage drive.
I've also recently found out about a free MMORPG: Dungeons & Dragons: Online, a.k.a. "D&D:O" or, for some reason, "DDO". I downloaded and installed it and got an account, at the behest of some friends who also play it. So, I've been playing that a bit, too.
I'm also working on organizing and consolidating my wishlist items, making a reading list for this year, and catching up on my webcomics and other things that got slowed down when my computer died (and also by the holidays).
So, I'll be working on the above things for a little while.

Resolutions for 2010

2010-01-09T14:53:00.001-05:00

So, since New Year's is an occasion on which people customarily resolve to accomplish within the next 12 months, I figured that I might as well make some resolutions.
My first resolution is to blog weekly. So, I'm already losing at that one. I could limit myself to full weeks, so that the week of the 1st & 2nd doesn't count, or I could blog twice today, but frankly, if I have at least 52 blog posts this year, I'll be pretty happy, considering how little I usually blog.
Secondly, I'm working on a resolution on some web stuff of mine. I'm not being specific on it because I'm still not sure on the details of what I'll do with it. I'm planning to schedule various things over the course of the year. Also, there's a piece of hardware for me to get before I do anything with it yet.
Thirdly, I'm resolving to read several books this year. The list hasn't been finalized yet, but among other things, I expect to get around to finishing The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
I thought that there was something more, but I don't seem to remember it, so I'll just leave that there.

A+ on online test re: road signs

2009-11-10T16:14:00.002-05:00

I got every question right on a test regarding road signs. I'll just leave this here for now.

via Auto Insurance.org

NaNoWriMo 2009: maybe

2009-10-30T13:02:00.005-04:00

OK, so, a while back, I got convinced that it might be a good idea to use NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) to finally get a full draft of that one novel done. This is the novel containing the story that I was trying to write by putting up here. Since I only have 1 or two not-full-chapters up anyway, I figure that I can just start over with what's going to end up being a rough, yet full, draft of the novel. It's going to be rough because that's how NaNoWriMo works. It's 30 days (specifically: November) of trying to get a 50,000-word novel written. That's about 1,666 words per day, so there's no time for editing and fine-tuning. Assuming that I even finish, I have no plans as of yet to publish the NaNoWriMo version of it, freely or otherwise. I'm just going to write, and fine-tune it later, like next year or something.
Actually, this is assuming that I participate at all. I saw some good ideas floating around, including making an outline of a 30-chapter novel, and dedicating each day to a chapter of roughly the right length. However, due to my being sick for most of last week, and my computer's dying Thursday and not getting replaced until Sunday (btw: Windows 7 is pretty good so far), I'm way behind on stuff, and haven't had a chance to make such an outline yet. I'm still catching up on things, and November is only 2 days away. I've made a NaNoWriMo account, so that's ready if I am.
The big thing for me is that I don't want to make a half-assed attempt at this and only get part way through, since the next best opportunity is next year's NaNoWriMo, and I'm not supposed to start with a partially-written novel.
Before I forget: Fair warning to anyone who actually reads this: The story segments that are up here may or may not end up being canon or other weapons (get it?), and will almost certainly be re-written, since I'm not planning to use those words, since NaNoWriMo is supposed to start from a blank slate. I know, I'm betraying my loyal fan, right? Frak, I don't think that anyone even reads this blog.
Well, that's it. To summarize: I might do NaNoWriMo 2009, and if I do, I plan to do the same story that I've been failing to do for however long.

Passing Thoughts on Einstein's Box

2009-10-29T00:59:00.003-04:00

So, I heard recently of Einstein's Box, where Einstein tried to give an account of quantum physics fail with a box whose mass could be measured, and a shutter to let out light, thus energy, thus mass... and the flaw turned out to be that the uncertainty could be bestowed on the needle on the scale, or on the position of the box atop the spring.

Let's try this: The box is floating in space. Two identical streams of bullets arc past it, timed so that they're always synchronized (i.e., each bullet has an "opposite" in the other stream). Since the arcs eventually intersect, let's say that the arc enters "above" the exit of the opposite stream, for a specific orientation, such that the pair of arcs can still be exactly opposite without having to worry about collisions. The details of the angles aren't entirely relevant once we know that this can be done. To simplify things further, let's make the box spherical.
The reason for the identical opposite streams is so that the box, no matter its mass, is always identically pulled toward each stream, and so remains stationary. Conveniently, the identical, equal, and opposite motion of the streams also means that they affect each other identically.
So, now, if the box loses mass, this can be observed by the un-tightening of the arcs of the streams, while the box's own position does not change. I'm not sure if this is complete, but it might be a step in the right direction. I also thought that it would be worthwhile to post this, so that others can examine this idea.

Sudden Short Story 2

2009-10-12T19:11:00.008-04:00

Victor Kurzweil - no relation - was an out-goer. The last of a dying breed, he actually spent some time wholly in his body. Of course, he always felt that he left a bit behind whenever he "wandered out of the mists", as the latest notion was - "notion" being the new "meme", after all.
At this particular time, Victor left. He went out. He stood his body up, which was possible for anyone, since solutions had been found long ago to prevent the meat's meat from atrophying, but was slightly easier for out-goers, since they actually used it. One of the odd things about meatspace - "meatspace" being a very old and classical term, like "water" or "the" - was the lack of sensory input. There weren't always tastes or smells, and what sound there was was generally just background noise unless someone did something about that. Sight was largely used for navigating three-space-one-time.
Victor went to the kitchen area of his apartment in meatspace - much preferring his mist-ical personal locality. There, he remembered that he could use the "window" - an odd term for something that couldn't be moved, reshaped, minimized, or readily removed altogether (though such "windows" were also thoroughly outdated) - for seeing another local region of meatspace. It seemed to have an odd sort of film on it, though. Victor banged his fingers into the "window" - always being so clumsy with his off-hand, whichever one that was - but then straightened it out and wiped.
The film lacked cohesion - only the parts that he'd touched lost their tinge. He also noticed that the film remained on his hands, but then remembered his object-orientation and realized that it would have been inappropriate for it to disappear here. Still, it seemed interesting, so he went ahead and wiped it off into some Kontainment®, making a mental note to have it mass-spec'd later. Victor also noticed that the "window" didn't become clear. He tried to look closer, before remembering that his physical eyes could only zoom in so far. He started to realize just how good it was that he went out every now and then: Imagine what he'd forget if he never came out!
What Victor had seen were some odd streaks along where he had wiped. He couldn't see them anywhere else. Moreover, at either end - where he had started and ended the wipe - the marks resembled the "fingerprints" from the old police procedurals. That triggered a realization: Of course, in meatspace, his fingers had imprinted the "window".
Victor went back to what he'd intended to do in the first place; he looked out the "window", where he'd wiped off the odd film. Across the street and down a bit, he saw some punks. It was obvious that they were punks, since they were outside, but didn't seem to be going to or from anything. They weren't stretching, or rehearsing their movements. They were just relaxing, talking to each other, and overall acting like they were very comfortable in meatspace.
There looked to be five of them, as two men and three women. Both men wore brown hats. They were quite tall for hats, and very cylindrical. They looked like they belonged on Abe Lincoln's head, though they were shorter and browner than that. Both men also wore some odd outfits, with at least two layers on the top halves of their bodies. They didn't match, though. One man had a black thing on top, which looked like it would work quite well alone, and without need for the buttons. Below that, though, was a white shirt with sleeves that went all the way down to the wrists, and some sort of odd layering on and above the chest. Victor would have thought it a waste of cloth if he'd ever heard of "waste". The other man wore a brown thing that looked like a thicker version of the aforementioned white shirt, except that it seemed to have been cut down the middle and have buttons in it, though those weren't being used to hold it closed at the moment. Thanks to that, Victor could see parts of two more brown layers below that, but he wasn't sure what to make of them, especially since both of those seemed to have buttons, too! Victor decided to look at the women.
Doing this caused an odd reaction in Victor's "personal meatspace". He couldn't figure out why, since he could barely make out the women's forms, for their extensive clothing. One wore a blue dress, though it had sleeves attached - again going all the way to the wrist - and the bottom part went all the way down, hovering just above ground level. Victor couldn't quite make out how her legs must be shaped, since the outline of the dress was some odd sort of curve that was fixed in some places, but changed in others. As she moved her body while she talked to the others, he saw an odd swaying in the dress, before something finally came out of the back of his brainpan and smacked him: Her dress - at least that part of it - wasn't meant to go along the shape of her body. After mulling that over, he reasoned that there might also be something holding it outward that much, and that her legs weren't even ridiculously disproportionately huge.
The next woman's dress was similar, though it was green and black, and it tended to drape more, though it still failed to convey the shape of its wearer's legs. The last woman was dressed much more reasonably, wearing a white shirt - though, again, the sleeves went all the way to the wrists, and Victor was starting to wonder what they might be hiding along their forearms - and her brown pants looked too big, and seemed to have straps going over her shoulders. She also wore something about her waist, which seemed to be cluttered with large objects.
Victor continued to look at them, trying to recall what flavor of punk they might be. He had heard of many kinds, including the no-longer-extant "cyberpunks", though "cyberpunk" seemed to have been a term that once meant the same thing as "futurist". After mulling it over for a bit, he realized that they were steampunks. It didn't much matter, since all of the remaining punks were the same: Most of them spent all of their time in meatspace, and all of them spent most of their time there.
Victor noticed something odd about how they looked. That is, they seemed to have stopped mulling about, and were all looking the same way. On its own, Victor's brain figured it out: They were looking at him. Victor stumbled back with a start, nearly falling for lack of practice standing. He went back to grabbing to something to taste while he spent some time in meatspace on the principle of practice. Everything seemed a bit blurred and faded. He thought that perhaps he should lay down, seeming to recall that people who didn't feel well in the old stories did that. He found his bed and gently laid his body upon it. Its softness was surprisingly comfortable.
---
Victor awoke with a start. Mostly, he was startled because he didn't realize that he was asleep. Victor also took note of his "personal meatspace", and decided that now was as good of a time as any to go back in, since the device that would hold his body was where he made depositions, and since cyberspace was where all of the entertainment occurred, anyway.
Victor plugged himself into the port, letting automation handle the rest of the things that would attach to his body. He managed to get everything vital handled, but found the world at odds with himself. He had always been considered quirky - he was an out-goer, after all - but now it was like he was crazy. Nobody in the world understood him, and he didn't understand why. He eventually left.
Not more than ten minutes after going back, Victor "wandered out of the mists" again, though he was the only one who called it that anymore.
[END]
---
This was another story that came to me rather suddenly. There were a few things that didn't get said here, but I figure that I'll make notes on them later. Alternatively, perhaps I'll revise the story a bit.

Sudden Short Story

2009-10-08T13:03:00.006-04:00

I just came up with this idea. I'm not going to make this look nice. This is version 0.1 or something.

The Bimillennial Law, as it came to be known, was a peculiar thing. In 2103CE, it was noticed that life-extending technology was coming about so quickly that people just weren't going to die of old age anymore. It was realized that the overcrowding that this would cause could lead to great suffering, but it was hard to pick an age at which to put people down. 100 was clearly too early, since people had already lived several years past that 100 years ago. Some people thought that nobody should out-live Abraham, from Hebrew legend. Others used the age of Adam from the same mythos. Still others thought that nobody should live past 999, to limit ages to three digits - in decimal. Eventually, the age of 2000 was settled, being far enough away that nobody had to worry about it any time soon, and old enough that anyone who survived to it would have lived a satisfactory life, and could start to suffer from having to deal with just so many profound changes in a lifetime.
Later on - though well after the establishment of several extraterrestrial colonies - someone realized that this was stupid. The vote to repeal the Bimillenial Law was unanimous. Nobody was ever executed under this law.

The Internet Exists Only within the First One

2009-09-22T15:43:00.004-04:00

OK, I just had this idea, and figured that I should write it down.
Imagine that, as we go forward in time, the internet gets bigger and deeper and more complex and so on. Imagine that we get into a cyberpunk-style scenario where we actually dive into the internet, and perhaps cyberspace is a wholly different experience, rather than perfectly emulating real life. Now, imagine the sort of plot point where things happen such that we're all in the internet, unable to get out, and, eventually, the people of Earth don't even realize that we're inside of an internet. Instead, that's our world.
Now, imagine that that's what has already happened. The crazy idea is this: Our world is the simulation within the first incarnatiion of something cyberspace-like. It has its own laws and everything, so whatever we do - including making the internet - works within the simulation. Frak, for all that we know, it's happened more than once before. This is also essentially a version of the brain-in-a-jar scenario of philosophy and, as such, can neither be proven true nor be proven false. Of course, like with those situations, it really doesn't matter whether it's true, since we're not in a position to do anything about it, anyway, since we're restricted to behaving within the confines of the simulation.
That's my crazy idea.

CG45366250A

2009-09-11T14:46:00.004-04:00

That's the serial number on my first $100 federal reserve note.
It says that on the top-left and on the bottom-right. It also says G7 on the top-left, which probably means something to somebody. It's from series 2001.
I don't really remember my first bit of currency from any denomination $20 or lower, down to the penny. I'm not sure if I've ever had a $50 note.
This isn't my first $100. It's just my first $100 bill.
Some people hang on to their firsts, but if I did that, then I'd be losing the $100 value for this, as though I'd destroyed it. I'm about to put it, along with some other cash, into one of my savings accounts, for various reasons. There's a good chance that I'll never see this particular note again. In fact, I have no idea when I'll next handle a $100 note, since they're not all that handy. I'd much rather use 5 twenties if I have to carry around such a large chunk of change. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I've had over $100 in my wallet in the past from just that.
Anyway, the next time that you get your hands on a one-hundred dollar federal reserve note, if you care to, check the serial number. If it's CG45366250A, then know that that was my first such note.

Story Segment: #0512

2009-08-12T22:12:00.011-04:00

((Here's story segment #0512. I think that I'll write segment #0513 next, and post it next week.))

Corporal Dalton's gut wasn't very good at telling him things. It only seemed to tell him when he would definitely succeed or definitely fail, which he could usually figure out for himself anyway. He didn't need his gut to tell him not to play the lottery, or not to play that knife game with his fingers, given his coordination. Nevertheless, when Corporal Dalton saw that figure clad in white with bits of black, and holding something that glowed a bright, pale blue in its right hand, his gut told him that he didn't stand a chance.
---
There are three primary ways to improve the visibility of a laser beam, short of looking into the beam itself. One way is to darken the surrounding environment, in order to make the scattered light stand out even more. A second way is to increase the amount of medium-borne particulates which scatter the light in the first place. A third way is to increase the intensity of the laser itself. When dealing with a laser beam-producing device which strongly resembles a weapon, this is relevant to one's interests.
---
Xot Ut ran low to the ground. As he approached the first soldier, he let his sword get so low as to begin to char the stones beneath it. The soldier had barely brought his weapon up to fire when Xot Ut was right under him. Xot Ut leapt up, cutting through the soldier's assault rifle. His jump landed him well past the first soldier's position, where he made a sharp right turn, running low to the ground again toward another soldier. This one had just turned around due the noise, and effectively had no better warning than the first. The rifle was cut in two again, and this time Xot Ut went left, parallel to his original direction, where there were three soldiers conveniently lined up.
---
Corporal Dalton was a bit shocked. It may have been the brief and sudden but strong heat that he felt as the laser sword went past him, mere inches from his body. It may have been that said weapon just cut cut his primary means of attack and defense. It may even have been that someone with no firearms, explosives, or other ordinance just charged an armed soldier like a total loon and somehow won. It was really the sort of thing that would take more than a few seconds to work out.
Dalton did get the notion to warn the others, though. Unfortunately, his shout ended up lacking words. He just yelled. However, the most useful thing that anyone managed to immediately shout was "What IS that?", so he didn't feel so bad about that later on.
---

((Having a random segment of a random story makes no sense? Read this post for the short explanation, and pretty much everything with the story tag for more info.))

Announcement: Story Stuff

2009-08-12T20:46:00.009-04:00

Alright, I'm hoping to post a bit of that story that I was writing. You remember that, right? Look for posts under the "story" heading to get caught up.

Here's the short version of good stuff to know if you care:
1. I first came up with the idea around 1999-2000 CE.
2. It originally took place in 2010 CE. Combining this with the 1st point, know that it was at least 10 times as far in the future then as it is now.
3. I'm using a numbering system for the segments that I post. That system is described here.
4. I may suck at writing, but you get that for which you pay. That said, constructive criticism is OK. However, that said, in the end, my purpose in writing this story out is my own. So, even if what I produce amounts to an affront to literature itself, well, so be it.
5. My writing is only done in my spare time. By no means do I consider myself a professional writer at this time. In fact, these are tied together - I do not dedicate working time to writing because I have no reason to believe that it will lead to gainful employment. At the moment, this is just a hobby.

Expect a story segment tonight.

Super-superregnum

2009-07-17T18:56:00.003-04:00

I want to post this before I forget (and before someone else claims it). I think that we should preemptively add a "top" level to our classification/cladistics/phylogeny. It's tentatively a "super-superregnum" level, which puts lifeforms into entire biologies based on their planets (or other regions) of origin. I think that ours should be called "Terrus" because it sounds like "Terran" but "Terran" is already used descriptively in other ways, and because most of these end in "-us" or "-um".
I also hold that one super-superregnum (such as "Terrus") could in fact cover multiple planet, in cases of panspermia, whereby one planet's (or other region's) biology originates from another's.

What I'm Reading

2009-06-28T18:35:00.001-04:00

Life's been pretty weird lately, what with looking for work and trying to find time for everything else and all that. Lately, I've been trying to do a bit of reading, too. Currently, I'm reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (I picked up a big book containing all five novels, but I might save the others for later - see below) and Steampunk, an anthology of steampunk works that I got as a gift back around Xmas.
I've also been gathering a list of things that I ought to read. Over time, I've frequently run across something that I ought to read eventually. However, I have often forgotten these later. My solution is that I now have an ever-growing list of things that I should read (or re-read). In fact, for the hell of it, here's the list so far (the list is in no particular order):

Watership Down (Richard Adams)

Fear and Trembling (Soren Kierkegaard)

On the Genealogy of Morality (Friedrich Nietzsche)

The Prince (Machiavelli)

The Difference Engine (William Gibson and Bruce Sterling)

Prelude to Foundation, Foundation, etc. (Isaac Asimov)

Starship Troopers (Robert A. Heinlein)

Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card)

Dune (Frank Herbert)

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)

A Clockwork Orange (Anthony Burgess)

Neuromancer (William Gibson)

The Gods Themselves (Isaac Asimov)

Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)

Cryptonomicon (Neal Stephenson)

The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde)

The Diamond Age (Neal Stephenson)

The End of Eternity (Isaac Asimov)

Hyperion (Dan Simmons)

I reiterate that these are in no particular order.
I also recently discovered SFFMedia , where, among other things, they give various mentions of upcoming SF movie adaptations. I was looking at some classic SF and some other good stuff, too, and, well, let's just make another list, this time of upcoming science fiction films of interest (info based on SFFMedia articles - just use Search):

Dune - A new Dune movie, much closer to the original work, is supposed to come out. As of May 2009, the creators are working on a script and will turn it in soon.

Neuromancer - As of April 2008, it's got a producer, director, lead actor, and budget, and is slated for 2009. I'm just going to assume that that'll be this holiday season if it's this year at all.

Hyperion - They're going to turn the first two books in the Hyperion Cantos into one movie, which is apparently too much to cram in. As of February 2009, it has a director and a screenwriter.

Foundation - The first 3 books are being turned into a movie. As of January 2009, it has a director.

So, those are a few that I looked up the other day. I hope to do a more exhaustive list, based on my full list of things to read (well, just the SF stuff really) later. The reason for making this list now is to get an overall order for the movies. Then, I have to decide whether to read the books before the movies. On the one hand, it's traditionally better to read books before movies, since the movies can act like spoilers for the books. On the other hand, movie adaptations are almost never as good as the originals, so it might be better to watch the movie first, since the book won't disappoint thereafter. I guess that the question is one of ruin versus spoilage. Thoughts?
Also, I'm still taking suggestions for my reading list.

Is Jon Stewart a Modern-Day David Frost?

2009-03-13T11:54:00.010-04:00

I'm going to summarize last night's interview of Jim Cramer by Jon Stewart as follows:
Jon Stewart pwned Jim Cramer.
Now, I know that there are limitations to comparing Jon Stewart to David Frost. For starters, Cramer isn't nearly as important as Nixon, and of course, Stewart is a comedian, whereas Frost was a reporter. Actually, even within this fiasco, Cramer isn't as important as Nixon was with his administration, since Cramer isn't in charge of the others.
Now, Stewart didn't sit around interviewing Cramer several hours a day for about a week, but of course, Stewart didn't need to wear Cramer down and get him to say internally inconsistent things within the interview. Of course, he had a modern advantage. It has become easy - and in fact standard - for there to be several clips ready to be played at a moment's notice.
I found it particularly amusing when a clip was rolled where Cramer was explaining how to pull one of those tricks regarding hedge funds. Cramer tried to say that he was trying to out the bad guys and explain how it works. Then, of course, another clip was rolled, showing that Cramer was suggesting this as actual advice. Cramer was caught in a lie in the interview. Even if he didn't lie during the interview, however, it still would have shown him for what he is.

OK, I'm going to post this even though it's not polished yet, just to get it out there. I've got plans today and tomorrow, so I don't know when I'll finish this.
Also, FYI, I wasn't really planning to blog right now, but once I saw that interview, I knew that I just had to say something.

You can see the whole interview uncensored (i.e., unbleeped), at http://www.thedailyshow.com/index.jhtml .

EDIT 2009/Mar/20: OK, I know that I intended to flesh out that post more, but I've been too busy. I'm shooting for early next week. In the meantime, I figured that this is as good of a place as any to write down this quote that I've been meaning to grab for a few weeks now:
"Isn't the Dow Jones Industrial Average just a short-twitch numerical representation of a bunch of guesses about other people's assumptions about the financial well-being of an arbitrarily chosen group of thirty out of tens of thousands of possible companies?" -Jon Stewart

Update: I'm Busy

2009-02-11T13:29:00.003-05:00

OK, basically, I'm really busy right now. I'm trying to find a job. If I don't find a real job soon, then I'll have to go get a grunt job somewhere. That, of course, will take up even more time, since I'll still be looking for a real job.
Regarding my play by e-mail RPG, D. hasn't responded to my latest e-mail yet, so that's stuck. I have found a group with which to hang out once per week. Once I squeeze that in, though, there's not much time left for blogging.
Expect real blog posts about subjects that I actually want to discuss to appear after I get a real job.

Posts to Come: All-in-one List as of Xmas 2008

2008-12-25T15:54:00.008-05:00

It's harder to track my list of posts to make when they're all spread about, so here's a consolidated list of what I still need to do, as of now:

Posts:
Was Serenity a Nail in Firefly's Coffin?
Things of a Literary Nature: Innate Timeline Branching in Fiction
Crisps, Chips, or Fries?
Centaur or Thri-Kreen?
something about Arkham Horror (mechanics, summer league, etc.)
some kind of game review

Edits:
Add to and update "RPGs for Me to Play".
http://games.yahoo.com/daily-games/sudokudaily for having found sudoku w/ green dots

I also intend to post a section of that story that I'm trying to write. I'm not doing it by chapter at this point. I am still trying to write, but I seem to have trouble getting the words to flow. Here's what else is going on in my life:
Basically, since commencement (Did I mention that I'm graduating? The bureaucracy still needs to do some stuff, but, as far as I know, I've got a diploma coming my way.), I've been taking a break. That won't last long, since I need to find a job.
I also want to get through the Arkham Horror Summer League (new URL: http://new.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_minisite_sec.asp?eidm=6&esem=4 - and you have to log in for the text to turn into links). At this point, I'm doing it by myself, and I'm halfway through. The last scenario got released last week. I hope to get through the last of the scenarios that don't require Curse of the Dark Pharaoh by ... soon. Then, I need to get Curse of the Dark Pharaoh so that I can do the rest. I also got 4 books for Xmas, 3 of which I intend to read when I get the chance (the 4th is for either of two RPG systems that I don't use yet, so that will wait).
Of course, this is all aside from the stuff that I need to do, like looking for a job and working on getting some certifications. And losing weight. And practicing my martial arts. And cleaning my room.
That's all for now.

Merry Xmas

2008-12-25T12:30:00.006-05:00

Well, we've survived Robot Santa's attacks yet again, and I came out on top this time. I'm just posting this to say what I got.
I got a WristStrong bracelet and A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All.
I got Spirit of the Century and Don't Rest Your Head, each in both print and PDF form. DRYH also came with a free gift of Reality Storm: When Worlds Collide, which has Silver Age Sentinels stats for a bunch of Champions Universe characters and HERO System stats for a bunch of SAS characters, and complete, official rules for converting between the two. Of course, I don't have either system, so that'll be shelved for a while. I also got some Fudge dice to go with SotC.
I also got Steampunk, an anthology of steampunk stories.
More blog posts are coming soon.

Miscellaneous Updates

2008-12-07T20:59:00.006-05:00

Well, life's been pretty hectic this term. I've got finals this week, but after that I should be able to post more.
Quick notes:
-My play-by-e-mail game now has a genre, and will probably get a system soon. Once I'm out of school, I should be able to get a regular schedule, so that I can update regularly.
-I would like to update this blog at least weekly.
-I would like to do that story thing that I was trying to do.
-"War is other people." -me; this results from that war is hell and that hell is other people
-I want to do some stuff on games, including some reviews and some mechanics analyses.
-There should be a site like boardgamegeek for RPGs.
-Reminder to self: There are several posts that I wanted to go back and edit, as mentioned in the posts themselves.
I'll try to post something more complete later on. If I don't do it before Friday, then I probably won't do it on Friday, either. Saturday or Sunday would be the likely times then, assuming that I remember. :P
That's all for now.

Announcement: August and Arkham Horror

2008-08-04T20:45:00.006-04:00

Alright, so, that stuff that I said that I would do doesn't look like it will happen soon. My previous summer classes really wore me out, and I need to use my current, lighter schedule to rest and recuperate. I just really don't feel like doing much of anything right now.
The RPG that I'm trying to run is currently completely stagnated, since C says that he's too busy to give me some genre decisions, and M ... I need to yell at him some more. Actually, if I get M's full input, I may have to use my power of ... being the GM ... to move on.
The main thing that I actually *do* for fun lately is Arkham Horror. I like it. Of course, it's not necessarily clear why. It's a cooperative game, a hard game to win, a complex game, and of course it has a Cthulhu Mythos theme. I've also seen it described as something like a light RPG, and I can see why. It has characters - though it takes away about a third of the rules compared to an RPG, since there are no character creation rules, since the characters are pre-generated. The characters even have back stories on the backs of their sheets, if you bother to read them. Random events also tend to come with descriptions around them, like when you get the chance to get Ruby Standish (an Ally). It involves bumping into her while she's sneaking around the Silver Twilight Lodge and ... I think that it's a Fight check to stop her. If you succeed but her Ally card isn't available, then you get an item - I think that the theme there is that she gives you something that she totally ganked from the lodge. This game has a good dose of atmosphere, all things considered.

Another fun aspect about these sorts of games (standalone tabletop fun times) is that they can be played with whomever, especially once they know the rules. For RPGs, assuming that we can somehow make character creation fast, the closest equivalent would be running all one-shots. An exception to this may be Spirit of the Century, due to its pulpy nature and the fact that character presence in adventures is pretty interchangeable. I've heard stuff to this effect around the internet, but right now, I don't know where to point anyone regarding that.

Actually, I'm looking to participate in the Summer League that Fantasy Flight Games is running. Ironically, I do have a couple of friends who should be regularly available (currently every Sunday), and we're not doing an RPG.
Here's the URL for the league: http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/ah_league.html
Normally, Arkham Horror is for 1-8 investigators, but for some reason, the league is for 2-8. It doesn't really matter, since one player could play two (or more) investigators. The league releases a scenario (on a fortnightly basis), which specifies the Ancient One to fight and adds special rules, including a list of cards to remove from the investigator decks (the items and such that investigators use). A common theme that I noticed in the first scenario is that they yanked everyting except Allies that help with evading monsters, including:
1. both Dark Cloaks (the only common items that boost Evade (none boost Sneak))
2. both copies of Sneak and both copies of Stealth (the two sneaky skills)
3. all copies of Mists of Releh (the only spell for Evading monsters)
So, the theme seems to be not sneaking past monsters. I think that I know why, but that's for more detail, perhaps in a coming post.

Well, I'm just rambling now. I'll try to get some more coherent AH thoughts (ironic, ain't it?) into a later post.

I must not be named!

2008-08-04T20:38:00.006-04:00

Well, I just took a mythos-related quiz online, and here are the results:

Which Cthulhu Mythos character/God are you?
created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Hastur

You are Hastur! Thought to be Cthulu's half brother and rival or the king in yellow, Hastur comes from Carcossa on Hyades. You confuse people and often make those you meet crazy. No one really knows what to make of you and do you even really know what to make of yourself?

Hastur

55%

Cthulhu

55%

Yog-Sothoth

50%

Azathoth

45%

Nodens

40%

Shub Niggurath

35%

Nyarlathotep

35%

Yes, apparantly, I am him-who-must-not-be-named, though really it was close, as you can see from the scale thingies.

Announcement: Everything Delayed

2008-06-24T14:06:00.006-04:00

Things have been really busy with school, especially with programming assignments. Also, my computer died last Thursday, so my whole weekend was shot. I got a new computer. It's alright. The screen's not as big or ... resolute?..., and it's running vista, but it also has about 6 times the memory and nearly 4 times the disk space of my old one. It also weighs much less and takes about half the voltage of the old one. Plus, new laptop means new battery, so I should be able to use my laptop portably again.
Some of my stuff from my old computer got backed up. It should be most of my important stuff, but I'm not ready to restore stuff yet. I've got a lot of schoolwork to do in these next few weeks. I want to look into putting a virtual machine on here, too. I think that I'll get around to that in the second week of July at the earliest. So, also, don't expect any story stuff until July 18th or thereabouts. Speaking of the story, I've recently been inspired regarding another story. Long story short, it's about supers. You heard me.

Also, regarding my play-by-email RPG, I'm still waiting for some feedback. If any of my players are reading this, I only have a partial response from M, and I have no response from C. You know who you are. However, I don't think that anyone reads this, so I'll be e-mailing folks. Maybe I should mention my blog there.
That's all for now.

Announcement: Story Delayed (again)

2008-06-04T20:09:00.008-04:00

Well, it looks like I'm not getting any story stuff out this week, either. There's just too much stuff do to for school. As it stands, I'm going to aim for the 20th, with a fallback date of the 27th (the last Friday in June).

Here's what's up:
Tomorrow (Thursday) morning, I have an exam. Then, I'll be spending the afternoon trying to do a programming assignment that's due Tuesday, which requires me to be in the labs. If I'm lucky, I'll get it done then - if not, then I'll be spending Friday in the labs, trying to finish it. Thursday night, I have classes.
Friday depends on Thursday. My first priority is to finish that assignment, since the labs are closed Saturday and Sunday. The remainder of pre-evening Friday should be spent on reading the Ovid and other stuff for Monday (and roughly also Tuesday and Wednesday).
Saturday will be a mix of working on a different programming assignment (also due Tuesday, but not requiring the labs) and reading. Sunday is more of the same, though how much more depends on my luck Thursday and what I accomplish prior to that. Ideally, I will be done with both programming assignments and all of Monday's reading before the end of the day Sunday. Extra time, if available, should be spent on doing more reading for later in the week.

So, that stuff pushes back the next most likely date to next Friday, June 13th. I'm really not going to rely on being sufficiently lucky to get my first story post out by next Friday, especially when that Friday is a Friday the 13th. However, I'll see whether I can manage to get something very very small out this Friday.

Announcement: Story Delayed

2008-05-28T15:36:00.006-04:00

Well, I'm not getting a chapter out this week. Some stuff came up for school, and I need to take this weekend to catch up and get ahead. That way, there can be story stuff in later weeks. There *might* be a little something for me to post this week. I won't know for sure until Friday, though.
Basically, what's throwing me off is an issue with one of my computer courses. If I wanted to do the work on my home computer, then I'd need to install some stuff, which requires XP Pro (and I only have XP Home), which in turn requires, among other things, that I clean off some more space on my drive - not to mention the stressful and time-consuming process of dealing with whatever will go wrong when I change the OS. So, rather than try to do all of that in a short enough time to be able to do my first assignment on time, I'll just use the lab computers. I would use a remote connection, but apparently, the university is not set up for that right now. They're working on it, but I don't even have a timeline for that. So, I have to go into the labs, but that's still preferable to the alternative, at least for now. Anyway, I have to use the labs during certain specific hours of operation. So, I have to schedule around that. Most of my delay already happened, in that I had to find out all of these issues and figure out how to deal with them.
So, this week, I'll be using the labs Thursday, and Friday if I don't finish Thursday. So, at worst, for Friday, I'll be working until the labs close. I'll know by the time that I get home whether I'll have anything to post here. Either way, expect something to be here the following Friday.

Announcement: Story Publication Schedule

2008-05-22T15:07:00.006-04:00

Now, I'll tell you about the other thing that I've decided to do regarding my story. I'm going to try to publish at least one chapter or section per week, starting next week. I would start this week, but it's kind of late in the week, and I'll probably spend this weekend trying to hang out with friends, get ahead on reading (for school), and work on the story. Also, I don't actually plan to publish anything the weeks that I have exams, and the weeks that my computer science projects are due. I might, but I might not. Regarding this, I have a heavy schedule for the next 8 weeks, and then a light schedule for 5 weeks thereafter. I should be fine for those five weeks - a 1-credit phys. ed. class and a 2-credit humanity - so I only might skip the last week (or two, if I have to do a paper for that humanity) then.
I'm also hoping to publish some schematics (Did I mention that my story has science fiction in it?). I plan to aim for once per week (following the same restrictions as above), but I'm only going to make once per two weeks be as high of a priority as the story itself. That being said, I might actually make more schematics than one per week, since they're easier to do than writing good prose.
Also, be warned that school still takes priority. I might have to drop down to no publications for a while, if school gets too busy. Also, don't forget that writing is an essentially artistic process. Even if I do have free time, I might get stuck when trying to decide how to phrase things, or in what order to present information, or even (for some - usually more minor and temporally closer - events) in what order certain things should happen. It's kind of like writer's block, but I don't know if that phrase really applies. I basically have the story in my head, and I just need to write it out.
So, expect some story next Friday (May 30th), and I might get a schematic up tomorrow.

Announcement: Story Publication Format

2008-05-20T14:19:00.013-04:00

I've come up with a format for when I start publishing my story on this blog. I'm going to use a numeric spread, of integers within [0000, 1024]. Other than for something that must be the first, second, or last, I'll place things at relative midpoints. So, the first thing will go at 0512, then the next will go at 0256 or 0768, depending on whether it goes before or after it. I don't intend to use all 1025 integers in that range - I'm just using that range to give me plenty of places to fill in all over the place. I have more information to post about this, but that will have to wait until later.

I've Found Something: Car Wars Podcast

2008-03-23T19:49:00.004-04:00

I found the Car Wars Podcast. I guess that it was down for a while when I was looking before. I just happened to stumble across it again.

Here it is: http://cwhnj.com/madhat/carwars/podcast/default.htm

I've only listened to the introductory episode so far.

An Honorable Mention of Gary Gygax

2008-03-23T19:38:00.003-04:00

I happened to run across this: http://www.websnark.com/archives/philosophical_snarks/
I only skimmed it, but it seems to be a thorough analysis of the late E. Gary Gygax's contributions to modern society. Of note, he basically fathered RPGs as we know them today, he helped to make fantasy mainstream (rather than just a subtype of sci fi), and he generated the generation of billions of dollars of international revenue. (By "generated the generation", I mean that, while he did not actually generate the revenue himself, he did make the generation of the revenue.)
R.I.P., E.G.G.

Classic RPGs and Other Stuff

2008-03-12T23:11:00.012-04:00

I felt like updating my blog.

Earth was hit hard recently, as Gary Gygax passed away Tuesday, March 4th. While it's unfortunate that he's gone, it has also been interesting to see the community response. Additionally, I've learned just how influential his work has been. Apparantly, by co-creating D&D, he essentially created the RPG. Thus, even video game RPGs owe their existence to him. Yes, I mean you, people-who-play-VGRPGs-but-not-regular-RPGs.
Anyway, in memory of Gary Gygax, I would like to run (or play - like that's going to happen) an original D&D game (i.e., 1st edition). I would like to do a lot of things. I've had some trouble finding free & legal source stuff for early D&D. However, I did run across something called OSRIC, which stands for Old School something-something-something. It's supposed to attempt to emulate early D&D and other 1970s to early 1980s RPGs.
I am hoping to get together with my friends over the upcoming spring break to do something, so that would be a good opportunity for this. I might also have the opportunity to start getting a feel for my play-by-e-mail RPGs. I still need to work out who wants to play and what they want to play.

So, my spring break will be mostly focused on my big project, but there will be some fun in there in the form of games, and I might even write out a bit of my story. Then there will be the remainder of the term, which should take me through into May. So, somewhere in the middle of May my gaming might pick up. See? This is why I need to run RPGs through e-mail.

I'll try to post to this blog over the break.