tcpip | Direct Action, RPG Review, MBA etc.

The Egyptian President Mubarak has resigned, following 18 days of mass protests. Whether this will transfer to a democratic government is yet to be seen. What is certain however is (like Tunisia) it demonstrates the capacity of non-violent direct action as a political strategy. This is a particular theme with an interview just posted on Isocracy with adjunct Professor William Hathaway, a former green beret who is now a peace activist.

This morning also saw the release of the tenth issue of RPG Review, a special cyberpunk-themed issue with an interview with

angusabranson. This Sunday, with an sense of synchronicity, is an episode of Young Gods where the PCs have to deal with an Egyptian rebellion - the monotheism of Akhenaten. In other news, with the big management changes at Iron Crown Enterprises, it looks like my work on Campaign Law and Rolemaster Cyradon is being revived. Apropos, I am having one my periodic culls of my gaming collection, snap up some bargains and rarities on ebay.

For most of the past week I have been struck down with a pretty nasty bacterial cold. Despite this I sat two MBA exams on Monday and Tuesday, Managing Innovation and Organisational Best Practise. I'm pretty sure I did OK in both on them. Somehow managed to make the necessary 'phone calls on Friday to get all the last-minute documentation in for our place in Dunedin (settlement is Monday). For the rest of the time I've been reading up on the early decades of the Soviet Union; it's not a pretty story.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I enjoyed flicking through some old favourites in your RPG Review.
Of the 4 "classic" systems I think you were pretty much on the do, although System Familiarity tends to make me favour GURPS CPunk over ICE CSpace. On the other hand I do tend to play in a modified version of the CSpace world. It always seemed so... rich and detailed.

You might find it interesting that Todd Foley, the author of Cyberspace, now runs simulation scenarios for the corporate world. One of the things that sways me in favour of Cyberspace over GURPS Cyberpunk (which is still a very fine product) is the sheer density of material. There really is very little in the way of vague filler material.

Umm... any chance of feedback about Blade & Crown?

There is, and it is far from forgotten. I am still working on it. I really did expect to have it well and truly finished by now.

"Gaze into the fist of Dredd!" -- ha, remember it well.

I feel-think President Mubarak "missed the boat"; he missed an unparalleled opportunity to become a genuine global hero. Just imagine if he had given wholesome food and medical services and other basic forms of Life Support to his Protestors, if he had instructed his loyalists and the Police to keep violent criminals locked up; and then as the piece de resistance had offered to step down as well as offering to use what little remaining legitimate power he had in office to redress the needs of the People and their need for responsive representative democracy aimed to benefit the ENTIRE society not merely one small segment of it at the expense of all others.

I find myself increasingly praying for Wisdom to ALL of Humanity. Peace be with you. Namaste

One of great problems I find with people - even good people - who acquire power is that they do not see it as an opportunity to engage in acts of useful stewardship or liberation, but rather they become interested in retaining their existing power and acquiring more.

Although there are exceptions.

One of the problems, perhaps even a root cause (?) is that power can be very intoxicating. Unless one has deeply inculcated and well expressed (for me that's verbal) values around stewardship, the greater good, nobless oblige, selfless service, and so on or even authority and responsibility, such that if one were suddenly "king" or "queen" of the Universe one would use one's powers for good/benefit of others all-inclusively even the so-called bad guys, then power does tend to make one to varying degrees power mad. It's sad and an illness that afflicts both individuals and cultures/societies. [Reference: one of your South Wales Professors of Political Science academically expert on the topic of American Exceptionalism. I'll dig up the actual reference if you want it. It's dawn here Sunday morning.]

Jose Figueres Ferrer isn't taught about here in the United States, except probably as some specialized history/political science in post-secondary and advanced academic studies, but what a beautiful example!

Frank Herbert was right when he noted that even bad bureaucracies will seek to perpetuate and maintain themselves. I'm so happy for Egypt since it looks to me like the United States is imploding--at least if the Right Wing continues its reactionary movement ever further right.

To use an organic model, how does a bird fly with two right wings, or with a single (right) wing grown so vast and its counter balance so slight as to be neglible?

I truly feel that what happened in Egypt perhaps surpasses even Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. et al by virtue of being leaderless, yet civil, humane, non violent, tolerant, and able to bridge individual and group uniqueness.

By the way, have you any experience or even scientific credulity towards what goes by the name of Noetic Science?

The intoxication of power is interesting; I heard it expressed as a juxtaposed as a "the power of love" versus "the love of power".

Jose Figueres Ferrer is one who achieved the former via the latter. It is an unusual example, but I suspect it is very well known in Costa Rica.

You are certainly correct to say the experience of Egypt (and Tunisia) etc is very interesting, as it follows very closely to the principles of non-violent resistance. I am interested whether the Egyptian military are genuinely interested in introducing democracy; somehow I doubt it.

By the way, have you any experience or even scientific credulity towards what goes by the name of Noetic Science?

I've heard of it but I really don't give it much credibility at all.

Thanks for noting the importance of Tunisia. (As well as for being one of my many many teachers, Lev, for i'm a Learner.)

It had been a while since last I heard that juxtaposition: the love of power vs the power of love. We humans seem to delight in finding opposites and here in the U.S. the dominant culture seems to obsess over "what is best".

Most (male) militaries that i have heard of do not operate themselves by democratic means for reasons that serve the military purpose. However, various persons who, consentually, operate in a top-down pyramidal power structure may nonetheless themselves be pro-democracy for civil society. Whether such thinkers (aka everybody with a brain) are able to think "outside the box" or "beyond the (horse) blinkers" is as you say, genuinely interesting.

I'm off to post to IUUJ around the power of love. ttyl. wishing you a lovely Sunday evening, sir, oops afternoon your time, since it's early morning where i am on our shared spinning globe. namaste

I guess I'll enrol with EBay and see what's left!

There's more coming! Name a gamesystem and item and I'll tell you whether I have it..

Direct Action, RPG Review, MBA etc.

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the power of love & towards democracy

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