Gaming Updates, Publications etc, Isocracy and VSL

[tcpip]

Skyrealms of Jorune game went well on Sunday. The setting is quite impressive as a science-fantasy environment where there is an amazing surplus of intelligent species and aggressive carnivores. Probably has at least something to do with the seven moons that the planet has (which would have some very interesting effects). The game rules were a little clunky, but fairly good all told, albeit with a lot of errata. Apropos, plans for the upcoming RPG Review Cooperative goes well, with plenty of ideas being thrown about. It looks like that it will have sufficient attendees, a committee, and there's certainly interest among budding game designers to get their material out into a written form.

Speaking of such things, the foundation professor of RMIT University, Professor David Beanland, has written the forward to my Supercomputing with Linux, which will be released in epub form by the end of this week. The second book Sequential and Parallel Programming (ISBN 978-0-9943373-1-3) should be ready by that stage as well. Apropos, work goes well in the second week with some interesting software installs; associated packages for fast arithmetic, a number theory library, and homomorphic encryption. Meanwhile work advances on the new HPC with cloud bursting capability; SLURM has been chosen as the scheduler and resource manager, which will require a new set of training for current TORQUE users, with Easybuild recipes for installations.

New member of the Isocracy committee, Daye Gang, has provided an excellent article on Normalisation and Conscious Bias Correction on the Bench. As a contribution, I have also made a short 'blog post on the new Isocracy committee, and we how ended up with a member of the Liberal Party of Australia on the committee of a libertarian socialist organisation. On a related subject, I am trying to find a representative of the Bendigo mosque for the next meeting of the Victorian Secular Lobby; unlike some others who have the conceit to call themselves secular, we actually support from of and from religion.

Comments

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

No doubt a social liberal represents the more conservative (in disposition, not ideals) part of the movement. But I recall many years ago a friend at an pro-refugee rally, noting the banners of Labor for Refugees, the Greens, and an assortment of left-wing groups, and coming to the realisation that was was needed was pro-asylum seeker members of the Liberal Party.

[zenicurean.livejournal.com]

I would imagine that striking the proper balance with this sort of an arrangement requires a dash of extra goodwill from all parties. I mean, I can see where the areas of overlapping interest and principle might be. That said, I can also see where disagreement may lead to misunderstandings, or even to suspicions about fundamental motives, or where views might be genuinely irreconcilable in ways that give rise to some real frustration.

But if your Liberal member is comfortable with the situation, and everyone is willing to put a little effort into it, then I can certainly see how you might all stand to benefit from this extension of the debate. And if you can support your Liberal friend in any activity that might lead to more pro-asylum seeker Liberals, then I'd say it's worth the effort.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Well there isn't much goodwill usually between members of the Liberal Party and the Labor Party. But I am not politically partisan in that sense, and I don't they are either. So it's working quite well, especially with their interests in community-run organisations.

[zenicurean.livejournal.com]

That seems promising. I hope the good working relationship will continue. (I have also found in personal discussions with friends of varying political persuasions that a certain lack of partisanship helps to build mutual trust.)

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

A lack of partisanship also is beneficial if one wants their ideas to improve and evolve. Otherwise it's just getting into an argument with no interest in reaching agreement. Which is a sport, I suppose.