![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Our data center (Internap) lost all its power, including redundant backup power. We're currently dealing with bringing our 100+ servers back online. Not fun. We're not happy about this. Sorry... :-/ More details later.
Heh. A fine start to SixApart's ownership of el-jay! ;-)
We all have personal backups of our el-jay don't we?
Meanwhile, Bad Subjects, one of my favourite political journals, is doing a theme issue on "Jesusland" following the influence of religious conservatism in US politics. With but a day to compose a piece, I sent in an Australian contribution which has been accepted for publication entitled The Rise of Reactionary Religious Politics in Australia. Keep in mind that religious institutions never gave up governing power voluntarily - and they will take it back as soon as they are given the opportunity. On a related topic, I am speaking at the Melbourne Unitarian Church on January 23 on "The Gifts of Providence and Common Wealth" where I tread in territory that I am extremely very cautious about - the point where metaphysics and economics get very close indeed.
I'm doing so pretty massive upgrades over the next two weeks to my business website and especially to the resources section; content based upgrades of course - I'm not into "pretty but dysfunctional" websites. Red Friday Issue 0501 has been released, which a review of The Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD Operating System. In other news main client #1 has given me the task of patching up their accessibility and compliance standards on their website - my favourite work, but I also forsee some BGP work in the near future. So all good in that department.
Over the past few weeks, as the
rest of the gaming world has apparently shifted to Blizzard's "World of Warcraft", I've been tag-teaming with
caseopaya following the purchase of Icewind Dale, Heart of Winter and Icewind Dale II (and sountrack) in a nice package set for $40. It's reminded me how much I enjoy simulation/roleplay gaming and so I've boosted up interaction in
my Ten Thousand Islands pbem. One other game which I'd like to get running once again is a pbem version of Empires of the Middle Ages, which has been used successfully in pbem on numerous occassions - often still using the revised rules which
dukeofmelbourne wrote some twenty years ago!
Have experienced a few very pleasurable dining and drinking events over the past couple of weeks.
greg visited from LA as part of his business move here, so
caseopaya and I took him down to the St Kilda foreshore where we dined at a seafood restaurant overlooking the bay and then off to a cocktail bar. I think we've enticed him sufficiently to return! Following a period where
severina_242 has been knocked out with that 'flu, she requested a dinner date which was a thoroughly delightful evening. Finally, as
ruthalas is returning to Western Australia,
caseopaya and I dined with him. All good culinary adventures! Finally last night I spent some time with the 2600 crew.
Whilst I have a lot of sympathy with
Duncan Kerr's comments that it's a bit goulish to be debating the political future of a sick man, I for one don't think he's been a particularly good leader even if most of the left (e.g., L. Ferguson, Kerr, Macklin and maybe Gillard) seem to be backing him. I've more of a Beazley supporter (and Lawrence even more so). Colbatch makes some interesting comments about the rise and fall of Latham. From the colourful ("a conga line of suckholes", "arse-licker", "the most incompetent and dangerous president in living memory") to the reasonable, to the failing under critical scrutiny.
The main negative of all this of course, is that it's distracting from the issue that the US has finally given up it's faux search for WMDs.
Could the Australian government please tell us what their excuse is for invading a soverign nation? Or would Messers Howard, Bush and Blair prefer to make their statements whilst in the dock? Meanwhile, after more than three years in prison, and after being
assaulted and kidnapped, Habib can go home. Of course,
Howard won't say sorry. He has a problem with that word.
Hansel and Gretel has been rewritten in a modern context; "The enchanted forest becomes a seedy red-light zone, the wicked witch an internet child predator and the children's parents are portrayed as a prostitute and a drug addict". More people are working for the dole, a scheme that does not work. My comments last year still apply. What happens when a Auschwitz guard confronts Holocaust deniers.
Heh. A fine start to SixApart's ownership of el-jay! ;-)
We all have personal backups of our el-jay don't we?
Meanwhile, Bad Subjects, one of my favourite political journals, is doing a theme issue on "Jesusland" following the influence of religious conservatism in US politics. With but a day to compose a piece, I sent in an Australian contribution which has been accepted for publication entitled The Rise of Reactionary Religious Politics in Australia. Keep in mind that religious institutions never gave up governing power voluntarily - and they will take it back as soon as they are given the opportunity. On a related topic, I am speaking at the Melbourne Unitarian Church on January 23 on "The Gifts of Providence and Common Wealth" where I tread in territory that I am extremely very cautious about - the point where metaphysics and economics get very close indeed.
I'm doing so pretty massive upgrades over the next two weeks to my business website and especially to the resources section; content based upgrades of course - I'm not into "pretty but dysfunctional" websites. Red Friday Issue 0501 has been released, which a review of The Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD Operating System. In other news main client #1 has given me the task of patching up their accessibility and compliance standards on their website - my favourite work, but I also forsee some BGP work in the near future. So all good in that department.
Over the past few weeks, as the
rest of the gaming world has apparently shifted to Blizzard's "World of Warcraft", I've been tag-teaming with
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
my Ten Thousand Islands pbem. One other game which I'd like to get running once again is a pbem version of Empires of the Middle Ages, which has been used successfully in pbem on numerous occassions - often still using the revised rules which
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
Have experienced a few very pleasurable dining and drinking events over the past couple of weeks.
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
Whilst I have a lot of sympathy with
Duncan Kerr's comments that it's a bit goulish to be debating the political future of a sick man, I for one don't think he's been a particularly good leader even if most of the left (e.g., L. Ferguson, Kerr, Macklin and maybe Gillard) seem to be backing him. I've more of a Beazley supporter (and Lawrence even more so). Colbatch makes some interesting comments about the rise and fall of Latham. From the colourful ("a conga line of suckholes", "arse-licker", "the most incompetent and dangerous president in living memory") to the reasonable, to the failing under critical scrutiny.
The main negative of all this of course, is that it's distracting from the issue that the US has finally given up it's faux search for WMDs.
Could the Australian government please tell us what their excuse is for invading a soverign nation? Or would Messers Howard, Bush and Blair prefer to make their statements whilst in the dock? Meanwhile, after more than three years in prison, and after being
assaulted and kidnapped, Habib can go home. Of course,
Howard won't say sorry. He has a problem with that word.
Hansel and Gretel has been rewritten in a modern context; "The enchanted forest becomes a seedy red-light zone, the wicked witch an internet child predator and the children's parents are portrayed as a prostitute and a drug addict". More people are working for the dole, a scheme that does not work. My comments last year still apply. What happens when a Auschwitz guard confronts Holocaust deniers.
no subject
Date: 2005-01-15 09:25 pm (UTC)It's kind of frightening. I'm about the biggest Warcraft fan there is out there and yet it seems like I'm about the only one not playing WoW. It's like everyone else is playing in my backyard but me.
Hopefully I'll get a Warcraft d20 game running sometime in March, and not make too much of a hash with my first DMing gig. Isle of Dread here we come...
no subject
Date: 2005-01-16 04:17 pm (UTC)You're doing module X1 as you're first DM gig?
My only recommendation is that you take it very slowly. Isle of Dread has several adventures on it. Indeed, there are no less than six suggested in the appendix (p26-27)
Also, assuming you're starting in in Specularum, gave a stop-over mini-adventure at the Kingdom of Ierendi or the Minrothad Guilds.
It'll keep you busy for months...
no subject
Date: 2005-01-15 09:55 pm (UTC)I've been reading Robert Anton Wilson's The New Inquisition, in which he makes an interesting point about Holocaust revisionists.
He says that Holocaust Revisionism (HR) rejects the rules by which historians play. It is not playing the History Game, because all evidence relating to the Holocaust is by definition tainted. This nth degree scepticism then begs the question, perhaps the case for Holocaust Revisionists themselves was all faked, as some sort of breaching experiment on the rest of humanity, to see if people believed that others would actually write such garbage.
Regarding Australia's sycophantic jump onto the warwagon: Is it possible to die of outrage? These bastards change their tune to suit the circumstances. Where is the justice? How can we bring our own Prime Minister to admit a mistake when there is no higher authority to object to? Is armed revolution our only recourse to justice or is there a legal solution? Damn and Blast!
no subject
Date: 2005-01-16 01:18 am (UTC)Stranglely, the latter have gained power and ascendancy through having garnished support from parties in power.
That's life under Howard. Sigh.
no subject
Date: 2005-01-16 04:06 pm (UTC)The former are having influence as well.
http://www.theage.com.au/text/articles/2005/01/16/1105810772491.html
no subject
Date: 2005-01-16 03:34 pm (UTC)We could take it to the Queen. After all, Howard did insist we keep her on as head of state. It would amuse me greatly if this was to be used against him.
no subject
Date: 2005-01-16 04:22 pm (UTC)Perfect! Of course, what surprises me is that such an action hasn't been initiated..
no subject
Date: 2005-01-16 04:21 pm (UTC)Well, yes. If Holocaust revisionists were to apply the same method to their own corpereal selves they would cease to exist.
One of the matters of "justice" is that there is always a real function of power operating independently from the ideal function of the legal code. The United States for example, was never charged over the bombing of Dresden.
no subject
Date: 2005-01-16 01:32 am (UTC)Staying with Latham means the party marches to the Right.
Going with Beazley means the party marches to the Right.
Going with Rudd or Smith may mean the party moves imperceptively to the Left.
Going with Carmen Lawrence isn't likely as she's still too tainted by memory lapses at the Royal Commission, which she'd be slapped with day after day.
Frankly, unless the ALP moves somewhere toward the Left, I'll continue to preference the National Party ahead of them on the basis that a little bit of rural socialism beats a lot of neo-conservative trickle-down economics.
no subject
Date: 2005-01-16 04:04 pm (UTC)Rudd, Smith, Beazley and Latham are all from the Right. It's a case of which "Right" you choose.
Beazley is a conservative on moral issues (which are fortunately the domain of the states) and on international affairs, but is left-of-centre on social welfare issues. Indeed, he's quite passionate about that.
You're quite correct about Lawrence. Macklin is playing the role of the loyalist no matter who is in charge (indeed, no matter who is leader, she'll be deputy). Other people from the left are too supsicious of Gillard, particularly after her role on asylum seeker issues.
no subject
Date: 2005-01-16 06:02 pm (UTC)If you thought the Latham's Bucks Night video or the Kernot/Evans relationship were damaging and distracting media feeding frenzies, neither would hold a candle to this one. And if Emerson's ex holds a grudge... ;-).
no subject
Date: 2005-01-16 06:40 pm (UTC)Hmmm.. I've often thought that politicians - and people - should get more stubborn about this sort of nonsense.
We're a long way from when the media starting going on about Cairns and Morosi - which led him to become more popular, rather than less...
no subject
Date: 2005-01-16 05:31 am (UTC)Nope.
The only tools seem to be for Linux or WinXP.
mass deletion and mass archiving are severe holes in LJ's service.
no subject
Date: 2005-01-16 04:00 pm (UTC)It was a rhetorical question...
This doesn't seem to be working atm
http://www.livejournal.com/export.bml
The other problem with it is that it doesn't save comments. Guess the only way to do it is by (*shudder*) entry-by-entry save html...
no subject
Date: 2005-01-16 07:30 pm (UTC)Silly LJ.
I may try LJbook at work.