IT Work, Roleplaying, Socrates, and (mostly) WA science fiction fans

[tcpip]

IT work is varied; since last week it has consisted of two days for Datalink on server migrations, one day for Borderlands, fixing databases, half a day on a small LAN/wireless net for a guy who makes his money playing the marginal sharemarket and a day doing web development for a motor company. Two tales worthy of telling on these matters; firstly my boss at Datalink is a genius. He communicates very with the small team of seven, with daily staff meetings. He inspires, pushes gently, helps when he can, and knows the tech stuff really well. The second tales concerns the motor company. This is the website that I tried to get the contract about a year ago. They went for people who cost about seven times as much and wanted a fully fledged database driven system. A year later, with no development on the site, they've come back to me. How about that, eh?

Friday night I playtested RuneQuest IV with Andrei and caseopaya. For the first time in many years (like, almost 25) of playing RQ I actually managed to play in Glorantha. I am sure this is some sort of record. My character is gruff Bison-rider named Tarkhan (Waha initiate) and caseopaya has a Satarite trader (Issairies initiate). Saturday day, I updated everyone's posts for Ten Thousand Islands; they're all tripped out at Borobudur in their version of "heaven" with one character communing with Merapi, but that's you get for being an animist. Sunday was more gaming, with the Outbreak of Heresy campaign. Having dropped Francis David off at his theological college the PCs are off on another mad murder mystery. Practical upshot; we're collectively revising the Wikipedia entry on Francis David; dukeofmelbourne I expect verifiable evidence of your claim that the Hussites had armoured wagons.

Related issues: I'm giving the service at the Melbourne Unitarian Church on August 21st on "Religion and Role Playing". Seriously! Currently thinking up a snappy description (like "You're all SATANISTS - and we actually don't mind") to encourage attendance by gamers. Suggestions welcome. Also, I'm thinking of getting in contact with the local Magyar association (yes, horngirl, I'm looking at you), about anything the Church can do about the profound injustice to Hungary called the Versailles Treaty. Besides, we may find some more Francis David scholars.

Speaking of scholars (see how this works), the Unitarian Church Philosophy group has, on my constant nagging, started a course on The Last Days of Socrates. We did Euthyphro and discussed how is a very clever secular text, as Socrates shows that Euthyphro (the best theologian in Athens), cannot provide grounding to his ideal of piety, and how it is actually a subset of "the good".

Sociability this weekend consisted of dinner and drinks with darklion and kremmen on Thursday, a 30th birthday for a 2600 member and then on to the Continuum 3 masquerade ball, where I caught up with Grant Stone, Sue-Anne, darklion, doctor_k, strangedave, baralier, and domesticmouse. Sunday was a late dinner with more WA SF fans, including _fustian, livelurker, delicious_irony, darklion, kremmen and others who's nic I've forgotten already (c'mon people, help me out here...). Last night skipped a Neil Gaiman signing in preference to saving poor severina_242 from another visit to the dentist. Afterwards she told me all that it wrong with the latest Harry Potter book. By the sounds of it, I think Ms. Rowling has lost the plot. But she's so rich from suckers who'll still buy this steaming turd of a story, right?

Comments

[dcrisp.livejournal.com]

Ahh.. Missed you at the Shindig!

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Yes, there was a few people I missed - including hybrid_beast.

It's all a terrible shame! Next time I'll get my act together sooner!

[greylock.livejournal.com]

Afterwards she told me all that it wrong with the latest Harry Potter book.

All wrong?
I wouldn't quite go that far.
I've been quietly thinking of it as "Anne Rice Syndrome".
Clearly, she's changed from being a pauper to absurdly rich, lost interest, regained interest, and has lost the firm hand of an editor to tell her where she's going wrong.

[andricongirl.livejournal.com]

it no as if it was ever brilliant writing or anything though

[callistra.livejournal.com]

I'm with both of you here, it wasn't THAT bad, but it wasn't brilliant. It was a nice way to waste a few hours.

I wonder if that puts her into the same category as Dan Brown, who I class as "travel reading" because it's light, non-confrontational, and best read in a single sitting.

I also think this one was better than the last one. The last one sucked harder.
;-)

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

"All that is wrong", not "All wrong". An important difference. I'm sure the book has a redeeming feature, or even maybe two.

[greylock.livejournal.com]

Ah. It's been a long day filled with the economic impact of amine unit corrosion on overall plant profitability.

[catsidhe.livejournal.com]

Redeeming Features:

• The kids are all acting as completely believable 16-year-olds. Confused, horny, emotional, irrational, angry, morose, reactive, you know, sixteen.
• The traditional Happy Ending isn't. (If I were to say one more thing it would be a spoiler.)
• Long-standing assumptions are re-assessed
• despite some reviews, she did listen to an editor this time, at least, more than for Order of the Phoenix.

Not-so-redeeming features

• The adults are mostly acting like 16-year-olds as well. Although, a more developed student of human nature will be gratifyingly surprised by the accuracy here.
• The editor was listened to, but not always obeyed.
• This is not a book that those 10-year-old kids will necessarily appreciate when they finish it. (Note, that doesn't mean that they can't cope with it, despite the "think of the child-run" crowd, but they will get a shock.)

[lederhosen.livejournal.com]

Oh, it does. Without even *reading* it, I've been keeping my heart warm for the last couple of days just savouring the drama generated by all those heartbroken shippers who discovered their Most Despised Pairing is now canon. Or the ones who've invested their souls in Blaise Zabini fanfic and now find their world shattered because JKR has mentioned that he's BLACK.

[amarynth.livejournal.com]

The profound injustice done to Hungary by the Versailles Treaty?

You're kidding, right?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

No, not at all. The Hungarians lost 1/3 of their people and 1/2 their natural resources and population. Attempts to form an independent Republic of Transylvannia were likewise rejected by the Treaty.

[amarynth.livejournal.com]

Trust me, I'm very much familiar with the terms of the Treaty of Versailles vis-a-vis Hungary. But far too many Hungarian governments, from Horthy on to Medgassy, have concentrated far too much on getting a revision of their borders, which is likely to have little to no effect on the quality of life of the average Hungarian. The idea that only when an ethnic/cultural group is able to encapsulate all of its territorially contingent members within a single nation-state are its people truly able to consider themselves to be fulfilling their expectations of life is at best a distraction from the real issues and at worst a cause for repression and adventurism.

Not to mention that the Hungarian state that preceded Versailles was formed, if not by vindictive international treaties, then by the arrangements of a tiny minority of elites. So I'm not sure if it's necessarily something that deserves to be preserved for its own sake. And yes, I am talking about the ethnic Hungarian lands alone, not considering Croatia and such like.

[shorxrore.livejournal.com]

yo i'm so confused! i got like 10 scenes at once for 10k islands. que pasa!?! did i just get delayed e-mails or did you send them all out at the same time?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Heh. One version of heaven for each of the characters.

You know, Topeng's is based on the layout for the Library of Alexandria. Just a lot bigger...

"Religion and Role Playing" title suggestions:

[imajica-lj.livejournal.com]

1) Jesus Christ fails his critical in the garden of Gethsemane...
2) Why Paul should NEVER EVER EVER EVER have been allowed to be GM.
3) The Bible and D&D 3.5, a comparison of popular fantasy works.

Re: "Religion and Role Playing" title suggestions:

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

*snicker* They're all good. Mind if I used all of them?

Re: "Religion and Role Playing" title suggestions:

[lederhosen.livejournal.com]

Or the perennial favourite: "Jesus saves, and takes half damage!"

[ironed_orchid]

Now I'm imagining Grant Stone getting a livejournal.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

*nods* Very good idea indeed. I'll make said recommendation on my next piece of correspondence to him.

Of course, his love will remain radio...

[horngirl.livejournal.com]

Me? Er... I'm not really sure how I can help. I don't really know people in the communities, and my father, who used to be quite heavily involved at the Magyar Haz out in Wantirna, is run off his feet getting his new business set up.

I guess you could make enquiries though, both at the Magyar Haz, and at the MHBK (if that's what they're still known as) in North Fitzroy.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Hey, you're the only Hungarian I know in this town... And besides, you did a great job on the mythology... The following has become a major quest item...

An ancient Scythian legend tells of the Sword of God. Those in possession of this sword are invincible and are destined to rule the world. This is also the sword of Hungarian mythology (Isten Kardja). Atilla, the great leader of the Huns, acquires this sword. This is a sign from God that he is to be the most powerful ruler on Earth. Atilla then succeeds to defeat the Barbarian tribes and the Roman Empire, uniting the Huns into the most powerful empire in the world. He is seen as the scourge of God, sent to punish and destroy evil."

Not a nice sword at all!

And I've just found this

http://chicagohungarians.com/radics/

[casca-2u.livejournal.com]

The masked ball sounds like a real fun affair! Wonder what you went as? And also curious about how you helped severina_242 from going to the dentist... :-) some hidden talents (among your many) that I am not aware of?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I'm going to doubly disappoint you on account of my hurried grammar... I didn't were a mask to the masquerade.. and I helped severina_242 from the dentist's (i.e., post-dentist, on how to get home when drugged to the eyeballs)..

[mireille21.livejournal.com]

Damn, and I missed you at the ball. Mind you, I was hard to spot myself being all in costume with a mask and all. Better luck next time eh? Cheers.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Mind you, I was hard to spot myself being all in costume with a mask and all

Heh. That would make things difficult!

I spent most of my time at the bar, working on the assumption that most people would head in that direction at least once...

But when I went downstairs and ran into Grant... well, that was the end of my masquerade visit...