tcpip | CCNA , Game Development, Speaking, Taxes, Bigotry and more

Because I have an upcoming two weeks in Perth, I've had to move ahead somewhat in my Cisco classes at NMIT. Last night I sat the final two module tests (85.7%, 94.6%) and the end of semester exam (89.2%) and have therefore passed a couple of weeks early. Onward!

Visited Kyle Schuant on Thursday, designer of the d4-d4 roleplaying system which is quite a sound publication. He has also been making some good contributions to the Mimesis RPG list, which will receive a pretty thorough upgrade over the weekend as it beginning to attract a fair bit of traffic. For the Outbreak of Heresy game, I've taken the opportunity to put up some maps for Europe in 1560, Central Europe 1547, Medieval Commerce, the Ottoman Empire (two maps), and Medieval Universities. Links via the Heresy page.

Ever thought there was something unfair, upside down and back the front with our tax system? Apparently, under this government, it is designed to reward single income families with children who earn a lot of money. How about that for ideology? For an opportunity to hear about a voluntary tax system where you only pay for what you use, come along to tonight's Prosper Australia dinner.

Bronwyn Bishop is just a regular racist who hates freedom when it doesn't comply with her point of view. Leslie Cannold is a different sort of bigot - one who thinks that the way to achieve equality is through suppressing choice. On a related note, mainly because of a dissenting figure on the Committe of Management, the Melbourne Unitarian Church is having a debate (September 18) on the recent state legislation on racial and religious vilification. Speakers include Mark Zirnsak (Uniting Church, for the legislation), Anne O'Rourke (Liberty Victoria, against the legislation) and I'll be conducting the service; with a couple of choice readings, I assure you..

Pat Robertson called fro Chavez to be assasinated. In response? Venezuela to Provide Discounted Heating Oil and Free Eye Operations to U.S. Poor, Venezuela's CITGO to Provide Cheap Gas for U.S. Hospitals, Nursing Homes and Schools, Venezuela to Completely Overhaul Its Health Care System. I so enjoy seeing "actually existing socialism" that is libertarian, democratic and functional.

Meanwhile, in the UK publishers are desperate to stop the research findings of British academics being made online for free. A case of vested interests against the public good.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

err - did I leave a comment here you've edited out? Was it that offensive? Or has my computer suffered an update-fart?

As I understand it, the requirement would only apply to research conducted under the aegis of a government grant. A paper that somebody wrote "off their own bat" would still be theirs to publish or not as they saw fit.

Yea, but your ridiculous problems are so much better than OUR ridiculous problems....

'course the grass is always greener on the other side.

Remember that the gulf war was launched after Saddam wanted Euros for his oil, or so I hear in the marxist-conspiracy circuit...

Heh. Now that is a shift in allegience!

Or has my computer suffered an update-fart?

I'd say this one... Repost! Repost!

Yea, but your ridiculous problems are so much better than OUR ridiculous problems....

Good point... But you guys have close neighbours that you can run to (e.g., Canada)... We have to cross the Tasman

(OK, we also have Indonesia.. kind of like Mexico I suppose)

Good job on the exams. :)

Thanks.

I interviewed a Venezuelan a few weeks ago, on a fairly casual basis, who went into great detail about how when people peacefully marched on Chavez to remove him, his supporters ran into the streets and started randomly shooting people.

Which doesn't say much for some of his supporters.

I guess the main points is that he's an elected leftist that's a survivor of a right-wing coup attempt (not too many of those) due to popular support and he keeps on doing things like the above.

I suspect he's a shoe-in for the 2006 presidential elections as well...

In a longer term, it's because Vietnam is an uppity ex-colony that keeps forcefully refusing to be re-colonised.

*nods* Beautiful summary.

Thanks. I've had to think this one through a few times because at first it just struck me as being so well, weird... I really couldn't understand what all the fuss was about... Why shouldn't a person wear what they want? Then, as it became clear to me that is wasn't the cloth, but what the cloth represented, it dawned on me.

I have similar thoughts on the argument that one person's freedom involves another person's loss of freedom...

It was Tuesday you visited, not Thursday. Bloody students, don't know what day it is;) "Sound publication"? That's like another guy who said, "good touch all around." What it means, I don't know, but it sounds good:)

Chavez is a good one. It's even better than when, after Sept 11 2001 attacks on the USA, Gaddafi was the first to offer condolences, money and support:D This is an offer they'll have to accept! Humiliate the elites, help the people. Excellent! Chavez's offer is conspicuously absent on CNN and Fox so far...;)

At least the USA has some cash to spend. They were a bit stingy after the Indian Ocean tsunami, they must have been saving up for their own disaster! Interesting to see that, moments after getting ten billion from Congress, Bush asks for private donations... hmmm, domestic disaster, government _expects_ private contributions? Even the most devout gun-wielding libertarian reckons there should be public funds for disasters, but not, apparently, Dubya... part-private, part-public. But I guess after learning that the people who were shut up in the Superdome were the ones who didn't have the fare out of town, nothing should surprise us.

What a country. What we have waiting for us under "under pays," eh? "No fare out of town? Then drown, you bastard."

Cheers,
Kyle

*rereads post*

You're right it was Tuesday. Typo on my part.

Apart the Cubans managed to deal with the hurricane with few problems. But they have neighbourhood committees that deal with almost everything. The advantages of decentralisation.

Caltrops at 10 paces??? Just use Fudge dice, ffs...

Heh. Probably the least popular aspect of the game is the use of the d4. Mind you, if that's the only substantive criticism....

Everyone has d4s, or can easily get them from a game store. Fudge dice, especially here Down Under, are a lot harder to get.

Also, 4d3 (as they are, effectively) give a different distribution of results than does d4-d4. 4dF gives +4 to -4, d4-d4 gives +3 to -3. 3dF also gives +3 to -3, but with a more evenly-scattered set of results. Besides whch, Fudge isn't a finished system, d4-d4 is:)

I hate d4 as well, if only because they don't roll, they just go clunk:) But they gave me the probability distribution and range of results I wanted. That's just the way game design is, you can't do everything you want in one system. Game systems are tools; you don't use a spanner to make a cabinet, and don't use a chisel to get a hubcap off a wheel. You can do it, but it's messy. And not every tool will be pretty in every way...;)

Cheers,
Kyle

Of course, because you're not dealing with real objects however, one can change the stages to fit the tool ;-)

That said, for the purposes of the game you're pretty much on the right scale for your game. The extremes of d4-d4 mean that an ordinary person will range from a complete failure to getting as good as trained athlete (brawn) or 2nd year uni student (brains) on a lucky day. This seems about right.

Sadly, I have to agree about not being able to get Fudge dice over here...

And I suppose that a looser arrangement of the probabilities suits the game better, with more chances of an "extreme" result (6.25% for +3) but at the same time not having a +4, I think it would balance out quite nicely...

It still gives you the chances of being able to miss someone at point-blank range, only to then be able to nail them in the head from 50 yards away

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CCNA , Game Development, Speaking, Taxes, Bigotry and more

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So you've found me eh?

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