IT Tasks, Global Warming, Gaming, Wheat!

[tcpip]

Sent out the first complete Red Friday for the year, which includes a review of the Australian Linux Conf 2006, Karen Overington's speech at the Ballarat Linux Install Fest, and a review of Sams' Fedora Core 4 Unleashed. On a related note, from squidb0i on the troubles of being a Linux distributor: "I have 22 years experience as a computer systems engineer. If you don't get CentOS off my websites, I'm contacting the FBI".

Global warming is accelerating with abnormal melting polar ice both in the Artic and in
the Antartic. The net result? Scientists forecast metre rise in sea levels this century (the article goes on to suggest that 6m is not improbable). Damn it all, I'll be joining the Greens if this keeps up. Or, on-topic, becoming the PR person for Prosper Australia (first thing I do is fix the website).

In the wonderful world of gaming, I've completing a partial playtest for the RuneQuest II module I'm running for Retrocon: The Deceptive Demon of Daggertooth!, which I'm repeating using the upcoming Mongoose RuneQuest rules for SydCon. Today I'll be finishing off my playtester notes for Deluxe Basic Role Playing, to be published by The Chaosium later this year. In home-brew gaming, as Outbreak of Heresy is nearing a conclusion (time travel! mythological monsters) I'm taking the lessons learned from that playtest to be included in Mimesis, which is about due for another lenthy revision.

How come everyone claims ignorance on the wheat for guns scandal. Two honourable suggestions; scroll down for AWB quick guide and Memo Mr Cole: here's how to finish. Prime Minister bleats: "I am not a liar".

Comments

[jahbulon.livejournal.com]

That CentOS link is classic comedy..

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Certainly one of the funniest things I've read for a while. I just had to forward it to /.

Love the line about how he welcomes the publicity. He'll regret those words.

[jahbulon.livejournal.com]

Certainly will.. Looks like the story is already making the usual rounds.

[baralier.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping his local rag picks up the story. Should be just the thing for a little "meet your local representatives".

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately I suspect only IT people will work out what a total dick he's been. Still, it'd be worth it just the same.

[zey.livejournal.com]

Sadly, you might be right. My rellies still don't understand what it is I do for a living.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

"Something with computers"?

[wildilocks.livejournal.com]

I like the Prosper Australia premise, but I truly doubt that it would be implementable under our current economic conditions: those who own the land now will never allow it. It would be far more likely to be implementable after a severe economic crash, which I'm expecting sometime in the next 10 years anyway for the variety of reasons I'm sure you're well aware of. I think at that point some sane, equitable policies could be introduced.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Australia distribution of resource ownership is significantly less equitable than that of income or fixed assets; one would suppose that means that more people should support it.

The fact that land taxes (aka resource rents) lead to greater productivity, lower land prices (yes, a tax that causes a good to fall in price), improves housing afforability and so forth is a rich source of political support - and also of resistance by those vested interests.

It's not going to be easy :/

[baralier.livejournal.com]

I reckon the AWB stuff is on a similar par with Germans and the concetration camps - people had an *idea* of what *might* be going on but if they didn't ask they wouldn't burdon themselves with the knowledge.

Though even *if* anything is proven I'm better it will all be swept under the rug with the usual Howard Government punishments for MPs who do "bad things".

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Except with the concentration camps it was only the average person who was unsure what was going on. The government, the senior members of state, the heads of major corporations - they all knew.

I suspect the same is with the AWB.

[splodgenoodles.livejournal.com]

No. My Dad was a teenager in a hospital in rural Australia prior to and during WW2, and he knew what was going on.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Well, people were aware there were concentration camps (Dachau was established in 1933 for example). But as Gilbert points out in "The Holocaust: The Jewish Tragedy" (London, 1986), when the exterminations were introduced during the war the Nazi high command tried their utmost to obsfuscate the practises, fearing mass opposition. Himmler gave particular orders that 'that no mention be made of the "special treatment of the Jews", instead calling it "transportation of the Jews towards the Russian East".

[livelurker.livejournal.com]

Your Red Friday link should be http://www.levlafayette.com/redfriday0602.php

[livelurker.livejournal.com]

The one from this blog entry, that is.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Right you are guv.