tcpip | Planet Earth, The Swine Hunt, Gaming, OS Wars

Planet Earth, The Swine Hunt, Gaming, OS Wars

This Sunday I'm giving a presentation at the Melbourne Unitarian Church on "The Future of the Planet Earth", where I discuss potential disasters in international relations, politics and especially the environment. I neither seek to alarm or to appease, but rather to give a solid presentation of factual information to the best possible knowledge provided scientific knowldge.

I was supposed to be the the poster child of the revolution in the great hunt against The Swine (those who support theory and system in RPGs). I was supposed to become 'the first stuffed pig mounted in the commemorative smoking room of the Great Swine Hunt". Instead, it seems it was a total disaster for the the RPGPunbdit and

jimboboz. Read it yourself for great amusement value. My personal favourites were the enlightening "It's written on the box" and

phasmaphobic's summary. When I get around to it I'll also do a write-up of the Ten Thousand Islands game too. I guess The Year of the Pig is not the time to call a Swine Hunt, eh?

In other gaming news, I've started an epic-level high fantasy HeroQuest Glorantha PBeM with eleven players. AD&D Norman Britian on Sunday will see further investigation of the slavelords of Navarre (and the tie to the historical War of the Three Sanchos). Next Friday is Everway Aesheba. Next Sunday is the first game of Dragonlords (at the moment little more than RuneQuest (3rd ed) plus house rules). Adopting a holding position in Diplomacy. I think that brings the number of people I do regular gaming with to over thirty. Oh, I've been told that my Rolemaster Companion will be re-released this year (after fourteen years!)

Senior IT security expert warns to stay away from MS-Windows Vista. ("The Vista Content Protection specification could very well constitute the longest suicide note in history"). Eric Raymond tells Linux developers that 2008 is a hard deadline in their attempts to gain world domination.

And valedictions to the great author and discordian philosopher: Robert Anton Wilson has died.

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Good luck with your presentation. I felt so bad about RAW. But now his pain has ended.

"O Kriton, we still owe a rooster to Asclepius"

Yes.*sniff* Damn that rooster! I wonder if it was really what Socrates said in the end? Even if not -- wow. I have to start thinking of something great to say...

What can one do but carry on? And you--YOU-- are brave and I'm grateful for those who speak out. I can't believe that there are still people who believe that human beings aren't 'big' enough to do that much damage o_0. I get so discouraged sometimes. I get mad that I'm so lazy and leave the work you you, <lj user="tcpip". I'm proud of you!

I can't believe that there are still people who believe that human beings aren't 'big' enough to do that much damage

That's an interesting angle. I really hadn't thought of it that way. I'll see if I can include it somehow in the presentation.

Thanks for the (too kind!) words.

That swine war just keeps getting better and better. I just love reading vitriolic rants from opinionated individuals i've never heard of until this week.

Oh, and it's a shame about RAW. But you know, when the UFO comes to take you away, what can you do?

I think the swine war is pretty much over, although it was pretty damn funny. It is interesting that many with the foulest mouths have the thinnest skin.

RAW had a life to be proud of. He would have known, in his last moments, that he inspired and amused hundreds of thousands of people all over the world. That's something to feel happy about.

They say you can judge a man by the quality of his enemies.

Let us hope this is not true, since Nisarg and Schaunt are pathetic fuckwits.

An enemy is someone you engage where there's actual substance to the opposition ;-)

I stand in awe of the patience and calmness you exhibited in your participation in the discourse on that 'RPGPundits' forum. Wow. I don't know what that RPGPundit person is on, but they need to either halve or double their dose. I don't game, because it eats my life, but I can follow the arguments, and I think 'phasmaphobic' summed up the contrasting debate styles nicely:

"Here's a synopsis of the debate so far:

Lev and Crew: Intelligent discourse!
Pundit and crew: F***er!
Lev and Crew: Ignoring the mud-slinging, Intelligent counterpoint
Pundit and crew: So's your mom! F***er!
Lev and Crew: Diligently proving you wrong
Pundit and crew: Sh*t in your eye! My ego is bigger than yours!
(rinse and repeat)

Keep it up, guys, this is better than Springer."

As I read it, to deserve selection as 'first swine target' you committed the horrible, horrible crime of saying:

GM good, Players good, System good.
Is better than:
GM good, Players Good, System bad.
(ie: the system does matter)

You later said:
GM good, Players good, System bad.
Is better than.
GM bad, Players good, System good.
(ie: a good system cannot make up for an awful GM)

Is that Right? Is failure to understand that really what all their chin-spittle was about?

Great synopsis. You got it pretty much spot-on.

Calmness and patience isn't really that hard when one's reading of the alter's comments leads to bemusement more than anything else. It really was better than anything I have ever seen on Springer (except for the possibly the "I lurve my daddy" and the "hairdresser ruined my life" episodes).

What gets me the most about the "pundit"'s arguements is that he swears you said something you didn't, and then when it is clearly and succinctly proven to him that no, you did not in fact say what he thought you said, he still denied it, and continued to rather angrily and foul-mouthedly swear the same thing.

Some people just can't listen to, tolerate, or discuss reason.

One thing that popped in my head this morning is that surely one day in the future, when he's old, sick and probably with cancers eating his lungs, is that he might even consider what an incredible waste of time and energy his behaviour has been.

Heavens know I find myself often looking at the wastes of time and social graces that were several prime moments of my youth. Thing is, I understand he's an older fellow, perhaps aged 40 or so. I'd think he's pretty set in his ways, and his only thoughts of these times in the later years will be as a glory ride in his imaginary war against his imaginary enemies.

One is certainly entitled for "youthful language". However as time goes on the rational person realises that time is limited and best spent with reasonable people, rather that the impolite.

Everyone burns their candle in their own way. I burn a bit hot at times, but I like that at times. Still, I do try to be reasonable about it all. After all if there is one thing I've learned from my job is that patience really is a virtue.

Sometimes the opportunity does present itself for a good flaming, I agree - and it's hard to resist. But, as I mentioned I think in the last post the flames that burn the coolest are the most effective.

What's your job?

I work as a Corrections Officer in my states highest security level prison. We're sort of the end of the line for everyone who can't behave once inside prison walls.

I always think of flaming as a poor descriptive, but I guess it's fair. I'm a fairly sarcastic person in real life, in what I hope is a humorous way, but likely isn't always. I try to keep my posts online in a format to represent how I would say it in real life-it's easier for me, and more honest. (A lot of people make use of dictionaries, and google to make themselves look better. While I do use a spell checker (Most of the time. Heh.), I try not make more posts any more artificial than they have to be.

At any rate I guess my point is I am used to dealing with people who get hostile pretty quick, and aren't afraid to act on those impulses. I tend to diffuse them with humor. (And occasionally use of force, should it be needed.) As such I'm pretty thick skinned, and quick on my feet when it comes to what we call the "blaze game." I don't shy away from these discussions, as I find them amusing-most of the time. (Yes, I'm that guy who tapes a quarter to the floor to see how many people stop and try to pry it up.)

I work as a Corrections Officer in my states highest security level prison. We're sort of the end of the line for everyone who can't behave once inside prison walls.

Bloody hell. That would take nerves and a mind of steel.

If I was fortunate enough to have your public profile, I think I would treat someone like RPGpundit as a spammer - never, ever, reply, respond, react, or other things beginning with r. Then again, that's probably not how to get a public profile.

Sensible advice, and one I do actually keep on trying force myself to do (although I usually fail, as I'm a real sucker for debate).

I also make exceptions when it's entertaining enough to engage in (such as with the RPGPundit) or when a useful point can be made among the rabid frothing.

Gah! I got to the point where you asked him to wipe the spittle off his chin and went "Okaaaay! I would have block banned the f***er ages ago." Of course it's a bit hard to ban him from his own forum, but seriously! Reminds me of the interviews with the leadership of the National Front in England. Both have that "Don't let the facts get in the way" attitude.

Of course it's a bit hard to ban him from his own forum, but seriously!

Someone half-jokingly asked that once. Apparently he has been given the boot from a number of forums in the past, not that I've investigated it...

I remember Nisarg from RPG.net. Always entertaining, but an early departure when they started to crack down.

At first they came for the loudmouths, but I said nothing, for I was not a loudmouth....

At first they came for the loudmouths, but I said nothing, for I was not a loudmouth....

I would be among one of the first to stand up for the right to loudmouths to have their own little corner of the Internet.... Just as also agree with the right of site owners to engage in whatever editorial discretion they so desire.

I hope there's spaceships and half naked hot alien chicks featuring in it. ;P

What, the future of planet earth or RAW's death? Or both?!

Personally it's what i'm hoping for as well

Just finishd reading ESR's article (thanks for th link),
and it's refreshing to see geeks realising
that th main limitations to tech are human factors.

I agree with his main points:
that linux needs to attract a large non-tech user base before
the 64-bit architecture deadline in 2008,
and that th key stumblin block for linux within this timeframe
is all those proprietary multimedia codecs.

I do not entirely agree, however,
with his proposed methods for winning this battle.

His points on putting aside idealistic notions of open source purity
in favour of more pragmatic means in the short term, i applaud.
If we can take this preliminary watershed battle,
then we'r able to continue to fight on all those other issues
which th linux community hold so dear.

The idea of bundlin together binaries of all th relevant codecs
to provide a simple one-step completion to any linux installation -
that is also wonderfully practical thinking,
as anathema as kludges are to th thought processes of th avg geek.

But as to th possibility of providing this legally? Pfft!
Though they spend hours simulating warriors in their spare time,
geeks do not think like warriors.
Even if they could thread their way thru this legal minefield,
th path would simply be closed again by one dirty trick or another.
Microsoft, Apple, th RIAA & MPAA, and th host of other IP holders,
they'r not just goin to hand over all that power, are they?
And between them, they can afford more lawyers.
You do not conquer by fightin on yr opponent's terms.

The path to victory can be summed up in one word: China.
Th world is about to get at least a couple hundred million new computer users,
probably more than 50 mil before th 2008 deadline.
They'l have a natural distrust of American monopolies.
They'l mostly be buying very low-end systems
(which, incidentally, will extend that deadline somewhat),
so th cost of proprietary software will be a significant issue.
They have no entrenched software usage patterns.
The majority will also likely be selecting from
a small number of generic systems from major manufacturers,
reducing hardware issues.

How to capture this market?
Well initiatives like Ubuntu have already begun th task.
We need to make sure such distros are
thoroughly mandarin & cantonese friendly.
With such a huge virgin non-US market in th offing,
th OEMs won't be so fearful of th wrath of Microsoft,
as long as they and their customers know
you just need to DL one big file or copy one CD
and bam! th linux installation's done.
Th Chinese won't balk at a little piracy,
far from it, it'l give em a thrill!
Esp if it saves em 250 bucks (whatever that is in yuan).
This will be th killer app that Windows won't survive.
And fuck callin it "the Codex",
how intellectual and eurocentric is that?
Th Middle Kingdom couldn't care less
if Bill Gates bought Leonardo's old notebook,
they won't see th humour.
If the idea is to go for mass appeal,
then find out what "window-breaker" is in mandarin, and call it that.
In th west, we could call it "bill-killer".

Now, the US corporations will kick up a fuss, apply pressure,
but it'l only be a few years beyond 2008 until th greenback collapses,
and after that, it's all over bar th shoutin,
cos Asia contains all th infrastructure for buildin th damn machines,
outsourcing saw to that,
and without th machines, there is no software.

Linux, take th initiative: go Chung Gwo!

Well, given ESRs politics, do you really think you could see him supporting the "let's promote Linux in China" idea? ;-)

Certainly, th majority of th linux community would
disapprove of th policies of th Chinese govt,
but as ESR himself admitted in that essay
(and Chomsky's pointed out many a time),
your short term goals don't always match yr long term goals,
but hopefully they'l lead to them.

Guess i shoulda emphasised th diff between
distributing an idea thru th Chinese state,
and giving it directly to th Chinese populace.
Those ppl are crying out for decentralised info transmission,
it's much more meaningful to them in that situation,
and all they need is th opportunity.
It seems to me that Microsoft would assist China th state
in keeping a lid on such info freedom
(indeed, they'r doing just that over here for th corps),
but i think the state might temporarily be sold on open source
using national security paranoia (worked in Venezuela).

Also, i apologise for not including India,
who'r shapin up to be even more infotech hungry than China.

How do you think th linux community will adapt,
when it's two-thirds Asian?

I agree with what you say about India and China. Indeed, OSS may indeed be an as much as benefit to those wanting information freedom as the political leadership that wants information security. Strange that..

I think the Linux community will react quite positively. They're probably among the least racist collective group on the planet. Not exactly always culturally knowledgeably, but less likely to engage in social blunders any less than their norm ;-)

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Planet Earth, The Swine Hunt, Gaming, OS Wars

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As a USENET grognard

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linux's killer app

Re: linux's killer app

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