Writing and Gaming Update, Industrial (etc) Music, Work Stuff

[tcpip]

Well, I've finished my three chapters for the new edition of Campaign Law. Specifically they are concerned with using the literary model (narrative, characterisation, setting, theme/motif and style) in roleplaying games, generation of cosmology and 'realistic' physical worlds and the same for societies and cultures. I am very pleased with the work I've done not only in the scope (as it crosses social, physical and aesthetic pragmatics), the quality of the content, but also the blunt, formal yet highly readable writing style. Damn it's going to good when that book comes out. In other gaming news, finally got around to running a session of Swordbearer on Friday which was a real blast, especially when it was based in The Hidden Shrine of Tamochan. On Sunday converted all the characters in the fantasy Japan/Ainu game to far more sensible Bushido which, despite obviously coming from the day clear writing in system rules, is far more evocative and substantial. Lastly, on Saturday the AD&D1e Norman Britain game came to an end after almost 15 months with a victory for the noble venturers over Arachne's plans to unravel the threads of space and time. Thus ends (AD&D speak here) UAGDQ...

For fans of industrial music squidb0i reports an amazing new Skinny Puppy song. Heh. Catchy isn't it? A week ago I didn't even know who Rick Astley was. Now I'm engaging in the Internet meme of Rickrolling. There's a certain amount of coolness in the old guy yet, eh?. In other music-related news, I snapped up a copy of the 25th anniversary edition of The Chameleons' Scipt of the Bridge. Go on, tell me another CD which receives 5/5 from 43 reviews and sells for a minimum of $52USD? Yes, The Chameleons and Script of the Bridge in particular are that good. Naturally enough I picked up a t-shirt to go with the re-issue as well. Go get some. Thanks to hbdeath, I've also been alerted that John Foxx, the original lyricist and singer from Ultravox! is touring Australia with music and a new movie. I am so there.

Many of my friends get annoyed at the workplace, by bosses, cow-orkers and so forth including my dear caseopaya. She's changing jobs at the moment and is being struck by a rather immature workplace that feels that she's deserting them for a better place. Whilst that aspect is true, it doesn't excuse their childish and snide attitude. But such behaviour does occur in so many workplaces, and often in business that are about to go down the tubes. So to all my friends who experience this sort of thing - and it happens with alarming regularity - follow the tcpip law of work which states: "It is never important enough to let them upset you". In other words, take a seriously phlegmatic approach. Meanwhile at my work, apart from a praised scripting hack, I have also taken on the role of being OHS officer for the floor and completed First Aid training. OK, so it's pretty minor but as a kid I wanted to be a doctor (no, not of philosophy). This is probably as close as I'll get.

Comments

[greylock.livejournal.com]

A week ago I didn't even know who Rick Astley was.

Jezus. What kind of heavy drugs were you doing in 1987?
I thought you were all up with the SAW revolution.
I mean, I can understanding you know knowing (um...) Sonia, but Mr Astley? He's even referenced in 'Born To Be Mild'.

For fans of industrial music squidb0i reports an amazing new Skinny Puppy song
I was wondering if that was the crumping Skuppy video. Glad to know it isn't.

I want a Chameleons T-shirt damn it... but to replace my vinyl. I can't do it.

/Of course John Foxx skips Perth.... I am more annoyed about Stiff Little Fingers doing the same, but it gets old.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Jezus. What kind of heavy drugs were you doing in 1987?

'87? Communism (Trotskyist). The one thing I've certainly included from that experience is a resilience and ignorance of most popular culture.

I want a Chameleons T-shirt damn it... but to replace my vinyl. I can't do it.

No paypal?

Of course John Foxx skips Perth....

The disadvantages of the most isolated city in the world.

[greylock.livejournal.com]

'87? Communism (Trotskyist). The one thing I've certainly included from that experience is a resilience and ignorance of most popular culture.

I suppose it's me not knowing Rhianna's Umbrella.

No paypal?

I killed it. But... oh, my, The Chameleons...

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

... Must resist googling Rhianna's Umbrella...

Yeah, The Chameleons... Not only that but Mark Burgess is releasing a biography entitled "View from The Hill". I've pre-ordered mine.. Yeah, paypal again...

Did you have a bad paypal experience?

[greylock.livejournal.com]

Did you have a bad paypal experience?

No. I just allowed it to lapse when my old credit card expired.

[amarafox.livejournal.com]

I should have not stayed in a crappy job until I got laid off, it wrecked me. I'm better now, but man, that sucks. Working for 4o year olds that act like highschoolers is not fun.

[greylock.livejournal.com]

Club, meet my liver.

Hiya amy!

Psychic Vampires

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Junior high schoolers at that.

Yeah, I wonder how some people have managed to get stuck in that mental state for the rest of their lives..

Re: Psychic Vampires

[amarafox.livejournal.com]

I was horrified. These people would brag about how much money they spent on alcohol and how drunk they got. And then they let me stay slightly undredressed (I didn't think I was, because the guys all dressed casually, so I dressed as they did) for 3 months, until my review, then humiliated me by telling me not to 'Dress like a fucking teenager'

Apparently women were supposed to dress up more than the men.

Re: Psychic Vampires

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

then humiliated me by telling me not to 'Dress like a fucking teenager'

I would calmly tendered my resignation at that point, even if I did need the money. That sort of attitude simply isn't acceptable anywhere, let alone a workplace.

Mind you, I once was expelled from a private school because I wonder adhere to the dress code.

[lardarsegreg.livejournal.com]

Good. Looks like someone else explained it to you...

Small history lesson (quoting from the Encyclopedia Dramatica article):

Rickrolling began on 4chan's /v/ imageboard on the day of Grand Theft Auto 4's official website premier. However, due to heavy traffic on the website, it was impossible to watch the trailer for quite some time, so Anonymous took it upon himself to link everyone to a supposedly leaked trailer hosted on YouTube:

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Good. Looks like someone else explained it to you...

So you don't have to do it? :-P

That Encyclopedia Dramatica quote has several degress of pranskter in it.

[mr-figgy.livejournal.com]

Friend of mine (mildred_strange) considers Rickrolling the best prank ever as she was already a fan of Rick in the first place. I think the LA Times interviewed him about it recently...?

Was listening to a DJ Somnambulist broadcast where he put Skinny Puppy's latest in his top ten releases of 2007 because, even though half the album is apparently unlistenable garbage, the other half is excellent stuff. I haven't heard it all to make a judgment about that but the one song I did hear was good, gory sample ending and all.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I think it's prettty good that Astley himself approves of the prank. That's a good sign.

...half the album is apparently unlistenable garbage, the other half is excellent stuff.

A problem with some SP fans is that the end up listening to the former so much that they can hear the hidden rhythms that the rest of the species recoils from :-)

[tempusfrangit.livejournal.com]

I will never be able to leave a comment worthy of your entries. :(

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

How about experiences with dodgy cow-orkers? Everyone has at least one of those stories..

[tempusfrangit.livejournal.com]

I've never really had a job. (I'm permanently brain damaged and multi-disordered) .. I could complain about my neighbors, the heat and sleeping too much.. but that's not relevant.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Actually that's a very good answer. It can serve as a gentle reminder for people not to let work colleagues 'get' to them.

See, you can contribute meaningfully to this journal! :-)

[tempusfrangit.livejournal.com]

Also could serve as a gentle reminder not to look down on disabled people with no visible disabilities.. :)

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

*nods*

There are still plenty of people out there who still think mental disabilities are a myth. Well, in a sense they are because they're not 'mental' per se, but physical problems with the brain.

The way I've tried to explain it to some is just like diabetics have a pancreas that doesn't function as it should chemically in the production of insulin there are necessary mood-determining chemicals in the brain which are just as prone to being a tad dysfunctional..

Sometimes people understand that analogy. Usually there's a lot of "Yes, but" and I suppose with some justification. After all there's some studies of people who claim a biological issue (say, "I have lactose intolerance") for something they simply don't like the taste of (they should say "I don't like milk!")

[tempusfrangit.livejournal.com]

Well, anyone who thinks mental illness is a myth should have to live 3 days in my head. Mandatory minimum sentence.

[lardarsegreg.livejournal.com]

Spending 3 days in the head of someone who has mental health issues (I'm not sure that "mental illness" is an entirely suitable way of describing it) could be a suitable punishment for certain crimes...

As for making posts on his quality level... anything that is relevant to your life is relevant to a blog post. The main barrier is more likely to be if you actually want to talk about it. That's my main barrier right now...

[demonhellfish.livejournal.com]

Or travel on the New York City subway system. There's an amazing number of people here with schizophrenia and Tourette's.

[lardarsegreg.livejournal.com]

The way I've tried to explain it to some is just like diabetics have a pancreas that doesn't function as it should chemically in the production of insulin there are necessary mood-determining chemicals in the brain which are just as prone to being a tad dysfunctional..

Am I the only person who hates the "chemical imbalance" explainaitions that people come up with?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Possibly not, but it is a factor in some cases. In others it is a "mimetic imbalance". In others still is a genuine reflection of the environment, in which cases 'cures' are a type of social control.

[jonathankorman.livejournal.com]

I read the Swordbearer rules years ago, but never managed to get a game together. Was the magic system as satisfying in gameplay as I have always imagined?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

There are clunky aspects to the magic system but as a whole it really is quite brilliant. I also decided to let the PCs determine their own internal spiritual humours as a guide to their character's personalities.

Swordbearer was one of favourite games as an adolescent; we only managed a few sessions but I have very fond memories of the experience.

[jonathankorman.livejournal.com]

That's encouraging. I've long had the itch to give it a try. After twenty five years of dice and bad acting I still haven't found a magic system I find fully satisfying, though 3rd Edition RuneQuest came close ...

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

*nods* I agree with you entirely. Some sort of merger between RQ3rd ed and Swordbearer would be great... I have made such recommendations to the RQ rules list in the past..

[jonathankorman.livejournal.com]

Aye, that's definitely the flavour I've always wanted from my swords 'n' sorcery. Now if I could only find a system in which you could run John Constantine as a character ...