RPG Review Issue 3, IT News, A Nuclear Weapons Free World?

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RPG Review Issue #3 has just been made available. It includes reviews of Mouse Guard and Houses of the Blooded, designer's notes for Fire & Sword, Summerland and Gulliver's Trading Company, an interview with Steve Long, the use of classic AD&D scenarios in a Middle-Earth campaign, a Paranoia scenario and a GURPS Bunnies & Burrows easter special scenario "Return to Druid's Valley" (derived from Different Worlds issue #3), Sexuality in Blue Planet, a rewrite of the core mechanics for Palladium, QAD; a complete roleplaying system, an RPG crossword puzzle and, of course, more friendly advice from Orcus. On a related note (news from allandaros), two classic game designers, Aaron and Allston and Dave Arneson are both seriously ill. Allston is recovering from a heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery and Arneson is losing his battle with cancer. Played another session of Dragon Warriors on Friday night, Hacker with ser_pounce and hathalla on Saturday and Gulliver's Trading Company on Sunday.

Already mentioned heavily on el-jay and elsewhere is the Federal government's decision to establish a public-private company to the tune to provide fibre-to-home service. Contrary to the hyperbolic claims, the $43 billion dollar over eight years price tag is fairly modest; indeed it is somewhat less than the personal income tax-cuts announced in the last (2008-2009) budget which occur over five years. On a much more personal scale, I've finally started adding new content on my IT website, after many months of being a content-free zone - installation steps for scientific software, probably of minimal interest to only the few who use these obscure (but important) programs. Going to the Linux Users Victoria meeting tonight; will be interesting to hear arjen_lentz explain why failure is not an emergency.

Two days ago, in Prague, Obama called for the abolition of nuclear weapons: "So today, I state, clearly and with conviction, America's commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.". I haven't seen a statement this strongly worded since the times of Gorbachev, and hope that something comes out of it. Of course, ending nuclear weapons isn't necessarily a path to peace and security as the President claims. I tend to think that path is a world without standing armies (I must elaborate that letter into a general article).

Comments

[ninboydean.livejournal.com]

I'm completely skeptical of Obama. We have seen him make a number of grand speeches, claims and calls to act. But we have seen very little by the way of significant changes. He is basically a good propagandist, and considering his policies on prisoner abuse, and the mild, liberal changes he has effected, he will not stand out for his policies.

Wat good is reduced nuclear capacity when we have intensified conflicts in Afghanistan?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Whilst I intuitively agree with the need to be skeptical of all leaders, I think Obama has been largely positive in the changes thus far:

But we have seen very little by the way of significant changes.

Ordering the shutdown of Guantanamo detention centre and the immediate end to the Guantanamo military commission. and requiring the Army Field Manual to be used as interrogations, banning torture, including waterboarding.

Signing in the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

Now you are right to be concerned about the planned extra 17,000 US troops in Afghanistan; but that is not a significant as the concurrent planned withdrawal of over 100,000 from Iraq.

Perhaps most significant of course is the $787 billion economic stimulus package; whilst that has some problems of its own (but certainly preferable to the money over fist 'bailout'), the single biggest component - $140 billion earmarked for education - must be seen as a positive.