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Spent most of today putting some near-final touches on RPG Review #19, the apocalypse issue which, unsurprisingly, has a Review of Apocalypse Games, which particularly takes issue with some interesting pathological orientations among some games nominally part of the genre. Appropriately tomorrow we'll be playing a session of Twilight 2000, using a more plausible background to what could have been nuclear war in the 1990s. In my search for material I have unfortunately encountered an addictive little text game, Radioactive Shelter, which must be less than a hundred lines of code at best. Also appropriately played in another session of Eclipse Phase on Thursday night. It is interesting how that particular setting manages to combine several genres successfully, including being both post-apocalyptic and current apocalyptic, a fairly interesting combination.
In other apocalyptic portents, conspiracy theorist billionaire, Clive Palmer has announced the formation of a new political party. This is the gut who thinks the CIA is funding Australian environmental groups to reduce our supposed competitive advantage in such industries. Palmer is obviously anti-carbon pricing, against the mining tax, and against vested political interests that aren't his. The impending conflict in Queensland between his United Australia Party (shades of yesteryear), Bob Katter's Australia Party (protectionist, social conservative) and the dregs that remain of Pauline Hanson's One Nation, should be quite strange and even possibly entertaining, as they all compete against the merged and currently dominating Liberal National Party of Queensland. In related news, the Kooyong/Higgins FEAs of the Labor Party are holding a Quiz Night on May 2nd. Had an excellent dinner and conversation with two longstanding friends in the movement (Jenne and Katrina) on Friday night; alas both will miss this particular event.
Work next week will include a second run of training courses for this month. Over a late lunch with the CEO on Friday I mentioned that when I arrived at VPAC we we running one course every quarter; now we run two every two months with a plan for a third. Revived the idea of developing this courses into accredited postgraduate certificates or similar and introducing them as an online platform (perhaps using something like Moodle, as I admit not being very fond of Blackboard). With regards to continuing studies in Adult and Higher Education, the drop-off in participation is quite noticeable, as the last week's for withdrawals has just past. Have made a start on my thematic paper and the major project on multicultural teaching in higher education, specifically for the courses that I conduct.
In other apocalyptic portents, conspiracy theorist billionaire, Clive Palmer has announced the formation of a new political party. This is the gut who thinks the CIA is funding Australian environmental groups to reduce our supposed competitive advantage in such industries. Palmer is obviously anti-carbon pricing, against the mining tax, and against vested political interests that aren't his. The impending conflict in Queensland between his United Australia Party (shades of yesteryear), Bob Katter's Australia Party (protectionist, social conservative) and the dregs that remain of Pauline Hanson's One Nation, should be quite strange and even possibly entertaining, as they all compete against the merged and currently dominating Liberal National Party of Queensland. In related news, the Kooyong/Higgins FEAs of the Labor Party are holding a Quiz Night on May 2nd. Had an excellent dinner and conversation with two longstanding friends in the movement (Jenne and Katrina) on Friday night; alas both will miss this particular event.
Work next week will include a second run of training courses for this month. Over a late lunch with the CEO on Friday I mentioned that when I arrived at VPAC we we running one course every quarter; now we run two every two months with a plan for a third. Revived the idea of developing this courses into accredited postgraduate certificates or similar and introducing them as an online platform (perhaps using something like Moodle, as I admit not being very fond of Blackboard). With regards to continuing studies in Adult and Higher Education, the drop-off in participation is quite noticeable, as the last week's for withdrawals has just past. Have made a start on my thematic paper and the major project on multicultural teaching in higher education, specifically for the courses that I conduct.
