With a score of just over 65%…

Two things this time around. First is a quick word that my in-character Vampire podcast, The More Things Change has had an update.

The other thing — I finally finished reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell this past week. I say “finally” because it took me a long while to get through it.

I liked it, but it was long (800+ pages), the pacing was slow, and I couldn’t read more than a chapter or two at a time. Still, it does a very good job at evoking the tone and sensibility of 19th Century literature. I don’t know that I can actually recommend it, but if you’re looking for something a little different from the usual connect-the-plot mass-media best seller… you might find it interesting.

I haven’t been reading as much as I would like, in part because I’m so backlogged on the podcasts that I listen to (not to mention my editorial and development work on Earthdawn. Right now my list of ‘books to read’ includes the following (in no particular order):

• Cell by Stephen King
• Micah by Laurell K. Hamilton
• Carthians from White Wolf (for Vampire: The Masquerade)
• Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
• The Sandman Papers
• Abrarat by Clive Barker
• A Stroke of Midnight by Laurell K. Hamilton

And that’s just off the top of my head. I’m sure if I pored over the bookshelves in our house I’d find another dozen or so books I’m interested in.

Ah well. Nobody ever said the life of a literary geek was an easy one.

I know I said this would be a series, but I haven’t added anything to it since the initial entry way back in January.

Anyhow, I thought I would actually try and make this a series by adding another chapter in the saga of brainlessness.

You know how sometimes somebody will do something that makes you want to grab them by the shirt-collar, smack them across the face sometimes, and ask them if they’re totally mental?

Well, one of the guys I work with pulled something like that not too long ago. His girlfriend, who also works in the offise, is several months pregnant — due sometime in late June, I think.

Anyhow, this shining example of human intellect and compassion made a less-than-brilliant comment. He expressed concern that she would have trouble losing the extra weight after having the baby, because he “didn’t want a fat girlfriend.”

Hubba-wha?

I’m sure it took a great deal of restraint on the part of the other women in the office to keep from stringing him up by his man-parts.

I have succumbed to the dark side… I have both a LiveJournal and MySpace account.

The main reason for this is beacuse I have several friends who use one (or the other), and I like to keep up with what’s going on with them. I will occasionally cross-post entries from here into my “lesser” blog accounts… but this will be the main place to come for news, info, commentary, etc.

Anyhow, if you’re interested in adding me to your appropriate friend list, feel free to add me.

Here’s a link to my MySpace priofile.

And here’s my LiveJournal.

There is a bill before Congress (being voted on next week) that threatens the ability of average users to access and post content on the internet. Everything we do online will be hurt if this law passes, giving the telecommunications companies more control over the flow of traffic on the Internet.

Providers like AT&T are lobbying hard to gut Network Neutrality — the key to Internet freedom. Right now, the big providers can’t choose which websites open most easily. If they get their way, they can start doing just that.

If Net Neutrality is gutted, many sites — including Google, eBay, and iTunes — would either have to pay “protection money” or risk having their websites process more slowly on your computer. That’s why these high-tech pioneers, plus diverse groups ranging from MoveOn to Gun Owners of America, are opposing the effort to gut Internet freedom.

You can do your part by signing this petition and telling your member of Congress to preserve Internet freedom.

Click here.

The petiton will be delivered to the House of Representatives next week, prior to the vote.

It has been quite a while, but the anime-flavored adventure comic “Blade Kitten” has returned. The artist/writer “Space Captain” Steve hasw posted the first two pages of a new storyline, and says in his most recent newspost that a third is nearly done.

I enjoyed what I read of this comic before, and it’s good to see it back. Head on over, check the archives, and get caught up!

Blade Kitten

A recently resuscitated thread over on RPG net contains a number of pictures of people’s game collections. Since I got a digital camera this past Christmas, and since I haven’t posted anything here in a while (I’ve been slacking, I know), I thought I would share my pics with you (in addition to posting them on RPG.net).

So, here’s a collage of the pics from the bookshelf in my office, arranged more-or-less as they are there. Each image links to a larger version of the same picture.

Starting from the top, and then working down each side of the shelves (top to bottom, then left to right), here’s what each shelf (generally) contains:

• Top: Other miscellaneous boxed sets and games.
• Shelf 1: Old WoD, Aeon/Trinity, Paranoia 5th, Star Wars d6, Castle Falkenstein, the Player’s Guide to Aegis (Conspiracy X), Babylon Project
• Shelf 2: Deadlands & Hell on Earth, Brave New World, Unknown Armies 1st Ed, Playtest copy of ZAON, Over the Edge, Older Ars Magica, Alternity GM’s guide, GURPS & SJ Games.
• Shelf 3: Nobilis, TORG, CoC & Delta Green, Blue Planet 1st Ed, 7th Sea, Deep Space 9, All Flesh Must Be Eaten, Chronopia, and other misc stuff.
• Shelf 4: 1st & 2nd Edition AD&D (some of it on another shelf…)
• Shelf 5:Earthdawn (1st & 2nd), D&D 3rd and other d20 books
• Shelf 6: Shadowrun (1st-3rd Ed.)
• Shelf 7: “Basic” Dungeons & Dragons, more d20 books
• Shelf 8: Boxed sets

From there we move to the shelf downstairs, which has ‘overflow’ (mostly from recent purchases), or books that I am currently using (so I don’t have to run upstairs to grab them).

This shelf has Blue Planet 2nd, Exalted, Ars Magica 5th, Paranoia XP, Ars Magica 5th, Unknown Armies 2nd, Shadowrun 4 (in ring binder), AD&D 2nd core books, new World of Darkness, Mind’s Eye Theatre.

One or two ED books are squeezed in there as well. The ring binder cut off at the bottom is a draft copy of the forthcoming Earthdawn Player’s Compendium (the one we showed off at Origins last year). You can also see a pile of print-outs on the left that I was using as editorial mark-ups.

Finally, the stack on my ‘desk’ in the dining room — stuff I have recently referenced, but not bothered to put away yet.

The titles on these should be obvious. The spiral book at the bottom is the draft copy of the Earthdawn Gamemaster’s Compendium (from last year’s Origins as well).

That’s all for now. I should have more news later.

Yes, it has been some time since I have updated. So some quick news:

The Earthdawn Player’s Compendium is still in publishing limbo. A major layout retooling looks promising — hopefully we’ll see some good news out of that this week.

I got a promotion at work. My new title is Service Assitant Aide. After some training, it means that I will be one of the “supervisors” in the office, overseeing the line, shifting schedules around to make sure holes are covered, and handling customer problems the regular operators aren’t able to handle.

The local Mage LARP is going well. We have our third game coming up this weekend, and we’re hosting a regional “Game of the Month” March 31-April 1, with who knows how many people coming up to play.

I’m on vacation this week, so I’m hoping to get caught up on a bunch of writing that I’ve been slacking on. Maybe I’ll have another installment or two of my “Stupidity” series.

Finally, one of the coolest things I have seen in recent months:

Interpretive Juggling

That’s all for now.

For those who follow my IC podcast, there’s a new episode up. Head on over to Sam’s blog — http://walkabout.lore-merchant.org — and download it!

It’s been a while. This is the first part in a series of essays talking about my observations of people’s behavior — behavior that makes you go, “You know, that’s kind of stupid.” This first part isn’t really about true stupidity, it’s more of a warm-up into the whole theme.

So anyhow… I’ve been doing this in-character podcast for the local Requiem game (if you haven’t been listening, get caught up on the episodes here, and please note the disclaimers and whatnot). My first show caused a bit of a stir in-character — enough of a stir that there was concern about my character’s survival.

I don’t have a problem with that — I actually enjoy putting my characters at risk. I’m a bit of a risk-taker at heart, and there’s a vicarious thrill I get when I put myself at risk (through my character)… but it’s still safe, because I’m not really in danger of having a stake driven through my heart.

Anyhow, there was enough of a buzz over this, and (apparently) a wide enough swath of in-character interest over this that one of my local friends suggested I apply for “Kindred Legend” status — in the game this represents fame (or notoriety). It seemed to make sense, and so I started investigating the possibility of picking up this merit.

I put together an e-mail, and sent it out across the out-of-character lists I’m on, asking if people would be willing to support the application. I’ve gotten a smattering of responses — I don’t think it’s enough to really justify the application at this point, but that’s not really the point.

A lot of people have responded with, “Sorry, never heard of you,” and left it at that. That’s cool, and I’m not expecting people to support something they’ve never heard of.

The two notable bits to come out of this are a discussion (of sorts) about how what I’ve done in-character isn’t “legendary”, and so doesn’t deserve any level of legend status. There are all sorts of logical fallacies going on with this discussion, many of which get hung up on the name of the merit — Kindred Legend.

Now, I’m not the sort of person who gets overly hung up on names, I just find it kind of amusing when people do, especially when there is evidence or documentation that disputes the claims they’re making (that is, the description of the merit in the game supplement). So, that’s ‘stupid’ thing number one.

‘Stupid’ logical fallacy number two is arguing against my request by improper comparisons. I’m asking for support to earn Kindred Legend status 1, this is the lowest level available. One person replied by bringing up one of the iconic characters, the Unholy, who holds Kindred Legend status 5, and then proceeds to say that because I’m not in the same league as the Unholy, I shouldn’t even consider the application.

Hubba wha? I know I’m not in the same league as the Unholy (who truly is a bad-ass sumbitch), but I’m not applying for Kindred Legend 5! What does her reputation and status have to do with mine?

I’ve been chalking most of it up to professional jealousy, and a misunderstanding of my goals. I’m not really looking to twink out my character, I’m trying to mechanically reflect in-game character and plot developments. If I don’t get this thing, it isn’t a big deal — I’m perfectly capable of spending the points elsewhere.

The third ‘stupid’ thing is how many people — presumably internet-savvy people, mind you — assume that podcasting somehow requires an iPod.

Now, the iPod is a sweet piece of hardware, don’t get me wrong, but you no more need an iPod to do podcasting than you need… okay, I’m coming up blank in the analogy department here. The point is, you don’t need an iPod to listen to podcsats. Any MP3 player will do — heck, I transfer the podcasts I subscribe to onto my Sony Minidisc player.

Now, if your character is totally computer-illiterate, and you’re avoiding the podcasts because there’s no way your 300-year-old bloodsucker would listen to them, that’s cool, and kudos to you for roleplaying your character. But a lot of these comments about “I don’t even own an iPod” are out-of-character, and show a certain degree of ignorance.

Yes, I realize ignorance is not the same as stupidity, but I feel there is a link between them. Stupidity can lead one to make statements that betray your ignorance.

Taking a step back here, part of it may be that I’ve recently gotten into podcasting, and I’ve found this vibrant community, and I’ve lost a bit of perspective — it’s still a niche thing (like blogging, come to think of it, but smaller). Just because somebody is tech-savvy doesn’t mean they know anything about a particular application of said technology.

Anyhow, that’s my rant for today. The next one will get a bit more specific and personal — not about me, but about a specific person who has earned the right to wear the “I’m with stupid” shirt that has the arrow pointing up.