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Dragonmeet 2009 Special Guests

  • Nov. 21st, 2009 at 9:44 AM
Hi all,

Dragonmeet: London is pleased to announce the following as very special guests for this years show.

Erik Mona (Paizo Publishing/Pathfinder)
Robin D. Laws (Author/Game Designer)
Simon Washbourne (Barbarians of Lemuria)
Brennan Taylor (IPR/Galileo Games)
Andrew Looney (Looney Labs)
Gregor Hutton (Box Ninja; 3:16)
Gareth Hanrahan (Game Designer & Author)
Jeff Richard (Moon Design)
Mark Barrowcliffe (Author; 'The Elfish Gene')
Jonny Nexus (Author; 'Game Night')
Stephen Deas (Author; The Adamantine Palace)
David Devereux (Author; Hunter's Moon)
Jon Hodgson (Artist)
Linda Pitman (Artist)

Best wishes,

Angus

Nov. 21st, 2009

  • 11:26 AM

Today's Blatherings

  • Nov. 21st, 2009 at 1:02 AM
  • 14:46 If you liked the assassin character class, check out Erik Scott de Bie's novel Ghostwalker. It provided a ton of inspiration. #dnd
  • 23:05 Check out desertbus.org/ and give early, give often!
  • 23:32 I just came perilously close to a geek singularity: researched D&D glyphs to find the right one to paint on a mini. On a Friday night. #dnd
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November 21, 2009: Good News / Bad News

  • Nov. 21st, 2009 at 7:05 AM


The good news? If you ever watched Empire Strikes Back and thought, "I want a sleeping bag like Luke's tauntaun!" you're going to love ThinkGeek's latest offering.  And at 67" long, it may even fit most adults.</p>

The bad news? Where are you going to use it? You're certainly not going to take it camping, risking dirt or rips. And slumber parties are few and far between when you're old enough to remember Empire in the theaters. Of course, when has "I don't have a use for this" really stopped you from buying a bit of geekery, anyway?</p>

Just call it a prop for your next Traveller game. That'll work.</p>

-- Paul Chapman</p>

Heee!

  • Nov. 20th, 2009 at 11:58 PM
I uploaded the picture of Sora in the desk lamp's light in the previous post to icanhascheezburger to caption it with "sunlamp...i haz one", and when it asked if I wanted to let others caption it or to keep it private, I said what the hell and let people do it.

You can see the results here. XD

Crossposted to my Dreamwidth account at http://telophase.dreamwidth.org/1630467.html. You can comment here or there.

Here's what I Twitted today...

  • Nov. 20th, 2009 at 11:55 PM
  • 06:14 Bon matin Twitterverse. Oh, look, new followers. Let's see how many are spambots! #
  • 06:16 Hm. Not bad. Looks like maybe 1 out of the new 3 were spambots. #
  • 06:17 @tsauthor BTW, thanks for the whole "Shale is a drag queen" thing..now I can't play Dragon Age without it making me giggle. :-) #
  • 06:35 @TheRouse @wilw I agree with both you. New RT button and setup = bad. #
  • 06:52 Tee hee hee. qcjeph.livejournal.com/110229.html #
  • 07:55 It's hard to overstate my satisfaction. #
  • 07:59 I'm Fergilicious. #
  • 08:09 I'd rather spend $60 on a video game or a gaming book or two than dinner because it lasts longer and I'll get more out of it. #
  • 10:50 @reikun Thought you might dig these. geekgirldiva.tumblr.com/post/250932626/comicbooks-sarah-palin-as-blunder-woman-in-mad #
  • 11:01 Annd...that's lunch! #
  • 11:05 Ugh. Raining. Think i'll just go to the deli thingie downstairs. #
  • 11:20 wonders how long it'll be before some dumbshit decides to change the word "holiday" to "celebration day." #
  • 12:29 @Delmajesty If you don't, you might starve to death. #
  • 13:08 If your last name is Green, saying "Like the Color" constantly and signing your emails in green for your last name, IT IS NOT CUTE. Stop it #
  • 13:14 3 claims and I'm f'in finished for the day. #
  • 13:27 I took my time on those last 3, but I'm done. #
  • 14:58 @catalystgamelab SR tech! www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/11/the-illustrated-man-how-led-tattoos-could-change-the-face-of-humanity/ #
  • 18:15 Reading more old Amazing Spider-Man issues..up to issue #16! #
  • 19:08 'bout to start the Dungeoning and the Dragoning. #dnd #
  • 19:38 Once..just once...I'd like a gaming session to start on time. Is that REALLY too much to ask? :-) #
  • 22:29 Goddamn player characters and their goddamn rolling goddamned crits. #
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Walking Through The Bacon Tree Forest

  • Nov. 20th, 2009 at 8:39 PM
...where you get hungry every 15 minutes

Geek Media Update

1: The latest "Twilight" movie is out. Millions of pre-teen and teen girls experience orgasm.

2: The new version of "V" is losing viewers with each episode. That would be because is sucks.

3: The new version of "The Prisoner" is getting mixed reviews from various of my geek friends. Not being able to see it myself, I'll wait for it to come to Netflix.

4: "Fringe" is still one of the best new shows on TV. Hopefully, this will continue to be so for many years.

5: "Heroes", from the few scenes I've watched this year, is still in a screaming death dive.

6: "Planet 51" looks like it will be pretty funny. I might have to rob a bank so I can go see it.

Nov. 20th, 2009

  • 9:35 PM
Saw 2012 today. Enjoyed it a lot. The special effects were awesome and outrageous. And I just can't believe it wasn't intentionally cheesy.

Nov. 20th, 2009

  • 10:09 PM
Hello! My name is Hannah, I'm 20, located in suburban Philadelphia. I know we've all seen hundreds of pictures from Eastern State Penitentiary, but I enjoy seeing a place photographed through different eyes. I've been a frequent ESP visitor for years, going 14 times in 2004. For my 16th birthday, my dad got me a private tour, where I went into the hospital and various other "off-limits" places. Unfortunately, most of those pictures are on actual film as opposed to digital. There is one from the recovery room, though.

I hope you enjoy.
And I'm always looking for photography partners, if anyone is in the area. =)


+16 )

The World is Mine, with lawlz.

  • Nov. 20th, 2009 at 9:53 PM
(sent on 18 November 2009)
theempathogen: Are you going to see David Guetta tonight?
qgayles: No, at the gym now and need to do some work tonight. Fuck me, I'm not famous!

Tags:

This story demonstrates why I've no faith in Atlantic Canadians to manage their fisheries.

P.E.I. Fisheries Minister Neil LeClair is defending a decision to offer financial assistance to new lobster fishermen when there are other efforts underway to get people to leave the industry.

Future Fishers, a provincial program announced Tuesday, includes up to $1,000 per person to help pay for training costs for those who have recently purchased a Class A lobster licence or who have recently begun fishing.

Applicants can also get up to $3,000 a year for three years to offset interest payments.

LeClair said the program does not fly in the face of efforts by the federal government to decrease the number of people with lobster licences.

He said the province doesn't want to issue new licences but instead hopes that existing licences will be bought by younger fishermen.

Training under the program will provide young fishermen with a greater understanding of the industry, which will help with their future success, LeClair said.


For decades, provincial and federal governments have used the fisheries as a way to generate jobs in an underdeveloped region known for its gratefulness to whatever source of subsidies was available. The collapse of the cod fisheries hasn't taught anyone anything, it seems, apart from a desire to blame foreign fishers instead of the thousands of Atlantic Canadians happily working on boats and in processing and distribution plants on dry land with nary a thought as to what might happen. All this occurred in the name of "tradition," more precisely of a neotraditional perspective on the fisheries that didn't take into account the vastly more destructive effect of modern fishing technology on fish stocks and even the physical environment of the fish.

One final note: Lobsters have traditionally been prey for fish, like cod. Fishers are descending down the food chain, it seems. And even off Prince Edward Island, overfishing is starting to make an impact. In this context, a government program that would have the effect of subsidizing the expansion of the lobster fisheries is absurd and environmentally irresponsible. Oh well; doubtless the crayfish fisheries, or at worst the jellyfish processing plants, will do well.

Another week in the life of GURPS

  • Nov. 20th, 2009 at 8:50 PM

Ah, Friday! (As opposed to "Argh! Friday?!") Time to update the world on the secret life of GURPS. As has often been the case lately, there was much progress on releases that are too far in the future for me to leak news of them, as well as boring administrative headway on things in past reports, so I'm just going to present a short list of the genuinely interesting stuff:

• We released Pyramid #3/13: Thaumatology. If you like any of GURPS Dungeon Fantasy, GURPS Power-Ups 1: Imbuements, or (to state the obvious) GURPS Thaumatology, then you'll probably want this issue. If you're into two or all three of those, then you'll love this issue!

• We started our review of GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 8: Treasure Tables, by Matt Riggsby ([info]wombattery). Yes, "started." At 70+ pages, it's a big one that will take two afternoons to review. Matt wasn't exaggerating when he estimated trillions of possible combinations . . .

• I'm editing GURPS Low-Tech Companion 1-3 as a lump because that makes ensuring internal consistency much easier. So far, I'm at around the 11% mark by total page count. The first part of the first volume – the book subtitled Philosophers and Kings – treats politics, economics, etc. as de facto technologies, which I think is quite cool. Reminds me of the Civilization games!

Tags:

11/20/09 Homepage Spotlight

  • Nov. 20th, 2009 at 5:11 PM
[info]naturesbeauty
Always on the lookout for compelling images, we were delighted to discover this flourishing community of artists who share a love of nature. Honoring the subject with photographs, paintings, sketches, prose, poetry, and
other creative works, you'll be simultaneously riveted to your monitor and inspired to run helter skelter towards the nearest wooded dale.

College is Hella Expensive

  • Nov. 20th, 2009 at 5:09 PM
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gi_1CaTjFsR3j2QntpKsXZY0sP1gD9C39TQO0
UC tuition has increased over 300% in the last decade. CSU tuition is also way way outpacing inflation. There are layoffs and furloughs, class size increases, and class offering reductions. And according to these interviewees (http://www.democracynow.org/2009/11/20/students), it's not because the UC system has no money, but rather because the UC system places undergraduate education at a very low spending priority. I say jeers to the administrators. What should be done about this? What are the long-term implications of this trend in higher education? Any other thoughts on the matter?

The Overbrook Asylum

  • Nov. 20th, 2009 at 7:25 PM
Hello community...
My name is Rusty, I was a member here once a bit over a year ago.
I left due to general disrespect, so hopefully we can get off on a better foot this time.

Lately I have been getting out to some pretty interesting places,
and I enjoy sharing these locations with people who appreciate them.
I also photograph portraits at many of these locations,
though from the community guidelines it would seem that they do not belong here.
However, if anyone is curious about them just ask.

That being said, here's my post...




Erected in 1896,
the Overbrook Asylum was created as Essex County's local answer
to the Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital,
for the housing and care of the mentally handicapped.
The facility has over 12 buildings on 90 acres.
Most of which are connected via an underground tunnel system
that runs for miles thought-out the grounds.

As expected,
during it's 110 years of service Overbrook Asylum has had it's share of hardships.


In the winter of 1917 the asylum's boiler broke down,
leaving the inhabitants of the building without heat for a period of twenty days.
During that time span 24 people lost their lives due to the cold.
Some froze to death in their beds.


During the great depression large numbers of homeless found refuge at the asylum,
but dangerous over-crowding and food rations made living conditions very poor.

After World War II there was a large influx of patients suffering from
post-traumatic stress and "shell shock". Overbrook had become exceedingly overcrowded
at this point and staff was hard-pressed to keep up with the needs of so many patients.
Many accounts of neglect, starvation, escapes, and suicides had been reported.


Before the 1950's and 60's mental illness was still not very clearly understood,
because of this many forms of therapy were used on the patients that are now plainly seen as torture.
This facility specialized in Hydrotherapy,
however they also preformed electrotherepy and prefrontal labotomies.
In the end the official number of deaths inside the walls of Overbrook reaches into the 10,000's.
Yes... Ten Thousand.


After the 1960's and the great strides that psychiatric medicine had taken,
the number of patients began to drop dramatically.
Up until 2006 the facility was still operating out of a small wing,
while the rest of the asylum was left forgotten around it.

Still, I believe that even in the most upsetting of locations should be seen and shared.
Be it as art, or as a reminder.

Perhaps even a kind of beauty can be found here.

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