Ersatz Solar Plenipotentiary

Yes, I laughed enough to actually post it to Livejournal.

After you die... In the Ground After death, you will cease to exist. In all likelihood, your carcass will be deposited in the ground.

Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

So!

The time has come once again.

In order to kill two or three birds with one stone (and to outdo that villain mearls), we're throwing a housewarming/late birthday/general geekery get-together. Board games, Wii death-duels, food and drink are the order of the evening. I will give a shiny new nickel* to whoever wears their most geeky of apparel.

The day: Saturday, June 2nd

The time: 5:30pm - late

The fun: Wii Sports will be on the agenda. Those of you with Gamecube games and controllers -- feel free to bring those along. DS players will also be catered for! There will also be boardgames: we have Apples to Apples, Munchkin, Man Bites Dog, and a few others. Again, feel free to bring something along.

The place:

11023 SE 240th, Unit A1
Kent, WA 98031

Drop in a bit early if you so choose, but we'll wait for quorum before the fun really starts. Feel free to bring spouses or significant others. If you know of anyone of a similar geekwise nature (ie people in your gaming group, etc), they are invited by association, but please arrive together so I know who they're with!

My cell is 360-306-1899 for those that don't have it. Please call ahead if we haven't met in person, or I may assume you're the pizza guy (or gal).




* Nickel not included.

From the Franklin Min press release:

"This summer, silver is the new gold standard – for movies, with the June 15 release of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and for movie promotions, as Twentieth Century Fox and the Franklin Mint join forces to create an original limited collector’s edition “Silver Surfer” U.S. quarter that will challenge movie goers to Search 4 $ilver.

The collector’s “Silver Surfer” U.S. quarter will be emblazoned with the image of the legendary Marvel Comics character who takes a leading role in the movie. This legal tender coin is a 2005 California statehood commemorative quarter minted by the United States Mint and specially color-enhanced by The Franklin Mint for Twentieth Century Fox."

I like the idea that you can actually spend these things.

Check this out. This is a VIP version of the 787 Dreamliner.


( Read more... )

Where is your European aviation god now?

This week I've been working on FAA docs for the 787-8 Large Cargo Freighter (aka the "Dreamlifter"), which is the plane they're using to haul the pieces of this thing from Europe and Asia to Everett for assembly.

Working at Boeing might be long, hard hours, but you learn a hell of a lot.

Here's my Wii friend code for those who don't have it yet (mearls, I'm looking at you). Just make sure you tell me if/when you've added me, and I'll do the same.

1933 5987 1940 1853

My new Wii Bowling record stands at 242. My overall bowling score after this game was 1373, +24 from the previous game. The scorecard looked something like this:

9/ 9/ X X X X X 8-* X XX9

* Frame 8 was a 6-8 split, and somehow I managed to gutterball it.

I usually throw a strike or two in the first two frames, so I was a bit slow this time around. I choked on Frame 8 trying to pick up the split (which I've done before easily). My nemesis, Pin 4, prevented a final strike on Frame 10.

Next stop: 250!

So, I'm getting back into actually playing games instead of just running them. I'm trying to come up with a viable character concept for mysticalforest's Monday night game, but it's proving to be tricky. One of the great successes of D&D is one of its great failings: so many bloody options. Of course, there are those that are happy with a good ol' human fighter, but really, who wants to do that? I've also been in touch with mearls about doing some ad hoc stuff, but I'm not sure what the story with that is at the moment.

Finally, I'm looking at running a Friday night D&D game of my own (yet again). I was initially thinking Eberron, but I found my old Ruins of Empire writeup not long ago and I'm really interested in trying to run that (it's vanilla D&D, with the cornerstones of Draconomicon, Libris Mortis, Lords of Madness, and Weapons of Legacy).

( Behold! A mighty post! )

Apparently caused my a misthrown wireless router.

Dear LiveJournal,

I'm sorry I was angry at you. Let's never fight again.

--James

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/03/13/opinion/edzizek.php

For centuries, we have been told that without religion we are no more than egotistic animals fighting for our share, our only morality that of a pack of wolves; only religion, it is said, can elevate us to a higher spiritual level. Today, when religion is emerging as the wellspring of murderous violence around the world, assurances that Christian or Muslim or Hindu fundamentalists are only abusing and perverting the noble spiritual messages of their creeds ring increasingly hollow. What about restoring the dignity of atheism, one of Europe's greatest legacies and perhaps our only chance for peace?

An old parable by Rebecca Borgstrom.

---

Prince Glory, a starting Solar Eclipse, has Resources ●●.

Casting about for a suitable application for his talents and his mandate of greatness, he travels to Nexus. "Surely," he says, to his loving companion Flicka, "the market there will give me a sign."

Flicka adjusts her ears, which Prince Glory immediately understands to mean, "What are you expecting to find?"

"I'm not sure," he says. "Possibly a deeply discounted Eye of Autochthon."

Flicka nods her head, almost as if she understands.

Soon Prince Glory is in Nexus, and faces a difficult choice. There are many things he wishes to buy, but he only has Resources ●●. "That Primordial Eye on the table," he says. "How much?"

"Resources ●●●," explains the shopkeeper, who knows the universal trade language of dots.

"I cannot afford that," says Prince Glory, and rolls his magnificent social skills. "Will four successes change your mind?"

"For Resources ●● and four successes, I will consider it."

"Done!" says Prince Glory, and claims the Eye. Sadly, his Resources are now depleted, and he cannot purchase the Mantle of Brigit or the magnificent bondage-slave Chejop Kejak, with his Perfection in Life slave dancing. In reflection and sorrow, Prince Glory leaves Nexus, and holds up the Eye.

"I wish to totally flip out and kill everyone," says Prince
Glory.

"LO!" booms the Eye. "IT IS DONE!"

"Cool."

"Er, except for the Exalted," says the Eye in a small voice. "And certain other entities who I could not kill without specific attention."

"That is all right," says Prince Glory, in a lordly fashion. "I wish to forcibly transform Ma-Ha-Suchi into a show angora who will live in my pocket."

"PROCESSING," booms the eye. "DONE."

"Cool," says Prince Glory, rubbing the lucky foot of the rabbit in his pocket, and taking his dead horse Flicka's reins. "Then let's go be heroes!"

"ROCK," says the Eye.

Standing lonely and underdressed in an empty market, the oldest of all Exalts performs a high kick.

(Stolen with glee from derangel.)




Ensign: "Captain! We're screwed!"

Captain: "Get ahold of yourself, man! Status report!"

Ensign: "Charlie Foxtrot, sir! In spades!"

Captain: "I know that, dumbass. Details! What is the enemy's position?"

Ensign: "We're surrounded on all sides and outnumbered 10 to 1!"

Captain: "Shit. Shields?"

Ensign: "Failing."

Captain: "Reserves?"

Ensign: "Pepsi supplies are nearly depleted, preparing to switch to highly-sugared tea."

Captain: "Has there been any word from High Command?"

Ensign: "No sir, the brain cells in the Coherent Thought division were nearly wiped out in a surprise raid. Their forces are scattered."

Captain: "Great. We're on our own then. Activate the cd player and generate a 35-decibel Counting Crows field, it may buy us some time."

Ensign: "We've already tried that, sir. The field is having no effect!"

Captain: *headdesk*

Ensign: "Sir?"

Captain: "Does ANYBODY have any ideas?"

Ensign: "Tactical is useless, Communications likewise. Medical is still more or less invincible, but only pertaining to physical threats. Procreation has voiced several plans of action, but I've disregarded them as irrelevant. Weapons functions appear to be online, but the Weapons officer had an apoplexy and is unavailable. If anyone is going to do anything, it will have to be our remaining bridge crew."

Captain: "Right. Has our status changed at all?"

Ensign: "Still screwed, sir."

Captain: "..."

Ensign: "Sir?"

Captain: "Ok, this is what we're going to do. Fire a volley of Bailey's shots into the enemy fleet and follow up with vodka. Use the last remaining cigarettes to create a smokescreen. Divert power from all systems except life support and my laptop to the cd player and generate a Nine-Inch Nails field. Transmit angry gibberish on all comm channels and set the cloaking device to project the image of a jobless college student about to incinerate his immediate surroundings with a chi-blast and leave a large crater. Set course for the first enemy ship that flinches and move forward at ramming speed."

Ensign: "You'll get us all killed! This is suicide!"

Captain: "No, this isn't suicide. Suicide is pressing the little red button that starts the "self-destruct" sequence, which I will do if you DON'T GET YOUR ASS MOVING!"

Ensign: "A-Aye, sir."

Captain: "Carry on. I'm going to play some video games and take a nap. Wake me up if we win."

Ensign: "And if we lose?"

Captain: "If we lose, then don't bother waking me. Just take solace in the fact that the 1337 ninjas will avenge us."

Ensign: "1337 ninjas, sir?"

Captain: "TRUST IN THE NINJAS, DAMMIT!"

Ensign: "...Aye, sir."

Stability results were moderately high which suggests you are relaxed, calm, secure, and optimistic.

Orderliness results were low which suggests you are overly flexible, improvised, and fun seeking at the expense too often of reliability, work ethic, and long term accomplishment.

Extraversion results were low which suggests you are very reclusive, quiet, unassertive, and secretive.

Trait snapshot: secretive, reclusive, messy, disorganized, introverted, unassertive, rarely worries, dislikes large parties, does not like to fit in, does not need to control others, solitary, ambivalent about chaos, tough, leisurely, does not respect authority, not aggressive, observer, abstract, impractical, dislikes leadership, daydreamer, bizarre, does not make friends easily, not a perfectionist, suspicious, rarely irritated, strong physical instincts, unsympathetic at times, risk taker, submissive, weird, sarcastic, strange

... so says Cenk Uygur over at the Huffington Post. I tend to agree with him. Read the story and you'll see what I mean.