In case I haven't said it: I'm with her
That includes, but is not limited to:
Hillary Clinton,
my wife, my sister, my mother, my aunts and nieces and cousins who will finally have a President that is theirs,
women community organizers, women game designers, women game players, non binary persons trying to survive, every women who makes 87 cents on the dollar, all of whom deal with misogyny for the sin of existing and trying,
I'm getting really tired of the meme of "I don't like hillary, but better than the apocalypse". I voted for Bernie in the primary, to help push her left. That worked.
I'm more than satisfied; I'm downright pleased that she's the nominee. She's more qualified than anyone else. She'll be fantastic as President; she has to be better than everyone else just to get this far.
moderation note: Do the homework before saying anything negative about HRC. I'm not going to give warnings, I'll just delete and inform. A second offense'll result in blocking.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Friday, July 29, 2016
This might be a thing that matters to you.
This might be a thing that matters to you.
Originally shared by Avonelle Wing (Avie)
The Credit Bureau - A Thing That Might Matter To You Today
Folks,
At Metatopia, a group of us launched The Credit Bureau, an initiative to support and advocate for women and non-binary folks who verb games. Play, design, write, copyedit, admire - we don't care what the verb is.
With Gen Con fast approaching, it seems like a good time to invite people to join us. If you're interested drop us a line at igmcrhb@gmail.com.
What we do -
* form care-teams for designers/industry pros who are at a systemic, socially reinforced disadvantage.
* support each other at industry events and gatherings
What we don't do -
* arbitrate what qualifies as "lady" or "non-binary trans". if you self-identify as either, you're welcome to join us and the invitation includes you. Yes, that includes various flavors of genderqueer and genderfluid. Look, we don't care, as long as you join us in good faith and honor the fact that we are specifically looking to create a women and non-binary space.
* check your credentials at the door or making you justify your existence. In fact, we will be making it clear to you how very valued you are, instead of you telling us why we should value you.
Yes, we really mean that if you are a woman creator, contributor, den mother, editor, tweaker, retailer, verber of any sort of games in any form, we'd like you to join us.
To express interest, email us at IGMCRHB@gmail.com.(it's an acronym that we'll explain later.)
Originally shared by Avonelle Wing (Avie)
The Credit Bureau - A Thing That Might Matter To You Today
Folks,
At Metatopia, a group of us launched The Credit Bureau, an initiative to support and advocate for women and non-binary folks who verb games. Play, design, write, copyedit, admire - we don't care what the verb is.
With Gen Con fast approaching, it seems like a good time to invite people to join us. If you're interested drop us a line at igmcrhb@gmail.com.
What we do -
* form care-teams for designers/industry pros who are at a systemic, socially reinforced disadvantage.
* support each other at industry events and gatherings
What we don't do -
* arbitrate what qualifies as "lady" or "non-binary trans". if you self-identify as either, you're welcome to join us and the invitation includes you. Yes, that includes various flavors of genderqueer and genderfluid. Look, we don't care, as long as you join us in good faith and honor the fact that we are specifically looking to create a women and non-binary space.
* check your credentials at the door or making you justify your existence. In fact, we will be making it clear to you how very valued you are, instead of you telling us why we should value you.
Yes, we really mean that if you are a woman creator, contributor, den mother, editor, tweaker, retailer, verber of any sort of games in any form, we'd like you to join us.
To express interest, email us at IGMCRHB@gmail.com.(it's an acronym that we'll explain later.)
The last few days have been rough.
The last few days have been rough.
If I have made them rougher for you, I'd like to know how I failed so that I can not do it again, and make amends.
Whether that is here or privately, or through a trusted intermediary is not up to me. Its up to you.
This isn't the place for positives; I get enough of those even when I am an ass.
Moderation here is going to be strict and without warning: I'll delete any comments that deny someone else's experience. This isn't a place for debate.
If I have made them rougher for you, I'd like to know how I failed so that I can not do it again, and make amends.
Whether that is here or privately, or through a trusted intermediary is not up to me. Its up to you.
This isn't the place for positives; I get enough of those even when I am an ass.
Moderation here is going to be strict and without warning: I'll delete any comments that deny someone else's experience. This isn't a place for debate.
Thursday, July 28, 2016
What are OSR games about?
What are OSR games about?
Joshua Fox is asking about specific OSR games. I've tried looking at some of them, and am hitting a block in my brain.
Maybe that's me; maybe I have a complete misunderstanding of what OSR games are about. I'll put down what I think in the first comment.
Do please tell me what they are about. For this particular 101 lesson, please don't link to games, but feel free to link to explanations.
Given the last few days, my moderation may be pretty ridiculously tight.
Joshua Fox is asking about specific OSR games. I've tried looking at some of them, and am hitting a block in my brain.
Maybe that's me; maybe I have a complete misunderstanding of what OSR games are about. I'll put down what I think in the first comment.
Do please tell me what they are about. For this particular 101 lesson, please don't link to games, but feel free to link to explanations.
Given the last few days, my moderation may be pretty ridiculously tight.
How lucky we are to be alive right now:
How lucky we are to be alive right now:
1. Air conditioning.
2. Fajitas (or, that is, vegetables from far away grilled up with some guac and tomatoes.)
3. Most headaches are easily solveable with cheap, OTC drugs.
4. Knowing that if my clothes stop fitting, I can return them for different ones.
1. Air conditioning.
2. Fajitas (or, that is, vegetables from far away grilled up with some guac and tomatoes.)
3. Most headaches are easily solveable with cheap, OTC drugs.
4. Knowing that if my clothes stop fitting, I can return them for different ones.
July 28: 215.0, down 2.9 from yesterday.
July 28: 215.0, down 2.9 from yesterday.
HEY, GUYS!
Guess who just won a bet?
This guy. The check is shredded by the evil genius who was holding it. I've lost 12.5 pounds in 33 days. That's more more than 2 pounds a week.
Until I take another bet, this'll be the last post in this collection. I will probably do another one between August and October, but today I spend in freedom and reflection.
Food and exercise in the comments.
HEY, GUYS!
Guess who just won a bet?
This guy. The check is shredded by the evil genius who was holding it. I've lost 12.5 pounds in 33 days. That's more more than 2 pounds a week.
Until I take another bet, this'll be the last post in this collection. I will probably do another one between August and October, but today I spend in freedom and reflection.
Food and exercise in the comments.
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
If you identity as non-male and play RPGs of any sort?
If you identity as non-male and play RPGs of any sort?
This is for you.
Yes, you. Hey, you! Its for you, too.
Not me. Its a space safe from me. That's fantastic.
Did you go to Dreamation, Dexon, etc and have a good time? Did you feel safe(r) there?
Yeah, a lot of that is directly attributable to Avie.
Originally shared by Avonelle Wing (Avie)
The Credit Bureau - A Thing That Might Matter To You Today
Folks,
At Metatopia, a group of us launched The Credit Bureau, an initiative to support and advocate for women and non-binary folks who verb games. Play, design, write, copyedit, admire - we don't care what the verb is.
With Gen Con fast approaching, it seems like a good time to invite people to join us. If you're interested drop us a line at igmcrhb@gmail.com.
What we do -
* form care-teams for designers/industry pros who are at a systemic, socially reinforced disadvantage.
* support each other at industry events and gatherings
What we don't do -
* arbitrate what qualifies as "lady" or "non-binary trans". if you self-identify as either, you're welcome to join us and the invitation includes you. Yes, that includes various flavors of genderqueer and genderfluid. Look, we don't care, as long as you join us in good faith and honor the fact that we are specifically looking to create a women and non-binary space.
* check your credentials at the door or making you justify your existence. In fact, we will be making it clear to you how very valued you are, instead of you telling us why we should value you.
Yes, we really mean that if you are a woman creator, contributor, den mother, editor, tweaker, retailer, verber of any sort of games in any form, we'd like you to join us.
To express interest, email us at IGMCRHB@gmail.com.(it's an acronym that we'll explain later.)
This is for you.
Yes, you. Hey, you! Its for you, too.
Not me. Its a space safe from me. That's fantastic.
Did you go to Dreamation, Dexon, etc and have a good time? Did you feel safe(r) there?
Yeah, a lot of that is directly attributable to Avie.
Originally shared by Avonelle Wing (Avie)
The Credit Bureau - A Thing That Might Matter To You Today
Folks,
At Metatopia, a group of us launched The Credit Bureau, an initiative to support and advocate for women and non-binary folks who verb games. Play, design, write, copyedit, admire - we don't care what the verb is.
With Gen Con fast approaching, it seems like a good time to invite people to join us. If you're interested drop us a line at igmcrhb@gmail.com.
What we do -
* form care-teams for designers/industry pros who are at a systemic, socially reinforced disadvantage.
* support each other at industry events and gatherings
What we don't do -
* arbitrate what qualifies as "lady" or "non-binary trans". if you self-identify as either, you're welcome to join us and the invitation includes you. Yes, that includes various flavors of genderqueer and genderfluid. Look, we don't care, as long as you join us in good faith and honor the fact that we are specifically looking to create a women and non-binary space.
* check your credentials at the door or making you justify your existence. In fact, we will be making it clear to you how very valued you are, instead of you telling us why we should value you.
Yes, we really mean that if you are a woman creator, contributor, den mother, editor, tweaker, retailer, verber of any sort of games in any form, we'd like you to join us.
To express interest, email us at IGMCRHB@gmail.com.(it's an acronym that we'll explain later.)
I've got kind of a temper after running.
I've got kind of a temper after running.
SPOILER WARNING FOR HAMILTON.
That's what I get for running while the American forces hand Cornwallis his ass at Yorktown.
Also, you guys? Running to Hamilton is maybe the best running I've ever done. Better than being chased by zombies.
SPOILER WARNING FOR HAMILTON.
That's what I get for running while the American forces hand Cornwallis his ass at Yorktown.
Also, you guys? Running to Hamilton is maybe the best running I've ever done. Better than being chased by zombies.
July 27: 217.9, down 0.7 from yesterday. On track for August 6.
July 27: 217.9, down 0.7 from yesterday. On track for August 6.
Watch that needle move closer! Any time the on track date gets closer, I've won the day.
Food and exercise in the comments.
Watch that needle move closer! Any time the on track date gets closer, I've won the day.
Food and exercise in the comments.
A meditation on our current problems, pulled from my lived experiences.
A meditation on our current problems, pulled from my lived experiences. Warning, though: lived experienced of a privileged white guy.
A month or so ago, I made a bet. Its not important what the bet is (and it may be triggery), the important thing is the bet has modified twenty years of learned behaviors, practically overnight.
That's the power of economic incentive, and I think it is relevant to the explosion that happened yesterday.
Here's the thing: When acting like an ass means you make more money, you will act like an ass. This is learned behavior.
This says very little -- and is meant to say nothing -- about the character of those involved. I'm not sure "character" exists.
Several people have set themselves up as positive influences in elf games, and I support their games in part to support the positive influence.
I think viewing elf games as a revenue stream is a losing proposition, because of how it perverts the view of the gaming.
It forces you to take a position in the marketplace, to align your social media. To think of players as consumers. To position yourself and differentiate your brand.
In some cases, that brand is "insightful", "happy", or even "I make you cry" , but it makes good economic sense that one of those brands is "voldemort", so long as the market will pay for it.
Voldemort doesn't even need to believe that he is acting like an ass. The best of intentions, the best of beliefs, all surrender to economic incentive. That is, voldemort can still act like voldemort and not even realize it.
There may be no way to prevent that brand from existing, but we can all refuse to lend it our money and attention.
A month or so ago, I made a bet. Its not important what the bet is (and it may be triggery), the important thing is the bet has modified twenty years of learned behaviors, practically overnight.
That's the power of economic incentive, and I think it is relevant to the explosion that happened yesterday.
Here's the thing: When acting like an ass means you make more money, you will act like an ass. This is learned behavior.
This says very little -- and is meant to say nothing -- about the character of those involved. I'm not sure "character" exists.
Several people have set themselves up as positive influences in elf games, and I support their games in part to support the positive influence.
I think viewing elf games as a revenue stream is a losing proposition, because of how it perverts the view of the gaming.
It forces you to take a position in the marketplace, to align your social media. To think of players as consumers. To position yourself and differentiate your brand.
In some cases, that brand is "insightful", "happy", or even "I make you cry" , but it makes good economic sense that one of those brands is "voldemort", so long as the market will pay for it.
Voldemort doesn't even need to believe that he is acting like an ass. The best of intentions, the best of beliefs, all surrender to economic incentive. That is, voldemort can still act like voldemort and not even realize it.
There may be no way to prevent that brand from existing, but we can all refuse to lend it our money and attention.
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Note: I almost didn't post this to my own collection, because of fear of voldemort. Crappy.
Note: I almost didn't post this to my own collection, because of fear of voldemort. Crappy.
This analogy is certainly flawed. For the obvious, it casts real multi dimensional living people as fictional characters. People aren't as bad or as good as they are in books.
Voldemort walks into a bar, and is kind of a jerk. The bar is on edge, because he is known to curse those without recurse. Also, because he's voldemort.
James Potter is vulgar and tells him to GTFO. He is kind of an ass about it, and the Mauraders tell him it was maybe too far. They talk to him in private instead of calling him out, because he was addressing voldemort.
Dumbledore engages Voldemort in conversation, trying to be reasonable. Voldemort never reaches for his wand, as trying to curse the supreme mugwump would be a losing proposition. But, voldemort uses the publicity to recruit more death eaters.
Later, Severus tells James that being shitty is never OK. Calls him out specifically, and in public. A riot erupts over the argument between Severus and James.
Voldemort uses the anger as a magical reserve to create a new horcrux, because that is what he does.
Don't help Voldemort.
This analogy is certainly flawed. For the obvious, it casts real multi dimensional living people as fictional characters. People aren't as bad or as good as they are in books.
Voldemort walks into a bar, and is kind of a jerk. The bar is on edge, because he is known to curse those without recurse. Also, because he's voldemort.
James Potter is vulgar and tells him to GTFO. He is kind of an ass about it, and the Mauraders tell him it was maybe too far. They talk to him in private instead of calling him out, because he was addressing voldemort.
Dumbledore engages Voldemort in conversation, trying to be reasonable. Voldemort never reaches for his wand, as trying to curse the supreme mugwump would be a losing proposition. But, voldemort uses the publicity to recruit more death eaters.
Later, Severus tells James that being shitty is never OK. Calls him out specifically, and in public. A riot erupts over the argument between Severus and James.
Voldemort uses the anger as a magical reserve to create a new horcrux, because that is what he does.
Don't help Voldemort.
As per usual, Avie demonstrates compassion and understanding.
As per usual, Avie demonstrates compassion and understanding. If you are wondering how to improve the community you find yourself in, this is a great place to start.
Originally shared by Avonelle Wing (Avie)
Since I'm not seeing answers else-thread, here's my answer:
What I personally do to support people who are frequently silenced or marginalized:
I take personal responsibility for my impact on any community I interact with.
The higher profile I am, the more caution I exercise.
If I am displeased with how somebody is handling a situation, I weigh a variety of factors:
How likely am I to have a realistic understanding of the situation?
How strong a response is warranted?
Am I likely to cause any change by being angry/aggressive/assertive?
If I speak up, will others dogpile? if so, what is gained by that?
What is the most compassionate method to resolve the situation without causing collateral damage to innocents who don't deserve to be splashed with ichor?
How will those around me respond to my various options? Which option inflicts the least damage and resolves the situation the most responsibly?
When no greater good is gained by venting my spleen, I alter my course of action and chose a path of engagement rather than antagonism. When I have the option to be a jerk and to respond with heat and emotion, I exchange that response for radical compassion, empathy and engagement. If I'm emotionally compromised*, I refrain from responding.
In online conversations, I maintain a minimum standard of civil discourse.
If a participant engages in inappropriate attacks or vulgarities designed to inflame a situation, I shut them down. If I have to ban, I do. If I have to leave because the space isn't curated, I do.
If somebody is engaging in my online space in a bad-faith way, I remove them from that space. If they dislike me because of it, that's on them.
I educate myself. when somebody uses a silencing technique, I go research it and explain what it it, why it works and why it's toxic, to the best of my ability. NOBODY ever responds well to that one, btw. It's always "that's not what I'm doing".
If somebody calls me out on getting something wrong, I apologize as soon as I'm humanly able to; sometimes I'm having emotions that make it hard to respond gracefully and it takes me a cool-down period to respond.
I invite people who express that they feel like outsiders to the table.
If appropriate, I make space for them.
I try to distribute spotlight time and to engage wholeheartedly in the emotional labor of amplifying voices coming from disadvantaged intersections.
I try not to allow social pressures to sway me to return conversational real estate to the folks who traditionally hold the majority of it - I'm aware of my own reactions and patterns and work to counter the deeply ingrained patterns I know exist in my head.
*I've spent a LOT of time figuring out what it means to be emotionally compromised. I expect other people who experience the benefits of being high-profile to do the same. because the more visible you are, the more important it is to understand your own motives in posting and responding to stimuli.
How about you? What are you doing to make sure that the people who feel like they should just give up and get out of the clubhouse, because they were never welcome here anyway know that they're valued?
Originally shared by Avonelle Wing (Avie)
Since I'm not seeing answers else-thread, here's my answer:
What I personally do to support people who are frequently silenced or marginalized:
I take personal responsibility for my impact on any community I interact with.
The higher profile I am, the more caution I exercise.
If I am displeased with how somebody is handling a situation, I weigh a variety of factors:
How likely am I to have a realistic understanding of the situation?
How strong a response is warranted?
Am I likely to cause any change by being angry/aggressive/assertive?
If I speak up, will others dogpile? if so, what is gained by that?
What is the most compassionate method to resolve the situation without causing collateral damage to innocents who don't deserve to be splashed with ichor?
How will those around me respond to my various options? Which option inflicts the least damage and resolves the situation the most responsibly?
When no greater good is gained by venting my spleen, I alter my course of action and chose a path of engagement rather than antagonism. When I have the option to be a jerk and to respond with heat and emotion, I exchange that response for radical compassion, empathy and engagement. If I'm emotionally compromised*, I refrain from responding.
In online conversations, I maintain a minimum standard of civil discourse.
If a participant engages in inappropriate attacks or vulgarities designed to inflame a situation, I shut them down. If I have to ban, I do. If I have to leave because the space isn't curated, I do.
If somebody is engaging in my online space in a bad-faith way, I remove them from that space. If they dislike me because of it, that's on them.
I educate myself. when somebody uses a silencing technique, I go research it and explain what it it, why it works and why it's toxic, to the best of my ability. NOBODY ever responds well to that one, btw. It's always "that's not what I'm doing".
If somebody calls me out on getting something wrong, I apologize as soon as I'm humanly able to; sometimes I'm having emotions that make it hard to respond gracefully and it takes me a cool-down period to respond.
I invite people who express that they feel like outsiders to the table.
If appropriate, I make space for them.
I try to distribute spotlight time and to engage wholeheartedly in the emotional labor of amplifying voices coming from disadvantaged intersections.
I try not to allow social pressures to sway me to return conversational real estate to the folks who traditionally hold the majority of it - I'm aware of my own reactions and patterns and work to counter the deeply ingrained patterns I know exist in my head.
*I've spent a LOT of time figuring out what it means to be emotionally compromised. I expect other people who experience the benefits of being high-profile to do the same. because the more visible you are, the more important it is to understand your own motives in posting and responding to stimuli.
How about you? What are you doing to make sure that the people who feel like they should just give up and get out of the clubhouse, because they were never welcome here anyway know that they're valued?
The worst thing that's happened to me today is I haven't yet had the time to read this.
The worst thing that's happened to me today is I haven't yet had the time to read this.
http://www.critical-hits.com/blog/2016/07/26/company-pirates/
Hopefully tomorrow.
http://www.critical-hits.com/blog/2016/07/26/company-pirates
http://www.critical-hits.com/blog/2016/07/26/company-pirates/
Hopefully tomorrow.
http://www.critical-hits.com/blog/2016/07/26/company-pirates
Today, a game designer (designer A) I respect, and who is a friend of friends, pointed a finger at some actions of...
Today, a game designer (designer A) I respect, and who is a friend of friends, pointed a finger at some actions of another game designer (designer B) who is a personal friend, saying that he said uncalled for and bad things about another game designer (designer C).
I've subbed into about a dozen threads. I've been in constant private discussion. A lot of it has been about if A is being a jerk to B, or if C is truly a monster.
And, frankly, I don't care about if A was mean to B, or if C was mean to A first. The argument and debate between A, B, and C is all between privileged men who are well positioned in the hobby. I have my own private thoughts here, which for now don't matter.
Here's what does matter: designer A's post, and the discussion around it, has made a lot of less privileged folk on the internet scared. Frightened. Suffering. Feeling silenced.
How do we mitigate that harm? How do we support the people who are physically ill at the notion of being drawn back into this? How are we shutting down death threads, rape threats, and other morally blameworthy that harms and silences members of our community? How do we shut down harassment? how are we supporting people are who not privileged, who feel their story has been silenced?
Like A, B, and C, I'm in a privileged position, and my wallet is not tied to gaming. This post'll be a safe space, meaning a couple of things. For one, I will immediately delete any comments that I decide are bad, and will do so without warning. This is the only warning. Subs are fine. It also means that if you wish to publicly discuss how this is affecting you, you are very welcome.
With thanks to Avonelle Wing , for asking questions and making me more woke. That's maybe proper grammar, and hopefully true.
I've subbed into about a dozen threads. I've been in constant private discussion. A lot of it has been about if A is being a jerk to B, or if C is truly a monster.
And, frankly, I don't care about if A was mean to B, or if C was mean to A first. The argument and debate between A, B, and C is all between privileged men who are well positioned in the hobby. I have my own private thoughts here, which for now don't matter.
Here's what does matter: designer A's post, and the discussion around it, has made a lot of less privileged folk on the internet scared. Frightened. Suffering. Feeling silenced.
How do we mitigate that harm? How do we support the people who are physically ill at the notion of being drawn back into this? How are we shutting down death threads, rape threats, and other morally blameworthy that harms and silences members of our community? How do we shut down harassment? how are we supporting people are who not privileged, who feel their story has been silenced?
Like A, B, and C, I'm in a privileged position, and my wallet is not tied to gaming. This post'll be a safe space, meaning a couple of things. For one, I will immediately delete any comments that I decide are bad, and will do so without warning. This is the only warning. Subs are fine. It also means that if you wish to publicly discuss how this is affecting you, you are very welcome.
With thanks to Avonelle Wing , for asking questions and making me more woke. That's maybe proper grammar, and hopefully true.
July 26: 218.6, down 1.1 from yesterday. On track for August 8.
July 26: 218.6, down 1.1 from yesterday. On track for August 8.
Not as good as I'd hoped, but approximately what I could expect from just diet.
Food and exercise in the comments.
Not as good as I'd hoped, but approximately what I could expect from just diet.
Food and exercise in the comments.
Monday, July 25, 2016
Why are my news sites claiming 538 is estimating a trump victory, while when I load the 2016 election forecast, I...
Why are my news sites claiming 538 is estimating a trump victory, while when I load the 2016 election forecast, I see a Clinton win?
This isn't a politics post. Its a news post. I do not understand why I am seeing such differences.
This isn't a politics post. Its a news post. I do not understand why I am seeing such differences.
Novel: Nemesis Games
Novel: Nemesis Games
Author: James Corey
Rating: 4 of 5
Synopsis: The crew has to deal with an unexpected threat. Unlike the previous books, the crew are the only POV characters.
Longer (spoilerific) synopsis:
I really enjoyed this one!
Previous novels in the series (I'm looking at you, Cibolla Burn) gave us POV characters who are morally reprehensible. The authors are good enough to portray the inside of those minds as reasonable, and I read these with sufficient charity to be momentarily taken in. I did not enjoy seeing the world from the POV of a mass murdering fuckhead.
Here, the crew are the eye point characters. They are each written very differently. The Amos chapters were hilarious -- he knows he's a monster and looks to Holden to deal with it.
The plot? Oh, right. The plot was fantastic. While the Roci is underoing repairs, mass murdering fuckheads attack earth -- in classic SF fashion by dropping rocks. Big fucking rocks. Dinosaur-ending rocks. Cataclysm everyone is going to die rocks.
Amos is stuck on earth, and he shines having to deal with an apocalypse. He is absolutely the gunlugger. These were my favorite chapters; Amos is hilarious.
Alex is on Mars, and gets to hang with Bobbie! We see Bobbie again! His piloting saves the universe! Alex is the driver.
Naomi has been captured by the mass murdering fuckwits, who she used to be with. I didn't love that its her past that catches up with her, and that she spends most of the novel being kidnapped. She's self rescuing, which is a nice save. She's the savvyhead, mcguyvering her way out.
Holden is dealing with politics, and busy keeping Fred alive. I don't know an immediate playbook for Holden; he runs a small crew (operator, which doesn't exist anymore). He tells the truth. He runs a warship, and prefers nonviolent solutions. He's good at causing trouble, not so good at ending it. Is Holden a battlebabe?
Everyone gets to shine, and we get to see different aspects of the worst devastation in human history. And yet, somehow, it wasn't nearly as depressing as Cibolla Burn. Not sure how that happened.
Quite enjoyable!
Author: James Corey
Rating: 4 of 5
Synopsis: The crew has to deal with an unexpected threat. Unlike the previous books, the crew are the only POV characters.
Longer (spoilerific) synopsis:
I really enjoyed this one!
Previous novels in the series (I'm looking at you, Cibolla Burn) gave us POV characters who are morally reprehensible. The authors are good enough to portray the inside of those minds as reasonable, and I read these with sufficient charity to be momentarily taken in. I did not enjoy seeing the world from the POV of a mass murdering fuckhead.
Here, the crew are the eye point characters. They are each written very differently. The Amos chapters were hilarious -- he knows he's a monster and looks to Holden to deal with it.
The plot? Oh, right. The plot was fantastic. While the Roci is underoing repairs, mass murdering fuckheads attack earth -- in classic SF fashion by dropping rocks. Big fucking rocks. Dinosaur-ending rocks. Cataclysm everyone is going to die rocks.
Amos is stuck on earth, and he shines having to deal with an apocalypse. He is absolutely the gunlugger. These were my favorite chapters; Amos is hilarious.
Alex is on Mars, and gets to hang with Bobbie! We see Bobbie again! His piloting saves the universe! Alex is the driver.
Naomi has been captured by the mass murdering fuckwits, who she used to be with. I didn't love that its her past that catches up with her, and that she spends most of the novel being kidnapped. She's self rescuing, which is a nice save. She's the savvyhead, mcguyvering her way out.
Holden is dealing with politics, and busy keeping Fred alive. I don't know an immediate playbook for Holden; he runs a small crew (operator, which doesn't exist anymore). He tells the truth. He runs a warship, and prefers nonviolent solutions. He's good at causing trouble, not so good at ending it. Is Holden a battlebabe?
Everyone gets to shine, and we get to see different aspects of the worst devastation in human history. And yet, somehow, it wasn't nearly as depressing as Cibolla Burn. Not sure how that happened.
Quite enjoyable!
What's that?
What's that? The democratic party preferred a lifelong & loyal member of the party who they could trust & dependent on to an outsider maverick who has never once called himself a member of the party?
Surprising!
Surprising!
July 25: 219.7, up 2.2 pounds from yesterday. On track for August 12.
July 25: 219.7, up 2.2 pounds from yesterday. On track for August 12.
Better than I expected. Yesterday was insane.
Food and exercise in the comments.
Better than I expected. Yesterday was insane.
Food and exercise in the comments.
Sunday, July 24, 2016
July 24: 217.5, down 0.8 pounds from yesterday. On track for July 31.
July 24: 217.5, down 0.8 pounds from yesterday. On track for July 31.
After a day of fantastic food and touristing, I lost weight. Surprising!
Food and exercise in the comments.
After a day of fantastic food and touristing, I lost weight. Surprising!
Food and exercise in the comments.
Saturday, July 23, 2016
July 23: 218.3, up 1.7 pounds from yesterday. On track for August 2.
July 23: 218.3, up 1.7 pounds from yesterday. On track for August 2.
My sister is in town, and we had a big meal last night. This makes sense. I'm not even annoyed. I'll emotionally count it as the cheat day I didn't have on Thursday.
Four weeks in, how does this look?
Week 1: Down 3.7
Week 2: Up 0.2
Week 3: Down 3.2
Week 4: Down 2.4
That's not bad!
Food and exercise in the comments.
My sister is in town, and we had a big meal last night. This makes sense. I'm not even annoyed. I'll emotionally count it as the cheat day I didn't have on Thursday.
Four weeks in, how does this look?
Week 1: Down 3.7
Week 2: Up 0.2
Week 3: Down 3.2
Week 4: Down 2.4
That's not bad!
Food and exercise in the comments.
Friday, July 22, 2016
July 22: 216.6, down 0.3 pounds from yesterday. On track for July 26.
July 22: 216.6, down 0.3 pounds from yesterday. On track for July 26.
What, I lost weight on a Thursday? That's a first. There were no snacks at game night, and I ordered something small for dinner.
Food and exercise in the comments.
What, I lost weight on a Thursday? That's a first. There were no snacks at game night, and I ordered something small for dinner.
Food and exercise in the comments.
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Susan B Anthony, Margaret Sanger, Martin Luther, Martin Luther King, Jr, Andrew Carnegie, Sally Ride, Eliza...
Susan B Anthony, Margaret Sanger, Martin Luther, Martin Luther King, Jr, Andrew Carnegie, Sally Ride, Eliza Hamilton, Maurice Koechlin, Robert Owen, Willis Carrier, Norman Borlaug, Rosalind Franklin --
Thank you all. You've radically improved my life, and the world I live in. And many of you are virtually unknown.
This list is incomplete. What historical figure has radically improved your life yet is a near unknown, or whose achievements or philosophy are ignored due to other forms of celebrity?
I'd prefer to add women to this list. Preferably people with wikipedia pages.
Thank you all. You've radically improved my life, and the world I live in. And many of you are virtually unknown.
This list is incomplete. What historical figure has radically improved your life yet is a near unknown, or whose achievements or philosophy are ignored due to other forms of celebrity?
I'd prefer to add women to this list. Preferably people with wikipedia pages.
July 21: 216.9, down 2.5 pounds from yesterday. On track for July 25.
July 21: 216.9, down 2.5 pounds from yesterday. On track for July 25.
Admissions: I did three weigh in. The first was a pound nearly, the second a half pound higher. This one was in the middle, and I deleted the other two. Sometimes I get obsessive.
Anyway, this is what I was looking for from yesterday. Two pounds to go!
Food and exercise in the comments.
Admissions: I did three weigh in. The first was a pound nearly, the second a half pound higher. This one was in the middle, and I deleted the other two. Sometimes I get obsessive.
Anyway, this is what I was looking for from yesterday. Two pounds to go!
Food and exercise in the comments.
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
There's nothing quite like doing research to make me realize how great now is:
There's nothing quite like doing research to make me realize how great now is:
-- I have only about 5 chances out of 10,000 to be murdered every year! Compare to 1300 CE, and this is amazing.
-- I'm on a sofa in a twenty floor building. I'm a hundred feet in the air, and its not even a big deal. Compared to, I don't know, the 19th century and this is amazing.
-- I have air conditioning! Nero never had air conditioning.
-- It is always as bright as I want it to be. I can read long into the night.
-- I have unlimited water. Hot water! Soap! A machine that cleans my dishes with minimal work from me. Also, my clothes.
-- I have a patio on the tenth floor apartment, and the glass doors are floor to ceiling. And its not even a big deal. Steel, baby.
-- Any book I want is free! Thanks to the public Library!
-- I can eat whatever I want, basically whenever I want.
-- Travel across the oceans is merely ruinously expensive, as opposed to dangerous and inaccessibly expensive.
-- I have only about 5 chances out of 10,000 to be murdered every year! Compare to 1300 CE, and this is amazing.
-- I'm on a sofa in a twenty floor building. I'm a hundred feet in the air, and its not even a big deal. Compared to, I don't know, the 19th century and this is amazing.
-- I have air conditioning! Nero never had air conditioning.
-- It is always as bright as I want it to be. I can read long into the night.
-- I have unlimited water. Hot water! Soap! A machine that cleans my dishes with minimal work from me. Also, my clothes.
-- I have a patio on the tenth floor apartment, and the glass doors are floor to ceiling. And its not even a big deal. Steel, baby.
-- Any book I want is free! Thanks to the public Library!
-- I can eat whatever I want, basically whenever I want.
-- Travel across the oceans is merely ruinously expensive, as opposed to dangerous and inaccessibly expensive.
I nearly did a spit take: http://www.
I nearly did a spit take: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/al-baldasaro-donald-trump-hillary-clinton_us_578fa150e4b07c722ebd2fd1
Think someone is guilty of treason? Here's the test:
Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.
Kinda open english: The only things that are treason are making war against us, and helping our enemies. You need two witnesses for an act of treason, though you don't (say the Supremes) for intent to commit treason.
Think you know what should be done to traitors? Well:
The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.
kinda English: Congress gets to figure that out, and there are limits on what they can do.
That's it.
There's a bunch of common law surrounding it which I'll never understand, but the US Constitution is pretty clear. To accuse someone of treason is to accuse them of making open war against the United States, or to intentionally helping our enemies.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/al-baldasaro-donald-trump-hillary-clinton_us_578fa150e4b07c722ebd2fd1
Think someone is guilty of treason? Here's the test:
Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.
Kinda open english: The only things that are treason are making war against us, and helping our enemies. You need two witnesses for an act of treason, though you don't (say the Supremes) for intent to commit treason.
Think you know what should be done to traitors? Well:
The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.
kinda English: Congress gets to figure that out, and there are limits on what they can do.
That's it.
There's a bunch of common law surrounding it which I'll never understand, but the US Constitution is pretty clear. To accuse someone of treason is to accuse them of making open war against the United States, or to intentionally helping our enemies.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/al-baldasaro-donald-trump-hillary-clinton_us_578fa150e4b07c722ebd2fd1
Have I mentioned that we saw Ghostbusters over the weekend?
Have I mentioned that we saw Ghostbusters over the weekend?
Very good. Top notch. I wanted more small business finance, but I guess that's the 80s mindset and not now.
Incompetent feds, though? Perfect.
Heck, I even enjoyed the villain being an MRA troll -- the same people they've been busting for months.
Very good. Top notch. I wanted more small business finance, but I guess that's the 80s mindset and not now.
Incompetent feds, though? Perfect.
Heck, I even enjoyed the villain being an MRA troll -- the same people they've been busting for months.
July 20: 219.4, up 1.2 pounds from yesterday. On track for Aug 3.
July 20: 219.4, up 1.2 pounds from yesterday. On track for Aug 3.
This is what happens when I return to the office and sit for hours. I felt too crappy when I got home to do much -- I'd been working from home for two weeks. When I get home tonight, I'll do all of the things.
Food and exercise in the comments.
This is what happens when I return to the office and sit for hours. I felt too crappy when I got home to do much -- I'd been working from home for two weeks. When I get home tonight, I'll do all of the things.
Food and exercise in the comments.
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
Jay Treat has talked a lot lately about in the moment character generation.
Jay Treat has talked a lot lately about in the moment character generation.
I wonder what we can do with current tools.
Here's kind of what I'm thinking:
-- pbta, because easy starting place.
-- Before the game, the GM or the GM and the players decide on what sort of game this is going to be. Revolutionary politics? Super heroes? Traveler-style?
-- By default, there is one move. When you want to do something risky, roll plus no stat. On a 10+, you do it. On a 7-9, there's a problem: you do it, but only if your reaction tells us something new about your character: look, gender, history with another character. On a 6-, we learn something about why you fail.
-- Start with names, and what characters are known for. Examples:
Alexander Hamilton, Washington's Right-Hand Man
Thor, God of Thunder
Superman, Man of Steel
Malcolm Reynolds, browncoat mercenary smuggler (or maybe "Captain of the Firefly class vessel Serenity)
Lafayette, America's Favorite Fighting Frenchmen (LAFAYETTE)
That sort of thing. Anyone can know this about you, and the PCs probably do.
Start with the PCs in the same place, in media res. Something in genre is happening!
Maybe that's a cabinet battle, maybe its a fight against super villains. Maybe you are doing a job.
-- When you would need to use the basic move, you may instead say how you know something previously revealed about another character and gain an advance.
-- The first advance grants you a playbook. (hooray). After that, advances grant you a move from that playbook.
Clear as mud?
I wonder what we can do with current tools.
Here's kind of what I'm thinking:
-- pbta, because easy starting place.
-- Before the game, the GM or the GM and the players decide on what sort of game this is going to be. Revolutionary politics? Super heroes? Traveler-style?
-- By default, there is one move. When you want to do something risky, roll plus no stat. On a 10+, you do it. On a 7-9, there's a problem: you do it, but only if your reaction tells us something new about your character: look, gender, history with another character. On a 6-, we learn something about why you fail.
-- Start with names, and what characters are known for. Examples:
Alexander Hamilton, Washington's Right-Hand Man
Thor, God of Thunder
Superman, Man of Steel
Malcolm Reynolds, browncoat mercenary smuggler (or maybe "Captain of the Firefly class vessel Serenity)
Lafayette, America's Favorite Fighting Frenchmen (LAFAYETTE)
That sort of thing. Anyone can know this about you, and the PCs probably do.
Start with the PCs in the same place, in media res. Something in genre is happening!
Maybe that's a cabinet battle, maybe its a fight against super villains. Maybe you are doing a job.
-- When you would need to use the basic move, you may instead say how you know something previously revealed about another character and gain an advance.
-- The first advance grants you a playbook. (hooray). After that, advances grant you a move from that playbook.
Clear as mud?
July 19: 218.2, up 0.4 pounds from yesterday. On track for July 27.
July 19: 218.2, up 0.4 pounds from yesterday. On track for July 27.
Basically expected; I did very little yesterday.
Food and exercise in the comments.
Basically expected; I did very little yesterday.
Food and exercise in the comments.
Monday, July 18, 2016
In the Caliphate of Azithan, known to its neighbors as the Necromancer Kingdom ...
In the Caliphate of Azithan, known to its neighbors as the Necromancer Kingdom ...
In this edition: What to expect when the Caliphate sends two nice young believers to your town?
The Caliphate does this two different ways, and your experience will be very different!
Either the Caliphate will send two highly competent missionaries, or two incredibly incompetent ones.
Why would they send incompetents? Either to get rid of them, or looking for an excuse to go to war. If your town kills our incompetent jerks who talk about what to do with your dead uncle? Yeah, that's a great excuse for war.
In the case of competent folks, at least one will be able to create Lifeless. The other needs a voice that everyone listens to. The first should either be a cleric or a wizard, and the second is best as a Paladin.
In my mind, this happens in Dungeon World. My standard go to high octane fantasy game.
The battle plan goes about like this:
-- Generate wealth through adventuring
-- Leverage that wealth for a base of operations, possibly removing a criminal element.
-- Raise lifeless from the bodies you murder through adventuring.
-- Use the lifeless to clean the streets, and feed the people who show to service.
-- Offer protection -- real protection -- services to those who need it.
-- Promote a few local parishoners into the minor secrets of the church, giving them basic lifeless commands.
That's pretty much how to do it! Spread out from there, building franchises and making it financially ruinous to not be in the church.
In this edition: What to expect when the Caliphate sends two nice young believers to your town?
The Caliphate does this two different ways, and your experience will be very different!
Either the Caliphate will send two highly competent missionaries, or two incredibly incompetent ones.
Why would they send incompetents? Either to get rid of them, or looking for an excuse to go to war. If your town kills our incompetent jerks who talk about what to do with your dead uncle? Yeah, that's a great excuse for war.
In the case of competent folks, at least one will be able to create Lifeless. The other needs a voice that everyone listens to. The first should either be a cleric or a wizard, and the second is best as a Paladin.
In my mind, this happens in Dungeon World. My standard go to high octane fantasy game.
The battle plan goes about like this:
-- Generate wealth through adventuring
-- Leverage that wealth for a base of operations, possibly removing a criminal element.
-- Raise lifeless from the bodies you murder through adventuring.
-- Use the lifeless to clean the streets, and feed the people who show to service.
-- Offer protection -- real protection -- services to those who need it.
-- Promote a few local parishoners into the minor secrets of the church, giving them basic lifeless commands.
That's pretty much how to do it! Spread out from there, building franchises and making it financially ruinous to not be in the church.
July 18: 217.8, down 0.3 pounds from yesterday. On track for July 24.
July 18: 217.8, down 0.3 pounds from yesterday. On track for July 24.
This is great. 30 years of bad habits, meet strong incentive to the contrary.
Food and exercise in the comments.
This is great. 30 years of bad habits, meet strong incentive to the contrary.
Food and exercise in the comments.
Sunday, July 17, 2016
In the Caliphate of Azithan, known to its neighbors as the Necromancer Kingdom ...
In the Caliphate of Azithan, known to its neighbors as the Necromancer Kingdom ...
In this thought exercise, I wonder how much of a city you can reasonably have in a single building. I'm intentionally missing super rich housing, but what else isn't here? Where are mistakes in my reasoning?
We know specialized teams build temples that form the basis of cities.
These temples are de facto small cities, called insulae, and given names. These are consolidated city made manifest. This isn't the only thing in a city, but it is common to have one to ten in each city.
While the insulae temples have emergency housing for hundreds, about a hundred people actually live in one. Without elevators and lightbulbs, the lower to the ground the better. The price for the barracks is locked by the Church at 20 cups of floor per week; once weekly prayer gives 50 and you need 28 to eat. That is, the church ensures that the Faithful Profit is sufficient to live, if not very well. For better living, pray more or get a job.
The insulae are five stories tall, 100 feet deep and 250 feet long. That's five floors, ~30 meters deep and ~75 meters long for the Canadians. They are made of concrete and local materials. While that's 25,000 square feet per floor (2,300 square meters), some measure of that is in hallways and stairs, water and waste, call it 20%, leaving 20,000 square feet (1,800 sq meters) of space to allocate per floor. There's a separate stairwell solely used by the Lifeless carting things up and down.
Basement: Storage for the lifeless when not in use, as well as the machine room for the building. Also stores flour and other sundries.
The first floor contains many things the community needs: temple, retail, and a small daycare / school and gym, as well as mixed use meeting room space. There is a single luxury apartment with a private entrance, as well as the priests humble apartment.
The second floor contains a dozen relatively nice apartments, with running water and private kitchens. It also contains a large office / commercial space, which itself has a kitchen and bathroom. Average apartment size is ~800 square feet, or ~75 square meters. [ For comparison, this is slightly larger than the one bedroom apartment my wife and I live in. ]
The third floor has two dozen dorm style apartments, with communal bathrooms and kitchen. This also has a large light industrial space, with the same amenities. The dorms are much smaller than on the previous floor: ~300 square feet, or 28 square meters. [ These are twice the size of the dorms I really liked in college. ]
The fourth floor is a lot like the third, but with less running water and smaller units. This means more units; four dozen dorm style apartments, and similarly larger light industry. These dorms are small; 150 square feet each. The rooms are around the outside, with the light industry in the middle. Water is supplied by lifeless carting it up. [ These are the size of the dorms I liked in college. Fine for a single person, not so much for multiple people. ]
The fifth floor is barracks style, containing bunks and little else. There's isn't so much running water as there is an out whole for waste water. If there are monks in the community, they live here.
This is similar to a previous post on housing in the Insulae, but with a different focus. I've also rethought how to structure the interior, so that they contain a lot of what goes into a city that doesn't require an open flame. That's why there's nothing like a blacksmith shop.
What have I missed, and what sounds dumb?
Edit: Thanks to Josh Roby and Tony Lower-Basch, the insulae has less running water and a basement.
In this thought exercise, I wonder how much of a city you can reasonably have in a single building. I'm intentionally missing super rich housing, but what else isn't here? Where are mistakes in my reasoning?
We know specialized teams build temples that form the basis of cities.
These temples are de facto small cities, called insulae, and given names. These are consolidated city made manifest. This isn't the only thing in a city, but it is common to have one to ten in each city.
While the insulae temples have emergency housing for hundreds, about a hundred people actually live in one. Without elevators and lightbulbs, the lower to the ground the better. The price for the barracks is locked by the Church at 20 cups of floor per week; once weekly prayer gives 50 and you need 28 to eat. That is, the church ensures that the Faithful Profit is sufficient to live, if not very well. For better living, pray more or get a job.
The insulae are five stories tall, 100 feet deep and 250 feet long. That's five floors, ~30 meters deep and ~75 meters long for the Canadians. They are made of concrete and local materials. While that's 25,000 square feet per floor (2,300 square meters), some measure of that is in hallways and stairs, water and waste, call it 20%, leaving 20,000 square feet (1,800 sq meters) of space to allocate per floor. There's a separate stairwell solely used by the Lifeless carting things up and down.
Basement: Storage for the lifeless when not in use, as well as the machine room for the building. Also stores flour and other sundries.
The first floor contains many things the community needs: temple, retail, and a small daycare / school and gym, as well as mixed use meeting room space. There is a single luxury apartment with a private entrance, as well as the priests humble apartment.
The second floor contains a dozen relatively nice apartments, with running water and private kitchens. It also contains a large office / commercial space, which itself has a kitchen and bathroom. Average apartment size is ~800 square feet, or ~75 square meters. [ For comparison, this is slightly larger than the one bedroom apartment my wife and I live in. ]
The third floor has two dozen dorm style apartments, with communal bathrooms and kitchen. This also has a large light industrial space, with the same amenities. The dorms are much smaller than on the previous floor: ~300 square feet, or 28 square meters. [ These are twice the size of the dorms I really liked in college. ]
The fourth floor is a lot like the third, but with less running water and smaller units. This means more units; four dozen dorm style apartments, and similarly larger light industry. These dorms are small; 150 square feet each. The rooms are around the outside, with the light industry in the middle. Water is supplied by lifeless carting it up. [ These are the size of the dorms I liked in college. Fine for a single person, not so much for multiple people. ]
The fifth floor is barracks style, containing bunks and little else. There's isn't so much running water as there is an out whole for waste water. If there are monks in the community, they live here.
This is similar to a previous post on housing in the Insulae, but with a different focus. I've also rethought how to structure the interior, so that they contain a lot of what goes into a city that doesn't require an open flame. That's why there's nothing like a blacksmith shop.
What have I missed, and what sounds dumb?
Edit: Thanks to Josh Roby and Tony Lower-Basch, the insulae has less running water and a basement.
July 17: 218.1, down 2.6 pounds from yesterday. On track for July 25.
July 17: 218.1, down 2.6 pounds from yesterday. On track for July 25.
This isn't the most I've lost from one day to another, but it is up there. Daily fluctuations are big, and the key thing is the lows and highs are both getting a lot lower.
Food and exercise in the comments.
This isn't the most I've lost from one day to another, but it is up there. Daily fluctuations are big, and the key thing is the lows and highs are both getting a lot lower.
Food and exercise in the comments.
Saturday, July 16, 2016
July 16: 220.
July 16: 220.7. Up 0.1 pounds from yesterday. On track for August 3. During the week, down 3.2 pounds. Down a total of 6.7 pounds over 3 weeks, with 5.7 to go.
Today's measurement gets filed under "bodies are weird".
I was hoping to hit the goal before July 22, when my sister visits. That's looking pretty unlikely.
Food and exercise in the comments.
Today's measurement gets filed under "bodies are weird".
I was hoping to hit the goal before July 22, when my sister visits. That's looking pretty unlikely.
Food and exercise in the comments.
Friday, July 15, 2016
July 15: 220.6. Up 0.7 pounds from yesterday. On track for July 31.
July 15: 220.6. Up 0.7 pounds from yesterday. On track for July 31.
That couldn't last long. Especially as I did basically nothing yesterday, and ate a bunch of crap after dinner.
Not incredibly disappointed. I'll just do better today.
Food and exercise in the comments.
That couldn't last long. Especially as I did basically nothing yesterday, and ate a bunch of crap after dinner.
Not incredibly disappointed. I'll just do better today.
Food and exercise in the comments.
Thursday, July 14, 2016
More about the Ministry of Plenty within the Caliphate of Azithan ...
More about the Ministry of Plenty within the Caliphate of Azithan ...
Plenty grows and distributes the Faithful Profit, organizes & innovates Lifeless. They protect the crops. They are the Naval power of the Caliphate. The headquarters is a fortress at sea, propelled without sails.
Their naval power grew over time; originally, they merely brought crops from the farms to the cities, often down a river or over an ocean. Faithless neighbors attacked, and the Caliphate realized it had to protect such cargo with force.
While Temple developed new faster sail & oar merchant ships, Plenty developed a means of harnessing Lifeless power as locomotion through the water. In combination with sail, this was truly terrifying.
Enter the Cutter.
Designed for speed, the Cutter could chase off attacks on vessels near the shore. Fifty feet long with a crew of five Faithful and five Lifeless, the Cutter became the means of defending the shoreline. A cutter's naval power is mostly in swords, lifeless, and ramming ability. Some few have a Wizard, able to summon lightning or fire.
The Plenty Cutter Marine Service was originally ten ships that defended the Capital Coast. The Minister of Plenty who created the Cutter Service is now a Most Ancient Elder, whose spirit lives on to advise the Living. Ham, they call the spirit.
As the Cutter Fleet grew, the Capital became safer. But, the Cutters were only good close to the shore; they didn't handle tall waves, and had no living quarters. This was a near-the-coast solution, protecting some but not all the cargo.
Plenty grows and distributes the Faithful Profit, organizes & innovates Lifeless. They protect the crops. They are the Naval power of the Caliphate. The headquarters is a fortress at sea, propelled without sails.
Their naval power grew over time; originally, they merely brought crops from the farms to the cities, often down a river or over an ocean. Faithless neighbors attacked, and the Caliphate realized it had to protect such cargo with force.
While Temple developed new faster sail & oar merchant ships, Plenty developed a means of harnessing Lifeless power as locomotion through the water. In combination with sail, this was truly terrifying.
Enter the Cutter.
Designed for speed, the Cutter could chase off attacks on vessels near the shore. Fifty feet long with a crew of five Faithful and five Lifeless, the Cutter became the means of defending the shoreline. A cutter's naval power is mostly in swords, lifeless, and ramming ability. Some few have a Wizard, able to summon lightning or fire.
The Plenty Cutter Marine Service was originally ten ships that defended the Capital Coast. The Minister of Plenty who created the Cutter Service is now a Most Ancient Elder, whose spirit lives on to advise the Living. Ham, they call the spirit.
As the Cutter Fleet grew, the Capital became safer. But, the Cutters were only good close to the shore; they didn't handle tall waves, and had no living quarters. This was a near-the-coast solution, protecting some but not all the cargo.
In the Caliphate of Azithan, known to its neighbors as the necromancer empire ...
In the Caliphate of Azithan, known to its neighbors as the necromancer empire ...
They don't have to declare war; they are continuously pushing outward.
The civil service has four Ministries:
Temple: Builds and runs temples.
Outreach: Brings the faith to those outside the Caliphate.
Plenty: Distributes the Faithful Profit, organizes & innovates Lifeless.
Noble: Ensures the Nobles do not cause a civil war.
To the majority of the Faithful, these are almost invisible; the local Priests don't work for any of these, but do interact with them.
The Ministry of Temples keeps Faithful healthy & sufficiently educated for their prayers to be useful. They build the Barracks for the poorest of the Faithful, and promote sport and other healthy activities. MiniTemple effectively controls and builds the cities, and determines where to build new ones.
The Ministry of Outreach is diplomats, spies, and missionaries. When two young representatives of the Caliphate appear in a city and start raising the dead? They've been sent from MiniOutreach, with plans to recruit. If an area of the Caliphate has particularly low numbers of Faithful, Outreach will send a few people.
MiniPlenty grows & distributes the Faithful Profit, organizes the lifeless and spurs innovation in Lifeless design. They protect the crops.
To the Nobility, the ministry is a pain. Noble maintains a secure post system, negotiates between Nobles, and ensures Nobles do not over reach in how they treat the Faithful. High ranking Nobles have a personal priest adviser.
Each Ministry has a different wartime specialty:
Temple builds weapons of war.
Outreach commands spies, and is not afraid to raise those who stand against the church.
Plenty controls the Navy.
Noble raises Faithful armies with Noble leaders.
Each Ministry has a different type of headquarters, too:
Temple, a score of temples within the Capital. This includes the Cathedral, which has emergency housing for thousands, monks in constant prayer, and legions of lifeless.
Outreach: The actual headquarters is unassuming, a simple three story building within the Capital. Embassies primary duty is assisting the communities around them, and have Lifeless enough to accomplish the goal.
Plenty: A fortress at sea, generally anchored near the Capital. Hundreds of Lifeless walk on treadmills to turn propellers, providing thrust. A marvel of Plenty, not requiring a single sail.
Noble: Located a day's ride from the capital. Disputes with miniNoble requires a Noble's personal presence. Disputes between a Noble and a member of the Faith requires a representative for each, or a personal appearance.
They don't have to declare war; they are continuously pushing outward.
The civil service has four Ministries:
Temple: Builds and runs temples.
Outreach: Brings the faith to those outside the Caliphate.
Plenty: Distributes the Faithful Profit, organizes & innovates Lifeless.
Noble: Ensures the Nobles do not cause a civil war.
To the majority of the Faithful, these are almost invisible; the local Priests don't work for any of these, but do interact with them.
The Ministry of Temples keeps Faithful healthy & sufficiently educated for their prayers to be useful. They build the Barracks for the poorest of the Faithful, and promote sport and other healthy activities. MiniTemple effectively controls and builds the cities, and determines where to build new ones.
The Ministry of Outreach is diplomats, spies, and missionaries. When two young representatives of the Caliphate appear in a city and start raising the dead? They've been sent from MiniOutreach, with plans to recruit. If an area of the Caliphate has particularly low numbers of Faithful, Outreach will send a few people.
MiniPlenty grows & distributes the Faithful Profit, organizes the lifeless and spurs innovation in Lifeless design. They protect the crops.
To the Nobility, the ministry is a pain. Noble maintains a secure post system, negotiates between Nobles, and ensures Nobles do not over reach in how they treat the Faithful. High ranking Nobles have a personal priest adviser.
Each Ministry has a different wartime specialty:
Temple builds weapons of war.
Outreach commands spies, and is not afraid to raise those who stand against the church.
Plenty controls the Navy.
Noble raises Faithful armies with Noble leaders.
Each Ministry has a different type of headquarters, too:
Temple, a score of temples within the Capital. This includes the Cathedral, which has emergency housing for thousands, monks in constant prayer, and legions of lifeless.
Outreach: The actual headquarters is unassuming, a simple three story building within the Capital. Embassies primary duty is assisting the communities around them, and have Lifeless enough to accomplish the goal.
Plenty: A fortress at sea, generally anchored near the Capital. Hundreds of Lifeless walk on treadmills to turn propellers, providing thrust. A marvel of Plenty, not requiring a single sail.
Noble: Located a day's ride from the capital. Disputes with miniNoble requires a Noble's personal presence. Disputes between a Noble and a member of the Faith requires a representative for each, or a personal appearance.
July 14: 219.9. Down 0.2 pounds from yesterday. On track for July 26.
July 14: 219.9. Down 0.2 pounds from yesterday. On track for July 26.
This is a psychological milestone; I'm under 220. This is a big deal! Always before when trying to lose weight, I've plateaued around 224 and then rebounded immediately.
Very pleased!
Food and exercise in the comments.
This is a psychological milestone; I'm under 220. This is a big deal! Always before when trying to lose weight, I've plateaued around 224 and then rebounded immediately.
Very pleased!
Food and exercise in the comments.
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Is there an RPG of Hamilton yet?
Is there an RPG of Hamilton yet?
Predictably, I'm thinking pbta. But, any system with qualified success could make sense.
Predictably, I'm thinking pbta. But, any system with qualified success could make sense.
Last Thursday, we played Cyberpunk.
Last Thursday, we played Cyberpunk. Retrofuture cyberpunk 2020 setting, and the GM has done a lot of work on the system. For setting, think a silly shadowrun.
They used Ghost Echo by John Harper, more or less, this last time.
Here's me turning this back into a super simple pbta hack, with examples from the ridiculous Cyberpunk game we're playing.
Character creation: List three qualities about your character -- whether that's name, cybergear, or high concept. Whatever. One of these must be cybergear, because that's the sort of story this is supposed to be.
Here's the one move:
When you do something dangerous, tell the GM. Write down what you want to do, and the GM will write down an appropriate problem.
Pick up 2 dice. Pick up an extra for each of your qualities that fits. Roll them, and take the best two.
On a 10+: You do it, without a problem.
On a 7-9, You do it and the problem happens.
On a 6-: You don't do it, AND there's a problem.
For example: Boomfist, the street samurai. He's got the qualities: Boomfist, wired reflexes, and bullet proof skin.
He intimidates the crypto fascist guard, maybe kindof sorta threatening the guys family. The goal: get past the guard. The possible badness: the guard calls for reinforcements, possibly while opening the door and running away from the crazy man.
The player picks up two dice, and is all "Boomfist!" to the GM, who decides to be gracious and gives a third die. Apparently boomfist means you are good at intimidation.
The player rolls 3d6, and is super glad for the extra die: 1, 5, 6! The extra die (the 6) turns it from a hard fail to a hard success.
There we go: Quick, straightforward system for cyberpunkin'. Its a ridiculous combination of fate and pbta. There is one move. Done.
What's that, you want xp? OK, sure. Let's revise a little. The GM writes the complication as a PC goal, like "Prevent the guard from calling for reinforcements". Then, add a third goal: Gain XP.
Then, we get:
On a 12: Do all three: Avoid the badness, complete the goal, gain XP.
On a 10-11: Do 2 out of 3.
On a 7-9: Just 1.
On a 6-: Catastrophe all 'round.
Spending XP is also super easy: When you have as many XP as you have Qualities, erase and write a new one. Done.
Remember when Boomfist had a 10+? Well, he'd rather have XP than avoid more combat, so now the guard is calling for reinforcements. Turns out, that's a dozen uber soldiers with swords.
Luckily, Boomfist just hit three XP! The players erases and chooses a new Qualitiy: Dual Monofilament Katanas.
He rushes into the mob of uber soldiers with his monofilament katanas ... rolling 2d6, plus 1 for the katanas, plus 1 for his wired reflex, which matter in this situation. That's 4 dice!
The player's goal is to defeat the uber soldiers. The GM writes down another goal "Avoid taking debilitating injuries"
The player rolls: 2, 3, 5, 6. That's an eleven. The player chooses to avoid the badness and to eliminate the uber soldiers. There's no XP for boomfirst, but the soldiers are eliminated.
Quick & Dirty. I don't yet have money factored in, which'll probably be a secondary system layered on top. And I probably won't be the one to develop it. Personally, I'd keep money as being for lifestyle expenses only, and have all equipment act as a function of Qualities.
They used Ghost Echo by John Harper, more or less, this last time.
Here's me turning this back into a super simple pbta hack, with examples from the ridiculous Cyberpunk game we're playing.
Character creation: List three qualities about your character -- whether that's name, cybergear, or high concept. Whatever. One of these must be cybergear, because that's the sort of story this is supposed to be.
Here's the one move:
When you do something dangerous, tell the GM. Write down what you want to do, and the GM will write down an appropriate problem.
Pick up 2 dice. Pick up an extra for each of your qualities that fits. Roll them, and take the best two.
On a 10+: You do it, without a problem.
On a 7-9, You do it and the problem happens.
On a 6-: You don't do it, AND there's a problem.
For example: Boomfist, the street samurai. He's got the qualities: Boomfist, wired reflexes, and bullet proof skin.
He intimidates the crypto fascist guard, maybe kindof sorta threatening the guys family. The goal: get past the guard. The possible badness: the guard calls for reinforcements, possibly while opening the door and running away from the crazy man.
The player picks up two dice, and is all "Boomfist!" to the GM, who decides to be gracious and gives a third die. Apparently boomfist means you are good at intimidation.
The player rolls 3d6, and is super glad for the extra die: 1, 5, 6! The extra die (the 6) turns it from a hard fail to a hard success.
There we go: Quick, straightforward system for cyberpunkin'. Its a ridiculous combination of fate and pbta. There is one move. Done.
What's that, you want xp? OK, sure. Let's revise a little. The GM writes the complication as a PC goal, like "Prevent the guard from calling for reinforcements". Then, add a third goal: Gain XP.
Then, we get:
On a 12: Do all three: Avoid the badness, complete the goal, gain XP.
On a 10-11: Do 2 out of 3.
On a 7-9: Just 1.
On a 6-: Catastrophe all 'round.
Spending XP is also super easy: When you have as many XP as you have Qualities, erase and write a new one. Done.
Remember when Boomfist had a 10+? Well, he'd rather have XP than avoid more combat, so now the guard is calling for reinforcements. Turns out, that's a dozen uber soldiers with swords.
Luckily, Boomfist just hit three XP! The players erases and chooses a new Qualitiy: Dual Monofilament Katanas.
He rushes into the mob of uber soldiers with his monofilament katanas ... rolling 2d6, plus 1 for the katanas, plus 1 for his wired reflex, which matter in this situation. That's 4 dice!
The player's goal is to defeat the uber soldiers. The GM writes down another goal "Avoid taking debilitating injuries"
The player rolls: 2, 3, 5, 6. That's an eleven. The player chooses to avoid the badness and to eliminate the uber soldiers. There's no XP for boomfirst, but the soldiers are eliminated.
Quick & Dirty. I don't yet have money factored in, which'll probably be a secondary system layered on top. And I probably won't be the one to develop it. Personally, I'd keep money as being for lifestyle expenses only, and have all equipment act as a function of Qualities.
July 13: 220.1. Down 0.3 pounds from yesterday. On track for July 25.
July 13: 220.1. Down 0.3 pounds from yesterday. On track for July 25.
Not bad at all. And yesterday proved something: I can eat what I want, just not as much as I grew accostomed to.
Food and exercise in the comments.
Not bad at all. And yesterday proved something: I can eat what I want, just not as much as I grew accostomed to.
Food and exercise in the comments.
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
On the Ennies: I do wish I could rate things I disliked as lower than things I don't know anything about.
On the Ennies: I do wish I could rate things I disliked as lower than things I don't know anything about.
That'd be great. Like the Hugos. Because there's no way to game the Hugos.
That'd be great. Like the Hugos. Because there's no way to game the Hugos.
The Daily Show
The Daily Show
If you'd asked me a week ago, I'd have said TDS was doing pretty good given a new host after 18 years. That's hard, and Trevor was doing an admirable job.
Last night, we watched one of the first post-Jessica Williams shows. The one in which they spend 5 minute saying HRC is a lying liar who lies about her email. The misogyny was palpable.
Apparently JW was holding up the entire show. They need to find some more writing talent, and fast. Trevor should be spending every night in a different comedy club, searching for a half dozen women to shave his brotacular writers room from itself. And then pay them whatever they want.
They did five minutes of Trump quotes, with CGI Trumps talking to each other in what was supposed to be a Cabinet meeting. I went and did the dishes, as cleaning was both more thought provoking and more enjoyable.
If you'd asked me a week ago, I'd have said TDS was doing pretty good given a new host after 18 years. That's hard, and Trevor was doing an admirable job.
Last night, we watched one of the first post-Jessica Williams shows. The one in which they spend 5 minute saying HRC is a lying liar who lies about her email. The misogyny was palpable.
Apparently JW was holding up the entire show. They need to find some more writing talent, and fast. Trevor should be spending every night in a different comedy club, searching for a half dozen women to shave his brotacular writers room from itself. And then pay them whatever they want.
They did five minutes of Trump quotes, with CGI Trumps talking to each other in what was supposed to be a Cabinet meeting. I went and did the dishes, as cleaning was both more thought provoking and more enjoyable.
July 12: 220.4. Up 0.3 pounds from yesterday. On track for July 25.
July 12: 220.4. Up 0.3 pounds from yesterday. On track for July 25.
This is disappointing, but not entirely unexpected given the dramatic weight loss yesterday.
Food and exercise in the comments.
This is disappointing, but not entirely unexpected given the dramatic weight loss yesterday.
Food and exercise in the comments.
Monday, July 11, 2016
July 11: 220.1. Down 4.2 pounds from yesterday. On track for July 22.
July 11: 220.1. Down 4.2 pounds from yesterday. On track for July 22.
Bodies are weird.
I did expect to drop, but not 4 pounds. That's ridiculous.
Food and exercise in the comments.
Bodies are weird.
I did expect to drop, but not 4 pounds. That's ridiculous.
Food and exercise in the comments.
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Novel: Three Parts Dead
Novel: Three Parts Dead
Author: Max Gladstone
Rating: 5 of 5
Synopsis: A necromancer lawyer woman must defend a dead god from His creditors.
Longer (spoilerific) synopsis:
The God is a plot device, there to introduce us to the world of the Craft novels and what power humans can have.
We're introduced to a world where people can become necromancers, and become immortal. But, as they do so, they lose their humanity and vitality. Eventually becoming liches.
But, what's that? Gods can accept worship and maintain warmth and life? Well, why can't humans?
That's really what its about. There's a lot of contracts and legal battles. There's intrigue and darkness. Its fantastic.
I'll find the next one soon. I really enjoyed this.
Author: Max Gladstone
Rating: 5 of 5
Synopsis: A necromancer lawyer woman must defend a dead god from His creditors.
Longer (spoilerific) synopsis:
The God is a plot device, there to introduce us to the world of the Craft novels and what power humans can have.
We're introduced to a world where people can become necromancers, and become immortal. But, as they do so, they lose their humanity and vitality. Eventually becoming liches.
But, what's that? Gods can accept worship and maintain warmth and life? Well, why can't humans?
That's really what its about. There's a lot of contracts and legal battles. There's intrigue and darkness. Its fantastic.
I'll find the next one soon. I really enjoyed this.
July 10: 224.3. Up 0.4 pounds from yesterday. On track for August 24.
July 10: 224.3. Up 0.4 pounds from yesterday. On track for August 24.
I expected to drop from yesterday. This is unexpected and a little disturbing.
Food and exercise in the comments.
I expected to drop from yesterday. This is unexpected and a little disturbing.
Food and exercise in the comments.
Saturday, July 9, 2016
July 9: 223.9. Down 0.5 pounds since yesterday, and up 0.2 since last Saturday. On track for August 14.
July 9: 223.9. Down 0.5 pounds since yesterday, and up 0.2 since last Saturday. On track for August 14.
I expected to drop more over night. I really did.
On track, but only just. This week was pretty much a wash. No cheat day this weekend, and I'll see if I get to have one on Thursday.
Food and exercise in the comments.
I expected to drop more over night. I really did.
On track, but only just. This week was pretty much a wash. No cheat day this weekend, and I'll see if I get to have one on Thursday.
Food and exercise in the comments.
Friday, July 8, 2016
July 8: 224.4. Up 3.4 pounds from yesterday. On track for August 18.
July 8: 224.4. Up 3.4 pounds from yesterday. On track for August 18.
Cheat day successful. I'm not pleased with the total gain, but damn. And hey, even after that cheat day, I am still on track. That's important.
Food and exercise in the comments.
Cheat day successful. I'm not pleased with the total gain, but damn. And hey, even after that cheat day, I am still on track. That's important.
Food and exercise in the comments.
Thursday, July 7, 2016
July 7: 221.
July 7: 221.0. Down 3.1 pounds from yesterday (which was a particularly high measurement). Down 2.7 pounds since Saturday. Down 6.4 pounds since the start of the bet. On track for July 18.
I'm 50% of the way to the goal. This is getting silly. I'm intentionally treating today as a cheat day, as I am uncomfortable with this speed of weight loss.
I slept like ass, due in large part to realizing I was hungry. I think my incentive may be overly strong, which is something to remember for next time. If there is a next time.
Terrible sleep is also attributable to the novel I read before bed, about necromancy lawyers. It is amazing and stressful and fantastic.
Food and exercise in the comments, as per usual.
I'm 50% of the way to the goal. This is getting silly. I'm intentionally treating today as a cheat day, as I am uncomfortable with this speed of weight loss.
I slept like ass, due in large part to realizing I was hungry. I think my incentive may be overly strong, which is something to remember for next time. If there is a next time.
Terrible sleep is also attributable to the novel I read before bed, about necromancy lawyers. It is amazing and stressful and fantastic.
Food and exercise in the comments, as per usual.
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
July 6: 224.1. Up 2 pounds from yesterday. On track for August 5.
July 6: 224.1. Up 2 pounds from yesterday. On track for August 5.
This is really unexpected; I was hungry most of the day. I didn't do any exercise, so maybe that was it. Or that I only had two cups of coffee.
Who knows. Bodies are weird, and I'll count this measurement towards that.
Food in the comments, as per usual.
This is really unexpected; I was hungry most of the day. I didn't do any exercise, so maybe that was it. Or that I only had two cups of coffee.
Who knows. Bodies are weird, and I'll count this measurement towards that.
Food in the comments, as per usual.
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
tl;dr - Incentives guide actions and behaviors more than we believe.
tl;dr - Incentives guide actions and behaviors more than we believe.
I like playing elfgames.
I enjoy writing things down on index cards, and saying sad (or happy!) things with my friends.
I prefer to do this in person. I prefer to have ongoing campaigns. I prefer that the materials be top notch, and that they enforce values I want to see in my games. I prefer the game's design to reinforce empathy.
Sometimes I have to make my own game (Dragon World, under construction) to hit on the exact and weird points that I want. Most of the time, the game I want exists and can be mine for either $10 or completely free. At least one beautiful wonderful game about queering the apocalypse specifically asks me to pay because I'm not queer. Cool, that makes sense. I'm not sure I actually have, but I should.
I can enjoy argument as sport. I do it myself often enough. I try -- and sometimes fail! -- to avoid argument as sport with those who do not wish to engage in it. I do hold that part of the point of friends (as opposed to acquaintances) is to call us on it when we're wrong. I do that, for sure. Maybe more than is virtuous.
There is a thing I loath. The shorthand word is "drama", but that's not quite right. I loath the seemingly intentional and malicious attempts at making other people feel like shit. Of attacking the person, and not the argument, especially when you only know that person as text and maybe an avatar.
I absolutely do not loath standing up to say "No More". Telling bullies to bugger off is, in the least, not a bad thing.
What I don't understand is aligning your economic incentives such that you are rewarded for being a dick. If you want to make money off elfgames, good luck! But, if you want to make money from elf games and do so by publicly harassing and mocking others? Nope, that's bogus.
And its bogus not just because it hurts those you're casting aspersions towards: it sucks for you. Crafting that position and sitting in it will fuck up your empathy circuits. Instead of valuing people and empathy and the ongoing conversation, you start to value people as revenue generators and not as ends in themselves.
And instead of valuing other creators, once you try to suck money out of a hobby, the consumer dollars become limited commodities to be sought after. Other designers become the competition to be destroyed. The gaming conversation becomes how to extract value, not how to add it.
Money is real good at fucking everything up. Even small amounts (and my understanding is the elfgame market is real small). I know this because I am sitting here hungry, as I provided a monetary incentive to myself to lose weight.
Moral of the overly long? Watch your incentives, and make sure they are producing the behaviors and concerns that you desire.
I like playing elfgames.
I enjoy writing things down on index cards, and saying sad (or happy!) things with my friends.
I prefer to do this in person. I prefer to have ongoing campaigns. I prefer that the materials be top notch, and that they enforce values I want to see in my games. I prefer the game's design to reinforce empathy.
Sometimes I have to make my own game (Dragon World, under construction) to hit on the exact and weird points that I want. Most of the time, the game I want exists and can be mine for either $10 or completely free. At least one beautiful wonderful game about queering the apocalypse specifically asks me to pay because I'm not queer. Cool, that makes sense. I'm not sure I actually have, but I should.
I can enjoy argument as sport. I do it myself often enough. I try -- and sometimes fail! -- to avoid argument as sport with those who do not wish to engage in it. I do hold that part of the point of friends (as opposed to acquaintances) is to call us on it when we're wrong. I do that, for sure. Maybe more than is virtuous.
There is a thing I loath. The shorthand word is "drama", but that's not quite right. I loath the seemingly intentional and malicious attempts at making other people feel like shit. Of attacking the person, and not the argument, especially when you only know that person as text and maybe an avatar.
I absolutely do not loath standing up to say "No More". Telling bullies to bugger off is, in the least, not a bad thing.
What I don't understand is aligning your economic incentives such that you are rewarded for being a dick. If you want to make money off elfgames, good luck! But, if you want to make money from elf games and do so by publicly harassing and mocking others? Nope, that's bogus.
And its bogus not just because it hurts those you're casting aspersions towards: it sucks for you. Crafting that position and sitting in it will fuck up your empathy circuits. Instead of valuing people and empathy and the ongoing conversation, you start to value people as revenue generators and not as ends in themselves.
And instead of valuing other creators, once you try to suck money out of a hobby, the consumer dollars become limited commodities to be sought after. Other designers become the competition to be destroyed. The gaming conversation becomes how to extract value, not how to add it.
Money is real good at fucking everything up. Even small amounts (and my understanding is the elfgame market is real small). I know this because I am sitting here hungry, as I provided a monetary incentive to myself to lose weight.
Moral of the overly long? Watch your incentives, and make sure they are producing the behaviors and concerns that you desire.
July 5: 222.1. Down 1.7 pounds since yesterday. On track for July 18.
July 5: 222.1. Down 1.7 pounds since yesterday. On track for July 18.
Sure, I'll talk about what I ate and exercise in the comments. But, here?
I want to talk about free will.
Since undergrad, I've been a compatibilist: One who believes that free will and determinism are not contradictory concepts. To quote wiki: Compatibilists believe freedom can be present or absent in situations for reasons that have nothing to do with metaphysics.[2] They define free will as freedom to act according to one's motives without arbitrary hindrance from other individuals or institutions.
Over the years since grad school, my recollection of why I believe things has often diminished. In short: I did that calculation and got the answer. I keep the work for a while, but it dims. Like all memories.
Well, this manipulation has forced me to remember. I had this delightful crises: If we respond to incentives, then to what extent am I free to do as I wilt?
That is, if my actions are so driven from a bet, do what extent can my will be said to be free?
Or: Is it really free will if I'm doing it to not lose a bet?
And I realized three fundamentals truths at the exact same time:
1. I was under no such imperative when I made the bet. My will then was freeer, and that unalterable decision has reduced my freedom from consequences now.
2. I'm the one who made the bet. I made a change to my actions and incentive structure, and in that regard was free to do so. Or not to do so.
3. Hamilton is ridiculously quotable.
So, compatibility stands. Free Will just means the ability to do as you want without hindrance, and the bet has modified what I want. It has changed my desires by changing the incentives.
Sure, I'll talk about what I ate and exercise in the comments. But, here?
I want to talk about free will.
Since undergrad, I've been a compatibilist: One who believes that free will and determinism are not contradictory concepts. To quote wiki: Compatibilists believe freedom can be present or absent in situations for reasons that have nothing to do with metaphysics.[2] They define free will as freedom to act according to one's motives without arbitrary hindrance from other individuals or institutions.
Over the years since grad school, my recollection of why I believe things has often diminished. In short: I did that calculation and got the answer. I keep the work for a while, but it dims. Like all memories.
Well, this manipulation has forced me to remember. I had this delightful crises: If we respond to incentives, then to what extent am I free to do as I wilt?
That is, if my actions are so driven from a bet, do what extent can my will be said to be free?
Or: Is it really free will if I'm doing it to not lose a bet?
And I realized three fundamentals truths at the exact same time:
1. I was under no such imperative when I made the bet. My will then was freeer, and that unalterable decision has reduced my freedom from consequences now.
2. I'm the one who made the bet. I made a change to my actions and incentive structure, and in that regard was free to do so. Or not to do so.
3. Hamilton is ridiculously quotable.
So, compatibility stands. Free Will just means the ability to do as you want without hindrance, and the bet has modified what I want. It has changed my desires by changing the incentives.
Monday, July 4, 2016
July 4: 223.
July 4: 223.8. Back on track. Down 2.7 pounds from yesterday, almost exactly what I gained from the party. On track for July 26.
Also, happy birthday, America. You great unfinished symphony.
Also, happy birthday, America. You great unfinished symphony.
Sunday, July 3, 2016
July 3: 226.5. Not on track. Up 2.8 pounds since yesterday. This is the first time I have not been on track.
July 3: 226.5. Not on track. Up 2.8 pounds since yesterday. This is the first time I have not been on track.
A study in three measurements:
After the party: 229.4
7 AM: 226.5
After a nice long soak: 225.5
Nearly three lost while I slept, and another pound from sweating in the tub. Bodies are weird, and individual pounds out of >200 are not significant.
Fourth of July party. I drank beer for the first time of this experiment. I expect this to mostly continue to flush out.
If that doesn't happen, then I'll eat soylent for a day and make sure it happens.
A study in three measurements:
After the party: 229.4
7 AM: 226.5
After a nice long soak: 225.5
Nearly three lost while I slept, and another pound from sweating in the tub. Bodies are weird, and individual pounds out of >200 are not significant.
Fourth of July party. I drank beer for the first time of this experiment. I expect this to mostly continue to flush out.
If that doesn't happen, then I'll eat soylent for a day and make sure it happens.
Saturday, July 2, 2016
July 2: 223.
July 2: 223.7! On track for 215 by July 18. Down 1.1 from yesterday. More importantly, down 3.7 pounds over the course of the week.
Note: I found a small error in my linear projection. I'm doing this in sheets, and didn't anchor a value. I was projecting too late a date.
On track, so no worries. Heck, on track for six weeks early.
This is the same weight registered two days ago, meaning I can lose the weight gain by cheating in a single day. This is good to know.
Because I'm so far ahead, I won't have a plan for next week. Instead, I'll continue to see what happens with just the incentive in place.
All those positives to the side, I've been hungry. A little snappish. Some difficulty in concentrating. My normal nightmares have been more persistent, though that could well be watching Orange is the New Black before bed. Goddamn season four is dark.
I'll be at a July 4 party tonight, and have every intention of seeing the scale go up tomorrow.
As usual, food and exercise in the comments.
Note: I found a small error in my linear projection. I'm doing this in sheets, and didn't anchor a value. I was projecting too late a date.
On track, so no worries. Heck, on track for six weeks early.
This is the same weight registered two days ago, meaning I can lose the weight gain by cheating in a single day. This is good to know.
Because I'm so far ahead, I won't have a plan for next week. Instead, I'll continue to see what happens with just the incentive in place.
All those positives to the side, I've been hungry. A little snappish. Some difficulty in concentrating. My normal nightmares have been more persistent, though that could well be watching Orange is the New Black before bed. Goddamn season four is dark.
I'll be at a July 4 party tonight, and have every intention of seeing the scale go up tomorrow.
As usual, food and exercise in the comments.
Friday, July 1, 2016
Best playtest ever last night.
Best playtest ever last night.
I have to completely rewrite everything.
I have to completely rewrite everything.
Talk to me about D&D, pbta hacks, and what you love in the one that isn't in the other. Or vice versa.
Talk to me about D&D, pbta hacks, and what you love in the one that isn't in the other. Or vice versa.
Why: For the last 6 weeks, I've been writing and playtesting a pbta hack that is my love letter to D&D. As Dungeon World is to Dungeon Magazine, this is meant to be to Dragon Magazine.
Why: For the last 6 weeks, I've been writing and playtesting a pbta hack that is my love letter to D&D. As Dungeon World is to Dungeon Magazine, this is meant to be to Dragon Magazine.
Spam phone calls.
Spam phone calls.
I just got one about "payroll". Apparently I need to submit my timecard immediately after my last shift of the day, due to the holiday weekend.
They left a number and named the organization a couple of times. I wonder what the scam here is.
The most obvious is: you call them back and they ask for your banking information, social security number, etc.
What other scam am I missing?
I just got one about "payroll". Apparently I need to submit my timecard immediately after my last shift of the day, due to the holiday weekend.
They left a number and named the organization a couple of times. I wonder what the scam here is.
The most obvious is: you call them back and they ask for your banking information, social security number, etc.
What other scam am I missing?
July 1: 224.
July 1: 224.8. On track for 215 by July 18. Up 1.1 pounds from yesterday, as expected. Down 2.6 pounds since Saturday.
On track, so no worries. Heck, on track for a month early.
But, back to within the normal fluctuation. That part is concerning. I didn't expect to gain quite so much from yesterday.
Some gain was expected, as I said yesterday. I go to a Thursday night gaming, and there's a culture of snacking on junk food. I very much contribute to that.
First comment contains what I ate and exercise.
On track, so no worries. Heck, on track for a month early.
But, back to within the normal fluctuation. That part is concerning. I didn't expect to gain quite so much from yesterday.
Some gain was expected, as I said yesterday. I go to a Thursday night gaming, and there's a culture of snacking on junk food. I very much contribute to that.
First comment contains what I ate and exercise.
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