These are the voyages of the Dauntless
Today, in our ongoing campaign of Jay Treat's Stranger Gravity:
... On ship, the Counselor who is a sentient cloud, Ferengi Diplomat, and Holographic Preacher are at the bar, discussing how good it is to have the XO off the ship. The Diplomat and the XO have been sleeping together, and he (Diplomat) feels he has to walk on eggshelves due to the volatile nature of our XO ..
.... On the planet, the XO was sent on an away mission to a planet of sports fanatics. Our intrepid XO first tries to befriend a fan of another team by offerieng a drink after it is suggested the obvious think is to disown family if they like the wrong team.
... Meanwhile, back on ship, the Engineer tells the Captain he wants to reconjigger the engines to get another 20% out of them, and we'll just need to turn off all primary ships functions especially thrust while he does it. The Captain agrees.
... Our XO, meanwhile, is in a drunk tank talking about team membership. We discover your team has to bail you out.
... The Diplomat sits on a sofa talking to the Counselor, who mirrors the position of anyone he talks to. They talk about the XO, and what the Diplomat means by walking on eggshells. They talk about the difficulty of relationships.
... The XO is offered a way out of the drunk tank: become a free agent. Her fanatic card is out of date, and she's offered a position -- a way to use the script of any Team and buy stuff from all of them. It's call the black market.
... The Captain, on the bridge, has a real conversation with his friend the diplomat about why the Captain can't talk to anyone about his problems.
... The XO frantically tries to call the ship with the subdermal comms implanted in her wrist when she came to this planet. The Diplomat hears "and they don't have money", and comes straight away.
... The Engineer and Diplomat argue about why on earth they shut the ship down. The Captain tells them to send a shuttle. The Diplomat leads the away mission.
... The XO and the free agents talk about what it means to exist in this world. It means dedication to a single sports team and, if your team loses badly enough, death. If they win well enough, life?
... The Engineer fixes the engines, with the assistance of the Counselor who almost gets the Engineer to really open up.
... The XO meets up with superfans during a game, and we all notice that as the team gets close to victory the fans are full of life-energy. As they get further away, the superfans literally lose life. They slump over. The XO tries to make a deal of being a free agent with one, but isn't so good at making deals.
... The Diplomat gets to the planet, and has no difficulty at all navigating the streets and finding where the XO must be. He negotiates past bouncers.
.. The XO tries to explain basic concepts of the free market to the black marketers, who are now sequestered. One of them falls into a coma at the idea of no one believing in you.
... The Diplomat, witha superfan in tow, enters where the XO is. They converse. The XO does an about 180, and convinces the Diplomat that it is a bad idea to teach these people free market economics.
... Meanwhile, onboard ship, the ship's systems are fixed and operations.
... The XO, using some pretty unsophisticated leadership skills ("They don't have space flight. Therefore, what applies?" "pr--pp" "That's right, the prime directive. It's wrong to teach them about money")
... Everybody goes home. We kinda won?
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
I might wind up being invited to run three games at Dreamation. That's delightful!
I might wind up being invited to run three games at Dreamation. That's delightful!
Monday, January 29, 2018
Just read a thing, and would like to see if the internet destroys it the same way I think it can be.
Just read a thing, and would like to see if the internet destroys it the same way I think it can be.
The claim is: Poor white people and poor black people have equally hard lives. That police shootings affect poor people more than black people, and that black lives matters should be porlivesmatter.
Here's my thought:
Grant the premise that, as the argument claims, poverty is a more important variable in police shoots than is race. [ Please Note: Granting the premise is a rhetorical technique, and in no way should be taken to denote my own beliefs. ]
It is still easily the case that poverty more easily affects people who society does not view as white, perhaps most obviously African-Americans. That is, poor white people have resources -- including societal privilege -- that is not granted to African-Americans. I'd suggest the burden of proof is on anyone arguing against this.
Which, in case I need to go further, means that race is more important than class when it comes to such matters as police brutality.
That's how I'd quickly deconstruct that argument. Anyone else want to take a shot?
The claim is: Poor white people and poor black people have equally hard lives. That police shootings affect poor people more than black people, and that black lives matters should be porlivesmatter.
Here's my thought:
Grant the premise that, as the argument claims, poverty is a more important variable in police shoots than is race. [ Please Note: Granting the premise is a rhetorical technique, and in no way should be taken to denote my own beliefs. ]
It is still easily the case that poverty more easily affects people who society does not view as white, perhaps most obviously African-Americans. That is, poor white people have resources -- including societal privilege -- that is not granted to African-Americans. I'd suggest the burden of proof is on anyone arguing against this.
Which, in case I need to go further, means that race is more important than class when it comes to such matters as police brutality.
That's how I'd quickly deconstruct that argument. Anyone else want to take a shot?
Sunday, January 28, 2018
SNL was on point.
SNL was on point.
Two sketches:
-- The group having dinner, talking about metoo and Aziz.
-- The deodorant Next for men who know the metoo movement is about to get.
On my end, I've been present in some workplace conversations that went about like this:
Workplace proximate colleague: The metoo movement is trying men without a trial or evidence.
Me: ... Isn't it more like people don't want to work with those men, and folks are finally saying so in public?
Workplace proximate colleague: Weinstein is gross, sure. But, come on, Kevin Spacey?
Other Person # 1: He raped a kid!
Workplace proximate colleague: It was 30 years ago. he was 19. The "kid" was 14. And it's he said, he said, and you're all choosing to ignore what Spacey says!
Me: ... How about Azis?
Workplace proximate colleague: Whose that?
Me: ... A comedian. He did some shitty things.
Other Person # 1: Nothing he is accused of compares. That's metoo run amuck
Workplace proximate colleague: And now people won't work with him! Typical.
There's this toxic combination of ignorance and a disregard for the perspectives of others that I'm never sure how to handle. Usually, at this point, I ask if they've heard about Tom Hanks. Who, by all accounts, has been nice and kind to everyone.
I'm not really sure what to do in that conversation. I've considered:
Workplace proximate colleague: The #metoo movement is trying men without a trial.
Me: It's not a trial. It's whispers moved to conversation, we've become privvy to what people have had to whisper about these men for 100 years. It's the underprivileged finally about to stand up to the powerful, and about damn time.
Or even:
Me: That's the stupidest thing you've ever said. You are a danger to this company. You should quit before you say this in front a client and HR has to fire you.
Maybe, just:
Me: That's the sort of opinion that causes unsafe workplaces. I think it best if you not say it where other people can hear you.
Or, perhaps:
Me... ::leaves::
Two sketches:
-- The group having dinner, talking about metoo and Aziz.
-- The deodorant Next for men who know the metoo movement is about to get.
On my end, I've been present in some workplace conversations that went about like this:
Workplace proximate colleague: The metoo movement is trying men without a trial or evidence.
Me: ... Isn't it more like people don't want to work with those men, and folks are finally saying so in public?
Workplace proximate colleague: Weinstein is gross, sure. But, come on, Kevin Spacey?
Other Person # 1: He raped a kid!
Workplace proximate colleague: It was 30 years ago. he was 19. The "kid" was 14. And it's he said, he said, and you're all choosing to ignore what Spacey says!
Me: ... How about Azis?
Workplace proximate colleague: Whose that?
Me: ... A comedian. He did some shitty things.
Other Person # 1: Nothing he is accused of compares. That's metoo run amuck
Workplace proximate colleague: And now people won't work with him! Typical.
There's this toxic combination of ignorance and a disregard for the perspectives of others that I'm never sure how to handle. Usually, at this point, I ask if they've heard about Tom Hanks. Who, by all accounts, has been nice and kind to everyone.
I'm not really sure what to do in that conversation. I've considered:
Workplace proximate colleague: The #metoo movement is trying men without a trial.
Me: It's not a trial. It's whispers moved to conversation, we've become privvy to what people have had to whisper about these men for 100 years. It's the underprivileged finally about to stand up to the powerful, and about damn time.
Or even:
Me: That's the stupidest thing you've ever said. You are a danger to this company. You should quit before you say this in front a client and HR has to fire you.
Maybe, just:
Me: That's the sort of opinion that causes unsafe workplaces. I think it best if you not say it where other people can hear you.
Or, perhaps:
Me... ::leaves::
Saturday, January 27, 2018
I woke up thinking about the Convocation of Malqort, known to legend as the Caliphate of Azithan, and to it's...
I woke up thinking about the Convocation of Malqort, known to legend as the Caliphate of Azithan, and to it's neighbors as the Necromancer Kingdom....
Or, more precisely, about buildings.
Design goal: a single building, buildable by Lifeless labor, that can contain nearly everything needed in a city. I need some ideas as I woke up, then walked around the neighborhood and thought about it some more.
The six or so story tenement is as old as Rome, then called the Insulae. Running water and sanitation, somehow. All but the poorest could live here.
We can do one step better.
Different cities experiment with different ways to shelter the Faithful. One version sounds like this:
-- Six stories. The first floor is given over to retail, maker spaces, kitchens. Almost always, a church. Basement is Lifeless and other storage
-- Obvious frontage, with a concierge. The majority of the first floor is communal spaces, and a few apartments.
-- Windows are covered in a loose leather, giving light and keeping out bugs. If you want glass, you can pay for that yourself. Glass is expensive. Additionally, in case of storms, storm shutters.
-- Temperature is regulated by cistern of water at the top, which is refilled and used through the day. This water gets warm during the day, and the heat released during the night -- keeping the building within liveable temperates.
-- Some first floor shops we'd recognize: school, restaurant, grocery, gym, useable green space.
-- Rent includes access to these, essentially a fiat currency. Not a company script, a fiat currency. What's the difference?
-- The grocery does as much prework as possible, selling ready meals for different sized groups.
-- Communal kitchens are available.
These are as long as a city block, as deep as needed. Each one is essentially a city, with some shared services. That is, each one has maybe 80% of what is needed, and folks flitter from one to the other as need be.
Private orphanages are unheard of in the Convocation. Instead, if children do not have parents -- or if their parents suck -- they are taken care of by the buildings. These children often grow up to be priests or other workers in the church. Not always, and it's not a rule. It's just common -- the same way teachers kids grow up to be teachers, and lawyers kids grow up to be lawyers.
The priests, of course, can and do marry. While their kids often become priests, there's a general rule against hiring people you are related to. You want them to go far away and learn different perspectives.
That's one version of a city in the Convocation of Malqort. What's another?
Or, more precisely, about buildings.
Design goal: a single building, buildable by Lifeless labor, that can contain nearly everything needed in a city. I need some ideas as I woke up, then walked around the neighborhood and thought about it some more.
The six or so story tenement is as old as Rome, then called the Insulae. Running water and sanitation, somehow. All but the poorest could live here.
We can do one step better.
Different cities experiment with different ways to shelter the Faithful. One version sounds like this:
-- Six stories. The first floor is given over to retail, maker spaces, kitchens. Almost always, a church. Basement is Lifeless and other storage
-- Obvious frontage, with a concierge. The majority of the first floor is communal spaces, and a few apartments.
-- Windows are covered in a loose leather, giving light and keeping out bugs. If you want glass, you can pay for that yourself. Glass is expensive. Additionally, in case of storms, storm shutters.
-- Temperature is regulated by cistern of water at the top, which is refilled and used through the day. This water gets warm during the day, and the heat released during the night -- keeping the building within liveable temperates.
-- Some first floor shops we'd recognize: school, restaurant, grocery, gym, useable green space.
-- Rent includes access to these, essentially a fiat currency. Not a company script, a fiat currency. What's the difference?
-- The grocery does as much prework as possible, selling ready meals for different sized groups.
-- Communal kitchens are available.
These are as long as a city block, as deep as needed. Each one is essentially a city, with some shared services. That is, each one has maybe 80% of what is needed, and folks flitter from one to the other as need be.
Private orphanages are unheard of in the Convocation. Instead, if children do not have parents -- or if their parents suck -- they are taken care of by the buildings. These children often grow up to be priests or other workers in the church. Not always, and it's not a rule. It's just common -- the same way teachers kids grow up to be teachers, and lawyers kids grow up to be lawyers.
The priests, of course, can and do marry. While their kids often become priests, there's a general rule against hiring people you are related to. You want them to go far away and learn different perspectives.
That's one version of a city in the Convocation of Malqort. What's another?
Thursday, January 25, 2018
Lex Larson, who asked.
Lex Larson, who asked.
I'm a new scrum master. Hooray. We're building BI solutions.
The team is largely in south america. That is, everyone more technical than me is down South. We've got a half dozen DBAs, who have a manager.
Up here is me and the PO. The PO is my boss, and the boss of the DBA's manager.
We've got the following problems that I may need help in how to resolve:
1. Our last spring planning session was two weeks ago. It was chaotic, as the PO kept demanding that we take on more work. I told her it was too much a couple of times, as did some of the engineers. She insisted. Additionally, she said our estimates were wrong. It was ... not good. I knew what was going to happen: the sprint was going to fail.
2. It got worse. The DSM's became explanation and micromanagement from the PO, instead of the simple "what did you do yesterday/today/blocks" that it should be. One of them went an hour, and I was unable to successfully intercede.
3. At those DSMs, she was assigning new and different work than had been agreed to. Work assignments for the engineers also changed through the day. It was chaos.
I've done the following:
-- Talked to the manager down South, who called me concerned. She knew as I did that we weren't going to hit any of the goals for the sprint.
-- Talked to the PO, who insisted priorities would continue to change. I've told her that if this happens, we won't be able to deliver.
So ... my dearest internet: What, other than having a backbone, am I to do?
I'm a new scrum master. Hooray. We're building BI solutions.
The team is largely in south america. That is, everyone more technical than me is down South. We've got a half dozen DBAs, who have a manager.
Up here is me and the PO. The PO is my boss, and the boss of the DBA's manager.
We've got the following problems that I may need help in how to resolve:
1. Our last spring planning session was two weeks ago. It was chaotic, as the PO kept demanding that we take on more work. I told her it was too much a couple of times, as did some of the engineers. She insisted. Additionally, she said our estimates were wrong. It was ... not good. I knew what was going to happen: the sprint was going to fail.
2. It got worse. The DSM's became explanation and micromanagement from the PO, instead of the simple "what did you do yesterday/today/blocks" that it should be. One of them went an hour, and I was unable to successfully intercede.
3. At those DSMs, she was assigning new and different work than had been agreed to. Work assignments for the engineers also changed through the day. It was chaos.
I've done the following:
-- Talked to the manager down South, who called me concerned. She knew as I did that we weren't going to hit any of the goals for the sprint.
-- Talked to the PO, who insisted priorities would continue to change. I've told her that if this happens, we won't be able to deliver.
So ... my dearest internet: What, other than having a backbone, am I to do?
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
My dearest internet
My dearest internet,
Please find me the cheapest computer that will run this:
http://support.kleientertainment.com/customer/en/portal/articles/2743818-oxygen-not-included-minimum-system-requirements
http://support.kleientertainment.com/customer/en/portal/articles/2743818-oxygen-not-included-minimum-system-requirements
Please find me the cheapest computer that will run this:
http://support.kleientertainment.com/customer/en/portal/articles/2743818-oxygen-not-included-minimum-system-requirements
http://support.kleientertainment.com/customer/en/portal/articles/2743818-oxygen-not-included-minimum-system-requirements
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