Ewige Blumenkraft.

Vinegar and heartburn

2008-04-27T15:45:22Z

A friend told me that taking a spoonful of vinegar can make heartburn go away. I was skeptical, since vinegar is acidic, and heartburn is caused by stomach acid, but he gave a good spiel. This morning I woke up around 2 AM with a vicious case of heartburn, and I couldn't find any antacids. So I figured, hell, I'll try it. It can't hurt, right?

WRONG.

I took the spoonful, and immediately my throat started burning, my eyes watered up, and within seconds of swallowing it, I repeatedly projectile vomited into the sink. Once I finished throwing up, and rinsed out with lots of water, I realized that the heartburn was still there, and was in fact, worse.

Myth busted. Fuck vinegar home remedies. Pass the Tums.

The War

2008-04-13T08:38:00Z

I'm watching Ken Burns' new documentary series on World War II, The War. It is most excellent. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Now I'll have to go back and watch the one he did on the Civil War.

memeage from bandraoi

2008-04-11T00:07:16Z

Regional Dialect Meme

Born in Brooklyn, NY, lived on Long Island until I was 10, been in Texas since with a year and half interval in Ohio when I was 11.

What do you call:
1. A body of water, smaller than a river, contained within relatively narrow banks.

Creek or stream. I think of creeks as wider.

2. What the thing you push around the grocery store is called.

shopping cart in general, although I've also used grocery basket.

3. A metal container to carry a meal in.

Lunchbox

4. The thing that you cook bacon and eggs in.

frying pan

5. The piece of furniture that seats three people.

Couch or sofa.

6. The device on the outside of the house that carries rain off the roof.

rain gutter

7. The covered area outside a house where people sit in the evening.

Porch, although a small one, usually concrete or brick is called a stoop, in the East.

8. Carbonated, sweetened, non-alcoholic beverage.

Soda. Pop confused the hell out of me in Ohio, I thought I was being offered a popsicle.

9. A flat, round breakfast food served with syrup.

Pancakes

10. A long sandwich designed to be a whole meal in itself.

Sub, now, although in NY I used to call it a hero sandwich.

11. The piece of clothing worn by men at the beach.

swim trunks specifically, or bathing suit for the unisex term.

12. Shoes worn for sports.

Sneakers

13. Putting a room in order.

cleaning up

14. A flying insect that glows in the dark.

Lightning bug

15. The little insect that curls up into a ball.

Roly-poly

16. The children's playground equipment where one kid sits on one side and goes up while the other sits on the other side and goes down.

see-saw

17. How do you eat your pizza?

hold it by the crust, fold it lengthwise, eat it. Thin crust NY style only, please. Pizza eaten with a knife and fork, according to my Aunt Josephine from Brooklyn, is a blasphemy.

18. What's it called when private citizens put up signs and sell their used stuff?

Garage sale

19. What's the evening meal?

Dinner

20. The thing under a house where the furnace and perhaps a rec room are?

Basement, not that there are any here in Houston, as far as I've seen.

21. What do you call the thing that you can get water out of to drink in public places?

fountain, water or drinking, used interchangeably

22: If something is diagonally located, where is it in relation to you?

diagonal from me. I've never really used terms like kitty or caddy cornered or what have you.

23. What do you call the place where the water comes out of the sink?

Faucet, usually. I think of a spigot as for a hose, usually outside.

ChimaeraCon

2008-03-14T21:28:41Z

Just got to San Antonio for ChimaeraCon, I'll be here all weekend. My room is pretty nice, have it all to myself. The wireless internets work, and I have a laptop now, so that's a plus, but I'm still kind of annoyed, as last year the hotel pool was open, and I forgot my suit, so I had to make do with a pair of shorts. This year, I made a special effort to dig up my suit and bring it, and when I get here, the pool is closed. It's clean and pretty, I can't see anything wrong with it, but it won't be open until Monday, when I'm gone. Goddammit. I was looking forward to relaxing in the pool in the evenings. At least I had the foresight to bring booze.

Caucusing rules

2008-03-05T04:04:13Z

Just got back from caucusing, Obama won our district, and I'm a delegate for him. SWEET!

Obama Rally

2008-03-02T21:59:37Z

For those interested locally (in Houston), Obama is having a rally at the George R. Brown tomorrow. Details here:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/bomohouston

heh heh

2008-02-29T08:35:49Z

Beast Update

2008-02-29T04:48:31Z

We've been taking the Beast to a new vet for his diabetes, and I've already seen a vast improvement in him. This vet changed him to a different insulin, and was actually able to give us some proper food for him, high protein and what not. I took him back for a glucose check today, and we ended up increasing his dosage to 8 units daily, rather than 4, but the Beast is already drinking less water, and seems to be behaving a bit better, not constantly hungry and bitching. We'll see how he acts after a few days on the new dosage. Hopefully he'll start grooming himself again, soon. My poor fuzzy.

I still have books for sale...

2008-02-21T02:05:03Z

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZilluminatibooks

Nomad of the Time Streams, Michael Moorcock
Von Bek, Michael Moorcock
Elric, Song of the Black Sword, Michael Moorcock, hardcover
Tales of the White Wolf, various authors, hardcover
A History of Ancient Egypt, Nicolas Grimal
Book of Lost Tales Vol. I, JRR Tolkien, hardcover

All have starting bids of $5.00 and Buy It Now prices of $10.00

Aside from the S&M, relatively accurate.

2008-02-21T01:39:21Z

What philosophical archetype are you?
created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Sadean Libertine

You wouldn't be out of place in any of the Marquis de Sade's literature.
Manipulative, callous and amoralistic you loathe religion and all other constraints; often
rebelling against authority solely for the sake of rebelling. The world
is a playground to satiate your sadomasochistic tendencies
and anyone who opposes such enjoyment better be stronger than you.

Sadean Libertine

63%

The Underground Man

57%

The Prince

53%

Absurd Hero

50%

Ubermensch

50%

Ellsworth Toohey

40%

Philosopher King

33%

The Fountainhead

30%

The Last Man

23%

Upgrades

2008-02-13T03:14:55Z

I know I've mentioned this to some friends in meatspace, but I don't think I've posted here about it. I want to be a cyborg.

I've always been a science fiction fan, and I've always had a special fondness for cyberpunk. With a few exceptions, it's a rather bleak genre, corporate dystopias and what not, but I've always seen it as rather hopeful, if for no other reason than the technological aspects. My initiatory life is all about self-improvement, and my desire to upgrade my physical self is an extension of that. It seems that the more time goes by, more of the fantastic technology that abounds in cyberpunk fiction is starting to become real. I've seen some great material on prosthetics that are getting to the point where they are almost better than the original parts, and research into cybernetic brain interfaces is proceeding fairly well as I understand it, as well.

My first upgrades, once they become possible, will probably be my eyes and my teeth. My vision sucks, and since a minor eye injury a few years ago, I can no longer wear contact lenses comfortably. I may get laser surgery at some point in the future, if I can afford it, but I'd much rather just replace my eyes entirely with "chrome" ones, where not only can I have perfect vision, but I can also record and playback, switch to different light spectrums, and all kinds of fun stuff.

My teeth are also in terrible shape, so I'd like to yank them and replace them with something easier to keep clean, titanium, or something like that.

I'd like to be able to jack into the internet with a plug in the side of my head, or do it wirelessly with a transparent overlay display on my chrome eyes. I'd like to have nanobots flying through my bloodstream hunting down diseases and keeping me from being sick. I'd like the ability to shut down my permanent body temporarily, and explore other planets with a robotic body housing my consciousness.

There's a roleplaying game put out by Steve Jackson Games called Transhuman Space, and it's one of the most optimistic views of the 21st century that I've ever seen, while still being grounded in current scientific developments. Here's hoping it's not just a game, but prophetic.

eBay books

2008-01-30T05:37:41Z

I just listed a whole bunch of stuff on eBay, including leftover Runa-Raven inventory from Illuminati Books. If you're interested, buy something.

Items for Sale

Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, all books are softcover, in trade paperback format.

Here's what's listed:

Games:
~~Star Warriors Board Game~~ SOLD
~~Spacemaster Rolemaster 2 Boxed Set~~ SOLD
~~Rolemaster 2 Boxed Set~~ SOLD
~~Shatterzone RPG Boxed Set~~ SOLD

Star Wars Darkstryder stuff:
~~Kathol Rift D6 Star Wars book~~ SOLD
~~Kathol Outback D6 Star Wars book~~ SOLD
~~Endgame D6 Star Wars book~~ SOLD

Fiction:
Hawkmoon, by Michael Moorcock, White Wolf Eternal Champion Series 3
~~Hawkmoon, by Michael Moorcock, White Wolf Eternal Champion Series 3, hardcover~~ SOLD
Corum, The Coming of Chaos, by Michael Moorcock, White Wolf Eternal Champion Series 7
Tales of the White Wolf, Michael Moorcock, Eternal Champion, hardcover
~~Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle Earth, JRR Tolkien~~ SOLD
~~The Book of Lost Tales 1, JRR Tolkien, History of Middle Earth Vol. 1~~ SOLD
~~The Book of Lost Tales 2, JRR Tolkien, History of Middle Earth Vol. 2~~ SOLD
~~The Lays of Beleriand, JRR Tolkien, History of Middle Earth Vol. 3~~ SOLD
The Book of Lost Tales 1, JRR Tolkien, History of Middle Earth Vol. 1, hardcover

Non-Fiction:
A History of Ancient Egypt, Nicolas Grimal
~~Magic of the Norse Goddesses, Alice Karlsdottir~~ SOLD
Grove and Gallows, James Chisholm, 2 copies
The Edda As Key to the Coming Age, Peryt Shou, translated by Stephen Flowers
The Religion of the Aryo-Germanic Folk, Guido von List
Travel Report as it Concerns the Scandanavian Rus, Ibn Fadlan (Michael Crichton's inspiration for Eater of the Dead, which later became the movie The 13th Warrior)

More Kilt stuff

2008-01-28T10:19:01Z

I found yet another great kilt shop, Stillwater Kilts. They're even cheaper than the Kommando Kilts, with tartan patterns. Their selection isn't huge, and their kilts don't have pockets, but they are full 8 yard kilts, with all the proper buckles and stuff in the right places. I bought this one, and it rocks. It's one of their standard acrylic kilts. Wool is too warm for Texas, and since my wife made me an acrylic Great Kilt for RenFest wear a while back, I knew it was a suitable substitute.

I found them through this sporran site, and while I haven't ordered one of those yet, they look pretty badass, and at some point I will.

Sacred Jesters and the Power of Laughter

2008-01-27T11:11:45Z

I've always been a junky for the funny. As a kid growing up, I loved the Three Stooges, Abbott and Costello, Warner Bros. cartoons, anything I could get my hands on. Until I was about 11, the only music I listened to, hell, the only music I owned was "Weird" Al Yankovic albums.

I started watching Comedy Central constantly as soon as it became available to me when I was 12 years old. There was a great show on the channel at that time called Short Attention Span Theater, hosted by Jon Stewart. It was an hour long show that featured clips of lots and lots of standup material, along with interviews with comedians promoting albums, movies, tv shows and the like. It was kind of a predecessor to the Daily Show, and like the Daily Show, was at its best when Jon Stewart hosted it. I watched it every single day when I came home from school. My favorite comics were always the ones who talked about real stuff that would normally be scary, but they made it hilarious. I got my first exposure to George Carlin there, Bill Mahar, Lewis Black, Dennis Miller, Sam Kinison, and Will Durst. They were all fun, and I learned a lot from them. When they would talk about something I didn't know about, I would look it up.

Then one day, sometime in 91 or 92, I flipped on the television when I got home from school, and there was a guy standing there, dressed all in black, doing his act:
"If you don't believe drugs have done good things for us, then go home and burn all your records, all your tapes, and all your CDs because every one of those artists who have made brilliant music and enhanced your lives? RrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrEAL high on drugs. The Beatles were so high they let Ringo sing a few songs."

I didn't even sit down on the couch. I stood there, dumbfounded. Who the fuck was this guy? When that clip was over, they showed another one:
"A lot of Christians wear crosses around their necks. You think when Jesus comes back he ever wants to see a cross? It's like going up to Jackie Onassis wearing a rifle pendant."

And another one:
"Supreme Court says pornography is anything without artistic merit that causes sexual thoughts, that's their definition, essentially. No artistic merit, causes sexual thoughts. Hmm... Sounds like...every commercial on television, doesn't it? You know, when I see those two twins on that Doublemint commercial? I'm not thinking of gum. I am thinking of chewing, so maybe that's the connection they're trying to make."

And then, after the various clips, they went to the interview portion of the show, and there Bill Hicks was. He was there promoting his new album Relentless. I was hooked. When I actually found a copy of his albums a while later, it was even better, because he had all kinds of stuff that I never would have seen on Comedy Central, and we didn't have HBO or anything.

After Bill Hicks, I found out about Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor (his standup, anyway, I already knew who he was from Superman 3), and later Chris Rock, along with a whole new level of stand up comedians who were hilarious, but also had important stuff to say. Like Bill, I'm a reader, but my exposure to those comics got me interested in all kinds of different topics I'm still into today, but more importantly, and especially because of Bill Hicks, I learned to question everything anyone in authority told me, because they were probably full of shit.

Fast forward a few years, I hear about the Church of the SubGenius from a friend, check out the Book of the SubGenius from the library (yes, they had a copy, even in the Woodlands) and loved it. I even sent in my $30. Through a blurb on the back of the Book of the SubGenius, I found the name Robert Anton Wilson and read Illuminatus. A few years after reading it, (at this point I had already started down my magical path) I found out about Wilson's more esoteric writings, along with the fact that the Discordian Society was real. Around this time I was also reading about chaos magic, and while reading the Principia Discordia in conjunction with chaos magic writings talking about banishing with laughter, I had a bit of an epiphany.

I viscerally "got" the idea of the sacredness of humor, and that I was pretty much already devoted to that concept. In my early magical/pagan religious explorations, I always found myself drawn to various trickster type gods, Loki, Hermes, Coyote, Eris (in her Discordian Society conception), JR "Bob" Dobbs of course, and other ones I read stories about, like Anansi, and in particular started to make associations between other things I grew up with. Hell, the Warner Bros. cartoons are damn near a pantheon of tricksters unto themselves, and a lot of those cartoons had similarities to the trickster stories. When I read Edith Hamilton's book, Mythology, in 6th grade, my favorite section was the prose retelling of the Iliad, especially the antics of Odysseus, who has trickster aspects of his own. Bill Hicks, tragically dead for years by now, was already a god in my mind in everything but name, and I basically realized that while I wouldn't say I worshipped anything in particular, I was fairly well devoted to the concept of the Sacred Jester in all hir forms. Most of my methods of taking in new ideas and philosophies began with humor, as did many of the coping mechanisms I had developed.

More than just that, I started to realize how much power comedy and laughter contained. When finding out about scary shite, either new diseases, or political idiocies, or new and wonderful ways that the world was doomed, if it was filtered through the shield of comedy, the fear and frustration that I'd normally be wracked with worrying over those things would be gone, and while I'd still find out about the reality of the situation, its power over me was gone, and I was free to actually figure out what I thought about those things, rather than just having a gut level fear reaction.

Also, comedy could be used as a sword to destroy by ridiculing those things or people that were getting too powerful and influential and were trying to manipulate the masses into doing things by playing on their fears and desires. A Jester can get in there and turn them into an object of derision, usually by holding up a mirror, or simply poking holes in their manipulative scenarios.

This essay was inspired by a conversation I was having with a friend earlier in the evening. We were having a conversation about politics, particularly the ease with which people can be manipulated into acting against their own self-interest, and the conversation drifted over to parallels between the Bush administration and the Nazi regime. I then pointed out that unlike the Nazis, the Bush administration is failing in so many of its more fascist goals because a.) there are still enough mechanisms of democratic government that they haven't been able to seize absolute control yet, and b.) there are so many different sources of information out there that they simply don't have the kind of lock on propaganda that the Nazis enjoyed. More importantly, in my opinion, are the few mainstream sources that DO embody the role of the Sacred Jester, because you can have all the blogs, public radio, and cable access you want, but all of those have limited audiences, especially in comparison to the mainstream outlets. You can print up, forward, or tell people about the stuff you learn in those venues, and you might even influence some of them, (most likely if they leaned your way politically already), but the vast majority of people aren't going to listen, simply because they find you boring.

However, if you take someone like Letterman, Leno, a show like Saturday Night Live, and, most important in my book, The Daily Show and the Colbert Report, those guys are going to be using a lot of the same info you get off of your public radio and your internets, but they're going to make it funny, and MILLIONS of people are going to absorb that info. It's like stealth information. It is my opinion that the seeming decline of the fortunes of the current administration is credited to the wider perspectives offered in "new" or "alternate" media sources, but is in large part due to the Sacred Jesters calling the bigwigs on their bullshit at every turn. As with me growing up, people are going to watch, laugh, and then a huge number of them are going to think about what was in the joke, and do something about. To borrow from Illuminatus, the powers that be create fnords in the media they control, causing you to regard everything with fear and suspicion. The Sacred Jesters give you the laughter that you can use to see through the fnords and resist their manipulations, and think for yourself.

One of the best examples I can think of for this "Comedy as Sword" concept, while also illustrating the power of alternate media, is the speech Stephen Colbert gave at the 2006 White House Press Correspondents' Dinner. With George W. Bush seated maybe not even as much as 10 feet away, Colbert proceeded to rip apart Bush, his policies, his personal quirks, his lack of any meaningful capacity for rational thought, and also managed to berate the media for its utter abandonment of journalistic integrity and willingness to march lockstep with the president while he drove the country over a cliff. Not only was Bush sitting right there, but the audience was full of ALL of the various people he was taking shots at. Needless to say, while the dinner was broadcast live on CSPAN and MSNBC, his speech received minimal coverage in the press the following day, and I myself remember seeing some rather lengthy coverage of the event on local Houston news, wherein they devoted several minutes to the routine preceding Colbert, which involved Bush and a Bush impersonator cracking jokes, but didn't mention Colbert once. The few mentions he did get said something to the effect that he bombed at the dinner.

Well, Colbert was speaking at the dinner, but he certainly wasn't speaking to the attendees, he was speaking to America. In spite of its lack of coverage in the mainstream press, Colbert's performance EXPLODED on the internet, and generated so much buzz through individuals firing it back and forth that a few days later, the mainstream press was forced to actually cover it. His performance, and the word of email distribution of it, actually got the mainstream media to talk substantially about the very things that Colbert was criticizing it for in his speech. And, of course, it was also hilarious.

As reality and mythology both show, the Sacred Jesters of the world cause all kinds of trouble, but that trouble usually results in positive change in the long run. Laughter is their sword and shield in their war against the forces of Greyface, and it can be yours, as well.

Utter, utter geekery

2008-01-17T21:53:43Z

Stolen from the HARP forums, originally by GoblynByte:

Heh, I can see this play out on an episode of CSI:

Medical Examiner: "We have a victim of a knifing. Two stab wounds to the chest with a blade approximately 6 inches in length. Time of death 0800 hours."
CSI: "But that's impossible! That's the size of a dagger. Daggers only do 1d4 damage! Clearly ineffective!"
Medical Examiner: "Maybe against your standard body guard, but this guy was breaking and entering at the time of the assault."
CSI: "So..."
Medical Examiner: "So...Thieves generally have fewer hit points than Fighters."
CSI: "Ah! Case closed."

Nerdcore Meme

2007-11-09T18:23:08Z

How nerdy are you? Put an X next to each item on the list that describes you and then tally them up. Got 15 or more X’s? Welcome to the Nerd Core.

Have you ever:

[X] Solved a Rubix cube?
[X] Coded HTML?
[X] Been to a Renaissance Fair?
[X] Been to a ComicCon?
[X] Bought a comic book and charged it to your credit card?
[X] Used webspeak IRL (in real life?)
[X] Edited a Wikipedia?
[X] Participated in a role-playing game?
[X] Tried to memorize Pi past 3.14 (three sig figs) in your free time?
[X] Used an ergonomic desk chair or keyboard?
[X] Quoted Monty Python back and forth with a friend?
[X] Discussed Nintendo’s name change of the Revolution to the Wii?
[X] Participated in a trivia night or trivia contest?
[ ] Won a debate tournament?
[X] Played chess at lunch in school?
[X] Watched your friends play video games for more than an hour?
[ ] Been to a Harry Potter midnight party?
[ ] Recognized yourself in J.D. from the TV show Scrubs?
[ ] Seen an episode of Beauty and the Geek and thought the guys were cute?
[X] Programmed extras into your graphing calculator?
[ ] Been to a MENSA meetup? How about Phi Beta Kappa?
[ ] Done a happy dance after bowling a strike?
[X] Referred to Lord of the Rings out loud as LotR?
[X] Developed a shelving system for your books?
[X] Hated the people on principle who said high school was the best time of their life?

19 total

KILT!

2007-11-04T09:51:57Z

I finally got around to getting a kilt for everyday usage, as opposed to my more elaborate Great Kilt that's really only suitable as a costume. It's black with pockets on the side and a single one in back for the wallet. I got it at the Renaissance Festival, from the Kommando Kilts people. Their website isn't that great, it's in serious need of updating, but their kilts rule. I think I like the Kommando Kilts even better than the Utilikilts. They're not as elaborate as Utilikilts, but they're also not nearly as expensive. I may get some more from them, I'd like a dark olive and a brown one.

From searching around the web, I now have a better handle on how to make them myself, so I'll probably put together some tartan ones as well. This seems to be the definitive traditional kilt pattern, so I'll probably order it sooner or later, although I have some basic techniques saved on my home computer from elsewhere. I'll have to have Cat teach me how to sew, but it's a useful skill I should know, anyway.

I know that I have some ancestry in Scotland, but I can never remember which clans. My mom told me McLellan at one point, but then later she told me that was wrong and that there were some different ones. I'm certainly not going to limit my tartan choices to actual traditional clan tartans, but it would be nice to have some that are legitimate.

I love kilts. They're so damn comfortable. I'm gonna wear the hell out of them. I may try some other retail brands as well, there's a huge list of retailers here that I'll shop around in. Amerikilts look to be an even more affordable option than Kommando Kilts, although I don't like the sporran they come with. Since I have a real sporran though, I suppose that doesn't matter.

Sword & Dagger for sale in Houston

2007-11-04T07:51:49Z

I have a Celtic Flame sword and matching dagger that I'm looking to get rid of, likely in order to buy other swords that I am more interested in. I've just gotten more interested in historical swords and daggers, as opposed to the more fantastic designs. The sword and dagger are both in great condition, I just don't want them anymore. I initially purchased them for use as ritual tools, but I just never had a call to use them for that purpose.

If you're curious as to what they look like, here are some links.

These are commercial pics, but my sword and dagger are identical:
Sword:
http://www.armory.net/item.cfm/RecordID/2017-KE.htm
Dagger:
http://www.armory.net/item.cfm/RecordID/2203-KE.htm

These are well made, high quality blades. The sword in particular is rather heavy, and I was told they were both battle ready when I bought them. They both have leather scabbards designed to fit the wavy design of the blades. They were bought several years ago at the Renaissance Festival, and are currently the nicest pieces in my armory.

They normally retail for $170 for the sword, and $80 for the dagger. I'll sell them for $150 for the sword, and $50 for the dagger, with an additional discounted combined price of $175 if you want the pair of them. These prices are negotiable, make me an offer, and people are certainly welcome to meet with me and inspect the items before purchasing. Just email me if you're interested.

If no one is interested, they'll likely go on eBay, but I figured I'd offer them locally first, to save on shipping.

heh

2007-10-14T09:11:20Z

Someone resurrected an old thread on the Rancor Pit which contained the best comparison of D20 and D6 Star Wars RPG I've ever come up with. I had forgotten I had even written it. Since it amused me again, I include it here for others who might be so amused.

Yoda: ...a Jedi's strength flows from the game. But beware of the D20. Classes, leveling, min-maxing; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the D20 path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice.
Luke: Vader... Is the D20 side stronger?
Yoda: No, no, no. Quicker, easier to find, more limiting.
Luke: But how am I to know the D6 side from the D20?
Yoda: You will know... when you are having fun, enjoying yourself. A Jedi uses the game for flexibility and freedom, never for XP grind.

Gaming stuff for sale

2007-10-12T08:53:59Z

I have 4 items I'm considering selling. All of them start at $20, which is what I paid for them individually. If anyone's interested, just reply to this post.

Items for Sale:
HARP GM Screen: This is in brand new condition, the company ended up sending me two of them. This includes the screen itself, plus the inner pages, chock full of all the charts and what not you need to run the game, more convenient than flipping through the rulebook.

Rolemaster 2nd Edition boxed set: This is the red bordered RM2 set, in really good condition. The box itself shows some shelf wear, but the books are in like new condition. Box includes the Character and Campaign Law book, the Arms and Claw Law Book, and the Spell Law book.

Space Master 2nd Edition boxed set: This is the boxed Space Master set, using the same edition of Rolemaster as the other boxed set I have available. Set is in similar condition as the RM2 set, box shows some shelf wear, books and other stuff are in pretty much new condition. Set in cludes Future Law, Tech Law, and a crapload of maps, ship counters, and all that.

West End Games Star Warriors: This is the starfighter combat wargame from West End Games, to go along with their excellent Star Wars roleplaying game. Again, box has some shelf wear (all these boxed sets are old) but the contents are complete and in really good shape.

masque12 @ 2007-10-02T10:50:00

2007-10-02T16:05:30Z

[These are the top 106 books most often marked as "unread" by LibraryThing's users. As usual, bold what you have read, italicize what you started but couldn't finish, and strike through what you couldn't stand. The numbers after each one are the number of LT users who used the tag of that book.]

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (149)
Anna Karenina (132)
Crime and Punishment (121)
Catch-22 (117)
One Hundred Years of Solitude (115)
Wuthering Heights (110)
The Silmarillion (104)
Life of Pi : a novel (94)
The Name of the Rose (91)
Don Quixote (91)
Moby Dick (86)
Ulysses (84)
Madame Bovary (83)
The Odyssey (83)
Pride and Prejudice (83)
Jane Eyre (80)
A Tale of Two Cities (80)
The Brothers Karamazov (80)
Guns, Germs, and Steel (79) !!!
War and Peace (78)
Vanity Fair (74)
The Time Traveler's Wife (73)
The Iliad (73)
Emma (73)
The Blind Assassin (73)
The Kite Runner (71)
Mrs. Dalloway (70)
Great Expectations (70)
American Gods (68)
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (67)
~~Atlas Shrugged (67)~~
Reading Lolita in Tehran : a memoir in books (66)
Memoirs of a Geisha (66)
Middlesex (66)
Quicksilver (66) !
Wicked : the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (65)
The Canterbury Tales (64)
The Historian : a novel (63)
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (63)
Love in the Time of Cholera (62)
Brave New World (61)
Foucault's Pendulum (61)
The Fountainhead (61)
Middlemarch (61)
Frankenstein (59)
The Count of Monte Cristo (59)
Dracula (59)
A Clockwork Orange (59)
Anansi Boys (58)
The Once and Future King (57)
The Grapes of Wrath (57)
The Poisonwood Bible : a novel (57)
1984 (57)
Angels & Demons (56)
The Inferno (56)
The Satanic Verses (55)
Sense and Sensibility (55)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (55)
Mansfield Park (55)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (54)
To the Lighthouse (54)
Tess of the D'Urbervilles (54)
Oliver Twist (54)
Gulliver's Travels (53)
Les Misérables (53)
The Corrections (53)
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (52) !!!
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (52)
Dune (51)
The Prince (51)
The Sound and the Fury (51)
Angela's Ashes : a memoir (51)
The God of Small Things (51)
A People's History of the United States : 1492-present (51)
Cryptonomicon (50)
Neverwhere (50)
A Confederacy of Dunces (50)
A Short History of Nearly Everything (50)
The Dubliners (50)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being(49)
Beloved (49)
Slaughterhouse-Five (49)
The Scarlet Letter (48)
Eats, Shoots & Leaves (48)
The Mists of Avalon (47)
Oryx and Crake : a novel (47)
Collapse : how societies choose to fail or succeed (47)
Cloud atlas (47)
The Confusion (46)
Lolita (46)
Persuasion (46)
Northanger Abbey (46)
The Catcher in the Rye (46)
On the Road (46)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (45)
Freakonomics (45)
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (45)
The Aeneid (45)
Watership Down (44)
Gravity's Rainbow (44)
The Hobbit (44)
In Cold Blood (44)
White Teeth (44)
Treasure Island (44)
David Copperfield (44)
The Three Musketeers (44)

Gaming meme.

2007-08-29T15:21:57Z

To celebrate (and promote) Green Ronin's Hobby Games: The Best 100 book, lots of people have been playing the Best 100 meme game, where the 100 best hobby games (as listed in the abovementioned book, just released and available at a game store near you) are rolled out and the blogger's personal experience with them is detailed.

Boldface if "I own this game."
Italics is "I have played this game."
Italic and Bold are "I both own and have played this game."

Bruce C. Shelley on Acquire
Nicole Lindroos on Amber Diceless
Ian Livingstone on Amun-Re
Stewart Wieck on Ars Magica
Thomas M. Reid on Axis & Allies
Tracy Hickman on Battle Cry
Philip Reed on BattleTech
Justin Achilli on Blood Bowl
Mike Selinker on Bohnanza
Tom Dalgliesh on Britannia
Greg Stolze on Button Men
Monte Cook on Call of Cthulhu
Steven E. Schend on Carcassonne
Jeff Tidball on Car Wars
Bill Bridges on Champions
Stan! on Circus Maximus
Tom Jolly on Citadels
Steven Savile on Civilization
Bruno Faidutti on Cosmic Encounter
Andrew Looney on Cosmic Wimpout
Skip Williams on Dawn Patrol
Alan R. Moon on Descent
Larry Harris on Diplomacy
Richard Garfield on Dungeons & Dragons
William W. Connors on Dynasty League Baseball
Christian T. Petersen on El Grande
Alessio Cavatore on Empires in Arms
Timothy Brown on Empires of the Middle Ages
Allen Varney on The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Phil Yates on Fire and Fury
William Jones on Flames of War
Rick Loomis on Fluxx
John Kovalic on Formula Dé
Anthony J. Gallela on The Fury of Dracula
Jesse Scoble on A Game of Thrones
Lou Zocchi on Gettysburg
James Wallis on Ghostbusters
James M. Ward on The Great Khan Game
Gav Thorpe on Hammer of the Scots
Uli Blennemann on Here I Stand
S. Craig Taylor, Jr. on A House Divided
Scott Haring on Illuminati
Dana Lombardy on Johnny Reb
Darren Watts on Junta
Greg Stafford on Kingmaker
Lester Smith on Kremlin
Wolfgang Baur on Legend of the Five Rings CCG
Marc W. Miller on Lensman
Ted S. Raicer on London's Burning
Teeuwynn Woodruff on Lord of the Rings (boardgame)
Mike Breault on Machiavelli
Jordan Weisman on Magic: The Gathering
Steve Kenson on Marvel Super Heroes (Jeff Grubb version)
Gary Gygax on Metamorphosis Alpha
Greg Costikyan on My Life with Master
John D. Rateliff on Mythos
Chris "Gerry" Klug on Napoleon's Last Battles
John Scott Tynes on Naval War
Erick Wujcik on Ogre
Marc Gascoigne on Once Upon a Time
Mike Bennighof on PanzerBlitz
Steve Jackson on Paranoia
Shannon Appelcline on Pendragon
JD Wiker on Pirate's Cove
Richard H. Berg on Plague!
Martin Wallace on Power Grid
Tom Wham on Puerto Rico
Joseph Miranda on Renaissance of Infantry
James Ernest on RoboRally
Paul Jaquays on RuneQuest
Richard Dansky on The Settlers of Catan
Ken St. Andre on Shadowfist
Steven S. Long on Shadowrun
Peter Corless on Shadows over Camelot
Dale Donovan on Silent Death: The Next Millennium
Matt Forbeck on Space Hulk
Ray Winninger on Squad Leader
Lewis Pulsipher on Stalingrad
Bruce Nesmith on Star Fleet Battles
Steve Winter on The Sword and the Flame
Jeff Grubb on Tales of the Arabian Nights
Shane Lacy Hensley on Talisman
Douglas Niles on Terrible Swift Sword
Ed Greenwood on Thurn and Taxis
Mike Fitzgerald on Ticket to Ride
Thomas Lehmann on Tigris & Euphrates
Warren Spector on Tikal
David "Zeb" Cook on Toon
Mike Pondsmith on Traveller
Zev Shlasinger on Twilight Struggle
Kenneth Hite on Unknown Armies
Sandy Petersen on Up Front
R. Hyrum Savage on Vampire: The Eternal Struggle
George Vasilakos on Vampire: The Masquerade
Kevin Wilson on Vinci
R.A. Salvatore on War and Peace
Jack Emmert on Warhammer 40,000
Chris Pramas on The Warlock of Firetop Mountain
Steve Jackson on The Warlord
John Wick on Wiz-War

Just a note...

2007-08-29T06:12:42Z

Ear infections suck.

That is all.

Books On Sale, Final Notice before eBay

2007-08-20T21:18:18Z

After this, I will start listing these books on eBay, so if you want some of them, snatch them up now at retail.

I will continually update this post as people purchase and/or claim books. Once claimed books are paid for, they will be marked sold.

Once again, I'm trying to clear out the remaining Runa-Raven and Diabolist inventory from my defunct bookstore, Illuminati Books. I have 3 copies of Alice Karlsdottir's book listed on Amazon to this end. Unlike most other people on Amazon from what I observe, I'm only charging the cover price for them. The books currently listed are:

Magic of the Norse Goddesses, by Alice Karlsdottir
(2 available)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1885972245/105-5984133-1654866

I also have:

2 copies of Grove and Gallows, by Jim Chisholm
1 copy of Travel Report As It Concerns the Scandanavian Rus, by Ibn Fadlan
(the guy that the movie The 13th Warrior was based on)
The Religion of the Aryo-Germanic Folk, by Guido von List

NEW LISTING
For gaming stuff, I have 1 of each of these. Both $10:
GURPS Voodoo
Infernal Player's Guide for In Nomine.
NEW LISTING

Also, 4 copies of The Diabolist magazine, Vol. II, No.1 (1 claimed)
Details:
The journal publishes scholarly articles on all aspects of the Left Hand Path and brings you rites and words of power from international Initiates. For those that have a thirst, here is regular water in the desert of contemporary Black Arts.

THE PATH AND ITS PRINCE by J Polowkow
UNCLE SETNAKT EXPLAINS THE LIGHT by Don Webb
THE CONCEPT OF INITIATION, unpublished Julius Evola
THE BUDDHA AND THE PRINCE by Maldis
PAZUZU by K. J. Fordham
THE GRIMOIRE OF MORGUL, by Dyfod Cadam
DIABOLICAL AUTHORITY: ANTON LAVEY, THE SATANIC BIBLE AND THE SATANIST “TRADITION” by James R Lewis
WHY NEW AGE IS DANGEROUS by Frater Ayin
FALLACIES OF KARMA by Dyfod Cadam
TWO FACES OF INITIATION by J Polowkow
and the serialised Antichrist fiction of HARMONY by Maldis.

New game

2007-08-14T09:56:23Z

So we finished up our long running Star Wars campaign on Friday. Now we have to figure out what we're going to play next. I've been reacquiring my In Nomine collection, so I'm thinking of running a campaign with that. In Nomine is a game of conflict between angels and demons, where you can play either side, or a number of entities in between.

In the canonical milieu of the game, the God of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam is the True creator of the Universe, and the associated angels and demons are known as Celestials. The various pagan gods are supposed to have been borne of the human imagination, and are therefore denizens of the Marches, which is analogous to the Dreaming from Sandman comics. The Angelic side is ruled by Blandine, Archangel of Dreams, and the Infernal side is ruled by Beleth, the Archangel of Nightmares. These entities are known as Ethereals. Of course, the Ethereals claim that the J/C/I God is also an Ethereal created by humans, just one that has consolidated his power to the point that he rewrote the true history of the creation of the universe, taking credit for it.

At some point in the past, Uriel, the Archangel of Purity (in game) instituted a pogrom against the Ethereals, attempting to wipe them completely out. After he was stopped, he was called to the Higher Heavens before he could be tried, and hasn't been heard from again. Most, but not all, of the surviving Ethereals sought sanctuary in Beleth's side of the Marches, trading Essence for security. While they don't necessarily support the Infernals' goals, they didn't have much choice.

At any rate, my campaign idea will take some inspiration from another Neil Gaiman work, American Gods. I'm thinking of a scenario where the Ethereals declare war on both Heaven and Hell, and try to take back (what they regard as) their rightful, dominant place in the cosmology of the universe. I'm thinking that the players will take the roles of humans who get wrapped up in the middle of the conflict, and will let them decide which side they support, if any. I can think of several possible scenarios that can play out, particularly a Second War in Heaven, with some Angels and Demons banding together to hold onto their power, others joining in with the Ethereals, likely to manipulate them against their more usual enemies in the Celestial conflict. I think it has many possibilities, hopefully I can make it happen.