tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23140118972064635182024-03-13T02:28:11.359-07:00WildebeastI write aphorisms for a living. So keeping a blog is just like work, except I don't get paid. Don't expect much here.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508594597349248576noreply@blogger.comBlogger519125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2314011897206463518.post-54141044098176267192013-08-27T10:25:00.002-07:002013-08-27T10:25:38.188-07:00Camping Fun<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
What we saw outside our campsite this past weekend.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508594597349248576noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2314011897206463518.post-19903748499145171522013-02-16T00:02:00.000-08:002013-02-16T00:02:11.642-08:00The Kumbh Mela<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/IMG_8051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="http://www.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/IMG_8051.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumbh_Mela" target="_blank">mass of humanity</a> that is more than one can truly comprehend.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508594597349248576noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2314011897206463518.post-63279028531822587852013-01-24T07:15:00.004-08:002013-01-24T07:16:18.601-08:00Jacobin Mag<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I just discovered <a href="http://jacobinmag.com/" target="_blank">Jacobin Mag</a>, a far left publication of essays put on by what I would call "kids". The quality of the output, while sometimes overly academic, is quite high. I really like some of the possibilities is imagines for society and they largely seem to have found ways to escape the "hippy" ambience I find so common in leftist popular literature.<br />
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Here's a great paragraph by Seth Ackerman in a <a href="http://jacobinmag.com/2012/12/the-red-and-the-black/" target="_blank">treatise</a> on how socialism might fare under modern economic theory. The paragraph is a critique of social democratic economies (EU and to a lessening degree the US).<br />
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: chaparral-pro, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 27px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">But the social democratic solution is unstable... There’s a fundamental contradiction between accepting that capitalists’ pursuit of profit will be the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: chaparral-pro, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 27px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">motor</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: chaparral-pro, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 27px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> of the system, and believing you can systematically tame and repress it through policies and regulations. In the classical Marxist account, the contradiction is straightforwardly economic: policies that reduce profit rates too much will lead to underinvestment and economic crisis. But the contradiction can also be political: profit-hungry capitalists will use their social power to obstruct the necessary policies. How can you have a system </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: chaparral-pro, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 27px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">driven</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: chaparral-pro, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 27px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> by individuals maximizing their profit cash-flows and still expect to maintain the profit-repressing norms, rules, laws, and regulations necessary to uphold the common welfare?</span></i><br />
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His answer is intriguing: socialize the capital markets. I've not yet formed an opinion of this solution, if it might work and how it might play out. Nor am I an economist by any stretch of the imagination. But I find the possibility intriguing and it could point a way out of our current world-wide economic crisis.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508594597349248576noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2314011897206463518.post-30155484325792906252013-01-23T16:15:00.001-08:002013-01-23T16:15:20.957-08:00Liberalism is not Communism<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There's a survey where you can give input to the Republican party. I went and spoke the most honest, core statements that I think the conservatives in our midst need to hear. Apart from the multiple choice questions, the few places for open input were short and to the point.<br />
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"We are not a center-right nation. Liberalism is not Communism. Get your facts straight."<br />
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Hopefully somebody actually read them.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508594597349248576noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2314011897206463518.post-22493403307278123772012-12-21T14:40:00.001-08:002012-12-21T14:40:23.182-08:00Its the Guns, Stupid<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><b>"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun"</b> - </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">National Rifle Association (NRA) Chief Executive Wayne LaPierre</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Umm, no. That doesn't work. This happened while LaPierre was speaking today.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://www.wjactv.com/news/news/sources-1-trooper-shot-another-injured-blair-co/nTcf5/" target="_blank">http://www.wjactv.com/news/news/sources-1-trooper-shot-another-injured-blair-co/nTcf5/</a></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b>"We ask why there is violence in our schools but we have systematically removed God from our schools"</b> - <a href="http://mediamatters.org/video/2012/12/14/huckabee-schools-become-a-place-of-carnage-when/191864" target="_blank">Mike Huckabee</a></span><br />
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That's not true either. From the same Pennsylvania shooting linked to above:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><i>During a news briefing at the Geeseytown Fire Hall, officials confirmed the woman was shot and killed at a church. The Associated Press reported that the woman was fatally shot while decorating for a children's Christmas party at the Juniata Valley Gospel Church.</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">I suppose God was systematically removed from that church as well?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">No. The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is to get rid of all guns in the first place. Hunting? Eh, maybe. Second Amendment? Its outdated at best.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508594597349248576noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2314011897206463518.post-84079891994521356552012-12-20T15:22:00.000-08:002012-12-20T15:22:26.919-08:00Post-Racial Children<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Race is a major issue in the US, as it is in many places across the globe. We've just gone through an election cycle that was filled with racial undertones. Social conservatives here are apoplectic about the growing demographic shift away from WASPs to folks of many creeds and hues. My children have been exposed to hateful racial epithets both in my presence and away from me.<br />
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Still, with all this, it was interesting to see how my kids have a different view of "black" and "white" people. Being of mixed race and rather young themselves, they struggle with the concepts of caucasian vs asian vs black vs all the other colors of the rainbow. Last night was a great example.<br />
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Last night we watched Psy perform the famous Gangnam Style song taped from November's American Music Awards show. My daughters were excited to show me some "famous white man" who was in the performance.<br />
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Before the performance a gentlemen (sorry, I'm horrible with celebrity names because I basically don't give a damn about celebrities) was introducing Psy. He was African American and dressed in black attire. Leia said something like, "He's the black man. That's not the white man. That man is the black man. Wait for the white man to show up."<br />
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I respond, "OK. You're right. That's a black man. I'll wait."<br />
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When the song starts Leia chimes in again, "He's Psy. That's not the white man. That's Psy. Wait and the white man will come out."<br />
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So I dutifully wait. Meanwhile my wife is laughing at the exchange and explains to me that MC Hammer performs alongside Psy on stage. Sure enough, here comes MC Hammer to dance alongside Psy.<br />
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Leia jumps up and down all excited. "See! I told you! There's the white man dancing, too."<br />
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Now, for those of you familiar with MC Hammer you'll know that he, too, is African American. In fact, MC Hammer is noticeably darker than Psy or anyone else immediately apparent on stage at that time. MC Hammer is, however, dressed in a starched white suit with his famous baggy trousers. Leia seemed oblivious to the fact that the "white man" and the "black man" both are called "black" men in our culture. Instead, it was the color of the suit that signified the "white man".<br />
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I gave it a chuckle, happy that racism has not yet intruded its ugliness upon her life.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508594597349248576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2314011897206463518.post-87178131103418232512012-12-18T10:42:00.002-08:002012-12-18T10:42:19.879-08:00Repeal the Second Amendment<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Frankly, the second amendment is wrong and should be repealed. Guns ownership should be entirely restricted and on an as-needed basis only. And I can think of very few reasons why anyone would need a gun under such a law.<br />
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The second amendment is at best an anachronism. Armed militias are generally useless unless there is outright civil war. If the shit really does hit the fan and we have another civil war (gods forbid!) then guns aplenty would roll across our borders. There's no need to arm the populace now.<br />
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For those who think gun ownership makes you safer or able to defend yourself -- you're wrong. Plain and simple. Look at the numbers.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508594597349248576noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2314011897206463518.post-18425507286356913822012-09-21T15:43:00.003-07:002012-09-21T15:43:53.511-07:00Not Quite What You Want to Hear<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We're in Japan right now. In Japan the bath is sorta a family event, with kids often soaking in the deep tub along with a parent.<br />
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Today while bathing, Leia asked a question I never really wanted to hear:<br />
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<i>Daddy, why do you have such a big bottom?</i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508594597349248576noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2314011897206463518.post-40790322072615378122012-09-14T10:36:00.003-07:002012-09-14T10:36:40.643-07:00A Little Insult<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The reaction in the Muslim world against an amateur video insulting their prophet really makes me want to insult their prophet. What a bunch of jerks.<br />
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Why are fundamental religious people so violent and brainless? My guess is it has to do with blindly following authority. I'm sure the hopelessness of poverty doesn't help, nor the lack of education; but, there are plenty of educated, middle class and wealthy fundamentalist Christians here in the US who brainlessly want to carpet bomb the Middle East. So there is definitely more to it than simply poverty and no education.<br />
<br />
Rather than insulting Islam, I'll insult all religions. Faith leads to unquestioning acceptance of religious authority. Unquestioning acceptance of authority leads to immorality and violence. Therefore...</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508594597349248576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2314011897206463518.post-72326367676736985552012-07-02T23:38:00.000-07:002012-07-02T23:38:07.683-07:00Miserably Hot<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
113F here today. A little bit warm.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARKx2IOidpIoNL_Ji9P164sv1lnFo-dcb3DDvhRz835Y0A7pRsvtSptqRkcEGxFW3u4EIIWFyiXHtGPdmDGUK_8RvVyTFtffnAay-RimKO4r8kFaxaQkvJJ30DCMibh_i-9ms2JiE7w/s1600/popcorn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARKx2IOidpIoNL_Ji9P164sv1lnFo-dcb3DDvhRz835Y0A7pRsvtSptqRkcEGxFW3u4EIIWFyiXHtGPdmDGUK_8RvVyTFtffnAay-RimKO4r8kFaxaQkvJJ30DCMibh_i-9ms2JiE7w/s320/popcorn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508594597349248576noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2314011897206463518.post-76755210745897909232012-06-28T21:12:00.000-07:002012-06-28T21:12:41.658-07:00Receding Jetlag<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I'm back in Asia this week and next. Arriving last Sunday night, this Friday morning the jet lag finally seems to be receding. I leave for home next Friday, where there will be another grueling week of jet lag to deal with.</div>
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I must say, the greater New Dehli area does seem to be the armpit of India. Yesterday I went down to the Bangalore campus for a day trip. Sweat was literally dripping off me at 5am in Noida (New Dehli area) waiting for the cab to pick me up. Visibility was meager and the sky a grayish brown from the smog and ubiquitous dust. The instant I stepped off the plane in Bangalore I was greeted with pillowy clouds in a blue sky and a cool westerly wind. It was very refreshing.</div>
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It just so happened that the monsoon season reached Bangalore yesterday as well. Although the rain was light, it had the hallmarks of a tropical storm nonetheless. While awaiting the cab back to the airport at the end of the day, one side of the office building was raining while the other was sunny and warm. I literally stood on the side of the building with my left side getting wet and my right side staying dry. It reminded me much of the late summer storms growing up in Florida.</div>
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(I didn't take the below snap; but, it is a very typical scene on the roads of Bangalore.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhQ0LZcGG_lwzXbTQnpy16wNhVl49tAekK6AOpQAt1RWBL3lFR0fH97CzOQqaXaDc0MtyU58aF1pEr7iOEwv_KfrjA2YyNa9Isdwcy_kmuZU-0TrP7Z5xxIwG9su_suUjZlBsos88_iw/s1600/Monsoon_couple_on_motorcycle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhQ0LZcGG_lwzXbTQnpy16wNhVl49tAekK6AOpQAt1RWBL3lFR0fH97CzOQqaXaDc0MtyU58aF1pEr7iOEwv_KfrjA2YyNa9Isdwcy_kmuZU-0TrP7Z5xxIwG9su_suUjZlBsos88_iw/s320/Monsoon_couple_on_motorcycle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508594597349248576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2314011897206463518.post-17239827571476491812012-06-17T12:50:00.000-07:002012-06-17T13:00:07.879-07:00California Girl<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Every day I try to write a little bit with girls, often by asking them what word they want to learn how to spell.<br />
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Leia is a California girl through-and-through, having developed a sophisticated palate based on the ubiquitous fusion cuisine. When asked what word she wanted to learn today, her response was "escargot".<br />
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I feel sorry for her dates in years to come.<br />
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<b>Updated</b>: Here's the entire menu she made, and then subsequently started playing restaurant with Alisa.<br />
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It's been a good Father's Day.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508594597349248576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2314011897206463518.post-69728247333919832512012-06-06T14:26:00.000-07:002012-06-06T14:26:07.570-07:00Bad Train Karma<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Four times in the last two days I've come to the train station within 15 seconds too late to make the train. What did I do to deserve such bad karma?</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508594597349248576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2314011897206463518.post-61952889794273287532012-06-01T17:53:00.001-07:002012-06-01T17:53:18.663-07:00Jonesing for a Game<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm jonesing for a roleplaying session. Work has been absolutely insane in the last four months and there's no let up in sight. This is, however, somewhat of a culmination of what I've been trying to accomplish with the software development processes at work for years now. So my motivation remains high.<br />
<br />
Here's a picture of one of the many faces of Kato. Photograph by <a href="http://lithiumpicnic.deviantart.com/art/Natural-History-24867853" target="_blank">lithium picnic</a> at DeviantArt.com.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjX_jaOBfThHtomBYWLZjeeUOu50akqqDHJ1N5bhJkFm_sxJCFMeIDnyp2R_wTecGO-0sK1fYaIuQX3hfJv_qFsM05qKh2KuuZP8a85Ns14BC8JsOtuHB4EwRWbc6yOA9T7ssGzdOTA/s1600/Natural_History_by_lithiumpicnic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjX_jaOBfThHtomBYWLZjeeUOu50akqqDHJ1N5bhJkFm_sxJCFMeIDnyp2R_wTecGO-0sK1fYaIuQX3hfJv_qFsM05qKh2KuuZP8a85Ns14BC8JsOtuHB4EwRWbc6yOA9T7ssGzdOTA/s320/Natural_History_by_lithiumpicnic.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508594597349248576noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2314011897206463518.post-21615787498652978352012-05-27T19:42:00.000-07:002012-05-27T19:42:15.175-07:00I'm Digging this Fatherhood Gig<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Life has been fine here. Two nights off from work and plenty of sleep for all four of us. The girls just keep maturing rapidly. Latest hits:<div>
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<li>They're with me in the kitchen to cook pretty regularly now. Poor Leia started crying when Alisa beat her to setting the table.</li>
<li>Hirono and I saw UK in the city last week. It was the first time the girls went to sleep without at least one of us to put them to bed. They fared well and we got to see the whole concert uninterrupted. The next morning I showed the girls a video of the band in concert. Ever since, Alisa has been asking regularly about playing violin again.</li>
<li>Leia seems more interested in piano lessons, though her ear is not so strong. Girl got rhythm.</li>
<li>They like playing "concerts" with us, where we play whatever instrument is at hand and switch around quite often. There's plenty of dancing and singing as well. We're all looking forward to another concert after Alisa wakes from her late nap today.</li>
<li>We're struggling to find a good violin teacher. Alisa nearly cried yesterday when the violin teacher didn't show up (a fatal strike for that teacher, for sure) to just talk about starting lessons. She's really eager to get going. Luckily, Hirono's friend is a violinist in the SF symphony and is helping to find someone in in the South Bay.</li>
<li>All three girls have realized that if they speak together in Japanese they can leave me as a clueless bystander. I think they're plotting something.</li>
<li>Their Saturday morning にほんごひろば, aka Japanese Romper Room, classes are ending. The teacher's children have just grown too old for them and she's moving on to dance instructions. Both girls have indicated interest in dance again, though I'm suspicious that they may just think they'll miss the teacher.</li>
<li>Leia beat the pants off me in hopscotch today.</li>
<li>They're both into stories; but, particularly Alisa. She's intent on getting all the way through The Last Unicorn, Peter Beagle's masterpiece set to graphic novel. She also has asked for The Hobbit a couple more times; but, tires of the lengthy prose after three or four pages. She makes up her own stories, short affairs lasting about 2 minutes to tell, many times a day.</li>
</ul>
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508594597349248576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2314011897206463518.post-19180529329111094882012-05-27T07:45:00.003-07:002012-05-27T07:47:04.225-07:00First Words Typing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As a 21st century parent, I find myself as proud of my daughter's first words typed as their first written words. Yesterday, Alisa picked up an electronic gadget and started typing words. Her first typed word was おさしみ, in English that's "sashimi" or slices of raw fish prepared for eating without rice. Its one of her favorite meals.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvJidIIYYTS6bj0ulufoGnKGCHk1cZ3IuTp8U9TCIZ7AemJatlYh90c3wMH9Glq8qbuWtppFG2UlX4AIheJEXSOOK30k5tcK0HfsVbM3uvMcVauuY_2jRy9rmwAvndczLRc4t4F3wOw/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvJidIIYYTS6bj0ulufoGnKGCHk1cZ3IuTp8U9TCIZ7AemJatlYh90c3wMH9Glq8qbuWtppFG2UlX4AIheJEXSOOK30k5tcK0HfsVbM3uvMcVauuY_2jRy9rmwAvndczLRc4t4F3wOw/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></div>
Then Leia picked up the gadget and the two of them together worked out the words おしりたんてい, farting buttocks. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508594597349248576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2314011897206463518.post-54402169626941243022012-05-27T07:37:00.001-07:002012-05-27T07:38:28.959-07:00Stormdragon Draft<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Dr Bargle asked for the Stormdragon rules. Here's a draft:<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DaBoqjiARthuQmsUE_GkEn6s_7kQ8qT0wsqjuiHyesk/edit" target="_blank">https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DaBoqjiARthuQmsUE_GkEn6s_7kQ8qT0wsqjuiHyesk/edit </a><br />
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Note that the reader is assumed to know the Pendragon combat and passion rules already.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508594597349248576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2314011897206463518.post-11614359883299916932012-05-05T19:26:00.001-07:002012-05-05T19:34:45.104-07:00Playtesting Stormdragon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So our gaming table finally met again. This time we went through a second iteration of the "Stormdragon" ruleset. Stormdragon is our home-brewed gaming ruleset that mixes Strombringer 1e magic and setting with Pendragon combat rules and Runequest skill rules. It worked fairly well. Here are some thoughts:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpR-Srxsue2XyWCQYypdn-JPB29h6lkSXsjH6pGR_lFTtjGbfTRs7elutIUy0ch-yOmG_V5CNVGWNhzxiFB8-ip8lqiYYSbzkwIOwss3H6fgYlI4DVFqKNl8AD81MypEkcSiMce63pdQ/s1600/beauty_contest_by_amandamyers-d4l85ld.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpR-Srxsue2XyWCQYypdn-JPB29h6lkSXsjH6pGR_lFTtjGbfTRs7elutIUy0ch-yOmG_V5CNVGWNhzxiFB8-ip8lqiYYSbzkwIOwss3H6fgYlI4DVFqKNl8AD81MypEkcSiMce63pdQ/s320/beauty_contest_by_amandamyers-d4l85ld.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<li><b>Referee Swapping</b> - One player and I switched back and forth in the referee role, with me dominating about 90% of the time. It worked fairly well and I felt we allowed each other plenty of free scope for improvisation. We each had our character as well, which made it easy to ebb and flow the role of narrator. No need to change anything here.</li>
<li><b>Player vs Player</b> - The first half of the session focused on the new player characters to the campaign world. They got involved in a subplot, which eventually brought them in contact with the elder player characters. When they finally met, they were on opposite sides of the battlefield. It was a grand battle, ending in the new player character's fleeing the battle and later joining forces with the victorious elder player characters. I had a PC in the mix as well and he escaped with his life. Another one of these player vs player battle royales needs to be orchestrated some time.</li>
<li><b>Character Generation</b> - It was a little slow still. We went with character builds instead of random rolls. I prefer random rolls as it really puts players in unexpected places and makes them think on their feet. One of the new characters was a priest of the second circle, meaning he could summon elementals and demons. Magic using characters take a long time to finish; but, I think its worth it in the end given how rich the magic system can be. The number of skills was too high and slowed down the process too much.</li>
<li><b>Skills</b> - I think there's too many skills. I'll probably shrink the number of skills significantly. Perception skills and poison lore gotta go. Maybe up-level some skill descriptions to be more broad in scope and reduce the overall number.</li>
<li><b>Experience</b> - If we reduce the number of skills and broaden each skill in scope, then I think experience is working out just fine.</li>
<li><b>Passions</b> - Nobody used passions!!! That sucks, people! Get 'em out there.</li>
<li><b>Combat</b> - Seemed to work pretty well. Everybody is playing a different character than they have in a long while, with the whole party being swordsmen knights in our previous Pendragon campaign. The stumbling we experienced during combat was probably more about learning curve in the new roles and lower power levels than we're used to.</li>
<li><b>Magic Use</b> - So casting magic slowed down the game significantly. At this point I attribute it to lack of familiarity with the rules and will forge ahead. I like the creativity of this magic system very much.</li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">The story also worked pretty well. It got off to a slow start; but, I expect it to pick up once we gain familiarity with the magic rules. Demons are important personalities in the milieu of this world and our stumbling with the rules definitely hurts the storyline. Also, the party wasn't really together until the last 1/3rd of the session - so there were some slow intervals for one character or another.</span></div>
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I've been loosely following the D&D 5th edition discussions. I want to give Wizards of the Coast the benefit of the doubt; but, this post just makes me totally uninterested in D&D 5.<br />
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http://community.wizards.com/dndnext/blog/2012/05/02/avoiding_choice_traps<br />
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Too. Many. Rules.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508594597349248576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2314011897206463518.post-77692396541965290332012-05-02T13:30:00.002-07:002012-05-02T13:30:07.258-07:00Tonight's Game Setup<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The Lance of Thunder, Chief Astrologer of Duke Vezhan in distant Esmir, charged the clergy with a quest. "Seek the Holy White Lotus, which tumbles where water and earth meet." While searching the Dragon Sea you call port at the Dreaming City of Melnibone. There an adventuring sorceress told rumors of a great waterfall of lotus flowers in rocky peaks hedging the Mist Marsh. Her ship's navigator frequently spoke to her of it in awed whispers. Alas, the poor soul was lost at sea in her last voyage; but, she knows his home village. It is, she fears, beset with pirates.<br />
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You find yourself on a ship at sea [column 26.row 40] a half-day's sail from the navigator's birthplace. Good money and days spent pouring through Melnibone's libraries uncovered a map of the Serpent's Teeth.<br />
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http://ewildebeast.blogspot.com/2012/01/serpents-teeth.html<br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508594597349248576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2314011897206463518.post-39496443753090807762012-04-13T10:55:00.000-07:002012-04-13T10:55:06.407-07:00Raining Cats and Dogs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Its raining crazy hard outside, at least for California. Last night we had a record-breaking storm in terms of lightning strikes and rainfall.<br />
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I'm always amused by what counts as hard rain here in the SF Bay Area. Growing up in Florida, I know a little bit about heavy thunderstorms. This ain't it.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508594597349248576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2314011897206463518.post-84029848578319445182012-04-06T21:05:00.000-07:002012-04-06T21:05:02.180-07:00Hark! What yonder light...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The girls are showing a lot of interest in academics at their new school.<br />
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They go to Japanese immersion school. It switches between Japanese and English by subject. The girls have shown tremendous progress since they started the new school a few months ago. They recognize characters in both languages and Alisa is starting to put letters together into words. Their ability to speak in Japanese fluently has skyrocketed.<br />
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I'm proud of my little buggers. There's another bragging father story below.<br />
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We have a big gallery as our front room, whose ceiling lofts up more than 20 feet. Its splayed with vinyl covers of albums that have been dear to me or Hirono. Arranged beneath the colorful emblems of King Crimson, Accept, Judas Priest, and Emerson, Lake and Palmer are a handful of string and percussion instruments. There also sits the recorder collection and, center piece, keyboard surrounded by amps and cabinets.<br />
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Cut into the heights of the gallery is a staircase leading up to a lopsided landing with railing overlooking the instruments. On the landing sit the two girls, legs dangling over the edge. Their pink and orange pajamas were highlighted by a sharp spotlight that shined directly in my eyes below.<br />
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So I quoted Shakespeare to them, Romeo and Juliet. <i>Hark! What yonder light...</i> After a few sentences Alisa was hooked. Now she wants me to read the story to her. I told her it would take a week of nights and there are no pictures; but, she is undaunted.<br />
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I'll be floored if she sits through the story. You never know.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508594597349248576noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2314011897206463518.post-77351601589591999452012-03-25T21:10:00.001-07:002012-03-25T21:10:17.795-07:00Sayonara Shannon-chan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today we went to a memorial service for a friend of the girls. She was four years old and such a sweet little one. So tragic to lose a young life.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508594597349248576noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2314011897206463518.post-78261843926609025462012-03-22T14:43:00.001-07:002012-03-22T14:45:27.262-07:00Play Test Report<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowMwzZfa6Tp6KQLQYj4WVkOlEufPj7sxTG4dPm87JUHHkql2jGKoRiG2T8Zbmi40abA2vNkL_J83HPkcWIxPWEa0yge2LY3lt12xKqRkqCLZEX_go5ydzZqWMI1qo-0camTEHAaAkMQ/s1600/Magic+Realm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowMwzZfa6Tp6KQLQYj4WVkOlEufPj7sxTG4dPm87JUHHkql2jGKoRiG2T8Zbmi40abA2vNkL_J83HPkcWIxPWEa0yge2LY3lt12xKqRkqCLZEX_go5ydzZqWMI1qo-0camTEHAaAkMQ/s320/Magic+Realm.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
So last night we tried adopting the Magic Realm rules to tabletop, face-to-face RPGs with mixed success.<br />
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The good:<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>The free form story setup for a one-shot play test ended up engaging the players' creativity more than usual. Folks generally liked the improvisational, low preparation approach as it left the story arc more open to player input. I've always been a fan of the "Yes, and..." approach to RPG stories and encouraged players to contribute more to the story direction; but, it was so painfully obvious that I had no story line prepared that the players had to step up to the plate and create their own. This is the way it will be going forward for all our sessions in the near future. Although its not a direct outcome of the game system, its something that I really welcome.</li>
<li>The fatigue and wound system in the Magic Realm board game translated really well to tabletop RPG. Its simple, elegant and gives a good cadence to the players abilities. Character fatigue set in at just about the right time based on what was happening in the story. It just felt right. We didn't go through the rest/healing rules as it was just a one-shot play test. If I could only find some way to use a fatigue system like this that didn't have the drawbacks noted below I'd be very happy.</li>
<li>Encumbrance also worked really well. It resulted in more fatigue and less quickness in characters, as expected.</li>
<li>Dying Earth is a wonderful game setting. Although none of the players had red the stories, it resonated well with the player's sensibilities. The burning red was palpably hanging overhead.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.seventhsanctum.com/index.php">Seventh Sanctum</a> f'ing rocks! The elves and dwarfs came from the Seventh Sanctum random generator. They were unique, unpredictable and flavorful without loosing the normal fantasy tropes. Its also virtually zero prep time for the referee.</li>
<li>I ended up creating colorfully named maneuver cards to replace the board game's chits. For example, the Swordsman's Fight M5 chit became an "Overhead Swing" card with a picture of a scrawny kid flailing a sword over his head. This added some interesting twists to the combat descriptions. The best one was when the Berzerker knocked in the door by flexing his pecs in a Manly Pose maneuver card.</li>
</ul>
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The bad:<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Armor sucks. It just doesn't translate well as written in the board game rules. We couldn't find a good way to tweak it easily either. Either the lighter characters like the Swordsman became useless or the heavier characters like the White Knight choose not to wear armor. This needs serious attention if we're ever to play this system again.</li>
<li>The maneuver speeds are overly complex. Trying to keep track of two numbers for each combatant for each round was just overwhelming for me as referee. Big show stopper.</li>
<li>The maneuvers started to feel repetitive after a while. I think that's because there's not much in the way of contextual advantages written into the rules. This can be pretty easily addressed by adjusting attack strength or speed for advantageous or disadvantageous circumstances.</li>
<li>Nobody died. Its always a bummer when the characters make it through the session relatively unscathed.</li>
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After the session we chatted about our next games. Most of the group wanted to pick up Pendragon where we left off last October; but, we'll need someone else to referee if that's the case. The Pendragon story has come to closure for me when young Arthur pulled the sword from the stone. My heart isn't into continuing the story right now. Pendragon is nothing without a heartfelt and powerful storyline. So I have to pass on that offer.<br />
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D&D4 was another option bandied about; but, again, I'm not going to referee it. The rule system is just too heavy. I cannot see myself devoting a month to learning the rules when I'm really not interested in that style of game.<br />
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We ended up deciding to do another play test, this time of the Sorcerer rules by Ron Edwards. I'm thinking a one-shot horror scenario, perhaps set in 20th century New England or maybe 17th century France.<br />
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Assuming the Sorcerer play test dies after a session or two, we'll then go back to the Young Kingdoms setting of Elric. This time I plan to use the Pendragon combat and skill system; but, adapt the Stormbringer 1e magic system to it. That sounds like a match made in Hades! I'm really looking forward to it.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508594597349248576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2314011897206463518.post-80646063241908369932012-03-18T21:14:00.000-07:002012-03-18T21:14:11.710-07:00You Meet at an Inn - Vancian Style<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This Wednesday I'm playing a test play of a home-brewed RPG inspired heavily by Avalon Hill's board game, Magic Realm. The set up for the adventure is the classic: "you all meet at a tavern". The world, however, is Vance's beloved Dying Earth. Here's the write up sent to the players:<br />
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<b>Fiarazio's Walled Garden</b><br />
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The husky red sun loomed over a world grown old. Mankind had lived since long before the gentle hills of Agravaine were jagged peaks newly sprung from the ground. So many eons passed that man forgot his birth and conquering of the globe. Civilizations were swallowed by the slow grind of Earth's rocky core. Great empires perished and new ones born afresh in countless repetition. Over millennia the weft of mankind warped - his mind burnt with knowledge and his soul steeped in quavering ether - 'til now, when humanity is a half-dozen different beings of various shape and perspective.<br />
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Beings of a darker sort inhabited Agravaine's wastes. In the hills stretched between the decaying city of Majaethit and Kirmo's Sparkling Eminence came presences from otherwhere, who trapped the unwary and carved their bones into twirling fetishes. Along the route to Majaethit were caravansarai, strongholds built to protect sojourners. Blessed by the Priests of Radiant Devolution, wells of the caravansarai caused an odious aroma about persons who drank from them. These noxious vapors repelled the presences, who claimed it spoiled their bone fetishes.<br />
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And so it was you found yourselves at the caravansarai of Jaredd, along the headwaters of River Somn. Here people sowed the ground with a dark purple rye. Its curiously strong drink, Hassad, proved fortifying. Over time a brisk Hassad trade developed among the merchants along the Majaethit road and Jeredd became a trading post in its own right. It is here, at Amereth's tavern, that a Prudhite in red turban and gold filigree asked you to join him for a frothy mug, for he wishes to ask a boon of you.<br />
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