| (no subject) |
[Nov. 9th, 2009|03:29 pm] |
Two days late for Carl Sagan day, but better late than never. |
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| This seems like an auspicious date to post this |
[Nov. 9th, 2009|02:55 pm] |
Die Gedanken sind frei, wer kann sie erraten,
sie fliegen vorbei wie nächtliche Schatten.
Kein Mensch kann sie wissen, kein Jäger erschießen
mit Pulver und Blei, Die Gedanken sind frei!
Ich denke was ich will und was mich beglücket,
doch alles in der Still', und wie es sich schicket.
Mein Wunsch und Begehren kann niemand mir wehren,
es bleibet dabei: Die Gedanken sind frei!
Und sperrt man mich ein im finsteren Kerker,
das alles sind rein vergebliche Werke.
Denn meine Gedanken zerreißen die Schranken
und Mauern entzwei, die Gedanken sind frei!
Drum will ich auf immer den Sorgen absagen
und will mich auch nimmer mit Grillen mehr plagen.
Man kann ja im Herzen stets lachen und scherzen
und denken dabei: Die Gedanken sind frei!
Ich liebe den Wein, mein Mädchen vor allen,
sie tut mir allein am besten gefallen.
Ich sitz nicht alleine bei einem Glas Weine,
mein Mädchen dabei: Die Gedanken sind frei! |
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| This weekend = epic fantasy bender |
[Nov. 9th, 2009|01:21 pm] |
Not only was it the big finish to the Steinhall D&D game (which I will eventually post), but I got in a fair amount of Dragonage, even though I was out of the house most of both Saturday & Sunday.
This game is so much more entertaining than anything on TV that I am barely watching any! I haven't seen the new V!!
Things & stuff:
1) Does anybody know what stat/skill/talent combo determines how good a character is at detecting & disarming traps? I'd have thought that the "trap" skill would be good for this, but Leliana is, like 10x better at trap-defense than my character, and she doesn't have any levels in the trap skill. So I am confused.
2) So, "normal" has been getting obnoxiously difficult! I mean, I do find the battles enjoyable, but getting TPK'ed 5 times in a row in a randomesque encounter is getting in the way of my game enjoyment! Currently, I am doing battles once on "normal," but if I get wiped out on the first try, I switch to easy. So far, easy is WAY easy, and not very intellectually stimulating, but it gets me on to the next story bit, which is really what I'm after.
3) Plotwise, I am really digging the lack of clear-cut moral choices. I think this is the first time I've felt like I was really role-playing in a video game RPG. There's more that goes into making decisions than just whether or not I'm generically good vs. evil, or diplomatic vs. asshole; I think about my character's background, what she thinks is or isn't important, how her followers will react to her decisions, etc. AND I can totally envision the way one event plays out influencing how I perceive and react to incidents I will run into in the future. (Like, "oh, I screwed that up last time, so let's try a different approach.")
These next ones are spoilery for the Redcliffe plot:
( Read more... )
Please no spoilers past Redcliffe, or for plot details of any origin stories which are not Wood Elf.
Things I would rather be doing right now: playing dragonage |
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| Dear Adobe: |
[Nov. 9th, 2009|11:08 am] |
You do things in a way that nobody else in the world does them.
This is, notably, *not* because you are smarter than everyone else in the world, or because your way is *better* than everyone else's. In fact, it's generally a fair bet that your way is not only "worse than standard", but all the way into "actively bad".
Also: I am evidently smarter than your extremely stupid program.
No Love,
John |
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| An interesting aside in a discussion of Project Daedelus |
[Nov. 9th, 2009|10:31 am] |
Just over thirty years ago, British Interplanetary Society (BIS) members carried out one of the most complete studies of an interstellar vehicle ever made. Even today, Project Daedalus retains its status as an outstandingly comprehensive reference design. Its final report sits on the shelf of many a starship enthusiast.
The bit I want to single out is this one:
Parkinson presented some background on the Jovian extraction process, and examined some other options that have been suggested. One possibility is to extract He3 from the lunar regolith. Unfortunately, it appears that while this is technically possible, the huge energy required to extract meager amounts of He3 from immense masses of regolith renders the process economically unfeasible. In brief, the Jupiter mining system is still the preferred option for fueling Daedalus.
Here, let me make the important bit easier to see:
Unfortunately, it appears that while this is technically possible, the huge energy required to extract meager amounts of He3 from immense masses of regolith renders the process economically unfeasible. |
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| Note to self |
[Nov. 9th, 2009|10:22 am] |
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The current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is Gordon Brown, not Gordon Ramsay. |
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| Hurtful language |
[Nov. 9th, 2009|02:17 pm] |
I love English. It's quirky, it's weird, it's mongrel, it's sweet, it's playful; it's a word-lush [1] consequently lush with vocabulary; it treats its grammar the way kittens would treat slinkies wrapped with balls of yarn and its word construction the way a showy chef treats the pizza dough [2]---I love English.
I might have been shown the limits to my love, though, through some links in a recent post in ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) metaquotes.
Exhibit A.
Exhibit B.
As one commenter put it concisely, "...Ow, my brain."
Of course, both of those sentences are possible at all because of those lushness, slinky and pizza-dough properties that I just said I love so much. I am aware of this. This is true. Nevertheless, and I say this with feeling too, ow.
It can be argued successfully that it is still not the fault of the language per se, though. Languages don't hurt brains, people who do such things with languages hurt brains. That much flexibility gives English the equivalent power of a bazooka on a mediaeval battlefield, and as we all know, with great power comes great responsibility. Please do not use hurtful language. Yes, those examples are hurtful language.
[1] In the "drunkard" sense---did I mention I love English?
[2] Pummel pummel pummel turn pummel pummel pummel turn get rolling pin spread spread spread pick up disk spin-throw in the air wheeeee!
Movie Night Announcement: Tomorrow (Tuesday the 12th), 7:30 pm, directions here; Philadelphia. |
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