The Bat-Phone
I used to think that the Bat-phone in the old Batman TV series was pretty cheesy, but with technology these days, I've started thinking. Why doesn't Batman just give Jim Gordon a special cell-phone or walkie-talkie that can't be traced. The Bat-Signal isn't exactly the best way to contact Batman, is it? I mean, what if Batman's out of the city, visiting his Justice League pals, when The Joker breaks lose and goes on killing spree. Batman can't exactly see the bat-signal from Metropolis, Happy Harbor or wherever else he's needed. Does Gordon end up standing on the roof, waiting for him, while Batman's orbitting the Earth in a space station? Does he get worried when Batman doesn't show? ("Maybe the Joker killed him...") You'd think that, after all these years, Batman would trust Gordon enough to at least give him a pager number.

Work
I'm loving my new job, although the different hours are going to be an adjustment. (I'm working weekends again.) Much to my wife's relief, I brought the Justice League to work with me today.....the action figures, that is. Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the Green Arrow are decorating my desk. Between them, and the collection of books and notebooks my cube's been aquiring, it's starting to feel a little bit like home.

Quote of the Day
I don't believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.
-Joseph Campbell

Movie News
Hugh Jackman has been cast as Van Helsing in the movie due out next year. The movie will be directed by the same guy that directed The Mummy and The Mummy Returns. After seeing the pictures on the website flash animation, I am really looking forward to this movie.

Another vampire movie I'm really looking forward to and won't have to wait as long for is Underworld. It looks like it's borrowing a lot of its feel from White Wolf's World of Darkness. Maybe they can pull it off better than Kindred: The Embraced, the TV show based on the Vampire RPG that I kind of liked but it could have been done a lot better.

Quote of the Day
Is it class warfare? You bet your life, but you declared it against the working people of America

-Rep. Charles B. Rangel (Democrat - N.Y.), replying to Bill Thomas's (Rep- CA) claim that Democrat's are playing the "class warfare card" when they point out the unfairness of the Bush tax cut.

Quote of the Day

Dogbert's Technical Support

Caller: Hello, I...
Dogbert: Shut up and reboot!

Caller: Hey, it worked!
Dogbert: Shut up and hang up!

Dogbert (thinking): My average call time is improving!

-A recent Dilbert comic strip (I tried to find a link to the comic, but no luck.)

I started my new job as a store tech support Monday. I've been in training, so I've been pretty busy. It looks like a good job so far.

I used to say that calling IT, the first thing they'll always tell you is to reboot. Guess what? It's the first thing they teach you when you start training.

George Says...
My first wish is to see this plague of mankind, war, banished from the Earth.
-- George Washington

Overgrown military establishments are under any form of government inauspicious to liberty, and are to be regarded as particularly hostile to repulbican liberty.
-- George Washington

The government of the United States is not, in any sense, based on the Christian religion
-- George Washington in a treaty guaranteeing international religious freedom

Quote of the Day
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.
-George Orwell

Gaming urity Quiz
(Via The Ferrett and Ginger)

Your Ultimate Roleplaying Purity Score
Category	Your Score	Average
Hacklust	42.45% Will kill for XP	51.9%
Sensitive Roleplaying	20.25% All the game's your stage	49.2%
GM Experience	28.99% Closer to a novel than to a campaign	66%
Systems Knowledge	77.4% Local rules guru	88.5%
Livin' La Vida Dorka	32.18% Carries dice in pocket 'just in case'	58.6%
You are 43.71% pure Average Score: 65.6%
Take The Ultimate Roleplaying Purity Test and see how you match up!

X-Men Quiz
(Via Arref)


You are Beast!

You are brilliant and extremely clever. You can
handle almost any problem swiftly and
efficiently. You are devoted to philosophy and
are always up for a good discussion.
Sometimes, though, your anger gets the best of
you and you upset those whom you care about.


Which X-Men character are you most like?
brought to you by Quizilla

Quote of the Day
What we think, we become.
-The Buddha

More Castlevania Translation Fun!

One of the monsters in the castle this time around is woman with lots of blades called "Curly." I finally figured out who she was. This one's amusing. She's Kali. Konami of America really needs to hire some translators who are a little more familiar with mythology.

Quote of the Day
So, how'd we get in this mess? Well kids, it all started during the good times. The Politicians gave everyone tax cuts, which is about as courageous as passing out free cotton candy at a circus.
-Oregon Teacher in yesterday's Doonesbury

Shooting Looters
They are going to start shooting a few looters so that the word gets around.
- American Official in Iraq

New Policy in Iraq to Authorize G.I.'s to Shoot Looters

Quote of the Day
I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.
-Martin Luther King Jr., Accepting Nobel Peace Price, Dec. 10, 1964

I can't say that I agree with the use of the word evil (one of my biggest pet-peeves in speeches is referring to the other side as evil), but I agree with the sentiment.

[edit- I'm not saying that I don't think some people, such as Bush & Co., could be called evil. I'm just saying that I wouldn't refer to them as such in a public speech. Short-sighted? Corporate lapdogs? There are many things I would call them publically. But evil? It just sounds too much like propoganda.]

Family Tree
I want to type up a family tree for a roleplaying game. Could anyone suggest the best way to do it or know of any freeware program for OSX that could help? If you can help, email me at Nuadha_Silverhand at yahoo dot com.

I'm looking for something that outputs in a format that can be viewed online.

Old Grudges
Last night, I defeated Balor of the Evil Eye. (Balor was the Fomorian that killed Nuadha in the Celtic myth.) Castlevania has been using a lot of mythological creatures as end bosses since the beginning. The new one has "Balore" as an end boss. Apparently, as is often the case in the Castlevania series and other video games, the person translating the game from Japanese to English didn't know that it was actually the name of something from mythology and just translated it phonetically.

Quote of the Day

I know you're out there. I can feel you now. I know that you're afraid. You're afraid of us. You're afraid of change. I don't know the future. I didn't come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it's going to begin. I'm going to hang up this phone, and then I'm going to show these people what you don't want them to see. I'm going to show them a world....without you. A world without rules and controls. Without borders or boundaries. A world where anything is possible. Where we go from there, is a choice I leave to you.
-Neo, The Matrix

Still Morpheus
OK, I wasn't expecting to get Morpheus on this one at all. From how I was answering the questions, I was expecting to get someone else, but once again....I am Morpheus.


You are Morpheus, from "The Matrix." You
have strong faith in yourself and those around
you. A true leader, you are relentless in your
persuit.


What Matrix Persona Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
(Via Angel Mills)
From the way they describe him here, I don't see me as Morpheus. I don't really see myself as a strong leader, although I can lead when needed to. I usually feel more like Neo- dazed and confused...acting like Bill's friend Ted.

Hokey Pokey
Every year, the Washington Post has a Style Invitational content. They ask
readers to submit a set of "instructions" for doing something (anything),
written in the style of a famous author. The winning entry this year came
from Jeff Brechlin, of Potomac Falls. He wrote the "instructions" for the
Hokey-Pokey, as they would be written by William Shakespeare....

O proud left foot, that ventures quick within
Then soon upon a backward journey lithe.
Anon, once more the gesture, then begin:
Command sinistral pedestal to writhe.
Commence thou then the fervid Hokey-Poke,
A mad gyration, hips in wanton swirl.
To spin! A wilde release from Heavens yoke.
Blessed dervish! Surely canst go, girl.
The Hoke, the poke -- banish now thy doubt
Verily, I say, 'tis what it's all about.

Oops! Forgot to close a tag properly. Ignore the last post.

Modern Art
Wizards.com has posted by James @ 2:47 PM 0 Comments

Happy Birthday to Me
As of today, I am 28 years old. I am neither rich nor famous. I am nowhere near where an 18 year-old me would have thought I would be ten years later, but I am very happy where I am. I have a wonderful and beautiful wife. I have a good set of friends. I have enough money to enjoy the things I like. (Of course, I could always have more money and more time to enjoy it, but I don't need it.) In a week, I'll be starting a new job and it will hopefully fix the one part of my life, I've not been happy with. Life is good.

Birthday Presents
Carla gave me my presents Saturday. She bought me an Nintendo 64 with Goldeneye, (I sold my N64 and games when we were scaping up the money to buy our house. Goldeneye, how I've missed thee.), Devil May Cry for the PS2 (I borrowed it from MR a while back and it's one of my favorite video games.) and the D20 Modern Rulebook (which I'm thinking of writing The Dreaming City up as a setting for. Really. It has rules for mixing modern day settings with magic and some really good modern fantasy art).

Quote of the Day
"Its strange. This castle is different then I remember it."
"This castle is a creature of chaos. It may take many incarnations."
-Maria and Alucard in "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night."


I love that quote because in C:SotN, they explain why the castle is so different in every Castlevania game. Please note that in Japan the Castlevania series is called "Demon Castle Dracula."

Originally I was going to give a Shakespeare quote after having a good time at the "Merchant of Venice" reading this weekend, but I picked up "Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow" this weekend and spent a lot of time exploring Dracula's castle, immersed in my Castlevania geekiness. The new game is a lot of fun so far. It's a bit too easy (for me), although there has been a few tough boss fights. (Currently, I'm having a tough time killing Death. He never dies easy.) However, it has something that most Castlevania games don't have: a really good story. Most Castlevania storylines are basically, "Drac's back. Go kill him." They throw in a little plot, but it's generally straight-forward. The more recent games have been getting better and better and with this one, you don't even know who the big enemy is. The game is set in 2039 (all the other games are set in the past) and you are told that Dracula was killed once and for all in 1999. Now, the Castle is back and several other people are in the castle with you. Presumably, one of them is trying to harness the dark powers of Dracula and another seems to Alucard (from Symphony, Castlevania 3 and Castlevania Legends), but it looks like there will be several twists before the game is over.

Quote of the Day
He's hot in the role, he's perfect for Hellblazer because he has that innocent quality about him, a bit naive, but someone you like.
-Producer Lauren Schuler Donner on casting Keanu Reeves as John Constantine

Yeah....because when I think of John Constantine, I think of wide-eyed innocence. Has this woman ever read Hellblazer!? For one thing, the character is not...and has never been...named Hellblazer.

Video Games
For the last week, IGN.com has been counting down the top 100 video games of all time. Today they released their top ten list.

I offer mine:

10- Final Fantasy 7 (PS1)
9- Warcraft 2- (PC and Macintosh)
8- Marvel vs Capcom 2. (Arcade, Dreamcast, XBox and PS2)
7- Super Street Fighter 2 (Arcade and SNES)
6- Super Mario Brother 3 (NES)
5- Smash TV (Arcade and SNES)
4- Ms. Pacman (multiple systems and Arcade)
3- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. (PS2)
2- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. (PS1)
1- Tetris. (multiple systems and Arcade) It's one of those rare video games that appeals to almost everyone. It's simple and addicting.

Visual Aid
(Via Tom Tomorrow)

For those of you who have not seen this, here is a chart showing the effects of Bush's tax cut.

Quote of the Day
Peace has her victories, no less renown'd than war.
-John Milton, "To Lord General Cromwell"

Work
Work has been burning me out lately, but I suddenly have a little more energy. Why? I'm leaving. I have a new job that should make me a lot happier as a tech support guy in an IT/Store Support department. No more dealing with mortgage brokers! I put in my two-week notice on Friday and am just working through my two week notice.

Quote of the Day
Because the episode was on TV this morning.....

I may be love's bitch, but at least I'm man enough to admit it.
-Spike to Angel in an episode of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. (EDIT- The episode title is "Lover's Walk.")

...it's one of my favorite Spike quotes ever.

Dante's Inferno
(Via Several People)
I'm not sure about this one. Apparently I'm a panderer....

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Eigth Level of Hell - the Malebolge!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Low
Level 2 (Lustful)	Very High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Very Low
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Very Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Low
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very Low
Level 7 (Violent)	Moderate
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Very High
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	High

Take the Dante's Inferno Test

Top Gun
The Progressive's article on Bush's "Top Gun" speech is a great read, highlighting how the speech fits into the Bush propoganda machine and the same crap they've been saying since September 11th to convince the US populace that Bush's blank check for war is OK.

X2: Cut Scenes?
Apparently, Gambit was filmed for a scene in the movie because he was listed in the credits: "James Bamford .... Remy LeBeau/Gambit." I'm looking forward to seeing the uncut version. There are rumours that one of the scenes cut out was of The Beast turning into his blue and furry self.

Quote of the Day
Because it's been stuck in my head since doing the rpg meme:

"Isn't he wonderfully devious?"

I've a no-prize for anyone who knows where the quote is from.

Role Call: Forbidden Genres
This week's Role Call question is: "In what genre do you absolutely refuse to play?"

While there are certain genres of movies & TV shows I've had no interent in seeing, I can only think of one game setting I've ever refused right out. A friend once tried to convince me to play Recon, a roleplaying game of Vietnam. I'm sorry, but that was a little more reality than I want in roleplaying. However, I've recently been thinking about a game of the Soap Opera genre and I HATE soap operas. For some reason, I think I'd like them better as a RPG. Maybe it's because I think most roleplayers are better actors. ;)

Roleplaying Meme
(Via Form Follows Function)

Why do you roleplay?
There are several things I get out of roleplaying. The main thing is the social interaction. It's a reason to get together with a bunch of creative friends each week and tell stories together. When GMing, I also enjoy the creative challenge. Coming up with an entertaining story and adapting and ad-libbing as the players do their things. As a player, I enjoy building what I hope is an interesting character with an interesting personality and trying to have that character's interesting nature and unique point of view come out in play.


What do you look for in a game?
There's so much to say....

I want to have fun. I like to tell good stories, but even when games I run go way astray or games I play in aren't as amazingly deep in the story element I had hoped for, I'm happy if everyone seemed to have fun. It can be the lamest plot, but if there were plenty of smiles at the end of the game, it matters not.

I don't usually like games that are out-right silly, but I want a little bit of light-heartedness.

I guess I'm demanding, because I also want the serious, high drama scene. Not every game, but often enough to keep things dramatic.

As a player, I like a game that let's my character and his or her more dramatic elements shine at least once per game. If I'm playing a strong character (like Griffin), I want the strength to play a pivotal role in events at some time, either saving the day as he hold open a door as his friends . If my character's a very emotional, dramatic character, like Lilly (my Champions character), I want to be able to play out those emotions. Whether my character is devious, honest, caring or cruel, I want one of the traits of his personality or his main abilities to be important at some time in the event of the game.

Both as a GM and as a player, I like dramatic action and combat. I could never stand when I played games and the characters actions each round of combat was :"I hit him. I roll a 16." Jump around! Pick up things! Make things interesting! As a player I like the environment being described by the GM and becoming important to a fight or action scene. Combats happen on the top of buildings with opponents trying to shove me off of the rooftop. Superhero combats have characters flung through walls and tossing cars at eachother. Swordfights happen on staircases and in dining rooms with opponents flinging chairs in the way and hopping up on the table. As a GM I like when the players describing their actions dramatically and visually. Even in they are just talking in a scene, I want a feel of how they gesturing.

I want some romantic/emotional elements, but I never seem to be able to roleplay them well as a GM or a player. Still, romantic subplots seem to make the games have more meaning and a level of emotion that they are often missing and I really appreciate a GM that can do them well.

I can go on and on. I'm demanding. Both in games I play in and games I run, I always want more. Sure, I believe that if we had fun it was a success, but I always walk away thinking "that could have been better."

Do you consider yourself a good player?
Sometimes.

Sometimes I find the character and can play it to the hilt. Sometimes, I play a character that interactacts well with others and let's them shine as well. (Like an actor needs to share a scene and not steal it, a roleplayer needs to allow others to get their airtime.) When I find my character and remember this lesson, I feel I'm a good roleplayer.

At other times, I don't know. At times I feel I too often over-play my characters or play characters that are so over-the-top that it's distracting for other players. (For this reason, I talked the GM in my Champions game to work in a plot that the old obnoxious Chango I used to play was part of a curse put on him by an NPC in his past and once it was removed I could play a dramatically toned down Chango. Chango was a scene-stealer and always had to be the center of attention and I felt it was gettingold and was afraid I might bother the other players.)

At other times, especially if I'm tired, I don't feel I'm acting enough. My characters stay quiet and just wait for a GM to supply a plot.

Quote of the Day
My country is the world. My countrymen are mankind.
-Thomas Paine

School
I got my final grade for my Comp II class this morning. I got an A.

Weekend Update
This weekend just flew by. Friday Evening, Carla and I went out to dinner with friends to see X2. It rocked. 'Nuff said. Saturday was John's AFDS game. I'm still struggling to find Griffin's voice, but I think I realized near the end whgat has been missing from the character. Right at the beginning of the campaign I made a character decision that was very much out of character, because I didn't want him to disrupt the game for the other players, and I've been struggling with him ever since. Perhaps, I'll post more on that later. Sunday, Carla and I went to our niece's confirmation and listened to a pastor that reconfirmed every negative feeling I've ever had towards the Christian church. Reading some great spiritual scriptures in his sermon, he turned them around and, in my opinion, took everything spiritual out of the message. He made it all about telling the confirmees that they must conform and that they must attend church regularly or they'll end up in jail and a horrible person, like all those non-christians out there. (He actually said at one point that all the people who don't have Christ out there are turning evil. He stopped just short of the word heathen. Thanks, but I think I'm turning out OK.) I'd say it was the second worst sermon I had ever heard. When we get back to my sister-in-law's house for the confirmation party, the first thing she said was "So, what did you think of that sermon?" I panicked until I realized that she was talking to her friend who was standing next to me. After the party, I went by the comic shop for "Free Comic Book Day," but all teh good comics were already gone. I picked up an Archie Comic and a Donald Duck comic to give to LT for Fi. Luckilly, the trip to the comic shop wasn't a complete bust for me, as I found a bunch of White Wolf and DC Universe RPG books for $1 a piece. I'd never have bought them at regular price, but the DC books are nice sourcebooks, even though the game itself sucked.

Casting Call: Elric
James Marsters ("Spike") has been talked about lately for the Elric role. I really like this casting. He has the look and can pull off the brooding, sardonic thing well.

I'm still slightly leaning towards Jude Law for my preference. He just looks more like Elric to me.

Quote of the Day
Do not worry over the charge of treason to your masters, but be concerned about the treason that involves yourselves. Be true to yourself and you cannot be a traitor to any good cause on earth.
-Eugene V. Debs, "The Canton, Ohio Anti-War Speech" 1918

Street Violence
On many occassions, I've tried to find cool miniatures for a goth-punk (Changeling), cyberpunk or Superhero games and there aren't a lot out of there. I'm not looking for any now, but I feel I should share this link for anyone who may be looking: Street Violence. They look pretty neat and I could see a lot of use for them for anyone using minis when playing M&M, Champions/HERO, World of Darkness, Cyberpunk 2020 or D20 Modern.