A map of Jebei the year -25000 TE. The main ethoncultural groups are shown on this page... outside of them, human habitation is extremely limited or non-existant. Technology is at a mesolithic level- stone spears and tools. The first evidence of art is in the caves of the Westerners, big cave-paintings of hunts and other actions. 

Civ3 Game Ends in Disaster

I was going to post more of my Civ3 game... but in about 1000 AD, 4 computers declared war on me in the space of a few turns, just because I was distracted by a war that I had started (lesson there, I suppose). Needless to say, I was crushed. Utterly. Oh well, here's the story:


210 BC:

As we expand into the Smoking Desert and gain the Library of Elesia, we gain a technological and economic advantage over our opponents. Our military is stronger than ever, thanks to the iron and horses from the north, and the ripe plains of the Cuezi beckon.

50 AD

A messenger stands before the new Nyei of Xurno.
"My lord, the new King of Cuzei sends his greetings. 40,000 gold cinars worth of fine goods have been sent, in return for your blessings in making him the King of Cuzei."
"Excellent... that makes 210,000 gold cinars for the Monarchy of Xurno. Send word to Inex. The horsemen of the steppe will surely be ours if we pay so richly."
"Of course, my lord. Culau grows more powerful with every Horseman who joins our ranks."

----------------

After the gain of the Library of Elesia and a major technological boost, our philosophers look have been ordered to devise a plan to construct mighty stadiums where the strength of Xurno can be displayed. The recent founding of Yesh, to the south, should protect Xurno's supplys of Iron, and settlers will soon be dispatched to the Glittering Jungles of the South. As Cuzei's Men of the King (their unique unit) are in their prime, our forces have been order to stand down and build up. But our 6 battalions of Swordsman will protect Xurno from any incursions.

150 AD

The Nyei himself attends the auspicious event. A massive statue of the Trade God has been completed in the city of Buki. The high priest of the Trade God bless the structure, then allows the Nyei to kiss its feet. As the Nyei stands up, the fireworks explode over the city, and wow the foreign dignataries from Cuzei, Tzhuro, and even the far land of Uytai. The Nyei himself is also the first to travel along the Lake of Buki to Culau by galley. It is indeed a golden age for Xurno.

----------------

With the completion of the Trade God's Blessing, our treasury is larger than ever. Three battalions of Archers will be the next project, for the Xurnese have a special affinity with archery. Our first sea-going ships will soon depart from Cuzei, making contact with the strange "Skorhin" people across the sea.

570 AD

A war council assembled in the Nyei's court.
"My lord, the treacherous Dhekhnami will never be able to do any great deal of harm to us. Their route to us is blocked by the Tzhuro, who will never let an army pass freely through their lands." said the Warleader Achinius.
"You assume too much, Warleader." spoke Vizier Matrius. "The Tzhuro may indeed aid the Dhekhnami, but I suggest we do all we can to prevent such an event. In any case, Warmaster, you have overlooked the sea as a route of passage."
"Cease your bickering!" interjected the Nyei. "I require information. Emissiary, do you believe the Tzhuro will allow such an action to proceed."
"My lord, I do not know. We have heard little from Attafei in recent weeks, but what has come to pass will soon be obvious. I suggest we establish an embassy in the Tzhuro capital to mantain a continual watch on their policies."
"An excellent idea. Warleader, what of the threat from the sea? Our navy is not strong enough to stop such an invasion."
"Indeed, my lord. I suggest we station battalions of swordsman at every coastal city, and mantain a close watch on the Gulf of Cuzei."
"What of our options to attack?"
"I would not recommend a naval attack, but if we can secure an agreement with the Tzhuro, our horsemen could sweep into Dhekhnam and capture at least some territory."
"It is agreed, then. Emissiary, you must depart for Jippirm tomorrow. I will arrange for your embassy to be built with all speed. Warleader, send your men to Yesh. I have a feeling that they will be needed. Vizier, our Manual of War must soon be distrubited to our armies. See to it."

----------------

The Dhekhnami have attempted to bully us into giving away the secrets of our religon, but Xurno is not known for giving in easily. Meanwhile, we have established a colony, Rauninj, on the Skourene penisula. The Library of Elesia has attracted scribes and philosphers from the world over, allowing us to mantain an unstoppable technological advantage, though my advisors say that the spread of literacy throughout the known world may end its usefulness. If we can mantain our current advantage, I feel that Xurno can become the bastion of civilization for the entire world.

----------------

The Nyei greets his exhausted messenger.
"Good news, my lord!" exclaims the messenger. "The Tzhuro have accepted your offer of military alliance!"
"Excellent. Sit, and rest a while. Vizier! Send 4,000 gold cinars to Attafei, in support of their military effort."
"At once, my lord."



930 AD

Another war council sits in the refurbished and upgraded palace War Room.
"Warleader... I have considered declaring war on Cuzei, due to their numerous territorial incursions and their claiming of the southern jungles that should rightfully be ours." says the Nyei.
"Yes, the Cuezi scum are ripe for the taking. I suggest we aim for these four cities: Poron, Nayas, Lesindas and Pomavibode. Capturing Pomavibode will give us the Glittering Jungle, and Lesindas is the key to the north. Poron is far to dangerous for comfort, and capturing Nayas will frighten the Cuezi, because it is the key to Elesia. Our new Xaleza battalions should swiftly overwhelm Nayas's defenses, while a unit of Knights will strike Lesindas. The real fighting will be over Poron. Our cities in the Smoking Desert are weak right now, and troops will take a while to get to Poron."
"What of Korzoko?" says Vizier Akandu "It is undefended by any but the slightest of militias, and if it is lost, our supply of Diamonds will be cut."
"We will draft a unit of Xalezas defend the city, and the Cuezi troops should be focused to the south. If necessary, we will depoloy Knights to the north."
"An excellent plan, Warleader. Proceed with the preparations. In a year's time, our army must be ready to strike!"
"As you wish, my lord."

----------------

Cuzei sits, ripe for the taking. If we can crush their defenses and capture our targets, Xurno will be the strongest nation on the face of Almea. Also, the workshop of Shm Revouse will soon be open, allowing us to quickly convert our remaining Horsemen into knights. We should be at war and winning by 1000 AD.


1100 AD

On the palace balcony, Nyei Miundis looked out upon the ruined city. The screams of the dying echoed through the streets. A few muskets and bastions of red troops remained in the city, but were overwhelemed by the massive regiments of Cuzei kingsmen, Tzhuro nomads, Dhekhnami archers, and Cheiyu crossbowman. As he watched, a battalion of Cuzei horseman rode up into the Great Library of Culau, burning its ancient shelves.
"How did it come to this?" said the Nyei.
"My lord, the Library has fallen! We must pull back! We must abandon the city!" shouted Warleader Akara, a young man. Most of Xurno's military officers had fallen to the Allied onslaught.
"And where will we go? Buki, Nekan, Inex, Zelmash? They have all fallen!"
"An Uytain galleon lies off the coast of Yesh. King Abaras has offered to take you into exile. If we remain, you will be executed."
"I will die with my PEOPLE! The city is fallen. You, go, take my family to Yesh. Perhaps they will return one day. But, I will stand here."
"But... as you wish, my lord."
Warleader Akara left the balcony. The Nyei walked into the throne room, and opened a compartment in the throne. A magnificent, gold coated rifle sat in the compartment, and enough ammunition to last weeks. Miundis sat on the throne, and reflected on how he had got here. If all had gone well, this rifle would be in the hands of his entire army. Today would be the day when the King of Cuzei bowed down to him and signed a treaty. A day when the Xalezas would march down the Grey Road to the palace. What could he have done? The Dhekhnami, Cheiyu and Tzhuro had all demanded that he give away the secrets of Xurnese military superiority. Of course he could not give them up. How could he have known that refusing their demands would lead to the destruction of his nation.
He was awoken from his reflection by the sound of doors being broken open. A group of Xalezas swarmed into the Throne Room.
"My lord! The alliance has broken the palace gates! They are coming as we speak!" shouted the Xaleza commander.
"Let them come. We will give them hell."
Miundis stood, and cocked and raised his rifle towards the throne room doors, now deserately held by a few Xalezas. He smiled, and waited. The doors opened.

-----------

Salas, Cheiyu Republic, July 16 2045 AD

That is all that we can reconstruct from the diary of Nyei Miundis, the leader of the ancient nation of Xurno. One can only imagine what might have happened had the Xurnese been allowed to force Cuzei to their peace treaty. Perhaps it would have infact prevented the Great Fall of civilization, as these texts plainly show how far ahead Xurno was. They even developed the breechloading rifle 900 years ahead of the rest of civilization! Perhaps it would have prevented the Cadhinor conquest of Cuzei and Tzhuro 400 years later, the Xurnese Xaleza defending the continent from Cadhinor aggression. Perhaps they could have even traversed the Great Star Ocean centuries before the Seyalaun program.

But such speculation will forever remain in the realm of the imagination. For better or worse, we are living in the world created by Empereor Ervea, not Nyei Miundis. Time will tell, however, whether Xurno will return, as a rising wave of Xurnese nationalism seems to have overwhelmed the Xurnese provinces of New Cadhinor, which is in part the reason for this reconstruction.

I remain,
Historographer Uxana Miundi.

The Lord of the Rings as Written by Dr. Seuss: The Fellowship of the Ring

The Fellowship of the Ring

Hobbits are known
for big hairy feet
and for smoking a pipe
and their lovely big beet!

A Hobbit named Frodo,
in the Shire we hear,
was given a ring,
which could make him disappear.

Too many black riders,
and evil such things,
would chase him around,
to look for the ring.

So then Mr. Frodo,
and his gardener Sam,
and Merry and Pippin,
two friends who liked jam,
set off on a journey,
to find a big man,
who'd lead them to Mordor,
and there they would dam,
that ring of Sauron.

There travels were varied,
first to the City of Bree,
where the met a ranger,
called Aragorn McGee.

Then they went to the east,
through the forests of Arnor,
and Barrows of Ferns,
then the Witch King of Arnor,
chased them to hills,
where Frodo was stabbed,
by a Nazgul you see,
its claws were quite crabbed,
but was saved by the Ranger,
who had a scabbed.

Right then,
in the tower of Saruman,
Gandalf and Saruman,
discussed matters of Plan,
and then evil Saruman,
smashed Gandalf in the Can.

He then escaped quickly,
by eagle you've see,
away from Isengard,
where Saruman be.

They traveled to Rivendell,
where Frodo awoke,
to a council of Men,
elves of the Oak,
and the dwarves of Moria.

"Give me the Ring"
shouted Boromir Gondor.
"No, I need the Ring."
shouted Gimli the Gloin.
Then Gandalf the Grey,
whose words were well spoken,
told the Council of May,
that the ring would get broken,
if it was not for Frodo,
and his face then was oaken.

The council decided,
to carry the ring,
one Dwarf,
one Elf,
one Wizardly Guy,
two Men,
and Four Hobbits,
would travel by eye,
to the lip of Mt. Doom,
where the ring would die.

The fellowship left,
for the black gate of Mordor,
where the Dark Lord Sauron,
would enforce his order.

"What a beautiful bow,
you have there my friend"
Said Frodo the Hobbit,
to Legolas the Elvend,

"'tis a wonderful bow,
I agree.
It lets me kill orcsies,
there they go! One,
two,
three!"
And with that,
the orcsies went splat.

Then Sam of the Garden
said to Gimli the Gloin:
"Did it not hurt,
when you were kicked in the groin?"
"Why, no!" said the Dwarf.
"Thanks to my armor of mithriloin!
'tis wonderful armor!
From the depths of Moria!
It lets me kill orcs
with the ease of Maria!"

And with that,
more orcsies went splat.

They went through the mountains,
where Saruman hit them with aria,
so they stumbled on down,
to the cave of Moria.

Outside the cave,
there was a big door,
and this door was locked,
by the secret of Dwar.

They then opened the door,
which awaked a squid,
with tentacles,
blue
green
and icky yellow!
The tentacles slapped thus,
but Legolas with his bow,
shot it with much pus,
and it scrambled away,
so they shouted "Hooray!".

In Moria, the dwarftown,
they found many orcsies,
but it was quite easy,
to kill all the orcsies.

What scared them that day,
was an Old Mountain Troll,
who hit them with fists,
and its big old doll!

Then Frodo was stabbed,
yet again,
by the doll,
and he looked like he was in pain!

But luckily thence,
the troll was then dispatched,
with quickness and fence,
of Aragorn's blade!

Then Frodo awoke:
"I'm not dead!"
he did say,
and then they shouted:
"Hooray!"

Then a stomping was felt!
And a roar of great might!
Then they saw a fiery pelt!
A balrog had woken!
With orange red light!

The balrog was chasing,
and the fellows were racing,
to the Bridge of Dol Acing.

They crossed this big bridge,
but the balrog still came,
but Gandalf was brave!
He stood on the frame,
and shouted to the rave:
"YOU
SHALL
NOT
PASS!"
And with that,
the bridge did fall far,
with the Balrog,
of Star!

But up snaked a flame,
that grabbed onto gandalf!
And dragged right down,
to the fiery depth,
where he did not crown.

Frodos face fell,
and Gimlis,
and Boromir,
and all of the fellows.

They ran to a river,
which ran down the land,
they came to some statues,
which were quite a big stand.

Then orcises and uruks,
appeared near the stand,
so Gimli
and Boromir
and Legolas
and Aragorn too!
fought bravely the orcs,
those bad bad bad orcs.

Gimli's axe went "SNIP! SWAP!"
And orcsies did snap!
Boromir's sword went "CHIP! CHOP!"
And orcsies did pop!
Legolas's bow went "TWIT! TWANG"
And orcsies went BANG!
And then Aragorn slapped them,
those bad bad bad orcs,
he slapped them with vigor,
he slapped them with might,
he slapped them for ages,
and Boromir crept,
away from the battle,
to Frodo who slept.

He woke Frodo up,
and tried to capture,
that Ring, that Ring of Sauron,
but then many uruks,
in the service of Sauron,
attacked Mr. Frodo,
and Boromir Gondo.

Frodo escaped,
with his sidekick Sam,
they took a big boat,
and away they swam.

The fellowship broken,
his friends then awoken,
Merry and Pippin,
the hobbits of drogan.

Then uruks did grab them,
but Boromir did try,
to save them from fry,
but then he did die.

And so ends this story,
or part one at least,
perhaps later I'll show you,
the Towers of Two.

By J.R. and R.

My latest. As you can see, not much has happened, but I should get Library of Elesia quickly. Oh well, signing off for today! 

1550 BC: I've made contact with the Tzhuro and Cuezi. I picked up a free settler and now have a good quadrant of cities. The Smoking Desert will be my next target. (ooh, those lovely incense). It will also let me trade with Cuzei. If I don't acquire the Great Library, I will have to restart. 

Hmmm.... the other civilizations have many techs, but I will aim for the Great Library 

My current Civ3 game: Warlord difficulty on low seas archipeligo. Looks like a good star 

Cambrino Lesson One: Greetings

When greeting new people, or in formal situations, you should use the formal greeting "Tadi/sela tama/sesi pana" which means "I greet you. Tadi and sela(tadi is male and sela is female) are the polite first person subject pronouns (IE, "I" as opposed to "me"), and tama/sesi are the polite second person object pronouns (IE "him/her" as opposed to "he/she").

There are several more informal greetings:

Šolo žari!
SHO-loh ZHAH-RIH
Bright day!

Panani!
pah-NAH-NIH
Hello! (if you are male)

Panana!
pah-NAH-NAH
Hello! (if you are female)

Another greeting is "Tami/sesa de phi?" or, "You are good?", which is generally replied with "Tadi/sela phi, en tami/sese?", literally "I good, and you?".

Let's here a conversation in Cambrino between two cousins:

Sevis: -Panana!-

Žes: -Panana, asotana! Sa de phi?-

Sevis: -La phi-zophi, en se? La civate veva phi šo erate.-

Žes: -We, civate veva phi šo manata mala voli šo. Veva volire čo hohal šo-

Sevis: -We, sa šotä eriša. La risi vät rhoma. Nobena!-

Žes: -Sa le risa vät rhoma, esotana. Nobena!-

-------
Translation

Sevis: "Hello!"

Žes: "Hello, maternal cousin! Are you good?"

Sevis: "I okay, and you? I hear city life is good."

Žes: "Yes, city life is good because it is easy. Life is less easy at the country."

Sevis: "Yes, you have been lucky. I must travel home. Farewell!"

Žes: "You must vist my house, paternal cousin. Farewell!"

X Prize and Private Space Travel

I just want to say how cool the recent space flight by a private company was. It looks like more than one company will be departing Earth in the next few months. Private space tourism is on the way! Check out the X prize for more info.

Random Rant: "unAustralian"? I think not.

Here's a letter that I submitted to The Age newspaper:

===

The Coalition's continual usage of the word "un-Australian" just goes to show how conservatives have forgotten the idea of a loyal Opposition. Just because the Labor party does not support the war on Iraq, or forcing schools to fly the flag, does not mean that they are "un-Australian". Last time I checked, neither of those ideas were particularly "Australian"... in fact, they sound more like American ideas to me. Australians are not "Australian" because of their position on any issue. They are Australians because they live here and work here, and are proud of their country.

===

That also goes for being "un-American", "un-Canadian" and "un-Nauruan".

Civilization III: Feudal Cities

Inspired by Apolyton's Feudal Democracy Game.

I am going to start a Civ3 game in which YOU can have a say. Each turn, I will post the save game to anybody who is signed up. You will each choose a city (I will control the capital) and give orders as to what your city will build. We will also have votes on a number of topics (whether to go to war, what to research, etc.).

Let's put down the rules in concrete:

-The cities will be received in sign-up order (1st city will go to the first player, 2nd to the second player, etc.)
-If their are more cities than players, the player with the smallest city will receive that city. Ties will be settled by my decision.
-We will vote on military affairs in general, and settler builds must be approved by vote
-Each player will control the workers constructed by their city.
-Each player will control any military units built by them within their city radius. Outside their city radius, those units will be controlled by others.
-City names will be chosen by the owner of the city. City names must have their first letter capitalised and must not be utterly stupid.

Sign up in the thread below or by contacting me in any way.

Review: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Just went to see it yesterday, and all I can say is: WOW!! It's better than the first two in many ways. For one thing, it does not attempt to stay totally in sync with the books, making the story more suited to the big screen. The special effects were brilliant (obviously), but I liked the design of the dementors- they had me cringing whenever they came on screen. Also, Harry, Ron and Hermione were all much better played in this movie, and they came across as real people.
What this movie seems to have been successful in doing is transforming the book into a movie, rather than just using the book as the script. Even though I'd read the book, It pretty much allowed me to follow the story as if I hadn't.

Nobeno! (farewell!)

Garage Finished

Our new room is finished!! No more noise!!! I can sleep in till 12 O'clock again!!

Now we're picking out colours. Jeez, who'd imagine that picking a paint colour could take so long. It's taken two days!

By the way... [shameless plug]sign my Guestmap!!![/shameless plug] I need to get more pins than my sister.




Possibly, that is the most exclamation marks I have ever used in a single text.

New Project: Constructed Language

My latest project (related to the map I drew, below)is to create a language. I'm using the Language Construction Kit, written by the same guy who made Verduria.

Here's a look at the very first sentence constructed in Cambrino:

Tuvi be lidhi ocasa.
TUH-vih BEH LITH-ih oh-KAH-sah.
The man at rock looks.

The man looks at the rock.

--------------

Tuvi be lidhi ocate.
TUH-vih BEH LITH-ih oh-KAH-teh.
The man at the rock looked.

The man looked at the rock.

--------------

Tuvi be lidhi:i ocasa.
TUH-vih BEH LITH-ih-IH oc-KAH-sah.
The man at the rocks looks.

The man looks at the rocks.

--------------

Wikipedia

I've recently discovered this free encyclopedia called Wikipedia. What is so awesome about it is that it can be edited and added to by anybody! Some people might think that this would turn it into crap, but the quality of information is on par with that of the World Book or any other similar encyclopedia, and it covers a far wided range of subjects, is more up to date... and if you see an error, you can fix it right away.

Very cool. Check it out.

DnD Stuff: My DnD Stuff on the Wizards Boards

Here's some links to my D&D Stuff that's been posted on the WotC Boards:

-31 Defensive Feats
-Eye of God Core Class
-Mental Ability Paragons
-Physical Ability Paragons
-Goblin Liberator PrC

If you're looking for really good free D&D rules material, however, look no further than
Shadowfoot's Stuff.

I made a map using my new graphics tablet. You'll be seing more of this map in the future, but with countries and cultures on it. Brown is mountains above 2000m, orange is mountains, dark green is jungle, lighter dark green is swamp, light green is river-plains, and pale greenish white is steppe/savannah. Oh, and yellow is desert, if you couldn't guess. 

Random Rant :Pain

God, my toe hurts. I was walking on a walking machine and got off inappropriately, catching my toe beneath a little plastic sheet that lifted the nail slightly. pain is bad... owwwwwwwwwwwwwie. I know that I'm just a big complainer, but hey, I can post what I want... and I want to post owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! Maybe I should try biting my finger... no, that doesn't work... oh well... cyal8r.

Random Rant :Pain

God, my toe hurts. I was walking on a walking machine and got off inappropriately, catching my toe beneath a little plastic sheet that lifted the nail slightly. pain is bad... owwwwwwwwwwwwwie. I know that I'm just a big complainer, but hey, I can post what I want... and I want to post owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! Maybe I should try biting my finger... no, that doesn't work... oh well... cyal8r.

Bush announces new running mate: Zombie Reagan

You know, Reagan may give Bush those critical dead votes. See Bush-Zombie Reagan 2004: BRAINS!!!!!.

On the other hand, why vote for a lesser evil?

Or, if the dead and non-Euclidean geometry don't impress you... what about Old Kerry/Young Kerry 2004?

Random Rant: Green Guide Reviewer Barbara Hooks

You know, I have a real problem with a certain reviewer in the Green Guide (that's the local TV guide for those playing at home). Her name is Barbara Hooks, and she's a sexist. Pure and simple. Somebody once said that women can't be sexist, but she can. In a review for "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy", she came right out and said "all straight guys are slobs". As a straight guy myself, I'm disturbed by this comment and its extreme generalization.
In a review for "The Apprentice", she said that, when they did a "corporate reshuffle" due to one team (the guys) losing all the contests, that they would not have reshuffled if the girls had been losing. That's complete crap. Has she actually watched any of the "Survivor" shows... that happen to be produced by exactly the same guy? She also said that "one of the guys exploded into a "hissy fit"". I've watched every episode of the Apprentice, and in the episode that she was reviewing, there were no real "hissy fits" that I could notice. The one "hissy fit" was a joke that one of the guys made about them losing so badly.

The gist of what I'm trying to show is that bigots can be of any gender, color, and religon(or lack thereof).

Links

Alrighty: this isn't a normal post, this is going to house my links:


Other Blogs:

-Joon's Xanga
-Mipony Thoughts and Adventures: My sister's blog
-Tasselhoff's Tales: My cousin's blog

Discussion Forums I Post On:

-Wizards.COMmunity: Dungeons and Dragons. Post as: roastslinky
-Alternate History.Com: Discussing alternate history. Post as: TheLoneAmigo
-Relicnews.com: Homeworld discussion forums, and some of the best forum-written stories in the world. Post as: AussieSlinky

Sites I Like:

-Google: Best search engine on the web
-Gamespy: Best computer gaming site on the web
-ENWorld: Good D&D site
-The Onion: Awesome news site (hah!)
-Virtual Verduria: The best conworld I have seen.

May be updated later.

Words of Wisdom

A few words of wisdom:

I Don't Suffer From Insanity: I Enjoy Every Minute of It

My Glass Might Be Half Empty, But It's Bigger than Yours

If Wishes were Monkeys, then I'd Bugger Off, Because Monkeys are Scary

sorry... sorry... not funny I know... just had to post them.

Catching Up with Old Friends

I've just recently emailed a few old friends in America, and received a reply from Joon. It's great to catch up with friends that you haven't seen in ages... I've done that quite a bit, moving to Finland then back to Australia then to America and back again.


It's always bad to say goodbye, but it's great to say hello!

Random Rant: Politicians

You know what the single largest problem with politicians is? They don't act based on their principles... they act based upon what will get them reelected. This problem must be recitifed! I have no idea how, but it is the single biggest problem.

The only Aussie politician who I can think of who seems to act upon his principles rather than what will get him elected is Mark Latham, the leader of the Opposition. Several times he has defended a stance that has been unpopular with the public instead of instantly changing their stance like certain other politicians I could mention (Prime Minister John Howard?? Victorian Premier Stephen Bracks??)

Maybe I should go into politics :).

BTW, if you're unfamiliar with the Australian system of government, check out the Australian constititution. And see my ideas for change.

Noisy

We're having an extension built in our garage, and it's very noisy: that's why I'm down the other end of the house. At least they don't work on it at night. Oh well. Don't forget to post on the guest map!

New Stuff: Yay!!!!: Message Forums and Guestmap

I've got some new stuff for my blog: a message board and a guest map. Please, post a pin on the Guestmap and discuss anything on the forum. Have fun!

Random Rant: Global Warming and Extreme Weather Events

I was just watching the Ten news today, and discovered that Adelaide had a major electrical storm last night: maybe 18,000 lightning strikes. Why is Adelaide suddenly receiving the type of extreme weather event that used to only happen in the tropics? I'll tell you: global warming.

The real problem with global warming is not the heat increase, though that is bad (does anybody remember the French heatwave? Thousands dying from a mere excess of heat). The problem is that the heat increase will create more and more "extreme weather events". Anyone who has studied fluid dynamics will understand the effect that just a few degrees can have on a fluid system. Insurance companies are beginning to feel the impact of these storms, and insurance premiums will increase dramatically over next few decades. That's not the only thing, though: the human cost will be immense. Today, thousands die from drought, storms, monsoons, mudslides and floods. In the near future, those numbers will reach into the millions. Today's industries are living at the cost of thousands of lives.

As a teenager who will have to live through this century, I am very disturbed by global warming: and you should be too. No person should let this state of affairs continue.

For more info try:
-CSIRO
-Science Magazine

Random Rant: Pyramid Selling Schemes

I recently saw a documentary on makeup seller Mary Kay, a large American pyramid selling scheme. Frankly, it disturbed me. For those who don't know, pyramid selling schemes are companies than operate basically by recruitment. You are recruited into the company, sell stuff, and give commissions to the person who recruited you, and they give money to the person who recruited them, and so on. Eventually, you can recruit people and stop selling stuff, instead raking in the commissions from your recruitees.

This Mary Kay company just disturbed me. Here are some of the reasons why:

-The recruiters don't seem to do much work, but make as much money as your average 9-5 desk job.
-The recruitment: it just seems so insidious. Your friends become basically your slaves when you recruit them.
-The ultra-hyper-religousiness of the company itself: it can disturb atheists like me. I have many Christian friends, but these people seemed to use the Church for justifying their company. I'd like to know: if the company is so christian, why aren't they donating any profits to charities or churches? They just don't seem particularly sincere.
-The prize giving to those who sell lots of makeup: it seems like giving out trinkets and beads
-The fact that the company is meant to be a company "for women, by women", but it's president is a man. Possibly a strange thing for a guy to complain about, but it seems wrong to me.

In short, I think that pyramid selling schemes are wrong and should be abolished.

Drama Session Report

Just got back from drama.
What we did:

-One improv argument over a jacket. Went reasonably well.
-One warm-up excercise about a rollercoaster and a fear of heights.
-Voice projection
-A big scene about a train that was late. The story: People arrive at a train station. The stationmaster says it'll be thirty minutes late. Everybody gets pissed off at the stationmaster, who then tells them to go to Platform 5. They go to platform 5, the train arrives at the other station, and they run after it. It leaves, they get very pissed off at the stationmaster. While they are yelling at him, another trains pulls up and then leaves. I think that I did well, though others did not take it seriously enough.
-An improv "boxspot". You know, when random people are interviewed on the street. As the interviewer, I don't think that any of the interviewees did a good job of keeping the story going.

Cyal8r ppl!!!

DnD Stuff: Azaquaxl Campaign Setting

Go and check out theAzaquaxl Campaign Setting by yours truly. Not finished and not likely to be finished until late next year when I start the Azaquaxl campaign.

DnD Stuff: Adventure Log: "Being an Account of Our Travels and Encounters along the Way to the Goldfields"

Today, we started our first adventure in the new Dragonlance campaign. We had a good time, though Luis was a bit crazy. However, I think that Tycho was using a bit too much deus ex machina in the adventure (not in any important way, just saying when somebody does something a little crazy(Luis in particular) "You're frozen by a 20th level wizard."

Willius's Log

Day 1

Today, I greeted my new mercanaries and told them the task that was facing us: To locate the prospectors who had vanished into a cave in the northern Goldfields. They seemed an alright crew, though somewhat strangely mixed: A kender "handler", a dwarven war-maiden, a human sorceror with a fondness for alchohol and a strange druid with an unearthly air to him.
My father was pleased with the quality of the mercenaries, though he did insist on making one of his "practical jokes" on the sorceror, who's name eludes me at the moment. We then set down to a lovely banquet, though I am afraid that the sorceror had a little too much to drink. At one point, he was chatting up one of the balustrades.

Day 2

We set off for the goldfields early in the morning, during Morningwatch, and traveled nearly 60 miles to the town of Northgold. There we switched our carriage for a couple of horses, traveling along the Gond river.
Just after Highwatch, we were assaulted by a group of approximately 5 minotaurs, in militaristic uniforms I have never seen before. Thanks to the kender, we were able to quickly react, and slay the minotaurs. Unfortunately, we were unable to capture any in the quick struggle that saw the minotaurs fight to the death as if possessed. Strange to see minotaurs so far from the sea.
At Darkwatch, we made camp for the night.

Day 3

This morning, we were assaulted by an ogre that I recognized from reports by goldminers. Apparently the beast had been raiding the gold encampments in the fields. Thanks to the quick spell work of the nameless sorceror, we were able to prevent the beast from being a threat to Whitehill again.
We later arrived at the cavern where the propectors had vanished. Just inside the cave mouth was a pair of skeletal two-headed monstrosities. The necromantic creatures were guided by a black-robed figure who vanished just before the first blow struck one of the skeletons. The skeletons were dangerous combatants, but ultimately their mindlessness and slowness allowed us to carry the day.
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Review: Red Dwarf Series I & II

I recently watched the two first series of Red Dwarf, one of the most hilarious shows I have ever seen. The parody of science fiction is brilliant, but you don't have to be a Scifi geek to appreciate the humor. Lister, Rimmer and The Cat can keep you laughing for hours on end. If you haven't seen Red Dwarf, I suggest you go out and get it. Right now. I mean you, smeghead!
Score: 200%

Homeschooler's Network Meeting

Just returned from Melbourne where my mum attended a Home Education Network meeting at somebody's house. We went with my cousins and had bread and salami for lunch. Then, there was a meeting, my cousins and I went walking, we got bored, and then I spent about an hour sitting in the care reading the Dragonlance Campaign Setting. Not the best day, but not the worst either.