![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
The problem with libertarianism
Oct. 27th, 2002 01:03 pmThere are problems with every possible set of political beliefs. Here's a nice illustration of the problems inherent in libertarianmism.
Oct. 27th, 2002
"The time has come, young man, for you to learn about the Plot." "Darth Vader is a servant of the dark side of the Plot." When Ben Kenobi gets written out, he becomes one with the Plot and can speak inside the hero's head. When a whole planet of good guys gets blown up, Ben senses "a great disturbance in the Plot."
Cool article here.
Cool article here.
Of Gaming and Bodies
Oct. 27th, 2002 08:27 pmWorking backwards somewhat....
Today I got to game for the first time in months. Hugh's found a bunch of gamers who are (I think) somewhere near my age and reasonable people who are calm and sensible and just want to game without all of the usual attendant instability and explosions that have characterised my gaming compatriots for the last 10 or so years. So Mythic Europe (via Ars Magica) it is for me.
The game was uneventful fun (let's face it, other people's gaming fun is never that interesting to hear about), except that when I arrived and Hugh had introduced me to people, the first thing that was said was "There's a body in the garden!" I'm not sure if the guides to ettiquete describe how to respond to that kind of statement, but I have to say that whatever the prescribed response is, it's probably not to stare blankly, which is what Hugh and I did. The lady of the house (whose name escapes me) then took us through to the back room, where we gazed from the second story window (third to all of you Americans) down to the ground, where we could see 2 policemen, a man with a camera, another man who was doing something indecipherable and a pair of legs. the legs were undoubtably attached to some kind of body, but that was out of sight under the edge of the building. The legs were wearing what looked like a black PVC skirt, which isn't unusual for this this area on a Saturday night, close as we are to Edinburgh premier goth night.
As you can tell, the image stuck in my mind somewhat, and I'm fascinated to discover what happened. I didn't actually feel very much, but that's probably to do with my distance from whatever was happening and the slight unreality of it all. I don't think I've seen a body before, and it doesn't actually feel as if I have now.
Today I got to game for the first time in months. Hugh's found a bunch of gamers who are (I think) somewhere near my age and reasonable people who are calm and sensible and just want to game without all of the usual attendant instability and explosions that have characterised my gaming compatriots for the last 10 or so years. So Mythic Europe (via Ars Magica) it is for me.
The game was uneventful fun (let's face it, other people's gaming fun is never that interesting to hear about), except that when I arrived and Hugh had introduced me to people, the first thing that was said was "There's a body in the garden!" I'm not sure if the guides to ettiquete describe how to respond to that kind of statement, but I have to say that whatever the prescribed response is, it's probably not to stare blankly, which is what Hugh and I did. The lady of the house (whose name escapes me) then took us through to the back room, where we gazed from the second story window (third to all of you Americans) down to the ground, where we could see 2 policemen, a man with a camera, another man who was doing something indecipherable and a pair of legs. the legs were undoubtably attached to some kind of body, but that was out of sight under the edge of the building. The legs were wearing what looked like a black PVC skirt, which isn't unusual for this this area on a Saturday night, close as we are to Edinburgh premier goth night.
As you can tell, the image stuck in my mind somewhat, and I'm fascinated to discover what happened. I didn't actually feel very much, but that's probably to do with my distance from whatever was happening and the slight unreality of it all. I don't think I've seen a body before, and it doesn't actually feel as if I have now.
Venice through the looking glass
Oct. 27th, 2002 08:49 pmLast week was somewhat confused, as I was supposed to be back up on Tuesday, but due to rain and landslides didn't make it until Saturday (just in time, as 90 mile and hour winds hit England today, but missed Scotland). Erin was down from Wednesday, so I actually got to see her in London on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday afternoon, and also got to see the short film she was production manager of last year (or possibly the start of this year). It wasn't great, but it was pretty good - a short (10 minute) piece about a young boy whose father (and stepfather) were both no good for him at all, making the decision that he'd rather have no father than a bad one.
I also saw Dave McKean's film [N]eon, which was very, very pretty. I have no idea how the CGI was done, but it makes every other CGI work I've seen look a bit crap. Not because it looked realistic, but because it didn't. It deliberately strove for a particular kind of stylised look that it pulled off amazingly. From milky black and white dream sequences to 3d excursions through paintings into the sketches and ideas that produced them. It was ostensibly about a man living in Venice, trying to find a place he could fit into now that his friends were all settling down. But it was actually about far more than that. Very, very lovely. If it was available on video I'd be showing it to all my friends by now.
I also saw Dave McKean's film [N]eon, which was very, very pretty. I have no idea how the CGI was done, but it makes every other CGI work I've seen look a bit crap. Not because it looked realistic, but because it didn't. It deliberately strove for a particular kind of stylised look that it pulled off amazingly. From milky black and white dream sequences to 3d excursions through paintings into the sketches and ideas that produced them. It was ostensibly about a man living in Venice, trying to find a place he could fit into now that his friends were all settling down. But it was actually about far more than that. Very, very lovely. If it was available on video I'd be showing it to all my friends by now.
More on the films
Oct. 27th, 2002 08:59 pmI should have made it clear that I saw the films at the Raindance Film Festival in London, which basically shows the films that other festivals look down on. Some dead good stuff though. Because Erin was going down for her film, she talked to someone at the Glasgow Herald that then told her to do them 1500 words and they'd cover accomadation and two meals, plus pay for the articles. I hate journalists sometimes.
She was meant to go to a party on Friday (Because she 'had to cover it'. Hah!) and then to a talk on Saturday morning, so I wasn't going to see her between Thursday and Monday. So you can imagine my surprise when I get a phone call at 1:30 Saturday AM telling me to look outside the window. I did so, and she was standing in the front drive. Apparently she'd had a few drinks at the party and thought "Hey! I should go visit Andy!" in that way that not enough drunken women do.
About 5 minutes after I silently let her in and sneaked up the stairs, Tara the magnificently cuddly puppy came to see what was going on, and which point there was an explosion of cuddliness as Erin was completely smitten. She got to hang about until 11am Saturday and then we went back to London, with me leaping further northwards to Scotland and her off to cover more films (i.e. fall asleep in the comfy chairs).
She was meant to go to a party on Friday (Because she 'had to cover it'. Hah!) and then to a talk on Saturday morning, so I wasn't going to see her between Thursday and Monday. So you can imagine my surprise when I get a phone call at 1:30 Saturday AM telling me to look outside the window. I did so, and she was standing in the front drive. Apparently she'd had a few drinks at the party and thought "Hey! I should go visit Andy!" in that way that not enough drunken women do.
About 5 minutes after I silently let her in and sneaked up the stairs, Tara the magnificently cuddly puppy came to see what was going on, and which point there was an explosion of cuddliness as Erin was completely smitten. She got to hang about until 11am Saturday and then we went back to London, with me leaping further northwards to Scotland and her off to cover more films (i.e. fall asleep in the comfy chairs).
Spreading the Meme
Oct. 27th, 2002 09:47 pmI can't remember how I found Flem in the first place (I suspect it was through Penny Arcade), but eventually I found the artist's second comic strip, where he keeps all the political stuff that people didn't like him putting in his regular strip.
I can across a good illustration of libertarianism and posted it here. Aphonia then reposted it here, at which point Metaphorge snagged it for here.
At this point I won't be surprised to see it linked on Blogdex tomorrow and Slashdot the day after.
I can across a good illustration of libertarianism and posted it here. Aphonia then reposted it here, at which point Metaphorge snagged it for here.
At this point I won't be surprised to see it linked on Blogdex tomorrow and Slashdot the day after.