alcimines

04:32 pm: The X-Files Meta-plot

I've been re-watching the first four season of the X-Files over the last few weeks.  Chris Carpenter, the creator of the X-Files, pretty much admits that they didn't have a coherent alien-conspiracy meta-plot in place when the series began.  Instead, the meta-plot was created "on the fly" as the show developed.  In my opinion, that shows.  In fact, it's awful difficult to watch the show and not come to the conclusion that there are multiple alien presences on Earth -- and multiple government conspiracies with very different agendas that involve the various alien groups.

05:08 pm: Wolverine's World RPG Setting Notes

The Shield-Bearer (Folk), The Old One (Pack), Thor (Thorians). "He is gone now, but his spirit is with us. And when we need him most, he will return."

04:27 pm: Walkabout

It's funny how you don't really know an area until you actually walk through it. This morning I decided to take a walk through a nearby neighborhood. I've driven through that area quite a few times.  Among other things, I spotted a sizable business that I didn't know was there, and a private home that had been converted from a small brick church. The man who owns the converted church is almost surely the only person in town who has battlements on his home.

02:06 pm: Some Levithic Empire Characters

( Nerdery )

04:43 pm: About fans

I'm a big fan of "Avatar: the Last Airbender". The new series based Aang's successor Avatar looks like it might be just as good. But I just have to say this... a significant number of the fans for that universe are just plain nuts. I mean... shipping wars already? Controversy about skin tones? For Pete's sake people, get a life.

02:09 pm: Employment

I applied for a Lab Tech job at the local community college the week before last. I'm very well qualified for the job, but that doesn't seem to mean much nowadays. Since it's a quasi-government job, I'm not sure if it's too soon to assume I didn't get the job. And just to make it more aggravating, I don't think these guys give you a "Thanks, but we hired someone else" message about a job application.

Dealing with the college has consistently been disappointing: first there was the CE job that I was hired for that went bust, then adjunct teaching position that turned out to a lot less than I was (misleadingly) offered. Now I'm wondering if I'll be adding this to the list in a few weeks.

08:08 am: "Hard Magic" via "Truth and Justice"

( Game nerd stuff )

02:24 pm: Starting "Levithic Empire"

After a couple of false starts over the years, I'm finally getting serious about my "Levithic Empire" campaign. As planned, it's a two-element set of games. The first element (which is what I'm running now) establishes the players as the half-draconic offspring of a mortal woman and Sargon Akkad Oculus Rex. Sargon is a dragon of high rank in the Levithic Empire -- an interdimensional polity ruled by dragons. Sargon's children will face a variety of threats and problems and they learn about themselves and the non-human part of their heritage.

The second part of the campaign will feature players who are Claws of the Throne -- dragons who are members of His Levithic Majesty's Secret Service.

02:10 pm: Excuse me... is my cynicism showing?

Here's a partial list of things that the news media have been strangely downplaying for the last few years. I predict that they will suddenly decide these are very, very important if a Republican is elected President in 2012:

Global Warming.
Inflation.
Unemployment.
Budget Deficits.
Guantanamo Bay.
Assassinations via Aerial Drones .
Rendition.
Our Low-Level War With Pakistan.
Nuclear Proliferation.
The Turn Towards Islamism In The Middle-East.
Absolutely Every Detail About The President's Private Life.
Absolutely Every Detail About The Private Life Of The President's Family.

12:40 pm: Are we finally getting a handle on the Somali piracy problem?

From strategypage: "The Somali pirates had a bad year in 2011, capturing only four large ships, compared to 26 in 2010 and the same number in 2009. Last year, pirates managed to attack 52 large ships, compared to 68 the year before. The international anti-piracy patrol finally developed tactics that the pirates were unable to counter. The patrol went after pirate mother ships while also closely guarding ships passing through the Gulf of Aden (to and from the Suez Canal). The use of more maritime reconnaissance aircraft (including UAVs) made it possible to identify mother ships and go after them."