The Map is Not the Territory

Here are my latest posts from the various blogs and site I contribute to:

Basic Roleplaying . Net

Basic Roleplaying Release Date and Cover - Chaosium announces Basic Roleplaying release date and cover.
The Chaos Project - Information about Peter Maranci’s Chaos Project.
New and Improved Basic Roleplaying . Net - Basic Roleplaying . Net has undergone a rebuild and re-imaging.

MetaMythos

Basic Roleplaying Release Date and Cover - Cross posted from above.
PCGen Beta (5.13.11) - Information about the beta-test of the latest version of PCGen for d20 character generation
My Life With Master - A preview of a unique roleplaying game about being the servant of a master in the sense of Igor to Dr. Frankenstein.
Basic Roleplaying Advanced Readers’ Copy a.k.a. BRP Edition Zero - Preview edition of Basic Roleplaying.

Hollowmen

Practical Politics - H. L. Mencken always has something insightful to say about politics.

Also I have redone my wife’s gallery site using WordPress

An Online Gallery of Melanie Sallis’ Artwork

Here are the latest posts from the blog collection I manage:

MetaMythos

Gary Gygax Co-Creator of Dungeons and Dragons Passes Away
Posting Issues

Hollow Men

March 4th Primaries
The Fantasy Years
Election Year

Technologue

“Some look at the world and ask why? I dream of things and ask why not?”

The World According to Nouns

The Road (Not Quite a Review)
i cannot continue with such insidious memory

I just wrote a Not Quite A Review of The Road.

Also posted on MetaMythos Sub-Cult of Humakt Truthseeker (RQ3) and Societal Domains (d20).

Yeah, it’s been a while, a couple of whiles even since I even bothered posting anything here. It’s not like I have a whole lot of time. but just to make a liar out of myself I am going to say that yes I am indeed going to post more. And post about a hopefully large number of topics.

Just for the record I’ve got too many blogs that I’m trying to run, which is probably a mistake. I’ve got a political blog with no posts currently that would be http://www.hollowmen.net. Then I’ve got another blog that I want to use as an outlet for creativity and that would be http://www.danzappone.com, yes, using my real name. The I have another that is a technology and futurist sort of blog (again with very little yet) and that’s http://www.technologue.com, it’s just been moved to a new server. Then there’s LiveJournal but I’m less interested in using it these days. I’ve tried it but never really liked it.

This one I’d like to keep for weirdness sake and that probably how it will stay. I might add a domain directly to it - I don’t know. Depends on if I can find one that’s right and open.

Well that’s it then.

I’ve made the jump from Win/Mac to Linux. It was high time. I’ve been using Linux on and off for long time now but never as my primary OS. Prior to that (e.g. before the WWW) I accessed the internet over a modem using telnet into my account on Unix and did everything there. While I find the ubiquity and availability of software for Windows to be good and the dedication to user friendliness and lovingly crafted interfaces on the Macintosh (MacBook or whatever the hell they are call now) to be good, neither OS was really doing it for me. I just like open source that much better and in any event I was trying to stick to open source or freeware for the most part anyway. What can I say, I like me some command line interfaces. I also like not having to worry so much about spyware/virii and the like or the ego of Steve Jobs telling me what kind of OS I should have. I’m even going to do my best to stick with Linux at work even though it’s primarily a Mac Windows environment. And if I really need to use something from Windows well there’s always Wine or Parallels. I’m just hoping that there will be a coherence like setup for Parallells in Linux at some point. I also have to say that the amount of open source software available for Linux is really astounding.

For those interested I’m using Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty Fawn) running the X Window System with GNOME desktop and Beryl window manager. The interface is so awesomely cool that Mac users will beg for the features and Windows Vista users will swoon with wonder.

The 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair presaged the future in more ways than one. This old postcard, commented upon, or defaced presents some of the underlying currency that was forthcoming in the 20th century.Click the thumbnail to see the full size version.

Well it’s Steal This Country^TM day. I’m curious if the mainstream media will continue to gloss over election fraud and voter manipulation. I have absolutely no faith whatsoever in the election process at this point. I do not trust electronic voting machines - never have - as a programmer I know what can go wrong and that’s without people deliberately adding code that might be used to manipulate votes. I don’t like that I can’t get a paper receipt of my choices. Hell anything I order online and can print out a receipt for. Anything I buy at a store I can get a receipt for. But something as important as voting - “Nope, sorry pal, you’re out of luck. Just trust us.” Yeah, right.

No transparency means no trust in my eyes. As things stand now, voting is a privilege. It should probably be mandatory for everyone over the age of eighteen. At least that should be the case in national elections, hence the will of the people. When elections are won based on who can market their candidate better and move people to vote based on that marketing determines the turnout there’s something seriously wrong with this basic premise of a democratic republic. Failing the marketing campaign there’s always the possibility of just altering you non-transparent, receipt-less electronic vote.I am extremely disgusted with the amount of corruption in our government. There is so much I can’t even keep track of it all. The level of hypocrisy that the Republicans have managed to attain alone should be cause for their being voted out of office, or in some cases jailed. No sane person should even consider voting for any of them at this point. I think it’s going to get worse before it gets better. Now I’m not saying the Democrats don’t have problems - no one party could ever come close representing me but the Democrats are generally closer than the Republicans at this point.

Its obvious that a two party system is not working. Vote for the lesser of two evils. Meh. I want some freaking choices here people! I want to be able to elect candidates that arent politicians, but rather statesmen. I want to see the money taken out of their pockets. I want to choose someone who, really cares about the environment. I want to elect a scientist. I want religion out of politics. I want to elect candidates who have a long view. I want to elect someone who doesnt care about politics. I want to elect no one.

So far this software is looking pretty decent for crossposting among multiple blogs which for whatever reason I have. It’s sort of like yelling at a mountain but I’m still going to have these multiple blog indefinitely so I may as well deal with it.

Update: Boing Boing has posted a couple of updates about Robert Anton Wilson - see them here and here. Looks like the outpouring of compassion was far more than expected and greatly appreciated.

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Robert Anton Wilson has been a tremendous influence on my life - ever since I discovered Cosmic Trigger at the age of 14. I suppose that is really too young an age to fully appreciate the content of such a mind altering work but non-the-less that’s how it happened. My world was opened to the malleability of reality and such things as quantum physics, zen and punk (to name but a few) as a result. In short Robert Anton Wilson helped me to become who I am and for that I am grateful. Now he has need of our help - I was made aware of his plight by Douglas Rushkoff and Boing Boing and I am reposting the information here.

Douglas Rushkoff: I hope people I’ve inspired with my work would band together to help me out in my later years if I needed it. Which is at least part of the reason why I’m sending what I can to support cosmic thinking patriarch Robert Anton Wilson, whose infirmity and depleted finances have put him in the precarious position of not being able to meet next month’s rent. In case the name doesn’t immediately ring a bell, Bob is the guy who wrote Cosmic Trigger — still the best narrative on how to enter and navigate the psycho-spiritual realm, and co-wrote the Illuminatus Trilogy, an epic work that pushes beyond conspiracy theory into conspiracy practice. Robert Anton Wilson will one day be remembered alongside such literary philosophers as Aldous Huxley and James Joyce.But right now, Bob is a human being in a rather painful fleshsuit, who needs our help. I refuse for the history books to say he died alone and destitute, for I want future generations to know we appreciated Robert Anton Wilson while he was alive.Let me add, on a personal note, that Bob is the only one of my heroes who I was not disappointed to actually meet in person. He was of tremendous support to me along my road, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to be of some support on his.

Update from Boing Boing:

Note from Robert’s friend, Denis Berry: Sadly, we have to report that wizard-author-intelligence increase agent is in trouble with his life, home and his finances. Robert is dying at his home from post polio syndrome. He has enough money for next months rent and after that, will be unable to pay. He cannot walk, has a hard time talking and swallowing, is extremely frail and needs full time care that is being provided by several friends-fans-volunteers and family. We appeal to you to help financially for the next few months to let him die at his home in peace. Note from Robert’s friend, Denis Berry: Robert’s writing has enlightened-educated many and if you can please commit to help pay a portion of his expenses until his passing which sadly won’t be that long. Monthly contributions of $50.00 or more will be greatly appreciated. All monies will go directly to Robert and can be sent to his PayPal address olgaceline@gmail.com. You can also send a check to RAW c/o Futique Trust, P.O. Box 3561, Santa Cruz, Ca 95063.

Please help if you are able either by donating or spreading the word.Keep up The Great Work! Ia Ia Cthulhu Ftagn! Om Fnord!

You heard me correctly, it’s t’ one day out o’ t’ year that you can talk like a pirate and not sound like a complete idiot.So learn how t’ speak like a pirate and visit some o’ these sites for more pirate related activities, me buckos.

Talk Like a Pirate Day Site (Original Site)Talk Like a Pirate Day (Blog)The Pirate Party (English Version)Pittsburgh Pirates (Baseball)Sid Meier’s Pirates (Video Game)About Pirates (Wikipedia)Pirate Info