OBS Rate Increase Rescindment Request Petition

In case you hadn't heard just yet, DriveThruRPG.com and RPGNow.com have agreed to a merger of their services. These sites are the two leading etailers of PDF products for the role-playing "industry." They say that the merger will mean better prices and a better selection, since consumers will only have to go to one place now. Shortly after that they announced that the companies who sell through their site will have to pay increased fees. I don't think that is going to help cut prices for the consumer.

This petition is for presentation to the new company (OneBookShelf.com) to show that consumers and publishers are not happy with this new arrangement. If it bothers you, you should sign it too. I was the first signer.

OBS Rate Increase Rescindment Request Petition

We respectfully request that the owners of OneBookShelf (OBS), which was formed by the merger of RPGNow.com and DriveThruRPG (DTRPG), rescind the planned rate increase for publishers fees due to take effect on December 1st, 2006. We submit that this rate increase will be potentially detrimental to both OBS vendors and consumers.

Dorkland wholeheartedly endorses the PDF site operated by Steve Jackson Games: e23. Since Atlas Games has aready stopped selling through RPGNow to move to e23, hopefully other pubishers will follow to show their support for diversity in the marketplace.

Dungeons & Dragons trial

Never good publicity for a hobby, but I wonder why his mental illness isn't in the headline instead of something attention grabbing like "Dungeons & Dragons."

Detroit gamer was acting out a fantasy when he killed co-worker with a sword

An avid Dungeons & Dragons player 'became his fantasy' when he slashed his co-worker to death with a homemade sword in October 2004, his attorney said Wednesday.

Charlie Stross' Diary: Let's put the future behind us

Here's some interesting thoughts on the state of SF from British (since I'm not sure what part of the UK he is from) SF author Charles Stross. If you haven't read his story "The Atrocity Archive" yet you should start now. In the meantime, check this out from the blog on his website.

After coming across a link to this post on Warren Ellis' website I thought that it was something that was worth sharing. I know that a couple of people who read my blog will find it interesting. There are some interesting links in the actual text as well in it's original form on his website.

Let's put the future behind us

There's always a bloody force five hurricane making landfall in the little teacup of a genre that I inhabit. Last year it was the Mundane SF manifesto (short form: they don't believe in having sex standing up because it might lead to dancing using classic science fictional tropes because they might lead to fantasy). This year it's the back to basics thing. When will they learn?

Kristine Kathryn Rusch, who is old and distinguished enough to know better, wrote a critical essay for a book (titled 'Star Wars on Trial') in which she attempted to make the case for the defense, and which was republished in Asimov's SF magazine. She lit a match (thus: 'First, the promised answer: to what extent is current sf writing influenced by Star Wars? The answer is simple: Not enough'), then tossed it in a pool of petrol (and so: 'In order to make my case for that answer, however, I must address #3: Star Wars and the battle for SF readers and shelf space. There is no battle for shelf space because of #6: to what extent does SW define how the general public sees SF or, as I like to call it, the definition of SF') before generously carpet-bombing the area with the reductionist napalm of genre categorization (which sticks to everything like a label, and burns, baby, it burns!).

To try and paraphrase (or parody) her argument: SF is of declining interest (and has declining market share) to the general public because it's not true to its pulpy roots. So let's all go write media tie-in novels, because they attract readers, and if we attract lots of readers, we'll reinvigorate the ghetto. In other words, the past forty-odd year long project of trying to inject some quality into the stuff our dreams are made of is not merely a failure, but counter-productive.

All of this would be messy enough, but she managed to phrase it in such a way that it got right up various noses (That's Paul McAuley and Ian McDonald, in case you don't know them in drag), not to mention the sinuses of large numbers of other hoity-toity folks who think that what they're doing might possibly have some literary merit to it. (Like me.)

Monty Python star Jones has cancer

Good luck and godspeed in your healing. The man has given more than enough laughter to deserve a speedy recovery.

Monty Python star Jones has cancer

Monty Python star Terry Jones has bowel cancer, although doctors believe they have caught it at an early stage, a newspaper has reported.

Jones, who directed the cult comedy troupe's three films, 'Life of Brian', 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' and 'The Meaning of Life', is in a private London hospital after being diagnosed, the Daily Mirror said Saturday.

His agent Jodi Shield told the newspaper: 'He is having a routine exploratory operation in the next few days.

'His surgeon is fairly confident -- they think they've got it early enough.

'He's in great spirits. We're having to make him stop working.'

Stuart Immonen

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Originally uploaded by stuartimmonen.

It appears that comic artist Stuart Immonen (artist on Warren Ellis' Nextwave among others) has been doing a webcomic that also appears on flicker (as well as his website).

The comic can be found on his site here: http://www.immonen.ca/comics/?p=17

Secrets of Isis

I'll give you 52 reasons to click on the video above.

Robert Anton Wilson Needs Our Help

It may sound like a cliche but reading Robert Anton Wilson changed my life. It wasn't just Illuminatus that did it though. Really, for all that it is, it is still "just" a novel. No, what really changed things for me was reading his book Cosmic Trigger. It is an incredible account of a man's journey of self-discovery and, of course, magic. Changing your life, or changing your world, isn't something that happens lightly.

I really don't know what I can do (as just one person) but I plan to help as much as I can, and I hope that each and every person who reads this post will take it upon themself to do the same thing. At this point I don't know how much help can be given other than to make things as comfortable and painless as possible at this point. Really, is there any less that we can try to do?

I hope not.

Robert Anton Wilson needs our help

I'm not exaggerating one bit when I say Robert Anton Wilson is one of my heroes. His writing has had a profound influence on the way I view life, more so than any other writer. If I had not read his books, there would definitely be no Boing Boing.

My friend Douglas Rushkoff feels the same way about him, and I'm reposting his blog entry because Robert Anton Wilson needs our help now.

UPDATE: 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.

200610021323 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.

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.

More information can be found here.

And here is The Reverand Ivan Stang's appeal:

Pope Bob (Robert Anton Wilson) loaned us SubGeniuses a LOT!

Most of what he loaned us were ideas. We took those ideas and ran with them. We did all KINDS of things using his ideas. We started every manner of experiment, inspired by his experiments. Many of those experiments PAID OFF.

I have said many times to interviewers that were it not for Robert Anton Wilson (and the late great Robert Shea, who co-wrote Illuminatus), there would be no Church of the SubGenius.

Although Pope Bob was tough enough to beat childhood polio in his youth, now that he is old, it has returned to harass him. He busted his ass his whole life, writing, lecturing, and selling books -- and if you think those jobs are EASY, try it yourself. He shared part of his mighty brain with the world, supported his family, and even survived the loss of a child and his wife without GIVING UP. But nothing lasts forever, and now it's down to the wire.

Olbermann's special commentary on Clinton vs Fox

Ok, so it's one of my ocassional rants about politics. They're probably going to happen more frequently as we enter into a new political season (I know, we entered it a while ago). I just don't have one side to my interests though. If you are pro-Bush or the Republicans, you might prefer to just skip this one.

Object off Alaska coast may be WWII sub

Imagine the post-modern dungeon crawl, or probably more properly the modern dungeon crawl. Deep under water is a submarine, lost since the days of WWII. Somewhere within that submarine is a secret, a secret so dark and dangerous that it could not be destroyed but only contained. Now, you've been approached and asked to mount an expedition to recover an object from the newly found submarine.

What do you do?

Object off Alaska coast may be WWII sub

Underwater sonar images of a black shape against a background of grainy monochrome are safely stored on two computer hard drives at Bruce Abele's home in Newton, Mass.

Blurred by odd shadows and striations, the silhouettes are the biggest clues in more than 60 years to the fate of his father's World War II submarine, the USS Grunion, which sank nearly 5,000 miles west of Massachusetts, near the obscure islands at the tip of Alaska's Aleutian chain.

[via Jon Nichols]

Child killer literally a marked man

Probably not dorky but I thought that this might be something that could get some form or another of use out of people. Sometimes the punishment gives a more fitting punishment.

Child killer literally a marked man

Convicted child killer Anthony Stockelman's face and head were unmarked at his trial last year. But now he's turned up at Wabash Correctional Facility with a tattoo on the forehead reading 'Katie's revenge.'

Katie is Katie Collman of Crothersville, the little girl he confessed to raping and killing last year. The Department of Corrections is not saying who applied the tattoo, which is against prison regulations, or why. They say they are still investigating.

Katie's dad, John Neace, has his own theory. Wednesday he said, 'If I had to guess I'd say it's a statement from the inmates.'

Katie's father says he heard about the tattoo from friends and has no idea if Katie's distant cousin, who is also serving time at Wabash, played any role.

Potty Mouths on Star Trek

Probably not work safe but its only a few seconds.

John M. Ford, 1957-2006

I remember John M. Ford from when I was a poster on SJG's Pyramid forum. He had the most hilarious .sigs that I have ever seen, each tailor exactly to the content of the post that he had made. Admitedly I only knew him online as a fellow poster and through his work as a game designer but it is still a loss. Without his sense of humor, the world is a little grimmer today.

John M. Ford, 1957-2006

Mike Ford is gone. The cause of his death is not yet known. Elise Matthesen found his body around two o’clock this morning. She said it looked like it was fast and easy, whatever it was.

He’d been in poor health for decades. This still comes as a terrible shock.

I keep thinking that Mike would know the right thing to say about all this. There’s a hole in the universe.

Just in case you don't know who he was, here is a link to the Wikipedia article about him.

A small circle of friends

Once again, Bill Stoddard brings out the concept of the gaming circle. A great idea, and one of the goals that I had in the back of my mind with the formation of the Cleveland Gamers group. It is still the principal around which I would like to have a larger scale group organized but it just seems less and less possible as time goes along.

I'm not really sure what it is that the concept keeps butting up against, but (for some reason) I can't seem to get it to work. The idea of a large circle of gamers drawing upon each other for games, campaigns, ideas and general support seems to be a natural one but it just doesn't get far up off of the ground.

In the back of my head things like the Geek Social Fallacies pop up, and it makes me wonder exactly how true those fallacies really are. Maintaining any sort of social dynamic among a group of people who probably aren't the most social of individuals is never an easy task. I am not saying that is a problem with the Cleveland Gamers (the people who aren't the most social of creatures that is) but subtle issues of social dynamic do lurk beneath the surface whenever you gather more than three people together into any one location.

A small circle of friends

As a result of online discussions of roleplaying games, I've had it borne in on me that my approach, which I always took to be the obvious and straightforward way of doing things, has a number of peculiarities when compared with how a lot of people game. This is about one of them.

It appears that a fairly common social pattern among gamers is the 'gaming group.' This is a set of people small enough so that they can all play together in a session of an rpg, who meet—most often weekly, but sometimes biweekly, monthly, or irregularly—for the purpose of doing so. The meetings continue indefinitely, either as one long campaign, or through a succession of new campaigns. If a new campaign is started, it's because a member of the group offers to run it and is accepted; and depending on the group culture, either the nature of the new campaign is presented in advance and must receive group approval, or the GM throws the players into it and may face dissatisfaction, resistance, or open sabotage if it's not what the players want—and the player may feel entitled to engage in such sabotage. Players hardly ever face expulsion from the group, even if they do actively sabotage a campaign or make it not fun for other players; keeping the group together is a higher priority. New players can be introduced, but it takes some effort for them to fit in; most player groups don't actively seek new members.

I describe this in such detail precisely because it's not at all the way I do things, and when I first heard about it it struck me as eccentric, if not outright weird.

Over the last three groups that I have put together there have been a total of five people that I had never previously gamed with, or even know previous to our gaming. That is out of seven gamers that have been in those last three groups (one person has been in all three). I think that's a great thing. It brings fresh perspectives to the table and it helps to keep ideas fresh and flowing. You can't really get stale in your ideas and approaches when you're working new people into the dynamic like that.

One thing, having that high number of new players is actually intentional. I run a pretty active recruiting before I start a campaign and I really love to see new faces at the table. It makes things more fun for me because, despite myself, I am a fairly social individual. I do, on some levels, like meeting people and I consider my gaming to be a social activity first and foremost.

The trick seems to be in figuring out how to convince others that this is a viable method. If you know how to do that, please let me know.

There will be more on this topic in the future, I am sure, as it is something that is on my mind a lot.

Batgirl 1st Appearance

Come on, you know you want to look.

Hail Eris!

All Hail Discordia!

Former ‘10th planet’ officially named Eris

A distant, icy rock whose discovery shook up the solar system and led to Pluto's planetary demise has been given a name: Eris.

The christening of Eris, named after the Greek goddess of chaos and strife, was announced by the International Astronomical Union on Wednesday. Weeks earlier, the professional astronomers' group stripped Pluto of its planethood under new controversial guidelines.

Never Forget

We will never forget the day that the moon left its orbit and those astronauts were lost.

Closer To Slash

What happens when you combine Star Trek with Nine Inch Nails' Closer? Click on the video above and find out just how wrong it would be. By the way, this isn't safe for work...just in case I have to explain that to you.

Superman Is A Dick

While trying to find something that would give me an idea what to do with tonight's game session I discovered something else: Superman is a Dick!

Wikipedia: Lamest edit wars

Once again the Internet comes through with arguments over the dumbest things.

Wikipedia: Lamest edit wars

Occasionally, Wikipedians lose their minds and get into edit wars over the most petty things. This is to document that phenomenon. This page isn't comprehensive or authoritative, but it is designed to show the 'worst-case' result of people attaching so much importance to some trivial detail that they are willing to engage in the lame pastime of edit warring over an even lamer cause.

ArtHaus Acquires Big Eyes, Small Mouth RPG

I'm not overly surprised by the news, not since I saw that some of the Guardians of Order BESM-related properties had been transferred to Arthaus on the DriveThruRPG.com website. I had hoped that it would be Mongoose who ended up with this, bu it would appear not to be the case.

Regardless, it is good news for BESM fans. I wish that it had been released as a softcover, at least, though. That price is a bit too rich for my tastes.

ArtHaus Acquires Big Eyes, Small Mouth RPG

Fans of Big Eyes, Small Mouth (BESM) will be thrilled to learn that the 3rd Edition of this award winning role playing game will be released by ArtHaus in January 2007.

Previously published by Guardians of Order, BESM is designed to be a multi-genre anime and manga game and can accommodate nearly any setting or time period. The rules are simple to use and thus do not include an overwhelming amount of specific detail, with the task resolution system and combat engine designed to capture the fast-moving nature of anime and manga action. This element is one of the central strengths of the game, making BESM ideal for either the novice or experienced role-player.

Fun With Google -- Confidential, Do Not Distribute!

I picked this up from Boing Boing and found it humorous. Is it dorky? I'll leave that one to you.

Apparently there are people in business world who think that marking something as "Confidential" and then putting it out on your website will keep anyone from ever finding it.

Fun With Google -- Confidential, Do Not Distribute!

[via Boing Boing]

TV star Steve Irwin killed while filming

The Crocodile Hunter hunts no longer.

TV star Steve Irwin killed while filming

Television star Steve Irwin has been killed while filming an underwater documentary in Queensland.

The 44-year-old, who was dubbed 'The Crocodile Hunter', was killed by a stingray barb through the chest while diving off Port Douglas.

Local diving operator Steve Edmundson said: 'Steve was hit by a stingray in the chest. He probably died from a cardiac arrest from the injury.'

Police confirmed that paramedics were flown to nearby Low Isles, where Irwin was taken to be treated, but he died before they arrived.

Irwin, who runs the world famous Australia Zoo, is survived by his wife Terri and their two young children Bindi Sue and Bob Clarence.

Speaking to Sky Television, Queensland Tourism Minister Margaret Keech said: 'It's a dreadful loss for the tourism industry and for nature conservation.'

'Everybody who met Steve was impressed with his energy and his enthusiasm,' she said.

Irwin made almost 50 'Crocodile Hunter' documentaries, which earned him worldwide acclaim for his dare-devil stunts with animals.

First Taste Is For Free

If you haven't checked out the comics of Brian Wood, you need to do so right now. I haven't gotten any of his DMZ series yet (but I keep meaning to pick up the first trade) but his Demo, Channel Zero and Couscous Express books have been among some of my favorite comics of the last few years. Plus he did the design work for Warren Ellis' incredible mini-series, Global Frequency.

Now, DC/Vertigo Comics are offering you a free taste of Wood's DMZ comic. The first issue is available from their site as a PDF download. Don't ever believe the hype about anything, and don't just believe what people are saying online. Check it out with your own eyes and figure it out for yourself.

First Taste Is For Free

From indie comics icon Brian Wood (Demo, Channel Zero, GLOBAL FREQUENCY) and up-and-coming Italian artist Riccardo Burchielli (John Doe) comes the first volume of DMZ, collecting the first 5 issues of the series about the ultimate embedded war journalist trapped in a most unlikely war zone: the streets of New York City.

In the near future, America's worst nightmare has come true. With military adventurism overseas bogging down the Army and National Guard, the U.S. government mistakenly neglects the very real threat of anti-establishment militias scattered across the 50 states. Like a sleeping giant, Middle America rises up and violently pushes its way to the shining seas, coming to a standstill at the line in the sand — Manhattan or, as the world now knows it, the DMZ.

Matty Roth, a naïve young man and aspiring photojournalist, lands a dream gig following a veteran war journalist into the heart of the DMZ. Things soon go terribly wrong, and Matty finds himself lost and alone in a world he's only seen on television. There, he is faced with a choice: try to find a way off the island, or make his career with an assignment most journalists would kill for. But can he survive in a war zone long enough to report the truth?

EDIT: Picked up the first DMZ trade when I went to the comic store for this week's pick-up. Only $9.99 for the first five issues of the book. I have to say, that's pretty impressive and I wish that more publishers would give you the first taste/trade for cheaper to get people involved in picking up the collections. If I had known it would have been this cheap, I would have picked it up sooner. Brian Wood's writing is as strong as it has been in the other books of his that I have read.

If you are a fan of Brian Wood, this book is for you. If you aren't a fan of Brian Wood...why aren't you? If you like non-super hero books with intelligent writing, you should check out this book. If you want a comic book that is different from what all of the other people are doing, this book is for you. Brian Wood writes in a cyberpunk sort of mode, without it actually being cyberpunk. Which means that there isn't any cyber involved. If you have read any of the DryCo books by Jack Womack then you will know exactly what I am talking about. If you haven't, you should probably head out to the library or your nearest used bookstore right now. Don't worry. I'll wait.

Basically, I am saying that this is a comic that you should check out and check out soon.

[via Warren Ellis]

Japanese Powerpuff Girls

Yes, because the original version wasn't anime enough for people apparently. You really do have to see this one to believe it. It isn't my fault though if you spend the next eight minutes in a stupor because you clicked on the link.

You know that you want to click on the link. You know that you do.

When Memes Attack

Sometimes two memes are so powerful that they cross streams and become something bigger and stronger. Is this a good thing? You be the judge...