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Post by krusader74 on Dec 9, 2016 17:41:19 GMT -6
I have sent an email to Wizards of the Coast via their web interface requesting that they sell Chainmail again. I encourage others who are interested to contact them. If they get flooded with requests, they may take it more seriously. Here is the text of my message, in case you would like to use it as a template: I also sent email to custserv@onebookshelf.com asking for their assistance in this matter. Here is the text of that message: I will post back if I get any replies!
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Post by krusader74 on Dec 9, 2016 16:56:48 GMT -6
I'm quoting Stan Shinn from the TSR Boot Hill RPG Community he set up on Google+: Everyone who is interested in seeing a 5e Boot Hill retro-clone ought to visit his site and comment!
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Post by krusader74 on Dec 9, 2016 16:11:04 GMT -6
Heisenberg Uncertainty
Review
In the post about Schrödinger's equation, we discovered the Hamiltonian operator Ĥ = -(ħ2 / 2m) d2/dx2 + U. This operator acts on a wave function Ψ.
Sometimes, when the Hamiltonian acts on a special wave function, the result is just a scalar multiple of that wave function, i.e., ĤΨ = EΨ. In this case, the special wave function is called an eigenfunction and the scalar multiple is called the corresponding eigenvalue. In the particular case of the Hamiltonian operator, the eigenvalue E is the energy of the system.
In general, the operators we're going to explore also have special states too, where the operator acting on such a state results in a scalar multiple of the same state. And we call these eigenstates and the corresponding scalar multiples eigenvalues. We want to consider operators whose eigenvalues are momentum and position.
Momentum and Position Operators
We can find an operator p̂ whose eigenvalues measure momentum p as follows.
Recall that the wave function is defined as Ψ(x,t) = e-i (ωt - kx) and that p = ħ k. We're going to do all our measurements simultaneously, so we can cut out the time term. This lets us rewrite our wave function as Ψ(x) = ei (p/ħ) x. Take the derivative of the wave function wrt x to get dΨ/dx = i (p/ħ) Ψ. Multiply both sides by -iħ to get pΨ = -iħ dΨ/dx. Finally, leave out the Ψ to get the operator
p̂ = -iħ d/dx
Similarly, we can find an operator to measure position x.
Making two measurements simultaneously
Definition: The commutator of two variables X and Y is defined as [X,Y] = XY - YX.
Corollary: Two variables commute iff their commutator is zero, i.e., [X,Y] = 0 iff XY - YX = 0 iff XY = YX.
Lemma: You can only precisely measure two observables at the same time when the operators have the same eigenstate Ψ and their commutator is zero.
Proof: Let M1 and M2 be two operators. Assume they have the same eigenstate Ψ and the associated eigenvalues are given by:
M1 Ψ = a1 Ψ M2 Ψ = a2 Ψ
Therefore, the commutator [M1, M2] Ψ = (M1 M2 - M2 M1) Ψ = M1 (M2 Ψ) - M2 (M1 Ψ) = M1 (a2 Ψ) - M2 (a1 Ψ) = a2 (M1 Ψ) - a1 (M2 Ψ) = a2 (a1 Ψ) - a1 (a2 Ψ) = (a2 a1 - a1 a2) Ψ = 0Ψ = 0, noting that a1 and a2 commute because they're just ordinary real numbers. Note that this procedure won't work if the operators have different eigenstates.
Theorem: You can't precisely measure momentum and position at the same time.
Proof: Using the lemma, we simply need to show that the commutator of the momentum and position operators isn't zero. To compute the commutator of operators, begin by applying the commutator to a function Ψ; at the end, drop off Ψ. Without loss of generality, assume position has an eigenstate at Ψ with eigenvalue x. We can't assume Ψ is also an eigenstate of the momentum operator!!! So compute the value of
(-iħ d/dx) (x Ψ) - x (-iħ d/dx) Ψ {by the definition of p̂ and [.,.]}
= (-iħ dx/dx) Ψ + x (-iħ dΨ/dx) - x (-iħ dΨ/dx) {by the product rule}
= -iħΨ {by cancellation}
≠ 0
This means that the commutator of the momentum and position operators is -iħ, not zero. By the lemma, momentum and position cannot be measured precisely at the same time.
Q.E.D.
Next time, we will put a numeric bound on our ability to measure momentum and position at the same time.
Note that when you look at the commutator between momentum and energy operators, you'll find it is zero -- so you can precisely measure momentum and energy at the same time!
Pairs of operators like momentum and position which do not commute are called "conjugate pairs." Energy and time are another conjugate pair.
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Post by krusader74 on Dec 8, 2016 17:10:31 GMT -6
Do you realize that 4 out of 3 people have great difficulty with Math? I like this cartoon too:
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Post by krusader74 on Dec 8, 2016 17:07:09 GMT -6
Dynamite's Warlord of Mars books with their partially nude covers are still for sale today -- read what you want into that. BECAUSE THEY ARE PHYSICAL OBJECTS! Selling a physical object you own is NOT THE SAME AS LETTING SOMEBODY MAKE COPIES OF YOUR PDF! Sweet Crom's hairy nutsack, WHAT IS SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT THAT! Sorry Mike, but no: If you had followed the link in the quotation above to Comixology.com, then you would have seen that these are in fact ebooks, just like the PDF of WoM at archive.org, not physical objects.
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Post by krusader74 on Dec 8, 2016 10:54:17 GMT -6
The Schrödinger equation
Studying the photoelectric effect, Planck and Einstein discovered the relationship between the frequency f of a photon and it's energy E:
E = h f
The constant of proportionality h is called the Planck constant
h = 6.626070040 10-34 J s
It's physical dimensions are [J s] = [Length]2 [Mass] / [Time]
de Broglie found the relationship between momentum p and wavelength λ:
p = h / λ
Paul Dirac thought up the "reduced" Planck constant, h-bar:
ħ = h / 2π
This let's you re-write the equations for E and p as:
E = ħ ω p = ħ k
where ω = 2πf is called angular frequency and k = 2π/λ is the wavenumber.
Remember from Newtonian physics that Energy is Kinetic Energy plus Potential Energy:
E = KE + PE
Kinetic energy is KE = 1/2 m v2
Momentum is p = m v. Therefore, p2 = m2 v2 = 2 m KE. Thus, KE = p2 / 2m. Writing PE as U, we get
E = (p2 / 2m) + U
A wave may be expressed as a complex-valued function:
Ψ(x,t) = cos(kx - ωt) + i sin(kx - ωt) = e-i (ωt - kx)
Taking two derivatives of Ψ with respect to space:
dΨ/dx = ikΨ
d2 Ψ/dx2 = i2 k2 Ψ = -k2 Ψ
p = ħk implies k = p/ħ implies k2 = p2 / ħ2 implies
d2 Ψ/dx2 = -(p2 / ħ2 ) Ψ
implies
-ħ2 d2 Ψ/dx2 = p2 Ψ
Multiply both sides of the energy equation by Ψ to get:
EΨ = p2 Ψ/ 2m + UΨ = -(ħ2 / 2m) d2 Ψ/dx2 + UΨ
That's called the time independent Schrödinger equation or TISE.
Next, take a derivative of Ψ wrt time:
dΨ/dt = -iωΨ
Multiply both sides of the Planck-Einstein relation by Ψ to get:
EΨ = ħωΨ
Multiply both sides of that by -i/ħ:
(-i/ħ) EΨ = -iωΨ = dΨ/dt
Multiply both sides of that by (-ħ/i) to get:
EΨ = (-ħ/i) dΨ/dt
Multiply numerator and denominator of the RHS by i, remembering i2 = -1, to get:
EΨ = iħ dΨ/dt
Equate that with the TISE to get:
iħ dΨ/dt = -(ħ2 / 2m) d2 Ψ/dx2 + UΨ
And that's called the time dependent Schrödinger equation or TDSE.
We just derived the Schrödinger equation from the principle of conservation of energy and the Planck-Einstein relation, using no more than high school algebra and calculus! Easy as π.
The Hamiltonian operator
Define the linear differential operator Ĥ by the expression:
Ĥ = -(ħ2 / 2m) d2 /dx2 + U
Ĥ is the Hamiltonian operator of which we spoke in the previous post. You apply this operator to Ψ in order to measure energy, i.e.,
ĤΨ = EΨ
So energy is just an eigenvalue of the transform Ĥ, and Ψ is the corresponding eigenfunction, named so, rather than eigenvector, since here we're dealing with a wave function Ψ(x,t) rather than simply a vector.
With the Hamiltonian operator, we may re-write the TDSE more concisely as:
iħ dΨ/dt = ĤΨ
Commentary
The Plank scale 6.626070040 10-34 J s is so small. Perhaps Lovecraftian horrors are really, really small. They live below the limits where usual physical laws apply. There they may drive men mad. But once they burst forth into the macro world, and all the usual physical laws take hold, they may be defeated by mundane means!
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Post by krusader74 on Dec 8, 2016 10:32:35 GMT -6
NO!!! Copyright does NOT let you distribute a work for free if it does not belong to you! I had to research the d**n copyright law for Tekumel Games when I was president. The US Copyright Law CLEARLY forbids you from distributing copies of anything you do not own, EVEN FOR FREE! The ERB estate has forbidden Warriors of Mars to be distributed, PERIOD. Yes, but ERB's rights aren't primarily copyrights -- they're trademarks. That's because ERB started writing and publishing the John Carter/Mars series and the Tarzan series prior to 1923. Stuff published prior to 1923 is public domain in the US. E.g., A Princess of Mars saw it's first publication in 1912. In fact, you can read most of these books free and legally on Project Gutenberg. Unlike copyrights, trademarks last forever, as long as you re-register them and use them in a commercial product once every 7 years. It's possible that Gygax/Blume incorporated into WoM materials from the novels still under ERB's copyrights. But it's more probable that (ERB claimed) WoM infringed ERB's trademarks. It would be wonderful if someone actually preserved ERB's C&D letter to TSR, and could provide the details here??? That may clear things up. Another point: A C&D letter is not legally binding nor is it a guarantee of a lawsuit -- it's just one lawyer's opinion of the law. C&D letters are an intimidation tool. Some unscrupulous companies have been known to issue C&D letters for properties they no longer really own. I'm not saying ERB did this! I'm just pointing out that it happens. That's one reason why research and getting another attorney's opinion matter so much. It would be interesting to know if TSR obtained an attorney's opinion letter? I find it very hard to believe that ERB sent TSR a C&D letter but hasn't sent one to archive.org, regarding WoM. ERB is very aggressive about protecting their grand dad's IP. Makes be think ERB did send a letter to archive and archive's lawyers told ERB they're full of sh-t. Here's a more recent ERB lawsuit that sheds some light on how they litigate: Dynamite Comics published comic books based on the PD John Carter/Mars and Tarzan material. ERB sued Dynamite, not for copyright infringement, but for trademark infringement, claiming Dynamite's use of the Tarzan and John Carter marks dilutes and damages the associated brands ERB controls. In particular, ERB was upset about partial nudity on the covers of these comics!!! This is called "moral rights" infringement. Here's an example cover image -- fair use, being for purposes of commentary and criticism only... Is that truly "pornographic"? ERB and Dynamite have now settled their dispute. The terms of the settlement have not been disclosed to the public. But Dynamite's Warlord of Mars books with their partially nude covers are still for sale today -- read what you want into that. No doubt: TSR could not afford to fight ERB in court back in 1974, when TSR was just getting started and had little capital. That's a big shame, because this whole WoM dispute might have been settled more favorably, like the Dynamite case cited above. OTOH, in that eventuality, WotC might now own the WoM RPG IP, and that might be just as bad...
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Post by krusader74 on Dec 8, 2016 10:27:00 GMT -6
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Post by krusader74 on Dec 7, 2016 18:07:47 GMT -6
Quantum PhysicsI've searched through Lovecraft's works, and I could only find this one reference to quantum physics. Lovecraft also mentions the trailblazers of quantum theory: Planck and Heisenberg. But he never really delves into the science itself. We know that Lovecraft attended the lecture by De Sitter on cosmology and that he was fascinated by astronomy. But I haven't seen any evidence that he ever studied quantum mechanics. Why bother mentioning it if it's irrelevant? That violates a dramatic principle: Chekhov's gun. While seemingly irrelevant to the story, it does help lay the foundation for future adaptations and possible sequels, whether in the form of a book, a film, or a role-playing scenario. We did see it used, somewhat, in Stuart Gordon's film adaptation, H. P. Lovecraft's Dreams in the Witch-House, where Gilman is a student of string theory. There he talks about something we've discussed here before -- that we live in a brane in a higher-dimensional bulk. Gilman postulates that we can move through this higher dimensional bulk. This idea is problematic if we're made out of vibrations in open strings, as only closed strings like gravity are thought to be able to move through the bulk. But Gilman may have some alternate theory he's testing. I wanted to talk about the big ideas behind quantum mechanics -- Schrödinger's equation, Heisenberg uncertainty,... -- and see if we can make them relevant to DWH. But before getting in too deep, let's start by reviewing the basic notions and notation that's used in quantum mechanics. Hilbert SpaceThe mathematical framework for quantum mechanics is the Hilbert space: a complex vector space with an inner product that's a complete metric. Quantum theorists use Paul Dirac's Bra-Ket notation to represent the vectors. If you're not already familiar with it, this might sound brain stretching. But it's not really. Let's start with a simple example that everyone here understands: Rolling a six-sided die.In this example, we don't need complex numbers -- we can stick to real numbers. The vector space we're interested in is a state space that tells us about the state of the six-sided die. We know that the die can be in any one of six states, corresponding to which face is facing up. There's a theorem that says every Hilbert space has an orthonormal basis. We can write any element of our Hilbert space as a linear combination (i.e., weighted sum) of these basis vectors. In this example, let's use the simplest possible representation for our basis -- the following six column vectors: Our Hilbert space is 6-dimensional since it has 6 basis vectors. When we roll our die, we're making a measurement. After we roll the die, we observe a result: The face that's facing up has a number 1 through 6 on it. In quantum physics, a measurement is a linear operator. Let's call it R for "roll." In this simple example, we can represent the roll operator with a 6-by-6 matrix: When we apply the measurement operator to a vector in our state space, we get a real number result. Since the operator is linear, and since the state space consists of linear combinations of our orthonormal basis, we only need to consider the action of the operator on the 6 basis vectors: Here, the result is notated with the Greek letter lambda. If you start to read about quantum mechanics or linear algebra, you'll see the following terminology: The basis vector in the above equation is called an eigenvector (of the operator R) and lambda is the corresponding eigenvalue. To take a concrete example, let's apply the roll operator to the 5th basis vector -- we roll the die and get a result of 5: The result, 5, is the eigenvalue corresponding to the given eigenvector. Dirac's Bra-Ket NotationNext, let's write down the linear combination of basis vectors that describes a fair die. To do this, we'll need Dirac's Bra-Ket notation. A Ket is just a column vector written like this: Note that the weights in this vector are not the probabilities of a fair die throw, but rather the square roots of those probabilities! You can call these "probability amplitudes." The reason for this will become clear later. A Bra is the complex-conjugate transpose of the Ket. "Transpose" (the superscript "T") just means it's the Ket column vector re-written as a row vector. "Complex conjugate" (the superscript "*") just means we reverse the sign of the imaginary part -- irrelevant here since we're only working with real numbers. The dagger notation simply combines the "T" and the "*" in one symbol: Expectation ValueFinally, let's do a useful calculation. Let's find the "average" value we can expect from our dice throw. We do that by finding the following matrix product: OK, when we plug actual numbers into the above formula, we get: This tells us what we already knew: The average die roll is three and a half. (Note that the average value doesn't correspond to an actually observable result.) That's fairly cumbersome notation to find the average for a dice roll. So why bother to use it at all? HamiltoniansThe notation works well in quantum mechanics. There, instead of our "roll" operator, we have things like: - The Hamiltonian operator that measures an object's Energy
- a momentum operator that measures an object's momentum
- a position operator
These operators are linear differential operators, more abstract than the matrix representation we've used here. We're also usually interested in higher dimensional state spaces -- possibly infinite dimensional. In these cases, the notation is concise and easy to manipulate. Unlike here, we're not actually going to use matrices full of numbers and carry out long matrix multiplications. Hopefully, my attempt to explain this stuff with a concrete example did not "stretch your brain" too much. In my next post, I'd like to introduce the Hamiltonian operator, which we use to measure Energy. I'll explain the Schrödinger equation and show that (like the Einstein Field Equations) it is just another way of expressing the principle of conservation of energy.
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Post by krusader74 on Dec 6, 2016 19:44:40 GMT -6
In the Salinger case the judge ruled that it was not parody or criticism so that does not really address the fair use issue. Actually, Judge Batts ruled that while Colting's book wasn't a parody of either Rye or Salinger, it did contain a criticism of Salinger...just not enough of it. I should have spelled this out in more detail. When I said: My point was: Neither parody nor criticism by itself is either necessary nor sufficient in determining fair use. The law governing fair use is 17 U.S. Code § 107 - Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use. This law tells courts that they must consider 4 factors when deciding if a derivative work constitutes fair use: - the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
- the nature of the copyrighted work;
- the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
- the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
Notice that neither parody nor criticism are even mentioned explicitly in the law. In Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc. (1994), SCOTUS ruled that if the work is transformative and if the amount of this transformation is substantial, then it counts toward fair use -- the other 3 factors must still be weighed. The Campell decision also says that parody and criticism are both transformative. Transformation is what's important in determining fair use. A work may be transformative without parody or criticism. But even if a derivative work contains parody or criticism, - There must be a substantial amount of it
- The other 3 factors must still be weighed
Looking at Judge Batts 2009 37-page "Memorandum and Order" (here in PDF) in Salinger v Colting, she ruled: - Colting's book is not a parody of Catcher in the Rye
- Colting's book is not a parody of JD Salinger
But she did rule that - Colting's book is a criticism of JD Salinger
However, she also ruled that - This criticism of JD Salinger is not of a sufficient amount
Specifically, the criticism of JD Salinger only occurs on 40 pages of the 277-page book, and mostly in 1 chapter (Chapter 20). It only takes 12 of the 37-page decision to weigh the parody/criticism defense. The rest of the decision weighs the other 3 factors of 17 U.S. Code § 107, which are just as important in any decision. As an aside, the book has been published in Great Britain. It may be published in the US in 2046, after Salinger's copyright expires, assuming Congress doesn't extend the terms again!
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Post by krusader74 on Dec 5, 2016 19:46:20 GMT -6
A few years later we get Star Trek fandom. Though SF fandom and fan fiction had been around for years, Star Trek in the late 60s and early 70s turned the trickle into a deluge. Every Star Trek con had heaps of mimeoed Star Trek fan fiction magazines for sale, usually for cost plus a dribble extra. And Gene Roddenberry looked upon it and saw that it was good, because he knew that the only bad publicity is no publicity. WRT Star Trek fan-fic... I am a huge fan of Both of these series star original series actors, original series writers, and good production values. For example, ST:NV has featured: - Walter Koenig
- George Takei
- Grace Lee Whitney
- Barbara Luna
While ST:C stars Chris Doohan (James Doohan's son) as Scotty, Grant Imahara (from MythBusters) as Sulu, Jamie Bamber (from BSG), and Marina Sirtis as the voice of the ship's computer. The acting in these series is a little hammy, but, hey, so it was in the original. I much prefer these fan-made films to the recent Hollywood blockbuster, Star Trek: Beyond. Then again, I also prefer 0e and 0e-retro-clones to 4e and 5e. Maybe I'm overly nostalgic. ST:C has 7 episodes and funds itself through "Kirkstarters" that raise in excess of $200,000 per episode. CBS/Paramount owns the Star Trek IP. In the past, they've been fairly liberal about allowing this stuff. Recently, they've taken more of a hard-line stance: - CBS/Paramount shutdown ST:NV's attempts to make Norman Spinrad's "He Walked Among Us," an unproduced script he wrote for ST:OS.
- CBS/Paramount is in litigation against ST:Axanar which raised $1.2M to produce a new film. Here are some articles about it:
In general, fan fiction is illegal because it's a derived work, and it's only allowed to exist on the whim of the IP owner. To the extent that it provides the IP owner with free publicity, customer loyalty, and other benefits, they tolerate it. To litigate every piece of fan fic would also cost a pretty penny as well as drive customers away. There's a false notion that fan fiction is fair use if it's for purposes of parody or criticism, but that's not how the courts have ruled. See, e.g., Ruling for Salinger, Judge Bans 'Rye' Sequel, July 2009. Wikipedia has an article on the Legal issues with fan fiction.
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Post by krusader74 on Dec 3, 2016 14:16:39 GMT -6
As to WARRIORS OF MARS, I would think that its status would be particularly complex due to the fact that Gary was forced to stop printing and selling them in the 1970's due to the ERB estate so even if Gary's rights (or TSR's or whoever's) had expired the litigation imposed by the ERB estate might still hold and forbid reprinting the book. I can't see that WoM would have a simple ownership right associated with it. This got me thinking... There were a few times when Gary Gygax himself ran afoul of intellectual property law: - Warriors of Mars (1974) got published without the permission of the Burroughs estate, and soon after its release they issued a cease and desist order and the game was pulled from the market.
- References to creatures from JRR Tolkien's books went into D&D (1974) without permission, and in later printings got renamed due to the threat of legal action:
- Hobbits to Halflings
- ents to treants
- balrogs to Type VI demons (balors)
[/ul][/li][li]References to the the Cthulhu Mythos in Deities & Demigods (1980): While some Lovecraftian materials were public domain (PD), others were still owned by Arkham House.[/li][li]References to the Melnibonéan Mythos in Deities & Demigods (1980): This one is a little complicated too... My understanding is that Moorcock gave his permission to Gygax to use this material, but not before giving Chaosium the licensing rights. To avoid a lawsuit, Gygax halted printing of the book and inserted credit to Chaosium in the second printing. But the entire section was removed from the second edition (1981) of the book.[/li][/ol] Fortunately, at least the other 10 pantheons of gods from myth and folklore in Deities & Demigods (1980) were PD. Unfortunately, nothing created since Mickey Mouse(TM) ever reverts to the PD. I still treasure my original copy of Deities & Demigods (1980) with its "illegal" Melnibonéan and Lovecraftian sections! I'm sure it was costly for Gygax to pull WoM from the market and to halt printing of D&DG. Costly yes, but not absurd: ( NB. $75T is about 150% of the entire world's combined GDP! More money than exists in the entire world!!!) And at least Gygax's violations were settled out of court -- nobody went to jail. Today, he might go to jail for 5 years. You might claim that posting CM, WoM, etc. to Lulu or Scribd or Archive.org is somehow worse than any of Gygax's four violations listed above. And these four violations all seem like fair use to me. But that's a matter of opinion -- clearly, ERB's estate, Tolkien's estate, Arkham House, and Chaosium felt otherwise, or else they wouldn't have bothered to threaten TSR with lawsuits. Today, books are literally turning into dust while lawyers argue over who owns them, and they may be erased from history before anyone may legally make copies of them. At various other places and times in history, books have been declared "illegal" and copying them outlawed -- hundreds of Gospels, the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle, the Torah and Talmud -- and none of these books would even exist today if it weren't for "piracy." Everything you view in your web browser is a "copy." Every idea you have is a "derived work," shaped by all the ideas that came before it: More absurdity: - Digitized books, music and videos are just binary numbers, and so laws against copying digitized materials have the side-effect of creating illegal numbers -- numbers you are not allowed to possess or communicate.
- I could write a computer program that enumerates all strings up to a given length: a, aa, ab,..., zz, aaa, aab,... It would take a long time, but eventually, it would generate every book: Not simply every actual book, but every possible book (of some huge but finite length). Enumerating every possible book (of a given length or less) is easy, but it would take a long time. A more efficient approach would be to write an AI that writes books. Back in the early 1990s, Selmer Bringsjord began the Autopoiesis Project at RPI which begat BRUTUS, the Storytelling Machine. BRUTUS could write short stories. This year, an AI-written novella almost won a literary prize. That's a lot of progress in 25 years. Soon, AI systems will displace human writers (and game makers!); and the big corporations that can afford fast machines and smart AI algorithms will rapidly accumulate the intellectual property rights to every story anybody will ever want to read and every game anybody will ever play, concentrating too much wealth in too few hands, and not leaving much space for human creativity. Big Pharma is already using AI to discover and patent new drugs.
I am NOT advocating piracy or any other kind of law breaking, but I do think today's copyright laws are too archaic, copyright terms too long and penalties too stiff. Sensible reform is badly needed. We need more fair use exceptions, not fewer. We need to expand the public domain, not shrink it. Besides the four cases listed above, there are probably other cases where early TSR material violated other people's copyrights and trademarks. Can anybody think of more examples???
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Post by krusader74 on Dec 3, 2016 13:58:07 GMT -6
NyctalopsNyctalops was a fanzine dedicated to HPL. It's name comes from the poem Nyctalops by Clark Ashton Smith. In Nyctalops #5, October 1971, there was an article called "H.P. Lovecraft and Pseudomathematics" by Robert Weinberg. This article is reprinted in Discovering H.P. Lovecraft by Darrell Schweitzer, available as a Kindle ebook for $4.99. Weinberg harshly criticizes Lovecraft's DWH for it's "pseudomathematics." Among his claims: - There is no such thing as "non-Euclidean calculus."
- There is no way for lower dimensional beings to travel through higher dimensions.
WRT the first claim, it's unfortunate that the article was written before Google... A quick web search finds such references as: WRT the second claim: There are theories that our universe is a 4D-membrane in a higher dimensional bulk. The particles that make up ordinary matter and energy are actually vibrations in 1D strings. Most of these strings are confined to our brane. But some, specifically gravity, may move freely throughout the bulk, into higher dimensions. Weinberg graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology. I'm not sure what he got his degree in. Personally, I have a degree in math, published some papers on math, got a certificate to teach math and a couple actuarial tests under my belt, ... and I find nothing in Lovecraft's ideas on math crazy or impossible. And I find DWH quite enjoyable. I wouldn't bother to buy Discovering H.P. Lovecraft for Weinberg's article, but it is a nice anthology of a bunch of other articles about Lovecraft by authors like Robert Bloch and Fritz Leiber that are worth reading. I would also like to see all 14 issues of Nyctalops that ran from 1970 to 1978 reprinted. Judging from the TOC, there's a lot of interesting HPL material in these old fanzines.
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Post by krusader74 on Dec 2, 2016 17:50:27 GMT -6
Are You Ready For Human-Animal Hybrids?Yesterday, I watched this short (5 min 49 sec) video on YouTube: The Ethics of Crossing Humans with Animals | Glenn CohenWhy would you "humanize" an animal with human DNA? A few use cases: - Drug companies humanize rat brains in order to test new Alzheimer's therapies.
- Medical schools humanize an ape's face in order to practice face transplants.
- Drug companies humanize rat immune systems in order to test a new AIDS vaccine.
- A researcher might grow a human ear on the back of a rat to harvest for a transplant.
And yes: drug companies, medical schools and researchers are already doing these types of things. Really. See the Wikipedia articles on Pharming (genetics), Genetically modified organism, Chimera (genetics) for some starting points. Cohen says people usually have ethical difficulties with 3 specific uses of this technology (quoting him): That is to say: - Humanizing an animal's brains.
- Humanizing an animal's reproductive organs, so that they can interbreed with humans, or to mass produce (or factory farm) human beings or parts.
- Giving animals human faces.
Ethicists and lawmakers are currently debating these issues. Brown JenkinThis video got me thinking: Perhaps Brown Jenkin is simply a human-animal hybrid -- a chimera created by Nyarlathotep using technology not much more advanced than what we have today. Nyarlathotep humanized a rat's One reason for doing this might be that Brown Jenkin's overall rat-like appearance might "blend in" unnoticed in the human world, allowing it to sneak around and transmit messages between Nyarlathotep and his acolytes. He's definitely some kind of messenger, not only having the ability to speak, but also knowing all languages. He might also be useful as a spy or assassin. I also watched this short (3 minute) movie on YouTube: Concerning Brown JenkinRichard Svensson created the Brown Jenkin puppet used in the movie. Here is a photo of the puppet: SplicersBack in 1999, I remember seeing the Batman Beyond episode entitled "Splicers": So, for instance, one kid spliced himself with a snake. Another with a ram: If this technology were readily available, I'm sure somebody would splice themselves with a rat and change his name to "Brown Jenkin." Kil'ayimIn the Bible, there's a prohibition called Kil'ayim (meaning "Mixture" or "Confusion" or "Diverse kinds") against crossbreeding seeds, crossbreeding animals, and mixing wool and linen: In a modern secular society, these prohibitions might not mean much. But in a Puritanical society like HPL's New England or Salem in the 1690s, a human-animal mixture like Brown Jenkin would almost certainly be viewed as Satanic.
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Post by krusader74 on Dec 1, 2016 19:10:10 GMT -6
Fred S. Lubnow Ph.D.I saw this short (15 min 52 sec) lecture on YouTube. It's about Lovecraft and science, not specifically DWH, but it covers a lot of the same topics as this thread: The Lovecraftian Cosmos by Fred S. Lubnow - YouTubeBriefly, the topics covered in this video are - The Big Bang Theory & Azathoth
- String Theory & Mi-Go (Whisperer in Darkness)
- The Bulk, Branes, Hawking's 10^500 universes & The Dreamlands
- From Beyond: Lovecraftian horrors are powerful beings from other branes (or the bulk) that are trying to squeeze into our universe.
- Biology of Lovecraftian horrors
- Evolution, Darwin & Lovecraft's racist views
- AI, downloading consciousness into artificial devices, beaming consciousness through space using light, deep intersteller travel & the Great Race of Yith (Shadow Out of Time)
There's more in depth treatments of these topics on Lubnow's blog and in his ebook: The Black ManRegarding Lovecraft's racist views, a topic brought up in Lubnow's YouTube lecture, I wanted to point out that the narrator in DWH explicitly states that The Black Man has Caucasoid features: However, other eyewitnesses, describe him differently: A pair of drunks report seeing "a huge robed negro." This is also how he's described by the police on a raid on "revellers in a ravine beyond Meadow Hill just before dawn" in search of the missing child (kidnapped by Keziah, Gilman, the Black Man and Brown Jenkin). In New England, there is a tradition that dates back to the Puritans and the Salem witch trials linking the Devil to a large dark-skinned man. This is the main thing Lovecraft seems to be alluding to in DWH: And this: Lovecraft also links The Black Man to Nyarlathotep in DWH: There's a great illustration of The Black Man by Jens Heimdahl:
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Post by krusader74 on Nov 29, 2016 19:09:32 GMT -6
I'm not sure who posted the Chainmail PDF on Lulu or why. Perhaps the best possible outcome is that it might jolt WotC (or whoever owns it) to republish it. But that's just wishful thinking... My inner pessimist tells me all of the consequences for doing this will be negative.Just to clarify, WotC used to sell PDFs of Chainmail through Paizo, etc. I legally purchased my Chainmail PDF on October 23, 2007 for $4. WotC halted all PDF sales in April 2009: So there are in fact legal PDFs of Chainmail out there -- just not for sale anymore. WotC justified halting all PDF sales because some idiot posted D&D 4E to scribd! So posting pre-0e to Lulu will not likely turn out good either!!! /begin rant For tangible goods, there's something called the First Sale Doctrine: So, for example, I can resell my paperback copies of the LBBs. Unfortunately, this doctrine does not apply to digital copies (PDFs, ebooks, mp3s, etc.), otherwise someone who legally purchased a Chainmail PDF prior to April 9, 2009 could sell it to someone else. The idea of abandonment applies to some kinds of property: If I don't use or maintain certain property for a long enough time, then it reverts to the public domain. For example, if you own a trademark and you don't use it in a commercial product for 7 years, then it reverts to the public, and someone else may claim it. This in fact happened recently to the Boot Hill trademark, which is now owned by Rogue Comet LLC -- see my post in the Boot Hill section. It would seem that even if WotC wanted to reprint Boot Hill, then they would have to license the name from Rogue Comet. Book titles are not covered by copyright, but it would seem that in this case, the book title is covered by trademark, which WotC abandoned! A few years back, there arose a similar situation with the AD&D trademark: It expired, someone else started using it, then WotC republished the AD&D rule books. My guess is that the party that started using the abandoned trademark did so without registering it, allowing WotC to get it back by registering it. In the case with Boot Hill, Rogue Comet beat WotC to the punch, and now legally owns the trademark. They may publish their own Boot Hill RPG, but they can't simply republish the original, because that would violate someone's copyrights (presumably WotC's). AFAIK, abandonment only applies to copyrights if the owner explicitly releases the work to the public domain. While the content of a game book may be copyrighted, game mechanics cannot be. According to the US Copyright Office in their publication on Games, fl-108: I've used this legal principle to justify my own Chainmail and Boot Hill retro-clones: It's ashame WotC (or whoever owns them) will not republish these books for an an affordable price. It may benefit the collector's market, but it also encourages piracy. Furthermore, WotC can't honestly claim to have lost revenue on these books due to piracy if they refuse to sell them... They can and will claim it, just not honestly. How much revenue exactly have they lost? Revenue is quantity times price, but there simply is no price if it's not for sale. Copyright terms (author's life + 70 years) are way too long. Originally, in the US, these were 14 years, renewable once for up to 28 years max. The intent was to allow publishers a chance to recoup their investment and to foster the arts. Now, the long terms really only serve rent-seeking behavior. Before copyrights, you had people like Bach and Mozart who created thousands of original works. Now, long terms actually stifle the arts, because someone who creates one success can borrow a lifetime+70 yrs worth of profits, and never have to work again. Additionally, copyright holders used to pay a fee to register their work with the library of congress: In other words, they had to pay to enforce their rights. Today, I pay (taxes) to enforce someone else's copyrights -- the big companies who own most of the rights pay no taxes -- they're free riders. So far as I know, Lulu is incorporated in Raleigh, North Carolina, and therefore is subject to NC State law and US federal law. Piracy here in the US is certainly a crime, with heavy fines and a draconian jail term. But to say it's unethical requires some kind of ethical framework and argumentation. The ethics of copyrights are a separate issue from the legalities, unless you're a social contractarian, in which case ethics is totally artificial and rights are created by contracts and law. The problem for contractarianism is that if another society lacks copyright law, then there's no basis for criticizing them, or claiming they're "pirating" your work. Other theories of ethics (divine command, Kantianism, utilitarianism, virtue theory) each have their own opinions. /end rant
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Post by krusader74 on Nov 8, 2016 19:26:08 GMT -6
Election humorThough not at all D&D related, this is still my favorite piece of non-partisan election humor: On The Simpsons, in the episode entitled "Treehouse of Horror VII" (October 27, 1996), in the segment called Citizen Kang, Kang and Kodos, a brother-and-sister duo of aliens from Rigel VII, impersonate Bill Clinton and Bob Dole in order to win the 1996 Presidential election. On the day before the election, Homer Simpson reveals the candidates' real identities. Despite being exposed, Kang and Kodos declare to the people that they have to choose between one of them because "it's a two-party system." One man in the crowd announces that he will vote for a third-party candidate, but Kang and Kodos mockingly encourage him to "go ahead, throw your vote away." Kang is subsequently elected President and quickly enslaves all of humanity into building a giant ray gun to aim at an unknown planet. Homer smugly states: And yes, there's a T-Shirt.
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Post by krusader74 on Nov 8, 2016 19:18:13 GMT -6
Elections in Medieval and Ancient timesToday in the US, it's election day, so I thought I'd post links to some articles about how elections worked in Medieval and Ancient times... 8 things you (probably) didn’t know about medieval elections:- Elections were a common occurrence: "Medieval people liked their elections: they elected bishops, popes, abbots, mayors, members of parliament, town councils, and so on. Perhaps surprisingly, they also elected their kings."
- Elections were seen as mixed blessings: "In the Book of Samuel, the existence of kingship itself was an expression of the people’s will: the Israelites wanted a king, and God gave them one. Sometimes elections were simply necessary: kings died without issue, or popes, bishops and abbots had to be chosen, and so on."
- Elections were supposed to be unanimous: Leaders were supposed to rule by the divine will of God, so how could there be any disagreement? Anyone who disagreed with the majority would usually get put to death.
- Elections could take a very long time: "After the death of Pope Clement IV in November 1268, it took the cardinals nearly three years to elect a new pope."
- Elections were concerned with morality
- The people mattered. But some people mattered more than others: "In 13th-century Florence, in order to be able to vote, one also had to join one of the city's guilds."
- Election campaigns were frowned upon. But still happened
- Elections were for life (except when they weren't)
Reeve:Athenian democracy:Voting and elections in Biblical times:To replace Judas (Acts 1:12–26), the disciples prayed and "cast lots." This was probably not a vote, but more like pulling a name out of a hat or throwing dice (see below), thus leaving the decision to God in some sense. As stated above, Athenian Greeks felt that a lottery was more Democratic than an election! What is casting lots in Scripture?The Urim and Thummim were likely quartz stones that functioned like coins (or 2-sided dice), one side "yes" and the other "no": Betei Din: Kings of Israel had too much to do and delegated much of their authority to wisemen/judges. These courts were called Betei Din (Houses of Judgment). (The singular is Bet Din.) The largest court was the Sanhedrin which met on the temple mount and consisted of 71 judges. There were courts with 23 judges. And the smallest court was 3 judges, found in villages with a population of less than 120 people. Whenever these courts needed to decide an important matter, like a capital offense, they took a vote. A simple majority wasn't sufficient to decide such a case--there had to be a supermajority: Even Jesus, in the New Testament, seems to delegate his authority to a Bet Din: Read in context, this passage seems to be saying that whenever there's a question or dispute, it should be brought to a panel of 2 or 3 community leaders, and whatever the majority (2) decide, is authoritative. The Source for Elections in the Torah by Rosh Hayeshiva and Harav Mordechai Greenberg... This article cites the sources for the idea that a community leader (a rabbi, a judge, or even a king) is not appointed without prior consultation with the people:
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Post by krusader74 on Nov 1, 2016 16:10:36 GMT -6
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Post by krusader74 on Oct 18, 2016 1:24:02 GMT -6
I updated this today with the following changes: - New: Attack button rolls to see if an attack on an opponent succeeds and calculates hit location and wound severity
- New: Defend button rolls to see if an attack on this character succeeds and calculates hit location and wound severity. It deducts damage from the Strength ability. It also tracks wounds to the left and right arm, switching hands if the "wrong hand penalty" is less than the penalty for wounds to the dominant hand. It pops up an alert box if your character dies, falls unconscious, or can't fight anymore because both arms were blown off. There's also a button to reset wounds.
- New: You can now supply custom ability and experience scores in the query string of the URL, rather than randomly generate abilities and start experience at 0.
- New: Documentation on how to use it (see below).
- Reposted it on my Pastebin to make it easier to download.
- Updated: The screenshot in the OP to reflect the changes
With these changes, you could make two characters in separate browser tabs/windows and have them duel. You'd just need to copy and paste the calculated "To Hit" percentage (after choosing a weapon) from each to the "Opponent's chance to hit you" input box of the other. Then use the "Defend" button on the target (rather than the "Attack" button on the firer) since that tracks damage. Here is the documentation, which is also embedded as a Markdown-formatted comment at the top of the HTML in the Pastebin version: NAMEBootHill.html - Boot Hill 1E character generator SYNOPSIS BootHill.html [QueryString] DESCRIPTIONThe simplest use is to load the page into a web browser without a QueryString. If you are loading it from your local filesystem, you will likely be using a URL like so: file:///C:/Users/krusader74/Downloads/BootHill.html Then follow these instructions: - Hit the Generate Character button to randomly create a new character.
- If desired, increase the experience with the + Won / + Lost buttons.
- Choose a weapon from the drop down list.
a. This makes a stat block for the weapon with its range, rate, speed, etc. b. It also computes First Shot and To Hit c. You can add modifiers like movement, surprise, range, etc. - To attack an opponent, click the Attack button. This randomly determines if you hit. If you hit, then it rolls randomly for
a. Hit Location b. Wound Severity - To defend against an attack, input your opponent's chance to hit and damage modifiers, then click the Defend button. It randomly determines if you're hit. If you are, then it determines
a. Hit Location: If you are hit in your right arm, then the program automatically switches to the left arm and applies the wrong hand penalty, unless your left arm is equally or more severely wounded then the right. Damage to arms affects your chances to hit. If both arms are severely damaged, then you cannot attack anymore. b. Wound Severity subtracts from your Strength. If Strength falls to 0 or less, you're unconscious and can't attack any more. A mortal wound kills your character and he can't attack anymore either. - Click the Reset Wounds button to erase any wounds (including a mortal wound) and reset your Strength to its original value.
OPTIONSInstead of randomly generating a character, you may specify his abilities in the QueryString like so: BootHill.html?GunAccuracy=80&ThrowingAccuracy=75&Bravery=52&Speed=22&Strength=57 You must supply integer values between 1 and 100 for all 5 abilities: - GunAccuracy
- ThrowingAccuracy
- Bravery
- Speed
- Strength
Additionally, you may specify your character's Experience like so: BootHill.html?GunAccuracy=80&ThrowingAccuracy=75&Bravery=52&Speed=22&Strength=57&Won=2&Lost=1 by supplying both the number of gunfights he's Options are case sensitive. NOTE: To use a QueryString with the JSFiddle-hosted code, modify this URL: http://fiddle.jshell.net/krusader74/zLopw8k2/show/?GunAccuracy=80&ThrowingAccuracy=75&Bravery=52&Speed=22&Strength=57&Won=2&Lost=1 Notice we've changed the URL structure: - fiddle.jshell.net instead of jsfiddle.net
- show added to the end of the URL before the query string
NOTE: The QueryString is parsed when the body is loaded. So, to use different parameters, alter the URL and then reload the page. AUTHORSCOPYRIGHTThis software has been released by its author into the public domain. SEE ALSOHISTORYVersion
| Date
| Description
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0.1
| 2016-10-14
| Initial release
| 0.2
| 2016-10-17
| Added wound tracking
| 0.3
| 2016-10-18
| Added QueryString processing and documentation
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Post by krusader74 on Oct 16, 2016 14:52:16 GMT -6
This weekend, I began work on a BH 1E retro-clone. So far, its about 20 pages as a digest sized PDF. It only implements the basic rules so far. My TODO list for it is at the end of the doc. Here are the links: Here is an image of the cover of the PDF:
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Post by krusader74 on Oct 14, 2016 6:53:28 GMT -6
I composed a JSFiddle to generate Boot Hill 1975 edition characters. You can then pick a weapon, specify any combat bonuses and penalties (like movement, wounds, surprise, range or experience), and it computes First Shot and To Hit. Successful gunfight experience improves Accuracy, Bravery and Speed, as per the rules. It also computes Exact Hit Locations, including any modifiers from using shotguns and scatter guns at short or long range. Only the basic rules are implemented. And Brawls (punching/grappling tables) aren't implemented yet. The source code is here. Feel free to use/modify it however you want. It's pure JavaScript, no external libraries. The title text is an image generated using the free Colt font at FontMeme. So far, I only tested it with Firefox version 49. Here is a screenshot:
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Post by krusader74 on Oct 10, 2016 3:39:33 GMT -6
Aren't countertenors more common in Baroque opera? Yes. In King Arthur, Philidel is a countertenor. I also watched a production of Purcell's Fairy Queen recently, and there had to be a half dozen countertenors. One more thing I forgot to mention about Philidel -- he was actually conjured up by the Saxon mage Osmond. But Philidel refused to fight the Britons when he saw the Christian crosses on their shields. And he switched sides and joined the Britons. There are already some rules in Chainmail about Wizards losing control of the Elementals they conjure: But the idea of of an Elemental being converted by a holy symbol is an interesting one that could work in a campaign like this.
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Post by krusader74 on Oct 9, 2016 14:34:18 GMT -6
Purcell's King ArthurRecently, I watched/listened to several performances of Purcell's King Arthur. It depicts a battle between the Britons and the Saxons. They've already faced off 10 times prior (with the Britons winning each time), so this will be their 11th battle. With a little work, it might be crafted in a Chainmail scenario. Here are the major players on each side: BRITONS/Law/Christians- Arthur, King
- Merlin, Magician
- Philadel, Air Elemental/Fallen Angel/Cupid
- Conon, Vassal
- Emmeline, Conon's daughter, and her attendant Matilda
- Albanact, Captain of the Guard
SAXONS/Chaos/Heathens- Oswald, King
- Osmond, Magician
- Grimbald, Earth Elemental
- Saxon Priests
- 2 Valkyries
Tactics/tricks used by Saxons- Before the battle: horse & human sacrifice to Woden, Thor, & Freya to curry favor
- Cast illusions to trick the Britons into drowning in river or falling off a cliff
- Kidnap Emmeline & Matilda
- Sirens, Nymphs and Sylvans used to tempt Arthur
Notes and ReferencesThere are several versions of this opera available on YouTube. Unfortunately, none of these does it any real justice. These productions are minimalistic, but a baroque opera is supposed to be a big, expensive production with - Painted scenery, moveable sets, working fountains
- Elaborate masques and fancy costumes
- Special effects: Trap doors, actors flying around on wires, fireworks
- Animal actors: Horses, trained dancing monkeys
King Arthur was written by Henry Purcell (music) and John Dryden (words). It's in English. (But at least one of the performances I saw on YouTube was translated into a foreign language.) Imslp has a PDF with the libretto, score, and an introductionBaroque opera differs from later Italian opera. The primary characters speak their parts. Secondary characters sing. There are also divine/mythical characters who also sing. Of these, there are two kinds: Greek/Roman gods, usually Venus, Cupid and Pan. And Germanic/Norse gods, usually Woden, Freya, Thor and the Valkyries. In addition, the "good guys" are Christian. So you have 3 different pantheons operative in the same story.
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Post by krusader74 on Oct 5, 2016 17:46:04 GMT -6
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Post by krusader74 on Oct 4, 2016 18:27:19 GMT -6
Religion, politics and D&DThere's an old saying: "Never discuss religion or politics in polite company." At the risk of having this thread deleted or locked, I wanted to make a list of links to articles that mix religion and politics with D&D. Importantly, I wanted to make this list of links without making any judgments about their content. I'm not saying the content being linked to isn't judgmental -- it is highly opinionated. Nor am I saying that I don't have an opinion. But I am not going to express my own personal opinion about it -- I'm simply pointing it out. You can make your own judgments about it, without any input from me. I'm not putting this thread in the General Board, because I do NOT want to discuss these links -- at least not here. Instead, I am putting this thread with the Links & Resources, in case anyone else has links to other articles or current events that mix politics and religion with D&D. I ask that if anyone wishes to discuss any of these items, please create a separate thread on the General Board. It is possible to discuss this material in a mature, objective, dispassionate fashion. Examples:ReligionOn The 700 Club, in this recent show from September 27, 2016, in the segment, "Bring It On: Ask Pat a question," Pat Robertson brings up D&D and role-playing. It starts 49 minutes and 33 seconds into the program. You can watch or listen here: Here is a rough transcript of the Q&A:
TERRY MEEUWSEN
This is a viewer who says:
"My husband's been playing an online game with other people. The game includes elements of witchcraft. He doesn't think it's bad, but since he started playing the game, my daughters and I have witnessed really weird things happening in our home. We've anointed the house. How do I pray for my husband and how do I convince him that he's bringing bad things into our home? He gets angry when I bring it up." -- VIEWER
PAT ROBERTSON
Well I think you need to get the senior person. Maybe you can find a minister or find some trusted advisor who tells him this is a problem. There was a game called Dungeons & Dragons that people got into. They got into role-playing. The next thing you know, they were in a fantasy world that really captured them. So it is demonic. Demons are out to destroy you. And your husband needs to understand that.
When Dungeons & Dragons Set Off a 'Moral Panic' by Clyde Haberman in the New York Times on April 17, 2016. GOLEMS & GEMATRIA: roleplaying Jewish characters by Lee Gold. There is already a discussion thread here started by kesher on January 22, 2016 called Jewish D&D from Lee Gold!The 3-part essay Ethics in Fantasy: Morality and D&D (1996) by Tracy Raye Hickman (archived 2006): The Schnoebelen articles: Patricia Pulling and Bothered About Dungeons & Dragons (B.A.D.D.): PoliticsDungeons And Donalds @dungeonsdonald -- a current satirical twitter feed in which the presidential candidate "makes D&D great again" Patton Oswalt Ranked the GOP Debate By D&D Statistics collects a series of tweets from October 29, 2015. Jared Logan's unsuccessful Kicstarter "to raise $200,000.00 in order to hire Hillary Clinton to speak to our Dungeons & Dragons club." Obama vs. Romney D&D Smack-Down at NYC Gallery in WIRED October 9, 2012
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Post by krusader74 on Oct 4, 2016 17:52:50 GMT -6
Boot Hill Intellectual PropertyBoot Hill CopyrightDoes anyone know who owns the copyrights on the text, published by TSR: Brian Blume? The Gary Gygax's estate? Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast? Boot Hill TrademarkThe "Boot Hill" trademark is currently owned by Rogue Comet LLC... confirmed by TESS:
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Word Mark | BOOT HILL | Goods and Services | IC 016. US 002 005 022 023 029 037 038 050. G & S: Role playing game equipment in the nature of game book manuals. FIRST USE: 20151127. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 20151127 | Standard Characters Claimed | | Mark Drawing Code | (4) STANDARD CHARACTER MARK | Serial Number | 86690408 | Filing Date | July 11, 2015 | Current Basis | 1A | Original Filing Basis | 1A | Published for Opposition | March 15, 2016 | Registration Number | 4967778 | Registration Date | May 31, 2016 | Owner | (REGISTRANT) Rogue Comet, LLC LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY TEXAS 801 Appalachian Dr. Wylie TEXAS 75098 | Type of Mark | TRADEMARK | Register | PRINCIPAL | Live/Dead Indicator | LIVE |
Does anyone know what they plan to do with this trademark? Retro-clone? 5e-based game?
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Post by krusader74 on Oct 4, 2016 17:48:32 GMT -6
1960s TV WesternsRecently, I started watching several 1960s TV westerns associated with the late great Star Trek (original series) writer and producer Gene L. Coon: - Bonanza
- Zorro
- Have Gun -- Will Travel
- Wagon Train
- Wild Wild West
What I like about most of these series, particularly Bonanza, are the - strong moral lessons
- strong basis in historical fact
WRT history, take Bonanza for example. Virginia City was a real silver mining town in Nevada in the 1860s. While there weren't really any Cartwrights or Ponderosa ranch, just about every episode teaches us something interesting about Virginia City's rich history. Consider just a few examples from the beginning of Season 1: - Episide 5 "Enter Mark Twain": Yes, Sam Clemens/Josh/Mark Twain got his start in journalism writing for Virginia City's daily newspaper, the Territorial Enterprise.
- Episode 6 "The Julia Bulette Story": Julia was a beautiful, London-born prostitute, who made a fortune as a working girl in Virginia City before being murdered by a French jewel thief.
- Episode 8 "The Philip Deidesheimer story": In 1860, Dutch mining engineer Philip Deidesheimer invented square set timbering for the Comstock Load's Ophir Mine in Virginia City. This system uses heavy timber "cubes" as supports for underground mining tunnels and shafts.
Where Bonanza sticks close to real-life history, Wild Wild West is fun departure. It's not afraid to mix genres (King-Fu Cowboy, or Cowboys vs Aliens) or include high-tech gadgets way ahead of their time. You can find full episodes of both Bonanza and Wild Wild West on YouTube.
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Post by krusader74 on Sept 21, 2016 18:11:00 GMT -6
Incidentally, if someone wished to experiment with the probability of one die scoring higher than another and the relative strength of dice using Palamedes, you could enter the following code, one line at a time, on the main page: Green <-[6, 6, 2, 2, 2, 2] Red <- [5, 5, 5, 1, 1, 1] Yellow <- [4, 4, 4, 4, 0, 0] Blue <- 6#3 probWins <- sum(map(hold(_1 > _2), _1 cross _2))/sum(map(1, _1 cross _2)) stronger <- probWins(_1, _2) > probWins(_2, _1) stronger(Green, Red) stronger(Green, Blue) probWins(Green, Blue)
But I've already created a more elaborate script to analyze this game. The script is here. You can run it with this link. And here is a screenshot of the output. (Note I've only tested this in Firefox 49 so far.)
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Post by krusader74 on Sept 20, 2016 16:39:36 GMT -6
The Most Powerful Dice -- NumberphileIn this 6 minute 33 second YouTube video on the Numberphile channel, Tadashi Tokieda asks us to consider the following game: Two players choose a die from a set of dice and roll them against each other. Whichever comes up higher wins. Here is the set of the dice players can use and their face values: Green Die: 6 6 2 2 2 2Red Die: 5 5 5 1 1 1Yellow Die: 4 4 4 4 0 0Blue Die: 3 3 3 3 3 3Rank the dice. Which is stronger, which is weaker? The rankings are Green > Red > Yellow > Blue > GreenThis is a simple example of a non-transitive cycle in probabilistic comparison. BTW, you can purchase a set of non-transitive dice at mathsgear.co.uk Formatted with Markdown2BBCode.pl
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