Gemini* and Gopher

• Personal/Opinions

  • Thanksgiving 2025

    On a new path.

    New people.

    New missions.

    Everything has changed.

    It almost seems like my potential is infinite. Just when I thought I'd reached peak performance, I got better.

    Never sought validation from the envious. Stopped wasting my wisdom on fools.

  • Kindred isn’t a supertype because sorceries can’t be goblins

    It was decided once upon a time that subtypes belong to specific card types. Like “aura” is an enchantment subtype, “elephant” is a creature subtype and so on. And the game rules is a super stickler about this point. It’s something it really insists on.

    Now, could this decision change? Yes. With strange aeons even foundational rules can die.

    That’s actually one of many reasons why Wizards better never hire me as a rules manager because I’d spend so much time trying to undo this “subtypes belong to specific card types” rule because I think that rule is so dumb. I’d just have a trait list and I’d make it more than just one line too. (Similar to how Netrunner does it.)

    But dumb as it is, it does have a silver lining: because of this rule, if the game sees a card that’s “enchantment creature — aura licid” it can know that the “licid” part belongs to the “creature” part, and the “aura” part belongs to the “enchantment” part.

  • First Kinetic Energy Adventure

    I think Urs, knowing the two patrons he has access to, and knowing about is bad Strength, is reluctant to go and fight in underground tunnels. Bia's offer of evacuating Mrs. Orti to Sobia sounds more like something he's into. Sam has Car-1 and can drive, so she's into it as well. Trent and Quveisa aren't against it, but they want to know a bit more.

    It's agreed, then. They all spend some time looking into job.

    Mr. Orno is Sam's contact back in the long haul business, at *Quality Intelligence*. Perhaps Sam can borrow a car for the drive? Let's check Status + Dive. Rolled a 7 on 2d6 which is barely ≤ 6 + 1. Mr. Orno does have a car available for old time's sake. "Sure, you can have this sand buggy for a week. Enjoy your trip to the Oasis!"

    Trent needs a weapon. Can the patron provide one? Sadly, with Status-2 Bia has no resources at her disposal. But she knows a guy who might be willing to hand over a pistol. She gives Urs an address and Urs passes it along. Urs is afraid of an ambush (the players don't know that Bia has a pretty high Loyalty-9) so Trent wants to take precautions and scout out the surroundings, first. We already know that Bia means Trent no harm, and it's a bit early for *House of Esre* to send in assassins. But perhaps they are trying to learn more about Trent? A hard Intelligence + Tactics check might reveal something. Rolled 13 on 3d6 which is not ≤ 10 + 1. Trent does not see that he's being tailed and gets the pistol.

  • no more panic attack

    I haven't had a panic attack in a while. It's strange. I have a bit of anxiety this morning, but nothing major.

    I drink coffee, and smoke tobacco, and party plenty, which normally are all anxiety creating activities.

    At one point I had to give all of that up, just to be able to stay afloat. But now, it seems like I can really trash about and feel okay.

    It's a strange feeling as I am used to freak out on a more regular basis. I freak out, and then do something about it and then change my way.

• Technology and Free Software

  • Internet/Gemini

    • Sarah Davis Baker: The Internet Used to Be a Place

      Via a page someone linked in my guestbook on the small web, I stumbled upon Sarah Davis Baker's video essay on YouTube about the early internet, filtered through the lens of the indie game Hypnospace Outlaw. It's a nice introduction to the web she - and I - used to know. My own experience I think started earlier than hers - I don't have an exact date as to when I first went online, but it would've been either in late 1994 or early 95. I remember using Webcrawler on Mosaic on my mother's 386 in her office. I remember my searches returning very little.

      For the next few years I mostly dialed local BBSs, using the internet more and more as my time allowed. I did what we all did. Browsed idly, waited for things to load, made my own webpage, because that was the thing to do. I did other things, too, emailed back and forth with other users at my ISP, downloaded NES ROMs using FTP-to-email gateways, posted on roguelike and occult Usenet groups. But the web was the thing. It was always the thing, until it slowly started getting worse.