In order to bring the page size down to something more reasonable (read: can be grasped in a single quick reading), I just moved the "politics" section of the Crystal Millennium page onto http://www.fenspace.net/index.php5?titl ... Millennium]its own page, and left a brief summary on the main Senshi page.

This means that the largest single non-story page on the wiki is currently the write-up for the VVS. (One is tempted to look at that page and see what should be spun off into separate articles... but that's Mal's baby.) The main "Crystal Millennium" page is now the third-largest non-story page on the wiki, with the "United Federation of Planets" page currently in the number-2 slot. (One is also tempted to look at the main Trekkie page and see what should be spun off into separate articles... but that's also Mal's baby.)

We've been developing the Senshi quite a bit - the "Politics of the Crystal Millennium" page is larger than either "The Wizarding World" page or the "Galactic Republic" page, or the "Independent Faction" and "Interstellar Alliance" pages put together. (Heck, we know more about the very-minor Galactican faction than we know about the Fivers.)

Anybody want to develop the Major Factions that aren't Trekkies or Senshi?
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

One of the ongoing games I play with one of my brothers is trying to come up with a totally useless "super-power", and then trying to find a way for it to not be useless.

This is often enough amusing that it seems worth sharing. Ideas in both directions are welcome; offbeat superpowers (not useless, but "wha?" or otherwise amusing) would fit here as well.

My most recent "useless superpower" idea - and, I think, one of the best candidates I've come up with - is:

If you honestly believe you're vulnerable to something, it cannot harm you.

(trying a fourth time...)

http://www.pelicancrossing.net/netwars/ ... iting.html

It's a bit stream-of-consciousness, but it has to be - where the column ends up and how it gets there are equally important.

Thoughts?
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

So, I've been musing lately; what sort of museums are there in Fenspace. Especially ones that're dedicated to Fennish milestones and historxy. What would be in them? We already know that there's something on Greenwood, while I moved SS Ciara and Destiny Nova to museum-ship status as of 2023 because one was old, and another is the only enemy craft of its type captured.

Now generally, havin a museum relies on the people be finished with the things they put in there for whatever reason. So, for tge Interplanetary Museum of Fenspace, what do we put in it to preserve for the ages and who do we highlight?
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?

Meet the idiots who decided to dress as George Zimmerman and Treyvon Martin for Halloween
A few observations:
1.  Never photograph anything so tacky.
2. Never post it to the world and showing your pride at your extreme bad taste and expect to get applause.
3. Once posted, deleting it won't help. Someone probably already have a screenshot between the time you posted it and the time you deleted it.
4. Lastly, they're from Florida..why am I not surprised?
__________________
Into terror!,  Into valour!
Charge ahead! No! Never turn
Yes, it's into the fire we fly
And the devil will burn!
- Scarlett Pimpernell

Below is a letter I've had to write and put into my neighbour's letterboxes. There was a storm on Monday which damaged a fence.

I'm the owner of number 9 . I'm definitely responsible for the upkeep
and repair of the garden fence on one side of my house, but I'm not
sure which. According to the people living in number 7, on my left
(looking at the house from the road), I'm responsible for the fence
between number 7 and number 9. According to the people living in
number 11, on my right (looking at the house from the road), I'm
responsible for the fence between number 9 and number 11. There is no
reason to suppose that I'm responsible for both fences, which would
be clearly unfair, so one of my neighbours must be mistaken.

In support of the view
that I'm responsible for the fence between number 9 and number 11 (in
addition to the statements of the people living in number 11) is the
Property Information Form that I received when I bought the house.
Section 1.1 clearly states that I'm responsible for the boundary
features on the right. This document is clear, but is not the
definitive legal document. Based on this document, two years ago I
paid for repair to this fence when it was damaged in a storm.

In support of the view
that I'm responsible for the fence between number 7 and number 9 (in
addition to the statements of the people living in number 7) is an
interpretation of the original 1970 land registry. Section 2 states
that the owner is responsible for the fences on the boundaries marked
with a “T”. However the attached map is a low resolution
photocopy of a blueprint and is not entirely clear. There are dots
next to the boundary lines and if these dots are badly resolved “T”
symbols, this indicates that I'm responsible for the fence between
number 7 and number 9. This is the definitive legal document, but it
is unclear. The people living in number 5 also agree that we're all
responsible for the fence on our left and an examination of the
fences between the houses on this side indicates that this is the
accepted practice.

It is utterly
implausible that I'm responsible for both fences. I don't have a
great preference to which fence I'm responsible for, but I have no
intention of being considered responsible for both. I'm perfectly
willing to take responsibility for and pay for the upkeep and repair
of the fence I am responsible for, but not for both. However I have
been unable to persuade either side to change their view as to which
fence is my responsibility. I'm therefore inviting the people living
in number 7 and the people living in number 11 to meet, come to an
agreement and tell me which fence is my responsibility. If they
desire, and there is a time convenient for us all, I'm inviting them
both for tea and cakes at my house (number 9) where they can talk
about this and see the documentation described above if they want to.

I rewatched Revolutionary Girl Utena once again a few months ago, and it's still kicking around my mind.  So I've collected a few quotes and songs that might be useful for writing the Utena step.
When I came across this webcomic in A Softer World, the words jumped out at me, as they reminded me of a certain someone:

Quote:"... like the stars you see through a telescope, just pretty echoes of the long dead."

Quote:There are only four questions of value in life, Don Octavio: What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living for? And what is worth dying for? The answer to each is the same. Only love. -- Don Juan DeMarco
Miscommunication sometimes leads to arguments, and arguments sometimes lead to fights. Anger is usually present in arguments and fights. Anger is an emotion, usually classified as a negative emotion. Negative emotions can cause severe problems in our environment and to the health of our body. Happiness, usually classified as a positive emotion, can bring good health to our body, and spread positive vibrations into our environment. Sometimes when we are ill, we are not on our best behavior. By ill, I mean any of the following: physically ill, emotionally ill, mentally ill, and/or spiritually ill. -- the Log Lady
A-Ko (as the Rose Prince): What do you mean, "the light of the world"?B-Ko (as the Witch): Don't you know what the light is?  It is... that which is eternal.  That which shines.  The power of miracles.  The power to revolutionize the world. -- Utena, Episode 34, The Rose Crest

Quote:Cultivo una rosa blanca          I cultivate a white roseEn julio como enero,             In July and JanuaryPara el amigo sincero            For my sincere friendQue me da su mano franca.        Who gives me his open hand
Y para el cruel que me arranca   And for the cruel one who would tear outEl corazón con que vivo,         This heart that gives me lifeCardo ni ortiga cultivo;         I grow neither thistles nor nettlesCultivo la rosa blanca.          I cultivate a white rose

No, not like the classical elements, or an alternate system based on eastern philosophy, nor even the RL physical elements though the idea is closer; I'm trying to come up with a conceptual, effect-based system to model spellcasting. Using the following, can you think of an effect that CAN'T be done?

Actions:

separate
unite
move (as in A to C via B, "attract" and "repel" are also included via To or From)
->inertia is cancelled automatically for the force imparted by Move, but remains after the spell ends if the target is still in motion, and friction/lightspeed/time dialation effects are in full force unless specifically counteracted by other parts of the spell. Move spells must have a reference that they move relative to, which defaults to whatever the caster considers their own frame of reference but can be specified explicitly.
transfer (as in A to C, no waypoints)
->the relative motion of a physical target is not affected unless adjusted by a Move component, as compared to the caster's frame of reference or a specified secondary target. This makes teleporting long distances tricky if there is a significant change in altitude or latitude on a planetary surface, and even more so (for example) in a surface-to-moon transfer.
increase
decrease
create
negate
reshape (while observing conservation of mass and energy)
detect
conceal

Targets:

Matter/Energy (really, it's all energy, but some is bound up in little clumps)
-> solid, liquid, gas, plasma, Bose-Einstein condensate, kinetic, thermal, light, etc. (Yes, this includes all specific objects, from an enemy's body to a planet, as long as it is conceptually a single item.)

Space/Time
-> volume, distance, duration, stasis (area effects go in this category)

Mind/Soul (setting aside theology for the purpose of the discussion, a soul is a mind accumulating experience as it moves through time)
-> luck, telepathy, emotions (often used as a precursor stage for spells with ongoing effects so they can be mentally controlled)

Group
-> "red fruits" "glass objects" "members of (organization)" "children of (specify) bloodline" (a Space target to limit the area of effect is almost always also required, to avoid draining the mage to death while trying to affect every red fruit in the universe)

Magic
-> currently active effects can also be targeted, though the results of a spell that has finished are permanent unless a different spell is used to change them again. Two clashing effects with the same strength will draw increasing levels of power until one runs out or the caster cuts it off, though it is also possible to counter an effect in a way that does not directly conflict with it, such as changing the reference point of a shield's spatial location rather than overcoming its protection. Interlocking protections against such work rounds are the hallmark of capable and experienced casters.

Syntax elements:

To
From
With
And
Not
While
If/Then/Else
Or

Greater
Lesser
Equal
True/False
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

CBC Radio, As It Happens: http://www.cbc.ca/asithappens/features/ ... r-editors/]Mass panic created by War of the Worlds? Only in the minds of newspaper editors (that page links to a copy of the interview, which lasts 6:39.)

Many radio shows are "call-in" - As It Happens is "call-out". (A lot of shows do that now, but AIH was, if not the first, then one of the earliest to regularly interview guests over the phone.) In this case, they call Michael Socolow, who teaches journalism and communications at the University of Maine. He says there was no mass panic after that famous broadcast from the Mercury Theater - newspapers made it up to discredit the new medium of radio.

The more things change...

(Oh, and http://archive.org/details/OrsonWellesMrBruns]Orson Welles' broadcast was 75 years ago on October 30.)
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/27/showbiz/l ... _inthenews]Lou Reed has died,
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/26/showbiz/m ... index.html]Marcia Wallace has also died over the weekend as well.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.