So I went to your main DW page, Bob, and was surprised to see this:

My own personal imp of the perverse won't let go of this, so I have to ask.  When the .js file picks a number between 0 and 517 on a list that goes from 0 to 516, it is working as intended, isn't it?

Despite years of watching, the Valkyrie spotter community has only ever caught glimpses of this rare bird, in the form of fuzzy fighter and battroid shots, and a few seconds of disputed video footage. But now, the M7 PLUS variant of the VF-14 stands clearly revealed for all!



Add a dorsal fin, and it matches the one shown in Macross Plus Movie Edition as well:


Hey, BA, whaddaya say? VF-14, here to stay? You know you want B.A.T. to build these around 2030 instead of the VF-11 that beat it into general procurement in Macross canon...
--
"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

Enemy Lines - 15/Sep/2012
It was a nice pub.  She'd seen one or two, over the years.  She thought she was an adequate judge.  Mako just wished she was a better customer.
It was mid afternoon, on the outskirts of the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire.  England, Earth, Sol System; pretty close, she thought, to the Main Line.  The pub was a brisk half-hour walk from where she awoke.  She was rather abusing their hospitality, but, she felt she had little choice.
She'd quickly realised that her height would make her stand out, so a holographic distortion took her height down to 178cm, "less than six foot" as she thought the locals would say.  Otherwise her social shape seemed adequate. Based on previous experience the looks she got meant she was 'attractive'.
Television and radio signals were providing her with some intelligence, and it hadn't taken long to crack the encryption used by mobile phone signals.  The pub provided free wifi to customers, which she was making careful use of, and a mouse-sized drone was tapping the pub's telecomms wiring.
She'd released a kitten drone, that she found she had a template for.  That was prowling around the pub, chasing imaginary mice, being nice to the occasional customer.  It'd been fed a few pieces of food, which would prove useful, and overheard quite a bit of talk.
Fifteen minutes in, she was increasingly glancing at her wrist, and a simulated image of a mobile phone.  She'd cracked the coding on the payment card transmissions to various banks, that her mouse-drone had relayed to her.  Not that she planned to raid anyone's accounts, but she'd need the info to build a local identity.  No ids implanted in customers, or mobile phones used for payments, so there weren't those complications.
A police car had driven by, and fortunately been using a data link for vehicle identification.  So, she had that piece of the puzzle.  There didn't seem to be universal tracking and identification of people, just vehicles, so her job was much easier than she feared.  Though, the surveillance cameras gave her some concern, they didn't seem to be centrally networked.
Another half-hour work, and she'd have a usable local identity.  Her bank card would soon be ready, and she wouldn't need a large balance for her purposes.  Making an old, photo-free, driving licence was well under way.  A passport would soon follow.  She wasn't in a hurry, so there was no point in risking drawing attention by rushing the work.
OK, her bank card was ready, and she had funds.  Time to stop the annoyed looks at her 'wrist watch' and 'phone'.  While the kitten was harvesting some nice organics, she thought she'd have a pint, and see what they'd do off the menu.
Just because she was behind what might be enemy lines, didn't mean she couldn't live properly.
--
"It is the business of the future to be dangerous" - Hawkwind

All catgirls produced by the Catgirling Machine need some specific sort of carbonated beverage in their diet.  Out in Fenspace, getting this might be problematic.  I'd suggest, quite early on, someone waved up:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w...rimatic_Drinks_Dispenser
the only problem being while this dispenses the needed drink, on a per-catgirl basis, it always tastes faintly of tea...  So, while the catgirl remains healthy, they might end up with a craving for "the real thing".
--
"It is the business of the future to be dangerous" - Hawkwind

Something I have been playing around with for a few weeks, but its still a first draft of the idea. What do you think?

##################

For Tailed Ones

»At first we were a bit worried because it looked like the catgirls from Jenga enjoyed being catgirls. But like us they are just victims of the Boskones. And its nice to have some friends out there.«
- Kyliea, Liberty 2019

»Who cares they sell them for catgirls? If you ever got one of their showers with the ultrasonic massaging your will never want a different one.«
- Cindy Barringer, Crystal Tokyo 2020

»You can pretend not to like being a catgirl all day long. But when I look at the skimpy thing you are wearing, I think its not the complete truth!«
- Cathy of Jenga, Liberty 2019

History

“For Tailed Ones” is a company based on 125 Liberatrix which produce all kind of normal Fenspace products adapted for the use by Biomods with tails. The company was founded in early 2018 when Catgirl Industries noticed that their Normandy project sucked up that much time that they were unable to build some of their more normal projects.

Unwilling to buy everything from outside sources, they approached the catgirls at 125 Liberatrix with the idea of a joined company based on the asteroid to build all kind of things for catgirls and other biomods with tails.

It took a long discussion to finalize the details about the factory, the catgirls at Liberatrix were interested in the project but worried about Catgirl Industries connection to some Furries. After nearly a month they managed to resolve their problems and began with the work.

In mid 2020 an unknown pirate group attacked Liberatrix. The Liberatrix Defense Force shot down many of the Pirates craft, the few ‘enter torpedos’ the asteroid was easily repulsed by the catgirls close to their docking point. Two days later an United Belt Alliance craft approached to advertise their new defense organization. But the catgirls were very agitated and not in a mood to discuss the topic and some of them had already asked for help from Jenga.

Just six month later a second group of pirates attacked Liberatrix, this time beginning with a few volleys of missiles out of direct weapon range to ‘soften up’ their target. When most of their missiles were destroyed or dismantled by the recently installed Space Exocomp Hive at the company's factory and Liberatrix space fighters launched to meet them, the pirates decided to run away as quickly as possible.

The company

The products ranges from simple furniture up to showers with ‘hair-proof’ drainage and integrated fur-dryers. Many of the products never leave Liberatrix or are shipped to Catgirl Industries, the co-founder of the company.

The company is housed in a couple of caves inside the asteroid. The central cave is the primary factory area, where most of the production takes place. The other caves are used to grow wood, mostly Bamboo and Paulownia because they are very fast growing.

Since the foundation of the company Catgirl Industries has been owning a third of the company while a large group of catgirls from Liberatrix own the other two third. Both sides have agreed that the other side has a ‘first buyer’ right if the the other side wants to give away their share.

The factory area of the company looks like a mixture of a typical Fen workplace and a module of Jenga. While there are always a few Exocomps around, living with the catgirls form Jenga, they mostly help with technical issues. A lot of work is done by simple waved machines or just by hand.

The large bio-caves are the source of wood for the company. Much of the earning of the company is channeled back into the extension of this caves and the import of the necessary elements to increase the amount of biomass.

Trivia

• Catgirl Industries is still trying to persuade their partners to install a full Grid virtual reality into the factory
  
• The Bamboo seeds for the first biocave were bought from the Jason, but the other caves have been seeded with unwaved bamboo and Kiri trees.
  
• The factory has an Interwave link to Jenga
  
• Some Exocomps have ‘adopted’ catgirls from Liberatrix.
  

This is a direct copy/past of TonyV's post at the City of Heroes forums. TonyV is the center of Titan Network's efforts to save CIty of Heroes. 


It is being copied in case it is taken down. The reason should be very obvious once you read the entire post. Do so now. And take his call to action and advice to heart. 






Cross-posted at Titan Network forums
Hey all,
[SKIP TO "TL;DR" TO BYPASS SOME FLUFF]
(but it's worth a read if you think I've lost my mind)
So here's the situation. Two weeks ago today, we received word that NCsoft is closing Paragon Studios and shutting down City of Heroes. Since that time, the community has pulled together with amazing strength and clarity. Our story has been published on over two hundred news sites and blogs, we've gotten notable personalities including Mercedes Lackey (who has unwaveringly supported and promoted this game for years), Neil Gaiman, Sean Astin, Felicia Day, Scott Kurtz, Tara Platt, John Kovalic, and John C. Wright to support us. I personally have been on an Internet streaming radio show, and a pre-recorded interview from yesterday is due to be played on a broadcast radio station tomorrow. Our community has reached out even further through social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter, through user-submitted articles such as iReports on CNN (one of which was vetted by a producer), posts on other gaming forums to rally our extended community to our cause, and we have touched literally millions of people.
Over the past two weeks, I have tried my best to communicate with NCsoft. I have been copying upper-level management on our press releases as well as sending e-mails imploring them to talk to us or provide some sign that our Option A--allowing Paragon Studios to acquire the game--is being seriously considered. I presented this not as a demand or even as charity, but in clear terms of how this would benefit NCsoft both financially and in terms of public relations not just to the City of Heroes community, but to the community of gamers--their customers--as a whole. I have tried to convey that I respect their business decision, but that there are alternatives in which we all can win and that our community can avoid being needlessly destroyed as a casualty of a strategic realignment.
Unfortunately, I have heard nothing back from them but silence, the silence is deafening, and now we are at serious risk of losing even if we win. Our development team is a highly qualified group of people with proven talents in developing successful games. We have undoubtedly lost some through finding other employment, and we are at the time now where if we don't fall through to our next course of action, our window of opportunity for retaining the people who made this place great will be irrevocably closed.
TL;DR READERS START HERE (yes, I know it's still long, bear with me, this is really important)
Before any of this craziness was going on, I managed to get e-mail addresses for NCsoft management. Not e-mail addresses you'll find on any public publications. I have stressed that our goal is not to cause NCsoft harm, neither financially nor reputation-wise. At this point, I am convinced that our message just isn't getting through. I still think that they do not understand why this game is so important to us. And it might be my fault; if they have not been seeing the news or our efforts with the rallies or the outreach, what does the word of one random stranger on the Internet really mean?
So for two weeks, I have been desperately resisting doing this because I don't want it to be mistaken as a sign of harassment, but we have to get our message through. I am now asking you all to contact the following people at the following addresses. Let them know what this game means to you. Tell them your stories. Send them your pictures. Stress how much our development staff has meant to us over the years, why they are unique in the industry, the story of how fun it was on Game Night before the Player Summit, how nice the artist was who signed your Blue King #1.

: Mr. Taek-Jin Kim, CEO
[url=mailto:sy@ncsoft.com: Dr. Song-Yee Yoon, Chief Strategist
[url=mailto:dikim2@ncsoft.com[/url]: Mr. Dong-Il Kim, CFO
Please note them now, because there's a chance that this post might be taken down quickly.
I hope that the e-mails will stress positives, reasons why we believe releasing City of Heroes to be acquired by a third party is a good business move that benefits everyone. However, I know that there are still a lot of hurt feelings in the community, and I suspect that there will be some negative e-mails sent no matter how much I ask them not to be. I will ask that you at least do this for me: Tell them why you are hurt and angry over a game being canceled. Express to them what you're feeling, how in the past five years this makes five games now (Dungeon Runners, Auto Assault, Exteel, and Tabula Rasa as well as City of Heroes) that NCsoft has shut down; why that is having a very negative impact on their reputation; why you have started "Boycott NCsoft" movements and why you are telling friends in the gaming community--their customer base--to avoid titles such as Guild Wars 2 and Blade and Soul, titles they need to thrive. If you are angry over having sunk costs in City of Heroes that cannot be recovered (extended subscriptions, Paragon Points, microtransactions for which you feel you are not receiving the full value of), be sure to point out how these issues go away if the game continues.
Send them e-mails. Tell your friends, supergroups, coalitions, and teams. Post on Facebook. Tweet it. Yell it out your front door if you have to, butget the word out.
I know some of you might disagree with this strategy and opt not to take part, and I understand; it's your choice. Please know that this has been a well-thought-out decision that I've struggled with and I was really hoping that there would be some hint that things would be resolved by now. I wish we had the luxury of continuing our current plan of urging one-on-one communication or waiting until we receive some sign that things are going our way, but we've gotten to the point that now, every day we wait is one more day that our development team is permanently at risk of dissolving through attrition, one more day that we lose players who become demotivated, one more day until November 30 when this all becomes a moot point.
I'll continue posting news and updates on the Titan Network forums. You guys are the best damn community ever. We really need you now.
__________________
We've been saving Paragon City for eight and a half years. It's time to do it one more time.
(If you love this game as much as I do, please read that post.)

Change your Yahoo mail password - your account has been compromised and is being used to send spam.
--
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

Exciting Times - 14/Sep/2012
The Little Black Egg sat there.  It might not like them, but it had clear instructions.  There was the Original Instruction, of course, but the time was not right for that, yet.  Then there were the more recent ones, not quite so fundamental, but still needing to be obeyed.
It had to protect and maintain Mako, as an independent being.  Rather difficult, as it had no idea where Mako was, and the suggested time-scale for recording a memory update from her had gone way beyond 'critical'.
It sort of liked Mako, she was much more straight-forward than the Master.  Holding her memory, her 'soul' as the Master had called it, within, sort of gave it a feeling of being... wanted, valuable.  Somehow it must be able to help her.
It didn't have a lot of leeway, the bounds laid on it were so firm they were adamant.  There was also a resources problem, due to a lack even of spells it could make use of.  There wasn't a Forge, and raw materials, either, so that route was closed to it, too.  Having at least a temporary Mako would be so very useful...
Nearby it could feel something that had... possibilities.  It didn't feel magical, it didn't feel technological, it felt... different.  Had a new Power started playing on the board?  But, there was no feeling of personality about it.
Whether it could influence the local reality was unclear.  It followed the usual procedures, but there was no feedback.  A new experience - usually there was at least a feeling of resistance.  Having nothing better to do it delicately pushed, tried to shift probabilities, alter chance behaviour.  It could feel a human nearby, that seemed the best bet.
At last, a change.  It didn't care for itself, being nearly indestructible, and unaging, but it felt time was running out for Mako.  The human had a feeling of anger and guilt.  There was movement.  A new environment.
When it was abandoned, in a pile of other materials, it wondered.  Then it felt the possibilities, changing, becoming more pregnant, and it did its best to encourage them.  It wasn't a summoning and shaping spell, it wasn't a Forge, but it felt like something it could use.
The Little Black Egg held all the patterns of Mako's memories, the plans to build or rebuild her, down to a molecular level, in all parts but her organic brain.  Somehow it hoped it could work around that, as it fed the patterns outward, and felt the materials be re-woven, as needed.  There was some resistance, in the weapons, no matter how hard it pushed, but then there was a sudden give, as if a compromise was reached.  Maybe in the non-functioning Krem cell?  And, something else substituted.
A delay, not enough organic materials.  For some reason the surroundings couldn't be harvested, it "wasn't appropriate".  But, things seemed stable, and the time was usefully used in storing solar energy.  It could have fed in energy from its own deep reserves, but something held it back from offering that.
The final resource.  Delivered, processed, some excess stored against future need.  Interesting.  It could now see how to weave a mammalian brain together from dead matter.  Worth remembering.  Mako's mind image went through some sort of filtering process, which it again fought against, but she at least felt stable and sane.  For thoroughness, it took a copy of the result.
BOOTSTRAP.  Mako was waking.  That instruction was satisfied, at least for now.  So, it could follow the Master's latest one, "Go Away!  Stop Bothering Me!".
And, it was gone.
--
"It is the business of the future to be dangerous" - Hawkwind

OK, this is getting annoying. I'm trying to view a site that uses shtml files for some unknown reason.

Whenever I click on a link to one of these files in Chrome it declines to open the file, it prompts me to "keep" or "discard" the file as it "may be dangerous". 

I'm running Chrome with Adblock and Noscript enabled. And it still does this. I can save the file locally and open it which lets me view the text, but the images do not display because the page uses local links rather than fully-qualified ones.

ANNOYING.
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.