you ask, i find [name]

for immediate release
USA Men's National Volleyball Team Set to Square Off
At Jeep America's Cup 2001 In Buenos Aries, Argentina
The USA matches of the Jeep America's Cup 2001 in Buenos Aries, Argentina are going to be televised on ESPN2 on the following dates:

     October 1 - USA vs. Argentina at 2 PM ET.

     October 2 - USA vs. Venezuela at 2 PM ET.

     October 4 - USA vs. Brazil at 2 PM ET.

     October 5 - USA vs. Canada at 2 PM ET.

     October 8 - Finals at 1 PM ET

this just screams jaya
DeskSwap is a multi-user screensaver that swaps images of the user's desktop with others using the screensaver. When the user stops using their computer, DeskSwap starts as a normal screensaver. It quickly takes a snapshot of the user's screen and uploads it to the DeskSwap server. Yet since screensavers only become active during periods of inactivity, DeskSwap catches candid images of the user's desktop.

what is the sound of one die rolling
STR 15 DEX 09 CON 04 INT 12 WIS 08 CHA 10
Ouch... gonna be a short campaign with stats like that. So, who wants to go adventuring with a sickly mercenary that faints at the sight of blood? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

cue the orchestra
It's amazing some of the shit you find when you clean out your inbox. Since we've been chatting off and on about some rpg, I thought you might like to see an old storyline. This is what I was pre-occupied with after discovering Majestic (11/00) but before finding the community (02/01)... [link] ...that was the makings of an email campaign, and my first and only attempt at GM'ing so far. I downloaded a free Star Wars module that TSR offered as a promo for their new d20 system, and told some of my friends to pick from the pre-generated characters. I said "write up a character bio describing how the four of you meet..." without telling any of them who the other three players were. They worked independently, and then I strung it all together into this episode. After that, we played out two or three more scenes through a blind mailing list (unless they discussed it amongst themselves, they were never told who was playing who). Then I got swamped at work for a week or two, and then the Majestic community launched. End of campaign.

robo runner [link]
Welcome to EyePlay Game's Robo Runner.
Robo Runner is a multi-player internet game based on the classic Robo Rally board game by Wizards of the Coast. Robo Runner can be played by anyone with a web browser, anywhere, anytime. Each player programs a robot, navigating it through an obstacle coarse of pits, conveyor belts, gears, pushers, and more. Robots are pitted against each other, pushing one another off coarse, destroying each other with onboard weapons, all while trying to be the first bot to the finish line. So check out the Getting Started page, and start playing.
... and may the best bot win!

Robo Rally was my WotC addicition while the rest of the world was hooked on Magic(Crack)™ cards.

tornado update

• The one that touched down in Culpepper, VA was rated F4; it completely obliterated a 3-story brick domicile.
• The one that touched down on campus in College Park, MD was rated F3; pictures from a student.
• Maryland has never before lost a life to tornado as late in the season as September.
• In fact, the last death as a result of tornado in Maryland was in 1929.
• The last recorded time a funnel cloud could be seen from the U.S. Capitol dates back to an entry in a British officer's journal... during the war of 1812.

All in all, it was one of the most interesting late lunches I've had in a long time.
~~~~~~~~~~

operation hagen-daas [link]

en·dure (n-dr, -dyr) [ v. en·dured, en·dur·ing, en·dures ] v. tr. 1. To carry on through, despite hardships; undergo: endure an Arctic winter. 2. To bear with tolerance: “We seek the truth, and will endure the consequences” (Charles Seymour). v. intr. 1. To suffer patiently without yielding.

Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

if you guys are serious
WebRPG Online
WebRPG Online is an awesome Java application that mimics a gaming table top - complete with miniatures, dice, character sheets, sounds, and maps. WebRPG Online allows you to connect with other gamers from around the world on the net and play any traditional face-to-face role playing game.

I downloaded this once about a year ago but never got the chance to use it. It looks very cool. Does anybody else have any experince with it? Does anybody else have any interest in it?

now playing [hear]
Time Zone - World Destruction [5:05] - (Hard Cell Remix)
Club 80s w/ DJ Lex *New Wave*KROQ Classics*Extended Remixes*Flashback Faves

Faerun Evenings
Somebody tell me about it. Last I heard, and this was years ago, Faerun Evenings was AOL's online fantasy role-playing game and it was based on SSI's "gold box" series of Dungeon & Dragons™ adventures. Obviously, this can't possibly be what everybody is waiting for. UO & EQ long ago superceded anything AOL could have produced. So, I ask you again, what is it?

lord of the rings
Lordette of the Rings? Lady of the Rings? Goddess of the Rings? Nevermind. Dusty and Dayna both said my ring code was screwed. Now it's pre-packaged. So much for style. Enjoy. Go visit my friends. That's what rings are for.

tornado touches down in maryland [video]
A tornado struck the University of Maryland campus in College Park Monday, overturning more than a dozen cars in a single spot, smashing trailers used for a fire training academy, breaking windows in the new Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and forcing the evacuation of three high-rise dormitories.

tornadoes batter area, kill two at U-Md [link]
The deadly twisters, unusual here, appeared to be the most destructive such storms to hit the region in about 75 years and caused damage across an area that stretched for more than 70 miles.

Technically, the tornado in College Park has killed three. A 78-year old volunteer firefighter collapsed and died at his station house last night, after over-exerting himself in rescue and clean-up operations on the campus earlier last evening.

tornadoes cause severe damage in metro area [link]
At the College Park Market Place Shopping Center at Route One and Cherry Hill Road, much of the parking lot has been commandeered by county authorities who have set up a command post to direct recovery efforts. The shopping center was hard hit yesterday when high winds swept through the area blowing out windows at the Shoppers Food Warehouse and slashing through the roof of the Home Depot.

This shopping center is barely visible to the south from my office. To the north of my office, Laurel High School also sustained tornado damage to the roof and classrooms. Assuming twisters travel in a relatively straight line, which is a faulty assumption I'm sure, it would've passed right by office windows last night.

Forgive me if this seems to fascinate me innappropriately, but as the second snippet says, this is highly unusual for our area. We get maybe 10 tornado watches during the course of the season, with two or three being upgraded to warnings. These go mostly unheeded because actual funnel sightings are rare and touchdowns are almost unheard of.

In fact, I probably would have completely ignored it myself last night, if I hadn't just spent the summer worrying about my new friend in Tornado Alley. [Hi, Dayna. Yes, I'm alright.] Well, that's not entirely true. Nick gave me a heads up about the warning in Culpepper, VA, and that was followed by my boss' wife calling from their home in College Park to inform us of damage in the neighborhood... so I had a pretty clear idea that I shouldn't be commuting while the warning was still in effect.

local severe weather alerts
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A
* TORNADO WARNING FOR... EXTREME NORTHWEST ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY IN CENTRAL MARYLAND SOUTHEAST HOWARD COUNTY IN CENTRAL MARYLAND
* UNTIL 600 PM EDT
* AT 526 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO 12 MILES SOUTH OF COLUMBIA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.
* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE... 3 MILES SOUTHEAST OF COLUMBIA AT 548 PM OVER ELKRIDGE AT 554 PM

Hrm. I'm 12 miles south of Columbia. I'm guessing it wouldn't be good idea right now to start my evening commute.

alien visitors
Referring URL http://www.blogger.com/home.pyra
I got a hit from the 10 Most Recently Updated Blogs.
I hope I was sufficiently entertaining for your needs?

...and more rings [pic]
There. I've added the ring code. Tell me how ridiculous it looks so I can change it over and over again and again.

floyd's follies
After this week, things should slow down for me. I'm on travel all this week and will be working during the nights, but since reading material on terrorism is probably not a good idea in a plane or airport, I've got time to restart the email story line and get ahead in the games. I've discovered a wonderful object over the weekend called a scanner. Did you know you can scan a picture of a monster, print it, and hold that up for people to see instead of awkwardly holding a book?

Whoo-hoo! Time for some much needed escapsim. My GM is ready to play again, almost. Nevermind that it's been exactly 60 days since our last game session (and 90 days from that one to the previous).

And you thought a Majestic stand-by sucked.

rings, rings...
[The Private Pain of Your Role Model] is now a member of The Burning Ring of Fire. 27, J-uh, Rev, and some dude named BD are in it. I dunno BD (or if I do, the initials aren't ringing a bell), but based on his blog, he seems like an alright guy.

Thanks, RMF. And, no, I'm not a chick. I only play one on TV. (just kidding) I guess this means I should put some ring code on here somewhere? Maybe I should make Dusty do it, since she put me on the ring? Nah, I'll get to it. Just gimme a couple of hours (days?) to shoehorn it into my own immutable style.

girl talk
Munin: 27 - you gotta give me lessons
agent27: hehehe
Munin: I wanna know how to make ever frikin man in the cyber world swoon....hehehe
agent27: *BLUSH*
Munin: hehe

operation war language [link]
How the Pentagon Mints Its Campaign Monikers
By Linton Weeks
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, September 21, 2001; Page C01

"...Nowadays, the choice of operation names is made using computer-suggested terms, says a Pentagon source..."

Ask and ye shall receive: now I know where Infinite Justice came from. It came from the same place as Hagen-Daas. Mmmm... Operation Hagen-Daas sounds good.

nudes, leather & shorts [pic]
Well, I already used "news, weather & sports" today. I had to think of something.

What news now, you ask? Just some quick notes about the site changes I made today. First, I added the Reblogger javascript so you can leave me comments. Then, I tweaked the table cells that make up this colorful layout. And finally, I finished coding a javascript for my archives index page that would list the past weeks in reverse-chronogical order instead of the default way that Blogger does it. While I was at it, I renamed the links and dropped it all into an IFRAME tag so that it would appear seamless.

Anyway... please test my scripts and layout and leave me any constructive criticism you have. Thanks!

get out of my head [link]
Dayna also vented about Flag ettiquette this morning. One of the other things that was bothering me about all this newfound display of patriotism... it seems a little plastic to me. There's an aspect of bandwagon to it. People who never in their life would've considered flying the Flag two weeks ago, have them plastered all over their cars, their windows, their clothes. I mentioned this to my wife over the weekend, and she explained to me that it's an expression of solidarity and support as much as it is patriotism. I didn't get it. Because of this, she took down a paper flag that she had placed in our condo window because she thought I was displeased with it.

The editorial that Dayna cites from her local paper says much the same thing as my wife did. I'm starting to get it, but I'm still gonna gripe. There are other ways to show your support, and there are other symbols you can use to display your solidarity (the red, white & blue ribbon comes to mind). If you choose to display the Flag, please show it the respect it deserves.

news, weather & sports
Operation Infinite Justice. Infinite Justice? I don't know who comes up with these names, but I think whoever it is has been watching too much of The Tick. Speaking of television comedy, does anybody else feel that the Taliban is starting to resemble Maxwell Smart? "We don't know where Osama bin Laden is! ... Would you believe, 'He might be here, but he didn't do anything'? ... How about, 'Maybe he did, but you can't take him until you show us proof'? ... Eh, 'If you try to take him we'll declare a Holy War against you'? ... 'psst, Osama, you think maybe you could go hide somewhere else for a while'?"

It's raining today. Rain sucks. My morning commute is already long enough (longer now that security checks at area facilities have created long lines of cars that back up into major traffic arteries) and whenever there's an eighth of an inch of rain in the air, traffic increases eightfold. The rain also exacerbates one of the pet peeves I've been having lately: there's a lot of flag flying going on around the area (and probably the nation) right now. Growing up I was taught a few things about respect for the Flag (Boy Scouts will do that to you), for one thing you don't allow it to become tattered. Ever. So all those little flags taped to car antennas rile me up a bit. For another thing you don't fly it in foul weather. Needless to say, there are a whole bunch of people on my wet morning commute disrespecting the Flag in all sorts of ways.

Volleyball season is starting again, and I'm a happy camper. I know, it's always volleyball season. But I don't play doubles and I don't play sand-court, so I especially look forward to the Fall & Winter indoor volleyball seasons. I'm playing on a company team again as a way to get warmed up for my club team (which won't start practicing until mid-November, probably). Last Fall I put together this company team to play in a local league. We got our butts kicked. That's what happens when you take tech geeks and throw them into something athletic. So, someone else is organizing it this time and last night we had our first team meeting & practice... we're going to get our butts kicked again.

dulles hijackers made maryland their base [link]
Residents Recall Men as Standoffish
By Brooke A. Masters, Leef Smith and Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, September 19, 2001; Page A01

"...What none of these area residents realized was that they had caught a glimpse of the deadliest terrorist operation in history..."

As you might be able to guess, there's a lot of buzz around the neighborhood. Working in Laurel/Beltsville puts us right in the middle of what these guys may have considered their turf during their weeks of preparation. Many of the tech guys around here got their degrees at U of Md in College Park, then came to work for Digex (or BII, or Cidera) and they continue to live here in Greenbelt/Beltsville/Calverton/Laurel. It's an all around ick feeling.

~~~~~~~~~~
At least once, one of these guys was looking at our dish farm at 312 Laurel and thinking "I wonder if that is a target - nah, too small" Also, any one of us might have been next to these guys at the traffic light. It makes you think.
~~~~~~~~~~

aural stimuli
So, I forgot to mention one of the really neat things about my sister's wedding. Traditionally, the bride and groom give away favors to the guests at the reception. Depending on the formality of the procedure, there's a wide range of what these favors might be; I've been privy to everything from chocolate bars to crystal picture frames. It's also in vogue to personally assemble something artsy-craftsy to give it a more personal touch; my wife spent the month of October hand stencilling plastic halloween masks in our wedding theme of fall leaves.

Back to my sister. What did she do? She and her hubby put together CD-Rs of their wedding music. Nicely done, too. Printed disc labels and the whole thing. The only thing they didn't do was a track listing on an insert card. I'm trying to figure out all that now. The reason this is a particularly cool favor is because my sister's taste in music is almost as ecclectic as mine. The problem is... that makes it so much harder to figure out what I'm listening to without the inset card!

pet peeves
Why the fuck does the vending machine guy have to put the Pop-tarts on the top shelf? You drop your quarter in, the machine does it's little spinning thing, your frosted pastry goes into free fall and...
SHAZAM
...it hits the bottom of the drop chute with an earth-shattering ka-thump and you have yourself a little plastic wrapped package of crumbs held together by blueberry jam.

Please forgive yesterday's absence. My IT department closed the drawbridge to the outside world in order to stave off the Nimda monster.

I am not one for words. I have very few strong opinions, and when I do have one I often keep it to myself because I do not have the talent to express it adequately. I am very happy when someone comes along and expresses my thoughts for me. These from mailing list I am on:
~~~~~~~~~~
These past few days I have been both proud, and ashamed to be an American.
There is a big difference between patriotism and nationalism. Patriotism heals. Nationalism kills. In the aftermath of all of this, I hope history doesn't judge us as the terrorists.
~~~~~~~~~~
Amen. The firefighters raising the flag in the WTC ruins made me proud.
The shooting of a Sikh in Mesa, Arizona made me utterly ashamed.
~~~~~~~~~~

So, my sister got herself married this weekend. I'm not really sure how I'm supposed to feel about that. On the one hand, I'm extremely happy for her. On the other hand, I'm feeling old. I'm thirty and my kid sister is married. And I'm thirty.

ode to the united states of america
by Stacey Bihn, WRQX "Mix" 107.3 fm morning show, 9/14/01
(reprinted without permission)

Oh say, can you see, that our nation stands proud...
Hearts burdened, not broken, by the acts of these cowards.
We'll protect what we've built, and let Freedom ring loud...
Heads high, souls united, and our country empowered.
And, if rockets red glare take again to the air...
It's to let terror know these are acts we won't bear...
Our flag is our spirit, we'll defend until death...
Our moral convictions exhaled with last breath.
Oh say, do you know, that we will not back down...
That we do stand united with this declaration.
We have fought long and hard to make Liberty's gown...
And, that Lady will stand guarding this fine, free nation.
We have sacrificed much, and we'll do it again...
We have all the brave hearts we had way back when...
This country was built upon Freedom's foundation...
And we'll rise to this challenge to the whole world's ovation.
Oh say, can you grasp, that our world is at stake...
Our lives on the line for the things we believe.
That respect is the key, for everyone's sake...
And that values, once lost, aren't quickly retrieved.
Our resolve will hold fast, for ideals which will last...
This terror will die, and the die is now cast.
So, know that our flag will still triumph and fly...
O'er the land of the free, for the lives now gone by.

new beginnings
So, Monday night I was talking to Dusty. I think it was Monday. It may have been sometime last week, but it was definitely recently. We were discussing her yet-another-personal-web-site-project. It's in her shell space on Val's server but she hasn't migrated her Majestic stuff from GeoCities. Instead, she's starting from scratch and retrofitting VitaminMe. The new site is just "27" and the two main pieces in operation so far are "27 things" (her blog) and "Channel 27" (her webcam).

I think this new project came about as a way of getting away from all things Majestic for a while. And one of the things we discussed was what would happen to our little clique if Majestic were to go away? My response was pretty much, "If Majestic goes away, then my site becomes moot. And if my site is moot, there's no longer a reason for my character to exist either." Aghast at this, Dusty started prodding me about doing something as me.

Fast forward about 18 hours: National tragedy. EA takes down Majestic. Foreshadowing? No, just unlucky timing.

Tuesday afternoon was interesting to say the least. I was evacuated from my office building, not because we're in a target zone but because we share space with the FBI and they wanted to be alone. My early morning conversations were cut off abruptly and the whole scenario left a handful of people wondering and worrying about me; Dayna, in particular. One thing she said to me later as I started checking in with people: "I never realized how much I take my online friends for granted -- but then you and Nick are there in D.C. and I was really worried." Or something to that effect.

(...I lost my train of thought. That happens when you spend two weeks trying to remember and compose into words a brief thought that wasn't much more than impulse to begin with...)

The gist of it is: some of my friends wanted yet another way to keep tabs on me. Now they've got it. Who am I to deny them?

Recover. Remember. Rebuild.