I've been having trouble connecting to the net these last few days due to some unknown problem with my cable/High-speed ISP. I can't seem to connect during the day, but access restores at around 9 pm nightly.
Thus, apologies for missing the Little Legends session this morning, HLW, North, et al.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

Re: nitty gritty
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maybe we should get down to defining some terms.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to toss out a starting position for review and discussion - that's what the rest of us do when we want a point settled. If they're discussed and agreed on, then they'll probably end up in the Gazetteer. (If nobody wants to discuss them, then they probably aren't important enough for the Gazetteer.)
[Starting point/speculation/basis for argument: The Articles of Convention, which were at once Constitution and treaty with Earth. As the broad consensus on the governments of Earth, particularly those which have cut off emigration to space, have always seen Fenspace as a monoculture, this strengthens that perception. Particularly as the Cons were touted as being representative of ALL Fen in Fenspace, with the idea being that it is the consent of ALL the governed. Which is everyone in Fenspace. At least that's the idea.
However, many groups, the minority [though how much of one is an open question, as no one has done a full census of Fenspace (right?)] of Fen disagreed with the Articles, either in part or in whole, did not show up to Cons, and did not recognize the authority of Majority Rule. Thus started a wave of counter-Conventions, denouncing the Articles.
This is particularly the case in that before the Articles, it was broadly understood that voluntary citizenship and micronation proliferation were the societal norm. And so micronations which did disagree with the Articles were redesignated as either allied states, neutral states, or rogue or "criminal" organizations, stripped of any recognition by the majority factions.
This criminal appelation was given to those nations which broke the criminal provisions of the articles and/or the human rights provisions. these included those states or post-states which provided unregulated manufactured pharmaceuticals earth-side, engaged in near-earth weapons smuggling, landtheft, etc. etc. (i'd still like to argue for the existence of slavery because it's part of human nature to want to dominate, even when it's just irrational to do so. perhaps especially.) And so the birth of Boskones.
(I think that the political aspect of criminality shouldn't be ignored, nor the economic. Many of the criminal activities done today are done in support of political gain. The Taleban and the Afghani opium fields come easily to mind. So too does the Contras. Fanon and the lumpenproletariat, etc.]
(BTW, and going off on a tangent, why the heck did you post that Sector General writeup to the Gazetteer without taking any of the discussion about it into account? You've essentially built the biggest white elephant in Fenspace by doing that, since it's the only structure that far out... I haven't bothered to add it to the Places in Fenspace sticky because it fails the reality check.)
[anyway, i always saw that gazette entry as being written after OGJ when more infrastructure's in place and more Saturnian and Jovian colonies were getting started. there has to be a certain amount of wastage in both educational and medical facilities.
From a strictly Free Market perspective, it is a massive boondoggle. Probably around the time of OGJ it's little bigger than, say, half a strip mall. If that. And most of that's for docking of ambulences.]

Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
the hegemony of the Conventions
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Hegemony"? I do not think that word means what you think it means. The Conventions no more have hegemony over the factions than the UN has over the nations of Earth.
(Hegemony: predominance of one country over others by virtue of leadership or influence. Syn: ascendancy)
As for what right they have to do this: "The Convention is Fenspaces great experiment with direct democracy." (This is the very first sentence from the Quick Start Guide entry on Conventions, as you'd already know if you'd read what's already been posted.)
[The majority rule aspect of the convention is a de facto hegemony, particularly as the most populous factions/micronations/states/post-states push their own agendas against the smaller factions/et. al.
also: you should probably get the Quick Start stickied or something as the glossary only says that it's "The closest thing to a government possessed by the Fen. An annual gathering descended directly from WorldCon is held to modify, ratify and reassert what little law exists off-Earth. Furthermore, Conventions can be called by anyone in times of emergency."]
-murmur

Someone released the DVD at the usual sites.
Random Curiosity's blog on it.
downloading now as we speak.
__________________
Into terror!,  Into valour!
Charge ahead! No! Never turn
Yes, it's into the fire we fly
And the devil will burn!
- Scarlett Pimpernell

Just what it says. I suspect I'll be a couple days catching up to things.

-- Bob
---------
The Internet Is For Norns.

According to this article from ScienceNOW, scientists at Northwestern University have found a way to make particles of graphene oxide assemble into thin, paper-like sheets as strong as carbon nanotubes, and which can be scaled to any size. It does tend to lose stability when immersed in water (much like kevlar does, IIRC), and thus commercial production is many years away, at least. The potential uses, though, are many (space elevator, anyone). And, as one Slashdot commentor posed, "Just imagine what Yomiko Readman could do with that paper!"
--The Twisted One"Welcome to Fanboy Hell. You will be spending eternity here, in a small room with Jar-Jar Binks and Dobby the house-elf."
"If you
wish to converse with me, define your
terms."

--Voltaire

For those able to make it, we are going to see if we can't pull off some Villainy/Heroics at 10 pm tonight. If we have enough 45+ characters, we'll try the Lady Grey TF/SF, if not we'll try to get one of the Strike forces done.
The Infamous needs to get some street cred, after all.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

I finally got my PC (nicknamed Alpha) back from the shop...he's been evolving over the past 3 years into his current configuration. My principle always has been more banf for the buck (why pay top dollar when it can be yours for half price in 3 months?)
Ugrades:
1. Replaced motherboard with a Asus P5Pe-VM
2. Replaced CPU from 2.0 to 3.4 ghz.
3. Replaced the data drive from 250 to 500 gig.
4. Replaced the graphics card from an ATI 5950 to an nvidia Geoforce 6800 GT (thanks for the advice crhis)
5. Upgraded the power supply to 500 watts.
6. Installed a raid array with two 80 gig hard drives.
7. Replaced the former tv tuner card with an Asus P-7131 tuner card.
8. Installed an MSI dual net card (LAN and BT)
9. Replaced the old (2X) DVD-RW with the current version.
10. Installed 2 more auxiallry cooling fans for a grand total 3 auxillary cooling fans plus the fans for the graphics card, the cpu, power supply.
Total cost less labor is 800 bucks. The only thing left that's still the original components 3 years ago is the case.
I'm tempted to call my PC Frankie now. hehe.
__________________
Into terror!,  Into valour!
Charge ahead! No! Never turn
Yes, it's into the fire we fly
And the devil will burn!
- Scarlett Pimpernell

After a Month+ of being Awol so to speak I've finaly got my computer up and running. So maybe tomorrow evenign I'll be able to play for a few hours providing nothing else comes up heh. Anyways I'm sure as heck glad I finaly got it back.

Ok, Zilem Kain and I wish to do one or two task forces on Freedom server August 4th. We plan on running Synapse and Sister Psyche. If anyone can help we'd be most appreciative. I'll let people who wish to help know when we decide on a time.
*********************
In the epic rage of furious thunder
legends create their tales
when the twilight calls and the dark lord falls
our glory will prevail

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxWgRY1I_SI
Beware Anonymous, for Anonymous is legion.
*dramatic chord*---
Mr. Fnord
http://fnord.sandwich.net/
http://www.jihad.net/
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"