Archive for May, 2009

I finished re-reading A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin yesterday. It is still fantastic. If you’ve never read it, I highly recommend… »

After a month-long hiatus, the gaming group got together on Sunday to play my Brave New World campaign. The session started with a longer-than-usual socialization period, which wasn’t unexpected since we hadn’t gotten together as a group for a while. The lengthy break also resulted in greater restlessness and distraction, even after play had begun,… »

A moment of silent contemplation is a little thing. On a day set aside to honor the men and women that have lost their lives while in service to their country, take a moment to honor and acknowledge their sacrifice. Your other plans will still be there when you’re… »

I love game stores, preferably well run and maintained. Last weekend, one of the guys in my gaming group said that he didn’t care whether Rockford (the place he lives) had a gaming store or not because he’d never been there. This made me sad, not just because I love game stores but because without… »

Or: Why I can’t just shut-up about the whole Intellectual Property/File Sharing thing. First, I spend a ridiculous amount of time reading and thinking about issues of IP ownership. For some reason, the whole mess just fascinates me and, since this here blog is all about me talking about the crap that’s in my head,… »

When you buy a DVD or a book, what is that you’re buying? Is the physical object itself, the information embedded in the media, or something else? What you are actually buying is access. When you buy a book or DVD you gain access to the information contained within that storage medium. You have paid… »

What do you own that you can’t touch? This isn’t a riddle but it is the crux of the File Sharing vs. Intellectual Property problem. Intellectual Property is troublesome concept because it is hard to own ideas. They aren’t tangible, though their effects may be, and the only way to really prevent others from using… »

Saw the new Star Trek movie. Overall, I liked it. Sure, there were some nits I could pick and some stylistic decisions I didn’t like but that is always going to be the case. I’m a picky bastard sometimes. What can you do? Now, I want a new Star Trek television show to pick up… »

Neil Gaiman is amazingly talented and he also says smart things on internet. I should probably pay more attention. Check out this post from Mr. Gaiman because sometimes things just need to be put in perspective. (I’m referring specifically to the third bit on the page. The one that starts with the bold… »

I really love going to the Origins Game Fair. It is four fun-filled days of hanging out with friends, playing games, and relaxing. Usually when I go I spend most of the weekend playing boardgames. There are always new games to try, demos to try at various dealer’s booths, and, oh, the shopping. Like I… »