I was in 6th grade. For Christmas that year, my brother gave me one of the most amazing gifts he's ever given me. It was a doorway to a deeper understanding of literature, of imagination, of beauty and horror in the world ( Read more... )

( crossposted to good_rpers_rockYears ago -- about 19 or so, when I was still in high school -- I picked up the tabletop RPG Ars Magica, with the idea that I would someday want to run a campaign in the setting. Ars Magica, for those unfamiliar, is a historical fiction roleplaying game, set in the late 12th and early 13th century, focusing on mages. The mages ( Read more... )

( I wrote a letter to a Holocaust-denier today. )

This is fascinating. Iceland is writing its own constitution... online, by regular citizens.

And it's not being reported, for the most part, in any American media outlet.

For my birthday, several people got together and got me a gift.


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Copyright. We’re all told we have to obey it, and I agree; it is the law. But rarely do we ask: is copyright ethical ( Read more... )

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It's all over the blogosphere, particularly in geek circles, and I don't have anything to add that someone somewhere hasn't already said, but I'd like to address it anyway.

The "review" of HBO's A Game of Thrones from the New York Times.I put "review" in quotes, because there is no mention of plot beyond a hasty (and apparently inaccurate) ( Read more... )

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In honor of what would have been her 96th birthday. Happy birthday, Billie.

Two days ago, I celebrated my 10 year wedding anniversary with Michelle. I look back at pictures of that day and think, "Man, I was young." And I was... but I don't think I was too young. I was pretty zen about it -- I felt it was just something that was right for me. I hadn't rushed into it; I'd put a lot of thought and consideration into it, ( Read more... )