Back to lecturing after the Xmas break. I have a fairly easy week on that score this week -- I'm largely going to recycle the World Design lecture material I wrote for UCLAN. In theory the game design students should be gearing up to have the first playable iterations of their games ready for coding, anyway, so I will probably spend a fair bit of ( Read more... )

In the early 90s, when I ran an occult bookshop, I had a friend called Steve, aka Crystal Steve, who ran one of those Gaia-despoiling crystal shops, as well as selling jewellery.

Although Steve never got back to me about the £40 ring he sold me, that I returned to him for repair, I figure it was worth the lost £40, because he did give me two great ( Read more... )

Repeat of the workout (and warmup) as of 30 October:

http://serpentstar.livejournal.com/317734.html

As many reps as possible of 1-hand 1-pood kettlebell swings, changing hands as necessary, in 4 minutes: 127. Big improvement on 90 (30 Oct). Still plenty of room for improvement. I've been doing more lifting and met-con stuff this last month or so, and ( Read more... )

I finally made a fish recipe Kyle will eat! Been trying to get him to eat oily fish for ages ( Read more... )

We have no car stereo, as of Friday, due to the mechanics switching the battery off when they installed the new clutch (the old clutch was worn down to the rivets, which were themselves worn down), meaning we need a code because the stereo thinks it's been stolen. Thus my 4-hour drive to Suffolk on Friday was noiseless, other than occasional yells ( Read more... )

CLEVELAND: THE RECTAL EYE VISIONS by d.a.levy (excerpt)

( Read more... )

15 albums that'll always stay with you, without thinking too hard (the 1st 15 that spring to mind in 15 min or less ( Read more... )

More on the live roleplay vs tabletop benefits and drawbacks -- I think that the latest Odyssey design blog, again, is indicative of some of the leaps and bounds that the theory and practice of LRP gaming have taken, not necessarily ahead of RPGs, but perhaps in a different direction.

Bear in mind that it's a player-vs-player game.

From oxfordgirl 's blog:

'I find it hard to get into tabletop RPGs. Especially since I discovered and identified exactly the sort of high-immersion, character-driven adrenaline-junkie all-IC-all-the-time LARPing that really hits the spot for me, I've been wondering if the style simply... wasn't for me. A nice way to spend an evening, but on a par with " ( Read more... )

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This is me doing some push-ups, squats, star jumps, sit-ups and burpees, wearing late 15th century style medieval armour (full plate leg harness, full plate arm harness, gauntlets, riveted mail standard, steel brigandine on the torso, & a cotton & wool arming doublet underneath). The idea is to demonstrate that even heavy plate armour was designed ( Read more... )