Paradox Entertainment - Crusader Kings
"Crusader Kings is a strategy game based on the Europa Universalis engine that focuses on the feudal kingdoms of medieval Europe in the time period of 1066 to 1453 A.D. The map is limited to Europe, stretching roughly to the Urals in the east and including parts of Persia and the Arabian Peninsula as well as the coast of North Africa."

There's little information available right now, but the early screenshots make CK look like a very interesting game indeed!

Short-film festival stands tall with 130 entries, all under 30 minutes

"In a brief six years, the One Reel Film Festival has grown from a Bumbershoot oddity to 'the best attended short film festival in the country,' according to curator Warren Etheredge."

Girls are Evil?

Leap a building in a single bound

Wedding pictures are now back up, see the link at the left.

John blogged explodingdog 2002 today. If anything, the pictures have improved in quality and coolness. I kind of thought explodingdog was winding down back when I was a regular visitor. Boy, was I wrong!

You call this 'Living'? It's a grueling job trying to be like Martha Stewart

See this show at Bumpershoot next weekend!

Cat Circles Confound Scientists, Amaze Skeptics

Ernie is going to be on weakest link. Woot!

Gamegrene.com / Game Material / Unweb: A Postmortem

"At this company, my role was that of Senior Programmer, and my responsibilities were to fill the role of the ColdFusion & JavaScript developer. Through a series of mishaps, I blew a CPU and Motherboard, and lacked the necessary funds to replace them in a timely fashion. Since I had to resort to using a lowly Pentium II 300 in the meantime, I had to satisfy my Diablo II hunger in some other fashion."

I wish I'd known about this when it was live...

Ruling on seizure of library computers was balanced

Link thanks to my lovely wife.

ROARINGLY FUNNY!

LOST CONTINENTS—EXPLORERS OF MYTH AND MYSTERY

"We haven’t spent the last few months sitting idle, but instead used the time to thoroughly review the design of the game in light of the changing marketplace. This has brought us to make some changes to the core design that strengthens the unique appeal of Lost Continents. In a lot of ways, we’re starting again from the beginning, but with the benefit of having a lot of the work done already."

Lost Continents is a pulp-era MMORPG in development at VR1. VR1 had a bit of a shakeup a while back, and some people thouight Lost Continents would be scrapped. It looks like they've decided to keep the project alive, in part by licensing a graphics engine instead of writing their own. Here's hoping they presevere.

Court Backs Open Deportation Hearings in Terror Cases

"'Democracies die behind closed doors,' wrote Judge Damon J. Keith for the unanimous three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The Bush administration has sought, the panel said, to place its actions 'beyond public scrutiny.'"

This ruling has generated a lot of interest and enthusiasm. Go here for full text of the ruling.

Introduction to The Nine Planets

Philos pointed this page out to me in an attempt to keep me from getting any work done today.

Einstein's Brain

"It was 1978, and I was working for a regional magazine called New Jersey Monthly. It ws located in Princeton. My editor told me to go find Einstein's brain. It seems that he had read the Ronald Clark biography of Einstein and got to the part (towards the end, of course) where it says Einstein's body was cremated, except for the brain which was kept for scientific study."

Toast Davis pointed this little tidbit out for me. I remember the origonal Levy article about Einstein's Brain. It was quite a fun read!

"The Seattle Times: Business & Technology: Public to taste life without its libraries When Seattle public libraries go dark for a week next Monday, the closure will have far more chilling implications than a late-summer "furlough" might on the surface suggest."

Paul Andrews talks about the Seattle Public Library closures. BTW, Paul also has an excellent blog.

Mars Exploration Program Landing Sites

This is COOL! An interactive map of Mars.

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | War game was fixed to ensure American victory, claims general

"He sent orders with motorcycle couriers to evade sophisticated electronic eavesdropping equipment. When the US fleet sailed into the Gulf, he instructed his small boats and planes to move around in apparently aimless circles before launching a surprise attack which sank a substantial part of the US navy. The war game had to be stopped and the American ships "refloated" so that the US forces stood a chance. "

Surveillance planned for Pioneer Square

"The Pioneer Square Community Association plans to install three closed-circuit television cameras, or CCTVs, to monitor public areas as a way to prevent crime and make neighbors feel safer."

Tax Revolt Takes Aim at a County's Libraries

"'People thought computers were going to make libraries obsolete," said Larra Clark, a spokeswoman for the association, based in Chicago. 'But our experience is just the opposite. People are calling reference librarians and saying: `I'm doing a Google search and getting a million things. Help!' "

Assigned Reading on Koran in Chapel Hill Raises Hackles

"In one group, students said they were excited to learn about Islam and surprised to find parallels between it and Christianity. 'I thought it was going to be some off-the-wall religion,' said Matt Campbell."

New York Times Op-Ed: The Real Thing

"Mr. Bush is a master of photo-op populism; his handlers seek out opportunities to show him mingling with blue-collar workers. But the reality is that this administration loves 'em while the TV crews are around, then leaves 'em when it comes to actual policy. And that reality is becoming ever harder to conceal.

NYC Council proposes Pike Place-type market for WTC site

"The New York City Council played it this week in its bid for a seat at the table where the future of the World Trade Center site will be decided. In unveiling its proposal, the council cited the example of the Pike Place Market as it touted the idea of a public market within the redevelopment."

Personally, I think an open air market is a great idea. Rather than replace the WTC with a sterile peice of rock, let's replace it with something lively that creates and celebrates a community.

From Metafilter (like so many other things I blog), more innovative ways to distrubte origonal artworks:<< artomat >>

Put your cat to work!

News: Rumors: Segway isn't really Ginger

"Since then, ginger-chat site administrator 'Spliff' has examined Kemper's book proposal in some detail, and has taken a fine-tooth comb to the patents Kamen has registered, and found significant evidence to suggest Segway is not the thing which blew Bezos and Jobs away."

Curious George W.

A classic illustrated tale that bears rereading.

Top Republicans Break With Bush on Iraq Strategy


"These senior Republicans include former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger and Brent Scowcroft, the first President Bush's national security adviser. All say they favor the eventual removal of Saddam Hussein, but some say they are concerned that Mr. Bush is proceeding in a way that risks alienating allies, creating greater instability in the Middle East, and harming long-term American interests. They add that the administration has not shown that Iraq poses an urgent threat to the United States."

Get clear on monorail petitions

"The Trojan horse, a sort of "lesser monorail" proposition, is allegedly being mounted by individuals opposed to the ETC plan. If it were to make the ballot, it would likely split the monorail yes vote, depriving the City Council-ETC measure of enough votes for approval."

Folktales Near and Far
I can't help it-- whenever I see the words "Storyteller Farida Dowler," I beam. Someday I'll need to get a business card. I envision a plain business card with raised print and a frog squatting quizzically off to the side. (By the way, did you know that in "The Frog Prince," the Princess doesn't kiss the frog? She's a spoiled brat who actually throws the frog against the wall in disgust and rage. That act of violence transforms the frog into the prince. I'm sure that if the Disney-mobile ever stole the story, the Princess would free the Frog from his enchantment with Love's First Kiss, and the wicked witch would lurk around the castle singing and trying to prevent the predestined sweethearts from their union.)

Anyway....This Saturday, I will be telling puzzle stories and riddle tales at Island Books on Mercer Island. Many of these stories originate in the Middle East, Mediterranean and Indian countries. Find out how the Rabbit outwits Fox, Fox outwits Lion, and the Storyteller solves the King's conundrum. Anyone who comes to the storytelling gig as a result of reading this weblog gets a free sticker.

The Han Solo Affair
Everybody wants him. No one can hold on to him. And he's frozen in a block of carbonite!

We now take a brief break from weighty events to bring you my favorite Star Wars fan film of the moment. View a wild chase through Bespin's Cloud City, reminiscent of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin-- all done with Lego (TM)! Here you will also find Monty Python's "Camelot" song set to Lego. I kvell to Old School stop-action animation. Note: Quicktime or Windows Media required.

Ultimate Gaming Table

THe ultimate gaming table (GM's position, with cat, is pictured). It includes a private player station for each player including dice rolling tray, coaster, and light on dimmer switch. The GM has equipment for sending private messages and a PC is built in. Very, very cool!

A Saint Who Guides Migrants to a Promised Land

"José made it to the States, then eventually came here to thank his generous coyote, as immigrant smugglers are called. People directed him to the small chapel on the hill, where a dumbfounded José learned that his coyote was a saint."

European Union Urges Aspirants to Rebuff U.S. on World Court
"The Bush administration vigorously opposes cooperation with the court, fearing Americans will be unfairly singled out."


"Unfairly?" Now why would they think that? Maybe they're more worried about justice.

Boston Globe Online / Metro | Region / Catholics reject evangelization of Jews

Libraries vs. police in a suit sparked by porn

Letters to the Editor

"I read a flier that I picked up at my Seattle branch library telling me that the entire Seattle library system will completely close down for two weeks this year, with the first week's closure to be later this month and the other week's closure to occur in December. I can't believe that any mayor or city council with any civic conscience would allow such a thing to happen."

Letters to the Editor: A city that closes libraries has no class

William F. Sullivan of Seattle writes, "...Be assured that if we allow our libraries to close because we spent our treasure on playpens for multimillionaires, we will not only not be a first-class city, we shall become a no-class city. There certainly must be enough book readers still remaining in this city to prevent the perpetration of this illiterate travesty."

The public library resides in the heart of a free society. Ensuring that our public library systems remain open and free to all is a patriotic duty. Memo to city officials: I may not have money, but I do have a vote.

Winston Smith goes to Washington

"As Brendan Nyhan pointed out in Salon, if you go to the OMB's Web site now, you find a press release dated July 12 that is not the release actually handed out on that date."

Letters to the Editor

"We work hard in life to sustain independence but, as we grow old, we retire from the hard work to become dependent upon available help. Medicaid is there to help relieve some of the financial burden of growing medical costs, or is it?"

Another link courtesy of my lovely wife.

BBC NEWS | Technology | Space elevator takes off

FAQs: Catholicism, Homosexuality, and Dignity
An addendum: The Catholic Church does not condone the organization of DignityUSA . Just wanted to make that clear. Mr. Toast Davis sent me an article about a different group called Courage.
Here, also, is another article that makes for interesting reading, at WomenPriests.org
Updated 8/15/02

Failing to Shed Air of Aloofness, Church Frustrates Its Faithful

Two links on weird, mysterious anti-gravity technologies possessed by the US Government, courtesy of Philos:

Investigation Casts Light on the Mysterious Flying Black Triangle

Salon.com Books | "The Hunt for Zero Point" by Nick Cook

Of course everyone knows that the evil Deros from the hollow earth gave the Nazis flying saucer technology so they could build a secret base in Antartica.

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | 'Ready to tackle Armageddon'

"The company has come up with a plan, which it calls the Don Quixote mission, to launch a pair of probe spacecraft called Hidalgo and Sancho at a far off asteroid."

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Crows prove they are no birdbrains

"They believe the bird shows some understanding of cause and effect."

We're Outta Here

Farida and I are off to the Gulf Islands for a week of relaxation. See ya in a week, suckers!

BBC NEWS | Health | Scientists unravel secrets of long life

"In a study published in the journal Science, they report that the length of a person's life is related to their body temperature, and to levels of two chemicals, insulin and DHEAS, circulating in the blood."

Of course these results come from a whopping big study of 1500 whole people. Isn't that a little preliminary to start making big pronoucements?

Garrett convicted of assault for attack on Schell

"Jurors yesterday said it couldn't have been much more obvious that James Garrett bashed former Seattle Mayor Paul Schell in the face with a megaphone -- and not one of them believed a woman who claimed she did it."

Thanks to my wife for the link.

Theban Mapping Project

In keeping with today's theme... interactive 3d maps of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings!

World Atlas of Biodiversity

An unbeleivably cool application that presents millions of bits of information in a graphical interface.