http://forum.guildofwriters.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=4296
Best day ever!!!!
>Open Thread
I haven’t done anything interesting lately. Today I went for a walk, tried out the new ATM machine, bought a new bag, and filmed this video:
It’s yet another HL2 leak map. I know I’ve been playing with the leak a bunch lately, but it’s so addictive!
http://forum.guildofwriters.com/viewtop … 469#p41469
Whilyam wrote:Tweek and Ddefreyne have been demoted by Cyan apparently as retribution for speaking up about veralun.
What was written to Cyan:
Dear Richard,
We realize the subject of this email is a bit touchy, but we’ve collectively come to the conclusion that some things can no longer be left unsaid. Specifically, we have major objections against the way veralun has been performing his duties as a moderator of the official MO:UL forum over the past years. Moderation should always encourage and foster discussion; veralun’s moderation style, on the other hand, frequently impedes or entirely prevents it. This is particularly the case when people disagree about something, i.e. when something is actually worth debating. We all feel that he removes posts for the wrong reasons, neglects to inform authors that their posts were deleted and for what reasons, indulges in personal attacks against forum members, moderates inconsistently and generally abuses his powers without regard for public interest. This gives us the impression that he sees himself as some kind of infallible dictator whose actions and motivations are always beyond reasonable doubt. This has been going on for several years now, but some recent incidents necessitate us to bring this to your immediate attention. We propose that he be removed from his position as moderator of the official MO:UL forum, because in our opinion the situation can not be expected to improve. We realize how difficult it is to take such a decision, but we trust that you will act wisely and in good faith.
Yours sincerely,
[List of people]
Ah so what happens when a bunch of people complain about someone of high authority abusing their position? They terminate the complainers… Nice to know Veralun is actually following Cyan protocol.
>Shanghai red pepper sauce
This is from one of my favorite cookbooks: Modern Asian Cooking, the taste of Shanghai
You will need:
2 tsp cornstarch
6 tbsp of soy sauce
1/4 cup of dry sherry
1/2 cup of sugar
2 tbsp of chili sauce or chili garlic sauce
2 packed tbsp of very finely minced peeled ginger or ginger paste from a tube
2 tsp of sesame oil or hot chili sesame oil
First mix 1 tbsp of the soy sauce with the 2 tsp of cornstarch until well mixed, set aside. Put the rest of the soy sauce into a small pan and add the sherry, sugar, chili sauce, ginger and oil and bring to a boil over medium heat (don’t forget to stir!). Once you reach the boiling point stir the cornstarch soy sauce mixture one more time and add to the pan, lower heat to a simmer and keep stirring until the sauce gets thick. About a minute or so. Turn off the stove and pour into a jar or a container. It can be stored in the fridge for up to one week.
Makes about a cup.
>The Sammy Cam
>
http://youtube.com/v/Ba5r56sVKe4
If a black cat walks under a ladder does that give it even more bad luck? Or does that cancel out the bad luck it already has?
>Peacock feathers
After reading how dangerous metal earrings from China might be I began searching on ebay for better alternatives. These arrived last week and I’m wearing them today.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120489640149&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT
They’re light, affordable and awesome.
>Late Night Open Thread
RL has been picking up. Over the weekend we had company stay over, plus work made me feel real tired enough to not turn either one on for a day and a half…
While work has been exhausting it has been fun for quite a few of us to watch one of our co workers get fed the riot act over and over again about one thing or another. He eye shops constantly during his shift, watches TV during his shift, randomly decides to hang around with his friends and shrug off all his work onto us… He seems to be paranoid around me because whenever he tries these things while I’m around he’ll ask me if I’ve done any of my duties or something along those lines, that and his facial expressions are real easy to read. Oh, and to top it off he almost damaged our main bosses car. Yeah… We’ve been having REAL fun with him.
Oh well… Happy weekend to me.
>Late Night/Early Morning Open Thread
I hope everyone had a good time tonight, or should I say yesterday… I had a good St Patty’s day. We had corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and salad. Then my best friend Princess Barbie and I went to the wine bar to have some beers. Surprisingly they have some good beer (their cheesecake is omnom too!). I had one that had hazelnut as an aftertaste, and another that had fruity notes to it. Then when we were done making fun of karaoke night we went to the next bar over and played pool. We totally sucked but it was fun. Then I came back home and had more beer.
Now I’m drinking some lemon ginger tea to regain hydration.
>Whilly hits another homerun with this one
http://whilyam.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/beating-the-bullies/
The discussion on the role of Cyan should prove one thing to you. It takes a while for dead ideologies to die. There will still be the hardcore supporters who will fight you. As the ideology dies, the views become more extreme and more fundamentalist. The tactics turn to bullying.
Cyan’s role in Uru has diminished and will keep diminishing and Cyan will be better off as a result for the reasons I’ve outlined before (it will free up resources). I have seen no coherent reason why the community in general could not acquire an individual responsibility to decide their experience in an Age. Particularly since the fan Ages might be separate (and thus distinguishable) from Cyan’s Ages.
And yet, I was regaled in warning after warning of how Uru isn’t Uru without the strictly-cohesive canon (which it has never had). The level of delusion is what is truly frightening. Canon is GOD was a phrase actually used. Completely ignorant of the fact that Uru has spent the majority of its public life without canon (as Until Uru). The Liaisons didn’t cause a backlash when all of them quit in disgust and the event drove several away from Uru. There was a sense of absurdity in the statement that “Uru isn’t Uru” without canon. It was the same sense I got when a team-mate of mine claimed we weren’t making an Age for Uru, we were making a “game.” The correct continuation of both those thoughts is “to me.“
Uru means different things to different people. End of story. The more diverse number of reasons we can bring people into Uru for, the more successful it will be. None of the preferences the community has are exclusive. A poorly-textured Age doesn’t ruin all Ages for me. As such, a poorly-written backstory for one Age doesn’t kill all Ages for me. If you don’t like an Age, don’t come back to it or discover something about it you like. That is the mantra repeated over and over. It is a flawed mantra (as it can be applied to any number of atrocities in human history) but it is perfectly acceptable here in this lesser of concerns.
So how do we beat the bullies? There was a term used back in 2007, “concern troll.” It was (in some cases fairly) attributed to posters who registered just to fake concern and cry crocodile tears for Uru’s hopes of survival because Uru was missing this or that. The new breed of concern troll is the one who wrings their hands at how Cyan isn’t involved, how we’re so ungrateful, etc.
The easy answer, the stupid answer, is “ignore them.” But the problem is deeper than that and can’t be addressed by nazi-esque purging (is it Godwin’s Law if I invoke the Nazis on the side I agree with?). The deeper problem is that Uru abounds in diversity but lacks in understanding. This is why the way to beat the bullies is to let them build their own area and have it compete with others. It is not to set up their ideas as the “official” shard while everyone else is relegated to “fan fiction” status. That sets people on a pedestal that leads to anger and resentment.
Uru can be more successful now than before, but we need real rational ideas not antiques that ignore the new reality.
No, this is not a new kind of concern troll. They’ve been around the community for a long time. Only since Open Source has been declared have they decided to scream at the top of their lungs, as though they’re a small child that throws a fit when they don’t get the toy they want.
Some of these people want to control what ages we can and cannot see. I’m not sure if this is because they don’t want their (and by extension every persons) world to be tarnished with an age they themselves deem impure or whatever else. In reality (which I understand by now some of these people are in the cavern to escape that place) these bullies have no control. They can’t control who makes what or who downloads and explores which age. And I’m sure with some of these people it irks and eats away at them.
Choosing which ages can and can’t be used… If these idiots had their way they’d probably choose which people could and couldn’t be allowed into Uru.