Got What I Wanted!

Finally Spain and the Dutch for the Wold Cup and neither has ever won before! That should be a great game.

The Final Four

Well, the Dutch did it, and yet Argentina fell to the German juggernaut. That leaves:

Germany vs Spain
Uruguay vs Netherlands

Neither the Dutch nor the Spanish have ever won the cup. Uruguay hasn't won since 1950, back when they were a world power of football. I'd love to see a non-German team win it all, and that means either a Spanish win, or a win by the winner of the Uruguay/Netherlands game.

After this weekend,Germany and Holland have to be the favorites in their respective games. Spain barely beat Paraguay and Germany trounced Argentina after eviscerating England, so Germany has to be the favorite over Spain despite Spain defeating it in the Euro 2008 finals. The Netherlands defeated juggernaut Brazil, and Uruguay barely beat Ghana.


Obviously, I'd like to see a Spain victory in the semis, but I doubt it will be. I think the favorites are really favorite for obvious reasons, and then we have an all Europe final. We are about to have our first European winner in a World Cup held outside of Europe.

World Cup Thoughts on the Quarters and Beyond:

World Cup Thoughts on the Quarters and Beyond:

1). Just one team, Germany, left that is European and has won a World Cup before. Europe traditionally does lousy at World Cups away from their continent, and Germany is the main hope. They play Argentina, and if they get knocked out, there are just two left.

2). Yay South America!

3). I would love to see the Group of 7 winners get increased by one this year. Best chances are Spain and the Dutch. I'd prefer the Dutch, but they have to go through Brazil to do it.

4). I would love to see 3.some million people strong Uruguay do very well, since they've won the Cup twice before in its early days in 1930 and 1950. They used to be a major power, with two Olympics wins before the Cup began. I would love to see a Uruguay resurgence, but the best team from South America not named Argentina and Brazil was probably Chile. Chile looked hot in qualifiers and finished in second place, ahead of Argentina, and yet they are the first one out, leaving Paraguay and Uruguay as the non-power nations left from Conmebol.

5). I would dearly love to see Ghana advance, but they are playing Uruguay and I want to see Uruguay advance as well.

6). Spain has an easy Paraguay to advance through. The Euro champs are looking good for the Semis.

7). Argentina vs Germany is the obvious match of the quarters, but if the Dutch can play well, that could be a real stunner. Brazil aren't indestructible, they've good great. Holland is playing top class football right now.

8). I think your final four are Spain, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, which would give you three South America teams and a Spain team for a real Iberian peninsula feel to the final four. Everybody would speak Portugese or Spanish, and hispanic is the name of the day.

9). I would like the final four to be Uruguay, Argentina, Netherlands, Paraguay. I doubt that happens though.

10) An Argentina vs Spain semi would be epic. An Argentina vs Brazil final would be doubly epic. They haven't played each other in a World Cup in a long time.

11). Europe has three good teams left, and the other two teams that qualified that were uneasy (Slovakia, Switzerland) did not win in the Round of 16. Portugal is strong, but Spain had enough to see them off

12). I just don;t see Spain hoisting their first Cup after a match against the winner of Germany/Argentina. They both are playing top quality football and Spain is looking lethargic.

13). I think Brazil beats Uruguay (sad), and Argentina takes out Spain and we have an duel between the powers of the lower America for the cup.

14). If the Dutch can manage to take out the 800 pound gorilla - then either they or the winner of Ghana/Uruguay are in teh finals, and that is very tantalizing.

Who I root for in International Football (aka Soccer)

I love me some football! International nal football is my favorite though.


How to determine who Abe roots for in international soccer, these are in priority, so if #1 and #2 are playing, I root for #1, for example.



1). If it's the US, Abe roots for it.
2). If its Mexico, Abe roots for it.
3). If it's any African side vs. a non-African side, Abe roots for it
4). If it's Canada, Abe roots for it
5). If it's any South American team not named Argentina or Brazil, vs them, or a non-South American team, Abe roots for it.
6). If its Greece vs any other Europe team, Abe roots for it (after that Euro win a few years ago, Greece gets my acclaim, just wow).
7). If its Azerbaijan, Abe roots for it
8). If its a Indonesian or Malaysian team, Abe roots for it (Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, etc).
9). If it's Brazil, Abe roots for it, because they know how to play football


Otherwise, I may pick a team because its the underdog, or their uniforms, or a player on it I like, etc.

International Spy Museum

Just got back from vacation and I got to say that the International Spy Museum was hot and a ton of fun with hands on experience and cover identities you have to remember and so forth.

If you travel DC way, check it out.


http://www.spymuseum.org/

Race in Fantasy

I was reading through the Duchy of Karameikos Gazetteer and I realized how rarely we take about human races in fantasy. Tolkein did, and Gygax did, but a lot of people came by later and just assumed humans as not identifying with different cultures and races. That's pretty crazy, so I think some people, like myself, who have not detailed this much in their fantasy worlds need to get cracking.

Torture in D&D

Is it just me, or would the idea of torture for information in D&D be a lot different? First of all, any mage worth his salt know very common and very low level magic to read someone's mind. Why hold stuff back at that point? Secondly, it seems like healing magic would make torture for information a lot more potent. For example, you could cut off someone's hand, and then hold out a potion to heal it, or the cleric to do so out, and when they gave info - heal it. You could push torture a lot farther in a world with healing magic than you could in the real world.

I guess, considering those two things, torture only makes sense for recreation purposes. If that's the case, why does every castle and dungeon in the early days have a torture chamber in it? modules are full of castles and keeps that have a torture room, even when they were used and built by good or neutral forces. If a simple 2nd level ESP spell or a cleric with healing can antiquate torture as we know it, why have rooms with the same equipment and such we did.

Our torture devices were designed to maximize pain and minimize long term damage and death. Sure, some were more psychologial, but most were for pure pain, while still allowing them to talk and give the goods up. So why wold they even exist? Why not have even more lethal ones that require a simple cure spell to bring you back, but push pain beyond the limits?

Anyway, I think we've failed to think through the nature and use of torture in D&D as I go back through old modules and play them again.

Humanoids in D&D

These are the humanoid creatures you might encounter in my world. There are no elves, dwarfs, goblins, orcs, hobgoblins, gnomes, drow, ogres, trolls, minotaurs, lizard men, hobbits/halflings, gnolls, mermen, bugbears, flinds, ogrillions, or any other of the thousands of intelligent humanoids added to the game over the years. Just these. They do not include magical humanoids like fairies, vampires, and such, just races of basic intelligent humanoids. Many of these are modified races from mythology, but not all. Some are my own creation, and some draw heavily from some established D&D races.

I felt like there were way too many humanoids, and not enough interesting variety between them, just the same race over and over again. This trims the fat.




Taurians – These tall bullmen are 6-7 feet tall, weigh around 300 lbs, and have the head, horns, and feet of bulls. They were raiders to the extreme, and around 150 years ago their society was at its apex with successful raids as far as Chance. On their island nation of Hithtris, Taurians attacked any sea vessel, village, city or fortress they wanted and they were almost always successful. Their wealth came, not by hunting or fishing or growing, but by plunder. Pushed to the point of breaking, many cities, nations and merchants combined to fund a navy to arrive at, and break the Taurian might. It was successful, but many of the Taurians fled to an unnamed island in the south and tried to reestablish their power. Within 50 years, they became a nuisance, and the governments, determined to stamp out the Taurian might once and for all, sent in an even large fleet to eradicate the Taurian presence. If there was one thing a Taurian would not stand, it was slavery, so despite their raving of the coasts and seas, they also stamped out slavery. In the 100 years since, slavery has become problem again with the southern isles outside the jurisdiction of the nations being used as trading posts. Today, the remaining Taurians are either sympathizers to the old ways, and allied with bandits, pirates, or even slaver; or they are people who have moved on and joined the rest of society on the east coast There was always a contingent of Taurians that was not aligned with the raiding and pillaging, and they have now become the dominant numbers. They average 70-80 years of life if not in a violent occupation.

Guzaks – About 4 feet tall, slender and lithe, with catlike look, and a calico coloration. The guzaks typically have a subsistence lifestyle, with camps, hunters, and fishers. In some places they have become more civilized and can be found farming and shepherding with cheese and wine of particularly delightful tastes. The more subsistence ones can be both welcoming of others or suspicious of others, it just depends on the tribe. Rarely will humanoids get attacked by guzaks, unless they have turned feral. Due to their catlike nature, guzaks have an affinity for all feline creatures, and often train and use various cats as steeds and pets and hunters. It is not unusual for guzaks to have panthers, tigers, lions or even a sabretooth as their main hunters and guards. They average 30-50 years of life if not in a violent occupation, and depending on whether they are settled or not.

Sis’sharr – These lizard-like humanoids inhabit the more hospitable desert on Thorasia. With a matriarchal society, males are looked down upon. Because of these, they are used as traders and diplomats to nearby areas, and thus most encounter males, not females. They have born or tan colorations and stand about the same height as humans, but are lithe, and compact with muscle. The sis’sharr are able to go without food or water or sleep for some time as a part of their desert life. They have transparent membranes that cover their lizard-like eyes, and protect them from the light, sandstorms, from dying out, and from gaze attacks of medusa and basilisks that roam around their home. They wear clothes of fiber, woven together, and are semi-nomadic, with regular trips to oases and temples at various times of the year, and a three month stay at a cliff side laden with caves that they use as a hatchery for three months. They can claw and bite in combat, but prefer to use scimitars or other weapons, and shields, with their thick hide giving them a good protection against weapons. They can expect to live 30-50 years in the desert.

Qwith – This creatures are only a few inches shorter than humans, but are significantly lighter. Their lithe and slender bodies betray a sylvan quality that can be seen in their faces. Their eyes are decidedly faerie and their skin has a bit of a green tinge to in, and looks a bit like human skin that is sickly. Their fingers are much longer and more flexible than humans and their middle three fingers each have an extra joint. They keep to themselves in only certain forests and woods. Not every forest has qwith. While they will associate occasionally with other races, they generally prefer not to. They look down on other races as not advanced or sophisticated. There is one exception to these – the Svartálfar. The Svartálfar, in those places where they live close to qwith, are very friendly with each other. They average 200 years of life if not in a violent occupation.

Dvergr – The Dvergr are a race of creatures that largely live underground, but they can live in hills, mountains, or even plains, just with caves and such leading down. There are not many dvergr around. They are long lived, aging very little and can expect to see 400 years before dying. However, they bear young infrequently. Dvergr are about human height, with a hairless body and tough, grey, wrinkled skin and red eyes with a black pupil in the middle and no irises at all. They do not have a nose, just nostrils that end at their face with a small membrane covering them. They are gifted crafters of magic items, and their goods are known far and wide. They regularly send trade caravans to trade mushrooms, magic items, and cave lizard meat and skins for other goods that cannot be acquired in their underground homes. While it is certainly uncommon to see a dvergr, they are not so rare to be completely unseen. There are dvergr working in stores and with various goods and services.


Svartálfar – These are another underground race, and very rare. Some sages speculate there are less than 1000 left. They live in tribes of around 30-50, in out of the way places in small hill and mountain dwellings. They carve very beautiful and unique homes for themselves. They are roughly four feet tall, and of human dimensions, with a magical blue luster to their skin in certain lights, with a bit of shimmering in darkness. Their heads are typically bigger than a human’s, and that being the only part of them that is outside human dimensions except for height. They will happily associate with those around them, but if people start to get too curious, they will leave and create a new home somewhere else. Svartálfar are arguably among the most liked of the humanoid races, and most people will happily visit with and associate with them. They tend to expect to see 100-120 years on average.

Døkkálfar – Another underground race, these dark grey skinned humanoids tend to live in deep underground passages. Where the previous two races live underground and prefer contact with the above world, the Døkkálfar prefer to delve deep underground. They are usually thought of as an evil race, and are involved in many things such as slave trade. They are a powerful race, magically and in arms, and their society is ruled by a might makes right set of rules. They have innate magical abilities to certain spells, and those they have increase in power and experience. They can see 500 years easily outside of violence, but that violence can cut their life to 10% of that unless they are really good or really lucky. They typically associate with the darker elements above ground, and cannot function in full light, until they grow accustomed to it, which takes a hour usually.

Trow – The trow are a large number of sub-races grouped together for purposes of cataloging. There are many trow, from roving bands of raiders and bandits to individual wild berserker trow to city and high trow with good and evil in equal proportions and living in cities and villages. Ranging from between 5 feet to 8 and a half feet based on subrace, the trow are definitely many. They have a thick skin that varies between leather-like and a sturdy, hard yet flexible skin that is as tough as mail armor. Trow can form raiding parties and be bandits, or can just live as hunters and gatherers, or can farm and watch goats, and so forth. They can be found anywhere from sailors to mages, savages to scribes. There are many subraces of trow, and it would take too long to list them here. Based on subrace, they have a life expectancy of 40-90 years, assuming they are not killed early due to violence.

Tritons – This underwater humanoid race has white-blue skin, is a bit larger than humans in size, have webbed hands and feet. Underwater, they wear just the basic clothing required for modesty, but out of water, they typically wear gloves, shoes, and the normal range of clothing needed above. They live to 90-110 years. Tritons are usually found in schools of 20-100 and are semi-nomadic, moving throughout the seas, but with a few central homes built under the sea out of coral. They are traders of undersea goods for things like weapons and magic items. They will defend their homes mercilessly if endangered, but otherwise are peaceful outside of the hunt, when they will fight and kill undersea animals for food. They are often flighty. They can breathe in water and out, and will send people outside of water to talk with, trade with, and share stories with Those Above. It is rare to see Tritons too far away from water. They find freshwater uncomfortable. Tritons have a connection to the water, and once every hour or so they can part water, lower water, purify water and shape water. They only place underwater they do not claim as their home is the Sea of Hills.


Jengu – The other underwater humanoid, these people live in freshwater lakes and rivers. They are quiet and often keep to themselves. They have a dark brown skin and amber eyes, with long matted hair and a texture similar to sheep’s wool. Unlike the tritons, they are more friendly, and when they come out, they usually try to help other humanoids if possible. Their language is not very detailed, and they only have a basic idea of concepts. They can Cure Disease, Neutralize Poison, and Cure Serious Wounds with a touch to another. They often associate with snakes and alligators, and will have them as friends and pets. Normally hostile river reptiles will be peaceful in their presence. They live around 40-60 years. They prefer flight to fight, have no weapons, and attack with dazzling lights that deals 1d6 damage to creatures with eyes, if forced to fight. They eat a strictly vegetarian diet. They do not have any special physical adaptations for living underwater, beyond gills, and are about 4 and a half feet tall, with women and men of equal height. They do not care for brackish water at all, and cannot live long in sea water.


Abatwa – The tiny Abatwa are no taller than a blade of grass, and have life expectancies for just 10-14 years. They have a tribal society, and are known to use insects as steeds, such as beetles. The Abatwa have a ruddy, almost russet look to their skin and have angular bones and skin line. They are very sensitive about their size, and any comment that can be construed as mentioned their height or size will result in a hostile encounter. They fight with small poisoned javelins that cam kill a human adult due to their lethality. They have a hunter-gather society and often use holes in tree roots as houses.

Basajaun – These builders and farmers and hunters live in balmy forests and are quite strong, but not as bright as humans. The Basajuan is a hairy humanoid that stands around 7 feet tall. They were the allies and teachers of men in the old days, and now hide in forests away from humans, who have passed them by. They wield bows and staffs and other natural weapons with deadly force and hunt and farm as needed. They are known to stand by water and grab a fish like a bear. The Basajuan have their own language, and can live to be around 100 years. They have a fondness for humans and other friendly humanoids. They can get very angry and lose their temper and go berserk.

Pokemon, F%#$ Yeah!

I don;t know what the rules are for language on Blogger, so instead I'm just going to blurt out the F word.

I was walking today and signing this iconic song from Team America, when it suddenly struck me that it would be even funnier if you replaced America with pokemon, and then added the names of various pokemon to the end. Here is how the lyrics should read:


Pokemon, F%#$ YEAH!
Coming again, to save the mother f&#^ing day yeah,
Pokemon, F&*@ YEAH!
Freedom is the only way yeah,
Terrorists your game is through cause now you have to answer too,
Pokemon, F^@# YEAH!
So lick my butt, and suck on my balls,
Pokemon, F&#^ YEAH!
What you going to do when we come for you now,
It's the dream that we all share; It's the hope for tomorrow

F*@^ YEAH!

Pikachu, F&@# YEAH!
Squirtle, F(@& YEAH!
Charizard, F*@^ YEAH!
Bulbasaur, F!#( YEAH!
Ratatta, F*#^ YEAH!
Goldeen, F&#^ YEAH!
Butterfree, F(@^ YEAH!
Vulpix, F*@^ YEAH!

F&@% YEAH!

Geodude, F&#^ YEAH!
Starmie, F*@^ YEAH!
Porygon, F&@$ YEAH!
Lapras, F*@# YEAH!
Snorlax, F%@$ YEAH!
Doduo, F)@& YEAH!
Zubat, F&@^ YEAH!
Magnamite, F&@^ YEAH!
Sandlash, F(@& YEAH!
Magikarp, F&@# Yeah?

Zapdos, F*@& YEAH!
Articuno, F*#& YEAH!
Moltres, F&#% YEAH!
Mewtwo, F&^% YEAH!
Primeape, F*#& YEAH!
Beedrill, F)!@ YEAH!
Arbok, F*#& YEAH!
Wheezing, F7$^ YEAH!
Oddish, F*#$ YEAH!
Jigglypuff, F*$^ Yeah?

My Dream Big East

With all of the talk of expansion of other conferences at the expense of my favorite one, I thought I would present to you my ideal Big Est, in a perfect world. Since realignment is the talk du jour, as a fan of the Big East in its various incarnations, I wanted to give you what I thought my personal Big East would look like. If I could, by fiat, move teams around, here is what I would make my Big East, and why. This is a new Big East without all of the jank of football and non-football members and market size and all of that junk. I am also not wedded to just 8 teams.





Pitt and WVU, WVU and Pitt - Selected as the 15th biggest rivalry in college sports, which is certainly solid, these two teams are like peas in a pod. The schools are virtually identical in many ways, and they are the core of the modern Big East. It's more a gentleman's rivalry than U of M/OSU or others I've seen, that are downright nasty and vile. These two teams are easily in.


Virginia Tech. Miami is a merc, they only used the Big East for large winning records and respect, they were never really a Big East school, so good riddance to them. Boston College was always the odd man out of the Big East - its school radically different in character, culture, and nature. It's no loss. However, when Va Tech left for theACC, that was a heavy hit. Tech grew into a power school during its time in the Big East, and it was truly a BE school. That was a big blow to me and others. Bringing it back is paramount to establishing a good Big East.


That gives me three core schools - WVU, Pitt and V Tech, all very good. All that are regularly top 25 material, but can have off seasons where they miss it.

Now, let's build around them.



Cincinnati, Louisville have proven themselves worthy members of the conference. Even though they are new, they are geographically and culturally a nice fit. Kentucky and Ohio slide in very nicely along PA, WV and VA.


Maryland, pack your bags, you are leaving behind a conference that you never fit in, despite having founded it. The Terrapins are a lot more like the Panthers and the Hokies than the Gators and Tigers.



Okay, that gives me 6. Who is not making the cut for sure:

Temple. I'm not bringing you back. You suck.

Marshall - You suck now. Go away.




Who am I looking at?

UVA - Bringing in a rival game for Tech would be hot.

U of Kentucky - Ditto for Louisville

Penn State - Ditto for both WVU and Pitt who had long standing rivalries a while ago vs PSU

Notre Dame - Already a member of the Big East except for football, I could add it all the way

U Conn - They really added something to their football program these last few years

South Florida - Everybody loves their "no one" to riches story

Rutgers - Was once the doormat of the conference like Temple, but has slowly and steadily increased it's cache.

Syracuse - Long a member of the conference and used to be a strong team in it.

East Carolina - Established rivalries against WVU and V Tech out of conference.



Who makes it in? Penn State, congratulations, leave that stupid Big Ten which liked you so much they didn't even change their name, and rejoin us. Both Pitt and WVU for decades had long standing rivalries with PSU, and by fiat, it is reinstituted.

Who is out for sure - Notre Dame, the Big Ten is calling you. The Big East trades ND to the Big Ten for PSU.

South Florida. I love ya, but Florida has never been in the Big East area except for media markets and recruiting, but this is not about that, it is about teams I think make a lot of sense duking it out. You were traded to the ACC for Maryland, which you might like since now you can duel Miami and Florida.

U of Kentucky - I'd like to bring you in, but you stink too much of the SEC. Sorry.

UVA - The same but for the ACC. If you were more similar to the Big East teams already in, then I'd bring you in no question, but you have more in common with UNC and Duke than you do with Va Tech and Pitt and PSU and Maryland.

Rutgers - I don;t want doormats in the conference, and you are one Schiano coaching change or heart attack away from it again. Sorry, I appreciate the work and all, and you do fit in in many ways like geography and such, but your quality is not high enough for a long term stay. You can dominate the Conference USA or something. You were the hardest one to say no too.

That leaves ECU, Syracuse, UConn as the teams I am looking at.

Pros and Cons -

ECU - Despite the fact that you are in Carolina and thus the "South" you really seem more like a Big East sort of school. This is a serious promotion to the big leagues. However, there is a fear that you would become the conference whipping boy. However, you just beat V Tech and WVU and that gives me pause.

Syracuse - Ten years ago, you would make this no question, but recently you have turned into Temple. I wish you had left instead of Va Tech like the plan was originally. I don;t like that you are a private school and feel different, but you aren't auto-disinvited

Uconn - You really put the time and money into your football team and I like that. You have had success, and I like that too. My only issue is that you don;t automatically think Connecticut when you think the Big Est, and your school has a mroe New England feel.


Guess what? You are all in! Syracuse, get better. ECU, rise to the occasion and work on your stadium.


Ten teams


East Carolina
Syracuse
U of Connecticut
Louisville
Cincinnati
Pittsburgh
Penn State
Virginia Tech
Maryland
WVU


States represented are contiguous:

PA, OH, KY, WV, VA, NC, MD, NY, CT

Ebay Does Not Lie

I just did a quick search of the D&D section of eBay.

There are 25027 items for sale in the D&D section.

I did a search for all of them with the following things in the title:

1st - 163
2nd - 913
3rd - 302
3.5 - 662
4th - 720

Player's Handbook - 236
Dungeon Master's Guide - 307
Monster Manual - 232
Player's Option - 49
Fiend Folio - 58

Module - 1,782
Adventure - 824

TSR - 2,662
Wizards of the Coast - 9
WOTC - 394

Judges Guild - 89

Relocation Targets

Here are my top choices to live based on research, visits, and more. Check out www.findyourspot.com to see where some of my info comes from.


1. Portland, Oregon. Loved it when I was there. Great public transportation, beautiful city, thousands of parks and green spaces, just a delight to visit and I'm sure to live in as well. Expensiver than most places on my list (but cheap compared to many cities).
2. Boise, Idaho. In the foothills of the Rockies. Lots of outdoor space, activities, and more. Very nice. Cheaper than many cities.
3. Anchorage, Alaska. Tons of things to do. From hikes to Iditarod and more. Could do the Alaska adventure part of my life. Moving here is very expensive.
4. Roanoke, Virginia. Close to WV, which allows me to visit and vacation there when needed. Smaller city than the others above. In Appalachia, but barely, and people more identify with Virginia and east coast than Appalachia. Roanoke is also the gaming capital with dozens of major gaming events annually.
5. Rapid City, South Dakota (Spearfish as well). The Black Hills are beautiful and I want to visit someday. Rapid City is smaller than Roanoke, but the closeness to the beauty of the Black Hills cannot be underestimated. Beautiful scenery and major access to outdoor activities and visiting. Spearfish about 45 minutes away, with just 10k in city, but really in the Black Hills.
6. Denver, Colorado Springs, Boulder, Colorado. Mountains and outdoor activities galoor! A bit too on the beaten path for my taste. Expensive living exceeds that of Portland.
7. Seattle, Washington. Tons of things to do, outdoor is just a few minutes away whether beach, mountains or forests. Very expensive.
8. Tacoma, Olympia, Spokane, Bellingham Washington. The other major cities in Washington give you less, but cost less.
9. Missoula, Montana. You are out there and way off the beaten path. Rockies. Tons of outdoor activities. About same size as Rapid City, and cheap.
10. Harrisburg, Carlisle, Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Central PA is in Appalachia, yay, but northern areas. Pretty. Tons to do.
11. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I have always loved the town, probably more than most do.
12. Knoxville, Tennessee. There are only two major cities that have their entire metro area in Appalachia - Pittsburgh and Knoxville. I am not a Tennessee or Deep South guy, but Knoxville would probably work for me.
13. Flagstaff, Arizona. Up in the Mountains and away from the desert, this place has vegetation and outdoor activities. Not my top spot or anything, but I'd take a job here.
14. The Rest of Alaska. See Anchorage, but too off the beaten path for me, except for maybe Seward (which is only 3k big but on the path) or Fairbanks.
15. The Rest of Oregon. Pretty.
16. Honolulu, Hawaii. Pretty and tons and tons to do. Very expensive knocks it down down down the list.
17. Minneapolis-St.Paul, Minnesota. If I had to stay in the mid-west, this is where I'd move to. Mid-west = boring.


Here are some things you can take from this list.

Ideally, no mid west. No Great Plains. No Desert. No Eastern Sea-Board (No New England, Boston, eastern NY, MD, VA coast, NC coast, Delaware, DC, Eastern PA). New England would be alright if I had to. No California.

This leaves the following states as having one or all sections in my search area - Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming, Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Virginia, New York North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, and perhaps some others I forgot. That's 22 states that have all or part of them eligible for my ideal place to live.

I like snow. Not every place on my list has a lot of snow (Portland doesn't, neither does Washington, Hawaii, Knoxville, or Rapid City actually.) but it helps. I like mountains, and if not mountains, than at least hills. If not hills, than at least water. Cities are built in valleys, so even Denver is not that mountainous itself, but on relatively flat land, but I want it accessible and in the horizon ideally. Even Portland has Mt. Hood. I like outdoor activities. Taking walks, hiking, canoeing, boating, fishing, going on a picnic, and so forth. Areas with these things for me to do score higher. I also like greenery, the greener and browner, the better. I like foresty planty areas. (Portland scores mega points here. As one of the most environmentally conscious cities on the planet (not kidding, check it out) it has things like trees on top of buildings in the downtown area. Pretty.)

So, that's my list. Enjoy!

Some of the Best Square One Music Videos

If you were like me, and you loved Square One on PBS, then you may have some fond memories of the math-related music videos from the show. If so, here are a few of my favs, for you to check out.


Here is Combo Jombo, in a Cyndi Lauper/Madonna style:






Here is Angle Dance, reminiscent of early 80's synthpop:





Here is Ghost of a Chance, in the style of Michael Jackson




This one is with a country flair:





Here is one using a Bruce Springsteen feel:






Finally, how about one with a 50's doo-wop fell:

Why Abe is a Who-vian

While laying in bed last night, I think I came to realize why I am such a Whovian (One who likes Dr. Who a lot).

I like Star Trek, sure. It's ok. But I don't love it or anything. The same is true for Star Wars. It's okay, but it doesn't give me a nerd on or anything. I'm like that for a lot of traditionally nerd topics. You won't see me obsessing about the latest anime with mecha or anything.

What I do nerd out over, however, is Dr. Who. It has a smaller budget, cheesy special effects, but it has a lot of character and charm. However, last night, I finally realized why the Doctor strikes me so much.

I AM the Doctor.

Ok, follow me on this.


I don't know if you have ever been exposed to the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator or not. Here's the quick rundown.

In order to classify various personality types, they created four spectrums of ways to analyze a person's personality. By charting each person on these four dichotomies, they can create 16 combinations of types.

Let's look at each of these in turn.

Everyone is either an Extrovert or an Introvert. How comfortable are they in new social surroundings? Do they have many friends with few close ones, or just a few really intimate friends. Do they energize by spending time alone, or with people? The extroverts thrive in new social circumstances, the introverts are less so. Are you an I or an E?

The next category is Intuitive vs Sensing. Where do you get the information you use to make a decision? Are you an N or an S? An N is more comfortable talking about nebulous ideas, whereas an S wants to talk about concrete things. One likes philosophy, the other math. One likes religion, the other foreign languages. One likes poetry or literature, the other science. Generally, these are very general terms.

The next level are Thinkers vs Feelers. How do you initially respond to a new situation? Do you think about it or feel about it? Logic or emotion? Would you rather be cold headed or warm hearted? Justice or mercy? T or F?

the last level is Perceiving vs Judging. Do you order your life? When you go on a vacation, do you plan it in detail, or just go with the flow? Do you send back RSVPs immediately? Do you have to have your calender with you at all times? P or J?



Now, let's look at me. I am an ENTP. I have a weak E, so I am close to I. I have a very strong T and P, with a decent N. I am ruled by my T, and it dominates the rest of me.

Let's look at the Doctor:

No question, the Doctor is first and foremost a P. I'd say that's his strongest category, no question. He never plans, he just heads in and improvises. He often doesn't even plan his course, just goes where the TARDIS takes him. Very, very P.

Right after P is the next obvious - T. There is no question that the Doctor is a thinker and a logician. He approaches problems analytically. He is so T, that when others are running for their lives, he will often stand in the gap and use logic to solve problems. He also regular misses what people are feeling, including his companions. That is the trademark of a T.

He is also quite, quite E. No question that the Doctor is extroverted. He thrives on social interaction. He loves meeting new people, new social interactions, and more. He inserts himself into conversations and social situations with glee. Very E.

That leaves the N/S category as the only one that is not obvious. Let's take a look - The Doctor is a scientist, but he loves talking about nebulous stuff. He is amazingly perceptive, but very intuitive. He will go by his gut at times and go by appearances at others. As such, I'd say he is very close to the line, just like I am close as an E.

However, at the end of the day, I'd say that he prefers to be an N, by a bit. He misses what people are feeling, and in addition to that sometimes being the result of a T, it is also the consequence of being an N. A T will say something logical, without intending for it to be anything other than logical, but say it in such a way that an F will take offense. An N will just miss that a person is ever feeling anything at all.

Take Martha for example. Doctor misses her feelings for him. That's an N thing to do.

So, although it is close, I'd say the Doctor is an ENTP, but you might argue he is, instead, an ESTP.

And I am an ENTP.

Is it any wonder that this guy who traipses all across the universe and helping others, and who is, in many ways (at least in England) a character as iconic as Santa, who has my exact personality type, would be someone I identify with (a lot)?

So. I think that may be the root of my fascination with El Doctore.

Here are some of the things that professional sites say about the ENTP type. See how much they apply to The Doctor.

"ENTPs are known for their quest of the novel and complex. They have faith in their ability to improvise and to overcome any challenges that they face. They are highly independent, and value adaptability and innovation. They may be several steps ahead of others in encouraging and valuing change. They hate uninspired routine and resist hierarchical and bureaucratic structures that are not functional. They need freedom for action."

Remember that The Doctor was a renegade from his own people, because he wanted to change people and Time Lords were sworn to non-intervention.


"ENTP's wish to exercise their ingenuity in the world of people and things. Found in about five out of every hundred people, ENTP's extravert intuition; thus they deal imaginatively with social relationships as well as physical and mechanical relations. They are very alert to what is apt to occur next, and always sensitive to possibilities.

ENTP's are good at analysis, especially functional analysis, and have both a tolerance for and enjoyment of the complex. Usually enthusiastic, ENTP's are apt to express interest in everything, and thus are a source of inspiration to others, who find themselves caught up by the ENTP's enthusiasm. This type is delighted over many things and so is easy to please, often showing the effervescence of their NF counterpart, the ENFP. The ENTP is the most reluctant of all the types to do things in a particular manner just because that is the way things always have been done. They characteristically have an eye out for a better way, always on the lookout for new projects, new activities, new procedures.

ENTP's are confident in the value of their pursuits and display a charming capacity to ignore the standard, the traditional, and the authoritative. As a result of this open attitude, they often bring a fresh, new approach to their work and their lives. The ENTP is a keen judge of the pragmatics of both the social and the mechanical, and may become expert at directing relationships between means and ends."



If that isn't The Doctor to a T (heh, mixed metaphor), I don't know what is.

The Deities of Thorasia

I thought I would give you a bit of info on Thorasia. (Tho-RAY-see-uh), my own world. Here are my gods. Many of them came from research into mythology to find deities from various cultures that fit my own world and desires. If so, they have parentheses with that culture. The other are my own. I often made a lot of changes to them before incorporation, and other times it was much less so.




The Gods of Thorasia:



Magister – God of Life, Triplet with Harryth, Barastyr
Mithris – God of Battle and Duty, Husband of Harkangi, Brother of Camulos
Harkangi – Goddess of Mending and Peace, Wife of Mithris
Tangaroa – Goddess of the Sea, Wind and Water, Sister of Bathala (Maori Goddess)
Lonna – Goddess of Stars, Sky and Serenity, Daughter of Gontia and Malekbel
Chasca – Goddess of Light, Color, Music and Art (Incan Goddess)
Teminia – Goddess of Forest, Hunt and Faerie, Sister of Berstuk
Qetesh – Goddess of Love and Beauty (Phoenician Goddess)
Bathala - Goddess of Agriculture, Harvest and Fertility, Sister of Tangaroa (Philippine Goddess)



Harryth – God of Balance, Betrothed of Shafina, Triplet with Magister, Barastyr
Ravister – God of Magic and Knowledge
Shafina – Goddess of Law, Justice and Trade. Betrothed of Harryth
Belisama - Goddess of Crafts (Celtic Goddess)
Azeban - God of Lunacy, Madness, and Insanity, Teshub’s Twin (Abenaki God)
Teshub – God of Chaos, Randomness, and Luck, Azeban’s Twin (Hurrian God)
Malekbel – God of Fire and the Sun, Husband of Gontia (Palmarene God)
Kothar – God of Earth, Rock, and Mountains (Canaanite God)
Laima – Goddess of Distance and Travel (Latvian Goddess)



Barastyr – God of Death, Triplet with Harryth and Magister (Ossetian God)
Camulos – God of Conflict and Strife, Brother of Mithris (Celtic God)
Mahte - Goddess of Pain and Pleasure (Latvian Goddess)
Aminon – God of Destruction, Anger, and Vengeance (Ossetian God)
Arentia – Goddess of Decay and Disease
Gontia - Goddess of Night, Ice, and the Moon, Wife of Malekbel (Celtic Goddess)
Baetylus – God of Deceit and Greed (Phoenician God)
Berstuk - God of Faerie, Trickery, and Mischief, Brother of Teminia (Slavic God)
Melqart - God of the Underworld and Undeath (Canaanite God)

Abe's Top Ten D&D Supplements

The Top Ten



I just wanted to do a sample post or two, and show the sorts of things to expect on here. I was thinking the other day about my favorite game supplements and rules books for D&D> I played 1st, 2nd, and the basic game, but never 3rd or 4th. These are my Top Ten favorite supplements.


10. Aurora’s Whole Realms Catalogue
2nd Edition
Forgotten Realms
1992






This clever little book for the Forgotten Realms represents a supposed magazine-ish book distributed by a large wholesaler that offers a variety of different types of goods. Each good comes with a picture, description of why you should buy it, and a price tag. It includes a ton of awesome stuff for your campaigns, and it is one of the best readings I have gotten from a AD&D supplement. Great stuff!


9. Van Richten’s Guide to the Ancient Dead
2nd Edition
Ravenloft
1994








This supplement took a minor enemy from the basic enemies (the Mummy) and turned it upside down, and created one of the most intricate enemies you can have. A lot of the book is fluff, but what it does have is a lot of meat for creating interesting, unique, and powerful undead creatures. It creates scales of power, interesting abilities, and more.


8. Wizards Spell Compendium, Vol 1-4
2nd Edition
1997





I know this set did the same thing as the Priest’s Spell Compendium and Encyclopedia Magica for their media, and that all it does is simply, in four volumes, list every spell ever printed. However, this is the best by far. For example, it’s hard to add Priest spells to your campaign. How does a deity just suddenly start increasing randomly the spells they grant to priests? It’s hard to justify it in campaign more than once or twice. The magic items rock, and the more the merrier, and I use the Encyclopedia Magica a ton. However, making a magic item is a ton of work. Wizards have to research the formula, chase down the exotic ingredients, find the spells, and then spend a ton of time making the actual item, and some spells deplete the caster’s body and/or soul in order to imbue the item with permanent magic. Therefore, they are not easy to make. However, you can make a new spell in 2-3 months, done. That one item can be broken or lost easily. You put your name on your spell, start selling scrolls of it or trading it, and within a couple of years, Abe’s Mighty Aleatory is suddenly known by a bunch of other magi. It has a much better chance of staying after you die, will get your name better known, gives you unique spells to trade for other rare spells, doesn’t take too long, and such. Thus, your campaign world should have a few known priest spells, a lot of magic items, and a literal plethora of wizard spells coming out of people’s ears. The only issue I have is that the spells were not usually put into the new schools so I have to go through, read them all, and add them to the new schools – like artifice. That, plus it’s just a reprint of every spell ever, drops it back from a higher berth.



7. The Seven Sisters
2nd Edition
Forgotten Realms
1995






This book took an in story idea of those few powered by a goddess to powerful levels, and gave you tons of info on them. You saw tons of stats and background on each of the characters so imbued, and then game information on how to do it, and what advantages come with it, and then finally, tons of very powerful spells made by this core of powerful characters. The supplement is detailed, gives you rules for cool characters that have never existed before of any sort, and is a nice treat.



6. Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb Guide
2nd Edition
1990






The artless cover for some of these books is going to suck, I admit. This books is divided into two parts. The first gives you, the Dm, tons of tip[s on how to run a game. Instead of lots of rules, instead it gives the DM guidelines and info on how to run the best campaigns, create the best worlds, and so forth. Then it actually has runs and tricks on how to create your own world, followed by information about creating maps and stuff. In some ways, it is a better DM’s Guide than the actual DM’s Guide. It’s amazing, and has info from everything from ordering snacks and cleaning up after a gaming session to world build tips. Amazing.


5. Greyhawk Adventures
1st Edition
Greyhawk
1988







This is a classic book for your library. It is a textbook example of having a tome that is thick with good stuff for games. It includes tons of stuff from new rules on how to run 0 level adventures to a ton of spells, magic items, new creatures, detailed rules on deities and their clerics that gives you just enough info, rules and info on major players, several mini-adventures you can use and my favorite – many geographical anomalies and why they were formed, and what sorts of creatures and interesting things are there, to give you many ideas for adventures of your own creation. Just a very solid book from start to finish.



4. The Complete Book of Necromancers
2nd Edition
1995








This book was jam packed with stuff, and looked at a great way to make NPC and enemy necromancers something truly villainous. The new kits were great, the new items interesting, the new non-weapon proficiencies essential (like venom handling), and everything from dark gifts, weaknesses, salient powers, to a map and dungeon at the end was great. It took a corner of the universe and fleshed the crap out of it in a beautiful way.



Top three, here we go...

3. The Complete Fighter's Handbook
2nd Edition
1989






Right after they released the 2nd Edition rules that just codified the 1st Edition rules in one place and streamlined some stuff, they added major ideas to the game. This book became essential. Not only did it add things like new weapons to the mix, but it also created a lot of new ideas for ways that characters can fight. Specialization in fighting styles was brand new, as well and broad and narrow group proficiencies. However, what the CFH will be forever known as was the introduction of Kits to AD&D, and it was one of the best additions to the game from 2nd Edition.


Top Two:

2. Player's Option: Skills and Powers
2nd Edition
1996






This book was part of the Player’s Option revolution that included Combat and Tactics, and Spells and Magic. This introduced the idea that when you create a character, you can choose your race bonuses and class abilities and later weapon and non-weapon proficiencies all by using character points. It was a genius idea to tack onto D&D. It was, in my opinion, the best version of D&D ever. Because 3rd edition moved away from that, I stick with 2nd Edition Player’s Option as my preferred option.



And finally....


Oriental Adventures
1st Edition
Kara Tur
1985







What can you say about this product that has not been said already? I guess you could say it sucked – no one has ever said that. Replacing the normal classes and races with all new ones, and yet retaining the basic rules for AD&D, this book became arguably the single iconic book of AD&D 1th Edition and was one of the best selling ones of all time, period. From the new spells, new elemental system, new everything – including a new world, Kara-Tur detailed very well – you have one of the best supplements of all times, an d the best one for 1st Edition. It still has stuff in it that was never redone for later editions, and thus stands up very well. Oh, and did I mention it introduced non-weapon proficiencies?