Source of Thoughts

Spore

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:19:58 GMT

So I'm thinking about spore creature creation contests. Current thought is:

CreatureLibs. I'll post a madlib style request for adjectives, numbers, etc... Anybody that wishes to participate has about three days to reply with their answers. At the closing, I'll post the actual madlib, and everyone has about a week to make a creature matching their description.

At the end, everyone posts their critter, and there is a public poll (Everyone can vote, even if they didn't participate, can't vote for yourself).

I'd need at least 5 people to make it worthwhile, but I'd be willing to put up a 25$ Barnes and Noble card (My credit card reward) for the winner.

Any takers?

Fri, 30 May 2008 20:20:43 GMT

Link Mania

Patents
Video Game Design Theory
Dodgeball!

Need to get back more often...

Proposed Spore Taxonomy -- I'm bored

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:43:13 GMT

Ok, so Spore has a release date (early September) and a release date for the Creature Editor (early June)

I was thinking about classifying the creatures, and how the system would need to be different for an open ended system like this compared to the natural evolution that earth has seen.

Assumptions:
Players will 'own' their creations.
Creatures will be saved at discrete points along the evolutionary process (specifically when you go into the editor to change them).
Major rewrites of the creature will be possible, but expensive.
Creatures will USUALLY be bred up from scratch, or created wholesale in the editor (I.E. in the lab), but may be used as templates for later designs.
Switching from tidepool to creature will involve a massive break constituting a conceptual non-relation between the creatures on either side.

Important factors to capture in the taxonomy:
Creator
World
Base (Single Celled or Lab)...
Base Single Cell (I.E. Playthrough)
Base Creature (The first creature that was made coming out, or the base lab creature.)
Creature Genus
Creature Species

Definitions:
Creator - Self Explanatory... The most important base factor for any creature is who created it.

Playthrough - If you start a whole new game, change this.

World - Where the creature's Homeworld originally was. If the creature is adapted to another world, this doesn't change, the genus will.

Base - Whether the creature was created from a single celled organism, or just cranked out of the editor

Base Single Cell - The single cell organism the creature started with. It may be possible to evolve multiple creatures on a single world. This level may not be used for Created creatures

Base Creature - The first creature built in the creature builder. This is either the initial template for a built creature, or the first creature created upon leaving the tidepool mode.

Creature Genus - This only changes with masive revisions of the initial character. For example if you start with a monkey-like herbivore, and scratch everything and build a 6-legged Carnivore, you would change the family.

Creature Species - This is what you will be changing when you make minor changes to the creature in the incremental steps.

Creature Subspecies - Any time a minor edit is made to a creature without the intend of continuing it, (I.E. cosmetic moding or planet tweaking), Simply add a new subspecies. For the most part, 'PRIME' will be the species that continued on.

Example:
Granite26-Game1-Earth26-SC-Cell1-Mutoid-Mutusaurus-Alpha-(Prime)

Usually Mutusaurus-A will be sufficient to identify the creature. The greek progression is intended to serve as an indication that species are generally going to be an incremental powering up of the basic genus. If you think that the next greek letter is wrong, you're probably ready for a new genus.

Example:
Granite26-Game1-Mars52-Lab-Nill-Martian-Space Ape-Alpha-(Terce)

If you build a creature in the lab for throwing on another planet, it will keep the name of the planet it was created for (on), even if you make minor adjustments to account for the situation on another planet (I.E. Leg length or camoflaging.)

I'm not sure of the value in keeping track of the original cell, but I know that creator, playthrough, planet are all important grouping mechanisms, and the rest of the tree is designed to track the kind of evolution likely to take place.

Here's to hoping that the incrementals (I.E. Species and Subspecies) are stored in the sporeopedia.

The worst part about this is that it was sent in all ernestness

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 21:57:12 GMT

Friends,

As we embark on a new year, our nation faces a myriad of critical challenges ranging from healthcare and education to housing and our economy. In the second session of the 110th Congress I will continue to work hard, as I did in the first session, to pass initiatives that address these challenges that are important to the American people. As your representative for the 9th Congressional District of Texas, I am honored to serve you in the United States House of Representatives. I hope that you will find the information in this e-newsletter update useful and informative. If I can ever be of assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me by calling my office (the Green Team) at 713-383-9234 or by visiting me on the web at www.house.gov/algreen. Together we can make a better America .

Wishing you a happy new year,

Al Green

Member of Congress

WORKING FOR YOU ON CAPITOL HILL:

RECOGNIZING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS BY COMMEMORATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH

As you may know, February is Black History Month, a chance to honor the lives and achievements that African Americans have intricately weaved into the very core of the American fabric. In recognition of the rich history of African Americans, I introduced a resolution, H. Res. 942, expressing the significance of Black History Month. A resolution commemorating this annual celebration illustrates the appreciation of the House of Representatives for the multitude of contributions African Americans have made and will continue to make in the future. I believe that the ethnic and racial diversity of the United States is the cornerstone of our nation’s strength. We are blessed to live in a country that honors the contributions of all people to the greatness of our nation.

SUPPORTING THE REVITALIZATION OF OUR NATION’S PUBLIC HOUSING

There is a misconception held by some that there is a surplus of available and affordable housing units in the United States . In fact, there is a deficit of over 5.6 million affordable and available housing units across this country. In Texas alone, we face the third largest deficit in the nation with a shortage of over 437,000 affordable and available housing units.

Recognizing the need to stem the loss of affordable housing, the United States House of Representatives voted to pass the HOPE VI Improvement and Reauthorization Act on January 17, 2008. As a Member of the House Committee on Financial Services’ Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity, I spoke on the floor of the House in support of the reauthorization of this vital program that revitalizes severely distressed public housing projects, improves economic conditions in the surrounding neighborhood, and helps very poor families progress toward self-sufficiency. This bill includes an important provision that requires that all public housing units slated for demolition under the HOPE VI program be replaced on a one-to-one basis. This provision is vital to insuring that the deficit of affordable housing in Texas and across our nation does not continue to grow. Increasing the number of available and affordable housing units in the 9th District and across the country is and will continue to be a high priority for me in Congress.

HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

On January 21st our nation honored one of the leaders of the civil rights movement, the great Dr. Marin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King taught us that silence in the face of injustice only serves to fuel the fires of prejudice and hatred. He said that “in the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Dr. King’s message has become the conscience of our country, reminding us that it is our responsibility to stand up and speak out in the face of racial, gender, and religious discrimination.

Forty years after his assassination, we are still working to ensure that Dr. King’s dream of equality will one day be fully realized by all in our great nation. As we celebrate the life and legacy of a great American hero and international symbol of justice and equality, we must not forget that there is still tremendous work to be done:

· 47 million Americans live without health insurance, 4.1 million in Texas alone

· 37 million people live in poverty, 3.4 million in Texas alone

· 9 million children across the United States are without access to affordable healthcare, 1.4 million in Texas alone

· 200,000 veterans are homeless, 16,000 in Texas alone

Together, I believe we can fight the evils of social injustice and work to create a brighter future for all Americans. It has fallen on to us to make Dr. King’s dream a reality by standing up, and by all means, speaking out.

WORKING FOR YOU IN THE DISTRICT:

HONORING OUR NATION’S HEROES

On December 22nd and 24th, 2007, I visited the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center to present more than 200 flags flown over the United States Capitol to our nation’s veterans. It is important to honor the men and women who have sacrificed so much to make the United States of America the great country it is today. The freedoms we so often take for granted have been secured and defended since our nation’s founding by those in uniform willing to risk their lives for our ideals of freedom, opportunity, and justice.

Yet while our veterans were there to answer our call to duty, our government has not always been there for them. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs , nearly 200 , 000 homeless veterans live on the streets , in shelters or in community based organizations – 16,000 in Texas alone. I believe that we must honor our nation’s heroes not only with words, but with actions. For this reason I introduced H.R. 3329, the Homes for Heroes Act. This bill would prevent homelessness and provide affordable housing and housing services for our nation’s homeless heroes and their families. I believe this is the least a grateful nation can do.

BICYCLES FOR CHILDREN PROGRAM IN THE 9TH DISTRICT

According to the 2000 Census, over 75,000 children in the 9th Congressional District live below the federal poverty line. Addressing the prevalence of poverty in our nation is a priority for me as well as my colleagues in the 110th Congress. I will continue to work on your behalf in Congress to tackle the issue of poverty through legislation such as my Living American Wage (LAW) Act which indexes the federal minimum wage to the federal poverty level.

I believe it is equally important to extend a helping hand to those in our community who are facing difficult times whenever possible. In the spirit of the holiday season, I joined the Southeast Coalition of Civic Clubs and several local ministers on December 21, 2007 to distribute 100 bicycles to low-income children in our District. I sincerely want to thank all of the businesses and individuals that made the Bicycles for Children Program such a great success. Their selfless efforts have made this program possible for the past two years and it is my sincere hope that those efforts will continue to help make the dream of owning a bicycle a reality for children in the 9th District in the years to come.

ANNOUNCEMENT:

DIGITAL TV CONVERTER BOX COUPON PROGRAM UNDERWAY

At midnight on February 17, 2009, all full-power television stations in the United States will stop broadcasting in analog and switch to 100% digital broadcasting. Digital broadcasting promises to provide a clearer picture and more programming options and will free up additional airwaves for use by our emergency responders.

Congress created the TV Converter Box Coupon Program for households wishing to continue using their analog TV sets after February 17, 2009. The Program allows U.S. households to obtain up to two coupons, each worth $40, which can be applied toward the cost of eligible converter boxes. A TV connected to cable, satellite or other pay TV service will not require a TV converter box.

Between January 1, 2008 and March 31, 2009, you can request a coupon while supplies last in one of four ways:

· Apply online at https://www.dtv2009.gov

· Call the Coupon Program 24-hour hotline at 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009). Hearing-impaired consumers can use the TTY service by calling: 1-877-530-2634 (English/TTY) or 1-866-495-1161 (Spanish/TTY)

· Download a Coupon Application from: https://www.dtv2009.gov & mail a coupon application to: PO BOX 2000 , Portland , OR 97208-2000

· Fax a coupon application to 1-877-DTV-4ME2 (1-877-388-4632)

Please contact my office at 713-383-9234 if we can provide you with any additional help or information during this transition.

ON THE WEB:

For more information or to find out about my most recent activities please visit me on the web at www.house.gov/algreen

Please do not reply to this message, as it is an unattended mailbox. If you wish to send me an e-mail, please use the form at http://www.house.gov/writerep. If you would like more information on what is happening in Congress, please visit my web site at http://www.house.gov/algreen for more information.

To subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, please use the subscription form on my home page at http://www.house.gov/algreen/ and follow the instructions there.

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Tue, 12 Feb 2008 20:18:59 GMT

Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man,
the People have abdicated our duties; for the People who once upon a time
handed out military command, high civil office, legions - everything, now
restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things:
bread and circuses

--Juvenal

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 15:41:13 GMT

It took me two days (prolly 3-4 hours at work) to get through all of this, but it was well worth it.

It's politics, of the sort I like:

"But the monster drug problem we have created is compounded by moves to tax citizens so government can hand out free needles to drug addicts who are breaking the law, in hopes there will be less spread of hepatitis and AIDs in order to reduce government health-care costs. This proposal shows how bankrupt we are at coming to grips with this problem."

"In our early history, it was understood that a free society embraced both personal civil liberties and economic liberties. During the 20th Century, this unified concept of freedom has been undermined. Today we have one group talking about economic freedom while interfering with our personal liberty and the other group condemning economic liberty, while preaching the need to protect personal civil liberties. Both groups reject liberty 50% of the time. That leaves very few who defend liberty all the time. Sadly, there are too few in this country who today understand and defend liberty in both areas."

"And there are others with equally good intentions that insist on writing even more laws and regulations punishing non-violent behavior in order to teach good manners and instill character. But they fail to see that tolerating non-violent behavior-even when stupid and dangerous to one's own self-is the same as our freedom to express unpopular political and offensive ideas and to promote and practice religion in any way one chooses. Resorting to writing more laws with the intent of instilling "character" and good "manners" in the people is anathema to liberty. The love of liberty can come only from within and is dependent on a stable family and a society that seeks the brotherhood of man through voluntary and charitable means."

"And there are others who believe that government force is legitimate in promoting what they call fair economic redistribution. The proponents of this course have failed to read history and instead adhere to economic myths. They ignore the evidence that this effort to help their fellow man will inevitably fail. Instead, it will do the opposite and lead to the impoverishment of many more. But more importantly, if left unchecked this approach will destroy liberty by undermining the concept of private property ownership and free markets, the bedrock of economic prosperity."

"None of these alternatives will work. Character and good manners are not a government problem. They reflect individual attitudes that can only be changed by individuals themselves."

It's... about exactly as horrible as you'd expect

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:52:22 GMT

This leads me to the ultimate fan-boy question. You've got an interest in a relatively underrepresented sub-genre of movies/fiction. Right now there's not a lot of money going into making quality, or ANY examples of this sub-genre. Something comes along that is obviously a bad example of something you want them to do well. Do you

A: Support the effort wholeheartedly. If they see they are making money at it, they will make more, and the field will be more competitive, increasing quality with time

B: Ignore, lambast, or criticize it. First off, if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. We don't want the castoffs, we don't want to be treated as a second rate market who will lap up any POS they toss our way, and are thus underdeserving of higher standards of quality used on more discerning crowds

I got this... I had to see just how bad it was, and it was pretty bad, the animation quality was third rate, and the dialogue was... if not actually dumbed down, certainly wasn't tweaked to the relatively high caliber of acting talent they had. Other than that, it's pretty much the same story I remembered from 20 (!) years ago.

It gets a little preachy, something I DON'T remember, but hey, what are you going to do.

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 18:00:36 GMT

This is out...

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:14:53 GMT

A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

I had a discussion last night with someone who did not think that the explicit purpose of the second amendment was to enable the people (either as the states or as individuals) to maintain the means to rise up against a future tyrannical federal government.

I had always thought that it was generally accepted that this was the case. (and not that we had the right to defend ourselves from lions, tigers, bears, Russians, drug-crazed home invaders)

I'm curious about the consensus out there. What do you think?

I pose this question separate from several issues, namely:

Whether it refers to state (official, organized) militias or to each person individually
Whether modern weapons technology has made the concept of an armed populace to dangerous to be worthwhile (I’m not going to call a person who’d give up a little freedom to get a little safety irrational…)

Simply put: Do you believe the express purpose of the 2nd amendment was to enable the populace to resist tyranny from a Federal army?

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 19:35:44 GMT

For these women, a unique, and most unexpected dilemma, presents itself: Should they vote their race, or should they vote their gender?

Quick poll: Is voting FOR someone because of their race, sex, or creed any less biased, bigoted, and above all moronic than voting AGAINST then? Isn't that a double standard?

(AKA, hold out for Condi and get the best of both worlds...)

Seriously though, I want opinions...

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 20:28:49 GMT

Lack of this is what caused the fudge shop to fail

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 18:22:25 GMT

It's officially been a while. Not sure how much of it is literally too busy, and how much of it is a newfound sense of 'privacy'.

Anyway, when last we left our faithful adventurer, he was boasting of his shiny new car and raise. We'll start there. The car is still a car. Way less exciting now that A: I'm paying for it, and B: It's too cold to put the top down. I'm hoping it warms up soon, because I'd like to do more driving with it down, and now that we're past the solstice, I'm more and more capable of cycling in to work every day. Boss man says I can even get a locker here to store my soap and stuff. (It's a refinery, so there's lockers and showers and whatnot for the operators.) I'd like to make biking in my default commute. In theory, it goes through some bad parts of town. In reality, it's pretty much a tour of the bad parts of town. Doesn't bug me too much though, since they aren't THAT bad. Crime is pretty bad in Houston, but for the most part, it's imported New Orleans crime.

Work is going well. We got sold again, so there's an integration project that has effectively cancelled the previous integration project. I think that Lyondell was trying to beef up it's size compared to Basell, which was the reason for the rush. Now that the merger has happened, it's less of a priority. (And all the people that thought it was seem to all be gone now.)

So there's that.

I have a girlfriend now. I'll save the singing of the praises, it's just the kind of a major life development I feel like I should be mentioning here. We've been dating for just under 2 months now. She has pneumonia atm, which it looks like I gave her. She still likes me, which I consider to be a good sign.

I went to the doctor for the first time in 13 years. I got antibiotics. They got me over the worst of it. (Mine never developed into full on pneumonia, but it did knock me down for 2 weeks.)

I want my life back, something fierce. While I appreciate the chance to feed my CoDIV addiction (just cycled through into the second prestige level), I miss having the energy to do things... you know... things...

Tim beats the pants off the hippie-ass Prius drivers coming from the suburbs.

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 19:15:52 GMT

View Larger Map

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 21:29:12 GMT

What philosophy do you follow? (v1.03)
created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Existentialism

Your life is guided by the concept of Existentialism: You choose the meaning and purpose of your life.

“Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.”

“It is up to you to give [life] a meaning.”

--Jean-Paul Sartre

“It is man's natural sickness to believe that he possesses the Truth.”

--Blaise Pascal

More info at Arocoun's Wikipedia User Page...

Existentialism

80%

Strong Egoism

65%

Hedonism

60%

Justice (Fairness)

60%

Divine Command

45%

Kantianism

40%

Nihilism

25%

Utilitarianism

25%

Apathy

15%

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 15:16:36 GMT

It's been a while...

Can't stay long, so here's the skinny... Two weeks ago the truck broke down irrevokably, so I bought an Eos (it's a VW, look it up).

5 minutes ago, my boss gave me a 12% raise. (unasked)

Go me... ;)

What Do You Have To Say? - Entertainment: Paparazzi

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 20:38:52 GMT

Have you ever taken a photo of a celebrity?

Brought to you by HP | Vote for the winners!

View 195 Answers

Yes, but it was an interview, and it was my job, so it doesn't really count.

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 21:24:13 GMT

Guess where I'm going tonight?

And yes, work is very very VERY VERY slow today

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 21:01:28 GMT

Finding out the difference between sings and stings really took a lot of the joy out of puberty for me

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 15:07:40 GMT

It's been a while.

I just bought a 50 inch HD TV that comes with it's own xbox 360, copy of Halo 3, etc etc etc...

Net price 1,300...

Expensive, but worth it.

Weeeeeee

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 20:00:47 GMT

For the record, this isn't me

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 20:54:17 GMT

Piracy 'costs' are totally BS, be it for movies, music, or games. Do the people spouting these figures really believe that even 1% of the distribution they see through piracy would be gained in actual sales if not for the pirates?

It's ludicrous

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 14:58:48 GMT

My morbid side is begging for a set of these...

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 14:45:47 GMT

Nifty air traffic control fun

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 15:52:26 GMT

One of the most offensive things I've ever read

Par for the course

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 17:15:38 GMT

You are The Fool

The Fool is the card of infinite possibilities. The bag on the staff indicates that he has all he need to do or be anything he wants, he has only to stop and unpack. He is on his way to a brand new beginning. But the card carries a little bark of warning as well. Stop daydreaming and fantasising and watch your step, lest you fall and end up looking the fool.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.