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Scarfolk Council Health & Safety (1973-1974)
Scarfolk Council applied the same principle to preparing its employees for accidents in the workplace. For example, to prepare for the eventuality of falling from the roof of the seven storey council building, an employee, during a drill, would be thrown out of a low first floor window. In the case of a gas leak explosion, which could kill fifty people, only three employees would be terminated during the drill.
This method ensured that health and safety ideals were maintained to a high standard throughout the 1970s.
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XKCD's Time Saga Comes To The End
Fans of Randall Munroe's XKCD strip had a bit of a shock this afternoon, when the long-running, auto-updating comic "Time" apparently came to its conclusion.
The comic, which started on March 25, initially showed a girl and a boy (Megan and Cueball) sitting on a beach, with the alt text—that is, the yellow-boxed text that appears when you mouse over the comic—of "Wait for it." Soon it became apparent that the comic was updating automatically—initially every half-hour, then after 120 hours, every hour.
At first, the animation showed the two figures building an elaborate sand castle. Then it turned into much more.
According to the Explain XKCD wiki:
The unfolding story that it tells is set in the far future, at a time when the Straits of Gibraltar have long been blocked, and the Mediterranean has largely dried up, leaving only a much smaller, hypersaline sea behind. Megan and Cueball, living on the shores of this sea, notice one day while building a huge sand castle that its level is starting to rise, and set off on a journey of exploration to try and find out why. Eventually they discover that the Straits of Gibraltar have once again been breached, and the Mediterranean Basin is being flooded. They run back to their home, assemble their village, and board a makeshift raft. Megan has now established that the sea has risen too far, and that they will have to remain on the raft for the duration of the flood.
The tale ramped up in recent days, particularly as Megan and Cueball ran home to warn others about the flood. (The alt text helpfully changed to "RUN.") Once they reached the village and got everyone on the raft, the alt text changed again to "...." That led some on the forum thread, which has grown to over 50,000 posts, to anticipate another change.
That change came today, which also marked the occasion of that 50,000th post. The raft struck shore, and the villagers disembarked and strode off into the woods. Whereupon the words "The End" appeared both in the image and the alt text. The words later disappeared from the image.
Some speculated this was all a case of nerd-sniping. Maybe that's the case. But Munroe clearly paid enormous attention to detail—as did his community, which was able to deduce by the night sky in the comic that the story was taking place in April of the year 13291. So it seems fairer to consider "Time" a story well told, well, in time.
One day, perhaps, the story of Time will be taken up again. In the meantime, see the entire animated story for yourself.
Munroe image courtesy of Wikimedia. Comic images courtesy of XKCD
Stealth Wear: Fashion That Keeps You Off the Radar
The words "stealth wear" have us thinking of James Bond, undercover spies and other people who don't want to be found. But it could become a fashion trend for the masses
One designer, Adam Harvey from the School of Visual Arts, has started designing products that make you invisible to technology. He has created, with the designer Johanna Bloomfield, a collection of counter-surveillance garments that includes a shirt to protect the heart from X-rays, clothing that blocks thermal imaging and pockets that cut out phone signals.
Harvey's interest in the clandestine began years ago when he was a party photographer. In an interview with Tank Magazine, he said, "I spent a lot of time photographing people who didn't always want to be photographed." Once Harvey realized the pictures he took could be used as a source of incriminating evidence, he turned to creating products that prevented that Read more...
More about Fashion, Wearable Tech, Dev Design, Newsy, and LifestyleU.S. Postal Service Logging All Mail for Law Enforcement
InkteaUgh. Gross. Guess I'm not communicating with anyone in any form any more. Seriously, United States? How 1984 are we going to get? Gross Gross gross.
"Yes, the Bechdel Test. It’s named for Alison Bechdel, who is a comic book creator. The test is, are..."
- Comic book writer Kelly Sue DeConnick (Captain Marvel, Avengers Assemble)
A Dark Room - minimalist text-based game
InkteaAnother addictive minimalist game.
Two Drawings by Jorge Luis Borges Illustrate the Author’s Obsessions
InkteaThat bony beast is amazing.
Jorge Luis Borges had many fascinations—detective novels, gauchos, libraries, and labyrinths. Two prominent figures that occupied his mind, the tango and mythical monsters, appear in drawings Borges made in his manuscripts. Of the tango, Borges did much to spread the idea that the sensual Argentine dance originated in brothels. In his drawing above of a tango-ing couple, he writes at the top (in Spanish): “The tango is a brothel dance. Of this I have no doubt.”
Borges would repeat this claim on many occasions. In his 1930 biography of Evaristo Carreiego, he writes, “my informants concur on one essential fact: the tango originated in the brothels.” Why this history so intrigued Borges I do not know, but I do know that he once collaborated with Argentine composer Astor Piazzola on an album of tangos in 1965. The drawing comes from the University of Notre Dame’s special collections (you can read a Spanish transcription of the rest of the text at their site).
Above, see another of Borges’ sketches, this one from the University of Virginia’s extensive Borges collection. The drawing appears in a manuscript titled “The Old Argentine Habit,” penned in 1946 and published (as “Our Poor Individualism”) in Borges’ 1952 essay collection Other Inquisitions. According to C. Jared Lowenstein, the drawing is titled in German, “Die Hydra der Diktator” (“The Hydra of the Dictators”) and depicts Rosas, Peron, Mussolini, Hitler, and Marx and is signed “Jorge Luis Borges 46.” Lowenstein writes:
The theme of the artwork is a stunning political statement by a writer who has often been deemed apolitical. It is also a remarkably detailed drawing, especially for someone who was losing his eyesight as Borges was at this time. This marvelous depiction supplements Borges’s declaration in his text that Argentineans see themselves as individuals, not as citizens of a specific nation.
It is indeed a remarkably detailed work. I only wish Borges had supplied illustrations for his Book of Imaginary Beings.
Related Content:
Jorge Luis Borges’ 1967-8 Norton Lectures On Poetry (And Everything Else Literary)
James Joyce, With His Eyesight Failing, Draws a Sketch of Leopold Bloom (1926)
Two Childhood Drawings from Poet E.E. Cummings Show the Young Artist’s Playful Seriousness
Josh Jones is a writer and musician based in Washington, DC. Follow him at @jdmagness
RING RING POEM SIXTEEN, Sabo Bridge, Minneapolis, MN; June 25-30
InkteaHey, this poem was by me again.
RING RING POEM FIFTEEN, Franklin Avenue Library, Minneapolis, MN; June 21-24
RING RING POEM FOURTEEN, NE Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Minneapolis, MN; June 17-20
RING RING POEM THIRTEEN, Wild Onion Bar, Saint Paul, MN; June 14-16
RING RING POEM TWELVE, Ford Plant, Saint Paul, MN; June 10-13
Tiny Spock just can’t handle this right now.
Tiny Spock just can’t handle this right now.
RING RING POEM ELEVEN, Union Depot, Saint Paul, MN; June 7-9
InkteaYou can continue to hear this poem after it goes into the archives!
RING RING POEM TEN, Seventh Street Entry, Minneapolis, MN; June 3-6
RING RING POEM NINE, Schmitt Music Mural, Minneapolis, MN; May 31-June 3
AD&D First Edition: the Old Firm
InkteaMy friend M is a great nerd, and writes very well and rationally.
I was as surprised as anyone when Wizards of the Coast decided to release reprints of their old editions. It is a smart move, and one I’m glad to see them make, but personally the really interesting thing was the deluxe reprints of their Advanced Dungeons and Dragons First Edition books. Nice paper, thick covers, ribbon bookmarks, the works. I’ve heard people complain that the shading is too dark, but to me it looks crisp, and captures some of the fainter lines that might otherwise be overlooked. The fact that they donate a portion of the profits to the Gary Gygax Memorial Fund is more than icing on the cake; it is credit where credit is due (though it would be nice to have a Dave Arneson memorial, too; maybe if they reprint the non-advanced D&D?). I decided the best thing to do with these books is to look at them both in historical context…and in comparison to what follows. So I re-read them with a critical eye and was happy to find that they have a lot of great things to recommend them, and plenty of opportunities to talk about the evolution of game design.
[Read more]
I’m kind of amazed that my complaints about this Player’s Handbook are exactly the same as the complaints I’d make about almost any edition’s handbook...except, interestingly, 4e. Spells, for instance. Just from a pure layout perspective, a raw data point of view...spells take up half the dang book. Let’s literally count it out; 127 pages, 57 of them are spells. In 3.5e spells are 122 out of 317 pages, so we’re still in the same ballpark. The fact that a significant chunk of those spells don’t overlap—that is, they are priest or wizard exclusive—just exacerbates the problem. I like the Vancian magic system—in its place, I’m not saying it is the only system I like—but I’ve always found it wonky that so much of the book is given over to spellcasters, exclusively.
Personally, I’d advocate for one generic listI loathe class specific lists, like “paladin” or “bard” spells—but I would also like to see some way of making them relevant to other classes. Maybe through items? This, I think, is the train of logic that led to the paradigm of 4e, starting with the Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords. There should be fun toys for fighters and thieves, too! I don’t think 4e’s solution was the right one (personally), but I understand the impulse. The other option of making every weapon have its own power, or a list of “Maneuvers,” that are sort of martial spells, I get that too. I suppose this is where Feats came from, and let me tell you, I really like idea of Feats. I am sad they became “+2 to intimidate, +2 to saves versus petrification, if you have your back to a wall, if you are a grey elf fighter who specializes in spears.”
Which is one place where AD&D First Edition soars. It doesn’t over-specify, and it doesn’t over-restrict. Take wish for example. Third Edition has a laundry list of qualifications (duplicate an 8th level wizard spell, or a 6th level spell that isn’t a wizard spell, or a 7th level wizard spell from a prohibited school, or...) before finally putting at the end, as if in small print, that they could wish for whatever they want, and the DM could adjudicate it. It takes up about half the page. AD&D is about a paragraph; it gives examples, consequences and then invokes the Dungeon Master. This is a huge difference in tone; Third Edition is narrow, balanced and explicated; First Edition spells and powers may vary widely in usefulness and power, but they are broad in scope. That is the whole point of having a Dungeon Master, after all: you have an impartial referee! Use that.
The Monster Manual of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons First Edition is a revelation. I like critter collections; I’ve talked before about Pathfinder’s Bestiaries, and why, but it boils down to the fact that...well, they’re cool! Even if you don’t play the game, you can still flip through it and think chimeras and hook horrors and mindflayers are awesome. Which follows through; even if you aren’t going to use any given monster, you can still find them interesting, and who knows, maybe flipping through you’ll find something that inspires you. I’ve built entire adventures, campaign tent poles, around a monster that tickled my fancy. I have one big pet peeve about monster stat blocks, though; I hate it when they are, essentially, a pile of hit points and a damage die. That...isn’t helpful to me. Boring. There are a few offenders here, but by and large I was very impressed with how closely the 1e Monster Manual adhered to my monster design philosophy: make every monster a mini-game.
When I read a creature entry, I scan down to the “special” section where unique powers and abilities are located. This book is ripe with them. Did you know about Demons’ Amulets and Devil’s Talismans? Just little story devices that allow you to use fiends as more than just “a thing to fight.” Heck, this book has rules for how to subdue a dragon, rather than slay it! Little ad hoc mechanical cul de sacs; they don’t need to be used for everything, in every situation, but they add options. If the adage “when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail” hold true—which, in true D&D hack-n-slash fashion would be, kill everything and loot the corpses—it is nice to see entries saying “how about a screwdriver, how about a fork, how about a whistle?”
I’ve rarely been impressed by a Dungeon Masters Guide. What is it, exactly? A collection of essays, of esoteric rules, random tables and then magic items? Just not my thing. In the First Edition DMG, I was happy to see it start off with a discussion of statistics! Not “Strength” or “Intelligence” but in the distribution curve of 3d6 compared to the flat randomness of a d20. Sadly, it was only a page, but more of this, please! Math matters to the game; it is hard to know how a given tweak will twist actual play, and a little guidance would be much appreciated, since this is the thing I imagine many people have the hardest time with. I can flip through the Monster Manual and decide “oh, an otyugh in the sewers, that would be a fun random urban encounter” so save the random table; what I need is someone who will explain the ramifications of a +2 to an attribute versus a +2 to hit versus a +2 to damage versus an upgrade from a d4 to a d6.
The rest of the Dungeon Masters Guide is as you’d expect: charts on how many rangers make up a band of rangers, or how fast a boat goes, or how hard types of stone are. Not organized as well as later editions; that is something where the game unequivocally improved. Really though, I imagine people use the DMG the same way I do; they flip to the back where the magic items are. Lo! Here they are, and just like with monsters and with spells, we’re in for a treat. In the search for efficiency and balance, later editions reduced magic items to...well, video game upgrades. Get equipped with...+3 flaming broadsword! Heck, later editions expect that you’ll have “appropriate” magic weapons and magic armor as you increase. That doesn’t sound magical at all. At least in Skyrim you get to make the stuff yourself! None of that here. Items are magical, not to mention frequently unsafe. Curses ahoy, Gygax you jerk!
The items, frankly, are neat as all get out. There is a good reason that all of the items here have been re-imagined in every subsequent edition—they are fantastic. Some of them are stupidly designed—really cloak of elvenkind, you need to differentiate between a 99% chance to hide in “outdoors, light growth” and a 95% chance in “outdoors, rocky terrain”?—but most of the items are gloriously, wondrously open-ended. As with spells, one of the reasons you have a Dungeon Master is so that he can reward Player ingenuity while at the same time reigning in abuses of mechanics. The section on artifacts is...a mixed bag. First off, the Hand of Vecna! We all agree that the Hand and Eye of Vecna are the best artifacts, right? At least, major artifacts; the best minor artifact is the sphere of annihilation. Okay, the Mighty Servent of Leuk-O is pretty great; who doesn’t like mecha? Like the apparatus of kwalish’s bigger sibling. While the backstories are wonderful, and I appreciate the impulse to leave artifacts open for DMs to tweak...a blank list of powers is just not helpful. Which is what you get, literal blank lines printed in the book. Come on, at least give a default suggestion!
Mordicai Knode was going to say he is Switzerland in the Edition Wars, but extending that metaphor leads to a Godwin in either direction, so never mind. You can find him on Tumblr and Twitter.
RING RING POEM EIGHT, 24th and Dupont Ave S, Minneapolis, MN; May 28-31
RING RING POEM SEVEN, Pioneers & Soldiers Cemetery, Minneapolis, MN; May 24-27
RING RING POEM SIX, Mounds Park, Saint Paul, MN; May 21-23
Are you ready for seconds?
InkteaGood ole Nimoy Sunset Pie.
Are you ready for seconds?
RING RING POEM FIVE, 3350 North 4th Street, Minneapolis, MN; May 17-20
RING RING POEM THREE, Como and 23rd SE, Minneapolis, MN; May 10-12
RING RING POEM FOUR, Lake of the Isles, Minneapolis, MN; May 13-16
Mill City: Be there when you can’t be there.
RING RING POEM TWO, Mill Ruins Park, Minneapolis, MN; May 6-9
InkteaI'm getting really good feedback on this poem. People like it a lot. I encourage you to call in.
Poetry: Nathaniel Bellows
InkteaOh this is lovely.
Indistinguishable from the snow
they stand on and from each
other, they gamely eat the set-
out pellets, unaware of being
watched. Captured.
I see their
heads over the hearth of that
house, where I read by the fire:
a child’s story of a white stag,
hunted, prized for…I don’t
know what I thought then, but
now I know: For a beauty we
don’t deserve.
Yet here they
linger, so close, as if we are
worthy, as if inviting the shot—
on film, at least; at first. Their
gaze is like ours, staring at that
lacquered gallery, mounted heads
falsely alive in the firelight.
Each
had died by our uncle's hands
brought into the house like
guests, to be displayed as art:
buck, trout, hare, doe. Every eye,
glassy impassive, amber like
the lake from which they’d
drawn their lives.
These two
live now in this image: ivory,
otherworldly, asking in their
silence, their calm, for us to
end them; to ruin and own them.
It is the gift of all animals: to
show us the depths of our desire.
All rights reserved to Nathaniel Bellows.