Installment #12 of... well, you don't care so why bother

And when it was 2004-04-13, illusion
<pan.2004.04.13.20.18.29.941902.RemoveThis@deadspam.com> was created,
stating that Alex Watson <alexwatson.RemoveThis@deadspam.com>
uttered in alt.games.creatures:
> On Tue, 13 Apr 2004 13:45:38 +0000, emmel wrote:
>
>> In case anywhere out there is still tangentially interested...
>
> What's this, is it that thing with the wolf whose name began with M?

Yes...
--
emmel <the_emmel*you-know-what-that's-for*@gmx.net>
(Don't forget to remove the ** bit)

Official AGC feedback maniac

"God is playing creatures - and we're the norns."

"A hundred dead are a tragedy - a hundred thousand are statistics."

"I guess you can call yourself lucky." -
"I could, but Linda suits me a little better...
Things called lucky tend to get hit by trucks."

Hi, I'm a .sig virus. Just copy me to your .signature. And don't worry.
 >> Stay informed about: Installment #12 of... well, you don't care so why bother 

"emmel" <the_emmel*whatever*@gmx.net> wrote in message
news:slrnc7nrfv.jd.the_emmel*whatever*@storm.mlnet...
> In case anywhere out there is still tangentially interested...
>
> ------------

*bends to reading and correcting*

> The air started blur as if it was hot and ripples formed on its
> surface.

'blurring', and air doesn't have a surface. Though you might want 'The air
started blurring as if it were hot and ripples forming on its surface.', but
that's ambiguous... 'The air started blurring as if it were hot, {the view
through it} rippling{ like the surface of a pond{ after a pebble has been
thrown in}}.'. How's that? (The {} bits can be taken out or left in as
desired.}

> It pretty much resembled the lake you just threw a stone in,
> but water doesn't tend to sit vertically in midair and hardly ever had
> such a ghostly glow to it either.

....Skah. Didn't read ahead before suggesting the metaphor... How about
'The resemblance was uncanny, except for the fact that water doesn't tend to
rest [etc.]'?

> Elias hesitated a moment, but then
> took a deep breath and stepped though the portal. It felt as
> unpleasant as ever with the added sensation of wet feet. Quite odd.

Hmmm. *mind percolates* Elias... Wasn't that the name of the teacher?

> Normally he'd rather have taken the coach, and if the leaders of the
> order knew he'd probably have a lot to explain, but who cared.

Good... 'who cared' could be replaced with something else, though. *nods*
'but [word] to them', for example, or 'he didn't care about them' or
something else... Hrmm.

> There
> were things you just had to do and this was one of them. He turned
> around, just in time to see this side of the portal fade and
> eventually vanish; for a long time he stared at the spot it had been
> in, before realizing why his feet felt so strangely wet.

*suggest removing the word 'in', there, after 'been'*

> Maybe, but
> just maybe he should have been a bit more careful about the portal
> coordinates; it wasn't like he was in the wrong place, but there were
> times when a few metres did make a difference. Well, it could probably
> have been worse. Slowly he waded to the river bank. He just hated the
> portals.

*laughs*

'it wasn't as if he was in', 'He hated {using} portals.'. *considers, then
nods;* Probably remove the {using} in the suggestion. *nods again,
continues reading interestedly*

> Laiva finally decided that she wasn't getting any sleep this night,
> whatever she did. There was but one thing to do; admittedly the
> probably most stupid one, but that was something she'd have to live
> with. Hopefully. Laiva got up and prepared to pay the village another
> visit.

*nods; continues reading interestedly*

> With dried boots and a snow white cloak Elias sneaked towards the
> village. He perfectly melted with the snow on the ground and even the
> most observative watcher would have had problems seeing him. Then,
> suddenly he heart a low, muted sound. He absolutely didn't like it,
> not at all.

Hmm. 'toward', not 'towards', I think... 'melded' would be better than
'melted', though 'His visage perfectly melded' would be even better. And
'seeing him'--'making him out'. And remove the 'absolutely'.

*can guess what will happen... is still enjoying it*

> There was a second. A third. And another one. And another one.

'A third. And another one. And yet another one.'

> On and
> on it went. Laiva didn't know what it was, but it made made her
> shiver. It almost was as if the hill lands were calling for her. A
> call she rather felt than heard, a call and a warning in one.

'for' or 'to'? 'both call and warning in one' (though optional). Oh, and
'but it made her shiver'.

> Without making a loud Elias slid past house.

*winces. Just... winces*

'noise' or 'sound', not 'loud'... and 'past a house'.

> Slowly, step by step he
> approached the edge of the building, closer he went and even closer
> until hardly a arms length separated him from the crowd and, finally,
> he could see the village square. Damn, why did things always have to
> get more complicated than they even were?

'closer he came', 'hardly an arm's length', 'than they already were'.

> At the same time Laiva was approaching the other end of the village.
> She carefully avoided any noise, although nobody would have heard
> anything anyway as the beating sound was still filling the air.

Possible alteration: 'as the beating sound still filled the air'.

> It had
> grown louder and louder the closer she came to the village and Laiva
> eventually recognized it as the sound of heavy drums. She hadn't been
> able to tell at first because of the muting and the echos, but now it
> was obvious. However, this knowledge didn't comfort her at all.

Possible alteration: 'this knowledge didn't comfort her in the least'.

> If the
> villagers made such a noise it couldn't be a good sign.

Hmm. 'villagers were making such a noise'?

> Laiva laid
> down and started crouching upwards th small hump in front of her; the
> village had to be right behind it.

'Laiva lay down and started crawling up the small hump', or 'Laiva crouched
down and started crawling up', or 'crouched down and started moving up'.

> When she finally reached the top of
> the hump she was in for a surprise; you'd have expected the villagers
> to hide in their houses now more than ever, but obviously some kind of
> celebration or ceremony was going on.

Hmm. Suggestion: In either the first occurance or the second, replace
'hump' with 'mound'. Not both.

> There didn't even seem to be any
> guards; how could they be so careless? Or didn't they have to care,
> because they were the ones to be careful about, like werewolves or
> vampires? That'd surely explain a lot. Perhaps she should leave now
> and let the villagers be whatever they were.

*nods, satisfied*

> ------------
>
> Nope, no more death threats. I've given up hope.

*laughs* HOOWAH BUBHOSH STORY-THINGAMAJIG!

Elias... Will have to learn more about him. *much curiosity*

....And, er, it may just be my imagination... but isn't this a
little...short...for an installment?

--
The Triad
User of 'Thingamajig!'
Refractor Dragon -=(UDIC)=-
 >> Stay informed about: Installment #12 of... well, you don't care so why bother 

And when it was 2004-04-14, illusion
<c5j8gg$8pc$1$830fa79f@news.demon.co.uk> was created,
stating that Refractor Dragon <wanderer.TakeThisOut@beeb.web>
uttered in alt.games.creatures:
>> The air started blur as if it was hot and ripples formed on its
>> surface.
>
> 'blurring', and air doesn't have a surface. Though you might want 'The air
> started blurring as if it were hot and ripples forming on its surface.', but
> that's ambiguous... 'The air started blurring as if it were hot, {the view
> through it} rippling{ like the surface of a pond{ after a pebble has been
> thrown in}}.'. How's that? (The {} bits can be taken out or left in as
> desired.}

s/ formed on its surface.//

(sed syntax - documentation available with every good operating system;
and windows is *no* good os)

>> It pretty much resembled the lake you just threw a stone in,
>> but water doesn't tend to sit vertically in midair and hardly ever had
>> such a ghostly glow to it either.
>
> ...Skah. Didn't read ahead before suggesting the metaphor... How about
> 'The resemblance was uncanny, except for the fact that water doesn't tend to
> rest [etc.]'?

Nothing to be done here, IHMO.

>> Elias hesitated a moment, but then
>> took a deep breath and stepped though the portal. It felt as
>> unpleasant as ever with the added sensation of wet feet. Quite odd.
>
> Hmmm. *mind percolates* Elias... Wasn't that the name of the teacher?

Seems I tricked you. That's the first time I use the name.

>> Normally he'd rather have taken the coach, and if the leaders of the
>> order knew he'd probably have a lot to explain, but who cared.
>
> Good... 'who cared' could be replaced with something else, though. *nods*
> 'but [word] to them', for example, or 'he didn't care about them' or
> something else... Hrmm.

No, that's change the meaning.

>> There
>> were things you just had to do and this was one of them. He turned
>> around, just in time to see this side of the portal fade and
>> eventually vanish; for a long time he stared at the spot it had been
>> in, before realizing why his feet felt so strangely wet.
>
> *suggest removing the word 'in', there, after 'been'*

s/it had been in/it had been/

>> Maybe, but
>> just maybe he should have been a bit more careful about the portal
>> coordinates; it wasn't like he was in the wrong place, but there were
>> times when a few metres did make a difference. Well, it could probably
>> have been worse. Slowly he waded to the river bank. He just hated the
>> portals.
>
> *laughs*
>
> 'it wasn't as if he was in', 'He hated {using} portals.'. *considers, then
> nods;* Probably remove the {using} in the suggestion. *nods again,
> continues reading interestedly*

'the portals' - it's more specific than just your every day portal and
refering to the order's portalling system

About the 'just'... I dunno what's wrong with that.

>> With dried boots and a snow white cloak Elias sneaked towards the
>> village. He perfectly melted with the snow on the ground and even the
>> most observative watcher would have had problems seeing him. Then,
>> suddenly he heart a low, muted sound. He absolutely didn't like it,
>> not at all.
>
> Hmm. 'toward', not 'towards', I think... 'melded' would be better than
> 'melted', though 'His visage perfectly melded' would be even better. And
> 'seeing him'--'making him out'. And remove the 'absolutely'.

s/He perfactly melted/The cloak blended in/

> *can guess what will happen... is still enjoying it*
>
>> There was a second. A third. And another one. And another one.
>
> 'A third. And another one. And yet another one.'

Um, no? I don't see why I should jump from one to three here. The yet
sound goo, though.

>> On and
>> on it went. Laiva didn't know what it was, but it made made her
>> shiver. It almost was as if the hill lands were calling for her. A
>> call she rather felt than heard, a call and a warning in one.
>
> 'for' or 'to'? 'both call and warning in one' (though optional). Oh, and
> 'but it made her shiver'.

s/made made/made/
s/, call and/, both a call and/
'for'.

>> Without making a loud Elias slid past house.
>
> *winces. Just... winces*

Yikes!

> 'noise' or 'sound', not 'loud'... and 'past a house'.

Without making a sound Elias slid into the shadow of a house.

>> Slowly, step by step he
>> approached the edge of the building, closer he went and even closer
>> until hardly a arms length separated him from the crowd and, finally,
>> he could see the village square. Damn, why did things always have to
>> get more complicated than they even were?
>
> 'closer he came', 'hardly an arm's length', 'than they already were'.

s/closer he went/closer he came/
s/a arms length/an arm's length/
'already' isn't quite right either. It be should something like 'more
complicated than he had already feared'. In fact, I thibk that's it.

>> At the same time Laiva was approaching the other end of the village.
>> She carefully avoided any noise, although nobody would have heard
>> anything anyway as the beating sound was still filling the air.
>
> Possible alteration: 'as the beating sound still filled the air'.

s/was still filling the air/still filled the air/

>> It had
>> grown louder and louder the closer she came to the village and Laiva
>> eventually recognized it as the sound of heavy drums. She hadn't been
>> able to tell at first because of the muting and the echos, but now it
>> was obvious. However, this knowledge didn't comfort her at all.
>
> Possible alteration: 'this knowledge didn't comfort her in the least'.

No, I think I'll leave it.

>> If the
>> villagers made such a noise it couldn't be a good sign.
>
> Hmm. 'villagers were making such a noise'?

s/villagers made such a noise/villagers were making such a noise/

>> Laiva laid
>> down and started crouching upwards th small hump in front of her; the
>> village had to be right behind it.
>
> 'Laiva lay down and started crawling up the small hump', or 'Laiva crouched
> down and started crawling up', or 'crouched down and started moving up'.

Yes, yes, you're so right...
s/laid down and started crouching upwards th/crouched down and started
crawling up the/

>> When she finally reached the top of
>> the hump she was in for a surprise; you'd have expected the villagers
>> to hide in their houses now more than ever, but obviously some kind of
>> celebration or ceremony was going on.
>
> Hmm. Suggestion: In either the first occurance or the second, replace
> 'hump' with 'mound'. Not both.

s/hump/mound/
whereever...

>> There didn't even seem to be any
>> guards; how could they be so careless? Or didn't they have to care,
>> because they were the ones to be careful about, like werewolves or
>> vampires? That'd surely explain a lot. Perhaps she should leave now
>> and let the villagers be whatever they were.
>
> *nods, satisfied*

Yep, that's the part you already knew.

>> Nope, no more death threats. I've given up hope.
>
> *laughs* HOOWAH BUBHOSH STORY-THINGAMAJIG!

It's not funny. I'm pretty much giving up. It probably wouldn't make
much of a change if we used mail instead of the usenet. Let's face it:
AGC is dead. It one of us went on vacation now (well, actually I *am* on
vacation until the 19th, but that's another thing) we could as well
trash the whole place.

> Elias... Will have to learn more about him. *much curiosity*

Curiosity is good. And justified...

> ...And, er, it may just be my imagination... but isn't this a
> little...short...for an installment?

It is, but the text I already had ready for posting doesn't really work
after the enourmous alteration I had to make to the last one and it
wasn't that good anyway. In any case you are still pointing out 15 to 20
points in this little piece (which makes me damn uncomfortable; really,
I feel stupid).
Well, fact is I have to rewrite a lot of the stuff and if you still
remember me talking about hypothermia sometime last year... you haven't
yet read that part, have you? I'm hopefully getting to it in the next
installment, though. It's a shame - I finally got around to automatizing
the reformatting of the whole stuff (postscript, or pdf with a single
command) and I'm not too sure I'll ever really have need of it. Things
are pretty slow anyway; you know how long we needed to discuss the last
bit out and it's almost ages since I started writing the whole thing.
Things have happened in the meantime; about everything has changes in RL
and AGC isn't even any more a shadow of what it once was. As I said
before wiriting emails wouln't make any difference. I pretty much doubt
if there are even any more lurkers. All that's left is hand full of
memories of the better times. Damn, I *hate* that. AGC was... well, a
nice place to be and stuff, you could even call it a home if you wanted
(yes, I *am* a pretty weird guy and quite mad as well, I'd say) but look
at it now. Too many web forums, they can easily cover what AGC used to
do and there isn't that much of CL left anyway. I mean just look at it.
Things went downhill when people were disappointed by C2 and after Steve
Grant left... Well, enough ranting.
--
emmel <the_emmel*you-know-what-that's-for*@gmx.net>
(Don't forget to remove the ** bit)

Official AGC feedback maniac

"God is playing creatures - and we're the norns."

"A hundred dead are a tragedy - a hundred thousand are statistics."

"I guess you can call yourself lucky." -
"I could, but Linda suits me a little better...
Things called lucky tend to get hit by trucks."

Hi, I'm a .sig virus. Just copy me to your .signature. And don't worry.
 >> Stay informed about: Installment #12 of... well, you don't care so why bother 

"emmel" <the_emmel*whatever*@gmx.net> wrote in message
news:slrnc7qlu1.21i.the_emmel*whatever*@storm.mlnet...
> And when it was 2004-04-14, illusion
> <c5j8gg$8pc$1$830fa79f@news.demon.co.uk> was created,
> stating that Refractor Dragon <wanderer RemoveThis @beeb.web>
> uttered in alt.games.creatures:
> >> The air started blur as if it was hot and ripples formed on its
> >> surface.
> >
> > 'blurring', and air doesn't have a surface. Though you might want 'The
air
> > started blurring as if it were hot and ripples forming on its surface.',
but
> > that's ambiguous... 'The air started blurring as if it were hot, {the
view
> > through it} rippling{ like the surface of a pond{ after a pebble has
been
> > thrown in}}.'. How's that? (The {} bits can be taken out or left in as
> > desired.}
>
> s/ formed on its surface.//
>
> (sed syntax - documentation available with every good operating system;
> and windows is *no* good os)

.......Right.

(No OS is good OS!)

(...and just to check, did you catch the 'blurring' bit?)

> >> It pretty much resembled the lake you just threw a stone in,
> >> but water doesn't tend to sit vertically in midair and hardly ever had
> >> such a ghostly glow to it either.
> >
> > ...Skah. Didn't read ahead before suggesting the metaphor... How about
> > 'The resemblance was uncanny, except for the fact that water doesn't
tend to
> > rest [etc.]'?
>
> Nothing to be done here, IHMO.

Bah. Well, I still support a change of 'hardly ever'... 'rarely', say?
Yes, that might be good... *nods* 'and rarely had such a ghostly glow to
it either'.

> >> Elias hesitated a moment, but then
> >> took a deep breath and stepped though the portal. It felt as
> >> unpleasant as ever with the added sensation of wet feet. Quite odd.
> >
> > Hmmm. *mind percolates* Elias... Wasn't that the name of the teacher?
>
> Seems I tricked you. That's the first time I use the name.

Oh, well. /Is/ it the teacher?

> >> Normally he'd rather have taken the coach, and if the leaders of the
> >> order knew he'd probably have a lot to explain, but who cared.
> >
> > Good... 'who cared' could be replaced with something else, though.
*nods*
> > 'but [word] to them', for example, or 'he didn't care about them' or
> > something else... Hrmm.
>
> No, that's change the meaning.

What's the meaning? (oh, and 'changing', not 'change')

> >> There
> >> were things you just had to do and this was one of them. He turned
> >> around, just in time to see this side of the portal fade and
> >> eventually vanish; for a long time he stared at the spot it had been
> >> in, before realizing why his feet felt so strangely wet.
> >
> > *suggest removing the word 'in', there, after 'been'*
>
> s/it had been in/it had been/

*nods slightly*

> >> Maybe, but
> >> just maybe he should have been a bit more careful about the portal
> >> coordinates; it wasn't like he was in the wrong place, but there were
> >> times when a few metres did make a difference. Well, it could probably
> >> have been worse. Slowly he waded to the river bank. He just hated the
> >> portals.
> >
> > *laughs*
> >
> > 'it wasn't as if he was in', 'He hated {using} portals.'. *considers,
then
> > nods;* Probably remove the {using} in the suggestion. *nods again,
> > continues reading interestedly*
>
> 'the portals' - it's more specific than just your every day portal and
> refering to the order's portalling system

Ohhh.

> About the 'just'... I dunno what's wrong with that.

....I have to admit, I don't exactly know either, but I still definitely
suggest 'He hated the portals.'.

> >> With dried boots and a snow white cloak Elias sneaked towards the
> >> village. He perfectly melted with the snow on the ground and even the
> >> most observative watcher would have had problems seeing him. Then,
> >> suddenly he heart a low, muted sound. He absolutely didn't like it,
> >> not at all.
> >
> > Hmm. 'toward', not 'towards', I think... 'melded' would be better than
> > 'melted', though 'His visage perfectly melded' would be even better.
And
> > 'seeing him'--'making him out'. And remove the 'absolutely'.
>
> s/He perfactly melted/The cloak blended in/

*nods* Good... And what about the 'absolutely'?

> > *can guess what will happen... is still enjoying it*
> >
> >> There was a second. A third. And another one. And another one.
> >
> > 'There was a second. A third. And another one. And yet another one.'
>
> Um, no? I don't see why I should jump from one to three here. The yet
> sound goo, though.

Yeep. I was addressing only that portion of it... *alters his suggestion*

And if by 'goo', you mean 'good', then hoowah! *happiness*

> >> On and
> >> on it went. Laiva didn't know what it was, but it made made her
> >> shiver. It almost was as if the hill lands were calling for her. A
> >> call she rather felt than heard, a call and a warning in one.
> >
> > 'for' or 'to'? 'both call and warning in one' (though optional). Oh,
and
> > 'but it made her shiver'.
>
> s/made made/made/

*nods*

> s/, call and/, both a call and/

Hmm. Good. *nods*

> 'for'.

Ahh. Just checking.

> >> Without making a loud Elias slid past house.
> >
> > *winces. Just... winces*
>
> Yikes!

*nods slightly*

> > 'noise' or 'sound', not 'loud'... and 'past a house'.
>
> Without making a sound Elias slid into the shadow of a house.

That's good. *nods*

> >> Slowly, step by step he
> >> approached the edge of the building, closer he went and even closer
> >> until hardly a arms length separated him from the crowd and, finally,
> >> he could see the village square. Damn, why did things always have to
> >> get more complicated than they even were?
> >
> > 'closer he came', 'hardly an arm's length', 'than they already were'.
>
> s/closer he went/closer he came/
> s/a arms length/an arm's length/

*nods*

> 'already' isn't quite right either. It be should something like 'more
> complicated than he had already feared'. In fact, I thibk that's it.

Ehh. *peers at it slightly* Remove the 'had' (because of the 'why did
things always have to'), and it could work. *nods* And are you sure
'suspected' wouldn't be better than 'feared', here?

> >> At the same time Laiva was approaching the other end of the village.
> >> She carefully avoided any noise, although nobody would have heard
> >> anything anyway as the beating sound was still filling the air.
> >
> > Possible alteration: 'as the beating sound still filled the air'.
>
> s/was still filling the air/still filled the air/

*smiles*

> >> It had
> >> grown louder and louder the closer she came to the village and Laiva
> >> eventually recognized it as the sound of heavy drums. She hadn't been
> >> able to tell at first because of the muting and the echos, but now it
> >> was obvious. However, this knowledge didn't comfort her at all.
> >
> > Possible alteration: 'this knowledge didn't comfort her in the least'.
>
> No, I think I'll leave it.

Hmm.... *nods* Okay.

> >> If the
> >> villagers made such a noise it couldn't be a good sign.
> >
> > Hmm. 'villagers were making such a noise'?
>
> s/villagers made such a noise/villagers were making such a noise/

*nods* (As a general rule of thum, when I make an alteration, I generally
leave an unaltered bit at each end, to show where it fits in with the rest.)

> >> Laiva laid
> >> down and started crouching upwards th small hump in front of her; the
> >> village had to be right behind it.
> >
> > 'Laiva lay down and started crawling up the small hump', or 'Laiva
crouched
> > down and started crawling up', or 'crouched down and started moving up'.
>
> Yes, yes, you're so right...
> s/laid down and started crouching upwards th/crouched down and started
> crawling up the/

*small hum of happiness*

> >> When she finally reached the top of
> >> the hump she was in for a surprise; you'd have expected the villagers
> >> to hide in their houses now more than ever, but obviously some kind of
> >> celebration or ceremony was going on.
> >
> > Hmm. Suggestion: In either the first occurance or the second, replace
> > 'hump' with 'mound'. Not both.
>
> s/hump/mound/
> whereever...

*nods* One of the two places. Your choice.

> >> There didn't even seem to be any
> >> guards; how could they be so careless? Or didn't they have to care,
> >> because they were the ones to be careful about, like werewolves or
> >> vampires? That'd surely explain a lot. Perhaps she should leave now
> >> and let the villagers be whatever they were.
> >
> > *nods, satisfied*
>
> Yep, that's the part you already knew.

*nods*

> >> Nope, no more death threats. I've given up hope.
> >
> > *laughs* HOOWAH BUBHOSH STORY-THINGAMAJIG!
>
> It's not funny. I'm pretty much giving up. It probably wouldn't make
> much of a change if we used mail instead of the usenet. Let's face it:
> AGC is dead. It one of us went on vacation now (well, actually I *am* on
> vacation until the 19th, but that's another thing) we could as well
> trash the whole place.

Bah. While we remain, AGC is not dead. (Speaking of which, how is aglami
doing? Do you know?)

....And in any case, mail is less efficient. And others poke their heads
back in here from time to time.

> > Elias... Will have to learn more about him. *much curiosity*
>
> Curiosity is good. And justified...

*smiles*

> > ...And, er, it may just be my imagination... but isn't this a
> > little...short...for an installment?
>
> It is, but the text I already had ready for posting doesn't really work
> after the enourmous alteration I had to make to the last one and it
> wasn't that good anyway.

Ahh.

> In any case you are still pointing out 15 to 20
> points in this little piece (which makes me damn uncomfortable; really,
> I feel stupid).

Sorry. But corrections are bubhosh. *nod nod*

> Well, fact is I have to rewrite a lot of the stuff and if you still
> remember me talking about hypothermia sometime last year... you haven't
> yet read that part, have you?

Er, I don't think so. *racks brain*

> I'm hopefully getting to it in the next
> installment, though. It's a shame - I finally got around to automatizing
> the reformatting of the whole stuff (postscript, or pdf with a single
> command) and I'm not too sure I'll ever really have need of it.

Hmm. Well, it could prove useful. *nods*

> Things
> are pretty slow anyway; you know how long we needed to discuss the last
> bit out and it's almost ages since I started writing the whole thing.
> Things have happened in the meantime; about everything has changes in RL
> and AGC isn't even any more a shadow of what it once was. As I said
> before wiriting emails wouln't make any difference.

....Wait, you were talking about emails? Sorry... Different argument,
needed, then.

Those who do 'pop in' from time to time may still read, and still
appreciate. If nothing else, it will leave an archive in Google Groups.

> I pretty much doubt
> if there are even any more lurkers. All that's left is hand full of
> memories of the better times. Damn, I *hate* that. AGC was... well, a
> nice place to be and stuff, you could even call it a home if you wanted
> (yes, I *am* a pretty weird guy and quite mad as well, I'd say) but look
> at it now. Too many web forums, they can easily cover what AGC used to
> do and there isn't that much of CL left anyway. I mean just look at it.
> Things went downhill when people were disappointed by C2 and after Steve
> Grant left... Well, enough ranting.

*nods sadly* Steve Grand... The equivalent of Ultima's Richard Garriott
(is that his last name?). Every great work, great action, has one driving
vision behind it... When it's something like a book, or a computer game, or
a series, it's so complicated that only that one person truly understands
it. And if that person leaves... No hope for it. I suppose his leaving
was CL's death knell.

Do you know if he's ever considered picking up where he left off?

--
The Triad
User of 'Thingamajig!'
Refractor Dragon -=(UDIC)=-
 >> Stay informed about: Installment #12 of... well, you don't care so why bother 

<snip>
> > >> What freaking useserver are you using?
> > >
> > > Didn't I say this before...? Outlook Express. And no, I won't be
> offended
> > > if you shudder. Not exactly, at least.
> >
> > ::shudder::
> > But I was talking about the newsserver. Not the client.
>
> Oh. pop3.beeb.net, I think. Though I could be confusing it with the
> email-related thingamajig.
<snip>

Further research has suggested news.demon.co.uk to be a more accurate
listing.

--
The Triad
User of 'Thingamajig!'
Refractor Dragon -=(UDIC)=-
 >> Stay informed about: Installment #12 of... well, you don't care so why bother 

On 2004-04-28, Refractor Dragon <wanderer.DeleteThis@beeb.web> wrote:
><snip>
>> > >> What freaking useserver are you using?
>> > >
>> > > Didn't I say this before...? Outlook Express. And no, I won't be
>> offended
>> > > if you shudder. Not exactly, at least.
>> >
>> > ::shudder::
>> > But I was talking about the newsserver. Not the client.
>>
>> Oh. pop3.beeb.net, I think. Though I could be confusing it with the
>> email-related thingamajig.
><snip>
>
> Further research has suggested news.demon.co.uk to be a more accurate
> listing.

Yes, I should have figured that. It's not there isn't a pretty obvious
entry in the header or something... (or many for that matter)
Hm, it locks which computer I'm posting from as well. Didn't notice that
before...
--
emmel <the_emmel*you-know-what-that's-for*@gmx.net>
(Don't forget to remove the ** bit)

Official AGC feedback maniac

"God is playing creatures - and we're the norns."

"A hundred dead are a tragedy - a hundred thousand are statistics."

"I guess you can call yourself lucky." -
"I could, but Linda suits me a little better...
Things called lucky tend to get hit by trucks."

Hi, I'm a .sig virus. Just copy me to your .signature. And don't worry.
 >> Stay informed about: Installment #12 of... well, you don't care so why bother 

On 2004-04-29, Refractor Dragon <wanderer.DeleteThis@beeb.web> wrote:

Damn system went offline while trying to post this yesterday. It's still
freaking slow, but at least up...

>> >> >> >> >> >> [The air started blur as if it was hot and ripples formed
> on
>> > its
>> >> >> >> >> >> surface.
>> >> >> >> >> >> It pretty much resembled the lake you just threw a stone
> in,
>> >> >> >> >> >> but water doesn't tend to sit vertically in midair and
> hardly
>> >> > ever
>> >> >> > had
>> >> >> >> >> >> such a ghostly glow to it either.
>> >> >> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> >> >> TO
>> >> >> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> >> >> The air started to blur as if hot and ripples formed as if
> it
>> > was
>> >> >> > the
>> >> >> >> >> >> surface of a lake you just threw a stone in, but water
> doesn't
>> >> > tend
>> >> >> > to
>> >> >> >> >> >> sit vertically in midair and rarely had such a ghostly glow
> to
>> > it
>> >> >> >> >> >> either.]
>> >> >> >> >> >
>> >> >> >> >> > ...Hmm. First: 'as if' repeated too close. Second: Would
>> >> > suggest
>> >> >> >> > 'had
>> >> >> >> >> > just thrown' instead of 'just threw', and 'into' instead of
>> > 'in'.
>> >> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> >> Seceduled for later.
>> >> >> The air started to blur (as if hot) and ripples formed, like the
> ones
>> >> >> on the surface of a lake you just threw a stone in, but water
> doesn't
>> >> >> tend to sit vertically in midair and rarely had such a ghostly glow
> to
>> >> >> it either.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> That should do the job (I hope). What do you think?
>> >> >
>> >> > Definitely does the job of the 'as if's, but there's still the issue
> of
>> > the
>> >> > 'you just threw a stone in'/'you had just thrown a stone into'.
>> >>
>> >> Not sure...
>> >
>> > Would you care to elaborate...?
>>
>> Erm, wait a sec...
>> ::goes to www.dict.org::
>> Ah. (I _hate_ it when I have to do this. You should think that isn't
>> necessary any more, but... I just *hate* it.)
>
> Sympathy.

Not that it helps in any way, but thanks.

>> I'm not sure wheather I prefer "had thrown" over "threw" and in fact I'm
>> not even sure if my one is wrong. Though it possibly is...
>> Ignore the chaoting style of the prvious sentence. It's pretty much as
>> chaotic as my thinking.
>
> Ahh. What are you thinking about?

Erm...

Anyway, what about the time form issue above?

>> >> <snip>
>> >> > How long do you think this might continue if we don't <snip> it?
>> >>
>> >> Huh? What?
>> >
>> > *speaks carefully as to not start it up again* We were... ah...
>> > repeatedly triggering each other to take part in certain act- *is unable
> to
>> > stop from yawning* Oh, skahit.
>>
>> And once again it worked. Really interesting; it's a social thing, you
>> know. People that are easily effected by that kind of thing are said to
>> be very emotional.
>
> *finishes yawning once has read the background: procedes to main response*
>
> *amusement* Maybe that says something about the players of Creatures games.

Could be. Could very well be. (Or it's just tiredness.)

>> >> >> With dried boots and a snow white cloak Elias sneaked towards the
>> >> >> village. He had put on a snow white cloak, letting him blend in with
>> > the
>> >> >> snow covered ground; even the most observative watcher would have
> had
>> >> >> problems seeing him. Then, suddenly he heart a low, muted sound. He
>> >> >> absolutely didn't like it, not at all.
>> >> >
>> >> > Ahh. First: Replace 'put on a snow white cloak, letting him blend
> in
>> > with
>> >> > the' with something along the lines of 'put on the cloak in order to
>> > blend
>> >> > in with the'. How's that? In any case, the 'snow white' bit was
>> > redundant.
>> >>
>> >> Hm, you are right about the 'snow white' bit, but I don't really see
>> >> your problem with the rest of it.
>> >
>> > By 'the rest' do you mean that which is below, or everything above
> except
>> > for the 'snow white'? Because if you only remove it, then... Oh.
> Yes...
>> > Yes, if you just changed part to 'dried boots Elias', then the rest fits
>> > together nicely (as well). *nods slightly*
>>
>> Ah. Good.
>
> Ahh.

Beh.

>> >> > Second, I'd suggest removing 'absolutely'. And thirdly... here it's
>> >>
>> >> Erm, yes. We already agreed on this one, didn't we?
>> >
>> > Agreed on removing it? If so, then that's good, but if an example is
> given,
>> > I attempt to address all apparent problems with it. *nod nod*
>>
>> Yes, I think we already agreed on removing it.
>
> Hoowah! *happiness*

Now I just have to remember that...

>> I know, I just don't like them [colons] very much. They look awkward
>> in the text.
>> I know, stupid argument, but that's the way I feel about it. It somehow
>> interrupts the flow of words. A hard interrupt (I really shouldn't make
>> jokes about DOS, I really shouldn't.)
>
> Hmm. *unforunately doesn't get the joke, as he knows very little about DOS*

Oh, it's just... I instantly connected hardware interrupts with DOS.
Don't really know why, it's quite odd actually.

>> >> >> Well, anyway... I'm too lazy to
>> >> >> look it up in google as well. Things are a *lot* easier if you can
> use
>> >> >> your own comp for getting online...
>> >> >
>> >> > *nods happily, and gratefully pats first his monitor, then his
> computer*
>> >>
>> >> You happy guy (or whatever).
>> >
>> > Heh. *looks happy*
>>
>> Then again, you have much more freedom as a student (at university). And
>> a lot more work to do as well...
>
> Depends on what you mean by 'freedom', really.

Yeah, I guess you are right.

>> >> >> >> > Well, it's not as bad a sign as me vomiting blood, for example.
>> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> But pretty close... that's what you wanted to say, eh?
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > Erm, not exactly. (Hrmm... tiredness versus vomiting blood?
> Let's
>> >> > think
>> >> >> > about this...)
>> >> >>
>> >> >> I'm smelling blood...
>> >> >
>> >> > That would be on your end, then. Or do you have some equipment I
> don't
>> > know
>> >> > about?
>> >>
>> >> It's a question of where I've been stading at that time, isn't it?
>> >
>> > ...three years in(/to) the future?
>>
>> I don't mix very well with time travelling. You should remember that.
>
> That was my point. (Yes, self... just say it in a blunt enough way and
> they'll/he'll take it as fact...)

I'm not entirely sure what you just said...

>> >> >> >> >> > (Just to check, do you know what vmail stands for?)
>> >> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> >> Video mail? Al least that's one of it's meanings.
>> >> >> >> >
>> >> >> >> > *nods* Yep. In the specific example, a holographic 3D (4D,
>> >> >> > techinically)
>> >> >> >> > projection of the person appearing in mid-air...
>> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi!
>> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> Oh, erm, sorry...
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > *looks amused* Basically that, yes, except in the case I'm
> thinking
>> > of
>> >> > it's
>> >> >> > /above/ the projector. Directly [above].
>> >> >>
>> >> >> I know, they had those, too.
>> >> >
>> >> > ...They did? I was referring to the ones from Deus Ex: Invisible
>> > War...
>> >>
>> >> Almost everyone copies starwars to some degree. (Remember the scene
> what
>> >> they had the death star plans on such a device and were standing around
>> >> it?)
>> >
>> > Good point. I think. But this wasn't a 'battleplans' sort of
>> > thingamajig... it was just wide enough to project a miniature image of
> a
>> > person speaking above a keyboard. Only slightly wider than the
> very-small
>> > person.
>>
>> Well, I like it bigger. Much bigger
>
> Well, holosuites are fine if you're into that sort of thing.

Well, StarTrek is fun... you can always laugh about the complete failure
of common sense/science. It's quite entertaining, but you definitely
don't have to think about it seriously - unless you want to make fun of
it, that is (see abovve).

>> >> >> But R2D2 is waaaaaay cuter.
>> >> >
>> >> > Heh. *remembers two conversations: the one, a cross between Star
> Wars
>> > and
>> >> > Oliver Twist, and the other some people wondering about which game/s
> to
>> > rip
>> >> > off next*
>> >> >
>> >> > (The first: "You've got to pick a pocket, artoo.", the second "Grand
>> > Theft
>> >> > Artoo".)
>> >>
>> >> ::doesn't know what to answer::
>> >
>> > Erm?
>>
>> Yeeesh?
>
> ....breaking...up....ca...ear....u....ksssssssssshhhhhhhhhh......

The person you are calling is not available at present. Please call
again later.

>> >> >> ...I talked about writing some new stuff that hadn't been posted
> then
>> >> >> (and isn't posted today as well). *And* I asked if hypothermia
> sounded
>> >> >> right. It's just... nobody ever listenes to what I say.
>> >> >
>> >> > Ahh. Didn't I reply to it at the time? Anyway, I see what you
> mean...
>> >> > probably nothing wrong with it. *considers* What about a fever?
>> > Though
>> >> > possibly that's slightly overused.
>> BTW fever or cold is a bit too weak a word for that. Wait and
>> see. (In two installments or so.
>
> Ooo. *eyes widen, leans closer to screen interestedly* (Delirium?)

Well... No! I won't spoil it for you.

>> At the current speed that could happen
>> in one or two month...)
>
> Bah. Oh, well.

Actually that sound pretty fast for me.

>> >> >> ::starts weeping::
>> >> >> [1], that'd look quite stupid around here, but you get the general
> idea
>> >> >
>> >> > *pats sympathetically* Does it help that it was a year ago, and I
> have
>> > a
>> >> > much worse memory than I would like?
>> >>
>> >> Hey, *I* am the one with the seriously bad bad bad memory here, OK?
>> >
>> > *laughs* ...Two people, competing over who has the worst memory...
>>
>> And me winning. <g>
>
> ...Huh? Winning what? Who are you? /What/ are you? What am /I/? What
> does 'what' mean, anyway!?

42? Ah, the great riddles of the universe.

>> >> > Eh. In Thief--I recently was able to get it and Thief II: The Metal
>> >> > Age--what did you think of the inside-out well and the upside-down
>> >> > waterfall?
>> >>
>> >> Erm... (I never finished it, OK? I didn't exactly finish the first one
>> >> either.)
>> >
>> > BAH! Bubhosh games! *considers* ...Well, the second was worse than
> the
>> > first. But the two things I was referring to were in the first game...
>>
>> Hm, in that labyrinth house? That was just crazy.
>
> Augh. I know what you mean... In the words of Billie Adams, 'Just look at
> this funhouse.'. However, though it had the same sort-of style as the house
> (won't say more because would be giving away spoilers), it was much closer
> to the end, in a much less 'labyrinthian' setting. Sort-of, at least.

Yeah, I think I know what you are talking about (generally, never
touched that level, though).

>> You know one of the
>> things I'm worst at is navigating. I need a decent map to find my way.
>> You can figure out yourself what such a level means to me, can't you?
>
> Sidhe. *nods* I could more-or-less recognize the places and/or entrances
> at which I had been, and /I/ kept getting confused and/or discovering new
> things...

Holy Shee!

>> >> >> >> >> >> >> He's happily(sp?) toying with his monkey... erm, ape
>> > nowadays.
>> >> >> >> >> >> >
>> >> >> >> >> >> > Correct spelling. And try not to call
>> > orang-utans/orangutans
>> >> >> >> > 'monkeys'
>> >> >> >> >> >> > around the Librarian. Not that he's here, but still.
>> >> >> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> >> >> Oh, I don't think Strika'd care if I said 'monk... OUCH!
> Looks
>> >> > like
>> >> >> > I'm
>> >> >> >> >> >> in the wrong book...
>> >> >> >> >> >
>> >> >> >> >> > *pat pat*
>> >> >> >> >> >
>> >> >> >> >> > ...And who's Strika?
>> >> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> >> ::cries (of agony)::
>> >> >> >> >> Go, look thingy!
>> >> >> >> >
>> >> >> >> > ...What?
>> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> Would you please consider looking in the story and then come up
> with
>> >> >> >> some incredibly good explaination why I shouldn't quit right now?
>> >> > Thanks
>> >> >> >> in advance. The author.
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > *racks brain; sees association*
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > Explanation: Because readers, while perhaps forgetting some small
>> > bits
>> >> > when
>> >> >> > concentrating on the all-bubhoshness of the rest, still greatly
>> >> > appreciate
>> >> >> > it. And it's not good to leave a story unfinished.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> I know, I know. I liked that character, though; you'll see more of
> him
>> >> >> eventually. Not necessarily much, but still.
>> >> >
>> >> > ...Okay, now you've got me curious. *goes searching with Google
> Groups*
>> >>
>> >> And?
>> >
>> > Memories were refreshed, and I realized what I'd been doing wrong: I'd
> been
>> > trying to remember a librarian for the place where she took the test.
>> > *wonders, in your universe, what the qualifications had to be to become
> a
>> > ghost*
>> >
>> > Rulg.
>>
>> Pretty stubborn. Or damn ignorant; I think it's a mixture of both when
>> it comes to him. Is writing 'me' instead of 'him' in the previous
>> sentence freudian?
>
> You'd have to ask him.

He... how do I tell you... deceased? Gone? Left this world for a better
one?

> No, I don't really know what that last 'him' refers to, either.

"I think it's a mixture of both when it comes to _me_."
Does that clear it up?

> *tries carefully to work out exactly why you were saying that (and ignorant
> in which respect) above*

I first wrote it with "me" in it, you see...

>> >> > Hmm. *daydreams about learning programming languages*
>> >>
>> >> Just do it, do it while you actually have time for it. Pascal is a nice
>> >> start (as long as you dfon't take it too serious). Fortran is a nice
>> >> choice as well (90, *don't* try 77). C is pretty useful, C++ might be
>> >> worth considering, but I strongly suggest learning C first. Java might
>> >> be nice. And perl's not such bad a choice either. I have no personal
>> >> experience with Python, but some people absolutely love it. Don't touch
>> >> Visual* and .NET, though and forget about BASIC (not that I'd call it a
>> >> programming language).
>> >
>> > *nods slightly* Many things to do, so little time... thingamajig...
> Most
>> > definitely thingamajig. *nods slightly again*
>>
>> If you need some help, I'll be pleased to give you some pointers.
>> Programming is sooo cool.
>
> *envies* The advice I've gotten thus far (IIRC) suggests attempting all
> such on a computer running either Linux or Unix. This being a Windows
> machine... well.

You can very well do it on windows. The OS isn't really that important,
though Linux makes a damn good development system.
--
emmel <the_emmel*you-know-what-that's-for*@gmx.net>
(Don't forget to remove the ** bit)

Official AGC feedback maniac

"God is playing creatures - and we're the norns."

"A hundred dead are a tragedy - a hundred thousand are statistics."

"I guess you can call yourself lucky." -
"I could, but Linda suits me a little better...
Things called lucky tend to get hit by trucks."

Hi, I'm a .sig virus. Just copy me to your .signature. And don't worry.
 >> Stay informed about: Installment #12 of... well, you don't care so why bother 

On 2004-05-02, Refractor Dragon <wanderer.RemoveThis@beeb.web> wrote:

The air started to blur (as if hot) and ripples formed, like the ones
on the surface of a lake you just threw a stone in, but water doesn't
tend to sit vertically in midair and rarely had such a ghostly glow to
it either.

>> >> >> > 'you just threw a stone in'/'you had just thrown a stone into'.
>> >> I'm not sure wheather I prefer "had thrown" over "threw" and in fact
>> Anyway, what about the time form issue above?
>
> (To question avoidance: BAH!)
>
> Hmm. *considers for a while* At least for now, my best conjecture is
> that... no, wait, that's not right. Hmm. *thinks some more* Maybe it's
> because 'threw' is more a present tense thingamajig... 'He threw it into a
> lake.', 'He had thrown it into a lake.'. The first seems to be describing
> something that's currently-happening in the
> describing-something-that-has-already-happened, whereas the second is the
> describing something that's already-happened in the
> describing-something-that-has-already-happened. You see what I mean?

Not so sure... you usually *do* use simple present if you are talking
about an acting that (can) happen repeatedly or at no specific point of
time, don't you.
Although I start to feel that 'had thrown' fits in better...

>> >> I know, I just don't like them [colons] very much. They look awkward
>> >> in the text.
>> >> I know, stupid argument, but that's the way I feel about it. It somehow
>> >> interrupts the flow of words. A hard interrupt (I really shouldn't make
>> >> jokes about DOS, I really shouldn't.)
>> >
>> > Hmm. *unforunately doesn't get the joke, as he knows very little about
> DOS*
>>
>> Oh, it's just... I instantly connected hardware interrupts with DOS.
>> Don't really know why, it's quite odd actually.
>
> Hmm. *quotes*
>
> [quote]

<snip>

> [/quote]

<bg>
Where did you find that?

>> >> >> >> Well, anyway... I'm too lazy to
>> >> >> >> look it up in google as well. Things are a *lot* easier if you
> can
>> > use
>> >> >> >> your own comp for getting online...
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > *nods happily, and gratefully pats first his monitor, then his
>> > computer*
>> >> >>
>> >> >> You happy guy (or whatever).
>> >> >
>> >> > Heh. *looks happy*
>> >>
>> >> Then again, you have much more freedom as a student (at university).
> And
>> >> a lot more work to do as well...
>> >
>> > Depends on what you mean by 'freedom', really.
>>
>> Yeah, I guess you are right.
>
> (Hoowah being right!)
>
> Thingamajig. *nods sagely*

Having your own letter box?

>> >> >> >> >> > Well, it's not as bad a sign as me vomiting blood, for
> example.
>> >> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> >> But pretty close... that's what you wanted to say, eh?
>> >> >> >> >
>> >> >> >> > Erm, not exactly. (Hrmm... tiredness versus vomiting blood?
>> > Let's
>> >> >> > think
>> >> >> >> > about this...)
>> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> I'm smelling blood...
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > That would be on your end, then. Or do you have some equipment I
>> > don't
>> >> > know
>> >> >> > about?
>> >> >>
>> >> >> It's a question of where I've been stading at that time, isn't it?
>> >> >
>> >> > ...three years in(/to) the future?
>> >>
>> >> I don't mix very well with time travelling. You should remember that.
>> >
>> > That was my point. (Yes, self... just say it in a blunt enough way and
>> > they'll/he'll take it as fact...)
>>
>> I'm not entirely sure what you just said...
>
> ....That was my intention. *see previous paragraph... sort of...*

Oh, reversing madness. I like it.

>> >> >> >> >> >> > (Just to check, do you know what vmail stands for?)
>> >> >> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> >> >> Video mail? Al least that's one of it's meanings.
>> >> >> >> >> >
>> >> >> >> >> > *nods* Yep. In the specific example, a holographic 3D (4D,
>> >> >> >> > techinically)
>> >> >> >> >> > projection of the person appearing in mid-air...
>> >> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> >> Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi!
>> >> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> >> Oh, erm, sorry...
>> >> >> >> >
>> >> >> >> > *looks amused* Basically that, yes, except in the case I'm
>> > thinking
>> >> > of
>> >> >> > it's
>> >> >> >> > /above/ the projector. Directly [above].
>> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> I know, they had those, too.
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > ...They did? I was referring to the ones from Deus Ex: Invisible