The PPC Posting Board - Latest posts

Guess it's time for my annual rewatch! Man, if only the fourth season hadn't sucked so badly. Maybe it would have ended on a better note...

You're only allowed to punish wrongdoing if it was a Democrat doing it. If it's a Republican doing it, then there wasn't any evidence and it wasn't that bad and anyway we're not doing it whatever happened per the Constitution, which says, and I quote, "We stole an election because the electoral college prioritizes dirt in Montana more than brown people in major cities and that means we can do anything we like neener neener neener your mum smells like drywall".

It's Saturday! Or, at least, it is in my part of the world. How about some Cards Against Headquarters?

For any who might not know (or need a reminder), Cards Against Headquarters is a PPC-themed version of Cards Against Humanity. Hilarious and often NSFW comparisons and situations abound. If you hop in the PPC Discord, we also have a voice chat for the party aspect of the game.

Here's the link!

Password: Februarium

You'll want &lt;/s&gt; to get </s>

Infohazards are one of my favorite fictional concepts. Concepts, ideas, or raw data so dangerous that being exposed to them can harm you. Essentially, killer memes.

The obvious example of this is Lovecraft, with his "things man was not meant to know", knowledge that would make you go mad. But there is a different sort of infohazard that has appeared in quite a number of pieces of science fiction that I've read. I shall dub it Langford's Basilisk.

Langford's Basilisk first appeared (to my knowledge anyways) in 1988, in the short story BLIT, written by David Langford. The concept was quite simple: there were certain images that could, essentially, crash the human mind. Langford would write four stories in this setting between 1988 and 2000, only one other of which is available online: the comp.basilisk FAQ. While I cannot prove that the other works I'm about to talk about were inspired by Langford, they all share common elements: images that break your brain.

If you're looking for other instances of Langford's Basilisk in fiction and you've read any cyberpunk at all, your immediate mental association for images that kill is likely to be 1992's Snow Crash. Which and I just want make this totally clear, an incredible book that is one of my all-time favorites. Langford's Basilisk is back, this time in the form of the metavirus, or rather, Snow Crash. Look at it and you're dead. Of course, the actual mechanics are a little bit different, to fit Snow Crash's themes. There's a greater focus on the connections between humans and machines, and the whole story is thematically drenched in memetics with a side of Summerian mythology because Neil Stephenson writes books based on whatever he happened to be interested in at that exact moment and I woudn't have it any other way.

While there are other instances of Langford's Basilisk out there, the last case I want to talk about is Charles Stross's Laundry Files. I adore the Laundry files, I like them enough to have written an agent from the setting, and its versions of Langford's Basilisk are as uniquely eldritch as you might expect from a series that's part lovecraft and part spy novel all tied together by a loose collection of computing in-jokes (the protagonist's pseudonym is Bob Oliver Francis Howard for crying out loud), and white-collar office drudgery. There are images, fractals, and mathematical equations that will turn you into a zombie, or into a vampire. Or you can master the eldritch tongue and become a sorcerer... and your brain will slowly be eaten by your magic. So that's fun too, although less directly connected.

Although one interesting thing about the Laundry Files is that they have a sort of... reverse Lanford's Basilisk, in the form of Medusa Syndrome and basilisk guns. Langford's Basilisk is a phenomenon in the observer that causes them to die. The Laundry's Medusa Syndrome causes the observer to destroy that which they observe by turning at least part of it to stone, causing a ton of radation in the process. If you want to see this and don't want to read the full series, the excellent short story Concrete Jungle covers it and provides an excellent feel for early Laundry.

If you can think of any other cool instances of infohazards or related, feel free to discuss them below.

(Also, my inner grammar freak would like to register its offence at the use of Brexit as a verb. And there was a sarcasm tag at the end of that subject line that the Board deleted for some reason.)

I'm not going to spoil anything here. I just wanted to write about how much I love this show and how it's resonated with me so strongly.

Four seasons, fifty-two episodes, and consistently good writing throughout it all. I laughed, I cried, and I was absolutely gobsmacked at many of the twists the show kept throwing at us.

And through it all, it never lost the message of hope. Hope that humanity is good and worth saving, hope that we as individuals all have worth. Because this show ultimately is about kindness and redemption, wrapped up in hilarious jokes and poignant, heartfelt moments. I'm still ugly sobbing from the finale, but in the best way possible. It was everything it needed to be, didn't overstay its welcome, and gave us a satisfying conclusion to the show. I wish it didn't have to end, but that's partly what makes it so beautiful—the writers knew their time was short and made every second count, rather than dragging it out for years on end.

I think this show couldn't have come at a better time, with the world seeming to be turning upside-down. Keep holding onto that hope, y'all. We could all use a little more of it in our lives.

And take it sleazy.

as seen this time around.

Unfortunately, that all assumes things get into a less ridiculous state by the next time we're holding impeachment hearings.

And it was Dershowitz it does not matter what he says after the effect what went on the record and will form precedent moving forward was basically him saying that if the President thinks that their re-election is in the best interest than they can do what ever they can to get reelected. His subsequent clarifications are meaningless.

Not to mention the entire bit of the Republicans actively coordinating with the President's Attorneys. They were all about due process and proper trial procedure in the house, but changed their mind as soon as it was in the Senate.

at the Republican senators, who've decided to rather firmly ignore the Constitution and hold an impeachment trail without witnesses, and thus let some rather blatant corruption (which the people involved aren't really even trying to even deny at this point) slide because the president is on their team. This was not how things were meant to work, but here we are.

The state of US political institutions (and a large part of its media landscape) is very concerning, and I'm concerned about how much further this all can go.

(Crossposted to Livejournal / Dreamwidth)

Today is the last day. Today, we finally reach the end of this long process: Britain is leaving the EU. Brexit is accomplished. The struggle is over.

Ha! Only kidding. Brexit has never been a single day: Brexit is the period which starts on that day. So far, despite the political anguish, we haven't seen too many actual consequences of the decision to Leave, but believe me, there are consequences, and they are heading our way.

Very little is actually expected to change today: the current situation is that we have a Withdrawal Agreement which will keep the UK effectively part of the EU, but without representation in the EU, until the end of the year (or until a final deal is made). This is happening because the government has been utterly unable to agree a deal on what the final relationship between us and the EU should look like, and I have no expectation that they will manage to do so in the next 11 months. So a Crash-and-Burn ("No-Deal") Brexit is still not only possible, but likely at that time.

So what does that mean for the people on the ground? Oh, there'll be all sorts of stuff about Single Markets and Free Movement of People, but for the actual British people, what are the consequences going to be?

1. Prices will rise

One of the things we've mostly filed under 'ignore' is the various warnings that The Economy(TM) will be impacted by Brexit. There's no agreement on how bad it will be, but pretty much all the experts agree that it will be bad.

But... so what? Most of us aren't in The Economy. We don't have stocks and shares, we don't run businesses. Surely it won't affect us?

Except it will. Every aspect of the cost of living is set to rise:

-Do you own a house? Your mortgage rates are going to rise. Are you selling a house? The market's going to slump. Are you out of that whole mess and renting? Then it's your landlord's mortgage that'll rise - and they'll pass the costs on to you. -Do you go to the shops? With the return of barriers to trade, imports from the EU - and that's a huge chunk of our imports - are going to be more difficult, and therefore more expensive. Spanish bananas. Toilet bleach from Finland or Germany. I dunno, sausages from Germany; go look around and see how many of the things you buy have an EU country of origin. And for the things that don't - do you really think supermarkets aren't going to spread the cost? -How fond are you of water? Your tap water is treated with cleaning products, many of which come from the EU - that's more cost increases for your water company, and they will pass those on. Even the products made in the UK will be impacted, because the split between EU and UK chemical regulations means they now have to make two expensive registrations, and comply with two sets of laws. More costs for the manufacturer means more costs for the user means more costs for the public.

2. The EU (or corporations) will set the rules

Speaking of chemical regulations (this is literally my job, so yeah, I might go on about it), how do you feel about knowing your tap water won't give you lead poisoning? Because there's a regulation to ensure that - and it's an EU regulation.

Nor is it the only one. There are hundreds - thousands - of the blighters out there, and by and large the UK is going to keep on sticking right to them. There might be some cosmetic changes (I happen to know they've already invented a 'UKCA' mark to replace the 'CE' mark you find on electronics), but the actual regulations - the 'red tape', if you will, or the 'thing keeping you from being poisoned and/or exploded' - will remain the same. They pretty much have to, because the EU is and will remain our biggest trading partner.

When those regulations do change, it will be because someone has given the government reason to do so. And do you know who's been the biggest force arguing against the chemical - and other - regulations coming out of the EU? That's right - it's corporations. You know, the people who make the things that are being regulated, and would just love to make them for less money and with less quality control (and, while we're at it, without having to worry so much about keeping their workers safe, either). The EU is a big enough force to keep them at bay; the UK won't be, and is almost inevitably going to let safety standards decline. Hope you like the taste of mercury!

3. America is coming

The EU is our biggest trading partner, but with increased regulations that will likely drop off. That means other countries are going to try to get in on the act - and who is more likely to succeed than the nation we already have a 'Special Relationship' with, the United States of America?

And that terrifies me.

America is the country where people expect to have to spend tens of thousands of dollars of their own savings on medical treatments to keep them alive. It doesn't matter if it's cancer, diabetes, or a simple broken bone - they pay, and what they pay is determined by a 'free market' where the customers have no choice but to pay up, so the prices just keep rising. Do we want to engage in healthcare trade with a country that asks 'how much is your health worth to you?' and then demands you pay it?

America is the country where, for six years now, they've been supplying a city with water heavily contaminated with lead, because they don't feel the need to rush to deal with the problem. Do we want the companies behind that to compete for contracts in the UK? Hey, they'll be cheaper, after all - especially if your life expectancy goes down!

America is... it's just broken, in ways that I don't think its people realise. And because it's the big kid on the block, it absolutely will try to sway the UK to its way of thinking. And - given that we've just kicked ourselves out of our own trading networks because of sheer xenophobia - I'm terrified that our country will be all too easily swayed.

... okay, this wound up grimmer than I expected. BUT IT'S A GRIM DAY.

hS

The story so far

You teleport the Mary Sue's corpse deep into the darkness of Helm's Deep, then close the way back.

((hS: I very nearly reverted this and tried again, but the AI made juuust enough changes.))

> Open a portal back to PPC HQ.

You open a portal back to PPC HQ. Everyone is surprised by your actions.

> Follow Agent Apple through the portal

Agent Apple follows you through the portal.

((hS: Now you're just being difficult, partner.))

> Smile at your partner, Agent Apple, and say "I'd call that a job well done."

You smile at your partner, Agent Apple, and say "I'd call that a job well done."

The portal closes and you return to your office where you find out that the Mary Sue has been killed.

((hS: There you go, doc: she's definitely dead. We did it! That means there's only one thing left to do:))

> Cover your ears as the console emits an ear-splitting beep.

You cover your ears as the console emits an ear-splitting beep.

"That was a weird one," you think as you walk around in silence. Suddenly, you hear a voice coming from behind you.

((hS: ...))

> Turn around and say hi to your partner

You turn around and say hello to your partner, Agent Apple. He smiles and nods his head in response. Then he walks away without saying anything else.

((hS: NOW we're done. Post-mortem to follow at some point, but my thanks to everyone who took part in this weird journey.))

I've tried everything I can think of with no effect, I have no luck with technology...

—doctorlit is terrified the bot is going to bring the Suvian back to life somehow

I'm pretty sure it was at 100% when I removed it from the charger... maybe the battery failed?

I've already had to replace a tablet, so I'm hesitant to replace it yet again. I have a laptop to fall back upon... but maybe I will get a new tablet. I haven't decided yet.

I can appreciate that. Still, it's very inspiring, and I am firmly convinced Tolkien himself would have loved it if he knew about it.

Hilariously, I have a Kindle from...I think it's late in the year, so late 2012, that's still working perfectly. I can't even think of any glitches. The only thing that's so much as begun to break is the case. (Would mention the model, but I'd have to look it up--don't know it off the top of my head anymore.)

In all fairness, it hasn't seen constant use--most often, I've on and off forgotten it's a thing I could be using when I'm not traveling--but still, that's a good seven-closing-on-eight years. There's even a bunch of stuff on it.

(Though, yikes, dog biting through one? I hope your dog was okay. Apart from that, it's a funny mental image.)

...and because at this point I can't not: while I still kind of hate Macs to a point because of that time when a lot of the school computers were Macs that...let's go with "frequently sucked", so I do get it, I've also had very good experiences with Android phones. (Tablet too, actually, though that's a whole other story.) I think it's probably (with Macs and non-Android devices, too) down to the device and model (and a touch of luck to not get a faulty device--the original Kindle actually didn't work pretty much right away, and had to be exchanged. On the other hand, the replacement has lasted about seven and a half years and shows no signs of breaking anytime soon). With the phones, which see the heaviest use, they eventually glitch a bit with age, but even then a lot of the time it takes another couple years before they develop glitches that are actually cause for "replace this phone ASAP or you'll regret it" territory. I'd call that a pretty good track record.

(On the other hand, part of why I own all of one, I think, Apple device is that the last time I looked at...I think I had similar thoughts with both an iPhone and a full size iPod, actually, I found myself thinking I'd use half the features, at best. It just wasn't worth it for me, and it wasn't what I wanted. So...Android, up til now. And PC for a handful of reasons, though that may change when my current laptop breaks, depending what the available version of Windows looks like at that point. Not super excited to reach that point, or the point of replacing my current phone, apart from the usual "shiny new toy to learn all about!!" excitement.)

And, uh, I guess that's what I'm doing with my post-semi accidental nap energy. Right, then.

I give up. I hope you have better luck the next time you try a Kindle or whatever else, if you do.

~Z

PS: for the actual tech problem...potentially try leaving it unplugged for a few hours to a day, and then hold down the power button and see if it turns on? I've seen that work for laptops a few times. Past that, I'm not sure I have advice that hasn't been mentioned. I'm sorry it broke like that; that sucks.

I mean, is it a Lithium battery? If you've been consistently running it down below 40%, that actually damages the battery's charge capacity. It might be that it can only hold a charge when connected to mains power.

Was the screen on when it was connected to the wall? If you plug it in again, will it still function, or is it still dead?

I had a simular problem with two of my Amazon Kindles. They just died on me one day, and wouldn't power on again. Then there's the one my dog tried to eat, and that's how I know that a dog's jaw can bite through a Kindle. But I digress.

If you have warranty, you should try getting it fixed, or getting a free replacement. Amazon isn't known for making products that last. All six of my cheap kindles have died on me about a month or two after purchase, and the time I purchased one of their more expensive paperwhite screen Kindles, the damm thing didn't last more than three weeks before something broke. Thankfully I got warranty-backed repairs on that one, and then it broke again a week later.

I'd highly reccommend looking into alternatives to Amazon devices. While some of their other products are built well, their Kindle and tablet computer line are really badly made.

Aside from sounding a lot more exciting, a simple change like making Raze smile as he beats up the guy conveys the idea that he's enjoying this much better, and without turning Kisa into Charles Xavier.

Also, I laughed so hard at your remark about Kisa's personality. I was actually going to discuss this in later chapters where I would analyze the main characters and the way they come across as opposed to what they were intended to be like, but honestly? You summed her up perfectly.

After you said this, I did think about whether it was possible to record it, but I don't think it would work; too much of it comes from the spontaneous questions, and recording while driving a car sounds like a nightmare.

hS

(I couldn't get to this earlier because deadlines)

• One line I'm slightly confused by was "How was the mission report?" I think I can sort of tell what's meant there but I'm not sure.
• It's nice to see the mention that things are improving.
• Caps issue in: “What the hell?” She asked faintly
• The clipping and other visual issues are a nice touch
• Reality room, nice touch for dealing with superpowered folks
• Ok, now I get the line about the report. You might've wanted "How's the mission report going?"

Overall, this is a nice short mission that does a good job of showing off the issues in this fic. It still manages to have some nice character interactions, though it's hard to fit in a bunch of those into a short work like this.

Uuuugh, those action scenes are so bad. Action is by no means my strongest suit, but for precisely that reason, I've read some advice on how to write them, and that? That is not how you do it.

I wanna try to fix the biggest passage you quoted, just cuz. Here's what we're starting with:

My attacker was pinned against the wall as a huge hooded man pounded his face and stomach with clenched fists. I couldn't take my eyes away. The hooded man was relentless, each punch delivered with precision, his chest heaving in excitement and his feet rocking from side to side as he relished the outlet for his aggression.

First problem: Passive voice. You don't want passive voice in your action scene. This is pretty self-explanatory!

Second problem: We're in first person. Don't waste time telling us that the POV character is looking at the thing you just described. We already know that. Instead, show us what about it—or what about her—makes her fixate on it.

Third problem: In addition to the mind-reading Mirage already covered, that's a long sentence for an action sequence, and oh, look, more passive voice. So very tedious.

Three sentences, three problems. How 'bout that. So, what do we do? First, we change from passive voice to active, being sure to choose verbs that give us maximum visceral impact and minimum word count. Second, we cut the filler, and we take advantage of the first person perspective to use our POV character's unique voice to tell the readers something they don't already know. Third, we use shorter, more direct sentence structure to cultivate a sense of urgency, and we also vary it so it doesn't become monotonous. We avoid ases and -ings like the plague.

Point two will be difficult, since Kisa has the personality of dried-out leftover rice, but we know her frame of reference includes cage fighting. We can use that to add some flavor. Mind you, I personally know nothing about cage fighting, and if I were doing this properly I'd want to research it first, but I think I can BS my way through one paragraph. Here's what I came up with:

My attacker's back slammed against the wall. A huge man pounded his face and stomach with fists like meat tenderizers. My savior's eyes were hidden under a hood, but I could just make out the glint of his teeth, bared in a savage smile. Like a cage fighter going for the prize, he drove punch after punch right where it would hurt the other bastard the most.

A quick word count tells me my passage is longer than the original, but I think it reads faster and gives a clearer, more immediate sense of what's happening in the scene. "Fists like meat tenderizers" might be a bit of a cliche, but OTOH, it instantly conjures an image of a clenched fist and what it's doing to the other guy. What do you think, is it a good trade-off?

~Neshomeh stayed up too late having fun with this.