Burrowowl

Every once in a great while, one runs across a truly great, timeless game. Chess is one example. Hide & Go Seek is another. This past December, my gracious employer acquired an Ultracade machine for the break room. At 5 credits per quarter, this has been a big hit with the staff and tenants, but a recent motherboard failure resulted in something wonderous: an upgrade.

In addition to the several dozen cheesy 1980′s games, we got Robotron 2084. This 1982 stand-up video game uses two joysticks, one to move the hero on the playfield, the other to direct his lazer beams in any of eight directions. The graphics are remedial, the colors horribly garish, but the gameplay itself is superb. If you can’t afford your own stand-up machine, get a copy for Windows.

True to earlier forecasts of the IKWG being available around March of this year, Privateer Press has announced that they’ve sent the final layouts to the printshop. The new sourcebook and companion to last year’s IKCG includes the following long-awaited features:

• Full Color Detailed Map of the Iron Kingdoms
• Resources and Industry Maps for All Regions
• Complete Details for Every City – Industry, People, Points of Interest, Politics, and More…
• Comprehensive Timeline and History
• 400 Pages and Richly Illustrated
• Details on the Monarchs and Rulers of Every Kingdom

They were also so kind as to provide a zipped PDF with a sneak preview of four pages of the Iron Kingdoms’ history (pages 10-13 of the finished product). I’m giddy with anticipation.

*edit on 2005-01-24: Discount RPG will let you pre-order this at a discount now.

Today something that shouldn’t be unusual or unexpected happened. It should be a normal, expected, and predictable response to what some consider to be a weakening of the principles of self-governance that the United States of America were ostensibly founded upon. Today a single US Senator objected to the acceptance of a slate of electoral votes from a state that suffered a broad variety of rather severe voting irregularities. A single Senator had the nerve to show the appearance of standing up for democratic principle in resistance to the systematic disenfranchisement of hundreds of thousands of US citizens. I don’t think anybody actually believes that the objection to Ohio’s 20 electors will actually change who will have to mow the big green lawn at the White House this spring, but at least there will be a footnote in future history books showing that somebody thought things were fishy.

It is unfortunate that even making a minor procedural stand for voters’ rights is being viewed by 99 out of 100 Senators as political suicide. Thank you, Barbara Boxer, for not embarrassing your constituency today, unlike our other Senator, who apparently could not be bothered.

CNN Article: Democrats challenge Ohio electoral votes
Fox News Article: Lawmakers Dispute Electoral College Results
Fox News Archive: Raw Data: Boxer Letter
MSNBC Article: Congress debates Ohio, then to certify Bush win