Sarachim

Session 6 just ended. Log and quotes coming soon!

Quick reminder: the next session is tonight at 6:00 PM Eastern, a mere thirteen hours from now! Don't forget!

Originally Posted By: Lilith especially that last one what do you expect, this guy has only been here for ten years

Originally Posted By: waterplant We are guests on this planet - we don't own the place. No, see, this is backwards. If we were guests, we could afford to treat the Earth like a hotel room. Unfortunately, we own it.

Originally Posted By: CRISIS on INFINITE SLARTIES If it wasn't obvious before, this should make it clear that what your formula actually does, is take into account the impact of missing posts, but then REDUCE the result by the impact of surviving posts... sometimes: Missing 100, Surviving 10, Result: 1210 Missing 100, Surviving 100, Result: 400 Missing 100, Surviving 1000, Result: 1300 As you can see, this is not a sensible formula! I'm pretty sure this was both obvious and intentional, as the original formula divided by surviving. I think the idea is that the two pillars of oldbietage are posting a lot (total posts) and posting for a long time (approximated for by lack of surviving posts.) The real problem is that, by this measure, someone who posted a lot a long time ago gets a much higher oldbie score than someone who has posted at a constant rate since equally long ago, even though the latter is no less an oldbie. This is a partial explanation for why I got a disappointing middle-of-the-pack oldbie score despite my enormous oldbietude. EDIT: On second thought, I failed to do justice to Slarty here. The other, more serious problem with the formula is that it fails to distinguish between a proper oldbie and someone who happens to have an enormous post count, which is exactly what Slarty was saying. For a newbie, Slarty is pretty smart.

Originally Posted By: Txgangsta It doesn't matter what it costs, economics still says their will be a profit. economics do not work this way

Originally Posted By: CRISIS on INFINITE SLARTIES The text certainly goes out of its way to say things like "and that's a big if." If we can find a way to suspend the laws of physics (and that's a big if), the method described will work.

Does rickrolling make Nikki blase, humorless, or both? Discuss.

I almost forgot! I promised to post Eva's solo exploits along with the log this time. First, like many before her, Eva goes to extreme lengths to get a cup of coffee: Click to reveal.. Nioca (7:20:58 PM): I quietly poke around about that goblin root coffee. Away from the group so as not to offend. SarachimSeafello (7:21:27 PM): You find a goblin who knows what you're talking about, and offers to brew you some. Nioca (7:21:36 PM): I accept. SarachimSeafello (7:23:13 PM): He puts a metal pot on the fire, and begins grinding some roots. He says it will be ready in five minutes. Nioca (7:23:42 PM): "Thank you." I go back to studying my spellbook, re-entering earshot of the party. SarachimSeafello (7:29:44 PM): You hear a faint whistle somwhere. Your goblin pokes you, and whispers that the coffee is ready. Nioca (7:30:11 PM): I head over and drink some of the coffee. SarachimSeafello (7:30:45 PM): It doesn't taste much like coffee as you know it. It's more like a very strong, very bitter tea. Nioca (7:31:18 PM): I nod and thank the goblin as I finish up my retinue of spells. Nioca (7:31:22 PM): *and keep drinking. SarachimSeafello (7:31:35 PM): He seems pleased that you like it. Nioca (7:31:57 PM): "It's good. Thank you." Nioca (7:32:06 PM): I go back within earshot of the party. Later, things get much more serious, and Eva responds with fire: Click to reveal.. SarachimSeafello (9:22:16 PM): Are you doing anything while they mess around on the roof, or just waiting quietly? Nioca (9:22:40 PM): Just waiting quietly. Eva's not an idiot, she's not going to deliberately draw attention to herself. Nioca (9:27:27 PM): (Except if you undo the hinges... *facepalm at Triumph*) SarachimSeafello (9:27:58 PM): This may be the first time when I would have solved a problem faster than an AIMHack party. SarachimSeafello (9:28:19 PM): Wait, second, if you count the chess game in Selos. Nioca (9:30:36 PM): Since everyone else is occupied, I poke around more in Gramzon's pack. SarachimSeafello (9:30:47 PM): Okay. Looking for anything special? Nioca (9:30:53 PM): No. Just curious. Nioca (9:31:05 PM): (I'm not going to steal anything) SarachimSeafello (9:32:46 PM): Okay. There are some more tools in here, a toolbelt, a spare set of clothes, a water skin, bandages, cookwear, and a bedroll. Nioca (9:33:52 PM): Finished violating Gramzon's privacy, I wait, keeping an eye on my surroundings. Nioca (9:36:26 PM): (Man, if it wasn't for bad luck...) SarachimSeafello (9:36:45 PM): (What, you expect the bad guys to leave their doors unlocked for you?) Nioca (9:37:15 PM): (No, but still. Really makes you wish they had gone through a window instead.) Nioca (9:37:46 PM): Staying put, I look around for any nearby hiding spots should a patrol or something come. SarachimSeafello (9:38:07 PM): There aren't any. The ground between here and the palisade is totally clear. Nioca (9:38:24 PM): (brb) SarachimSeafello (9:38:25 PM): Of course, you could duck in a window. They're just holes in the wall, some with matting over them. Nioca (9:41:30 PM): I peek inside the darkened window. Anything inside that I can see? SarachimSeafello (9:42:04 PM): It's covered. You could push the cover away, but that might be noticed by whoever's inside. Nioca (9:42:41 PM): I'll wait, then. Nioca (9:49:06 PM): (And now I'm glad I'm not with them. :-D ) SarachimSeafello (9:50:35 PM): Heh, they may need healing soon. Nioca (9:50:58 PM): (...They've got Eric, who has first aid. Let him do the healing for a change. ) Nioca (9:56:51 PM): Am I feeling anything from Patches? SarachimSeafello (9:57:43 PM): Oh, yeah. Danger and alarm/. Nioca (9:58:12 PM): I start pacing ever-so-slightly. "Crap, crap, crap..." I start whispering to myself. SarachimSeafello (9:59:30 PM): You can't hear anything, though. Nioca (9:59:54 PM): (I kinda figured that) Nioca (10:01:00 PM): I stealthily peek into the darkened window. (Roll?) SarachimSeafello (10:01:05 PM): Yes, please. SarachimSeafello (10:01:59 PM): There are two rows of bunk beds in here, most with people sleeping in them. None of them stir as you look in. Nioca (10:03:36 PM): I back away from the window. "Should I stay, should I go?" I whisper to myself. SarachimSeafello (10:03:37 PM): You hear the scream. Nioca (10:03:48 PM): "Well that settles it." Nioca (10:05:06 PM): (Belkar's first rule of adventuring. When in doubt...) SarachimSeafello (10:05:16 PM): Stab? Nioca (10:05:22 PM): I carefully fire a flameburst into the window, igniting the beds. Nioca (10:05:27 PM): (...set something on fire) SarachimSeafello (10:05:34 PM): (Oh, right. Roll it.) SarachimSeafello (10:06:49 PM): The target beds catch fire instantly, spreading it to the others. Their occupants wake up screaming. Nioca (10:07:01 PM): I duck out of sight of the window. SarachimSeafello (10:07:18 PM): You hear panic inside. None of them seem to have noticed you. Nioca (10:07:35 PM): (I would hope not. They have bigger fish to fry.) Nioca (10:07:38 PM): (er.) Nioca (10:07:42 PM): (...sorry. ) SarachimSeafello (10:07:47 PM): Sorry? SarachimSeafello (10:07:58 PM): You hear the horns, also.

Not a problem, Nikki. Well, not a problem for the rest of us, anyway. The next session will be Thursday, July 29.

Nioca started it. I assume it was so as not to spoil things for people who haven't read Rowen's session yet.

Originally Posted By: Nioca Click to reveal.. Bit disheartening Gorgut got captured again. She needs to learn to stay away from kidnap-happy wack-a-doos. And extra disheartening that we were five feet from Gorgut... and failed to rescue her. Click to reveal.. It may be unclear when you read the logs out of sequence, but your characters would know that Gorgut was still with the party at the time when Gramzon saw her in the cell. EDIT: Oh, and also, Eric was actively checking the other cells as you went, and would have noticed if Gorgut was in one nearby.

Originally Posted By: Niemand Quote: "One Hundred Years of Solitude" Aaaaaaah! I do not have words for how much I hate that book. I don't think we can be friends any more.

Originally Posted By: Øther (It's from Indiana Jones. You know. The movies.) No, Dinti had it right. It's the ending of Falling Stars.

The log of session 5 is here! After meeting an unfriendly hermit named Thuja, the party finally gets some hard-earned rest, only to discover that one of their own has been captured. As unseen forces move all around them, the party attempts a dramatic rescue! Or, rather, they attempt a dull rescue, but get a dramatic one instead. Click to reveal.. (Here's some advice. Go now, and I won't set the quotes on you.) Eva Roe: "Truly, the oceans seek to defeat me on land as well." Thuja: "Well, you're soft, and stupid, and clearly have no idea where you're going." Leitha: "I think he punched me because I asked for payment, actually, but I'm not a hundred percent on that right now." Xiriatl: "Always with the killing. That's not the way to make friends, Leitha." Eric: "More of a fortress than a castle, really." Wybren: To cover my embarrassment, I weave an inspiring tale of Balbus the adventurer, who sneaked past an acid dragon to rescue his companions, to inspire Leitha's sneakiness. But how did Gramzon get captured in the first place, you ask? Was he taken by fraud or by force? Did he finally accept a cup of tea from the wrong person? The answers are here, in a side-session I have entitled "Fry Hard." Click to reveal.. (Between the exertion and the quotes you lose another stamina point.) Gramzon: "Respect is earned, not given." King Vurziveh: "You are about to learn, Nameless Friend, how far I will go to earn respect." I still need a level-up from Dintiradan, and calendar fill-ins from Nikki and Nioca. So far, it looks like we're shaping up for Friday the 30th, but plenty of other days are still viable.

also godwin's law does not apply to Italian fascists

Originally Posted By: Dantius Originally Posted By: Lilith A law that only "works" because it's almost never enforced is a bad law. It could still be an effective law, though. The RIAA wants results, not "good" laws. Yes, and I want good laws, because like most people I don't care what happens to the RIAA. A law that that heaps disproportionate penalties on a small fraction of violators is effective much the way that fascists are effective railway managers.

Originally Posted By: Dantius Originally Posted By: Sarachim Defining welfare in economic terms is arguably what caused most of the problems we're arguing about. Um, many of those metrics are defined by things like literacy rates, infant mortality, and other measures that are most definitely not economic terms. My fault for being unclear. I meant "economic" in the broad sense of the word, in which things like literacy and good health have a quantifiable value that makes them fungible with each other. I'm not against this approach to defining welfare, but it has a tendency to value things in proportion to the ease with which they can be quantified.

Originally Posted By: Dantius Originally Posted By: Sarachim I have no idea whether any of you are brave, dependable, or religious. You could always base it off our AIMhack characters . You laugh, but I had to be careful not to actually do that.

I have no idea whether any of you are brave, dependable, or religious.

Originally Posted By: Dantius Originally Posted By: Lilith 2) why That's easy. Start with the presupposition that humans (and humanity as a whole) inherently act in their best interests. This requires you to assume that people are perfectly well-informed about what will promote their interests, perfectly rational in promoting them, and always favor the long-term over the short. None of these are true. Originally Posted By: Dantius Then, note that humans live in an interactive cooperative society. From this, it follows that engaging in society is beneficial to the individual. So, the converse, that were engaging in society not beneficial to the race as a whole, we would stop doing it, must therefore be true. Engaging in society is not the same as contributing to society. If everyone pursues their own best interest, it does not follow that a group is promoting that group's collective interest. I know this, because when I am not playing games, I am a Somali pirate. Originally Posted By: Dantius Originally Posted By: Lilith 3) how do you even measure global welfare There are a bunch of metrics. The Human Suffering index measures the relative suffering of one country relative to another. The Human Development index measures the industrial progress of a country. The UN has various metrics for determining such concepts. A quick Google search yields a few dozen more. Defining welfare in economic terms is arguably what caused most of the problems we're arguing about.

I remember some of those. The rest, I still know.

When you see the log for Gramzon's solo session, you'll be sorry a sub showed up. Speaking of Gramzon, he levels up too. Here is the calendar for session 6: http://whenisgood.net/ctmrek

Thank you, Triumph, that is what I meant. I've thought it over and, like most intelligent people, I agree with Dikiyoba. The next session is Friday, July 16. Sorry for the short notice, I hope everyone can still make it.

Gah, I just remembered that Dinti said last time that he'll be away this week. I have no idea if he'll be back by tomorrow. On the bright side, my schedule is a little clearer than I thought, so I've added two new days to the calendar- Tuesday the 12th and Wednesday the 13th. Please fill out the new version: http://whenisgood.net/rtymyq