Game Programmers Wanted

My New Year’s goal is to construct and have programmed a game.  It will be a turn-based war game that uses th epower of modern computers for something other than graphics.  Don’t get me wrong I love graphics, but the wargames still suck.  I want to make one that doesn’t suck and isn’t 4x (eXplore, eXpand, eCploit, and eXterminate).

So if you are programmer and willing to help me out in your free time, let me know.  Payment will be a percentage of game sales.  I’ve got an MBA so I know how marketing works.

The majority of details are done, it’s mainly just programming and playtesting needed at this point.

You can reply to this blog thread or e-mail me at krm_OgreMkV at Yahoo dot com.

Could a limited nuclear exchange be a cure for Earth’s ills?

1) Climate – a minor nuclear winter would drop the global temp by a degree or two for a year or two.  It might just give us a chance to get enough wind and solar power in place as well as electric cars to stave off the coming negative feedback loop.

2) Economic – most of the countries would respond with a military buildup increasing jobs, spending, and economies of most countries.  This could be helpful.  Most econmies experience a serious surge in wartime and post wartime (major war, not these piddling little brushfire wars).

3) Cultural – the results of a nuclear exchange would put into blunt perspective what we as humans have the ability to do to ourselves and our world.  Then we could see what fools we’ve been and move on with living in the real world instead of each of our own personal fantasies.

Kindle

I got a Kindle… ha ha ha ha ha

It is worth they hype. I’m halfway through a book I downloaded on Christmas Eve. It’s totally seamless to me. It fits the way I read normally and there are no paperback pages wanting to close on you and hardback that weigh too much to hold up late at night.

I love it.

ANyway, if you like science fiction and have a kindle… Baen books has a number of titles available for free. I don’t feel bad about downloading them because I already own the books, I just want them on the kindle.

Authors like John Ringo, David Weber, David Drake, and James Hogan are available.

www.webscription.net

Caroline Kennedy – The Death of American Politics

This is it.  This is when we find out if American politics is a functional system to provide US citizens with the best government possible… or a popularity contest not much removed from the prom queen.

I’m not sure if America can survive the new world.  It’s system is hidebound and too slow to change.  Congress is still debating gasoline relief efforts, but the price of gas has dropped almost $3.  Congress is still trying to take guns away from citizens, even after the US Supreme Court declared it within the constitution to keep firearms.

It’s really scary and a bit depressing.

Land of the Free— not anymore

We used to be the land of the free.  I guess that’s one of Obama’s big changes.  I can’t really fault him though, he’s just a product of politics.  How come someone who’s never been a doctor can be qualified to make decisions about medicine?  How come somone who’s never been a teacher can make decisions about education?  It’s not just Obama, it’s al politicians.  The majority seem to think they are the kings of our society.

Freedom is on the downswing.  Here’s some examples.  Please note that I may not always agree with what is going on, but I think that freedom trumps my own prejudices and thoughts.

Congress gets a raise -My salary is frozen… ‘nough said.

Ammunition tax and making reloading illegal – I’m sure there’s lots of links to this.  Since the Federal government can’t do it, they are encouraging the states to do it.  Someone explain to me why politicians hate guns?

Surgeons refuse to performs procedures that are unacceptable to them… and get in trouble.  If it’s against your religion to perform an abortion, then that person should not be required or harrased for not performing it.  It’s still supposed to be a free country.

Us normal folk are losing.  Soon, the only people that matter will be those on welfare and politicians.  Sigh, it’s very depressing.

Update

For those of you who don’t know yet, my and my family’s life has radically altered. We are in the midst of CHANGE.

1) I am no longer a teacher… I’m the enemy, I’m now writing the tests that the kids have to take (not the TAKS, don’t even ask)
2)My family and I have moved to AUstin
3) It is difficult to sell a house in this economy (I have thoughts about that for later)
4) Therefore, we are living with my sister-in-law and her family and boarding our animals until we get our house sold and buy our own place.

Number 4 above isn’t horrible, but it isn’t tons of fun either. Having Christmas with a 2 year-old and only two small bedrooms is challenging.

I would really like to hear from the students who took the TAKS lately.

More later as I edge back into blogging.

Poetry Part 2

So, I got good feedback on the last few.  (Thanks Brandy)

‘Gravity’ was written (or at least begun) on a napkin at Casa Ole.  I was in a pretty weird mood at the time and I was writing lots of poetry.

Here’s some more

This one is one of my favorites.  It, like ‘Gravity’ tells something of a story that’s not a story.   It was a turning point in my life as I realized that I could express some things and analyze them.  I no longer believe in the soul, but the struggle remains.

In My Mind

There’s a struggle
in my mind
a fight for right
and wrong

Good has a beachhead
on blackened shores
evil’s got a grasp
of the inner self

Scorched earth
is the defense
life, mercy, love
are the offense

faith is a fighter
hope is a warrior
goodness and love
fight side by side

my mind is a wasteland
pockets of good
bright islands
in a dark sea

battle night
stormy day
hell and heaven
make their way

through the trenches
in my soul
rending, tearing
healing, loving

sometimes at night
I hear trumpets blow
steel on steel
wood on bone

cries of victory
pain and dispair
demon hordes and
angelic legions

fight for right
and wrong
and my soul
in my mind

The Edge

Heart of Darkness

Black like shadow
smooth like a river’s flow
a thundering roar
at the fiery core
of a heart like a beast

Like a bird on a wing
like a wild night’s fling
a match’s flame
you cannot tame
walkin’ on the razor’s edge

Like a cold steel blade
like life’s parade
midnight fantasy
you will not see
shadows in the midnight dark

When night comes around
and you hear her sound
run for light
you cannot fight
the blackest flame of the heart

Poetry

Yes, I do poetry.  You my faithful two readers are in for a treat.  I found an old file with my poetry from many, many moons ago.  I think this all predates my wife, whom I’ve been married to for almost 13 years now.  Some’s good, some’s bad.  Take from it what you will… the angst of a geek’s soul.

Let’s put it this way.  These were written on a computer with no HDD, windows didn’t exist.

DemonKat

Demon kitty, demon kitty
how do you slay
by pouncing on the ball
down the hall

Demon kitty, demon kitty
where do you stay
In my master’s lap
fighting or a nap

Demon kitty, Demon kitty
where do you stray
on the bed under the sheet
chewing on my master’s feet

Demon kitty, demon kitty
how do you play
by clawing my master
and chewing on the bastar…

Earth

Thundering herds in my mind
a subtle reminder of the past
now, creatures, you will no find
they vanished, never to last

When man came here
to where life began
the plains were clear
unspoiled land

the struggle is age old
life and death and birth
stories are still untold
mysteries of ancient Earth

Effect

How can you have this effect on me?
I can’t eat, I can’t sleep
sometimes I can’t even see.
My love runs so deep.

You’re all I think of
Dreams, night and day
Can this be love?
Beautiful girl, stay.

It doesn’t seem right
can you even see?
without a light
your effect on me.

Girl, I love you
Can’t you see?
Can it be true?
Please, stay with me.

Gravity

When Gravity Fails

When gravity fails
and the Earth flys
through endless night

When electrons die
and all inventions
stop and rust

When proteins fade
and all life
slowly decays

When the gods leave
the universe
to its own devices

Strength will not matter
Intelligence will make
no difference

Faith will fall
with the humans
who used to believe

Only the adaptable
will survive
the endless night

Only the imaginative
can find a way
out of Hell

Google Sketchup Cargo Spaceship Challenge

Folow this link to download the ShelbyZ from the google Sketchup library. I designed this ship about a year ago on good old scientific graph paper (you remember, the green one with very small boxes and lines on the back, yes I am a geek).

Anyway, I downloaded sketchup and fell in love with it. I stayed up to midnight for about a week building the ShelbyZ. I made a few errors and some I still don’t understand what happened. I haven’t finished her either. I want to make the interior complete with equipment. I’m planning on some other files showing landed and disgorging cargo and a labeled cross section view.

The ShelbyZ is a small transport, but very fast. A light cargo load, but her cargo bay design allows up to eight tractor-trailer rigs to be driven straight into the bay and straight out at the destination. This fast turn around time and planetary landing ability means that she has many contracts for supplying small scientific outposts (and setting them up) as well as emergency deliveries and evacuations of colonies.

Medical response was designed into her with a large medical bay and attached doctors quarters/office and deep imaging bay (CAT/PET/MR/ etc scanners). Up to 24 passengers can travel for extended periods. By installing extra bunks, 48 can be accommodated for shorter flights. With no cargo in the upper hold or the cargo bay, she can hold an additional 150 passengers.

The ‘wings’ are filled with the grav generators.  The rear third of the ship houses the two fusion reactors and the aft ‘pencil points’ house the interialess drives.  The hyper generator is tucked up under the Engineering platform on deck to very near the CG of the ship.  The large fins on the back are cooling fins for the fusion drives.

The top most deck is the Bridge Deck with the bridge (forward) and observation deck (aft).  The O-deck has several retractable telescopes for position fixes, EM scans and photog work.  Directly under the bridge is the Captain’s private retreat.  He has a private head and room with an attached office.  A ladder goes from the office directly into the bridge.  Behind the Captain’s Cabin is the main lounge and galley.  This is where off-duty crew and passengers hang-out and eat.

The Upper Deck (upper deck, main hull) is mainly passenger and crew quarters.  A large mechanical bay is directly behind the cabins.  This location handles most of the poewr, water, sewage, and air distribution for the ship.

The Engineering deck is most of the ‘working’ sections of the ship.  The forward ‘pencil points’ contain primary sensors and the debris shields.  Behind that is the Medical bay and doctor’s quarters.  The crew quarters on this deck are all engineers and tech.  The main engineering stations are here as well as a well stocked machine shop.  The engineering platform extends into the fusion and drive room.  The aft ‘pencil points’ contain the inertialess drives.

The Lower Deck has cargo storage forward.  The lower ‘pencil points’ have both elevators and cranes for moving some supplies, equipment, and personnel to ground level.  There is a secure cargo facility that only the Captain and XO can open.  There are some passenger cabins here.  They are mainly for the truck-drivers, but anyone can stay there.  There is also fuel bunkerage on this deck.  Approximately 135 cubic meters of Deuterium slush can be stored to power the fusion drives.  This volume of fuel will power the ship for about 24 days at full power.

The cargo bay has full sized doors at both ends.  Landing gear is outboard of the cargo bay.  An airtight panel can be mounted in the bay to seal off the back 1/3 and allow the deployment of space equipment (satellites).  This panel cannot be placed or removed in flight.

Standard complement is 15 crew and 24 passengers.  Top speed is a little over 2 light years per day.  Standard cruise speed is 1.75 lights per day.  Max range (round trip) at cruise is 50 light years.  There is equipment for ‘in flight refueling’, however it requires the after third to be exposed to vacuum and the atmosphere of gas giants.

Saturday Voting for Port Arthur

The family has been feeling poorly so I haven’t been writing much.  Sorry.

Just a reminder to go vote Saturday if you haven’t voted early.

I will be at the Tyrrell Elementary School with some info for the people I’m supporting.  If you head that way, say hi.