Waterworks spiders, you'd better LOOK OUT! *SHOOM! Javelin-of-deadly-force!*

-The Gneech

That the HTC Touch Diamond cellphone is a useless piece of crap, and what's worse it's an expensive piece of crap. Do not buy this worthless phone under any circumstances.

Thank you.

-The Gneech

As much as everybody hates insurance companies, you'd think they'd still know better; this healthcare reform bill, as passed in the House, doesn't make sense. Putting aside the whole quagmire of "a public option or not," the basic premise of insurance companies being disallowed to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions or charging higher premiums based on medical history ain't feasible. You might as well tell lawyers they can't refuse to defend a client that they believe is guilty.[1] Or printers that they can't refuse a job where the client is going to keep changing their mind and want free revisions right up to press time.

I mean, yes, technically, if you can get the Legislative branch to ignore the 10th Amendment (not hard), the President to fail in his veto duties (which every President has done since Washington, alas), and the Supreme Court to roll over (a little harder than the other two but nowhere near as hard as it should be), then yes, technically you can do it. But think about what you're really saying:

"Insurance companies, we are going to legally mandate that you take a loss by forcing you to take customers who are going to cost you more. So suck it."

What do you think the insurance companies are going to do? Seriously? Just say, "well, yeah, we had that coming" and take it?

No, they're going to find other ways to balance the loss. The most likely way is to simply crank up everyone's rates by 30% for the next five years, instead of the 25% per year they've been doing. But, as that might draw unwanted heat, they may find new and exciting ways of canceling people's policies after they've made a payout or two. Or here's a good one: how about dropping spouses all together and forcing everyone to be the "primary holder" on an account or not have one at all?

If you buy into the underlying premise that the insurance industry is a bunch of greedy rat-bastards and it's okay for the government to stick it to them on those grounds, you need to also deal with the problem that nobody ever successfully came between a greedy rat-bastard and his money. They'll find a way, and they'll find it by doing the same thing they've been doing all along: holding onto the customers that make them money, and weeding out the customers that cost them money. All this bill will do is make more loops for them to find holes in.

A feelgood move this bill may be, but an actually good move, it is not.

-The Gneech

PS: Not even screening comments on this one; just leaving it locked down. Too many people read "not in the mood for nonsense" as "please send me lots of nonsense" last time. And then wrote "LA LA LA LA LA I'M NOT READING!" when I called them on it.

[1] Someone messaged me: "The adversarial system is predicated on the defendant having a mandate to be defended by a lawyer. A lawyer can not, having accepted the case, abandon it simply because they believe the client is guilty. And the public defender's job is majorily made up of such cases." To be clear, I meant refuse to take on the client to begin with. And I don't mean public defenders here, I mean private lawyers.

Hangin' w/ confusedoo, who's visiting, after a day of National Zoo today and Smithsonian yesterday, followed by a lot of Munchkin playing and pizza-nomming with guest star sirfox last night.

Posted the last SJ strip, which will go up in the morning. Now looking at a to-do list filled to the brim with stuff that was waiting for that to be out of the way ... but because it was all "can wait for SJ" stuff, none of it is immediately urgent.

Which ... is an odd place for me. Lots to do ... nothing pressing. Weird. 0.o

I wonder if it's too late to do FC conbook art. Probably. Oh well, I can work on the SJ collection instead!

Or not, if I feel like doing something else. ;)

I just like saying that. :)

-TG

Okay, for all you bumper-sticker political people out there, here's a little elementary social science for you:

The President doesn't make the world go around.

The President can't wave a magic wand and make unemployment go up or go down; the President can't make the economy boom or bust.

While we're at it, the President can neither turn the country into an ultraconservative science-hating theocracy, nor a socialist police state.

The President is not a magical king who makes the sun shine and the birds sing if he's a Good King or turns the world into a wasteland if he's a Bad King.

While I'm on the topic, here's another bit of elementary social science for you: the majority of the country is neither right-wing nor left-wing. It may drive you nuts that not everybody is a howling monkey about politics the way you are, but it's reality and you're going to have to come to grips with it. More people base their vote on the person than they do the ideology behind it. Still more people base their vote on what they think other people are going to vote. It's completely stupid and irrational. But that's the human race for you.

The country didn't "move to the left" in 2008, nor did it "move to the right" in 2009. The country's exactly in the same place it always is.

The American political scene actually has an extremely narrow range of views that it will actually tolerate. The right wing thinks it's too far to the left. The left wing thinks it's too far to the right. Most people just want to live their lives already. All the shrieking, name calling, and general snark doesn't do anything except get people more entrenched in their blinder-vision. And in the long run, that's much, much more harmful to the nation than anything either major political party will ever be able to make fly in Congress.

So, to put it bluntly, if you can't keep yourself civil, SHUT THE #&$** UP. Seriously. Take whatever political stance suits you; by all means, campaign, pound the pavement, vote for what you believe in. BUT STOP BEING SUCH A BUNCH OF JERKS ABOUT IT. YOU'RE HURTING THE COUNTRY YOU CLAIM TO LOVE.

-The Gneech

PS: Comments screened. Not in the mood to put up with nonsense.

Surely if it's too early for Christmas decorations, it's too early for "I hate Christmas" posts. :P

-The Gneech

PS: Just to be clear, I'm not complaining about Christmas or Christmas decorations. Those are fine. I'm complaining about holiday haters. ;P

From MonteJCook: 911 Writer's Block

-The Gneech

LotRO Main Storyline Being Retooled as Solo-Friendly

Pure awesome. :)

Now if only they'd do the same for those verschlugginer hardmode instances!

-TG

The only way this week's Suburban Jungle is going to drawn by Thanksgiving is if I take vacation time off from work to do it, so that's what I'm doing this afternoon.

This also gives me the precious Five *#&$@!! minutes! I need to plug in my anniversary present from lythandra ... a supremely rare and hard-to-find proper clicky keyboard. It's definitely clicky. Very, very clicky, in fact ... so clicky that it may end up being too clicky for everyday use, but instead will have to be pulled out for when I'm expecting to do a lot of heavy-duty writing. We'll have to see about that.

It's not the desk-vibrating CLACK! of my beloved old IBM Selectric ... but at least it's not the wussy squoosh of every "mainstream keyboard" made after 1991. So it's definitely an improvement!

...if only they made an ergonomic one. ;)

-The Gneech

I really need to be off from work today. I have too much to do to spend my time sitting at Circle.

-The Gneech

"No! NO! Not NOW!!!" shouted Brigid, pummeling the blue screen of her laptop in helpless frustration. "Dammit, I've got to get this thing out the door tonight!" She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath; then she reached for the phone and dialed the Help Desk extension.

"Blisto, help desk," came the voice on the other end of the line. Brian Blisto, one of the many I.T. guys with bizarre names.

"Hi, it's Brigid," she said. "My laptop's just gone BSOD for the third time today; I need you guys to get me fixed up 'cause this proposal has got to go out."

"Huh, not good," said Blisto. "Let me if any techs are available. It looks like Who's on-call, What's in the server room, and I Don't Know's configuring the phones."

"Wha huh?" said Brigid.

Blisto said, "Who's on-call, What's in the server room, and I Don't Know's configuring the phones."

Brigid blinked. "Uh, right. Well, send me the on-call technician please."

"Who."

"The on-call technician."

"Who."

"The on-call technician!"

"Who is on-call!"

"I'm asking you who's on-call!"

"That's his name."

"Who?"

"Yes."

"So tell me his name!"

"Who."

"The on-call technician!" demanded Brigid. "What's his name?"

"No," said Blisto, "What's in the server room."

"I don't know!"

"He's configuring the phones, you're not having trouble with those are you?"

"The phones?" said Brigid. "How did I get to be talking about the phones?"

"You mentioned the tech's name."

"Who's name?"

"No, Who's on-call."

"I don't know!"

"He's configuring the phones."

Brigid stopped and blinked a few times. "Look," she finally said, "what's the name of the on-call technician?"

"No, What's in the server room."

"I'm not asking who's in the server room."

"Who's on-call."

"I don't know. Configuring the phones!" she snapped, cutting Blisto off. After a few seconds of mutually-frustrated silence, she said sweetly, "Do you have any contractor support?"

"Yeah, when the load's too heavy, we call in temps."

"Fine. Send me one of the temps, please."

"Okay, I'll send Tomorrow."

"I can't wait for tomorrow, this proposal's got to go out tonight!"

"Why?"

"So the company stays in business and we all stay employed, doofus."

"No, I mean I'll send Why if you don't like Tomorrow."

Brigid twitched. "What?"

"He's in the server room."

"Who's in the server room?"

"No, Who's on-call."

"I don't know — configuring the phones!"

"Don't have a cow, lady," said Blisto. "I'm trying to help you. But I have to know which technician to send."

"I don't care which technician! Just send somebody!"

"Sorry, say that again?"

"I said, 'Just send somebody."

"The I.T. manager? Okay, if you insist. But I've got to warn you, he can be kind of confusing."

Brigid's telephone went through two layers of drywall and ended up in the accounting department.

-The Gneech

<-- previous B&G

I've been drawing all night, and this strip still ain't done!

Guess I know what I'll be doing tomorrow night, too...

-TG

D'Aww, Carmax created a webpage for New Bruce. :) Fun. And only slightly full of ads. ;)

-The Gneech

Lessee ... loser, jerk, nutjob ... and a school bond referendum that's going to pass no matter what people actually vote.

"Abstain" is also an electoral choice, I think I'll take that one this time around.

-The Gneech

The Toll Road is much less scary with a V6. Also, I had to restrain the urge to periodically shout, "THIS IS NOT MY BEAUTIFUL CAR! THIS IS NOT MY BEAUTIFUL WIFE!"

-The Gneech

I held back manly tears as I took Bruce on one final drive around to the back of the Carmax dealership and gave him a solemn salute for 13 years of honorable service. As a tribute, we transferred his plates to the Murano, who, sensing the gravitas of the moment, pledged itself to hold up the tradition. So we're thinking of naming it "Bruce Jr."

Bruce performed one last service for us, getting $700 more in trade than we thought we were likely to get. Between him and the Camry, we got the Murano for a buying price of $20,298 (plus tags, taxes, and fees) -- I was a little worried that we were going to be arrested on the way home for getting such a steal. ;)

We had been talking about some kind of vanity plates, but honestly, knowing those are Bruce's plates on the Murano just makes me happy. I think I'll keep 'em. :)

Thank you, Bruce! And good on ya! Farewell, Camry! You were everything an affordable commuter should be!

And welcome to the family, (not yet officially-named) Murano!

-The Gneech

SO glad to be off daylight savings crime!!!

*dances, whoops and hollers, generally goes spastic*

-The Gneech

We believe we've found the Next Car; if all goes well, we'll be shedding a good-bye tear for Bruce and the Platinum Pearl tomorrow night, and bidding a hearty welcome to a 2006 Nissan Murano, which will then of course need a name.

I thought of Rita (for "Rita Murano"), but as that's lythandra's mother's name, we decided against it. I also thought of Dan (for "Dan Murano"), but as our former boss was named Dan, that's probably not a good choice either.

-The Gneech

Well, what could be a more appropriate way to spend Halloween night than pretending to be an elf and fighting monsters, right? So it was that we gathered at the Rathbun house to narf on ham and candy, tsk in disappointment at how the kids just don't know how to trick-or-treat these days, and finish off sirfox's running of Keep On the Shadowfell, our foray into D&D 4E. Having gone through the entire adventure, I am now quite prepared to say that we've given 4E the fairest of shakes.

The verdict: "Meh." Not a reflection on sirfox's GMing, mind you — he's a fine GM and I thoroughly enjoyed his furry 3.5 game. No, it's all about the system.

For years I've heard complaints from gamers feeling like they were doing little more than moving pieces around on the gameboard with D&D, but I never particularly experienced that myself before 4E. Even the second edition days, when I was cursing the rigidity of classes and wishing that D&D had a proper skill system, I didn't feel this straight-jacketed into "You can choose from this bucket of powers or that bucket of powers. Any characterization that happens from there is entirely up to you and is really inconsequential."

This starts right in the core character creation process, with races that have random powers for no apparent reason (since when do elves teleport? [1]), classes that don't mean anything (no, fighters don't do damage, that's the rogue's job), and weapons that are there to fill a mechanical slot rather than have any resemblance to reality (until the flintlock, the bow was absolutely superior to any other personal ranged weapon -- but only rangers can use it effectively?).

So basically, the players' side of the screen pretty much sucks. Unless you're itching to play a character exactly like how one of the nonsensical classes is built, you're SOL. Yes, you can make a hybrid or take multiclass feats, but unless you're hybrid/multiclassing with another class within your "role" (i.e., striker to striker), you're just diluting your effectiveness.

The other thing, and this may be just a matter of the specific module, but it sure doesn't seem that way, is that the whole "delve format" and "balance by encounter" mindset leads to a string of staged fight after staged fight; certainly dungeons always had the danger of coming off this way, but rarely has it actually felt like that to me before now. Instead of "exploring a dungeon," I felt like I was following a flowchart. "Ding! You've reached the next encounter. Here's the map, here's the monsters, here's the terrain-hazard-of-the-fight. Go!" Granted, my character had a power that was made to push monsters around, but I pushed more enemies into pits in this module than I had in the rest of my 25-odd years of gaming combined. Because a) every encounter very specifically had a pit with a monster standing next to it saying "Push me!", and b) more often than not it was the most effective thing I could do, by simultaneously damaging the baddie and taking him out of the fight for X rounds while he climbed back up out. (A couple of monsters, I shoved 'em into the pit, waited for them to climb out, then shoved 'em back in again. It was funny a couple of times, but not exactly a great moment of heroic adventure.)

So basically, 4E, from a players' POV, lives down to every cliché complaint people have made about D&D in the past. "All combat?" Check. "No roleplaying?" Check. "Just about selling the next supplement?" Double-check. "Videogamey?" Triple-OMGYES-check. If 3.x ever felt like they were just tying the miniatures-skirmish game together with a pasted-on framework, 4E is much, much worse about it. It's a mediocre skirmish-fight game, and as a roleplaying game it's utter crap.

Now, the weird thing of it is, on the GM side of the screen there is some absolutely brilliant stuff going on, lots of things that can be retrofitted to d20/Saga Edition and give you the best of both worlds. And really, if your players don't care that the character classes suck (I don't get it, myself, but there are plenty of players who basically feel like it's all the same), 4E is a perfectly runnable game.

All that said, if sirfox wants to keep running it, I'll keep playing it, if only 'cause I'm always jonesing to be a player instead of the GM, and I'm certainly not going to spend the session kibitzing about the system. But I will say here and without reservation that I sure hope 5E, whenever it appears, brings us back up out of this new D&D dark age.

-The Gneech

[1] Don't give me any guff that eladrin aren't elves. They are.

Argh. I don't want to step on people's toes, but good God, 4E classes just keep getting dumber and dumber. -.-

-The Gneech