Conquer Club

Blimey, Botty, ask me an easy one why don't ya?

Hmm.
Well, I have twice nominated a certain book for "My favourite ever"/"best novel ever" - the former in a poll at my library here in NJ, the latter in the BBC poll a few years ago.

But that's probably not the same thing as "the greatest", which I think would have to be something more influential, either in that more people had read it or that it had influenced writers or people of influence.

Then you widen my choice by not excluding non-fiction and including both comics and pop-ups (I'm honest, I call em comics).
I do have a lovely pop-up Camelot. And narrow it be removing Twain, much Conan Doyle, all Malory, Fielding, RL Stevenson nd Defoe.

I assume that roleplay books are also possible nominees, making my own roleplay game a possible...(copies still available)

While I'm pondering, let me tell you what was my favourite, etc.:
It was The Cream of the Jest by James Branch Cabell.
Cabell is an incredible author, though I have to say that I'd start with a few of his other books and lead up to this one - it is, as the title suggests, a crowning moment - in a huge collection of stories which stetches over centuries and locations both real, invented, and mythical. Each book can be read on its own, but every time you rad one you feel compelled to go back and read all the otheres since they intermesh in a bewildering and mesmerising fashion. You are unlikely to encounter any of his books which don't fit into the Life of Manuel the Redeemer. He wrote about 50 books altogether, half of which at least are a part of this cycle.

Hmm.
Given all of the above musings (influence, readability, people have heard of it), I think the greatest must-read of the 20th/21st century has to be 1984.

Do you believe that one day that the book "1984" will become a reality?

having written the above, I then went and perused Juan's thread on Operation Sentinel.
One step closer.
I have also opined in "what will happen in this century" that we will lose almost totally any privacy.
So, sorta, yes.
But there's hope for the private citizen's independence, increasingly so as it becomes easier to put one's point of view to the world at large. Unfortunately for the world, many points of view should have been stifled at birth.

Then again of course if you'll all just surrender yourselves to the tender mercies of the Cobra Commander and let me, I mean him, do all yout thinking for you, all will be well. On pain of death.

incidentally, my tendency to become a bit of a poser is obviously waking up, In that last post I used the words "peruse" and "opine", as well as quite correctly saying "one" rather than "you" or "I".

...and I refuse to be off page 1 while "logic dictates" is still there.
Hi Jay.

Beginning of Homosapian life. What's your views on it.

Never heard of Homosapian.

I assume you mean Homo sapiens.

That simply means "thinking humans".
it is the label that we give modern people.

So far as I can see, we started in Kenya. One of the biggest dissapointnents of my life was that I didn't get to see the site (the name escapes me) of the oldest game in the world - a "wari" board carved into the ground.

("Wari" has many other names - "Mancala", "kidogo", and [please contribute].)

And, uh, I have a notion that maybe it was the day that Ugg invented a game with rules that made us human.

Yeah, I thought I spelt it wrong. Kenya, not Ethiopia?

yea, in the Rift Valley. Or have I missed some developement?

I thought it was in Ethiopia. My bad.

Um.. Video games? Your view on them as a deciding factor for children and teenagers growing up.

Well, it's one big valley - it goes from the Dead Sea all the way to Mozambique.
Kenya was the bit I was on, and that's where the worlds oldest game is. The name of the site escapes me.

Um, video games:

I've been a fan myself since I used to play pinball and and pretend rifle ranges in seaside arcades as a kid.
My main objection to the growth of home video games is that it's meant the bars have had all the shoot-em-ups taken out becuase people can playthem at home.

I suppose it's possible that there are games which will teach kids wrong attitudes, and for instance I haven't let my boy have GTA yet (btw why is that game so popular? I thought it was really lame). But I think that the demonising of games is a mistake. I was active in giving good publicity to roleplay games when they were being demonised (I owned a games shop at the time), and although I'm not gonna get up off my fat bot over this one, I don't think a game is gonna warp a kids mind.

I welcome my son playing games obsessively (though if he does it for too long I do tell him to get outside) because it expands his span of attention.

Like most moderns, he seldom concentrates on one thing for long, and playing Lego Star Wars or Smackdown vs Raw 08 or (curretn fave) Guitar hero III for a coupla hours at a stretch is, I think, a positive thing. And bloody good fun.

My one objection to video games is that with a few exceptions (Guitar Hero being the obvious one) they are so repetitive. Whetehr it's Luke Skywalker, Batman, Aragorn or Spongebob Squarepants, you beat up some villains, pick up some life points, out-manoevre some obstacles, move on and do the same again. Or you drive a car/bike/skateboard, possibly while also shooting. PC games seem to have more variety.

We have a PS2 and a Gamecube, and a Nintendo DS. I'm still more likely to play something on the PC, because games there tend to have more variety.

The only real downside to video games is that you can do them for too long and not get enough exercise - but that's true of watching TV, reading, making plastic models, wargames, or just about any non-sporty hobby.

JonesThecurl, why are you always wrong?

releaseme wrote:JonesThecurl, why are you always wrong?

Ah: If I give the right answer, I prove you wrong which means I'm not always wrong which means my answer is incorrect.
If I give the wrong answer it means you're right but there's no point in giving the wrong answer.
So I'm not going to answer.

Are you really Gary Kasparov?

releaseme wrote:Are you really Gary Kasparov?

If I say "yes", will people stop suspecting me of being the Cobra guy?

Your thoughts on purposefully being stupid? I have a friend who believes in Creationism over Evolution. I smash him in every debate. I tell him what books to read. I try and try, and yet his only reason for believing in Creationism has always been 'because.'

Last night I got him to admit that he believes in it only because it lends more truth to the Bible. Which I think that that is like saying "I don't believe, but I have too."

Your thoughts on purposely being dumb? (by any example)

I think that we can all be purposely dumb. It happens when the real world throws something in our faces that we cannot acknowledge without loss of face, or loss of dreams.

How many times have you seen someone believe that they have a chance with a boy/girl, believe that they are destined to be with them, but the subject of their love is simply not interested, or even repulsed?

How often have you seen someone ripped off or betrayed by someone they thought was a friend and tried really realy hard not to believe it?

Or someone's hero turns out to be a complete turd? And you can see it but they can't..

Or a parent not believing their child has become a villain/addict/scientologist?

Or someone just not accepting that they're fat/old/dull and boring/have a disease?

Or the political party you've always supported elects Tony Blair as thier leader and no-one will listen when you say "NO! NO! NO!" (sorry, personal details there).

You, Juan, have been a fool, refusing to accept the facts that are staring you in the face, at times. I know you have. I have too, we all have.

And at heart we all know that "because" is not enough.

On a VERY related subject, I am very proud of the fact that I have never answered my kids' questions with "because I say so" .

Oh, and I'm whopping your cousin's arse in a San Franciso game at the moment. He'd probably hate to admit it...

jonesthecurl wrote:Oh, and I'm whopping your cousin's arse in a San Franciso game at the moment. He'd probably hate to admit it...

He comes over most Saturdays, and Sundays to play his games. Because I have the closest computer from where he stays on the weekends. I look over his shoulder when he takes his turns.... anyway....

I saw that and it was hilarious.
It's his favorite map.
I saw your name and told him to just forget about it. Then I told him to drop my name and ask for mercy... and he did. Hilarious.
You should toy with him.
I wonder how you knew that was who I was talking about....

jonesthecurl wrote:You, Juan, have been a fool, refusing to accept the facts that are staring you in the face, at times. I know you have. I have too, we all have.

Good, I wasn't implying that he was the only one ever doing it!
I just get amazed by certain things that I encounter on my travels, and that one is sticking with me. I don't think I've ever heard the "I believe, because I kinda half-too" before. His is a biggie too, because it's a lifestyle.


Your thoughts on older men with ponytails?

Supplimental

Why do books and movies always repeat the same sci-fi crap?
"Space-time continuem, warp drive, crystal power sources, aliens calling our system the Sol system, ect."

Interim reply: yer cuz must be praying, cos their dice are whopping ours, even though We have the strategy and (prolly) will win in the end.

You have good questions, btw.

jonesthecurl wrote:Interim reply: yer cuz must be praying, cos their dice are whopping ours, even though We have the strategy and (prolly) will win in the end.

You have good questions, btw.

Yeah, baby Jesus is always trying to rescue him.

And that's because I think you're swell. Someday, when I get bigger, I want to be just like you*(minus the Philly Steak and Cheese).

*Perhaps just like your online personality.

What's your RPG called? I've only played a couple of not-massive-company-produced RPGs, but it's worth asking....

Hey Jonesy

What's the top 5 British TV comedies?

I have a strange feeling that BLACK ADDER makes the cut.....

Juan_Bottom wrote:I have a strange feeling that BLACK ADDER makes the cut.....

Which one? The Third series was a massive dissappointment after the 2nd