Warm Climates

My holiday excursion for the weekend begins tomorrow, so I won't be around during that period. If you have anything you want to ask me or tell me, drop me an e-mail at siroccothemod@gmail.com or go knocking at all the hotels in Fort William. I'd recommend the former option though as I may think you're a crazy person and beat you to death with a dirty stick.

Things are looking interesting in NationStates for the upcoming August... there's going to be a MaxChat on the 6th at Midnight (British time), there'll be lots of new issues as soon as the new code's in place, and then, of course, a few weeks later Max Barry's going to become a father! Phew! I can only heartily congratulate him and Jennifer, his wife, and hope there's no complications.

On a tiny non-NationStates-related note, there's a children's film coming out called Madagascar. It's about four talking animals that wind up there and... well, I don't really know. As far as I could tell from the advert they meet a bunch of lemurs and go "Gosh, what odd little creatures!" There doesn't appear to be any villian or plot or anything that I can discern. But that's not the thing that got my attention. The thing that got me was that the film had been called Madagascar, as if this film encapsulated everything there is to know about the place. Madagascar, as we all know, is a gigantic island off the coast of east Africa. It's a country! Seventeen and a half million people live there! Had someone brought out a film called "Great Britain" or "USA", we'd be expecting something a bit more than animated lions and giraffes being surprised at everything wouldn't we? The film should have been called "Lost in Madagascar" or "Marooned in Madagascar" or something. Even "Gadzooks! Madagascar!" would have done, though that brings up images of mediaeval knights trekking through the jungle undergrowth to me.

What would the Madagascans think if they saw this movie? We don't know, and I don't imagine we care, either. I thought the world was becoming more globalised, but things like this make me think that perhaps we're not. It seems to me that most of us still think of African countries being as exotic and remote as an alien planet and barely being real at all.

Progress

Another step was taken towards the completion of the new issues code when I wrote out a long and complicated document on how to use it for the benefit of the other mods. What does this mean? Well, for a start, it means that they can now give their own input and say what bits they think should be changed/included/dispensed with/etc. When that's all done I can begin actually putting the code into the issues (which I've only done tentatively so far).

It's kinda strange putting all this effort into it really, because 99.9% of players won't notice any differences unless I can persuade [violet] to add something else related to the game (I'm not telling what - it should be a surprise!). The most anyone can expect to see is corrected typos, and new issues which I couldn't use before. Everything else is invisible.

No Gnus Is Good Gnus

I'm still busy doing over the issue code. Don't worry! I haven't forgotten or anything! Just watch out for wildebeest. Damn things.

Overhaul

The new code specifications have been decided, and it's now simply a matter of putting it all into the issues. This may take some time, and until it's all done, there won't be any new issues. But hey, you've got 190 or so to play around with until we've finished so there shouldn't be too many complaints!

Thick And Fast

Reppy's caught the issue-editing bug which means we're going to have the pace picked up a tad! I'm going to take this opportunity to start overseeing some necessary changes to the issue code, and a general tidying-up of any typos still lying around. So don't expect a new issue from myself right now.

Take a look at Reppy's blog for the hints to what the new issue's about!

Arr, Jim Lad

Recently I've been sniffing around eBay, Amazon, video retailer sites, EVERYWHERE, looking for VHS tapes of an old cartoon series called "The Legends of Treasure Island" which was first broadcast in 1993. All the characters were animals, but by God the plots were brilliant, and the atmosphere was tense in the action-oriented bits, and Long John Silver (voiced by Richard E. Grant) was a surprisingly cunning and evil villian. In most children's cartoons, the villian is bumblingly inept, but the character here really does pull out all the stops, thinking and acting intelligently. It's great.

But to my utter incredulity, the series seems to have just vanished into non-existence. I can't find any videos, DVDs or anything. I can't even find anymore than a couple of screenshots and an episode list! Gawd, not even Jim Hawkins could have had as much trouble trying to find Flint's treasure as I am having finding this series! I did purchase a DVD called "Treasure Island", but it was just a merging of some of the episodes to create a movie-type thing. It's great seeing some of the stuff I missed, but it's also extremely irritating that I can't see the whole thing. My guess is that the movie only encapsulated the first season, because you never see them actually find the treasure... although there is some good news, as I recently managed to find a video with the first three episodes for sale on eBay. Whether the whole series was turned into videos I don't know. I hope so. Then it's just a matter of waiting.

So what's this got to do with NationStates? Absolutely nothing. I just need to expound my woes for a bit.

If you look at Reppy's blog, you'll see she's got a new issue underway, and I will have one too, as soon as I can be bothered... right now I feel quite groggy... see you in a bit... arr...

Issue #188 Is In The Game

It took a lot of research on my part, a lot of heckling on Hack's part, a lot of suggestions on GMC's part, and a lot of indifference from pretty much everyone else, but the issue is in.

Hope you like it!

Read All About It

I was idly browsing regions today, when I happened across one called International NS News which rather intrigued me. I had once tried to set up a newspaper for Lancre, and I even got someone to be the editor who put it on his website. Unfortunately, it petered out after two issues and its biggest story involved (erroneous) rumours that I was actually a woman called Charlotte. It caused a scandal across the region and there was much muttering and stroking of chins.

Anyway.

I noticed in the World Factbook Entry that the region had a blog where the news was updated. And here it is: http://nsnews.blogspot.com/. It seems to be mostly Pacific-related, and extremely biased, but it's an interesting read anyway. I always like to see people taking an interest in fleshing out the NationStates universe!

Updates

I've still been enjoying the sun a lot... procrastinating about issues... been waiting for something I bought off eBay to arrive for a WEEK... and I've been completely taken unawares by Frisbeeteria's enthusiasm for game moderating. He's only been a mod for, what can it be, a few weeks or so? And he's been wiping the tasklist clean at every available moment, curling his red pointed tongue into every nook and cranny, teasing out every last little thing he could possibly ever try to do... well. Except editing issues. He hasn't wanted to do that because the code is 'too confusing', bless him.

Anyway, updates on the issues.

The first issue I started editing is finished... ish. I'm still not happy with the last two options.

I haven't heard anything from Myrth regarding the issue he's doing.

The one I'm working on right now is looking good, but I'll have to write the fourth option from scratch.

There's about 37 issues in my 'maybes' pile which I'll get to doing later. Some of them may not make it... some of them definitely will. So chins up, people, new issues are definitely on the way.

A New Issue #188 Is Under Construction

I've got another issue to replace the currently forestalled issue I mentioned in an earlier article. I'm not going to say anything of what this issue's about except that it's been a long time coming.

More Delays

This issue has turned out to be tricker to edit than I expected, and I've had to invent some new code to make it work properly. And even then, because of the nature of the code, I'll have to get Admin to make tiny invisible changes to lots of previous issues as well. What a bugger, eh? Until I've got approval from Admin, this issue's going to be on the backburner for a while. So I'll be getting busy on yet another issue in the meanwhile and there'll be more news on that later.

There is some good news though, if you like big issues (not the magazine). The issue now has four options after Tsaraine came up with an interesting idea which I can't comment on right now.

Anyway, there should be several new issues coming up within the next few weeks which certainly is good news.

Ciao!

Issue #189 Under Construction

'What?' I hear you cry with bewilderment, as you rub your eyes with incredulous disbelief. 'Another issue on the go already? Has the other issue been finished or something? What the Hell's going on? I'm thirsty.'

There is a perfectly reasonable answer to this. No, issue #188 isn't finished yet. I've been too busy enjoying the sun to worry about it too much! I can't remember Scottish summers being so warm! And so dry! There was a particularly nice one a few years back, but this one looks like it's set to be a scorcher! Of course, a scorcher for me is anything above 20 degrees centigrade, but you know what I mean.

Anyway, I digress.

The reason another issue is under construction is because Myrth has offered to help out with the editing. It's a fairly simple process. I telegram him a copy of the issue, he edits it, and sends it back, and I edit it a bit more, changing almost everything to suit my dictatorial attitude to issue editing rendering him furious and sulky. We're a perfect team!

The issues will credit me as the author, so I'll acknowledge his input on this blog.

Oh, and I'm not giving clues on issues he edits... because I'm mean that way!

Issue #188 Under Construction

Another day, another issue. I've been looking at this one for a while, occasionally prodding it, taking measurements, injecting it with preservatives now and then. But now, I've decided, is the time to get around to actually editing the thing. Now, some 'clues' as to what it's about, who submitted it, and what you can expect:-

1. The subject of this issue is business-related.

2. The author is the UN delegate of a region named after a real-life city.

3. The issue is very relevant today, especially in developed countries, and has a lot to do with industrial workers.

4. The issue will have three options.

Of Mods And Issues

Katganistan and Frisbeeteria are now game moderators! I'm very sure that they'll be perfectly capable! Hopefully, this means I can spend a bit more time looking through the issues instead of having to do my bit in the tasklist.

Speaking of issues... we have seven new ones.

Yes, that's right, seven big ones! Where did they come from? Well, before Myrth retired as a mod, he had been working on some issues, but, as things turned out, he never got to finish them. I, being the fusspot I am, could not bear to see them go to waste and asked him what he was going to do about them. Myrth promptly sent off an e-mail to [violet] and a few months later, vóila! We has new issues!

Interestingly enough, issue #181 was originally edited by Stephistan, but it never got finished so Myrth snaffled it up and did the rest for her.

Of course, my aim now is to get us up to 200 issues and beyond. Keep sending them in! I'm going to write up a list of issues needed soon, which should be interesting.

Issue #180 Is In The Game

And thank goodness for that. It's been a long time because of so many other things happening, but it's in.

Big thanks to Myrth who came up with an issue title I liked, and to GMC who gave lots of good suggestions for the first two options.

And I'd also like to thank my family for supporting me through this hard time. I'd have never got the award without you!

*bursts into tears*

Another Question Answered

I got Sal to add a "How do I submit a daily issue?" question to the NationStates FAQ. Maybe now I won't get quite so many telegrams.

Holidays

Wayhey! We're really in the great sunny depths of summer now, and you can tell by the massive drop in world population (NationStates of course). Just as I predicted in my article on the dreaded Summer Death, we've dropped by about ten thousand nations because suddenly everyone's compared the great outdoors with the blank brain-destroying computer screen and gone with the right choice.

I'm going to be spending the next weekend in Fort William where, if you know the place, is an epicentre for midgies everywhere. It is the seething fiery whirlpool from which all of Satan's nasties are wrought. It is quite possibly the place where man sinned so badly that the Lord spake that he should forever goeth with a hunch while batting the air desperately with one hand while trying to shut off all orifices with the other, lest one of these wingéd demons attempt to fly into them.

To further stress my point, you'll usually see midgies in small flittery 'clouds' hovering about a metre or so above the ground doing God-knows-what. In Fort William, they are a fog. They are a black thunderstorm of insectile death. They are a pyroclastic flow of scratchy sores, itchy backs in that-spot-you-can-never-quite-reach, and that awful buzzy hmmmm noise they make when in large numbers.

So, yeah, I can't wait for my holiday. Whoop.

Live 8

Join the cause! In NationStates, the poverty is not real, but in this real world, a difference can be made to the thousands of dying Africans.

I may not be joining my fellow Scots in the Edinburgh protests, but I'm keen for changes to be made and for poverty to be consigned to history.

Join the Live 8 list now!

Back On Track

I've got the spare time to start editing issues again, so expect much more over the coming month!

Um... well, that's all I have to report really. Ciao!