Hot Topics, v. 2009.5

This thread is a place for careful, clear, respectful discussions of difficult topics. It is not a place for having two-fisted no-holds-barred discussions.

MBers should be able to express their opinions without attacking others personally, and be able to listen to people who disagree with them without feeling personally attacked.

Easier said than done, of course. But MuseBlog is a good place to practice trying.

Continued from version 2009.4.

Geeky TV Shows

By overwhelming request. Here are those already listed on the Suggestion Box thread:

Good Eats: Food network
Food Network Challenge: Food network (duh!)
Iron Chef America: Food network
Modern Marvels: History Channel
Nova: PBS
How It’s Made: Discovery
Cats 101: Animal Planet
Andromeda
Doctor Who and Torchwood
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Firefly

Happy Thanksgiving 2009!

Has it really been a whole year since the last time we said that? It seems impossible, but logic tells us it must be so. Have a wonderful holiday, everybody*!
 
 
 


*Those living in countries that don’t celebrate American-style Thanksgiving should give it a try; it’s very nice. And Canadians have our permission (and wholehearted encouragement) to celebrate it again. It’s party time!

Hot Topics, v. 2009.4

This thread is a place for careful, clear, respectful discussions of difficult topics. It is not a place for having two-fisted no-holds-barred discussions.

MBers should be able to express their opinions without attacking others personally, and be able to listen to people who disagree with them without feeling personally attacked.

Easier said than done, of course. But MuseBlog is a good place to practice trying.

Continued from version 2009.3.

Our Reclusive Gardens, Part 3

This online daydream started with a comment by oxlin:

Bah. I’m sick of society. I want to go live in a shack somewhere with Teal and not pollute and eat mushrooms and herbs we gather and carrots we grow and draw and write and be happy.

For the benefit of those who weren’t around then, here is the conversation that followed, leading to the creation of the original thread: Continue reading “Our Reclusive Gardens, Part 3”

Chess Game Concludes! Results

The Chess Eterna-ment deserves its name, but once in a while a game does end.

So far, six games of normal chess (as opposed to Capablanca or Turbo chess) have been played to completion on the blog. The results so far:

Regular Chess
bookgirl_me > mason
Ducky > Kiga
Purple Panda > TMFA
Piggy > RoseQuartz
Jakob Wonkychair > Tesseract

Capablanca Chess
bookgirl_me > POSOC
cromwell > Enceladus

Turbo Chess
bookgirl > Jakob Wonkychair

Chess Lesson 2 — with Tesseract

Robert is going crazy with this chess software. Tesseract, Lovely Lunegood, Adeia, Pseudonym, SudoRandom, and mas0n have all expressed interest in a lesson, in approximately that order.

Tesseract — ready to roll?
 
(Note: “Lesson” games are played in public. Players may comment on their own or each other’s moves; observers may ask questions, which the players may or may not answer. It’s all highly experimental.)
 
Continue reading “Chess Lesson 2 — with Tesseract”

Pumpkin Drop Coming Up!

Attention, MBers within driving distance of Morgantown, West Virginia: West Virginia University will hold its 22nd annual Pumpkin Drop on Friday, October 30.

What’s a Pumpkin Drop? Nancy Kangas and her son Aaron can tell you. So can Purple Panda and her family. They’ve all dropped pumpkins in previous years.

You can find more information at www . mae.cemr.wvu . edu/news/news-details.php?item=1272 .

And you can see how Pan & Co. did it right here on the blog.

Chess Lesson, with bookgirl_me

Robert has an idea for a new way to use the chess software: He’ll play a game with one MBer (at a time), trying to create interesting positions for his opponent to exploit. He’ll make comments on the action as it unfolds and will answer questions from anybody on the blog. Sound interesting? Continue reading “Chess Lesson, with bookgirl_me”