The Illumiminati (let’s skip those distracting interior capital letters for now) were founded a hair over two years ago and are still going strong. Well, not exactly strong — sneakily, stealthily, subtly, sibilantly. In any case, we think their efforts are needed more than ever before, so we’re giving them a new thread in the here and now.
Category: The Universe
Chess: Bibliophile vs. Mikazuki — 0-1
As requested.
Pre-game ratings: Bibliophile 100, Mikazuki 0. If Bibliophile wins this game*, the new ratings will be 110-0. If Mikazuki wins, 10-90. If it’s a draw, 60-40.
*Unless the results of other games change the players’ ratings before this one is over.
The Polling Place, v. 2011.1
Do you think it’s time 2011 had its own Polling Place thread, yes or no?
Continued from v. 2010.
Attention, Chessplayers!
If you lose interest in a game and know you’re never going to play another move, don’t just leave your opponents waiting and wondering forever. Instead, please resign by clicking the skull-and-crossbones button on the game’s command bar. Then we’ll calculate new ratings, and everybody can move on.
Happy 447th Birthday, William Shakespeare!
You gave us words, and worlds.
Continue reading “Happy 447th Birthday, William Shakespeare!”
Our Reclusive Gardens, Part 4
The online daydream is continued from Part 3, where you can read a nice, long description of what it’s about.
Happy Yuri’s Night!
Fifty years ago, on April 12, 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human being to orbit the Earth. To commemorate that milestone, we’re creating this thread as a place to discuss space and the day, upload photos, etc.
Also, don’t forget that our virtual Muse Academy Yuri’s Night Party is still in progress. Stop by and eat some crunchy ice cream while there’s still time!
Happy Spring!
Or autumn, if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere. As you’ll know if you’d looked in the sidebar, the vernal equinox occurs at 2321 Universal Time (that’s 6:21 p.m. blogtime) on Sunday, March 20.
HUGE Moon Tonight (March 19)
The moon is full, and it’s at its closest position in its orbit to Earth. That’s a fairly rare combination (technically called a perigee-syzygy) and means you’ll get a treat if you have a clear night and can catch it on the rise. Stop blogging and look eastward, O Musers!
Chess: Mikazuki vs. Koko’s Apprentice — 0-1
Ready when you are!
Happy Pi Day!
The United States stands almost alone in writing the date March 14 numerically as 3-14. Change the hyphen to a period, and you have the first three digits of pi. Contrived, yes — but any excuse for a party, we say.
(Tau-ists, please hold your peace. Your day will come.)
What I Learned Today, 2011.1
Suggested by Piggy. His description:
We could share factoids we’ve read, advice from personal experience, observations about the world, what-have-you. Everyone learns something new every day, and I’d like a place to share.
Song Lyrics, Part 4
Continued from Part 3.
Please put a period somewhere early in the post — perhaps after the song title. Otherwise the lyrics will clog the recent comments panel.
Harry Potter Trivia-Off, Part 4
Display your knowledge of the books that have replaced the Bible, Shakespeare, Dickens, and Disney as this generation’s source of literary allusions.
Preceded by, but not exactly continued from, Part Three.
You Know You’re Addicted to X When You Y, v. 2011
Chokoholics, video-game addicts, manga fiends — tell us how you know when you’ve crossed the line.
Continued from version 2009.2.
Journals and Diaries
Requested by Midnight Fiddler; seconded by Armada.
Chess: Koko’s Apprentice vs. Trojan Tiger — 1-0
Happy 202nd Birthday, Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin!
Before the day ends, the GAPAs want to thank you again for your services to civilization.
Chess: Tesseract vs. Mikazuki — 1-0
Click on “Read more” to see the board.
Chess: Errata vs. Koko’s Apprentice, 1-0
Click on “Read more” to see the board.
Music, v. 2011
Listening, playing, performing, composing.
Continued from v. 2010.
Cooking and Food, v. 2011
Two of our favorite things! Now, let’s hear Choklit Orange’s ratatouille recipe.
Continued (loosely speaking) from v. 2009.
Calendar Reform
We had fun with this topic on the second January random thread, so let’s give this a try. Post your new calendars, improvements to the existing calendar, new systems of timekeeping, or disquisitions on other ways people have kept track of time in the past.
Hot Topics, v. 2011.1
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.
Happy National Pie Day!
For whatever it’s worth, the American Pie Council (www . piecouncil . org/) has declared every January 23 National Pie Day. Although the APC seems to focus mainly on eating pies rather than, you know, we think this new holiday is a peach of an idea (peach pie — yum!) and encourages MBers of all lands to embrace it wholeheartedly. Those who can’t will get another chance when Pi Day rolls around on March 14.
Pie stories, anyone?