... is a fancy sounding term for something that we more commonly call "preaching to the choir." I am a firm believer that at this point in the game, all that the pundits are doing in this election is just that. It's far too late in the game to convince anyone to change their mind for who they are or are not going to vote for. People are going to read the pundits that tell them what they want to hear and then they'll repeat it, loudly, at the people that they know who aren't on their side in an effort to 'turn them' and the other people will just get upset at them and go do the same thing.

All that this accomplishes is cementing opposing opinions by finding people who agree with you and then upsetting people that you might normally get along with.

Personally, I've had a long-held belief that the American political system has been fundamentally broken for quite some time. Right now our government is in the business of giving people what they want, not what they need. That is not an infinitely sustainable situation. Until people learn that the government isn't there to provide for them what they aren't willing to provide for themselves, we're screwed. Unfortunately, lots of people are lazy and want the government to do exactly that. On both sides of the aisle. So, we elect people that give us what we want, cause that means that they stay in power cause we'll keep electing them. We cannot continue to do this forever. But, because no one wants to elect someone who says "no, we can't give you that, it would be nice, but it isn't necessary" we can't get anywhere.

Right now, we have a bunch of politicians who are looking out for themselves, their interests, and their party. Right now we have people running this country that would rather see their country fail than see someone who doesn't agree with their politics succeed.

And, the more we elect people to represent us who are those people, the more likely we are, as a nation, to fail.

I think I'm going to sit this one out, thanks.

happy birthday, clockwerkdragon :D

So, I've decided to add Data Base Administrator to my resume. For the past year or so I've been keeping a small Access DB for work, containing all the relevant blade shop production data, down to who does what in delivery and breaking blade production down by partial blade grinding percents. For instance, I can keep track if one person grinds the fuller on a blade and another does the flats, and assign a percentage of a partial blade to each grinder based on the blade type. A typical knight sword would give someone 20% of a blade for the fuller and 80% for the rest of it, and so on.

Last week I got asked if I could start tracking parts for cutlery. We've been having a spat of bad castings from the foundry and we want to start tracking part shipments to see if the bad parts are coming in batches or spread out. Also, it lets us track who is doing more parts and/or needs more training on them. It's a good idea. Cutlery is totally against it, of course as it means more work for them, to record everything. But, I digress.

The problem as it turns out is that although a MS Access 2003 database is a fine solution for just me, and possibly even the company as a whole, it's a far better solution to use an actual database server on the back end of all this.

Yesterday I got my hands on Microsoft SQL server express 2005. I managed to get it all installed on a test platform. As I start to import data and such I discover a few small problems with the server. Such as, unless I'm logged in with NT integrated security, I can't see the data tables at all. Such as, I can't seem to get the tables set up to be editable at all. Such as, 2003 is totally incompatible with SQL 2005 as far as creating new tables and queries through access, I have to do it through the SQL management suite. ETC.

Right now, SQL and I aren't talking to each other until it decides to behave.

EDIT:

Turns out SQL 2005 doesn't carry over primary keys when importing from Access 2003 and you can't add new records to a Table without them. Very annoying. On the other hand, it will keep other people who end up using the DB from messing with some of the tables that they shouldn't touch.

Been working on the modular dungeon to go along with D&D 4th edition. Some pics behind the cut for those that are interested:

( Read more... )

( Read more... )

So, update time:

Work has now moved us to a 4 days / 10 hours a day shift. This has benefits and drawbacks both.

The bad:

The monday night Flames of War I've been playing in for over a year is now pretty much done for as far as I can do. If I'm lucky, we can do friday afternoon gaming. I know Asmo will be available, not sure about any of the other guys. Hopefully he'll be able to talk to them tonight and find out. I might even drop by after work / dog walk/ wii fit / shower / dinner and see what they've got going on.

The every other Tuesday game won't be overly affected. Quintus will be a bit late here and there as I rush home and get cleaned up.

The every other Wednesday Scion game is on indefinite hold pending better day.

Fridays will be my 'get shit done' day for the time being.

Over the weekend I picked up a shop vac and went to work vaccing the basement which needed it badly. The cat fur was epic. That done, I'll be spending more time this week finishing off the cleanup job. The plan is to get the basement into gaming condition again by next Friday. This friday I intend to shuffle tables and benches around. The current game table will become a project workstation and a new table will be built. The spare lumber and plywood from that will be used to make a mounting table for the table-mountable drill press, scroll saw, and miter saw that I have. They need homes.

Once all that is done, I should be good to go with gaming in the basement in the event that the FLGS is unavailable.

Otherwise, work is going well. I've completed about 325 blades since Oct. 1 of last year. The other guy that started about the same time as me is at 230. Joe, of course, has done almost 400. I've a way to go before I catch up to him, but I'm getting there.

Life has, for the most part, been quiet. This is a good thing. Sabine and I like our quiet life and it suits us. I do my blades, she does her tech, we do our gaming together. She has her belly dancing. I have my miniatures wargaming. We have the wii fit, which is damn fun.

I've started building on my minis dungeon again. I took spare parts that were lying around the basement and put together a new section last night. Nothing major, but it looks good and it is getting me back into the bricks. I'll probably start casting again next weekend when I have the tables moved into place. Cast on the weekend and build during the week seems to be a viable option.

The 4th edition of D&D came out. We have it and have started to read it. I haven't run it yet, but I've started chargen, so once I've finished that and had a chance to roll a few dice, I'll give it a good write up. For now, I can say that I see that it has potential in the direction in which it is intended to be played.

As JNG and I have often agreed: There are few systems so bad that a good group can't still run a good game with it. There are no systems so good that a bad group can't ruin.

Some days, a hack and slash dungeon crawl is exactly what you need. I think 4th will do just fine for that.

So, apparently I've known one of our Tuesday night gamers longer than I thought I have.

I refer you to a post I made in November 2001:

http://downwood.livejournal.com/10568.html

Apparently the end of the world was postponed. I'm going to go get a shop vac and start cleaning up the mess.

:D

Reporting in from Casa Downwood.

Making a brief stop at home to fetch cell phone chargers, water, supplies, gun, 10,000 rounds of ammo or so, the dog, dog food, a viking broadsword, camping gear, and two laptops. Not a good list, but this is what happens when I keep forgetting to put together a good SHTF box. Reminder to remedy that if I ever get the chance.

Spent a few hours using the TIG welder to put an anti-zombie ram on the front of the Jeep. Thank god for working in a shop with welding supplies and lots of extra steel lying around. Grabbed a few extra swords just in case. Got my hands on a Duke with a horrific electric blue leather dye job. Give me a blue tabard and I'll look like some cartoon Paladin or something. Hell, given how things are, that might not be a bad idea.

Speaking of, I'll grab the armor and helm while I'm at it.

Just in case.

The annoying neighborhood kids are shambling around the jeep outside, scaring the dog who's safe inside.

Time to get busy.

(BLITEOTW)

Whew, okay, I've got a few moments to post. Work has simply been insanely busy today.

So, some of you are aware that the shop where I work used to be a meat packing plant. This has had the unpleasant side effect of there being some interesting.. things growing in the basement, few of which are safe for humans. Also, we have such things as the 'cascade room' which is more or less a free-flowing waterfall when it rains a lot (such as yesterday) and other water-access features of the builing which have nothing to do with plumbing.

We discovered a new one yesterday, which was that one of the drains in the middle of cutlery is a dual-purpose drain. The basic 'wash things down the grate in the floor' purpose is pretty obvious but the 'bubbling waterfountain' feature wasn't something that was in the manual, I don't think.

So, yeah, there was a fountain in cutlery yesterday, that was fun.

Also, we get water in the basement all the time.

Today we were trying to get blades out of the grinder shop (where I work) into cutlery (which had somewhat dried out) for final assembly. To do this we have to let them get a once-over Quality Control check by the shop manager. He was missing all morning.

Turns out he was in the basement dealing with flooding issues. So, right around lunch he comes shambling up the stairs. No shit, shambling, mumbling something about brains. Now, we've never accused him of having an overabundance thereof, but I think that's pretty normal for the line guys vs. the shop manager, but shambling around asking for brains, that was a bit much.

One of our cutlers was scheduled to have his last day today, so he had zero compunction about asking yon shop manager just what the hell he was on about. This is about when he got jumped and the manager started clawing at the poor guy and gnawing on his head. Well, my boss Joe has just been itching for an opportunity like this, so he runs and grabs a just-completed Duke and takes the manager's head clean off. Unfortunately, he was still feasting on Dan, so he lost his head, too. C'est la vie.

Right now, we've got the basement boarded off and are tossing the bodies onto one of the burner racks for disposal. Thankfully we moved that into a different room with a good exhaust fan.

Currently everyone here is pretty well armed. We raided the bar next door for some french fries and other foodstuffs. More updates as we get time. Right now I can hear the EMS squad across the street fighting off a pack of zombies with fire axes. Looks like they came from the brewery. Damnnit, Not the beer!

Ben is organizing a tactical squad to scout the brewery. I'll report back when I hear something.

(BLITEOTW)

With Article, read here:

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/010262.html

This is one of those days when I'm fairly certain that Guy Fawkes had the right idea.

After parliament went and made it very difficult, if possible at all, for Brits to purchase guns people sensibly went about killing each other with cheap mall-quality katanas.

Now Parliament is trying to outlaw "samurai swords" and possibly all blades over 50cm (19.5" or so)

When the gang bangers turn to beating each other with lead pipes will they outlaw indoor plumbing?

http://www.myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=12806

Included is a transcript of a surreal and inane debate in parliament. How on earth are these people allowed to make laws?

So, I've been rocking the casbah at work. Last week was 12.5 blades or so, and I basically took most of Friday to do prep work for this week. Today I got four blades done. Whatever was my previous issue with getting the blade edges to be shaped right, this is no longer an issue. Or at least it wasn't today.

The 3rd and 4th blades today (both were type 10 blades for Knud) were, as Joe put it, "Some of the best" of their type from Albion.

some days, it all comes together.

I filled this out for my sister in law, so damnit, y'all get it too.

YOU'RE ON MY FRIENDS LIST, and I want to know 36 things about you. I don't care if we never talk, or if we already know everything about each other. Short and sweet is fine ... You're on my list, so I want to know you better!

All comments will be screened, of course.

Be honest! Copy from here, and then answer the questions in a comment.


1) Are you currently in a serious relationship?

2) What was your dream growing up?

3) What talent do you wish you had?

4) If I bought you a drink what would it be?

5) Favorite vegetable?

6) What was the last book you read?

7) What zodiac sign are you?

8) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? Explain where.

9) Worst Habit?

10) If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride?

11) What is your favorite sport?

12) Do you have a Negative or Optimistic attitude?

13) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?

14) Worst thing to ever happen to you?

15) Tell me one weird fact about you.

16) Do you have any pets?

17) What if I showed up at your house unexpectedly?

18) What was your first impression of me? (hmmm...careful!)

19) Do you think clowns are cute or scary?

20) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?

21) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?

22) What color eyes do you have?

23) Ever been arrested?

24) Bottle or can soda?

25) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it?

27) What's your favorite place to hang at?

28) Do you believe in ghosts?

29) Favorite thing to do in your spare time?

30) Do you swear a lot?

31) Biggest pet peeve?

32) In one word, how would you describe yourself?

33) Do you believe/appreciate romance?

34) If you could live anywhere in the world where would you chose?

35) Do you believe in God?

36) Will you repost this so others can fill it out and do the same for you?

For Hogswatch I want a front mounted bumper winch and tow cable for my Jeep.

Thanks

Clayton


----

Put the Jeep into the ditch on the first left turn of the morning commute. It's always left turns with me. :p Anyway, After about 5 to 10 minutes of wrangling and switching to a 4x4 mode I never use, I got the beast back out of the ditch. Didn't help that I was side slope at about 20 degrees angle. Had to back the beast further into the ditch to give myself an angle out. That was fun. And slightly embarrassing.

I decided that if the roads were conspiring against me that I'd simply head back home and do dishes or something.

1. First, you need a band name. Visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random - the first article title on the page is the name of your band.

2. Second, your debut album needs a title! Visit http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3 - the last four words of the very last quote is the title of your album.

3. And finally, we need some cover art. Check out http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/ - the third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4. Use your graphics program of choice to throw them together, and you're set!



The band name means "Goose Alley" btw.

... though it occurs to me that I don't actually know who all these people are....

( Who comments the most on this journal? )

So, obviously the time must come when I must post about work and how much it totally rocks.

Again, to remind those of you who read this journal rarely or merely recreationally, I work at Albion Swords and this is a job most cool.

(speaking of which, I should get a 'swords' based icon)

This job does not pay precisely what I would even call average. In fact, I think it's about the same as my first temporary job doing office/secretarial work in college back in '94 or so. The job however is a total dream and I love doing it. Some of the perks are even cool.

First off. I get to handle swords every day. Not just any swords, but hot dayum these are downright sexy pieces of steel. and leather. leather always helps. and some bronze on occasion, can't forget that, oh, and wood for variety.

ahem, getting off topic.

SO

Every week that we make our production goal, we get some 'store credit' towards buying a sword. We didn't start off the year very well. This week we fell short, but it was a holiday week, and the lead grinder was out a day and frankly I can't do all my production .and. the boss-man's. (though I've come close a few weeks) But, before that, we had a most excellent November and December.

So, as the credit racked up and a whole pile of new blades have been released (and finished but not yet released) I went ahead and traded in some credit to put in an order (at the special employee price!) of a Valkyrja for sabine791110.

Another of our perks is that we were each given our choice of a next-gen sword as a Christmas Bonus. Knowing this was coming for quite some time, I'd been giving a lot of thought to what I would pick. My choice has wandered from one end of the blade list to the other but finally settled (after a little hands-on testing) on a Regent

This will be a mighty blade indeed. :D

Currently my wish list is more or less as follows. I put the categories in the order that they appear on the Albion next gen page, but listed the swords in order of preference:

Roman Swords:
Aquilifer (Fulham Pattern Gladius)
Auxilla (Spatha)

Single Handed Swords:
Burgundian (to go with the Regent)
Machiavelli
Squire
Potiers
Chevalier (or Oakshott, not sure which yet)
Yeoman

Longswords (hand and a half)
Sempach
Count (with steward pommel if I can swing it)
Crecy
Markgraf
Baron
Ringeck
Munich

Maestro Line
Leichtenauer x2
I:33 x2
Meyer

Film Swords
Arn Hero Blade

Overall, I'm not sure which order I'll eventually get them. I do know that the Sempach will be the first one that I trade out my points for. From there probably one of the Liechtenauer, then it gets kinda fuzzy.

All these aside, when I get word that we'll be doing rapiers, there will be an immediate order for one of those put in, no matter how far off it might be. :D

I Am A: Neutral Evil Human Sorcerer (4th Level)


Ability Scores:

Strength-12

Dexterity-15

Constitution-15

Intelligence-15

Wisdom-13

Charisma-14


Alignment:
Neutral Evil A neutral evil villain does whatever he can get away with. He is out for himself, pure and simple. He sheds no tears for those he kills, whether for profit, sport, or convenience. He has no love of order and holds no illusion that following laws, traditions, or codes would make him any better or more noble. On the other hand, he doesn�t have the restless nature or love of conflict that a chaotic evil villain has. Some neutral evil villains hold up evil as an ideal, committing evil for its own sake. Most often, such villains are devoted to evil deities or secret societies. Neutral evil is the best alignment you can be because you can advance yourself without regard for others. However, neutral evil can be a dangerous alignment because it represents pure evil without honor and without variation.


Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.


Class:
Sorcerers are arcane spellcasters who manipulate magic energy with imagination and talent rather than studious discipline. They have no books, no mentors, no theories just raw power that they direct at will. Sorcerers know fewer spells than wizards do and acquire them more slowly, but they can cast individual spells more often and have no need to prepare their incantations ahead of time. Also unlike wizards, sorcerers cannot specialize in a school of magic. Since sorcerers gain their powers without undergoing the years of rigorous study that wizards go through, they have more time to learn fighting skills and are proficient with simple weapons. Charisma is very important for sorcerers; the higher their value in this ability, the higher the spell level they can cast.


Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus</a></b> (e-mail)

Thank you letter posted to our company website from a customer.


12-10-07
...My Landgraf arrived yesterday, and I just wanted to pass along a hearty thank you to everyone on the team there!
What a wonderful sword!
I thought it would be hard to beat the Talhoffer for a new favorite in my collection, and yet here it is.
I'm drawn to light and agile swords. Visually gorgeous, perfect in form, and lively in a way that still presents a confident blade presence.
I'm in love! I cant seem to put it down. :)
-- Ed T


My Data on the blade:

Landgraf - Oakshott Type 17
Grip Color: Dark Brown
Grinder ID: WOODSC (that's me!)
Blade Delivery Date: 11/29/2007

hot dayum.

Ed, You are absolutely welcome :)