Ben Zwycky

Way to go, Race!

Farewell, sir. Here's hoping you're able to sort out your issues (and that maybe we can meet in real life one day)

Hmmm. I hope I donÔÇÖt get into trouble for bringing this thread back to life again (and back on topic again ), but there were some things I felt went unsaid. According to the most reliable records we have (for a longer look at some of the evidence for their reliability you could also start here) the blame could be placed at the feet of Pilate, the Jewish religious authorities at the time or the mob that shouted for his death (ÔÇÿnever underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbersÔÇÖ is a saying I often see quoted on these forums, in various discussions) Since Israel at the time was an occupied country (by those cute and cuddly Romans), the Jews were not allowed to put anyone to death. (The Pharisees used this fact to attempt to trap Jesus with the woman caught in the act of adultery (John 8:1-11). According to Jewish law she should be stoned to death, so if he said stone her then they could take him before the Roman authorities, if he said donÔÇÖt stone her then they could tell everyone he didnÔÇÖt obey Jewish laws. He got out of that one very successfully.) The Jewish religious authorities wanted to get rid of Jesus for various reasons (jealousy, hatred for exposing their corruption, fear of an uprising against Rome and the resulting Roman repression, Jesus disobedience of their traditions and his blasphemous claims about himself) but they didnÔÇÖt have the authority, so they had to get the Romans to do it. Pilate, as procurator of Imperial Rome in Palestine, had the authority (and the temperament) to refuse their request, and to violently break up the restless mob that shouted for JesusÔÇÖ crucifixion. Instead he acted very out of character that day and tried to shift the responsibility for the whole matter elsewhere, first to the Jewish authorities, then to Herod, and even to the crowd, eventually giving in to their demand, and ordering the execution of someone, who in his own words had ÔÇ£done nothing to deserve death.ÔÇØ Luke 23:15 (NIV) Then we have the roman soldiers, who beat, flogged, mocked and crucified him (and the Jewish Temple guards who also beat him and made fun of him before that). They were not involved in the decision-making process, and were ÔÇÿjust following ordersÔÇÖ, but they did so in a cruel and gleefully sadistic way (as they had no doubt done with many previous condemned prisoners) so they donÔÇÖt exactly come out of this affair smelling of roses. Without PilateÔÇÖs permission, despite his efforts to wriggle out of it, the crucifixion wouldnÔÇÖt have happened, so he is responsible. The whole idea came from the Jewish authorities, and they also incited the crowd to shout for his death, so without their part, the crucifixion wouldnÔÇÖt have happened, so they are responsible. The crowd also played their part, swaying Pilate when it seemed he had finally decided to refuse the authoritiesÔÇÖ request. WeÔÇÖll never know how much work it took on the Jewish authorityÔÇÖs side to turn them into a bloodthirsty mob, but in general inciting mobs to violence is a whole lot easier than calming them down. Without their part, the crucifixion probably wouldnÔÇÖt have happened, and even if it would have happened without them, they were demanding something that was granted to them, so they are guilty of at least conspiracy. They are also responsible. For looking at the reasonÔÇÖs for PilateÔÇÖs unusual behaviour, and most of the events surrounding the crucifixion, I would recommend ÔÇÿWho moved the stone?ÔÇÖ by Frank Morrison. ItÔÇÖs an old one, but deals with the issues very well. So all three of them played their part in making it happen, but mainly the Jewish religious authorities of the time. Does this make this generation worse than any other? Not really, earlier generations had done similar things, this one was just given the opportunity to do something truly awful, and took it wholeheartedly. Does this make the Jewish culture worse than all the others? No. Other cultures have done similar things throughout history, and whoÔÇÖs to say they wouldnÔÇÖt have reacted in the same way to Jesus had he appeared in them? Do I hold todayÔÇÖs Jews responsible for JesusÔÇÖ death? No. Did the Jews stop being GodÔÇÖs chosen people? No, God is still fulfilling his promises to the Jews, including the restoration of Israel less than a century ago. Do I agree with everything the church has done throughout history? No. Do I consider myself better than the Jews of JesusÔÇÖ generation? No, not in any meaningful way. Anyway, I just felt I had to say all that (I know the thread hasn't been about this subject for a looong time, so sorry if anyone is upset) Later,

nah, stories means rp I'm afraid. My connection isn't up to mp, and won't be for at least another year/18 months it seems, so I'm limited to the written kind of interaction. I had some ideas; Do you guys prefer a very defined main plot (i.e. like Pre-emptive strike or Ambitions) or a very freeform one (like story idea 0.01 was suppoosed to be)?

Certainly in the rp world, we've gotten up to all sorts of cool stuff in the past. If my online (and even comp access) time wasn't so limited at the moment, I'd try and come up with some nice plot for us to dig into. Story idea 0.01 fell flat on it's face (my fault) Should I try to come up with a 0.02?

OK, I can confirm that ISS is a viable launch base in UC. I would like to apologize for my last post in Story idea 0.01, I have now deleted it. I posted it before I got UC, and now I see that what I had in mind is impossible in UC. I had in mind a Sagat STO vehicle being brought in on the LCAC, that was going to be used in conjuction with others to try and destroy galcom HQ, but an LCAC only has room for 50 units of cargo and four marines, not 750 units (a sagat) and 9 marines. If people are still interested we can try and think of some other sinister cargo that is 50 units or less (e.g. sigma mines, but that plot's already in UC instant action) or some other way of transporting it in (but I was really keen on it being sneaked in from an offshore sub, as that is really cool, maybe using a low-flying shuttle stolen from the newly-aquired base) It looked like a good interaction was building up, and I sort of stopped it dead with my post.

Well, IÔÇÖm a whole lot of things part-time. IÔÇÖm a part-time English teacher, freelance proof-reader and translator together with my wife. We live just outside Prague in the Czech Republic IÔÇÖm 28. Been married for two and a half years, have two boys , one 6 months and the other 17 months Never been in the military (or tried to be), but am a soldier (full member) of the Salvation Army. I have been appointed Bible teacher for the corps (congregation) while one of our Corps officers (pastors) is doing relief work in Iraq. Hobbies: juggling, singing, getting fit again (more of a nice idea I always intend to start) writing stories and solving engineering problems.

[rp]ÔÇ£The rain is the least of your worries. Get that silo open before the cargo comes ashore. You have two minutes.ÔÇØ She half-grimaced, half-smiled at the familiar voice and tone. He was tough and strict, but that was the way to get things done. The time for pleasantries was between assignments. The security on the compound was lax, since there was nothing much of importance there, but that was about to change. The access code on the silo hadnÔÇÖt been changed in weeks. Kay punched it in, and the cargo doors slowly slid open to reveal a couple of slightly dusty cargo pods in the corner of the cavernous space, which contained fuel minerals, old magazines and assorted canned goods. More than enough space for their needs. The faint hum of a landing craft grew closer and she turned to face it.[/rp]

For anyone wanting to join story idea 0.01: don't view anything I write as holy or anything. I don't have any plans for the story, I'm just making it up as I go along, and would appreciate some other input (that being the main point of the exercise) Later,

I ordered it from here (it's in the UK) at the weekend, but they had sold out (they're gettinga new stock next week) the base price is a little higher than the US, but their international shipping rates are low (if you don't mind waiting a little)

[rp] 201, 202. The guard stopped just before the corner of the building, on hearing a faint splash. ÔÇÿProbably just a bigger fish, but best to make sureÔÇÖ, he thought. ÔÇ£Green 1, this is green 2, copy.ÔÇØ No response. ÔÇ£Green 3, this is green2. Green 4? OhÔǪÔÇØ The incomplete expletive was the last thing to leave his lips. ÔÇ£Fortress this is scout, area secured. Prepare the cargo.ÔÇØ [/rp]

I've just ordered through SPS from Banquet's link, and would like to inform everyone that they have very cheap international delivery rates, so if you're looking to save on postage, they're worth a look at, wherever you are in the world.

linky link How's that? Someone else's turn!

OK, maybe thisÔÇÖll work, maybe not. ItÔÇÖs normally used as a language game for advanced classes, so us lot should be able to cope with it. The beauty of it is that it is very easy to get involved, isnÔÇÖt a big time commitment and quite a bit of creativity can come out of it. Apart from standard rp rules (i.e. no big political changes, killing off other peopleÔÇÖs characters without their permission, new races or radical technological advances not part of the current BC/UC universe) the rules are simple and are as follows: 1. Each ÔÇÿplayerÔÇÖ can only add one paragraph at a time to continue the story, that is, letÔÇÖs say, a maximum of ten lines of size 10 text (as a guideline, we can be flexible if people get a little carried away, or relax this rule later on if things really get going, I just donÔÇÖt want people to feel they have to come up with an entire novel to join in.) 2. No player can post twice in a row. You have to wait for at least one other player to post in between. 3. Anyone can join, and take part as little or much as they like, but this is mainly intended as an ISS activity, hence its location here (maybe itÔÇÖll get moved if it grows into something significant). 4. NO COMMENTS IN THIS THREAD, use the ideas thread for comments 5. You can create any new characters and new storylines you like, as long as they have (or will eventually have) some connection with the current story. Before we start, I give everyone permission to do whatever they like with any characters I create here (including putting words in their mouth, directing their actions, giving them background, motives, killing them off, though IÔÇÖd prefer they didnÔÇÖt kill them all off too quickly) All characters I create should be viewed as public property. Unless they state otherwise in the ideas thread, do not mess around with characters other people create. There will be very little control on how the story will progress, except for rules of consistency. Be free, be creative, interact and have fun. Here goes: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [rp] A lone security guard stood in the rain, bored almost out of his mind. HeÔÇÖd already counted everything he could think of, including the 350 metal plates used to construct the building he was guarding. Not that he remembered what it contained, if he was ever told, but it didnÔÇÖt seem to be that important to anyone, much like the base in which it was located. Occasionally a fish would jump, disturbing the gentle waves that flapped against the nearby coastline. From time to time there would be faint glows in the western sky: re-entry burns of vessels heading for the starbase way over the horizon. They, like all other activity of note, seemed all so far away. Reacting to the chronometer reading in his HUD, he set off for another 256 paces around the silo. [/rp]

Am working on something, will post it tomorrow... must dash

Better late than never

seems to be.

My DVD drive is slowly going the way of all matter and now is the time for a replacement. We're on a budget, but want something that'll last. Based on SC's recommendation, I'm almost decided to go for the Lite-ON SOHC-5232K. Does anyone have any objections from a reliability point of view, or any alternatives?

Hehe, this is interesting. We probably saw this way before all of you, because we've been hired to translate this film into Czech for dubbing on Home Video. When I first saw it, I thought it was an above average sci-fi action film with a good basic concept, but awkwardly done in places (minor plot holes, some woolly acting) I won't tell you what changes were made between the preliminary and final versions, let's just say I preferred the preliminary version overall (but the final version ending was better) 7/10

Sorry to hear about your daughter and loss of holiday, SC. Good luck with the arbitration/ lawsuit/ whatever ends up happening, but if they still won?t listen to reason? As far as I can see, If most people here don?t think you?re going to release UC for free, then probably DC are going to think it?s an empty threat as well, and ignore it. I had an idea for a way of making it seem more of a real threat, or a plan of action if the worst comes to the worst. *DISCLAIMER* This is only an idea, feel free to ignore, insult, modify it as required. *snip* EDIT: Thanks for your suggestions, but lets not get carried away Ben [ 12-22-2003, 04:03 PM: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]

this one

Did that the day before yesterday

Nice to hear from you again, Cedric! I don't drink, but (imagine it's lemonade )

quote: So, the game will be in English and the manual will be badly translated to match the language. [/QB]SC, are they planning to release UC in the Czech Republic? If so, have they already got someone to translate the manual? My wife and I have a little translation company of our own, with no big jobs pending. IÔÇÖm English, my wifeÔÇÖs Czech, she is a very experienced translator and we know each otherÔÇÖs languages quite well and work together on all our translations. We recently did a couple of assessed translations for a big local translation company and got a perfect score on both of them, so IÔÇÖm not sure weÔÇÖll be able to translate it badly for you, SC . Her dadÔÇÖs an engineer, her brotherÔÇÖs into Sci-fi and IÔÇÖm very familiar with the Battlecruiser series, so we shouldnÔÇÖt have any big problems with appropriate terminology. I'm not offering to translate it for free (my wife would kill me if I did ), just offering our services. If theyÔÇÖve already got someone, or are not planning a Czech release, then donÔÇÖt worry about it.