Bruce R. Cordell

East Hill Pet Sitting Back in Business

2009-07-07T20:25:00.000-07:00

East Hill Pet Sitting has returned to full time pet care! If you're looking for a pet sitter in the Renton or Kent WA area, consider Dee at East Hill Pet Sitting!

Dee returns from helping King County Animal Care and Control build their volunteer program, and she's very happy to be back.

June 2009

2009-06-03T14:13:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it's already June? I can't. I'm stunned. I remember calculating as a 16 year old what my age would be in the year (gasp) 2000! Now it's nearly a decade later than that.

But so it goes, whirling ever onward, eh? I feel like a tumbleweed caught by the wind of time. I wonder how far I'll be blown?

Actually, it's not so much that I'm being blown forward. It's more like everything around me is a tumbleweed, hurtling into the future, while I stand rooted like a prairie fencepost.

Anyone got a hang glider?

What Can You Do for the Earth?

2009-04-21T11:13:00.000-07:00

Actually, the question is, what can you do to improve the ability of the Earth to sustain you and me in the manner to which we've become accustomed?

Tomorrow, April 22nd, is Earth Day. Like New Year's Day, is a chance for you to join in with millions of others with a resolution.

I have one easy idea for you: Cut beef and chicken from your diet once a week. See? Easy. Why does this help the Earth? Because industrial scale farming is one of the biggest contributors to ecological decline around. Clearing land for cattle grazing alone is responsible for killing for more species per year than I want to think about.

Another easy idea: Give money to organizations that promote education about human sexuality and the distribution of birth control. Why? The root of the problem is there are more people on this planet than the planet has the renewable resources to support. And our population keeps growing. What say we try to bring that population growth curve down some? (Before some external natural force does it for us, as in inexorably will.)

On that cheeful note... Happy Earth Day ;-).

Shall We Stop Dithering and Act on Climate?

2009-03-19T16:22:00.000-07:00

Actual scientific consensus has it that human activity (which includes C02 release, methane release, positive feedback from increased humidity in the air due to warming over the poles, and so on) is the cause of the current climate shift, a shift which seems to be happening more quickly than any in the geologic record. Solar activity and natural variations have been ruled out by experiments. Truly, they have.

If someone decides that the bulk of the scientists who study climate are not reliable sources of evidence because the evidence is inconvenient, then evidence-based argument becomes useless with that person—they’ve gone to a place where reason can no longer touch them.

I try not to be that kind of person on a wide variety of topics, including this one. But since the scientific method is the best tool we have available to approach truth, it is the tool I apply.

And the truth that seems to be emerging is that Earthly species are dying off as quickly or more quickly than anything we’ve seen in the geologic record—we’re living in the midst of the fifth great extinction.

Unfortunately, trying to develop robust forms of alternative energy only begins to address the problems we face.

Be that as it may, I’m not willing to throw up my hands and say the problem is too big to be solved. I would prefer the human race reach cultural adult hood and move forward; and I don’t even have children.

But alternative energy is a good place to start, because C02 is the biggest contributor to climate change (according to the scientists that study climate, noted above). And there is something we can do: support alternative energy programs,and politicians who support alternative energy programs, even those that from a strictly narrow financial viewpoint will lose money. We need to widen our viewpoint beyond next quarter’s profits and recognize longer term trends. If we can’t use evidence and reason to see wider time horizons and act on our conclusions, the best climate models we have predict we’re going to crash headlong into a breakdown far worse than the current economic recession.

Time to Legalize Drugs

2009-03-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

This Britannica article proposes that the US and other major developed countries should consider legalizing drugs.

It makes the point that whole countries are being destabilized by illegal drug trade, and we are thereby funding terrorist organizations through illegal drug trafficking.

Given this unfortunate reality, we should compare and contrast outcomes. What is the "Least Bad" policy we can adopt?

On first take, no, I don't want to see heroine on sale in the liqueur store. Too many chances for people who'd never otherwise indulge to try it out, even with underage laws and other restrictions.

But!

I'd MUCH rather see that than the illegal drug money continue to flow into the coffers of terrorists hoping to afford, oh, I don't know, a loose nuke.

So, compare and contrast--would you rather see Jim in the gutter with a needle, or more planes being flown into prominent buildings, something else we can't imagine, or something we can imagine in our worst dreams: a mushroom cloud over some nearby city.

Legalize drugs. It is the "least bad" policy when you think about it.

Great Places To Take A Date

2009-03-01T23:33:00.000-08:00

If you're interested in places in and around Seattle I think are great places to take a date based on personal experience, check out my guest entry here at Geek's Dream Girl on the topic. Thanks e!

Is it lame to be smart?

2009-02-08T09:59:00.000-08:00

Because I like superhero movies, I watched the movie Zoom, which turns out to be for kids a little younger than me. But I liked it... except for a couple strange bits that made me realize how prevalent the message: it's lame to be smart.

"It's lame to be smart," hmm, I think we've gone off the rails somewhere . . .

The worst scene in Zoom along these lines was when the lead Tim Allen walks into a room filled with adults in lab coats sitting at monitors doing, you know, science-y stuff. His first words? "Raise your hand if you do NOT live in your mother's basement." No one raised their hands.

Like it or not, funny or not, shows aimed at children that contain these sorts of tropes reinforce the idea that science, and by extension the scientific method/evidence-based thinking is something to be avoided instead of embraced.

The answer is simply to be on the lookout for these sorts of unintended messages in our media. If you have children, point out when you see these instances. The best remedy is a little inoculation and sunlight.

Don't forget to mail in your Ballot (for Huff!)

2009-01-30T14:46:00.000-08:00

Please mail in your ballot today, and vote for Sherril Huff, the current King County Director of Elections. To learn more about Sherril go to http://www.electsherrilhuff.com.

To be honest, I've relied on Jeff Grubb to do the heavy lifting on researching who to vote for in this special election, and Mr. Grubb says Huff is the one. Trusting his instincts and following his reasoning, I agree.

Audible Reading Chapter 7 Plague of Spells

2009-01-27T21:28:00.000-08:00

Wizards posted a podcast of me reading Chapter 7 of Plague of Spells HERE. Take a listen! (there is about a 10 second gap in the middle as of this posting, hopefully that'll be fixed up soon enough).

-http://media.gleemax.com/podcasts/DnD_Episode32b.mp3

Social Media: Is it Good?

2009-01-24T13:24:00.000-08:00

My gut reaction to the explosion of social media like Twitter and Facebook is that they waste time.

Is that true? Certainly it seems like people are displacing old activities in order to spend more time interacting online.

If the displaced activity is watching TV or playing a non-social video game, I guess the interaction FB and Twitter provide is far superior.

But is the base premise even correct? Are people doing less "worthwhile" stuff because of excess connectivity?

Who's to judge what's worthwhile? Humans are inherently social creatures and being social is something that brings most of us happiness simply because of our biology. Thus social interactions, even mediated online, are enjoyable. And we should seek out enjoyment when we can in this life, I believe. It could be in some cases people might forgo actual physical interaction in order to stay home and post to their social media site.

I find it works the opposite; social media sites improve my ability to interact with a wider group of people when I see them in the flesh, if for no other reason than I have already forged a connection with them that is current. I know what they've been up to lately, they know them same with me. We have common points of reference.

Of course, "worthwhile" could be defined as doing your job in a timely manner. Do people who routinely check Facebook do worse in their jobs or more frequently miss deadlines? We require an actual evidence gathering mission with a large sample size rather than anecdotes here. All I can say is that I enjoy checking my social sites a few times a day WITHOUT it becoming an obstacle toward getting my daily work completed.

This does require some mental discipline, I won't lie. But lots of temptations to not do work require mental discipline to a greater or lesser degree, and we've figured out how to manage them--shouldn't be too much harder to figure this one out.

Or so say I.

Tomb of Horrors

2009-01-24T13:07:00.000-08:00

My colleague Rob Schwalb penned a great article with fantastic art that touches on the adventure Tomb of Horrors by Gary Gygax. As some of you may know, awhile back I wrote a follow-on, Return To the Tomb of Horrors. Rob's article incorporates lore from that adventure, updating a few creatures to 4th edition D&D and providing all new horrors to boot. That plus several other interesting bits!

Download the article here (DDi members).

Fantasy Book Critic on Plague of Spells

2009-01-24T12:57:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to David Craddock and Robert Thompson at Fantasy Book Critic for their review of Plague of Spells HERE.

An excerpt:

The warrior monk's Spellplague-caused trauma temporarily renders him an amnesiac, and this loss of identity puts the reader on equal footing with the character. Though Raidon has appeared in other Forgotten Realms works, not much is known about him at first: he has a daughter, and he is a creature bounty hunter. As Raidon regains his memory and searches for his daughter—Did she survive the Spellplague? Raidon doesn't know, and neither do you—the reader is able to follow Raidon step for step. The result is an easily forged connection with the character, as well as the world itself.

Plague of Spells Desktops!

2009-01-14T12:59:00.000-08:00

My friend Miranda Horner created these fantastic desktop images for Wizards to promote the novel Plague of Spells. As the author, I'm more than happy to promote them, too. I've actually had the one pictured here as my desktop on my computer since before the holidays... and as the desktop on my new phone, now that I think of it.

Here's your opportunity to see novel art in its original large size. A lot of details I missed on the cover become visible.

Blog Commenting Experiment

2009-01-10T12:28:00.000-08:00

To maintain the sliver of geek cred I may have once been able to lay claim to, I am going to try to add Facebook Connect to my blog so people can comment on the many and varied stories I post here [/sarcasm] using their Facebook identities, instead of having to come up with some other commenting identity.

The theory is that a lot more people use Facebook than Open ID, or who are on Blogger. If you have a Facebook account, stop by in comments and say hi as part of the experiment if you have the time :-).

When you click on comments, one of your choices will be Facebook Connect; click on that and leave your comment. Actually, I'm probably going to try it out myself since I'm here already, but I'd love to see if it works for other folks too!

UPDATE: Well, the critical linch pin for this integration is a commenting technology called Disqus. Apparently they are doing maintenance at the moment, so I may not get the first comment after all.

Emily's New Friend

2009-01-04T20:37:00.001-08:00

Our foster cat Emily found a new friend.

If you're looking to adopt a cat, you can learn more about Emily here.

Obama Plays It Cool

2008-12-24T15:35:00.001-08:00

Snow Day

2008-12-18T09:29:00.001-08:00

In honor of the snow day we're having in much of the Seattle area today, I found a great poem on the topic:

Snow Day by Billy Collins

Today we woke up to a revolution of snow,
its white flag waving over everything,
the landscape vanished,
not a single mouse to punctuate the blankness,
and beyond these windows

the government buildings smothered,
schools and libraries buried, the post office lost
under the noiseless drift,
the paths of trains softly blocked,
the world fallen under this falling.

In a while I will put on some boots
and step out like someone walking in water,
and the dog will porpoise through the drifts,
and I will shake a laden branch,
sending a cold shower down on us both.

But for now I am a willing prisoner in this house,
a sympathizer with the anarchic cause of snow.
I will make a pot of tea
and listen to the plastic radio on the counter,
as glad as anyone to hear the news

that the Kiddie Corner School is closed,
the Ding-Dong School, closed,
the All Aboard Children's School, closed,
the Hi-Ho Nursery School, closed,
along with -- some will be delighted to hear --

the Toadstool School, the Little School,
Little Sparrows Nursery School,
Little Stars Pre-School, Peas-and-Carrots Day School,
the Tom Thumb Child Center, all closed,
and -- clap your hands -- the Peanuts Play School.

So this is where the children hide all day,
These are the nests where they letter and draw,
where they put on their bright miniature jackets,
all darting and climbing and sliding,
all but the few girls whispering by the fence.

And now I am listening hard
in the grandiose silence of the snow,
trying to hear what those three girls are plotting,
what riot is afoot,
which small queen is about to be brought down.

Your Computer May Be Infected

2008-12-10T08:57:00.000-08:00

I got the following letter in my email today. Scary stuff. I'm glad one more time I use the Apple operating system. I'm sort of hoping Apple stops gaining market share, otherwise I'll become susceptible to this stuff just like all you Windows users ;-)

Dear BRUCE CORDELL,

We take great care to keep your personal information secure. As part of these ongoing efforts, we are notifying you that the computer you use for online bill payment may have been exposed to software that puts the security of your computer's contents at risk. This letter will help you determine if your computer is actually infected and advise you how to fix the problem and protect yourself against future risk.

The malicious software affects some but not all customers who accessed online bill payment on Tuesday, December 2, 2008. For a limited period of time, some customers were redirected from the authentic bill payment service to another site that may have installed malicious software. Your computer may be infected if all of the following are true:

* You attempted to access online bill payment between 12:30 a.m. and 10:10 a.m. Eastern time (GMT -5) on Tuesday, December 2, 2008, and
* You were using a computer with the Windows operating system, and
* You reached a blank screen rather than the usual bill payment screen when you attempted to navigate to online bill payment, and
* After reaching the blank screen, your computer's virus protection program did not tell you via pop-up or other messaging that malicious software was detected and quarantined.

If all four of the conditions above are true, your computer may be infected. We have partnered with McAfee®, the world's largest dedicated security technology company, to provide you with a complimentary copy of its VirusScan® Plus software which, when installed, will detect, block and remove any malicious software from your computer hard drive. Please contact us at 877-800-4864 for further instructions or 800-564-9184 (Option 1) for further instructions. We will also offer you both advice and free services that can help you mitigate any risk you may face as a result of this incident or other everyday exposures you may encounter.

CheckFree will never ask for your password via email or via phone. If you ever receive an email requesting your password, do not respond and delete the email immediately.

We value your business and your trust, and we apologize for any inconvenience this incident has caused.

Thank you,

Art D'Angelo
Vice President, CheckFree Customer Operations

Plague of Spells Reviews

2008-12-09T09:18:00.001-08:00

In the spirit of book promotion,I sent out my author copies of Plague of Spells to online sites that review fantasy novels about four weeks ago. Now, the reviews are coming in! Take a look:

Grasping For the Wind

The Beezer Review

Graeme's Fantasy Book Review

Take a look at what the reviewers are saying!

Plague of Spells: Ruins of Starmantle

2008-12-03T09:30:00.000-08:00

Another bit of Plague of Spells novel promotion, this time in the form of a fragment of the narrative turned into a D&D encounter you can add to your game!

In this scene, Raidon Kane comes upon the city of Starmantle, but finds it has changed much since his last visit . . .

Starmantle was gone.

In its place was a madman’s fancy. Translucent emerald
spires reached from the earth in wild abandon. Each hummed
a single flutelike note. In their thousands, the spires produced an
atonal melody that clawed at sanity.

If you're a subscriber to DDi (and Dragon and Dungeon magazine), download the PDF.

If you're not a subscriber . . . I apologize. As the author, I'd hoped to make this a purely promotional piece for Plague of Spells, but Dungeon saw it as premium content that its subscribers should have the benefit of, which I understand. So, if you really want to see this scene of the book come alive as a D&D encounter, consider it another reason to take the plunge and subscribe to DDi.

Find it here at:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/duad/20081203

Plague of Spells Released Today!

2008-12-02T10:01:00.000-08:00

Guess what? The novel Plague of Spells is officially released today. (In good Shadowrealm company.)

For a taste, download the free first chapter here.

If you'd like to talk about the book, you can do so in the comments here, in the comments at plagueofspells.com, or on other online forums I'll find links for.

Reviews are pending, but please provide your own, I'd love to hear it!

Plague of Spells Chapter 1 (and author interview)

2008-12-01T09:06:00.000-08:00

Download a free copy of the first chapter of Plague of Spells here!

If you want, you can also read my answers to several interview questions regarding the novel.

It's all right here: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4spot/20081201

Draconomicon Interview

2008-11-26T12:35:00.000-08:00

Wizards posted an interview with me regarding Draconomicon I: Chromatic Dragons, for which I was lead designer.

More ink has been spilled on describing dragons than on nearly any other creature. These ancient, noble, yet savage beasts are a favorite subject of guidebooks, bards' tales, and ancient tomes and scrolls. Draconic knowledge is gained at risk of life and limb; dragons are rapacious, jealous of their secrets... and often hungry.

Wizards of the Coast: With the release of Draconomicon, let's discuss dragons in general. Now that 4th Edition has been out now for several months, how do you feel 4E dragons compare to their counterparts of earlier editions? That is, in your experience how do you find 4E dragons playing around the table? From a design perspective, how are you approaching their creation any differently?

Bruce R. Cordell: Dragons were always the quintessential "solo" monsters, so in a sense, 4E dragons, unlike many other monsters, are more similar in theme to earlier edition dragons. A single dragon is a challenge the party fears to face. This was true before and should still be true now.

More here:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4spot/20081126

Spin War for Minnesota Senate Seat Ensues

2008-11-24T15:32:00.000-08:00

Challenging ballots as they come in puts them out of circulation for a recount, at least temporarily. This may give the impression that one of the candidates is winning a recount when it is simply too early to say.

Both candidates in Minnesota are challenging ballots as their recount moves forward, but it looks like the Republican candidate, Norm Coleman, is going slightly more crazy at this time.

From fivethirtyeight.com (Nate Silver):

Now, the Coleman campaign isn't being devious or anything like that; they're simply exploiting a flawed system and trying to win a spin war. But news organizations should recognize that -- as of about Friday afternoon when the number of challenges skyrocketed -- the entire first phase of the recount process essentially became a spin war. The running totals being reported by the Star Tribune and the Secretary of State are at this point fairly meaningless, and should be denoted as such; we aren't likely to learn very much more about the ultimate winner of the recount until the state canvassing board convenes in December.

Supreme Court Sides With Navy Over Whales

2008-11-12T15:48:00.000-08:00

So much for Pacific whales. I guess the Supreme Court doesn't hold much with the ecosystem's value. I guess they don't think it's important the ecosystem maintains life on earth (life such as, say, Supreme Court justices) through a complex network of species interaction.

This decision was 5-4. Thanks George W. Bush, for stacking the court with science ignoramuses. That'll continue to serve us well long after you're run out town.

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/11/supreme-court-n.html