Nerd is the Word

Fantasy Book Sale + Free Short Stories, Oct 16 to 20

2024-10-18T09:55:00.004-07:00

Visit amazon.com/author/moffat to get free short stories and huge discounts on fantasy books by Charles Moffat. Sale ends on October 20th.

Peasant Magazine

2023-04-15T08:09:00.003-07:00

Are you a budding writer with a love for fantasy or historical fiction? Do you have a short story that you want to share with the world? Look no further than Peasant Magazine, a literary magazine that welcomes submissions of fantasy and historical fiction short stories (pre-1750 only).

Peasant Magazine is a quarterly publication that showcases the works of emerging writers, providing them with a platform to showcase their creativity and imagination. The magazine is dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusivity, and welcomes submissions from writers of all backgrounds and experiences.

If you have a short story that transports readers to a magical world filled with mythical creatures and otherworldly adventures, Peasant Magazine wants to hear from you. Whether it's a story about a dragon-slaying hero or a tale of a young wizard on a quest to save the world, Peasant Magazine is the perfect platform to share your creativity with the world.

If historical fiction is more your style, Peasant Magazine is also looking for short stories set in the pre-1750 period. From the romance of medieval knights to the intrigue of Renaissance politics, historical fiction offers readers a glimpse into the past, and Peasant Magazine is the perfect place to showcase your passion for history and storytelling.

Submitting your short story to Peasant Magazine is easy. Simply visit their website and follow the submission guidelines. Make sure to proofread your work and ensure that it meets the magazine's requirements before submitting. And don't forget to check out past issues of the magazine for inspiration and to get a sense of the kind of stories Peasant Magazine publishes.

If your short story is selected for publication, you'll not only have the opportunity to share your work with a wider audience, but you'll also receive compensation for your contribution. And who knows, your short story could be the start of a successful writing career!

So what are you waiting for? Whether you're a seasoned writer or a newcomer to the world of writing, Peasant Magazine is the perfect platform to showcase your creativity and imagination. Submit your fantasy or historical fiction short story today, and join the community of talented writers that call Peasant Magazine home.

Why I Dislike Using Orcs In My Fantasy Worlds

2021-08-31T08:35:00.001-07:00

By Charles Moffat

I have orcs in some of my fantasy worlds, but not all of them. Furthermore, I don't like using orcs except in very specific circumstances where I portray them in a certain way (similar to how orcs are portrayed in Skyrim is my preference, spliced with Tolkien-esque orcs).

Writers and artists in the 21st century, in my opinion, have a responsibility to avoid using racist stereotypes - especially when portraying fantasy races like orcs. Or if they do use a stereotype, they also have an obligation to subvert it so that the meaning is changed.

J. R. R. Tolkien popularized orcs in fantasy fiction, but he was using them as a metaphor to represent the Nazis and to be representational of the horrors of war.

Since then however many critics of Tolkien's work have pushed the idea that his orcs represent people of colour or so-called "primitive cultures". This portrayal of orcs as something loaded with racism and cultural superiority is something I actively want to avoid, and thus even in my settings where orcs do exist (eg. Korovia) they primarily live in Loqland, in the city of Molloch (which is itself a reference to the film "Metropolis").

Thus my orcs are essentially a mixture of the workers of Metropolis who serve their evil overlords, the warfare themed orcs of Tolkien, and also like the orcs of Skyrim, where they are more technologically advanced and intelligent. So smart orcs, still brimming with the thirst for war, but serving their evil overlords in the factory city of Molloch... But not necessarily evil themselves and some of them do break away or flee from Molloch. (But that is another story...)

So yes, they exist, but I am deliberately avoiding using them except in the right circumstances. Eg. There are some time traveling orcs that appear in one short story: "A Hound Named Hunter", which I admit doesn't sound like a time travel story, but you have to read it to understand.

The other problem with orcs is that they are so tied to Tolkien's work that if you use them too much then it draws comparisons to his books.

But if I use a different kind of humanoid race, like minotaurs, then I don't really have that same problem. This is why when I create Korovia in 1999 I made minotaurs to be one of major races of the region. (That and I really like minotaurs, having previously used minotaurs in 3 novels I wrote during the 1990s.)

And again, my minotaurs are an intelligent and technologically advanced race... Plus in Korovia they're usually vegans, pacifists, spiritual and practice martial arts. Eg. Check out the four minotaurs that appear in my novel "The Coven's Wolves".

Are all minotaurs in Korovia pacifists and vegans? Nope. There are those who 'break from tradition', so to speak, like one such minotaur in my upcoming book "The Exorcist's Dagger" who forsakes his vows as an Ironskin and becomes a prizefighter.

How we portray races in our books is important. Even the races we normally wouldn't think about as being potentially racist.

Eg. Elves and halflings.

In my book "The Demon's Sacrifice" the elf Gyburn and the halfling Kaeto don't get along, with both characters being racist against the other. What happens to the two characters during the novel is meaningful in my opinion. No spoilers here. You will have to buy the book to see what happens.

Civilization versus 'perceived barbarism' is an ongoing theme within the Adventures of Wrathgar, wherein the main character is a so-called barbarian from the Snowfell Mountains and he is traveling through the civilized regions of Korovia looking for his missing father. People often see him as a dumb barbarian and treat him as such, despite his intelligence and skills. Wrathgar, to his credit, doesn't lose his temper when dealing with such people. Despite his name, he rarely ever loses his temper. (But when he does it is spectacular...)

As a writer I feel my work has meaning, and while I use fantasy as the method to convey that meaning, I could just as easily be writing science fiction or westerns to convey the same meaning. The setting doesn't matter so much as the message I am trying to get across to the reader.

Writers and artists in the 21st century, in my opinion, have a responsibility to avoid using racist stereotypes - especially when portraying fantasy races like orcs.

If you want to learn more about my books I recommend visiting the following sites:

amazon.com/author/moffat
fiction.charlesmoffat.com

You can also follow me via:

twitter.com/charlesmoffat
instagram.com/charles.moffat
facebook.com/charlesmoffat.fans
youtube.com/c/CharlesMoffatToronto

Charles Moffat's Heroic Fantasy "The Assassin's Trail"

2020-07-30T13:36:00.000-07:00

The Assassin's Trail is a Heroic Fantasy novel by Charles Moffat.

The original first edition book was an anthology of short stories about the titular hero Wrathgar, but the second edition version is a novel in which the short stories have been reorganized into chapters and additional chapters added to provide more information about other characters in the story.

The central plot of the story is that the main character Wrathgar grows up with a bully called Muddenklaw, which everyone believes dies during the "Test of Manhood" at the beginning of the book. However Muddenklaw later turns up alive and murders a child and leads a group of monsters to attack his village. Wrathgar is then tasked with hunting down Muddenklaw and bringing back his head. Meanwhile Muddenklaw decides to join the Assassin's Guild...

And there you go, no spoilers. But if you want more just read the reviews on Amazon it currently has 4.5 stars.

Also this book is particularly geared towards people who love archery, and the author Charles Moffat has been an archery instructor for 12+ years and also publishes nonfiction in archery magazines. So he definitely knows his archery stuff, so if you're looking for a fantasy book with a realistic approach to archery, then this is a good book to read.

The Adventures of Wrathgar is a series of novels, with 3 published so far and a 4th coming on March 1st 2021. The novels are:

The Assassin's Trail
The Blizzard's Daughter
The Coven's Wolves (Coming March 1st 2021.)
The Demon's Sacrifice

Each book stands alone and they do not need to be read in order. There is also a short story featuring Wrathgar called "The Sunken Castle" which takes place between books I and II of the series.

The series of books are set in the Kingdom of Korovia, which Moffat created in 1999 and has been using as the setting for most of his publications during the past two decades.

Moffat's novel "The Assassin's Trail" is currently available in two formats:

The Assassin's Trail, Trade Paperback - $9.99

The Assassin's Trail, eBook - $5.99

The older first edition version is no longer available on Amazon.

It can also be purchased from your local bookstore using the ISBN numbers:

ISBN-10: 1095788663
ISBN-13: 978-1095788660

Charles Moffat's New Fantasy Books

2020-02-17T06:46:00.000-08:00

Canadian fantasy author Charles Moffat has two new books coming out on March 1st 2020.

The Blizzard's Daughter
Heroic Fantasy
Ebook $5.99
Paperback TBD

'Blizzards' are wizards who specialize in ice magic (cryomancy) and have undergone a transformation that turns their skin blue. They become immune to the cold, but vulnerable to fire, and their cryomancy magic is enhanced dramatically. They are also very rare as only the toughest wizards can survive the magical transformation without dying...

The hunter and tracker Wrathgar knows little of wizards and their ways, but when an elderly Blizzard approaches him and asks him to track down his missing daughter and bring her home he agrees to the task knowing little of what lies ahead. What he doesn't know is that there is a prophecy about "a child of a Blizzard" and people seeking to stop the prophecy from happening have set their sights on the Blizzard's Daughter. If they can kill her maybe they can stop the prophecy from happening.

Shifting Shadows in Iztark
Sword and Sorcery
Ebook $2.99
Paperback $5.99

Wulfric the Wanderer has defeated the dark wizards inhabiting the Ivory Tower of Iztark, but upon exiting a strange old man approaches him with the promise of riches if he can assassinate the dark wizard known as Merchant-Lord Phrax Al-Amun. But Phrax's palace and harem full of women is guarded by more than mere mortal guards and the wandering barbarian-turned-assassin will have to battle his way through all manner of dangers and distractions.

Fantasy Writing Group in Toronto

2018-11-10T09:14:00.002-08:00

By Charles Moffat.

So I am starting a small Fantasy Writing Group in Toronto and I am looking for 2 or 3 like-minded fantasy writers based in Toronto who want to share their individual chapters, short stories, fables, fantasy poetry/poetry fables, etc in a group with a total of 3 or 4 people.

So I know of at least 1 other writer in Toronto who might be interested, whom I went to university with, and I am hoping she will agree to co-create the group with me and get it off the ground. If she is available and agrees, then we only need to find 1 or 2 more people who are into fantasy writing to join us.

I am hoping to have the meetings once or twice per month on Saturday mornings at a local Starbucks. That is the plan at least. Could just as easily meet at a pub... yeah, day drinking...

Fantasy writers in Toronto who are interested in joining should contact me via charlesmoffat{atsymbol}charlesmoffat.com with the subject "Writers Group".

From Trash to Treasure: Unearthed Atari Cartridges Being Sold On Ebay

2014-11-04T18:38:00.001-08:00

(Via Kotaku)

Wanna buy a game that was smushed in a landfill for 30 years? Bids start at $50. Includes things like Asteroids, Missile Command, Centipede, Warlord, etc. Also comes with Certificate of Authenticity and a narrative with photos of the 1983 burial and the 2014 excavation. (Which actually sounds more interesting than the game itself) Not guaranteed to be playable. Obviously.

The ET cartridges seem to be going up in price the fastest.

tbhs575's Ebay Offering

Gamers Vs GamerGirls, Intelligence Vs Ignorance

2014-10-12T01:00:00.000-07:00

An Essay by Charles Moffat - October 2014

Disclaimer: I want to note here that I did not hire an essay writing service, a proofreader or editor or anything like that while writing this essay. Truth be told I enjoy writing essays, editorials, and sometimes even just old fashioned angry rants. I am going to try and keep this essay in line with a true essay in its form and nature, but if I accidentally delve into editorial or even rant then I apologize for my liberal use of the word "essay".

The purpose of this essay is to push my idea that GamerGirls should be recognized solely as Gamers and that we should not be adding the Girls part to the end. (After all, are we calling male gamers 'GamerBoys'? Nope. We most certainly are not.) This denial of equal status for both male and female Gamers is contradictory is the establishment which is the gaming industry and gaming culture, in which all gamers are created equal, obey the rules of fair play and stand on equal footing.

That being said let us first define Gamers - a person plays games, whether they be board games, video games, roleplaying games or even card games. If there is a game involved, the person doing it is a gamer. This is not to be confused with a Sport - a physical activity that is often a contest of skill, endurance, strength and even strategy. eg. Wrestling is a sport that combines all 4 of those things.

A gamer therefore does not have a gender necessarily. And indeed if you've ever played MMORPGs online then you know many people (of both sexes) are gender bending and playing characters of their opposite sex on a regular basis (sometimes more often than they play their own gender). Thus unless you hear the voice of the gamer on the other side you would never know that "Konan the Krazy Axemurderer" is actually a female gamer from Oregon, or that "Miss Tique" is actually an overweight man in his 40s from Texas.

In the world of anonymous online gaming does it really matter what sex the person playing online is? No. It doesn't. And even if you think it does, if you never meet the person in real life what difference would it make? Nothing. Nada.

Next let us take the example of Magic the Gathering, a collectable card game. If the girl sitting across from you kicks your cherry red behind with her cards, are you going to whine and complain that she was cheating, that it was beginners lucks, that she must have had help from a man constructing her deck of cards, that you were distracted by her breasts and you failed to pay attention to the fact she was whupping your donkey? Logically those are all just excuses - sexist excuses. If you were any sort of gentleman with brains and humility, you would give credit where credit is due. She played an awesome game. She really knows her cards. She constructed a deck of cards that blew your socks off and whupped your donkey so hard its ears hurt. (And no, that was not a sexual pun. I am just trying to avoid using the A-word.)

Next let us pretend you are playing a classic board game like RISK - a game that is one part chance (because it is based on the randomness of dice), one part strategy, and one part interpersonal social skills. Honestly, I think women might actually have an advantage when playing this game because their social skills are often more highly developed than men's are. Also men might like to claim they have stronger strategy skills - but that is male ego talking, and therefore I would argue it that it has no basis in reality.

Next, to illustrate the roleplaying games example I am going to show you two films available on YouTube. The first is "The Gamers 2: Dorkness Rising", in which one of the main characters is a female gamer who is introduced to RPGs - and shows she needs to be taken seriously for her ability to both design a character and also her ability to roleplay her character.

And next, the sequel "The Gamers 3: Hands of Fate" which focuses on a card game competition / gaming convention.

Ahem.

As demonstrated, female gamers are equally as agile with both roleplaying games and card games. To say anything less is both ignorant and ignoble.

Which brings me to my final point - at the core of this discussion is the issue of Gamergate Controversy - which started in August 2014 and involves a small number of male gamers (who apparently are all virgins with no life) who have been harassing, threatening female gamers for no other reason than the fact they are female and are a growing presence in the gaming industry.

The stakes? Well some female gamers (and even male gamers like myself) sometimes like to point out some of the sexism that exists in the gaming industry. This is essentially an uphill battle and the ladies are slowly winning. What they are asking for is equal treatment - and non-sexist treatment.

Which honestly doesn't sound that bad.

But to the virgins with no life (GamerBoys, whatever you want to call them), they think that is the end of sexuality in the gaming industry - that they will somehow become unable to stare at Lara Croft's assets, to oggle the goods on Heavy Metal Magazines, that women will suddenly control everything in the gaming industry - which is utterly false and shows a great level of ignorance.

Equal treatment does not mean "global dominance of the gaming industry". This is simply a knee jerk reaction by men who are afraid of change, and the result of years of men feeling repressed, unloved, and unsexy by the shortage of female gamers.

Let us talk about that for a bit. Male gamers want to mate with female gamers, but there is a shortage of female gamers. Why is there a shortage? Because male gamers tend to dominate the gaming industry and make women feel unwelcome, thus perpetuating the shortage. Hence why the male gamers who are whining and complaining are all* virgins.

* And by all, I mean they are either all virgins, mostly virgins, or maybe had sex like "1 time" - which amounts to basically the same idea. A bunch of losers who cannot get laid. (Although it is possibly some of them resort to call girls, in which case I still argue that they are essentially virgins because no woman under normal circumstances would choose to have sex with creepy losers.)

I will give you an example. Back in university I knew a creepy guy who was always complaining about how we was never going to find a nice woman who was into the same things he was (and it was pretty obvious this guy was a virgin), and then when you actually saw him around women he behaved like a bossy jerk. He did apparently manage to meet women online and meet up for blind dates, but the dates never lasted longer than an hour and I am guessing he creep-ed the bejeezus out of them. So small wonder he was so lonely when he behaved like a creepy jerk.

When I first heard about Gamergate and the harassment that women were receiving because they were speaking out for the welfare of fellow female gamers, well, honestly, I wanted to bust some heads. I wanted to go to a gaming convention, overhear a GamerBoy complaining about female gamers and bragging about how he harassed one of them - and then I wanted to walk up to the bigot and punch his virgin face and shove his head up his virgin behind.

I say that with the same conviction that I have when I say I would love to punch Neo-Nazis in the face, or punch religious bigots in the face, etc. Basically, I would love to be given the opportunity to punch when of these jerks in the face. I would never regret it either. People who deserve to get punched in the face, deserve to be punched in the face.

Female gamers standing up for the rights of other female gamers don't deserve to be harassed or threatened for their good deeds. They are fighting for the freedom of others.

Can you imagine if Gamergate boys were also targeting Africans, Asians or other ethnic groups? They would be outed immediately for what they are: Racists, and they would be reviled and booed as such. So why should a bunch of sexist pig virgins who are harassing women be treated any differently? They should be treated as the jerks they are and nobody but themselves will cry when die virgins.

The GamerBoy virgins won't be going away any time soon however. I expect the Gamergate Controversy to last years - and probably will continue up until the point when female gamers make up roughly 40 to 50% of all gamers. By that point all of the silly fears GamerBoys were afraid of will be proved false, women will equally welcome and such fears will eventually be ancient history.

I don't expect this to be the last essay written on this topic (heck I fully expect Women's Studies courses to have so many essays written on this topic that people might even quote this essay in the future), but I do expect GamerBoys to be revealed for the losers and jerks that they are.

:)

Green Arrow Superheroes and Villains in Season 1 of ARROW

2013-02-22T10:12:00.000-08:00

If you haven't already been watching the new television show ARROW then I gotta let you know about all the great superheroes and villains that have been making appearances in the show...

#1. Green Arrow / Oliver Queen - Well obviously, he's the main hero of the show!

#2. Felicity Smoak - Computer hacker - in the comic books she ran a software company, but in this case she is Oliver Queen's go-to-girl for all things computer geeky.

First Appearance: The Fury of Firestorm #23 (comics); Season 1 episode 3 "Lone Gunmen" (Arrow)

#3. Walter Steele - The CEO of Queen Consolidated.

First Appearance: Green Arrow Vol 4 #1 (comics); Season 1 episode 1 "Pilot" (Arrow)

#4. Merlyn - The Arch Villain of Green Arrow... In this case there is actually two of them. Merlyn Sr and Tommy Merlyn. So far only the older Merlyn has shown any skill in archery - having beaten Oliver at his own forte.

First Appearance: Justice League of America #94 (comics); Season 1 episode 1 "Pilot" (Arrow)

#5. China White - Chinese Triad Leader.

First Appearance: Green Arrow Year One #3 (comics); Season 1 episode 2 "Honor Thy Father" (Arrow)

#6. Constantine Drakon - Martial artist / Assassin / Bodyguard.

First Appearance: Green Arrow #27 (comics); Season 1 episode 1 "Pilot" (Arrow)

#7. Deadshot - Assassin who uses poisoned bullets.

First Appearance: Batman #59 (comics); Season 1 episode 3 "Lone Gunmen" (Arrow)

#8. Black Canary - The future wife of Oliver Queen... complete with fishnets!

First Appearance: Flash Comics #86 (comics); Season 1 episode 1 "Pilot" (Arrow)

#9. The Huntress / Helena Rosa Bertinelli - Oliver's brief romantic squeeze in one episode - but also the future Batgirl and wife of Bruce Wayne.

First Appearance: The Huntress #1 (comics)

#10. Deathstroke - Highly skilled mercenary Oliver fights on the island.

First Appearance: The New Teen Titans #2 (comics), Season 1 episode unknown. Mask seen in "Pilot" (Arrow)

#11. Speedy / Red Arrow / Roy William Harper Jr. - Oliver's future sidekick.

First Appearance: Speedy I: More Fun Comics #73; Speedy II: Green Arrow vol 3 #2 (comics)

Special Note!

There is actually two versions of Speedy - the other being a female version. Not sure if she will also make an appearance.

FINAL NOTE

While there is no plans to have Bruce Wayne / Batman appear in the season 1 of Arrow, it is possible he might make an appearance in season 2. Batman and Green Arrow are long time allies and share many similarities since they both lack super-powers. Plus the fans would LOVE appearances of Batman. Should be interesting...

On February 11, 2013, ARROW was renewed for a second season by The CW. Ratings for the show are reportedly through the roof!

All the recent fuss about archery in movies has caused demand for archery lessons in Toronto to skyrocket.

A Few Awesome Folk Albums...

2012-04-18T18:41:00.000-07:00

This Condition by Manitoba Hal

Steve Jobs Resigns!

2011-08-25T16:19:00.000-07:00

(via Wall Street Journal)

In a letter released Wednesday night, Steve Jobs resigned from his position as CEO of Apple, but has opted (if the board sees fit) to stay on as Chairman of the Board, Director, and Apple employee. As per their succession plan, the most likely candidate to take his place is Tim Cook, who has acted as CEO during Jobs' past two leave of absences, in 2009 and early 2011. He did not cite his health as a reason for resigning, simply that the day had come that he 'could no longer meet any of his duties or expectations as Apple's CEO'. He stated in his letter: "I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role."

From 2005:
"How to Live Before You Die"

How to Write a Book in Three Days

2011-08-14T07:24:00.000-07:00

(via Wet Asphalt)

A friend of mine showed me link to a page briefly explaining Michael Moorcock's writing structure, which he detailed in the book "Death is No Obstacle" (sadly, now out of print). He wrote the "Elric of Melniboné" stories and many other books.

While I'm not super familiar with his work, I am kind of fascinated by what he lays out. It resembles Lester Dent's Master Plot Structure.

The link:
How to Write a Book in Three Days

Both of them are the sort of thing I'd like to screw around with for National Novel Writing Month. I haven't read much pulp since I was a little girl thumbing through my mother's copies of Ellery Queen Magazine, but it could be the sort of thing to perhaps alleviate my prose fiction writing woes. Plus it just looks like fun.

Conan Trailer + Conan the Berserker

2011-08-03T13:31:00.000-07:00

Conan the Berserker

A free eBook short story: Belit is dead and Conan strikes out on his own, wandering aimlessly. What he encounters however is black magic and 'The Black Monoliths of Stygia' and Conan is forced to unlock his own rage within the dark abyss of his soul.

Fantasy eBooks = Nerd Heaven

2011-07-29T14:15:00.000-07:00

I give the following eBooks 5 stars each. Note: You may find cheaper rates on the author's personal website.

Rise of the Blade

Ebook (PDF): $15.99

A legendary warrior has come back to life and is on a murderous rampage on the streets of Waterdeep. Retired gladiator and Academy of Combat instructor Pierce O'Hiram is dragged back into service for the Harpers one last time in an effort to stop the killings.

The Paladin Assassin

Ebook (PDF): $15.99

The Minotaur Emperor has been assassinated and the continent is on the brink of an epic war between minotaurs and humans. Wynic Doxon, the Arthian Royal Assassin, is asked to track down the assassin who killed the emperor and help prevent a war that would destroy the ancient city of Athex.

Ice War

Ebook (PDF): $15.99

An evil army has set up camp in the northern reaches of the continent and plots are afoot. The heroes from "The Paladin Assassin" are ordered north to confront this new danger and to seek out the legendary Spear of Destiny. This book is part 2 of The Crimson Companions Trilogy.

Brutus & Avianna

Ebook (PDF): $7.59

A love story between a human barbarian and an elf female, set amidst the backdrop of the Korovian wilderness. Bandits, ogres, trolls and wild sex scenes.

She's back! ...With an iPad

2011-07-06T18:13:00.001-07:00

As I attempt to start using this blog more than once a year, I think a good place to start might be with my latest investment: the iPad 2.

As some of you may or may not know, I work for a company that develops for iOS devices. So while the iPad may not be the tablet of choice for everyone, it certainly is quite an advantage for me.

What I wanted it for:
- Writing (using a stylus)
- Editing
- Gaming
- Reading
- Various types of web browsing.

What I've used it for so far:
- Gaming
- Blogging (I just found a solid blogging app)
- Watching TV - apparently all the major Canadian networks have apps now. Who knew?

Writing
I bought a stylus and I tried both Bamboo (by Waccom) and Penultimate but I've yet to really get comfortable with it, despite having spent several years pining away for a tablet I can write on with a stylus. I just find the lack of tactile feedback hard to adjust to.

Reading
Having been pretty satisfied with the iPhone version of GoodReader, I bought the iPad version of it, and I love it. I'm still discovering the various features it has available. So far, I've used it to review chapters for my writing group.

I also gave Stanza, Bookman and the Kindle app a try. Combine those with the fact that public domain books on Google can be downloaded in PDF, and well...let's just say I'm kind of excited about it.

Video
I discovered a VLC app on my hard drive that has long since disappeared from the app store but apparently works flawlessly on the IPad. So I can now play avi files on my iPad!

Games
There are tons. My company's games look fantastic on the iPad and I look forward to posting reviews of random apps that I find.

Hardware
At some point, I intend to buy an iPad keyboard case (to make this a whole lot easier). But there are so many (all of which seem to only be available on the web), that I need to look carefully to separate the quality cases from the cheap merchandise. With the amount of writing I do, I would certainly get a lot of use out of it.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Temporarily Down For Maintenance...

2011-06-24T21:32:00.000-07:00

How to have a rational discussion

2011-06-24T21:20:00.001-07:00

Velociraptor Free Workplace

2011-06-24T21:16:00.000-07:00

ENTERTAINMENT - Has it really been 18 years since Jurassic Park came out in movie theatres? Twas 1993 when it first came out. Dinosaur nerds galore...

Hey Meggles, we should have a Jurassic Park marathon sometime!

The Beaver / RPG

2011-06-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

Connecting to server…

Looking for someone you can chat with. Hang on.

You’re now chatting with a random stranger. Say hi!

A word of advice: “asl” is boring. Please find something more interesting to talk about!

Stranger: Hello!

You: You see a beaver in the distance lumbering towards you, a menacing glare on its face. You are armed with duct tape, a balloon, a spare set of shoes, and nailclippers. What do you do?

Stranger: Hmm..

Stranger: Give me a moment, Sir or Ma’am.

Stranger: This is a pondersom question!

You: The beaver is getting closer with each passing second, but luckily it appears to have a broken foot

You: This slows it down somewhat

Stranger: First! I remove the shoeleaces from the shoes.

Stranger: Then I proceed to throw the lace-less shoes at the beaver, one by one, to distract it

Stranger: Next, I use the laces and duct tape to attach the balloon to my head.

You: The beavier is angrier and more determined to attack

You: It is drawing near

Stranger: As it is a good sized balloon with helium, the loss of weight of the extra shoes lifts me off of the ground.

You: The beaver jump at your rising figure, snapping at your toes, but luckily you are high enough to avoid its rabid attack

You: Now you are rising above the treeline, still with nailclippers and ducttape

You: You will continue to rise unless you figure out a way to get back to land

You: the wind picks up and blows you eastward, towards what looks like a wooden hut

Stranger: I use the nail clippers to snip the balloon string. I fall on the roof.

You: You land on the roof, which then cracks and sends you falling into the shack below. You are not badly injured.

Stranger: PHEW.

You: The shack appears to be abandoned. You are in a small dusty room.

You: There is a door to your left, and a peice of paper next to your feet

Stranger: I pick up the paper to read it.

You: It appears to be a faded map, with one corner missing. It may lead to treasure.

You: It is too dark to make out much more.

Stranger: I moved to where the hole in the ceiling is, to let in some light on the map.

You: You see a crude drawing of a house, presumably the shack you are in. A dotted line rises north, across what may be a river, and then turns sharply east where a thick black X is revealed.

You: The door is still to your left, and you are armed with duct tape, nai clippers, and a ragged balloon is still strapped to your head. You also have the map.

You: You hear some thumps at the door

You: Then a scraping sound

You: After a few minutes you realise that it is the beaver, trying to eat through the door.

Stranger: I look around to see if there are any other doors that lead outside.

You: There is a boarded up window to your right, and a pile of scraps directly below it.

You: The scrap pile is covered in dust, so it is difficult to discern what exactly is in the pile.

Stranger: I kick aside the scraps to reveal what is underneath.

You: You get a splinter in your ankle.

You: Underneath, you see a crowbar, a lighter, and some rusty bent nails

Stranger: pick up the crowbar and the lighter, and pry open the boarded up window,

Stranger: *.

You: Piece by piece, you pry the boards away. Sunlight trickles through a cracked window.

You: The gnawing noises at the door are getting louder and more insistent

You: The window is now free of boards.

Stranger: I jump out the window and take off running.

You: You jump at the window, and realise the glass was still there. Ouch. Because it was cracked, it shatters and you are left bleeding.

You: You make it through the window and limp hurridly away from the shack. The sun is beginning to set

You: You still are grasping the map in one hand, and the crowbar in the other.

Stranger: I check to make sure the nail clippers are still in my pocket, and the duck tape and string in my hair

You: All items are acocunted for.

You: accounted*

Stranger: Lovely.

Stranger: Lighter?

You: In your pocket with the nail clippers

Stranger: Also lovely.

You: You look around and find yourself in a clearing. You hear water rushing in the distance.

You: Behind you, you hear faint angry squealing noises. The beaver must have finally eaten its way through the door, only to find you had escaped

You: It is angrier than ever and determined to hunt you down

You: It is a rare known fact that beavers, particularly rabid ones, have a very keen sense of smell.

You: After some sniffing around, the beaver finds your scent and starts hobbling angrily in your direction

You: You are starting to gather dust.

You: The beaver is now very close, and it smells your blood. It hungers.

Stranger: (sorry, vanished)

Stranger: I turn around and hold the crowbar like a baseball bat, ready to defend myself.

You: The beaver leaps at you, squealing as though it were possessed

Stranger: I swing the crowbar, aiming for its head

You: Roll to determine outcome of crowbar swing? Y/N

Stranger: Y

You: (1=worst, 12=best)

You: 9.

You: You swing at the beaver’s head and connect. Not hard enough to kill it, but the creature is momentarily stunned

Stranger: I flee.

You: You run towards the sound of rushing water, remembering that there may be some special treasure if you follow the map

You: You eventually reach a river, which is rushing pretty rapidly. It is narrow but deep.

You: The beaver has regained control and is limping towards you, making a strange screeching noise

Stranger: I do not dive in, for beavers are slow on land but fast in the water. I run down the bank, looking for a way to cross the river.

You: You run eastwards along the bank, and soon come across a delapitated wonden bridge. It looks like it could fall apart at any minute.

You: wooden*

You: However, for now it still stands.

Stranger: I attempt to inflate the balloon again

You: The balloon has a small hole in it.

You: All the helium has escaped

You: The beaver is once again gaining on you

You: It is excited by the prospect of killing you. It would be able to feed its family a feast like never before!

You: Typically this beaver eats smaller creatures. It is a carnivore beaver. However, driven by hunger and sickness, it is determined to land a great meal.

Stranger: I make a daring leap across the bridge, praying that light feet will prevent it from breaking.

You: You land halfway across the bridge on a semi-sturdy plank of wood. There are large gaps where the wood has rotted away. Contiunuing with your momentum, a second leap takes you to the end of the bridge

You: You foot falls through, but the rest of your body tumbles forward onto land

You: Your ankle is twisted and cut, but still usable.

Stranger: I hobble up, using the crowbar, and continue running.

You: You consult the map and realise you must be close to the treasure.

You: You run eastward a bit farther when you stumble over a shovel

You: You trip and fall.

You: Behind you, the beaver contemplates the bridge in a rare act of brains over brawn

You: The shovel is laying over what appears to be a fresh mound of dirt,

You: .

Stranger: Oh dear…

Stranger: Sir or Miss Stranger?

Stranger: You have led me on a thrilling quest, but I am afraid that I must remove myself from this website. I have homework I must complete, and bed to attend to.

Stranger: I thank you greatly for the adventure you provided. It was most entertaining!

Stranger: And thus…

Stranger: I find myself unable to get up, even to use the shovel

You: very well. The ending was that you found an arsenal of weapons such as a flamethrower, shotguns, etc with which to kill the beaver. Success!

Stranger: : D

You: Thanks for playing along :)

Stranger: !

Stranger: Of course!

Stranger: Do you find many who are willing to play?

You: Not too many hehe

You: Good luck with your homework :D Take care and don’t dream of beavers. Ciao!

You have disconnected.

Nerds are helpless vs Attractive Women

2011-06-24T20:58:00.000-07:00

Yes, so true...

Nerd Vs Geek, Dork and Dweeb

2011-06-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

Huzzah for nerds! We're better than the geeks, dorks and dweebs!

Metric = Nerdy?

2011-06-24T20:54:00.000-07:00

TECHNOLOGY - The metric system is apparently too good for the US, Liberia and Burma... Or do Americans just think using a 10 x 10 x 10 system is too logical and therefore nerdy?

Or maybe Americans, the Burmese and Liberians are just stupid?

Never there when you need him...

2011-06-24T20:53:00.001-07:00

Show me your Nerd Love!

2011-06-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

What do men / women really mean when they say they like quirky / nerdy people?

Nerds doing Homework

2011-06-24T20:47:00.000-07:00

Imagine you are a teacher and your student brings you this. Totally deserves an A+ this year, right? Maybe. Or maybe they just used Google Translate and then wrote the symbols from that by hand. Either way, one smart cookie.