All bodies in the Solar System larger than 200 miles in diameter

I've always found size comparisons of our local heavenly bodies to be very interesting. Hopefully the human race won't destroy itself before it can colonize some of these space rocks. We really need to get off this planet and spread ourselves a little. Of course I am reading Card's Ender's Shadow series of books, which deal with space colonization. So, maybe my views are a tad tainted at the moment.

From Digg:
A giant image of 88 objects in our solar system, including 11 planets and 21 moons.

read more | digg story

Satine with Istan Headgear

Satine with Istan Headgear

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

I needed a new headgear so I could swap out the Superior Rune from a Blood Magic to Curses. I went with an Istan one, since she already has one from Tyria and Cantha. I have to say this one turned out a lot cooler looking than I expected.

I even re-ran the Iron Mines of Moledune and got it infused already.

Doesn't she look neat!

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett

What a wild and crazy ride!

This is the first book in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. The world it takes place in is a magical fantasy land, whose populace lives on a great disc. This disc sits on the back of four giant elephants… who are standing on the back of a big turtle swimming through space.

Sounds a bit wierd already? The tale follows the misadventures of a incompetent wizard named Rincewind and a Tourist from a distant part of Discworld. It is a lot of fun.

The story is a bit haphazard as our protagonists are dragged around their world. I think I enjoyed the Piers Anthony book (A Spell for Chameleon) a little more than this one. It was a good read.

I just wish Pratchett actually used chapters instead of running it all together. I'm going to put more of his books in my queue, so we’ll see if his style grows on my. At least this book had quite a bit of humor in it.

Phoenix for Now

gw461

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

When I finally beat Factions the other day with my Necromancer, I ditched the giant blue crab pet for a spiffy new phoenix. This pet shows to everyone that you finished Factions, because it can only be tamed post last battle. I won't have it long though.

One of my long term goals is to have a pet spider. They can only be found in the underworld, which is usually a pain to get to. You have to pony up 1K gold and the gods must show your region favor. The favor thing ties to the PVP matches. If your country of origin is higher in the standings or not.

Well this weekend is an event where you can get into the underworld for free and sans favor. I'm going to rustle up my heros, and maybe a friend, to see if I can get me a spider. Then I can cross that accomplishment off my list.

So long my phoenix, I hardly new you.

Americans Eating Fewer Vegetables

I've been trying to eat more vege's. I used to not eat them at all, so in many ways I've vastly improved. My hope of all hopes is that my daughter will have a taste for them. I wish the food producers of the world would find better ways of getting vegetables into the snacks we eat.

In a form that is actually healthy, please.

From digg:
5 a Day for Fruits and Vegetables? No Way, Surveys Show

read more | digg story

NPR fights back, seeks rehearing on Internet radio royalty increases

Copyright issues irk me. So do Patent issues. Only a few other issues get my blood boling hotter. It is stupid that internet radio has to play royalties when normal radio does not. None of those royalties will ever make it to the original performers, so why in the world should those taxes-to-a-corporate-not-government-entitiy be mandated anyway.

If the US Congress wants to do something good for the people, they'll rewrite the patent and copyright laws. Let us share to our hearts content and let the business world work out how it is going to make money. They're good at it, so don't worry about them. Bands will be fine, they can do concerts and actually work for a living. The music itself shouldn't be a product, but an experience to be shared.

From digg:
National Public Radio has filed a motion for rehearing over the Copyright Royalty Board's decision to drastically increase royalty rates paid out by nonprofit and Internet radio stations. NPR's not happy, and the organization is kicking butts and taking names.

read more | digg story

Shadow Puppets by Orson Scott Card

Another great installment of the Ender’s Shadow series. Still focused on Bean. I'd prefer a little more about Peter. I always imagined his story as being more interesting. Perhaps the next books will give us a little more.

Ender wrote Civilization altering books together called, "The Hive Queen and the Hegemon" which I thought these new novels would shed light on. So far I haven’t read anything that would have made these books so impressive. At least from the Hegemon side of things.

I'll just have to wait and see how the world turns out under Peter's eventual rule. I hope card, in the end, makes a connection between this series and the original Ender series in some for or fashion. I miss Jane.

William Thomas Kisner

William Thomas Kisner

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

My old roommate Tom and his wife Marie just had themselves a kid! William Thomas Kisner was born on 3/5/2007 at 9:45 a.m. 5 pounds 13oz, 18 1/2 inches.

Now Katie has a friend to play with... and torment!

Canthan New Year

gw350

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

It was a few weeks back, before I actually beat factions, but Cantha celebrated its new year. I actually ended up spending the final day event with some of my Guild/Alliance members. Here's a group photo after we got our fancy new Lion Masks.

We also got mini-piggie pets. It is the Year of the Pig after all!

The Tachyon Web by Christopher Pike

Once upon a time during my high school days (and a little beyond) I read Christopher Pike books. I read a lot of them. I started with one called Chain Letter.

These first books could all be categorized as teen whodunit murder mystery novels. Conflict and relationships were all hormone filled teenage fair. At that point I wasn’t much of a reader, so at the very least I was reading.

Thing is the subject matter of the books changed. I attribute it to the popularity of R. L. Stine’s monster books. All of Pike’s books began to take on supernatural bents. He even wrote a sequel to Chain Letter, turning a normal mystery into a twisted zombie romp. I’m a big fan of sci-fi fantasy, but honestly my favorites of his were the straight up mystery books. No monsters or magic please.

My bestest friend Becky was an avid reader at the time and still is. Her taste in books was a little more evolved than mine. I lent her one of Pike’s books, involving a ghost solving her one murder or something. I think she read the whole thing, but even if she didn’t it was fairly evident that she thought it was laughable.

I now know what she was thinking. The TACHYON WEB is Pike’s foray into science fiction, but is really the same old teenage fair. No murder mystery, more mis-adventure. The plot was predictable in every possible way. Plot holes abound, and far too many things worked out a tad too perfectly.

I actually skimmed most of the book, and missed out on nothing. I enjoyed reading Pike again if only for nostalgia, but without the murder mystery the story seemed pointless. I can’t recommend this book to anyone, but I did enjoy it for my own reasons.

Time to move on to something else.

A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony

First book in the Xanth series. Piers Anthony would later go on to write many many more. I can’t wait to get started on the next one. Fantasy novel of the highest caliber.

End of Guild Wars Factions

Factions Credits Roll

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

I've been trying to get Satine through the last 2 missions of Factions for about a month now. The Raisu Palace mission was a little more difficult than most. I could have asked around for help, but I'm stubborn and wanted to do it by myself.

So last Saturday things worked out, I got through the palace. The final fight with big bad Shiro wasn't nearly as difficult. After that you arrive at the special end game area called the Divine Path.

I got my special unique item, I picked the shield though I probably should have gotten the zealous bow. I snapped a lot of pics. Walked all the way along the path, all the way to the Emperor.

And then the credits rolled...

:-)