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Sendai Riko

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Everything posted by Sendai Riko

  1. Reading this thread, I gave SL a try and found, with my computer, the combination of slow performance and lag to be horrendous. Of course, I have quite a basic system, so that's not surprising; it can either handle the graphics or the information overload of the online community, but rarely both. A primary reason why the online gaming phenomenon is something that, barring a stroke of fortune in the form of a winning lotto ticket and a top of the line computer purchase, that will be beyond my reasonable reach. As the concept of incorporating such as we do here with some virtual gaming world, it seems excessive, since you'd still be using chat as the primary basis of the game, and as A9 pointed out, creating the necessary "sets" would be time consuming (not to mention dollar consuming, if you have to actually lease land space, buy resources, etc.). Plus, without some sort of Administrator functionality, the game GMs would be without any ability to control the attendees or to create/modify the situation to a satisfactory level. I, for one, am glad that we're sticking with our format (though I sincerely wish that we could move to some different chat interface, JAVA is evil). Of course, if we have a programming prodigy in STSF with a lot of spare time, one could always create a usable interface for us to use. heh As for Star Trek games being primarily combat based, that's also not surprising to me; if someone actually comes up with a quality Star Trek game that has more of the exploration/science/diplomacy than shooting (from ship or land), I'll probably faint upon hearing about it. Admittedly, it's a difficult thing to pull off, not to mention sell to a wider audience, but it can be done, I'm sure of it. STOL started out looking like it might finally cause me unconsciousness, but now, is turning into your standard kill things to level up MMOG, which to me, doesn't seem to fit in with the Trek universe. Ah well. With all of that said, however, as an alternate meeting place, a virtual shoreleave like A9 stated or another way to get together and perhaps work on simming with some visual splash, such games could indeed be useful, and fun. Certainly it could be a good way to help STSFers bond away from plain chat in the rooms and IMs. That I could get behind... that is, if my computer cooperated.
  2. "Avast, ye... what in the name of the devil is that?" :: stows cannons, not wanting to waste precious cannon shot ::
  3. Shh! That's supposed to be a surprise!
  4. Everyone was apparently in a hurry to get to Shore Leave and forgot the three second rule.
  5. I imagine, if you meet the admission requirements, there is no resource allocation issue when it comes to which institution you attend; though I imagine the requirements for these high-end places would be very, very stringent. Boy, wouldn't that be nice to see before the 24th C.?
  6. You could always try carriage-pooling with the Amish.
  7. As with any fantasy or mythical creature, the visual and behavioral identity can vary based on location, time-frame, and story to story within the first two limits. There have been references to cave trolls, mountain trolls, etc, which indicate that there are subsets of different trolls throughout the genre. This is not uncommon, either, as orcs/ogres/goblins have all been thrown about in the multiple identity mix. Vampires as well, have gone from either ugly, misshapen things to the hot and sexy variety. The only real aspect that I can find in common with trolls is that they are generally not "good guys," though they can vary from being simple nuisances to truly evil. Thus, when encountering a troll, I generally take the "wait and see" approach, until more information is proffered. Mythically speaking, I believe that trolls are a heavily featured in Scandinavian lore, and based on the where/when, it can either be a lumbering, ugly giant or a more human-like being with certain special abilities or traits. With that, they were not necessarily "evil," though one would still not want to encounter one, regardless of its physical aspect. As the troll has passed through different lands, it has received makeovers from each culture based on its own mythology and culture. In general, though, the later you go, the less hairy they get, I've found. It was much during the late dark ages and medieval period that they really became the truly evil creatures we take them for today. That could be said for a lot of mythical creatures, as well, as the dark times in Europe didn't generally make for happy thoughts. There are certain theories out there that the troll myth was inspired by our encounters with Neanderthal man back in pre-history; whether true or not I don't think anyone will be able to say unless time travel happens and we go back to study it. :lol: It would certainly account for the general large, hairy and brutish appearance of the troll; I doubt it would attest to the behavior, but we'll save the social paleoanthropology for another time, lol. Obviously, fantasy fiction has taken things a great deal further in delineation, as you have pointed out, Images. Between the most prominent authors in the genre, there are definitive splits in the type of troll one can encounter; this is hardly surprising, considering the troll mythology itself is so varied, so one can certainly expect a modern author to go his/her own way, based upon their own experiences and feelings. It's very annoying, but inescapable based on the mythological divisions. Thusly, I can't say there is a certain type of troll that should be, and I therefore can only hope that authors would work to describe their trolls sooner rather than later to avoid the confusion.
  8. Welcome to STSF! Have fun, look forward to seeing you around!
  9. I haven't heard anything about it until you posted this; if it's true that his ashes (not to mention all of the others) didn't make it into space, that's a realy sad story. If they do find them, hopefully they'll send 'em all back up.
  10. Is that a "wow, that's cheap" exclamation or "wow, that's expensive" exclamation?
  11. #4 to #3: What's #2 doing? #3 to #4: I dunno. #2: :: gargles :: #1: I'm surrounded by idiots.
  12. Here are some direct links so you don't have to go fishing: Getting Started Rules Moose's Tips Above all else, have fun! SR
  13. Okay, now it's getting creepy! As far as the laptop situation goes, there are a lot of good options out there. Sometimes, it can be better to pick a name out of a hat than to pound your brains into mush trying to decide if you have nothing that seriously jumps out at you. I hope, whenever you make your decision, that it works out! B)
  14. Driver: "If you can read this you're too close... OH @$%#!" :: crunch ::
  15. While you're there, could you tell if I stepped in something?
  16. Welcome! Just check our schedule (click the link from the main STSF page) and look for an Academy time that suits you, drop in, and when the GMs ask to have a PM sent for a post request, follow their instructions, and you're good to go. Also, check the Getting Started page as well. ( Sorry I didn't include the links, but I'm in a rush, lol, I'm sure someone else will oblige that soon enough ). See you around!
  17. How to make your appetizer last until dinner is served.
  18. When stirring together the main brand shells and cheese dinner, it makes the most disgusting noise.
  19. Oh Dear... In the blink of an eye, Riko looked upon the stunned body of TroNoQ as it sprawled over the deceased Dr. Meyvn Xiou and knew with an absolute certainty that he must not be in the MRF when the Qel awoke if the Bajoran wished to live to commit insubordination another day. As a timely communication came in from the meH for Messner, Riko didn't waste the plum moment; as quickly and quietly as a mouse escaping with a prime chunk of cheddar, he slipped out of the MRF and then hightailed it toward his quarters. With no hesitation upon entering his cramped room, he threw open his storage locker and grabbed what appeared upon cursory inspection to be an amulet; indeed it was, though its innards were a bit more technological than magical. He activated it and threw it over his neck and slipped it under his uniform top. The miniature transport inhibitor had been made for a project in the Academy, and he had wisely kept it with him for emergencies; he certainly felt this situation qualified. If the Qel had the initiative to beam him to the MRF to enlist his aid, he'd have the initiative to beam him there to beat him to a bloody pulp as well. Now certain that anyone who wished to cause him harm would have to come to him, he locked his door and set an alarm. He wasn't planning on hiding out or escaping for long, just until tempers settled down. He had barely managed to escape the wrath of K'Walus; as soon as TroNoQ awoke he'd be wrathful as well, and Messner now wanted to at the very least knock him over the head. Riko also believed that the Borg hand held nefarious intentions after being forced to assist; the way it twitched and fluttered before disappearing indicated to the Bajoran a desire for mischief. With a sigh, he wondered if it were possible to return to the pink universe long enough to retrieve his sanity, which Riko fervently believed must have been left behind, as he hadn't seen it since coming back home. In the course of a few days he'd taken an inappropriate initiative by firing on the cave to rescue TroNoQ and Meyvn; been party to the further enragement of K'Walus by being beamed out from under her nose directly after challenging her authortiy once aagain; manhandled the Commanding Officer; and stunned the Qel. He knew the time in the alternate universe had unnerved him considerably, and he hadn't had the time to regain his bearings before being thrown into this mess with the virus; until now, though, he didn't realize that he'd completely lost his ability to step back and function like a Starfleet officer. That wasn't necessarily a surprise for him, as Bajorans under stress either tended to crumple into nothing or explode violently. While the distinctions were hardly black and white, there were few shades of gray in between. Calling upon the Prophets for strength, Riko settled into a chair and, for the first time having the opportunity since returning from the alternate universe, put down in the record everything that'd happened since that dizzy moment in a pink corridor. If he ended up dead because of this, he at least wanted a record on hand for his parents to know why he'd flipped, assuming the Qob ever returned home. Also, if Messner decided to incarcerate him instead, there'd at least be that on record if they decided to probe his suddenly odd behavior. That's all the Bajoran could hope for, knowing that he'd pretty solidly managed to throw his career out an airlock; so long as his body didn't follow... he'd live with it.
  20. Boy, you sure came prepared. :angry: Just an FYI for you, though: in the Academies, everyone is human. At least you have an idea of your character though, and have a head start for when you graduate and join an advanced sim. Look forward to seeing you around.
  21. "In a bizarre incident today in the uptown district, the fashion police arrested a large pig for wearing white shoes after labor day. More at 11"
  22. Triumph in the MRF LtJG Sendai Riko K'Walus wasn't going to be happy; well, she already wasn't happy, but beaming out right under her nose, and batleth, was probably not the way to keep her satisfied. Riko had already angered her enough by not following orders, and then being a bit saucy during her "disciplinary" session in the training room. Of course, she was probably just as unhappy with TroNoQ; the key, whenever she tries to storm into the MRF, he thought, would be to make certain she saw the Qel first, giving the Bajoran an opportunity to scuttle away. Assuming they did manage to survive K'Walus' wrath, he would then have to be sure that he received proper credit for his efforts in curing the virus using the Borg nanites from Thing. He knew, with absolute certainty, that the Qel would try to take all of the credit for it. Number 1, it had been Riko's idea; number 2, it had been his programming that solved the problem. Agreed, he couldn't have done anything without what TroNoQ had already discovered medically, and he'd be sure to let the Qel get the credit for that; but no more. Not to mention he'd been the one who had to wrestle the hand into submission, well, at least wrestle it enough for Bch to order it into submission. He was happy, though, that it did work. He liked Dr. Xiou a great deal; she was a strong-willed, great-hearted person that felt the pain of her people. Now that the nanites had destroyed the virus within her, and begun repairing the damage it had caused, she'd be able to help distribute the cure. Assuming they could get the Borg hand to manufacture sufficient quantities of the virus. First thing he'd have to do, though, would be to modify the programming to take into account the on-the-fly changes that Thing had to do after setting it to control the nanites as they worked; also, he'd have to have them act like a virus on their own: become contagious. They couldn't afford to have to manually inject each individual down below with the nanites. Time was too short, as was the quantity of nanites that they could produce. He'd also have to set up a shut-down protocol for them as well; he couldn't have them, in two months, decide to start assimilating the populace. It certainly wouldn't do to start a Borg colony behind them. All in all, he thought it quite humorous: the Chief Security Officer aboard the Qob helped cure the virus. He thanked the Prophets that he'd spent years in the scientific discipline before moving to security. Of course, he'd yet to truly use his full training; he was an expert in forensics, and felt that he could solve any crime given the opportunity. Of course, serving with a bunch of Klingons made that an unlikely occurance. Their motives, not to mention lack of guile, made mysterious crimes rare. Though he wouldn't put it past TroNoQ.
  23. Like anything, practice helps. I don't know if you write a lot outside of sims (that's where I got my typing proficiency up), but that's a good thing to try. Either that or start writing a lot of e-mails to your friends, or start a journal on your computer. Just try to keep typing every day. Once you get comfortable with typing faster (and of course, not having to double check the position of your fingers while you're typing) things get a lot easier. Of course, when you're trying to read something else and trying to type your own thoughts, it gets tough again. You just have to be able to let the words flow through to your hands without your mind getting in the way, and that's where all of the out of sim practice comes into play. Don't worry if it takes a while; there are some simmers here that are GMs and still can't really type worth a darn, so don't feel bad that it's a little sticky for you as a cadet. Above all else, just try to have fun, and don't stress out if you're a bit slow. The GMs aren't going to hold it against you, so long as when you do get something on the screen, it's not a load of cow poo. :angry:
  24. I would suggest Lenovo (formerly IBM) for a notebook with your needs in mind. While it's no longer IBM in name, the same quality is still there, and these are very much designed with more business-type applications in mind, but with enough power and ability to have fun on it too. The C series is the most economical, and generally comes with Corel software installed for word processing. If you're more a fan of the Microsoft WP software, then you'd have the option of adding it (for a price). When you're at home, or other place where you can stay put for a while, you can always plug in a mouse and keyboard if you don't like the itty bitty keys and touchpad. I believe all of the C Series notebooks come with a DVD (fixed) drive standard. If you wan't writeable or RW for DVD/CD, I think it's available (but again for a price). All in all, buying a notebook is a much harder, more thought-intensive process than getting a desktop system. Whatever you do, if it'll stay within your price range, I'd suggest looking at expanding your warranty in the very least, and perhaps upgrading to one of the extra support services. Since, unlike desktops, you can't as easily just pop open the case and replace something that isn't working on your own.
  25. If that's what he brings for tailgating at football games, I'd hate to think what he brings to the NASCAR races.