Cameron Goble's Blog - The Dire Cafe

The Empty Chair

A few weeks ago, my friend Pendar died. We had a memorial -- a couple memorials, actually -- and this is going to be a strange post because I'm going to try not to eulogize him. At the same time, this post *is* about one way that his presence enriched my life, and I don't want to ignore that. The immediate problem is this: there's an empty chair at my group's gaming table. Now, that obviously doesn't sum up the life of my friend and the love we all held for him. But on the other hand, it is an… Continue

Added by Cameron Goble on June 4, 2009 at 9:00am — 1 Comment

So You Want to Rear a Half-Breed, Part I

Introduction One never knows when true love may appear, and in these days of heady galactic expansion, true love can take surprising forms. You might, for example, intentionally maroon yourself on a distant world only to discover intimiate companionship. Or perhaps you might find yourself stationed on a crossroads between space-faring races, excited by the possibilities. You might even rationalize an unexpected mating to yourself as easily as this: "It seemed logical at the time." Whate… Continue

Added by Cameron Goble on March 1, 2009 at 8:00am — 9 Comments

Say "Fthagn!"

Our best photo of Azathoth to date. Thanks to Astronomy Picture of the Day for this particular nightmare.

... Here's the CON's cover story:

Our Galaxy's Central Molecular Zone Credit: A. Ginsburg (U. Colorado - Boulder) et al., BGPS Team,

… Continue

Added by Cameron Goble on November 10, 2008 at 7:30am — 2 Comments

Favorite Writing Tools: Freemind

Lord knows, I do love me some Alphasmart goodness when I write. The instant-on, the complete word processing focus, the incredible battery life: it's all good. It pre-supposes, however, that I know what I want to write before I turn it on. That's a problem for me sometimes. Sure, I may bang out a little poetry or the beginnings of a short story with ease, but when I want to really get down to brass tacks and write something big, I end up stymied. Don't get me wrong: I'm all for the NaN… Continue

Added by Cameron Goble on September 22, 2008 at 11:00pm — 1 Comment

Spore! Terrible Secrets of Space

Here are some handy interface tips that I worked out. I didn't find any reference to these in the manual, and I've come to rely on them. Somebody at EA was thinking -- they just didn't write it down. Or I blinked during a tutorial. * HOW TO KNOW WHEN YOU SHOULD SELL OR TERRAFORM (Solar System Screen): You can save some time figuring out if a visit to a planet is worth it. Watch your cargo screen when you approach planets. Icons will blink for one of two reasons: either you just picked so… Continue

Added by Cameron Goble on September 15, 2008 at 9:30pm — 3 Comments

Spore! The Cost of Weirdness

It's true: I'm one of the breathless, heaving masses that ran out and grabbed Spore immediately upon release. I built a gaming rig completely from scratch on the pretense that it would be able to run Spore glitch-free at full throttle. (It works! And under $1000 too.) I am loving the gameplay. Spore is brought to us by the same fellow who gave us the Sim video game empire. Sim City, Sim Earth, the ubiquitous Sims and its many derivatives: it's all the same… Continue

Added by Cameron Goble on September 12, 2008 at 10:00pm — 9 Comments

Me for President

I reached 35 years old today, so in addition to the tradition of annual self-reflection, I'd like to very quickly announce that I intend to run for President of the United States on an Obstructionist Party platform. I'll post more in the Corpolitical Alley if anybody's interested in my planks. Geekily, Tripp's D&D campaign is still running strong. The party is around 11th level, there is intrigue and joy and… Continue

Added by Cameron Goble on August 21, 2008 at 8:00am — 14 Comments

I Shot a Man on Mongo Just to Watch Him Die

Last year, my pal Ed Merta got together to watch a movie and this happened. Recently, a year later almost to the day, we hooked up again to watch another famously jeered-at flick and came away loving it. This time, we basked in the comic book color-drenched brilliance of… Continue

Added by Cameron Goble on July 22, 2008 at 11:00am — 11 Comments

Hooray for the Red, Yellow and Blue.

I'm in Arlington VA right now, looking out over the river to Washington DC. My girlfriend's parents have a condo with a really sweet view here, and last night we watched the US government blow some shit up for freedom on the horizon as The Producers played on cable. One of these things involved Mel Brooks. The other had Jimmy Smitz. I'll let you work out which was more entertaining. Today is the 5th. I just made some meatloaf for dinner. It went down well: always good to cook for the future in-… Continue

Added by Cameron Goble on July 5, 2008 at 5:30pm — 1 Comment

If I Had a TARDIS

I would give up all the first issue Supermen in 1938 the how do you dos Mr. Lincon in 1865 the love your works Mr. Shakespeare in 1616 the compound interest since 1937 the polaroids in the first billionths of a second I would give up all the fallen leaves in Gethsemane the nightmare laser guns in the South the fake Mona Lisas in Florence the triangulated peepholes in Dealey Plaza the hairs on Einstein’s head I would give it all up for one shiny new never been used dollar twenty nine brake ligh… Continue

Added by Cameron Goble on April 18, 2008 at 9:00pm — 2 Comments

Robert Frost, Carcosian

Desert Places

Snow falling and night falling fast, oh, fast
In a field I looked into going past,
And the ground almost covered smooth in snow,
But a few weeds and stubble showing last.

The woods around it have it—it is theirs.
All animals are smothered in their lairs,
I am too absent-spirited to count;
The loneliness includes me unawares.

And lonely as it is, that loneliness
Will be more lonely ere it will be l… Continue

Added by Cameron Goble on January 7, 2008 at 9:16pm — 2 Comments

Best Geek Vacation I Ever Had: Carlsbad Caverns

My girlfriend and I have hankered for a bit of traveling for about a year or so, and Carlsbad Caverns has always been high up on the list. I'm here to report that, as a geek, role player, and boyfriend, a trip to Carlsbad Caverns in the winter time is the best vacation option there is. Hands down. Conventions, guest speakers, and sales tables included.

Now, a few days after we came back, I have some thoughts on why each and every one of you need to come down to New Mexico and explore th… Continue

Added by Cameron Goble on December 18, 2007 at 5:58pm — 4 Comments

PerNoWriMo '07

You know those battalions of NaNoWriMoneers charging for the finish line? Including the illustrious Kenneth Newquist, who just clocked it at over 53K? And how I haven't clocked in ... well ... anything?

Given our past… Continue

Added by Cameron Goble on November 30, 2007 at 11:09pm — 4 Comments

My Ultimate MMORPG, Part II: Starting with the Ultimate Weapon

I don't play MMORPGs because I find them repetitive and dull. I would *like* to play one though because so many of my friends do and it's nice to do things with friends, especially the ones who live far away who I can't see in person. In this series of blog posts, I'll muse over what kinds of MMORPGs could really get my attention. You can read the first entry here. ------------------------------------------… Continue

Added by Cameron Goble on November 24, 2007 at 8:30am — 3 Comments

My Ultimate MMORPG, Part I: BSG, Community, and Storylines

I don't play MMORPGs because I find them repetitive and dull. I would *like* to play one though because so many of my friends do and it's nice to do things with friends, especially the ones who live far away who I can't see in person.

In this series of blog posts, I'll muse over what kinds of MMORPGs could really get my attention.

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I want to play the Battlestar Galactica MMORPG. I don't know if there is one in the works or not… Continue

Added by Cameron Goble on November 20, 2007 at 10:44am — 9 Comments

De Profundis Bookmark-o-rama

The best thing about playing De Profundis is the unintentional research. Looking at the world through dark-tinted glasses, every weird nugget of knowledge suddenly takes on dire, hidden truths. Since the Intartubes are filled with weird nuggets, I started a bookmark folder. It served as an interesting set of jumping off points for new plots. I think my intricate details gained some verisimilitude as well -- nothing old HPL loved more than tossing around esoteric terms. He may have been the origi… Continue

Added by Cameron Goble on November 13, 2007 at 3:31pm — 6 Comments

Write for BioWare!

BioWare Games is looking for writers for their up-and-coming MMORPG!

Me, I'm all gushy for Baldur's Gate and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, mainly for the quality of the plots and characterizations. If I wasn't already on-course for grad school, I'd be putting a sample writing together right now.

And they're not snooty about it, either. The lead guy who wrote Balder's Gate 2 -- the best-selling computer RPG of all time -- was an ex-Travelodge manager.

… Continue

Added by Cameron Goble on November 13, 2007 at 7:42am — 2 Comments

Aftermovie, Tales From the

October was an explosive, high intensity month for me. I've come off of an amazing productivity high, the post pardem depression is well set in, and yet the future is a bright, shiny place. It's all contradictions that weave a beautiful, non-Euclidian tapestry. In all that time, the familiar has become strange, the strange familiar, and things in the middle have been pushed to the edges. My whole psychology has basically turned inside out, and now I'm having to cram it all back in.

You… Continue

Added by Cameron Goble on November 6, 2007 at 10:48am — 7 Comments

30 Seconds of Gold, 1 oz. of Heart-Freezing Paranoia

(Cross-posted from the In The Wind website at Noir Chicken Studios.)

I worked on the set of one of those Big Hollywood Films last year. Here’s a story about that.

One of my jobs was to drive from the production office to the set so that I could courier the film stock. Sets are gigantic events, requiring scores if not hundreds of people, all coordinating their responsibilities to prepare for that golden 30-second int… Continue

Added by Cameron Goble on October 15, 2007 at 4:27pm — No Comments

The Shadow Out of Tim

I'm in total shill mode here: The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets, my favorite Lovecraftian band in the spaces that we know, has a new album out. "The Shadow Out of Tim" is a theme album build around Lovecraft's similarly monikered "Shadow Out of Time." It's one of my favorite stories, and I'm chomping at the bit to hear the Thickets' treatment of the tale. The CD cover is an encouraging start, based off of the covers… Continue

Added by Cameron Goble on October 12, 2007 at 8:25am — 4 Comments

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