dumnbunny

Canadian Health Care Stories

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:39:11 GMT

Several years ago, I felt very sick. I assumed it was a flu until vomiting didn't make me feel any better at all. I decided I needed to see a doctor. I called my mother-in-law who gave my wife and I a lift to a walk-in clinic.

I saw a doctor within a few minutes. He poked me once and informed me I had appendicitis and need to go the nearby hospital. At the hospital there was a short line (about 4 or 5 people). The people ahead of me looked at me and quickly moved me to the front of the line.

There was a short delay in seeing a doctor; at the time I was brought to the emergency room he was dealing with someone in the middle of a heart-attack. The only sour note was a disagreement between the ER doctor (who told me he wasn't going to let me leave until I got the surgery I needed) and the surgeon who wasn't sure it was my appendix. I was operated on successfully, though, and spent a day or so in the hospital.

Out of pocket expense: $0.

During a routine physical, my father was tentatively diagnosed with prostate cancer. This was followed with various visits to an oncologist, tests, biopsies, and eventually surgery. He was diagnosed early in the month, and recovering from surgery later that same month.

A buddy of mine moved to Alberta from Ontario and didnt' bother signing up for Alberta Health. At the time, people in Alberta payed a small amount per month for health care coverage (a pittance, really; the majority of the health care budget came from general tax revenues), and he didn't want to pay. He was young, healthy, never got sick and didn't see the need for health coverage (that sounds very much like some of the posts I've read in various health care threads on RPGnet).

The he got frustrated at something and kicked a wall. He didn't kick it very hard at all, but managed to do so in just the right way to break his foot. So there he was, hobbling around on a broken foot for days, no idea of what to do until his grandparents dragged him to the hospital.

There he had to fill out a form to get put on Alberta Health Care, and they took care of his foot. No fuss, no muss.

Automata

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:21:39 GMT

I want to run the hell out of this using -- oh shit, I dunno, FATE? Yeah, FATE would do the trick.

The End of the Story

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 05:01:23 GMT

So a small, independent publisher, Night Shade Books, is releasing a series of books collecting the writings of Clark Ashton Smith, the first one named after one of Smith's stories, "The End of the Story." Somehow I managed to miss this author when I got big into fantasy, sci-fi and horror back in my youth. These days, I'm doing much more reading for pleasure than I've managed in the last, oh, decade or so, rebuilding and adding to my collection of speculative fiction. Enough people have raved about Smith that when I saw the Night Shade published collection pop up on Amazon I grabbed it.

With the opening paragraph of the second story in the book, "The Abominations of Yondo", I was hooked:

The sand of the desert of Yondo is not as the sand of other deserts; for Yondo lies nearest of all to the world's rim; and strange winds, blowing from a gulf no astronomer may hope to fathom, have sown its ruinous fields with the grey dust of corroding planets, the black ashes of extinguished suns. The dark, orb-like mountains which rise from its pitted and wrinkled plain are not all its own, for some are fallen asteroids half-buried in that abysmal sand. Things have crept in from nether space, whose incursion is forbid by the watchful gods of all proper and well-ordered lands; but there are no such gods in Yondo, where live the hoary genii of stars abolished, and decrepit demons left homeless by the destruction of antiquated hells.

Fuckin' A!

Demigod: Putting my money where my mouth is

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:13:17 GMT

Over the years I've rarely if ever let an opportunity to slam pretty much every aspect of DRM pass me by. So when I heard that an upcoming game called Demigod was going to be released without any sort of DRM at all, I just had to reward that by buying a copy.

Someone from the publisher Stardock had this to say:

"Second, since Demigod has zero copy protection on it, it meant that that piracy on this title will, in theory, be maximized. Stardock’s position on piracy is pretty straight forward but to repeat it here: It’s not that we don’t think piracy is massive. We just aren’t convinced that it results in that many lost sales. Or more to the point, we don’t think intrusive, obnoxious copy protection will result in more sales than we lose from people who don’t want to mess with it."

http://forums.demigodthegame.com/346061

As luck would have it, the game is also a lot of fun, but more on that in a moment.

Stardock is taking an interesting approach to their IP. First, that unique key on the back of the manual? You don't enter that when installing the program. In fact, if you want to install it on multiple computers across your LAN for some multiplayer action, they've explicitly allowed this. That key is entered when you create an online account on their Impulse service. This allows you to participate in various forms of online play. They're treating the online services as a value add, an enticement to have a valid key.

I've enjoyed a lot of RTS games, but the ones I've enjoyed most broke away from the C&C formula somewhat, games like Myth, Sacrifice and now Demigod. In this game you mainly interact with the environment through your character, a demigod. You choose your demigod from a list of eight, four "assassins" and four "generals". Assassins roam the battlefield alone, while generals can summon a small number of minions as well. The bulk of the units on the battlefield are allies, which are entirely AI controlled. Each of the demigods I've tried so far plays quite a bit differently.

As you do battle, your demigod gains XP and levels up. Each demigod has it's own set of skill trees allowing you to customize it. You can also spend the gold you earn on regular gear and powerful relics. You also gain favour points for achieving certain goals during the battle (most kills, etc), which can be used to purchase persistent benefits for your demigod.

I found the tactical and strategic aspects of the game interesting. Tactically you need to decide where to deploy your demigod, capturing flags, recapturing flags, hunting enemy demigods, assisting your allies, etc. Strategically you build your demigod in various ways, and you decide how to spend your gold. You can improve your character through gear, buy healing and mana potions and other expendables, and buy upgrades for your citadel (ie: home base). These upgrades can improve your allies, defensive buildings, gold flow, xp rate, and add new allies.

I've found so far that I don't have nearly enough gold to pursue all these different options, so I'm experimenting with different approaches. Focusing on new allies works well. Different demigods will work well with different strategies. A general has to buy increasingly expensive tiers of totems to summon it's minions, cutting into the gold available for other strategies.

I've enjoyed the game so much I'll have to check out Stardock's other offerings.

Mouse Guard

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:55:24 GMT

A lot of people are talking about the new RPG by Luke Crane and David Peterson, ~~Mouse Patrol~~ Mouse Guard, based on the graphic novels of the same name. Some of those people are probably pondering getting in on the pre-order at IPR.

If this describes you, I suggest pondering quickly. There were 194 available when I started entering my pre-order. By the time I was done, they were down to 190. They're at 188 now, and it's the middle of the night.

CNN calls it for Obama

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:09:37 GMT

Dear America,

Thank you.

Love,
Paul Watson

That politicts test.

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 01:37:19 GMT

I'm not surprised. Well, not terribly, anyways. I am Canadian taking an American-centric politics test, after all :D . I've had my conservative friends call me a liberal, and my liberal friends call me a conservative. In one online conversation regarding the high price of gas I was accused of being a member of an uncaring elite, and an anti-corporate hippie. I've generally avoided labeling myself, but I can live with Socialist.

You are a
Social Liberal
(60% permissive)

and an...
Economic Liberal
(16% permissive)

You are best described as a:

Socialist

Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid
Also : The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

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Random idea

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 05:01:15 GMT

So I'm reading the default setting material in the D&D 4e corebooks as well as this article, a setting their loosely calling "points of light." One thing that jumps out at me is the description of isolated "settlements afflicted by troubles [that] can only hope for a band of heroes to arrive and set things right." Although there are some stark differences, that bit there reminds me strongly of the default setting in Dogs in the Vineyard.

So my random idea is to run a 4e campaign stitching together Points of Light, DitV and using the Broken Places template Levi cooked up. Now the only question is, do I have all the players play paladins? ;)

I'll have to give this some thought ...

That Wordle toy

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:10:47 GMT

A lot of folks have been having fun with that new web toy, Wordle. I figured I'd have it take a look at my del.icio.us bookmarks and see what the result is:

Hinterlands Who's Who

Fri, 02 May 2008 00:41:50 GMT

When I was growing up, I loved watching those Hinterlands Who's Who shorts the NFB produced. I don't remember this one, though ...

The things kids watch these days ...

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 15:23:26 GMT

So I was watching some TV show with my daughter this morning, something with a talking coconut, reflecting on the silly, awful shows kids watch these days. They're not nearly as good as the shows my generation watched when we were kids.

Then I hit Youtube and found a few clips of some of the shows I used to watch, such as this gem ...

Hey, I was nine when I watched this!

...

Don't you judge me.

Random observation re: Internet pissing contests

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 07:43:41 GMT

When two people engage in an Internet pissing contest, the outcome is rarely one winner and one loser, but rather two losers who stink of piss.

Also, the reason I don't post in, or even read, many threads in many forums.

The things I do for coffee ...

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 03:20:26 GMT

... I'll never understand.

So the heating element in my coffee maker broke. It stopped heating up the water, the water wouldn't flow, and it wouldn't warm the carafe. It going to be a few days before I get out to the mall to buy a new one, so I tried to just go without coffee.

Not too well. I wound up taking the basket off my old coffee maker, removing the valve and spring, and balancing it on top of the carafe. Eh, it works well enough. I pour hot water into the grounds from a kettle, and it cools pretty quickly. I wind up nuking every cup after the first.

Hehe, my nerd test results

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 03:05:40 GMT

Edited to add:

For comparison, here's my wife's (earthrowan) results from taking that test:

And yet, somehow we make it work ;) .

40

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 23:45:36 GMT

I turned 40 yesterday, and I'm feeling pretty good about it.

My career, which had pretty much stalled in a global IT megacorp, has taken a quantum leap forward. I have a much better work environment, better pay, better opportunities. My family is living in a much better home in a smaller, nice city. And I've dropped about 20, 30 pounds, too.

I can't recall when I last felt this content with my life and my future.

Lethbridge Bound

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 16:05:08 GMT

Posted in hopes there's someone who reads this who is familiar with Lethbridge, or knows someone who is:

I just accepted a role as a web developer, so my family and I are moving to Lethbridge. Unfortunately, I haven't been to Lethbridge in something like three decades, so I have no idea what the different areas are like. If someone could give me some advice on nice neighbourhoods, or any other advice on renting and living in Lethbridge, that would be greatly appreciated.

To get a little more specific, we've been doing a fair bit of searching on-line, and we're wondering what the area around 20th St N and 8a Ave N is like.

Mika Brzezinski is my hero

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 16:00:49 GMT

The best quote from this clip: "Why are you such a journalist?" I assume he said it with a bit of tounge-in-cheek, but it was still priceless.

Philosophical Films

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 00:51:05 GMT

Found this interesting site when I was randomly browsing around the web, Philosophical Films at the University of Tennessee at Martin website. It provides brief reviews of a number of thought-provoking films, as well as discussion questions.

Role Search

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 06:07:24 GMT

Well, break time is over. Now it's time for me to start searching for a new software development role. So far, so good. I already have people contacting me, making inquiries as to my availability, and referring me to IT managers they know.

I've also decided to finally get my SCJP (for the non-geeks, that's a Java programming certification). I subscribed to one of the most recommended practice tests, and I'm getting results around 90%, so I'm feeling pretty good about how the actual test is going to go. After that, I'll pick up SCWCD and SCBCD (for the non-geeks, those are certifications related to programming web sites in Java).

Gaming, it's not just for Windows, anymore

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 06:00:22 GMT

Blizzard has been simultaneously releasing their games for both Windows and Mac for a number of years now. It's good to see a couple large players in the industry, EA and id, joining Blizzard on the Mac bandwagon. It's a good sign of the platform's rising popularity.

http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=16458

Laid Off

Sat, 05 May 2007 06:18:51 GMT

I was working from home the other day when my manager called me into the office. He needed to meet with me face-to-face, and couldn't even give me a hint over the phone. So, ok, I head down there and he tells me to brace myself, that he has some really devastating news. As of today that moment I was laid off.

Heh, the funny part was my manager was more upset than I was. When he started with the company, I helped him out, giving him advice and earning his respect. He figured the company was losing a valuable asset, but ... well, there's sound business reasons behind this, bean-counting reasons, that I really can't go into.

I told him he could calm down, that I was sad, but not resentful, and not the least bit worried. In fact, I'm excited about this. I feel a sense of freedom, of great opportunity. I have enough cash on hand that I have no immediate worries about supporting my family and I. In fact, my immediate plan is to take a couple weeks to do not much of anything, just depressurize, regenerate, and refocus.

And, uh, for those who read all these posts this evening, I apologize for the LJ posting dump. I'm trying to get caught up on a few things that I've put off due to working too much -- no longer an issue :D .

New Computers

Sat, 05 May 2007 06:09:13 GMT

My wife and I picked up new computers. Before moving into software development, I spent about 9 years supporting a grand total of something like twenty thousand Windows PCs. I've also owned several of them myself. After all that, I decided to pick up Macs this time around. Specifically, the 17" 2.0 GHz dual-core iMacs.

I had been avoiding them in the past for a couple reasons. First, there was the much higher hardware costs. Second, I wouldn't have been able to run all the software I wanted to run, mainly games. These days, the hardware price is comparable with a PC, and with Boot Camp, I can run any game my hardware will handle.

But there's another factor. My oldest friend purchased a Mac around the same time I purchased my first PC. About a decade later, I was ready to mothball my fourth PC, and he was still doing desktop publishing on his Mac.

So, I made the switch, and I couldn't be happier. I've never been quite this satisfied with a computer purchase. There was a bit of a learning curve, but not much of one. My family and I climbed most of that curve the evening we bought the iMacs.

Group Folded and SotC Seed

Sat, 05 May 2007 05:56:48 GMT

Well, my Friday evening group has folded. I'm a little saddened by this, but ah well. I may be leaving town at some point in the not too distant future anyways, so this may be for the best.

So here's the seed of an idea I had for the next SotC adventure. I'll get to it in the near future when I get a group going again where ever I land. I'll flesh it out more at that time.

I'm picturing a large dragon strafing New York, a large mechanical dragon. Of course, there's a mad-man at the controls in the dragons head. I'm also thinking maybe groups of henchmen flying much smaller mechanical dragons. Air piracy! And for a home base, a moutain aerie, high above the clouds. Of course, this just screams out for someone with a flying/piloting schtick.

Johnny Dorado, International Gambler

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 21:20:05 GMT

Johnny Dorado, International Gambler

Phase 1

Johnny ran away from home a young age to live on the road with his “shiftless, good-for-nothing” Uncle Pete. His uncle had noted young Johnny’s gifts for games of chance after teaching him poker while visiting one Christmas. After his uncle was given the bums rush by his enraged father, Johnny decided to follow. He had no interest in following in his father footsteps in a Virginia coalmine, and his uncle lived comfortably.

Over the next several years, Johnny learned cards and other games of chance from a master. He also learned grifting, his uncle teaching him how to take advantage of the greed of others.

Aspects: A taste for the good life, Rootless

Phase 2
During the early years of the war, Johnny, a regular fixture at the casinos in the French Riviera, was recruited into French intelligence and the Century Club by the same man. He spent the rest of the war mostly in casinos in neutral countries, spying on German officers who were gambling there, learning what he could from them, and passing it along to French intelligence. He also used his guile to plant false information, leading the Kaiser’s officers to terrible mistakes, ruining more than one career.

Aspects: Cool head, Enemy: former General Friedrich Gruenewald.

Phase 3
Johnny Dorado and … the Curse of Fufua Mtu
Johnny Dorado walked away from a private, high stakes game with a wallet full of cash, and a small wooden box filled with some sort of powder. A desperate, drunk and slightly deranged man had wagered it and lost. Johnny walked away from that game, and death followed with him. He quickly discovers the deadly lengths someone will go to in order to possess the box, desperate measures that only begin with murder. Can Johnny unravel the mystery of the box and the secret of the powder it contains? Or is this finally it for Johnny?

Aspects: “I’ve been dead. It ain’t so bad.”, Indebted to Penda Kamau.

Phase 4

Aspects:

Phase 5

Aspects:

Skills
Superb: Gambling
Great: Rapport, Deceit
Good: Empathy, Guns, Resolve
Fair: Fists, Empathy, Intimidation, Resources
Average: Athletics, Drive, Endurance, Investigation, Mysteries

Stunts
Gambling: Winnings, Players’ Club, Gambling Buddy

Deceit: The Honest Lie

Rapport: International

Inspirations
The inspirations for this one are kind of vague. Kind of Brett Maverick, touch of Charles Wells, bit of Wednesday from American Gods, and I suppose a nod towards Bond.

Movie quote meme

Thu, 28 Dec 2006 07:03:11 GMT

When there's no more room in hell, the bunnies will walk the earth.

Which movie was this quote from?

Oh, yeah!