Machman's Diary

[Machman]

[SIZE=4]Machman’s Blog: - Stardate 2005!![/SIZE]
:tongue2:

Well, having never kept a diary in my life, it is a remarkable thing that I should take this opportunity to create a web log. Even more remarkable that I should be composing a diary not of me, but of my Avatar - John “Machman” Lindsay.

I have yet to see what personal benefits can be derived from rambling to the universe at large through the eyes of an avatar but I imagine it will be quite therapeutic. Then again maybe I will go insane in the process! :silly:

In this Space everyone can hear me scream!!..
But no-one will be able to scream back at me

So what shall I write?..

Hmmm!!

I’ll try to keep this diary updated with important character developments.

I may also keep these pages alive with personal musings on the world at large - These posts may have a high annoyance factor!! - you have been warned!!

Well on to the next post now, must keep these soliloquies brief…
Also must stop talking to myself - it’s really quite un-nerving!!..

[Machman]

Machman joins the Calypso Community

Well, my first major announcement is that I have thrown away the mantle of “freelancer” and have been invited into the small but friendly circle “The Jaded Crown”

This is very good news as I am developing friendships through this forum which are now being reflected on Calypso through Society membership.

The only drawback at the moment is that my fellow members are mostly in a wholly different timezone! - so often there is a bit of an echo, when I set foot on Eudora and shout Hello! to my fellow soc members

So I would like to say a big hello to my new society mates and I look forward to meeting you all in game!

[Machman]

Well from time to time I may throw some personal musings which are almost certain to annoy some people, and you have been warned - this is one of them. <Pro-war advocates look away now!>

I have just seen George Galloway’s stand against the US Senate, and I have to say it has been a long time since politics has been so exciting. I was very impressed with his stand, highlighting the Senate Committee as the “Mother of all Smokescreens”.

I don’t agree with everything George Galloway stands for, but I respect the fact he has been a consistent opponent of the farcical government we now have in this country dominated by the international criminal Tony Blair.

I have at least some respect for George Bush (don’t laugh!), who at least could level with the American People that he didn’t give a damn about international opinion or law, but simply wanted a regime change and to hell with what the world thought. Tony on the other hand knew this approach wouldn’t work with the British so instead he lied in the hope that weapons of mass destruction would somehow appear in spite of assurances from the UN inspectors that no capability existed ! Now in Britain the whole political establishment has been shamefaced and they will take years to win back public confidence.

George Galloway if you’re ever on Calypso I would happily buy you the Single Malt of your choice!! and several McEwans into the bargain!! How refreshing to hear an uncompromising British politician speaking with such conviction! :beerchug:

:rolleyes:

Och well… I went hunting today and I seem to be making a small profit these days, which is good! nice to see the skilling seems to be paying off!

[Machman]

So, Friday is the big land grab day.

Sounds like it could be fun, but unfortunately on that morning I have to make a presentation to the Board of Directors at work.

So no fighting hoardes of itchy fingered keyboard warriors for me that day!

…And Thursday night, I suppose I should be preparing my presentation, running it through in my mind…

What key points do I wish to convey?
What is my desired outcome?

and what clothes should I wear?

The three piece Italian-cut suit?

…Or…

How about the Gorilla costume from the local joke shop?

Yes! that is what I would like to wear! - after all I feel like I’m addressing a group of monkeys anyway. It’s not as if they have shown any human qualities lately!

:boxer: I would love to go in with both guns blazing and tell the board how I think they are doing their utmost to destroy what used to be a fantastic company. How they are trying to impose corporate policies, in bulldozer fashion which are undermining what was until recently a marvellous culture of empowered and motivated individuals.

They introduce Policies which aim to measure to the umpteenth degree the output of each employee, and seek to denigrate the individual through “Performance Development Plans” and “Competency Measurements”. They try to adopt policies from the management philosophies du jour, with a set of values that must have been scribbled on the back of a fag packet by “Doogie Howser” our new Managing Director! :wise:

Yes, I would love to address them all in turn, like fellow Scot George Galloway adressing the Senate Subcommittee and humble them with a few home truths about what their policies are doing to the morale of our company.

But dear reader, we both know I will not be doing that! :rolleyes:

Believe it or not I did try to tackle the MD at the last opportunity I had, and expressed the viewpoints of my colleagues much to their shock and entertainment Unfortunately not one of my erstwhile colleagues backed me up when the crunch time came, so my assault was more like the Bay of Pigs disaster!!! (no promotion for me last year!! :laugh: )

So instead I will put on the business suit, and play the game by their rules, do the dancing bear routine for half an hour and entertain them with the buzzwords and the assurances they want to hear.

Thank goodness there are activities we can engage in, during our leisure time, which keep the inner child alive and entertained! …

[Machman]

[SIZE=3]Good Morning Calypso!![/SIZE]

Well… Okay okay, I know here (Somewhere in the South of England) it is not Morning, but on Calypso it is the land of perpetual sunshine, a land where everyone is free from the worries that plague us here on Earth - no one gets old, No one dies, no one gets pestered by the “crazy frog” ringtone etc etc…

“Springtime for MindArk and Calypso!..”

But scratch a little below the surface and a slightly different picture emerges!

The workers are getting a little restless! :silly2: Just as in real life, people are complaining that their efforts are not being rewarded. The participants in this pioneering social experiment are realising the magnitude of power that is wielded over them by the designers and developers of this virtual universe, and humbled by the perception that there is little they can achieve as individuals to alter the course of the project.

Just as in real life, some people are getting organised and rallying together to provide a common voice, through the means of petitions to voice their concerns to Mindark. This is all good, healthy and democratic, indeed many people in history have lost their lives fighting for the opportunity to have their voice heard, and the fact we can petition freely is a wonderful thing. To be truly democratic though perhaps we should have petitions for those people that are ok with the new VU (myself included)

I was amazed to hear from a couple of veteran SWG players that some 65% of players (unsubstantiated quote) had cancelled their subscriptions when a major VU took place recently, completely overhauling the game engine whilst at the same time losing some 10 days data from the European servers. Still what do Sony care if they lose their pioneer player community? - after all the upgrade was apparantly a “dumbing down” exercise to break into the console market, and attract a new tranche of less tech savvy users. In Sony’s eyes they are merely “pruning the tree” - removing the deadwood so to speak, to encourage new growth in a different direction.

Corporations do this pruning exercise all the time with their employees, because the longer people spend with a Company - the more they expect in return through pay increases and improved conditions. An unspoken fact behind most HR departments it seems, is that they are in place to ensure that staff turnover remains high, and the aim of a good HR manager is to convince you the opposite is happening! - that somehow the company is concerned with your welfare and are doing things to keep you at the company!!!

In the case of my two SWG veteran friends the “crisis” has been a blessing in disguise, as they are now rediscovering the wonderful range of activities they can pursue in real life - and my Airsoft team mates are once again reformed into the not-so-serious butt-kicking powerhouse of yonder years! :handgun:

I can give numerous examples of individuals who have found a new lease of life through redundancy and have been given a chance to rediscover themselves. Or divorce for that matter - I can personally testify to what I perceived at the time to be a small death, turned out to be a complete rebirth and rediscovery of myself.

Change is a fact of life, and with it comes new opportunities.

I can see opportunities with the new planned VU’s…

Returning to the perpetual morning theme at the beginning of this long post - there are rumours that VU7.5 may contain day and night cycles -If true, that would be superb!!! - and would also prove that MA are trying to improve the experience for all of us.

Introduce that plus advertising in game to generate large loot pools - and I will be a very happy hunter and once again it will be…

“Springtime for MindArk and Calypso
Come on, Calypsans, go into your dance!” :dance:

(Apologies to Mel Brooks for the shameful mis quotes!!!)

[Machman]

Apologies for the last thread!

:laugh: Well congratulations if you made it awake through the last thread!

What have I been doing in game lately?

Well perhaps the reason for my philosophical ramblings is due to the fact I discovered “the Doldrums” of Calypso :rolleyes:

Yes, that’s right, Machman was stuck for four bloody days!!! :eek: at the outpost in the North East of the island after unsuccessfully trying to hunt down Cornundacaudas.

If you hunt Corns in that neck of the woods, make sure you bring plenty of sun-tan lotion and good books to read because believe me, if you go down, you won’t be going anywhere!!!

Every attempt I made to escape was thwarted by a Nefarious Neconu or a Warrior Generation 05 and 06 Nazi Death Bot !!

“WHAM!!! … you have been killed by the ever so naughty Neconu!!..”

So whilst every one was ranting and raving about their skill runs I was envious of the mobility they all had!

I was saved on the fourth day by meeting up with a fellow shipwrecked individual from Sweden (Can’t remember the name - Robinson Crusoe perhaps?)
who despite being rather potty mouthed! turned into a good team mate and we managed to hack our way to the beach east of the outpost when most of the mobs appeared to have uncharacteristically taken a tea-break! :tongue2:

Comedy ensued as we could only manage to get one of us to the beach at a time, and each of us would find the other dead on arrival!

Well, apologies to the guy who didn’t quite make it back to me on time as I waited well away from danger in the ocean (What me scared? Never! :silly2: ) but I think you’ll understand why I won’t be going back to the outpost to help you! (Boo Machman! Hiss!!!)

Still dear reader - if you do find yourself landing at the outpost perhaps you will see the poor fellow and you can offer to help him to escape!

Good Luck!

[Machman]

Why I Dislike PVP!

Well, it’s been a while since I kept my diary up to date. not so much activity for me in PE over the last few days as events in RL have taken my attention away.

It’s always interesting to hear what people get up to in their spare time, so I thought I would share a few lines with you about my main hobby, which is a little known sport called Airsoft. Airsoft can best be described as a combat simulation sport, similar to paintball but perhaps considered a bit more hardcore. The sport is realistic, in that it is often used to train security, law enforcement and military in the UK and elsewhere using replica firearms that fire plastic pellets over 300feet per second and at 600 or so rounds per minute. For a brief introduction to Airsoft Click on the link here
This shows an extract from the BBC of a new site set in the North UK (Spot the WASPs team badge! )

For a more detailed look at airsoft - try this link showing Airsoft events run by ex SAS and other Special Forces Click Here - Big File (22MB)

I have played Airsoft for several years, and I would describe it for me as the ultimate adrenaline rush. I have become fortunate enough to join the WASPs team a great bunch of lads who are well known internationally on the Airsoft scene. Through the team I continue to develop in my sport and it inspires me to keep at the peak of my fitness.

You may at first think that Airsofters are all military wannabees, and yes there are many current and ex military who partake in the sport. However I should point out that I myself am a pacifist, a vegetarian and I can’t even bring myself to shoot animals! You will not find more vocal critics for example on the war in Iraq than from myself and several fellow airsofters. There are people of all ages, races and genders who enjoy Airsoft, which relies on a high degree of sportsmanship and integrity on the field. I have seen the sport have a very positive impact on youngsters for example as it teaches the importance of team work, and indeed the sport makes you realise how catastrophically dangerous real firearms are. Many corporate events are also held using Airsoft to promote teamwork and bonding amoungst colleagues.

Well to cut to the chase - Airsoft as a sport in the UK will no longer exist if the UK Parliament passes a bill that, although containing many good and sensible measures, will make the import and manufacture of replica weapons in the UK illegal. If this goes through un-amended then Airsoft in the UK will simply die. I would be happy to see replica weapon retailers licensed and regulated in order to prevent criminals and anti-social delinquents from obtaining replicas but the Bill in it’s present state will simply criminalise an activity which is enjoyed legitimately by many thousands in the UK

If this sounds unfair to you, then please Sign the petition here

So why do I hate PvP? - well I guess I want more realism out of it - I want to be able to employ fieldcraft techniques to gain on my opponent and be able to work in a team to employ tried and tested Fire and Manouevre drills. :sniper:

But most of all I want to see bloopers occur, like people tripping up when climbing stairs :silly: or dropping their magazines whilst fumbling in the dark under fire :banghead: . Because, well… in the real world, I am reliably informed - that happens alot!